Christmas, Snow, and Pregnancy Update

December has proved to be quite a crazy month! On December 11th, I was in a minor car accident--a fender-bender, really. I was stopped behind a truck at a stop sign, and he just reversed right into me. I guess he was in the middle of the road, but I tried to get out of the way and couldn't. No major damage, just the bumper and hood. I was a little shook up and went ahead and got checked out at labor and delivery at the hospital. The baby and I are both fine.

It started snowing here on December 16th and continued to snow for about a week. The pictures in the slide show are from the second day of snow, and at that time there was probably only a couple of inches of snow. Stephen made two snowmen, and the puppies had a blast demolishing them both! By the time this storm was through, we got close to or over a foot of snow!! The snow is finally starting to melt away, but we still cannot get out of our driveway. There is such an accumulation of snow and ice that our little car can't handle it. So we've spent the past week and a half stuck in our house...talk about cabin fever! Our neighbor was kind enough to take us to the grocery store in his four wheel drive on Christmas Eve because we were pretty much out of everything!

I decided to decorate for Christmas this year, and I'm really glad because it has lifted my spirits and made it feel like Christmas. It has been hard being away from our families this holiday season, and I think decorating really helped. I even went ahead and made Madden a stocking!!! A couple of weeks before Christmas, we took some pictures for Christmas cards in front of our tree. They didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but we did find one for our card at least.

As far as the baby goes, I'm finally 36 weeks! Due to the bad weather, I've had my last two doctor's appointments canceled, so I'm getting a little anxious to see him. At my last appointmet at 32 weeks, I had another ultrasound to determine the approximate size of the baby. Based on the measurements they guessed he was already 5 1/2 pounds!!! Of course they can be off by a pound, but he's looking like he's going to be a really big boy. My doctor said I'll probably have to have another ultrasound before he's born to see if he will be too big for me to have or if I'll have to have a cesarean. I'm hoping to see him soon, but as of right now my next appointment isn't until January 5th!

Pregnancy and Baby Update

I’ve finally reached 28 weeks! Only 12 more to go…hopefully less! The first 21 weeks were very hard on me—I had 24 hour morning sickness and lost over 10 pounds. We found out on September 8^th that we are having a little boy! It was exactly what we were hoping for (although we really didn’t care as long as it was healthy). His name will be Madden Hughes Flood. His due date is January 25^th. At that ultrasound, his estimated weight was 14 oz, which is about 3-4 oz above average. We had to go back for another ultrasound when I was 23 weeks since Madden was being stubborn at the first one and wouldn’t move for the technician to get some of the necessary pictures. At that ultrasound, his estimated weight was 1 lb 12 oz! That is well above average, 9 oz over average by some sources. So it’s looking like we are going to have one big boy!

Baby Showers and Trip to Texas

From October 21-28th I was in Texas to visit family and friends. I was 26 weeks when I left Washington, so I knew this would probably be my last chance to travel before having the baby. It was so good to be back home! I was excited about Texas weather since it was already getting cold here in Oak Harbor, but as luck would have it, a cold front came through Texas the morning after I arrived there!

Courtney threw me two baby showers, one in San Antonio and one in Blooming Grove. Almost twenty people came to the one in San Antonio (held at the Macaroni Grill). Several people drove two or three hours to attend, and I cannot express how much it meant to me that they traveled so far…on a week night! It was wonderful seeing everyone there—from previous co-workers, best friends, family, and teacher friends from Corbett Jr. High! They all made it such a special night for me! My first college roommate, Misty, made me the cutest stuff, from burp cloths, bibs, to blankets. Check out her website and get some for yourself. She will even custom make them for you if you want something other than what she has listed. www.cmbabyboutique.com

San Antonio Shower


After that shower, Courtney and I headed to our hometown of Blooming Grove. We made it to the second half of our old high school’s homecoming game, and we saw teachers, coaches, friends that we hadn’t seen in ten years! It was wonderful to catch up with everyone, and although part of me felt like it had been forever, there was a part of me that felt like I’d never left. Courtney and I spent the next two nights at my dad’s, going out to eat, shopping, and preparing for my second baby shower.

Photos at Dad's


My second shower was at The Highlander Inn, a bed and breakfast, in Blooming Grove. About ten people were there, and I finally got to see my mom! It’s hard living so far away from her while being pregnant. I swear we talk every other day on the phone. Sometimes I just need my momma to reassure me and give me advice. My Grammy and Aunt Linda attended the shower from my dad’s side of the family. Lindsay and her daughter were there, along with the Irwin girls—whom we grew up with in Sugarland, TX. It was so great of them to make the long drive from the Houston area to see us! It was a wonderful event that my sister and step-mother put a lot of time and effort into planning and decorating. I can’t thank them enough!!

Blooming Grove Baby Shower