Branch

Well a lot happened this past weekend! I am now 31 weeks along (YIKES!!) and I got to finally see one of my best friends Rachel who is also pregnant! Their band, Branch, was in town last night for a concert and it was so much fun! I have some pictures for you of course. And I don't have a staged 31 weeks photo but you can kind of see the giant I am becoming in one of these pics! Don't be scared...

Mere, Me, and Rach!

Yep...here's the scary side view...

Steven and Wes...future daddies!

That's right...we are BOTH pregnant!

I love you Rachy!

Part of the ole HSU crew!

We made sure and take doubles so we could mark this historic event that we all actually hung out together even though we live in the same area!

The Baby Shower...excuse me...Party!

Today I received my baby shower invitations in the mail! YAY!! Did you notice that I said invitations, as in plural?? Well, there is a reason for that...

One of our best friends Jeff had this crazy idea that he wanted to throw Eli a baby shower. He just thought it would be super fun to try and take on this feat. A) because he's a guy and he thinks a guy planning this is hilarious and B) because he LOVES to have everyone together to hang out with and what a better way to do it than to throw a shower...or as he calls it, a party.

One of our other best friends Meredith also said she would like to help throw a baby shower. So, after a while, it just seemed best for Mere and Jeff to work together instead of having separate ones, so that's where the story begins.

Jeff decided that he wanted to make his invitations extra special, so after I gave them the shower invitation list (which I hate doing because I always feel like I'm leaving someone off, which I'm sure I did...) he had me mark the ones that he could send invitations to, and then he had Meredith send the rest of the list her invitations. Basically, all the family members would be getting Meredith's adorable invites, and then the friends or people that understand Jeff would be getting the special invites. Instead of trying to go into any type of explanation, it's probably just best to let you see the invitations. I'll put a better picture up of Mere's invitations when the camera battery is recharged...it died while I was taking the picture.

Meredith's super cute invitations!



Jeff's super special invitations! (there are 2 parts)

30 Weeks!

Well...the countdown is officially ON!

I have (hopefully less than) 10 weeks to go. 10 weeks. Let's be honest here...that slightly freaks me out.

You know in the Bible in Genesis when you read about how God created the light and the darkness, and how you can't really wrap your mind around what it was like without the presence of either of those? Or when you try to really think about eternity, and how long that really is? That's basically how I feel about what is actually happening to me. I really just don't "get" that this is going on. Maybe that's a good thing and that it is keeping me sane right now...but it's very weird.

I am so excited that I get to see Eli soon. I love him so much! I love feeling him and talking to him, but I am definitely over this pregnancy...and I still have 10 weeks to go!

I'll post pictures when Wes gets home with the camera. And I go to the doctor again on Wednesday for a checkup! 10 weeks...

For my sweet friend Susan

Here are my answers to some questions my friend Susan was thinking of:

1. So...how'd ya meet? One of my best friends, Rachel, asked me to go to this concert in Lubbock called Hot Hearts because her boyfriend (now husband) was playing and because my sister would be there. Well, Wes (my husband- that you have to read what he did for me in the post below!) was in the same band as Steven (Rachel's husband) so we were introduced. There were no sparks, no fireworks, just an introduction. I was attracted to him because he's physically my "type" meaning tall and thin, but it's not like I was falling all over him. And he definitely wasn't falling all over me. :)

2. How long did you date before you slept together? We didn't sleep together until our Honeymoon night. So...I guess that would be like 17 months-ish?

3. How long before you became engaged? We became engaged 6 months after we met. Remember that initial "no sparks" meeting? Well, later on he asks for my number, I told him to get it from Steven, he did, he called...and well, after a while we realized that we were perfect for each other!

4. Did you live together at any point before you tied the knot? no

5. Whether you did or didn't, how do you think this affected your relationship? Well neither of us really had this overwhelming desire to immediately move in together. We both felt from a traditional Biblical standpoint and from a psychological standpoint that really wasn't an option we cared to follow. I was finishing up my senior year in college, he was traveling all the time (like he does now) and then I moved to Levelland the summer I graduated to get the wedding planned. Don't get me wrong, we wanted to be together, but I guess since it really wasn't ever an option for us, it wasn't really discussed. I think it affected us in a good way. We both were on the same page, so it wasn't like a stress in that aspect. It gave us time to really have fun dating and being with our friends and family separately and together. I guess we didn't know how each other would be fully once we were married, but that to us just seemed part of the excitement. And, no matter how were were going to be when we lived together, we are in this forever, and that's the decision we made when we decided to get married.

6. How long was your engagement? Our engagement was 11 months! At first we both wanted to get married in March after getting engaged in August. Well, I talked to my family a lot about it and my parents both felt it would be better to get married in the summer, after graduation. Everything in me wanted to rebel against them, but then I felt like I was acting like a snotty 14 year old brat, so I took some time to think it over, prayed about it, and decided to go with their wisdom. Like it or not, my parents are usually right when it comes to these things. I was actually nervous when I was going to tell Wes I thought we should move it to the summer, but when I did he was like "GREAT! That will work out better for all of us!" So, I was happy. And it did work out better for all of us. :)

7. After you got married, were you surprised by anything that your new husband/wife did? Hmm...I'm trying to think. I know we didn't live together before but it's not hard to figure out how they are going to be. We'd spent a lot of time together at my apartment and at his house...surely there was something. It did surprise me that he wasn't that big of a TV watcher. It surprised me how many times a day he checked his email. It surprised me that he could sleep in so late (due to him staying up so late). But he's really clean and does his own laundry, and all this other stuff, so I'm sure he was much more surprised by me! haha...

8. Have you had or do you want to have kids? How many? Well, I am pregnant right now! So, we are currently experiencing changes with little Eli inside me, but I'm sure a whole lot more will change in December when he is OUT! We both wanted kids eventually. When we first got married we were like "in 8 years (which is when I would be 30) we'll have kids." But now, I'm 25 and we're having a baby! I probably want at least 3 kids. Wes could probably be ok with 2, but I think that's because that's how we both grew up. I know when the kids are little they might be slightly annoying, but I just love having siblings and so does Wes, so we definitely want more than one. And I honestly think that having children/adopting children is one of the reasons we were created, so I'm just doing my part..hahaha....

Words cannot express...

I can't even tell you how long today has been. I was up at school at 8:45 getting things prepared for dance decorations. We got everything decorated and I left at 2:15ish to come home, eat, take a nap, shower, and be back up at school at 6:00 to let the DJ in...which is a whole other story that I won't get into right now so I won't be in a bad mood.

When I got home from decorating, my feet were so swollen and my back hurt so bad. My gorgeous husband was working in the yard and selling random things on Craigslist all day, so I felt bad for not helping him.

So I showered, went back up to school by 6:00 so I could get stuff finalized for the dance. My feet of course were killing me, as well as my back, but that's the life of a third trimester preggo I guess :) Anyways, I finally sat down with my sweet teacher friend Gloria around 8:45. We just were sitting and chatting, and I was loving being off my feet! All of a sudden, Mr. Brown, my principal, comes over to me and tells me that he would feel a lot better if I just went home. He knew I'd been up there all day and felt like I should probably take it easier tonight. First of all, I almost started crying because I thought that was so sweet of him, but then I felt guilty because that would be leaving Ashley up there to coordinate all the tear down by herself. Anyways, as it turns out, she was totally fine with it, and now I'm home. Thank you Mr. Brown and thank you Ashley!

When I got home, this is what I saw:

My husband, who I ADORE, had bought me these gorgeous flowers, cookies, sudoku, strawberry fruit rollups, the Jungle Book on DVD and a maternity massage. I, of course, immediately start crying because I just cannot express how blessed I felt at that moment. I mean, this man has been working nonstop all day long, painting, mowing, fertilizing, selling, and so much more, and at the end of the day, he's still thinking of me. That is love.

Then he shows me the refrigerator:

He put all the stuff that I drink and eat on the middle and top shelf so I wouldn't have to bend all the way over to get stuff out! I mean, isn't that SO thoughtful?? For an aching back, that is like a slice of heaven. For a pregnant wife, that is just one of the best gifts I have ever received. I love my husband so much. These things, he does these things all the time for me. How in the world did I get him??!

I LOVE YOU WES!!!

29 Weeks!

Well here we are! 29 weeks along...I can't believe there are 11 weeks to go...or less! yikes! He's definitely getting stronger! I can't wait to see him! Wes has been finishing the paint on the nursery today, my mom has been working on curtains...so hopefully we'll get some pics up soon!

29 Weeks!

27 Weeks!

The fight against overindulgence

Now I know that when you're pregnant, you are supposed to eat more. Do you know how much more? Oh, well they recommend about 200-300 calories more. Here is a picture of how much food that actually is:

Yep, that's a plate of wheat thins.

Now I've always had an internal struggle with my weight. In fact, my senior year of high school I got sick (mainly due to the fact that I wasn't nourished enough to fight off a cold) and taken to the hospital to get well, both physically and mentally. It did shake me enough to get over that for awhile, but that inner battle stayed.

I will say that I have come along way. And when I say "I", that means with Jesus. There have truly been points in my life where I have felt carried by Him and for that I am so thankful!

So for the most part, my struggle with self image/food/overindulgence all of that is relatively stable. And I was hoping I could just coast through this pregnancy without ever having any of those thoughts... I was definitely wrong.

It's hard for my personality to find a middle of the road on pretty much everything in my life. It takes a lot of discipline and planning for me to be balanced. Well, with the whole food thing, it's like I'm either just eating whatever the heck I want whenever I want it...or...trying to be super picky about what I'm eating. (Don't worry...I definitely AM eating).

So, after my weekend of Maggiano's, Chuy's, Cheddar's, and whatever else I wanted, this week I've been really trying to find a good balance. And yay! It's working! I'm making my lunch every night or morning before school, I'm staying consistent with my breakfasts, and my dinners are much more balanced...with appropriate snacks between all those meals...I am pregnant you know :)

I actually feel a lot better! Thanks for suffering through my confessional! haha...

An Ode to Me... by Susan Fajardo

Today we are having a Professional Development day. Lucky for me, I just happened to sign up for the cool class! One of the English teachers, Susan Fajardo, and with the help of precious Leny, Susan wrote a poem to me...in under 5 minutes. This poem is fantastic, so enjoy! (oh, and this is also a picture of Eli...drawn by Susan)

Baby Davyn!

Hiccups in the Womb

Bright and early about 6 am, Eli was having the hiccups! At first I was like, "what is going on?" It felt like I was feeling my heartbeat almost but in my stomach. I found my pulse and felt my stomach and they weren't a match. So, I did all my "research" and apparently Eli was having the hiccups! How cute! How weird... but how cute! :)

Yesterday my sweet friend Rachel gave birth to another baby boy, Davyn. I went to the hospital to see her and held him. I mean, I kept looking at him thinking, you came out of your mother about 7 hours ago! It was just the most surreal feeling thinking that way. His skin was like extra soft and his cry was really almost funny! Poor guy having to be poked and prodded and having no idea what is going on...haha... I was there when he had his first poop and pee! It was very exciting. :) Dusty, Rachel's husband was trying to wipe off that sick first poopage and it was exactly everyone describes it.... TAR. yuck. Davyn screamed the whole time and it was just absolutely precious.

Rachel of course looks fantastic. I was like, "Rach! Couldn't you have like roughed yourself up a bit so I wouldn't have so much to live up to..." Her platelet count was too low again, like when she had Jabyn, so no epidural for Rachel...again. And she looked amazing! I'll try to steal some pictures from Meredith to show you how dang cute this kid is!