Say cheesy!

I do not feel like I am very photogenic, but I think Jenna did a great job with what she had to work with!  I know maternity pics can get a little cheesy after the 43rd one, so I've picked my 3 favorites and put them here...If you really want to see more, ask me and I'll send you the link.  And just so you know, these are non-photoshopped, so there will be cool effects and less double chins after Jenna is done with them :)

Saw this in a magazine and wanted to copy it

This is my favorite...baby luv!

This one gives the best view of my growing belly

Also, we had our first shower in my hometown last weekend (or was it the weekend before...I think I haven't posted in a while!)...and it was great!  Everyone was so sweet and I had a ton of fun getting to catch up with people I hadn't seen in a while.  And baby girl got lots of great stuff (THANKS GC!)  We have another shower this weekend that our friends are hosting, and I am super excited!!  Should be another fun weekend...

On a more serious note, Brock's dad is have bypass surgery this Friday.  If you can, please say a little prayer for him...we'll keep you posted on it all...until next time...

Making Progress

Our attempt to be crafty - painted canvases over the crib

Just 2 months away from our due date...and things are moving right along!  We had a sonogram yesterday where we got confirmation that everything is still looking really good/healthy.  She is up to 3 1/2 lbs and it looks like she has Brock's lips.  Which is good...it will save us on collogen injections when she gets older :) The ultrasound pics aren't very good quality so they're not posted here... But I convinced Brock to let me show some shots of the nursery (even though it's not completed).  The "grand reveal" will come after we get the bedding in, put up the shelves and hang the last of the decorations on the walls. 

Seaside buddies from Nana and Papaw (in front of the wave)

This weekend is the first of our showers.  I am so excited to go home and get to see everyone!  Also my awesome sister-in-law Jenna has offered to take maternity pics for me.  She's got some great ideas, so I can't wait to see how they turn out...I promise to post some when she's finished working her magic to make my face look less puffy :)

3/4 Cooked

30 WEEKS

(by Tiff)

This week marks my 30th week of pregnancy and being three-fourths of the way done.  I don't think I've ever stuck with something that long!  :)  It's funny how this mini milestone starts a whole new list of worries and what ifs.  What if she comes early?  Will we be ready?  What if my water breaks at work?  Will I ever live down the embarrassment?  What if I'm one of those weird people who don't realize they're having a contraction and then a baby just appears out of their body?  I've got to stop watching that show "I didn't know I was pregnant..."

But all in all I'm still feeling good, and the weather has FINALLY cooled a little (down to 94 instead of 106).  I'm starting to feel huge (check out the GIANT belly!), but I know I still have 2 months to go, so it's just going to get bigger better from here! 

Really though, we have a lot to look forward to.  My first shower is next weekend in my hometown, then we start baby classes, then more showers, then before we know it, it's October and a stork will be landing on our front steps with our baby girl (that's how it works, right?  And people keep saying we need to take classes...please!)

On another note, Brock has his fantasy football draft this weekend in Waco.  Wish him luck that he doesn't end up with Michael Vick again.

Lots Going On

(by Tiff)
Sorry for not posting lately...we have just had quite a bit going on!  We got to spend some much needed vacation time in Colorado hanging out with my brother in Crested Butte.  Katie and Stan joined us on the rediculously long road trip, and my parents met us up there too.  The girls spent the days walking around town and doing some shopping while the boys got to mountain bike (Brock survived even though he rolled down the hill...what I wouldn't give to have that on camera!!), we all fished - though not very successfully - and we got to enjoy the amazingly cool temperatures and beautiful scenery of the mountains.  All in all a great trip with great friends and we're looking forward to bringing the babies back next summer for a fun family vacation!  Thanks for hosting Dustin!!

This past weekend was a fun weekend of re-connecting with Brock's half-sisters.  I had never met them, and Brock hadn't seen them in probably 15+ years, but his sisters Kristin and Kim, and Kristin's little boy Joshua joined us for dinner and catching up Saturday evening.  We had a really great time and realized that 15 years is too long for them to go without seeing each other...we're already in the process of trying to figure out a family reunion of sorts in the next year or so.  Baby girl is lucky to have even more family to love on her! 

As far as the pregnancy is going, I'm still feeling really good and trying not to focus on the fact that I can't see my toes.  My doctor's appointment yesterday went great...she's still growing strong and moving tons.  My whole belly does this alien moving thing when she gets active...it's pretty funny!  We are getting closer to getting her room finished...the walls are painted, the curtains are up, and we're working on getting some of the wall decorations finished and put up.  We'll post pictures when it's more complete, but so far it is looking very cute...I hope she loves it as much as we do! 

One last note: Brock's dad is in the hospital with an episode he had this weekend (not quite a full heart attack, but something similar) so we'd appreciate any prayers for him to make a full recovery. 


I promise to be better about posting...with it getting closer, things are changing rapidly!  Lots and lots to do before she comes!!  Still, I can't wait! :)

Is it this hot for everyone else?

(by Tiff)  It's HOT.  Or is it just my bump and the extra XX lbs (like I'm going to tell you!!) that I'm carrying around?  I'm starting to feel very large and in charge.  And I still have more than 3 months to go...yikes! 

25 weeks

A few updates on the baby to-do list:

• We've registered - with minimal disagreements I might add - go us!!
• We've started taping off the nursery to begin the painting process
• We've gone on two hospital tours and decided which hospital we'll be delivering at
• We've signed up for childbirth and several other classes that the hospital offers
• And we've received some amazing hand-me-down baby gear from our good friends the Hanna's (THANKS A TON!!) that has allowed us to start a pretty decent size stockpile of all things baby! 

It would seem like with so many things crossed off my list that I'd feel totally under control.  But my baby - who takes after her father in this way - needs attention...and sometimes she likes to stress me out every once in a while...I'm sure all normal stuff, but being a first timer, I can't help but be nervous.  I hope this doesn't mean I'm going to be the over-worrier parent...or is that an oxymoron?  Aren't all parents over-worriers?  Something to ponder as I go for another bowl of rocky road...man, it's hot.

Baby Luv

(by Tiff) I'm so in love with my baby and I haven't even met her yet!  But we did get an adorable sonogram picture yesterday where she waved her little fingers and then started sucking her thumb.  How can you not love this??

On the friend front, we have had lots of baby action this past week or so.  Two baby Mallory's were born a week apart...our friends Mark and Wendi in San Antonio welcomed their baby Mallory on July 4th and Tiff and Pace here in Dallas had theirs on 7-11.  Both are beautiful and healthy and it just makes us so excited to get to meet our little bundle of joy!!


This week's to-do: registering.  How can picking out cute baby stuff be so overwhelming??  When the store is a 35,000 square foot warehouse, there are just a lot of choices...wish us luck that we make it through it without any major meltdowns. 

Garage for Sale

Katie and Stan sold some of their junk too!

(by Tiff) Sometimes I think it would have been easier to sell our entire house - all contents included - than to prepare for the garage sale.  As much work as we put into cleaning out closets, drawers, cabinets, nooks, crannies and the attic, we should have made tens of thousands of dollars...instead we made $400.  The good news is that it got us to clean out our lives, get rid of junk we've been storing for "someday" - that we actually never used in the 5 years we've lived in our house - and make room for baby.  And honestly, it's $400 we didn't have last week, so hey, that's a win!  But I am so happy to have it over and done with...my stress level has come down about 4000% since last week, and for that I am grateful (as I'm sure Brock is too so I can stop with the garage-sale-nagging and mini-melt-downs).

22 WEEKS

In fun news for the week, baby girl is moving up a storm!  She really likes to eat and gets active after almost every meal...but the big milestone was that Brock actually got to feel her move last night too.  So a super fun time now that she reminds me that she's always with me :)  I've got another sonogram next Friday, so I'll post baby pics then, but for now, it's just me and my belly! (with the beautiful flowers Brock got me...thanks hun!)

Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th!  We're hanging around town hoping it doesn't rain all weekend so we can spend some time at the lake/pool.  Happy Independence Day America!!