Progress

The last few weeks we have made some progress in getting ready for the arrival of our daughter about 4 months from now. Last Friday night Brad and I had a little date night! We went over to Southpoint in Durham and ate at Moe's. After that we headed over to Pottery Barn Kids to look at their window treatments. We went there because I ordered a really cute bumper pad and sheets online (for a great deal) from there a few weeks ago and wanted to see if they had anything that coordinated. We then headed over to the movie theater to see Fireproof. Brad and I both agree that it was better than we had anticipated and would highly recommend it to anyone! After that (we went to the 6:15 movie) we headed over to Babies R Us to check out a few things, but especially a few stroller and car seat combos we had been looking at online. It was fun trying out everything and "test driving" them a bit!
On Saturday Brad's parents and grandparents came into town to celebrate Brad's Uncle Neil's retirement as Harnett County's County Manager. It was nice to have them here for a few days and to be a part of such a special celebration. While they were here we did a little shopping and both Brad's mom, Lynne and his granny both bought some cute summer clothes for you know who next year on clearance. It is so great to have little girl clothes hanging up in her closet already. I can't wait to put her in them!
Sunday we went back to Pottery Barn Kids to return the curtains I bought Friday night b/c they didn't look right. So Lynne and I went back to try again except this time I brought the bumper with me. Thanks to Anna who gave me a 20% off coupon and to a gift card I bought some much nicer, lined panels that match perfectly for only $12 more than the original ones. I also got a dust ruffle to match that coordinates really well with both the bumper and the curtains. Oh yeah, I almost forgot that we also ordered the crib on Sunday afternoon as well and we should be able to pick it up in a few weeks.
Last, but not least, I think we have finally decided on a name, although Brad is convinced that I will change my mind between now and when she comes! I keep on telling him that this is not going to happen, but he knows me too well to believe me. By the way, we are keeping her name a secret for a while, so don't ask!

Pullen Park

Saturday afternoon I met some college friends & their kids at Pullen Park. It was a perfect fall day and we had a nice time catching up a little bit while the kids played. I was especially glad to see my old suitemate, Caroline, who I haven't seen since her wedding over 4 years ago, and her 18 month old, J.J. She has just moved back to the area after living in New York and then Charlotte. We are glad to have her back closer to home. Here we all are..

April & I holding her boys Brett & Breandan, Caroline & JJ, Jennifer & Silas, & Shelly & Toby

As you can see we are in desperate need of some little girls to even things out a bit and luckily Jennifer & I are both having them!

Our Sweet Girl

Here she is in all her glory! Those are her legs with the arrow in between pointing out her "girl part"


Here is her spine, it's awesome how you can see her bones so distinctly (this looks much clearer on the actual picture)

This is my favorite picture of them all because you can see her hand so clearly going for her mouth! I wonder if she is a thumb sucker like her mamma was?

Here is her arm. Every time I look at these pictures I am more amazed at this precious gift from the Lord! I feel like I love her so much already, I can't imagine what I'll feel when I see her face to face and am able to hold her in my arms. The thought is overwhelming! I told Brad this morning that ever since seeing her on Wed. I just can't stop thinking about her and wondering what she'll be like. I can't wait to meet this little girl!

It's a GIRL!

Yes, I can hardly believe it. We are having a little girl! I was hoping to scan our ultrasound pictures into our computer tonight, but of course or scanner isn't working right...ugh! Oh well, I will take them to work tomorrow and try to scan them there. I drank some caffeine before our Dr. appt and it seemed to work because she was moving all over the place. It was so neat to see her arms and legs moving all around. The ultrasound technician said it looked like she was tap dancing in there.

We were glad to hear that everything looks normal and that her growth is right on target so far. Speaking of growth, I gained 6 pounds last month! The Dr. didn't say anything except "Well, you don't want to gain that much weight every month."
Brad and I had a great night of celebration. After our appointment I took him back by the YMCA to get his truck and we got to share the news with some of his coworkers. They were all excited and it was so much fun to share our joy with them. After calling our parents & Brad's sister we began calling other friends & family. We enjoyed a great dinner at the Peak City Grill & Bar in Apex, which was so yummy! We got this chocolate chess pie for dessert, which was AMAZING. After dinner we went to Target to buy our little girl her first outfit. We opted for something blue with little flowers on it since I am sure she will be getting her fair share of pink from everybody else.

What a great day! I have truly felt the Lord's blessings on us today especially, what a gracious God we serve. His mercies never fail, they are new every morning!

19 Weeks

Well, it finally looks like I'm pregnant! It seems like in the past two weeks my belly has popped out quite a bit. It has been fun being back at school this week and having people realize that yes, I am pregnant and not just putting on some extra pounds. It was also fun to tell the kids in both of my classes by playing a game of "telephone." The sentence I told them was "Mrs. Emory is having a baby in 5 months." Both times one kid spoke up and said that they had already guessed it. They were all really excited and wanted to know if I will bring the baby to school so that they can see him or her.

Wednesday at 3:15 we have our ultrasound! On one hand I am really excited which is evidenced in the fact that I have been telling everyone about it. However, on the other hand I really don't care one way or another, which is great since I have always wanted a little girl. I think I am most excited about just seeing how the little "blob" with a beating heart had developed in the past 11 weeks since our initial ultrasound and to see him or her moving around in there. I am secretly hoping that after this Brad will want to see more and agree to pay the extra $100 for the 4D ultrasound at week 30! I am not holding my breath though since I know my husband and how frugal he can be with some things. Check back on Wed. night for the update!