Make Room for Baby... Literally

More like a "During Picture" than a "Before Picture"
The room was olive green with Pottery Barn paisley bedding.
The NEW room color (blue pictured) is Bluestone by Eddie Bauer at Lowe's.

I can't wait to have a baby with this man.  Mostly, I just want a kid exactly like him.

Justin picking out lumber at Lowe's... BTW, did you know that 1x8s aren't 8 inches?
Yes.  We found that out the hard way.

Fly Army.  Support our Troops.  Vote for George W. Bush.  Listen to Bob Dylan.  That's my man.

Justin installing the "picture moulding" that he had fought me on for months.
I won.

The painting I had in my head from the time we found out we were having a boy.
I ended up so happy with it, and I'm not usually happy with my own work.

Two old photos Justin and I picked out.  His is a group of Army boys doing their daily chores.
Mine is a creepy looking toddler sitting on a very old propeller plane toy.

Details.  Scout's work paid off.  We tied the bumper on with a tweed-like trim I found at a local fabric shop.

Red linen crib bumper, cotton vintage airplane fabric for the sheet, and grosgrain ribbon print bedskirt.
All by Scout.
The red and stripe were purchased here in town.  The vintage airplane fabric is available at Warm Biscuit.

I love this vintage toy top.  I found it at Feather Your Nest (Lexington) for $22.

My old rocking chair as a child.  Dad painted it then and I didn't have the heart to change it.
Blanket from Cathorine Temple.  Boxing gloves were Justin's grandfather's.  I love them there. 

Vintage planes, toys and books line the picture moulding.
The print "The Little Aviator" was given to Justin by his mother, GG.
Townes's letters available at At West End.

The Moses Basket in the foreground is one of my most treasured gifts yet.
Faye Temple gave it to me at my shower.
I adore it and will carry him around in it until he is too big to fit.  Then, it will hold his toys.  LOVE.

Eleven of these line the longest wall under the moulding.  They are old Wings Cigarette Cards that used to
come in packs by Brown and Williamson in the 40s.  I found all 11 of them on Etsy for $10.
 I found the frames at Hobby Lobby for $4.99 and placed the burlap fabric behind it.

View into his room from the hallway.
I found the rocking chair in Auburn years ago for $25 and recovered it.
The pillow is an old French feedsack.  

A view from the top.

Until Townes gets here, this light fixture is really the star of the show.  Scout purchased it from a vendor at the Nashville Flea Market.  This month, he is featured in Country Living Magazine.

Again, it's all in the details.  Scout is so good.

I just can't get enough of this toy top.  Mid-photo is Justin's old wooden rattle.
Justin built the shelving around iron brackets I found in Auburn at Christmas.

Once again, the top.

I loved using this old vintage toy of Justin's as a bookend.
Believe it or not, there are still planes left to display.

A view of my barley twist furniture (side table) which adorns every bedside in my home, not to mention is the style of my kitchen table, two living room tables, a desk chair, and a plant stand.  Obsessed?  Maybe a little.  The lamp came from Homegoods and was a birthday present from me to Justin years ago.
Secretly, I just wanted it.

Justin's old Hunting and Fishing Game in the background.
Curtains by Scout.  Fabrics from local shops.  Burlap trim on valance is $0.99/yard at Hobby Lobby.
Burlap panels donated to me by Sherri Wolf, owner of Henry Brown.

My long-awaited and so undeserved crib.
Way out of our price range, I had given a similar photo to Dad (Duck) as a template for him to make a crib.
When they sold their house and decided to move, we looked elsewhere for a purchase.
On a wing and a prayer, I found this at Me and Mommy to Be in Knoxville and she sold me the floor model.
Still a stretch, we made up for the difference with two savings bonds my
late great-grandmother had given me the year I was born.
Thank you Duck.  And Aunt Effie.

I just want to take the time to thank our family for these blessings.  Without you, we wouldn't have been able to decorate this nursery and fill it with the things about which we've always dreamt.

Scout, for your hours upon hours of sewing, stitching and fittings.  For your patience with me to have the exact room I always wanted.  For the light and the rug that you surprised me with at Christmas.  And for the million times a day we talk about the "details."

Duck, thank you for making my dream crib a reality.  For loving us and advising us in all the ways you do.  And for the million times a day we talk "because you had me on your mind."

GG, thank you for your generous gift this fall that made so much of this room possible- the paint, shelving, changing table (not pictured), frames, etc.  We are so grateful to you for your role, no matter how far away that role is played.

And Pop, for the stroller (not pictured) which we bought on your dime- it is one of my favorite pieces I look forward to using.  It will last us for years.  We are always sad thinking of the "Pop Talk" that Townes may miss out on being seven hours away.  Now if you could just join the rest of the population and get a computer!  We could Skype.

Thank you, Family, for all that you do.  Mostly, it's not about the material things we've filled the room with in which to welcome him.  It's about the love you will help us fill that very same room with this March.  We are so grateful.

To Justin, who I rarely give a shout out to on my blog... You are the light of my life and I relish in the thoughts of welcoming this baby boy with you.  Our little family- you, me and Townes.  You will never know the times in a day that I think of you, the father of my child.  You will be a father in the biggest, greatest, finest sense of the word.  That word was meant for you.  And if you are half as good a father as you have been a husband, well, then your depth in that role is not even imaginable.  Thank you for my son.  I love him already.

Are you there Blog? It's Me, Meredith

Remember the book by Judy Blume? Couldn't resist with the title of this post. So fitting. I feel so negligent. I promise I'll be a better mother to my child than I have been to this site. But I'm going to make up for it now. You wait and see...

I haven't posted about much in the last 6 months, except for the news of our baby boy, who is still making his home in my tummy at almost 33 weeks. Like a mugshot, my profile says it all.

I spent about two months this fall immersed in political work again (I know, I know- I thought I was finished with that phase of my life). Apparently not. I bought a Mac (on a loan until I could sell a kidney), wrote it off, and worked for an old boss who took a chance on a greenhorn like me. I designed printed pieces for mail. LOVE.

I died over this work. I mean, I hate to say that because really the only ones dying for something are Troops and Jesus (and I'm not making a mockery of either- I can say that as a Christian, military wife), but I totally ate it up. I loved it. I loved sitting in my pajamas all morning, coming up with color combos, catchy bullet points, and dealing with candidates. Too bad November 4th put an end to my work. But even with the primary season around the corner, I couldn't commit after that. The last six weeks of this spring's primary happen to be the first six weeks of Townes's life. But I'll attempt to pick it back up again this summer. Yes, there are races to be won (in Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi and Louisiana). On to the next creative outlet...

Over Christmas my mother (Scout) taught me how to crochet. Incidentally, it was over Thanksgiving that she had just taught herself how to crochet. That's just how Scout rolls. Since then, she's woven 6 stars for the Christmas tree, 3 scarves (at least), and a baby blanket. Not to mention all the other work she's done to enhance my life- those projects posted soon in my next post, "Make Room for Baby... Literally."

Scout and I had a ball fostering our creative spirits. We came up with some great designs for Maternity Hospital Gowns (hey, a girl's got to look good for her visitors). They even button at the shoulders for easy nursing. They are available in a few weeks at the Lexington shop, Cradle Will Rock www.cradlewillrock.blogspot.com. Pretty soon, you'll also be able to purchase them in our Etsy Store. Along with some other items I've been creating for friends. For Alison, a dear friend who is less than 3 weeks behind me in her pregnancy... a door hanger with her son Woods's initials (SIDENOTE: having a child's name that ends in an "S" makes it difficult to feel grammatically correct. I tried doing a multiple plural "S" and writing Townes' but then someone on Facebook said, "Oh, his name is Towne." I digress....).

Later, I painted a 24x30 canvas to go over Townes's (see, again- an issue) crib. You'll see it all come together in my next post of his fabulous nursery- our most favorite room in the house. We keep going in there and sitting, like we can't wait for him to get here. Mostly, we just wish the rest of our house looked as good as our son's room. Oh well.

And last, a grouping of hostess mostess gifts- handpainted towels with artisan soap and these fabulous letterpress "Thank You" cards that my sister in law gave me. She's so great at gift-giving. I hope my Lexington shower hostesses think I am too. I thought about putting a tag on it that reads, "You can wash your hands however you want, but hand wash these towels cold." Funny? I'm not sure. I'll think about it.

Talk of the Townes

If you haven't already seen our video, on Youtube (search Small Frye for future reference), then you can see it here. I had so much fun putting it together and hearing everyone's reactions to our big reveal.

As you know now, IT'S A BOY!!! And as you can see in the video, we are thrilled. Beside ourselves. Almost so much that we feel spoiled at this point. Not only did we always picture ourselves as parents to a first-born boy, we are able to use the name that we've dreamed of using for over eight years.

Our first date is where it started. He picked me up in his grandfather's 1986 Chevy Celebrity Eurosport. It felt like we were riding around in a big living room. After purchasing it from his aunt for $1000, he had a CD player installed and I heard a familiar voice on the radio when I got in the car. "Who is this?" I asked. He dismissed me, saying, "Oh, you've never heard of him." I said, "Yes I have- this is Townes Van Zandt." Floored, he replied, "You know who Townes Van Zandt is?" And I said, "I only grew up listening to him." Thus began the realization of our shared taste in obscure music. And thus was the conversation that sparked our favorite boy name: Townes.

We always swore that would be the one. But given our luck so far at conceiving, not to mention that we'd need to be pregnant with a boy, I never thought we'd see the day that we would get to use it. I also had such a positive reaction from people over the years that I thought someone would surely steal it before we got to this point. We are so happy to introduce him to you in a few months. Townes Frye, after the great late singer of "To Live is to Fly." As for a middle name, well, that's still up in the air. :)

We're Having a Little..................

Watch this Video FIRST- The Explanation:

Watch this Video LAST- The Reveal:

Good things come to those who wait...

I guess I have spoiled the surprise. But before you read this, I urge you to scroll about 5 posts down to "We plan. God Laughs." It truly is the beginning of this crazy journey. I am 11 1/2 weeks pregnant!

I had been journaling these moments from the beginning. Actually, I journaled about what I didn't even know existed. I was totally at peace with God's plan for us. And that's when it happened. To follow up to the previous blog posts (which I am just now posting tonight with this one), we went back for a subsequent ultrasound at almost 9 weeks. Praise God. This baby is healthy, happy and moving around! Already? This ride is going to be crazy. I hope you'll join us on it.

One small Frye, please!

It has been one week since we saw the little heartbeat flicker on the screen. One week since the ultrasound tech turned up the sound and we heard the ever-so-longed-for sound of "duh dunk duh dunk duh dunk," beating in our ears. It has been one week since we figured out this really is it. We are finally, after 3 years, 4 months of trying, going to be parents.

Oh, what a feeling.

For this child I have prayed

I am 6 weeks pregnant. It's so early, I know. My subsequent blood test showed my hcg increasing at 511% every two days (way above average), ruling out an ectopic pregnancy. Praise God. Tomorrow I will get to see the little english pea-sized being that is growing inside of me. Lord willing, we will see (and maybe hear) a heartbeat flickering on the screen. For this child I have prayed. Oh, have I prayed.

Life keeps interrupting my story. I guess that's a bit of an understatement. But what I mean is that I keep trying to hammer out the way things began and I can't seem to finish my thoughts. I'll attempt to now, before tomorrow changes everything. And I mean everything.


Read back to "Twinkles in Our Eyes" http://fryeswiththat.blogspot.com/2009/08/twinkles-in-our-eyes.html if you've forgotten how it reallly all began. In that post, I wrote something a little controversial to read... especially to family and those to whom we're close. In November of 2008 I had just found out I was pregnant, and desperately trying to make God understand that it was my wish to keep my dying grandfather alive. Two days later he miraculously made it through his risky operation, and I miscarried that baby. He stayed in the hospital for over 50 days and finally lost his battle in the middle of January. We buried him on January 20, 2009 and the next day I found out I was pregnant a second time. Unfortunately, that pregnancy turned out to be ectopic, and we lost the baby at 7 weeks. Oddly, you would think there couldn't possibly be another coincidence about life imitating life, and about the true, weird, undeniable circle of life. But this new baby, this little english pea, is due on my grandfather's birthday.

How funny life is. How funny God is, I guess. The week that I found out this time, I was struggling. I was struggling with my purpose. Justin and I- who rarely are at odds- were in a bit of a rut over decisions about career, life, etc. And we were both stressed. It didn't help that I had lost a bit of self worth since not being able to identify with a career path or passion, and I was truly searching- at the expense of my emotions, and sometimes his, I'm afraid. I had broken down with him on several occasions. He was leaving on business for the week, and on Sunday I said, "When you get home at the end of the week, I will have found my purpose." That Thursday, he walked in the door and I sat him down on the couch with the news. My purpose. What an honor. I can't imagine a better way to identify than taking on the greatest job of all: Mom. And best of all, I might finally be able to make him a Dad.

Flash back to three years ago. It was June and Justin was just returning from a flight school and we would finally be able to really start a family. I felt it was the perfect time for us. And in my positivity I just knew with all my heart that a March baby was meant for me. And so I prayed. "Lord, give me this March baby. I'll be big and pregnant in all the cold months and can cover up with layers. I won't have to feel swollen and bloated while it's hot outside. And the baby will be born just in time to take long walks in the spring and take in the fresh air. The child won't be too old for his grade, or too young. Yes, a March baby is meant for me."

For this child I have prayed. Way before I knew it. Due end of March, 2011, three years after I prayed for it. God really does have a sense of humor. How could He not? Did you hear what I was saying to Him?