Isaiah Perry Starnes

A New Father's First Post.....

Our little man decided to come on his own terms, earlier than mom, dad and our doctor expected. Isaiah was born today, on Christmas day 2009 at 1:55 pm. He weighed in at 7lb 9oz and at a length of 20 1/2 inches. We are grateful for a healthy baby and healthy mom. God has been good to us today and we praise Him.

Here are some pics of the little man...

36 weeks and a bumpy road

I never intended to let 3 weeks pass between posts, but it seems the last few weeks have just flown by and I lost track of time. I was 36 weeks along yesterday. Below is a 36 week belly shot:

Things have gotten a bit more difficult with the pregnancy in the last couple of weeks. Besides the typical discomforts and frequent bathroom trips, my blood pressure has been running a little high and my uric acid level (an indicator of pre-eclampsia) was elevated last week. As a result, my doctors have been watching me more closely. While I haven't yet met the criteria to diagnose pre-eclampsia, they're concerned that I may be heading that direction, so they put me on bedrest. Today I went back for a check-up, and they did a biophysical profile (BPP--an ultrasound looking for certain markers of health in the baby). Everything with Isaiah was fine, so it was really nice to have that reassurance. In fact, he's measuring at the 75% at around 7lb 2oz! I'm going back next Wednesday for my 37 week check and they're going to do another BPP. While the jury is still out on definitive plans for delivery route, induction, etc, my doctor has introduced the possibility of a primary c-section and it's very likely that they'll induce/do a c-section by 39 weeks if Isaiah hasn't come on his own already. I'm certainly fine with him coming sooner than later, though I wasn't bargaining for a recovery from a c-section. We know it's in God's hands, and we'd definitely appreciate your prayers in all of this.

Since I last posted, we've traveled to both Oklahoma City and Charleston for residency interviews. I liked both programs and the interviews went smoothly, but we're pretty worn out from the traveling. We shouldn't have to make any more big trips until a few weeks after Isaiah is born. We're not making final decisions about Christmas traveling until we see how things are going at my appointment next week (last minute decision), but the farthest we'll be traveling is Middle Tennessee.

Baby Showers

I was recently blessed by two baby showers that I've been meaning to blog about...

The first was November 29th in Hickory, NC hosted by Melissa, Ginger, Deda, and Elizabeth at Melissa's house. Ladies from both of Chris' sides of the family and many family friends from Chris' childhood church attended. Cousins Corinna and Olivia were great helpers in opening gifts. I had a great time visiting with everyone and we were blessed with lots of great things to prepare for Isaiah. Below are some pictures from the NC shower:

(Me, Elizabeth, and Melissa)

(Ginger, Me, Melissa)

(Corinna, Me, Deda, and Anita--notice how Anita matched this personalized diaper stacker to the fabric I used for the curtains in the nursery--I was so impressed!)

On December 6th, wonderful friends at our church hosted another baby shower for me. Mom and Lindsay were both able to come in town to attend the shower with me, which made the experience even better. One fun activity they had at the shower was to have the ladies write a funny message (like "code brown" or "this one's for daddy") in marker on the outside of a diaper so I'll be entertained when changing diapers at 3am. I know I'll appreciate a little humor in my sleep deprived state. We're very thankful to have the support of our church family as we begin this new phase of life.

(Me and Mom)

(Lindsay, Carie, Me, and Mom)

(diaper cake with diaper messages)

Thank you all so much for your kindness! We can't wait to put all of this great stuff to use when Isaiah gets here.

33 weeks, Thanksgiving, travels

I'm posting this a bit late, but these pictures are from 33 weeks (this past Tuesday). I decided it was time for a new backdrop, so you can see some of Isaiah's nursery in the background. It's been in near completed state for several weeks--I'll post pictures of the entire room soon when we get the last piece of furniture in.

We've been visiting in North Carolina since Wednesday. We've had a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing many of Chris' family members in Charlotte for Thanksgiving that we hadn't seen for several years. We've also enjoyed a little Wii action with the family, and Frankie is more spoiled than ever with so many willing hands to pet him. Chris' mom (Ginger), sister (Melissa), aunt (Deda), and cousin (Elizabeth) are hosting a baby shower for me tomorrow afternoon. I look forward to seeing more friends and family as they help us prepare for Isaiah's birth.

We had our first childbirth class last week and that went well. I don't think I really learned anything I didn't already know from reading on my own (and med school helps some too :), but I think it's good for me and Chris to go through this as a team. There were around 10 other couples there, and most are expecting boys...it's funny how these babies seem to come in gender groups. We also took a tour of the hospital I'll be delivering at last Sunday. It was nice to see the actual labor and delivery department we'll be spending time in, and we had the opportunity to ask one of the nurses questions about standard procedures, etc.

Last but certainly not least, I feel it's appropriate to consider the many things I have to be thankful for in this Thanksgiving season. First and foremost, I'm forever thankful for a gracious God who loved me before I knew what love was and saved me when I deserved His wrath and death. I'm thankful for a godly and supportive husband, a healthy baby on the way, and a pregnancy free from sickness. I'm thankful for a family committed to God and each other, through and despite many 'trials and tribulations'. I'm thankful for a 'little' brother dedicated to serving our country and defending our freedom. I'm thankful for a future playmate and first cousin on the way for Isaiah and for the opportunity to finally be an auntie. I'm thankful for a church family that loves and encourages us when our own families are far away. I'm thankful for friends near and far who love and support us though I'm terrible at keeping in touch and doing the same. I'm thankful for God's provision through medical school (and for it nearly being at a close!). I'm thankful for so much more than I can adequately express here, and without a doubt, God deserves the glory for all of these things. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

32 weeks

32 weeks...the countdown continues. Amazing that little Isaiah is due in just 8 short weeks. I have an OB check-up tomorrow. My check-ups will increase in frequency to every two weeks for the next four weeks, and then I'll have one a week until Isaiah is born. We also start childbirth classes on Thursday night. ...All signs that parenthood is drawing nearer.
This is my first week off, though it has quickly filled up with appointments and activities. I had my first interview today with one of the dermatology faculty members at UT. They actually will be interviewing all of the other students on one day in January, but the date is so close to my due date that they graciously set up other times for me to meet with them. I have three more interviews this week with other faculty members at UT to complete the circuit. You can see my maternity business suit in my belly shot above that I wore for the first time today. It's not the most flattering or comfortable thing in the world, but I'm just hoping I can still button it for a few more weeks.

We're excited that my sister, Lindsay, and her husband, Chase, are moving back to Tennessee this week. They've had a whirlwind of a year between LA, Nashville, Orlando, and back to Nashville. I don't know anyone who enjoys the process of packing and moving, so I'm sure they're exhausted and ready to stay put for a while. We're just happy to have them within driving distance again, especially with Isaiah coming soon.

There's not too much else to report right now. Stay tuned...

Visit to Mobile

Over Halloween weekend, we headed down south to Mobile to visit Jordan and Meagan. Mom and Austin joined us there as well, and we had a great time. On Saturday, we enjoyed some good seafood at the Oyster House, and then we toured the USS Alabama. Below are some pictures from our trip.

Don't forget the dogs! Frankie and Sadie (in her cow costume for Halloween) after wearing each other out. Aren't they cute!

31 Weeks

Well, as hard as it is for me to believe, I'm 31 weeks along today. And boy, does my baby bump look every bit that big. I can't believe when comparing this week's picture to my 28 week picture how much more I'm protruding. I'm definitely feeling it everywhere else too. My doctor warned me that things were going to get more difficult in the third trimester, but I sort of just brushed it off. Well, I certainly have no room to complain as I've been blessed with a healthy and easier-than-the-norm pregnancy, but he was right. I'm now wearing an inexpensive silver band in place of my wedding rings as my fingers are swollen (sounds better than saying 'fat'), and my feet/ankles are noticeably swollen at the end of the day (and sometimes at the beginning). Isaiah's movements are a source of major discomfort at times, and I seem to get short of breath quite easily these days. I think this is God's way of getting me ready for Isaiah's entry into the world--if I weren't a bit uncomfortable, I might never feel quite ready for his arrival.

This is my last week of work before being off for 4+ months. I've sort of run out of projects for the nursery as I was a bit over-zealous and completed most of them a few weeks back. I'm sure I'll come up with more things to do, and I'm looking forward to reading baby books in preparation for Isaiah's arrival. I also hope that my December schedule will fill up more with residency interviews. Right now, I only know about my interview at MUSC, which will be Dec 11-12th. It's nice to have at least one on the calendar.

We're looking forward to traveling to North Carolina for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. This will be the first Thanksgiving we've spent with Chris' family since we were engaged due to various conflicts. Chris' mom and sister (Ginger and Melissa) have also been sweet enough to plan a baby shower for me while we're there. I'm really looking forward to that, and it will be such a huge blessing in getting things ready for Isaiah.

I'll try to do better about posting more regularly for the rest of the pregnancy. Just think, 9 weeks until the due date!! Before you know it, I'll be blogging about my new baby boy :)

28 Weeks

It's amazing to me that I'm now 28 weeks (and one day) along in gestation. I am officially in the third trimester!! This pregnancy has really flown by. As much as I look forward to having Isaiah in my arms, I'm not wishing the pregnancy away. It's been an enjoyable time and I've been very blessed with good health. Being so obviously pregnant is actually a lot more fun than when there's only a small bump because now even perfect strangers passing me on the street share in my joy--I get smiles and comments (mostly nice) every where I go. Here's my 28 week belly shot:

Here's what "babycenter" says about Isaiah this week:
"By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can open and close his eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before he's batting those beauties at you."

Tomorrow is my 28 week check-up and gestational diabetes screening. While I'm drinking a nasty lemon-lime concoction and waiting to have my blood sugar tested, our friend Tricia will be in labor at Methodist Germantown. She's going in the morning to be induced (her due date was this past Sunday), and we can't wait to find out if "Cricket" is a boy or girl! Pray for an uneventful and safe delivery.

Baby Name Release 6

Surely you've got it by now, right? Isaiah Perry Starnes

Baby Name Release 5

Several of you have guessed correctly already, but I'll continue to release the letters to give you slow-pokes a chance :)

Baby Name Release 4

Baby Name Release 3

Baby Name Release 2

Baby's Name Release 1

The baby's name includes the letter "A", but we will not yet reveal where this letter is located in the name. I can't imagine that you have too many guesses yet, but if you do, please post them.

All is well in the Starnes' world. The baby (as I will temporarily refer to him to transition from Cletus to the real name) is kicking up a storm these days. It even hurts a bit at times. I have to remind myself that it's a GOOD thing he's moving around so much and not get too frustrated with the discomfort. He was kicking a lot last night while Chris was out on an errand, and I started talking to him telling him to calm down a bit. Frankie was so confused by me talking to seemingly no one in the room...he kept getting up and looking around for Chris. Poor dog, he has no idea what's coming. My brother Austin has lectured us on how we better not forget about poor Frankie when the baby comes, and that we shouldn't put the baby before Frankie. When I explained that people come before animals, he said, "well, they should at least be the same." Haha...We know who to have over to keep Frankie company if he gets too lonely.

More letters to come...

Birthday, Conference, Cousin, Baby Name

My sweet husband turned 28 yesterday. We actually celebrated (just the two of us; well, four if you count Frankie and Cletus, which we do) on Saturday night--it had been a very full day and we were both pretty tired, but we enjoyed his meal request of sweet and sour chicken and carrot cupcakes. Sunday night we hosted small group at our house, and we enjoyed sharing cupcakes with our friends in continued celebration. One of the gifts I got for Chris was a dude-worthy diaper bag. It really looks nothing like a diaper bag (which is the point, i guess) but has all the nice compartments and a changing pad for practicality. It's backpack style and made by Columbia.

Mom and Austin came in Friday afternoon for a visit. Mom and I attended the Beth Moore Living Proof Live conference Friday evening and Saturday morning. We went with my friends Sarah and Carie, and it was an amazing experience. The time of worship through singing is always amazing at these conferences--just imagine 13,000 women's voices lifted in praise to God! Beth taught on Exodus 34 where God proclaims His character to Moses. We so often fall into saying things like, "I wish God would just show me what He's like...", yet right there in scripture, He has proclaimed it for us so clearly. I wish I had pictures to show you from the conference, but I failed to take the camera with me.

While we were at the conference on Saturday, Chris took Austin (11yo) to the zoo. They went along with our friend Chris (Carie's husband) and his 2 year-old, Sutton. Austin has been looking forward to this zoo trip for months. He even took a notebook along with him prepared to write down the names of all the animals he saw; Chris says Austin shed the notebook in the first 30 minutes realizing it was more trouble to carry than anything, but I thought it was pretty cute he was taking this so seriously. As expected, Austin was most interested in the reptile house. Chris says Austin got into a discussion about some of the snakes with one of the zookeepers and that Austin really knew his stuff. I'm always telling Austin he needs to be a vet or zoologist some day. Below is a picture of Austin with the daddy gorilla, and the gorilla doing an impersonation of Chris in the morning:

Mom and I enjoyed a nice Mexican lunch and maternity clothes shopping Saturday afternoon. I think that was actually the first time anyone has been with me while shopping for maternity clothes, and it was fun to try things on and get her opinion. Several friends (Carie, Emily, and Trish) have been gracious enough to let me borrow maternity clothes over the past few months, so thankfully my need hasn't been too great. With the items purchased Saturday, I should be pretty well set now. Thanks Mom!

I just found out today that Jordan (my bro) and Meagan are having a boy! We were all so prepared for their baby to be a girl, especially after Meagan did one of those new tests that measure something in urine to determine the gender that said it was a girl. I guess "Annabelle" will no longer work, huh? Well, the good news is that the pressure is now off to supply heirs for the Starnes' AND the Littrell's. I think it will be so much fun for the babies to have a cousin that close in age (~6 weeks apart) that's the same gender.

The baby's due date is three months from today! In celebration of reaching that landmark, we're going to reveal the baby's name one letter at a time (in mixed order) on the blog over the next few days. We thought it would be fun if you try to guess the name as we reveal more and more letters. Stay tuned...

26 Weeks

Time slips away from me so quickly, and I now find myself at 26 weeks gestation. Cletus is quite active at times, and he really does seem to know the moment I lay down to sleep at night because he chooses then to practice karate. I've been having some Braxton-Hicks contractions for the past couple of weeks, but thankfully they don't come too often. My protruding belly is getting more and more in the way of things, and my least favorite activity is bending down :) Below is my 26 week belly shot:

The past few weeks have been fairly eventful, so I'll try to update you on some of the happenings in our life. On September 27th, my brother Jordan walked his bride, Meagan, down the aisle. Though only two years younger than me, it's still hard to believe he's old enough to be a husband--I can't help but think of him as the 16 year-old I left in Waverly when I went off to college. Jordan and Meagan are moving to Mobile, Alabama for Jordan's job with JK Harris, so the Littrell family continues to spread out. They are expecting in early March, so Cletus will have a cousin and playmate soon after his arrival. Below are a couple of pictures from the wedding.

I took the second part of my US Medical Licensing Exam on Sept 28th. After nine hours of testing, I was thrilled and relieved to be finished. I won't know the results for a few weeks, but it's nice to have the pressure off for a bit. I don't take the third part of the USMLE for another year or so, so there aren't any other major exams standing between me and graduation.

My brother Jared was deployed late last week on his way to Iraq. If it's hard to believe that Jordan is married, it's extremely difficult to accept that Jared is serving in the military overseas. I so admire is willingness to serve our country, and though it's hard to see him go, I respect his commitment. Please be in prayer for Jared and his company during their deployment.

Since finishing my board exam, I've really jumped in to preparing the nursery. I cleaned out my desk, and our friend Jacob helped Chris move it to the garage and move the nursery furniture in place. The bedding is on the crib, and I finished making curtains for the room. I decoupaged letters to spell out the baby's name on the wall, but I obviously can't show those to you just yet since we're keeping the name a secret. I'm still working on making a mobile, baby blanket, and some art projects. I found a sweet wooden highchair at our church's rummage sale that I'm planning to paint soon as well. Below are some pictures of my projects:

To cap off an exciting few weeks, we found out that Cletus is going to have even more playmates in the near future. To add to the six we knew about (Qiping and Jimmy's twins born recently; Jacob and Trish's baby due any day now; Josh/Amy, Jordan/Meagan, and Leann/Garry all due in March) we learned that our new pastor and his sweet wife (Travis and Jenna) are expecting in June (due on my birthday, in fact), and our friends Chris and Carie are 11 weeks along with their second. What a baby boom! Most of this group go to our church in Memphis, so the nursery is going to be a happening place in the coming months. We couldn't be more excited!

23+ Weeks

Today is 23 weeks and 3 days gestation. I go back for a check-up next Wednesday--hard to believe it's almost that time again. I had an exam today, which is part of why I've been procrastinating in blogging. I'll try to retrace the past couple of weeks a bit...

For Labor Day weekend, we went to visit my mom in Waverly. My brother Jordan and his fiancee (Meagan) came in as well, so we had a nice visit. My mother sweetly obliged my wishes to look through our old baby clothes and stuffed toys to pick some things out for Cletus--this required her to dig through a mass of stored items in an outdoor shed. I picked out several toys that had special meaning to me (that weren't too girly), and I found a lot of precious outfits my brothers wore as infants. On Sunday, we drove down to Pulaski for an annual get-together of Mom's family (the Mize's). Below is a picture of my brother Austin and Frankie in the backseat on the way:

We enjoyed catching up with family, and everyone was sweet about our little guy on the way. With all the traveling we did that weekend, I was able to crochet a couple of hats for Cletus. They are modeled below on one of the toys I brought back home. I'm also working on a blanket that matches the brown and blue hat.

Since getting our big furniture items for the nursery, I've been doing a lot of dreaming and web-browsing for accessories to finish things off. Last weekend and today I took advantage of downtime to go shopping. I bought fabric for curtains, an elephant print for the wall, supplies to make a mobile, and a few other odds and ends. I look forward to having time to work on all these projects--I have a board exam on Sept 28th, so I'm hoping that I can focus more on nursery items after that.

Tomorrow should be a full day. The Cooper-Young Festival is scheduled for tomorrow (though may be canceled due to rain), and I've been part of a crochet group at church preparing items all year to sale at the festival. Around 80,000 people are expected to attend the festival, and the proceeds from our booth will go to support mission work. Tomorrow afternoon is the UT-Florida game, and though I dread what the outcome may be, I wouldn't miss watching it for anything. GO VOLS!!

Zoo Bedding

After finding out Cletus is a boy, I had a hard time imagining what I wanted the nursery to look like. Most everything in my mind was geared toward a girl. After spending some time (probably way too much time) surfing the web for ideas, I found this DwellStudio set on Target.com that I really liked. It had been discontinued and thus was 1/2 off--major bonus! I showed Chris to get his opinion. Typically when I ask for Chris' opinion on something like this, he returns my question with another one, "what do you think about it?" I was sort of expecting the same, but when he saw the rug that goes with the set, he unequivocally said he really liked it. It's so unusual for Chris to have a strong opinion on clothes/colors/design that when he does, it brings me great joy to concede to it. The set was delivered today, and we're very pleased with it. It's not too baby-ish, so Cletus can use it for a few years easily. Below is a picture of the bedding set as well as the matching rug (side profile of blue bear).

Aptly Named Cletus

I can't tell you how slowly the past few weeks have crept by for me while anticipating the ultrasound and the discovery of Cletus' gender. Contrary to polled opinion and "maternal intuition", CLETUS IS A BOY!! And let me tell you, he's proud of it (and so are we)! He wasn't the least bit modest in displaying the family jewels. Tears slipped out from excitement and mirth at this surprise as I lay on the ultrasound table. Not only is Cletus a boy, he's a big boy...the ultrasound tech said he's above average size in every measurement. While we'll love him no matter what, it was also wonderful to see his normal brain, spine, heart, kidneys, and mouth. We even caught him taking a sip of amniotic fluid. With his legs flexed to the point that his knees were level with his eyes most of the time, we're hoping for athletic flexibility and agility (definitely not from me!). At one point, he was playing with the umbilical cord between his fingers--Chris was quick to point out how he likes to fidget with his hands too. The tech tried to show us a glimpse of Cletus' face with the 3D ultrasound, but Cletus kept his hand over his face and quickly turned away--a little camera shy, I suppose.

After the appointment, we went to Target and Babies R' Us to update our registries with 'boy stuff'. I've been so convinced lately that it was going to be a girl that I had a pretty clear vision in my head of what I wanted the nursery to look like. Having a boy has thrown me for a bit of a loop in the design arena, but it will be fun finding new ideas.

To answer the question many of you have already asked: no, we don't have a name picked out yet, but we plan to keep it a surprise until he arrives. We've laughed to ourselves thinking that after several months of referring to the baby as Cletus, that name just might stick whether we like it or not. Cletus Perry Starnes--has a certain ring to it, huh?

Below is my 20 weeks belly shot.

Rocker for Cletus

Judging by the poll, it's evident that most of us think Cletus is a girl. Hopefully you weren't too influenced by my prediction...my "mother's intuition" could certainly be off. Nonetheless, it will be fun to see what God has in store (or should I say, in the oven).


The crib we ordered came in on Saturday, and while we were at the store to pick it up, I sighted the Amy Coe rocker I blogged about quite some time ago. I couldn't believe it--I was convinced that rocker was nowhere to be found as it had been discontinued; not only was it there before my eyes, but it was 20% off the retail price. We had actually bought a rocker from Pier 1 last week, so I was a bit torn as to what to do. The Pier 1 rocker wasn't what I'd had in mind, but it was affordable and we felt it would work after a paint job. We decided to go ahead and ask the sales lady about the Amy Coe rocker, and she informed us their floor model was the last in the store, and that it was an additional 20% off the sales price. We both immediately said we'd take it, and we (actually Chris) happily returned the Pier 1 rocker that same day.

Sunday we took down the full-sized bed in the nursery and put the crib together. Chris is planning to pick up the antique dresser we purchased sometime next weekend, so the nursery is quickly coming together. It's still a pretty blank slate as we're waiting to find out the gender to pick out bedding, curtains, and such, but it's nice to see changes taking place. With that said, the down side is that any guests in the interim will have to choose between the pull-out couch or the air mattress...sorry!

18 Weeks--Guess the Gender

I don't have any pictures to post this week, but Tuesday marked 18 weeks. Chris has given our baby a new nickname: Cletus the fetus...haha. I told him it will probably be a girl now just to spite him for calling it Cletus.

I've definitely felt Cletus' movements more prominently over the last week. He/she likes to get really active when I'm trying to fall asleep at night or after I eat a meal. I checked the baby's heartrate with the Doppler today in clinic, and it was in the 150's. My blood pressure and weight were on target too, so all continues to be good news thus far.

I thought it would be fun to ask everyone to guess the gender of the baby sometime this week or next. We have the ultrasound that should tell us the sex in two weeks, so it will be neat to see if the majority of us predict correctly. I've created a poll on the blog (see at right), and you can also post a comment if you want to stake your claim.

MY PREDICTION: GIRL

17 Weeks and Counting...

I'm now 17 weeks (and one day) along, and there's no mistaking the + bump sign I have. I'm amazed at how fast the weeks have flown by so far. In no time we'll know the baby's gender and be decorating the nursery and picking out baby clothes and such. Yah!! I think I'm feeling the baby move now...I've probably been feeling it for a week or so, but it's hard to know at this point because it only happens occasionally and I have no prior experience to compare it to.

I'm not sure if the feelings of inadequacy in motherhood are supposed to start this soon or not, but I already often feel that I'm not doing all I could or should for this baby. I haven't read past the first trimester chapters in my pregnancy book, I'm not eating a very healthy diet, I'm not reading parenting magazines, I'm not blogging or journaling frequently...and the list could go on. If my pregnancy attitude says anything about my parenting style, I'm going to be one laid-back momma. Now for those of you who know me well, you probably wouldn't choose 'laid-back' as one of your primary descriptors of me. I wouldn't either, but I think I've become that way about pregnancy because I'm having to focus my current attentions on applying for residency and studying for my board exam. So many life decisions and events in such a short time!!

I'm in Jackson, TN now doing a rotation in family medicine. It really stinks to be away from Chris again, but I'll get to go home over the weekends and I'm not far away if I ever need to go back during the week. In fact, staying in a hotel room by myself has probably allowed more time for focused studying, and considering I take part of my licensing exam in a month, that's a good thing.

We ordered a crib today, but it's not the one I previously posted about. It's pretty similar to the last one, as you can see in the picture below, but it has cleaner lines. I was looking online for crib bedding, and spotted this crib as one modeling bedding for sale on Etsy. I couldn't tell what brand it was or anything by the picture, so I had to search several different store websites until I found it. An hour later, Chris was driving to Babies R' Us to order it for us. For the girl who used to cry over the difficult decision of choosing one type of candy in the store, that's pretty stinking decisive.

Thanks for your interest in our lives as we continue along this journey. Please keep my brother Jared and our family in your prayers as Jared leaves Saturday for training prior to deployment to Iraq.