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.

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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!