July 7, 2009 - 23 Week Update

Never a dull moment...always an adventure! I'd say that would be a pretty good theme for this past week! 5 years ago today I was laying on a beautiful white beach watching the sun sink below a turquoise sea, drinking a delicious pineapple concoction complete with a little pink umbrella wearing a little pink bikini with the words, "just married" in rhinestones on the bottoms. Tonight, I lay on my bed with my legs propped up high on some pillows to help ease the throbbing, drinking lemonade and eating cake and pickles researching consumer and safety reports on nursery furniture while I watch Hudson's little legs kick the right side of my belly...thinking about that little pink bikini from way back when and how it would probably make for a better eye patch than a pair of swim suit bottoms for me now! lol Ah, how times have changed. The glory of it all is that I wouldn't change anything at all. If I have learned anything at all, it's that God is always on time. Everything happens just as it's supposed to. Which brings me to where I am today, right where I'm meant to be.



July 10, 2004 was a beautiful hot summer day in the little town of Punxsutawney. It rained every single day that summer and I can still remember the look of amazement on everyone's faces that day when the clouds cleared and the sun came out the morning of our wedding day. It was 6 years to the day of when we began dating...it was the perfect day, and the beginning of one incredible adventure after another! 5 years has gone by so quickly! Next year's anniversary will be an extra special event! Not only will we have Hudson with us to celebrate, but it will also be the wedding day of Heather and Jason!!! Wahooo!! We can't wait! We are so excited to share our special day with them! It's official! I don't think anyone in the universe could possibly squeeze any more love into July 10th! I think it should be National Love Fest Day! :-)



July 9, 2004 -
Rehearsal Dinner
Night

























July 10, 2004 -
Our Wedding Day


This year to celebrate, we spent the weekend in Savannah, Georgia, Tybee Island, Georgia, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Yes, all in one weekend! We definitely love to explore and took the opportunity to see and do all that we could in a weekend's time. We of course, took our Izzy with us! The three...well, four :-) of us had a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful and any kind of a getaway is always fun! On our way to Savannah on Friday, we stopped in Charleston to begin the baby registry process at BabiesRUs. Let me tell you, there could have been a reality show based solely on this trip! Being the nerds that we are, we were totally prepared. We had combined checklists of both the top consumer and safety ratings concerning baby EVERYTHING, along with at least 5 pages of tips and suggestions from veteran moms. Needless to say, we were there a loooong time. Nearly 4 hours later, we closed down the store! We had a blast! Although it was overwhelming at times, it was one of the most exciting things we have ever done! Garrett and I have been fortunate to have taken some pretty amazing vacations and gone on some incredible trips all over the country during the past 5 years, but nothing compares to the excitement of picking out items for your first child. It seems as though each month of this pregnancy has brought with it moments of sincere "realness". This night was one of them. I remember somewhere between the stroller isle and the pack and plays we agreed that we couldn't imagine a more perfect way to spend an anniversary evening. Here is a picture of us taken by a lovely BabiesRUs employee to capture our registry experience on our 5 year anniversary!



We just couldn't help ourselves! On our first trip we bought our stroller/car seat combo, a crib, and bedding! What can I say?! When you couple our excitement with a sale...things get crazy! :-)














All "4" of us in beautiful Savannah

The "3" of us at Hilton Head

The lighthouse at Tybee Island



































On our way home, we saw a
seafood restaurant called
"Hudson's"! We couldn't
help ourselves! We pulled
over and bought t-shirts!



























Well, as far as the produce department goes...Hudson is still about the size of a papaya! But here are some neat things I've read about "Week 23"!


"...Your baby's got a while to go before his lungs will be ready for air and is practicing his "breathing" on the amniotic fluid—sucking it in and out of his lungs. Other highlights this week:Fat production is in overdrive at this point (for the baby, not you! Well, OK, maybe for the baby and you). Your baby will basically double in weight over the next four weeks! You'll be happy to know the same won't apply to you. Your baby is starting to look more like a newborn as his skin becomes less see-through. His body is looking more proportional now, although his head is still kinda big compared to his cute little body. Your baby is about 11½ inches long and weighs 1 pound, or about the length and weight of a Harry Potter book."