Waiting it out

So...Christmas has come and gone. Now we're in full Abigail mode! And...she could arrive any time now! The doctor said today that he doesn't expect me to make it to January 11. In fact, I'm ready to go into labor just any time now. We'll see! It's definitely exciting!!!

Eli continues to grow more and more every day. He is becoming a little dare devil! And he's picking up new words daily! Today it's "Oh, Lord!" So funny! I think he's anticipating something big changing in our home. But, he's a good trooper and will be a great big brother.

Mom has been coming over to help with Eli in the evenings (Chris gets home around 7:30). That has been super helpful as I'm worn out by then! Today we worked on getting everyone's bags packed for the big arrival. Plus, she cleaned up the glider - which Eli thinks is his toy. We'll see how that goes.

Anyhow, I'm surfing the internet hoping to go into labor soon. You know, it's an additional tax deduction anytime up to 11:59 tomorrow night!

More to come...including the rest of our Christmas pictures!

More Christmas Pictures

Christmas Part 1

We've had a full weekend! Friday night we visited with the Keelings. Saturday we visited with Josh, Deb, and Ian and the rest of the Osmon's. At church on Sunday was our Christmas Celebration service. Grannie read a book to Eli about the true meaning of Christmas. Afterwards we went back to the Osmon's for more game playing and visitin'.

Enjoy the pictures!

Last Day full of surprises!

Well, I'm down to the final 65 minutes of working in the office. I will work from home for a few days and officially begin maternity leave after Christmas. I am officially super pregnant. I told my manager yesterday that my clothes were starting to not fit. Thankfully I had my hair cut and highlighted yesterday because....

My meeting with my manager and team leader this morning ended up being a surprise baby shower! And seriously, I was VERY surprised! No idea! The "men of Duracell" hosted the shower and did an awesome job! Of course, there was Chick-fil-A breakfast (I guess I comment a lot on how much I love chicken bisquits!) and very fun games.

The first game involved 5 different stuffed animals. Ranging from a 2 foot Iams dog, a reindeer, the Charmin bear, and a couple of Razorback items. 5 men had 1 minute to diaper the pet of their choice with a handkerchief and 2 safety pins. It was hilarious! The second game was to guess how "big" my belly is - and the winner won by less than an inch! Thirdly was the word game where no one could say "baby" - or lose their safety pin! The guys had very cute certificates for the winners! And, at P&G we are all type-A and super competitive. It was a lot of fun!

The decorations were over-the-top! It was almost like prom! Last night, several of the men and their families came up to the office and made a big arch of pink and white balloons and pink candy bags for everyone. Oh, and there were big pacifiers made of pink and white balloons! Eli is going to be in heaven - he is balloon crazy!

The team gave me several nice items, including the majority of Abi's bedding. This is a MAJOR answer to prayer. We haven't had the money to buy it and I've tried my best to not worry about it - like she's really going to need it for a few months (or so I tell myself). I've been praying about letting God take care of the situation instead of me forcing an answer. The team cannot know how timely their gift has been. I cannot wait to get home and transform her bare white crib into a warm and inviting place for our little cupcake to rest.

Also, I am very appreciative of Michael Brown's family's help with the shower. Ani led the way with the balloons and their two daughters made the gift bags. I hear they had quite a good time putting them together. The Brown's lost an infant daughter less than a month ago and I feel like it makes their time and support even more special. They are a dynamic Christian family that celebrates all life that is given from God. What an inspiration to Chris and me.

Now I'm down to the final 53 minutes! I am very thankful for this company that does support mothers and families in general. They make it easy to be a Mom. The men of Duracell have set a high standard for the WalMart team. Thanks to everyone who helped plan, execute, and celebrate the arrival of AbiJean!

Bad News

Bad news. I have the flu. It hit out of nowhere - but it hit hard. I've drank more Sprite today than in the past 5 years combined.

Praise the Lord for parents that live near by and for a company that understands.

Although...this is my last week of work before vacation that leads into my maternity leave. I'll have to check on that.

Hopefully I will be well enough to work some tomorrow. And that no one else will get it!

Off to sit back on the couch.

Ice Day

I guess it's officially winter. Yesterday the weather dropped over 30 degrees in one hour! BRRR! Plus, with the ice, Eli's daycare was closed today. We spent most of the day snuggled in the rocking chair gazing at the Christmas lights.

We also might have had a nap or two.

More snow began to fall after Eli woke up from his long nap. He enjoyed looking out the window at the snow flakes. He also helped me make Harvest Apple Bread and a chocolate pound cake for my manager's birthday. Our home is very warm and yummy smelling!

Eli also enjoyed watching Looney Tunes and now Cars.

Well, he's ready to play. See you later!

Good times, good times

I just want to say that being this pregnant, it's important to celebrate the small things. For instance, I've been meaning to make banana bread for the past week. I've also been meaning to clean my kitchen floors for...well, too long to remember.

Chris had to work late last night and Mom came over to care for Eli. He's dealing with a cold/sinus mix and cutting three teeth.

Since Eli wasn't interested in solid food, I gave him some favorites and let him "play" with it. He had grapes and these veggie dip cheetos like things. Naturally, he dumped them all over the kitchen floor and was cooking with them (I also gave him some bowls and spatulas). This is all while I was working on the banana bread. The point was to basically make my floor as dirty as possible so that I would be FORCED to clean them!

Thanks to Mom's entertainment for Eli, I was able to make 4 loaves of banana bread, fold and put away clothes, sweep, and mop my kitchen floors. The important thing is that I believe this is the FIRST time I've mopped my floors. I'll admit - I'm a Swiffer type cleaner and the floors only get mopped when Mom is helping out. So, for me to use my new blue bucket and mix some ammonia water and USE the mop is a big step for me. Yeah for growing up! In fact, I even took my socks off so that I could know what it's like to walk barefooted on a super clean floor!

Plus, Mom was able to get Eli to go to sleep by 7:45!!! So, I had another full hour to myself. Although, I'll admit. I got the heating pad, propped my feet up, and enjoyed a hot piece of banana bread while I waited for Chris. Then I slept super good! Praise the Lord!

Eli slept 12 hours and woke with a low grade temperature. Poor little guy. But don't feel too sorry for him - he is too busy walking between the Christmas tree in the living room and the one in his room to know that he doesn't feel well. He is enchanted with them! And, if you come over - he'll take you by the hand and show them to you!

More cleaning for the next 36 hours. Aunti O...aka Rebekah...is coming up for the weekend! YEAH! So, the goal is to clean both bathrooms and the guest bedroom. The "man"room is a mess! Plus, the menu for the weekend includes homemade bisquits, sausage, eggs, peppermint coffee, chicken'n dumplings, gumbo, french bread, grasshopper torte, and sweet tea. Last but not least, many rounds of Mexican Train by the fire at my parents house! CAN'T WAIT! WE LOVE IT WHEN AUNTIE O VISITS!!!

mkgirl

One of the best movies of all time is You've Got Mail. I am always in the mood to watch it. In fact, I think of it often throughout the different randomness of my life. I always aspire to have my hair cut and wear clothes like Kathleen Kelly. About a month ago, I became reconnected with a missionary aunt...Aunt Cindy Jenkins. While we were in Mexico I spent a good amount of time in her home (in Guadalajara). I was telling Chris that her zucchini bread recipe is the first recipe I can remember getting from someone. And, yes, I still make it to this day!

Anyhow, Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rick are now missionaries in Barbados. Yes, very lovely. Back to the point of the post. She has a blog that she updates daily, but it is not open for public viewing. When she emailed me my username and password, I giggled a bit. My password is "mkgirl." So funny! Being in the states for the past several years, it's easy to forget my identity as a missionary kid.

But, every time I log in to read her blog, I get a few seconds of girly giddiness when I type m-k-g-i-r-l. At the same time, I can imagine Kathleen Kelly logging on to her email in her pj's and tapping her fingers - shopgirl waiting on mail from NY152.

Ok, back to reality.....

Christmas is in the air!

What a fun filled Christmas weekend we've had! Friday night we celebrated Chris' dad's birthday with some very delicious mexican food. Eli enjoyed all of the decorations and the opportunity to play with Uncle Kyle.

On Saturday morning, I had our Ladies' Mingle and Jingle event at a church member's home. We enjoyed yummy food while decorated jars to fill with hot cocoa. Nothing is better than homemade gifts! Chris helped a friend move and Eli took a trip to WalMart and Lowe's with his PaPaw.

Saturday evening we went to the Keeling's home for Christmas supper. This is a new tradition for us. We had a Thanksgiving rehearsal dinner - where we tried new recipes before the actual holiday. It was loads of fun! Aunt Mandy helped Eli decorate sugar cookies. He l-o-v-e-s red icing and sprinkles! We enjoyed telling old memories (ofcourse!) and making new ones. The thing we love about the Keeling clan is that it's just like family. No formalities...no frills. Just good times with great friends. Their tree was glowing...and well, we were all tired. I think we would have all slept in the living room if we had the chance!

On Sunday, we took Eli to the mall to get his Hallmark ornament. Chris gets him the collector's truck each year. This year it's an old Ford truck. Sunday evening we went to First Baptist's Christmas performance with Michael and Bonnie (cousins). It was wonderful! Eli loved the changing lights and Little Drummer Boy. They had a local high school's drum line perform and Eli danced thru the whole thing! Afterwards we went to Mazzio's. The fellowship was great...the food...well, that's another story.

So, here are a few pictures...

My Friday!

Today is my FRIDAY! And, I'm going to a Christmas banquet for lunch, which means 1) free lunch, and 2) goodie bag! Oh, the small things of life!

Eli stayed with Mom and Dad last night. I got so much done! I did several loads of laundry, made lasagna, garlic bread, and peanut butter cookies. I also cleaned the kitchen and made 4 cards! All of course while listening to Christmas carols.

But, we sure missed our little one. It's so fun to watch him walk around and his discovery of the ornaments on the tree.

Here are the latest pictures of Eli:

Eli helping PaPaw and Grannie put Abi's crib together

Learning to use tools - note the cute red shoes!

What a busy week

Today will be a catch-up post. I was off all last week for Thanksgiving. Oh - so nice! I conquered cleaning the baseboards in the living room. Then, I paid the price the next day. My body is definitely very pregnant!
We had a great Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's house. Mom made breakfast enchiladas from December's Southern Living. The recipe is a keeper! Micah, Glenda, Chris, and I played Rummikub. How hard can that game be? Mexican train is much easier! We also watched The Christmas Card. Love it! It's a new movie that we bought at the Christian book store.
Friday included the famous LSU-Arkansas football game! I think people may look forward to that more than Thanksgiving itself! We were pleasantly surprised that Arkansas pulled the big Win (31 - 30). It's always a good game and the rivalry is thick at our home!
Saturday Mom and Dad came over to help with the Christmas tree. Remember, I am very pregnant. Anyhow, we couldn't have done it without their help. Seriously. Plus, my mom is a super cleaner! We decided not to put a lot of decorations up...well...because I'm super pregnant and Eli is in to everything! He is super impressed with the lights on the tree.
Sunday we woke up to SNOW! The best was rocking Eli with the tree lights on while the big flakes fell outside the window. So cozy! Not sure there is anything better.
So, now we're back in our "normal" routines. Chris' job continues to go well. I only have 3 partial weeks of work left! Eli's walking is getting stronger by the day. Only, now he wakes up for over an hour each night just wanting us near.
I'm going to the doctor on a regular basis now. Yeah for Abi's arrival! We have her crib up - no bedding, but the crib is up! I've got to get the big diaper bag and car seat cleaned up. She'll be here before we know it!
Have a wonderful day everyone!