Week 31 & CHRISTmas

Good Morning! We hope that everyone had a GREAT Christmas & was able to spend the holiday with loved ones :) We were lucky enough to spend a few days with the Goodroes in Social Circle! Unfortunately, I got really sick on Christmas Day, which really put a damper on things :( Still not exactly sure what it was, but it's definitely not a way you want to spend the holiday. I think I also had my first run-in with Braxton-Hicks contractions while I was sick over the weekend. Nothing too bad, but enough to get my attention for sure! Regardless, we had a wonderful holiday & really had fun imagining how next Christmas will be when we have a 10 month old!! This year also marked the last time we'll travel for the holidays since we'll start our own little family Christmas traditions with baby B in 2012.

We're back home now & getting in the swing of things today. Sad to see the Christmas decorations start to come down so soon, but we've got to prepare for other events! This weekend we are expecting a couple of JD's friends to come visit for NYE! AND we can't believe how close the due date is getting for Baby Baker (seriously, only a max of 9 weeks remaining???)!!!

I went to see my doctor last week & he said that everything is still looking good - baby is continuing to G-R-O-W (still measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule)! I won't go see him this week because he is out of the office, but will go back next week & every week until we have a baby! At my appointment next week we will do another ultrasound (to check baby's position & to see that the placenta is where it ought to be) & an NST (non-stress test) on the baby. Should be a longer visit, but I am really excited about seeing how BIG baby has gotten since our last ultrasound at week 18.

Now that the holiday season is coming to an end, we are hoping to do a few last minute things around the house & finish getting the nursery organized for Baby B's arrival!

Still feeling a lot of movement with Baby B, & different kinds of movement - more punches / kicks rather than flips & spins. Also, he / she is definitely starting to form some sort of schedule - I can expect to feel movement at certain times of the day / night. Here's what else is going on with our growing baby this week...

Your Pregnancy: Week 31 (www.parentsconnect.com)

Your Body
Your mind may not be anywhere near ready for your baby to arrive but your body is already making preparations. One of the ways it's getting ready is by "practicing" for labor in the form of Braxton Hicks contractions. Luckily, these are generally painless, although somewhat annoying as they can occur frequently (the middle of the night, during an important meeting, while you're trying to focus on Access Hollywood, etc).

Braxton Hicks contractions feel like a sudden tightening of your uterus. This is just a little preview of what real contractions will feel like. They usually start to become noticeable around the eighth month and can become very strong by the end of your pregnancy.

While you can't get rid of Braxton Hicks contractions, there are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable, like gentle exercise (such as walking) or taking a warm, relaxing bath. Calgon, take me away. ...



Your Baby
From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth (even though it may feel like a whole lot more with every step you take). Other highlights this week:

Due to increasing space constraints, your baby's arms and legs stay drawn up close to the body now, known as the fetal position (oh, so that's where that name came from!). Plus, your baby can now process information from all five senses—so she'll be all set to smell the pureed peas, taste them, feel them as she mashes them into her hair, hear you crack up and then see the flash as you grab the camera to snap picture after picture.

By now, your baby's lungs are the only system not fully mature. And by mature, we're not saying that the rest of your baby's systems are mature enough to be out past 10 PM with the neighborhood hooligan, just that her lungs need a little bit more time to bake before they can kick it in the outside world.

Your baby weighs about 3½ pounds and measures a little over 16 inches, about the same length as that miniskirt you used to wear (and will again someday!).

21 Week Update & Nursery in Progress

Hello All - lots going on since our last update on Baby Baker! We attended our 20 week appointment on Friday morning with an ultrasound - doctor reports that all looks GREAT & baby is growing, growing, growing!! My official due date is still February 26, but the ultrasound tech measured baby last week with a due date of February 13 -- I guess this one is really going to surprise us on the arrival date!

Baby must have known that he / she was in the spotlight all morning because it was dancing all over the place! Not only could I feel it moving, but the ultrasound tech had a hard time keeping him /her on the screen & then the doctor had to keep moving his device to hear the heartbeat! He did get a good heart rate reading & it came in at *134* (for all of you who are playing the guessing game, the rumor is that a lower heart rate means BOY). I'm getting to where I feel baby moving just about every day now, which is such a great feeling! The best one so far was last Thursday morning (10/13/2011)- I woke up, it was overcast, I was really tired as I haven't been sleeping very well, & all I wanted to do was crawl back under the covers to get some more rest - well, as if baby could read my mind, I felt two quick *kicks* in my tummy, as of he / she were saying "Mom - you have to get up & go to work now or else you will be late!!" Well, that was all I needed to get me moving :) Still looking forward to when those kicks are more intense & hard enough for JD to feel them!

This weekend we drove over to Social Circle to visit with my parents! While there, we were able to get a lot of things checked off the list for the nursery, including window treatments, hardware, & an area rug!! I couldn't hardly wait to get home with our new purchases so that we could see how they were going to look in the nursery - I'm happy to report that everything is even more perfect than we even imagined!!! I know I haven't posted any "nursery in progress" pictures yet, but I am ready to do so now...

*the bedding - still no pictures of the assembled crib with the bedding because we haven't assembled it yet... updated pictures will be shared in early November*


*rug & window treatments - this is seriously the SOFTEST rug that I've ever seen in my life!! can't wait to get baby baker down there crawling around on it!!*


*close up of the dresser / changing table - prints were previously in the guest bathroom at my parents' house, we think they will be perfect in the nursery! The fuzzy guy on the dresser is a recent purchase - we just couldn't leave him at the store :)*


*another close up of the window treatments on one window - it AMAZES me what a difference some curtains & a rug will make in a space!!*


We also found these cute little guys from HomeGoods - just couldn't leave them there & they are PRECIOUS in the nursery!!



It's still hard for me to comprehend that we are move the half way hump in pregnancy!! Here's what's going on with baby's development as we kick off week 21...

Your Pregnancy: Week 21 (www.parentsconnect.com)

Twenty-one is a magic number. It means independence. It means you just won a hand of blackjack. In pregnancy terms, it means you have gotten over the hump and you only have 19 weeks left!



Your Baby
Chances are good you're feeling someone performing a round-off back handspring in your uterus by now. Is there any other feeling this cool? Other highlights this week:

By now your baby looks like a mini-version of what she'll look like when she's born. All her facial features are formed and hair is growing on her head. She's even acting like a baby and will occasionally suck her thumb or yawn. Aww ...

Baby's heartbeat is getting stronger and can be heard using a good old-fashioned stethoscope. Ask for a listen at your next prenatal visit! By 21 weeks, fetal bone marrow starts making blood cells—previously done by the liver and spleen. This may not sound that exciting, but it's good news.

The amniotic fluid that has been cushioning your little bean now serves another purpose: Your baby uses it to "practice" chowing down. Yes, it sounds gross (as many aspects of pregnancy do), but it's an important step for your baby toward being able to chow down in the real world. Your baby has been swallowing amniotic fluid for a while now, but now the intestines are finally developed enough that she's absorbing small amounts of sugars from it. And let's face it, being able to effectively digest sugar is important at every stage of life.

Your baby now weighs between 10 and 11 ounces and is approximately 7 inches long—the size of a delicious, cold, frothy bottle of root beer. Float anyone?


That's all for now - looking forward to a visit from the Bakers this weekend for a JD & the Man show at ORE (Friday) & the Freshwater Land Trust Darter Dash 5k on Saturday! Wish me luck - not sure I was in my right mind when I agreed to do a 5k at a nature preserve at nearly 22 weeks pregnant...

Weekends for the Baker Bunch & 18 Week Update

Hi All - realizing that it's getting harder for me to keep up with my weekly blog updates! A lot has been going on for the Bakers -- here's a quick recap of what we've been doing...

We finally got the house projects complete {with the help of our amazing families!!!} & the Baker abode is getting closer to being ready for the arrival of Baby Baker!!! All of JD's music & home-brewing equipment is tucked away in its new home, thanks to JD's dad's incredible carpentry skills!! {I promise to post pictures soon of the beautiful cabinets he built for us!!} We now have new hanging cabinets in our screen porch for JD's homebrew equipment & we have two GORGEOUS cabinets in the guest room for JD's music equipment!! We also installed a kitty-sized pet door so that Aja is free to travel between house & screen porch. It took some time for her to get compfortable with the new set up, but she has finally come around & seems to be a much happier kitty overall! (For those of you who know Aja, I think she's really started to come out of her shell - a few mornings this week, I've gotten up in the morning & spotted her sitting in a window sill out on the porch just watching the yard & flicking her tail!! JD & I joke that she is out there enjoying her morning coffee, watching the world go by...)

We hit a couple of bumps in the road during work week, but we *could not* be happier with how everything has turned out!! AND - with JD's stuff out of the third bedroom, we were able to start making progress on the NURSERY!!

No pictures of the nursery-in-progress yet, but here's what we've done so far:
>painted the room (walls, trim, closet, etc...)
>put in new crown molding
>purchased new blinds for both windows
>picked up dresser & crib from furniture store - dresser was already assembled
>bedding arrived & is ready to go in the crib, once assembled

It's got a long way to go before the baby comes, but it's definitely coming along!! We ended up going with a nice, neutral color for the walls (Martha Stewart's 'Alpaca Brown') with white trim - it's amazing what a difference a couple of gallons of paint can make!!

JD & I find ourselves stopping by the *nursery* most nights just to look around & think about what it will be like when Baby Baker arrives & is living in his / her new space! It seems like so far from now, but at the same time, I know it will be here before we know it!! I get so excited thinking about it!!


Last weekend we spent some MUCH NEEDED R&R time at Smith Lake with some great friends! We enjoyed the sun, games, good food, football, & baby Caleb! Here is a quick picture I snapped of the view of the lake from our room at the GORGEOUS house:


(Sadly, this is the only picture I took all weekend... must have been having too much fun??)

Other big news for the Bakers this week is that we met with our mortgage broker & are going to be able to refinance our home loan & save 3 points off our current interest rate!!! We couldn't be more excited about this - it's going to save us over $200/month, which will definitely come in handy when we have to start paying for daycare next year!

Although this week is nearly over, here's an update on our baby's progress...

Your Pregnancy: Week 18 (www.parentsconnect.com)

Now that you're in the full throes of the second trimester, you're feeling—and looking—fabulous. So don't waste it! See friends (they've missed you since you moved your bedtime up to 7:00 p.m.), plan romantic dinners with your partner (you will miss those when junior arrives) and get active. Waterskiing might be a little too much but swimming and taking long walks are great for you and your bambino.

Your Body
At about 18 weeks, you might begin to feel a suspicious flutter in your belly. The professionals call it "quickening," we call it "baby's makin' waves!" Within the next few weeks, those tiny bubbly feelings will become more obvious. And soon enough they'll be unmistakably identifiable—especially when you (and anyone within 10 feet of you) can see tiny feet, elbows and knees moving across your belly.

>>>SIDE NOTE: I felt this for the first time on Sept 20!!!




Your Baby
Your baby's ears are now facing forward and are completely formed so she can actually hear you talking now. You don't need to abandon your potty mouth just yet, but you might want to start thinking about it! Other highlights this week:

This week is also the beginning of ossification. And while that sounds like some long and involved paperwork you'll have to fill out, it's really a fancy medical term for the hardening of your baby's miniature bones. And that's a good thing.

Your baby's nerves are making more and more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight and hearing are all developing. A substance called myelin, which makes nerve connections travel faster, is now coating your baby's nerves.

Your baby now weighs between 5 and 7 ounces and is about 5½ inches long—about the size of a pickle from the corner deli. (You're familiar with pickles, right? Your regular accompaniment to a big bowl of ice cream?)

14 Week Update

Good Morning! Just a quick update on the Baker family today... we spent the weekend down in Mobile for the 16th annual Dauphin Street International Beer Festival! As always, it did not disappoint; however, my experience was somewhat different from years past :) It was so good to spend time with JD's family & good friends - some of them were thoughtful enough to bring some O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer for me to drink so that I wouldn't feel left out, ha! On our way home yesterday, we stopped in Alabaster to check out the maternity section at their Old Navy store. Fortunately, I was able to find a few pieces (dresses & tops) that should get be through to winter!! I'm starting to "show" a little more each week & am probably wearing maternity clothes every-other day! This week is full of appointments - JD & I both are getting our teeth cleaned & then I have an appointment with my OB on Wednesday!! No ultrasound this week, though - boo :( Just hoping for a good report on BB's development!!

Speaking of, here is this week's update:

Your Pregnancy: Week 14 (www.parentsconnect.com)
You're officially in your glory days: the second trimester. Energy levels come back up, nausea levels go down and you may have a cute little bump that's beginning to show. It's a great time to celebrate the happy news ... if people haven't guessed already


Your Baby
Think of it this way: You're a third of the way through and baby's a third of the way cooked. Now that the "big stuff" (like skeletal and organ development) is taken care of, your baby starts a period of rapid brain growth, fat buildup and detail work. Highlights this week include:

Your baby now has fingerprints! Book 'em, Danno! Believe it or not, he actually created them himself while swimming around in the amniotic fluid. As he moved his hands, the skin on the tips of his fingers formed unique ridges and folds. That's why no one on earth has the same fingerprints, not even identical twins! Cool, right? Baby's arms are now in proportion to his tiny body, but his legs are still on the short size in comparison.

Meconium, that tar-like, sticky first baby poop, is now loading up your baby's intestines, which means you might want to set aside a bottle of olive oil, one of the few things that will get the gooey poop off of baby's bottom.

Your baby continues to gain new and impressive skills such as practicing and controlling voluntary muscle movements (this will help him fling food across the room later in life). Your tiny dancer's movements are no longer the jerky, uncontrollable twitches of yore—he now moves with graceful control.

Your baby is now weighs about an ounce and is the length of a flip phone, or roughly 3.5 inches—he's tripled in size from a mere three weeks ago! Luckily, you haven't done the same.




Thursday night we are heading to Regions Park to see the Birmingham Barons take on the Tennessee Smokies! Hope everybody has a great Labor Day weekend - we are looking forward to staying home & relaxing! JD's big band (Dangerous Cousin) has a show at Tannehill State Park on Monday afternoon, but other than that, we'll be around the house!

13 week update

Not much new to report this week - but we have entered in to the SECOND TRIMESTER!!! I can't tell if time is going by quickly or not - right now it feels like it's creeping by, but at the same time I know that the next few months will go by in a flash! Another highlight this week - I am starting to transition in to maternity clothes!! Not for everyday yet, but some things from my pre-preggers wardrobe just don't work anymore :(

Mom & Dad Goodroe came to visit us this past weekend - we went to go hear JD & the Man play Friday night at Big Blue Bagel in Crestline. Saturday we spent the day running around town - mostly looking at baby stuff & nursery furniture!! There is so much to think about when shopping for new baby! Dad was cracking us up because he had apparently done some research on Consumer Reports recently & knew what brands were good & which ones to avoid - so funny to see a 70+ year old man have an opinion on baby strollers & car seats! HA!

This weekend we are heading down south for the annual Dauphin Street International Beer Fest - should be a good time, even for this pregnant gal :)

PS - I have recently fallen victim to pinterest. Many apologies to my husband who on Sunday only saw me from behind the laptop while I was scouring the many pages searching for great finds - I feel like that is bound to happen more frequently...

Here's this week's update!

Your Pregnancy: Week 13 (www.parentsconnect.com)
What You're Thinking:
"OK, fine, my skinny jeans aren't working anymore—and my "fat day" clothes don't even fit. I'm going shopping and I'm not coming back until I've got something I look fabulous in."



Your Baby
Your baby can make a fist and even suck his or her thumb this week—both skills that are über-cute during infancy ... and not so much at the age of 9. If you're really lucky, you might catch a glimpse of baby's thumb sucking on an ultrasound photo. That's a framer! Other exciting developments include:

Your baby's eyelids are fused shut to protect his eyes as they develop. His bones and skull are solidifying and soon itsy-bitsy ribs may appear. (Baby ribs! How cute is that?!) Baby's intestines are finally right where you want them—in his or her belly instead of poking out into the umbilical cord. Baby's tooth sockets are all loaded and ready to pop out baby teeth six or seven months after baby is born (causing baby a lot of pain and you a lot of lost sleep).

Who's that singing? Elton John? Could be your baby: His vocal cords and larynx are completed now.

Your baby-to-be now weighs about 20 grams and is nearly 3 inches long, or about the size of a Nutter Butter, covered in chocolate. OK, it doesn't have to be covered in chocolate, but isn't everything better that way?

12 week Update

Hello all! Just another quick update on what's going on with the Bakers. Since my last post, one of my very best friends gave birth to her first child!!! We are so happy to welcome Caleb Joseph Giesen to the world!! Congrats to Natalie & Joey - he is absolutely perfect & the most precious baby I've ever seen!!!

As I mentioned before, we traveled to New Orleans this weekend for a long weekend getaway! It was so nice!!! Lots happening in the Crescent City this weekend - Saints pre-season game at home Friday night; Red Dress Run Saturday morning; Dirty Linen party on Royal Street Saturday night. JD's sweet mom & dad came to spend the day with us on Saturday!! We had great food, saw all of our favorite spots in the city, hung out with old friends, & did LOTS of walking around - which I was nervous about in the beginning, but I ended up feeling great!! It has inspired me to pick back up on my exercise routine back home! We knew while we were there that we wanted to get some unique art from an artist on Jackson Square that we could use in the nursery - we were able to find a couple of the most *precious* pieces!! The cute little artist even signed them after we told him it was for our baby's nursery :) I will post pictures from our trip later...

On our way home, we swung through Foley, AL to stop at a place to look for supplies for our upcoming house addition project! We were able to find a new back door & wood for the cabinets that JD & his dad are going to build to hold his music & beer brewing supplies! We were able to get some really good deals - definitely worth the trip over to Foley!

In other news, I hit the 12 week mark over the weekend!! I am continuing to feel pretty good & can start to feel my energy coming back (finally!). Here's an update on what's going on with Baby Baker this week:

Your Pregnancy: Week 12 (www.parentsconnect.com)

What You're Thinking:
"Finally I can tell everybody that I'm not getting fat, I'm just pregnant!"

Your Baby
Baby's face is looking more human as his eyes have moved to the front of his head and his ears are in place. Hooray! Other amazing fetal highlights this week:


Your baby is able to swallow this week and practices on the amniotic fluid he or she floats in. (And you thought baby food was kind of nasty!) And in case you're wondering how your kid can breathe in all that fluid, here's your answer: Fetuses get oxygen from the blood pumped into their bodies by the placenta and don't breathe with their lungs. Mystery solved!

This is kind of gross, albeit fascinating, so feel free to skip ahead: Your baby's intestines are well under way, but they aren't all where you'd expect them to be. Instead of all being locked away in the body cavity, some are dangling on the outside, in the umbilical cord. Ewwww.

Don't forget to put a baby nail file on your registry—your little nugget's finger- and toenails are forming this week. The chin and nose are also becoming more defined.

Junior has doubled in size over the past two weeks and now weighs almost ½ ounce. He's also now around 2 ½ inches long, about the length of your pinky finger or a Vienna sausage, which, in a few months, will be indistinguishable from one another.

11 Week Update, & more

Hello All,

No real changes for me this time, but I thought I'd post the 11 week update on (BB)Baby Baker...

Your Pregnancy: Week 11 {from parentsconnect.com}

Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...

What You're Thinking:
"I am not crazy for crying like a little girl during the cheerleading championship on ESPN. Those girls work hard!"




Your Baby
All of your baby's vital organs are now formed and functioning, so the risk of defects decreases this week as your baby becomes less susceptible to outside influences. Phew! Other exciting developments include:

Baby's ears are assuming their proper place this week and the fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to form. Your little "pumpkin head" really lives up to his nickname as his head is nearly as big as the rest of his body.

While testes or ovaries are completely formed now, don't start decorating the nursery. You won't be able to see your baby's gender for a few more weeks yet.

Your baby is really on the move now. In an ultrasound you might be able to see your little acrobat flailing his or her arms and legs and doing somersaults worthy of Cirque du Soleil. You still won't be able to feel any movement, so if you feel something "kick" in there, it's probably gas.

In the next nine weeks, your baby will increase 30 times in weight and almost triple in length. You might feel like you're increasing 30 times in weight at this point, too, but we can assure you're not—because, honey, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Your baby now weighs a third of an ounce, about the same as two small, Starbucks-sized packets of sugar, is about 2 inches long, the length of one of those sugar packets. Isn't that sweet?




I'm still feeling better than I was for the first several weeks, which is a GREAT relief! Still waiting for my energy to kick back in. JD & I had a pretty lazy weekend, however we did get a closet & a chest of drawers cleaned out. We're in the process of trashing or donating the stuff we don't need anymore, or putting things in storage we don't need but still want to keep, all in an attempt to get ready for BB!

We have a 3 bedroom house currently set up as 2 bedrooms & an office / music room / beer brewing room. The initial thought was that we would turn the current guest room into the nursery; however, since we have family who live out of town, getting rid of a guest room wasn't really an option. So, we have since decided to turn the office into the nursery. That means, however, that we need a space for JD's music & beer brewing equipment to go. After talking out the logistics with JD's dad, we have decided to close in our existing screen porch & make it a family room. JD & his dad are going to build custom cabinets to house his stuff. Work week is set to take place in early September - and we are sooooo excited!! Once the new space is complete, we can start working on the nursery!!

Also, on the short horizon for the Bakers is a mini vacation to New Orleans! We leave Friday & will spend 3 nights in the Big Easy! We are really looking forward to getting away for a little while & spending some time with friends who we don't see very often! I know, NOLA seems like an unusual place for a preggers lady to go - we scheduled & paid for this trip before we knew we were expecting! But, I was still excited to go! I'm really excited because we decided not to stay in a hotel this time, but in a little one bedroom condo! We found a GREAT place on a www.VRBO.com search - it's right on Royal Street, behind Jackson Square! In the heart of the French Quarter - close to everything! We even have our own little courtyard & two bicycles for getting around town!!! This will be my third trip to New Orleans, & I am excited to see how different this trip is from past visits!

Hope everybody has a great week! Talk to you soon...

Kate + Nate :: Wedding Pictures

a few of my favorites from their big day...

itchin' for a hitchin'

I love the title of this post becuase it was what Katie's sweet grandfather (Daddy Woody) said before the blessing at her wedding rehearsal on Thursday night... and he couldn't have been more right.

This past weekend we attended the Davies / Kivett Wedding in Nashville, TN. What a beautiful wedding it was - Katie really did an excellent job in planning every last detail for their big day. Everything was so beautiful, & so personal, & reflected both Katie & Nathan perfectly.

This weekend was also really special to me because it was a chance for me to catch up with all of my *favorites* from high school & all of my *favorites* from college! I thought my head was going to spin with excitement! Seriously, how lucky am I?!?

I want to go on & on about how much I love my bestie & her terrific *hubs*, but I'm afraid that little sensitive / emotional me won't be able to hold it together long enough to get through the post... hopefully my pictures will be able to do it justice.

Katie & Nate - You both hold a very special place in my heart & I am so very happy that you have found one another. You are the perfect compliment to one another, & I can't tell you enough how your love for one another radiates to everything that you do. I know that you will have a lifetime of happiness together! MUCH LOVE & CONGRATS!

I'm going to load some more of my pictures from the weekend this week to share - but until then, here's a sneak peek...

Mardi Gras 2011

This post is a loooong time coming, but I had to wait for my camera charger to make it home from Mobile...

Mardi Gras 2011 was a GREAT time & a *MUCH NEEDED* break from the daily grind for me & JD. The Bakers were sweet enough to open up their *fabulous* home to us for the weekend festivities! Did I mention in previous posts that their new house is on. the. parade. route.!?!?! There's simply no better way to enjoy a mardi gras parade than in the comfort of your own yard...
JD's favorite day of Mardi Gras has always been Joe Cain Day {Sunday}, & I think I'd have to agree. The thing I like most about Joe Cain day is the history - check out more info on Joe Cain here
Every year, the "widows" of Joe Cain dress in their best funeral attire & go down to the Church Street Cemetery to mourn their loss. The widows fascinate me, but nobody ever knows who the widows are - they are a *very* exclusive group & one can only become a "widow" if you are invited. Pam & I long to one day be a Joe Cain widow... You'll see a picture of Pam & Johnny's neighbor dressed up as an un-official widow. Also, you'll see a picture of ladies dressed in red dancing in the streets during a parade - these are Joe Cain's "mistresses". The mistresses have to walk in the parade while the widows ride in the floats. As you can imagine, the widows & the mistresses don't get along very well...

Here are a few pictures of the weekend...
{check out those party animals in the last shot}

bestie

this past weekend I traveled to one of my favorite cities to celebrate one of my favorite people, Katie Davies.

Katie & I have been best friends since high school & after graduation, we even lived together for a year in college.

Katie moved to Nashville the same year I moved to Birmingham, 2007. We worried about the distance, but it's a straight shot up 65N from Birmingham right in to Nasville!

Katie is marrying her absolute perfect match, Nate on April 1 in Nashville. This past weekend we celebrated Katie by having a "GNO" = Girls Night Out. Friday was a fun night out on the town at her favorite watering hole, Robert's; Saturday was her linger shower, in the fabulous home of another bestie, Sarah Flory; Sunday was Katie's Bridal Tea at her aunt's home. Three fun days of celebration!!

Here are just a couple of photos from the weekend:





I can't wait for the wedding day & feel so honored to have been asked to be a part of it! JD & I can't wait to make many fun memories with the Kivetts in the future!

Upcoming Fun for the Bakers

As per the usual, the Bakers are staying busy in 2011!! Here are some upcoming highlights for the year:

*JD & the Man in Battle of the Bands (acoustic) at Redline Bar in Hoover (Feb 8)
*Suzy to co-host wedding shower for dear friend Leigh Ciarkowski (Feb 12)
*Suzy's 27th birthday - when did this happen?!? (Feb 23)
*Wedding Shower Extravaganza in Grayson, GA in honor of my bestie, Katie Davies (Feb 26 & 27)
*Sarah's 26th birthday (Mar 2)
*MARDI GRAS 2011 IN MOBILE (Mar 4 - 8)
*Katie's Bachelorette Party / Lingerie Shower / Bridesmaids Luncheon in Nashville (Mar 18 - 20)
*Katie Baker turns the big 3-0 (Mar 27)
*DAVIES / KIVETT WEDDING IN NASHVILLE, TN (Apr 1)
*JD's 27th bithday (Apr 13)
*Ciarkowski / Priecko Wedding in Avondale (May 7)
*Natalie's 26th birthday (May 7)
*Lane / Byrd Wedding in Ozark, AL (May 14)
*GIESEN BABY SHOWER (June)
*Katie's 27th birthday (July 14)
*BAKER VACATION TO NYC (August)
*Giesen baby due (Aug 16)
*Christine's 26th birthday (Aug 30)
*Luna's 4th birthday (Sept 10)
*Aja's 5th birthday (Sept 14)
*OUR 4TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!! (Nov 17)

...and LOTS of little things between there! So excited about another great year & all that is in store for us!

blogging hiatus...

I'm baaaaccckkkk after a long break from blogging. I wanted to be able to add pictures from my new camera & never remembered to get the usb cord to do so :(

Anyway - a brief review of what's been going on with the Bakers:

After Christmas JD & I decided to take a few days off work around NYE to have a mini-vacation at Dauphin Island! We were so excited to have our GREAT friends the Mullens & the Giesens join us for 3 whole days!! This was one of the most relaxing, stress-free, & enjoyable trips we've had in a while. Each family took turns cooking dinner & everybody brought games, snacks, etc.. for the group! I didn't take too many pictures because the weekend mostly consisted of sleeping late, napping, & watching football! We did take all the pups down to the beach one afternoon:



















After this much-needed break from the grind, we headed back home to face reality. You can imagine my disappointment when we got home & I remembered that I still hadn't taken my Christmas decorations down... ugh. So, nothing would do - I had to get the house cleaned up. No rest of the weary, right?

A couple of days after we were home, JD & Sam played a gig up at Big Blue Bagel in Crestline! The boys sounded GREAT, as always, & the crowd was really in to them! Here are a couple of pictures from that night:






If you haven't already, be sure to "friend" JD & the Man on Facebook so that you are up to speed on upcoming gigs, etc...!

More to come...

peace & love

the bakers.