Baby Stuff

This morning, my friend Leah came with me to the Cotton Babies new store opening here in St. Louis. I want to thank my sister in law, Kristen, who emailed me about the event! Kristen also introduced me to the world of cloth diapers and we are planning on using the Bum Genius brand with Preston when he arrives. Anyway, Leah and I were one of those lucky individuals who were the first 50 customers in the store so we received some free items. Leah even won the raffle for a gift bag full of goodies. She was gracious to share some of the items with me since I brought her to the event. I had a great time with Leah and talking with other mom's about some baby items they use. I am learning a lot and thankful that I am not alone. We only have 2 more months until Preston arrives and I get more excited each day. I am thankful that things have been going well and that he is healthy and growing. Thanks to all my mom friends who have been a great source of support these past 7 months.

St. Louis Smoothie

This morning, Steven and I went to St. Louis Smoothie for a little breakfast treat. This is by far the best smoothie place in town! Everything is made will all natural ingredients (real fruit, yogurt, the good kind of juice, etc...) and each smoothie has between 4-5 servings of fruit. Its awesome and worth every penny. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I had a St. Louis smoothie at least twice a week. I still like to head there at least once a week to get my fruit kick. Oh yes, my favorite smoothie is the Blueberry Bliss - but be careful that those blueberries don't get stuck inbetween your teeth :)
Check out St. Louis smoothie!

Babysitting

Yesterday evening, Steven and I had the privledge of watching Elijah Warren - son of our good friends, Leah and Todd Warren. We had so much fun feeding him, playing games and then watching him on our video monitor as he crawled around his pack n play when he was supposed to be going to bed. He is quite the little explorer! The times that Steven and I have been able to watch him have been a hint of what is to come with our own son, due the first week in August. I think I am going to enjoy being a mom.

Steven and Eli

Katrina, Eli and Hershey

Feeling Better

For the last 36 hours, I had the flu and all its 'glory'. I will spare you the details, but not being able to eat, drink or sleep is no fun. I even had the flu shot this year - that didn't work! While I was ill, I watched every Jane Austen movie I owned and confined myself to the bedroom. I would have loved to go outside, but walking downstairs wasn't an option in my weak condition. Our 2 dogs, Bailey and Hershey, guarded me with great care. I think they knew something was wrong with mom. I am very thankful for Steven who took care of me. He was with me at 4am when the bathroom was the place to be, he even went to LC (Lion's choice) to get me some crushed ice and the store to buy some crackers & popcicles. Today, I am feeling better. I think I need another long nap and I'm not sure what to eat - nothing sounds good at the moment - but I am thankful to be better than yesterday. (There will be no picture with this post)

Graduation Weekend

Steven and I had a busy weekend. Steven and his mom, Beth, graduated from Covenant Seminary on Friday night. Steven Graduated with his Master of Arts in Counseling and Beth graduated with her Master of Arts in Theological studies. My brother, Shawn, graduated from Parkway West High school on Saturday night. It was nice to be with both sides of the family to celebrate these events. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Mark Dalbey, Katrina Dalbey, Steven Dalbey, Grandma Jane Dalbey and Beth Dalbey

Katrina Denton Dalbey, Tracey Denton, Terry Denton, Phil Denton, Steven Dalbey

Steven Dalbey, Shawn Denton, Katrina Dalbey

Youth Group

As many of you know, Steven is the Middle school Youth Director at our Church. I also work at the church in the office, but volunteer my time with Steven in the youth department. We love working with the students, experiencing life with them and watching them learn and grow over the years. I cannot imagine my life without youth group, youth trips or one on one times with students. I believe that these students teach me just as much about life as I try to teach them. Many people think that working with Middle school students is 'scary' or 'too challenging'. I disagree and believe these people don't know what they are missing. I also beleive that many people who hold this position are not willing to be stretched and challenged in the way that brings them closer in relationship with God, others and themselves. Working with youth is a privledge and I hope to continue for many years to come. I wanted to share with our friends some pictures from our youth group event last night since it is such an integral part of the Dalbey family. We invited some students who will join our minsitry this summer to get a glimps at what youth group is all about. As you can see, we have a fun time and the St. Louis Cardinals was our theme for the evening! Enjoy!

Thank you

I want to say thank you to Emma & Judy for the wonderful Birthday gift they gave me today. They took me to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. The food is yummy and the chesecake is soooo good! I also want to thank them for the lovely sun dress & cardigan. I am looking forward to wearing it this summer. I had such a wonderful time visiting with both of them & enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Both Emma & Judy are a huge blessing in my life.

The Pool

This past weekend I pulled the kiddie pool out of our garage. As soon as it was in view, our dogs got so excited. They love playing in their pool, drinking the water, and trying to dig to the bottom. As you can see from this picture, they are fighting over who gets to be in the pool first. On a hot day, they will lay down in the water and just sit there for a while. My guess is that it is a way to cool off. I think they do it because they know that I will let them stay outside longer so they can dry. I'm not bringing a wet dog in my house! Anyway, my point in sharing this with you all is to give you a glimps into an awesome form of entertainment in the Dalbey home. Perhaps I can get some video posted of Hershey drinking from the hose. This is also a great form of entertainment! Life is fun with dogs!

Its getting bigger

Some of you have been asking for some belly picture updates. Well, here ya go. This picture was taken on Saturday, just a few days short of being 27 weeks along and about to hit the 3rd trimester. According to my doctor, I will hit a big growth spirt next week and then grow more rapidly in the next 3 months. I wonder how big my belly will get? Thankfully, the doctor has told me that he doesn't expect me to have a big baby. I should be in the 'normal' range of which I am thankful for.

I'm not sure if excited would be the best word to describe my feelings at this moment. Perhaps nervous is a better word as I have begun to think through the reality of becomming a mom and how much my life will change. I am thankful for the time I have now to ponder and pray before Preston arrives. Many people have encouraged me to take advantage of this 'preparation time' and I have come to appreciate those wise words. As my belly grows, I hope to continue to place my trust in the Lord with baby Preston's life and do what I can to prepare to love him well.