And now we wait.

Baby shower?  Check.  Baby laundry washed, folded, and put away?  Check.  Baby bed?  Check.  Car seat?  Check.  Diapers & wipes?  Check.  We have everything we need for a baby.  Except, well....a baby.  So now we wait.  We wait for Tuesday.  Tuesday will be our sweet Ryleigh Alexandra's BIRTHDAY.  Ben and Maria are ready.  Lovie and Pop are ready.  And Uncle Wyatt is ready.  Stay tuned for her first pictures!!

Tonight I'm thankful for:  My little family all under one roof, arts and crafts, and cooler temperatures.

So much to do......so little time!

It always seems like we're always saying that, but somehow, we always manage to get everything done. If, by chance, there happens to be something that gets left undone, chances are it wasn't that important anyway. So, besides the never ending cycle of trying to get things done, y'all might be wondering what else we've been up to. Well...I had a birthday (42), Wyatt had a birthday (15), and the King had a birthday (43). We spent a few days at the beach and had a quick visit to Gaga and Pap's house. All in all, a very good trip. Since we've been back from the beach, Wyatt has had football workouts, the King and I have been working and Ben has been working. And, most importantly, Maria has been working, too....on the baby! In just 8 short weeks (or less!), we will get to meet our sweet Ryleigh. We're all adjusting to having Maria here. It hasn't been a perfect adjustment, but it's been relatively easy. We all love Maria and love having her here. Pretty soon, we will all be adjusting to a baby in the house. Probably won't be as easy to get used to as having a Maria in the house! Next on the family agenda is a baby shower on Saturday, Ben's birthday (21) next month, and then Ryleigh's BIRTHday sometime in early September. Stay tuned....school and football also starts for Wyatt....freshman year. Can you believe it?? I can't! My sweet Wyatt is taller than me finally!

Tonight I'm thankful for: Friends who listen and pups who don't!

13 more weeks....

....and there will be a baby in the house. Excited? Yes. Ready? Not so much. But we will be. We will have to be, right? So, Maria is doing great. She is absolutely, without a doubt, the most gorgeous Mom-to-Be I have seen in a long time. Some of us have that, and some of us don't. I'm not sure I had it, but Maria sure does. Ben is starting to get excited to meet his little princess, too. I'm happy to see him happy. I knew he would get there, but I wasn't sure when. He is there and it makes me one happy Momma. What about the King and Wyatt, you might be wondering. Well, The King is busy thinking of all of the cool things we will need with a baby in the house, and Wyatt is busy thinking of all the cool things he will teach her. Now, mind you, cool to you and me, and cool to Wyatt are totally different ideas. I think it would be cool for him to teach his niece to sneak up on her Daddy. Or maybe teach her how to ride a bike. Or even teach her how to float on her back. But cool to Wyatt? I'm pretty sure he wants to teach her how to spit and burp....among other things. Come to think of it, it might be cool to teach her how to spit. I can't spit without making a mess, so that could come in handy (if she ever wants to spit), I suppose. We're pretty sure Ryleigh (her name as of now) will have brown eyes like her Mommy and Daddy, and she will probably have dark hair, too. I also wonder if she will be able to blow bubbles off of her tongue like Ben and I can. Or maybe she will be able to touch her nose with her tongue like her Pop can. Whatever she can or cannot do, she will be a princess when she does it. I'm sure of that.

As for the rest of the crew, Wyatt is out of school for the summer and going to football workouts everyday. He has decided to trade the basketball court for a wrestling mat. I'm not sure how that will go, but if he is happy and busy, then I am happy. And busy. The king is keeping busy working and fishing and I keep busy, well....with everybody else while trying to log a few more miles on my running shoes. I have 9 more pounds to lose and it's taking forever....but I will get there...soon I hope. Oh, did I mention that Wyatt will be eligible to get his Learners Permit in exactly 23 days. Sorry Mt. Juliet drivers...it's true.

I promise I won't wait until the baby is born to blog again....There are lots of exciting things coming up that you won't want to miss!

Tonight I am thankful for: Old friends, Don't Bug Me! candles, and my patio,

Pink

It's a GIRL!

Pink or blue. Blue or pink.

Tomorrow, April 19, 2011, has officially become known as "Pink or Blue Day" in the Deane house. In case you haven't been paying attention, or have been under a rock somewhere.....Ben and Maria are expecting a baby in September. Yes, it was quite a shock to all of us. But....we're past the shock. Jimmy and I will be grandparents. Wyatt will be an uncle. Gaga and Pap & Nanny and Pawpaw will be great-grandparents. Grandmomma will be a great-great grandmother. How amazing is that? This new pink or blue baby will have GREAT grandparents. He/she will have the best GREAT-GREAT grandmother, too. If you know anything about our little family, when you're at Grandmomma's house, all is right with the world. I felt that way at my Grandma's house, my kids feel that way at Gaga and Pap's house & at Nanny and PawPaw's house. I want my new love to feel that way at Lovie and Pop's house. So, tomorrow, at 4pm, we will hopefully know if we need to start planning in pink or blue. My sweet Sophie will have her boyfriend or her new best friend and my sweet Gentry Claire will have a new best friend and partner in crime either way. Stay tuned for the official pink or blue post!

Tonight I'm thankful for: Sweet, stinky baby feet (thanks to GCH), listening to songs that should make me cringe, but instead I know all of the words (thanks to SWD), and magic wands that will let me take a sneak peek at my new little love (thanks to BJD and MBK).

I know it's April Fool's Day......but....

When a child is born, so are grandmothers. ~Judith Levy

Stay tuned.....

We have been a little preoccupied around here. I will be back, though....and will have some news to share with the blog-world. Until then, stay warm and cozy!