Heather's baby shower

Heather and Chris are due early December, and we celebrated the upcoming birth of baby Avery Reese with a baby shower last weekend. It was fun to see Heather finally "getting big," since she did not start to show until almost 5 months! I thought it was ironic that she wore a blue shirt, since it was a girly (pink) shower...always a sense of humor!

We all helped to make a square for her quilt, as we did for Lauren. The nursery is going to be pink and brown, and as always, Brittany put together a beautiful quilt, made with the squares from all of us.

Avery's first Aggie football jersey- you know that present is more for Chris, than Heather

or Avery!

I just liked this picture...I dont remember why she was laughing so hard, but it is great that she is so happy. :)
Another close up of the quilt. My square is the top row, right in the center.
Erin got matching outfits for Lauren's daughter, Hayley and the soon-to-be baby Avery. Since Heather and Lauren have always been best friends, they just know Hayley and Avery will be best friends too. Either way, they will have a cute picture together in their green onesies!
It is always fun to get together and giggle with these girls. I'm so excited for Chris and Heather, and I cannot wait to meet baby Avery and get her initiated into the group.

my CEO's 50th birthday party

The CEO of my company recently turned 50 years old...in style! She threw an outrageous party at the Paraiso Maravilla off Chimney Rock. The place was very nice, though there were not enough chairs for everyone. They had top notch appetizers and finger foods, but I think I only tried a few that were recognizable. There was also an open bar, which is very strange for my strict, Baptist CEO! It was strange to see people you work with all dressed up (we had to wear 'after 5 attire' in either black or white), drinking, and boogying down on the dance floor! Jesse was out of town and unable to go with me, so I spent most of the night drinking Sprite and laughing as people danced all funky on the dance floor. I did manage to get a few pictures, though they turned out pretty dark.

This is my CEO and her boyfriend beginning the dance trend...

(I was on the 2nd floor looking down to get this picture)

The birthday cake...probably larger than my wedding cake...
Me and a couple girls from the office, Jean and Ana.
Chris and Lori 'getting down' on the dance floor! It was a fun evening, though not my favorite event ever. Perhaps it would have been different if I was able to have a drink or two and relax some, but that was not the case.

I stayed long enough for people to know I was there, then I headed home to have some Taco Bell and a cheesy chick flick- now THAT is my kind of night!

The first heartbeat

After continuing to be quite ill for a few weeks, I spent half the day on Sunday and all day on Monday throwing up every little thing that went into my system. I tell you this, not to make you in turn lose YOUR lunch, but to explain why we had to go see the doctor this week. Not to worry- that is not my story! However, I did have to go to the doctor on Wednesday afternoon for the first time.

While at the doctor's office, the nurse did not think they would be able to find the heartbeat, since I am only about 9 weeks along. However, when my doctor came in, she was determined to try. She brought in the doppler, and applied the (cold) gel to my tummy, and begin moving around and listening carefully.

As she pushed on the left side of my stomach, she smiled and said, "Ah- there it is!"
I kind of jumped a little, and said, "really??"

Unfortunately, my jumping caused her to lose it. So then I was extremely still, trying hard to not even breathe.

She pushed a little on the right side of my stomach and found it again. It was beating so quickly, and was such a sweet little sound. I was enjoying it when all of a sudden, from across the room, Jesse giggles (yes, giggles) and says, "Sounds like a boy!"

Needless to say, we all started laughing and it was lost again.

It was so cute to see him get excited, and get to share in the first heartbeat of our little one. Finally, something to be excited about!! Hooray for little miracles along the way!

We will still go back on Nov. 1 for the real exam, and will have the first ultrasound at that time. Yippee Skippee!

My 24th Birthday

My birthday was on October 9, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did I manage to NOT throw up all day (quite an accomplishment), but I felt peaceful. I was able to go into the office to get some work done, have lunch with a friend, and then dinner with my family at the Olive Garden. All in all, it was a very nice day!

My parents gave me the "matching" Willow Tree figurine of the pregnant woman, to go with the "New Dad" figurine I gave Jesse the day we found out we were expecting.

Jesse got me a beautiful new "Mommy" necklace from James Avery, along with a dozen orange roses. He has really surprised me with his new sentiments, since learning of the pregnancy. What a sweetie!

My family knows that I have been trying to save money for new bedroom furniture, including a new mattress and box springs. All of my sisters and my parents gave me money to help hurry the process., which I quickly added to my envelope.

We celebrated with his family a few days later, doing a joint birthday party for me and our nephew, Jansen. It was a lot of fun hanging out, and watching Jansen get so excited about his birthday presents. (Ah- remember when birthdays were FUN??)

I had a lot of friends and family send emails, leave messages, and call to wish me a happy birthday, and it meant a lot from each and every one of you! Thanks to everyone who helped make my day so special.

Julie's Senior Homecoming

My baby sister is growing up. Too fast!

Julie is a senior in high school this year, and it is so strange how her growing up has really made me feel old. I love watching her grow into the strong, independent and beautiful person that she is, but it is so hard at the same time!

She had her final homecoming dance on October 7, and I went over to "help her get ready..." which basically means I get to sit, watch, and "ohh...ahhh" a lot. Julie went with a sophisticated look this year, and I really loved the way she pulled it off.

Here she is, completeing last minute preparations before her date arrived to pick her up. Check out the CUTE shoes that tie the whole outfit together! Can you believe she also found a matching purse that completely matched the shoes, at Target? What a stylist!
Susan and I posing with Juls...unfortunately Sarah couldn't make it in town that weekend, but she was there in spirit. Holder girls forever!
Big Brother Jesse is always so supportive and encouraging, taking a part in Julie's life, and wanted this picture to "get it in ink" that he was there.
Julie and Jon, before leaving for more pictures, dinner (at Dave& Busters- how fun!), and of course the dance. Don't you love their matching outfits? They are just buddies, but they sure looked handsome together for the dance!
And to think the beautiful girl started out...like THIS! HA! Gotta love the "before" pictures!
I will miss sharing these special times with my sisters. Once Juls graduates in the spring, the dramatic high school dances will be over, and so will an era of memories with my sisters. Ah, good times, good times.

Happy News

Jesse and I found out on September 13, 2006 that we are pregnant with our first baby.

We had decided to get off birth control back in June, but were still using other methods of protection until all the hormones were out of my body. This was our very first month with nothing, and lo and behold, we are pregnant!

I had read all kinds of things saying how sometimes the mother can feel the implantation in the uterus, and that it might be accompained with some bleeding. Though I did not have any bleeding, I did feel some sharp pains in my abdomen one night, and casually dismissed it as PMS. However, for the next week or so, I feel a wierd, non-painful cramping in my abdomen quite frequently, which was strange considering I rarely cramp with my periods. I kept saying to Jesse, "Something is different..." and he would nod and smile, and go on with life. Finally, after over a week of me saying it, he said, "If you're so sure, take a test!" So I did...three times. All three were negative. Jesse calmly says, "Do you think maybe you want it so bad that you are imagining these 'feelings'?" Ummm...NO. I decided to wait and see if I started my period, and be done.

The day before I was expected to start, I was working from home, and I just kept having this nagging feeling that wouldnt go away. Jesse was at work, so I told myself if I took another test and it turned out negative, he would never have to know! So, I took one. I sat in amazement as it showed up positive! I still was not convinced, so I took another one, and it was positive again.

I had to take Jesse's grandmother to one of the local hospitals for some tests that day, and when she went back to get her test run, I walked over to the gift shop. They had the WillowTree collection, and right in front was a "New Dad" holding this little baby; I decided that was how I would tell Jesse. But first, we had to speak! See, I had been slightly emotional (again thinking, PMS) the past few days and had mouthed off to him the night before, pretty rudely. So, I sent him a text message, knowing if I called him, he would hear it in my voice, and just apologized and told him I loved him. He replied back, saying he loved me too.

I wrapped the "New Dad" in a gift bag and had it in my office with me when he got home. I walked into the living room to see him and he immediately came over and gave me a big hug. I apologized again, and then handed him the gift bag. He said, "Mel, what is this for?" I said, "It's my apology gift for being so emotional and rude lately." He hugs me again and says, "It's really not a big deal, babe..." I said, "Just open it."

He began to open the box, and didnt notice the name on the box or the little card that read "New Dad." When he saw the figurine inside, he just stopped and stared at me. "Seriously??" I smiled, and said "Seriously." He just started hugging and kissing me and even got a little emotional himself! (Shocking, I know!) I showed him the two tests, and told him I still wanted to go get the ClearBlue kind that say straight up "Pregnant" or "Not pregnant," so went right then and there. Sure enough, as you can see in the picture, "Pregnant" popped up right away.

The Friday before we left for Mexico, I went to the doctor and confirmed. She said everything looked normal, and gave Baby Shulse an approximate due date of May 25, 2007. We will go back on November 1 to meet the real doctor, have the first ultrasound, and listen to the heart beat. I'm sure it will all become a lot more real after all of that.

Please join us in praying that everything will be okay with the baby, and that it's development continues to thrive. Also, if you would not mind saying a quick prayer for my morning sickness, I would sure appreciate it! I will post updates as I know things, but I'm going to try to not become obsessive about this- so if I get annoying, just say so!! I'm just excited and want each of you to share in this rollercoaster with me; you are all so important to me, and I know you will be important to Baby Shulse as well. :)

Our Mexican Vacation 2006- part II

This may be my last post for awhile...I'm so frustrated with Blogger!! I have tried to upload these pictures probably 9 times!! Errrrr. Anyway, on with the post.

Once again, here is me enjoying the hammock on the patio balcony of our casa. I spent a good deal of time in this hammock, and as you can tell from the nasty pictures, I was pretty dang relaxed!!
Here we are, all sunscreened/oiled up, ready to go kayak and snorkel. Don't you love the one-arm-out, picture-taking ability of my talented husband?
Jesse returning from snorkeling around the bay.
One of our many Scrabble matches. Jesse won 8 times, I won 2 times, and we tied once. Can you believe he beat me that bad?? I know...I can't either.
This is Jesse with Canela, one of the many friendly dogs who lived there on the beach. Canela would literally stay on our patio all night, wait for us to wake up in the morning, follow us down to the beach, and wait by the back stairs when we left the casa. I think she adopted us!

Our Mexican Vacation 2006- part I

I am pretty late in posting, but do not take that as a negative sign!

We had a BLAST. We really did not do much, other than hang around the Casa, kayack and snorkel in the bay, nap, and play Scrabble. It was wonderful. We both were able to fully relax and catch up on some much needed sleep, as well as quality time together. The house did not have a t.v., and the radio it had was only in spanish, obviously. Some prior guests had left a few CDs, but we had not heard of any of them. Since we went during the low season, I think there were only two other couples/families on the entire beach. It was QUIET. The ocean provided the background music, while the leaves from the surrounding jungle made the melody. Very peaceful.

I'm having a hard time uploading more than 5 pictures at a time, so I'm going to have to give you pictures in installments. :)

This first picture is me standing in the ocean, looking back and taking a picture of a few of the cabanas. Ours was the one on the far right, with the four lounge chairs. I spent a lot of time on those chairs!
Yes, those are my feet, relaxing in the hammock on our patio. We had the top unit, so the view was fabulous!
This was the entrance to our Casa- Case de Canciones means "House of Songs," which was certainly appropriate!
Another pretty picture taken from our patio balcony.
One day, we visited a lagoon in Akumal called Yel-Ka (pronounced something like Jul-Ka). It was a very quiet, secluded place, full of vegetation, wildlife, and the lagoon itself. We snorkeled around (as you can tell by the mask lines on Jesse's face), and it was very different than snorkeling in the bay. There are warm spots and VERY cold spots...so you are swimming, and all of a sudden your body breaks out in goose bumps, then a few seconds later, you go through a place warmed by the ocean water, and the goose bumps subside. Weird. Supposedly, people usually see a TON of fish that are very different from the fish you see on the reefs, but we did not see all that many. Maybe it was the time of year. Regardless, it was fun to get out and see something different.

More pictures to come in the next entry!

Mexico here we come!

The long awaited vacation is finally here!!

Jesse and I leave on Saturday morning to fly to MEXICO! We have double-checked all our plans and arrangements, and it is really going to happen. The trip is paid for, other than the rental car, so we just get to go and relax. Monday we created our day-by-day meal plan, and I went shopping for the non-perishables yesterday. We will pick up the rest at one of the Mexican Marketplaces on our way. We have a small suitcase full of food, one large suitcase full of clothes, and another large suitcase full of snorkeling gear, sunscreen, towels, flip flops, and FUN. I cannot wait to get there and take nap in one of the hammocks. The weather shows a chance for rain all week long, but no hurricanes or anything scary. I'm hoping it does not rain everyday, but even if it does, I can withstand rain in MEXICO over rain in HOUSTON any day! We have planned to go visit the Mayan/Tulum ruins while we're there, so I hope one day is at least nice enough for that.

I will post pictures when I get home. Yippee Skippee!!!
(Can you tell I'm slightly excited?)

MEXICO...HERE WE COME! :)

Baby Kalia Grace

(I thought this had already posted, but it turns out I saved it as draft and didnt post!)

Baby #4, Kalia Grace came into this world on September 1, 2006 at 4:50 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 15 oz, and measured 19 inches.

Ashleigh was induced Friday morning around 6:00am, and had normal labor all day long. She said the pain was not as bad as she had imagined, especially once she was able to get the epidural. (Apparently that thing is a miracle drug, and any woman would be crazy to pass it up!)

Kalia has more hair than any baby I have ever seen in my life. Seriously! Ashleigh was teasing her saying she would need a haircut as soon as they got her home! However, with all the long, dark hair also came long, dark eyelashes. A dream come true for any girl!

Ashleigh had MAJOR heartburn throughout her pregnancy and was popping Tums as if they were candy. According to her, there is an old wives tale that says the more heartburn you have, the more hair the baby has. I have never heard of that, but it sure seems true in her case.

Isn't she a cutie? Safe and comfortable on mom's chest.
Poor thing, she was still pretty tired when we got there to see her.
I absolutely love this picture of Rick (dad) and Kalia. This is one for the wedding slideshow! She had literally been crying as we all held her, even when grandma held her, but as soon as she was in Dad's arms, she calmed right down.
I think she Rick wrapped around her little finger already...

Fun, fun! At last! All four babies are here, safe and sound. Heather and Chris are due in December and maybe they will be the start of another round. They are expecting a girl too!

Congratulations Rick and Ashleigh. Kalia is just precious!!

Baby Savannah Lynn

Baby #3 arrived last Thursday, August 31, 2006.

She was due to arrive August 20th, and they finally decided to induce when she would not come out on her own!

Michelle was induced Thursday morning around 8:00am and her labor progressed as normal. She had her epidural around 4.5 cm dialated, and said the rest was smooth sailing. Savannah had dropped as she was supposed to, andMichelle's body was getting ready as it was supposed to. By 4:00pm she was ready to push.

They tried pushing for almost two hours, and finally decided it was best to go ahead and have a C-section. Turns out that Savannah was "sunny side up" with her face up, rather than down. On top of that, the way her head was turned, her little head kept butting up against Michelle's pelvis bone, rubbing bone on bone. There was nothing they could do to get her out vaginally.

A few hours later, after getting ready for the surgery (which was more traumatic for Matt than it was for Michelle), Savannah was born.

She was a rather large baby, which can be expected being a week over due, weighing 8 lbs 5 oz and measuring 22 inches long. But oh-so-cute!
The new proud parents: the happy Humber family!
Savannah looks a little drunk or something in this picture. I dont think she liked the flash on my camera.
I'm so excited for them, and I know this is the first of more to come for the Humber family.
Congratulations Matt and Michelle!

W -- A -- W!!!

**For those of you who are not cool, or simply not familiar with my strange brain, W-A-W stands for "WHAT A WEEKEND!!"

Let me say it again- what a weekend! Our Labor Day weekend was busy, full of fun, and tons of hanging out with our friends and family.

Friday night, Amy and I met up for dinner and then went to see Patti Austin perform with the Houston Symphony. To be honest, I had never heard of Patti Austin before, but I was pleasantly surprised. Man, can that woman sing! You know someone has a true talent when they make it all look so easy. Patti sang a bunch of Ella Fitzgerald songs, full of the 'scat' style. It took me awhile to comprehend what she was doing, but she did it very well. As always, the symphony portion of the concert was amazing and always takes me back to my old orchestra days. I really do miss it. I'm so glad Amy brought this form of music back into my life. We had a great time!

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to Dallas to make the rounds.

First, we stopped off at Baylor Medical Center, and saw my cousins Matt, Michelle, and baby Savannah. They seemed happy, healthy, and very content with their new little life. Savannah was beautiful, though slightly large for a newborn. I guess that's what happens when they are a week over-due. We thought it was pretty cute that Matt pulled out his laptop and started showing us his (already long) slideshow of pictures. New dads are so cute! I will post more details and pictures in a new post.

Then, we headed around town to Presbyterian Hospital at Plano to see the other cousins Rick, Ashleigh, and baby Kalia. Ironically, the first thing Rick did when we got there was pull out his laptop and show us his slideshow of pictures!! I guess that is thing to do for new dads! Everyone was happy and healthy. Kalia has more hair than I have EVER seen on a newborn. She is already due for a trim, lol. I will post more details and pictures in a new post.

Saturday evening we stayed with my other cousins, Bryan and Courtney. We enjoy hanging out with Bryan and Courtney, though we rarely get to stay with them or get one-on-one time. They cooked us a huge meal for dinner (steak, bacon-wrapped-shrimp, broccoli, scalloped potatoes, rolls) and we stayed up talking late in the night. Then we slept in, woke up, cooked another big breakfast (bacon, eggs, waffles, oatmeal) and talked some more. It is great having people in the family who an understand and relate so well. Hopefully we will be able to plan our ski trip for this winter sometime and hang out again soon!

Sunday afternoon we headed down to Austin. We went and stayed Sunday night with Chase, Rebecca, and baby Natalee at his parent's new lakehouse. It was a very nice place on Lake Travis, and it was cool to see how much his parent's have fixed it up. The boys smoked cigars on the porch overlooking the lake, while Rebecca and I chatted and played with baby Natalee. She is just too cute, and so much fun. I swear she smiled at me; I know they say babies that young can't smile, but I know I saw dimples. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures. I'm sure we will see them and hang out again soon.

Monday morning we slept in, then woke up and headed to see David on the other side of Austin. He took us out in his boat (you would not believe this boat of his!) on Lake Austin, along with Justin, who I have known since middle school and Kim, one of their friends in Austin. They are all big wakeboarders, and Jesse and I had never tried it. I have not even ski'd in years. David went first, and he was amazing. Jumping 8 ft in the air across the wakes, and even did a flip! Then Kim got up (she is still fairly new at it), and she did pretty good, going back and forth between the wakes, and even outside the wake. Jesse was up next. They had told us that 1st timers rarely get up, so I was hoping he would struggle a bit...but, no. Mr. Natural Athlete was perfect. He got right up, started going back and forth between the wakes, did some change ups (switched his footing), and even tried jumping the wake. Must be nice to be so good at everything. I tried after him. Notice I used the word "tried." I think I tried to get up 4 or 5 times, and every time struggled. It was as if I could get up, but not stand up, so I was off balance and could not get control. I would just wipe out. Justin went after me, and he was another pro, jumping back and forth, way up in the air. It was a whole lot of fun, and I can see how it would be addicting! If I lived up there, I would be out there all the time. What a great time!

SO, after my long post, you can see what a great weekend we had! We were able to see a lot of people, catch up, and have a lot of fun. Thanks everyone, for a weekend of awesome memories!

Update on existing babies

Baby Hayley Grace is doing wonderfully! Hayden and Lauren have settled into their new roles of Mom and Dad, and Hayden has even helped change diapers!
Lauren and I hung out a few weeks back, and I was able to snap this precious picture of Hayley in her carseat. This picture does not even show you how little she really is. That carseat looked huge compared to her. What a cutie pie!
I have seen Chase, Rebecca, and baby Natalee a few times, and always forget my camera. Natalee is another beautiful baby with wide blue eyes. She has had some pretty good gas when I have been around, which is sign that she is healthy!! She ripped a couple good ones, and we all died laughing...like father like daughter, right Chase?? J/K. These babies are too fun!

My cousin Michelle was induced yesterday morning and had her little one, Savannah Lynn last night. My other cousin Asheligh was induced this morning at 6:00am, and will hopefully be having Kalia Grace this afternoon. So, Jesse and I are going to Dallas tomorrow morning so we can check on the cousins and see their new little ones. I will update with pictures next week.

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

More of the pups

Jersey and Brooklyn sure love me working from home more...they play together from the time they get up in the morning until they go to bed. No one believes me when I tell them how much I actually feed these dogs- they look like I starve them! I think they just burn so many calories playing all day that they dont put any weight on. Still, being able to see the entire rib cage of your dog is not always good. I promise I feed them!!

We are thinking about trying to find a new home for Brooklyn. Don't get me wrong, I love the dog. But, having two big dogs in our small house is not working out so well. She is so much more maintenance than Jersey ever was, and is very needy and attention craving. I just think she needs a home that can give her more of that. Jersey is our baby, and no matter what Brooklyn does she will never be able to compete for that. If anyone knows of anyone who might be interested in a 10 month old, potty trained, people-loving lab, feel free to give them my number!
This picture cracks me up. They are so serious! It looks like either:
A) a mug shot
B) the old farmer and wife picture...give Brooklyn a hat and Jersey a pitchfork, and you got it made!

Catchin' up with the girls!

I have had such a great couple of weeks! A lot of my girl friends who I do not get to see very often have been able to meet me for catch up time. I have been catching up with a lot of familiar faces, and I have loved every minute.

Two week ago I was able to meet Amy for dinner, and hear all the fun and exciting things going on in her life. As always, we never ran out of things to say. Amy always knows how to make me laugh and just look at the brighter side of whatever drama is going on in my life. I really appreciate that about her. She reminds me to be a realist, while always keeping a smile. We are going to have more hang out time this Friday, and I cannot wait to see her again!

This past Saturday, Olivia came into town. Olivia and I played harp together in high school. We used to sit in the harp room and talk for hours (much better than practicing!) I have not seen her since her wedding last summer, because she and Philip live in San Antonio. I went to a movie with her and her brother and sister, and we quickly caught up during the previews and then after the movie. She seems to happy to be married and is looking forward to gradutation next Spring. I pray that she makes it through all the studying, practicing, auditioning, and everything else that is going to happen over the next year.

Monday night, Shelley and I were able to meet up for dinner and enjoy our favorite...mexican food! We used to be pretty good about meeting once a month or so, but life has just been too hectic lately. I had really missed her!! It was so great to catch up and hear all of the many changes that are going on in her life right now. Her and Mike are going to have a lot more changes in the months to come, and I pray that they will lean on each other to make it through. Even though they may be moving, I know we will get together again soon.

Tuesday, Stacey and I went to lunch. Stacey and I ran track together in high school, AND she married one of my best guy friends from high school. I have always loved Ben and Stacey, especially through all the dating drama in high school. I'm so happy that married life has brought them even more happieness. Stacey and I have always been able to relate so well to each other. It is as if God knew we would forever be going through the same things at the same time. I'm so thankful to have a friend who really understands what I am thinking and feeling. I pray that she and Ben are able to make all their dreams come true and begin their new family in God's perfect timing.

My friends have always been such a blessing in my life, and I know I do not thank them enough for all that they do and all they mean to me. So for all you friends out there who read this blog- THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME FRIENDSHIP. I promise, you have all touched my life in ways you do not even know. I love you all!

What gender brain are you?

***Your Brain is 60% Female, 40% Male***

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female.
You are both sensitive and savvy.
Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed.
But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?http://www.blogthings.com/whatgenderisyourbrainquiz/

What breed of puppy are you?

***You Are a Chihuahua Puppy***

Small, high strung, and loyal. You do best in the city with a adults - young kids could crush you!

Haha, that's funny.

What Breed of Puppy Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatbreedofpuppyareyouquiz/

What color should your eyes be?

***Your Eyes Should Be Brown***

Your eyes reflect: Depth and wisdom
What's hidden behind your eyes: A tender heart

DANG IT. I was really hoping for a color, any color, besides brown. I give up. I guess I'm destined to have brown eyes. :)

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorshouldyoureyesbequiz/

What flavor ice cream are you?

**You Are Coffee Ice Cream**

Energetic and lively, you are always on the go. You're doing a million things at once and doing them well. You tend to motivate others and raise spirits. You are most compatible with chocolate ice cream.

Hmmm...interesting. I'm not a big coffee fan, but I sure do love chocolate (which might explain why I am compatible with chocolate). I do tend to multi-task, though not always "well."

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatflavoricecreamareyouquiz/

What does your birthday say about you?

***Your Birthdate: October 9***

You are a born idealist, with more pet causes than you can count. You prefer be around others, both when working and while relaxing. Generous and giving, you believe you can change the world one person at a time. You're open minded and tolerant. People feel like they can tell you anything.

Your strength: Your go-with-the-flow flexibility

Your weakness: Your flair for the over dramatic

Your power color: Pine green

Your power symbol: Circle

Your power month: September

I dont know if I necessarily believe all this...one, I typically prefer to be alone rather than around others. Two, I don't know that I am always open-minded, though I am working on it. I'm not always a go-with-the-flow person. I do like green; it is my favorite color. Can someone please explain how a circle is a power symbol??

Test it for yourself:

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/

Baby Natalee Anne

Baby #2 has arrived!
(And actually arrived Monday, I'm just late in posting.)

Baby Natalee Anne was born August 7, 2006 at 7:14 pm, weighing only 6 lb. 6 oz. She has a lot of dark blond hair, that looks a lot "straighter" than the curls that covered her head Monday after birth.

Rebecca was induced Monday morning, and was in intense labor all day long. She took the epidural around 4 cm, and yet it wore off three times, and they had to up the dosage. Jesse and I had decided to wait until later to head down to the hospital since we had been there every other time, and we had to work anyway. We left our house around five, and my phone rang. It was Rebecca. She said that when she dialated to 9.5, they went ahead and tried to push for awhile, but nothing happened, so she was resting to begin pushing again. She already sounded exhausted, and I just prayed for her the whole way there hoping that her little one would be safetly in her arms when we arrived.

Well, by the time we arrived, the family was all out in the waiting room and were making bets on the time of birth. Anywhere between 6:02 pm until 6:27 pm. Sure enough, 6:27 pm passed, and we all started getting nervous. Somehow we all conjugated outside her door (even though we were not supposed to be there, and were told to go back to the waiting room), listening at the door to figure out what was going on. One of the nurses kept going in and out, and she would kindly say "she's doing great...but not yet." Well, we started to hear Rebecca crying softly and breathing hard, and all you could hear of Chase was him saying, "you can do it, honey. C'mon!" (Kindly of course.)

When we heard the first cry, the new grandparents were out in the hall with us, and all started crying themselves. It was pretty cool. Natalee has quite a set of pipes on her! We all paced around outside excitedly, and after a bit Chase came out and just quickly handed us his camera then went back in. It had pictures of her, and we all were amazed.

Within 30-45 minutes, we were all allowed back in there to see mom, dad, and new baby. Rebecca was pretty tired, but holding Natalee in her arms, you would never have guessed it. As the family took turns holding her, Natalee was just precious. Her big blue eyes were WIDE open (I have never seen a newborn with eyes open like that), and she was just starring at everyone, soaking them in, as if to say, "ah, you must be ___. I've heard so much about you..."

Rebecca and Natalee had to stay for the full 48 hours at the hospital because she was born with a small temperature and was stuck in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They all came home late Wednesday night, and Jesse and I went to see everyone Thursday night.

Here are some pictures of the new baby and the happy family:


Congratulations Chase and Rebecca! I'm so excited for you, and I know your dreams have come true with the arrival of Baby Natalee. I cannot wait to watch and see how she grows into your own little princess. Congrats!

Baby Hayley Grace

Baby #1 has arrived!!

Hayley Grace was born August 4, 2006 at 1:55pm. She weighed only 6 lb. 7 oz. and is just perfect. Her little skin already has nice color and she seems to be a very easy baby. Of course, she was probably exhausted when we saw her yesterday from being born and all...might have worn her out a bit.

Lauren had contractions for about 24 hours (in and out of the hospital- they kept sending her home), but Friday morning she had started to dialate. They went ahead and broke her water and got her on the potosin (spelling?) to induce. By the time she had dialated to 4 cm, she was asking for the epidural, because the contractions had her in tears. Once she received the epidural, the rest was smooth sailing (according to her). Lauren only had to push for 20 minutes, and out popped little Hayley.

Hayden was beaming from ear to ear from the time we arrived at the hospital. It seemed so surreal, and yet it was more real to him that it had been in nine months. Both Hayden and Lauren seemed completely happy and relaxed the entire time we were there. Lauren was perky and talkative and so excited.
The nurses were moving Lauren to another room for the night while we were there, and the nursery was sending baby Hayley to stay with them for the remainder of their time there. So, it was the first time they really got to be with her since delivery (minus a 30 min quick visit earlier; in which I'm sure she was passed all around the room). They did a great job of letting everyone hold her...and finally Hayden asked for her back, since he had only held her about 5 minutes all day! He had been the "passer" and never the "holder." After nine months, it was time!
They are supposed to be sent home this afternoon, since everything went so well. Lauren was ready to leave last night, saying "we should all go to dinner!" Naturally, we thought she was still a little high from the epidural..

I'm so excited for Hayden and Lauren, and I know they are ready for their new life with little Hayley. I'm sure there will be a lot of pictures in the months to come...little girls are so cute!

Our 3rd Anniversary

Jesse and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary this week, on August 2nd. In some ways it seems hard to believe we have been married that long...in other ways it seems we have been together MUCH longer than that! :)

Every time we have a special occasion, I always unrealistically get my hopes up, and am inevitably disappointed. This time, I was determined to not do that to myself, or to Jesse. So we set rules. Since we have planned a "second honeymoon" in September with our trip to Mexico for a week, we agreed that we were not going to get each other gifts for the anniversary. Well, we have said that before (for Christmas or Valentine's Day), but I just can't NOT get him something. It feels wrong! This time, I was determined to stick to my guns, and I had prepared for the same from him, so I would not get my feelings hurt.

On Wednesday, he called me pretty early in the morning to tell me Happy Anniversary and just start the day off right- always a good thing. He was sweet all day long, calling much more than usual, and we excitedly spoke of our dinner plans. I had bought him two cards (I can never pick just one), and had already written them out, planning on giving them to him at dinner or something. Jesse came home from work (I was working in my office) and he had brought me a dozen hot pink roses. I have never had hot pink roses before, and they were beautiful!! He arranged them for me in a crystal vase, and I just smiled. Then I noticed there was a gift and a card sitting on the countertop. I looked at him as if to say, "I thought we said no gifts!" and now it was his turn to smile. He said, "it is kind of something for both of us- go ahead and open it."

So I opened the pretty bag, and pulled out two books: Blue Like Jazz and Rockin the Roles. See, a few months back we were having a bit of a rough patch, and I had specifically mentioned that I missed our devotionals together and I really wanted us to find something we could read together and grow together. I had heard of Blue Like Jazz before and had mentioned I was interested, and I had also told him I wanted to read something with the perspective of Christian husband/wife roles. He not only remembered, but he went and got them for US on our anniversary!! That is pretty sentimental for Jesse, and it got major plus points in my book. I was so happy, and he was beaming.

It was wierd not having anything to give him...normally I am on the other side, giving the gift and not receiving one. Maybe God wanted the tables turned for a reason. It was good to reverse the roles this once.

We went to The Cheesecake Factory in The Woodlands for dinner (we had a gift certificate) and ate more than I have eaten in the past week combined. Both of us stuffed ourselves to the brink, and were HURTING for the rest of the night. It was worth it though- no regrets!

August 2, 2006 was a GREAT 3rd anniversary- one that we both really needed.

Catch up

So, after my last post, there were more complications and issues with Chase, Rebecca, and Baby Natalee. Basically, her water did not break, and even after being induced all day last Friday, she still would not dialate (so her body was not ready). They sent them home at about 9:00 last Friday night empty-handed. Pretty tough; especially since poor Rebecca had been hurting and contracting for over 48 hours by that point. They saw their doctor Monday morning, and have decided to go ahead and induce this coming Monday, August 7th, and they will leave with a baby no matter what this time!

Saturday morning, I woke up early and headed up to Dallas for the weekend. My cousin Michelle had a baby shower on Sunday, and since I have not been able to be around her much during her pregnancy, I really wanted to go spend some quality time with her before baby Savannah gets here in a few weeks. Her nursery is adorable (I forgot my camera all weekend, so I have no pictures), and the proud parents seem ready for her to arrive. We had a great time hanging out in the nursery, Michelle showing me all of Savannah's little things, and just catching up in general. Her shower on Sunday was very fun, and I learned a few new "shower games" for future showers. My cousin-in-law Ashleigh, who is also due this month, came to Michelle's shower, and both girls looked ready to pop. I guess that is why they say that last month can be the hardest!

The little girls are all coming...prepare for pictures over the next month!

(Side note: Everytime we hang out with these pregnant people, they always ask, "so what's been going on with you and Jesse?" My answer remains the same: "Nothing; our lives are generally boring, so we are currently living our excitment through all of you!!" And it's true! It is so fun being apart of everyone's joyful and special time right now.)

Wow- what a week!

(...and a lot of "w's" in that title!)

This has been an exiciting and exhausting week. I have so many details to each story, but I will try to stay on track and give you a good overview.

Wednesday night Jesse had four tickets to the Astros' game, so we invited Chase and Rebecca to go with us. About half way through the game, Chase tells us that Rebecca has been having contractions throughout the entire game. By the end of the game, they are steadily about 5 minutes apart. Naturally, as first-time parents, they were alarmed by this, since she is still not officially due for another two and half weeks. When we got in the car to head home, she called her doctor, who wanted her to go to the hospital and have everything checked out. Better safe than sorry, right?

So we went to Memorial City Hospital and they hooked her up to machines and started running tests. The baby's (Natalee's) heart rate was pretty high, so Rebecca drank some water which calmed it down a bit. Her contractions remained fairly consistent, but she was not dialating and her water had not broken. Rebecca and I walked around the maternity area for about an hour trying to get her water to break, and no such luck. Around 3:00am they decided to send her home; she was definately having contractions, but labor was not progressing at a rate for them to admit her. So we all headed across town to go home.

Thursday mornng, I talked to Rebecca and she said she was doing okay. Her contractions were still consistent, but still her amniotic sac remained in place. Throughout the day, she and Chase went on many walks...around Walmart, the neighborhood, etc. I spoke to Chase around 6:45pm and he said her contractions were feeling stronger, but still nothing to get back to the hospital about. I went to sleep.

At 9:45pm my phone rings, and it is Chase telling me Rebecca's water broke and they are headed to the hospital. I know that even at that point it can take awhile, but Jesse helped convince me that this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I would be mad at myself if I missed it. So, I put on my clothes, sent some emails to work taking a personal day on Friday, and headed to the hospital.

When I got there, I was the only one there- I just knew his family and her sister would have already been there! I went to their room and it turned out that her "water breaking" was inconclusive, according to their tests (so the families were waiting to hear more- Chase never called me back and told me to wait!). And on top of that, her contractions had pretty much stopped since she "felt the leakage." The baby's heart rate was normal, and the nurses/doctor were pretty perplexed. We waited a few hours and Rebecca started having contractions again, which were slightly stronger than they had been the past 24 hours. Around midnight they ordered an ultrasound to see if the amniotic sac was still in place around the baby.

I have never seen an ultrasound before, and it was simply amazing. As they rolled over her head, you could literally see her little face- it looked as if baby Natalee was looking right at us! She just looked beautiful. I think seeing her like this made Chase and Rebecca feel better, as they were starting to feel pretty frustrated and concerned by this point.

After the results from the ultrasound came back, the hospital would not let her leave. They gave Rebecca something to help her sleep through the night, and said the doctor would be in first thing in the morning to decide what to do. So, I hugged them both and came home (got home around 2:00am).

I have since talked to Chase, and they have gone ahead and induced Rebecca. It looks as if her amniotic sac has a leak (so it did "break," it just did not "pop" and gush out like some mothers experience). With a leak, it would be more dangerous to sit and wait for it to all leak out and could potentially add stress to the baby, so the doctor wanted to induce. They went in and popped the sac for her, and now labor has begun! Unfortunately, the doctor said it would still more than likely be a long process and she probably would not deliver until this evening at the earliest.

Jesse and I are going down there again this afternoon, and I hope to get some good pictures of mom, dad, and baby Natalee to share with everyone! I will keep you posted...