Halloween PJs on Christmas!

I'm sure some of you were wondering so........Due to lack of Christmas PJs, we put Joey in the only holiday PJs we had....Halloween ones :) We are too laid back at times it seems! We will make sure to get her some for next year!

Joey's 1st Christmas

Joey's first Christmas was a huge success!  We started off the festivities at Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bret's for potato soup :)

Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Amy, Grandma Sharon, and Aunt Becky's house for dinner and presents with Johnny's side of the family!  Joey got a walking toy from Aunt Amy, and tons of cute clothes from the rest of the fam!  She had a great time opening gifts and slept really well that night!

I love Christmas!!

This bow came on one of Joey's gifts!  Johnny put it on her head :)

Christmas day we woke up and went to Aunt Vicky's house for breakfast and presents with my side of the family!  It was great, Joey got a super fun pop up toy from Nonny and Dedecek.  Vicky and I had one growing up, and we loved it too!  She also got some books, and some more super cute clothes!  This kid is outfitted for the next month in new clothes :)  

This is Joey's new trick!  She can stand for a long time :)  She loves it!

This is the toy Nonny and Dedecek gave Joey :)

Christmas night we went back to Grandmas and played Catch Phrase!  Love it!!! We still have 1 more Christmas to do up at my dad's in Texoma!  I can't wait to see them, and I know Joey is looking forward to it too!  I think that's it for now, will write more later :)

8 months old!

Hi, I'm Joey, and I'm 8 months old yesterday!! I can sit up, pull up on some things, roll like a mad women, smile, laugh, toot just like daddy, reach for the people I love, sleep through the night, take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, hold my own bottle, eat cheerios, play with toys, and talk loud! I recently had to go to the doctor because I was all snotty. I got to take some yummy medicine that I sucked down super quick in fear mommy was going to take it away from me! It was goooooooooooooood, and tasted like bubble gum, well that's what daddy said at least! No Aunt Becky, I cannot crawl yet, but I'm workin on it! I can spin on my tummy in a full circle :) My favorite past times are rolling, hanging with family, pooping, eating, and saying "dada" really loud! It's my first Christmas tomorrow! Not sure what that means yet, but I keep hearing something about Santa and Jesus! I'm sure they are both really great guys, but not as great as my daddy! He's the best! My parents told me they are excited because they get to write me off on their taxes this year. What are taxes anyway? Well that's about it! Here's to another great month of my life! I look forward to many more!

This is me trying to eat Cheerios for the first time! I was a bit confused :)

I like to roll, here I am in mid roll :)

I forgot to mention that I love taking pictures! I smile for most of them :)

I will also put anything in my mouth that you put in front of me! Silly Daddy :)

Here I am with Mommy...I just love her even though we look nothing alike :)

2 days in a row??? What???

So I am writing not to talk about Joey....I know, but the news I have is so exciting that everyone should know! My sister in law just got engaged last night! Her ring is beautiful, and her fiance Stewart is awesome! Johnny, Joey and I couldn't be happier for her :) Here is this pic of her ring that she sent via phone :) I feel very technical right now!





Yay Amy! Now Joey can call Stewart Uncle Stewy!!

Heart Check Up

I am so bad at this! I need to write more often so my posts don't have to be so gosh darn long :) anyhooooooo, on with the news!

We took Joey to the heart doc on Monday. I was anxious to see how the sonogram on her heart would go now that she's rolling all over the place. To my suspicion, it didn't go very well ...she was OK at first then she started moving, and crying, and wiggling, and crying...finally the sono tech said "well I guess that's as good as a picture we are gonna get today." We took Joey and waited on the doctor. Once she was off the table she was good! She wanted to stand up, and if any of you have held her lately, you know what I mean! This child never wants to sit! The doc evaluated the sonogram pics and let us know how she is doing. The Verdict is in, and she is improving!!! The hole in her heart is almost completely gone...its more of a flap now...this is a good thing! The valve is stable, and he is hopeful that it heals itself over time! We are not looking at surgery for either of these defects! Our God is good :) Thanks for everyone who prayed for our little princess! The peace we have had thru this whole thing is evidence that the prayers are working! We don't have to go back to the heart doc for another 6 months, so that is a good thing! She will be 1 year and 2 months at that point! Time sure does fly! Well, that's the update :)

Thanksgivinged Out!

Thanksgiving was a blast!  Here are some pics of the festivities!  We are tired!

Aunt Vicky and Joey at Dinner :)

Kenzie and Joey 

We had to cook the Turkey in my mom's room...the kitchen was full!

Breakfast at Brownie's on Black Friday

Watching the marching band with Grandma Sharon....These things are the real deal :)

I'm a big kid now!!

"Look at me, I'm sitting up now!!!  Sometimes I fall down, but I'm getting better!" Joey Stout :)

STOP!!!

So everyone needs to stop telling Joey how cute she is!  She's getting a big head, literally! We went to the doctor today for her 6 month check up and her head went from 20th percentile to 48th percentile!!!  Wow :)  Her Length is 2'1" (4 more inches and she will be 1/2 my size :), and her weight is 14lbs 9oz.  She did really well at the doctor, and Johnny and I refused the Flu shot for her!  We never get the shot, and decided that she doesn't need it either!  Our doc left us with some assignments.  By the time we come back in 3 months, she needs to be able to stand up, eat cheerios, and......um......I can't remember if there was anything else??  Anyway, Joey is a happy healthy baby!  Praise the Lord :)  Happy Halloween!

A Toofer!

Wow, I'm up to 50 posts!!!  OK, on with the update :)  Usually a twofer is a deal where you get 2 for the price of 1.  In the Stout house, it is the name of Joey's new teeth :)  And I quote..."Joey, you're getting a new toofer."  end quote!  This is me talking of course!  I will post pics as soon as she lets us see her teeth long enough to get it on camera!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Imaginary Friend :)

So I didn't think that Joey would have an imaginary friend at the the ripe old age of 5 1/2 months, but apparently she does. How do I know??? I got tipped off Sunday night when she woke up at 2:30am and proceeded to talk at the top of her little lungs to something in her room. She was laughing and having a great time, so I came to the conclusion that she has a new friend to catch up with. My hunch was solidified this morning at 4:30 am, when she decided to strike up a conversation again......at the top of her lungs. I went into check on her and she was at the bottom of her crib (we have her mattress on a tilt because she has allergies) sucking her thumb and talking to no one. I fixed her in her bed and told her to go back to sleep :) She didn't listen (big surprise), and proceeded to discuss matters further with her pal. I decided that she would be ok, so I turned off the monitor in our room so that we could get the last 2 hours of sleep that we so desperately needed. Off whet the monitor, and we could still hear her just jibber jabbering away at the other end of our house. "At least she's not crying" Johnny said, and we both dosed back to bed. We shall see if this becomes a trend, and if Joey's imaginary friend shows up tonight! Here's hoping that he/she doesn't :)

Sweet time with the Lord......

So this week as a step of faith, I have committed to pray in my car from Miss Holli's house (Joey's babysitter) all the way to work.  It is about a 15 minute drive, and when I originally thought to do this, I thought there would be a lot of dead space. What would I pray for, who would I pray for, and what if I miss something really good on Kiss FM????  These were the questions running through my head!   Turns out that this sweet time with our Lord has made me think of each and every one of my friends, family and coworkers.  I have been prying for each of you in a general sense, and would love some specifics!  Even now not knowing what some of you need prayer for, the time flies with God, and I am yearning for more!  I have a great time chatting it up to Him in the car while people next to me think I'm singing along with the radio or something!  I find myself sitting in my car hanging out with Him till the very last minute before I need to be inside EWA.  Please send me any and all prayer requests you might have this week!  I will lift them up for sure :)  Thanks be to God!!!!  Here is a picture of someone I've been praying for!!  Enjoy!

Eureka....I have found it!!

So I am constantly reminded that my daughter is Johnny's daughter..........She looks like him, has his feet, expressions, blood type and more .  We always get told that she is a Johnny Stout looking Baby (to quote my good friend Debbie)(not that this is a bad thing!!!! ).  Well finally today I caught a glimpse of me in our baby!  We just got a new bouncy seat toy for Joey yesterday.  We put the height of the foot rest at it's shortest.  She still can't touch the floor!!!!!!  She's mine too!!!  I'm short, she's short :) It's our thing :) 

Brownies????

Did you know that when you make brownies you have to use vegetable oil, not canola oil, and eggs, not egg beaters??  I read the directions, but thought that I could substitute the canola for veggie, and the egg beaters for eggs....Not the case.  What came out was not brownies, but a cake like substance that my very polite and gooooooood friends Liz, Kelli and Ashley pretended to enjoy!  Love you ladies :)  Next time I'll splurge and get ALL the ingredients!

Jesus....I heart you!!!

So we just went to the heart doctor for Joey yesterday.  We were expecting a long visit because our last took 2 hours!!!!!  We got there and they weighed and measured her (13lbs, and 24"), and then sent us to a sonogram room.  Dr Laird came and did a sono on Joey's heart then said he was going to leave for a bit, they were going to move us to a different room, and then we could talk.  He ended up just talking to us in the sono room.  Joey's medium sized hole in her heart is now EXTRA SMALL and the doc said he considered it HEALED, and that 10% of adults have an extra small hole in there hearts without ever knowing it!  He also said that the vein he thought might be draining into the wrong side of the heart is not draining into the wrong side!  It is going to the side it is supposed to :)  Yay!!!  Last but not least, her Pulmonary Valve that is only opening 90% of the way got slightly worse, but he said that it is typical, and usually gets a little worse before it gets better!  Wow, great news!  When we were leaving, the doctor said to "treat Joey as if she were a healthy baby, because she is!".  We are so thrilled, and want to thank everyone for their prayers!

Dear Jesus...Thank you so much for healing our beautiful daughter's heart!  You knew her name before she was born and she is a child made in your image.  Thank you for wrapping your loving arms around her little heart and forming it the way you did, and healing it the way you have!  You rock, and we know that this is a result of prayer and faith!  Thank you again :)  In your holy name I pray...Amen!

Hair today gone tomorrow :(

So here's how my mornings go.....beep beep beep...the alarm goes off at 6am....I hit snooze :) beep beep beep...there it is again!  I guess I'll get up???  Johnny heads off to take care of Joey..he wakes her, feeds her, and gets her dressed most week days (what a man :)!  I hop in the shower for a quick rinse off and hair washing, sometimes if it's extremely necessary, I'll shave my legs.  After the shower, I'll get out and finish getting ready for the day.  I'll get dressed, brush and dry my hair, and head downstairs to spend some time with the fam.  Joey and I leave at 7:15 to go to Miss Holli's house.  "What is the point of this blog?" you are saying....well here goes.  For the past few weeks, I have noticed a change in hair.  When I was preggo, I had hair growing out of my neck (I referred to it as teen wolf) and the hair on my legs stopped growing.  The hair on my head got thicker and grew faster.  The script has totally been flipped on me!  The leg hair is back...the neck hair is gone (thank you Jesus!), my hair has stopped growing at warp speed, and it's all falling out!!!  This is not a joke...each time I brush my hair, I have to clean the brush out.  I'm seriously considering rogaine for women!  Everyone says it will stop, but I'm afraid I won't have any hair left and that will be the reason it stops :(  Yikes....so if you see me with a hat on my head, and no pony tail coming out of the back, you know why!  Thank goodness I have a super cute baby to show for it, or else I would be sad!

To nap or not to nap...that is the question!

Ahhhhh, nap time :)  How sweet it is!  I am sitting in our living room while Johnny and Joey take well deserved naps!  There was once a time when I too would be napping!  Now I am constantly thinking of what I can get done while Joey is asleep.  Her laundry needs to be folded, restock the diaper stashes around the house....is the diaper bag stocked and ready to go at a moments notice???...have I eatin yet?.....put the high chair away.....write a blog....and more!!!  These are the things I never thought I'd be concerned with, but now are all too important!  Saturday is a great day to get this stuff done.....nevermind, I'm taking a nap :)  Night night!!!

This is a pic pre nap :)   Seriously cute!!

Welcome back :)

Wow, it's been quite a long time! I am starting a new blog on this site because it's FREE, and can be just as fun! Joey has been up to so much since I last wrote! She talks all the time now...I'm not sure what she is saying, but she totally responds to you anytime you talk to her! She's rolled over about 5 times, and is holding onto things for long periods of time! Don't get near her with anything you don't want in her mouth, because she is reaching for things and that is where everything ends up! Joey is now 12.1 lbs and 23.25 inches long! She's getting so big and I can't believe she's already 4 months old! Time is going by so quickly and I didn't think I'd be as sentimental about her getting bigger as I am! We have a heart doc appointment on the 15th, so if you don't hear from me by then, you can expect a post afterword for sure! Thanks to everyone who keeps up with our family! I will do my best to keep ya'll updated! Here's a super cute pic of our little lady!

Joey ate cereal for the first time :)

So we tried to feed Joey some cereal today!  Her doctor said she was ready to eat real food!  Here's how it went :)

Yippeeeee

we just got a MacBook!!  Fabu :)

shake, rattle and roll......

So I was eating dinner tonight, and Joey was lying on her back on the floor. She has been trying to roll over for the past few days, and she finally did it!!!!! It was the cutest thing ever :) Johnny missed it :( I'm sure she will do it again tomorrow! That's it.....

I heart you :)

So yesterday we took Joey to the Pediatric Cardiologist to check out a heart murmer that our Pediatrician discovered at Joey's 2 month appointment. She did so good! Joey had to get an EKG.....basically they stick stickers all over her chest and shoulder area then the clip things to them and get a reading of her heart beat. She didn't cry or anything, and seemed to not mind being naked (with the exception of the diaper they let us keep on her). They put us in a room and we waited for the doctor. He said that he couldn't tell what he wanted to from the EKG, so we had to get a Sonogram on miss Joesphine! She had to lay still for over 20 minutes and she did. The sono tech kept putting jelly on her and rubbing her chest with this sono wand. She just sat there and cooed, oh and of course pooped :) It was silent and she was not :) The sono tech let us go back to the room when she was done and let us get Joey dressed again to wait for the doctor. Again, no crying, just cooing and having a great time until.......the doctor wanted to take another sono of her heart. We had to get her naked again and put her back in the sono room. She had had enough! She was crying and kicking and not being too excited about getting that jelly on her again. The doctor did the sono this time....it took about 5 minutes then he sent us to the room to wait for him. He came in after we dressed her again, and calmed her down...she actually fell asleep on me :) So sweet!!! He began to explain how the heart works....then he showed us a diagram of how Joey's heart is working. She has pulmanary valve stinosis (sorry if the spelling is off). This is where one of her valves is only opening to 90% as opposed to 100%. He explained that this was not a huge deal and compared it to opening a door. If you open the door 100% it is just as easy to go through that as it is to go through a door that is 90% open. We only need to worry if the valve opens 40 or 50%. Then he said that Joey has a medium size hole in her heart. It is letting oxygenated blood into the side of the heart that it shouldn't be in. He said that this is pretty common and usually heals itself. Then he said that she may or may not have a vein that is draining into the wrong heart chamber. He said that he couldn't see this for sure and that is why he wanted to get her in the sono room again. All these things he assured us are pretty common and nothing to worry about! He said to keep on living life as normal and bring her in in 2 months to see the progress of things. He wants to make sure that the hole is closing, the vein is not draining into the wrong chamber, and the valve is not getting worse. He was very encouraging, and we are sure that the good Lord will take care of our precious baby girl!! On a good note, she is growing :) 22 1/4 inches long and 10lbs 5 ozs!! He said this was a great sign!! We will keep you posted!

It's been a long time......

So life as Johnny and I know it is completely different! In the past 10 weeks we have enjoyed our daughter so much! She has grown faster than we could have imagined. She is already not able to wear her New Born clothes anymore :( In these 10 weeks, she went from hating baths to not minding them so much....she went from waking up 1 time during the night to sleeping from 10p-7a or 8a everyday.....from smiling because of gas bubbles, to smiling because she sees something she likes.....from grunting and making lamb noises to cooing and laughing! We feel very blessed, and can't wait to see what else this little bundle of joy has to show us and teach us!

2 weeks and counting......

So yesterday Joey turned 2 weeks old! With her big day came her first doctor appointment, her 2 week screening at the hospital and her first prescription. We started at the doc's office who we really like. The first thing they had us do was strip her down to her diaper so that we could get the proper weight and heigth. She weighs 7lbs and is now 19.5 inches long. She lost weight, but grew taller. They would like for the babies to get back to their original birth weight by the second week, and since she wasn't back to her 7lbs 1.5oz, we have to go back in a week to check her weight again. They weren't worried, but just have to make sure we are on the right track! So after that, the doctor came in and checked Joey's heart, temp,and whatever else doctors check. Dr. Frank said she looks great, and everything is developing just right!! The only thing we were concerned with is that Joey has these eye boogers that are taking over her poor eyes. Doc told us that was normal and she prescribed this goo that we have to put in her eyes several times a day for an entire week. After the doctor, we had to go to the hospital where she was born and get her 2 week screening required by the state of Texas. In this screening, they pricked her heel and filled up a card with her blood :( She didn't like it at all! Johnny had to hold her during the screening because I couldn't do it! It was just so sad, she was screaming :( Once the lady was done, Johnny gave her to me and I calmed her down. It's pretty amazing that I can calm her down! I guess she knows her mommy and knows that I am safe! We went to Kroger once we were done and got her eye goo prescription filled. It was a great day that ended with a bath and applying the goo to her eyes! Needless to say, she slept really well last night.....she had a big day!!

Pooptastic!!!!!

So Johnny went to work the other night leaving Joey and I alone for the first time! I was feeding her and all of a sudden she had some crazy rumblings from down under. It sounded like a really wet sneeze, but in fact it was a really, really, really wet toot in which her entire body had to contract to get it out! This toot was followed by a lot more toots. I decided to check her diaper and it was definitely DIRTY to say the least. I began to clean up the nastiness when all of a sudden her little body squeezed again and out squirted the projectile pooh of a life time. It shot out of the booty, over the changing table and onto the carpet. I actually had to duck out of the way. Anyway, this was the craziest thing I had ever seen. Here's to a lot more craziness, I'm sure it's not over :)

She's here!!!!

All the waiting is finally over :) Baby Joey made her way into this crazy world Wednesday April 23rd at 7:23pm after 17, that's right I said 17 hours of labor!! Here's the tale: Tuesday night Johnny and I were sitting in the living room doing our daily Bible study when Joey got to movin. She hadn't been moving much lately (I guess they tend to slow things down at the end when they run out of room), and she just started going crazy!!! We thought nothing of it and went to bed as usual. At 2:30am I got up for a routine pee session when I realized I couldn't hold this in...yikes. I rushed to the bathroom and my water broke. It was the strangest thing ever. Basically it felt like peeing your pants but warmer???? I called for Johnny and he woke up, I let him know my water had broken, and I don't think he belived me at first, then he realized it was the real deal and he sprung into action. He packed a bag, we got our stuff in the car and were on our way to the hospital...we were about to meet our sweet baby girl...so we thought. We actually got down the street and realized we had left our DVD's at home, so we turned around to go and get them, after all, we wanted to be entertained during the birth!!! We got to the hospital at around 3:30am and checked into the ER. They wheeled me up to Labor and Delivery, and we got ready for the Big Show :) They checked me and I was 1cm dialted and 75% effaced. Not anything to write home about. They strapped me up to this monitor which was checking 3 things...Joey's heart rate, my heart rate, and my contractions. They said I was having a contraction every 3 minutes, and I didn't belive them because I couldn't really feel anything! 4 hours went by and not much change. I could fell my contractions by now and got some medicine to help that pain....it made me feel drunk!!! Some time later, still not much progress...I was 3cm dialated so I could get my epidural!!! That was crazy...They raised the bed as high as it could go, had me hug a pillow, and in they went. The shot didn't hurt, it just felt wierd, like some pressure. From that point on it was crazy...they kept telling me that I was having contractions and that they were off the charts. Again I was in disbelief. I could feel my legs, my tummy and more, but I couldn't feel any contractions, when they checked my cervix...it was wierd. It was nearing the end and I was at 8cm. They came in to do another check and I had gone back to 7cm and my cervix was swelling :( At that point I was feeling contraction through the epidural...they were brutal..and I turned to the nurse and said "at what point do we go in and get her out??" From that point on the progress went really fast. They prepped me for surgery, showed Johnny what clothes to put on and took me to the OR for a C Section. They upped the epidural and began the process. About 5 minutes after I got onto the table, she was here! Johnny watched the whole thing....he's into that medical stuff. He said it was pretty crazy what all was going on down there in such a short amount of time. While they were sewing me up, Johnny went with Joey and got her tested, measured and weighed. She was 18.75 inches long and 7lbs 1.5 ounces. She scored an 8 on her first APGAR test at 1 minute and a 9 on her second APGAR test at 5 minutes. I'm not sure what the APGAR test is, but I do know that the highest score you can get is a 10 and no one gets a 10! After 4 days and 3 nights in the hospital we were discharged on Saturday and entrusted with this little human being. They said we would do fine and sent us on our way. Here we are day 5 at home...she's still pooping, peeing, eating, crying and breathing. I'd say we are doing pretty well as parents! I will post pictures soon, it's kinda hard to climb the stairs right now, and I have to load the upstairs! Thanks to everyone who sent us well wishes, gifts, cards and more....we love you and know that Josephine Leigh Stout will too :) Call if you want to come visit!

Are we there yet?????

Remember back in the day when you were driving in the car for what seemed to be an eternity? You would hold off as long as you could, then the million dollar question burst from your lips..."Are we there yet?" You have to understand that I was a particularly impatient child and this question would come out after only 30 minutes in the car. Mom would always say "NO" and that was that! Well, we are here in a different way....Joey continues to cook in this oven which is my belly, and today I found myself asking her "Are we there yet?" I can hear her in my mind saying "NO". I'm ready, I just wish she was!!!

The result.....

o I talked with the scheduling nurse today at my doctor's office. I let her know that I didn't really want to induce unless there was a medical reason for it. She said she totally understood and so we rescheduled it for May 7th. This is past my due date of May 3rd, and we are hoping that she comes on her own before then, but if she doesn't, then we have a backup plan. Since she is measuring a little small, this date shouldn't be a problem, but she did say that if for some reason I start to swell, she starts to grow rapidly or if any other medical reason occurs then we may have to go ahead with a sooner date. I'm ok with that, but am relieved to know that there is no reason to do so just yet! Well, that's the update...so at the latest, we are going to meet Joey in T minus 3 weeks!!!! Yay :)

To Induce or Not to Induce.....That is the Question!

So on Monday we had a doctor appointment. They checked the baby, she's doing well!!! I guess still measuring about a week behind, but I'm not so certain, they didn't really say anything about it, so really that's just an assumption on my part. They checked me and I am 60% effaced, and possibly 1 cm dialated. I was asked how I feel, and if I was ready for her to come. I said I was a little uncomfy, and if she came today that would be fine with me! He said "great have we talked about induction??" I said "yes, in the beginning, we talked about it if I happened to go past my due date." He said great, "well let's get that scheduled...I'll have the nurse call you." I felt kinda rushed...I looked at Johnny and we were both obviously not expecting him to say that. I was caught so off guard that I couldn't come up with any questions at that time. Once Johnny and I left the questions flooded my mind.....Why are they trying to rush me? Is there a reason why they want Joey to come before her due date? Is this because my supposed due date is on a Saturday and no one wants to come in on a weekend? What is the induction process like? Why do they want to take the suprise element out of Joey's arrival? and many more...hence the flood reference! In this day and time we have this amazing tool for questions like these...it's called Google! I began to look up labor induction.....after all my "research" I'm not sure this is the way to go! If Joey's not ready and there is no medical reasoning behind the decision, then why do it? So I'd prepped myself to tell the nurse when she called that I didn't want the induction unless there was a medical reason as to why I had to have it. She called and has already scheduled it. YIKES....I called her back and left a message relaying my decision. We shall see...........

So ready it's not even funny!!!

So I had a doctor's appointment today......She said that my cervix is softening, and she could feel the baby's head! We set an appointment for April 14th, and she said she wouldn't be suprised if I had to call before the appointment to let them know I was going into labor. She also said that she would be even more suprised if Joey stayed in there till her actual due date on May 3rd. I personally feel like she is trying to crawl out at times! I am so ready to meet her! I will try and write more, it's kinda uncomfortable to type with my laptop because my lap is slowly getting smaller as my belly is getting bigger :)

So I had a doctor's appointment today......She said that my cervix is softening, and she could feel the baby's head! We set an appointment for April 14th, and she said she wouldn't be suprised if I had to call before the appointment to let them know I was going into labor. She also said that she would be even more suprised if Joey stayed in there till her actual due date on May 3rd. I personally feel like she is trying to crawl out at times! I am so ready to meet her! I will try and write more, it's kinda uncomfortable to type with my laptop because my lap is slowly getting smaller as my belly is getting bigger :)

Clothes

So our baby isn't even born yet, and she already has more clothes than her mommy! Is that legal? Here is a pic of her closet as of today. This does not include the mounds of socks, shoes, headbands and pants that is in her drawers. Yikes.......I guess some of them will go quickly as I have heard that they grow out of the first stages of clothes faster than you can read this paragraph! We shall see :)

Not complaining, just saying!!!

Things that are different now that I'm getting bigger....
Rolling over in bed...this is a tough one, I am a turner for sure. At night I roll from side to side, I don't wake up on the side I started on ever, until recently. I have to use arm power to push myself onto my back then I plop down on my other side...I'm not even gonna get started on getting out of the bed, that's a whole different story!
Trips to the bathroom...these are different for several reasons. 1) These trips are becoming more frequent. I feel like I can't possibly hold it any longer, and I go to the bathroom expecting this huge gush of relief.....then 1 to 2 drops come out. I don't get it! I guess with Joey laying on my bladder it only feels like I can pee for days?? 2) Each time I go to the OB, they want a urine sample to test for protien in there. Before, the only worry I had about giving a urine sample was worrying that if I pee now, I will never have to pee once I get to the actual doctors office. Obvioulsy that's not a problem anymore, but the concerns are...where to put the cup, trying to see around my belly blind spot, thinking "I really don't want to pee on my hand", and getting the sample in the cup not on the outside where I have written my name...I don't want to smear it and heaven forbid have to try again later when they can't figure out who's pee it is! Tricky indeed.
Putting on shoes: These either have to be slip ons or shoes that are already tied and ready to be slipped on because It's getting harder to get my foot in the position to tie my shoes!
Clothes Shopping: I used to shop for fun, now I shop for neccesity! "Will this cover my belly? Will this count as a formal look for that wedding I have to attend when I'm as big as the cake? Will I ever get to wear this again or will it go out of style before the next baby comes forcing me to buy more expensive clothes?" Yowser!
Well, that's just a small insight to the daily differences in the life of Christy and Joey. Don't get me wrong, I have had it super easy in the grand scheme of things! I had no morning sickness, am just now at 7 months getting asked "Oh my goodness, when were you going to tell me you were preggo?", I got to cut back hours at work and mch more! The Lord is truly blessing this miracle! These are simply things that are different that I don't want to forget for the next one :)

.....its geting closer!!!

The baby is doing great! I went to the OB last week and as they were trying to measure Joey's heartbeat, they couldn't find it. Not in a bad way, but she was moving around so much that she wouldn't stop to let them take the heart rate :) She kept kicking the doplar off my tummy :) They assumed she was doing well considering all the commotion! Since I am now going to the doc every 2 weeks, time is flying. She will be here in 1 1/2 to 2 months! I am so excited to meet her and hold her, but I'm ok with her cooking for a little longer :)

68 days.......

Enough said!!

Sorry this took so long!!

So I just realized that in the past month I have not updated ya'll on what's going on in our lives....I'm sure you are so interested, but here goes........
Well, I got sick for a week, that was not fun! I couldn't eat, didn't want to move off the couch, and had to miss all that work. It started with a sonogram at this really cool place called the Dallas Crisis Pregnancy Resource Center. They train sono techs and they also give FREE sonos to volunteers and people who are deciding what to do with their baby. It is a Christ based company, and could not be a better cause. As a volunteer you get about an hour long sonogram and some fun pics of your baby :) I didn't post them however because they are small, and hard to see.. It was really cool though........at 1 point Joey had her thumb in her mouth and the sono tech knocked it out with the wand thingy...Joey reached that thumb back and stuck it right in her mouth!! It was stinkin cute if I do say so myself :)
What next......well, I had an appointment at the OB on Wednesday. They thought I was measuring small, so they wanted a sonogram just to check on Joey's progress. She was looking fine, and this pic will be posted :) She is sucking her thumb, and was actually holding her foot with her hand close to her head. She's so bendy :) She is also practicing breathing. Apparently this is a great thing because I was at 28 weeks and they usually don't start practicing to breathe until 35 weeks. Our baby is so advanced...LOL. Is that even possible this early in the game?? Either way, I'm gong to pretend that it is possible :) Also at this visit I did my gestational diabetes test. This consists of drinking a nasty sugar drink that kinda tastes like a very flat sunkist orange drink. Anyway, they make you drink this then they take your blood to see how you metabolize the sugar. Good news, I am in the clear when it comes to the Gestational Diabetes, but my bloodwork did come back that I have Anemia. Apparently I need some more iron in my system. I have to start taking some iron supliments....not a huge deal apparently
I had this appointment to get approval for my final trip...I went to and just got back from Puerta Vallarta Mexico!!! I sang at my cousin's wedding. It was beautiful in Mexico, and I had a blast. Johnny had to stay behind for a gym meet, so I went with my mom! I will post pics because there is too much to type up. Like I said, we had a great time, and Joey was lovin the beautiful weather and fun music by the pool, she was definately dancing in my belly :)
Well, that's it, you are now caught up to speed! I am going to get back on track with this thing for sure :)

Yikes

So today I was sitting here watching Joey move in my belly...that's right, I can not only feel her, but i can see her move too...It's kind of freaky because my tummy just starts morphing into these weird shapes then POW, she kicks and it goes back to normal...that's not the point. The point is that in about 3 months, this little angel has to come out!! Is the kicking practice for that?? Is she chlosterphobic like her mommy?? Is she bored in there?? I do not know what's going through that precious mind of hers right now, but here's what's going through mine. Will it hurt when she comes out? Will we get to the hospital too late to do the epidural? Will I deliver early or on time? Will my belly button ever go back to being an "innie"? And so on and so on. I know that I have nothing to worry about and modern medicine is amazing, but that's just what I'm thinking about these days! I'm sure everything will be fine :) Off to bed, check ya'll later!

Beautiful

So today I tried out for our worship ministry at church. I haven't sang in years, and I'm not going to lie, it was nerve racking. The song I chose to sing was about a girl who seeks significance from people. It talks about this girl who's hiding behind the makeup and constantly trying to make the mirror and everyone else happy. In the end the song takes a turn, and the girl realizes that the minute she trusts in the Lord her worth is in God. He makes her beautiful, not the make-up, not what everyone else thinks Johnny and I talk about how beautiful Joey is and will be. I am confident in this because God is making her that way inside and out right now as I am sitting here, as the day goes on, as I'm at work, as Johnny's at work, as our families go on with their lives....she is beautiful because she is a child of God, just like you and me! I pray and hope that you will all help us teach her that regardless of her outward beauty, it's what's on the inside that counts! Wow, parenting is already hard, and she's not even here yet! If you have never heard this song, take the time to listen to it! Here is Bethany Dillon's myspace page, the song as of today is the 2nd one on her list, just click and play! http://www.myspace.com/bethanydillonmusic