It's Been Awhile!

I have been a bad blogger lately!  I have meant to stay up to date on my blogging, but life got in the way!  Here is what we have been up to lately...

We are now 5 months pregnant and half way there!  I cannot believe the time is going so quickly.  I am getting a little baby bump and people can finally tell that I am pregnant (and not just gaining weight!).  On March 14th, we went to our last doctor's appointment.  I was 18 weeks pregnant at the time and took Kevin with me to persuade Dr. W to do an ultrasound.  Little did I know, no persuasion would be necessary!  We were met by my nurse, Katie, and she let us know that we would be getting an ultrasound and that would likely find out what we are having!!  I could not contain my excitement, and neither could she... she asked if we minded if she went in with us.  Of course we didn't mind... she has been with us through the whole journey and was a great big cheerleader for us!  We love her and wish her well... she is going through IF too so she knows how we feel.

We got into the room and it didn't take much time at all.  We found out in the first 2 minutes that we are having..........

A BOY!!!
The tech said that everything looked perfect and she didn't see anything that was concerning to her.  Music to my ears.  Here are our photos from that day...

We caught a yawn!

Hi Momma and Daddy!

Money Shot!  Definitely a BOY!!

That Friday, my sweet big sis had my 2nd nephew... Grant!  He is so precious and will be spoiled rotten!  Her 2 boys and my son are going to get into all kinds of trouble.. and I'm looking forward to it!  Next year at the beach should be a blast with 3 boys age 3 and under!  Here is my sweet nephew:

Kevin and I went home to Mississippi for our annual trip to the St. Patty's Day Parade.  It was the first time I had seen several people since finding out we are pregnant. 

Mom and Me

My Baby Bump (and first maternity top!!)

Me and the Hubby

My hubby's crazy hat attracted lots of beads!

My family (Minus my big sis, bro-in-law, nephews, and little sis.  WE MISSED YOU ALL!!)

Crawfish for dinner!!

We had a wonderful weekend and it was over too quickly!!  On another note... Only one more week until Spring Break!  It can't get here fast enough!

It's Official!!

We are PREGNANT!  We had our last IUI on November 23, the day before Thanksgiving.  We went through the Thanksgiving holidays and I really tried not to think about it.  Then, on December 5th, I could not wait any longer and so I took a test.  To my amazement, there were 2 pink lines!!  Kevin had just started his first day at his new dealership.  I called him and asked him how his day was.  He was tired and said that it had been crazy.  When I told him the news, all he could say was WOW.  We were SO excited!!

We decided that we would tell our families for Christmas.  For my parents, we bought a nice bottle of wine and I tied a pacifier to the neck.  It took my mom a few seconds, but she finally caught on! 

(Sorry Mom... I had to post it!  It was too cute not to!)

For Kevin's parents, we wrapped up a second pacifier and put it under the tree in the very back.  Kevin's brother decided that everyone's presents needed to be in front of them before we began to open them.  So, the gift ended up on the top of my mother-in-law's pile.  She opened it first!  It wasn't how we planned, but it worked out in the end!

Our first doctor's appointment was January 5th.  It was the longest wait of my life!  As we went into the room for our first ultrasound, I was a nervous wreck!  The US tech was the same one who told us the bad news last time.  She must have picked up on my vibes, because she was very quick to get started and she told us that everything was ok!  Our baby was measuring at the exact week and the heartrate was 164.  She turned on the audio so we could hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time.  I cannot explain the feeling I had.  It was the best sound I have ever heard! 

We decided to wait until February to make the news public.  I am now in my 13th week and safely in the 2nd trimester.  We have been to the doctor twice now and everything is wonderful.  To let everyone know on Facebook, we posted this picture with the caption "We are adding a Little Bulldog to our family!!"  The amount of support and congratulations was overwhelming.  We feel so loved!  There are so many people praying for us now.

It has been a hard road, but I truly believe that things happen for a reason.  This is the perfect time for us.  We are so blessed.  I can't wait to meet our new little one in August!

My Last Day of Summer...

Such a bummer! It is my very last day of summer vacation. I have enjoyed everyday of the summer and I loved all of my carefree days! But, every good summer must come to an end. It is always refreshing knowing that soon I will be starting brand new school year- new kids, new parents, new year! I have to say that I am looking forward to getting back into a routine. There is also one more good thing about the end of summer.... FOOTBALL SEASON!!! If you know me at all, you know that this is my FAVORITE time of year! I anxiously wait for my tickets to be delivered and count down the days- 26 days! I love watching my Bulldogs play and we are looking forward to a great season! Our team is on the rise!  Below are a few of my favorite pics from last season:

Yesterday, I had my annual OB appointment.  I always dread this appointment but yesterday it was a little worse.  I had not seen Dr. W since the D&C and it just brought back icky memories.   Everything looks great and he told me that he got the results back from the D&C.  He said that we had "severe chromosomal abnormalites."  Most people only have 1 or 2 chromosome problems.  I had 5.  This was just not meant to be and God took care of us.  We are back on the IF train so prayers that it works again!

On another note, I was looking at my sister's blog today and came across a blog that she follows.  It is called When Hello Means Goodbye and blogger is a sweet girl who lost her first baby after 21 weeks.  She then found out that she had kidney disease and needed a kidney transplant.  Her story is amazing and it really puts things in perspective!  You can read more about her here. 

Have a great weekend!!

Summer Things...

I have loved my summer and I have been busy! I just wanted to share a couple of things that I did this summer. First, I painted three pictures to hang in my dining room. I have been working on them for a while and finally finished. We have a pretty big blank wall in our dining room and I could not find the perfect piece for it. So, I made one myself! And here it is...

I also went shopping with my mother-in-law at several thrift stores in the area.  I got a great owl that looks like Hedwig from Harry Potter for my classroom.  My kids will love him!  I also found the cutest little rocking chair for $20.  I could not resist and I bought it.  When I brought it home, I put it in the living room so that I could show Kevin when he got home.  I didn't know that my little rocking chair would be such a hit!  My cats loved it and even had a little squabble over who was going to get to sit in it!

Family Vacation

Every year, I look forward most to one week- the week that I go with my family to Orange Beach, AL.  For one week, we relax at the condo and just enjoy being together as a family.  This year, my little nephew, Chase, is just over 1 year old.  It made for some very entertaining times! I loved watching him notice everything that was new!  He loved to eat string cheese with his Mamaw.

This year, my parents got a beautiful new boat.  We had so much fun going out on the boat riding and fishing.  Frank even had some really wonderful deck hands!  My brother says "That's what son-in-laws are for!"  I think he is right!

 The boat is called the Weezer, named after my mother, and it is really a beautiful boat!

My sister and I spent a lot of time in the tuna tower.  The view and the breeze from up there is the best on the boat!

We looked down on our boys as they caught fish!

Chase really had fun on the boat...

And then he fell asleep! 

Grandpa, Mamaw, and Chase!

My sis even got in on the fishing action!

The worst part about vacation is saying goodbye.  It was made a little sweeter by some kisses for Aunt Amy!!  Love my little man!

Until next year!!!

Long Time, No Post

It has been quite a while since I last posted. Lots of things have been going on and I finally have time to post! Got to love summer vacation! Being a teacher has its perks. What has been going on in the Pace household? Let's see...

MAY:

May was a big month for us. It didn't start off very well, but ended nicely! For my birthday, we went to the Braves game. The Braves pulled out a win just for me! :)

I also went to visit the family at home in Mississippi and got to see my sweet little nephew!

May also brought the end of the school year! 2 months off! Yay!!

JUNE:
In June, summer really started! To celebrate, I went to Nashville to the CMT Awards and the CMA Festival. My friend Marika was a wonderful hostess and we had a blast!! I saw SO many of my favorite country stars. I was star-struck as we saw Dolly Parton going into the Ryman as we waited in line to go into the Stage.

Marika and I having dinner before the CMT Awards.

Zac Brown Band- Loved it!!

Enjoying the music!!

My New Favorite Thing!!

I have a new favorite tv show... Pregnant in Heels. This is a reality show about Rosie Pope, a baby concierge. She lives in NYC and is hired by extravagant women who are pregnant and need help with some aspect of their pregnancy. She gets so VERY outrageous clients who sometimes know absolutely nothing about babies! Rosie just takes them all in stride and is an amazing person. She is so sweet and down to earth. In last week's episode, she had just had IVF and found out that she was pregnant. Later, she found out that she had an ectopic pregnancy. I could relate to her situation and I cried along with her!

Rosie Pope!

Also on the show is her assistant, LT. He is very eccentric, but brings a Fancy Pants to the show. He really makes me laugh and I love to see what crazy outfits he will wear each week.