We're having...

A BABY GIRL!!!! I have just stared at this u/s photo all day. I think she's going to have full lips like her Mommy & Daddy...I hope so anyway. :) She was moving around a lot during the u/s. Everything looked perfect!


We went in for the u/s and I surprisingly wasn't nervous. I was more excited than anything. It took all of 3 seconds for the tech to say, "It's a girl!" At that moment, we both started crying. I honestly thought my heart was going to explode. I cried through the entire u/s. (LOL) Majority of people have been telling me they just knew it was going to be a boy, so I think I was very prepared to hear those words.

This is right after we found out...you can totally tell that I've been crying in this pic! (LOL)


Alex said, "I'm going back to work, telling my boss it's a girl, and asking for a raise." HA! He knows how much Momma likes to shop and now he's going to have two girls in the house! :)


My nephew, Pryce spent the night, so he was at the u/s with us. He said he usually finds everything out after everyone else, so it was a nice change to find out BEFORE the rest of the family. HA! After leaving the clinic, we stood in the parking lot calling our entire family. Our families are HUGE, so that took a while. :)

Here's the proud daddy, making his calls. I over heard him telling his Dad that he's going to have to go invest in a shotgun. (LOL) He's going to be one protective Daddy!


Alex had to go back to work, so Pryce and I went and bought our baby girl a present. Needless to say, everything is going to have this baby girl's initials/name on it!


Then we went and celebrated with my sister and nephew, Cody. Lunch at Mimi's...yum!


Cody & Pryce


I've been on cloud 9 all day. I went and ordered the crib today. It should be in by the end of July. I'm looking forward to getting started on the nursery!!

Many of you have asked what the name is going to be. Alex has asked me not to put baby girl's name on the blog, so if you would like to email me, I can share it with you that way. There is an email button on my sidebar.

Love you guys,

Our little heirloom tomato...

This is my 19 week belly shot. Alex was making me laugh...I blame him for my joker-grin. HA!


Some research suggests that our baby may be able to hear our voice now, so we have been talking to him/her A LOT! :) The baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now. The kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on the scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on the skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

I love the thought that the baby's hair is growing. Alex and I have always said that we will probably have little monkey babies. I had A LOT of black hair when I was born. Alex, not so much - but he has a lot now. HA! Alex keeps saying that if it's a girl, he wants her to look like me, but I would personally LOVE IT, if our baby had Alex's dark hair and eyes.

We find out TOMORROW if it's a boy or girl!!! This month has really flown by. We're almost half way there! As of now, most people think it's a boy. There are few of you that think it's a girl. I haven't guessed what I think it is. Mainly because I've had no feeling at all! Is that odd? A lot of my preggers friends have said, "I know it's going to be a boy." or "I know it's going to be a girl." I haven't had that. Alex keeps going back and forth...I believe his last guess was a boy. Either way, we find out tomorrow and we will be ecstatic! I want to start calling this babe by his/her name. :)

This weekend we celebrated our niece/goddaughter's 14th birthday. She's a special young lady. She loves Jesus and isn't afraid to show it. We're so proud of the young woman she has become. Alexandria, you're as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. We love you, sweet girl!









Love,

The Nursery...

I'm a list maker. I feel accomplishment in making a list and being able to check things off. :) I decided that we need to make a list of things to buy/do before the baby arrives. When I think of the fact that it's only 4 1/2 months until the babe is here, I start having a slight panic attack. There is so much to do!

My sis, Joy, came over today and we tackled the baby's room, which is currently a guest room. I have A LOT of seasonal decorations that I don't want in the attic or garage, that I've always kept in that closet. So we moved everything out of that closet and placed it in the other guest room closet.

So here's the nursery as of now. Never mind that stuff on the bed...it AND the bed will be gone very soon! I thought as we make changes to the room, I will post pics. Sound good?

As soon as we know who we're decorating for, we can decide on a new paint color!


This armoire is on the opposite wall of the bed...it will stay in the room.


We will use this dresser as the changing table. The mirror will have to go.


And here's the baby's closet. It's mostly filled with books. I have bought some things to decorate with over the years, but it's all for a girl's room, so if it's not a girl, we'll save them for later! :)


The nursery is one of the things that I'm most excited about. I've spent many hours on this bed, praying for God to bless us with a child to share this room with.

Thank you, Lord, for this precious baby.

Love,

Thank you!!

I have "met" some of the sweetest people through blogging. There are so many of you, that if we lived in the same city - we would be the best of friends! There are several that I have really clicked with and we email on a regular basis. I pray for you. You pray for me. I encourage you. You encourage me. One of those people for me is Heather at Life at Sonic Speed. She is such a doll and just had her very own baby doll, Avery Kate, just 5 weeks ago! :)

I received a package in the mail yesterday and this is what I found...



Heather sent me these two books written by Angela Thomas. First of all, I LOVE Angela Thomas! I've gone through her Bible studies, but had no idea that she had written these. One is called "Prayers for the Mother To Be." The other is "Prayers for Mothers of Newborns." I started reading the first one immediately and it wasn't long before the tears were flowing! I'm sure the pregnancy hormones had a lot to do with it. :)

Heather, thank you so much! Thank you for always praying, encouraging, and sharing your heart. Thank you for celebrating this special time with Alex and me. There have been times when I've received an email from you or read your blog and it's exactly what I need to hear. You've been a blessing to me in so many ways.

And we live close enough, that one day we CAN actually meet...I look forward to that day!!

Love ya, girl!

Some pics from the weekend...

We headed to the in-laws condo on Friday evening. Alex was excited to play in a golf tournament with his Dad and brothers on Saturday. Whenever we go to the condo, we make a stop at one of our favorite restaurants. It sits on the Little Red River...it's beautiful in the evening and has the best food! We had a very special date at this restaurant, so we make a point to always go back when we're in the area.



While the boys were playing golf, the girls lounged by the pool. They just remodeled the pool at the condo and it was very nice. I was personally lovin' the poolside service. It was so hot, I had the cranberry-sprites coming non-stop!

My niece, Anna Banana :)


Anna in the pool


Me & my S-I-L, Sarah


My S-I-L, April :)


My nephew, Cole joined us at the pool. He was the only guy. We allowed him to tag along, because he's so stinkin' cute. He was the sweetest boy all weekend. He would just snuggle with me and I loved every minute of it!!


Look at that baby's bum...ha! So cute!


Cole's first time in the pool! He was very serious the entire time...but I think he loved it. :)


After church on Sunday, we headed to my parents to see my Daddy. This is the only pic that I have from that day. The rest are on someone else's camera.

Me and my good-lookin' man...I'm looking tired in this pic.


It was a very busy weekend. We were in the car A LOT, but it was so much fun! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Our little bell pepper...

*picture provided by www.freeclipartpictures.com*

Here's what our babe is up to:

Head to rump, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He/she has gained 2 ounces in a week! He/she is busy flexing their arms and legs — movements that I should start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. I actually noticed them this morning! I was asleep on my back and felt a kick that actually woke me up! I put my hand on the spot and there was a knot that eventually moved. It was SO COOL!! If we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If we're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from us during an ultrasound. I'm praying that when we go in at the end of the month, he/she will be "showing it's business" for all to see! I can't wait to find out what we're having. Only one more week and we will know. The poll that I put up shows that most people think we're having a boy. Either way, we're happy!! :)

We spent the weekend celebrating our Fathers. It was busy but fun...Alex and I had a great time. I have pics that I will post, at some point this week. Right now, I need to head to our master bedroom closet and get to work. That closet is out of control and I'm so tired of it. It's time to organize!! I'm watching HGTV's Mission Organization for some inspiration/motivation. :) Maybe I'll post some before/after photos. We'll see.

Have a great week!!

Love you guys,

My Daddy...

He's my Daddy. I'm his Jill "Pill".

There's absolutely no one like my Daddy. Why you ask? Here are a few reasons...

- When I go visit my parents and it's time for me to head home, my Dad will still go for his wallet and ask if I have cash. I always find this humorous. I'm 32 years old. I always answer with, "I have a check card." I think it's sweet that he still wants to take care of his girls.

-If I have a question about my car, I still call my Dad. It's not that Alex can't answer my questions, but in my mind, my Dad knows everything about everything and my first reaction is to call him. Luckily, Alex doesn't feel threatened by this. He loves and respects my Dad and they have become close friends over the past 15 years.

-When we go out to eat, I have to be quick to pay because Daddy always grabs the check and insists that he's getting it. Like there's some rule that the parent always pays.

-Growing up, I have always been told that I look like my Daddy. As a little girl, I always wanted for people to say that I looked like my pretty Momma. Once I hit my teen years, I realized that my Daddy is a very good looking man and that this too is a compliment! :)

-If I need ANYTHING...he's there.

-My Dad never wavers in his faith. He knew that he needed to discipline his children, as well as disciple them. Over my 32 years, he has been a shining example of what I want to be in my Christian walk.

Daddy, I love you so much. Maybe the reason that I think you're so cool is because we're so much alike, even Momma says so. :) Thank you for everything you've done for me over the years. I hope you have a wonderful Father's Day!

Jill "Pill"

To My Baby's Daddy...

I was so excited to go to the store and pick out a Father's Day card for Alex this year! Mother's Day was so special for me and I wanted this weekend to be just as special for him.

Alex, you already take care of me and our baby in the very best way. I've read that the most important thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother. You have that down, sweetie. :)

I love it that you pray over me and our baby EVERY SINGLE DAY. I love that you want to hear the heartbeat as often, if not MORE than I do. I love it when you talk to the baby (in that voice) through my belly...it makes me laugh so hard - I usually have to run to the bathroom!

I can't wait to see you "in action" with our child(ren). You're going to be THE BEST DAD...I have no doubts. Waiting as long as we have to start our family has made us feel SO READY for what's to come. I'm not afraid of the ups and downs - because you're by my side. Happy Father's Day, Sweets!

I love you with all my heart!

Back in the kitchen again...

I haven't felt like cooking, since early in my pregnancy. Bless Alex's heart. He has been living on take-out for a while. I've just now wanted to start cooking again. So for the past three days - I have!

I *heart* Pioneer Woman's blog. Not only is she down-right hilarious....girl can cook! It was our week to host home group last night, so I wanted to fix something that I hadn't made before. I found the recipe for the steak & potatoes on PW's blog. If you don't already read her blog - check her out. You will love her. :)

We started off with a yummy spinach salad...

Then we had PW's steak tips w/brown butter...they were so good. My hubby actually cooked these for us! He followed the recipe perfectly and did a fantabulous job. :)

And what is steak without potatoes!? These are called crash potatoes. Thank you, Pioneer Woman. For changing my life.

And we ended the meal with my good friend, Vickie's favorite...banana pudding!

It was a yummy meal with some of my favorite people.

Grab the recipes from PW's site...you'll love 'em!

Love,

Our little turnip...

*picture provided by wikimedia.org*

I've never been a fan of turnips...until now. :)

This week, our baby is the size of a turnip! The baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord (the lifeline to the placenta) is growing stronger and thicker. He/she weighs 5 ounces and is around 5 inches long from head to bottom. The baby's sweat glands are also starting to develop.

Not sure where this big belly is coming from, since the baby only weighs 5 ounces. ha! Each week, as I read what's going on inside of me, I find it amazing!!

Love,

life:beautiful

We all have addictions of some sort. Some worse than others. I've decided that I'm going to start sharing some of my addictions with you guys.

Hi. My name is Jill. And I'm addicted to magazines. Not the trashy kind...the good kind. I came to realize a few years ago, that I need to be careful of the type of magazines that I bring into our home. I would buy certain mags for the fashion-tips, not even thinking about the fact that a lot of the women in the magazines were not completely clothed. As we all know, men are visual human beings. This could be a stumbling block for my husband, my future-sons, my brothers, or even my little nephews (that aren't so little anymore) that come into our home. We need to be careful as to what we bring in, whether it be through magazines, books, or even TV. I pray for Alex on a daily basis, because I know that unlike me, he has to go out and work in a world where he is constantly battling inappropriate language, inappropriate emails, inappropriately dressed women...the list goes on and on. He shouldn't have to worry about these things when he comes home. I believe that it's our job as Christian wives to help protect our husbands from that. Especially in our homes.

I say all of that to say this. I'm still addicted to magazines...I just bring in the good ones. I love decorating magazines, food/recipe magazines, and my new favorite that I want to share is life:beautiful

*picture provided by www.lifebeautifulmagazine.com*

It's a magazine filled with articles from Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Gary Smalley, Joyce Meyer...the list goes on and on! They always have recipes, organizational tips, decorating tips, parenting tips, and lots of God's Word. It's a great magazine and you just might find yourself addicted, as well. So check it out!

Love,

17 weeks...

Yep, there's a baby in there. Here's my 17 week belly shot! :o) I was really tired in this picture. It was Sunday morning and I didn't sleep AT ALL the night before. Getting up a million times a night (to go to the bathroom) is for the birds. I think it's time for me to buy one of those body pillows, as well. I'm having a hard time getting comfy in my bed. I'm a stomach sleeper and it's getting difficult to sleep on the belly.


One of the things that I love about pregnancy...my hair and nails are growing fast and are so healthy! I love it. I've been wanting to grow my hair back out and at this rate, it will be down to my waist by November. (I so don't want my hair to my waist - LOL)

My back and tailbone have been hurting. I've allowed myself to start taking baths. I was worried about taking them at the very beginning, but some days the back pain is really bad and a hot bath seems to help. That sounded funny...I'm taking baths again. Just for the record, I never stopped taking showers! ha!

Alex and I have a big decision to make and are praying for God's leading. I won't share just yet...but you could be in prayer that we will know exactly what He wants for us in this situation.

It's the start of a new week!! I've already decided - it's going to be a good one. :)

Love you guys,

Prayer, Parents & Pie...

Well, before leaving for my parents on Tuesday, I went by one of my favorite stores to look around (while my sis had her hair apptm). When I walked in, the sales girl looked so excited to see me and had the biggest grin on her face. She said hello, but was helping another customer, so I made my way back to the children's area. As soon as she finished helping the other customer, she came back to where I was shopping. She immediately said, "are you pregnant?" I said, "yes." She then said, "you were here in December and bought the garland for a child's Christmas tree." I was shocked that she remembered and nodded, yes. This girl obviously had a fabulous memory. She had asked me back in December what I was going to do with the garland and I explained that when I had a little girl, I was going to put it on her Christmas tree in her bedroom. She asked if we were trying and I explained that we had been trying for quite some time. She goes on to tell me that she has a little prayer book and after talking to me in December, she wrote my name and story down and has been praying for me to get pregnant! I started crying right there in the store. Once again I realized, there were people that I didn't even know that were praying for us. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude...to God and to all of those that took time to pray for our miracle. As I started crying and thanking her for praying for us, she said, "God is so good."

I couldn't agree more.

After my little shopping trip and my sister's hair appointment, we headed to Dad & Mom's house. We went to their church on Wednesday night and I was able to show off the baby belly, they had all been praying for! :) It was so nice to get to thank them in person. I can't wait until our little one is here and I can take he/she back to meet all of those wonderful prayer warriors!

While there, I ate at a new restaurant that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was home cookin'...my favorite. I forgot my camera, otherwise, I would have taken a picture of THE BEST strawberry pie known to man. Seriously...it rocked. We did a little shopping in the downtown area. I have a favorite store that I always visit when I'm there. It's called Sisters Antiques...it's old mixed with new. They always have something that I want. We went to the christian book store, where I found a couple of Christmas books for the baby. :) I really need to know if this little life is a boy or girl. If it's a girl...we're in trouble. There are SO MANY cute things out there for little girls. Alex jokes that he will have to get a second job if we have a girl. HA!

I'm 17 weeks tomorrow. Time really is flying by. Everyone says, that when I get to the 'miserable stage', time will stand still. We'll see. As for now, I'm just enjoying every minute of it. I took the doppler to my parents, so Mom and Joy could hear the heartbeat. When I'm still, I can definitely feel the baby move. It's the coolest thing.

I need to order the crib this month. I want to take advantage of a sale they are having in June. In two weeks, I will be able to start shopping for the perfect bedding. That's when the real fun begins!!

All in all...life is good. Have a beautiful weekend!

Love,

What's New...

I always love reading what the baby is doing each week. The email always compares the baby to the size of different fruits, so that's usually it's name for the week. This week, the baby is the size of an avacado. Another thing going on in there...he/she is growing toenails. Awwww...even toenail growth is sweet - when they're talking about our baby. The fetal doppler is one of the best gifts that Alex could have given me. We use it daily. I'm getting really good at finding the heartbeat. We recorded it to post on here, but I'm having problems with uploading it. As soon as I figure out the problem, I will post it. I'm really loving my pregnancy, now that I'm feeling good. Alex constantly tells me how pretty I am...he's the sweetest. He told me yesterday, that he can see why some men keep their wives pregnant. LOL Though I don't completely understand it, I'm happy to know that my husband still finds me attractive these days. ;)

I'm going to see my parents tomorrow. Seems like forever since I've seen them. Though I talk to my Mom on the phone (pretty much every day), I still miss her so much. There are days when I just need a hug from them both, but 6 hours is a long drive for a hug. For the next 3 days, I get all of the hugs I want. :)

I started a new book in my quiet time, this morning. It's Beth Moore's "Praying God's Word." Just from reading the introduction, I could already see certain strongholds that I've allowed to creep into my life. Though it's convicting, I want to break free from anything that I've allowed to be bigger than my God. I truly desire the mind of Christ in all areas of my life and unfortunately, it's a daily fight to have that.

I found a desk for our home office and I'm now needing to get that set up. I've worked on it a little, but get distracted easily. I'm still shopping for a cute chair to have in there. I don't want your typical office chair...those aren't very attractive. If you have any suggestions, send them my way.

I shopped for a new phone this weekend. I've decided in the area of cell phones, I'm the cheapest person on the planet. I can't believe what they want for a cell phone that can receive email! I think I've made my decision and will be going to the bank to take out a loan, soon. Okay, so it's not that expensive, but seriously. My current phone doesn't even take pictures, so you can see how the prices would be a shock to me. If you own the iphone, leave me a comment on how much you love it/hate it, because that's what I'm leaning towards.

I hope you guys have a great week!

Love,

New Blog Address!

So how do you guys like our new look? As you can see, our blog address has changed as well. I reserved this blog address, months ago. I had decided that when we were pregnant, we would switch from averittbabyjourney to theaverittfam. And here we are!! :)

There are a couple of pains with switching to a new blog address. One being... for all of you that have subscribed through feedblitz and receive an email every time we write a new post - you will receive an email soon, asking you to confirm your subscription to the new Averitt Fam Blog. This way, you will still receive an email with every update! Once I get all of the email addresses in, I will cancel your subscriptions to the old blog. Another pain...everyone who clicked my FOLLOW button on my old blog, will need to click it again on this blog, so you will receive updates as well. Sorry for the inconvenience, but once this is done - no more worries! :)

I LOVE my new blog makeover! I have to thank my good friend, Faith for taking care of it for me!! She is so talented and gave me exactly what I wanted. If you want a new look for your blog, head on over and let her design one for you as well! Her prices are great and she is the sweetest person ever. You can click on her name above or on her blog button (on my sidebar) for more info.

Thanks for joining me here at the new address. :)

Love you guys!