A New Baby, 32 Weeks, a boy?, Christmas, Rings

First things first! Our friends Ryan and Meredith got an early Christmas present. Blake Adalyn was born on the night of December 23rd. We went to see her on Monday and she is just so beautiful. Meredith had a very good labor which was good to hear. We planned on staying about 20 minutes but we stayed for over an hour because I was just mesmerized by her. I couldn't believe that one of our friends had a baby! It seemed more real to me after seeing Blake that
WE are actually going to have a baby in a very short while!

On Christmas day, I hit 32 weeks!!! Officially 8 months pregnant!! I feel like I am starting to go into uncharted territory. Every little twinge makes me wonder, "What was that?" I am starting to have what I can only think are the much talked about Braxton Hicks contractions. But I really only have them at night. They are not painful but they are a little uncomfortable. Especially since this is my first time and since I am feeling everything for the first time it just makes me a little uneasy. But I just trust my book that says that this is nature's way of getting me ready for the big day.

I think every woman that has been told she is having a girl has a nagging suspicion in the back of their mind. What if "something" was hiding or has been covered up? We have had 3 sonograms so far and all have confirmed Kate is well....Kate. So I press on with my visions of pink. Meredith said she was nervous because they hadn't had a sonogram since 16 weeks. She was very relieved that Blake was well..... Blake. Here's a story that strikes fear in the heart of every woman who has been told she is having a girl. As we were leaving Ryan and Meredith's hospital room we passed by the nursery. There was a handsome little boy in the bed next to the window. His Aunt was there and I admired him and told her how handsome he was and what an awesome head of hair he already had. "Yes," she said "Can you believe they thought he was a girl?" (This is the point where the lovely baby music playing on the record player in my head went SCREECH!!!!!!!!!) "What?!!!?" I said. "Oh yeah," she said "about 4 weeks before he was born my sister decided to get a 3D sonogram to see what she was going to look like and the sonographer nonchantly said, "Oh I see you're having a boy!" It made me think twice about having a 3D sonogram but I decided to hold off. If God wants to bless us with a boy well then I say bring it on! Nothing in life is ever certain. Although it will be certain that my sweet husband will be changing the room from the lovely vision of pink to the golf motif we had envisioned for our boy.

Christmas was very quiet at our house. We celebrated early on the 23rd. It turns out we got each other the same thing. Running shoes!! Can you believe it? I had requested a present that would help me get back into shape after Kate was born. They are wonderful and very comfortable. More importantly they go with a lot of the outfits I wear because they are brown. Jared's were Nike ID. I customized them online. I chose Texas Tech colors and even monogrammed them with our favorite verse on the side Hebrews 13:5. We celebrated our last Christmas as 2 and eagerly anticipate our next Christmas as 3!

Well ladies and gentlemen, the rings are off!! My engagement ring went first and then a month later my wedding ring, which used to be huge on me! This swelling has really taken control of my hands. Every time I look at them I think of that Seinfeld episode where Jerry is dating the woman with "Man Hands." I searched for something that could replace my wedding ring but nothing seemed to do. Jared's was too big for me (surprisingly enough!). So I found a ring my Dad gave me on the day of my wedding. It was my great grandmother's wedding ring. Coincidentally I lost it at my reception because even though I was wearing it on my thumb it fell off. Someone found it for me and I stuck in a drawer. Well now it fits perfectly! So that will be my stand in until I can slip my lovely wedding rings back on my hand. That will happen right?!?!?!?!?

Kate, the next Mia Hamm???

Yesterday, I went for my 32 week check up. Everything seems to be rolling right along. I had some concerns about high blood pressure but I checked out ok and my Dr. will be monitoring my blood pressure every week now. I also told him that I was having some pain in my right rib area. He talked about the possible causes of this pain and I asked more questions (My Dr. is awesome about that. He lets Jared and I ask as many questions as we want and we never feel rushed.) I think we've all had those Drs that are backing out the door with their hand on the door knob as you're trying to get every question in. The next part of my check up was my 32 week sonogram. I had eagerly been anticipating this because last time we saw her she was a wee 18 weeks old. Now of course 13 weeks later she is huge! She is weighing in at 3 lbs 10 oz, which is right on target for now. The Dr had some concerns at my last appointment that she was going to be on the big side but she seems to be an average weight for now. Back to the pain in my right side. When the Dr came to her feet I saw exactly why I had been having pain in that area. Our dear sweet girl is already in head down position so her feet are positioned at the top, right under my......ribs!!!!! So she has been practicing her soccer moves against my ribs for at least the past 2 weeks and will probably be doing so until she is born. My work friend Kirsten thinks that maybe she will be the next RiverDance Superstar!!! Now that I know the source, it is welcomed pain because I know she is getting stronger. This morning I was sitting in a meeting and just watching my stomach jump up and down. My coworker Jason looked across the table and smiled because he could see it to. I will try to get a picture up here of Kate and I as we hit the 8 month mark (I can't believe it!). Our girl will be here before we know it and we still have so much left to do. We actually saw her face yesterday(as best as one can on a 2D sonogram). She was blinking her eyes and looking right at us. She looks like her Daddy I think. :) I still haven't had the urge to "nest" yet. But I am not a neat freak person either (no snide comments here sweetie). I was asking my prego pal Jodi if it's possible to have the nesting instinct but still want somebody else to do it for you?

Update on Mom

Mom made it through the surgery just fine. I mistyped when I said it was her ACL. It was actually her Achilles tendon. It's going to be a long recovery for her so I want to ask for your prayers for a speedier healing than what the Drs are predicting. Thanks so much for all of those who prayed.

Please Pray for My Mom

Last Saturday my Mom tore her ACL while she was at the White House (how many people can say that?). She is set to have surgery this afternoon to repair the damage. She is very sad because she will be recovering for about 4-6 weeks. This means that she won't get to travel to see all of us for Christmas and she won't get to come for Kate's shower in January. She is heartbroken. But her goal is to make it here for Kate's birth. Please pray that her spirits will be uplifted and that she will recover quickly. Thankfully the Senate takes a good Christmas vacation so she will not have to miss that much of her work. Thank you in advance for the prayers.

33 Years....................30 Weeks

Yesterday was my 33rd Birthday. I celebrated it exactly how I wanted. First of all I took the day off! I woke up at 9 and had a bowl of Fruity Pebbles (I think they have improved Fruity Pebbles). Then I watched the showcase show down on the Price is Right. Does everyone but me know that Bob Barker retired from the Price is Right? It was shocking to see Drew Carey on there as a host. He was more than awkward. When both contestants lost their showcases (very rare) he said, "Well that was a real bummer." Hardly up to Bob Barker standards. Ok back to the Birthday. After that I went to get a pedicure with red nail polish. I then met Jared for an afternoon movie. Then we met my brother Benjy for dinner at Cheddars. I should say we almost met him. We waited for awhile and we never saw him. (It's a long story but he was coming through town on the way back to Mexico City). We had a good birthday dinner. I then went to swim and had a great time of relaxation. After that I planned to meet the girls at Starbucks. By that time I had connected with Benjy and he met me up at Starbucks. We got to spend about an hour together before he had to get back on the road. It was a Birthday with random events but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I realized that this will be my last Birthday before I am a Mom. By my birthday next year Kate will be about 10 months old! Amazing. Year 32 held many blessings for me including strengthening my relationship with my Lord and growing our marriage spiritually. I know that year 33 will be very pivotal and monumental in my life. Please pray for me that I will look for and listen to the many lessons God will teach me this year as I continue to grow in Him and take on the new role of Mom. It's amazing how he has enabled my growth as His daughter and as a wife to Jared. I have learned so much, but I still have so much to learn. It's amazing how He has poured out his blessings this year on our marriage, our careers, our families, and now our own growing family. Blessed be the name of the Lord!!!

Family Shower

The Griffin Sisters Crew

Everything was so beautiful!

Miss Kate's car seat. Now we can officially bring her home!

Some more goodies!!

Now Kate has a jungle gym just like her cousin Toby.

My father-in-law Mike had this topiary made for the shower. The picture does not do it justice. It was simply beautiful!

Last Saturday, Jared's Mom side of the family had a shower for me. This included his Mom, Eletia, her sisters Sheron and Tressie, his uncles Jerry and Mark, Jared's brother Blair and Jay, Jared's sister April, Jared's cousins Cameron and Diane , and their little boy Brock, his other cousin Meredith and my nephews Caden and Toby. We had such a good time and I was so excited to spend some time with this side of Jared's family. It is always a good time with lots of conversation and laughs. We also had a surprise birthday party for Sheron. I think she really was surprised. We received lots of wonderful things. We feel so blessed by all of our families at this time in our lives. Thank you to everyone who made this week end so special for us! We love you!

Wonderful Work Shower

Host and Hostesses Left to right: Jason, Erica, Kelly, Kirsten

I have amazing coworkers!

Talk about coming full circle! This cake came from the same bakery that made our wedding cakes!

I have to say I have an amazing group of coworkers! We have a lot of fun. Yesterday they showered me with gifts for Kate. We had petit fours and a big chocolate cake. Amazingingly delicious! The group that hosted the shower was a mix of 2 people I had known for years and the other 2 I met when I came to this job 8 months ago. They are very dear friends. I have known Jason for 6 years. We worked at Ameriquest together and found each other 3 years later at Saxon. He was in our wedding and Jared was in his wedding. He has kept me laughing through out this pregnancy and has also faithfully gone on every walk with me. Kelly, I have also known for 6 years. We worked at Ameriquest, New Century and now Saxon! She cut the cake at our wedding. She has the biggest loving heart. Erica, I have only known for 8 months. She is an amazing girl who keeps me laughing all day. We have that same sense of dry humor that bonds me so quickly to people. Kirsten I have also known for just 8 months. She is simply the most joyful person I have ever met. She starts everyday saying, "Morning Glory!!" I really thank God for giving me such an amazing group of coworkers. Thanks to everyone at work for such a wonderful shower! I truly feel blessed.

29 Weeks!!!

Kate News

Well, here we are at 29 weeks!! That means we only have 11 weeks to go. Will this be the longest 11 weeks of my life or will it fly by? Honestly, I feel so blessed to be pregnant. What a wonderful miracle God has created. Kate is more twisting and turning instead of kicking now. She is quickly running out of room in there I can tell. I have found one thing pretty cool already about Kate. She loves the band U2. I play "City of Blinding Lights" for her every morning and she twists and turns and dances a jig. The minute a slow song comes on she stops. I have heard that classical music is the best for babies. My girl is a little different I guess. When Bono belts out "Oh - You - Look- So- Beautiful- Tonight!!!!!" She moves around for all she's worth!!! I love this girl so much already.

Weighty Matters

Wow! I can't believe I have already gained ?? pounds!!! I mean ?? pounds is a lot!! I honestly look at the picture above and can't believe that is me with ?? extra pounds on her. I am starting to figure out that the 300 extra calories thay recommend for a pregnant woman is not wiggle room. As in I can have 300 extra calories and not gain weight. Um no. The weight just packs on anyway. I will have to remember that fact when I breastfeed as they say you need 500 extra calories a day. Look out Mama! My Dr. gave me a sideways glance at my last appointment as I had gained # pounds since my last appointment 4 weeks ago. Suddenly I was pleading my case as if I were in court. "But Dr. Rost, I am really not eating any different and I am exercising at least 3 times a week, sometimes more!!!" And the fact that I did not have my star witness with me (he had a business meeting to attend to) did not help. Jared would have backed me up. Seriously friends, I have not been eating any differently.........hmmmm I wonder if Jared would go with me to get a cherry cream slush at Sonic.........but I digress.

Swimming

I have never looked forward to exercising. But I DO look forward to swimming. It makes me feel completely weightless. A blessing right now. It takes all of the pressure off of my joints. I have been a faithful swimmer every Monday and Wednesday with a elliptical and treadmill work out on Tuesday. Anything I do past those 3 times is just gravy for me. I find that you get one of 2 looks when you work out while visibly pregnant. There is the look that says, "Right on girl. Go for it! That's great that you are working out. Proud of you!" And then there is the look that says, "You know, you really shouldn't be working out in your condition." I will let everyone know if what they say is true about working out during pregnany and bouncing back fast. I am definitely willing to find out if it works.

Kate, Just Kate

I find it pretty funny that people are already nicknaming our daughter. Especially calling her Katie. I love to remind them that her name is Kate, just Kate. I grew up with a nickname challenge my whole life. My name is Elizabeth but my Mom decided to nickname me Betsy. I love the name now but on every first day of school it was a real bummer. The teacher would call out Elizabeth and I would have to say my name is Betsy. I say all of this to say her name is Kate, just Kate. Someone at work asked me what her middle name is and I said Elizabeth and they said (with all seriousness) "Oh that's great , you can call her Katie Beth!!" Okay I apologize to anyone that has a dear someone with this name but to a quintessential Yankee like myself this was like nails on a chalkboard. I felt like I should be looking for Scarlett O'Hara. I mentioned to Jared that maybe we should name her something else and he looked at me straight in the eyes and said "Babe, her name is Kate." Ok , that settles that!

Debbie Downer

Has anyone ever seen that skit on Saturday Night Live with Debbie Downer? For example a group of people will be sitting around a table at a restaurant talking about how great the food is and Debbie Downer pipes in and says something like, "Did you know that 10,000 people die from salmonella each year from eating food at restaurants?" And then this sound effect comes on similar to when someone loses on the Price is Right...WAW WAW!!! Ok you get the picture. I have observed through out pregnancy that people love to play Debbie Downer. Something like this exchange will occur, " Betsy, won't it be great when Kate gets here?" Now Debbie Downer comes in, "Too bad you will never have anymore free time with your husband." WAW WAW!!!! or what about this one , "Betsy, isn't pregnancy just wonderful? Such a miracle!" Here comes Debbie Downer, "Too bad your body will never be the same!" WAW WAW!!!

Alright that is it for now. I just had a couple or 4 issues I needed to talk about! Remember only 11 short weeks to go!!! Let the countdown begin!!!

Jodi and Hudson's Shower

Hudson and Kate can't wait to meet each other!

We all loved this onesie. It says "Babe Magnet"

The Hostesses

Because my dear friend Jodi has launched a "picture boycott" I have taken it upon myself to post some pictures so that Hudson will have some idea of how beautiful his Mom was when she was pregnant and how much she glowed with joy. We had such a great time at Jodi's shower on Sunday afternoon. The theme was baseball. We enjoyed baseball cupcakes as well as Dr. Pepper (straight from Dublin). All of the girls had such a great time visiting. I was sitting next to Jodi writing down what she got and from whom and I was thinking, "Wow we have come a long way since we first told each other we were pregnant." She was 7 weeks and I was 4 weeks!! And now we are 32 week and 29 weeks!!! I just want to thank God so much for blessing us with wonderful pregnancies. I also want to thank him that I had such an amazing friend to go through this journey with. This has definitely been a very sweet part of our friendship. I feel so blessed to have Derek and Jodi in our lives and I know that Hudson will be an amazing addition to all of our lives.

Ty and Taylor

One month ago on Tuesday the couple on the right Ty and Taylor (the guy on the left is our good friend, John, thanks for making a guest appearance on my blog John! :) ) will celebrate their 1 month wedding anniversary. One week ago tomorrow Ty left for Marine boot camp. Ty has become a very special friend to both Jared and I. I wanted to write this blog so that as many people as possible can be praying for Ty and Taylor as they endure this 3 month separation. Taylor is a courageous woman that supports her husband. Ty is a courageous guy that answered a calling for his life. "God bless this couple as they are apart. Watch over Ty as he endures the rigors of basic training and whatever lies beyond that. Watch over Taylor as she supports him from far away." In Jesus' name amen. Please help me pray for this beautiful couple. Thank you!

Magic Doodle Company

For all of you who love their dogs and cats I have a great web site for you to visit. My friend Erica at work has a company called magic doodle. She creates awesome and stylish collars and leashes for both dogs and cats. Please click on the link on the right to view all of her very cute product designs. You can also get a special discount when you order. Just type in holidays at check out. Macy and Hope are getting new collars for Christmas and I think your dog or cat deserves a great Christmas present to!

Crosbyton Shower

Clockwise: Me,

Jill (Jared's Cousin) holding Toby,Susan (Jared's Aunt), Peggy(Jared's Great Aunt), Eletia(Jared's Mom) Caden, April(Jared's sister), Shavonne(Jared's cousin's wife), Brock (Shavonne's son), Stormy (Jill's daughter), Jared's Aunt Kittie is taking the picture

Enjoying the shower

My two special helpers, Caden and Stormy

The kids: Caden, Brock, Toby, Stormy

This week end me, Jared and his Mom, Eletia traveled to their hometown of Crosbyton for our baby shower. I was absolutely overwhelmed with love and generosity from his whole family. Kate got some amazingly cute clothes and much needed things. I enjoyed just visting with everyone that was at the shower. These ladies have the biggest hearts and you could really feel all the love that they had for both Jared and I. To everyone in Crosbyton, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for everything that you did for us this week end. You will never know how much it meant to me. We are truly blessed!

We also got to see Jared's Maw (grandmother) and JW. JW has been sick for some time now. They had been in the hospital the week before. Please pray for JW that his health will improve and that he will feel better. Please pray for Jared's Maw as she does such a good job of taking care of everyone around her. Pray that God will take extra special care of her.

We just thank God for such a wonderful week end where we could be surrounded by the love of family.

My Husband the Warrior

Getting mentally prepared.

Jared and his red shirt team just starting the race. That's him waving.

The last obstacle, 20 ft high cargo nets!

Jared coming up the hill to approach the last obstacle. Still Smiling!

He looks like he's not attached but he is!

And over!

Holding the cargo net for his team.

One last jump over one last mud pit!

Jared, immediately after the race.

Everyone got a shower courtesy of the FW Fire Dept.

Exhausted, but oh so proud!

My man!

The Team. (left to right) Brian, Stephanie,Ashley,Chris and Jared

The warrior (before the race)

I love my husband! I know that is a pretty ambiguous way to start a blog, but that is what came to my mind. I admire so many things about Jared but there are 2 things that come to my mind today, his courage to try new things and his ability to believe in himself and to make other people believe in themselves.

This week end is a perfect case in point. Jared participated in a Mud Run with 4 other people from church. What is a Mud Run you ask? Well, it is running 6.2 miles through mud pits and about 15 obstacles. Some of the obstacles included a rope swing, climbing up and over a 20 ft wall, climbing up and over 20 ft high cargo nets, running through 50 yards of chest deep muddy water, and a 50 yard military crawl through mud. What is amazing to me is that my husband received an email a couple of weeks ago from a Sunday morning bible class at church asking for 1 more participant. He didn't know these people very well but he said, "Sure I'll do it!" He hasn't been running a lot lately much less 6.2 miles with 15 obstacles in between but he said, "Sure I'll do it!" This is what I LOVE about him. I would have been thinking of 1 million reasons why I COULDN'T do it and he is thinking of reasons why he CAN do it. I would immediately fill myself with doubts, "What if I'm the worst on the team? what if I hold them back? what if I can't finish and I embarrass myself? what if the obstacles involve my much dreaded fear of heights?" Jared is thinking, "Man, this will be so much fun! I can't believe I get the chance to do something like this. I can definitely do this. I get to meet 4 new people I didn't know before." I hope so much that Kate will inherit this trait from her Daddy. He seldom lets fear of the unknown enter his life and I am in awe of this. Of course I am not just talking about sports and races. I am talking about other aspects of life. I want her to believe she can do anything she wants to try. I don't want her to be held back by what ifs and self doubt.

I love Jared because he makes me believe in myself. He was my sole inspiration for running 5 ks, running the half marathon, and doing the triathlon. I (being the self doubter and less than refined athlete) would continually ask him, "do you REALLY think I can do this?" He would look me in the eye and say with all confidence, "Of course you can!" When I got a promotion at work I immediately started telling him about another girl I thought would have been better suited for the promotion. He looked at me like I was crazy and said "YOU are the best person for the job." He challenges me to be the best person that I can be. He encourages my dreams. He encourages me to dream big things for myself that I would have never dared to dream. If you are blessed with someone like this in your life, STOP right now and Thank God so much for blessing you with this person. Kate and I are blessed! Thank you God!

Grow Kate Grow!!!!

9 Weeks

11 Weeks

14 Weeks

17 Weeks

24 Weeks

Under the Sea

That's me petting a shark! So brave!

The penguin 2nd from the left looked like he had a huge fur coat on. Hilarious!

Um Jared...don't look now...but behind you..ummm

I had to laugh because this reminded us of Crush from Finding Nemo.

Scary huh? Sharks have multiple rows of replacement teeth. This guy had 4 rows.

Another shot of the shark.

Here I am with a sting ray flying over my head

Jared demonstrating that his strength is more than a shark bite. Not quite!

They put pumpkins in the water for Halloween. The fish loved eating them.

This bird is giving us the evil eye because we were too cheap to buy that nectar that they can eat from your hand.

Talk about kissing the glass!

If you are ever in Cincinnati (and who isn't?) Jared and I definitely recommend the aquarium. We have been to the aquarium in Chicago and we believe the aquarium in Cincinnati is a lot better. There is one part of the aquarium where you are completely surrounded by water. I can best describe it as a glass tunnel. This is where they keep the sharks, sting rays, snapping turtles and other sea life. They literally swim over your head! We also got to pet sharks. Aren't we brave? We kept saying how all of our nephews would just love this place! The pictures don't do it justice so you will just have to check it out yourselves. Enjoy!