Hudson is Here!!!!!

Here he is.....Kate's future husband :)
Love that hair!!!

I would say Derek is a little bit smitten wouldn't you?

My fellow pregnant pal Jodi had her little boy last night. Hudson Ross Tuley was born at around 8 o'clock last night and weighed in at 7lbs 6oz. He was about 1 week early (1 day before Derek's Birthday), which was a relief to Jodi. She was ready!!! Everyone is doing great. Jared and I got to see Hudson in person this afternoon. He's quite a handsome little boy. He has A LOT of hair!!!!! It is very thick and sticks up at odd little angles. Very cute! Jodi and I have come along way since we first told each other about our pregnancies and now here we are! Hudson is here and Kate is just about 3 weeks away.

Pictures for Mom and Care

Black and White Toile bag from my friend at work
The back of Kate's coming home outfit (notice the ruffles)

The front of Kate's outfit and the blanket we will be bringing her home in

I talked to my Mom for a long time on the phone tonight and I realized how much I really miss sharing this experience with her. My wonderful sister in law, Carolyn is in Mexico City. I have also missed her during this time in my life. Care and I talk on the phone for a long time and she gives me good mommy advice and tries to tell me not to worry about all of the myths out there. She has been through this 3 times and my Mom has been through this 4 times! These are 2 Moms that I admire so much! I wanted Care to see Kate's coming home outfit and I promised my Mom I would show her this bag someone made for my shower at work. Hopefully, if all goes well my Mom will get to see Kate's outfit in person. She plans to come on the 16th of February just in time (hopefully) for Kate to arrive. Care and her family are planning on coming in March. Until we can see each other again the wonderful blog will have to be the window in which I get to share this experience with them. I thank God for these wonderful women in my life!

36 Weeks= 9 Months.........Where's Kate?????

To say that a woman is pregnant for 9 months is one of nature's screwier calculations. All told a woman is actually pregnant for 10 months! So to think that I am actually 9 months pregnant but still have 4 weeks to go is pretty hilarious. Actually, as 36 weeks flies past me I am very surprised and pleased to say I feel really good. I have been sleeping well and I still feel awesome. I am still swimming 2 times a week. Jared has joined me in the pool since his knee surgery so that has helped to motivate me even more. Next Thursday, the 31st I will go back to the Dr and hopefully we will start making plans and being a little more definite about when we will meet Kate. I am very excited to meet my little girl. From the 31st on I will be going every week until I deliver. I look forward to these appointments because I know that each one gets me closer to seeing Kate. I washed her clothes this week end and folded them in her drawer. I also packed her little bag with her little coming home outfit that we will take to the hospital. Here's a rookie Mom story for you. I was convinced that she didn't have enough onesies so Jared and I ran out to Target last Thursday night and bought 2 more packages of onesies so our little girl would not go naked in her 1st 3 months of life. When I went to do her laundry that night I discovered a big surprise. With out counting in the new onesies at Target Kate had 25 onesies already. That's a good lesson to learn.....Look at the closet before you go out and buy. Kate was already more than prepared!

Gorgeous Baby Shower!!!!!!

Hostesses: l to r Gracie, Courtney, Meredith, Randi, Ashley, Hope (We missed you Taylor and Jodi!)
Group picture

My "oldest" friend Kim. We have known each other for over 10 years. She is so special to me!

My work pals, Kirsten and Erica. I love these girls!

Believe me! Those cupcakes were delicious AND beautiful!

This wreath was on Courtney's door. Appropriately Pink!

I loved opening all of the books for Kate. This is one of my favorites as a kid, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

This is a quilt handmade by Jared's grandmother. Absolutely beautiful! I love it!

My friend Ashley gave us some monogrammed burp cloths. Too pretty to use!

My friend Kirsten gave Kate this very unique and beautiful butterfly bank

Sunday, January 13th was a very special day for Kate and I. It was the day of our church shower. The shower was given by my closest friends at church. They did such a beautiful job decorating and making the whole day so special! It was just so great to be able to visit with all of these friends and family members who mean so much to me and who will mean so much to Kate. We received a lot of goodies! Kate's bookshelf is also stocked now. Instead of bringing a card everyone was asked to bring their favorite childrens book. I loved this because it gave everyone a chance to show their personality by the book they picked. Everyone also wrote a note on the inside cover for Kate. Some books were given because ladies remembered reading them with their kids or they were favorite books as a child. Thank you so much to everyone for making our day special!

35 weeks!!!

A family photo
I have loved these past few weeks of pregnancy!

These past couple weeks of pregnancy have been especially beautiful for me. I can't explain it other than to say that I feel such a closeness to Kate right now. I feel her move inside of me practically all of the time. She basically moves a lot at the top of my tummy because to be honest she doesn't have much room in there anymore. Her legs, knees, and feet are constantly pushing outward. I love to just watch as she pushes and sometime makes little waves across my tummy. Truly amazing! A friend once told me that birth is bittersweet because, yes you want to meet your little one but at the same time you will never be that close to your child physically again. Pregnancy is so amazing.I know that sounds cliche but I also know every Mom who reads this is agreeing with me whole heartedly. I just feel so blessed that God has allowed me to experience pregnancy. Please pray for all 3 of us as we head into the home stretch.

6 Years!!!

Our Anniversary is February 15th. We will have been married for 5 years. However, January 9th marked a very special day in our relationship. It is the anniversary of our first date. We went to Starbucks. I'm sure Jared thought I was a coffee lover but when we got there I ordered steamed milk. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be "trapped" in case things were not going so well. Well it turned out I was wrong. We actually found many things to talk about it. And 6 years later here we are. Our love for each other has deepened and we are about to welcome our daughter into our world. God has given me the opportunity to love this man and to be loved by him. I feel so blessed everyday that God put Jared in my life at just the right time. He is my best friend and an amazing husband. I love you baby!

Jared's Bum Knee

Jared has battled with sore knees for as long as I have known him. Playing high school sports in the past and continuing sports such as basketball, running, and soft ball have put his left knee under such pressure that he has been in a lot of pain lately, especially at night. Tomorrow afternoon he is going to have his left knee scoped and his ACL shortened (I don't know how the Dr. will accomplish that but he says his ACL is too stretched out.) Please pray for him that he will do well during the surgery and that his recovery time will be short. Please pray that the surgery will make him pain free. He is way too young to be hobbling around in pain. I am not too crazy about him being "put under" by anethesia and he is not too happy about the IV. Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Amazing Faith

Very few stories have captivated me like the one that I posted on my blog a couple of days ago. Tricia's story is one of hope and courage. Her husband's faith through out their journey has been remarkable to say the least. Just to update in case you haven't checked their blog lately. Tricia has cystic fibrosis and is 24 weeks pregnant with their first baby. In fact, she was about to be put on the list for a lung transplant when they found out she was pregnant. On Monday she was put on a ventilator to give her the best chance at living and to buy her baby girl precious time to grow more. When she was ventilated on Monday the Drs decided it would be better to deliver the baby right then to give them both the best chance. Their baby girl was born weighing 1lb 6oz (think from your wrist to your elbow). They are both hanging on and are presently as stable as they can be. Tricia does not know that she is a mother as she is under heavy sedation. I think what has captivated me most is the extreme example of faith that her husband Nate has shown. Where is the bitterness? Where is the "Why me?" Nowhere to be found. He wrote on his blog last night that he prayed to God and said that he would accept whatever God chooses for his girls but he asked that God would consider the desire of his heart. What an open and vulnerable prayer. Is that a prayer of faith I could pray right now? I don't know, but I hope to answer that with a strong yes someday! I know that I have grown spiritually just by being on the outside looking in on their journey. As I feel Kate twisting and squirming inside of me at almost 5lbs I know what a blessing and miracle she is. Every baby is. God holds all of these babies in his arms. From every baby struggling in all of the NICUs across the country to the biggest 10 and 11 pounders God has such a special story to tell through them. I am in awe. Please continue to pray for this family as these are the critical days for them. Their names are Tricia, Nate and their precious girl Gwyneth Rose.

Made for Kate

At the beginning of November I decided I wanted to make Kate a rug for her room. I am not a crafty person by any means. However, 2 months later I am finished! With out any knowledge of latch hook, crochet or any other conventional means of creating a rug I tied each individual piece
by hand. Jared and I joke that Kate will be taking this rug to college with her because I worked so hard on it. It was truly a labor of love!

Prayer Request

Hello Friends!
I honestly don't know how I got to this couple's blog but they are in need of prayers right at this moment. Tricia is about 24 weeks pregnant with their first child. She has also battled cystic fibrosis her whole life. They are having to make some pretty important decisions right now about her health and the baby's delivery time and could really use your prayers. Here is the link to the husband's web site so that you can read their story. http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

Happy 2008.........Joyful 33 Weeks!!!!

33 Weeks with Miss Kate
Daddy showing off our new pink rocker

We can't wait to meet her!

Kate's crib with her bedding in place

A peek inside Kate's crib

This will be my new home very soon

Here we go into 2008! What a great year it will be for our family. We will add Kate to our family and God will show us the new world of being parents. It is hard to believe that by this time next year we will have a little girl just a month away from her first birthday. What a difference a year makes.

2007 was a constant visible reminder of God's goodness. Our care group was formed at church. We added 2 newphews to our extended families in March. God blessed me with a new job in April. We found out we were pregnant in June. We challenged ourselves physically by doing various 5ks, 10ks, and sprint triathlons. God is so good and so faithful to us even through the trials that we faced this year. It has been amazing to be a part of other people's lives as God has blessed them also. An old song comes to mind. "Great is Thy Faithfulness" Jared and I had this song in our wedding. That one line always sticks out in my mind. "Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed your hand has provided. Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me."

It is so exciting to think about all of the blessings God will bring us. It is also amazing to think about all of the trials that God will bring us through. Thank you to each and everyone of you who reads this blog. You have been a blessing in my life. I pray that God will show you and the people you love his goodness and mercies this year.