April Showers...

.. brings May babies :)

I feel extremely blessed to have such wonderful people in my life to shower Noah with love before his arrival. Chris and I are still in awe at the amount of love and the generosity from those we love around us!


WORK SHOWER
My work family was the first to throw me a shower on April 12th. I thought it was just going to be a little shower with my department but was pleasantly shocked when I saw the majority of the faculty was there. Even some of my kids from the high school came over to show their love and support. It was great!
This is my LEA who is the most wonderful woman in the whole wide world! I am so lucky to have been able to learn from her over the past few years. She had become like a second mom to me and I owe her and the rest of the special education staff at Booth a BIG Thanks for the great shower!



She made the poster and all the kids that I worked with made wishes for Noah. They were awesome. One of them said, "I hope your baby graduates from High school." Me too! :)



I am truly going to miss the staff at JC Booth Middle School as I embark on my new career as a stay at home mommy with Noah. I am so excited and can't wait for it to begin!


FAMILY SHOWER
That Saturday, my grandmother, mom, sister, mother-in-law and Chris's aunt threw me a family baby shower at my grandmothers house on the 14th. The food was delicious thanks to my sister and mother-in-law and the decorations my sister made and mom got were awesome.









My sister made these. The handle is a baby spoon and there was burp cloths and bath wash cloths inside.


It was so sweet that my family from Tennessee came down to celebrate Noah with me.



Chris's grandmother came in from Alabama.



I knew that I was getting really big and feeling very fat but did not know that others thought the same. All the strings were WAY too big!!!haha















I could fit Mel's around Me, Noah and Her! Thanks friend!


Had to pull grams in for a hug!






Noah got some really great things at the shower. One of my favorites has to be the "hospital bag" my sisters friend Melissa made me. It literally had everything in there Chris or I would need for the hospital. It was such a clever and thoughtful idea.
Of course I am a sucker for handmade gifts. Chris's Grandmother made noah a pretty blanket and christmas stocking and sweet Mel made Noah something to hang on the wall.








Of course the day would not be the same without my sweet best friends.




CHURCH SHOWER
On Monday the 16th, the wonderful ladies from my small group threw Noah a shower. These ladies are AMAZING and have been (along with their husbands) a HUGE support to Chris and I over the course of this pregnancy with Noah. I can't tell you the countless times they were there to pray over us to get pregnant, when I had the hemorrhage and almost lost Noah and of course with hearing the news that Noah would have a few challenges in his early years of life. Without them, some of our days would have been much darker. I cannot thank them enough!



It's amazing how many babies this group has welcomed this past year. I believe there has been 5 within the year and myself and Kristi who is in the next photo will make it 7 from Nov-Sep.


The newest addition! Cole Bryan Ellington! His mommy, Melissa(holding him in the previous group picture). So cute. Makes me want my Noah here so bad!!


Again, everyone was very generous gift givers! You can see how excited I am over the simple things like cleaning supplies. I was about to go out and buy detergent to start washing Noah's clothes but no need- it was given!



Patty, who hosted the shower at her home made these adorable shirts for Noah to wear when he gets a bit older and a birpcloth.


Thank you to all the girls who helped with the shower. The food and decorations were awesome!





FRIEND SHOWER
The next saturday, my sweet friends Melissa and Natalie threw me another shower! Yes, that is 4 showers!! Noah is so spoiled already and he does not even know it!



Thanks to my sweet friends for coming to celebrate Noah with me!















and the mommies too!



It feels so good to know the amount of love Noah will have coming into this world. I feel truly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.
Noah-only 3-5 more weeks buddy! Can't wait, I love you so much!!



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31 Week Ultrasound

We had his 31 week ultrasound on Monday with the Specialist to check his fluid and weight. Everything continues to look great! :)
He continues to grow to be a big baby. As of Monday, we weighs 4.2 pounds and is 70% bigger than most babies at this point. We have to go back at 35 weeks again to check his weight. If he continues this same path, they said if I don't have him by 38 weeks then they will induce me. So the June 10th due date is now out the window. Looks like end of May. Sooner to have my baby boy safely in my arms! :)
I wish I had pictures to show but his face was buried in my back. :( Maybe next time.
We are starting to do a few things in the nursery. We did not paint the walls. Thought I would save Chris from doing that work since our house is on the market. (Has been since OCTOBER!!) Anyway, its fine because the walls are a light blue already and I think it will match the things we are putting in his room.
Chris did put together the crib:



Love the storage unit at the bottom for extra sheets and stuff!
Chris also painted these letters and hung them on the wall above the crib:



Thats about it for now. His dresser and rocker wont be here until mid-late May. Maybe when Noah is already here. :( I am praying they get it in much much sooner!!
My brother-in-laws sweet great aunt, Coralie made me a basket of Noah's arc/It's a boy chocolate pops to take the the hospital. So cute:



Continuing to feel very blessed and excited about whats to come!! :)
Keep praying!!!

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Spring Break/Easter Weekend

Chris and I went down to PCB the 1st weekend of my Spring Break. It was sooo nice to fit a "babymoon" in our busy schedule before the arrival of Noah. I can't tell you how nice it was to just sit on the beach and drink my fake strawberry daquires. :)
Although I truly felt like a fat whale being 30 weeks and the only pregnant person on the beach. I came back with my front side somewhat tan and my back side white as the walls since I could not lay on my tummy. I tried to lay on my side on the beach and that was a hilarious situation. Truly felt like a beached whale that could not move and get up.
Chris's aunt, uncle and cousins live in PCB and we are lucky we have a place to stay when we go down there and visit with all of them. We go at least once a year. We stayed at his aunts house. They have a golden named Chloe that looks exactly like our Bailey. They had a good time together while we were at the beach.
Bailey is very protective of her blankie which she carries around with her at nighttime and sleeps with. Its hilarious and so sweet. Chloe wanted it but Bailey was not willing to share:



The first day we were down there was very rainy! So Chris and I walked around Pier Park in the rain. Probably not the best idea being pregnant but I just did not want to waste the day. We ate at Reggae J's. I look terrible in this pic cause it was raining and no makeup:



It cleared up later that day and we got some sun on the beach. Sunday was perfect and clear. We stayed out all day and ate lunch at a resturant on the beach. (I will save you having to look at pictures of me on the beach. haha)

On our way home from the beach we found this hole in the wall place called "Pieces." We found some really cool things. I got these starfish to hang on the mirror above Noahs changing table:



Also found this pillow an had to take a picture with it. :)



We came back on Monday. Bailey and I were tired from all the sun:



We can't wait until we can take Noah to the beach. Chris and I are thinking of taking him in August/September to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary.

Between going to the beach and Easter Weekend, Bailey and I enjoyed going to the dog park and napping.



Bailey likes the pool the best at the dog park.



Bailey: "You better not be thinking of taking me home!."



Easter weekend was a blast! On Friday, we went to the Good Friday Concert with Chris's parents, brother and his kids at Verizon Amphitheater. Luckily they let you bring beach chairs otherwise my fat pregnant butt would not have been able to last.


Jackson was so cute. He was into it in the beginning, singing right along. He did not know we were watching. :)




Easter was nice. We were supposed to go down to Comer to visit my sister but the whole family came down with strep :(. So Chris and I went to our church and got some things done around the house.



Can't believe Noah will be here soon but I can when I see pictures of how big I am:



So glad He is RISEN!




Great and relaxing week! :)


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Noah: 25 week ultrasound/30 Week update

I can't believe we are at 30 weeks! Only 7-10 more to go and then I get to hold my precious baby in my arms that I feel so often moving inside me. I am at that point where I am staring to get nervous about the delivery but trying to block it out of my mind and hope for the best.

It has been forever since I have written about Noah and the update on him and I apologize for those of you who have been asking. At 25 weeks we saw two more specialists. One for a second opinion on how his other organs/etc... were functioning and the other was for the required heart echo.
We had a huge praise that week: His heart looks great!! Everything seems to be there and functioning well. That was a HUGE relief!!
The day before I had gone to see the other specialist for a second opinion. He confirmed that at this point it continues to look like an isolated cleft lip and palate. My other specialist told me there was no way they could tell 100% that it was the palate too until birth but this specialist along with the one I saw the next day seemed almost positive that it was.
I was really glad that he did not see anything else that alarmed him. I asked if I could see him and a moment later he put his picture up on the screen in 3D.
Before I write what I am about to write next let me just say that Chris and I got to see him more in 3D the next day at my specialist and we fell in love with the baby boy in front of us.
I hate to write what I am about to but I feel its important to be honest with my experience. At the first specialist when they gave me the 1 still shot of him on 3d, I burst into tears. I will forever regret that I had that reaction. I just was not prepared. Let me also say that the still shot they gave me was NOT a true depiction of what our baby boy looked like. It really made it look like half of his face was missing and then I got the comment from the specialist his cleft was "significant and wide". I regret now the deep depressive mood I had that day too b/c I have been given something I have I asked for for so long and in the end reality what I pray to God is that I will have him to have, hold and watch grow. It was just difficult for me at the time and sometimes still is to figure out if I am a strong enough person/mother to help him and prepare him for life's challenges.
The next day lifted my spirits when we were able to see him again more. This time the pictures showed that yes indeed he did have his cheek and nose! Our specialist also classified his cleft lip and palate as "average".
It was hard to get pictures of his face/cleft bc like always he covers it up like you can see in the first picture:



Then he moved his hand and we got to see his beautiful face. Oh, I just can't wait to kiss all over it!!






I continue to be amazed at how God works in the heart of his children. Over the past month I have either opened my bible and have come directly to a passage that hits my heart or our preacher has hit on a topic that seems to be directly focused on our current experience. Does anyone else find it crazy when something is going on in your life and you walk into church and asked yourself, "WOW. How did he know what we were going though?" It literally sometimes answers questions you have been asking before you entered those doors in the morning. Thats why I think attending church is so important. Not because going to church is what makes you a christian but bc it refills your spirit. Thats another soap box in itself.
Let me leave you with some of the Scriptures/thoughts that were just placed upon me without me even seeking over the recent month.
The very day that I got the first still shot of Noah, Paul's scripture was there to remind me to "walk by faith and not by sight."
That Sunday at Church after I had asked myself before entering am I going to be the mother Noah needs? Am I strong enough? I was answered with phillippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The next Sunday our preacher opened with, "You cannot choose your problems in life but you can choose how you respond to them." Our first response is fear, our wrong response is blame and the wise response is to obey. God Gains glory through our trials if we obey.
I hope and pray that I can instill that in Noah when he goes through anything difficult in life. To obey God and allow God to gain glory through whatever it may be. Because the truth is we all have battles in life. Our end result is to hopefully make it to the promised land and just like in exodus it's on the other side of the wilderness. Getting there is the "journey."

With all that said, let me honestly say that I am truly in a really good place right now. I could not be happier and more excited about Noah being here soon. I just can't wait!! I feel so good about where we are at right now and what the future holds. Let me say thank you again to all of you who have been continuing to pray for our family. I have no doubt thats whats helping us grow more spiritually through this experience, strengthen our marriage and whats keeping Noah growing to be a strong and healthy baby boy! :)
We get to see him again in 1 week at the specialist and I am counting down the days again to see him again!!
Shirahs


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Winter Break- Ski Beech, NC

In mid February, Chris and I took at ski trip with his family, minus me skiing. We had so much fun! Chris snowboarded all day while I took naps and read books. I thought I would be jealous not snowboarding but turns out I might have enjoyed the alternative better! :)
On Saturday, the weather was pretty warm and it was hard for the snow blowers to keep up but the family still had fun. Chris's dad, myself and of course Bailey brought up some lunch to everyone of the slope. Here are some pictures from that Saturday at lunch time:

Sunday was MUCH different! It started snowing in the middle of the night on Saturday and did not stop until we were on our way home on Monday. Here are pictures of the snow off our balcony Sunday morning and the road we almost did not get up when leaving on Monday:

As a family, we enjoyed the morning outside and had a snow ball fight. Bailey was in another world. I am so happy we brought her-she had so much fun in the snow. The kids taught her how to eat the snow and she loved doing that all day!

I LOVE this one of her playing in the woods:

We had a great and relaxing time. We were very excited Noah experienced his first snow. We can't wait to teach him how to snowboard on a little snowboard and see him play in the snow with Bailey.

Future mommy and daddy: