Guardian Angel

To say that I am writing this with a heavy heart is a complete understatement. I cannot even begin to put into words what I am feeling right now. Angry would probably be at the top of my list, and that is putting it nicely. I will never even begin to understand why this happened, but I know that for Bean's sake and for my sister and Jeremy, I need to be strong. I think it will be awhile before writing these posts are actually for enjoyment rather than because I feel like I have to keep it up. But, I wanted to write one in honor and memory of my precious niece, Lauren Elizabeth, who as one of Lindsay's friends put it, must have been too sweet for this world.

We all had visions of these two cousins growing up together since they would have been about 6 weeks apart and it is just maddening to know that will not be the case. No one should ever have to go through a tragedy like this. You should never have to hold your baby and say goodbye at the same time. It just makes no sense. However, through all of this, I have found a tiny bit of comfort in knowing that our baby boy will always have a Guardian Angel watching over him.

No words or actions can make this situation any easier or less tragic, but prayers for my sister, Jeremy, Braden and the rest of our families are all we can ask for. My sister is one of the strongest people I know, something she must have gotten from my parents. And, she means more to me than I could ever even express. She has always been my rock, but even more so throughout my pregnancy. Always answering my stupid questions and giving me advice even when I know she had her own pregnancy ailments. This just makes it even more difficult to understand why God let this happen to them and their baby girl, but I can only pray that He gives them strength to somehow get through this and someday find peace.

Precious Lauren, please know that you were loved from the very second we knew about you and you will forever be in our hearts.

Surprise Baby Shower!

I just want to say that I have the best co-workers and work for an amazing company! Today they surprised me with a baby shower over lunch! I was not expecting it and am grateful to everyone who coordinated, came or contributed to it. We were spoiled with more wonderful presents and some yummy cake. And, it was great to celebrate with co-workers. So, thanks to all of you and I am lucky to work with such wonderful people. Can't wait to bring Baby Boy Weber in to meet all of you!!

Clothes Galore!

This child has more clothes than I do! Probably more clothes than I have had collectively over the years. It took us all weekend to separate, wash and organize everything. Eight loads of baby laundry...and that was just 0-6 month clothing and a load of towels/wash cloths! I would like to note that my amazing sister donated Braden's clothes and accessories since they are having a girl. This turned out to be 11 garbage bags stocked full and a few other bags of random stuff. All of this ranging from 0-3T (thanks to my wonderful Mom for sorting and labeling everything!). Plus, we are lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family members who cannot seem to resist buying adorable baby clothes for him (I cannot resist either!). The washing/organizing process was a bit overwhelming at first, but Darin's OCD came in VERY handy and we had quite a bit of fun together!

I had my 32 week appointment today and all is looking good! He is definitely going through another growth spurt, but I expect to have quite a few of these moments over the final weeks. I am still fairly comfortable, even though the pregnancy insomnia has reared its ugly head again. I am not sure how I am supposed to heed the advice of others regarding getting all the sleep I can now when I wake up 12 times to go to the bathroom and then cannot fall back asleep. But, I guess my body is just starting to prepare for the MANY sleepless nights ahead! Even with all of the "fun" that comes with the final months of pregnancy, I am still loving every minute of being pregnant. It is crazy to think that this will all be over in less than two months and a new journey will begin!!

Starting to fill out a little in the face :).

Showered with Love!!

I had my third and final shower this past weekend. And can I just say that I feel so incredibly blessed after all the "showering"! I would love to send a huge thank you to all of my amazing family and friends who either hosted and/or attended one or more of my showers (and for those who were there in spirit!). Darin, Baby Boy Weber and I are so fortunate to have you in our lives and we really appreciate each one of you! Now, the hard/fun part is going to be rifling through all of his new stuff and organizing everything. A tad bit overwhelming, but we have 9 or so weeks (yikes!) to get everything just the way we want it. It is quite amazing how many things a little baby can require though, but thanks to our wonderful families and friends, this little man is set!!!!!

First Shower with the Taylor side of the family on November 27, 2010.

Second Shower @ Weber Christmas on December 11, 2010.

Third Shower @ the Wittes with friends and family on January 8, 2011 (love the BHS Class of '00 Reunion pic...with Emmy!).

Belly @ 31 weeks!

Holy Hiccups! And, 30 week update.

Talk about a funny feeling! I thought maybe I had felt him hiccuping before, but could not be certain since he literally moves non-stop ALL of the time! However, I was certain on December 26. Must have been all the Christmas cookies I devoured! We were visiting Darin's grandma and it felt almost like repetitive pokes or a heart beat, but it was definitely the hiccups. Kim and Darin both got to feel them! And, Mom was able to feel them again on New Year's Eve at dinner! Now, he gets them quite a bit...poor thing! But, it is kind of fun to feel something different...you know, besides his feet in my ribs! And, I read something that said getting the hiccups is actually a really good sign because it means his lungs are maturing and developing!

I had my 3o week appointment today. I am on the every two weeks schedule now, which is kind of crazy! Time is really flying now. Everything looked great! My belly is measuring spot on, which is quite the surprise! It appears that the rapid belly growth/weight gain has tapered off some in the last month...whew!

Lastly, I know I promised pictures of the nursery, but we have a lot more decorations/furniture coming over the next few weeks, so I am going to hold off on the reveal. However, I will give you a sneak peek because Darin did such a fabulous job!!