Connor Has Arrived!!! Our Firecracker 4th of July Baby!!

Connor has arrived!  We cannot be more excited to announce that Connor Joseph Shiplett made is appearance in grand style at 7:47pm on July 4, 2011.   He surprised us all arriving a week early, but he was cooked to perfection and ready for the fireworks!!  He weighed 7lbs 3 ounces & 20 inches long :)

Here are few photos of Connor's first day, compliments of Dalisa...more of his birth story to follow in the next few days!

The Final Countdown...

It is official we are in countdown mode here at Casa Shiplett!!  Connor should be making his appearance within the next 18 days & if anyone has any mercy it won’t be longer then that!  We have been getting ready for Connor one project at time & are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  I could use a little help from that nesting instinct everyone talks about for the final push through.  In addition to baby projects, we also have been having a little fun along the way.  On June 6^th two of our very good friends Dalisa Cooper, with AltF Photography, & Randi Garrett, with Naakiti Floral, threw Blair & I a baby shower with all of my great industry friends.  It was not your traditional baby shower… more about cocktails, mocktails & catching up with friends than winning traditional baby games…and it was PERFECT!  Everyone in the industry has been so supportive through my pregnancy & I loved that they were there to celebrate Connor with Blair & I.  Everyone was so generous and I really can’t thank everyone enough.  Below are some of my favorite photos from the photo booth that Shutter Booth had set up!  So much fun!

We also we lucky enough to have Carrie Terrones, one of our very good friends take some maternity photos for us.  We wanted to capture a few photos of this special time & she really made us look good (and made me look less whale like – lol).  She is so talented & just keeps growing with every photo she takes.  It is crazy to think she has only been taking maternity, baby & family photos for the last year or so!  You can visit her website and blog at www.carrieterrones.com to see more of her great work.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Lastly, we have been hard at work getting the nursery ready for Connor.  We are almost there & I promise to share the photos in the next post.  Until then…… J

Baby Shower Time!

 

This past weekend, I was very blessed to have my family & good friends join me in celebrating the upcoming arrival of Connor with an amazing shower thrown by my Mom & Mother-in-law & Connor’s fantastic Aunts-To-Be. It was an amazing day & I feel so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life!  The special touches from my mom & mother-in-law made the day even more special & I really could not have asked for more.  A very special thank you to Shelly at Canyon Gate Country Club for hosting the yummy brunch, Randi with Naakiti Floral for the AMAZING centerpieces & Stephine for her always delicious cupcakes…it was the icing on the cake!!  And of course thank you for all the wonderful gifts!! Blair and I cannot express our gratitude for everyone’s generosity...Connor is one lucky little boy. 

 My Second Cousins, Molly & Ronda and Great Aunt Gen

 My fabulous Sister-in-Law (also pregnant due in October)

Opening all the great gifts for Connor!

The fabulous centerpeices done by Randi!!  And Connor gets to keep all the fun toys!

The fantastic cupcakes made by Stephine with an assist from my mom & her cricut machine :)

Hopefully more pictures to come...need to compile all the other photos from everyone :)

 

7 1/2 Weeks To Go...Really?

I can’t believe we are only 7 ½ weeks from my due date – it feels like yesterday this whole adventure started!  The last few weeks we have been very busy checking things off our to-do list before Connor arrives.  And that is an update too…we have decided on a name, first name that is – Connor, we think it will fit him perfectly!  We have been cleaning out closets, cleaning out the pantry & the garage to make room for all things baby.  We are making great progress and will be ready to bring Connor home in no time!

Connor is growing bigger & bigger everyday and is looking to be about 4.5 lbs at the moment…on track to be a healthy 7.5 lbs to 8 lbs (keeping my fingers crossed not much more – lol).  I am not sure how much more I can grow, but I guess we will see in the next few weeks.   I am amazed everyday that there is a little person growing inside me & love feeling and watching him move, but I really can’t wait to meet him in person.  If Connor is anything like he is on the inside, we are going to have one active little one on our hands J 

Getting Ready to Walk/Waddle for the Cure - Baby Bump at @ 30 weeks - Begining of May

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun!

Where does the time go?  It has been a crazy past few weeks & I know I am way behind on my posts, so I think a recap post is in order!  What have we been up to you might ask…

Lets start with our trip the last week of March to Daytona Beach, FL!  We both had a little vacation time to use & decided there was no better way to spend those days then with Blair’s Sigma Chi Brothers at their 40^th Chapter Reunion in Daytona Beach.  I also thought it would make for a good “Babymoon” as people like to call it…since this would be the last true vacation we would take just the two of us without planning for our little one.   We really had a great time with Blair’s friends - I loved hearing all the fun old stories & seeing the fraternity house he was initiated at & I got to relax a little too.  I also got to enjoy a few Miami Vice Cocktails on the beach...virgin of course, but tasty none the less. 

At the Sigma Chi 40th Birthday Celebration - Hawaiian Theme of Course!

As soon as we returned from Daytona Beach, we were lucky to have Blair’s mom in for a visit.  During her visit we took her with us for another 3D/4D ultrasound to see how our little one was cooking J  I am not going to lie, he is the cutest most adorable baby boy & we cannot wait to meet him!!  The technology is truly amazing and Ellen loved being able to see how her grandson was growing.  Below are a few of the best pictures….

2D/3D Photos at 26+ Weeks...He is Getting Sooo Big  at 2 1/2 lbs!  We Were Amazed How Detailed the Images Were!!

Finally this weekend, we decided to take a quick trip to Prescott, AZ to see my parents for Easter Weekend.  It was a really nice relaxing weekend - great weather & a delicious Easter dinner with family friends.  Now that the little guys is getting bigger, I can really feel his kicks & flicks and so can everyone else, which was a lot of fun to share with everyone too!  And of course as he grows so do I…below is the latest baby bump picture at 28+ weeks. 

The Ever Growing Baby Bump!

So that should catch everyone up on all the fun we have been having.  The next few weeks are going to be full of projects…as we have a lot to mark off the to-do list before our little guy makes his appearance…and I look forward to sharing our progress!   

Painting the Baby's Room!

The design of the baby’s room has been a work in progress from the last few months.  The theme, look & colors of the room have gone through a few revisions since we found out we were having a boy and was much harder to decide than I had originally anticipated…..but progress has been made!  Once we decided on the bedding for the crib (picture below), it was time to pick paint colors for the room.  After 3 weeks, 2 trips to Home Depot, 5 trips to Sherwin Williams, 7 sample green paint colors & 3 blue sample paint colors we (and by that I mean me – if Blair had his way we would not paint at all – lol J) finally decided on the perfect green & navy blue paint colors for the wall.  For anyone looking to paint I would certainly recommend a trip or two to Sherwin Williams, they were sooo helpful & patient with me!  Last weekend commenced the beginning of the painting project with the fantastic help of my friend Alicia, who actually likes to paint, and Blair who helped tape and pick up lunch.  We finished up the painting yesterday…accept for a few needed touch-ups.  I love it how it turned out (just what I had envisioned)…hope baby Shiplett will too!  And now we are ready for the furniture delivery next weekend!     

Baby Bedding From www.LandOfNod.com  - fell in love!

Part One of Painting Project...Covering All The Samples I Painted on the Wall!

                            First Coat On First Green Wall Done.  Alicia Was Such A Huge Help!

                                        Two Green Walls Done!     First Coat of Navy Blue Wall

Almost There!!

The Stripe Taped & Ready To Paint

 The Finished Room!!!



21 Weeks - Half Way There!

I cannot believe we have already passed the half way mark in my pregnancy – at 21 weeks yesterday we are well on our way to meeting our baby boy in July!  We have been busy planning for the arrival of our little one since our last post and I know I am way behind on the updates. 

Two Fridays ago we had our 20 week ultrasound to make sure all of his anatomy was developing correctly.  Everything looked fantastic & he is growing bigger everyday – about 11 oz. at the appointment and around the size of a banana (or so it says on my tracker, if we are comparing him to food).  And as he grows, so do I!  It is official the baby bump has arrived...maternity jeans & the belly bands are my new best friends.  I am just thankful maternity clothes are actually very cute these days – it makes the transition much easier!  I am also starting to feel him kick which is such an exciting & strange feeling all at the same time.  To say the least the fact that there is something growing inside me is really starting to sink in.

The Baby Bump!

Here are a few of the most recent ultrasound pictures...

Really the best looking baby boy in the world...

and that is his great big heart right in the middle of the first photo :)

More Profile Pictures

And the cutest little feet in the world...except when they are pressing on my bladder!