A Loving Family Adopting From Etheopia

I absolutely LOVE this family. Their daughter was in my classroom last year. They are very strong Christian people, who have found it in their hearts to adopt from Etheopia. I must say that they have SO MUCH love to give! I could go on and on about how wonderful they are. :)

They need your help. Below, are some FABULOUS t-shirts to help their cause. The little girl they adopt is priceless; however, adoption is EXPENSIVE. Please consider ordering one of these precious t-shirts to help bring Bristol home. The shirts are $20, but as I said Bristol is priceless. My prayers are with this family and their baby girl. Please pray for them, as well.

The shirts have the outline of the continent of Africa with a heart where Ethiopia is located. they say "bringing Bristol home". in case you hadn't heard yet- Bristol is her name! they also have a Bible verse on them Matthew 18:5 "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."

If you would like to help, please comment on this posting or email me at amberp1@wcs.edu

Thank you for your generosity...and I'm sure Bristol thanks you too!

Blain's Nursery

After worrying that we just could not possibly get this baby's nursery finished before his arrival, we now have a complete and beautiful nursery. It is a GREAT accomplishment that took all 4 of our parents and Phillip. Phillip and his dad transformed the room from a yellow-painted guest bedroom to a sky blue and white beadboard nursery. They worked very hard and eventually the construction zone was Blain's room. They finished the construction work and painting on Saturday morning. Later that day my mom and dad came to our house. My dad helped Phillip assemble the adorable crib and dresser/changing table. The shelf you see was in my room growing up. This shelf was built by my great-grandfather, redone by my dad for my room, and painted and spruced up recently by my dad for Blain. My mom put all of the goodies in the room, as I pointed (and helped as much as I could). Sunday, Phillip's mom and dad returned to put up the curtains. Phillip's mom is a window treatment pro! She did a great job monitoring and instructing Phillip and his dad on the curtains. All-in-all we finished on Sunday...with the help of our loving parents. We are so thrilled about his little room. It is by far the BEST room in the house. As expected, Phillip and I peak in his room first thing in the morning and last thing at night. We still have some things to hang on the wall, but we will get to them when we can. Enjoy the pics!! By the way, I know... I'm HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Lovely Shower

I had another baby shower on Saturday. It was wonderful!! My granny, aunt, mom, sisters-in-law, and friend hosted the shower at a beautiful bed and breakfast. Many friends and family attended, and I was so thrilled to see them all. Two of my friends who attended are also pregnant. I have know one of them (she was my neighbor growing up) since I was 4 years old. The other, I actually met the day I was born in the nursery. We share the same birthday. It is special to me that we are all expecting. Many family friends attended from out-of-town. I felt so loved. Blain is very loved and received many wonderful gifts to welcome him to the world.

The night before the shower I received this picture of my grandparents. They owned a flower shop when I was growing up. They closed the shop years ago, but the memories I have there remain a big part of my life. My grandparents, who have both been under the weather lately, took the time to put together the centerpiece and corsage for the shower. I must admit that I shed some tears at the sight of this picture. They are two very special people in my life.

Childbirth Class

We took our childbirth classes on Friday night and Saturday. I must say that I already knew a lot of what they taught us. Watching "Birth Day" and "A Baby Story" all day for 4 months can really be educational!! However, I was a little shocked by the constant reminder that childbirth HURTS!!!!!!! As a woman, I was raised knowing that giving birth to a child was a painful experience. Why was it that this instructor felt like she needed to scare all of the poor pregnant mommies in the class? The entire way home Friday night, Phillip was reassuring me that I can do this. I will live through the pains and humiliations that come along with bringing a beautiful life into the world. Don't get me wrong...you all know that I would do anything to bring my beautiful baby Blain into the world. I just felt a little overwhelmed with the gory details. We did learn some useful information, and I feel like we are both more prepared. It was quiet funny to see Phillip's reaction to many of the topics and activities. We were probably the least engaged couple in the class. My favorite one-liner from Phillip was: "No kitchen utensils will be used in our room!!!" The lady had a rolling pen for massaging the mommy. Overall, it was a fun experience to share with Phillip. We will have many laughs over that class. :) Love from our family...AMBER

A BABY SHOWER!!!

My very 1st baby shower was on Saturday. It was hosted by Phillip's sister, mom, and aunts. The shower was perfect and so loving. MANY friends and family came to celebrate Blain's life and my pregnancy. I was, honestly, overwhelmed at the outpouring of love. Family, old friends, new friends, almost everyone attended. The theme was beautiful...blue and silver. The food was very tasty and the environment very warm. Blain is going to be the cutest kid on the block with all of his new clothes. We also received a pack-n-play, jumparoo, playmat, highchair, 2 mobiles, bouncy seat, bath necessities, towels, blankets, books, a lamp, monitors, bibs, and a hand-made quilt (to name a few items). My baby boy is already so loved and cherished. It truly touches my heart. Thank you to everyone who attended. I enjoyed seeing all of you. Thank you also for the wonderful gifts brought and sent to the shower and our home. I will be sure to tell Blain often how much you all prayed for and love him.

Goodies for Our Little Guy!

I had some visitors yesterday who came bearing gifts. Forrest, a darling little boy from my class last year, and his mom stopped by. They were invited to my shower on Jan. 24th but wouldn't be able to make it. I felt so loved as Ada walked in with a baby bath full of goodies for Blain. She has been so sweet to me through this entire journey. They gave Blain several precious outfits, some onesies, 3 hats, a Johnson's baby care pack, a book about Easter (which will be Blain's first holiday,) and quilts and a pillow sewn by Ada's mother. They even picked fabric to match his room. It matches the bedding and curtains PERFECTLY!! Blain is already so loved. I am one proud Mommy. Thank you Larry, Ada, and Forrest. I love you all and know Blain will, as well.

Catching Up!! :)

Our lives have been very eventful since the last posting. My birthday came and went with many wonderful celebrations and gifts. My parents gave us Blain's car seat and Phillip gave me a video camera. I used the camera over the holidays, but it has not seen its busiest days. I can't wait to document every little moment of Blain's arrival.
Checking out the carseat. It is a Chicco Keyfit 30. The color is Adventure. I LOVE IT!!

I love my mom!! A pic. of us on my birthday.

After all of the birthday festivities, Phillip began the transformation of Blain's room. He put the first little bit of sky blue paint on the wall. We are so excited to have a blue room in our home!!!

Phillip claiming the nursery for Blain.

Christmas was very eventful, as always. We were very blessed to have all of our family home and healthy. Our Cortina Keyfit Travel System was complete when my parents rolled in Blain's stroller on Christmas day!

Phillip's brother and his wife and our 2 precious nephews came in from Florida the day after Christmas. We had our Christmas with them on Sat. and loved watching our 3 nephews open gifts. They are too cute!

All of the birthday, Christmas, and New Year's festivities did catch up with me. I ended up spending New Year's day in the hospital. I had some preterm labor, but with fluids and rest we were able to get it under control. I am now 31 weeks... only 9 weeks to go!! We feel so blessed and can't wait to meet Blain very soon.