Emma is here!!

Thursday night - the night before our scheduled c-section - we took Drew out for ice cream (Bruester's has non-dairy Italian ice and he loved it!). It was our last little outing as a family of three!

Posing with Mommy

And posing with Daddy

Then on Friday, April 16, we had to arrive at the hospital at 5:30am. We got a tiny room, signed paperwork, got my IV...and waited for the big moment! It was very weird to have a scheduled time for Emma's birth. She was actually born at 7:55am and weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. Once she came out, everyone was betting she was 6 lbs something - even the doctors were shocked at her actual weight!

Here's Emma with her proud Daddy!

And then some bonding time with Mommy.


Chad's parents arrived at our house bright and early so we could go to the hospital while Drew slept. They brought him to visit as soon as she was born. Here's our first family picture!

Here she is resting after all the excitement...notice the resemblance of her big brother?! That's Drew on his birthday in the NC State outfit!

Drew was very excited to hold her. He kept saying "hi, baby!" and "it's okay, Emma" if she cried at all. It was very sweet! And he was pointing out all her little body parts and would tell everyone "be gentle." When she was sleeping, he'd say "turn her on?" haha! I think Emma is very lucky to have such a good big brother!

We had a more laid back day Saturday. Here is Emma relaxing on her boppy pillow. We had a hard time waking the poor girl up during the day - even to eat! She was completely worn out!

Uncle Grant and Aunt Sherry stayed the night with Drew on Friday night. Then they stopped by the hospital to meet Emma on Saturday. Here are the three Nelson cousins together for the first time - Olivia, Drew and Emma.

Before Drew headed back to the house with Grandmom for the night, he climbed up on the bed to tell Emma "night night."


Hopefully we will be able to go home tomorrow, Sunday. I have been able to be up and moving around all day today, and Emma is doing great! We will post more pictures and some videos very soon!!

Fire trucks, gymnastics and singing!

Spring cleaning!! Chad and I aren't having a wonderful time, but I think this is Drew's favorite time of year! Vacuums, wet rags, brooms - so much fun! Frequent breaks make it more manageable, which is what we're doing right now. So, I thought I'd post a couple pictures and a video from this week. Drew and I met up with some other Lake Norman Mommies and took a tour of the fire station. Drew LOVES fire trucks. On our way to the Y, we pass two fire stations and an ambulance garage, so we talk about them and see them everyday. Here's a group shot at the end of our tour.

Here's Drew "driving" the truck.

There were four trucks, and he ran from one to the other, pointing out the ladders, lights, sirens, wheels, etc. Several times he went up to the firemen and said, "help somebody," "drive fire truck," and "sneakers on." I'm not sure why he was noticing their footwear - and why do Sesame Street characters call shoes "sneakers??" haha! Here he is with his buddies Parker and Charlotte.

And I kept plopping him up on the trucks to get pictures. He loves to say "cheeeeese!"



I've been teaching Drew some of the basics of preschool gymnastics - and he loves it! I show him something one time and he's got it! He's been doing tables for a while, and his donkey kicks are getting better. He has done several forward rolls on his own, but we're still working on those. He loves the trampoline at the Y and can do seat drops (where you bounce on your bottom and stand back up) and apart-together jumps (leading up to a straddle jump). Here's a video from awhile back (on one of our really hot days before we cut the air on).

And then today, in the middle of our cleaning, Drew decided to bust into song! So, during his snack I got it on video. We didn't realize he knew this many words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Usually we'd sing it and he'd chime in the last word of each phrase.

Happy Easter!

It was a beautiful Easter day! It was in the 70s all morning (and then the high 80s by afternoon). I was surprised to find more of our flowers blooming as we played in the yard.

We decided to recycle our Easter eggs from last year - so Chad and Drew washed them in the sink (so we could put treats in them).



Here's Drew in his new Elmo jammies hunting for Easter eggs.



"Found one!"

And a little video of the action:

We spent a lot of time finishing little projects this weekend (touching up on paint in Emma's room; buying Emma's shelves, lamp, and baskets; getting her carseat in place; scrubbing the bouncy seat and baby swing; etc, etc) - we've been busy! I think if she were to arrive tomorrow, we'd be okay. The main things we have left are some spring cleaning around the entire house and getting all her little clothes, bedding, and blankets washed and ready. That's all for next weekend. We moved her furniture around again, and still have to hang some things on the walls, but here's where we're at so far with her room. I still can't decide if that's where her furniture should be (which is why things aren't on the walls yet!)

And here's the really cute quilt that Susan and her friend Pam made for Emma. I'm still trying to decide how to display it in her room - possibly on the wall.

And, of course, Drew was involved (or in the way) while we moved furniture around, and he wanted to also be involved in the picture taking of her room. Here's his silly face.

Later this evening we grilled out and Drew got to practice with his new bubbles (and spill-proof container - what an invention!).

Busy week on the go!

One of my friends hosted an Easter egg hunt for all the kids this week. I explained the rules to Drew (go find as many eggs as you can and put them in your basket!), and he was off! He, of course, took it very seriously...until he found some Lifesaver Gummies (his favorite!) hidden in the bushes! Then he realized eggs weren't so exciting, but maybe what was inside them was more fun! Here he is, saying "Found one! There it is!"

Here's several of the kids in action. Ayesha has a huge backyard and they had tons of eggs. There were probably about 12 or more little ones hunting them down, and I think they all ended up with full baskets.




We have been having days in the mid-80s and it's been awesome! Here's Drew playing (well, posing) outside.

He's really in to basketball - especially since he can actually make it! And he's a great teammate - if we make a shot he says, "yay! Good job! Shoot it again!" And if he misses it he says "rebound," and runs after it.

We got him some sunglasses because everytime we'd step outside he'd say, "Too bright. Sunny outside." He'll wear them some, but he plays with them more. They might not last too long - but they're pretty cute for now!

Yesterday Drew and I walked the half mile trail through the woods to the park with our neighbor friends. I tried to get a picture with them all on the swings (Leif, Meena, Kayla, and then Drew hunched over like a little old man). Leif's mom is about 28 weeks pregnant with a girl, and we just found out Kayla's mom is 12 weeks pregnant...with twins!

Drew loves to say "Cheese!" for the camera. It makes for a silly smile, but he thinks it's funny. He will even get a little book or an old phone that we've given him and put it up on the counter and run to the other side of the room and pose, saying "cheese!" He's got quite an imagination these days!

These next two weekends are very special to us - they are our last as a family of three! We have a lot on our to-do list, and we're trying to involve Drew in all of it so he knows what's going on. We took a break and used up an old gift card that we had to a restaurant on the lake, The Rusty Rudder. Here's Drew coloring while we wait for our food (and saying, "cheese!").

Then we walked down to the dock to see the boats and ducks and take a couple pictures. Here's Drew and Mommy.

And then Drew and Daddy.

There was one duck that practically begged to be fed, so we bought some duck feed. We let Drew throw the food to him and he became his best friend! Drew didn't let him miss a piece - he'd point to every piece, "right there!" until the duck came and got it.

And here's the scary picture...37 weeks! 2 weeks until we are a family of FOUR!! And no, it is not easy carrying around this big belly. If I go on a walk or do a lot of spotting at work, I am VERY sore that evening. My back and hips have had about enough - so I am very thankful to know that I have only 2 weeks left (and not 5 more like i did with Drew at 37 weeks!).