Our Babymoon

This weekend Chad and I got away to Fredericksburg. We only had two days to spend in this quaint little town. We had a few things on our list that we wanted to see, but we were only able to do a few things. We drove down on Thursday evening and on Friday went to the National Museum of the Pacific War. The museum is broken into three sections with the first part focusing on Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, who is from Fredericksburg. The second section of the museum was in the George H. W. Bush Gallery that focused on every aspect of the Pacific War. This was a neat experience as I was able to see where my Papaw fought during the war. The final section of the museum was an actual combat zone that featured actual artifacts that were used in the war, such as tanks, guns, flame throwers, etc. There are several times during the year they reenact an actual battle scene, but we weren't lucky enough to witness this. But, it was neat to see the different artifacts and here the history about them. If you are ever going to Fredericksburg, this museum is well worth your time...just know it will take all day or two half days (the tickets last for 48 hours). Here are a few pictures from the museum (which were the only pics we took):

Chad in one of the tanks that drop soldiers onto beaches

In front of some machine (can you see the snow? it was very cold that day)

For lunch that day we drove to the middle of nowhere (seriously...we were in the middle of nothing!) to eat at Alamo Springs Cafe. A friend of ours recommended we eat at this burger joint because they are know as one of the top 50 best burgers in Texas.

It was absolutely amazing! I can't describe how good the burgers were because they were just that good. We also order fried avocado, which was amazing as well. I've been craving more fried avocado since that day...too bad we'd have to drive 5+ hours to have any. Thanks Jared and Kelly for recommending this place!

The next day we did some shopping around town and found these trumpette socks for Evy. I can't wait for her to wear them!

This weekend was a great little getaway for us before our love bug arrives. It was nice to relax and enjoy this time away.

28 Weeks

I know in previous posts I've mentioned how this pregnancy has dragged at some points, but now that we are in the final stretch...time is flying! Last Friday I took the three hour glucose-screening test and found out this morning I passed! No worries about gestational diabetes. What a relief! This test was pretty intense and I was so beat after the test I slept the rest of the day and night. Evy is growing and I can really feel the growth spurts on Mondays. For some reason Mondays are the only days I am extremely uncomfortable in the stomach area. I feel so tight as my stomach stretches to accommodate Evy. Today my belly measures 40 1/2 inches. Evy is now approximately 2 1/2 pounds and is about 14 1/4 inches long. Chad and I are becoming more anxious to meet our little love bug and know that time will be here before we know it!

27 Weeks

Evy is definitely an active child! For the past week it seems she moves for the majority of the day. She gets the hiccups often and will also kick or move in response to us pushing on my belly. Chad thinks she is already like her momma because whenever I bend over or lean against a counter Evy kicks because I must be invading her personal space. Evy now weighs about 2 1/4 pounds and is about 13 3/4 inches long. Around this week or next Evy will begin to be able to open and close her eyes. She also has a normal sleep cycle, which right now she sleeps the longest during the night...until about 3 am...then sleeps throughout the morning, but is active the rest of the day. My belly is measuring at 40 inches and I am anxious to see how much I grow over the next week. Last Friday I had my glucose tolerance screen and found out this morning that my glucose levels are high. Therefore, I have to go to the doctor Friday for another glucose-tolerance test that lasts for at least three hours. I will have to drink the sugar water and then have my blood drawn every hour after that for the next 3 hours. So please pray that my results from this screening will be good and I don't have to deal with gestational diabetes for the remainder of the pregnancy. On another note...we had a very productive weekend preparing for Evy. We finally found a crib that we love and that didn't cost too much. My mom and I were at the store to order it and they told us they had just received a crib off the truck and we could purchase that one and take it home. It was meant to be! Chad put the crib together Sunday night and it's perfect. We also completed our baby registries at Target and Babies R Us so I am not feeling as overwhelmed as I was last week. It's hard to believe Evy will be here in 3 months! I'm anxious to get the bedding made and finish decorating the nursery. All of this makes it even more a reality that our lives are about to change...but for the better!

26 Weeks

Tomorrow I will begin my third trimester. Crazy!!! Here's my belly pic for this week. It's not great because I took it by myself and I look tired...which I am. The exhaustion I had during the first trimester is returning and sleeping at night is a challenge. I miss being able to sleep on my stomach! I read in one of my pregnancy books that from here on out each week my belly will grow 1/2 inch! This just seems impossible to me, but it's amazing how God created the body to grow and stretch for a baby. I am intrigued by this fact and am going to begin measuring my belly every week. Evy is doing great and continues to be very active. She still gets hyper when I eat Dove chocolate! She is almost 13 1/2 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds. The nerves in her ears are continuing to develop so she is becoming more sensitive to specific sounds. I have to go to the doctor Friday for my glucose screening. I will also get an RH factor shot so I am absolutely not looking forward to that! I hate shots! I hope my mom (she's going with me because Chad couldn't get off work) doesn't have to hold me down. :) On another note, I bought several pairs of maternity pants right after Christmas, but no tops. However, I am now limited on tops that fit over my belly so I need to go buy some maternity tops this week. I looked on Old Navy's website and they have some very cute maternity clothes out for Spring.

Evy's New Hats

There is a small shop in my hometown that sales these knitted hats for babies and young children and while I was in town for the holidays I had to go buy some for Evy. Aren't they just too cute!?! Chad and I picked these out together and we got them in different sizes to fit Evy throughout her first year. This one is newborn size and is for Evy to wear while we are in the hospital These are the other colors we bought. Chad picked out the bold orange hat for Evy to wear to the pumpkin patch or around Halloween.

25 Weeks

My pregnancy is going great! I am now one week closer to meeting this little blessing. Some days it seems as though time is crawling and April will never get here. But, some days I feel as though I am running out of time and April will be here before I know it. I have times of panic with all that needs to be done before Evy's arrival, but know it will happen in time. Evy is approximately 13 inches long and weighs about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds. She is very active, especially at bed time. As I type this post the bottom of my laptop is resting on my belly and Evy is kicking so hard she is moving my laptop! It is so much fun to feel her move and kick. Her brain and lungs continue to develop and she will begin to gain fat on her skinny bones. As each day passes, we are becoming more and more anxious to meet this little critter!

Christmas 2009

Our Christmas celebration lasted over two weekends. On Christmas Eve, my parents came to our house and attended our church's Christmas Eve service, which was a great service. The snow we received on Christmas Eve was awesome and made it that much more special. Who knew I would ever get to wake up to a white Christmas in Texas! Chad and I woke up Christmas day and before heading to his parents home we opened our gifts to each other. The best gift from Chad was my new Ninja Master Prep Blender and Food Processor. I love making smoothies and this blender makes the best smoothies. I also came with a smaller blender that will be great when I attempt to make Evy's baby food. Thank you, Chad, for this present...I love it!

We spent Christmas day with Chad's family. We had a great time together and our niece, Mallory, brought us a lot of entertainment! She was pretty attached to her uncle Chad that day, which made him feel great! Chad's parents got us a Flip Ultra HD so we can record special times in Evy's life. Thanks Gary and Renee...we love this camera! My brother and his family came to town on New Years Day so we had Christmas with my family that weekend. For the past few years my parents decided to have garage sale Christmas. This means the majority of our gifts from mom and dad are bought at garage sales throughout the year. It's always fun to open the gifts and see what they came up with. My dad was so excited about two of the gifts he got Chad. My dad found the post hole digger in the garbage and had to replace one of the handles. He found the ladder on the side of the road! We've been needing a ladder and we are going to have to replace our backyard fence some time this year...which is why my dad gave Chad the post hole digger. The funniest gift I got from my parents is a map. It has become a serious subject that began as a joking comment that I don't understand anything about geography. My dad has bought me a book on geography and now they have given me this map. I find it very comical, but it will be nice to have the map for Evy to teach her about geography. It might be best for Chad to take that on though!

One thing Chad and I discovered is that Evy is going to be a very loved little girl! She already received Christmas gifts and she's not even born yet! She received an outfit, two books, a puzzle, a sippy cup, and two lullaby CDs. Chad and I got a carrier and a rear view mirror for Evy.

My dad had told me before Christmas he bought something for the farm that we can all enjoy, but wouldn't tell me what it was. After we opened all our gifts we looked out in the front yard and there was dad pulling up on a 4 wheeler! He was so excited to show us his/our new toy. We had fun driving it with the kiddos all over the farm. Our nephew, James, loved the 4 wheeler and wanted to ride it all weekend! As you can see, we had a great Christmas...not just opening fun presents, but celebrating the true meaning of Christmas with our family.

2009...A Year Worth Remembering

What a year 2009 has been! We have had a busy year, but one full of excitement. 2009 reminded us of how blessed we are with wonderful family and friends. We were also reminded of God's perfect plan in our lives and for our family. The year began with Chad and I enjoying a Caribbean cruise vacation with my parents in January. We had a great time on our trip and experienced many firsts and ate lots of good food. We hope to cruise again in the future...when Evy's a little older. In May I finally completed the graduate program at Southwestern Baptist Theology Seminary and received a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Counseling. This was a huge accomplishment for me, being that it took 5 years to complete. I learned so much while attending seminary and miss learning new ideas and concepts...but I do NOT miss the tests and papers! It was only by God's grace, and the patience and support of Chad and our families, that I was able to accomplish this goal. Thank you Chad, mom, dad, Gary, Renee, and all other family and friends for supporting me and encouraging me during this journey! One unfortunate thing that happened this year was that I injured my foot. I fell in the shower on July 3rd. I thought I had broken my foot, but waited a few days before we went to a orthopedist. They took an X-ray and said I had fractured the top of my foot and put me in a boot cast. A couple of weeks later they decided to do an MRI because the swelling had not gone down and fortunately were able to see I had not fractured my foot, but had just bruised it really, really bad. It continues to swell and hurt at times, but I am so fortunate it was not worse. I have learned to be extra cautious when I enter and exit the shower! Throughout the year I was also able to spend a lot of time with these girls, who are my best friends. I am so blessed to have such wonderful girlfriends who I can count on for support, love and laughter. I love you all! We were also able to spend a lot of time this year with these four crazy kiddos. Our youngest niece, Mallory, is such a ham and entertainer. We are blessed to have her in our family. Our oldest niece, Makayla, and nephews, James and Xavier, are also very special to us and always keep us entertained. One very special event we were able to experience with our niece, Makayla, was her becoming a Christian and being baptized. We pray we can experience this with our other niece and nephews in the future. We had so much fun this year spending time with each of these cuties and can't wait for Evy to join her cousins. We love each of these silly kiddos! And, of course, the highlight of 2009 was the news of our pregnancy and sharing this news with our family and friends. God is perfect in His timing for us to be pregnant and has blessed us with a healthy pregnancy. We know 2010 can only get better with this addition to our family. We are so blessed you are part of this journey with us and can't wait for our lives to be changed by Evy's presence. Chad and I wish God's blessings for you and your family this year!

Happy New Year!

Love,

Chad, Stephanie and Evy