I am sure that folks are sick of seeing these but I wanted to make sure that I documented them for my blog/baby book. :) I cannot sing the praises of Jovana loud enough for everyone in Chicago to hear! I put a little add out on Craigslist and had lots of people respond who were willing to take pictures at the Gender Reveal. Needless to say many were the equivalent of me taking a bunch of pictures on my iPhone BUT then I received an email from Jovana with a link to her blog. I was blown away by her talent and am so so glad to have found her. She will be our go to photographer for the rest of our time in Chicago so just get ready to hear about her often. (Might I add...she is an art therapist for kids during the day... and that makes me love her even more.) You can check out even more pictures on Jovana's site: Baby Moore Gender Reveal Here are a few of my favorites:
We had folks vote on Blue Eyed Queen (girl) or Red Headed Soccer Player (Boy) and take a little gender specific happy with them. I think that it's safe to say that she will probably be a strawberry blonde, blue eyed soccer all-star and queen. All of the above for Baby Girl, please.
HOORAY for a baby GIRL!!! What a beautiful night to celebrate!
And there's our Christmas card picture.
I Love that our SuSu is in the midst of writing "We LOVE you..."
Sweet Sissy voting for a GrandGIRL. We are slowing taking over in the Moore house! Those Moore boys, as well as the Ray boys, take such good care of us that I know Baby Girl will be spoiled rotten!
Proving to Michele that Baby Girl is there.
Two of the proudest Southern Grandmothers around!
I am quite positive that both Momma Ray and Ashlee are crying about something.
And that Dave...always yelling and clapping about something. We can't wait to hear the RAP that he comes up with for Baby Girl.
I LOVE this picture. I had just started to be able to feel Baby Girl and she was moving around as her Uncle JohnJohn talked to her. Precious.
Thank you Ashlee for rounding everyone up for the reveal!
Team "Blue Eyed Girl"
Uncle JohnJohn with the results!
Team "Red Headed Soccer Player"
Including MA via FaceTime
Everyone on the roof for the big reveal...
Sweet hug from my Momma.
Having Kyle tell me every detail from the sonogram. How did he know without the tech telling him? How did he not crack a smile? Was he surprised that it was a girl? How is he planning to transport his shotgun from MS to Chicago?
Still in shock. Hip, hip, HOORAY!!!
LOVE this picture. On the phone with my sweet GanGan back in MS telling her that her 7th great-grandchild will be a GIRL! Love that I am patting baby girl too.
Re-watching the reveal from the iPhones.
Proud and excited Chicago Uncles.
Chicago Aunts taking a look through baby girl's 19 week glamor shots.
Texting all their friends and our families. Making plans for a granddaughter!
So excited to be adding a GIRL!
One of the hand smocked girl outfits that my Momma made. Remember...we could not have the party until she had finished a hand smocked girl, boy, and gender neutral outfit.
Gender Reveal sign-in with notes for Baby Girl. What a fun thing for us to look back at and for her to have when she gets older.
The BEST parents and soon to be grandparents! We are so blessed.
Southern staples at the Windy City Party
My cheeks were sore from smiling SO big!
All of our precious GIRL outfits from our parents.
Gender Reveal Happies
We cannot wait til March! Cook, cook, cook baby girl!
Your Mommy loves you, your Daddy loves you, JESUS loves you...you are SO LOVED!
How Far Along? 24 weeks as of Friday. Y'all, the time is flying!!
Size?
Baby is:
Maternity Clothes? Belly band on all pants and I think I am going to have to get some maternity jeans soon for comfort. I wore my maternity faux leather pants at the Egg Bowl and they were glorious! Target doesn't have a huge selection so I am hoping that I can just order several styles and sizes from ASOS and find something that I like. My maternity black lace holiday party dress came in this week though and I am super excited!
Weight Gain? I feel bigger. Over the past week and a half I think my belly has been growing...noticeably. We go back to the Doctor on the 13th and I bet she's proud of me :)
Stretch Marks? Nope. Using the Burt's Bees Momma Tummy Lotion twice a day.
Gender?A precious baby GIRL!
Sleep? Sleeping really well, thank goodness!
Movement? ALL day LONG! I LOVE waking up and laying in bed while she moves around. She's usually crammed onto one side which leaves my belly a little lopsided for a few minutes. Everyday this week I have been coming home right after school and just laying around with my belly out. She really gets to moving then and you can even see little bumps from the outside. Kyle was able to feel her right before Thanksgiving and this week he could feel what seemed like her whole body rolling around. As my Daddy says, "It's just a miracle."
Food Cravings? Nothing too out of the ordinary.
Anything making you queasy or sick?No, thank goodness.
Labor signs? No! Still have 16 weeks to go.
Belly button in or out?She's moving on out. Geoff and Ashlee came over for supper this week and Ash and I did some belly inspections. She's well on her way to being a total outie...luckily you cannot see it through my belly band. :)
Wedding rings, on or off?On. Now that it's getting cold my fingers are shrinking...for now anyways.
What I Miss? Nothing really.
Symptoms? Nothing to report. On Thursday I came home and had to lay down for a bit because my belly button was hurting. Weird right?
Happy or Moody?SUPER happy! I wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning SG...your Mommy loves you...your Daddy loves you...JESUS loves you...and then I go through the names of all of her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I have been singing to her, which Kyle requested that I stop, and making up songs for her too. It's hard to describe unless you have been pregnant but I feel like she is such a part of me (because she is) and I just talk to her all day long.
Best Moment of the Week?
1. Spending time with our sweet Bryson who returned from his month long adventure on Friday.
2. Registering at BuyBuyBaby with Michele, Sarah, and Lahana. Good Lawd...I cannot imagine having to do this alone...or with Kyle. Thank goodness for sweet city Momma friends who know what you need and what you don't and who are sweet enough to spend 3 solid hours looking at baby stuff with you.
3. Starting to get her nursery all set up. I am currently washing all of the smocked outfits that I brought back from home and we are getting little pieces in each day. This awesome rug came in this week and I LOVE it. It's so so soft AND all of the reviews said that it's easy to clean and machine washable! Kyle wanted to know why I killed and brought home a polar bear. He clearly does not understand the design that I have in mind. The next day he confided that he had gone in and tried it out and "it wasssss soft..." MA, Momma, and I bought all of the fabric for the daybed bed board and cover, window and curtains, and crib bedding. We have A LOT of work to do over Christmas break. I was also able to snag 10.5 yds of Dupioni Silk for the crib for 50% off! Thank you JoAnn Fabrics!
4. Getting to spend some time with her future sitter. I went over this past week after school and got to see parent pick up time. Not only is her house within walking distance from the school but she is everything that I have prayed for. As soon as I walked in I saw how much she loves the kids that she keeps and how much they love her my heart felt at pease. My friend, who's son will be the other baby that the sitter will keep next year, had warned me about how much her son loves the sitter's husband who is home to help in the afternoons. As soon as she walked in the baby grinned from ear to ear and could not wait to snuggle with his momma. Once we lingered for a bit to talk he wanted to go back to the sitter's husband and play with him a little more. As the sitter helped get him into his jacket and carrier she got right in his little face, kissed him, and said, "I LOVE you and cannot wait to see you tomorrow." Melt my heart. If I cannot say this to Baby girl all day long then I want someone who will treat her like their own baby, sing to her, and tell her how much she is loved all day long. I told Kyle that any question that I had was answered just from watching the sitter interacting with the babies. My friend who's son already goes there nearly tears up just talking about how much they love her. Plus she will only be keeping Baby Girl and this other little boy who will be 1.5 years in September. This situation is unheard of in Chicago and I know that the Good Lord has blessed us with this family.
Looking forward to...
-Hearing our sweet girl again on Thursday.
-Going home for Christmas and getting started on all of the nursery details.
-Finding a dresser for the nursery closet.
Sweet things and Life in General:
If you follow me on Instagram then you see all of my pictures throughout the week...sorry for the repeats but I just had to share this again...
There is no doubt that we will embarrass sweet Baby Girl to no end. I hope that she will be as easygoing as her Daddy so that she can find the humor in our madness. And yes, this is a vintage Triple Designs shirt that everyone in Madison has worn for real as a kid and later for adult tacky parties. I tell people that my mother was a tie-dye fashion designer in the 90's. ;)
Kyle has been growing this thing on his face for the month of November and has been trying to decide if he should keep it or not. We are thinking of him shaving it into a mustache for when we take baby girl home and just seeing how far the nurses let him get before asking him to set her down and return to his white, windowless van.
Hello Chicago...oh how happy I am to find you at a warm 40 degrees today! Coming back to the sun shining and warm-ish weather makes my heart happy. This past, nearly, week back home has brought me more joy than any other trip...well that's a strong statement so maybe I'll say that this joy is a NEW feeling of joy. Beginning with our unusually uneventful and quick trip through the Midway airport last Wednesday to this beautiful weather to come back to, I am reminded once again that God is GOOD.
I can remember in college after holidays like this when Kyle would head back to Chicago and I would call my Momma from the School of Ed. bathroom crying because I just knew that the time between me seeing him again would last FOREVER. She would always say to me, "GA you will be okay. When I am feeling sad I stop to count my blessings and it always reminds me of all that I have." Now if you know my Momma, you know that she is the most positive, encouraging, and uplifting woman on the face of the earth and for that I am grateful and count her as one of my biggest blessings.
I believe the hymn goes something like this (at least this is how I sing it in my head...) "Count your blessings....name them one by one...count your many blessings, see what God has done."
Actually...here it is:
Now don't get me wrong, I was not facing burdens or thinking that my "cross was too much to bear" over this trip, in fact I my heart was nearly exploding with joy and happiness. Being that I often have to stop myself in all of God's glory and just bask in his goodness to be truly THANKFUL, this song played through my mind over and over again.
So...in no particular order (and I may even forget a few) let me take a moment to count my many blessings...and name them one by one...
Of course the real #1 is the Good Lord....because He blesses and keeps us. I know that He is the reason for all of this happiness and for that I praise Him. Thank ya Lord!
1. This guy. Bless him.
There are so many things that I could say to sing his praises for how he cares for me and our growing family. Just to name a few from the past few days...
His patience...I attempted and was partially successful at carrying this suitcase onto the plane on Wednesday...until Kyle had to put it in the overhead and it was literally 2x larger than the compartment. Kyle then experienced what seemed to be equivalent to the scene from Meet the Fockers when Gaylord tries over and over to jam the suitcase in. Needless to say, I was forced to redress myself in multiple layers of clothes that had to be taken out of my suitcase so that it would fit. He then informed me that next Thanksgiving he and baby girl would be traveling alone.
Also in the mix, the fact that he is able to work so so hard at a full time job and two, soon be THREE, night time business school classes but still make time to enjoy relaxing with me and our families. He has also gotten into a child rearing book phase and has purchased no less than 10 books about how to raise a well rounded, socially adjusted, and smart kid. And here I was just planning on teaching her to be nice to everyone...(Kyle says the the Buffettology book is not for her...until she can read anyways...)
And of course...I am thankful that he had a part in creating one of our biggest blessings...
#2. Our precious daughter...be still my heart.
#3. This gem...My GanGan. The most precious southern, God fearing lady who taught my Momma to be the woman that she is and who I will model my own mothering after. She met Kyle and me in Tupelo on Wednesday for lunch and to look through pictures from the Gender Reveal. She was dressed to the 9s in her mink coat and told us that she had not napped in at least 2 days because she was so excited. After I told her what we were planning to name Baby Girl, she smiled and exclaim, "Oh that is just beautiful...I cannot wait to begin practicing!"
#4. Our parents. There are few and far between who can say that they love their in-laws and have it easy when it comes to sharing time between families around the holidays, or anytime for that matter. Not only are we lucky enough to be from the same town but our parents each love us as their own child. Mr. Jim often sends me emails or text to check on "my daughter and granddaughter." We are who we are today because of them...and if I write anymore I will be here all day.
#5. Siblings. Kyle and I were able to spend an extra day with our baby brothers, who also happen to be graduating from college and at the young age of 22, over the break when we were in Starkville for the Egg Bowl. We are both 7 years older than Duff and Ryan and having that one on one time is usually sparse. What a fun Thanksgiving we had visiting with them and growing in our adult friendships. I always leave conversations with them so inspired by their future plans and aspirations. Not to mention, single ladies, they are both super cute and quite the catch if a big sister can say so.
That isn't to forget our time with good ole Rob "Danger" Ray and his Comedy Show, plus that sweet little sister of mine, Mary Agnes, and her handsome husband, Timmy. Not pictured (sorry the one that I had on my phone was too blurry) is Rob's sweet girlfriend Angela who I was able to meet and become fast friends with. I pray each day for my siblings and am so glad that the Good Lord has brought Angela into our lives.
That Maggie (MA) bent over backwards for me this week as she searched high and low for nursery items and helped me plan out the decor down to every last yard of fabric. Right now, she is lighting up my phone with fabric coupons and baby sales. I hope that my actions towards other show her selfless heart. What would we do without sisters?
And we cannot forget about our dear Bryson (right), who we are so proud/jealous of, and his brave friend who is traveling with him and hopefully helping to keep him safe.
#6. Friends who are more like family than anything.
This top picture is from the Gender Reveal with our Chicago family. I am sure that people get sick of me saying how lucky we are up here to have this group (and those who aren't pictured too.) On the side there, Baby Girl was moving around as Uncle JohnJohn talked to her...what a special moment to have captured.
I had to throw in the Egg Bowl picture as a reminder of how lucky we are to have lifelong friends who, no matter how long it's been since we have seen them, are always able to pick right back up where we left off. Saint Spinny...you're a good man. (And Todd...if you read this...we really did miss you.) Disclaimer...the horrific maroon sweatshirt that I am wearing is not mine. It was about 20 degrees outside that night and the MSU sweatshirt was all that was available. ;)
Now, that seems like a short list from things that happened just over the past few days but let me assure you that we have been blessed beyond measures. Beyond. Measures. Thank you to our friends and families and to all of those who keep us going, who pray for us, and who love us. God is Good. All. the. time.
