One Week Old

My ooberly talented friend Laura has done it again. (I don't know if "ooberly" is a word, but if it's not, it should be). Check out her website, Means A Lot, if you need pictures! Thank you for capturing my precious little Annie...

She is the best baby! I'm so lucky to be her Mom. Will is an excellent big brother and just loves her to pieces. Blessed. That is what we are.

Meet our Annie

Annie Kate Nicoll was born June 22, 2009 at 12:42PM. She weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and is 20 inches long. We still can't believe she's here. She is so sweet and we are so glad that she is perfect. Enjoy the pictures and I'll post more details of delivery when I get a few days under my belt. Thank you for all of the well wishes and help!!!

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.

It is 1:21AM and I am having contractions every 5 minutes right now (and have been for the last 3 1/2 hours). I'm still trying not to get too excited, but it's nice to know that if this is the real thing, that I'm prepared.

• My hospital bag is packed- complete with my iPod and my special playlist I made this morning.
• My oven, kitchen sink, and bathrooms are all spotless.
• Arrangements have been made for Will's care, and luckily no one important, like my Mom, is out of town (like they would be in about a week and a half!).
• I have purchased everything I could think of for baby: gas drops, Tylenol, nursing pads, diapers, a bubble sucker, Lansinoh, nursing cover, etc, etc.
• Her bassinet and changing table have been set up for a few weeks, just waiting for that teeny baby girl to cradle.

I really don't think I could be any more prepared... now I just have to pray that my doctor will be in town because he said that the 22nd is the only day he'd be gone. Just my luck, right? At this point, I couldn't care less. I just hope these contractions keep coming and I get to see my baby girl by this time tomorrow! It will also be nice to say goodbye to that belly that is pictured above.

I'll post when I know more! Send prayers our way, please.

Island Park 2009

We ended up going to Island Park, ID on an impromptu trip late Friday night. Being 37 1/2 weeks pregnant last Friday, I was complaining that I couldn't go with my family to my very favorite vacation spot. We were playing cards with the Grandparents and this is what transpired:

Dallas: Let's go to Island Park in the morning.
Me: Ha ha.
Dallas: Actually, let's get in the car and go tonight!
Me: Tell you what, if I win this card game then we'll leave tonight.

You also must know that I was behind in said game and we were on the last hand. Lo and behold, I drew the card I needed, went out and caught everyone in the process, making me the winner of the game!

We laughed.

Then we left Scooter with them, headed home, packed, and were on the road in 45 minutes. 5 hours later we were bunking down in my parents trailer at 3:30 AM for a weekend filled with rain, fishing, and animal sightseeing.

Even though I was sick, and uncomfortable, it was totally worth it! We saw a wolf in Yellowstone (which I have never seen before), a coyote hunting, and a grizzly bear up close floating down the river. Will loved "Old Fakeful" (as he calls it), as well as the stinky mud pots.

Was it kind of stupid to be so far away from my doctor when I'm so close to delivery? Yes, but it was just the trip we needed as a family before our little lady shows her face. And, hey, I'm still pregnant so obviously it wasn't a problem.

Here's some pics:

Because sometimes you have to give a shout out.

I'm one of those people that when they find something that they love, they have to tell everyone about it. So, here come some plugs for some very fabulous programs. Check 'em out. Or not. I don't really care. (This just gives me something to blog about to pass the time; that's the honest truth). Also, in all honesty, these programs have been truly life changing for Dallas and I over the past few months. So there you go.

1. DAVE RAMSEY. People. If you aren't on the Ramsey bandwagon, then you better jump on quick! The man is brilliant. I love his program because it is simple and it is nothing that you haven't heard before; he just gives you an easier way of applying it. Check out his book The Total Money Makeover and get going.

2. LOVE AND LOGIC. I love this parenting philosophy!!!! Yes, Will still has tantrums and hits and disobeys. So what is the difference? I'm not angry. And, I don't go to bed crying because I'm a bad mother anymore. (At least not more than once a month anyway). Click on the link to see more of what it is about and to find out about classes. This is for early childhood development, which is different than the other L&L courses that are taught. It has made a night and day difference in how Will behaves. He knows- if you disobey, you will face a consequence. We love it.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I'm more excited for this than I am for Christmas. August 14th, you can't come soon enough.

The Misadventures of William Bentley

There is a very adorable little boy that lives at my house. He makes me laugh sometimes. He is full of curiosity and excitement, but sometimes that curiosity gets the best of him...

Like when he ate bird poop while we were camping. It was big. It was gross. I'm pretty sure he learned his lesson considering he threw up immediately following the incident.

He also likes to fish. Lucky for us, fishing with a rock tied to the end of a fishing pole by his grandma, and fishing with a hook and a worm is equally exciting. In fact, I bet he could go fishing in the bathtub and still think he would catch a "huge shark". (Mental note, try this).

He has also been trying out some unsavory language as of late. The words "pee" and "poop" aren't used in our house. Will knows this, but he tries to sneak them in when we are goofing around to test the waters a little bit. He forgets that his dad is Dallas Nicoll and King of Manners- nothing gets by him.

He is curious about many things on his body. Today he informed me that his arms are covered in owies. After carefully inspecting his arms, I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Then it hits: he thinks the hairs on his arms are owies.

Will has finally decided that it is okay to sing, but only at times where he deems it appropriate. His favorite is The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Why? He knows I hate them and he thinks it's funny to like them. (He's already learning to torture me. What am I going to do when he's 15?!)

My favorite out of all of these is his curiosity about his baby sister. He will softly rub my belly and give it a hug. He'll talk about his baby sister and how he can't wait for her to come out. He's planning on giving her her special purple blanket at the hospital. He also loves to hear her heart beat at my doctor appointments; every time he hears it he gets a huge smile on his face. I just hope this sweetness continues when baby sister actually arrives.

I really love him... inspite of the spiders.

For those who are interested, here's a baby update:

I went to the doctor today for my 37 week appointment. Things are still great with a strong heartbeat and a growing baby, but nothing is really happening down there. I am 80% effaced and not quite a 1 yet. So, what it boils down to, is that this baby won't be coming for a few weeks. Maybe it will be a July baby after all....

Panic/Hysteria/Chaos

Me in this flowered shirt:


Plus a gigantic bumble bee such as this one:

Equals a nine-months-pregnant woman running around her front yard pouring water on herself to escape the sting that she was certain she would feel.

I assure you, it was extremely frightening.