My creation....

So today was my boss' work baby shower, they aren't going to find out what they are having until it is born. So we threw them a 'Gender Neutral' shower... with a Chocolate brown, green and yellow color scheme.. and I decided I would make the cake and matching cupcakes.... Here it is:

Did I do a good job or what?

Update!!!

I know I promised an update on Friday, but it was all together not such a great day! I guess with it being Friday the 13th I shouldn't have expect any less... So we will start from the beginning...

Nick and I went to my appointment 2/13/09 @ 8:30... I weighed in at... HA HA HA, you must think I'm crazy if you think I'm telling... Let's just say I was a pound over my normal weight. I do the normal pee in a cup thing and get situated to see the dr.. I am going to the same Dr. that deliveried Zoe. He is great, super laid back and I am extremely comfortable with him. So he does the exam and everything looks great - Thanks Doc, I try! Then comes the sono!!! Yay for sono!!! Well, he's doing his deal, he shows us the baby (or the blur of the baby) and the heartbeat... We couldn't heart it, we could only see the little flashing light... and he shows us the yolk sac and the ovaries, blah, blah, blah... Then "Hmmm I wonder what that is?" the doc says... WHAT?!!? You better be able to identify everything in there!!!! (Click on pic to make bigger)

Well, it turns out that I may have a placental cyst in with the baby... "I'm going to send you to a peri-natologist and have a high resolution sonogram to find out what this is. OK?" ---- Well, DUH! I'm not going to have this thing in with my baby!! So the doc leaves and it's just Nick and I in the room and I BREAK down!!! "I don't want there to be anything wrong with my baby!!" Nick of course goes into "Fix it Mode" and reassures me that everything is going to be ok and that we still "have a Peanut!" So, I dry up the tears and get some blood taken... Set my next appointment, again on Friday the 13th... (You think I should change it?), the nurse tells me they will call with the specialist appt. and grab my goodies and go... As soon as I get to the car... I cry!!! I was doing soo good... :(

Well, Nickhad to go to work and I took the day off... I immediately text my best friend, Betzy and call my mom. The two people I know that will research this and find every positive angle possible. Come to find out placental cyst are not the uncommon, 20 % of women who carry full term have them at delivery and almost all are benign. (Sp?) Placental cyst are most come with a 'missed twin'. Twin?! (WTF?) Then there are the few that aren't benign and cause retardation or can cause umbillical asphyxiation! WOW, great day so far!! So, I'm worried sick...

Fast foward to Saturday morning, Happy Valentine's Day!!! Or not! I'm still bummed and Zoe is in super lovey mode, which make me even more bummed cause I'm ruining her Valentine's day! So I decided we needed to eat donuts and have chocolate milk. So, one chocolate sprinkle, chocolate twist, 6 choco sprinkle donut holes, a cinnamon twist and two chocolate milks later... I'm a happy girl and so is she!! (No, I didn't eat all of that, I had the cinnamon twist, 3 donut holes and a chocolate milk, Yes, Zoe ate the rest!!) My dad called to let me know that my step grandmother 'Aunt Sharon' passed away friday evening. (I knew this was coming, but didn't expect it so soon, I will talk about this more later) and as if the weekend could get any worse, he also informed me that my brother (stepbro) Matt's dad had passed away too. WHAT?!?! My brother is only 16 and his dad passed away!! So this official is a terrible weekend!!! (I will talk more about the deaths in a later blog)

So fast forward to this week... I had my appointment with the specialist today!! My mom went with me for support, just incase. We got there early and had to wait a little bit... But they called me back to the room... "Get underdress from the waist down and we will be right back" The sono tech does a transvaginal sono. (did I mention the first was a transvag too?) She quickly identifies the baby and the heartbeat. We actually go to hear it this time... fast beating little booger... heart rate of 163... The baby measured in at a whole 1.71 cm!!!! lol. Then she starts looking at everything else.. my cervix, ovaries, the cyst on the ovary, (I knew about it) and then the placental cyst... She said at first glimpse she thought it was a missed twin, she also said that there isn't any blood flow to it, which I guess is a good sign. She took 18 pics, 3 of which were mine to keep! I am 8 weeks and one day preggo! I get re-dressed and the doctor comes in and does a regular sono... He said that in his expert opinion and based on the sono, that the tissue (no longer calling it placental cyst) at question is a 'missed twin'. He said that given the size of the sac compared to the size of the sac that is holding my baby, he thinks that the twin just never developed in the early gestational stage... in other words, my body tried to create two babies, but only one developed. He also said that the tissue will not harm the baby and should stay put until I'm full term. He said that I shouldn't miscarry the tissue and everything should be ok... He did say that I needed to return for another sono in 10-12 weeks! So, I scheduled my next appointment and went on my marry way. YAY for no more worries about placental cyst!!

So here are a few pics from today:

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!! I will blog another one later!!!

Stefanie

The cat is out of the bag.. Or it's in the oven!!!

So, I have been dying to tell the WHOLE world, that Nick and I are going to have another BABY!! That's right Zoe's going to be a big sister!!

I found out I am pregnant on Friday, January 16th, but decided no to tell everyone until we told our families. Well, the cat is out of the Bag! I told my mom and dad this past weekend! How did I tell them you ask? Well, I didn't, Zoe did!

When asked "Who are you a big sister to?" Zoe answered, " The Baby in Mommy's belly!" So cute!!! Everyone is excited! I think they are ready for another little one around.

I have my first ob/gyn appointment on Friday, February 13th. I will definately post the sono pics then. I'm soo EXCITED!!! I will keep everyone posted of course! I plan to take side view pictures monthly and will post them for everyone to see!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Stefanie

It's in the cards...

Last night, I decided to dig out my greeting cards and get my Christmas cards ready to send out. Well, when my Great Grandma passed away, I helped my Grandma sort through a HUGE box of greeting cards that Great Grandma had collected over the years. (which explains my liking to greeting cards, as I have my own collection) I found some cards that I really liked, and my Grandma let me take them home. I currently don't plan on using them, as I am keeping them since they were/are a part of my Great Grandma. I really miss her and think she was with me last night as I came across these two cards:

First Card: This card is kind of blurry, but it reads "We must become the change we want to see." - Gandhi.

Do you ever wish that certian aspects of life were different and wonder what needs to change? Well, I have been thinking about this for a while... and this card answers my question. The change needs to be within me. I must become the change I want to see.

Second Card: This card reads: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that who soever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16.

Wow, now I'm going to cry. This was the first Bible verse Great Grandma ever taught me. I was young and at the time thought it was boring to sit with her and go over and over and over the same verse about a gazillion times!!! Now, I look back and appreciate that Great Grandma took the time to sit with me and teach me such an important verse. This will be the first verse Zoe will learn and I'm going to ask my Grandma to teach it to her. I strongly feel that Great Grandma was with me last night and gave me these cards for a reason.

Thank you Great Grandma for loving and caring for me, then and now. I love you.

Stefanie

The Girl!

HOW FREAKING CUTE IS MY KID?! We had Zoe's 3 year old pics taken about two weeks ago and they turned out great!!! Here are a few for your enjoyment:

I love her. Can you tell?

Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful one. We went to my Dads for lunch, we ate, played video games, ate again and watched the Cowboys play. After my Dads we went to my Grandma's on my moms side for dinner, we watched the remainder of the game, ate MORE, talked, ate even more then we went home. My mom watched Zoe for Nick and I, so I could get the decorations up on Friday, without little hands all over them! Which was nice to not have to get up early on Friday!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love being with my family and am very thankful for all of them! This year was hard though, it was the first year without Great Grandma here to celebrate. I miss her dearly and thought about her all day! I did however, learn to make her Famous Sausage Balls! They were Yummy!! I think I'm going to start making them for all our special family events.

I made a list of the TOP TEN THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR!

1. My family (All of them, and I mean ALL, immediate and extended!!!)
2. My bestest friend in the whole world, Stephanie (Betzy)!!
3. Good health.
4. My job
5. Peanut Butter M&Ms (Love Em)
6. Our Daycare encourages prayer before meals and bedtime.
7. Mexican food
8. Good Friends
9. My daughter was able to meet my great grandma
10. My brother. He is my Hero and I love him very much!

Have a good week!

Stefanie

Princess and the Halloween Ball

So, I'm officially behind. Halloween was two weeks ago and I still haven't posted any pictures or blogged!!!

Halloween this year was very simple and easy. Zoe is not quite to the age of trick or treating yet, or it might be that I'm not ready for her to be yet... The day started with Zoe not wanting to wear her Halloween costume and wanting to wear her cheerleader costume. I had to beg her to wear it!! She ended up being ok with it once I had her all dressed and she looked soo cute!!! She is my little Princess! Here is a pic from the morning:

Nick had to work, tattooing all the crazies!! So My parents, (Mom & Shane and Dad & Suzanne) My grandma, (we call her Grammie Hammie) Zoe and I went to dinner at my ALL time favorite mexican food place in GP, Monterys Little Mexico. Then we went to Halloween Nights at Lonestar Park. It's done by the same peeps that do Prairie Lights @ Joe Pool Lake. It didn't cost much and there was tons of fun things for kids to do. Zoe had a blast!! They had a really creepy tunnel-o-spiders that Zoe didn't like at all. She cried everytime I got her remotely close to one of the BIG fake furry spiders, which I found terribly funny so I kept doing it! I know I'm not mother of the year this year, but it was really funny!

This is Zoe right before we left for dinner. Isn't she soo cute!!!!

This picture is inside the tunnel-o-spiders. Look at her DEATH grip on my shoulder!!!

Hillarious

Zoe played every game they had, so she could win lots of candy and prizes! She even got us playing so we could win her prizes!!!

They had face painting. So of course she had to get her face painted. She got a butterfly. She loves butterflies! (She gets one everytime she gets her face painted)

It was alot of fun for everyone to be apart of Zoe's Halloween. She loves being with her family and she had a great time!


After we left Halloween Nights, we went to the tattoo shop to see Daddy! She fell asleep on the way there, but was very glad to wake up and see her Daddy. We gave her a cute little hallowwen basket with toys and candy. All in all it was a great day! Happy Halloween Zoe and Everyone!



Ohh... I totally forgot to show off our Halloween Pumpkins! We bought a big pumpkin this year, but somehow it got a whole in it and was oozing nastiness, so we had to throw it away! But I bought some little ones and Zoe got one at the Pumpkin Patch with Zam. So we had 4 pumpkins and one BIG craft day! Zoe helped alot with painting and decorating our pumpkins. I think we might have to paint pumpkins every year! Here are our pumpkins: (I know it's blurry, sorry)

Nick is the White Ghost, I am the green Witch (of course), Isaiah is the Black vampire and Zoe is the Pink Princess!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!!

Always,

Stefanie

Aren't they cute!! Zoe painted the pink and green ones. She also covered the back of the pink one in silver glitter