Month Three

JanuaryUgh...I can already tell I'm not going to be pleased with this "inbetween size" of my pregnancy. Not very flattering picutres, but I'm committed to monitoring the progress. In addition to the "lovely" picture, I decided to post how big the baby is at the time the picture was taken for my documentation and memories. :0) I'm basing this off of the weekly emails I receive from BabyCenter.com that give me a food item to compare the baby to it's size. I ended this month with the baby being the size of a fig.

Jennifer :0)

My Hero...

...guitar hero, that is! This is one of mine and Austin's favorite things to do. However, I think he enjoys it more than I, and really gets in touch with his inner-rock star. He's either super serious or he's got his rock face on. Here is some examples of both. It makes me smile...I love this guy. Can't wait to teach baby how to rock out like his/her daddy!

Telling My Class

I knew I didn't want to just mention that I was having a baby in our everyday casual conversation. I wanted to surprise my kids and have them figure it out. Since we have been working on sentence structure and identifying all the important components of a sentence, I came up with a quick, fun activity. I have four tables in my room where my kids sit for their seatwork. I wrote on four different sentence strips, "Mrs. Aldrich is having a baby!" I cut up each word individually, and at each table they had to work as a group to put the sentence together with their knowledge of sentence structure and doing their best to sound out their words. They did a GREAT job!! I told them they couldn't shout out what the sentence said until all of the tables had put the sentence back together and figured out what it said. They were so excited when they figured out the sentence and were nearly bursting with excitement to share the news. As soon as all the tables put the sentence strip back in order, I let them yell out the answer. They did a fantastic job of working together and sounding out their words...it was a proud teacher moment. It was awesome to share the news in a fun way with them, I wanted them to feel a part of it. Afterwards, they came to the carpet and I passed around the sonogram picture and told them they had to be very gentle. They did awesome with that, too. I have an amazing class, and I was so proud to share my fabulous news with them.

Lots of Time on My Hands...

So, I realize that in about 6 or 7 months I will never again be able to use this title for a blog seeing as that once baby gets here, time is precious. So, I think I'll use it while I can. I have been lying in bed for the last three days due to some yucky bug that has attacked my immune system. I normally, probably wouldn't take it this seriously but seeing as that it isn't just me I have to worry about anymore, I'm a little extra cautious. It's been nice though, getting reaquainted with some of my old friends that I usually watch in the summer. Paula, Rachel, Tyler, and Ina kept me entertained and pumped to start cooking again. Of course I couldn't pass up watching two t.v. shows that sort of hit home, right now - A Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby. I watched those two in a whole new light. Anyway, so after a very uneventful, but relaxing day at home, I've had plenty to keep me entertained. So, thank you to Foodnetwork and TLC for helping me pass the time at home, in bed.






Gotta love these faces!!

Jennifer :0)

Month two

So, I'm going to try and be really good about keeping track of my ever-growing belly each month. Here is month two. Don't let that little pooch fool you, folks. That isn't baby, that is Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and a lot of NOT exercising. Let's see how much longer this favorite brown tank top of mine will continue to fit!

December In this picture, the baby is about the size of a large grape.

Slowly expanding,

Jennifer :0)

Happy To Announce...

We're going to have a baby!

Meet Baby Dub! We feel so fortunate and blessed that God chose us to be parents. Especially since we just started talking about it a couple of months ago...we were thinking we might be ready. I guess we are - because ready or not here he/she comes! We found out December 12th, and we were very excited, yet a little bit surprised. I'm about 9 weeks along, and definitely feeling the affects of being in my first trimester. Our first appointment was on January 8th, and the doctor said everything was looking good. This is when we first saw our little "blueberry", as I've been calling it (that's about as big as it is at this time). We were able to see the heartbeat and we were even able to see it move on the screen - amazing! Now we're just praying for a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and of course, Baby! It's nerve-wracking being so early in the pregnancy because of all the worries of what could go wrong. I'm choosing to have a more positive way of thinking and put it all in God's hands. It was His plan to give us this baby in the first place, and what happens isn't up to me, anyway. Here are some pictures from the night we found out!

We're still sort of in shock here!

Those wonderful, amazing two pink lines!

We went over to my mother-in-law's house and I walked into her bedroom and put the test in her face! She yelled at me, "I don't have my glasses on, what does it say?!?" It was pretty funny!

She was pretty excited!

My dad's reaction was the cutest of all!! He knew immediately what was going on when I handed him the test.

My mom took a little longer to process. She had just woken up and she thought she as looking at a thermometer!

She gets it now!

Blessed,

Jennifer :0)

A year ago, today...

This time last year I was about to walk down the aisle and officially and FINALLY become Mrs. Austin Aldrich. My wedding day was the most special day of my life. I had so many wonderful people around me who loved and cherished the day as much as I did. I was finally getting my dream, Christmas wedding and it was everything I had envisioned, and more, and to top it all off - the husband I had always dreamed about! As I think about how much has happened in a year - it blows my mind! We loved our duplex in Dallas, but we needed something more practical and closer to our jobs and families. We bought our first home in July and I couldn't have been blessed with a better one. We love it here, and are back close to our friends and family. I went through my wedding pictures and picked out the ones that captured my wedding day so perfectly. I have been so fortunate and blessed in this last year. I have the most amazing husband anyone could ask for. The day I became Mrs. Austin Aldrich changed my life forever. I look back on that day with such nostalgia and fondness. I could relive it over and over and over, and never get tired of it. I leave you with some pictures that captured the love that we/I felt on that day. It's crazy that it has already been a year, but if every year is as wonderful as this...I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us. I love you, Babe. Happy Anniversary!