One Week, One Day to Go!!

So tomorrow officially marks Week 13 - the final week of the first trimester!! I am sooo excited to have reached this milestone in my pregnancy! I know a lot of relief comes after the first trimester is under the belt, in more ways than one. I must say that I've been pretty fortunate these last three months though. I've only thrown up two times and the nausea hasn't been bad at all (knock on wood!!). My biggest complaint is FOOD! Things that I used to love are no longer good to me, and it would be great if I could say that things that were gross to me in the past are now good, but that has not been the case. I have a really hard time finding things to eat and I feel like I have wasted so much money buying things that I thought would be good and ended up tasting yucky. I'm really hoping this changes in the next few weeks!

This past weekend was my trip to Illinois and it was AMAZING!! It was a short trip and that is my only complaint! My flight left at 7am Friday morning and arrived in St. Louis at around 10:45. I picked up my rental car and drove the 25-30 minute drive to Illinois to my hotel. My flight from Atlanta to St. Louis was not a smooth ride and by the time I got off the plane I was feeling very sick. I really wanted to meet Nikki and her bridesmaids for mani/pedi's but my tummy was needing some R&R for a bit. So luckily my room was ready and I was able to get some rest before I had to get ready for the rehearsal. I rode with Nikki's cousins (whom I had actually met years and years ago when they came to Alabama to visit) to the rehearsal which was about a 3o minute drive from the hotel. My reunion with Nikki after all these years was something that I will never forget!! Even seeing her mom, brother and sister just brought me to tears!! It's amazing how people can change so much, physically, over the years, but they are still the exact same person you knew back then. That's exactly how I felt, mostly with Nikki's younger brother. I mean, talk about grown up!! I was amazed at how different he looked (mostly because he wasn't a little kid anymore), but also amazed at how the boy hadn't changed A BIT!!

Nikki's mom was exactly as I remembered her, and her sister was the same but all grown up as well. She is a new mommy so I had many questions for her!! Nikki just looked amazing and so happy. I was so glad to meet her husband, Tom. What an awesome guy - he loves Nikki so much and it shows in everything he does. After the rehearsal I rode with Nikki and Tom to the rehearsal dinner, which I was so happy to be a part of! It was a last minute thing that Nikki was able to work out and I'm so thankful that she did! It was really nice getting to meet and get to know her friends. You can really tell how much Nikki is loved so I know she is in good hands and company!

Saturday I rode on the bus that was rented for the wedding party! I was the only person on the bus that wasn't in the wedding so I felt very special! We rode to the ceremony site and tried to stay inside where it was cool as long as we could (you would think the weather would have been a little bit cooler up North, but apparently they were having unusually warm weather - just my luck!). I helped hand out programs before the ceremony and tried to keep myself together while the wedding was going on - trust me, with all these hormones and the fact that I was seeing my childhood best friend get married, it was tough to not be squalling my eyes out! I did cry, of course, but it was such a special ceremony that I was more in awe of the love that these two have for each other. They are a perfect couple and I'm so honored to have witnessed them get married.

After the ceremony, the wedding party hung around to take some pictures before hopping back on the bus to go to an old brewery for more pics. After that, it was on to Ethel's for a couple of Ethel's Buckets. What is Ethel's, you say?? I was asking the same question!! And what in the world is an "Ethel's Bucket"?! It is a wedding day tradition in Highland, Illinois that after the ceremony, the wedding party goes to Ethel's, a quaint, small-town bar, to indulge in a pre-reception "Ethel's Bucket". The bucket consists of many different types of alcohol, probably too many to name! It comes to the table with a bunch of straws, and the wedding party divides into tables and the tables race each other to see who can finish a bucket the fastest! It was a pretty easy contest since one table consisted of four groomsmen and no bridesmaids at all! The contest didn't last very long as everyone was slurping it down as fast as they could! It was a hysterical sight to witnesses and I only wish I could have participated!!

After the buckets-o-fun, the bus headed back to Collinsville where the reception was under way. The guests had been enjoying drinks and hors d'vours (sp?!) while the wedding party had their fun. The reception was so much fun and the food was awesome! It lasted until midnight and I can honestly say that everyone there was probably exhausted from the hours of dancing! It was a bittersweet ending to an amazing two days - saying goodbye to Nikki was really hard as I don't know when I'll be able to see her again!! We know we cannot go as long as we have in the past without seeing each other again, but sometimes life gets in the way of the things we long to do. Hopefully we'll be able to take a time-out in the near future to make some plans together again. All in all, it was an amazing weekend/reunion and one that I will never, ever forget. I'm so happy to have been a part of it all.

A quick baby update - like I said earlier, I am 12 weeks, 6 days along. My next appointment is in July, which will be a quick check-up. I got to hear the heartbeat again last week...what an amazing sound!! I wish I could hear it every day!!! We will be able to find out what it is in August and I'm soooo ready! It is really hard looking at crib bedding when you have no idea what gender you should be looking for!! I really love looking at the girl bedding (obviously!) but deep down, something tells me it's a boy. I don't know why I think that, it's just a feeling that I have. When I am picturing mommy-hood, a boy is always in the picture. I'm always thinking about "my son" and the baby I see in my head is always a boy. Who knows, I could be totally wrong and I'm okay with either one!! But right now I would put money on a boy!! Our baby is currently the size of a large plum!! I am so ready for it to grow some more - I want to feel it moving around!! I can't even imagine what that feels like, but I can imagine how wonderful it must be!

Well, I hope you are all having a great summer so far! I am missing getting to tan - the doctor says to stay as cool as possible, and we all know what the heat is like here in Alabama during the summers. I think if I tried to tan for 15 minutes I would be miserable!! So, I'm white as can be but I'm enjoying it all the same!!

Baby Update

Well, tomorrow I will be 11 weeks - almost out of this first trimester! As ready as I am to move on to the second, it's hard to believe that almost three months have already gone by! I have been feeling okay most days - my biggest complaint would be fatigue! I get tired a lot, which says a lot because I can typically sleep most than many humans can! I have only had about two weeks where I really felt horrible, and mostly it was due to a sinus infection. Some days I have a hard time eating, other days I feel like I will never get full! I don't imagine that will change any time soon though! My 12 week appointment is next week and then I won't go back until 20 weeks when we can find out what the sex is! I'm so ready for that appointment! Something tells me it's a boy but then I had a dream the other night where I had a girl, so who knows?!!

Next weekend I leave to fly to Illinois for Nikki's wedding!! I could not be more excited to see her! My flight leaves super early Friday morning and I will land in St. Louis around 10:45am. I'm hoping to go see the Arch in St. Louis while I'm there on Friday before I head over to my hotel - although it will be strange to do any sight-seeing by myself!! I'm hoping to get to see Nikki Friday but I know she will be super busy with last minute plans so I'm not sure if that will happen yet. On Saturday, I'll be riding with Nikki to the ceremony, then riding the bus with the wedding party back to the reception!! I'm staying at the hotel where the reception is being held which makes it very convenient! Sadly, I fly back really early on Sunday morning. I knew this would have to be a short trip, otherwise it wouldn't have worked out for me, but I'm just so glad to get to spend some time with her after all these years! I'm also really excited to see her family! I've seen her mom when I've seen Nikki, but I haven't seen her brother or sister since they moved!! Her sister just became a new mommy so I'm sure we will have a lot to discuss! Please keep me in your prayers while I'm travelling and keep Nikki in your prayers for her special weekend!

She had a surgery a few weeks ago to remove the tumor on her liver. They only had to take out about 10% of her liver which was less than what they expected. Because the tumor was also touching her gall bladder, they thought it best to go ahead and remove it - who needs that thing anyways? I'm doing just fine without mine! So her surgery was a success and I believe she has just about made a full recovery from it! I pray that she has tons of energy and feels great next weekend!!

I guess that's it for now! I'm posting my ultrasound pics below of our little peanut - although it's more like the size of a prune this week!! Hope you are all doing great!!

Announcement!!!

I know it's been a while since I wrote last, but I have had to keep myself away from the blog due to a secret I've been keeping - I was so afraid if I got on here I would somehow spill the beans!! Now the secret is out and it is time to make the official blog announcement - I'm going to be a MOMMY!!! Yes, Justin and I are going to be parents and we could not be more excited about it! We found out at the end of April but I have kept it a secret so that we could surprise our moms on Mother's Day. We got each of them a bib that says "I love my Grandma" and that was how we told them last Sunday! It was a really special day and I'm so happy that the news is finally out. That is one secret that is extremely hard to keep!!!

My mom cried her eyes out, which is the exact reaction I was expecting (we're an emotional family!). Because of a status I had put on my facebook page saying I couldn't wait to surprise my mom on Mother's Day, people started figuring it out - my cousin included. Well, secrets don't stay secrets in my family and by the time Mother's Day came around, all of my mom's sisters had already figured it out, which was really funny to see the reaction on my mom's face when she thought we told the entire family except for her!! My mom and her sisters are very close so it was fun to see them tease her about it! This will be my grandmother's 14th great-grandchild, which means that besides my younger brother, I am the last of the grandchildren to have a baby!! I guess it's about time, huh?!!

Due to this (planned) surprise, Justin and I have been on the house hunt. We have picked out a few that we really love and Justin has gone out to see the one at the top of our list. We still have a couple of things to sort out before we can really get into the pre-approval process, but I'll be so happy and relieved when this is all said and done.

I have been feeling okay, with the exception of last week and this week. I began feeling the "morning sickness" last week, however, I haven't actually been throwing up. I'm extremely nauseated in the mornings and I have had a really hard time eating anything. By the end of last week, I began feeling a sore throat which has turned into a bad cold/sinus problems. I'm very stopped up, can't stop coughing, my ears are stopped up - I'm just in bad shape right now. Luckily the doctor called back today with a list of over-the-counter meds that are safe for me to take. Hopefully this will pass in the next couple of days.

Our first doctor's appointment is Wednesday! I'm so anxious and ready to have the first ultrasound!! I feel like it will make this experience feel a little more real, since right now the only "proof" that I have of being pregnant is the yuckiness that I feel. I will be sure to keep the blog updated on our progress!!

I'm also excited that I will be able to attend my friend Nikki's wedding in June!! Considering I haven't seen her in about 10 years or so, I'm thrilled to be able to be a part of this special day with her!! It will be a super short trip for me, about 24 hours actually! I will fly up to St. Louis really early Saturday morning, go to the wedding and reception, then fly back really early Sunday morning. I have to make it as short/cheap a trip as possible given our current circumstances, but to me it is worth it just to see her again. It's bad that we have gone this long without seeing each other, but it was hard in college when we lost touch. Now that we are back in touch and communicate regularly, we cannot let this happen again!! She was able to see a specialist in Indiana recently, and he was able to go over some treatment options with her. This is the same doctor that treated Lance Armstrong when he had cancer!! So yeah, I would say she will be in very good hands with him! She does have to wait until she has her next surgery to change doctors for insurance reasons, and she was going to the doctor today to see how her scan looked. She will possibly have the next surgery before the wedding, which is June 20. I worry about her so much, as I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through. I'm just so happy to have her back in my life. Please keep her in your prayers.

Thanks for reading and I would love any advice from all of you mommies out there!! I'm really looking forward to the next 8 months of this pregnancy, and your prayers are always welcome!!

Easter Weekend

So this month is an extremely busy month for us, with pretty much no down-time at all!! This past weekend I drove to Decatur for the lingerie shower/bachelorette party of one of my best friends growing up. We have been friends for years and years and I'm so excited that she is getting married next month! There were about 15 girls there and we all had a great time!! We had tons of food and drinks and Emily got some awesome gifts! We then proceeded to go out to a bar, one of the few in Decatur. I saw some friends from the past, which is always fun. I think everyone had a really fun night and most importantly, Emily had a great time!

Saturday I went to my mom's to spend the night with her and my brother. We ate hamburgers and watched a movie, and just hung out like the old days. I cherish those moments now more than ever/c they are so few and far between. The three of us don't often get to spend quality time with just us. Our family has been through a lot and the three of us have had to lean on each other through so much. They are my rock and my foundation and I love them more than anything.

Sunday morning the three of us went to church and then out to my grandmothers for lunch. We had such yummy food and I got to see the newest addition to our family, Katelyn Olivia!! She is absolutely beautiful!! I think I hogged her the entire time but she was so sweet it was hard to let her go! I love babies so much and hopefully one day God will bless me with one of my very own! We had Easter dinner with Justin's parents, and I amazed myself that I was able to eat as much as I did. I will say I over-did it just a bit!! Oh well, it's not everyday you get some home cookin'!!

On another note, one of my best friends from home had to say good-bye to her husband this past weekend, as he is going to Iraq to serve our country. I have expressed to her how I can't imagine what she is going through - I imagine I would feel extreme pride in my husband, but also extreme sorrow. She is an amazingly strong woman and I admire her greatly. Please keep her and her husband in your prayers, as he is fighting for OUR freedom.

Nikki is still undergoing her chemo treatment, and so far the doctor's have said that her tumor marker is down, which is always a good sign!! I hope that her body is responding well to the treatment, but she really won't know for sure until her next scan. She did have a bridal shower recently, which I know is so exciting and so much fun!!

Anyways, the weather is a little crazy here as usual - kinda chilly then brutally warm!! This weekend we'll be in T-Town for the A-Day game so I really hope that the weather cooperates!! Last year it was beautiful but the wind was so chilly where we were sitting. I only made it through the 3rd quarter and my chill bumps had had enough!! I am really looking forward to the game, as ESPN will be there and our coach has challenged the fans to pack the place out!! I can't wait to see Bryant-Denny again!

I hope everyone had a great Easter and hopefully you were all able to visit with your families!! Have a great rest of the week, and thanks for reading!! Your comments are always fun to get so feel free to leave one!

Spring is Here!!

I'm so happy that spring is finally here and hopefully we can say goodbye to the cold weather for a while! I absolutely hate the cold weather and am always ready for it to be gone! We've had some stormy weather here lately, but I'll take storms over snow any day!! Although when it randomly snowed here a few weeks ago, it was pretty exciting to see when I woke up and looked out the window! Of course it didn't stick for very long and was all melted away by the afternoon. Such is Alabama weather...

We've been rather busy the last couple of weeks. A few weekends ago a co-worker gave Justin and I free tickets to the Barber Race Track to watch the Indy drivers test their cars the track. It was our first time there and we had a great time! We spent all day Saturday and Sunday at the track and loved seeing and hearing the cars flying by us! We were really excited to see Danica Patrick, but unfortunately she spent more time off the track than on so we didn't see her as much as we hoped to. It was great for us just to get out of the house and doing something out of the norm. Thanks Morgan and John for the tickets, we had a great time!!

We have so many weddings coming up and have stayed busy with showers over the last couple of weeks. One of our best friends is getting married in May and we have had so much fun getting together with them and our friends at their showers. The couple lives in Atlanta so we don't get to see them very much. It's been really fun just hanging out with everyone and seeing people we don't get to see very often.

This past weekend we hung out with some friends Friday night, watched some basketball and played some Wii bowling!! It was only my second time to play a Wii and I must have had some great beginner's luck the first time b/c I was doing so great then!! Well, Friday night I sucked pretty bad and just could not get it right! I definitely need some Wii practice! Saturday we went to a wedding with some friends and had a great time! The bride was one of my college pledge sisters so it was great getting to see my college/sorority friends that I haven't seen in a while.

This weekend we have another shower to go to - a good high school friend of mine is marrying one of Justin's high school friends! They're wedding is in May and unfortunately coincides with another wedding that we will have to attend, but at least we will get to go to their shower. It's crazy how many couples we know that either the wife or husband went to high school with me, and the other went to high school with Justin! Such a small world....

Next weekend is Easter and I'll be driving North for a lingerie shower Friday night, then to spend Saturday night and Easter Sunday with my mom and brother. I'm so excited for next weekend b/c I will get to see a lot of high school girlfriends, plus my family as well!!

The next weekend is A-Day!!! FINALLY!! We are so excited to see what our team has to offer this season. Justin's grandparents will be passing through Birmingham on Friday so we are planning to have dinner with his parents and grandparents Friday night. Saturday will be full of football and tailgating!!

Amazingly, the last weekend of April (right after my birthday, by the way!! The big 2-8!!) I have no plans!! Justin will be going to the beach for our friends bachelor party - yikes!! I have a feeling things are gonna get a little crazy for them! Ah well, isn't that was bachelor parties are for?

Finally, the first weekend of May we will head back down to the beach for another wedding, we'll have the next weekend off, then we'll attend one more wedding the following weekend. It's an exciting time but we'll be so busy for the next month and a half!! I'm sure by the end of May we're gonna need a little vacation of our own!!

Work is going well, just busy and somewhat stressful at times. My friend Nikki is still undergoing her first round of the new chemo treatment. I know it's been rough for her so please continue to keep her in your prayers. One of my other best friends mom just had surgery to remove a (hopefully benign) tumor from her ovary. She is recovering from surgery and the doctor felt very confident that the tumor was benign. I haven't heard anything otherwise, so I am assuming this was the final verdict. Thank you God!!

I hope this finds you all doing well and I hope you are all enjoying the spring weather like I am!! Thanks for reading!!

Update on Nikki

Unfortunately, I am updating with bad news. Nikki recently went in for a routine scan and the cancer is back. This time it is in her liver. She is going to start treatment immediately. My hope is that they found it early enough. My worry is that it keeps popping up in different places. It just breaks my heart to hear this type of news. Things were just starting to look up for her and then she got this unfortunate news. The news prompted her to do something a little crazy - she got a tattoo!! She got a ribbon with angel wings on both sides and it is small on the inside of her wrist. It is her constant reminder to never give up hope and stay strong. Please don't give up praying for her!! She needs all the prayer she can get right now.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

Changes to Come

Wow. Once again I have completely pushed aside my writing on here!! I've realized that because I am on the computer all day at work, it's the last thing I want to do when I come home! It is definitely something for me to work on!!!

I hope this finds you all doing well!! Life has been pretty busy lately with lot's of things going on around me. I have two very best friends who have recently found out they are pregnant!!! I am SO excited for both of them and cannot wait to spoil those babies rotten!!! It has spawned the question of when we will be ready, and to be honest, it is something that we have been thinking about over the last few weeks. I'm not saying we're ready, just ready to discuss the possibility!! We have been wanting to wait maybe another two years or so, but with two of my closest friends pregnant, it has made us reconsider our decision to continue waiting. Needless to say, this idea has raised many, many questions that we need to find answers to before anything happens. So that is where we are today - trying to find some answers and determine when the right time for us will be.

Since my last post, I went to a taping of the Rick and Bubba show with one of my best friends, and it was so much fun!! We cooked lots of yummy food for them and really enjoyed the show. Justin and I spent a weekend visiting her and her husband in Tennessee shortly after, once I recovered from the stupid cold and sinus bug that was going around. Last week I was in Atlanta for a training class for work. It wasn't bad at all, I'm just hoping and praying that I passed the test!!! Some friends of ours are getting married in May so we went to their Stock the Bar party Saturday night. It was so great seeing some old friends again and getting to hang out with people we don't get to see often enough. This month we have two weddings to go to, so hopefully the month of April won't be too busy - of course, with the exception of the A-Day game!! Speaking of, I'm hearing that ESPN will be there and Saban has challenged the fans to have a packed house for the occasion!! We haven't missed an A-Day game in many years so there is no way we will miss this one!!!

I know this wasn't a very long post, but I just wanted to share a few updates and, as always, ask for your prayers. Baby Dulce is scheduled for surgery this month so please, please pray for her!! Also, my friend Nikki is still in remission, so thank you all for praying for her - she still needs our prayers so please don't forget about her!! I am also going to ask that you pray for Justin and I - we have some big decisions coming up and could use all the prayer we can get.

One last thing - in my post on December 11, I mentioned a personal struggle that I was dealing with, and I honestly didn't think that anything would change. I'm happy to say that things HAVE in fact changed. I'm not positive if my situation itself changed, or if my outlook on it changed...although I'm pretty sure it's the latter because I didn't (and still don't) ever forsee the situation changing. Anyways, the purpose of bringing this up was to thank everyone who prayed for me. I feel like those prayers were answered and it has dramatically changed this aspect of my life. So thank you. I was afraid that if something didn't change soon, I would have found myself in an extremely unhappy state of mind. I am much happier now and have found a way to deal with the things I struggled with, and I can only credit the power of prayer for this turnaround. Thank you all again, it means so much to me.

Have a great weekend!!!