It's a.....BOY!!!!

Travis and I are going to have a baby boy!!!! We are so excited!!!!

After finally getting on our flight Saturday morning, we made it to Louisiana for our sonogram appointment that we had at Sound Diagnostics. It was a chance for my mom and dad as well as my grandpa to get a sneak peak of our little miracle. I enjoyed watching how excited they were when our baby popped up on the screen. It was all so new to them. The doctor pointed out its little fingers and toes as well as different parts of his body. When our baby first came on the screen, he had his two hands on his head and then threw his legs up to touch his head. He's quite acrobatic! The sex of the baby was the last thing that was shown to us. I was so anxious to hear what we were having even though deep down I knew it was a boy and Travis was still convinced it was a girl. When it was time, the doctor showed us where I needed to be looking and at that point, he didn't even have to tell me it was a boy! I was able to tell VERY clearly! We were so excited especially Travis! (He still hasn't wiped the grin off of his face :) ) We were able to watch our baby for a little longer hoping to get a good profile picture of him but he was too busy moving all around but towards the end of the sonogram, he waved his tiny little hand and then closed it and gave a thumbs up! It was so cute! Everything became so much more real.

After the sonogram, they captured a few pictures of our special day and the family we shared it with. It will be something Travis and I will always remember.

I will post pictures soon of our little guy!

Love,
Mary

SNOW!

Who would have thought that living in Texas we would have gotten this much snow?!?!!? I enjoyed it yesterday but then when it started tinkering with our travel plans for today (Friday), I was bummed. We were supposed to leave for New Orleans this morning for Mardi Gras and to find out the sex of our baby. Unfortunately, our flight was canceled. We did get on another flight tomorrow morning. I called the imaging office where the sonogram is being done and they fit me in tomorrow for an appointment. We are very fortunate and are anxious to find out what we're having. So, it looks like I have to patiently wait one more day. Let's keep fingers crossed that everything is back on track for tomorrow.

Cooper loves the snow!

The front of our house

Remembering Gram

On January 22, 2010 at 5:40pm my grandma was taken from us. The week before her death, my grandma suffered a massive heart attack and then a stroke a few days later. Travis and I drove in after the stroke so we could say our good-byes because the doctors didn't expect her to make it through the weekend. I stayed with my mom, grandpa, and aunt Lene for a few days while Travis went back to work. Hospice took over and brought my grandma back home where we knew she would want to be. My grandpa was so devoted to her and stayed by her side every minute of every day. They demonstrated the true meaning of love and marriage to each other.

I had to head back to Texas to go to work and it was the hardest thing to say good bye to my grandma. I didn't want to leave her. She has been such a huge part of my life since I was a little girl and now I had to tell her good-bye. I cried for the fact that I would never share any more memories with her, I cried for my grandpa who was losing his spouse of 56 years, I cried for my mom and aunt Lene who was losing their mother, and I cried for Travis and I's child that she will never get to meet. Before I left, I kissed her and told her that I loved her and to take care of our little girl in heaven.

2 days later after coming back to Texas, we got the dreaded phone call. My grandma was called to be another one of God's special angels. She was surrounded by loved ones as she took her final breath. All I wanted to do was be at home with my family during this difficult time.

My grandma will always be remembered for her love of life, her love for her family, her love and devotion to my grandpa, her love for Mardi Gras, and her love for cooking. She was one of kind and will truly be missed by so many people that knew her.

I love and miss you Gram!

Down on the Farm

This past weekend, Travis and I went visit my aunt and uncle in Crawford, Texas. They have a beautiful place there with lots of cattle and donkeys. Travis and I love it there. It is so peaceful and a great place to just get away. We had a blast during our visit and quite the adventure. When we pulled up we were greeted with the "Welcome Peanut" sign! What a surprise! I sent them an email the day before announcing our pregnancy and referred to the baby as our little peanut.

After arriving, we visited for a bit before heading out to On the Border. My cousin Jess was also visiting so it was good for all of us to be together and catch up on everything! After dinner, we came home and watched the UFC fights. Now I must say, I'm not a fan of the fights but I did get into it while it was on tv. The next morning, we went eat at this little Mexican restaurant called Lolita's! So yummy! After returning from some errands, we arrive back at the ranch and low and behold, one of there cows is in labor!!! Not something I was expecting to watch! The cow was in such distress due to being in labor for so long, that we did not think the calf would make it out alive. My uncle had to walk the cow up the ranch into this squeeze machine because they were going to have to pull out the calf themselves! I knew this was something I couldn't miss seeing even if it was going to gross me out! So, there I was sitting back anxiously awaiting the birth of this calf while my uncle, his neighbor, and Travis (yep, he was involved!) pulled this calf with these tools out of the cow! After several minutes of trying to get the cow to cooperate, they were able to pull out the calf. I will admit, this was nothing pretty to see and I'm not sure how my weak stomach pulled it off but I was in complete awe of the whole situation! (After hearing that cow in so much pain, I looked at Travis and said I'm getting the drug when it's time for me to go in labor!) It's not everyday you see a calf being born! After some time passed and the momma cow had time to attempt to bond with her calf we went back down to the barn to check on them. The momma cow still wasn't going near her calf to clean him off and feed it. She was in such distress from the whole situation but who wouldn't be after going through all of that. Hopefully, she will come around soon and nurture her calf.

Here is a picture of our dog Cooper and my aunt and uncle's dog Pearlie. They finally passed out on Sunday afternoon after playing non-stop for two days! I think they met each other's match! Cooper is still recuperating from his playtime with Pearlie!

All in all, it was a great visit and we can't wait to go up there again! Who knows, we may see another calf being born!

Love,

Mary

We're PREGNANT!

It's true! Travis and I are pregnant! We were going to try and wait and tell everyone at Christmas when I would be 12 weeks but we were just too excited not too! We found out last week and had trouble keeping it a secret for that long! I am about 6 weeks along and feel great! The day I found out, I was in the doctor's office doing blood work so they could check my HCG level and my progesterone level. The results showed that my levels were high which is what we wanted to see. I went back for a second round of blood work so they could make sure my levels tripled from the previous results. Sure enough they multiplied by 5!!! We were so excited that the results came back positive! I go in for my first ultrasound on the 30th and from that point will go in every two weeks so the doctor can keep a close eye on me and the baby. We're so very thankful for that! Travis and I feel so good about this baby and the way I feel compared to the first one is so much better! The only thing I can complain about is that I'm tired which is normal.

I can only hope and pray that this baby, "our peanut," continues to grow and stay healthy so the day will come where Travis and I can hold it in our arms and tell it how much we love it.

Please continue to pray for me, Travis, and our peanut as we continue this exciting journey!

Love,

Mary

A Walk to Remember

On Sunday, Travis and I participated in the 'Walk to Remember' in honor of our little girl and all other unborn children. Neither one of us knew what to expect from the memorial or how we would feel. When it started, we each had to stand up and say why we were there. It was good to hear everyone else's stories and struggles and see that they too still struggle no matter how long ago it happened. After everyone told their story, we had a poem read to us and then it was time to take our walk around the lake. When we finished our walk, we were given a pink balloon to represent our little girl and were told to write a little message to our baby. We wrote our message and when everyone was ready we released them into the air. Travis and I sat there, for which felt like an eternity, watching our little pink balloon float high up into the sky until we could no longer see it. I started to cry watching it get higher and higher into the sky and I think at that moment it both hit us the symbolism of why we were sending that pink balloon up.

After we could no longer see the balloon, we headed back to truck, hand in hand, and more at peace than we have ever been since we started this journey. We both agreed that this was something that we needed to do to not only remember our little girl that we only had for a few short weeks but to give us the peace and closure to continue to move on and try again.

I'm going to leave you with a poem that was shared with us at the memorial...

Little Footprints

How very softly you tiptoed into my world.

Almost silently, only a moment you stayed.

But what an imprint your footsteps

have left upon my heart.

We love you Peanut and you will always be in our hearts!

Love Y'all!

Mary

This and That

I haven't written in a while and figured I would give a quick update of things that are going on. I am still loving my new job in Frisco. The staff is amazing and have made me feel so welcomed from day one. My kids are great! They are so funny at times. I have double the caseload from last year but it seems easier at the same time. I have to share a conversation that I had with one of my third graders last week. We were sitting at the table playing UNO and he says to me "Who do you think invented UNO?" I responded with "I'm not sure." After much thinking he says, "I bet it was a bunch of Mexicans!" After gaining my composure, I asked him "Why do you think that?" He says "Well, UNO means 1 in Spanish!" I think he expected me to know his logic behind that answer since I was the teacher. :) It was the cutest thing!

Travis is still working hard at his job. He is working for a company called Cyprexx that is based out of Tampa. He is an inspector for foreclosed homes. He loves it and loves the fact that it's always new and not a repetitive job. He does travel one or two days during the week but it beats the night shift everyday that he was working at his old job. He is so happy and doing an amazing job! I'm so proud of him!

This weekend, we are participating in the "Walk to Remember." It's a walk for parents of unborn children. It gives us a chance to remember them. It's one of the many memorials that are held throughout the year. I have lots of emotions going through of how this day will be and what Travis and I will be feeling. We are both so fortunate that the Medical Center of Plano takes time to honor these 'angels.' We think of our little girl often and I still have my moments of a complete breakdown but have relied on my faith to get me through those hard days. Please continue to pray for strength and that we may be able to have a little miracle of our own very soon.

Love to all!

Mary