Birthday Boy

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, to one of the GREATEST men that I know: the one who loves me with a love like Jesus, the one who calls me 'wife' everyday, the one who pledged his whole life to me, the one who gave me his last name, the one who is the respectable head of our household, and the one who is the father of my children.

Alan, I hope you feel CELEBRATED and LOVED today!

I'm so thankful for all these birthdays we get to celebrate together, and I'm looking forward to being around for many, many more.  My love for you grows with each passing year---ten fold! :) 

Happy Birthday, Sweet Husband!

You are so loved.

Blessings! and Weekend Update

I meant to post this yesterday, but my Monday morning seemed to have plans all of it's own! I had already settled into my office chair for the day when my phone rang at exactly 6:59am---it was my mom. Not exactly daily, but frequently, she will call me to chit chat on her way into work. Yesterday morning our conversation started out with this: "Don't panic. This isn't an emergency, but your dad has been involved in a wreck. He flipped his truck on the highway."  Her voice was calm, so it left me reassured that everything was going to be alright. He was being transported to the hospital via ambulance (the service that I work for). I left work to meet her at the hospital. She had already contacted Alan and he was on his way to the wreck scene to collect things out of the truck before it was towed. At that time, these were the only details I knew.

Long story short, we were all truly BLESSED yesterday morning! My Dad walked out of the emergency room sore, with many small cuts and scrapes, but nothing life threatening.  He was traveling along the highway to work when another truck simply switched lanes RIGHT. INTO. HIM. This caused him to skid and spin off the road, whenever his tires left the pavement his truck started flipping.  It ended up laying on the passenger side, which left him dangling from his seat belt on the drivers side. He was able to undo the belt, responders broke out the drivers side window, so he hoisted himself up and out of the truck. 

Alan grabbed a few pictures of the truck after the wrecker turned it back over--after seeing the damage to the passenger compartment I think we all realized how truly blessed we were to have him safe and sound without any more significant physical damage!

His truck actually rolled UP that small incline--another blessing, that it didn't roll back down!

He's been taking it easy for the last 24-hours. The top of his head was all cut up from broken glass, which left a bloody mess inside the truck. Mom said he also cleaned glass out of his ears and nose last night, ha! Guess that stuff gets everywhere?!  The driver of the other vehicle was not hurt either. 

After that little bit of PRAISE JESUS!, on to the weekend update.

We had several days off work, and Alan's sister, Jill, was in town with Tyce! (Beau had to stay behind in Denton :( )  We got some fun family time this weekend! We didn't do anything extravagant, just some hanging out together!

Tyce is 15-months-old now, and he is one. busy. boy! This is one of my favorite ages for children development. I loved watching him be busy and explore the world around him. It's amazing how much children absorb from their surroundings.  He wasn't too cuddly, so you had to 'sneak' hugs and kisses whenever you could :)  He is learning SO much, SO fast.  It really makes me pause to think about those 'baby days' we have ahead of us! With both our niece and nephew at the toddler age, it makes me ready to hold our little baby even more. 

We really enjoyed our weekend with family---and are so proud of the sweet little busy toddler boy that our nephew is turning out to be! He's definitely ALL boy, and we wouldn't have it any other way :)

24 Weeks

How far Along: 24 Weeks
Happy Viability to Us :)
(just another 'check point' that leaves me with a deep sigh of relief and song of praise!)

Size of the Baby: Ear of Corn (12 inches, >1 Pound)

Total Weight Gain: +15 Pounds
(Yes, you read that right. I gained a massive amount of weight this week!)

Maternity Clothes: Y'all know how I feel about some elastic waistbands?!  During this past week, I've decided that I'd rather wear non-maternity tops. While maternity tops are nice and comfy, they aren't quite as figure flattering. I think they make me look a lot bigger than I really am---I got a growing ghetto booty and child birthing hips, so Lord knows I dont need to look any bigger than I actually am. Right?!

Gender: Boy
Cale Michael Hancock

Movement: I can't tell if my boy is sweet and shy OR just plain ornery! I definitely feel him moving around more during the day (even while moving in the car now), BUT every time I put my hand to my belly to feel this sweet little guy, he stops moving! Mimi was visiting on Sunday evening, and I poked and prodded trying to prompt him to cooperate---nada, nothing, zilch.

Sleep:  Better! I'm trying the Gatorade before bed at night to give myself a little extra boost of electrolytes before my slumber. It seems to be working much better!  A thoughtful girlfriend offered me some 'old wives tale' wisdom this week regarding leg cramps: place a bar of Ivory soap at the foot of your bed, under your sheets.  If these cramps start back up again, don't think I won't be trying this!

Cravings: Still seem to be on a bit of a milk kick, but it's toned down quite a bit.  This week my belly has been hungry for salads---plain, simple salads. Like greens, tomato, maybe a sprinkle of cheese, and salad dressing. Yum!!

Symptoms: In addition to the usual--growing belly, waddling, baby movement, shallowing belly button, swelling feet, etc--I felt my heart racing a couple random times this week. I know your heart rate typically raises with pregnancy (10-20 beats per minute per my pregnancy book), which is a byproduct of the increased cardiac output, but I wasn't expecting to notice it honestly. I guess when your heart rate is usually in the high-70's to low-80's you can definitely sense it when it jumps to near 100 beats-per-minute while youre in a resting state, huh? Anyone else ever experience this? (On a side note: my pregnancy source also said that this change in heart rate peaks around 20-24 weeks)

Best Moment this Week: Honestly?! This week has been pretty non-eventful for us--I spent the majority of the last seven days in my office. Nothing exciting happens there, ha!  I'm enjoying basking in this pregnancy. It feels like it's flying by, but I'm trying to savor every minute of it. While I'm super excited to meet this sweet little boy, I'm trying not to 'wish' this pregnancy away. As Trace Adkins says, "You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so far. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this." 

History in the Making

I debated calling this post "Things that Make Pregnant Girls Cry"

Bear with this emotional girl tonight ;)

As much as I'm thrilled to physically hold my sweet little miracle baby, I'm savoring these last few months that I have to spend with my husband.  We are so ready for our family to grow---it's an answer to months and months of prayer!

It leaves me breathless, though, to think that we've spent nearly seven years being "just the two of us," and in the next few months that will change. Forever. Once our baby boy arrives, no longer, NOT EVER, will we ever again be just the two of us. The moment that he takes his first breath of air, I will be a mother. I will continue being a mother until the day that I die. Whoa!

I spent twenty-two years growing up, I had my last first kiss on January 28th, 2005, and I've spent the last 6+ years loving on that one man that has given me the greatest gifts in the world--the pledge of his ever-lasting love, his last name, a loving home, and now....a son.

Who knew that when we both closed our eyes and leaned in for that awkward first kiss we were creating the beginning to such a beautiful love story? History in the making ;)

Week Ahead

I don't have much of a weekend update for y'all, since I've been stuck at work all weekend :/  Not that I'm counting down or anything, but I only have SIX more weekends "on" before my maternity leave. Praise Jesus!

Let me share with you the things that I'm looking forward to this week (in no particular order):

 

Catching up on this Duck Commander 15 "Fire in the Hole" that we borrowed from my brother. We're getting Alan all geared up for the Oklahoma Early Teal Season next month.

The Pistol Annies album that will be released this TUESDAY! Love me some Miranda Lambert, so I'm excited to hear her take on a "girl band."

 Our Fantasy Football League Draft on Sunday night at Dave and Busters. Them boys better be ready for the "Panty Droppers" this season :) I've done my research!

Spending time with Jill and Tyce this week! They will be in town Wednesday-Sunday.....and, guess what?! This girl is OFF work all those days. Yippee!!

 Bristol Night Race on Saturday. Enough said.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Happy Monday, friends!



23 Weeks

First of all, how did this happen?! This whole pregnancy has been so surreal to me honestly. It's like I'm living in a dream :) (Granted, it's a wonderful dream where you waddle when you walk and your hips hurt most of the time)  God willing, we will be holding this sweet little miracle in our arms in the next 13-15 weeks. Whaaaaaat?!

How far Along: 23 WEEKS

Size of the Baby: Large Mango (11 Inches,  >1 Pound)

Total Weight Gain: +12 Pounds

Maternity Clothes:  I <3 Elastic Waistbands

Gender: Handsome BOY, Cale Michael :)

Movement: Cale has been on the move during the daytime this week.  I knew as he was getting bigger I'd start to feel him more during the days, I think that time has come.  During my work day on Monday I was fully convinced that he was practicing some gymnastics in there!  As my doctor said yesterday, "baby will be most active when he has the most groceries!"

Sleep: It's been excellent, except for the couple time a week that I battle leg cramps.

What I Miss: Nothing!

Cravings: Milk. Is it wrong that I consumed approximately 1500 calories of 2% milk while sitting at my desk on Tuesday?! :) (I'm sure the Taco Bell that I had for lunch didn't put me over my caloric intake for the day **chirp, chirp**)

Symptoms:  Growing belly, shallowing belly button :), leg cramps, "pooling" blood in my right foot (that's a symptom, right?!), and a pretty glow!

Best Moment this Week:  Getting to take a sneak peek at Cale while making an unexpected doctor's visit. He was just as cute as I remembered from a couple weeks ago!  Also, I've got TWO showers officially on the calendar, with one still pending. Yaaaaaaay for baby showers! Showers in general are fun for me, but baby stuff is SO much better to look at than random housewares.

I think it's safe to say that this will probably be my last time wearing my non-maternity sparkly blue tank top---it was definitely evident to me after seeing this pictures that this shirt should be retired for awhile :)

Unexpected Doctor Trip

Last night I went to bed at a normal time, normal fashion, and feeling normal. I even managed to snap a quick picture of the 'ol belly for 'documenting' purposes.

 

I know, I know....that's a pretty hot, bra-less little momma before bed. Ha! ;) Excuse the goofy facial expression.

It was a very eventful sleep-time full of leg cramps and pains for me. I remember waking up (in that semi-conscious state) when Alan kissed me goodbye this morning and thinking, "Wow, my left leg is really sore."

When I finally got out of bed I limped around for awhile trying to loosen up those sore, tight calf muscles. It was approximately 30-45 minutes later when I finally realized that my foot was real sore. 



That's what I found.....a large bruised, swollen area on the inside of my right foot, quite painful with flexion and touch (Ignore the scab near my heal, that would be a new pair of flat's gone bad)  I did what any concerned girl would do: took cell phone pictures and called my mom.  My mom reminded me that I did have a clotting disorder in which I was taking anticoagulants for AND it would probably be in my best interest to run this by my doctor.

Of course the office staff wanted me to come in for a quick visit to get checked out.

It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Basically, he said this was a byproduct of my blood being 'too thin.' So, no Lovenox shots in the belly for me! I'm only taking an Aspirin once every other day now.  The pressure that the baby puts on my lower extremities (because I carry him so low in my pelvic cavity) is mostly responsible for the night-time cramps and the 'leaking' of blood from the arteries in my legs. Gravity was/is causing the blood to pool in my foot. Logical, right? I'm on a lower dose of medication now, with the instructions to keep my feet UP!

If I'm on my feet too long OR have them dangling from sitting in a chair, my right foot starts to throb. I think this will force me to follow the doctor's directions!  Medical people make the worst patients! Ha!

This might be something that will go away AND it might be something I have to tolerate the remainder of this pregnancy. Only time will tell.

Also, for any of you girls out there that deal with pregnant night-time leg cramps, my doctor suggested downing some Gatorade right before bed to give your body a little extra boost during the night.  He said it's perfectly ok to limit your fluid intake prior to bed---we all know how many times it's possible to get up during the night to pee. Sleep is just as important for the pregnant body. Gatorade should be able to carry your body through the night!

We got to take a sneak peek at Cale while at the doctor! ;) He was all curled up, resting away peacefully. Everything looked great with him!

Shameful

This is one of those tell-all type posts when I confess to you one of the shameful strongholds in my life.

Yes, yes, yes. The Hangover, Part II.

I seriously have seen this movie waaaaay too many times. I realize it is entirely inappropriate, but I giggle uncontrollably every time I watch it. It's to the point that I'm probably annoying to watch it with, because I begin giggling before the funny line is even spoken.

We went to see it in the theater when it first came out, and while I thought it was pretty funny, I didn't think it contended with the original movie. After seeing it approximately 13.485 times, though, I'll say it gives the original a run for it's money.

Needless to say, I'm psyched that the "Wolf Pack" is back!

Here are some of my favorite one-liners from the movie:

"What is this? A PF Changs?"

"I didn't get the memo. Are we not serving dessert around here anymore?"

"I'm a stay-at-home son."

"Is there a Long John Silvers on this island?"

"I refuse to eat cantelope at a bachelor party."

"I'm a nurse. Just not registered."

"Ever heard of Doogie Houser? Well, he turned out to be gay."

"Wolfpack only."

"What? It's a bag of Fanta."

Shameful. I know. Is it more shameful that I laughed out loud the entire time that I typed this short list---it goes on and on?!

If you have a sick, crude sense of humor and HAVEN'T seen The Hangover II, you probably should. Just sayin'.



Weekend Update

Don't hate me. My weekend consisted of FIVE days away from my office :) 

Wednesday: We went to visit the Ellington Family and their new addition, Layla, in the hospital.  It was soooo sweet to see the sisterly relationship that had already formed between Jaylee and Layla. At one point, Layla started "fussing," and I watched Jaylee (2 years old) stroke her little cheek while whispering "it's ok, baby" over and over. Awwwwwh!  We finished up our night at the Morris household, where Miss Brittany treated us to some super yummy chicken tacos! Thanks again, Britt :)

Thursday: I finally got my hairs did--so no more nappy roots for this girl--met Rachel for dinner at McAlister's, and attended my very first Harley and Maude jewelry party that Brittany hosted. Basically we walked around with little baskets, picked out a bunch of fun charms, and took it to the "designer" table where they constructed our one-of-a-kind jewelry.  You can see the bracelet I made in THIS post. LOVE it!

Friday: We spent a very lazy day around the house before heading out to Box Circle Ranch for some friend farm fun! It was the perfect evening to spend in the tin-roof barn, listening to rain hit the roof, while playing a mean game of Texas Hold 'Em (I lost a whopping $3).

Saturday: Alan DJed a wedding for our very good friends, Steven and Kyla! It was such a fun, perfect wedding :)  I was even able to do a little line dancing---figured I might as well enjoy shaking my booty while it was still physically possible, ha!

We were being silly outside of the wedding event hall :) This is like my "senior pregnant picture."

Me and My Handsome Man

Just for fun. This was my 13 week picture, and I wore this same dress in the pictures above. What a difference, huh?! My whole body seems to be filling out.

Sunday: Alan was at the firestation, so I played hooky from church to stay at home with Bentley. Without totally tattling on myself, I'll tell you I tested the physical limitations of my pregnant body. I may (or may not) have worked some in the front yard and finished cleaning out Cale's room--now he is the ONLY person that has things in the room :)  By the end of the day, I was in some pain. Oops. Bentley and I rested up during the evening hours though!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekends as much as I enjoyed mine!



Endless Love

I know I gave my hub's a little shout-out yesterday on the 'ol blog, but I wanted to do a bit more ego stroking ;)  Seriously, don't be jealous: I have the BEST husband ever. My cup runneth over from his daily quirks and daily endless love. Just wanted to bullet point a "day in the life as Alan's wife" for y'all.  (You'll probably end up thinking that we are caaarazy, and you're probably right! Ha!)

• Wednesday morning we woke up and cuddled in bed for an hour with the BIG, GIANT 90-pound dog laying right between us with his head on a pillow

• Alan proceeded to make me a delicious breakfast: breakfast burritos

• We went to the salon so Alan could get his "mullet" re-sculpted (YES, he has a real mullet and it's HOTT!)

• During our salon visit, Alan decided he needed a) conditioner, b) to start blow drying his hair before applying gel AND c) a perm on the back of  his head only.

• We proceeded to run to Target to buy a few gifts. While there, Alan wanted to "print off our registry to see what people had bought from it."  That would be marvelous if we actually had showers scheduled, invitations out, and people KNEW where we were registered. Ha!

• We left Target with an item on our receipt labeled "Foam Weapon." I'll let you figure out who put that one in the shopping cart.

• We spent the rest of the day hanging out, laughing, and loving on each other (there might be a story about a booger somewhere in there too, but I don't want you to completely stop following my blog)

• We ended our evening with my husband telling me how pretty that I was as a pregnant wife :) Be still my heart.

On a more serious note, that silly man I described above is my rock! I'm so thankful that I will never have to go back to the day before him :)  As the song below says, "heaven knows all those days without you were shaping my heart for the day I found you."

I love you, Alan Michael, and I'm so thankful that God gave me you.

22 Weeks

Told y'all I was behind on my weekly posting, thus, you're getting TWO weekly updates in the same week :)

How far Along: 22 Weeks

Size of the Baby: Spaghetti Squash (11 inches, 1 pound)

Total Weight Gain: +10 Pounds

Maternity Clothes:  Lovin' me some elastic!

Gender: Boy, CALE MICHAEL

Movement: Little guy is becoming a little more active during the day, but he remains to be MOST active after 10pm (taking after his Daddy!)  He gave Alan some good loving last night, we could even watch the footwork spectacular from a far.

Sleep:  My sleep is still great (whenever I'm not having massive leg cramps, more on that later)

What I Miss:  Not a thing

Cravings:  None really. I'm even getting more of a taste for meat again---not saying that I want to go dive into a juicy steak though. I've just been able to incorporate a little more meat into my diet.

Symptoms: Leg cramps :(  Not every single night, but several nights I've had to deal with the most awful muscle contractions in my calves and arches. We're talking wake-you-up-wanting-to-punch-a-hole-in-the-wall -screaming-and-crying awful. I last had them two nights ago, and both of my calves are still extremely tender and sore. From my internet reading and pregnant book research, it appears that this might be a phenomenon I just have to deal with......like a put-your-big-girl-panties-on, welcome to pregnancy.  Some women say to cut out caffeine, some say to cut out salt, some say to eat bananas---but the overall consenus appeared to be: welcome to pregnancy. Weird crap happens to your body. 

Best Moment This Week:  Gettin' some love from my little guy in the form of "love" kicks and punches :)  My sweet husband also made my week. While getting ready for bed one evening, he approached me with a big 'ol hug, stating "I'm so glad you're pretty pregnant."  I don't think he realized how much that simple statement did for my soul this week. Girls can be awful to themselves--you know?! Those days/weeks you sit around and criticize everything about yourself and your life. I really have beat myself up over last week, I've been my own worst enemy. It's all absurd and ridiculous (I know that!), but I found myself in that downward spiral.  I'm not usually one to battle a low self-esteem or self-image, but boy, have I this week?!  He lifted me up with those words, though. I took myself to the hair salon today (thanks, Britt!) to get my nappy roots taken care of, I had a delicious lunch with my mom at Panera, met a great friend for dinner at McAlesters, and treated myself to a new bracelet at a girls-night jewelry party! It was a full day full of little "me things," and I'm going to bed renewed and refreshed tonight. (PS: I'm pretty obsessed with my new bracelet, see below.)

22 Weeks, Pre-Hair Fixin'

It says, "Love my Boys"

with a "H" on one side

and a Sooner Schooner on the other side :)

Meet Cale's Wife

Our sweet friends, the Ellington's, welcomed a new little face to their family yesterday.

Layla Ellington

9 lbs, 10 oz

21 inches

We will be making our way to the hospital this afternoon to meet this sweet little girl :)

Congrats Justin, Sarah, and Jaylee on your newest addition :)

I really hope they decide to make more babies---these Ellington girls are TOO CUTE!

Sarah joked with me via text (and after some good c-section medications), that I was Layla's future mother-in-law. Ha!  This is the same girl that told me when our children were older, her pretty girls would not be allowed to hang out with Cale :)  They know is silly, ornery daddy too well!

Who said arranged marriages can't work out? Guess we have 18+ years to prove you wrong.