Happy Halloween!

This is the first item that we have personally purchased for Baby. Isn't it cute! It is hard to see but the little pumpkins are embroidered onto the onesie. I couldn't pass it up. I am going to have to completely avoid children's clothes around the holidays! Next year we will have a little trick or treater of our own!

Backyard intruder

We had a squirrel invade the backyard on Sunday. Maggie, Russell and I were all watching while the squirrel was trying to bury it's acorn in the ground. For some reason, it was fascinating to us. The first picture is self explanatory. Of course, Russell had to hold Maggie to keep her from running after the squirrel. In the second, the squirrel got scared away and ran up the fence. The third picture is Maggie trying to figure out why the squirrel ran away and why she can't run up the rock wall and over the fence.

Congrats Meryl and Russell

Today I found out that my good friend Meryl and her Russell are expecting Baby McClendon in April! I am so excited for them and I am really excited that we will be able to go through this process together! Congrats!!!

Back on Track

Our Cowboys got back on track today with a last minute win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have a tough schedule ahead so it was nice to get the win. It was probably the most fun game that I have been to so far. First, I felt really good. In some of the previous games I was still battling the morning sickness. Second, the game was really close which always makes things more exciting. Also, we are getting to know all the people in our section really well. They all know we are expecting so they ask how I am feeling and try to keep updated on the baby's progress. I thought things would be a little more mellow since it was a 12:00 game as opposed to 3:15. No way! The fans were crazy as ever. GO COWBOYS!

Things we didn't know before

Now that we are expecting we are learning all kinds of things we did not know before. For example, did you know that firefighters at any fire station will install children's car seats for free? All you have to do is stop by any local fire station. They do this because so many car seats are not properly installed. If you know of any helpful tidbits like this, please pass them on to us!

Childcare

For the past few weeks, Russell and I are working on childcare for when the baby is born. Russell is more anxious about proper childcare than I am! He asked me to set him an appointment. So, he started the process by touring a daycare on Monday. There are so many daycares around us to consider. Russell visited the daycare where our doctor keeps her children. He is such a good daddy already! We also are considering taking our baby to in-home childcare. Let us know any pros and cons of daycare verses in-home childcare.

Second Trimester!

Can you see the bump? It may not be easy to see but trust me, it is there! We took a picture of my belly at 2 months and we are going to take a picture to mark each month. Russell says my belly has not gotten any bigger but I think he is just being nice. My clothes are slowly getting tight around my belly! Last weekend, I even bought my first pair of maternity pants. I thought maternity clothes would be quite drab. The pants are too big right now but they actually look cute. The most important thing is keeping my expanding belly comfortable!

Dr. Roberts gives Baby Solomon a "thumbs up"

We had another doctor appointment on Friday. Dr. Roberts says the baby and I are doing just fine. I actually began to feel a little better toward the end of last week. Yes! Alleluia! I must admit I have nothing to complain about compared to what I have heard other moms-to-be go through but the daily nausea gets very annoying after a while. Dr. Roberts said that hormones peek at week 10 so I should begin feeling better and better.

Our newest project is finding the right childcare for the baby. Luckily, Dr. Roberts lives close to us and told us where she takes her babies. Also, my boss told me of an in-home daycare that he used.

I guess I left out that detail. I decided to go ahead and tell my boss after the good doctor report on Friday. He was very supportive. I knew everything would be fine but I was a little anxious about telling him. Unfortunately, I had to leave after I told him so I did not get to tell anyone else. I will tell them next week.

I guess that's all to report for now. Our next appointment is early November.

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Today our niece, Morgan, turns one year old. Happy First Birthday, Morgan!

Mix It Up

Last night Russell and I went to the Mix It Up social at the country club. It is an event for all the new members to get to meet each other. We already met several of the couples but we met some new people, too. Actually, our doctor (OBGYN) and her husband showed up. They have been members for three years but came to socialize. Russell also won a door prize for sinking three putts. He won a free golf guest pass.

Another busy weekend

This weekend has been crazy! It all started last Thursday when my Grandma Barbara came to visit. She got here late on Thursday and Friday morning we had a neighborhood garage sale. I went to work on Friday. I actually had an assault trial that lasted into late Friday afternoon. By the way, I got a well deserved guilty verdict!

Nevertheless, Russell and Grandma were in charge of the garage sale. The garage sale was about more than just getting rid of junk. We had already decided all proceeds would go into the baby savings. Anyways, the garage sale on Friday was a huge success. We got rid of 90% of our stuff.

Friday afternoon, my parents and my brother arrived. My mom, my Aunt Mona, and I hosted a baby shower on Saturday so my mom helped with that Friday afternoon.

Friday night, everyone who was in town went out to dinner and after dinner, my mom and I did a little personal shopping.

On Saturday morning, the garage sale continued and we prepared for the baby shower. Around noon, other family started to trickle over for the 2:00 baby shower. The shower was from 2:00 until 4:00 and it was really fun. My cousin and his wife got lots of great gifts for their baby girl who we found out will be induced the day before my birthday, December 1st.

After the baby shower, I crashed. Between the stressful trial, the two-day garage sale, and hosting the baby shower, I was EXHAUSTED! After my nap, Russell picked up take-out because I was still too tired to go out.

On Sunday, it was back to Texas Stadium for the Cowboys v the Bengals. Fortunately, the Cowboys won this one. We had a great time. Russell insisted on buying me a pink Tony Romo jersey before the game. We went to the Corral Club before the game to eat at Hooters and listen to a really good band. At half-time, we went to the Stadium Club to cool off and get a drink (non-alcoholic for me!) It was another really busy weekend. I will post baby shower pics soon.

Princess Maggie

My baby got a haircut this weekend. Here is yet another picture of her and Russell napping. We have plenty of room in this house but the two of them insist on squeezing onto the loveseat together. So sweet!

Fun filled weekend

This weekend, Russell and I stayed very busy. I must say I was not looking forward to all of our scheduled activities but I had a surprisingly great time. Friday night, we played in the Drink and Drive golf tournament at the Country Club. Two couples play on each hole. When we signed up, they assigned us with another couple. They were the nicest people. We had such a great time that we are playing with them at the next Drink and Drive tournament in two weeks. As you can tell by the name, Drink and Drive, this tournament is all about having fun. I am not the best golfer but I am doing well at putting. We used two of my putts when we were on the greens. Russell seemed impressed!

On Saturday, McKinney was having Octoberfest downtown. Downtown McKinney has been under construction and it was completed for this festival. They had music, food, games, and shopping. After Octoberfest, Russell and I watched the LSU/Mississippi State game. It was actually close and we were proud of Mississippi State.

On Sunday, we went to the Cowboys game. They lost but it was really fun. They play an easier team at home next week so we are looking forward to that. Also, this was my first home game (except for the preseason game but that doesn't count). We took some pictures. Our baby attended their first Cowboys game at the age of 8 weeks and a few days! Impressive!

Maybe Baby

Last Saturday, Russell and I attended a Maybe Baby luncheon at one of the hospital's we are considering for the birth of the baby. The luncheon consisted of a brief presentation and tour of the baby unit of the hospital. The hospital has some great things to offer. The only negative is that this hospital is about 15 to 20 minutes away from the house. The other hospital is only about 5 minutes from the house. Nevertheless, the hospital is a level4 ICU unit, offers free classes if you give birth at the hospital, a breastfeeding consultant available 24 hours a day and even a celebratory dinner for the new mommy and daddy which includes steak and lobster. Russell really liked the hospital and I love all the classes they offer (not to mention the fact that they would be free). In the next few weeks, we will tour the other hospital and, hopefully, make a decision. One decision down, only millions more to go!

GUESS WHO'S HAVING A BABY . . .

We are! Russell and I are expecting our first baby around May 4th! We are both excited but Russell is especially excited that he is going to be a daddy! He is already doing a great job taking care of me and the baby. He is trying to make sure everything is safe for us. For example, he is switching to the safest household cleaners and he is concerned with my safest route to work. He is also taking on the task of satisfying my food cravings and aversions as well as making sure I get my rest.

Our first doctor visit was August 28th. We were very early at that point but we were so excited we had to tell someone. So, we told parents only. That happened to be my mom's birthday weekend and we were going to Austin. So, we called Russell's parents on the drive to Austin. I think they were really surprised. Then I came up with a clever way to tell my parents. I gave my mom a gift of two baby bibs. One said "I love grandma" and the other said "I love grandpa." Of course, she was shocked when she opened the present. She has been wanting a grandbaby for a very long time!Our second doctor visit was September 12th. That was an important visit because we got to see the baby's heartbeat. It was really comforting to see that our baby was growing. We got our baby's first picture. Russell scanned the picture onto the computer but I could not load it onto the blog. If anyone wants a copy he will be happy to send it to you via e-mail or mail. (The proud papa has already sent out several copies!) After that visit, we felt safe to tell close family and friends since the chance of miscarriage was reduced once the baby's hear began to beat.

We are still very early on in our pregnancy and we greatly appreciate all the continued prayers. We also want to thank everyone for the wonderful cards and gifts. I love to look at the baby's stuffed animals and clothes and think that our baby will one day be playing with those bears and wearing the clothes. It is all so sweet!