Esther

The study of Esther..."It's Tough Being a Woman"...by Beth Moore. A group of girls in my Sunday School class just started this bible study last Monday night. I was unable to attend because we were on vacation with Gabe's family in Branson. So, tonight will be my first night. I'm excited to see what's in store. I love Beth Moore. I will say that her bible studies are pretty lengthy, but they are good.

Madison has been a little whiney today. I'm not sure why. Maybe she's been bored because we stayed home pretty much all day. She got her 15 month shots this morning (even though she's now almost 16 months old.) She only weighs a little over 20 pounds. She's like in the 15-20 percentile. I asked her doctor if he was worried about her not gaining much weight and he said no. He said she's just little and will probably be that way. Poor thing. It must stink being cute and so petite! She doesn't eat much at all, but I'm sure that will change with time. The doctor said at this age they are just trying to figure out foods anyways...all of the different tastes and textures. If she's anything like her momma, which we all know she is, she will learn to absolutely, positively LOVE food.

Well, it's time to head...

Twins?

You're probably thinking the exact thing that I'm thinking. Twins? This morning I decided to wear one of my non-maternity dresses to church. It was a shift dress that was form fitting to my body and I thought I would wear it to show off my pregnant belly one last time before I stuck to strictly maternity dresses. Bad idea! I thought twice about wearing the "tight" dress to church because I sang in the praise team this morning. I know that the "older generation" did not wear form fitting clothes back in the day, so I wasn't sure what people would think of me showing off my belly. Apparently, it wasn't a good idea.

After the first service, an older woman, who I know, asked me if I was expecting twins. Can you believe it? I told her that I was not. She then asked me if I was sure. Umm...pretty dang sure! I walked away pretty upset, but what do you do? People say all kinds of things to pregnant and sometimes non-pregnant women, if you know what I mean.

I guess I'll try to let it go this time...

29 Weeks & Beginning Nursery Stages

I am 29 weeks pregnant today. I can't wait until I reach my 30's next week! Ha! Who ever knew a girl would be soo ready to reach her 30's...in pregnancy, that is! I'm still large, hot, and uncomfortable. Sleeping is not so much fun anymore. My back hurts all the time. This pregnancy has been rougher on me, as far as back pain goes, than my first. I think it's simply because I have another baby to take care of. Just think...the next pregnancy will be even worse. I don't even want to think about it. I will see my OB every 3 weeks for the next 2 weeks and then I'll start seeing her even more frequently. Time is getting close. I think I stressed Gabe out. He's been in "clean-out" mode this weekend. We have lots of closets to reorganize and go through before this little boy gets here...but, we still have plenty of time.

Gabe set up the baby's new crib yesterday. We got a GREAT deal on this crib. I purchased it off of Craigslist. Gabe just so happened to check online to see if it had been recalled and it had. We mailed in the info needed and the company sent us back a brand new crib pretty much! The only thing they didn't send up was the spring and one other wooden bar.

I'm still going with this bedding. I'm in the process of purchasing the material and getting the bedding ordered from a girl who does amazing work here in Russellville. Can't wait!

The following are some decorations I bought BEFORE I knew we were having a boy and BEFORE I was even pregnant. Good thing Gabe trusted me on this one.

I knew that Gabe wanted to do our boy's room in a sports theme. All of the sports bedding I've looked at online is a little cheesy, so I decided to go with this sporty vintage look. I think it will turn out lookin' pretty good.

Still thinking about the name. Don't give up on us! :)

Branson At Its Best!

Chad, Gabe, and Holley treated their parents to a trip to Branson to celebrate their upcoming anniversary. We stayed at Emerald Point Condos on Table Rock Lake and had a GREAT time. We each had a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and washer/dryer. There was a marina/boat slips just down the road for days out on the lake and a swimming pool just outside our door. Great job planning the trip, guys!
Cousin Love...Madison & William. She adores him!
We decided to eat at Joe's Crab Shack our first night there.

Gabe & William gearin' up to eat crabs.
Madison sure did enjoy some Grammy & Poppa time!
The girls...well, the "young 'ens" that is...me, Holley (Gabe's sister), & Becca (Chad's wife)
Let's Get Crackin'- Gabe taught William how to crack and eat some crab.
Surprise! Happy Anniversary. Not sure who told the waiter, but Ed and Margaret got a song!
After dinner, we headed to the midding of The Landing and watched the water/fire show.

The next night we enjoyed some Italian- one of my favorites


Did a little shopping at the outlet malls...

Enjoyed some go-karts. I believe Gabe beat Holley!

Overall, we had a great time. We didn't do a whole lot besides, relaxing, eating, shopping, and more eating, but I think it was what we all needed. Madison did great on the trip there and back. She ran fever during the whole trip... We can't quite figure it out. We thought it was just her teething, but we're still not sure. She seems to be fine today and she has her 15-18 month check-up on Monday, so maybe we'll find something out then.

Branson was definately at its best!

28 Weeks...

Our baby boy is equal in weight to a Chinese cabbage -- about 2 1/4 pounds. He is almost 15 inches long, from head to heel.

Today I had my 28 week ultrasound. Our baby weighs exactly 2 lbs 9 oz. And just in case you were worried, it's STILL a boy! We got to take a look at him with the 4-D ultrasound and saw his cute little face up close. His nose looked a little large, but the tech said that babies' noses are typically swollen at this stage. He was sleeping while we were watching him, but we did see him move around some. He likes to keep his hand near his little face. We even saw him make some fussy faces. Maybe it was just me, but I thought I saw a little of Madison in his face. We'll see. I can't wait to find out what he looks like. I'm still hoping he will look and act just like his dad.

The docs, nurses, and ultrasound tech gave us a little bit of a hard time over not having a name picked out yet. I told the ultrasound tech that Gabe wasn't ready to commit. She said, "Not ready to commit...isn't that always the case?" So true!!! First it was the engagement, then the wedding date... The list goes on and on!

I'm definately already at the miserable stage. It got here a little early this time. Can you believe it's already June? Our little man will be here August 28th. My OB said, hopefully, a little sooner, so maybe she'll let me induce a little bit early again. Time has definately gone by faster since the 20 week mark.

I can already tell that this summer heat is going to KILL me. I burned up being pregnant during the winter last time, so I am going to fry my little hiney off this time I'm sure. Oh well! At least I'm tan, right?

We're getting ready for a family vacation with Gabe's family to Branson. We're looking forward to some relaxation, good food, shopping, time with family, and fun on the lake!

Happy 28 Weeks!

Apple Turnovers

My grandmother emailed me a "to dye for" recipe the other day. EASY Apple Turnovers. You use Pepperedge Farm pastry puff dough and simply add apple pie filling. So yum! The dough is so light and crispy you could eat a dozen. Wait...I think maybe I did. Oops!

"What is that?"

"Oh, I'm supposed to eat it?"

"Man, that's good stuff!"

Happy Baby!

Nothin' Much

Nothing much went on here today except for a little vacuuming...
a little mopping...

And to top it all off...we'll enjoy a great dinner at Brown's Catfish. Can't wait!