Erin Akin Carroll

I returned from my always wonderful trip to Dallas late last night. It was so great to be away from everything for a week, but I was excited to get home to my husband and dogs. My time with my parents was so precious as my mom and I prepared for Baby Boy Carroll and we had lots of time to laugh, talk, watch American Idol and Biggest Loser, and shop.

I’m going to start with the shower update because it was so beautiful! My great friends and my mom’s great friends were so sweet to Baby Boy and me and I have a few great pictures to share with you.

the beautiful flowers were arranged in glass Evenflo baby bottles

the sweet hostess used the Martha Stewart kit from Michael’s to make the beautiful blue pom pom balls hanging from the umbrella

more gorgeous flowers and the yummy lemon cake

Three of my Louisiana Tech Alpha Chi Omega sisters and me– I’m definitely looking pregnant!

The beautiful Mojito Maven was also in attendance and the shower was the morning after her serious dental surgery! She’s a rock star! We chose not to put her picture on here as she was in full recovery mode, but her spirits were high and she was gorgeous, as usual.

Baby Boy got some great gifts! We received his Graco SnugRide car seat, two Boppys, a Tiffany elephant bank (not a piggy bank), a set of Tiffany dinosaurs cup, saucer, and plate, a cute set of burp cloths, sweet little hooded towels, a rubber ducky that tells if the bath water is at a suitable temperature, and his bath tub.

I have to share this sweet gift with you, though! Mojito Maven got Baby Boy three Bla Bla dolls and this is what they look like! They are so much fun and I know he’s going to love them!

It was a great shower and the trip was a lot of fun! I’ll post more pictures of all of the great goodies that his KK (my mom) and I picked up on our outings. The nursery will get its second coat of paint tomorrow and all of the bedding and furniture has been ordered. We have to wait about 8-10 weeks for all of that to finish up.

I’ve got a busy weekend ahead of me. I’m spending the day tomorrow as the Day of Coordinator for a wedding. I’m bringing my sweet husband along to do any heavy lifting.

I flew to Dallas yesterday for a much needed week of rest and relaxation– away from work and all that comes with it. I have our first baby shower tomorrow and I’m so excited to see my besties from college and my blog bestie! I’m also really excited just to have a week with my parents and a few days with my brother. Beaux, the world’s best dog, is also here showering me with lots of love and attention.

My reading may be at a minimum this week, but I promise to do some updates as I brought the Rebel with me to document all of the fun!

My mom and I finalized all of the baby bedding and curtains yesterday at Calico Corners, where she is an in-home consultant. Today we’re going to order all of the furniture, get pedicures and manicures, and then do some shopping. I saw this giant stuffed dog yesterday that I must bring home for Baby Boy Carroll!

I hope you all have a great Friday! The weather in Dallas is amazing and I couldn’t be happier to be here.

I’ve realized more and more that my poor husband really didn’t know what he was in for when he married me. He probably thought that he’d get lots of fun “play time” with his wife for traveling, hanging out, late nights, no schedule, and at least a few years of this kind of behavior. I came up with a list of what I think may be the top 10 reasons that newlyweds shouldn’t get pregnant, through a man’s point of view.

10. Your wife, who used to love to cook, no longer sets foot in the kitchen because the smell of food cooking makes her gag. Because of this, you’re once again eating cereal and take out when you thought that by marrying her you were going to get wonderful home-cooked meals every night.

9. Your wife, who was a svelte size 4 on your wedding day 10 months ago, now has a stomach that is bigger than yours and doesn’t look good in a swimsuit. She definitely won’t go anywhere where a swimsuit is a requirement.

8. You have officially become the gopher of the house; picking up random meals at random hours of the day, being the only person in the house who can take the dogs out after dark, completely responsible for cleaning, and pretty much the only one willing to move an inch after 7:00 p.m.

7. Your house was almost fully decorated and furnished, but now that a baby is coming, you have to completely furnish and decorate another room: and this seems to be the most important room to her. But aren’t they all?

6. You hear at least five times a day, “Well, when the baby comes, that’s not going to work!”

5. Your golf clubs have been banished to the outside storage room, but strollers, car seats, bouncy seats, jumpers, pack-n-plays, and swings have replaced them.

4. Your wife’s mood is hot and cold and sometimes the dumbest thing you say can make her laugh for an hour, but the funniest thing you say only gets an eye roll.

3. You’re completely tired of hearing, “I miss Starbucks!”

2. For the first time since the two of you have been together, you don’t have an acceptable answer to the question, “Do I look fat?”

1. The phrases, “but I’m tired” and “but I feel nauseated” will hopefully be a thing of the past very soon!!!

{I must add that my husband is wonderful and completely understanding of this exciting time and what we’re going through together and what I’m going through on my own physically. He’s perfect!}

Any guesses as to what is on repeat on our new iMac?

I am a huge Kelly Clarkson fan. I saw her live in Clemson back in 2005 and she was amazing. I’m so happy she’s back and this song seriously makes me want to hold on to my baby bump and jump around! Kelly and Carrie Underwood are my favorite {American} Idols by a mile and they both tend to be on repeat at our house.

Anyone else addicted to this song?