Yep, that's right! This morning we found out that we are expecting a bouncing baby BOY! He was not shy at ALL in showing us his little manhood....haha! I could have SWORN he was a girl (and so did everyone else, for that matter!), but we are more than thrilled that a little boy is on his way! After our appointment, Justin wanted to take the ultrasound pictures to Kinko's to get them laminated. I thought that sounded like a great idea, so off we went. When he came back out, he looked really sad and confused. Neither one of us had any clue that the heat from laminating the pictures would completely wipe out the images. We immediately went back to the clinic to see if they could print us some more, but the ultrasound tech had a full schedule and was unable to help us out. However, when we go back in 4 weeks, we get to have ANOTHER ultrasound so that we can get some more pictures! So even though we didn't end up with any still images today, we still ended up with a DVD of the ultrasound, AND we get to have another one in 4 weeks. At first, we were both really disappointed about the pictures, but it's ok....Baby Boy Scarlet is one healthy little dude and that's all that matters! He weighs 13 ounces (almost a full pound, which is 16 ounces) and everything looks normal. His little heart was beating a quick 146 beats per minute....now, that COULD be because I had a cup of coffee this morning to make sure he was awake for his photoshoot :) Now for the fun part....the shopping and picking out his name! We are really leaning toward Brady James for now. We have a few other first names in mind, but Brady seems to be the one that we keep coming back to, and that everyone really likes. It was so wild to see him on the TV this morning. There are days that I still can't believe there is a little person growing inside of me. This is just one more thing that proves that God DOES exist! Thank you all for your support and your prayers. This sure is an amazing blessing, and we are so thankful to have people like you to share it with. Below is a picture of Justin and I at the Arkansas/ Ole Miss tailgate.

Happy Halloween!!

I just love Halloween! It ranks right up there with Christmas as my favorite holiday. This year, we had around 150 trick-or-treaters! It was INSANE! We just love all the kiddos in their costumes. We had a couple of friends join us to hand out candy, and thank goodness they were here! Had they not been here, we would have run out of candy and had to close up shop early! That would have been terrible!! Baby Scarlet and I decided to dress up for Halloween :) Below are some pictures from Halloween night!




Baby Scarlet and I dressed up as skeletons for Halloween!

Our dear friends and neighbors, the Hossley's

Can I get a Doublestack with cheese, and a couple of Frosty's? (one for me and one for the baby, of course!)

Kyle (the alien from Hawaii), and Andrea the Witch

My husband (Wendy), and Rastafarian Richard

Yesterday we went to the last Razorback game in Fayetteville this season, and MAN, was it HOT! I was a walking, talking sauna!! Thankfully the clouds came by and covered up that nasty sun! From the time I got up in the morning, until about mid-game, I felt a lot of movement from the baby. I kept telling Justin that it felt like "sparkles." Don't ask me WHERE I came up with that....I guess I wanted to say something different from "bubbles" or "flutters" :) But it was really cool. I know the movements will just get stronger and more consistent from here on out. We are so very excited that we are one week and one day away from finding out the sex of Baby Scarlet! We will keep you all posted!!

Almost half way there!~

Wow....17 weeks and 3 days, ALREADY?! My, how the time flies! We had our monthly check-up yesterday and heard an amazingly loud, strong heartbeat. I was so glad to hear it this time. I got a little teared up....hormones, maybe, but what an amazing miracle! November 10th is our BIG APPOINTMENT to find out whether that little heartbeat belongs to a sweet baby boy, or a precious little girl. We are so excited, we can hardly wait!! I am starting to feel some strong movement in there. It's the coolest thing when I feel the baby move. Right now, it just feels like bubbles, but occasionally I can feel a kick or two. I am sure Baby Scarlet is gearing up for some major acrobatics very soon!

Everyone seems to want to touch my belly.....that's totally fine if I know you, and I welcome you to do so. But if not, HANDS OFF! It's like a pregnant belly gives every Tom, Dick, and Harry the right to put their hands (God knows where they've been) on someone. Some women may go for it, but not this one! Anyway, I feel much better now after getting that off my chest. Thanks for listening :)

We have been very busy lately with Hog Season in full swing! Last weekend, we threw a watch party at our house for the Arkansas vs. Kentucky game. I absolutely LOVE to entertain people in our home, but let me tell you, I was one pooped pup afterwards. That's a lot of work for a pregnant chick! But we still had a great time, and we plan on throwing our annual Christmas Party in December. Below is a picture of the girls from the watch party. Stephanie, Crystal, Jen, Me, and Stacey. It was great to spend some time with everyone since we don't get out much on the weekends anymore.

I hope you are all doing well, and we will be sure to post our big news on the big day!

SURPRISE, GRANDMA LOU!

Last weekend, we were in Kennett, Missouri celebrating Justin's Grandma Lou's 70th Birthday! It was a surprise party....those are the best! Below are a few pictures capturing the events of the weekend!

Here is the gift we got for Grandma Lou. She didn't know about the baby, so we wanted to surprise her with this Great Grandma card and "Gotta Love Great Grandkids" equipped with a picture of our 8 week ultrasound.

Justin and Terry managed to get all 70 candles on the cake without messing up any of the words or flowers! Way to go, guys!

Grandma Lou was definitely not expecting to see everyone! SURPRISE!!! This face is priceless!

Funny, the only 2 who could figure out how to work the child-proof lighter were the youngest 2 CHILDREN at the party! 8 and 15, I believe! Look out!! That cake is on FIRE!

Grandma Lou managed to get all 70 of those candles blown out! Way to go! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

After cake, she opened all her presents. We saved ours to give her last. She read the front of the card, "Great Grandma..." Justin said, "What's that say?" She read it again....and again....and again....finally we just let her read the inside, hoping that the "Love, Baby Scarlet" on the inside might clue her in to what we were trying to say. Sure enough......look at the face! "Are you serious??", she said. HAHAHAHA! It was CLASSIC! Yet, another priceless face by Grandma Lou. Wow, two surprises in one day! I don't know how much more she could have handled!

Here she is looking at the ultrasound. Everyone was so thrilled! It was a lot of fun :)

Time spent with family is always a blessing. Here is a picture of Grandma Lou with her kids and Grandkids. We had a wonderful time in Missouri, and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon!

12 Week Check-up

Just a quick update on today's check-up. Justin and I got to hear Baby Scarlet's little heartbeat today. It was very faint, and I could barely tell what it was. When Dr. McClanahan said, "Yep, that's it!" I said, "Are you SURE?" He assured Justin that I was indeed pregnant, and that I hadn't just dragged him to the OB's office for fun. :) The office visit lasted, MAYBE, 7 minutes. It was real quick. Can't wait to see how much THAT visit costs...lol. Next check-up is October 22nd where I will have blood work done, and then in NOVEMBER, we FINALLY get to find out the gender of this little one. We are SO ready to know so we can start shopping! (Well, maybe that's me that wants to do all the shopping...ha!) Thank you all for your prayers and support. It means so much to have so many people who love us.

Allergies, Pants, and Onsies

Well, "they" (meaning everyone who knows or thinks they know about being pregnant) were right when they said everything is magnified when you are expecting. Talk about not being able to breathe! My allergies are completely insane, and I feel so helpless! I bought that crazy NetiPot today. You know, the one where you pour saline solution in one side of your nose and it comes out the other?? Gross, I know, but I have heard great things about it! WELL, my left nasal passage is SO swollen that I can't get the saline to pass through. So much for that idea. I don't like to use nose spray because I've heard you can get addicted.....I get scared of stuff that I "hear" you can get addicted to...lol. I tried some Tylenol Sinus, but that didn't work either. So, I guess I will just continue to suffer and keep telling myself that it's all for good reason...(AHHHH!)

So today I was getting ready for work, I put on my favorite pair of work pants, zipped them up, and had a sad moment. I couldn't get the clasp closed. I have never been a big fan of gaining weight (who is?) , and that is the hardest thing I have had to deal with in this pregnancy. I have gained 5 lbs so far, and I don't feel like that's too bad at 11 weeks, but I still feel like a balloon. Once I came to the realization that I will not be wearing those pants for a very long time, I thought it was kind of cute that I couldn't get them all the way on. It just means the baby is healthy and growing. Now, I am not ready for elastic yet....I plan on buying a bigger size and hope it lasts me a few more weeks. I am going to stay out of maternity clothes for as long as I can. I have heard that once you go maternity, you never go back! I am not ready to make that transition just yet.

Monday, Justin went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. When he came home, he brought in a little 3 pack of white onsies and 10 tiny pairs of socks. His "What to Expect when Your Wife's Expanding" book gave him some ideas of things to buy month to month so that we don't get stuck buying it all in the end. I thought it was so sweet that he brought those home. Gosh, the onsies are so little....and so cute :) We can't wait to find out the sex so that we can buy more gender specific things!


Next week marks the end of the first trimester.....wow, that flew by!

Rain, rain, go away....

Wow..... according to the news, we have had 5.64 inches of rain over the last 48 hours! That's unbelievable! Well, in honor of all the rain, I have decided to make some good ol' chili for dinner. It just sounds sooooo good! Well, we managed to make it to all the planned events last weekend. The Hogs managed to pull off a win...boy were we thankful for that. After the game, I was exhausted. The LAST thing I wanted to do was hike up that huge hill to get to the car. I was dragging my feet and thinking how miserable it was. As I was cussing the fact that I had to walk up what felt like Mt. Everest, Justin and I noticed a little old woman, probably in her 80's, with a backpack on her back, carrying a lawnchair. If she could do it, so could I! Hell, I'm pregnant, she's 80.....we can do this!!! Seeing her gave me the motivation to quit bitching and use that energy to get up that hill! When we reached the car, I felt like I deserved a medal...lol. Here is a picture of us doing a little tailgating before the game. I have to admit, I was just a little bummed out that I couldn't have an ice cold beer before the game, but I got over it. :) We had a great time!

We spent a few hours on Lake Tenkiller on Sunday with our friend, Kyle. It was relaxing. We got a little sun, I read a People magazine, and we enjoyed the breeze from riding around in the boat.

And Monday, yes Monday....we got to eat Dad's ribs AND Mom's corn casserole AND homemade ice cream....I am telling you, we were the happiest kids in the world, and NOTHING could have dampened our day.

Speaking of damp, that rainy day Chili is almost done, so I am going to go check on it! Hope you all had a great weekend!!