Getting Ready...

Today Mike and I put together our crib!!! I ordered the crib and changing table MONTHS ago and I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I seriously could have put together the nursery when I was only 3 months pregnant, but there always seemed to be a good reason to wait. Our painting is finished, the office is moved (except the computer remains on a folding table in the middle of the room for now...) and now there was nothing else to hold me back! Nothing is finished, I still want to touch up our trim, buy new blinds, cut down our curtain rod to fit, get a mattress, wash the linens, but the crib is put together! For some reason this was the biggest deal for me, it looks so baby-like! :) Someday soon I hope to have a finished nursery, but today was such a fun accomplishment.

Our dogs have no idea what is about to come! :) They look so relaxed and slept through most of this process, they don't know their world is about to change drastically!

Overwhelmed with Gifts!

Last night I was showered with gifts and love. I remember now why it is called a shower! It was a great night of family, food and fun. Aunt Dawn opened with devotions about patience and the fruits of the spirit. It reminded me how blessed I am with Christian family and how the fruits of the spirit were shown to me growing up and how Mike and I will need patience and all the fruits as we raise this new baby!

I opened more presents at this shower than a whole family does at Christmas! I really think that we are going to need a bigger house! We got our stroller, swing, high chair, a diaper bag full of goodies, blankets & bedding, a boppy, books, bottles, bowls & cups, a diaper caddy, a mirror to see baby in the car, toys, bibs, bath time towels and lotions... I am sure I have missed items - it is just so much!

The Brink Family

Great Grandma Van Hill

& Great Grandma Brink

The belly shot that everyone has been asking for :)

One of my favorite times of showers is actually after I get home. I know that sounds weird since it is so much fun to have a shower - family and more gifts that I can imagine. I don't mean to say that I don't love having showers and appreciate all that is done for me. But once I get home, and all the presents are in our house, the fun starts again. I get to watch Mike open all the gifts and be excited about them. I love that time and it is fun to think about what all these gifts mean to us and the changes that we will have in the near future. What a fun time!

Mike's favorite book :)

(the only problem is there are not quite enough semi trucks in this book!)

This is the oldest gift and the most meaningful! Mike's mom gave us the outfit and blanket that he was baptized in, and a cute little blue hat. They were made by his Great Grandma VanKomen and it was exciting to be given a gift that was made in love and passed down to us.

Shower Time!

I am officially 30 weeks...and have a huge belly! I can't believe that we are here in the 3rd trimester. In 10 weeks (or less hopefully) we will be brand new parents! Tomorrow is the start of my showers. The Brink Family is having a shower for me, hosted by the married cousins and it is at Leann's house. For some reason this makes things even more real for me... I opened presents at Christmas for Baby Draisma, but showers mean the end is near and I think I am finally realizing it! This whole month is going to be getting ready for baby. I have 3 showers planned and all are this month. I plan to have Chad (the painter) come over to paint the nursery and while he is at it, we are having the whole basement done too. I may be in the nesting phase :) we are also replacing the kitchen and laundry room floor and have been shopping for new furniture for the living room. I figure that I will be home a lot more in the next few months and now is the time to get all the busy work done. I also have started going to the doc every 2 weeks now, and I have one more ultrasound planned. This last ultrasound is to decide (finally) if this baby is coming by C-section or not. My placenta is uncooperative and is the deciding factor for if it is safe to deliver vaginally or not...
Oh and to keep everyone updated - Mike is 95.5% sure that this is a little girl and says we can even paint the room pink! :) New dad's with premonitions - it is kinda scary. I think we will be safe and paint neutral colors. Mike is all about neutral colors anyway. At Christmas his grandma was holding Baby Addisyn Huizenga who was wearing a beautiful black and pink dress (very girly) she told Mike that cute clothes are the reason we need to find out what we are having. That way she can buy girl clothes...or boys. Mike told her to buy it in green, then it would work for boy or girl. So if this baby happens to be a boy, I will have a stylish little boy wearing a green dress...