New shoes & Doctor visits

Mommas got a new pair of shoes. (;

Today has been a wonderful day, your daddy & I had a check-up this morning where we got some exciting news.... We are now set to induce, unless you decide to come on your own, on...(drum roll please). . . December 22, 2012 (: Now why would we be doing this you may wonder, since its only a week before your original due date? Your daddy & I calculated it this morning and we live over 75 miles from the hospital we're due to deliver at, which is a scary reality. We just want to be safe rather than sorry. So do the math & instead of 96 days, we have 89 days...or less! We really are so unbelievably excited though. At your appointment today you had a strong heartbeat & are still favoring my left side something which Dr. W said we will be working on. You must have been feeling feisty today because you kicked the doctor! Hard too, he even stepped back. (haha)

I cant believe we are already 26 weeks along! Here are our stats this week (: I have gained 7 pounds to date even though I look like I'm smuggling a watermelon! So you've guessed it, all my weights in my belly, and I often question where did my feet go. You are currently the size of a head of lettuce, a LARGE head of lettuce is my guess! Current food cravings : brussel sprouts & sonic slushies (YUM!) Favorite activities this week: Being outside, HELLO FALL. (: I have also been a shutterbug lately. Ive also been just generally crafty! I love scrapbooking, and I'm teaching myself to crochet now ( See what I mean? Crafty Crafty Crafty) Best moment this week? : It would have to be getting furniture set up for your nursery! We even have a big space cleared out for your crib to go! Agh! Its starting to become real! Any complaints?: Severe back pain this week, and all those muscle spasms! Heating pad = new best friend. Doc gave us some meds for this so hopefully it will subside soon. Also I wish I could remember to take my prenatal, I forget constantly, which makes me feel like a terrible mom to be. Anything else?: My feet have started to swell, hence why momma got a new pair of shoes (: I'm seriously not going to complain though, I've never liked my shoe size much anyways, and its kinda nice to get a little treat every now & then (Even better on clearance! Score!) Goals this week: Clean out summer clothes, & declutter, well everything we don't use anymore. & to take more belly & mommy & daddy pictures. it wont be just us for long (: We go back in two weeks for the ever lovely glucose test, and my first 3rd trimester check-up! Yay!! We love you Harper & can not wait to meet you!

Yipee Skippy!

We are so excited to announce.... We are officially in the double digits now! 99 days or less till our baby girl arrives! ♥ Is it December yet?!

My little gymnast (: & tales of a wonderful weekend

You sure do like doing barrel rolls in my belly! Sometimes I feel like you are planning a great escape of some kind (oh wait you are! [: ) Your mommy has been a very busy lady today, cleaning of course ( & scheming on plans for your nursery!) After finding one crib, and falling in love with it, I realized due to space constraints, that it just wasn't going to be the crib for us. So after more research I found one that I love equally as much. I realize I don't need a changing table for you, and one of the many dressers in our room, will work just as well. : ) So ta da... here it is!

I'm so excited to have this in your nursery (aka our room) I have also, as pregnancy hormones/ law dictates, changed my mind on your stroller/car seat. After much negotiation with your oh so sweet daddy of course. But thankfully we are both happy with the one we chose for you, which is a total win in my book. (: On another good note, your daddy and I (FINALLY) finished your registry, while we were in Tennessee over the weekend. We may have gotten a little to carried away with the registry gun, but it sure was fun to do! In addition to all the registry fun, we had such a wonderful time while on our visit. Mommy got to visit with some of her lovely friends ( that she misses, so much! ) Here are a few

After seeing these lovely ladies ( while your daddy was watching football of course) We visited with family, then went to visit more friends. I'm sad to say, no pictures there, but it was absolutely wonderful to see them too! While we were in TN we also happened to pick up decorations for your baby shower! 39 Days & counting! I cant wait to share all the wonderful things we bought for you, but I want it to be a surprise for now. We also visited with your great grandparents, & got some fun stuff for mommy to start crocheting you sweet little things with. My first attempt will be a hat for you (: I cant wait to see how it turns out. I'm hoping tomorrow that your daddy & I can pick-up a few things, so we can start constructing your nursery. (Fingers crossed) Until then I think I will curl up with my what to expect when your expecting book & head to bed, since your daddy has to work late tonight : ( We love you lots Harper!

Sunshine & Roses

Oh Harper, something tells me your going to have SUCH a sense of humor. I have been having braxton hicks contractions all day long. I have also been having something very similar to a contraction, that I will be calling your doctor about tomorrow. ( : I am not due to see Dr. W for another 2 weeks, so you little lady need to be patient, & get cozy because I am not ready for you to arrive. As much as I cant wait to meet you, I couldn't imagine you coming right now. There are so many loose ends that need to be tied up, bills to be payed, LOTS to be bought among a million other things, so please no early escapes! Ok I'm done begging my unborn child to bake a little longer ; )

Because of the massive amount of contractions Ive had I've sat my happy hiney on the couch all day long. A glass of water, a heating pad, and a laptop have been this mommy to bes' best friend today. Ive worked on your registry which I'm having such a hard time with. I am so money conscience that I am putting must haves only, and not all the cutesy things that are fun. (Hopefully I can get over that a bit!) Daddy & I are planning a trip to Tennessee this weekend so hopefully we can go to some stores and finish your registry there. I have also been on Pinterest ( my guilty pleasure ) alot today, I found the cutest drawer set turned into an amoire on there. I have an old drawer set that belonged to your Uncle Andy, my brother, who passed away in 2010 that I believe would be perfect for this project. & I know that he would want me to pass it down to you anyways. While we are in TN this weekend we plan to go visit your great grandparents ( : Which I'm super excited about! We will also be dropping off clothes that belonged to Andy, so that your great grandmothers sister ( i know a mouth full) can make a car seat cover quilt out of his clothes! I can not explain how much this quilt mean to me, and everyone else in our family, and I hope to you one day too. We have so many people to see I just cant contain my excitement! For now though I am going to lay here waiting impatiently for your sweet daddy to get home from work ( : Hopefully tomorrow will be a contraction free day, so I can run errands, but we will see! We love you Harper! ( : ** Also I would like to say thank you to all of the troops, their families, fire fighters, and police officers, and all of the other innocent people that lost their lives 11 years ago today. I pray for all those many people, and everyone affected.**

24 weeks Today!

For you to be such a growing girl Harper, I have stayed relatively the same size. In this picture I was actually 21 weeks, as of today I am 24 weeks, and still the same size. I know by saying this I am going to be eating my words & I'm sure to gain a ton of weight out of no where [ oh please Harper don't do that to mommy! (; ] I have tried very hard to behave with my eating and not eat everything in site... trust me its really hard sometimes! These days though I tend to eat alot of fruits, bananas, watermelons and peaches. Lots of veggies, broccoli & brussel sprouts are my favorites right now. When I snack I try to eat the 100 calorie packs of, well anything really. Its not so much that I don't want to gain weight, because trust me I want to be able to provide you ample room, its just I know it will be a struggle for it to come back off. Ok enough about food, its only reminding me that I need to go fix dinner before your daddy gets home from work!

On another note, your aunt Brandy sent me this darling picture today. Her & your uncle Matthew bought this for you in Georgia, on their way home from vacation. They are Alabama fans too, just like we hope you will be. & For future reference don't mind your silly daddy, he just thinks hes an Auburn fan! haha. I actually bought you the sweetest onesie awhile back, that will be perfect during Auburn game days, it says.. Back Off I'm feeling crabby! & its blue and orange too! I plan on making you a little tutu to go with it. Ok enough picking fun, I know your Daddy will get me for writing that. Today has been a lazy day really, I had such a busy day yesterday that it has been nice just to rest today. I have been working on your baby registry, well attempting too. I know of so many things that I would love to have for you, but its been hard to narrow them all down, and to figure out exactly where I want to register. We have been very blessed to have already received a swing, bouncer, glider, several clothing items, books, a ton of baby lotions & body washes, a play mat, and many other things. I know even though this seems like alot, you will need so much more, but all my little mind can think of is DIAPERS! & lots of them. I have also been setting up other baby shower details, one in particular that I cant wait to share! Daddy & I will be having a little photo shoot this weekend, and well that's all of our little secret I want to share. ( : Mommy & Daddy love you Harper!

My thoughts for you...

I think of you often my darling little girl, and in these thoughts I wonder what is it that I want for you, for your life, for the future of our family. Here are some of the many things I want for you. First and Foremost, I want you to be healthy. You have the heart of a fighter and I know that you will be a strong minded and strong willed little girl. I honestly couldn't imagine you any other way. I want you to be independent, the kind that drives your daddy & I crazy because you always want to do things on your own. I want you to want to pull my pots and pans out and make LOTS of noise. I want you to want to dress yourself with your shoes on the wrong feet, and hair in a mess. I want you to be helpful. I would love for you to be under my feet in the kitchen wanting to help me bake cookies, or cook dinner. I want you to want to help daddy & I around the house, and learn that we appreciate all the little things you do. I want you to be caring and loving. I'm often accused of having a huge heart, and I want the same for you. While there are times that caring as much as I do is more of a curse than a blessing, I would still want you to care & love with all of your heart. I want you to want to learn. I love to read, and its something I hope you like too, Music is also a huge influence for your daddy & I, and I hope you experience the same joy from it as we do.

I want you to have faith, and to be faithful. I want you to want a relationship with God. I want you to love going to church, and reading stories, singing songs & praising him. I want you to pray, often, and know that God will guide you in good times and in bad. Many many years from now I want for you to be a faithful and loving partner to the man of Gods choosing. (Like I said many many many years will be just fine by me.) I want you to be active and adventurous. My hope for you is that you love sports (Especially Alabama Football! ), and want to play every sport imaginable. I also want you to love nature, and really appreciate the beauty of it.Daddy & I both love being outdoors, and hiking & I really would love if you did too(: I hope you want to ride your tricycle all around the driveway, and not be afraid to scrape your knee a time or two (or 30). I want you to be silly and kind of quirky. Your daddy is the funniest person I know, and he keeps me laughing constantly. I hope you have a least a little of his sense of humor, well certain parts anyways. I want you to smile and dance around, and sing silly songs and not care what others think of you. To have confidence in yourself, and have a positive body imagine. Its so hard these days to have a positive body imagine with how the media is, and I can only imagine what it will be like when your a teenager, but I hope you can put that fear aside and shine through any negativity. Your daddy & I want the world for you Harper. I cant wait to help you grow and discover, and learn all about life, love & faith. We love you baby girl & we can't wait to meet you!

Finally an update! Almost 24 weeks ( :

The last month has been a whirlwind. You gave us a big scare a few weeks ago, after several days of not feeling movement from you, and mommy being very dizzy, lightheaded and sick, an emergency room trip, and a doctors visit later we were relieved to know that you were doing wonderfully. The doctors explained that I may not feel you as often because your a GROWING GIRL who is quite SQUISHED! On August 24th we went to the doctor and he told us that you are currently 1 pound 5 oz, your little arms and legs are so long. I wonder where you got that from? ( ; With all of the craziness and health issues your daddy & I made the decision to let mommy take a break from working. This has been a huge adjustment for me, I'm so used to working long hours, or multiple jobs so I've been trying to find activities to occupy my time.A few weeks ago I photographed my cousin Auston's senior pictures. We had so much fun doing them & it was really nice to get out of the house. (: & Last weekend I photographed a wedding on the beach! ( With your sweet daddy's help! )

(Here we are at Orange Beach, AL after driving all night long! We were so tired! ) It was such a wonderful experience for both of us, and we really enjoyed being able have a little " honeymoon" of our own, since we did not have one. Other than taking and editing pictures, I have been working on a scrapbook for you! I'm so excited about it & I cant wait to pack it full. As of today I am 23 weeks 5 days along, it seems like time is flying bye! Here is just a quick preview of your scrapbook, for all of mommy & daddy's friends & family (:

We love you Harper & get more excited to meet you every single day !

BIG NEWS!

We have had so much going on the last few weeks little one! We have experienced some of the most exciting times in your Daddy's & my relationship! (: Your Mommy & Daddy officially have the same last name. We tied the knot on July 23, 2012 and have truly never been happier! We also found out what your going to be..... ITS A GIRL! (: You my little one no longer are referred to as Baby E but as Harper. We hope you love your name as much as your daddy & I do.

We have been having so much fun planning your nursery & secretly planning your baby shower. Thank goodness your Grandma loves looking at baby shower stuff just as much as I do! Your Mawmaw & granddad have been helping me find some of the sweetest little things for you, we cant wait to get everything all together. Daddy and I also met your grandma and great grandma a few weeks ago for lunch & brought home lots of goodies for you! We now have your very first books ( : We also got some little Alabama booties, and a Alabama cap (ROLL TIDE) & we can not wait for you to wear them. I swear your sweet little daddy is quite out numbered. I'm so excited that you are already 19 almost 20 weeks along. Time is flying by! Before I know it you will be here. You have been such a wiggle worm here lately & Daddy has finally gotten to feel you kick. He was so excited (& so was I)!! You must like music Miss Harper, because you wiggle around whenever you hear it. Especially country music! We were so happy when we had our ultrasound last week, we have it on video & it was wonderful to watch you move around, but you sure do like using momma as a punching bag! I feel like I could write to you all day long little one! With all my love HARPER!

P.S. little one - You had a playmate born this week! One of Mommy's favorite people, your Aunt Amber had baby Laylah on Sunday Aug.5 @ 12.58 am. Miss Laylah was 6 pounds even & 18 and 3/4 inches long! Your Daddy and I are going to Tennessee this weekend so we can visit them along with so many others. Were so excited! ** Update ** I had to share this extremely sweet picture of miss Laylah, she was 5 days old here & was an absolute doll! We are so happy for Amber & Jhonny!

The sound of your Heartbeat

Daddy & I went for our check-up today, we got to see your sweet profile & hear the amazingly loud sound of your heartbeat. Today it was 144 beats per minute, which is wonderful. The told us today during our ultrasound what they think you are (girl/boy) but were going to wait until our next appointment before we share that information... just to be sure! (: But daddy & I both agree with what they told us today! I've been a very sick momma to be lately, but hopefully soon that will subside. I cant believe were already 16 almost 17 weeks along, time is really flying bye. Before you know it we will be able to hold you in our arms, and trust me we cant wait! We having been super busy planning your nursery.. Of course, there may be some color changes, but we love it so far! With all my love, Mommy

All the busy little things

What a week this has been! You have kept me one busy little lady & your not even here yet! On July 3rd I felt you kick for the first time! It was one of the most magical experiences I've ever had. It had happened several times that day, before I realized what it was! (: Your daddy & I had a wonderful 4th of July, filled with fireworks and great friends. (& the noise from that must have reached you, because you were kicking like crazy!) On July 6th You gave us all quite a scare! I had a very busy morning that day, and went and rested, when i woke up from my nap i noticed a sharp pain in my side. The pain continued for several hours, and after i got off work your grand-daddy took me to the hospital. I was having Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor pains!)But thankfully you were just fine, & your heartbeat was so strong and so fast, it made mommy tear up! This was a complete wake up call to your Mommy. I have been doing to much, lifting to much, and not giving myself the down time i need. But that is going to change. I'm making a promise to you baby E, that i will take better care of myself, so we don't have to go through such a scary ordeal again. Also on a much brighter note you now have 4 ONESIES! Oh they are precious. I've also been "window shopping" for your nursery, and little things for you. This will be my next purchase & I can not wait to buy it for you!

I've also found about a million other things i want for you! Daddy even likes looking too (: I have also been doing alot of research, so that I can be a wonderful mother to you. I will be taking pictures this week, so hopefully I can get a few up of my now 15 week belly! With all of my love, Mommy





SPECIAL NOTE - 2.17.13 - When this post was origionally publish we did not know that we were having a girl, but I did actually state, bolded above, that it was a girl. So crazy, how sometimes we just know! Love this!