31 weeks!

Yay! Just under 9 weeks to go!! Here's a quick picture of the tummy...it's growing, growing, growing. This picture is even from the morning (the smallest tummy time of the day)...this is my "I just woke up and am thankful that is's Friday" look...

Travis' plan this weekend is to put up the chair rail in the nursery and paint...I can't wait to see it finished! We're also going to try to make it down to Austin on Saturday to get the dresser for the nursery since we got a 20% off coupon in the mail...we figured we might as well use it on the most expensive thing that we wanted. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up with Dave and Kristin for lunch as well.

Last night we went to our final chilbirth class- we graduated- certificate and all! :) We got to take a sneak peek at the mesh panties...interesting to say the least...

Other than that, she just went through what exactly happens after you deliver the baby...it was actually a really good class, because no one tells you EXACTLY what happens step by step after the birth. I came up with so many questions that I didn't even know I had. I'm sure I'll come up with MANY more. :)

Next dr. appt. is on Wednesday!!

A bit of advice

From the minds of 2nd graders...

Here are a few words of advice....

(Travis' favorite was the one about cooking pizza and mashed potatoes!)

Thank you!

I wanted to send out a special "shout out" to Travis' parents for buying the rocking recliner for Colby's nursery!!!! THANK YOU so much! I know it will come in handy soon. :) (Only 9 and a half weeks until "D-day!")

Also, thank you to my dad and brother for coming over last night to help Travis move the huge barnwood entertainment center out of the nursery and into the garage so that he can start painting in there. I can't wait to see the finished product!!!

special delivery

Colby's bedding came today!!! It's adorable- even cuter than the picture! I can't wait to see it on the crib and in the nursery! (First we need to get a crib...and turn the "man cave" into a nursery... maybe this will be inspiration)

SURPRISE baby shower!

My students threw me a SURPRISE baby shower at school on Friday! It was the most precious thing ever. They did such a good job keeping it a secret. Friday morning they told me that right after lunch they wanted to show me a readers theater that they had been working on...there were baby blue streamers hanging down from Tiffany Pirtle's door, so they told me that the readers theater took place during an ice storm and the room was going to be very cold and that's what the blue streamers were for. :)

After lunch, one of the students made me close my eyes and she led me into Tiffany's classroom. They all screamed "SURPRISE!" (one of the precious little boys even yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" haha....I guess he was a little confused...) It was amazing. They decorated the tables with blue and white streamers and baby boy confetti, there was cake and gifts and everything!!! The best thing was that the students made a book for me with tips for being a good mom. It's adorable and hillarious!!!

One of the moms that was there is supposed to be sending me some pictures. This is the only one that I have for now. :) This little darling and her mom made the cake!! SO cute!!! Thank you Tiffany for setting this up- I'll always remember it...my first baby shower!!!

Childbirth Class- week 3

Last night we attended week 3 of our childbirth classes at Scott and White. I really look forward to them, and I'm sad that we only meet one more time together. I think it's exciting to be with other first time moms and dads. Last night was especially fun, because we took a tour of labor and delivery and got to see all of the monitors and beds and baby warmers and things like that. It made me extremely excited and anxious!!! I kept looking over at that little baby bed and thinking...that is where Colby will be right after he is born! That is where Travis will be taking pictures and where he will get his first little footprints taken and everything! I was loving it!

Here are a few things I was NOT loving and that I will definitely block out of my memory for the next 10 weeks:
1) mesh panties (it just doesn't sound right)
2) the c-section recovery room
3) the epidural needle (which actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be!!! But it still is not something I'm looking forward to)

To end on a lighter note...There are 5 couples in our class. 2 of us are having boys, and we're both naming them COLBY!!!! Isn't that crazy???? I mean, I looked on the top 100 baby names of 2008 and Colby wasn't even on there. SO random. The other couple lives in Cameron. It will be so funny years from now when we see his name in the paper or something...we'll always know that those 2 boys met before they were even born!!! :)

Perfect!!

That sums up our appointment today. There was no talk of a 12 pound baby...which was my biggest fear, so that was nice. :)

She said that the glucose test came back normal, my blood count is almost right where it needs to be, my tummy measured perfect, the heartbeat sounded great, and overall, we're right where we're supposed to be! Our next appointment is in 2 weeks (on my birthday.) I can't believe we're already to that point. Yay!!! Thank you to everyone who has kept us and our sweet baby boy in your prayers. God is good!!

Another surprise...courtesy of Travis...

I'm going to attempt to make a long story short...but I feel like I have to start at the beginning...

Last week, I came home from work just in time to take Buddy for a walk before it got too dark. Just as I was putting the leash on him, someone was knocking on my door. I hate answering the door when I am home alone, but I heard something that sounded like a police scanner or something, so I decided I needed to see what the deal was. I opened the door and there was a guy who seemed to be in a rush telling me that he had an 18-wheeler full of furniture from North Carolina that he needed to get rid of at wholesale price. He said something about an order being cancelled and about having a police warrant or something to go door to door trying to sell the furniture. I am a sucker for salesmen!!!! I never want to hurt their feelings, and Travis and I had actually been talking about getting a small rocker recliner for the nursery as well as a nice chair to fill up an empty spot in our living room. He said they had all kinds of chairs in the truck, so I decided to go check it out. When I got down to the truck, there was another man there and I realized that I had to get into the truck with this man to look at the furniture! By myself! Now I was really in a pickle!!! I didn't want the guy to think I was judging him or being rude, but I really didn't think it would be wise to get in the back of an 18-wheeler with a random man I don't know....well, I said a quick prayer and went over my old faithful "do not be afraid, for I am with you" bible verse that I memorized as a kid, and I stepped into the truck. Right in front of me was a perfect, small, rocking recliner, and to the left, several wing-backed chairs that would be perfect for the living room!!!! As shady as the whole situation was, the furniture looked legit. All of the pieces were covered in plastic and had really nice tags on them. The man gave me the prices which were pretty good and I told him that I would have to call my husband (as I jumped out of the truck as fast as I could.) I called Travis 3 times and he did not answer. I just couldn't buy the chairs without talking to him first (it's a Dave Ramsey rule.) I knew that he would not be happy with me...especially with the shadiness of the situation. Luckily, I got to talking to my neighbor, and the furniture truck guys left without bothering me, so I didn't have to get into any awkward conversations with them. Later, I told Trav the whole story, and I figured that would be the end of it.

2 days later, the same truck showed up at Travis' office! It was meant to be. :) Travis surprised me by buying the 2 chairs and putting them right inside of the garage so that they'd be the first thing I saw when I got home. I was shocked and surprised and excited all at the same time! (He had been emailing me all day telling me that there was a surprise waiting for me at home...I would have never guessed that it would be those 2 chairs. Actually, I had convinced myself that he had gotten a new dog! haha...not this time I guess...)

I LOVE the chairs! They're perfect! Thanks Trav. :)

Thank you Travis!

I think that the reality of having a baby is finally starting to hit us...we sat down the other night and realized that we are on the downhill stretch and we better get ourselves in gear. This baby is going to come whether we're ready or not, so we might as well try to be a little bit prepared.

The hardest thing up until this point has been picking out bedding for the crib! Before I was pregnant, I thought that all baby bedding was just so adorable, but as soon as I found out I was having a boy, all of the sudden I couldn't find anything that I liked! (well...I couldn't find anything affordable that I liked) My goal was to pick something out over the Christmas break, so I spent MANY hours on the Internet searching and searching and crunching numbers and looking at fabrics. Some days I woke up, came straight to the computer room and stayed in here until Travis came home in the evening. It was like an addiction!!! When Travis and I finally agreed on something, I went to buy it, and it was out of stock! I called and they said that it was discontinued so they weren't making any more....go figure! Needless to say, I did not reach my goal. Christmas break came and went, and I still had not picked out any baby bedding. :(

Last week, Travis emailed me a link to an eBay custom bedding site and asked if I liked the baby boy bedding that was on there. I emailed him back and told him that I thought it was really cute and that maybe he had found the one! A few minutes later, he replied, "good, because I just bought it." I couldn't believe it!!! I was sooooo relieved. The search was over! I was so thankful that Travis could make that decision and pull the trigger so that I didn't have to think about it anymore. I know that most women would not have appreciated this, but I DID!!!! It's adorable and I can't wait for it to come in!!! Here's a picture from the website. The lady is even making a pillow with Colby's name on it and she is making valences for the windows (that Travis' parents are giving me for my birthday- thanks guys!!)

My wonderful husband did not stop there. He also surprised me with an early birthday present that he had custom made. A diaper bag!!! I LOVE IT!

I am so thankful that Travis knows me so well and knows that I cannot make a decision to save my life! Trav- you're the best!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you!!!

Baby Catch-up

I have been so bad about keeping this thing updated with baby news...not that much has changed...all that's really happening is that I am getting bigger. :) I'm feeling pretty great considering that there is a 3 pound baby boy jumping around inside of me. I have had a few sleepless nights and sore ribs, but that's really about it. Colby is moving around quite often. Travis has gotten to feel him make some pretty big movements, which was exciting. It seems like every time I tell him that the baby is moving, he'll put his hand on my tummy and then Colby will stop for a little while. He's already playing games with us...

Here are a few updated belly pics...with Buddy, the proud big brother... (I tried to do the whole lifting up my shirt and actually taking a picture of my tummy, but I like these better...)

28 weeks

29 weeks

We went to the doctor on December 30th, and apparently the baby (aka- my tummy) was measuring bigger than she expected. She told me that how big the baby gets is all up to me, so it was my choice if I wanted a 12 pound baby and a c-section or a nice 7 or 8 pound baby that I could deliver naturally. GREAT! I thought I had been doing so good, but needless to say, that little comment kicked me into gear. I immediately went to Wal-Mart and stocked up on grapes, celery, carrots, granola, and other gross healthy things that I usually try to stay away from. I cleaned all the fruits and veggies, packaged them into little snack size Ziploc baggies to take to school and everything! I started taking Buddy out to the back part of our subdivision for long walks in the evenings, etc. I'm telling you, I've been on the ball this month...I have also been psycho weighing myself every day! I think I've done pretty good so far in January, so we'll see what happens at our doctors appointment on Tuesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! I know it's healthy to gain weight...obviously there is a human being growing inside of me!!!! But I am not down with the 12 pound baby talk...

2 weeks ago, I went and did my glucose blood test (I guess to check for gestational diabetes) and got my rhogam shot (this is the shot I had to get since my blood type is negative and Travis' is positive.) I was so anxious about both of these, but they were fine. I barely even felt the shot. Maybe I'm just overcoming my fear of needles...it's about time!!

Another new baby thing is that we started our "preparing for childbirth" classes at Scott and

White. It's been very interesting to say the least. There are 5 couples in the class. I think everyone else may be a few weeks ahead of me. Our instructor is really sweet and she's so good about answering all of our random worry questions. It's nice to know that there are other first time parents that are as clueless as we are!!! :) The first week was just an overview of what to watch for, when to come to the hospital, what to expect, etc. We also had some breathing practice that first week. It was a little awkward...and just like the movies! She turned all the lights off, had classical music playing and we all sat against the walls of the room on our pillows. She would give us a scenario about how far apart our contractions were, how painful they were, etc, and we would practice breathing during them. It started out as just slow deep breaths, then we started breathing a little faster, and by the end of it, we were doing the whole "he-he-he-who"!!! I honestly didn't think they really did that....but apparently they do! It took everything in Travis to hold back his laughter. We really were trying to take it seriously, but it was just too awkward and funny! She said that most people don't really need to get that serious with their breathing these days anyway thanks to epidurals...we'll see...I'm still going to practice just in case! :)

Our second class was "movie night." We watched a live birth and a c-section. I thought the worst part of the whole thing was watching the girl get her epidural!!!! I am wishing that I would have closed my eyes! (I know, I know...when you're in all of that pain, you won't care, but I was not in pain at the moment, so I did not like watching it!) Our instructor also showed us exactly what happens as the baby comes down through your pelvic bone. Part of me was amazed at how perfectly designed we are by God to do this...the other part of me was cringing...

Next week is a closer look at the epidural (joy) and a tour of the labor and delivery floor at S&W. I'm really excited about the tour! I did just see it all recently when we went to visit the Stahls and their sweet baby Reagan, but it will be interesting to see it from this point of view. I'll keep you posted...

Dog House for Buddy

When the weather started to cool off, Travis decided that he should build a dog house for Buddy to keep him warm when we had to leave him outside in the cold weather. A few weeks ago, his dad came over and they spent just about an entire day in the backyard sawing and measuring and drilling. By the end of the day, Buddy had a doggy mansion!!! You'll see in the pictures that the house is big enough for Travis AND Buddy to fit in...I think I could have joined them too, but I was having more fun taking pictures of them. :) Thanks Trav for building Buddy a new home!!

Reflecting on '08

2008 was a HUGE year for us! We went through some of the lowest lows and the highest highs. Looking back, I can't believe how much has happened in a year!

My grandfather's tragic death was probably one of the worst things I have ever been through, but even though that was devastating to me, I also experienced some of the best things of my life this past year! Here are a few highlights...

-It was our first year in the new house that we love!

-We went on an incredible trip to Jackson Hole, WY with my family and made lots of great memories together.

-We met some amazing new friends and grew closer to old friends. (too many pictures to even TRY to add to this one...)

- Travis bought me the best birthday present ever!!!!!!

- We LOVE our supper club!

- We joined a small group bible study with other couples, and I joined a bible study with some close girl friends (2 things that have helped bring us closer to Christ and each other)

-Travis made some huge, life-changing decisions about his (our) future and was accepted to A&M med school...which means we get to stay in that house that we love!

-We took an awesome trip to the Fredricksburg wine country for our 2 year anniversary.

- We took a super fun trip with friends to Vegas in August!!! (Thanks Ashley)

- and best of all in 2008, we found out that we were going to have a baby boy!!!

Thank you 2008!!

We can't wait to see the blessings that 2009 will bring....I have a feeling it's going to be another big year....

Christmas Extravaganza '08

It's so wonderful that Travis and I have both of our families in town so that we can see them both on all major holidays....it makes for long, but fun-filled days. This year, on Christmas Eve, we went to church and then had dinner at my parents house with my family and Travis' family. We had a great time hanging out together. Afterwards, we swung by Rachel and Patrick's house for their Christmas Eve open house. Thanks for inviting us!! We had alot of fun, and the highlight of my evening was being told by one of Rachel's cousins that I must be an angel sent from heaven to be married to Travis...haha...I LOVED that!!!!


Christmas morning, Travis and I woke up, made our Starbucks Christmas blend coffee, turned on some Christmas music and opened our gifts from each other. (Although, Travis was one gift short since Buddy had already spoiled my surprise!) I was so excited- He gave me a video camera!!! I have been wanting one for awhile, and I have been telling him that I REALLY wanted to get one before Colby was born. I didn't want to miss any of his baby cuteness! I had no idea that Travis had been researching them and had bought one on his own- thank you Trav!! I love it!! Buddy also got some goodies from Santa!!!! He loved his baby...even a week later after it was in several pieces, he still loves the pieces....

Next, we were off to my parents house for breakfast and gifts. We ordered Elf on demand, because we all decided that was the funniest Christmas movie (and my brother and dad had already been watching the Christmas Story marathon since the night before!) Mom made yummy breakfast casseroles and cinnamon rolls, and we all exchanged gifts. Travis' big gift was the other half of his birthday gift- a spot on a deer lease with my dad and brother in San Saba, which he has really enjoyed this year. Mine is still TBA...I think I'm going to buy a crib! Dougie bought us a pack of Nike A&M onsies for Colby. I love them! They'll be perfect for Doug's graduation in May and Trav's white coat ceremony for A&M med school. :)

One of the morning highlights was a set of CDs that we gave to my dad that had some of the Temple Wildcat football games recorded on them from my his senior year in high school. We listened to part of one of the games where Temple pulled out a win in the last few minutes. It was fun and I think my dad really enjoyed them.

After we finished up at my parents house, it was time to go to Travis' parent's house. We opened gifts and had a delicious brisket lunch. Erika bought Colby his first UT shirt!!

That afternoon, Trav took a catnap while I made my all-time favorite flavorful mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner with my mom's family. They're basically mashed potatoes, and you add sour cream, cream cheese, half and half, cheddar cheese and butter, then bake them with a layer of cheese on top....YUM!

We headed over to my parents house again later in the afternoon and had a wonderful dinner and fellowship with the fam. This year, all of the grown-up "kids" drew names to buy gifts for each other, so we all exchanged those and opened the goodies in our stockings. My cousin, Jordan, has 2 little ones, so they're usually our entertainment...this time was no different! They got one of Debbie's puppies for Christmas, so Cash (full name- Cash money maker) added to the entertainment!

It was an amazing Christmas Extravaganza 2008! I took much less pictures this year, because I was also videoing...SO fun...we'll have to coordinate that better next year so that I have lots of both...Family- if any of you have pictures that I need to add, send them my way!!!!

It's hard to believe that next year we will be adding a 9 month old baby to the madness! I can't wait!!! :)

26 weeks

Christmas Day marked 26 weeks of pregnancy. This is REALLY starting to fly by, and I am really starting to feel the aches and pains of pregnancy...it was all going so smoothly up until now...

Here's a picture from Christmas Eve right before all of my last minute errands.

Colby is moving all over the place these days. Especially at night right before I go to sleep when I get all stretched out in the bed. I can feel him alot on my right side. He's starting to push up into my ribs which is not very pleasant. I'm also getting some pretty consistent back pains at night and during the day if I'm standing up for too long... that should be interesting when I go back to school next week. :) I'll have to get creative.

I bought a boppy pregnancy pillow that looks like a long noodle, so we'll see if that helps at all. Considering that I have had zero problems up until now, I know I can't complain! :) I still love being pregnant!!