Three's Company..and more tales from Isaiah

Isaiah's 1st birthday-post 1 of many

2010-03-01T10:24:00.000-06:00

Somehow my little boy celebrated his 1st birthday on February 16th. It is amazing to me how fast this year has flown. It has been the best year of our life.
On Isaiah's actual birthday Gabe had a work trip planned so I was in charge of taking Isaiah to his 1 year check up. BIG mistake! I should of had a hint from the pictures I tried to take of him (see below) that he was not having it. I got lost on the way there (we had to change doctors due to insurance) Isaiah screamed the whole way and I was in tears also-this is before the appointment even began. Then we get there and the doctor procedes to tell me that Isaiah has an ear infection and he thinks he may also have RSV. They bring a breathing machine in and again I am in tears. This is not how my son's one year birthday was supposed to be. They sent me home with antibiotics and a breathing machine with instructions to do 3 times a day...all by myself because remember Gabe is out of town. Boy was I excited! We had big plans for his birthday that night that we cancelled and we just had a quiet night at home. Isaiah's Nana and KiKi came over though he was thrilled. He was laughing and dancing and acting like he didn't have a care in the world. We found out the next morning that he did NOT have RSV but I needed to continue the breathing treatments. I think during all of this I was just sad for him--sad that his big day was spent like that. But like I said he could of cared less. Just goes to show when you have kids things to not always go your way. They have their own agendas.

At this point I gave up on the pictures!

Here are some pictures of his first hair cut! He had about 2 hairs cut off :)

Next post will be all of his Birthday Party pictures--such an AWESOME day!

Birthday Post...

2010-02-24T20:14:00.001-06:00

coming soon I promise! Party was awesome just trying to play catch up this week!

Our little Romeo

2010-02-14T11:27:00.000-06:00

wants to wish all his ladies a Happy Valentine's Day.

We are gearing up for Isaiah's 1st brithday (on Tuesday) so look out for a picture overload soon!

Its Official...

2010-02-09T20:00:00.001-06:00

we have a walker. Isaiah is EVERYWHERE! These last few days he has really perfected his walk. He still cannot get from sitting down to standing without something to hold onto but once he is up he is off. We caught him on video the other day but I have yet to figure out how to upload it. So here's to hoping I can figure out technology. Don't hold your breath :)
I am in the final stages of getting ready for Isaiah' party. He will be 1 a week from today! I cannot believe how time has flown by. Oh and I would show you his invites but I am still waiting for them to arrive. Yeah hope they show up soon!
On a total random note Isaiah discovered Goldfish today and I think he would of eaten the entire box if I let him...our child does not turned down any food yet!
And now I leave you with a few more pictures from our session.

Snowed in and all congested

2010-01-29T20:38:00.000-06:00

So I can count on 2 fingers how many times Isaiah and I have left the house this week...2 TIMES and one of those included the dr's office! And now we are snowed in. uGHHH Can you say stir crazy!
Isaiah had strep throat at the beginning of the week and let me tell you it was P-i-t-i-f-u-l. It was so hard to see him in that much pain! We took him in to the doctor on Tuesday and once we got the meds in him he is doing a lot better. But now he is so congested and at his age there is not much to do for that....any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
We had a big storm hit on Thursday so now we are trapped in the house. I really wanted to get out today but decided that was not the best for Isaiah so I decided to be a wise mommy and stay in..AGAIN! I am hoping to get out tomorrow though.
Last weekend we had some family pictures done and here is a preview....

I love my little family! More to come soon!

No clue where he gets his personality!

2010-01-14T10:40:00.001-06:00

Isaiah has become such a ham lately. He cracks us up all the time. He is really on the move these days so I have found the best time for pictures is when he is in his highchair eating. This child LOVES to eat! haha
Here are some cute pictures I got the other day.

Look at that smile! I think this is the first time I have ever gotten a full on smile with all his teeth!

He gets very excited when he eats!

This last one is KyKy. She comes and hangs out with us after school and I am not kidding this is Isaiah's favorite part of the day. He is all smiles when she is here. As you can see in the picture he is quite enamored with his KyKy.

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday!

He's so close..

2010-01-10T14:11:00.005-06:00

Isaiah has been really trying to walk lately. He will hold onto my hands (or anyone who will walk with him) and just take off. He is good at walking as long as he has someone's hand or can hold onto some furniture.
Exhibit A:

Trying to get to Adrian before she runs off!

I am busy trying to plan his first birthday party. I want to do a lot of it myself as far as decorations go, so I foresee a lot of trips to Hobby Lobby. I love that place! I have decided to go with an airplane theme so hopefully the decorations turn out cute! We are going to have just a small party with family and a few friends his age.
That is all we are up to for now. Remember less words more pictures!

Playing with his new house that his Aunt Kimmy got him

Playing in the tupperware

Being silly. This is his new face--just picture him screaming as loud as he can and smiling at the same time. It is really funny!

Come back soon for more happenings of Isaiah!

And we're back!

2010-01-03T16:42:00.006-06:00

Happy 2010! Sorry for the long break in blogging just got busy around here and the thought of trying to catch up was too overwhelming! So we are going to start out fresh with the new year. There is no way I can catch everyone up on the last 6 months but I will do a quick recap.

August 2009~ family trip to Destin, Florida. We had a blast and Isaiah did awesome. He loved the beach.

October~ Isaiah's first Halloween. Anyone who knows Gabe well should not have to make many guesses as to what Isaiah was. Every superhero needs a sidekick so Isaiah filled that roll and was Robin and Gabe donned his Batman get-up.

November~Isaiah's first Thanksgiving was spent in Nashville with his Gramps and MiMa (Gabe's parents). We drove and met them there (it is the half way point and Gabe's brother Joel lives there).

December~ Isaiah's first Christmas. We had a white Christmas which is very uncommon in this area so it was a bit wacky around here. Isaiah got TONS of new toys and we are just now getting them all put away. He was a tad overwhelmed with everything but he loved all the family time.

That catches us up to January. Isaiah is almost 11 months old and he is such a joy to be around. He makes Gabe and I laugh everyday. He has really started to let his little personality shine. He still makes sure you know when he wants something and will let you know until you give in to his demands. I have really been working with him and trying to tell him about patience. For some reason an 11 month old just doesn't get it! ha
I am going to try and be better about updating the blog but in the future it will probably be alot of pictures and just quick little catch ups. Thanks for checking in with us!

Coming soon..

2009-12-26T21:32:00.000-06:00

Okay I have totally gotten behind on this blogging thing but I am going to start again after the new year. I have decided I am going to do more pictures less talking. I think this will help me keep up better and thats what people come to see any way :)
SO stay tuned!

Our growing boy...

2009-07-28T13:22:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone--we are still here! Sorry we have been MIA for so long. Just been enjoying summer fun with my guys.
It would take WAY too long to catch everyone up so my pictures will fill you in :)

I will be back with many more!

1825 days and more in love then day 1

2009-06-13T15:08:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Gabe and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. It is amazing to me that it has already been 5 years but at the same time I do not really remember life without him. Over the last week, as our anniversary was coming up, I have been thanking God for giving me such an amazing husband. This year I was able to see him as a Daddy and to say he is amazing at that too is an understatement. Seeing him as a Dad just makes sense...he is a natural. I am more in love with him today than I was when I walked down the aisle 5 years ago. Honey, thanks for being you and letting me be me. You have given me the most perfect son and I hope he grows up to be just like his Daddy!

Gabe took me out to eat and then we stayed at a local hotel. My wonderful sister was in charge of babysitting and from all reports Isaiah did great. He ate and slept like a champ and Isaiah was actually sad to see her go! Me, I didn't do as well! I was up alot last night looking for Isaiah and this morning I was ready to get home to him. Check out was at noon but I only made it until about 9:30! It was so nice to have a night away but there is nothing like the feeling of holding your baby.

Below are some pictures of us before we went out and then a few new ones of the little guy. Can you believe that on Tuesday I will take him in for his 4 month check up. He will have to get some shots too....boo! I am interested to see how much weight he has gained and how long he is now. He is growing out of all his clothes--I put a 6 month outfit on him the other day and it fit great. Why is my little boy growing so fast?!

We (well my mom) got him smiling for once!

Mommy getting some loving before we headed out--obviously Isaiah could care less

Heading to the pool for the first time--he just fell asleep when I put him in!

Isaiah's new favorite past time--eating his hands

3 months!

2009-05-21T10:16:00.005-05:00

I am a little late with this one but Isaiah is now 3 months old. I wanted to write down a few of the things he is up to these days.

-he has started to sleep through the night (sometimes) and if he wakes up it is only once at 3:30 am and then right back to bed after he has a bottle.
-he loves to be talked to--and he "talks" right back
-he follows you with his eyes
-he knows when Daddy is in the room and he will smile from ear to ear and just gaze at him
-he has learned how to officially throw fits
-he loves morning time with Daddy (from about 6am to 8am)
-he loves being outside
-he is in size 0-3 month clothes but is quickly getting to tall for them
-his eyes are still gorgeous blue (we thought they might change but they have only gotten more blue)
-loves getting out and about with Mommy
-he is NOT into long naps--he takes about 3-4 catnaps a day
-he is now officially laughing
-loves eating his hands
-sitting up on his own

Me and Isaiah are really starting to get in a routine. I try and stay around the house in the mornings and then we get out in the afternoons. This tends to work best for him because by the time the afternoon rolls around he is ready to be out. He has become so much happier since he had his surgery. Poor thing was just in pain alot--his personality is really coming out now. I cannot tell you how many times I have been told that he is "a strong willed child" and I have to agree but Gabe and I prefer to just say he is very independent! :)

Sorry I have been so scarce around here-life has just been so busy lately. I am loving being home with my son everyday. He is growing so fast!

he loves his Daddy

"Who me?"

He loves watching tv--I don't let him watch more then a few minutes but it is HILLARIOUS!

So perfect!

Ready to go on Memorial Day 2009

Showing off his sitting up skills

I swear he is going through a growth spurt--all he wants to do is sleep lately!

My first Mother's Day

2009-05-12T13:52:00.005-05:00

This weekend I was able to participate in Mother's Day for the first time. As I was thinking about being new to this club, I realized that I will be in this club for the rest of my life. If anyone knows me, they know that children have always been a part of my life... from babysitting all through my teen years to constantly being around my friends with kids. (Gabe and I are pretty much the last ones in our group to have children.) I always knew I wanted children but I never could have imagined how much I love being a mom.

I will never forget the day that I found out I was pregnant. It was June 23, 2008 (my Mom's birthday actually!). I was getting ready for work and decided to take a test just so that I could call my doctor and explain to them that something was off. I could not figure out why I was so late! Yeah, I know it does not take a genius to know that being late usually means you're pregnant but you have to understand we only tried for ONE MONTH! I had prepared myself for the journey to get pregnant to be fraught with many months of negative tests. Don't ask me why because I really don't know. I just figured it couldn't be that easy. And to be honest I had a HUGE fear of miscarriage. Again, don't ask me why... I just did. So much so that I was almost scared to even try. I didn't tell many people this, for fear of looking crazy, but it was very real to me. So on that Monday morning I was stunned to see that the stick showed positive. I can't even explain to you the feelings that went through my head. I was in shock!

I look back now and realize that I could have let those "what if's" and the fears rob me of the most incredible love I have ever experienced. My son has taught me what no one ever could--pure joy. In the beginning months when I felt like I was in a fog from just pure exhaustion I would still look at my little boy and just grin ear to ear because he was mine. No longer was I just babysitting, but this amazing child was part of me and part of my best friend. I look at him and can't believe the difference a year makes. This time last year Gabe and I were talking about beginning to try. Now as I type this I am looking at the most adorable guy in the world. Isaiah, thank you for the joy you have brought to my life. In a season of hurt and frustration, you showed your Dad and I that God had so much for us. You showed us that life does go on. These last 3 months have been amazing. Your smile makes my heart melt. You are the greatest gift I have ever gotten. I look forward to all the years ahead, to see what God has in store for you. Always remember that your Mommy loves you more than I can ever explain. Thanks for making me a mom!

Now a shout out to my mom. Mom you have shown me what it means to be a mom. You have always been my sounding board no matter how crazy I sound. You encouraged me to become my own person--to be me and not to make any excuses for who I am. You have always made me feel beautiful even when I wore those dorky socks pulled up to my knees with braided ponytails and a mouth full of braces. Thank you for always making me feel confident in who I am. I hope to pass this along to my son along with many other lessons you taught me. You are truly one of my best friends. You are the best!

--For those wondering: for Mother's Day Gabe took me out to a nice dinner on Friday night (thanks Aunt Kimmy for watching the little man) and then on Sunday I woke up to Gabe and Isaiah making me breakfast. Well Isaiah was just sitting in his bouncer but you know! Gabe got me a gift certificate for a pedicure too. It was a nice relaxing day.--

Just hanging out

Heading out to dinner

This is Isaiah's new big boy way of sleeping--doesn't he look so big!

Hope everyone had an awesome Mother's day!

The First Step: Isaiah's Dedication

2009-05-05T15:33:00.010-05:00

Saturday night was Isaiah's dedication and it was such a great time. Gabe and I recently started going to Destiny Church and we LOVE it! Saturday night they dedicated almost 30 babies and children. As I was listening to Pastor Mike talk about what baby dedication meant, it was exciting to know that our church is dedicated to raising up the next generation.

We had a pretty big group join us for Isaiah's dedication. We had well over 15 people (that is how many seats I saved and we ran out) there to celebrate this day with us. Isaiah is the first grandchild on both sides and the first baby in my family in many, many years! We were so sad that Gabe's parents couldn't join us but we will receive a DVD shortly of the service so we can send that to them. Isaiah looked so cute and behaved very well. He slept in my arms until it was time to go up on stage and then he was wide awake. I am posting some pictures below.

Thank you to everyone who came out to be a part of this day in our son's life. Gabe and I have decided we have the best family and friends in the world. God has blessed us with such great people. Thank you for being so good to us!

Today I decided to see what Isaiah thought of driving his car. He thought it was okay... for a few minutes.

Doesn't he look like a stud?!? Gabe says it's good training for driving the Batmobile. I love the shot of his little feet. I know before too long, his feet will be touching the ground!

Look what I can do!

2009-05-01T19:50:00.003-05:00

No time to post a long update but here is a new picture from today. I wanted to just try the Bumbo seat out to see how he liked it and he LOVED it! He has had very good neck control since he was about 2 weeks old--I should of pulled the seat out sooner!

Isaiah is getting dedicated tomorrow night at church so I will be back with TONS of pictures!

Feeling good!

2009-04-29T17:23:00.003-05:00

*Before surgery--isn't he the cutest patient you have ever seen*

Yesterday was Isaiah's hernia surgery and everything went as smoothly as it could. I was so proud of our little guy. The thing I was least looking forward to was not being able to feed him past 1 am (his surgery was at 7 am). I was able to give him so Pedialyte at 2:30 but that was it. I was dreading the time before surgery where he would just look at me and wonder why I wasn't feeding him. So Gabe and I prepared ourselves for a long night before surgery and you know what...he did aswesome! He got a little cranky (hungry) at 5 am but after crying for about 15 minutes he decided it wasn't worth the energry and just went back to sleep. We got to the hospital at 6 am and they had him in surgery at 7am. I handed off a sleeping baby to a nice nurse who had a warm blanket to carry him in. My mom, grandma and grandpa joined Gabe and I in the waiting room during his surgery. It was so nice to have family there to keep our minds occupied.

*Keep in mind this is after about 2 hours of sleep for me! So dont look too close*

They came and got Gabe and I at about 8 am and told us the surgery was complete and he did great. We went back to recovery and he was just waking up a bit. They wanted me to give him sugar water first to make sure he could hold it down then give him formula. Well my son wanted NOTHING to do with the sugear water so finally they let me go straight to formula and he gulped it down like a champ! We arrived back home by 10:30 am and Isaiah just slept all day. We stayed home today just to recover and he is doing great. He is eating great and not showing any signs of discomfort. He is all smiles so I am pretty sure he is saying, "thanks for taking care of all that!"

*After surgery with Daddy*

Thank you so much for all the prayers and phone calls. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends. We are so happy to be past this little bump in the road!

let the countdown begin....

2009-04-22T19:30:00.004-05:00

How cute is he!

Today we had our appointment with the doctor to schedule Isaiah's surgery to fix his hernia. We have pre-op on Monday (the 27th) and surgery early Tuesday morning. I am anxious to get it fixed so that my little guy will not have that discomfort anymore, but then little bits of fear try and creep in as well. He is just so little and for him to have to have surgery--no matter how routine--it just kills me. It is totally up to the anesthesiologist if he wants to keep him overnight for observation (because he is so little) or just keep us a few hours.We are hoping this will be an outpatient surgery but we will not find out for sure until Monday at pre-op. I know that Isaiah is in God's hands and He will take care of my guy.

Here are some new pictures of Isaiah. My son has decided that he HATES the camera. He will be cheesing it up BIG time and then right when I get the camera out, that smile disappears and does not return until I have the camera back in its bag. Today I even showed him the camera and said, "Okay its turned off," and-- I kid you not-- he just started smiling again! Its hilarious but not when you are trying to get new pictures of him.
-ok still working on getting the pictures uploaded but I wanted to post this so everyone was updated about his surgery. I will keep working on the pics!

***edited to add the pictures. My Picasa was messing up but my lovely husband fixed it for me!

"They call me Hugh"Daddy and his mini me Don't you just want to eat him up!

Before mom took me on a walk...After the walk--it must take alot of energy to lay there!

shots and chop

2009-04-16T17:16:00.004-05:00

So maybe the subject doesn't make alot of sense but I am trying to be creative. Just stay with me.

Yesterday Isaiah got his 2 month shots--yes our little man is 2 months old. Sometimes I feel like it was just yesterday we brought him home. Then there are times when I think wow we have only had him for 2 months. I can definitely say these last 2 months have been the best of my life. The hardest yes but the most rewarding too. Just having the privilege of waking up and seeing his cute face is enough for me.

Today was interesting. Within the first hour of waking up Isaiah had puked all over me (I mean from head to toe) and then while we were in the tub scrubbing off the puke he peed on my face. I am talking right in the eye and then he gave a little smile of accomplishment. We then met my sisters and mom for lunch (which Isaiah slept through) and then headed to see some friends that just had a little girl. My little tiny 2 month old looked HUGE next to the new little girl-granted she was born early and only weighed 4 pounds 7 ounces. So really my boy was twice her size! (at his last visit he was weighing in at 10.5 lbs) We decided that Londyn is going to be Isaiah's girlfriend. They didn't get a chance to meet because both of them were asleep the whole time we were there. But we could just tell they were head over heels for each other. :)

Also, in other news I chopped my hair off. I was getting tired of Isaiah pulling chunks of hair out when he decided he wanted to show off his muscles. So gone is the long hair and in its place a rather snazzy do ( if I do say so myself). Below is a picture. Please excuse the whiteness of myself. This girl needs a tanning bed pronto. I am boycotting any more pictures until I see a tanning bed or lay out in the sun for about 4 days!

Is anyone else ready for the summer? Any big plans coming up?

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T20:15:00.007-05:00

Hello Isaiah fans! Gabe here.

Our first Easter as a three-member family was fantastic! Since Isaiah's been born, we've been attending Saturday night services at Destiny Church. Getting the little guy to church in the evening is a lot easier than getting him there in the morning, and this past Easter weekend was no different. (By the way, Isaiah loves rockin' praise and worship music! Every week we go to Destiny, he falls asleep the minute he starts hearing the band play. When we try to get him to sleep in his swing, I play the Desperation Band from my iPod and he loves it!)
*his Easter outfit*
We attended church on Saturday evening with some friends, heard a great sermon, and got to enjoy most of Sunday with Kara's family. The early part of Sunday was spent cleaning like crazy, and from 4:00 on we were slammed with family goodness.

One last bit of news: Isaiah has a hernia. Superman (that's what I call him... Batman and Superman fight crime together all the time) struggles so much with his gas and trying to lay bricks in his diaper that he's really strained himself. Thank God it doesn't appear to hurt him... it's more uncomfortable for him than anything. He has an appointment with the pediatric surgeon on the 22nd, and the surgery will be scheduled from there.

Please keep us in your prayers.

What did you all do for Easter this year? Leave us a comment and let us know!

I have a rumbly in my tumblee---

2009-04-01T17:15:00.007-05:00

In the words of Winnie the Pooh! I am so sorry that I have been out of the loop for a while. My little man has been having some tummy issues (lots of gas which leads to fussiness which leads to no sleep for both of us).

I went to the doctor on Monday and explained it all to her. I had waited because I did not want to be one of those people that calls all the time just to hear, "Oh it's normal just give it a few days." So I waited until I just knew this WAS NOT normal. My doctor was so helpful and assured me this was not normal--he needed some help.

We put Isaiah on some medicine for reflux and we are now on a new formula (we have tried 4 different ones now plus I was breastfeeding at first) and I am praying that we finally found the cure! I was really praying we did not have to use this one because it is very expensive, and with me staying home, I began to wonder what was going to happen. Gabe and I both prayed about it and just basically asked God to take care of it. I will do whatever I have to do for my son to be happy and healthy even if that means cutting other things out of the budget. But for those of you who know the Lord, you know He is a great God and takes care of us if we will just allow him to.

I spoke with my doctor and, if this formula works (I have already seen some positive signs), she is going to get me a free CASE of it. Plus, I have a good friend whose husband works at a hospital, and they are going to be able to help us out too! Can you say, Praise God!! My doctor does not think Isaiah will have to be on this specialty formula long so what I am praying and believing is that we will not have to buy any cans of it. That would be amazing, huh?

In other Isaiah news, my doctor's office gives out Silky blankets and this has become Isaiah's favorite thing. I found him several times today with his blankie between his hands or up against his face. It is adorable! Another favorite pasttime of his: staring at the fan! He will sit for about 15 minutes and just look up at it with wonder in his eyes. If I am trying to get ready to go somewhere, I just lay a blanket on our bed and put him under the fan and this gives me at least 10 minutes to get ready. Yes, to all those that know how long I used to take to get ready I now get ready, start to finish, in about 10 minutes. The other day I tried taking a shower while I was home alone with Isaiah (he was asleep) and I think I was in there for a total of 15 seconds! Ha, ha!

As exhausting as these last few weeks have been, I find myself staring at my son and thanking the Lord for such a healthy baby. I think sometimes it is so easy to get lost in our own circumstances and we forget how good we truly have it. My son may have a tummy ache but I have a son. Many women never get to experience that joy. God has been so good to me!

Here are a few pictures of our little man...

Sorry I don't know how to turn this--just turn your head :)

Yes he looks just like his Daddy!

I LOVE his sleepers that have animals on the feet....too cute!

Isaiah and Dr. W.--BEST doctor EVER!!!

Thanks for stopping by to catch up!!

still here...

2009-03-24T21:30:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. Isaiah and I are just trying to figure each other out! Isaiah is growing so long these days. I cannot believe he is 5 weeks old! Here are a few pictures until I can write a longer post.

3 weeks..

2009-03-11T20:18:00.004-05:00

Well soon I will hopefully start blogging more then once a week. Right now though I am just trying to remember to shower and brush my teeth! haha Its not THAT bad...yet!

Isaiah is growing so fast. This week I feel like we are really starting to get a little routine as a family down. Gabe and I are loving every minute with our little dude. Here are a few pics from the last week.

Oh and before I forget here are some shots of me and my preggie belly. These were taken 2 days before Isaiah entered the world. It is SO weird to look back at me with my big belly even though it was less then a month ago!

My AWESOME friend Pam came over on Monday and took some professional shots of Isaiah so I will get those posted soon for his 3 week pictures. She got some amazing shots and I can't wait to share them with you.

2 weeks already??

2009-03-02T19:23:00.007-06:00

I cannot believe that my son has been with us for 2 weeks already-that is half a month! We are trying to get into a routine and Isaiah is not getting the memo that most people (including his mom and dad) enjoy sleeping when it is dark outside. He likes to just hang out from about 4 am until 8 am and then when its time for the rest of the world to wake up he decides to head back to sleep. He rules the roost around our household!

Gabe's parents are in town and Isaiah is soaking up all the kisses and hugs. He is such a charmer. I swear he has never thrown a fit when there is company here-he knows how to work it. It just cracks me up because when it is just me and him he has no problem putting his vocal pipes to work.

Our little boy is officially outgrowing all of his preemie clothes and now fits into newborn sizes. He is just so long! The newborn outfits are a little big but fit perfectly length wise. I think we are going to have a basketball player on our hands.

Isaiah has begun to stay awake a lot longer after his feedings and just gaze at everything. Since I am using my blog to track our little mans life I wanted to start making lists of things he likes and doesn't like. Sorry if this bores you but if you haven't noticed already I am pretty much obsessed with the little man.

Likes:
*laying on his Bobby and just looking around
*being held against anyone's chest
*loud noises (anything loud and obnoxious puts him to sleep)
*baths
*when Mommy sings "Jesus Loves Me" even though she has an awful voice!
*LOVES to eat

Dislikes:
*changing his clothes
*changing his diaper
*his crib (why oh why do we even have a nursery?)
*silence (he will wake up from a dead sleep if it gets to quiet)

--------Okay I have been working on this post for 3 days now--I am just going to post it before he is 3 weeks old!! I am not doing any proofing so please forgive me!----------

Some new pictures of the little man! Oh and as of Tuesday he was weighing in at 7 pounds 1 ounce.

Look how long he is getting!Meeting Gramps and Mima for the fist time!Gabe and I like to say this is his "what up" look!Mommy and my best bud

Good Morning!What this isn't a bed for me?Daddy is silly!

That is all for now! I will try and be better at keeping up with the blog!

don't act like you want to hear me talk...

2009-02-24T15:07:00.007-06:00

This post is going to be short and sweet but with lots of pictures. I have come to find that most people just want to see the cutest little boy in the world--and I don't blame you. I can't tell you how many hours Gabe and I have spent just staring at him. I know we are probably a little biased but we tend to think he is the cutest thing we have ever laid eyes on.

Our little buddy was one week old yesterday! His umbilical cord fell off on Sunday night at bath time. Mommy got a little misty eyed when I thought about what that little piece of flesh signified. That was Isaiah's lifeline while he was in my womb and now at not only a week old it had fallen off. So strange! I can see now why people say cherish every moment. I told Gabe last night that it seems like he was just born yesterday but at the same time I do not remember life without him.

Okay--now on to the pictures...

"Enough with the pictures!"

Daddy loves this face Isaiah makes!

Mommy and Isaiah out to lunch

My mom, My grandma and Isaiah-I think they like him a little bit!

Isaiah and Grandma (still working on a name for her to go by-any ideas?)

Isaiah's first bottle (I am breastfeeding but really wanted Gabe to have the opportunity to bond with his son--he does about 2 of the feedings a day)

Isaiah and Grandpa Dan

How cute is he!!

How I find my guys quite often!

Isaiah's first bath with Daddy and Aunt Kimmy

Isaiah LOVES his swing!

I want to also say thankyou to every single person that has taken time out of their lives to be apart of this last week. Gabe and I have been amazed at how many people have come to meet our new addition. We have the MOST amazing family and friends. Gabe's parents are headed out to meet their grandson this Sunday and we are SO pumped! Isaiah keeps asking me when Mima and Gramps will get here!!!

Stay tuned for more pictures.

Enjoying the journey with my Father-- and my son

2009-02-20T14:22:00.009-06:00

Hello Isaiah fans!

Gabe here. I was holding Isaiah Caden today after his afternoon feeding, just watching him sleep and listening to the words of a song by Jason Upton called "When It Thunders":

Baby look up there’s our star in the middle of the sky
Shining where we are to comfort you and I
While I hold you in the dark I hope you see the light
And the passion of my heart in this simple lullaby

Daddy don’t sleep daddy don’t slumber
I don’t wonder when it thunders
If I’m safe in daddy’s arms

Daddy look up there’s our star I hear you say to me
Something deep inside says I never want to leave
So I need for you to know whenever I go
God is in control and you are in His arms

Tears came to my eyes. I couldn't help it! In that moment, I realized that I would die--or kill--without a moment's hesitation before I'd let any harm come to my son. Now I know, in a very small way, how my Father feels about me. Is it any wonder that He asks me to call him 'Abba' (Daddy)?

Click here to listen to a 2-minute clip of the song. It's from a CD called "Great River Road", and I highly recommend it, along with all of Upton's other stuff. Worth every cent! He's my favorite worship guy, hands down.

Oh yeah, almost forgot to share our praise report! Isaiah's pediatrician didn't even check his bilirubin levels this morning since he's doing so well developmentally. He was wide-eyed, alert, and he's doing really well. Praise God! The little champ still has some jaundice, but nothing abnormal. Thank God for being involved in every little detail. And thank you all for the prayers!

The psalmist David spilled his guts to the Lord and cried out: "O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you ... For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers" (Psalm 39:4-5, 12).

This Scripture helped me gain perspective. Today, the Lord taught me that all of the little stuff I freak out about means nothing. Life is short. Our lives are like shadows by a campfire... spit in the wind. Like David, I asked the Lord to help me gain (and keep) His eternal perspective. I want to see like God sees, and live as He does. Like my own Dad and those who've passed on, I'm just a guest here. This isn't my home.

Today, I will just enjoy the journey... with my Father and my son.

I am head over heels in love...

2009-02-19T14:47:00.003-06:00

Hey guys--Kara here. This week has been a whirlwind and I have loved every minute of it--well there were a few parts during labor I did not LOVE but hey it was worth it.

We are home from the hospital and trying to get in the groove of things. Isaiah's first night was a little rough because he was having some tummy issues but I think we are on the right track now. Thank you Jesus for Milicon drops :)

I don't have a lot of time to write a long post but I wanted to ask all of my blog friends to be praying. Isaiah has a little bit of jaundice and we have been getting his blood tested every day since he was born and it has continued to climb. It is nothing at all that is not fixable but I am believing God to heal him so that we will not have to worry about doing anything with it. I know this is a completely normal thing for babies but just wanted to ask for some prayer. We go back tomorrow morning at 10 for another blood test to see if they levels have gone down. If they are still elevated we may have to have some light therapy done here in the house. Basically some lights that he will need to lay under--kinda like a little tanning bed :) Any who...would you please be praying that:

a) tonight he is able to eat regularly
b) he is able to poop (this is how their bodies get rid of the jaundice)
c) because of these things his levels will be low tomorrow

That is all for now. I will be back soon and write about the birth story and just my wonderful son in general! As I stated in the subject I am in LOVE with my son--and even more in love with my husband.

Some more pics of Isaiah:

My son is here!

2009-02-18T20:30:00.007-06:00

Hey guys!

Gabe again. Isaiah Caden is here! He was born on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 8:04pm-- and the final stats are in: 6 lbs, 7 oz, and 20 in long. Baby and momma are doing great! (Actually, Kara looks like she just finished a day at the spa... that's how great she looks.)

I heard that some of you were freaking out because I didn't update the blog after 5:07pm on Monday night. That's because a) Kara started into hard labor around 6:45, and b) the hospital's internet connection died, so I had no online access whatsoever.

I watched the whole thing. I helped Kara push, counting to 10 as she nearly passed out. I did make this comment during a hard push: "Wow, look at that head!" Yeah, Kara didn't like that. Anyway, my son is amazing. Without any further ado, let's have some pictures.

Ain't he cute?! Thanks everyone for your love, support, and prayers!

5:07pm Update

2009-02-16T17:04:00.004-06:00

Hey all-- Gabe here again. It's a little after 5, and Kara is still in labor. We had a little scare because Isaiah's heart rate kept getting low, so the nurse pumped some fluid and readjusted Kara's position, and all seems to be fine now. Kara's now dilated 8 cm (that's up from 3 this morning), so we're making progress!

Please continue to pray for a safe and happy delivery.

"Man, I thought this thing would take, like, 2 hours..."

2009-02-16T11:10:00.005-06:00

Hey all--

Gabe here. Kara just had her epidural put in. Contractions are coming at a fairly steady rate, although nothing major yet.

Seriously, I thought this thing would take like 2 hours. We got here a little late--mainly because we just left late, but also because McDonald's messed up our breakfast order (yeah, THAT wasn't annoying!). I must confess that I was kind of rude with the lady. Wherever you are, I'm sorry!

So instead of getting here at 7:30, we got here at 8:00. It's now 11:30. Kara's doctor broke her water to induce labor, and we've been waiting ever since. Kara really wanted to watch a movie to make the time go faster, but the only ones I brought were "24:Season 5" and "The Incredibles." I didn't even bring my Batman movies. Nonetheless, Kara was very uninterested in the ones I brought, so her sister Kim got "The Secret Life of Bees" from a nearby Redbox. The title menu music was playing while the anesthesiologist put her epidural in. Very calming.

Well that's all for now. More later.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T19:02:00.002-06:00

I hope that everyone is enjoying this Valentines with people you love. Gabe and I went out to eat last night with some friends and decided to stay in tonight. I am making homemade Chicken Parmesan right now...well it is in the oven as I type. I will get back with you on how it comes out!

We went to the doctor yesterday and they scheduled me to be induced on Monday at 7:30 am...yes you read that right--I will be a mom in about 36 hours! My blood pressure was a little high so the doctor decided to go ahead and deliver Isaiah. It was funny because my doctor was at a delivery so another doctor saw me. This doctor obviously didn't know about all my crazy antics and when I told him I did not want a Friday the 13th baby or a Valentines baby he just stared at me! My doctor is quite used to my weirdness but this doctor didn't know what to do with me. He could not schedule my induction because I am not his patient but he sent me home (after they determined there was no protein in my urine--this can be a sign of preeclamsia) and told me to be waiting for a phone call to schedule my induction. I had not been gone for more than 5 minutes when the phone rang and the nurse told me when "go time" would be. I just said "wow, umm okay". The sad thing is that I went back to work and worked my last few hours there. I was planning on having at least another few weeks to tell everyone bye but my little guy had other plans. It was just so surreal to not only be told that my child would be here that soon but also knowing that my days of working full time were coming to an end.

Gabe and I are so excited. I really don't think it has hit home with me that I will be sitting at home this time next week with my son! I will have Gabe update the blog once Isaiah is born. Please keep us in your prayers. We are praying for a FAST and safe delivery!

I am going to miss these gals...

2009-02-12T19:29:00.007-06:00

Before I get too far behind I wanted to post pictures of my work baby shower. As many of you know I will not be returning to work after I have Isaiah. I may try and find something part time but as far as full time, my days are coming to an end. I have worked at the same company for almost 3 years but my mom has been there my entire life, so these people are my 2nd family. I have already told all of them that I will be up there quite often just to sit in my office and reminisce. Also, grandma and Isaiah will need to have their lunch dates :)
Below are some pictures from the shower.

Thank you so much to all my friends! This pregnancy would not have been as fun without you. The constant support has meant so much to me. I am thinking that next time I get pregnant I need to just come up there weekly so I can have you all there again to help keep me sane! :)

Update on me and Isaiah: I will be going to the doctor tomorrow morning and I am excited to see if anything has changed. I have not felt any contractions (that I know of) but I can definitely feel that he has dropped. I have a lot of pressure down low but other than that I am doing okay. My feet are very swollen but my house shoes have made life a little easier! I know that I can't plan everything but I really don't want Isaiah to be born on Friday the 13th or Valentines--but anytime after that I am all good! Ha ha! I know... just keep laughing!

On a side note. This weekend I learned that one of my coworkers passed away and this week has been a little rough on me and my group. His memorial was yesterday and it was such a great life celebration. Please keep the Mackey family in your prayers.

NO I am supposed to have another month!

2009-02-07T17:31:00.004-06:00

So I went to the doctor on Thursday for my first weekly checkup. Gabe is out of town and will not be back until next Tuesday. When he scheduled this time to be away for work I told him there was no way I would be even close to going into labor. Well lets just say that Isaiah is making sure that we know he is in charge now. I have NOT had Isaiah yet but I was informed that I was 3 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced. I know that my doctor, friend who was with me and I were all very surprised. Usually for your first child you can add about 4 days to your due date and that is when your baby will make their arrival. So needless to say I have been going crazy since Thursday organizing and trying to get all my last minute items before Isaiah makes his debut.

I have been feeling really good since Thursday and though I have had some Braxton hicks contractions I think I have at least have another week. I say that but I am new at this and I also thought I was having a girl! It is hilarious because when I told everyone my story about when we were told we were having a girl only later to be told it was a boy everyone said, "I have heard of that happening but not very often" and now when I tell people that I am 3 centimeters and 70% effaced already they say the EXACT same thing. I have a feeling this little boy is going to be full of surprises.

I will keep everyone updated but please be praying that he holds on until his Daddy gets home!

Who has amazing friends? We do!

2009-01-31T17:47:00.009-06:00

Over the last month Gabe and I have been amazed at how amazing our friends and family are. I mean, we knew they were awesome, but the way they have showered us with gifts for Isaiah has truly been overwhelming. When I brought everything in from my shower last week, Gabe and I looked at each other and I almost broke out in tears. I know... some of this could be blamed on hormones but I had to take a picture for you guys of what the roomed looked like. Keep in mind, this picture was taken AFTER putting everything away from the first shower.

-- Seriously, can you say blessed! Adrian was very curious as to what all the stuff was!--

[Note from Gabe: The first thing I said when I saw all of the gifts was: "Wow! There are answers to prayer all over the floor!" Thank you all so much for being the hands and feet of Jesus, and for being a part of Isaiah's young life.]

As many of you know I will not be returning to full-time work after Isaiah is born. I have thought about doing something part-time just to make a little extra income (so please pass the word, and if you hear of anything, please let me know!). Your generosity has been a true testament to God's goodness and the kindness of your hearts. Again, thank you!

This weekend the shower was given by my sister, my mom and my good friend Megan (pictured below). I got to see so many friends and family that I have not seen in years.

--The hostesses with the mostest! (my mom, sister, me and Meg) LOOK at that belly!!!--

--Just a few of my many family members that were there (yes we have a large family!)--

--Opening all the wonderful gifts--

Thanks to everyone who came and supported our family. You mean more to us than you will ever know!

Anyone have some Pepto Bismol?

2009-01-26T20:37:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! I will post pics soon of the shower from Saturday but for now I am laid up on the couch with a stomach virus. It began Sunday night and has finally started to let up a little. Lets just say the last 24 hours have been a little rough on me and Isaiah. Gabe has been taking such good care of me though, and I am on the mend.

We got so many blessings at the shower on Saturday and I will try and get some pictures posted and a more detailed account of the festivities in the next few days.

For all of our Tulsa readers, stay off the roads and stay warm!

just checking in....

2009-01-23T17:52:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we are still here and doing well. Its been a very busy couple of weeks and I am starting to tire out a lot faster. It is hard to believe that in a little over a month we will be bringing our son home.

Last week we went to see our doctor (our appointments are every 2 weeks-but after next weeks appointment we will jump to weekly visits!) and he said that if all goes according to plan he would be down with inducing me on March 2nd in the evening and then I would probably deliver on the 3rd (which is my due date). He said the only thing that has to needs to happen before he does this is for my body to be showing signs of gearing up for labor. For those of us rookies this means that certain parts of my body begin to expand while others thin out (WOO HOO-sounds like a blast). We are looking into induction because we really want Gabe's parents here for the birth-so please pray my little guy works with us.

Tomorrow I have my 2nd shower and I am looking forward to spending the day with everyone. This one is for family and close friends of the family. There will be several people I have not seen in years so it will be a great time of catching up.

Thanks for all the nice comments on the nursery pictures. It is my first real do it yourself project in the house and its nice to hear we didn't do too bad!

Thanks for all the prayers for me and the baby over the months-keep them coming! We love you guys! I will try and post pics soon from the shower tomorrow.

1 down, 2 to go and then Baby!

2009-01-12T18:42:00.007-06:00

Hey friends! We just had a wonderful yet busy weekend. We started out Friday by getting Isaiah's furniture delivered. We had ordered it back in December but we waited until after the new year to get it delivered. It looks so good!

Then on Saturday I went to my first shower. My friends Tracey and Ginger threw the shower for me, and all my church ladies came. On the way over I realized just how close we are getting to seeing our little man. It hit me all of a sudden that I was driving to MY shower not one of my friends...it was very surreal. We were so blessed with many things for Isaiah. He is going to be one loved little baby. Below are some pictures from the shower.

*most adorable cake ever*

*my sissy, mom and friend Judy

* My wonderful friends who hosted the shower*

*opening Isaiah's bathtub*

*you know Daddy was excited about this gift*

*cute little Laney bug-she was our entertainment*

*opening more gifts* *unwrapping the letters for Isaiah's wall (see below to see them hung up)*

On Sunday my friend Tracey came over to help hang everything up on Isaiah's walls. While she was hanging, I organized. I was laughing because if anyone knew me 5 years ago you would laugh at how organized I have become. My mom and I were just laughing at this yesterday. I was the most disorganized and cluttered person ever. Somewhere in the last 5 years I decided I like organization and planning. I was so excited yesterday to get everything in the drawers and just gaze at the order of it all. I will have to pull everything out for a wash day (I am waiting until all the showers are over so I can do it all at once) but just the idea of waiting to start putting everything away just stresses me out. Here are some pics of Isaiah's room with some of the things hung up. And notice the pictures of the inside of the drawers-my pride and joy. And yes I know that they will never look like this again once Isaiah comes-so let me enjoy it now! :)

I LOVE how his letters turned out. Thanks J--you did an AWESOME job!!!

Can we just stay here?

2009-01-08T19:58:00.005-06:00

On Monday night, Gabe and I went and toured the hospital where I will be delivering. It is a newer hospital in our area so neither of us had been there yet. We figured it might be a good idea to learn ahead of time where we needed to go when the time comes.

Every month they have a scheduled time for free tours, and you just show up. We got there and we were the only ones there for the tour! I figured just some random volunteer would show us through the hospital, but to our great surprise, one of the labor/delivery nurses did it. We got there and I think I asked her about 100 questions and Gabe another 100. She showed us this neat little slide show that went over the basics and then took us up to the maternity floor. You know that "Eww gross!" smell that usually resides in a hospital? Yeah, it was nowhere to be smelled. It was the cleanest, quietest and, nicest hospital I have ever been in.

We got to see the rooms where we will deliver and the post partum rooms. I got a little weepy/overwhelmed when I stood in the rooms where the baby will be born. I thought, "Wow! Next time I'm in here, I will be having our son." It was so exciting! The nurse was so sweet. She answered all our questions and allowed us to look at the rooms more then once because, as you read in our previous post, Gabe must take pictures of everything! I am really hoping she is there when Isaiah arrives. She said they have a pretty small staff, so the chance of her being there is pretty high. That makes me so happy! I walked by the waiting room and I could just picture our families and friends filling that place to the brim. It is going to be so much fun but I looked at her and said, "Are you sure your staff is ready for us?" I can only imagine all the the shenanigans that some of our more... ahem, outgoing... family members will pull while they're there. On the way out, we actually asked her if we could just stay there until Isaiah gets here. Ha ha! Below are a few pictures of the room...

This Saturday is my first baby shower and I am so excited. It is so funny because I look back at Christmas and the best gifts were the ones that we received for Isaiah. I think the mommy in me is kicking in, and everything my little man receives is so special. It is going to be so much fun to begin to dream of all the things he will do with his gifts he receives on Saturday... how he will look in a certain outfit, squealing in delight as he plays with a new toy, his first bath... and so many more memories we'll make.

Oh, --and totally off subject-- I am now a brown-haired girl. I still have a little blonde but I was wanting something new and funky and I got it! I absolutely love it-I will have to post pictures of it after the shower.

Don't be jealous...

2009-01-02T20:15:00.006-06:00

So what does a young couple do on a Friday night? Well-- if you're cool like we are-- you go to an early dinner and then head to Babies 'R Us to work on your registry. Ha ha! I know you are wishing you could only be half as cool as we are.

Tonight right after work we went to an early dinner and then I somehow managed to talk Gabe into heading to Babies 'R Us. I have done most of the registry online but there are just certain things you need to see before you decide what you want.

I needed to figure out bottles mostly. Does anyone know why they make SO many different kinds?! Its truly overwhelming for a first time mom. I have been researching for weeks now and finally just picked the one that seemed to fit what I was looking for--but again I wanted to go in the store to actually see them. To keep Gabe occupied, I gave him the camera (BIG mistake) to document this experience. As I was walking around I would occasionally see Gabe hiding behind displays to try and get "candid" shots. It was pretty funny. I am sure many people in there got a kick out of it. Below are a few of the pictures he took.

[Hubby's note: I was only doing what my wife asked of me. She deleted some of my "candid" shots--approximately six of them--because she didn't like the way she looked in them. It's hard to be an artist when you're censored like I am. Sheesh. Oh, and you'll notice that I'm sporting a Batman t-shirt. Oh yeah.]

We were there for about an hour or so and then my sciatic nerve began to hurt. (Yeah, I just realized I sound like an 80-year-old woman.) I definitely have the pregnant "waddle" now due to this new pain. Sometimes I feel like I just kind of throw my legs out in front of me. Its pretty funny and much of my family has pointed this new phenomenon out to me! So seriously... could we get any more loser-ish! Ha Ha!

In other news, we had another appointment today and got to see Isaiah. He is growing and getting so big. He was blowing bubbles at one point--it made us all laugh. Below are pictures from the appointment.

[Hubby's Note: We'll have ultrasound pictures to post soon, most notably a shot that I asked our doctor to take of Isaiah's package. He's a real man, and he definitely wanted us all to see it. Just wanted to brag about that.]

My wonderful friend Tracey and her adorable daughter Laney got to join us. Also, that is my AMAZING doctor with us. I have been blessed with a great doctor and nurse. Dr. W is a believer and I love talking to him about this process.

I will now be going every 2 weeks to see my super cool doctor. So hard to believe we are already at that point!

Hope you all had a blessed weekend!

New Year, New Dad, Old Lessons

2009-01-01T20:57:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year to everybody! (It's Gabe, by the way.)

Had a great time hanging out with some friends last night... we dozed off during a movie but woke up just before midnight to welcome 2009.

Per my personal tradition, I watched "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" today (the extended editions of course). The last one, "The Return of the King," is next. I can't wait to read those books to Isaiah one day. And Batman comics. And the Chronicles of Narnia. As for the finer art of video game warfare, I can teach him how to draw a bead on a terrorist's head with a sniper rifle in "Ghost Recon." Well... that may come later. (Kara's relieved.)

Hard to believe in two months I'll be a brand new dad. Before I join the ranks of parenthood, I'd like to share a few "old" lessons that I've re-learned recently. They're far from original, but each one resonated with me.

It's not about me anymore. This little nugget finally registered this Christmas when Kara and I received some Christmas gifts for Isaiah, instead of for us. I thought, "Wow, people are buying stuff for him and he's not even here yet. He's stolen the spotlight!" I'm sure I'll be learning and re-learning this lesson repeatedly for the rest of my life. Some of you parents are laughing hysterically right now.
Don't sweat the small stuff. Admittedly, I sweat the small stuff. A lot. Like when our home security system company forgot to put a $4 credit on our bill. I got irritated and called instantly. But I'm improving! Last night we came home late from hanging out with friends, and there it was. A mound of fresh, brown turds. After living with us for 3 years, our dog Adrian still poops on the living room floor. Unbelievable. (I've actually told Adrian that one day, I'm going to drop a big one in her crate and put her in there to see how she likes it. "Yo, Adrian... I did it!") So how did I respond? I didn't raise my voice. I didn't call the pound. I spanked her on the nose (gently), told her "No" and put her in her crate. Easy. Done. Now if I could only do that every time...
Be the person you want your child to be. I want my son to have a Dad who lives what he says. As a youth pastor, I had students that were expected to serve God and "behave" with little to no role modeling at home. (Nothing ticks off a teenager faster than hypocrisy. They're oblivious to their own, but they can smell another person's duplicity like a rat.) My challenge is to live like Jesus to Isaiah the best I can, and beg God to let my sin die with me-- so it doesn't hinder my son. I want Isaiah to see that, even though I'm the adult, I'm not afraid to say "I'm sorry." I want him to see that I'm in love with his mother and Jesus more than anything else in the world. I want him to be better than me, to go further than me. That all starts right now, with how I live day in and day out.

it's beginning to look alot like a nursery!

2008-12-27T16:43:00.003-06:00

Hello friends! We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. Gabe and I got some fun things and got to spend great time with some of our family. We received a video camera from my Dad and a new digital camera from my mom. They will both be awesome for when Isaiah gets here. I can't wait to start recording all his firsts.

We just got finished with putting Isaiah's crib together and the room is really starting to come together. We are hoping to pick up the furniture for his room some time next week.

Isaiah also got his first "car" from my mom and step dad. They said they just couldn't pass it up. He is going to be the coolest kid around :) He isn't even born yet and has a cooler car then his mom and dad.
That is all for now. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

ramblings of a pregnant girl....

2008-12-23T20:16:00.006-06:00

Hey all! Thanks for the comments on the nursery. Do you know that when I told Gabe we had 3 comments he said, " wow I thought no one cared!" So see your comments mean a lot to us. So keep them coming-maybe one time we will even hit 5 comments. haha

I have been meaning to put some pics up from when we went back to Virginia to see Gabe's parents and I just keep forgetting. I have noticed lately that I am very very forgetful. If you look in my phone right now I have about 25 reminders set for just random things. I sure hope this forgetfulness goes away when Isaiah arrives! Back to the pictures-I figured I would put these up while I was thinking about it.....

Also, here is the artwork that my good friend Tracey helped (well she pretty much did it for me but I helped some ) me with for Isaiah's room. I had seen this idea on the internet and figured it looked easy enough. And if you have a creative friend like me then its pretty easy :) Thanks Tracey!

And here are just some random pictures recently taken when we were in Branson with my family for after Thanksgiving shopping...

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!! And today I am 30 weeks pregnant....doesn't it seem that 2008 just started. I cannot get over how fast this year is flying by.

aww completion...

2008-12-21T21:27:00.004-06:00

Okay so the nursery is finally painted! My grandpa got pretty sick last weekend so we postponed the painting. I know it has been over a week that you have been waiting in suspense...( well maybe not but let me believe that) so here it is......

Gabe and my Grandpa starting the base coat.....

The walls in progress with the tape up still...

The finished project.....

I just love it. It was definitely harder then I thought to do the stripe but so worth it. Gabe and I realized this was the first real do it yourself project we have done together and Gabe informed me tonight it was our last!! haha We had a long night last night when measuring and taping off for the stripe. But we hung in there and we couldn't be happier with the results.

Thanks again Grandpa for all your hard work. You are a pro! I can't wait for Isaiah to grow up in a room that was painted by people who love him.

time for the razzle dazzle

2008-12-12T20:51:00.002-06:00

That is my way of saying we are painting the nursery tomorrow! I am so excited to finally get it done. As my mom tells me-I am not good at the patience thing-I like to plan and then I like it to be done. I don't like the actual doing part! haha

I am one of those people that have REALLY good ideas when it comes to being creative but the finished product is not always what I pictured. I just think that sometimes my ideas are too big for my low level of handiness ....yes I made that word up.

So tomorrow pray for us :) I have changed the stripe plan up (from the previous post) to better match up with our skill level. We thought about having someone come in and do the stripes for us but thats no fun. I want to be able to say, "Isaiah-mommy, daddy and other friends and family worked so hard on getting this room together for you." Can't really do that if i have someone else do it-plus to be honest paying for a painter is not where I want to spend our money. I would rather gets lots of razzle dazzle for his room. I am notorious for only spending money on bargains. If I can't get it on sale then most likely I won't get it. From the research I have done painters don't have sales. I mean come on-they need to get with the program!
SO tomorrow my grandpa is heading over to help lead the charge. He is the only one that has any kind of true painting experience (I don't really count my painting my room bright aqua experience considering I had my mom do most of it) so I label him Boss man tomorrow. I will be sure and take before and after pictures.

Heres to hoping it looks as good as it does in my mind. Oh and I am working on some fun art projects for the walls . Again-pray these look as good as I am hoping!

Christmastime is Here... just not the tree.

2008-12-07T19:15:00.004-06:00

I got to see Isaiah's face last week! Well, kind of. I got to see his face on the ultrasound image. It was pretty wild, though. Saw his foreheard, nose, and chin. I thought to myself, "Man! That jaw's gonna look great with a cowl! The Batsuit will fit perfectly!"

Kara is in her 28th week of pregnancy and feeling great. We cannot believe that we are so close to Isaiah's arrival. Little by little we are getting things around the house done. Tonight we cleared the guest furniture out and it is now ready for paint. Here is what Kara has decided on for the general idea for Isaiah's room:

Ours will be with gray walls, black, white then large green stripe. We will be sure and post pictures after we paint this weekend.

We decided not to put a tree up this year. I know, I know... you're thinking, "Gabe? Not getting a Christmas tree?" Listen, I am the soul of Christmas. I've been listening to Christmas music since mid-August. I can't get enough of it. I wear red and green pajamas. I sleep in a Santa hat. Okay, those last two things aren't true... but they were at one time. I used to sleep under the Christmas tree so I could smell the pine. I even strung Christmas lights all around my room, disregarding the tackiness, because I couldn't have a tree in there. My favorite Christmas song is "Carol of the Bells" and I have 5 versions on my iPod: the Carpenters, the TransSiberian Orchestra, Mannheim Steamroller, Gary Hoey, and David Foster. So yeah... no Christmas tree is a big step for me.

Kara didn't feel like she'd have the energy to take down the tree and all the trimmings. What goes up must come down, you know. But we did put up some candy canes up and down the driveway. We also put up a "Ho! Ho! Ho!" Santa sign in the yard. And we put a wreath on the door and on the lanterns outside above the garage door.

You know, I would put up Christmas lights... but there's just one problem. I don't do heights. You should have seen me two Christmases ago. A buddy of mine was on the ladder feeding me the lights while I stapled them to the roof. Most people feel comfortable enough to stand or at least kneel on a one-story roof. Me? I was clinging to it like a spider, holding on for dear life. So no Christmas lights this year. But never fear... they shine brightly in my heart.

Additionally, there's a list of movies I just HAVE to watch: Home Alone, A Charlie Brown Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story. Also, around the holidays I informed Kara our first year of marriage that I MUST have chocolate chip cookies on hand at all times.

What Christmas movies do you like to watch?Are there any traditions that you have to take part in? Leave a comment and let us know!

A little this and a little that...

2008-12-01T18:28:00.002-06:00

Hey friends! Sorry we have been doing so poorly in keeping up with the blog. It just seems we have been going 100 miles an hour lately. Gabe has told me that he is going to do a catch up blog soon-so we will see.

I have 3 months left before little Isaiah gets here and I cannot believe how fast time has flown. His crib came in, we ordered the rest of his furniture and we will be painting the nursery next Saturday. I feel like once we get this stuff done we will be more prepared for his arrival. The other day Gabe and I were talking and we were just both in awe that in 3 months we will have a baby Harris. So amazing! Gabe has begun to be able to feel Isaiah kick and it just makes me smile every time he kicks for his daddy. He has begun to kick really hard and I can't imagine what is to come. He is constantly on the go in my belly-he never really sits that still for very long. I have a feeling this is only a precursor to what is to come with our little man.

I am feeling great and can't believe I will be in my third trimester in the next few weeks. At my appointment coming up on Wednesday I will be doing the glucose test and then I will begin going once every 2 weeks! I swear it seems like I just found out I was pregnant.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving (Isaiah was very still after that meal-I think the Triptapan (?) in the turkey really got to him) and I am so thankful for all of you. Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement as we embark on this journey!

Over the river and throught the woods..

2008-11-07T10:30:00.002-06:00

I know, I know we have not blogged in FOREVER! Sorry! We are in Virginia this week visiting Gabe's parents. We are having a great time of just catching up and hanging around the house together. I will update when we get back and post some pictures.
Until next time....

Better than MTV Cribs!

2008-10-20T19:50:00.006-05:00

Hey all!

Sorry it has been so long since we have checked in. We have been busy trying to get baby boy Harris's nursery together. First things first...we have decided on a name for our little bundle. Our son will be named Isaiah Caden. Gabe has always loved this name and we tried many other names out, but they just never quite fit. We thought long and hard about this decision and we just knew this was his name. We love the meaning--

Isaiah- means salvation of God
Caden- fighter/companion

We have been busy with nursery preparations. I returned the girl bedding and picked out my fabric for a crib set. My stepmom will be making this for me because I could not find anything pre-made that I just loved. My colors are black, white and green. I am so excited to see how the bedding looks when it is finished. I am going for a very modern and clean look.

We went crib shopping yesterday and ordered our bed. My grandpa and grandma L. bought it for us and it was such a blessing. It was so much fun to go crib shopping with my mom and grandma (along with Gabe :) ). Here is a picture of the crib we ended up getting (please excuse the pink bedding they had in it) :

It should arrive within the next few weeks. I just love the simplicity of it. We will be getting black furniture to go along with the crib. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Oh and Baby Isaiah has been letting his mommy know that he likes to be awake at night. I will lay down for bed and that is when he starts moving all around. The first time I ever felt him I was lying on my stomach for just a few seconds and he did not like that! I think he was feeling squished and he began rolling around (or that is what it felt like) until I turned over. It was so exciting to feel. He is going to be a night owl I can already tell.

Just our quick update on how things are around the Harris home. We hope that everyone is doing well.

Pack Up Your Things... We're Going Camping!

2008-10-06T18:01:00.008-05:00

Hello all! So as you saw below, we are going to have a son. Sorry the post was not long--I was in a state of shock. Happy shock of course, but very very shocked. The first thing out of my mouth was, "Umm... that's a penis!" My doctor just laughed and said, "Yes you are definitely having a boy, not a girl." He looked at Gabe, who was just as shocked, and all my husband could get out was "Wow, I wasn't expecting that." I think the doctor thought he was going to have to pick our jaws off the ground. It was an appointment I will remember for the rest of my life. Now that the shock has begun to wear off, I am so pumped to have a little momma's boy (instead of a "daddy's girl").

Now on to the camping trip. Gabe and I packed up and headed out on Friday evening for a weekend full of good food and lots of relaxation. Growing up, my dad used to take us camping all the time. We were that group you always laughed at because we truly had everything and a kitchen sink next to our tent city. My dad was a die-hard Boy Scout growing up, so he knows all the tricks. Seriously, my sister's husband was talking about when he went camping growing up they either had to eat Vienna sausages out of the can or catch something to eat. Growing up I just thought camping meant good food. My dad and his friends used to make the best food ever whenever we went camping. This weekend was no different. This pregnant girl (and her ever-hungry husband) had some yummy food: wild duck and boar kabobs, massive breakfasts (biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage), drip beef sandwiches, and enchiladas. I will admit, this time we stayed in a cabin. No tents this time. But it brought back so many memories because we had stayed at this lodge many times before but not in at least 10 years.

So we got there on Friday night and just hung out by the fire with some of my dad's friends I have not seen in years. We all slept in bunk beds and everyone was laughing because I had my bed made perfectly within the first 15 minutes. Seriously, I went to camps so often growing up and this is what I always did first. I made mine and Gabe's bed (we were in bunks) and then headed over and straightened my sister's out some--it was not as perfect as I wanted it to be. :)

Saturday morning we decided it would be fun to go on a 6.3-mile hike. It was horrible! Not because it was 6 miles but because it was so overgrown and muddy that I was slipping and sliding everywhere. This was no "wow check out the scenery" type hike. We looked at our feet the whole time to keep from falling! My hands were clinging to Gabe's back so I wouldn't fall. About 30 minutes in, my Dad even came back and walked behind me so he could hold one of my arms while Gabe had the other. Luckily, about an hour and a half in, there was a place where we crossed the road and a few of us called it quits. We had someone from our camp come pick us up. We had only hiked a mile and a half! I just couldn't stop thinking: "I can't fall and hurt the baby. Watch where you put your feet Kara. Don't slip and fall..." So I decided me and the baby needed to head back. Gabe (the hardcore fitness dude) and some of the others decided to finish the trail.

The rest of the afternoon was spend reading and hanging with my sister and her husband while we waited for the brave ones to return from the hike. Gabe and four others finished the hike and we saw them about 4 hours later. They said the entire hike was as hard as the beginning was. Glad me and baby boy called it quits.

We got home Sunday and planned to start doing this yearly. It was such a nice time of just hanging with the family. We were laughing because next year if we do it, I will have a lot more to bring along. Just think: if we go next year at this time, I will have an 8-month old baby boy! So exciting! I know his grandpa is going to teach him all about camping.

Following are some pictures from this weekend. *Disclaimer* these were all taken while camping....that means all natural...NO MAKEUP! yikes!

*Keith cleaning up the cabin*

*Gabe and my sister Kim loving the outdoors*

*ha-Gabe being Gabe :)*

* Keith and Kim*

*my cute hubby*

*Dad and his girls!*

I am now working on my little boy's nursery. So in posts to come I will let you in on what I am thinking. Stay tuned...

well just see the pic below

2008-10-01T18:21:00.003-05:00

No words for this one......
So to the 4 of u that voted boy-u should head to Vegas! :) We are so shocked right now...I think it will take a few days to process. Baby Boy is very healthy and looking good. I can't believe I am having a little boy! You know why Gabe is excited....he says now Batman stuff is applicable! haha

I know, I know

2008-09-27T08:02:00.002-05:00

We are falling behind with this blogging thing! Sorry!

Ok, so this is going to be short because currently I am sitting in a hotel room getting ready to go to breakfast. You are probably thinking "o sweet Gabe took Kara for a little time away..." but not the case this time. We are having one of our staff retreats for church and we always do a Friday-Saturday thing. Dinner last night was awesome and we are really getting alot of stuff accomplished.

I just wanted to check in and say that we are still around just had a busy week. Wednesday I went to my doctors appointment only to realize it is NEXT week. haha Pregnancy brain is in full effect-more on this story later.

Also, last night I had my first dream about Olivia. It was so neat. I remember staring directly in her face and trying to figure out who she looked more like. She was such a neat combination of Gabe and I. But she was BEAUTIFUL! Now I know this was just a dream but I think God lets you see little bits to help with patience. :) That face alone in that dream makes me want to work extra hard to get her nursery together. Here is the bedding I ordered...

http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?DeptID=62438&CatID=62729&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=1332862&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CmCatId=62438626446264562729

what do u think? Anyone who knows me knows I love a sale. When I saw this and I loved it AND it was on sale-whoa that did it for me! haha

Ok must get ready now but I will be back later with more ideas for the nursery-don't get too excited!!

"You Have Stolen My Heart"... and Other Mushy-ness

2008-09-18T20:40:00.009-05:00

Kara and I just finished watching "Made of Honor" with Patrick Dempsey. Cute movie, especially if you're married. The main character in the movie, Tom (Dempsey's character), doesn't realize how important his best friend is to him until she decides to get married. He spends the the last half of the movie trying to win her back. Does he? Well you'll have to see it for yourself.

I love that Dashboard Confessional song at the end, "Stolen." It makes me think about Kara. Have you heard it? Well you can click here to watch the music video if you haven't. It's been around for a while, but it was the first time I heard it and I loved it!

Anyway, the movie made me SO glad that I married my best friend. Kara knows me better than anybody and I can't live without her. She's absolutely beautiful--inside and out--and I'm so glad she said "Yes!" to marrying me.

I also want to give a shout out to my parents. Dad, I learned how to love Kara by watching the way you loved Mom. You never yelled at her, raised your hand against her, or did anything that made me doubt your love for her. You always told me: "The best thing you can do for your children is to love your wife." Well, I agree. That was the best thing you ever did for me. You guys are truly best friends. You still hold hands and laugh like high schoolers, and I think it's awesome. (For those of you who didn't know, Mom and Dad just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. That's a miracle in this country.)

Mom, I always looked for your qualities in the woman I wanted to marry. You always knew how to make us feel loved and cared for, and you always went the extra mile to give me little things I wanted. They weren't expensive things, but they made me fee really special. Remember when you'd bring home those toy Transformers and baseball cards? Or that Glenn Miller CD? Weird things I know, but I think I still have most of them. You are a legendary mother. When I see Kara holding children... whenever we talk about Olivia Grace... I see you in her. Thank you for setting the bar.

Mom and Dad, you guys are godly parents. Not perfect, but godly. And you just get better with age. Dad, you're so much more fun now that you've discovered the Xbox 360. Mom, thanks for passing on life lessons to me... like financial stewardship (we love Dave Ramsey, don't we?), parenting advice, and your constant reminders to slow down and enjoy life before it passes you by. I love you guys, and because you've loved me so well, I know how to love Kara, Olivia, and other children to come.

Well, enough mushy-ness for now. Quick, Batman, do something manly! Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh (ripping my chest hair out... the little I have)!!!!!!

Drumroll Please.....

2008-09-11T20:22:00.007-05:00

So here's the news you have all been waiting for! I know you've been staring at your computer with baited breath, hoping for an update. (Okay, maybe not.) We are having...

A BAT-GIRL!!! That is what Gabe likes to call her. Of course, I don't think she is going to have blonde hair and that light of skin but you get the idea. Our Batgirl will have a nice little mocha tan year round.

We went to the doctor yesterday and our little girl was being so modest, as any good girl should be, so it took a while for the doctor to give us the verdict. He is 80-90% sure that it is a girl. He doesn't want to give us a 100% until we go back and get what my stepdad likes to call the "money shot." (Ha ha!) The doctor said that yes, there is still a small chance it is a boy and if Batgirl ends up being a little Batman, we will be just as thrilled. So we're not painting any rooms pink just yet.

My doctor is amazing and really spent time looking at the baby on the ultrasound. When he first walked in, I grabbed his hand and told him word for word that "it was imperative to know today what we were having because I have to put it on my blog." He just laughed!

It was amazing because not only did we get to find out the gender, but the pictures on the screen were so vivid. We saw her spinal cord, her brain, her arms and legs, eye sockets....EVERYTHING! It was amazing. The doctor told us that she looks perfect. I loved everything about yesterday and today it's weird how much more connected I feel to her now that I can call our baby a "her" rather then "it." I have been talking to her all day and just cannot stop day dreaming about her.

Below are some pics from the doctors appointment:

Gabe, my mom, and my sister were there with me and we had to get some pictures to remember the day.

And then the last one is with my nurse, "L" (won't say her full name for privacy reasons) who I love! L, if you are reading this, thanks for helping me through the first 3 months with the headaches. I think I talked to you more some days then I did my own family. God bless you for the work you do and the great attitude you have every time I see you or talk to you.

Next time I will get a picture of my doctor on here, but when he was in the room another little girl stole the show. Also, as I was telling my doctor about the importance of my blogging he informed if I bring in a disc he can copy all sorts of ultra sound pictures from the machine, so I can share them with you all.

Ta-ta for now, blog fans. Looks like your vote was right! Don't forget to leave a comment!

U got a 50/50 chance!

2008-09-08T18:16:00.001-05:00

Hey all! So we find out of Wednesday afternoon if we have a mister or miss Jelly Bean. I have had several people tell me, "I think your having a..." and it's been split down the middle pretty much. So I thought it would be fun to have a poll for all of my 2 readers :) haha I think I have more then that (or so I tell myself) but who knows. But listen, with this one you can remain anonymous and u don't have to come up with anything to say. Just click on the poll above next to boy or girl and click vote.

Oh and for all you fashion people:
Do you still apply the no white after Labor day thing? Today I totally wore white leggings with a blue dress and some white shoes. So was I a total fashion faux pas?

The Baby Prophet and the Secret of Abiding

2008-09-06T13:07:00.000-05:00

Well what's up guys?! It's been a while since I've written on here, so I'll give you a quick update "Gabe style": the baby prophet's gender will be determined at our doctor's appointment this Wednesday, so we'll let you know when we know. Kara's headaches have been--although not absent--much less frequent. She seems to have more energy. Praise God for the second trimester!

I have been fired up by this book I've been reading by Andrew Murray called "Abiding in Christ." He talks about how many Christians are trapped between two cyclical sins: not having the power to conquer sin, and not having the faith in Jesus to keep them from it. One feeds the other. Christians live in a constant cycle of defeat, drifting further and further away from the One who said "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Murray poses an interesting question: If we have the faith to come to Jesus and be forgiven of sin, why do we lack the faith He asks to "Abide in me"? Does a weary traveler expend much energy to take a much-needed respite on a hotel bed? Does an infant work really hard to be held in its mother's arms? This is the secret of abiding... and here's the bottom line: living 24/7 for Jesus is simpler than you think. It's a simple surrender that says, "Savior, I abide in you."

I have to tell you that my life is changing before my very eyes. I've learned this about my own desperate need to abide: even if I prayed 10 hours a day, I still need major help for the other 14! This is where abiding comes in, and since I have been praying this way and meditating on Jesus' words in Matthew 11 and John 15, I have been kept from simple temptations that otherwise would trip me up--particularly in my thought life. I recently had the opportunity to be selfish and get angry at someone for irritating me. But as I took some time out and literally prayed, "Jesus, I'm trying to abide here, and I need some major help!", my attitude completely changed.

Now I didn't do so well with a similar temptation yesterday. But I quickly repented to that person and asked forgiveness. See? The less work I do, the better it gets. Jesus is awesome.

"Are you thirsty?"

2008-08-25T19:11:00.001-05:00

Hello all! So tomorrow I am 13 weeks along and it is amazing how much better I feel now that the first trimester is over. People kept telling me that I would start to feel like me again once I got through the first 12 weeks. Let me tell you...they were SO right! I am starting to get my energy back and just generally feeling a lot better.

Today Gabe and I went to the grocery store (which I have not done in a while) and about halfway through my shopping, I looked into our basket and started laughing at myself. I am not exaggerating when I tell you I had at least 10 different kinds of beverages. I think I grabbed about 6 kinds of juice alone! I thought to myself, "I wonder how long it will take for Gabe to make a comment about this." So, Gabe comes along after he was on another aisle picking out his cereal. (Because I never know what he wants in this department, he picks it out. I swear every time we go, he gets a different kind..very unpredictable, but back to what I was saying...) He walks up, drops the cereal in the cart, and just stares. He looks at me and says ever so nicely, "Ummm, honey are we getting any food? All we have is some fruit and then every kind of drink this place offers." I just laughed and explained to him how yummy they all looked. He just laughed and we continued on, but I think I may be banned from grocery shopping here soon!

This weekend we are taking a little mini vacation down to Dallas, TX for Labor Day weekend. We have no plans at all except to hang out at the pool. We decided we better do this while we can, because soon this will not be so easy.

I hope everyone is doing well. I get several comments about how much you like reading the blog but no one ever comments on here. Come on people! Little Jelly Bean is going to think no one wanted to read about him/her because no one ever commented. Okay maybe he/she won't care but I just thought maybe that would encourage you to LEAVE A COMMENT! :)

P.S. I know I said I would post our last ultra sound picture but really you cannot see anything at all because Jelly Bean was moving so much. Let's wait until next month so you can see more than just the head and a blur!

"Did you swallow an iPod?"

2008-08-16T11:35:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, Kara here. Thanks for all the prayers... my headaches are definitely getting better. My doctor said he thinks they should be gone by the end of the first trimester, which (unbelievably) is in 1 week! I can't believe I will be 12 weeks along next Wednesday.

We went in and got to see "Jelly Bean" on Wednesday (August 13th), and this baby is already a character. It would not even sit still for a picture. We were able to get another look at it and it was just dancing around. My doctor was laughing and asked me what kind of music I had on the iPod I swallowed! Heart rate this time was around 170 and Jelly Bean was having a great time in there. It was amazing to me that you can already see its legs and arms so perfectly. It was so nice to be able to see and hear him/her in there. I think all my headaches had made me start to think, "Is this normal? Is the baby okay?" But once I saw the picture on screen and heard the heartbeat, it was like he/she was saying, "Mom I am having a great time in here-don't worry about me!"

I will be going back in 4 more weeks and my doctor said he will start looking to determine the gender. It may be this time we find out, but if not, then definitely the next time. I can't believe that I could know what we are having in a little less than a month. Gabe and I would be truly happy with either a boy or girl as long as it's healthy. Still thinking though names but we are pretty excited about a few. I think once we know we will really start narrowing it down. I will keep you posted.

I will try and get a good picture of the sonogram or maybe I can scan it and get it uploaded. But like I said, it is not the best picture because of the dancing!

Who's talking NOW, bay-bay?!?!

2008-08-11T17:33:00.001-05:00

I screamed.

The US men's swim team came from behind to beat France in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. The anchor swimmer, Jason Lezak, was about half a body length behind Bernard (France's swiftest swimmer), and in the closing seconds of the race, he turned it up and finished first! Oh yeah... and he smashed a world record too by finishing his leg in 46 seconds flat. It was one of the most amazing moments in sports I have ever witnessed. I actually jumped out of bed and pumped my fist in the air. My favorite part? Michael Phelps' reaction. The French were talking smack for weeks, saying they were going to "smash the Americans." Yeah? YEAH? Well, who's talking now, bay-bay?! Check it out:

Well hello there. Gabe here... otherwise known as "Daddy." Sorry it's been a while since our last post... Kara hasn't been feeling well. In addition to the unusual fatigue, she's been stricken with migraines every night for the past week and a half. About 1 or 2am, she wakes up to take her migraine medication and put a cold rag over her eyes. I have never had a migraine, but Kara tells me that the entire right side of her face throbs in pain, that it feels like somebody punched her in the eye. The slightest noise or light makes the pain even worse. The headaches are absolutely crippling, and all she can take is Tylenol. Thankfully, her doctor has also called in a pain medicine that is safe for her and the baby. Please keep her in your prayers. We know God is able!

Guess what I did on Friday night while Kara was out of town visiting her grandmother? I played G.R.A.W. (Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter) on my Xbox360 until my mind was numb... it was great! Yeah, I know it's about 2 years old but it's still fun. I am currently putting down an insurrection in Mexico City, and I will re-enter the fray this weekend sometime. Don't worry... I'll be sure to train my son or daughter in the finer arts of tactical warfare.

I'm also going to see "The Dark Knight" again with my father-in-law tomorrow afternoon. His name is Dan and he says he will go by "Dan-pappy" instead of Grandpa after the baby is born. Why? That's Dan. And I'm Batman. I always see my movies twice. In the IMAX. By the way, if you're not funding our $440 million-plus drive to record-breaking box office standings, then you need to join in the fun. Won't you help? Won't you buy a ticket for your friend Batman so we can dethrone that sissy Titanic movie? Click here to act now. The Batman thanks you.

Speaking of Batman, I got a new Dark Knight toy last night for my birthday! Some friends bought me the Stealth Launch Dark Knight Batmobile Tumbler! And yes, I put it together right away and played with it. It scares Adrian (our weiner dog) to death when the Batpod launches from the Batmobile. Here it is:
On another note... You know what shocks me? Our country's political hypocrisy. People scream all the time how politicians' private lives don't matter, and then these SAME people get all bent out of shape when John Edwards betrays his cancer-stricken wife by sleeping with a member of his political campaign and then lying about it to the public. What's the big deal? It's just a marriage. (Pardon the sarcasm.) If you're going to be a reprobate and excuse reprobate lifestyles, then at least be consistent.

People always go on and on about how Christians aren't "tolerant." Everyone's intolerant... just on different terms. For example, someone who's very passionate about minimizing eco-footprints would not be very appreciative if I left the engine running in our SUV all day, for no reason other than to hear the sound of the motor and to burn gas. They would ask me, "Don't you care about our environment, about conserving natural resources and keeping the atmosphere clean?" To that I would say, "Well if you were tolerant you would leave me alone!"

The same is true about people's moral code, which seems to shift whenever it's convenient. Don't make light of family values, and then scream betrayal when somebody violates one. I heard on NBC News last night that John Edwards thinks his political career is over. Pretty odd for a nation that claims it doesn't care about personal morality.

Well that does it for now. In the words of the eloquent Ron Burgundy: Stay classy, San Diego. And leave a comment.

Wedding fun...

2008-07-29T17:40:00.000-05:00

So all the wedding festivities are over and truth be told I am a little sad :( I am so excited for Megan and Luke though and am so excited for this new chapter in their lives.

Friday afternoon I went and got my toes and nails done with Megan and her family then ran around and did some errands with them. That night at 6 pm was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner followed. Luke's parents were in charge of the rehearsal dinner and it was yummy. We went over to Famous Dave's barbecue and it was such a good time of just hanging out.

I spent the night at Meg's house after the dinner and got a chance to truly act like teenage girls again. We stayed up late, looked at all her honeymoon clothes, watched my wedding video, looked at all pictures and just laughed. I think I went to bed around 4 am and then woke up at 6:40 because of course being pregnant the baby likes to put enormous pressure on your bladder at all the wrong times! I could not go back to sleep so my day began after only 3 hrs of sleep. We all got ready at her house and her 2 friends came and did our hair and makeup. I was so glad that Megan really got to enjoy her day and God really helped to calm her down. We got ready until about 1 pm then we headed to the church. Pictures began at 2 and then the wedding was at 4. Let me just say that Megan was one of the prettiest brides I have ever seen. It was a big joke among some of the bridesmaids and myself that I am just not a cryer. I seriously never cry at the normal things. I cry at the most random things and even then it is more like just tearing up and then the moment is over. BUT before the ceremony Megan and Luke had their first look of each other by themselves (well plus the photographer) and I kinda peeked and when I saw the look on her face I could not help but tear up. To see the happiness on her face just made me so happy for her. I think that is what made her so gorgeous on that day was the love that they share together.

During the ceremony the Pastor was talking about how true love is when you make the the other person want to be a better person. I began to think about my marriage and just how truly blessed I am. For the last 6 years (2 dating and then 4 married) Gabe has always challenged me to be a better person..not by words but by how he lives his life. I love that about our marriage. I was up on stage but I wanted to run down the aisle and just sit by him and hold his hand as the pastor spoke about love and the covenant of marriage. Our marriage is definetly not perfect but I know at the end of the day we are truly and deeply in love with each other because of Christ's lvoe for us. God has been so good to us.

Megan and Luke are now in Mexico on their honeymoon and one of the bridesmaid heard from her. Not because she wanted to let everyone know she made it there safe but because she wanted to know if it was ok to shower! I swear that girl never changes! She is hillarious!

So today thank God to those who love you and remember your wedding and exactly how you felt when you saw your husband or wife for the first time.

Here comes the bride...

2008-07-24T17:47:00.001-05:00

So this weekend one of my best friends is getting married! I have known Megan since I was in the 8th grade and we have been pretty much inseparable ever since-well except for that one year that we argued and we to this day can't remember why...oh the minds of teenagers. :)

I am one of the bridesmaids and that is such an honor. I am not a serial bridesmaid...I was definetly not the "always a bridesmaid never a bride." I was actually a bride before I was ever a bridesmaid. Megan was my maid of honor so it is so nice to be standing up there with her and being there for her as she was for me over 4 years ago. Tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner and during the day we are going to get our pedicures.

On Saturday she will be marrying Luke and I couldn't think of a better fit for her. I don't know Luke all that well (at least not as much as I would like) due to us living in different cities, but I see how happy he makes her and that gets him my stamp of approval. It is going to be a beautiful wedding and I am so excited to see her all dressed in her wedding attire-she is going to be a gorgeous bride.

As I have been talking to her through this whole planning process it has reminded me of my wedding. It is hard to believe that over 4 years ago I walked down the aisle and became Gabe's wife. It has truly been the best 4 years of my life and now to know we are about to embark on a new chapter in our journey together is just reminds me how good God is. I am definitely pulling out my wedding video to watch this weekend. It's funny because even though I have watched it a few times I always get those butterflies in my stomach and just giddy every time the video starts. I know a lot of people are stressed on their wedding day but it was such an amazing day for me. I think I just knew there was nothing I could do to fix any last minute problems so I just enjoyed the day. I pray that Megan would truly enjoy this day because it is over before you know it and its just not worth it to stress all day.

What were your wedding days like? Were there any last minute fiascoes? Any funny stories? (as you can tell I am asking questions because I want you people to comment!) :)

I will post pics of the wedding hopefully later this week!

Happy Birthday to Us!

2008-07-16T18:19:00.001-05:00

Hey fellow readers. Sorry it has been a while since the last update. We have had a busy last few days. Last Friday (July 11th) was my birthday (Kara) and then July 15th was Gabe's.
Gabe surprised me on Thursday night at my dear friend's house with a party. It was so much fun and I was so proud of Gabe--he organized it all. Just reminded me what a great husband I have.

For Gabe's birthday I took him to dinner but his real party will be on Saturday when he and his friends will head to see "The Dark Knight" in the IMAX. They are all pretty pumped! I asked Gabe what kind of cake he wanted, thinking he'd want Reasor's to make a Batman cake, but he informed me he wants a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I'm not much of a baker, so please pray for me! (Last time I made Gabe a cake like this, we were dating, and let's just say by the time it got to Gabe, all the frosting was no longer on the cake. Nice guy still ate it though.)

So on to the real news....we got to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was the most amazing thing I have ever heard. My doctor was so good about just letting us listen. Gabe just kept saying "Wow, oh wow." It was so cute. I just sat and stared at the screen. To see how much the little thing has grown in 2 weeks just amazes me. We got a final due date...drum roll please......March 3, 2009! It is so fun to have a due date. This puts me at 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I am halfway through my first trimester. That is just crazy. I am feeling great. I am tired and have a had a few nauseous moments but so far nothing too bad...can you say thank you Jesus! Below is our baby's first picture. Not his/her best side! :) Just look at it and imagine what a good looking baby it is! Just think as the months go on it will be more then just a blob on the screen! But seriously look how much its grown since last time.

Oh and I finally got my rule book "What to Expect When Expecting" from my doctor. It is funny because I really do not like rules and regulations in everyday life. I am more "fly by the seat of your pants" but I could not wait for this book. I never realized how many do's and don'ts there are to being pregnant. So this new book has become my new best friend.

Other than that, Gabe has started his new job and let me just say-GOD BLEW US AWAY! We knew that God was calling Gabe to a new career but we just had no idea where to look. Gabe looked for 3 solid months and was very frustrated because nothing opened up. We prayed a simple prayer: that God would open the right doors and close the wrong ones. God did exactly that and we are so grateful. God is such a good God and for anyone who is waiting on God to open doors for you--just keep waiting and praying and I promise He will not disappoint!

We go back in 4 weeks and I can't even imagine how much the little jelly bean (my sis and I decided this was the baby's new nickname) will have grown!

The Dark Knight is Coming!

2008-07-10T15:11:00.000-05:00

Baby meets Batman. Gives me great inspiration on how to dress my kid. We are going to LOVE Toys 'R Us!

So, I already bought tickets to the IMAX showing of The Dark Knight next weekend. A full 10 days in advance. Who DOES that? Batman, I tell you!

So by now, you've probably figured out I'm a Batman nut. How did this begin, you ask? Ah, let me share with you how Batman began...

In 8th grade, my brother somehow met a man who lived in our neighborhood named Jack Burnley. Jack was the Superman/Batman artist for DC Comics from 1939-1945 (approximately). He had every Batman comic book you can imagine, especially from the Golden Age. Heck, he drew them! Mr. Burnley has since passed on, but not before he gave me 2 autographed color prints of both Superman and Batman. So, in those days, I immersed myself in the life of the Dark Knight. (Nobody's found me since.) I read Batman comics, drew Batman pictures, and listened to Batman audio dramas. I collected any and all Batman-related memorabilia. I still have some of that stuff.

So, when you hear me talking about the Batcave, the Batmobile, Batpod, or any of that stuff, you've gotta know I'm only kidding. Or am I? Could I have somehow assumed the mantle of the bat and continued to fight crime? Well, you sleep safely at night don't you? You tell me.

"Out of the darkness... comes the Knight."

this girl did too much...

2008-07-07T17:52:00.000-05:00

So, as I stated in the prior post, we had a lot of fun things going on for the 4th of July. We went to Big Splash all day on Friday and then went to some friends' house and showered and then headed out to watch fireworks. It was a great day to hang out with friends and think about how blessed we are. As I was sitting watching the fireworks, I began to think how different my life will be next July 4th. We will have a 4-month old baby and may or may not get to watch a firework show...so unreal!

Malachi and Matt standing in line to Rock Climb
Malachi made it all the way to the top!

Me and Issie (pronounced "EYE-zee") hanging out waiting for the fireworks show.

Saturday morning, we woke up early and headed to the lake. Gabe and I were both very tired and Gabe did not want to get up, but as I was looking for some beach towels to take I found our Batman beach towel. I think I must have gotten this somehow from Jessica last summer (she has 3 boys who all love superheroes thanks to Gabe) and so with my newfound towel I entered the bedroom where Gabe was still in bed. I said (no joke), "Gabe, honey, if you will get up I found a towel that you are going to love and I will only let you use it if you get out of bed." He rolled over, looked up as I opened the Batman towel, and--no joke--he was out of bed within 30 seconds! It was so funny. I love my childlike husband. It's the little things in life that make him happy.

So off we went with our Batman towel. We were on the lake all day with my family and everyone rode the tube (pictures below) and I sat on the boat and took pictures. Even when I am not pregnant, I am not much into tubing. We hung out on the boat until about 5:00 and then headed in so the girls could go grocery shopping for our cookout. We got back to the R.V. (where my parents spend every available weekend), ate some dinner, and then headed home.

Fun at the lake:

Sunday morning, we went to church and as our worship pastor was singing the national anthem, I really listened to the words for the first time. At the end when he sang "o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave," I got a little choked up. We truly live in the land of the brave. Men and women fight every day for my freedom, for my family's freedom, for my baby's freedom. I am so thankful that we have such brave men and women that make so many sacrifices so that we can all enjoy our lives.

Me and baby were quite tired after such a long weekend and I have begun to realize that I need to slow down a little. I came home from church and basically threw some sandwiches together for lunch and then fell into the bed. I am feeling better today but still a little tired. But hey, I gotta live it up while I can! :) I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a great Monday.

what is a girl to do...

2008-07-03T17:52:00.000-05:00

*Update: as you can see I wrote this before the 4th but never got around to posting it. So no I am not that pregnant that I didn't realize that it is actually July 7th :)
So many things going on for the 4th this year and I was thinking today "wow me and baby H are gonna be tired." BUT then I thought you know this could be the last 4th that I can just do what I want and not have to worry about packing a diaper bag, does this conflict with the baby's nap time, pack enough bottles, pack extra diapers, pack extra clothes in case of spills or accidents and anything else pertaining to a baby. So I decided what the heck we better live it up. Please don't think we are like super cool and going to some hot party but we are going to be busy! We will head to the pool tomorrow with a group of friends (if it doesn't rain) then we will go over to the River where they are having Freedom Fest...I did get some VIP passes for this from work so in that way we are super cool. :) Actually in all honestly this just lets us park free and then gets us some refreshments but hey I get to wear a wrist band that says VIP on it! haha Then Saturday we are heading up to the lake to see the folks and go on their boat (again if it doesn't rain). So pretty busy for the next fun days.

As I am gearing up for this weekend I keep thinking so many different questions. Like "how long can I stay in the sun?" or "is it ok to ride in a boat with a baby?" But then I think umm so many women don't even find out they are pregnant until 6-8 weeks and they do all their normal day things. And the two questions I have been asking myself I took part in while pregnant without knowing it. So I have come to the conclusion me and baby will be fine. And as one of my friends pointed out that the sun really isn't good for you to bake in any day so I just need to take care of my skin no matter what. So I will be lathering up on sunscreen and staying hydrated.

So heres to white gloppy sunscreen and ice cold water! Happy 4th blog friends!!!

I Am The Thunder [by Gabe]

2008-07-02T16:46:00.000-05:00

It's my turn to blog now, so I'm going to take a quick departure from family stuff--I'm random like that--so I can tell you what the Holy Spirit is speaking. I have a journal full of Bible studies, and this one rocked my world yesterday. It's rather deep, so get ready...

"He [John the Baptist] said, 'I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." - John 1:23

John the Baptist faced the question that we all face (especially those of us in ministry): Who are you? The Jews just had to know who this crazy baptizing hermit was, so they sent some priests to ask.

Priests: Who are you? What do you have to say for yourself?
John: "I am not the Christ."
Priests: Are you Elijah then?
John: "No."
Priests: Are you the Prophet?
John: "No."
Priests: Then who ARE you?
John: "I am the voice..."

Isn't it funny that the local pastors had no idea who John was? As God's representative to the people, they should have known by the Spirit exactly who John was. They were clueless. Yet the church of that day could not receive his ministry unless John had a title, a name they recognized, a person who fit within their frame of reference.

John had no credentials. He did not give them an answer to make himself more palatable. Not John. No, he freaked them out: "I have no name, no pedigree, no affiliation, no denomination, no credentials. I'm the thunder in the desert, and the storm's right behind me. Clear the way for the Lord's coming! Repent of your sin and get ready to meet the God you say you serve."

Did you know that lightning and thunder actually happen at the same time? Thunder is the report that lightning makes because of the vacuum it creates when it flashes hotly and retracts so quickly. Depending on how far away you are, lightning is seen first (because it travels at the speed of light) and thunder is heard second (it travels at the speed of sound, which explains the delay).

Here's the point: lightning is the event. Thunder is the sound the lightning makes. Jesus was the event. John was the sound Jesus made. John was the voice. He was the thunder.

What sound am I making? Am I willing to fade into the background like John did, so that Jesus can take center stage? Here's what I admire so much about John the Baptizer: he was purely devoted to God's purpose. As soon as Jesus appeared at the Jordan (John 1:35), he immediately told His disciples to switch mentors. He didn't keep the fans to himself: "For this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he [Jesus] might be revealed to Israel" (1:31).

Your purpose, child of God, is to reveal Jesus to your generation. We are the voice. We are the thunder.

"Hmm... I'll have to ask Mom that one."

2008-07-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

Pics above are of us telling my family (notice my mom shirt says "Happy birthday Grandma") and then us at our visit today.

Ok so the doctor's visit today...went well. I arrived a few minutes late. Have you ever noticed that whenever you need to get out of work early, like 2 minutes before you walk out the door, a huge project comes. Oh, and it needs to be done by 5:00 the same day. Needless to say, I was not able to get it done. I ran and got my boss who graciously said she would finish it for me, so off I went. So I arrived a little stressed but I got there. My wonderful husband was sitting at the doctor's office waiting for me and helped calm me down.

I arrived and there were so many babies--I mean TINY babies. I think they must have been coming in (with their moms of course) to get their 1-week check up or something. But oh my goodness, they were adorable and it got me really excited. I sat and stared for about 15 minutes. Gabe sat and read about the victorious Celtics in Sports Illustrated, and I stared at babies. :)

When they called us back the check-in nurse said: "Oh, I remember you from your yearly exam." I said "Yes, I was in around December and we had talked about us trying in June." She looked at me and laughed. And said "Wow, you guys got it right the first time!"

I know Gabe and I have laughed that it happened so fast but at that moment I thought about all the people that come in who have been trying for years and nothing is happening. God has blessed us, and even though it happened much faster then we thought, we are so thankful. I admire every one of those women that go through infertility yet they keep trying. I know that not all women are able to conceive, so for all of you we can share this baby. :)

Sorry, I keep getting side tracked.....so we get called back and the nurse asks us several questions about medical history. The best part was when she asked us how much we wighed at birth. I knew I weighed around 7 lbs... I looked to Gabe and with this clueless stare (pretty common these days with all the baby talk) he says "Umm, I'll have to ask Mom that one." So Mom Harris, if you're reading this, fill us in there please. :) After the questions, she explains that we will be getting an ultrasound today AND every time we come in! YAY! She explains to me that she thinks we are about 7 weeks along. Okay I think I kind of understand this whole "how babies work" thing and there is no way we could be that far along. We took certain precautions until about 5 weeks ago. But whatever... maybe something happened with the "precautions." So she leaves and the doctor comes in. He walks in and the first words out of his mouth are "Wow! Batting 1000 I see." I assumed he was talking about the speed of getting pregnant so we just laughed.

By this point for some reason, I'm a nervous wreck--I mean, I was getting ready to meet our child. A child, that special something that my best friend and I share. It is half me and half Gabe-just too exciting! Just the thought that a part of me and a part of Gabe will live on after us is just a miracle.

In walks my doctor, who I really like and am comfortable with--and he brings an intern with him! I am all for teaching and learning but wow--that's a little overwhelming. They both were excellent though, and made me feel very comfortable. So he starts doing the ultrasound and up pops a little bubble thing. He says "There is the gestational sac but..." At this moment I froze. At this moment I realized--there is no but besides my child's butt! I realized how attached I had grown to this baby inside me.

So I looked at him and I said "But what? Is something wrong?" I think at that moment he saw the look on my face and he said "Oh no honey--everything is fine you are just not measuring 7 weeks... it's more like 4 1/2 weeks." At that moment I breathed a sigh of relief and everything was right with the world. We did some math and realized that made much more sense and that we are due at the beginning of March. I am to go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound and then I can see my baby and hear his/her heart.

But I don't mind that all I saw today was the gestational sac...I met my baby! The feelings that went through me were amazing: overwhelming love, a need to protect my child for the rest of my life, and just pure joy. Mixed in with all this was just a final realization that I am a mom. This was a little overwhelming (in a good way) and when the doctor left I got a little light headed. Anyone who knows me knows that whenever I go to the doctor and either give blood or have to go to the "girl doctor" I get faint right when it's over. Its weird I know, but it's me! So he leaves the room and, as Gabe is looking at me I just say "Oh I am going to be sick." My wonderful husband is still a little clueless as to the whole OBGYN so he just looks at me and says "What's wrong with you?" I look at him and just explain I need a few minutes. I lay there for a few moments and just stared at the monitor that still showed our baby. Eventually the sickness subsided and I was ok. Gabe and I took some pictures for everyone's viewing pleasure. I know you can't see much but look!-- there's the gestational sac!

I had dinner tonight with my mom, aunt, sister Kim, and my grandma. It was so fun to listen to them all decide what the baby will call them. I have such great family and friends. I think the Harris baby is going to be one of the most loved babies around and that makes me SOO happy! Thanks to all of you out there that have been so encouraging through all the years of our lives. We are so excited to share this leg of our journey with you.

Love you all! (And praise God for the gestational sac...)

Boy? Girl? No--A Superhero!

2008-06-29T14:48:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be a dad!

"I don't understand these stick things." That's what Kara remembers. That's what the world will remember after reading our blog. Yep, there's Gabe. Clueless. Ha ha!

I am still getting used to the idea of a child. Kara says the baby has a heartbeat now, which is unreal. The baby will be here in no time. I have a feeling that 9 months will come and go. We're already one month in! And there's so much to learn... like, how does one change a dookie-filled diaper without gagging?

I want my kid to be a superhero. There's only one Batman--me--but he or she can be plenty of other heroes: Iron Man, Spider Man, Superman, Catwoman... the list goes on and on. But seriously, I'm going to train strong, healthy kids. I joked with Kara today that we need to prophesy athletic prowess over her womb so the baby can play professional sports and we won't have to work anymore!

Someday soon, I'll get to read stories to my child. Some Bible stories, Tales of the Batman, and other fun stuff. I talked to my baby the other day. I said hello. It was strange. Then Kara told me the baby didn't have ears yet. Guess she ruined THAT moment. ;)

So, have you seen Bill Cosby's stand-up routine called "Himself?" Rent it. It's HILARIOUS. He says: "My children have come to know my mother as a sweet, caring person. I keep telling them, 'This is not the woman I grew up with. This is an old person trying to work her way into heaven.'" He also mentions how happy his parents are when chaos is going on in his house. They watch with glee as he chases his children around the house, breaking up fights, cleaning up messes. His dad asks, "Having a little trouble there, huh son?" That'll be MY Dad for sure. But you know what?

I can't wait.

What baby Harris is up to...

2008-06-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so we have pretty much let everyone know we are pregnant so we can start posting! I wanted to wait until we had announced it before I made my blog public...so here it is.
I will go to the doctor on Tuesday July 1st and find out what my due date is.

It's so funny because we have been talking about getting pregnant for so long and now that we are, I think we both are still trying to comprehend it! Ha ha... I never knew how many "do's and don'ts" there are about pregnancy. I am excited to go to the doctor and get a run down of what I can do and what I need to steer clear of. For instance, anyone who knows me knows that I have headaches and I really have just gotten used to them... pop an Excedrin and move on. WELL you can't take Excedrin when you're pregnant or Ibuprofen. I mean, I will do whatever I need to do to have a healthy baby but I just need to know the "rules." I have been informed that this week at the doctor I will get the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and that lists everything for you.

So far I am feeling great--tired, but that's it. It is kinda funny because for the last month I have been dragging. I was really starting to feel lazy! So really nothing has changed since finding out--just still tired. I am continuing to pray and believe that I will bypass most of the morning sickness. Do you know I read that only 50% of women get morning sickness and it usually shows up around 6 weeks? The other day I looked up what is happening to our baby and it is crazy what is already taking place inside me. I truly don't understand how someone can experience being pregnant or have a loved one go through it and not believe in God. This process just amazes me.

So there is my update for now.

"I don't understand these stick things..."

2008-06-24T20:41:00.000-05:00

So where to begin? I have been reading blogs for a while now, thanks to my good friend Megan, and she kept telling me to make one for myself. My response was always the same: "I have nothing going on in my life that anyone would really want to read about!" I mean, really! I get up, go to work, come home and make dinner and then play with our dog and then I'm off to bed. And, trust me, on weekends we hang out on Saturday and do our "household chores" and then we go to church on Sundays. Interesting to us, yes, but not really blog worthy! So I finally made a "deal" with her that whenever we get pregnant I will do it. Well, to my surprise, this happened A LOT faster then I or my husband had planned on.

So let me back up. My husband Gabe and I have been married for 4 years and we decided we were ready to start trying for a baby. This "trying process" started 1 MONTH ago--yes you read right--1 month! Needless to say, yesterday morning, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I was really taking it because I needed to know what was wrong with my body. My female process was not working (or so I thought). I was taking it basically so I could tell my doctor "OK, I have taken a test and it's negative so what is wrong?" So back to the story... I woke up Monday morning to get ready for work and took the test. I proceeded to lay it down and go about getting ready. I looked down and there was that beloved + sign. I thought, "This can't be right," so I ripped the directions from the package and read through until I found the little illustrated diagram. That is when I saw that the '+' sign means positive! So I gathered the test and put it back in the box and went to work. (I put it in the box because I did not want Gabe to find it without me being able to tell him). So I get to work and I just keep thinking, "Wow, I am pregnant!" The whole day my Mom and sister kept calling because it was my Mom's birthday and we were supposed to do dinner. I was rather short with them and rushed them off the phone, because I did not want to slip and tell them before I told Gabe.

Fast forward to about 11 a.m. My boss needed help with something, so as we are riding the elevator upstairs, I asked her, "Can I leave at 2 p.m. today?" She just stares at me quizzically. I said, "I have a good explanation," hoping that would appease her. No luck. She's still staring at me. So finally I blurted, "I'm pregnant!" She stares some more and then says, "That's awesome! Sure!" That was the end of the conversation. I think she was in shock just like me. :)

So I leave at 2:00 and go to Target to get another test (just to make sure the one before did not malfunction) and to get a little something to break the news to the new dad (aka Gabe). I found a little onesie that said "My Dadda is #1". It was super cute and just perfect. I put the onesie and both pregnancy tests (the 2nd test came out positive) into a little sack, drove home, and put this just outside the front door. I rang the bell and then hid. I see Gabe open the door and then look at the test. He throws it back in the bag and is confused as ever. He then looks at the onesie and is still lost. So finally I come around the corner and said, "Honey, are you that confused? We are pregnant!" He said, "Well I definitely didn't understand that stick thing!"

I went and got blood work just to double check (hey, both of those tests could've been wrong!) They called me this morning and say, "Okay, honey your count is 1113 and everything is where its supposed to be." So that really does not help me. I asked her, "Well what does that mean?" Her reply: "Um, honey, anything over 5 is a positive!" Yeah. So I don't think that test malfunctioned!