The Name Game

Sprig has gone nameless long enough! Chris & I sat down and finished our name lists. I'm saving them so one day poor Sprig can see his father wanted to name him (fill in the blank). ;) Just kidding! I'm sure several years down the road I might question Fletcher just as much as I'm wincing at Dwight now. (but really, DWIGHT!? I think that had to be a joke)

Well there were only 2 we have in common: Jackson or Mason so we threw those on a list with 1 other pick of our choice. Mine was Ryland and Chris's was Mitchell.

At this point we both agreed this whole process was a little silly because the name we have both liked and stewed over for some time now has been Jackson. So, we decided to save Mason for a later baby and can't wait for little Jackson Kingsley to arrive! Kingsley is Chris's middle name which was also his grandfather's name. I have always liked the name so that was a very easy choice!

Jackson = full of personality

Kingsley = from the King's meadow

26 Week Bump:

24 weeks & counting!

Today I am 24 weeks pregnant. I can't believe I am already entering my 6 month! Overall I feel really good. Sprig still does not have an official name. It is an intimidating process knowing that it will be his name forever. We want to be sure we have exhausted our search but we do have a front runner.

The kicks and jabs are getting stronger by the day it seems and two mornings ago I felt him roll over for the first time. It is a really weird yet amazing feeling. According to the baby book he is somewhere around a pound and between 8-12 inches long.

Here is some bumpage from week 22:

Most of you already know we put our house up for sale. This means that if / when it sells we will be heading home to TEXAS! It is bittersweet since we have begun to make friends out here, but we are anxious to be closer to our family and friends with the addition of Sprig. We'll see what happens! Please pray that when our house sells, Chris is able to find a job! He's been looking but it is tough out there right now. For the most part, I am not stressing about it (which seems strange for me since I am a super planner). I have faith that God's plan is perfect and He is in control of the situation so I am prepared to birth a Texan or a Delawarian either way!

This past week was a 'fun' one. We had a big winter storm come through Sunday night dumping nearly 6 inches of snow on our house. I'm hoping it is the last of the snow. Who wants snow in March anyway!? Today looks promising with highs in the low 60s so I better get a start on my productive day!

Until next time, lots of love to everyone who reads our blog!

Majority Rules!

Well 54% of you & the Chinese Gender Predictor were right! It's a boy! Seeing our miniman on the sonogram was the coolest thing. My sister predicted I would cry and I didn't believe her. I mean, we've all seen those fuzzy little pictures before, I knew what to expect. When he first popped up on the screen clear as day the tears started streaming. There is something so special about seeing proof that there really is a little one in there growing & thriving. They estimated his weight at 12 oz already!

This was our 20 week sonogram. We went for a Level 2 because my family has a bladder reflux history and they can actually see that stuff in a sonogram now! Amazing! So far so good. All Sprig's little organs and parts are doing just fine! Just to be on the safe side they are sending me back for another Level 2 at 30 weeks. I didn't put up too much of a fight because it means I get to see our little guy again!

The doctor said we have a very active little boy. He was really moving around a lot during the procedure and showing off his goods. The picture above is a shot from the bottom up.

I started feeling him kick and punch about 2 weeks ago..at first it felt like popcorn popping. Now it feels like little thuds and I feel him all the time! I love that feeling! And look how cute his little feet already are! I can't wait to see them in person!

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We are so blessed everything is progressing normally and we can't wait to meet our little man. After the sonogram we went straight over to Baby's R Us to look at all the stuff for baby! That store is really overwhelming so we just got the basics: diapers, wipes, laundry detergent and a onesie. The other 'stuff' can always come later.

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We don't have a name firmed up yet...maybe I need to make a poll for that too ;) ! Bump pictures are still to come! It's getting more round by the day. Stay tuned!

17 Weeks & Counting

The lump is growing! Sprig is the size of an onion or around 5". I still haven't felt anything move but the doctor said to give it a few more weeks. Our sonogram is scheduled for February 5th so we'll be able to find out if Sprig is a he or she! I've heard guesses from friends and family -- but let's have an official vote. Take the poll to the right and then come back in 2 weeks to see if you guessed right!

I'm going to Texas on Thursday to see my sweet niece Ava (and other friends and family but mostly Ava ;) )! If you haven't goggled at how precious she is lately...please look for the link to the right and check out her blog. She will put a smile on your face for sure.

Can you tell the difference in bumpage?

Update: OK, the chinese gender predictor says it's a boy based on my lunar age. I mean, it is 50% right most of the time, so I guessed boy. I've been craving TexMex and more TexMex -- but that's pretty normal for me ;)

Happy 2009!

We are very excited to announce that we are expecting an addition to our family June 28th! Yes, I am nearly 15 weeks pregnant! Although the news has been leaked to several people already, we just wanted to make it official. Above is Sprig's first picture at around 9 weeks.

So far everything is going well. I didn't really have any morning sickness....only nausea and middle of the night sickness on occasion. Overall I feel really lucky. At our last appointment we heard the heartbeat for the first time (170 bpm!) and I have another appointment next week so hopefully I get to hear it again.

I thought it would be fun to do something creative to announce our news to Chris's family at Thanksgiving....although they didn't really get it, it is a fun memory. You'll have to call us for the whole story but you can only imagine. They were keeping their eyes closed here so they couldn't cheat and read each other's hats.....turns out they couldn't read each other's hats anyway as 'Granddad' got translated to 'Good Ole' Dad' ;) !

Here is the obligatory first bump picture at 13 weeks....and it pretty much looks the same.

Happy New Year everyone! We are more than excited for what 2009 has in store and hope everyone's year is just as blessed!

Merry Christmas!

OK, so I'm not off to a good start keeping this blog thing updated...but it's Christmas! It's a busy time of year! We are in Illinois right now finishing up our celebrations with Chris's extended family. It's been a long week here at the Holiday Inn and we've kept really busy going back and forth between all the family around here.

Prior to coming out to Illinois, we made a trip up to New York to check out what Christmas in the city is like. Let me tell you. It's crowded. It's cold. We stayed at the Hilton downtown through Priceline (love it!) right across from the World Trade Center site. It was pretty crazy to see a bird's-eye-view of the construction going on but if anyone plans on staying there I would bring your own ear plugs as they only break from the construction between midnight and 6am. (view from our room in the pic) Overall it was a nice location right by a Subway and a fabulous new store I found, Century 21!

We saw two Broadway shows for my birthday present. Our only options were what TKTS had on-sale, so the first night we saw Spamalot (with Clay Aiken, ha!). It had a lot of pretty funny moments and one laugh out loud scene. Overall we liked it, but wouldn't see it again or recommend it unless you get cheap tickets. The second night we saw Chicago and it was pretty awful. We weren't the only ones who thought so as there were people leaving during the show and intermission. The voices were just OK and they took out the tap dancing! That's my favorite part! This is one of the few cases where the movie is without a DOUBT better!

Being fans of the Food Network we had to try & eat at a restaurant of a chef we knew, so we tried Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill near Union Square. Being from small town USA it was outside of my box! I don't know what all those sauces and spices were on the pork quesadillas but they were good! Our entrees were OK but the quesadillas were definitely the star. It's worth a try and reasonably priced for the city! For lunch, we paid just about the same price at a junky diner near Times Square and the quality of service and food is a million times better at Mesa Grill.

Of course, we had to see Rockefeller Center. The tree is absolutely HUGE! I never imagined it to be that big. I bet getting that into the city is a sight to see. It was again, extremely crowded so we glanced at the ice skaters and got outta there. Next we were off to see the Statue. We've only seen it from the road so we figured it was time. By the time we got down to the pier we were on the last boat trip and couldn't get inside the Statue so rather than walk around Liberty Island in the cold, we went over to Ellis Island. The restoration of the building is really beautiful. The exhibit area was too large to conquer in an hour, but we enjoyed our time there.

We were also too late to look up our family history on the computers but we found one 'LaRochelle' on the monument outside who immigrated in from Canada. I guess we'll have to go back again to see inside the Statue and search the archives. We caught the boat back just around sunset and had a great view of Manhattan. (Did you notice the boat part!? Yes, I got on a boat stuffed with people and didn't freak out!)

Our experience in New York is one we'll always remember, but I can't help feel a little disappointed. Growing up New York seemed like such a glamorous, glitzy, cool place. As an adult I took more notice of the crowds, the rude pushy people and the trash and stench that seemed to be everywhere. Broadway shows & museum exhibits tour and good food can be had anywhere. It's nice to visit because now I have more of an appreciation for Panhandle, Texas. I would never trade country life for city life!

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**** Last, but certainly more important than all this other stuff.....we met an old youth Pastor of mine for breakfast one morning and had a great time catching up. Sterling, Jenna and their girls have been missionaries in New York for nearly 3 years and I'm so glad we were finally able to catch up with him. I just read an email that Jenna gave birth to their new baby girl, Avery Hope, premature on Christmas Day. Born at 2 lbs 4 oz please keep Avery & her family in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to grow!

A blog is born...

Having been recently inspired by Becky...I decided to join the world of blogging! Our website http://www.chrisandhayden.com/ is difficult for me to edit and Chris hasn't felt motivated to work on it since our wedding (to be fair I've kept him pretty busy with projects around the house...)

Our blog will serve to update our friends and family on the happenings in our lives (however trivial they may be). It is also a means to put life in perspective. Those who know me best would consider me a worry wart / control freak / anxious over-analyzer. It seems life these past two years has been nothing but big changes. Marriage, moving, house, job, health, family....etc, etc.

Recently, I've been reminded of a song my momma sang to me growing up. It is something I should be repeating daily as a mantra for life as things continue to change. Whatever will be, will be.

In an effort to let more of the bad roll off my back and share more of the good...welcome to our blog! Please bookmark our site and check back often!

"Que Sera, Sera"
from THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956)
words by Ray Evans and music by Jay Livingston

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother
What will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me:

Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.

When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart What lies ahead?
Will we have rainbows Day after day?
Here's what my sweetheart said:

Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.

Now I have children of my own.
They ask their mother,
What will I be?
Will I be handsome? Will I be rich?
I tell them tenderly:

Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.

Que sera, sera.