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! :)