The Nursery Reveal!

Many requests have been made for nursery pics, but it’s been a work in progress combining all my old baseball memorabilia with new Ikea furniture and baby gifts so I have held off on sharing. Last weekend, my mom came over and helped put the finishing touches together. We also packed my hospital bag and installed the infant carrier in the car so, other than the diaper pail Shaun specifically requested that has yet to arrive, I think we are about as ready as we are going to be. I hope you enjoy the reveal!

Note: With baby Blackburn due in a week and aversion/c-section hopefully avoided since he flipped head down again, it now becomes a waiting game to see when our little guy will reveal himself. It’s a good week for it though since Shaun has spring break. Last checkup tomorrow should tell us more. Ready or not parenthood, here we come!

Never were there more devoted sisters

With all the baby drama, the sisters rallied around and quietly plotted a return to Kennewick and cool, vintage baseball themed shower to celebrate baby boy Blackburn. They decided to throw it at my house to highlight my matching nursery and invited old friends from high school, college, the branch, etc. It was especially great to have Nicole, my best friend from college, drive over from Portland to join in the festivities. We stayed up way too late the night before chatting and catching up. The sisters did Pinterest proud with the super cute, coordinated baseball decorations, games, and concessions. Words barely do it justice so I’ll let you check out the pictures:

P.S. Don’t forget the sisters pedi after the shower. Good times!

Ward Shower

Once they found out we were expecting, the ward has been very excited. Several of the ladies offered to throw a shower so invitations were sent and the fun was planned. The best part was, I just had to show up. We had a great turnout at Madge’s house with a lot of yummy food and creative presents, including a diaper tricycle, homemade blankets and burp cloths, and onesie cupcakes. The group gift was our much-needed infant carrier so we’ll actually be allowed home from the hospital. We really appreciate the outpouring of love and support from ward friends old and new. Here are the shower pics:

Nesting

I had a crazy productive week of nesting where I fixed our whirlpool bathtub that hasn’t worked since we moved in. The previous owners installed it as part of the remodel then told us their kids burned the motor out running it without water before it was ever used. After an amazing DIY feat to remove stripped screws in the molding surrounding the tub that Shaun couldn’t get to budge, I was able to uncover the panel underneath and learn that it was just the circuit breaker that had blown. One quick push of the reset button and we were in business.

Unfortunately, the tub had been sitting for over a year and was sorely in need of a cleaning. I put my crocs on and literally scrubbed it out by foot then ran it with various kinds of soap a couple times until it was shining. A good soak in vinegar even got the jets gleaming. The pic hardly does it justice, but you get the idea. I can’t wait to whirlpool my baby aches away.

Not only did I fix the tub, but I got our 50+ year-old trees trimmed just in time for two giant windstorms that likely would have felled them, figured out what was wrong with the microwave that had stopped spinning, and several other projects. Shaun commented that if he’d known nesting would manifest itself in long-standing home improvement project completion, he would have left a list. Not bad for a week’s work.

Work Soiree

My fabulous office mates kindly offered to host a little soiree celebrating the coming of Baby Blackburn. Although a busy weeknight, we had a nice, intimate gathering at Mary’s cute house. With good friends, delicious hors d’oeuvers and desserts, and generous gifts, it couldn’t have been better evening. Many thanks to Dawn, Mary, Susan, and all who attended, including mom. Here are some pictures of the event:

Valentine’s Day Babymoon

Shaun really outdid himself this year for Valentine’s Day. Knowing we couldn’t go far, but wanting to make it special, he booked a romance package at the Clover Island Inn. We’d been talking about checking it out so it was the perfect babymoon. I later learned he snuck away from work to buy flowers and treats then planted them in the room. He told me to pack an overnight bag and then surprised me with it all plus chocolates, roses, and dinner credit in the Crow’s Nest restaurant from the hotel. Shaun took advantage of the Friday night seafood buffet. Kip even got to come along with us and enjoyed lounging on his own bed. In the morning, we went on a leisurely stroll around Clover Island and, although a little wet, took some great pics. Here they are:

Amazon Prom 2012: A Space Odyssey

Shaun’s been working for Amazon since October 2010 and each year they throw a big party jokingly referred to as “Amazon Prom” to celebrate the end/survival of Q4. We’ve had prior commitments in years past so this was the first one we got to go to. I took a picture in the bathroom since I always thought it’d be super classy to go to prom seven-and-a-half months preggers. Joke. Amazon went all out for this crazy space theme complete with all-you-could-eat candy lounge. Shaun and some friends even got to DJ toward the end of the night. Here are the pics:

Dr. Ball Memorial

Dr. Ball, the person I looked up to most from my college days at Whitman, passed away on New Year’s Day. I always said I would go to the memorial when Dr. Ball died so I found myself having to do so at the end of January. Luckily, we’re not too far away. It was a bittersweet trip back to Walla Walla. I can do the drive practically in my sleep door-to-door in an hour. When I rolled onto campus, I saw my old friend/fellow RA Cam Scott walking out of the new student center. It was fun to sit by and catch up with him inside. Shortly thereafter, my favorite sociology prof, Professor Farrington and his wife Nancy, walked in and sat in front of us.

The memorial was touching and highlighted many fond memories of Dr. Ball, a retired religion prof/student counselor known for riding around campus on his classic bike collecting cans for recycling and saying “Howdy” as he rode by. An upbeat old guy, he always knew just what to say and put a smile on your face. He provided particular comfort to me when my dad passed away during my junior year of college. Clearly, he’s left a large hole in the heart of Whitman. Here are some sunset pics from the drive back and, of course, Dr. Ball’s famous bike.

Shaun’s baby name contributions

“I’ve been trying for a couple years now but I haven’t been able to come up with a name dumber than ‘Renesmee’.”

Oh, Flip!

This baby is seriously having fun messing with us. Had a consult today with the high risk pregnancy doc who does the emergency c sections if necessary. Thought it would just be a formality with the news the baby is no longer breech. Here’s the thing: Doc says baby is still breech. He’s lower with a steady heartbeat, which is good, but very active so we’ll have to do one more ultrasound to confirm his position and plan accordingly.

Doc says a significant percentage of babies who flip once flip again. We may well have the little gymnast we saw in the first ultrasound. I have to admit I’m a little bummed by the news. We are really hoping to avoid the added risk, not to mention pain and recovery time, of manual manipulation and c section. Here’s hoping he flips head first and stays there for good. The doc gave him four weeks to figure it out before the final ultrasound and delivery plan. So flip if you must little guy, just stick the landing.