Just some fun baby things...

Diaper cake from Mark's co-workers.  I love it!

Monogrammed Onesie.

Bloomers!

Grass drying rack from Aunt Room!

Max's Nursery

Well, we are officially 4 days past Max's due date.  So ready to have this sweet little man home with us.  The nursery is all set (believe me, I have nested everything that I possibly can at this point and daddy has done every DYI project under the sun), and now all we need is Max.  Come on sweet baby!  We can't wait to meet you!

A sweet space for our sweet boy.  And oh yes, shag carpet is back.

We will be all too familiar with this area very soon!

Window bench with custom cushion, pillow and valance. 

Max's buddies have patiently awaited his arrival, especially Bun (mommy and daddy bought this for Max when we first found out I was pregnant) and Socktopus (daddy got this for Max when we found out we were having a son).  So sweet.

Max's books...never too early!

Bedding from Land of Nod...this was the starting point for the nursery.

A good family friend gave Max this handmade elephant mobile from Africa that she got while on a mission trip there.  So special and adorable! 

Name sign from Etsy.

Bible verse sign from Etsy.

Hope Max has nothing but the sweetest of dreams in his crib!

39 weeks!

Mama McCracken (39 weeks) and Mama Schmidt (30 weeks) at Baby Schmidt's shower.  Its been fun being pregnant, especially along side so many of my good friends, but now I am really just ready to have our little man here.  Come on Max, mama and daddy are ready to hold you!!!

Bestie Baby Bumps

Max's Sweet Shower

Max's Sweet Shower

Family and close family friends generously showered Max and I at 38 weeks.  It was so fun to celebrate now that Max's arrival is just right around the corner.  The shower was beautiful and we received so many special gifts for Max, allowing me to go home and "nest" more!  

I love this beautiful invitation.

Made from scratch....yum.

Grandma and Grandad were able to come to the shower and brought an extra special gift for Max.  This cradle has been passed down within the McCracken family for generations.  The most recent to put it to use was Max's cousins Lenna Kate and Hart but it has rocked decades of little McCrackens.  Used by Mark's great, great grandparents, we are so lucky to have this family heirloom to use with Max!

McCracken Family Crib

Summer Beach Trip!

Mark and I have not taken a week long vacation since our honeymoon and this one couldn't have come at a better time.  We had so much fun at Emerald Isle with the family and it was such a nice, restful break.  It was really funny to be sitting on the beach in my bathing suit and be able to actually see Max moving around.  I think he will be a beach baby for sure!  Thank you to my talented cousin Abbie for taking these great pics of us on the porch at the beach house.  Even though 6 more weeks seems like a long time to wait for our little man, I know this precious time will fly by and we will be glad to have these memories to look back at.

33 weeks pregnant.  We can't wait to meet our little man!

Daddy gives Max a kiss.

We love you Max. 

Max (and Mama) Get Showered!

The Girls at Max's Shower

Max's shower was gorgeous and so much fun.  We so appreciated all the work the hostesses (Spence, Susan, Diane, Lizzie and Carrie) put into making it such a special day.  I will never forget it! Thoughtful details like blue sugar rimmed drinks made this occasion one to remember and as always it was so good to see the girls.  Max is lucky to have such a wonderful group of loving friends (and more buddies on the way!).  I have definitely entered the "nesting" phase and it was really fun giving all of Max's new goodies a home in the nursery.  Max's Grandma gave him Daddy's favorite book (Go Dog Go!) and Mama's favorite (Goodnight Moon).  I know we will wear those two out, rocking and reading together.  We got such a great balance of functional necessities, sweet outfits/toys, and adorable keepsakes that we will put to use and cherish.  One of the most special gifts we received was a handmade knitted blanket from his Gran.  I can't wait to cuddle him up in it.

Sailboat Blankie Knitted By Gran

I am so thankful for such great friends, family and for that special day.  Thank you to all of you, we love you!

Max Goes to the Beach with His Future Cousins!

We had a fantastic weekend at Emerald Isle with Max's future aunt, uncle and cousins.  The weather was great and it was so nice to get away and visit with our family. Max is going to have a big time with these two soon. On Thursday night future cousins Lenna Kate and Hart slept in Max's nursery and they think he is going to like it!  They sure look cute and comfy in there! 

Cousins Lenna Kate and Hart cozy up in Max's nursery.

Uncle Mark hanging on the porch with our sweet niece and nephew.

Aunt Marge (28 weeks) with big cousin Lenna Kate...she liked to talked through my belly button to her cousin Max.  She would also ring my belly button like a door bell to say hello.  Very sweet.

Weekend Review: Max Gets Another Buddy!....And Blinds Too!

Its A Boy!  Yay Buddies!

We went to Carrie and Ryan's baby reveal party this weekend and Max was thrilled to learn he has another boy buddy on the way!  We are all so excited about this growing crew.  We can only hope that our sons find a friendship in life like the one their mommies have shared. Carrie and I have been friends since kindergarten and she is 19 weeks along and I am 28 weeks.  Very fun!

No we did not plan to dress alike, but the waiter at the Mexican restaurant was convinced that we were pregnant twins!  

Later that day...Max's Daddy and Grandfather install blinds in the nursery.

Here are Mark and Jim back at work on the nursery.  We have actually gotten a lot done through the week this week and its really starting to shape up. Its so fun to see it come together and to really picture Max in there! We are checking things off the list as we go, but know there is only so much preparing to be done.  Next week we start our 5 week baby/birth class...I'm sure that will be eye opening!  Anything for Max man! 

Max's Nursery: In the Works

Max's nursery is in the works!  It has been really fun and exciting to plan and decorate a spot in the world for our little man.  As any homeowner knows, home projects are always more involved and more time consuming than you ever plan for.  Last night Mark installed an overhead light in the nursery (I held the flash light since we started thinking we would be done by the time it was dark outside- ha, we are learning as we go here!).

Good work daddy!

Max's Changing Table

Socktopus and Bun

Bun is Max's first gift from mommy and daddy.  We bought it when we first found out that I was pregnant.  Softest ears ever!  Mark surprised me one day with Socktopus; I love him! Socktopus and Bun await Max (and a cushion to sit on)  in the nursery. 

24 Weeks (and 5 days) Along

Here we are going on 25 weeks!

Since this picture I am officially at 25 weeks and feeling great.  I have been fortunate through this pregnancy in that after the first trimester, I really haven't had to deal with too many pregnancy woes.  Of course there is always the adjustments to the growing belly bump...when I lean over to pick something up off the ground there seems to be a road block there and I definitely don't pop out of bed like I used to.  Thank goodness for maternity jeans! 

Max is a mover and a shaker.  I feel him moving during the day but especially at night when I first lay down and I love it. The feeling is the absolute combination of strange and amazing (however amazing wins out by far).  Now Mark is able to feel him moving too which has been exciting.  I go back to the doctor in about a week for a quick check up and then back again in 2 weeks for an ultrasound (yay!).  Apparently Max is looking more and more like a real baby these days so we can't wait to see the latest images of him. 

Max's Future Buddies

Max's Future Buddies:  Trevor, Colin, Ellis and Aspen (on the way).

We attended Max's future friend Ellis's first birthday party this weekend, which was so much fun.  Here are the girls and the little ones sitting on the joggling board (those of you with ties to SC should know about that).  I can just see Max and the boys in a few years on it!  Watch out!  We are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and can't wait for Max to meet them too and watch these kids grow up together.  

Party Favor!

Max even got his first party favor...Thanks Ellis!  Very thoughtful. I know we will be putting that bag to use toting around toys soon.

Growing, Growing and Go Heels!

 20 weeks pregnant and the baby bump is in full effect!  Strange to get used to at times but so exciting.  

(I'm 24 weeks now and have changed a lot since this pic!)

GO HEELS!

21 weeks and Max heads to the NCAA tournament to help us cheer on the Heels!  It worked that game...victory for the Heels!  Wish he could have gone to the subsequent NCAA games...maybe next year. 

Tulah Loves Max

Our sweet and spicy cat Tulah loves Max too.  She likes to climb up on my belly and keep Max nice and toasty.  I can't help but imagine that Max must like the warmth and purring too. One time Max kicked her and she looked at me like "What in the world was that?".   Right now Max's nursery is cleared out, awaiting furniture and Tulah likes to go in there and meow just to hear her own echo.  Funny for now but that will have to stop once there is a baby snoozing in there! 

This picture was taken at about 21 weeks I think...but Tulah is hiding most of the baby bump. 

Daddy Works on Max's Nursery

Mark working hard on Max's nursery.  We finally got all the painting done and we absolutely love the color. It brightens up the room but also seems to be soothing (hopefully that will come in handy at nap time!). 

A big thanks from Mommy and Max to Dad (Jim) and Mark for all the hard work to make a spot for Max to come home to.  Next its on to furniture! 

It's A...

          Max!!!!

Some catching up...

We had so much fun telling our family that we were expecting.  We told Mark's family at Christmas by giving them a gift to open that had a mini Christmas stocking that said "Santa's Little Helper".  It looked so cute hanging next to mommy and daddy's stockings!

Life With Max

Is wonderful already!  We are so thrilled to welcome our little man to the world.  It is truly mind blowing how deeply in love we are already with Max man.  Despite the ailments and at times oddities that accompany pregnancy, the love and wonder of being connected to your son makes it all more than worth it.  That realization really hit me the first time we heard our son's heart beat.  Wow.  Nothing like it.  We are so thankful for this blessing and for the support of our friends and family.  Max will be so lucky to have you in his life!  We are looking  forward to sharing the adventure of life with Max!

This pretty much sums it up...the moment we found out we were having a son!