Showers of Blessings

My wonderful friends in Mt. Shasta had a baby shower for us this past weekend. My mom, sister, and mother-in-law were able to make it up for the festivities. If we weren't ready for little Reaghan's arrival before, we sure are now!! Thank you, ladies, for spoiling us!

The food was DELICIOUS!


Ok, so this pic is not incredibly flattering, but my vain self has had to deal with the fact that my face, arms, fingers, legs, and feet are all pregnant right along with my belly. 36 weeks...



Little Reaghan will be a snug little bug this winter. So many talented ladies gave us beautiful handmade blankets!


Pictured below is our wonderful realtor - Brett - and her daughters (the oldest is in my homeroom class). I highly recommend her to anyone looking to purchase a home in Mt. Shasta :)

House update (most of our readers are aware that we are in the process of buying a house...if this is new news - surprise!)...originally we were shocked because upon the acceptance of our offer and meeting with our mortgage broker, it looked like we were going to be able to close escrow in 15 days - which would have made our move-in date around last weekend...obviously, we're not moved in yet. After completing the initial home inspections, mold was discovered in the attic. We decided to hire a specialist to test the mold to determine if it was toxic or non. The results came back that it was toxic. From here, everything came to a halt. We were going back and forth with the sellers regarding who is going to pay to clean up the problem and are thankful that the sellers viewed it as "their" problem (the house has been sitting vacant for a little over 2 years). There will be a few "fix-up" things we have to do to prevent the problem in the future, but the clean up expense was going to be out of our means. The current status is that we've extended our rate lock and are waiting for the clean-up work to be finished, the house to be re-tested, and if all is clear, then we'll close and move in. We're praying this is all complete within the next 7 days, but are also relying on God for wisdom should the tests come back negative. At this point, I am not really involved in what's been going on - teaching and being pregnant are enough to keep me busy, while Reece, on the other hand, has been running all over the place taking care of what needs to be done with the house while still trying to get 40 hours a week in at work! Thanks for your prayers for us in this regard.

35 weeks and counting...

...counting down to the day when I will no longer have a lump under my ribs. I am truly amazed with how quickly sweet baby Reaghan has been filling up her limited amount of space inside of me lately. And with her growth, I grow more and more uncomfortable. I fear she's gonna be a hefty little one! :P

I had my 35 week appointment today and everything is going as it should. Baby's head is low where it should be and I'm not dilated at all. I've started experiencing "warm-up" contractions, but they're not painful, just a lot of pressure, so I'll keep working as long as I can.

On September 29th, my wonderful sister coordinated a beautiful baby shower for us. It was such a blessing! Here are a few fun pics from the day:













































































In addition to the shower, Julie managed to squeeze us in for a maternity photo shoot knowing I'd probably not make it down to the Bay Area again before little one's arrival!

34 weeks...

you know you're getting bigger when...

* the maternity shirts that once looked like tents barely fit over your belly - in fact, some have already been phased out because your belly peeks out of them

* you have to roll over from your back to your side and push up with your arms to get out of bed, or off the couch

* your husband has to help you tie your shoes - if they fit over your chubby feet - otherwise it's a long process of grunting and squeezing to get them on yourself

* flip flops have become the norm, no matter the weather or outfit - and people at your job just have to understand

* you have to trade out your wedding rings for a larger, fake band due to the sausages that are attached to your hand (once known as fingers)

* you have a wonderful friend who gives you a pedicure when she comes to visit

* you begin wondering how it could be possible for your stomach to stretch any more

* you have to sleep surrounded by pillows because letting your heavy belly sag is much too painful/uncomfortable

* the meals are becoming smaller and smaller because there is less and less room for them to fit - even though you're starving all the time

* you squat down to get something out of a lower cabinet and get stuck

* your ribs ache regularly due to the rapidly increasing size of your stomach

But through it all, you feel wonderful and treasure every minute of it, eagerly awaiting the day when you get to meet the cause of these temporary ailments!

I am in disbelief that we have only about 6 weeks to go!