Claire's room is finally put together, so let's hope that she really is a girl! I don't think a boy would enjoy living in a room like this:

Pics from my Asheville shower!

Thanks to Natalie and Jessica who hosted and made me feel very special!

The food was very good!

And my old roomies came to see me!

Yay for fun gifts!

Mom and other good friends :)

The quilt Sandy Bruns made for Claire - BEAUTIFUL!

Stubborn child!

Today I had another ultrasound to make sure Claire wasn't breech. Consistently she's been in the breech position so my doctor had some worries about why she wasn't moving. But PRAISE THE LORD she moved, so I can hopefully avoid the dreaded C-section!!!

On the other hand, she insists on sitting with her legs crossed so we can't see if she's really a she. Stubborn little baby! I've asked and asked her to move so that I can go ahead and make her room all girly and wash all her clothes, but no. She's "modest" I guess. So I'm keeping all the price tags and receipts handy just in case we're surprised.

Thankful time!

What I am thankful for:
My husband who loves me and encourages me even when I'm grumpy
This little baby inside of me whose constant kicking keeps her on my mind ;-)
Having a job... even if it isn't ideal
My husband's job... which is ideal :)
My parents who raised me well. I think I'm more appreciative now that I'm faced with parenting myself!
My mother-in-law who is always ready to have us over for dinner (our budget thanks you too!)
My comfortable bed
Living so close to family
Friends that stay close even though they are far away
Chocolate!
Beautiful weather
New friendships that have been so long in coming but are so sweet to start
Starbucks Peppermint mochas
My sister-in-law who is the little sister/best friend I always wanted growing up
All the baby gifts that were given to us so we won't have to buy them!
Saturday mornings
Praise songs that move me to tears
Living in the south :)


And yes, the greatest, most undeserved thing I have to be thankful for: a God who loves me, guides me, and gives me far more than I can even realize!


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Baby Showers!

I've now had all my baby showers and the nursery is actually starting to look like a baby will inhabit it soon! I've got the bedding, the quilts, the swingy-chair thing, the toy box, the dresser, the curtains, and the closet full of accessories. My purple and green room is starting to come along! I've yet to steal the crib from my parents, but I think I'm bringing it home after Thanksgiving. After that, hopefully I'll post some pics so you can all see what Claire's room looks like :). I've started getting a little antsy about finishing up because my friend Eileen had her baby a month early! Needless to say, that got me thinking about being prepared!

Here are some pics from the New Covenant shower a few weeks ago. As soon as I figure out how to work our iMac, I'll get the ones from my Asheville shower up!

They made me lots of chocolate! :)

Tons of gifts!

Claire's bedding

Taylor, Eileen, and I. Eileen had her baby a week after this!

My Alien Body

Here are some of the changes going on with my whacked-out pregnant body at the moment:

*Headaches no longer go away with sleep - they go on forever. Currently I'm boasting of a three day headache.

*I can't make it more than an hour without running to the bathroom.

*Morning sickness may be gone, but car sickness has replaced it! Yay.

*My dreams are getting crazier. I would tell you what they're about, but you might question my salvation....

*Since Claire's growing body is demanding more and more room in the place where my stomach used to be, my body has decided to sacrifice my lungs to find that room. So don't mind my huffing and puffing... I think I'll live...

*On that note: All those stories about pregnant women eating their own meal plus their husband's are FALSE! I make it through about half of what I used to eat before I can't breath anymore.

*On the other hand, I can eat chocolate all day. Huh, funny??? I think so.

*And lastly, my emotions must be getting the better of me already because I easily cry, get mad, or worry for no reason. Poor Cole :)

I have found my love!

And it's the beat-up crock pot that Cal gave me after he discovered Rochelle's was better. It may be a little greasy, small, and not have the temperature dial anymore, but I made the BEST pot roast on Friday and I AM HOOKED! Gone are the days of rushing home from work, throwing a haphazard dinner together, and then running back out the door with our plates in hand. From now on, I will come home to a hot dinner just waiting to be taken out of the pot. Hmmm... the posibilities are endless!

Watch it!!

I love how protective family is. Now that I'm pregnant, they think I'm made of glass and are always telling me to be careful! "You're carrying precious cargo" they say. When I considered doing a sprint triathlon (no expectations, I'm pregnant right???), my mom and grandfather thought I'd lost my mind and weren't easy until I promised to give it up. My dad is constantly getting on to me for lifting things and Cole even gets worried when I get too into group games. I was playing spoons over the summer with my very-aggressive-spoon-playing cousins and every time I lunged for a spoon, I could hear Cole saying, "Julia, Julia, Julia! Please be careful!" :) I love it!

However, no one beats my cousin Sarah Parker! She was one of the first people I told and she is not only super super excited to be an aunt, but she is like a watchdog for my physical well-being. I was with her at a high school football game over the weekend and several times I almost got mowed-over by guys not looking where they were going. But before they could stomp on me, Sarah Parker would yell "Watch it!" and grab me to safety! Then she would proceed to give them a scathing death look! She also kept asking me if I was okay standing up, if I needed to sit down, and if I was hungry or thirsty. It was great :) I love how protective she is in taking care of her prego cousin!


Don't worry, she's not going to eat the baby! She's just crazy excited!

Fall Days! and other things :)

The weather has finally turned cool here!!! And by cool I mean less than 80 degrees :) It's been a wonderful 65-75 for the past few days and I am relishing it! You Asheville friends can't imagine how wonderful it is to walk outside to get the mail without breaking into a sweat.
And speaking of Asheville, I've been especially homesick thinking of the Fall leaves and the colorful mountains! I know of no other city that has such a beautiful fall scene. I want to drive home this weekend and go on a hike or a run or something!
And speaking of running and hiking, this time last year I was training for a half marathon. Hard to imagine considering I can't run a mile right now. I think baby Nickell is taking over my body and using my blood and oxygen entirely for herself!
And speaking of baby Nickell - she finally has a name! That is... if she really is a girl. If a boy pops out I suppose we'll have to apologize for all the pink and purple. Anyway, we've decided on Claire Ann Nickell. Claire has been a favorite of mine since I was born and Ann is a family name on Cole's side. Woo hoo!

I'm A Big Kid Now

So yeah, I did a Facebool survey meant for "Grown-ups". It was 38 questions for people who are a little older and I just did it for amusement. Enjoy!


1. What bill do you hate paying the most? Cars bills, especially when you have to fix stupid things like your windows. Who knew that could cost $330!!!

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner? Well, most of our meals are eat-and-run, but we did have a really nice dinner at Sawadee Thai Restaurant a few weeks ago.

3. What do you really want to be doing right now? I want to be at home sleeping in my bed!

4. How many colleges did you attend? Two: Covenant and AB Tech (woot)

5. Why did you choose the shirt you have on right now? I'm wearing a purple dress from Target. Pants and shirts aren’t comfortable anymore with my pregnant belly :).

6. What are your thoughts on gas prices? They’re not as bad as they have been and I save $0.10 a gallon when I shop at Kroger, so I’m making it okay. And if it gets too bad, Cole and I will start riding our bikes around Aiken again. It’s really quite fun!

7. First thought when the alarm went off this morning? ”Maybe my cold is too bad. Maybe I have a fever. Maybe I can call in sick…” I got up anyway.

8. Last thought before going to sleep last night? ”I am so tired…”

9. Do you miss being a child? I miss college and wish I could go back sometimes, but I’m pretty content with growing up.

10. What errand/chore do you despise? I don’t like grocery shopping. I love cooking, but I wish a fairy could get everything I need and just drop it off at my house.

11. Get up early or sleep in? Sleeping in is AMAZING.

12. Have you found real love yet? OH YES!

13. Favorite lunch meat? Turkey or Roast Beef.

14. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart? Bannanas.

15. Beach or lake? I love the lake. No messy sand and I love skiing!

16. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual? No, and people that think that have commitment issues. Don’t even get me started on what I think about the world’s view of marriage!

17. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives? Neither. I prefer a good movie.

18. What famous person would you like to have dinner with? C.S. Lewis. He is the most amazing writer and Christian apologist.

19. Have you ever crashed your vehicle? Well once I backed into the garage door because I forgot to open it. Nothing big though.

20. Ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose? Nope.

21. Ring tone? Something really perky that Verizon made up.

22. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth? The woods. Or the Frankfurt, Germany airport.

23. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go? Coronado.

24. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship? Definitely a new career… I’m going to be a mom!

26. Do you have a go-to person? Oh yes. My husband or my five closest friends.

27. Are you where you want to be in life? Getting there…

28. Growing up, what were your favorite cartoons? Spiderman :)

29. What about you do you think has changed the most? My standards and values. I feel like I finally know exactly what I believe and can articulate it to others.

30. Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life? Yes and no. I really really enjoyed them, but I wish I’d had a little more maturity.

31. Are there times you still feel like a kid? Oh yes. Most people mistake me for being one of the high schoolers I work with. In fact, I bet most people think I’m a poor knocked-up teenage mother. No one ever bothers to look at my left ring finger ;).

32. Did you ever own troll dolls? Yes, and I actually thought their hair magically grew.

33. Did you have a pager? No. Those are sooooo 90’s.

34. Where was the hang out spot when you were a teenager? Downtown Asheville!

35. Were you the type of kid you would want your children to hang out with? Yes.

36. Who do you think impacted your life the most Cole, without a doubt the best person God ever put in my life!

37. Was there a teacher or authority figure that stood out for you? My pastor Jeff really impacted my high school years and Drs. Davis and Foreman made Covenant amazing.

38. Do you tell stories that start with “when I was your age”? Sometimes. I don’t want to be condescending though. Plus I’m not THAT old!