He arrived Monday, February 8th (which was my actual due date) at 3:41 pm.

Weighing in at 10.1 lbs. and measuring 22 inches, he is perfect in every way possible.

The CPA got to hold him first.

Then it was my turn.

It was love at first sight.

And with a sweet face like this…

can you blame me?

The book is made of cloth that is held together by pieces of yarn.  It is soft, worn, and well-loved.

Each page offers activities that are perfect for little kids.  This page reads “A Tisket A Tasket, Fill up the Basket.”  Little apples are then attached to the tree by velcro or are placed into the basket.

These pages offer more opportunities for little hands to practice buttoning and unbuttoning as well as learning all about matching colors.

But it’s not just fun and games, there are things to read too, such as The Beautitudes from the Bible.

I was even able to practice tying my shoes.

The memories that are associated with this labor of love are priceless to me.  That is why, during my shower a few months ago, I started crying as soon as I opened my mom’s gift for our little boy.  Because inside the box of blankets, bottles, and stuffed animals, was his very own Quiet Book.

My mother had spent hours and days putting together this special book for our little guy.

One that is full of fun things to do,

and soft things to touch,

as well as bright colors to look at.

He’ll be able to count the cookies

pet the giraffe,

and learn how to tell time.

There are even puppets for him to play with – I think those are my favorite.

Well, that and the cute little lion!

The book is signed “Love Nana, 2009.”

So that he never forgets who made it for him.

It’s absolutely beautiful and something that I know he will cherish just as much as I do mine.  So thank you, Mom, for not only being incredibly creative, but for taking the time to put together this unique and adorable gift for our son.  I can promise you that it will be adored for years to come.

What is your favorite keepsake or memory from your childhood?

Oh wait, wrong song.

I got confused for a moment because that is how I’ve felt this past week as I’ve packed my bags for the hospital.  It feels kind of like I’m getting ready for a trip, although it will be a trip unlike one I’ve ever known.  I’ve tried to get ready as best as I can – I’ve read half a dozen articles on what to bring to the hospital so I consider myself fairly well prepared.  I’ve been putting the bag together slowly and last night I ran through the final checklist:

Lets see, there’s one cute bag that can double as a diaper bag after the baby is born.  Check.

The fact that it is filled to the brim is just a bonus.

Toiletries which include makeup, vitamins, toothbrush and paste, moisturizer, q-tips, and lots and lots of chapstick (I hear the old lips get very chapped during labor)?  Check. Check.

Don’t worry – I didn’t forget the most important moisturizer – the nursing cream.  I will be hating life if I don’t have a tube on hand, or so I’ve been told.

I made sure to pack a gown which can be used for nursing (who cares if it looks like something worn on Little House and the Prairie?), a robe to keep me warm as I trudge up and down the halls during early labor, socks to keep my toes toasty, and slippers to keep my feet from touching the bare hospital floor.  And did I mention the grannie underwear?  I bought three sizes too big just in case.

Oh – can’t forget the shower shoes.

I’ve been told to pack some “normal” clothes for when I go home.  Of course normal these days is not what it was a few months ago, so I packed my daily staple of drawstring sweat pants and a baggie shirt (at least I hope it’s baggie after giving birth).

I also read somewhere that it’s a good idea to have reading material so I packed Baby 411 so that I can hurry and cram in as much baby info as I possibly can.

I have four copies of my birth plan to hand out to the various attendees so that they know my do’s and dont’s.

And I have a fiction book for any down time I may have, as well as a one pound bag of Twizzlers simply because I’ve been craving them and fully plan on chowing down after the baby is born.

Then there are the ice pops to put in the freezer so that I have something to eat during labor other than plain ice chips.

Let’s see, am I forgetting anything?

Ah yes… the most important part.  Clothes for our little boy.  I mean he can’t come home wearing a hospital blanket, now can he?

I packed a couple of outfits since I have absolutely no idea how big he’ll actually be.

I was sure to include hats to keep his head warm, mittens to keep him from scratching himself, and socks to cover up his tiny little toes.

I think I’m just about set.  My other bag will be full of camera equipment, video recording devices, and battery chargers.

Oh – I almost forgot, a gift bag for the nurses.

I read somewhere that you’ll want to bring something for the nursing and doctor staff since they’ll be the ones who will be taking care of you during this time.  I’m not sure what this should include, so I just put together  a bag of goodies for the nurses to munch on.  I hear that chocolate can go a long way and I figure I’ll take all the help I can get.

That’s pretty much it.  The bags are packed and ready to go.  I even have my checklist sitting on top so that we can be sure we haven’t forgotten anything.  It’s kind-of a lot of stuff but considering this is new to me, I want to be as prepared as possible.

Is there anything I left out?  What did you pack in your bag?

That’s really good to know considering I’m tired.  Tired of getting up four times a night while I experience contractions and think “this is it!” (only to have the pains go away as soon as I get up) or four times to simply go to the bathroom and empty my always-full bladder.

I’m tired of my back constantly hurting, which forces me to hobble around in order to compensate for the extra weight pressing on my pelvis.

And I’m definitely tired of having no motivation whatsoever to do the things that I normally love to do such as read blogs (or write on mine, for that matter).  No motivation to do anything but lie in bed and be as still as possible to keep my body from aching.

I’m physically exhausted, mentally anxious, and emotionally a mess, both willing and able to cry at the slightest provocation.

But as tired as I am,  I wouldn’t give it up for anything.  I know how fortunate I am to be here, just as I know how many women struggle to get to this point.  I also know that this part will soon pass and I will be given a new role as a mother.  I will soon be able to hold a little one in my arms and know that he is part of me and his father.  Knowing this, I would willingly do it again in a heartbeat.

Of course that doesn’t keep me from counting the hours until he’s here because I’m just so tired.  Well, that and the fact that I simply can’t wait to meet him.

I’ve heard of the famous red doors before and I’ve often passed them in various high-end shopping centers, but before yesterday, I had never glimpsed what lay behind them.

Thanks to my sweet husband, however, I was able to find out.  At his request, I was to schedule whatever service I wanted – pre-natal massage, body waxing, hair color – -you name it, the sky was the limit.  Since I had no desire to have anyone touch my pregnant body (I’m weird that way I guess) and I definitely wasn’t going near the wax, I had instead signed up for a manicure, pedicure, and hair cut.

Yesterday was the big day and I arrived at the red doors at 8:00 am.

They swung open to reveal a beautiful lobby

with an equally red elevator.

Up to the 2nd floor I went where I was greeted by a pleasant young man who wished me good morning and asked if I would like something to drink.

Given my recent tendency to need to use the bathroom every five minutes, I merely asked to use the facilities before making myself comfortable in this lovely waiting area.

I didn’t have to wait long.  A cute little girl named Sharonda soon took me to the pedicure room where I was able to kick off my shoes (or struggle to peel them off, in my case) and submerge my feet in a warm mixture of water, suds and something that smelled good.

I immediately felt the tension leave my body as the water washed over my swollen toes.  The view that greeted me was equally relaxing as it was a nice combination of urban architecture and ice skaters – my favorite.  (You can’t see it in this picture, but the windows over-looked an ice rink.)

Sharonda was sweet and while I succumbed to the pure bliss that is a pedicure, we chatted about maternity clothes, school, and even my upcoming birth (she’s gone through the process three times herself).  It was comfortable and relaxing and I was in heaven.

And that was before my legs were draped in hot paraffin wax and covered with steaming towels.

But alas, all good things must come to an end eventually, so after about an hour, my feet were polished and ready to go.

I slipped on my complimentary flip flops and headed to the manicure table.

There I received more of the same treatment: deliciously fragrant lotion, a relaxing massage, and all-out pampering.  It was truly delightful, as I’m sure you can tell by the spaced-out look on my cheeky face (hey – I’m 260 days pregnant after all).

After my fingernails were buffed and polished, it was time to say goodbye to Sharonda and hello to Carol.

She walked me back to the salon and proceeded to wash and rinse my hair.  Since I simply wanted a trim (a couple of inches), the whole wash, cut, style process only took about 20 minutes.  But the end result was clean, shiny hair and best of all – my split ends were gone, so I was happy.  I was told that my complimentary make-over was next but at that point, though still relaxed, I was worried about my parking meter situation and the possibility of receiving a ticket.  (That would have really put a damper on the morning, don’t you think?)

Besides, I really wasn’t planning on buying expensive make up, not today.  The old Tabitha would have done that no problem, but the new Tabitha, the one who now spends all of her extra money on cute toys and baby clothes that she probably doesn’t need, couldn’t justify it.

So I paid my bill and went on my way.

The whole experience was, in a word: bliss.

Not only was I able to relax and enjoy someone taking care of me, but I was finally able to see beyond the elusive red doors.  That right there was worth it.

(A huge thank you to my husband who made this whole thing possible – you are the sweetest man ever.  And a big apology for the quality of the pictures, that’s a camera phone for you!)

Do you regularly visit spas or specifically, the Red Door Spa?  What would you have done if you could go?

I had been at Temple Square in Salt Lake City for about nine months when I received notice that they were sending us away for a while.  Since Temple Square isn’t a typical proselytizing mission (going door to door), they wanted us to have the experiences that other missionaries have.  To do this, they would send the Temple Square missionaries out for four months to different parts of the United States.  But after arriving in SLC, I was told that this was no longer the case.  I remember being so disappointed because I wanted to see how the other missionaries lived, but I accepted the change in plans and threw myself into the work.

You can imagine how shocked I was to one day find out that not only would we be going after all, but that we would be leaving within a matter of weeks.  I was so excited – I had no idea where I was headed but knew that I would go wherever they sent me and that I would do my best.

A short while later, and I was here:

Well, not downtown Manhattan exactly.  I actually ended up in the New York, New York South Mission

which included Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island, & Staten Island.

My first area (out of the two in which I stayed) was in a little town called Bayside, Queens.

Our apartment was not the most elegant of places but it served its purpose and we really didn’t spend a lot of time there anyway so it didn’t matter.  (Perhaps that’s why we didn’t keep it very clean?)

This was me on my first day in New York.  Can you see the look of fear on my face?  I was trying to be strong and brave but I have to admit that, although excited, I was definitely out of my comfort zone.

But I had great roommates and a really cool “companion” (what we called our partner or the person that we did missionary work with).

We drove around in a little green station wagon that we called the “Mint Chip.”

Our area was pretty wide spread and we got to see such things as the site of the 1964 Worlds Fair in Flushing, Queens,

as well as the infamous Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn.

We didn’t always drive, though, sometimes we rode the subway like the time we visited NewKirk, Brooklyn.

And we taught adorable families who were from places like Trinidad.

On Sundays we went to church in cool buildings like the one here in Little Neck, Queens.

We even got to visit the coast when we taught a guy who lived on a houseboat in the seaside town of North Hempstead.

It wasn’t all work though, we got to play sometimes too.  We were able to make a couple of visits down to the big city, which was very exciting for a Southern girl like me.

We visited Times Square,

the Empire State Building,

and the 40th floor of the Marriott Building.

(No, it’s not a tourist site, we just wanted to ride the glass elevator.  Not the best idea for someone who’s afraid of heights)

These trips downtown were fun, especially since the rest of our time was spent working so hard.

I have to say that loved my first area and the two months that I spent there.  I loved being in a location that was completely different from anything I had ever known.  I loved trying new foods (like curried goat) and experiencing new places.  And I especially loved all the great people that I met and worked with.

Too bad my time there was coming to an end and I was moving on to my next stop – the city!

RELATED POSTS:

My Life on Temple Square

The Beginning of a New Adventure

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Growing Pains

And suddenly, I just had to know.

So I contacted my sweet mother-in-law and asked her if I could borrow some pictures of her son.

She sent me a whole stack.

I opened the package and gasped in delight.  I should have known, but it was nice to see my suspicions confirmed – my husband was (and is) adorable!  (Side note:  Look at those long legs – and here I wonder why my belly is poking out the way it is?  All I have to do is look at these pictures to find the answer!)

Let’s start with the CPA at four months old – what a happy baby!

At 10 months old, you can start to see what he’s going to look like as he grows older.

(How cool is it to see those old cars in the background?  Got to love 1955!)

This next picture was taken when he was one year old.  I wish he still had that hat!  Go Davy Crockett!

Next we get to see him with his brothers.  He’s the third youngest out of four boys (his sister came last).

Seriously – don’t you just want to squish his little cheeks?

Now he’s starting to get a little older, as we see in this Christmas photo from 1956.  And he’s got a little brother too, so he’s no longer the youngest.

(He’s in the white pajamas in front.)

Here we see him as he’s maturing and being the big brother to his youngest sibling.

What’s really neat about this next photo is to see how much he looks like his dad.  This picture shows all the boys together with the CPA sitting beside his dad’s left knee.

I can hardly handle the cuteness!

We can’t leave out his mom because that just wouldn’t be fair.  Besides, she’s the one who gave birth to all these little guys so she definitely needs some credit too!

(The CPA is the one wearing the gun belt – a popular accessory for little boys at that time.)

Before moving to the school pictures, I have to include one of all the boys in their suits.  How adorable are they?

Next we have the first of the school pictures – here is the CPA long before he became a CPA, all the way back in 1961.  He was seven at the time.

Then again a year later in 1962…

and lastly, in 1964 at 10 years old.

Be still my heart.  That is one sweet little boy.

It’s funny to look back and see what my husband looked like as a little one.  It’s even more amazing to try and imagine which of his characteristics our little guy will have.  Will he have those pouty lips that I love?  Will he get those cute little ears that stick out ever so slightly?  Or will he have his long eyelashes and pretty hazel eyes?

These are some of the things that I can hardly wait to find out.  But with these pictures, at least now I have an idea.

Who do your children look like – do they favor one parent more than the other in their looks?

All that changed, however, on December 1st when we officially began preparations for it to become a nursery.  Originally, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the nursery except that I knew that I wanted to paint it.  See, when we first bought the house, the room was yellow.

A bright yellow actually.

So we darkened it up a bit and then added a bed, an armoire, and a couple of bookshelves.  (For some reason I didn’t take a picture of it before we took it apart – this is the best one I have, taken back when we first moved into the house).

Since we’re having a boy and since I’m not a frilly kind-of person anyway, I decided to go with a neutral color scheme.  That way, as the baby grows up, we don’t have to make a lot of substantial changes to the room to have it grow with him.

So we knew we wanted it painted but with lots going on these past few months between work and school (for my husband), there was no way we’d be able to get it done in time.

Enter, my dad.

**Side note – did you ever watch that show called “This Old House”?  There was a guy on there, a carpenter and all around handy man, named Bob Villa.  That’s my dad.  Well, not really my dad, but my dad is just like Bob Villa in that he can do and build anything.**

So when Dad offered to paint the room for us, we didn’t even have to think about it.  We got the room ready by clearing everything out and putting it in the garage for storage.  Then we started testing paint colors.

That was the hardest part (for me anyway).  I couldn’t get the colors just right until the CPA stepped in and suggested a combination of two shades that I hadn’t considered before.  And voila – we had our match.

Dad drove up from Georgia the next morning and then spent three straight days getting the room ready.  He added a ceiling fan, which we’ve heard keeps the air circulated and hopefully helps to prevent SIDS.

Then he put up the chair rail, which we wanted in order to add more definition to the two different colors we’d be using in the room.  Then came the paint, lots and lots of glorious paint.

It was so exciting to see the room transforming and I am completely impressed with the professional job he did!  It would have taken us a week to do what he did in three short days.

Before he was finished, he took off the closet doors (we plan to hang curtains in their place) and painted the inside of the space.

And finally, it was ready.

Isn’t it gorgeous?  The colors are rich and warm, the paint job is immaculate, and the love and hard work that went into the projects is obvious.

So a huge thank you goes out to my dad because without him, this wouldn’t have been possible.  Now we’re ready to put the room together and make it a special place for our little boy.

Thanks Dad!

Or should I call you, Grandpa?

• January - The CPA and I were on a quest to visit as many of the cool Washington, DC sites as we could.  So we spent our weekends visiting great places like the National Gallery of Art.

• February - I started a new job, part-time, as a dog walker.  I continued this job through most of the year and found that I actually really enjoyed it (I especially enjoyed the extra spending money I was able to earn from it).

• March - Not a lot happened this month apparently.  I was busy walking dogs and working full time.  We did manage a few of our regular visits though, when we went to the Jefferson Memorial

and the Netherlands Carrillon.

• April – Wow, I’m realizing that I didn’t really do much this year in the way of traveling, which is why we went to a lot of local locations.  This month we made the trek downtown to view the Cherry Blossoms which is a big deal considering the crowds we had to fight.  It was well worth it though.

• May - The CPA and I took a fantastic trip to Canada to visit Niagara Falls.

We also spent several days visiting small towns in upstate NY such as Cooperstown

and Palmyra.

• June – We took another trip – this time we headed out West to visit the CPA’s parents and to attend the wedding of a dear friend in Salt Lake City, UT.

• July – We announced to the world (a.k.a. blogland) that we were 12 weeks pregnant.

• August – This was a big month for us as it marked our two-year anniversary.

We celebrated by driving south and staying at a great little resort called Tides Inn,

where we spent two relaxing days.  It was very needed after the months of morning sickness I had been dealing with.

• September - It was my sister’s turn to announce that she was 12 weeks pregnant.

The CPA and I also found out that we’re having a BOY.

• October - We got sick.  While we weren’t tested for H1N1 since it takes two days to get the results, we were treated as if we had it and given the shots and quarantined for a week.  Fun times.

• November - We started preparing for the baby’s arrival.  Yes, it took the whole month.  Actually, there are still things to do to prepare even now, in January.  I have a feeling that we won’t be fully prepared no matter how hard we try.

• December - We had a very special baby shower

and we survived the area’s first blizzard.

And there you have it – 2009 in a nutshell.  While it wasn’t as busy as 2008 was, it was definitely full of new experiences and big changes.

Now it’s January 1, 2010.  Can you believe it?  I plan on sitting down and writing a list of goals for this year and at the top of that list is going to be: write more on my blog.  I love writing posts, it just seems that everything has been placed on the backburner lately what with all the emotional and physical changes I’ve been going through.  But this year, 2010, is going to be full of lots of new things so I definitely want to chronicle them.

All of this to say:  Happy New Years to each of you and may your 2010 be a wonderful and prosperous year for you and yours!!

What did you do in 2009 and what do you want to accomplish in the New Year?

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Saying Goodbye to 2008

But when we got up Friday morning to open presents and do our usual holiday thing, I found myself a little bit “off.”  I couldn’t figure out why either.  At least not until I spoke with my family on the phone and the tears came.  Honestly – I should be ashamed of myself – crying at my age because I’m not home with my parents!  I think it was a little more than that though.  I figure it was probably a combo of hormones, emotions gone awry, and a bit of nostalgia in light of so many recent changes.

That said, I actually enjoyed Christmas very much.  I love spending time with my husband and it was a perfect day full of naps, yummy food, and relaxation.

We got some pretty good loot too, as far as Christmas presents go.  As a family, we agreed to keep it in check this year due to the economy (not to mention our recent baby expenses), so we stuck to our budget pretty well.  My sweet man spoiled me with a gift certificate to the Red Door Spa where I can spend the day pampering myself silly.

I, in turn, gave him the keyboard that he had been longing for.  (Learning how to play it is completely up to him, however.)

But it was really my parents who stole the show with their creative gifts.  My dad and step-mom spent about nine months this year putting together a cookbook for each of us kids.

In it are tried-and-true recipes that have been passed down for generations.  The book itself is beautifully made and will definitely be used for years to come.

And to get me in the cooking mood, they included this beautiful apron (which I’m hoping will look better on me once I no longer have a huge belly).  I’m totally set!

My mom and step-dad also made their presents this year, all of them in fact, and I am genuinely impressed.  This beautiful blanket was handmade and even has our name embroidered in the corner.  The CPA has already claimed it as “his” and since I’ve been unusually warm as of late, I didn’t put up an argument.  (But I’m sure things will change as soon as I get really cold and am looking for a good blanket – I fully plan to fight for it!)

We also received this great binder that my mom put together which includes all kinds of family history and pictures of ancestors that I’ve never seen before.

Speaking of pictures, they had put together a collection of our family pictures in this lovely frame.  There are even a couple of pictures of Oscar and one of our baby’s ultrasound too.  In the center of the frame is the Family Proclamation which is a statement by our church that basically summarizes our belief in families and how important they are.

And lastly, I have to mention our “blessing box.”

This is a box where we are to store slips of paper on which we have written down blessings that we are thankful for, with the idea that we will open the box in December of 2010 and read through them.  What a fantastic idea!  I truly believe that, as a whole, people are more appreciative of the things that they have when they recognize them on a regular basis and I think this will be a great reminder to do just that.

Aren’t my parents amazing?  Even though we weren’t able to see them in person during the holidays, I felt close to them simply through the creative things they gave us all because they were made with lots of love and thoughtfulness.  They also reminded me of the importance of families and history and selfless giving, which are all examples of the Savior whose birth we were celebrating.

And isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

How was your Christmas? What did you do – anything special?  Did you get/give a special gift?