36 Weeks Down...

Welcome to the first post at Grover's Corner!  Way back in the days of college, I spent a good deal of time blogging my (mis)adventures, but eventually stopped as work and grad school and life in general filled up my time.  Now that we're expecting our first baby, I thought it might be a good idea to have a place again where I could keep track of the little, and not so little, things that happen with our family.  Erik's family is essentially here in Maryland, but my family is located in three major places:  Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Southern California.  We've all got the prerequisite social media accounts that allow us to keep in touch on a regular basis, but I thought this might be a nice place to post longer updates for the "enjoyment" of those who want them.

So where to begin?  Well, I'm nearing the end of this whole pregnancy thing, and Erik and I are both anxiously anticipating the arrival of "Grover."  I've been lucky in that I've had a relatively easy pregnancy (knock on wood...  let's not jinx the last few weeks!) and I've enjoyed the experience -- back pains, sleepless nights, endless trips to the bathroom and all!  I had no real issues with morning sickness in the first trimester, aside from some sour stomach feelings in the evenings and a strong desire to NOT eat any chicken.  Erik and I took a vacation out West during that time, and even though there were definitely some days when I felt completely exhausted, we still had an amazing trip.  Summer ended and work began again for me, just as I was starting to show.  My students, especially the kids I had taught last year, were so excited when I shared the news with them.  Since then, it's been a whirlwind of activity in baby world.

Our families, especially our moms (hi moms!), have been spoiling our little guy rotten -- even though he's not even out in the world yet.  He's the first grandchild (and great-grandchild) on both sides of our families.  We are so blessed to have such loving families who want nothing but the best for our little guy (and us).  Whatever we've needed, they've provided.  It's so comforting to know that he'll be coming into the world with such a large, supportive, loving, and welcoming family around him.

And I know you're asking...  Grover?  Really?  Where did that come from?  And is it staying?  I hated referring to the baby as "it."  And even though we didn't know the sex, "it" still needed to becoming something.  I've always love Sesame Street.  My favorite muppet is Oscar the Grouch, but a baby nicknamed after a Grouch?  It just didn't seem right.  Grover is fun, and loveable.  And blue.  My favorite color is blue.  That just seemed right.  So baby became Grover.  Of course, he's had other nicknames since, but Grover still sticks for me.  We're still deciding on a "real" name for our little guy, so who knows...  maybe Grover will remain Grover...  Or not :-) 

I'm hoping to be able to keep an up-to-date blog as much as possible, especially once this little guy decides to make an appearance.  As these last few weeks tick by, we're finishing preparations and hoping that he doesn't come too early, but also doesn't come too late.  It's wishful thinking, we know.  But we can dream, right?  :-)

Keep checking back for more updates!