Maternity Photos

Mother Nature has not cooperated with this mother-to-be where maternity photos are concerned.
Jeff and I had planned an excursion to the Birmingham Botanical Garden several weeks ago, where we were to meet our photographers. The tulips are blooming at the Garden and we thought it would be a great place to take some pretty pictures. Well, we were rained out. I think even the meteorologists were surprised that weekend by how much rain fell. Instead of traipsing through muddy grass and soggy tulips, we decided to re-schedule.
This time, our photographers were able to stop at our house on a return trip from Nashville, saving us the drive to Birmingham. The good news is we didn't have to worry about rain. Instead, Jack Frost was our enemy. It was SO cold! We took the first batch at a playground for some childlike shots. None of us lasted very long but I guess we'll have some funny stories to tell Abby Kate about the day. We took some cute poses with a Scrabble board/tiles as well as with a Sesame Street book featuring the character, Abby. Jeff returned to work after about 30 minutes on the playground and I came home for another session in the nursery. I wanted to get some tummy shots and it was clearly not a good idea to go bare belly in 45-degree weather.
We got some REALLY great pictures here at the house. Our photographers have such a great eye for what makes a good photo and I can't wait for y'all to see them! I will post some on the blog when we get them.

2 Showers, 10 Loads and 5 Weeks

I've enjoyed 2 baby showers over the past 2 weeks.
I've washed 10 loads of laundry in the past 4 days.
I've got 5 weeks to go until Abby Kate arrives!
Pictures from both baby showers are posted on my other blog at www.julie-and-jeff.blogspot.com so be sure to check those out.
I'll have to snap some shots of Abby Kate's closet and drawers to show you all the stuff I've washed for her: clothes, burp cloths, blankets, washcloths, towels. It's been a busy few days!
We went to the doctor Friday for what turned out to be a very quick visit. Abby Kate is still head down. Her heart rate was 160. We start our weekly visits next Friday and the doctor will check to see if I'm dilated at all. That's what is really bringing this home for me... I still can't believe we are so close to having a little girl in our lives.