Clarke Baby Blog: June 2009

Hi Everyone,

We're back!! I am sure you thought we fell off the face of the earth and our blogging days were over....well have more faith. This past month may have been one of the busiest that I can ever remember and add being pregnant on top of the madness. Since my last post we have celebrated Ashley and Keith's wedding and two trips to the beach!! It seems as if over the last 30 days were are out of town more than at home-only stopping back in to give Linus a pet in between trips. All of our experiences have been absolutely Amazing though and we sure can't say we didn't live it up in the weeks before the baby arrives.

Ashley and Keith's wedding was Beautiful and such a fun weekend. I even managed to fit into my non-maternity bridesmaid dress without too much trauma or self-consciousness. As part of my pre-wedding pampering, I treated myself to a pregnancy massage, mani, and pedi to get all dolled up for the big occasion. They were all heavenly-but a prenatal massage is an absolute MUST!! Ashley was a stunning Bride and the setting for the wedding could not have been more perfect for her garden wedding theme. See a few pics below from the weekend...We also managed to squeeze in a visit to the OB in our busy schedule before traveling up to VA for the wedding. Everything remains to go very well and she was pleased with the ultrasound results-Baby C is growing just perfectly!

Next up on our agenda was Bridger's end of Residency Retreat. We joined a big group of his fellow residents for a beach weekend in Carolina Beach. I have to say I was a little sceptical of the trip-not knowing the crew very well and not being able to indulge in a few drinks if needed for sanity-made me a little worried. But it ended up being a great time :) We got a room in the "family" house with all the couples that brought their children/were pregnant. It worked out perfectly in regard to a lower noise level and cleaner bathrooms-both big priorities for the Clarke family. In other big news for this week-in between trips-we Finally ordered our crib for the baby. About time right?? Grandma Clarke very generously bought the baby his or her first piece of furniture that will hopefully be used for many years of GREAT sleeping. We bought a really nice one from Pottery Barn Kids, will it be the ticket to sleeping through the night as soon as we get home from the hospital?? Doubtful, but it will be beautiful in the nursery nonetheless.

To round out our days in North Carolina we took one last Outstanding trip to the beach this past weekend-SeaSick 2009. SeaSick is an annual trip with my college friends from ZTA. We decided to include the "boys" this year as we rented a house in Duck, NC that would accommodate the whole crowd. I had been looking SO forward to this trip-our wedding was the last time that I had a chance to see most of these friends. It was also REALLY lucky that we chose NC as our destination so that I was able to attend. Mexico, Florida, and some of the other options that we were considering would have been really hard to swing at 36 weeks. Particularly since I had an OB appointment a few days before the trip that revealed even though I am not dilated at all yet, I am 90% effaced and the baby is very well applied in the birth canal!!! Good thing the roads to the beach were not too bumpy. I had also been having irregular contractions for the past few weeks, and woke up the morning of our trip contracting every 3-5mins for almost an hour.....luckily I willed them away. Good thing too because our trip was Amazing. It was SO fun to catch up with the girls and spend some much needed time together. They also surprised me with a Wonderful Baby Shower and super generous pile of gifts! We sent the boys out golfing and had a nice peaceful girls day. Speaking of the boys, they were wild and crazy as expected-but it is so nice that they all get along so well. The girls partying impressed me too I must admit. I am a little worried about my ability to keep up next year...at least I have some time to get back into practice. It was also SUPER exciting to find out that Jessie and Darin will be having a playmate for Baby Clarke sometime this winter too. I am just hoping and praying ;) that there will be many blessings on their way when the time is right...All in all, I couldn't think of a better way to round out or pre-baby days than with Great friends.

In most recent news this weekend is our big MOVE!! We are headed back to the Burgh. The moving truck comes today. There is no doubt about it-there are many things we will miss lots about our home in NC. We will look back on these years VERY fondly and NC will always hold a special place in our hearts. We made many good friends here-that BETTER keep in touch. My friends certainly didn't let me leave empty handed-I was showered with baby parties/gifts at both of my jobs before I left and given so many cute gifts and presents. It was really amazing! I also managed to squeeze in lots of lunch and dinner dates with the girls to say goodbye to everyone over the past week or so. I think that I would be much more distraught about the move if I didn't have my family and some of the best friends in the world waiting for us in Pittsburgh. I can't wait to be reunited with Jessie, CJ, and Amy-and have a chance to see my Pgh friends much more often when they are back in the hometown.

Last but not least...I have to make quick mention of Bridger's FAVORITE activity of the past month...our Breastfeeding class!! I thought it was Wonderful and very informative/interesting. He on the other hand was overwhelmed by the circa 1980's video we had to watch demonstrating large busted women feeding infants of various ages. He claims that he has lots of "Bridger Dollars" in the bank after attending that one with me. Well, he is in for a real treat, because we hit the ground running in Pittsburgh. Our first few days home we have hospital tours, OB appointments, meetings with the pediatrician, and lots of other baby related activities. At least I FINALLY ordered the car seat and stroller that I have been pontificating over the past month-so he does not have to hear me talk about that anymore (and we will have a means of taking our baby home from the hospital in our vehicle) :)

So, I will conclude this novel with some pics for your viewing pleasure and a promise to update more regularly in the next few weeks as we count down till the baby's birthday. Send some good thoughts our way as we complete our move today and embark on the car trip to Pgh with the cat in tow. Our big hope is that we make it to the Burgh without Baby Clarke being born in West Virginia-don't worry I will have my prenatal records, cord clamps, bulb suctions, and blankets ready in the car just in case :)