Fashion Show...28 years young...and the countdown is on....

I never thought I'd make my modeling debut at 37 weeks pregnant, but two weeks ago exactly I did just that. I'm a member of the Junior League of Columbia, and to celebrate the League's 85th anniversary they had a fashion show at the last membership meeting of the year. Most of models were former League presidents, sustainers, etc. who were decked out in Tory Burch and other high end designers from a local boutique. But to help showcase a new maternity/kids boutique in town they also wanted to have children and pregnant women model clothes from the store. Apparently I'm one of the most pregnant members, so naturally I got the call and happily picked out a pretty dress to wear in the fashion show (hello - like that was hard for this shopaholic in mandatory pregnancy remission to do). The dress was gorgeous, and had I been due in January or February, I probably would have bought it, but having no occasion to wear a maternity evening gown between now and my due date, I sadly declined the discount purchase price and sprung for a pedicure instead. Above is a picture of me and the other pregnant model and some of the kids - it was a really fun night!


Last Thursday I turned 28, and entered my 38th week of pregnancy - don't I look thrilled in the picture above. It was not the most memorable of birthdays, but I'm thankful for all the calls, cards, e-mails and texts, they made a stressful crazy day a little bit brighter. I must say that the brightest spot was the super thoughtful gift from my husband. I told him that I wanted something just for me, that I really didn't want more baby stuff as this was my last truly selfish request before the little man arrives. I hinted about sparkly items from Handpicked and the new fab Marc Jacobs perfume, but alas he surprised me with a Flip cam. Being that I'm a little technology challenged, he got me the most user friendly video camera on the market, and to top it off he recorded a special message about why he got me that for my birthday. It was really sweet and I know that we will get lots of use out of it starting in oh....7 days or less!

Speaking of 7 dwe went to our last doctor's appointment before baby Boling arrives. We've had several discussions with the doctor over the last few weeks about a planned induction for the day after Thanksgiving should baby Boling not choose to come out on his own before then. Yesterday we made it official and are scheduled for induction at 6:00 AM on November 27th if he doesn't come before then. I must admit it felt more like scheduling a dentist appointment then possibly deciding on the birthdate of our son, but at this point we are both very ready to meet the little man and if it need be November 27th we are ready to welcome him on that day.

It was bittersweet and a little unnerving and I think the reality of our son's arrival hit us all at once as we left the office yesterday. The little man is definitely getting close to making his debut, and though I know its his due date, I really hope he doesn't hold out until Thanksgiving Day or the planned induction (though BJ has confirmed that turkey and dressing are on the menu at Lexington Medical - phew, because that was really my biggest concern :)

We'd ask for your thoughts and prayers for an uneventful labor and delivery and the safe arrival of a healthy baby boy. We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and spends some quality time with family, friends, and good food. We look forward to updating the blog with pictures and stories after baby Boling arrives. Thanks for reading!

Getting Prepared to Welcome Baby Boling

With just a little over 4 weeks left until Baby Boling arrives, we finally finished the nursery over the weekend! The bedding and curtains arrived in the mail early last week and I couldn't wait to get the nursery ready over the weekend. We decided on an a circus theme over the summer, and of course chose a fabric with an elephant as the focal point (surprise, surprise). So between my friend Ashli's decorating sense and BJ's handyman skills (griping included) we got the curtains, pictures, and shelves up and the bedding washed and on the crib.

You'll notice Ele (also short for Elephant - are you noticing a GOP trend here) our little black dog in most of the pictures. I'm still not sure she knows I'm pregnant, though her "shadowing" of me has become pretty funny in recent weeks, I can't even get up to pee without her following suit (which is quite a lot these days). And though we've slowly moved her out of the nursery room (which she has reigned supreme in for over 4 years), she still frequently chooses it as her favorite hangout spot in the house. She hasn't tried to steal any baby toys yet, but she often adds her toys to the mix and leaves her treats and bones in the room as well. Its going to be an interesting time in our house when she is dethroned in a few weeks!

Getting comfortable for those sleepless nights ahead...

And putting my feet (which are now as wide as they are long) up after a long days work...

We head back to the doctor tomorrow for our 36 week check up. Its hard to believe I've been pregnant for 36 weeks - late February to be exact - it has gone by pretty quick all in all. We are now just anxiously waiting to meet the little man!

On the go...8 weeks and counting!

So its been a crazy few weeks in the Boling household - hence the blog hiatus - but things are finally settling down a bit as we countdown to Baby Boling's arrival in about 8 weeks!

We started off September with a bang, celebrating BJ's 30th Birthday with a tailgate at Clemson for the first football game against Middle Tennessee State. The tigers were victorious, and this pregnant lady made it until the end of the 3rd quarter in the rain before calling it a day (and possibly a season) and heading home. BJ and his dad stuck it out, keeping in the family tradition of never leaving a game before the end. We had a great weekend celebrating the big 3-0 with family and friends (I'm just happy I have 2+ more years to go :)

So we celebrated and then began some more nesting with outside help of course. BJ and I are self-admitted outsourcers of work around the house, not falling for the Home Depot/ Lowe's trap that you can do it all yourself. I mean is plumbing, wiring, and light fixture installation on your own with no formal training or expertise really a good idea? NO! So our favorite home improvement guy came to the rescue yet again, painting, installing, and generally making our house look better and lives easier simultaneously. His stay was followed by a 2 day carpet installation, which really felt like moving as everything had to be packed up and put away. And with that said - the home improvement train has come to a stop and we are ready to begin more important things like crib assembly and diaper stockpiling.

We have also been going to "Baby Class" at the hospital on Tuesday nights, which includes all the training you think you need to birth a child and incorporates several 1980s vhs tapes much to BJ's chagrin. I can't say the class has made me feel any more prepared, but its definetely helping to make the "gimme the drugs" decision a lot easier when the time comes. We went to our last class this week which of course included more videos - BJ loves birthing videos!

We have been reading a great book in our small group through church called One Month to Live. The book has 30 chapters—one for every day in a life-changing month— teaching and encouraging us all to live passionately, love completely, learn humbly, and leave boldly to create a legacy that endures for generations after they're gone. This book and the small group came into our lives at interesting time of change and big decision making for our family. Its really helped us think about how we want to live our lives and what things are most important to us, both now and in the future when we become parents. The book has really allowed us to realize how blessed we are and to appreciate all the little things, daily events, and people in our lives.


We head back to the doctor next Thursday for our 33 week appointment. At the top of this post is a picture of me at 30 weeks and just above I'm at 32 weeks, not much change, but still pregnant!

Nursery and shower pictures to come!

Pregnant Pictures and more

This past weekend we spent some time on Hilton Head with my parents. We had a great time at the beach, and despite it being late August in a subtropical locale, there was good cloud cover and a great breeze, making the beach quite pleasant for everyone (my pregnant self included).


















We have admittedly not been so diligent about taking pregnancy photos, so we started last week (week 25) and have vowed to take pictures every week until Baby Boling arrives. Above and below are some pictures of my belly, and seemingly BJ's larger belly (including his imitation of the iconic Demi Moore pregnant pose) at week 26!


Every year we eat at the Sante Fe Cafe in Hilton Head on our last night on the island, and every year BJ orders the Cowboy Ribeye, which is no less than a 20 oz hunk of meat. Usually we jest about him finishing it and he never does, leaving plenty of delicious leftovers for the following week at home. This year in the spirit of my new found favorite show "Man vs. Food" I pushed BJ to finish the steak and in the end Man won - way to go BJ! Below is a picture of him defeating the steak.
We are back to work this week and I'm headed to Chicago on Friday for some fun girl time! We go back to the doctor next week for our monthly check-up and my sugar test (of which I'm hopeful to pass and not be put on diabetic restriction). Then its off to Clemson for BJ's 30th Birthday tailgate and the start of another football season - GO TIGERS!

So, with family and friends spanning the country, we've decided to start a blog to share all of our news, updates, pictures and soon to be arrival and life of Baby Boling. I must admit the irony, that a twitter averse and blog hating individual (this is Katie talking as we all know BJ is synonymous with blackberry) has done none other then create a blog to do nothing other then chronical my growing family's life for all of the public to see - but I'm no scrapbooker, so I figured updating the internet in regular intervals with pictures and commentary might be the best way for my unborn child to know exactly what is/was going on in my brain for all those years!

So here goes....

As my second trimester winds down (24 weeks and counting) I'm finally beginning to feel, look, and act pregnant. Maternity clothes are officially here to stay, dropping things (which happens frequently) and having to bend down to get them has become increasingly difficult, and losing my train of thought nearly to the point of stuttering (much to BJ's amusement) occurs on a regular basis.

A few weeks ago I was so overwhelmed with what seemed like an endless mountain of things to accomplish before Baby Boling arrives - I didn't know how I was ever going to get it all done. But with the help of neighbors, family and friends we've finally made "progress" by my lofty standards. The to do list is getting shorter, and I can finally relax a little. Baby Boling's closet is assembled (and rather full considering we've got a ways to go), nursery furniture has been picked up, swapped out, and moved in, and the Junior League of Columbia has an attic full of stuff for Clean Sweep 2010.

So as the temperature soars, and the "schools out beach days of summer" come to a close we do have much to look forward to. We are headed to Hilton Head next weekend for a long weekend with my parents, followed by my trip to Chicago for a fun girls' bachelorette weekend to celebrate my friend Amanda's October nuptials and selfishly my last weekend of true freedom before Baby Boling, and then, drum roll please...BJ turns 30 on September 6th!

We look forward to sharing more with all of you over the next few days, weeks, months and years as our family grows and our blessings multiply.

Thanks for reading!