100 DAYS!

Today marks 100 days until Laurel's due date! I can't believe how quickly the time is flying. When Will and I got married we did a 100 day countdown where we periodically took pictures of ourselves and an object that had the number of days left until the wedding on it. It was a fun way to countdown the days! This time I am going to buy jelly beans and a container (maybe a large baby bottle!) and put 100 beans inside. We will eat a jelly bean each day until we only have only one left and that will be August 1! It will be fun to watch the container get more and more empty. I do have visions of certain members of the household coming down and eating some jelly beans unauthorized....it will be mid-July and we won't have any left in the container! I will have to carefully explain the situation and provide an alternate source for those with a sweet tooth...including myself!

This weekend Will and I are off to Franklin, WV for Bethany Teter and Kevin Shipp's wedding. We are very excited to see those two get married and also very excited to see my family and all our friends who will be there!

24 weeks 4 days!

I am very pleased to announce the arrival of my pregnancy tummy!! Spring is not the only thing that has sprung :-) God is overwhelmingly kind and I have really been enjoying this season of pregnancy. Laurel has continued to grow in her activity and it is so fun for Will and I both to be able to feel her moving. I can't believe that it has been almost 6 months already(as a side note...does 6 months come at 25 or 26 weeks?)! Everyone told me it would go slow, but if this is slow, I don't know what fast would be like. For a recent date night, Will and I stuffed ourselves with chick-fil-a and then had a great time choosing all sorts of things for Laurel for her registry. It really makes me so excited to be getting so much closer and to begin doing actual projects connected with her arrival! I also had my first experience of "nesting." It all started when I decided to switch out all my too small clothes and winter clothes and pull out the spring/summer clothes that still might fit...within 30 minutes I had pulled tons of stuff out of both of our closets and had it spread all over the floor in trash piles, goodwill piles, back in the closet piles, and who knows what other piles! By the end I was very tired, but I just LOVE having clean closets and I am already planning and getting excited about my next projects! This is very rare for me, so I am trying to take advantage :-)

Here is a picture of Laurel's new-to-her travel crib! Cheri and I had a great time going to a massive children's consignment sale last week. There seems to be a whole consignment sale subculture and it was hilarious to be immersed in it for a couple hours. I am very pleased with my purchase, because it was in great shape and a pattern that I really like (and that they are still making I think, although not this particular pack-in-play style). I already have it all set up in Will's and my room awaiting Laurel's arrival!


By the way...when I was cleaning my closets I found my camera cord!! I should be able to post a lot more pictures now.

I am very grateful to the Lord (most of all) and also to Will for the way they have cared for me during this season. I have definitely been feeling many more emotional fluctuations than normal! I have been so encouraged through spending time with the Lord and knowing his care and faithfulness and greatness! He is completely worthy of ALL my trust and I am so excited about all that he is going to do in the upcoming months and years! Will has been so gentle and caring and wise in bearing with me and my undue emotions! I'm so grateful for him! I couldn't imagine a better husband or man!

Spring has Sprung!

This has been a wonderful and busy Spring so far! I have temporarily (hopefully!) lost the USB cable that connects my camera to my computer, so I can't display the pictures that I have taken, but I have an idea of where the cable is and I hope to recover it soon.
Will and I had a wonderful trip home to Charlotte for Easter. It was filled with March Madness, food, shopping, time with friends, The Train Game, and lots of time with family! Some of my dear friends got together for a little party and Laurel got many beautiful outfits! She is going to be a trendy baby. I will post those pictures when I get them!
In other exciting Spring news, Will and I got to take our first picnic of the year! How I love my husband and all the creative and fun dates he takes me on. There is NO ONE I would rather spend my time with. I'm so grateful to God for him and still completely amazed that he picked me!
Will and I went to the doctors this morning for another ultrasound and an update on Laurel! I am pleased to annouce that she is doing great! She is 22 weeks and 5 days old and she weights 1 lb. 2 ounces. Sadly she has not lost her love of hiding her face and she kept 2 hands, 1 foot, and the umbiblical cord in front of her face! We still loved getting to see our sweet, little girl.

As you can see, she is holding her foot with her near hand and putting her far hand on her forehead!

Here is her profile again, but this time her nose is getting smashed by something. Possibly a foot?

I guess that Laurel just really wants us to be surprised by her beauty when we see her in person! No sneak peaks! I really don't need to be worried about her not having the correct amount of fingers and toes, because we got plenty of shots of those!