The past few days, I have been noticing a new muscle "twitch" in my stomach, always in the same place around the same time of day. I think it must be the baby! Granted, I dont KNOW with 100% certainty, as I have never felt it before, but it sure feels like the little feeling everyone keeps describing.
I told Jesse I thought I felt it, and he scrambled across the room, and kept his hand on my stomach for about 15 minutes, determined to feel it himself. Hehe, I dont know that it is strong enough to be felt by him, but he insists that he pushed up against something and then it moved. :)
Only 10 more days until we find out the baby's gender!!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Baby Avery Reese
Baby Avery Reese made her (difficult) entrance to the world on Thursday, December 14, 2006. Heather went into the hospital Thursday morning already dialated 3 cm, and the doctors went ahead and broke her water to help progress her labor. Things moved slow throughout the labor process up until she reached 6 cm. Both her and Chris's entire families surrounded Heather, praying and cheering on little Avery to come out. After a little bit, the doctor came back to check and said she was ready to push! She dialated 4 whole cm in only 30 minutes! Heather had to push for about 45 minutes, and little Avery was stuck. The doctor had tried to turn her, using the forcepts and even the suction-thing on her head, and she would not turn. They began to prep for a c-section and the doctor was determined to try one last time. He grabbed her with the forcepts, and out she came! You can see she has some scratches and bruising on her face and head, from the rough delivery, but is a beautiful baby. She has dark hair like Heather, and Chris's blue eyes.
Jesse just kept staring at her as she slept...I dont blame him- we all were just staring!
Chris and Heather tried to get her to wake up so we could see her blue eyes, and Avery was not too happy about that. :)
The happy and proud new family!
Congratulations Chris and Heather! Your little miracle is absolutely beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with you both.
Jesse just kept staring at her as she slept...I dont blame him- we all were just staring!
Chris and Heather tried to get her to wake up so we could see her blue eyes, and Avery was not too happy about that. :)
The happy and proud new family!
Congratulations Chris and Heather! Your little miracle is absolutely beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with you both.
Family Christmas 2006
I always look forward to Family Christmas. You see, ever since us kids were little, my mom's family realized that it was too difficult trying to get everyone together for Christmas day year after year. And yet, we really missed the years we could not all get together. So they changed plans and set the new plans in stone. Every year, on the 3rd Saturday in December, we all meet at my grandparent's home and have Family Christmas. Other holiday plans are always made around this very special date!
This year, we changed the plan slightly, and had Family Christmas at my aunt's house in Dallas. As always, we had a great time. The focus shifted slightly, with the addition of the two new babies this year. We had a new "baby" generation to play with and enjoy. The aunts and uncles still had their secret santa drawing, as did the married cousins. I was the only person in the entire family to guess my secret santa on the 1st go-around. :) After all the presents, and of course, TONS of food, we all played "The Name Game" for what seemed like hours. It was hysterical! A good time was had by all, and I am already looking forward to next year.
Julie and Jennifer are two years apart. While my mom was shopping for Jennifer, she asked Julie to help pick out something Jenn would like. On the same hand, Jennifer was helping Aunt Darenda pick out something Julie would like. Can you believe they picked out the exact same thing, at the exact same store?? Great minds think alike!
Now, the baby pictures begin. I know, I know- I couldn't help it! They are about 2 and a half months old, just so cute, and so DIFFERENT! Hard to believe they are cousins and only a day apart.
Savannah Lynn (note the baldness)
Kalia Grace (where did she get all that hair??)
Jennifer holding Savannah, while brother Jacob holds Kalia
Times like these remind me how lucky I am to have such a big, loving family. Even though we live apart and only see one another a few times a year, it is always the most special of times.
Christmas Cheer
I tried to decorate my desk at the office so when I have to go in, at least the atmosphere is cheerful! Our company is also having a Christmas decorating contest, and though I will not win, the festive feel of the office is definitely an improvement!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Jesse's funny idea...
While we were posing for our Christmas photo, Jesse came up with some goofy idea for a picture. He knows I am very self-consious about my growing tummy, and decides to have a contest and see "whose is bigger." So on the count of three, we both stuck them out as far a s we could, and my sister caught us with the camera at the perfect time! Dont worry, we are not using this on our Christmas card, but I thought it was pretty funny and had to share. :)
Christmas at the Shulse home
Merry Christmas!
I love this season, and decorating always makes me smile from the inside out. Granted, we are still growing our Christmas collection, a little every year, but it IS growing, slowly and surely.
Our mantle, with the nativity scene, and our stockings "hung with care"
The only snow men we will ever see in Houston, Texas
Santa with his presents
Our Christmas tree (I still need to get a tree skirt...)
The lights, garland, and bows on the outside of the house
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
The lights, garland, and bows on the outside of the house
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Long time, no post!
There has been so much going on lately, and yet I have failed to share it all with you! Granted, some is boring and not very exciting, but there have been plenty of exciting things happening too!
Let's get the boring out of the way first. Work has been keeping me insanely busy, with deadlines right and left on multiple projects. I have also managed to train another new employee while still juggling my work. She is nice enough, though kind of quiet.
We have had some health problems in the past month which have not been fun. Jesse has been training for the Houston marathon and managed to destroy his feet and back in the process. He has been in physical therapy for a month and is starting to feel some results. We both came down with the allergies/flu-type symptoms, which knocked us out for about a week each. NOT fun. And to make it all worse, I have still been getting morning sickness and losing weight (not that you can tell). Throwing up is nasty, and when you do it on a normal basis, it is even worse. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
On to the good news!
Jesse took on a new part-time job, on top of his regular job at the golf course, which has also been keeping him (and me, on occasion) extremely busy. He is installing Elfa shelving for The Container Store for the entire Houston area. So far, he seems to like it, and the extra money is GREAT. I'm worried that he is going to wear himself out, but he is very adamant that he needs to do this right now to prepare (our bank accounts!) for the baby. I'm very proud of his dedication and his desire to provide so deligently for our family.
Speaking of the baby, things are progressing right along. We had our first ultrasound November 1, and if I had a scanner I would post the cute little picture. It truly was a miracle watching such a tiny human being squirming around on screen, knowing it was growing inside of me. Very cool. I have started to show a little bit, and it's kind of annoying, to be honest. I just look chunky- not quite pregnant. My pants are all fitting much snugger, yet I cant fit into maternity pants (and dont really want to at this point). I will admit- I thought Jesse was going to be the one who struggled with my changing figure, and yet it has been me- he has been totally supportive. Hopefully it will be better once it actually looks like I'm pregnant and not just chunky!! We will go back on January 2 for our next appointment, and will find out the baby's sex at that time. Get your votes in now... :)
The holiday season is in full gear, and we are having a great time. We spent Thanksgiving with my family, and had a great day full of food, fellowship, and even poker! Yes, I WON for the first time ever!! (I'm not still gloating, I promise...hehe.) We will go up to Dallas this weekend to celebrate my mom's extended family Christmas with all my aunts and uncles, which is always a lot of fun. I'm excited to see my new 2nd-cousins (Savannah and Kalia) since I have not seen them since they were born in Aug/Sept. We will spend Christmas with Jesse's family. It is fun to watch his neice and nephews get excited about Christmas and open all their toys and games. I can tell this will be a great holiday season to remember!
Let's get the boring out of the way first. Work has been keeping me insanely busy, with deadlines right and left on multiple projects. I have also managed to train another new employee while still juggling my work. She is nice enough, though kind of quiet.
We have had some health problems in the past month which have not been fun. Jesse has been training for the Houston marathon and managed to destroy his feet and back in the process. He has been in physical therapy for a month and is starting to feel some results. We both came down with the allergies/flu-type symptoms, which knocked us out for about a week each. NOT fun. And to make it all worse, I have still been getting morning sickness and losing weight (not that you can tell). Throwing up is nasty, and when you do it on a normal basis, it is even worse. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
On to the good news!
Jesse took on a new part-time job, on top of his regular job at the golf course, which has also been keeping him (and me, on occasion) extremely busy. He is installing Elfa shelving for The Container Store for the entire Houston area. So far, he seems to like it, and the extra money is GREAT. I'm worried that he is going to wear himself out, but he is very adamant that he needs to do this right now to prepare (our bank accounts!) for the baby. I'm very proud of his dedication and his desire to provide so deligently for our family.
Speaking of the baby, things are progressing right along. We had our first ultrasound November 1, and if I had a scanner I would post the cute little picture. It truly was a miracle watching such a tiny human being squirming around on screen, knowing it was growing inside of me. Very cool. I have started to show a little bit, and it's kind of annoying, to be honest. I just look chunky- not quite pregnant. My pants are all fitting much snugger, yet I cant fit into maternity pants (and dont really want to at this point). I will admit- I thought Jesse was going to be the one who struggled with my changing figure, and yet it has been me- he has been totally supportive. Hopefully it will be better once it actually looks like I'm pregnant and not just chunky!! We will go back on January 2 for our next appointment, and will find out the baby's sex at that time. Get your votes in now... :)
The holiday season is in full gear, and we are having a great time. We spent Thanksgiving with my family, and had a great day full of food, fellowship, and even poker! Yes, I WON for the first time ever!! (I'm not still gloating, I promise...hehe.) We will go up to Dallas this weekend to celebrate my mom's extended family Christmas with all my aunts and uncles, which is always a lot of fun. I'm excited to see my new 2nd-cousins (Savannah and Kalia) since I have not seen them since they were born in Aug/Sept. We will spend Christmas with Jesse's family. It is fun to watch his neice and nephews get excited about Christmas and open all their toys and games. I can tell this will be a great holiday season to remember!