Lucas "Luke" Charles Tidd

Our little Luke arrived on August 20, 2009 at 5:21 pm weighing 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 21 inches long. We are all doing well! You can see some pictures we have posted on our Shutterfly webpage, http://tiddfamily.shutterfly.com/ until we have a chance to add some here.

Expecting the Unexpected

Tomorrow marks my 39th week of pregnancy, and to say that I am ready for this little boy to arrive is a bit of an understatement. This week Chad and I have been preparing like mad...

-we both had haircuts

-we cleaned our house

-I made maps of the area around the hospital for our visitors

-I washed and IRONED all of our clothes

-we packed our hospital bags

-I wrapped a present from Greer to the baby and one for a friend that is coming up

-I picked up 12 meals and some sides from Super Suppers

-I dropped off the rocking chair cushions to be recovered

-Chad put together the baby swing

-Chad loaded my car with the baby car seat

At this point, like most pregnant women, I am uncomfortable, overwhelmed, tired, swollen, and very excited. Despite all of the negative physical symptoms, my spirit is overwhelmed with hope. I am filled with joy at the thought of learning his likes and dislikes, the intricacies of his personality, and the details of his physical body. To be completely honest, though, his birth coincides with his sister's refusal to nap, so I am feeling pretty drained.

Now to Chad...He has had the most challenging last few weeks of work! He has asked for one more week before the baby is born. (I will try my hardest, but I have no real control, sweet husband.) He also warned me that if the baby is born on his due date, he will be making a trip to Texas during the first week of September. Yikes!

I am sure that I am not this first woman to be completely overwhelmed at the thought of the expanded responsibilities of an additional child, but I am writing this post to remind my little boy (and myself) how absolutely wanted and loved he was before he was ever known by his earthly parents. God has a way of growing our faith and dependence during seasons of chaos. I am sure that one day we will all look back on this time and see that God was before us hemming us in, and He will be behind us bringing glory to Himself from everything, even our failures. I can't wait to join Chad in bestowing this little man with a special blessing at his birth with amongst other things a name that speaks to the many blessings God has given us through his life.

This post would be incomplete if I did not draw a parallel, if only in my own mind, of the birth of our Savior and how the "chaos" of the events have produced by far the biggest blessing I have ever known. God became man, and chose to make an appearance in the humblest of places, times, and amongst the lowliest of people- a foreshadowing of the humility Christ showed as he suffered a death He never deserved, so that I might know and depend on His heavenly Father. Nothing would bring me more joy than to see my little man embrace the same Christ and to find his purpose wrapped up in a love more vast and complete than what his parents could ever offer.

July Highlights

July has been a busy month for us! Here are some things we have done since my last post.

We enjoyed our first member night at the zoo! Greer loves elephants, so she was excited to see some there. She is captivated by animals, and we only wish it was cooler so that we could take her more often.

Looking at the fish at Riverbanks!Greer helped us set up her "big girl" bed, and has been doing great! This is a picture I took the morning after her first night. I wanted to reward her for staying in her bed until I came to get her.Kate, Amelia, and Natalie spent the day with us on my birthday. Amelia's birthday is July 26th, so I surprised the girls with cake and strawberries (topped with whip cream and a candle) to celebrate.

I was trying to get a nice posed picture of Greer and Amelia together, but this one was by far the cutest. I hope that they have this much joy their entire lives!

Greer with Miss Kate and Natalie. I would be putting it lightly to say that Greer loved Natalie! Guess she is going to enjoy having one in our house soon!
Chad had a conference for work in Wilmington last week, so we went early and enjoyed some of the family-friendly activities they offer. First, the Aquarium. Greer and Daddy petting the alligator statue at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
ps- we got in free with our Riverbanks membership!

Looking at the real alligators

Greer and I had our picture made with the huge frog on the way out! We highly recommend you make a trip to see all the fascinating marine life! They did an especially wonderful job capturing the diversity of the ecosystem found around the local beaches and marshes.

That night we enjoyed a great dinner on the Cape Fear River, a carriage tour of Wilmington, and delicious ice cream!

Greer, Chad, and I went to Wrightsville Beach on Sunday morning. The bright sun bled out much of the color in my pictures, but I wanted to share this fun one while I work on the rest.

Sunday night I got the call that my nephew, Baxter, had been born, so Greer and I went to spend the rest of the week with him and Chad finished up at the conference!

Welcome Little Baxter

For those of you on facebook, let me apologize for the confusion when I welcomed my nephew into the world last week. My sister, Ashleigh, had Paul Baxter Beeson, Jr. on July 26, 2009! They are calling him Baxter, and I must admit that he is a very loved little boy! He is quite a change for my side of the family. Previously, I think that I held the record as smallest baby and I was 8 1/2 pounds. He was 5 lbs. 9 oz., so we are not sure what to do with him. He loves to cuddle and is doing very well at eating. We expect him to fill in, so that he will be ready when his cousin (my baby, no name) is born. Here are a few pictures!

First night in the hospital's nursery

Some of our friends gave Ashleigh this wagon stuffed with baby things! Greer took advantage and had Uncle Paul pull her in it. With a 5lb. baby, he managed to entertain both kids.

Greer is smitten with Baby Baxter!

Precious baby feet are my favorite!

Aunt Ash's Shower

On our last trip to Mullins, we got to enjoy a baby shower in honor of my sister, Ashleigh, and her little boy. She is due 2 days after me, so we are looking forward to our boys having a special relationship. Greer still remains the family princess on both the Fowler and Tidd sides, and she has no intentions of giving up the reins yet.

Helping Aunt Ash open her presents

Snack time with Ashleigh's niece, Katherine

The two bellies and some precious girls to take the attention off of us

While we were in Mullins, my parents took Greer and I to the beach. Since Grammy and Granddaddy would kill me if I posted pictures of them, here are some of Greer.

Greer had a blast collecting shells and throwing them back into the ocean.

Summertime

Well, pregnancy does not help the frequency of my posts. (and I can't imagine how having the second out and about will help much either) I am in love with a summer with my sweet Greer bug and her sweet Daddy. Without doubt I am surrounded by the three loves of my life. Here are some summer pictures that I will treasure in my memories forever.

p.s. I will let you imagine all the ways the third love of my life is affecting my days and nights. Let's just say- I can't wait to meet baby boy Tidd.

Our beautiful backyard- thanks to my talented husband.

Greer enjoys running through the sprinkler. She refers to it as "go-go."

Including Daddy in the fun. I am thankful that he is a good sport because Momma is not able to do much running at this point.

The result of finishing our evening with a little ice cream.

This Week

Greer and I have been alone a lot this week (and of June). A couple of weeks ago, I decided to sign us up for Mommy and Me swimming lessons. Of course, it has been a nice treat just to get out of the house and in the water, but Greer has really had fun as well.

The lessons are mostly about becoming familiar with being in the water. She has been very vocal with a resounding "no" when it is time to go underwater. She loves all the songs we sing, and becomes a ham when we sing "If you're happy and you know it."

It is hard to take pictures since I am in the water the whole time. I admit to not being very motivated to take them as well. I love being in the pool, but feel like a beached whale these days! :)