Nathan/Morgan Wedding Festivities

The whole weekend was really wonderful. Instead of writing a lot of specifics, I am just going to caption all of the pictures and it will hopefully provide an accurate portrayal of the outstanding weekend.
Connor in the carseat on the way to Hilton Head Island, SC. He was very happy to have me and my mom as company in the back seat!

It took us a little over 3 and a half hours to get there from Macon and he was either smiling or sleeping the whole way!

Once we got settled into our little condo (not the best place, but it was cheap and provided shelter...) I headed to a bridesmaids lunch that Kristin hosted for us. We all met up at Truffles Cafe for a great meal and a chance for all of us to get to know each other a little better.

Kristin had 6 bridesmaids. Starting on the back row of this picture: me, Tricia (Kristin's cousin, wedding reader, and cosmetologist extraordinaire), Stefanie Henderson, Kelly Hamilton (sister & matron of honor), Allie Schellhammer (growing up friend), Alex Nathan (sister), Jess Laux (cousin), and Sarah Morgan (new sister-in-law).

Because I am a moron and have zero sense of direction, Stefanie an I barely had any time between the lunch and the beginning of the rehearsal. It turns out we were very close, but drove up and down 248 for WAY too long. God bless GPS, I just wish I wasn't so dependent!

Anyway, I don't have any pictures from the rehearsal, but Allie was kind enough to send me a few. We were escorted by the same guy, Dave. It turns out we have a TON of things in common. We are both "Allison", we got engaged on the same day (Sweetest Day) 6 years ago (Kristin got married on Sweetest Day too!), our babies are 2 weeks apart, she was born in Fairview Park, Ohio and my father-in-law is the police chief there! They have also managed to move even more times in their 5 year marriage than we have...including an overseas move to England! Anyway, it was lots of fun getting to know the Schellhammers....Allie, Joel, & baby Cate!

The rehearsal dinner tasted fantastic. Our table was lots of fun. I think everyone had a good time because I'm surprised I wasn't hoarse the next day from a night of talking pretty loud in order to be heard. :) Maybe I should have taken that as a sign to shut up?? Following the dinner, other guests were invited to join in for dessert and drinks. We were joined by other college sorority sisters, Nikki, Kelly, Meg, and Meg(an) and their significant others. It is events like these that remind me how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends. It makes living so far away a lot more difficult, but I also appreciate friendships and the time that we do have together even more. Oh, and let me just say that Kristin looked smokin' hot. I don't know what kind of workout routine, facials, hair treatment, whatever she was doing, I've never seen her look more beautiful than she did the entire weekend!

Nikki, Kelly, Kristin, Me, Meg, Megan, Stefanie

The only downside to the social hour was that we couldn't have Kristin all to ourselves. Here we are toasting her upcoming marriage to Ryan! Cheers K!

After not drinking for about 11 months, I was such a lightweight. I think I had 3, maybe 4 glasses of wine and I was feeling no pain. I was happy that Brian made himself right at home and picked up with my friends and their husbands even after not seeing them for a few years. I am so thankful for my friends, but also that each of them have found wonderful men to make them happy. I really think it is rare to have a group that all gets along so well. We just have to make a big effort to all get together. Blair, we missed you....it wasn't as great because you weren't there!

Me and Kristin...of course Brian had to make one of his signature faces. I have one sans-Brian, but I just think it is funny. (K, I'll send you the normal one.)

The evening was a blast, but of course we had to be ship-shape for the Big Day! I took Connor by the clubhouse before we started getting dressed so Kristin could meet him! I didn't want him getting too close since her hair was already perfect!
Kristin's dress was absolutely gorgeous. It fit her perfectly (pictured with her sisters, Kelly and Alex getting her all zipped up). Tricia did an amazing job on her makeup too. Kristin's attention to detail even went into having paisley shaped rhinestone hair pieces at the back of her hair!




The picture of me and Allie, with Dave is from Allie (thanks) and lots of these others are from Kelly's Facebook page...thanks for letting me steal! I obviously didn't get to take any since I was standing with K!

First, the beautiful bride and her dad, Drew.

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Morgan!

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and the wind made Kristin's veil just float! All of the bridesmaids were very thankful for the coordinating green pashminas (sp?) that Kristin gave us as part of our gift because they helped warm us up after the ceremony. We only had chicken skin arms for a short time. :)

Kristin upholding tradition: something old=the green paisley ribbon that was wrapped around her bouquet and ours. something new=lots of stuff...dress, etc. something borrowed=she wore Kelly's veil from her wedding. something blue=ribbon in her wedding panties.....I better not post that picture...





As I mentioned before everything coordinated perfectly and fit within the green, brown and paisley theme. Even the cake had paisleys on it and the groom & groomsmen had green on green paisley ties! The program, dinner menu and even the font on the cake topper all matched. Even Kristin's mom's beautiful mother-of-the-bride dress was stunning and GREEN!




As expected, the reception was tons of fun. The sisters of Sigma Kappa that were in attendance serenaded Kristin (in Ryan's lap) with our rendition of "Today". I think we sounded pretty dang good, if I do say so myself. :)

Not to be outdone, the groomsmen had to let Kristin know "she'd lost that lovin' feelin". I snapped this picture toward the end of the song and I just love it.

The Crew. (minus Blair)

And they're off! CONGRATULATIONS!

Meanwhile......while we were having a good time with all the wedding stuff, our stud of a son was on his very first date with Cate! My mom and dad took care of both babies (Connor 8 weeks, Cate 10 weeks) during the reception. Thanks again for this big favor that allowed us to have a good time with other grown-ups! My mom and dad said they were both really good, but I don't think they will be opening a day care any time soon. :)

Catch-Up Post...Lots of Events & Pictures

Ok, I haven't posted in a long time and it is almost overwhelming how many pictures and events I need to include. I don't know if I should start from a few weeks ago and work my way to the present or just do it randomly.

Now that that has been said, I will just do some written updating. Connor and I came back to Ohio from Georgia yesterday. All three of us headed south last Thursday afternoon to attend my dear friend, Kristin's wedding in Hilton Head Island, SC. My mom and dad also went to the Island to babysit Connor so we could enjoy the festivities! The whole thing was a wonderful success. Kristin's attention to detail was/is absolutely amazing and it was a real treat to be a part of such a momentous occasion of her life. I got to see lots of good college friends and catch up. I love that good friends don't have to see each other all the time to pick up right where they left off! And as a bonus, we made new friends at the wedding too...Connor even had his first date! Cate Schellhammer is exactly 2 weeks older than him and they had a great time while their moms and dads were at Kristin and Ryan's reception!
I will do another post with all pictures from these wedding festivities....otherwise this one would be crazy long!

We drove back to Macon on Sunday morning and Grant and Carrie were there waiting for us! This was the first time the new aunt and uncle got to meet the little man and it was so fun getting to see them with him. Carrie started out hesitant (to feed him, etc.) and in about 30 seconds she looked like an old pro. I can't wait to be around them for an extended time at Christmas and by that time, Connor will get to meet Aunt Elisa, Uncle Christian and their new little boy that can come anytime now! Christmas should be lots of FUN!

Carrie was also a wonderful help with Connor and as photographer when we went to a baby shower for Julie Self. I was so lucky to happen to be in town for this event. Time was very limited, so we only got to stop by for a short time, but again, it was so great to catch up with childhood/high school friends. Julie looks absolutely amazing and she will welcome their little bundle of joy in about 5 weeks now. I absolutely love the picture I have of her with Connor. She is such a natural! I also got to see my good friend Ashley and meet her 6 month old, Shane for the first time! I still can't believe he has red hair, but what a cutie!

Meagin (Clark) Miller also came over and brought her new daugher, Baylee. She is about 3.5 weeks older than Connor and such a cutie! We didn't get to spend much time together, but it is always fun to be around someone that knows EXACTLY what you are going through! We did a little baby swap for this picture...me with Baylee and Meagin with Connor. :)

Brian had to fly back to Ohio on Sunday evening and Grant and Carrie were able to take him to the airport in Atlanta. Leave it to the Atlanta Airport to lose Brian's bag between there and Akron/Canton....no connections or anything. Ridiculous. He did get his bag the next day (delivered by a really rude guy), but still....what a pain. Of course we missed Brian/daddy, but this will allow us to stay in GA for a longer time at Christmas.

My mom was "sick" on Monday and Tuesday from school...hey, she would have been sick if she had gone to school! We had a fun time. I got to rest and relax quite a bit (YAY!). On Monday I got together with Aubrey and her daughter, Abigail and then we all went over to see Melissa and Ella. All of our parents are in the same neighborhood, so when we are lucky enough to be in town at the same time, meeting up is a blast. I know that Connor is still very little, but compared to his birth size, he is HUGE to me now. All of that was put into perspective when we got around Abigail (exactly 1 year older than Connor..14 months, and Ella - 18 months). They aren't even babies anymore....they are KIDS! What a hoot. I couldn't believe how Connor just laid on a little exercise mat at the Benson's and was entertained by the constant action of the girls. I feel bad because I really do think sometimes he just gets bored. Anyway, it was so cool to see my old friends and their babies too. I still feel like a kid myself, but being around all these fine people made me feel a little more like a grown-up. :)Abigail (14 months) • Connor (2 months) • Ella (18 months)

Tuesday we got Connor's Halloween pictures taken. I'll save those for a little later...probably a new Halloween post....get excited....he is celebrating as a skunk this year! (99¢ at Children's Place last February!) I've also realized how much easier it is to shop with Connor with another person. We didn't do much, just stops at Barnes & Noble, Baby Depot and ChiChesters, but I was much less stressed out having mom their with him too. I know I will get over it and he will grow out of some of it, but I just get so stressed out taking him anywhere for fear that he will enter into a fussy time that I can't control. (I have to scan them....then I'll post, I promise!)

The flight home last night wore me out. Of course when B was with us, he slept the entire time and didn't make a peep on the way south, but coming home our flight was delayed out of Atlanta (surprise surprise) and he was awake until the last 10 mintues of the flight! Pictures from Akron to Atlanta flight.....Connor's first plane ride! Of course I did not partake in the in-flight snack or beverage.....I was bouncing a baby around, swaying, leaning back and forth and trying to keep the kid entertained or fed the entire time. It is so hard because I couldn't stand up with him or lay him down or anything like that. If you have an "infant in arms" you are only allowed to sit on one side of the plane (extra gas mask) and not in an aisle seat. I guess I was successful in keeping him quiet because he only squealed..not screamed....about 3 times and the lady sitting directly in front of me confronted me at the baggage claim and said "wow, he slept the whole time, huh!"....WRONG, but at least no one else was disturbed. I am thankful that he was good for being awake and the pressure didn't bother him at all despite refusing to take a pacifier or drink anything during takeoff or landing!
(No pictures of the return flight..I was WAY too busy!)

Ok, so I still have pictures from Connor's first football game...Scott's Baldwin Wallace game a few weeks ago and some time we spent at the Nealon's. Leslie put him in his blue teddy bear suit
while all of this other clothes were being washed....she just couldn't resist. He seemed to really like it too because he was smiling up a storm!

I also have a TON of pictures of Connor with people for the first time...so I am going to put together either a big slide show or will just do an entire post of people meeting the little man. :)

I'm tired...time for bed. Connor is sleeping in his crib (instead of his bassinet) for the first time tonight so I am camping out in his room too. I have my sleeping bag set up on a memory foam pad, so I should be all cozy. Hopefully he does well! I'm hoping for 7 hours & 45 minutes straight..that would top the 7 hours & 30 minute record thus far.

The Grover Chair

Ok, let me start by offering a piece of advice.....order any and all furniture you need for the baby no later than 20 weeks into your pregnancy. I learned this the tough way, and we are STILL waiting for our swivel/glider/rocker and ottoman to come in.

So, 11 weeks and 1 day ago, I placed the order for the "Best Chair" that we picked out to use with Connor. It was a generous gift from Brian's parents and sister. We (okay, I) chose a nice light aqua color that will coordinate with our living room. Connor's nursery is small, so I thought it made more sense to invest that sort of money in piece that will be enjoyed by the whole family for years to come. Anyway, I knew that it probably wouldn't make it in before Connor was born, but the store told me 8 weeks...max. So, The week after C was born, I started calling to check on it. I was told that it was coming out of production on September 22 and would be shipped to the store warehouse, and then delivered to us. Well, this was after the 8 week point that they told me. The lady then informed me that they consider 8 weeks like 2 calendar months. Don't they realize they work with pregnant people all the time that definitely calculate anything to do with baby in WEEKS...not months. Anyway, for the past 2.5 weeks I've been calling just about every other day to get a status report on if they'd received the chair and when I could expect to get it. I don't always harass people like this, but the chair is WAY late and my back and stomach muscles could really use some relief. Connor has gained so much weight that air rocking is now tough!

Ok, getting to the point. This week I was told that the chair was arriving Monday evening and that it would be delivered to me on Thursday. Even this was a little disappointing because the owner of the store, Jim, originally told me I would get it the day after it arrived to them. But I digress. No one ever called me on Wednesday to set up a time for delivery. I thought this was a little fishy. Well, at 8:30 am yesterday I got a call from Jim. Our chair was not on the truck. He just found out when he got to work that day. It is backordered. How in the world is a made-to-order chair backordered?! And if something happened, why didn't anyone contact the store or ME over the last 11 weeks?! Apparently the company was out of our fabric....what the heck? I seriously couldn't believe it when he told me. I just said, "You've got to be kidding me." I'm sure when he got the note on his desk that said which chair was missing (of about 50 or so) he probably freaked out a little bit and then dreaded calling me....."it had to be the chair of the woman that has been calling every 2 days for a month...." Well, before I could get upset or react in any other desperate way, he said he was bringing me a chair. It wasn't our chair, but a "loaner" since he obviously knew how much we want/need it and have been waiting. He also said that our real chair would be here in 2 weeks....I'll believe it when I see it.

So, he brought us a "nice blue chair". It is nice, but it currently looks pretty funny in our living room. I've named it the "Grover" chair because it is blue and fuzzy. And Grover is on about half of Connor's diapers, so I thought it was appropriate. Toonces LOVES the chair and has tried to take it over as her own. I am still very very anxious to get ours (especially because we are getting an ottoman too), but I'm thankful to have a loaner, even though this is the first time the company has ever "loaned" furniture before.

Oh, and when he got here with the chair, he changed from his 2 week tune, to "the end of the month". I'll be sure to post a picture when it finally does get here. :)

This is our swatch: "wedgewood".

For the picture at the top: That pillow will match OUR chair, but is sure does clash with the Grover chair! I don't know if you can tell how fuzzy it is in this picture...think muppet. I'm sure it would be really cute in the right room....just not in ours. :)

First (Real) Photo Shoot

6 WEEKS OLD

I had a very tough time deciding which one I liked better between this one and the top one. Mrs. Jones made the blanket that he is nestled in to and my mom got him his "Connor" gown (look closely it is monogrammed in white).

We did NOT get this one, but his face cracks me up. It is like he is thinking "do I look like a feathers guy??? Where's the football?!"

I brightened the two pictures above up a little. They were dark at the studio. I did order some of the one directly above because it was a little brighter than the other, but I love his face in the first.

"Diaper shot" but we cropped the diaper out so you can't see it in the real one.

What a handsome little guy! We got this one in sepia.

A little grunter even when he was getting his picture taken!

One of my favorites.

We got the most of this one. I wish you could see his mouth, but I LOVE his pinky and his expression. I am so proud of how well he did!

Overall I am VERY pleased and would highly recommend Portrait Innovations. I got a TON of pictures (lots of really big ones) for an extremely reasonable amount of money. There were no sitting fees or charges to have them zoom in, etc. and I got the pictures in 10 minutes! Brian was coming back into town when we had these taken, but next time I will make sure I'm not there alone to have to make the difficult decision of narrowing all the pictures down!

Connor was absolutely amazing. I was VERY nervous that he would either be sleepy, fussy, hungry, not like the photographer....or SOMETHING, but he was a dream. He even slept in my arms while I looked through all the proofs (for an hour)!

Connor and I are so happy to have dad back home now so we can celebrate 6 great weeks!

Getting SO Big!

It has been a week since I posted anything. For those of you that check this on a regular basis looking for new stuff...sorry about that. I was going to wait until tomorrow for a new post because Connor is getting his 6 weeks pictures taken, but I've got a little time right now so I thought I'd take full advantage.

Here are a few pictures from the past week. There really isn't a whole lot to report other than the fact that Connor is NOT on a schedule and does not allow me to put him on one. He is consistently inconsistent when it comes to eating and sleeping. He did sleep for 5 hours straight 2 nights ago, but last night he was back to his 3 hour routine. People also think I'm kidding when I tell them how much the kid eats....I'm not kidding. He is quite capable of eating 6+ oz. at a time...that is a TON for a 6 week old. I'm hoping that now that he has caught up in the weight category that he'll slow down a little bit. I guess the advantage of his huge appetite is that my baby weight has pretty much flown off. I'm not quite back to my pre-pregnancy weight yet, but I have less than 10 lbs to go and almost all of my normal clothes fit! YAY!

Connor has been smiling a lot more, but he definitely smiles at Brian more than me. Dad=Fun. Mom=Food. I am happy to report that I'm the only one that has heard him laugh. He did it in his sleep, but I know it was a laugh because when I looked at him there was a little smile on his face. I have a great video of him smiling at Brian, but Brian told me not to put it on here. Although I very rarely directly disobey a request, I might just have to...it is just too cute and both sets of our parents have seen it and love it. I think that trumps Brian's request. Besides, it is easy to see what a great daddy Brian is and how much Connor adores him. (Oh, and I know he is a little chunk, but this video makes him look even fuller because Brian's holding him up by his arms, thus pushing up on those cheeks!)

Our street had their annual clam bake last weekend. I tried to support the Dawgs as much as I could (black and red shirts and a UGA burp cloth...Brian even put out our UGA flag out. Too bad the Bulldogs didn't show up until the second half versus Alabama....oh well.) The clam bake was a great time with an abundance of babies. There were 3 babies under the age of 10 weeks. I'm happy to say that Connor behaved very well and I think the fresh air and sling keeping him nice and close helped him sleep though most of the event. Here Brian is pictured with Ray and his 9 week daughter, Amelia.

Connor in his baby "straight jacket".

For those of you with little ones on the way, I really like the Halo Sleepsak Swaddle. It zips up the front and the swaddle has an easy option for arms in or out. Although Connor really likes to flail his arms around, the last few days the swaddle has kept him asleep for a little longer.

He was beat and found a comfy place on Dad's chest.

Cousin Erin finally got to meet the little man.

Look for his 6 week pictures to be posted soon.....as well as a few others that are still on the camera!