Coffee Date Friday: Babies Everywhere!

Helloooooo my friends! I don't know about you, but I'm in need of a little coffee on this lovely Friday morning (via Rags to Stitches). And I treated myself to Starbucks' new winter latte, Caramel Flan, earlier this week. So. If we were meeting for coffee, and it were up to me, we'd meet at our  local 'Bucks and spoil ourselves with one of those mugs o' happiness. And then, I would share the following about little ol' me: 

...That if this chapter of my life had a title it would definitely be called, "Babies, Babies, Everywhere!" Obviously, anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I am 25 weeks pregnant (today!) with Little Lu #3. I mentioned last week that 6 of the 8 women in our Bible Study couples group are/were pregnant. My brother and sister-in-law are pregnant with their first, who is expected to arrive any time over the next two weeks. One of my very best friends welcomed her second baby on New Year's Day. One of my closest Fort Mill friends is due with her third child three months after me. My next door neighbor gave birth to her third baby a week ago. There will (hopefully) be more big time baby news coming very, very soon for several people I love dearly. And I swear, every time I check Facebook or Instagram, there is a new pregnancy announcement. So, so awesome!!! Pass the bottles, bibs, and Boppys!

...That, speaking of babies, my hub is off to my brother's "Man Shower" in Charleston for the weekend, a family tradition where the father-to-be is treated to a weekend of golf, gifts, and going out on the town by his closest family and friends. Meanwhile, my Momma and I will be holding things down here in Fort Mill for the weekend. I sure am glad she's coming! It is slowly getting harder and harder to keep up with my duo as my belly expands. Plus, it's always nice to have my Momma's company (and her yummy casseroles). :)

...That I had one of those afternoons earlier this week. You know the ones. I decided to do a picnic lunch outside for my littles. Only, the second I opened the door, our dog took it as the perfect opportunity to escape. And then he disappeared. I put the kids in the backyard so I could look for him in the front yard. Not 30 seconds later, I heard crying, only to find Raleigh covered in mud with a mouth full of blood after stumbling on the swing set. I cleaned her up and loaded the kids in the car to go searching for our dog. Only to see him come happily traipsing down the road and back into our yard the second I get them buckled in. Back  out of the car and into the backyard we go for our picnic. Only, my son chooses that exact moment to need to go poop. So. Inside we all trek for the bathroom break. Followed immediately by heading back outside to finally have our picnic and playtime. At which point, Raleigh suddenly tripped over her own feet and became upset when she got even more mud on her pants than before. Yep. One of those afternoons. At least these sweet faces helped me push through after all the chaos and craziness:

...That we resumed our weekly playdate group with our Fort Mill/Charlotte friends this week, and it was so good to see familiar faces (of both the momma and child variety), catch up, get out of the house, and play, play, play. We're already looking forward to next week! Although our playdate ended abruptly when another child at the facility suddenly threw up in the middle of the room (ewww!!), it was fun while it lasted. :)

...That I made some great progress with several DIY projects for Raleigh's big girl room last weekend, and I'm really happy with how things are turning out so far. And.....her big girl bed arrived yesterday! Every since I found out I was pregnant with a little girl, I knew I wanted her big girl bed to be the Jenny Lind bed from Land of Nod. I love the Southern, antique feel of it and love it even more in person! I figure that this is a bed that can grow with her and the room transformations that will certainly come as she grows and contributes her own tastes and preferences to her room. Actually, I have seen so many pins on Pinterest with the Jenny Lind bed painted all different fun, bright colors, and I envision that one day we'll be doing that to Raleigh's bed when she hits the teenage years--maybe a bright red with yellow accents in the room or a lavender hue with grey walls? It'll be up to her! For now, though, we went with the basic white bed, and I love it! Last night was her first night in her bed and...success! Now, we'll see how nap time goes today...

...That we were (finally!) able to spend several afternoons outside this week after the sun showed her beautiful face and warmed the air around us. We kicked soccer balls, threw footballs, swung on swings, drew with sidewalk chalk, rode bikes, flew down the slide, and stared in awe as the school bus dropped off the older kids from school. Is it bad I'm already ready for Spring? I have a feeling we still have several cooooold months ahead of us, and possibly a late winter snow shower (?!), before permanent warm temps arrive. 

...That I will have some big news coming to next week's coffee date...or later today if you follow me on Facebook...so stay tuned!! 


And with that, I would fill my cup o' conversation with all things YOU. I would ask about your week, whether you've had one of those afternoons lately, and what you are planning to delve into this weekend. I would then offer a fist pound with a resounding, "TGIF!!!" before we parted ways to get this weekend party started. Woot! See you next time!