Miss Madelynn has found her thumb!!! It was so sweet to witness in person her suck her thumb and then also stick out her tongue. The picture is a little blurry so it makes her nose look big or kind of like double nose but in fact the ultra sound tech said she had a dainty, cute nose!!

Growing, growing...we both are growing!!!

Everyone always asks for the tummy shot. We have even gotten several Christmas cards with people asking for a shot of the belly. When I am wearing clothes it is even less noticeable but here is a picture of my tummy at exactly 20 weeks!!! Half way there with still so much more belly to grow!!

Growing like a weed....

We are officially half way and we cannot wait for the next 20 weeks to fly as quickly as this first half has already done!!!

Miss Madelynn checked out perfectly this morning at the doctor's visit and is measuring right where they want her to be. We had a level 2 ultra sound which basically just looks at all of her anatomy. We got to see the four chambers of her heart, her kidneys, her bladder, her stomach, her spine, the lobes of her brain, and other various parts. The cutest thing by far was that she stuck her tongue out and you could clearly see it and then the majority of the visit she spent putting her hands up by her face and then right before we left and were done she sucked her thumb for us!! It was very neat and special to see!! Matt was at the appointment with me and reveled in the magic too!!

The cat is out of the bag part duex

So the cat is out of the bag to my Dad on what the sex of Peanut is....my grandmother (his mother) accidentally said something while she was on the phone with him!! We are a little disappointed but we kind of knew that it was bound to happen. The only thing we wish is that it had been either myself or Matt that slipped up and told him because then we would still get his reaction. We know it was an accident and my grandmother was so upset with herself....there is no reason to be upset. We still get the surprise of what she will look like when she gets here in May and meeting her for the first time!!

So.....the blog will not have to be in code words anymore. Although Peanut is still one of my favorite nicknames and I will still refer to Madelynn as Peanut some.

On a happy note....we got all the results back from the genetic tests that we chose to have completed and everything is great. Madelynn passed with flying colors!!! We elected to have some additional tests that are offered not because we have a history of anything but because we just wanted to be prepared. Since I work with children with varying syndromes and chromosomal disorders....I just wanted to know what I was getting into in case I needed to start researching certain specialists!! Miss Maddie is a miracle from God and so far she is checking out to be perfect!!!

We go on Monday (Dec. 21) for the Level 2 ultrasound that will look at all of her anatomy to make sure she is measuring the way she should. It will check for heart defects, kidney size, etc. We are very excited to see her again and see how much she has grown!!!

I will post another picture of my belly this weekend....still no real bump....sorry to disappoint. I know that I am going to wake up one morning and see a big difference. Most people I tell still don't even know or believe that I am pregnant because the bump is not there. I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts because I know that it will come and by the end I will be ready for the bump to go away!!

Hope that most of you have gotten our Christmas card!!! We love receiving Christmas cards in the mail. Wishing you and your family and wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!!

Using up the labels....

So you will all notice that the return address on your Christmas card is our family label. I usually use Christmas ones or more formal ones but......we gotta use these up because come May our label will have to change. Peanut Smith will have to be added to the label....I can't wait to order them closer to Peanut's arrival and see how cute they will be.

It's a..........

***Warning...Dad DON'T read this***

You all might be wonderfing about the WARNING...that is because my dad doesn't want to know the sex of Peanut Smith until we have the baby!! He thinks that waiting to find out is one of the best surprises that God gives someone and he really wants to be surprised!! That being said my whole family is going to try their best to keep it a secret. Which means that a lot of my posts will be still referring to Peanut Smith and trying not to give it away. I do think waiting til delivery would be a fun surprise but Matt and I just could not wait...we would have never lasted!!




It's a GIRL!!!! We found out yesterday that little Peanut Smith is a GIRL!!! We are thrilled and we cannot wait to welcome Madelynn Frances into our family in early May!!

What's in a name you might be asking.....well I have always called Matt by the nickname Matty and we thought it was a cute name so we thought we could call our child Maddie but what would her real name be. We decided on Madelynn because we both love it so much. Her middle name, Francis, was the name of my maternal grandmother who I called Granny. At the time she passed away I was her only grandchild and we had a very special bond. The simplest and smallest things were the most fun with her. She passed away from Hodgkin's Disease when I was in the 5th grade and was never able to see me graduate from High school, graduate from Auburn, get married, or even be here for the birth of my first child. I know that she is looking down and she is proud of who I am and who I married. I cannot think of a more perfect middle name for my little girl than Francis!!! I grew up knowing how much my Granny loved me and how proud of me she was!! I hope and pray that I can make Madelynn feel that same way each and every day!!

The cutest PEANUT ever.....

My best friend, Jessica, has always been the greatest shopper and best gift giver!! Needless to say she struck again....We met for dinner last night and she had a present for us and I thought I was going to die when I saw how cute it was.

As you know we have referred to our little baby as Peanut Smith!!! She found us this onesie that says it all. I cannot wait to see Peanut Smith in this precious little shirt with some little pants or jeans!! We love you Jess and we know that Peanut will love you just as much. You are going to be the greatest aunt ever!!!

Here is my tummy at 17 weeks. Not too much change but I do feel like any day now I am going to wake up and see a big difference!!! Excuse the mismatch PJ's....I threw on pj pants that morning because I was cold!!

Things we are thankful for....

Not too much has happened since my last post. I did have several tests completed on myself and the baby and EVERY single one of them came back with a good report. What a blessing!!!

One of the many traditions that Matt's family participates in is to go around the dinner table and say three things that you are thankful for on Thanksgiving. Even if the family is not all together we make sure and email and share our 3 things. It is a wonderful way to share and hear every one's thoughts and feelings. We have continued the tradition now that we are married no matter where Thanksgiving is or who is there.

This year there was much to be thankful for:
My list:
A healthy pregnancy and healthy baby
A wonderful family
A great, stable jobs that we both love!

Matt's list:
A healthy wife and baby
A wonderful family
A great new job with lots of new opportunities

Matt and I both know that 2010 holds so many new special memories for our family. We hope that it will be the best year yet for our entire family!!

It is hard to believe that I am 17 weeks pregnant already and that in 3 short weeks I will be half way!!! I go to the doctor this coming Friday, December 4th for a check-up. I am not scheduled to have an ultra sound but I am going to see if I can persuade my OB to let me find out the sex. I will have to have them place it in an envelope and Matt and I can open it together when he gets home after work. Otherwise we find out in 3 weeks on December 21st!!! We are still trying to decide if we will still do the envelope thing and open it on Christmas morning!! We plan to share with our family on Christmas morning even if we find out on the 21st.

Stay tuned......if we find out this Friday then we will be sure to share!!!

This one is of the baby's elbow and hand. The baby pulled his/her hand and placed it on the face. Hard to believe that all the little bones of the fingers are already there!!!

This one is really blurry but this is Peanut moving
his/her hand up towards his/her face!! So sweet to
see in person!!

Baby Peanut!!!

Sorry it might be fuzzy...it is hard to get it to transfer to the blog and the pictures are different to begin with because they are on extremely shiny paper....

This is our Peanut at 13 weeks, 4 days. No more shrimp!!! Look at that profile!! So cute already!

End of the first, heading into the Second......

So I went for my 13 week doctors visit and ultra sound last week and had a wonderful visit!! Our little Peanut has gone from looking "shrimp" or "seahorse" like to looking like a baby!! Amazing what just 3 weeks can do!! I heard the heartbeat for the very first time and was amazed at how little Peanut still is but how strong the heartbeat is already!! The doctor said everything looked great. They even moved my due date up to May 10th!!! Inching closer and closer to my dad's birthday (May 9th) and Matt's sisters birthday (May 8th)!! We shall see.

We were hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of peanuts anatomy down below to see boy or girl...but no such luck! That little Peanut is too comfy in there...can you blame them!!! The ultra sound tech tried her best to move the baby and even had me cough but to no avail baby wouldn't change positions. I kept envisioning the movie "Look Who's Talking" with Kirstie Alley and John Travolta where the baby talks in utero and makes funny comments. I am sure that our Peanut was saying "Whoa what is all this poking...Whoa lady why are you waking me from my slumber...I was pretty cozy you know." I just cracked up thinking about that movie. So we did not find out the sex of the baby but we will for sure on December 21st. We can't wait and we are counting the weeks!!!

My doctor told me that everything looked great. She said I am healthy and strong and fully expects for us to be given a very healthy baby. I did have some testing done for chromosomal disorders (Down syndrome, etc.) and should receive the results of that soon. We have no reason to worry but you never know God's plans for our baby.

The biggest prayer request we have is for everyone to continue to pray for a healthy baby for one but most importantly for me to remain as healthy as I have been for the remainder of the pregnancy. After much thought and many prayers I have decided that I am not going to vaccinate myself with the H1N1 vaccine. I am not comfortable with the amount of time that it has been out or the length of the studies that are being done on the long term effects. I feel confident in my decision and am doing everything I can do to stay as healthy as possible....so please continue to pray for that!! Thank you all for your love, prayers, and wonderful comments during this magical time for us!!

The beginning of a bump

This is the beginning of a slight bump...still in my own clothes but watching my waistline disappear a little more each day!!

I have the first two months on my camera and at the moment I cannot find my camera!!! Trying not to panic!!! Not that there was a belly anwyway but I did take a picture at 4 weeks and 8 weeks to have.

This picture is my tummy this week at 13 weeks!! 1/3 of the way there and still a lot of belly left to grow!!!

The cat is out of the bag......Peanut Smith is annoounced to the world!!

We have shared with all of our friends now and we even posted on facebook...which seems so funny to me that once you put it on facebook it becomes like paparazzi knowledge. It is amazing what a virtual world we are now days!!

We went on October 19 for my first OB appointment and we saw the baby and saw the heartbeat. What an incredible thing!!! I think it made it that much more real for Matt because up until that point there was no physical signs for him that I was really carrying a baby. The only thing he had to go by was my sickness that lasted about 3 weeks and my sheer exhaustion!! We were both so giddy when we left and are thankful for a healthy baby!! The doctor said the baby looked great and the way it should for 10 weeks. We have affectionally started calling the baby Peanut Smith...at least until we find out the sex!!

Tomorrow, November 6th I go back again for my first Trimester screen and work up. I am offically 13 weeks and now moving into my second trimester this weekend!! Yippee!! Hard to believe that we are already 1/3 of the way there. May 14th is our expected due date and I think it will be here before we know it. May is a great month for both of our families because between my family and his there are 8 birthday's in the month of May...so why not add another right?

We are going to be parents!!!

We have experienced a lot of incredible things together from Auburn memories, traveling around the country, getting married, joining families...but nothing will compare to being parents!! We are extremely excited about what God has in store for us over the next 9 months. We have not shared our news with anyone except family and some very close friends but we did want to start this blog to chronicle what is going on. Our parents are extended family are thrilled!! This will the be fourth grandchild on Matt's side and the first on mine. I am an only child as most of you know so the grandchildren that we have will be it for my parents which I know means they will be loved more than I can even explain. I know I speak for Matt as well by saying that I hope that we are half the parents that ours were. They loved us unconditionally, showed us right from wrong, taught us how to be giving God worshipping believers, how to care for others, and how to follow dreams and always be the best we can be!!! I know they will also be wonderful support for us and it will be fun to watch them be grandparents and do all the fun stuff!!!

We thought this blog would be a great way to share with those both near and far. I love reading all my friends blogs so I hope that y'all will enjoy reading ours just as much. This will be a great way to update everyone on how things are going, how the baby is progressing, pictures, and all the magical moments that come with expecting!!

I am currently only 6 weeks pregnant so it will be some time before the cat is out of the bag!!! So far so good. I have been extremely tired but feeling pretty good!! Matt and I enjoy reading each week the size of the baby...currently the size of a lentil bean!! That is so tiny....really incredible to think about. Keep you posted soon!!!

Thanks for sharing in this wonderful journey with us!!

Love, H

Above is a picture of our Peanut at 10 weeks!! This was our very first ultra sound picture!! So amazing!!