Hospital Visitors

I have been trying to get these pictures to upload all week so I could post this, but for some reason it took forever and I would have to stop to feed Tatum Alivia or I would just get impatient. Anyway, Antonio and I were blessed with LOTS of visitors at the hospital and we were really good on Friday about taking pics of everyone. However on Saturday we didn't do so well, but here are just some of the visitors that came to see us. If we took your pic and it is not on here that just means it would not upload for whatever reason. I apologize, but I didn't want to wait to post this any longer. Thanks to all who have come to see us at home or at the hospital.

Eliana(Antonio's sister), Tatum Alivia, and Nana(Antonio's mom)


Grandmommy and Tatum Alivia.


A proud granddaddy and Tatum Alivia.


Brandy and Tatum Alivia.


Tobie and Tatum Alivia


My niece(Mckayla), my sister(Laurie) and Tatum Alivia. My sister is due Dec 13th, so I think she was getting some practice in.


My brother Matt and Tatum Alivia


My niece Gabby(Antonio's sister's little girl) and Tatum Alivia. She LOVES Tatum Alivia. However she thinks there are two babies. She says. "I love Tatum AND Alivia." Eliana has explained it to her and she says she understands but she continues to "love Tatum AND Alivia".


Eliana, Tatum Alivia, and Chris


Caiden(our nephew), Antonio, and Gabby


Our friend Shane, his daughter Ainsley, and Tatum Alivia

Quick Update

Antonio, Tatum Alivia, and I have been home all week together bonding and trying to survive. Antonio has been so helpful with everything from fixing snacks and meals for me to changing dirty diapers to swaddling Tatum Alivia, etc. She definitely has Daddy wrapped around her little finger already!!

Overall things are going well. Breastfeeding has been pretty difficult and painful, but I think things are getting better. I am also in a little pain still after delivery, but hopefully everything will heal soon and I will feel back to normal.

Today is Tatum Alivia's first Halloween and she and I will be passing out candy to the kids in the neighborhood. I plan to change her into her halloween outfit around 4:30 so we are both ready for action. I will take some pics and post them when I get time.

One exciting thing that happened already is Tatum Alivia slept for 5 hours and 45 minutes last night (midnight to 5:45am). While I am sure it might not happen every night from now on, Antonio and I were both excited to get some continuous sleep!

Anyway, please continue to pray for us to get settled into a routine and fully recover from labor and the delivery. I hope to post some pictures either tonight or tomorrow, but no promises.

TATUM ALIVIA IS HERE!!

Tatum Alivia arrived on October 27th at 1:45am. She weighed 6lbs and 13oz and was 20.5 inches long. Labor went very well and Tatum Alivia came out and she was perfect. I will post more info later, but here are lots of pictures from our special day.


Antonio enjoying labor and delivery. He had it hard as you can tell.


10 cm, 100% effaced. Waiting for Dr. Bannister so I can push.

Oxygen is my friend!!


Tatum Alivia alert at birth.


Tatum Alivia swaddled and alert at birth.


Mommy's Doctor, Dr. Bannister. She is the one that made sure I came into the world healthy and perfect.

TATUM ALIVIA IS HERE!!

Mommy and Tatum Alivia right after birth.


Daddy and Tatum Alivia.


Tatum Alivia being held by Daddy!


Tatum Alivia Close up!



Do you like my hair?


I just love this picture. It is a priceless cry!


Tatum Alivia and Gran!


Tatum Alivia just chillin'!


No, I didn't come from outer space....I passed my hearing test!!


Tatum Alivia and Mommy ready to go home!

Today Is THE Day

It is currently 5:21am and of course, I can't sleep. For the past 2 days I have gotten up around 4 am, so I guess I can be okay with anything after 5. I did not forget to blog yesterday, but because Antonio and I were doing some major cleaning and rearranging, we decided to move the little wireless internet box which made it not work. Anyway, sometime after I went to bed last night Antonio moved it back and got the internet working. So, long story short, I did not get to show Antonio how to post pics, but I did write it down step by step and I think he can figure it out from there.

Yesterday was my first day of maternity leave, and it was very busy. I had to go to Walgreens and Freds, so I did that early in the morning. Then my dad came down to Memphis and I got to help him put in 3 new windows in our house because the other ones were broken. I must say it was hard work, but I enjoyed it because when I work with my dad, he lets me actually DO stuff. (Antonio thinks I am always going to hurt myself, so he doesn't want me to do too much. If he had seen me yesterday, he would have had a heart attack!! I was climbing ladders, using a drill, etc!!) We finished that up around 2:30 pm and I had to take a nap. I woke up and started cleaning the house. I mopped, washed dishes, moved things around, finished cleaning the guest bedroom out, washed clothes, and put together Tatum Alivia's swing(all by myself because I wanted to surprise Antonio). When Antonio got home he worked and worked and worked too. I finally went to be around midnight and he was just getting started I think. I am not even sure what time he finally came to bed. Our front rooms look so good with the new floors and we have cleaned out so much, so everything looks a little empty, but I like it. We will fill it in soon enough I am sure.

Antonio and I talked last night and we are both so excited, anxious, nervous, scared, etc. We just don't know what to expect, but we are READY!! We have taken all the classes, read all the stuff on the internet, compared notes with other young couples with children, etc. We sat down and set up our rules for the labor and delivery room. (Family only on Thursday unless she arrives really early, no one in the room until AFTER I get the epidural, no one in the room if I am being "checked", no one in the room if I am in pain, no one in the room if I am trying to sleep, and no one in the room when I start pushing{That no one does not apply to Antonio of course}).

We are really counting on getting induced today and having Tatum Alivia in our arms, but if it doesn't happen it will be a little disappointing, but okay I guess because we are DEFINITELY on the books at the hospital to get induced Monday the 30th. That is only 4 more days and it is not like I have to work or anything. We can also do more on the house and spend more time together.

Well, I guess I need to try to get back to sleep or something. I will try to keep everyone posted and let everyone know something as soon as we know something. Let's just say that I will post a blog if we get sent home. If no blog is posted by lunch time then chances are very good that Antonio and I are in the hospital!! Please keep us in your prayers. And feel free to come see us and meet Tatum Alivia in the hospital on Friday if you want to. I am guessing we will be there until Saturday afternoon and then we will be home.

Last Day at Work

Today was my last day at work. I thought I would be really excited and all, but I feel kind of weird. I still want to know what is going on and new products coming out. I hope that I still get all of the emails because I don't want to go back and have to try to figure out everything 3 months later. I know all of you are thinking that I will have more important things to do than worry about work, and you are right, but I know that I will be checking email at least once a week if not more. I am sure I will be bugging John(my sales partner) with phone calls every once in a while just to check in and see how he is doing. I also know that even though I am not working, everytime I drive by a new restaurant or new gas station or anything new, I am going to want to call the sales rep that covers that area to go sign them up. Anyway, I just felt instead of a weight being lifted off my sholders walking out of the office today, I felt like I was leaving and I am going to be missing out! You all probably think I am crazy now, so I will stop talking, but I am sure it will take a while to stop thinking about work everyday and wondering what is going on there.

So, tomorrow i will be off work, but I have lots to do before the sun goes down. I need to go get my oil changed, go vote, and go by the hospital. I also will be cleaning up around the house I am sure and doing some last minute laundry. I can't believe that Antonio and I will most likely be parents in 48 hours or there abouts!! I am so excited/yet so sad that I won't get to feel her kick anymore or feel it when she has the hiccups,etc. Antonio and I have had so much fun this week really enjoying "playing" with her. When she kicks, we poke back. We also play, "Name that Body Part." (ya know, feel my tummy and try to figure out if it is her foot, butt, knee, hand, etc.)

I definitely think she is going to come out with a head of hair because I have been having major heartburn this week(I thought I was going to die this morning!!). Rolaids are my new best friend!! My other item that I can't live without these days is crushed ice. I don't even know why, but it drives Antonio CRAZY for me to chew on the ice. I just tell him I am practicing for the only item that I will be allowed to eat during labor. I can easily go thru 4-5 huge cups of crushed ice every day.

Anyway, I want to take some last pics of me either tonight or tomorrow night and hopefully post some on here. Trust me, they will not be very cute, but I want to be able to look back at them one day and realize how HUGE I got!! I also still need to post a few pics of Tatum Alivia's room so everyone can see what Eliana and I did to it. Hopefully, Antonio and I can get everything done before Thursday and we have also had a talk with Tatum Alivia telling her she can definitely not come before Thursday!!

We will keep everyone posted and let you know the lastest as it happens. I plan to post one more time before Thursday, so stay tuned for more!

Quickly Approaching D-Day!!

Antonio and I are quickly approaching Tatum Alivia's Delivery Day and we are getting so excited!! Our hardwood floors got put in last week and we are finishing some painting so we can get the living room, pantry, and entrance room back in order. It seems like the closer we get to D-Day, the more things I can think of that we need to do before she arrives. I just want everything to be perfect and completed before we go into the hospital so that there will be nothing to do when we get home except take care of Tatum Alivia. I can't believe that in less than a week Tatum Alivia will be in my arms and out of Mommy Hotel!! It doesn't seem like I have been pregnant for 39 weeks already!!

Antonio and I had our last official "date night" just the two of us this past Friday. We went to eat sushi (don't worry, I didn't eat any raw fish) and then rented a movie. I know it sounds very simple, but we enjoyed it.

My last day of work is either going to be Tuesday or Wednesday. I haven't decided for sure yet. I am hoping my dr. gets us in the hospital and gets Tatum Alivia out Thursday, but if something happens and it doesn't work out that is fine because I am definitely booked to be induced on the 30th and I am sure I can find plenty of things to do Thursday and Friday if I am at home.

Everyone keeps asking me if I am nervous, if Antonio is nervous, etc and we always tell them we are just ready. Well, I had my first little nervousness come over me Saturday night at the Memphis football game. Antonio and I went to the game, but at half time the score was 21-7 and Memphis was losing, so we decided to leave and come home to paint. As we were saying goodbye to everyone, one of our friends made a comment that sent chill bumps all over my body. She said, "Well, the next time we see you, you will be a mommy!" I don't know why that sounded so weird to me, but I must admit, it did make me a little nervous hearing it. I am just praying that we are good parents and hopefully, we can remember everything we learned in our Parenting Class.

I plan to teach Antonio how to blog and post pics on here, so he can post them right away after Tatum Alivia arrives. SO, visit often for updates and I will try to be good about keeping everyone posted on the latest.

Baby Update 10-18-06

I went to the dr. today and it was a pretty good appt. I was 2.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced, so a little progress since last week. She also said that she thinks Tatum Alivia is about 7 lbs right now. Antonio and I talked all week and decided that if she would induce me we would schedule it as soon as possible. So, I asked her about it and after a little talking, she said she would do it since I was progressing and we would see if the hospital had room either on 10-23 or 10-26 of next week. After I sat with a lady in the office, she called the hospital and the soonest the could book me was 10-30(my due date). We booked it. After it was booked the lady in the office went and told my dr. So, my dr. told her to change my next office visit from next Wednesday to next Thursday first thing in the morning because Wednesday I would not be seeing her at the right hospital that I need to deliver at, but on Thursdays she is at my hospital. I am to have my husband with me and my bags. So, based on that, I am thinking she is going to send me to the hospital to be admitted after my appt. Hopefully, I am correct in my thinking. If so, we will have little Tatum Alivia in our arms in 8 days!! She also said they would call the hospital at the end of this week to see if any of the people that were scheduled to be induced on Monday already had their baby. If so, then they can obviously fill their spots with someone else. She said if I got lucky with that, then I should know by Friday. I will keep everyone posted. I am so excited that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I have enjoyed pregnancy, but I am so over it now and I want to hold my baby. Keep us in your prayers and pray that I will go into labor on my own by the end of the weekend!! So, send some labor dust my way!! LOL

Embarrassing Story

Tuesdays at work we always have our weekly sales meetings at 7:30am. This means that I get up and out the door pretty early. So, this morning was no different. I didn't sleep too well, so I was up by 5am. I ate breakfast, showered, got dressed, and headed out the door. Everything went great...meeting went well. We got out about 8-8:30am and went to debrief with Barrett, our manager. That went well and I went to write up paperwork to turn in. When I finally finished everything I took it to Wendy who is sales support for like 20 million people. She was with another sales rep, so I went to Chereka's desk to talk to her because she is directly across from Wendy. WELL, Chereka begins to just laugh and laugh. Why was she laughing??? She pointed out quickly to me that I had gotten dressed and put on the SAME shoe, but DIFFERENT colors. That's right!! One brown shoe and one black shoe!?!?! I was so embarrassed and my face turned bright red, but I along with all of the other girls in the office all got a great laugh out of it. Lucky for me I am pregnant, so I had an excuse. I also had another pair of black shoes in the car, so when I left for lunch, I put the other ones on. I thought you guys might all get a little laugh out of this. I sure did!

On another note, I am going to the dr. tomorrow at 1:45 Central time. I can't wait to see if I have progressed more! If I remember, I will ask her how big she thinks little Tatum Alivia is and when she will be here.

Tatum Alivia recieved her first package in the mail today that had her name(and only her name on it). When I saw it I got so excited, not sure why because I didn't have a clue of what it was. It ended up being a BEAUTIFUL diaper bag that has her initials on it from one of Antonio's old bosses out at FedEx. She also put a little stuffed FedEx airplane in the bag for Tatum Alivia. (I will try to take pics of it soon and put them on here. I haven't posted any pictures in a while, but I will make up for it soon i promsie.) I am so excited to get the diaper bag. We have 3 diaper bags now. One that is brown and pink that Tobie(from Cintas) made, one pink and white one (that Joell gave us today), and one lime green and hot pink bag from Pottery Barn that I bought at a consignment sale for $5(it was a steal!!). I will get to switch them up now and they are all so cute and fashionable!!

I will blog tomorrow after I get back from the dr. Until then, keep us in your prayers, more specifically, pray that Tatum Alivia is going to come out this week!!!

Much Needed Update

Well, I can't ever find time to get on here and blog even though I know that i really need to, so I am going to try and update everyone on several things. Sorry these are so random, but I just want to do it all at once...

Baby Update...

I really thought Tatum Alivia was going to come this weekend. Friday night I was up from about 2:30am-5am having minor contractions. I woke Antonio up and he told me to time them and went back to sleep. SO, I decided that I would take a shower, wash my hair, shave my legs, packed my bags and decided if I was still having contractions I would wake him up and we would go. After I finished getting completely ready, I wasn't hurting as bad and didn't want to go to the hospital and look dumb, so I layed down in bed and watched TV until I fell asleep. I really think that she is going to be here any day now, but I don't know when. I also had a few contractions Saturday and today(Sunday), but they aren't too bad and nothing consistant enough I don't think. Maybe she is trying to help her parents out because word is that the 300 millionth baby will be born on Tuesday and if she is the one we would get TONS of free stuff and her college education will be paid for and everything(which would be a TRUE blessing), but we just want her here! You can read more about the 300 millionth baby at the following website...
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/13/us/13census.html . All day today Antonio and I have been singing "The baby will come out, tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, she will be here." etc.... I think we have finally decided that no matter how much we have left to do on the floors and the house or how much we will never really be ready, we are READY!! I can't wait to see her, love on her, and be off work too!

Matt's a year older!!

My brother Matt had a birthday yesterday and he is officially another year older. I tried to line up the perfect birthday present and give him a niece, but she just refused to come out, sorry Matt! Matt turned 27 yesterday and lives in Nashville, which he absolutely loves. I am so proud of how successful he has been in life. He has the best career ever which he loves, the best girlfriend Stephanie which we all love, and he is so talented and knowledgeable at so many things. He bought a house in Nashville and has totally gutted it and is fixing it up now.
Anyway, one of the many, many, many best memories I have of my bro and I is how much fun we had when we were little. I had this little Ms. Piggy car and I can remember he would always push me around the house and make car sounds. I just LOVED it. I wish I still had that little car! lol... Happy Birthday Matt and may there be MANY MANY more ahead of you! Below is an awesome picture of Stephanie and Matt. They make a pretty good couple if I do say so myself!

Jessica and Scott's Wedding

Saturday night Antonio and I attend the wedding of a couple that we just love to death! After panicking all week about what this big momma was going to wear, I finally found an outfit that I liked and we went to the wedding. It was so beautiful!! From the bridesmaid's dresses, to the flowers, to the food, to decorations, to the cake, everything was perfect!! Of course, Jessica was the most beautiful bride ever and I think I even saw Scott tearing up when he first saw her coming down the stairs! It was such a sweet wedding! Everything went smoothly and after 8 and a half years of dating, Jessica and Scott finally became husband and wife. Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Scott Corbitt! You guys are perfect for one another. Also, on a side note, Jessica, call me so we can do lunch when you get back!

Gabby's Birthday Party

Our niece, Gabby, had her 5th birthday party Saturday. She had a blast I think. There was a petting zoo and horses and a wandering goat that followed everyone around the yard. I can't believe Gabby is almost 5(her birthday is actually Tuesday). Antonio and I started dating right before her 1st birthday!! Anyway, I will try to do a blog for her Tuesday. OR, maybe I will just have a cousin for her on Tuesday!! lol

House Update

We finally got our hardwood in on Friday to put down in 2 rooms. Saturday the guy that is going to put them down came and prepped the rooms and he is coming back Monday to work on them more. He told Antonio they they will be complete and ready to walk on by Saturday!! That is awesome because after they are down he has to stain them and then we can't walk on them for 3 days. I am so excited about this because I feel like I have been waiting for these floors to be put down forever!

I think that completes all of my updates that I needed to post. If I think of more I will blog again tomorrow. I will keep everyone posted on baby news and I need to teach Antonio how to blog so he can post pics of Tatum Alivia when she arrives. I think I am off to order a pizza now. I know that is not the healthiest food, but it sounds good to me! On a good note, I weighed this morning before church, and I have lost 2 pounds! YAY!

Doctor Appointment Update

I went to my dr's appointment today. After sitting in the waiting room for an HOUR and THIRTY minutes!!!! I finally got called back. Dr. Bannister checked me and I am 2 cm dialated and 40% effaced!! She said I would most likely NOT make it to my due date (October 30th). That is very exciting news for Antonio and I, but I hope she doesn't come until after the 21st if possible. However, we know that this is definitely in God's hands so when the time is right for Tatum Alivia, she will come and we will be as ready as we can be. I still need to finish packing my bag and Antonio said he wants to put the car seat in his car and everything else will fall into placed and get done when it gets done.

Keep us all in your prayers and we will keep you posted if anything happens or if she arrives!

Making Progress

Well, Eliana came over last night and helped out SOOOO much!! She is just so awesome at decorating and I am excited about what we(she) came up with for Tatum Alivia's room. We did just a little Tuesday night, but I need to go to wal-mart or something today and get a few supplies and then she is coming back over to actually put the stuff on the walls Thursday night! I am so excited. I do have a minor problem that I need some assistance with....if anyone lives in the memphis area and sews let me know. I have a little something that I need done that shouldn't take too much time and should be pretty easy. I just have no clue how to sew and don't have a sewing machine. I might just hit up the local hancock fabrics store and see if one of the ladies in there will do it if I pay them.

Oh well, I am heading to work for a bit and then to my dr's appointment. I will keep everyone posted on what Dr. Bannister tells me today.

Baby Poem

I haven't posted in a while and of course I have lots to say, but not time right now to gather my thoughts and write. However, I do have an awesome poem someone sent me that I just have to post. It is so sweet. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Little baby on the way,
Getting bigger every day,
Kicking mommy here and there,
God please listen to our prayer.

Keep our baby safe and strong,
Let her time with us be long,
Help us teach her right form wrong,
And we shall praise thee all day long.

This little one, though not yet here,
Is loved so much, has grown quite dear.
Delivery time is growing near,
That's why we pray our plea you'll hear.

Please help us Lord, we pray to Thee
With thankful heart, on bended knee,
To raise this child that she might be,
A happy child because of me.

-Tina Greenfield


UPDATE...Eliana, my sis-in-law, is coming over tonight to help me with Tatum Alivia's room. Maybe by the end of the week or at least by next weekend the room will be completely done. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Antonio and I are also trying to finish the rest of our house in the next 2 weeks. We are getting our hard wood floors put in next week and the bar tops will hopefully done next weekend. Antonio also worked on the front windows last night that need to be replaced and if we can fiugre it out, they will be replaced by next week. Other than that, we need to paint a little here and there and that should be all the major stuff left in the front of the house. The laundry room needs a major overhaul, but that can wait.

Keep us in your prayers that Tatum Alivia doesn't decide to come early because we have lots to do at home and I have lots to wrap up at work. I go to the dr tomorrow and hopefully I will get to see Dr. Bannister and she will be able to check me out and let me know how everything is progressing. I will keep you guys posted!

Eliana, Where Are You??

So yesterday, I did a lot of running around getting some things that I need to finish the nursery. Now that the bedding is in, I can put up the curtains because we know they match. I am also going to put Tatum Alivia's name on the wall, so I went and got the wooden letters, paint, and ribbon. Eliana, my sis in law, is AWESOME at decorating and really "completing" the room, so she has some other ideas that we are going try out. I am so ready to get the nursery 100% complete(it is about 80% right now). I just need Eliana's help now, but I called her yesterday at work and she is on Fall Break!! I have been up today since about 7am and I am trying to figure out how we are going to put her name on the wall....I just have NO decorating skills!! I mean NONE! I will keep you guys posted, and when we get things done I will post pictures of course! Anyone want to go to Wal-Mart?? Eliana.....WHERE ARE YOU!?!?

Doctor Appointment Today

Well, I had another doctor's appointment today. I was a little nervous about going because today was going to be the first time Dr. Bannister was going to "check" me to see how I am progressing. WELL, after waiting an hour in the waiting room, the receptionist called me(along with some other women) up to the desk to inform us that Dr. Bannister had to leave to do an emergency C-Section, so we could either wait or reschedule our appointment. However there was of course no guarantee as to when she would be able to return. Long story short, I opted to reschedue since there was really no other option but when she told me the next open appt she had it was AFTER my already scheduled appt for next week. Anyway, I didn't get to see Dr. Bannister today, so I am going to have to wait until next Wednesday to see if I am progressing at all. I am sure Tatum Alivia isn't going to come before my next appt, so I am fine and I understand that in that line of work, things happen but I must admit I was a little disappointed to not get th see anyone today. I wish I had more news, but that is all for now.

The things that I can tell you are...
-My feet and hands have been swelling this week, but it's not unbearable. I guess it is a little understandable since it is over 90 degrees in OCTOBER!!
-I am constantly waking up in the middle of the night and my hands are numb. I am not laying on them or anything, so I don't know why they are doing this, but it is kind of weird.
-Tatum Alivia is kicking harder and harder and more and more these days! What am I going to do when I don't feel this anymore???
-I feel like I am outgrowing my clothes now. I have bigger clothes, but it needs to get a little cooler before I can wear them.

I guess that is it. Don't think that I am complaining at all about being pregnant. I have been blessed with a great pregnancy with no complications up 'til now. I am just ready for her to get here. However, another part of me is not ready at all.

I am ready:
-to see what she looks like
-to give her a million and one kisses
-to finally hold her in my arms
-for Antonio to get to bond with her
-to stop talking about being pregnant
-for a 3 month "vacation" from work
-to starting losing some of this weight so I can feel more normal
-to see all of her firsts (smile, steps, etc.)

I am NOT ready:
-for the lack of sleep that is ahead of me
-for the feeling of not knowing what to do
-for knowing that Antonio and I are responsible for her future in EVERY way (scary)
-for those hard things (labor, breastfeeding, etc.)

I know i am rambling too much, but these things are the things that are on my mind right now. Of course, I will blog more later and keep everyone up to date on the latest happenings, so stay tuned...

Baby Shower

Antonio and I were blessed to have our fifth baby shower Friday night. We had so much fun playing games and visiting with everyone. We also received SO MUCH!! Antonio and I feel so blessed and we are excited for Tatum Alivia to get here and meet everyone. I must warn you, there are TONS of pictures from the shower below, so enjoy! I will try to give you insight on each picture.



Below is a picture of my sister, Laurie, who is pregnant too. She is about 6 weeks behind me and looks awesome. As you can see, you can't even tell she is even pregnant.


This is me and Monica. She goes to Antonio's mom's church and interprets for me(and anyone else that does not speak Spanis) from Spanish to English. She is so sweet and beautiful. I can remember before Antonio and I got married there was an event over at Antonio's parent's house for the church and Monica and I were in the kitchen talking. She told me then that I was not only marrying into the Simpson family, but I was also marrying into their church family. That meant so much to me at the time and I doubt she even remembers it. Anyway, I love to see her! She is so awesome and I appreciate her so much!


This is a random picture of me before one of the games we played. Notice that WONDERFUL double chin of mine!! lol


Below is one of the games we played. Each person had to take the streamer that was being passed around and try to tear off exactly how big my waist is. Then, each person had to bring their streamer piece up and measure to see how close they got. To the left of me is Josephina and Monica, and behind me is Blanca(Antonio's mom).


This is another game we played where the player had to use ONE hand and pull the clothes pins off the line and name something a baby needs for each clothes pin(wipes, diapers, crib, car seat, etc.). Whoever could pull the most using only one hand and holding ALL the pins they pulled won. Below is Monica, my mom, and Josephina.


This is another picture of the same game. In this picture is Monica, Amanda(Antonio's cousin), and Josephina.


Antonio's dad even participated in the games and he actually won this game and got a prize!


After eating and games, we got to open all of our presents. The present below is a "box that kept on giving". My mom amazes me by how much she can fit into a little box. I think we got like 15-20 baby outfits along with shoes, hair bows, bibs, etc. Of course, we could not fit everything back into the box, but that was okay with us.


We/I was also very excited to receive my breast pump. Lots of you probably already can tell, but I got the cadillac of all breast pumps. This is going to be so handy especially when I go back to work! Thanks to Antonio's parents for this!


Here is a picture of Antonio and I before cake time.


This is one of our nieces, Gabby. She had just finished playing soccer.


This is our other niece, Mckayla. She loves to stick out her tongue these days for pictures.


Below are some pictures of just some of the items that we got at the shower. As you can see, we were very blessed to receive LOTS including washing detergent, a baby grooming kit, sun shades for the car, blankets, baby books, stuffed animals, LOTS of diapers in all sizes, LOTS of wipes, etc.










We will be putting all of these diapers and other presents to good use VERY SOON and we can't wait! Unitl next time...

Sunday Lesson from 10-1-06

Antonio and I had an awesome weekend. Friday night we had a baby shower, Saturday we went to the Memphis/TN football game, and Sunday we went to church. I will have to take some pictures of all the things we got at the baby shower and post them later this week, but I wanted to post the message from Sunday at church.

My parents were down for the weekend and they went to church with Antonio and I. As I may or may not have posted earlier, Antonio and I go to a less traditional church. Our church has more of an inner city ministry that we do and we love it. However, it is not for everyone. My mom and dad have only been to church with us a few times, and it has always been for a special occassion at church(those tendto be very crazy for a new comer to take in), so I was glad they got to see a more "normal" day in our church. Anyway, hopefully they enjoyed it and saw why Antonio and I love it there so much!

Pastor Craig preached Sunday about "Preparing for Rain". His sermons are always so awesome and this one was no exception. The main point of the sermon revolved around the following story. There were two farmers that needed it to rain in order for their crops to grow. However, farmer #1 prayed for rain and then he went out to the fields and prepared the soil and seed because he BELIEVED that God would send the rain. Farmer #2 prayed for rain, but never really had the faith that rain would come, so he just sat back and did nothing to his fields.

So, which farmer are you??

James 2:17-18 "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."

Faith does not excuse action, it requires it!
True faith takes action.
Act and trust that your prayers will be answered.
Real faith requires people to trust God's promises.

Mark 11:20-24 "In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from teh roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered." "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

We are like the fig tree (cursed) too if we are 'a fruit tree with no fruit'.

Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Seek after God and NEVER give up.
Faith has nothing to do with feelings.
We underestimate our power and strength.
God wants only our VERY BEST!!
We may need to be blinded in order to give our very best. Sometimes we second guess our full potential.

How will my life demonstrate that I am prepared/preparing for the rain?

Once again I probably did not do this lesson any justice, but I definitely got so much out of it. Pastor Craig used a few videos that tied into the sermon that really were inspiring and brought the meaning home. I know that God has been speaking to me lately about really being obedient to him. It is something that I am trying to really work on by spending more time in my devotionals (not because I think I am SUPPOSED to, but because I WANT to), surrounding myself with Christians, spending more time in the day praying and worshipping(I guess I did this a little anyway, but didn't think about it. I like to turn on K-Love loud in my car and sing, sing, sing.), etc.

Like I said earlier, I will try to blog later this week about the baby shower we had Friday night after I take some pictures of all the goodies we got.

Please keep Antonio and I in your thoughts and prayers because we only have 4 weeks from today until my due date! I am going to the doctor Wednesday and she is going to check me for the first time so we will get to see if I am progressing at all right now. I promise to keep everyone updated on baby news!