I am quite pleased to introduce you to the newest member of the Smucker family...........

   It's a 2003 Mazda Tribute, and I love her already!  After selling my Neon, our only vehicles are an old, beat-up, little pickup that Randy drives to work, and his 2-door BMW.  Not car-seat friendly! Not to mention no room for a stroller, groceries, and the myriads of things women like to haul with them when they drive around, which I'm sure only multiplies when you have a child.:)  So this little Tribute is going to work quite nicely, I believe.  And Dave Ramsey would be proud, we paid in cash! 






 Not the bouncing baby you were expecting from the title, huh? Unfortunately, I think that squirming, 6-pound honeydew is getting all-too comfortable, and fancies on staying in for another few weeks.  *Sigh* I am TRYING to enjoy every little moment because I know you're only pregnant with your firstborn ONCE, but I am slowly but surely getting impatient! 
    Randy, bless his heart has been trying to encourage me.  Really, I have no right to complain at all.  So many women deal with sickness or medical issues during pregnancy, that I really ought to never even open my mouth about impatience!  I actually have enjoyed this pregnancy a lot, although I'm not sure which was more fun, experiencing pregnancy for the first time or observing Randy throughout it all.  I'll never forget the look on his face the first time he could actually see my belly starting to swell a little bit...suddenly our pregnancy went from being an abstract concept to REALITY.  "It's really real!" he said, "We're gonna have a baby!" -Love-
     Or the first time he felt Baby kick...all these little moments that you never think anything about before, even though people all over the world are pregnant and having babies.  When it's yours, it is infinitely different!  It's just such an incredible miracle that the love between two people can create a whole new person!  It never gets old for me. 
     And then there's the classic moments in birthing classes that I'm sure every first-time-parents couple faces....the awkwardness, the humor, the whole new world being opened up to you for the first time.  It's going to be interesting to see who the labor is more painful for, me or him.:)  But that's one of the many things I love about Randy, he has so much compassion for people.  He feels their pain.

   I know pregnant women are emotional, but I also know that it is something more deep and profound than just "emotions" when I feel this baby stretch and move inside me.  Sometimes I'm scared this little bundle will be so smothered by it's mommy's love that it will grow to slightly resent it. :p  I'm going to try to be the perfect balance, of course, but I can see it now....hair wild and uncombed, still in my pajamas, flying out the door to take 1,000 pictures of him/her on their first day of school, last day of school, first day of college....whatever!  The list could go on.  Or grown children driving in the drive to visit Dad & Mom for the holidays, and here I come, bounding out the door, apron covered in powdered sugar and a frighteningly HUGE smile on my face as I proceed to full-on tackle each one in a bear hug.  "Don't be alarmed," my son will whisper to his girlfriend, reassuringly gripping her hand, "Just hang in there for the first 10 minutes of greetings, and she'll return to semi-normal."

   Oh I am not naieve.  I know that parenthood will have its many ups and downs.  But what life doesn't?  The fact is, whether you're single, married, parents or childless, career women or stay-at-home moms, life will have so very many ups and downs!  So personally, I would rather experience the ups and downs of life with the love of my life, a few little ones to call our own.  After all, in 120 years, everyone on earth, even this baby inside me, will be dead.  We don't have much time, people!  Who cares if your house doesn't look like it jumped off the cover of Better Homes and Gardens, and your wardrobe isn't necessarily red-carpet worthy?  Live your life!  Enjoy it!  Squeeze every last ounce of joy out of it, and never look back.   

   This is something we've been doing a lot of lately, just little projects around the apartment, trying to make it more of a home.  I'll do a before-and-after post when they're all done, because we all love a good before-and-after photo shoot!  But since I don't have any of my own, I will direct you to a marvelous blog that you will quickly become addicted to like me, which is full of before-and-after photos! SO inspiring!

http://betterafter.blogspot.com/


Fixing up the bathroom in Saturday grubbies...and to be fair, one of me!
   Husband's shirts are a friend of the pregnant woman!  I think I was 35 weeks here.  Now I'm 36, only 4 more to go! We're getting there!  Well, I've got to get going, I'm going to go make cards with friends. Sounds like a good afternoon to me!:) 

It's FRIDAY people, have a great weekend!