6 Months Old!

Wow, Steve and I can't believe that it has been 6 months since Tyler was born.  We were just saying, another 6 months and we will be celebrating a 1st birthday!  Oh my gosh how the time just flies by!

Well in this last month a lot has happened:
-6 month check up stats:
height: 26.0 in = 25% (he has gone down but dr doesn't think there is any reason to worry...very normal")
weight: 15 lbs. 13 oz. (also has gone down, dr say's it is normal when babies become more active)
-Tyler is now rolling over both ways and he loves to be on his belly so that he can scoot himself to the toys in order to put them in his mouth
-He is jabbering a lot too which is so cute!  I am always wondering what he is trying to say!  I love watching him discover new sounds and then trying them out for a few days!  My favorite has been the high pitch squeal!

-As you saw in the video on this post he is now eating peas and zuchini and next we will be trying a sweet potatoes! He loves the food and lunges his head toward the spoon to eat!  He bangs his hands on the bumbo tray as to say give me more!!!  I love making it all too...it saves us lots of money!

-Speaking of the word "more", we have started teaching him sign language as well.  We are starting with simple words like "more, mommy, daddy, all done, bath, and yes"  I can't wait to watch him learn those signs!
-Also he was given a beautiful quilt to help us with those signs.  The patches on it are babies using sign language!  Thanks Aunt Brenda!

-He is still on formula which has helped with the reflux a TON!  Who would have thought that it was my milk that was messing with him :-(  He still spits up every once in a while but it is no where near as bad as it was with breast milk.
-He had his first Halloween dressed up as a sock monkey!

-He loves to try and sit up on his own but has not quite gotten the balance thing down yet...I imagine he will be sitting up on his own very soon
-He is definitely teething however there are no teeth on the horizon at this point.  I would guess that they will be coming this next month
-Unfortunately he got a little stomach bug right after he turned 5 months old and had some lovely projectile vomit for me!
-He also had a little yeast infection of which I had no idea boys could get that but it was caused most likely from his stomach bug and the messy diapers that went along with it.  He is all better now!
-He has been staying in the nursery at church on Thursday mornings so that I can do Bible study which has been great!  The nursery workers love him to pieces!
-He had his first trip to the ZOO!!!

-He is pretty much on a consistent schedule now which means he is sleeping through the night!  Hallelujah!
-We have a pretty strict bedtime routine which includes a bath about 7:30 and then story time and then a bottle about 8 and then it's off to never never land.  He always goes right to sleep and sleeps usually for 10 hours!  Wakes up about 6-7 and gets his breakfast bottle and then veges.  Then he has his morning nap and sleeps for an hour and a half!  Around noon he has 6 oz for lunch and takes another nap...about an hour.  Then has some play time and another little 6 oz snack about 3 and takes his last nap for about 2 hours!  I have a great napper!!!
-He is still in size 3 diapers and 3-6 and 6 month clothes!
You all may not care about all that but Steve and I can't wait to have another baby one day and I will need something to reference!  That's all I have for now.  Here is Tyler at 6 MONTHS OLD!!!!

Happy 2 year Anniversary!

Yesterday I was thinking back to one of the best days of my life....our wedding day!  I have to say that looking back I absolutely loved that day.  It was so much fun and so memorable.  However, it would not have been much of a day at all without my man.  He is my match.  I said before we got married that I had found my match, my twin.  Some days I think we are polar opposites and then at moments I totally see how we are SO much alike!
We have had a very busy 2 years with being in the military, getting out of the military, moving from Corpus to my parents house in Houston, to deciding to build a new house, then having to walk away from it due to foundation issues, to buying a previously owned house in Cypress, getting new jobs, to getting pregnant, then of course having Tyler, becoming a single income family to now.  It has been so busy but yet so great!  I imagine the next year will not be as busy but this, I am looking forward to!  I love my life as a wife and a mommy and I am reminded daily of how blessed I am.  I love my man and he loves me and that is truly a gift from God.

Love you babe!  Happy 2 year anniversary!

Tyler's 5 Month Old

I can't believe I haven't done his 5 month post.  He will be 6 months old in like 2 days!  I am going to keep it simple:

he is rolling over both ways now!
he is on formula now... that seems to have helped his reflux a ton!
he has found his scream!
he is still not laughing much...I have gotten him to laugh just a few times.

Here is a video of him rolling over both ways....I am still working on the whole video thing! I do think I fixed the video below of him eating peas for the first time....check it out!

Well, I will try really hard to get the 6 month post out on time!

My little green monster!

Tyler's 1st time to try food!  Other than cereal!  I think he did great!

OKC Trip

Well, with Steve halfway around the world in South Korea, Tyler and I decided to go on a road trip....well, I decided. My best friend lives in Oklahoma City, aka The City. We went to OBU together and were sweet/hall mates! She is like a sister to me and it has been too long since we had seen each other. The last time I saw her was at my wedding with her son, Ethan, as the ring bearer:

She was pregnant with her 4th....that's right, she has 3 boys and finally had a little princess

....aka, Tyler's future bride. Here they are meeting for the very first time.

It's love at first sight! Her other 3 boys are just as adorable. She was not able to bring all her kiddos to the wedding so I still hadn't met her 3rd son, Hudson:

So, I decided that it was time to meet all 4 kids and it was time for her to meet Tyler!

On the way there, we stopped in Dallas and spent the night with some family friends. Tyler did pretty good. We had to stop in Fairfield, TX to stretch our legs and then we were back on the road. Tyler turned 5 months old in Dallas, TX:

We got to OKC without a hitch. We had so much fun hanging out while we were there. Huddy loved on Tyler the whole time!

Our trip was cut short due to some projectile vomiting. Not pleasant. I felt that for my own sanity, I needed to get Tyler back home in case I needed to take him to his doctor. I also did not want to get Julie's kids sick. However, looking back on it, I should not have left OKC in such a hurry. We left at 4pm and it was a rough trip to Dallas....very rough. We got to Dallas that night and Tyler did pretty well until he had issues on the other end :(

After having some more projectile goo the next morning (all over the bed....sorry Ron and Anita) we headed for Houston and went straight to see the Dr. Apparently he had a 48 hour bug and there was not much we could do about it. I kept him hydrated and waited for pee pee diapers....the life of a mommy!

He is much better today and I decided to take some happy "I'm 5 months old" pictures!...see next post!

Pumpkin Patch

Well, it is that time of year! We love the fall weather we have been having! My cousin and I bought matching outfits for the boys and were planning on taking them to the pumpkin patch together but little Norman was sick so it was just the Mercer's today! Tyler loved the pumpkins!

Next week we will try to get with little Norman and go again!

Coogs VS. Red Raiders

WHOOSE HOUSE......COOOGS HOUSE!

Last Saturday was sooo fun! My sister got her masters at U of H and my brother in law got his engineering degree there....so even though my parents went (but didn't finish) and my brother went to Texas Tech....last Saturday we were rooting for the U of H Cougars!

What a fun time we had tailgating. Savannah, my mother-in-law and I took Tyler down to his first ever tailgate! The boys went too but they were lucky enough to stay for the game! Wow, what a game it was!

While we were there I was dead set on getting Tyler on the 6:00 news! There were lots of cameras from different new stations there and I made every effort to get him taped. One man was walking along side the band and stopped in his tracks, turned his camera towards Tyler and got right in his face and taped him! I thought for sure I would see him on the news....only I missed the 6:00 news because I was tailgating! Now I will never know if he made it on the news.

Anyway, I have to say that he did sooooo good all day walking around! Of course...he wasn't doing much walking! Here are some pics of our fun day!

Cousins at 4 months!

So my cousin Courtney had her baby 10 days after I had mine. They will be best of friends one day! And if they're not....Courtney and will still be!

Little Norman started off a lot smaller than Tyler when he was born. They were both 13 days early on arrival and Tyler weighed 8 lb. and 8 oz....while little Norman only weighed 6 lb. and 12 oz. Little Norman has been on formula while Tyler has been on me ;-).....and well, as you might assume, little Norman has outgrown Tyler now.

However......Tyler is going to be weened off of me this month and he has already started on 1 bottle of formula per day. I feel like he is already heavier!

Watch out little Norman.......I (Tyler) am on my way to making you LITTLE NORMAN again!

New Trick!

Tyler has lots of new tricks but I thought this 1 was worth posting!!

Paw Paw Chuck

We went to see my dad, also known as Paw Paw, last weekend and it was such a sweet time. My dad was diagnosed with stage III Colon Cancer right before Tyler was born and has been having chemo treatments since then. He has been doing really well...."making lemonade out of lemons" he says. He doesn't have much longer to go with the treatments and we are all really proud of you for how well you have done!

We love you dad and are praying for you. God has big plans for you as a new Paw Paw! There will be lots of good times ahead! Tyler misses you aready!

Here are a few pics!

4 Months old with lots of new tricks!

Wow, I can't believe 4 months ago I gave birth to Tyler! So much has changed in this particular month. Tyler has done a lot of changing this month! We went to the Dr. today and he got his shots which are never fun but he was a strong boy today...didn't cry much. He is in the 50th percentile for all his stats:

-he weighs 12 lbs. 15 1/2 oz.

-his height is 25 in.

Dr. says to go ahead and give supplement 1 bottle of formula a night to see how he takes it. He said it may or may not help with the sleeping through the night thing. He also said that after we try the formula we can start giving him cereal once a day and see how he takes that! I am really looking forward to that. He also suggested we start giving him vitamins so I picked those up today too!

I am still in shock at the fact that I have a baby and just 4 months and 3 days ago he was in my belly! CRAZY how time flies by!

Here are Tyler's 4 month photo op!

-Tyler loves to sit in his bumbo seat and play with his toys

-speaking of toys, he can now grab at his toys and bring them to his mouth

-speaking of his mouth, he loves to suck on his fingers and at times his whole fist!

-just recently he has started biting down on my finger when I feel of his gums to see if he is getting a tooth...no teeth yet but I have a feeling it wont be long with all of the biting and drooling

-he still rolls over from his belly to his back, but it is only when he wants to...not very often

-he can now push up and prop himself onto his elbows and forearms...sometimes when I go to wake him up he is like this just waiting for me and then I see those cute little blue eyes and I can't resist

-he had his 1st group play date

-he loves to take a bath with his mama and splash the water

-he has begun to take on a little attitude, when he is mad he will arch his back and let you know

-we have to strap him in his little seats now or else he about comes out of it

-he is still eating about ever 3 hours and waking up at about 3am every night for a feeding

-he naps twice for about 45 minutes in the daytime and then has a long nap in the late afternoon (2 hours)

-he loves football

-he still loves being outside

-when we walk around the house and the TV is on, he will strain his neck to see what happening!

-he still won't take the pacifier

-he is still on prevacid and still has that terrible gurgling sound going on

-he absolutely loves his neptune mat....he gets so happy when I lay him down on it

-now he can keep himself happy with toys and such for about 15 minutes at a time...helps me to get things done

-he went to the lake for the 1st time

-he's still in size 2 diapers and in size 3 months for clothes

We are really excited to see what month 5 brings our way!

"Pregnant" "Not Pregnant"

Funny, exactly 1 year ago today I was asking myself this question. On September 17, 2008 I went to the dr. for a busted ear drum and my dr., knowing that Steve and I were trying to get pregnant, told me that she could not prescribe the appropriate medicine for me unless she knew I was NOT pregnant....so she insisted I get a blood test. I told her that I really did not think I was pregnant....with Ike and all the drama of the month, I thought we had missed our chance to get pregnant. I went ahead with the blood test and then I started wondering, "Could I be pregnant?"

That afternoon I went back to work at my mom's office and got a phone call from the dr. herself....at the moment I heard her voice instead of the nurses that usually call with test results, I knew something was up. I stepped outside to hear her say, "Well, you might want to name your baby Ike." WHAT! I was pregnant, oh my gosh! I was so excited, I left work and went straight to the mall looking for a way to surprise Steve with the news. I found the RL pair of shoes and asked my husband if he could take me on a nice date....maybe to Taste of Texas (that's where he proposed). He said sure as he loves a good steak too!

I went to Taste of Texas and dropped off the shoes with mgmt. and told them to bring them out on a platter when we order dessert tonight!

It was great....when the shoes were revealed, Steve just looked at them and then touched them thinking the little horses on them were icing and that is when I pulled out the pee stick!

He finally got it and cried happy tears!

I never would have guessed that 1 year to the date I would be taking another pregnancy test! Yes that is right....I am 5 days late and I am on the pill!!!! I have been freaking out thinking what am I going to do if I am pregnant again!!!! Steve thought it would be great and I just kept thinking......I HAVE A 4 MONTH OLD!!!!!!

Well, here are my results:

Not Pregnant! Thank the Lord for that one! Apparently, the pill I am taking can cause you to not have cycles and it can also cause you to have cysts on your ovaries that burst! Yeah, so I spent almost the entire day at Texas Woman's Hospital today because of severe pain. Pain that was so bad, it brought me back to May 19, 2009 when my contractions wouldn't quit. I thought I was in labor all over again. Turns out I just had a cyst on my ovary that burst. What a day!

All is good on the home front now! Baby is sleeping, family is fed, I have my 800mg of Ibuprofen for the pain, and a glass of wine....I am off to lala land!

Football Season!!

THE TIME IS IN.....LET THE FUN BEGIN!

So it used to be just Steve lost in TV land...now it's Tyler & Steve.

As many of you know I married into a major sports loving family. I still have a ton to learn but one thing I know for sure is that my husband has already turned our almost 4 month old into a fan:

GO COOGS!

Here is Uncle Greg and Tyler all dressed up for the U of H game....even Tyler is trying to throw up the Cougar sign:-)

I guess it's time for me to jump on the band wagon.....WooHoo, Go Coogs!

By the way, it happened to be an AWESOME game...they are 21 in the nation now!

Labor Day Fun!

Ok, so I know this post is a little bit late but it's here now!

We had so much fun over the holiday. We went to Lake Sam Rayburn for the Parker Family Reunion and for Labor Day. It was Tyler's first time in the lake. Thanks to Kristen he was able to use a floaty and enjoy the water.

Tyler did great...he let so many people hold him and help take good care of him. He also was so insistent on being such a little social bug that he did not take many naps therefore, he slept through the night at the hotel! Boy I needed it too! He loves to be in the "know"! Just like his mama! Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend...

This was a floaty we got from Academy...it worked pretty well

Thanks Kristen for letting us borrow the big float!

He loved it...but he can only be happy for so long.

Here is my nephew & Steve on the new jet ski my parents got!

& niece McKenzie making sand castles

& Bubba in the background :-)

It was great seeing everyone....Can't wait for next year!

A very late 3 Months Old post

I have been lazy with blogging lately....gotta quit that!

Tyler is 3 months old now and I took these pictures on August 19th, but am just now getting them off my camera.

He is growing so fast....

-he stares at his feet and brings his hands to his face and is trying to figure out just what they do

-he can roll over from his belly to his back now

-he is starting to giggle a little

-he loves to watch the TV....anytime we walk by it, he strains his neck to see what is going on

-he loves ESPN already....I knew that day was coming

-he had his 1st cold....only lasted about 4-5 days and there was no fever, just a runny nose

-he loves Billy the Octopus....that's the octopus that hangs off his play mat. I put him on his back and he just gets this big ol grin on his face when he sees him. By the way, I named Billy

the Octopus one day when I was extremely desperate to entertain Tyler. He likes it!

-he absolutely loves being outside...we went to his 1st high school football game to see his cousin Jesse play. He especially likes the cheerleaders!

-we take a bath together almost every night and he LOVES the water. He kicks his legs and

splashes like it's goin out of style.

-he got his first life jacket and wetsuit and we are going to the lake for Labor Day

-he had his first big group play date....he stayed awake for 4 hours because he just didn't want to miss out on all the fun! He is like his mamma!

-he is still not sleeping through the night but he will go about 5 hours before he wakes up at night...not too bad!

-oh and he wore big boy shoes for the first time!

Tyler's First Cold

I am so upset! I just hate it! Tyler has had a runny nose! He has been around some other babies the last few days but I don't think they were sick! What the heck! I thought when you breast feed they aren't supposed to get colds as often! I was kind of looking forward to that. I just wonder if I exposed him to something. I feel awful. The doctor said that if he is not running fever and isn't feeling bad then I just have to keep an eye on him and let it run its course. That is so sad! I just wish I could do something for his little runny nose. :-(

Dumpster Diving Trash Lady!

The Dumpster Diving Trash Lady! Yes that is my mom!

So let me just tell you that on Friday night, my sister-in-law, Savannah showed the ways of the couponing world! I decided that I would try my hand at it on Saturday morning during the Kroger Double & Triple sale! Savannah and I went through coupons and found things that we could basically get for free and a few other things that would end up being really cheap. We decided to go early on Saturday morning since there was so many advertisements about this sale. We met up at Kroger at 7am and found out that the store opened at 5am and had people lined up to get in!!! Crazy!

We started out with coupons in hand and went aisle to aisle. There were women & MEN on every aisle with baskets full of goodies. We actually got the last of the milk that was on sale. It was such an exhilarating feeling! After going up and down every aisle we got in line with all the other crazy, fanny pack wearing, coupon clippin people.

I checked out first and Savannah went after me so that we could see each others totals go down. The whole time i just kept thinking that my bill was going to be so high and none of my coupons were going to end up working. Well, my bill was high...it was $112 and then they used my kroger card and I saved $18.01 and then they started scanning the coupons! After running all the coupons I saved an additional $49.04!!! That is a total savings of $67.05!!!! I only bought 40 items....that's a little over a $1 per item because my total bill went from $112 to $43! Holy cow, I am going to start couponing now! This was sooooo exciting. $67.05....that's like 2 pedicures!

So then Savannah went and it was so funny while we were waiting for her final total because I was jumping up and down giving her hugs thanking her for showing me "the ways". Her bill was $66 and went to $20!!! SO FUN!!!

I think we are going to be doing this now forever! Here is everything I got:

So, I called my mom afterwards to tell her all about it and come to find out she used to be the queen of couponing! I had no idea! She said her and her friends would make money at the grocery store! Then she told me she used to go dumpster diving to find boxes with rebates on them and that they would send in these rebates and get more money back. I am not so sure about how I feel with my mom going dumpster diving but I am sure it wasn't as gross as it sounds. I hope anyway! She also said she and her friend would get up on Saturday mornings at 4 am and go to the rich neighborhoods and shop the garage sales. Maybe me and Savannah will start that too!

Well mom, I am following in your footsteps! Like mother like daughter!

TYLER ROLLED OVER TODAY!

YEAH!!!! GO TYLER!

12 weeks old!!

Well, Tyler is now 12 weeks old and he is doing great! The prevacid seems to be working a little. I have noticed he is a happier baby and he still has the gurgling sounds going on but not as much! We seem to be on the road to recover!He is cooing a ton these days. He has his most happiest times in the morning and after he eats. He stays awake for about an hour an a half then takes an hour nap. I wouldn't say we are on a schedule as much as I would say it's a routine! But hey, anything helps! Steve and I even woke up one Saturday morning and heard him cooing in his bed waiting for us to come and get him!

I am really starting to enjoy him a lot more! Not that I didn't enjoy him but those first 8 weeks or so were really tough for all of us.

He is able to hold himself up on his feet when we hold onto him. His little legs and neck are so strong. He also is discovering his hands and feet which is so cute to watch. He hasn't started grabbing at things but you can see it in his eyes that he really wants to! He loves the boob tube too! Anytime he is getting fussy and about ready for a nap, we stand in front of the TV and he just stares at it until he starts to get the "7 second stare" meaning, it's time to go down!

I absolutely love him to pieces and can't wait to see what the next 12 weeks brings.

Ear Nose Throat Doctor

Ok, I thought watching my son get his shots was painful for me....this was worse! Steve and I decided that it was time to do something more about this reflux issue and our Pediatrician suggested we see an ENT in the med center. So we went this morning to see Dr. Albright and Tyler had a scope done. He put this long snake like thing down Tyler's nose and took a video of the inside to make sure there were no functionality problems. Thank God there were not! However, it was sort of a traumatic ordeal for baby Tyler. He screamed through the whole thing and was very upset afterwards. No doubt it made his little throat sore. I felt guilty for taking him but how do you decide when to go to the next step with something like this. I felt like his reflux was bad enough to go there. But then when the doc said there was nothing wrong and that he just had reflux and that I needed to give the Prevacid more time to work it made me feel bad for putting him through all of this for what seemed like nothing. I guess I just have to look at it like, At least I tried and I am thankful to know that there is nothing seriously wrong with my baby. It was tiring for us both....he's napping why shouldn't I, right?!

11 weeks old!

I will post more about this week tomorrow...time for bed for now!

This is the pouty face:

HELP!!

Anyone with babies....I need help with something! Tyler has a ton of mucus and he constantly sounds like he is gurgling spit in the back of his throat. It actually sounds like he is extremely congested. He is on Zantac and it has helped with the reflux in the sense that he doesn't spit up as much but it has done nothing for all the gurgling. It is so bad that sometimes he chokes on it. Does anyone have any advice or experience with this? The doctor has just told me to change to Prevacid which I will try that but is there anything else that helps them swallow all of that junk??

Picnic - Cheap Dates!

Steve and I have been trying to not spend money on things lately and we decided that we should come up with some fun things to do that don't cost money....so we went on a picnic! We decided to go early since it gets so stinkin hot by noon! Daddy, me, Tyler and Harley went to Meyer Park and had a great time! We had sandwiches and fruit and for dessert....oatmeal cookies thanks to Grandma Julie! Tyler did so great the whole time. He sat in his boppy seat and took it all in! He loves being outdoors...anytime he is fussy, all we have to do is walk outside with him and he stops crying immediately! He was so content and happy the whole time...if I sound really excited about this, it's because this is a very rare thing! I am hoping it's a new trend!

10 weeks old today!

Tyler is 10 weeks old today! I took pics so you can see his progress. He has been doing much better since we upped the dose of Zantac. He is a lot less fussy and not spitting up near as much. In fact, he has allowed me to sit him in his swing a few times while he was awake and he fell asleep in it! That has never happened!!! So excited. He also went to take a nap in his bed...eyes wide open....and started sucking on his fist and put himself to sleep in about 10 minutes and not once did he cry!!! Things are starting to get a lot better. My girlfriend has a 4 1/2 month old and so I get to hear of what to expect from her which is great however, I think that Cassidy, her baby is on a faster pace than Tyler. I am still going to want lots of knowledge and tips from you!

Here is Tyler:

Pow Pow Pow

Tyler and I went to see his wonderful Dr yesterday with Aunt Allie to get his shots. Let me just tell you it was painful for all 3 of us. At 9 weeks and 2 days old, here are his stats:

Height: 23 1/4 inches = 75th%
Weight: 10 lb 14.5 oz = 50th%
Head: 39.3 cm = 50th%

Yay for Tyler, he has grown and doing very well. He is very healthy. However, the Dr did let us know that his reflux is on the more extreme spectrum. That is why he is so fussy and has all the congestion and spitting up. He has been on Zantac for a month now and the spitting up has gotten better but the fussiness and the congestion is still the same. We upped his dose of Zantac and will try that for a week to see if it helps any. If it does not help, we will switch his medicine to Prevacid. I am hoping the Zantac will work.

After the Dr saw us and Tyler, the nurse came in to give him his shots. This time it was my bottom lip that stuck out. I felt so sorry for little Ty. I just hated seeing him cry when she stuck him. He got 1, 2, 3! painful little shots. I looked at Aunt Alli and her and I were both tearing up. Poor Tyler. I was told to nurse them after they get shots and they tend to forget about the pain. It worked. He was happy again in no time. He fell right to sleep after that too.

Alli and I ventured out into the pouring rain to head over to my lactation consultants house. This woman is probably so tired of hearing from me but I am really frustrated with the whole pumping thing. I know my milk machine works because Tyler is gaining weight and he is healthy but I can never get much out with the pump. I took my pump over to the consultant, Suzie and she said I was doing it right and it should be working and that I just need to get in the habit of doing it every morning. Well, this morning it worked and I got 3 oz out of one breast! It took some manual squeezing at times to get more milk out but it worked. I just think that the pump is not very strong because when the pump was on sometimes nothing would come out and I would take it off and try manually squeezing and lots of milk would come out so what the heck! Anyway, I am still not sure why the pump won't get much out but thankfully I got 3 oz today. I actually think I got that much because Tyler slept for 10....yes, 10 hours last night!!!! I think it was because of the shots though. We will see if he keeps it up.

Here are some pics I took on Tuesday when he turned 9 weeks old....I forgot the sign.

This is Tyler with his Great Grandma - Mamma Jane

Cuz We're Cousins...We're 2 of a Kind!

Make sure you read the captions! It's Look Who's Talkin all over again! Absolutely the cutest cousins ever!!

Cousins!

Them R Fightin Words

So I decided to venture out to the grocery store....I normally go to Kroger by my house but today I went to the HeeeB! I have been really into cooking more and I felt I needed a real market type of grocery store today.
Tyler was really tired and fell asleep on the way there. He did so good...meaning he slept the whole time I wandered up and down the aisles! So I go to check out and Tyler opens his eyes. I thought to myself, "I hope he doesn't start screaming!" He did great! The checker started asking me how old he was and telling me how cute he was when a bagger came up and started unloading my basket for me. I thought that was very nice.
So as she did that I checked on Tyler...he was sitting in his car seat that was propped "securely" on top of the basket. After the bagger unloaded my basket she ATTEMPTED to take my basket, WITH MY BABY IN IT, to the end of the lane to load the bags of groceries. I quickly grabbed onto the basket as it started rolling away from me and stated that I would like to keep him close to me as I was not completely trusting the safety of Tyler's car seat sitting on the cart like it was. She looked at me as if I was some kind of deranged idiot!
The checker continued to ask questions and dote on him and when I was reaching into my wallet the bagger tried to take the basket AGAIN!!! Are you kidding me....do you wanna see me pull out a can??
I said again, this time with a teency bit of an attitude, that, "I would like to keep my baby close to me....was that a problem?" I asked the checker if that was a problem and she quickly said no and gave the bagger a dirty look.
I thought to myself, this little teenager girl is cruisin for a bruisin from an overprotective mommy on the loose! After everything was paid for and all the bags were in my basket I asked the checker if I could have some help loading all these groceries into my car and she said, "certainly, she (pointing to the bagger) can help you out." Oh great!
So, as you may have already guessed, the bagger is more than thrilled! She says to me, "I'll Push!" I was like.....over my dead body will I let you push my 8 week old baby boy out into a parking lot! No....I didn't say that. I just said, "No, I don't think so...I will push my baby...thank you."
Needless to say, she quickly put the grocery bags in the trunk and without a word was headed back into the store.
So am I a crazy lady with a mean streak or would you feel the same way?

8 Weeks Old-I get it!

I get it I get it! Finally I get it! I kept seeing bloggers take pictures of their babies with little signs sitting next to them describing how old they were. I kept thinking that is so weird...why do all the people do that! And then I started seeing how big their babies had been growing and it just hit me! I know I am a little slow sometimes! It is to show the growth from week to week! Well that is what I am going with anyway. So here are my very first "big teddy bear "" weeks old pictures!" I am starting with 8 weeks old but at least I am starting right!

So as of 8 weeks of life as a Mercer boy:

- You are starting to sleep through the night! Most nights you are pretty fussy. We go on a routine walk in the evening to help this fussiness. After our walks you end up eating about 8-9 and go to sleep. Lately you have been sleeping for about 6.5 hours and then waking up at 4 and needing to be fed again; but you usually go right back to sleep for about 3 more hours.

-You are holding your head up really well. It only lasts for about a minute and then you need support.

-You are sleeping in your own bed now! It helps me and daddy get better sleep and I think you like it too. -You have not quite got the hang of puting yourself to sleep. Sometimes you will cry for 3 minutes and then be asleep and then sometimes it is 15 minutes. At the moment, you are crying in your bed and trying to go to sleep. I hate this part. I haven't quite figured out how many naps you need in a day nor have I figured out what your tired cry is compared to your "I am just fussy" cry. You seem to be fussy a lot so it is hard to tell.

-You are not spitting up as much now that we have you on Zantac. It didn't cure the fussiness though.

-You are about 11 pounds I think...I used a friends scale to weigh you at 7 weeks old and you were 10 pounds 12 ounces.

-You finally started smiling at me after you eat in the morning times. You seem to be really happy during that time. It is my favorite right now because if I do something funny or make a funny noise you will get a big grin on your face and make a cooing noise.

-Like I said above, you are also starting to make cooing noises. It is mostly during the time right after your morning feedings. Sometimes you will do it in the afternoon if you are not fussy.

-You like to be held ALL the time and you LOVE to fall asleep on daddy's chest.

-You have a new mat to play on and you seem to like the lights and music it plays, but once again, it only lasts a few minutes and then you are not so happy to be on your back.

-You are not taking your pacifier very much. I think you think that when I give it to you it means you have to sleep and you get mad when I put it in your mouth. But there are times that you like it and it stays in your mouth about a minute and then you are done.

-I think you are going to take after your mommy in the sense that you are going to be very needy of lots of attention. Daddy will have to adjust to that one!

-Your 2 month shots are next week.

-You went swimming for the first time this week and seemed to really love the water.

-We have started taking you out places a lot more consistently now and you seem to do pretty well...you have your moments.

-As for me, I am finally starting to cook for my family. I am not that great of a cook to begin with but I have found that I am ready to get learning and I have done pretty well this week. I am just glad to have the desire to start cooking and cleaning and taking care of our house. I just have to be better about using the "nap" times wisely so that I can get a lot done!

Well, that is all I can think of for now. Happy 8 weeks Tyler!

Crazy times for Auntie Tori!

This week has been fun because my sister, who is 20 years younger than myself, came to see us! Tyler and I drove to El Campo to pick her up. I met my dad halfway from Victoria and we met at a restaurant in town.

This was the first time my sister and dad had seen baby Tyler since he was born. This was also the first time I had to nurse Tyler in public! I am so glad that the restaurant was pretty much empty! Our visit at Greek Brothers went pretty well all in all. Tyler had a blowout diaper that I had to change in the booth we sat in....good thing it wasn't stinky!

We were going to attempt to go to Steve's softball games on Friday night but that did not work out too well since Tyler had a tummy ache and would not stop screaming until what seemed like forever! I think I may have scared Tori from ever wanting to come back to visit!

We ended up giving him a bath and he eventually calmed down. The bath time was especially crazy times because someone forgot to plug the bottom of the tub and water went all over the counter and into the cabinets and drawers. What an ordeal!

Saturday we hung out at the mall and once again it was crazy times that Tori experienced! We got all the way to the mall and Tori rode in the back seat and had to listen to Tyler scream his little head off all the way. I think that is when she said, "This is not as much fun as I thought it would be!" Then we get out of the car and open the trunk to find that someone forgot to bring the stroller! So here we are; just drove 30 minutes to get to the mall and Tyler is screaming and I have forgotten the 1 thing that I know will calm Tyler down! Steve and Tori were not happy either!

Needless to say we went to a couple of stores and ate in the food court and headed home...screaming the whole way!

On Sunday was our first Sunday back to church! It went pretty smoothly considering the days prior! We didn't attempt big church...maybe next time. After church we tried to go eat at Newks but that only lasted until they brought out our food. Then it was time to leave since Tyler was yet again the unhappy screaming baby!

Sunday night was our Dinner 8 Group....we met with 3 couples from our Sunday School class for dinner. The Thomas' put together a great dinner for us and I was shocked when Tyler was so happy during his awake time. Mr. Baker held him mostly during this time making popping noises and Tyler seemed to like it! He got hungry and I fed him and then he went to sleep for the remainder of the time! YAY!

I think Tori was liking it by then....she said she might come back! ;-)

Then today, Monday, we went to see Kristen and Cassidy and hang out by the pool. This was Tyler's first time ever in a pool! He loved it!! I am really hoping he will be a little water baby. I always loved the water.

I am pretty sure that Tori wants children but not for a REALLY REALLY long time from now! It is good birth control for young people to be around little newborns!

Thanks Tori for coming to visit! We love you!

Sleeping through 4th of July!!!!

So...Happy 4th of July to ya!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday! We did! We were pretty busy during the day and then we went to my parents house that evening for a little party! At the party was Tyler's little cousin Norman! My has he grown. I am waiting on my cousin to send me the pictures of the 2 of them...they were so cute in their red, white and blue outfits! Hopefully I will get them soon!

So we started the fireworks at my parents after everyone ate up all the good food. I thought Tyler was going to love them but as soon as they started popping, he was not happy with the noise so we had to stay inside. I have to tell ya that 4th of July this year was a lot different then I had expected. I guess that's life as a mommy!

He had been pretty fussy so we decided to go ahead and head home. He cried the whole way home....poor thing....Steve and I will have that screaming cry engraved in our heads forever! That was a long 15 minute drive home!

As soon as we pulled up to our house he stopped crying...go figure! Anyway, he was hungry so I fed him and put him to sleep in our room. I really thought that he was not going to sleep well with all the neighbors popping their fireworks. Every time one of them went off I would sit up to see if it woke Tyler up....much to my surprise the fireworks were only keeping ME up. I did not sleep at all and TYLER SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE NIGHT!!!! YAY, it's official! Tyler's first night to sleep through and I don't get a wink of sleep myself!

I am just hoping that he will continue this sleeping through the night thing! I would love it if we both did! I should be able to post those pics of little Norm and Tyler soon. Meanwhile here are a few cute ones:

Happy 4th!

Just want to say Happy 4th of July! Happy Independance Day!!! Thank you to all who serve our country in the military. You will continue to be in our prayers and thoughts.

Happy 1st Father's Day & Happy 30th Birthday to Steve

Wow, what a monumental birthday, huh?! Steve's very 1st father's day today as well as his 30th birthday. This one's for you babe!

Steven Swanson Mercer II:

He is the man I married and when I did, I knew deep down in my heart that despite my fears of divorce, I knew he would be my husband forever. And, I knew he would be the greatest father to our kids.

We have been married a year and a half now and we just had our first baby...Tyler. Over the time that we have been married we have been through quite a lot with moving to Corpus Christi while Steve served in the Navy. Then we made some hard decisions regarding leaving the Navy and once we decided, we had to move again back to Houston...back home for both of us. We lived with my parents for almost a year while we went through more difficult times. We finally found a house we wanted to build and started the process only to find that it was not what God had in store for us. We found out we were pregnant and then began looking for a house to move into. We both got new jobs and were really anxious to move out on our own feet and finally we did in January of this year. Then May 19th, Tyler was born. What a year it has been! And through all of it, I got to see God move in Steve's life in some really cool ways. He was always the first to say, "We need to pray about it"....or "We will just have to trust God for this"....or "Don't worry, God has this all worked out and we just have to have faith that He will provide."

Over the course of this time, I have grown to love Steven more and more every day. I have learned to trust him more than I ever thought I could trust a man. I also never realized how much I loved him until our son was born. Steven really stepped up and became a very nurturing person to me and Tyler. He was such a servant the 2 1/2 weeks he was off of work. He helped out in so many ways and I am so blessed to have had that time with him during the first weeks of Tyler's life. He has showed me more times than I can remember that he is someone that I can always count on. I know without a doubt that if ever I need him for anything, he will drop everything for me. I really do feel like I am the luckiest girl alive being married to Steve. I love him so much and I know that Tyler already loves him so much.

Steve, I love you and hope that you have the best birthday ever! And we hope you have the best Father's day too!

1 month old and time to get out!

Well, Tyler is a month old today! I can't believe that I have a 1 month old baby! That is crazy! Today has been rough that is for sure. Every time he was awake today he was extremely fussy. I tried everything to keep him from crying and at one point I just let him cry while I cried myself. I hear that is very normal though. I even called the Pediatrician to see if I could give him Mylicon drops and they said YES! I did and I am not sure if it helped because he finally went to sleep so I am not sure what the cure was.
My sister-in-law came over and it was nice to see another adult face. Then Steve got home and had to leave again for softball and I just thought to myself....gosh, I have been alone all day with him...I want to go somewhere too! I did not want to make Steve feel guilty so I said nothing and then my miracle happened! My mother-in-law came over to get Allison, her daughter, and they were going to get Mexican food and a margarita and inside I was SOSOSOSO jealous but said nothing and then she said it....."Why don't you and Alli go and I will stay with Tyler!" You don't have to ask me twice that's for sure! RELIEF! Oh, is it bad that I was so happy to get out and have margarita? Erin....I know how you feel about the guilt....I felt it but it didn't stop me.
Allison and I went to Alicia's and had a margarita....my first in over 9 months. It was fantastic with the fajitas! Thank you thank you thank you Susan!

4 weeks old!!

Wow I am amazed that I have a 4 week old baby! Seriously...really....is it true! It is true, Tyler is 4 weeks old today and I am just beginning to see how this is going to BE! I am hoping that the upcoming weeks will get a little easier however, I do love being a mommy and staying home with Tyler. I feel truly blessed that we are able to do that.

Tyler has been great, we have had a few really rough days and nights but for the most part, I think I have a pretty easy baby. I am getting to that point now where I have no idea what to do with him. When he sleeps and I have slept....I get things done around the house and when he cries, it's usually because he is hungry so I feed him. But then those times that he is awake and wants to be held....I really am feeling like a dummy. I have no idea what to do or say to him. I have tried reading books but he can't hold his head up yet which makes it hard to hold him, his head and the book. Today I tried my Hotslings that my friend gave me and he passed out in it. That was nice but it started hurting my shoulder and I couldn't get a lot done because I was afraid to wake him.

How do you entertain a 4 week old!!!! He does love his swing but that only lasts so long. I tried singing songs to him to but knowing that I would never try out for AI, that only lasted a short time too! So does anyone have any tips on what to do with my awake baby when he is awake?

I do feel like he has made some great strides! He has reached almost all the milestones that are talked about in the books I am reading.

• He can lift head to a 45 degree angle when on stomach or a flat surface


• He can focus on faces


• He responds to bells or sounds in some way, such as startling, crying, or quieting


• He can bring both hands together


• He can smile spontaneously

The things that are on the list that he hasn't done yet are:

• Hold head steady when upright
  
• Lift head 90 degrees when on stomach
  
• Smile in response to my smile
  
• And vocalize in ways other than crying (cooing)

I am very proud of him and am really looking forward to what the next 4 weeks bring!

I was also advised that we should introduce a bottle to him at this stage so that he can get used to having my breast and the bottle. Here is a pic of Steve giving Tyler his first bottle. He had no problems taking it. He is going to be my chunky monkey with the way he is eating!

My new doo!

So today was the first day that I was away from baby Tyler. I have been pretty nervous about the thought of leaving Tyler for any length of time.

I decided it was time to make a change. I had been wondering if I was ever going to feel pretty again. I finally decided it was time to head to the salon and make some changes to help in the pretty department!

I decided that I would have Tyler's Aunt Allison come watch Tyler while I was out. I went to the salon and instead of calling ever 30 minutes to check on Tyler, I only called ever hour! Yay for me right?!

So I treated myself to highlights, color and a cut! Emily cut off almost 4 inches! I am so happy because now, my hair won't look so scraggly when I have gone all day without a shower! I can actually start to feel pretty again even if it's a figment of my imagination.

I know that sounds extremely vain but after being huge for 9 months and then having to be exposed to what seems like the whole world, one does what one has to do to feel "normal" again!

Here is me feeling somewhat "normal" again! And this is what Tyler did the whole time he was with Aunt Alli. And I was worried! Ha! I was worried for nothing. Allison had it all under control every time I called!

Fluids fluids and more fluids! Oh My!

It is amazing how a mommy's day can go from happy and proud to gross to hilarious! Yesterday Tyler turned 3 weeks old and we took him to the pediatrician for his unofficial 2 week check up. We had a 2 week check up with a different doctor that mommy did not care for. His first appointment did not go very well in my opinion. I called to see if I needed to take him in for Jaundice at 7 days and was told "he is probably fine". So I did not take him in and then on day 9 I called again with the same concerns. Finally they told me to bring him in. I did and come to find out he did have a mild case of Jaundice and had lost 8 ounces since birth. I was frustrated they did not let me come the first time. What if it had been worse!!!! So the Dr treated the 9 day visit as his 2 week check up, however!!!! she failed to remember that he needed to have his PKU testing done. If it weren't for my mother-in-law, Susan, he might not have had it until 2 months! I cannot believe we were telling the Dr what needed to be done. She also did not give me any information on what to expect from baby Tyler right now and did not let me know any of his stats...height, head circumference...etc.

Without going on and on about that, Steve and I decided that a new Dr. for baby Tyler would be best. My friend Kristen has her baby at the same group of Dr's but she is seeing Dr. Knapick and told me she liked him a lot better than who she had been seeing there and suggested I see him. He is a lot older and he is actually the director of the practice. We went to see him and I love him!!! We went at 3 weeks but told the Dr we wanted it to be his 2 week unofficial check up. He spent almost 40 minutes with me and my mom and baby Tyler! It was great...I did not feel rushed at all and was able to remember all my questions and have them answered.

PLUS!!! Tyler had a great report...He has gained 11 1/2 ounces...now 8 pounds 11 1/2 ounces and he grew 1/2 an inch which makes him 21 1/2 inches! I am so proud of Baby Tyler! He is eating like a champ now and the Jaundice is pretty much gone! He gave me some great advice about keeping him healthy and he also told me that was only his advice..."since I am the mommy I can decide whatever I choose". I really appreciated that!

So, that is my proud moment right...then the next day after I fed him and tried to burp him...he decided to not only throw up on me but throw up straight down my shirt and bra! Oh yay! Now I not only have milk in my breast, I have it all over my girls. And when you have a screaming baby in your arms, you don't get to go change your outfit...you just deal! So I decide, maybe he needs a diaper change since he is screaming and he has eaten, thrown up and I can't seem to stop his crying. So as I am changing him....he decides to make a yellow rainbow....all over me! Yes he peed on me AGAIN! You would think that I would learn my lesson after the first 5 times but NO, I continue to be sprayed in love! I know he loves me but come on!

Then after a night of feedings every 2 hours (he must have hit a growth spurt) I wake up to read this and now I cannot stop laughing! Uncontrollable laughter! I wonder if someday I will be writing something similar to this. It is long but worth the read!

Well, it sounds like it is time to be exposed again and feed my baby whom I love SO SO much! I'm coming, I'm coming!!!

Cousins!!!

YAY, little Norm is here and Tyler loves him! My cousin and I have been very close. We are only a year apart in age and she married only a month ahead of me and we got to also share our pregnancies together. I am so excited that we now get to raise our little men together. They are only 10 days apart and already they are best buds! See....

Tummy Aches

I just hate it when I know Tyler has a little tummy ache. I am really starting to learn his crys, though there are not many of them. I have to say that I am completely blessed to have a little baby that sleeps all the time. He is hardly ever fussy and I have been told by many that I am SO lucky because of how easy I have it! But when he does cry, it is obvious when he is hungry and it is even more obvious when he has a tummy ache. I believe I have eating 3 times that have caused him to have 3 tummy aches. The first time I think it was spicy beans and then the other times it was something that had rotel in it. I am going out on a limb here but I think he did not like it too much!
Poor thing, I just wish I could take his pain away when he feels bad. I have found a good hold for him when he has these tummy aches. He likes to lay on his belly on my knees~legs. It seems to make him feel better.
Speaking of laying him on his belly....I have been letting him sleep on his side like he did in the hospital but I have noticed he prefers his belly. I wish I wasn't so nervous about SIDS but I just am and I have a hard time letting him be on his belly. Last night, after his 5am (I guess that would not be last night, more like this morning) I did put him on his belly instead and he went right to sleep.
He certainly is not on any kind of schedule yet but he is pretty consistent with his days and nights. He likes to sleep after his feedings for about 4 hours. He will eat about 9-10 and sleep til about 1:30-2am then I feed him again and he goes back to sleep for 4 more hours. During the day he is awake a lot more and eats more frequently. His feedings are definitely not consistent. I have been feeding him on only one side each feeding and sometimes he will eat for 8 minutes only and then other feedings he will eat for 15 minutes on one side. I wish I knew everything about nursing babies!
Here are some new pics of him from this week! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! I love him so much! I could not ask for anything more in life! He is my little angel and I don't know how I could live without him!

Here he is getting some UV rays to get rid of Jaundice....notice his cord is off!

Here is my friend Amanda holding him....sleeping of course!

Again....with Amanda...still sleeping!

Here is Mr. Steve, Steven and Tyler! 3 generations of the Mercers!

Mommy and Tyler both need some UV rays!....still sleeping!

Yay, Tyler's cord came off!

Well, this first week....almost 2 weeks.....has gone by so fast. I have been enjoying every moment of him! I am still in shock that I have him in my arms and not in my belly. Tomorrow is my due date! Wow, I can't imagine if he had come on my due date instead of early! I bet he would have been much bigger than 8 pounds 8 ounces!

We had to take him to the pediatrician a couple of days ago because he was not eating much and sleeping a lot and he was a little yellow. Everything I had read was suggesting that he had a case of Jaundice. When we went to the doctor, she decided to make it his 2 week appointment. The levels at which he had Jaundice was not extreme and she told me to just keep feeding him and keep him in some UV rays. Today he looks much better! He had lost 8 ounces but she said that was very normal. We take him in to get weighed on Tuesday. Since his appointment, he is a lot less yellow and he is eating much better!

I am still trying to figure out this breast feeding thing. There definitely is no consistency!...except for his poo poo and pee pee diapers! They are consistently stinky!

This evening his umbilical cord fell off too! I am so happy about this because that thing is just yucky! I hear some people keep it for a keepsake....I am not so sure I will be one of those people. I will hold onto it for a while and see if I want to keep it but I have a feeling that I will end up throwing it away.

We also had some tummy time today and I noticed that he has a really strong neck! He is really trying to lift his head on his own! Mommy is so proud!!!

Here are some pictures of the past 12 days!

That is his "I have gas" grin!

Tyler looking a little Jaundice today :-(

Daddy and Mommy taking Tyler out on his first outing....the mailbox!

Tyler in his jailbird pajamas!

Tyler in his boppy seat! He loves it!

Tyler and his first time in his swing!

Tyler's 2nd bath!

Daddy with Tyler after his bath!

Getting ready for tummy time!

Tyler picking up his head!

Yay Tyler!!!

Cousin Little Norm is making his grand entrance very soon!!!

We are both anxiously awaiting Little Norm to arrive today! My cousin and I have been pregnant together and her due day was 9 days after mine. I ended up delivering 13 days early and she is delivering 12 days early!!!! She is 9 1/2 centimeters and almost ready to push as we speak! I can't wait for Tyler's cousin to arrive and we all can't wait for the good news of a healthy baby boy for Courtney and Norm!!! We love you guys and we are praying!!!! Hope to hear something very soon!!!!

This is us at about 18 weeks....16.5 weeks for Court!

Here are the 3 cousins in our family that are pregnant!

Norman and Courtney, Aaron and Calli, and Steve and myself!

We are all due within a month apart from each other!!!

Gotta love that Tennessee beer! Love you Courtney!!!!

By the way, we wern't pregnant in this picture in case you were worried!

The Most Amazing Day of Our Lives!

Here I am at 38 weeks and 1 day.....(AKA)....Tyler's Birthday!

I truly stand in awe of God for who He is and the things He does! Steve and I are so blessed to be able to announce our son's arrival! Tyler arrived on May 19th at 4:14 pm and could not be any more perfect! I never knew how much one could love another until I laid eyes on him. Here is how it unfolded:

Last Monday I had my 38 week appointment and I was 85% effaced and a "fingertip" dilated. I could not feel Tyler moving as much so my doctor sent me to the hospital to get a stress test done and to make sure the baby was ok. That kind of scared me. When I got there they told me the baby's heart rate had dropped a little so Steve went ahead and came to the hospital to be with me. Everything ended up being just fine and I went home.

I had an appointment on Tuesday morning to have an ultrasound done to see how big he was going to be. I decided not to go into work until after my appointment considering the day before was kind of rough. Steve left for work and I got ready for my appointment and then checked my email. At 6:40 my I was sitting at my desk and all of the sudden I had this warm sensation as if I just sat my butt in a warm tub; hence, my water broke! It was not a trickle either! I was laughing uncontrollably and called Steve and told him to head back! Until Steve got back I just paced the house laughing saying, "Oh my gosh my water just broke, oh my gosh!"

We headed to the hospital and I had just begun to have contractions after an hour had past since my water broke. They were so easy! I was actually excited to have another one 3 minutes later!
Once we got all checked in at the hospital we realized that the day was not going to be very good unless we got rid of our Nazi nurse! Thankfully she was replaced and sent home for being such a terrible nurse! We got a great nurse as her replacement! I think it was around noon that my OB came to see me and check me. By the time she got there she said I was 6 centimeters and moving right along! I had 2 massage therapist "Doulas" there with me and that was fantastic! I got massaged all the way through labor which is why I think I progressed so quickly!

I chose to not have any drugs for this delivery and I begged Steve to not let me give in. However, after being such a trooper and really trying to convince me at 9 centimeters that I could do it, he realized that I knew I had hit my "point of no return" and I knew in my heart that I needed to have the epidural. My mom and Steve did great through the whole labor process. I am so glad I had them by my side. The pain was more than I could have ever imagined. My contractions would come on strong and not even go away before the next one would hit. I got no break in between the contractions whatsoever.

After the epidural, Steve's neck must have felt better since I was no longer holding onto it for dear life! I am so glad I got the epidural because the next 2 hours were the best 2 hours! I got to a 10 or someone said a -1 and started pushing. I pushed for an hour and a half. Apparently that is a really long time to be pushing. I had no idea. I was able to watch the whole thing in a mirror and it was amazing! Tyler was sunny side up most of the time and the nurse finally got him turned around and once she did he made his arrival! It makes me cry just thinking about that moment when I saw his face! Steve was able to cut the massive cord. One of the nurses said it was the biggest umbilical cord she had ever seen. I am sure the organization we donated it to will love that!

I never knew how much I would love him; and so instantaneously. The nurse laid him on me and I just cried my eyes out! It truly was the best moment of my entire life! I think Steve would agree and say the same! We were so happy. He was taken to be all cleaned up while I got all stitched up. When I heard his cry for the first time, it made it all the more real. His APGAR scores were perfect and he was BEAUTIFUL! They let us have him and hold him for about 3 hours before they took him to the nursery to get more stuff done!

Steve and I are both so incredibly in love with him and can't believe that God has blessed us with this precious gift! We are cherishing every moment with him. We are also so much more in love with each other than before. I never imagined how this experience would bring us so close together and how I would fall in love with him all over again but this time so much more!

I have so much I want to share and soon enough I will! For now, I am going to go and stare at my precious little baby until he wakes up again!

Tyler Jeffery Mercer has arrived!

Mommy and baby are doing great! Tyler arrived May 19th @ 4:14 pm after only 9 short hours of labor, weighing in at 8 lbs. 8 ounces, and 21 inches long. He is going to be tall like me (like daddy)!! Mommy will be blogging soon to tell of this amazing story. Thank you for all the prayers! In the mean time here are some pics to hold everybody over...

Leila and Mommy with Tyler.

Here is Cristie's dad...Papa Chuck!

My brother and sister...Uncle Greg and Aunt Allie with Tyler

Nana and Grand Dad

Mommy & Tyler

Aunt Tori and Tyler

Mimi and Tyler

The Mercer Trio

Another one of Mommy and TJ

Big Daddy and Tyler

Tyler just after his tremendous journey!

Aunt Ashleigh and Tyler

38 Weeks and in labor!

Well, at 6:40 this morning I was checking email at my computer and my water breaks!!! Let me just tell you it is a crazy feeling! There was no trickle...I am talking gush of water! So now I am in the hospital at Texas Women's and all hooked up to monitors having contractions! How exciting to think I will have a baby soon!

We will keep you all updated! My doctor is coming in to check me in the next hour to see how much I have dilated! I am sticking with my crazy dream that when she sees me next she will say.."oh my you are at a 10 and it's time to deliver!" Don't worry I won't get my hopes up though.

Kid-less dates at 38 weeks

Well, I am officially 14 days away from my EDD. I am praying he decides to come before then. Last night was wonderful up until about 2 am.


First let me tell you about last night with Steve. He decided that we needed to have a date since it might be a while before we get one again! So he picked a great place...one of our favorites...Perry's Steakhouse! The reason it is one of our favs is due to the decadent Bananas Foster dessert they have! Oh my....yes it is to die for! It was kind of a weird feeling to think that was probably our last "kid-less" date we will EVER have again. We will never be the same again....as our Sunday school teacher reminded us.....our date conversation will now revolve around children unless forcefully done otherwise. We can't wait to NOT be kid-less!!!
The food was fabulous...Steve had their famous pork chop meal and I had the pecan crusted snapper! So yummy. My favorite by far was the end when we got to watch them flame up the banana's foster! You really have to try it!


So we headed home. About 2 am I woke up with terrible indigestion and cramping and a dull aching in my lower back. All I could think of was reading the "false labor signs" section of an article I read, of which described exactly what I was feeling. DARN! I could not go back to sleep due to the ache in my back. I tried everything and ended up on our super comfy couch and fell asleep at 4 am only to be woken up by reality....time for work. I decided that I would stay home today and rest. I have my appointment with my dr today at noon and I am praying she is going to tell me, this time, that I am 10 centimeters dilated and it is time to have the baby!!! I know....I know...I am still having that same ridiculous dream.


Anyway, we are ready...bags packed....double checked bags....had our hospital tour...cleaned the house (not completely)....we are ready for little baby Tyler to join our lives. I can't wait to meet him.


I will try to post a 38 week and 1 day picture tomorrow after my friend/co-worker, Madelaine, takes my picture in her office.


Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you...I have a scheduled ultrasound tomorrow morning to see how big baby Tyler is. Can't wait to post about that one! Pray he is not a 20 pound baby!!!!

Seriously!

Are you serious! 18 more days of this! Today has been rough.

I had my last shower which was awesome! My work gave me a shower and we had it at Chedders restaurant and I got a few great gifts and also a gift certificate to get started with my cloth diapering! I can't wait to purchase my cloth diapers!!!!

I will post some pics possibly this weekend.

After the shower, it just hit me like a ton of bricks....I am soooooo tired and wow I have some major pressure down in my pelvis right now. Like painful pressure! I am guessing this is Tyler getting ready to make his grand entrance! I wish he would hurry up and decide to come out!

Well, I am going to bed early tonight....I will post some more later!

Happy Mother's Day at 37 weeks! and Full Term!

Well, I am officially considered FULL TERM! I had my first pelvic exam today to see if I had dilated or effaced at all. I was very excited about this! This weekend I actually had several new physical feelings that I was unsure of their meaning. Well today I found out!

First, I thought I had a contraction on Saturday and apparently it was just a gas cramp...lovely! Then, I had a lot of pressure down in my pelvis! I kept thinking that maybe Tyler was trying to come out and I was sure to go to the doctor on Monday and she was going to tell me it was getting very close!

Well, I went to the doctor today and I am still measuring right on track. My blood pressure was normal and Tyler's heart rate was 143! I had also gained a pound and a half since last Monday. Then when she checked my cervix she said I had NOT dilated and that I was starting to "thin out". I was not sure what this meant so I looked it up and apparently it is the beginning stages of effacement! She said the pressure I must have been feeling in my pelvis over the weekend was Tyler's head dropping and she told me his head was very low! That is exciting to know that he is in position and has already dropped.

She also told me that she was going out of town this upcoming weekend and that I was to do nothing that would bring on labor! She did not want me to go into labor while she was out of town...here I am thinking, "well neither do I!". So, I plan on keeping my feet up and resting after work and this upcoming weekend! I love good excuses to relax! Anyway, so that was my first pelvic exam and I can't wait for next Monday when she tells me that I am 10 centimeters dilated and that Tyler is ready to come out! I know I am only dreaming!

Here are my 37 week pics...I don't look too happy in them but that may have something to do with the fact that Tyler loves to karate kick me in the ribs during my morning hours at work.

This past weekend was Mother's Day and I really did not expect to be celebrating it, however I received so many Happy Mother's Day wishes! And....Steve decided to celebrate Mother's Day and did so by surprising me with 2 amazing cards and a gift! The first card was from Tyler and he wrote with his left hand to make it look like a child's writing...it said "to Mommy"! I love it! I started crying and then he gave me the card from him and, oh my gosh, it was the best card I have ever gotten!

For my gift, he got me the Bose Ipod speakers. Now I can just sit my Ipod in the speakers and it plays all my music! It sounds awesome! I love playing music while I do things around the house or while I get ready or while I cook and so he got me this so that I could do all of that! He also said it would be great to take to the hospital so that I can have all my favorite music while I go through labor! I am so excited and I have to say that I really think I married the best guy in the world! I can't wait for Father's Day when he will actually get to hold Tyler in his arms! What a gift!

36 weeks! and lots of showers!

Yes, I am very aware that my blog titles are not so creative! I will work on that!


Well, I am 36 weeks along today and had my Dr appointment this morning. I thought she was going to do the first pelvic exam but she didn't. I kind of was hoping that I would find out if I was dilated at all. I guess I am a little anxious....she said that starts next Monday at 37 weeks. She was able to tell me that Tyler was head down and in the perfect position. Let's hope he stays that way!


I have had several showers over the past month and I want to post some pics but I don't have pics from all the showers yet....so I will just post the ones I have for now. I do have to say that I feel very blessed by all the gifts and love and prayers that people have given us. We really are pretty much ready for Tyler now and it is such a great feeling to know that if he came today, we would have almost everything we need to take care of him.


Before I post the pics of the shower I wanted to let everyone know that my dad is doing much better emotionally. He is ready to start the Chemo drugs on Wednesday. Thank you all for the prayers. He had a rough time coming back to feeling himself after the surgery to remove the mass in his colon. It was difficult to know how to respond to what he was feeling but after much prayer, he is back to being himself and he said he is a fighter and to "bring on the chemo". Now we just have to pray the chemo makes him cancer free! Please continue to pray for this time that he will go through. He will have a treatment once every 3 weeks for 6 months and it takes a day to administer and about 3 days to recover from 1 treatment. I know he is a fighter and he will pull through this!


OK, now for the shower details and pictures! The first shower I had was with my mother-in-law at her work! Julie, thank you so much for throwing the shower. It was great of your boss to let you have it at work! Your co-workers were all so great to help too!

A few of the decorations!

Ya Ya and MiMi with Steve and I

Just a few of the adorable outfits!

The game where everyone got to measure how huge I was! Oh how fun!

My favorite game: the one where Steve and some of Julie's co-workers had to drink out of a bottle to see who could drink the fastest. Hilarious!

Then I had a shower with my 2 other cousins that are also pregnant. This was more of just a family get together. It is so much fun to share this pregnancy with my 2 cousins Courtney and Calli! And we are all 3 having boys! I am due June 1st and then Courtney is about a week after me and then Calli has a few weeks after Courtney. The boys will be so close in age! Can't wait for them to meet!

Here we are, the 3 cousins with our better halves!

Me with my Tyler Jefferey Mercer blanket, Courtney with her Norman Robert McDonald blanket and Calli with her Brock Emerson Keener blanket! How sweet!

We all 3 got the Diaper Champ....how crazy is that! No we didn't plan it either!

and...the 3 grandpas! My uncle Cliff on the left, Uncle Jay in the middle and my step-dad on the right!

Then I had "Game Day" Shower that was put together by some of my mom's great friends; Ann Sanders, Sherri Hroch, Martha Walker, Allison Morris and Kim Huff. Thank you so much for an awesome time. The theme was "Game Day" and they were all dressed up as if they were headed to a sporting event! Steve would have loved to have been invited to this one! We really are going to have a little sports guru on our hands!

Ann in her referee gear! And that was my chair that I got to sit in. I believe that is Vince Young's number! Go Texas!

These were 2 pictures that were displayed. Can you guess which one is me and which one is Steve. We were both chunky monkeys back in the day!

And here is the diaper cake that Martha made with the help of Johnny! Thanks!

This was how the table was decorated...with bags of popcorn and peanuts and m&m's just like we were at the game!

More decorations...by the way, I loved the piggy banks in the above picture...the different sports balls! I used them in decorating Tyler's room!

This was a frame that had the "Game Day" menu in it!

I love the sports wrapping!

Wow, that was a lot of gifts to unwrap!

And this was the Stork that my mother-in-law brought! ADORABLE! He is a metal stork that is playing golf and he WILL be in the front yard holding a sign welcoming baby Tyler very soon!

I had another shower this weekend thrown by some of my great friends, Amanda O'Kelley, Leila Kassar and Elena Tubb. I don't have the pictures yet....Amanda is going to send those to me very soon....right???!!! Anyway, it was awesome too! We had it here at our house so that I could show off the baby room! Once I get some pics I will tell you a little more about it! Definitely was unique in it's own handmade way!

Well, it is late now and I need to go to sleep. I miss reading all of your blogs so it was great to catch up on all of them tonight! I will post some belly pics tomorrow of being 36 weeks and 1 day along! See you then!

A "Sports Fan" at 34 weeks and 2 days!

Well here I am at 34 weeks and 2 days! You may not see it but I have grown in the last 2 weeks. There really is no more room in there! Plus my feet are growing as well. I have not had swollen ankles like the ones I have tonight this whole pregnancy. Oh my...not sure if I will even be able to wear shoes tomorrow!

And here is the room: We got the chair rail up and painted the room and the chair rail 3 different shades of blue. Then we got the furniture and the glider in the room! I know that it is not that cute yet but it's a start folks! I have my first shower tomorrow afternoon...my mother-in-law is giving Steve and I a shower at her job. I am super excited!

This is a picture from the website that I found this adorable Sports Fan bedding. This is somewhat what the room will look like once we have all the decorations. We went with blue walls and obviously we have carpet and not wood floors. I won't be using the wallpaper but the rest of the decorations we will have very soon!!

Here is his little Sports Fan rug!

And the dresser...this is a better picture of the walls!

And here is my favorite chair in the house! Our glider and ottoman! So comfy!!!

And here is his crib with some teddy bears that we have gotten!

Well I am going to put my feet up now and see if I can't get rid of some of the puffiness in my ankles! I am drinking almost 100 oz of water a day...does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can help this!!!

34 Weeks!

Well, I don't have pictures this week or last but just wait until next week, you too will see that I have grown. I am 34 weeks today and I really am starting to count down...like for real! I feel like I am getting to the very uncomfortable stage of this pregnancy. I feel like there is absolutely no more room for him in there. I have a lot of pain up in my ribs and when he kicks me now, it knocks the breath out of me. I actually don't feel him kick that much, it's more like he just rolls around in there and my whole stomach just moves in waves. Sounds neat...feels not so neat! I can't believe I have 42 days until my due date. My has the time flown by. I have heard that from hear on out it does not do so much flying.

Oh and my exhaustion has come back in full force as well. I am so tired by the end of the day I just want to take a nap and then wake up, eat dinner, and go back to bed for the night.

I have my 34 week appointment tomorrow and I believe that is when my Dr wants me to start counting kicks and get more blood work done. Fun times!

Steve and I finally finished the baby room a few weekends ago and I love to just go in there and sit and rock away in my glider. I can't wait to be rocking Tyler to sleep in there! I will have to take some pictures very soon. Maybe I will take them tonight and post them tomorrow! I also have my first shower this week and then one this weekend and then one on May 2nd! I can't wait!

My job is starting to take a toll on me too...or maybe that is just the exhaustion?? Anyway, I will be glad to say farewell when Tyler comes! My boss now knows what our plans are and it feels good to get that off my chest!

Lastly, I want to let you know about my dad. Some of you may already know...that he was diagnosed with Colon Cancer on Thursday last week. He underwent surgery to remove the mass on Friday morning and the doctors believe they got it all out. I am so thankful that God allowed a successful surgery. We are still waiting on the pathologist to give us the results of the lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread so be praying for that please. Thank you for all that have prayed for him. He is telling the story of how it all took place while praising God. He is giving God all the glory and he is in great spirits! Steve and I drove to Victoria this past weekend to be there with him and it was great to have good news and to see him begin his recovery with a smile! We love him so much and are thankful that this was caught so early and that he will have plenty more time with us! Baby Tyler can't wait to meet Papa Chuck!

Well, that is all for this evening...I will take those pictures now and try to get them up soon! I missed reading all of your blogs so I am going to spend some time catching up on the for the rest of the evening.

Blogging withdrawls!

Wow, I think I am having blogging withdrawals! I never thought I would enjoy the blogging world so much! I miss you all and miss reading your blog entries. I also miss updating you on baby Tyler!

Ever since that guy at my job got fired, the company has blocked all my favorite site...none of which I would be ashamed of! Anyway, so I am so tired when I get home at night that the last thing I want to do is go stare at another computer screen in my uncomfortable office chair. Needless to say, I have to catch up tonight on everyone and I also need to catch you up!

I am 32 weeks and 2 days today. Here are my belly pics:

Since I blogged last...Steve and I had our birthing classes which I learned so much more stuff! Even Steve learned way more than he thought he would. Now, all of the sudden, he is no longer afraid of delivery! As if he should be the one afraid! I am confident he will do great ;-)

We also got the chair rail put together for Tyler's room and as of recently, we have primed the walls in his room and plan on painting next weekend! This pic is actually of me priming another wall in our entry way...but you get the drift...I primed Tyler's room with my mother-in-law, Susan! She also is helping me with this entry area....we are FAUX painting! Once it is all finished, I will post some pics of our masterpieces!We also found furniture that was a great price and opted to purchase it instead of using some that had been given to us. Obviously, we still have a ways to go before the room looks even remotely like this:

I can't believe it is all coming together. I really feel like I am in that nesting stage. I am realizing there is so much left to do and only 7 1/2 weeks left to go until my due date. I am meeting with a Pediatrician tomorrow morning and then another one on Friday morning. That should be interesting! Like I said before, we are painting next weekend! Then after that weekend I have showers! I am also very busy with my Doula! I have lots of massages to get!! Oh the joy of being pregnant and choosing to go all-nat-ur-al!

The rest of the house still feels like a disaster! I have so much to do to get it organized! Especially this office I am sitting in as I type! OH MY all the boxes I still have to do something with! It has to get done though...seriously, I wish I could just blink my eyes and nod my head and it be done!

And also in this lovely room is our poor dog, Harley! He is only a little over 1 years old. He is still a puppy and he doesn't even realize his life is about to drastically change as well! He will no longer be our little baby. Here he is after a long day trying to snooze in his kennel while I type in HIS room keeping HIM awake! How dare I!

Well, I am getting tired....that must be why I feel like I am rambling on....I guess it is time for me to turn in and get some sleep. This definitely satisfied my blogging withdrawals! Good night for now!

31 Weeks and Major Drama!

Ok, so first things first....I am 31 weeks today! Wow, I can't believe I only have 8 weeks left! Unbelievable! Here is a picture of belly at 31 weeks...

Ok, the drama....so at my job, I am an assistant for a CEO of a company and it just so happens that my boss is out of town A LOT! And sometimes when he goes out of town he doesn't leave me a lot to do so I have time to get on the internet and update my blog, check my facebook, and do a little surfing. No big deal, right! WRONG! So on Wednesday, I was going to check the blog and when I got online and went to the website, it was blocked! So I checked again thinking that maybe it was a typo....nope, still blocked. I checked all the websites that I visit in my boredom while at work and all were blocked by the company. So then I started thinking, oh my gosh I am in big trouble and they have caught me doing this stuff and now I am going to be fired. I started feeling like I was on the Big Brother show and that people were watching me!

Well, the next morning, this nice guy comes by my cubicle and asks me if he could send me a funny video of a comedian doing a bit on colonoscopies. I thought sure, sounds funny. Well after I watched the video and laughed so hard I cried! I noticed he was no longer at his cubicle and the HR lady was cleaning his cubicle out! Turns out he was escorted out of the building and terminated for inappropriate content on the internet. I won't go into the details of that! I just feel really bad for him knowing that, that sort of behavior can really be a real issue in some peoples lives and I hate it for him and his family that he lost his job over it. I only pray he gets some help and is able to be free of that.

Well, that is the reason the company is cracking down on what everyone is allowed to do on the internet. I guess I feel better knowing that it wasn't me and like I said before, I have asked my boss to leave me things to do while he is gone so that I don't get bored, but as long as he doesn't do that, I kind of feel like I would not have gotten in trouble for checking facebook occasionally and updating my blog. I will never know now and now I just have to stare into space waiting for something to do! So, needless to say, that is why I will not be able to check your blogs and update mine as often. I love reading others blogs and now I can't....so disappointed!

There is so much more I want to blog about like how the garage fell off the house this weekend and how I learned so so much at my birthing classes, but my back is killing me sitting here so I will turn in for tonight and try to update more tomorrow night AT HOME :-((

The Coutdown Begins!

I am 30 weeks today and the countdown to June 1st begins! I only have 10 weeks left. I can't believe I have been pregnant for 30 weeks.

I also started my Dr. appointments every 2 weeks which means I will see her today. I remember that the last time I saw her she said I was going to start having to do kick counts with the next visit. I am guessing that I get to start counting the kicks, or should I say karate chops, that Tyler is handing me every hour of every day! So not only will I start counting down to my due date, I will be counting kicks from baby Tyler. So fun!

This weekend was very successful! Steve and David put up the chair rail for baby Tyler's room! Looks awesome! Also, my mom and I went down to Harwin and got a ton of decorating wall stuff for the house! I am so excited that our house is finally coming together! Then on Sunday, Steve and I drove down to Victoria to get the baby bed from my dad's house. He is giving us my sister's baby furniture. All in all, we got a ton accomplished this weekend! Yay!

Now we have to sand down the chair rail, prime it, paint it, and paint the walls of Tyler's room! Then we have to hang all the wall decor that I got and then we have to put the bed together! Next weekend looks to be pretty full!

I will take pictures of everything and post them tomorrow!

29 weeks and Still Dancing!

I am officially 29 weeks and 1 day today. That means I only have 10 weeks and 6 days until my due date arrives. Let's hope we don't go past the due date!

It amazes me how much I can feel little Tyler moving around in my belly. I have been trying lately to figure out what is what regarding elbows, feet, arms and head bulges! I am not sure I am very good at figuring those things out yet.

As I am beginning my 3rd trimester, I am starting to feel anxious a little about meeting Tyler. I really can't wait to see his little face and all his features! I wonder and day dream daily about what he will be like and look like. I wonder since he is so active in my belly, if that means he will be active in life? He seems to love music because I feel like he is dancing along anytime music is playing.

Like this weekend...by the way....CONGRATULATIONS are in order to my brother-in-law, Greg and his new wife Savannah! I am so happy for the 2 of them and I will post some pictures from the wedding at the end of this post!

But during the wedding reception, I was on the dance floor and having the time of my life dancing away! I noticed as soon as I needed a break and sat down for a few minutes that Tyler was not finished dancing. He was all over the place in there! I wonder if that means he will be a Kicker for some great football team or maybe a Long Distance Runner since he can go and go and go! I really just can't wait to meet him!

Something else that was really cool this weekend was last night. Steve and I were sitting on the couch and I was reading my book about pregnancy and I realized in reading the "29 weeks" part that it is possible for someone to put their ear to my belly and hear the heartbeat of baby Tyler. I immediately asked Steve if he wanted to try this and he was all for it! I told him I would be extremely jealous if he could hear it! Sure enough, after listening for a few seconds he came up with a big grin on his face and said he could hear it! How cool is that! I want to hear so badly but I guess since I have the luxury of FEELING Tyler ALL the time, it is only fair that Steve gets something out of this that I don't get!

Well, here are some pics from the wedding day! We had such a great time and again, we are so so excited to have Savannah join the Mercer family!

Breakfast in bed?

Wow, I have to say that I married a great man! Steve really is great at catching me off-guard sometimes!
Last night was his brothers bachelor party and Steve put it all together and grilled out at his dad's house for some of Greg's friends. The wedding is on Saturday and we are all so very excited for him and Savannah! Steve also has taken the day off today to help get everything ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight. He was glad to take the day off not only to help out but to catch up on some extra sleep since he knew that last night would be a long night and since we would not get much sleep this weekend.
I must say I enjoy riding with my husband to work every morning since we work so close together. I was kind of sad knowing that this rainy Friday morning I would have to ride alone while my husband got to sleep in. I admit I was also a little bit jealous.
I woke up at 5:15 this morning and very quietly got out of bed so that I would not wake him and after getting ready in the bathroom, I was expecting to open the door to the bedroom to leave and find him fast asleep. Much to my surprise, I smelled eggs and bacon! Just as I realized what he was doing he walked in the bedroom with a tray that my mother-in-law had given me for Christmas and on it was eggs, bacon, toast and juice for me! I was shocked! How sweet! I couldn't believe he sacrificed his extra sleep to make me breakfast almost in bed!
Sorry if it's cheesy, but I had to brag on him a little! He really is a great husband and so very loving and I can't wait to see what a wonderful daddy he will be for baby Tyler!
Steve, I love you so so much and you really are my 1 and only!

28 weeks = Third Trimester! and Rodeo Time!

Well, I missed taking my belly pics this Monday but I will take them this upcoming Monday. I am not sure if you will see it but I have grown around the waist 2 more inches in like 3 weeks! Oh my gosh! I had my Dr. appointment on Monday and was told that from here on I will have to see my Dr. every 2 weeks. I won't post what I weighed but I have gained more weight! Oh yay! (hear the sarcasm?) My baby's heart rate was great...150 and I was measuring right on track! I also had to get a shot in the but because I am A- blood type and apparently that can be bad for future pregnancies. I had to take the Rogham shot and if Tyler ends up being positive, I will have to have another shot after the birth. Let me just say, I would rather not have shots. I have quite a bit of padding in the back and was not expecting this little needle to do too much damage but OH MY it hurt like crazy! Then my butt was sore for several hours. Oh the joys of pregnancy!
Tyler has been kicking me just as often but here lately it feels like he has learned Karate or something. He kicks so hard it kind of hurts my ribs. Sometimes it even tickles. I guess he is just running out of room in there. My feet are ever swollen all the time now. I am drinking at least 64 ounces of water every day and I need some other remedy for this. It's ridiculous.
Last night Steve and his brother and sister and I went to the rodeo to see Toby Keith and I was utterly amazed at how HUGE my ankles were. I even pressed into my ankle to see if I could feel where my ankle bone was and when I unpressed there was an indention where my fingers had been pressing!!!! OMG!!! So weird and so gross! They are much better this morning but good grief! The concert was pretty good but we ended up leaving a little early. The music was so extremely loud, I felt like I was hurting Tyler's little growing ears by making him sit through it. Plus Greg was not feeling well either so it all worked out that we left early. We also got to miss all the bad traffic leaving the rodeo....so worth it!
Anyway, so I am officially 2 days into my 3rd trimester and the symptoms that I hear about coming on in the last month are already here....leakage, cankles, exhaustion and lots of back pain. I am thinking it's going to be a long trimester.

New Arrivals - Registered!

I am so excited that my friend had her baby today....early this morning! I am sure she is ecstatic! She was induced yesterday at 9:15 AM! Wow, that is a long delivery to say the least. It definitely makes me think about how mine will go and how long it will take for me to be able to see little Tyler's face! I can't wait for that day to come!
Friend, if you read this, know that we are praying for you and are so excited for you today!!!
I also have another great friend that helped me through the process of registering a couple of weeks ago! She has a 1 year old and I knew she would be a good one to take with me to determine which things I will actually need and which things I think I would need and never use! Thanks so much Stephanie for all the help! It was definitely overwhelming...especially the feeding wall! There was an entire wall dedicated to BOTTLES! Isn't a bottle just a bottle! I mean come on! I am so glad she was there with me because I think if I had gone with Steve or even by myself I would have looked at the giant "bottle wall" and ran straight out of the store!
There were so many things that I would have registered for and never used had my friend not been there with me! Plus there were things that I would have thought, "oh that is just a silly little contraption...I don't need that" and she told me that getting these particular items would be lifesavers for me! Wow, I have so much to learn! As I look back over the registry I definitely feel like I left a lot of things off but I will probably add a few toys here and there!
All in all, I think I will be set with the absolute necessities thanks to Stephanie!

27 weeks!

Well I am officially 1 week away from entering into my 3rd trimester! I am 27 weeks today and here are the pictures!

26 weeks and Anemic...slightly!

Well, yesterday I was officially 26 weeks along. I forgot to take the picture so I will wait until I am 27 weeks. It is crazy that I am almost finished with my 2nd trimester! What they say about the 1st trimester is true...the exhaustion especially! I have to say however, I have had a very smooth sailing pregnancy thus far. I never got sick although I did feel a tiny bit nauseous from weeks 6-12. I did experience the exhaustion and was sleeping quite a lot! Other than those 2 things I had it easy.
Then in my 2nd trimester all my energy came back in full force. I did not notice it until I got home one day from work and no longer needed to take a nap at 4:45pm-6pm and then go back to sleep for the night at 8pm. It was very obvious that part was over. I started getting the heartburn/indigestion pretty bad, but it wasn't anything that tums couldn't cure! I also have experience some back pain towards the end of my 2nd trimester...some that has been debilitating to say the least. This SI Joint pain stuff is for the cows! BUT, with a little physical therapy and a fantastic new "Back N Belly" pillow from Target, I am doing fine!
The upcoming 3rd trimester is what I am a little nervous about. Not just because it involves contractions, labor and delivery but also the exhaustion I hear comes back in full force as well as the heartburn and back pains get worse. We will soon see how bad it is.
My belly has been growing but I would say slowly growing. I was 37 inches around for a while and now I am only 37 and 3/4 around. I am afraid however, that I will be starting to grow much bigger much faster in the months to come! Time for more Tummy Butter!
I had my regular Dr appt the other day too and found out that I DON'T have Gestational Diabetes...YAY...but I am slightly Anemic. She said it was not too severe and that some over-the-counter Iron supplements would help. We shall see....I am going to pick up some Slow FE Iron today!
Well, that's it for now, I will post a pic next week...my last week of my 2nd trimester! Bring on the 3rd!

Valentines Day 2009!

Well Steve and I decided not to give gifts this year for Valentines day since we have so many other things we still need to buy for the house and for the baby! We did however, decide to spend the day together.

After we got up, Steve hollered at me and said to come here and that there was this huge scratch on the wood floor. Considering that we are in our first home and it is new to us...I was upset and ran in there and stared hard at the floor. I kept saying that I did not see anything and for some reason I would not look up. I just stared at the floor and he finally had to say, Cristie....then I saw his sweet sweet surprise on the dining room table!!

The chocolate covered strawberries were absolutely delicious!

My favorite was the homemade card he made for me! I love homemade things!!! He also got the Better Homes magazine for me since we are in our first home together celebrating Valentines day...he is so thoughtful!

And of course I loved the White roses with Red petals at the bottom of the vase. Beautiful!!!

We also had decided to not go out for dinner and instead, Steve cooked me dinner and I baked him dessert! He made Roasted Rosemary Chicken with awesome green beans and roasted tomatoes and a fabulous Pancetta and Fennel Salad!I made him his favorite! Key Lime Pie....the really "so good, it's bad for you" kind!

We had a great Valentines day together this year and we are looking forward to sharing the next one with baby Tyler!

25 Weeks! 105 days to go!

Well, I will have more to post tomorrow but for today, here is my 25 week pic!

Swollen feet

Wow, I understand that in the evenings I will have swollen feet because I have been on them all day but yesterday....oh my....yesterday I had the biggest feet and some major cankles (you know...when your calves don't stop all the way to your heels) that I called my doctor about to see if that was normal at 8am in my 2nd trimester. She said for some it doesn't come til the 3rd trimester but it can be normal. Apparently I am not getting near enough water and I am eating way too much salty foods. Gotta cut that out...if not, my ankles will be the size of my thighs soon! She suggested I get some Jobst pantyhose. I ordered them even though our summer months are approaching. I am just hoping to get some relief soon! Anyone else have this problem this early in their pregnancy??

Well, I wrote the above yesterday and after I spoke to my doctor, I decided it was time to down some major water for the day and do it everyday from here on out! When I went home, Steve was there with the guys unloading our NEW WASHER AND DRYER!!! I was so excited that I almost forgot how swollen my feet had been all day. Fortunately, Steve reminded me that I needed to drink more water and get my feet up! He can be so sweet sometimes! So after dinner I propped my feet up and started noticing the swelling going down!

Today, when I checked my ankles out....they were actually ANKLES! No more cankles! YAY! That does it.....I am drinking water all day every day!

It's Showering Boxes!

So first off, I am trying out the whole "cool blog titles" thing. So, is that cheesy or what! Well I guess you will have to read the blog to find out. Tell the truth! I am sure I need help in the creativity department!

Well, we are all moved in now and I am just trying to find time after work to unpack and decorate. I am getting a little nervous knowing that I only have 3 1/2 more months until Tyler joins us and I don't even have his room ready much less, the entire house! I think yesterday I was a little down because of this. I am really anxious to know that everything is ready and as it looks right now....we have a TON to do.

I am 24 weeks today and really starting to feel Tyler kick me all day long....AND ALL NIGHT LONG! Good grief! Last night was yet another sleepless night due to my protruding belly and the punches and kicks coming from the inside! You would think I downed a box of sugar or something. I am trying to stay positive here and hold on to the hope that if I work really hard throughout the day, then at night I will be SO tired that nothing...not even being punched in the stomach would wake me up!












This weekend was a good weekend! We went to our friends, Brett and Steph's, house for their son, Zander's, 1st birthday party! Wow, what a look into the future that was for me! There were so many little ones there and they were all about the same age, 1! I just hope that I am ready for Tyler's arrival. Even though I was a live-in-nanny for 3 years during my college days and I babysat all the time growing up, I am starting to feel like I am not going to know what in the world to do when he arrives. It's a good thing I have lots of friends with new babies and lots of family close by!

I also went to my future sister-in-law's, Savannah, 1st wedding shower! YAY! It was a kitchen shower and it totally brought back all the memories of my own showers! I am so excited for her and loved all the things she got for her new kitchen! Savannah, you will love opening all those gifts up and using them for the first time! Can't wait to see you next weekend and watch you open up many many more presents!

23 Weeks & A New Home

Well, we are finally moved into the new house! And I am 23 weeks pregnant! Plenty of time to get baby Tyler's room ready!

I am so thrilled to have our things out of storage. My favorite is our couch. I did not realize how much I missed it until I fell asleep on it the day we moved in! Oh, how I love you mr. couch! It is so nice to have our things back. I realize they are just that...things...and I had to remind myself of that fact when the movers were bringing in the furniture. I just prayed that God would help me to get over it if anything got messed up and He gave me instructions...."DON'T WATCH!" So I did just that, I covered my eyes and never saw anything get damaged. Now, whether or not there are scratches or nicks on things, I have no idea....but the point is that I didn't see anything get damaged. See no evil; stay happy! What you don't know won't always hurt ya!

We are taking our time getting settled in and unpacked. We would love to be able to snap our fingers and have it all completed...no such luck, we tried! We are just going to do 1 box at a time. I would also love to paint certain rooms too. I am not good at picking stuff like paint colors out, but I have a few friends with an eye for decorating that I will be soliciting their help! Thanks in advance Courtney, Kristen and Savannah!

It's Official - We are 1st Time HOME OWNERS!

Here is the proof! We are getting ready to sign the Deed of Trust - Only the most important document stating that we OWN the house!!!Here we are signing on the dotted lines!
AND, IT'S OFFICIAL! We are the proud owners of our new house!

This is my cousin Courtney, who also is our realtor! Thanks Court! We are so grateful for all your help in this process. Can't wait to have you and Norm over soon!

Closing Day!

YAY! We are closing today at 10am! I can't wait to sign my life away. I have heard over and over to expect writers cramp...I guess that means that I have to type this post now and not after! Steve and I are really excited. We have been waiting for this for at least....let's see, how long have we had to live at my parents?....oh, we have been waiting for this since May of last year! We love you guys but we also love having our own place as I am sure you love having a place all to yourselves as well!
We plan on coming back to work after we sign on the dotted line and then we will go and open the door to our new home for the first time this evening! We plan on taking both our parents out to eat to let them know how much we appreciate them and how much we love them for everything they have done for us. Our families really are the greatest ever. We both have families that are so willing to lend a hand in whatever need arises. We are so thankful for them and are excited they are such a big part of our lives!
I will post some pictures tomorrow of the newest home owners on the block!

My Heart is Broken

My heart is absolutely breaking right now. I have a friend in my Sunday school class that delivered her twins extremely early...I think it was at 28 weeks. She had her twins on Sunday and they were doing well and then yesterday afternoon the little girl twin went to be with the Lord. I just can't imagine or get my head around why those kinds of things happen. I know that God is capable of preventing those kinds of things but it doesn't make me mad at God, I just don't understand...the only thing I can think of is that maybe God is just a jealous God and maybe He just wanted to have her home with Him. It just breaks my heart for her mom and dad. I just pray every day that God brings them peace and strength to get through this and to be strong for their little boy that is still in the NICU. Please pray for my friends during this most difficult time.
I also have another friend that is struggling big time right now. Her mom is in the hospital and has been there for about a month now. She got sick over the holidays and it turned into a bad fever and a bad virus that has taken over her body. The medicines the doctors had to give her to get the virus to die has done a number on her body including her brain. And yesterday the doctors gave the results of the latest brain scan and it was not optimistic. They are hanging on to hope and praying for a miracle at this point. It doesn't sound like the doctors can do much more for her. I pray for her and my friends family that they have a peace from God to know if and when to let her go and be with the Lord or to hang on to hope and trust for that miracle. It also breaks my heart to know that my friend is about to get married in about a month and agonizing over whether or not her mom is going to be there or be with God.
I do believe that God can do miracles but like I said before, I also believe that sometimes He calls us home to be with Him. What is Your will this time God. I pray for these 2 families that You will wrap your arms around them and love on them and give them the strength to get through these trials you have set before them. I pray that you are glorified through what is going on in their lives. I pray this time of hurting and grieving passes quickly with an abundance of joy on the other side of it all.
In Christ's name I pray and ask these things,
AMEN

Closing in 7 days!

Well, I can't believe this week is finally here. I have been so busy scheduling things like carpet cleaners, a cleaning service, electricity, water, gas, cable and last and certainly not least, the MOVERS! YAY! I can't wait to be handed the keys to our very own first house!
Many of you know that my husband played football at the Naval Academy and he is a huge lover of sports all around. I purposefully, out of the kindness of my heart, scheduled everything around Super Bowl Sunday, February 8th! So the actual movers are showing up on the 1st to move everything into the new house. How sweet of me, right?!
When Steve and I started discussing how that weekend would go, he got furious all of the sudden and told me that Super Bowl Sunday was February 1st not the 8th! Whoops! Oh well, I guess. I can't reschedule everything now...it's too late in the game (no pun intended). So we will still move on that day but I am sure, no doubt, that we will be making a pit stop to someones house to see the game and then it will be back to unpacking all our stuff from storage and getting settled in the new house.
Sorry Steve....love you :-)
Despite the mishap...we are still so very excited to be moving into our new house...new to us! We are so thankful to God, because without His guidance in all of this we might have gotten stuck with a brand new house that has a cracked foundation and unable to sell it down the road. God has been faithful once again and we give Him all the glory!

We found a house!!!!

Ok, so we happened upon this house on New Years Day! After having such a difficult time with building a house and having to walk away from it...we started looking at already built homes. Even that got really frustrating and we just decided that it was too much stress before the holidays, so we decided to wait until after the holidays to start the hunt again.

Who would have guessed that the 1st day of the new year we would find a house! We found this house and I immediately loved it. The kitchen was my favorite and I kept going back into it and thinking..."I see myself cooking here!"

We decided to put a bid on it the following Monday. It was way over priced but we found out on Tuesday the 6th that the sellers had accepted our offer! Wow, that was easy!!! We got them down a little more on the price and we signed the contract on Wednesday! On Thursday we realized the VA interest rate was at 5% and we were told by a lot of people that was a great rate so we locked it in! Then the inspection was done on it on Friday and all was good! There were a few minor things that needed to be fixed but the sellers worked it out and now we are in business!

We originally had a close date of February 13th which is Friday the 13th! Now the lender is saying that he could have us close by the end of this month!!!! That means we will own a house by January 28th!!!!! OMG that was super fast compared to what we have experienced!
We are so so excited to move in and start our lives there! We can't wait to have people over and cook and just live as a family again! This will also give me 4 months before baby Tyler arrives to get his little room ready for him! I can't wait to start that process and do all the decorating and painting!!!! So fun!

God is so good and even though it is hard to wait for His perfect timing sometimes, He is always faithful to provide!!!

Here are a few pictures of the new house we will have and own by the end of the month!!!!

Well, I am officially 20 weeks and 1 day pregnant! That means I am half way through! I am so excited to be at this stage! I have felt baby Tyler kick or move around a couple of times now. The first time it felt like a muscle spasm and lately it has felt like little thumps! I love feeling them because it makes it all the more real for me!
I got a little worried last night because I woke up in the middle of the night and realized I was sleeping on my back. I must have rolled over or something. My doctor told me that in the 2nd trimester you should stop laying on your back because the baby can press up against the main blood line to my brain which cuts off my blood and in turn cuts off the baby's blood. How in the world do you keep from rolling onto your back while you are sleeping~!!!
My belly is definitely growing more too. I keep putting the tummy butter and lotion on it every day and I still wonder, how in the world is my skin going to stretch any bigger (and I am not even that big!) I am so afraid of stretch marks but I guess I will live!
I have also noticed that my appetite has grown tremendously! I am eating like a piglet now! My cravings consist of Taco Bell Bean Burrito w/ no onions (I get 2 now instead of 1) and McDonalds #2 Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese and no onions meal. MMMM Yummy!
My next appointment is a week from today and I am anxious to see how much weight I will have gained. My last appointment I was only 3 pounds heavier than when I got pregnant. I thought it to be a little strange that at 18 weeks I had only gained 3 pounds in the whole pregnancy. I am sure that the scale will lean a little more to the right this time!
Anyway, that is the latest update!

18 Weeks belly pics

I am not a big fan of showing off my belly, especially with showing any skin. I thought I would post these 2 pics but I probably wont be posting any more skin shots as I get bigger! :-) These pictures were taken on Jan 1, 2009 after the ball had dropped in Times Square and I was 18 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Our dog, Harley, looks like he is about to attack the camera man (Steve)!

New Years Eve 2008!

I kind of skipped over blogging about New Years...not that it was bad, I just forgot! Anyway, so this New Years was our 3rd New Years together! The first one, Steve was in Iraq and then last year we spent it in Corpus together! This year we spent it with family! We had so much fun. My cousins came in town from Abilene and we had a few people over. We had food and fireworks too!

The year 2008 has been a very interesting year for sure. It was Steve and my first year to be married. We made a huge decision to get out of the Navy and move back home to Houston to start our own little family! We moved back in with my parents until we found a house. We got pregnant, and finally found a house!!! Wow, a lot has happened in one short year!

We are really excited about 2009 because we will actually get to move into our new house and have our new baby boy! We have so much to be thankful for and we give God all the glory for everything.

Hope you all had a great 2008 and hope you have an even better 2009~here are some pics from New Years Eve 2008!

The ladies on New Years (Me, Lindsay, Mom, and Ashleigh)

David and Mom New Years Eve!

Steve and Cristie making funny faces!

Steve and Me on New Years Eve!

Steve and his Mojito!

Andrew on the Left and Jacob on the Right!

Steve with all the kids doing fireworks! (Jacob, Steve, Andrew & Lindsay)

Steve making sure I don't light my hair on fire!

Happy New Year!!!!

1st kiss of the New Year!!!

Our first 2009 picture! Happy New Year!

Anatomy Ultrasound!

Well I had the 18-20 week ultrasound on Jan. 2nd! I invited my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to come too! When we got to the room the nurse was saying that only one guest could come in and I looked at Steve and began telling the nurse that I did not know they had that policy and that I had them drive a long ways to come here. I was pretty much begging at that point! Anyway, glad to say that the doctor came into the room where Steve and I were sitting and I begged him too and he said yes but only this once!

Whew! Anyway, so we started with the head of baby Tyler and he did a bunch of measurements and kept telling me it was a big baby! Tyler's checkup came back completely normal and there were no spinal problems, cleft lip, club feet, or any other issues! He showed us all 10 toes and 10 fingers too! Unfortunately, Tyler was giving us the Gigem sign! That made Steve very upset :)! The Doc said he was very active and moving around a lot. He also said I should start to feel him move soon! He said that I was measuring about 9 days ahead of schedule and then asked how much Steve and I weighed at birth. He was trying to guess at how big he would be. I was 8 pounds 5 1/2 ounces and Steve was a whopping 10 pounds and some ounces! He said that we would probably have a 9 pounder and would most likely have to induce or have a C-Section. This bothers me that he is already assuming this. I can't imagine that at 18 weeks and 4 days along a doctor could make that assumption? Anyway, he is not my OBGYN and that made me feel a little better!

There was no need to have another ultrasound since everything looks so good. Great News!!! Oh, he also showed us the proof that Tyler is in fact a little boy!

Here one of the pictures!!! The rest I will scan in and post very soon!

Pictures of Christmas fun!

Christmas 2008 Family Photo!

Christmas morning we spent at my sister's apartment - This is Ashleigh's tree! Christmas morning at Ashleigh's - Mom, Raven (dog), David, Cristie & Steve

Christmas lunch at my mom's - Nephew Wyatt and Niece McKenzie posing!

New Mercer Traditions at the Mercer house - Alli, Cristie & Savannah (Soon-to-be Mercer)

Christmas dinner at the Manceaux's - Susan holding baby Paige Morgan!

Steve wearing a way-to-small-for-his-head Santa hat! (He's gonna hate this picture)

Greg reading to Avery

Mama Jane chillin in the kitchen!

Cristie and Allison

Christmas dinner - opening presents - Greg, Alli, Avery, Nikki and Sara Allison holding sleepy Avery!

A Great Christmas!

Well, Christmas is over and it's back to work for some of us. We had a great Christmas together! It was our 3 Christmas together: the first with Steve being in Iraq; the second we spent as a newlyweds in Houston; and now the 3rd we spend waiting on baby Tyler! We have so much to be thankful for!

We hung out with family Christmas Eve and Christmas day! We are so blessed to have so much family so close! It does make for a busy holiday...we were forced to eat about 3-4 Christmas meals too! We exchanged gifts and celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior!

Steve and I had decided to not get each other gifts this year since we were going to be buying a new video camera, washer/dryer, refrigerator, baby furniture, and last but certainly not least-a new house! However, much to my surprise....Steve decided to be sneaky and got me a gift anyway. I felt like a tool since I didn't get him anything, but I was still super excited. He got me a new Dooney N Burke purse! He knew I had been wanting a black purse but I was not expecting any name brand stuff. I never had name brand purses until he came around...sounds like he is into that stuff more than I am! Anyway, I was really happy and very surprised!

We both got a lot of great gifts from great people!

Even though this was Steve and my 3rd Christmas together...only 2nd as a married couple...we still have yet to have our own Christmas tree. That is what I am looking forward to the most for next year! I can't wait to have our own place and be able to decorate it with a tree! Well...maybe that is not the thing I am looking forward to the most....I would have to say that it would be the fact that we will be parents! Wow!

That just sounds crazy...I feel like I am way too young to be a PARENT! I am 31....I guess I am old enough but it just sounds so weird! I can't believe that in about 21 weeks, I will be a mommy! I am officially 18 weeks today and I have my big ultrasound appointment this Friday to see Tyler from head to toe and do all the measurements. It is called the Anatomy Ultrasound! I will also get a chance to see what the doctor saw in order to tell us it's a boy!

Like I said before, it was a great Christmas this year and we are so thankful for all our family and friends and the new things God has in store. I will post some pictures tomorrow of the holiday fun!

Pregnancy Dreams

Man, I hope this is going to get better as the pregnancy goes on....I can't sleep at night because I am constantly having the strangest dreams! They are so vivid and I remember every second of them. I had heard that when you are pregnant you get morning sickness-did not happen to me, you get tired-definitely happened to me, you lose your brain-hasn't happened yet, your sense of smell heightens-didn't happen to me, and you have crazy dreams-OMG it is happening! And, they are crazy dreams too. Not your normal dreams about whatever you ate last or whatever you saw on tv last....no, they are about lions attacking me in Africa, ex-boyfriends coming back to kill me, driving on an icy road but having a car that flies and soaring into the air like Harry Potter or something! I wonder if they are going to stop anytime soon because I would really love to get some good sleep and I am only 17 weeks along. I have a long way to go to 40 weeks!

17 weeks!

Well, I had a dr. appointment today and I am 17 weeks along! There was no ultrasound done during this visit but we did get to hear the heartbeat again! It was a lot slower this time. The doc said that was normal with boys. The heartbeat slows as he gets bigger. So the official heart rate was 150 bpm!
She also measured my belly and said that I was 17 inches from the top of my uterus to my pelvic bone! Sounds weird but I guess that is good since she said, "Right on track!"
I also got weighed again...that is probably not the most fun part! However, I have only gained 3 pounds since my last visit and actually that 3 pounds is all I have gained since I got pregnant. I am starting to wonder how tiny this little boy is!
I am finally starting to show a belly. I had to go and buy a few things at Motherhood this weekend. AND, I was totally blessed to receive a tub full of maternity clothes from my dear friend, Ashley. She also gave me a ton of baby boy clothes to use! I can't wait to try them on baby Tyler when he arrives! I can't wait to see what his little face looks like too!
My next appointment is Jan 2nd with a different doctor to see the full anatomy of the baby (from head to toe)! Can't wait for that one! My sister-in-law and mother-in-law are going with me to that appointment!!! How fun!

Step away from the hunt!

Wow, is this ever a stressful thing, buying a house! Well, Steve and I decided to stop hunting until after the holidays! I am a little relived but still stressed. I wish I would not get so emotionally involved until we knew that we knew that we knew we were buying the right house. Impossible!
We are very excited about spending time with our families over the holidays. I am hoping for some relaxation time in those days too!
We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and we can't wait to hear how everyone's Christmas was when you get back to the blogging world!

Back to the drawing board...

Well, the foreclosure ended up going into a bidding war and the bids were already higher than we were willing to pay. This really has been one of the most stressful things Steve and I have gone through. We don't want to rush into anything but we are so ready to have a home of our own.

We are going back to the drawing board now. We met with my cousin (the realtor) last night and kind of started over with this whole process. We are widening our area and we are being a little more open minded about things such as 2 story houses. I have never wanted to live in a 2 story house but I am going to try and not be so picky this time.

I know that God has a plan and already knows where we are going to be living. I just hope that He reveals it to us soon! We are hoping to look at about 10 houses this week before Christmas and then pick up our search after the holidays.

I will keep you updated!

No news yet...

Well, we haven't heard anything yet on whether or not they accepted our offer on the house, but we are hopeful and we are still believing that God is in control and sees the bigger picture!

We were told yesterday that we should know something more by noon today! We will keep ya posted!

Moving Forward...

Well, after we found out last Friday that we had to walk away from the house we were building I was pretty depressed on Saturday. On Sunday, God reminded me that is was just a house and today was a new day! I believe what matters most is that He is my solid rock and foundation.

On Sunday afternoon, my cousin Courtney, our realtor showed us a foreclosure that my dad had found on the internet. It is in the same area as the new construction, just a different neighborhood. The house is a lot less money and about 1,000 sq. ft. larger. It definitely needs new carpet, paint, and a few other things fixed, but overall David said that it wasn't anything he couldn't see as an easy fix. So Steve and I prayed about it and got some wise counsel and decided to put an offer on it. Yesterday we signed the paperwork for the offer.

We should know if they accept the offer within the next 24-48 hours. I haven't been able to conjure up much emotion regarding this because I don't want to get excited about it if God chooses to close the door. We are completely leaving it in His hands.

Now we just wait....I am praying for His will to be carried out! I will let you know soon :-)

God is our foundation!

Well, this is a sad post but there is hope in Him! We had our 1st inspection of the house we are building on Friday last week and found out some bad news. There a not 1 but 2 cracks in the foundation that are so bad that we were advised from our 3rd party inspector, family, and friends that we should walk away from the house. It was absolutely devastating to hear. I cried all weekend because it is so hard to get so excited about something and then it just be gone like that.
Steve and I decided before we got married that God would be the center of our marriage and He would be our foundation. We made a commitment to allow God to lead us and guide us in everything we do. We have prayed and asked for Him to be completely involved in this home buying process from the very beginning and He has. That is why I am able to be joyful today. I believe with all my heart that He closed this door for a reason and that He will open a window for something different. He has the plans laid out for our lives and we trust Him and Him only. We don't really understand all the reasons behind why this is happening but we know that He loves us and will provide all our needs according to His will. That is all we want!
We will start the process over again looking for a home. We feel like building a new construction may not be the direction He is leading us in this time. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to follow His leading and as we listen to His voice. We are just asking Him for clarity and direction in this time. We know He has good things in store and that this experience is a blessing in disguise!
Praise the Lord for a God that cares about even the little things like buying a house!

A few house pictures!

I am still in shock that on Saturday they had finished the frame and then by Wednessday the walls were up as well as part of the roof.

This is from the kitchen looking into the garage.

This is from the kitchen sink looking over the bar into the living room.

This is looking into our bedroom and that is our window that looks out into the back yard!
This is me looking out my bedroom window! Yeah! And here is the finished product thus far! Steve and I are really excited! Can't wait to have a party and invite people over!

The Walls Are Up!

Steve and I are building a house out in Cypress, TX. and in the mean time we are living with my mom and step-dad. It truly is a blessing to be able to live with them rent free! We are saving lots of money for all the new additions to our life (Baby Tyler, new house). However, there is definitely something to be said about having your own place.

We put a contract on this house to be built back in August and because of hurricane Ike, the building process just started last week. The day we had our pre-construction meeting, we stopped by the lot to see if anything had been started and to our surprise they had already broken ground. A few days later they poured the slab and told us the frame would be up by last Saturday! We were shocked on Tuesday this week when we drove by and they not only had it framed but it had walls!!!! I am so excited! It seems like it will take no time at all to build!

I have heard that at this stage it seems to go by very fast and then slows down a bit before the cabinets go in. I am prepared to wait....I really just want a great finished product! Then after the cabinets go in, I was told that it will most likely be finished within about 45 days!!! We can close and move in! Yeah!!

We have our first 3rd party inspection tomorrow, the pre-sheetrock inspection!!! Hopefully their report will show little to no problems that would need to be fixed! I will get some pictures of the progress up later!

I can't wait to have a new home...our first home!

Baby Bedding!!!!

I am so excited! Steve and I picked out the bedding for Tyler's room and we absolutely love it! I can't wait to buy it!!!!!! It is called Sports Fan....no wonder my husband went crazy over it!!!

Here is the video!

IT'S A BOY!!!

Thanks Savannah for giving me the video!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

I am so so excited to blog today! So on Sunday I turned 31 years old and had a REVEAL party! I told about it in another blog but I will give a quick update on what that means:

I went to the doctor on Friday last week to have an ultrasound done to check for Down Syndrome and they typically do this test at 12-13 weeks. I am 13 weeks as of November 24th, Monday. I had heard from Allison Cattan (friend from church) that this doctor may be able to tell the sex of the baby during this visit. So my mom came up with the idea to do a REVEAL party. She came with Steve and I to the doctor and brought a blue balloon and a pink one and a little box. She gave the doctor the items and told him after we left the room to put the right color in the box and not tell us anything! He did!!!

And I must say that this ultrasound showed so much! I could see the baby trying to suck his (I can say HIS now!!) thumb and he had the hiccups and was moving around so much!! So Cool! AND, the doctor gave us a great test result and looks like the baby is very healthy! PTL!!!

Anyway, so on Sunday when my family and a few friends came over for my B-day shindig, they all came in either a pink or blue shirt based on what they thought the baby would be. My mom had gone and had the balloon blown up that afternoon and put into another box and Steve and I got to open it together! It was so exhilarating! My heart was pounding so hard because I was so nervous. I really thought it was a boy and Steve really thought it was a girl. The mix was about 50-50 between pink and blue shirts! So then we opened the box and out flew a BLUE balloon! It was so exciting!!! The best birthday I have ever had ever!!!! Steve and I both really are excited about having a baby boy and we have already decided on a name! Here are the pics of the party and the ultrasound picture of our Tyler Jeffery Mercer who should be arriving sometime in June of 2009!

Oh and my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Savannah, also has a video that I will be posting very soon of the reveal! Be on the lookout!

2 Big Days! - Boy or Girl???

Well, yesterday was a big day for us! We had another appointment with my doctor. We got to hear the heartbeat out loud!!! I had seen it on an ultrasound in my last appointment but we did not get to hear it at that point. It was such a cool feeling to have the doctor put that cold yucky stuff on my belly like I had always seen in other pregnant people. Now that it was happening to me and I was amazed! And then, I heard it....whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh....it was so fast! She said it was in the 160's and the normal range is between 120-170! The baby has a very fast heartbeat apparently! It was so neat to think that I have 2 heartbeats in my body right now! I guess I really never thought it would happen to me for real! Hearing the heartbeat has definitely made this experience a little more real for me!
Then after that amazing experience, Steve and I left the doctor to head to our PRE CONSTRUCTION MEETING!!!! Yeah, finally it happened! We have had a contract to build this house out in Cypress since August and we are just now having the pre-construction meeting! You can imagine how frustrating that has been to wait this long. The wait was pretty much all caused by IKE! The meeting went very well and everything seems to be in order! We went by the lot and they have already dug up the ground and will be pouring the foundation this next week! Yeah!!!! Hopefully we will be in the house the 1st week of March!

So that was 1 day full of exciting things and today, well today I have a special ultrasound with a special doctor. I say he is special because my doctor told me that everyone she has ever sent to see this doctor for this particular 12-13 week ultrasound has been able to tell the sex of the babies! That means that it is pretty likely we will be finding out the sex of the baby!!!

Wait....my mom came up with this idea that she would go with us to the doctor appointment today and bring a little box with a pink balloon that reads "It's a Girl!" and a blue balloon that reads "It's a Boy!" and she is going to give the box and the balloons to the doctor and tell him to not let us see what the sex is but choose the appropriate color balloon and seal it in the box! So, we will all leave the office with this special box with either a pink or blue balloon in it and since my birthday is on Sunday, she and Steve are giving me a small party at the house. She decided she would take the little box with the balloon in it to party city and have them blow it up (without her seeing it) and put the blown up balloon in a bigger box and seal it up. She will bring the box to the party and we will get to open on it on Sunday! I couldn't ask for a better present for my 31st birthday! I will get to open the box and see what color balloon flies out and then the world will know!

What do you think....
BOY or GIRL??????

1 Year Anniversary!

I cannot believe it has been 1 year already that Steve and I have been married...in fact, today is our actual 1 year anniversary. We ended up celebrating it this weekend and what a fun weekend it was!

Let me preface this story with a little known fact about me. I am absolutely terrible at finding out what my surprises are before I get them. As a child I would go into my mom's closet and look at all my presents before Christmas morning. My mom always told me that I was just ruining it for myself but I actually found it exhilarating! So, as for Steve's weekend of surprises, I tried and tried to figure out what all he was planning. I have to say, he is getting better and better and keeping the secrets!

Steve woke me up on Saturday morning with a present. I was so excited to open it! I really had a good idea of what it was going to be....I thought it was a gold bracelet from James Avery that we had talked about in the past. I was dead wrong. I opened up a box from Robbins Brothers and saw a beautiful diamond necklace! I was really shocked because I was not expecting diamonds! I was so excited and then felt bad all at the same time. I had to give him his present next and let me just say....He did not get diamonds. He opened his first present Saturday morning and got a bottle of cologne that he had been wanting.
I found a good picture online and the story behind the necklace is it is the Journey necklace and is supposed to represent a lifetime journey of love together.

I got ready to go to a friends baby shower and when I got back we left for the Renaissance Hotel downtown. The hotel was beautiful. We went to the room and were so excited to see a huge king size bed. We have actually been sleeping on a queen size for the last year and looking into getting a bigger bed. So, this was definitely a treat. We ended up walking around the hotel for a little bit and went back to the room. At 4:30 another surprise was coming. I was absolutely sure that the surprise was going to be a massage or something of that nature. I was so sure that I even told him what I thought it was to see what his reaction would be. He kept a straight face and just kept telling me, "well, you will just have to wait and see!" 4:30 came and there was a knock on the door and in came a bottle of champagne, strawberries, dipping chocolate, and whipped cream! OH MY GOSH! It was sooooo good! And, I was sooooooo surprised! Since I am pregnant, he even had a bottle of alcohol free champagne in the suitcase for me! He thinks of everything! We had such a fun time!You can't tell very well, but I hung my new necklace on the wine glass.
We went to Michelangelo's for dinner that night and had Italian food. The restaurant was actually my pick and I have to say that we were not very impressed. It was just ok. We went back to the room and watched a great movie called Baby Mama! The next morning we slept in and then went and had a great buffet style breakfast!

I still cannot believe that it has been 1 whole year that we have been married. Time really does go by fast! We have learned so much and are still learning how to be married and love each other. We have our upsets but we still love each other so much. I am so blessed to have him in my life and I must say, it has been a great year!!

Renaissance Festival

So last weekend, Steve and I decided to go to the Renaissance Festival. We went with my cousin Courtney and her husband Norm. Norm and I had never been before. I had heard that a lot of people dress up and I had seen the commercials on TV for it. However, I was not real sure of what to expect once I was there.

On the way out 290, we saw a convoy of 18 wheelers and all kinds of trucks. It was the weirdest thing. We even called radio stations trying to figure out what they were there for. Our best guess is that the trucks were either for Extreme Homemakover or headed to Galveston for Ike relief. There were Wal-Mart trucks, HEB, Shipleys, MW Cleaners, and many many more. After seeing the convoy, the rest of the car ride out to the festival was not so much fun since I was feeling a little nauseous. We finally arrived and made our way in.

One of the first things I saw was a parade of costumes and I got a pic of a really weird scary one!

As we walked around taking it all in, we stopped and got lots of good food. I got blackberry cobbler and Courtney got some iced lemonade! Steve and Norm just drank beer! Then we started looking for all the cool shows to see.

With Courtney and I both being pregnant, it was very hard not to stop at every place and get some kind of food. I also ate a corn dog with Courtney, pickles, cobbler, and many more things. I did have to pass on the leg of meat....made me want to puke!

We saw some shows and then we went to the last show of the day where I got my pickle. I wore my shirt that says "Got Cravings?" and the pickle guy said, "Yes I have cravings, do you?" And I told him I had a craving for a pickle and he said, "well if you have cravings for pickles and ice cream you might start to worry." Then I told him I already have reason to worry and the punch line came when he said, "You're pregnant! Congrats! I love pregnant people because I can slip them the pickle and they won't get knocked up." I was extremely embarrassed to say the least!

As we were leaving we saw this:
He really freaked me out because I think he was drunk for one and two he just seemed really shady! Steve wanted me to take a picture with him but I was scared of him so I just took a picture of just him with me standing far away!

Well, there you have it, my first trip to the Renaissance Festival!

Halloween

Well, Steve and I did not dress up for Halloween this year but we did start a new tradition for the Mercer family! We decided to carve pumkins! We went to Wal-Mart to get our pumpkins, of which I do not reccomend getting your pumkins there because they do not last more than a week without getting mold everywhere. I think we just got bad pumkins.

Anyway, so we spend Sunday afternoon before Halloween carving pumkins. Here are the pics to prove it!

So from now on, we will carve pumpkins every year and next time, we will carve 3, 1 for baby Mercer!

Product of Hurricane Ike

Ok, I have been told that I left out some very important information in my first blog....I did that on purpose to keep you coming back!

So, right before Hurricane Ike, Steve and I went to see my dad and step-mom and little sister, Tori, for the weekend in Victoria, TX.

Little did we know that our life would change 10 months later! On the way back to Houston after our weekend there, I got very sick with an ear infection and went to the doctor to get medicine. What I found out was that I had burst my eardrum and there was blood and puss coming out of it for days....I am sure you are excited to know that!

Hurricane Ike came and went and the Wednessday after Ike, I had a follow up appointment for my ear and the doctor wanted to give me certain medicine and she asked me, "You're not pregnant are you?" I told her that Steve and I had been trying but I really did not think I was. She said we had to have a blood test to make sure before she could give me this certain prescription. So I took the blood test and was positive I would get a call with the doctor giving me this prescription. About 2:00 that afternoon on September 17th, I got a phone call from my doctor and she said, "Well, I guess you better name the baby Ike!" "You're pregnant!"

It was the craziest feeling! I immediately started crying and I said, "No Way!" I had to leave work at my mom's because if not I would end up giving it away and I wanted Steve to be the first to know the news! I went straight to the mall and started thinking of how to surprise Steve. I finally found a tiny (size 0) pair of Ralph Lauren shoes and I had my plan!

I called Steve and said that we had not gone on a date in a while and I wanted him to take me out to a nice place! I made up a lie saying that my cousin Courtney and her husband Norm could go with us. He told me to pick the place and I picked Taste of Texas, the place where he proposed. I then headed over to the restaurant with the tiny little shoes and gave them to the manager and told him that I wanted them to come out on a plate when we ordered dessert that night.

I went home and got ready and then had to tell Steve that Courtney called last minute and cancelled on us! Sorry Court! We ate dinner and ordered dessert and when the plate came out, Steve looked at the shoes and then went to touch them because he thought they were dessert and he thought the little horses on them were icing! He looked at me confused and that is when I pulled out my pee stick that very clearly read "PREGNANT"!!

He was shocked and started crying and was so happy! It really was one of the best moments of my life thus far! He grabbed my hand and prayed with me thanking God for this blessing!

So there you have it! We are pregnant! I am 10 weeks along this week and my due date is June 1st! We are very excited and can't wait to see what God has in store! I will post more about how the pregnancy has gone soon!

Thanks for reading!

The Mercer's new blog!

So, I had a blog once before and I think I posted something on it....uh....maybe 3 times. We will find out if this one will be any different. I need to learn how to post pictures on here so if anyone reads this and has any suggestions.....Julie.....no pressure!

So...for starters...in about 13 more days, Steve and I will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary! I can't believe we have been married a year! The time went by so fast! That is probably due to the fact that right after we got married we moved (or I should say I moved) to Corpus Christi where Steve was stationed in the Navy. I spent a lot of time getting our new apartment arranged and feeling like a home. We also had a new puppy boxer named Harley. (Julie, this is where I would like to throw in a picture of Harley-help) I will try and see what happens! When you are constantly taking a puppy out to go pee and poo, the day is gone before you know it!


We left Corpus and decided to get out of the Navy! Steve's last day was June 30th! Where does the time go! We were in Houston by the beginning of June settling into my parents house. Yes mom, your kiddos will always come back to haunt you! Steve started working for National Oilwell Varco and I worked for my mom until she couldn't take it anymore! I found a job recently at an engineering firm as the CEO's executive assistant (basically I am a glorified secretary). We were also on the hunt to find our own little house. We finally found what we were looking for. It is about 7 minutes East of the Mercer's house and 7 minutes West of the Parker's house (for those of you who don't know-that is my mom and David). We are going to build a new house and we got to pick out all the fixins on it! Our completion date is February 28th as of right now. Hopefully, we will be able to move in before then!

And here we are now, almost 1 year of marriage. The time really did go by so fast.

Well, that is a really really fast and condensed update on our first year of marriage. More to come later!