Trust...

"Trust yourself and your deepest instincts about your kids."

Trust is such a deep rooted word. Then to throw trusting your instincts about your kids and wow...really deep.  There are days that its hard to see the forest through the trees, but I am holding onto what we feel is right with how we take care of and deal with things about our family.  I feel like we are trying to create a wonderful family life and we are trying to cherish each and every moment.

Being a grown up

"Children operate from a place grownups wish to come back to but have lost in the daily grind of life."

Being a grown up is hard...being a child is hard (in their eyes, of course).  There are definite times that I wish to be a child again, but mostly now I'm just enjoying to see things through my child's eyes.  This is something that I am learning on a daily basis to do and sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's easy...here's to hoping that it gets easier on a daily basis to not get lost in the grind of life.

Words...

"Words are important. They are building blocks of your child's spirit.  Use them with care."

This is an interesting topic in a sense because there is a nursery rhyme that states "Sticks and stones my break my bones but words will never harm me."  I think this is entirely false, words can hurt and sting and stay around for a really long time.  I never want for Regan to feel like something we have said with our words will hurt her, but of course something will.  Throughout this parental path we have taken, I make sure that even if she's upset with something that I have said or done, etc...that I say I love you.  I want her to know more than anything that I love her so very much.

Today, and always, my wish for my family is to have love, lots and lots of love.

Starting Lent...

This year for lent I have decided to write for myself to learn more about being a spiritual parent or at least try harder ;)  In our Sunday School class we have been using a website called spiritualparenting.com and it has a "thought for the day" that we use to kind of jump start our conversations and get our juices flowing to think about our kids and the Bible.  I thought this would be a way for me to do it every day and just kind of see what kind of blogs it would lead to at that specific moment.

Blogger of course would not let me post this yesterday for some reason, so I'm just putting yesterday's start and today's together...

"Think of your yourself as part of your child's support team rather than her only lifeline."

I completely agree with this.  I think that it's important for Regan to have many people in her life to help mold her into the person that she has become.  I believe that we've thought about this from the beginning and maybe it's because she is without that father parental figure, but we knew from the beginning that we could find people that would fulfill that role and nurture her in that sense.  I can think of handful of men in her life that she absolutely adores and they adore her in the same sense.  We have tried to put Regan in situations where she would have adults that would help build her self-esteem and love her no matter what.  She is currently in preschool, we go to church, and she is in dance class.  In all 3 she has found niche and adults that can be her support team.

I think this quote can go towards the parents as well.  I want Amanda to be my support team, but I don't want her to be my only "lifeline" to the real world.  I have to admit that staying at home with Regan was a decision that I am so glad that I made because I get to see her grow and change every day, but at the same token it means that I do not have as much adult interaction as I once did at my job.  It's hard for me to find those special friends that can be my outlet away from Amanda.  I think everybody needs friends that they can hang out with without their wife...I know that I've struggled with that over the years, but have definitely gotten better with making friends and stretching myself to meet new people.

I am learning about myself everyday and hope that the things that I am teaching Regan will stick with her for a lifetime.  "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." - Ephesians 4:2

17 months

17 months of Regan...cannot believe it!  I asked Amanda to weigh her last night so that we could kind of see, and she came in at 22 lbs.  Man, I was thinking she weighed more than that because when I pick her up for a while it feels like my arm is going to fall off.  And when I run with her in the jogging stroller it is very hard.  Nonetheless, she's around 22 pounds, wearing all kinds of sizes in clothes.  Shorts-12 months and some 18 months, shirts-definitely 18 months, shoe size-5ish, but we're buying 6's now.  I can tell she's getting bigger because her bows in her hair are looking smaller ;)  She only takes 1 nap at school, but still takes 2 naps with us.  She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Doc McStuffins, but also enjoys So you think you Can Dance and any type of music.  She's become very independent here lately, a little too much at times.  She still drinks her milk from a sippy cup with a straw, but any other type of drink we have her on a "big girl" cup.  She thinks Deer are dogs and can now say the word basketball thanks to a kid toy from Wendy's...I'm guessing we should actually buy her a baby basketball.  The words she can say are Mama, dog, Rebound (well, sort of...it comes out Bound), sippy, shoe, Love you (I think that's what she's saying), hi, bye...she knows some animals now and is in love with the Itsy Bitsy Spider song :)  These are just a few things, but we definitely noticed that she will try to copy anything you do...we have to be careful.  Being her Mama is mostly fun, except for those nights that she doesn't want to sleep and the fits she throws on the ground now.  Who said that it happens at 2 is crazy, she's already getting into those.  We're hoping that we can work around those and that they will eventually go away, but who am I kidding...our child is very independent and when you tell her "No" for something she wants to do...it's over.  Nonetheless we're having fun and Regan is the cutest little thing, but who I am to tell you guys that...here's proof :)

Love,
The England's :)

Olympics

Well, the 2012 Olympics have started and we opened our Olympics with Evan and Regan dismounting off of the couch onto the floor...aka Toddler Olympics at Meredith & Brian's :)  It was fun.  I am very much enjoying the Olympics and so is Regan!!!  She is in love with the diving and will clap when they are finished...it is totally the cutest thing.  Then of course it makes you think about all of these people and that they have mothers who are supporting them...which in turn makes me think about the things that Regan could do.  Kind of fun to think about years down the road.  Does she have the drive, does she have the determination...is she not skilled in sports like her Mama or be very sporty like her Mommy...haha, all funny thoughts.  Of course then reality sinks back in as she has on 10 Mardi Gras necklaces and loves her pink sparkly Toms...oh yeah our baby is a diva...so sports might not be too high on her priorities.  Haha...it doesn't matter, we will love her all the same :)

Toddler Olympics :)

Ok ok ok...

Ok ok...I haven't blogged in forever.  I'm like the horrible online guru blogger.  I like to look at everybody else's blog and then think to myself about what I should blog about...until I've realized I've been contemplating for hours and so it's time to go to bed.  This has been my life for the past several months ;) 

Updates to our life: 
We now live in the beautiful state of North Carolina with all the trees (yay) and all the traffic (yuck)!  But nonetheless, we love it so far!  Our child is now almost 16 months old and has an attitude at times to prove it, more updates on her in a different paragraph.  Amanda started at UNC and as she put it...and she made it through her first night on call with 55 babies, I would say that is a success!  I have transferred with Regions and now work in Raleigh, stressful, but good...some days are harder than others I suppose.  Rebound likes his new house, except for the stairs, but definitely enjoys barking at the bunnies and the deer that come into the yard.  Our life has settled down a bit and we now feel like we're home...except for our neighborhood...boy do we miss our neighbors in Nola. 

Onto Regan: 

She will be 16 months in 4 days and I cannot believe where the time has gone.  Quickly time flies when you have to keep up with a little girl who's hair is starting to turn wavy, giggles if you dance in front of her, watches tv with us and claps at the appropriate times after a dance on 'So you think you Can Dance,' throws the ball mostly in the right direction, slides down the stairs...and then goes back up the stairs, knows exactly what she wants but doesn't have the big girl words to tell us, gives hugs and kisses, loves shopping, plays on playgrounds, sits at the big girl table, drinks out of sippy cups that are not meant for her age, eats gogurt (with some help of course), loves her sunglasses, and her puppy...and so much more.  Our life has continued with more adventures.  Never did I realize that Regan would be able to turn me into a Mama...a person that I longed to be for so long, but didn't truly understand the meaning until she came into my life.  I had my perceptions of what parenthood would be like, but it has most definitely been more than I could have ever imagined and I am so thankful to continue all the fun we're having :)  Amanda and I are so proud of her, for the learning and the growing that she has done in just the past couple of months...cannot imagine what is too come, but we're ready! 

Promise that there will be more updates to come...I will be better about putting my thoughts onto the blog that I'm quite sure everyone wants to read about it :) 

Love, 
The England's (AKA...Cheryl)

Here's some pictures...

Before church :)

Cuteness!

New pool!

Aunt Tristan playing with bubbles on 4th of July

Cousins :)

Regan's Doctor and our friend Cat :)

Meesh & Brian...miss them already!

So pretty!

1/2 year old!

A ½ year old and the time is passing by as quickly. We are both trying to enjoy her as much as we can so because we know that this time is so precious and we’re never going to get back the silly little moments or the sweet grins. Since Regan has come into our life things have changed, but it’s changed so much for the good with bathtime and sweet giggles and precious smiles, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Regan now weighs in around 16 lbs. She’s officially in 3-6 month clothes and some 6-9 month, depending on the brand. She wears shoes most of the time when she is with us and she wears a size 2, but size 3 is coming pretty fast. She is about 26 inches long, above average for her age. When we went to the doctor she was so good. She played with all of her toys forever while we were waiting on the doctor to come in…silly doctors!

We have officially started her on solid food, besides the Oatmeal cereal that she was getting…which she loves by the way! I was so excited to see what kind of new foods she would eat. I knew I wanted to make her food even though I had no clue how I was going to make it. Mom gave us her Bullet and we bought some ice cube trays to freeze it and some little Tupperware bowls to bring it to school everyday. It actually wasn’t that hard at all…much cheaper too! We started off with Green Beans, and boy my bubble was popped quickly…she hated it. It was a horrible experience, she cried the entire time. We tried again and she did a little better, but she was definitely not a fan. Next we moved onto Zucchini and this turned her around…oh man, she loves it and even smacks her lips…too funny. Limas, depends on the nights, sweet peas (she’s only had these out of the store jars) she ate in NC and she liked them, and asparagus…which she loved! Gotta admit…the kid likes the “weird” veggies…good for us!!! We’re onto a different color tonight and Carrots, we shall see how that goes. It has definitely been fun feeding her and it’s neat to see her funny faces when she’s not a fan and when she likes something. I cannot wait to feed her fruit. And she will definitely be ready for some Thanksgiving food and Christmas Dinner

This past month she has become her own person. It is so fun to watch her grow as a person and learn new things everyday. She’s starting to crawl and it’s so funny. She was army crawling for a while, but she is definitely now officially crawling…now, it still takes her a while and she gets tired, but it’s happening…especially if she’s after Rebound…so cute! I am amazed at how quickly she has caught on. Of course I have no concept as to how long it should take, but I think it’s amazing!!! Amanda says I shouldn’t have wished it so soon, but it will be neat to tell her…”come on” and hopefully she will follow…ha, we shall see how that all works out. I’m excited for her, but I sure Rebound won’t be too excited when she will be chasing after him ;)

We went to Raleigh last weekend and Regan got to meet so many new people and she got to see where she’s going to live starting next year with cooler weather. We had an awesome weekend with awesome people.

She is the most wonderful thing!!! So proud to be her Mama :)

Regan definitely entertains us :)

This is what we see from our couch :)

Here are a few of my favorite things about Regan...

Here are a few of my favorite things about Regan...

Her smiles in the mornings. The twinkle in her eye. The way she giggles. The look of delight when you hand her a light up toy. When she is in the Bjorn, how she kicks her feet constantly. I love when she looks in the mirror...she has no idea that she's laughing at herself. Her little outfits are the best. The sighs she makes when she's on my shoulder about to fall asleep. The smiles she has when I pick her up from daycare. Feeding her breakfast, she says mmm... and she gets so excited! The look of enjoyment in her eyes when Rebound gives her kisses. I absolutely love going in her room at night to watch her sleep, one of the sweetest times we have. I am so in love with this little girl. She completes my world.

4 1/2 Months

Newborn picture

She's almost 5 months now!

Ok, so I have been such a slacker in posting on the blog that I have just got to do better. Regan is 4 1/2 months old...so here is an update of what has been going on around our house.

In the mornings when you go into her room she is on her belly looking up at you and grinning from ear to ear. If you roll her over, she will just smile at you and try to roll back over. Some days you have to wake her up and she is a hard one let me tell you...she will rub her eyes for 5 minutes trying to wake up and Amanda always says that she's going to be a hard teenager to wake up, haha!

She loves her food and when she wants it...she wants it right then. She started on Rice Cereal but she was having some reflux so we stopped it this week to see if that would help and it did, so we're going to try something different next week...Oatmeal, yummy! We shall see how it goes.

Bath night = the most fun Regan has anytime. She absolutely loves kicking, splashing, and giggling at our silly songs we sing to her...I think it's the most fun any of us have :)

She is starting to scoot around, well kind of. She definitely wants to crawl, she came home from daycare one night and she must have seen some of the babies crawling around and so she tried to figure it out...ha, it's so cute. Amanda says our life is about to be over when she starts crawling around.

We take walks pretty regularly with our neighbors and Regan is almost always in the Baby Bjorn and she loves it. There are 2 things that will happen, either she will fall asleep or she will kick her legs the whole time and laugh.

Rebound and Regan are becoming fast friends...well, at least Regan thinks so! She loves to tug on him and pull him. We keep telling him that once she starts crawling she is going to come after him, because right now he walks away if he gets annoyed...things will be changing soon!

That's just a few things and here are a couple of pictures of how quickly Regan has grown up in the past 4 1/2 months, crazy how fast time is flying...probably because we're having so much fun!!!

Much love from Regan :)

3 Months Already

Man...Regan is 3 months already. She is doing so great. I look at her pictures from when she was born and I think to myself...wow, I cannot believe how much she has changed and it's only been 3 short months. I have no clue what is in store for us, but change is inevitable.

Regan loves to eat. She loves to sleep through the night, which her mommies are happy about. Daycare doesn't seem to bother her and they tell us that she has a good time. The morning is her favorite still, and I'm glad Amanda got to be here the other morning to see just how happy she truly is. Rebound gives her kisses and she smiles now at him. She doesn't like to be cradled anymore...she is definitely one that likes to look around. She is interested in everything. We went out to eat last night and she took forever to take her bottle because she couldn't stop watching things long enough to pay attention to her bottle, ha. She loves water. We took her swimming last weekend and she had such a good time. She laughed at Harper because she kept jumping in the pool. The other morning the wind blew the blanket off her carrier and the rain got in her face and she was grinning from ear to ear, such a funny moment. Bath time is still her favorite, she can stay in there over 30 minutes if we let her. She's not too much of a fan of her carseat and heaven forbid you have to stop at red light...she's not a fan of those either. She loves her paci, but loves her hands more. We still swaddle her at night because she sleeps through the night like that, but we're thinking that we need to transition to not doing that soon, maybe tonight. She is in love with being outside, the bugs don't seem to bother her. The playmat is becoming her friend with the songs it sings. She's sometimes ok with her bumbo seat, sometimes not so much. The child does not like to take long naps, it's more like cat naps throughout the day, she doesn't want to miss anything.

We are just amazed at every little thing she does. It's so much fun seeing things through her eyes. Being her Mom is the most special thing :) We are so blessed that we have a daughter that is so good, most of the time! Regan is doing just great and we are so thankful to have her in our lives!

Much love from Regan :)

12 Weeks Today

Well, she's not 3 months in terms of the months, but she is officially 12 weeks old today. I cannot believe it!!! :) Regan is growing each and every day, that it's crazy. She's starting noticing her feet and the fact that she moves them, which is funny. She's drooling more...guessing the teething stage is coming faster than we realized. She loves to pull hair, necklaces, etc...except she doesn't grip toys all that well yet. She's a happy baby in the morning, she's a happy baby in the bathtub, she is a happy baby when you go outside...she's not a happy baby when you stop at red lights sometimes, she's not a happy baby when you take her out of the bath, and she's not a happy baby when we make her do tummy time. She's sweet and cuddles, but only when she wants to. She loves to look at Rebound and loves to be up on your shoulder to look around. Her personality is definitely shining through.

A little bit after her 2 month "birthday" we took her to the doctor and she weighed in at 9 lbs 3 ozs, but we know she's gotten much bigger since then. She's much longer and she's definitely in 0-3 month clothes. Amanda and I both had to work one weekend, so Lauren kept her and Jenn came over to play...they said she was good, so here's hoping to her being a good girl. I was off for Memorial Day, so me and Regan hung out all day long. :) My Mom flew in for a weekend so that she could spend so time with Regan because she just couldn't stand seeing pictures and how much she had changed. Amanda and I had Med-Peds Graduation to go to, so one of our church friends, Maryann Chrestman, kept Regan. We are so blessed to have so many people in our lives to watch little Regan and be excited to do so. Tristan came this weekend, Russell wasn't able to get off of work :( We did however have a good time just talking, playing with Regan and laughing. It's always good to get a good dose of North Carolina :) We have many trips planned for this summer as we travel around the Southeast it seems to visit family and let Regan meet her extended family.

The time is definitely flying by. Regan is getting so big already and it seems like we will be planning her 1st birthday before we know it!

Love from Regan

2 Months

Regan Lynn is officially 2 months old. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that the time would be passing by so quickly. Here are a few things that have been happening with Regan...She has grown into a personality and it's so much fun. She's still a chill baby and always good when we're on the go. One thing has not changed for Amanda & I...we still go go go, sometimes good and sometimes bad, but it's our life and we love it. :) Regan is typically cold, crazy child, she likes her blankets. She's still be swaddled at night, but we're hoping that changes soon. She sleeps for about 5 hours and then wants to eat, and then another 3 hours during the night, not too shabby. She likes to be bounced to "almost" asleep before being put in her crib. The transition to the crib in her room was so easy, a little too easy actually ;) She's a happy baby when her diaper is changed. She's beginning to smile and it melts our heart. Her eyes are staying blue, and we love that! Rebound gives her kisses and she's still not too sure, but she doesn't cry anymore. Her swing time is starting to become better, the girls at daycare says she loves it. She has started daycare and I think Mama got more upset than Regan, ha. They say she is a superstar :) She loves the Baby Bjorn, which is great for us. Our walks at night with Rebound are fun and she just chills. I keep trying to part her hair. Her hair is getting thicker. Bath time is still her favorite time and it's fun to watch her splash around. She loves to have lotion put on her, she is her Mommy's child ;) She is so much fun and we cannot wait to see what Month 3 has to offer us :)

Much love from Regan!

So what's been going on...

Well, I wrote this entire blog the other day and then it went down and it was before I could save the blog. Basically I talked about how incredibly lucky I am. :) So here are a few pictures and I will write more later because Regan is almost 2 months old...oh my goodness, craziness!!!

This is our family Easter picture and I think it is beautiful!

This is a picture with Dr. Perret, she delivered Regan and she is awesome!!

Here are a few pictures me and Regan. I was trying to take them myself and she went from being happy to not so happy, ha.

Regan also went to her first Jazz Fest and we had a great time as a family. The weather was beautiful and Amanda got to use the Baby Bjorn for the first time and it was awesome! Regan loved it to :)

Funny story. During the few hours that we were at Jazz Fest we needed to feed Regan. So we found a hospitality tent and a table, awesome. Amanda fed her and then this random lady came up and started complaining about how people save all this space and she was not happy about that, blah blah blah. The whole time, I was like...why in the world is lady telling us what she doesn't like about Jazz Fest. Finally, this guy started talking to her and she went away. I asked Amanda, throughout laughing, why did she do that?! She then informed me that we were sitting behind a table that said "Tell us your Jazz Fest story." Oh...totally didn't know that, it was funny!

Regan had her hat on and she looked so cute :)

And this is what happens during tummy time now...sleep. Nice!

These are just a few things going on. I will write more later about what Regan has been doing in the past month :0) Cannot believe baby girl will be 2 months old soon.

Much love from Regan

6 Weeks

Well, Regan is officially 6 weeks old and the time has gone by so incredibly fast. I have never had time fly like it has lately. Amanda started Q3 last Saturday, so we are all trying to get on a routine since I will be starting back on May 16th...sad face! :( I think I am ready to go back to work, but not ready to leave Regan with people that I am not familiar with at the daycare. I guess I should just be lucky that I have been able to take as much time as I have, it will be a total of 8 weeks. This time has helped me bond with Regan and watch her grow so much. :)

As I sit here and write this blog, Regan is sitting in her bouncer seat looking so peaceful as she sleeps. She is in love with her bouncer seat. Amanda's Mom gave it to us, it was her niece's and she didn't really like it. Regan loves it so much!!! We are so thankful to have it because it seriously does chill her out.

It's a little cooler today for some reason and Regan is bundled from head to toe because she was shivering. One thing I have to say about our child is that she is always freezing. Her little bottom lip quivers and she looks at you with her precious eyes that say "please please please get me a blanket." But on that same note, she does not like her arms to be covered up...she's a crazy one!

Regan is starting to sleep at night for anywhere between 3 to 5 hours. Most of the time it's in the 4 hour range, but we're super excited about the consecutive sleep. We are also super lucky that after I feed her in the middle of the night, typically I rock her for a few minutes and then put her back down and she goes right back to sleep. She is not really a morning baby. She likes to eat and then go back to sleep. It's fun to have her awake and so alert in the afternoon though. I'm totally waiting for the for-real smile! She has smiled, but not intentionally...she is trying so hard and I just know it will happen very very soon. :)

She still doesn't know what to think about Rebound and his kisses. She's okay for a minute, but if he keeps licking her...she just doesn't know what to think. It's cute. Rebound on the other hand is still not too sure about her.

Bath time is Amanda's favorite time and I have to say that Regan actually loves it too. She totally loves being in the water and doesn't mind at all. Last night for the first time we took the newborn foam insert out to where she was literally sitting in the water and she didn't cry. I think she will be kicking around in the water really soon!

These are just the little things in Regan's life that has happened over the past few weeks. Still in amazement that we have a beautiful little girl! We are just the happiest we could possibly be!!! We are so lucky! :)

Much love from Regan!

4 weeks

Wow, Regan is already a month old...where has the time gone.?! Amanda and I are just in amazement of how much she has already grown and changed. She now weighs 7 lbs and 8 ozs, which is up from her last appointment at the doctor of 6 lbs and 12 ozs. Her face is filling out and you can tell she is much longer because her nightgowns are definitely a little tighter. But on a different note, she is awake more now and much more alert. She'll stare at you and cuddle with you. Her eyes are not as "cross-eyed" all the time and they look like they might be blue...we're crossing our fingers! She's cold all the time, so when you put a blanket on her and pull her in to your chest she cuddles right up to you. What an amazing feeling to have a little person stare at you or stop crying when she hears your voice, even if it's just for a moment. She's learning our voices and it's amazing!!! I still cannot believe that we have a wonderful little girl...the feeling I feel inside me is indescribable. Amanda and I feel so much love :) Amanda has been gone since Monday because she's interviewing with UNC and Duke. She has had a hard time with leaving little missy this week because our life is totally consumed with her...all Amanda wanted to do was have cuddles from her little girl and story time. She will be home on Thursday and I am quite sure that I will not be able to get a cuddle in...ha. What a wonderful thing to see Amanda with Regan, so much love :)

We cannot wait to see what the next 2 weeks will be like with Regan in our lives. Pictures to come!

Much love

2 weeks

This is a beautiful picture of Regan...this is how she looks when she's sleeping. Our nights of sleeping a solid 8 or so hours is totally over for the next X number of years. Ha! But seriously, we are getting between 5 & 6 hours a night, which isn't that bad with a newborn at home. She goes down sometimes really easily and then other nights not so much. Amanda and I have done our best with taking turns at night...we're an amazing team! :)

Regan is now a little over 2 weeks old and has already changed so much. We were looking at her Nursery pictures from the hospital and the newborn pictures that our friend Jen took...and she already looks different. She's trying to grab at things already and she knows what she wants and when she wants it. It's amazing how much she can change in just a couple of days, literally. She's getting to the point that sometimes she can go 4 hours without feeding, but for the most part it's still around 3 hours each time. She took her first bottle this week, such a big girl! She still doesn't really mind bath time and she loves to have lotion rubbed on her...we told her she had to love lotion like her mommies!

Amanda's family is coming this weekend, then my Mom is coming on Friday and then my sister is coming the week after that. Lots of love for little Regan!!!

Still completely in love with her,

Cheryl (& Amanda)

Regan Lynn

Wow, what a week have just had! Regan Lynn England was born on March 22, 2011 at 6:08 pm, weighing 6 lbs 14 ozs, and she was 19 inches long. As I type this I am looking at our beautiful little girl with tears in my eyes.

Our delivery was definitely not that bad. I had to be induced because my blood pressures were creeping up. A couple of hours after they broke my water, I was fully dilated and Regan was ready to make her debut. Pushed for 20 minutes and that was about it until the doctor came in...then a couple more pushes and she was out. Amanda was able to pull her out and put her on my chest and we instantly were in love.

What an amazing experience being a mother is...I know I have many many more years ahead, but it's already the most rewarding and most special thing that I have ever done in my life. I look at her and I am just filled with so many emotions. Watching Amanda with her melts my heart every time. I have got to the be the luckiest girl in the world...I have the most amazing little family.

We cannot wait to see what the next days, weeks, and years have in store for us. We are so ready to go on this journey with Regan :)

The past few days...

This past weekend we finally finished her room and we couldn't be happier!!! We feel so accomplished to get it all done :) I absolutely love seeing her name written out, because I love her name so much.

Amanda refinished a bookcase that we already had and it turned out wonderful! It matches the other furniture so good.

We had the bedding picked out for a girl even before we knew it was going to be Regan. We absolutely loved the animals in the bedding. It has different shades of purples, some khaki, some light orange, and some pink...we love it! I think the elephant is the cutest!

We even find Rebound in the room sometimes just laying down. :) He's confused, but we know he will love Regan and they will be the best of friends!

The chair in the corner was one of the biggest purchases, but I have to say that it is so comfortable and I wouldn't trade it for anything!!! Cannot wait to sit with Regan in the chair and listen to quiet music together :)

So last Saturday we went to Babies R Us to buy the last few things that we know we're going to need right at the beginning and we found this adorable little outfit for a newborn. It is so cute and I cannot wait for her to wear it. But the funny story is...Amanda and I were talking about how cute it was because it was 2 outfits and a hat. Amanda was like the hat is so cute, but it looks like a Stegosaurus Dinosaur and all I could do was laugh, because obviously that is not what it is...it is a flower to match the outfit?!?! :) We just laughed and laughed, I guess we're getting a little out of it and delirious.

So now we are still sitting and waiting. I was once again placed in the hospital on Tuesday night. This time was different, it was because I had high blood pressure. Needless to say, Regan does not want me to work anymore, so I am officially on bedrest until she decides to make her appearance. We're hoping it's going to happen sooner rather than later! We have our bags packed and the carseat is in Amanda's car, so we are ready...but just waiting!

Dear Regan, Mama is starting to get uncomfortable and both of your mommies cannot wait for you to get here. We are ready to be able to hold you in our arms instead of just feeling you move in my belly. We pray every night that you are growing strong and that when you are ready, you will make your appearance. Many people are ready to meet you too. You are one loved little girl!!

Love,

Your inpatient mommies :)