One More Day...

Sweet Santa Baby

I love my boy!
I am already proud of myself! 2 posts in 2 weeks! I am good!:) Well, this is the beginning of what is sure to be a crazy, busy week! Tomorrow morning is the day! We close at 9 a.m. and the painters and the cabinet glazing lady are coming right after that. Although I am still really nervous about moving to a new small town, I am equally excited to meet all of the new people that will enter our lives. The moving truck is coming Friday to pick up our stuff from storage and from my grandmother's house in Nashville. Unpacking boxes will be the activity of choice this weekend for sure! I will be sure to post pictures of the new house as soon as we get it at least half way together!
Ben is having a wonderful Christmas season so far! He is such a great shopper, so he loves this time of year! He is at his best behavior when we are out and about. When he doesn't act so hot is when we stay home all day! So, here is my plan for not shopping all of the time and spending too much money. I really want to get the shut-ins list from our future church, once we choose one, and go visit people who need visiting! I figure that Ben loves to be out and about, and I am sure people would love for a baby to visit instead of just boring middle aged people:) Just kidding. But, I really think it will be good for both Ben and me to do that a couple of times a week. We'll see how that goes!
I am posting a picture of Ben sitting on Santa's lap for the first time! We went downtown last Saturday, and White's camera shop had a great Santa! Ben did so great! He smiled right when he sat down, so the lady only had to take one picture! Not to brag, but she said it was the best picture she had taken all day! O.k., so I bragged a little.

The Moving Mania Begins!

Jumping is Ben's new favorite trick

The (hopefully) new house as of December 15th

Alright, well, admittedly I am the worst blogger ever to this point, but I really promise to get better and more consistent once we move and I get my desktop back! As the title to this blog says, we are FINALLY moving....or so I think, soon! Let me just give a run-down of the past few months since Ben was born! On August 4th, Ben came...then, the moving truck came to Jackson on 12th. Since we sold our house really quickly and didn't know where State Farm would take Brad, we decided to move our stuff into my grandmother's house in East Nashville. We lived there for about a week when we decided we would definitely be moving to Lawrenceburg to open Brad's agency. Brad started to travel to Lawrenceburg everyday for work, so weekends at Mom and Dad's house in Columbia turned in to week days until we finally decided it didn't make sense for Ben and me to stay in Nashville and Brad drive an hour and a half everyday. So...as many of you know, we have been living with Ken and Debbie for pretty much Ben's entire life thus far. Now, I am not complaining at all! I have decided that a lot of Mom's would be much happier if they had as much help as I have had the past few months. By the time Ben wakes up from his afternoon nap, he has 3 or 4 smiling faces waiting to hold him! Great for Ben, better for Mom!
We started looking for houses in Lawrenceburg the minute we found out we were moving there; we thought we would be able to find one right away, but of course, we were very wrong! We searched and probably drove our real estate agent crazy for the next 3 1/2 months. We found what we thought was our house once, but the lady wouldn't negotiate very well. Finally, Brad saw a sign in a yard one day while down for work; he called me, I came to look at it, and we decided to offer on it that day! It needed quite a bit of work, but we loved the street it was on. We got the contract on the house, the inspection went fine, we were ready to close last Wednesday. ..On Tuesday, the title company ran the check on the house, and it turns out that there were multiple tax leans on the house which meant, we couldn't close. When Brad called to tell me, I pretty much just laughed. Here's the good part though. A couple of weeks after we had written the contract on the other house that needed work (I was really hesitant about the amount of work and cash that had to go into this house), I saw another house for sale on the MLS site. I couldn't believe how perfect this house was, and I was so bummed that we had signed on the other before this one came on the market. So, when the title drama happened, I told Brad to check and see if the "perfect" house was still available, and it was!!! The next day, we drove to Lawrenceburg, looked at and loved the house, and wrote a new contract for that house! God definitely had his hand in the seemingly little situation because this house needs no work, has a perfect back yard for Millie, and it reminds us of our little house in Jackson! We couldn't be happier! Lord willing, we close Dec. 15th, and we can leave my parents with less noise, more food, and a much cleaner house! I know they will miss us as much as we will miss them though.
This is way too long of a blog post; I promise to blog more often and for a shorter length!

Where Did the Time Go?

Ben's favorite napping place:)

Daddy time! Love this picture!

Well, as my title states, I cannot believe that Ben is already 7 weeks old! He has his 2 month appointment next week, and I am not looking forward to the shots (I'm sure he isn't either!) I apologize to those of you who actually follow this blog because I have not been able to blog in a long time! We have been a little on the homeless side for since Ben's birth. I mean, we technically have a house in Nashville, but with Brad working in either Lawrenceburg or Spring Hill each day, it just makes more sense for us to stay in Columbia. That's right; we have been living at home with my parents for a couple of weeks! I never thought I would be saying that! My parents have been extremely gracious to allow us ( and a pooping, sometimes screaming baby) stay at their house. Brad and I have been a bit frustrated as of late looking for a house in Lawrenceburg! The prices are crazy; I thought we would be able to get a bigger house for a much smaller price than in Jackson...wrong! The houses are either inexpensive but need a ton of work, or they are way too expensive for the price. Although it is frustrating, I have been praying about it a lot, so I know the right house will come along. If anybody knows of anything available, please give us a call!

Enough about that, Ben is growing like crazy! I am not sure how much he weighs now, but we will let you know after his appointment next week! I am guessing about 14 pounds or so. I am hoping that we have come through the worst as far as his crying goes; he has been fussy but managable. I guess we know how to deal with it better, which makes it fine! We are also battling the baby acne...yuck! I knew to expect it, but it is so sad when your baby's face turns from soft and pale to bumpy and red overnight! He has had it for about 2 weeks, so hopefully, it will say goodbye before too long! Ben has really started to smile more now, which makes every tough moment well worth while! I'm sure all of the mothers reading this totally understand this. He is also sleeping pretty well at night; he wakes most of the time at 1 and 5 to eat, but that's not bad at all! I really do feel like we are getting to know his personality (fiesty, energetic, inquisitive, playful, independent), so everyday is more and more fun! Here is a brief list of things we have figured out that Ben either loves or dislikes:

Ben Loves to...

5.) Be put down anywhere that is warm and cozy when he is really upset. It's like he wants to soothe himself instead of having someone else do it for him!

4.) Have huge, blow-out diapers! He always gives his biggest, most mischeivious grins after that!

3.) Take naps laying against my chest (almost to the point where he cannot breathe)

2.) Sit in his vibrating seat and talk to the purple hippo hangy thing. He has discovered that he can hit it with his hand and make it move, and this makes him very proud.

1.) Smile at and sit with his daddy! I am sure Brad loves this!

Ben doesn't like...

5.) Just sitting around doing nothing; he likes to move around or be put down

4.) Bedtime, but he only has to have one big fit, and then he is out for the night

3.) Baths; well, he is getting better, but they still envoke a red, raging face each time.

2.)I hate to say this but so far, Ben does not do too well at church! We are working on that, and we figure the only way to get better is to keep going each time and get him used to it early!

1.) Being held when he is in the middle of a good meltdown! I learned my lesson early!

We are just loving being parents to this awesome little guy, and I still can't believe that he was in my belly just 7 weeks ago! God is wonderful and amazing!

So, We Had a Baby...

In the Recovery Room

Ben's stylin' do

His first picture...he looks so big!

Well, I guess it's about time I blogged about the fact that we had a precious baby boy August 4th! Needless to say, the past three weeks have been quite a busy blur, but I have loved every minute of it: the good, the bad, and the poopie. Ben arrived via c-section at 1:57 pm at Jackson General Hospital! Being as I am rarely sick and have never been a patient in the hospital, I had no idea what to expect going into surgery. I was remarkably calm all morning; we enjoyed hanging out with our parents, Beck and Nana too. My surgery got pushed back from 12 due to an emergency c-section, so we just waited and chatted. I finally went back to the pre-op room, and that is when I will have to say I began to get a little nervous. I wasn't nervous that anything would go wrong; I just couldn't believe that I was going into this little room and coming out with a baby! What an amazing, crazy thing. The spinal was not fun at all, but I guess that is to be expected. However, I had a great nurse and anaesthetist who took care of me the entire time and even made me laugh a lot! I can remember at one point while Dr. Pierce was going in to get Ben, someone mentioned that annoying Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight." I tossed in the fact that the song is from the "Risky Business" soundtrack. I guess I still have my random trivia skills even while doped up! Anyway, Brad and I talked today about how the moment Ben started crying was an out of body experience for both of us. They brought him around the curtain for me to see him, and I absolutely couldn't believe that he belonged to us and we helped make him! How incredible and beautiful that is. The nurses couldn't get over how big he was and how much dark hair he had! I couldn't believe it either; I never thought I would have a child with hair much less a head full of it! I wake up every day hoping that it has not fallen out:) The rest of the hospital stay was great! The staff of nurses and doctors were the best, and I must say the hospital treatment (i.e. friends visiting, gifts, ice chips/meds at the push of a button) was awesome, and some days, I miss having so many helping hands! The entire experience of the birth of our son was simply perfect, and he has already changed our lives in so many wonderful ways; we can only thank our Lord for sending us this precious gift. Thanks for all of the love, support, and prayers by all of you. I'll keep you updated on Ben's life!

Just Waiting...

The princess birthday girl!

Adam and Theresa's first dance!

Ready and waiting!

Ben's very temporary nursery

I have not been a very timely blogger lately, so I thought I would catch up on what has been going on lately! I have been doing a whole lot of cleaning, washing, sleeping, and more cleaning! Nesting is a remarkable thing; who knew a big pregnant lady could have so much energy! This past weekend, we were fortunate enough to be able to attend the wedding festivities of Adam and Theresa Warren! I know I had a wonderful time through the whole weekend (well, besides the 95 degree plantation tour on Saturday). The wedding was perfect and beautiful just like the two people being married! I thought for sure I could get Ben to hurry up a little by treating everyone to my beautiful, large self dancing all night! Brad and I have not danced in forever, so we really had a great time with Andy, Terrill, Chris, Sarah, Adam, Theresa, and Ashley! ( I'm not sure if I saw Ryan out there or not:)
Sunday, we all went to Sarah and Chris's house for Eva Grace's 3rd birthday party! I cannot believe she is already 3! Brad and I met right after she was born. I especially love the fact that Eva Grace wanted a broccoli cake! We gave her a "Water Baby" doll that is supposed to feel real when it is filled with water. Chris was not too happy with me because he said she will surely find the hole in the back and have it filled with coke before we know it! (Sorry Chris! You can pay us back soon enough!) We also got to spend some time with Brown, who is looking incredibly big and healthy! He is such a good baby.

Although the weekend was so much fun, I was absolutely exhausted on Monday! I could have slept all day, and I almost did! My 39 week appointment was at 1:30, so I pretty much slept until 11:30 or so. Dr. Pierce, as expected, said that I am not effaced or dilated at all although Ben's due date is Sunday! If he has not decided to come before Monday, we will do another ultrasound (that makes 4) in order to see how large he is. Last time, he was in the 68th percentile, which isn't too bad. My doctor doesn't induce unless the patient is already 3 or 4 centimeters dilated, so hopefully, we will make a plan based on the ultrasound. I have decided that I don't care how the baby comes out as long as he is healthy!!! Here's hoping for some contractions! (That sounds weird:)

Shower, Contract, Ultrasound, and Anniversary!

June 30, 2007

Baby shower at Josh and Cristen's beautiful house

Love my cake!

Ben at 35 weeks; his profile is to the left and his hand is in his face.

Brad and I are very excited to be celebrating two years of marital bliss tomorrow. It is so crazy how it seems like I have known and been married to Brad forever, but then again, it seems like only yesterday we met at Ashley and Ryan's Halloween party. (Thanks again, Ash). Since Brad is in Murfreesboro for his final week of State Farm agent training, I am going to join him tomorrow for the rest of the week; It should be a lot of fun! I am ready to meet these "fraternity brothers" (as I call them) friends of Brad's. Before I head to Mboro, I am planning on stopping by Spring Hill for a visit with sweet Brown and Eva Grace!

Great news but a little bitter-sweet too; we got a contract on our house on Saturday! This is really a blessing because we definately don't want to be making two house payments if Brad gets the call to go to where his new agency will be. So...I guess around the middle of August, we will be moving to my grandmothers house in East Nashville (she doesn't live there anymore). I am nervous but very excited for what the future holds. I can hardly think of the good friends I have made here in Jackson without getting sad, but I know they will stay in my life forever.

Speaking of my good friends, I was given another lovely baby shower on Saturday at one of my best friends Cristen's house. She planned everything perfectly, as she always does! She also made me the most precious handmade burp cloths ever! I had 9 hostesses for the day, and I appreciated all of their hard work; it was a great day!

Finally, I went for my big ultrasound appointment today, and I am glad to report that everything seems to be right on schedule! I got to see Ben's 10 little fingers and 10 little toes, his wonderful heart, and his sweet, sweet face (which looks just like Brad). I just can't wait to meet our little man. The doctor had originally thought he was huge, but he is around 6 and 1/2 lbs., which is in the 65th percentile for weight at this week of development (a little larger than average). Although several of my friends are taking the under on whether I'll deliver early or late, I still think he will stay in their for the entire time (or at least I hope since I bought a dress for Adam and Theresa's wedding today). It is definatly going to be a hectic rest of the summer and fall with new baby, moving, and resettling for a little while in Nashville. I'm just going to keep praying that God sends us where he wants us to be!

Here, There, and Everywhere

Adam and Theresa (soon to be) Warren

Ashley, Theresa, and my belly

The baby registry at Babies R Us

Baby Brown Nielsen

Well, it has definately been a busy couple of weeks. I have been meaning to update the blog, but you know how that goes sometimes! The picture above is of my favorite new little man, Brown. I was lucky enough to be able to be at the hospital in Williamson County when my sister-in-law, Sarah, gave birth to this precious boy! He weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs and 12 ounces! We enjoyed hanging out with Chris, Sarah, Andy, and Carrie Brown as we feasted on Bonefish Grill last Saturday night! What a great memory! On Mondy, Chris and Sarah had to take Brown to Vanderbilt to get a heart murmur checked out. It turns out that Brown has 3 out of 4 of the symptoms of a congenital heart defect called Tetrology of Fallot. He is going to have to recieve heart surgery hopefully at 6 months of age. I know they appreciate anyone and everyone praying on their and Brown's behalf. God is good, and he will take care of our precious nephew.

On a lighter note, the other picture is of the webpage for our Babies R Us registry. I had to put it up because I think it is hilarious that there are two other Emily Nielsens registered in the US. One of them is married to Chris Nielsen (Brad's brother), and the other is married to John Davidson (One of Brad's very best friends!) What are the odds! Jon is the one that found it which makes it even funnier that he was actually looking at our baby registry! I had to tease him a little about that one!

Changing topics again, this past Saturday, I hosted a golf scramble fundraiser for the Clarksburg golf team (of which I was the coach the past two years). The day went so great, and we were able to raise $1,150 dollars for the golf team to use next year! I had so much help, and it really turned out to be an awesome day! Saturday night and Sunday, we attended wedding showers for our wonderful cousin Adam and his beautiful bride Theresa! We love them so much and are thrilled about their upcoming marriage!

Finally, I went to the OB this morning, and I am happy to report that Ben's heartrate sounds great; my blood pressure/sugar/protein and all that other fun stuff are normal. The only thing is that I am 33 weeks pregnant, but I am measuring 37 weeks!!! Yikes! Either he is lying in a funny position, or Brad and I have a whopper on our hands! Since I weighed 9 lbs 12 oz and Brad weighed 9 lbs 15 oz, I am thinking he may be a little large! The doctor wants to do an ultrasound at my next visit, so please keep Ben in your prayers too that all is well with him!

The summer is going by so fast, and Ben will be here before I know it! I am looking forward to my showers in the next few weeks; I'll definately post pictures later!!!

Summer is Finally Here!

My baby shower at Clarksburg

Terrill and me at the beach

Our condo in Destin

Alright, so I know I have been a little lax in blogging the past couple of weeks, but I will definitely do better now that I am at home! The end of the school year came quickly, and it went smoothly, which was very nice! My wonderful friends at school (mainly MKat) held a precious baby shower for Brad and me, and we were just overwhelmed with all of the beautiful and useful baby items we received. I am starting to wonder how in the world we are ever going to fit more baby stuff into our house! I'm sure we will find a way.

Since the previous post, Brad has finished his training in Murfreesboro, and he is working with a State Farm agent here in Jackson. I think he is really enjoying it and learning a lot! We still can't wait to find out where in the world we are headed for his agency, but we know God has somewhere great planned for us. The annual Moores golf trip was last weekend, so Brad had an awesome time playing way too much golf with a great group of guys from Martin and elsewhere. While he played all this golf, I was fortunate enough to enjoy an entire relaxing week at the beach in Destin with Brad's parents, brother, and brother's girlfriend. Our condo was awesome; it was definitely nicer than anything I have stayed at the beach in. The elevator opened into our actual condo (of course, this required a pass key). Marie, Terrill, and I looked like a bunch of cavemen coming into the 21st century when the elevator door opened for the first time. We thought we were somewhere we were not supposed to be! We kept yelling, "hello," to make sure this was not someone else's place...very funny! Although it was supposed to monsoon all week long, and the weatherman said a tropical depression was in place for Destin, the rain cleared off on Sunday morning, and we didn't see any the rest of the week. I, of course, got too much sun the first day we were on the beach, so I had to sit with my upper body under the umbrella the rest of the week. Oh well!

Finally, I went to the doctor this morning, and he said that Ben is growing just like he is supposed to be! So am I! He also said that his head is down, which is very nice to hear considering he was breach at his 22 week ultrasound. I just enjoyed a healthy lunch at home, and Millie is about to get a bath after swimming in Peyton and Shelley's pond yesterday evening; I had no clue she loved water so much! Overall, the summer is off to a fantastic beginning, and I am looking forward to having Brad at home for a couple of months!

Here Goes Nothing...

So, it is starting to become a reality that we are going to be having a baby boy (Lord willing) in August. As this new reality sets in, I figure I better join the rest of the parenting world and start a family blog. It is hard to believe that Brad and I are even close to interesting enough to write about each week, but I know that we have friends/family who would really love to keep up with what is going on in our lives (especially when Ben arrives). Right now, Brad is finishing the majority of his State Farm training, and he is really excited about what the future holds for him there. His enthusiasm is contagious, so I am extremely happy for him! Me, I'm just ready to get "nested" before baby Ben arrives in August. Wherever that is, I am sure that God has great plans for us there. I am finishing up my last two weeks of teaching at Clarksburg, and I have mixed emotions: excitement for what is ahead but a tinge of sadness for the wonderful students and teachers I am leaving behind. Leaving a school is one of the hardest things; it is like leaving family. However, I am definitely going to focus on the amazing things going on in our lives right now instead. We were blessed to be able to spend this past weekend with two of our favorite people...our mothers. First, we went to Terrill's graduation party in Martin (congrats, Terrill). I, of course, had the best time holding Sullivan, our baby cousin. Saturday, we drove to Columbia where I spent the day registering for baby gifts at Itty Bitty, the cutest baby store ever! My mom kept steering me away from the 0-3 month clothing because she thinks Ben will come out already bigger than that...we'll see! I just hope he can't jump right into those p.j.'s that uncle Karl gave him. Sunday was filled with listening to a wonderful sermon on the virtuous woman entitled "More than Rubies" at Graymere church. I must say that when the preacher read the first part of the verse in Proverbs 31, "A wife of noble character, who can find?" I heard Brad utter a little "Amen." Another verse claims that "her lamp does not go out at night;" he said he must have found one with a short wick! What an adoring husband I have! When we got back to Mom and Dad's, however, there was a card on the desk that said "My Ruby," so he must love me a little after all! Sunday wouldn't be Sunday without naps in dueling recliners and lots of golf watching (so glad Tiger didn't do anything). Overall, we had a relaxing weekend with some of our favorite people. Above is a picture of my first Mother's Day! Well, Millie is giving me sad-eyes from the floor right now, so I'd better do her bidding! I look forward to sharing our, sure to be, adventures in parenthood soon!