Multiplying Like Gremlins...

Our tiny apartment is slowly being swallowed up by baby stuff. After two baby showers in one month I feel like the baby products are multiplying like Gremlins over here. Don't get me wrong...I love to look around and see all of Everly's precious little essentials lying around but we are in serious need of an organization intervention in the Callaway house. While most of our friends and family members are planning relaxing holiday weekends that include BBQs, cold beverages, and weekend getaways, our 3 day weekend is going to be centered around finding a spot for all of our little darlings clothes, furniture, and baby products. Operation nursery is officially underway!

Putting together the crib

Last weekend we had another fabulous baby shower and Everly was once again spoiled rotten by all of our amazing family members and friends. Danny's mom and sister went out of their way to host a spectacular event in Las Vegas that included both girls and boys! We had so much fun. Several of Danny's closest friends attended (most had never been to a baby shower before so they were not sure what to expect) and they all seemed to enjoy themselves just as much as the females. My brother in law, Damon, was the grill master and he cooked up some yummy grub for all of the guests. He even made his legendary mac and cheese which was delicious! Cold beverages (both adult and kid-friendly) were served to help everyone stay cool in the 110 degree Vegas heat and a few people even swam. We played games, caught up with family and friends that we hardly ever get to see, and were overwhelmed with all the thoughtful baby gifts that were purchased for sweet Everly. Here are a few pictures from the event:

Game #1 - Making Babies Out of Play Dough


Judging and Announcing the Winners

Top 3 Winners

Opening Presents


Amazing Friends and Family!

Dear Baby Girl....

Dear Everly,

Your arrival date is getting closer! According to the doctors your expected due date is 12 weeks away. On one hand this feels like an eternity, but in reality I guess it isn't that far away. I can tell you are growing bigger and stronger every day because your kicks and jabs are packing a mean punch these days. As a matter of fact you kicked me so hard a few weeks ago you knocked my iPad right off my belly. ;) I also caught a rib shot during lunch the other day that caused me to jump a few inches off my seat. ;) Your increased strength has even earned you the new nickname of Kung Fu Panda (which you will soon learn is a common tradition in this family - it seems like Bama gets a new nickname every time I turn around).

In the last few weeks your daddy has also been able to feel your movements through my belly. We often find ourselves lying quietly in bed with his hand on my tummy anxiously awaiting your next move. Speaking of your daddy, I feel like I should tell you how excited he is for your arrival too. He loves you SO much baby girl. He is constantly showering my belly with kisses, giving me belly rubs, and talking to you through my belly every morning and night. He is going to be such a wonderful role model for you and through his actions he will teach you exactly how a man should treat a woman. Did you know that 6 years after our first date your daddy still opens the car door for your mommy? When you grow up and are ready to find a partner it will certainly be a challenge to find a man who can fill your daddy's shoes, but you should NEVER settle for less than you deserve. Remember, good things come to those who wait. I was 30 years old when I found your daddy and I definitely had to kiss some frogs before I found my prince. ;)

We love you so much baby girl. It is hard to find the words to express just how excited we are to meet you. I had a dream about you last night and you were absolutely gorgeous. Your skin was silky smooth and you had the most piercing blue eyes I had ever seen. Your spirit was calm and peaceful and your sweet little coos were music to my ears. When I woke up this morning my heart swelled with joy. I have been walking around all morning with a huge grin on my face. Sweet Everly, you are the best thing that has ever happened to us! Keep growing bigger and stronger because we have a lifetime of adventures ahead of us. See you soon!

Love,
Mama

Greetings from the South

Week 26

I feel like it has been FOREVER since my last update! I have a great excuse though...Miss Everly and I are in Alabama visiting our family & friends. We left LA on June 2nd and have been spoiled by everyone since we touched down over a week ago. The adventure began with a four hour flight from LA to Atlanta. I never dreamed that flying could be so uncomfortable. Let me start by saying that I was already terribly sad to leave Danny behind and it made it even harder when he left us at the curb after hugging me tight and then bending down to kiss my belly and telling Everly how much he loved her and how much he was going to miss her. I swear...I fall more in love with him every day! After checking in and making it through security without any problems, I made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. I found myself watching every single person with a baby to see if I could pick up any travel tricks or tips, or at the very least learn what NOT to do when traveling with a baby. To be completely honest, I am already so nervous about flying with Everly at Christmas time I can hardly think about it without breaking out in hives. Luckily, every person I saw made it look super easy though so I have gained a little more confidence from merely people watching at the airport. I am sure we will be the traveling shit show in December (don't forget we will be traveling with an infant and a dog - yes, Bama is coming too!) but I have decided that is OK! I am sure all the people around us will be praying to the karma gods that they don't have to sit next to us...who knows...maybe we will buy an extra seat so we can have an entire row and spare some lucky passenger a panic attack. ;)

After boarding the plane I was delighted to discover that not only had I scored an aisle seat near the bathroom ( I bet I had to pee 5 x during the flight), but the middle seat was also empty!!! During take off Miss Everly was extremely active but settled down quickly after about 15
minutes. I managed to stay somewhat comfortable and entertained for the first 90 minutes (thanks to a movie on my iPad & snacks), but right before my movie ended my lower back started to ache and my legs felt restless. Since the doctor had already told me to walk the plane to prevent blood clots (great...one more thing to worry about, right?) I figured I had better get up and move. Luckily the flight attendant in the back of the plane was tickled by me so I managed to entertain myself and stretch for an hour in the back of the plane while chatting with her about her recent pregnancy and all things baby. It pays to make friends with people...I scored a few extra cookies and a giant liter of bottled water from her which is pretty good considering I was flying on the equivalent of a Greyhound in the Sky. I also discovered on this flight that everyone loves a pregnant lady. People were so nice and everyone I made eye contact with wanted to chat about my due date, whether I was having a boy or a girl, and what her name was going to be. Did I mention that I love all the extra attention that comes along with pregnancy? I guess I should enjoy it now, huh? I have already accepted the fact that I will be chopped liver once baby girl arrives. ;)

As soon as I stepped off the plane in Atlanta, I felt like I was walking into an oven. Newsflash: heat & pregnancy do not mix. Just my luck the South is experiencing record temperatures right now (we are talking 100+ degree temps with 100% humidity) so it is extra miserable. I can't tell you how many times I have thanked the Lord that I live in LA. I don't know if I could make it through my third trimester in this heat. As soon as my mama picked me up at the airport I instantly felt better though. She is so dang excited about this baby it is hard to do anything
but smile and laugh at her. ;) We have truly had a great time together this entire trip. She rubs my belly and talks to Everly all the time (just like Danny) and her excitement about her first grand baby is contagious.

One of the major highlights of this trip has been Everly's baby shower. I know my words will not even do justice when I try to describe how splendid this event was but I will try. My best friends Genell & Shay, my mom, and my Aunt Kay & Everly's "Great Aunt Nancy" went out of their way to make this day fabulous in every way possible. From the picture slide show (copy and paste this link to view it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1TJHDkKcn8 ), to the baby carriage carved out of a watermelon, to the rubber ducky decorations (complete with a baby pool and bathtub), to the delicious and gorgeous cake, to the mystery punch recipe, to the music trivia with "baby" in the titles, to decorating onesies with fabric markers, it was truly a perfect day. Not to mention that it felt so good to catch up with friends and family that I never get to see. I felt so loved and all I could do was cry the entire day. Pregnancy has officially made me a blubbering sack of tears!

Miss Everly also received the most amazing and thoughtful gifts. I can promise you that this little girl is going to be one of the best dressed babies in Hollywood. I honestly don't think we will need to buy any clothes for the first 6 months of her life. However, I will say that I am a firm believer that you can never have too many fabulous outfits in your closet so this is a good thing. I guess we are going to play dress up all the time and go stroll down Rodeo Drive just so she can wear all of her new clothes. Plus, my cousin Tracy said it best when she exclaimed, "this is perfect...she can't wear the same outfit twice on the red carpet!" In addition to all of the fabulous gifts we also received about 30 books to start her library. In lieu of a card, all of the guests brought their favorite children's book inscribed with a hand-written note to Everly in the front cover. Priceless!

Here are a few pics from her baby shower:

As our trip comes to a close this week I am so grateful for the time I have had with my family and friends the past two weeks. While i can hardly wait to get back home to Danny & Bama, the time in Alabama has definitely helped me to recharge my battery and prepare for the
final stages of this pregnancy. Miss Everly Lily is one lucky little girl. She is going to enter this world surrounded by so many wonderful people who will love and support her as she begins her journey on this Earth. I cannot wait to introduce her to the world!

Baby Girl Has A Name!

Week 23

After much thought and deliberation Danny and I have finally decided on a name for our sweet baby girl. Choosing a name for someone is a stressful and daunting task and since we usually have a hard time pulling the trigger when it comes to making big decisions (or should I say the Libra in Danny has a hard time making decisions) I honestly thought we would still be wavering back and forth on a name until she arrived. I secretly feared that her birth certificate would say "Baby Girl" because we wouldn't be able to agree on what to name her before she was born.

Over the past few months we have searched the Internet looking for unique baby names. From the beginning I have felt strongly about choosing a unique name for her. Even though I love my name and I adore the story about how my mom chose it (Hint: it was from a popular movie in the 70's and the lead actress was named Jennifer...any guesses?), I have always hated that I had to share my name with so many people.

Before I got pregnant I always thought I would name my daughter Lily because that was my grandmother's name and she had such a positive influence on my life. As a kid I spent as much time as I could at her house. Every time I got mad at my Mom and Dad I would call her and she would stop what she was doing and come right over and get me (she would also get on the phone with my Dad and give him the business for "upsetting her baby" - he he - I loved to get him in trouble with her!). She was so much fun and she was always down for an adventure. I can't tell you how many times we loaded up in her midnight blue Pontiac (AKA...The Blue Goose) and set out on a road trip with the 8 track cassette player blaring Kenny Rogers the whole way. She was full of life and I swear I inherited my "spit fire" ways from her. She also had an incredible sense of style. She never left the house without fixing her hair, putting on her makeup, or dressing up in a snazzy outfit. She could cook and sew like nobody's business and she always let me bring my kittens to her house when I came over to spend the night. Heck she even measured my cats and made dresses and bonnets for all of them so I could dress them up in their finest before I set out for a stroll with them piled up in my baby carriage. She taught me how to make homemade biscuits, pound cake, and Chef Boyardee Box Pizza (which I still make today in her honor) and she also passed on her love of clothes and shoes.

Unfortunately, we had to scratch her name as a first name option because 2 of my cousins named their daughters Lily in the past year. As much as this broke my heart, Danny and I agreed that we could still honor her by using Lily as a middle name.

The other front runner after Lily was Gracyn (I wanted to call her Gray for short & Danny threatened to call her Gracie which I hated). For a few months I really thought this would be her name because Danny and I both loved it and nothing else we found struck a chord. Nothing that is until my ever so hip and incredibly cool cousin, Tracy, sent me "the name" about a month ago. She told me that she had come across this particular name a few times in the last few months and because it was so unique she felt like it was a sign and she had to send it to me. There is something so magical and dainty about this name that as soon as I saw it I knew it was "her name". I also loved it because I had never heard this name (which was a major plus because remember we were going for the "unique" factor). Interestingly enough, within a week of learning about this name I started reading a baby blog written by a girl who named her daughter this too. It was a sign. I couldn't get away from the name and in my heart I just felt like it was meant to be her name.

Ok...Ok...I will stop rambling and give it to you...I have made you wait long enough!

Danny and I are proud to announce our baby girl's name...Miss Everly Lily.

Isn't it just perfect???

Mexican Fiestas and Morning Glory!

The squirrel's recent activities have led me to the following conclusions:

1. She LOVES Mexican food as much as her mama. Every single time I eat Mexican food she goes nuts (and here lately that is all I want to eat). Danny and I were actually eating at Pink Taco last weekend and about 10 minutes into the meal she started flipping and flopping around and then gave me the one, two punch about 8 times in a row! It was hilarious and we could not stop laughing throughout the entire meal. Danny says her battle cry is going to be "Salsa!"

2. She is a morning person. Every single morning about 5 a.m. she wiggles, squirms, and kicks for about an hour. As many of you know I am NOT a morning person. However, as soon as I start to feel her stir around I immediately open my eyes and revel in the magic that comes along with growing a person in your belly. I look forward to her little movements and our quiet time together every night as I drift off to sleep. It truly is the perfect way to wake up every morning.

Letters to the Squirrel

All of our baby books have a page for us to write letters to the baby before she is born. In addition to writing in the books, I have decided to start including my letters on this blog too so she will have an electronic archive of every moment and thought that led up to her arrival on this Earth. :)

May 8, 2011

Dear Baby Girl,

Today is Mother’s Day and all I can think about is how excited I am to meet you. Every day I find myself daydreaming about what you will look like and what kind of personality you will have. I wonder if you will have your Daddy’s piercing eyes or my button nose? Will you be shy or will you be strong-willed? Your Daddy and I can’t help but think you will be a sassy little rascal given the fact that you are a combination of both of us.

I have officially decided that waiting for your arrival is like waiting for Christmas morning. And just so you know, I am not good at waiting for surprises. I am sure one day your Daddy and your grandmother and grandfather will tell you the story about how I used to unwrap and peek inside my Christmas presents under the tree when I was a kid because the suspense was too much for me to handle. I guess waiting for your arrival is a good lesson in patience that will come in handy down the road.

As I reflect on what it means to be a mother, I am overwhelmed by the massive responsibility that comes along with this job. I know that you will not always agree with the decisions we make for you and it is inevitable that we will make some mistakes along the way, but please know that we will always have your best interests at heart. There is one thing I know for sure…we will always love you and support you no matter what.

As I sit here today and dream about the person you will grow up to be, I have come up with some promises to live by as we start this journey together as mother and daughter.

I promise to always encourage you to:

1. Be strong in your faith.
2. Have compassion for others and give back to those less fortunate than you.
3. Give people a chance to show you who they are before you make a decision based on stereotypes, rumors, or other people’s experiences.
4. Respect rules and authority but do not be afraid to challenge an injustice when you see something that is not fair.
5. Work hard in school and strive to be a lifelong learner.
6. Laugh at yourself.
7. Treat yourself to something special when you have worked hard.
8. Use your words to express your feelings.
9. Be a leader.
10. Dream big and do not ever be afraid to take a leap of faith.

And last but not least, never forget that your Mama and Daddy love you more than anything on this Earth. We will always be your number one fans!

Love,
Mama

"She has a beautiful heart!"

"SHE has a beautiful heart!" Those were our doctor's exact words at our 20 week sonogram on Thursday. Talk about music to new parents' ears! Not only did we learn that our precious little squirrel is indeed a beautiful baby girl, but more importantly we discovered that our risk factor for Down's Syndrome and other genetic abnormalities went down to 1 in 18,000. Her organs and bones are also developing perfectly. I know I am biased but she has the most beautiful profile I've ever seen and she is so active. Her little arms and legs were flailing all around and her mouth was opening and closing as if she was already trying to coo. She was also sucking her fingers and crossing her little legs. Danny said that she was crossing her legs because she is a lady and a future Southern Belle.

It is also clear that the little rascal has already developed a definite opinion of her own. She gave me the hardest kick to date during the ultrasound because she had clearly had enough of all the pushing and poking, along with the invasion of her privacy. She even stuck her index finger out and it looked like she was pointing it right at us and shaking her hand. I don't have any idea where she gets that sass. :)

In addition to all the good news we received from the doctor, it was also a special day because both of our mothers were able to make the trip out to CA to go to the appointment with us. Both grandmothers beamed with joy and pride as they watched their grandbaby's first recital on the big screen TV. I am so happy they were both there to share in this magical moment with us.

I can't even put into words how full my heart is today. People have always told me that I would never know this level of love until I had a child of my own. I now know exactly what they were talking about and we haven't even met our sweet baby girl yet.

Snap, Crackle, Pop!

Happy Friday Peeps! I am so happy the weekend is finally here. We don't have anything out of the ordinary planned, just relaxing and spending quality time together. I keep reminding myself that we should try to get out and enjoy the last few months of a carefree lifestyle while we can because it won't be long until life as we know it is forever changed.

Since the weather is warming up here we are considering a trip to the beach tomorrow. I need some sun on this lily white skin, but I am a little reluctant to sport a bikini right now. I love my new pregnant belly because it is finally hard and not mushy. This change alone sort of makes me feel like I can flaunt my belly at the beach. Of course Danny thinks the sun is going to give the squirrel a sunburn through my belly. Geesh! Can we say "over protective"? :) I promise to wear plenty of sunscreen.

This week we also had some exciting developments in the pregnancy. I finally started to feel the little squirrel moving around in my belly. It started at church on Easter Sunday. The baby was definitely moving and grooving to the music. Later in the week it happened again after I ate Taco Bell. It was moving around so much that I swear the baby was having its own little fiesta party in my tummy. The funny part about the Taco Bell incident is that last week I thought I felt the baby move after eating Taco Bell (I can't help it...I am craving Mexican food all the time) but I wasn't sure if the popping feeling was gas or the baby. TMI? I know, I know, but you can never be too sure these days. After all the incidents this week I am positive that the snap, crackle, pop sensation in my stomach is all baby. I love this feeling. It is absolute validation that a little being is growing inside of me. You would think that my bulging stomach would be enough evidence, but for some reason feeling the baby move makes me feel more connected to this little angel. We have also determined that the baby either loves or hates Taco Bell because the firecrackers that went off in my belly both times were a sign that he/she has a definite opinion on the matter.

Next week is also going to be a big week for us because my mom is coming to visit from Alabama and we finally get to see another picture of the baby. We have our 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday and we will hopefully find out for sure if the squirrel is indeed a little girl. Even though the doctor said she was about 80% sure that it was a girl at our last appointment, we are still not 100% convinced. I have heard too many stories from people who were told it was a girl one month, only to learn it was a boy the next month. At the end of the day we really don't care if it is a boy or a girl. The biggest upside to knowing the gender is that we can actually start preparing the nest for the little squirrel's arrival. When you think about it, 20 weeks doesn't seem all that far away!

Here are a few pictures we snapped from Week 18 & Week 19. The baby is about the size of a mango this week.

Week 18
The baby's first Easter Sunday! Next year we will get to dye and hunt eggs, dress them up in a pimp Easter outfit, and fix Easter baskets. Danny better hope that the squirrel isn't anything like me when it comes to hunting eggs. My poor parents had to hide Easter Eggs year round when I was a kid. :)

Week 19
Comparing bellies with Krystle at work.
We are one week apart!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! I will be sure to post again next week after our ultrasound.

xoxo,
Jenn

Holy Baby Registry!

Happy Sunday Friends & Family! I feel like it has been forever since my last update. Everything is going well here, but lately work has been crazy busy for both Danny and me. This weekend we finally managed to find some time to go and start our baby registry. Honestly, this was one of the most overwhelming tasks I have had to complete in a while. Who knew babies required so much "stuff" AND that there were so many options to choose from at the store??? We both shut down as soon as we hit the first aisle. I promise you there were at least 100 different types of pacifiers and bottles on one wall. Let's not forget the gadgets we had never even heard of like the warmer for baby wipes, an electric snot remover, bags that go in your bra to catch any breast milk that might leak out in between feedings (apparently that stuff is like liquid gold), and a monitor that attaches to the baby's diaper that will alert you if the baby stops breathing or moving for more than 20 seconds. Really??? People, we need to start inventing gadgets for the baby world because there is a ton of money to be made there.

Picking out car seats, bouncers, high chairs, and monitors was no small feat either. However, the most challenging task of the day was picking out a stroller. Despite the fact that there are a gazillion models to choose from we also encountered a snotty "product expert" who should count her lucky stars that I didn't Kung Fu karate chop her after she talked to us like we were morons. How in the hell are we supposed to know that you need an infant car seat and a special adapter to snap into some stroller models when the baby is an infant? Danny quickly created a distraction to get me away from her as soon as he noticed my neck turning pink. I tell ya'...these pregnancy hormones are nothing to mess with!

I seriously felt like we were shopping for the baby's first car. Of course it didn't take me long to fall in love with the Range Rover of strollers...the Bugaboo Cameleon. Isn't it fabulous? I am SOLD on this stroller even though I know it is completely ridiculous.

Side note: Now before you all scoff at me for putting this ridiculous item on my registry let me be clear that we do not expect anyone to buy this stroller. We only added it because we get a 10% discount on everything left on our list after the baby is born. Make no mistake about it though...unless I find something else that tickles my fancy between now and September then this stroller is coming home with us! I just love it!

We are truly enjoying every second that goes into preparing for this sweet baby's arrival. I still wake up every day and think to myself, "I can't believe I am pregnant!" As soon as I look in the mirror though I am quickly reminded that this is really happening. :)

Here are some pictures we took this week to document Week 17 in the pregnancy. According to my baby books the baby is the size of an onion this week!
Danny took a picture of an onion at the grocery store this weekend to put the size of the baby into perspective.

You can really see the bump forming now! Danny says that the squirrel is making itself known to the world this week!

A bird's eye view of my belly! I can barely see my feet! He He!

I can't even imagine what I am going to look like in 4 months!

Sugar & Spice and Everythig Nice...We Think!

Well...the results are in...the doctor "thinks" that the squirrel is a girl. I want to emphasize "thinks" because the sweet little squirrel was not very cooperative during the ultrasound today. Apparently we caught "her" napping so it took the ever so patient and determined Dr. Sumen about 15 minutes to get the shot she needed to determine the gender. After pushing on my stomach, having me roll on my side, and using more cold gel on my tummy she was finally able to get the baby to move "her" legs into a position that allowed us to see what the doctor thinks are the "lady parts."

She did caution us against going out and buying frilly and girlie baby clothes at this point because the shot was not 100% clear. She did say that she was about 80% positive with her prediction though so that leads us to believe that a sweet and sassy little dolly is in our very near future. We have a follow-up ultrasound with our genetic specialist in 4 weeks who uses a high-tech 3-D ultrasound machine so we are even more excited to see if he confirms Dr. Sumen's prediction.

Either way we are over the moon with joy and excitement about this baby. Danny is already stressing out a little over how he is going to handle "dating" and "boys" with a girl. I told him to relax because we had to get through potty training and the terrible 2's first. I told him that if it is in fact a little girl that we had to find a way to increase our income because all of the adorable little girl clothes I have been eyeing are going to break the bank. AND if she is anything like her mother we know that we are going to be in trouble. :)

On a side note, Danny is already exhibiting "protective daddy behavior" because he was definitely not comfortable with the continuous pushing on my belly to try and get the baby to move. He kept telling the doctor, "It's OK, we don't have to find out today." He really is going to be an amazing father. I asked him when we were in the car if it really bothered him that we kept trying to get the baby to move and he emphatically replied, "Yes, it made me mad because you two were harassing my little squirrel!" I just love him to pieces!!! :)