Happy Birthday Ommy!!

Andy's mom's birthday was on Monday and to celebrate we all headed to Foster's Grill in Fairfax. It was the perfect venue for our gang to gather as we had plenty of space to spread out, and what could be better than burgers and fries!?

We were a few family members short as Heidi, Shawn and Garrett are up in Toronto and John and Drew were at basketball camp, but getting 11 of us together is still a pretty good victory!





Momma Gribbs got some nice gifts as well, including a new camera from Poppa Gribbs (hence the great pictures we got), some home decor from Amy, the "Chess" soundtrack featuring Josh Groban from Bebe, beautiful flowers from Heidi, and a bottle of Kettle One vodka from us. We figure she might need it after grandson number 7 comes along! :)

The folks at the restaurant even brought her some cake and ice cream and we serenaded her with not one, but two rounds of "Happy Birthday to You."



As far as birthday parties go, I'd say this was a pretty successful one--laid back, relaxed, and an opportunity to celebrate Mom, Momma Gribbs, Ommy, M Gribble the First, Momma G, etc. etc :)

The Crib has arrived!

Yesterday was very exciting as we got to pick up the crib which was ordered about two months ago. I picked it up during the work day and was so excited to get home and to get it all set up. Andy had heard at work from some folks that it was going to take FOREVER to put together, and he heard lots of "good lucks."

Well, within about 20 minutes we had the whole thing set up and even had the bedding in it. Thank you Belfort for making quality furniture with VERY organized tools and instructions! Andy even tested it out by laying in it, and alas, it survived, so baby boy should be nice and safe in there!





We still have work to do to finish off the nursery, including hanging things on the walls, buying a few more lamps, etc...but having the crib together definitely made it finally seem like a nursery.




For those worry warts out there, I don't plan on keeping the bumpers in the crib, in fact even if I wanted to, I couldn't because the crib doesn't really work with them, but I figured for a few pictures it would be fun to have it on there (and yes, I realize it is backwards, but you couldn't see the pattern at all from outside the crib).

We even got to test out what a baby will look like in the crib as we've been borrowing "Becky" since we announced we were pregnant. Becky is Andy's mother's doll from growing up and she's given her to all her kids to practice on while they were pregnant---we are happy that Becky finally has an appropriate place to sleep! :)



Liddy is definitely starting to sense that something is going on. She is so curious about the nursery and we often find her in there sniffing around and now we find her in there just staring at the crib. Too cute! We can't wait for her to meet her new best friend and from the looks of it, neither can she!



Thanks Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) for the crib--we LOVE it and we know baby boy will sleep soundly in it (or so we hope...fingers crossed!)

A surprise office shower!

I've never really had a "surprise" party before, but my awesome co-workers sure did pull off a great one today! Here I thought I was headed into meeting 3 of 4 today to discuss some new policies, when in fact it was a baby shower!! MUCH better than a policy meeting!




We played some games, to include a "guess who I am" baby photo game--fun to see my colleagues as babies--"finish that nursery rhyme"--"guess how many M&M's"--and "Bingo". Very clever and everyone had a great time playing along. It was especially fun hearing 30 people debate about how a nursery rhyme actually goes!





I got some really great gifts, including my Boppy pillow, tons of onsies and bibs, gift cards (yay!), and some adorable outfits, including a fantastic rain jacket from L.L. Bean! Even Liddy got a gift--a yummy bone---so now she won't feel so left out.




I am still in shock and am so thankful to my co-workers for their great support, I know they are going to do a great job while I'm away on maternity leave, which would actually have been present enough!

Thanks AMG (especially Ali, Nicole and Erin!) :)

A friends and family baby shower...

Yesterday, my sister, Ami, and Abby threw me a fantastic baby shower! It was so much fun and I got to catch up with family and friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in quite some time.

They used our sailor theme and played that throughout the shower. They were very clever and even had some of my old teddy bears dressed in little sailor outfits--which both belonged to my brother! Ami's daughters, Rachel and Laura, were in attendance (it was there house after all) and they even dressed the part, both in blue outfits, Rachel even had sail boats on her dress--too cute!







My sister made the great centerpiece of the party, an adorable diaper cake! I was so impressed--she is so talented at that stuff! I haven't had the heart to disassemble it yet, and I'm not sure when I will--I suppose some night when we realize we've used our last diaper...hmmm..




The food was great and I think everyone left with some new recipes to try at their next event. The company was even better--including our dear family friend Rosemary who drove all the way from Myrtle Beach, my aunt Anne who drove from Charlottesville, and my cousin Meghan who came from Baltimore to be there!




We played two games, a baby themed word scramble (Romey blew the competition away with that) and shower gift Bingo (Erica and Jenn tied). Then it was on to opening gifts, which was no small task!

Baby boy got a TON of great gifts! Everything from a stroller to a high chair to a boppy swing and tub and several cute outfits. He also got tons of bath gear, including toys, towels, wash cloths and soap. He also got some treasurers, including a very nice night light from Auntie Bebe which has a Noah's Arc theme, it is so precious, and we also got from cousin Jackie a Swarovski Sweet Dream catcher in sapphire (perhaps baby boy's birth stone!) so thoughtful and original!





Grandma's gift came last and took quite some time to open! She has been a busy bee for sure! She made us a TON of burp cloths--with different fabrics on them to jazz up the boring white (a big thanks to Jenn who also made us some custom burp cloths, including one with a golf theme, so cute!). In true mom fashion, she also knitted not one, not two, but THREE baby blankets for us. All in different colors and different patterns-definitely worth treasuring for a long long time. She was also busy digging up (and cleaning) an assortment of baby clothes that belonged to my brother (yes, they are 34 years old, but they look great!) She also dug up some old baby blankets, one of which my dad's mom, Grammy, crocheted for Mark. She also gave us the Baptismal blanket that all three of us used and we'll be happy to pass the tradition on to baby boy. Phew!! It was tiring even writing about it all :)







After all the gift opening, everyone was treated to a yummy cupcake as a reward for watching all of that! :)




As if the shower wasn't enough, I got to relive it all when I got home and got to show Andy all the great things we got. It was a mini-shower for him and he was also so thankful for all the great support we are getting from everyone.



Now if only baby boy was around to help with all the thank you notes...

A Career Round...

*A fair warning that some personal bragging is about to occur*

I heard this might happen, and my goodness has it ever! I am playing the best golf of my life during this pregnancy! Baby boy must be destined to be a great golfer, because he sure is helping his mom out a ton!

Up until yesterday my best round of golf was a 93--not terrible, but certainly not great. Breaking 90 had alluded me and no matter how well I might be playing I would inevitably have at least two or three blow up holes that would ruin my chances at breaking into the 80's.

However yesterday everything just clicked! Perhaps it was the 90+ degree heat, or maybe it was my mom's driver that I've been testing out, but I still like to think baby boy had a lot to do with it (though I worry what that means about my game after he arrives in this world and is no longer helping to control my swing).

Regardless, I am happy to announce that my worst score on any hole was a 7, and that only happened once, I had 7 pars and sunk a huge putt on 18 for a birdie, all adding up to my career round of an 87! Sweet victory!

So thank you baby boy, while I'd love to keep you inside helping me with my game a little longer, I am very anxious to meet and thank you in person, so feel free to arrive on time...though perhaps we can break 80 before you do so... ;)

A Deloitte Baby Shower...

Andy's fabulous co-workers threw us a wonderful baby shower yesterday. It was so great to meet some of his newer co-workers and to catch up with those that we've known for years. My mom is out of town at a college reunion, but my dad (Grandpa) came and was happy to attend his very first baby shower. Andy's folks (Ommy and Poppy) were also able to come along.



They had great food, an amazing punch (apparently a Paula Dean recipe that I'll be googling later), and lots of Muddy Buddies (or puppy chow) to munch on---here's the recipe for that if you haven't experienced it, you must give it a try!





Baby Gribble was definitely showered with lots of great gifts and a lot of adorable outfits. We even got some of our big ticket items checked off the list, including our Baby Bjorn (thanks Kristine and Kathleen!), our Boppy Seat (thanks Melissa!), and our tummy time exercise station (thanks Charlie).





We also got the most adorable stuffed animal, a little sailor bunny rabbit from both Annie and Ommy! It was such a thoughtful gift and they will go perfectly in our sailor themed nursery--one is great, and two is even better! :)

Baby boy also got a big bucket of bath toys and soaps (thanks Alexis!), an adorable bathrobe (thanks Poonam and Dev!) and a few hooded towels and washcloths (thanks Ellen!)--we'll definitely have a nice and clean baby!

Onsies were also a big item, and we know they will come in handy for sure!! So thanks to Sarah and Sia for those.

We'll also have a stylish sleeper (let's just hope he sleeps well!) in some adorable PJ's (thanks Grandpa and Mr. and Mrs. Khatri!)

We also got a great picture frame (thanks Lisa!) that has a slot for each month leading up to baby boy's 1st birthday--will be fun to fill that up!

Andy even got two special gifts, first a six pack of beer to keep him mellow through the end of this pregnancy (thanks Jeb) and the return of his childhood stuffed animal, Snowball. Ommy took on the project of cleaning him up, and I have to say, I never knew Snowball was actually white--I guess that's where his name came from, but in the nine years that I've known him he's always been more of a shade of dusty gray! :) Welcome back Snowball, baby boy will love you, just like his daddy! :)




It was a fantastic shower, and Baby Boy is well on his way to taking over our house with all of his things! haha :)



We have to give a special thank you to Kristine, Kathleen, Sarah and Poonam for throwing the shower--you gals are the best! Andy is so fortunate to work with such a great group of people!

The Big Easy...

Or rather the Big Stinky!! I just returned home from a week of meetings in New Orleans. I was actually looking forward to this trip and at one point was even trying to convince Andy to tag along, but boy was it a let down.

First off, the weather was hot and humid. I believe someone referred to it as "air you can wear." Yup, that's about right! The heat also adds to the smell...picture New York City and multiply the smell by about 50...perhaps a 100. You also have to be very careful where you step, as puddles are typically more than just a little rain water...ewww!!

Leaving dinner one night we decided to walk down Bourbon Street, just to see what all the fuss was about, and it truly is nothing but strip clubs and karaoke joints. While I love me a good karaoke bar, I have to say that some of these appeared to be combo "strip/karaoke" so we didn't dare enter...well, that and I'm eight months pregnant, so it really isn't a good scene for me at the moment.



We did have some good meals though, so I can't say it was a total wash. One night about 13 of us dined at a place called Antoines, which has been open since the 1800's. The food was French Creole, and we all enjoyed our meals. It was also nice that we had our own room, which was good since our crowd tends to get a little loud, especially when the conversation turns to politics..yikes!



We also ate at a seafood place called Dragos, which is known for their chargrilled oysters. They were the highlight of the trip for sure! They top the oysters with parmesean, some bread crumbs and lots of butter, then they grill them--wow! So tasty!



Sadly, the oysters weren't quite good enough to make me want to visit New Orleans anytime soon...I'm still trying to wash the air off myself!

Cars, and strollers, and car seats, OH MY!

All of a sudden baby boy is close to his big arrival into the world, which seems crazy! I'm over eight months along and the time has just flown-I can only imagine how quickly the moments will go by once this little guy is actually out and about--yikes!

As we continue to prepare for this new chapter in our lives, we realized there was still a lot to be done. Now some of you will probably think we're a bit crazy, and perhaps we are, but we really felt we needed a bigger car to accommodate this new addition to our family. To be honest, between the dog, our luggage, golf clubs, groceries, etc, when we pack to go anywhere, even if for just a weekend, we seemed to pack the Jeep to capacity. So for the past few months, Andy has been researching what our "family" vehicle should be. Taking advantage of some Fourth of July specials, we ended up purchasing a new car last week and we are now officially set on car space for life!

We purchased a 2009 Yukon XL, and while it is A LOT of car, it really isn't too hard to drive and it is super comfortable on the inside. We traded in the Jeep, which was a little bit sad as I really did love that car, but it was time.

We also were fortunate enough to receive some early baby shower gifts from Andy's folks, Ommy and Poppy, and so now we have our car seat and our stroller! It is quite strange to see those items in our house, just another reminder that baby boy is on the way!

Andy figured we'd see how the new car seat looks in the new car, and while we still have to figure out how to actually install it, we think it fits perfectly!

Thanks Ommy and Poppy!!