Out of the Closet

I think it's about time to admit that I've been hiding something. No, really - hiding it in the back of my guest bedroom closet. Here goes. Over the last few years I have collected a few items in preparation for Baby McAffry. They were all great deals and were just too cute to resist.

Can't you just imagine snuggling with a tiny baby in this so soft Laura Ashley onesie? And how perfect is it that with the baby coming in the summer, the size should be just right?

If memory serves me correctly, Mom and I got this while buying Christmas gifts for all the baby girls born in our family last year. It's Ralph Lauren - our favorite!

This one just might be my favorite. When Andrew and I were in Charleston just months after being married, I found this. He was a little hesitant, but just like he accepted all my Bride's magazines when we were dating, he allowed it.

Don't take this sampling of clothes to mean I only want a girl. In fact, I would love to have a boy first. It's just that girls are more fun to buy for! I know many couples won't admit to a preference for a boy or a girl, but you know we all have them. Of course, we will be delighted either way, but there it is. I said it. It's out of the closet. Really though, I'm so anxious to hear a heartbeat tomorrow that nothing else really matters.

The Big News

You may have noticed the blog silence here at The Handwriting on the Wall as of late. It's not that I didn't have anything to say; it's just that everything seemed insignificant until I could say this. After five years of marriage, Andrew and I are excited to announce that this party of two is about to become a party of three. We're going to be parents!

As excited as we were to find out, we were almost as excited to tell my parents. Check out this video to see the play by play.

Check this link if the video above doesn't work.

What did Mom and I do immediately after sharing the good news? Go to Target of course!

I'm so glad we didn't run into anybody we knew because our giddy faces would have given us away. We had to buy something gender neutral, so we went with the multifunctional Boppy. The lady at the cash register asked if we needed a gift receipt, and we both couldn't stop giggling. "No, we don't need a gift receipt. It's for us!"

I can't wait to see this Dad in action.

Me on the day of the first ultrasound.

Mom brought me a Pregnancy Survival Kit complete with Tums, chocolate, and baby lotion - just to get used to the baby smell. :)

With the cookies, doughnuts, and brownies Mama Ese has been bringing me, I might be needing this a little sooner than expected. Thanks, Rachel!

My next ultrasound on Tuesday should provide me with a more definitive due date. I look forward to journaling Baby McAffry's development with you all.

Things have been busy over at the Sarah C. Photography blog. Click here to check it out.

Maybe Tomorrow

While there are some fun things to report, I'm not feeling motivated to do it tonight. Maybe tomorrow. For now, my full attention will be devoted to Brothers & Sisters - and the fabulous French guest star. Ooh la la!

Almost Everything

Though our plans were almost blown, Andrew and I took headed to the mountains to take a picnic. He packed some yummy PB&Js, some chips, etc. Can you tell by the picture below where this is going?

Cut us some slack. We passed three of them on our drive up Chapman Highway. We finally succumbed once we hit Pigeon Forge.

We actually never really made it to the mountains. Once we had the buttery, garlicky, hot Crazy Bread in the car, we didn't exactly want to wait through the Gatlinburg traffic to get to the picnic area.

So we found a sweet spot by the river near the Apple Barn.

And my new lens lets us take the cliche self-portrait.

We had one minor mishap during the ride. Mostly we had great conversation talking about the future and how we love almost everything about each other. :) While on the romantic drive through South Knoxville, we began noticing a cigarette smell in our car. The person next to us at the stoplight was smoking so we huffed and thought it would disappear soon. Minutes later the smell was actually getting worse. We spent much of the drive sticking our heads out the window and spraying air freshener.

Andrew even lifted the hood thinking a cigarette had gotten in there somehow. No luck. We both ended up smelling like a lit up Marlboro - uh - lets make that a Virginia Slim.

With Andrew not willing to miss any of the game, we turned around and headed for home.

But not before a quick stop at Five Oaks!

I would like to record the fact that we went shopping for some pants for Andrew - and we left with only some pants for Andrew. I didn't even enter a dressing room. I barely even looked over the women's section. Guess I'm saving it all for the annual Atlanta trip coming in a few weeks.

In the past I've totally felt like a poser. An English teacher pretending to be a photographer. However, on my last two sessions, I've shot full manual. I've known I needed to for a while, but was scared to take the leap. Add to that my new L series Canon 24-70/2.8 lens and you have a real photographer. Yes, I'm going to claim it and own it. I am a photographer.

Thanks Cox family for being my guinea pigs for the new lens! Click here to see more.

Audrey B.

Had a fun session with Audrey (no, not that Audrey) this weekend. Her little outfits were just adorable! Totally reminded me of what my Mom would dress a little girl in - classic and traditional yet still trendy.  

Isn't her skin just perfection?  Click here to see more.

Fruit Salad

When most people are sick, I hear they lose their appetite and settle for some form of Campbell's soup. I, however, don't recall ever losing my appetite while being sick. Mom called Thursday to see if I wanted something other than what she had already planned to make that night. What had you planned, I asked. Taco salad, she responded. Then taco salad it is, I proclaimed. No chicken noodle soup needed here. In addition to the most delicious taco salad I've ever had, I supplemented with ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

Then, Saturday, Mama Ese came through with the best cure for all illness - fruit salad. This is no typical fruit salad; this stuff takes time and is made with love. It's full of oranges, pineapple, mandarin oranges and bananas. I should get the recipe, but I love the feeling I get knowing that somebody has taken so much time to cut up the fruit and squeeze all the juices by hand. Maybe it's best if it remains a mystery.

I seem to have developed a slight obsession with ebay while I was resting up - J. Crew boots, Anthropologie jewelry, Longchamp bags are just a few of the most recent searches. I have a bad habit of adding things to my watch list and not ever bidding though. I guess it's the equivalent of window shopping from my laptop. I'm feeling an actual bid coming on for one of those Anthropologie bracelets. See ya!