Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Beautiful



Our child is beautiful. Today, I cried on the ultrasound table as I saw our child's 4 chambered heart, with defined tricuspid and mitral valves and symmetrical ventricles. It was an amazing sight. We saw a perfectly formed stomach, brain, spine, and bladder. Two perfect kidneys. 8 ounces of miracle. I get choked up just typing about this beautiful child.

In true Emerson/Russell fashion, this miracle wanted to be mysterious for a while longer. In addition to all those beautiful parts, we saw two very tightly crossed legs and nothing else! The sono tech tried her hardest to get little one to behave, but there was none of that! We started the sono with our child upside down with his/her legs curled over the head and then acrobatics began! Never have I seen such dancing! A family friend used to call me "popcorn" as a child because I never stopped moving and I believe our child is carrying on this trait.

The mystery of gender will continue to be unknown for at least 2 more weeks. I have a regular doctor's appointment on the 14th and the sono tech said we could pop in for a "gender check". God is certainly teaching me patience!

For now, I will do my best to continue to grow this little one as best I can. All the pregnancy books say that the baby will double in size in the next three weeks, so I'd better make sure I'm giving him or her the best nutrition I possibly can...with the occasional peanut m&m thrown in!

I called Andrew and Jacob today to tell them that their brother or sister was so fiesty, and Andrew was so disappointed! We talked for a minute or two about other things and then he said "And so, let me guess....baby....GIRL???" The disappointment in his voice was so sweet! I know both of them are excited.

I don't have to go back to work until the weekend, and then I have three MORE days off before I go back on Thursday! What a nice relaxing week! Jason and I are doing to have dinner at my aunt's house, along with my cousin tomorrow night. SO fun! Other than that, it's going to be pretty low key around here for the next week.

Thank you for all your prayers for today's sonogram. I know that God has brought this little one this far and will continue to form his/her body to that completely beautiful one that we will meet in 4 and a half months! YIPPEE!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Miracle

It's funny how a simple sound can be miraculous. It's not a loud sound or an overwhelming one, but very powerful just the same. It is the sweet, trong sound of my child's heart, beating happily inside of me. Now, I'm already discovering this child's stubborn streak! He or she did NOT wish to cooperate for the doctor and tried to hide from detection, but we were triumphant and were able to hear this little one after a good deal of searching.

I was blessed when I met and married Jason to become an instant mom to two sweet boys. These guys have been a joy to get to know. They make me smile every time I see them, and laugh until my sides hurt. They have so much of their daddy in them and I see bright flashes of this all the time. The talent that exudes from those two is phenomenal. These things make me so interested to meet this little one growing inside me. I feel so blessed to have been given a husband who has such an amazing fathering ability.

On Wednesday, we will get to get an in depth look at our little miracle. I'll get to see all those parts which God has fearfully and wonderfully made. I am so excited to see that wee 4 chambered heart, something I have been wanting to lay eyes on since we first knew this gift was coming into our lives. As a cardiac nurse, I can't say that the thought scares me a little, but as a Christian, I need to have peace in the fact that God has brought him or her to this point safely and will continue to provide for us.

So, next week, we'll have a little boy or girl to talk about by name. Clothes to start collecting. All the fun stuff! Jacob and Andrew change their minds every time I talk to them about what they want, sister or brother. This past weekend, Andrew told Jacob he was SO excited to meet his brother or sister so he could "teach 'em stuff". Jacob was slightly concerned that if he had a sister, he wouldn't be able to teach her to burp and make weird body noises. I assured him that sisters were just as capable to learn those skills as brothers were. He seemed fine after that! :)

Liberty and I are having a lazy day. It's 67 degrees outside and beautifully sunny. I ran a few errands this morning and now I'm enjoying the calm breezes and phenomenal temperatures. I go to work tomorrow and work every day until the sono on Wednesday. It's absolutely gonna make time go faster!

Until Wednesday...happy Spring!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Week of craziness!

I am not sure I even had a chance to sit down this week! Whew! Jason and I headed out early Sunday morning for our mini-vacay in where, you ask? Delightful and fabulous LAS VEGAS! We had a simply amazing deal that we couldn't pass up and therefore took the opportunity to rest and relax in the city that never sleeps. We were able to walk up and down the strip, taking in all the opulence that so many people hold dear. Monday night, we went to a Cirque du Soleil show at our hotel. We had gone to one last year, and I thought it was amazing, but Jason really didn't enjoy it. This one was seriously different. It is one of the older Cirque shows, which means it is very VERY typical for the circus like atmosphere. There were so many amazing tricks and bodily feats! I don't know where they find performers like this, but it was simply wonderous to see what the human body is capable of. We both left the show raving and wishing we had the money to see it again! Jason was also able to play golf at a beautiful desert course while we were there. I didn't go with him, but the pictures were absolutely gorgeous. On Tuesday, we headed off the strip over to the Palms for our traditional "fancy" dinner. We ate at a beautiful restaurant and enjoyed the delicious steak and other goodies. While we were there, I saw John Besh, a chef from New Orleans that I've watched on Food Network and Top Chef. I was a tad star-struck! I should have asked for an autograph, but it really was not that kind of restaurant! Wednesday, we headed back home. Jason picked up a very excited Liberty from her Aunt Connie's house the next day and I started off my work week.

Since we were gone for 4 days, I'm not working the mega hours I normally do, but I still think I'm getting in 25 or so. Not bad for having a vacation and having to work! :) I make up for it next week though!

Jacob and Andrew are partying at our house this weekend, which is ALWAYS fun! Yesterday was Jason's birthday, so we celebrated with all his favorites...steak, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and yellow cake with chocolate icing! Delish! The boys have been camping with their mom all week, so I think at Andrew's request, we are going to Guitar Center this afternoon so he can play on the drums since "I'm in withdrawls, Stephanie!" It would be a much better weekend if our air conditioner was working, but in fabulous apartment life fashion, it's OUT AGAIN! Thankfully, when I woke up this morning, it was cool, almost cold in the house and everyone was snuggled up in blankets. I guess I forgot to put Liberty to bed last night because I found her snuggled with Jacob, looking quite guilty as I turned the corner and found her!

In other news, baby is doing well...as far as I know anyways! I haven't felt any movement this week, but I do know that my body parts are starting to shift about more and make me "look" pregnant in certain clothes! I weighed myself this morning and found that I've lost a little weight, but I think that may have been all the walking I did this week. In doing research for bypass patients, I'm still okay as far as weight gain, so I guess I shouldn't worry about it. I know this avocado sized baby is going to catch up in the next few weeks! All my pregnancy apps say that in the next three weeks, the baby is going to more than double in size, going from an avocado to a cantelope! YIKES! I go to the doctor for a regular check up on Tuesday, so we'll see what he says. I am blessed for the moment to have a doctor that has had weight loss surgery, so he is very particular about my special nutritional needs. I was able to stop taking additional iron pills the last time I saw him, so hopefully my levels have remained stable. I do NOT want to have to go that route again! :)

Please keep my sweet little friend K in your prayers. He's been hospitalized for 10 days with a NASTY couple of stomach viruses/bacterias. I know his mom and dad want nothing more for him to be stable enough to take home and away from the other nasty germs that the hospital has. He has made progress over the last few days, and I am so thankful! He is such a sweetheart!

My work schedule is a tad crazy this week, mostly because I'm helping out more at the other clinic and shifting my days to help a co-worker at my clinic. I work Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat. I'll be ever so thankful to have Tuesday and Thursday for possible sleep and most likely laundry/house cleaning fun!

Have a wonderful week!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Busy week!

Whew! I can't believe it's already Saturday! I'm serious, where does the time go? I worked a lot this week, helping to fill in the gaps for the two clinics and I know it will pay off next week when I get paid!

My energy continues to get better as the days of the exhausting first trimester get farther and farther behind me. I'll be 16 weeks on Tuesday! 4 months down, 5 to go. I know that I'll be able to wrap my head around it much better after I find out who is living inside of me! Just to be able to call him or her by their name and be able to do some concrete planning (and SHOPPING!) will be wonderful! I go to the doctor on the 22nd and I'm excited to hear little one's heart beating happily! THe next milestones I'm excited about are being able to feel the dancing I know is going on in there and actually "looking" pregnant. I'm certain I'll wish I had put those two things off in the middle of the summer when this baby WON'T sit still and I look like a houseboat, but right now, I'm anticipating both!

Jason and I leave for vacation tomorrow and I can hardly wait! It's just a short little trip (Sunday through Wednesday), but it's vacation just the same! Liberty is anxiously awaiting her vacation at Aunt Connie's where she'll no doubt be spoiled and loved on beyond belief. It's always a bit of withdrawls when she comes home, but she LOVES her time being the center of everyone's universe!

After we get home, we will be able to have the boys for a long weekend before they go back to school. I always have SO much fun when they come over! Even if I have to work, it's so sweet when I leave because they always want to know exactly when I'm coming back home! I know Jason wants to take them to play golf one day and we'll probably go roaming around a park on Saturday. I can't wait for us to be living a little closer to them and to see this new little one idolize those big brothers!

I'm finishing up a very quiet yet busy shift this morning. I've got a full house, but everyone seems to need an extra nap today! The lights are down low, the televisions are on Food Network (hey, they chose that, NOT me!), and I'm all caught up on charting. Well okay, I take it back. I just had the NOISIEST patient come in. Everyone else is trying to sleep and he just keeps chattering away! He's sweet at least, so I don't mind...but I can't speak for the rest of the people! :)

Have an absolutely wonderful week...I know I will!

Sunday, March 06, 2011

March? Really?

Happy Sunday to you!

I am spending this early morning surrounded by patients and IV poles. It is once again frigid in North Texas, as the weather has changes for the 400th time this week! Two days ago, it was 80. When I got up this morning, it was 32. Awesome.

The past week has been a blur, but it seems like they are all starting to be that way. At the beginning of the week, I was convinced the cold weather was over. It has been near 80 all week and so sunny! Unfortunately, a cold front came through Friday night and we're now cold again. Well, cold for March in Texas that is!

Work is continuing to go well. I really enjoy the nurses I work with and it's proving to be a very good experience. I'm working close to full time hours, which exhausts me, but it's SO amazing to be doing nursing again after my short hiatus.

I also got the opportunity to play with my sweet little friend K and his sister this week! He has grown up so much and it made me tear up a bit to remember being there to tell his parents "we have a heart for your son" and then seeing him as a 3 and a half year old! WOW that makes me feel old. Everytime I go play with him, it makes me laugh because he has such a hilarious personality. This visit was filled with him having adventures all over the house with his two little alien toys. I have no idea what kinds of excitement they got into, but HE did and that was all that mattered. His sister and I were happy to play on the floor in whatever room he was currently adventuring in, and that seemed to be what he wanted us to do!

Jason and I had the opportunity to visit with some friends last night at a joint birthday party for anyone having a birthday in February and March. This party has become a yearly tradition for this group of friends. Every year, it's always fun to see the changes in the group...from relationship status, marriages, and new babies. Wow. Two years ago, I was barely in a new relationship. Last year, I was engaged. This year, expecting a baby. Life is amazing!

This week I've got work busyness and then trying to think about getting ready for Jason and I's trip on Sunday. WHOO HOO! I can't wait! If I could spend my entire year vacationing on someone else's dollar, that would be fabulous. But, since my sweetie and I have to live and work, I'll just be thankful for the vacations we do get to spend together either alone or with the kiddos!

If you have a moment, say a prayer for my sweet sister this week. She's headed back to work after her 3 months of staying home and being a new mommy. I know she's not really very excited about it, and even LESS excited about leaving Aubrey. She's an amazing teacher and I have no doubt she'll fall right back into the groove of things, but right now, she's a little overwhelmed!

Thanks for coming to hang out in my little corner of the web. :)