i'm loving this...

Here's the bedding I have picked out for our baby girl's room. When I saw it, I just knew-this is the one!!



and matching lamp...


and wallpaper border...


and pretty little baskets!!

a whole new world

The past several mornings I've awakened to sharp cramps and what feels like indigestion. This morning at 4:00am, I couldn't go back to sleep because of that nagging discomfort. So, after tossing and turning for a couple hours, I decided I must be experiencing Braxton Hicks. I went ahead and called my doctor at 9:00 just to ask the nurse if these cramps were normal. I didn't expect her to tell me to go ahead and come in at 1:00! So I got dressed, went to WalMart and did a few errends. The nag never went away, but it was never really unbearable or anything...just sharp and mainly annoying!
Thomas was able to get out of work to come to the appointment and I am SO glad he did! My sonogram was suppose to be next Monday, so I was surprised to find out they wanted to go ahead and check out the baby today!!! On the way to the doctor's office, I joked with Thomas, "I'm wearing a bright pink shirt today...is that a sign??" We laughed. Haha.

I knew that everything was fine with our baby, but it is such a wonderful feeling to actually SEE the heart pumping and beating. As I watched the screen, we saw all 10 fingers and toes, arms stretched high over a perfectly round head, and....nothing in between her legs. "Looks like a girl, at first glance!" the doctor announced to us. I laughed, "Now, when you say 'looks like', what percentage would you say?"
"I would say 90-95% based on what we are seeing here." He replied

Stunned. That was the only emotion I felt for a few minutes. I didn't believe him! No way.....

I guess I am still a little bit in denial even now!! Calling my family and saying the words "she" and "her" was so foreign to me. Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic that we will have a sweet daughter along with our little boy, but I was just SO SURE....

Anyways...because the appointment was so last minute, he was moving quickly through the measurments. He did say he was very pleased with the way she was measuring. We got a picture of her feet and hands....will post later! Turns out the cramps I was feeling were stretching pains because I am carrying her so low. They said it's possible she might be pushing on a nerve as well...

Oh my word. A little daughter. I cannot wait!! Girl clother are wayyy cuter than boy clothes and I cannot WAIT to go buy some cute outfits with matching bows and shoes...ahhh. So much fun!!!

i never know what to put in the title...

Today is the last day of our Spring Break. Oh, how I wish it was longer!!
We decided VERY last minute to get out of town on a much needed family-time vacation. Using my mad priceline skills, I got us a gorgeous room at the Sheraton in Arlington for an el cheapo rate of $40.00!




The original plan was to drive in on Wednesday morning, see Preston and Ashley, go to the Omni, stay the night, go to the Dallas Children's Museum, go home. We ended up having such an enjoyable time together we stayed an extra night and went to the Parks Mall. I think that was the first official "family" vacation since Aaron was born! We have traveled as a family, but usually to stay with friends and family. This time it was just US. We did whatever we wanted as a family with no time restraints or schedules. It really warmed my heart to just be with my boys.

Tomorrow is back to reality! I have Monday to get my grocery shopping, laundry and phone calls done before Aaron heads back to school and I back to work on Tuesday. Oh by the way, potty-training didn't happen this week. Go figure. He has shown a little more interest lately and sometimes stays dry during the night and during naptime! No rush...I just would love having a short "no diaper" period between kids...

I'll be 20 weeks on Tuesday and I love reading the pregnancy week to week calendars online. (www.pregnancy.about.com)
This specific website stated that at 20 weeks, my baby is measuring around 9.8 inches and weighing approx. 10oz!! That seems a bit hard to believe that my baby weighs the same as a steak I ate a few days ago. Amazing....I'll be excited to know MY baby's measurements next Monday. Every now and then I still have to pull out my pills at night to keep the nausea away, but that's down to just a few nights a week. PRAISE GOD!
I was sad this morning when I got out my black Express slacks to wear to church and the button no longer reached. So I'm down to my last pair of pants that fit. My good ol' jeans. Hopefully, this weather will warm up and stay warm where I can get out my capris, skirts and shorts! Until then, if you see me wearing the same pair of jeans every day...well...sorry!

Phase 1

Spring Break is here. So is potty-training.

On Thursday (last week) I had Aaron put on his new underwear. After 2 straight hours of "trying" every 15 minutes, he was frustrated and crying. He hated going potty and I was getting a headache. Even after chugging two cups of juice, the kid just wouldn't pee!! So after what seemed like the 18th time of "trying", I went into the kitchen to cook dinner. Not 5 minutes after he was sitting on the pot, I hear a gush of liquid from the living room. I pop my head around the corner to see Aaron grinning from ear to ear. "I clean it up now!" He said cheerfully. So much for that. I stuck a diaper on him and called it a day.

Fast-forward to today. This morning I had a ton of errands to do, so I decided to have another try at it after naptime. I put him to bed around 1:30 and he slept until 4:00. As soon as I heard him wake up, I took him to the bathroom where I discovered a miracle: A CLEAN diaper. Sure enough, after a few minutes he PEED! I was so happy. So on went the pull-up and off we went to get a prize from the Potty Treat Bag. That was the only pee pee accomplishment today, but it was enough for me! He tried several more times this afternoon, but we never made it at the right time.

Aaron's personality is very cautious and he absolutely HATES being rushed at anything. So I am taking this slow for his sake. In the past when I push him, he resists. In fact, he completely turns off to any idea I throw too fast at him. I decided not to keep my expectations too high and just hope I get him potty-trained before college. That's my goal! :)

springtime

I felt the need to blog...since it's been a while!

Had a Dr. Appt today and that went wonderfully. We heard the little one's very LOUD heartbeat and it made me smile. Originally my Dr. said I would find out the sex today, but apparently decided to wait until I was a little farther along. At first I was dissapointed, but realized that in two weeks things will be bigger and much clearer. Next appointment is March 23rd. I've gained back another 6lbs which was good and am feeling almost back to normal.


We bought Aaron some new "big boy underwear" the other day. He picked out Cars themed undies.

I plan on potty-training all next week. He still doesn't mind wearing diapers (wet or dirty!) so it might not happen as quickly as I hoped. We'll see. As long as he's out of them by Baby #2, I will be satisfied!

BIG NEWS. Our church signed a contract on the Mansion yesterday! So it's official. Champions Church will soon be the new owner of Abilene's White Mansion. This is so huge for our church. For years, we have had numerous prophets and apostolic leaders (Mary Forsythe, Larry Titus, Ron Campbell etc.) prophesy about how this mansion will soon be used for Kingdom purposes through Champions Church. Even before Thomas and I were married, we began praying for those gates to swing open!! It feels like Spring to me. New changes. New growth. Fresh winds. And beautiful things beginning to bloom. I am so so so so excited for this new season. More about the mansion later. Including PICTURESSS!!

My 22nd birthday is on Friday. I long to be past 21. Our day so far looks like: Lunch with Mom and Granma at Bonzai (SUSHI!!) and game night with friends at church while Aaron stays the night with Oma & Opa. I think I am even more excited about sleeping in on Saturday morning....it's been awhile since we've been able to do that. (Cito has been getting up at 6:15 recently...ugh.)

That's all for now...

Happy Valentines Day!!!

The banquet went beautifully and we are finally enjoying a relaxing weekend HOME together. This week has been CRAZY busy for me.



Today I got to go do my FAVORITE thing! Get. A. Haircut. There are few things that compare to having someone wash your hair while you rest comfortably on a chair without getting water in your eyes....ahh...pure bliss. As a mom, I have come to appreciate the little things! I got about 1 1/2 inches off and it feels SO much better.

"V" is very very...extraordinary!

I think the Lord knew I needed a little pick-me-up. :) He is always so faithful...especially in the little things. Have you ever wanted something that is considered a little self-centered and maybe even meaningless to some people, but would mean THE WORLD to you? Before my friend Ashley met her husband (Cameron) she had asked the Lord for her future husband to love Jeeps! And when she met Cameron, he drove up in (can you guess?) a black Jeep. It might've sounded silly or completely unreasonable, but God honored that simple request!

Anyways! Back to today. Champions has the 4th annual Romance Banquet coming up next Thursday (12th). With the "baby bump" beginning to grow, I have been wringing my hands on WHAT TO WEAR. The banquet is something I look forward to every single year. It's a time we get to dress up and be in a fancy environment with our friends. I personally LOVE feeling like a princess for a night. :)


Theses are from 2 Years Ago


This morning I went to the mall and thought I would drop by Dillards to check their formal dress sections. Lots of times there are good sales there! (I got the dress shown above at Dillards...) I had already settled that this year would probably be the year that I wore a skirt or a nice maternity blouse. But I still had a teeny hope of finding SOMETHING! My wishful goal was to find a dress that would stretch or hide "the bump". I walked through the section and found 2 dresses that were "OK" and one that I absolutely LOVED. So I tried on the "OK" ones and they were both really pretty. But the next one was perfect. Not only was it my favorite color, but the material was perfect for the trimester I am in now. It stretched cutely over the bump and was actually very flattering. I stood in front of the mirror for several minutes just smiling and almost giggling at how PERFECT this would be. Then...the price tag. *dun dun dun*

I kinda have this rule when I'm shopping for dresses: Never look at the price tag until AFTER I try on the dress. That way, I don't talk myself into liking one better than the other just because of the price. I knew when I tried on "the dress" that it was (by far!) the most expensive out of the three. So I took a deep breath and pulled out the tag. $140.00 marked down to $78.00! Well, as good of a deal as that, it was still too high for our budget at the moment. I had about $40.00 that I could spend. I decided to go ahead and have them hold it at the front...just in case. My mind began to think of ways to make some extra cash this week. Sell the XBox that we NEVER play? Last minute garage sale...ugh. Donate plasma?
I chewed on my thoughts as I handed the "most gorgeous dress of all time" to the Dillards saleswoman.
"Do you mind checking the price on that dress, just to make sure it's not on sale?" I asked casually. The lady got out her gun and zapped the barcode and the number on the screen made my heart jump! $35.00!!!

So...I bought my dress. I got home and twirled in front of the mirror for 30 minutes. A little thing...but it made my day. :)