Christmas Traditions

This is our living room that still, after a year and a half of living here, does not have any furniture.

Please disregard the baby stuff in the corner.

Well it has been a while since I have posted anything. Life has been a little nutty with the Thanksgiving and such. Kevin's family is in Texas for the Holiday and since I am not allowed to travel anymore, Kevin and I celebrated Turkey Day here in Columbus with my mom's family. It was a nice, relaxing day with great food and good company. I am so very thankful for my wonderful family.

As for my pregnancy, nothing too exciting is happening. I am 34 weeks and feeling more and more uncomfortable each day. Sleeping is becoming quite a challenge and so is walking up and down the stairs without running out of breath. January 9th cannot come sooner!! Kevin and I have started to play "name that body part." Yesterday we saw her sweet foot come out of my tummy and sometimes she hikes her little bum in the air and just stays in that position. It's really funny and amazing to watch all at the same time! I am glad she is moving and groovin' around in there and hope she is more comfortable than I am!

Today we decided to start a Chan family tradition that we can continue when Addison arrives. We put up our tree and hung all the ornaments. This is something my family did every year after Thanksgiving. We listened to Christmas music and talked about the significance of each ornament we hung. I loved doing this as a child and hope that when Addison is old enough to remember, she will enjoy this tradition as much as I did. With that being said, I usually go all out with Christmas decorations, however because we will be very close to having a child around Christmas this year, we decided to keep it simple. We will have enough to keep us busy this holiday season. So I leave you now with pictures of our tree and also a question. With Addison arriving within weeks we want to start some unique Holiday traditions with her. What special traditions do you have with your loved ones?

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Couples Shower

This past weekend we had another shower for our sweet girl. This shower was held by all my mom's best friends. It was so nice to be around people who had influenced my mother's life so much. These women were such strong pillars of strength in my mom's life and now have taken on that role in mine and my sisters. We are so very blessed! Thank you Wendy, Jane, Tina, Robin, Ellen, and Lana. You have been so wonderful to my family and I can't begin to thank you enough for our shower. What a wonderful time!

Kevin and I were completely overwhelmed by the love and gifts that everyone brought for Addison. I guess trying not to spoil her is not working out so much and she is not even here yet!!

The food was delicious, the atmosphere was inviting and the people were so loving! Thank you everyone who came to celebrate the soon-to-be arrival of our little girl.

My sisters & I

Alyssa, myself (the marshmallow), and Kelly

The spread

The amazing hostesses

Feeling her kick!

Big Brother

As I came home from work today and opened the door to find my sweet dog greeting me as I walked through the garage, I realized that some of you may not know that Kevin and I have a dog named Titus. He is a black lab, German Shepard mix and just the sweetest dog you will meet. He looks very scary at first, however, inside he is just a big baby!

Titus will be 10 this March (gulp!) Kevin and I picked him up at the local animal shelter during the summer of my freshman year of college, and Kevin's sophomore year. He lived with Kevin at Miami for four and half years and was spoiled rotten and was loved by all who met him, including all of Kevin's roommates.

When we got married, Titus became the protector of the house and has been that way ever since. He is extremely sweet and kind with children, especially my nephews so I have no doubt in my mind he will be wonderful with Addison. Now, I know he will be VERY jealous but I also know he will love her and protect her just like he does for his mommy and daddy. Kevin and I love this dog very much and think he is going to be a great, loving, caring big brother.

Family & Friends Baby Shower

Family and Friends at my shower. Novemeber 8th, 2009.

The Spread.

Yesterday I had my first baby shower thrown by my sister's Kelly and Alyssa. We had such a great time and I was completely overwhelmed with all the wonderful gifts! I have so many amazing, caring people in my life and I am so thankful for all of them.

We had a great mix of loved one's attend the shower. My aunts, Kevin's aunts, my best friends, my mom's best friend, Kevin's mom, lots of family friends, and Addison's great grandma!! We played a couple of games - measure the belly and guess how many m & m's are in the baby bottle. The food was great and the weather was perfect! Addison is one loved little girl! I am so excited for her to get here so she can use all the awesome gifts that we got yesterday. When I got home from the shower and Kevin had to unload the car he was a bit taken aback by all the gifts, cards. and love we received for our baby girl.

Thank you again for all of you who came. It was so great seeing all of my family and friends together celebrating the upcoming debut of our daughter. Thank you also to my wonderful sisters. I honestly don't think I could get through this without the love of my amazing family! I love you both so much!!

Here is a picture of the beautful blanket my best friend Laura made for me. She made it before I was even pregnant! It is pefect and beautful and I can't wait to snuggle my baby up in it!

Gotta have some Buckeye gear!

My friend Carrie's baby girl Charley.

30 weeks & stockin' up!

I had my 30 week appointment last Wednesday and everything is looking good! Addison's heartbeat was a strong 140 however, it took my OB a while to pick it up because every time she put the doppler on my belly, Addison would kick it! She packs a mean punch that girl! I will now be going to the doctor every two weeks for a check up. I am still measuring a little ahead of schedule ( a week and a half) however, my OB said that really doesn't mean I will deliver early, it just means she is growing right on target.

I am starting to get more and more uncomfortable. I guess that is about right since I have a mere 30 extra pounds of baby/body weight attached to me. Getting up out of bed has become quite a chore and Kevin knows to put his hand on my back in the middle of the night to launch me out of bed so I can use the bathroom for the 20th time! I know all of this will be worth every minute this baby lives in my belly but there is a reason that men don't go through this - they just couldn't handle it! Although Kevin always tells me he would dominate pregnancy! Right!!

I made a little trip to Target last week for some diapers and wipes because they were on sale and I had coupons and I figured I would need them sooner or later. I bought both Huggies and Pampers brands because I am not sure which is better. If you have experience in the diaper field, I would appreciate your input. I also bought some baby lotion, Butt Paste (aka diaper rash cream) and some cute little pink shoes that I could not pass up. They were 3 bucks!

Gettin' Ready for Addie!

Kevin getting the last of the paint on the walls. He is such a gem!

Here at the Chan household we are slowly starting to get ready for our little girl. She will be making her debut into this world in 68 days! The weekends are when we paint, hang, shop, tape, etc, etc. So that is pretty much what we have been up to lately.

I really shouldn't take any credit for any of the work that has been done around here. I have been the person who has been barking orders (imagine that!) All the credit goes to my wonderful hubby and sisters Kelly and Alyssa. They have been constantly there for Kevin and I throughout this journey and I don't know what I would do without them. I am so lucky to have such great people in my life.

My sisters and I have always been close, but since our mom passed away, we have formed an extremely strong bond. They are truly my best friends and love spending time with them. I know that when Addison arrives, she will surrounded by so much love from her aunt's. My mom would be so proud to see the love her daughter's have for each other.

ADDISON'S NURSERY
We still have a lot to do in here but we thought we would get the essentials in now.
My good friend Courtney who is expecting her second baby will be making wooden letters to put above Addie's bed. She is so talented and I am very excited to see what she comes up with. Thanks again Court!

My sisters Alyssa and Kelly putting together the crib.