Legacy Love

Last weekend was Baby G's "Legacy Celebration" hosted by my Zeta sisters in Colorado. We went to school all over the country, and were members of Zeta Tau Alpha at our universities, and now all live in Colorado. We get together monthly, and having these women in my life is so special. It was such a blessing to move to Colorado and to be welcomed by a circle of friends, all sharing a similar college experience and  love for our sorority and philanthropy. These women bring such joy to my life, and am so excited to have them in baby G's life too. It's fun to think about what this group will look like 5-10 years from now when all of us young alumnae have started families and get to enjoy the adventure of being moms together!

The shower theme was "A Legacy Celebration" because since baby G is a girl, she'll be my little legacy if she decides to join Zeta Tau Alpha in college. I think every sorority mama dreams of her daughter joining her sorority some day :) Of course, I will support her if she decides to join a different sorority or not join one at all, I do want what is best for her. But, it's a lot of fun to think about her being my little legacy!!

These are all Mu chapter sisters from Drury University that I went to school with, who now live in Colorado too! It's always nice to see a familiar Missouri face, in Colorado!

The BEAUTIFUL spread of brunch and pink sweets, perfect combination! 

Me with Dorothy, the host. She was a Zeta at Texas Methodist University

BEAUTIFUL decorations by Kate, who was a Zeta at Oklahoma State University

I loved the onesies hanging over the fireplace, they are so cute and tiny!

Losing My Mind? No, I'm Just Pregnant.

Being pregnant has made me incredibly clumsy (even moreso that I am normally) and there are days when I feel like I'm losing my mind. Here are a few highlights to give you a laugh. Feel free to laugh out loud, I'm laughing along with you. I'm not losing my mind, right? I'm just pregnant!

• I spilled my entire cup of coffee in my top desk drawer at work, on accident (obviously)
• I forgot my wallet in my coat at work the day we were leaving Denver for the cruise - why my wallet was in my coat (and not in my purse) and how I managed to leave work without a coat in 30 degree weather, I don't know?
• Chipping kitchen plates when I am putting them away in the cabinet
• One day last week, I was 100% sure I closed the blinds in the living room before I left for work, but when I got home from work, they were open! 
• I dropped my iPhone while I was on a work trip in Washington, shattering it beyond use. Chris and I had to coordinate my pickup from the Denver airport via email before I left the airport in Washington to come home! 
• I regularly forget to attach documents to emails at work when I refer to them in the email body
• I've been forgetting things at home when I am supposed to bring them - like side dishes for meals at friends houses or leaving my phone at home on a regular basis
• Not remembering if I sent friends thank you cards, or birthday cards, or any kind of card
• Not remembering if I already wore a specific outfit that week, or if it was the previous week?

Looking forward to only 8 more weeks (or less) of being overly clumsy!

Celebrating Baby G in Missouri

Last weekend we made the trek back to Missouri for a Springfield and a Kansas City baby shower, celebrating Baby G. This weekend started the series of "lasts" for the Colorado-Gilstraps, our last flight and our last Missouri visit with out a baby in tote!

Words cannot describe the joy and happiness of being surrounded by so many amazing women, who have each impacted my life at various points in my life, and that will be loving, supporting and encouraging role models in my daughter's life.

I'll try not to get too emotional here, but I feel like over the years, God has brought each individual into my life at just the right time, maybe when I needed her most or unbeknownst to me, when she needed me. That moment was the beginning of a life long friendship, with some friends I talk to on a regular basis or some friends I haven't seen in years, but each holds special place and significance in my life and in my heart. And as a soon-to-be-mother with a little daughter on the way, it was so powerful and filling to have all of these women together in the same room, to share in this special life moment and to celebrate the new chapter I am beginning becoming a mom! Baby G and I are so incredibly blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by these women, and it will mean so much to me to be able to introduce her to each family member and friend.

Julie's Cousin Stacy and Baby G's Great Granny Darlene

A Little Zeta Love in Springfield!

Balls for Baby G's Ball Pit - oh my!

Could we really go without having Chief's apparel? Not a chance!

The Duvall girls and the Kansas City shower host, Annette Braam (my second mom)

The beautiful diaper cake my mom made!

Baby G's unofficial "Aunt" Megan

Maternity Photos

While my parents were in Denver, we booked our friend Beth to take maternity photos and we couldn't be happier with how they turned out! We took photos at the Wings Over the Rockies Museum, at our house, and on Pearl Street. Chris has always had a little-boy-like love for airplanes, so we thought it would be neat to take photos at the museum, and we're looking forward to taking our little one back to the museum someday for photos with her! Pearl Street is where we spend our summertime weekends, at the farmer's market on Sundays and taking long summer walks in the evenings. I'm so happy to have these pictures with my parents, and I look forward to sharing these special photos with our little girl when she grows up.

Baby G (the Ninja) @ 29 weeks

Belly Video from Sarah Gilstrap on Vimeo.

Trip to Tucson

One last out-of-state getaway weekend, we went to visit Hilary and Harry in Tucson. We had a wonderful, low key weekend complete with quality time, eating delicious mexican food, a trip to the air museum, addressing Hilary's wedding save-the-date postcards, registering at Crate & Barrel, playing cards with friends, enjoying sunny warm weather and eating an incredible food truck lunch. We were so excited to visit Hilary and Harry in Arizona before the babe gets here, and could not have had a more perfect weekend.

God's Humor

Through pregnancy, I'm seeing a new side to God's sense of humor, and how he has created each of us to find humor in the details, like he does.

In the same way that the 20 week mark hit, and I was instantly relieved from my all-day sickness, as the 30 week mark approaches, I'm experiencing pain again. I had a magical 10 weeks of the "2nd trimester bliss" everyone talks about, where you feel great, you aren't swelling yet, you're excited and eager for the baby, your bump is just the right size, clothes fit and feel good, morning sickness has disappeared, and you're "glowing!"

But now, right at 30 weeks, my Rheumatoid Arthritis has decided to make an appearance for the 3rd trimester after being virtually non-existent for the last 7 months! Each morning this week I woke up with a new joint causing me lingering, annoying pain - knee, hip, ankle, and today it is my jaw (yes! RA does not discriminate, and you have little joints in your jaw!) I'm hopeful  the joint pain will come and go throughout these last weeks. I'm also experiencing the dreaded carpel tunnel that pregnant women complain about, so I've been sleeping with some stylish wrist braces that have really been helping so my wrists and hands don't hurt during the day. And, I'll spare you the details of a few other fun pregnancy symptoms that have decided to show up in the 3rd trimester.

I keep thinking that by the time she gets here, I'll be so ready to not be pregnant anymore, and that shows me God's humor in all this. You better believe I will give it all I've got to get us through labor as quick as possible! I live knowing that He won't put me through anything I can't handle, but sometimes I question His faith in what my body is capable of - especially when I'm feeling like a 27-year-old stuck in an "arthritis-like-an-80-year-old" body.

3D Ultrasound

Also as part of my birthday celebration, we scheduled a 3D ultrasound of Baby G for the day of my birthday. It was an incredible experience, and so neat to see how something so small (only 3 pounds right now) could be so beautiful and developed. My parents were at the ultrasound with Chris and I, and then Chris' parents and granny were live streaming online, so it was neat to experience it together! 

The ultrasound tech talked about how "filled out" she is, and how she looks less like a 28 week baby that he sees, and more like a 32 week baby! Chris and I were both born at 38 weeks (I was 8 pounds, Chris was 9 pounds 8 ounces), so we're thinking she may come a little early too!

You can watch the video in this link, or photos are below:
Baby G 3D Ultrasound from Sarah Gilstrap on Vimeo.

The room had a large screen so we could all watch.

A yawn...

Her legs were up next to her head for most of the time and she was playing with her toes. We could see her little fingers and toes moving around. Her legs are crossed in front of her face in this photo.

Smiling for the camera! She's scrunched up in there with her chin down to her chest, and you can see her little belly down below.

The joy of life is incredible, and seeing her filled us with happiness. I can't even imagine what it will be like when she gets here and we actually get to meet her in person! We are so excited, let the countdown begin!

Birthday Weekend

My first official birthday as a mama was the best birthday weekend on record! My parents came to Denver for a week and helped us with lots of odds and ends around the house. They accomplish more in one day than we accomplish in months. Everything from buying under bed storage containers, to insulating our back door, to finding a resale crib online (and going to get it!), to finding a deal on a new rug for our living room - the list goes on an on. They didn't have any major home renovations on their "to-do" list, but the little details were really what was helpful this week!

Here's a quick pick of the two loves in my life right now, my beau and my belle. I crossed over into the 3rd trimester and at 28 weeks, I'm still feeling pretty good. Another highlight of only having 12 weeks to go is that I've also crossed over into a stretchy-waistband-only policy, which is fabulous, and I'm considering never going back to jeans or slacks, even post-pregnancy!

The love of my life spoiled me all weekend (and really all month - it is my month of honor after all, right Gigi?)

We found the perfect used crib online, and at the price I was willing to pay for a used crib, we also got a mattress and waterproof crib protector. What a deal! The curves in the crib match the curves of the Craigslist changing table perfectly, I think they may have been sold as a set when they were new!

We had DELICIOUS breakfast at Denver Biscuit Company. We had heard good things about this breakfast cafe, but hadn't tried it yet. My only regret is that we didn't try it sooner, what a gem! Note: Chris' Biscuit Club with chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato (for breakfast?)

Look at the size of that cinnamon roll! I'm a total sucker for sweets, and I became concerned when I had no desire for sweets the first 5 months of my pregnancy. It was alarming! My entire life I would have rather had dessert than dinner, or a cookie before breakfast, a total sucker for anything sweet! Fortunately, I'm back to normal, and couldn't pass up this cinnamon roll on the menu - to share with the table of course. Just think about all the delicious dessert I would be missing out on if my sweet tooth had gone away for good.

We enjoyed a DELICIOUS birthday cake, that was just what I wanted! At the beginning of our relationship, Chris would try to read my mind and guess what I wanted so he could surprise me (resulting sometimes in disappointment on both ends). He quickly discovered it was much easier to ask me to pick out what I want for my birthday and he can deliver. Now, we're both happy because he knows how to make my dreams come true, and ultimately, that's any man's wish for the love in his life. Oh, the differences between dating and marriage, we just keep getting wiser!

My parents treated Chad, Michelle, Chris and I for a DELICIOUS Italian dinner at La Scala, a little local eatery we pass every day on the way to work, but have never tried out. The restaurant only had about 10 tables, and we enjoyed the intimate setting for time together.

Michelle's mom sent a package of homemade goodies for Baby G, including a wonderful airplane burp cloth. Chris was VERY excited that it was airplanes, but I sense a little hesitation in this photo at the concept of burping a baby.

She also sent a homemade "Udder Cover" for nursing - she's so sweet!

Also, dad made me a FABULOUS jewelry holder! We got the idea on Pinterest and he made it for me, love it!