Random Family Facts

My anxiety level is down A LOT since we finished Tuttle's room. I L-O-V-E it! Tuttle is still adjusting, but he does not get out of his bed yet. He calls for me to come in and tell him it is okay to get up!

We are almost ready to reveal Margaret Ruth's room. Jay just needs to hang the curtains and our painting from Aunt Peach. It is CRAZY that a little girl will be sleeping in that room in less than FOUR WEEKS!

Jay and I planned a date for this weekend as our last night out as parents to only one. We are having dinner at Two Urban Licks, and I splurged and made reservations for us to stay at the Ritz Carlton. Hello, Sleeping Past Seven! :)

Jay continues to impress me when he gets up to instruct boot camp at 5am every morning. I can REALLY tell a difference in his body, too. I have one GOOD LOOKING husband!

Happy Weekend!

Tuttle's Room Reveal

I am beyond excited to reveal Tuttle's finished room!! This was a PROJECT. It started out with a blue ceiling, pastel/minty green walls, and faded trim. I could not be more proud of the finished product. A huge THANK YOU to my wonderful husband for all his hard work. I hated that it took up majority of his weekend for weeks and weeks. Both sets of grandparents also helped a ton with furnishing and helping clean and set up. I won't keep you waiting any longer!! :)

Since we use the sunroom for all the toys, Tuttle's bedroom is really used for only reading, cuddling, and sleeping. I think everything came together PERFECTLY! My anxiety level is down completely, and I know Jay is relieved I won't have a panic attack and go into early labor.

Up Next: Margaret Ruth's room reveal. I am waiting on her new rug to arrive and for Jay to hang her curtains. Other than that, it is ready for a baby girl!

Almost 35 Weeks and Girls' Night Out

I will officially be 35 weeks pregnant on Monday. It is insane how quickly this pregnancy has flown by, but I am now in the complaining phase. This is something I never faced with Tuttle. I am uncomfortable, tired, BIG, and frequently in pain from Maggie Ruth rolling over or kicking me in the ribs. Luckily, I am still able to sleep well (on the couch) and only get up once a night for a bathroom run. 

This week my doctor and I scheduled my induction. This provides me a light at the end of the tunnel. I will arrive at the hospital Monday, July 23 and begin the labor process the next day. Maggie Ruth will have July 24 as her birthday unless she has other plans and decides to make her debut early. Tuttle was three weeks early, so my doctor says another early baby is very possible.

I enjoyed a last minute Girls' Night Out with the Ashford Park group. Jamie heard about the movie What to Expect When You Are Expecting playing at the Fox Theater and surprisingly all six of us were able to go! Since so many of us are "expecting," it was the perfect movie choice. 

It was another great night with such a special group of girls. :)

Father's Day Celebration

Jay's one request for Father's Day this year was for the family to cheer him on at the Father's Day Four Miler at Turner Field. We were so excited to go! We left the house at 6:30 to get to the stadium for the big event! After the start of the race, Tuttle and I went into the stadium to wait for Jay to cross the finish line on the field.

* I packed my big camera bag to capture the day only to discover my SD card was still in the computer when I got to Turner Field! Luckily, Jay's phone takes a pretty good picture.

Tuttle is EXTREMELY into baseball right now, so he was in heaven with all the Braves decor. I think he is ready for Daddy to take him to a game because he was very focused on the field.

We cheered for all the runners as they finished. Jay is the one in all black! :)

Jay's goal was the finish in under thirty minutes. Keep in mind that amounts to less than an eight minute mile on a very hilly course. It makes me tired just thinking about it! Well, he actually finished in 27:50!!!

We are so proud of you, Daddy!

We refueled at J. Christopher's afterwards. I love our neighborhood because we always run into friends although we live in Atlanta. It really has a suburban feel to it. :) It is also getting much easier to take a toddler to a restaurant. We are not stuffing food in our mouth before a baby meltdown and can actually enjoy a conversation!

Happy Father's Day!!

Family Update

We have a lot going on in the Thorne household. First of all, we only have a little over FIVE WEEKS until our little girl makes us a family of four. I am getting induced the week of July 22. 

Jay and I have made the commitment to teach Tuttle good table manners now. We have been eating more as a family and requiring Tuttle to try all the foods on his plate and use his utensils properly. Tuttle responds to Jay's directions VERY WELL. Our little boy seems so proud of himself when Jay praises him. It is really sweet. Jay is very clear on his expectations. I am still in shock how many green beans went into Tuttle's tummy tonight. I am taking childcare tips from him for a change! :)

Jay is still hard at work on Tuttle's room. The wall color (slate blue) is done and looks FANTASTIC! The project is taking a while to complete because Jay is being meticulous. He has painted the ceiling and is about the begin on the trim. I cannot wait to share pictures of the final product! I am extremely lucky to have a husband that takes our home repairs so seriously and tackles them himself.

I have officially hit a pregnancy wall. I did not experience this with Tuttle at all, but I am exhausted and uncomfortable ALL THE TIME. I can only get somewhat comfortable by sleeping on the couch. My tiredness also conflicts with my nesting instinct. I want to clean and organize everything! I need to adjust my attitude about it because I still have over a month before Maggie Ruth's arrival!! Luckily, I am only work 2.5 days, so I am able to take it easy at home most of the time and enjoy the last few weeks with only one baby. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work part time and have Tuttle with me all the time.

Laura's Wedding

My mom and I were so honored to be invited to my childhood friend's wedding on Saturday night. Laura lived right across the street from me from when we were babies until late elementary school. I spent about 90% of my childhood at Laura's house with her family.

Laura's cousins lived a couple of doors down from me, as well. We all fondly remember playing together everyday.

The wedding was held in Big Canoe, Georgia, and the scenery was breathtaking. The ceremony looked out over the golf course and lake. The decorations were beautiful from burlap tablecloths to abundant hydrangeas. One of my favorite details was the bride and groom walking out of the ceremony to "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered." :)

All the girls are definitely grown up now! We are spread out from Georgia to New York to Charleston. I will never forget the special memory of celebrating Laura's big day with my old friends.

* On a side note, my mom and I barely made it home with our sense of direction and driving skills. We got lost in the Big Canoe park and spent an extra 30 minutes trying to find a way out! We finally followed a family to their home and asked for help! It took them about 15 minutes to lead us out of the neighborhood!!

Have Ewe Herd?

My friend, Katie, told me about the cutest activity this morning, so Tuttle and I had to try it out. Apparently Chastin Park is part of a program that uses a herd of sheep to reduce the kudzu and other plant growth in the park. This way the plants do not take over the park, and the sheep get a full belly! Chastin Park hosted a sheep breakfast this morning to start off the feeding frenzy. :)

Tuttle enjoyed getting his hand painted, making a sheep craft, and watching the herd that were enclosed in a small fenced area.

He tried to feed them like the big kids, but they did not seem very hungry this morning. I guess it was stage fright!

A little speech was made about contributing to the park. Tuttle likes any excuse to clap, so we hung around.

We did not end our morning fun there! We drove out to Alpharetta to meet Gram for lunch. 

We ate at Panera (my FAVORITE) and Tuttle devoured mac-n-cheese and a cookie as big as his head!

Tuttle and Gram enjoyed a couple rounds of "Ring-Around-the-Rosie."

We have a happy boy!! :)

The busy morning resulted in Tuttle napping until 4pm when I woke him up! I napped the whole time, too. Being eight months pregnant is EXHAUSTING!

It's A Fact...

Tuttle LOVES our cat. His first word was "cat." Luckily, we have a very patient cat that allows Tuttle to pet him, pull his fur, and even ride him. Tuttle is not interested in our dog at all, and he even gets very annoyed with the dog because she will lick him or jump into him to play. The cat definitely is Tuttle's special friend.

Family Visit and Friends Lunch

We continued to stay busy after my shower on Saturday. When I arrived home, my in-laws were in town for a visit. They really only come to see Tuttle! :) Jay went to Home Depot to buy a grill, and we all enjoyed a big steak dinner with salad, mushrooms, baked potatoes, and fresh tomatoes. I find it very funny that most of my posts describe my meals in great detail! What do you expect from an 8 month prego momma??

I enjoyed relaxing and having everyone watch Tuttle, so I did not take any pictures. Very unlike me! 

Grandmommy, Grandaddy, and Aunt Peach wore Tuttle out....he slept until 7:45 this morning!! I usually cross my fingers that I do not hear him calling for me before 7am.

Today I was so thrilled to meet up with my friend, Kris and her mom for lunch. Kris and I studied abroad together in Italy during the summer of 2006. We have made an effort to stay in contact even though we rarely see each other. I think the last time was during football season this past year! Kris is really the most thoughtful person. She is ALWAYS sending cards/gifts to me or Tuttle. She even brought gifts today for Tuttle and Maggie Ruth. I cannot wait to spoil her when she gets married and has her own babies- it won't be long! :)

I forgot to wish my blog a "Happy Birthday" on May 30. I cannot believe I have been blogging for a year! I am definitely hooked.

Ashford Park Girls Shower

My sweet group of girlfriends in Ashford Park decided to throw a shower for Maggie Ruth. I LOVE any excuse to get together, but yesterday was extremely special because we were celebrating the arrival of my baby girl! My mom joined in on the fun, too!

We met for a brunch at a restaurant most of us had never tried, MoSaiC. We could not have wished for better weather, so our table was set up outside. Jamie brought the most beautiful finishing touches: flowers, yummy cookie favors, and pink bootie cupcakes. I would definitely recommend this location for any shower or special occasion. The staff was on top of everything and even made the pregnant girls non-alcoholic Bellinis.

It was the perfect afternoon. No one was in a rush to get home, so we just relaxed, laughed A LOT, and ate way too much food. We shared fried green tomatoes, crabcakes with remoulade, and Kobe beef sliders. Then I ordered crabcake eggs benedict. YUM!

Maggie Ruth received such special gifts. Since all of us have boys, except for Tracey with boy/girl twins, girl stuff is new and exciting to everyone in the group. Now Sarah Bates won't be the only little lady trying to get the boys' attention! :)

Thank You, Ashford Park Girls! I am truly lucky to have you in my life.

Summer Lovin'

I am absolutely love my new schedule!! I am nannying Mondays, Tuesdays, and half day Wednesdays. The rest of the time is spent at home with my little boy soaking up time with only one little baby in the house. Tuttle and I are still staying busy with playdates, outside exploring on walks and at the park, and running errands, but we are both enjoying LONG naps (three hours!) every afternoon and some extra cuddling with movies and books.

I just love this little boy so much!

It has started to actually hit me how close we to becoming a family of FOUR! I am scheduled to get induced in seven weeks, but if Maggie Ruth decides to come early like Tuttle, it could be FIVE WEEKS! I know our family will feel so complete when she arrives. :)