Baby gifts...

I've seriously met some of the coolest, most generous women in blogland. We received a couple of packages for little miss A and we wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Last week, a sweet blog friend sent me this wonderful receiving blanket. I actually registered for it with plans to have her monogram or name put on it. Thank you, Polly, for being so thoughtful and celebrating our miracle baby! We've been celebrating Polly's wonderful news, as well....she's pregnant!! It felt so good to put ANSWERED PRAYER by her name! :)


This week, my precious friend, Amy, sent me a package in the mail. I opened it and immediately started crying. This is the first gift that we've received with A's name on it. Though I had to cover her name in this pic (due to hubby's rules:) Trust me when I say, the bloomers are adorable!! She put her first initial in hot pink and then her full name across it in tiffany blue. They are going to look precious under her sweet little dresses. She also sent a bow and flower for her headbands and sent me a sterling silver necklace engraved with FAITH around the circle. I put the necklace on immediately. I just loved everything!!


I get terribly emotional thinking about all of the people (many who we've never met in person) who prayed for God to send us our baby girl. Trust me when I say, she will hear all about you guys! You're so thoughtful and generous and I just love you all to pieces!!

Happy Friday!

Love,

Glucose Test...

Yesterday, I had my glucose test. I needed to score a 140. I scored a 143. I failed the glucose test. For some reason, I had a feeling that I would. I drank a cranberry limeade up until almost midnight the evening before. Granted, my appointment wasn't until 1pm the next day, but maybe that didn't help. No clue. I will say, they gave me a fruit punch flavor drink and it was quite tasty. Wasn't thick and really sweet like most people have described theirs to be.

I go back in two weeks and take the 2nd test. The nurse told me that the girls who fail it by a few points, always pass the 2nd test...she would be surprised if I didn't. They also gave me a list of carbs/sugars that I HAVE TO EAT, leading up to the appointment, so this test is obviously different than the last. I'm not that worried about it, just not looking forward to going back and being there for 2-3 hours. Any of you have to take the 2nd test? Was it terrible?

I also want to tell you about this AWESOME giveaway!! I never win anything, but I'm praying to win this one. HA! Natalie is giving away a massive amount of her favorite baby items and I love every one of them!! I already see things that I'm going to order if I don't win. :) Check it out!!

Love,

Wordless Wednesday - Love My Boys

Our little mango-23 weeks!!

Baby girl is kicking up a storm these days. Alex was able to see her kick over the weekend...that was neat. :) We put the doppler on my tummy to hear her heartbeat and she started kicking it...to the point that it became uncomfortable for me. They say her sense of movement is well developed by now and she can feel me dance. All I can say about that is - we don't want baby girl to inherit my lack of rhythm...trust me on that one. I do put the speakers up to my belly and we rock out to some of my favorite tunes. I don't know what I'll do if this baby can't carry a tune. My Mom says, you just have to start working with them early...that's what she did with us. So I'm starting NOW! (LOL)

She is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over one pound - about as much as a mango.


No progress on the nursery last week. I looked for the paint color that I had seen online and it no longer exists, so I guess I'm going to take a Tiffany's box into the paint store and have them copy the color. I did pick up some mattress/headboard covers, so we can store the queen size bed. Her closet is gradually collecting clothes. I only had two pieces hanging in there and now one side of the closet looks like this. I'm putting all of her newborn & 0-3mo. on pink hangers, since she will be able to wear those first. Everything she has to grow into goes on a white hanger...because I'm weird like that. :)

Summer sales have been awesome and with the way that certain stores size their clothes, she should definitely be able to wear these (at some point) next summer. Unless she is a gi-normous child. But I'm willing to risk it. I've found her the cutest swimwear for the beach next year! I just laugh everytime I look at these teeny-tiny clothes. She's going to look precious. Fall clothes are just coming out, so it will be fun to shop for clothes that she should actually be able to wear, soon after her arrival.

Thank you to everyone who shared your tips on monitors, bottles and more! Many said they didn't use a monitor. I'm just not comfortable NOT having one. She will be in our room at first, but once she moves to her own room, she will be on the other side of the house and I won't be able to sleep in my own bed, unless I have something that allows me to hear/see her. I know me. I will be up constantly, checking to see if she's still breathing. I do that with my nephews/nieces when they stay with me and some of them are teenagers. (LOL) As for bottles, there were several that recommended the Dr. Brown's. I'm going to check those out at my next visit to Babies R Us.

My question for you this week is: Is it true that I shouldn't be wearing an underwire even now before she gets here? I've heard that it can have a negative effect on the milk glands for breastfeeding? True or False? For any men that might be reading this blog...sorry to speak of underwire bras and milk glands, but a clueless mama has to know these things!

And to end this post, I ask you to lift up Stellan in your prayers. He's back in the hospital and not doing well at all. You can find updates on his condition, by clicking on his picture on my sidebar.

Love you guys,

Here comes the bride...

Yesterday, Kelly hosted Show Us Your Life - The Wedding Dress Edition. I decided to join in, though I'm a day late. :) I have loved going back through our wedding pictures. We were 19, had very little money to spend, but when I go back to the pictures...they make me laugh and smile and fall in love with my man all over again!

Here are just a few of our special day.

The dress I chose was very appropriate for a 19 year old bride...cap sleeves, pearls on the bodice, big bow on the rear. (LOL)


Daddy walking me down the aisle. He also married us...such a special memory!


Look at that tiny waist!! Maybe after little miss gets here, I can get back to my skinny-size. :)


This was back in 1996 when they still threw bird seed at you. Bubbles hadn't come along yet.


Since we didn't have a lot of money to spend on the wedding, we didn't have a professional photographer. I think my Uncle actually snapped this one. It's still my fave. Eventually I'm going to take it to a professional studio and have them fix the shading of the pic...I guess it was from the glare off the car window.


I was showing Alex these pics and said, we were so young, skinny...and he piped up and said, "and stupid!" (LOL) So true. The past 13 years have been quite a trip, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Love,

Moving right along...22 weeks!!

The weeks are flying by! I'm always excited to get my email updates that tell me what Little Miss A is up to in there.

Okay, I must say...I wear blush, powder, and lip gloss - that's the extent of my make-up routine. Well I dropped my blush a few days ago and it shattered into a million pieces, so I have no make-up on in this pic. I did pinch my cheeks in an effort to give my face some color...just excuse the face and focus on the belly. :)


Here's a little info on what's going on this week:
She's about 11 inches long - the length of a spaghetti squash. If you're unsure what a spaghetti squash looks like (like I was), here's a pic. I can't believe there's a little person, the size of a spaghetti squash, swimming around inside my belly! I LOVE IT!


Yesterday was the first day that I was able to feel and SEE her kick. I was just laying there very still, talking to her, telling her that Daddy and I had been married for 13 years...all of the sudden she kicked and I SAW MY BELLY MOVE! Of course, I started crying. I love this baby girl so much. My heart is so full and I can't imagine when she's actually here and I'm holding her in my arms. I won't have to hand her back to someone else and leave the hospital. She'll be mine. I get to bring her home and take care of her and love her for the rest of her life. Seriously, my heart just might explode.

Father God, thank you, thank you, thank you for this precious gift!!

I've started registering for my baby showers and can I just tell you...IT'S OVERWHELMING! There are so many choices on things. I just don't know what's best. For those of you who would like to share...which bottles and baby monitor did you choose? I have a longer list of questions, but will keep it at just a couple things per post.

I'll be having three baby showers. One in August, one in September, and one in October. I'm so thankful for my friends and family that want to celebrate with us by hosting a shower. We have lots of friends and family and this will allow me to invite everyone to one of the showers. I'm paranoid about any of the showers being too large and being too much work for the hostess(es), so having three helps with that.

The crib came in Thursday and we picked it up Friday evening! It's out of the box and ready to put together. Alex has to take the queen size bed down before we can put it together. I have to get something to store that bed in - before he takes it apart. It's a nice bed and I don't want it or the mattress ruined while in storage. The crib is so heavy...very well made. Alex was pleased with my choice for that reason alone...quality is a big deal to him. Ya know, 'cause he's a guy and all. It matches the other furniture in the room perfectly and is so cute...that's a big deal to me! :) I'm going to go get a sample of the paint this week. I want to put it on the wall and stare at it for a week or so...just to make sure I like it. I'm still shopping for a rocking chair. I haven't found fabric at any of the furniture stores that I like, so it's looking like I'm going to have to use an upholsterer and find my own fabric. I did order a cute picture for the nursery and received it last week...need to find the perfect frame and I will share it with you guys!

Have I mentioned that I'm lovin' my life? :)

Love,

In love with my man...

I love you more than you'll ever know. You're my one and only. My best friend.



You'll always have my heart.

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine..." Song of Solomon 6:3

Happy 13th Anniversary, sweetie!!

Busy, Busy!!

I realized last night that it has been almost a week since I've posted. Oops! It has been a busy week. Started off with my sister and I catering. We've been pretty busy with the catering, which is so exciting. This is something that we've wanted to do for quite some time and we're finally doing it! We love to cook/bake and we love spending time together, so it's a lot of fun for us. I snapped a pic of what the back of the SUV looks like on most catering days. We catered for 120 people on this day...that's a lot of cookies to bake! :)



After catering, I headed to my hometown to see my Grandparents. It was a short trip but a lot of fun.



I got to see my Momma while I was there, which is always nice! I miss being only 5 minutes away from Daddy & Momma. There are so many days that I just need to see them or hug them. I'm sure they feel the same way...where they just need to SEE ME OR HUG ME! :)

We went to eat at my FAVORITE catfish place that evening. Fred's Fish House! It's in an old church, which I think is hilarious. It's no longer the House of God...it's the House of Fish. HA! We used to sit in the 'choir loft' when we all went, but now we reserve a table in what I believe was the nursery or a Sunday school room. I could fill up on hushpuppies alone...they are homemade and huge! Not those nasty frozen things that most places serve.



The next day, we hit a few of the little shoppes in town. Then it was time to say goodbye. :(

When I arrived home that evening, Alex and I went to see some of his extended family that were in town. MaMa, Roy, and Aunt Connie from Louisiana! They were so sweet and it was nice to get to visit and have dinner with them.

Linda, Kay & Mimi w/MaMa, Roy & Connie


Me & Connie


Connie brought a gift for our baby girl. I started crying when I opened them. I hate to think of how hard it's going to be at my baby showers...fighting back the tears. Pregnancy still seems so surreal. I thank God EVERY DAY for this precious gift. Every day.

How cute are these!!? Two little hats and a onesie that says, "I have Daddy wrapped around my little finger." I can't wait to see her in them. :) Thank you, Connie!!


The next couple of days, we had our niece, K. We got some good practice on what it's going to be like when little miss arrives. It was a lot of fun to have her overnight. Alex just kept saying, "she is such a good baby." I was thinking, I hope little A is this good! :) Here are a few pics of our time together.

She was constantly getting stuck between the ottoman and the chair. :)


We went to eat at Cracker Barrel. This was how she preferred to sit...with her feet on the table. Such the little lady! HA!


We spent both days in stores, working on my registry. She was SO GOOD...never fussed. We were in one of the stores for at least 2 hours. She was worn out...bless her heart.


Getting into her bags. :)


Bath time....I was as wet as she was! LOL


Trying to crawl out of the bath!


Watching baseball with Uncle Al. :)


And now it's the weekend...I hope y'all have a good one!!

Love you guys,

21 weeks...

I'm on week 21 and feeling really good. Look how little miss is growing!! She's the length of a carrot this week. They say I should be feeling true kicks any day now. I'm looking forward to that...I think. :) If I don't feel movement during the day, I will still get my fetal doppler out to listen to her heartbeat. It gives me such peace of mind. Her heartbeat is always up in the 150bpm range - which is what it always is at the doctor's office. Seriously, buying that doppler...best money ever spent. Thank you, sweetie!!

I stopped by my former place of employment last week and one of my former bosses said, "are you sure there is only one in there?" I believe he also used the word, 'litter'. ha! If he weren't a sweet man of God, I would have cried upon being asked this question. But I actually found it funny that he said that. Out loud. To a pregnant woman. (LOL) Seriously, he is one of the sweetest people in the world and would never say anything to hurt anyone. I know I'm big. I FEEL big. As Alex keeps telling me, we just want her to be healthy...that's all that matters. :) As you can see in the pictures, I have on the exact same shirt in all four pics. It's my favorite maternity shirt...so comfy, I had to buy it in every color! I also have it in white. Whenever they put them on sale, I pick up another.




It's so hot here. I've noticed that I can't be on my feet for more than a few hours or they are so swollen and hurting. I tried to go shoe shopping and decided that I need to just wait and buy shoes when I'm NOT pregnant. Shoes do not look as cute on fat feet.

I went to my friend, Andrea's baby shower today. We went to high school together and I'm so glad that we kept in touch and still hang out. She has a laugh that is contagious! I hear her laugh and I start laughing...doesn't even matter if I know what she's laughing about...girl makes me laugh. This is her first baby as well...she's having a baby boy. Here are a few pics from the shower. Andrea looked great and her friends did such a great job. She received lots of cute stuff!

How cute is this cake!? It tasted yummy too!


One of her friends made this cute diaper cake...the diapers were polka dotted!


I bought her this onesie...it says, "Born in '09" :)


And here we are...two mommas, showing off our babies. :)


And I'll leave you with a picture of my niece, K. She spent a day with me, last week and we had a good 'ole time! I introduced her to chick-fil-a. Because girls need to learn this stuff early. They have the best waffle fries and unsweet tea! As you can see by the picture...she loved them. :)


Have a great week, y'all!

Love,

Thinking about the nursery...

As I have said many times before...the nursery is one of the most exciting things about this pregnancy. Of course, Little Miss herself is THE MOST EXCITING thing! Preparing for her arrival is such fun. I'm having a blast picking out fabrics for the bedding, shopping for the perfect accessories, etc. I thought I would share some colors that are going into her nursery. I love color. I want her room to be a place that she loves. I want to love it too, because I'm sure I'll be spending many sleepless nights in there. :)

So here are some of the colors that will be going into baby girl's nursery. Some are actual items, some are just inspiration.



I look forward to sharing more with you guys. So much more to come...stay tuned!

Love,

The holiday weekend...

We had a very laid back 4th of July. This is what I prefer anymore...does that mean that I'm old? Mainly, I just never want to fill our calendar to the point that when Alex does have a day off, it doesn't feel like a day off for him. He works very hard 6 days a week. Time off for him is precious. I just like for him to go back to work on Monday feeling rested. Gotta take care of my man!

We had our nephew, Pryce, for 4 days. We really enjoyed having him here. He was such a help to me! We actually celebrated his birthday on the 4th! He gets to pick what he wants on his cake every year. This year, he wanted a kayak. He and his Uncle Al have been talking about buying one for a long time. They love to fish together and they are always telling me that this would be very helpful when they go to the Little Red River. I'm thinking after the baby gets here, we'll have to break down and buy one. :)



I can't believe he's 11 years old. I remember when my sister brought him home from the hospital. There was a period of time when my sister and her husband had sold their home, so they stayed with us until they found a new home. Alex and I LOVED this. We would get up to get ready for work and go get Pryce out of his bed (he was just a baby then). We would sit him in the empty jacuzzi bath with his toys, while getting ready for work. He was always so happy...he would play and talk to us...it was the perfect way to start our day. We have the most precious memories from when they stayed with us. He loves spending time with his Uncle Al. The other night, I was sitting in the living room and he and Alex were at the kitchen table, reading the Bible together...discussing what the scriptures meant. It melted my heart. There has always been something special about this kid and I'm excited to see what God has planned for his life. I asked my sister if we could keep him, but she didn't go for it. Can't say that I blame her. We love you, Pryce!

Here are a few more pics from our weekend...

Lil' J...just a-swingin'


Momma with Kandace


My brother, Chris with his family (minus Kaitlyn)


Andrew & Elaina


Cary and his family


We took Pryce and his friends to see the new Ice Age movie for his birthday...they loved the 3D glasses! LOL


Cody & Kevin


As we were leaving my brother's house...a little accident happened. I was driving. We waved goodbye to Lil' J and I immediately put it in reverse and stepped on the gas. Not even looking in my rearview, I hit my brother, Andrew's car! This isn't the worst of it. Alex tells me to go forward, so I punch the gas again, not putting it in drive and hit his car again. I proceed to do this TWICE! Honestly, I have lost my mind. As my brother, Cary said, "the baby is taking every bit of brain juice I have!" Luckily, cars today are made of some weird rubbermaid plastic that just pops back out, so there wasn't any major damage, but I felt like an idiot. LOL

We had plans to go see fireworks that evening, but ended up staying in and just listening to them all around our house. Totally fine with me...I was sleepy.

Our church has changed their service time from 10:30am to 6:00pm on Sundays, so we slept in and then went to brunch on Sunday morning. It was weird at first, not having an AM service, but in the end - I LOVED it. I didn't feel rushed like I usually do. We had an awesome time of praise and worship and started a new series that I'm excited about! It was a wonderful weekend, all around (minus the fender-bender LOL)

I've decided on a color for the nursery and have started picking out accessories, so I will be sharing those soon. :)

Love,

I'm halfway there!!

I'm 20 weeks pregnant today! That means we're halfway there!! This pregnancy really is flying by for me. I'm making sure to enjoy every minute of it. :)


Baby girl weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. At our last doctor's visit, he told us that she was measuring a little bigger than what the u/s said. I quickly told him that I couldn't have a large baby. He chuckled and said, "you can't?" I explained to him that I was a 9 lb baby and I can't be having a 9 lb baby! I'm praying our baby girl takes after Alex in that department because he was a normal size infant! (LOL) He told me that it would be a good idea for us to take the birthing classes at the hospital. Guess I need to sign us up for that. Those of you who took them...how far along were you when you took the class and were they beneficial?

My blood pressure was up at the appointment. This was a first, so I'm not too worried about it. He said they would keep an eye on it. I think it was because I was so emotional through the entire u/s and then immediately came out and had my bp taken. He told me that I will be taking the glucose test next appointment. Not looking forward to that. Hopefully, it's not as bad as everyone says.

I've already bought several outfits for her for next summer. I'm having so much fun shopping...I'm just giddy in the stores. Alex just laughs at me and shakes his head. :)

My sister was over today. She shared a very sweet conversation with me. She was having her quiet time and just praising & thanking God for giving me this baby. As she was talking to Him, she felt Him tell her that He didn't just give me my desire for a baby - He gave me MY TRUE HEART'S DESIRE. I just started crying as she shared this with me, because I have thanked Him over and over for JUST THAT. I would have been so happy with a little boy, but God (and anyone who really knows me) knew how badly I've wanted a baby girl. Everything that I've bought over the years and placed in that closet has been for a little girl. That's why I was so emotional during the u/s...my heart felt SO FULL at that moment. He cares not just about the fact that I've wanted to be a mother for so long. He knew my heart and knew that giving me a baby girl would be that cherry on top of my already wonderful sundae! How awesome is that!??

Today, we have plans to celebrate my nephew, Pryce's birthday. On the menu: ribs, corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, birthday cake and ice cream. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than that! We'll go to a movie in the afternoon and then catch some fireworks somewhere this evening. Should be a fun day!!

I hope you have a fun, safe & Happy 4th of July!!

Love you guys,

Thankful Thursday...

For this I am thankful...

Alex and I are so lucky to come from very large families. Our brothers and sisters are our best friends.

Alex and I work very closely beside these two...my brother, Cary & his wife, Sara.
When you work in ministry with someone, it's hard not to be best friends.

This is their little man. We call him Lil' J, the boy, and sometimes we use his actual name.

Needless to say - he has a piece of our hearts. I mean, look at that face.

Sara and I are only 4 days apart in our pregnancies, which I love! My parents will have 2 new grand babies right before Thanksgiving. :)

We found out today that Cary & Sara are expecting A BABY GIRL!!! My heart jumped for joy when I heard the news!! Our little girls will be a few days apart and just like their mommas, best friends. And of course, even more importantly....they will be shopping partners! (Alex and Cary, grab your wallets...it ain't gonna be pretty. ha!)

Love,