Our Big Announcement

I have been putting this post off for months now.  I'm usually not too superstitious, but after all of the ordeals we have been through the past few years, I wasn't putting anything to chance.  The last time I blogged about this I had to come back and "undo" it.  So now that I'm confident that we're nearing the end of this miraculous journey, I am safe in finally getting this down in the books.

WE ARE PREGNANT AND EXPECTING A LITTLE BOY IN NOVEMBER!!

We are beyond thrilled but still full of anxiety and worry and hope and anticipation.  The incredible OBs taking care of me have developed a new plan this time around that will hopefully avoid the painful ending of prior pregnancies.  I am taking a baby aspirin and daily Lovenox injections to combat antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (a potential clotting disorder) that they think I may have (the lab tests were inconclusive) but they feel my history strongly supports.  We are taking this one final leap of faith in hopes that we can add one more little one to our family.

The first several months were long and hard--I was pretty nauseated and had the normal first trimester fatigue.  It was hard because we were trying to keep it all under wraps until the anatomy scan confirmed everything.  We heard multiple heartbeats and saw multiple ultrasounds along the way since monitoring was increased because of my new diagnosis and each one was a HUGE sigh of relief.  I went in every time with a prayer but a realistic dread of what they were going to find.  Each time was such an emotional roller coaster.  We even had a bleeding scare and I was sure I was miscarrying, only to find out that I had a blood pocket beside my placenta but that baby and everything else looked fine.  We were definitely praising the Lord that day!!
We made it to the anatomy scan and everything looked fantastic.  All of us (except for Anna, maybe) were thrilled to find out that we were having a baby boy!!!  Once Will and I talked about it some, we decided to use the boys name we had picked out from last time--Andrew James.  Thus, Baby Drew was born (in our minds, that is!).  The little boy baby doll that Anna had deemed "Baby Jack" quickly became Jack's "Baby Drew" and he has slept with it ever since.
Ultimately, we were just so relieved and grateful that Drew was healthy and thriving.  We knew we had a lot of days left ahead until we got to meet him, but we trusted that God wouldn't lead us down this path without getting us to the end.  We can't wait to see you, Baby Drew!!!

Anna's Swim Team Experience

Anna decided that she wanted to try being on the swim team this summer.  Mommy was initially a little hesitant because of the huge time commitment she had heard that it required.  Luckily, the team offered morning and afternoon practices for most of the season, so you could pick which one fit your schedule better.  We also signed up a couple of weeks into the season so we knew we would miss the first couple of meets.  We decided to give it a try!  AND SHE LOVED IT!!

When she first started, she could barely make it across the length of the pool.  She picked things up really quickly and was soon doing freestyle and backstroke.  The coaches were wonderful and very encouraging.  She loved it to the point that she would get upset when the weather would cancel practice!

She was really nervous before the first meet.  Luckily, it was at home and so at least it was a familiar pool.  She did great and even won her heat in the 25 freestyle!!  She was upset when we had to explain that just because she won her heat didn't necessarily mean that she got a first place ribbon.  The ribbons became like gold!

Even though she only swam in the last few meets, she improved her time well enough to make it into finals!!!  We were all very excited!  She was even asked to be part of the girls freestyle relay team.  

I think we might have a swimmer on our hands!

Getting instruction from Coach Ryan before the home meet.

After warm-ups the chilly morning of finals.

Her sweet relay team!

Summer Fun

A birdhouse painting project

Sibling love at the pool

Puzzles with Daddy

Playing in the rain and being blessed with a rainbow!

Jack's first movie theater experience: Planes 2 Fire and Rescue!
He did great for his first time and loved all of the action.
Anna liked it, too,  even though it was a "boy movie".;)

Katelyn's "Frozen" birthday party

Jumping at the mall

Girls Night Out

My girl and me!

One day Anna mentioned that we had not had a girls night out in a while.  I had recently realized that we really had not had any girls-only time since she had gotten out of school.  So, one night we took off and left the boys at home.  We went to Hip Chics and shopped, we went to dinner just the two of us, and then we went to the "spa" and got pedicures.  It was so fun!

Our Family Adventure to the Greensboro Science Center

I have had so many friends rave about the newly renovated Science Center in Greensboro.  Sarah and Jason took Caroline and she fell in love with the dinosaurs and they went on and on about how neat it was.  It was definitely somewhere I wanted to take the kids. Will decided he wanted to go with us, too, so we made it a family adventure!

Jack was all about the dinosaur exhibit.

 One of the kids favorite exhibits was the Herpetarium, with the snakes and frogs and alligators and what-not.  I obviously was not as impressed (or was either too grossed out to take any photos).;)

The new Sciquarium was really neat…

Frog hopping!

The outdoor animal exhibits were incredible
and the tiger came right up to us!

Our blurry family shot.

This was what we found on the ride home...

…so I would call it a successful day!

Jack's Gymnastics Ceremony

Jack with his sweet instructor, Miss Gaylyn

Jack and I started a parent/child gymnastics class back in August and he has absolutely loved it.  I have looked forward to our special one-on-one time every Tuesday morning.  He has learned so much, most importantly following directions and waiting his turn, along with making new friends and learning some basic gymnastics skills.  By the last few classes, his teachers told me that he was ready to move up to the child-only classes and I knew he was ready when he told me one day, "Mommy, you need to sit in the chairs and I do gymnastics by myself!"  I teared up a little, realizing he doesn't need me to help anymore.

His end-of-year ceremony was so cute!  He got his certificate from Miss Gaylyn and then they did a little program to show the families what they have learned.  He even got a medal just like his big Sissy! He was so proud!

Ta-da!

Happy Father's Day!

We had the Hege family over for Father's Day dinner so everyone could see the new finished basement.  We had fun actually hanging out with guests down there for the first time.  I hate that we didn't take any photos with everyone together!  The basement project was Will's birthday and Father's Day "gift" and I know he will get lots of enjoyment from it, especially once football starts in the fall.  Will is so good to us and we are so blessed to have such an amazing and committed Daddy.  He means the world to us!  Happy Father's Day!