Childbirth class

John Chris & I started our childbirth classes tonight. The classes go for 6 weeks at the hospital where we plan to deliver Baby Allison. The class has about 10 couples that are expecting their first baby within the next 2 - 4 months. Our first class included group introductions and a few general things to expect in pregnancy and labor. We watched a funny skit by Bill Cosby from back in the day. It was hilarious! We look forward to learning more and getting prepared for our new family member. Stay tuned....

Third trimester!

I can't believe we have made it this far along already. I went to the doctor this week and everything is progressing right on schedule. I am now entering my third and final trimester. I can't stop thinking about how quick it has gone by, and how we will soon have a precious little boy. It is starting to hit me that I am not prepared, and I sometimes get a little panic attitude. The furniture is not here, the nursery isn't painted, we haven't packed for the hospital, we haven't decided on a name, and on and on. John Chris is really great about stopping my worries and reminding me that everything will come together.

We are so very fortunate that we have not had any health issues or problems come up along the way. We are excited to meet Baby Allison!

Paint

Paint, the decision continues.....

Which paint color to choose? We keep buying different shades and just looking at them. It is funny, during the day we like one color and in the evening we like another color.

Farewell guest bedroom

We took the last picture of one of our guest bedrooms. This room is being converted into the new nursery and is now getting a complete new look. We are going from pink to blue for our little boy, and I can't wait to see the finished room.

More visiting

The day after Christmas, John Chris went on his annual hunting trip with the guys. I spent the day with my dad, Clint, and Kristi. It is always nice to visit with my dad since he doesn't live close. We had a great time catching up and having several good laughs.

Also I was able to catch up with my old friend, Suzanne. I miss her so much, and I really had a great time just catching up. She just had a baby girl, Mattison, who is absolutely precious. We just sat and chatted for over 3 hours. We always could talk for hours.

Christmas Day

Late Christmas eve night we drove to Ruston to see more family. We had an awesome visit, and our little boy bambino racked up. We had a baby Christmas! We were so excited to get our stroller/car seat system and swing. John Chris and I were like little kids. We had to open the boxes and put our new "toys" together.

It was cute when John Chris showed his grandparents the stroller. He looked so cute pushing the stroller around the house. He knows how to fold and unfold the stroller and also knows how to latch the car seat into the base. He is going to be a great dad!

Christmas Eve

John Chris and I traveled to Texarkana for Christmas Eve. We visited with my mom, Jim, Clint, and Kristi. We had a great visit, but I am really looking forward to next Christmas with our new addition.
John Chris opened several gifts for the baby. We can't decide if this was intended for him or the baby. Either way they both will love it. The horse is super cute and makes horse noises.

More gifts for the baby.

Christmas party

John Chris and I had a few friends over for a last minute Christmas party. It was great to see and visit with old and new friends. We made two huge pots of Gumbo, chili, lots of cookies, and a rum cake. DELIOUS!
Chanda & Brad - aka Branda
Sarah, Anne, and Kristen

LeAnn and Cory

Chris and Kendra

Brad and Morgan trying to distract the competition. Beer pong always brings out the best in this bunch.

Nursery bedding and chair

All of the nursery bedding has arrived. We ordered the bedding from Restoration Hardware Baby and Child. They have the cutest things for little ones. I love all of the blankets, pillows, and mats. TOO CUTE! I am really pleased with the quality, and I can't wait to put it on the bed. The crib is expected to arrive mid January, so until then I will just visualize.
We had a little issue with the first chair we ordered. OK, I had an issue. You all know how I am about furniture.
We re-ordered the chair and ottoman from Ooh Baby in an adorable chocolate and blue fabric. The chair is very comfortable, and I can't wait to get it in the room.

Diabetes and anemia results are negative

The nurse called today to let me know that all of my blood test results had come back negative. I had the gestational diabetes and the anemia tests run earlier in the week. It was a big relief to know that everything is going great, and he is healthy. We are very blessed!

Hanging Christmas lights

John Chris takes Cooper for a ride in the cherry picker. Our house is in the background with the lights finally done. It is so festive. Merry Christmas!
Boys and their toys. I think they like to hang the lights just so they can play with the cherry picker.

Raul & Sharon are married

Our friends, Raul & Sharon, were married Saturday, December 6, 2008. They are an adorable couple, and we are so excited for them. They also are moving to their new home that is very close to where we live.
First dance as husband and wife

Light prep party

We had a light prep party at our house again this year. For the second year, we had the neighbors over to get the lights ready to hang on the homes. It was really nice to visit, eat, drink, and be merry! Doris and I check to make sure all the bulbs are working. Cooper loves babies! He could not get enough of little Brooke.

adding the plastic clips

Who doesn't love to untangle strands of Christmas lights? What a job!

Decorating for Christmas

We had a blast decorating our home for Christmas. We used our crazy, fun red tree again. What started as a joke has now turned into a tradition. As we decorated the tree we talked about our past Christmas holidays together, and how different next Christmas will be for us. Santa will be visiting next year!
Cooper and I take a break to smile for the camera.

John Chris and Cooper love to decorate.

John Chris can feel the baby move

I have been feeling our little man move and kick for a couple of weeks now. I have been wanting to share this special feeling with John Chris, but he has not been able to feel any movement. I was trying to get comfortable and get some sleep, but our little man was warming up for a soccer game. I decided to wake John Chris to see if he could feel him. The second John Chris touched my belly he could feel the baby kick. It was such a sweet and memorable moment. The best yet!

Trip to LSU game

We made a last minute trip to see LSU play Ole Miss. We had great seats, but it was a terrible game. The Tigers lost to the Rebels.

We had a great time visiting with Cory and LeAnn. It was so nice to spend time with them and catch up.

GRRRRRR. What a hot Tiger!

We passed this fine car during our journey. Gotta love Louisiana!

Mr. & Mrs. Anderson - It's Official!

John Chris and I traveled to Pensacola, FL for Emily and Jeffery's wedding. The beach was amazing, and it was almost empty this time of year. We stayed at The Beach Club, and it was gorgeous.
I was so excited to make Emily's bridal bouquet. It was very special honor for me, and she loved it.


John Chris took this sweet picture of his sister, Emily. He took it in black and white, and it turned out beautiful.

The wedding was at sunset on the beach. It was a romantic setting perfect for getting married.

The weather was great until our last day. A cold front came in, and we braved the freezing temperature for one last chance to be on the beach at sunset.

A great end to an awesome trip.

Nursery furniture

We ordered the crib and dresser/changing station for the nursery. We found a nice solid,sturdy set at Ooh Baby. It is dark expresso brown, and we think it will look great with the bedding we have picked out. It takes 8-12 weeks to come in, so we are not converting the extra bedroom just yet.
We hear that little ones like to chew on their furniture when they are teething. Ummmm. NO!

I can feel the baby move!

I can finally feel the baby move! It is normal to feel early movement between 16 to 20 weeks. I was starting to get concerned the closer to 20 weeks I got. I first felt him move at 181/2 weeks. It is an awesome feeling, and I am absolutely beside myself. I can't wait until John Chris can feel him too.

Quad screen

I went to the doctor last week for my quad screen blood test. The test looks for signs of Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and other defects. The nurse called to inform me that the results were negative! John Chris and I were very pleased, and we celebrated by ordering nursery furniture.