Oh Baby!

I wondered if this day would ever come. For over 4 years I've dreamed, imagined and prayed like the dickens to experience another pregnancy. And finally, our prayers have been answered. We always knew we were working on God's timetable and not our own, but year after year it became harder and harder to understand why God wanted us to wait to have another child. And although the answer may never been 100% clear, I do know that in the past 4 years I have grown intimately closer to God and have strengthened my marriage and my faith like I never thought possible. So although thousands of tears have been shed throughout the process, in the end, I know it was necessary to go through the pain to get to this point.

Now, onto the fun stuff! Several people have asked me to post some "belly pics" on the blog, so I finally took some this morning. I will be 5 months pregnant in 2 days, which seems almost impossible. Last Friday we had our sonogram which confirmed my suspicions that we are having another boy! We couldn't be happier. Truly. All I prayed for was a healthy child, but in the end, I think having a little brother for Payton is the best scenario possible. He is so excited and every night he prays, "And thank you God for my little brother..." it's SO cute!

So even though most of you who read this blog have already seen this first ultrasound photo (his profile picture), I wanted to post a couple more that I thought were particularly cool. I wish I could post the video the sonographer took during the ultrasound so you could hear all of Payton's little comments while she was pointing out certain things. Especially his reaction when she pointed out his "boy parts"... oh my, did that get a laugh!

The picture below is of his arm and hand. It looks like he's actually giving a "Thumbs Up" sign which we thought was so funny. As you can see the sonographer had fun writing things on the screen like "Go Gators! Beat Tennessee!"

This next image is of his little tushy, leg, and foot, which is so clear, it's astonishing. I can't believe the things you can see on a sonogram these days. Modern technology never ceases to amaze me.

So there ya have it. Our little boy. Our miracle baby. Our gift from God. We can't wait to meet him in 4 more months! Thanks so much to all of you prayer warriors out there who never gave up on our dream and kept on praying right along with us. We love you all!

Grandparents... oh how we love them!

I often remind Payton of how very, very fortunate he is to have both sets of grandparents living so close to him. He's never known any different, so it could easily be something he takes for granted. But we constantly remind him that all of his cousins have to use an airplane to see their grandparents, so he should be so very grateful that it is only a short car ride for him.
We were reminded of this incredible blessing this past week when Payton's school had "Grandparents Read To Me Day" in honor of Grandparents Day. Brian's parents made the drive over (my parents were in the Bahamas on vacation) and had the opportunity to read to Payton in his classroom.
I was shocked at how many grandparents turned out for this event! The entire school cafeteria was filled with grandparents (and it was only grades K-2 who participated) for the breakfast they served that morning. Then we each went to our respectful classrooms where the kids were SO excited to see their grandparents.
Payton's two tablemates did not have their grandparents there that day, so Brian's parents (and Brian) were nice enough to read to the entire table. The kids had such a great time and Payton was so proud to have them there.
Thanks so much to both sets of Grandparents for your vital role in helping us raise our son (and future child). We couldn't do it without you! We love you all so much!

Tooth Fairy

So many changes and all at once... somebody help me! Not only did Payton start Kindergarten, but he also lost his first tooth... at school. Fortunately, his sweet teacher was nice enough to send it home in a ziploc bag so he didn't loose it (not sure how the Tooth Fairy knows to come to your house if you don't actually have the tooth).
So, we excitedly put the tooth under his pillow that night and anxiously awaited the Tooth Fairy's visit. Payton was thrilled the next morning to find 8 shiny quarters and 1 dollar bill with a sparkly-glittery note from the Tooth Fairy reminding him to keep on brushin' those teeth!