kindness for the prego

when i discovered i was pregnant last summer, it was a welcomed surprise but a very huge surprise, as i had to have a lot of medical help to get the twins -- this pregnancy, four years later, came out of nowhere! early in the pregnancy, my dear friend, kim, also my next door neighbor, created a month-by-month gift for me - there was a card to open each month all the way until the month i was due. in the card, there were gift cards for a smoothie, ice cream, or a favor such as a cooked meal, a car wash, and a day of babysitting. in addition to the little gifts, there were little messages or kind words written by her, which meant even more than the gift itself. my shower gift from kim? she painted my bathroom chocolate brown, the bathroom attached to izzy's nursery, so that it would match the decor of the nursery! do you want kim as your neighbor? sorry, you cannot have her but i'll share her friendship with you because she is one of a kind. God blessed me when she put her into my life!

to duplicate this feeling of being loved each month, i created this same idea for my sister-in-law. (jackie, if you are reading today - STOP! i don't want you to spoil your surprises!) we have a bit of distance between our homes however so i am unable to pop in to cook for her or wash her car, so what i created for her month to month gifts are items rather than favors. using my "well-stocked of craft supplies" garage, i went to work and this is what i came up with:
...and because i know that jackie might get tempted to continue reading, i can't tell you what little suprises are wrapped beneath the paper of each present, but i hope my efforts to put a smile on her face each month are successful.
i thought i'd share this with you and tempt you to treat your pregnant friend to this easy and cost-friendly gift. she'll be grateful beyond words! ..and she might even share that little precious one with you after he or she arrives!