16 Weeks and Counting . . .

Well, a lot has happened since our last post. We got ridiculously busy with 2 musicals, 2 end-of-the-year choir concerts, 3 graduations, and just the run-of-the-mill end-of-school madness. I love teaching, but I have never (and I truly mean it)--never been more excited to see the last day of school come and go. It seemed like the year flew by, and then May just came and sat there. Anyway, all's well that ends well, and school ended well.

NOW IT'S SUMMER!!!! YAY!

So far this summer, we have done some professional development at school (yay for foldables!), went "camping" with the Lucas clan (I say "camping" because all of our nights were spent at the Lucas' wonderful, DRY home.), went to church camp at Cedarmore with our youth group, and then went to visit my Aunt Susanne and brother David and Bhavini up in Lexington. We've also gotten to go to Glasgow a couple of times to see my parents. All in all, it has been a fantastic summer so far! We are looking forward to heading to Florida for our "Babymoon" in a couple weeks to relax and spend some quality and quantity time with just the 2 of us. I am SUPER excited about that!

Here are some Lucas' camping trip pictures. Here's the campsite and Layman and Jacquie making breakfast--it was really yummy!

While they were slaving away, Byron and I took a walk with Drew and Tyler. Here is Byron and Drew--how sweet!!

Here are Drew and Tyler throwing rocks--Byron is overseeing the project.

Here is Tyler hiding in the Kia.

Here is Drew hiding in the Kia. He's saying, "Come in here with me!" We wish we could!!

The happy parents-to-be!

Tyler was in charge of our boat outing (with the help of Uncle Byron and Papaw, of course!). But, he honestly drove most of the way--I was super impressed! Way to go, Cap't T!

Probably the most exciting thing of the summer so far is that we had our first Ultrasound on Thursday (also Mom's birthday!)! It was the neatest thing I have ever seen--little hands and little feet moving and bending, the little heart beating like crazy, and baby Lucas somersaulting all over the place! Jamie Milam (a friend at church that works at the Medical Center Maternity Ward) told me to drink a Dr. Pepper an hour before the appointment so that the baby would move and they would be able to tell if baby is a boy or girl! Boy, did he/she move!! The problem was that the umbilical cord was in the way---so baby Lucas is looking to be just as stubborn as his two parents! Yikes! ;0)

In this first picture, baby Lucas is facing foward. You can see the "orbits" where baby Lucas' eyes will be. You can also see two hemispheres of the brain, the baby's stomach (it's the little black hole in the middle of the tummy), and you can also see an upper lip!

Here's baby Lucas' first Profile Pic! It looks to me like you can see the formings of his/her jaw, the skull, and the spine! And, just so you know, we also got to see feet and the four-chamber heart beating away!
This is probably my favorite picture, because you can see baby Lucas' hand! It doesn't get any sweeter than that!!

Hopefully the next post won't be too long in coming! We have our next Dr.'s appointment on Friday, July 3--then, I think we'll schedule another ultrasound so we can hopefully start fixing the nursery!!

"We're Having a Baby, My Baby and Me!"

Here's the two of us on Sunday, March 29. We're at the NCAA Men's Final Four Game in Indianapolis. We had no idea what we'd find out just a few short hours later!!!That weekend, for some reason, I just felt like taking a pregnancy test. I had taken one a week or so before this (March 13ish) and it had come out negative. So, when we got home from Indianapolis, I went to the bathroom and took this test. When I looked at it, there was a faint pink line next to the dark pink line. So, I called for Byron to come there! We're were pretty giddy initially, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.....so I sent him out for another test. I took that the next morning, and--same faint line! The next day, we bought a fancy smancy digital test. It's result was pretty clear: Pregnant. We were SOOOO excited!!!! God is so good!

Three postive tests!! What an awesome sight!!!

We called and got an appointment to have the blood work done--just to make sure before we told people the good news. And, on Monday, April 6, it was "medically confirmed!" My first prenatal appointment with Dr. Mody was on Thursday, April 9 at 11:00 (Spring Break was at the absolute perfect time!). On this day, more tests were run, and an initial due date for Baby Lucas was set for December 1!

We told our families the exciting news on Easter Sunday. We put M&M's in Easter eggs with a little slip of paper in each, saying "Happy Easter, Nana, Pa, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, etc......Love, Little Lucas #1 (on my side) and Little Lucas #3 (on Byron's side). It was so fun to see each person realize what it meant in their own time! Best Easter we've had yet!

We had our second prenatal appointment on Friday, May 8 at 3:30pm. At this appointment, we got to hear the heartbeat!! It was the coolest thing I've ever heard. And it definitely made everything more real. What a neat sound--I had to control my giggling so we could hear it! Dr. Mody had the great idea of recording it---so here it is! It fluctuated anywhere from 172-192 beats per minute! Little Lucas is already going strong!!

We were also told that I could be anywhere from 10 weeks and 4 days to 12 weeks and 4 days pregnant. She'll know more once she sees the ultrasound. So my due date is probably closer to December 1, but could be as early as November 14!

And here's a picture of my belly before I really start showing. It feels a little different--especially when I roll over in the bed. I think I might be showing a little, and my Mom definitely does! So here's me at 11-13 weeks pregnant!!!

For purposes of the blog, we'll just say that I'm 11 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow. That way we can post about what the baby looks like, how big it is, etc. Here's a picture of what our baby should look like right now! I love the fact that you can know this stuff--so cool! And Little Lucas is about the size of a lime now--growing so big already!!

To end this way overdue post.....here's a few things I've been craving over the past several weeks. It's really been interesting--I've wanted very specific things from very specific restaurants....and I've found you cannot substitute. Substitution is not good. And, pretty much every other food besides the one I want--not good. It's crazy! Poor Byron. Anyway---here goes the list as far as I can remember---Banana Peppers (before I knew I was pregnant), Mom's chicken casserole (came to me during morning prayer at church---this was the first craving I really remember), O'Charley's Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad, Olive Garden Salad :), Fazoli's Bread Sticks, Captain D's Batter Dipped Fish (with lots of ketchup), Sausage biscuits from McD's, Egg Biscuits from McD's, Grapefruit, Thin Crust Sausage Pizza from Pizza Hut, Grilled Cheese with mustard, Cheese Sticks from Pizza Hut, Chocolate Ice Cream, Rafferty's Salad..... It's so funny. I haven't wanted sweets (except for the chocolate ice cream)--just starches. The thought of green beans make me sick, as does most vegetables. Fruits are great--especially strawberries, pineapples, apples (and the aforementioned grapefruit!). I've really just been eating whatever sounds good, taking my vitamins, and hoping for the best---good news is that I didn't gain any weight from my first dr visit to the second! I was a little worried...

Anyway, we'll try to keep this updated so everyone can see how far along we are! We love you all and can't wait to bring Little Lucas into the world to be loved by all of you!

FreeRice.com

I am so excited about this website!! Anytime you ever feel bored or just want to pump up your vocabulary, just go to this site. The awesome part is that it isn't just the pointless games that we usually play on our iPod (sudoku, 10 million forms of solataire, etc). It's actually something that is helpful to those most in need. For every vocabulary word you correctly match with its synonym (don't worry--it's multiple choice!), the UN will donate 10 grains of rice to feed the hungry. Ten grains of rice isn't a lot, but that number will grow exponentially if more and more people tap into this awesome resource!! Last night, in literally 5 minutes, I earned 800 grains of rice. How exciting! I'm definitely going to tell all my friends, as well as the teachers at school--what a great way to use extra time in the computer lab for kids that finish early! Anyway, check this site out OFTEN--every day, even! (And there's no penalty for wrong answers, so you can go all day!)

Also--look in the "subject" heading and you can quiz yourself over math, geography, spanish, and other things, all the while helping the World Food Program! SWEET!!

Come Back, Cats!

Wow. That's really all I can say. Anyone who saw the Kentucky-Vanderbilt game will know exactly what I'm talking about. That was an amazing display of awful. I miss the days when Kentucky could be down by like 20 points with 2 minutes to go, and yet somehow they would always manage to pull it out in the end. I guess that's why I used to get so disappointed (especially in the tournament) when they would actually lose. I remember one year (probably elementary school) when my brother and I were dressed in all Kentucky gear with pom poms and all, rooting them on to a crazy comeback.....and they LOST! I can't remember if David did, but I know I threw my pom-pom down and cried. Pretty sad, or pretty hilarious, depending on how you look at it. Actually, it's both.

Anyway, where have all the Tony Delks, Jamal Mashburns, and Travis Fords gone?? I love Jodie Meeks, but people, he's got to have some help. Some of you were stepping up, but wow. We lost to Vandy. Badly. Not cool, not cool.

Today was a very hard day. We went to the funeral of a sweet, smiling, life-loving young lady. It's one of those days where I'm reminded of the Fall and of the fact this is not how God intended life to be. It's also one of those days when I'm reminded of God's unfailing love to His broken and sinful and selfish creation. Because of what Christ did on the cross, this life is not the end. Death is but the passing into eternal life, and for that I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving. I'm reminded of the Casting Crowns song, "Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth, would care to know my name?" I'm confident in the promises God has made in Scripture--that He has prepared a place for us, and that He will come back to take us to be with Him forever. I am confident in them because God is the faithful God who has always kept His promises. Reading His Word confirms this. My own life confirms this. He has never failed me yet, and I put all my hope in Him.

We sang a song today by Chris Tomlin called, "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)." Something that has brought me joy today is knowing that Emily has received the promises. I still wait--we all still wait--for their fulfillment. But she has received the salvation promised her when she first trusted Christ to be her Savior and Lord. How beautiful. The song says, "My chains are gone, I've been set free. For God, my Savior, has ransomed me. And, like a flood, His mercy reigns. Unending love, amazing grace." I can praise God even though my heart breaks because her chains are gone and she's been set free to sing, dance, and love with complete abandon. I'm sure that's what she is doing--all three at once. Emily Long was an amazing person. I'm so thankful that I got to know her for a little while. On this side of heaven, the world is a little less bright, but now she shines in perfect reflection of the glory of God. I miss her.

Getting Historical...

So, I'm a huge dork, but I love all things history. I'm the one who likes to stop at all the historic sites on long road trips, take millions of pictures, and then get the free brochure before I leave. I love Washington, D.C.--I could visit the Lincoln Memorial 200 times and still not be bored. It's just amazing to think about where we have been and to be hopeful about where we're going. So, even though I didn't vote for Barack Obama and even though I disagree with him on several issues, I was psyched about today. It is very rare that you get to live through something so huge in history and know it at the time. I am hopeful that our new President will be contagious. I am hopeful that all of our citizens of this great country will take this opportunity to start fresh and to start doing something good. We've done too much bad and been too indifferent and been too lazy. It takes everybody and it takes individuals. We all will have to sacrifice and we will all have to work and to care to make sure no one in the most prosperous nation in the world goes hungry or has to sleep outside. It's been unbelievable to watch how the country has embraced Barack Obama over the past year. There are even Obama bobble head dolls! There are 512 songs about Obama on iTunes. My hope is that we do more than just Amen his message of change. My hope is that we actually will. My prayer for him is that he never forget who put him in power. I pray that he will seek God and that God will grant him wisdom for the years ahead. I also pray for our country, that we would turn back to God--we've gotten scarily far away in the past 60-70 years. Interestingly, Obama's Inaugural speech was very biblically true. His words contained a lot of wisdom and I hope that's a good sign of things to come. And no one can deny that he is a fantastic speaker--he has the ability to inspire us to new dreams, which I pray he uses wisely and justly.

On a completely different note, Yo-Yo Ma played--no, threw down--at the Inaugural Ceremony. I can't imagine how cold his fingers must have been. It's amazing he could move them at all. I've always loved Yo-Yo Ma, but today he just shot up 200% in popularity points.

So, President Obama, I am behind you 100% as our new President. You are the man for at least the next four years and I'm in your corner. And, by the way, Michelle Obama was completely beautiful today--I'm hoping in her to do great things, too. Here's to a completely awesome day.

Dad's birthday

Well, today my dad turned 61! Kind of amazing that he is that age. He seems so young, but yet he's looking to retire in just a few years. It just reminds me how quickly life can get away from you. I hope we start to slow our lives down enough to really make the most of the family and friends we have.

Dad, Happy 61st Birthday! I Love You!
Love, Byron