Nursery

My WONDERFUL mother in law, Karen, took some awesome pictures of the nursery when she was in town this past week. She got some great shots, using her wide-angle lens! She is really talented, bc it is hard to make this little room look semi-normal in size, because it is SMALL!!! I love the way it came out though, pale pink walls, white trim, white drapes, sage and toast accents. As you can see, I still need to find a few decorative accents to put on the walls. But we are getting there!!

Belly Pic: Disclaimer, promise I don't normally look this gross, woke up late this morning, no make-up and didn't dry my hair, you know how it goes...

Wide shot of the room
Close up of the crib and bedding

Left side of room with Glider and part of crib
Right side of the room with crib, part of dresser and corner book shelf
Corner hutch/bookshelf
from the hall
precious dresses and day gown
Piggy bank and bracelet that my mom aka "Kay-Kay" gave Mary Harper

the glider with bunny
another crib shot
above the dresser, mirror and sconces
bunny and pillow
glider and side table
close up of side table
another wide shot!

Long time, no post...

Sorry I have been a blog slacker lately. There has just been so much going on, I feel like I am a little behind on everything!

Let's see, my best friend Kimberly is getting married on April 25th, so a couple weekends ago, I planned a little bachelorette weekend for her and 6 girls. We drove to Middleburg, VA (about an hour outside of DC) and stayed in this cute B&B, took a cooking class and did a lot of shopping. It was so fun, and such a relaxing get-away. A few of the girls and I had to leave early on Sunday to get back to DC and cook food for the shower we were throwing for Kimberly Sunday afternoon. It turned out to be a great event and the food was really yummy if I do say so myself! We are getting so excited for Kimberly and Rob's wedding, only a few weeks away. I will be a bridesmaid, yes happily wearing a strapless b-maid dress at 7 months pregant for my dear friend :) Let's just say, I will make people take pictures from the head up!

The next week, we had two good friends of mine from college stay with us and go to dinner. Caroline, Nick and I all went to the same church at UT, and were involved in some of the same ministries. It was so cool to catch up with them and introduce them to Whit. Since they have been married they spent a year in China and are now in Boston working and going to seminary at Gordon Conwell.

Friday was my sweet sister in law, Clara's b-day, I joined she and her friends downtown at this great Mexican restaurant called Rosa Mexicana, it was so fun to meet some of her new friends (she moved to DC last June) and get to know them better. They were going dacing in Georgetown aftwwards, but Whit came and picked the pregant lady up to home for a good night's rest.

On Saturday, Whit's mom Karen and his aunt Kathy came in town from Spartanburg, SC (Karen) and Raleigh, NC (Kathy) to spend Saturday through this morning (Wednesday) touring DC and visiting with us! It was such a great trip and so fun to have them stay at our place, felt like we really got some quality time together! The best part was, Karen and Kathy made it in town on Saturday in enough time to join me, Whit, Clara and my best friend Amy Marie in getting a 3D/4D sonogram at this place close to our house.

We had been considering doing this for awhile (my doctor doesn't do 3d/4d sonos) and after the experience Whit and I can both say it was worth every penny!!! It was amazing to see little Mary Harper on that sono.....God is so amazing and I can't believe there is this little person growing inside my belly! We got a few pretty clear pictures of her face, she looks very feminine with full lips and cute little button nose. She was moving around like crazy, so we were able to count all the fingers and toes and even see those little girl parts. Yup, we are definitely having a girl! It was unbelieveable....at one point all of us just screamed bc Mary Harper opened her little mouth to yawn (or sip some amniotic fluid, not sure which :) the technician just laughed at us and said how great it was to be around people who were so excited about a baby. It was so great to have all those family members with me too....just wonderful to share that experience with them. Can't wait to meet this little precious girl....posted some pics of the sono below.

Yesterday, I also had my 26 week appointment....everything looked good, gained another pound, blood pressure normal, etc. etc. When doctor Cobbs came in to use the doppler and take her heart beat, she had kinda a confused look on her face. She made me roll over on my side and then back, and took the doppler again, she found the heartbeat and said that it sounded good, 135, moving up to 140. She said at first it sounded like she was skipping a beat (scare me to death!), but after she had me roll over it sounded normal and she thinks the umbilical cord was just interfering with the heart beat sound. Whew! Now, I already start going to my appointments every 2 weeks, can't believe I am that far along already! I will go back in on April 14th (our anniversary :) and have to take my glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes, ugh! I have had to do this once before, when we were going through all the infertility stuff.....and I was perfectly normal then....so I am hoping everything comes out ok, and there is no concern for gestational diabetes, would appreciate your prayers!

Other than that, we are working on getting the nursery ready. Whit has painted the little guest room a pale pink color and we are using White, Sage Green and an oak-y Tan color as accents. So far we have the crib, bedding, glider, antique dresser (that I am using as the changing table), a corner hutch to use as a book shelf, and a side table with lamp. We need to get a few more things for the walls...I am considering putting up a monogram decal on the wall above the crib....anyone done this before? I have seen a few that look cool, but I just don't know. Also, my mom sent me a couple boxes FULL of mine and my sisters old clothes, as well as some antique Wedgewood Beatrix Potter plates that I plan to hang on one of the walls. I just love antiques and vintage things. Its been so fun to look through all the clothes that my mom dressed us in....she had great taste, I mean loads of Feltman Brothers clothes and smocked dresses all in almost new condition. So fun to think about putting MH in some of the dresses I wore. Love that.

That's all or now, promise more regular updates, and maybe a belly shot or two.....the belly is alive and well these days!


Mary Harper yawning...

Mary Harper sleeping peacefully! I think she has pretty lips :)

Cute little hand by Mary Harper's face...

21 Week Appointment

I had my 21 week appointment yesterday, and it was the quickest ever!
-Took my weight: gained one pound
-Urine sample was normal
-Heart rate was normal
-Dr. Cobbs came in the room and listened to Mary Harper on the doppler, heart rate was 155 and she was definitely moving around in there.
-Dr. Cobbs also measured my tummy, and I am measuring about 20 weeks, so I guess a week behind schedule, but she said that was just fine and I would probably catch up later into the 3rd trimester.
-Dr. Cobbs said that my blood screen that I had to do at my last appointment all came back normal and the results from my level II sono which were faxed to her all looked great! So that was REALLY good. So thankful everything looks good right now!
-We chatted a little bit about my "birth plan" and I explained to her that I would really love to try to have a natural birth, but completely reserved the right to change my mind and get an epidural if the pain got too intolerable. She said that was a great way to go into it, and mentioned that if my labor went quickly it was very possible that I would be able to do it without medication, but she said, many times first time moms have longer labors and the pain just becomes too much! She ended with saying "I just can't describe to you how painful labor is." ha! Like the honesy! And I know she is right :) I also, so open to a c-section if that is what needs to be done and my doctor advises it. I just have the thought that I would like to see how far I can go without the epi....and Dr. Cobbs said that as long as the baby isn't coming out!!! She can give me one:) So I feel really good about that.
-Finally I asked Dr. Cobbs if there would be another sonogram and she said probably not, unless I was measuring large at around 36 week and they needed to get a look at how the baby was doing. She said they used to give them right and left, but got in trouble by the insurance (ugh! I hate insurance!) and now they can really only do the level 1 and level 2 sonos. The only exceptions are the large at 36 weeks or if something happens. Whit has already told me that I am not allowed to fake a fall! ha! The funny thing is, at our last appt. I was 18 weeks, and that is when the doc told us it was a girl. The first technician told us the baby wasn't in the right position, so she couldn't tell what the sex is. But when the head doctor came in to do all his tests, screen and look at everything on the baby's body, he asked us "do you want to know what you are having'" and we of course said yes! And he said "you are having a little girl". ANYWAYS, my crazy, anxious, pregnant mind is sitting here thinking what if he really couldn't tell that well and in reality its really a boy. And how hillarious would it be (well, not at first when I have all this pink monogrammed stuff with "Mary Harper" on it) if come delivery we have a precious baby boy! Whit just laughs at me and says "Mere, its a girl", but I am like: well we won't have any more sonograms to confirm!!! So, seriously pray for me that I won't be tempted to fake a fall, just to get another look at that precious baby in a sonogram :)

Clarifying the Name...

I feel like every other day I am posting something new about our baby's name, well, just for clarification sake....Whit and I are calling her Mary Harper (not just Harper). Yup, going with the double name, so southern of us :) I really love it though!!

Oscars~

I LOVE the Oscars, I watch them every year! The gowns, the hair, the make-up, the intelligent discussions about films....I LOVE IT ALL!!!

Last year we had some friends over to watch the Oscars and all contributed $5 to the pot. I printed out sheets with all the nominees listed and everyone had to make their choices. The winner not only had bragging rights, but some spending money to boot!

Here are my predictions for this year:

Best Actor: Sean Penn
Best Actress: Kate Winslet
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz
Best Animated Film: Wall-E
Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt (Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Costume Design: Michael O'Conner (The Dutchess)
Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir
Achievement in Make-up: Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Original Score: Wall-E
Original Song: Wall-E
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

That's it, good luck!

Finally!

So, I am literally making this post so that Whit and I will not change our minds AGAIN about the name for our baby girl.

We have decided to go with Mary Harper Copley and call her "Harper"

If we are blessed with another little girl, we will name her Madeleine Reece.

SO glad to have made a decision and start praying for this little one by name :)

Whew!

Sugar and Spice...

....and everything nice. That's what little GIRLS are made of!!!!!!

We are elated :) Whit was confident it was a girl all along, never wavered. I thought it was a girl in the beginning, but doubted it the past couple of weeks.....

Heart rate was 155, chambers of the heart, sides of the brain, kidneys, eyes, nose, ears, spinal cord all looked really good. And true to form there was a LOT of fetal movement.

Still measuring a July 7th due date. Trying to decide on a middle name....will let you know soon!

xoxo, Meredith and Whit