Fun Filled Weekend

We went looking for baby furniture this weekend. It was really fun looking at all of the different styles that are available. Boy is it expensive though! We went to Snellville and then to Athens. The place in Athens was having a big annual event with free prizes, raffles, and sales. I used my raffle tickets for a chance to win a crib mattress, a diaper bag or a breast pump. The raffle is next week, so let's hope you hear me yelling from excitement after I win!

We found two sets that we like and will likely mix and match the crib and dresser based on what we like, but here is a photo of one of the ones that is the front runner (although we will get a hutch to go with the dresser also):



Our fun-filled baby weekend continued yesterday as we attempted to continue our cleaning process in the guest room and baby room to prepare it for transition. I had no idea we had so much junk! We had a productive day and I know Mike had to be tired after moving furniture and bending over a million times to pick things up since he won't let me bend over! It was fun though. The night ended with me on 11 Alive Sports Extra. Yes, I was on the sports section of the news. Although I was mad they cut my cameo out, it does show me with the group yelling Go Dawgs, so that was good.

All together though, it was a very productive weekend. Baby Parsons must have agreed since in the middle of the night Saturday, I was awake for about 30 minutes as he/she kicked around in my belly. Fun times!

We can't wait until the appointment Thursday so that we know if it is a boy or girl!!

First Fireworks (well, sort of) for Baby Parsons

We went to Mom and Pops lakehouse for the 4th of July festivities this year. Boy were there some fireworks! It was said that the people across the lake had spent over $5,000 on their display (although it seemed like much more than that) and our immediate neighbors spent $1,000 which they tied together to have a grand finale for our viewing pleasure. It was a big overwhelming seeing all of the fireworks bursting all over the lake for so long, but Baby Parsons was calm and did not seem to be bothered by all of the noise! :)

It was a special treat because Cousin (Aunt) Laurie, Cousin Steve, Aunt Lou and Uncle Chuck came out from Texas to have a mini family reunion. It was so much fun. Cousin (or Aunt as she kept referring to herself all weekend) Laurie and Steve gave us the cutest onesie. It was very thoughtful and we appreciated them thinking of us.



I even showed off my domestic skills by creating some very yummy homemade ice cream which everyone seemed to enjoy very much. It was pretty tasty if I can say so myself (thanks mama for the recipe!)

Regardless, Mike and I are super excited that next year we will have a 6 month old to share the special holiday with family and friends!

"Get that thing off of me!"

I had another doctor appointment yesterday, this time with Dr. Person. It was definitely the most memorable so far! I wish Mike could have been there (although I recorded it for him to hear later). Baby Parsons was clearly very active in my tummy and every few seconds would kick when the doctor would press to clarify the sound of the heartbeat! I bet the baby kicked 5 times in less than 45 seconds. It was really funny. Doctor said everything was looking good and that my weight gain was good too! (I had only gained 3 1/2 lbs. in 4 weeks). Next appointment is the big one where we find out if it is a boy or a girl!

"Mahalo" (Thank You) for a Wonderful Vacation

The three of us made it back after a wonderful trip to Hawaii. The conference was great and the time afterward on the island was even better. Our best memory on the island was the night we went snorkeling with the manta rays. Two mantas swam by for a visit and it was absolutely amazing! "Vala-ray" was over 8 foot wide and did circles underneath us for quite some time! I had never been snorkeling before, so it was quite the experience for me. Mike wants to learn how to scuba dive now!



While we were there we visited the famous black sand beaches and got to see a green sea turtle. We wanted to bring some sand back to show people, but it was prohibited!



Eating was a little difficult for me over there with all of the fish selections that I was scared to try. So, I ended up eating a lot of burgers and chicken. Mike enjoyed the pulled pork at almost every meal. He had a goal to find the best on the island and decided that it was at our hotel (even over the luau)!

The trip back was not fun. I would not recommend it, especially to pregnant people. Things are back in swing though and we are still trying to catch up on our sleep from the wonderful vacation. We have so many great pictures and memories and are glad that we made it back safely!

ALOHA!

We are taking Baby Parsons across the pond for his/her first trip to Hawaii for 10 days on Friday morning! Wish us luck! We are excited about taking the "baby-moon" (that is what folks call these long vacations before you have a baby). Although I can't go horseback riding, jetskiing, or surfing (sorry Pops, I know you wanted me to take your grandchild for a first surfing lesson), we are still excited about all of the other things that await us after our 10 hour flight. See you all soon. ALOHA!!!

Baby's Heartbeat

Went to the doctor for week 13 checkup yesterday (June 9). It was so awesome because I got to hear the heart beat for the first time! Seemed to take forever for the doctor to find the heartbeat, but finally she did and it was the most awesome sound ever. We counted the beats afterward (since I was so excited I forgot to ask what the monitor said) and we estimated 150bpm. Mike couldn't take off work, so I recorded it for him. He was all smiles when he heard it. The best surprise was that my mom drove all the way up Sunday night (4 1/2 hours) to surprise us and go with me for the visit. I did not expect her to do this, but it was such a nice surprise and fun to have someone to go with me. More to come soon!

Chinese Gender Predictor - Don't waste your time!

Okay, so I heard about this Chinese Gender Predictor and decided to see what it was about. Real helpful...50/50 chance (you read the chart by looking at your age-which mine is 27). Wow...tell me something I didn't know! :) I guess I have to go back to my statistics classes to learn how they took a 50/50 percentage chance and still "predicted" a boy. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Go figure!