A Fantastic Weekend

I'm so glad we didn't decide to cancel our weekend getaway. We had the best time in Gatlinburg and the weather was excellent. Colette  did so well on her first vacation! She only got upset twice and both times we were in the car and she was just tired/hungry. We strolled up and down the strip, visited the aquarium, shopped, had a fancy dinner with my mom and Steve and spent some quality time lounging around in our hotel room playing with the baby.

Cory and I were both surprised at how attentive Colette was at the aquarium. She quite enjoyed watching all the fishes. I also had my first experience with nursing out in public, so that was interesting. It was semi-private as it was in a dark aquarium room, but alas, I succeeded. I don't have any issues with the idea of nursing in public, my problem lies in the awkwardness of getting everything situated. Not to mention Colette flails around like a squirrel falling from a tree. We'll get there one day I think.

[caption id="attachment_790" align="aligncenter" width="532"] Da fisssshhhes[/caption]

 

Both the aquarium and Saturday dinner at Park Grill were pretty noisy, but Colette didn't seem to mind like I thought she would. I could probably brag on her all day. We did discover she's not much of a fan of sleeping in her pack-n-play, she kicks at it like crazy. Just can't get comfortable in it.

She's officially trying to roll over now. Over the weekend is when she really started trying. And she's so close. Just needs a little more push to get over that chubby little arm. :) IT'S HAPPENING TOO FAST. I just packed away most of her 0-3/ 3 month pj's. Moving on into the 3-6 month category. I'll probably say that things are happening too fast in every blog post from now on.

[caption id="attachment_789" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Tuckered out[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_788" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Just chillin' in the hotel! Love that baby.[/caption]

I'm finding it crazy how love and joy have evolved and intensified in my life. (I know at least one of you out there is scoffing at my mushy sentiments...) In these few short months I can really see and feel the difference in how I love, not just Colette, but Cory and all of my other family and friends. The importance of family means something different now as well. So much love.

Like I told Cory while we were walking to the aquarium on Saturday, I'm just very happy.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

 

Revisiting The Pre-Baby Bucket List

One of my first posts consisted of a pre-baby bucket list for home improvements. Now that we're a measly 5ish weeks from our due date, I think it's time to revisit that list and see what we've accomplished.

• Remodel Master Bathroom – They're finishing this one up today! It looks great and I'm going to be so happy to have a bathtub in the house. The vanity and toilet are our responsibility, but they're ready to go in the garage.

• Finish the Remodel of the Guest Bathroom – Well, what we thought was going to be a quick clean up and 10 sq ft tile job has pretty much turned into another remodel. When I showed the room to our tile guy the words that came out of his mouth were "That's probably the worst thing I've ever seen." Luckily it's just a tiled shower and not a cast iron tub like our master bathroom.

• Landscaping – Partially done. Cory has done a lovely job of ripping most everything out and trimming, but there's still some left to do.

• Critter Removal and Blockage – Ah.. nope. Didn't quite get there unfortunately.

• Rewiring – Don't get me started on that one.... We're not actually going to be completely rewiring, thank goodness. But I just don't see it actually happening before Baby Colette gets here. Which is a shame because we've got lights and fans that need installation and a few exposed wires that probably need to be removed.

• Find a New Home for the Office – Check!

• Hang Smoke Detectors – Got a new box of detectors from my mom a while back, still need to get them up.

• Clean Out and Organize the Garage – Thanks to my family for that one. We got everything out and cleaned. Of course, that was a few months ago and we have since found a way to fill it back up. The good news is that we're getting a new garage door so we can actually park a car in there one day.

• Clean Out and Organize Everything Else – I think this is probably a lifelong project, but I have managed to get most everything put away in an orderly fashion.

• BURN THE BURN PILE – Got that done too.

• Hang New Eaves Around the Porch – Not there yet either. One day.

• New Doors – Didn't think this was a big deal at first. But unfortunately one of our doors has taken a turn for the worse. We can't even open it. It somehow collected a ton of moisture. Oops.

• The Nursery – I'm so close! The big thing left is hanging the new fan and pendant lights... And we need to paint/hang the mirror and wall art. I also need a white bookcase.

I'm fairly content with the progress. The only thing I'd really like done (yesterday) is the electrical, but there isn't a whole lot I can do about that.

In the realm of baby things, I think we're officially covered in the most important things. We had our baby shower with Cory's family and friends last weekend and it was most excellent! It was beautiful as well as delicious. (Let's take a moment for a little self-loathing because I definitely forgot my camera...)

Carseat and stroller: Check!

Baby Bedding: Check!

BOPPY: CHECK! (Love a good boppy..)

Diapers: Well... we have at least a solid week's worth.

Pack n Play: Check!

Diaper Bag: Check! (Not here yet, but it has been ordered!)

I'm very thankful for everything that everyone has done for Cory, me, and Baby Colette. Who knew anyone could be so blessed with such an outpouring of support and love.

I know I had some other things I was going to write about, but it seems they've all slipped my mind. Oh well! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Happy Anniversary!

Today, Cory and I celebrate two years of marriage. Hooray! I missed a whole week's worth of blogging last week and thought a little bit of a back story on Cory and myself would be a good way to work myself back into the groove (look for homemade strawberry jam, peach fried pies and gardening in the near future). If you know us personally you've probably heard this story already, but if you don't, here ya go!

Short version first:



Long version:

We met in September 2007 at a small party in Knoxville that our mutual friends were having for the first UT football game of the season. I don't think we talked a whole lot outside of the normal small talk of "where are you from.. where do you go to school.. etc." Turns out Cory was from Chattanooga and currently resided there after making some bad decisions while attending UT-Knoxville. I ,myself, had attend UT-Chattanooga my first semester of college before, like Cory, making some bad decisions and coming back home. (And just as a side note: These bad decisions pretty much revolved around not going to class, we weren't hooked on prostitutes and alcohol or anything.) So anyway, we had that in common.

When my friend Emily and I were leaving that night, we passed Cory in the parking lot on the way out to our car, and I told him if I was ever in Chattanooga I would look him up.

The week following our introduction I was headed to Charlotte, NC to be trained for a new job at a portrait studio. Nights in the hotel we're pretty boring so I spent most of them on the internet, namely... MySpace. (I know, I know what the hell is MySpace...) I'm not sure at what point, or who made the friend request, but either way Cory and I were already linked. At that point you could tell when someone was online or not and Cory happened to be on. So, I posted a bulletin with my AIM screen name and said I was bored if anyone wanted to chat with the sole intention of getting Cory's attention. Annnnd he took the bait.

We chatted pretty much every night I was in Charlotte. After Charlotte I went to Atlanta to visit my dad, then to Chattanooga to spend the night with my best friend Jill who was still going to school at UTC. Cory and I had been texting and since I was in town we decided to go on lunch date.

First date to the Pickle Barrel and Coolidge Park was a success. From there we visited and dated back and forth between Knoxville and Chattanooga. During the months between October-January it was a little harder for dates as I was working 60+ hours a week at the studio, but we made it work.

In February of 2008 I decided to make the big move back to Chattanooga, and asked Cory if he fancied the idea of moving in with me. It was super soon and our friends we're a bit skeptical to say the least..(the very least). But we did it anyway.

I ended up going back to school at UTC for Graphic Design and Cory finally made the decision to get a computer science degree.

We were engaged in the fall of 2009 at Cory's favorite beach. He has been going there almost every year since he was a wee babe.

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignnone" width="560"] Pawley's Island 2009[/caption]

And then a year and a half of planning later... the wedding!





Now here we are two years later and expecting our first baby Taylor.

I'm beyond blessed for all the wonderful things life has brought to me in these 27 years, but I think Cory pretty much tops them all. Without that guy there's no telling where I'd be right now. All I know is that it wouldn't be near as great as where I am now!