Couple's Baby Shower!!!

Thank you SO much Gina and Ashley for hosting our couple's baby shower on Saturday. You two did a great job with decorating!! We had a blast getting together with good friends and family to shower baby Leland with so many gifts!

Our guest placed funny messages on diapers for Jason and I to use for the middle of the night changes to keep the humor flowing when we are so tired!!

Gina made the cutest diaper cakes!!

Of course everything was monkey themed to match Leland's nursery!

Jason and I with the two hostess Gina and Ashley

Pap Pap, Gi Gi, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa

33 Weeks Pregnant!

The Cake Lady!!

I may have found myself a new hobby! I have always liked to cook, but not necessarily bake. I have always been able to make sheet cakes no problem out of a box, but never really ventured out to make layer cakes. I made my first one for our good friend Danielle’s birthday back in December. It was a 3 layer strawberry cake with pink butter cream icing homemade!! It turned out so good and everyone was impressed!

I have a friend at work that is now my assistant. I have gotten really close to her because we are both pregnant and she is only 3 weeks ahead of me. Today we are throwing her work baby shower. I made a vanilla cake with butter cream icing (her favorite!) and died it blue for her sweet baby boy Christian!

Word to the wise when cake baking…..

When you complete your cake (icing and all), make sure you have a good grip on it when you transport to the refrigerator! Needless to say, I got good practice last night. I had to make 2 cakes because the first one landed in the floor and was not able to be saved!!

We Graduated!!

Jason and I graduated our parenting class last night. Last nights class was the most informative! We had baby dolls to practice with. Jason learned to change a diaper and we were taught how to swaddle! We also learned lots of great breastfeeding information, bathing information, and good information to care for little boys in general. The classes were long and the chairs were very uncomfortable, but I am really glad we went!

I also went for my check-up yesterday afternoon. Leland is still measuring right on time for a July 24th due date. With that being said, he did inform me that I will be full term the week of 4th of July (37 weeks). So, if I go into labor anytime between 37 weeks and the end, he will not stop labor, he will let me deliver!

I am really on guard that something can happen any time, any place from here on out! My good friend at work went into labor at work last Friday at 35 weeks. So far, I have not had any contractions, so I think we are good for Leland to stay put for a few more weeks! I can not believe that we will have a baby sometime within the next 4 to 7 weeks!!!

Who's the good sport now???

Everyone knows that Jason is a die hard Georgia Bulldog fan and I am a die hard Auburn Tiger fan. Everyone ask who Leland is going to pull for. The answer......we have equal amounts of Auburn and Georgia stuff for him to wear. I did however, have a bib monogramed that was a gift....

And his diaper bag happens to be Georgia colors....

But thats OK. His mommy is a good sport. His daddy can dress him in as much GA stuff as he likes, but like it or not, he is an Auburn Tiger at heart!!!

And the count down begins!

We only have about 60 days to go, give or take a few, before we meet our baby boy! We went to the doctor on Monday for my 8 month check-up. We started the visit with the 4D ultrasound. Leland was very stubborn and we could not get good pictures of him. He is head down (in my bladder!!) and feet in my ribs on the right side. He will be taking after his mommy's side of the family with big feet for sure! We were able to get a good look at his feet, heart, and some good head shots in 2D, but he likes to snuggle up against the front of my belly, so his face was very distorted. The tech was very nice and gave us our money back for the unsuccessful 4D and gave us about 20 regular ultrasound pictures. I was happy. I mainly wanted another ultrasound to confirm that it is indeed a boy, which it is and to make sure that he is growing properly since I still appear to not be very far along if you look at my belly.

I am super excited that I haven't gained a ton of weight during this pregnancy. I lost around 15 pounds in the beginning (first 20 weeks) and I have only gained 13 back, so I am still even. Everyone tells me the most growth is in the last two months, so maybe I shouldn't talk to soon!! Leland is perfect in length and weight and is taking up every inch of my belly. The doctor said everything is great with the baby and he has a very strong heart beat.

I also had to get an antibody screen and a Rogham shot because I am a negative blood type. My visits are now every two weeks and we will have a baby before we know it! This pregnancy is going by SO fast!

I appologize for not posting any ultrasound pictures, but there are really no clear ones on paper. We did get a good DVD of the entire thing including the attempted 4D.

Good Sport!

We had our 2nd parenting class last night. We learned all about pain management during the delivery. It was an interesting class. I will for sure be receiving an epidural! The nurse also taught the guys several massage tricks that will help take moms mind of the pain. The highlight of the night was the empathy belly! I did find humor in seeing Jason put on a 26lb. pregnant belly suit! Even though he hasn’t had to go through the pains and sickness that I have had the past 7 ½ months, he got a little taste of what it feels like to carry 26lbs in front of you!

Mother's Day/Mommy-to-be Day 2009!!

I had a fantastic Mommy-to-be day yesterday! We spent the weekend in GA with family at the hospital in Atlanta where our grandmother had surgery on her heart. Everything is going great and she is on the road to a good recovery, it will just take some time. We came home Saturday afternoon and I had the whole afternoon to do absolutely nothing! It was great! We spent Mother’s Day with my mom and Larry at Michael’s Steakhouse for lunch and a little shopping at the Galleria. I’m glad we got to spend time with both mom’s and Imo for Mother’s Day!

I was surprised to receive several cards and messages from friends telling me Happy Mother’s Day or Mommy-to-be day. It was very sweet, but I suppose I did not realize that ladies that are pregnant on Mother’s Day are recognized! Thanks for the cards and messages. They made my day!

My sweet husband got me a potted plant of beautiful yellow tulips from Leland and Tisyn as well. I also received a new paint job on my toenails from Jason himself! Yep that’s right, Jason painted my toenails that I can no longer reach because I have a child shoved in my ribs and it hurts to bend over! He did a great job, and I am pretty sure we could get him a part-time job at the nail salon! Everyone knows he would entertain the ladies as they had their toes painted!

Thanks a lot Jason!! I love you!!

Hard Working Man!!

Jason spent a whole weekend staining our fence in the back yard. It looks great! Thanks for all your hard work in close to 90 degree temps!

Before.....

All done!!

Baby Shower!

We had a great baby shower in Newnan this past weekend thrown by great family friends. We got lots of great stuff including a bobby pillow, bath stuff, convertible car seat, stroller, infant car seat, and plenty more! Thanks to everyone for all the great gifts! They will all be put to good use!

The food was incredible! Thanks Linda for making all of the yummy snacks! Renee hand made the fruit center piece. It was beautiful!!

You know Jason had to stick around to help open presents!

Daddy already has lots of fun things to put together for baby Leland!

The only bad part about getting all of this baby stuff is I am officially ready for Leland to be here NOW to use all of it!

Busy, Busy!!!

It seems as though our lives are speeding up instead of slowing down. Everyone tells you while you are in high school and college to slow down and enjoy the moment because the days will fly by when you get into the real world. That is SO true! Jason and I are busier than ever balancing work, weddings, showers for us and others, keeping the house put together, and making time to spend with family. This pregnancy has not been a slow process either. It seems like yesterday we found out we were going to be parents! I am now 29 weeks and Leland will be here before we know it.

We started our prenatal parenting class last night. It will be a 4 week class on Monday nights at St. Vincent’s where we will deliver. It was a very interesting night. I had to introduce Jason and myself because he received a phone call from the alarm company due to the fact that Tisyn would not allow our neighbor (whom he knows very well) let him out! Tisyn is not a mean dog by any means, but he is extremely protective and even more so now that I am pregnant. Everyone has always said that animals can sense pregnancy and I know he does. He has to be under my feet wherever I go even in the middle of the night when I get up several times! He has been around several babies in his life time that I have baby sat, so I know he will be just fine when the baby gets here, but he was 100% sure that no one was getting into the house that wasn’t supposed to last night!

Jason and I learned the stages of the delivery last night. Both of us were worried about watching videos and all of that good stuff, but I think we did just fine and learned a lot. I feel more comfortable about having this baby now that I know when to go to the hospital, how to count contractions, and everything to expect through all of the stages. I will update after each class to let you know all the interesting things we are learning about being parents!

Over the weekend we had a baby shower in Newnan. We got lots of great stuff and I will post pictures later. We would like to ask everyone to pray for our grandmother (Imo Gene) that is in the hospital undergoing test and possible surgery on her heart. Everything is going to be fine, but the family just needs prayers at this time to help all of us stay strong for her!

Happy Birthday Tisyn!!!

Tisyn turned 8 years old yesterday!! We hope we have many more years with the spoiled brat! He was treated to a petifore and some cheese straws left over from our shower on Saturday!

Beach Bums!!

Jason and I took a much needed vacation to Destin, FL last weekend. We had a great relaxing time! The weather was a little chilly, but we still got lots of sun and had lots of good food.

I told Jason this was the last year we could relax at the beach! Next year we will be building sand castles and playing with Leland in the pool!

7 Month Check-up!!

I have been to the doctor twice this week. I had my first glucose test bright and early Monday morning and failed. I had to go back for the 3 hour test this morning. I was not a happy camper!! I had to get stuck 5 times, 2 of which were drawing a vile a blood from 2 fingers because the lab person said I was "dry". Not fun, but worth it because I passed the second one!!

Leland is measuring just as he should and we are still on schedule for a July 24th due date. I am still on the small side to be 7 months pregnant, but I have been reassured that everything is OK.

We go back on May 18th for the 4D ultra sound and I will also start my Rog am shots because I am a negative blood type. Time is flying by!

Happy Easter!!!

Jason and I went to Newnan this weekend to spend Easter with family. We had a great time!

Granpa LOVES Tisyn!!

Welcome Anslee!!!

Anslee Elizabeth Williamson is our newest little cousin!! Jason had a good hour of practice with a newborn at the hospital.....

Say a little prayer! She is currently in the NICU at St. Vincents. They believe she has reflux, but will be there until the can run more test tomorrow. We are all hoping all is well! Hopefully she will just need a formula change and will be able to go home!!

Prayer's needed now more than ever.....

I posted a blog a while back about our dear friend, Danielle, waiting to have her bone marrow transplant. To update, she had the transplant last Wednesday. I went to the hospital to visit her, and all was well. She was doing great and was in good spirits. The nurses on the floor came into her room with a cake, t-shirt, and a poster signed by all the nurses. They proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to her, as Wednesday 4/2/2009 was the birth of her new life! It brought tears to my eyes, and I was very excited that I got the opportunity to share that moment with her and her mom.

Over the weekend, she started to decline, but this was OK because we knew things would get a lot worse before they got better. Last night I received a text stating that they were taking her for a cat scan because they thought that one of the tumors was causing serious problems and pain. This morning she received some rather bad news. The tumors appear larger now and she is having some abnormal enlarging of the esophagus. This is not good!! It seems as though she is moving backwards instead of forwards with the BMT. I am not sure what the doctor's will do to treat this issue, but I pray that they do something quickly to get her out of pain and misery from thinking that this may be the end of the road.

Please take time to pray for Danielle and her family as they are going through the most emotional time of pain right now. It has been one LONG road this past year as she has fought with all her might to beat this cancer. I know in my heart that God has a brand new life of all the world's blessings in store for her after this battle is over. Please just keep them in your thoughts and prayers and just know that you can't take things for granted and you don't need to sweat the small stuff!!

6 Month Check-Up!!

I went to the doctor today for our once a month check-up. The doctor said everything is great. I however, did not think so when the scales informed me of my 7 lb weight gain! I did not think that was normal, but the doctor assured me that it was fine as I have only gained 8 lbs my entire pregnancy. I simply gained back what I lost in the beginning! In fact, 8 lbs is excellent for almost 6 months pregnant. I am just excited to have an appetite for something other than saltine crackers and Sprite! Hopefully the warm weather trend will continue and I can get a good walk in every afternoon.

Leland is VERY active these days! Jason finally felt him kick several times. I can tell he his growing like a weed because my belly is getting larger and his kicks are getting a lot stronger!

The Nursery is Complete!!

We got our newly recovered chair back on Sunday. It looks great! It makes the perfect spot to sit and read or just cuddle with our little boy!

My mom and I took a 4 week sewing class. We learned a lot, and I can't wait to make more outfits for Leland to wear. They are identical to outfits in a baby store right up the street for $65, minus the monogram. Here is what we learned how to make over the past month....

Lovin It!!

We are loving this warm weather and longer days! It is so nice to come home and have a good 2 hours of daylight to go for a walk and cook dinner on the grill!

We are also loving that I am at the half-way point of the pregnancy!! I can tell a huge difference in the past few weeks. I am not getting sick near as often, I am getting more energy, and most importantly I can feel Leland kicking up a storm!! Jason has not felt a good kick yet, but I can definitely feel every one of them from the inside!

The past 20 weeks have flown by, so before we know it, our little boy will be here!!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!!!

This time last year, we woke up to temperatures in the 60's and beautiful weather for our perfect wedding! After the wedding, we stayed at the historic Tutwiler Hotel in downtown Birmingham. Scenes from our balcony a year ago looked like this..........

We did not have a good experience at the Tutwiler a year ago and were given a gift certificate for the "romance" package to be used within a year for a do-over! We chose to use our gift certificate on our first anniversary. We stayed at the hotel again last night and everything was perfect! We walked in to this.....

The room was complete with chocolate covered strawberries, champagne for Jason, and sparkling grape juice for me! We got all dressed up and had a fantastic dinner at 26, a restaurant downtown!

We had a GREAT night! Quite different from last year, we woke up to 2-3 inches of snow on the ground! The view from our balcony looked quite different!

Here's to a great first year of marriage, and many more to come!!!