Counting Down the Days…

With just a couple weeks to go, we are very anxious to meet our little one! Currently Parker is weighing in at about 5 lb 13 oz, so the doctor thinks she’ll be around 7 lbs at birth.  She is still very active and appears to be looking good in her ultrasounds.  Shelly is VERY ready to be done being pregnant and will be happy when there is not a crazy baby flipping, punching her and kicking her ribs!  Tommy thinks that it must be really cool to be able to feel her move all the time.  Yes it is cool, but since Parker moves so much Shelly wishes she would take a break!  Here is Tommy with a ‘baby in his belly’.  Shelly felt that Callie would be an appropriate comparison for him…he didn’t last long!

We have been pretty busy lately with work, GT football and final preparations for Parker.  We have been working pretty hard to get Parker’s room and our apartment organized.  We also found a Nanny to work with us part-time, so we are very excited about having her around to help us. 

Here are a couple more pictures of the nursery in its final state!  It has become more and more pink and girly along the way!

 

 

We can’t forget our first children, so lets talk about Callie and Jeffrey.  The good news is that Callie’s health problems are all under control now.  She has been on medication for the past few months and all her test results come back clean.  We are happy she is feeling a little better!  She is also trying her best to spend every minute possible with her Dad before Parker arrives.  This is what I wake up to each morning….

Callie Lynne with her head on the pillow and snuggled under the blanket.  This is EXACTLY how she normally sleeps with NO help from us!

Callie acting like she is part of Tommy’s pillow and snuggling close!

Callie snuggled up against her dad asleep.  Again, her head is on the pillow and she 100% put herself like this!

Tommy fell asleep watching TV and naturally Callie joined him…head on the pillow again!

Poor Jeffrey never gets the same attention as his sister Callie, but that is ok because he is much more independent.  The latest Jeffrey news is that he has a new vibrating collar that we are trying to help his barking.  He’ll always be loud, but he has been doing much better lately with the TV!  Jeffrey really has no idea about Parker, but as long as he has his toys he’ll be ok!  Below is Jeffrey in his toy basket and in Parker’s swing!

That is it for now!  The next post will probably be our introduction of Parker Rose Levengood…scary!

Remembering 9/11

Ten years ago I was leaving our morning cheerleading workouts at Georgia Tech.  I remember us all walking out of the gym and seeing on of the other cheerleaders who was yelling that a plane had hit one of the towers.  We rushed back to Zeta and watched it all unfold on TV as the second tower was hit.  Classes were canceled and we sat in front of that TV all day long.

Now living in NYC and knowing so many more people who were directly impacted, I can’t help but remember all of those who lost their lives and those who served on this day 10 years ago.

In memory of 9/11, I wanted to share a song with you written by a close friend of mine and my family.  You can go to his website at www.erikgrantbennett.com and click the flag icon to download the song from iTunes.   You can also click the flag to the left to go directly to the song on iTunes (still check out his site because he is so talented).  He is trying to get a ton of downloads on the anniversary and it’s for a good cause!

Peek-a-Boo Bear

In our house, we have a thing for noise making or moving toys.  Mostly because these tend to drive the dogs crazy and provide us good entertainment!  Tommy and I were shopping last week and came across this little bear in Saks of all places.  I turned the bear on and of course Tommy and I had to buy it!  It may be a silly toy and the baby will probably be scared to death of it, but it is so cute and makes us laugh every time!

So, I thought I’d share Callie, Jeffrey and Parker’s new toy with everyone!

 

Boston Baby Shower

A couple weekends ago (same weekend as Hurricane Irene), we traveled to Boston for a baby shower with Shelly’s family.  It ended up working out well since they were evacuating places in NYC.  We spent a night in Boston relaxing, which was nice since Tommy and I have  barely had any down time lately.  While in the city, we went to dinner and took the kids to Boston Commons.  Jeffrey had a blast chasing the squirrels and got lots of attention! 

Then we spent the next day and night in Middleboro with family.  We had a great time at the shower and were so happy to see everyone one from both Mom and Dad’s family!  We really appreciate all of the effort everyone put into making this so special for us!!  We even had Shelly’s parents in GA on Skype to watch the shower festivities.  Aunty Judy is Shelly’s Godmother and she went out of her way planing every aspect of our visit!!  We loved seeing everyone and just getting to hang out…to bad the weather didn’t cooperate better!

These are just a couple pictures form the shower…enjoy!

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This is a clip of us opening one of our big gifts and as you can see Parker got lots of new clothes!  I haven’t been to many baby showers and had never seen this clothesline idea!

3D Ultrasound…Round 3

We posted the pictures from our first 3D ultrasound last month, but since she didn’t cooperate they allowed us to come back for a second try (i.e. round 2).  Well, she was even more uncooperative in that session.  So, at 33 weeks we decided to give it one last shot (i.e. round 3) and she did a little bit better.  She was pretty grumpy during the ultrasound, which you can see in all the pictures below.  She frowned and pursed her lips a lot, so I guess we know she is going to have some personality!  We also learned that she has some hair, which is a good thing.  Shelly and her sisters were all pretty bald, so we were worried for Parker.  It was also confirmed for the 5th time that she is a girl and we could really tell that she has filled out since the last time!

A couple of pictures of Parker Rose at 33 and a half weeks:

Callie and Jeffrey Lately…

With all of the hype around the baby, Callie and Jeffrey probably haven’t gotten the attention they deserve!  They will always be our first babies and have brought us so much love and entertainment over the years. 

A little bit on Callie lately:

• She has had some minor health problems with her gall bladder and lost some weight.  So, we have been trying different corrective medications and feeding her much more to gain weight.  She loves her liquid medicine that tastes like beef, we call it her beef juice.  She also loves that she is getting more food these days.  She has also been more affectionate with her mom and loves to snuggle against her belly.  She still loves her dad the most though!
• Callie just turned 7 years old!
• Her nicknames include; Junk, Stink, Kiwi, Princess, Cal, McSkizzle

A little bit on Jeffrey lately:

• He has been fat and happy lately…literally.  Where Callie lost weight, Jeffrey somehow gained weight.  So, Jeff is on a little diet and getting more walks than usual.  He is very happy to get to walk outside and chase squirrels more often!  We are also trying to get him used to baby noises and help him bark less…so far we are failing!
• Jeffrey just turned 5 years old!
• His nicknames include; Chink, Mr. Man, Little Man, Handsome, Jeff, Prince

I thought I would post some recent pictures of the kids.  They have been good training for us prior to having our first human kid!

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Work Baby Shower with MSU

I must say that I am so lucky to work with such a great client at MSU.  They have really worked with me and allowed me to do much less travel and more working from home during my pregnancy.  They are also so thoughtful and put together a lunch in honor of Baby Levengood.  As a consultant, I don’t actually work for MSU, but they really make me feel like I am part of their MSU family.  Over the past year and a half they have learned all of my favorite foods, so they even had mac n’ cheese, chicken, strawberries and cupcakes at the lunch.  Not to mention that they pitched in and got me some great  gifts as well, which was so generous.  They also made this presentation, which probably won’t make sense to most people because it is in my ‘work lingo’, but I thought I’d share it since I was so impressed and overwhelmed by the effort they put into this lunch! 

Thoughts on Pregnancy at 8 Months

Last night during dinner, Tommy made the comment that it seems most likely that we are only going to have one child.  We both started cracking up at this comment.  Not that any decisions have been made as far as our future children, but after watching me for the past 8 months I think Tommy felt it was safe to assume that this might be it since pregnancy has not been my cup of tea.  No judgements please…I am just stating my personal experience thus far

Anyway, I thought it would be a good time to document a bit about my first pregnancy.  Some would say I am a bad person/mom-to-be for my thoughts and behaviors, but those who know me will probably laugh since I am known for speaking my mind!  I am very excited (more scared) about our new arrival, but I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been a challenge.

One of the first questions people usually ask me is what cravings I have.  I really haven’t experienced many cravings, instead I tend to eat a lot of the exact same foods.  I can tell Tommy is ready for me to be back to my normal diet because I get a lot of “Man I haven’t had a steak in a while” or “PJ’s sounds good for dinner, we haven’t had it in a week”.  So here is my list of pregnancy favorite foods (no judgement on the nutritional value below…I take my vitamins instead):

• Cereal, especially Captain Crunch
• Strawberries
• PJ Clarke’s burger and french fries
• Mac and cheese
• Anything Italian 
• McDonald’s
• Cake and ice cream, for the first 5 months I lost my sweet tooth, but it has returned now
• Starburst

People are also very concerned with seeing your belly and it’s size throughout pregnancy (obvious I know).  For me, I’d say that 5 months and 7 months were the two times that I really ‘popped’ so far.  We were visiting GA around 5 months and when I arrived my dad said I didn’t look pregnant and he was disappointed.  Low and behold the week I was there I really started to show a bump.  Then 7 months was the next turning point and people really started noticing, especially because at that point I couldn’t hide it very well.  The other thing I have realized is that people always look at your belly first and then you

Another thing people ask is ‘how are you feeling, are you enjoying being pregnant?’  My answer to these questions is usually ‘I’m not feeling so great and I’m ready for this to be over’.  Again, no judgements…I know it will all be worth it in the end   Here are a couple reasons:

The silly infection that I somehow got, likely from all my traveling, has probably been the hardest to deal with.  So, infections and pregnancy don’t go well together.  At least this is my own issue and not something that everyone has during pregnancy

Pregnancy, hot summers and walking around NYC are not a good combination!

My feet have been so swollen!  Many of you know how obsessed I am with my shoes and can hopefully understand the frustration this causes me!  I am just praying to fit into them again someday   My shoe ‘fits’ have probably given Tommy some good entertainment as he watches me sit near my shoe shelves and whine!

I am so clumsy.  A perfect example is the uneven road that I cross daily at 60th St.  I know the hole is there, but still manage to trip on it every single day.   I drop things, spill things and run into things much too often.  This usually results in me getting upset at my lack of control and Tommy laughing at me.  We’ll be lucky if we have any glasses or plates at the end of this because I drop them so often!

I am also very forgetful.  An example would be me making myself some pasta for lunch and forgetting about it completely.  I go about doing another task and start hearing the dogs barking like crazy.  Of course the water is boiling over and all the pasta is stuck and burned on the pan…oh well!  The forgetfulness is also not helpful when trying to accomplish work or make appointments.

So, I really hope that my clumsiness and forgetfulness go away because I don’t know how I will survive!  I usually have everything under control, so these symptoms are new to me!

I’ll end this on a positive note and mention some of the things I have enjoyed throughout this pregnancy. First and foremost is watching Tommy’s face when he can see or feel her move.  She is very active, so at this point I am pretty used to all her different movements, but he is always so shocked or surprised by her different movements.  It is fun to see how excited he gets, but also reminds me that I am in for trouble since he will be wrapped around her finger no question!  At least I have never had a problem being the bad guy

Callie and Jeffrey seem to like me better pregnant.  The dogs have no idea what is about to hit them, but during the pregnancy they have been more affectionate towards me which isn’t normal.  Callie is especially funny because she will snuggle next to my belly.  They of course still prefer Tommy, but at least they like me a little better!

While most people in NYC aren’t nice to anyone, I will say that they people I see daily in my neighborhood have been really nice.  The guy at the sandwich shop next door to our apartment always asks how the baby is ‘cooking’.  My regular UPS guy brings my packages up our many flights of stairs so I don’t have to go down to the front door and always asks how I am feeling.  The people at the gym and the parking garage are always super friendly as well.

So, that is it for my 8 months recap!  Tommy and I are starting to count down the days and can’t wait to meet miss Parker Rose Levengood!

Our 5 Year Anniversary

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary last week and had a nice and relaxing weekend together.  July 29, which fell on Friday this year, is our actual anniversary.  After a very rainy start on our way to dinner, we made it (soaking wet) to Gramercy Tavern for dinner.  We had a nice and long dinner with quite a few courses.  On Saturday we ventured to Staten Island to visit Carrabbas, which is one of our old favorites from GA.  Our 6th year will no doubt be a year of many changes, but we are looking forward to many more years of marriage and a whole new set of challenges!  Here are a couple anniversary pictures below.

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New Wheels…

We still have plenty of time before the baby arrives, but Shelly doesn’t have much patience to wait on buying things for her!  So, we went and purchased our stroller this week.  Deciding on a stroller was quite an ordeal because this is a key form of transportation when living in NYC since we walk a lot of places.  We finally decided on the Bugaboo Bee because it is smaller, but has a lot of good features.  We can use it with the stroller seat that faces front and back, with a car seat, and it folds pretty small.  So, it seemed like a good choice for our NYC lifestyle.

Of course Shelly needed to test the stroller out, so here is a clip of her practicing with the car seat attached and using our dog as the baby!

 Here are a couple of pictures of the stroller with the actual seat attached instead of the car seat.  The baby will use the car seat for the first few months and then switch to the seat.  The seat reclines and switches from front to back pretty easily. 

Of course there is also a basket underneath, which many NYC dogs tend to ride in.  We practiced with Callie and Jeffrey and they both seemed pretty comfortable riding in the basket.  When we picked a stroller we wanted to make sure the dogs fit (strange I know) because Callie really doesn’t like to walk if she can help it!

 We are looking forward to putting our stroller to good use in NYC and taking the dogs and Parker for lots of walk to the park!