Snips and snails and puppy dog tails...

... that's what little boys are made of! :) I still can't believe I am having a baby boy! I am so excited and I think since finding out the sex it has really hit Chris & I. We've been sharing so many thoughts that we dream of when thinking of a boy from newborn to high school (ha, scary!). It is so fun! I kinda freaked Chris out saying he's going to be the only one that can change his diaper or take him to the bathroom when we are out since he has to go into the boy's bathroom. Hehe! I was only kidding! :)

Well, I guess I do have lots to catch up on. I never posted about our ultrasound visit, which went perfect! {Which by the way, all you Momma's out there that are familiar with Dr. BK - I don't actually go to him, I go to his nurses for ultrasounds. I just discovered he is a specialists for pregnancies with twins, high risk, etc. and they just call it Dr. BK's office. But my bad, I don't go to him for any special reason I just go to his good ole' nurses! Thanks Erica:)} Anywho~ the ultrasound check up went great! Little Grayson was on the move the whole time!! At one point he had his feet propped up on top of each other with his hand behind his head just chillin'! Then he waved a few times and sucked his fingers!! I wish I could sit in front of that screen all day, it make me so happy! She did all the measurements of his brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, etc. and said everything looks wonderful!! God is SO good! It is just amazing how God has created every inch of him. I literally wanted to fall to my knees and praise the Lord when I walked out of that office. I felt so blessed and just wanted to scream to God, THANK YOU!!! (which I'm pretty sure I did in the car!:) Here are some pictures of our sweet little angel showing off during the ultrasound... {sorry, these are blurry it's a picture taken of the ultrasound picture}.

This was when he was stretching so long!! My bladder is to the right in this picture. The more he stretched that little head, the more I had to go potty:)

3D picture - so crazy how well you can see! I love his little nose:) Notice the hand behind the head - he waved and "chillaxed" with his right hand... he might be a righty like his Daddy!I just wanna squeeze that little thigh! "Look Mom & Dad, I got 10 toes too!" Here he is sucking his sweet fingers:)

I am very glad last week went by so fast. It was by no means easy, especially when that little envelope was in my glove box! I thought I almost had Chris on Monday after the ultrasound, but no luck there I had to wait it out until Saturday. But hey, it was way worth the wait!! Our little revealment was so fun and it was a special way to find out! I've never seen Chris in so much shock in my life! Haha! We are both so excited and I think since finding out it has got us anxious for him to get here, but don't get me wrong I'm enjoying pregnancy... guess that's a good thing since I've got a long hot, swollen summer before baby Grayson arrives :)

*A little glimpse into our revealment shindig...

There's a story behind this... Chris' nickname in High School was peanut, I literally walked straight into this on the day of the revealment and had to purchase it.

Getting ready to cut the cake... Chris cut down and I pulled the slice out. You could not see a thing until you got it completely out. Tricky Miss Muff'n had about an inch of the icing still white so there was no way of sneakin' a peek!

(Please see previous post for Chris' immediate reaction!! haha!)

This is me showing my sister the cake. Lindz was on Skype for the revealment:) hehe!

Hugging my sweet Momma a.k.a. "Nonna". If only you could see her face. Tear were a-flowin' to say the least! We love you Nonna!

So happy :) We love you so much already Grayson!!!

*18 Weeks!*

I'm 18 weeks!

*Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: The size of a sweet potato

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 7lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I bought my first maternity dress! Other than that all normal clothes. As soon as this weather makes up its mind, it’s shopping time!

Gender: IT’S A BOY!!!!!!!

Movement: Sometimes I think I might feel a little something, but I don’t know what it feels like so I don’t know if it’s him or not? I should be feeling him for sure in a couple of weeks.

Sleep: Sleeping good, the pillow under the tummy works wonders!

What I miss: Nothing really - my sister, does that count since it's not pregnancy related? hehe!

Cravings: Coke Icees stilllll! Other than that nothing crazy! Just food :) hehe!

Symptoms: Bathroom shmathroom, I take 100 breaks a day! And been feeling round ligament pain a lot lately.

Best Moment this week: Finding out our sweet little angel is a baby BOY!!! We are so excited and feel so blessed!! :)

Until next time... XO~

IT'S A BOY!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!

Grayson Lee Clark!! :)It's official, picture to prove it and all, IT'S A BOY!!! Grayson Lee Clark, we cannot wait to meet you!! ;) Chris and I are ecstatic and I think Chris is finally coming out of his state of shock. hehe! He was convinced it was a girl, if you can't tell from the picture above, haha! :) We are so so excited and couldn't be happier!! We've spent the morning talking about boy sports and I just cannot wait to go buy those seersucker swim trunks I've been eyeing! ;) Sorry I had to make this short & sweet, we are still spending time w/the fam celebrating the big news! Much Love to all and more details & pics of last night to come...

Oh, and p.s. thanks for all the votes that made it so fun! Yet you were so wrong :) hehe!

*Itta Bena is a nickname for the baby between Chris & I, it has stuck with us since the night we found out we were pregnant. I guess now we can call "him" Grayson... :)

XOXO~

Name that Baby!

So today is the big day... ULTRASOUND DAY! :) I am so excited and cannot wait to see the little one. I'm a little nervous about this whole not finding out the sex at the appt. thing. I hope that paper doesn't accidentally slip out of the envelope or anything... hehehe jk :) What's 5 more days, right? I have a busy week ahead so I am hoping that will make it go by fast!

Well, Chris & I have officially come to the decision of what the baby's name will be. We have been pretty set on the girls name for a while and had another option for the boy, but in the end we both knew these 2 were perfect :) We used a little bit of family names on both, but seriously as much as we love our grandparents and great grandparents they had some names that were way too difficult to work with (Willie, Imma Jean, enough said!) Sooo {drum roll} here they are...

GIRL: Kenzie Smith Clark

Kenzie isn't family related, but I just love it! Smith is a family name from my Mom's side of the family. It is my Mom's maiden name and my Grandma's last name. If any of you knew Bibbie you know how much she meant in my life! I won't go any further as these hormones are out of whack these days, but I would love for my little girl to carry on a name that is shared with 2 amazing women I've had in my life :)

BOY: Grayson Lee Clark

Again, Grayson isn't a have family name, but we love it! Lee is shared by many special people. It's Chris' middle name, his Mom's middle name, my Aunt Nita's middle name and my 3 year old 2nd cousin's middle name! In many different ways Lee is very special to our family so it's a perfect fit for little Grayson!

So now the big question is will it be Kenzie or Grayson?!? Oh how I cannot wait to know! I know it's so cliche to say, but I honestly could careless whether it's a boy or girl as long as it's healthy! So stay tuned for the weekend revealment!!!

*I promised I would post my 17 week onion pic. ha, so here it is. The bump's a-growin!

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! This weather is absolutely gorgeous. Chris & I spent most of the weekend outside... grilling out, laying out and just relaxing. We decided to take a break from house renovations to relax because we know that flower bed & patio updates are right around the corner! Happy Spring ya'll :)

Sweet seventeen...

With this weather today doesn't that title make you want to roll down your window and jam out to some Tim McGraw? It does me!! :) Sorry for the delayed post. I was waiting until after the doctor check up so I wouldn't bore you guys too much. So since I was 16 weeks this past weekend and I'll be 17 in just a few days I decided to combine the 2 if that's okay with you!
First off, what the good ole' doc had to say! Well the appt. went really good! It was short and sweet but that is really all I ask for :) She weighed me and ugh I had put on a few, but I figure if I wasn't gaining that wouldn't be good and honestly for the first time in my life as long as that baby is healthy I do not care. Don't get me wrong I don't want to do a Kirstie Alley on you or anything, but you know what I mean! She did my measurements and then drew some blood. It's funny how I had the option to get this blood drawn for a certain test and normally in the past I would say no way jose I don't want to see a needle no matter what it is, but this little bitty baby in my tummy sure has given me some courage! or might I say is bringing the Mom out in me?! :) Then we heard the heartbeat which made me the happiest girl in the world! The heart rate was 155 so the little one is still goin' strong! Chris was great support once again although he discovered I talk too much when I'm nervous and likes to hold conversations about dinner when I've got a needle stuck in my arm! Oh what would I do without him ;) We don't go back to the OB for another 6 weeks, but we go on Monday to Dr. BK's (the ultrasound place) to find out if Baby C is a boy or girl! Ah! As I've said before we won't find out until that Saturday (the 26th) when we do a little family revealment but ah I cannot wait!! :) Chris really thinks it's a girl, so we will see. Everyone keeps asking me what I think... at first I thought a boy and now I'm leaning towards a girl. But I go back and forth so my vote doesn't count! I know one things for sure whether that cake is pink or blue I will be ecstatic!! So on to the update of week 16 & 17 stats!!

*16/17 Weeks*

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 16 / 17 weeks
Size of baby: The size of an avocado (16) / onion (17)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 7lbs. (Just so you know I didn’t gain 5 lbs in a week, ha – I’m just keeping up at the doc appts!)
Maternity Clothes: Still wearing all regular clothes… but I can see some new pants in the near future :)
Gender: Next Saturday! Woo hoo!!
Movement: Not yet
Sleep: Sleeping good – thank goodness I already sleep on my side!
What I miss: Not gonna lie, this hot weather calls for a frozen rita poolside… but that’s ok Coke Icee will do!
Cravings: Oh you know Coke Icees and random Chinese food! I have not had Chinese food in forever because Chris won’t eat it. So seriously since Monday I have planned my Chinese meal. I am making Chris his fav. chicken & rice casserole tonight so he will have left overs tom. and I’m treating myself to Friday night Formosa! Haha! Oh the little things these days :)
Symptoms: More potty breaks but other than that as they say I’m in the easy breezy 2nd trimester!
Best Moment this week: Week 16= My sis made her flight to come to Memphis Easter!!!! I cannot explain how excited I am! I have not seen her since I found out I was pregnant and let me tell you I cannot wait to hug her neck so tight!!!
Week 17 = Of course hearing that baby’s heartbeat. Like I’ve said before, nothing like it :)

*Sorry I've been slacking on the pictures, but I've got my onion prepared for a 17 week shot!
I hope everyone enjoys this beautiful weekend we have coming up! I hope to get my Casper self outside long enough to let my skin know sunshine does still exist :)
Until then... GO TIGERS!!!!

P.S. Chris & I are trying to plan a babymoon/anniversary trip. We want to keep it small and in driving distance. Any suggestions?! St. Louis is an option- I would love some feedback!!

MUCH LOVE!!!!

Helloooo, are you in there?!

So it's come to that point once again where I am way ready for a doctor appt.! 3 weeks after the appt. I am pretty content but then time rolls around where I'm like ok, I need to hear or see my little baby! I know that kind of sounds selfish, because God can hear and see him/her at all times so I should have no worries, but I'm just a little anxious! I guess right now I can't feel any movement yet and everything feels normal so I'm like "Helloooo, are you in there?". We have 2 doctor appts. coming up though so I can't complain. Next Wednesday we go to the OB for my 16 week check up and then the following Monday we go to Dr. BK's office for the gender ultrasound! Ah! I must really love my husband to wait from Mon. to Sat. so that we can do the revealment on a night he doesn't have to work! Honestly, as much as I like planning and doing fun creative stuff, such as the revealment, I just as soon find out then and there during the ultrasound. BUT since Chris never really cares much about stuff and oddly wanted to do this, that is what we will do. So get ready for a pink or blue post the weekend of the 26th! ;)

*15 Weeks*I'm 15 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 15 weeks
Size of baby: The size of an apple
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 2 lbs. (but we’ll see next Wed.!)
Maternity Clothes: Still wearing all regular clothes
Gender: 2 weeks from Saturday :)

Movement: Not yet
Sleep: Sleeping good and still acquiring my 9 hours, haha! I know, I know, not for long…
What I miss: Nothing really, life is good!
Cravings: Coke Icees and seafood this week, king crab legs especially ha!
Symptoms: Gots to go to the bathroom so much more!
Best Moment this week: My mother-in-law used to be a nurse and brought a stethoscope over and we heard the baby! It was hard to find and in one little spot where we could hear something… It sounded like the little one was just swimming around! :)

So I don't usually get deep on this thing, but I've come across a lot of stories lately that have weighed heavy on my heart. If you are in the blog world you are probably familiar with what I call "blog hopping"... which is when I find myself on a friends blog then clicking on their friends blog and then I end up on someone's blog I have no clue who they are but their story is so intriguing I can't stop reading and then I end up following their life. It might be a little creepy to some people, but lately so many stories have hit me so hard and I feel like it's God making me realize how precious life is. I feel like 5 years ago to me a newborn baby happened everyday it was just something God gave you and toddlers they were just happy little things with no problems. Well today I have a total different outlook. I remember Chris & I talking before we got pregnant saying how it really is just a miracle to have a healthy baby and healthy pregnancy. I feel like recently so many things have happened to some of our friends or just people I know and it's just so hard to understand. I know only God knows why, but sometimes it can be a scary thing. I don't know if God has brought me to these stories to help me realize I am not in control of this pregnancy or the baby which is really hard to grasp, but I'm trying. I know so far I have tried to not take anything for granted as I realize this life inside me and life in general is so so fragile. I read where one Mom, who's 5 year old daughter is fighting medulla blastoma, wrote that our children are not ours we are only borrowing them for their time on earth. Wow, I've never heard it put that way but it's so true. So who I am to ask you all to pray, but I just wanted to share some stories that have touched my heart and I know these families need many prayers. So if you will, pray for these families and most of all never take life for granted.

http://erikandkatekrull.blogspot.com/ - Lucy is the cutest little 5 year old girl suffering brain cancer (medulla blastoma). This story breaks my heart!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/smithbaby - This family goes to our church and their sweet daughter, Lynlee Faith, was born at just 20 weeks. She was born only 1 lb, but is a little over 2 months old now and is 2 lbs 6 oz. She is truely a miracle baby!

http://mlmoses.blogspot.com/ - Laurel, a girl I know of from high school and college, lost her baby girl at 25 weeks pregnant. Please pray God brings this family strength & peace knowing their baby girl is in heaven.

http://kandjstaats.blogspot.com/ - Madison, their 4 month old daughter passed away at the baby sitter's house - I just cannot imagine.

and last but certainly not least, please continue to pray for our good friends the Harrison's! We miss sweet Evie so much!! This sweet face is in our hearts forever :)

I hope these stories don't get you down, but God is Good and prayer is powerful and these families need it!

Much Love,
Kelley

New & Improved

We have a new kitchen, Yay! We finally got our kitchen completely renovated and it makes me so happy!! It has taken some long, hard labor hours but props to the Hubby & one of my Dads friends it looks amazing! Sorry there is no 14 week belly pic, but this is where we've been spending all of our time...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Whatcha think?! :) I love it! It has been a long time coming and it has been way worth it. Please don't laugh when you read this, but now I can finally use all my new wedding presents! haha! Yes, you heard right I have not used any of my wedding gifts! When we got married we were thinking about moving so I wanted to wait and use all my new stuff in the new house. Well once we decided to stay and renovate I decided I wanted to wait as well. So now here we are, a new kitchen & all new things! I have forgotten half the stuff I got... this is going to be like major Christmas time! I can't wait! We are working our way to the back of the house, but this was one of the major projects. Next major project is the patio... We are extending it and getting pretty flower beds! Bring on the warm weather before I can't bend over and garden :)

*14 WEEKS*

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 14 weeks
Size of baby: The size of a lemon (3 ½ inches)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 2 lbs. (just keeping track at dr. appts)
Maternity Clothes: Still wearing all regular clothes
Gender: We will know March 26th! Ah, so soon :)
Movement: Not yet
Sleep: Sleep is good, but nightmares not so much! I do not know what is going on but I have had the worst nightmares lately!! Chris has had to wake me in my sleep because I will make terrified noises:( The dreams have nothing to do with the baby, but things like Chris getting chased by the cops and popping his knee out of socket and me getting kidnapped while 9-1-1 is being held hostage?! Really? These have got to subside soon, sleeping is scary!
What I miss: Nothing really, life is good!
Cravings: Coke Icees still :) and McDonald’s?? I used to would never eat there, now it sounds so good. I have not brought myself to do it yet though!
Symptoms: Feeling a little energy coming back, woohoo! And indeed noticing the belly grow more!
Best Moment this week: Looking at paint colors for the house, I came across some baby colors I just love!! :) But for now just knowing this gift from God is growing in my tummy is a feeling like no other!

Hope everyone is having a great week! It's almost the weekend :) We are headed to one of my best friends engagement party Saturday night!! I can't wait to see everyone and the bride-to-be! Annie got engaged in December and I am so so happy for her & Patrick! I am honored to be a bridesmaid in her wedding August 13th! Yes, 2 weeks before the due date but I am hoping the little one will hold out, maybe?! I wouldn't want to miss it for the world! Congrats Shmannie! I love you bunches!!

Hopefully the Tigers won't disappoint tonight, sheesh.