A Family in the Making

VA Heppdings 4th of July Visit

2011-08-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

If you asked anyone who knows me well, they would tell you that my favorite part of living in Destin is having friends and family visit year round. I absolutely love having a house full of company-as often and as many people as possible. Phil certainly fills my love tank, but the love tank overfloweth when I have a house full of company. I love that I can cook, clean, and play tour guide for my friends. I enjoy that many of my friends come down often enough that they feel like they can just relax and have down time at our house. Maybe I should have opened a bed and breakfast as a career.

This summer, we had the best company ever - the VA Heppdings. Phil's oldest brother, Fred, Heather (not only my SIL, but one of my closest friends), and their 3 kids-Will, Jackson, and Ava came for a week long visit. They drove all the way from Forest VA, and it was constant fun and go from the moment they arrived.

We got to show off our fun little town by going to see fireworks at Harborwalk on their first night here. No trip to our house would be complete without multiple trips to the beach. The boys loved playing in the sand and riding the waves. Will got to experience The Track and ride tons of exciting rides-all for free! We also enjoyed yogurt, playing at the house, and enjoying the air conditioned house during the blistering hot summer afternoons.

The most fun part was watching Nolan and Ava play together. They are exactly 1 month apart in age and play so well together. There is a precious connection they share and they interact so well together. They spent hours and hours playing on the living room floor together. The cutest thing ever was putting them in the toy box, with just their diapers on and some 4th of July headbands, and snapping picture after picture of them. See below. They also splashed around in the bathtub together playing with their toys and getting clean.

After the house was quiet and the kids were asleep, Heather and I enjoyed SOOO many laughs and giggles over countless stories about our husbands. We share so much in common. She isn't only a sister, she is one of my nearest and dearest friends. We always talk about trying to find a way to live closer to each other. Our evenings were spent on the front porch blabbing about anything and everything or in the back room playing with the Cricut machine and scrapbooking.

It was a sad day when they left, but we have November to look forward to, and many, many more visits after that. We are starting to line them up-one after another.

VA Heppdings, we LOVE y'all so much! Can't wait for y'all to come back, but next time, come in the Fall.

Summertime!

2011-08-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Some are wondering why I haven't posted in awhile and I have a great reason! Nolan and I have been too busy enjoying the summer, and I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do now that I am a SAHM. At first, I was a little taken back, but now I'm in love with the idea of staying home for a year. Trusting God to provide, as I know He will, but in the meantime, I am going to soak up every second with Nolan.

At 8 & 9 months old, Nolan has become quite inquisitive. Here are just a few of the things you've done the past couple of months:

*Gone swimming (and gone all the way under water) a lot this summer.
*Cut your bottom teeth and getting your 2 top teeth.
*Taking your bath in mommy and daddy's tub.
*Eating lots of peas and pears.
*Opening drawers in the kitchen.
*Got dedicated at church in June.
*Tried mango for the first time.
*Started to have a little separation anxiety around 8 months, but it only last a few weeks.
*Had LOTS of summer company come visit and play with you.
*You are VERY social. You love interacting with anyone and everyone.
*You started CRAWLING on July 4th, right before being 9 months old.

You are adorable, handsome, precious, and our little (or big) bundle of joy. Nothing makes me happier than waking up to your smile everday.

Ging & Pop

2011-05-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

Ging and Pop are so very young at heart and LOVE to play with Nolan. Ging got to come down to Destin for 5 days during Spring Break and spend lots of time loving on Nolan. Pop joined a few days later. They enjoyed walks around the block, lunch at the Hilton, and lots of toy & snuggle time at the house. We are so thankful that Ging & Pop are a part of Nolan's life. Besides spoiling him with clothes and toys, the best thing they give him is their love.

Enjoying an afternoon at the Hilton for lunch at Barefoots and dipping Nolan's feet in the pool.

Ging & Pop

7 Months and Loving Life!

2011-05-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

You are our everything Mr. Nolan Douglass. You take our breath away, bring endless smiles to our face, and entertain us in so many ways. Not a day goes by where we don't thank God for you. You are 7 months and full of life. Here is what you are up to these days:

*Say dada. Not so sure you know what it means, but you do know it is important.
*Learning the signs milk, more, mama, dada.
*Waving hello to people.
*Rolling over on your tummy in your sleep and will often stay that way.
*Have a new toy, Scout. We play with him every morning.
*Finally went swimming for the first time, and loved it!
*Eating solids almost everyday. Your newest tastes are sweet potatoes and pears mixed together.
*Have cut your 2 bottom teeth.
*Still prefer nursing over a bottle, but will willingly take either.
*Love when there are lots of people around. The more the merrier with you, kiddo.
*Aren't showing any signs of crawling, but I know that won't last much longer.
*Still sleeping through the night (minus that week of craziness when you started cutting your bottom teeth).
*Can't get enough of peek-a-boo

You're growing too fast! I want this to slow down. Every month is bittersweet. I love seeing you do new things, but I hate that it is going by too fast. Hopefully, we will have a little brother or sister for you to play with soon. Mommy and daddy pray everyday that the Lord will grant us the desires of our heart and add to our family of 3! You will be a great big brother one day, Nolan. But for now, we are thankful for YOU.

How can you not fall in love with this little man? Daddy and I can't wait to watch him discover, grow, and learn. Hopefully, though, it won't go too fast-one can wish, right?

Sleeping Woes and Easter Fun!

2011-04-27T15:09:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy the past few days! Mommy and daddy have had me all over the place. I must admit, I haven't been sleeping that well. Mommy and daddy thought it was because of my teething, but it is really because they had me in hotels, pack-n-plays, and really, I just wanted my own bed. See, I have gotten into this habit of spitting my passy out at night and daddy will come put it back in my mouth. I've been playing this game for about 1 1/2 weeks now. I overheard mommy talking to my Aunt Heather getting some tips and ideas about how to help me sleep through the night again. THEN, I heard mommy tell Ging that this game is now over. I had mommy fooled-she thought it was because of teething, but I was just playing games with them. But, I heard mommy say the game is over. She and daddy will check on me at night, but I have to relearn sleeping all by myself again. Aunt Heather warned mommy that this will probably happen again as I start pulling myself up in the bed. What the heck does that mean? I know mommy will be on the lookout. But I also know she loves me SO much and wants me to be a happy and healthy growing boy-and for that to happen, I know I must sleep well and obey (I don't know what that means yet, but I hear mommy say that word a lot) my parents. Gee, I love them. Now, onto the fun stuff. Here are some pictures from my Easter trip.

Daddy took some fancy pictures of me with my eggs.

I got to meet my cousin Gabe and Aunt Ally & Uncle Chris.

My first family Easter picture.

I got my first Easter basket and daddy help me play with my new toys.

Mommy & Aunt Heather love to be silly together.

I love playing with cousin Ava, we are only 1 month apart. I'm bigger, but she is older.

I love my family!

6 Months Old!

2011-04-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been 6 months since Nolan entered our world. As everyone has warned me, it has gone by way too fast! In some respects, it seems like my maternity leave was another lifetime ago. However, I also find myself wondering, "how did Nolan already get to be 6 months?" It really has gone by in a blink of an eye.

At 6 months, I'm still nursing and pumping everyday. I'm growing very tired of the pumping. It is going to take a lot of willpower to continue pumping in the summer, but I think the pump is going in the garbage can on August 1st. We are definitely in our groove. I really appreciate routine and Nolan has jumped on board with the family routine.

Speaking of routine. We start everyday with our devotions, followed by work and tutoring. With no breaks in the day, I go from tutoring to getting dinner ready and moving towards spending the evening with Phil and Nolan. We don't do too much. Eat, play, bathe, and watched limited amounts of t.v. But there isn't a minute that Nolan is not being played with. Repeat Monday-Friday (afternoon). Sounds monotonous, but I love my life, my family, and my career.

As I begin to ease up on the nursing and pumping, I hope to devote those precious minutes to running. I'm ready to add about 3 runs a week to my "plate" but right now, I'm trying to find those minutes. Having purchased a jogging stroller should get me motivated!

Nolan, you are our (not so) little man and you bring joy and laughter to us everyday. At 6 months you:

*are sitting up.
*rolling over and pushing up.
*eating sweet potatoes and avocados.
*love being outside.
*sleeping about 9 hours a night.
*still have very dry skin and scratch your head all over.
*are learning the signs for more milk, please, and thank you.
*wearing 9-12 month clothing.
*love your new workbench and crawl ball toys.
*hate when we remove boogers from your nose and become quite wiggly while doing so.
*respond when you hear your name.
*will spend a lot of time in your jumperoo.
*are very unhappy when you have to ride in your car seat.
*sleep half swaddled from your waist down.
*go with the flow.
*are developing a distinct personality: laid back and very social
*are the apple of mommy and daddy's eyes.

Over and Over and Over!

2011-04-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

That is what Nolan is up to these days. He rolls from his back to his tummy-over and over and over again. He stays there for a minute or so and then does one of two things: rolls back over to his back or starts crying because he wants someone to do the work for him. He, like most babies, have started this new little game: let me see how many times I can roll over and get mommy or daddy to roll me back over. Yes, I would say he likes this game. While he plays this never ending game, he will stay on his tummy for a few minutes and has learned to push up on his arms. Nowhere near crawling, but he is so cute to watch as he pushes up. I really enjoy grabbing one of his favorite toys and placing it just far enough away from him that he has no other choice but to roll over to get to it.

I am sure it won't be too long until my life goes upside down. The days of sitting and playing are going to be a thing in the past very soon. He continues to amaze me at every developmental stage, and while I don't want to wish the time by, I can't wait to see what tricks he has up his sleeves next.

We love you Nolan Douglass!

Milk Maker or Part-Time Job?

2011-03-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

I would consider myself committed to my jobs. I teach full-time, take care of my precious little Nolan, and I tutor A LOT. But this is a job I will leave OFF my resume, but I'm quite proud of:

*If you're a mom, you are probably impressed.
*If you are anyone else you are probably wondering why these pictures are so important to me, so read on.

Initially, I was going to switch Nolan to formula when I went back to work, but these pictures prove otherwise. While I have no place to judge or tell people how they should feed their child, I felt strongly that my son should be able to be fed as naturally as possible-and since I have the goods to provide I started my new part-time job. Yes, pumping. I am very proud of this stash. I would guess it is about 600 ounces of milk. This doesn't include the other milk I pump that he eats the same day. To say I am worn out is an understatement. I cannot wait for the day I can throw my pump away. But I would have it no other way. Thankfully, Nolan will take breast or bottle (but he prefers nursing). While Nolan will never know what a labor of love this truly is, I know that a bond is being formed between he and I that will last a lifetime. Not to mention, he is building a strong immune system.

So you be the judge, milk maker or part-time job?

Having Fun With the New Camera!

2011-03-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

We are totally in love with our new camera. We play with it like a child would play with their favorite toy. "Go grab the camera" has become a familiar sound in our house. And we can't think of anything better to takes pictures of than our sweet little Nolan. We really do have our own interests and hobbies, I promise. So much so, that I will devote a future post to it-and I will even include pictures to prove it. But for now, you'll just have to look at pictures of our favorite little subject:

Nolan grows to love his jumperoo more and more everyday. His happy squeals and screams get longer and louder. And has he gets taller, we'll be able to remove the pillow he still needs since his feet are about 2 inches from touching the floor. It never gets old watching him learn and explore.

Without a doubt, bath time continues to be his favorite time of the day. He loves the feel of the water dripping on him and he has certainly found his pee-pee. His first order of business when going in the tub, and only takes him about 10 seconds to do so (thanks to the feeling of the warm water hitting his body) is take a little pee, immediately followed by his little grin.

Well, it is a beautiful day...maybe I should wake Nolan up from his nap and get him outside to play with the camera again. We are going on a walk with our friend, Carter today.

A New Toy!!

2011-03-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

We got a new toy today. And it is actually for Phil and me. However, Nolan IS the reason we got it and will be our main subject. I am so excited to learn how to use and play with my new:

We came home from Best Buy and immediately got it out of the casing and all set up. We've snapped a few pictures and I can honestly say, this is one gadget/gizmo manual I will ACTUALLY read. I promise.

Any tips you have for a novice? I really want to learn to take great pictures.

4 Years Ago Today....

2011-03-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Today, I am celebrating life with my two favorite men:

One year ago today, I was pregnant with Nolan and craving pasta!

Two years ago today, we were dealing with unpleasant job changes.

Three years ago today, we were enjoying our first anniversary as a married couple.

Four years ago today, I married my best friend, my partner, my protector, and my encourager. I love you Phil!! Happy Anniversary. Can't wait to see what the next sevearl years hold!

Totally Adorable at 5 Months Old

2011-03-09T13:56:00.001-08:00

....And we will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Family Values

2011-03-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

Phil and I agree that the sweetest part of our day is going in Nolan's room and waking him up. It is just adorable to watch him stretch and stir as he awakens to a brand new day. From there, we get him ready and the last thing we do before leaving for the day is feed him and do our family devotion. Watching and listening to daddy lead us in a devotion and prayer adds so much umph to the day. Over the past several months we have established these 4 core values that we want to teach our children:

1. Attentiveness - Yes, paying attention. I, myself, struggle with attentiveness and have to work on it daily (just ask Phil). Attentiveness must be intentional and at the forefront of the mind. We want to teach our children to be actively involved and engaged in what they are doing and in their surroundings. Besides, how else are the other values and skills taught without first having attentivness?

2. Respect - Pretty simple, but consistency is the key. Old fashioned values are being established in the Heppding household.

3. Obedience - This goes hand in hand with respect. We hope this will be a reflection of their heart and will be a result of consistency and teaching on our part.

4. A teachable spirit - We are not seeking for our kids to just easily learn new things (though that would be nice). But we hope their attitudes will reflect a willingness, joy, and excitement in learning and discovery.

So, these are our family values. What we want to teach our children. And what's the best way to teach these? Yes, by modeling them. I best be getting to work. I certainly know I have room to grow in all of these areas.

Above all, we want to our home to be a place our children feel safe and loved. They will be loved uncondtionally and will never have to earn our love. We pray for Nolan (and our future children) daily. Our prayer is that he will come to know the unconditional love and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father and that Nolan will one day walk with Him in a personal relationship.

We start and end our day with prayer for our family and for Nolan specfically. There is no great privelege then to be able to pray for the child God has given us.

5 Months Old & Full of Life

2011-03-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

We have had such a fun and exciting few weeks. February was full of lots of play dates and traveling to Atlanta. My friend and colleague, Casi, came over for Liam and Nolan to play together. Ok, if truth be told, Casi and I ate lunch and went shopping, and the boys tagged along. Liam is 2 months older than Nolan and we plan on getting them together quite often to play and become great buddies. The picture below shows them hanging out together. We also met some great neighbors, Ben and Dawn, who have a 6 month old son, Carter. Carter and Nolan have already played several times together, and Dawn and I are becoming fast friends.

We made a trip to Atlanta over President's Day weekend to see our close friends David & Jenny Fancher, who welcomed their son, Samuel David, in to the world on February 4th. Samuel was born a couple of weeks early and was a wee 5 pounds. He is just adorable and we can't wait for him and Nolan to start playing together. I'm sure they will have lots of fun times on the beach in the coming years. Nolan will grow up knowing that "cousin" Samuel is a very special and close friend.

Jenny and I spent the afternoon going to lunch and getting pedicures while Phil and David stayed back with the babies. We both enjoyed the girl time, free of parental responsibilities. Jenny is a very close friend of mine and it has been so fun to watch us both encounter major life milestones simultaneously. I know our sons will grow up knowing each other very well. We are thankful for such great friends.

We had our first Valentine's Day as a family of 3. We didn't do anything too exciting, but just having Nolan was enough to make this the most special Valentine's Day ever. He is our bundle of love.

Nolan is 5 months today. The time is just FLYING by!! He is such a wonderful, loving, and fun baby. Nolan, here is what you have been doing lately:

*Have just recently been introduced to sweet potatoes and like them a lot.
*Enjoy sitting in your high chair.
*Do not like your car seat.
*Rolling over to your side and staying there.
*Love to play airplane.
*Blow raspberries out of your mouth ALL day long.
*Like to walk around the block with mommy and daddy.
*Wearing 6-9 months clothes.
*Love to "stand" on daddy's legs.
*Started to laugh.
*Play with your toys.
*So ALERT that everyone comments on it.
*Do not love your passie. You'd rather sit up and look around or suck on your fingers.

I'm about to get a new camera. It took me having a child to realize that a digital camera just doesn't cut it. I can't capture those adorable facial expressions because my darn camera takes forever to reset and by the time it is ready, the expression is long gone. So, I've gotten several recommendations and I hope the Best Buy guy is ready for me because I'm about to go in and play with lots of cameras and find the right one that I can go click, click, click and get a gazillion pictures at a second. Hopefully, I will take my interest in picture taking to a higher level-to more than just turning the camera on and pushing the click button.

Believe it or not, Phil and I do have responsibilities and hobbies we are currently pursuing that don't involve Nolan. I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. We are both in a bible study at our new church called "Empowering Parenting." We are enjoying the curriculum and the new friendships that are being formed. We try to go out with friends or with each other at least twice a month, and having the best babysitters across the street makes it pretty easy. Phil is really a pro a networking and is seen all around town at different public events. He is growing his business and loving his new career. While I enjoy teaching, I really LOVE the tutoring I do everyday. I'm toying with getting back into running, but I'm not sure how passionate I want to be since we ARE trying to get pregnant again. I haven't found much time for scrapbooking, but Nolan's first year WILL be done by his first birthday. But what I enjoy most is entertaining. We haven't had too many people down to visit yet this year, but then again, the season is just now starting, so we can't wait to have people in and out of our house this year.

So, if you read the above paragraph, you read that we are trying to get pregnant again. Some people think we are crazy for wanting to add to our family so quickly and to take time to enjoy Nolan while he is young. Well, he is so amazingly wonderful that he adds to our desire. We also want to have our kids close in age in hopes they will be close friends. I realize the consequences that come with having children so close in age, but we truly hope and believe that God's will is to add to our family very soon. So, would you please join us in praying that God will bless our family with another child soon (and hopefully without the complications we experienced the first go round)?

Well, I'm off to go cuddle on my little Nolan. Can't wait to post pictures with my new camera soon!

Hurry Up and Slow Down!

2011-02-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

I realize the title of this post is an oxymoron, but it is truly how I feel. I am always so excited when Nolan discovers something new-his thumbs, his hands, the ability to hold and grasp small objects-and I am always ready to see what he will do next. But at the same time, it is going by WAY too fast. I don't want him to grow up so fast that, in a blink of an eye, it is all over. The above picture of him is at 3 months. Like all moms, I think he is just the cutest thing ever.

Nolan can't get enough of his Bumbo chair. He loves to sit in it and watch Baby Einstein movies. And as you can tell from this picture, he can even fall asleep in it. But most of all, he loves to sit in it while we eat dinner at the dinner table. He will just laugh and talk to us while we eat. And it is obvious he is getting interested in food because he follows our forks and glasses as they go to our mouths. We have renamed his Bumbo chair his pooping chair. Without a doubt, 100% of the time, he takes a big poop in it. He is quickly outgrowing it as he is starting to use his weight to push himselp up and back. Before long, he'll be on the move and this chair will be a thing of the past.

Nolan absolutely LOVES his toy time. With our very busy schedules, Phil and I make the most of every moment in the evening. We spend our time eating, bathing, and playing "toy time." We get on the bed and play with all of Nolan's toys. He loves his Winkel and Baby Einstein music maker. He also really likes when I shake the rain stick. I think this is our favorite time with Nolan. He is so interactive with us and his toys and just smiles and drools the entire time.

Nolan got his first cold and fever right around 4 months old. He had a 102 temperature and a terrible case of coughing and sneezing. He was fever free within 24 hours, to which I think has a lot to do with nursing. Poor baby slept and slept and slept. He would wake up and eat enough to fall right back asleep. It was so sad to see him cough and sneeze so much, but I did enjoy all the extra snuggle time with him.

I can't believe Nolan is 4 months. So what exactly are you up to these days?
*You weigh 15.8 pounds (50%) and are 25 inches long.
*You love to suck your fingers and thumb (mostly your right).
*You are very close to rolling from your back to your stomach. You are halfway there.
*EVERYBODY comments on what a happy baby you are. You smile a lot.
*You want to be interacted with all the time.
*You are an excellent sleeper and now sleeping in your crib.
*Even when you are upset, you don't cry much.
*You EAT all the time. You want to nurse about every 2 hours, but somehow you don't wake up at night to eat.
*You are reaching out for objects.
*You went from hating your boucer to now enjoying it. You weigh enough to make it bounce yourself.
*You are showing interest in foods and it won't be long until mommy is making your foods.
*You are holding on to the side of your bottle, wanting to try to hold it yourself.
*You love raising your legs up in the air.
*You are holding your head up and almost able to sit up with little support.
*You still LOVE bathtime with daddy.
*You love toy time at night and want as much time with mommy and daddy as possible.

Nolan, you are a blessing in our lives and we thank God for you everyday. We love that you are such a happy, content, and loving baby.

The Joys of Life

2011-01-23T17:07:00.000-08:00

Nolan has a wonderful first Christmas! We loaded up the car and drove up to Atlanta to see our family. Nolan got to meet his great Aunt Joyce, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Doug at a small family gathering. We also spent Chritmas Eve with the Avondale Purdy's where we enjoyed a yummy dinner and church at All Souls. We woke up early Christmas morning and drove to North Carolina to have Christmas dinner with the entire Heppding clan at Chris and Ally's house. It was especially exciting because Nolan got to meet Grannie, Papa, and all his aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was really fun watching Nolan and Ava meet for the first time-they were born exactly one month apart.

We spent Christmas and the days following in Sanford visiting with Fred, Gayle, the Virginia Heppdings, and Chris and Ally. Ava and Nolan did a lot of playing together while Heather and I chatted about motherhood. All the girls enjoyed lunch at Mrs. Lacy's. You would have thought we had ordered enough food to feed an army. But Gayle had 2 DIL's that were nursing and 1 DIL with a baby on the way. Needless to say, we were quite hungry. It was an especially memorable Christmas because it was Nolan's first white Christmas!

We didn't hesitate getting Nolan out in the snow. Of course we wanted to capture this since he probably won't see snow again for quite awhile. We enjoyed staying at the Hamton Inn while in North Carolina and Phil got some good practice driving in the snow go back and forth from the hotel to his parents house.

We drove back to Atlanta a few days after Christmas to celebrate with Ging and Pop. Nolan was beyond spoiled with lots of love, kisses, and presents. He has already gotten a lot of use out of his DVD player for the call and he got his first check for his college account. We always love going to Ging and Pop's house because they play with Nolan and take great care of him.

Without a doubt, this was the best Christmas I have ever had. It was so enjoyable watching Nolan meet new family and trying the figure out the craziness of unwrapping presents. Most of all, I can't wait for him to learn the true meaning of Christmas in the coming years. How wonderful that we can celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and remember all He has done for us.

Nolan is 8 weeks old today!

2010-12-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

Nolan is 8 weeks old today. When he was born, he weighed 8 lb. 12 oz. He has been busy growing. As of today, he weighs 11 lb. 7 oz. He has grown so much and has learned to do so many things!! Here is a highlight of the past 8 weeks.

*Since 9 days old he has given us the best gift ever-sleeping straight through the night!
*Nolan is a HAPPY baby. He only cries when he is hungry, wants to be held, or needs his diaper changed.
*He loves to lay on his red pillow.
*Nolan loves to play with Madison and MacKenzie, our neighbors who watch him everyday while I tutor.
*In the past week, Nolan has started to hold his head up on our chests.
*He loves to eat every 2 hours, and is exclusively breastfed.
*Nolan loves his swing but isn't so fond of his floor mat (yet-we will break him in).
*Everyone comments on how ALERT he is. Nolan is always looking around.
*He loves the color red and loves to lay on our bed and look at the red curtains and red pictures.
*He is now giving social smiles. He smiles all the time.
*He loves to be kissed from his belly up to his mouth.
*Nolan loves to go anywhere in his car seat and stroller. He likes the rhythmic sound the tires make.
*He loves listening to music.
*Nolan has found his hands. Sometimes he hits himself and other times he is sticking his fist in his mouth (maybe mommy needs to feed him).

Well, my maternity leave is coming to an end this week. I'm very sad to go back to work-but I'm thankful for a great job and for a woman who is going to watch Nolan at her house. I am going to continue tutoring after school since my neighbors have agreed to keep watching him. It is great to be able to tutor from home with Nolan only a room away, and the girls are WONDERFUL with him.

Nolan and I have gotten out A LOT in the past 2 months. We got on a schedule quickly and I tried to get out of the house with him at least 3-4 times a week. We often went to see Mrs. Regina at the hospital, ran errands around town, saw daddy during lunch, or went to doctor appointments.

The weekends are always a lot of fun since daddy is home with us and we have college Game Day to look forward to. Phil is such a great father. He loves to interact with Nolan. He plays with him each evening after work and does "takes over" on the weekends. Phil can't wait to introduce Nolan to Duke basketball this year.

Madison and MacKenzie come over everyday to play with Nolan. We love our neighbors-the Prices. God bless Matthew-he has 4 girls and ALL female pets. The two oldest girls are in high school and do a great job watching Nolan. They are always playing with him, reading him stories, talking to him, and getting him to play with his floor mat and other toys. They do a great job with him and I love their company everyday!

We had a fun and exciting Thanksgiving. Our entire family (mom, dad, my brother's entire family, and Aunt Jill) came down to visit. One of the highlights of Nolan's life so far was seeing my brother's family meet Nolan for the first time. They went crazy when they met him and instantly fell in love. We spent Thanksgiving hanging out at the beach/condo, cooking & eating dinner at our house, watching Auburn beat 'Bama in the Iron Bowl, and enjoying each other's company. It was so fun to host Thanksgiving at my house for the first time.

We can't wait to celebrate Christmas with Nolan. We will spend a few days in Atlanta and then we will head to North Carolina where he will get to meet Grannie and Papa along with his cousins, aunts, and uncles. While he is still too young to absorb the fun and excitement, it IS his first Christmas and we will spoil him as much as possible....look for more pictures come January.

Our daily prayer for Nolan:

Dear Lord,
"Please help Nolan sleep through the night tonight. Please teach Nolan to grow to be a respectful and obedient young man of God. Please teach us to love YOU first and that mommy and daddy would have a loving and Godly marriage to model to Nolan. Please help Nolan to know he is loved unconditionally and that he would continue to be a healthy growing boy."

Welcome to the World, Nolan Douglass Heppding!!

2010-10-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how life can change in a moments time. Writing this, exactly 2 weeks after Nolan's birth, I still can't believe that I'm a mom and that my son is HERE to stay-for as long as God will have him here on earth. Thank you Lord, for this precious miracle and gift from you.

I went to the hospital on Tuesday, October 5th to be induced. I started off with an IV of saline. The first hour was rather humorous as I went to the bathroom SEVEN times in 1 hour. I asked the nurse to show us how to unplug from the monitors so we wouldn't have to buzz her every 10 minutes. About 2 hours in, I received cytotek, which was supposed to help me dial ate. Only problem was, once I was given the cytotek I could not get up for a hour-so I used a bedpan in bed, for an hour-I drank too much water before going to the hospital, because they told me to come hydrated.

The night progressed with more movement, changing positions, sitting on an exercise ball, etc. As the night went on, my contractions got stronger and stronger but I wasn't dialating. By 4:00 a.m. I decided to get the epidural and I tried to sleep. By the time the sun came up my contractions were strong enough to give birth, but I never dialated past 3 1/2 centimeters. My doctor came and checked on my twice and when she came in the second time, I looked at her and said, "Oh no, Dr. Graham. My son isn't winning this battle. I will give birth vaginally." Well, those of you who know how I feel about my doctor won't be surprised at what she did next. See, I have complete trust in my doctor. When she is around, I know everything will be fine. What she did next is the only thing I clearly remember from the entire labor process.

When she came in to deliver the news about having a c-section, she knew I was going to be upset. Back in February, when she became my new doctor by default, I was very hesitant to switching to her, as she knew very little about my past history with infertility. After my first pre-natal appointment with Dr. Graham, I came to have complete faith and trust in her. So, I wrote her a quick letter tell her so. Since I had written that letter back in February, she has had it hanging on her refrigerator. She leaned down on my bed, grabbed my hands and head and told me this was the best thing for the baby and me. She then took out her phone and said, "I'm going to show you a picture, and I want you to pay attention to what it is. I was going to show you after you had Nolan, but I am going to show you now." I looked at it and it was a picture of the letter I had written her, hanging on her refrigerator. She told me, "I have had that letter there since you gave it to me. It is a constant reminder why I do what I do." Of course I started sobbing even more, but it was exactly what I needed from her at that moment. She held me and embraced me until I knew it was going to be ok. I cried some more and then asked her to get everyone out of the room.

Phil, Jenny, and I prayed together and then a total sense of peace came upon us. I was ready. I had gotten over my hopes of a natural birth, and was ready to meet Nolan via c-section. I was wheeled off into the operating room and was attacked by what seemed like a flock of birds. There were 10 people doing 10 different things on me at once. One even commented that it may have seemed like chaos, but that they were all working together to get him out quickly. They prepped me, and then sent Phil in. From the time Phil stepped into the O.R. to the time Nolan was out was an amazing 4 minutes. To distract me and in my state of delirium, I started talking about college football with the doctors. I also started talking about everything I wanted to eat and drink-from mango margaritas to cheeseburgers. They were all laughing. Then, the most amazing thing happened. Nolan came out of me, full of life and ready to go. I DID give birth, maybe not how I imagined, but this is how I met my son, and for that I am thankful.

Nolan was born at 12:42 p.m. on October 6th. He weighed 8lb. 14 oz. (a big boy!), and was 21 3/4 inches long. How he fit in my tummy is beyond me. One of God's miracles. I immediately went into recovery for over an hour, breast fed immediately (with help of the most wonderful lactation consultant, Regina), and then went to my post-partum room-which I never left for over 48 hours. Those 48 hours are a bit of a blur. All I knew was that our son was here, safe and sound, and that everything was going to be ok. Mine and Phil's prayers had been answered. Ging and Pop (my mom and dad) came down for Nolan's birth, along with my wonderful friend, Jenny (who has taken all the wonderful pictures of Nolan's birth). It was great to have them here to share in this joy. We had lots of visitors come by, the nurses were phenomenal, the hospital food was excellent (yes, really it was), and the post-partum room, minus the hospital bed, felt like a hotel room.

Then reality hit. Phil and I were sent home. No more nurses button. No more help on demand. No more meals being delivered to us. No more middle of the night nurses watching Nolan while Phil and I slept for a couple of hours. Taking Nolan home was a very surreal experience. I remember walking in the door on Friday, October 8th, at about 1:00 p.m., and asking myself "now what?" Phil and I showed Nolan around the house, showed him his bassinet, and then fell asleep with him on the couch.

I said we had not more on demand help. But my mom has graciously been here for 3 weeks helping out with Nolan. And I said no more meals being delivered to us. Well, our friends from Sunday School have lavished us with homemade meals. I haven't cooked since we've been home, and we still have meals coming. And not having anyone watch Nolan? Well, for the first week we were home, Ging stayed up with Nolan from 9 p.m.-12:00 a.m. so that Phil and I could have 3 hours alone together. To say that Phil, Nolan, and I have been spoiled with love is an understatement. I have a new appreciation for my mom and this has been an amazing bonding experience for my mom and me. I'm going to be sad when she leaves. She has been a huge help and I have a new understanding and appreciation our relationship.

The first week Nolan was home I was scared-scared to hold him, scared I would do something to "hurt" him, scared he wouldn't be breathing in his bassinet, scared he wouldn't ever sleep in his bassinet, scared I was never going to get sleep again, scared breastfeeding wouldn't work, and scared I was going to meet his needs. Wow, what a difference 1 1/2 weeks can make. Nolan is feeding great, sleeping very well through the night (knock on wood this continues), Phil and I are getting uninterrupted sleep, and Phil, the baby whisperer, has gotten Nolan to love his bassinet. What a great learning experience this first couple of weeks has been. I'm so thankful to be able to take a couple of months off of work and just enjoy my son.

I love feeding him and holding him when I am done. I love watching him soothe himself in his swing or bouncer. I love when others hold him. I love how ALERT he is and how he will just stare at me. I love when he hears my voice he will find my face. I love watching daddy hold him. I know I love him because his shitty diapers don't even bother me. I love being able to talk to him and explain what we are doing. I love reading him books, and I love when the three of us crawl into bed together.

Phil is amazing with Nolan. He is very intuitive to his needs and is not afraid of a newborn. Phil is great about changing diapers, swaddling, and watching him so I can get out of the house. He doesn't even call me with questions when he is home alone with him. It is easy to tell that Phil was meant to be a husband and daddy. He is great at both of them.

I've cried a lot over the past 2 weeks due to fear, frustration, joy, and total awe of Nolan. People keep reminding me to enjoy every moment because it goes by way too fast. I'm so thankful when people remind me of that. It reminds me to sit and just watch, hold, and enjoy Nolan. To just "be" with him.

I am amazed and beyond thankful for this gift God has given us. I am also so thankful for all of the help, support, and love we have gotten from friends and family. We certainly could not have done this without everyone's support.

I'm praying motherhood will soften me and make me more patient. I should be careful what I pray for, but I really think it will.

Now we're a family of 3. I can't believe it. Two friends shared this verse with me when we were battling infertility, and whenever I look at Nolan I think about this verse:

1 Samuel 1:27-28 - I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him over to the Lord for his whole life.

Our prayer is that Nolan would know the unconditional love of his heavenly Father.

Childbirth Classes, First trip to L&D, Back to Work, and a Nursery, too!

2010-08-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

August has kept us on our toes for sure. I went back to work at the beginning of August and the kids came back the 2nd week. I thought going back to work would be easy, but was I wrong. While I am very thankful that the majority of this pregnancy has been easy, I have now entered the painful part. Everything hurts! I feel like a rolly polly, the soft sweet kicks have turned to painful jabs, and good consistent sleep in non-existent! I must say that I am a very lucky pregnant lady, as Phil as gone above and beyond taking care of me!

The 2nd day of school started off rather interesting. I got up to get ready for work and I noticed a little bit of spotting at 33 weeks exactly. After I got to work, I called my doctor and they told me to go to L&D. I was reluctant to go, but with a strong push from the nurse a text to Phil letting him know I was on the way, I found myself making my first trip to L&D. I wasn't too nervous, because I thought the spotting was a result of being on my feet so much. Phil and I confusingly tried to get me into the hospital gown and before long I was hooked up to the monitor. The nurses monitored Nolan's HB and everything checked out fine. The best part was when Phil "talked" to Nolan through my stomach. The baby would immediately respond by kicking and his HR would spike. Before I was released and sent back to work, the nurse came in one last time and told me I was the "winner" of a cervical check. My first one, and I naively said, "ok." Um, OW! And the nurse expected me to "relax" through it. And to think, I have lots more of these to look forward to. Their assessment of the light spotting was exactly what I figured it was-too much standing. I was told to sit down more...at work, where I teach all day long. Well, I went back to work, but I will admit, I have been using my rolling chair a lot more!

At this point, the goal is to work until the end of September. I'm working about 52 hours a week between teaching and tutoring and will tutor through maternity leave. I think I will go back to work the 2nd week of December. Phil has been at his new job, M. Lynch for over a month and has his upcoming Series 7 (or 67-I can never remember) test that he has been studying over a month for. It is the first of 3 major tests, but he will soon be able to start meeting with clients. He is loving his new job, and I am so proud of him. I think this job really fits him to a T. He will make a great Financial Advisor and has an incredible team to work with who will train and guide him.

I had my second baby shower hosted by Karol and Jamie on August 14th. Several friends from school came, along with a couple of friends from church. Jamie and Karol outdid themselves with the delicious food (the chicken salad, WinnDixie cake, and fruit were so yummy), and Karol had the canvas artwork finished and at the party. Little Nolan got some wonderful gifts and enough GC's to get his car seat. The best part was spending time with friends who are excited about this little boy's arrival.

We finished our last childbirth class last Thursday. I am glad Phil and I took the class, but I am thankful it is over. By the time Thursday night rolled around, we were both exhausted and too tired to go, but we went anyway. We did walk away with a lot of knowledge, less anxiety about the birthing process, and much more in charge of our birthing experience. We've already used a lot of the exercises we learned at home with the mild contractions I have recently been experiencing. Unlike before the class began, I actually believe that I will be giving birth at the end of this 9 months.

Phil has been super dad getting everything ready around the house. He is almost done making the bench seating-it is drying out in the garage right now after its second coat of paint. Nolan's swing, bouncer, bassinet, bookcase, and nursery have been assembled and waiting to be used. The room is finally done and we can't be happier. Now, I just need to get that hospital bag packed for the 2 of us.

AND.....The nursery is finally done!!

AND.....We couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

AND.....While we love the way everything turned out, we are most excited about the canvas artwork our friend, Karol, did that matches the bedding.

I'm finally 35 weeks pregnant. Down to the final (LONG) stretch. We are excited to be in the 9th month of this journey and hope to spending the remaining weeks relaxing, watching college football, enjoying each other before we become a family of 3, praying for a safe delivery, and anticipating all of the joy and excitement that is to come and putting in the back of our minds all of the sleepless night, crying, and chaos of raising a newborn. So thankful for the opportunity to be parents and that God has given us Nolan to take care of on Earth.

Showered with Love!

2010-08-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

While Phil and I were off getting our pictures done, Lorraine, Holly, Jenn, Cheryl and my mom were busy getting ready for my baby shower. They really outdid themselves with beautiful decorations and yummy food. I would have to say that the fruit kabobs were my favorite.

It was so special to have some my closest friends and family there who had been praying for Phil and me over the years that we would be able to have children. I loved that I saw friends from 8 years ago when I taught at Chattahochee, along with friends from church that I have built strong friendships with over the years. It was also meaningful to see my moms friends come and support her daughter, too. Women who have been like a 2nd mom to me while growing up.

We are very thankful for the abundant amount of gifts we received for baby Nolan, but visiting with friends and celebrating the upcoming birth of Nolan was truly the best part of the day. I can't say thank you enough to my friends and my mom who made this day so wonderful. Here are just a few on the pictures that highlight how amazing this day was.

What a wonderful day. Thanks again mom, Holly, Lorraine, Jenn, and Cheryl. Your friendships are invaluable to me and I can't wait for each one of you to meet our newest addition in October.

Maternity Photos!

2010-08-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

Phil and I made a trip to Atlanta for what turned out to be one of the most special days of our life, to date. Saturday morning started off with some of our closest friends, Jenny and David, doing a maternity photo shoot for Phil and me. Well, Jenny was doing the photography and David was being an excellent assistant rummaging through a bag of blocks to spell baby and Nolan. He did a great job of carrying all the props, too. See, Jenny would never admit it, as she is too humble, but she is quite the photographer. She is often the first of her friends to show up at her friends births, camera in hand and all. I need to quit doting on her, as I know this will embarass her, but I will let the following pictures speak for themselves. And these are just a few of the 148 she took, yes, 148. Since this is my blog and I can say whatever I want to (because she has already revealed the news in real life), she is pregnant, too. Right now, she is about 10-11 weeks along-and I'm hoping baby Nolan and baby Fancher become best buddies in the years to come-despite the 6 hour drive between us, but that hasn't interferred with our friendship with the Fancher's yet, so I don't think it will in the future. While we were having fun taking pictures, my mom, Holly, Lorraine, Jenn,, and Cheryl were back at my mom's house getting ready for my baby shower. To say I felt loved and special on this day is qutie an understatement.

Summer "Vacation" - If you can call it that!

2010-07-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

There has been no slowing down this summer. Between the oil spill, tutoring, preparing for the arrival of our son, and traveling to see family, I feel like my feet are going to fall off-literally. If there is one thing that hurts and bothers me most about being pregnant thus far, without a doubt, it is the pain in my feet with each and EVERY step I take, and even when I'm on the couch-they STILL hurt.

The summer started off with my friend, Alyssa, coming all the way from Seattle to visit for a week. We've only seen each other 3 times since living together in Prague in 2002. Because the weather was seasonably hot, we spent most of the week inside-watching Wimbledon, playing Skipbo, watching the World Cup, cooking yummy dinners, and reminiscing about the past. She handmade an adorable quilt/blanket for Nolan and brought me some yummy tea. We didn't "do" much-we just enjoyed hanging out together. The most exciting thing was that Alyssa was the FIRST person to SEE the baby kick. Feeling it is on thing, but seeing the stomach move as a result of Nolan kicking was amazing. Unfortunately, Phil was a work, but I was glad that she was there to experience that "first" with me.

This picture is at 26 weeks pregnant-we were down at the beach seeing if we could spot any tar balls, which unfortunately, we did-but not too many. At this point in the pregnancy, it is so exciting to be able to feel Nolan kick every single day. Hardly an hour goes by without a reminder that he is in there. I'm in love with his kicks. As the 2nd trimester is shortly coming to an end, I have started to feel better, but I know it is only going to get rougher. Right now, I just want to cut off my feet. Every step I take is full of pain-totally worth it and would do it over and over again.

Towards the end of June I had my glucose test, in which I had to drink about 8 ounces of a concentrated sugary drink (imagine jolly ranchers in liquid form) to test for gestational diabetes. After an hour, my blood is taken to make sure that my sugar levels have gone back down. If I were to fail, I would be sent to the hospital for a 3 hour test. I'm still waiting on my results, but my doctor told me that no news was good news. They would only contact me if there was a problem or else they would tell me the results at my next appointment-which is next week.

Before heading out of town to see family in Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina, I crammed in over 20 hours of tutoring in just 4 days. By the time we got in the car to head out of town on Thursday afternoon, I was ready to sleep. Thank goodness for our new car, in which I am able to sprawl out in the back seat to sleep. We spent 4th of July weekend in Atlanta visiting friends and family. One of the highlights of the weekend was going to the Avondale Estates annual 4th of July parade. Phil also loves to buy Tynan's homemade lemon icees. We ended up napping and resting a lot at my parents house since it was just too hot to be outside.

From Georgia, we left to go to Virginia to spend a few days with Fred, Heather, Will and Jackson. It was especially exciting since Heather and I have due dates only a month a part. Everyone in our family is so excited that she is having the first girl on the Heppding side. We can't wait to meet Ava when she is just a few months old at Christmas time. We spent a few days just hanging out-cooking, talking about parenting, rummaging through boxes of baby clothing-that Heather has so kindly given to Nolan, and playing with the kids. I think we would both agree that the best part was spending several hours shopping, eating at Panera, and getting pedicures-definitely the best part! It was sad to leave, but comforting to know we'll see each other again soon. From Virginia, we went to North Carolina to visit Fred and Gayle. We spent a couple of days with them just hanging out and enjoying the junk food in Gayle's pantry :)

After 10 days on the road, we arrived back home on Sunday July, 11th. I've never been happier to arrive get back home. We quickly unpacked, mowed the lawn, and ran back out to get Nolan's mattress for his crib and some organizing shelves.

So what's on tap for the rest of the summer? A few more doctor's appointments, a trip back to Atlanta for a baby shower, and more tutoring. But the best part will be finishing up the nursery-a lofty goal we have before going back to school in a few short weeks. We can only wish and hope that it will be done by August. Be on the lookout for nursery pictures. Once August hits, we start childbirth classes and I go back to school so I must save every ounce of energy I have for the 8 hours of teaching each day.

There are not many more things that I am more thankful for than for the opportunity to be pregnant. Wow, to think I have a human growing inside me. What an honor and privilege.

Viability Day

2010-06-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

Last week was a week full of wonderful surprises and answered prayers. Sunday started off with the AC breaking in the middle of the night (that wasn't the wonderful part or an answer to prayer). I was jabbing Phil at 3:30 in the morning telling him that the AC display went blank. Yes, in the middle of the night, we were tinkering with the AC unit and going through the files to find our warranty information. I wasn't out of bed Monday morning before I called our warranty company-in which they told me it would be 8 days before someone could come look at our AC. I explained to the representative that we lived in Florida, that it was 95 degrees, and that I am 6 months pregnant. 8 days just wasn't acceptable. They put in a medical concession, had another representative call me back only to tell me that it would still be the same time frame. UGH. I was preparing for a long, HOT week. I was thinking about camping out in a department store just to be in the AC. And I also considered camping out in my office at school-I'm not kidding. BUT....God answered some major prayers:

1. A friend who I have gotten to know well through tutoring her daughter had a floor unit AC that she brought to our house on Monday evening. I was on the phone and mentioned that the AC went out and she was at our house within 2 hours. The unit has turned our bedroom into Antarctica and I LOVE it.

2. On Tuesday, I was tutoring another student and when his dad came to pick him up, I asked him how our 85 degree house felt. He is a previous builder and contractor, and without asking him, he had our AC repaired and running in 1 hour, adding on that he would be offended if I ever offered him a dime to repair it.

3. Thursday was our LAST day of school for the year, making it one glorious day. We celebrated by eating at Mitchell's Fish House with a GC somebody had given Phil. The pecan encrusted talapia, mashed potatoes, and green beans melted in my mouth.

4. Friday (June 11) marked 24 weeks in my pregnancy. To some this might just be another week, but to Phil and me, it was a HUGE milestone! 24 weeks is known as Viability Day-meaning that a newborn child has 50% chance of surviving outside the womb at 24 weeks and the percentage grows everyday. We pray regularly that this baby will make it full-term, but we have much more confidence that if something were to happen this baby would be just fine with all of the tools, resources, and technology the NICU has for premature babies.

My parents decided last minute to come down for the weekend. It turned out to be great because the baby furniture arrived earlier in the week and dad and I were able to go pick it up at JCPenny on Saturday morning. "Pop" was more than willing to put the crib and bookcase together and had it up in no time.

We started off the week with the AC crashing and we ended the week laying on the floor in Nolan's nursery-talking and daydreaming about his arrival. Phil tells me everyday that he "can't wait for Nolan to get here." I, on the other hand, am very excited, but am in NO rush at this point. Ask me in 2 months, and I'm sure the answer will be different. His kicks have gotten so much harder, I love knowing he is growing inside me and that I am taking care of his every need. I have identified when he gets hiccups and finding where he is kicking me is so much easier. The most special time is when Phil is talking to Nolan and telling me where and when he is kicking me (like I don't know, but it is still so cute). It was a week full of exciting surprises and milestones. Can next week be the same way?

Flutters, Kicks, and a Growing Tummy

2010-05-26T18:48:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I've made it 18 weeks in the picture on the left and 21 weeks on the right! At 18 weeks, I was starting to believe this IS really happening. However, I was at the point where I had to come off my metformin and progesterone. I should have gone off it weeks ago, but mentally, I couldn't. I was so scared something would happen. But I finally let go of the medicine at the end of my 19th week and I went to just pre-natals. For the first time in 2 1/2 years I was no longer popping 5-15 pills a day. It is hard to believe I am like any other "normal" pregnancy and have the joy of taking 2 vitamins and my new best friend, Tylenol-and nothing else.

I keep hearing how I will love the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. That it will be the easiest because I'm not too big yet and I am past all the 1st trimester symptoms. Well, I'm not so sure I agree with whoever came up with this theory. I have not found it to be easy at all. The physical part has not been too bad, it has been the emotional. Physically, the worst part has been the headaches. And now at 21 weeks, my newest ache is my feet! Ugh, my feet are just killing me. It hurts to walk, it hurts to stand on my feet, and I wake up in the middle of the night with aching legs and feet. I had one cramp in my calf last week that sent me screaming at the top of my lungs. No matter what is bothering me most, Dr. Graham and my good friend, Jenny, who is a NICU nurse, always tell me to drink more water. I know...if I speak of something that is bothering me the first cure is "drink more water." Well, drinking more water is hard for me because I end up in the bathroom every 10-15 minutes...and I'm not exaggerating. I have almost decided I would rather have cramps in my legs and be constipated than have to run to the bathroom all the time.

The emotional side effects are throwing me for a big loop, and I'm sure Phil isn't loving it either. I feel sorry for him. I cry over everything and EVERYTHING has become a big deal. The fatigue, sensitivity, and river of tears I cry daily at my desk are overwhelming. I was warned this would happen. But I didn't think I would cry over Dancing with the Stars. And I didn't think I would cry when Phil starts talking to me about normal things. I would be very embarrassed to admit the things I cry about and I usually laugh at myself the next day. But in the moment of my puddle of tears, my world is literally coming to an end. I can only thank God that Phil puts up with it. Add to this the fact that I can't make a decision as easy as using a staple or a paper clip in the corner of my paper (yes, I really had to interrupt Phil while he was working in the yard to have him make the decision for me), or forgetting what I was saying mid-sentence, to wondering where I put my keys when they were in my hands to begin with. Pregnancy brain and hormones REALLY do exsist.

The 2nd weekend in May we had our garage sale. We sold an entire bedroom set complete with 12 pieces that was in our old "travel" room for 750.00. Throw in some end tables, a coffee table, kitchen table, a t.v., scrapbook supplies, and lots of knick knacks, we walked away with $1500.00! Enough to buy our bedroom furniture from JCPenny. It was a HOT Saturday morning and before the sun was up, we had people stopping by the house. We sold the bedroom furniture before 7:00 a.m., but thankfully, they had to go rent a trailer and eat breakfast, so we had it as an eye catcher most of the morning.

The 20th week of pregnancy has been the most exciting. I was sitting on the couch one evening during week 20 and I kept feeling little bubbles in my stomach. It felt like a can of Coke had been opened in my stomach. Neatest feeling ever. People describe those first flutters as taps, butterflies, or goldfish in your stomach, but it felt like a fizzling can of Coke. I think I was feeling them before 20 weeks, but I was sure at that moment of sitting on the couch, I was feeling little Nolan. I have quickly picked up on his schedule. How he stays keeps on a schedule is beyond me. He gets going about 2:00 in the afternoon. He flutters away here and there from late afternoon until bedtime. Sometimes I will lay on my side in bed and feel a few flutters before I go to sleep, but after dinnertime is his favorite time to let me know he is in there. I'm almost 22 weeks now, and the flutters have gotten a little stronger. I'm can't wait for the full on kicks. And I can't wait for Phil to feel him regularly. Everyday this gets more and more real.

Both Phil and I are so thankful to God for getting us this far in the pregnancy. We pray everyday that he will continue to grow into a healthy 9 month baby at delivery. I still can't believe I am going to be a mom in a few short months. I often feel like I am living somebody else's dream, but one day I am going to wake up and realize this is our life now. Thank you Lord, for the gift of children.

He's tapping on my stomach now and pushing on my bladder.

Guess it is time to go pee!

Blessings at the BIG Ultrasound

2010-05-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

We are 18w4d into this pregnancy. How exciting it is to be carrying our child. Today was a BIG day. It was a morning filled with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. At 10:30 this morning, we had my anatomy scan, the BIG ultrasound. For the first time, I walked into the ultrasound tech room with confidence, and sure enough, the baby popped up immediately on the screen. During a normal ultrasound, the tech checks the size, weight, and heartbeat of the baby. But the anatomy scan is much BIGGER. They check EVERYTHING. He is still a he, so we can confidently call him Nolan now. But even more exciting, Nolan is 100% perfect. He has all his body parts, major organs, and the 4 chambers of his heart. No spots showed up on the ultrasound near his brain that would usually call for more extensive testing. What a huge sigh of relief when my doctor told us, "everything is perfect."

After the ultrasound, we had our regular appointment. They checked my weight and blood pressure and Dr. Graham answered my list of questions. Each appointment the list of questions get shorter and shorter for my doctor. I am still hesitant to give up my medicines, to which my doctors just smiles. We both know I don't need it, but it makes me feel better. Phil was proud to tell Dr. Graham that he had gained 10 pounds during this pregnancy (which he attributes to the Coke and GingerAle). The weight I didn't gain in my first trimester, I have certainly made up for in the past month. There has been a major growth spurt. The scale confirmed that my belly has grown and rounded over the past few weeks.

We feel very blessed and thankful to God for our healthy son. We can't wait to start feeling him kick. There has been some movement, but nothing that we can confidently identify as a kick yet. I have nicknamed Phil the "baby whisper" because he can find him immediately when he puts his hand on my stomach. He still doesn't believe me that it is my uterus he is feeling, he just tells me that "they have a connection." I love listening to Phil talk to my tummy. I'm wondering if he is going to be a daddy's boy.

We're about to have a huge garage sale. One of the guest rooms is being converted into Nolan's room. After the garage sale, it is time to start shopping. I can't wait to order the furniture. Yes, we've picked it out. And we can't wait to get his room ready. There are so many preparations for his arrival in October and we are loving every moment of this pregnancy together.

Headaches, headaches, I hate you!!

2010-04-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

I have had headaches this entire pregnancy. But they have gotten increasingly worse. To the point where I go to bed with headaches, I wake up in the middle of the night with headaches, and I wake up in the morning with headaches. Yes, I know-eat and drink more water. Today, I went to work and I sat down at my desk. I couldn't read my computer screen my head hurt so bad. Then it started getting hot and sweaty. And my head was pounding so hard I could feel the pulse without even touching my forehead. I think I have a high tolerance for pain, but I couldn't bear it, I started crying. And got a sub.

On my way home from work, I called my nurse. I try very hard not to call the doctor for things I know are common in pregnancy. I don't want to be that patient. So I called her for the 2nd time this pregnancy. My nurse went through a list of questions. Do you have allergies? No. Is your body swollen? No. Do you have high blood pressure? No. I just have unbearable headaches that are getting worse by the day, and the Tylenol is not cutting it.

My doctor's office is on my way home from school (the 4 mile commute that it is) so she had me stop by to check my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat. Blood pressure was fine, and the baby's heartbeat was 154. I asked if there was a prescription I could take that would be stronger than Tylenol. 30 minutes later Phil and I was at CVS picking it up. I chased it down with a drink and a biscuit.

I'm very thankful the nurse could see me with no notice and that everything was fine. I have since spent the morning and afternoon at home, laying in bed in my dark room. I feel better already. I haven't moved an inch in 4 hours, except to go to the bathroom-funny since I haven't even had anything to drink.

On that note, I need to prevent the next headache from showing up by going to get something to eat since I haven't had more than a biscuit today. Please, no more headaches for awhile!! But it is worth it since I got to listen to the best sound in the world today-my baby's heartbeat!!

Out With the Old, In With the New!

2010-04-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. I feel great 90% of the time. Sure, some things are getting a little tougher to do, like trying to stand up from sitting on the ground. Or trying to roll out of bed. Since I was a little girl, I always climbed up on the counter in the bathroom and sat on the edge of counter with my feet in the sink while I put my make-up on. At age 34, I still do the same thing every single morning. However, it is getting near impossible. Phil has suggested getting me a step stool so I can climb up and down. Yes, a 34 year old grown woman still sits in the sink to apply make-up.

Phil and I have started receiving unexpected gifts. We got our first baby gift in the mail a couple of weeks ago from Ally and Chris (see picture above). It is so fun to come home from work and have boxes sitting on the door step. My friend Svetlana and Crystal gave me a pregnancy "survival" kit with odds and ends. And my friend Christina walked into my classroom last week with a garbage bag FULL of baby boy clothes.

Phil and I are clearing out and getting ready for a garage sale in May. We cleaned out the baby closet today and sorted everything into keep, garage sale, and toss piles. And those of you who know me, know that the "keep pile" was very small. The closet is now cleaned out and ready for baby Nolan to start accumulating his massive amounts of "stuff" needed for that first year of life. The next step is buying some baby hangers so I can start hanging his clothes that so anxiously await him.

Phil has been the most wonderful husband during this pregnancy. Here are some reasons I love being pregnant:
1. I have a 9 month pass on cleaning the bathrooms (and Phil actually cleans them regularly).
2. Though I love to cook, it isn't expected right now.
3. Since I gave up that "evil" diet Mtn. Dew, I don't feel guilty about drinking a Coke.
4. I love when Phil rubs my belly and easily identifies where the baby is-I tell him it is my uterus, but he is convinced it is the baby.
5. I love how Phil prays every morning and every night that baby Nolan will be healthy and grow until full-term, and that I will have an "easy" pregnancy.
6. I love watching my belly grow, and sadly, my maternity wardrobe is much nicer than my regular wardrobe.
7. I have a new love for my couch. It is just so comfortable.
8. I love going to the doctor and seeing my baby on the ultrasound screen.
9. I love that I can get away with "unlady like" actions and blame it on being pregnant.
10. And most of all, I love that God has entrusted Phil and me to be parents to our soon to be newborn son.

I think we are starting the bi-weekly photo sessions of the growing belly. Here is the latest pregnancy picture:

It's a BOY!!

2010-04-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

On April 6th, we went in for our monthly appointment. I was 14w3d. Phew. Past my first trimester and hoping to hear the heartbeat on the Doppler. Once again, we were greeted by the friendly nurse and once we got back in the hallway, we saw our doctor. "Want to try to find out the sex of the baby today?" my doctor asked me. I chuckled and said, "Dr. Graham, I'm only 14 weeks, how is that possible?" She just smiled and said, "well, I think we have a shot." I will NEVER turn down the opportunity to see our baby. This was just supposed to be a routine appointment where they take a urine sample, check weight and blood pressure, and check for the heartbeat externally with a Doppler. But we hit the jackpot. We got much more at that appontment than originally planned.

Phil and I had a bet going on. Not about if it was a boy or girl. But about finding out the sex of the baby at this appointment. I told him we wouldn't find out because we were just have a standard OB appointment(and technically we shouldn't have found out until our appointment in May). But my doctor was in a good mood, we have a great rapport with her, and I was her last patient before lunch (and the flattering letter I wrote her after meeting her in March probably didn't hurt either). God continues to surprise me with the unexpected and we were so excited to have that ultrasound. Yes, we had a bet going on-and he won. We did find out (unexpectedly) at our appointment. Dr. Grahman is 90% sure we're having a BOY!! I mean, it wasn't that hard to tell. There was definitely skin between the legs. Not to mention Phil has 2 brothers and on his side of the family, and we only have nephews-so far. Heather, one of my SIL's is pregnant with her 3rd child and will soon be finding out what she is having...my bet is a girl. Anyway, we are having a son. And once again, we got another ultrasound picture to add to the growing collection sitting on the nightstand.

It took awhile for it to set in. Like a few days. I had had a feeling it was a boy for a few weeks. And Phil talked like she was a girl, so I had already been dreaming about pink and everything girl-even though I like all of the boy clothing and accessories we had seen window shopping. But the most important thing was that we had a healthy growing baby up to this point. That is what made me happy. By the end of the week, I couldn't imagine not having a boy-it just seemed to fit. And babysitting a 7 week little boy for 2 days in a row was a big help in getting used to the idea of having a little boy.

Every night Phil prays for our son. Up until now, he prayed for Hannah because he was 99.9% sure it was a girl. For the past 3 months he puts his hand on my belly every night and morning and prays for our child-that he will continue growing and be healthy through this entire pregnancy. He prays that I will remain healthy and that we will carry him full term. Phil is so positive. He has so much faith and trust. He often holds me together when I think everything is going wrong. He prays a lot. And for that, I am very thankful. He had since had to quit praying for Hannah and has started praying for Nolan. We are naming our son Nolan Douglass. It is special to us as it is both of our middle names put together.

Remember that bet I told you about? The bet Phil won, but should have lost? Well, since he won the bet he got to have his favorite meal, Highway 98 bbq. Yuk. Too spicy for me. Can't eat it, even though my friend and school lunchroom manager, Nicole, owns the restaurant.

We haven't run off to the store to buy anything blue just yet. We're waiting for our 18 week appointment. We're waiting for that other 10% to make sure he really is a boy. Even though we already know it. Nolan, we love you so much already!!

Adoption, Bloodwork, and Ultrasounds!!

2010-04-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

Before I had found out I was pregnant, Phil and I had decided to move in the direction of adoption. Upon returning from Disney World, I called a local attorney and set up our first meeting for February 15th. We had researched adotion agencies and weighed the options of using an agency or attorney, and we were learning towards a local attorney. I was so excited when I made that phone call in early January. I went on with filling out the paperwork, already dreaming about one day adopting a child. I had no idea there was a little peanut growing inside me. The fatigue, loss of appetite, and soreness should have been a clue...but it wasn't.

I ran into my doctor at school the morning I got my positive HPT and of course I about ran and jumped in her lap screaming the great news. She got my paperwork ready to get my bloodwork done on Thursday and Saturday. My HCG level (the hormone that confirms a pregnancy through urine or blood)came back back at 1742 on Thursday and my progesterone at 10.1 (not great). The important thing is that the HCG number doubles every 48 hours. On Saturday, it had risen to 3389-close enough to consider this pregnancy viable. The progesterone came back at 14.9. The progesterone was an easy fix with supplemental medicine that I will stay on through the first trimester (I knew it would be an issue since it was what caused me to lose my first pregnancy).

If anyone tells me that God doesn't have a sense of humor, I have a story to prove otherwise. After my doctor received my bloodwork levels back from the lab, she called to schedule my first ultrasound for FEBRUARY 15TH!! This was the same day we had our appointment with the adoption attorney. Obviously, we canceled that appointment and went on with our first ultrasound.

I could not eat or sleep on Valentine's Day. We went to a fancy steakhouse dinner and I ate bread and macaroni and cheese while sipping on Ginger Ale. That night, sleeping was near impossible. I tossed. I turned. Phil told me 100 times that everything was going to be ok. He prayed. I prayed. And I conintued to toss and turn all night long just hoping to hear good news the next day at our appointment.

Finally, the moment arrived. "Ann Heppding." Phil and I leaped out of our seats. We followed the nurse. She took my weight and blood pressure (amazingly it hadn't sky rocketed). I could feel my heart pulsating through my clothes. She took me in the ultrasound room and told me to get ready. I knew the routine. I have had so many ultrasounds from my previous doctor that I needed no directions. After what felt like forever, the u/s technician came back in. And up popped a sac on the ultrasound screen. The baby wasn't visible but the two necessary sacs were there. I met with my doctor and she told us, "I think this is it." "Keep your fingers crossed for a heartbeat in 10 days at your next ultrasound. 10 days? That's my BIRTHDAY!!

Yes, on February 25th 2010, Phil and I saw and heard the most precious thing ever. I received the best birthday gift ever. I saw my baby for the first time with a racing heart beat of 186. That's fast...real fast. The heart was just beating away. We could even see the flicker on the screen. Now, at this point, it looked like a blob, maybe a peanut. But it was our peanut. Our growing peanut. I cried so much I was shaking. I cried so much that the technician told me I needed to calm down so she could get all the measurements. I was beyond thrilled and I eventually quit shaking enough to finally enjoy the news that we were indeed pregnant.

We left that appointment estatic. We called both of our parents before we were out of the parking lot. I called both Heather and Ally with the great news of the heart beat. It was time to celebrate my birthday and being pregnant. Phil had made reservations at another nice restaurant, but there was no way I could stomach a big meal. Yes, it is true. On my 34th birthday I begged for McDonald's. I celebrated with a Happy Meal and it was probably the yummiest meal to date. (Jenn Purdy, if you are reading this close your eyes or substitute it with a healthier meal).

During the first week of March, I had yet another ultrasound. I was assigned to a new doctor (who is an angel in disguise and I'm so excited she is my new doctor) and she decided to do another ultrasound because my files had not been transferred correctly and she wanted records and accurate information for my chart. In a little over a week that peanut had grown so much. The heartbeat was still in the 180's and everything looked perfect for 9w3d. It is amazing what God does in such a short amount of time. We got a new picture of our child. I held it like it was gold. We looked at it all the time. It has sat on my nightstand in a growing collection of ultrasound pictures. Our child looks like a peanut, but already has budding arms and legs. See for yourself-but you might need a magnifying glass and you will need to scroll back up to the top of this page.

We had our due date of October 2nd. And I was given a list of dates for all of my appointments through September. We left the doctor's office much happier than I thought possible. At 9 1/2 weeks I wasn't sporting a baby bump yet, but my waist was most certainly thickening. I'm very proud and excited that my pants won't button. It means my body is working right. I have no shame-so much in fact I will even post a picture. Thank you Lord for this miracle!!

January 27, 2010 - We're Pregnant, Our Miracle Day

2010-04-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Upon returning home from Disney World, I had set out to train for the Seaside half marathon. Phil gave me the bug. I had a new goal. Something to distract me from getting pregnant. Something to keep me busy. Something to keep me in the gym. I was determined. I was excited. I felt like I had returned to my days of triathlon training. I felt rejuvinated. I felt alive.....

And then I felt dead...very dead...So dead that I was coming home from work and falling asleep on the couch by 5:30. So dead that I couldn't muster the energy to cook, let alone eat. So dead that I was going to bed by 8:30. So dead that I snuck a few naps in at work while the kids were at lunch. I kept going to the gym. I kept with my normal work and tutoring routine. But I felt off and I couldn't put my finger on it.

I remember very distinctly the 5.5 mile run I did at the gym on January 25th. Phil was running next to me at his 6.5 mph pace like it was nothing. I was on the treadmill, running a FULL MPH slower than my normal pace. I was panting. I was aching. I was holding my chest in agony because it hurt so bad. I labored through that entire run. I almost stopped to walk about 100 times, but I forced myself through it, despite the pain.

When we went home that evening I chalked it up to getting sick. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was pregnant. How could I be? I hadn't been on a medicated cycle for months. I just figured my body was up to some mean old tricks.

Then the morning of January 27, 2010 I woke up already in a bad mood. It was the day I was about to start my new round of a medicated cycle in hopes to get pregnant. I should seem happy about this. But I wasn't. I wasn't looking forward to all the mood swings and I wasn't looking forward to yet another failed cycle. However, I ALWAYS take a precautionary HPT before I start any new cycle.

I went into the bathroom, POAS, threw it on the counter and went on with getting ready for work. I mean, I knew I was going to see a blank, and I mean blank test staring right back at me. But God had different plans. He had already created our little miracle and I was just about 2 1/2 weeks late on finding out what HE already did!! Instead of the blank test, I saw this:

One would think I was jumping for joy and planning a romantic reveal to Phil. Quite the opposite. Panic and fear set in. Am I really seeing what I think I am? What if I found out too late and my progesterone is already dropping? What if this is a false positive? Call me negative, but these are common thoughts for most women.

Most people dream of ways to reveal the greatest news of their lives to their spouse. They go buy a onesie or a "best daddy in the world bib" and wrap it up to give to their spouse. They put something revealing the news on their cat or dog. They put an "I'm going to be a big brother/sister" shirt on the child they already have. They prepare a romantic dinner to share to life changing news. Well, NOT ME. There was nothing romantic about how I told Phil. He was in the shower, and I screamed "HOLY Bleep" about 5 times at the top of my lungs. He stuck his head out of the shower and asked if everything was ok, to which I replied, "there are two lines and they are pinker than pink. This might actually be happening. And it really was. God had created a little miracle and it was finally our time to start the journey to parenthood.

The Most Magical Place on Earth!!

2010-04-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Phil and I joined Freddie, Heather and their 2 boys, Will and Jackson in Disney World for the Disney half and full marathons. Both brothers had decided to run it in January 2010. Usually Orlando is warm and sunny-even in January. This year proved to be quite different. It was raining, sleeting, and cold the entire time. Even during both of their start times. Both left around 3:00 a.m. from the hotel to get hauled off to the start line. Freddie ran the half marathon, IN SLEET, on Saturday and Phil ran the full marathon, IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES, on Sunday. Heather and I were at both finish lines cheering our men on. We were so excited for both of them, and both bumbed we weren't running ourselves. Heather didn't reveal until 2 months later that the reason she was running was because she was 6 weeks pregnant with her 3rd child during that trip. I don't know how she kept it a secret while we were together, but somehow she did! Phil ran his marathon right at 5 hours!! I was so proud of him.

We enjoyed adjoining rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort Hotel. Both famililes enjoyed Universal Studios together. While the VA Heppdings went to Magic Kingdom, Phil and I went to Epcot. In the evenings, we enjoyed dinner together and hanging out at the hotel.

Like I said, the temperatures were unseasonably cold and dreary. Worked out perfect for us because we couldn't endure the theme parks in the freezing temperatures. So we drank hot chocolate and cozied up at the hotel. And little did we know what was really happening that cold and dreary few days in Disney World.

2 Years of Trying-The Cliffnotes Version

2010-04-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Writing this post after the fact will have a much more positive spin on the infertility battle Phil and I had to trudge through for the past 2 years!! If I had written this in the midst of the battle, I would have been one hot mess. Now I can re-cap the past 2 1/2 years without all the day by day details in order to start the next few posts about the new baby growing in me.

We started trying to start a family in January 2008. I knew I was going to have infertility issues as I have always had inconsistent female problems since I was a teenager. From January-June 2007 my OB/GYN put me on various medicines to help force a period and ovulation. The medicines didn't work, so we thought.

In June 2008, I started seeing a Reproductive Endocrinologist. He immediately took me off the medicine (metformin) and started his own plan. The same systematic plan he uses for all his patients. I was pregnant in July (thanks to my OB, not my RE), but had an early miscarriage due to low progesterone-a hormone that maintains the viability of a pregnancy until the placenta takes over. I wasn't even aware I was pregnant because Phil and I were out of town for 3 weeks and only after returning home, did we find out I was pregnant, but it was too late.

From July 2008-July 2009 I continued to see the Infertility doctor. About 10-12 times a month I had to drive out to Panama City to see the doctor. I remember the 3 1/2 hour round trips like it was yesterday. I cried and I cried while driving down the highway. I would call my SIL and she would listen to me and my struggles and let me know she was praying for me. She probably had no idea what to say, but she was always a huge comfort. I would call my mom crying. And sometimes, I would have glimpses of hope that I would eventually be pregnant. As tears rolled down my face, I dreamed of what having a family would look like on those long painful journeys down the highway.

I had 4 failed IUI's with my Infertility doctor. Each time I had glimmer of hope. That this might "be the one." Unfortunately, it wasn't. By the time summer rolled around, I was just so exhausted. I remember telling Phil that I just wanted to enjoy my summer. I didn't want to be driving to Panama City every other day. I didn't want the emotional drainage I knew it would bring. I didn't want to cry everyday of summer vacation. I didn't want to miss out on the fun of all of our summer company. I just wanted to live life again. I just wanted to feel the joy that I once knew. I just wanted to be with Phil. I just wanted to forget about my struggles.

Summer of 2009 proved to be so wonderful. It proved to be a turning point. It was so needed. So needed that we decided NOT to go back to my Infertility doctor. Instead, I went back to my OB/GYN and asked her to put me back on "that medicine that made me get pregnant last time." AKA, metformin. The medicine of choice the Lord used to get me pregnant...TWICE.

From July of 2009 to January 2010 I took my metformin (a diabetic medicine often given to infertile women to help produce a stronger ovulation) with little faith it would work. I was just taking it until we determined what our next step would be. But I enjoyed not going to my Infertility doctor so much that we never came up with a next step. God certainly had a different plan. A much better plan. And it was in His timming. An issue I am constantly battling and learning more about everyday.

In January 2010, God created his Heppding miracle. When I had no hope, when I had no faith, when I had no joy-God gave it all back to me. We conceived our child in the last way I ever thought possible-by ourselves. You may be laughing, but those of you reading this who have struggled with getting pregnant know exactly what I mean. God did what I thought was the impossible.

Christmas 2007 in 4 States

2008-01-02T18:43:00.001-08:00

Phil and I enjoyed the first few weeks of the Christmas holidays in t-shirts, shorts, and warm enough days to walk along the beach. After moving into our new house on December 1st, we quickly decorated the tree and started Christmas festivities, including an annual tradition we are starting with making a homemade gingerbread house. After school got out, we enjoyed visiting friends and family in Atlanta, North Carolina, and Virginia. Silly me didn't take any pictures in North Carolina or Virginia, but we did see Phil's side of the family. The highlight of Christmas was giving the Purdy family, well the boys, their Wii. Jack had written a letter to the tooth ferry in the Fall of '07, asking for the tooth fairy to leave him a Wii and to just put it "outside his bedroom door." Well the tooth fairy came-in the form of Santa, a few months later. This picture of the boys is not posed, just perfectly captured.

After leaving Georgia on Christmas Eve, we made our way up 85 and spent several days visiting Phil's parents. And shortly after that, we went to Virginia to visit Freddie's family and then Chris' family. It was exhausting. In 10 days, we traveled through 6 states, slept in 4 different beds, and were ready to get back home to Florida.

We got back home on the 30th and enjoyed our "first Christmas" together and opened Christmas presents. Phil gave me a gift card to the spa, some Nike shoes, and scrapbooking supplies. He enjoyed his new briefcase, some "spending money," a few giftcards, and some new clothes. We were able to spend this Christmas with lots of family and friends and even were able to start some traditions of our own.

Thanksgiving Cruise-2007

2008-01-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Cruise

November 2007

*San Diego

*Cabo San Lucas

*Mazaltan

*Puerta Vallarta

Phil and I spent our "second honeymoon" on the Pacific coast of Mexico aboard the Dawn Princess cruise ship. Many fun experiences took place. Before we even boarded the ship we were upgraded from an interior cabin, to a cabin with an ocean view. We enjoyed dinner each night with new friends, Lou & Gayle and Jim & Diana. We tried everything on the menu including beef wellington, lobster, crab, duck, veal, and rack of lamb. Many of the appetizers we couldn't even pronounce, but were fun to taste anyway. The average person gains 5-7 pounds on a cruise-Phil gained 0! Me, well, I'm not sure.

We enjoyed ATVing in the desert mountains of the Baja Peninsula. We rode about 20 miles through mountains and a dry river bed that ended along the coast with a gorgeous view of the ocean. It was by far the most challenging ATVing we've done, including steep terrain of 45 degree hills and canyon trails. Some of the people in our group couldn't handle the terrain and had to ride with the guides. Phil and I made sure we got out in the front of the pack so we wouldn't be slowed down.

We also spent a day in the arm pit of Mexico, Mazaltan. We got off the boat for about an hour and half and decided that we didn't need to waste our time walking around the city and quickly got back on the boat and enjoyed a nearly empty boat while in port.

Our last vist was to Puerta Vallarta. Certainly a place to go back and visit. Phil and I went on a canopy tour about an hour from the port. After a short boat ride and an hour long ride in an open air Jeep, we made it into the canopy where we swang from tree top to tree top among the canopy. I didn't enjoy this when I went to Costa Rica, so I thought I would give it another go. I didn't like it in Mexico, either, but I promised myself I would try again. It was fun watching Phil get so much excitement out of it.

We had a blast each evening getting dressed up, going to eat dinner and watching the Broadway like shows. A little gambling, lots of bingo, trips to the gym, meeting new people, and enjoying the coast of Mexico certainly added up to a great vacation. I think Princess cruiseline will see us aboard one of their ships again in the not too distant future.

Our friends, Lou & Gayle were full of energy and excitment. They stayed up later and did more activities in a week than Phil or I could ever have dreamed of doing. They were a truly inspiring couple!

Purdy Boys Come to Destin

2007-10-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, my nephews are so much fun. Jack, Tynan, and Townes came down for a four day visit in late September. Trips to the beach, cart-wheels and foam pits at the gymnastic center, pineapple pizza at Mellow Mushroom, and bumpy, fast, and silly rides at the amusement park are just a few of the activities that consumed our time with the boys. The boys couldn't wait for Phil to come home from work so they could play "the claw" with Uncle Phil. Townes especially loved being wrapped up in a burrito with his blanket, and flying through the air. As our house often feels like a frosty cooler, Tynan walked out of the bedroom one morning with Phil's sweatshirt saying "it's cold in here Aunt Ann, you should make the warm air come out instead of the cold...I'm wearning Uncle Phil's sweater blanket!." Phil and I often say, rut-row, rather than uh-oh. Tynan asked Phil one day, "is that how Florida people say say uh-oh?" Having the boys down to visit was a blast, and I quickly learned just how wonderful being a parent one day will be-but, hopefully won't have 3 at one time!

Living the Dream

2007-09-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Phil and I have been married for 6 months and living in Destin, Florida. It's about time we started a blog so we could keep up with friends and family. We had a fabulous wedding in Atlanta, and then enjoyed an all-inclusive luxurious spa resort in the Mayan Riveria. After an overnight stay in Atlanta, we made our way to our new life in Destin, Florida. Phil had moved down to Destin in August, 2006. After selling my house in September 2006, I moved all of my belongings, minus myself, to his condo in Destin-since I wasn't moving down until after the wedding. The transition to Destin wasn't what I thought it would be. The pace of life is certainly slower, and the toursits from March to August get annoying. We quickly learned via traveling the roads in Destin that the south has many bad drivers. State rankings of worst drivers are: Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. We get incresingly annoyed when we see these drivers.

We live in a small condo, within walking distance of the beach, and centrally located to everything. We enjoy going to the beach on the weekends and eating at local restaurants. And we love having friends come down from Atlanta. We've had a slew of visitors in the past six months, and more to come.

It took awhile, but we have met some really great people through work and church. We are involved with a Sunday School class and have some great friends from there. I was able to start a Bible Study with three other girls, which has been very rewarding. Phil has taken up golf with some of his friends, and I continue to work out and train for triathlons.

Phil continues to plug away in the mortgage business and I am working for a local restaurant supply company doing office work-boring. After promising I would never go back into teaching, I am finding that I really do miss it a lot, and that there was a lot of fulfillment in it.

We have a lot to look forward to in the fall...every weekend is highly anticipated with college football and friends. We're going on our second honeymoon the week of Thanksgiving, buying a house, and traveling to see our families during the holidays.

Being married to Phil is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am learning daily how to be a better wife, put others before myself. Phil accepts me for who I am-flaws and all. He is so patient, kind, and loving. And I know I am always safe with him.

Please know you are welcome to visit us anytime in Destin.