It's all in the name!

It is official, Baby D, has more than a nickname! Logan is the first name of our sweet son. We are still working on the middle name, but we are so excited about his first name that we have already put it on his nursery wall. I just love hearing the sound of his name, Logan!

Another exciting moment is that we finished the nursery this weekend! "Camp Logan" is ready for safari visitors and we couldn't be more pleased with how it all turned out. Our vision is literally on the walls, and I think I have given Derek a million hugs and kisses today for all of his hard work. His craftsmanship and creativity truly turned Logan's room into a place for adventures. Logan can enjoy a giraffe, zebra, monkey, lion and even a working nightlight lantern!

Logan is now 14 inches long and weighs approximately a pound and a half. He is extremely active, and Derek and I already enjoy playing with him and talking to him. We play this Winnie the Pooh song for him at night before we go to bed and he just kicks away. Those are my favorite moments! We just love this little boy with all of our hearts already and are so excited about his arrival in a few months. I think even Sam and Polly will be excited when he gets here. They both love to lay their heads on my belly and I can only assume they are listening to his heartbeat. I love our little family and am so looking forward to our newest addition, Logan!

We are also excited to our upcoming adventures of Baby Basic classes, and of course some wonderful visitors in October, including my parents, other family and sweet friends! I am looking forward to enjoying these next few months spending quality time with those that mean the most in our lives and will mean the most in Logan's life. We are truly blessed!

Lions and Zebras and Giraffes, Oh My!

The nursery is coming along beautifully! Baby D will have his own safari getaway right here in our home. This past weekend we painted all of the animals on the wall: a giraffe peeking over the crib, a lion peeking out of the closet, a zebra saying hello over the changing table and a monkey waving from the window. Also, Derek has been hard at work putting up the fence on the wall around the room. He is also adding two corner posts on either side of the crib so that we can hang camping lanterns on either side for that safari-camp feel! Baby D will have sweet dreams in his own safari camp. We still plan to add a few more things to the room such as painting the baby's name above the crib and adding more around the window including window treatments and possibly a tree branch or vine for the monkey to hang from.

The nursery has been a fun project! Derek has enjoyed all of the woodworking and I have enjoyed having a project around the house that we can work on together. It is so fun to put on our painting clothes and work on Baby D's nursery. We are so excitedly awaiting his arrival!

We also had our 24 week appointment today and all is well! Our son was so funny today as he kept kicking the doppler as the doctor was trying to hear his heartbeat. I think he thought it was funny, and to Derek and I it was! Plus he made the doctor giggle a little. That's our son, already having fun! His kicks are very prominent now and hard...I like to call him my little karate kid and my Mom jokes that we should call him Jackie Chan due to his fine martial art skills inside the womb. It is fun to not only feel him kick, but to watch him from the outside. I can feel him turn, move and am waiting for the day I can feel his hiccups. Derek can now feel and see him every night which has been such a joy! We are both anticipating the day when he kicks one of the dogs as they are laying their heads on my belly. I am sure the dogs will have a look of utter confusion and Derek and I will be laughing, as always!

I also got to enjoy a wonderful spa day with my friend Shelley who is due in January as well. What a wonderful day and a wonderful pre-natal massage. Shelley and I were able to relax and enjoy being pampered pregos! Here is a picture of the two of us prior to our massages. Shelley has some great ideas for pictures once our babies are born as she is having a little girl and as you all know, we are having a little boy. I see hand holding and hugging pictures in our future!

I also wanted to share one funny story. As some of you know, I am substitute teaching until Baby D makes his arrival. This week is my first time in the classroom and the kids are so precious! I taught 2nd grade earlier in the week and the sweet children would put their hand on my belly, look up at me and whisper in wonderment, "is there a baby in there?" I would then say yes and they would smile with such joy and run back to their desk. The innocence and sweetness of children is wonderful.

So with that, I wrap up this blog entry! Please stay tuned for more nursery pictures as our goal is to have the nursery finished by October 11th when we will have family in town staying with us. I cannot wait to show you all the finished project and I am looking forward to taking many pictures of our son in his safari camp. I wish you all a wonderful week and I want to send a

special prayer and thought to my family that was affected by Ike as well as others that have been affected. We love you all!

Baby D goes to San Marcos!

Baby Deckard is growing so much these days (and so is my baby belly)! I just know he is one beautiful baby boy and is also a very active little one. I can feel him move everyday now and he has his patterns. I just love feeling him kick and move, it is such a special feeling. I am reaching the point where I am anxious to meet him! I am so excited for the day when Derek and I get to hold him in our arms and cuddle him. I have such hopes and dreams for this sweet baby and he is already such a blessing to our family.

This past weekend we took a road trip to San Marcos to visit my Parents as well as my best friend and her family. Our trip was so special as everyone was able to bond with little Baby D. All my Dad wanted was to feel one kick during the weekend and he got his wish the very first night we were there. Our sweet Baby D let out a big kick and the soon-to-be Grandpa felt him right away (my belly even moved). My Dad had the biggest smile and I truly think it made his day. My Mom sat with me so patiently throughout the weekend and she was able to feel him kick several times. Some big kicks and some small ones. Her face just lit up when she felt her Grandson. It was such a special bonding moment for the entire family. And as you can see from the picture, my parents are SO excited and proud to become grandparents!

Visiting with Lindsey and her family was such a treat this past weekend! Lindsey is due about a month ahead of me with her second child and it is so neat being prego together. Here is a picture of us and our baby bellies! Lindsey is a beautiful mother-to-be and it is so great to have a best friend like her.

Derek has been hard at work on the nursery! I have an amazing husband who is not only talented but so thoughtful and loving. He is putting so much creativity and work into Baby D's nursery. I am continuously amazed by his talents and know our children will always have very cool rooms, as well as a wonderful Dad. The latest on the nursery is that part of the fence is up, the grass is painted on the walls and the animals (a giraffe, an elephant, a monkey and a lion) will be painted this weekend. The closet has also been completed and looks so great in the room! The overall theme of the room is safari and Baby D's room is a safari camp that will have hanging lanterns and animals peeking over the fence. I have included a sneak peak, but keep in mind that we still have a ways to go before the room is complete.

Other than that, we are doing wonderful! I am feeling good and we just know January will be here before we know it! We go to the doctor next week for our 24 week check-up and should have another detailed sonogram somewhere around the 28th week. We are so ready to see this little guy again!

T Minus 4 Months and Counting!

T Minus 4 Months and Counting! (pictures by Kristi House)




What a wonderful few weeks! First, Derek and I went to Ruidoso last weekend to visit my Grandparents, Aunt, Cousin and his Wife (pictures of the family below). It was a bittersweet trip as that was the last time Derek and I will be able to travel there to see my Grandparents until after the baby is born due to the altitude. However, I cannot wait until next year when we get to take Baby D to Ruidoso to meet his GreatGrandparents in person. Our visit last weekend was absolutely wonderful and of course the weather in the mountains was so nice! We enjoyed visiting with family, showing off the baby bump and shopping for our sweet son. Also, Dustin's wife Kristi (my cousin-in-law who is really more like my sister-in-law) took some great pregnancy photos for us. I have shared a sneak peak above and Derek and I cannot wait to see the full shoot. Kristi is growing her portfolio and I think she is a great photographer!

During the last two weeks I have been able to feel the baby kick and move multiple times a day. I am starting to learn his patterns and love it when he wakes up and I can feel him moving around. The reassurance is so nice and the bond I am starting to grow with him is amazing! I even saw one kick from the outside two days ago. Sweet Derek tries to feel the kicks and I know in just a few more weeks, he will finally be able to feel his son kicking. Derek does laugh at me because every now and then our little boy hits a nerve and tickles me from the inside, and I just start laughing and squirming! This little guy is active and we already love him so much.

And at 21 weeks along, we have the crib all set up! It was an adventure taking the old '69 Chevy truck to Mesquite to pick up the crib. I cannot wait to write the full story in the baby book. I am happy we have the crib in our house and happy we will be putting the truck up for sale! I love the truck, but we could use the storage space in the garage and I know our future spare time will be spent with Baby D. However, I included a picture of Derek in the truck as this country girl thinks her husband looks really good driving it!

After Derek set up the crib and we finalized plans for the rest of the nursery, we attended my friend Jennifer's wedding on Saturday night. It was a spectacular event held in Denton and the bride and groom couldn't be happier! Below is a picture of me feeling like one giant polka dot! However, you can see that the baby bump is growing. And thank you to all of my friends who told me once I made it through the first trimester, the second trimester would be bliss. It is so true! I feel great, excluding the swelling feet I noticed yesterday (we now call my toes my little sausages). But, hey, it's all worth it!

We also realized this weekend that baby toys could accidentally become dog toys if we don't watch the two Danes. Baby D's nursery will have the cute monkey in the photo below hanging in his room, however Polly truly thought the toy was hers this weekend. She sat like such a good girl waiting for Derek to hand it to her only to learn that it was not for her. However, from another view, I have a feeling dog toys may become baby toys! The next year and on will be such a wonderful journey full of laughter and love.

So, it has been an adventurous two weeks and somewhere in there Derek and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary. We are both so happily focused on Baby that we forgot to wish each other Happy Anniversary until later in the day. I think our parents and Aunt remembered quicker than we did! However, we enjoyed a nice anniversary dinner and were sure to wish each other a "Happy Day After Our Anniversary" the very next morning!

What an exciting week!

So, it has been over a week since we heard, "It's a Boy" and we are getting everything ready for our son's arrival! I cannot wait to meet him and hold him for the first time. It is so wonderful being pregnant with our little one.

This weekend we purchased all that is needed to get the nursery ready for Baby Boy D and I have a feeling it is going to look great! Derek has a lot of projects ahead of him, but he is excited to get started. I have included the before pictures of the nursery. It looks like a construction site right now, but the transformation will be wonderful! One thing I wanted to note are the matching Mommy and Son rocking chairs. The big rocking chair is the one my Mom rocked me in as a baby and the little rocking chair was Derek's when he was little. We are so lucky to have both of these items in the baby's room.

I have also included the latest pictures of my prego belly. I can feel our baby boy just about everyday and it is the neatest thing! Although, the other day I felt a new feeling and wasn't sure if I should say ouch or laugh when he kicked. I am sure there are many more of those new sensations to come!

I would like to send out a thank you to all of our wonderful friends and family! You all have honestly made this pregnancy so special for us. Between my friends that indulge in greasy food with me to the ones that are helping us figure out all of the baby items we need, thank you! And a special thank you to our families who listen to us go on and on about all of the little stuff we are experiencing as well as watch the DVD of our son with us. I also have three prego friends, Kim, Shelley and Lindsey who have been so wonderful to talk with about all of the weird pregnancy stuff that happens. We love all of you and are so blessed to have you in our lives!

It's a...

BOY! In the doctor's words "Undeniably paint the world blue because this child is a boy!" Derek and I are absolutely thrilled! We cannot wait to welcome our son into this world and look forward to his first smile, first hug and pretty much his first everything. We feel so blessed to be welcoming a boy into our family. Derek is excited to have a little buddy and son's always love their mommies so we are both SO happy!

We told my parents with a mailed package complete with a baseball glove, baseball cap, blue bib and a letter. I have included a little bit of the letter in this blog:

"Today I saw your Grandson like never before. He is an absolutely perfect 9 ounces with 10 tiny fingers and 10 tiny toes. We saw his face and I think he is handsome already (although he looks more like an alien than a human at this point)...I saw your beautiful Grandson do several somersaults today and play a little hide and go seek with the sonogram technician. While she was trying to take a look at the heart he couldn't stop wiggling, which made me laugh and made him wiggle more. Then when she tried to get a picture of his face he turned backwards and put his face down. Then when it was time to look at his legs and feet, he curled his legs right up under him. He was definitely having a fun time today and was a joy to watch."

Tonight we plan on watching the DVD of the sonogram, as I cannot get enough of him already! This weekend the nursery decorating will begin! The theme is safari complete with jungle animals such as giraffes, lions, elephants and monkeys. I will post pictures on the various stages of the nursery, so you can see where our sweet angel will be sleeping.

Life is certainly grand and I am so happy to soon be a family of 3 and 2 Danes, although I will be outnumbered as there will be more boys in the house than girls. Oh, but what a joy a little boy will be! We love you all and thank you for reading our blog and sharing in our excitement.

Our little turnip

We are so excited about our little turnip! The baby is 5 inches long and is considered the size of a turnip, hence why we are calling it our little turnip! A sneak peak into next week shows that we will be calling Baby D our little bell pepper.

I can now feel the baby kick every few days, which is so neat! It is still too early to feel constant movement, so I treasure the moments when I feel a little kick close to my belly button. We have now learned that Baby D loves anything with base (at least that is when I can feel the kicks). This weekend, it was live Texas Country that got our Baby moving. I wish Derek could feel what I feel, however soon enough he will. In the meantime, he enjoys talking to our little one. Usually he tells some funny story about me that makes me laugh and gives the baby a ride.

Derek and I have an exciting August planned, including a trip to Ruidoso to visit with my Grandparents, my sweet Aunt and my Cousin and his cutie Wife. It will be the first time for them to see my baby belly, so we are all excited.

I also wanted to share some great news about my Mom. She won The Honoring Women Entrepreneurs Award for being one of the most dynamic and inspiring business leaders in San Marcos for 2008. I am so proud of her! My Mom has always instilled a sense of community involvement and volunteerism in me, and I plan to pass that spirit onto our children. Here is a picture of my Mom and Dad with the award she won. Yeah, Mom!

I wish all of you a wonderful week! Stay tuned for next week's post as we should find out if this little one is a boy or girl next Wednesday!