Baby Showers

In October, we were thrown two baby showers, and although we didn’t get to "see the baby take a shower” (that’s what William thought a baby shower was), we had fun at both showers.

Highlights from each shower:

Ladoga – (1) Afterwards, we were able to fill half the closet with clothing and the other half with diapers! (2) Peyton, who is two years old, helped Maw announce the words for bingo – it was very cute. (3) Some of the ladies had trouble getting those pacifiers into the cup on the table, which was pretty funny.

Carlisle – (1) The baby shower was set in Seussland. I was completely blown away with Emmy’s creativity and artistic talent! Hand-drawn characters on onesies, Seuss-themed menu, Seuss diaper cake, and even green eggs and ham! (2) I had the chance to spend some time with family and friends we hadn’t seen since last Christmas! (3) We received two beautiful handmade blankets for Jonathan – a quilt from Mom with Horton as the theme and a blue, green and yellow blanket from Jenny.

Jon and I are continually reminded of just how blessed we are! Our family and friends have helped us prepare for this new adventure with gifts, advice, and prayer, and we are so grateful! Your generosity has inspired me to plan a baby shower for the clients at Servant’s Heart, the food pantry where I am a board member. The young mothers that come into the pantry for food, clothing, furniture and other necessities once a month have probably never been given a baby shower; they probably have never had new items for their children. Of course, they get baby formula and food from food stamps and similar programs, but do they have enough clothing, bibs, blankets, bottles, socks, coats, a safe car seat and crib, etc.? Probably not. And, Jon and I, who both have full time jobs, a house, two cars, and money in the bank, sit here with at least 20 blankets in the baby’s room, at least 20 washcloths, at least 15 bibs, and so on. So, while the baby showers were a blessing to prepare for our little one, it has inspired me to start a new program at the pantry to be a blessing to other new parents. I’m very excited!

We are having a baby boy!

So, the verdict is in. Looks like our little Bunny is a boy. Jonathan Lamoin Albright, III will be the next addition to our family. But, Jon and I have no idea what nickname we'll use. Jon and his Dad have just about every nickname associated with Jonathan. Jon has vetoed "Nathan", we both vetoed "Jo", and I'm not crazy about the middle name at all. Not a big fan of initials either, so we need some help with this. Offer suggestions if you have any!

Here are pictures from the ultrasound. He looks perfect. 8 to 10" crown to rump and 12 ounces. 143 beats/min. The technician had to chase him during the appt - he is very active. Oh, and his little feet were crossed during the ultrasound, which I thought was so cute. Emmy, Jon, and I had a wonderful bonding experience with our little guy on Friday!

Pumpkin's Garden

After we lost Pumpkin, Jon and I decided when spring came, we would build a memorial garden. After many drafts of the garden and several location ideas, we finally decided to put the garden in the front yard around our flowering dogwood tree. We decided on all white flowers, symbolizing innocence and purity. We also bought/constructed a bench for around the tree and purchased statues and things. We love how it turned out. Tons of thanks and love goes to Mom for helping create a very special place for us.

Welcome to our blog!

When Jon and I received the wonderful news that we were pregnant with Pumpkin, we decided that we wanted to start a family blog. We figured with two big families and lots of friends around the country, it would be a great way to keep everyone up-to-date on our family. However, when we lost the baby in January, we decided to hold off for a bit.

But a recent miracle has revived the idea. Jon and I are pregnant again - almost 11 weeks. Our little bunny is due 1/1/11, New Year's Day. We are happy to report that the baby is perfect - perfect size and perfect heartbeat. God is so amazing!

So, check back often for updates on us and our family! There is always so much going on around here. This weekend, Mom is coming to Indianapolis to help Jon and I build a memorial garden for Pumpkin. We'll have lots of pictures of the garden and dedication, so we'll post them early next week.

Love you all!