Giving Thanks

For all of the mental haziness pregnancy has presented in my daily life, it has created boundless clarity of God's mighty blessings on our family. God has given me the opportunity to help create a human life, and I feel closer to Him than ever. How many times in life are we given the opportunity to do something so awesome? Besides Chloe, this family has so much to be thankful for this holiday season. After spending his first few weeks of life in the hospital, our newest nephew Henry (Hank) Arthur McIvor returned home a happy, healthy baby just in time for Thanksgiving. As you can see, he is the perfect blend of Sophia and Emma.

We cannot wait to meet this little guy!

God has also blessed us with the most amazing family and group of friends. This past weekend we had two baby showers where we received nearly every single item on our registry and more. My mom's shower was first at 11:00 am at The Junction of Hope Restaurant. We had salad bar, sandwiches, and cake. We also passed out adorable, delicious pink and white elephant cookies. My mom made an amazing diaper cake (which Oli thought would probably taste a little poopy). I had so much fun opening the presents. If we weren't sure of her name before our showers she is definitely Chloe now, because Drew and Shantel bought Chloe a cute little green and white, polka-dot chair embroidered with her name. Mom made us an endless supply of burp cloths and bibs in addition to a couple of receiving blankets and warm blankets with silkies on the edge at Paul's request. She even bought the digital monitor that Paul so desperately wanted. My aunts all went in on our travel system. Here are a few photos from the shower.




Kendra, Bobby Kay, and Bob's sisters threw a fancy shower at Kendra's house at 3:00. It was a french country theme and everything from the invitations to the food was absolutely perfect. We had cheese soup, brisket, rosemary potatoes, green beans, and a host of fancy hors d'oeuvres and desserts. At this shower we received quite a few thoughtful gifts including the changing table I mentioned in a previous post, a handmade quilt, and homemade cards from Oli, Ave, and Tay. Additionally, we received a package full of odds and ends Tay found around the house (including a Leapster cartridge) and hand wrapped herself (It turns out that we had to give it all back, but hey, it's the thought!). Here are a few photos from the shower.