There's a baby in there!!!

Travis and I attended our first doctors appointment today, and it couldn't have been any better. Dr. Greene said everything looked perfect so far. She did an ultrasound, measured the baby, showed us the heartbeat and let us listen to it- it was amazing! Our little grape (yes, that is the size this week) is 22.8mm long (about an inch), which means that I am right at 9 weeks. Our due date is still set for the first week of April. Thank you everyone for your prayers- We are so blessed and thankful for all of you!

(this one shows the heartbeat!)

Congrats Cara and Andy!

Here are some pictures from Cara and Andy's wedding. It was gorgeous and we had a great time. Keep in mind that just an hour before the wedding, Travis found out that he's going to be a daddy! haha...I felt bad, because I know that I was being so awkward around people that I hadn't seen in so long, but now at least maybe people understand why. :)

This was the largest cake I'd ever seen in my life!!! AND, it was a surprise to Andy...the Aggie war hymn came on and all of the sudden, they wheeled this thing out on a table from behind the curtain- it was INSANE!!!! The details were amazing...there was even a picture of Cara and Andy on the jumbotron. :)

"Whoop!"

SURPRISE!!!

Our secret is finally out! After 3 weeks of trying to keep it hush hush, the time has come for the world to know that we are pregnant!! We are sooooo excited about our teeny tiny Anthony baby (I think he/she is the size of a blueberry right now!!) I'm at about 8 weeks, and I honestly cannot believe it! I can't wait for our first official doctor's appointment where we'll get to actually SEE the baby...I'm hoping that will make this more "real." It's too weird to be pregnant just because 4 pregnancy tests tell you that you are...I need for someone to look and make sure!! :)

For those of you who need to "catch up" on our baby timeline so far, here's a condensed version...well, as condensed as I can get!

July 26th- I took 2 tests while Travis was golfing for BJ's birthday...both said "pregnant!" I wrapped up some "I love daddy" and "I love mommy" onesies that I went out and bought along with the pregnancy tests to give to Travis when he came home....he was SHOCKED and SO excited to be a daddy!!! My brother was staying at our house, so we re-wrapped the same gift and gave it to him...he didn't want to touch the pregnancy tests...haha...but was very excited other than that. About 30 minutes later, my parents came to pick us up to go to Cara and Andy's wedding, so we re-wrapped the same gift again and gave it to them. The first thing my dad said was "I thought we were going to medical school..." haha...we still are dad!! After the wedding, (I need to post pictures from the wedding!!) we...of course...re-wrapped the gift and took it over to the Anthony's house. I think they were sort of expecting it since Travis told them to stay up because we had something for them, but it was still a fun surprise! We called Erika and Dylan to tell them the news as well. Last but not least, we had to tell our Vegas people! We figured it would be pretty obvious that I wasn't drinking the entire time in Las Vegas, so we wanted to tell them! Everyone was very excited!!!

(at Cara and Andy's wedding the day that we found out the news!)

We really wanted to keep our little surprise a secret until August 17th, because my family was having a big party to celebrate summer birthdays, anniversaries, Jayci going to kindergarten, Johnny playing baseball at UMHB, Haley and Austin's engagement, etc....and we wanted to announce our big news at the party! We knew it would be hard, but we were up for the challenge!!

July 28th- I went to Scott and White to take an "official" pregnancy test. I had to wait ALL day for the results...which of course, were positive

July 29th- Travis and I went back to Scott and White to talk with the financial aid counselor...they want to make sure you can pay for this before they actually set up your appointments...as if you can make the baby go away otherwise! We found out how thankful we are to have health insurance...

July 31st- Travis and I went to Scott and White again for our little talk with the OB nurse about what I can do and what I should stay away from and what to expect during pregnancy. She was so sweet and very helpful. We found out that the baby's due date is about April 2nd, and our first appointment will be August 29th...so far away!!!

August 1st- we were off to Vegas...my body was not real excited about all of the walking, and this trip was the beginning of my very mild "morning sickness." This could have just been because I was overdoing it, but we still had an AWESOME time!!! I was extremely nervous about being in all of the smokey casinos, but I tried to get some fresh air as much as possible...poor baby...(or beanie as Travis has named him/her)

August 17th- Our big family party! It was so fun! The whole family circled up to bless the food, and just before we all started grabbing our plates, I showed them the cake that we brought that said "We're Pregnant!" There were lots of cheers and tears and it was a great moment!!! I was so happy that we had waited for this celebration. (Another fun thing that happened at the party was that Haley asked Brittany and I to be bridesmaids in her wedding and she asked Jordan ot be her maid of honor!! YAY! I'm so happy for her and can't wait for her big day!!!! )

That night we also told our bible study group our big news. :)

It's usually pretty interesting squeezing everyone into my grandparent's living room- but we always do it no matter how many people we have! :)

(We passed down the veil that my grandmother, my mom and I all wore in our weddings.)

August 18th- my first day back to work...I knew I had to tell my teacher "peeps", but I didn't know what exactly to do!! I ended up wrapping up a onsie with a note pinned to it that said "I'm pregnant!" (I had done this for a few of our friends as well) When we broke for breakfast, I gave the gift to Tiffany and said that it was for everyone- she froze when she saw it and everyone was cheering and hugging and it was great!!

(This was the onsie surprise that Hope and Jeffrey & Chana and Dan opened!)

So... that's our timeline so far. Next Friday is the big day for our appointment, so keep us in your prayers for everything to look good!

Viva Las Vegas!!!

What a trip! This is not the place for those who are looking for a nice relaxing vacation spot...this is for the crazy people!!! haha...it's the only place where staying up into the wee hours of the night, walking 10 miles a day, and gambling all your money away can be fun!!

We have been planning this trip for a year now to celebrate Ashley's birthday and we had so much fun together! As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...but I'll give you a few highlights!

Day 1: Travis was gambling as soon as we got off the plane...

The birthday girl is ready to go!!!!

The crew in our suite at Polo Towers

We got our makeup done the first day for Ashley's b-day dinner at Diablos!

There are no words to describe our dear Vegas friend, Sonya....thank you for making our makeup experience a memorable one!

Day 2: Thunderstorm inside of the mall!!

Someone please explain these to me....

Making our way down the strip

Awesome bar outside of Harrah's- the bartenders do all kinds of tricks with the bottles and drinks and there was a band playing 80's music. Travis was asked to dance!

And then asked to come up on stage...see for yourself!

They named him "Dick" and gave him a chance to win the whole bar a shot...he did not get the trivia answer correct, but did get to do a little song and dance....

Our favorite bar in Vegas!!

The girls got a picture with the Chipendale Dancers...the guy on the left was telling Jeffrey he couldn't take pictures...

in front of the Mirage...one of my favorite hotels...ask Ashley about the amazing aquarium inside!!

Loving our eiffel tower and Paris drinks!

Day 3: On our final day, we went to some of the nicer hotels- the Venetian and the Wynn...here we are at a spot in front of the Venetian...how romantic!

The girls inside the Venetian

Ashley and Hope in the entrance to the Wynn...this place is AMAZING!!!

On our last night, we went all out and had dinner at a steakhouse called "nine" in the Palms. It was incredible food!! We hung out at the Palms casino for the rest of the night- it was the best people watching! We sat right in front of the entrance to the Playboy Club...very interesting to say the least.

Travis and I are already talking about what we want to do the next time we go to Vegas!! He wants to go visit the Grand Canyon and ride the "insanity" at the top of the Stratosphere. I want to see a show and spend my money shopping instead of gambling!! :)

Thanks Ashley for inviting us to your birthday party!!!!

Puppy play date and Bunny Bath!

We survived our trip to Vegas, and after I load my pictures, I will definitely post them. We had a BLAST! We're already planning what we want to do next time. This time we did alot of sight seeing and casino hopping...it was all amazing!!

Last week, before we left, I wanted Buddy to get some excercise, so I took him to my aunt and uncle's farm to play with Duke (HB's dog) and Gunner (Harry's dog). They're so funny and they all look so much alike. They have the best time together chasing the 4-wheeler and swimming in the tanks...well...Duke swims and the other two watch from the shallow water. Buddy did get himself into a sticky situation this time...I was scared to death! I was riding the 4-wheeler, the dogs were chasing me, and Buddy decided he wanted to jump in the water to cool off. The problem was that he jumped right off of a cliff pretty much into the water! Then he couldn't get out!! I called Travis in a panic...I was the only one out there, and poor Buddy was crying and trying to come back up, but it was too far. Finally, I lured him down the bank to a part that he could jump up on to get back to the top. It was scary! Other than that, it was a great time! :)

Buddy LOVES being in the car...he's like a person sticking his head out the window...haha

Buddy and Gunner watch Duke swim

Today, I decided it was time to give Emmy Lou (my classroom bunny) a bath. My mom "furminated" her while we were in Vegas and left her with a bald spot! haha...I would have panicked, but I knew that this happened to her last year, too. I guess once a year or so, she sheds her long fur and leaves the really short fur underneath. It's pretty gross, because she has SO much extra fur that comes out. I bathed her in the sink today and slowly pulled out as much of the extra fur as I could. I know it's gross...but she's so soft now!! :) She's ready to move back up to her school home...I think Travis is ready for that too!