My Ladybug Goes to School

I officially have two preschoolers in my house. Our little ladybug started school with everyone else two weeks ago! From her 6th day of life outside the womb, she has accompanied me to drop off and pick up her brother. Sometime back in fall, she began to cry to stay at school too. She was so ready to be there and had absolutely no fear.

Right before Christmas we started talking it up quite a bit and visited her new classroom the last school day before Christmas. She knew her teachers' names, and she was ready. When I came home with her school gear, she insisted on carrying around her "pink packpack."


Playing in her pink kitchen with her "pink packpack"
On her first day, she demanded to carry it in herself, just like her brother does. It was way too heavy, and immediately she fell backwards. But she still insisted! So I carried it by the handle at the neck with the straps over her shoulders. When she got to her classroom, she stood at the door until they let her in. I had asked her to come with me to Jack's room first (right around the corner), but no. She didn't cry or fuss about it--she just stood and looked at her teachers like "isn't this where I'm supposed to be?" After I signed her in, she walked right through the door, and that was that. I love her confidence.


Needless to say, she's having a great time. She told us all about it on her way home and even named her friends she played with. She's even sleeping on her nap mat like a champ. I can already tell she's learning and becoming even more social than she already was. She's growing up so fast!

Smocked Auctions Spring Warehouse Sale

The week of my kids' birthdays, Smocked Auctions had a warehouse sale over in Dallas. If you're not familiar with Smocked Auctions, it started as a children's clothing company that primarily held an "auction" on Facebook each Thursday night starting at 8:30 PM. They expanded into Instagram selling, and during their warehouse sale, they announced the launch of their website, which now offers cute kids' clothes 24/7. So you can get your smocking fix anytime, of course.

Back to the warehouse sale. Smocking? On sale? Local?

What time should I be there?!?

My sweetie girl and I headed over to Big D on the second day of the sale because that's when we were free. They didn't allow strollers in so she sat on my hip in her sling, leaving me mostly hands-free to shop. There were quite a few kids running around, so kids were definitely not prohibited, just the strollers.

Even though it was the second day, I found plenty of cute things. Smocked items were $29.99 and non-smocked were $19.99. They also had a few fine children's brands such as Florence Eiseman and Feltman Brothers priced separately (i.e. more than $29.99). I didn't come across any of these in our size.

But we did manage to score some cute spring and summer dresses for my girl! I was actually looking at the Petit Ami sailor suit on another site, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it here for around twenty bucks. We grabbed a couple of bubbles, one of them for Easter (please warm up, Texas), and one other very sweet dress that she wore on her actual birthday. She felt very sassy and cute in it, and she showed it throughout the day (in a good way, I promise!)


The actual birthday day dress. Perfect for spring and summer.
I didn't shop far out of our current sizes (18 or 24 months, depending on the brand) since it was primarily spring and summer items, but I noticed they had quite a bit for older girls too (like through kinder-sized).

I think they have a fall sale as well. It was definitely worth the drive to find cute boutique outfits for a deal. I would go again.

A successful shopping mission for my girl and me!

Mama Monday: The First Birthday

Our sweet daughter turned one last Friday. Her party on Saturday was the culmination of a two week sprint of celebrating birthdays, since our son turned 3 just two days before her birthday. As the chief celebration officer of our family, I am tired.

Of course, it was worth it.


Her party day was blessed with beautiful, blooming spring weather, as gorgeous as the blessing she is to our family.



We did a "sunshine" theme, although I didn't expand on it as much as I could have. It was a wonderful celebration, regardless. Pink and yellow were mostly what I went with. The menu was chicken salad sandwiches on split croissants, party sandwiches, cookies, fruit, chips and salsa, and of course, the main event -- birthday cake!

I love this picture. You can see my Pop, Annabelle's great-grandfather, in the mirror of the jewelry box. When he came in and hugged my neck, he said, "This party looks like something out of Better Homes and Gardens!" I love him so much, and that is simply classic Pop. (And that was a very generous compliment!)

My parents gave her that jewelry box, which went well with our gift to her. We started her a James Avery charm bracelet with the birthday cake charm. She won't wear it for a while, but we thought it was perfect for this milestone.

And I Think To Myself...

what a wonderful world.

Happy First Birthday, my beautiful, sweet daughter.

You are a treasure, and I love you so much!

38 Weeks

Taken by Hailey Erickson Photography back at the beginning of December.
I am pleased to announce that we have made it to 38 weeks! I had a bit of a discouraging check-up this week, but I came home, made myself some mac and cheese, opened some packages that had been delivered that day, and delivered myself a dose of perspective. I'm about to have a baby!

We're both very healthy. My ankles are swelling, without fail, daily, but my blood pressure looks good. With Jack, the second day the swelling didn't subside overnight, I went into labor with him. So rest assured, that is the first thing I check every day.

(I have no idea if there really is any correlation there or not, but I'm 38 weeks pregnant and will grasp at anything that might indicate imminent labor, so there is no need to burst my bubble with proven science!)

As I posted earlier in the week, Annabelle's room is complete, including her back ordered sheets. My new baby bag has arrived, and even a last minute newborn hat I ordered from Etsy came in. We celebrated Valentine's Day as a family of 3 at Joe T. Garcia's. I'm thinking about Easter clothes already. If it weren't in the 30s, I'd probably be out handwashing my car just to keep myself busy.

It's D-Now weekend here, so we're running around helping with that. Today I made a pie, a batch of cookies, and a breakfast casserole to give myself something to do. I'm having some contractions, but nothing regular, and quite a bit of it is back labor. I keep waiting for the very predictable waves of normal front contractions (like I had with Jack) to begin, but if I have learned anything from this pregnancy, it's that no pregnancy is the same!

We'll see how this next week goes!

Waiting on a Little Lady

I'm so excited to be finished with Annabelle's room! I've joked with my husband that if we didn't share, this is what my bedroom would look like. I love that it is full of sweetness and things that I love. Nearly everything in it is something I've wanted for a long time.

I haven't included all my sources because that would've taken forever, but if you have questions about something, please feel free to drop me an email. I'll respond!

Her big girl bed!
I don't do changing tables, so this will be used for both that purpose (with a blanket for insurance) as well as late night crashes when we need to camp out in there. I've been dying for that headboard for several years now, and I love how it works in here. It's a dark grey linen that I think it'll stand up to dirty kid hands. Sharpies? Not so much. But it's worth the risk.

I love, love, love the pintucked duvet. It reminds me of the skirt on my wedding dress.

Such a sweet pillow for a sweet girl!
The pillow was made by Anna at For the Love of Joy who, it turns out, is practically my neighbor. Her production time ran about 2 months, but that included the holidays, and it was worth the wait. She personalized it with my absolute favorite Scripture. I love the image of the Father being with us, taking great delight in us, and rejoicing over us with singing as it says in Zephaniah 3:17. I trust Him with my sweet Annabelle and wanted to include this in her room in some way, and the pillow was just perfect.

She also made a boppy cover to match that you can see in the pic above.

Another look at my Annabelle's headboard.
When I started picturing this room, I knew I would want some antique gilded floral plates over the headboard. My mom started searching for them for me at the antique stores in my hometown. I love that they are all from there. It's a special touch from where I grew up.

Those grey trellis sheets came in today, and I wasted no time getting them laundered and on the bed.

This Kate Spade ad is just a little bit of pink happiness. I'm framing it in a gold frame, and it will go on the nightstand.
The dresser and nightstand are from Pier 1. I have loved that dresser since I first laid eyes on it. I've been trying to find a place to put it in my house for years. Hooray for Annabelle!

The banner was a gift from my baby shower. The dolls on the dresser are pretty fun. One of them is Little Red Riding Hood and was mine as a little girl. Another is a doll that I made with my grandmother for a project for Texas history in 7th grade. I will never forget sewing it with her the week I was home with the chicken pox. ("We" made a 110 on the project, by the way.) It is very, very special to me.

The last doll is a stuffed rabbit that Mr. G, Jack, and I made especially for our girl at Build-a-Bear. We went on a family date a few Saturdays ago to have a fun day together. Brad and I did something similar for Jack on one last date night before he was born.

Here's the view from the other side of the room. You can see where her crib tucks into a little nook. It didn't photograph well, but the vine monogram is painted gold.

A peek inside her crib.
She has a sweet little Beaufort Bonnet Company pink bow swaddle waiting on her! This was a gift from my parents.

Her super soft quilt.
As Jack says, "Aaa-belle's banket."

We are so excited to meet our girl! Her room was painted with love by her daddy, and Jack and I have spent hours in there organizing, reading (her) books, talking about her, and for me, praying for her. All that is left is for her to make her grand appearance.

We're ready for you, Annabelle!

37 Weeks

We made it to 37 weeks!

Lots of things can happen at 37 weeks!

Babies can be born at 37 weeks!

Here's a look at the notables this week:

1. Without going into the details, I had a rough week, pregnancy-wise. My doc took one look at me last Thursday and said, "You're done." I said, "AGREED." She said, "Go finish up your friend's wedding shower this weekend, and we'll talk next week." I go in Wednesday to see what is going on with Annabelle and consider making some plans.

{Overall, both mine and Annabelle's health is fine. Diagnosis: very pregnant.}

2. I helped throw the aforementioned wedding shower Saturday at my house with ladies from our church for my sweet BFF/college roommate. (See belly binding post.) We had over 30 people there. The shower was so fun, she got a lot of great things, and she looked so beautiful! My house is spotless and ready for my child to come, thanks to getting it ready for that event.

See? Gorgeous!
3. We finished up Annabelle's room about 20 minutes before people arrived Saturday morning, thanks to some help from my mom and dad. It's lacking the blessed sheets for her big girl bed, which have been backordered from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child since the end of November. It's making me itchy, but there are bigger problems in the world. I'm living with cream colored sheets for now until the grey percale European trellis ones come in. They're probably nicer than what is on my own bed, and she will never even notice them. I should just cancel the order.

{But we all know that isn't going to happen.}

Sneak peek from Instagram. As soon as I have some good light, I'll grab some with my real camera.
4. I've been having contractions. A couple of times they've gone on long enough that I pulled out my phone and started timing them, but after about an hour they taper off. Back labor.

{That means progress, hopefully?}

5. I pack my bag after I get ready every morning. It's kind of wishful thinking, but it makes me happy and much less stressed out that I won't have to call Mr. G if I go into labor and ask him to pack some of my last minute items. I would put it in my car, but it's too heavy. The one thing I've asked him to remind me to pick up is my Sonicare (I forgot it last time and the cheap-o, manual toothbrush they had at the hospital did not spur me on to love and good deeds.) The most random item in my bag is a package of celebratory malted milk balls.

{Do the Gentrys know how to party or what?}

6. The ankles are the last to go. Last night Mr. G said, "Wow, your ankles really haven't swelled like they did with Jack's." Such the flatterer, that Mr. Gentry.

Seriously? One minute later they inflated like balloons.

{See item #1: we are done.}

36 Weeks

I'd love to say that things are starting to progress around here, but they're not! This sweet little lady is doing just fine where she is. Mama, however, has a little bit of elevated blood pressure and some swollen ankles that my doc is keeping a close watch over.

{Side Note: This makes me very thankful for friends who shared their access to Downton Abbey Season 3 last fall while it was airing in the UK so that I'm not watching it on PBS now. Like I needed to see that episode at 36 weeks pregnant!}

This means I'll be resting over the weekend, as much as is possible with a toddler in the house, and Monday I go back in for a BP check and labs. Little sis was an estimated 6.5 lbs at our appointment, so she's on track to be in the 8's like her brother if we go the distance.

I feel fine other than, you know, being 36 weeks tired and large so that's a huge blessing. I told the doc that Annabelle can come {if necessary} any time after noon on February 9. Have I mentioned I'm hosting a wedding shower at my house that morning for my sweet friend? It's going to be beautiful and fun, and I can't wait to post some pics here!

February 9th has been my goal date for a million and one things in my house--namely new floors and finishing Annabelle's room--and I'm right on track to finish it all on schedule. I really love it so far. The few finishing items should be here by next Friday, just in time.

Exciting times ahead!

35 Weeks

Well, we made it to 35 weeks! I went back to my Jack files, and it seems like I got the same inkling to start packing the baby's bag during that week too. Annabelle's is completely packed. Like, pick it up and go straight to the hospital packed. Her coming home outfit is sweetly and carefully tucked in, with her shoes and ruffled socks. And some hair accessories, of course.

This week I also worked on my house a bit and may have overdone it putting it all back together after the floor installation. I've been paying the price all week. But I love the floors! My admin also started my maternity leave paperwork, and I've begun turning some things over just in case we have an early bird baby lady. Crazy!

We still have a few things to do to complete her room. I ordered one of those beautiful vine monograms that will need to be painted and hung once it arrives, and I need to find a mirror for over her dresser and a basket or some kind of cute container to keep her diapers, wipes, and other various items at the ready. I have high (probably too high) hopes that most of this will be completed this weekend.

Next week is my first weekly visit with my doctor which means I'll likely know if we've made any progress, if I'm remembering the last go-round correctly. My comfort level is at an all-time low, so I know we're getting close.

But I'm just weeks from seeing my sweet girl for the first time!

A Shower for Annabelle

I truly have the most wonderful church family. Last Saturday they threw Annabelle and me a sweet little shower to celebrate her arrival and all things pink to come at our house. Everything was so thoughtful and sweet! They used the colors pink and grey, which are the colors of her room. I don't know if I have yet mentioned on here that her room matches my blog. Not on purpose.

I'm sad that I didn't get a pic with the eight hostesses before I left, but here are some of the pics my sweet friend Amy (who opened her home for it) sent me.


My friend Allison created a hot chocolate bar with homemade marshmallows and cinnamon whipped cream.
She talks about it on her blog What This Mama Eats!

They served cake balls and delicious brunch food like quiche, sausage balls, and a fruit compote. It was all so good!


Nearly every picture I'm in, I'm making a crazy face at how cute every gift is. This is one of my tamer moments. My Grannie gave us a Vera Bradley bag that I'd been wanting for my girl. It will be her bag for the hospital, but it will also be one that she carries forever! I have this same size duffle that has been travelling with me since 2001. The pattern is called Ribbons, and I can't wait to stock up on some of the matching accessories for her.

Annabelle's sweet little Beaufort Bonnet from my parents.
I am so excited to see her sweet face in it!
I love being part of this community of believers. Some of these ladies are my age, and some of them have grown children and have already traveled this road. I'm so thankful to them for their love and encouragement during these early years of motherhood.

We are ready for our sweet Annabelle with all things pink!

34 Weeks

I don't have too many updates this week. Annabelle's room is still a work in progress, but it's a super fun work in progress!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I saw my doc's newest associate in case she's the on-call when I go into labor. We measured right on track, and Annabelle's heartbeat was 140. She gave me the impression that I will have a baby before 40 weeks, which means we're 5 weeks or less away.

{I'll just be over here trying not to get my hopes up.}

I am trying to ignore that my left foot looks like it is swollen right now (barely, and at the end of an evening of shopping.) I mean, the only part of my body that is slim right now are my ankles, so I would prefer they stay that way as long as possible. But as I remember from Jack's pregnancy, the ankles are the last to go, which means we're getting closer. Excitement.

I'm also pretending that my house isn't in total uproar right now. We're having new floors installed which means that the living room is in my kitchen, the study is partially in our room and Annabelle's, and the entry is in the garage. We are on a crazy train. But how much crazier would it be if I had a toddler and a newborn while it was going on? It will all be put back together by Friday night.

Her baby book came in! I had decided I wanted something that wouldn't show dirt, and by the end of my appointment I had picked out off-white with pink polka dots. It was just too sweet and adorable, and I couldn't help myself. So I also had them add a plastic cover for it, so here's hoping.

Anyway, I love it and of course have it completely filled out up to the "Day You Were Born" page already. Yay!

Mr. G laughs because he likes to ask how well I've kept up with Jack's book. I have a stack of things that need to be added to it, but I'll get there. Do you keep up with a baby book for your kids? Or have intentions to?

33 Weeks

The weeks are flying by now, it seems.

I feel like we are more prepared for this kiddo at this time than when we were expecting Jack. I know it's because we already have the gear, we know how to install a car seat, we don't have scheduled classes to learn how to bathe a baby, and we've even lived through that "oh my gosh the contractions are 5 minutes apart grab the bag let's go" moment (and the remaining 17 hrs of labor after that moment.) So I think we're a little more calm than we were two years ago.

I've been going through clothes that my friends have brought to me, laundering them, pressing sweet little smocked dresses, and organizing her room. I was so excited to find that her headboard was delivered today, and tomorrow her dresser is coming. (It's a week late, but still!)

Just a few of my bag contents.
I have a pile going in a corner of our bedroom of things to pack in my bag. It occurred to me earlier in the week that I not only have Annabelle's and my things to pack -- I'll also have to pack a bag for Jack. That's one more thing to think through, but of course it will all get done.

I haven't mentioned many pregnancy woes on here because I know ladies who have had much worse symptoms than me, but let me tell you that I have heartburn that is like the fire of a thousand suns. It wasn't quite this bad with Jack. I can actually set my watch by when the medicine wears off. I'll be curious to see if she has a lot of hair based on that wives' tale.

Praise be to the Almighty God, the Creator of those who created heartburn medicine.

Amen and amen.

32 Weeks

It has been a wonderful and relaxing week. Vacation does that, if you'll let it.

For the first time in a very, very long time, I sat around and watched TV for two days straight. It was just what I needed: a good break before going into these last, most tiring days of pregnancy.

While I sat around, Mr. G did not. I finally found that perfect silvery grey I was talking about. It's Silverpointe by Sherwin Williams, and we now have a room covered beautifully in it. Her bed is assembled, and her bedding is on. (I at least did that part.) I've ordered the headboard for the queen bed that will one day be her big girl bed, and her dresser should be here by Friday. I was getting all itchy about not having a place to put away her folded clothes, but that feeling is starting to wane, knowing a delivery date for the dresser.

Wednesday I finally made it by to order her baby book with rush delivery. Both our wedding book and Jack's baby book were made by Jan Sevadjian Designs, and I honestly couldn't imagine not having Annabelle's by them. It usually takes a month or so to process, so I paid up to have it here since I need/want it by the 19th. (Available for order through Paper Affair on Lovers Lane in Dallas, one of my favorite places.)

All that is left is some wall art, frames, and recovering a chair I bought 5 years ago that I've been holding on to for just the right spot in my house, and her room will mostly be done. Then I'll move on to Drefting her pajamas and blankets! I've really crossed a lot of things off off my to-do list this week, thanks to my super husband.

I've started thinking about packing my bag this week too. I have quite a few irons in the fire between now and Annabelle's birthday, so I want to have my L&D and post-partum needs covered a little along the way. Surrounding myself with things like my favorite bath and hair products, and cute and comfy loungewear goes a long way in ministering to me. It deludes me into thinking I'll be a little put together, despite the fact that I will probably be swollen up like a watermelon, post-partum.

This afternoon I had a doctor appointment, and she confirmed what I've been telling people who ask how I'm doing: "I'm great--just getting bigger by the minute." Annabelle is head down already and quickly running out of space. She kicked and kicked against the doc as she felt around to check her position. We both appear healthy, and our next visit is a short two weeks away!

Week 29

Two weeks in a row of pregnancy updates!

Great news: I passed the glucose tolerance test! Not as great news: my iron level was low enough to be called anemic, so I'm taking two iron pills a day. And those iron pills can't be taken at the same time, nor can either of them be taken with my prenatal, and my Zantac inhibits the absorption of iron, which means I am basically like a geriatric patient with all the pills I'm taking for my different issues, spaced at different times of the day. (I'm also taking other meds to combat the after-effects of the iron pills, the details of which shall remain unspoken on this little piece of the web. Motherhood is incredibly glamorous.)

Anyway, I am extremely thankful that my issues are minor in the grand scale of the miracle that is pregnancy.

This week I ordered the bedding for Annabelle's big girl bed , and of course it's back-ordered but should be in here sometime in January. I also managed to purchase her some newborn hair accessories from Etsy because I simply could not help myself. I'm looking for a great bow holder, and apparently now I'll need a headband storage solution.

We had a wonderful time at my Southwest Christmas party Saturday evening. I wore the heels, and by the end of the night, my feet were a little swollen. I wasn't expecting that, but it was worth it. The party was at Union Station, which is a restored train station in downtown Dallas right next to Reunion Tower. It was a beautiful venue, and Wolfgang Puck Catering provided the food. YUM. My very wonderful (and engaged!) friend Alisia played with our sweet Jack while we were gone. Such a good friend!

This weekend is our last Christmas party of the season - with our high school seniors at church. I have high hopes of finishing my Christmas shopping and purchasing some wrapping paper. My hopes may be a little too high. We'll see!

Week 28

As I sat down to write this post, I had to take a glance back at my Week 28 post for Jack to see how I was feeling then. It appears that the same feelings kicked in about the same time. The realization that my baby could be here in potentially 10 weeks (he was born in the 39th week) has brought a real and immediate need to nest to the forefront of my mind. It's all I can think about: prepare house for baby.

I actually already have Annabelle's bedding unboxed (so I can go in and occasionally look at it when I am stressed) and in her room. I chose to purchase it over making it because, seriously, my life is a circus right now. Her bed is in there too, still in its huge box, and waiting for her daddy to paint the room over the Christmas holidays. It's currently a lovely shade of yellow, and I have very fond memories of us painting it back in 2008. What will be going on the walls is a beautiful silvery grey that I have yet to pick out, but I am positive that it exists and will look lovely with Annabelle's petal pink bedding.

{I've gotten a lot of questions about this - my parents gifted us with a second crib for Annabelle. Jack isn't climbing out of his yet, and I am not about to mess with a good thing when we're about to go through such a big (exciting!) transition of adding a shishy. But there's a big kid bed in his room when he's ready for it.}

I've started ordering a few accoutrements for her walls, and one of my sweet college friends passed off huge load of baby girl clothes to be split with one of our other friends who is due two weeks before me. We went through those last weekend, and now Annabelle has clothes all over her room in all sizes. I need someone to 1. organize all of it for me and 2. order her dresser, have it delivered, and put them away. Any takers?

But hey, I got our Christmas pictures made and cards ordered in a 7 day window, so I'm getting a few things done. I might even get them out before Christmas.

This morning I had the glucose tolerance test at my monthly appointment. I don't go back for another month, which will be right after Christmas, then visits will be every 2 weeks. Annabelle is measuring 29 weeks and had a heart rate of 140. She sounded great and kicked at the doppler the entire time we listened to her heart. My sweet, feisty girl. I love her so much.

Our little girl looks good and feels strong, and we are well on our way to seeing her sweet face here in the third trimester!

And the newest Gentry is...

a sweet little healthy Miss Gentry! Her name is...

Annabelle Katherine
And so far her wardrobe looks a little like this:


There's some Feltman Brothers, Kissy Kissy, Zutano, Janie and Jack, pink bows in different sizes, some with clips, some with headbands, a little bit of Aggie, and an adorable pair of lace trimmed socks to top it off. I'm going to need to clear some space in Annabelle's closet that has heretofore been my annex. And soon.

Without question, we are excited about our littlest blessing and can't wait to see her sweet face. We are praising God for her (and my) good health. The sonographer noted that she posed for every picture that was taken of her.

Oh my!