30 Down... 10 to Go

So today marks 30 weeks! Kaleb is 3/4 of the way ready to enter the world! I'm not so positive Scott and I are 3/4 of the way ready, but it's coming fast so I guess we'd better get on the ball! And the really scary thing is, they call it full term if you have a 36 week baby... so in reality we COULD have him here as soon as that! I keep reminding him that he's better off in my tummy for the next 2 1/2 months though... so hopefully he listens!

Scott was a good daddy and put the stroller and car seat set together! I think Bekah was a little perturbed at the easy time Phillp had getting it down the steps. If you recall her blog, it took her quite a bit of effort to get the 50 lb. box up two flights of stairs by herself. Phillip used a dolly to get it back down! So at least now we can bring Kaleb home... even if we still have a ton of stuff here that we'll need once he gets home!

Scott had a dream about Kaleb last night. I'll try to have him come on and tell you more later, but apparently we are going to have a prodigy child who can walk as soon as he's born! Scott said he looked at the infant and said "Come here boy"... and Kaleb got up and walked across the room! I his dream Kaleb had dark hair! I think that's the biggest curiosity going around out there... dark hair like daddy or red hair like mommy!?!?

Guess we'll know soon enough... 10 more weeks and we should have a Kaleb!

As promised... reluctantly

So I promised some pictures... and I'm trying to deliver. Here is a random assortment of pics from the current state of the nursery to the much requested pregnant Sarah pics. Enjoy... and try not to make too much fun of the growing mommy!

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The first thing you'll see here is Daddy Griffin putting together the crib! He did marvelous job, although for some reason he wouldn't let me help. Something about me not reading the instructions?!?! I don't know what he's talking about...

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Next up we have a few pictures from the doctors office... one as we eagerly await the ultra-sound to tell us we are having a little boy, and the other of the actual thing.

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Next we have, which for those of you who are out of town have been highly anticipated, the pregnant Sarah pics. These are from our beach trip last weekend. It is becoming glaringly obvious that I'm pregant! But I guess at 7 months its supposed to be that way! I feel like I've grown even more since then... and the strech marks on my tummy would tend to agree! Oh well... at least it's something to break up the albino whiteness!

Try no to let the shark scare you or my whiteness blind you. These are indeed dangerous pictures!

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These are the nursery pics. It still has a ways to go, but it is at least looking like a baby's room now! The color on the walls may not seem like much, but just remember they started out baby pink... yuck! I love pink... but not on the walls and not in my baby BOY's room! Scott didn't want any of that either! So here is the start of what is soon to be Kaleb's room! Still gonna work on decorating... but if you notice there is room for Nana to sleep when she comes to help me figure out what in the world to do with a baby... and for Aunt Bekah to sleep when she comes to inevitably spoil my child senseless! She's already started and he's not even born yet!

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And last, but certainly not least... I'd like you to know that there are moments in time when I have the stark realization that in about 2 months.... I'M GONNA HAVE TWO OF THESE! A grown up one (as seen below, yes I know it seems a rather loose interpretation of the phrase 'grown up') and a little clone! Lord help me! (Lucky girl I guess!)

My husband is the best!

Did any of you ever watch that painter guy on TV... you know the one... he was a white guy with an afro, painted pretty little trees, and I'm pretty sure was on drugs? I think his name was Bob, and my grandpa always watched him! He always made it look so easy. I mean if one of his trees looked lonely he'd just paint it a friend with one simple brush stroke and call it a day! I'm jealous. All I was trying to do was paint a big flat surface one color! Forget giving my tree a little buddy to hang out with!

Scott and I started painting the nursery today. Scott finished by himself. Turns out I am NOT a good painter, and on top of that pregnancy does not lend itself well to getting up and down off the floor, reaching the top of the wall without getting paint all over your tummy, or skipping lunch. Thankfully Scott came to the rescue. He's been working himself to death in there! The room is gonna look good though! I'm excited to have it ready. Once it's done I'll post pictures so you can all see the blood sweat and tears that we put into it (yes, I know that it may sound bad for me to say 'we' when Scott did most of the work, but most of those other 3 things came from me).

Playing Catch Up

Wow... It's been a while since I've been here, so we have a little catching up to do. Hmm... where to start-

Scott and I went to the beach this past weekend... and had so much fun. I told Scott it would be our last vacation just the two of us. He said I was wrong, that it was the first vacation we'd have as the three of us. We settled on two and a half! It was nice to spend a little time away, however brief the time.

Before we left, I decided that I needed a maternity bathing suit. Well, here's the thing. There are just some things that should not be made that big... for example real bikinis or bathing suit tops that are cut down to your ever expanding belly. Really... no one wants to see that! So, with momma's help, I settled on a granny suit that made me look somewhat like a beached albino whale. I still claim I looked better as a beached albino whale than the girl we saw on the beach who was clearly very pregnant and in the bathing suit that was probably too small for her 8 months ago. Also... while we're talking crazy maternity clothes... what's with the tops that require a strapless bra? That's uncomfortable period... more or less when you're 7 months pregnant!

Before we left I had to go back to the doctor, something that is now happening more and more frequently. I was a little nervous about this trip, because it was the scary one that determined if I got any more chocolate ice cream and sweet tea for the next 3 months... that's right... I had to drink the sweet stuff! Everyone had me all freaked out about it. I was pretty sure it was going to be a solid that I had to chew after listening to everyone elses horror stories! Turns out it wasn't half bad. Just tasted like someone had forgotten that they had already sweetened the cool-aid, so they added a little more sugar just to be on the safe side! Scott tasted a drop or two... he didn't seem to mind it either! Anyway... on to the good news... Sweet Tea is still okay for Sarah! I passed the glucose tolerance test with flying colors... despite the obstacles it took me to get there:

1) My Scott decided to be a sweetie and bring me breakfast that morning... a biscuit and orange juice. I was so excited I almost drank that juice, until we remember that orange juice is the one thing I was told not to have or I would most definitely fail the test. Scott got two glasses of orange juice that morning and I had water.

2) Scott Gunnett decided to be a sweetie and bring everyone Sandra's Bakery Donuts to school. So yummy... so not an option on the day you're trying to prove you should be able to eat them for the next 3 months!

Anyway... despite all of that, I passed!

I gained 3 more pounds this month... which seems to be a good thing. In the weeks to come I think it'll continue to increase! By the time Kaleb gets here I'll probably be a Sarah of mammoth proportions. My plan is to get on the Wii Fit just before my due date. I've been boycotting it for a while now because it keeps telling me to stop gaining weight. (I still claim the makers are idiots... who doesn't put a pregnant button on there!) So I plan on hopping on just before Kaleb's arrival... and then again when I get home from the hospital. Take that Wii Fit... I lost 15 lbs overnight!

Since I'm rambling, I'll come to a close. I would like to say that I finally have some pictures of Kaleb (which are now about 2 months old) which I'll have Scott put up here soon. Hopefully I'll be back sooner next time-

Sarah

Babies R Us

Despite the fact that this post will be signed by Kaleb's mother at the bottom... do not be fooled... this is in fact his Aunt Bekah. I love that by the way, I never thought Sarah would turn me into an Aunt Bekah.... so thanks Sarah and Scott :)

On to the real reason that Sarah decided to ask me to blog on her behalf today... Babies R Us.

For the time being, I live in Durham, approximately 1/2 mile from the store. So when Sarah got a 15% off coupon for the "Chicco Travel System" that her own personal car seat professional (AKA me) recommended... I of course offered to go make the purchase for her since I live nearby and was off of work today.

So, I got to Babies R Us, coupons in hand and headed straight towards the car seat aisle. I found the one she wanted (Chicco Discovery, green and grey, very nice and of course not at all "cute" else Scott would not approve). Once I found it, of course it was on the top shelf and short little me can not reach the box. So I asked a sales associate for help. Then I waited.... and waited.... and waited. No tall male associate, nor female with a ladder showed up. I tried to climb on the edge of the lowest shelf, but it was too far back and way too heavy... so I was at the mercy of the Babies R Us sales associate who was apparently so busy they didn't hear the literal 7 pages overhead of "Help is needed in the car seat aisle." Great.

Finally, literally about 15 minutes later, some man shows up, got me the car seat, placed it in the cart and I was on my way. I used the coupon, got the discount, purchased the seat... then began to wonder how in the world I'm going to get that huge box in my car by myself.... hmm... would have been a good time for Phillip to be off of work to help... no such luck.

I realize this is a long story... but you have to picture this all happening... to me... ok now you understand. So... purchase had been made, I rolled the cart out of the store towards my car. I left the cart on the sidewalk, apparently a bit to close to the curb (you'll find out why in a second...) and put a few of my other purchases in my trunk.

As I turned around to walk to get the car seat/stroller combo out of the shopping cart, I saw that one of the sales associates had followed me out, to help me put the huge box in my car. That was nice of them... it was just about 2 minutes too late.

Just as she was saying "Ma'am, do you need some help with that.... ohhh..." Crap.

BANG.

The shopping cart and the huge car seat/stroller combo box (which by the way comes up to my waist and weights over 50lbs.), TIPPED OVER... fell OFF THE CURB... and nearly hit the car next to mine. Missed it by about a foot. So now the box was dented, and Rebekah nearly peed on herself of fear of having to explain to the pregnant lady inside why her car had a huge dent in it... whew. Close call.

SO. To make an even longer story short(er).... the sales associate and myself somehow managed to get the shopping cart and the massive box back upright, off the pavement, and into my car. It took about 15 minutes, with me on one side of the car pulling and she on the other side pushing to get it in my back seat. It fit.... BARELY.

I was done.... or so I thought. Then I started to think, holy cow I live on the 3RD FLOOR of my apartment building! Again, Phillip is at work... no man friend to help me out. Dang.

I could have left it in my car, but lets face it I work at Duke which is strategically located right by the ghetto, and I wouldn't put it past someone to break into my car to steal this $300 carseat/stroller combo (though I would love to see them try to quickly get it out of the car after all of the trouble we had getting it IN the car!). So I decided it had to come out. I will spare the details.... I got the box up to the 3rd floor after about 20 minutes and a lot of sweat. Got my workout for the day... for real.

In the end... the box is battered and bruised, and so is Aunt Bekah. Hopefully the car seat/stroller inside the box survived.

It was worth it though... now when I steal little Kaleb for the day, I will have a car seat to put him in and a stroller to use to push him around :)

You are welcome Sarah and Scott!

Kalsam

So Scott has shared with you that we named our little boy... Kaleb! He also mentioned that it came with MUCH deliberation on the part of both mommy and daddy. What he did not share with you was his last ditch effort to NOT decide on a name...

Ever since we narrowed the names down I've been calling our little one to be Kaleb/Samuel or Sam/Kaleb. I guess I thought if we said the names out loud enough it would eventually make one of them start to feel right. Well with Scott working the opposite shift that I am right now (no fun, by the way) a lot of our conversations have been via text message. Scott's text version of using both names has evolved into "KalSam".

For some unknown (and regrettable) reason I woke up at 4:30 this morning... wide awake. So by 5 Scott and I were texting... he at work, waiting on 6:00... and myself in bed, unable to sleep. In what I can only hope was delirium... Scott begins to claim that there is no reason to choose a name at all... we can just stick to 'Kalsam'. I know what you're thinking... but it gets worse!

Scott claims this would be a perfect name because it has a 2 fold advantage: 1) We don't actually have to make a decision, and 2) It will remind me to take my calcium... since Kalsam sounds kinda like calcium.

Within a few more minutes we made a real decision... and it was remarkably simple once we actually got to that point. Turns out we were both kind of leaning towards Kaleb! Since the Scott was decided... we were done. We had finished what has turned out to be (so far) the hardest decision regarding our child.

Don't bust my bubble... I know there are plenty more hard decisions to come. Right now I'm just reveling in the fact that we've made this one. Kaleb Scott Griffin is on the way! Tomorrow marks 27 weeks... just 3 more months until he's due to make his appearance!

Kaleb's Mom

the father speaks again, despite that this says posted by Sarah Griffin at the bottom....its not her, its me ksg2

So it seems than in my indecisiveness I and my just-as-indecisive wife settled on the same name.

This came with great weight and fervor on both our parts as we slowly tried to eliminate those undesirable nomenclatures from our soon to be's A-list. I, nick named rooster as a child, was decimated to find that yet another choice I had suggested "chickenfoot" had been stolen from under my very nose by Sammy Hagar's new ensemble band. While Sarah, the red head to whom I am married, who carries yon son inside her mommy tummy, also suffered greatly when she realized that Michael Bay would receive royalty checks from us if we named the child Optimus Prime, as well. We continued to deliberate.....

And it continued onward as people began to freak out and threaten legal action against us for child abuse, and psychological assault, if we did not soon come to settle upon a name to refer to the previously mentioned, yet-to-be-born-man-child that we successfully endeavored to create.

So like the solving of the Rubik's cube, the colors aligned (or stars for those more astronomically inclined) and just this morning we decided what the chosen one's chosen name would be, as we passed on the Griffin Matrix of Life to a new generation.

And so as the oceans touch all the land on the earth, just as our baby will touch so many things that will freak his mother out and prompt the response: "No, Kaleb!!!don't touch that its icky and I'm trying to change your diaper..... EWWWWWW! honey.... come at once and change your son he just peed on me!" Or..."Kaleb Scott Griffin, you stop launching that cat from a homemade catapult you and your dad made!!!"

Ahh the joys to come of being a father........

ksg2

I gave in...

I have been asked more times that I can count if Scott and I have registered for the baby.  And my answer was... NO... what would I register for?  I don't know anything about baby stuff.  Other mom's are supposed to just know what I'm gonna need instinctively and help me out!

I have decided, though, that if it is helpful to other people, I'll try.  I've registered at Target.  It's kind of a muddled mess, because as I said... I have no clue what to choose.  Oh well... I did the best I could.  With a little help from friends and family, I've hopefully covered most basis and can now answer... YES, I am registered!