#231 of 365-Family Baby Shower

Our family baby shower consisted of my mom's family, my dad family, my mom-Chris family, and Nick's family-everyone coming together to help us celebrate this little princess.  The theme was in the style of "Marie Antoinette" and consisted of a dessert table, a candy table, and a photo booth. Everyone chipped in and helped to create an unforgettable party that blessed our growing family.

LET THEM EAT CAKES!

Fun in the photo booth and opening gifts together.

Photo Booth Fun

G-Ma and I/Mayo Girls

My sisters/My mom-Chris

 My mom/My Aunts-Dawn and Shelia and Sister Honey

My nieces Ava and Esme/ALL the "Great" Aunts

My long-time bestie-photographer/My Hubby

#230 of 365~Transformed Hearts

As I sit here on a Saturday morning sipping away the sleep from my eyes, I am overcome with emotion at how far Nick and I have come with God's good mercies.  Our "tiny house" is becoming a home. Not just with the voices of a husband and wife sparring lovingly, but soon a little girls laughter and cries will echo off the walls proclaiming her entrance into the world and our hearts.  This little girl whose been prayed for and wished for and fought for.  While I try to live out my faith the best I can, there are things that Papa-God does in our life sometimes that just HAS to shared from the mountain top.  

As most know, this journey into parenthood has not been easy for Nick and I. Struggling for nine years to understand why we couldn't get pregnant, medical trials, medications, surgeries, and draining our savings three different times on a teacher and electricians wage-stretched our not only our faith, but our marriage and outside relationships.  While infertile couples are 3 times more likely to divorce, we made it a point to save our marriage first and foremost and checked in with each other daily, keeping the lines of communication always open.  We never hid a thing from each other and while we may have "hurt" one another in the process, the other was always there to wipe away the tears and pray for healing to take place.

Our story is one of transformation of what God can do to the human heart.  Our hearts became calloused and hard when things weren't going our way, but only through His gentle reminders at how much He loves us, were our hearts softened to receive this amazing blessing.  He took away my fears of being barren and now my fears of being a mother and created this heart-relationship with a little girl I have yet to meet.  She knows me from the inside and I pray we will always remain this close.  He has taken Nick's fears of not being a Father and gave him a little girl who already knows his voice.  We can't even think about "lost time" as we can only focus on "this time" and enjoy all that comes with it. 

#229 of 365~Cafe Gratitude

We decided to take a quick trip to Kansas City to pick up some items at IKEA for baby girls room.  Which means we HAD to make time for one of our new favorite restaurants: Cafe Gratitude.  While I've posted about the cafe before, Cafe gratitude is a 100% plant-based restaurant specializing in gourmet plant based cuisines. They strive to create a menu and environment that supports health and sustainability for both community and the planet. They make everything by hand in-house.  

Each menu item is labeled as an affirmation of some sort so when you order, you sound like this, "Could I have the I AM Blessed with a small I AM Effervescent?"  The I AM Blessed is the picture on the left consisting of gluten-free bread topped with marinated mushrooms, spinach, tomato's, avocado and cashew hollandaise with a side of breakfast potato's.  The dish was hearty and had many fresh flavors competing with the salty hollandaise sauce.  The yummy effervescent consisted of house made ginger ale with lemon, agave, and ginger juice topped with sparkling water. Nick ordered the "I AM Scrumptious" (picture on the right) with French press coffee. The I Am Scrumptious was several slices of gluten-free French toast topped with blueberries. Nick said it was "awesomely sweet" while I said it tasted like cinnamon melting in your mouth with the tang of berries. His French press coffee was "nice" even though he was a bit perplexed on how to use it. Lol!

I LOVE how every plate asks what your grateful for.  They also leave you with a question of the day to "do whatever you want with."  Today's question: What was your greatest adventure?

Nick's answer: 

"Every day of my life has been an adventure-once I met Kassie, it really started."

Kassie's answer: 

"Everyday I've been married to Nick has been my greatest adventure. We've come so far!"

#228 of 365~Neighborly Events

This last week, we took part in two very interesting community events.  

The first one was a 24 hour community giving challenge called Omaha Gives!

 "Omaha Gives! is a 24-hour online giving event organized by the Omaha Community Foundation to grow philanthropy in Douglas, Sarpy, and Pottawattamie counties. The goal is to inspire the community to come together for 24 hours to give as much as possible to support the work of public 501c3 nonprofits in the metro area. The minimum donation is $10 and there is no maximum. Bonus dollars and prizes amplify charitable donations to make each dollar go further."  We ran two non-profits leaderboards: the Leavenworth Neighborhood Association as well as Omaha Association of Education for Young Children.  LNA raised over $600 while Omaha AEYC raised around $200.Here's a photo of Nick supporting LNA through a "PSA" of sorts and a thank you from a non-profit we supported during the challenge.

The second event was a reception in honor of the new mural on Park Ave called, "You Are Here."As President of LNA, Nick was asked to partner for a grant with a neighborhood non-profit called inCommon: http://incommoncd.org/

They got the grant, partnered with artist Watie White, and asked neighbors to nominate those who they thought should be in the mural.  Much to our surprise, Nicks handsome face made it! Even though he looks like a four-foot gray-haired old man, we were really shocked!  As most of you would expect, Nick was super humbled and totally embarrassed.  Of course I made him take a picture.

Super proud to be married to this man whose heart is 100% for his community.  

He talks the talk AND walks the walk-alongside his neighbors of course.

#227 of 365~Surprise Baby Shower

 My Co-Teachers and 4-year old students threw me a surprise baby shower this last week.  Complete with games like "Pin the Baby to the Stroller," pink cupcakes, and presents!  It was pretty funny as most of them thought it was my birthday. Whatever their idea was, they were ready to celebrate!

While I was blessed with several adorable outfits and packs of diapers, there was one gift that stood out.  A book of parenting advice from my students.  It's absolutely priceless!

Some advice for Mrs. Mayo:

What happens if she/baby wakes up at night? "Let her sleep with you."

Where do babies like to go? "Fun places like the park or SkateDayz."

How do you take care of a sick baby? "You take care of it! Give it a bath. Sing to her."

What should you feed the baby? "Fruit chews because their yummy for your tummy."

How do you make baby happy? "Smile at her, carry her, and paint her!"

What songs should Mrs. Mayo sing to her? "Probably Bruno, Uptown Funk you up!"

What do you do when she spits up? "Her needs to cover her mouth."

What should you do if she cries? "Watch Gabba Gabba."

What do babies like to play with? "They would like a binky and squeaky toys."

#226 of 365~22q at the Zoo

 Once again Team Andrew D met up at the zoo to raise awareness about 22q.  This is our second time participating in the event and LOVE being with family and supporting our cousin.  

Andrew is a sweet young man in first grade who loves his family more than anything.  He is a big brother, timid, but always seeking answers.  Nick describes him as gregarious.

WHAT IS 22Q YOU ASK?
"22q is a disorder caused by a small missing piece of the 22nd chromosome. This tiny missing portion of chromosome 22 can affect every system in the human body. 22q can be the cause of nearly 200 mild to serious health and developmental issues in children."

I love these two pictures.

Andrew and Nick have always been buddies and their relationship continues to grow with time.

While Andrew is excited for his new cousin, I know he secretly wishes it was a boy.

Just today though, I was told that when asked what he thought about his new baby cousin, he said he would "love her."

#224 of 365~33 Weeks and Counting

How are we feeling?
Tired, uncomfortable, and clumsy.  I told my doctor that I feel like a switch went off two weeks ago and my pretty easy pregnancy has turned into this extremely crazy-weird super-agonizing month of child incubation. I just find myself slowing down a bit and not able to keep up with our lifestyle.  On top of all that, I'm SUPER emotional.  I've been thinking about my Dad and our Grandpa's lately, wishing that they could see us as parents just for one day.  My favorite songs and movies bring tears to my eyes. Nick's unflinching love for his daughter and the prayers he prays over us, be still my heart!  Mother's Day brought many tears as I thanked Papa-God for His mercy and grace in making me a mama to this little one.  For so many years I would sit in church and silently weep through the pain of infertility, now I weep with joy and still pain for all those waiting for their prayers to be answered.

What's up with the bump?

Baby girl is still not cooperating when it comes to getting a good picture. Moving all around and has her hands continually up by her face.  Our little mermaid is 4 pounds and 7 ounces.  Her heartbeat is still the sweetest sound and watching her brain activity was probably the second best thing to see on that monitor.  She is breech, but we have no worries as we are gearing up for a c-section anyways for medical reasons. I had to laugh when they measured her round little belly and what looks like a BIG head-already taking after daddy?  

What crazy thing did we recently learn?

Well, we spent this last week at our hospital taking a breastfeeding class and an all day birth/parenting class.  There was a lot to learn, a lot to read, and a lot of uncomfortable images flooding our minds. To say that we are overwhelmed with information is an understatement.  We need a day off just to read through the materials, set up appointments, and talk to our insurance provider!

Subject I'm not ready to think about?

Washing all these adorable baby clothes, folding them, AND putting them away. 'Nuff said.

Big Daddy's Take:
Big Daddy couldn't be reached for comment this week as he is "very busy" preparing for his daughters arrival.  In fact, he is currently painting a dresser and putting together her crib.

A Baby Bump View

#220 of 365~32 Weeks and Counting

How are we feeling?
Lately, I've been feeling anxious to meet this "Little Wee One."  With hands splayed across my belly, my mind has been dreaming up this little girl with her daddy's long lashes, my chubby cheeks, and a personality that will literally rock our world.  She is already so loved and cherished, it's overwhelming to know she is ours.  It's exciting and a little scary to think she will be here in a few short weeks!

What's up with the bump?

Well, this little mermaid gave us a bit of a scare last week when she decided to stop her fishy moves for a couple days.  I went in to the doc a couple times to get hooked up to some machines to listen to her heartbeat.  All is well despite her giving me high blood pressure!  Now I feel like she's making up for those few motionless days as the flipping and constant movement do not stop!  Doc said today that I'm "all baby," "she's already positioned," and everything is going "really well."

What crazy thing did we recently learn?

Nothing really new.  Nick and I were just talking after today's appointment how that little heartbeat makes us "happy" and is the most precious thing we have ever heard-it NEVER gets old. I think we take for granted the pounding in our ears, that fluttery pulse under our wrists, the beats that rhythmically tell us that we are alive.

Subject I'm not ready to think about?

Breastfeeding. There are so many blogs, websites, clubs, and classes for this particular subject.  EVERYONE has an opinion on it and they are not afraid to tell you!  Some women are excited about it and feel it is the "ultimate connection" to their children.  Some women see it as a financial opportunity. Some don't have time for it.  Some feel powerful.  Some feel like failures.  It's all a little too much for me at times and I find it to be a very personal choice.  Next week, Nick and I will attend a class about feeding options to continue the discussion on what WE feel is best for US.  Plus, I keep getting reminded that while I may have a plan, this little lady might have an entirely different one.

Big Daddy's Take:
There's a lot going on in my head right now. I'm just glad to have the room done!

#219 of 365~Forest Tea Party Baby Shower

Once again we were blessed by some amazing people when our good friend Tina G. threw a Forest themed tea party for our baby girl.  Cozies, tea pots, tree bark covered vases, felt mushroom garland, pine cones, and woodland animal toys were a few of the special touches.  

Oh, and the food was awesome!

Fun activities like iron on forest animal onesies and painting canvases kept us busy.  

 There was even a sparkling tree where guest wrote their best advice on paper leaves-can't wait to put it in our lil ones room!

Overall, our kid is going to be best dressed and have a super cool "Auntie" looking out for her!