A month of Thanks...

In honor of Thanksgiving, I'm trying to focus on one thing a day that I am thankful for. God has blessed our family so much, that this will be easy...but getting on the computer to update is another story!

Day 1-This is a tough one...do I pick husband or baby first??! I'm going with...husband!

I'm so thankful for Tim! I was telling a student today about he and I got together. God had a perfect plan for us coming together; it was in His timing, and at a place in both of our lives when we were ready to find each other. One thing I love is when people ask how we met, and I can say church. I want people to see that Christ is the center of our marriage and now the center of our family.

Tim is so thoughtful and always wants to do what's best for me. He puts Parker and I above himself. He's working so hard to finish school, and I'm so proud of him for that.

There's TONS more I can say about him...but it all comes down to how much he loves me. I never doubt this, and that's one of the bazillions of reasons why I'm thankful for Tim!

Day 2- Parker!!!

You always here that a baby changes everything...and it's so true! Sure, there's the lack of sleep, stress from feeding and changing, and all the other baby-things...but there's so much more. There's the first smile, the point when the weight loss (or whatever your baby is struggling with and you cry about every day) finally turns into a gain, now comes the rolling over and the almost crawl. It's pure joy! Parker brings a smile to my face just thinking about him. When I'm at work, everyday I get a PPoD (Parker pic of the day), and it gets me through to the afternoon. I love learning all of the little things that he likes/ dislikes, things that make him laugh or smile, but more than that I love watching him learn things. I've been so impressed with him this week. If you move something, he looks for it. He knows where to look...so hiding things is starting to be a new favorite activity. I could keep going on and on and on...I just love him so much!

Day 3- My Mom...

The older I get the more I appreciate her, but now, as a mom myself, it's doubled (probably more!). She is the reason Parker doesn't have to go to day care, and for that I will forever be grateful. She has taught me so much, and there are so many things that I hope to pass down to Parker that she has shown me!

It's about time...

I guess a 3 month break has been enough. I mean since I last posted, I HAD A BABY! How could I not have put that on here yet??! We finally have Internet at our house, so I have no excuse for no updates...plus, I've taken over Tim's Mac, so I enjoy using the computer :) I will be blogging again. I have an AMAZING son that I need to keep people posted on. He's too awesome for me to keep to myself! So, blog world, this is a promise...at least once a month, I will be writing on here! I have so many things to catch up on, so I will begin my next post with Parker's birth story and then his monthly updates with lots, and lots, and lots of pictures! Here are a few to hold you over until I write again...

35 Weeks and a Shower Surprise!

Wow! 35 weeks...it's CRAZY to me that things are going so quickly.

People keep saying that the nesting feeling will start soon, but I'm still more into the sleeping. This is causing a problem because nothing is ready. Our poor "nursery"...I use the quotation marks because at this point nothing about it resembles a room fit for a baby...is a disaster. Tim did stain the dresser today, so I'm going to say that his nesting phase is beginning! The dresser does look amazing! Anything with cherry stain is good to me :) My goal will be to have the room cleaned out by the end of the week so Tim can paint next weekend. I'm writing that

on here so people can ask me about it and I feel a little accountability!

About us at 35 weeks...We went to the doctor on Thursday. For the past 4 visits, which means 8 weeks, I have measured to the day the correct size. I've loved it because each midwife we've seen during those visits has used the word perfect! Sadly, the chain of perfection ended with this visit. I measured 35 weeks and 3 days...3 days ahead of where I actually am. Tim tells me I'm being ridiculous, but I told him I'm just being pregnant! Everything else in the visit was great! We actually saw an intern instead of a midwife this visit. We have met with her before and think she's great. We really hope she's at the hospital when the time comes. She's the person who let us hear Parker's heartbeat for the very first time several months ago. This visit, Parker would not stay still long enough to hear the heartbeat for an extended amount of time. Quick little beats, then he or she would jump around. When I say jump, I mean jump! Tim said it was the most he had ever seen my belly move. I let him know that it happens all the time, he just doesn't see it because I'm usually not laying down! She also told us that Parker is not very big. She's guessing he or she won't be much more than 7 pounds, but he could be long. This marks the visit where we will begin going every week. That scares me a little because I know that means we don't have much longer.
Other things that are happening at this point in time...
hiccups-they happen all the time...and I love it! That's one thing that Tim can see from across the room. We both think it's great!
heartburn/ acid reflux-AWFUL! The doctor told me to give up on the Tums and Rolaids and go straight for the Zantac. It has helped a lot along with the 3 pillows at night!flip flops-I got a doctor's note to wear flip flops to school...woo hoo!!! The feet swelling is at it's worst in 4th and 5th periods, so even though it sounds silly, I know the flippy-floppies will help!Pictures-we had maternity pics made by a friend of mine last weekend. We haven't told a lot of people so it will be a fun surprise when we get them back!

Now, the shower surprise...
This year, I am only teaching freshmen, but for the previous 2 years, I have taught sophomores and juniors, many of the same students. They're amazing. I was their class sponsor last year, and I just bonded with this group of kids. Well, they surprised me yesterday with a baby shower after school. Tim even came! They planned it all themselves...pizza, cake, drinks, decorations...I was totally impressed! I felt honored to be their teacher!

Parker's First Party!

We had our first baby shower last Sunday! A wonderful friend of my mom's and her daughter...who happens to be a great friend of mine, threw it for us. We got some AMAZING gifts!!!!! My parents gave us the crib, Tim's parents gave us the high chair, and two of Tim's aunts and cousins-in-law gave us the "cadillac of pack and plays". We got lots of cute clothes, books, bath stuff, a vibrating seat, and a shirt for me that says "Baby Loading.

..Please Wait". I love it! People keep asking us how they're supposed to get anything for Parker not knowing if we're having a girl or boy, but I think I like it even more! It's fun to think about how cute a girl will look in a little outfit with a big bow or flower, but then how a little man will look in the same outfit. I've always thought I had a good imagination, so maybe we're just putting it to use a little more! Julie and Aarika who threw the shower along with Regina (Julie's future daughter-in-law) had the place decked out in rubber duckies. It's funny...I've always liked rubber duckies. (That's how I wanted my bathroom decorated in high school.) Som it only makes sense that we register for things with rubber duckies on them. I mean, hey, they're yellow, and that's good for a girl or boy! They even made cupcakes that had duckies on them! Here are some pics...

More later...new things are happening every day!

More than a Miracle

Have you ever thought about pregnancy? I know those of you with kids have...of course...but the further we go, the more I really think about it. The way that Parker can move around and everything else inside of me stays where it should be, well, all I can say is it's more than a miracle! To think that not only is there a little person living inside of me right now, but knowing that I'm living with the same body is crazy! Of course there are plenty of changes...my internal heater is on overdrive, my hair and face are all kinds of oily, I sleep more than should be allowed (that's my favorite!), and the gag reflexes find a new source everyday...but those changes aren't enough to stop the everyday. God is amazing! How can people be pregnant, have a wife go through pregnancy, or even think about having a baby, and not realize that He's got it all under control. He planned it all out...perfectly! It really is more than a miracle!

28 Weeks

Wow! Things are going soooo fast! I wish I had a chance to get on the computer everyday and go on and on about the things I'm feeling. Luckily, I have a little time today. (I took the day off of work for a dr's apt.) First, I want to say congratulations to Bekka. Liam is beautiful. I hope things are going well...and that you're taking a ton of pictures! Ok, so here's a little update...We have a name...PARKER. Boy or girl, we love it! For a boy it will be William Parker, and for a girl, Parker Elizabeth. Not sure where the name came from on our long list, but it's perfect!

We had the 28 week visit today at the doctor. Things went great. It was the best visit yet! The midwife we met with today was our favorite so far. I've gained a few pounds, but I'm still not up to where I started...which is wonderful! My belly is measuring right where it should be, and I didn't even bruise where they took blood for the glucose test.

I've been feeling good lately. School stuff is a little stressful right now, but 2 hour naps a couple of days a week help with that. The baby moves all the time. Tim gets to feel him/her quite often, and he's seeing my belly move now, too! The only problem is my red face. My skin has started breaking out. Luckily, Belk has a free gift for Clinique right now, so I hope a little new make up will fix that!

With all of the feeling good, one would think that we're making all kinds of progress on the nursery...WRONG! We've barely even begun working on things. Hopefully, there will be some before and after pics to post!

Here are some recent pics...

This is the newest belly pic...taken Valentine's Day

Tim and I at a UGA basketball game.

Happy New Year!

Ok...I know...it's 3 weeks late, but I'm going with the saying "It's better late than never." I hope your new year has started off on the right foot. With 3 snow/ice days this week, I'm pretty pumped up about mine! Reading Lindsay's blog, I was inspired to tell you about NY 2008.
Tim moved back to Georgia from Florida in 2007. He had been working and going to school in Orlando. We've gone to the same church for a while, and when he moved back, we were once again in the same Sunday school class. He had asked me out several times, but I always had an excuse not to go. He told me that he was going to Atlanta for New Years, and he asked me to go. I, of course, already had plans. Plus, it was going to be a little reunion for his high school class, so that was an added reason to stay away! My group of friends has been doing something since NY 2004 that I can remember, but something happened to ring in 2008. They all cancelled! Everyone found something to do with other people, so I was left with nothing to do.
I'm guessing you can see where this is headed...
The week of New Years came around, and I still had nothing to do. Reluctantly, I called Tim and asked if the invitation was still good to go with him. He said yes, but we confirmed that this was not a date! For "not a date" I remember stressing out about what to wear (that should have been a sign!). He picked me up and we headed to 14th street for the party. His little reunion was just that. There were less than 20 people in his graduating class, and not everyone was there. Turns out, he went to school with an amazing group of people! I totally felt welcomed and had a really good time leading up to midnight. Keep in mind that this was not a date, and we let everyone know whenever they asked! As 12 o'clock came closer, something happened, and then by the time it arrived, there was a major change! It started with a kiss at midnight...and 4 months later we were engaged! I'm not sure how God worked it out, which is good with me, but he did something in both of us that night. From that point on, it was pretty obvious to us and those around us that we would be together for much longer than we imagined going into that night!