LAST TRIMESTER!!!!

OK, so I think we have established that I am not the most consistent blogger:) Sorry for not updating, but today is a big milestone.........28 weeks= start of the 3rd trimester!! I cannot believe how fast it has flown by and that she will be here in 12 weeks (hopefully)! So, to catch you up: we have decided on a name for sure....HARPER LYNN BRADSHAW. Harper is estimated to be between 2 and 2.5 pounds and about 15 inches long so far. I spoke too soon last post about her movements. I guess she is a late bloomer, because she is now up flipping around most hours of the day. But I'm not complaining...I love it:) I had my glucose test for gestational diabetes at 26 weeks, and was so relieved to find out I passed. We began registering today at Babies R us...talk about stressful! How many types of bottles and pacifiers can there be??? And they are ALL supposed to be the "best" for your baby. So, any mom's out there that would like to enlighten me on useful products...I would appreciate it! These last 12 weeks are going to fly by! We start childbirth classes soon, have four showers, and I hopefully find time to graduate somewhere in there.
Harper's room is well on its way! My mom has started on the bedding, Nick has almost finished her furniture, and her closet continues to fill. Here are some pictures of what has been going on around here.

This is the dresser/changing table that Nick built for her still in progress.

My extremely talented neighbor, Abilgail, did a metallic finish on it that looks amazing (pictures don't do it justice!)

Almost finished! All it needs is the door and doorknob put on.

This is a lamp that I bought and I added the lace to make it a little more feminine.

So, here is Me and Harper at 28 weeks! We have really grown since last picture:)

Sorry about the awkward picture, but Nick was not home to take it and I was impatient.

This is a picture of Abby and Jovi on our snow day a couple of weeks ago. The girls loved it...but Jovi refused to sit down in the snow.

Thanks for checking in on us, I am for real going to try to do better about updates! We love you all!

Nick, Rachel, and Harper

23 down 17 to go!

Hello friends! Sorry I have not updated in awhile...things are pretty busy around here. We are having our Sunday School's Superbowl party here next week so we have been working hard getting the rooms in order and out of "transition stage".
We went back to the doctor Tuesday and got to see her flipping around. It is amazing what they can see with those machines now! We got to see all 4 chambers of her heart beating, every internal organ, and her brain and spine. My physical therapist's mind was put at ease when they said everything looked "perfect"! (I am not biased, that was actually what they said:)) She weighed 1 pound exactly and is right on track. Starting next visit we start going back to the doctor every two weeks....i can't believe how fast this is flying by, but cannot wait to meet her.
Nick got to feel her move for the first time a couple of days ago. I was excited about this because she doesn't move very much (maybe a good sign for later???) and every time I told Nick to feel, she would stop moving.
Nick is building a dresser/changing table that is looking awesome! I was going to put some pictures up, but figured I would wait until it is done so it will give me another reason to update.

This is me at 23 weeks! And the rest are baby "Harper" at 22 weeks. (I love the footprint at the bottom...so sweet!) Sorry they are a little blurry.

Hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for keeping us with us!
We love you all!!!

It's Starting to Come Together

Nick and I have been hard at work this last week as we started on the nursery! Nick painted the walls Saturday a pink tinted white. It actually turned out quite a bit pinker than we expected, but once some furniture was in the room...it was perfect!

I bought some wall art a while back, thinking we could use it in the room, but when I decided to use black and white it would not work. I spent the weekend, and week, repainting the intricate design. It took FOREVER!!! Here are the before and after pics.
After the walls were painted, I was motivated to find some furniture! My sweet parents bought me this AWESOME glider/recliner chair that will be wonderful for long nights. And my sweet husband bought me the crib that I picked out:) Here are the pieces in her room!
My mom is going to make her bedding and I have started to pick out fabric. We are going to do all black and white and this is a swatch of the material that will hopefully be the curtains, and maybe a little in the bed too!
The final thing we have started adding to the room is in her closet!! I have resisted the urge to buy every sweet baby girl outfit I see, but sometimes I am overcome:) Between me, my mom, and my sweet neighbor...our little girl is already becoming one of the best dressed chicks around! Here is the beginnings of her wardrobe!
And the last bit of exciting news is we have almost (maybe) settled on the name!!! We have been taking the top names we like and calling her that all day, to help get a feel for it. It worked surprisingly well and the one that has stuck so far it........................Harper! Like I said, we aren't ready to paint in a mural on the wall or anything, but it is the one that BOTH of us are the most fond of. Well thanks for checking in with us! We go back to the doctor for another ultrasound Tuesday, so check back and I will put up more pictures!

Much Love!
Nick and Rachel

It's a ....................................GIRL!!!!

We went to the doctor last Tuesday and had our 18 week ultrasound. It was probably the most excited that we have been throughout the whole pregnancy so far! We were thrilled to find out it is a girl! Although Nick is a little nervous about trading in baseball gloves for tea parties, I can already see how much he loves the little peanut:) Now that we know she's a she, the real fun begins: decorating the nursery, picking out names, shopping for sweet little outfits, etc. I will try to keep the blog updated as we make decisions and buy things for her!

Here we are at 18 weeks...not much yet! The baby was about 7 and a half ounces, and we have together gained 6 lbs.

Baby Updates

As most of you know, we are expecting our first baby June 1, 2010. I will be 18 weeks pregnant tomorrow! We are so excited especially as the months progress and new symptoms (a bump, subtle movements, etc.) make this miracle become more of our reality. We spent the weekend cleaning out the front bedroom that will soon morph into a nursery. Our most excitement at the moment is over our doctor's appointment tomorrow. This will be the first ultrasound appointment that Nick will get to be a part of, and will find out the gender!!! Up until now it has been such a thrill just to hear the little one's heartbeat once a month, but we are ecstatic over getting to see it moving around (and not having to call it an IT anymore)! It has been so special to see Nick throughout the pregnancy. From sitting in the waiting room 2 hours with me just to hear the heartbeat on the doppler, to the way he says goodbye to me then the baby every morning by sticking his finger in my bellybutton (he says that is the closest he can get to it:)) I can already tell what an amazing dad he will be! Well I hope that this post finds everyone well and enjoying the holiday season! We are eager to finally be heading to Memphis to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with the Bradshaw's Thursday. Check back for updates soon! I will leave you with a few pictures from our trip to Mexico the week before last.

This is where we went snorkeling in Cenotes. These are basically caves that are underwater...it was so pretty (but freezing)!!

Here we are at some Mayan ruins, very interesting!

A New Venture

Well, I finally did it.... I joined the sorority of bloggers. I have never claimed to be much of a writer, nor have I more than novice technical skills, but with an increasingly busy schedule and a baby on the way, I knew something drastic must be done to keep us in touch with the ones we love. I can tell I am getting old when the thrill of being up to date with the latest online trends is replaced by frustration with no "Blogging for Dummies" website. So here it is...my pathetic attempt to make up for my inadequacies in keeping in touch with the special people in our lives. We love you all!