You know you're in SEC country when...

you're not the only expectant mother on the prenatal tour that asks if the hospital's cable package includes ESPN.

37 weeks

Friday morning, as Matthew was getting in the car, he cracked up at the view back at the house. I had come to the door because the weather on our first day of fall felt so wonderful. This was all he could see. He made me go back inside to grab the camera. 

We've made it to 37 weeks and are feeling good. I'm in no rush for her to arrive. Of course, I hope she comes when she's supposed to, but I'd rather her not come early. Still lots of loose ends to tie up at work, and I need every second of these last few weeks.

People keep asking me when I've scheduled my delivery date. Am I the only person who doesn't want to be induced? Seems so.

My pregnancy has flown by so quickly! I definitely don't want to rush these last few weeks.

My Random Life

I just discussed the pros of breastfeeding with the sister of rock 'n' roll hall of famer—and Ferriday, Louisiana, native—Jerry Lee Lewis.

By the way, she loves the name Georgia Claire, and now I really like Frankie Jean Lewis! She seems like a sweet lady.

The Nursery

That's kind of weird to type...and say.

The nursery.

Until last weekend, this was the guest bedroom. And there was no car seat base in the backseat of the car, no stroller parked in the corner of the living room, and no kitchen shelf dedicated to bottles and other baby gear. But thanks to a little help—okay, a lot of help—from our parents and from Jamie, we managed to get Georgia Claire's room ready for her arrival. There are a few little decorative things to add, but I couldn't wait any longer to share the room.

This may sound silly, but I was kind of afraid we'd have a make-do nursery. We know we'll be putting the house on the market before too long, and it just didn't make sense to invest a fortune into a room she'll barely use before we move to Columbus. At the same time, it was very important to me to have a true nursery. One that I really loved and that felt decorated, not just "good enough for now." I mean, it's our first baby. I wanted to really enjoy the process of preparing for her, and a big part of that is putting together a nursery.

Now that it's all put together, I really do love it! We managed to use several things we already had—the round table and table cloths, the curtains, the lamp and the rug—and mix in a few new things too.

(By the way, I am sorry that the new photos are so fuzzy. I have taken a million shots this morning and tried all I know to try, but they are still showing up unclear. My cameraman Matthew isn't here to help me.)

Before we look at the room now, let's take a look at the "before."

And now the "after."

I originally thought we could fit a twin bed in the room, but once we actually measured things out, we realized that was going to be a tight fit, so mom and dad left the bed at home. 

How do you like our custom art above the crib? Mom made it! The sweet silhouettes are from one of my shower invitations. She enlarged them and cut them out (more than once because I can be very high maintenance!)

I wanted a traditional Jenny Lind crib, which is actually the same style I had as a baby.

The Serena & Lily bedding is perfect in the room! 

 Our changing table was originally a dresser that was at my grandmother's house. Turns out, it belonged to my great-great-grandmother Georgia Ann. Mom and Lynn refinished it and painted it white.  The mirror and plates were already in the room. 

We added new knobs from Anthropologie to spruce up the dresser.

The back of the built-in bookcase was already painted green. It's not the exact right shade, but close enough, so we left that the same.

We did splurge on the "I love it" glider rocker. And I do love it! The fabric is perfect, and I feel like we can use it in other rooms down the line. Matthew's dad is going to build a little footstool to go with it. I purchased an extra yard of fabric so we can upholster the top to match. 

There are, of course, some feminine accents around the room. She already has quite the bow collection!

It's so hard to believe that in about a month we'll have a baby girl to rock in this room. 

I'll admit that sometimes I just go in and sit and think about what things will be like! I've even caught Matthew standing at the doorway looking in a few times. He has already proven to be a wonderful husband and is quickly earning an A+ in the dad category. He's knocked out all of my many, and I do mean many, projects I've come up with, and has been a huge help around the house. Plus, he makes up songs to sing to her already. Not surprisingly, they almost all have to do with how the two of them are going to get a puppy one day. 

Here's a picture of me at 33 weeks. It looks like Matthew and I have been coordinating our ensembles, but we really haven't! 

I'll admit that I don't look too big there. Here's a shot where you get the full affect. Bam! 

And here are all the ladies before we headed out to a shower hosted here by two dear friends from church.

It was such a great shower, and the food was delicious!

When I was home a few weeks ago, I also had two very fun showers. One was hosted by my mom's best friend Mrs. Linda Kay (who's also mom of one of my best friends!) and my aunt Tonya.

Georgia Claire got so many cute things, including some new Georgia gear, like this bibb that says "I drool red and black."

My aunt Tonya, the cake master, made this adorable cake!

My church back home also hosted a shower. There is no doubt that Georgia Claire will be the best-dressed baby in Louisiana! 

But most important, she is a very lucky little girl to have so many wonderful people who care about her already and who want to be a part of welcoming her into this world. Matthew and I are so blessed!

Amen to that!

Saw this "prayer" on the AJC's Junkyard Blawg. It was said by John Brown of Monticello during the East Metro Bulldog Club meeting this week:

Tonight our Lord we are gathered as members of the Bulldog Nation and we thank you for the blessings of being a Bulldog.

We thank you for fall afternoons between the hedges, we thank you that we are blessed to hear the Redcoats playing “Glory, Glory,” and we give thanks for the chills we get when the trumpet tones the battle hymn. We give thanks for the smell of ribs cooking on the grills of campus tailgates and we gave thanks for the chapel bell ringing after a victory, and are grateful  for the sheer joy of wearing red and black.

We thank you for those moments that we treasure, Tarkenton to Herron, the flea-flicker versus Bama, Appleby to Washington, that kid outa Johnson County running through two men, run Lindsey run, sugar falling from the sky, Butler kicking it a million miles, hobnailed boots  that still hurt in Knoxville and Johnson in the end zone.

Tonight we thank you for Aaron Murray, a fine young man who did not charge us $180,000 to play quarterback.

Tonight we thank you that Mrs. Geathers and Mrs. Jenkins allowed their sons to discover biscuits and pound cake at an early age so that we might have a nose guard for the 3-4 defense.

Tonight we thank you Lord for the potato industry in Idaho so that the boys from Boise will have something to do after they learn they know nothing about football.

Tonight we thank you for the new Nike uniforms. We may not like them but we know they look better than a Gator in a tank top and jean shorts.

Tonight we thank you that as we gathered here that we have been blessed, we have been blessed to live in land that stands for freedom, for those who have given of themselves to defend our freedom. We thank you for the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and we pray for your blessings to continue on we who are gathered here this evening that may truly understand that it is great to be a Georgia Bulldog.

Amen.

It's great to be a Georgia Bulldog! Bring on Boise state! (I plan on using my relaxation breathing techniques tomorrow, the ones I learned in our birthing class, if the game gets too stressful for me!) 

On the to-do list for this weekend: I have to decide which Georgia outfit to pack in the hospital bag to bring Georgia Claire home in if she happens to be born on a game day. Serious decisions here! Yes, I have a plan for a game day outfit and a regular day outfit. 

Also, the nursery is pretty much finished, thanks to A LOT of help last weekend from my parents, the Heatons, and Jamie. I hope to post pictures in the next few days. It looks so good! I love it!