All I want for Christmas...

Merry Christmas! This year we celebrated in Houston as I am still on bed rest. It was really wonderful to be with both families! We must have been extra good this year as our home was overflowing with amazing gifts! I was a little sad that we missed Christmas Eve service due to contractions, but so blessed that baby William is still staying put and we were able to be with family. The nursery is almost complete with the new addition on the roman shade that the boys helped hang on Christmas and we are so excited for 2010! We are ready to capture the baby with our new HD video camera and Bill and I are both going to be in style with his new Luchese alligator boots and my new Christian Louboutins and Tory Burch flats! Here's to you and yours this holiday season!

Bill's Big Surprise!

The Robinson Family

All the grandchildren

The Johnson Family

This is what 8 weeks of bedrest will do to you!

So excited to get the Roman Shade up in the nursery

Wedding Band Christmas Party

Thursday night was our Sunday school's first annual Christmas Party at Kacey and Brent Riley's house. The Wedding Band II class has been such a blessing for Bill and I as we settle into our new church home. After what seemed an endless search, we became members at Chapelwood Memorial last May and have truly felt at home! Over the past few months, several young married couples joined together to form our new Sunday school class and we just love everyone! I was still on "bed rest" but my doctor said that attending one event and only going for a few minutes while sitting was okay. This was so exciting for me as I have been confined to the bed/house for the past 7 weeks. Of course I will do whatever necessary to keep our little one secure and safe, but this tiny bed corner I call my home/office/sleep space/Christmas wrapping center/etc. and the TV remote were really beginning to wear on me! The 40 minute outing was awesome and enough to get me through the next weeks! Hopefully we will be able to attend Christmas Eve service as well... but we will take it one day at a time!

For those of you wondering about the bump... we have come a LONG way! There is no missing this bump! 8 months and counting... such a wonderful feeling after entering the hospital at 25 weeks.

A Peak into William's World

Last week was a great week for Bill and I! I finished up playing santa from bed and now will hopefully finish wrapping this week. Wednesday, we met with our soon to be pediatrician who we absolutely love! I choose to believe that sometimes we are given little signs that you have made the right choice, little "God winks" if you will! After mentioning to our in-laws that we had chosen a pediatrician, we soon found out that he was actually Maggie's pediatrician when she was a little girl. What are the chances in all of Houston that we choose the same person? On Friday, we got to see our son in 4D! It was one of the most rewarding and amazing moments for Bill and I to be able to have a peak into little William Stone's world. As most of you know, I have been on bed rest going on my 7th week now and to be this far along is just such a blessing. We truly appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers throughout this process. Being able to check in on our little guy took my breath away! He has the cutest chubby cheeks and when he smiles you can actually see little dimples... ahhhh! The ultrasound tech said that she had never seen such an active baby! Thus my contractions i am sure! He spent the ENTIRE 45 minutes putting his long little fingers in his face, kicking the tech equipment, sticking his tongue out, smiling, arching and stretching, etc. We are going to have our hands full when he arrives! BUT the best part? Since he was moving so much we get to do it again next Friday no charge!!! Today, we had our Baby Care class. My doctor allowed me to go just for the class as long as I was sitting! Few contractions, but everything went really well for a first test run! Bill was such a natural at the burrito swaddle - he even got kuddos from the instructor!

Photos of our son! He totally has Bill's nose!

Look at that smile and those dimples!

Enough of the paparazzi shots please!

The shadow on his nose was the movement and my water... it goes away when he looks down!

One of the 10 tongue shots!

Aggie Ring

When I graduated from Texas A&M, I decided not to order my Aggie ring. I had just gotten a wedding ring, and so with all the planning and expenses, I decided that I would not need an Aggie ring - just didn't really think I would wear it to be honest. I come from a Longhorn family, so the Aggie Ring tradition was just not something I knew much about. Then, after living and working in Houston, I realized that I just might need that Aggie ring afterall. My husband and friends have been on me about it for years, and then finally, this year, my sweet husband ordered me one! I will not be dunking this ring as tradition holds seeing as I am pregnant; however, even if I was not I still think my choice of dunking would not be in the beer mug, but a champaign glass! Whoop!

A Different Thanksgiving

Well, we have a lot to be thankful for this year even if our Thanksgiving was a little different. As many of you know, I went on maternity bed rest at 26 weeks due to early contractions. I am thankful to say that our little miracle is doing well and we are now 29 weeks and counting. The night before Thanksgiving, Bill was having some chest pains that we thought were reflux; however after a visit to the ER, it was determined that Bill had pericarditis, an infection which caused him to be in a large amount of pain and unable to take large breaths comfortably! We are truly thankful that Maggie is now living in Houston and with my inability to get up from bed could take him to the ER. Bill is recovering very well and we both have enjoyed being together in the bed over the weekend with our meds, puppy and baby on the way! Bruce and Ellen, Bill's parents, came to help decorate the outside of our home for Christmas and we are blessed to have such wonderful family. Even though Bill and I gave thanks in bed with our turkey dinner, it was a great Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to a wonderful holiday season. God Bless!

Joy to the World!

So, I am still on bed rest, but the doctor is very happy with my progress and the baby is doing great! My Grandmother came on Wednesday to help with the nursery decor and fixed me some of the best meals! Thank you so much Gran! On Saturday, my parents came into town as Bill and I would not be able to travel for Thanksgiving. I have the most wonderful parents and amazing husband. They let me shout from the couch orders as to the Christmas decorating. WIthin 24 hours my Christmas tree was up and my home looked like a winter wonderland! Can you believe it? Bill cooked us all dinner from the grill as well. This man deserves extra under the tree this year! The decorating definitely made my day and brought tons of Joy!

Feeling a little bummed out that I would not be able to make it to Corsicana to get my maternity photos done by the lovely Charla, I suddenly remembered that my very own mommy was especially great with the camera! Talk about a fast and furious photo shoot... but does that woman take amazing photos or what? I am so pleased with how they turned out. You still have that magic touch mom... In both painting and photography!

A Birthday Surprise!

Wednesday I celebrated my 27th birthday and being 27 weeks pregnant! Plans for the day? Hanging out watching movies in bed with the baby and the dog! I have to say that I was a little bummed that this year I would be celebrating in bed, so Bill came home early and helped to wash and dry my hair and setup the sofa in living room to change my scenery. I also put on comfy clothes rather than pajamas to feel a little more normal! Little did I know that the girls were planning a birthday surprise (thanks to the master minds Alisa and Ashley for putting everything together). It truly brightened my birthday and was such a wonderful surprise. Ashley, Alisa and Jackie came running down the hall with balloons and the other girls showed up with so many wonderful gifts, food, etc. It was a really great evening! I also managed to stand up for 1 minute while Bill took a 27 week bump photo! After all the excitement, we did have a little set back on contractions, but everything is fine and we are taking it super easy this weekend! We also got our gestational diabetes test back and I passed with flying colors... take that to all you guys who thought the candy queen wouldn't pass! I know how to handle my sugar... wink!!!

Update from the Bed

Well, it has been about 12 days of bed rest and I think I have watched every type of show known to man! HaHa! Over the past week and a half we have had such wonderful family, friends and neighbors. We went to the doctor on Monday and I can report that she was very happy with my progress. Even though I am still having contractions, they are not as frequent and we are still managing them with procardia which is so much better than the magnesium. The best news is that my cervix is still closed and that I went from the 4th percentile in fluid to the 47th in just one week. The bad news is that I have an extra week of bed rest so that makes a total of 3 weeks from the time we went in originally, but I am willing to do anything to keep this little man put. We go in for an update on the 23rd so please keep your prayers coming as the power of prayer has done amazing things and we could not thank you enough! I have also learned throughout this entire experience that sometimes you just need to slow down, that things don't always have to be perfect, and that God is in control.

I will say that one of the best things about this experience has been being able to see our little miracle on the ultrasound more than you would normally be able to see due to the complications. Below is a facial shot. I just love that little nose!

Bed Rest

Well, it has been an eventful week! Last Thursday, I was feeling a little tightness and decided to check in with my doctor to make sure that everything was normal with the pregnancy. Turns out that little William Stone was so eager to meet his mommy and daddy that I had started contractions and needed to be admitted into the hospital. After two shots and a pill, they decided to put me on magnesium and for anyone that has ever had to have a dose of that lovely stuff I have a new found sympathy for you... I could not figure out why everyone that came into my hospital room was all bundled in sweatshirts and heavy coats... well, that is because it was a freezer in my room due to how hot I was! Thank you to everyone who sent flowers, came and saw us in the hospital and those praying for our family! We have such amazing friends and family and are so thankful for each and every one of you. This was such a scary time for both Bill and I and it was really great to have all that support. We are taking it one day at a time and feel truly blessed that our little guy has been able to stay put another week. After our release from the hospital on Sunday night (a day early... yea!), I am on strict bed rest for 2 weeks until the doctor clears me. For those of you who know me... best rest? seriously? But, I will do just about anything for this baby! We have a doctor's appointment on Monday and will be sure to keep everyone posted! A special thank you to my mother for coming and helping take shifts in the hospital and for all the help around the house... I also must brag on my amazing husband who has been such a rock through all of this and has gone above and beyond... he has prepared my meals, stayed in a cold hospital room, run errands, kept everything organized, rubbed my legs so they wouldn't get sore and even washed and dried my hair... I love you baby and I promise to make it up to you!

Here I am with nurse Mia - yes, we took pictures... come on I document everything and this is going in the baby book - yet another thing on my to do list!

Bill and I with the monitoring strip! oh yuck Kate!

Look at that strong heart beat! They said that he would calm down and not to get scared if his heart rate slows because of the mag... not our little boy! Such a little fighter! Probably why the contractions! wink!

The beautiful orchid my mommy brought!

Lexis is my total favorite! Thanks Bruce, Ellen and Maggie!

Some more of the wonderful flowers... really helped keep my spirits up!

The Gangs all Here!

What a great week! Maggie, Bill's sister moved into her new apartment, Kirby and Amy gave birth to beautiful baby Hadley and both sets of parents were in H-town for the weekend! Bill would add that both his Aggies and Cowboys won which adds to the great weekend! My parents got here on Saturday with the giraffe painting and 2 dogs in tow! I was super excited to get the painting in the nursery... Man am I one lucky girl to have such a talented mother - totally makes the nursery! Tucker had been running around the house for 2 days waiting on Tessa and Addie to get here to play... he is totally worn out! So fun!

Saturday was our neighborhood fall festival complete with costumes, cake walks, spook house, BBQ, smores, and the Charlie Brown movie. We went with our parents for a little while, but we were still a little tired from working on the nursery! Thanks mom & dad for all your help and advice! I think the nursery is coming together. Now, if I can just find someone that can do a Roman Shade and make pillows!

Bill and Dad hard at work on the cubby for the nursery!

I will get a better photo later, but look how the painting is AWESOME!!

Bill and his parents at the Fall Festival

Mom and I (promise dad was there!) and the Boo Bump!

Hadley Jade Atwood!

Bill and I went to the hospital to visit the beautiful Hadley Jade Atwood! We are so excited for Kirby and Amy and their new addition to the family! It is going to be so much fun to have cousins so close together! Holding Hadley made me wish for William Stone to get here that much faster! Hadley is such a perfect little baby girl! (even though we had to wait on her a week! wink!) We decided that Kirby will join Bill for sporting events and I will join Amy in dress-up and dance recitals! Girls have the cutest clothes!

Peas find a Cure!

This week was Breast Cancer Awareness week at Spectra Energy. Last year, they hosted a cakes for the cure contest and our team, The Cure Supporters came in 3rd for most humorous. Kim Artall is awesome with her cakes and created an edible bra for us thus the humor behind being a cure 'supporter'! This year, we moved right on up in the ranks despite the technical difficulty of having improper materials and a sticky cake given to us... we rose to the challenge with Kim's pea pod as they are proven to help prevent cancer... "Peas Find a Cure" came in second this year. (Look at our cute aprons!)