I wrote it on my calendar and everything!

Okay folks, the big day has arrived. It's my due date. Except that apparently that means nothing to our sweet baby girl, because she has yet to arrive. I am anxious, disappointed, annoyed, happy, sad...pretty much insert emotion here, and I feel it. I went into labor on my own with Finley two days before her due date, so I was prepared for Rowynn to at least be here by today....but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen!


Here is a shot of my large & in-charge baby mountain..that's right, it's no longer a bump...

And so I sit here wondering, when will our baby girl arrive?

If she hasn't arrived by Monday, then I will be induced. So I know she will at least be here by then. I just don't wanna have to be induced. And too, if I do have to wait until Monday, then I won't even get to come home until at least Wednesday. And my parents only have a week off. I would love to be able to spend next week at home, with my parents, instead of at the hospital for most of the week.

But alas, nothing I can do will make her come on my schedule. She's already reminding me that God is in control and He already has her perfect birthday picked out. I just wish it was NOW! However, as I've said a thousand times before, His timing is not the same as our timing. And His timing is perfect, so who am I to argue?

But I mean, I did write it on the calendar and everything, so why isn't she here?





I have enjoyed the extra time with our little family of three. I've treasured the time with my sweet girl, and it just being she and I during the day. We've had lunch dates with dada, shopped until we dropped, shared some strawberry ice cream out, played outside, cuddled, read together, danced around the house, eaten oreos together, played with momma's make-up, cooked together, splashed around in the water hose, and twirled until we were dizzy.

And the house is clean, the freezer is stocked, cars are cleaned, inspected and registrations up to date. My toes are a pretty shade of red, the car seat is installed, bags are packed, groceries bought, bills paid, and my parents should be here later tonight.  So everything is ready for little Rowynn's arrival...everything except her!

Dear Rowynn,

I am typing this on your due date, September 24. I, along with so many family and friends, are anxiously awaiting your arrival. You are already one loved little girl. I pray that you are healthy, feel loved and secure, and know just how much you are adored by us, and by God. You are wonderfully and fearfully made and I can't wait to snuggle your sweet face. I love you something fierce baby girl!

Love,

Momma

The Davis Diner: Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers

I am going to attempt to post our adventures in cooking from time to time, under the feature "The Davis Diner." Here is part one...

Tonight we tried a yummy Paula Deen recipe, Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers.

1. First you'll need red and orange bell peppers, de-seeded, with the tops cut off.

2.  Next mix cooked rice, black beans, ground meat (we used ground turkey), chopped spinach, celery, Tony's (if you don't know what that is, I will say a prayer for your soul...it's Tony Chachere's creole seasoning), onions, tomato sauce (which we forgot...and it probably needed it), and garlic.

3. Find a cute little helper to stir all the ingredients together....

4. If your cute little helper is a toddler, you might want to jump in and supervise to prevent her from eating the uncooked meat...

5. Put the peppers in a casserole dish, with a little bit of water in the dish. Next, scoop out the stuffing mixture and place in peppers.

6. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and then loosely cover with foil and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

7. Enjoy!

Paint by Numbers...or Not

Me and my favorite girl (until little sister gets here, and then it will be a tie), had a very fun and busy day. We started the morning at the library for Toddler Time. She squealed with laughter and clapped her hands during all of the songs. She danced and twirled around. We enjoyed a cute story about butterflies and she got some fish stickers.

After that we ran over to Michael's and did a little shopping. We got some art supplies for an afternoon of finger painting! She loves to color with her crayons, so I figured we would attempt finger painting. I knew it would be a mess, but that's half the fun, right?

Once we left Michael's we ran next door to the pet store where we found fish the same color as our outfits, admired the furry animals, and laughed at the turtles who were splashing and swimming about. Then we had lunch together out and came home to nap...well she napped.

Once nap time was over it was on to snack time followed by finger painting!

Yummy grapes and mozzarella cheese for snack time!

Finger painting really wasn't that messy. She laughed and had fun getting her hands covered in paint and even managed to get most of it on the paper. And surprise, surprise, she never tried to eat it, not even once!!!

Figuring out this whole paint stuff. We painted on butterflies since we read a book about butterflies at the library.

Hey mom, this is kind-of cool!

So serious in her painting....

Colorful creations!

We will definitely try finger painting again. I'm sure next time will be messier and once she gets the hang of it, I know she'll like it even more!

Tomorrow I think the plan is to chill at home and get this messy house cleaned! And then tomorrow night...FREEZER COOKING!!! Am I a total nerd because I'm excited about that? Maybe just a total mom...

Row, Row, Rowynn Faith

When we were deciding on a name for our first born, we knew that we wanted to use Rose as a middle name. When we were wed, we primarily used roses as our flower since they are Kyle's favorite. He also has favorite poem/song by Robert Burns entitled, "My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose." In fact, I printed out the poem in it's entirety and framed it with silk roses as the border for his gift on our first Valentine's Day. We also used that same framed copy at his groom's table because the first few lines were iced on his book-shaped groom's cake (your husband might be a geek if...) So anyway, enter Finley ROSE. We each have a song that we sing to her while we rock her. Kyle has always sung that song to her. And what's really cool is the first few lines are:

My luve's like a red, red, rose,
that's newly sprung in June
Oh my luve's like a melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

So not only is this song perfect for her because of her middle name, but she WAS newly sprung in June! And that kid really loves music...



So when thinking of our next precious kiddo, Rowynn Faith. We wanted a special song for her. I know there are a lot of songs about Faith out there, and we thought about finding one that fit. However, the other night, as we laid in bed, we started talking and trying to come up with something more original. Cause that's how we roll...

This is what we got. (Sung to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")

Row, Row, Rowynn Faith,
Pretty as can be
Wonderfully, wonderfully, wonderfully made,
You're God's gift to me

Maybe a bit on the cheesy side, but we really liked it!


Anyway, just more rambling thoughts from a VERY pregnant lady. Hope you enjoyed!

Fifteen Fasinating Facts About My Fifteen Month Old, Finley

Okay, so technically Finley Rose turned 15 months like a week ago, (on the fifth), but I'm a bit of a procrastinator. (And always have been, much to the dismay of my momma!) But like I tell her, "Hey, I always get it done!"

Sweet Finley, you are 15 months old. I don't know where the time is going or how you've managed to go from a little baby to a full-fledged toddler. You change everyday, and everyday you learn a new "trick." You are such a joy and your daddy and I are always laughing at your silly nature. You have such a loving spirit and are one awesome kiddo. I feel so blessed that God choose me to be your momma.

Fun Facts About You, Finley:

1. Finley, you are a very funny kid. You're always doing things that make us laugh! You love to hoard things in your playhouse. Every time we go outside to play, there is some new object in there. You will bring things in there, one at a time, until your little pink and purple house is full. I'm considering turning you into the TLC show, "Hoarding, Buried Alive!" You  love everything to be in it's place though. You have a very organized way of thinking and love stacking my mixing bowls in their right order.

2. You absolutely LOVE music. All kinds. You like to clap your hands and "sing" and you love to spin around and around and around...until you fall down giggling. You love stomping your feet and shaking your cute booty. Sometimes you'll get my iPod and take it to the dock and wait for me to put it on so you can boogie down. You and dada listen to music every night during splishy-splashy time. And you and I like to turn the music on during the day and dance, dance, dance! You also like playing on dada's keyboard and dancing to your musical creations!

3. You are such a big help around the house. We want you to love cooking and we let you help us whenever we can. You're really good at helping and I'm sure you'll grow into a fine chef! You enjoy finding paper towels and wiping everything (floors, doors, furniture) down. You also like handing me clean (and dirty) dishes from the dishwasher when I'm unloading. Laundry is somewhat of a game to you--the "how many times can I shut the dryer door before momma needs it shut" game. I appreciate your help--your such a little momma :)

4. Every morning when you wake up, you like to lie in your crib and talk to yourself. I think you are praying. It's is really sweet.

5. Rosebud, you have such a sweet nature. You adore your "babies" and will hug them while saying, "Awe, bebe." You also love giving and getting sugars, hugs and snuggles.

6. And speaking of praying, now, before meal times, when we say, "Ok, let's bless the food," you reach for our hands and wait patiently until the prayer is over. Once upon a time, you would just ignore us and continue munching on your food.

7. You would probably live outside if I let you. You love it out there! We play with you ladybug ball, you re-decorate your house, and daddy pushes you on the swing. You also enjoy sliding down the slide and blowing  bubbles.

8. Your current favorite song is "If You're Happy and You Know It." You are so good at doing all the motions!

9. You learn new words each day. You can say: momma, dada, bye-bye, baby, awe, hot, quack-quack, hi, yay, and a whole lot of other words that we just can't make out! We've also started spelling certain words, like "milk," and "outside," in front of you if we aren't talking you directly.

10. You love to read books. One of your favorite things to do is to bring us books, crawl in our laps and be read to. You even like to read to us. You also enjoy doing puzzles and you are really good at your shape puzzle.

11.When asked, you like pointing to your head, your belly, and up high. You can also wave bye-bye, blow kisses, clap your hands, stomp your feet, dance, run, walk on your tip-toes, and climb on everything (bed, couch, chair, all the way up your slide, in the bathtub--you name it you can conquer it!)

12.You love your momma and dada so much, that when we drop you off somewhere, like your classroom at church, you cry and cry. It breaks our hearts, but we know that eventually you have fun and that you are in good hands.

13. You are a little chatterbox on the phone. You carry around the calculator, your play phones, the remote, the iPod, our phones and anything else you think might work and "talk" on it. Must be the Armstrong coming out in you. Hehehe! You also know your way around the phone and you're not fooled when we lock it.

14. You are such a girly girl sometimes. You love to wear necklaces and carry your purses around. And even though you REFUSE to wear bows, you like to brush your hair. It's really cute to see you do this. Playing in momma's make-up is also something you like to do. You also like to brush your teeth by yourself and picking out shoes is a favorite past time of yours. You bring my shoes to me, and dada's shoes to him. You always get it right, and bring a matching pair, even if sometimes you bring me heels to wear outside. You insist on us putting on the shoes and think it's funny when we do!

15. You have your moments (many of them) where you are a lil sassy drama mama diva. You sometimes pitch a fit when you don't get your way. You throw food on the floor. You screech at me. You are so independent and like doing things for yourself. You still use your paci when you sleep, but we I pick you up from your crib, I say, "Okay, throw it in your crib." And you do!

It's the little things

Today has been a busy, productive day. My huge check-list is getting smaller instead of larger (wish I could say the same about my ever-expanding belly). Today monkey butt (my firstborn, not my hubby) and I got a lot accomplished. First we got my vehicle registration in the mail (only 4 months expired). Then CVS was running a deal where if you spend $30 on select P&G products you get a free flu shot. So another item on the to-do list bites the dust.

After a yummy lunch, Kyle was able to come home a few hours early (great boss) and we proceeded to get more done. Kyle got his oil changed and his car inspected. If you thought my 4 months past expiration date was bad, his expired in January. Yep, January! Then we were ripped off sold some books at Half-Price Books.

After that we went to Babies-R-Us and actually didn't spend that much money. (Maybe because my hubby was with me!) We got a changing pad and cover for RoRo, a puzzle and two books for Finley (so she'll have a little treat when sissy is born), and KYLE picked out a cute shirt for monkey. (I swear he's as bad as me!) But the shirt was on sale, and too cute to pass up!

After that we went to Gatti Town. It's a all-you-can-eat pizza buffet with a little arcade. Very cool. The main eating area has a couple of small movie screens that show animated films. 

Finley loved playing, but first she had to clean her table.

I swear this kiddo loves to clean! She'll get a paper towel and carry it around the house, "cleaning" various pieces of furniture or the floor. She's such a good little helper. She also enjoys running around the house with utensils unloading the dishwasher, and closing the dryer door before I'm done, at just the right moment.

Here are some more photos from our fun night:

Here she is breaking it down! She loves to dance! Makes momma proud (I took dance for 13 years and was on dance line in high school).

This picture makes me giggle. My sweet hubby was really into this game and poor monkey just looks scared!

She LOVED driving! And the best thing about this age is you don't really spend money on the games. She was just as happy as can be running from game to game, admiring the pretty lights, dancing to the fun music, and pretending to drive.

Gotta love my cheese-ball hubby. And Finley's look of concern. I swear sometimes she looks at us and thinks, "Um, guys, you should really get out more..."

And as we were leaving we let monkey play on the train parked in front. Well, to our surprise, one of the workers asked if we wanted to ride. So Finley got to ride around the parking lot in the choo-choo train; for free! (Dad was with her of course).

So all in all it was a good day. Got started on the massive to-do list, Kyle got off work early, and we got to enjoy our little family of three. We always enjoy our precious monkey, but with life about to change in 3 or so weeks with the arrival of RoRo, we wanted to do something special family things this weekend. While it's just the three of us. At this point in my pregnancy with Finley, Kyle and I made sure we spent time together, just the two of us. We went to eat at our favorite restaurants, went to museums, saw movies, and took our time strolling through the mall. Nothing fancy, but we wanted to have those memories of just the two of us, while we were anxiously awaiting the birth of our firstborn.

Did I mention that I love blogging? It is such a fun way to keep track of all the precious memories we're creating with our young family. I know I'll look back at these posts some day and miss these sweet times.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun three-day weekend! God Bless :)

Baby, Sliding, and Rainbows...

Well good news! Baby is still in my tummy, and growing just fine. My sono was yesterday and Rowynn's weight is approximately 6 lbs 4 oz at nearly 37 weeks. Right on track. The fluid level was good as well. So after a very stressful, worry-filled day, I'm happy to report that baby is growing well and will arrive anytime within the next 3 1/2 weeks. I have a feeling that I'm gonna go past my due date...I sure hope not! I just want to make it as long as possible, but not much longer than my due date.
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On to more colorful things...literally. This evening while spending some quality family time outside we spotted a double rainbow!

It was so cool! How amazing our God is! His handiwork is truly breath-taking. How cool is it that He invented colors! How awesome is the promise that the rainbow represents! Okay, don't worry, my next line isn't going to be, "What does this mean?" I'll stop on my rainbow admiration.

We also enjoyed playing with our silly girl. She makes us laugh all the time--just with her sheer goofy-ness. (And if you can't tell, no my child didn't sprout a clown nose. She's got the lid to the empty bubble bottle in her mouth)

There's nothing sweeter than her little giggles and she thinks there's nothing more fun than playing with dada.