Cake!

I took cake decorating classes through Wilton last year, and I really enjoyed them. I have cake-makers on both sides of the family. My Aunt Ula made our wedding cake and my Aunt Jo made our groom's cake, not to mention the beautiful cake for my baby shower. So I figured it would be something fun to learn as a hobby.
Let me tell you that cake making can be very stressful -- especially when you are making a cake for someone else!! I have had more than one catastrophe so far (usually involving layer cakes). So I refuse to do it as anything more than a courtesy to friends and family. I usually make my nephews' birthday cakes and cakes for family gatherings.

So when my husband asked me to make him and his brother Spiderman and Superman cakes for their birthday celebration with his family, I agreed. I had done a Spiderman cake before, but this was my first attempt at Superman. They both turned out pretty well! Duane was pleased, and that made everything worth it!

Also, I recently found out that the woman who runs the store where I buy all my cake supplies also teaches cake decorating lessons! I was really excited, because I felt like I should brush up on my basics. It only cost $25 for 5 lessons, and I pretty much have all the supplies already. I have had 2 classes already and they have both gone very well. I made a cake for a woman at my work for her birthday, and it turned out to be pretty tasty! I am still having a few technical issues, but hopefully those will be worked out with practice! And the people at work love when I practice, because they get to be the guinea pigs!

Work Shower

When I first found out that Duane and I are expecting, my friend Kim (who is now on the last week of her own maternity leave) decided she was going to plan a baby shower for me from home. With the assistance of our other work friend Barb, the shower was a wonderful success! I had so much fun celebrating Rachel's impending arrival with everyone from work, and I am once again reminded what great people Duane and I have in our lives.

We got so many clothes and gift cards this time! Kim made a toy crate for us, which we need because we have so many toys for Rachel already! She filled it with lots of clothes too! And I can't believe how generous everyone was with their presents and gift cards. Those will definitely come in handy for everything we will need down the road (read: diapers!).

I couldn't have asked for anything better. The cake was delicious, the people were fun, and I got to spend an hour focusing on my daughter!

The nursery is almost finished!

My husband amazes me constantly. We decided to put laminate wood flooring in Rachel's nursery, and he has never laid laminate flooring before, but decided he would give it a try. It looks AMAZING! He painted the walls yellow, laid the flooring, and all I can take credit for is the wall border, and I got help with all but 2 feet of that! From what this room looked like before, I am just amazed at how beautiful it looks now. It is the perfect nursery for our daughter.

But everything has come together nicely. The crib and dresser/changing table look wonderful, and the room is really starting to look like a real room and not just a place to stash baby stuff. I put her clothes away in the dresser and closet, but I still have to go back and wash them. I can't believe she got so many things from just 1 shower! Everyone has been so generous. A guy at my work brought us a bunch of diapers they never used from when they had twins about a year ago, so we are stocked up for at least a week or two. :) My sister-in-law has been finding the cutest outfits for her too!

All we are waiting on now is the rocking chair and the rest of the decorations, and Rachel's room will be all ready -- we will just be waiting for Rachel then!!

Baby Shower!

My mom and sister threw me my first baby shower Saturday, and I left feeling more blessed and thankful than I have ever felt in my life. The shower was amazing. I couldn't have envisioned anything better. The food was great, the games were fun, and I even wore a dress!! (Pregnancy dresses are so much cuter than regular dresses, because you are supposed to look big!)

It was an amazing turnout -- probably around 30-35 of my closest family and friends. My friend Lori came in from Cincinnati, my friend Amy came in from D.C. (not just to see me, but we will pretend I am that special), my friend Allison came, and I got to see my future son-in-law and his mom, my friend Kim. Kim and I are used to seeing each other every day, so I feel like we never see each other anymore, since she has been on maternity leave!

It was so much fun visiting with everyone. There were so many people that I did my best to make the rounds and talk to everyone at least a little bit. And everyone was extremely generous. People who couldn't even attend sent presents. I must have spent a good hour and a half opening gifts -- it was exhausting! But all the baby clothes were adorable.

Rachel received two hand-made afghans from grandma's friends, and her Aunt Patti and family got her the Pack-n-Play. We also got her snap-n-go stroller, a baby/puppy gate, and a boppy, among many other things. And grandma's friend fromhigh school sent a special OSU basket full of knit goodies -- a sweater, booties, mittens, and a cap! So her OSU wardrobe is almost complete -- she has home and away onesies, binkies, and even a plate set!
And just to top off the day, my Aunt Joanne made the most amazing cake!! I may make a cake here and there for fun, but she and my Aunt Ula have a talent unlike any other!!

Duane and I are extremely thankful for all the loved ones who areso generous to us. We know that our daughter is already extremely loved and cherished, and that makes bringing her into this world all the more wonderful for us.

Speaking of bringing her into this world, here are my latest belly pics from 32 and 33 weeks. Look at the drastic change from week 32 to week 33!! She is measuring a week ahead now (so she is measuring like a 34-week fetus, rather than a 33-week fetus), but everything else looks normal and healthy!

Wii!

Duane and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary Tuesday. It snuck up on both of us, because i didn't realize April 22nd was Tuesday until I heard that Monday was April 21st! I don't know if that makes sense, but you catch my drift.


In honor of our special day, we decided to go to dinner. After that, I wanted to walk around Best Buy, because Duane has fallen in love with the Wii gaming system ever since his brother got one. I can't say I blame him -- if you have never played Wii, it is highly addictive. Plus the cost is minimal compared to competitors like Playstation 3 and XBox 360. So I figured we would look around, because Wii's are quite popular, and thus extremely hard to get ahold of.
Almost like a sign from above, Best Buy had 1 Wii in stock.
I have been trying to save money for baby stuff, because everyone keeps telling me how shocked I will be at the cost of having a baby. Even though we plan to breastfeed, I hear diapers aren't cheap! But Duane's birthday is Monday, and we both have worked very hard these last few months (hence, the minimal posting to the blog), so I decided we deserved a little splurge.
I cannot describe to you how many of my muscles are aching right now! What a workout!! If you have never played Wii, I really recommend you try it sometime. It isn't your typical gaming system, so it entertains just about everyone in the family. My mom and dad are even thinking about getting one!!
Plus, it is something that Duane and I enjoy doing together, and it gets me off my lazy butt so I can actually get some exercise in these last 8 weeks of pregnancy. Maybe it will help get me back in shape once our little Rachel arrives! I could be the Wii spokesperson, like Jared is with Subway. Hmmmm...

Acrobatic Baby!

We had our 4D ultrasound today. It was such an amazing experience! We were lucky to have our family there with us. Duane's brother Phil and his wife Jen, my sister, my parents, and Duane's mom were there to see our little Rachel's debut. She started out in a very awkward position! Her feet were all the way up by her head. She kept grabbing her toes! It was so awkward that the technician had me stop in the middle and get up to walk around so she would readjust!

I never realized how much my movements would affect her positioning in me. When I turned to the side, she would turn as well.

We have a VERY active little girl, and it looks like she might be taller than we are someday! She is already 16.5 inches long and about 2.5 lbs. The poor girl inherited my feet though! Long and skinny tootsies! Her facial expressions remind me of Duane's expressions.

We had such a wonderful time! It makes me all the more excited to meet her in a few months!

A little bit late!

We have our 4D ultrasound this Thursday at 4:45 p.m., so I figured I should probably post the pictures of our 2D ultrasound before I post the next set! I can't wait to see Rachel's little face and features! She is moving around a little bit, and sometimes I feel her kicks so hard it startles me! Duane thinks she will be very active (like her daddy). I was impressed with the progress he made on the nursery this weekend. He pulled up the carpet so he can start laying the floor down this week. I am really excited to get everything set up!

You can see her face in this picture. The doctor said she kept popping her face into all the pictures! She is quite photogenic!

Speaking of photogenic, I am happy to announce that my friend Kim had her baby last Thursday. Aiden Michael Cotter was born at 6:08 a.m. and weighed in at 6 lb 9 oz. He is such a cutie! I got to hold him for a little bit last Friday, and I have to say that Kim and Mike did an awfully good job of making that little guy! I think he has her eyes, but she thinks he will look a lot like Mike! So my congrats go out to the Cotters. I can't wait until Rachel gets to meet her future playmate!!