[Fun] New (to us) car!

We started doing some research on where to put a car seat in our car, and made the icky discovery that our car was one of the worst for child seat friendliness! Solutions included moving the driver and/or passenger seats up all the way (not an option for long legged folks!), or using towels or other items to get the car seat in the right place. To us, also not an option (especially since it negates the warranty on the car seat if you do something like that!).

So we did some research and started looking online at cars for the past few weeks. Thankfully there was a nearby dealership that had several cars we were interested in, and they're owned by a family at my school! We reached out to them and went down yesterday... and left with a new (to us) car!

It's a 2008 Buick Enclave, and it's rated in the top three for family-friendly and child-safe cars. It has a third row seat that folds flat, and gives lots of space for carrying baby gear and bringing Latte & Jager along, too. I've never been a fan of "colored" cars, but this red color is very pretty, and unique. And it matches our front door, so it looks nice parked in front of our house. :) 

An interesting fun fact about the color is that it was manufactured in a facility that was completely destroyed by the tsunami in Japan earlier this year... so they don't make cars in this color anymore! They have enough supply for touch ups, but no new cars will be made in exactly this color ever again. Interesting!

[Nursery] Mural

Our dear friend Stephanie and her mom Diana gave us the incredible gift of their time and talent... and painted a mural in Whit's nursery! We fell in love with the idea of having a tree on one wall, and found some really fun ideas to work from thanks to Pinterest. We'll eventually have shelves on three of the tree branches that are more flat and long. We'll use the shelves to put little trinkets and photos.

Diana will also be painting a Disney quote on canvas for us to hang over the crib. We love that the nursery is coming together, and can't wait to have Whitney here to enjoy it! <3

The tree as it came together:

  

  

[Pups] Wordless Wednesday

[Pregnancy] Graduation... from childbirth class!

Last night marked our final childbirth class in a series of 12. We've spent every Monday night since the end of September with a group of other pregnant couples, and our fantastic instructor, Danielle, learning everything we could possibly ever want/need to know! Several friends recommended these classes to us, and we couldn't be more thankful that we went to them. We find ourselves not only feeling confident and excited about labor, but definitely more in touch with what's happening during my pregnancy, and with long lists of questions for our doctor every time we see him.

The classes focused on husband-coached childbirth, and it's called the Bradley Method. We wanted to be armed with as much information as possible to make decisions regarding how we'll deliver. We know the questions to ask regarding side effects of medications, possible complications during delivery, etc. Of course we have every confidence in the doctors and nursing staff, but it's nice to be more aware of what might happen. Our classes also focused a lot on relaxation techniques during labor, and Wes got to practice lots of massages each week - I didn't complain. :)

We're so thankful to our Bradley instructor, Danielle, for her patience, knowledge and resources. And we're so excited for our reunion with our other classmates after we all have our babies! One couple is missing from the photo, because her due date was last Monday and she's still waiting to deliver... so they didn't make it to our last class. We're thinking good thoughts for them as they wait to meet their baby! Another couple is due at the end of January, and then the other two couples are due in February. 

[Pregnancy] Wordless Wednesday

[Pregnancy] Showered with love

Yesterday was incredibly meaningful to have some of the women in my mom's and my life with us to celebrate Whitney's impending arrival. My mom and her friend Jill hosted a lovely baby shower for our side of the family, and some life-long friends. It was surreal to be sitting there at my own baby shower! It was a lovely day, and proof that Baby Whitney is loved by SO many people already. She's one lucky baby!

 

Our first letter for the alphabet wall!

 

  

 

 

With Whitney's awesome Grandmas!

[Random Thoughts] Yes, I can!

A few weeks ago we had a guest speaker at school, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila. Akbar is one of our assistant football coaches at Sage, and this summer he appeared on ABC's Expedition Impossible with some of his football buddies (he played at San Diego State and in the NFL for several years). He is a Pac-12 football sideline commentator, and aspiring motivational speaker.

He spoke during the assembly at school about the power of positive thinking. He showed several video clips of well-known athletes who'd experienced failures and setbacks in their lives, but yet they became heroes and role models, and found incredible success.

He asked us to think of a time we were told we couldn't do something... and call it the pregnancy hormones, but I was taken to the time when one of the many doctors we encountered in our quest to get pregnant told me, "Oh, you'll never get pregnant." 

As I listened to Akbar speak, I quietly rubbed my belly and started to tear up. If I'd listened to that doctor -- or anyone who ever told me I couldn't do something in my life -- who knows where I'd be today? If I can teach anything to Whitney in her life, I hope it's that a positive attitude and tenacity will take her far.

Akbar wrapped up his time with us by sharing a poem that was his life motto. My several tears turned into full on bawling as I listened to him recite this from memory:

You Can If You Think You Can!

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't.

If you like to win, but you think you can't,

It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost,

For out in the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow's will.

It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You've got to think high to rise,

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But soon or late the man who wins,

Is the man who thinks he can.

~ C. W. Longenecker ~

I know that Wes and I were meant to be parents, and we stopped at nothing to make this dream come true. Whether we got pregnant or adopted a child (or children!), positive thinking helped us get there. 

A while ago we decided to have a quote stenciled on to the wall of our child's nursery, and the one we picked goes along with this post. I can't wait for Whitney to wake up every day and read this as a reminder to dream, think positively, and believe "Yes, I can!"