Shower Pictures... a bit late

Here are pictures from my last 2 showers that happened last week. Sorry for the delay!!

*

At work they kindly threw Christie and I a double baby shower! It was really sweet and so special!!! The food was great and they put in so much time and effort into making it really great! Thank you to all of the staff and the people who made this happen! We are so blessed and Baby Gracelee and Baby Sam are so lucky to have so many people care for them!!!

*

The Food Spread was incredible!

The cakes were AMAZING!!!

We learned a new cake cutting method... Dental Floss! = 0 )

Yes I did cry over a card... my boss did it!!! The card was so precious, I just cannot even imagine my baby growing up and leaving me yet!

Presents! The essentials are great!

*

*

*

Joy Circle

*

*

*

Thank you to the Women's Church group that I am a part of! Joy Circle has meant so much to me these past few years I have been a member! The Christian Fellowship and monthly devotions are amazing! Lorilei had an incredible baby shower devotion with props and everything! It was such a special evening! Thank you to everyone for the presents and the friendship! Everything was so wonderful!

*

The delicious cake!

Lorilei had put monkey babies everywhere in her house! It was so much fun because everywhere you looked there were little girl monkeys!!!! So precious!

Yay! More presents for Gracelee!

The famous Build- A- Bear that now has a precious heartbeat!

Princess Sarah joined the fun! The tutu, apparently, is a mandatory part of her wardrobe. Of course! What princess outfit is complete without a tutu?!?!?!!?

Thank you to everyone who has made this pregnancy unforgettable! Justin and I continue to count our blessings as we wait for our angel to arrive! Our family, friends and church are unlike any other! We are so blessed and I cannot put into words my gratitude!!!!

Samuel Franklin Jaster arrives!!

Babies everywhere!!!! We just need Gracelee!!!!

Please be praying for my friends Christie and Creighton Jaster! They had their precious baby boy Sam today, and he is now headed for the NICU. He was born really fast and has fluid on his little lungs. We need him to get better, and please pray for his parents! God is good and works many miracles!!!!!!! Let us all pray together for support and love and healing for this little guy! Please visit their site and let them know you are praying!!!!

The Heart of the Sutherland Family

So the word is... No progress. God has his timing and so does Gracelee, but that is hard for Momma to understand! We got a really cool gift at the last shower we had. At the Joy Circle shower, Lessie gave us a Build a Bear that we could record the baby's heartbeat and keep it inside the bear. Well, it did not work at the doctor's office, and I think my sour attitude had something to do with it. So, I went to Babies 'R' Us and bought the $20 Graco Prenatal Heart Listener, against medical advice because they don't think you can hear like they can. Well, it worked perfectly and we were even able to record it not only for the bear, but for everyone else to hear too! All I needed was the loving support of my wonderful Husband and of course his technical mind!!! Here is the link to hear her little heartbeat...

Annabelle Day Wheat

Yes! Yes! I am now the PROUD Aunt (really cousin, but whatever!) of a brand new baby girl!!!! Annabelle was born yesterday to her awesome momma, my cousin, Robyn, her great husband, Corey, and her super fantastic brother, Jaxson!!!! March 11th is a cool day for her to be born because now her and Jax are exactly 2 and 1/2 years apart! How cool!!!! Grow half a year older and get a baby sister! We are waiting patiently for pictures, and we are just positive that she is a gorgeous baby! What choice does she have?!?!?!?! Look at her momma! Now we just need Gracelee to make her appearance, and with no help from the full moon, we go to the doctor today to see about progress... there wasn't any last time, but we shall see!!! Until then, have a great one! I feel like I am on cloud nine!!!! Yay Babies!!!!!! God is good!

No pictures please!

Well, as you could see from the last post, our daughter is not ready to be photographed... that will have to change drastically when she is here!! The doctor's appointment on Thursday was not with my regular doctor, so it was a bit more uncomfortable!!!! She is not used to seeing me, and I am sure she wanted to be thorough, but she has us scared until Monday that I MAY have preeclampsia. My blood pressure was fine all day yesterday, and my swelling is next to nothing this morning. I think that it is just precautionary because I was really swollen on Thursday and my blood pressure was a teeny bit high. No more dilation or effacement, so we might be looking at a little baby that doesn't want to come even on her due date of the 23rd. We will see as the week progresses.

*

I have gotten some flack for not posting the ultrasound pics, but honestly, if you can make out what they are, more power to ya! The technician wasn't very patient with us so here they are, and if you can tell what they are, Justin and I would be pleased as punch to know!! Have a great weekend!

*

2 weeks and 2 days until her due date!!!!!

*

I honestly have no idea!

She is sucking her thumb with her fingers sprawled out in front of her nose. This is a picture as if you are looking straight at her.

We know April showers bring May flowers... we are hoping February Showers bring March Babies!

Well, let's start this very LOOOOONNNNNG Blog with a Gracelee update, which will be updated again tomorrow after my doctor's appointment.

*

*

Today was the last ultrasound to check for positioning and size. Please keep in mind that Gracelee is technically 37 weeks and 2 days, which gives her 2.5 more GROWING WEEKS!!!!

*

She weighs 7 lbs. 4oz, and is measuring perfectly on track! Praise God! She was not about the camera today, but we did get to see eye lashes, a cute little button nose (that even the doctor commented on!), little girl parts (I made them check again!), and we saw her sucking on her little hand. The precious baby growing inside of me grows nearer and dearer to my heart by the second! Her daddy already says that she has him wrapped around her little finger!! We CANNOT wait!!! My feet are swelling and I have indigestion, but you know, it is all worth it! I would take this and ten times worse just to have her! She is a little angel!

*

*

We anxiously await her little cousin Annabell, too!!! And her friend Sam!!!!!

*

*

This weekend was really fun! Keila, Brian, Amanda, and Scott threw us a couple's shower in honor of little Gracelee! She really is so blessed to have Aunts and Uncles that love her so much! The party was a blast, and one last hoorah Adult style for the parents... well, for a while anyway! Justin and I have fabulous friends and family, and we cannot express in words or actions how appreciative we are for everything! So let's get started with the pictures!

*

*

The food was incredible and all homemade! Brian had some kick- bootie hot wings, momma made some DELICIOUS hummus and OMG wonderful red velvet cupcakes (as seen below) along side a heart shaped R.V. cake with a bedazzled "G" (which will be at ALL of her birthdays!), Lessie made some phenomenal spinach dip and delicious pesto sandwiches (which everyone keeps asking for the recipe!)... we of course, brought the Keg... ended up with some pretty righteous headaches (of course momma-to-be was the DD)!!

Here are Host and Hostesses with Momma and Daddy 2 B

Mommas!!

Are we really going to be parents in 2 weeks (or less)??

Aunts and Uncles

Baby Austin made an appearance! He is a beautiful and good baby!!!

During gifts, Justin wanted to model the Pampers... yes you read that right!

He is elated... can you tell? I love him so much! He is going to be a fabulous father!

My friend Christie is due the same day as I am, but she will have her baby one week from friday!!! We are all so excited to meet Sam! Her little boy Luke is 2 and just so precious! We are certain that Sam will be the same! I feel so blessed to have a friend in Christie! She is so sweet and such a great mom! We have so much in common and I am so excited to have our little ones grow up together! We enjoy the company of her husband Creighton and her so much! We were asked to have a picture made by the ladies at work of our bellies... so here they are!

We have to stand so far away from each other! Thank goodness it is only for a couple more weeks! Then it is back to the treadmill!!! Brian is going to kick my behind into shape! Yikes!

Bottle for Mommy!?!?!?!?!?! Maybe after Gracelee is here... maybe! I might be shnockered after one sip!!! LoL!!

We had a bottle chugging contest of beer... the video is to follow if it loads! Can you tell Justin did not win, but could care less??? Good try honey!

Then, of course, it was time for Guitar Hero... Some kind of fun!!! Scott is a percussionist, but this was his first time to play... He did great! They all had fun!! Keila is the BOMB at guitar, and Amanda was Awesome at Vocals! Brian and Justin are video game freaks and are good at everything!!!!!

Then, Sunday the church threw a shower for Gracelee at Carol's house. It was lovely, and so much fun! The food was incredible! Thank you to Carol, Kim, Darcy, DeeDee, and Barbara for hosting this incredible event!! Like I said before, Gracelee is so blessed! She has no idea the amount of love this world is about to offer her!

*

Here is Grammy with some guests at the shower.

And the hostesses 

Sophie and Mia are Carol's Granddaughters, and they happen to be 2 of my favorite girls!!!!! They got Gracelee the cutest little Polo Jumper, and they were such good helpers!!! I love them!

*

*

And finally, we had a birthday girl on the 1st!!! Lady Lu turned 4 years old and got a brand new bobo, cookies and new chewies!!! She is such a great dog and she is already so protective of Gracelee! She won't let anyone near my belly and she cuddles more than ever at night! We love her more than people should love a dog, but maybe that is because she is more than that! She is a part of our family! Gracelee, again, is so lucky to have a puppy dog like Lady!!!

Happy birthday, big girl!

She gets SUPER excited!!

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend so special! We are so anxious, and knowing we have an awesome support system eases our minds... a little anyway! We are ready when Gracelee says she wants to come into this world, and we cannot wait to meet her!

Much love and prayers for everyone! Pray for progress tomorrow!!!!! We want our baby!!!

Until then...

(as you can see... no video... sorry!)

Brian won anyway! He got to keep his $10!!! = 0 )

Baby Gracelee Update

* Warning: No pictures... only facts! 

Gracelee's arrival is coming up so fast!!!!! We have another ultrasound to determine how big she is, but here are her stats (well, maybe they are mine!):

*

Dilation: 0

Effacement: 50%

Position: head down and easily felt by doctor

Contractions: Braxton Hicks, persistent but not consistent

Tests: Group B strep done! Thank goodness!

*

More to come with ultra sound, and we will have a picture then!

Prayers for a smooth delivery for Robyn and Christie and myself! We are all due together!

Prayers that the babies are healthy and that they come early or on time! Late only means BIG!!

Love to everyone!!!!!

* 

Almost forgot: My friend Meredith has started a jewelry business... Check it out! The stuff is super cute!!!

SHOP WITH MEREDITH AT STELLA & DOT!

• http://www.stelladot.com/meredith

Happy Birthday Weekend!

We had a very busy weekend! It was so much fun, though! We started Saturday trying to get our yard in order for Spring... Justin worked his tail off, and the yard looks great! We still have work to do in the front, but we will find the time this coming weekend.

*

We celebrated Joey's 2nd birthday Saturday evening. He is so precious and loved his Spiderman hat and sunglasses the best! Here are some pictures from the celebration:

*

The coolest Spiderman Cake!

And it was way delicious too!!!!

Super cool, Dude!

Brother Jason enjoying the afternoon

learning a drum move from Uncle J

Then Sunday afternoon we made our way to Spring, Texas to celebrate a belated birthday party with Brittany. I cannot believe that she is 12!!! It is truly amazing how fast time flies! The event took place at Main Event where there is bowling, laser tag, and video games! It was very fun, and Keila and Brian made our day by riding up there with us! It is always more fun to have MORE people... especially when they are funny and fun like Brian!

*

Happy Hula Birthday!

She is so grown up! She showed up with her hair straightened and eye liner!!!! What?!?!?!?!

Sistas... and Gracelee = )

Brit and Bri

*

It was a great weekend! We had so much fun! Family time is truly priceless, and something that Justin and I treasure so much!

*

*

Doctor's appointment tomorrow! Yay! We will get an update up on the blog, but I have to warn you that there may not be any pictures! I know.... I am bummed too!!!!

Love to everyone!

I know You are ready for Pictures!!!!!

Pictures first... Story Later... PROMISE!!

*

*

Shower for Gracelee

Cousin's

Momma's and Babies

Sweets for the sweet baby... aren't those M&Ms precious?!?!?!

Shannon was the hostess with the mostest! It was a fabulous shower and she worked very hard!

Homemade shower food! Seriously looked like a Food Network show!!

Welcome Gracelee!! We cannot wait!

Later that night... fun time with Guitar Hero and KeKe

Can you blame the kid for smiling? Good family, Good food, TJ, and a beautiful sister on the way!

Doesn't want to leave? Well, we know he misses his daddy, but we really miss ALL of them when they aren't here!!!! We have so much fun when we are all together!

We had our first shower and my Auntie and Robyn and Jaxson and My Aunt Clarice and Uncle Tommy all made it in for the trip! It was fantastic and we feel so blessed to have had our family able to attend! We missed everyone who could not make it! Shannon was a fabulous hostess and should consider doing this full time! Everything was beautiful and the amount of detail and thought that went into this was unbelievable! We had a blast!

*

Gracelee has no idea how lucky she is yet! To have so many people love a little girl that has not graced the world with her presence! It is amazing! It is amazing to think that God has granted us the blessing and the extraordinary responsibility of raising this child! We are fortunate to have the support systems in place! It takes a village to raise a child, and she has plenty of people to watch her and love her and teach her how to live in God's image! It is so beautiful! 

*

Now that blogger likes me again and my camera is functioning, I promise to be a better updater!

*

Love you all!!

Wow!

Okay... I don't know these people... I don't know their whole situation... what I do know is that God is working miracles every day, and this is one of the many. Thank you to Meredith for putting this on her blog. It is a wonderful story of faith and glory! Please pray for Harper and for her family. They are making incredible progress in their situation and they are wonderful Christian people, who with their faith, are seeing the wonderful promise that Jesus gave to us:

*

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
—Romans 15:13

*

Grab your tissues!

*

*

*

Gracelee continues to grow in my belly and she moves and kicks a LOT!! We have a doctor's appointment on Thursday, and have registered at the hospital. We have decided after birthing class to go as natural as we can for as long as I can stand it. I know, it sounds crazy, but we learned a lot and I really want to try. I am not trying to be super woman or anything, I will completely get an epidural if I cannot handle it... but I think that if I let myself naturally go into labor that my body will be able to do it. I just have to have patience, and all those that know me, know that is the BIGGEST challenge of all! 

*

*

Justin got a promotion this week! That is fabulous news! He is now part of the downtown route, and he is very excited! Please pray for him as he begins this new direction on Friday! It is challenging to take on a different set of accounts... we all know he is capable, and extra praying is still nice!

*

*

Please (I know I am asking for a lot of prayers, but they are needed!) pray for the kids at my school. They are all sick it seems like, and I am trying to stay healthy myself! Also, there is a kindergartner, Nicholas, that is going homebound due to a seizure disorder that has made him very embarrassed to be at school. He is apparently not doing well, and I miss him! Nicholas is a fabulous kid, and he and his family really need all of the thoughts and prayers they can get! I have also started a Pennies for Patients campaign at my school, and we are collecting money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Please pray that it continues to go well over the next few weeks! Other than that, I need prayer for energy! I want to get everything ready and it is a slow process! I know she doesn't need much, but when Gracelee gets here, I want to spend the time with her and not messing around in her room!!!

*

*

Thank you to everyone who reads and supports my blog! These are much needed and much appreciated! Love to everyone!!