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! 

Full of Surprises!

Today has been a day full of surprises.....

It started at about 6:30am. I know what you're thinking....I don't get up that early (unless I'm leaving to go on a vacation). Well, apparently, things are about to change....and I know that the Lord is preparing me for baby Ryder's arrival. My sweet little one started pretty early this morning. At first, I thought it was little kicks, but finally I came to the conclusion that it must have been 'hiccups' of all things....this my friends was a surprise.

Not only was this a surprise, but surprisingly, J. had already hit the snooze button, and was able to share the feeling of Ryder's 'rhythm' with me. It was a sweet moment to share together. I will cherish those sweet short minutes for a lifetime.

Another surprise....on the way to work this morning, power outage throughout Ruston....didn't realize it until I noticed blank stoplights at some of the busiest intersections in Ruston. This was after I sat in the Burger King drive-thru line waiting on someone on the other end to offer me breakfast; frustrated and impatient, I left unhappy. (Ended up getting my BK breakfast after getting back to work and having another 'prego' co-worker find a coupon so that we could get BOGO breakfast sandwiches!)

By the time lunch-time rolled around, 'The Preggies 3' decided to do lunch together! This was a fun surprise to have a chance to all go to Chili's together for a fun lunch. Well, we had fun, but the service, I'm afraid, was pretty bad. It was very disappointing, but what more could we do than to laugh about the situation. It just kept getting worse and worse.

Fast forward to the evening: SURPRISE! I had a package on my front door!!!

YAY!!!! A fun surprise that I had forgotten should arrive this week! I'll leave a secret of what was in the box, but you'll see someday soon!

Surprisingly, I had supper cooked way before J. even had a chance to get home. I was so proud of myself! I love my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker!!!! Dinner was ready in less than 20 minutes.

After dinner, another surprise flew my way:

This was tossed at me with a "Head's Up!" coming from the kitchen! For those of you that don't know, I love Reese's, my hubby loves Reese's, my college roommates love Reese's; shall I say more? There is just something about Reese's not in the shape of a peanut butter cup...they are special. So, needless to day, this was a fun surprise to end my day full of surprises!

Although these were not all monumental surprises, I tend to appreciate the little things in life. It doesn't take much to make me smile! I'd like to think that it's a quality that helps me keep a positive outlook on life.

What are some little surprises that you appreciated recently?