2011 Year In Review

January
The new year started off on a sad note- my brother was deployed to Afghanistan on the 2nd.
I turned 25. I remember thinking "I'm halfway through my 20's, and halfway to 50!"
We started our master bathroom overhaul- click HERE to see the  post on this adventure.

February
We spent a wonderful weekend in Birmingham enjoying good worship, music, food, and time together.


March
March was a laid back month. We spend most of it working around our yard and enjoying the early Spring days.

April
We celebrated my husband's 33rd birthday.

May
This was a month of answered prayers. We had a bit of a health scare. Bob had surgery and our prayers were answered. Another answered prayer was my job- I was told I would be able to teach at SW again in the Fall. We were a bit concerned due to all the budget cuts, etc...

June
I spent most of June soaking up the sun. I stayed with my grandparents a good bit and enjoyed just spending time with them.

July
We celebrated 6 years of wedded bliss on the 22nd. Little did we know that an anniversary gift would be arriving 9 months later!

August
We found out we were expecting on August 5th and we were just in awe of what God had done for us. We saw our sweet baby for the first time on August 31st at our first doctor's appointment.

September
We finally announced our pregnancy to our family on September 3rd. This was also a special day because my brother surprised us all by coming home on leave for a few days!

On September 4th, I was blessed to witness my husband's baptism. This was an answered prayer many years in the making.
I had been asked to take over our young adult Sunday school class back in the Spring. As the new quarter rolled in, Bob and I began this mission together.

October
October was a slow month. We enjoyed the cooler weather and spent most of the month in 'negotiations' as to whether or not to find our the gender of our baby.

November
On November 10th we found out we were expecting a sweet baby GIRL! My brother was finally able to come home for good from Afghanistan. I was sick with a sinus infection over the Thanksgiving holidays, but we still enjoyed seeing our family and friends. On Thanksgiving day we were officially half-way through our pregnancy.

December 
December was spent gearing up for the holidays (of which I was just not in the Christmas spirit). We also spent most weekends working in the nursery and finishing up a few last little projects around the house.


And there you have it- our year in review. 2011 was definitely a year of answered prayers- Bobby's health, my job, my brother returning safely from Afghanistan. Our biggest answered prayer was in God blessing us with a child. We had waited nearly 2 1/2 years for that answered prayer.

As wonderful as 2011 was, we are even more excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in 2012! This is the year our first child will be born! We are blessed beyond anything we deserve or could have ever imagined, and we give all the thanks and glory to our sweet Jesus!

"....for God has been gracious to me and I have all that I need."

Genesis 33:11

Baby Bump on Christmas Day

Here is our baby bump at 24 weeks and 3 days along.

Can you tell how exhausted I am in this picture? This was Christmas night after we had finally made it back home from visiting our family. We had a fantastic Christmas and Mary Grace received so many great gifts! It was a bit surreal though, knowing that this was our last Christmas as just the two of us. 

I'm still able to wear most of my pre-preggers pants with the help of a Belly Band (I bought mine at the Motherhood store and it has been a life saver!). Shirts are a different story as most of my pre-pregnancy shirts are getting too short for my belly. These days I'm pretty much in maternity shirts, and I do have a few pairs of maternity pants.

I've been stretch mark free so far, but I know the day is soon coming when that will all change. Everyone says that no matter how much coco butter you use, you will still get them. I'll have to learn that lesson the hard way, because I use it religiously (and as a result I walk around smelling like a giant chocolate bar).

23 weeks, 6 days - Checkup

On Wednesday, December 21st, we had another great checkup! This time MG was very active! She ended up kicking the exact spot where the doppler wand was positioned on my tummy. It was too funny! Then she continued to roll around in my tummy, something my husband could see from where he was sitting and thought was very funny.

Mary Grace had  a heart rate of 154 bpm, which is the highest it's been in a few months. I think it was because she was so busy practicing her ballet moves (or, as the nurse probably thought, her kickboxing moves).

This was the first time I inquired about my weight and measurements. I've deliberately not looked at the scales nor asked about my weight gain since our first appointment. But this time around I couldn't resist. So far I've gained 12 pounds. My belly measurement is 24 cm- which is right on the button since we will be 24 weeks tomorrow.

I love appointments where the only thing I'm required to do is give a urine sample and sit contently and listen to our baby's heartbeat. I've been forewarned that our next appointment will not be so pleasant.

We're scheduled to see the doctor again on January 16th. This will be the gross glucose screening and lovely lab workup. Yuck!

One bit of good news, we will soon get to have our 4D ultrasound! Since we have so much lab work schedule for next time, the ultrasound will probably be sometime in early February. We're excited and cannot to see our sweet Mary Grace!

Ready For A Stroll- or perhaps a Jog

Look what UPS Santa brought tonight! We knew we wanted a jogging stroller and there are hundreds out there to choose from, but finding a jogging stroller travel system is nearly impossible. I finally found a jogger that is also a travel system, so I'll be able to use it fairly soon after MG makes her debut (that is, if I'm she's feeling up to it).

While there are some super cute, girly strollers and carseats out there, I wanted something neutral. I figured that a good jogging stroller is something we can keep for our future babies use, so I didn't want to order one in pink and have a little baby boy riding in it someday.

I insisted that my husband put it together tonight, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I've been pushing it around the house all evening. After all, we do need to get acquainted with how it and the car seat works!

Here's the stroller we ended up getting- it's the Baby Trend Expedition Jogger and the color is called green tea, but it's really all black with barely a hit of green piping along the carseat. Love it!

20 Weeks, 6 Days - Checkup

On Wednesday, Nov. 30th we had another great doctor's appointment. We were 20 weeks 6 days along and everything looked good! Mary Grace's heart rate was 146 bpm. I love listening to her heartbeat. I'd lie there all day listening to it if they'd let me!

Our next appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 21st.

20 Weeks

We are now halfway through our pregnancy and our baby is now the size of a cantaloupe (according to thebump.com). Thanksgiving Day is the perfect day to reach this milestone. This year we are most thankful for this life that our precious Lord is creating. It seems like just yesterday we were praying for a child, and now we are halfway to meeting our sweet Mary Grace. This first half has flown by, and before we know it we will be holding our little girl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting Started

Saturday we officially decided on nursery furniture/decor and we bought Mary Grace's baby bedding! The hardest part was going through fabric swatches- I bet I looked at 100 before deciding on what I wanted for the chair/ottoman. I'm starting to get the nursery 'fever'. Things are starting to come together in my head of what I want the nursery to be. I'm ready to dig and start decorating!

My husband moved out our guest room furniture from the nursery. Now all I have to do is empty out one of her closets. My mom is coming to help steam clean the carpets. The room is pretty much a clean slate- now time to start filling it up with sweet baby girl things!

For the nursery, we had already painted the walls a nice mellow gray after we moved in. I love the gray and we didn't want to change the wall colors. I'm not really into loads of pink- I know that pink sort of comes with the territory when you're having a girl. Here are some nursery ideas we've found.

Below is the baby bedding we bought. It's the Grace collection from Bananafish. I love that the detailing is very girly, but without the usual pink colors.

19 Weeks

 

Our baby is now the size of a mango! I felt her moving around more today than ever. Everything is going great and the 'bump' is getting bigger and bigger. I've been pretty sick since last Friday and my doctor ended up putting me on antibiotics for a sinus infection. I stayed in bed all weekend (thank goodness it was a three day weekend). I ventured to work on Monday only to come back home by noon. I was home sick Tuesday and slept much of the day. I'm still not 100%. Being sick is never any fun, but being sick and pregnant is the pits!

Here's to hoping I will be fully recovered by the end of the weekend. I want to enjoy my week off for Thanksgiving!

Oh another note, my brother came home today from Afghanistan! I took him out to dinner tonight. Words just cannot describe how I feel knowing he is safe and sound here at home! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for him and our family over the past 11 months!

And she shall be called.....

 

My husband is the one who named her, and yes it is a good ole' southern double name! Both of our grandmothers are named Mary, and of course we had to have Grace. Grace is from my name, but mostly we chose it for my great-grandmother whom I was named after. Gracie always meant so much to me, and I'd give anything to share our special news with her! It think it's kind of neat- I was named after my two great grandmothers, and our daughter is too!

 We cannot wait to meet our sweet Mary Grace!

Other names we considered: Audrey, Ava, and Caroline. If we have a second daughter, she will most likely  be an Audrey.

Sugar and Spice

We are thrilled to announce we are expecting a sweet baby GIRL! Words cannot express how excited we are! I wanted to have a surprise- and I definitely received one! I kept feeling like our baby was a boy, but turns out my husband was right! We cannot stop smiling and our hearts are just filled with awe and thankfulness at what our Sweet Jesus is doing for us!

Our sweet baby girl looks great! She's actually measuring above average on several growth areas. Her heart beat was a healthy 146 bpm. The anatomy scan looked great and we cannot wait to meet our sweet girl in April!

When we first started the ultrasound, she was sucking her little thumb. So sweet! She quickly started bouncing around and, as usual, she was giving the poor technician such a hard time! My husband thinks we may have a little spitfire on our hands. It took quite a bit of trying and maneuvering to see 'the goods', but we were able to get two clear shots. I just hope she's t

hat modest during her teenage years! 

Baby Bump and The Big Day

We're 18 weeks today! The belly is definitely starting to show!

Also, today is the big day- we find out if we're having a Little Lady or a Little Man!

New Posts

I finally got around to publishing my pregnancy posts. Just scroll down to read the newest ones! I've backdated several of them for the sake of my journal- some go back all the way to September.

Sugar and Spice -or- Snips and Snails?

It's official- my husband won the negotiations. We will find out the sex of our baby on Thursday!

So, will it be Sugar And Spice or Snips And Snails?

I think we're having a boy. I may regret this-but let me rephrase that- I know we're having a boy. I can't explain it. Mother's intutition maybe? In the same way I knew we were pregnant, I just know we're having a boy.

Signs we're having a boy:

1. My intuition.
2. Whenever I dream about the baby, I always dream we have a boy.
3. The ring test says it's a boy ( I did the one over the belly and the one over my left wrist- both said boy).
4. Anything I'm browsing through baby things, I am drawn to blue. 

Signs we're having a girl:

1. The Chinese calendar predicts a girl.
2. Everyone (with the exception of me and my mother-in-law) feels like we will have a daughter.
3. We've had our girl name picked out practically since before we were expecting.
4. My husband feels we're having a girl. Then again, he's just saying that in the case that my intuition is wrong.

What do you think? Cast your vote on the left side of my blog! 

I've Been Wating For This Moment

I've been waiting for the moment when I feel my sweet child moving around in my tummy. That moment came this morning around 9:00 while I was teaching reading. It felt like popcorn popping in my tummy! There is no doubt that it was the baby moving!

It just keeps getting better everyday!

15 Week Appointment

We had our 15 week appointment on October 20 and everything looked great! We did not have an ultrasound, but we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat- it was 158 bpm. This time my sweet husband was able to hear it in person (at my 11 week appointment, I called him and let him hear the heartbeat over the phone).

We are still in negotiations regarding the gender. We talked to the doctor about it, and they marked SURPRISE on our charts. So, they won't tell us unless we ask at our next appointment.

We are scheduled to have our big ultrasound on November 10th. At this point, we could find out if we decided not to let it be a surprise. We still haven't really made a decision yet. I'm just looking forward to being able to see how much our baby has grown!

Baby Bump

We're 14 weeks today!

Negotiations

Negotiations on whether or not to find out the gender of our baby have been going on since we found out we were expecting.

I want to let it be a surprise. I feel that in life there are very few truly great surprises- and this is one of them. Now, I know it would be easier to plan and decorate if we knew, but I honestly would enjoy the surprise so much more!

My husband says we have no idea how much our lives are going to change, and he doesn't want anymore surprises than there has to be. He wants to be as prepared as possible. He promises that we will keep our next baby a surprise.

So, we're negotiating.

Baby Bump

As of today, we are 12 weeks & 2 days along! There's just barely a little bump there!

11 Week Appointment

Our 11 week appointment was on September 22nd. My mom went to this appointment with me- she was dying to see the baby on the ultrasound. I was just amazed at how much our baby had grown in three short weeks! This time we were actually able to see a small arm, profile, and little legs. The baby kept moving and bouncing around! I would giggle and then he/she would get really still for a moment before starting up again.

Everything looked great and the heartbeat was 160 bpm. This time we were actually able to hear the heartbeat using the Doppler, rather than just seeing it on the ultrasound.  It sounded like a train going over the train tracks. I could sit and listen to that for hours!

At my first appointment I just knew I'd have to do lab work. I loathe needles! Luck was on my side that time. I wasn't so lucky this time around. But seeing my sweet baby made it all worth it!

In the top picture, you can see a little arm sticking up. I dreamed about sweet baby arms and fingers for several nights afterward :)

These Days

These days the only things on my mind are 1)sleeping and 2) when I'm not sleeping I think about food.

So far I've had a wonderful pregnancy, with little to no nausea. Well, except for today when I was set off by brushing my teeth (makes me gag like crazy these days). Oh, and then again when one of my students was sick in the hall. I normally can somewhat deal with that, but just the sight of it today sent me running to the restroom.

Anywho, due to little nausea, I've been able to eat just about anything I want. Well, these days I would love to chow down on some sushi, but it's off limits for me during the next several months.

Really the only big complaint, or symptom, is exhaustion. I sleep all the time. Let me say it again. I sleep all the time. I have zero energy, and to top it off I was sick with a cold most of last week and the weekend. So needless to say I was doing good to roll over in bed every few hours. All is better now in the cold department, and I'm quite proud of myself for actually blogging!

Due to this exhaustion, I've let some things lag.  Mainly housework. But before I go into that I must give a very big THANK YOU to my amazing husband who has stepped up and cleaned for me. Still, our home just feels grungy. To try and motivate myself, I stopped after work to pick up some cleaning supplies- including some great apples and cinnamon candles (don't you love Fall?), rubber gloves, and a mask (just to be safe from the fumes). I was actually excited while stocking my buggy, but that excitement quickly vanished when I had to lug my loot up my back steps and into my house. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

Everything I hear and read says that my energy will come back during my 2nd trimester and that I'll feel more like myself again. These days I'm living for my 2nd trimester. We will be 10 weeks on Thursday, so not too much longer.

Okay, enough distraction. Yes, this is a distraction. I thought I'd feel better about not cleaning if I blogged rather than sitting and watching TV. At least this does qualify as being productive ;) I'm off to tackle our house. And dinner. Ugh, I forgot I have to cook dinner. I don't have it in me to do both, so I'm off to clean and call my sweet husband (maybe I can convince him to pick something up on his way home).

Sharing the News

We found out our sweet baby was on the way August 5th, but decided to wait a bit before sharing our news. There were two main reasons for this: 1) We wanted to tell our parents in person, and 2) we wanted to have our first doctor's appointment first.

It's rare that all of our parents are in town at the same time, so finding a way to get them together without them growing suspicious was a feat in itself. My husband was set to be baptized on September 4th, so our family members would all be in town. The only family member we told early was my brother. He called one Saturday from Afghanistan and we shared our news with him. I so wanted to tell him in person, but didn't think I'd have the chance before he eventually found out through someone else. Telling him via phone is a bit ironic seeing as how things turned out.

We gave our parents a framed ultrasound photo with a sweet poem attached. We told my father-in-law first, and then went to tell my dad. Right after my dad opened his framed ultrasound picture, I turned and saw my brother standing in the doorway! He had surprised everyone by coming home on leave for a few days. See the irony here? It was a great day for surprises!

We then went to see my grandparents before meeting my mom for dinner. She did not know that my sneaky brother was home, so we decided to do a double-whamy on her. We went on into the resturant and was seated at a table, then my brother comes in behind her and sits down- I thought she would die of a heart attack! Then, he gives her a wrapped gift (her framed ultrasound photo). Looking back, it may have been a bit too much for her! We captured it all on video, and I'm hoping to get my tech savvy husband to upload it onto here.

Our last stop of the night was at my mother-in-laws house. She had absolutely no idea! I think she was the most surprised out of everyone! I will always remember the sweet look on her face and how excited she was for us! We then went to tell my husband's Grandmother, who was also very excited for us. By the end of the day, we were both exhausted. The next day was topped off by my husband's baptism, then our pastor sharing our special news with our amazing church family.

We mailed out pregnancy announcements to our family and friends. They turned out super cute- if I do say so myself.

I'm not really sure what's up with the colors

300th Post

My last post makes number 300 for this blog!

Oh, Baby!

 We are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first child in April. We found out we were expecting on August 5th. We are 2 days shy of 9 weeks along and so far everything has been great. Our sweet bundle of joy is due on April 12th.

We told our family and friends this weekend. (Check back later in the week for a post on this). We have been so touched by all the sweet comments and well wishes! Baby James is blessed to have such a wonderful family, loving church family, and sweet friends.

We had our first doctor's appointment on August 31st. Seeing our sweet gift from God, and watching the tiny heart beat, brought us both to tears. We are just in awe of the miracle of life that God is creating.

So far our pregnancy has been wonderful. The only big symptom I've had is a lack of energy. I'm tired all the time and can sleep for hours. I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt bad or been sick, so I'm hoping I'll dodge the dreaded morning sickness.

We mailed out pregnancy announcements to our family and friends.Please excuse the dark and blurry picture.

 

It reads:

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Psalm 139:19

We are thrilled to announce 

we are expecting our first child.

Baby James is due

April 2012.

Bobby and Sylvia.

Our First Appointment

Our first doctor's appointment was on August 31st. We were 7 weeks, 6days along. This was the day I fell in love with ultrasounds. I just love having that magic window into my baby's little world! One of the first things I saw was my sweet baby's heartbeat just flickering away!

Everything looked great and our due date was set for April 12th. The heartbeat was 166 bpm.

My husband made a copy and put it in his wallet. I carried one around with me for days! I would just sit and look at my sweet blessing from above!

My Child

Before you were conceived I wanted you

Before you were born I loved you

Before you were here an hour I would die for you

This is the miracle of life

6 Years

Today marks 6 years of marriage for us. Today I'm looking back on all that we've done in the last 6 years, and I'm wondering where the time went. It seems like just yesterday that I walked down the isle. After six years I can still say that I'm madly in love with my husband. He is the perfect man for me, the Lord's greatest gift in my life. 

 I added the song Marry Me to my playlist- it's one of my favorites.

Our Home: The Master Bath

For an update on how we finally arrived at a decision on tile, grout, colors, etc... click HERE to read about our conclusion to work with an interior designer.

Before...

• Wall Color: Some funky shade of blue
• Tile: The shower and floor were marble. It was originally laid crooked, and thus when we bought the home we had to redo everything. 
• When we purchased our home, the shower was unfinished and could not be used, and there were not any sinks.

My husband picked out the sinks and faucets.

 The doors, moldings, and baseboards were not even primed.

 This part of the bathroom was just primed sheet rock.

 No shower heads.

During the renovation.....

As you can see, all the marble had to be torn out. The entire shower was gutted down to the studs and then built back up in order to install backer board etc to prevent leaks... (which was not placed behind the marble originally). We also had two partial walls built up to give some privacy to the shower.

 Inside the shower.

 The day they started laying tile.

 We painted the room before all the flooring was put down. This is the day they began working on the boarder that goes around the bathroom.

After.....

• Wall Color: Woodlawn Colonial Gray
• Trim Color: Du Jour
•  Tile: 3x6 subway tile in shower, 6x6 on floor, 3x6 border around floor
• We had to paint all the doors, moldings, and baseboards.

His side of the shower and closet door.

 My side of the shower and my closet.

 Rain shower Heads

My husband picked out the sinks and faucets when we first moved in. I wasn't so sure about them, but this was the easiest thing to do, otherwise we would have had to cut the granite. Now that everything is finished, I think they look good.

Looking in from our bedroom

 His side....

 My side...

There are still things I want to hang on the wall, and decorative accents I need to put up, and I want to change out the vanity mirrors.. I've come to the conclusion that you're never completely finished decorating a room.