The time is getting closer!

...and the excitement keeps growing! As does Shauna's belly! This is such a fun and magical time. Imagining what Cooper will look like, the fun we will have with him. We went to NW Trek yesterday for Grandpa Al's birthday celebration and it was such a perfect day. The weather was great, we saw lots of animals on the tram, had a nice lunch in the sun and talked about bringing Cooper next year. It will be so much fun to show him all the animals and see the excitement on his little face! We will have to get a membership to Trek and Pt. Defiance Zoo so we can go whenever we want. I loved all those times with my own kids and can't wait to get to do it again with my grandchildren. What a blessing!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Grandpa was right! It's a boy, or as the sign I bought said "It A Boy", lol. Sign was made in China. I was going to return it, but now it is a new family joke, so think I will keep it.
We waited so anxiously for Shauna's phone call, and when the phone rang I was SO excited! I asked if the baby cooperated and Shauna said, "yes, Cooper was very cooperative!" And I yelled, "It's a Boy" for Kirk, Grandma and Grandpa and Dustin to hear. I asked if they were sure, and Shauna said "oh, yeah!" So we quickly decorated with our silly sign and blue crepe paper, and they brought up a video and still pictures. We had to wait for Matt and Kelly to arrive to see the video. It was so great to see his moving little body, his heartbeat and count his ten tiny toes. It seems so much more real now! I really feel like a grandma and I can't wait to hold him! This is SO fun!!!

Pink or blue????

Tomorrow is the BIG day, if Baby cooperates! Woohoo! We can't wait! It is so amazing to be able to have a window into the secret life of the baby in the womb. Wow.

All of the women in the family are thinking pink, and I would love to be able to buy her those cute pink outfits and have tea parties and teach her to scrapbook, but I would also love a little boy just like Matthew was. He was the sweetest little boy, and the easiest of my babies. He loved to play store and read the (Richard) Scary books with Huckle and Lowly Worm. And he was such a good big brother when Megan came along. He was just as cute as a little girl, with his blonde curls and blue eyes, and he was cuddly and lovable.

And Dustin was such a doll, too, with his huge blue eyes, his endless curiosity, and his affectionate hugs that could melt my heart.

So I will be thrilled with pink or blue, I just can't lose! I am so blessed and will love and adore either one, and if it is a boy, the added bonus will be that Grandpa can teach him to fish! I might even like fishing if I get to do it with a grandson! And I can teach a boy to scrapbook too. He can scrap photos of his fish!!!

I have got my toad house all set up, and even have a toad residing there already. Won't a granchild love that? Grandpa still wants a pond with fish, but Grandma is too much of a worrier for that. I've got rain gear so we can go out to the garden and water the pumpkins we will grow. We are pondering buying a trailer so we can take grandkids camping in style. And I am constantly dreaming of trips to Disney with grandkids, and photos with Mickey and the princesses. Girl or boy, we are gonna have so much fun!!!! Thank you God for this wonderful blessing!

Shopping and Doctor Visit

On Friday, Shauna and I went with Julie to her favorite baby consignment store. She has been telling me for months how great this store is, and I was, indeed, impressed, and we Will be going back. We also had some good Mexican food for lunch and stopped at a garage sale, barely missing a nice Exersaucer, but a woman got it before we did.
Noah had to work long hours today, and couldn't get off for the doctor appt., so I got to go! Luckily I had my camera, so I will be able to scrapbook this event! Maybe that will make up for forgetting photos on Mother's Day. Shauna is now 14 weeks along, second trimester! We heard the heartbeat again (still exciting for me!) and Dr. Casidy says all is well. Thank you Lord. Shauna made an appt for her ultrasound June 29, so that will be a very exciting day for them! And we will get to know the sex of the baby before the big summer sales start after July 4th. Shauna, Kelly, Megan, Jenna, Grandma De De, and I are all secretly (well not really secretly) hoping for a girl, while all the boys are rooting for a boy. But we will all be happy with this baby, no matter what. Grandma De De and I remember how sweet and adorable Matthew was, so we will be thrilled with a boy. Julie insists it will be a boy since her grandbaby is a boy, and we live parallel lives. She said at lunch that with Dylan, Decklin and Dustin we may get very confused, as if we aren't already! This grandma business is SO fun!

Mother's Day 2007

I cannot believe that I did not take any pictures of this momentous day! We got to meet Megan's new boyfriend Ryan, who we liked very much. And Shauna had her first Mother's Day as a mommy-to-be. We got some cute new yellow items for baby that had her oohing and aahhing. This was my first Mother's Day as a grandma-to-be! And I got to hear my precious little grandbaby's heartbeat! How exciting! Why was I not taking pictures of this wonderful day? I have no idea! Does becoming a grandma mean you are more forgetful? Must be! Oh well, I will give up a few brain cells to be a grandma!
On May 2nd, Dylan arrived, so Julie is an official grandma now! I got to go over and hold her little bundle of love last week, and he is a doll! I forgot how sweet and tiny those little feet are. I can't wait to hold our own little one and see those sweet feet. I will not forget the pictures! I have already told Carla I will be hiring her for maternity and newborn photos. They only happen once in a lifetime and I will not miss them!
The best part of Mother's Day, the most priceless part, was getting to spend time with all my children together. What a blessing they all are!

Dylan is on his way!

Baby Dylan (Julie's grandson) is on his way! She called me at 7:30 this morning to say Harold was on his way back home from work and they were headed to the hospital, where Katie is already laboring in a jacuzzi (they didn't have that at Good Sam when I delivered my girls there!). I am so excited for Julie! By tonight (we hope!) she will be a grandma and have held the little guy in her arms! And Harold will be a grandpa! They will both be wonderful grandparents. The first part of their Journey will be completed today. But it is only the beginning of many years of love and joy to come.
I have been praying all morning for a quick and safe delivery for Katie and Dylan. May God bless the entire family as they welcome their little miracle!

Shopping again!

Who knew this could be SO fun! Shauna, Kelly, Jenna and I went to the North Bend Mall on Sunday. Carter's is my new favorite place! They had such great clearance sales, we couldn't resist. Since we don't know the baby's sex, we bought pink AND blue! We also went to Motherhood Maternity, where we had Shauna try on clothes with the padded belly on. I wish I would have had my camera!
When I was pregnant with Matthew, my mom took me to Frederick and Nelson's and bought me several outfits, so now it was my turn to carry on the tradition. That would make a good scrapbook page. The new thing now is the bellyband. We got one of those in white. I wish they would have had those when I was pregnant. She also found two pairs of pants for her new job, a cute pair of capris for summer and one top. It's a start.
Kelly had fun buying cute little pink outfits for her niece Emma, who will be one in June. And Jenna enjoyed getting new clothes for summer. It was a great girls day out!