4th of July

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend... and after reading some of your blogs it sounds like you did! Chris and I had a great weekend working on the nursery (pictures to come) and celebrating the freedom of our country with friends and family. We started the 4th out by waking up somewhat early to finish the painting of the nursery and then headed to meet my parents and sister for a yummy breakfast at "Another Broken Egg" in Sandestin. It is by far our favorite breakfast place. After breakfast we went back to my mom and dad's and spent the afternoon on the beach. Our friends, Kim and Jordan, came over and spent the afternoon with us on the beach. We played "redneck golf" (as we like to call it) and I am proud to say that the two pregnant girls kicked some booty! Yep, Chris and Jordan lost to the pregnant girls.... sorry guys! We actually got to spend more time on the beach than I thought the rain would allow. Around 4:30-5:00 we saw the rain in the distance and decided we should head in... good thing, because weren't quite inside before the bottom fell out. Mom and Dad grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, Kim brought a delicious squash casserole, I made banana pudding and taffy apple pizza (thanks, Nat!!) and Amanda made guacamole. We ate like Kings and Queens. The night ended with a great fireworks show on the beach... which we actually missed the finale due to our own sparklers! The day was a blast and I am so thankful that I got to spend it with my family and friends. Also, these count as my belly pics for 23 weeks 6 days.

Kim is 27 weeks preggers!

Chris and Jordan trying so hard to light the sparklers... They ended up walking over to a bonfire on the beach and lit them that way!

aIn

We have a name!!! However, all that you are going to get are her initials for now. We are thinking about waiting until she is born to tell her name, but I'm just not sure I can wait that long!! I would love to hear all of your guesses about her name-- maybe I will come up with a prize for the first one to guess it! Her first initial is A, her middle name begins with an N and of course her last is an I. ;)


aIn will be her monogram!! Just like her momma.... and no, she is NOT a junior! I have had people ask!!

a milestone

Today was the first time that I had someone ask me if I was expecting!! I thought it was pretty bold of them to ask, I mean, what if I wasn't!? I am so excited because it means that I have officially reached the point where I don't just look a little fluffy in the mid-section. I have finally popped out enough that people are starting to notice that I am pregnant. I consider this a true milestone. :)

21 weeks 3 days

OH!! We're half way there...

That's right, today marks week 20!!! I cannot believe I am half way through this pregnancy already. It's going by so fast! Last night was a huge milestone in the pregnancy.... Chris felt our little girl move for the first time!!! It was such a neat experience and the expression on his face was absolutely priceless. He was absolutely thrilled to be able to feel her move! I can't wait for the movements to become stronger and more frequent.

For the past few weeks I have been promising you all pictures of our sweet little girl. Well, here ya go! The first group is from my 11 week ultrasound. She resembles a monkey in some of these pictures, hence why Christopher and I have been calling her our little monkey!




This next group of pictures is from my 19 week ultrasound. She has grown so much!!!

The Beach, Billy Bowlegs and Crab Island

This has been a great weekend! I am now off on Friday's, which I LOVE, and was able to spend this Friday on the beach with a good friend of mine, Kim. Chris and I first met Kim and her husband Jordan in a bible study back in January. They are a really neat couple and we are so blessed to have met them. Kim is also expecting her first child and is due 4 weeks before me- it's been so great going through all of this with her! Friday night Kim and I met our husbands and another couple, Jay and Meredith (also in our bible study) at a place called Dewey Destins. I cannot believe that I have been coming the Destin for 25 years and have NEVER eaten at Dewey Destins. It was great! I had the fried shrimp and Chris ate grilled Mahi-Mahi. Dewey Destins is more of a shack right on the bay- what a cool atmosphere. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. I'm getting really bad about taking pictures and it's starting to frustrate me! lol.


Back in the late 1700's a pirate named William Augustus Bowles "Billy Bowlegs" came to the panhandle of Florida to hold Pensacola from the Spanish. Fast forward to the 2000's and you have the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival held in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Chris and I moved here just weeks after the festival last year and have heard story after story about this event and thought we would check it out this year. So, Saturday morning we loaded up the kayak and our sweet little pup Bailey and headed for the festivities. We met up with some friends and tied our kayak to their boat and spent the day in the sun. My sister, Amanda, was also there with some of her friends and we were able to meet up with her and hang out for a while also! Billy Bowlegs is most definitely an experience and it ended with us out on the water in a terrible thunderstorm. Here are a few pictures from Bowlegs... Amanda has the rest on her camera.


Jack and Chris


Regina about to throw Bailey in the water for her first swim


Today, Chris, Bailey and I took the kayak out to Crab Island for a few hours. It was absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed being outside in the water. Bailey went for her second swim today and was absolutely terrified! It was pretty hilarious to be honest with you. Chris and I would try to coax her off of the kayak and when she finally jumped/fell into the water people in surrounding boats all cheered for her. She isn't too graceful, but we are sure that with practice she will grow to love the water and become a much better swimmer.






Bailey was so exhausted she was asleep before we even left the parking lot to come home.

It's a .....

GIRL!!!

Today we went for our 20 week ultrasound, though I'm only just into my 19th week. Our little girl has grown so much since the last time we saw her at 11 weeks. This was a pretty big appointment because not only did we find out we are having a girl, but they also checked all of her development. Her brain, heart and rest of the body look great! She is healthy and growing, growing, growing! We are so thankful for this precious gift from our God and cannot wait to meet her in the fall.
I know, the next question is what names have we picked out? To be honest, we haven't even talked names until today. We have also decided not to share any of our options until we have picked "the one". This is because too many people share their thoughts and opinions and it could potentially alter our final decision. SO... no names until we have picked "the one".

I promise to update again soon with pictures and more of our little girl, but for now, I'm going to get some sleep!