Holidays are here!

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is behind us and now we are working on Christmas! Next year, Jeremy will finally get to be home for the holidays after being in Iraq for 2 Christmases in a row. We all still have out our yellow ribbons and grandma and grandpa are keeping their flag flying!

Thanksgiving was at the rec center this year and is was great! The weather was nice and we had lots of good food. I wish I had some more now actually.

Here are some pics of the family. I didn't get many but we all got to talk and spend time together, which was really nice.





That night, someone got her snow boots out for the winter, since it has been so cold lately.

She thinks she is cute :)

Barney is also trying to be festive


Now for the Garvan Gardens pictures! I just loved that outing. My cheap camera has 2 settings (flash or no flash) so my pictures really do this place no justice. I'm waiting on Jeremy to get home and we will get a better camera, that way he can figure out all the settings!

Grandma and the umbrella tree

So pretty how the red leaves reflected the white lights

This year, I loved the blue lights. They had them down by the water and it was so pretty.

Ashley and Brian

All of us minus Kareem, he was taking the picture

Me and Ashley

Brian, grandma and mom after we got to roast marshmallows

Mom in an elf house

I think my favorite part was the gingerbread land.

Path with chandeliers

Brian and grandpa

Next year if we go back I'll have a little baby boy and a husband to keep me warm, I can't believe it.

Long Week/ Week 23

This is me. I've had no morning sickness or problems really this far, but good grief am I klutzy and scatter brained. I can't remember anything anymore!

Well, I'm sure lots of people are very worn out after this week, and I am one of them! I hope everyone had a great and safe Thanksgiving. I have several pictures that I'm planning on posting tomorrow once I get them uploaded to the hard drive and re sized...I'm just too sleepy to do it tonight. We went to Garvan Gardens and really had a good time. It was cold, but not too cold. I took tons of pictures that I will be putting on here. I am glad that Brian and I recovered from our stomach viruses earlier in the week and were able to enjoy the holiday. For a couple of days there, you did not want to be in this house! We were pretty sick. Anyway, I noticed the baby had gone up a mark again on my little countdown at the top of the page. Things are moving so fast! Also, Jeremy only has 2 and a half months left in Iraq! He is so encouraged by these lower numbers. This time last year we had a little over a week left in Hawaii, we were packing things into storage and trying not to feel too depressed. I remember this night very well, we were going to Assagio's in Mililani for dinner and it was very rainy (typical for this time of year in Hawaii).

We didn't know what to expect for 2008 and I'm kind of glad!

So I'm 23 weeks pregnant. That is just crazy! He is such a little kicker these days too :)

Fetal development in pregnancy week 23: At this point you’ve pretty much adjusted to the fact you’ve got a moving little gymnast inside of you, but now they’re going to kick up the party a notch because they can hear and react to sounds from the outside world. Sounds from your alarm clock, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking at you across the intersection can actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming. Of course this also means that their little ears are picking up the sounds of your voice and those near you. So go ahead, sing a lullaby to your little angel—if they start kicking, it’s likely they just want you to stop… or maybe it was a kick of approval? You decide. Your baby's tiny taste buds are still growing and their bones are continuing to ossify (harden), their tiny veins are visible through their translucent yet wrinkly skin. (Think of it this way: they’ve been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame them for being a little prune-like.)

And how's mom doing? If no one warned you about the joys of the pregnancy-sleep-challenge, you’ve probably already started to discover just how difficult it can be to find adequately comfortable sleeping positions. The good news is: some people actually invented pillows specifically designed to give a pregnant woman if you want to further reduce the dreaded appearance of pregnancy “cankles” (calf-ankles) try to avoid sitting for long periods of time—and for the hundredth time: don’t forget to stay active! a better chance of sleeping through the night. There are a variety of different designs, but inevitably you’ll want some sort of belly support as well as a body pillow between your legs and under your belly to relieve a bit of the discomfort you're sure to be experiencing right now. If you choose to buy the (rather spendy) pregnancy pillows they've got on the market, make sure you keep the receipt as some women still have problems sleeping and fare better with their own unique pillow collection and set-up
As if there's not enough to keep track of already, are you remembering to drink lots of fluids? Plenty of good ol’ fashioned H20 (water) can help reduce swelling in your poor ankles and feet-- resulting from the pressure your now over-sized uterus is putting on your pelvic veins, thereby slowing fluid circulation to the lower half of your body. Also, if you want to further reduce the dreaded appearance of pregnancy “cankles” (calf-ankles) try to avoid sitting for long periods of time—and for the hundredth time: don’t forget to stay active! Keeping your fluid intake up is also good for your little resident swimmer as dehydration is frequently connected with premature birthing. Yep, it’s a lot of responsibility, but you can do it! You’re almost two-thirds of the way there already! Keep up the good work mom!

22 Weeks and Catching Up as Usual

Ok, here is my 22 Week picture. I didn't realize I looked this big honestly and I'm not sure when it happened!

This past weekend was Olivia's birthday party (my "niece" technically cousin but she calls me aunt amanda) She got lots of cute girly things and really enjoyed herself.

Here she is with her mom and Grace (another cousin of ours)

Cool candles!


Making her wish

That night Brian, Ashley and I went to dinner with Lindsey, her hubby Josh and Tia. I am glad we are getting to see them more. Back before I went to Hawaii we were together most weekends. Anyway, dinner was awesome. We went to Bone Fish Grill. I can't wait to take Jeremy there sometime. They fly their fish in daily so it is really fresh, just like you were on the coast.

Lindsey and Josh

The other night I was at grandma's house and I took this picture of her Christmas Cactus. It belonged to my Great Grandma and is really blooming so pretty this year.

Sorry, I know I'm skipping around a lot! Yesterday I went to Little Rock with Brian. We were at Silks a Bloom and were inspired by so many of the Christmas trees. We came across one theme that looked like Who-ville, from the movie The Grinch. It was our favorite.

Brian being goofy with an ornament we want.

We also had some family over for a little while on Monday, Lindsey brought them by. It was funny having 4 kids running around. Graham pointed out that I didn't have anything to play with in the living room. Apparently photo albums and candles aren't entertaining like I thought ha! How things are about to change around here.

Pictured here are all of my cousins

Graham, Grace, Olivia, and Emma. So cute!

If you are wondering how Chloe and Barney are doing, they are up to the same old thing. Lately, Chloe has been playing dentist.

But she thinks Barney's breath is a lethal weapon so he uses it against her.

I think I have said on here before that I love the sky. I could watch clouds, stars, airplanes, rain, etc. forever I think. So, I am always taking pictures and it was so pretty the other night I just couldn't resist.

My 22 Week Update...I know I skipped a couple.

Fetal development in pregnancy week 22:fetus in fifth month The grow must go on! No wonder you’re getting so big, you’re now housing a wonder-baby who weighs nearly a pound and measures nearly a foot in length. Their perfect little pancreas is now further developed and they’ve also started producing their own hormones! Your baby's future in the circus as a world-famous tight-rope-walker is secure: their inner ear is now developed to the point that they have their own sense of balance. Lucky for your little explorer, balance also promotes physical dexterity, which has them actively feeling out their surroundings where skin, body parts, and the resident umbilical cord are the big sensory experiences. Your foot-long baby, is looking a bit like an oversized raisin right now as more and more wrinkles are showing up each week. Not to worry, all that excessive wrinkling is just their skin’s way of planning ahead for the time when they’ll start piling on that irresistible baby chub.

And how's mom doing? Take a moment to think about this: your uterus has now stretched to such unholy proportions that it extends beyond your navel! The not-so-exciting part of this remarkable fact is that growth like this tends to leave stretch marks and can itch like nobody’s business. If it makes you feel any better, Don’t get suckered into buying really expensive creams that supposedly make stretch marks ‘magically disappear.'Stretch marks are scars on your skin and won’t disappear with a topical cream stretch marks on the belly are extremely common. Don’t get suckered into buying really expensive creams that supposedly make stretch marks ‘magically disappear.'Stretch marks are scars on your skin and won’t disappear with a topical cream . But feel free to apply all the aloe-vera (and other anti-itch lotions) to alleviate the itching. In terms of preventing their appearance, cocoa butter-based creams and creams full of Vitamin E have a reputation for helping-- but there's still no guarantee that those pesky stretch marks won't show up despite your best creaming-up efforts.
Also, your doctor may offer you a glucose screening test sometime in the upcoming weeks. The test checks for a high blood sugar condition that some women are susceptible to during pregnancy. At most, 5 percent of women actually test positive for this problem, but if you do, you will probably have a few more follow up tests to be sure. If you end up with a positive test, make a plan with your physician or nutritionist for treatment. Untreated, the high sugar content in your blood enables the overproduction of baby fat for your little one, and often results in overly high birth weight which can induce premature birth and/or the necessity to deliver via cesarean.

So proud

I have been in a daze here lately, and I really don't know why! Things are going great though. Jeremy is still showing off out in Iraq :) Just kidding but I am so proud of him AGAIN! He passed his flight aptitude test today. Now he can put in his packet for Officer Candidate School and also apply for the aviation program (to be completed at Ft. Rucker after he gets out of officer school). We know he will get into OCS in Georgia, but he may or may not get the aviation position he wants. If not he has 9 backup positions listed for the army to choose from. Anyway, we are just one step closer to the waiting game. Waiting on his school dates and our new post. Next month, the transition begins for our guys out at Taji. The troops that are taking over will be there and our guys will start handing over the reigns. How exciting! In less than 4 months Jeremy will be in Hawaii. In fact, some of the guys are heading back to Hawaii in late January. We could be closer than we think. Time is moving right along.

Catching up a little, been playing hard!

I have been way behind in posting. Woops! I still don't have much to say really but I have lots of pictures. Totally skipped the 19 and 20 week updates too. I guess that just means I have been really busy. Oh well, I will pick back up at 21 weeks. We are over half way through the pregnancy! Very hard to believe. This past week we had some movie nights since it has been cold. We snuggle on the couch, and the dogs rarely make it through the first 10 minutes.

Friday night was fun for us. We had our girls' night at Jana's house this time. Chloe got to go too and play with her Chinese Pug cousin Lola. They play HARD. By the end of the night they were exhausted. The pics aren't in the best order, sorry!

Both of them sitting in Jana's lap while I held Cannon, Torri's son. She wound up bringing her 2 sons which was totally fine with us! They are so cute and really well behaved.

She loves Lola's bed and toys

Caleb and Cannon. So cute!

I was very nervous about Chloe and the baby...and then Chloe and Caleb because he was running around and stuff which usually means she will chase you. Anyway, they hit if off well. I was so glad.

Caleb hugging Chloe. He loves dogs and she loved him!

Hey that's my blanket!

The challenge

Having fun

Brian had a show in Jonesboro the other night. He sold out of CD's and did great! We had a photo shoot while we were waiting on mom to get to the house.

Me and the baby girl

My loyal boy Barney

Long late night!