This AMAZING Thing Called LIFE

Today

2012-02-15T16:02:00.000-06:00

Today, I had a doctor's appointment with my OB to make sure my incision was healing. I brought Pearce with me and I was a little nervous about how he would do and what I would do if he started crying while I'm on the exam table. Well, he was a complete angel, of course. All of the nurses went crazy over him which made me feel so proud! They talked about how cute he was and how his skin coloring was so pretty, and how good he was (he was awake the whole time just looking around). I'm sure they say that to all moms and their babies, but it was nice to hear. It was also nice to hop on the scale and see that I'm not that far away from my pre-pregnancy weight! When I left, the nurse gave me a gift for Pearce. When I got home I looked at it. It's a silver baby spoon engraved with "Congratulations" and my doctor's name. Also included in the box was a bible verse, which I loved.

It goes like this: Psalm 139: 13, 14, 16, &17

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother's womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex. You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly.

When I read that, I just started crying. What a sweet gift and reminder of how precious Pearce is. He truly is a miracle from God and I never want to forget that. Adjusting to life as a mommy has been pretty easy for me because he has been so good from the beginning. It has been a little hard managing my time with caring for Pearce and keeping up with my other duties. Sometimes, though, I'll be in the middle of a household chore and then I'll just go over and pick up Pearce and just stare at him....amazed that he is my baby. Amazed that Chris and I created him. Amazed that my prayers were finally answered. I never ever want to take for granted what I have. I know there will be times of sheer exhaustion and frustration, but even in those moments, I want to remind myself of how lucky I am. I used to beg God to let me be woken up in the middle of the night by a crying baby and he sure did answer that prayer! Ha! I actually love that time when I'm feeding Pearce, rocking him in the glider, and it's quiet all around me. He'll look into my eyes and I'll look into his and then his little eyes start getting heavy as he finishes his bottle. It's usually then that I think, "Wow, I am a mommy now. Thank you God!"

Ok, how about some pics! When we got home, I decided to get out his play mat to see how he liked it. He actually focused on one toy for a good 5 minutes before he started getting a little fussy. Daisy, on the other hand, LOVED the play mat :)

Then I decided I needed to do some household chores, but I didn't really want to put Pearce down, so I put him in his sling! After a few minutes he was OUT! I guess this is how I'm going to get things done around the house from now on :)

As I type this entry, he's still asleep in the sling....it's been about 2 hours so far!

Nathan and Charlotte meet Baby Pearce!

2012-02-14T10:07:00.000-06:00

Ashley, Nathan, and Charlotte came for a visit this past Wednesday and stayed through the weekend. Wayne came after work on Friday. I was soooo excited for Nathan and Charlotte to meet Baby Pearce. Ashley told me that Nathan practiced how to hold a baby using Charlotte's dolls. He also told Ashley he wanted to give Pearce a bottle :) Charlotte is OBSESSED with babies and baby dolls. Whenever she sees a stroller or a real baby, she gets so excited and says "Baby!" I was so excited for her to have a real live baby to love on!

They both immediately wanted to hold Pearce. Nathan was so gentle and loving with Pearce.

Auntie Ashy with Pearce....see the hands grabbing for the baby? Ha!

We had another visitor stop by. This is Abbey and her mom Kathleen. I taught Abbey last year.

Abbey was so good with Pearce!

Ashley kept Pearce and I took N and C to Mc Donald's for lunch and then Jumpstreet to play. He was worn out!

N and C both wanted to help change the baby. Nathan was especially helpful. He would hold Pearce's paci in his mouth while I changed him, he would get a diaper for me, he constantly wanted to hold Pearce. If I needed a burp cloth, Nathan would get it for me. He was seriously sooo helpful!!!

Charlotte feeding the baby :)

Nathan and his little buddy!

My baby boy :) I still can't believe this baby is mine. More on that in another post.

Ashley, Wayne, Nathan, and Charlotte, I had so much fun with you this past weekend!!! I can't wait to see you again soon. We love you!!!!

My new camera!! Thank you Mom!!!

2012-02-07T12:36:00.000-06:00

First of all, did you notice my new title to the blog? It used to be "This Crazy Thing Called LIFE." Now it's "This AMAZING Thing Called LIFE." I think that's an appropriate title now that we have our little miracle :)

When my mom was here, she decided to get us a new camera so that we could take lots of really good pics of Pearce. I had gotten a new one not too long ago, but it's a smaller digital one. Mom said we needed a really nice one to take pics and the smaller digital one to just have with me in my diaper bag. I really thought it was too much, but she insisted and we went to Best Buy and looked at the cameras. She got us the Canon EOS Rebel T3i model. We have had so much fun practicing with it! Ashley is coming tomorrow and she has a similar camera so she can show me more about it. It really is amazing the difference in picture quality with this camera and my smaller camera. Here are some pics we took with the new camera. The bath pics are really funny...you can see how relaxed he gets when we wash his hair. Not bad, huh?

Ahhhh....bliss :)

These were taken in the guest room with just natural light coming in from the window. My sister Jen took them. I thought they turned out so cute!

Margarita time!! We had Andy and Nandini over for dinner and Chris made fajitas and margaritas!

Mommy of the Year picture right here!

I got this shirt in Fredericksburg when a few friends and I did the wine tasting tour. I was pregnant at the time, so I could not partake in the tasting, but I did get this shirt for after baby. It says "Mommy's Sippy Cup." HA!!

Andy and Pearce

Nandini and Pearce

Where's Fatty?

I just LOVE my new camera!!!! Thank you so much Mom!!!! I can't wait to learn how to use it better. Grandparents, you can expect a lot of pictures of Pearce with this new camera!!

Our week with Mama

2012-02-07T11:20:00.000-06:00

After we arrived home from the hospital, my mom stayed with us for a week. She just went home yesterday and it was very hard for me to see her go. Not because she was so much help around the house and with the baby....she WAS, but for me, I just loved seeing how much she loved MY baby. I loved just being with her on the couch holding Pearce. We talked nonstop about how cute he is and what a good baby he is and how lucky Chris and I are. The dishes in the sink could wait, the laundry that needed to be folded could wait. I loved sharing my baby boy with my mom. One time, Pearce was with her in her room and I was getting dressed. I passed her room and saw her holding Pearce just looking so lovingly into his eyes and talking to him. It made me so happy to see that! I also loved going on little outings with her each day. We would go out to lunch, go for a drive, go for a stroll, visit friends, and just run little errands together. It was good practice on what all I needed to take in my diaper bag for Pearce. I will always remember that first week home and how special it was that my mom could be there to share it with me. Mom, thank you for all you did for me that first week. I love you more than you'll ever know. Pearce loves his Mama and can't wait to see you again soon!!

This is what Mama and Pearce did most of the time.....she held him and talked to him and he just looked and looked at her...and then would fall asleep :)

We visited Elizabeth and her little girl Charlotte. They both loved Pearce!

We went out to lunch most days. Here are Mama and Pearce at Waterloo. We timed our lunches so that we were there after the crowds. I also used his car seat canopy to keep him covered up.

Peek-a-boo!

Mama and I had fun giving him sponge baths. He LOVED having his hair washed!

We took a ridiculous amount of pictures of Pearce. Here he is in his crib in the hat and booties Mama knitted him. What a cutie!!!!

Out for a stroll!

At night we would prop him up on his Boppy pillow and he would just look all around.

We had our first visit to the pediatrician, too. Everything looked great with Pearce! We go back tomorrow for his 2 week check-up. I can't wait to see if he is back to his birth weight...or maybe over!

My friend Heather came for a visit. She is due with a baby girl in just a few weeks!

More visitors....Karen and LaRae!

My friend Elizabeth. She is due with a baby boy in a few weeks. We are going to have so much fun with all of these new babies!

Auntie Jen came for a visit, too. She loved and loved on Pearce! It was so fun seeing her with him, too.

The morning my mom left, we had an appointment to go to Texas Fertility Center to show my fertility doctor Pearce. Although they really can't take any credit for him, I still wanted to show them Pearce. The nurses loved holding him.

This is Dr. Hansard. We did 5 IUI's, one IVF which failed, and were getting ready to try IVF again, when Pearce decided to give us the shock of our lives. I wanted to say "See what my crappy eggs made?" Ha! She was sooo sweet. She just went on and on about how beautiful he was and how happy she was for us.

After going to Texas Fertility, I decided to drop by my acupuncturist's office which is just right down the street. Sarai (pronounced Sarah) Stappleton is the one I give a LOT of the credit to with me becoming pregnant all on my own. She wanted me to give her 6 months of acupuncture treatments before we tried IVF again. I agreed to that and was pregnant within 4 months of starting treatments. She helped me to relax, think positively, and helped me with healthy eating habits and supplements. I will forever be grateful to her!! If we try for another baby, we will go back to her and her only.

He's Here!! The Details...

2012-01-29T23:44:00.000-06:00

Our baby boy is here and absolutely perfect in every way. He came via c-section on January 25th at 12:55 pm. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 20 inches long. I was so excited on the morning of the 25th. Surprisingly, I actually did get a pretty restful night's sleep. I always imagined what that morning would be like....getting ready, putting on makeup, checking bags....knowing we were leaving to go have a baby. That morning was so surreal. I was just so excited, but scared, too. We left our house at 9:00. All during the drive, I kept feeling Pearce move inside me. I just wanted to hurry up and get to the hospital and get hooked up to the monitors. Even though we were on our way to the hospital and I felt him moving, I STILL had doubts about actually having him. I was still scared of something going wrong. We parked, got our bags and headed up to Labor and Delivery. They got us checked in and into a room very quickly. I changed into a gown and the nurse came in to hook me up to monitors. One was to monitor baby's heartbeat, the other was to monitor any contractions I might be having. As soon as she put the monitor on for Pearce's heartbeat, I totally relaxed. It was so strong. It was just me and Chris in the room and we just talked and waited. We had to be there by 10:00, but surgery wasn't scheduled until 12:30. Time actually went by pretty quickly. We knew our family got to the hospital around 11:00 and they were just waiting in the waiting room. Around 12:00, my nurse came in and gave me the hair net and Chris his scrubs to change into. Then a little bit later, she said we were ready! We all walked down the hall then she told Chris to sit in a chair that was outside the OR and that she would come and get him in a few minutes. I just looked back at Chris and said, "Bye." I got into the OR and they had me sit on the bed and then they started cleaning off my back to do the spinal. I wasn't really nervous until now. The anesthesiologist gave me a shot of numbing medicine first then said he was going to place the spinal in.....well, it hurt! Then he gave me some more numbing medicine and I didn't feel a thing after that except a warm wash of tingles going up my feet and legs and stomach. They laid me down and started doing all kinds of things around me. I started shaking. I don't know if it was from the OR being cold or me being scared...probably a little of both. Then they put the drape in front of me and my OB came in and said he was ready to start. I told the anesthesiologist that I could feel them putting something on my belly and was that o.k. She could tell I was nervous about the actual incision, so she got a pin and showed me that I could feel it pricking my shoulder, then she moved it down my chest and to my stomach and when she got to my stomach I couldn't feel anything. It was then that another nurse brought Chris and then I started crying. I knew the c-section was starting and I was just praying we would get a healthy baby. Chris held my hand and kept rubbing it and talking to me. A nurse said we were close to seeing him and got Chris' camera so she could take a picture when he first came out. The only time the procedure was uncomfortable was when they had to press on my stomach to get his head out. "Press" makes it seem light....I could not breathe and felt like all of the blood vessels in my head were going to pop. Finally they got his head out and the then lifted him up and we heard him cry! I started crying immediately. They took him to clean him off and he just cried and cried and I loved it!!! They brought him to me and I could not believe he was an actual baby AND he was soooo cute, too! The initial exam said he was great and Chris and the nurses left to walk Pearce to the nursery. He also got to stop at the waiting room to show all of our family!! They sewed me up and then took me to recovery. I waited for what seemed like an eternity for the nurses to bring Chris and Pearce back to me, but it really wasn't very long. Finally I got to see Pearce and OH. MY. GOODNESS....I could not believe how beautiful he was. The nurses said he was perfectly healthy. I couldn't believe Chris and I created something so perfect. I was so afraid of my body not doing what it was supposed to do for 9 months and here is this perfectly beautiful baby boy in my arms. I could not believe my body grew him and kept him safe!! I got to feed him his first bottle and it was just the most amazing time. It was better than I ever imagined. Below is picture OVERLOAD!!! I am just so thankful for our little miracle. All I wanted was a healthy baby and I got WAY more than that. He is the most laid back, sweetest little thing ever. So far, he hardly ever cries.

My baby boy.

Papa meeting Pearce for the first time.

Mama is in Heaven

Ashley couldn't come until Thursday...here she is seeing Pearce for the first time.

Auntie Ash spent the night with us Thursday night and we had the best time. She is in LOVE!

Mimi and Pops are smitten!

He already has G.G. wrapped around his little finger!

Pearce's first visitor....Lindsay. She loved and loved on him.

Of course we had to bring his Razorback hat to the hospital for him!!

Who doesn't love a baby's bottom?

Another visitor...Elizabeth Lazar

Christie is currently cooking either a little buddy or a girlfriend for Pearce. We'll find out soon!!

Nandini and Andy and their two boys Abhi and Jeet.

Nandini can't wait to babysit!!

I taught Marie's son in First Grade! I wasn't sure if she was working while we were there and was so happy to see her walk in our room!

Little Lyla loved baby Pearce! She and her mommy brought me some yummy breakfast tacos and other snacks!

Erin took some really cute "Going Home" pics of Pearce!!

Pops saying goodbye :(

This was Pearce's going home outfit. He looked SOOOO cute!!

Mimi and Pops with their baby holding HIS baby!

Ready to go home!

As soon as we got home, we had our first outfit change :)

Mama and baby taking naps...hey, I thought I was supposed to be the one taking a nap!

More visitors! Chris' boss and his family came to see us Saturday night. Alex and Corrina loved holding Pearce!

I will do monthly photo sessions to document Pearce's first year. My friend, Casey, got him these cute stickers. Here he is in his Brand New sticker :)

I'll do the monthly photos in his glider with is Peek-A-Boo bear. Look how tiny he looks!!

Mama can't keep from loving on Pearce

So far, we've only been home two days! I feel like we have adjusted quite well to having Pearce. Chris and I said we did not want to have any expectations about anything. We were just going to learn as we go. Pearce is making it easy on us because he has been so laid back and calm and sweet! I have loved watching Chris with Pearce. I knew he would instantly fall in love, but the guy is complete mush when he holds Pearce or does anything for him :) He's been changing diapers, running to the store, making us dinner, helping with Pearce....just doing everything he possibly can for us! I have been lucky to not have a lot of pain with my c-section, either! I really was feeling pretty good the day after and each day have felt better and better. I am just so thankful for the WHOLE experience...easy pregnancy, c-section went as planned, I recovered well, and most importantly, I have a healthy, happy, beautiful, sweet, PERFECT in every way, baby of my dreams. Thank you God!!

Dear Pearce...

2012-01-20T17:17:00.000-06:00

Dear Pearce,
In just a few days you will be welcomed into the world. You have so many people who love you and have been praying for your safe arrival and are just so excited to finally meet you. But, my love, no one is more excited or anxious for your arrival than me, your mommy. I have longed to be a mommy for so long and now you are going to make my dream come true. I try to imagine who you will look like, how big you'll be, what your cry will sound like for the first time, what you'll feel like when I hold you, but I honestly just can't. You have been a hope and a prayer for such a long time, it's just hard for me to imagine. I am looking forward to just holding you and looking at every precious part of you. I want to kiss your sweet baby cheeks. I want to rock you and sing to you. I'm looking forward to taking you on walks in your stroller and showing you off to everyone I know. Your daddy and I will try our hardest to be the best parents we can be to you. I know we will make some mistakes, but one thing that is absolutely for sure is that you will be loved and cherished for the miracle you are. Mommy and daddy are all ready for you. If you would like to come before the 25th, that is fine with us! If you are all snug inside of me, that's o.k. too....I've waited a LONG time for you...I can wait a few more days. I love you, my sweet baby boy.

Love,
Mommy

38 weeks!

2012-01-18T19:38:00.000-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 38 weeks, 4 days

Size of baby: He's about 6 1/2- 7 pounds and between 18-20 inches.
Weight gain: I have gained a total of 35 pounds so far. At my last doctor's appt., my nurse said I actually lost a pound which is common at the end.

Maternity Clothes: Nothing but maternity clothes although there are just a few outfits left that fit right and are comfortable now.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: I feel more jabs and pointy parts. I feel him down really low. What's weird is to feel him low AND up by my ribs. I feel his heel all the time in the left part of my stomach.
Sleep: Sooooo much better now that I'm on maternity leave. I still have to get up several times a night to go to the bathroom, but I know I can sleep in if I want to.

Symptoms: TONS of Braxton Hicks contractions. I feel more pressure down low. I've noticed that if I sit too long, my joints are VERY sore when I get up. Right now, the old lady hose are not helping as much with my feet swelling.

Cravings: Not craving anything specific now. Last night I did really want to go to Dairy Queen...I NEVER go to Dairy Queen. I just saw a commercial and the ice cream looked so good. I didn't go though.

What I miss: Nothing! I am just so ready to hold my baby in my arms!

Best moment this week: Going to the doctor to hear his heart beat. I also made a new friend and went out to lunch with her on Tuesday. She happened to find my blog and then realized we were both in Austin. Then we found out we both live in Cedar Park just minutes from each other. She's having a boy just a month later than me AND she knows one of the 2nd grade teachers at my school! Talk about a small world!! Hey Elizabeth! We're going to have so much fun with our babies!!

What I am looking forward to: January 25th...or if he decides to come earlier, I would be just fine with that!
How's that scar looking? Horrible, but oh well.

Belly Button: F-L-A-T :)

We crossed off the last "to do" item off our list this week. We are totally ready for Pearce to come. I've been trying to straighten the house each day to keep it nice and clean in case he decides to come early or just so that I don't have to do a lot before the c-section on Wednesday. One week. One week (or it still could be less) until Chris and I become parents. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

37 weeks and impromptu photo shoot :)

2012-01-07T18:41:00.000-06:00

*Charlotte must be thinking, "That is one big tummy!"

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 37 weeks in the pic

Size of baby: He's continuing to gain about an ounce a day. He's about 6 1/2- 7 pounds and between 18-20 inches.
Weight gain: I go to the doctor today, so we'll see!

Maternity Clothes: Nothing but maternity clothes although there are just a few outfits left that fit right and are comfortable now.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: I feel more jabs and pointy parts. I feel him down really low. What's weird is to feel him low AND up by my ribs. I feel his heel all the time in the left part of my stomach.
Sleep: Still hit and miss. I continue to be sooo sleepy during the day. I just have to make it through this week of school, and then I can finally take it easy.

Cravings: Lately it's been Whataburger!

What I miss: Nothing! Wellll...actually that's not true. When Ash was here this past weekend, she wanted to use her Christmas money to get new clothes. She got so many cute things and I found myself wishing I could be buying the same things. But then I quickly shook that thought out of my head and told myself I would gladly wear the small amount of maternity clothes that actually fit and are comfortable for the next couple of weeks. I will then work hard to get back to my pre-pregnancy body and then go shopping....Mom, will you take me???? :-)

Best moment this week: Just reaching 37 weeks and knowing that if Pearce decides to come early, he would be just fine!!

What I am looking forward to: Friday...MATERNITY LEAVE begins!!
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: F-L-A-T :)

**No stretch marks yet!!**

Ash took my 37 week pictures, but she decided we needed to do a mini maternity photo shoot :) It was fun...I'm glad I have these now.

One excited Mommy-to-be!

My weekend with Ash and Baby Charlotte

2012-01-07T18:03:00.001-06:00

This weekend was Cotton Bowl weekend, so Chris went to Dallas to hang with the guys on Thursday night. Ash and Charlotte came to Austin to hang with me. They stayed Thursday through Sunday and we had the best time! My kids were so excited to see Ashley walk into the classroom on Friday!

The kids LOVED Charlotte. They wanted to play with her and love on her. Here she is playing with two of my sweet little girls

Apparently, Charlotte thought my room needed a little cleaning.

Ash read a book to my kids. She used to teach 2nd grade. She definitely has not lost her touch.

Charlotte enjoyed listening to the story too :)

Friday night we came home to cheer on the Hogs!! Before the game started, I asked Charlotte if she would like me to paint her nails. What do you think her answer was?

We got busy getting beautiful. She was so still.

In the middle of me painting her nails, she just leaned over and gave me a kiss! What a sweet girl!!!

Are these not the cutest little feet ever? Thank goodness the Hogs won!! That game (actually just about every Razorback game) nearly gave me a heart attack! We did great though, and I was so happy all of the guys were at the game and left in good moods!!!

Saturday morning, we got up and got dressed and headed out to do some shopping. Ash and Charlotte looked so cute, so we had a little photo shoot. I think Charlotte's hair looks so cute in doggie ears!

Pretty girl!

What a doll!!

We spent so much time doing our photo shoot, that by the time we got in the car to leave we were hungry and headed to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch! I just can't get enough of this little cutie!!

We did some shopping and then came home to do some more little chores around the house and just hang out. Ash helped me install the car seat (what?!), she helped me figure out the baby monitor (OMG!), we looked at baby announcements (for real???), and picked out songs for the slideshow my librarian/photographer will use when she does Pearce's newborn photos (WOW). I just can't believe we are so close now!! I remember at the beginning of my pregnancy, I had many fears, but one main fear was going into pre-term labor. I am SO incredibly thankful that I've now made it to 37 weeks. Although we have a c-section scheduled for the 25th, Pearce can safely come any time between now and then. I just can't believe my dreams will come true any day now. ANY DAY NOW!!!!!

36 weeks!!

2012-01-06T19:26:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness. I just cannot believe I am reaching the end of this pregnancy!!! Only 19 days until my c-section on the 25th!!! Two nights ago, Chris and I were talking about it. He said he is just so excited and that he doesn't get excited about many things. Hearing him talk about about our baby immediately brought tears to my eyes...surprise, surprise :) The more he talked about it, the more teary eyed I got. I didn't want to ruin the moment by becoming a blubbering idiot, so I started playing with Daisy while discreetly wiping my eyes. He saw me and asked what was wrong. I quickly said nothing was wrong..just that I got some lotion in my eyes. Ha! I of course am excited for myself and know I will instantly fall in love with my baby, but to see Chris with his baby boy???? It's going to totally melt my heart. He is going to be the BEST daddy and I just can't wait to experience parenthood with him. We said we just want to figure things out together...not get stressed out about little things that don't matter. I just can't wait!!!!!!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 36 weeks, 6 days in the pic

Size of baby: He's continuing to gain about an ounce a day. He's about 6 1/2 pounds and between 18-20 inches.
Weight gain: Gained 2 more pounds...I weigh about 137 right now. So far I've gained about 32 pounds...whoa!

Maternity Clothes: Nothing but maternity clothes.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: I feel more jabs and pointy parts. I feel him down really low. What's weird is to feel him low AND up by my ribs.
Sleep: Sleep has not been good. I get up almost every hour to go to the bathroom. I am also so tired during the day. I can't wait until next Friday when I start maternity leave...at least then I can take little naps. I'm definitely NOT complaining at all, just wanting to remember this change!

Symptoms: LOTS of Braxton Hicks contractions. I have felt a little bit of pressure down low, but nothing bad. Achy joints and back. Swelling isn't too bad anymore since I wear my old lady hose :) I can tell he's dropped down in the past day, which is crazy!

Cravings: Lately it's been Whataburger!

What I miss: Nothing!
Best moment this week: Starting weekly doctor visits! I went on Wednesday and everything is great. I got to hear is sweet heart beating and he is head down.

What I am looking forward to: Getting to 37 weeks and then maternity leave next Friday!!
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: F-L-A-T :)

**No stretch marks yet!!**

Nothing but belly pics :)

2012-01-05T12:08:00.000-06:00

Here is the progression so far:

7 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

22 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

27 weeks

28 weeks

29 weeks

30 weeks

32 weeks

33 weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

36 week post coming tonight.....I've been so busy!!!

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!!!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!! Chris was away helping a friend open his restaurant, so I rang in the new year with two fatties :)

This little girl stayed up with me...

This little boy, did not...

I have a feeling 2012 is going to be the best year yet!!

35 weeks!

2011-12-29T14:53:00.000-06:00

So, I am now 35 weeks, 5 days pregnant. I just can't believe how fast this last part of pregnancy is going! I remember when I first started this blog and added the ticker, it was something like "Only 200 days to go!" Now the ticker says "30 days!!!!" I am just so thankful that this pregnancy has been pretty uneventful...until last week and this week. I have had the worse cold with a bad cough and congestion. I felt like I was getting better, but over the weekend and the first part of this week, my cough got pretty bad and I just could not get any good sleep. I didn't want to take any medicine, but Chris finally convinced me to call my doctor because in Chris' words, "You sound like a smoker whose been smoking a pack a day for years." Lovely! So, I called my doctor and he told me a few over the counter medicines I can take plus he got me an antibiotic just in case. I am finally starting to feel better! I'm just glad I've had these past two weeks to rest and take it easy!

Wow...I didn't realize how tired I look in this pic! At least I did brush my hair and put on some lip gloss!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 35 weeks, 4 days in the pic

Size of baby: Over 5 1/2 pounds and 18 1/2 inches long. He's running out of room because he is now gaining about an ounce a day!
Weight gain: I weigh about 135 right now.

Maternity Clothes: While on Christmas break, I've been living in my soft, stretchy pants and t-shirts.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: Still like stretches and rolls. I still enjoy feeling him get the hiccups.
Sleep: Definitely more restless sleep. I have to get up at least 4-5 times during the night and I find it's harder to go back to sleep. Having a cold has definitely hurt my sleep...I guess I need to get used to that, though!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions, still have an itchy belly, and I have very sore joints when I get up in the morning.

Cravings: Food in general!

What I miss: Nothing!
Best moment this week: Everything is marked off the list as far as the nursery goes!! We ordered the remaining must-haves from our registry, got the nursery closet organized, and set up the computer in our room AND bassinet in our room.

What I am looking forward to: Getting to 37 weeks and then maternity leave in a few weeks!!
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: F-L-A-T :)

Even though I've been sick, Chris and I were still able to finish a few minor projects. Ashley saved all of Nathan's clothes and about a month or so ago, she and I went through them all and got only the clothes that were in good condition and would work for Pearce's age/season. Well, I had about 5 trash bags FULL of clothes ranging in size from newborn to 4T! I've been washing and organizing them and finally finished by putting them in these containers with a label. There are 6 containers that contain clothes from 12 months-4T PLUS two containers of shoes! Anything under 12 months, I hung up in the closet or put them away in drawers. Thank you Auntie Ashley!!!!

Here's the closet when you first open it. See the containers at the top?

It took FOREVER to wash and organize these clothes, but I am so thankful to have them now!!

Yep, I think Pearce is set for a while! Plus, since Nathan was Ashley's first, she really spared no expense toward his clothes...Gymboree, GAP, Janie and Jack....ahhh....I'm so lucky!

I am so excited about this! This is Pearce's little "nest" I bought from Etsy. I always dreamed of having one of these for newborn pictures, so when I found out I was pregnant, I got on Etsy and ordered one!

I can just picture him all snuggled and curled up in this. I can't wait!!

I also ordered this diaper cover and hat from the same lady. Isn't this so cute! Again....I always dreamed of having my baby wear something like this for newborn pics.

This was one of my projects I wanted to do during the break. It's a blessing ring. I saved all of the cards people gave with gifts plus the ribbon that came on his gifts. I punched a hole in the corner of each card and about every 4th card, tied a ribbon. Such a neat reminder of how loved this little baby already is.

Here's another one of my projects sitting in the guest room :) I know it's still a little early, but I had the time and decided why not! I had fun getting all of the things together that I would need....travel toiletries, two cheap (but actually pretty cute) nightgowns from WalMart, a robe, slippers, comfy coming home outfit for me, and a few other things. Chris always jokes about how I start packing for a trip WAY ahead of time...well, I guess I can't argue with that :)

And the final project. Since the nursery took the place of our office, I've been without a computer. I was able to use Chris' laptop, but that's his work laptop and it was such a pain waiting for him to get off it...or not being able to use it at all because he was out of town! We've had this desk and it was just a matter of moving out an old chair and bringing this in and setting everything up. This desk was my grandmother's, Mama Pearce. Remember how I wrote about the lamps that are in the nursery? Well, this was another one of her things that I got. At the time, I had no idea what we would do with it, but now I am so glad I got it! It fits perfectly in this corner. We had hopes of refinishing it, but we just never got around to it. I actually don't mind the scratches and "wear" that it shows. I totally remember sitting at this desk at Mama Pearce's and drawing or helping her make a grocery list. The chair is the same chair she had, too! It's nothing fancy, but I love it! Oh, and if you open the center compartment, there's a very old typewriter in there...pretty cool!

Last project...getting this little froggy mounted on the guest bathroom wall for all of the bath toys. I know Pearce won't need this for a while, but it makes me smile when I go in there :)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T13:29:00.000-06:00

This was the first Christmas Chris and I have spent alone. We usually alternate between our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we were supposed to go to Little Rock to be with Chris' family, but my doctor said, "I strongly advise you to not travel from now on." So, Chris and I had our last Christmas where it was just the two of us. Although we did miss seeing our families, we really have enjoyed spending this time together. We also got everything finished with the nursery which is a HUGE weight off my shoulders!

Here are our first two babies just chillin'

I mean really....how cute are they?

Awww....SO CUTE!!!!

Christmas morning, Otis got a new bone!

He has such a baby-face in this pic!

There's Mr. Fatty!

Daisy got a new rope toy since she destroyed her other one. She LOVED it!!

My sweet girl!

Christmas night, we got together with another couple, Andy and Nandini. Here are the guys just chillaxin'

Mommy and Daddy to-be :)

Nandini and Andy. Aren't they the cutest couple? They have been such sweet friends to me and Chris. They are so excited about Pearce's arrival and have said over and over that they will babysit whenever we want....well, o.k.!!!!

Me, Pearce :) and Nandini

For dinner, we went to Kobe, a Japanese Steakhouse. We were so surprised that it was SOOOOO crowded! We had the best time and best dinner!

Although we weren't with our true family for Christmas, spending it with Andy and Nandini was the next best thing!

34 weeks!!

2011-12-23T21:12:00.000-06:00

This pic was taken last night on my way to a surprise birthday party. Chris was already there, so I just took my own pic....plus it was the first day I actually put on cute clothes AND makeup :)

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 34 weeks, 5 days in the pic

Size of baby: About 5 1/2 pounds and 18 1/2 inches long.
Weight gain: I weigh about 135 right now.

Maternity Clothes: While on Christmas break, I've been living in my soft, stretchy pants and t-shirts.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions, still have an itchy belly, and I have very sore joints when I get up in the morning.

Cravings: Food in general!

What I miss: Nothing!
Best moment this week: Just being able to take it easy and not have a whole lot to do. We just have a few organizing things to do for the nursery and a few more things to get, but everything is pretty much done.

What I am looking forward to: Maternity leave in just a couple weeks!!
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: F-L-A-T :)

**Only 15 days until full term and 36 days until due date...SO CRAZY!!!**

Class Baby Shower

2011-12-16T14:21:00.001-06:00

My class had a small baby shower for me this afternoon! It was so fun and and kids LOVED it!

One of my moms made the diaper cake. It was so cute!

How awesome are these cupcakes? Chris will be so proud that the moms knew we are Razorbacks! Actually, it was one of my little girls that told her mom to make Razorback cupcakes. Good girl, Avery!

Look at this cute banner!

Seeing his name makes me smile :)

Here's one of the moms that helped put it all together. Just FYI...I don't usually wear sweat pants and a t-shirt to school, but today was our school-wide pajama/comfy clothes day :)

My sweet kids

Present time! I had 5 gifts, so each table group got to come and give me my gift. Pearce got this fun toy where you move the beads all around wire loops. Obviously he won't be able to play with it for a while, but I know he will love it as he gets older because all my kids wanted to do was play with this toy!

Here's another group

Pearce got a cute pair of jeans and a onesie from the Gap!

LOVED these cute socks! The moms said these are the best socks because they actually stay on the baby's feet...and they look like sneakers!

I got a really neat scrapbook that has all kinds of neat stickers and labels...I've never done a scrapbook before, but I think this "kit" will make it easy to make a really cute book!

The last present was a daddy diaper bag! How sweet of the parents to think about Chris. It's a really nice looking diaper bag. I can't wait to show Chris!

My sweet class. I really lucked out with getting such a sweet group of kids this year!!

Here are the two moms that put the shower together. Sherrie and her son, Grant and Ashley and her daughter, Avery. Such sweet moms and kids!!

I have exactly 25 minutes until Christmas Break starts and I cannot wait! This is probably going to be my drink of choice during the break :)

33 weeks!!

2011-12-16T09:33:00.001-06:00

I was on my way to a holiday party and I wore this top. This is not maternity, but it worked!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 33 weeks, 5 days in the pic

Size of baby: About 5 pounds and 18 inches long. Wow! To think he is already bigger than me when I was born is crazy!
Weight gain: Who knows! I go to the doctor on Monday, so I'll find out then.

Maternity Clothes: I have been so thankful to Ashley for saving all of her clothes. I really didn't have to buy much at all. Still wearing the support hose :)
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: I just loved to feel Pearce move all around. It's obvious he is now starting to run out of room because his movements are more like stretches and rolls. I still enjoy feeling him get the hiccups. Actually, that's always been my favorite :)
Sleep: It seems like the past week or so, my sleep has been a little more restless. It seems I have to get up at least 4 times during the night to go to the bathroom. I've just felt less rested when I wake up. But, do you think I care? That's right!

Symptoms: Definitely more Braxton Hicks contractions, still have an itchy belly, and I have very sore joints when I get up in the morning.

Cravings: Now, it's been holiday treats. Pearce had a great time during my classroom holiday party...he really loved the sweets!

What I miss: Honestly, nothing. I am just so thankful.

Best moment this week: My class is having a small baby shower for me this afternoon. How sweet!
What I am looking forward to: Christmas break where I can do nothing but rest and relax....oh and finish his laundry, get his closet organized, meet with a pediatrician, go to Babies R Us....whew...there's still a lot to do!! Also, getting to 34 weeks tomorrow!
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: F-L-A-T :)

I was talking to my mom yesterday and she was telling me how excited she and Daddy are. Her friends keep trying to plan things for her to do in January and she tells them to not count her in on anything because she's waiting for her grandbaby to come :) I told her that I now feel like I really am going to get to take a baby home. I'm feeling more confident about that and it just makes me sooooo incredibly happy I can hardly stand it!!

32 weeks and Baby Shower Pics!

2011-12-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I know I skipped 31 weeks. Sorry baby!!! It's just because the week after Thanksgiving was so crazy!!! I just could not get it together, so I never took my 31 week pic :( But, here I am at 32 weeks! Below are the baby shower pics, too...so get ready for picture overload!!

I had to take my own pic this time. Don't you love my lovely outfit? I have been soooo tired this week!

So crazy to see my belly button all flat!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 32 weeks, 5 days in the pic

Size of baby: We had an ultrasound yesterday and my baby boy weighs 4 pounds, 13 ounces and is in the 57th percentile for growth!!! Keep growing strong Pearce!!!

Weight gain: I'm up about 30 pounds so far...geeze, that seems like a lot!

Maternity Clothes: LOVING them. My new must have are my support hose. These are the "old lady" support hose that improve circulation and minimize leg and ankle swelling. My legs and feet have been so swollen lately that I just had to try these. LOVE! They're not the prettiest things, but they do the job and my legs and feet are very happy now :) I wear them EVERY day...I even wore them under my sweatpants when I was out running errands...yes, that's how much I love them.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: YES! He still gets the hiccups just about every day. I can tell now that his movements are a little more like stretches. I guess he's starting to get a little more cramped, so he doesn't have room for all of his acrobatics anymore. I feel more "pointy" parts and "round" parts. I'm guessing I feel a heel and maybe his bottom or head? The doctor yesterday said he is head down with his head pointing to my right leg and his feet are by my ribs on the left side. So I have been feeling little baby feet!!
Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Still having reflux, swollen feet, more Braxton Hicks contractions, itchy belly, and I have very sore joints when I get up int he morning....and LOVING all of it!

Cravings: Lately, it's been Starbucks: Decaf Mocha. I drink a ton of water all the time, so Starbucks is my little treat :)

What I miss: Honestly, nothing. I am just so thankful.

Best moment this week: I got to hear his heartbeat on Monday AND seeing him on an ultrasound yesterday!!! It was a very quick appointment and at first I was kind of sad they didn't spend more time looking at him, but then I quickly realized that I was glad there wasn't much to look at....everything was perfect and just as it should be!!
What I am looking forward to: Christmas break where I can do nothing but rest and relax....oh and finish his laundry, get his closet organized, meet with a pediatrician, go to Babies R Us....whew...there's still a lot to do!!
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: F-L-A-T :)

Baby Shower Pics!!

Here are the wonderful hostesses: Ashley, Lindsay, Christie, Sarah, and Nandini

The beautiful cake and guest favors.

We had two big tables full of sweet guests!

On both tables were baby pictures of Chris and me. I gave Christie my baby book and she just went through it and scanned pics. She came across this song that I wrote when I was in 2nd grade titled, "Every Girl Needs a Man." HA!!! I totally remember writing this on the back of a lunch menu. The lyrics go like this: "Every girl needs a man. Someone to dream about, someone to care about and most of all, someone to scream about. Every time I see your face, I think of you." And then there's a part about how if you don't have a man, you'll never make it "out into the open." Ha! I just about died when I saw Christie incorporated this into the shower!

Christie's husband, Mike is a genius when it comes to making movie posters. Christie gave me a list of poses Chris and I had to do and then email them to her. I had no idea what it was for, but found out at the shower!

Judy and Margaret Ann. They used to teach 1st grade with me and were always soooo sweet. They are both now retired and enjoying life!

My beautiful niece, Alexandra

My mother-in-law, Lora. Lora got Pearce a silver monogrammed brush and comb set. It is so sweet and baby looking!

Mom, Jen, Alexandra, Ash, and Me

My other mother-in-law, Edie. Cliff and Edie got us our stroller! It is so cute and I just can't wait to take Pearce for strolls around the neighborhood!

Me, Marla, Meredith, and Ash. I went to high school with Marla and college with Meredith. They both now live in Dallas and I was so happy they came!!

My sweet friend, Heather. She and I met through an infertility support group. She struggled with secondary infertility but is now pregnant exactly one month behind me with a precious baby girl!!!

My sweet friends from school, Kristin and Erin

More school friends! Sarah, Casey, and Jessica

Remember in the last post I told you about the guest favors? Well, mom just read the card :)

Mom and I LOVE holding babies. This sweet baby girl is Aubrey, the daughter of one of Chris' friends from work.

Time to open presents!

The tears flowed off and on as I opened presents and read cards.

More tears of of sheer happiness :)

This little cutie is Charlotte. She is the daughter of another one of Chris' friends from work. Her mom, Elizabeth, said Charlotte was so excited to go to a party! She was all dressed up and looked sooo cute!

My parents got us a video camera!!!

Thank you mom and dad!!!!!

Isn't this baby sling so cute? Helen, Ashley's mother-in-law, got it for me.

I just love seeing Pearce's name monogrammed on things :)

Charlotte striking a pose!

This painting was such a surprise!!! Adriana painted this for me to put above Pearce's crib. I always thought Ashley was going to paint individual letters for me to hang above his crib, but Ashley and Adriana had other plans :) It just looks so cute in his nursery and is such a symbol of love from my sweet friend!

Surprise, surprise...CRYING!

Our former music teacher, Elizabeth Lazar.

The hostesses with their gift from me. I found these cute fingerless gloves at a shop in Dallas and thought they would be perfect for Texas winter :) I kind of wish I had gotten myself a pair now!

Nandini and me

Me and Christie

Here are some pics of the nursery. This is after my friends worked hard at getting it all decorated and organized. I am just in love with his nursery!

I saw this sign on another person's blog that I read and just fell in love with it. I think it looks so cute hanging above the door to his room.

I love this shelf. I got it at Hobby Lobby for CHEAP! I think his little clothes look so sweet hanging there. My mom made the gown on the left, I got the red and white striped gown in Fayetteville with Adriana, and the other white outfit will be his going home outfit. It has a cute little hat to go with it. I got the "P" at Hobby Lobby, too

I got this print of vintage toys off of Amazon. I think I just love the colors and it looks so sweet, too. You can also see the lamps from Mama Pearce. I got them re-wired and Lora found the lamp shades. I think they look absolutely perfect!

I got the two pictures at the top of the changing table hutch from Hobby Lobby...I love Hobby Lobby! I also got the train on the top shelf and the red truck on the bottom shelf from there. I've since added some books to the shelves, but you get the idea. We also put a basket with diapers next to the changing pad, but at the time, it wasn't up yet. See that bear on the top shelf on the left? It plays Peek-a-boo!

One happy mommy-to-be sitting in the glider. Oh, I just can't wait to rock Pearce and look in his sweet eyes and kiss his sweet face.

See the picture hanging above the glider? I need to get a close up of it, but I ordered this off of Etsy. I came across a poem that summed up my feelings exactly and then I was able to find someone who could make it into a picture frame with the poem at the bottom. The poem goes like this:

Before you were conceived, I wanted you

Before you were born, I loved you

Before you were here an hour, I would give my life for you

This is the miracle of life

~Maureen Hawkins

I love the crib mobile! I need to get the sleeve that goes on the arm of it. It goes perfectly with the bedding!

Isn't this little bear cute? Lora got it for the nursery. She also got a cute pillow made from the paisley fabric...I need to get a pic of that!

The girls that made my nursery beautiful!!

Baby Shower details!!

2011-12-05T13:07:00.000-06:00

On Saturday December 3rd, I had my second baby shower. My sister has all the pics, so I just want to write down the details now and I'll share pics as soon as she gets them to me. This shower was absolutely AMAZING! I was totally blown away by the amount of love for Pearce and I that filled the room. The details that the hostesses put into the shower was just above and beyond anything I could have imagined.

So, on Friday my mom and Ashley came into town. My mother-in-law, Lora also came a few days early. We all went out to lunch and did a little shopping. Then it was time to pick up my friend, Adriana from the airport. I have been friends with Adriana since high school and it meant so much to me that she would fly from Fayetteville, AR to come to my shower. I dropped her and Ashley off at Babies R Us so that she could do a little shower shopping :) I went to Hobby Lobby to get decorative accents for the nursery. Our plan that night was to have Ashley and Adriana help me hang pictures and finish decorating the nursery. They got right to work and I am just in love with how my nursery looks. I can't wait to post pics! The two of them hung pictures, the shelf, the growth chart, decided where the decorative accents should go, and organized the drawers.

On Saturday we all slept in a little and then started getting ready for my shower!  Two other high school friends and one college friend came into town on Saturday and just met us at the shower. The fact that all of these friends made the effort to come in from out of town, meant so much to me!! I had to drop Ashley off early since she was one of the hostesses, so I just waited outside the restaurant. They had it at Maudie's which is an awesome Mexican food restaurant. Finally, it was time to go in. The hostesses were: Ashley, Christie, Lindsay, Sarah, and Nandini.  I was blown away by the amount of guests that actually came!  My close friends from school came, other close friends, and several family members!

The cake was sooo cute! It was light blue with blue and brown paisley on top and a big blue on top, too! That cake was soooo yummy, too! It was chocolate on the inside. Lindsay's neighbor made the cake. I looked at the two long tables and noticed all kinds of pictures of me and Chris as babies! Oh my gosh, all of the pics were sooo cute! What a fun touch to add! I kept saying to myself "Don't cry, don't cry." I just really didn't want to cry because I wanted to really soak in everything. I did wear waterproof mascara, though, just in case. Well good thing, because then I saw the favors that all of the guests would get. It was a cinnamon scented candle wrapped in blue netting with a cute bow and a tag that said: "Thank you for coming to the shower. From Carrie's bun in the oven. Light this candle when you hear of Pearce's birth." When I read that, I just lost it. What a sweet touch and the thought of everyone lighting a candle in honor of him???? Oh my gosh, I just could not stop crying.  I thought, oh well, it's all over with now and I asked my mom to read it....she lost it too. From then on, I was just a blubbering mess. Oh! There was also a poster that looked just like the movie poster from Knocked Up except my face and Chris' face was on the actors! It was soooo funny!

Everyone got to enjoy appetizers of chips and queso, salsa, nachos, and quesadillas. What shower food is better than that?! Then it was time for me to start opening presents, and let me tell you, there were a TON to open! Once again, the tears started flowing as a read the sweetest cards and received the nicest gifts. I know I said this before, but I was just amazed at the love that all of my sweet friends and family had for Pearce and I. Pearce is one loved little baby, and he's not even here yet! I can't wait to show you the pictures of the wonderful gifts we received. All I can say, is that I'm so glad Jen brought her van because otherwise, there's no way we would have fit everything in my car.

So we all went home and mom and Jen and Alexandra came over to see the finished nursery. All of my friends from out of town stayed at my house: Adriana, Marla, Meredith, and Katie. They all got to work going through the gifts, opening them, and putting them away in the nursery. Then, they made a list of must-haves I still needed, so off to Babies R Us we went!  We went up and down the aisles and the girls just said, "Ok, you'll need this, you'll need that, etc..." At the end of the shopping trip, I had my crib mattress, Diaper Genie, diapers, wipes, towels, a thermometer, nail clippers, files, diaper ointment, and a bunch of other stuff. The total came out to $300.00, but with the gift cards I already had, the total came out to $100!!! I'd say that's a pretty good shopping trip! I treated the girls to dinner at Panera and then back to my house we went. Oh wait! We had to make a stop at Walgreen's because Meredith was battling a sinus infection and started feeling terrible. So terrible that she started crying at Babies R Us :( So, Dr. Stacey (Adriana) called in an antibiotic for her and we went to pick it up. It took forever to get it because they were having a problem with the insurance and then the pharmacist was asking about the doctor and Marla said, "Look, we've got the doctor and the patient in the car with us, do you need to talk to them???" It was so funny! Here's this car full of girls and no one would ever think Adriana was an actual doctor because she still looks like she's in high school! We finally got Meredith her medicine and went back home and the girls got to work organizing the nursery! The finishing touch was hanging the painting Adriana did of Pearce's name. Ahhhh...it's just perfect!!!! It looks so cute hanging above his crib.

We stayed up late into the night talking and gossiping just like we did in high school.  I had so much fun with these sweet girls. It's amazing how we can all go a while without actually seeing each other, but when we do get together it's like no time has passed at all. Ashley, Adriana, Marla, Meredith, and Katie....I love you all so much!!! Thank you for coming for the weekend and celebrating my baby boy!!!!!

Ashley, Nandini, Christie, Lindsay, and Sarah...thank you for throwing me the most perfect baby shower! It truly was a dream come true. You all are so special to me and I can't tell you how touched I was at all of the time, effort, and details you put into my shower. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

PICS COMING SOON!!

This time last year....

2011-12-01T10:47:00.000-06:00

It was around this time last year (actually Dec. 2) when we began our first attempt at IVF. Here's the timeline that I wrote in my journal:

12-2 Start Follistim at 300 units in evening
12-3 A.M. Decrease Lupron to 5 units, Follistim still 300 units in A.M. and P.M.
12-6 Bloodwork in A.M. sonogram at 9:00 (showed I had 3 follicles on the left measuring 8, 8, and 9) and 2 follicles on the right measuring 8, and 4)
12-9 Blood work in A.M. and sonogram at 2:45 (showed only 4 follies that were a good size. There were others but they were way too small. We were probably going to have to convert this IVF to an IUI. I needed at least 10 good size follicles to make IVF worth it.
12-12 Blood work in A.M. and sonogram at 10:00
**My body failed me once again. I only made 4 eggs. I had to give myself the Ovidrel injection to induce ovulation of those eggs and prepare for IUI.**
12-13 and 12-14: IUI.
12-28 BFN

Oh, I remember being devastated when I found out we would not be able to go through with IVF. I was looking so forward to it, I was so full of hope and anticipation. I remember calling Chris and just crying to him and feeling so hopeLESS. I have to say, through all of this, Chris was always hopeFULL. There were so many times when I wished I could feel that way, but after so much disappointment and literally feeling my heart ache for a baby, I just kind of gave up and thought we might never be parents. I have never wanted anything so badly in my life and the thought of it not happening was almost too much to handle for me.  I think I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of never having a baby because after everything we had gone through and tried, that was easier to believe. In the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman:  "The bad stuff is easier to believe." I hate that that's the way I felt at the time, but it is.

Now almost a year later, I feel my baby boy move inside of me and I just am so amazed. God never gave up on me....even when I gave up on Him. I remember one time I was sooooo angry at God.  I was having a pity party for myself and I went to my car and just cried and pounded my fists and yelled at Him. I did the same to my husband.  But, they never gave up on me.

I came across a text message that was sent to me from Chris on December 29, 2010. It said, "I am excited to move full steam ahead with IVF!!!"  We were going to attempt it a second time after I did a few things to get really healthy. That text message made me so happy and gave me hope again. Little did we know we would receive the shock of our lives just 5 months later in May when I found out I was pregnant...without any medical intervention.

And now almost a year later, Chris and I are going to our first baby class and hospital tour tonight! WOW!!! Chris, thank you for sticking by me through all of this. I love you.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T07:52:00.001-06:00

This year, I went to Dallas for Thanksgiving. Chris would have gone with me, but the Razorbacks were playing against LSU in Baton Rouge, so of course he had to go cheer them on! We ended up losing, but I know Chris had fun with his cousin, Darien. I went on Tuesday after school with both dogs. The traffic was horrible going to Dallas, but I finally made it there Tuesday night. Nathan and Charlotte were both still up waiting on me. I loved seeing both of them! Wednesday we got dressed and went to Target. I promised Nathan some light-up tennis shoes and he was sooo excited to pick some out. He looked so cute in them :) We ran a few more errands and then Mom, Jen, Robert, and Alexandra came over to Ashley's house to pick up Nathan to go to Lego-Land. Alexandra stayed with me and Ash and Charlotte. I just could not believe how tall Alexandra was and how grown up looking she looked. She is the PRETTIEST girl! That night we went to mom and dad's for dinner. On Thursday, we had a great Thanksgiving lunch. Ashley cooked the turkey all by herself and it turned out perfectly!! I ate so much during lunch that I absolutely could not eat another bite the rest of the day....I almost could not even drink water!! Here are some pics from Thanksgiving 2011:

My little buddy waited up for me :)

Charlotte sure did enjoy giving the dogs scraps of food...they loved it too!

This is what Otis looks like after a full day of play with Nathan and Charlotte...ha!

Getting ready for Thanksgiving lunch. What a pretty baby! She loves to look pretty. Mama made this dress. Is it not the cutest?!

And here is the cook! Look at that turkey! It was as delicious as it looks. Good job Ash!

Nathan had so much fun with Robert! Here they are making guns out of legos...typical boys :)

Here's Jen's family with one bonus family member :) Alexandra, Jen, and Robert.

Mama...aka "Baby Hog."

Grandma and Nathan. Grandma looked so pretty!!

My beautiful 15 year old niece! Look how cute and stylish she is!!

Wayne and Daddy

Sisters :)

Grandma loved holding Charlotte. She just slept and slept on Grandma.

This is how we all felt after eating our Thanksgiving lunch!!

Nathan and Grandmother (Wayne's mom)

The Birthday Girls! Alexandra's birthday was on the 22nd and Mom's was on the 24th...Thanksgiving Day!

Daddy got mom a new iPhone 4!!!!!!!! We were all a little jealous.

Look who woke up!

Money for shopping...always a good choice of gift for a teenager!

Here are the dogs eating their Thanksgiving dinner. I put little pieces of turkey in each of their bowls and boy, were they in HEAVEN!!

Friday me, Ash, Jen, and Alexandra went to The Dry Bar. It's a hair place where all they do is wash and then style your hair. You can choose from several different looks. We all went with some type of curl. I never wear my hair that way, so it was fun to do something completely different.

The finished product! I looked totally different with curls in my hair! What a fun thing to do with the girls!

Daisy is WORN out! Nathan loved chasing Daisy around the house and Daisy loved having someone to run after and play with! On the way home, she slept the WHOLE way and even when we got home she slept the rest of the day. Nathan is so great with my two dogs....even naughty Daisy :)

Charlotte used to be a little unsure about the dogs, but she has definitely warmed up to them now. Daisy of course, loves her!

Two cute little girls!

I had such a fun time seeing everyone. It was kind of weird thinking this was the last time I would travel anywhere until after Pearce comes :)

30 Weeks!!

2011-11-25T21:56:00.000-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 30 weeks, 6 days

Size of baby: Pearce weighs almost 3 pounds and is a little over 15.7 inches long from head to heels.

Weight gain: I'm up about 24 pounds so far...geeze, that seems like a lot!

Maternity Clothes: LOVING them.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: YES! I feel more and more of his body parts now. I'm not sure what they are, but I think I can feel his bottom sometimes and I also feel something pointy...maybe a foot or knee or elbow. He still gets the hiccups every day, several times a day! Ashley got to see him in action and she was amazed at how much he moved around.

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Still having reflux, swollen feet, a little back pain, and a few Braxton Hicks contractions.

Cravings: Lately, it's been Starbucks: Decaf Mocha. I drink a ton of water all the time, so Starbucks is my little treat :)

What I miss: Honestly, nothing. I am just so thankful.

Best moment this week: I got to hear his heartbeat on Monday AND my doctor set his birthdate: January 25!!

What I am looking forward to: My second baby shower is coming up on December 3!! I am so excited to see everyone and celebrate my baby boy!
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: Pretty flat now.

Right now, I am still in Dallas for Thanksgiving Break. Just for fun, here is a picture of Otis. Do you see that long string of drool hanging off his mouth? That's because he was watching Charlotte eat her peanut butter sandwich :)

And here is my beautiful niece who turned 15 on the 22nd. She's way taller than me and oh so stylish! I just can't believe she is growing up so fast! Charlotte LOVED being with Alexandra.

29 weeks!

2011-11-16T12:19:00.001-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 29 weeks, 3 days (in the picture)

Size of baby: Pearce weighs about 2 1/2 pounds, about the size of a butternut squash. He is a little over 15 inches long from head to heels.

Weight gain: I'm up about 24 pounds so far...geeze, that seems like a lot!

Maternity Clothes: LOVING them.
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: YES! He is moving SO much. He doesn't roll around as much now...it's mostly like little kicks and stretches. Sometimes his little jabs catch me off guard because they are so strong. I can feel more little parts from my stomach now. I just absolutely love it when he gets the hiccups which are quite often.

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Reflux....YUCK! I've been experiencing a little bit of heartburn, but not too bad. I think the cankles are here to stay! I've been pretty tired lately, too.

Cravings: Really just food. But, I do feel like I get fuller much faster. I guess my stomach is starting to get cramped.

What I miss: Honestly, nothing. I am just so thankful.

Best moment this week: Knowing I am officially in the THIRD TRIMESTER!!! Also, when I walked into Starbucks, a man held the door for me and said "Come on in...both of you." Ha!

What I am looking forward to: Getting the window treatments attached to the window as well as the hutch on his changing table. Then, just putting finishing touches on his nursery.
How's that scar looking? It's gonna be a doozy at the end. It feels really hard...I just don't see how it can stretch more than it has already. But, I don't care!

Belly Button: There is still a slight indentation, but it's pretty much flat now. Chris saw it last night and was totally surprised, maybe slightly grossed out that it was flat :) I kept trying to get him to touch it because it's so smooth and he said NO WAY...ha!

28 weeks and my first baby shower!!!

2011-11-10T08:32:00.000-06:00

How Far Along: 28 weeks, 4 days (in the picture)

Size of baby: Pearce is 14 .8 inches long from head to heels, he weighs about 2 and a quarter pounds, about the size of a Chinese cabbage (once again, what is this?).

Weight gain: I'm up about 24 pounds so far.

Maternity Clothes: LOVING them. I've started wearing my Fall tops and I love that because that means it's getting closer to winter time which also means closer to baby!
Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: YES! He is moving SO much. It feels like he just rolls around and does flips. Sometimes his little jabs catch me off guard because they are so strong. I can feel more little parts from my stomach now. I just absolutely love it when he gets the hiccups which are quite often. As I type right now, he has them :)

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Reflux....YUCK! No heartburn yet. I also have a spot in my upper back that gets sore as the day goes on. It doesn't hurt too bad, just annoying. I think the cankles are here to stay!

Cravings: Really just food. But, I do feel like I get fuller much faster. I guess my stomach is starting to get cramped.

What I miss: Honestly, nothing. I am just so thankful.

Best moment this week: I went to the doctor on Monday and got to hear this heartbeat. I have started going every two weeks now, which I LOVE! Also, my very first baby shower was Wednesday!!

What I am looking forward to: Putting his things away in the nursery. I have another baby shower in December, too!

How's that scar looking? It's kind of reddish now. I can't wait to see what it looks like in 3 more months. My stomach is going to be one heck of a road map!

Belly Button: It's pretty flat now. I don't think I'll have any type of "button" by the time he comes.

Yesterday I had my first baby shower! It was thrown by my First Grade Team at school. I was so excited for this, not because of all of the gifts I would get, but for the experience of having a baby shower. There were times in the past that I wondered if I would ever get to have a baby shower, and now here I am at my own baby shower. My team did such an awesome job planning it!!

Here's my belly up close and personal...thanks Christie!!

My sweet mom came for just the day. She had something going on the day before and the day after, so my dad drove her down. Only my mommy would do that...she said she wouldn't miss this for the world :) I love you, mom!!!

While I opened presents, everyone played a cute game. The theme was "Movies" since I love going to the movie. My teammate, Ashley, read "baby movie quotes" and you had to guess the movie. Whoever won got the coveted "Golden Prego Award." Ha! I knew my friend, Christie, would win because she is a movie GENIUS!!!

And the Golden Prego Award goes to....CHRISTIE!!! I think she got 6 or 7 out of 10 right....some of them were really hard and she got them!

Every table had sacks of popcorn and candy. They also had nachos and soft drinks. My kind of food!!!

Here are all of the sweets. Tons of cute blue cupcakes and my teammate Erin made the cutest alphabet sugar cookies with blue icing drizzled on top. The cookies all spelled his name, PEARCE. So CUTE!!! I wish I had gotten a close up of the cookies. Erin also made the diaper cake. It's filled with all things that I registered for: bottles, pacifiers, toys, and blankets. Isn't it so cute?!

Another unique touch was this tree. The guests made a green thumb print on the branches and then signed their name next to their "leaf." What a neat idea! I can't wait to frame it and hang it in Pearce's nursery!

Time to open presents. When I first started opening, I was holding back tears. I just couldn't believe I was opening presents at MY baby shower! I kept telling myself, "Don't cry, don't cry."

Then I get to this gift...my mom and dad's. As soon as I opened it, I just lost it. My mom had sewn two beautiful day gowns for Pearce. They were so sweet and soft and made with love, I just couldn't hold back the tears anymore. From then on, I cried off and on. Tears of pure JOY and HAPPINESS and THANKFULNESS!

Terrible picture of me, but out of all of the gifts we received, Chris was most excited about this outfit!! He thought this little Nike running suit was awesome...ha!

After I finished opening presents, we played one more game. Melanie, our librarian, asked if my mom was easily offended....ummmm NO! So this is how she started it: "Erika was at Carrie and Chris' house the night Pearce was conceived and this is what she heard through the walls: Awww, it's so cute! Oh, look how little! Oh! Why do I keep crying? Oooh, this is nice! Oh my gosh!" There were lots more, but we were all rolling with laughter!! She wrote down all the things I said while opening presents...just in case you didn't quite catch on to the game. It was so funny!!

My sweet First Grade Team: Tammy, Marjan, Ashley, Me, Rachel, and Erin. Thank you so much for all you did to make this day special for me. I love you girls so much!!!!

We got so many wonderful things for our baby boy. We got a bouncy seat, Bjorn baby carrier, Baby Einstein activity jumper, closet organizer, blankets, clothes, sound machine, gift cards, and several other things! Wow....I am so lucky to work with such sweet people who are genuinely happy for us. What a wonderful day it was!!!!

Teacher's Pet

2011-11-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

I took Otis to school with me last Friday. He is always so good with my kids. He's actually been coming to school with me since he was a puppy. My kids were so excited to have him! They LOVED him! He definitely got lots of love and attention and by the time the day was over, he was doggone tired! One thing the kids loved was taking him outside to go potty :) I would choose a couple kids to hold his leash and together we would take him out. Also, I told my kids that he does slobber, so watch out for that! One little girl noticed he was a little messy when drinking from his water bowl, so every time he got finished taking a drink, she would run over and wipe his mouth :) Here are some pics from the day!

Fatty is waiting for the kids :)

He got lots of love and attention!

He really enjoyed being read to.

The kids LOVED reading to him, too!

Then we of course had to put on his Halloween costume. I think he looks adorable. He thinks he looks ridiculous :)

"Mommy, can you take this off of me now?"

By the end of the day, he was fading. Going...

....Going....

GONE!

Then he perked up when two of his favorite little girls came to visit him! These girls are sisters. Lauren is on the left and Sarah is on the right.

I had Lauren two years ago and Sarah last year.

Here's another one of Otis' buddies. This is Gus. I had him last year. LOVED Gus!

27 weeks, 4 days pregnant and Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

These pics were taken at my friend, Christie's Halloween party. I was a black cat :) On this day I was exactly 27 weeks.

How Far Along: 27 weeks, 4 days

Size of baby: Pearce is 14 1/2 inches long from head to heels, he weighs about 2 pounds, about the size of a head of cauliflower.

Weight gain: I think I'm up about 22 pounds so far.

Movement: YES! Now I KNOW that he knows my touch. The other night, Chris and I were both in bed and he was going crazy. I grabbed Chris' hand and put it on my belly for him to feel AND.....nothing. Chris did feel a little movement and he thought it was so strange, but I wanted him to feel the big, crazy movements! Then Chris would take his hand away and start watching tv again...and then baby started kicking up a storm. I grabbed Chris' hand and put it on my belly AND....nothing again! It was so crazy he would stop when I took my hand off my belly. Oh well! The latest movement I love is him having hiccups. I couldn't wait for me to feel him have hiccups and he actually gets them quite often!

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Reflux....YUCK! No heartburn yet. I also have a spot in my upper back that gets sore as the day goes on. It doesn't hurt too bad, just annoying. I now definitely have CANKLES!

Cravings: Still sweets. Halloween was fun :) I thankfully did my glucose test on Friday, so hopefully that comes back just fine.

What I miss: There are some things I miss, but I hesitate to type them out because when it comes down to it, I really don't care. But now that Fall is here, I do miss my cute Fall shoes. All of my boots are too small. I had some cute sneakers, too, and they are too small. I did just buy two pairs of sneakers, but they're not all that cute. Oh well. I don't have a whole lot longer, so I can do without! I also miss turkey sandwiches from Jason's Deli. I know I can warm up the turkey, but I just can't bring myself to eat any lunch meat.

Best moment this week: Baby furniture came!!!!!!! We haven't unpacked it yet :(

What I am looking forward to: Decorating the nursery with the finishing touches AND....my first baby shower is next Wednesday!

How's that scar looking? It's kind of reddish now. I can't wait to see what it looks like in 3 more months. My stomach is going to be one heck of a road map!

Belly Button: Very shallow.

My friend Christie threw her annual Halloween Party this past Saturday. That's the day I turned 27 weeks, so she took my pic. We had so much fun. Chris couldn't come because he was cheering on the Hogs in Nashville, but several other couples were there. Christie had all kinds of yummy food and drinks. The best part was sitting outside watching a scary movie on the HUGE screen that her husband Mike built. Even though it was chilly, it was so fun!

I wanted to be comfy, but I also wanted to be festive, so I settled for a black cat. You can't really tell in this pic, but I'm holding my tail...ha!

Here's a close-up of how I did my makeup. I think I look pretty cute for coming up with a last minute costume!

Here's the hostess, Christie on the left and our friend Michelle on the right.

Leann and Christie

Veronica, Paige, Michelle, and Paige's husband.

Rachel and her boyfriend, and Veronica's husband.

Here's Leann and her husband Trent. They were dressed as Nicole Simpson and O.J.!!!! See his gloved hand and knife?

The drink table. You can't tell very well, but there's dry ice in that middle bowl and it looked really cool! See that bottle on the right? That's the one I enjoyed....Dr. Pepper :)

The host and hostess

And I had to add this one in. Chris came home Halloween evening from the grocery store and decided that one of our dogs needed to be a bumble bee for Halloween! It would have fit Daisy best, but we knew Otis would let us put it on him, so he was the lucky one. He looked so cute!

26 weeks, 4 days!!

2011-10-26T11:33:00.002-05:00

This pic was taken in the school library because Chris is gone all week.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 26 weeks, 4 days

Size of baby: Pearce is 14 inches long from head to heels, he weighs about a pound and a half, about the size of an English hothouse cucumber. What is that?

Weight gain: I went to the doctor on Monday and my nurse said my weight gain is right on target. I weighed in at 127 pounds...whoa!

Movement: YES! I just love getting into bed and feeling him roll around. I love watching my belly move all over the place. There are times when a kick or movement is so strong that it sort of takes my breath away. It's just amazing! I read that he can recognize his parents' voices and react to them. I totally believe that. When I talk to him I can feel him move. I really think he can also sense my touch. When I put my hand on my belly, he moves where my hand is. I think he knows it's mommy's hand, too. It never fails when someone else touches my belly he won't move, but when I touch it, he does :)

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Reflux....YUCK! No heartburn yet. I also have a spot in my upper back that gets sore as the day goes on. It doesn't hurt too bad, just annoying. BUT I DON'T CARE!

Cravings: Lately it has been sweets. Which is not good since I have to do my glucose screening in the next week!

What I miss: Ummm...nothing!

Best moment this week: Had a doctor's appointment on Monday and everything was great! I just can't help but have the biggest smile on my face when I hear his heart beating away. !!!

What I am looking forward to: The nursery furniture is coming next Tuesday!

How's that scar looking? It's kind of reddish now. I can't wait to see what it looks like in 3 more months. My stomach is going to be one heck of a road map!

Belly Button: Very shallow and fun to play with!

I enter the 3rd trimester at 28 weeks. I can't believe I'm almost there. At times it seems like the days and weeks are crawling and at other times I think WOW....time is flying by! The other day someone asked me when we'll try for a second baby. That question totally caught me off guard. A second baby? How in the world can I think about a second baby when the first one isn't even here yet???? I just told her I had no idea. But I've been thinking about that and I've come to the conclusion that if God just lets me have Pearce, that's all I need. During this whole journey I always told God that if He just lets me have one healthy baby, that would be fine with me. I think deep down I would like for Pearce to have a sibling, but I've already decided that I will not do any fertility treatments. I am done with that! In the end, we didn't need them for Pearce, so if it's God's plan for us to have another baby after Pearce, then great. If not, that is o.k. too. I am just so INCREDIBLY thankful for the sweet baby boy that is growing inside of me. I do not want to be greedy and try for another baby. If it happens, it happens. Afterall that is how we got Pearce...we weren't even "trying" at the time. Anyway, that's just how I feel right now.

Happy 1st Birthday, Daisy!!!

2011-10-23T20:08:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Daisy's 1st birthday tonight......but today wasn't actually her birthday. It was 3 days ago on the 20th. Chris and I felt TERRIBLE that we had missed her birthday. We tried to make ourselves feel better and justify it by saying Otis had his little medical crisis on Thursday and that's why we forgot. Plus, we wouldn't have felt like celebrating anyway because we were so worried about Otis.....but honestly, there really is no excuse. We should have at least acknowledged it that day even if we decided to celebrate it later. All she ever wanted was a family to love her and accept her and make her part of the family. We let her down :(

I've mentioned before how we adopted her from a family in May. The family she was with before did NOTHING with her. She pretty much stayed in her crate most of the day. They were nice people, but they just didn't make time for her. When she came to live with us, she had no training AT ALL. They said she was potty trained, but she wasn't. We worked so hard with her and although she has made a ton of progress with her training and doggy manners, we still have work to do :) But, here's the thing. She tries soooo hard to do the right thing. She just sometimes forgets. She pretty much follows us from room to room. Sometimes it's annoying when you almost trip over her because she's right at your feet, but can you blame her for just wanting to be close to us? She knows we love her and she loves us and she just wants to be by us. Sometimes it's annoying when we're trying to relax and she'll bark at us letting us know she wants to play or wants some type of attention. But, can you blame her for this? She spent the first part of her life in a crate watching 3 kids, mom, and dad going about their business and ignoring her. Can you blame her for wanting to play or just wanting to be loved on? She may be naughty, she may not be as easy to train as Otis was, she may not catch on as quickly, but she loves us and we love her and that's all that matters! Happy Birthday, Daisy! We hope there are many more with you!!!

So, tonight we had a proper birthday party for our girl. I went to the store and got her a birthday ribbon....a Princess birthday ribbon :) I also got her a pink tutu to wear. I was very annoyed with WalMart because they had all kinds of party supplies but no party hats! Then I got a box of Frosty Paws and a new bone for her. BUT....I felt bad just getting her a bone, so I got two....one for Daisy and one for Otis :)

Excited about her Frosty Paws (doggy ice cream)!

Otis is excited too!

Isn't her tutu cute?!

Doggy Heaven :)

Daisy ate hers in about two bites....she tried to get some of Otis'.

Otis didn't feel like sharing :)

Then Daisy got her bone. She LOVED her bone because it was filled with some sort of "peanut butter" mixture :)

See her Birthday Princess ribbon?

Otis LOVES his bone, too!

I think Daisy had a fun birthday celebration. We will not forget next year little girl! We love you even if you are naughty!!!

Poor Otis :(

2011-10-23T18:57:00.000-05:00

On Thursday morning, Chris called me at work to tell me that Otis' eye was swollen and that he has scratched his wrinkle fold and made it really irritated and for me to check on it when I got home. Sometimes Otis' tears kind of drip down and can irritate his skin, that's why we always clean out his wrinkles. He'll sometimes scratch the folds and cause it to get worse. That's what I thought the problem was. When I got home, I found him in the bathroom lying on the tile. He didn't get up or acknowledge me at all. Usually he comes up to me and is excited to see me. I looked at his face and could not believe what I saw. The whole right side of his face was swollen. His right eye was almost swollen shut. I looked at his wrinkle fold and he had scratched it, but then I looked closer at his face and noticed a red rash and sores all over his face. My immediate thought was that he had an allergic reaction to something or was stung or bitten by something. I called Chris to tell him he looked a lot worse than he had and he told me to take him to the vet. I called the vet and they told me to bring him right in. When we got there they took him back and started examining him. A little bit later, Dr. Faught came out to tell me Otis had a 104 degree fever and that he did have an allergic reaction to something....either a substance or a bite or sting....there was no way to know. He got a steroid shot, antibiotics, and an ointment for the area he had scratched so much. Otis was so pitiful that night. All he wanted to do was lay around, but you could tell he was so uncomfortable. Dr. Faught did say that the steroids could cause him to have a seizure because it sometimes interferes with seizure medication. Sure enough, on Friday morning we woke up to Otis having a seizure....he had 3 total :( Chris dropped him off at the vet for the day so that they could watch him. He ended up being totally fine and got some rest that day. His face looked even worse that day, though, but the vet told us to give him another day for the meds to take effect. Thank goodness, he did look a lot better on Saturday and today he looks TONS better. Poor little fella. He's had a hard time.

He looks bad in these pictures right? Well, he looked a LOT worse the next day. Thank goodness he is on the mend now!

25 weeks pregnant and Pearce's bedding!

2011-10-20T19:57:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 25 weeks, 5 days

Size of baby: Pearce is 13 1/2 inches long from head to heels, he weighs about a pound and a half, about the size of a rutabaga.

Weight gain: I think I've gained about 20 pounds so far...yikes, that seems like a lot! I just have no idea what weight I started at. Oh well!

Maternity Clothes: LOVING them. Also, I love putting on my stretchy yoga pants when I get home from school.

Gender: BOY! Pearce Matthew

Movement: YES! His movements are definitely more controlled now. I always feel him when I get in bed for the night. This morning, he woke me up practicing his acrobatics. He can wake me up anytime and I won't care at all :) I love the constant, daily reminder that he's with me.

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Reflux....YUCK! No heartburn yet. I also have a spot in my upper back that gets sore as the day goes on. It doesn't hurt too bad, just annoying. BUT I DON'T CARE!

Cravings: I was at the store a couple days ago and decided to go by the bakery. This giant pan of cinnamon rolls caught my eye. They looked soooo yummy, so I got them. But, as I was on my way to check out, I spotted another stand of them and saw a pan that had way more icing....I got that one :)

What I miss: Ummm...nothing!

Best moment this week: Got the bedding in!!!

What I am looking forward to: The nursery furniture is getting delivered in a few weeks. I can't wait to see how it looks in the nursery! I am just so anxious to see it all put together.

How's that scar looking? It's kind of reddish now. I can't wait to see what it looks like in 3 more months. My stomach is going to be one heck of a road map!

Belly Button: Very shallow and fun to play with!

We got the bedding in today. I am totally in love with it. It's even more beautiful than I imagined. I picked this bedding out from Polka Tot Designs and my wonderful mother-in-law purchased it for us. Several of the blogs I read have gotten their bedding from here and I just think they have the cutest things! As soon as I saw this bedding, I knew it was IT. What's really funny is that the name of it is "Pearce." See, it was fate :) I got the bumpers, crib sheet, blanket, bed skirt, and a Roman shade. You can see the wall color a little bit in the pics. The wall color looks absolutely perfect! It's from Sherwin Williams and is called Tradewind.

Here's his monogram. I love the little scrolls on either side.

This is a close-up of the fabric. I love the soft colors. I also love that it is very "baby" but still "boyish" if that makes sense.

This is the bedskirt. The tan fabric on top is actually a pinstripe with the paisley along the bottom border.

This is the blanket. It's paisley on one side with ivory minky dot fabric on the other side. It is sooooo soft!

This is one of the side bumpers, but you can see the wall color. It is a perfect match with the blues in the fabric!

Now, hurry up and get here furniture so I can put all of this together and get my baby boy's room ready!!

Painting the Nursery!

2011-10-16T14:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Ashley and Wayne came to paint the nursery. Well, actually, it was just Ashley and Charlotte on Friday and then Wayne and Nathan came on Saturday because Nathan had a soccer game. Chris had been working on getting his office cleared out all week. He did so much but on Thursday night, the office furniture was still in the room. He said he would move it out on Friday or have Ashley help him. I got home from school on Friday and wanted to straighten up a bit before Ashley got here. I was on the phone with Ashley when she asked me what all we needed to do before she and Chris could start painting. I told her just clear out the furniture that's left....but as I told her that I walked into the office and saw that everything had already been cleared out, the tarp was layed out on the floor and all of the paint and supplies were in there ready to go! I had no idea Chris had already done it all that morning!!! He took the day off and cleared moved the furniture out of the room AND listed most of it on Craigslist and had it taken away. I couldn't believe he did all of this that morning! Chris also totally organized our garage. He got shelving to organize all of our things in the garage and gave away other old furniture. Our garage looks awesome!!!! So, when Ashley and Charlotte got here, I took over Charlotte and Chris and Ashley got to work painting!

The nursery looks beautiful!! It's a light blue color. You'll have to wait to see pics of the nursery when the furniture comes in! Chris and Ashley stayed up until midnight painting. They decided they wanted to get the two coats painted that night so that we could all just relax and have fun on Saturday! So, on Saturday, me, Ashley, and Charlotte went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory and did some other shopping before Wayne and Nathan came.

While we were getting ready to go out to lunch, Charlotte decided she need to put makeup on just like Mommy. She thinks she's in trouble :)

I said in a very serious voice, "Oh, Charlotte, did you get in mommy's makeup?"

Then I told her she is a pretty baby and she liked hearing that :)

After I got the makeup off of her, I got her dressed and we went outside for a little photo shoot. She is the sweetest thing because she will do exactly what you ask her to do.

Then I took her picture in the grass. Isn't she so pretty???

Then mommy joined us. Pretty mommy and pretty baby!

Ok, no more pictures :)

After we got back from lunch and running a few errands, this little guy was waiting for us! He and Otis are buddies. Nathan is always so sweet to Otis and Otis loves Nathan. Nathan played and played with Daisy, too!

For dinner, we had barbecue and Uncle Chris got Nathan dessert. He loved his ice cream cone! By the time Nathan finished this, he was a mess!

We had fun watching the Rangers play and by the end of the night, this little guy was all tuckered out!

24 weeks and...Baby's got a name!

2011-10-16T13:51:00.008-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 24 weeks, 6 days in pics

Size of baby: Almost a foot long, about the size of an ear of corn, and a little over 1 pound. I was surprised to learn that my uterus is about the size of a soccer ball! Yep, that feels about right!

Weight gain: I still weigh around 124

Maternity Clothes: Ashley gave me all of her cute maternity clothes. I remember when she first gave them to me, I thought there is no way I will actually fit into these clothes....well, I have been proven wrong. One of her cute shirts was way too big at the beginning of pregnancy. I put it on yesterday....and it barely buttoned! EVERYTHING has grown....and I love it!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: YES! I don't know what part of him it is, but if I push on either side of my belly button, he always moves. I remember wondering not too long ago when I would feel him at the top part of my stomach....now that's pretty much the only place I feel him! Sometimes it does feel like he's tip-toeing on my bladder :) The other night he was having a party in my belly! It felt like a pinball game was going on in there. I was in bed, then I turned on the light to see what my belly was doing, and it was crazy to see him moving and going crazy! I was so tired when I got in bed, but I loved spending the next 20 minutes just watching him...and my belly move every which way!

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Reflux....YUCK! No heartburn yet.

Cravings: FOOD period! I am loving food these days!

What I miss: Ummm...nothing!

Best moment this week: Ashley and Chris painting the nursery. AND having my glider delivered early!!
What I am looking forward to: The nursery furniture is getting delivered in a few weeks. I can't wait to see how it looks in the nursery! Also, bedding is supposed to come in at the end of October.

How's that scar looking? I noticed today that it has actually gotten darker. It was stretched out flat, but this week, I've noticed that it's raised up a little more like it used to be....kind of puffy. It's a keloid scar, but it is more "puffy." One of my kids was rubbing my stomach and I could tell she felt my scar, but didn't quite know what it was. Then she said, "Oh, I can feel his little foot!" Ha!

Belly Button: Getting more and more shallow!

Chris and I have talked baby names for the past 3 years. We picked our boy name pretty easily. We always wanted to incorporate family into the name. We decided our name we picked out long ago still fit and it is so special to us. Our baby boy's name will be...

Pearce Matthew Parnell

"Pearce" is my maiden name. I love that it is different but not "weird" different. I doubt there will ever be very many Pearce's in his class. I love that we can continue the Pearce name! Matthew was Chris' brother's name who passed away. We always knew we would use Matthew for a middle name. This baby is so special to us and needed a special name. We wanted his name to mean something. I am so excited to hold Pearce in my arms in January!!!!

Hello Dolly!

2011-10-09T11:13:00.002-05:00

On Friday, me, Christie, and Lindsay went to the Dolly Parton concert!!! We were all so excited. These two girls really dressed for Dolly! Christie got us all pink boas and Lindsay got us cowboy hats. They were all dolled up! I wish I looked a little more dolled up, but the boas and cowboy hats added a lot to our outfits! We met at Buffalo Wild Wings for a quick dinner.

Christie, Lindsay, me, and Meredith. Meredith is our cafeteria monitor at school. We found out she is a DIE HARD Dolly fan! She went the night before to see her tour bus and maybe get to meet her. She had front row seats, too! She even made a sign for Dolly hoping Dolly would see her or give her a shout out!

Here's a shot of their ta-ta's. I couldn't help myself. Dolly would be proud :)

Ready to see her!!! Lindsay and Christie got an ice cold beer for the concert....I got an ice cold Dr. Pepper :)

See the lady in the pink shirt and pink cowboy hat? That's Meredith on the front row!

We weren't on the front row, but our seats were still awesome....thanks Chris!!! The Cedar Park Convention Center is small, so there really were no bad seats.

Here she comes!!!!!

She looked beautiful! She is so tiny....on the bottom!

Dolly is such a great entertainer because she not only has an awesome voice, but she is an awesome story teller. Every song had a story behind it. It was so interesting to hear the stories. For instance....she's been married almost 46 years. The song "Jolene" is about a bank teller and her husband. It seems he was spending a little too much time at the bank :) The song "Coat of Many Colors" is about her mom making her a coat out of old scraps of fabric. Dolly though it was beautiful and was so proud to wear it....but kids at school teased her about it and were so mean to her. She loves her family and I love that! She sang a lot of new songs, but also lots of oldies.

After intermission, she came out in this outfit. It was so cute because of course it was sparkly all over, but I loved the cropped pants. She is so cute!

This is where she sang "Islands in the Stream."

And of course "9 to 5!"

Can you believe she is almost 65 years old???

She ended the concert with "I Will Always Love You." I haven't been to many concerts, so I don't have a lot to compare this one to, but I just LOVED this concert! I mentioned how she is a wonderful story teller. She's also very funny and witty! She was talking about all of the things people ask her about....here are a few that she said:

"People often ask me if they're real. I tell them no, they're acrylic....there's no way I could grow my nails this long! Oh you mean "these"...they're real alright.....real expensive!"

"People want to know what size dress I wear. I buy my dresses two sizes too small and then have them taken in a bit."

"Do I mind dumb blond jokes? No because I know I'm not dumb and I know I'm not blond!"

"It takes a lot of money to look this cheap!"

She also said that people wonder how she got her "look." She said when she was a little girl, there was a woman who lived in her town that was a bit of a tramp. She had her hair piled high, makeup caked on, nails painted, clothes skin tight. Dolly saw her one day when she was out with her mom and told her mom how pretty that lady was. Her mom said that lady is just trash. Dolly said she knew right then that's what she wanted to be when she grew up!

Christie and Lindsay, I had the best time with you two!!! Dolly, you ROCK!!!

23 weeks, 4 days!

2011-10-06T19:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was 23 weeks, 4 days pregnant with my baby boy. These pics were taken when we got back from eating at Chili's, so my belly is full of good food and baby! I've been feeling really good, still. My feet have been pretty swollen lately. It worried me a little, so I went to the doctor just to have him check me out. Everything was totally fine. He said some women just retain more water than others. Now that I think about it, they got really swollen after my weekend in Dallas....when I ate a foot long hot dog and a huge thing of nachos, plus a coke oh yeah, and a funnel cake. Hmmm....maybe that had something to do with it :) Anyway, I am really watching my sodium intake and propping my feet up whenever I can at school and at home. Today, I got some new shoes to fit my fat feet...one pair is a size 6 and the other is a 6 1/2! I used to wear a size 2 in kids and 41/2- 5 in adults!!!! After I have the baby, I think I'll just give these shoes to Ashley....hopefully my feet will go back to their normal size because I have so many cute/little shoes! But if they don't, do you really think I care? Nope!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 23 weeks, 4 days in the pic

Size of baby: More than 11 inches long, a little over 1 pound, about the size of a large mango.

Weight gain: I weigh 124 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Yes! I definitely have to wear maternity pants and I have been wearing maternity shirts, but I can also wear some non-maternity shirts, too.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: YES! I love feeling HIM move all the time now! In just the past couple of days, I've felt him more by my belly button and up by my ribs. I can tell he's getting bigger and stronger! He is most active at night when I get in bed. I don't mind one bit that I can't go to sleep right at that moment because he's moving around so much. I love falling asleep with my hand on my belly. I usually have to get up around 2:00 to go to the bathroom. This must wake him up because I can usually count on him moving around and kicking for a while when I get back in bed. LOVE IT!

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Still snoring...sorry Chris! Also, my legs have been a little achy lately and so have my knees. I guess it's the weight gain. Swollen feet and calves.

Cravings: FOOD period! I am loving food these days!

What I miss: I was kind of craving sushi the other day. That is one dinner date I will look forward to after he is born!

Best moment this week: Going to the doctor again to check on my swelling. While I was there I heard his sweet heart beating.

What I am looking forward to: Working on his nursery!
How's that scar looking? Still stretched out and laying flat.

Belly Button: A lot more shallow.

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M weekend

2011-10-02T17:54:00.001-05:00

We had the BEST weekend in Dallas! We went for the Arkansas/ A&M game. It was definitely the most nerve-racking game I have ever been to. We played terrible the first half of the game, but by some miracle, we did great the second half and barely won!

Jennifer and Ashley. On our way to the game.

Me and Chris :)

Chris and his dad

We had a huge group for the weekend. Cliff and Edie and Carl and Betty came from Little Rock. Darien, Jennifer, Nancy and Nancy's friend Joyce, came from Mississippi. Me, Chris, Darien, and Jennifer (and our two dogs) stayed at Ashley and Wayne's house. We had so much fun!!

Here are the guys: Wayne, Cliff, Darien, Chris, and Carl

Gettin' their drink on ready for the big game!!

Me and my sissy :)

I had so much fun with Ashley. She and I loved getting all kinds of junk food. We started off with a funnel cake, then she got chicken strips with fries and I got a foot long hot dog. Then we shared a HUGE order of nachos. YUM!

Ash, Me, and Edie

Ash, you are so cute!!

We won!!!

Chris and Jennifer. I was so relieved we would be riding back with happy guys :)

When we got back to Ashley's house, the guys were worn out. They took naps and Ashley and I got everything ready for dinner. Mom and dad kept the kids during the game. They came over around 6:00 and we all just had the best time visiting, laughing, playing, and eating!!!

Here's my favorite little guy. Nathan is such a little character. I just love playing with him!!

Here he is with Nancy. He loved having everyone over and was such a good boy, as always!

My sweet baby Charlotte. She has got such a personality now! I love being with her because she is out of the stage where she has to be with Ashley all of the time. She loves to play and comes to me a lot now. It's fun chasing her....she just runs and laughs. She is the sweetest little thing!!

While we were at the game, Nathan and Mama went to see Dolphin Tail. He loved the movie, and so did mom! He has a huge collection of animals and wanted to get his dolphin and play with it with a bowl of water. He said the dolphin's name in the movie was Winter and the little boy's name was Sawyer...see Sawyer on his towel? So cute!

Nathan being silly!

Nathan and Auntie Carrie being silly!

We had such a fun weekend!!! Thank you Ashley and Wayne for hosting!

22 weeks, 6 days!

2011-10-02T17:11:00.001-05:00

So, I'm actually 23 weeks, 1 day now, but last week was so crazy, I just didn't get a chance to do my weekly blog post. I had my camera with me on Friday, so I did the self timer and took this pic at school. I don't think I look that cute, but I do think my baby bump is cute :) I am going to do better this week!!!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 22 weeks, 6 days in the pic

Size of baby: 11 inches long, 1 pound, about the size of a spaghetti squash (what is that?).

Weight gain: I gained another pound, my doctor said. I weigh 124 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Yes! I definitely have to wear maternity pants and I have been wearing maternity shirts, but I can also wear some non-maternity shirts, too.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: YES! I love feeling HIM move all the time now! I love putting headphones on my belly and feeling him dance :) In just the past couple of days, I've felt him more by my belly button. I can tell he's getting bigger and stronger!

Sleep: I have to get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I can always go back to sleep.

Symptoms: Still snoring...sorry Chris! Also, my legs have been a little achy lately and so have my knees. I guess it's the weight gain. Nothing too bad, though.

Cravings: FOOD period! I am loving food these days!

What I miss: I was kind of craving sushi the other day. That is one dinner date I will look forward to after he is born!

Best moment this week: Having my checkup at the doctor and hearing his sweet heartbeat!

What I am looking forward to: Working on his nursery!
How's that scar looking? Still stretched out and laying flat.

Belly Button: A lot more shallow.