The Three Fincheros

Seven months--and Colorado visit!

2009-05-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been a little while since our last post. There really isn't much to catch you up on other than Silas is now officially sitting up (though he will tump over from time to time) and also rolling over....FINALLY!!! YEAH!!! He can roll from tummy to back and back to tummy....but not all at once. Also, at night some times he'll roll from his back to his tummy and end up waking up b/c he's uncomfortable and rather than just rolling himself back over, he calls out for me to come do it for him. :) Also, we had an awesome trip to Colorado to see Amanda and the boys. We had a blast....the flight there was a little harrowing (Silas was getting over a virus and his ears were bothering him....so, combine that with the airplane pressure, being exhausted, and just overall uncomfortable....it was not that fun). But, oh so worth it because we got to stay for a week and a half! First, Aunt Mana had a fun surprise waiting for us at the house. New summer outifts for Silas (sooo cute...you can see one of them in the first pic above) and she even had a personalized Colorado mini-license plate made for him with his name on it! Soooo cool!

We also got to do sooo much....from walking Parker to school every day, to a Sunday afternoon hike, to Cinco de Mayo festivities, to turning seven months old, to playing "Guess Who" with Parker and Will, to building forts (oh, wait, we only did that once) :) to just plain ole Boulder fun (for just me and Mana.....oh, and Silas too). The only down side of it is that we missed daddy terribly! I wasn't able to post all the pics from the week, but i added a few of my favorites below. BUT, if you go to my facebook page, i posted lots more there. Enjoy!

THANK YOU SO MUCH AMANDA, CHRIS, PARKER AND WILL FOR SUCH AN AWESOMELY WONDERFUL TIME AND FOR TAKING CARE OF ME AND MY BOY!!!! WE LOVE YOU SOOOOO MUCH AND MISS YOU ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Silas' first Easter!

2009-04-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter! We had a fun day celebrating Jesus and enjoying the gorgeous day! Scott and I (well, more me since Scott thought it was silly....what does he know :)) conducted Silas' first Easter egg "hunt" in the backyard. Scott was sweet to go "hide" them for us, so we could go and "find" them (like all the quote marks? :)).

Anyway, here are a few pics we took....even though he didn't care too much about it, he sure looked stinkin' cute doing it (Silas did too....ahahahahahaha, i crack myself up)! Oh, and even though the picture above may deceive you, Silas isn't quite sitting up all by himself....but we can get him to for a few seconds at a time!

Yeah, he loves to stand up now...if i try to sit him down, he just props his feet and straightens his legs until i let him stand.

okay, i'm looking a little out of it, but silas had a cute little smile going on and considering we have to work for one of those when the camera is on, we'll take what we can get!

Our "hunt"

more "hunt"ing....

I just love this pic....it's so cute to watch silas just stare at his daddy....he loves him so much!

Our attempt at a family pic with the timer....still working to get that great Silas smile in one of these! :)

Half a year old!!

2009-04-08T15:24:00.001-07:00

Today Silas turned six months old!!! My, where have those first six months gone? I know that pretty soon it will be six YEARS down the road and i'll think the same thing. Time is flying by! I am just loving watching my little man grow...what a blessing to be able to be at home with him! I am also growing so much closer to the Lord through this because I now can understand how much He loves us, His children. The love is so infinite and deep and can be so easily understood when you have a child of your own.

His six month checkup was also today and it went great. He weighed in at a whopping 19 lbs (well, 18lb., 15oz. to be exact :)) and is a staggering 29 inches long! We have a big boy on our hands! So big in fact that the pediatrician said that he's now probably too big for his infant carrier which means we're going to have to invest in a convertible car seat (Jess, I'll be calling you b/c you are the car seat information GURU!!!). Developmentally he is good too....even though he is STILL not rolling over. We are working on it, but he's just stubborn. Doc said it's nothing to worry about now, but he needs to be at least rolling from his tummy to his back before too long. He is sitting up pretty good too (that is, when you put a toy in front of him and pillows around him)! :)

I tried to get a pic of him smiling for his official six month pic, but as you can see from the pic below.....the photo shoot was cut short after just a couple of snaps of the camera!

This is him after I was working to get the gross cradle cap out of his hair with some stuff made especially for it. Well, as you can tell, it's totally greasy so i decided to do some hair stylin' (what can i say...i grew up with sisters!). The comb-over do was my favorite :)

And his too :) Ain't he a stud?

A day at the park

2009-04-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

The little man is sleeping, so i thought i'd do a little blogging. :) Yesterday (Sunday) was a beautiful Spring day so we met up with some friends at a park and had a little picnic. It was sooo fun and it was Silas' first time in a swing (and on other playground toys)! I knew he would love the swing, since he loves his jump-up so much and i swing him in it all the time. He was so content to just chillax in it and could have stayed in it all day. He would just watch the other kids, cock his head back, rest his arm.....and call it a day.

Here is Silas with his friend Tucker. Tucker is obviously loving it too!

What did i say about just chillaxin? :)

He also got on the bouncy horse....not really old enough to get the full effect.

Here are the boys on the slide....Tucker is ready to go! Silas is saying....wait, hold on a minute, Tucker, i'm not too sure about this.

Yeah....I'm outta here.....i'll do this when I'm older!

And now the teeter-totter....Silas still isn't too sure.

Here's a CUTE video of him swinging!!

Proud daddy and his boy!

Blame it on "mom" brain??

2009-04-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

April Fool's! And you thought I was done with my last post! hahahahha! Well, actually there was one thing i left out yesterday...HOW on earth could i EVER forget to put this in the last post???? I'm not even pregnant any more, but this slip of the mind sure sends me back to when i was....and forgetting everything (is there such a thing as "mom" brain, because that is my excuse). GEESH!!! Completely shameful is what this is.

This month also marked the FOURTH year of my wonderful marriage to my best friend and love of my life. March 20, 2005 was my most special day (apart from Oct. 8, 2008 :)). I've paid tribute and homage on this blog to my sweet husband, but not at all the kind of blog love he deserves! ;) So...this post is dedicated to you, Scott.....the most wonderful man in the world. So funny, kind, humble, funny, loving, AWESOME dad, gentle, funny, honest, giving, hard-working, funny, oh, and did i mention funny? Seriously. He always has me laughing with the quick, witty quips he comes up with. I love it!

This year we got to do something REALLY special, especially in light of the season we are in with having an infant. We went to a great dinner and THENNNNNN.....spent the night in a historic downtown hotel here in Chattie while Dee stayed home with Silas (and yes, even got up in the middle of the night with him). What an AWESOME blessing for her to do that for us. Mom, THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH!!! It was also a blessing b/c we both got a full night's sleep! It was so wonderful.....and an awesome way to celebrate our marriage. God is soooo good and I thank Him EVERY day that He picked us out for each other even before we were ever a twinkle in our moms' eyes. Happy Anniversary, love. You are the best....at everything (except for folding clothes....but luckily that's not a dealbreaker)! Good Groceries!

For He knows the plans He has for us.....plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

Busy month!

2009-03-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

March has been a busy month! From a trip to Arkansas, to playdates, to spring cleaning the house (both inside and out), to a visit from Nana and Pops....it's been one fun-filled month! And, since pictures are the best storytellers, here ya go!

One morning we had a playdate with our friends Jennifer and Tucker and our African refugee friends too! Here's Silas with Rosemary....just enthralled at all the toys and balloons that lay before him!

Jenn had TONS of balloons (72 to be exact) that were blown up and all over the floor for the kids to play with.

Here are Jen and Tucker....you may remember them from the pics of our Gulf Shores trip (http://thefincherfam.blogspot.com/2008/06/gulf-shores-at-22-weeks.html) back in June and how little Tucker was then....look how big he is now!!

Another date was with our friends Abram and Lucas (Lucas was born in January). Here is Abram just loving on Silas...so sweet! Silas was obviously excited....since his feet and toes are all extended!

Here is how Silas wanted to help me with some of the housecleaning inside (Mommy, is this how you fold laundry???)

Ah, he melts me.....

And this is how he helps me outside....he would just hang out in his high chair playing with his toys....such a good little boy!

We had another play date with Silas's friend Avery and my friend Whitney. Whitney and i worked together at True North and were pregnant at the same time....due only nine days apart! Even though Avery came a bit earlier than Silas, there was never any competition (yeah right, we laid them down like this...and here is the conversation that ensued).

Avery and Silas: Hi, aren't we cute?

Avery: hey, wait a minute, you are getting ahead of me

Silas: Hi, aren't I still cute?

Avery: HA, take that! You'll never get ahead of me!!!

Silas: um, what is going on....and why is this kid biting me?

Avery: who, me?? I would never do such a thing....but now i'm closer :)

Silas: Seriously, there was something just biting my arm...why does nobody believe me?

Nana and Pops came to visit for a week and Silas loved every minute of it. Pops is a big gentle pillow and Silas just drifted off to sleep....very sweet.

Silas eating his lunch....

Nana giving it to him.....

Silas also has a new favorite toy....his jump up. He could seriously stay in it all day if i would let him and he will jump himself to sleep....literally! Check it out!

After all of the fun excitement of the month, Silas is just pooped! Here he is completely conked out.....with daddy right next to him. So sweet!!!

Five Months Old!

2009-03-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got to travel to Arkansas for Annie Ann's baby shower.....we were so excited to see her and Aunt Lainey and Josie and Kaiya too! It wasn't complete at all, though, since Aunt Mana wasn't there....but we know she was there in spirit. It was a beautiful shower....and Annie was just loved on and blessed. It was so fun to see how much she is loved!

It was Silas' first flight too and boy did he do great! He slept some, ate a bunch :) and played "hokie pokie" a LOT! Dee was a HUGE help on the plane too...and the whole weekend! Silas was a trooper the whole weekend, actually, when he was taken all over the place and hardly got any sleep (some of that was on his own account, since it was hard to sleep in a new, unfamiliar place and an unfamiliar bed). I was so proud of him! I got to see some old friends and familiar faces as well as introduce (and show off) Silas to everyone. It was also so cute to see Josie and Kaiya playing with him. Especially Josie.....she is such a good big sister and wanted to take care of Silas too!

On Sunday he turned five months old! I didn't get an "official" five month pic on Sunday, but these taken over the weekend can count for it. You'll see he is getting big....and getting chunky too! He is now finally sleeping a bit better too! Maybe it was because he was so pooped when we got home and/or the fact that he was so thankful to be back in his own bed, but Sunday night when we got home (late) he slept from 10:30 pm until 6:45am......then ate and went back down and slept until 10am!!!! Then the past two nights he's slept anywhere from eight to nine hour stretches...waking up ONCE to eat and then sleeping until 7:30 or 8! Maybe we're turning a corner! Praise the Lord!!!!

Here we are before getting on Silas' first flight!

Awww...thankfully he fell asleep and slept some on the two flights there.

His jaw is dropped at the beauty and cuteness of his cousin, Kaiya!

Annie (with baby Patton :)), me and Lainey at Annie's shower

Josie showing us how she loves to take care of her cousin.

And here she is showing us how much she loves him.

Silas sat up for a while with the boppy holding him up...i'm hoping he'll catch on and start sitting up on his own!!

Josie and Aunt Allie "inspired" to wear our matching t-shirts! We all spent Friday afternoon hanging out outside in the sun.....it was in the 70s all weekend long!

Silas and Kaiya.....aren't they cute?!? One other thing i learned this weekend is that Silas is going to be hot natured like his dad. As you can tell from the gleam on his head, he is a sweater...and poor thing stayed hot the whole weekend!

Here's Dee with Silas and Josie....teaching them all about PBSKids.org.

Valentine's Day-and a BIG milestone!

2009-02-14T14:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Silas had a few firsts today. For one, it was his first Valentine's Day. Dee gave him his first Baby Einstein video (which is really helpful right now for those breathing treatments and i don't want him watching normal tv) and Nana/Pops sent him a valentine too with a new outfit, teddy bear and books! Silas wasn't only getting valentines, he was also giving them! When he went down for his first nap this morning he had put a sweet little valentine for me in his crib....so that i would get it as i was laying him down. I'm sure his dad had a little something to do with it too ;)

Also, Silas had a HUGE first today! He ate his first "solid" food! We tried rice cereal today and he took to it just fine. He only spit it out a little, but for the most part totally swallowed it and ate the whole bowl that i made for him. It made for some good comedy just watching the looks on his face, along with the mess that was made, but we are hoping this will not only give him good nourishment....it will help him to sleep better!!!! :)

Four Months Old!

2009-02-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Sunday Silas turned FOUR months old! Can't believe it. During those first few weeks i remember thinking that time could not go fast enough, but now i'm really shocked at how quickly time is flying. He's had more firsts....as you'll see from the last post, he had his first laugh, and he's also constantly eating his hands (and anything he grabs a hold of)! Also, and this one just kills me....he has found a new toy. And this toy just happens to be between his legs! It all started one day last week when i was changing his diaper and his left hand found its way down there and just grabbed a hand full! Now, EVERY time we change his diaper, take a bath, anything that requires nakedness, he immediately puts that left hand down there and starts playing and he smiles like it's the greatest thing ever. I mean, seriously? FOUR months old and it's already starting?!?!? HEAVENS!

oh, and at his four month checkup on Monday, he weighed in at a whopping 14lb, 14oz, and is almost 28 inches long now! He's off the charts in length (hope he's a ball player!!!) and right about average in weight. Poor thing bled from the shots...never heard of that happening before, but it did. Now if we could just kick this bronchial stuff, and get him sleeping through the night (or at least seven hours), we'll be all good!

Okay, here are pics....

Look, Parker and Will! I have a Colorado Buffalo on my shirt!

we took a few of them outside on the porch b/c it was 7o degrees! Here Silas is in his rocking chair....that we have yet to paint and finish.

Mommy's pretty funny!

Hi, I'm cute...and I look just like my dad!

Silas' first laugh!

2009-02-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Last night while Scott was giving Silas his bath, Scott had him completely cracking up. This was the first REAL laugh he's had....he's had a giggle here and there and a "cooey" smile, but this was for real. I was in the kitchen, and by the time i actually realized it was him laughing, i grabbed the camera as fast as i could to catch what i could of it. THese are definitely cute laughs, but i was a little late in getting there, so they're not quite as deep laugs as he was bellying out. Either way, i'm just so glad i could get a little bit of it, and now i will always know the day Silas had his first REAL laugh!

My growing boy

2009-01-28T09:37:00.001-08:00

I just had to post these videos and pics to show how my big my little boy is getting. If any of you are on Facebook, you've seen some of these pics already, but i just had to post them here too. I am just so blessed by this little man every single day, and, if possible, love him more and more each day. He's starting to bat at and really play with his fishie toy he got from nana/pops for Christmas, which he used to just sit under and look at. Also, he is holding things (like "spots" his doggie that he loves to play with as you'll see in the video). Even though i am STRUGGLING through this no sleep period, i will look back one day and really miss him being this age. SO, i'm holding onto it while i can, because it will fly by before i know it!
Enjoy! I sure am!

Look at this precious face! He looks like such a big boy here! Gotta give Kudos to Scott for taking this one!

Here he is in a fabulous hand me down from cousin Parker. How big does he look with this hat on? So cute!

He LOVES his fishie toy. Thank you Nana and Pops!

This is his favorite stuffed toy right now (well, it's the one he plays with most, not sure if he's old enough to show "favorites", but he does just stare at it and plays really well with it!)

Playing catch up!

2009-01-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

"official" three month pic....taken on Jan. 8

Happy New Year! I haven't posted in a while so i'll post a quick catch up, though so much has happened. First, Silas is now THREE months old! He's getting so much bigger and smarter and again, if possible....cuter! He's so strong, he officially holds his head up and is rolling from side to side (not all the way over, i know that will come with time, but when he lays on his back, he'll roll over to one side). He talks so much more, and laughs, and smiles all the time. He is a wonderfully happy baby. The only issue we are having right now, though, is SLEEP! He doesn't like to do it. He just lays awake...sometimes all day....and IF he takes naps, they are just 20-30 minute catnaps. It's a bit frustrating, but we are working on it.

We also had a great holiday season. Silas' first Christmas was so fun (more for us than for him, probably, but still fun :)). He took his first road trip! We went to Arkansas for the week. The first part we spent with Aunt Jess/Uncle Tony and cousin Gage, and Nana/Pops too! Then the rest of the week we spent in the Christmas cabin with all of my family (all sisters, husbands and ALL the cousins). Such a sweet time, and i just LOVED every bit of it. Silas did great on the traveling there and back....slept the whole time! He didn't sleep so well while we were not moving in a car.....but again, we are working on it! :)

Silas also had his first bout with sickness. And boy was it a rough bout. But he fought hard and eventually prevailed. He was sick with bronchiolitis for about three weeks. It's similar to RSV, in that he had difficutly breathing, a terrible cough, and really bad congestion (nasal was the worst b/c babies his age don't know how to breath through their mouths, so we had to constantly keep suctioning it out) It was so awful....we even ended up in the children's hospital here for one night. His oxygen had gotten pretty low b/c he couldn't breathe well and the only medicine that was working for him was something that would need to be clinically administered (we couldn't do it at home). SOOOO.....it was a long and tiring battle, but he is all better now, praise the LORD!

now, on to my next bit of news....i am now officially a SAHM (stay at home mom)! I went back to work for one week and couldn't bear it. It was so hard to leave Silas in daycare for the day and be separated from him from 7:30 in the morning until AT LEAST 6:00 at night (and that would be if i got off work ON TIME and didn't hit bad traffic on my commute home). SOOOOO after much thought and serious prayer, we decided it would be best for me to leave my career and pursue full-time mommyhood. What a blessing, since silas ended up VERY sick the week i resigned, and with this sleep issue we're having, i was able to care for him while he was sick and now i can really work with him to "sleep train" along with being with him every day as he grows! WOW.

okay, enough words....here are pics

OKay, okay.....this one was too cute not to add too as the other "official" three month pic

yeah, okay, he's just too cute.....so i had to add this one too. not "ON" his three month bday, but he's still three months :)

here's silas with granddad (the oldest living Dale namesake)

All the Fincher men. Daddy, silas, granddad, Jimmy Dale, Gage, and uncle Tony

The Dales :) Dale Scott, Silas Dale, Dale, and Jimmy Dale Fincher

Nana and Pops and their grandbabies

Off to the Christmas cabin. HEre are Lainey and i with hooter hiders in tow feeding silas and kaiya. Notice the the Kaiya Claw arising from beneath! :)

Dee with three of her grandbabies (the other two are hiding under the hooter hiders)

The girls....with Kaiya and Silas

Here's Parker with Silas. He was so wonderful with the babies. Always wanting to hold them and help out. He is such a good big cousin!

And here are all the cousins together! Will, Silas, Parker, Josie, and Kaiya.

I'm two months old!

2008-12-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

Silas turned two months old yesterday. He is getting so big and, if it was even possible, getting so much cuter every day! He's had a lot of "firsts" recently. He's started smiling, cooing, grasping things in his hands, showing interest in new things (like lights....he LOVES the Christmas tree lights) and TV....uh oh! :) He is gaining more head control and we can even sit him on the couch surrounded by pillows and he doesn't slump over! SEE??!?!?!

We are having so much fun with him too! He's a very happy baby, unless he hasn't slept and we are dealing with some sleep issues lately as well. We can get him to sleep fine, but he won't seem to STAY asleep. He sleeps pretty good at night, but unless we are out and about and he falls asleep in the car seat, he really resists sleeping for any amount of time during the day. We hope it's just a phase!

We are getting so excited for Christmas too! In just a couple of weeks we'll get to be with my whole family....all sisters, their husbands and kiddos. We haven't all been together in a couple of years, so I am SOOOOO excited! Silas can't wait to meet the rest of his cousins either!!

If i don't post again beforehand, i hope you all have a very merry and blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

Gobble Gobble

2008-12-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Silas enjoyed his first one! His uncle Tony and Aunt Jessica, along with cousin Gage came to visit the first part of the week. It was fun for them to meet Silas...especially for the boys to meet and we had a great visit with them. We went to the aquarium one day and Gage just loved it! Silas just hung out mostly in the stroller and only got out a couple of times (mommy is scared of all of the germs that are there :)).

Then Nana and Pops came to visit on Thanksgiving day and stayed for the weekend. They haven't seen him since he first came home from the hospital so they were shocked at how much he had changed in only a month and a half. It was a great visit, and mommy and daddy got a break b/c nana and pops wanted to hold him the entire time.

Here are a few pics from the week.

Gage immediately took to Silas and was ready to play! Too bad Silas is just a little too young....but in time!

Gage loved the aquarium!

We got in the Christmas spirit early with the boys.....how cute are they in thier matching Santa outfits?

Gage liked taking care of his baby cousin....who was NOT happy at this point in the photo shoot!

Nana & Pops holding Silas..

And yes, again....since it was a Saturday, we had to watch our Razorbacks! This week, though, he can hold pom pons (this will only go on while he's a baby.....soon, he'll be holding a football! :))!

whew! by the time the week was over, he was just plain pooped! Notice the hands in this pic.....do they really start this early?

Now it's really time to get in the Christmas spirit! What a precious face!

One month old!

2008-11-11T08:19:00.001-08:00

YEAH! Silas is one month old!!! Saturday was his big one month birthday, so we had our own little celebration. I'm a litle late on the post, but oh well. This month has passed quickly (I won't say flown by, since it's been a little trying, but it definitely did pass quickly). My favorite part(s) of this first month have been learning all the sounds he makes. He grunts SOO much and SOOOO loud. It can get a little frustrating at night when he's totally sleeping, but just grunting so loudly. But, it cracks us up. I'm not fond of the gagging noises he makes, but we've gotten used to them. Oh, and Silas is getting so big! We had his one month appointment yesterday and he is now 9 lbs 8 0z....and ahead of the curve in his length :) We had our first vaccine, too....it was so hard for mommy and daddy to watch, but he was so brave and only cried for a second. Silas did great too :).

The Ped also said she could still hear his murmur so we are going to go ahead with seeing a cardiologist about it. We will go and see him next Tuesday, but we are confident that it's all in the Lord's hands and that everything is fine and Silas is healthy. Here are a few pics to prove it! :)

This is Scott's favorite pic of the "birthday party." I personally like the other one above (except for the red eye), but they are both cute. I think Silas looks a little scared in this one, like thinking....what is going on here?. And, don't worry, the candle looks much closer to his face in the pics than it was in person.

Here's the happy family celebrating our little one month old.

Scott and mini-Scott

And, of course, it wouldn't be a complete Saturday without a Razorback game. Silas just chilled out on his Hog blanket (compliments of Nana & Pops) and literally watched the game on tv :)

Tummy Time

2008-11-04T12:33:00.001-08:00

Silas had some tummy time today and is getting so good and lifting up his head. He actually lifted it up and rolled it to the other side! I'm so proud of my strong boy! and yes, that is his loud toot in the background! :)

Silas' first Halloween

2008-11-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Silas!

Obviously we didn't try and get out to go trick or treating, but we stayed in and took a few cutie pics. Silas is getting bigger! I had to take him to the doctor earlier this week b/c i thought he had some sort of eye infection, but come to find out, it was just a clogged tear duct (very normal from what the Ped said). whew! Anyway, they weighed him and he is a whopping 8lb. 9 oz....he's gained a whole pound almost since the last doc appt. a week ago. I love it!

Half way into the day, Silas' diaper gave out so we had to change his outfit. Thankfully Aunt Betty sent us this adorable jack-o-lantern onesie that saved the day....THANK YOU AUNT BETTY!

Later that evening the Moncriefs came over to bring us dinner and brought Ada all dressed up in her bumblebee outfit. How precious! We tried to get some pics of the underage trick or treaters, but with Silas out like a light, and Ada wanting to tackle him (in a gentle way of course), it didn't work out too well. :)

One other quick update, Silas is getting stronger and better at holding up his own head! Here are a couple of pics of us showing off his newfound strength!

Here's lookin' at you, kid!

2008-10-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

Hello bloggers, this is Scott filling in for Allie. We've had some requests to get new pics up and Allie's been a little tied up lately so this update is from me and I apologize ahead of time as this is the first time for me to post. WOW is about the only thing I can think of right now. Our little Silas turns 3 weeks today. It has been a whirlwind these first few weeks but we are loving every minute of it especially since we're awake for most of them:) Silas is doing great healthwise. He had a pediatrician appt and he had gained the weight he lost and then a little. He eats great but seems to have his days and nights a little mixed up. Guess that's normal but we look forward to him growing out of this phase. Allie is taking right to being a mom as all of you already knew she would. I am amazed at her patience and endurance especially during the several all-nighters she has pulled. I am so thankful for her and it is a blessing to watch her with Silas. Here's a few pics from today and the last couple of weeks...we think he's already changing so much but that could just be our bias. Also thanks to all who been so kind to bring us meals. They have been a huge help and of course delicous!

Meet the Aunties!

2008-10-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

To help welcome little Silas to our big world, my sisters all came to Chattanooga meet him the week after he was born. What a wonderful time we had. It was time for us to catch up and time for the sisters that are already moms (Amanda and Alaina) to help me out with things around the house and of course motherly advice. Annie was the biggest surprise of all, because she was originally not supposed to be here. But, due to some tricky flight arranging between her and my mom, she showed up at my front door MUCH to my surprise and amazement! It was awesome to be with them, but also a little bittersweet because it makes me miss them that much more. Amanda is in Colorado, Alaina in Arkansas, and Annie in St. Louis. But, we all get to be together (and ALL the cousins) at Christmas, so it's definitely something to look forward to since this weekend visit went by sooo fast!

Here we are....on Silas' first walk. Annie is holding baby Kaiya (the first cousin Silas was able to meet).

Here is Mana and Silas (and me).

Mom with Annie and Amanda (and Kaiya...how cute is she with that hat all covering her eyes!).

Me and Annie with Silas. Annie had quite the surprise up her sleeve by showing up unannounced!!!! ;)

Here are the cousins....Kaiya and Silas. We joked about how much bigger Kaiya was than Silas, considering she IS four months older and is quite the chubbster (we kept saying it looked as though she could swallow Silas)! :)

I love you, my sistas! I can't wait until Christmas when we can all be together again--and Silas gets to meet his cousins and his uncles! Hopefully at Thanksgiving he can meet his cousin Gage and aunt Jessica and Uncle Tony (Scott's brother).

Silas' first Razorback game!

2008-10-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just barely three days old and we are already introducing him to a Fincher family Fall tradition....Arkansas Razorback football on Saturdays! This year the Hogs have gotten off to a pretty rough start, but after a win over Auburn this past Saturday means that we are undefeated since Silas has been born! :)

Here are a few pics...

mommy's little razorback

Hog fanamily

Pops and Papa with the little 'back

Is he THE cutest little Razorback or what?!?!?

Welcome home Silas!

2008-10-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we brought Silas home. He was a great car seat passenger, but mom and dad were the total nervous wrecks. I had to sit in the back seat so i could see him and Scott drove about 15 mph all the way home.

When we got there, Nana and Pops (Scott's mom and dad) were already there awaiting our arrival (they drove in from Arkansas).

Dee got off work and rushed home to see him.....she is the bestest Dee in the whole world!

Welcome home, sweet son!!!

Silas is HERE!!!!!

2008-10-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

We are proud to announce the birth of our sweet son, Silas Dale Fincher!!!!! Born Wednesday, October 8 at 5:41 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs., 9 oz. and 22 inches long (he's a string bean like his papa).

We ended up going in a little earlier than expected, but it was all in God's perfect timing! Here we are getting ready to leave and the way we were feeling that very moment.

We went in Tuesday around noon and by Wednesday evening he was in our arms.

I'll spare you the "in labor" pics.....:) and get right to our little boy!!
He is literally an angel and we could not be more proud or more blessed by this perfect little creation. Oh, and as if you can't tell from the photos.....he is a spitting image of Scott! EVERYONE that has seen him says the exact same thing....even the nurses who don't even know Scott made comments that they have never seen a baby look more like a parent. He is so precious!

Almost there!

2008-10-02T07:59:00.001-07:00

Here i am at 39 weeks! Scott and i took the day yesterday to just be together and celebrate what will be the last few days of just being the two of us. It was an awesome day--we had a lunch picnic on the waterfront of a local park and spent a few hours just enjoying each other there, then went to a movie (saw "Appaloosa"--good, but not AS good as other westerns, so I'd recommend waiting until it's on DVD), then went to dinner and i ate like i've not eaten in a LONG time. It's weird to think that we just had the last weekend of just the two of us and any time now Silas could be here! But, we are SOOO excited and just can NOT wait to meet our sweet son! Here is scott trying to get a picture of him and Silas.... :)

And, here we were at 38 weeks....as you'll notice, i have really only a couple of shirts that fit me currently, and they both happen to be black. Thus, it looks like i am wearing the same thing every day (which i pretty much am now! :)).

I know i've been really inconsistent lately with posting, so here are a few other pics/updates that i've not added in a while.

Here we were at 37 weeks...

We have also finished up Silas' room, and though i don't have pics of the whole room, here are a few now that we've FINALLY hung up his sweet name! :)

Happy Birthday Scott!!!!

2008-09-18T06:29:00.001-07:00

32 years ago today was a day that will live in enfamy. Just kidding. But, 32 years ago today a truly incredible thing happened--the one who i would have the privilege to call husband and, Silas will get to call papa, came into this world. What a truly special day.

I realize that while keeping this blog, i haven't given Scott any "blog love" hardly at all! Well, today, it is dedicated to just him! He has been the rock i needed for all things through this pregnancy. He is going to be an amazing dad!!! By making dinner, doing house stuff, talking sweetly to my belly, and just working so hard to provide for our family. He takes such good care of me and encourages me so much every day--blesses me so much, he'll never know. Did i say he is going to be THE BEST dad??? Below are the words to a song that i used to sing before i even ever met scott and used to say....this is my future husband. Well, it only BEGINS to describes him....and and his wonderful self.

When we first met, he pulled me into his tender care.
and every need i have, he's always well aware.
He opens doors and says I'm beautiful, and kisses me on the cheek.
He makes up for the other areas in my life where i am weak.

When he smiles at strangers, he always draws them near
he stands up for truth even when noone wants to listen
we're so different it's amazing to me it's amazing to me how we both ended up on the same path
and the best is ANY time, anywhere, we can make each other laugh!

And even though it hurts his pride when he stumbles,
I'll grow in my faith as i watch him humble
and all these things they make me look above
Because i see in him a reflection of Christ's unfailing love!

God, i trusted You, when You said, "wait for Me, I'm preparing the one who fits you perfectly" And when i look at him, i want to know You more
That's how i know that he's the one You made me for.

Here's a short tribute to our life together so far and some fun memories we've shared. I can't wait for what this next season of life has in store for us.

My love, thank you for being THE most wonderful man in the world and for giving me the honor of being your bride. You are going to be an amazing daddy! When i look at you, i want to know God more...that's how i know you're the one He made me for.

Where you go, I will go and where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. Ruth 1:16

New Do!

2008-09-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

I got a new do! I have been growing my hair out for a while now with a desire to one day cut it off and donate it for the making of wigs for cancer patients (primarily women and children) who have lost their hair due to chemo. My Aunt Vicky has been battling esophageal cancer, and fighting a good fight. I've always remembered my Aunt Vicky for her gentle voice, strong personality, and long, beautiful black hair. When she went through her first chemo a couple of years ago, she lost all that long, luscious hair, which was what originally spurred me on to grow mine and donate it. Well, that day has come. I was able to cut/donate 10 whole inches--it felt so great! Not only because i got to give back, but it also gets me even that much more ready for Silas to be here, in that i don't have to worry about working with a head full of way-too-long hair. It's shorter and easier to deal with. YEAH! Plus, i get a cute, new hairdo!
Here's a progression of long to short.

Here i am in the chair....Monica, my wonderful hairdresser, had a great idea to take different pony tails of the longer hair in the back so they could get more use out of the hair (rather than lopping it all off in one fell swoop--in one pony tail).

And, here i am holding the ponytails....

And here i am with the hairdresser extraordinnaire Monica....post cut and style.

Silas liked it a lot too.....he was bouncing around just so excited! Here i was trying to calm him down :)

Another before and after shot.....

OH, and i never did a 34 week post, so here is my "official" 34 week pic, which was also the morning before the "new do." This week, he measures about 17 inches, almost as long as an American Girl Doll (!) and weighs almost 5 pounds, like your average cantaloupe. Well, this is at least what everything online says....since i haven't had a full ultrasound in a while, he could be smaller.....or BIGGER (yikes!) :)

Oh yeah, and I never did a 33 week post either--good grief, i have got to get a better hold on doing this posting thing! :) Here I was at 33 weeks--I changed up the background for this shot to show you the paper lanterns that are hanging above the dresser. It will be fun for Silas b/c he'll have something cool to be looking at (beside's his mom, dad, or Dee's face) while he's being changed :) I guess i need to get a changing pad, eh?

Now we just count down these last six weeks....well, five and a half now :)

Showered with love

2008-08-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend i was completely humbled and tremendously showered with love like i haven't been before...especially at one time...by an incredibly beautiful and elegant baby shower to celebrate the soon arrival of little Silas. From gorgeous decorations, to delicious food, to the fellowship of close friends and most especially, the ability to share it with family. My sister, Annie, left her vacation from Gulf Shores to be able to make it (and she lives in St. Louis!) and Scott's mom came in all the way from Arkansas, so both of them being able to be there made the day so much more special. It was not quite complete, since my other sisters could not be there, but they were there in spirit! It's really hard to put into words how wonderful this celebration was, so i'll just try and illustrate below with some pics taken.

Showered with DELICIOUS food!

Showered with the love of my sweet family (from left: my mother-in-law Peggy; my mom; me; and my sister, Annie).

Mom and Annie with me (and Silas in the middle-though you can't miss that big belly :)).

Showered with love by such dear friends. Here are three of the four hostesses (from left: Jennifer Froehlich, me, Jennifer Croxall, and Jenni Miles. Allison Haupert is not pictured).

Showered with blessings beyond belief! Jen had set out a jar for ladies at the shower to write notes of encouragement, advice, or just whatever God laid on their heart to write to us as we near this journey of parenthood!

Showered with party favors! Not only one favor, but TWO for each lady who attended. One was a candy bar with an adorable little wrapper on it that matched the invitation AND the whole color theme of the shower, and the other was a handmade soap, compliments of Good Fortune Soap, created by my good friend Jennifer Jack (sorry, have to plug here because this stuff is awesome...check out www.goodfortunesoap.com for all kinds of deliciously scentuous soaps, lotions, oils, sprays, etc.) :)

And, yes, showered with gifts. This is a VERY COOL baby wrap that my sisters gave me, but as you can see, i need a little practice before i try and place my newborn in it! :)

A HUGE thank you, gracias, danke, graci, merci, mutsumesc, asante, any way i can think of to say it....to everyone who made this day so special for me. I truly can't put into words how wonderful that day was....which is probably why it took me a while to post about it :) I do seriously think that the two Jennifers should go into business planning things together....they have such great ideas and incredible taste!!

BTW....those will count as my 32 week pic (though it was not officially the date i turned over to 32 weeks, but it was the day before, so close enough) :) And, here i was at 31 weeks (sorry, a little late in the posting!)
Be back soon with a 33 week pic.....

30 weeks!

2008-08-05T09:17:00.001-07:00

Check it out--i'm getting bigger by the minute.....and so is big boy Silas! We are now at 30 weeks and only 10 more (Lord willing) to go! This pic was taken after our Monday night Amigo fitty cent taco night (well, now they've increased to 75 cents...stupid inflation, but it's fun to say fitty). So, you can see i had more than a couple of tacos, because that sucker looks huge! :) I also have changed the photo-taking venue to the nursery....rather than the previous brown wall. Since we're closer to having it finished, and closer to having Silas here, why not?

We've had a good week, though i did have a little bit of a "scare" late last week. I had some tremendous pain in between two of my teeth on Wednesday and i was soooo fearful it was an abcess. The fear got the better of my sound thinking because i started thinking that i hadn't felt Silas move, which really got my freak out mode in high gear. I had an OB appointment the next morning, so i told my doctor all about it and though we didn't have a scheduled ultrasound, she whipped the machine out anyway to calm both of our nerves. She turned it on, slapped the deal on my belly and then there he was on screen--just perfect. Between the overwhelming sense of assuredness and just seeing him moving on screen (with cute little hiccups), not to mention i'm a hormonal pregnant woman, I started crying just looking at him...and i couldn't stop! What a sap I am! But, everything was good....he is so big (I hadn't seen him on screen since i was 19 weeks!), my glucose test was “perfect” his heartbeat is “perfect” and his amniotic fluid is “beautiful” (their words, not mine, which is why I probably choked up.....it just feels so good to hear them say things like that about this sweet baby) :)

oh, and the tooth--not an abscess! Praise the Lord! I went to the dentist the very next morning and it was just that a filling had fallen out and i'll need to get it fixed (via a ROOT CANAL!!!). I'll probably have that done before the baby is born, because who wants tooth pain AND labor pain together? Not this girl.

29 weeks!

2008-07-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here we are at 29 weeks! Silas is getting so big and quickly running out of room to move. His movements are more "rolly" than "kicky" if that makes any sense. I was trying to explain it to mom last night and those were the best descriptors i could come up with. Sure, there are still some hard kicks/punches from time to time, but it's become much more "rolly" and at times i totally see a body part sticking out, like an elbow, or his bum, or something. So cute! I am feeling good too--a few aches and pains here and there, but for the most part, just trucking along.

I haven't had an ultrasound in a while (and probably won't until about 32 weeks), but all the books say he is a tad over 15 inches head to heel, weighing over 2 1/2 pounds and growing rapidly. Most growth from here will be his weight, but if he's anythign like his dad, he'll come in at 22.5 inches long and just under 8 pounds--STRING BEAN! We'll see....i can't wait!! Only a little over two months to go!

oh, and we've gotten a lot more work done in the nursery. I finished the bubbles on the wall--and now only have to paint the dresser/night stand and we'll be pretty much through with the big stuff. After that, it's just accessorizing.....oh wait, i still need a chair. Well--that will come with time too :) Here is a pic of the finished "bubble wall" and the bedding to show where i got the pattern. The lighting on the wall makes some of the colors look off, but they all pretty much exactly match the colors in the bedding (except the lime green turned out looking really yellow on the wall--oh well!)

I'll be back soon with another update!

And we're back!

2008-07-23T07:11:00.001-07:00

Okay, so yes, it has been over a month since my last post. Not sure i have a real good excuse so i guess all i can do is apologize (not that this blog is in high demand or anything). So last time i posted, i turned to 22 weeks.....now i'm 28 weeks and officially in my third and FINAL trimester! It's all down hill (or uphill, depending on how you look at it) from here! I can't believe our sweet baby boy will be in my arms in less than three months! And my how that time will fly!

I will try and keep a better handle on updating this thing because though it may not be read by the thousands, it is fun for me to go back and look through old posts and see where we've come in the last few months. In the mean time, though, here is a quick recap of the last six weeks.

The MOST exciting thing that has happened is that sweet baby Kaiya came into the world!!! She was born June 27 weighing in at just over 8 pounds and was a long one, just like her momma :) She is absolutely beautiful and Lainey, and we can NOT wait to meet her. Silas is pretty stoked about having another girl cousin (i know because he told me :)). WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Kaiya Ann Shuler

Here is Mommy (Alaina) with baby Kaiya
Big sister Josie with Kaiya...how tender and sweet :)

SILAS' ROOM! (in progress).....
We've been working to get the baby room ready to go. We ordered the crib, which arrived this past weekend, and we started the painting and have it almost finished! Here i am as we started on the painting journey....and it just so happens it's a 28 week pic! :) Notice the overalls are NOT maternity, so all buttons are unbuttoned and the straps are as low as they possibly can go! These are my only painting pants, so it's good that we are doing this now because as you can tell, i don't have much longer i could even TRY to wear these!

So excited!!

Here is the crib with the bedding in it (well, without the mattress, etc.). How cute is this bedding--Amanda found it at a garage sale for SUPER cheap and is in pristine condition. Apparently an interior designer custom made this, so not only is it cute, it's one of a kind!

I decided to do all green and blue, with black furniture. Three walls in the room will be a light lime green and then one wall is blue. On the blue wall, i'm going to paint bubbles like the bubbles in the bedskirt (see above). Once i get the room closer to done, with all furniture, lighting, etc. in there, i'll put up more pics.

27 WEEKS!

COLORADO!
Here is my belly at 26 weeks (had to get some awesome scenery behind it :))

Freakishly white....nice.....

Look at this majestic creation....even though pictures DO NOT do it justice. I felt like i could reach out and touch the mountain tops. It was breathtaking! Makes me want to sing praise songs!

My girl

Parker and me; and also one with Will....making silly faces :)

This is Amanda, me, Will and Parker during one of our short hikes we took. Can you believe this is the view behind their house?!! I LOVED my time with them all (including Chris, though i don't seem to have any pictures of him!)....they made me feel so special and even pampered me with foot baths and belly rubs :) Guys thank you so much for making it such a special trip. Next time i see you, Silas will be here!!

24 weeks!!!!
....this was about the time i started feeling less comfortable showing how chubby my face has gotten. But, the belly sure is cute!

Scott's first Father's Day.
Here we are at 23 weeks!

Okay, that was a super quick recap of what's been going on over the last several weeks. I'm going to try and do MUCH better at keeping this updated--at least weekly. Thankfully i am still feeling good, and Silas is doing great! He moves all the time....kicking, punching, twirling (pretty much getting ready to be able to play kung fu fighting with his cousins Parker and Will--which if you haven't, you should check out their blog because it is hilarious to watch them kung fu kick!!) He is about 2 1/2 pounds now and is about 14 inches long! I only have 12 weeks to go! October will be here before we know it!

Gulf Shores--at 22 weeks!

2008-06-12T08:39:00.001-07:00

This week we went on a rockin' trip to Gulf Shores. We went with two other families who are close friends of ours. Of course, we had a blast, but with my prego skin being slightly more sensitive in the sun, i did accidentally overdo it one day and got a pretty burned. Thankfully now all is well and it's turned to tan now :) Here are a few pics from the trip.

view from our back door. one morning i woke up to spend a little quiet time out on the balcony. look at the beautiful rainbow that was greeting me.

Scott's first cup of coffee--that he liked! This is a HUGE step, considering he's never liked coffee nor would he ever really try it again after the one time he did try it plain and almost gagged. I guess french vanilla creamer did the trick. I think he's hooked now!

Here i am getting some baby experience :)
This is Tucker Froehlich, son of our friends Jen and Chris. He is SUCH a good baby--seriously! It kind of spoiled us, considering he's only six weeks old and was a trooper the whole time! He's definitely made for the beach because he literally chillaxed the whole time! He even wanted to feel the kicking that was going on by his soon to be best friend!

One morning we had breakfast, praise and worship on the beach. We aimed to be down there closer to sunrise, but with nine people, it was more like 9am :) It was still so awesome!

The boys being weird.....

Ah, that's more like it! So handsome! (Chris and Robbie too, of course)

And here we are before and at dinner one night-- in all our sunburned glory!

TCBY after dinner one night--a Croxall family tradition! This is Jen F., Jen C, Anna and Chris.

Now this is one rockin' tent :) They were our neighbors on the beach one day....and obviously true Hog fans!

There are lots more pics, but the majority of the great ones are on the other girls' cameras. But, we had a wonderful time and it was a great place to ring in my 22nd week! :)

Go Dee, it's your birthday!

2008-06-05T07:45:00.001-07:00

Last night we celebrated Dee's 54th b-day! There was no way we could get that many candles on the cake, so Scott decided it would be more suited to say "RIP" :) HA. We had so much fun--we even lasted until 10:30 (well, scott and i did, but mom had had her two beer cut off, and you know what that does to her)! Anyway, we made flat enchiladas, one of mom's favorites, and topped it off with cake and corona--and not necessarily in that order.
Then, because mom felt so cute in her new saucy little dress, we had a little modeling show and looked just about as horrible as you would think we would look when trying to model. Such posers. ha. I've got to give it to Dee, though, she busted out some moves that unfortunately weren't caught on camera :)

Okay, and here was one of us as real "posers" :)

Happy Birthday Dee--we love you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and i forgot to add some pics of me and baby--sorry to steal your lime light, dee :) i forgot to do a 21 week post, so here i am at 21 weeks, and i took a picture of my most recent ultrasound, since i haven't had it scanned in digitally yet. Love to all.

Half way there!

2008-05-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here we are....20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go. I'm feeling great, though getting bigger every second and with every morsel of food that goes down the hatch! The other night i met a sweet, sweet lady who got just so excited about my being pregnant and wanted to feel my belly, and as she did, asked how far along i was. But before i could answer she said "wait, let me guess...........six months." i didn't know whether to guffaw laughing or cry in disbelief, but the only thing that uttered out of my mouth was "um.......four." Then of course she gasped and said, wow, you've got yourself a big baby in there! All the things i've read about baby boy fincher at this stage is that he is the size of a banana. Try a BANANA ON STEROIDS!!!! Anyway, at least i have one healthy little man growing inside of me. I'm so thankful for that.

In addition to being a big, healthy boy, he's also a mover and a shaker! I've been feeling him kick at least a few times every day now. The other day was the first time scott got to finally feel him. I'd been telling him that the baby was kicking, then he'd place his hand where i felt it, but then he'd stop (guess he's just showing off for his momma :)). But on Sunday, we stopped at Sonic after church (yes, the sonic cherry limeade and tater tots are the combo of choice these days) to grab a bite before going to our friend Sarah Catherine's soccer game and it was like the little guy could tell that we were stopping there and just started kicking in total excitement. As soon as we stopped the car, scott placed his hand there and sure enough....he got to feel his son kick for the first time! I know it was awesome for him, you should have seen the look on his face!

Yeah, i have no clue who this kid is, but i thought he was too cute to pass up, but that really is how he looked :)

It's a BOY!!!!

2008-05-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Scott and i found out yesterday that our sweet
baby is a BOY!We are so thrilled!!! You'll notice i have adjusted the ole blog to represent the colors we'll probably seeing a lot of in the future!

The appointment also assured us that so far everything is great and developing normally with our baby boy. He weighs about 10 ounces and is about 7 inches long. They checked his heart--all four chambers are working perfectly! Also, his cerebellum and spine, and both look just wonderful. I didn't realize they checked things like this, but they also checked to make sure both his lips were correct to rule out a cleft palate. He's just wonderful! It was so cute...at one point during the ultrasound, he totally yawned! He slept the majority of the time, but i kept poking him because i wanted him to wake up and play, but i guess i should let him sleep (and get used to it so he'll sleep lots when he gets here!).

I will try and scan in pics from the ultrasound or figure out how to put the dvd of the ultrasound you can see him move (well, only a little, since he WAS a sleepyhead) and hear the heartbeat too. i'm not sure how successful i will be at that, but i'll do my darndest!

love you all--and thank you for sharing in the excitement with us. We are just so blessed!!!

19 weeks!

2008-05-19T08:07:00.001-07:00

Wow--19 weeks! That's almost half way there! This morning i got my weekly email from babiesonline, which i'm anxious for every Monday (since i turn over weeks on Sunday). Anyway, i get in and open it up and was a little disturbed by the illustration of what baby probably looks like right now. Ususally the pictures are of the baby just floating around maybe sucking its thumb, or just maybe a little scrunched up, but still so cute. Today i guffawed because the illustration was, well, see for yourself...

Now, i realize the baby doesn't have much room, but really? That just pangs me to look at. The poor thing all scrunched up like that and he/she still has 21 weeks to go!? Poor baby.

Anyway, okay, i'll be back tomorrow with the BIG results! I plan to eat sugar smacks, drink a mountain dew and have a few snickers before my appointment tomorrow morning so i know this baby is good and moving and ready to spread eagle! Let's hope he/she cooperates and is not too modest!

18 weeks!

2008-05-13T08:14:00.001-07:00

Here i am at 18 weeks (and three days)! The baby is getting so big--we're going on 6 inches now, and that's just head to bottom (not counting his/her legs and arms)! I'm feeling great, and even some days forget that i'm pregnant (then i look down and am quickly reminded!). This past weekend i got to celebrate mother's day too! Mom gave me some earrings, and scott got me the sweetest card...it had this little baby, probably no older than a few months old, with his little hands firmly grasped together (in prayer mode) with his cute little eyes all squeezed shut like he was just praying his hardest. And on the front it said "and thank you for giving me the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful and special mommy in the whole world. Amen."

Of course, in my prego emotional state, i couldn't help but tear up. Then the inside was a precious little note from baby him/herself telling me lots of cute sweet things, and then a P.S . that said papa told him/her that i could go shopping and by all the maternity clothes i wanted (which was a huge gift because i've been having wardrobe issues lately--and no, not wardrobe malfunctions!). But, what baby doesn't know quite yet, but will get to know very soon is that I am not a big shopper, so all the maternity clothes i wanted that day had to be bought within 30 minutes. :) So, the four of us (scott, mom, baby, and me) all went shopping and i was able to get a few fun things before heading to the movies, and then to the new Thai restaurant by our house. SOOOOO good--and such a wonderful first mother's day.

Back on a baby note (sorry this is a really long post!), i have actually felt MOVEMENT! They are like little pokes here and there. Very scattered and not every day....it's more like every few days....but still totally amazing! With the baby being almost six inches, it's no wonder! Also, the baby can totally hear everything now and can start to recognize voices. Good thing american idol is on tonight, because this baby needs to get to know other trade--my fantastic gift of singing. I realize that to most, it sounds like shrieking, but whatever. It's beautiful. :)

Okay--one week and counting until we know if baby is Scott Jr. or Allie Jr.!!!!! Stay tuned.....

My very first Mother's Day gift!!

2008-05-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

We got home from small group last night and waiting for me was a big surprise from Amanda and the boys!!! It's baby's first Razorback jacket (and i agree with you, Mana, it's never too late to start getting him/her prepared as true Razorback fan) and my very first Mother's Day gift! And, look it almost fits him/her! Ha, maybe in a few years....but this was so fun for me, to come home after a hard day (though small group was great) and have this fun surprise just waiting for me. Mom was so giddy she couldn't wait for me to open it. How many times does a woman get her first Mother's Day gift at only 4 months prego? Amanda, Parker, Will (and Chris too, of course), THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! It was such a totally wonderful (not to mention THOUGHTFUL) surprise and really blessed my day. I had had a rough one, as if you can't tell by the gorgeousness of my tired ole face :)

Also in the fun package was baby's first football! You think there's a little "intuition" here? Are you thinking what i'm thinking? A boyish jacket--and a football? A girl could wear the jacket, but i don't know a lot of girls who get footballs :) Hmmmm......

And, What's even cooler about it, is that right now, the baby is about the size of this football! In this second picture, i tried to place it right about where baby is in my belly, to compare sizes.....what do you think? It's a little hard to tell....ha! Thank you, thank you, thank you .....and Will, did you try this on to make sure it would fit your cousin? I heard you couldn't let go of the card you picked out for dee! And, Parker, I just LOVE my note from you. I can't believe you can write your whole name! Way to go, big guy. I love you and miss you all terribly.

17 weeks!

2008-05-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here i am at 17 weeks (well, 17 weeks and three days, since i'm a little late in taking a pic). It is a little crazy to go back and look at those pics from 10-14 weeks and i thought i felt "big" then! Of course, some read this and think...you're not even four months yet, sweetheart, you don't EVEN know what "big" is!!! Right now, baby weighs about 5 ounces (about as much as a turnip...or so "they" say), and is about 5 inches long. My baby can move all his/her joints, including his/her head, mouth, lips, arms, wrists, fingers, legs, feet, and toes!! He/She is evn developing the most unique part(s) right now.....the fingerprints! How miraculous is that?!?! I love it!

GREAT NEWS!!

2008-05-04T14:40:00.001-07:00

"You are the God who answerd me in the day of my distress and have been with me wherever i have gone." Genesis 35:3

At our last OB appt. i took a test (blood test) called a quad screen, that is a maternal screening for birth defects. It's called a quad screen, because it's a collection of four hormone levels, and they're used to determine my risk of having a baby afflicted with a neural tube defect, Down syndrome, or Trisomy. Needless to say, it's a bit nerve-racking of a test.

Well, the blood was drawn on a Tuesday and they said i'd get the results back by Friday (which would have been LAST Friday, April 25). I didn't get a call and so on the following Monday i called to follow up. They didn't have the results back, and the same went for every other day this week....i'd call and follow up, and they'd still not have results back. So, we began to get a little nervous, so on Thursday when i called, i asked the nurse if there was a problem or if there was any cause for alarm. She called the lab AGAIN and asked the same questions (for all we knew they had botched the blood sample and we'd have to draw it again), but they just said they had been backed up and there was really no other reason than that.

SO.....on Friday i called yet again and left a voicemail for my nurse and at about 4:45 got a call on my cell phone. I recognized the number and picked it up, but it wasn't the nurse, it was my doctor!! My stomach fell to my toes when she called b/c i just thought that she was calling to tell me something was wrong. BUT, oh ye (me) of little faith, she was calling to let me know that the results came back normal and all is perfect! Praise the Lord! The nurse was out of the office that day and my doctor knew we'd been waiting on these results so she wanted to call me directly to let me know. whew! I told her how thoughtful i thought it was that she would take the time out of her busy day delivering babies and patients out the wazoo to call me, rather than wait till Monday when the nurse could do it. Dr. Newman is THE BEST!!!!

So, now, the biggest news we'll be waiting for is our May 20 appt. when we'll find if our little avocado is a boy or a girl! Our God is so good....and so faithful!

Going back in time.....a little

2008-04-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

I'm actually going back in time a little with these couple of posts to show you where we've been in the last six weeks. Here is a progression of pictures from 10 weeks to 14. Good thing this only goes to family and close friends because it's weird to have my bare belly on the internet!

16 weeks pic!

2008-04-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry, forgot to add the pic! Here we are at 16 weeks!

Amanda made me do it!

2008-04-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here we are.....on "the net" to share and remember some of the fun things about our growing family (and because Amanda suckered me into it). :) Right now, I'm 16 weeks along, and feeling great. I had a typical first trimester, with the icky nausea and extreme exhaustion (not to mention the boob soreness--sorry boys, and all the other "typical" symptoms), but now that I'm fully in my second trimester, I'm feeling great! I do have a little bit of a pooch (see pics below), but have close to six months to go and oh so much more to grow!

Baby Fincher is about 4.5" long, or so "they" say, which is about the size of an avocado! I'm not feeling any movement yet, though I really thought that i felt him/her move when we were visiting Annie/John in St. Louis last weekend, but it may have just been gas (okay, sorry again). I can't wait to REALLY be feeling the baby move!

Our next appointment is May 20, which is "the big" appointment when we'll get to find out if it's a boy or girl! I'm so excited, that i put a "countdown" on this blog. ha.

Anyway, i hope to keep this updated pretty regularly (my hope is weekly) until baby is born....and pretty often after that. We are so blessed....and SO excited to be starting this adventure. I can't believe I get to be a mom. Thank you, Lord!