If you don't already know, Kevin and I are very happy to announce that we will be expecting Baby Finnen this July! We are currently at 24 weeks and knee deep in all the baby preparations. Now, I'm going to attempt to go back and recap the past 5 months.
October 24, 2012 - This is one of the happiest days of my life, because it's the day we took an at home test that showed 2 pink lines! We took another 2-3 tests for safe measure, and then were so excited to call the doctor and set up our first official appointment! (BONUS: we had just found out a few weeks earlier that my sister and her husband were expecting, so this put our babies being only 5 weeks apart)
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| Barely there....we just stared at each other confused when we saw this. |
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| So we tried another brand, and this one was MUCH more clear. (I guess they chose their name appropriately.) |
November 2012 - We decided after a few weeks of keeping this secret to ourselves that it was time to tell the family. For starters we wanted to just tell our immediate families and wait until 12 weeks (around Christmas) to tell the rest of the aunts, uncles, and cousins. We told Kevin's family first. Our niece, Emma Grace (2 yrs old) was a little confused when I kept telling her that I was going to have a baby. She kept thinking it was her baby. She will figure it out soon enough. Next, was my family. My parents were a little on the shocked side, because just 4 weeks earlier my sister and brother-in-law had shared their news. Telling both families was pretty priceless.
December 2012 - Our 12 week mark was just before Christmas, so when we went home for the holidays we let the rest of the family know about our new addition. Most all of our friends also found out around this time (of course all of my friends found out a little earlier, because I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut).
January 2013 - Finally not feeling sick any more (hallelujah!). The most exciting news that happened in January was finding a house to rent. Kevin and I have been in an apartment for the past year, but really wanted to be in a house before we had a baby. God has other plans sometimes, but in addition to the blessing he had already given us, he provided the perfect opportunity for us to move. We packed up in one week and made the move to a 3 bed/2 bath house in Bluff Park.
February 2013 - This is a big month, because we got to find out the gender of Baby Finnen. I don't really do surprises well, and Kevin was too impatient to even consider not finding out the gender. As soon as they would let us find out we we're scheduled to get that wonderful ultrasound that would tell us if we were having a Grady or Kennadie. The day finally came, and we learned that we were going to be having a little BOY!!!! (p.s. my sister is also having a boy)
REVEAL
We had our family over to the house for a cookout to reveal the gender to everyone at the same time. Before we found out the gender, I thought it was a girl, and Kevin thought it was a boy. We decided for the reveal to make t-shirts that said "It's a.." then " Boy" or "Girl". If it was a girl, I would get to wear the gender shirt, and if it was a boy, Kevin would wear it. So the day of the reveal, once our families arrived we set up to unveil the news. Below is a video (not great quality, but you can get the idea). My parents couldn't make it down, so we had them on facetime so that they could still be a part of it (love technology).
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| Kevin's side of the family. Everyone naturally wore blue, because we have 2 little girls on his side already. Therefore, everyone in the Finnen clan was hoping for a little boy. |
We are so glad that we are having a little boy, as are both families! Kevin and I have chosen our son's name to be Grady Franklin Finnen.
My friends have affectionately chosen the nicknames "Frank the Tank" and "The Real Slim Grady" (thanks Shug and Em), and I sometimes refer to our little nugget as G-Train. He's so loved!
Just Kickin' It
Another great milestone for February, I got to feel Grady kick! It's such an amazing feeling to experience, and I just smile every time it happens. Even better than me getting to feel him move, Kevin was able to feel him move about 2 weeks after I could. To see his face light up when he felt that little kick, just melted my heart! It still hasn't gotten old and I let him feel Grady move every chance we have.
The Belly has arrived
I'm not super into all the ultrasound shots and belly shots, but here's how big we're getting at the end of February, early March (22 weeks)...
March 2013 - I guess it's time to really start preparing for this little boy. Last weekend, Kevin and I took on the overwhelming task of starting our baby registry at Buy Buy Baby....kiddos sure do come with a lot of accessories (if anyone has any suggestion of things you used/didn't use, please let me know).
Once we set our registry, we picked out furniture and paint colors to get his nursery started. Last night, we went to pick up his bed and dresser from the store (we still have to order the chair we want). I cannot wait to start getting his room together!
This brings us to today! After church this morning, we came in and Kevin started painting Grady's room. Here are some of the pictures before, the progress, and after.
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| Before |
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| Getting started... |
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| Lighthouse Shadows |
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| Dad is getting all the corners. |
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| After the first coat |
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| Workin' hard... |
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| Paint is done! |
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| Grady's Dresser |
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| Furniture is put together! We have a few nautical decorations that we're going to put on the walls (no, the net will not be staying on the bed). |
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| I had a very important job...telling Kevin what to do. |
It's been a long, but very productive day. Next on our to do list is to select fabrics for bedding and curtains. We have picked out an arm chair that we like, and just need to go place the order. Grady's room is coming together now, and pretty soon will be ready for him to get here (and hopefully enjoy sleeping in there). Here's to hoping at least!
Maybe I will update this a little more regularly in the next few months. Maybe...
