A Shower for our Boy

We were incredibly blessed to actually have TWO showers for our Clark. (I'll have to post pictures from the family shower "back home" in McHenry later this week--they're still on my camera which is charging.) I have a tendency to go on and on in long-winded explanations when I blog. Fortunately for you, Becky took great pictures, so I'll mostly let them tell the story. I will say that the day was PERFECT! I couldn't have asked for a shower that was more "us"! Our moms and sisters truly outdid themselves, and I am left with some precious memories. We couldn't be more thankful.

Welcome table with escort cards and "guest blocks". 

"Guest blocks" for everyone to sign and one of my favorite pictures from our maternity shoot.

Aww...Mommy & Daddy escort cards--so sweet, Courtney!

Centerpieces (each table had a letter and a coordinating item) & games

C is for Clark--LOVE our ultrasound picture of the little man!

Beautiful cake by our "Cake Lady"--I swear we didn't realize that his initials would be CWS until AFTER we decided on his name. It's a nice tribute to our Chicago White Sox, though. 

Prize table--Nice job Jen & Laura!

Not sure what my hair was doing, but we're pretty excited to be Mommy & Daddy! 

With Mono--Michael's mom

With Grandma (we're still waiting on Finn to give her  a unique name)--My mom

From the left, Grandma Hoyle, Aunt Lillian, Grandma Samples, & Grandma Gladys (one of my godmothers)

Holy gift table! Our friends and family were so incredibly thoughtful and generous!  Somehow we were able to get (most) everything to fit in the house!

Jenn, me, & Becky--We've been friends for nearly FIFTEEN years, and once Clark is here, we'll have four kids between the three of us!

Sisters & Nieces!
Back row: Michael's sisters-Jen & Laura, our niece (Jen's daughter), Ashley, me & Michael
Front row: Our niece (Laura's daughter), Nicole, My sisters-Courtney & Becky 

Finn came to the shower so Uncle Mike didn't have to be the only boy. ;)
We can't WAIT for him and Clark to play together! We're hoping they become the best of friends!

There were plenty of gift shots, but there's no need to post them all. This onesie (from Jenn) was one of my favorites!

The Girls!
From left: Chrisanne & Tenley, Beth (Reagan was with her grandma), me, Becky & Finn
We're missing Rachel & Violet in this one (it's excusable seeing as how Violet was  less than two weeks old at the time!)

Leslie mad it in from Chicago for the shower--we were so thrilled she did!

I wish we had been able to get pictures with everyone who came, however, the memories made that day with everyone who showed their love and support will always be me. Clark, I pray that you never forget that even before you were here, you were so incredibly loved by so many!

Maternity Pictures & 1 month

I LOVE St. Patrick's Day! I always have. There are many reasons why I am proud to be a part of my grandmother's family, but one reason that I am particularly proud is due to the Irish heritage of the Brennan family. I grew up with my Aunt Georgia telling stories about kissing the Blarney Stone, going to funerals that were true celebrations of life, and falling in love with all things Irish. I bring this up for several reasons, 1) Saturday (St. Patrick's Day) was one of the ONLY days during my entire pregnancy I was seriously bummed that I couldn't drink (Clark--you're totally worth it, but Mommy wanted a beer), 2) I was excited that we took our maternity pictures on St. Paddy's Day because I'll ALWAYS remember it, and 3) Somehow it made the pictures of me in the rocking chair my Grandma Betty bought for my mother when she was pregnant with me all that more special.

Before I share those pictures, I'll give you some exciting news. I'm 33 weeks right now which means that in ONE MONTH Clark will be full term and if he came, it would be ok. One. Month. So terrifying. So exciting!

A special thanks to my wonderful best friend and sister-in-law, Becky Hoyle, for taking our maternity pictures. I'm posting my favorites (all of which came from our preview--Beck, you have such good taste!), so for those of you who are not on Facebook and have been demanding belly shots, you should be appeased. After you finish this post, click on over to Hoyle-Cunningham Photography or go like them on Facebook, because seriously, I have some amazingly talented friends/family!

This is the chair my Grandma Betty gave my mom when she was carrying me. It was super important to me to have it in the nursery. All I  did was paint it white to match Clark's room.

So artsy. So beautiful.

Bruce (left) and Bentley (right) know something is up, but I doubt they have any clue how much their lives our going to change in the next several weeks. (We kind of feel the same way!)

One of the only bare belly shots I actually LOVE!

Clark's room is almost done. The only things left to do are finish the prints that will be framed and hung on the walls and buy/assemble the bookshelf.

Love this.

One of my favorites. It's amazing how I look like I'm all belly--I swear I'm not!

31.

Now seems as good a time as any to reflect on the past several months and look forward to the future. It's amazing to me that time has gone by so quickly. I was warned that it would. I anticipated it doing so, yet somehow, I was caught off guard when I realized that a week from from Thursday I'll be two months away from my due guess date.

While I'm practically giddy to meet our little boy, when I think back on the past 30 weeks, part of me is sad that this time is going to be over so soon. I've really loved being pregnant (even if it has meant giving up cold turkey sandwiches *sniff, sniff* and coffee *sob, sob*)! In fact, the other week week I was talking to my best friend Chrisanne and telling her that while I can't WAIT to see Clark on the outside of my growing tummy, part of me will miss having him there and knowing that he's with me and safe. She guaranteed me that while she felt similarly with her little girl, Tenley, they're much more fun to play with on the outside. :)

I'm also grateful that I've had such a complication-free pregnancy. Each check-up has been "perfect." Even my weight (which I was nervous about) is on track according to my midwife. I don't want to be arrogant or fool-hardy and assume that all will go "perfectly" during our delivery, but the fact that I haven't had problems thus far makes me a little more optimistic.

What has not changed is how busy I am during the spring. I'm irritated with myself that I haven't blogged in a MONTH! Slightly more irritated that this post is coming a week after I planned for it to (it was originally titled "The Big 3-0!"--now, however, "The Big 3-1!" doesn't have the same ring to it). Last week I finished teaching my first of three test prep classes. Last night started #3 and after Thursday I'll be half way finished with #2. Between regular work, teaching test prep 1-2 nights a week and all the weddings we're finishing for Signature, Ink., I'm definitely keeping busy while waiting for our little one's arrival.

I'll post a belly picture soon. I just need to find time when I'm at home to move it from my camera to computer.