Daddy and Drew

Just time for a quick post from me.....I will be in trouble with Hal when he sees this and knows I am not sleeping while Drew is sleeping! :) He went to work for a few hours while mom is here with me, and I wanted to share a few Daddy and Drew pictures. He has been amazing with Drew! You would never know that he hasn't been around babies that much. He has changed almost every diaper and gets up to help with feedings.


Sleeping at the hospital w/ Dad. Hal stayed the entire time with me. He didn't leave our side!


Coming home in his MSU outfit and his blanket that his Maw Maw made for him.






You can almost see his eyes...they are blue like Dad's!

Survived!!!

Hey all, this is Hal again. I figured since Lindsay is sleeping right now to take the time to put a few more pictures on here. Also we survived our first night at home and actually got a little bit of sleep here and there. Anyway, since my awesome niece told me that writing was not my thing, I will quit and share the pictures. Hope everyone is doing well and thank you for the continued prayers.

Hal

God's Miracle!

Hey everyone, this is Hal. First I would like to thank Sarah L. for being our communication guru last night. We really appreciate it. Mom and Drew are doing very well. As was said earlier, he came to us at 8lbs and 21 inches long. We are both extremely excited, but I must admit, we are a little tired also. Lindsay will give you the full story later, but here is the "Hal" version of last nights events. Lindsay was being a trooper from 2:30 to 10:30. She had her epidural but for some reason she was having some pretty strong pain on her left side. As the night went on, it would not go away. They topped off the epidural 3 times and gave her some more pain medication through the IV, but with no luck. Come to find out that Drew's head was turned and logged in her pelvis instead of being head down and chin to the chest. Come to find out that this was the reason that her left side was in such pain. Dr. Schroder said that the best thing was to take him by C section, so that is what we did. Again, Lindsay will give you the better details that I have. Again, we can't thank you guys enough for all the prayers over the last 24 hours. They were felt and we know that the Lord was here with us. We can't wait to see how the Lord uses this little one for His Will and Glory in the coming years. Here is the first of many pictures that we will be sharing with you guys!

Hal

Drew is Here!

Andrew Edward Ramsey
November 19, 2008
8 lbs.
21 inches


Both Drew and Lindsay are doing well.

Pictures to come...

Baby News

Hal called about 10:15 to say that Lindsay was headed for a C-section delivery. Please continue to keep mom, baby & dad in your prayers!

He's almost here...

Latest update:

Lindsay is at 9cm and 15 minutes away from pushing!

Baby Drew Newsflash #2

Hello again -
Lindsay is dilated at 5cm and just got her epidural! She's feeling much better now :)

Check back soon...
Sarah L.

Baby Drew Newsflash #1

Hello all,
Lindsay's water broke this morning and she has been admitted to labor & delivery!

More updates to come...
Sarah Lindsay

Monday is Baby Day!

We had another doctor's appointment this morning. I am continuing to progress and Drew keeps getting lower. We are scheduled to be induced on Monday November 24th.....unless he decides to come sooner! This is a week before my due date but there are a couple of reasons we are going to go ahead and be induced. Unlike some practices where you rotate doctors, I have only see one doctor and I really want him to deliver Drew! He has delivered several of my friends babies here and I feel really comfortable with him. He will not be in town Thanksgiving weekend. The doctor is also concerned that the risk for c-section will be greater if we go to my due date or past because of Drew's size.

We are really excited to meet this little guy! We go in at 7:00 on Monday morning. My friend Sarah Lindsay will be updating my blog for me on Monday, so you can check in here to see how things are going and know when he is here. Once he is here, we will let you know room contact info and of course we will have our cell phones.

Thanks in advance for keeping us in your prayers on Monday! :)

Tackling that To Do List

I am feeling pretty efficient today! After going to the doctor last week it hit both us that baby day is rapidly approaching and there are several things that I really need to get done! I have had a to do list for a while...I had just chosen not to do anything on it! :) Today has been a productive day.

I finally....
1) Mailed two packages that I have been intending to mail for a few days
2) Got my Florida drivers license- this has been quite a task. The problem was that I hadn't ever trekked to the Social Security office to change my name w/ them. In Texas, it wasn't a problem, I just showed our marriage license and wala...I had a license. Not the case in Florida. I had to go to the SS office, change my name, and then wait for my new card to arrive. Then of course it came, but I put off getting my license off until today. Puffy face and all....but I have a new license.
3) Got the Florida car tags for my car- our Texas tags expire this month. I decided I better get our tags. There have been hiccups with this, but I won't bore you with the details again. At least I have the FL tag now....moving to a new state and learning their rules is smelly.
4) I took lunch to Hal as I do most Fridays and we did our annual insurance enrollment.
5) Pack my hospital bag- I also started packing my hospital bag!! Drew's is ready, but I needed to get my stuff together.
6) Schedule a time to get car serviced- I scheduled this for early next week just in case. :)

I love being able to cross things off my To Do List. I feel so accomplished. Thanks for reading my boring post.

There was just one more interesting event for the day. My oh so nice husband told me I could call a cleaning lady to do a good deep clean before little man arrives. Although I have been able to stay on top of keeping the house clean, my floors and bathrooms could use a little extra attention. I called a lady I had used to help me clean when we first moved in. She came yesterday. I was so excited to have her help me out! Last night we noticed we had a little trouble getting the toilets to flush. We didn't think much of it and Hal thought he had fixed the problem. This morning I had the same problem....and I knew something was up. I called the cleaning lady to ask if she might have flushed anything???? She said, "well I did flush the toilet bowl cleaning discs." Ah!!!! I use the Clorox toilet bowl wand to clean with. It has a disposable cleaning pad w/ a plastic disc in the center that you are supposed to throw away. The box clearly says DO NOT FLUSH. She had flushed one down EACH toilet. So.....thankfully our home warranty company was able to get a plumber here pretty quickly this morning to retrieve the plastic discs....problem solved. Geez....it is not good for a prego lady to have limited access to the bathroom.

Okay. Enough of my day! I think I am going to take a nap now. :) Have a good weekend.

37 Weeks

We had our 37 Week appointment yesterday....and everything is looking great! I am starting to dilate and Drew has dropped. We will see when he is ready to make his appearance! I am retaining fluid, so I am trying to drink LOTS of water and keep my feet up.

Wonderful Weekend

We thoroughly enjoyed our Hal-Lindsay weekend! :) It was probably a little different than what some people would plan, but it was perfect for us! People kept suggesting for us to go away somewhere, but we have been SO busy this fall we really just wanted to be at home.

Friday night we had dinner here at home and then went to a new market that opened last week. It was fun to browse around at all the different foods...we are nerds and like that. Then my buddy got me a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yum! :)

Saturday we slept late and then went to downtown Sarasota for the Farmer's Market. We have been wanting to go since we moved but just never actually went. It was so fun! They have it all year long. There were a lot of people and a lot of booths. They have produce, baked goods, plants, jewelry and all sorts of things. We had a great time walking around and browsing. It is funny to see people's faces when they see my belly from the side. I get a kick out of it. When you look at me straight on of course I look pregnant but not that big, but when I turn to the side, as one man put it "it looks like you stole a pumpkin." After the farmer's market, we went to an old drive in we had been wanting to try....Hob Nob Drive In. It has been in the same spot in Sarasota for many years. It made me feel like we were stepping back in time. The burger was yummy but the chocolate shake was REALLY yummy. We then had a few more stops and headed home so I could rest. We caught up on the football we had missed and watched the Alabama/LSU game. We had dinner reservations at 8 at Hyde Park Grill in downtown Sarasota. Dinner was wonderful! We both had steak and shared sides of creamed spinach and hashbrown potatoes with caramelized onions. We also had yummy chocolate dessert....are you noticing a trend???

Sunday we headed to church and then to lunch at our favorite place....The Broken Egg. We rested yesterday afternoon and then Hal put the carseat in the car. We are ready just in case. We really had a great weekend and are looking forward to getting to spend tomorrow together as well! We have a doctor's appointment in the morning.



Here is Dad installing Drew's car seat. :)

Fun Things

I wanted to share a few of the fun things we have received for Drew over the last few weeks as well as a few things Hal and I have found for him! I have almost everything washed and ready to go for the little guy.

Elizabeth sent us this diaper bag! It was so exciting to open it up and see his name on it! I have always loved these bags. :)

Amanda and Kenny sent us these PRECIOUS burp cloths! Of course we love the Hog! All the Gator fans around here will have to get use to seeing some Razorback stuff.

My sister in law spoils me...or I guess I should say she is already spoiling Drew. :) You should have seen the box of goodies she sent. This piggy bank goes perfect in his room.

He will be a Polo boy like his daddy. We have found several cute little Polo outfits. I have kept a watch on the clearance racks at Dillards and Macy's!

We found this bulldog at Ikea and had to have it. For now, he is hanging out beside his Hog blanket.

We are looking forward to the weekend! This weekend has been designated as Hal-Lindsay weekend. I actually marked it on my calendar! Between classes at the hospital, traveling, and Hal working, we have had a crazy Fall. We don't have any big plans. We are just going to do a few things that we have been wanting to do since we moved down here and he is taking me out for a fun dinner on Saturday night. I have been wanting steak for awhile...I am pretty sure that is what we will be doing on Saturday night! I am also excited because the plant is closed on Tuesday for Veteran's Day, so I get a free day with Hal in the middle of the week!

Have a good weekend!

36 Week Appointment

We had an early morning appointment today. Hal was able to go with me which was a nice treat. He hasn't been since our ultrasound in July. I hated to ask him to go when I see the doctor for a total of 2 minutes! Everything is still looking great. My weight and blood pressure are good and Drew's heartbeat and growth both looked great as well. We are down to our weekly appointments and he let me know that he will check me next week to see if I have started to dilate yet.

Short of getting the car seat installed....I think we have about everything in place! We still have a few things we need to pick up and I need to pack a bag for me, but other than that we are ready for this little guy. I am looking forward to being able to rest over the next few weeks!

After our appointment we went and voted. The line looked very LONG when we pulled up, but it moved pretty fast. We were back in our car 45 minutes or so after arriving. After we had stood in line about 30 minutes and were almost to the front of the line they told me I could move to the front, but at that point I decided I would just tough it out. :) The wait wasn't near as bad as we had anticipated!

A Prayer

14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14

Almost 35 Weeks and Jehovah Kadesh

I am not quite sure what is up with the face in this picture....Hal must have said something funny. :) I had been pretty good about taking pictures before church on Sunday, but this is the first one in a few weeks.

We had a great weekend! It was nice to get to resume our normal Saturday routine and watch football all day. We did get out and go to Target and Best Buy so I could do a little bit of walking. We are trying to debate on whether to buy a new camera or a new video camera. And of course Hal needs no excuse to go to Best Buy anyway.

Hal and I were blessed with a wonderful experience on Sunday. I had met an Asian woman who had come to our Sunday School class a couple of times. Our pastor has been doing a series on the names of God. Yesterday was Jehovah Kadesh- God is Holy. He used Isaiah 6:1-8 to talk about God's holiness and the reaction we should have in the presence of His holiness. We see the seraphs covering their faces and their feet in the presence of God's holiness. He also talked about how we are too sinful to approach God on our own and this was the reason for Jesus' sacrifice. When we acknowledge our need, His blood covers our sin and makes us acceptable in God's eyes. During the invitation at the end of the service, I noticed this woman I had met come to the front and get on her knees in front of the altar. She stayed there with her head bowed and the pastor went to her and called his wife over to be with them as well. As he ended the service, he let us know that she had accepted Christ as her Savior. She had come to church after reading about a music event and had kept coming. I was so struck by her reaction. She came face to face with the holiness of God, realized her need for a Savior and her inadequacy, and her response was to humble herself and get on her knees and bury her face in her hands. It was amazing to see the scripture of Isaiah 6:1-8 lived out in someone's life. Altar calls and invitations are so commonplace in our churches today....I often find myself going through the motions each Sunday. This woman's response challenged and humbled me. Yes, I have accepted Jesus as my savior, but I need to have that same humility and reverence every day!

Isaiah 6:1-8

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Fireproof Date Night

We have been wanting to see Fireproof since it came out and we finally made it last night! The movie started at 7. Hal got home around 6ish and this prego couldn't wait until after the movie for dinner, so we smuggled in our dinner in my purse. :) Subway is my friend right now. I usually have at least 2 veggie subs a week. It was quite nice to watch previews that were tasteful and know you weren't going to have to worry about language or in anything else in the movie you were getting ready to watch!

The movie was great! We loved Facing the Giants (made by the same folks) even though the acting might have been a little lacking. Fireproof was a step up for sure, but that wasn't the reason we loved it. It strongly portrays two powerful messages: the Gospel of Salvation and the covenant of marriage. I think it is kind of like going to a 2 hour mini marriage conference. It is a good reminder about the role God plays in your marriage and little things that you can do for your spouse. If you haven't seen it yet, go see it.

After the movie, we went to Chili's for molten chocolate cake. I let Hal have a few bites. :)

Doctor's Appointment-34 Weeks

I am not sure how you can call it a doctor's appointment when you see the doctor for less than 5 minutes! :) I guess it is a good thing that the appointment was in and out! Drew's heartbeat sounded great and my growth was good. We are still measuring right on schedule. I did have more weight gain this time than we would have liked, but he felt that most of it was water weight. My ankles, feet, and hands are puffier than normal! He said...keep doing what you are doing and see you in 2 weeks.

I like early morning doctor's appointments...they get me up and going. I have already been to the grocery store this morning after the appointment. The rest of the day will be filled with laundry, Bible Study, writing, and probably a nap. Tonight we are having Taco Soup...yum! I can't wait.

A List of Things

1. I finally put out my fall pumpkins last week. It was hard for me to put them out when I could look out my back door and see palm trees in my yard. The fall season is still one of the things I miss the most about Northwest Arkansas. I have also been craving a big pot of Taco Soup. I told Hal we could turn the air way down and pretend it was chilly outside. :)

2. I have been on a Drew clothing fast for a few weeks now. I had to make myself stop! The kid seriously has a closet full of clothes. I kept finding good sales. How can you pass up cargo shorts and polo shirts for $1.99? I bought them in several sizes!

3. I love pumpkin flavored anything.....and it makes me very happy that Starbucks has their Pumpkin Spice Latte's back. It is a mouthful to say, "I would like a Grande, non-fat, decaf, Pumpkin Spice Latte with whipped cream please." :)

4. Hal is going on his annual guys weekend tomorrow. They are going to the Kentucky/Arkansas game. Saturday night I am hosting a Girls Night Out for our Sunday School class.

5. When people ask me how I am feeling, I have decided I am just going to say "big and pregnant." :) I feel great...but of course my back is hurting and I am tired, so I think "big and pregnant" will cover those.

6. I am loving studying the life of Moses this year. Hal and I were challenged by how much Moses' parents were able to teach him about God at such a young age. One of the gifts I received at my shower from a mentor of mine was a book of 365 Devotionals/Bible Stories for parents to read with their kids. On the inside cover she encouraged us to start early with the tradition of sharing these with Drew each night. We are looking forward to it!

7. We had our first class at the hospital last weekend. It was a nursing class...very informative. Our next class is our all day Birthing class the first weekend of November.

Doctor's Appointment- 32 Weeks

I guess it is time for a pregnancy update....I went to the doctor this morning. He said everything is looking great! I am measuring right at 32 weeks. My weight looks good. Drew's heartbeat was "perfect." I go back October 21st and November 4th. After that, I will be going every week! I can't believe that I am almost to my weekly appointments.

I am still feeling great. Of course as I continue to get bigger, I am starting to have back aches and feel more tired, but that just goes with the territory. The only trouble I have had with swelling is if I am on my feet a lot or if I get too hot. I really can't complain!

Hal is getting even more excited. I hear him say just about every day that he is ready for little man to be here! Of course, I agree, but I am sure he will be here before we know it.

Shower for Drew

The ladies in our Community Group did a brunch shower for us on Saturday. My friend Christi hosted it at her home. I really had a great time and we feel so blessed to have such a wonderful church family! We settled into a church much faster with this move and it has been a big help in the transition.

We had this yummy, precious cake!

I love this little onesie!

This was a super cute gift! It was clothesline full of cute outfits. There was a tag with a blue rope on top of the mini laundry basket that said "pull slowly." As I pulled the cord out, they were all on the clothesline.

A nursing coverup I had been wanting...we had to test it out!

Marcie and Christi. Marcie is expecting her first baby in January. The shower was at Christi's. She has been such a blessing to me! Christi and her husband have two girls that are precious. Maybe we can make a match for Drew. :)

Me with my super sweet friend Rachel. She and her husband Marcus are our community group care group leaders. We have enjoyed getting to know them and their two kids.

What's up for the weekend?

Every week seems to fly by! I can't believe it is already the weekend again, but I am not complaining. Weekend=more Hal time. Tonight we are going to rent Leatherheads and have dinner here at home. Tomorrow Hal will be working during the day, and I have a shower. My friend Christi is hosting a shower at her home. Several ladies from our church community group will be there. I am pretty sure tomorrow night will involve watching football! I mean...what else would Hal and Lindsay do on a Saturday night in the fall? Sunday we will be off to church and then probably to eat at our favorite place, The Broken Egg, for lunch. If you have been to visit us here in Florida, then I am sure we have taken you there!

We do want to see Fireproof as well. Have any of you seen it? If so, what did you think? If we go, I will give you my review?

Have a great weekend!

Orlando at 31 weeks

Saturday night we went to Orlando to have dinner with our friends the Binns'. We met them at Downtown Disney and had dinner at Rainforest Cafe. It was great to catch up with them and see their son Byron! It is such a treat when people come to Orlando and we get to see them. Before dinner, we made a quick trip to Ikea. We got the last few things we needed for Drew's room. I am pretty sure Ikea is a requirement for us to move anywhere!

This picture was taken at Downtown Disney...as you can see Drew is growing! :) I am feeling great. Just battling a little swelling in my hands and feet, but nothing to bad. I have been so blessed to have friends loan me clothes! Thanks for this pink dress, Kim. :) My friend, Mary also sent me a lot of clothes that I wear often.

Cravings and other things from the week

I haven't really had too many random pregnancy cravings...but this week has brought about a few. I woke up in the middle of the night and wanted carmel corn. I don't even really like carmel corn. Sunday during the sermon at church, I turned to Hal and wanted Pringles. He got me some that afternoon. :) The next craving was a throw back to childhood. I wanted one of those ice cream bars shaped like Mickey Mouse. His ears are dipped in chocolate...yum! We are going to Orlando tomorrow to have dinner with our friends, the Binns'. Hopefully we can find an ice cream bar!!

This week I gave my first BSF lecture since I started serving as Substitute Teaching Leader. I taught on Exodus 2:1-10, the birth of Moses. What a great passage for me to teach right now! It was easy to come up with illustrations and it was a very timely lesson for me about faithful action. I had really dreaded doing a lecture from the first minute I accepted the position, but God was so faithful in helping me through this first lecture. I had great joy in presenting it on Wednesday!

I have ordered Drew's carseat and stroller. Thanks to the friends and family that gave us giftcards. :) They should both be here next week! Hal picked up Drew's "going home" outfit while he was in Starkville this week. It is a super cute MSU outfit. I will have to post some of the clothes we have bought for him. We have had fun hitting sales and picking out clothes for him. One great thing about living in Florida is that you don't have to worry about seasons! He will definitely be a Polo boy like his Dad from time to time!

Have a good weekend!

Almost There....

We are getting oh so close to having Drew's room finished! Tonight we got his verse on the wall over his crib. We still need to hang Hal's jersey over the changing table, get a small table and floor lamp to go beside the chair, and finish the curtain. We are so pleased with the way it is coming together! It is also surprising how fast a room can fill up!





Crib with football bedding. Bookshelf we painted with his growing collection of toys. Sarah L did the letters above the bookshelf for my shower centerpiece.




Psalm 27:1 is the verse we picked for him. and are praying for him. Andrew means strong and manly and we felt this verse went along.



I love these crib sheets...they have vintage football players on them. The bedding is green courdroy with denim.



Mom and I recovered this chair when she was in here in late July. We got the monogrammed Razorback blanket at our shower in Fayetteville.


We had Hal's jersey framed to go above the changing table. We loved the way it turned out.

Fayetteville Weekend

We had a great weekend in Fayetteville....it just always goes to fast! We were on the go from the moment we landed. Friday I spent time at the bank visiting and Hal went to the Cooper plant to visit. Friday afternoon we headed to Cassville to see my brother's team play as well as hang out with my nieces and sister in law, Suzy. Saturday morning Hal dropped us off at our shower and he had breakfast with a friend. The shower was so much fun!!! It was wonderful to get to see so many people that are important to us in one place. We were also amazed at people's generosity in helping us get ready for Drew. That afternoon we hung out at my parents house. Saturday night we had dinner with Donnie at Amy at Tim's pizza...yum. :) Sunday we went to UBC, out to lunch with friends at Noodles, visited with my grandparents, and then headed for dinner with friends again. Whew...I am exhausted just typing this! As tiring as it was, it was so worth it.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. He said Drew's heartbeat sounded great at that I was measuring right at 29 weeks. I go back in 3 weeks and then will start going every 2 weeks after that. I can't believe we are only 2 1/2 months away from him being here! We are looking forward to this week. Hal's parents will be here tomorrow to spend a few days with us.

Enjoy the shower pictures below





My gift helpers...Kennedy and Landry.



Yummy food and so cute centerpice w/ Andrew's initials. I am going to hang these in his nursery.

.

Opening gifts...this one happens to be a Hog blanket! :)


Super cute diapers w/his initials.





Dad and Hal came by at the end of the shower to help us pack up.

XNA-EWR-TPA

We are home after a wonderful weekend in Fayetteville. We had a long day of travel but feel very blessed to have had two on time flights with Continental today since they are dealing with the aftermath of Ike. We were originally scheduled to connect through Houston to get back to Tampa, but changed our flight yesterday to connect through Newark. If we had kept our original plans, we would have missed our connection in Houston. We left Fayetteville around 10:00 central this morning and landed in Tampa at 4:15 eastern. We only had 40ish minutes to make our connection at Newark and it seemed that our gates were at the opposite end of the airport, but we made it! Hal had my bag, our carry-on suitcase, and his backpack and we moved as fast as my pregnant body would allow us!

I will put up pictures and details of our weekend tomorrow.

Yummy Recipe

Mom is always asking me what I am cooking for dinner....so I thought I would share with you guys as well! I enjoy getting the free Kraft Foods magazine. It is hit and miss for me...sometimes there are several things I try and other times I don't find much. There were several recipes I wanted to try in the Fall 2008 magazine. Last night we had Foil Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner. It was great and super easy. The recipe is meant to serve 4 so I just adapted it to make 2 foil packets and used what I had. The recipe below is for 4.

Foil Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

1 1/2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 Tbsp Taco Seasoning Mix
4 Small Boneless Skinless Chicken breast halves (I used two tenderloins per foil pack)
1 each: green and red pepper cut into strips
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Fold up all sides of each of four 18X12 inch sheets of heavy duty foil to form 1 inch rim; spray foil with cooking spray. Combine rice, water and taco seasoning; spoon onto centers of foil. Top with remaining ingredients.

Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal each packet. Place on baking sheet.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Let stand 5 min. Cut slits in top to release steam before opening packets.

We added guacamole and sour cream on top and few tortilla chips on the side.

Enjoy! Let me know if you try it! You can sign up to receive the Kraft magazine at kraftfoods.com.

Busy Week

BSF(Bible Study Fellowship) kicks off this week so it will be a busy week trying to get back in my routine! I need to get some writing done this week as well........and the BEST part of the whole week is that we leave for Fayetteville on Thursday afternoon! We are excited to get to see family and friends. And this prego girl is for some reason overly excited about Fayetteville food this trip! I am ready for Rick's sausage rolls, Slim Chickens, Tim's Pizza, Penguin Ed's, and JD China. Not sure how I am going to get all of those things in while I am there, but I am going to try! Hal would also add Loafin Joe's to that list and take off Slim Chickens...he doesn't appreciate the Cayenne Ranch like I do. :) Ymm...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Hospital Tour

We attended an information session and took a Hospital Tour last night. Our doctor's office is across the street from the hospital, but we had never been in the hospital itself. We both feel a little more at ease now that we know where we need to go! They walked us through every step of our visit starting with where we enter, labor triage (where they determine if you are truly in labor before they admit you), labor and delivery, and then the Mother Baby Unit. We learned about their security and the way we can allow visitors in, etc. We are praying that both of our parents will be able to be here! I think it was a little surreal for both of us as we stood in one of the labor and delivery rooms!

I have been feeling great! I had been having some rough pain in my ribs associated with costochondritis, but it has been much better this week. You may remember me mentioning costochondritis last October. Click here to see the old post that gives an explanation. It had been much better over the spring and summer until late July. My doctor said that as things starting shifting upward as the pregnancy progressed, I needed to expand which was causing the pain again. He warned it might not get better and would probably get worse, especially as Drew starts throwing punches to the ribs! :) I am grateful for the relief...even if it only lasts a few weeks!

What are we up to? Part 2

I am not sure how I left out one of my biggest projects!

*I am still writing for the student ministry for our church in Texas. I finished a study on Authority that will kick off the year and I am working on finishing a study of the book of James to fill out the rest of the semester.
*I also have a new friend here in Florida who writes for Lifeway and has mentioned me to her editor. I am going to be contacting them and sending some of my work in. Not sure where it will lead...but we will see!

I am off to watch a friend's little girl for a few hours and then headed for my weekly Friday lunch with Hal. Five Guys burgers....ymmmm! We are looking forward to this long weekend as I am sure most of you are as well. I would love to hear what all of you are doing!

What are we up to?

Fall seems to be the time that everything gets into full swing.

*Hal and I started a Leadership Class at our church, Sarasota Baptist. The class is a 32 week course that meets on Wednesday nights. This semester we are doing a survey of the Old Testament and the Spring Semester will be a survey of the New Testament. We will also cover Bible Doctrines and do scripture memory. We are both so excited to get to this class and the fact we get to do it together makes it even better!
*BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) starts back for me next week. This year I will be serving as Substitute Teaching Leader. I will have the privilege of teaching the Introduction Classes each month as well as teach seminars periodically. This year we are studying The Life of Moses. I am excited to start this as well....I love studying the Old Testament!
*Hal is busy at work but is getting settled into a routine. He is working long hours and has to work some Saturdays, BUT he is home every night and those hated drop offs at the airport are few and far between.
*Of course we are also getting ready for Drew. We keep talking about how fast late November/early December will come! We have his nursery almost done and I will post pictures once it is finished. We have several classes scheduled at the hospital for this fall, including a tour of the labor and delivery area next week. We were talking the other day that if I did go into labor, we wouldn't know where to go at the hospital other than the ER, so we will make sure we take care of that next week!
*We can't wait for Thursday night....the kickoff of college football! We have nothing planned for this Labor Day but watching football!

As you can see we are going to have a busy fall and a busy spring even if we weren't having a baby! I have struggled with feeling a little overwhelmed, but know that the Leadership Class and BSF are both things that God has called me to do. We are praying for childcare for Drew for two mornings a week after the first of the year so that I can continue with BSF. We know that having a baby changes everything, but we also know that we have a big God who can work out the details and is worthy of our time spent in service to Him. I repeat this to myself when I start to stress about finding childcare or wondering if I can handle it all.

Home from Houston

We had a great time in Houston! It was great to see Kim and Nate and to get to meet Owen and Blake. We also enjoyed spending time with Kim's mom who has been there for a few weeks to help Kim. Blake and Owen are doing great! We had so much fun getting to help out with them. Hal loved sitting on the couch and holding the boys on his chest. After a very long 8 months for Kim and Nate, it was such a blessing to see two beautiful boys and their two wonderful parents who couldn't be happier!

Saturday night we went downtown for our friend Vani's birthday party. It worked out great that we happened to be in town. It was great to see here as well as a few other friends from Houston. Happy Birthday Vani!

Sunday we headed to church. We were able to visit with friends we had meet through the student ministry as well as see the students we worked with. It was a great end to the weekend!

25....almost 26 weeks

I had a few emails while we were gone asking about where we were registered. I posted links to the registries on the right side of the page.

So Long Fay

Fay made landfall farther south than they expected and only as a tropical storm. We haven't had any rain yet....just a little wind but they say we should see rain this afternoon. Looks like our plans for the week will go on! We are so excited to go to Houston. We will be staying with Nate and Kim and get to help them with Blake and Owen for a few days. We will also get to see Kenny an Susannah and their baby, Luke who was born last Friday. Saturday night we will be celebrating our friend Vani's 30th Birthday. It will be a busy trip.....but a much needed visit with friends!

Fay, Fay, Go AWAY

Listen up Fay....this is what I need you to do. I need you to come across Cuba tonight and take a rouie (a.k.a a right turn) and head out to the open waters of the Atlantic. I hear the waters out there are nice and you can get as big as you would like and not harm anyone. Thanks!

We are of course watching Fay. We have our water, lights, food, batteries, etc. I am scheduled to leave for Houston on Wednesday afternoon and Hal is supposed to follow me on Thursday. We are praying on trip goes on as planned!

Snoogle

I have a new best friend.....my snoogle(see the pic of the lovely lady demonstrating above.) I was having trouble sleeping and couldn't get comfortable. I had read about the body pillow called a Snoogle, but I figured it was just a gimmick. After a few more nights of trying to manage multiple pillows, I gave in and bought a snoogle. It was a wise purchase! Although it does take up a little room in the bed...I am sleeping better and I am pretty sure that means Hal is sleeping better too! He is in Mexico this week, so the Snoogle and I have the bed to ourselves.

Olympics

We are addicted to the Olympics. We watched it all weekend long starting with the opening ceremony. We loved watching swimming, gymnastics, and basketball. I don't even mind if I know the outcome...I just love watching it! I have found myself laughing at a few of the events. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about sports and I have to admit I didn't know there was ever such a thing called handball. I couldn't quit watch it without laughing....just seems odd. It is like a mix of soccer, basketball, and volleyball and I can't quite figure out the rules! Hal is out of town this week so I will be catching lots of Olympic action! :)

Progress

I just got back home from dropping off mom at the airport in Tampa. We had a very busy and productive week. We spent quite a bit of time in Drew's room. Saturday, mom, Hal, and I painted his room and a bookcase. Mom and I also worked on covering a chair and ottoman for his room as well. We have a few more things to get it finished up and then I will post pictures. Mom and I also painted a large chest blue to put in mine and Hal's room. We also managed to find some time to go shopping....of course Drew came away with a few things. I seem to have a hard time buying clothes larger than 6 months. :)

ABC World News Tonight

I have shared the story of our friends Nate and Kim Stroh with you over the last few months and many of you have been so gracious to pray for them. The boys were born on July 3rd...both boys are doing very well and it looks like Owen will get to come home this week with Blake soon to follow. Last night they were featured on ABC World News Tonight....click HERE to read the story and see the video.

Nate and Kim are both thrilled that they were able to spread the message about Twin Twin Transfusion with over 8 million viewers last night. Early detection is key in order to treat this condition.

Hal and I are looking forward to our trip to Houston in August to meet Blake and Owen and spend time with Nate and Kim. Please continue to keep them all in your prayers.

21 Week Belly

My photographer a.k.a my neice Jessica took a picture for me to post today. Drew is starting to make his presence known not only by my expanding waistline but also by his little hands and feet. Have a good weekend!

Company's A Coming

Hal and I are so excited that our niece Jessica is coming to spend a week with us. I am picking her up in Tampa this afternoon and she will be here until Monday. We are going to do some shopping, probably go to the beach, head to Orlando on Saturday, and who knows what else we will get in to. The picture to the left is of us in Tennessee last summer....my belly is a little bigger this summer. :)

After she leaves on Monday, I head back to Tampa to pick my mom up on Tuesday. She will also be here for a week.

Really?

As I was watching Drew on the ultrasound screen, I couldn't help but think what I am pretty sure a lot of moms have thought before, I realize it isn't an original thought! I kept thinking...."how in the world can anyone look at that screen and not believe in God?" I just can't imagine not believing in the one and only creator God. I mean something like that can't just happen out of nowhere....and it doesn't evolve. It could only come about by the all knowing, all wise, creator God. He is the only one that can make something out of nothing....just as He did when He created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it.

I realize that I write this from a bias perspective because I do believe and I know God personally, and it breaks my heart to think about another mother lying there and looking at that screen and not seeing the workmanship of God as they look at their child. It gives me a new way to pray for those around me and more importantly, it drives me to my knees in thanksgiving that I do believe and that I do have a relationship with the creator God. Sometimes, I think I can take that for granted.....how HUGE that really is. Actually, it is everything.

Have a good weekend.

It's A Boy!

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and learned that we are having a boy! There wasn't any guessing with this one....he was proud to let us know. :) We are both so excited to welcome Andrew (Drew) Edward Ramsey and with nieces on both sides our families are excited as well! The doctor thought everything looked great as far as development and I am feeling great. Above is a side profile pic of Drew.

NYC

For some reason I couldn't get the pics at the bottom...so read the post at the bottom. It will better explain the pics. :) Magnolia Bakery- Greenwich Village
Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery
Before "A Catered Affair"
I guess you can call that a baby bump. :)
Dessert after the show....yummy cheesecake! :)

We had a great time this weekend! I was quite able to keep up our usual NYC pace, but we were still able to do alot. We battled a little bit of rain, but that didn't stop us. We left Sarasota around noon on Thursday and with two on time flights we were in the city by 7:30. We headed out to dinner at The Eatery in the Clinton/Hell's Kitchen area and had a great meal. Hal had some super yummy mac and cheese. Friday we were in a cab headed for the Lower East side by 9:00 and had breakfast at Clinton Street Baking Co. This restaurant was in an interesting neighborhood that we had visited before. The breakfast was great! I had seen the owner on Martha Stewart and it didn't disappoint. We then headed for one of my favorite places in the city, Century 21. Century 21 is like TJ Maxx but 1000 times better. It is in a former bank building right across from the World Trade Center site. I managed to come away from there with some shoes. :) We then walked up Broadway to Greenwich Village. We love just walking the city...you never know what you will find. We loved Greenwich and managed to find Magnolia Bakery. There were people wrapped around the block to get cupcakes....they were great! We continued to on to one of our favorite areas, the Flatiron District/Madison Square Park. There is an interesting store Fishs Eddy there that we found last time. They have really interesting stuff. We were planning on watching the big fireworks show along the East River, but after walking all the way over there.....we ended up leaving! I wasn't feeling that great and we realized we hadn't eaten dinner and had only grabbed something quick for lunch so we headed for dinner and then watched the fireworks on TV! :) Saturday we dodged the rain by going in and out of the stores on 5th Ave and then heading up to Bloomingdale's. Saturday night we had a great dinner at Dervish Turkish and then we to see A Catered Affair. The show was different than expected but wonderful. Sunday we walked around a little in the morning and then headed for the airport! I am leaving out a ton I am sure...thanks for letting us share our trip with you! You can click on the restuarant/Store names to see a link to their website. :)

2:00 AM

Our flight landed in Sarasota at 2:00 AM this morning. After being delayed out of La Gaurdia we got to Atlanta to another 4 hour delay...we left Atlanta at 12:30. Gotta love it when bad weather shuts down the busiest airport in the country for a few hours on the end of a holiday weekend! At least we made it home and our flight wasn't cancelled!!! I will put up pics and more about our trip later....we had a great time!

Our patio

I like lots of things about our new house, but I think that my favorite thing is our patio. Our house backs up to a nature preserve so there will never be houses behind us. It seems like there is always a good breeze out there so you can often find me out there in the morning with my journal and my Bible. In the evening, we love to eat dinner out there. Last night, we watched the lightning of a storm as it approached. View of the patio
Another patio view Flowers mom helped me plant
The preserve view from my table on the patio
Our table and chairs......notice our mascot to the right. :)

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend...it just seems like they aren't long enough these days for Hal! We tried a new pizza restaurant on Friday night that we really enjoyed. Hal needed to go into to work on Saturday so I got up and went in with him around 8:00. We took breakfast to the the guys working at the plant and then I worked on getting his office cleaned up. He has been in the office almost 3 months, but hasn't had the time to unpack boxes. We were there until almost 2:00. I took the rest of the time to work on the study of James I am writing for HAFBC Student Ministry and work on some of our plans for our trip to NYC over the 4th of July. I found a place to buy discount Broadway tickets and we got 1/2 price tickets for A Catered Affair on Saturday night. We then spent the afternoon working on a few things around the house.

Yesterday we were lazy and didn't make it to Sunday School. We made pancakes and then got ready for church. After church we went to Moe's (kind of like Chipotle or Flying Burrito) to eat and we ran into a couple we have met at church. Their kids were out of town and they asked us to sit with them for lunch. We ended up talking to them for over an hour....it was a nice treat! We have meet a lot of really nice people, but we haven't had many "real conversations" with people. It was nice to feel like we were really getting to know someone! Last night 3 young trainees who work from Hal came over for dinner. It is fun to treat them to a home cooked meal while they are away from home.

Sonic

If someone wanted to make a few bucks, I think they should look into putting 15 Sonic franchises in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. After living in the land of Sonics a.k.a. Fayetteville, AR or Humble, TX, I am dying of thirst in Sarasota! My car said it was 99 degrees today while I was out and about.....and all I needed was a Large Diet Limeade from Sonic, but Sonics are few and far between around here so I had to settle for a bottle of water when I got home. Okay...I am done throwing a fit. All of you Fayetteville and Humble people think of me when you are enjoying your Sonic drinks. :)

Update

I have been getting in trouble for not being regular with my postings. So here is an update on a random assortment of things!

*We had our monthly checkup on Monday and had a great report. The heart beat sounded strong and my blood work was good. We go back on July 14th for an ultrasound and hopefully we will know whether Baby R is a boy or girl. I am not really "showing" yet...I just look like I have put on a few pounds. I am feeling really good and my current random craving is vinegar. Weird...I know, but I can't get enough of it. Everyday I have to have tomatoes and cucumbers cut up with vinegar and oil.

*Mom and Dad where here for a week earlier this month around my birthday. We were super busy while they were here. They helped with things around the house and in the yard. We showed them around Sarasota and took them to Orlando on Saturday. For my birthday we went to dinner at a restaurant in our favorite area of Sarasota, St. Armands Circle. Hal totally surprised me with a beautiful bracelet for my birthday. I say totally surprised me because I can usually figure out or at least come really close to what he is getting me, but I had no idea!

*Hal and I have been tossing around a few different ideas for what to do over the 4th of July weekend. We talked about Savannah and Washington DC, but I think we are going to end up with old faithful and head back to NYC. We love the city and wanted to make sure we went back before baby gets here. We are going to book the tickets tonight....my guess is we will end up with NYC.

*The house is coming along...all of the boxes are unpacked now. I am working on getting pictures hung and getting things organized.

*I still haven't seen a gator....I am pretty sure that they don't exist in Florida.

Request

A few weeks ago I posted about our friends Nate and Kim Stroh and their twin boys, Owen and Blake. (A picture of Kim on Mother's Day is to the left) The post is titled An Article to Read in case you didn't read it. Kim has made it 5 weeks from her surgery date! They have had a few ups and downs since the surgery date. Yesterday she was admitted to the hospital for an indefinite period. Owen, the larger twin, is now loosing fluid and they can't determine why. If he were to roll over on his umbilical cord, it could cut off his blood flow. Blake, the smaller twin, is almost 1 full pound smaller than Owen. They are going to be monitoring Kim as well as giving her a steroid injection to help with the boys lungs in case they have to take them. Please take a few minutes as you read this and pray for the following.

*Pray that the boys would make it to July 4th (32 weeks) or July 11th (33wks).

*Pray for peace for Kim as she spends time for the hospital.

*Pray for Nate as he trying to balance work, being with Kim, and concern for the boys.

Thank you so much for your prayers.