Nursery!

Our nursery is finished!! Well...very close to being finished! We still need to get our glider & ottoman, which is hopefully this weekend. But it's pretty much done. Nate hung the last of the wall hangings and curtains last night and it finally looks like a little girl's nursery! I love it sooo much!! Everytime I walk by I just look in and can't believe soon there will be a little person living in there! Makes things even more real! Hope you enjoy the pictures :)

I love that sign...it reads: "We Prayed For This Child. And the child grew to be strong; she was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon her. Luke 2:40" Perfect!!

Had to include a picture of our pack n play because I love it so much. Our stroller matches, and I love that too!!!

Almost there!

As of yesterday, I am 36 weeks pregnant!! Technically only four more weeks to go! It's unreal! Granted it could be shorter or longer, but to have finally gotten this far is surreal to me. I definitely feel nine months pregnant! Sleeping is nonexistant anymore...which makes me and Nate suffer, but we are dealing! I know everyone says it gets you prepared for when your baby comes...but I have to think it will be easier ONLY because even if I do get an hour to sleep I won't be uncomfortable or in pain! Right?!?! At least I tell myself that :)
We are knocking things off our list that needs done. My bag is packed!! Everything we need for when she gets here is up and built (thanks to Nate!). There are only 2 things left that I definitely want to do before she arrives. We have to hang up the blinds, curtains, and wall hangings in the nursery. And we have to return some things we got 2 of from Target and Babies R Us and finish up our registry with things we didn't get yet. Oh yea, make that 3 things...we really need to get a glider still. We'll see...we've been pretty motivated this week so I think next week we can get it all done. Then just relax and wait for her to come :)
This picture is from last week when I was 35 weeks. I can't wait to start posting pictures of our daughter, not just my belly :)



35 weeks!

Baby Shower!

This past Sunday was my baby shower, and boy was it amazing!! I had the best time and we were overwhelmed at the generosity of everyone. We received so many things and have a great start on getting ready for this little one! My sister did so much work and did an amazing job, as well as my mom, and Nate's family. I'm always amazed at my sister's strength and grace and she just proved it again with this shower. Everything went perfect and I wish we could do it all over again :) We got the majority of our 'big' items. Actually, all but the glider, which we didn't expect to get. That is a huge relief. After deciding not to work anymore at the daycare I had concerns about where the money was going to come from for all this baby gear. God and our friends have really blessed us!! We even got our stroller and pack n play (it was online only so I was worried we wouldn't!) thanks to my mom, sister, and some amazing friends! It was everything I could have wanted and more! The gifts are now in a huge pile in our living room waiting for this Saturday for Meme and Grammy to come over to see them all. After that...it's time to get busy and get this house ready for baby!

I'm 32 weeks now (on Thursday I'll be 33!). I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and everything is looking great. She still has a strong heartbeat and I'm right on course with my weight (shocking I know, haha). Time is flying by and in 7 weeks we will be very very close to having a daughter....ahhh!!! I'm so excited!

Here are a few picttures from the shower and me at 32 weeks. Enjoy :) I know I did!!!! Thanks to everyone that was able to come and everyone that bought our little girl something...we are truly blessed!!

32 weeks!

Heather & I at my shower

Mom & I...very excited grandma to be :)

Heidi, me, and Joni :)

Blessings!!

Dana bought her first Steelers outfit, we love it!!!

Nate's manly diaper bag...thanks Aunt Annie :)

The aftermath...Babies R Us exploded in our living room :)

30 weeks!!!

So, I have reached the 30 week mark!! I can't believe it. I remember being like 11 weeks and it seeming sooo far away to this point. Now we have only ten more to go (hopefully!). It's getting more and more excited and real. As well as my belly getting more and more big! I'm still pretty uncomfortable and sleeping is pretty much non-existant, but other than that...I'm great ;) We've been getting wonderful gifts in the mail and although we are wondering where we are going to put all this baby stuff...we are so grateful and excited :) My doctor's appointments are now every 2 weeks...another phase I never thought I'd make it to! Time is flying and I'm sure the rest of the time will go by even faster with the holidays coming! I can't wait :)

30 weeks!!!

27 Weeks and counting...

So, I promised myself that if I would be blessed enough to get pregnant I would try very very hard not to complain. I have so many close family and friends that struggle to get pregnant and I didn't want to be 'that girl' to them. I would embrace pregnancy and enjoy every single second. Okay...so I haven't been doing well! I do catch myself and try to take a deep breath and remember how blessed I really am. And I know it's all worth it the second that baby is born. But man...being pregnant is sometimes NOT fun! *Insert pity party here* I've been getting bigger (MUCH bigger...do I really have 13 weeks to go still!) and it's making life pretty uncomfortable. Sleeping is no longer fun (which it used to be my absolute favorite thing!!!). My back aches and my hip is sore and I swear my daughter is beating me from the inside. Work is getting a little rough. I think I must be a wimp, but working with those little kids is getting so hard!! Getting up and down and bending and ... oh my, just making it through the day is an accomplishment! I always thought I'd be one of those people that said that I have never felt better or more beautiful than while I was pregnant...yea, not so much!! Whew...okay, i feel better now. Hopefully that is out of my system. Besides the physical side of all this though, I couldn't be happier. Off to happier topics!

Besides all of the above mentioned things...we are getting super excited!!! We've been getting baby gifts in the mail and acquiring clothes and items from very generous people. I swear we don't have to buy clothes for the first year! We are extremely blessed! We sent out my shower invitations this morning! I can't believe it's coming up so fast! I'm excited to see everyone and spend time with those I don't get to see as much. Time sure is flying...pretty soon the little one will be here. Yay :)

27 Weeks....oh my!! :)

Nursery!

Well, we've made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks! Our room is beginning to look like a nursery!! We got it all painted in 2 days and this past weekend we picked up the furniture and put it together! Well...only the crib needed put together, and Rick came over to help with that much. Heather and I got to hang out which was wonderful! I have to say, the boys did a great job! I haven't gotten to the decorating part. I'm saving that for when Nate is working his outage and I'm home alone...bored out of my mind!!! It's surreal walking by the room now and seeing the crib and changing table...but it's very exciting!!!
I'm 25 weeks and counting (actually will be 26 tomorrow!). Time is really flying by! Had a doctor's appointment and everything was fine. Her heart rate is great, I'm measuring well, and I got my flu shot! I'm getting bigger and bigger...enough to warrent comments from others. I never realized what pregnant women meant when they said "Don't ever tell a pregnant lady she is getting huge!". Haha...soooo true :) Things are going great and we are very excited for the upcoming weeks!!!
I have pictures of the old paint job, new paint job, and the furniture! Enjoy :) I'll put more when I have some decorating done!!!




Old blue paint...perfect for a boy...haha, not this time :)




New paint job!!! Called Arabian Sands....woohoo ;)


Nate & Rick ... having oh so much fun putting together the crib!

I love our crib!!

Crib & dresser

Changing table & crib (window dressings to come later!)

25 weeks :)

22 weeks...(& then some!)

Well...I'm behind in my posts...again! I blame the nasty cold I had all last week! I'm mostly over it, but still have a little cough! I think colds are worse when you are pregnant...or else I'm just a bigger wuss! Not much to update on besides my growing belly. My friends and family are convinced (and have no problem telling me!) that I'm going to be 'huge' in a couple of months. Great...looking forward to it ;)
Tomorrow Nate and I are going to register at Babies R Us!! I'm so excited! I have been waiting patiently for this day!! There is so much to choose from though, hopefully it won't be too overwhelming. Beth made me an awesome list of things to definitely get and things to avoid. It's going to be so helpful as we make our way through those aisles!! I'm pretty sure we will do Target too, just not sure when we will get there. Next weekend the tentative plan is to paint the nursery. I think we're just going to go with a beige or tan...and then just accent it with girly things. That way our next one we can go either way :) Nate is being sent to Atlanta in October for a week and then right after starts his dreaded outage, so we (or I, haha) want the nursery semi-done before that. Because before we know it, it will be the end of November!! I would like a place to put all the stuff from the shower!! So, fingers crossed I'll have some nursery progess pictures next week!!

Here's me and my little girl at 22 weeks :)

It's a GIRL!!!

Yep, you probably all heard by now...but Nate and I are having a beautiful baby girl!! We were pretty convinced it was a boy, so at first we were in shock and I felt like a bad mother cause I wasn't upset...just surprised!! I had been thinking boy for about a month and was excited about boy things. But after the initial shock....we are totally excited!! I've started scoping out the girl stuff online and they are so darling. And I should have known cause there are tons of girls around me, so she'll fit right in!! She'll definitely have lots of girl friends :) The sonogram was amazing. It's crazy to think she is moving around so much and kicking so much inside of me!! She kept kicking her legs and she had her hands in front of her face the whole time! It was so awesome. I could have stayed there all day and watch her! My check up was good too. The doctor said she was looking good and healthy and everything was going perfect! I'm officially 21 weeks and looking forward to the rest!
More good news...our nursery furniture is already in!! They called earlier in the week. Sadly, I have to wait about a month still to get it. Now that we know our baby is a girl, we have some painting to do. Our nursery is blue...so we plan on painting it. Not sure what color yet...probably something neutral so we don't have to repaint again next time. Also I need to clear out some of the things in that room to make room for her stuff! Either way, I'm excited it's in and we can go pick it up asap when we are ready!!!
In other baby news, our darling friend Ava turns ONE on Sunday!! I plan on posting some pics from her party. I can't believe it's been a whole year since we got the phone call and postponed her shower ;) She is a beautiful little girl and we look forward to seeing her continue to grow! I am lucky enough to work at Rick's daycare and see little Hali everyday while mom Val is at school. Starting next week I'll see her more often, but it's so nice to walk by, pop my head in and see her darling face!! She seems to like it there. I rarely have seen her not happy! I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such awesome babies that will be great friends for my own daughter!!
Here are some pics of our little girl and an updated one of my growing belly!! Oh and Happy 30th Birthday to my wonderful husband!!!


Our beautiful little girl...already sucking her thumb? Ha...looks like it ")

Those things that look like bubbles are her fingers!!! The doctor said it was really unusual to see that! I said she was probably bored in there so she was twiddling her thumbs!!

20 weeks!!! Growing and growing!!!

Nursery Furniture!

Yes, we bought our nursery furniture this past weekend!! It's so exciting :) We had looked at Babies R Us, but didn't see anything that we really liked. So, we headed to USA Baby on Babcock Blvd (which is 45 mins away, but worth it!).
We first got there and it's very overwhelming because they have so many sets of furniture to go through. We didn't really know where to start. It got a little easier because Nate didn't want to get Pine because it gets scratched easily (the advantages of having an engineer husband, haha. Thinks of everything). So that eliminated a lot of them. We really really liked the Mahogany sets, but they were super duper expensive, out of our budget. Well, we looked at tons of them and liked some of them. Then we came to one of the last sets and I knew it was the one!!! It had everything we wanted. It was harder wood. The color was not real light, but not dark. The changing table had a lip on the sides and back (my requirement!), and the dresser was awesome too. Some of the sets looked like 'grown up' furniture and we wanted this to be more kid like. Basically it wasn't so fancy that it would look silly, but grown up enough to last years. So...I loved it so much I cried in the store!! We discussed it and made sure we (okay, me!) wasn't being rash and just wanted to get something. We knew we wouldn't find something else we liked more and the price was decent, so we ordered it!!! It takes 8-10 weeks to come, which I was upset with at first cause I want it now!! But it's really good cause it gives me time to clear out the room and get it all ready. It's a huge relief and we are both really happy with our choice.
Here is a link to the website
http://www.usababypittsburgh.com/productpg/furniture/bonavita_peyton_crib.php
We got the crib and the dresser shown. The changing table is on the right, but we did not get the hutch that goes on top. At least it gives you an idea. And the picture is darker wood, which we didn't get. We got Chestnut, which is a lighter wood color. When we get it in and put together I'll post pictures of the nursery :)
Only NINE more days until we find out if it's a boy or girl!! I can't wait :)

18 Weeks!

So, I'm now 18 weeks (and 2 days!!). We had our third appointment on Thursday. This time Nate decided to stay at work so I brought Heather with me! It was so great having her there :) It was another short appointment, they checked the heartbeat and my paranoia was put to rest when I heard the wonderful sound of my baby's heart beating!! This time it was 144. So, that debunks all theories if it's a boy or a girl because the first time it was on the higher side, and this time on the lower. I still have NO clue. You would think being the mother I would have some idea, but none. It varies everyday. Today I'm feeling boy...but tomorrow it's likely I feel a girl! Well...only three more weeks until we find out! On August 26th I get my sonogram and find out what we are having!! I can't wait!!! Although, all you women friends who have had babies...tell me now, how in the world did you drink 32 oz of water in 2 hours and NOT go to the bathroom!!! That will be an adventure! Nothing much more exciting to update...Nate and I might go next weekend to look at nursery furniture! Yay!! And we're getting dates/places ready for the shower. I still can't believe it sometimes!! I'm going to be a mommy!!!!!

18 weeks...just a little bit bigger :)

16 Week!!

I'm 16 weeks!! On one hand, the time has flown by, but on the other...I feel like I should be much further along than that! I'm finally showing (and I'm convinced it's more baby than fat now!) so I decided to start with the first pictures of Baby Walker! We go back on August 6th to hear the heartbeat again and hopefully SOON after to find out if the little bugger is a girl or boy!! I can't wait...I'm already ansty not knowing! We just got back from a trip to the Poconos with Nate's college friends and they had several little ones there. They were all so adorable and all at different stages, which was fun. There were 2 other girls there that were pregnant and 3 of the girls already have kids so it was nice talking with them and getting good advice! I'm getting more and more excited!!


Baby Walker: 16 weeks!

I'm going to be a MOMMY!!!

So...the time has finally come when I can actually write about something and it mean something on here!! Yes, it's true...Nate and I are having a baby!!

We found out the Sunday before Mother's Day. Neither of us believed it at first, since it didn't take us very long (we are very blessed). I actually ended up taking SIX pregnancy tests cause I couldn't believe it!! I don't even care if you make fun of me, haha. We waited a whole week to tell our parents (I don't know how people wait longer!) so we could tell them on Mother's Day. Well, actually we called Nate's parents since they are in Alaska and won't be home until September. We thought they might be upset if they came home and I was already five months pregnant without telling them. That week was one of the hardest ever!! Not telling my parents and sister something that big was very difficult.

First we told Rick and Heather. We bought them bibs that said Aunt & Uncle. At first they thought they were for their baby (who hopefully is coming very soon!!!) and then my sister and I exchanged that 'sister' look and she knew! They were so excited for us and it was and awesome experience.

The next day was Mother's Day and we decided to open gifts first. My mom opened my sister's and then got to mine. I had done the same thing and bought Grandma and Grandpa bibs for them. Again, she thought they were for the Bixler Baby...and again I gave the look. She was soooo shocked and excited she threw the gift on the ground to hug us!!! And her first sentence was, "Now I get 2 grandbabies!". It was one of the greatest moments of my life I think. The Bixlers were there, and Russ & Kaytee, and Anne. If only the Walkers were there it would have been even more perfect!!!

We were going to wait and tell the rest until the 3 month mark. Yea, that lasted ONE day. I don't know how people do that!!! Pretty soon everyone close to us knew and were so excited!

Yesterday was really special to us cause we got to hear the heartbeat of our baby. I was just aching to hear it and knew I would feel so much better. It took about 5 seconds (felt like an hour!!) for her to find it, but there it was, loud and clear!! It was such an unreal moment. I cried and even Nate got misty-eyed!! Which is pretty unusual if you know Nate :) It just makes it that much more real that we are going to be parents.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be given this gift. All I have ever wanted to do/be in life was have children and be a mom. I have seen the joy and hardships that many people have faced and I will never ever take this gift for granted. I'm so excited for this child cause he/she (and yes, we are finding out!!) is going to have the best family and friends any child could ask for! Here are some pictures of the day we told our families. Stay tuned for more updates!!!

My mom opening her gift...she has no idea...

Finally realizing what the gift means!!!

Grandma Beckey :)

Grandpa Beckey :)

The best aunt in the whole wide world :) Actually, 2 of them :)

My sister bought me a Mother's Day gift...she is the most amazing sister ever!!!

More to come...

I promise this is not a tease...I'm going to be blogging a lot more...very soon :)

I'm still here!!

Okay, so it turns out I'm not so good at this blog thing. And here is the main reason. I feel like my life is pretty uneventful right now and who would wanna read about it?? But I guess that isn't the whole truth because there are fun things happening! The main on...Jon & Val had their baby!! They had a healthy, happy, and beautiful little girl named Hali Anna. Nate and I visited her in the hospital on Wednesday and she is just perfect. We're so excited for them and to have another little one around. Now Ava has a playmate and I have another little girl to spoil :)

Hali & I

The expanded Spanik family :)

Beautiful Hali

Besides Hali, not much else is new. It's almost April, which means I'm almost out of a job!! If you didn't know, I currently have a year long position at Butler. I'm pretty sure the woman is coming back and I've been pretty bummed about it. This is seriously my dream job. I love the kids, the staff, the principals (which is rare, haha!). I'm trying to not get down about it and think positively and it was an amazing experince for me. I really have no idea what the future holds for me job wise. For the summer, I'm working with Rick at his daycare, which is really exciting. It's only ten minutes away (compared to an hour now!!), it's just daylight, and I get to work for my brother-in-law!! After that...who knows...only God knows where He is going to place me next :) I've been blessed this year though and I'll always cherish it.

The wedding showers and weddings are beginning. I was at the first shower of the season a couple of weeks ago and I have another one tomorrow. That also means that softball is starting soon...one of my favorite things about summer :) It's going to be really fun this year with all the babies we have added to the mix! Crazy what a year can do...a year later we have Ava, Mia, Ella, and Hali!! All girls!!! So fun :)

Again I must say how blessed Nate and I are to have such amazing people in our lives. I definitely thank God everyday for everything He's done for us and continues to do!!

Alright, I PROMISE to update soon!! I'm really going to do this...cause hopefully soon I'll have something exciting to blog about.... ;)

Things to look forward to...

We have many many things to look forward to and I am getting so excited as they get closer!! We have several friends that are expecting little ones soon and I can't believe how fast time has gone. My very good friend Val is due in just two short months. I feel like they just told me they were having a baby!! Her shower is coming up soon and I'm so excited to spend some time with Sarah as we go celebrate with Val and her family. Her Discover shower is soon after and I'm excited to put together something great and fun for her!! I can't wait to meet the new little Spanik.
We also have lots of weddings this coming May that we are really looking forward to. Of course they are all right after each other, which means we have a wedding for three weeks in a row!! This will be the first summer that I am NOT in a wedding, which is kinda sad, but also exciting! I can just go, have fun, and celebrate with good friends!!! Tim and Meredith are finally having their wedding May 16th, it seems like they have been engaged forever :) I'm excited to see everyone again. We always love seeing that crew and have so much fun! Russ & Kaytee are getting married the weekend after, which of course will be a good time with the 'gang'... friends and family, can't get better than that! Than Teri and Tom get married after that. We are excited to make the trip to Connecticut for their wedding.
Then in June, we are going to Ocean Isle for a family vacation. I'm so excited for Nate to experience OIB with me. Some of my most favorite memories come from our trips there and it's going to be so great sharing them with him. It will also be nice to take a vacation with Rick and Heather, I've missed that :(
Speaking of...my sister and Rick are in the beginning process of adopting!! It's a very exciting time for all of us. Through these hard long years, it's been really difficult watching and not being able to do anything for them. Now we can anxiously wait while anticipating their arrival...even though it might be TWO years!!! We are very blessed and excited.
The school year is half over, which is crazy. Has been making me think of what I'm going to do after the school year. It's kind scary, but I've had such a wonderful experience there that I will never forget. It can only help me in the future.
Just a little update, I'll add some pictures soon!! I'm so thankful everyday for the friends I have here...I can't tell them enough how happy I am to be in their lives. If only Heidi & Beth could just move to Arrowhead Dr. then things would be perfect.... ;)

I'm back!!

Well...apparently it's been three months since I've updated?? Thanks for reminding me Sarah!! Hmmm...I wonder how that happened? I think it's because my life is pretty boring! haha

Well, the biggest and best news ever is that Pittsburgh's going to the Superbowl!!! I can't even believe it!! I mean I can, cause we are awesome, but it's such a fun feeling!!! Especially because I got to experience it all again with my dad! Now, I want to preface this by saying my dad has NEVER ever made any hint that he wishes he had a son or that he was upset he never got one. My dad is definitely a 'girl daddy' and he is probably the best dad in this whole world. He has told us many times that he loves his girls and he doesn't care about not having a boy. Saying that...it's so cool that his two daughters love football and scary movies and 'boy' things! The 2005 Superbowl was amazing for many reasons, but mostly cause I was with my dad!!! This year makes me feel the same, and even better because Nate was here this year!! And of course Heather, Jon, Cory, Uncle Larry, and my wonderful mom! It was super fun and we are all so excited for two weeks!
New Year's was really fun this year. Usually I hate it because no one really ever makes plans until last minute and it's all crazy. But...this year was definitely super fun!! We got to spend it with some close friends and just hung out and had fun. Add a little bit of food, some Mario party, and a load of Rock Band and it's always a good time!! Here are some pictures of my wonderful friends that I got to ring in the New Year with!

The whole crew :)

1st New Year's as Mr. & Mrs.!!

Sisters!!!

The girls!!! Sarah, Ava, me, Heather, & Val (and baby Spanik! Girl? We don't know yet)

Me, Val, & Sarah


Val & I (and baby Spanik!)

Sarah & I

Christmas was awesome!! It was our first Christmas as a married couple and it was really nice! It's nice waking up together and having our own little Christmas before the excitement starts!! We are so blessed to have both families five minutes apart and are able to see everyone on the holidays!! It was also extra special because my grandma (Meme) was with us again for another Christmas!! She is a fighter and the most amazing woman I know!!! I just took it all in and enjoyed every single second! Some pictures:

My mom & I wore the same sweater Christmas Eve! Too funny!

Wonderful Meme

The Beckey Family :)

I also got to take another trip to see Beth, Chris, and Owen in December! It was wonderful! I will post pictures later on because I'm running late! But it was great to see them all. I miss Beth so much and little Owen continues to grow so much! I just missed him taking his first steps, but I'm looking forward to seeing them soon!!! More later...I promise it won't be three months!!!