Welcome

12/16:  Nothing new to report on the baby front.  The doctor did say I measured a little smaller than last week which means the baby is starting to drop some.  However, if you look at the new belly picture you might question that.  Jeff thinks it is lower than usual and I guess I do too in terms of where I am now feeling its feet/heels.  I think it is hard for me to really notice as I am at the point of just feeling huge and swollen. 

My last day of work was Friday and I am very thankful for some time at home.  Jeff and I are enjoying our time together and still preparing around the house as much as we can.  Jeff has been a huge help with the outside of the house.  The leaves and pine needles continue to drop all over our property.  He continues to rake them, and they continue to drop some more. 

Seems a little bit more like Christmas as it finally cooled down yesterday.  We even got some much needed rain and it was so awesome to have it come down hour after hour and to hear it while we were inside the house.  Reminded us of how it is was when we first moved in last August.       

Christmas is 9 days away as the pastor at church reminded everyone this morning.  It is crazy to me how fast these 9 months have gone.  Still remember the day we found out we were expecting and the due date seemed so far off.  Now here we are just 12 days away.  Hope you all have a great last week preparing for Christmas.  We will keep you posted. . .

12/10:  Well. . .if it weren’t for the Christmas decorations and music on the radio you might not know it was December here in Columbia.  The high today is 80 degrees and is supposed to be warm all week.  I am not a big fan.  Hopefully it will cool off sooner than they expect or we might have to turn the air conditioner on in the house again!     (This might not make Jeff too happy- he has been frozen in our house lately since I have been so warm. . . This warm weather is fine with him I think).  We had a great weekend and were able to get a lot done around the house and have a date night which was nice.  Sunday we went to the stadium to hear Oprah and Barack Obama speak.  We mainly went to hear Oprah. . . but it was interesting to see a political rally.  Oprah definitely got a louder reception than Obama or his wife.  It was extrememly loud and everyone went crazy when she came out.   About 30, 000 people were there.  Today I started my last week of work until the end of March!  Baby is now full term – 37 weeks.   

12/05:  Doctor’s appointment today went well.  Heart beat still sounds great.  Nothing yet to report. . . maybe after the next appointment next Thurs.  Until then- one week and 2 days left of work.  Yahoo!  Jeff is in Philadelphia with the men’s basketball team.  They left tonight and will get back late Thurs. after the game.  He was looking forward to snow!  I think he should see plenty while there. 

12/02:  Christmas is coming. . .at least in the Crane house.  The tree is put up and most decorations are out.  This means baby Crane’s arrival is just around the corner.    New belly pic posted and you can see the baby is continuing to grow.  I am now at the stage of getting slightly uncomfortable at times but overall, I am still really enjoying it.  Getting anxious to know when baby Crane will be here and when we will get to know if it’s a girl or boy.  I feel like more and more people lately have been voting “boy” vs the earlier votes of “girl.”  Will be so exciting to hear the doctor tell us when it’s born!   Cast your vote above and check back later for more polls. 

11/28:  Hard to believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone.  Jeff and I had a wonderful and very relaxing time in Savannah.  On Weds we took a trolley tour and then ate at Paula Deen’s restaurant– the food was awesome and we stuffed ourselves a little too much.  Thursday we were able to eat an amazing Thanksgiving lunch and then went to the beach about 20 minutes away.  We had a nice walk and were able to sit on a swing for awhile and just people watch while listening to the waves.  We also were there as the sun set.  It was a great day.  We left Friday afternoon and made it back early evening to Columbia in time for Jeff and our friend DJ to go pick up the baby furniture!  We love it, but have a few issues that the store is working out for us.  A few new pics of Savannah under “Jeff and Allison Pics.”

Beginning today I will see my doctor once a week and she will check to see if my body has prepared at all for the baby to be born.  So far, nothing.  But, maybe next week we will have some change.  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Guess it is time to get in the Christmas mode.   

11/19:  It’s almost Thanksgiving!   Wow, has the last year gone by so quickly!  It doesn’t seem like long ago that we were celebrating our first Thanksgiving here in Columbia. 

This past weekend was a wonderful weekend!  We were able to go out with some friends, get some things done around the house (including a BIG drop-off to Good Will- I have been told I am “nesting” ), had a men’s Basketball game and ended the weekend with wonderful friends we have met through the Athletic Department at a couple’s shower!  We are so blessed to know each of these people- they have all helped make Columbia seem like “home.” 

On Wednesday we are heading to Savannah to spend a couple days “getting away” just the two of us.  It is my last week to travel away from Columbia so we decided to take advantage of it and my break from school (starts Weds).  We have never been to Savannah and are excited to see another place, eat some great food, and hopefully even make a quick trip to the beach one day too.  Should be a very relaxing week!  We hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!  We are so thankful for each of you and are so grateful for the little miracle that will bless us with it’s arrival in about 5.5 weeks!  

11/14:  New belly pic posted.  Also have posted (finally) a few pics from the wonderful Ft. Worth shower.   We have been really busy lately and so the time is flying!   

11/5:  What an awesome weekend in Ft. Worth!  It was so wonderful to see my family and friends and to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Crane at my shower Friday night- and to help Amanda Everly celebrate Baby Everly’s upcoming arrival (just 3 weeks after Baby Crane is due) at her shower as well.  My shower was incredible in so many ways!  I am so grateful for everything my sweet friends and hostesses Briana, Courtney, Kelly and Lisa did to make it such a special evening!  I have finally posted pics from my parents visit. . . and will post pics from this past weekend later this week.  We have our first child-birth class tomorrow night which is exciting.  Will be another very busy week so might take me awhile to post again.   Hope everyone is great!!  For those of you I saw in Ft. Worth– it was great to see you!

11/1:  Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks!  Things continue to go well.  Our baby has the hiccups all the time.  The doctor says that it doesn’t bother them like it does us.  My question is. . . how do they know that?  I hope she is right though.  I am leaving after school for one last trip (and baby shower). . . to Fort Worth!  I am excited to go back and see everyone and to see my mom and aunt who are both flying in, and the Mellums who are driving up from San Antonio!  It will be a fun weekend seeing everyone and catching a TCU home game.  Other big news- The Cranes will have a  new car soon!  We have an ‘07 Bronze Yukon on the way up from Florida.  Jeff’s car dealer here found it for us and most likely we will have it by the end of next week or the following week.  Very exciting!  Baby Crane will be travelling in style!  Jeff is heading to Arkansas Friday for our game there.  It will be fun for him to be able to travel to an away game.  Will try to post pictures next week of the Ft Worth weekend as well as the pictures from 2 weekends ago with my parents visiting.  It has been a busy last week at our house.   

10/21:  A great weekend (minus the Gamecocks losing).  My parent came to Columbia for a fun visit.  Friday night my mom and I went to my first shower with my sweet friends from the special ed department at work.  Saturday we headed to the state fair and then across the street to the stadium for the game.  Unfortunately, it was one of the worst games for the Gamecocks, but was still fun to have my parents experience game day here.  Pics from the shower are posted and more from the weekend will be posted soon.   

10/14:  Another taste of putting together baby gear.  This week we received a couple of early baby shower gifts, including our baby carrier, and our stroller/car seat system!  Today we put together the stroller as it was in multiple pieces.  New pics posted.

10/9:  The baby bedding has arrived!!  It is so crazy to have this in our possession. . .makes things even more real (as if a growing belly and a baby inside moving and grooving isn’t “real” enough).  Pics of the bedskirt and bumpers are under “Jeff and Allison Pics.”  Now all we need is the furniture to arrive (and the baby of course, but hopefully not for quite a few weeks).

10/6:  I am now 28 weeks. . .  12 weeks or so left!  The baby has been enjoying a great Gamecock football season   New belly pic is posted.

10/2:  It is hard to believe we are already into October, and even harder to believe that I am in my third trimester now!  Time has really been flying.  The baby has had hiccups lately.  It has been a funny feeling.  I wonder if it gets frustrated by them like we do.    Doctor’s appointments have gone from every 4 weeks to every 2 weeks now.  Am measuring right on target for our due date and the heart beat still sounds strong.  Such a blessing!   

 9/25:  This past weekend we traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to see the Gamecocks play LSU.  Jeff’s dad, brother and Kari, and some of his aunts, uncles and cousins all met us down there for the weekend.  We were able to stay in an awesome condo just a short walk away (which meant inside tail- gating!).  It started raining right as pre-game started and rained off and on throughout; however, I much preferred the overcast sky and rain to the hot, sunny, and humid day we had on Sunday.  Even though the Gamecocks lost we had a great time and are glad we were able to go.  Pics are under “Football.”  I have also posted a new belly pic.   

9/12:  Tonight Jeff put together our first item for the nursery. . . our glider and gliding ottoman!  I absolutely love it and know we will spend lots of time in it with our little one.  The process wasn’t too bad and I am hoping when the crib comes it goes as smoothly.  I posted pics of the chair under “Jeff and Allison Pics.”  

 9/10:  We had a great time in Austin, Texas,  and loved seeing so many college friends!  Every time we meet up with them we realize how blessed we are to have such great friendships!  Our weekend went by way too fast!  We were able to spend Friday at the lake house we stayed in with the Watsons and Vorels (along with each of their baby boys who are cute as ever).  The guys had fun going off the slide that we had at the house into the lake (which was pretty funny to watch).  That night we enjoyed some Texas bar-b-que (brisket, sausage- and RED sauce!! not just pulled pork with mustard sauce like they have in South Carolina) with more of the TCU gang joining us at the house.  Saturday was another busy and fun day.  We had an inside “tail gate” at Matt Louis’s parents’ house with awesome Mexican food and air conditioning (which was great because it was a very hot and humid day).  We headed to the game and were able to stop by the TCU alumni pre-game event before going into the stadium to cheer on our Frogs.  Great first half. . . just wish we could have ended the game then.  Second half wasn’t quite as fun, but it was still great to see them play.  Sunday morning Briana drove up from San Antonio to join us for breakfast and then took Jeff and I to the airport.  It was special to be able to see her on this trip too.  Overall, an awesome weekend (and a huge win for the Gamecocks at Georgia which made it even better),but we came home very tired (maybe because we didn’t get back to our house till 12:30 pm??). 

If the pictures seem blurry, or too small, just click on them to enlarge.

 

Welcome to our first blog. We thought this might be an easier way to get updates and pictures out to those of you interested.  Feel free to check back as often as you like.  The biggest news in our lives is Baby Crane. . due December 28th!  We are really excited and things have been going great so far.  The time is flying!