Our miracle baby!

Here are the pics I promised...The one of me is from this morning just before we left for the ultrasound, 19 weeks 6 days. Halfway there tomorrow!!!! The ultrasound pics are a little hard to see but you'll get the idea ;0) The second shows the boy parts (in case you can't tell...it's not the best shot). Our sweet little boy was being stubborn so we couldn't get the best pics. He refused to turn for a profile pic, lol! Oh yeah...and the furry babies are thrilled about their human brother! :0)

It's official!

Baby D is a spunky 11 oz baby boy!!! He weighs 11 oz and was wiggling around like crazy! As far as we can tell he is healthy! Praise GOD! Jaden Scott is due November 18th! I'll post pics later today! :0) Thank you for your prayers! Much love!

19 weeks and 2 days...

6-26-10

Sorry no full body shot this week, I've been a bit under the weather this weekend and still am. I was not a pretty sight ;0) Sore throat, coughing, sneezing, aching body, head that felt like it might explode! Yeah....I got the hubby's germies...what can I say, we share...everything ;0)

On a side note, tomorrow is the big day! We will be finding out for sure who is in my belly, and hopefully everything will be working as it should. I have to say, naturally I'm nervous, with all of the heartbreaking things my fellow bloggers and friends have been going through, but regardless, this child will be loved just the same. I'll be relieved just to know. Obviously I'm praying for the best, but I am realistic, sometimes things just don't go as planned...so I always try to "hope for the best, prepare for the worst"... your prayers will be much appreciated! I hope everyone is having a good start to the week! I'll be back to post pics tomorrow and hopefully by the end of the week the icky cold will be gone and I'll be back to blogging regularly again.

GOD bless!

Sunday Scriptures....

"...those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." Ps 34:10

"GOD always gives HIS very best to those who leave the choice with HIM."

James Hudson Taylor

I hope you all had a beautiful day with your families! :0)

Much love!

50 Followers....

When I started blogging a couple of years ago, I had no idea that anyone other than my family might be even remotely interested in anything I have to say, ;0) however, GOD has brought some pretty wonderful women into my life through blogging and I am very thankful for that. We've shared laughs and tears as we go through this crazy and beautiful thing called life! I'm so happy to have gotten to know each and every one of you. Though we all live far away and can't sit and have a cup of coffee together, it's such a blessing to be able to chat online and encourage eachother and give eachother advice! Thank you for your friendship! Much love!

Nadine

PS- Happy Saturday!

19 weeks...

How far along? 19 weeks and one day

How big is baby? About the size of a mango. Length is about 5.2-6 inches and weight is about 7 oz! Our little angel's movements are now conciously controlled! :0) The ears are standing out from the sides of the head now, buds of permanent teeth appear, and limbs have now reached their relative proportions.

Total weight gain: About 10-12 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes, pants definitely. I'm still wearing most of my regular tops though. I've noticed that I will be needing new bras for sure....I have no idea if I should buy regular ones or nursing bras....since I do plan to breast feed. Any ideas? I just don't know how much more that will change between now and the delivery. I'd like to take the least expensive route, so if it isn't silly to buy nursing bras now then I'd rather do that than buy regular bras and then nursing bras....Help?! ;0)

Sleep: About the same. These two- three potty breaks a night are really preparing me for nursing at night, lol. I get up and then I can't fall back asleep for a while.

Best moment of the week: Baby gave Daddy a couple of nice kicks last night! You should have seen his sweet face! It was precious! I asked him if he felt it that time and he said "I definitely felt that one!" ;0) So cute!

Also a good moment was when the Dean at my school noticed the baby bump. Up until now, in some clothes (especially a lot of my school clothes) I just looked like I was gaining some weight, not so much like I have a baby belly.

Foods I love: Still pretty much the same

Foods I hate: Also the same

Movement: Definitely! The most amazing feeling! Baby was giving me some kicks as I started typing this post, for now I think he/she is napping ;0)

Gender: Next Wednesday...as in 5 days!!!!!! Woohoo!

Belly Button: On it's way out....

Morning Sickness: Still a little here and there, mostly at night. Nothing unbearable though. That's all I can ask for....as long as I can get through the day....I'm good! ;0) I'm definitely still tired a lot. I can't believe how worn out I get....but it's so worth it!

Wonderful Home Wednesday...

So I haven't really done much in the nursery for a couple of weeks, but I did manage to decide on a couple of things. I picked out the fabrics for the little bird mobile that I'm planning on making. I'll be using 3 different scrap fabrics that I have left over from other projects. They happened to look really cute together. Also picked up part of the fabric needed for a curtain and drapes and the cutest curtain rod. Oh yeah, and daddy hung the artwork. Other than that it's been pretty much the same for now.

On a side note, my darling friend sent me a huge pile of baby clothes today that her son has grown out of! Yay! :0)

I'm looking forward to having some time to get some of these sewing projects started and finish painting the furniture. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time for any of that.

Anyway, Happy Wednesday all! :0)

Tasty Tuesday...

Homemade Chicken Noodle soup:

(approximately 4 servings)

2 Chicken breasts, salt/pepper....saute until cooked through, then remove from pan, let cool and cut into small cubes.

veggies: (approx.) 3 medium carrots, 2 lg stalks celery, one shallot or 1/2 sm onion

Saute the veggies in the pan used for chicken (you'll want to add a couple of tbsp of butter or olive oil), once the veggies are tender, add about 4 cups chicken broth (I would use low sodium and salt the broth to taste).

Prepare noodles separately, I like using egg noodles best, but any kind of pasta will due just fine (I used Orzo this weekend)

Add chicken back into the broth/veggies and add noodles just before serving. I try to keep the noodles separate when storing in the fridge....they soak up all they broth and get really mushy....

Menu Monday...

Monday: Sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, cordon bleu and salad.

Tuesday: Red beans and Rice, Broccoli, saute'd chicken breast, and cornbread.

Wednesday: Smoked sausage, roasted potatoes, peas and carrots and biscuits.

Thursday: Spagetti with garlic bread and salad.

Friday: Couscous, beef roast, zuchini, salad.

Saturday: Calzones.

Since the hubby was sick several days last week we ended up having a lot of homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese, so I actually ended up using a couple of menu items from last week. I'll be posting the recipe tomorrow. :0)

Sunday Scriptures...

Psalm 147:1

"Praise the LORD. How good is it to sing praises to our GOD, how pleasant and fitting to praise HIM!"

I've been reading through pslams lately and I've enjoyed it so much! It leaves me inspired and refreshed and that's often what we need so much on a daily basis when life gets crazy! Hope you all have a blessed week!

hair...

Since I'm finally well into my second trimester I decided it was time to fix that hair of mine. It was looking pretty blah! A little trim (I'm growing it out, but the previous haircut needed to be disguised a bit) and a few highlights later, voila! :0)

18 weeks and 2 days...

18 weeks....

How far along: 18 weeks today!!!

How big is baby: about the size of a sweet potato. Approximately 5-5.6 in. 5.25 oz. He/she is now moving around a lot, rolling, yawning, hiccuping, sucking his/her thumb, kicking, punching... baby should also be able to hear mommy and daddy now.

Total weight gain: hmmm...haven't really weighed myself in a couple of weeks, but I'd guess 8 or 9 lbs?! Guess I'll have to weigh myself next time I'm at Publix.

Maternity Clothes: Yes. Pants. I still fit into most tops....but I tried on a pair of my pre-preggo pants yesterday and I looked like I was wearing spandex ...it was not a pretty picture, lol. Apparently the belly isn't the only thing growing! :0)

Sleep: Still not great, but hopefully that will start to get better now too. At least until the third trimester discomfort sets in.

Best moment this week: Feeling the little angel move in my belly! Such a neat feeling! I can't wait for Josh to be able to feel it. It seems he/she gets a bit shy when daddy tries to feel.

Foods I love: Still lots of fruit. Orange juice. Sweet ice tea. Kettle cooked BBQ chips and Nutella(not so healthy...but hey....I'm pregnant, right ;0)...I've been pretty good about eating healthy.)

Foods I hate: same as before. I'm able to tolerate a little bit of onion now...

Movement: Yup! Soooo cool!

Gender: 13 more days!

Belly Button: on it's way out, still weirds me out a little (no offense to those with outies...it's just strange having an innie all your life and all of a sudden it's starting to poke through your shirt!)

Morning Sickness: Getting better! This week it's been pretty minimal! Huge milestone for us!

Wonderful Home Wednesday....

So, home decorating among many other things have been on hold the last 4 or so months. Between being newly pregnant and starting school again I've had little time or energy to do much extra around the house. Last Wednesday however I made a stop by JoAnn fabric and picked out some fabric for new couch pillows. The last ones I made really didn't match the rest of the decor too well so I ended up not making the rest of them. I love the fabric, it's cute, just didn't work for our decor. Maybe I'll give them away or end up selling them at a yard sale someday. Anyway I attached a photo of the new fabric. Josh and I both like it and think it'll work much better for the look we have in mind. So now I just need to find the time and energy to make the pillow cases. :0) Happy Wednesday all!

How I spent my Friday....

My sister and brother in law celebrated their vow renewal this past Saturday, so she asked me if I would be able to make their cake. So I did....I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. If I had more time I would have made the actually cake from scratch and some filling, but the way it looked turned out rather nice, it went very well with their theme.

Tasty Tuesday....it's been a while!

Steak with Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

*dry the steak, salt, pepper and oil the steak
*sear on both sides (time will vary depending on thickness of the steak...you'll want to cook it most of the way but take it out just before it's the desired doneness so it won't dry out when you add it back in later), remove from pan and set aside
*add butter to pan, onion, garlic and saute (I use just a little bit for Josh...it depends how much you prefer)
*add mushrooms (don't overcrowd the pan so they can brown a little)
*move veggies to side of pan, add more butter and some flour to make a rue
*add cream (again...you have to eyeball it...it will depend on how many steaks you make and how much mushroom, onion, garlic you have)
*salt and pepper to taste
*add meat back in to warm

Enjoy!

Menu Monday...

It's been so crazy around our house lately...I'm trying to get back into my routine that I had going. I was doing so well and it really helped. I've felt so unorganized lately with everything because my schedule and routine have been out of whack! Anyway...

Menu Monday:

Mon: Paninis with chips

Tues: Spicy black bean/chicken fajitas

Wed: Spagetti with garlic bread and salad

Thurs: Cordon Bleu, Cous cous, zucchini

Fri: Beef roast, baked sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts

Saturday: we'll be celebrating Father's day at Josh's parents house (so we'll eat whatever they're having)

Sunday: will be part of next weeks menu

Sunday Scriptures...a little late.

Psalm 103:1-5

"Praise the LORD all my soul; all my inmost being, praise HIS holy name. Praise the LORD o my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all sins and heals diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things."

This one is dedicated to little Ewan and Cohen who are going and will be going through some tough health issues. I'm praying for you sweet babies and for the parents who are having to be so strong through this process!

GOD is good and through HIM alone miracles can and do happen!

Belly pics...

17 weeks and 3 days

17 weeks...

*** I haven't been so good about posting updates lately since things have been so hectic. However this is such an important and much anticipated part of our lives that I don't want to slack off any longer. We are so excited about this miracle growing in my belly and I want to be able to look back and remember all of those special little things from week to week!***


How far along: 16 weeks and 6 days today

How big is baby: about the size of an onion according to the little pregnancy calendar on THE BUMP.

Weight gain: mmmm....about 7 or 8 lbs. I lost a pound the last appt we had, but I'm sure I gained it all back plus some this past week. I'm definitely getting bigger.

Maternity Clothes: I can't really fit into any of my pre-pregnancy pants anymore at this point. The bump has grown quite a bit. If I keep them totally unbuttoned I can still SQUEEZE into them ;0) I think I need to invest in one of those belly bands. I have some maternity pants, but most of them are still a bit big on me. I bought a pair of shorts that fit and I have one pair of capri's and one pair of pants that fit pretty well.

Sleep: Not so great, to tell you the truth. I have to get up to pee a couple times a night sometimes 3 times a night. I'm usually nauseous all afternoon, evening and night so by bedtime I'm uncomfortable and achy and it makes it hard to fall/stay asleep.

Best moment this week: Probably... thinking I'm feeling baby move. I can't be sure...but it sure feels like it. Within a couple weeks it should be pretty obvious whether or not its baby. Of course also when Josh sees the bump and tells me how cute I look! He melts my heart!

Food I love: Orange juice! Veggie Bacon!

Food I hate: I still can't eat/smell garlic with out feeling sick. Meat (not that I ate it before) has a smell that makes me sick. It's much harder these days to cook it.

Movement: Like I said, I keep thinking I feel something...but it's hard to tell for sure.

Gender: So far the tech thought it was a boy, but we won't know for sure until the 30th when we go for the official anatomy ultrasound. I've been told it's easy to mistake a littl girl for a little boy because of the umbilical cord. Either way, makes no difference to us. It's just not knowing that drives me crazy! 21 days until we know for sure! :0)

Belly Button: Is totally changing! I'll have an outie before I know it!

Morning Sickness: Yup, still got it...although now it's turned into all afternoon, evening and night sickness. What can you do...it's all part of it. I'd rather deal with it than not be preggo....bring it on!

Baby bump....

16 weeks/ 3 days (Sunday 6-6-10)...and that's official ;0)

*** Please excuse the crazy "doo" and awkward expression on my face, lol. It was late, I was nauseous, tired and achy. ****

Sunday Scriptures...

"Fear GOD and keep HIS commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For GOD will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Bottles...

I've had baby stuff on the brain 24/7 the last couple of weeks....I guess that's normal. I've been thinking about every little thing that I need to take care of and buy, starting registries, etc. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do about bottles because I'm not a fan of plastic. Target had some cute little glass bottles that I ended up registering for. I plan to breastfeed, but I definitely want to pump too so that Josh can have the bonding with the baby too. Plus more than likely at some point I'll need someone to watch Jaden while I'm at school/work. I'm really excited that I was able to find these cute little bottles! It's all just so much fun!

smells so sweet!

I went to Target today to try and make some more decisions about what I want to use for little baby Jaden. I know I have plenty of time to decide, but in case you haven't noticed I'm one of those "get it done now and rest later" type of people, lol. As with the diaper issue I want to make sure that I'm using only the safest and best products on his precious little skin. I've mentioned it before that if it wasn't for financial reasons I'd use only green and natural products, but for the most part it just costs too much for our tiny budget. However, when it comes to our child, I don't want to take any chances and I figure with the money we'll be saving with reusable diapers it'll more than make up the difference that I would have spent on diapers every week anyway. So I spent the morning looking at labels and sniffing out the best scents ;0) This was the one I loved the most. I bought one of each to start stocking up. It's so exciting to start getting some things for our little munchkin! I also got a piece of art that I'll show you all once I get the nursery put together. As of right now it's still a bit of a disaster. I think it'll look so cute once it's all done.

onesies....

We couldn't just NOT BUY ANYTHING...so we went with gender neutral brown...just in case. Aren't these adorable! I'm not sure why the pic decided to upload sideways?!

Our little Miracle...update!

Here you go...this is the update from today!

Well...we found out today that we are 15 weeks and 6 days along. That makes our due date approximately November 18th. It is still too soon to be sure of the sex of the baby. The ultrasound tech had a hard time getting a good pic...but we sure did get to see the little one wiggle around, suck the thumb...kick...very active! :0) The heartbeat was amazing to hear. So strong! I'm sure you've noticed some blue on my profile....that's because from what the tech could tell, she thinks baby is .............








A BOY!!!! <3

Of course we won't be 100% positive and I have to refrain from buying a bunch of boy stuff until after the next appt that is scheduled for Wed the 30th of June (we'll be right at 20 weeks so there shouldn't be any problems verifying then). So hard! We are so very excited! Josh will finally have his little sidekick to follow him around and play music with him and just do the stuff that daddy's do with their little boys! I am so excited! He's beautiful (Yes, I know I may be slightly biased...but hey....I'm allowed!).

So his name....we had actually already picked out a name for both genders so as long as nothing changes between now and the next ultrasound, our little blessing will be named Jaden Scott Dillard.

I'm going to be quite busy redoing his journal...that's going to be a mess. I'm tempted to buy a new one because it's going to look like such a mess with white out all through it :0( All the dates need to be changed. I basically have to start over. I like to document things and I've been working really hard to keep track of everything...but I was off by a good two weeks....oops.

Anyway, I hope you're all having a great day! Thanks to everyone who's been praying for us! We love you!!! <3