1. We sold our house & moved out.
2. We bought a house & moved in in stages.
2. I was living with some friends temporarily for a week while we were semi-homeless & new house projects were happening (vents being cleaned, radon system installed, baby's room painted, wall knocked down & sheetrock put up, kitchen backsplash changed, carpets being cleaned, new furniture being delivered, etc.)
3. Our family baby shower happened the weekend we moved in.
4. The school year was finishing up (which is a lot on a good year) and I had to pack up my classroom to move to a smaller room next year.
5. Did I mention this was all happening while 8 months pregnant... Bring it on! ;)
Since I'm practically 5 weeks behind, I'll try to keep this more pics & captions unless something major needs to be mentioned along the way. :)
Week 31: (May 25- 31)
Still feeling great!! :)
I also met up with Linzy a second day, to do some rainbow-baby themed pics, which came out INCREDIBLY!!! <3 *(I especially loved what she wrote on her FB page about it!!)
We had lunch afterwards and her sweet daughter kept wanting to sit with me and say hi to the baby. :)
Some more favs from our main photo shoot...
I also set Linz up with my friend, Kortney, who was also pregnant and due 7 weeks ahead of us. (She has since had her baby & enjoying mommyhood, but we took a few pics together while at her photo shoot)...
31 weeks is the size of a coconut, or a pineapple, or something else (depends on the app!!)!! :)
We are running low on time just the 2 of us before everything changes (for the better). Lunch date at one of our fav restaurants. <3
My FAV comic I came across recently... this is totally Bee!! This is so adorably cute & hysterically funny at the same time!
We went to a wedding over Memorial Day weekend, with some friends who are also expecting!! :)
Memorial Day Weekend was a HOT one around here- it was in the 90s for the entire long weekend. My feet swelled a little here and there, but luckily we had a chunk of days off from school and I got to focus on other things.
While grabbing lunch with Scott at a local deli, this bottle was staring him in the face in the soda case... naturally we had to have it and tucked it away in the fridge just for a fun memorabilia bottle. <3 *(Update- someone accidentally drank it at our house one day and we've been on a hunt for another one since. My BFF FaceTimed today to show me that while out with a friend, they found one for us!!!) :) :) :)
Week 32: (June 1- 7)
This week was busy, since it's when we moved 95% of all our stuff to the new house. Despite that, I still felt great for the most part! Moving was stressful, and awkward since I couldn't really help move or lift anything. I carried the lightest things possible and even then was often told to stop. So I sat on the side to "supervise" and it felt really weird! We were very thankful to have had so many people jump in to help us move that weekend! We got garage access to the new house when we did our final walkthrough a few days before closing. The sellers had already moved out and were nice enough to let us move our boxes into the garage because we had to be out of our house by June 7.
<3 Super sweet card from Kortney, with one of my fav Pooh Bear quotes.
Bee's growing!!! His hand this week is just about the size of a newborn's. Grow, baby, grow! <3
Our house in disarray... at this point ALL cabinets were emptied and whatever you see is pretty much all there was.
Just one small section of a wall of boxes in the new garage.
My BFF came to help move & also keep me company in between trips for the truck to grab the rest of the stuff. Love you!!
A sign I made at school one day for an after-school class our art teacher threw.
Week 33: (June 8- 14)
We officially bought our new house at the beginning of week 33!! Our 3rd home together and Bee's first (and hopefully our last for a lonnnng time!). This was a VERY BUSY week!! I was living with our friends, Amy & Mike, for the week (*THANK YOU GUYS SOOOO MUCH!!!*) while Scott finished up at the old house, stayed with me one night at their house, then got to work on first-hand things at the new house once we got the keys on June 8th.
Keys to the new place!! New home is ours!! :)
Us with our realtor after closing, our new home, and some sweet housewarming gifts from a neighbor (who ironically is one of my work friends!!) :) Love being in a new neighborhood that we already know is a good place to be!
Fresh paint in Bee's room by Aunt Amy & Uncle Mike! Thanks, guys!
We did a Jack & Jill family shower so that Scott, his closest friends, and the guys in our family could all be there. This naturally limited the number of people we were able to invite. I know I've offended some people along the way for not being able to include everyone and also not adding kids to the list for various reasons, but this is what we decided was best for us and we had to go with that, in addition to a max number of people allowed at the restaurant. It was a great day, a surreal experience, and we had a great time celebrating with family and "family". We are so thankful that so many people made it to support us and show love for Baby Bee! <3
Resting my feet at home, too.... and caught a glimpse of Bee's bump! <3
Week 34: (June 15- 21)
Week 34 was pretty much the end of school... just about. We ended on June 23, so it was the last full week of school during week 34. Other than my feet giving out on me with swelling and aches, I still felt great!! School was coming to an end, and even though my To-Do list seemed soooo long and stressful, I knew the end was near.
With one shower down, I was looking forward to another that was thrown by my coworkers at school. My teacher aide hosted it at her house and she put SO MUCH amazing effort into decorating and setting up her home to have 30ish people there. The turnout was amazing and I was blown away by the love and support from them. Bee is not just a Ricci baby, but also the Garrison School baby. My coworkers have known our struggle and many of them have prayed for us and supported us over the years so they felt/feel almost as equally excited about this miracle baby as we do. The fact that so many of them came (or tried to come) means the world to us. The 3 of us are all so lucky! Thanks to everyone who was part of it!! (Pics below)
The ADORABLE invite designed by some kickass coworkers. <3
My friend & coworker, who is also expecting!! <3 We've been through A LOT together over the last 4+ years, so it's so exciting to share a bit of pregnancy with her too and have 2 little babes born in the school family this year!! XOXO
A mom in my class is pregnant with her 3rd child, and due about 10 days before us. Hard to tell from the angle but she's alllll big belly with a super tiny frame. Adorable!! <3 :)
Baby shower gear being stored until Mama has time to sort through it!! Eeek!!
Scott & I put the crib together this week!!! Once he got the correct directions, it only took about 45 mins. Not bad!!!
The next project was putting together the new grill... a proud daddy moment with his new grill, a beer, and our new backyard.
We finally got to celebrate Father's Day!!!!!! You are incredibly amazing with Bee already and I can't wait to see you holding him... Just thinking about it makes my heart melt. Love you, Scooter! <3
Spontaneous Father's Day Brunch date
Update to baby's room... adding some deco along the way. :)
Week 35: (June 22- 28)
Eeek, 5 weeks to go?! How is this possible!!?
School ended this week (June 23) and I am now officially on summer break AND maternity leave!! I won't return to school until February... which feels far away but totally isn't!
At our OB appointment this week, our Dr. could tell that Bee is already head-down (good job, buddy!). She could tell just by feeling the outside of my stomach. My uterus is measuring up right on par, and weight has been stable too. I've been lucky enough to keep my weight gain in the 25-pound range so far but with my feel still constantly swollen, I'm beginning to retain some water and slowly add more each week I think. With so much to do at the house for the house & baby's room, it's still hard to stay off my feet but I'm trying when I can... either way, we are almost there!! I'm going to miss all the baby wiggles & movements but can't wait to hold him, snuggle him, and kiss his sweet face!
This week was busy, since it's when we moved 95% of all our stuff to the new house. Despite that, I still felt great for the most part! Moving was stressful, and awkward since I couldn't really help move or lift anything. I carried the lightest things possible and even then was often told to stop. So I sat on the side to "supervise" and it felt really weird! We were very thankful to have had so many people jump in to help us move that weekend! We got garage access to the new house when we did our final walkthrough a few days before closing. The sellers had already moved out and were nice enough to let us move our boxes into the garage because we had to be out of our house by June 7.
<3 Super sweet card from Kortney, with one of my fav Pooh Bear quotes.
Our last time relaxing on the porch in the old house. One thing I'll def miss about that house.
32 weeks!! :) Size of a squash!
Our house in disarray... at this point ALL cabinets were emptied and whatever you see is pretty much all there was.
Moving day!!
My BFF came to help move & also keep me company in between trips for the truck to grab the rest of the stuff. Love you!!
A sign I made at school one day for an after-school class our art teacher threw.
Week 33: (June 8- 14)
We officially bought our new house at the beginning of week 33!! Our 3rd home together and Bee's first (and hopefully our last for a lonnnng time!). This was a VERY BUSY week!! I was living with our friends, Amy & Mike, for the week (*THANK YOU GUYS SOOOO MUCH!!!*) while Scott finished up at the old house, stayed with me one night at their house, then got to work on first-hand things at the new house once we got the keys on June 8th.
Keys to the new place!! New home is ours!! :)
Us with our realtor after closing, our new home, and some sweet housewarming gifts from a neighbor (who ironically is one of my work friends!!) :) Love being in a new neighborhood that we already know is a good place to be!
New nails for our family baby shower.
At our shower, the last gift we opened was from my cousin, Jenn & her hubby, Chris. They carried in a handmade baby cradle (Chris's father made it) that was FILLED with handmade crochet blankets and animals... 4 years worth! Jenn crochets as a hobby and has been waiting and waiting for Baby Ricci's conception along with us. She's been making things and setting them aside for literally years. They live in Florida and all the pieces made a long trip up here for the shower. Thank you, so much!! These are all amazing!!! <3
It started to get hot again at school later that week, and putting my feet up is usually near-impossible when with 5-year-olds all day. But one day we had some down time and I asked a few kids to get me some ice packs from the nurse so I could put my feet up. They started to swell more and more from this week onward. ;)
Resting my feet at home, too.... and caught a glimpse of Bee's bump! <3
Week 34: (June 15- 21)
Week 34 was pretty much the end of school... just about. We ended on June 23, so it was the last full week of school during week 34. Other than my feet giving out on me with swelling and aches, I still felt great!! School was coming to an end, and even though my To-Do list seemed soooo long and stressful, I knew the end was near.
Growing bump :)
The ADORABLE invite designed by some kickass coworkers. <3
A mom in my class is pregnant with her 3rd child, and due about 10 days before us. Hard to tell from the angle but she's alllll big belly with a super tiny frame. Adorable!! <3 :)
Scott & I put the crib together this week!!! Once he got the correct directions, it only took about 45 mins. Not bad!!!
We finally got to celebrate Father's Day!!!!!! You are incredibly amazing with Bee already and I can't wait to see you holding him... Just thinking about it makes my heart melt. Love you, Scooter! <3
Update to baby's room... adding some deco along the way. :)
Week 35: (June 22- 28)
Eeek, 5 weeks to go?! How is this possible!!?
School ended this week (June 23) and I am now officially on summer break AND maternity leave!! I won't return to school until February... which feels far away but totally isn't!
At our OB appointment this week, our Dr. could tell that Bee is already head-down (good job, buddy!). She could tell just by feeling the outside of my stomach. My uterus is measuring up right on par, and weight has been stable too. I've been lucky enough to keep my weight gain in the 25-pound range so far but with my feel still constantly swollen, I'm beginning to retain some water and slowly add more each week I think. With so much to do at the house for the house & baby's room, it's still hard to stay off my feet but I'm trying when I can... either way, we are almost there!! I'm going to miss all the baby wiggles & movements but can't wait to hold him, snuggle him, and kiss his sweet face!
First official night of summer kicked off with a Mexican dinner date!! :)
Progress in the baby's room means Mama has a new place to sit and rock. I love our glider. The first time I sat in it, I got teary-eyed, picturing me sitting here holding our sweet baby boy soon. It also has a great view of sunsets from the window. <3
Sorry, I didn't edit/rotate this one before downloading, but we went to a childbirth class at the hospital this past weekend... I would be lying if I said it calmed me down. I left with new emotions and still having the same ones as before. Anxious, scared, terrified, nervous, excited, and not sure what to expect. Eeeek!!! We did get to tour the labor & delivery rooms though, and Scott knows where to park/bring me when we get there, so that's a plus!!
Back to house projects!! Scott installed some racks so I can hang baby clothes. :) My dad installed some blinds & curtain rods for me, too.
Next on my list was organizing the baby's dresser drawers in the best possible way. A few blogs I came across mentioned Skubb boxes from IKEA so I took a spontaneous trip there. My friend, Kim, was game to come along and she insisted on carrying everything to the car for me. It was too cute I couldn't pass up a pic. :) Thanks for coming along & for all the help!! <3
I couldn't resist these!!! My brother works for NASA, so these are super fitting!!
One month backwards from Baby's due date!!! EEEEK!! <3 :) :) :)
Big big belly. <3
I spent many hours organizing the baby's things IN his room yesterday. I sorted out the newborn/0-3 month clothes the other day, so it was time to take all tags off and wash, wash, wash it allll! Once I got all the clothes washed, dried, and put away, I did the same for all of his blankets, towels, sheets, etc. Anything & everything that needed to be washed was, and they all have homes in his room, too! Can I just say the smell of baby detergent is simply amazing!! It made me want to cry! Eek! <3 I guess this is nesting at its finest! Our baby boy is almost here!!
Sleepy pics at the end of week 35...
Crib progress!! SOOO cute!!! :) :)
I know nothing should be in the crib, but he isn't going to be sleeping in there for a bit anyway so I thought it would just be cute to leave these things for now. He'll be sleeping in our room for a while anyway and then when the time comes this will be emptied so its just him until he is muchhh older.
4 weeks to go, give or take... We are so anxiously excited to meet you, Baby Bee!! I cannot believe we made it this far!! It's STILL surreal. <3
Thank you all for the support and for sticking around despite my lag in posting time. Everything is fine, we just have had an insanely busy/stressful June. Now that I'm home, and that he's quickly approaching the due date, I plan to update more often. We'll see how that goes!! In the meantime, any prayers for a smooth ride are much appreciated!!!
XOXO,
Stace, Scott, & Baby Bee
#TeamRicci <3
