Before the Baby

Before I get started on all the new baby pictures and the birth story, I'm going to throw in any last pictures from the week before. We had a nice little surprise a couple weeks ago when my sister, Kristie, told me that her husband had accepted a job offer here in Scottsdale! Wes will be starting his new job the first of May and Kristie will move down here with Jake and Emilia the beginning of June. We are so excited! Even though we've only got a year left here in Phoenix I am so looking forward to spending time with my sister and having our kids play together! So kind of last minute Kristie booked a flight down here to check out some housing situations...she wanted to overlap the time a little with my mom's visit, but she didn't want to be in our way once the baby came. So she came out Wednesday night (April 6th), my mom came Friday night, and then Kristie left on Tuesday. It was so much fun to spend a few days with both of them before the big day. While in the hospital on Monday, Kristie watched Sawyer for us so that my mom could be there for the delivery. It was nice to know that my mom had some company at home while I was in the hospital. Kristie was able to come see the baby on Monday before flying home. It really worked out so well. We were so grateful for all of her help as well...not to mention the fact that I got my hair done by my favorite hair dresser before D-Day! :)

So here are a few pictures from that weekend together...

We had to spend one afternoon at San Lagos swimming! Love that place!

One night we headed over to Scottsdale to check out the area where Wes will be working. We went to Chipotle and H&M and just walked around a little...

Just a cute picture of my little man chowing down on his chimichanga!

The next few are from the Lowe's Free Clinic that we took Sawyer to on Saturday. It was his first time and he enjoyed it for a few minutes...but then found himself distracted by all of the other fun things going on at Lowes...we might have to give him a few more months before we try it again.

My mom took him for a ride on the 'Choo Choo Rain' at the mall. (sorry all of these pictures are so blurry...don't know what happened with that)

Cute little Mia and my mom before church on Sunday!

I spent a lot of time just chillin with my little Sawyer that weekend...soaking in our last couple days together before baby girl made her debut.

One final Sunday belly shot (39.2 wks)

She's done it again...

My friend Jamie takes the most adorable duck photos every spring. She took some of Sawyer last year and she's done it again! We have just loved them both times and they are some of our favorite shots of Sawyer! Thank you Jamie for sharing your talent with us!

We also had a few minutes for a couple belly shots...37.4 wks

My Favorite one with me and Sawyer!!!

(p.s. I don't think the picture above accurately depicts the size of my tummy. I was laying in an awkward position with my tummy muscles all tensed up...trust me...I'm bigger than this looks)

We got Sawyer to sit with me long enough for a couple good shots...even that was difficult :)

And a rocking horse...random I know...Sawyer was a fan

Sawyer's Skills

Climbing onto all countertops...regardless of how many times we tell him no....

Not only choosing his breakfast food, but setting the table as well!...
Saying 'CHEEEEESE'...

And caressing one's face like an adult would do to a baby...so sweet...

An Odonto-BLAST!

Every year Nathan's school puts on a great little shindig they call, the Odontoblast. The past two years I haven't been able to go for some reason or another. So I was pretty excited about being able to make it this year! And this year it was held in a hotel ballroom. It's usually a pretty formal thing and everyone gets dressed up and stuff...kinda fun since there are few opportunities for formal events anymore these days. I will say, however, that I was a little bummed to be 37 wks pregnant at the time...but we had a BLAST nonetheless! Good food, great company...and my hubby even won an award! That's right, Nathan finally got some recognition for the 'chipmunk' (personally I don't think he needs any positive reinforcement for that little habit) and for some funny comments he made in class. I guess I'll have to admit, though...I was a proud wife that night and he didn't embarrass me TOO much :).

Cute Little LadyBugs

My good friends, Jen & Jen, threw me a baby shower a couple weeks ago! They did such a great job and it had a cute little lady bug theme. It was so fun to get some 'girly' things this time around. Thanks to everyone who helped and came to help us celebrate!

Here is half of the invitation, lol. I thought it was so cute but didn't want to post Jen's address and contact info on my blog so I just cropped out the bottom half. Great job, Jen!

I wasn't too excited about any of the pictures with me in it, but I figured I had to at least post one to prove that I was there :).

Blue Man Group

While we were in Las Vegas last month Nate's parents took us to see the Blue Man Group. Because they are residents of the city, they get special deals (like free ones) on later, weekday shows that don't sell out. So they got a babysitter for us and we headed off for the 10 pm show! Despite the fact that it was way past my bedtime and I was pretty tired...we loved it! It was super entertaining and we all had a great time. Nathan, especially, thought it was AMAZING. I think it really appealed to the ADD side of him ;). Before the show we hit up a buffet at one of the casinos. All in all it was a super fun night and we were glad to spend some one on one time with Ned & Julianne!

The Blue Men are silent the whole time...no talking...and super stone-faced. So naturally we tried to imitate them for the pictures!

I'm not so good at the blank look.

Drumroll please...Building 101

As mentioned in my previous post, Nathan and I took on our first building project while in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago. We had been looking everywhere for a twin bed, black distressed, with storage underneath and for a decent price. Some friends of ours introduced us to a fabulous website (www.ana-white.com) that basically teaches you how to build all kinds of amazing furniture for super cheap. We are now totally converted to building everything on our own unless we happen to find an awesome deal elsewhere! It was so much fun just to hang out with Nathan for a few days and build this bed together. And we really were able to work on everything together! I learned a ton about building and I can't wait for our next project! (Now we just need a garage!) Here are some pictures of our adventure.

Just starting out...I was the designated 'measurer' and Nathan handled the Miter Saw.

Putting the basic framework together

Adding the trim...

Towards the end of painting we decided to build the head board to go along with it...originally we were just going to do the base. So it was back to Lowe's for some more wood! Isn't my hubby a stud?! :)

The headboard was actually super quick and easy...so glad we decided to do it!

Sorry about the horrible glare on the paint. Nate's parents couldn't figure out why we sanded the paint off the edges! It was pretty funny. We like the 'distressed' look...must be a generational thing.

And here are the final pictures in the room...we're still working on converting Sawyer's room from all boy to half boy/half girl...so I will be sure to post some pictures of the whole room when I get that done.

Sawyer LOVES his new bed. And I LOVE it too! It brings me joy every time I put him down...makes DIY projects totally worth it!