Baby Shower...Part Deux

Last Friday, Jan’s co-workers hosted a baby shower for little Abigail. It was so nice and thoughtful of them and it was great to meet everyone he works with. There were several delicious snacks to munch on and a cute little cake.

Once again, Abigail was spoiled with the gifts! Jan is lucky to have such caring and fun co-workers!

Thanks to everyone who participated! Jan is very happy at his job, which in turn, makes me a VERY happy wife!

May Showers Bring…a June baby!!

This past weekend our friends and family hosted a couple’s baby shower for Jan and I. We only wanted one shower and Jan wanted to be included, so this was the route we chose (although untraditional, as my Mother kept telling me). The shower was held at our friends Razvan and Ashley’s newly purchased home, which is beautiful and has a ton of character. Other hostesses included my sisters, Amanda and Jodi, along with my friends Mary, Margaret and Roxana. The shower was perfect and exactly what Jan and I wanted. We didn’t want anything too fancy or over the top and wanted to keep it small and intimate with only close friends and family members.

Amanda was in charge of the decorations and desserts and made a large rattle to hang on the door. It is super cute and already has a place in Abigail’s nursery. She also designed a clothes line with onesies attached for Abigail and the diaper cake that served as the food table centerpiece. For desserts, she made mini cheesecake bites, which are Jan’s favorite, and chocolate chip cookies, which are my favorite.

Jodi made her world famous chicken salad sandwiches and a wonderful spinach dip. Mary and Margaret added fruit and veggies to the menu and mixed a nice cocktail beverage for everyone to enjoy (except me!). Ashley and Roxi designed a great seating area with table arrangements where everyone could relax and socialize while eating.  

Abigail racked up in the gift department and we are so grateful for everything! Momma (ME!) even scored a designer diaper bag...woo hoo!

My brothers and their ladies provided the most entertaining gifts of the day. Chad and his fiancée, Allison, gave Abigail a ‘Bubba’ pacifier, a silly bib and onesie, and a very thoughtful storybook. The storybook is recordable and we plan to have Abigail’s Ouma and Oupa narrate the story so she will continually hear their voices even though they are far away.

Tyler and his girlfriend, Jennifer, gave Abigail a darling red and black outfit with a cute bib to match. The bib reads, ‘I luv Uncle Ty!” It is super cute and I can’t wait for her to wear it.

A HUGE thank you to all our friends and family!! Abigail is already so loved and we can't wait for everyone to meet her.

Long Time, No Blog!

Sorry for the long blogging absence…we are alive and doing well! The Greeff household has been extremely busy over the past few weeks!

In our long absence,

We had our maternity shoot on May 7th with Ker-Fox Photography (www.kerfoxphotography.com) at Callaway Gardens (www.callawaygardens.com). The gardens are always gorgeous this time of year and they didn’t disappoint. We took several photos at Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden and the John A. Sibley Horticultural Center. Below is a sneak peak from the photographer and we are super excited to see the rest!!!

Jan and I hosted and enjoyed a wonderful Mother’s Day lunch. Since I am not yet quite a Mom, I took this opportunity to honor my Mother and older sister, Jodi. We had a total of 9 guests (the immediate family currently consists of 14 but 5 couldn’t make it) and served chicken kabobs, twice baked potatoes, mixed veggies, asparagus, dinner rolls and strawberry shortcake for dessert. As usual, Jan was a blessing and helped me tremendously. He not only grilled but also assisted me with the potatoes (which were a huge hit by the way). Overall it was a nice lunch and my Mother was happy she didn’t have to cook! Oh…and props out to Jennifer, Tyler and Jan for cleaning and assisting a poor ol’ exhausted preggo lady! Unfortunately, we didn’t snap any pictures during the event. :(

Before lunch on Mother’s Day, Jan was able to call both his Ouma and Oupa, and Skype with his family. I know it is hard for him to be so far away. As I was preparing lunch in the kitchen, I heard his brothers, Abrie and Hendre, along with his Mother, on the Skype call. I know it’s not the same as being there, but I was happy that just for a bit, his Mom had all three of her boys in the living room with her on Mother’s Day. It touched my heart and made me smile!

I think we are completely ready for Abigail’s arrival. We attended two classes offered at our local hospital, a prepared childbirth class and a car seat class. We now know (or think we know) what to expect of labor and delivery. We finally purchased a bassinet for our bedroom and have everything washed and organized in the nursery.

I’ve been trying to spend some quality time with Jan before the craziness comes. I even went to play golf with him one Saturday (I just rode in the cart). It was a nice and peaceful afternoon. I am hoping to steal some additional one-on-one time soon.

We’ve had two Dr appointments and everything is going great! Abigail is measuring perfect, her heart rate is good and steady, all my vitals are normal and at this time, she is head down. Woo Hoo! We have 25 days to go! Below is a picture taken at the end of my 36th week. Warning: It shows more skin than previous pictures!

I am definitely ready to meet Miss Abigail but I am also ready to not be pregnant. I’ve had a super easy pregnancy and can’t complain at all; however, this past week I’ve reflected on how much of a self-sacrifice it is to be pregnant. (I think my hormones have finally kicked in, haha! Poor Jan!) I don’t mean to sound selfish but I am ready to have my body back, I am ready to wear my old clothes again, I am ready to eat what I want to eat and drink what I want to drink, I am ready to play tennis and run again, basically I am ready to be “Lori” again! Jan and I do want two children, so I definitely plan to be pregnant again, but I cannot image doing this more than twice! My Mother had 5 children and I have so much more respect for her now and realize how much she was willing to sacrifice of herself.

This past Saturday we attended our baby shower! More details and pictures coming soon.

That should basically catch us up since my last post. I will try to be more diligent going forward. And for those of you wondering, our four-legged child is doing great (at least for now). She has no idea what is about to hit the Greeff household!!

Hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Happy birthday, Dad!

I find myself wondering...
Did I give you your due..
For all that you've done for me
Did I ever thank you?

For all of my childhood memories
For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?

Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
Good judgement, courage, and being true
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared
Did I ever thank you?

If I have forgotten, I'm thanking you now
You taught me right from wrong....
I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated
I hope you, instinctively, knew it all along.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Wedding Showers Bring May Flowers

I think I’ve mentioned before that our friends Toby and Eva are getting married on June 3, 2011, in Germany, so this past weekend, Jan and I, along with two other couples, Roxi and Oliver, and Ashley and Razvan, threw them a couples wedding shower. Wedding showers are an American tradition, so Toby had never even heard of such an event and Eva had only been to one. After explaining to Toby that it isn’t really a “shower” in the technical sense but a time to “shower” the couple with gifts, they happily agreed to let us host a shower in their honor.

Ashley, Roxi and I spent a few weeks planning the event and I am happy to report it was a huge success. Ashley is an event coordinator by trade, so she did a wonderful job securing tables, linens, chairs, etc. She also put together a few beautiful center pieces. Roxi is the baker of the group and made several delicious desserts including a fruit arrangement on skewers, cake balls, mini pineapple upside down cakes and heart-shaped red velvet cake cookies (my favorite!). I prepared the hors d’oeuvres and entrees. As usual, Jan was a huge help. He went shopping with Ashley on Saturday morning and operated the grill Saturday night. He’s just wonderful!!

Anyway, I will let the pictures below tell the rest of the story. It was a wonderful evening and we wish Toby and Eva all the happiness in the world!

Guests of honor, Toby and Eva

Delicious food and desserts

Beautiful center pieces and setting

My hubby at the grill...he's a true South African!

Hostesses: Roxi, me and Ashley

Preggo Update!

How Far Along: 33 weeks!!

Gender: It’s a GIRL, Abigail Suzanne Greeff.

Size of Baby: Approx. 18 inches long and 4.5 lbs, about the size of a honeydew melon.

Total Weight Gain: 25 lbs.

Baby Movement: She is a dancing machine!!!

Sleep: I have some good nights and some bad nights. I consider myself very lucky, however, because I still manage at least 6 hours every night. I haven’t had many uncomfortable issues yet.

Things I Miss: Sushi, champagne, my pre-pregnancy clothes, my pre-pregnancy body…did I mention sushi and champagne?

Cravings: None…no pickles and ice cream here! I think I am very lucky in this department. My diet never really changed much.

Best Moment Recently: While lying in bed, I saw a hand or foot cross completely across my stomach. It was kind of alien creepy but awesome to see!

General Well-being: I feel great, most of the time. I still have lots of energy and can still manage all of my everyday responsibilities…cooking, cleaning, working, etc. For some reason, my feet and ankles stayed swollen ALL of last week. Let's just say that 'cankles' are embarrassing and I am glad they have disappeared (for now). We are almost 100% complete with the nursery and I will post a room tour some time soon. We have finally registered and are having a baby shower later this month. All in all, we are prepared and get more and more excited each week.