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!).

Rough week, but we're better now!

Last Saturday we went to a Lake Norman Mommies (the mom's network that I belong to and have met so many of my friends through) party. It was a celebration of their 4 years in this area. There was lots of good food and Drew's favorite part was the hula hoops, bubbles and music. Here he is trying to catch bubbles (he's in the jeans and red polo shirt).

Unfortunately, on Sunday Drew didn't feel the best. He had an upset tummy and a slight fever. This continued through Monday too. Monday night I woke up around 3am with the horrible stomach bug! That was not fun, especially being this far along pregnant! Tuesday was a rough day b/c I was sick, couldn't eat, and I had a sick toddler to care for! Definitely the most challenging mommy day that I've had. Although, Drew was wonderful - he wanted to lay on the couch with me all day! He even napped on the couch with me! He'd hug me and rub my face and say, "Mommy's belly hurts" and "feel better, Mommy." Tuesday through Friday, Drew's belly was better, but he ran a fever between 102 and 103.6! I felt much better on Wednesday, so I was able to care for him better. I took the entire week off from work, and we barely left the house! By the end of the week, we got some really nice weather, so at least we were able to open the windows to air out the house, and we even went out to play a little. Here he is blowing bubbles.

Here's his half smile.

Taking a break from playing at his picnic table.

Riding his motorcycle.
Playing ball and saying "cheese!"

Peeking! :)

And here's Emma at 35 weeks! Just 4 more weeks until her arrival, and I can hardly wait! I think I'm mentally prepared for this...just need to get our last projects done around the house until I feel completely ready!

Luckily we are all healthy now and made it through our rough week last week! At least we were rewarded with an amazing 77 degree Saturday and got to play outside and grill out for dinner. Drew liked eating dinner outside and watching the sun go down. And Sunday he helped Chad with yardwork! It was a great weekend!

Enjoying the weather and preparing for Emma

Spring is on its way!! We noticed this weekend that some of our flowers are already coming up!

Yesterday it actually got up to 76 degrees! Drew and I took advantage of it and spent some time at Jetton Park. We walked the 1.5 mile loop (which really wore this huge pregnant lady out!!). There are a lot more hills than I remember! And then Drew ran around the playground for a bit.

For some reason he wasn't so interested in the slides and swings. He'd say, "Ready, set, GO!" and take off running the same route over and over. I'm just glad he never bit the dust on the little ramp b/c he was really moving!



This weekend we went to Lenoir to go to Chad's friend Garrett's surprise birthday party. Everybody met at the bowling alley, so Drew had his first bowling experience. He's going to need to hit the weights before we try it again - he couldn't carry the 6 lb. ball! But he did like giving it a big push down the alley. And he really liked clapping when he knocked over pins and giving high fives to all the guys afterwards!

The other day I knew Chad wore his red polo shirt to work, so I dressed Drew in his. Drew likes to be just like his daddy!

My parents got Drew this toy for Christmas where he dances and can watch himself on tv. We hadn't gotten it back out since we got the bigger tv until this past weekend. He gets a little camera shy though!



We spent some time working on Emma's room. We painted, shampooed the carpets, and got the furniture up. Here's what we've got so far. There's still work to do, but at least we're making progress!

Simon thinks this changing pad is his new bed - but I'm sure (or at least I'm hoping) that changes when Emma arrives!

Oh, and our REALLY big news is that Emma's birthday will be April 16!! We have our c-section scheduled for 7:30am that morning. We will arrive bright and early at 5:30am - which is fine with me, b/c I doubt I'll be sleeping much that night anyways!! 37 more days!!