Guess who?

 

Emery Jane Scott arrived on 10.12.12.

She is healthy and happy - we are so thankful!!  That's the short version - if you want the long version....keep reading!  :)

 

When we met with our doctor at the 40 week appointment, she suggested the option of being induced on the due date since the baby wasn't here two days before. We struggled with making a decision on what to do...should we give the baby a few extra days to arrive on his or her own timing?  I was grateful to have had an easy pregnancy and since there were no health concerns for me or the baby, I thought we might should wait.  However, I also was excited to meet our baby boy or girl, and John Neal had time off the next week.  I decided to give an old fashioned exercise a try, and I wrote down a pro/con chart for waiting vs. inducing. (I know...super dorky) One of the main incentives was our dr. was on call that day and if given a choice, I really wanted her to be the dr. who delivered our baby.  Since we did have a choice, we chose to go ahead with the induction....

 

Making this decision meant it was go time.  We would be checking into the hospital in 24 hours...I needed to wrap up things at work, JNS had to run a few errands and we had to get the house ready to bring home our baby!  It's funny how we were "ready" for it at any given moment (hospital bag was packed & car seat was in the car), but when you know you have a specific date you create all kind of tasks that feel mandatory. However, necessary or not, we got it all done.  Including a final date night with John Neal before baby - we ate at The Optimist on the westside (delicious!), and we rented a well-timed movie, What to Expect When You're Expecting (hilarious).  

 

  John Neal and I took Mully on a quick walk before heading to the hospital Thursday night.  I was feeling some pretty consistent back pains that later turned out to be back labor...although it wasn't comfortable, it certainly helped move things along once we got to the hospital! 

 

I took a picture with Mully before we took off for Northside...big brother-to-be. 

 

We arrived at the hospital and got checked in to our delivery room.  I remember feeling strange about this....so weird to know we would be in this room for the next 24 hours or so until he or she arrived. 

 

 

John Neal was a great partner during this process - he was supportive and encouraging throughout each phase. 

 

He also doubled as a DJ (providing some tunes in the hospital room), comedian (keeping the nurses & dr. laughing) and his best role....announcing to our family and friends that

It's a girl!

 





 

 

Although I couldn't see or hear them in the waiting area, I was so excited and grateful that our friends and family were there for the big reveal.  :)  Someone was a tad stubborn (apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and in her case, either tree) on making her debut so a lot of friends were waiting in the hospital for hours and family was there all day....y'all have no idea how much it meant to us that you were there!!! 

 Here is our little sweetheart....Emery Jane!  She has a double name like her daddy. 

Delivery stats: she was born at 7:07PM, weighed 7 lb. 8 oz. and was 21 inches long. 

 

I know I'm her mom and  my opinion doesn't count....but she looks super cute here.  :) 

 



 

Somehow, after 48 hours of giving birth, they let you leave the hospital with a tiny human.  It's a bittersweet feeling to be released from the hospital - excited and relieved to be back home, but nervous to be without the 24/7 help from the nurses.   Luckily, we survived the early days (with much help from our parents, sisters, and friends) and now we're just learning to navigate this new way of life....I think we're in for a fun ride.  :)



Green or Yellow?

It's time to dust off the ol' cob webs and get this blog back up and running....interesting timing as our lives are certainly about to flip upside down with Baby Scott set to arrive in just a few days.  It's been a surreal experience the last several months, and an adventure that I have tried to soak up and enjoy as best as I could....

I've been so grateful for the overwhelming support and kindness we have felt during this "baby prep" phase of life.  We knew we were blessed with such loving family members and incredibly kind friends, but God has truly shown His presence through all of the generous and encouraging actions of those in our lives.   It may sound like I'm talking about gifts (which I am so thankful for the baby gifts that each and every one of you have so kindly given to us) but I'm specifically speaking to the phone calls, texts, emails, conversations, cards, etc....these gestures have not gone unnoticed and have been incredibly impactful on John Neal and I these last several months.  Thank you for loving us!

As any parent anxiously awaits their little one's arrival, we too are excited to finally meet this bundle that we have been praying for the last year.  On top of the typical anticipation, we're particularly anxious to find out if we're going to be parents to a boy or a girl!  Many folks have asked us throughout the pregnancy why we chose to not find out, or how in the world are we able to not know...and the funny thing is, it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought, but it was way more fun than I could have imagined.  Truth of the matter is, it was John Neal's dream for us to not find out.  This was an easy win for me - I wanted to find out and I was going to be carrying this child for 9 months.  Done.  However, the more the topic came up, the more John Neal was having an impact on how I felt about finding out the gender.  I couldn't pull the trigger (it felt wrong for me, a planner by nature, to actually CHOOSE to not find out), but I felt different about it.  Ultimately, John Neal and I decided to play fair and square - we'd draw straws (or something of that variety).  We drew to find out at 20 weeks.  I should have felt happy and relieved, but I didn't.  It was pretty clear that John Neal's hope for us to not find out had more of an effect on me than he (or I) knew.  That was that...no 20 week gender reveal ultrasound, no gender reveal party, no buying clothes before hand....no problem. 

Here we are - days out from meeting our first child, and we cannot wait to share soon if it's a boy or girl!!!  Stay tuned....

Baylor

It seems like we were in college just yesterday....you know, talking about the important things in life like spring break, finals & football games.  The fun didn't stop though...since graduating five years ago, we have shared lots of experiences with our friends - first jobs, engagements, career changes, weddings, going back to school and travel...then somehow through these adventures, we became adults.  Don't get me wrong, we're still young, but when you realize you don't know anyone in college anymore....or you fall asleep at 9PM on a Friday night.....or maybe you find really interesting topics like property taxes, healthcare, or our need for a reliable transit system popping up, you might just need to accept that you're growing up.  And then, to really seal the deal, our generation begins to evolve into the supreme adult role as parents...no slowing down now, adulthood here we come!

(Katie & Zach's baby shower)

We've witnessed my older sisters & brother-in-laws become parents, and then friends at work, friends from college, etc.  It really is such a neat process to watch these new parents grow in their marriages, in their faith, and into their new identity as mom or dad.  The newest baby on the block was Baylor Thomas Smith!  Our friends, Katie & Zach, were expecting his arrival on April 19th, and he decided to greet everyone a day early (which was par for the course since his folks are some of the most prompt people I know!) 

(Baylor with his proud parents!)

As all babies do, he has changed so much in his first few months. 

Watching this little guy grow has been so much fun! 

Can't wait for Baylor to have a best bud or a girlfriend arrive in October! :)

run, run, run

Back at Christmas, John Neal decided he needed to have a race on the calendar.  He had a ridiculous "winter break" that stretched over about 6 weeks in December and January so he was determined to put his time to good use.  (And that made two of us!  I left him honey-do lists each day and was amazed at how much he would get done!  I was sad to see his Christmas break come to an end...) 

He and Scotty signed up for the Birmingham marathon in February.  We made a trip over to B-ham for the weekend and it was FREEZING.  The boys had to go get hoodies just so they could stay warm leading up to race time...so hard.

And they survived!  We celebrated with a little Cracker Barrel on our way out of town for the boy's hard work and the girl's endurance of the cold weather. 

Then in March, John Neal signed up for another marathon. :)  This time it was the Georgia marathon...it brought back fun memories of us running the half-marathon together in 2007.  It was so fun, I've been itching to do another one ever since (read: sarcasm).  I actually did enjoy it, and I am glad I experienced the elements involved in training for a goal like a half marathon.  BUT, I am super slow & I wouldn't say running for two and a half hours is something I would put on a list of things I want to do again.  We can just say I checked that box on the bucket list....

The marathon course took him through Emory's campus which was a neat viewing spot for his parents & me....he was running ahead of schedule so we had to get a move on to our next spot quickly so we wouldn't miss him.  

Little did we know, his quick pace would carry on throughout the race -
he finished with his best time ever!  

His parents and I had a great time seeing him along the route....AND we sure were glad to witness his personal record of 3:05.  Despite the debacle in qualifying for Boston (that is a whole story on it's own....but he missed the new qualifying cutoff by 4 seconds because they changed the rules), it was a huge accomplishment and something I was so proud to see my husband do this year. 

Rewind

When I look back over the blog, I realize many of the 2011 posts were about the weekly photo project, recipes, and a recap of what we had been up to lately.  Now that we are almost halfway through 2012 & I'm done with my "blog break", I figured I had some catching up to do (more posts & pics to follow)...

• In January, we found out that our family will grow by two feet in October...AND, my sister is expecting another baby boy the week before us!  It's about to get crazy...
• JNS has been all over the place!  He ran two marathons and bought a bike to start training for triathlons.  When I say this boy can't sit still, I mean it. 
• In March, we took a getaway/spring break trip to Rosemary Beach.  Loved, loved, loved this location and the precious place we stayed. 
• April came and we welcomed Baylor Thomas Smith into the world! So excited for our friends Zach & Katie and their new addition.  :)
• Our friends Jenni & Mike got married on a beautiful day in a gorgeous art gallery - so happy to have been a part of their special day.
• JNS finished his first year of B-school in May, and started his summer internship with MetLife.

The Tube

It's that time of year....all our shows are wrapping up for the season.  I love and hate the anticipation that goes along with building up the story line to only leave you hanging for 4 months until the show returns in the fall.  I'm starting to hear some chatter about which shows won't be returning next season - anything being cancelled that you're bummed about?  Renewed that your thrilled about?  I have a few...

The Scott's must-see-tv list includes:

• Castle
• Revenge
• The Firm
• And as of a few weeks ago, Scandal

As you can see, these are clearly more my picks than John Neal's, but our TV does seem to find it's way to ESPN the majority of the time we're at home...so we don't feel too bad for him.  :)  I love knowing what shows other people watch, so I thought I'd give you some insight into what we like.  (You'll probably be able to pick up pretty quickly that we like shows with a mystery to solve.)   The unfortunate thing about our list of shows is most of these come on at 10PM on weeknights.  On a positive note, the latenight lineup means tv time doesn't take away from dinner, cleaning up, meeting with friends or going for a walk....but it definitely contributes to an ongoing loss of sleep. 

Castle's finale came on last week and it was perfect...not quite as intense as last year's dramatic finale, but definitely left us excited for next season.  If you've been watching for the last few years like we have, you know that we have been waiting a long time to see Castle and Kate finally kiss....

Revenge is going to be a different story...there is so much that happens in this show every week that I have no idea where the season will conclude.  If you haven't been watching, you should go ahead and get over the fact that this is a trashy drama that you think you couldn't possibly get into....rent the first season and watch it this summer.  You will be hooked.  The ridiculousness of the Grayson family lifestyle combined with the calculated & surprising revenge tactics of Emily Thorne are crazy addicting....

The Firm was a show we got into recently and have found ourselves equally gripped with this one....it picks up several years after where the book left off.  Only sad news is, we seem to be one of the few who found this show so exciting.  Just heard this one is getting the ax and won't be back.  Too bad...Josh Lucas is a cutie.

Scandal is a new series that I thought looked stupid when I saw the previews....but I stuck my foot in my mouth after watching the first few minutes of the show one night.  I'm in it for the constant turn of events and shocking details that unfold each week.  If I had to guess...this is the one we won't be watching next season, but who knows, I never thought I'd actually like it in the first place!

I used to love reality tv - The Bachelor, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, but in the last year or two I've definitely enjoyed more of the drama/sitcom scene.  Who knows...maybe next year I'll flip-flop again, but for now we are enjoying the entertainment "our" shows are providing.  From what I hear, Downton Abbey is the next one to check out...we'll see if I can get pumped about another show, I might be maxed out!

Chop Talk

It's been awhile...but I'm back!

I'm sure you can relate, but I have no idea how May got here!  After the hustle and bustle of the holidays & new year, I tried to make a conscious effort to relax the last few months and not feel the need to photograph, document and write about everything going on...and I think I needed the breather.  Sometimes I struggle with feeling the need to capture events with my camera so we can remember them, but then often I find that I never felt like I was truly "present" when I later flip through the photos.... but I think I had enough of that down time and I'm feeling recharged.  :)

Spring popped in early this year gave Atlanta a lot of warm sunshine and beautiful days.  It quickly shifted into full fledged summer with recent temps hitting the high 80s.  With the heat and the summer flair, I've been especially pumped about Braves season this year.   Growing up I was a HUGE Braves fan....like embarrassingly fanatic.  My sisters always made fun of me (which was probably sisters being sisters....)  But it was a huge part of my childhood...going to games with my Dad, decorating our basement with my collection of posters, tickets and baseball cards, and memorizing stats for the team.  I subscribed to Chop Talk, the Braves monthly magazine, and was crazy excited when mail came for me each month.  :)  My favorite Brave was Chipper.  Maybe it had something to do with him being a rookie when I first got into baseball, but he was so my hero.  Then reality showed up when the drama broke loose in 2008 about him cheating on his wife....and honestly, I was crushed.  I think that was the beginning of me "moving on" from being a huge Braves fan.

Years later, I'm feeling a renewed sense of loyalty to my hometown team, and an excitement for this season.  We were thrilled to get the opportunity to go to opening night at Turner Field in April...the perfect start for a fun-filled season.  I've decided you don't have to be a kid or a guy to love baseball...Go Braves!!!