He's Here

Mama's recovering and Cash doing just!

From Rags to Custom......MY NEW CHAIR

So I decided after looking & sitting in different rocking chairs that I would rather have a LazyBoy rocking recliner than a hard wooden rocker....especially knowing how much time I will probably be spending in this thing every night. I wanted something I could fall asleep in and would be comfortable on my arms and back, as well as be able to kick my feet up. So the quest began....I looked on Craigslist and many a different website to find my LazyBoy recliner....and find I did --- although all of them were upwards of $500........that is for the ones I wanted!

Then one Saturday as I was hanging out at a friend's garage sale, we decided to drive around the neighborhood and check out the other sales people were having! We went around and didn't see much so started to head back when I took a wrong turn. However, as we drove down the wrong street what did we see sitting on the side of the road between 2 houses all by itself?

Yep -- this LONE CHAIR ---- a rocking lazyboy recliner!!!!! And the best part, the family was just giving it away FREE!!!!! Score, so we went and got my friend Adria's van and brought this treasure home!!!




As you can see -- it isn't the prettiest chair ever, nor did it match my nursery plans at all ---- but my friend Adria said she would help me recover it, and so my next big project was planned for me! Going from sewing the bedding to taking on this project was going to be big, but I made my mind up that we could do it!

$80 later for the great microfiber brown fabric I wanted, and 2 days of hard work by my friend Adria (while I tried to help but mostly just watched her kids while she did 90% of the work) and this chair --- which I must say is in PERFECT condition---- was turned into this:

I absolutely LOVE it --- she did an AMAZING job!!!! I actually had the chair appraised at a fabric store to see how much it would cost to just pay someone else to reupholster it for me, and was told it was $450 for the re-upholstering + 11 yards of fabric ---- which at that store ended up being a total of $750!!!! Way too high a price for me, so I went and got my own fabric which I liked even better and was only $8/yard.....and so for just $80 and some hard work I got one FABULOUS CHAIR for my nursery.....

I made that pillow to match --- chocolate brown w/ cream polkadots, blue, and orange and cream striped trim, which matches the baby bedding I also am finished with and will post pictures of in tomorrows post after removing everything piled in the crib right now!!!!

Thank you Adria for all your hard work......reupholstering is NO easy task --- and it looks SO great! More pics of the nursery to come soon................

38 1/2 weeks Prego and doing WHAT???

GOING BOATING AT THE LAKE!!!




That's right ya'll! Every Saturday since April Chip and I have traveled the 2 mile distance to our favorite lake to go boating! We have loved it! The water is SO great here, not too cold or warm, and the lake we go too is NEVER busy at 8 a.m. so we get it all to ourselves! This has been so much fun for us to do each weekend, and is something we will truly miss when we move next month to Virginia. Also, we will miss you Marcus, and when we come back to visit you better let us join you next summer --- and I will learn to wakeboard too!

Chip has perfected the backflip, and is awesome at the jumps, and next year I want to give the wakeboard a try! But as for this year -- I have been content to just go along for the ride ---- even at 38 1/2 weeks prego I was out there this last weekend. Pretty good eh?

NOTE: I do look forward to it being a LOT easier to get in and out of the boat next year when I am NOT prego tho! The lifejackets just don't fit on quite so easily over the big belly!!!

Always changing my mind..........8/8/08

So as the title goes, I have found myself numerous times this pregnancy changing my mind about how I want things to go, when I want the baby to be born, etc. etc.

I really wanted our little guy to be born today so his birthday could be 8/8/08; also, due to the Olympics starting today I felt it would be a good omen for him to be a natural-born athlete! I had convinced myself and many others I would do WHATEVER it took to get myself into labor and have him today.......

However, yesterday came and I realized I really didn't want him to come today because I just am not quite ready yet......I still have a few more blankets to make, my re-upholstered chair project is put on hold til my professional helper gets back in town to help me finish it, and the crib is still FULL of bags, gifts, and other baby goodies that need to be put away. Also, all the new clothes i have received are sitting in piles, according to size, on the guest bed, rather than put away in the drawers and ready for him --- so clearly i need a little more time!!!!

Thus, I want to say THANK YOU LITTLE MAN for not coming today (at least not yet) and that for once I am relieved to still be pregnant at this time. You can come any time after next Tuesday........

Did anyone else feel this way --- where you want them to come so badly, and yet when you think about it you just would like a little more time before they actually enter the world?

Anxiously and uncomfortably awaiting........

Weekend Guests & Late Night Trips

July has been a month full of visits from friends and family, and it has been SO much fun! It is always great to catch up with old friends, see family, and have people stay with us! In fact, it seems that July just started and yet it is the 31st. Thank "ya'll" for coming to see us and brighten our days this month!

Clark, Amy, Chip, & Me - I went to HS with both Clark and Amy, and Amy and I have been friends for many years!

Amy and Me (and yes I am a little sunburned and extremely tired)

Also, another thing I can NOT wait to have end when this pregnancy is over is the many trips each night I have to make to visit my new best friend: Mr. Jon! It seems I spend more time here each night than I do in my bed; in fact, I made Chip switch sides of the bed with me in order to save approximately 10 extra steps per each trip --- which when you total it up by multiplying it times 6 equals about 60 steps a night! Multiply that by 7 and I save about 230 extra steps a week! Not enough to keep me from being exhausted and getting leg aches each day, but nonetheless, worth the switch right now! I can't wait to give a "dear jon" in just a couple of weeks!

22 days and counting

As I had contractions all day sunday and then throughout the night, I began to panic that the one thing I have been wishing for this entire pregnancy was going to come true...................our little boy was going to come early! And i went into a sheer panic - I mean, I hadn't got my travel system yet (i have it now tho), I haven't finished all the blankets, I hadn't rearranged the baby room how I wanted it, I hadn't organized all his clothes, and most of all, I hadn't even packed a bag to take to the hospital.............

So it was quite a panic - and thus this week I have been getting things in order so in case the contractions return and he really does decide to make his entrance early - I will be ready!!!!

I want him to come next weekend, the 8-10 anytime, but not this weekend......I mean, is that asking too much after I have carried this little guy for the last 9 (really 10) months? I am sooo excited to meet him and it is unreal that it will be here so soon!

Anyhow ---- the #1 thing I am looking forward to when I am done with this pregnancy is:

SLEEPING ON MY STOMACH AGAIN!!!! (oh how I can't wait for some good, quality sleep --- I know I will be up all night with the little guy and won't get as much sleep --- but hey, at least the quality will hopefully improve for when I do get to catch a few zzzzzz's)

I AM BACK.....and Flowers to brighten the day!!!

Sorry it has been SOOOOOOO long - but I have so many things to post about and say, that it just seems so overwhelming to sit down and do one big entry with all of them. So I am not going to. I will just be creating a new post every day for the next little bit to get you all updated on all the crazy things going on in the life of the Browns --- and it seems like there has been so much happen to us in the last month!

For the first thing, however, I couldn't pass up the chance to thank my husband for showing up last week with flowers one night to brighten my day. I had had a VERY HARD and FRUSTRATING day that had left me feeling pretty down and then Chip showed up with the most beautiful flowers to tell me he loved me and was sorry I had not had a good day! It was so sweet, and of all the flowers he has ever bought me, these are by far my MOST FAvORITE! Thanks honey - it did end the bad day on a good note!

Posts to look forward to:

The Baby's Room -- featuring the bedding and blankets I created

Our BIG move - yep, that's right we are moving in September

Pictures of our house -- so sad to be leaving

4th of July in DC - including the "almost" naked man photo

Baby shower photos

Our guests we have had in JULY come visit

Countdown to things I look forward to when i am NO LONGER PREGO!!!