We're anxiously awaiting....

Just 12 more days (or less) until our sweet little boy joins this anxious family! Words cannot describe the feelings that I have right now. We have waited so long for this day and it is finally within reach. Still, part of me still has a hard time knowing that this is actually real and not just this long very detailed dream.

As most of you know, Mark and I have been dealing with fertility issues for almost 5 years. It was December 2006 that we decided it was time to add to our family. Well, God had other plans for us. I don't understand...not sure I ever will, the reasoning behind all the pain that we've endured over the past few years. I am not at a point of being able to fully forgive either. I hope that holding Luke and seeing what a miracle he is will help the healing process.

Christmas time has always been my favorite time of year. As most people will tell you, the tree goes up Thanksgiving day in our house...usually, at least by the end of that weekend. The longer we get to celebrate this magical time of year, the better! However, the past two years, Christmas and December have been some of the hardest times in my life. We lost our second child in December 2009. The weeks and months following our miscarriage were a blur. The world kept moving and yet, here I was standing alone wondering what had just happened. We'd been given this amazing gift of life only to have it taken away from us so soon. As the months went on it got easier...easier to get out of bed, easier to look at a baby, easier to breathe. As our July due date approached I felt taken back again. Newborns were everywhere...except for mine.

I can only imagine that every December 7th and every July 22nd will be a hard day for me. But knowing that this December 7th I will be holding our sweet baby boy makes the thought of that day bearable.

We are so blessed to have the friends and family that we do - that is the only thing that's helped me to move forward.

On November 18th (or sooner) our family of 4 will be together, finally. My heart can't wait.

Checking in on baby Luke!

We had a wonderful sonogram and appointment today with Luke! Abby, Mark and I were very excited to be able to see him again, even though we've all been feeling him for quite some time.

The sonogram started out greats. He was very cooperative this time! Although, probably not

very pleased that we were interrupting his nap time! He began by looking right at us (at least it seemed that way) even giving a "wave"...this made Abby very happy since she believes the wave was specially for her. Who knows, I believe they already have a special bond so it very well could have been directed towards her! She is so excited about being a big sister. She will be an amazing one!

We got a good look at his feet! They seem huge, but she

reassured me that they were of normal size. He was head down and his feet were aimed towards my ribs, so this really explains a lot since I'm constantly (already!) feeling him jab me there.

Some of his measurements were a few days ahead and some a few days behind. In the end, with all of the measurements put together he was exactly 24 weeks - so, perfect.

They did head a measurement and looked at all

the parts of the brain. They also checked the

heart chambers and the diaphragm. He's been perfect from the beginning so we didn't expect anything less!

Just in case we still had any question on whether or not

he was a "Luke" or "Lucy" we were confirmed (for the 5th time) that he is for sure a boy! We can keep the wardrobe and begin the blue paint in the nursery! We have plans and that's a start!

One of the most amazing things I've ever experienced was the 3d/4d ultrasound.

They were just coming out with it when I was pregnant with Abby and it wasn't standard in my doctors office. You had to go to a private company and get your doctors approval, which she wouldn't give.

However, we were able to see him 3d and 4d at 12 weeks and again today. The 12 week pictures were kind of weird looking since he hadn't developed as much as he had by today. The images of his face are incredible.

You can tell that he has big cheeks, I think I see

some dimples and probably has mine and Abby's nose. His legs and fingers were long like Marks.

We didn't see any hair, which doesn't surprise me one bit! Abby's first haircut wasn't until she was 3 1/2! I'm sure there will be some sort of fuzz with a reddish tint, but until he celebrates his second birthday that might be all we get!

Today was amazing and so worth the lack of sleep from last night. With all of our struggles to get pregnant and our miscarriage over the last 4 1/2 years, to see this miracle growing inside of my is more than my heart

could ever imagine.

We love him so much already and our hearts are overflowing with joy. November can't come soon enough!

My next appointment is September 6th and I'll have to do the Glucose tolerance test to see if I have gestational diabetes. It wasn't an issue with Abby so I'm not expecting it to be with him! After that we'll go down to every 3 week visits and then 2 weeks and then hopefully he'll arrive soon after that!

Class of 2023

Can you believe that my baby has graduated from Kindergarten? This year has flown by and I for one am very sad.

We couldn't have been paired up with a better teacher and class this year. Abby had a blast. The only time I ever heard "I don't want to go to school today" was this morning, and she has an ear infection.

She toughed it out for her student lead conference and then we left. She walked Mark and I through her entire year. From colors to numbers to animals. It's really amazing what they teach you in kinder!

She is so ready for first grade - reading on a 2nd grade level and looking forward to doing all the fun things that her friend Ava has told her about this year. We're anxious to hear who her teacher is next year, but from what I've heard they are all wonderful.

It's going to be a pretty lazy summer. So far we've signed up for swim lessons! We've got a lot to do around the house to get ready for our new arrival. I know that Abby will be a huge help with that!

Bathroom Floors!

I finally was able to convince Mark to rip up the linoleum in the guest bathroom. It was something that we thought we would do right after we moved in - but we all know how that goes. It was bad - nothing would get it cleaned. I tried every cleaner...even bleach. It had to go! Luckily the tiles fit perfectly and the only cutting that had to be done was around the corners and the toilet! He did such a good job, I'm ready for him to re-tile the laundry room, entry way and kitchen! He has about 5 months to get it done. I want to be done with all the floors by the time the baby comes!

Abby's Dance Demonstration

Abby had a dance demonstration on Saturday. Each year the two dance studios take turns hosting a recital or demonstration. The demonstration is a less formal recital where photo's are allowed!

Abby did two dances. "It's my party" tap dance and "Singing in the Rain" ballet. She did a wonderful job!

It's a....

.....boy! We'll they're 90% sure it is. There was something seen between the legs!

Everything else looked great. My nuchal translucency testing all came back normal. The brain is developing right on track and we could see the stomach which means that the baby has started to swallow. Now the lungs can start to develop. The baby is a wiggle worm so it took her a while to get him still enough to be able to measure some things!

We are so thankful that this baby is healthy! 196 days to go (give or take).

What do you think??

Surprise!

We're pregnant!

Baby Boyle is due November 28th, 2011. At first we thought we might be having twins!

Baby at 5 weeks

However, after returning the next week, we just saw one baby with a flickering heart.

Baby at 6 weeks 1 day

We continue to monitor the baby on a weekly basis due to my previous miscarriage and my extreme anxiety. Baby continues to look very good, growing at a good pace with a wonderful and strong heartbeat.

Baby at 7 weeks 1 day

We're anxious to tell the family and most importantly, the big sister. After my first official appointment, we felt comfortable enough to tell Abby the good news. I thought that she would be cautious and ask a lot of questions due to our miscarriage. She's a strong girl, much stronger than I give her credit for. She took the news well and is very excited!

Baby 8 weeks 1 day

Big Sister gets some great news for her 1/2 birthday

A gift from the Easter Bunny...

We are finally beginning to breathe and enjoy this pregnancy. We've seen and heard the heartbeat several times. Our next appointment is on Monday at 12 weeks. There is a small chance that we can find out the sex, but we are just hoping for a happy and healthy baby. Until then, here is the most updated picture of our sweet baby to be!

9 weeks 3 days

Where have I been?

Wow - it's been over a year since I've blogged. I really thought that this was going to be something that I enjoyed and would do on a regular basis. Hum...

Well - lets see. Since last year lots have changed! Abby started kindergarten and is doing awesome! She is reading at a DR

A 20 (which is far beyond kindergarten recommendations). She loves her teacher, Mrs. Loftin. We couldn't have asked for a better fit for her!

She's been dancing again this year and playing kickball too. Her team is called the Lil' Ninjas, named after our womens team!

Kindergarten is alm

ost over and we are very sad. 6 1/2 years has gone by way too fast! I'm looking forward to spending time with her this summer. We plan to spend most of it at the pool!

Mark has gone to Brazil for work twice since the last time I posted. It's not an exciting trip, but it sure is long! Abby and I don't like it when he leaves, but we deal. It's not looking like he'll be going again anytime soon, though.

Garden Week 1

I started working again once Abb

y started school. I currently do Social Media Marketing for Cedar Park and Round Rock Farmers Markets. I love what I do and I have learned so much about the food that we eat, where it comes from and the hard life of a farmer. Learning what I have over the last 6 months we decided to build our own garden! We went a little too far! But - we had tons of lettuce and herbs. We recently harvested our first cucumber and some pearl onions.

Once the lettuce became too much, we harvested the entire heads. We replaced them with our cucumbers, green peppers, serrano peppers, jalapeños and moved our tomatoes around since they started growing very fast!

Garden Week 5

I guess that's it for now - check out my new post =)