More Cushen...

5x7 Folded Card

2011-06-20T23:36:00.001-07:00

With Gratitude Thank You 5x7 folded card

Click here to browse Shutterfly's modern graduation invitations.

View the entire collection of cards.

Hunt's Giggle

2009-09-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of pictures that make me smile

2009-09-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

The first is our boy during his first Auburn game. He slept through
the whole game!

Test Post

2009-08-18T15:20:00.001-07:00

So I have not been good at blogging lately. Sorry. I rarely get on my
laptop but I am always on my iPhone so I am testing out a way to
update from my phone. So here is my first try... This is a picture of
Hunt when he was playing on the floor the other day. (10 weeks)

2009-06-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Please excuse me for the moment, but I have to take the time to brag. No.. not about me, but about the wonderful woman I call my wife. In my short stint at being a father I have come to realize very quickly that there are so many things that I cannot do and surprised at how easily they come to Haleigh. I can be at my wits end trying to settle Hunt down, but Haleigh can hold him and sing a few bars of twinkle, twinkle and he stops crying and appears to be in some sort of awe over her voice. I've always thought that I was the patient one in the relationship, but now Haleigh can spend an hour in the floor talking and working on Tummy time with Hunt long after my interest falls to the way side. Haleigh has become a wonderful mother and just seems to know what Hunt is thinking before he does and that is something i cannot do. I am very impressed with the way she has handled being a mother and know that she will continue to impress me as the years go by.

In the almost 4 weeks of parenthood, there are two images stuck in my mind that I will never forget... one being Hunt passed out in his milk coma on Haleigh while she takes a nap and the way those two look at each other(and yes I know he can't see very far or well at this time) when they're awake.

Everyone with kids knows exactly how these moments feel and those without... I can only suggest you find out someday. This is the greatest feeling I have ever experienced.

Baby Update

2009-06-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a few days since my last post and I have so much to share. Here is my best effort of getting things up-to-date. We have been thankful to have many guests in our home recently to help welcome our baby boy. We have recorded every ones visit by getting them to record a few words in Hunt's guest book and getting a picture with him. We make sure that each guest leaves with a bubble gum cigar as well. Jeremy and I have also made two trips to the pediatrician for follow-up visits checking on Hunt's jaundice. Both times baby boy got his heel pricked and did not like it. At the visit last Friday Hunt weighed 5 lb 14 oz. So we imagine that he is close to birth weight now; especially since the Dr. put Hunt and I on a every two hour feeding schedule! Jeremy and I get to sleep a good bit at night, usually getting up once or twice to feed. We are so happy to be parents of such a precious boy. We have managed pretty well but are thinking that all this 'what seems to be ease of parenting' is the calm before some storm. We heard so many people gripe and complain about parenthood while I was pregnant, but we are having a blast sharing our day with Hunt and learning more about him.

Above: Hunt's First Bath at home, wrapped up in a hooded towel from when I was a baby.

Our first family stroll. The lens got hazy but at least the moment was captured.

We had my step-brother's fiance came to take newborn pictures at our home. I didn't want to go to a photo studio this early but I wanted some good looking pictures for announcements. We took a few of our own as well.

I love these two!

I am posting more pictures on our online photo album. The link is on the right of our blog page.

Posted Pictures

2009-06-11T19:55:00.001-07:00

Please enjoy our picture album that we have posted online. It is under the Pictures link to the right on our blog.

Hunt

2009-06-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

So I have been a little late on this update, but things have been a bit crazy lately-having a new born and all. So here is our story...

On Monday, June 1st, Jeremy and I went for our last prenatal appointment with our doctor. The baby was still in breech position and my belly had still not grown (hadn't grown in at least 4 weeks); which meant that we were still on for a scheduled c-section. Our doctor wanted to schedule the birth for June 4th (38w6d) because he was off on June 5th, but hospital policy prevented him from doing the c-section before 39 weeks. Because I have a LONG history with my doctor he decided that he would come in on his day off and deliver our baby boy. On June 5th, Jeremy and I woke up at 3am (because of our drive) to get to the hospital. We met my mom and grandmother in the waiting room and off we went to Labor and Delivery.

I got prepped (my nurse was Chatty Cathy), which included the epidural, and was wheeled back to get a tiny boy from my belly. On my way back to the OR, I was still able to move my left toes and feel my left leg. I was telling EVERYONE because I was so nervous that I was going to feel too much during the procedure. I will say that I was a bit sick throughout the c-section (and I had the shakes), which was incredibly weird because my epidural was so high and breathing and "getting sick" was an intense process. Jeremy got to see our little boy at 7:54am. He weighed in at 6lbs 2oz. I was able to "hold" him soon after. My arms were so heavy and shaky that I was extremely nervous to hold him, even in the recovery room. (I am probably the only one to appreciate the picture below. The doctor on the right is my doctor and the doctor on the left is his partner. Both these doctors were there when I was born - my mom also had a c-section. It was a neat occasion to come to a full circle. )

We soon headed to the room where we meet our visitors (my mom, my step-dad, my Aunt Nellie and Uncle Tommy, my friend Carrie, my grandmother, Jeremy's aunt Glenda, and Jeremy's cousin Darlene). Hunt was there to meet his family too. We had a good hospital stay overall until. Hunt had a bit of a problem maintaining his body temp and needed some extra warming. He also decided to turn a bit yellow towards the end of our stay; which meant that added an extra day to our stay. Jeremy had just made two trips to the car and was headed back up to go through the discharge process when the pediatrician told us that our boy needed some 'tanning bed time' (light therapy to help with jaundice). He was on a strict 3 hour feeding schedule so every two hours we were up pumping and headed to the nursery for a feeding. It was nice to give him a break from being under the lights.

We headed home on Tuesday and are doing well so far. We saw our pediatrician on Wednesday and he put us on a fabulous feeding schedule. The first night we attempted the schedule we only woke up once for a feeding. HOORAY! I am glad we are home and Jeremy and I are so glad to be parents to a beautiful boy.

He's still a boy.

2009-06-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

As it turns out the sonar was right.... IT's A BOY!! We welcomed the new addition to our family this morning. We have a 6 pound 2 ounce 19 inch long baby who is doing very well at this moment. We have a large gathering of people at this time and when things slow down I'll post more pictures. His temp was a little low so they are baking him a little longer right now, but other than that he is good.

One of my Favorite Things...

2009-06-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

My great gal pal Jenni created this beautiful step stool for my baby boy. It represents the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, my favorite childhood story. I LOVE IT! It will be something that you can grow with because it is not super baby-ish. I loved this story because when my dad read it to me, he would do the best voices. Because it was a high-demand story, he stopped reading it and would simply recite it. I thought he was so smart because he 'memorized the book'. Actually the story is not difficult to repeat, but boy did I think he was so smart, and with the best goat and troll voices to boot.

Our Weekend

2009-06-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Side note: This is my BELOVED reacher-grabber. Some may have seen it used by inmates to pick up trash along the roads, others in my profession see it used as an assistive device to help those with limited mobility. I have been using it to SURVIVE. I hate not being able to bend over easily. I started cursing every time I dropped something (which has been happening more; nature is full of irony). The reacher-grabber has saved my sanity and possible my marriage :)

We had a laid-back weekend (for us). Laid-back weekend usually means hanging out with our neighbors, Jeremy doing a 'outside' project, and lots of cleaning. This weekend Jeremy made a flower bed to go in front of the nursery window that facing out in our back yard. The dogs scratch the window screen when they hear me in the room. There is soon to be a lot of noise in the nursery so I wanted something to keep them from tearing up the window. We are going to add a small decorative fence, dirt, and plants. Hopefully it will help.

Also, we had dinner at our neighbors' house Saturday. My friend Holli came over as well. We rolled fresh summer rolls with tons of yummy goodness. I was going to take a pick but totally forgot. We used poached pork, shrimp, thai basil, cilantro, mint, green onions, cucumber, and lettuce in the rolls. So good! Before dinner, we took some 'maternity pics'. I tear up when I see other mommys' maternity pics and thought I was totally missing out. Because we recently got a posh camera and could not see us spending mu-lah on a photo session, so to the neighbors' beautiful back yard we went for some pics.

We have a doctor's appointment on June 1st (well today actually). We will send an update out when we return (if we return). We are taking our hospital bags, complete with camera, today to satisfy that "just-in-case" feeling.

Above: In front of Yung's backyard pond.

One of my favorite's from the shoot. Thanks for taking it, Auvie.

The beginnings of the bed...

Cache posing in front of the new bed. He is starting to really like the camera. I think it is all the "Good Boy"s he gets when he poses. Marlee still just wants me to pet her, so I get tons of pics of her right in the lens.

Mommy-Sitted

2009-06-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, Jeremy headed back "home" to Rainsville, Alabama to attend his cousin Taylor's graduation. It is a very small town about 2 hours northeast of Birmingham. Commencement is held in a civic complex that was constructed WITHOUT AN AC (those penny-pinchers). We went to a graduation there last year, and because Jeremy's sweet aunt always runs a little late, we sat upstairs (even hotter). The whole town shows up to graduation so the place is packed (even more hot). SO, I decided the environment was not the best for a pregnant lady who is ALWAYS about to combust. We currently have our air set on 66 degrees and I am constantly sweating and complaining about it being hot. If any of you have ever seen Father of the Bride II where the mother and daughter are both pregnant and Steve Martin (the husband and dad) is running around the house is ear muffs and gloves because the air is so low, then insert that image in your brain (right here). Also, if I went into labor and needed to get to the hospital then I would be even further out. Because our sweet boy is Breech, the sooner we can get to the hospital the better. I ended up staying with one of my greatest friends, Wyspr, and her husband Jason. They mommy-sat me in Birmingham while Jeremy went to graduation. No labor, obviously- because I wouldn't be blogging about being mommy-sat and a hot gym, instead there would be pics up. I had tons of fun seeing Wyspr and Jason made some AMAZING brussel sprouts. Yum!

All in all, we are VERY proud of Taylor. He has been through a lot over the past couple of years and he GRADUATED. Now go get a job!!! Love you Taylor, but really get a job!

For Andrea...Pics for the sake of pics

2009-05-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

One-third of the diaper/wipe supply

Does the camera taste good?

I love this picture.

one week and counting down....

2009-05-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Every Friday from here on I will be called a father. To be totally honest, I couldn't be more excited. After all the months of preparation, the showers, the doctors visits, and anticipation, I'm finally going to be a dad. As I imagine most fathers do, I have tried to figure out if he will be an all star pitcher for the Braves or just an average Joe, but either way I can't wait to help mold and guide him to whatever he decides. I kid about the pro baseball thing to Haleigh and say "I have to have a retirement plan somehow"...., but she doesn't seem amused by my logic. But as I look forward, I can't wait to take "bean" to his first Auburn Football game, or teach him how to signal for a touchdown when Auburn scores, or watch him swing his first golf club, or take his first step, and most importantly take his first breath. Even though my time to see some of these things are very close and there are a lot of things I can't wait to do and see with my son, I know I can wait and will enjoy every first and every moment I will spend with him. Even though the clock has been ticking down to this last few moments until he arrives, the best part of all is that when he takes that first breath, the clock starts over and the real fun begins.

Pictures As Promised

2009-05-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

The dresser on the left is one that my mom used when she was a child and the same one that I used when I was a little tyke.

Another nursery shot. I have others. Will post more later.

The retaining wall that Jeremy has been working on.

This is Marlee. I LOVE her 'fro. I tell the groomer to trim everything but the mohawk.

Cache was LOVING the photo shoot. I got tons of good shots of him.

Runt

2009-05-26T16:39:00.001-07:00

I have always loved the "Runt of the Litter" because they are the smallest (and most adorable) and usually have a unique personality because of their pack order. Our black dog, Marlee, is the runt (I would put in a picture here, but I am away from my PC). I love my Marlee dog. She and I have a special bond. Jeremy even walked in from work one night and I was sitting in a chair with Marlee in my lap (she was soaking wet). I was rocking her back and forth, sobbing. She had just gotten into a HUGE fight with Cache (the other dog). She bit my finger (ended up with antibiotics and a tetanus shot) and Jeremy was coming home to talk about getting rid of her. That was a AWFUL night. SO on to the "Runt" blog...

Our little bean is apparently a runt. We went to the Dr. today. I am 37 weeks and 5 days. At our last visit, Bean was measuring several weeks behind his "gestational age" on the ultrasound measurements and weighing at 5 lb 5oz. The doctor told me to eat ice cream EVERY DAY until he gets here. Tough homework assignment, right? Well it kinda is, since I am not a HUGE ice cream eater. I have been drinking Ensure, which was an alternative to ice cream in the doc's eyes. Today, they measured my belly and I was at 33 centimeters (which I have been at for the past 3 weeks); which he said wasn't great. They also hooked up a fetal heart monitor and recorded his heartbeat for several minutes. Dr. said they did that because of him being small. I was a bit nervous but his heart checked out fine. Whew! I have not dilated or effaced yet. And...Bean is breech so a c-section we will be having. (Not posting date for Internet-security reasons, but many of you will know soon.)

We are really excited. I have lots of pics to post. I got a new camera and have been going picture crazy!!! And yes, I have pictures of the nursery, which is all done except for some things on the wall. That will probably happen when Bean comes home and my mom can handle that. She is so much better than me when it comes to decorating (and many other things).

Will post pics soon!

Friday Adventures

2009-05-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jeremy and I had a couple things to mark off our 'to-do list'. Jeremy completed more on his retaining wall that he is working on (pictures to follow). Then we headed to Home Depot to return lumber; then jetted across the highway to pick up MY NEW CAMERA. I must have a good one to record our little one's new life with us. Of course, my husband had researched the heck out of it before we decided on the one to purchase. About an hour later, with new camera in tow, this pregnant woman was HUNGRY! My taste buds lead us back across the highway to Olive Garden. I can really chow down on their soup and salad deal. Yum Yum! Besides, the doctor has informed me to gain as much weight as possible over the next two weeks (more to follow about that too). While at the Garden, I started having some Braxton-Hicks type cramping and was NOT feeling well. I was slightly disappointed because I was only on my first bowl of Zuppa Tuscana and had not eaten one breadstick. The nice waitress felt sorry for me and packed me a whole salad, soup, and order of breadsticks to go.

Now the craziness begins... We head BACK across the highway to go home and put me to bed. We cross the intersection and some $%& pulls out RIGHT in front of us, Jeremy doesn't see him but I yell (I typically send Jeremy a LOT of alerts while he drives) and the brakes are slammed on. Jeremy barely hits the back end of the $%&'s car and the $%& DRIVES OFF!!!!! DID THIS JUST HAPPEN?! A motorcyclist and a very nice man in a truck run the guy down and get his plate number. HOORAY for hometown heroes! I was pretty shaken as I saw us going straight into a large portion of this evil blue Pointiac Sunfire (yes, we got tag, make, and model). Lucky for us, our neighbor repairs dings and scratches on cars. Apparently, if the nice officer who helped us can find this $%& then we can put a warrant out for his arrest. Which, being in my profession and seeing victims of car accidents, I will be more than happy to do my part to hopefully stop the $%& from seriously hurting someone.

Anyway...below is a pic with my new camera. It is a pair of newborn shoes that I bought the other day. They are precious! We also have a video of Jeremy and Hippi playing their favorite game to practice with the video feature and uploads. Enjoy!

Another Catch Up Blog...

2009-05-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

Another trip with Wyspr included going to Franklin, TN to visit a college friend, Ashley (or author of ABCs of our Lifes, hehe). Her due date was 6 weeks ahead of mine and she has since had her little one. Her baby is BEAUTIFUL!!! We had so much fun catching up. Her shower was in the most magnificent location, the rolling hills on the Smokey Mountains at a gorgeous custom built home.

SNOW!
Here is a quick pic of me at 25 weeks in the snow. The snow on the board measured 4 1/2 inches!

Catching Up..

2009-05-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

There has been several smalls things that I have wanted to blog about, so here is the catch up blog (mostly in pictures).

Girl Scout Camp: I went camping with my Girl Scouts when I was 30 weeks. I would show more pics, but don't want to post the pics of the girls without parental permission. We had LOTS of fun hiking, learning to tie knots, learning knife handling and fire building skills, and or course sleeping in TENTS!! Needless to say, I went to the chiropractor the first day I could when I got back.

Helen,GA: This happened awhile back; however this is a trip that we took two days after we discovered that I had a bun in the oven. We went for our first anniversary to Helen, GA (it was also a makeup honeymoon, since I was knee deep in a graduation exam right after our wedding). Helen was interesting and we can check it off our list of places we have been, but will probably make that our only visit. I was approximately 6 weeks along in this picture.

Preggy bowling : Went bowling at 31 weeks and bowled two games. I have my own ball and shoes, so I was a lot easier on me. The second game I bowled 5 STRIKES IN A ROW to finish the game out and actually beat Jeremy. The people we were with gave him a very hard time.

HOT POT! Our GREAT neighbors invited us over for Hot Pot. It is a traditional Chinese meal (which I am told). There is a pot of broth in the middle of the table on a heating element with meats and veggies around it. It is a communal/social meal where you put what you want in the pot and eat it with your noodle and broth bowl when it is ready. I ate tons of yummy mushrooms!!

Georgia Trip My friend Wyspr and I took a trip to Newnan, GA to see one of the earth's greatest gals, Jenni. She has come to Birmingham to see us so many times and we had never been to Newnan. Here is a pic from our trip. In the pic we are in Decatur, which is one of my favorite places in ATL so far. I was approximately 8 weeks pregnant and had to fib a bit when I passed up a drink. I told them very shortly after the trip once we went to the first doctors visit and heard the baby's heartbeat. I felt awful for fibbing but they were excited when I told them my news.

April Showers, bring...

2009-05-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

...lots of essential baby items and cute clothes. We have had two showers so far. We are extremely grateful for the support and the generosity of the people that surround us.

Our first shower was in Rainsville, Jeremy's hometown. We got a PRECIOUS Auburn outfit, which I am sure he will wear as much as possible until he outgrows it.

Jeremy has quite a large family and everyone is SO great. I love his aunts and uncles and there are lots of little ones running around. There is never a shortage of young'uns for get-togethers.

The second shower was at work. The ladies were I work threw a wonderful shower. The food was amazing and there was cute decoration (I forgot I was in a conference room). We got tons of essentials, including many packs of diapers. We are well stocked. The second picture below is when I opened up a inflatable bath tub, which looks very helpful, but it was pink. I just loved Tina's expression.

Babymoon!

2009-04-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

After a doctor prescribed day of rest, Jeremy and I decided that we could still continue with our plans to travel to Destin for our Babymoon. It is a silly name, however it is quite a concept. It is a get-away for couples before the little one comes.

We were able to go to Destin and not drain our wallets. We stayed at Eglin Air Force Base at the on-base inn. It is a great perk of the Air Force. We left Friday night, after going out to eat with friends for a friend's birthday. Three things were on our agenda, 1. Eat crab legs, 2. Sit in the sand, and 3. RELAX!. Since I was trying to make sure my body remained calm, we mostly rode around in the car and relaxed on the beach. Had I stayed at home, laundry and household cleaning would have been staring me in the face and I would have not been able to sit still. The vacation plans came at the perfect time.

We also purchased our 'bringing baby home' outfit. I have gotten a lot of cute clothes, but the momma in me has charged me with being the one to get his coming home outfit. I don't have a pic, but it will be on him soon enough.

Here are some pics from the weekend. I have been asked to include more pictures,so here they are.

A Long Night for the Cushens

2009-04-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I was finishing up some work, actually doing tons of paperwork at a local Starbucks (client cancelled, had time, long story, but I really was working). I was having mild cramping, which has happened a couple of times in the last couple of days. But these were different they continued and seems somewhat consistent. I was headed home and did not have the ability at the time to jot down the times. If you haven't done it before and you have nothing to write with, it is quite confusing. So many times to remember. I called in to my doctor and followed their instructions of lying down, drinking water, and taking Tylenol. I tracked my contractions, which happened more regularly than they really should at 33 weeks.

After an hour of lying there,I had to get up and walk around and see if they continued. They did, however not as consistently. WHEW! I then starting doing dishes and laundry, and was just about to eat (I was very hungry!), when the contractions started back and this time they brought tears to my eyes. They were consistent, so the on-call doctor got a call from me. She asked me to go to the hospital and get checked out. Jeremy and I threw our toothbrush and a few other essentials in a bag, I grabbed a pillow, and we were off.

The nurse ended up giving me two doses of medication to stop the contractions, which were showing up on the monitor. She said the baby was very happy and had great stats. I was so happy to hear that. Contractions stopped. Around midnight, we were planning on leaving and I was determined to stay up with Jeremy on the way home to make the driving easier, when the nurse walked in with a VERY STRONG sleeping pill and said the doctor wanted me to take it. Sorry, Jeremy. I stayed semi-conscious to get some french fries from McDonald's (remember didn't really have time to eat) and next thing I knew we were pulling into our driveway.

So, today I will be taking the day off and will hopefully do well today so we can still follow through with our weekend plans. I will post about that after the weekend (as I cross my fingers). I have lots of stories to post about, but there were a few people that wanted to know what happened and this seemed like the easiest way. Stories to come include, Haleigh bowled 5 strikes while pregnant and beat Jeremy and my two wonderful showers so far.

One tired puppy and full-bellied bugs

2009-03-12T20:28:00.001-07:00

Today was a busy day for Baby Bean. He moved almost all day trying to get comfortable in a new position. He has now rested in his new position of his head pushing up on my stomach and his little legs kicking at my bladder. It is quiet uncomfortable and I have not seemed to sense hunger as well. I will have to remember to eat enough to keep him growing while he is temporarily reducing the size of my stomach. My belly has also made a noticeable change in shape and size because of his remodeling. Very interesting.

I have also began to have crazy amounts of swelling at my feet and ankles. This morning, I even spent a few hours at work with a slightly swollen face. I will soon be saying good-bye to my rings because I don't want to have to get them cut off.

Off a baby note, Jeremy and I discovered TERMITES on Tuesday night!!! Just another joy of homeownership. I know a great deal about termites now, especially how expensive they are. YIKES!

I will be going to the doctor on March 24th. The weekend before I will be having a 2nd 'clean out the bedroom party' to prepare for more nursery preparation and a yard sale on the 28th. Hopefully I will get into more picture posting on the blog and can share the progress of the nursery.

TAG your it!

2009-03-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my friend Ashley to post the 6th picture in my 6th photo album. I got a new laptop and don't have many photos. I did download some pics off my camera today and now officially have a 6th photo album. The photo is on me in a Zumba class. Zumba is a latin exercise-dance class. My friend Holli, her cousin Erica, and myself tried this class out. It was a lot of fun. And, of course, I was the only pregnant one. I have more pictures to post soon.

Whew!

2009-02-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today, Jeremy and I had our regularly scheduled follow up visit to the doc. He didn't find an irregular heartbeat but did say that it is possible for it to come and go. I was glad to hear a regular, steady heartbeat today.

After the visit, we were able to meet with some dear friends (Carrie; Ashley, Joseph, and Little Kensey Collins). It was good seeing all of them. Kensey, who is 16 months, kept eyeing Jeremy and was more than excited to kiss his check and give him high-fives. Very cute!

Our next appointment is in four weeks, when I will have my glucose test. Not looking forward to that. I don't do well with not eating in the morning. After that visit we will see the doctor every two weeks.

Another Frustrating Dr. Visit

2009-02-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

SO the mystery pain ceased late last week, but CAME BACK!!! Jeremy and I made another trip to Bham at the request of our dear doctor. Again he was confused by the pain but started me on an antibiotic. Hopefully this will help.

We had an ultrasound today because the initial readings on the "baby heart monitor" (I don't know it's official name) were a bit off. The doctor did a second reading and still didn't get results he wanted, so it resulted in an ultrasound. At this point, we have had an ultrasound at every visit. We are so thankful for this because we have really been able to see him grow. This was not the most pleasant one though.

First the pressure from the ultrasound wand was making the pain much worse and they discovered that Bean has an irregular heartbeat. Initially they were picking up on hiccups, which were very cute. The hiccups stopped and they noticed the heartbeat.

Not the best news, but certainly not the worst. The doctor said that sometimes it goes away and sometimes it does not. If it does not we will see a specialist. He reassured us that knowing is far better than not and that there was nothing to be worried about. I am certainly much calmer than I thought I would be. This has really reassured me in my decision to have the baby in Birmingham where there are many great doctors.

We have another appointment next week and will keep everyone updated.

"A case of the Mondays..."

2009-02-09T14:51:00.001-08:00

I was looking forward to a busy week of "Girl Scout Cookies". For those of you who don't know, I started a troop this January and am having a lot of fun. Yesterday I scrubbed the kitchen as part of my nesting and was exhausted this morning when I woke up.

Upon rising this morning I was feeling some weird pains that I could not explain, even after reading all my maternity books. I went to my local doctor to see if it was easily explained. They ran a 'pee in a cup' test and nothing out of the ordinary came up. My local doc called my baby doc in Birmingham and they wanted me ASAP for an ultrasound. I was VERY scared. Even though deep down I knew my baby was fine, it was much earlier than expected to have to call Jeremy home from work to drive me to Bham.

The ultrasound showed that all was well with Bean. The doctor really could not explain the pain but gave me some medicine and told me to call him if things didn't get better. I am really ok with that seeing as though Bean is ok. He is one pound today! He is also practicing breathing, which is great news according to the ultrasound lady. He is holding his hands like a baby now and was snoozing all during the ultrasound.

We thought all had calmed down. Jeremy was going to run a few errands and I was going to prepare for Scouts tonight, when I walked through a giant puddle of water in the KITCHEN! Really!??!?! Our refrigerator had called it quits. Jeremy immediately got on the phone with the home warranty folks, which expires in 2 weeks. I started putting things in our deep freezer, which has been an excellent investment.

As long as Bean is fine, I don't mind the messy kitchen. It is off to Scouts for me now. We are talking about the country of Costa Rica tonight. GO COFFEE!

The most beautiful words!

2009-01-31T09:05:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I went for Bean's 20 week ultrasound this week. We now have a video to share with friends and family and pictures that look like a baby and not an alien. I think he is going to have my lips and Jeremy's chin. The nose is still up for debate! We will post pics and possibly the video as soon as we can get the personal information off of them.

The doctor came to see us after he saw the ultrasound results. He showed us a report that had the word "normal" all over it. He said the report was pretty boring, but I instantly told him "No! I love to hear the word normal". We left as two proud parents and excited to show off our ultrasound video. Sorry to those who we have bored with the ultrasound video, we promise to not show you any diapers.

Thanks to everyone who has been supportive thus far. We are excited to be parents and can't wait to hold our boy. Many have asked us if we are nervous. My response to them has been, "I am not really nervous because I look around Wal-Mart and realize I can do this."

Hot'lanta

2009-01-18T10:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Jeremy and I, along with our fantastic neighbors Auvie and Yung, trekked to Atlanta. IT WAS A LONG DAY! We all climbed into Jeremy's truck at 8am CST and headed down I-65 to I-85 to head straight to our second destination (our first was the Stuckey's in GA for a bathroom break and a belly stretch break). Our second destination was the DeKalb International Farmer's Market. This was my first trip and it was amazing, besides the earthy aroma that filled the building. Not great for moms-to-be and the superhuman sense of smell. We saw more fruit, veggies, and meats than I have ever seen before. There were guys lined up like Norton's fishermen cleaning fish like crazy right there in the store. I could only take so much of the meat section though. I have a hard time looking at raw meat these days. Jeremy and I got some wonderful fruits, dried fruits, granola, yogurt (the last three were primarily for me), french sandwich bread, loose tea, basil, thai 'trail mix', and a few over delicious treats.

After a BIG bite to eat at a Thai restuarant in Decatur, we went straight to IKEA (which was the ultimate purpose of the trip) and spent what seemed like FOREVER following the arrows on the floor through the show room. We found a kitchen table and chairs, a computer desk to replace our large one, and storage cabinets for the kitchen. All of this is to baby-prep the house. IKEA ended up not having the pc desk in stock but we have plenty to put together. We loaded the truck as it began to sleet and snow. It was a bit cold, but it really wasn't a problem for Jeremy who had spent all week in Boston. After a very quite and sleepy trip home, we parked in our driveway around 10pm CST.

O, and we got our crib. It was a gift from my mom and stepdad. I picked it out online at JCPenneys where it got some pretty good reviews. We will get it together once the office is cleaned out and it is transitioned into the new guest room. The existing guest room will be the baby's nursery.

Our big ultrasound is next week so keep a look-out for baby details and hopefully a good pic. We will be recording it on a DVD so hopefully we can get it posted online.

It's a Boy!!

2009-01-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I are going to have a bouncing baby boy! The baby sure was proud of his 'parts'. Baby Boy Bean was spread eagle showing the world what he had worked so hard to grow. It was quite a hilarious experience in the ultrasound chair.

We are going back towards the end of January for the BIG ULTRASOUND where they do a lot of measurements and take a closer look at development.

We have been thinking about names but will not officially chose from the finalist list until he gets here. Jeremy is on a mad search for a baby football and I am making decisions about the nursery. We are very excited!

On another great note, my friends Kimberly and Jamie had their first little girl, Brooklyn Marie, on Monday. She is beautiful and has two great parents.

Big Day Tomorrow

2008-12-29T18:43:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we have a whole day scheduled around "Bean". Jeremy and I are looking at quite a few day care centers tomorrow. There are waiting lists and apparently we are a bit late getting on them. Yikes! Anyone want to sign up for days to watch the baby right when I go back to work?

After day cares we are headed to Birmingham to visit my doctor. Tomorrow we are finding out the sex of the baby. We are so excited! Many people has already asked me to call them after we find out. We will update our blog for sure tomorrow night but bear with us if we don't get all the calls made.

I have a baby bump for sure now. If I were famous, there would be pictures of my belly all over the grocery store check out line. The belly does make for an aching back and sleepless nights. I sure do miss sleeping on my stomach. I am thinking of making a bed of pillows with a hole for my belly. It could work.

I think I have had every symptoms of pregnancy so far, including cravings. So far my cravings have included 1) purple seedless grapes, 2) dill pickle chips (or anything with vinegar of it), 3) turkey sandwich on white bread from Subway, extra vinegar please, 3) grapefruit, and the newest 4)virgin bloody mary. My appetite has decreased a lot after week 12 but now, week 16, I am hungry quite a bit throughout the day. That usually means I eat my packed lunch at 9:30 or 10:00am and have to go out to eat for lunch. On the pregnancy update that I get in my email inbox, it stated that week 16 is a growth spurt week. I believe it, because of the hunger and the belly growth.

I will post tomorrow when we return from the doctor's visit. Until then...

Last Christmas as Two

2008-12-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I have spent our last Christmas as a family of two. We really enjoyed seeing our family and friends at Christmas time. It was a lot of traveling but we made it.

The weekend before Christmas we traveled to Decatur to see Aunt Nellie, Uncle Tommy, and Pat. Tony and Gina were in town as well. "Bean" got his/her first Christmas present. Aunt Nellie got Bean a cute Christmas blanket and stuffed toy. After a night of food and "Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader", Tony, Gina, Jeremy and I headed to Birmingham to spend the night. Since there are no mattresses left in the Birmingham house, Tony and Gina got to sleep on the air mattress. Jeremy and I got the closest thing to a bed, because of Bean, and slept on a pull-out futon.

Early Saturday we headed to Mema's for an extended family Christmas gathering. It was good seeing all the cousins. It was the biggest crowd that we have had for some time. After many gifts and a round of "Name that Christmas Song" Pictionary, Jeremy and I headed back to Montgomery.

Our weekend was still not over because we went downtown that evening to see one of Jeremy's really good friends who was in from D.C., Chris. Chris and his fiance Shelby had an engagement party and we made it for the after-party. I just sipped Sprite and Water and ran to the bathroom many times throughout the evening.

On Christmas Eve we spent the evening with our dear neighbor friends, Auvie and Yung, who are SO excited about Bean's arrival. Jeremy and I started a tradition last Christmas where we make soup for Christmas Eve. The reason behind it is to have a meal that doesn't take long to prepare or clean up so we can spend more time together. We decided this year that we would share our soup tradition with our friends. I made tomato basil soup, served in bread bowls, and salad. It was yummy! We then played a 'friendly' game of Scrabble. Auvie is a very good word-smith and challenged two of my words so I ended the game with negative points. Jeremy got lucky on a few words (like getting 15 points for a strategically placed "We") and lost by only two points. It was a fun evening.

On Christmas Day we traveled to Rainsville, AL and had early dinner with Jeremy's family. There was a huge crowd of 40 or so. It was a bit overwhelming but I should be accustomed to it by now. There is never a crowd under 25 there. Our Christmas quickly came to an end because we both had to work the very next day. Governor Riley decided not to let us off work for an extra day this Christmas. I understand his reasoning though, it would cost an extra 3 million dollars for an extra holiday. He let us off on Black Friday though. I am sure he hated the thought of all those State workers couped up in offices and not spending money in stores.

Jeremy and I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Stay tuned for some excited baby news coming soon.

Pregnancy Hormones

2008-12-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

One day at work I was extremely uncomfortable wearing my 'regular' clothes and knew it was time to shop for maternity elastic wear. I called Jeremy and told him to meet me at the clothing store to be with me while buying my first set of maternity clothes. I arrived before he did and began looking through the racks. While combing through all the blousy shirts and ruffles the pregnany hormones really kicked in. Tears started streaming down my face. I had to squint through the tears (my hands were full and I couldn't wipe them again) to try to find Jeremy. He had just arrived and was caught coming in the door looking at gadgets (which is typical Jeremy). I caught his attention and quickly waved him to where I was. When he noticed my tears he looked terrified. "Are you sad?" "What's wrong?" "Why are you crying?" My voice squivered as I replied, "I don't know." The tears kept coming.

I headed to the dressing room and BEGGED Jeremy not to leave me. I tried on the first outfit and walked out to Jeremy to get his opinion. Through the tears, I asked, "What do you think? How do I look?" Seeing Jeremy's face after I said that was priceless! He looked terrified to even look like he had an opinion. I am pretty sure that this is one of those moment that I will never forget. I ended up getting some clothes that would work for awhile.

An almost disappointing day.

2008-12-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

So on Tuesday the 2nd, Haleigh and I went to our third (my second) checkup for the bean. As usual we sat around waiting for our turn and finally got called back to a regular exam room and not the sonogram room. The nurse then pulls out this little microphone and speaker and tells us that we are just going to get to hear the heartbeat today and not a full blown ultrasound. I must admit that I was bummed by this news. I mean it is great to have the assurance that the little heart is still beating away, but there's something about seeing s/he squirm. I mean the second visit we got to see s/he move all over the place with only two little arm buds, I can only imagine what we'll see now that the buds are becoming arms and legs. All weekend long I had been looking forward to seeing our bean squirm around on the screen like the first visit, but this nurse was stealing my excitement. After about 5 minutes of trying to find the heartbeat, she decided it was best if we do a quick sonogram and check things out. So we are steadily watching the screen and we see our little heart just a pumping, and how much development that had happened since the last visit 3 weeks ago. Haleigh asked the sonogram technician to show us the legs if possible, and boy did we see the legs. I don't know if s/he was excited that we were there or just ready to hit the road running, but those two little legs were churning as fast as they could go. The heart rate was about the same as before and hopefully the next visit we'll be able to see everything a little more clearly.

Lagniappe at Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I went to Mandeville, LA to visit with Mom, Stan, Gina, Tony, and Mema for Thanksgiving. We had a fantastic time and even got a chance to squeeze in a shopping trip to find stuff for the nursery. Oh by the way, for those of you who may not know, I am pregnant!! Today I am 12 weeks and 4 days (and just had another great check up with my doctor in Birmingham). So, back to Thanksgiving. Tony, Gina, Jeremy, and I spent some good bonding time over Mario Kart on the Wii. We even got Mom and Mema to play. The highlight of the trip was the tour of the Abita Beer Factory in Abita Springs. Well, the was the highlight for the others, really. Abita gave all "tourists" free access to the beer taps in the lobby of the factory. Lagniappe! They had root beer which was pretty good, but I mostly stuck to the Spring Water that was at the water fountain. It was a lot of fun and another way to spend some time with the family.

Tony and Gina got Jeremy and I a beautiful memory book to start for our little one, which we have nicknamed "Bean". On December 30th we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby. That will be a special day because is it also Dad's birthday. What better way to remember him than to begin dreams of our new family.

I will post pictures soon. Stay tuned...