Killin' time

BD here. 'Round here there's been lots of time killin' going on while we're waiting for this thing called a baby. I've been instructed that it is actually *not* helpful to remind Gina every few minutes that the baby is not here yet. So...I've taken advantage of the down time over the long weekend and finished a video of our adventures in Australia. I tell you what, that little Hero2 that I splurged on just minutes before the trip is quite the amazing camera and worth every penny. Sometimes when I watch this video I wonder how we got so lucky. Sit back, make sure it's in HD, click on full screen mode, and enjoy.

Hello Due Date...

Goodbye due date! Not much to report here in the baby delivery department. We're doing what we can to "encourage" Little Bee on her way into this world (including walking, acupuncture, sugar comas) but she seems pretty content to lay low where she's at. She's all about the element of surprise, this one, and loves to make us wait. It's pretty much her thing. So we wait. And it's cool.

The Belly - 40 Weeks Pregnant

But in other news, the sunsets this week have been amazing. Absolutely breathtaking. Usually at some point in the evening one of us will perk up and suddenly say "look outside!" and we drop everything to witness the sun setting. We love to sit out on our deck on these cool spring evenings and soak up the golden lighting. I can't wait for Little Bee to join our evening porch sits. Daddy promises to keep his geeky science chatter to a minimum. Momma promises there will be popsicles.

An Update on Tennis

With Coach Karl, who yes, insisted on his bended knee pose :)

My tennis buds. Every Thursday. We do this. We meet up with Coach Karl and laugh and talk and laugh and swing our rackets at balls flying at our noses. The tennis court has become this sacred ground where we come to vent about life, confess our challenges and swing our troubles away. Lately my giant pregnant body just chases the balls around about 3 seconds late in every direction. I look forward to it all week and it's become a real passion in my life. All 5 of us have either had a baby or become pregnant during this past year of playing with Coach Karl. We didn't even know Coach was of the magical baby making variety when we signed up! What good fortune. Oh the things Karl has heard out on that court! To say he's been thoroughly prepped for marriage and babies and the whole nine yards is probably an understatement. Also, we are very good at offering him our unsolicited dating advice :). It'll be a little sad when this baby comes and I'll need to take a few weeks off from tennis. But we're all pumped to play together this summer (with my NEW shiny racket that I scored for Mothers Day). Deedee and I will especially be happy to play without our bellies in the way! And when Kim has her baby this fall, all 5 of us will have had babies on Karl's watch. It's so fun.

Deedee, Jane, Kim, Bethany, Moi

I'll probably regret posting these pictures of myself at 39 weeks pregnant after 90 minutes of playing tennis, but, whatevs. It's all part of the fun. We really need to get ourselves some matching skorts and visors to up our game, don't ya think?

Showered

WOW. Baby girl and I have been showered silly by friends, family, and neighbors. While I love parties, and throwing parties, and planning parties, I'm admittedly not so good at being the party. I embarrass far too easily in these situations for them to ever be comfortable for me. It's overwhelming to imagine how much this baby girl is already loved by these amazing people in our lives. It took a real concerted effort to keep my tears at bay and not break down at the sight of every tiny pair of socks (they are so little!).

Ward Shower

Hands down, I have the most amazing ward, not to mention the most amazing friends in my ward. It's been a real blessing to have these women in my life. Each of them have supported and strengthened me through this whole getting pregnant process. Some of them having very similar situations, all of them understanding the desire to be a mother. It was such a beautiful party too; they had been planning and scheming for weeks and made decorations that match Little Bee's nursery. Everything about the shower was perfectly catered to my personality, I couldn't have planned it better myself. The sweet women in my ward completely spoiled us with lots of handmade blankies, burp cloths, booties, plus a car seat, which was such an awesome surprise. I treasure all of it! Thank you Kim, Jen, Deedee, Jane, and Bethany!

  Girlfriend Shower

Tiffani and Lisa masterminded this darling Honey Bee shower. It was adorable! I have such crafty, talented friends. They had invited a small intimate group of some of my closest and longest-term girlfriends to the Ford's cabin. I've known most of these women practically my entire life and have watched them all become mothers. There were even two brand new babies up there (squeee!) and honestly I don't know how I managed NOT to go into labor that night. Little Bee cannot wait to meet her friends! I watched Jessie and Natty handle their newborns with calm confidence. I kept thinking, these girls are such pros. I soaked in all the advice and wisdom they could give me. In the morning a few of us topped off our baby shower hangover with French Toast at Magleby's before they had to buzz back to their own hives. Thank you Tiff, Lisa, Natty, Jessie, Lauren, Jen, Deb, and Emily! (And, a super thank you to Lauren for coming down from Idaho! Oh how we miss you here in the beehive state...).

Richman Family Shower

My mom and sisters threw us a family baby shower and Brook even let them help a little bit :). Much to my pleasure she decided not to kill herself over making Macarons and did a buffet of bundt cakes instead. Right up my alley. They invited some longtime family friends and even some women from my home ward who I feel practically raised me. Like my sweet neighbor Gladyse who lived just across the street from my home and always had a hug and a smile. It was really fun to spend the afternoon with my family. It's been 11 years since one of my sisters had a baby and my mom had a grandchild. My nieces and nephews are now growing their own families and I love that Little Bee will still have cousins (once removed) to grow up with on this side. Also, I have to brag about my niece Cassie, who made us a beautiful baby quilt! It was her very first quilt, believe it or not, and it's just perfect for Little Bee. I squish it everyday. Aside from lots of darling clothes and baby essentials, we were gifted a diaper bag and the cutest stuffed zebra you ever saw. Zebra has been testing out Little Bee's nursery to make sure it's juuuuust right. Thank you Brook, Mom, Marci, and Jody (and TOM for doing the invite)! And...no one took pictures. So. Yeah.

 

 

Duncan Family Shower

With my sil Michelle at the helm of this shower I knew it would be crafty and beautiful, and it was! She played off the butterfly print hanging in Little Bee's nursery and threw a butterfly themed baby shower. Everything was absolutely darling and she worked so hard. Check our her butterfly decor tutorials. She even made Little Bee her very first apron, which I adore. Michelle made her mom's delicious chicken pasta salad and I honestly can't eat that salad without thinking of Judy. It made me happy to think of Judy that day, even if in salad form! Apart from the perfect party planning and decorating, the most special part of the shower was the blessing dress and blankets hand crocheted by BD's Grandma Noni. I about died when I first held the blessing dress. It's the most precious thing in the world and was such a big surprise! I can't wait for her to wear it on her blessing day. It was a wonderful shower and everyone was so nice. Thank you Michelle!

This little baby and I have been showered with love and gifts beyond what we deserve. We've also received lots of love in unexpected little packages from friends and colleagues over the last few months. I'm just going to say it...Seriously. So. Blessed.

xoxo