Christmas 2014

Christmas 2014

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Quick post about quick cooking

Seeing that the first month of motherhood has been one big diaper change/feeding/please go to sleep/you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, I haven't had too much time to cook. I have been so fortunate to have friends and family that have kept us stocked on meals and I made a ton of freezer meals before Olivia came. Still yet, there's a part of me that misses humming around the kitchen and making the house smell amazing with dinner when Jay gets home. When we got married I didn't know how to cook anything!! It still shocks me that Jay took the plunge seeing how much he loves good food. I have gotten lots better, but what I used to lack in skill I now lack in time.

I did get online this weekend and found the following recipe for pork tenderloin on allrecipes.com. I decided to post because it actually was easy and good (I've had my fair share of 'easy and good' failures, so I was pumped).



Okay, here we go:

1- 2 lb pork tenderloin
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tbs. minced garlic
3 tbs. soy sauce
black pepper to taste

Place the tenderloin in a crockpot and for heavens sake use a liner! If you don't, then you deserve to be slaving away scraping the food off of that thing-best invention ever!!! Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the loin and then pour the water; soy sauce and wine around the meat. We had two bottles of wine left over from our wedding, (yes, we've been married over 3 years) so I used one of those to get rid of it. Normally, I would probably use beef or veggie stock and I usually add in a boulion cube of some sort to enhance the flavor. Next smear the garlic over the top of the tenderloin and sprinkle on the pepper. I finally broke down and got a nice pepper mill and I can really tell the difference in my cooking-so worth it. You can also add any veggies you would like. I cut up some new potatoes. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours and then you are officially an awesome cook.

I think the smell that filled the house was just as good as actually eating the finished product. Jay said it smelled like I was 'really cooking something,' whatever that means! This one will be a regular dish in our house since I don't think I'll be getting any free time in the next few years-haha! Have a great day!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Hospital Packing

What a hectic few months! I had great intentions of blogging about my pregnancy every week, but looking back, I believe I made it to week 15-haha! Here we are; it's the middle of July and I am a mother to a beautiful baby girl. Did you hear me....I'm a MOTHER! It's pretty surreal for me, but I feel like this is what I was always supposed to do. This only child that had very little experience with children can tell you that 'mother's intuition' is a beautiful thing because my motherly instincts have taken over and I think that we just may be okay with this parenting thing.

I plan to post about my baby shower and my labor and delivery and all of those fun things, but I thought I'd start out with my advice for packing for the hospital. Thanks to Pinterest and Google, I spent my fair share of time researching what this person and that person thought that one should or should not take to the hospital. From all of those blogs and websites I compiled my own list of things that we should take with us. The end result was, as you can see below, just pack as much as you can fit in your car because it would be better to have it and not use it than to have to go buy something that you already own.

Although our trunk looks like we are embarking on a week long road trip, our hospital stay was only two days.

Now I have some disclaimers before I get too far into my list. We stayed in the hospital for two nights instead of just one and I knew this weeks in advance. In my opinion, this gave me full rights to pack whatever I wanted and not be made fun of by Jay or anyone! Additionally, my labor and delivery was crazy easy, (I almost feel guilty talking about it, but that's another post) so some things that I will mention I didn't actually get the opportunity to use, but I would expect them to be handy and will be taking them to the hospital if there is ever another Wheeler baby in our future.

First of all is Jay's bag. This is short and sweet....... LET HIM TAKE CARE OF WHAT HE WANTS TO BRING! I say this for two reasons 1) If I had packed his bag, I would have undoubtedly left something out and 2) it is usually the mom's responsibility to pack everything else, so they can manage one bag. I did, however, make a basket of treats for him to take to the hospital and gave it to him as a Father's Day gift. Out of the whole labor and delivery process, he was most concerned with what he was going to eat, so I decided that I would just take care of that right off of the bat.

Next is Olivia's bag. I can laugh at myself now, but I packed at least four or five outfits for this child and when I say outfit I mean a complete ensemble. Each outfit had it's own matching hairbow, hat, burp cloth, receiving blanket, socks, and toy-good grief!!!!! IMO, all you really need is maybe one outfit for pictures right after the baby is born and one going home outfit. I would suggest bringing a couple different sizes. We were told that she was going to be about 8-9 lbs. and she turned out to be 6 lbs. 11 oz. The only thing that fit her was her going home outfit and we went ahead and put her in another onesie that we had to cinch in at the back to make it look like it was anywhere near her size. We really enjoyed the shirts and hats that the hospital provided for 3 reasons. 1) They actually fit, 2) if we got them dirty, clean ones were a button push away, and 3) they were really great for her umbilical cord stump because they didn't rub up against it like a onesie would have. I can only speak for our hospital, but they had everything that we could have possibly needed for her in the cart that her bed rested on. My epidural didn't wear off until the next day, so I didn't realize this until we were getting close to being discharged, but take advantage of everything that the hospital has to offer-and take it home!

Finally, my bag. This is where I went overboard the most. Contrary to intital impressions, I am pretty low key and easy to please. I forgot this, however, and packed everything I did and didn't need. Just a few notes:

1) I ordered really cute nursing pajamas from A Pea in the Pod, and I never wore them. I stayed in the hospital gowns the entire time because I was hooked up to so many things that there was no way I was going to try to get anything on otherwise. It was also nice that the shoulders unsnapped to nurse. I can work these nursing tanks like a champ now, but at that stage in the game I could barely get in a complete feeding; forget about doing it in style. If you must bring your own clothes, I suggest bringing some gowns and possibly a robe for if you decide to get out of the room or for visitors. After everything that one goes through in the labor and delivery process, I couldn't imagine pulling on a pair of pants and sitting in bed-enough said.

2) I brought every single thing that I needed to get ready, and believe it or not, I used it. I know that this is personal preference, but it made me feel much better to get up on that second day, shower, and get ready. I actually felt like myself again, well, sort of. The best picture I have of Olivia and I in the hospital was taken on the second day, so I'm glad that I looked half way decent when it was taken. One thing that I wish I would have brought was some really good moisturizing lotion and body wash that was fragrance free. I brought my Mary Kay body wash and lotion that I love, but I was afraid that the scent was too much for her. Chap stick also came in handy even though I never used it during pushing like I thought I would. I only pushed for about 20 minutes, so my lips never got dry (I know, I know, see why I feel guilty even talking about it?).

3) Everyone makes such a big deal about the going home outfit for the baby, but what about the going home outfit for the mom? I think that a considerable amount of thought should be put into this, because if you have an hour long drive home like we did, what you wear can be the difference between parental bliss and parental agony. I wore a pink tank and some black leggings with a matching black cardigan. If you saw me at all during my pregnancy you saw that cardigan. I guess I'm going to have to burn it or Jay is going to do it for me. Looking back, I wish I would have brought a cute maxi dress. The leggings were okay, but by the time we got home, all I wanted to do was put on something that was loose fitting. I wouldn't advise being too scrubby for the drive home, because the amount of pictures that were taken when we got home would have put Brad and Angelina to shame. Once again, glad that I had taken time on my appearance that day, too.

Other items that we brought:

1)Blankets and pillows. These came in handy for Jay since the hospital only provided what was on my bed and the chair that made out into a bed wasn't the most comfortable; or at least that's what I was told. I have heard that the moms can benefit from their own pillows, but I thought the hospital ones were okay, and they brought me as many as I wanted.

2) Boppy pillow. I have heard so many people say how happy they were that they brought it, but I never used mine. I had so many machines that I was hooked up to that it was just easier to grab one of my 5 pillows and prop up. Not to mention that there wasn't much storage in my room, so the pillow would have had to be dug out of the closet every time that we needed it. I reccomend bringing it because everyone is different and if there is a next time, I will probably bring it again although it might stay in the car.

3) Baby book page. This was really nice, because Jay took it to the nursery with him when she was having her initial tests done and they put her footprints on her baby book page, as well. There was a place for handprints, but my hospital didn't do those, so she's two weeks today and it's still blank. We should probably get on that. :/ The staff said that whenever we do get around to doing it, buying a washable ink pad for stamps seems to work best.

4) Chargers, cameras, yada, yada. Bring all of that stuff because you will use it. My brother came up from Little Rock and took beautiful pictures with his camera, so we were lucky, but one of the nurses still took pics while she was being delivered. I also brought a disposable camera in case all else failed.

5) Gift for the nurses. I had originally bought some chocolates for the nurses who were, by the way, awesome. If you are giving birth in January that's great, but when it's 105 degrees outside, pick something that is less likely to melt. They all wanted me to bring her back in a few weeks, so I thought I'd just drop something off from Causbies with a nice thank you note when we go visit.

My overall mantra for hospital packing is pack everything you think you might want because it's better to have it than to wish you did. It seemed that we brought most everything that we needed and many things that we didn't, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hopefully, this will be a more regular thing for me with the blog posts and I will get on here again before 2013!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Taking the good with the bad....

What a week this has been. During my last post, I shared about Zeke and my Nana. I have developments in both areas. My Nana is still in the hospital. She will likely be there for quite a while. She just isn't doing well regarding her breathing and is having trouble getting a good amount of air into her lungs. I am really worried for her and feel so bad that I haven't been able to visit her. Hopefully, I can get to Jonesboro this weekend.

As for Zeke, we took him to the vet and after about an hour of discussion we decided to forgo the hip replacement (3k) and try some natural therapies. While I think that this will be a good option for him, we really can't provide him the environment that he needs. He can't sit on command, no jumping, no concrete, no slippery surfaces, and lots of regular exercise. I can look through that list and see that the last three are just not possible at our house. Because of this, we made the difficult decision to try to find Zeke a home where he could be in a safer environment that is more suited to his needs. God has been all over this one, because Jay has someone he works with that we think is going to be the perfect fit. He has 5 acres around Paragould, AR and has had pets in the past that needed regular supplements. His family wanted a lab, but didn't want to go through raising a puppy. They are excited about Zeke and have done quite a bit of research on his condition, already. We have decided that we are going to take him to his new family on Saturday. While I don't want to begin to think about how difficult this Saturday will be, the only thing that is keeping me sane is that I know it is what is best for him. He is a sweet and loving dog that deserves and environment where he can be happy and healthy. I think he will get that there.

Now, let's switch to some good news. We know the gender of the baby!!!!!!!! We found out on Tuesday, but we are keeping it a secret until Friday. We are going to have our entire family over to the house for dinner and tell them then. There is a teacher that I work with who is an incredibly talented cake designer and she is going to make us a cake much like the ones that you see on pinterest. I will post more about that after tomorrow, but I will say that I am about ready to bust! I want to tell so bad and the fact that I have 140 seventh graders that want me to tell doesn't help the situation, either. Less than 24 hours and the big pink or blue surprise will be out!

As if Tuesday couldn't get exciting enough, we SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!!! Well, we are under contract. We had been going back and forth with a couple for about 3 weeks and we finally agreed on a price. I'm not packing, yet, because we have to make it through the appraisal, but everything is falling into place perfectly. We found the cutest house to rent at a great price and our builder happened to have a project going on in town already, so she, yes she, can start on on it next month!!!! You have to check out our builder's website, sugghomes.com. She is so gifted, and I am very excited that she is traveling an hour to work with us. As of right now, we are closing on February 29th and are going to move on President's Day weekend; yes, that's two weeks-haha! Why not, right? We don't have anything going on right now!

As for my weekly photos, um yeah, I've gotten a little behind. Here's that in a nutshell. I popped, I love vinegar or lemon anything, I'm sick with a cold and want to dive face first in a tub of Nyquil, I love wearing maternity clothes, my students think I have gotten 'meaner' since I have gotten pregnant however they still think I'm 'nice and cool,' we got the stroller and are getting the nursery furniture this week (big sale at Target). Well, that's pretty much it-haha!

As you can see, the past week has been filled with some of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I just feel like you have to take the good with the bad and pray-PRAY LOTS!!! I would still appreciate prayers for any of the things listed above-I know that there's lots to pick from. Hopefully, things will get back to normal next week, but the more I think about it, this is normal for us. Oh well, we'll work with it!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Tough Weekend

The past 24 hours have been especially tough for the Wheeler house. I got home from school today and Jay was on the phone with Zeke's trainer, Steven. Zeke is our lab puppy that we bought with hopes of him being a wonderful hunting dog. Steven said that he had noticed Zeke limping last week and it had worsened this week. The owner of the kennel took him to the vet and he has severe hip displasia. This was such a shock to us because we used a breeder that has an excellent reputation and who rarely has any health issues with their dogs. Zeke's dad was a newer sire and as time has gone on, he has thrown a few pups that have had hip trouble, but none as bad as Zeke.
They told us that they were going to be pulling him from the training program immediately and that we could pick him up. At this point, they think our options are to replace the hip, try natural remedies, or have him put to sleep. We are just crushed because we have grown so attached to him and had such high hopes for him. I cried last night until my eyes were almost swollen shut.
We made the drive to Oxford today to pick him up and had a long stay at the kennel talking with the trainier and the owner. I must say that they were wonderful and did everything possible to make sure that we felt comfortable taking him home. They had taken an x-ray at the vet and it is just pitiful. We are going to try to go to the vet on Monday and see what they think his quality of life will be. We just have some tough decisions to make, and are trying to enjoy him while we can. Right now, I'm on my couch watching him sleep on his 'place.' He looks so peaceful and I wonder if he knows how hard of a road he has ahead of him. He is only 8 months old, so it is so sad that he is already having so many issues. I also feel so bad for Jay, because he was so excited about having a dog to hunt with.

As if this wasn't enough, my Nana is very sick and in the hospital. She has severe breathing problems and has been in the hospital before, but this time was quite worse. My dad sent me a text message Friday telling me he was taking her to the emergency room. She was having so much trouble breathing that she could barely even go to the bathroom. Today, the Dr. told us that she would be unable to be alone as she doesn't have the strength to take care of herself. My aunt wants to take her home with her, but she isn't in the best health herself. I'm afraid that she is going to end up in a nursing home. The Dr. said that she is pumped full of anitbiotics right now and that, eventually, she will be back in the hospital. He feels like that when she comes back, it will be so bad that she will have to be put on a ventilator. Her Dr. is meeting with my dad and my aunts this week, and I think that it is safe to say that it is only going to get worse.

I just ask you all pray for Jay, myself, and the rest of my family as we feel certain that we have a tough road ahead. I know that the Lord does not give us more than we can take, so he must think that I am very strong. I guess he has much more faith about my ability to make it through than I do.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

15 Weeks


How far along? 15 Weeks

Total weight gain: 5 lbs-still
Maternity clothes? No maternity clothes, yet. I can tell that my pants are getting tighter in the waist. It’s strange because they still fit everywhere else!
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep: I am sleeping so much better since I got my Boppy Body Pillow. I used to wake up at night freaking out because I was on my back. That really helps me sleep on my sides. I actually slept all night last night! Between bathroom trips and restlessness, that hasn’t happened in a LONG time!

Best moment this week: Deciding that I am going to have a gender reveal party for my family. One of my fellow teachers makes beautiful cakes for this occasion, so I am going to have our families over to the house for dinner and ‘the big reveal.’ I also looked at baby clothes for the first time this week. I can already tell that I am going to be in T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

Miss Anything? Not being able to just go and do things. I asked Jay today if we could go skiing this winter and he basically vetoed that immediately!
Movement:
Nothing, yet, but I have had my suspicions. This baby is going to have to do a back flip before I will probably recognize it.
Food cravings: Still loving sour things. This is especially crazy because Jay loves sour things more than anyone I know. I have never cared for them, so now we are fighting over everything sour that I bring in the house
J.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, feeling great!
Gender: Still waiting

Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Outside of being tired, I haven’t had many symptoms this week. I have had to remind myself that I was pregnant a couple of times.

Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, but I have cried more this past week than I can remember in quite a while. It’s like I get started and can’t stop-haha!
Looking forward to: Finding out the gender and starting to REALLY show!

I'm starting to see a little bump when I look in the mirror-so exciting!! I know I'm pregnant, but when I can start to see it, it makes it even that much more real. I want you all to remind me of this the day that it is the middle of June, 85 degrees, and I am the size of a beached whale. Remind me that I was really wanting to show in January!

Last night, we had the best time. We went to eat with Jeremy and Randi Allgood and their little boy, Eason. I have been around lots of babys, but since I have been pregnant, this is the first time I have been around a baby for this long. He is honestly one of the best babies that I have been around, and I learned that the parenting style of the parents is truly reflected in the child's disposition. They are very relaxed, low-key parents and so is Eason. The entire time we were eating, he just sat there, looked around, and never made a noise. If only I can be so lucky!!

When we got back to their house, I changed my first diaper-and a poopy one, at that. My first diaper experience was with our friends, Matt and Angie, and their baby, Isabelle. She had just pooped and was eating real food at this point, so they made sure to give me a very 'full' diaper. I opened the diaper and immediately shut it and yelled, "Ohhhhhh!!!" I slowly stepped away from the table wondering how something so precious could produce something so vial!

This time around, I was much more determined. I got the diaper on and didn't even get sprayed. Now, I know that if I have a little boy, I will live to regret those words, but I had to say it. I can't wait until Eason is about 16 or 17 and I can tell him that he was my first successful diaper change-hehe! I can already tell that I will love the smell of a baby (when their diaper is clean). I can just smell it while I'm typing.

Such a fun night, and a small look at what is to come. I know that there are stressful times, but seeing the love that Randi and Jeremy have for their little boy is so sweet, and I can't wait to expereince that for myself.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Daycares and Doctors

This week, my baby prepwork has focused on two topics: finding a daycare and finding a pediatrician for the baby. I must tell you that out of everything that is involved with having a baby, finding a form of childcare that I am satisfied with is the most nerveracking.

I went to eat lunch with some girlfriends before Christmas and came home feeling like I was an uneducated parent, already!! I hadn't even given any thought to finding daycare, yet. I mean, I wasn't even out of the first trimester!!!!! I was quickly informed by my friends (who are mostly moms or further along in their pregnancies than me) that there are lots of people that keep children in Kennett, but very few that you would actually want to send your child to. They quickly discussed a myriad of names, none of which I recognized and then moved on to the next subject. I, on the other hand, was reeling. I couldn't remember any of the names, and didn't even know where to begin.

After about 3 weeks of calling, and calling, and CALLING I am about 95 percent sure that I have found childcare that I will be very satisfied with. I still think I am going to try to find a backup just in case something doesn't work out. I do not even want to think about the day that I will drop little baby Wheeler off at the daycare for the first time. I'm sure that my makeup will need a touch up--big time! One thing that I think will help me feel better is there will be church friends there. My good friend Becky said that she was going to tell her daugher to 'watch out for the little Wheeler baby.' The Little Wheeler Baby.....I'm getting excited already!

On the other hand, finding a pediatrician was much easier than finding daycare. While everyone has a different story as to whether or not they will work, or who will keep their baby, everyone has a pediatrician. I believe that we decided on Children's Clinic in Jonesboro. This is actually where I started going when Dr. Gubin said that he really couldn't help me with my allergies, anymore. I was very sick as a child, so I hope the baby gets Jay's immune system. I loved Children's Clinic so I feel good about that decision. We haven't completely decided on a Dr., yet, but we have narrowed it down to a couple. The thing that I keep hearing over and over is that they are all wonderful and that they are open every day except for Christmas day-two VERY good things to hear.

It feels good to cross things off the baby list, although it seems like as I get one thing accomplished I find 5 more things that I need to do. In the end, I know that everything will get accomplished; it always does. I guess the next thing on the list is deciding on whether or not to get maternity pictures....cringe!!! I guess that will just have to be another post.......

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

14 Weeks


How far along? 14 Weeks

Total weight gain: 5 lbs
Maternity clothes? I wore a maternity shirt today, but just because I liked it-hehe!
Stretch marks? none yet
Sleep: Sleeping okay. I got my boppy body pillow in the mail today and I can’t wait to try it out tonight.
Best moment this week: Getting out of my first trimester!!!! So excited for the
best
trimester of pregnancy!
Miss Anything? Buying clothes from Boston Proper. Their Spring collection just came out-so cute!!! Also sushi.
Movement: Nothing, yet.

Food cravings: Anything sour!!! I bought a bag of lemons the other day and have almost finished it off. BTW lime and salt popcorn is AMAZING!!!!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, anymore. I just cannot eat much meat at one time.  
Gender: ????

Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Going to the bathroom ALL the time, belly growing pains, and acne L
. My Clarisonic has done wonders for my face, though.
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: Finding out the gender on Jan 31.
It's been so much easier to monitor and control my tiredness. I am starting to figure out what I can do without having to take a nap! I am slightly showing (mostly at night)-haha! I was concerned that I would be stressed out about my weight, but I am loving my changing body and my ability to be closer to the baby. Before I get out of bed in the morning, I can usually feel the baby when I roll from my left side to my back. I wake Jay up all night grabbing his arm and putting it on my belly so he can feel, but he doesn't mind :)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Where have I been???

It has been such a long time since I have blogged that I can't even begin to talk about all that has happened. During the last post I made, we were just picking up Zeke, it was the middle of summer, and Jay and I were excited about the prospect of starting a family. Well......
Our Christmas Card Photo

Zeke is 8 months old, now, Christmas is finished, another semester of school has gone by, and most exciting.....I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!

We are so excited about starting a family, but I wouldn't be lying if I said that it has been a rocky ride. I was on fertility treatments for a few months and they completely made me a different person. The side effects were crazy and one of the medications would just put me into a fog for about a week-not good when your job is to control 140 7th graders!!!

I would take all of the medicine and go to the Dr. and they would tell me that it didn't work, meaning that I didn't ovulate-very frustrating. After this happened in October, I had a feeling one day and decided to go home and take an ovualtion test. To my shock, it was positive!! I was so excited and I called the Dr. and they told me to come back in for more bloodwork. After going back, they told me that it didn't work again-crushing. A couple of weeks later, I was feeling 'wierd' and just had a feeling that I needed to take a pregnancy test. I made Jay go buy 'the good ones' and BINGO, two lines!!!! I was so happy that I didn't even know what to do. I took another one the next morning and it was positive again. I called the Dr., AGAIN, and told them that I had a positive test. At this point, I was pretty sure that they thought I was crazy, but they told me to come back in for a test. To their surprise, it was positive!!!!!

At the first appt. I got the biggest surprise of my life, TWINS!!!!!!!! We were so shocked/thrilled that we didn't even know what to say to each other. Jay and I went to Target and just walked up and down all of the rows of baby things thinking about how we were going to need two of everything. I stared at that ultrasound picture constantly and tried to imagine how our life was going to change.

Unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived because at our next appointment, there was only one heartbeat. That was a feeling that I had never experienced because, on one hand, I was so sad to loose a baby, but on the other hand, I felt even more lucky to have one perfectly healthy baby inside of me. I have never been so torn in my emotions before in my life.

I remember getting in the car and telling God that I wasn't going to be mad at him (much like I had been for not letting us get pregnant easily). It was very odd the peace that he brought over me during that time, and the overwhelming sense that there was a very good reason that we experienced this. We didn't talk much about the pregnancy for the next month, and I slowly realized that it is very common to lose a twin. While it didn't make it any easier, it was reassuring to know that I wasn't the only one.

I think that I really healed the most when I was talking to my pastor. It was during that conversation that I realized that God had given me a gift. Many people are pregnant with twins, but don't ever know because they don't have an ultrasound until they are too far along to know. God gave me the opportunity to have an early ultrasound so I could know and look forward to meeting our son or daughter in Heaven.

As the months went by, and the checkups were continually good, we became more and more comfortable with being excited about the pregnancy. As I got closer to getting out of the first trimester, I got REALLY excited!!! We had our most recent checkup last Tuesday and, once again, heard a healthy heartbeat-164 beats per minute. We will have the opportunity to do a gender scan on January 31 and I can't wait to know if we will have a boy or a girl. I feel like after that, the fun will really begin.

I haven't been doing a very good job of taking belly pics, because I'm not really showing yet. I'm still in my regular jeans and I've only gained 5 pounds, so there's not much to see. I saw the cutest blog on the internet in which the blogger has done a WONDERFUL job of documenting her pregnancy. Her site is http://littlebabygarvin.blogspot.com/. I am going to use her as my inspiration and try to do a weekly photo and blog post about where I am at in my pregnancy.

If this isn't your cup of tea, just ignore, but I feel like this will be so neat to show the baby one day when they are old enough to realize and appreciate the experience. Hopefully, since I am making a public commitment I will stick to it. I'm 14 weeks now, so I guess I have about 26 posts to go....EXCITING!!!!!