BIG Reveals

Life has been a little busy lately. Catching up on my blog is something that I really plan on doing soon. In the meantime, I'll fill you in on a couple of big announcements in the Walpole household! 

So, baby Walpole #2 is on it's way, but what about a the gender reveal? 

We threw together an impromptuEaster Egg Hunt with family and friends to reveal the gender. My parents happened to be coming in so they were able to join in on the fun! It just so happened that Ryder (with my mom's help) found the 'golden egg'! Here's the egg that they found, and the surprise inside: 

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE being a BOY MOM! I have so much fun with Ryder, and look forward to Ryder having a baby brother that he will be best buds with. I look forward to watching them grow together, and build that strong brotherly bond. 

Now, on to the name. What's in a name?!?! We had a difficult time coming up with a name that just 'clicked'. I found one that I really liked, but J. wasn't 100% with it, and J. found one that he really liked, but I ended up nixing it. Then, one day when I was in PotteryBarn with my mom in Baton Rouge, J. called me and said "I know the name!". He mentioned it, and I smiled. The name that he mentioned had been on my list, but I had not mentioned it to him at that point, as I thought it may be too 'different'. But, we like different names. We always have. So, the BIG REVEAL: 

RIVER BRANTLEY WALPOLE

will be here on August 26th, if not before! We are already in love with this sweet baby boy and cannot wait for his arrival. Let me tell you, Mommy CANNOT WAIT! :) We started working in the nursery this weekend, and I am so excited that things are starting to come together. Oh, and thanks to Rachel at Peek-a-Bootique for the super cute canvas painting! 

In other news, as we have been working around the house, we've moved Ryder to his BIG BOY BED in his new room! He is really excited about it, and can't wait to show everyone his new bed! We did really well yesterday during nap time, with a 3.5 hour nap. Last night, we didn't do so well. It was difficult getting him down, but he did sleep all night until 7am. He wasn't feeling 100% yesterday, and woke up not feeling well. It's gradually gotten worse, and I'm thinking we've got a double ear infection on our hands, so sleeping well is not really in the cards. I hope to have a good progress update on him soon! I'll post pics of Ryder's Big Boy Room when it's finished....still working on details! 

In the meantime, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my sweet hubby, my wonderful daddy, and all of the other daddy's out there! 

That feeling right before vacation....

So, even though I won't be at work for a couple months once Ryder arrives, it won't really be considered a 'vacation'....I do know and understand this. But, right now, at this very moment, I have that similar mixture of anxiety and excitement going on...the feeling that you get right before you leave to go on vacation.

I'm pretty sure that I have everything ready, and I keep telling myself that I know what to expect, but I really don't. It's kinda like on Big Brother, 'Expect the Unexpected', right? I really don't know what to expect and there is still a slight 'fear of the unknown.' Did you have that feeling before you had your first child? What are some other experiences when you felt that same way?

I've had a little time today to get some things done, run some errands, ate lunch with my hubby at Log Cabin (which I had been craving some BBQ Dip and Chips and Salsa...thought maybe the jalapenos and salsa might put some fire under Ryder too!), went by The Children's Shoppe, and made it back home just in time for the HAIL STORM....really?!? It's 104 degrees outside, and ice the size of gumballs starts falling from the sky!

After the hailstorm, it was time for me to get ready for sweet Ayla Williams' 10th birthday party! Ayla is the daughter of some of our closest friends, Kate and Casey Williams. She was adopted from Ukraine a little less than one year ago. I have completely fallen for her....she is so precious and I am so proud of how far she has come since her arrival to the States.

Happy 10th Birthday, Ayla! Love you and I can't wait to watch, as you grow into the young lady that God has created you to be!

Picture Perfect

So, todays blog post is a montage of Maternity pictures! I've been super busy today with work, and then once J. got home, he was ready for supper (which I didn't have prepared...that's another story for another day), then we ate dinner, headed to Louisiana Tech football practice (yes, 9 months pregnant....I'm devoted!). We got home, fixed a little bit of Tech Dairy yogurt (R.I.P. Tech Dairy), J. hung a shelf in Ryders room while I caught up on Big Brother, then I folded a load of laundry (trying to stay ahead before Ryder's arrival), and NOW, I'm FINALLY getting around to trying to meet my daily blog deadline.....I hope you enjoy!

Okay, so the first batch of them were taken by my fabulous cousin, Alyce Blackstone. She is a mom of 3 and enjoys doing photography on the side. I was so grateful when she offered to take our pictures. And, it worked out great when we were in Baton Rouge one weekend!

This next series is from one of my really good friends, Amy Hough. Amy and I met at Louisiana Tech, and became very good friends when we were on Orientation staff together. She is a very talented photographer, and has started her business, which she does in addition to her 'day job' as a jeweler in Little Rock, Arkansas. Something that I am so very excited about is that she is trying to make it to Ruston in time to capture Ryder's arrival in the delivery room. She will also be taking Ryder's newborn pictures as well!

I hope you enjoyed the images!

Again, thanks to my 2 wonderful photographers!!!!

All My Bags Are Packed.....

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go.....

I've got all of my bags gathered in the living room, J. won't let me put them in the car just yet!

But, nevertheless, we are ready! Here are the things that I have gathered to throw in the car when we are ready:

1. Ryder's bag. This precious bag is one of 2 diaper bags that my fabulous Aunt Pati Ivey made for me! She is so incredibly talented...it even has a matching changing pad to accompany it! Okay, I think I've got everything that I need in it. I packed 3 outfits (hats and socks included), 3 blankets (one is handmade by J.'s grandmother), pacifiers and paci-clip, a few newborn diapers, wipes, baby lotion, a burp cloth, my birth plan, and my ItzBeen!

2. Ryder's 'Coming Home Outfit'. It's pressed and ready to go! This was the outfit that J. wore when he came home from the hospital!

3. My Kelly Moore Bag. It's packed with my camera, lenses, charger and memory card!

4. My bag. I've got some reading materials (including notes from our hospital childbirth class, a breastfeeding book that my friend Tori gave me, and my Pregnancy Journal), pajamas, nursing bras, pads, and cream, toiletries, a couple of loose-fitting outfits, mints, lip balm, headband, slippers, my Aloe socks, and a robe!

5. Ryder's Baby Book from Ruby Love Designs. I love this book.....it's perfect for him. I made sure to order the extra page for his hand/feet prints at birth! I've just got to remember to have it out when they do his prints....I've put J. in charge of that, but he thinks that he will be the one in trauma, not me!

6. Wreaths. Two very special people in my life (both that work at hospitals) gave me wreaths for our room at the hospital. My cousin, Alissa, gave me a precious wreath made of diapers that has some goodies for Ryder on it. My friend, Audrey, had a grapevine wreath made for him that is super-cute! Both will have a home in our hospital room and will be great additions to spruce up the room!

7. Gifts. I know, I know. I went a little overboard, but I couldn't help it. Just a small token of appreciation for hospital staff, visitors and friends. Think of it kinda like cigars, but I wanted to do something different.

8. Oh, and the Car Seat. That's kinda important. I hear they won't let you leave the hospital without it. So, J. has already installed it in the car, and it is ready to go....ready to carry our sweet little boy home.

What am I missing? What were some of your favorite things that you had at the hospital with you? Any ideas? I am completely open to suggestions......

Bright as a Full Moon

So, I'm curious. Myth or Fact? Does anyone believe the statement regarding Full Moons inducing labor? I've been curious, you know why? Well, I'm 39 weeks pregnant and tonight there is a FULL MOON. Well, technically according the the almanac, the Full Moon phase begins:

Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 1:58 PM

So, there you have it. What do you think? Do you think I'll be heading to Northern Louisiana Medical Center in 3 hours? We'll see.....I'll keep you posted.

What other things besides a full moon have you heard are labor inducers? Which do you trust? I am definitely open to suggestions. I have been waiting to meet this baby for a long time....not just 9 months.

The 3 Pregnanteers

So, if I would've told you last October that these 3 girls in the picture below would all have a baby boys come this October, would you believe me?

Probably not! But, it is true, so very true!

So, I told you that 2 of my co-workers, 2 of my very good friends found out that they were pregnant right before I found out. Well, this is us! Here we are!

5 weeks....that's all....just 5 weeks between our due dates and come to find out, we are all 3 having BOYS!

It has been a fun 9 months as we have been able to share the joys and pain of pregnancy. The 3 of us, it just seemed like a dream....we kept pinching ourselves, trying to figure out how all 3 of us ended up pregnant at the same time.

Here are a couple of pics throughout our 9 month journey together:

Our 'Triple Baby Shower' that was hosted by our work family!

The 3 of us during our 'Triple Maternity Shoot'!

We love our BOYS and we love our BULLDOGS!

So, Bryce Rylan Busby and John Mark Jeffords have already made their entrance into the world, we are just waiting on the arrival of Ryder Brooks Walpole. We can't wait for play dates and birthday parties! So thankful to share this journey with 2 great girls!!!!

A Baby Story

Day 1 of making up for lost time:

So, I don't think I've ever shared our story....that is, our Baby Story.

Disclaimer: This is a little personal....

When we got married June of 2006, we had decided that we were going to wait 3 years before we starting trying to have kids. Two years in, we couldn't stand it. Both of us adore children and we knew that were were ready to begin the journey to parenthood. Lo and behold, God had other plans. It's odd how sometimes how something you want so badly can be something that you have absolutely no control of it. Things can be so far out of our hands, but held so closely to our hearts.

So, the journey continued...

First, I wanted to make sure that I found the right doctor. An OB/GYN is not really the type of doctor you want to keep 'testing' out to find the right one. But, it did take a while for me to find one that I was truly comfortable with and was confident was working with me/us through our fertility journey. I absolutely love my doctor and his staff. They have been so supportive throughout this trying time in our lives.

We went through some testing, did 3 rounds of aggressive fertility treatments, and finally after 2 years of 'trying', we decided to pursue a diagnostic laparoscopy. If you don't know, this is a surgical procedure to evaluate and determine if there was anything going on in the abdomen/pelvis that would prevent pregnancy to occur. During this outpatient surgery, Dr. Smith found 2 cysts, one on each of my ovaries along with twisted Fallopian tubes. Well, folks....I think we found a problem. Post-operation, Dr. Smith encouraged us to give it couple of months to see if we were able to get pregnant; if not, we would add the fertility treatments back in.

Well, the surgery was on November 30th. Since the surgery, I was doing fine, just praying that we were able to fix the problem. My desire to have children deepened more and more each day as the void continued. It was very, very bittersweet to watch some of my very close friends experience the joy of pregnancy and childbirth. I kept thinking 'My day will come!'.

Days went by, and I hadn't received a visit from my anticipated 'monthly visitor'. I inquired to my doctors office, and they said that the surgery can throw off my cycle and to just give it time for my body to adjust from the surgery. My body needed time, and so I gave it time. How much time is too much time, you ask? I gave it about 3 weeks. During which 2 of my closest friends/co-workers both informed me that they were expecting (that is a whole 'nother story for another day). My friendly Nurse Practitioner friend grabbed a pregnancy test and laid it on my desk....encouraging me to take it. Now, remember, I've been trying for 2 years; pregnancy tests are NOT my friend. So, I avoided it........I'd think about it after lunch.

After sitting through our weekly family lunch at Dowling's, not uttering a 'peep' about why I don't have an appetite or why my teeth are chattering, I returned to my desk and looked under the paper where I hid the test.....it was just staring at me. I bit the bullet.

Snuck away to the restroom, and before I could walk back into my office door, TWO little pink lines appeared! Now, remember, I know how these things work.....they take FOREVER to develop just one little pink line, much less TWO!!! Needless to say, I couldn't contain my excitement.....much less believe my eyes!

You're thinking, I bet you can't wait to tell J.! I couldn't, but I think my utter amazement caused the order of telling people to get mixed up just a little bit. I was literally BURSTING at the seams!!!! Sarah, one of my expectant co-workers, was talking to a client.....and I rudely (not on purpose, of course) interrupted and practically forced her to come into our office at that very instance. I couldn't help it.....I opened the palms of my hands to reveal the most amazing miracle! She was ecstatic....we were like kids in a candy shop, jumping up and down, screaming (as loudly as you can when you work in a spa), and we shared tears of joy!

Only God knows the specifics of this magical journey, but I know that His hand was instrumental in helping create the miracle that I will be meeting in the next few days. I cannot express enough how blessed I feel to be loved and protected by a faithful God.

You know, my life has always proved to follow the motto: "Third time's a Charm!". And, here, I will agree....3 years later, after months of anticipation, my little one, our little miracle will be joining our family.

i am blessed.

Can't stop....

Dear little one in my belly,

I can't stop thinking about you. My daily thoughts are consumed with what you will look like, who you will become, what your sweet little voice will sound like, and so many more wonders that keep crossing my mind. I can't stop thinking about you.

You're not helping me concentrate on work by your sweet little flutters that I feel

as I sit and type at my computer. I cannot wait to hold you, rock you, and love on you. I pray that you will grow to be a Godly young man. As we decide on a name to give you, I pray that the name we give you will one day become a legacy. My prayer for you is that you will arrive into this world safely and granted provision and guidance that you need to become the boy, teenager, young man that God intends for you to be.

With everything I have, I love you and I look forward to meeting you someday in August. You already have my heart and I cannot express how much I am anticipating your arrival. Your father and I talk about you everyday and think about you all of the time. You already consume our lives and you aren't even born yet. Just know that you are deeply loved.

With all of my heart.

Mommy