tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41802519568219425862024-03-13T22:49:21.424-07:00The State We're InPreston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-471878969864804432012-02-02T05:13:00.000-08:002012-02-02T05:13:00.748-08:00ONE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--6BJvSt-jAE/TyqK_Xlv0aI/AAAAAAAAARk/fORR-Cd-Tr0/s1600/photo-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--6BJvSt-jAE/TyqK_Xlv0aI/AAAAAAAAARk/fORR-Cd-Tr0/s320/photo-17.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
Well I can't believe it. Stanley Pierce turned a year old yesterday. The reason I can't believe it is because everyone would tell me when he was born and still in that "tiny, fragile, infant stage" that it was all going to go by so fast and I totally didn't believe them. In the moment, the infant stage seemed like it lasted forever but unfortunately they were right. I felt like I blinked and here he is turning a year old.<br />
<br />
As I reflect back over Stan's first year of life, I have to say that it has been a huge blessing! Sure there were a few bumps in the proverbial road like pyloric stenosis or torticollis but once we got through those, I have to say, it has been pretty smooth sailing. Besides "blessing," another word I would use to describe Stan is "easy." I think the Lord knew just what this uptight, control-freak, borderline OCD Momma needed when He gave me Stan. I can't tell you how many times through the course of this past year I uttered the phrase, "Yes, he is a VERY easy baby. So much so that I am scared to have another one!" And it is SO true! Preston and I have to get payback some how right? Either our next one is going to be horrible or Stan is going to give us a run for our money during his teenage years!<br />
<br />
But back to being easy. At each new turn or transition, in true form, I would fret over every detail. I would read books, articles or threads online, and call my mother or sister thousands of times. How do I drop a dreamfeed? How do I wean him from a swaddle? How do we start baby food? How much should he be eating? How do I fly on a plane with a baby...by myself? How do we transition to just two naps a day? How do we transition from a 3 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule? How do I start a sippy cup? How do I get him to actually eat his food instead of throwing it? How do we drop a bedtime bottle? Fret, fret, fret...worry, worry, worry. And what would Stanley Pierce do? He would go through each transition like it was NOTHING! It was almost as if he were saying, "Simmer down lady....I got this!"<br />
<br />
So here are some transitions and some things that Stan is up to these days. We went to his one year check up and he weighs 28 lbs. 10 oz. in the 95th percentile and I don't remember his length or head circumference but they were both in the 75th percentile. The doctor said that he is a bit heavy for his height but that was no shocker....my aching back could've told you that! He isn't walking or even really pulling up on his own yet and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with his weight. But he is crawling. He does this little one-armed army crawl which is too stinkin' cute. He knows how to crawl on all fours but he will only do that for short distances. If he really wants to move somewhere he is on his belly doing his army crawl. He has four teeth now...two on top and two bottom. Right now he is a little snaggle-toothed because his top left tooth is pretty much all the way in but the right tooth is just peeking through. He is on table foods and is making progress with the sippy cup. We are still doing a bedtime bottle and are probably going to try to drop that sometime next week. I'm not looking forward to that, mainly because I LOVE that sweet, cuddly time with him!<br />
<br />
With that said, this year has also been a huge learning curve for both me and Preston. But mainly me. If there is one thing Stan has taught me it would be to let go a little and just go with the flow. Not to say that I have mastered that by any means but because he is his this own little person there are a lot of things I don't have control over. And from what I have heard, this lesson in "letting go" will continue as he grows. It makes my heartache at this very moment to even think about the time I will physically have to let him go. Geez...let's not talk about it.<br />
<br />
Preston and I listen to The Zac Brown Band and every time I hear "Highway 20 Ride" I cry and Preston laughs at me for crying. If you haven't heard the song I suggest you listen to it....it is very sweet. And I know it's a little cheesy but I feel like he sums up parenthood very well in that song. So even after just one small year of parenting, I can easily say to Stanley Pierce "it was the pleasure of my life and I cherish every time and my whole world, it begins and ends with you...." I love you so much Stanley Pierce and Happy Birthday!Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-70052174246145037552012-01-03T19:16:00.000-08:002012-01-03T19:16:13.070-08:00Starting AnewWell it's a new year. I like the start of a new year. I know it drives some people crazy with all of the to do lists and resolutions that are guaranteed to fail but I like it. I like the idea of a clean slate...starting anew. In fact, "starting anew" is a perfect phrase to describe this phase in our lives. Not only are we starting a new year but we are in a new town, new house and Preston has started a new job. Ok, so technically we aren't in a new town. We moved home to Tupelo. And technically we aren't in a new house. It was built in the 1930s but it is new to us.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>With all of this renewing going on, I thought it was a perfect time to start fresh with the blog. I originally started "The State We're In" to help keep our family and friends in Mississippi updated on our lives in Arizona. I have never been the best blogger but after Stan was born, blogging fell VERY low on the totem pole. I could never keep up with it and I fell behind. Life got in the way... between having a baby, baby having surgery, voluntarily foreclosing on a home, moving into a rental home and then moving across the country...there was no time for blogging. When we decided to move back home to Mississippi, Preston asked if I was going to try to blog. I told him probably not because there was no reason for continuing the blog since we would be seeing our Mississippi friends and family all of the time now. Plus I had this whole last blog post planned in my head that was cleverly titled "Saying Goodbye to the State We're In." Poetic, right? Preston reminded me that the roles have been reversed. We now have "family" and friends in Arizona that sincerely care about our little family. They want to see how Stan is doing and what me and Preston are up to....but mainly they just want to see how Stan is doing. ;) So as you probably could've guessed one of my many resolutions is to be a better blogger. Mainly for all of our Sahuarita, Tucson, Green Valley, Rio Rico and Nogales family and those that have moved away including our family in Idelstein, IL and Palm Harbor, FL....y'all will always be our Arizona family no matter where you live and we miss ALL of you more than words can explain!<br />
<br />
2011 was a very exciting and hectic year for us but what a blessing it was. The Lord has been very good to us and we are excited to see what He has planned for us in 2012! Look for an update on Stanley Pierce soon...he has A LOT going on! Happy New Year friends!</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-33260884018418235472011-08-16T13:14:00.001-07:002011-08-16T13:20:36.525-07:00Baby FixI have a WHOLE lot of updating to do on the blog including 5 month pictures, a post about our three week trip home and 6 month pictures, just to name a few. But until I get around to getting the camera cord out of Preston's work bag, here is a little baby fix of random, cute pics from my phone.<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3139.jpg"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3139.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I was going to get him up from a nap and he just looked so HUGE! Especially compared to the picture below.</div><br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3140.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3140.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3141.jpg"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3141.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This is normally how I find him in his crib in the mornings or after naps. Just doing a little light stretching.</div><br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3142.jpg"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3142.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Daddy says that all of his clothes say something about Mommy..."Bananas for Mommy" or "Wild about Mommy." But I found this bib in a storage bin so Daddy can't complain now!</div><br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3143.jpg"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3143.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Practicing.</div><br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3144.jpg"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3144.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This picture was just for Papa and Daddy too!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Stan started rolling from his back to his stomach right when we got home from MS...right at 6 months old. He has turned into quite the little rolly-polly and the next two pictures are normally how I find him when he is playing on his play mat.</div><br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3145.jpg"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3145.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center><br />
<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/08/16/3146.jpg"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/08/16/s_3146.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center><br />
That's all for now! Look for more updates soon!<br />
<br />
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhonePreston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-40882286705934083472011-06-20T13:06:00.000-07:002011-06-20T13:06:13.519-07:00Reed and JenniferThe weekend after we got back from Mississippi, Reed and Jennifer Hillen came to visit! We had the best time hanging out with them. We love these two SO much and we were so excited that Stan got to meet them! Of course Jennifer "took" to Stan immediately but I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Reed! He was a natural and I think that, when their time comes, they are going to AMAZING parents!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4vFfYPdiPSo/Tf-mtkEbeYI/AAAAAAAAARE/3sXdBeckz8s/s1600/IMG_1553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4vFfYPdiPSo/Tf-mtkEbeYI/AAAAAAAAARE/3sXdBeckz8s/s320/IMG_1553.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lounging around</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-897XQPy0HD8/Tf-myquFGtI/AAAAAAAAARI/E4Y4GeuknQ4/s1600/IMG_1554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-897XQPy0HD8/Tf-myquFGtI/AAAAAAAAARI/E4Y4GeuknQ4/s320/IMG_1554.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Natural"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_biI5bQZJ6A/Tf-m6TSCUTI/AAAAAAAAARM/5xcAvlQC5uU/s1600/IMG_1557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_biI5bQZJ6A/Tf-m6TSCUTI/AAAAAAAAARM/5xcAvlQC5uU/s320/IMG_1557.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute couple - at the overlook on the way up to Mount Lemmon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XR5zJAkob_c/Tf-nApmoBmI/AAAAAAAAARQ/z-Nw6Nx7Qdo/s1600/IMG_1563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XR5zJAkob_c/Tf-nApmoBmI/AAAAAAAAARQ/z-Nw6Nx7Qdo/s320/IMG_1563.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was just too cute not to add!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RuaGiFMAzpI/Tf-nY5_4xtI/AAAAAAAAARU/YF-4rCc_uPk/s1600/IMG_1559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RuaGiFMAzpI/Tf-nY5_4xtI/AAAAAAAAARU/YF-4rCc_uPk/s320/IMG_1559.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BFFs! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-35708691622639024042011-06-20T12:45:00.000-07:002011-06-20T12:45:26.683-07:00Welcome to Mississippi Stan!As I mentioned in the previous post, we took a trip to Mississippi back in May. This trip contained many firsts for Stan: first time to Mississippi, first time on an airplane, first time to meet MANY relatives including cousins, uncles, great grandmothers, etc. We had such a wonderful time introducing Stan to "home." We traveled SO much that we wore the sweet baby out! At one point we were putting him in his car seat and really think he was looking at me like, "Seriously Mom....you're putting me in this thing AGAIN!" He was trooper though...obviously, because he's the best baby in the whole wide world!! :) Here are a few pictures from our travels:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTZwMTq4vRo/Tf-dgsdpWsI/AAAAAAAAAQg/5Lv6jnDUrl8/s1600/photo-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTZwMTq4vRo/Tf-dgsdpWsI/AAAAAAAAAQg/5Lv6jnDUrl8/s320/photo-9.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First plane ride - He did SO well on all of the flights. He did a get a little fussy on one of our plane rides back to AZ because his ears were bothering him but that only happened once! Also, out of the four flights we were on, there and back, he pooped on three of them! So I am a pro at changing poopy diapers in those tiny bathrooms!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KfY0PuCWjs/Tf-dp5K1C-I/AAAAAAAAAQk/nrM6pGJi9vg/s1600/photo-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KfY0PuCWjs/Tf-dp5K1C-I/AAAAAAAAAQk/nrM6pGJi9vg/s320/photo-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting cousins for the first time! And no, this AWFUL car seat is not ours. It was the car seat that the rental car company gave us and it SUCKED!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6idf2-m2cOw/Tf-d1cyI67I/AAAAAAAAAQo/yQkiaaE3xGc/s1600/photo-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6idf2-m2cOw/Tf-d1cyI67I/AAAAAAAAAQo/yQkiaaE3xGc/s320/photo-7.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stan LOVED Drew and I do believe the feeling was mutual! Drew loved to play peek-a-boo with Stan. Drew would actually scare Stan when they were playing and Stan would jump every time. Drew thought this was HILARIOUS so the minute Drew started laughing Stan would start laughing too! I also should mention that I think Stan has loved Drew even from the womb! When we were home for Thanksgiving while I was pregnant Drew would sing to my pregnant belly and Stan would move and kick! It was the CUTEST thing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lr9T-_LGUD0/Tf-d6iGpm6I/AAAAAAAAAQs/suzIEhcC51I/s1600/photo-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lr9T-_LGUD0/Tf-d6iGpm6I/AAAAAAAAAQs/suzIEhcC51I/s320/photo-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think LC thought Stan was her live baby doll! She wanted SO bad to swing him when he was in the swing. She did very well with him and was very gentle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YR8D59Uv8zk/Tf-eRixevZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/CNlFBJYqRIA/s1600/photo-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YR8D59Uv8zk/Tf-eRixevZI/AAAAAAAAAQw/CNlFBJYqRIA/s320/photo-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to Drew's T-ball game. Stan in the sling, sound asleep! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Os2VD_syO5w/Tf-ecbUyndI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/GjUmBsddZm8/s1600/photo-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Os2VD_syO5w/Tf-ecbUyndI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/GjUmBsddZm8/s320/photo-12.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We drove up to Oxford so Stan could meet Uncle Pierce for the first time! He was a little unsure about holding a baby for the first time but he did GREAT!! We are so proud of Uncle Pierce for graduating and finishing his college career on such a strong note!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Maee2P1_tQI/Tf-eX03pZ4I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/IDU0tZuYeVA/s1600/photo-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Maee2P1_tQI/Tf-eX03pZ4I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/IDU0tZuYeVA/s320/photo-11.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wait...did he just puke on me?" :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1K1zNRGqqE/Tf-enyVLnNI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/jHEp1hc7dUY/s1600/photo-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1K1zNRGqqE/Tf-enyVLnNI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/jHEp1hc7dUY/s320/photo-13.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Mimi! Stan is Mimi's seventh great grandchild!! I think it is amazing that she has lived to meet seven great grandchildren! What a legacy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6NY5RMAjgY4/Tf-etT9e2yI/AAAAAAAAARA/Ee9Hno-k3dE/s1600/photo-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6NY5RMAjgY4/Tf-etT9e2yI/AAAAAAAAARA/Ee9Hno-k3dE/s320/photo-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture was taken the morning after we arrived in Mississippi. Poor baby was already so pooped from traveling that he feel asleep on my bed at my parent's house!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-79025302216720561592011-06-01T16:02:00.000-07:002011-06-01T16:02:24.839-07:003 MonthsSo I am a month late in posting this but oh well....better late than never! Stan's third month was a VERY busy one. He visited good ole Mississippi for the first time and while we were there he got to meet A LOT of family (post to follow). So of course there were a lot of firsts on that trip: first time on a plane, first time to spend the night at Lollie and Papa's, first time to meet lots of relatives, etc. The following weekend after being at home, Stan got to meet Jennifer and Reed Hillen (post to follow). He also went on his first picnic!<div><br />
</div><div>A few developmental firsts: he found his hands and his feet, he holds his head up like a champ and he has been rolling over stomach to back for a while now. Something I didn't mention in previous posts: he has been sleeping through the night since he was about 8 weeks old! We do a final feeding at about 10:00pm and he sleeping until about 7:00am! We have definitely been blessed in that regard!</div><div><br />
</div><div>So what you really came for......pictures!</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUYdZV231Sg/TebAown6v3I/AAAAAAAAAPw/SAAns7pjsAU/s1600/IMG_1675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUYdZV231Sg/TebAown6v3I/AAAAAAAAAPw/SAAns7pjsAU/s320/IMG_1675.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy 3 month old baby!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6AWZu1ppe4/TebA2F3xHPI/AAAAAAAAAP0/ML3QCvlc8Ys/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6AWZu1ppe4/TebA2F3xHPI/AAAAAAAAAP0/ML3QCvlc8Ys/s320/IMG_1691.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlfdodBPExg/TebA-8Eu-QI/AAAAAAAAAP4/9oKjqDIEbsU/s1600/IMG_1679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlfdodBPExg/TebA-8Eu-QI/AAAAAAAAAP4/9oKjqDIEbsU/s320/IMG_1679.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were too funny not to post - about to sneeze!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e1fRh4SEML0/TebBKUzUICI/AAAAAAAAAP8/VZZ7rfwYHL8/s1600/IMG_1697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e1fRh4SEML0/TebBKUzUICI/AAAAAAAAAP8/VZZ7rfwYHL8/s320/IMG_1697.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And sneeze!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ELfWgxk3Lc/TebBZYxv7fI/AAAAAAAAAQA/CUqM60Vq7jc/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ELfWgxk3Lc/TebBZYxv7fI/AAAAAAAAAQA/CUqM60Vq7jc/s320/IMG_1572.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big boy sitting in his bumbo holding his head up</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysDpdVfimNo/TebBmL4UI5I/AAAAAAAAAQE/lWXXjzXRNAc/s1600/IMG_1589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysDpdVfimNo/TebBmL4UI5I/AAAAAAAAAQE/lWXXjzXRNAc/s320/IMG_1589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loves bath time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ivRJ9Y8vzU/TebBuyb5goI/AAAAAAAAAQI/3CsTFQ0Gv-o/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ivRJ9Y8vzU/TebBuyb5goI/AAAAAAAAAQI/3CsTFQ0Gv-o/s320/IMG_1601.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean, happy baby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KKqyQVYr8zQ/TebB3gBhOSI/AAAAAAAAAQM/tCTm37VU74s/s1600/IMG_1607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KKqyQVYr8zQ/TebB3gBhOSI/AAAAAAAAAQM/tCTm37VU74s/s320/IMG_1607.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet face</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60DXErsZUnQ/TebCCv7SwCI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/FMRB3EcYXZY/s1600/IMG_1614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60DXErsZUnQ/TebCCv7SwCI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/FMRB3EcYXZY/s320/IMG_1614.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And another sweet face</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xa1ta4jg-LM/TebCM4v3iSI/AAAAAAAAAQU/mT8Qi0Nlmzc/s1600/IMG_1639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xa1ta4jg-LM/TebCM4v3iSI/AAAAAAAAAQU/mT8Qi0Nlmzc/s320/IMG_1639.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haaaaaaa!!!! This picture makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4miHTh7BJ-I/TebDl0yfB1I/AAAAAAAAAQY/bSKX_Dg2ek8/s1600/photo-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4miHTh7BJ-I/TebDl0yfB1I/AAAAAAAAAQY/bSKX_Dg2ek8/s320/photo-14.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First picnic by the lake!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3tfkFBT1tK0/TebDtTTH9zI/AAAAAAAAAQc/Yw6-YopxFKA/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3tfkFBT1tK0/TebDtTTH9zI/AAAAAAAAAQc/Yw6-YopxFKA/s320/IMG_1668.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just chillin' in the shade with my shades!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-14958723175931972272011-05-28T17:56:00.000-07:002011-05-28T17:56:07.096-07:00Easter 2011Stan had a great first Easter! Bebe and Ole Dad came to visit and we all had such a fun time. Golf was played, eggs were dyed and brunch was had. Thanks for coming to visit Bebe and Ole Dad!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMK8-wKWWaQ/TeGXtSoF7OI/AAAAAAAAAPg/sq98vXvm8cQ/s1600/photo-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMK8-wKWWaQ/TeGXtSoF7OI/AAAAAAAAAPg/sq98vXvm8cQ/s320/photo-3.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stan's Easter basket was a joint effort between Mom, Dad, Bebe and Ole Dad</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zn1gMb1kbJ8/TeGYYs5-J8I/AAAAAAAAAPk/oBut4fXz_kY/s1600/IMG_1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zn1gMb1kbJ8/TeGYYs5-J8I/AAAAAAAAAPk/oBut4fXz_kY/s320/IMG_1546.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet baby boy with his Easter basket</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xOxdEcKIw58/TeGYr0tKwrI/AAAAAAAAAPo/MMM4b8mLt4g/s1600/IMG_1551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xOxdEcKIw58/TeGYr0tKwrI/AAAAAAAAAPo/MMM4b8mLt4g/s320/IMG_1551.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks for the Easter outfit Cousin Drew!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gP8pmHQ6q18/TeGY4gTdmhI/AAAAAAAAAPs/n-Ane7g1M2c/s1600/photo-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gP8pmHQ6q18/TeGY4gTdmhI/AAAAAAAAAPs/n-Ane7g1M2c/s320/photo-2.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hangin' out with Ole Dad before church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-70273638256389272162011-04-04T15:06:00.000-07:002011-04-04T15:06:18.554-07:00What a Difference a Month Can Make........along with having surgery! Take a look at the difference!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sf5bAumOC-k/TZpAtY7BJQI/AAAAAAAAAPY/7mEwU3WDz_I/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sf5bAumOC-k/TZpAtY7BJQI/AAAAAAAAAPY/7mEwU3WDz_I/s320/IMG_1496.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DsEu6xN4Oow/TZpAyds2DCI/AAAAAAAAAPc/yt6t8a3IIsc/s1600/IMG_1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DsEu6xN4Oow/TZpAyds2DCI/AAAAAAAAAPc/yt6t8a3IIsc/s320/IMG_1519.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-56320785792628432672011-04-04T15:04:00.000-07:002011-04-04T15:04:17.068-07:002 MonthsStan turned two months old on Friday! We went to our two month appointment and everything went VERY well. He weighed 10 lbs. 2 oz. and was 23 inches long! It was pretty funny to see his percentages....weight: 25%, head circumference: 25%, length: <b>50%</b>!! Already taking after his daddy! Dr. M. was very please with his weight. After the nurse took his weight, Dr. M. walked in and said, "Are you kidding me?!!" And she gave me a high five! She even asked the nurse if she was positive the weight was right! :) He has definitely filled out a bit since his surgery....take a look:<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9TVI7tz_UM/TZo9v4MjxbI/AAAAAAAAAPE/cnLlA-N8QB0/s1600/IMG_1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9TVI7tz_UM/TZo9v4MjxbI/AAAAAAAAAPE/cnLlA-N8QB0/s320/IMG_1516.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E84GwZj8Rls/TZo-iYvBvvI/AAAAAAAAAPI/GRDDI22a1rw/s1600/IMG_1520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E84GwZj8Rls/TZo-iYvBvvI/AAAAAAAAAPI/GRDDI22a1rw/s320/IMG_1520.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4SPpA6hhJE/TZo-r8K4QPI/AAAAAAAAAPM/eAzvS033i1c/s1600/IMG_1524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4SPpA6hhJE/TZo-r8K4QPI/AAAAAAAAAPM/eAzvS033i1c/s320/IMG_1524.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He has also started smiling which just makes me melt!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2v5BdrUNIs/TZo-6g3GVPI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/g84k_0Qery4/s1600/IMG_1527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2v5BdrUNIs/TZo-6g3GVPI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/g84k_0Qery4/s320/IMG_1527.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another trait he has inherited from father....see how those pinky toes curl under his fourth toe....that is 100% his daddy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> "Who gained 21 ounces in 9 days, now weighs 10 lbs. 2 oz., has recovered from pyloric stenosis like a champ and can give the thumbs up?.......</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1QlkWdX4VqI/TZo_CgfS_WI/AAAAAAAAAPU/9zJv4f-sEkg/s1600/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1QlkWdX4VqI/TZo_CgfS_WI/AAAAAAAAAPU/9zJv4f-sEkg/s320/IMG_1523.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">.....This guy."</div><div><br />
</div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-61298202499203388482011-04-04T14:43:00.000-07:002011-04-04T14:43:11.161-07:001 MonthI took some 1 month pictures of Stan but in the hustle and bustle of his surgery I never got around to posting them. So here they are!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-brCJzNXUEkI/TZo6S_4NuzI/AAAAAAAAAO8/utHBALHH6vs/s1600/IMG_1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-brCJzNXUEkI/TZo6S_4NuzI/AAAAAAAAAO8/utHBALHH6vs/s320/IMG_1495.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-05g3Es1-enQ/TZo6s1hOxJI/AAAAAAAAAPA/VgtBuMs-DAo/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-05g3Es1-enQ/TZo6s1hOxJI/AAAAAAAAAPA/VgtBuMs-DAo/s320/IMG_1496.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's interesting to look back at these photos post surgery. We actually met with the surgeon two weeks after his surgery for a follow up. At this appointment she told me that babies with pyloric stenosis usually always have a worried look on their faces! I would say that is a worried look on his face...wouldn't you?! If only we knew then what we know now!</div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-59039740616633047342011-04-04T09:14:00.000-07:002011-04-04T09:14:16.928-07:00Pyloric Something-Or-OtherWell to say that the past two months in the Whittington household has been a bit crazy would be a huge understatement. We had a baby in February, baby had surgery mid March and we moved homes the weekend after baby's surgery! Like I said....CRAZY!!<br />
<br />
For those of you that don't know, Stan was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis. Pyloric stenosis is the narrowing or tightening of the pylorus, which is the opening between the stomach and small intestine. It is fairly common in first born males that are 5 to 6 weeks of age. Symptoms are projectile vomiting, dehydration and weight loss. All were true in Stan's case except by the time we caught it he hadn't actually lost weight, he just hadn't gained.<br />
<br />
It all started on Friday morning. He woke up drenched in vomit.....all down his back, covering his head....DRENCHED! Poor baby! I could tell it was projectile because the distance the vomit was from his body. My first thought was that I just over fed him at his last feeding so I didn't think much about it. Then it happened again the next morning. Over the course of the week it happened a total of 5 times and the following Friday it happened again. This time I was changing his diaper and noticed a small pink spot in the diaper. I had no clue what that was and I was concerned that it was blood so I called his pediatrician. They decided that since he was so young they wanted him to come in. So we headed to doctor for our appointment at 1:00 but not before having a vomiting episode as I was putting him in his car seat!<br />
<br />
After seeing the pediatrician, she decided that she wanted us to go to the hospital at 4:30 for an abdominal ultrasound so they could measure his pylorus. Of course when she said "hospital" I immediately started freaking out. I was so overwhelmed by the "h" word that when I called Preston to tell him I said, "The doctor wants to test him for pyloric something-or-other!" (I think by the third day in the whole process Preston and I finally nailed down what it was called!) Preston decided to leave work, thank goodness, and he met us at the "h" word for the ultrasound. After a long process of an ultrasound, another HUGE vomiting spell, talking to the radiologist, determining it was in fact pyloric stenosis and waiting to hear from the pediatricians office whether we needed to head to the ER or not, we finally got the call that the pediatrician had admitted us to the hospital and we had a room in the pediatric unit. <br />
<br />
So with only the things that we had with us, we walked over to the pediatric ward and got in our room. Then began the process of getting Stan hooked up to the monitors and getting an IV put in. At this point, I need to emphasize the fact that it was about 6:30pm and he hadn't had anything to eat since 1:30pm and even then it was only about 1.5oz. and because of his condition and not knowing when he was going to have surgery, he couldn't have anything to eat. So he didn't eat until 6:30pm on Saturday evening AFTER his surgery...that's over 24 hours without food! I know he had IV fluids but STILL....that was hard! He was a trooper though! He honestly did not fuss that much at all and he probably vomited more that Friday night than he had all week!<br />
<br />
After waiting all night and wondering when he was going to actually have surgery, we finally heard that they had scheduled his surgery for around 11:00am Saturday morning. Around 8:00am the surgeon came by and discussed that they were going to make a small incision above his belly button, go in and make small slit in the pylorus muscle to loosen it up and that the procedure would take about an hour. So at about 10:30am they came and took us to the pre-op room. This time was probably one of the hardest things Preston and I have had to go through. Our tiny baby boy laying in this huge crib, hooked up to all of the monitors and then the surgical team wheeling him away! There were tears shed from both of us as we kissed him and told him how much we loved him. I'm about to cry just remembering it!<br />
<br />
We headed to the surgery waiting room where we held hands and prayed together. Shortly after the surgery began we were very blessed to have our pastor, Mark and good friend/youth leader, Sheri, come sit with us. They were a much needed distraction and they helped the time go by. Before we knew it, the surgeon came out and told us everything went well and that is was a very standard procedure. We were SO thankful and couldn't wait to see our boy!<br />
<br />
When we finally got to see him he was pretty fussy, which the anesthesiologist said could be a possibility. When we got to the room I hopped in the bed, Preston handed him to me and I got him to calm down and go to sleep. We stayed that way for about four hours! I slept also but I was most content that I had my baby back in my arms!<br />
<br />
The next few days were spent just seeing how much food he could handle. He finally got to eat at around 6:30pm and we started with 30cc's (1 oz.) of Pedialyte and gradually moved to breast milk. We got to 60cc's (2 oz.) of breast milk and he started throwing up again. So we backed down to 45cc's and he was able to keep that down. Monday morning the surgical team came in to see how he was doing and at that point he had kept everything down since about 6:30pm on Sunday. The surgeon said I could nurse him at the next feeding at 9:30am and if he kept that down then we could go home Monday afternoon! Music to my ears! So like the champ that he is, he latched on like it was his job and he kept everything down! So we headed home Monday afternoon!<br />
<br />
That weekend was the craziest weekend of our lives! We are so thankful for all of the doctors and nurses that not only took care of Stan but also helped these first-time parents survive the weekend! A special thanks to the pediatrician we saw on Friday (our pediatrician didn't have any openings) who wanted to test immediately for pyloric stenosis. Also a special thanks to our night nurse on Friday who found another bed for us so Preston and I could both spend the night at the hospital. The nurses, ohhhh the nurses! They were amazing! They were so helpful! From helping us change Stan's clothes every time he vomited to getting us little things like lotion!<br />
<br />
I also have to say thank you to several of our friends. George, Faye and Callum helped SO much...from helping take care of Lottie to bringing us phone chargers Friday night so we could make calls to family to keep them posted on Stan. Then there is Zak and Lisa and Cherry and Tim who brought us meals in the hospital. Cherry also helped out with Lottie! You all helped more than you know!<br />
<br />
And of course I have to say thank you to Preston. He was in full-time support mode the entire time while I was a freakin' basket case! He slept on those crappy chair sleepers in the hospital while I slept in a bed. He knew that I would've lost my mind if we both weren't able to sleep in the hospital. He made several trips home (which is about 45 minutes one-way from the hospital) to take care of Lottie and to get our belongings for the weekend. He brought food to the hospital for every meal so we wouldn't have to eat the crappy hospital food. And most of all, he held my hand while I cried....which ended up being A LOT of hand-holding!<br />
<br />
And thanks to all of our friends out there, near and far, who I know were praying for us! The prayers were definitely felt.<br />
<br />
We are glad that this is over with and that we are officially DONE with pyloric something-or-other!Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-70896492558354458002011-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:002011-02-27T20:06:18.995-08:00From My PhoneJust thought I would share several pictures that I had on my phone. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3376.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3376.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
Waiting for Stan<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3377.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3377.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
More waiting...<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3378.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3378.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
Cuddled up with Aunt Aimee<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3379.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3379.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
"That's some good eatin', Momma!"<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3380.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3380.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
Chillaxin'<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3381.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3381.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
First time in his crib....he fell right to sleep! Thanks Lollie for making his crib so comfy!<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3382.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3382.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
Hanging' out on his playmat<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/02/27/3383.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/02/27/s_3383.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />
Taking a nap with Daddy<br />
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhonePreston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-67148886915016976402011-02-25T14:57:00.000-08:002011-02-26T16:59:53.339-08:00Visitors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div>We are very grateful for all of the visitors we have had since Stan was born. We are particularly thankful for our families that made the trip across the country! I'm not sure we could've survived without y'all!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CdRYr61dd9Q/TWgsmNNbD1I/AAAAAAAAAOI/ZBu2p_PJCNc/s1600/IMG_1413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CdRYr61dd9Q/TWgsmNNbD1I/AAAAAAAAAOI/ZBu2p_PJCNc/s320/IMG_1413.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin' with Ole Dad</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZMfrih76RQ/TWgsthjJAII/AAAAAAAAAOM/56u3KYAbvjQ/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZMfrih76RQ/TWgsthjJAII/AAAAAAAAAOM/56u3KYAbvjQ/s320/IMG_1426.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggling up with Bebe</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jBh71w5jWjo/TWgs1tH54cI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/nTW4sRQuBb8/s1600/IMG_1419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jBh71w5jWjo/TWgs1tH54cI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/nTW4sRQuBb8/s320/IMG_1419.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Can you say Papa?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5llzMQ3vbkU/TWgs-pcj0KI/AAAAAAAAAOU/8mKb-xuKR1s/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5llzMQ3vbkU/TWgs-pcj0KI/AAAAAAAAAOU/8mKb-xuKR1s/s320/IMG_1418.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting lots of love from Lollie</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fKbDP3nb60Q/TWgtHhLRL5I/AAAAAAAAAOY/BsS6TF9YYtI/s1600/IMG_1410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fKbDP3nb60Q/TWgtHhLRL5I/AAAAAAAAAOY/BsS6TF9YYtI/s320/IMG_1410.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was completely shocked when Jay and Robin popped their heads in the door shortly after Stan was born! Robin is one of my very best friends from AZ but their family moved to FL last May. So you can imagine my surprise when they walked in! They just happened to be back in AZ for business and they were going to surprise us anyway. It just happened to work out that I went into labor!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--vlREd8Ip14/TWmhuLN7t7I/AAAAAAAAAOc/pK_S8scSokc/s1600/Mandy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--vlREd8Ip14/TWmhuLN7t7I/AAAAAAAAAOc/pK_S8scSokc/s320/Mandy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"It's nice to meet you Aunt Mandy!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6uRUGU8cFq0/TWmhx0jd-aI/AAAAAAAAAOg/CO5vKvXkVkU/s1600/Aimee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6uRUGU8cFq0/TWmhx0jd-aI/AAAAAAAAAOg/CO5vKvXkVkU/s320/Aimee.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing a little song for Aunt Aimee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We also have had several other visitors that aren't pictured: Cherry Hoenig came to visit during the labor process and was in the waiting room while Stan was born. She was actually Stan's very first visitor. The Samson clan arrived shortly after Stan was born. Then we had Judy Freeman (our AZ grandmother) and Sharon Craig, both friends from church, came to visit the next day in the hospital. We also have had several visitors come to the house too!<br />
<br />
A lot of travel arrangements had to be made for family to get out to AZ...flights rescheduled and then changed again, making the long drive from MS and back, etc. But we are so appreciative that everything worked out and all traveling was safe and sound.</div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-73900771807765934402011-02-24T11:57:00.000-08:002011-02-24T11:57:24.640-08:00And Then There Were Three....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT99vTO5s9w/TWa0YspJHjI/AAAAAAAAAN0/V3pcMCFiY-Y/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT99vTO5s9w/TWa0YspJHjI/AAAAAAAAAN0/V3pcMCFiY-Y/s320/IMG_1407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Well Stanley Pierce Whittington made his big debut February 1, 2011 at 4:32pm. He was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 3/4 in. He is now three weeks old and to say our world has been turned upside down would be an understatement! He is absolutely perfect, if I do say so myself and we are head over heels in love!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>I know that I am the worst blogger in the world so I am going to take the updating a little bit at a time. Hey, at least I was able to write a post before he turned a month old! :)</div><div><br />
</div><div>So I will start with labor and delivery:</div><div><br />
</div><div>My water broke around 11:15pm Monday January 30th. It was such a relief that my water broke at home. I was really worried it was going to happen at work. I had actually been sitting on a towel at work for like two weeks before Stan was born and I also had an extra pair jeans in my cubicle just in case! Anywho, after my water broke I woke Preston up. I wasn't having any contractions so we googled if we should head to the hospital or not. Google informed us that we should but since I wasn't having contractions we took our time getting ready. Both of us took showers and I even curled my hair and put on makeup!</div><div><br />
</div><div>We got to the hospital around 1:30am. They confirmed that my water had in fact broken and they got me setup in the labor and delivery room. I started having contractions but nothing consistent and I was only around 3cm (I had been 3 cm for about two weeks). After we got settled we tried to rest as much as possible but it was hard for me to get comfortable. At around 8:00am the nurse came in to check me and I still hadn't made much progress, so we opted to get up an walk around to see if that would help speed up the process. Preston and I walked around the hospital and ate breakfast in the cafeteria. After we ate we headed back to the room where the nurse checked me again....no progress. At that point we opted for pitocin and the epidural, both of which had been given to me by 10:30am. And then we waited. Thank goodness Cherry, a good friend from church, came to visit! It helped distract me from the clock!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Before I knew it at around 2:30pm the nurse came in to check me and I had progressed to 8cm. Then around 3:00pm I was at 9 1/2cm so the nurse called my doctor in. The doctor decided to try to go ahead and push because she was heading to the OR shortly. I was surprised because it was just me, Preston, the nurse and the doctor. Before I started pushing I even asked, "So this is it? We're about to do this, just the four of us?" I just had in my head that there were going to be people bustling around the room! After a couple of pushes, the doctor decided that I wasn't quite ready and that she wanted to let the contractions do their work. So we waited again. My nurse kept checking on me and at around 3:45 the nurse said, "Ok, let's do this." So this time it was just me, Preston and the nurse and again I was like, "So we're going to do this just the three of us?" And the nurse just laughed. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>After pushing for 30 minutes the nurse called my doctor in for delivery (who was now out of the OR). She came in, along with several other nurses and I said, "See! Now this is what I thought it would be like!" I pushed for about 15 more minutes. There was a little concern because Stan's heart rate kept dropping during contractions. They even pulled out the suction machine, just in case but I was determined not to have to do that so I pushed even harder! Then at 4:32pm Stanley Pierce was born!<br />
<br />
The whole experience was amazing and we couldn't have asked for a smoother labor and delivery. We have definitely been blessed! Thanks to all who called, texted, visited and sent flowers. We were overwhelmed by all of the love!<br />
<br />
Now on to pictures:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EVOrcs503n4/TWaz_JO0-lI/AAAAAAAAANs/y5QOV9so0ns/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EVOrcs503n4/TWaz_JO0-lI/AAAAAAAAANs/y5QOV9so0ns/s320/IMG_1401.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brand new baby boy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t_fHavWkDIQ/TWa0Q2WORII/AAAAAAAAANw/zkmTtKy48is/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t_fHavWkDIQ/TWa0Q2WORII/AAAAAAAAANw/zkmTtKy48is/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love. Him.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gfJStQEXIpU/TWa0kKLyB5I/AAAAAAAAAN4/B-Q4hnsHL5Y/s1600/IMG_1417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gfJStQEXIpU/TWa0kKLyB5I/AAAAAAAAAN4/B-Q4hnsHL5Y/s320/IMG_1417.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud Daddy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cA-aIIC4ALk/TWa02RLWLEI/AAAAAAAAAN8/UqHSpYiPobw/s1600/IMG_1431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cA-aIIC4ALk/TWa02RLWLEI/AAAAAAAAAN8/UqHSpYiPobw/s320/IMG_1431.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bundling up to go home....it was the coldest it had been in AZ in a long time. Our pipes were even frozen when we got home! Oh and thank you to our AZ grandmother Judy for the warm sweater! It was perfect!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vt0OFkeOJEc/TWa1Bh5QtkI/AAAAAAAAAOA/GQpPuaJwrFM/s1600/IMG_1444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vt0OFkeOJEc/TWa1Bh5QtkI/AAAAAAAAAOA/GQpPuaJwrFM/s320/IMG_1444.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snug as a bug!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
</div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-87433783456138616632010-10-30T09:51:00.000-07:002010-10-30T18:45:50.946-07:00Moving Right Along<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well today marks exactly 25 weeks in my pregnancy! I can't believe how fast this is going by! When we first found out I was pregnant, I remember feeling like I would NEVER get through the first trimester and all of a sudden the end of the second trimester is sneaking up on us!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So on to the good stuff. First and foremost, in September we found out that baby Whittington is a BOY!!! It has taken me a while to post this because I wanted to get the sonogram pictures scanned in. Along with finding out we are having a boy, we have also decided on his name: Stanley "Stan" Pierce Whittington! So without further adieu I give you....Stanley Pierce:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxGGRi3FlI/AAAAAAAAAMI/Y1w3bv3ncHs/s1600/Sonogram_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxGGRi3FlI/AAAAAAAAAMI/Y1w3bv3ncHs/s320/Sonogram_9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is actually a picture of his "tenders" (as Michelle's boys would say)! During the sonogram the nurse said there was no doubt that it was boy because he wasn't shy and was "flashing it all over the place!"</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We couldn't be more excited about having boy! I will never forget laying on the table with Preston at my feet. The nurse announced it was a boy and Preston grabbed my ankles in sheer excitement and I immediately started to cry. It was definitely an awesome moment! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Preston and Mr. Markel called it from the beginning. After the nurse left the room Preston was grinning from ear to ear and I told him I couldn't tell if he was more excited about it being a boy or if he was more excited about the fact that he was right! I honestly think it was a little bit of both! :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Also, several people have asked for updated belly pics. So here you go!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxJdgEaK9I/AAAAAAAAAMM/8NkCI_LDJOQ/s1600/IMG_1334_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxJdgEaK9I/AAAAAAAAAMM/8NkCI_LDJOQ/s320/IMG_1334_2.JPG" width="199" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">21 Weeks</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxJrP59xgI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/ujxmwILPy8M/s1600/IMG_1337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxJrP59xgI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/ujxmwILPy8M/s320/IMG_1337.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">22 Weeks</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxJ9D9QK2I/AAAAAAAAAMU/rSvwKIWXa5o/s1600/IMG_1342_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxJ9D9QK2I/AAAAAAAAAMU/rSvwKIWXa5o/s320/IMG_1342_2.JPG" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">23 Weeks</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That is really about it for us! We are counting down the days until we get to come home for Thanksgiving. Just three weeks from today and we both can hardly contain ourselves! Have I mentioned that this will be the first time since last Christmas that either of us have been home?! Personally, I think that is just TOO long. I really think we are both going through withdrawals....Preston has already planned to eat at Connie's twice in the short time we are actually in Tupelo! :)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I will leave you with a sweet profile picture of Stan from our last sonogram:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxLjChmjwI/AAAAAAAAAMY/DDPDO67xWrs/s1600/Sonogram_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TMxLjChmjwI/AAAAAAAAAMY/DDPDO67xWrs/s320/Sonogram_11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't stop staring at this picture!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-29524669764913895332010-09-28T13:33:00.001-07:002010-09-29T08:14:33.426-07:00It's That Time of Year Again.......the time of year I complain about how bad it sucks to live in the desert during the fall.<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/annapwhittington/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCK-jje3OuOjoQA#5522065173540002050"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TKJRBKdoWQI/AAAAAAAAAMA/c_HJXxnulOo/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="187" /></a></center><br />
<center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/annapwhittington/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCK-jje3OuOjoQA#5522065176422833762"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TKJRBVM83mI/AAAAAAAAAME/YBIkZTEyZRk/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="187" /></a></center><br />
<br />
I'm officially depressed.<br />
<br />
<br />
- Posted using BlogPress from iPhonePreston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-11224278375421878192010-09-18T16:04:00.000-07:002010-09-18T16:04:45.202-07:0017 & 18 WeeksI've had a couple of people from home ask about the "baby bump" so I am going to try to post "the bump" as often as I can remember. We are trying to take a picture every week. We started at 17 weeks so we will see how it goes. Also, just for my documentation, I felt the baby move for the first time on Sept. 2, 2010! I wasn't sure if it was the baby or gas but it kept happening and has definitely gotten stronger in the past weeks! :) And as you will see I started "poking out" A LOT between 17 weeks and 18 weeks!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJVE6-ki58I/AAAAAAAAALY/UhvRb_pCW1s/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJVE6-ki58I/AAAAAAAAALY/UhvRb_pCW1s/s320/IMG_1326.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">17 Weeks!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJVFRdxXKuI/AAAAAAAAALg/pVFqwYaRGtg/s1600/IMG_1329_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJVFRdxXKuI/AAAAAAAAALg/pVFqwYaRGtg/s320/IMG_1329_2.JPG" width="223" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">18 Weeks!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-45572826354822251242010-09-18T15:47:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:47:56.645-07:00Austria - Part IIAfter our Saturday day trip to Salzburg we were pretty worn out (especially me)! So Sunday we slept in and did a little more city exploring on Sunday afternoon. We ate at a cute little pizza bistro for lunch and then toured St. Stephen's Cathedral.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUuOl1axPI/AAAAAAAAAJg/rvQnnCuki8s/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUuOl1axPI/AAAAAAAAAJg/rvQnnCuki8s/s320/IMG_1234.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Katie and I eating pizza al fresco.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUvAbfgcZI/AAAAAAAAAJo/i2h_6Yub_fQ/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUvAbfgcZI/AAAAAAAAAJo/i2h_6Yub_fQ/s320/IMG_1236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">St. Stephen's Cathedral. The architecture was unbelievable!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUvUq-jUHI/AAAAAAAAAJw/dBFY5kskS54/s1600/IMG_1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUvUq-jUHI/AAAAAAAAAJw/dBFY5kskS54/s320/IMG_1251.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unbelievable detail in St. Stephen's.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just an extra little tidbit about St. Stephen's Cathedral: For forty years, many years ago, any person that died in Vienna was buried in St. Stephen's catacombs. Katie and I didn't see the catacombs (it cost extra) but we heard about "rooms of bones." It so happens that I found <a href="http://www.pbase.com/cryptkeyper/image/53778416">this picture</a> on the internet, which looks unbelievably similar to the picture that Travis (mentioned in previous post) took with his cell phone. Evidently the stench got so bad that they had to quit holding church there for a while. The church still holds services there today and it just blows my mind that people attend a church that has dead people in it..... A LOT of dead of people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After St. Stephen's we wandered around Vienna even more and came across an awesome shopping center. Unfortunately, because it was Sunday, everything was closed so we decided to go back on Tuesday. Late Sunday we walked through a tunnel, then through an archway and stumble upon this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUydS9r_TI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/smlwxmJd57g/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUydS9r_TI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/smlwxmJd57g/s320/IMG_1255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We learned from our tour book that this where the president lives and this building also houses the Austrian National Library.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sunday evening I was, again, pretty pooped so I decided to go to bed relatively early and Katie went out with several other State Farm agents.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Monday, the travel agency that planned the trip for all of the State Farm agents organized trip to a small town outside of Vienna called Melk. In Melk we took a tour of a HUGE monastery that is still active.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU1DBuuNaI/AAAAAAAAAKY/tWDT_QTPVGs/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU1DBuuNaI/AAAAAAAAAKY/tWDT_QTPVGs/s320/IMG_1269.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Monastery in Melk. Again, the architecture was breathtaking!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">After the tour of the monastery we went on a dinner cruise on the Danube River. I have to say that this was probably the highlight of the trip for me....just floating down the river and coming across castle ruins, tiny towns with vineyards and even a palace! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU573yqndI/AAAAAAAAAKg/wMJ-ZZPDns4/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU573yqndI/AAAAAAAAAKg/wMJ-ZZPDns4/s320/IMG_1287.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A view of the Danube from the monastery.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU6NZojWNI/AAAAAAAAAKo/cuJ3z3vGaGg/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU6NZojWNI/AAAAAAAAAKo/cuJ3z3vGaGg/s320/IMG_1295.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Castle ruins.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU6c2gKHAI/AAAAAAAAAKw/RVNVShlX8rQ/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU6c2gKHAI/AAAAAAAAAKw/RVNVShlX8rQ/s320/IMG_1296.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A quaint little town with vineyards on the hill.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU6q8Cln4I/AAAAAAAAAK4/zj_kgXol7rc/s1600/IMG_1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU6q8Cln4I/AAAAAAAAAK4/zj_kgXol7rc/s320/IMG_1302.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Katie and I cruising on the top of the boat.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU68c8uK_I/AAAAAAAAALA/zsDI5gNmlRU/s1600/IMG_1310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU68c8uK_I/AAAAAAAAALA/zsDI5gNmlRU/s320/IMG_1310.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A huge palace on top of the hill.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Tuesday was our last day in Austria. We got up fairly early and went back to the shopping area that was closed on Sunday. We hadn't done much souvenir shopping so that was our main goal for Tuesday morning. I am not much a souvenir person so I decided I wanted a Christmas ornament....something that I knew I would use and would be a reminder, every year, of my trip. Katie and I found a cute little Christmas shop and I picked out a "Christopher Radko-esque" ornament of St. Stephen's Cathedral, which is very much a symbol of Vienna. I also found a wooden wind-up carousel that played "The Blue Danube" for the baby's room since the baby traveled with me to Austria! :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After shopping we went to The Belvedere. It was at one time a palace in Vienna but they have since turned it into an art gallery. This was also a highlight for me because I had know idea we would get to see original paintings by Rembrandt, Renoir and Van Gogh! It was awesome. The main attraction of the Belvedere is the Klimt display. Klimt was famous for the painting called <a href="http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klimt/kiss.jpg.html">"The Kiss"</a>. Klimt's art is very much representative of Austria.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><img alt="Belvedere Gallery, Vienna © Belvedere" border="0" height="153" src="http://www.austria.info/media/13712/belvedere--belvedere--d.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px;" title="Belvedere Gallery, Vienna © Belvedere" width="400" /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">I found this picture on the internet. I didn't get many good shots of The Belvedere because it was just SO big!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU_EAnOcjI/AAAAAAAAALI/QU7jZ_4Ct_E/s1600/IMG_1312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU_EAnOcjI/AAAAAAAAALI/QU7jZ_4Ct_E/s320/IMG_1312.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I did take this picture. This is a picture of the grounds on the opposite side of The Belvedere that is pictured above. The grounds were gorgeous!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU_WGsaWwI/AAAAAAAAALQ/YeKtjYjbQVM/s1600/IMG_1313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJU_WGsaWwI/AAAAAAAAALQ/YeKtjYjbQVM/s320/IMG_1313.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Unique statue on the front of The Belvedere.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Tuesday evening we went out to a nice dinner with Stephanie, Kirk, Travis and Pat. It was a great way to end a fabulous trip!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Wednesday morning we were up early to catch our bus to the airport and thus began a VERY long day of traveling. I think after all was said and done with traveling home, I was up for over 24 hours and I had to get up and go to work the next day....NOT FUN! And I think I cried when I saw Preston in the airport because I was just so. tired.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Like I said before, this trip was absolutely amazing....definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and I will never be able to truly thank Katie for her generosity! Katie - maybe when we are old and retired we can do this again! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUz3HkMJNI/AAAAAAAAAKI/yEXMLx4VWcY/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span></div><br />
<td align="left" valign="top"><span class="date" style="font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal;"></span></td><td align="right"><span class="artist" style="font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal;"></span></td>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-62377845874653436632010-09-18T12:34:00.000-07:002010-09-18T12:52:14.341-07:00Austria - Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I'm not sure really how to start this post. There is so much to write about, so many pictures and so little time and space. So I have decided to split it up into two posts so hopefully it won't be so overwhelming for you and me!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I had an awesome time in Austria with Katie. I will never be able to fully express how appreciative I am that Katie invited me on this trip. Not only was it a unbelievable just being in Europe, but getting to spend a week of quality time with Katie was great.<br />
<br />
After an extremely cold, 10 hour flight, with a several hour layover in Houston. Katie and I finally made it to Vienna around 8:00pm Thursday evening Austria time. We were very tired with greasy hair so we checked in, unpacked, took showers, ordered room service and went to bed.<br />
<br />
Friday morning we were suppose to go on a bus tour of the city but due to a slight case of jet lag we opted to sleep in and explore the city ourselves that afternoon. We had a blast getting familiar with the area surrounding our hotel. We shopped, tried our first Austrian cuisine and walked through beautiful parks.<br />
<br />
This was the park that was right across the street from our hotel. It was gorgeous!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUGX4hg2FI/AAAAAAAAAIY/M4r4ybZqtZk/s1600/IMG_1194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUGX4hg2FI/AAAAAAAAAIY/M4r4ybZqtZk/s320/IMG_1194.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUGLUfKzWI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/JWanS3ztpDY/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUGLUfKzWI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/JWanS3ztpDY/s400/IMG_1193.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That gold statue is a statue of Mozart as a young child.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUYMF3pkkI/AAAAAAAAAJY/vd3rhhZoHGc/s1600/IMG_1195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUYMF3pkkI/AAAAAAAAAJY/vd3rhhZoHGc/s320/IMG_1195.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This guy was playing as we strolled through the park....it was very picturesque!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Friday evening we met up for dinner with Katie's friend Travis and his friend Pat. Travis is also a State Farm agent. Let me just say that dinner with Travis and Pat was a real treat....I don't think I stopped laughing the entire time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUHmxIiDOI/AAAAAAAAAIg/f2mHCOpx45c/s1600/IMG_1200.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUHmxIiDOI/AAAAAAAAAIg/f2mHCOpx45c/s400/IMG_1200.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Katie and Travis on our way to dinner.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Saturday we got up early and took a bus trip to Salzburg. We were both still pretty tired/jet lagged so we slept a good a bit of the bus ride but it was very cool getting to see the Austrian countryside. It is absolutely beautiful!! Once we arrived in Salzburg, our tour guide pointed us in the direction of some tourist hotspots and we took off walking. We ate at one of the oldest restaurants in Salzburg. At the restaurant we met up with Katie's good friend Stephanie and her husband Kirk. Here are some highlights of what we saw in Salzburg:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJULUul1JHI/AAAAAAAAAIo/5Mif3T3FprQ/s1600/IMG_1201.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJULUul1JHI/AAAAAAAAAIo/5Mif3T3FprQ/s320/IMG_1201.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The garden where "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music was filmed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJULokAHNQI/AAAAAAAAAIw/G_guiNH0Fu4/s1600/IMG_1202.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJULokAHNQI/AAAAAAAAAIw/G_guiNH0Fu4/s320/IMG_1202.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A fountain from the same garden. I believe the Von Trapp children skipped around this fountain in the movie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUMt6NTVCI/AAAAAAAAAI4/KA2l2mqPOlg/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUMt6NTVCI/AAAAAAAAAI4/KA2l2mqPOlg/s320/IMG_1206.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We breezed by Mozart's home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUNQEDeKTI/AAAAAAAAAJA/b7SKP0Hq6Iw/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUNQEDeKTI/AAAAAAAAAJA/b7SKP0Hq6Iw/s320/IMG_1214.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is "The Fortress." It was built into the mountain and was really a city within the city. You could easily get lost in this place!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUV6Ui2UlI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/NUZZX2P-HTs/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/TJUV6Ui2UlI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/NUZZX2P-HTs/s320/IMG_1223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Katie and I at the top of "The Fortress" with a hint of the Swiss Alps in the background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After touring through "The Fortress" it was time for us to head back to the bus. The bus ride back to Austria was HOT and we were all very tired from walking all over Salzburg. Plus our tour guide played the entire soundtrack of The Sound of Music on the ride back. That was fun at first but others thought it necessary to show off their singing abilities and me, Katie, Stephanie and Kirk got slightly annoyed. Needless to say, we were happy to get back to the hotel. I took a nap the minute we got back (don't forget....I was just 8 weeks pregnant so not only was I "first trimester tired" but I just walked ALL OVER Salzburg). Katie and I decided that this was another good night for a shower and room service, followed by a movie on my laptop since only two channels on the television were in English. Stay tuned for Part II!!</div><br />
<br />
</div></div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-83547490281147277462010-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:002010-08-26T19:38:59.615-07:00Widget Alert!I added a pregnancy countdown to the blog! So now my plethora of readers can keep up with the pregnancy progress! It's going to be fun to watch the ticker countdown!<br />
<br />
Don't miss the pregnancy post below!!<br />
<br />
And I love exclamation points!! :)Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-31657494062246242262010-08-26T19:22:00.000-07:002010-08-26T19:22:12.807-07:00Itty Bitty Wumpydump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/THcge9aFgkI/AAAAAAAAAHk/yOOKL7FTpR8/s1600/Sonogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/THcge9aFgkI/AAAAAAAAAHk/yOOKL7FTpR8/s320/Sonogram.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So, as promised, here is the pregnancy post!<br />
<br />
As I mentioned in the previous post, we found out in June that I was pregnant. I guess you could say we were sort of trying. I had been off birth control for a month because I had a skin condition come up called melasma, which is a side effect of birth control. I had even gone to a lower dosage of estrogen in hopes that my skin would clear up but that didn't help. So I decided just to be done with birth control all together. Once I made the decision to get off birth control Preston and I decided to officially start trying to get pregnant once I got back from Austria and that we would just "be careful" until then. As Mrs. Libby would say, "famous last words." I had one period off of birth control and was pregnant the next month.<br />
<br />
The day I missed my period I honestly didn't think much about it. I knew that I was suppose to start but since I had just gotten off birth control I knew there was a possibility that everything wouldn't be like clockwork as before. Saturday, Sunday and Monday came and went...nothing. I remember telling Preston Monday morning that if I was pregnant I would be surprised because I didn't have any other symptons, besides the missed period, that pointed to pregnancy. I told him I felt normal, no sickness...nothing. Again, famous last words. Monday afternoon I started feeling strange. My tune changed completely. The rest of week I told Preston, "If I'm not pregnant then something weird is going on."<br />
<br />
Preston was out of town that week. He was in Tempe from Sunday until Thursday evening for work and he pretty much demanded that I was not to take a pregnancy test until he was there. So Thursday, on my way home from work, I stopped at Target and picked up two pregnancy tests. The minute he got home I went straight to the bathroom, followed all of the instructions and as Preston and I stood in our powder room, me checking the test every few seconds, I watched as a "yes" popped up on the digital screen. I turned and grinned at Preston and he said, "What does it say?!!" I told him it said yes and in true Preston form, being completely silly in such a surreal moment he asked me, "'Yes' we are pregnant or 'yes' we aren't pregnant?!?!" We both started laughing! I guess that is a pretty valid question! I took one more test for good measure (which was positive) and then we went back to our regular evening routine of dinner and watching tv. That night, whenever there was a pause in our conversation or a commercial came on, we would grin at each other and say things like, "We're gonna have a baby" or he would say to me "You're pregnant."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/THcg41hy5AI/AAAAAAAAAHs/FnxhHRqRJ-w/s1600/IMG_1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/THcg41hy5AI/AAAAAAAAAHs/FnxhHRqRJ-w/s320/IMG_1188.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/THchILr6GvI/AAAAAAAAAH0/ZbYmGXeGsJM/s1600/IMG_1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/THchILr6GvI/AAAAAAAAAH0/ZbYmGXeGsJM/s320/IMG_1189.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The following week the morning sickness set it. I never actually got sick but was just nauseous all the time. Looking back on it, I had it easy but during the thick of it, it sucked and I was a total wuss about the whole thing. I also had some anxiety that accompanied the morning sickness. Mainly I was anxious about my trip to Austria with Katie. I am a worrier by nature so I was going through all of the "what ifs" in head. Thankfully the morning sickness eased up and was pretty much nonexistant by the time I left for Austria.<br />
<br />
I had my first doctor's appointment with a nurse practitioner before I left for Austria to verify that I was indeed pregnant. My second doctor's appointment was after I returned from Austria. I had a sonogram at this appointment and we got to see Itty Bitty Wumpydump. I will never forget looking over at Preston when the nurse first brought the image up of the baby. As he looked at the screen he had, what I like to call, his "sh$t eatin' grin" on and for those of you that know Preston well...you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! The third and fourth appointments we just met with the doctor and got to hear the heartbeat. The heartbeat was much stronger at the second appointment and we could hear little sounds that were actually the baby moving. Our next appointment is in about three weeks and we will get to find out the sex of the baby! We both can't wait! We have been sort of taking a poll and the majority thinks that it is going to be a girl. Preston, Mr. Markel and Nana are the only ones, so far, that think it is going to be a boy. <br />
<br />
People keep asking me how I am feeling and honestly I am just feeling fat. I am fifteen weeks pregnant (sixteen weeks on Saturday), through the first trimester and down to one pair of pants and one pair of shorts. I am pretty sure there is a bit of a baby bump there but I have never had a flat stomach and there has been a pooch there since about sixth grade! I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks though....finding out what the baby is and starting to feel the first flutters of movement. And of course registering and decorating a nursery! :)<br />
<br />
So that brings us up-to-date on the baby front. Sorry for such the long post but I really want to try to document all of this as much as possible so just bear with me! For those of you interested, stay tuned because I am sure there are going to many baby posts to come! :)Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-66539800075043430122010-08-20T15:53:00.000-07:002010-08-20T16:25:40.769-07:00Ketchup and CornbreadWell I know I have been a VERY bad blogger. Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do especially since the last time I posted which was in May. So I am just going to cut to the chase so we can get to the good stuff.<br />
<br />
In May:<br />
Mr. Markel came to visit for Memorial Day weekend. He and Preston had a blast playing golf two days in a row at a VERY nice resort. I worked the days that they played golf but I did grace them with my presence for lunch at the resort.....somebody has to earn the money to feed Preston's golfing habit! :) We missed Mrs. Libby though. She was suppose to come out with Mr. Markel but was recovering from a "fun" trip to Belize. :) Fortunately, we are getting to make up for lost time right now! As I type this (at work...shhhhh don't tell anybody), she is out our house giving Preston a cooking lesson in cornbread. I can't wait to go home!! :)<br />
<br />
We also said goodbye to the Bulmer family at the end of May. I can't even begin describe how much Preston and I both love this family! Before they moved, it had gotten to the point where it was just a given that we were going to eat pizza with them on Sunday evening. Oh the amount of pizza we consumed with the Bulmers.....! They moved to Florida, which is not too far from home so I know, before too long, that a "meet in the middle" trip will HAVE to occur! <br />
<br />
In June:<br />
Oh sweet June! This was the month that I found out I was pregnant! Do you like how I just threw that into the mix? Don't worry....I have a post solely dedicated to that entire subject matter in the pipeline. That is all I am going to say about that right now. Yep, I'm just going to leave you hanging like that.<br />
<br />
In July:<br />
Katie Bell invited me to go on a once-in-a-liftime trip (for me) to Austria. We left June 30th and arrived back in the states on July 7th. We had a full week in Austria and it seriously was an amazing trip. Again, I am working on an Austria post because, let's be honest, a trip to Europe definitely deserves it's own post accompanied by pictures. And if you are putting two and two together, I did travel to Europe in my first trimester. So again, that's all I'm going to say about that right now. Aren't you loving the cliff hangers?<br />
<br />
After my trip to Austria, my mom and grandmother came out to visit the following week. I wasn't able to take off from work, seeing how I had just returned from Austria so it felt like a very quick trip but we had a blast! I LOVED having Nana here and I felt so blessed that she made the long journey out here. Because of her trip out here, I officially gained and still hold the title of "favorite grandchild." And yes, this was acknowledged by the other cousins! Not only did she make the long trek just to see ME but this was the first time she had flown since my grandfather passed away three years ago. Seriously, who can argue with that cold, hard evidence!<br />
<br />
At the end of July I took a quick, two day trip to Holland, Michigan for work. It definitely was a work trip with a little fun thrown in but I was VERY glad to get home. <br />
<br />
Phew!! July was a busy month!<br />
<br />
So that pretty much brings us up to date. Things in August have slowed down a bit and we are back to our daily grind....well...as "daily" as it can be with the whole pregnancy thing thrown into the mix.<br />
<br />
Ok, I have officially wasted enough time at work. Time to go home and eat some cornbread!Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-9828313100285057492010-05-07T20:09:00.000-07:002010-05-07T20:24:13.426-07:00Pure ClassPreston and I ate a very classy establishment tonight called "Buffalo Wild Wings" and we were joined by the classiest of the classy....<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/annapwhittington/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCK-jje3OuOjoQA#5468734811649586962'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S-TZVisvtxI/AAAAAAAAAGo/dOtols6OvUw/s288/iphone_photo.jpg' border='0' width='245' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Needless to say, Preston was slightly embarassed after I licked my fingers and put my elbows on the table. And he felt a little bit out of place without a mustache and a tattoo of the virgin Mary...not to mention that he was also wearing a pink polo shirt.<br /><br />P.S. If you look closely you will notice a little "like father like son" action going on.<br /><br />Classin' it up in Tucson, <br />Anna<br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-50668136171158281892010-05-01T19:55:00.000-07:002010-05-01T19:55:31.970-07:00Easter 2010Our Easter weekend was a little different for us this year. Normally Preston's parents are out here and we all spend the weekend with the Knights and the Molls. On Saturday before Easter Sunday the men usually play golf (which was dubbed "The Desert Shootout" after the first year) and the women and kids brunch and go shopping. Then on Sunday we all meet up at church and spend the morning praising God for the gift of His son, watching the kids hunt Easter eggs after the service and then off to an AMAZING brunch at one of the local resorts where we stuff ourselves silly. This year was a little less eventful. Preston and I did a little shopping on Saturday (I still had to purchase an Easter outfit) and that was about it. Sunday we went to church and were very blessed by every aspect of the service. And even though it was "just us" we still carried on the tradition of having brunch at a local resort and we were joined by our friends Zak, Lisa, their daughter Lilly and Zak's mom. We missed having the Whittington's out here and our normal festivities but we managed to get by! ;)<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S9zoIE9B17I/AAAAAAAAAF4/EKBfizfw5C8/s1600/IMG_1096_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S9zoIE9B17I/AAAAAAAAAF4/EKBfizfw5C8/s320/IMG_1096_2.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me and the hubs!</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S9zpBa7XyhI/AAAAAAAAAGI/HJ_KIp9iEuE/s1600/IMG_1097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S9zpBa7XyhI/AAAAAAAAAGI/HJ_KIp9iEuE/s320/IMG_1097.JPG" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lisa, Lilly, Zak's mom and Zak</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div></div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180251956821942586.post-60834533360629735342010-04-12T21:14:00.000-07:002010-04-12T21:16:45.206-07:00March Madness<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">March proved to be, yet again, another pretty busy month for us starting with a fairly impromptu trip for me to Chicago. I went for a training for a new design related computer program that my company is looking in to. While in Chicago I got to mix a little business with pleasure and spend some much needed quality time with my long lost friend Drew. Here is a picture of me and Drew from our "glory days" in the Mississippi College Naturals.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=35075756&id=26500634&op=1&view=global&subj=501689971" id="myphotolink" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img height="400" id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2360/177/3/41100025/n41100025_35654702_2768.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;" width="267" /></a></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Unfortunately I did not take one single picture while I was in Chicago. I would've loved an, obviously much needed, updated photo of me and Drew but I think we were too busy catching up and a little overwhelmed that we were actually seeing each other after at least four years. Preston asked why I didn't at least take any pictures of the city and I must admit that I have huge reservations about taking "scenic" pictures. What's the point really? "Ooooo look at that cool building" or "Ooooo look at that OTHER cool building." Scenic pics just don't make that much sense to me....maybe they will one day....but not today. Plus it was rainy and overcast the whole two days I was there so if I would have taken scenic pictures, I don't think they would have been very "scenic." Anywho, I had a blast in Chicago. The training was excellent and getting to spend time with a long lost friend is priceless.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Next on the March Madness list is my parents' trip to Arizona. They drove in (yes, they drove...they love me, can you tell?) on a Sunday and left on the following Thursday. It felt like such a quick trip because I worked half days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but I am so thankful they came to visit. The Monday afternoon when they were here we made the 1 hour trek up to Ski Valley on Mount Lemmon and had a fun afternoon of a little Southern Arizona skiing.....quite different from the Colorado snow we are all used to skiing in (huh Daddy?) but it was still a blast. It still boggles my mind that we can go from 75 degrees in the cacti & dust covered desert to 35 degrees in the pine & snow covered mountains. We were bummed that Preston had to work and couldn't ski with us. Here are a couple of pics from the day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S8PuP-fAmrI/AAAAAAAAAFw/RGwpB4_UxNI/s1600/IMG_1095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S8PuP-fAmrI/AAAAAAAAAFw/RGwpB4_UxNI/s320/IMG_1095.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Momma and I on Ski Valley's sole ski lift.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S8PuLKt1udI/AAAAAAAAAFo/fl4-3WuTyNY/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eFvb6UCG-VI/S8PuLKt1udI/AAAAAAAAAFo/fl4-3WuTyNY/s320/IMG_1093.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Momma and Daddy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And finally, to end our March Madness, Preston headed to Nashville for Reed Hillen's and Jennifer Osland's wedding. His weekend started out a little rough with a few traveling hiccups. He was suppose to fly from Tucson to Nashville with a connecting flight in Dallas but, to make a long story short, he ended up flying to Atlanta, meeting up with Chris McAlilly and driving to Nashville. It made for a very long day but I think he loved the QT with Chris. He had a blast all weekend spending time with family, friends from home and friends from the river and he was more than honored to stand by Reed as one his best men on such a special day. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31023909&id=31900691" id="myphotolink" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img height="300" id="myphoto" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs065.snc3/13291_531309334990_31900691_31023908_4262851_n.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;" width="400" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preston and The Groom hanging out in Nashville before the big day!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31025140&id=31900728&op=1&view=global&subj=31901312" id="myphotolink" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img height="400" id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs045.snc3/13291_531308391880_31900691_31023786_1144346_n.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;" width="293" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Congrats Reed and Jennifer!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I think that about does it for our crazy March. April is shaping up to be a pretty quiet month thus far and we are honestly sort of looking forward to it. Hopefully I will be able to find something semi interesting to blog about!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-Anna</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Preston and Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12019404659062587719noreply@blogger.com0