Faith, Hope, & Love

10 months and Counting!

2010-02-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

Wow--time continues to fly by! Tucker is only 2 months away from being the big 1 year old! We cannot believe it! We are already thinking about his first birthday party! Tucker has continued to surprise us everyday with the things he does and the things he has picked up on! Here are a few things Tucker is doing:

-Pulling up on everything
-Learning how to open up drawers and cabinets...and then pull everything out!
-Walking while holding on--cruising!
-Randomly as of Sunday his wave became violent and he started waving at everyone!
-Says dada and mama--for everything!
-Smiles and squints his eyes and scrunches his nose
-Started eating "real foods"--mango, bread, cheerios, puffs, etc!
-Daddy made the mistake of teaching him how to turn on the bathtub--so he crawls quickly to the bathtub EVERYTIME he is in our bathroom and turns on the water
-Standing up in his bed when we come to get him
-Unfolding all the clothes that Mommy just folded-haha! He does this often.
-Sits up really well in the bathtub without Mom being extremely nervous
-Sitting up a little easier from laying down--but really only after he has pulled himself at least to his knees or has pulled himself up to stand up and then sits down (it is so cute to see little ones sit down from standing-they just fall to their booty) :)
-Rolling his tongue (like when you roll your r's if you speak Spanish)--SO cute!
-Loves "patty cake" and "itsy bitsy spider"
-Seems to recognize animal sounds that I repeatedly make (he smiles when I ask him about the animal sounds)
-When prompted and helped a little can give a high five---hopefully we can teach him "guns up" real soon
ETC! The list goes on!

We went to visit Dr. Gray on Monday the 15th and was told he weighed 19.8 lbs. (20th percentile) and was 28.5" long (50th percentile)! Dr. Gray made the comment that his teeth are going to come in any day now! I can definitely tell by the fussiness, drooling, biting EVERYTHING, etc! :)

Besides battling illnesses here and there we are doing great--all of us! We are a little happy family of 3-plus Duke the Dog! Hopefully, soon, we will be making the big move back to Dallas! We are waiting for Grant to find the right job! So, if you have a chance say a prayer for us! I will post pictures soon! We haven't taken many lately! Check Facebook too for pics!
-

Update...! Almost 9 months!

2010-01-11T23:07:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted on the blog! I am given a hard time quite often but its hard to keep up with everything on here and live life! We are doing absolutely fabulous and are loving life! Tucker started KDO last week on Tuesday. He goes twice a week from 9-2:30! He fussed off and on for a couple of hours the first day and then did great the second day! We are excited. It will be good for him to be around other people! It is nice to get a break since we don't get many out here not having any family around! I can name on one hand how many times I have been in our house by myself since he was born. Hopefully, that will happen much more often! But, really, its not been bad! He is a good kid and it is way easier when they are more independent and can somewhat entertain themselves! Tucker has made quite a few accomplishments in the past few weeks! Here is my update!

-We have taught him to wave bye-bye!
-We are constantly going over animal sounds and "more" in sign-language! Hopefully it won't be much longer!
-He has been saying "mamamama" over and over for a while now but I don't think he knows what it means necessarily! Just this week he has said "dadadada." Again, not sure he knows what it means!
-He is ARMY crawling! Poor thing has carpet burns on his left elbow and right knee! It is really cute! Not on all fours yet--maybe never!
-He is pulling up! Is pretty well balanced for a good amount of time by himself! He acts like he loves it!
-He is eating real fruit in his "Nuby"-a net-like food holder!
-He throws ALL of his toys off of his high chair! It is a danger zone sometimes!
-He is talking ALL the time---sticking his tongue out and making all sorts of noise! He has started this husky grunt! REALLY funny! And I think he thinks he is talking AND making sense sometimes!
-He absolutely loves our dog Duke and just gets tickled when he gets to see him in the mornings!
-He is sleeping REALLY well and has been for a while! The kid still takes about 2-3 naps a day AND sleeps all night(sometimes fusses for his pacifier and then falls back to sleep)! The past couple of days he has had a runny nose and hasn't figured out how to breathe and suck his pacifier so it keeps him up. :) Not so fun for us. :(
-He is doing great and transitioned easily to his new big boy carseat! Did great on the way home from Dallas!
-He does AWESOME at the stores in the baskets and is totally distracted by all of the people! All of the old men love to come and talk to him! He just smiles as usual! He has riding in the baskets for a while now! Its sad because I do not get to park in the front row parking at the grocery store! :(

That is all I can think of right now! I am sure there is more! I just updated his 1st year calendar and wrote a whole lot so I am sure I am forgetting something! :) Hope all is well! We are heading back to Dallas in February for a visit! Hope to see everyone we can when we are there!I will post pictures soon! The reason I have been so bad is because our camera takes such high resolution pictures! We have to size down each one we want to post--no fun and time consuming! Love to all!

More pictures!~

2009-12-15T19:37:00.001-08:00

Tucker is very confused by Santa! He did really well! More pics to come!

Family picture at the party! Tucker likes his new vibrating teether!

Tucker playing with his box that the carseat came in! He had a blast!

Long time, No Post!

2009-12-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

Tucker's new big boy carseat arrived! I hope he likes traveling in it at Christmas!

Tucker playing in our pillows! He was so small compared to the mass of pillows!

Tucker in his cute little vest-couldn't resist!

Tucker playing with Daddy! He LOVES his Daddy! They have a blast together!

Tucker likes to stretch with his pacifier! This is too funny!

Well I have been asked many times to post more pictures of our little guy!~ We have just gotten busy and its hard for me to keep up these days! Things are great here! Tucker is growing so fast and doing new things each and every day! No big milestones to report. He doesn't have any teeth yet nor is he crawling! He just rolls from one end of the room to the other in the blink of an eye. He is making all sorts of funny sounds, especially when he eats. It cracks us up! Santa is done buying his gifts and is in the process of getting them all wrapped for the big day! He is going to get many fun goodies! We went to see Santa at my work Christmas party which was a lot of fun! He didn't cry at all while he was on Santa's lap--he just stared in amazement! Here are a few new pictures! Tucker is just shy of 8 months! WOW! The next post will probably be after Christmas! Those will be good pictures I am sure! Merry Christmas everyone.

LaS VeGaS

2009-11-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in Vegas---not very relaxing but alot of FUN! Grant's parents arrived on Thursday afternoon--just in time for us to eat lunch and be taken to the airport! I was extremely nervous to leave my little boy for the first time! I had been so excited about Vegas until it got closer! EEK! I had a small breakdown on the plane and the next morning when I heard his little voice. But everytime we talked to them he was doing so good! I was so proud of him and it helped me to have fun! We walked the strip ALOT and saw soo many things! We were in and out of so many hotels! We gambled a little bit and won a little too! We stayed at the Bellagio and enjoyed every minute of it! It is such a luxurious hotel. We ate great and had so much fun with Lora and Koy that we are trying to plan another trip! When we got back home Tucker smiled at me but not at Grant. As soon as we walked in the house he acted like he had no idea who we were and was so confused! And only smiled at Grant's dad! As soon as they headed back to Dallas, he turned back to normal-smiling and laughing! We missed him so much and are so glad to be back with him! However, it will be easier the next time we want to go on a trip!

Tucker continues to do more and more everyday! He started this new thing when he gets upset and crying and says "Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma." Its so funny. Its like I already know how "mama" is going to sound coming out of his mouth! He is also doing this coughing thing when he cries. Its cute and funny! :) Maybe I can get it on video! I need to post some pictures soon! We took one in his new highchair! I think he likes it!

We got him enrolled in KDO on Tue/Thur starting in the Spring at Lakeridge United Methodist Church! We are so excited! The classrooms and teachers seem to be amazing! I hope he will be a good boy!

6 Month Doctor Visit

2009-11-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Tucker's 6 month doctor visit! Grant had to take him because I accidently scheduled myself for a yearly class for work on that day thinking it was the opposite day of the appointment! What a bum mom! Anyways, he did GREAT! He weighed in at 18.45 lbs, was 28.25" long and had a 46 cm head! He was in the 90th percentiles for height and head and the 75th percentile for weight! He also got his shots, including the flu shot! Grant said he held his breath the longest he had ever seen! I told him that it was pretty normal for him to do that after shots! :) Poor Grant was scared! Dr. Gray was super surprised when he walked in the room at how well Tucker was sitting up for his age when. He does sit up really well without support. In fact, we sit him up most of the time now! We asked him if he thought his teeth were coming in. We told him of his recent sleeping habits and what we saw in his mouth. Upon observation, he said that he didn't think they were cutting through YET but that he could be experiencing pain because of teething. He said that the pain could be keeping him awake. One night when he woke up in the middle of the night, I went ahead and regressed and gave him a bottle. He sucked it down quick. The next night, the same thing. Dr. Gray said when he does this he is most likely going through a growth spurt. He said if we were to feed him and he did not suck it down that he was just messing with us. So...the week (PLUS) of no/lack of sleep could have been from teething pain, growing pains, etc! BUT on a good note, he has slept wonferfully for the past 4 nights now! Maybe the growth spurt is over and we are back to normal at least for a while! It was best last night when he slept from 8:30pm to 7:15 am straight with no waking up! It was wonderful! The time he has slept has become increasingly longer every night! Hopefully it stays like this for the sake of Grant's parents next week when we are in Vegas! He continues to love his food. We tried pears and mixed veggies today! He loved them both. We are doing an oatmeal cereal now that he likes as well! Everything is going great! We are having so much fun! :)

No good very horrible nights (in a row)! TEETH!

2009-10-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

So...we have had a ROUGH weekend to say the very least. Mr .Tucker has decided to fuss...alot...and mostly at night. I was on this website the other day and everything, I mean EVERYTHING, Tucker has been doing (gnawing, drooling, fussing, waking, fasting ) has pointed to teething. We have used orajel, frozen washcloths, attempted teething rings that he doesn't care for, our fingers, etc to help get him through! They say the symptoms can start a couple to three months before they actually cut through. And they have just gotten worse over the past few months. We had yet to feel anything on his gums but knew that he would be getting them soon. At his 4 month visit Dr. Gray said they were on their way in! Well, I think they are finally cutting through. Both of the bottom two teeth. We saw the two little teeth starting to shine through! YIPPEE...I guess. But we are suffering. Tylenol, again, is our bestest friend. We can start Motrin now that he is 6 months but I think we will wait a little while yet. Once his teeth come in I will take a picture! :) He will be cute... but I will miss that toothless grin.

Tucker Update

2009-10-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Tucker smiling for the camera while Daddy listens to the Red Raiders get beat! :(
Tucker doesn't seem to mind!

Tucker with Aunt Molly! How cute are they?

Tucker in his door jumper--he loves it! Thanks for the idea Jenny and Scott!

Tucker has had many new and improved developments over the past two weeks. Some are just funny! We have been SHOCKED--it is truly amazing to see the changes in front of our eyes! We are having soo much fun watching him grow up!

-He is now eating baby food and started a couple of weeks ago.
Likes: squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and bananas (so far)
Dislikes: green beans
Unsure: peas
-He is opening his mouth for every bite! And eagerly at that!
-He reaches for our food and ANYTHING in our hands.
-He has sat in a high chair at a restaurant
-He is pulling hair
-He is finally rolling over ALL the time from front to back.
-He is pretty much sitting up on his own, with a pillow behind him just in case he falls backwards.
-Generally more alert and aware.
-Laughing ALOT!
-Jumping in his jumper--and having fun doing it!
-Putting his pacifier in his mouth correctly
-Occasionally holding his bottle
-Straightening his arms when we are dressing him
-Playing with his elephant that has always been attached to his carseat that he has to pull down on to make a noise!
SOOO much! And seriously it has all happened in the past couple of weeks or so!

-On Thursday we went to get a professional picture of Tucker made--it will be on facebook and if we purchase it we will put it on here! We are headed to the Pumpkin Patch tomorrow! Hopefully we can carve a pumpkin too!

Happy Halloween! Mr. Tucker will be a cute little monkey!

Above are a couple of new pictures!

Tucker Laughing...Again!!! Impromptu moment!

2009-10-24T18:44:00.001-07:00

So..Tucker was sitting in front of Grant on the recliner! He has started pulling my hair recently--which hurts--but I still let him do it! Anyways, I never knew he liked it so much! He was CRACKING up! So we caught it on video the second time around! We couldn't stop laughing at him. He is our favorite little dude! :) Hehe.

RaNdOm Pictures!

2009-10-13T19:08:00.001-07:00

Tucker does NOT like green beans! :)

All geared up for a cold Race for the Cure! He did wear a jacket-FYI!

Sitting in his daddy's buggy seat---that he will eventually be big enough to ride in! Don't pay attention to the spit-up!

Just readin'.... :)

Tucker in Daddy's hat-hehe!

Fun Times!

2009-10-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

So...its been a while but I have been a little busy! :) Race for the Cure was GREAT! I had to wake Tucker up to get to the Civic Center by 7:30am! It was cold and cloudy--even kinda humid! We met up with my L/D girls and did the walk! Tucker was soo good---he just sat there and looked around before the race and fell asleep during the race. We went to Elena's house afterwards for brunch----yummy! Tucker actually rolled from his tummy to his back for the FIRST time that day! Too bad Grant missed it! He was sad! We have been trying to get Tucker to do this for a long time! Now, Tucker rolls alot--but mainly from his back to his tummy! :)

Grant's parents came this past weekend to see us! We had fun! We had tickets to the game---the only game we got tickets to! It was FREEZING and WET! Double bundled for sure! We had a babysitter lined up and got to cancel her (which saved a lot of money) and Grant's parents watched him for us! Great weekend! We are heading to my dad and stepmom's house this weekend! My dad has only seen Tucker a couple of times and my stepmom, Edna, has only seen him once and he was only a week old! It will be so much fun!

We started baby food today as he is 6 MONTHS OLD -GREEN BEANS! He gagged quite a few times and made HORRIBLE faces! HILARIOUS! We captured it on tape and got a few pictures! I am sure its because he is not used to it! I am at work but I will post stuff when I get a chance! We will keep trying them this week and then will start on something new next week! FUN! We are still doing cereal and formula of course! We are going to try and get better at introducing apple juice! We have only given it to him a couple of times! We just forget.

Tucker was sneezing alot yesterday, which is normal for him! There are days when he sneezes alot. But we ended up having a rough night last night and he woke up quite a bit with a runny nose and kinda congested! He is still sneezing and has started coughing a little! He has not run a fever and is still eating! At times he acts even happier than normal and at other times he screams and will not stop! Kinda confusing. His drainage is still clear so we are good there! I have gotten advice to just hold out on calling the doctor until he is not eating or is running a fever! So...Tylenol is our best friend right now! I hope he sleeps better for Grant tonight since I am not there!

Grant and I are still pondering moving to Dallas! Aren't sure that is exactly what we think we should do or even want to do! We are just praying for an answer in some form or fashion! We will see.

Vegas is coming soon...we are excited but nervous to be away from Tucker for 3 nights/4 days! Aghh! It will be so hard but we will have a BLAST!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Labor Day Weekend!

2009-09-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

We got together with Grant's 2 best friends from high school and their kiddos over Labor Day Weekend! Here are a couple of pictures of our friends Scott and Jenny with their son Jackson! And one all of the kids! The little boy on the left is Jackson who was born the day before Tucker! And Sage, in the middle, belongs to Cody and Amy and turned a year old on June 30th! We love these guys! Wish I would have gotten a picture of the Cody, Amy and Sage too! Love you guys!!!

Video of Tucker Laughing!

2009-09-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here is yet another moment caught on camera of our little guy giggling when Mommy is tickling him! He is soo ticklish!

Video of Tucker Talking!

2009-09-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

It is so funny---we got this great SLR camera and are able to capture so many moments with the video option! We definitely don't plan any of this stuff! So here is a video of Tucker doing some talkin!

Tucker loves to talk! When he sees the camera its like he stops! But this is an idea of how it goes!

Pictures of Tucker Boy!

2009-09-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Tucker with such a sweet face! I love this picture!

Tucker sitting up with almost no support with the boppy! He has such great control! I don't think it will be long!

Resting on the boppy! Practicing on that head control!

Tucker has soo many fun pj's this fall/winter! This is his Halloween one with a pumpkin on his bottom! Too cute! I will be posting a pajama post so you can see him in all of them! :)

FINALLY, here are some pictures of our Tucker boy! He is getting SOO big and SOO handsome. We just think he looks like a little man and less like a little baby! It is kinda funny! So people are saying that of course he looks "just like his daddy." But, I have had several people say that they can see me in his eyes! And that is ok with me! I am so glad he looks just like his handsome daddy-o! Besides the fact that he rolled over, he is doing a lot more baby talk than he used to! It is so cute! He is at such a fun age and we are just taking in every minute of it! He starts baby food in a couple of weeks which we are excited about! We are starting him on rice cereal with mixed fruit this week to help him gradually progress into the tastes of similar tasting baby foods! We will also be attending the Race for the Cure this weekend as I joined a team up at work! Thanks to all those who donated in support of this great cause! Tucker and I will be up bright and early on Saturday to participate in the 3 mile walk! Yippee!

"Rollin, doo doo, Rollin"......

2009-09-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to proudly announce that Tucker has rolled from his back to his tummy for the first time TONIGHT! I am at work but a proud and happy Daddy Grant called to let me know! It was funny because in the past couple of days, Grant and I have both noticed that when Tucker reaches for his feet to play he sometimes ends up on his side and then rolls back to his back! Even earlier today this happened! Grant said Tucker was laying on the ottoman while he watched TV and when he looked back at Tucker he was on his tummy! :) And then he did it a 2nd time! How fun! Our little boy is finally rolling! He has yet to roll from his tummy to his back! He still HATES being on his tummy when he is awake! As long as he rolls one way! Haha! We are all doing good! Just workin' and livin'! Figuring out how to get moved to Dallas! Who knows if/when/and how it will all work out! And my friend Brittany is redesigning my blog! I don't know when it will be ready but keep checking back to check it out!Hope all is well with everyone!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

We had a BLAST in Dallas this past weekend! It was soo great to be back in the Big D to see our family and friends! Some of the family had not seen Tucker since he was 1 month old and were surprised about how much he had grown! :) We left Friday morning and arrived in Dallas around lunch time! He did fabulous in the car! It was the first time that we were in the car and he actually enjoyed himself by playing with me and with toys! He has always done well in the car but he actually had fun! He slept well too! We got together for dinner with family at Grant's house that night! On Saturday Grant went to golf with his dad and his dad's friends while Tucker and I did a little shopping! Later we got together with Scott, Jenny & Little Jackson and Cody, Amy and Little Sage. That was soo much fun! On Sunday we took Tucker to church and took him to the nursery for the first time! He did soo good! We then went to eat at Salt Grass---yummy! I had been craving Coconut Shrimp for a long time and they have the best!!! At 3 pm my Mom opened up the house, and had some friends come by to see Tucker! That was fun--he was soo good! Everyone enjoyed seeing/meeting our little man! We left Monday morning early to head back to good ol' Lubbock! I will have to post pictures when I get a chance! Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend!

4 month Visit to Dr. Gray!

2009-08-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit to Dr. Gray's office on Friday! After his usual ritual of peeing on the nurse while on the scale, we found out that he weighs 15 lbs. 3 oz.! He is 26 1/4 in. long (4 inches longer than at the last visit)! I knew he was getting long! Long and lean! He is only 3 inches away from being too big for his infant carrier (according to his length)! He also has a 43 cm head. So..he is in the 95th percentile for his head size, the 90th percentile for his height and the 50th percentile for his weight! He is right on track! We started applejuice today...he likes it...we think! We also stopped cereal in his bottle at nighttime to see how he does! But we are still feeding him by spoon! He got his 4 month shots and calmed down quickly after some love from his mommy! We dosed him every 4 hours with Tylenol and he did really well all day! REALLY well! We went to Amarillo to see Grant's grandfather and family and he laughed, cooed, and played with toys! He laid on his blanket for a long time just hanging out! Thank goodness. We had a great visit. BUT his good mood ended yesterday as he fussed all day long! Pretty much nothing made him happy. He had his short moments! Today he is much better and back to being happy!

*Side note: Grant and I watched I Love You Man last night--great movie!!! Just fyi!

*Another side note: Grant's grandfather passed away last night at 10:20 pm. We will be attending his funeral sometime this week, not sure when. Please continue to keep his family in your prayers! This has been a difficult week for everyone.

Have a great Sunday afternoon!

Prayer and Pics of Tucker

2009-08-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

Happy boy!

Not quite sure about this stuff! :)

Our little baseball player--well hopefully! Too cute--he wasn't quite sure about the hat!

4 Generation picture (plus Brady)!

Edmund and Tucker when Tucker was just born!

Hey everyone-

Please pray for our family. Grant's grandfather has been diagnosed with leukemia today and in the same day has been placed on hospice. The family has been told he has approximately a week to live. We are heading to Amarillo tomorrow to visit. He is not communicating at this point but we feel we need to go visit as well as take Tucker to see him (possibly for the last time). Anyways, this is devastating and SURPRISING news to the whole family. Above are pictures of Edmund and Tucker as well as a 4 generation picture (plus Brady-Grant's brother) when Tucker was "brand new." And some more recent fun pictures of Tucker boy! Thanks and love to all....

P.S. We go to our 4 month visit tomorrow and will post an update soon!

18 weeks! What fun!

2009-08-24T01:19:00.001-07:00

We have had a fun couple of weeks with Tucker! Everyday there seems to be something new! He has become increasingly more talkative---well with baby babble that is! He just screams to be heard! He also does this thing where he gathers spit at the back of his throat and uses it to make sounds! All the time!!! We put his jumperoo together today! He is still a little small for it but seemed somewhat interested! Once he can actually reach the toys I am sure he will love it even more! He is also EXTREMELY close to rolling over from his tummy to his back! I mean so close to where his butt is in the air and his knees are on the ground and he is tilted somewhat to the right! We are just WAITING! I think he is so close because he gets soo mad that he is on his tummy! He absolutely hates it! But in the past when I have put him on his tummy during a short nap while I am doing stuff around the house, he loves it and sleeps well! Whatever!!! :) He is drooling everywhere--so much that we have to change his outfit almost 3 times a day! He puts his whole fists in his mouth and then puts his hands everywhere! He also loves to gnaw on Grant and I! We have drool all over us most of the time! A couple of weeks ago we got this whale tub for bathtime! He loves it and loves to splash in the water! He also continues to love his changing table and is so excited when he is on it, even in the middle of the night! He continues to be somewhat unpredictable in the middle of the night about what time he will wake up! Lately, he has gone to bed between 9 and 10 and has then been waking up anywhere between 4:30 and 5:45. He usually goes back to bed or comes and sleeps with us for the rest of the morning after he eats! He has also been laughing! It is soo cute and something we have both been looking forward to hearing! He is definitely ticklish and we love to tickle him! Poor thing! But we can't help it because we love to hear him laugh! He still loves to hold our hands when we feed him as well as rub our chests when we rock him! He is just soo sweet! I was told by my friend who took care of him the other night that we have a perfect and easy baby! We are so proud of him! We have decided to prolong putting him in Kids Day Out! Everything is working out so perfectly that we think we will either enroll him this upcoming Spring or Summer session! But for now, we don't feel as if we need it! These are just a few of the many things that are going on in our lives with Mr. Tucker! I will post pictures soon! We love being parents to our wonderful little man(who looks just like his daddy)!

16 weeks and counting!

2009-08-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Tucker and his big BLUE eyes! We hope they stay so beautiful! Oh yea...and hand in mouth, as usual!

Tucker sleeping on the couch on his Mommy's shoulder cuddled up under a blanket! Very common occurrence!

Tucker sitting up like a big boy in the recliner! He is a prince charming isn't he?

This is what Tucker looks like when he is not happy! He is still soo cute!

Tucker playing with his keys! He is definitely starting to grab EVERYTHING! Even Mommy's jewelry!

4 months has already arrived! WOW! Our little Tucker is growing up as you can see in his pictures! I think we have finally gotten over the little "buggy" that caused so much chaos last week! We found out he did not have rotavirus or giardia but are still waiting to hear what the culture revealed. I am sure nothing if they have not called us by now! He is back to his normal "bathroom" schedule for the most part! He started to sleep better the night I talked about in the last post when I had to work! Except last night--he woke up SEVERAL times! And on top of it all, I was extremely nauseated and weak. I thought I may have eaten to much and that it would go away. But it didn't. I had periods of being really and hot and really cold all night long! I continued to feel bad today and Grant had to come home early to help me out with Tucker! I didn't feel like a good mommy today. Its the first time I have been under the weather with a new baby! I am not a good sick person anyways! Tucker being up several times in the middle of the night didn't help things! On a more positive note, we started spoon feeding cereal this week! It is quite funny--we have it on video! I will have to post it soon! He actually did really well and ate most of it! We will continue to do this so he can develop that motor skill of eating and get used to the different texture of food! Grant's parents came last weekend and had a good time with Tucker! I didn't end up having to work which made the weekend that much better! We introduced our new favorite game, Blokus, to his parents! I think they liked it! We also had to play a little Rummikub! This Thursday is our wedding anniversary! We are going to a movie and dinner! Woo hoo! Above are some pictures of Tucker!!! Enjoy!

P.S.- Dallas friends- we are headed to Dallas on Labor Day weekend! So...make plans to visit with us and Tucker!

15 Weeks!

2009-08-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

Last week leading into this week has been VERY interesting! Poor Mr. Tucker has had diarrhea for almost a week now! He strains so violently every time he poops and he poops ALOT! His face gets BRIGHT red and purple and you can see all his little veins! Poor guy! We are supposed to get "stool studies" done to see what is going on! However, we have had a hard time timing when he poops and when the offices are open to get the sample there within an hour! This is only prolonging fixing the problem- if it is a problem to be fixed! Whatever it is may just have to run its course! He has a very mild diaper rash that we are keeping under control with Desitin and Butt Paste! On top of this, we think he is teething! They say it can happen as early as 3 months! He is showing ALL the signs: hands in his mouth ALL the time, drooling excessively, irritable, sleepless, etc! On Saturday he woke up like 6 times and on Sunday night we were pretty much up most of the night. We ended up having to put him in our bed with us! We will only do this in extreme cases as it is NOT SAFE! Anyways, poor Grant is at home with Tucker tonight--hopefully he sleeps better so Grant doesn't have to be up all night by himself! We really think his tummy is hurting and that is what is waking him up! Pray that we fix this soon so we can ALL get rest! I am just glad he naps with me everyday so at least I know I will have a few hours of sleep at some point! Other than all of this, we are all doing GREAT! Grant's parents are headed to town this week! Yippee! Grant continues to be amazing with Tucker! I am soo lucky!

I am in the midst of shopping for his Halloween outfit! I think I want him to be a monkey! He will be sooo cute! I will keep you posted on what he will be! We bought a really awesome SLR Digital camera (in other words, one like a photographer would use)! So...hopefully we can take some pretty cool pics of Tucker! Definitely will take some pics in Vegas!

14+ weeks!

2009-07-30T08:05:00.001-07:00

Tucker sitting in the glider!

Tucker after bathtime in his elephant towel! Not too happy!

Tucker in his bumbo! How cute!

Wow---how time flies!!! I obviously have not been posting as often since I have been back to work! Working/sleeping and taking care of the boy have kept me a little busy! Tucker is just soo much fun! We heard him laugh for the first time last Sunday! A short lived giggle I should say! Preview of whats to come! How fun! Grant and I were both in the room for it! He has also been sitting in his bumbo! He can hold his head up really well! He is also starting to play with his toys or at least putting his toys to his mouth! And of course his fists or fingers are always in his mouth and sometimes in so far that he gags himself! Its actually pretty funny! Grant and I booked a trip this week to Vegas in November with our friends Lora and Koy! We are going to stay at the Bellagio and have so much fun! Grant's parents have graciously agreed to come take care of Tucker here in Lubbock while we are gone! This way Tucker does not have to leave his environment! If they were not able to come my mom offered to come stay with him too! What great parents we have! The Coss' are actually coming next weekend to see us as well! We will have to show them our routine so they can be prepared for November! Anyways, we have been dealing with some diarrhea that has now led to some minor diaper rash! We are supposed to get some stool studies done to find out what could be the cause! Its hard to balance him pooping with when the office is open before and after lunch! And you have to get the sample there within a couple of hours! Its hard enough for me to get ready! Aghh! We will get it there sometime! His diarrhea has actually not been as frequent the past couple of days! Maybe he is getting over it! He doesn't seem to be feeling bad! Which is good news for us! Hope all is well with everyone! We go back for our next appt on the 28th of August for shots/check-up! We are guessing right now he still weighs about 13-14 lbs! Above are some pics!!!

Precious Boy! 3 months old!!!

2009-07-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

We thought this was hilarious with his "thumbs up."

Haha! Not really sure about this face!

Playing on his play mat! He kinda likes it!

The first time Tucker wore shorts! Too cute! We love this outfit!

Our happy, happy boy!

Well our little man is growing up so fast! It is more and more fun each day! Everyday there seems to be something new! Last week he found his left fist! It is always in his mouth! Grant hopes he will be a lefty like him! Haha! Anyways, he also found the TV! He loves to look at it and all the colors/movement! It is so cute! And the drooling has officially begun! I had forgotten about the drooling for some reason until I was reminded about it not too long ago! We seem to always be wiping his mouth! He is still sleeping really well at night! Every night is different but last night for example he slept from 9:30-6:30! That is a long time! It is weird though because I wake up thinking "he is going to wake up any minute." Anyways, we feel very lucky to have a pretty good sleeper! As for naps, he naps with me and naps well! We tried the crib but he just doesnt sleep as long and as good! When he is in there I am on edge waiting for him to cry! For now, to guarantee I get a nap for work, we sleep together! I will have to break that habit at some point! I just cherish those moments everyday! Speaking of work, it is going rather well! We seem to have the routine down pretty good! My work nights are split up which helps Grant not to have three days in a row of taking care of Tucker by himself. It also helps me be able to see him and not feel like I am working more than I see him for those three days! Grant is soo good with him while I am sleeping! It seems to be working out for them and I am sure it will only get better as he gets older! We are enjoying our life as a family! Above are some random pics of Mr. Tucker!

4th of July Weekend!

2009-07-08T09:41:00.001-07:00

Isn't he adorable! :) I just love his smile! You can kind of see his cute 4th of July outfit!

We had a great 4th of July weekend! We headed to San Angelo to hang out with some family! We went on Friday afternoon and arrived just in time for dinner at a Mexican restaurant downtown! Saturday was a pretty lazy day! We napped, did some shopping downtown and hung out at the house! Saturday night was fun! We played with sparklers, had homemade ice cream, watched fireworks from the porch and had a great meal of brisket and barbeque chicken with all the fixins! At nighttime we played games which was fun! I discovered (thanks to my family in San Angelo) a game called Blokus! Sooo much fun! Anyways-my mom caught a picture of Tucker grinning from ear to ear! We didn't get a picture of the family on the 4th-:(! By the time we were ready, Tucker spit up all over his 4th of July outfit! Oh well!!! It was a great time! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!!!

I started back to work Monday! It was crazy busy! One of those "welcome back Jill" kind of nights! It was SOO incredibly hard to leave my baby and my hubby-but I survived! I LOVE the nighttime routine we have---I am really going to miss it the 3 nights I work! Grant is such an amazing father and husband--he is SO great with Tucker! I am so lucky! For not having ever held a baby before Tucker was born, he is truly a natural! Hope all of you ladies are as lucky as me! I don't know what I would do without him! He is my rock!

Tucker and Tevin!

2009-07-01T09:18:00.001-07:00

My friend and co-worker, Michele, and I went to run around town yesterday! We put Tevin's carseat in my car and hit the road! Look at those precious boys after all those errands! They were tired! :) Tevin is 5 months old and Tucker is 2 1/2 months old! How fun that they will be able to play together!

Tucker is 2 1/2 months old!

2009-06-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

Is this not the cutest outfit? Thanks to Mom and Molly! Tucker obviously loves it--hehe! :)

What a happy boy! He loves pushing himself on the glider ottoman!

Resting on the boppy!

Tucker eating out of his Podee bottle! Shout out to the Podee bottle! Makes life alot easier sometimes!

Nothing new has really happened this week since I posted last Friday! We had a great weekend! On Friday, Tucker slept from 10:30-5 am and then 5:30-8! What a kid! We got some good sleep that night! I am currently working on him taking naps in his bed in the afternoons! Hopefully he will catch on quickly! He just can't sleep on me every afternoon--even though I LOVE it! He is soo good about putting himself to sleep at night that surely he can do it during the day!

We are headed to good ol' San Angelo, Texas this weekend to see Mark's sister, Melinda, and her side of the family! We will probably just go Saturday morning but we may head out Friday afternoon! I bought Tucker a cute little red, blue, and white striped outfit for Saturdays festivities! How fun! It will officially be my last weekend of maternity leave! I go back Monday night! Soo sad! But I think it will be good to break up the monotonous routine of it all! I don't mean for that to sound bad but I think it will be good to get away for a few hours a few times per week! I will HATE to leave Mr. Tucker and my wonderful husband!!! I just love them soo much!

Above are a few pics of our precious boy!

Tucker's 2 Month Visit to Dr. Gray

2009-06-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

We went to see Dr. Gray today for Tucker's 2 month check up/immunizations! He weighs 12 lbs. 9 oz. (after eating a couple of ounces in the waiting room-hehe), his head measures 40.5" and he is 22.5" long. He is in the 50th percentile in all categories! He is just your average kiddo! He was soo good, despite the fact that he had been a little more fussy than usual after not having had a poo-poo yesterday! Well, at least that is what we guessed was the problem! Who really knows! He just kicked and cooed on the examination table. I think he liked the sound of the paper he was crumpling as he kicked-hehe! When Dr. Gray came in Tucker just stared at him the whole time! Then, time for shots! The first was given by mouth--he did really well! I then was instructed to hold his hands while the nurse held his legs--he got a little fussy with this--and then the first shot! First there was silence while he was in shock and then a blood curdling scream. This then led to more silence because he was crying so hard that he would not take a breath! In the midst of this silence, the nurse managed to administer the last two shots. And then I was able to cradle him as he continued to cry but also calm down! Tears were running down his cheeks and his eye lashes were soaked. He was also hoarse from crying so hard! Poor baby! But I got him into his favorite position against my chest, gave him his pacifier and he started to close his eyes! What a good boy! He really did very well! I gave him some tylenol at home just to help ease any pain he may have had from his shots! He pretty much slept all day with a few awake moments. I think he was exhausted from his traumatic experience!

Too Cute!

2009-06-25T18:00:00.001-07:00

Well as I have said in many posts, Tucker is smiling ALOT! Pretty much on cue! But I just had to write this because it melts my heart! Last night, Tucker slept from 10 to 5! Woo hoo! I took the first "wake-up time" duty and went to tend to the little man! I got into his room where he was fussing/crying and looked over his bed. He immediately stopped crying, opened his eyes really wide and gave me the biggest toothless, gummy grin you have ever seen! It was one of those moments where you truly knew that HE knew it was his mommy! For so long you give and don't receive! But when you finally get that smile in a moment like that, you realize how awesome parenting really is!!! For your baby to finally show you that he recognizes you is the most amazing feeling! Lately he is just so content sitting in one spot! We all know that God does not give you more than you can handle. However, we all can get to a point where we THINK we can't handle anymore! As I have told some people, its like when you just think you can't handle the crying anymore (because it seems in the beginning thats what they do if they are awake) then they change and become content more often and cry less! That is neat to look back and ponder on! Anyways--I will post soon about our doctor visit in the morning! :) Shots--EEK!

Family Pic from Colorado

2009-06-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a family pic of us in Colorado on the beautiful deck! I really don't think I have anymore pics of us there as we did alot of hanging out in the house with Mr. Tucker! :)

8 & 9 weeks/ First Family Vacation to Colorado

2009-06-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Whitewater Rafting on the Arkansas River in Colorado! AWESOME!

Whitewater rafting pic #2!

Grant and I on top of Pike's Peak---with a wind chill of 24 degrees!

Tucker at 9 weeks smiling at Mommy with Daddy behind her! :)

Another pic of Tucker before eating!

Occasionally, I put Tucker in my peanut shell to do things around the house! This is 8 weeks!

One of our professional pictures by Sara at one week! Had to add this in!

(More pics to come from Colorado etc...)

Wow-I am definitely behind on blogging about my little boy! It seems like so much has happened since the last time I posted! First of all, we are all doing wonderful! We are just truckin' along each and every day only to find that each one is different! :) Going back to work on July 6th is definitely on my mind. I am torn. I really like being at home with Mr. Tucker but I also feel like I need to have a few breaks by going to work 3 nights a week! However, I am going to HATE missing our bedtime routine and HATE leaving Grant by himself at night(even though he doesn't care at all)! I know we will pull through and be successful at work and taking care of Tucker!

Anyways, we left for Buena Vista, Colorado last Sunday the 14th! We stayed in Trinidad, Colorado the first night! It was craziness. We were nervous to sleep in the same room as Tucker. He is a VERY loud sleeper! And come to find out he still is! However, we arrived to the house in Buena Vista on Monday and got him set up in an attached library next to our room so we could be separated during the night for the week! :) It worked out really well! It was so beautiful and the house was absolutely amazing! It was so great to be with my aunt and her side of the family! It has been YEARS since we were all together! The house had an awesome deck with a hot tub, tons of chairs and hummingbird feeders with tons of little hummingbirds to watch! They had a zipline, a fire pit, their own river rock stream, a tv room with a projector, tons of bedrooms, a Wii/Rockband, foosball......to name a few! We had great cooked meals every night and played games after Tucker went to bed! One day we went whitewater rafting and another day we took the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes Peak-FUN! It was more work taking care of Tucker because everything was out of place but it was worth it! We didn't take many pics but I have a few that I will post when I round them up from family!

While we were in Colorado Tucker had quite a few bouts of projectile vomiting! He actually had one Saturday before we left. He had not done that in quite a while! Anyways, we called the doctor on Wednesday and they told us he may have a little reflux. They told us to keep him elevated after eating, elevate him a little while sleeping, and to give him CEREAL! WOO HOO! I loved hearing that because all I hear from everyone is how awesome they sleep when they get cereal around 4 months. The reason they wanted us to start this is because it will help prevent air in the formula which will help him not to throw up! And of course they want us to continue burping him really well! We started him on cereal that day but I think it was too much for him too quickly! His tummy seemed to hurt for a couple of days and he did have a few more bouts of vomiting! We went to just giving him cereal at night! He has slept AMAZINGLY! He actually slept through the night the Friday after we started him on the cereal and did GREAT the days before that too! He slept 8 hours straight on Sunday night! WOW! So awesome. We are so happy! We are now trying to introduce it at nap times which has seemed to help too! We will just keep introducing him to it slowly with most feedings! We see Dr. Gray this Friday for his 2 month shots! I am dreading this! Its going to be so hard! But we will make it! Grant will be there to hold our hands!

Tucker is now pretty much smiling on command! Especially at his daddy! It is soo cute! He still loves to be on his changing table! And he is having a lot of content awake moments! Which is nice! He is cooing alot and holding his head up even better the past 2 weeks! It is soo fun to watch him grow!

On Father's Day we were traveling so it was not as special as it could have been if we had been at home all day and could celebrate! Tucker told me to tell Daddy Happy Father's Day though! :) We had a good day spending time together! :) That is all that matters, right?!

Above are some pics! :)

7 weeks!

2009-06-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

We can't believe it! Tucker is already 7 weeks! Time has flown by....its unbelievable. I go back to work in 1 month! Next week we head to Colorado for a week with my mom's side of the family! We are going white water rafting, train riding, swimming, and relaxing! Of course Tucker cannot participate in all the festivities but he will be in many good hands! It will be his first REAL trip besides going to Dallas to visit the grandparents! Anyways, Tucker continues to sleep well at night! He still gets up between 2 and 3 to eat and then between 6-7 to eat! He goes back to sleep pretty quick after each feeding which is nice for us! On Sunday we let Tucker put himself to sleep! We worked on it a little over the weekend with Cindi (who let us get a full nights sleep both nights-Thanks Cindi :))! He has now put himself to sleep the past 2 nights! The first night we had to console him about 3 times but he never wailed too bad! Last night, he did fabulous! He only whimpered once and we didn't even have to go and console him at all! He put himself right to sleep! Hopefully, he will stop needing that feeding in the middle of the night real soon!!! :) Also, it is so funny but he LOVES his changing table! He just smiles, coos and kicks his arms and legs! It is soo cute! We just love him soo much and thank God for such a wonderful blessing! Above are some pics of Mr. Tucker!!! We will post his 2 month pics after we get back from our trip to Colorado!

Tucker is 6 weeks!!!

2009-06-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Above are pictures of Mr. Tucker at 6 weeks! He is definitely a growing boy! He has continued to sleep well at night! We think he is going through his 6 week growth spurt! He is eating soo much!!! He is smiling so much in the past few days-especially at his daddy! We weighed him today (the old fashioned way again) and he is right around 11 pounds! He has soo many rolls! Aunt Molly comes tomorrow and then Cindi comes this weekend to see Mr. Tucker! Have a great week! Enjoy the beginning of summer!

*Shout out to Cindi as it is her birthday on Thursday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Tucker at 5 weeks!

2009-05-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Above are a few pics of Tucker during his 5th week! Wow-time has flown by! And with time and alot of "sitting around" with my little man I have noticed some new things he has learned! Let me list them for you!

-He uses his strong legs to lift up on me and with assistance stands on the counter! :)
-He coos and is starting to make all sorts of sounds!
-He is focusing with his eyes all the time, especially on the eyes of the person feeding him!
-He falls asleep when I sing to him! How sweet! :)
-He is noticing all his toys that hang from the bouncer and swing.
-He occasionally pops out a smile while awake!

Grant and I weighed him the old fashioned way at home and he is about 11 pounds-we think! WOW! He is big! And to think this is how big Brady was when Cindi delivered him! WOWZA! Overall, we are all doing well! Tucker is pretty much sleeping from around 10 pm-2am (roughly), he wakes up to feed and goes back to bed within 30-45 min. He then wakes up about 3:30-4ish to feed and goes back to sleep. And then he wakes up in the am to feed and goes back down! So, Grant and I have gotten quite a bit of sleep! We are liking our little schedule! Hopefully it just gets better and better! Aunt Molly comes in next week to visit and help with Mr. Tucker! And in about 2 weeks we head to Colorado for a family vaca! Woo hoo! I got Tucker enrolled in KDO for the Fall. That should be good for him and us! Everday is different around here and can be interesting! Nevertheless, we are having fun with our little guy! We will post more pics next week at 6 weeks! Wow!

Tucker at 1 month!

2009-05-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well we headed to Dallas for the weekend so we could introduce Tucker to the rest of his family and friends. This included 3 of his great-grandmothers, his step-grandfather, his great aunt and uncle, and his new friend Jackson! It was an interesting 7 hour trip to Dallas (as it normally takes 5 hours)! However, we did make it back to Lubbock in 6 1/2 hours=-woo hoo! Tucker was fabulous and does great in his carseat which makes it that much easier for us! It just rocks him right to sleep! He would wake up and cry for food and thats it! :) Molly came back with us to help out for the week! My mom will come in this weekend to join Molly and I while Grant goes on an off-roading trip to Katemcy! He is very excited. I am glad he will get a small break from his new life. While he is gone we get to enjoy a spa day at Woodhouse Day Spa here in Lubbock! That will be fun! Above are pics of Mr. Tucker at 1 month! He is growing SOO fast- it is unbelievable! Hope all is well with everyone! Enjoy the upcoming Memorial weekend!

*If anyone is interested in viewing the gallery of pictures of Tucker, go to www.sarabradshaw.com. Click on client proofing. The password for Tucker's gallery is tc_042509! Sara did a great job! We are in the process of ordering our pics!

Tucker at 3 Weeks!

2009-05-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Tucker continues to grow and is doing really well! This is his him at 3 weeks! He is changing so fast! The visit this past weekend with family was great! We got caught up on sleep thanks to Cindi! We have been on our own for the past couple of days and are doing good! We have broken the night into 2 shifts and it seems to be working for the both of us! We each get about 5 hours of good solid rest each night. We started Tucker on formula last week and are going through the transition period! It hasn't been too bad at all! It makes our lives so much easier! Wow!!! Hope everyone is doing well! We are headed to Big D this weekend for Tucker to meet the rest of his family! Molly comes back with us next week and will help us again! Yea!!! Love to all!

2 week Visit to Dr. Gray's

2009-05-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

We went to the pediatrician's office today for our 2 week appointment! Tucker did fabulous! They assessed his height, weight, head measurement, and did a newborn screen by sticking his heel and obtaining a blood sample! He weighed in at 8 pounds even and was 21 inches long! He even left a "pee" souvenir on the scale and the nurse! He is in the 50th percentile--an average kiddo! Grant's mom/Cindi has been here since Wednesday and has been a major help! She was able to stay up all night on Wednesday to take care of Tucker while Grant and I got 9 hours of sleep! She even chipped in for a shift last night which is always a big help to us!!! She is planning on letting us sleep one more full night before she leaves on Sunday-yippee!!! :) Grant's brother, Brady, and his Dad, Bill, are going to be here any minute to visit for the weekend and take Cindi back home on Sunday. His great-grandparents are coming in today to meet Mr. Tucker as well! What fun!!! Tucker says hello to all!

Pics of Tucker AKA "Grant Jr." at 1 and 2 weeks! :)

2009-05-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

The first two pics are Tucker at 2 weeks! The last two pics are Tucker at 1 week old while doing his "sun treatment" is his bouncer! He ALWAYS gets hiccups when he is in his bouncer for some reason! :) His bilirubin level was a little elevated at delivery and at our doctors appointment 2 days after delivery so we are doing sun treatments for 15 minutes each day! The doctor was not worried at all but just wanted us to do some indirect sunlight! His color is totally normal now! We went to a weight clinic yesterday at the hospital to check his progress! On the 24th, the Friday after delivery, Tucker had gone from 6 # 15 oz. at delivery, to 6# 7 oz when leaving the hospital, to 6# 5 oz. at the doctor! Yesterday, he was a whopping 7# 2 0z.! He definitely eats! They want him to be at his birth weight after 2 weeks---he exceeded the goal! We will see Dr. Gray this Friday to follow up on his weight and bilirubin levels. Tucker told me to tell everyone hello and thank you for all the wonderful gifts! He is doing really well--we will continue to post pictures! Pray that Grant and I get more and more sleep everyday! :) Love to all!

Tucker James Coss has ARRIVED!

2009-04-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tucker James Coss weighed 6# 15 oz., was 20 1/2 inches long, and was born at 6:12 am! Here are SOME photos of the hundreds taken!!!

As of Monday, April 20th we were blessed with our beautiful baby boy Tucker James Coss! We arrived at the hospital around 5:00 am, as planned, on Monday morning and were greeted by my wonderful postpartum friends as we dropped off our stuff in room 420! I have to add the room number as it is the same number as the date of Tucker's birth-4/20 (not on purpose)!!!! We headed to labor and delivery to get admitted by my girls for our 6:00 am cesarean section! Everything went soo smoothly--from the anesthesia to recovery! I was so terrified even though I knew everything that was going to happen. Not ever having been a patient, I was a little nervous to be "cut on." However, the spinal anesthesia felt amazing and kept me from feeling a thing! Besides itching that was related to my spinal medication, I only had a very small burning pain where my uterus was stiched closed! I barely needed any pain medication! I was able to walk by 2 in the afternoon on Monday and was eating solid food by night time! We had a great stay in postpartum and were able to be discharged on Wednesday at noon! Life is good!

38 weeks! 5 days from Delivery!

2009-04-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today we went to visit Dr. Lampkin for the LAST TIME before I deliver this baby boy! It felt good I must say! I remain dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced. He still feels his little head too! How cute! He said my cervix was not firm and not soft-just medium! So not much change from last week except for the fact that it didn't hurt near as bad when he did my exam! :) After asking his opinion, Dr. Lampkin believes it would be in my best interest to have a cesarean section with my "very narrow" pelvis. He thinks I would probably be able to have a vaginal delivery but would probably have a lot of "trauma." And he means to me, not Tucker-NECESSARILY! Things can definitely happen with the little man, too! There is just no sense in risking him not being able to deliver safely by sticking with trying a vaginal delivery having a narrow pelvis! I know and see way too much! So...I am VERY satisfied with our decision! We will go into surgery at 6:00 AM on Monday morning--he should be here around 6:15-6:30 or so that morning! YEA!!!! Very early-I know! We can't wait! The family will be here and it will just be awesome!

Everything looked good in the office. His heart rate was in the 130's and I have only gained one pound in the past 2 weeks! Craziness! There have been times when I have lost weight, when I have stayed the same from week to week and now I have gained only one pound! Its really weird because it seems as though I eat anything I can get my hands on! They still think he will be a peanut--yea!!!! All the plans are in place and we are ready to go! I have stocked up on food, the house will get cleaned Friday, the dog gets cleaned today, the air filters will be changed, my nails and toes will get done with my girls tomorrow, etc! We are as ready as we will ever be! Please pray for us as Grant and I join the world of parenthood! And pray for my nerves/health as I have never had surgery or a baby for that matter! I will post an update as soon as I get a chance after he is born-- with pictures! Bye for now as "Jill"---talk to you later as "Mom!"

37 weeks!

2009-04-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Today we had a very interesting visit with Dr. Lampkin! By this I mean I totally and thoroughly embarrassed myself! He did an exam that I thought was absolutely going to kill me! I definitely said a few choice words! Oops! If anyone were to be a fly on the wall--it probably would have been very funny for most! Anyways, I am dilated to a 1 and 50% and REALLY posterior or high (as evidenced by the pain I experienced as he tried to play with the hangy ball in my THROAT) (uvula)! Whoopty doo....that is basically nothing! A slight change from last week. Nothing that screams progress to me-just from experience! Oh well...we will still decide next week as to how he will be delivered! He was able to feel his little head--still head down! Yea!

On another note, here is a picture from Tucker's nursery of the window treatment that Grant's mom made to match our bedding! It wouldn't fit in the last blog post for some reason! It looks great! Hope everyone's week has started off well--its already half way through! Less than 2 weeks for Mr. Tucker to arrive-eek! So exciting! Love to all!

36 weeks PLUS-Almost 37 weeks!

2009-04-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! :) Well---are things getting more real or WHAT!?!?! Last Wednesday at 36 weeks we went to visit good ol' Dr. Lampkin! He did an exam and I am a fingertip(dilation), thick(effacement, and high(station)! Yea-haha! Just kidding! Oh yea...plus I have a "narrow pelvis." So..this makes the decision to have a c-section vs. vaginal delivery a little difficult! I will see how things progress the next couple of weeks and then make my decision the week after next! If I have many more moments of contractions like I did ALL night last night--maybe I will make some cervical change! You definitely have to have those contractions to make change!!! Its pretty much up to me how I deliver after speaking with Dr. Lampkin! He doesn't think I won't be able to deliver vaginally-necessarily! My reservation to a vaginal delivery is the fact that it all comes back to having a narrow pelvis! I don't want to go through the labor process, make it to the end, get ready to deliver and then risk not being able to after such a long day because of my pelvis! Alot of work to end up in a c-section! Especially if I have to come in the night before for cervidil which helps ripen the cervix for labor! A possible 24 + hours of labor-ick! AND I would risk having multiple "repairs," if you will, just to get him out! My heart is not completely set on a vaginal delivery so having a c-section is not a bad thing to me at all! I see so much up at work and talk to so many people that would rather have a c-section over a vaginal delivery any day! Since I have not been there myself I can only trust what all the ladies are telling me! Anyways---the date is still set for April 20th! He will be coming one way or the other! :) Woo hoo! In the meantime, pray for a clear decision for me if you think about it! :) I have been feeling fabulous--just many moments of swollen feet (really swollen)! He is definitely making it interesting to get around and things are getting more and more uncomfortable! But.... its so worth it!

On a different note I have pictures!!! I have pictures of my nursery! We are still waiting to hang pictures of Tucker/Maternity on either side of the window once they are available for purchase and we can get them developed! By the way....we took maternity pictures on the 29th after the family left from "shower weekend" with our WONDERFUL photographer Sara Bradshaw! She is so artistic and has such a great vision! Not to mention she is so sweet! We look forward for the gallery to be revealed so we can see all of the pics! She took almost 600 pictures! WOW! She will come the week after delivery to capture Tucker in all his glory! :) Her blog is available on my blog if you would like to check her out! She has some preview pics of Grant and I on there too. We go back to Dr. Lampkin this Wednesday and I will give an update! 2 weeks from today! Yippee!

35 weeks and 2 days! :)

2009-03-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

Grant and I went to see Dr. Hales this morning! :) It was a great visit! Tucker is weighing in at 5 lbs. 9 oz.! They say he is in the 26th percentile. Dr. Hales projects he will be 6.5-7 lbs. at delivery! My little peanut. :) My fluids were great at 16, my cervix is almost 4 inches (still thick), my placenta is where it should be AND......drum roll please.....he is HEAD DOWN! I truly can't believe this! I have thought for the past 3 weeks he has been transverse (sideways)! When I contract (which is quite often) I can feel his body from left to right. He may have been transverse at some point but today he is head down! His body remains sideways though. So his head is down and his little body and legs curve to my right side! Weird! I guess its a good thing so he is not constantly jabbing me in the ribs! I think I have been feeling his little sideways body this whole time when I have a contraction! We were able to get a couple of "ok" pictures of his profile on the 4d US today....not good enough to post I am afraid! But we know he is still a boy ;) and that he has feet, ears, toes, hands, a cute little nose, etc! Dr. Hales was thrilled that he actually had a labor and delivery nurse with no "issues." He seemed surprised and relieved! We hope it stays this way through the actual delivery!

Anyways...I have been busy working lately. I worked last Friday and Saturday, had off Sunday night and then worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday! I am TIRED and my feet are swollen! The good news is I only have 2 more weeks of work or 6 shifts to be exact! And no more 3 in a row! Yippee! My last day will be the 10th of April and then I will have 10 days to relax before I deliver---at least that is the plan! :) Everyone knows Tucker is in charge of when he wants to show his pretty face! In that time, Lora, Kari Jo and I are having a girls night and I will try to have some "get togethers" with other friends before my time is up! Of course sleep is of the utmost importance! I will definitely make sure to get a lot of that! Grant, I am sure, will continue working on his truck and other people's vehicles with his friends and try soaking up all the relaxation he can get!

The family is coming in town today for a baby shower that my wonderful friends are throwing for me! We are having a birthday dinner here at the house tonight to celebrate Grant's grandmother Dorothy's birthday and his Dad's bday as well that will be on April 3rd! We are expecting around 13 people! Hope we all fit-haha! :) I will soon post pictures from all the showers thus far as well as nursery pictures! :) We are on the countdown people! Keep us in your prayers! Love to all!

32 weeks and counting...

2009-03-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Dr. Lampkin's office! Nothing exciting at all except that now my sweet little boy is laying sideways or "transverse" as we like to call it! And he is still facing to the back! He is a stinker! I hope this is not a sign of whats to come-haha! Oh well! Anyways, everything is going great! We had a great time this past weekend in Dallas! I had a couple of showers and was "showered" with gifts galore! Thank you to everyone who came to the showers and for all the wonderful gifts! I have spent the past couple of days organizing all the new goodies and figuring out where things needs to go! It is fun but overwhelming! I still have 3 more showers! :) Woo hoo! We are still waiting on the crib that DID NOT arrive today like it was supposed to! So we will see if it comes in on Friday and then get all of the bedding on and pictures taken for all to see. It really needs to get here...we are getting ancy! We have been waiting since the middle of January! I am also working on some artwork for the room! I have to incorporate Uppercase Living somehow...and of course spell out his name with fun lettering! Hope all is well with everyone! Gotta go get ready to run some errands this evening! Love to all!

Visit to Dr. Hales

2009-02-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we visited Dr. Hales office for a follow-up appointment. The doppler studies are back down to normal limits! In other words, the blood flow from my placenta to Tucker is normal again. They did not estimate his weight at this visit. We will go back on March 27th and they will do that then! We did try to get more pictures but he decided to face toward the back AGAIN! All we got were more foot, ear, and arm pictures! Darn! We did find out he is BREECH right now---with an arm under my right rib! He has alot more time to turn back around but if he doesn't it will be a cesarean section (which I am not opposed to at all!) :) Anyways--we are in Dallas now for a couple of baby showers! I have one tomorrow and one on Sunday! We will then head back to Lubbock with presents in tow! When we get back, we will pick up our crib and get that put together this week! Yippee! We are fixing to watch a movie with the parents! Hope everyone has a good weekend!

It is Getting Close! 30 Weeks!

2009-02-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

Today Grant and I had two of our doctor appointments. It was great to kill two birds with one stone! First, was the Dr. Hales appointment. This is the fun appointment! We saw Mr. Tucker's BACK today but could not see his face. He just so happened to be face down at the moment! So no good pictures off course! But he is head down with his legs right at the top of my belly! Getting close to rib kicking time I fear! He weighed 3 lb. 2 oz.! My cervix, fluid, placenta etc... is on track and normal! They did some doppler studies to look at the blood flow from the placenta to the baby. My levels were elevated which means there is some resistance in blood flow from the placenta to Tucker. However, these numbers usually peak at 30 weeks and then tapers off. He is not worried at all because of this and the fact that Tucker is growing right on track. If he hadn't been growing normally,the studies today may have been evidence that the blood flow is an issue! But at this point we are good! I go back next week for a follow up visit to make sure they go down! And to get better pics! After this, we headed over to Dr. Lampkin's office for the usual visit! Nothing eventful but we did decide on a date for induction of labor! Monday, April 20th-I am on the books! I will be 38 weeks and 5 days! We have been thinking of this date for some time! I have been trying to time it just perfect with my friend's work schedule in postpartum so she can take care of me etc! Its fun to work in L/D so I am able to get on the schedule so early! Now I can "reserve" good ol' Dr. Hegde to do my epidural or spinal if have a c-section! :) Of course, anything can happen and I could go earlier or later! But at least this is a starting point!

On another note, Grant had a great birthday on the 8th! The big 27! After I woke up from work we went to eat at Lujan's and then went to a movie! We ended a great night with ice cream cake that Molly bought for Grant from Marble Slab! Yummy!

Hope everyone has a great week! I will post another update next week--hopefully with some good pics!

Healthy...

2009-02-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

I guess I am free and clear of gestational diabetes! If I were anemic or had gestational diabetes, I was supposed to hear by Friday from Dr. Lampkin's nurse Sylvia---and I didn't! Yea!!! So...unless otherwise posted I am healthy! This makes me very happy! Well..Grant finally got better after 3 days of resting at home this week. Everyday there seemed to be progress and now he is almost as good as new! I am still feeling well---we made sure to disinfect everything he touched! Tucker sure has been moving ALOT! Its so weird that the bigger they are, the more you can feel and even see when looking at your belly! Its just amazing-truly. I love it!!! I just can't wait to meet him! I think Grant is getting excited too. He is in awe of my belly-its so cute! Grant's mom is working so hard on the baby bedding! I heard she was up til 2 am the other night looking for all of the fabric we picked out on this website but at a cheaper price online! She supposedly found it all for cheap! WOO HOO! That's all for now! Better get back to work and take care of the preggos!

Poor Grant!

2009-02-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well...its official. I got the early morning phone call at work! Grant got the "bug." Poor thing has not gotten sick like this since he was a child! A small child... Last week it was me for 3 days and now it is him! Fever and ALL! Its my turn to take as good of care of him as he did of me last week! I am finally feeling back to normal. Now I have to try and stay away to prevent a relapse! If you think about it, say a little prayer that he has a quick recovery and can get back to work and for me that I stay healthy! I have an appointment in the morning and will be tested for gestational diabetes! Yea! I'll leave an update later! Talk to ya'll soon! Gotta go take care of my man!

Just Call me....Mrs. Sicky!

2009-01-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

Well, so last week we found out that I had a UTI. I got on my 4th antibiotic on Friday with some pain medication I was actually able to take at work if needed. Before Friday, I was in so much pain and was only being prescribed narcotics-which obviously you can't work with! Thursday was the worst day of pain in the 1 week + of this ordeal! Of course narcotics eased me through it! VERY frustrating as I need to be at work accruing time to have enough hours to be paid while I am on maternity leave. So by Friday night I was actually feeling GREAT--and on Saturday even better! I was so excited to go to work on Sunday-believe it or not. However, to make matters WORSE--my body decided it wanted to catch a virus on Sunday! So-beginning yesterday I spent on the toilet all day with 100.5 fever, nausea, back pain, and some contractions from being dehydrated. I was MISERABLE! This lasted all night without sleep and into today. One of the worse nights of my life-truly! I continue to spend most of my time on the toilet wondering when this will stop! I had to call in to work last night AND tonight. Of course, this made the whole work issue even worse for me! So... yesterday I told myself-Jill--God knew all of this was going to happen--it all happens for a reason and you will be taken care of like always! I can't turn back time nor can I dwell on what could have been! So this has given me some peace through it all! Its just hard knowing that your colleagues suffer when you call in and are probably frustrated with me not knowing what all has gone on in the past week and a half! But I can't worry about that! I have to take care of me and Mr. Tucker! I am sure they will understand when I get back! In the meantime, I am thoroughly hydrating myself to keep those dehydration contractions gone and to get myself back to normal! I just hope Grant doesn't catch whatever I had---I will be so sad if that happens! :(

On a more positive note---the days (Friday night and Saturday) that I was feeling good we went to dinner with some friends for a birthday and came home to organize our utility room. Its amazing how much space can be utilized when you have a NEED to utilize all the space in your house! On Saturday, I cleaned out our whole HUGE closet in the morning while Grant was working on truck stuff. In the afternoon, we cleaned out both our office and nursery--moving furniture, placing/labeling stuff in plastic bins, putting together our bookcase for the nursery, etc.! Quite a chore but we are almost done with this big task called "organization." I guess you would say I am nesting! I just feel like there are so many little things that I am not going to want to do once this baby comes! So--we are doing it all now and it feels GREAT! Now we are just waiting for the crib and dresser/changer to arrive so we can put it all together! Also, Grants mom is sewing our baby bedding which is going to look AMAZING! That is in the works too! I can't wait for the room to get all decorated so I can post some pics! :) I just know he is going to love his new room!

*We found out this week that our good friend from Grant's off-roading club, Tony, has inoperable lung cancer! Please keep him in your prayers as he will be traveling to MD Anderson and starting some pretty aggressive treatments very soon. He is so strong as well as his wife Sharon. He has such a good attitude and will pull through! Every prayer will help! Thanks everyone!

Hope all is well with everyone! Have a blessed week!

25 Weeks and 6 Days Appointment to Dr. Hales

2009-01-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

Life has been interesting this past week. Unsure if I had a UTI or kidney stone led me to see Dr. Hales one week early to check on little Mr. Tucker to make sure everything was o.k. in this belly of mine! Of course, he is perfect! Weighing in at a whopping 1 lb. 13 oz.--haha-this kid almost weighs 2 lbs! :) My fluid levels continue to be right on track as well as the length of my cervix! This makes me very happy! They also put me on the monitor to see if I was contracting in conjunction with my "illness"---it was so fun to see Tucker's heartbeat beating away and tracing on the monitor! At 26 weeks it can be difficult to trace a little baby that has a lot of room to move around and come off the monitor. My little boy stayed on the whole 30 minutes! I do this to people every time I am at work----its so neat this was actually my baby being traced! :) Besides having what we now know to be a UTI and taking 3 different antibiotics--I feel good. Just knowing what I have makes it so much better. I am still having some pain and taking some pain medications but I am sure to wean off of those very soon! :) I did have one painless contraction yesterday and have felt many painless contractions before yesterday! Very weird to feel contractions. I can't imagine what they will feel like when there is pain associated with them! We ordered our baby furniture last week and I picked out/designed the baby bedding that Grant's mom Cindi is going to soo kindly sew for us! :) I have bought a few things here and there for the nursery! We are planning to organize/sort/clean/throw away all the stuff this weekend and next in the room that is to be the nursery and the room that is now becoming the guest room/office! I am also getting excited about my upcoming baby showers in the next couple of months! How fun! I have a feeling we will be all set for Mr. Tucker when the time comes! :) Hope all is well with everyone! Here are some pics of Little Tuck!

24 week and 1 day appointment

2009-01-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

I went to see Dr. Lampkin today for another QUICK appointment. When I say that I mean it! I guess its hard to go to the appointment being a labor and delivery nurse when I could so easily call in all the information they obtain at the office. It just makes it less exciting! My most favorite appointments are going to see Dr. Hales to get all the cool ultrasound pics! :) Anyways-I am glad all the nurses are so wonderful at Dr. Lampkin's office--and of course he is great too! He takes such good care of his patients! With all of that said-everything went well. My weight gain is still on track, as well as my blood pressure, fundal height, etc! I am starting to experience how hard it is to get around as you get more pregnant-even to turn in my own bed! haha! Its not that I can't but I can just feel it in my hips! Its also not easy getting up from the couch...and I am walking slower! Its all kinda funny-and will be even more funny to see how it is further down the road! Next visit at 28 weeks I get to drink the yummy orange glucose drink to test for gestational diabetes! :) All I know is at 24 weeks my blood sugar is perfectly normal! I am crossing my fingers that it stays that way! Here is a belly picture!

*Congrats Lauren and Justin on your new baby girl Miss Kendall Marie Mack! :) I can't wait to see her!

My 22 week and 6 Day Appointment

2009-01-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

Well...its been a while since my last post! Its been soo busy with work and the holidays that I have not had a chance to post! We finally got our pictures from last week's appointment scanned to post for you guys! Our appointment on Tuesday, the 30th went GREAT! Mr. Tucker weighs 1 lb and 3 oz.! He was showing off for us doing all his gymnastic stunts! In fact, in one of these pictures he is bent in half-legs over body! Haha! He is definitely flexible and likes to kick ALOT! He is so stinkin' cute on the 4D pictures! Dr. Hales said my amniotic fluid levels, cervix, etc are normal at this point! I am having sausage feet (swelling) every once in a while but my blood pressure and everything are totally normal! I noticed on Saturday that I was able to actually see my tummy move when he was moving! So cool! We took a tummy picture last weekend---I need to post it! My tummy is definitely growing which has been quite the experience! :) Work is going great for Grant! He is having fun making changes to his off-roading vehicle, too! We are busy deciding on baby bedding and organizing rooms! I have a feeling this will continue to the very end! We are enjoying it! Hope all is well and Happy New Year!

20 Week Appointment

2008-12-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

We went to Dr. Lampkin's office for our 20 week visit today. Everything continues to be going great and very smoothly. I still haven't been sick! Yea! Ever since I started feeling the "real kicking" last Friday, Tucker hasn't stopped! He kicks all the time! I played with the ultrasound machine at work the other night but it turned out he didn't want to play! We have our next appointment with Dr.Hales on December 30th. We will get more US pictures and we will also find out how much he is weighing and check all my fluid levels etc.! That should be fun! Grant and I are trying to get all of our last minute Christmas shopping done and presents wrapped before I have a long stretch of work that will lead right into going to Dallas for Christmas! I can't wait!

Kicking/Hiccups

2008-12-05T07:36:00.001-08:00

Around 7:30 this morning I was laying in bed after waking up from a dream. Suddenly, I felt something funny in my tummy. It was rhythmic....hiccups! And then a few movements that seemed to resemble kicking! I just laid there taking in every movement! Like I have said before, I have felt flutters but today was the most distinct feeling of any other day! I hope to feel him move more and more everyday (and I know I will;) )! Anyone that knows me knows that I am NOT a morning person. I couldn't go back to sleep after feeling Mr. Tucker--how special!....Anyways-Grant and I are doing well. We decorated the house for Christmas last night! Our last time by ourselves for Christmas! Wow! It looks so pretty and I love being surrounded by Christmas decorations! I am frantically trying to get all my presents bought for the family! I realized yesterday that there are only a few more days left to go shopping with my work schedule, etc! Aghh! We go for your 20 week appointment next Thursday! I will have more Tucker updates then! For now-----everyone enjoy the days until Christmas! I know I will!

Its a.....?

2008-11-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

Well...we finally revealed our secret to the 25 + family members over at Grant's for Thanksgiving, including my immediate family too. We still have to tell my dad and stepmom on Sunday on the way back to Lubbock! :) We are proud to announce-Its a BOY!!!! I decided I couldn't just "tell" everyone, I had to get my creative juices flowing and make something fun! So...I made these glass ornaments to let everyone know its a boy! (I will post pictures soon.) I gave one little box to my mom and one to Grant's mom to open today. Perfect to hang on the tree for the upcoming Christmas holiday. His name will be Tucker James Coss! I think we are pretty much set on the name---don't think there will be any changes! We have been looking at old photos from when Grant and I were babies. Fun to imagine the mixture of the two! There will be more to come in the following weeks I am sure. I am still feeling great and feeling little "flutters"every now and then. Nothing big yet! We are going to spend the rest of the weekend doing a little shopping, football watching, visiting with family, and watching the Tech v. Baylor game at Jenny and Scott's house with Cody and Amy + baby Sage! Have a great holiday weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

"Official" Ultrasound

2008-11-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

Today Grant and I saw Dr. Hales, our maternal fetal medicine doctor. For those of you who don't know, he is a more specialized doctor that will follow me and my baby throughout the pregnancy to make sure things are on track! We now know FOR SURE the sex of the baby! Its soo exciting for us! We also got 4D ultrasound pics and can see what our baby kinda looks like at this point! Isn't that neat!? Our little munchkin is definitely a toot! Never does what you want it to...ever! But thats ok---its on "mommy" time. Sleeps during the day and is awake at night! :) We can't wait to tell our family next week at Thanksgiving! Then I can finally start talking about EVERYTHING on my blog! I haven't felt anything strong as far as movements go but I can feel something happening! But its not enough to be like "that's it! " I don't expect to feel anything "real" for another couple of weeks or so! We had our 16 week appointment last week and everything was great at Dr. Lampkin's office! No news there. I will post some US pics soon--the ones where you can't tell if its a girl or boy! Even one from our 4D US pics...neat-o!

On another note---we can't wait for the game tomorrow!~ WOO HOO! We are going to cheer on our Red Raiders!

Girl or Boy?

2008-11-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well...we had some fun at work last night (as usual) with our ultrasound machine! We are 90% sure we know what it is at this point without being "official." Earlier this week we had looked and we THOUGHT we knew....but we didn't! However, we have our "real" appointment with our specialist this coming Friday and we are not going to reveal our secret until then! :) Well, after Thanksgiving because we are waiting to tell our parents until that day! We are super excited to tell everyone and START preparing for the arrival! :) Nothing else is going on besides Grant and I trading colds with each other! No fun! Work is good, baby is good, Grant is good, and Life is good! Check this out on Thanksgiving for our fun reveal! :)

TECH ROCKS!

2008-11-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

The Texas v. Texas Tech game was AWESOME on Saturday! Can you believe Tech is #2 now?!?! Don't you wish you could live in the town of awesomeness! (Is that a word?) Haha!

GO RED RAIDERS!

Feeling Great!

2008-10-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

And another thing I forgot to mention! For those always wanting to know how you are doing----- I feel FABULOUS! Besides having a kidney stone this past Monday at work, the normal fatigue that comes along with pregnancy, and lower back pain, I really feel great! I have not been sick or anything...at least so far! Just hanging in there!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN :)

Jill

It's Baby Time!!!

2008-10-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

We're Going to Have a Baby! 04/29/2009

Well....here goes nothing! Once you start blogging I don't think it ever stops. I decided this would be a fun way to share our life with our loved ones and let everyone have a little insight into how we are preparing mentally, emotionally, and physically for our new arrival in the Spring!Let me start off by saying we are soo excited! It seems as if we waited forever for our special moment to finally arrive! Of course, not nearly as long as it takes some people to get pregnant! A whole 10 months! Anyways, I titled our blog "Faith, Hope and Love" for a reason! Let me explain! We relied on faith and faith alone through the process of trying to get pregnant! There was nothing stopping our miracle but God's timing...and we were ok with that! All we could do was have faith that in his perfect timing we would get pregnant. Everyday I would remind myself of this... I had to! Imagine working in a place, helping to deliver and care for babies three days a week! Celebrating in the joy of the lives of those able to have a baby. And hearing the stories of the ease of getting pregnant for so many mommies! Being in that moment of delivery that you wish so badly could be you, and in the same time imagining it was you and your eager husband! Not to mention all those friends getting pregnant around me! And the constant questioning, "are you pregnant yet?" With all of that said, I have been extremely happy for everyone because I knew how excited it would be when I got pregnant. And I haven't minded the questions AT ALL! I had to know it just wasn't our time! We were hopeful that one day it would be us but happy to wait for "our moment." We had hope everyday that we would get pregnant and hope everyday that it would be in his perfect timing! And now we are in LOVE with this wonderful gift and baby growing inside of me! We are enjoying every minute of having this wonderful blessing and also enjoying our last few months alone at the same time! We are so thankful for all of your prayers! And thankful to God most of all for this wonderful gift! (We promise we will take good care of our baby! ;))

P.S.- I started this blog soon after I found out I was pregnant in August but have been soo busy to actually get it started! So I am about to post some other fun events that we have experienced!

First Appointment-9/16/2008-*8 weeks*
This was exciting for both Grant and I! We finally got to see the heartbeat on the ultrasound as well as our "little blob." We did have a very funny moment while watching our little one! I don't know if any of ya'll know the song that has the words "I can't find my baby...." Anyways, the room was quiet as we were intently trying to look for our baby and this song came on! I think it is an 80's song! Mind you, I just got off from a 12 hour shift in the night and just busted out laughing making it VERY difficult to spot our little one again! But we were happy all was well at this point in the pregnancy!

9/23/2008-I walked to the doctor's office after work to see if we could see our little booger again and get a better picture but NOPE! Thanks to my doctor's ancient machine we didn't! So we scheduled an appointment at a radiology clinic the next day to get a good ultrasound! And to make it more exciting, my mom was coming into town that day so I could show her some good pics!!!!

9/24/2008-We got a picture of a blob, literally! I wish you could see it! Can't even make out a baby to this day! And to make matters crazier, they said we were 7 weeks instead of 9 weeks along! I wasn't sure what to believe at this point......I would have to talk to my doctor! I really enjoyed my mom's visit! :)

10/16/2008- On this day we had our 2nd official OB appointment! I was *12 weeks and 3 days* on this day! We were SOO excited about this particular appointment! They say that at 12 weeks you see one of the biggest changes in your baby! And it was true! We could see arms, legs, a big head...! He or she was definitely happy and showing off for us and moving around like crazy! Pur little gymnast! Of course, we couldn't tell the gender yet! We did schedule our 16 week appointment for November 13th as well as our 18 week appointment with Dr. Hales to determine the sex!!!! YEA! That appointment is going to be November 25th---2 days before Thanksgiving! I am so ready for this! We will reveal "our little secret" sometime over the Thanksgiving holiday to all of our family and friends! Woo-hoo!

10/24/2008- Well...working at a hospital AND on a LABOR AND DELIVERY floor, we have so many fun "toys" accessible to us! On this day, I got our our trusty doppler monitor and placed it on my belly! I could HEAR the heartbeat for the first time, beating at a high whopping rate of 150-160 beats per minute! I have checked it everytime I have worked since then! And of course a few times I have use the ultrasound maching to watch my baby in my tummy moving and playing! So fun!!!!

So this is where we are.....enjoying the moments until we find out if its a girl or boy! All the fun begins then....decorating, picking out concrete names, buying stuff... etc! I promise I won't be so long winded with the rest of my posts but I had a lot to catch up on! :) Again, thanks for all the prayers! We are so thrilled and hope you enjoy reading about our journey!

Grant and Jill---and our (14 week and 4 day old baby)!