Growing

I have only posted one official "look at my belly" pic on FB. I decided to share with you Ella Claire's growth pictures. Especially since my last post talked about how I haven't gained weight, I wanted to be sure you knew that she is growing! These are personal pics that have, up until this point only been on my iphone! But if you are going to have a blog you should put up pics! Now all the pics have been taken by me in the mirror (which I HATE doing) but if you know my husband he has no "picture" taking patience with me (i'm rather difficult to work with) so that only leaves me to take the pics! We tried to take pics at Christmas in front of the tree and after about 25 pics and an outfit change I decided it was best for me to just do it :)
So here you go.....Ella Claire's growth so far!

(I love how in the first two i'm dying to show off my nearly non existent bump and have no clue what to do with my arm. "I don't know what to do with my hands right now" - Ricky Bobby)

15 weeks

20 weeks

25 weeks

35 weeks

I officially have 4wks 5days left! I look at the pic above and can't imagine getting bigger than that! All you momma's are probably laughing thinking "she has no idea what the next 4wks 5days are going to do to her!" You're right and I don't want to know! :)

Time

Time is flying by! I can't believe that my "what to expect" app on my phone says 6 weeks left! This is insane to me. I remember getting the app on my phone when I found out I was pregnant and scrolling through to the end and praying God would take us to that point with a healthy baby and here I am!!

I had my 34 week Dr's appt yesterday where I was SCOLDED for losing the only 4lbs i've actually gained in this pregnancy! You heard right 4lbs. Now lets remember that I was a very sick gal for many months and lost right around 20lbs. I had only gained back 4 of that and now i've gained back zero! Some of you may be thinking "gosh she is lucky" while others are shaking your heads in disgust that I don't feed my baby! Let me reassure you....I eat! I just don't eat a lot. I also have been sick for a bout a week with some sort of virus. I ended up at the Texas Med Clinic last week only to have them tell me there isn't anything they can do (which there isn't). I had a semi embarrassing moment while I was there that included me almost passing out and being put in a wheel chair and rolled back to some "trauma" room with my feet elevated, an ice pack on my neck, water, & crackers. Not the best day! J also had to leave work and come get me because they didn't want me to drive home. Lets remember that all of this happened while in the middle of trying to talk to a very nice Dr. who I happen to know and came out to say hi and check on me!

I'm getting really excited about celebrating Ella Claire with my friends and family at an upcoming shower. Thanks to all the gals who are getting it together! It means the world to me!!!

Last but not least. My dreams are coming true! My mother is moving to TEXAS!!!!!! I'm head over heels in excitement!! She will get to be a part of Ella Claire's life on a DAILY basis. The best part is that she is in a hurry to get here. So this is not a "someday" thing. This is a "as soon as my house sells or I get a job i'm packing!" So please be praying with us. She has a God ordained interview this Thursday at 1pm. Did I mention how good God is? She didn't make this decision over night. She has been fervently praying for a long time and God is opening and closing doors in such a clear way! Thank you Lord for answered prayers. I try to say that "Ella needs her grandma, or it's just not fair for her to grow up with only half of her family" when in reality I am the one who needs my mom! 6 years living 12 hours away is all I can handle!!!!!

Also please check out my friends blog for a chance to win BabyLegs and to be inspired by her writing. It's amazing and i'm addicted to reading it and know you will be too! Read this post in particular to hear just a portion of her testimony.

Be looking for a "Nursery" update coming your way soon :)

32 Weeks!

I am 32 weeks this week! WOW how quickly it has gone by. We had our last sono this morning. It was amazing to say the least. We haven't seen her in 12 weeks. She looked perfect. Our Dr. said she was a small baby and shouldn't weight more than 7lbs at birth. Yay for me ;) Here is a video of some of the sono from today. You can see her face as she is sucking and sticking her tongue out. The last part you can see that she has her fingers in her mouth. SO CUTE!

(excuse the poor quality, thanks)

Some days I just go sit in the chair in her nursery and dream of what it will be like to have her here with us and at the same time treasure each moment that she is still with me in the womb. I have such mixed emotions about her arrival. I'm beyond excited and super anxious but just as scared as any first time mom would be. Facing the unknown. I don't like any "unknowns". I like to KNOW! Lets face it i'm nosey and impatient and like to know every detail of what will happen. God is still working on me in these areas.

I have been feeling really good and very much enjoying this part of my pregnancy. Feeling her move all the time is great. J got a little freaked out last night because she was really trying to stick some "limb" out. Pretty great watching his reaction.

We have had a great weekend! We went to the rodeo Saturday and saw CLAY WALKER! Oh YEAH! Heather and I saw him when we were kids several times and thought it would be fun to relive our childhood memories. It was fun! Here are a few pics!

These cowboys are nuts!!

We are excited! (this is before Heather's power nap on Brent's shoulder!)

We ran into some friends and fam!

That is my "monster bag" of cotton candy! (stop judging me! ;)

My Blue Eyed Hunk!

The blurry man behind Brent was very ummm drunk and annoying and also smoking a huge cigar. Brent was creating a "block" for us!

My goal is to do a little better at updating my blog. But who knows..... :)

Peacocks

I'm so excited that I have to do a whole blog just to tell you all that my mom is the best mom EVER! She has purchased Ella Claire's bedding! I have been in love with it from the beginning but it was a little on the pricey side for us! Thank God for Grammie Lan!! I still have to wait until after Christmas to get it but I think I can handle it since i've already ordered the fabric swatches to be sent to my house. Obsessed much? Yes I am! My mom is also throwing a shower for us the week after Christmas in Arkansas so that we can celebrate Ella Claire with all of my family. I'm so thankful that my family will get to celebrate with us! I LOVE Christmas but I told J last night that I think this year i'm more excited about the week after Christmas than Christmas it's self. Is that wrong? Probably but still I can't help it! So here it is drum roll please...........

The "Natasha Bedding" from Serena and Lily

I know you probably aren't near as excited about it as I am but that's ok. Just pretend you are! I will probably be painting the walls a light grey/green color. Similar to the little flourish on the bumper.

We are painting the crib white. I bought the crib at a garage sale for $40. It was at the "grandparents" house so very slightly used and it converts into a toddler bed(pics to come)!

J is building a unit to go around the window that will have shelves and a bench seat (it will be painted white) similar to this just less modern and a few variations of layout. This will give us plenty of storage space.

J's mom said that she could handle making a cushion for the window seat. I just need to figure out fabric.

We are hoping to do a molding/bead board on the wall similar to this if the budget allows.

If you come across anything good that you think would match, message me!! I'd love to hear what you think!

New Birth

God is doing something new!

"Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is!" Isaiah 43:16

Something bigger than we can imagine!

"This isn't a variation on the same old thing. This is new, brand-new, something you'd never guess or dream up." Isaiah 48:1

I can't begin to explain how much "New Birth" is echoing in my spirit. Not just a physical birth but a spiritual birth. God had spoken this to me before I was pregnant and recently brought it back to the forefront in a much clearer way. He has confirmed it through unknowing people. People who I have the upmost respect for. They are not even aware of the depth their words/prayers have meant to me.

"And I don't need to see it to believe it, I dont need to see it to believe it, Cause I cant shake this Fire deep inside my heart"

That one line describes exactly the feeling that is resonating with me right now! I'm so passionate about following Him! He has given me new hope, new strength, new wisdom, and new birth!!! My heart is overwhelmed with His love!

I hope this encourages you to pursue what God has called you to. Just take one small step in that direction!

Ella Claire

Thats right! Baby Dorrough is now Ella Claire Dorrough!! We are so excited to bring in a sweet baby girl to our family!!!!!

I have always felt from the beginning of this pregnancy that I was carrying a girl. The strange thing is, I would picture what it would be like to have our baby at home and at church and always pictured a boy. Weird right?

I am so excited about all the girly stuff that comes along with having a girl. Everything is so soft and peaceful. I am most excited to see her with her dad. The relationship between father and daughter is so precious to me that my heart almost hurts with joy! J is going to be wrapped around her finger! I can barely think about him holding her in his arms for the first time without tears welling up. And that day when i'm not there and he has to fix her hair or pick out her outfit. Most of all as he teaches her the things of the Lord. As he takes her on daddy dates and shows her how precious she is to him and to God. J is an amazing husband and treats me like a queen. I know that his love for our daughter will be the same.

God's love for us is so much greater than our love for anything here on this earth. I've always thought that His relationship with girls is so intimate and precious. How He loves His daughters and has given us this "intuition" to help guide our families. How as wives we know exactly what our husbands need to hear in times of trouble and if you have a wise husband they listen even if it's not what they want to hear (well sometimes ha). Not sure where i'm going with this so i'll stop. You get my point God loves us and thinking of J and our daughter reminds me of His love.

So i'm on the hunt for nursery decor for a little girl. If you come across anything cute be sure and send me the link! For all the moms out there please tell me if there is something that you have for your baby that is a "must have".

I ordered this sling yesterday from www.sevenslings.com.

They are running a promotion for a free sling! You have to pay shipping so it ends up being $15. That's a GREAT deal! Just type in "turkey" when you go to check out. Not sure how long they are running the promo? This is my first purchase and I can't wait to get it in.

Special thanks to a very special Doctor who slipped me in for the ultra-sound! Your friendship is precious to me and i'll always remember that special moment we got to share! I've watched the video back a few times and laugh at the goofy smile on your face and how I have to put the phone to my ear to hear you whisper "I think it's a girl"!!! So great!!! Love you!

16 Weeks!

Just thought i'd give you a little pregnancy update! For those of you who have been around me you already know that these first 16 weeks have been, well lets just say less than ideal. I always thought to myself "hmmm i've never been one of those sick people so when I get pregnant it will be so easy and i'm tough so it won't get me down or change my circumstances" HAHAHA boy was I wrong! I've been throwing up every day since week 7. This resulted in weight loss of almost 20lbs and a trip to the ER receiving 2 liters of fluid and the MIRACLE drug Zofran! Seriously Zofran was created in Heaven! Since we got the vomiting down to just the mornings i've been feeling much better! Then we find out I have something called Hyperthyroidism. Yeah I've never heard of it either. Apparently my thyroid is very overactive. I'm now on medicine that I have to take three times a day! THREE TIMES! Who has time for that? But I did find out today that it's working. Praise the Lord!

Meanwhile i've been able to see our sweet baby much more than anticipated and he/she is doing GREAT! Growing so fast!

I've started to feel the baby move. It's more like a rolling feeling if you could imagine that or if you've been pregnant before you know what I mean. I also rented a doppler. Best thing ever! I can listen to the heartbeat every day!

Funny story. I recorded the heartbeat on my phone and sent it to the Grandparents. This will be my Mom and Dad's first grand-baby so the word "excited" doesn't come close to describing how "excited" they are! My Dad calls to tell me that he has been letting other people hear the heartbeat! He says "I went into the John-Deer place and let Delores hear the heartbeat! That's just the coolest thing! How did you do that anyways?" My Dad is a farmer for those of you who don't know my family. So the John-Deer place is a frequent stop for him. He use to take my brother and I with him when he would go and the very sweet lady Delores would give us penny's so we could get a piece of bubble gum from her little machine. I know that He will be taking my kids with him on these trips to the "John-Deer place" too. These memories melt my heart! My Dad is one of the hardest working people I know and also one of the most loving. His name will be Papa Den (his real name is Dennis).

(yes that is a real gap in my teeth....braces people braces)

I love living in San Antonio and I'm so thankful for J's amazing family and my church family but, this pregnancy has left me missing my family back home so much. I long for a day that I could be closer to them! Having a baby that only gets to see their grandparents on holiday's or a few times a year is really hard for me to swallow. I grew up being so close to both sets of my grandparents and they were a HUGE influence on my life. This will be a new chapter that i'm going to have a hard time getting use to. I am at least praying that my sweet, loving, wonderful, amazing, beautiful, caring Mother will move down to San Antonio when the baby is here!!!!!!!!! wink wink Mom :) My mom will be called Grammi-Lan! (Her real name is Lee Ann and you can thank Rebecca Gunter for the "Lan" we have no clue why she calls my Mom that but we like it)

I will hopefully know the sex of the baby within the next couple of weeks and will be sure to post when we find out! For now little Ella Claire or Davis is still growing!

I love you baby Dorrough! More than I ever thought I could love anyone. I can't wait for the day that I can hold you in my arms and squeeze you. I long for that morning when I wake up and see you at home peeking over the top of your crib smiling at me in your cute little footed PJ's! You are a gift from God and His plans for you are so great!