Rowan's comin' on up!

This past weekend was overwhelming. Our dear friends threw us an epic celebration which involved much food, beverage, the most beautiful cake ever, an industrial-sized bouncy house and gifts galore. (I love that military folk usually throw "family friendly" celebrations, as our husbands are never home and we need to GET OUT! of the house.)

And meet the heroes of the day:

Dulane is obvs on the left.  She is the most easy going military wife that I've ever met and she's always down for a girls night.  She co-hosted Rowan's shower and is 10 weeks pregnant to boot.  She's a trooper alright. I would do just about anything for this broad.

In the middle is Andrea- her hubs and Justin became entirely too close on their last deployment and when she and I hit it off...I mean we HIT. IT. OFF.  She's about as blunt as I am.  I love her and she took on planning Rowan's shower on top of working 50+ hour weeks and raising a 2 and 18 year old. 

On the right is my Julie.  She took me on as a friend during the roughest patch of my life last year and we keep each other planted in this God-forsaken town with our love of the beach, online shopping and fashion.  Her hubs is also gone all of the friggin' time and she managed to co-host this shindig with 4 year old twins and 2 year old in tow.

And here...is my cake:

Isn't it perfect?!?!  It matches Rowan's bedding- old-fashion nursery rhymes. 

And finally, the nursery.  Gay and Johnnie slaved away and here it is: (sans curtains, pics and decorations)

And one more for the road, me at 34 weeks. I'm officially getting "puffy" (as is well-shown in the pic)  and feeling exhausted by noon every day.  You know it's bad when I feel accomplished if:

1. Hans makes it out of his pajamas

2. The pooches get fed

3. We don't run out of toilet paper

4. The trash gets taken out on Thursday

(look at my hunka hunka hubs.  He didn't gain any sympathy weight during this pregnancy and is as buff as ever.  I don't know how he has resisted the load of crap I have in the pantry.)

Slooooooooow down

In the last few weeks I've begun nesting.  Really I've just been throwing away a mass of good quality items without remorse or even considering hauling it to Goodwill. And Justin gets real mad when I don't haul said quality items to Goodwill...so I've been nesting while he's at work. teehee. We have too much stuff in this crackerbox!

Last weekend we took our final roadtrip before Rowan's arrival to Ruidoso with friends.  It was relaxing and grand in that I didn't have to cook dinner every night. We (Justin) took Hans tubing at Winter Park and I got plenty of girl time in between chasing and putting 5 rugrats in time-out.  Sometimes I'm so thankful that God put me in a military lifestyle- I've made dear friends of all personalities and histories. We have a common bond and help each other out in ways "regular" women just don't get.  And although at times I wish I could live in the same city forever, down the road from Grandma and Grandpa and all of my old friends, I'm on an adventure that forces me to branch out, examine myself and open up to new opportunities and people.  And it has changed me for the better, thank the Lord for that.

On the Rowan homefront, I had a check-up a few days ago.  Turns out "things" are progressing and I am to start weekly visits from now on.  My midwife thinks that I'll deliver by 37-38 weeks...that's mid April aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!  When I called Justin and told him that my cervix is beginning to thin he said, "Oh boy. I think my cervix just thinned out a little bit."
What a clownshow. 
So I still have nothing done in the nursery.  Enter Gay and Johnnie.  They'll be here thru the weekend, Johnnie will start painting and Gay will start sewing.  And everything will be okay.  Because there's not much Gay can't do.  And I'm helpless, even still at 33, without Gay. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. Cuz I just did.