Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve we headed south to El Dorado. The weather was crappy, but all we hit was rain. There was quite a bit of flooding down south. Fortunately, the flooding didn't affect the roads we were traveling on. We went to church that night and had family over for dinner afterward, a Greer tradition that's been going on for years. Christmas Eve is a little bittersweet...it's a wonderful night because we get to remember the Christmas story and the birth of Jesus, but it's also sad because my grandmother passed away on Christmas Eve when I was in college. Big events like when we were planning my wedding and now planning for our first baby make me think of her and how much she would have loved being involved in these big events. Enough reminiscing. The Greer family tradition on Christmas Day is to get up, open gifts, have breakfast (always grapefruit and biscuits and mayhaw jelly), and have Christmas lunch later. This year we had family from Alabama joining us. Yay!! And we had family from Louisiana joining us. Yay!! It has never happened that everyone has congregated at my mom and dad's house. We had a house full of people and a house full of dogs!! It was lots of fun. The day after Christmas brought a fish fry, courtesy of my great-uncle. Delish! Sunday brought church, and just hanging out, and we came back to Fayetteville on Monday. Monday night Chris and I had Christmas with his family. That's always fun, too! Hannah was super cute last night...I have some funny video of her dancing...will have to figure out how to post that. She wanted to help everyone open gifts...and she was a big help in throwing away trash. All in all, we had a great Christmas!

My parents tree

Cody ripping into the bones given to him and Cora...they loved them!!My aunt LOVED my new RAZORBACK SNUGGIE!!!!!!

Mom and dadMe, mom, my grandmother, and aunt

My aunt and uncle and their girls, Morgan and Nikki
Chris and I
My grandmother's little dog that terrorized our 2 70-lb dogs!!Hannah loved her Sponge Bob shirt we got her!

Hannah helping Uncle Kissy (yep, he's moved from Kiss to Kissy...hehe!) open presents...actually it was a present to baby girl, diapers...then Hannah thought she should help open that package, too

Baby girl got lots of loot, too. She got diapers, some gowns, cute footie-pajamas, some onesies, some spoons, some adorable outfits, her first pair of shoes, some pacifiers with an unfortunate logo on them (Alabama Crimson Tide), and a beautiful blanket my mother-in-law made for her. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.And finally, the blanket Chris' mom (Mimi) made for her. Front:

Back:

23 Weeks

Here's my belly in all it's 23 week glory! I think the growth spurt I was talking about last week is evident in this picture. I'm sure it's even more evident after all the delicious holiday eating I did in the last week! Baby girl seems to be doing good. I can feel her moving quite a bit more, and it almost seems that she has a little schedule. The other night I was feeling her move and it was so rhythmic it made me wonder if she had the hiccups. At church on Sunday, Chris sang a song for special music and as soon as he started practicing, she started kicking. Maybe she was moving in reaction to hearing daddy, or maybe it was just time to wiggle for a bit...I like to think it was the first option! We were trying so hard to get her to kick last night for my sister-in-law, but she was snoozing away. Of course, as soon as we got home she was bouncing around like crazy. Oh well, it definitely won't be the last time she won't listen to her mama! :-)
Our fruit of the week is a papaya!

Baby's now the size of a papaya!
Baby's little face is fully formed...minus the baby fat, of course. The next task at hand for baby: sprouting two teeny-tiny nipples!

The next couple weeks the fruit stays the same, but the info. changes. Guess I'll keep posting these! I have a doctor's appointment Jan. 4...it's my blood test for gestational diabetes. I have to drink some sugary drink they give me, wait an hour, and then have blood drawn. Hopefully I'll pass! Maybe I should lay off sweets for the rest of the week. Haha! :-)

A little holiday fun!

Thought I'd share a few pictures from our awesome Sunday school 'Tacky Sweater' Christmas party!! It was loads of fun, lots of laughs, and great company. A big thanks goes to Holly and Nick for hosting!

The hosts - and best dressed, I might add!!

The girls

The guys - these boys were being so difficult it was almost impossible to get a pic of them!!
The group

The Vann's
Our Sunday school teacher Jo Kaye and her husband Steve breaking out the prom poses
A good time was definately had by all!

22 weeks

I am seriously a slacker. I had great intentions last week of posting and never did. Holiday craziness can be to blame. :-) In the last 2 weeks, I think I've gone through a little growth spurt....or it could just be all the good food and holiday goodies around this time of year. Haha! People at church are now noticing that I'm pregnant. It seems kind of crazy to me that it's just now becoming obvious. I'm not complaining, though. Baby girl also is becoming more active, and I love that I can feel her now. I started feeling her about 2 weeks ago. I wouldn't describe what I've felt as 'butterflies fluttering' (how EVERYONE has described it). To me, it has felt like little bubbles busting or popcorn popping...I know, everyone's different. Another cool thing is that Chris felt her kick for the first time Thursday (Dec. 17) night. He's been asking me for a while when he would get to feel her. Eventually was my response. So back to Dec. 17, after eating 2 chocolate chip cookies (thanks Phillip and Holly) she started kicking. I went to the office and laid down on the floor, told Chris to put his hand on my tummy, and most importantly, to be patient! Sure enough, he felt a few little taps. It seemed to make his night. The same thing happened Friday night, Chris feeling her kick, that is...she likes those Nestle Tollhouse Ultimate Chocolate Chip Lovers cookies...haha!! Here's the belly at 22 weeks. I'm just noticing this shirt kinda looks like ugly color in this pic. It's brown, by the way. :-)
And our fruit of the week is a mango! (By the way, last weeks fruit was a banana.)

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

And now for a little cuteness...things that have been purchased for baby girl! Yes, I am a goober and took pictures. Surprisingly, I haven't hardly bought anything. I will admit that I've been on the lookout lately for 6-9 month Christmas outfits on sale for next year, but I guess everyone else had the same idea because I have found NO 6-9 month Christmas stuff...no onesies, no pajamas, no cute little Christmas dresses...stores only have 6 month or 1 year stuff. Oh well. I suppose it was a good idea. My mom bought us a couple things when we were in Little Rock over Thanksgiving...that was before we knew the baby was a girl. The only thing I don't have a picture of is a wash cloth/towel set in green and white zebra print my mom bought us. They're cute! Really, who can resist little animal prints on baby stuff?? :-)

A couple of little gowns in 0-3 months....
Cute little footie-pajamas in 6 months...Jenny, you will like this one...little froggie footie-pajamas... :-)And the one and only thing I've bought for baby girl...

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas.....

It is definitely starting to look like Christmas, and as of late, it most certainly is FEELING like Christmas in the beautiful mountains of Northwest Arkansas. Winter has blown in with a vengeance! I think our low tonight is going to feel close to 0 degrees and our high tomorrow is only in the 20's. Brrrr!! Anyway, back to Christmas. We got our tree up the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I thought about redecorating it this year with a different 'theme' but decided that I would be better off waiting another year or 2...eventually we'll need to forgo the glass ball ornaments and exchange for some plastic. Right now we can't put anything too breakable near the bottom because of Cora's lethal tail! Haha! I can only imagine that getting worse with 2 70 lb. dogs and a small child moving around! Other holiday activities we've enjoyed include Chris having his Winter Concerts for school...he had the 2 middle school/junior high concerts and he sang with the Master Chorale at the Walton Arts Center, where they performed 'The Messiah.' The picture below is him all dressed up before his 1st performance of 'The Messiah.' I haven't seen him in a tux since our wedding. Isn't he handsome?? :-)
Below is our tree. Excuse the fact that we have no tree skirt down. Until we get presents on it, the cat thinks it is a toy for her. A week ago I came out of the bedroom and it was all crumpled up in the middle of the floor. Real nice, Kacie.
Now, for a few of my favorite ornaments! Obviously, these next 2 are a couple of my favs!
This next one was my grandfather's. As the only other Razorback fan in the family, it was given to me after he passed away. It's pretty special.
Some other very special ornaments are my collection of silver bells/holly bells that my grandmother started for me when I was born. Even though she's passed away, my mom still gets me (and her) one every year. Guess I have 28 so far! I can expect one every year and I can normally pick out which box that ornament is in!
And finally, one of my other favorites is the 'Our 1st Christmas' ornament that my mom got me after Chris and I got married. Love the little snow couple! I really enjoy getting out my nativity scene every year, too...helps keep in perspective what the Christmas season is really all about. My Alabama grandmother gave it to me for our wedding. I think all the women in our family have the same one so that's pretty cool. It's on the piano in the corner...gotta keep it up to keep the cat out of it. Does anyone see a theme with the cat and getting into stuff?? :-)
That's about it for Christmas decorations in our house. I have a centerpiece on our table, a few snowman items here and there, a wreath on the front door, and red bows on the lights outside, but I don't think that stuff is picture worthy. :-) I'll leave you with one last picture...our Sunday School class has a 'Tacky Sweater" Christmas party. Last year was the first year we did tacky sweaters and boy was it fun! And funny! The party is Saturday night so hopefully I'll be able to post some updated tacky photos. Haha! Enjoy!

20 Weeks!

We're half way there! It's kinda crazy to think half of this pregnancy is over. We had a great day yesterday at the doctor. Got to see the kiddo for the first time...amazing! They had the ultrasound projected up on a big screen on the wall. The tech clicked around like crazy getting all the measurements they needed. Most importantly on my mind, of course besides finding out Baby M is healthy, we found out it's a GIRL!!! I think I'm still in shock about that. I've gone back and forth between boy and girl, but I think subconsciously I really thought it was a boy. Chris beamed...it was cute. We saw her cute little profile, her feet, her heart (which was beating at 142 beats/min), a facial shot that made her look like an alien baby, they took head measurements, looked at her kidneys, bladder, stomach...very cool to see it all. She was moving around like crazy! She even had the hiccups. Guess that 1/2 a Dr. Pepper I drank on the way to the doctor did what it was supposed to do. They also said she was weighing in at 12 oz., which is right where she should be. The doctor said I'm measuring small but that she looks perfectly healthy...and he said she's definitely a girl. He better be right b/c I only get one ultrasound! Haha! We have pictures, but I need to get Chris to scan them at school first. I'll post them soon. Oh, and we also got a DVD of the ultrasound...yay! Our fruit of the week is a cantaloupe!

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium(a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

And now for my lovely belly...it's not the best picture but oh well! We tried to be festive and take it in front of the tree. And I don't think my non-pregnancy shirt is doing me any favors! :-)

Not much else to report...obviously, I've mentioned the big stuff! We are just so thrilled and thankful that baby girl is healthy!

Happy Turkey Day!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went to Chris' parents house and had a delicious meal (one that I've been thinking about for weeks now), and we got to spend lots of time with family and the cutest niece in the world. The most important part of the meal (for me, anyways) is always the dressing. It's a family recipe on my mom's side and nothing can beat it. Seriously, it's the absolute best. And for my poor mother, who had chicken spaghetti for Thanksgiving, a picture of the almighty dressing.


This picture doesn't do it justice. And lucky me, I have just a tiny bit to have for dinner later. Yum! Ok, I'm done talking about the dressing. :-) Others probably think the turkey is the best part, and today's turkey was quite tasty, and very moist.

We brought none of that home. And now a picture or 2 of the world's most adorable child, our niece Hannah (21 months).

She was loving her some 'Uncle Kiss' today!


As for the baby, I'm 19 weeks today. I think I felt him/her move yesterday afternoon, which was the first time I've felt anything. It just felt like a little punch right under my belly button. Unfortunately, it only happened once. Jenny (my sister-in-law) was pressing on my belly and talking to the baby earlier and she said she felt it move. I didn't feel that, though. I'm hoping I start feeling him/her move more soon. Here's my 19 week belly picture...it's more like a belly pooch!

And the fruit of the week is a mango!

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

We're off to Little Rock tomorrow to spend some time with my mom and dad. Babies-R-Us, here we come!! If only we knew if little one is a boy or girl...probably a good thing I don't know yet...haha! T-6 days until we find out!!

18 weeks....a little late

Week 18 brought a doctor's visit to get the flu shot, and I got to hear the heartbeat again, which is always a great thing! Chris didn't go with me to this appointment b/c I thought I was just getting the flu shot. While the doctor had the doppler on my tummy, the baby moved! Very cool! Unfortunately, I haven't felt movement, at least not that I am aware of. Hopefully soon. He said anytime between now and 20 weeks I should feel it for the 1st time. Oh, and he did confirm that all my blood work (for Downs, spinal problems, trisomy) came back negative...yay! Now I'm just hoping everything on the ultrasound next week looks good! And our fruit of the week is...

Baby's now the size of a sweet potato!
Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel her movements.

Gross!! And I guess it's not really a fruit, either. What else...I've got a little more of a bump this week. My pants still fit but they are getting tight, especially by the end of the day. Chris and I made a trip to Rogers yesterday with his parents, and I bought a couple pairs of maternity jeans. Gotta wear those on Turkey Day...need plenty of room for that belly to be able to stretch. Haha!

And just for fun, here's a picture of me, Chris, and Baby M attending the Razorbacks final home football game of the season last Saturday. The stands look pretty empty b/c this was towards the end of the game and we were killing Troy. Hopefully Baby M will like the Hogs just as much as it's parents! If we beat LSU Saturday night that might land us in the Cotton Bowl at JerryWorld...that would be super fun!