In Savannah, when it rains...it pours!

Saturday, June 27th was a great day!  Aunt Jan & Aunt Paula hosted Caroline's first baby shower in Savannah and it was awesome!!!  

There was plenty of food, family & friends and it was so great to see just how loved this little girl is!  Aunts Jan & Paula have always been very special to Mommy and now Caroline knows how special they are, too!!

Aunt Paula was so sweet and gave Caroline a Baby Einstein Activity Jumper (and knowing how active she is already, this will come in handy) while Aunt Jan gave Caroline a super cool monogrammed passie clip and gift card to Target (which BJ says will be used on diapers! :) )  It was special, too, 'cause Cousin Matt (who couldn't make it) sent Caroline a Baby Journal.  It is really neat and will be fun to write and keep up with all of Caroline's family trees.

Cousin Madison was there, too, and she gave Caroline this really awesome giraffe blanket and Tummy Turtle.  I bet Caroline will be using both of those A LOT!!!  

It was really cool because Maddy bought  both presents with her own money!!!!  Caroline will LOVE THEM!!!!

Madison's Nanny also handmade Caroline a quilt with baby animals on it...so cute!!!

Of course, Mimi, Aunt Leigh & Coach were there.  We didn't get any pictures of Coach, but we did get a shot with Aunt Leigh & Mimi, see:              Great Grandma Josephine came, too!

       

Sweet Caroline got some really pretty presents...Mimi & Mommy's friends have excellent taste for little Southern Belles to be (Daddy doesn't understand why we love monograms but hey, they are just so darn cute!!!!)

      

Aunt Leigh picked out these fun-fetti panties and Mommy loves them!!!  Of course Mimi brought the girl a gift (or two!)...She got Caroline a Butterfly Chandelier for her bedroom from Pottery Barn Kids and a couple outfits from Gymboree.  Ms. Suzanne & Ms. Kelly brought Caroline some beautiful nightgowns that she will absolutely love!!  They are so soft!  The Parkers sent a bag of gifts (including ones for Mimi & Coach)...BJ loved! the monkey passie & turtle night light while Mommy can't wait to put the monogrammed diaper holder in Caroline's room!

Ms. Jamie, Mr. Tommy, Graysen & Charlie brought some bath time fun along with Uncle Ricky & Aunt Gaye, cousins Stephany & Christopher, Jaston & Megan.  Caroline's "Under the Sea" bathroom is going to be awesome!!!  And we LOVE the hooded towels!!

                                    

Aunt Theresa & Uncle Alan gave Mommy a Boppy for Caroline while Great Grandma Josephine  brought Caroline a large stuffed bunny, a bag of crib goodies and the stroller/carseat...which made Mommy really excited because she was afraid Caroline wouldn't get that! :)  Daddy had to put it together this morning and it is SWEET!!!  CLW will be strollin' in style!                 

The best part was at the end of the shower, though, when Daddy gave Mommy a special gift.  He had matching silver bracelets engraved for his girls--LHW & CLW.  They were absolutely beautiful!!!!  And some of the ladies cried!

This was such a special day for Mommy, Daddy & Caroline and we would like to thank everyone who came and celebrated with us--your generosity was overwhelming!  A special thanks goes to Aunts Paula & Jan for making this such a wonderful day!!!!

Sleeping Beauty

Well, today we went for our consult with the Anesthesiologist and it was confirmed that I will be put to sleep for Caroline's birth.  The risk is too great with the cyst on the base of my spine to stick needles in the general area SO...that means that they are knocking me out.

The sad part(s) is/are that I won't be awake for the procedure and BJ won't be allowed in the room, either.  We are both a little bummed, but we were prepared for this outcome.  Safety and health is the most important concern and this type of delivery is what is safest for us.

Naturally, the risk is a little greater.  But we know that when all is said and done, Caroline will be delivered in the safest, most healthy way and I will be given the safest, most healthy treatment available.

Just keep us all in your prayers as we move closer to D-Day.

Dear Family & Friends

letter being sent out to family & friends regarding Caroline's delivery...

In case you haven’t heard, Caroline Leigh Waddell is set to make her appearance on September 3, 2009.  Yep, it’s a girl—and we are SO excited!  Since her arrival is just a few weeks away, we wanted to fill you in on all the details!

 

First, we’ve been busy getting ready for Caroline.  The nursery is green & white and accented in peach with a theme of The Velveteen Rabbit.  It is perfect for our Sweet Caroline and we think that the digs are pretty cool.

 

Caroline will be born at Northside in Atlanta.  Because the c-section is considered high-risk, Lori’s doctor has restricted visitors on Thursday, 9/3/09, to immediate family only.  Don’t worry, once she is here, Papa Mike will call everyone and fill you in on all the specifics.  Extended family & friends should be allowed to visit starting Friday but on a limited basis.  The nature of Caroline’s birth is complicated which complicates Lori’s recovery.

 

We will be bringing Caroline home either Sunday or Monday, depending on Lori’s recovery, just the two of us so that we can get Caroline acclimated and we can bond as a family.  Once everyone is in and settled, we’d love to have visitors and we’ll let you know when we’re ready.

 

Cousins Kristina & April will be getting in touch with you guys about the baby shower for Caroline soon.  It will be Sunday, 2 August 2009 at 2pm at our house and everyone (guys & girls) are invited!  We are so excited to show you Caroline’s room and to celebrate her arrival with our family, so Save The Date!!!

 

We appreciate all your love, support & prayers during this exciting time in our lives.  We can’t wait to meet our Caroline Leigh and we know in the upcoming months, we’ll rely on your support more than ever.  Thank you all for being such a special and important part of our lives.

 

We can’t wait to see you on August 2^nd!!! You can read about all “stuff” Caroline on our family blog at http://loribjcaroline-lkherndon.blogspot.com/ .

 

Love y’all,

 

Lori & BJ

 

Daddy wants to know...

The other day, BJ and I had a conversation about, what else?  Caroline!  In this particular conversation he made the comment that he couldn't wait until she was here (which a lot of people say and it annoys me--hello!  I'm the one walking around with like 40 extra pounds around my body, my thighs rub together and I can hardly breathe and YOU will be excited when she's here...I don't think nearly as excited as me!  but I digress) and he can feed her things like peanut butter.

And I started laughing.

"You can't give a baby peanut butter, dude...you have to wait until they are like 2 years old."  I said amidst my giggles.

"Why?  She's my kid, I can give her whatever I want."

"Except peanut butter.  It is like the #1 kid allergy.  Plus they could choke on the peanuts."

"Oh, that makes sense."  I knew he'd see it my way.

So tonight, BJ called me from Columbia (he's doing a lot of travel this summer so it can be slowed down once Caroline comes) and he says, "I was thinking about that whole peanut thing.  What happens if she eats something she's allergic to?"

"Well,"  I say calmly, "she'll stop breathing and we'll have to rush her to the emergency room."

"Will we need to stick our fingers down her throat or put a straw in her mouth and try to suck it out?"

"No.  We'll call 911 and rush her to the emergency room."

"But what if she's not breathing that whole time??"

"Maybe we should get a book...I'm sure there is one this subject."

BJ's response to this:  "Well, you need to ask Dr. Nix at your next appointment."

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse...

... "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."  ~ Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

This is our theme for Caroline's Nursery.  I love The Velveteen Rabbit.  It is one of my favorite childhood stories and I told BJ that when we had a baby, I wanted that to be the theme of his/her room.  So the day after we found out I was pregnant, I came home and BJ said, "There's a present for you on the table."  And I looked in the Barnes & Noble bag and there is was--a copy of the original text and art work from The Velveteen Rabbit.

"So you can plan the room,"  BJ said.

So we started with the paint--I knew I wanted the predominant color to be green (because we weren't finding out, remember?)...I picked out  a fantastic Kappa Delta green & white and had the room painted 1st:

Then, BJ & I went and picked out the furniture! :)  That was an adventure.  We'd been looking at lots of cribs and different things and then we went to this really expensive baby store off of Jimmy Carter.  We knew when we walked in that we wouldn't be able to afford what they had.  But then...we saw that they were having a floor sale...and we could afford it.  After picking out what we liked, we decided to go to a few more stores.  At the next store we went to, BJ looked at me and said, "I'd feel like a bad parent if I got a crib like this--all wobbly and unstable--and not the solid wood crib."  So we went straight back to the store off Jimmy Carter and got Caroline's furniture.  

BJ had to put the crib together, see:

and it works & everything!!!  After all that crib putting-together, BJ needed a break! :)

Once we found out she was a girl, we started buying "girly clothes" (BJ bought her first dress!) and made a name plate for her room...We were actually pretty excited about how her name art came out--first, it is PEACH (NOT PINK...I am not a huge fan of pink & purple) but most important, we worked on it, making it super cute!!

Then, Mimi & Aunt Leigh brought up the bedding that I ordered (before I knew it was a girl) from Savannah...and I was SUPER excited because I designed it myself and it was PERFECT for our Velveteen Rabbit nursery.

Then, Jordan, one of my students from SFHS, came to pain the mural--and it only took a few hours! :)

see?  Caroline Leigh Waddell -- her initials are carved in the tree!

and the final product looked FANTASTIC!!!! :)

It's so funny, because I catch BJ going into Caroline's room and just staring...and I laugh (and sometimes, make fun of him) but guess what?  I do it, too.  Now that I am home all day, I definitely go into her room and just sit and look at the walls and think about what it will be like when she gets here!!!

YOU CAN DANCE...YOU CAN JIVE...

I think I've about decided that Caroline is going to be a dancer.  Not only does she move ALOT already, but she especially moves when I am listening to good music OR like last night when the Tony's were on, she got really excited.  It was actually funny.  I know it doesn't necessarily mean anything...but I think that it is so cute!!! :)

BJ says that she is going to play softball for the University of Georgia...I don't know.  I think that tu-tu's and twirls are in our future.  BJ also says that she is going to Duke...I told him to start saving his pennies...and that she isn't going to be allowed to play Barbies (PUH-LEASE...Barbies were a staple in my house...and sometimes, I long to play with them even now!)

I hope she likes to dance, though.  I remember dancing when I was little--not just on stage but in the kitchen with my mom and sister and dad.  We were a dancin' family...and I have visions of a head full of dirty blonde curly hair standing on BJ's feet looking up at him and saying, "Dance with me, Daddy"...it's going to be fun!

the first time we danced...

...to caroline's song was so sweet.  BJ and I were vacationing in Hilton Head and ate at this cute little deck restaraunt--Steamers--and there was this guy with a guitar.  Needless to say with a dd...BJ embibed and paid the guy to sing SWEET CAROLINE...and because he was feeling loose--he danced with me!! :)

it was super sweet.