A DAY IN THE LIFE: WHAT A MAN

Ryan usually has to leave the house around 7:15 in the mornings and I typically don't have to leave until 7:45 to 8:15, depending on where I'm going. So, I've gotten in the habit of getting up a little early and putting together our lunches in the morning. Well, this morning (a fabulous Monday morning) I got done making lunches just as Ryan was getting ready to walk out the door. He came up and gave me a goodbye kiss and as we were hugging this little exchange unfolded:

Me: "Man, I wish we had one more day together."

Ryan: "Me too. But we have the rest of our lives."

This was the sweetest thing that has ever been said to me at 7:15 in the morning. It kept me smiling throughout the rest of the day. I am such a lucky woman to have such a wonderful man!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: MY EXPANDING WAISTLINE

Most of my work clothes have become pretty uncomfortable so, in preparing for another week at the office, I went shopping for maternity clothes today. I felt a little silly buying maternity pants when to most people it just looks as if I've put on a little weight. However, I know that my waistline will just continue to expand and soon enough the 12-inch plus wide band of elastic at the waist of my new pants will be very welcome. Mommyhood here I come!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: OUR ENGAGEMENT

As if I wasn't already as happy as I could be, Ryan made me even happier when asked me to marry him on Saturday, May 8th. We had just finished having dinner at Erin and Anthony's house for our Mother's Day celebration with my stepmom, Kathy. Anthony coaxed us all out into the back yard by saying that he had something he needed our opinion on and he needed us to look at it outside. So we all shuffled outside and stood around looking perplexed for a few minutes. Finally, Ryan stepped to the front of the crowd and announced that he was the real reason why we were all outside. He proceeded to make a wonderful speech in front of everyone and then he got down on his knee and proposed.












I was expecting a proposal sometime soon, but wasn't exactly expecting it to happen during Mother's Day weekend, and certainly not in front of so many family members. However, I am certainly glad that Ryan chose to propose in a way that we were able to share it with family.












I am such a lucky woman to have such a fabulous man in my life. Ryan is so loving and devoted and he demonstrates to me every single day how much he cares about me and the three pets he inherited when he chose me. He keeps me smiling and laughing constantly and I could not ask to be more compatible with my future husband. As if our compatibility weren't enough, Ryan's family has embraced me and mine him. Ryan's family has made me feel so welcome, just like I've always belonged there. I have come to love each and every one of his family members and couldn't ask for a better set of in-laws to share our lives with.












Ryan's family (from left): Santos (dad), Alexis (niece), Bekah (sister), Alenna (niece), Ron (brother-in-law), Lucy (mom), MaKenna (niece), and Ryan.

A DAY IN THE LIFE: PEANUT'S FIRST REAL PHOTO

I went to see Dr. Thompson on Monday, May 17th. I wasn't scheduled for my normal visit until the following week, but due to some unexpected spotting, I scheduled an earlier appointment. This would be my first "official" OB visit, and Dr. Thompson did a full exam, including a sonogram. He said that he wasn't worried about the spotting at all. I was still in my 12th week at that time (the very end of my first trimester), and Doc said that spotting during the first trimester is pretty common but that it should taper off after the end of my 13th week (when the second trimester begins).












This is the first sonogram picture we have where you can actually see the baby. This picture is like an aerial view with us looking down on little Peanut. You can see sort of a skeletal looking baby, with the head on the left and body to the right. Eye sockets, a nose, and mouth appear to be visible here. At this point, the baby is just over two inches long, about the size of a lime, and weighs about an ounce! Doc Thompson says that everything looks great and Peanut is right where she should be as far as development is concerned.

We have another appointment scheduled for Tuesday, June 15th. At that point I will be almost 17 weeks along, well into my second trimester and possibly far enough along to try and determine the baby's gender! Ryan and I are both looking forward to that appointment and anxious to see if Peanut will give us a good show!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: PEANUT'S NOT SO BIG DEBUT

We found out that we are expecting when I took a home pregnancy test on March 10th. I had to wait until March 30th to see my doctor. In the meantime we began to spread the news to our families. Ryan's parents were the first to get the call. Ryan's mom, Lucy, was speechless for a few seconds and then both Lucy and Santos (Ryan's dad) overflowed with excitement.

My sister, Erin, and her husband, Anthony, came to San Antonio to visit the weekend of March 12th. We were really excited to tell them our news in person. Especially since Erin is currently expecting a baby boy on August 3rd!



Erin and me during her visit to San Antonio.



Erin helped me plan a special way to tell my parents. I bought a baby bib and an Easter card for each set of parents and disguised them in gift bags. When Erin got back to Abilene, where all the family lives, she visited each parent's house. I just "happened" to be on the phone with her when she handed each parent my "gift" and I got to hear their reactions as each one came to the realization that they would be blessed with two new grandbabies this year!

Finally, March 30th rolled around and Ryan went with me to visit my doctor, Dr. Thompson. Dr. Thompson was able to confirm that everything looked fine and did a very early sonogram in order to determine how far along I am in my pregnancy. During the sonogram he calculated that I was five weeks and six days along and we got the very first picture of our teeny, tiny, little one. Since then, we have come to affectionately refer to him or her as "Peanut".












The dark teardrop shaped area at the top right is my uterus, and the little blip inside the uterus is not the baby! That's the yolk sack. Teeny, tiny, Peanut is somewhere inside the yolk sack! Now you see what I mean when I say that Peanut had a "not so big" debut!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: THE BLOG IS BORN

Here it is, our first blog post! I guess it's time that I finally got around to setting up a blog for all of our family and friends to visit and keep up with what's going on with us. I hope to eventually update the blog about once per week, but it may be more often until I get caught up on recent happenings. Keep watching! There is much more more to follow in the coming days.