Only A Few More Weeks...

Our appointment went well yesterday! We had the ultrasound...very different than the other two. You could see nothing - he is huge! I tell you what, some of you might have seen on the twit Jerry did that Finley's head is measuring 6 weeks bigger than his body and of course he blamed it on me and my big head. Let me set the record straight... Jerry's head is substantially bigger than mine so therefore - they will be big head buddies. Like father - like son. :) And I love them both deeply!
Now, after that, we are so excited about meeting our boy. (Who, is still a boy - we had the ultrasound tech check for us.) I was convinced that I wanted to be induced so he could be born on dad's birthday on the 13th. Now, I am okay with him coming when he is good and ready. And, hey, you never know - he could come any day now! So, we are enjoyng our last few weeks as just us. We will keep you all updated! (And, I will be soon posting a picture so you can all see how small my head was as a baby and how BIG Jerry's was...)

Fun Times With the Tiptons

Man oh man have we been busy! Between church softball with Jerry, Oneighty, work, and spending that quality time with family - we have no time left. But hey, that's why we wanted to move home! We are loving life right now! On Thursday night, Jerry and I had the opportunity to go to the Cards vs. Cubs game with mom and dad. Boy did we have fun! We packed a picnic dinner, rode the metro and even stayed until the end of the game. Oh, and we got to get our picture with Fredbird.

Just a quick update for you all...today I am 36 weeks pregnant. BUT - I have been consistantly measuring 2 weeks big every appointment. So, this week, we have an ultrasound appointment. Dr Hulsen believes that right now Finley is 6-7 lbs. and will gain 1 lb. a week until I have him. Therefore - he says we could have an 11 lb. baby boy! YIKES! (I prayed for big but not that big) He is going to check his size and then decide what we will do from there. We are hoping to have him here with us in the next 2 weeks or so! We will keep you all updated.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lord Have Mercy!

35 weeks and counting!!!! Man oh man, every time people see me they say (in a nice way of course),"Wow, you must be due soon" or "You have grown since I saw you last week". And, you know, in a way I am proud. After trying for so long to have this wonderful gift, I am proud to be growing. Jerry keeps telling me, "that is what you are suppose to look like - you are pregnant." The funniest thing is that random people now feel like they have the obligation to rub my belly. Today, we went to Red Robin with mom and dad and some friends after church. The waitress, without eve asking, started rubbing my belly. Odd. Here I am in all of my glory - 35 weeks pregnant.
You know the funniest part too - people have been asking me if I am losing weight - HA. We will be sure to keep you updated over the next few weeks with Finley's progress.

The Finster's Room is...Finished!

As many of you who have been pregnant before know how exciting it is finally get to put the baby's room together. You may also know how time consuming and frustrating it can been as well. We bought Finley's furniture all the way back in January when I was 18 weeks. It was an exciting day! Then, 3 weeks later, we went and picked it up from over in St. Louis. Then, for another 3 weeks or so, it sat in the boxes in our apartment. Then, for about 3 months it sat put together in his room but with all the baby gifts (nicely) placed all over it and around it. Last weekend, after the last baby shower, we decided to take the time to organize the room. Then, our bedding came in and boy are we excited! The theme of his room is baseball and let me tell you what, it is so difficult finding bedding with just baseball! So, mom and I came up with the wild idea to make most of it ourselves and have a lady in our church make the quilt. And, that's what we did - the quilt she brought put together for us but we had to do the rest of the hemming and putting the decorations on it. We are very proud of our baby bedding and are most excited that it is one of a kind. So, without further ado....
I will tell you, that we cannot wait to meet our Finley...the time is coming soon.

The Big Shower = DONE!

Today was the day of the baby shower at mom's house. It was wonderful! We had a beautiful buffet of food that mom made. (If any of you know Pam Santos - she is a chef extrodinaire!) Here is a picture of course:

It was wonderful, the women on staff and the wives of staff and deacon and elder's wives came. Also, some close friends came and it was great to see our friend Megan from Pittsfield, Il come too. My maw-maw from Louisiana also came to be apart of the festivities.This is my mom (Pam), me and my maw-maw (Helen).

It was a beautiful day. Sunny and 70 - and a little windy. We received so many nice gifts and it was such a blessing! God is so good! I cannot believe that I am 34 weeks today! Only 6 weeks away from the due date.

A few of guests at our girly outdoor luncheon...

Sun, Sand, and Ocean Breeze

I will say that I absolutely love my husband! He took me to Orlando, Florida to meet up with our friends Dave, Jen and Layla Handsaker. Of course, Dave and Layla had no idea that we were coming. It was a complete surprise for his 40th birthday(which isn't until May) and his 3 year old would have told him so it had to be a surprise for her too. When we walked out of the airport and saw Dave and Layla's face, it was a time to remember! I believe that her exact response was "I am going to scream". Priceless! So, we spent 4 wonderful days with our great friends in Florida. Friday we went to the pool, Saturday we went to the pool, Sunday we went to the beach and Monday we went shopping - Dream trip. The first picture below is of all of us in a bicycle made for 6...let me tell you what, that was a hard ride on the boardwalk of the Disney resorts! But, a time to remember. The next picture is of Jerry and I with Layla on Bradenton Beach in Florida. And, the bottom one of Jerry, my 30 week pregnant tummy, and I. It was a beautiful day - 90 degrees, sunny, and perfect water.


People have asked if we went on a Babymoon (Honeymoon for parents having a baby)... and well I will say this... while in the water Jerry and I smiled and said that this is the last time we will be on vacation just the two of us. It is kind of sobering that in 10 weeks or less, we will have another life to take care of. God is good! And, oh yeah, it stinks getting fried on your first day of vacation... Jerry and I both have DEEP tans - or should I say deep peeling.

28 Weeks and Counting...

Well, Hello 3rd trimester. I thought that something magical would happen we this day came and I got nothing but INTENSE heart burn. I just don't understand how I can eat absolutely nothing and still have that sizzling, burning sensation in my throat. You know though... I would never give this moment back. Tonight, while hanging with my mom, Pam, Finley started moving wildly. I had her put her hand on my tummy and he kicked so strong it made her laugh. What a great moment to give her!
When almost a year ago we thought we would never be in this spot in our lives and now here we are. Today, during service at church, Jerry gave a word to the congregation. He told them of our struggles to get pregnant but that God always gets the last word. Then, he told them a story that he and I just remembered on Friday night. Last June 20, 2008, we were at a Summer camp in Ohio. Jerry asked the speaker to pray over us. He only told him that we were trying to have a baby. While praying, Adam, the speaker, said that we would have a baby by this time next year. And, God knows...we are due June 20! In Jen Handsakers words...."God is such a show-off!"