Needing more hours in the day

No, I'm not dead, but I have been working two jobs at the moment so things have been CRAZY! Today teachers had to report to school so as usual things have gotten extremely busy. Here is what all has been going on with the Hall for the past few weeks:

We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary on July 8th! We both took off from work on the 10th and ate a Maggianos, then went on our first major shopping adventure for our baby boy. Of course, we headed straight to the Polo Outlets in Lebanon. We got him the most adorable little outfits. I can't wait to dress him up. Happy Anniversary Rich! This has been the most amazing 3 years of my life.

I met with Holly Kitzer and Gail Davis about painting our nursery and furnature. They are going to do a greyish blue with a silvery glaze over it for the walls, and they are going to paint the furnature for me too. I am so blessed that they are going to help me with the nursery. I am NOT naturally gifted with decorating so this has taken a major burden off of my shoulders. It was wonderful to be able to say, this is kinda what I want and them know exactly what to do. I am honored that they would give up the small amount of free time that they have just to help me. It has meant so much to me.

Our chair is in, but we haven't even had time to pick it up. We are going to try to empty out our office and Rich is going to paint the base coats for all of our nursery stuff. Then after Gail and Holly get it all finished, we will pick up the chair and move the furnature in.

All we have left for the nursery is the bedding. We are on the verge of getting that finished though too. Our labor and delivery classes are starting next Saturday. I'm excited to go, but a little anxious about if Rich is going to FREAK OUT when he has to watch the video lol! Our shower is tentatively scheduled for September 20th, and we are in the process of getting with Beth (my sister-in-law) to do our maternity pictures. I'm so excited about her doing our pictures. She has a gift, and it is a HUGE blessing that she is doing this for us.

Ok so on top of all of this, I have been trying to move classrooms, start school, and work from 7-4 at the Daycamp. Needless to say, I'm exhausted! It has been nice to stay busy though this summer. I will try to take some "bump" pictures soon. Our baby boy is growing like crazy. I absolutley love being pregnant and am trying to enjoy every second and his every kick!

4th of July

We had an amazing 4th of July. We finally got away to see Rich's family in KY since we were both off this past Friday. We got to leave Thursday night and get there a little earlier than usual. It was such a nice trip! We even decided to take Bentley with us. He rode right in the middle of us the whole trip there and back. He was such a good boy. Here are some pictures from the 4th of July cookout at Mona's. I ate WAY too much!!!

The love of my life!

IT'S A........

BOY!!!!! We had our 20 week ultrasound today, and we are so excited to be having a boy! Obviously we would have been ecstatic either way, but we were secretly hoping deep down (especially daddy) that we would have a boy first. Everything is completely healthy. I have marginal placenta previa. It just means that my placenta is REALLY close to my cervix. Bad news is that I may have to have a C-section if it doesn't migrate a little more, and the good news is that we get to have another ultrasound in 8 weeks to check to see if it has migrated enough to not have to do the C-section. My doctor said that he was pretty sure it would migrate just enough considering how much it had already moved from the last ultrasound. We haven't quite decided on a name yet. We had Wyatt William Hall picked out for the longest time, but may end up changing it. William will for sure be the middle name, but we are thinking about changing the first name to one of these: Ryder, Hudson, Cash, Brooks, Cruz, Weston, etc. There are quite a few that we are thinking about. I think we will more than likely go with Wyatt William Hall though. Gramps (my dad) got to go with us to the ultrasound today. I'm so thankful that he got to hear his first grandbaby's heartbeat! It was such a special day for us. We surprised Nana (my mom) at work with a sign that said, "It's a Boy." After we ate dinner with my dad, Rich and I went straight for the shopping. I looked for little boy outfits, and Rich went straight to the sport stores to get his little boy some toys. It was precious. I'm posting a few pictures from our ultrasound. We also got a DVD of the ultrasound, but I haven't figured out how to post videos yet. Enjoy! Our sign said, "It's A Boy!" You can't see it though. I should have used marker, but was in too big of a hurry before we left for the appointments.

His heartbeat. It was 150.

His face.

The foot. Couldn't get a great picture.

His legs that his kicks his mommy with!

His spine. It is amazing to me that they can see all of this. Technology is fascinating!

It is FOR SURE a BOY!!!!

Here is the close up of the gender lol! He will not like me for this later on in life.

Week 17 and 18

On a happy note, I got our blood results back for the birth defects testing (triple scan) and everything is completely normal! On a not so happy note, I had an inner ear infection this week that was the worst thing imaginable. It was so bad that the room was spinning which made me throw up. It is much better now though! We got to have an amazing Father's Day weekend. Saturday, Rich and I went and picked out our oversized Victorian looking chair. It is an elegant chair, but it glides. It is the first thing that we have picked out for the nursery! We got it at a place in Franklin that will let you pick the fabric from hundreds of different choices. Then we went and got Rich some golf shirts, went to Blue Coast and Maggie Moos, then headed home. On Sunday, I surprised Rich with some new Nike shorts to work out in and a new playstation remote. We also went to church and went to my parent's house to swim and for dinner. Get ready for the best part of the day... Rich and Nana (my mom) got to feel the baby move on Father's Day! The baby always moves like crazy when I put my belly in the water, and they definitely felt some jabs. They say people can't feel the baby move until a few weeks from now, but this was actually at 18 and a half weeks. The baby is 10 days further than what we had originally thought. Anyways, enough of my ramblings. Here are the Baby updates for weeks 17 and 18.

Week 17 Updates:

How your baby's growing:Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Week 18 Updates:

How your baby's growing:Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

A little movement (well, a lot)

I forgot to journal about the first time I felt our baby move. I had felt things that felt like a little movement for a few weeks, but the first time that I felt a FOR SURE movement from the baby was on Saturday, June 6th. I was at my parent's pool laying on the float with my mom when I felt it. I was laying on my back, and it felt like something was thumping the inside of my belly. It was one of the most amazing feelings that I have ever felt. I have been feeling the baby move more and more since then and from what I can tell the baby is REALLY active. It is simply the best feeling to know that something that is equally a part of my husband and I is kicking away inside of my belly. I am starting to love being pregnant! Hope everyone is having a great week!

Weeks 15 and 16

Week 15 Updates:

How your baby's growing:Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

Week 16 Updates:

I went to the doctor last Monday for our 16 week appointment. As soon as Dr. Wingo put the gel and Doppler on my belly I got to hear the heartbeat. Last time it took him a few minutes to find it, but this time I heard it right away. It was strong at 150. I also had my blood drawn for the Downs Syndrome, Trisomy syndromes, and all of the other major birth defects. I will get those results either tomorrow or Wednesday so please keep us in your prayers. Dr. Wingo did say that our baby is going to be a BIG baby. They measured the baby's legs at our last ultrasound, and he said that the baby would be really long and that there was no way that my frame would allow me to make it to 40 weeks with this big of a baby. Also, I put a few bump pictures up for your viewing pleasures...haha. I am absolutely starting to grow more and more every day. I truly LOVE showing though and having a baby bump. Enjoy!

How your baby's growing:Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

There is one big baby in here!!!

15 Weeks

Well I'll be 15 weeks tomorrow. Here are some more bump pictures. I still have only gained 0.5 lbs, but I'm beginning to show. I had been feeling wonderful until tonight. Fried food does NOT work out so well. I'm really only eating vegtables and grilled food so that I can keep it down. If I eat unhealthy it usually makes its way back up. I had a homemade funnel cake today at work, and have thrown up 8 times in the last two hours. I won't be eating fried food for a while. The combination of the heat, exhaustion, and unhealthy food finally got to me. I'll try to post the updates on the baby's growth tomorrow. Please notice the privacy fence in the background that my dad built for us. One of the nicest gifts we've ever received!

Oh I almost forgot to update about our Memorial Day weekend. Friday, a friend of mine from high school and I went to watch Bethany and Holly's recital and out to eat at Fulin's with them. Saturday Rich and I slept in and went to Opry Mills and Olive Garden on a date. Sunday we rented "Taken" and LOST episodes and napped all day. Memorial Day we went to the Gourley's with LOTS of people from our church and had a cookout. It was a wonderful weekend! I forgot my camera on Memorial Day, but am on a hunt for a new camera bag so hopefully I'll be taking it with us more often. Finally, here are the pics!