Christmas Break 2012

We were blessed with spending time with family and friends over the Christmas break.  Zack had off from Christmas Eve until the New Year so we were able to take a trip to Savannah as well.  We truly enjoyed being able to take it easy and relax for our last official trip before Baby Houston arrives.  For Christmas, we were able to see three of my best friends and their spouses.  It was great getting to hang out with each of them and even see a few of their little ones.  One of my best friends had a boy about two months ago, and it was so exciting to see how big he is already.  It is hard to imagine that our little one will be here soon and growing each day at a fascinating rate!  As of right now, I am 24 weeks along, and the baby is about 1.5 lbs.  As you can see from the pictures I am including, I have definitely gained a little more than that. ;)  After spending the holidays with both of our families, we drove to Savannah the day after Christmas.  We were able to spend 4 nights in the historic district at The Mulberry hotel.  We were in walking distance of River Street and many delicious restaurants.  We explored the Wildlife Refuge, Tybee Island, and Fort Pulaski while in Savannah.  We even got to see Albert!  (Ok..... well.... we saw an alligator that I am calling Albert.)  Also, while in Savannah, we were able to visit with my great uncle Scott and aunt Barbara.  They made a delicious dinner that rivals the cuisine you can get in downtown Savannah.  We are just settling back into town before the new year.  2013 is going to be a pretty amazing year...... our baby boy is coming soon!

Christmas 2012

Savannah 2012

 

 

 

 

23 Weeks

So today I am officially 23 weeks along! It is hard to imagine in just 4 short months that our son will be here!  We have had a fun week as we prepare for the holidays.  We were able to grab dinner and see "The Hobbit" with some friends on Tuesday night (yes, I was out LATE on a school night!).  I have also visited two more daycares and contacted a local pediatrician to find out the next steps of getting Baby Houston a doctor once he arrives.  We will definitely post more after the holidays.  We are excited about spending some time with family and friends.  Merry Christmas!

Pictures at 23 Weeks

Growing.....Growing....Growing

So.... I haven't posted in the last couple weeks, but things have definitely been happening at the Houstons.  First, I was able to surprise my staff at school with a gender cake that my coworker made for them so that everyone could share in the excitement of our little boy!  Here is a picture (forgot to take a picture before I started cutting...oops!).  I tried to cut the pieces in half so everyone was able to taste the yummy cake!

We attended Zack's work Christmas party last weekend, and it became apparent pretty quickly that Zack had only told the employees at his store about our new addition.  You should have seen the looks I got from some of his co-workers as they realized that there was definitely a "bun in the oven".  Personally, I was excited that they could tell immediately rather than think I had just been eating too many desserts over the holidays! 

Zack has been working hard to get the nursery painted, and I am pleased to announce that it is FINISHED!  Now we need to get the furniture, etc. to fill up the space but I love the color!  He is so meticulous about every detail when he paints so you can imagine that the finished product looks amazing!  The week 22 picture I am including shows the color of the nursery (we took this picture in the same room as week 19..... definitely a change of color!)

And a picture from the front.....

We have our yearly PTA holiday concert tonight.  My staff loves when I wear my red boots..... so I am sporting them today for the occasion.  If you watch "How I Met Your Mother" (Zack and I love this show!), you will see that I borrowed Ted Mosby's boots that he is so proud of, and as he would say I am definitely "pulling....them..... off!" ;)

Its a...... BOY!!!!! :)

We are having a boy!!!  Bring on football, baseball, camping, and probably ER visits!!! ;)  Growing up, I had always wanted an older brother so I think it is pretty cool that our first child is a boy!  We had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends as we cut the cake to reveal we are having a boy!  Zack and I had the ultrasound appointment on Monday and were able to keep this a secret until Friday night! 

 

 

 

We were also able to celebrate Kerith's 30th birthday during the festivities.  I think we counted a little over 20 people that came to hang out for the evening at the Houstons.  We had yummy dessert and played games.  I believe Ultimate Uno is still my favorite game!! We had 12 people playing at one time.

We are at 20 weeks now in the pregnancy.... which is halfway there!  The baby is weighing at 11 ounces, and it was so special to see the four chambers of the heart, the arms, the legs, and brain to make sure everything is looking healthy at this point.  Our little cantaloupe (that is the fruit of the week) is doing great, and we willl continue to call him "Thunderbolt" (Zack's selection) until the baby is born.  Magically, in the last two days, I have started to really get a belly (as you can tell from the pictures above).  I have a feeling I still have a ways to "grow".  Stay tuned for more pictures!

I have been very productive this week.  I have scheduled two daycare visits for next week and went to register for baby stuff with one of my closest friends.  Since she already has a little one, she was able to quickly suggest the items we needed and things we didn't.  Boomer and Lindsey participated in the half marathon this morning that Linds and I have done in the past couple years.  Mom, Zack, and I ran the 5K today at the same time.  It was a ton of fun, and it felt great to still be able to run at 5 months pregnant! :) 

Thanksgiving Round Two

The Bakewells have arrived!! :)  We had a fun Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year.  This has been a tradition we started a few years ago, and the Houstons and Kennedys love having the family come to Kernersville!  We had all the traditional yummy Thanksgiving dishes..... Zack made homemade mashed potatoes, and we had a mashed potato bar complete with real bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.  I think the baby really is enjoying these holiday gatherings..... and so is his or her momma! :)  No Thanksgiving day with the Bakewells would be complete without some Florida-Florida State football.  We have watched this game every year as long as I can remember (and it is always rivalry weekend and Thanksgiving weekend).  I am pleased to report that my Gators pulled out a WIN!  Go Gators!! I was a little nervous in the third quarter but fortunately we have been a fourth quarter team as of late!  While waiting for my sister and brother-in-law to get into town from Virginia, we went shopping and picked out a rocking recliner for the nursery..... thanks to grandma and grandpa!  It is perfect! I wanted something small that was also functional.  Mom found the perfect chair as we were getting ready to head out of the store.  We have the first item for the nursery!  April will be here before we know it!  Enjoy some pictures from our second Thanksgiving festivities.  I am so thankful for all of our family and friends! God has truly blessed us this year!

Thanksgiving Round One

So Baby Houston enjoyed his or her first Thanksgiving at the Cantrells in Charlotte.  Each year on Thanksgiving Day, we travel to that part of the state to see our Houston and Cantrell relatives.  We always have a blast and memories are always made!  We tested out our new camera (thanks mom and dad!) for the first time and it was a "hit".  Cousin Wade could not stop taking pictures of all the family members.  :)  Cousin Emily came up with a great idea while we were hanging out before dinner.... "why don't we do a baby pool?"  So, each family member predicted the gender, date of arrival, and time of arrival for Baby Houston in April.  Zack and I each picked a different gender, but we were sure to pick the date of April 16th..... my sister's birthday! :)  Although we want Lindsey to have her own birthday and are hoping that the baby waits until after her bday festivities, I think God has a sense of humor that makes me smile at the little things He does.  Zack's mom came up with the idea of putting in two predictions so she could have a boy or a girl selection that advances to the final round in April.  Everyone else decided that was a wonderful idea so we have many dates and times predicted for the arrival of Baby Houston (some of them very early in the morning!).

The Cantrell Baby Pool

 

Cousin Ashley also decided to do the string test to see if we were having a boy or girl.  The string test says we are having a boy!  Fortunately, we don't have to wait much longer to see if this prediction is actually true.  (I will mention that this test was accurate for all three of Ashley's children.)

 

 

Baby Houston received a really cool Flutterbug toy from Aunt Maude that was waiting for me at my seat at the dinner table.  Jacob, Sadie, and Emma Claire said it was one of their favorites growing up! :)  As I write this, we are officially 19 weeks today!  The baby is about the size of a mango (Zack and I don't know why there is always a fruit or vegetable reference for this) and weighing about half a pound.  I am going to include a few more pictures from Thanksgiving day..... but stay tuned for Round Two....... The Bakewells are coming to our house on Saturday for another delicious meal!

 

 

 

 





18 Weeks

Well..... it is official...... I have developed a "baby bump".  For weeks, I have been saying to Zack "Look..... my belly is really starting to grow", and he doesn't say very much.  However, at the 18 week mark, he said to me "You really do look pregnant!"  And by the way he said it, I didn't know if I should take it as a compliment or not..... but I am choosing to!  My sister also noticed the developing bump on the same day (Friday, Nov. 16th).  While most people that don't know I am pregnant would just say I have been eating too many sweets and putting on a little weight, I got excited when the people that I love the most actually noticed the "baby bump".  Apparently at this point, the baby is about the size of a bell pepper and weighs approximately 7 ounces.  We have decided to start the "belly" pictures..... here is the first one at 18 weeks.  (This picture was taken in our newly painted bonus room.) 

As far as other news, Zack and I started a baby registry yesterday at BabiesRUs.  We are definitely overwhelmed by the things a baby needs and all the brands of the same item.  We simply registered for the crib, bedding, stroller, and car seat.  That was all we could handle for that day!  Fortunately, I have a friend who said she would go with me to help me register for the items a baby truly needs, and I will wait for her to give me guidance.  We don't know yet if we are having a boy or a girl so we kept the bedding and stroller selections gender neutral (so they can be used in the future if this child has a sibling one day).

For household projects, Zack finished painting the bonus room, and we will be moving the guest room furniture into that room today so we have a "clean slate" for the baby's nursery.  The nursery will be the next project.

We went camping Friday night with some close friends in temperatures that were in the low 30s.  We had a blast cooking dinner, dessert, and breakfast over a fire.  However, I don't recommend camping in a tent with such cold temperatures or when you are 18 weeks pregnant.  I had to get up a few times to use the restroom which was an outhouse.  What an adventure!!! :)  Memories were definitely made! 

November 8, 2012

So..... I have been thinking for a few weeks now how I could document the important events of the Houstons where family and friends that are near and far could be updated on the latest happenings.  I am trying out a blog! 

For those of you that are not aware, Zack and I are expecting our first child in April.  We are trying to prepare our house for a new baby and prepare ourselves for being parents!  We have a precious three year old beagle, Burke, that we claim as our four-legged child, but I have the feeling that the baby that is growing inside of me will change the dynamics of the Houston Household!

We told our parents and siblings about the new baby by dressing up our beagle in a "I'm going to be a Big Brother" shirt.  Their faces were priceless as they realized we were talking about an actual human and not another four-legged companion. 

I am currently 17 weeks pregnant, and today was certainly an interesting day.  I couldn't fit into a pair of pants that I have worn for years!  So I used a "belly band" to keep the pants up as I rushed off to work.  Friends have been so nice to share their clothes and advice with me as I am entering very unfamiliar territory!  It is difficult to imagine that my belly will continue to grow from now until the due date.  How crazy is the miracle of life?! 

We will find out if we are having a boy or a girl on November 26th.  I am so very excited about this date!  I feel I can start to plan and purchase things the baby will need once I have an idea what gender we are having.  Zack and I are both excited about the possibility of having a boy OR a girl!  We have been praying daily for a healthy baby, and we will continue to make this our prayer. 

I will keep you updated as we find out more and do more to prepare for Baby Houston!