Baby Shower!!

Well this past weekend was a good one and went by way too quickly! The highlight of my weekend was the baby shower that Val & Lyndsey hosted for me and the baby! It was very thoughtful of them to do that & it was a lot of fun!

A lot of friends/family were able to make it to the shower and it was so nice to share in the excitement of preparing for our first baby with all of them. And it's obvious that this baby will be well loved! (And just a bit spoiled!)

The first game/activity we did was to have everyone pick a candy bar (there were 4 different kinds) and each type of candy bar had a different "task" for everyone to do. The guest had to either (1) tell a favorite memory of me and/or Jay; (2) tell why Jay & I will make good parents; (3) give some advice for parenting; or (4) give me an idea of what to do while the baby is sleeping. Some people brought up memories I had long forgotten - but it brought a lot of laughter (and a little bit of blushing from me). Memories involved anything from my cousin Jenny and I having a pizza eating contest when we were little to memories involving Milli Vanilli and Walkmen to memories of when I was a chubby toddler with a belly about the size that it is now! There were some sweet and some funny answers as to why Jay and I will make good parents. And as for the parenting advice and suggestions for what to do while the baby is sleeping - I got a lot of ideas, including my friend Stacy's 3 year old daughter suggesting that I "play cows" and "ride bike" while the baby sleeps because that is what she does while her younger twin sisters sleep! :) It was really a good idea to get everyone involved. My brother even got in on the act (he was the one who told the story of me and my big belly in my little bikini when I was a couple years old!!)

The second activity was for people to write down name suggestions, as we have not "released" the baby name(s) we like. I will say this - someone guessed the one we like the best as of now. We still have almost 7 weeks until the due date to make the final decision! :) We'll try to keep everyone guessing until then!!

Here are some pictures from the event:

One of my gifts was the book "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Suess, which, as my dad will attest to, was one of my favorite books when I was little. He probably read it to me hundreds of times. So, it was fun to get that book to pass on to the baby something that was special to me as a child.

Me with the Gerving side sisters-in-laws (minus Carrie, who had already left when we took it) and plus Val W. who also helped out with the shower. Lexi got in on the picture too :)

Mom, me and Sandy

My friend Heidi got this onesie specially made for the baby - the front says "Lucky Charm" and she got the logos of the two sponsors we have for the softball team put on the back - he's going to wear it for McQuades and State this year to hopefully help the team onto victory!

Tom telling his favorite memories of me and Jay - never one to shy away from talking in front of a crowed - he took the opportunity to be funny but also had a few nice things to say too! :)

Me by the cake - looking large and in charge at 33 weeks! Ha! (Val W. had the cake made by someone she knows that professionally decorates cakes - it has the theme of what the baby's nursery will be - "Champ Snoopy"). In fact, the shower's decor/theme was sports for the little guy.

Again, I just had a great time and really appreciate all the work and planning people put into it - and of course we appreciate all of the thoughtful gifts for our little one!

Jay had the guys over for his annual draft party on Saturday. They enjoyed a day of pizza and watching the draft and who knows what else went on while us girls were at the shower! ;) J/K.

After we unloaded gifts at the house on Saturday, some of us went to Applebees for supper and then I crashed pretty early that night. Sunday evening, Jay got some things put together (the high chair, bouncer, etc) and I got everything put away and organized in the baby's room! It's really starting to come together. Once we get the bedding/decor I will post pictures!

Other than that, we went to some houses in the Parade of Homes on Sunday - even the million dollar + house, which was built by the same contractor who built our house. I just love going to houses - even though I know we could never afford most of them, it's just entertainment to me and I love to see all the ideas that other people come up with (on an unlimited budget!!)

This work week started off a little rough - Jay's foot pain came back - he went to a family doc today though and thinks he has some medication that will help the problem go away better than the last 2 times he's gone in. We'll keep our fingers crossed on that. He conked out on the couch pretty early tonight as he had very little sleep last night due to the pain again. :(

I kind of feel another cold/sinus infection coming on - but hoping to ward that off (which reminds me I should probably get to sleep pretty soon!!) I was able to get out for a nice long walk with the beagles again tonight - I felt like I had to, since the weather is supposed to be cold/rainy/windy for a couple days...

I guess that's about it for now. Just trying to patiently go through these last 6-7 weeks of pregnancy! We're getting very excited to meet this little guy - well he's not so little anymore. By the end of this week he'll weigh between 4.5-5 lbs!! However, we keep praying that he stays put until he's full term - we want him born strong and healthy! :)

Good night and have a good week everyone!!

Cruisin' Along

Now that winter has finally left us (hopefully) time seems to be moving along a little more quickly....For my part, I try to get out for walks with the dogs and some on my own as much as possible. In fact, I just got back from a nice, peaceful walk with the beagles. We have a nice route that takes us north of our house on gravel roads where no houses have been built yet. The beagles spend 99% of the walk sniffing the endless amounts of new smells every time we walk (the other 1% we won't mention). For my part, I just enjoy the peace and quiet of the country, the fresh air and, on nights like this evening, the beautiful sunsets that can only be found in North Dakota...

We had a busy but fun weekend this past weekend. Saturday we had Taylor's First Communion Mass and after party. Sunday we had Mason's First Communion and after party (for First Communion and his birthday, which was Monday). It was kind of like a holiday weekend with all the family and food :)

Other than that, we just putzed around the house getting some odds and ends taken care of and Jay listed the boat for sale on Bisman Online Saturday morning - we had it sold (well at least an agreement to get it sold) by Sunday! Jay will be meeting the guy to get it sold tomorrow....It's nice that we got it sold so fast but it is kind of sad to see it go...Lots of fun memories on that boat. But, we have barely used it over the last couple years, and with the little bambino on his way this summer, we doubt we would have gotten much if any use out of it this summer. Ah, the joys of "growing up"!!

This coming weekend there are two major events going on. (1) Val W., Val G. and Lyndsey are hosting a baby shower for me and the baby on Saturday - which I'm very excited about! And (2) the NFL draft is Saturday, which is an annual event that Jay ranks up there with Christmas and my birthday in its significance. He and the guys will be glued to the TV most of Saturday afternoon/evening at our house - which has become an annual tradition. So, we both have something to look forward to this coming weekend!

The baby I think has hit anothe growth spurt in the 33rd week...and I think he's getting stronger and stronger everyday. Sometimes his movements really startle me! Jay thinks he's asking for ice cream when he does it - and I'm not going to argue with that logic!! I mean, if the baby wants ice cream, who am I to deny him what he wants? ;)

I am thankful I can continue to get outside for some exercise without too much trouble. I gave chiropractic treatment a try for the first time starting last Friday, and have been happy with the results so far - my hips were out of place quite a bit and now that I get adjusted a couple times/week it makes a big difference - I am much more comfortable overall and my back doesn't get tired or sore during/after walking like it had been.

I got some tomato and pepper plant seeds planted indoors last week Wednesday and am still waiting to see the first sprouts. We have lots of stuff to plant in a garden this year - and I'm looking forward to taking up that hobby. Anything to get outside during the spring/summer months!! We'll see if I really have a green thumb or not I guess...We're also going to get a lawn started and attempt to do some landscaping on the front side of the house. We have big ambitions for our first year in our new home!

That's about all from the Gervings for now...have a great rest of the week and weekend everyone!

Spring

I think spring has finally arrived! Today was just beautiful - over 60 degrees and just a breeze instead of the usual gusts of wind we've been getting. I was lucky enough to get out and enjoy the nice weather for awhile anyway - taking the beagles out for a nice long walk after work. Sunshine and warmth - I was actually sweating a bit during the walk. That may have something to do with the fact that I'm over 31 weeks pregnant and have turned into some sort of furnace lately...I didn't care - it just felt so good after this long winter. Spring fever is in full force as far as I'm concerned - I can't wait to get a lawn started and a garden and flowers planted...All of the snow is gone out of our back yard for the first time since November and the snow in the front is almost gone. Finally! I told Jay it's the most beautiful dirt and mud I've ever seen in my life!!

Baby keeps on growing! He is about 18 inches long now and somewhere around 3 1/2 pounds. He is still such a wiggle worm and even Jay has gotten to see and feel a bunch of his strongest movements. Less than 9 weeks now until his due date of June 14th! There is a lot we want and need to do before then but we're not in panic mode...yet. I'm getting anxious to get the nursery set up of course. Mostly I'm just getting anxious to meet this little guy, to see his sweet little face, touch his tiny hands and feet and cuddle him close to me. "All" that's standing between me and that dream is the last two months of pregnancy and, oh yeah, labor & delivery!! Minor details. I will not be deterred!!

We had a good weekend - I had Friday off of work and spent most of the day running errands. Saturday was spring cleaning day - I worked on the house while Jay worked on getting the boat cleaned up (we are planning to sell it this spring). We both were exhausted after that but it was nice to have both chores done. I LOVE a clean house - and I know I better enjoy it while it lasts!

We got to spend time with both of our families for Easter. While holidays can be exhausting, we always remember what a blessing it is to be able to spend it with our families. We of course got some more name suggestions - and then came up with one of our own to "trick" my family with. We said we thought Julius Gerving had a nice ring to it - Tom caught on right away of course...Grandma was not impressed!! I hope she knows we were just joking!!

Our friend Ryan's birthday is today so a Happy Birthday goes out to him! Also, Nick's birthday is on Friday and Mason's is next Monday!

We have not one but two First Communions to go to this weekend - Taylor's in Bismarck on Saturday and Mason's in Glen Ullin on Sunday. We figure we'll be extra holy after this weekend. :)

Work is busy but manageable right now. The beagles are doing well. We have our 32 week appointment this Friday. I'm planning on getting some seeds planted indoors this week so they get a head start before we can plant outside!

That's really about it for us right now.

Have a great rest of the week everyone!!