37 Days and Counting: Show me the belly :)

Well, as promised, we'll quickly update you on the hospital pre-admission appointment as well as the Doctor's appointment. The hospital visit was exciting for us since it is the last time we will be at the hospital until it is time (hopefully) for baby Max. We filled out all of the paperwork, and we are officially all systems go! The doctor's appointment was quite uneventful - a good thing- and we are slated to go again on Monday the 27th, when we'll be 36.5 weeks. Then, its every week until Max arrives.

We are realizing that everyday gets us a lot closer to that August 20th due date. We've been playing lots of board games and card games and trying to keep things fun and exciting. Basically, we are really trying to enjoy our last few weeks as a two-some. Of course, we are fitting these fun times in between our grad school homework!

Max is moving like crazy, and is leading mom and dad to believe that he is going to be quite the mover when he makes his big debut. Jo is convinced that Max will be born on Nan's birthday - August 16th. Feel free to comment with your own guess of when the big day will be. Who knows, we may even have a little prize.

Max still has two showers to go - The Douglas County Bank shower will be held this Thursday the 16th and a friends and family shower will be held on the 30th of July. Jo Marie spent a good part of the weekend preparing Max's room (yes, she had to box up three tubs of clothes to make a little -not much- room in Max's crib), and before long we will be posting final nursery pictures. The nursery is really coming along. We are searching for someone who has chalkboard skills. In other words, we have a great chalkboard and are looking for someone to write "Max, Oh the Places you'll go" in a neat and artistic manor. Know anyone in the Lawrence area who will to do this??

We'll be in touch soon! Only a little more than 5 weeks to go!

Max's First Baby Shower!

What a great time we had at Max's First Shower! We even had a great time squeezing in for this group photo. The only one missing is from the photo is my mom (Kay) who was the lucky photographer. Max was blessed with many wonderful gifts! He got everything from bottles to baby wash. Everyone was so generous! He now has a car seat and a stroller, so he's ready to take on the world. It was a great afternoon to catch up with teachers from WRMS as well as some close friends from Lawrence. I think everyone is anxious to meet baby Max (Zak and I included)!

We are going to the hospital on July 1st for our pre-admission appointment. Once all of that paperwork has been filed the hospital will be ready and waiting for us to come and have this baby - although, in this case, later is better than sooner! We'll let everyone know how the hospital tour went, as well as our next Dr.'s appointment on July 6th (33 week check up).

Happy Fathers Day!!!

Well, it is hard to believe, but this will be my last father's day that I am not officially a father. We are just 60 days from today until the due date, and we couldn't be more thrilled. We went to the doctor last week, and Max is head-down, which is a good thing. He is also measuring right about perfect at 30 weeks, although we are at 31 as I am typing this. Joie is feeling pretty good, although the heat of the summer seems to be getting to her. She has her first baby shower this week, put on from the ladies at her school. It should be a good time, so be sure to check us out again later in the week to see pictures of the event! On another note, Jo Marie hit the mother load on license plates yesterday garage saling. She found a gentleman who was trying to collect a plate from every state, but gave up after collecting 21 states. Long story long, she ended up purchasing 21 different states' license plates for just $.25 apiece! So, if you have gone through the trouble of picking Max out a plate from here or there, please get them to us as we are beginning to get enough to finish the room! For all of you fathers out there, we hope you enjoyed your day. For us, we are counting down the days where we are in fact, mother and father!

Some Great Maternity Pics!

We had maternity pictures done about a month ago and wanted to share the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodmorningstarshine/sets/72157619657208730/

Our $2.50 Creation

This is our latest addition to the nursery, and I must say we are QUITE proud! Jo Marie picked up this quilt rack at a garage sale for $1.00 and then found some scrap wood at the hardware store on clearance for $1.50. I used the wood to turn the quilt rack into a functional book shelf for Max's wall. As for the books we put on the shelf, Jo has a rule of not spending more than 50 cents on Dr. Seuss books and 25 cents on all of the rest (although she did fork out a whole $1.00 for the Giant Book of Mathematics!). So, books included, the shelf set us back a whopping $5.75. Cute little Raggedy Andy was mine when I was little. We love it! The rocking chair that Jo's mom gave us will sit in front of the shelf. It's all coming together!

Max's First Vacation (well, sort-of...)

Well, it's time to pass along another update of what is happening in Max's world. We are just 73 days until the ever-anticipated due date, and we couldn't be more thrilled. We recently took a quick trip down to Florida, wondering if it would be the last time we went on a 'real vacation' for some time. Here is a picture from our trip...

We spent some time at Disney World (thanks Theresa for a great time!), and then headed to the beach at St. Petersburg. We really had an awesome time. Max even got a few souvenirs. Here is one:

It is hard to tell, but that is a "1st Time Visitor" button that was presented to Max on the last night of our stay at the fabulous Port Orleans Riverside Resort. You can see the excitement pouring out through Joie. Speaking of Joie, she got her own little treat:

Yes folks, that is funnel cake. You should have been there. It was truly magical.

In other news, the nursery is coming along great. We spent some time yesterday hanging all of the license plates that have been pouring in through the mail. We really appreciate the plates, and each time we receive a plate we are sure to write who it is from on the back for Max's benefit. Here is an updated look at the nursery.

The red license plate on the far left is the last one on that wall, and we have almost two whole walls to go! HELP!!! One thing that we do not need help with at this point is clothes for Max. For example:

Here is a crib FULL of clothes ranging in sizes NB to 12 months. These are just the outfits, Joie has stashed the onsies, sleepers, sleep sacks, etc. in another place. She is also (possibly) nesting, as this room has been organized, reorganized, and re-reorganized. But it has been fun for sure!

Stay tuned for more from the 'Bolick family in the making...'

Mother's Day, Birthing Class, and the Nursery Revealed...

Well, it is hard to forget what day today is, especially with the constant reminder that every time I take a look at Jo Marie, that she is about to be a mother. So, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers checking in on our blog. Today, Jo Marie is about 62% mother, assuming of course that Joie will deliver little Max on August 20th, which both of us doubt will happen. Joie is doing really well, and so is Max! We love spending time feeling Max move about Joie's midsection, and sometimes you can even see him moving! He usually kicks up pretty heavy in the early to middle part of each evening.
Yesterday, we attended our one day, crash course of birthing class. It was supposed to last from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon, so neither one of us were really looking forward to spending a b-e-a-utiful Saturday in a cramped room with other random couples that we do not know practicing breathing techniques and how to keep the milk flowing through your breasts. It was us and four other couples. Lucky for us, the teacher seemed to move right along through the material as if we had all done this before, and we were out a few minutes after 1:00. I have had several friends and co-workers who have had kids before me tell me that you have to do the birthing class at least once, but that once that first contraction hits, throw everything out of the window! My only real take-away from yesterday's course is that when she is having contractions, I should not say "What do you want me to do?" Apparently, that is a no-no.
And finally, the moment you have all been waiting for: The nursery. We are still tying up loose ends in there, and need to work on the license plates, but all in all most of the work is done. Would you like to see it?

In this first picture, the base coat has been added, and we have taped off for stripes!

Next, the stripes have gone up, in a color that is about ten shades darker than the base color...

Next, the molding went up to cap it all off, and the crib was assembled and put in it's spot (for now, until we change our mind again!) See Max's little rocking chair in the corner, with his old-school wooden toy? Abby hates that toy. It really makes us wonder how she's going to adjust to the whole 'baby thing.'

Here, you can see the theme we are going with. The bedding we got at a second hand store in Topeka. It is Pottery Barn Kids, with patchwork and (of course) cars. The whole set retails new at about $400, but Jo Marie talked them down from $50 to $40! The crib was given to us by a close friend of Jo Marie's. At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, "What about the license plates?" Well...

Here's a sneak peek! We plan to have the border around the room be old license plates from around the country. We have a TON of Kansas plates, but we really want some from other places too.
In the final picture, you can see a shot of the dresser (from a garage sale) that we picked up last year, and are converting into a changing station. Right now, it has a toy on it(also from a garage sale) that hasn't found it's final home quite yet...