Where did January go?!

I can not believe it is February already! With only 4 weeks until the newest addition to the Stockholm clan's arrival, we've been pretty busy.
The nursery is still unfinished, but thanks to our friends and family, we are almost all set for baby gear. At the very least, we can bring her home from the hospital in some adorable clothes and a safe car seat!

I finally finished the valance for her room today. Mom and I had started it, along with the bedding, when she came for a visit back in October, but I needed to complete the project. It looks great! I'm so proud of myself! I had put it off for such a long time because I was honestly afraid that I would screw it up and the curtains would be all crooked. But they look great!

We have had a few set backs in getting everything in order for Meredith's arrival. 2 replacement tires on my car turned into 4 replacement tires, and then we learned that one of the dampers on our heating/cooling system was fried and needed replacing. $1,300.00 later, I have new tires (yay) and we're having the damper installed Tuesday. Then, this morning I found that our master bedroom toilet wouldn't stop running...I'm really hoping this is an easy/cheap fix!
Thankfully the freezing temperatures have passed through Houston, so my worries of our pipes bursting will hopefully go unfulfilled.

Speaking of freezing, it has been COLD here in Houston! I've been in heaven! I got to wear my beautiful maternity coat that I bought in hopes of having a chilly winter, and Mark has enjoyed the cold weather as well. Seeing as he IS a polar bear in disguise, he was very pleased with the temperatures as of late. We were supposed to get a few inches of snow this past week, but it ended up being just an icy mess. Where is all this Global Warming? Oh that's right...now they're calling it "Climate Change". Whatever!

As Meredith's due date approaches, I can't help but think about what life will be like with another person in our house. Everything is about to change! I've been really laid back through out this whole pregnancy, but now that it is crunch time, I can't pretend that I'm not a bit nervous. I'm sure everything will go fine, but it's still nerve-racking to think about all the things that come along with child birth and raising a daughter! As if that isn't enough to worry about, I still need to find a child care provider!
I'd absolutely love to be a stay at home mom, but that just isn't in the cards for us. I've put the feelers out, and I've talked to a few women who run daycares out of their homes; hopefully we'll be able to decide on one that is good enough and within our budget.

Oh, I almost forgot! Last night I went out for a girl's night and met ALOT of women who live in our neighborhood. Mark and I have been in our home for over 3 years, but because the neighborhood is so kid oriented, it's been hard to meet people without having kids. Well, last night I finally met another neighbor! She lives just 4 houses down from us, and seems really sweet! We talked most of the night. I was so happy to finally meet someone on our street (other than the two families we know already). We'll have to plan a block party after Meredith arrives so we can finally get to know some of the other couples!

That's all there is from us...I hope everyone is having a wonderful February so far!