Special thanks

I want to take the time to thank Taryn for doing all of this work on this shower! It is really special and I am so thankful to have a great sister who would take all the time to do this. I am sure this is in many ways more difficult than a standard shower and you have done an AMAZING job so far. I love it all and I hope that everyone else is able to get on and see all the goodies and games and surveys and great things Taryn has done.

Brian, Tank, & I have been so spoiled by everyone's generosity. It is so humbling to have so many people take the time to help stock our home with all the gear needed to raise a baby. This is all so new to us, we so appreciate everything everyone has done. The words of encouragement, the notes in the cards, the goodies and gear, everything is so wonderful it leaves me speechless. THANK-YOU ALL SO MUCH!! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family & friends.

I also wanted to take the time to thank Grandma & Granddad Ray for all the goodies they got us at the shower thrown by church. I don't have pictures of all of it, but they got little Tank (& mom&dad) all geared up for Christmas and for on the go. Tank got his Christmas PJ's, his Christmas outfit to match Gabriel & Isabel, Christmas socks, little shoes, Reindeer fleece outfit, socks and other gear. Mom&Dad here got the diaper bag overflowing with all the necessities - booger wipes, reg. wipes, cloth diapers, pre-folds, bath supplies, scented trash/diaper disposal bag dispenser, the burp cloths I love, and so much more!

We are SO blessed!

We have been continually blessed with great surprises!!!

Ali, Tim, & Zoe sent in addition to the other goodies, our bouncy seat which I instantly put together!! It is so soft and cuddly and has all different kinds of features. It can vibrate at different settings, it has the heart beat, it is nature white noises, it has music, it really has it all!

June & Rick Seyler got us some awesome Dino gear!! The little jeans and shirts are adorable and just look at those jammies!! They are larger sizes which is GREAT. When we opened it, Brian just said, "I think I really just like p.j's." ha! We also got some toys for the little man (: 

Thank-you ALL SOOOO Much!! We LOVE everything!!

Let the Battle Begin

So Granddad was the first to the punch on getting little Tank all geared up for the battle. He supplied him with all the ample Purdue gear....even knowing that Mama here is a Hoosier! So one of my IU gals Sam decided she couldn't have that and mailed down some Hoosier gear. Granddad is slowly running the races on all the grandchildren. Gabriel proudly sports his PU gear along with Granddad. I'm not sure if Isabel has yet to succumb to wearing the PU cheerleading gear, but I am sure that will come...

So...as for Tank: let the games begin!

Thank-you so much Grandma & Granddad Ray & Samala for all the AWESOME, WONDERFUL gear!!

Tank's birth stats!

For fun I have created Tank's birth stats poll. We would love to see what you think!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Tank's name

I have had only a few responses to the name question below. So everyone give us a guess :) It is anonymous so you won't be identified!!! It will be fun to see the guesses so please participate!

Answers to Game #3

1. Pebbles

2. Ben & Emma

 

3. Bart, Maggie, & Lisa

4. Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, & Andy

 

5. Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, & Rudy

 

6. Marcia, Jan, Cindy, Greg, Peter, & Bobby

Survey: Tank's name?!?!

Tank's name is a secret from all of us but I would love to see what you think his name will be...

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.


And for a little fun (I hope you won't cheat by doing an internet search!!!).....

Game: Name The Children From These TV Families

1. What was the name of Fred and Wilma's child on The Flintstones?
2. What were the names of Ross Gellar's 2 children on Friends?
3. Name the 3 kids on The Simpsons:
4. Name the 4 children on Family Ties:
5. Name the 5 Huxtable kids on The Cosby Show:
6. Name the 6 Brady Bunch kids:

Answers to Game #2

Congrats to Ali and Zoe! Thank you for participating :) Your gift is on the way! After I posted this, I did realize there are a few version to some of these depending upon what book it is in. Oh well. It is still fun to recite these rhymes with the kiddos!

1) fleece	2) wool	3) contrary	4) they got there	5) Baker's man
6) Christmas	7) curds, whey	8) pickled peppers	9) open/shut/knock at the	10) keep
11) cupboard	12) shoe	13) lean	14) cat	15) treetop

{gift station}

So I think our post person is getting sick of walking down our driveway, but Brian and I sure LOVE all the surprises we have been blessed with (:

Ali, Tim, & Zoe got us the cutest little outfit(s). We have the white "tie" onesie and the plaid onesie to go with the tiniest pair of jeans and shoes!! They also got us hat. If anyone knows me, they know I love my beanies and winter hats. I think little tank is going to have a collection bigger than mine in no time!! Thank-you guys SO very much we lOVe it!!

We also got a fun shipment in from Taryn, Matt, and the kids: the first of our Cloth Diapers and a wet pack!! YAY!!! Everyone doubts these puppies, but I am OVER THE TOP about them and cannot wait to start SAVING $$$. I gave Grandma Ray & Cousin Lulu a lesson on how they work, but neither seemed too impressed, haha! Either way -- we are excited and look how darn cute they are!! Thanks for having faith Haley clan!

Luann and Uncle Rick also were able to make a trip out to VA this past weekend to see everyone which was SO GREAT to see them. While they were here we got treated to a very awesome shower package filled with all kinds of goodies: 3-way baby thermometer, a couple of really cute pajama sets (one puppy, one rocker), receiving blankets, Disney Mickey teether, Whale Bath Spout cover, Blankie & Rattle, & bibs!! Thank-you so much Luann, Aunt Kathy, and Peggy (& Uncle Rick & JR)!!! It was a great surprise to be spoiled with all the goodies (: Thank-you all so much!!



Stay tuned for a special post for Grandad (:

Mom & Dad (Grandma & Grandad) Ray were SO VERY kind to bless us with all kinds of goodies along this journey. They have blessed us with the Crib, Crib Mattress, Crib Sheets & Skirt, Changing Pad, newborn clothes, love and support. They have helped make the nursery into what it is. So here is a tour of all the items they have blessed us with plus the nursery:

 Just so you have an overview: The room is Gray & White with Spiderman accent/theme. We wanted a room Tank could grow into that wasn't real "babyish" if that makes sense. Brian's mom made the quilt which was our inspiration and then Mom & Dad helped to fill the room with all the necessities. We refurbished the dresser which came from Grammy Baldwin's house. All the Spiderman accents and items are Brian's from when he was growing up (some of which he made himself). The closet is stuffed with clothes as you can see (: We have been blessed to have clothes given to us by friends and family both new and used. It is great!! The bathroom is just off the bedroom through the door by the dresser = very handy! The recliner came from Grandma & Grandad Ray's place...Does anyone remember this?? I LOVE this recliner and was really siked when Mom let me have it. It is the most comfortable recliner EVER. It will def. be put to use. Plus there are pictures of Mom & I (me in diapers) napping on this chair as I hope to with Tank.

We could not have done this nursery without love and support!! Thank-you!!

Showering of Gifts Continues

So we have been showered with more WONDERFUL gifts!! A VERY, VERY BIG THANK-YOU TO EVERYONE!!!! The support is so amazing and every item is cherished.

Alvin & Barb Modesitt blessed us with a great card and some $$$ which will definitely come in handy to put toward any number of needed items!!

KV (Katie Vaughn) sent us our Double Dishwasher Baskets, Baby Spoons, and the soft and textured Very Hungry Caterpiller book. We have already utilized the baskets and the book is up in Tank's room ready to read (:

Peter & MK Baldwin got us a Bottle Drying Rack, a Finding Nemo Bath Spout Protector, and the Baby Tub!! We have the spout protector on and love that Nemo comes off as a squirt toy. The Baby Tub is in the bathroom ready for use and from what I have heard this is a major must have!!

I also wanted to give a big Thank-you to Taryn, Matt, Gabriel & Isabel for some great items they picked up for us. They were able to get us some second hand items that are brand new quality: jumparoo x2, swing, bassinett, and some toys. They also got us some really cute clothes. The lil' rocker gear (1st outfit) will be Tank's coming home outfit from the hospital (:

Technical Difficulties

Sorry everyone! I have been getting showered with more aMaZiNg gifts and I have been having some major technical difficulties with my internet connection at home. I pretty much haven't had anything that works for the last 10 - 14 days besides my phone. I have some great posts that I will get out soon. So I want to Thank EVERYONE who has been sending gifts along and let you all know I have received them and am so very excited to get them posted! They will be up soon (:

xO - Tiffany & Brian*

Words of Wisdom

The soon-to-be-parents would love some advice! Please post any words of wisdom, advice, favorites (parenting books, children's books, baby gear, anything at all) etc. They would love to hear from YOU!

Game #2: Finish the baby rhyme...

1) Mary had a little lamb, it's _____________ was white as snow.

2) Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any _____________?

3) Mary, Mary, quite _____________, how does your garden grow?

4) Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub, and how do you think ____________ _____________ ____________?

5) Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, _________________ ________________!

6) Little Jack Horner, sat in a corner, eating his ______________ pie;

7) Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, eating her ________________ and _______________.

8) Peter Piper picked a peck of ____________ _____________.

9) One, two, buckle my shoe, three four, _____________ the door.

10) Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater, had a wife but couldn't ____________ her.

11) Old Mother Hubbard, went to the _______________.

12) There was an old woman, who lived in a _______________.

13) Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no ___________.

14) Hey diddle, diddle, the ____________ and the fiddle.

15) Rock-a-bye baby, on the __________________.

THERE BETTER BE NO CHEATING ;)

The FIRST to answer correctly, wins! Answers will be posted 10/17.

Answer to Game #1

And the winner is.....Tracie Baldwin!!! She was the very first to answer and was right on!!! Tiffany's belly measured at exactly 39 inches! Tracie, that was impressive :) Be looking for a little gift coming your way. Thanks to everyone who participated. We enjoyed seeing all the comments!

Game #1: How big is mom-to-be's belly???

To keep things fun and upbeat, we are going to do some party games this month! Let the games begin....

We are going to start the month off with the ever popular belly game! How this will work is you will need to post a comment below (click on "comments" on the bottom of this post) with how big you think Tiffany's belly is in this picture taken a few days ago. Place your bet in INCHES (for example: 25 3/8 inches). If you have no idea, it might help to take string, wrap it around your waste and measure your own to compare what you think Tiffany's is measuring! Don't forget to leave your name in the comments so I know who is answering!! Keeping in the party game spirit, I will award the winner a prize! If there is a tie, I will award the "first to post the closest answer" the prize :) This game closes as of 11:59 pm Tuesday, October 9th. Wednesday, October 10th results will be revealed, and a new game will begin!