Growing...

We are happily on break from school and I am not ashamed to admit that I haven't left the house in two days.  I have had some stomach issues the past week that have made eating more dramatic than necessary.  Just as that was settling down, Mike was kind enough to share his cold with me.  Thankfully,  the cold is clearing out without too much of a fight.

Baby Rogers is currently the size of a lunch box (or eggplant for veggie lovers).  She is happily kicking away throughout the day.  She hasn't woken me up yet but I've felt her moving around in the middle of the night when I roll over.  Still hoping for the second trimester burst of energy I've heard so much about!  

Baby Rogers...

Baby Rogers is a feisty girl!  We didn't end up with very good pictures this time around because she was moving all over the place.  Right now she is about 10 ounces and measuring almost a week ahead of schedule.  She apparently has long legs and likes to make goofy faces.  

Coming Soon...

March 2012

More Bits Of Summer...

I was out shopping with a friend and saw this at a really expensive store.  I really like it but would never pay the amount they were asking.  I actually saw a print of it at the next store but it was bigger than I wanted.  Part of me wants to shop around for a smaller print but the other part wants to make my own version.

We went to one of our favorite pizza places a few weeks ago and tried their pizza with spaghetti and meatballs on it.  It was good but I think their chicken parmesan pizza is still my favorite. 

We saw this car while we were in San Antonio recently.  Sadly, Mike won't let me put eyelashes on his truck.

We made sure to take Christine and Alex to our favorite San Antonio restaurants.

We also visited the Alamo since Christine was afraid the state of Texas would disown her if she didn't.  

Gypsy is cute as ever!  She enjoyed another stay at Camp Curry while we were in San Antonio.

We have produce again!  I really missed having our bimonthly produce haul last month.

Milestone...

I can't believe today would have been my due date.  Would he have come early?  Would I be wishing he would hurry up and get out?  I'll never know.  Only God knows his plan for us and we will praise him no matter what happens! 

Lately...

I never would have imagined how much baby stuff we would get in the mail the closer we got to our original due date in mid July.  Believe it or not, it doesn't really upset me that much.  It does make me a little sad but I'm already well aware that our precious baby boy is with Jesus.  I'm doing well overall.  We still have bad days but there are far fewer of them as time passes.  I don't think we will ever have all the answers we wish we had but that is where faith steps in.  I know God has a plan and he will bless us at the right time.  That said, it can be so hard to stop trying to control things ourselves.

 

I've been reading two very good books.  They have been especially comforting lately since I had a series of sleepless nights at the beginning of summer.  Our sunday school class brought over a basket of goodies right after we got home from the hospital which included "Grieving The Child I Never Knew".  It has been a great devotional with spot on information about each stage of this journey.  "I Will Carry You" is very well written and a great read for anyone even if they aren't in the midst of tough times.  Both have helped me really think about what has happened and what I'm worried about in the future.  I've cried a ton while reading them simply because they bring a lot of emotions to the surface that I sometimes had yet to acknowledge.  We are also constantly blessed by our thoughtful and supportive friends both in town and further away.

Produce...

Houston finally got some good rain a week ago.  Gypsy was really nervous and remained glued to me all morning.  She would have wrapped herself around my leg if she had the correct appendages to do so!

I went to help out with the delivery for our produce group and got to watch Finding Nemo with this cutie while his mom, sister, and baby brother were at the dentist.  He was so easygoing! 

Check out all of our produce!  (Shameless plug alert!  Anyone is welcome to join the produce group!  It is a great value and amazingly fresh!  We still have a few items from weeks ago that haven't gone bad!)

This is our personal haul!  Corn, lettuce, bananas, tomatoes, onions, carrots, peaches, apples, kiwis, grapes, and a mango.

Anniversary Date!!!

Mike surprised me on our anniversary with breakfast in bed and flowers.  We also got a lovely fruit arrangement from Aunt Pam.

We went to Brio for dinner.  You might consider it strange, but sometimes food is so pretty I just have to take a picture!  Mike might have been a little embarrassed. 

Honestly, I usually dive in too fast to remember to take a picture but having an appetizer helps.  The food was amazing!

We wanted cupcakes for dessert and we were really lucky that the cupcake shop didn't close on time that night.  Mike enjoyed the peanut butter cupcake and I would highly recommend their dulce de leche cupcake.  Milk is always the perfect compliment! 

4 Years Ago...

Four years ago we promised to be there for each other in good times and in bad times.  Even though the bad times have recently been overshadowing the good times, I wouldn't want to go through them with anyone else.  I love you!

Bits of Summer...

Wanted to blog but didn't have much to say.  Here are some random pictures from my cell phone.

This was our first haul from our produce group!  Lots of healthy fruits and veggies!

In case you weren't aware, I can wear the largest size or two in kids shoes.  I bought these while I was in Austin for a teacher training with my favorite assistant principal.  They were too cute to pass up!  

I love frosted sugar cookies from my favorite bakery!  They always have fun seasonal shapes and colors. 

Gypsy is finally becoming a good napping buddy!  It has taken a lot of practice but I think she is finally getting the idea.

Random Odds & Ends...

One of my current favorite things is our Keurig coffee maker.  I wanted one for Christmas and my mom was geared up to purchase it for me (or at least make a contribution towards it).  I changed my mind when we found out we were pregnant because I was not going to drink coffee.  I figured there was no point in getting something that would be useless to me for quite a while.  Call it selfish or blame all the hospital medications but I really wanted my coffee maker as soon as I knew I could drink coffee again.  I definitely drink more coffee!

I just put in an order to my friendly makeup representative.  I love playing with makeup!  Eye makeup is my favorite closely followed by lip gloss.  I'm drawn to the really crazy colors that I could only dream of pulling off.  

I just picked up a pair of these this weekend.  I have been telling Mike for weeks that I want to take up boxing to help release my stress and frustrations.  I didn't like the big bulky gloves so I opted for these instead.  Mike got a pair of boxing mitts to protect himself.  I've tried them out a few times and like them a lot!  They have just enough padding to keep me from hurting myself.

I love shopping for shoes!  I saw these while I was out a few weekends ago and had to have them.  It made me miss April Landes because she was always checking out my shoes.  I really want to wear them but haven't had the right opportunity.  I am wearing jeans to work the entire month and I'm not sure if they look good with jeans.

I've been looking for new low calorie options since I am back to calorie counting.  The Chicken Poblano by Lean Cuisine is definitely a new favorite.  I've also been eating a lot of guacamole and other tasty snacks.  I was initially afraid that I would gain a lot of weight because of everything we have been dealing with but so far that hasn't been the case. 

Thoughts...

I read something recently that compares grief to tornados.  Sometimes those familiar thoughts and feelings move in quickly without warning and reek havoc on what could have been a great day.  Weekends feel harder than the rest of the week because I have more time to reflect.  I still feel really awkward in social situations so I don't say much.

A sweet coworker of mine was planning on crocheting  a blanket for our baby.  She went ahead and finished it for me since she is retiring this year.  She said she prayed for us while she was making it.  It was a great surprise!  

Austin Part Five

We visited the local botanical gardens while in Austin.  I was glad it was free because there weren't very many blooming plants.

There were some lovely waterfalls.

We did get to see a few flowers.

I'm very excited about bluebonnet season! 

I always think of my grandpa when I see lots of beautiful plants.  Good thing he hasn't seen the plants in our backyard. 

We didn't have a lot of plans when we went to Austin.  We did some shopping and checked out things that looked interesting.

We couldn't stop for ice cream at Bluebell when we drove to Austin because they aren't open on weekends.

We were able to stop on the way home since we were traveling during the week.  Mike had chocolate chip cookie dough and I had cherry cheesecake. 

We dropped by Camp Curry to pick up Gypsy on our way home.  (The strap across her face is to help her learn how to be a better walker.)  She was very happy to see us but I know she had a great time with her friend Sinatra.

We finally celebrated Mike's birthday a month late.  I made his favorite cupcakes and he got to pick out a new golf club.  We really enjoyed our trip! 

Austin Part Four

Most of the big cats at the Austin Zoo were pretty lazy.

The pigs were enjoying a lovely day in the mud and dirt. 

Apparently turtles can be picky eaters.  The one on the left was only eating carrots and the one on the right was only eating the greens.  It reminds me of how my college roommate and I shared Chex Mix.

I think bobcats look strange. 

Mike loves llamas and alpacas.  This one was consuming his medication with some bananas. 

It cracks me up that this goat has a toothy smile.

Can you go to Austin without seeing longhorns?  Apparently you can't.

Longhorns and emus are an odd combination but I guess it works.

The white foxes were happy to have their picture taken but the regular fox kept hiding.

We always enjoy visiting the zoo!