8 Weeks.....

This is much cuter that my little baby updates I receive weekly. One because it's our sweet baby, and two because it is our sweet baby.....did I mention that this is our sweet baby. Colin and me mixed together in this perfect little blob. My mom and dad think she (if you are talking to dad) looks just like me....hilarious. I couldn't believe how much this little one had grown in the past two weeks. Within the triangular blob, you see a perfect little blob at the top. Dr. Akin said that on the left is baby's head, right baby's body (the head is the same size as the body, this better change before my delivery date)....we could see the little nubbins that make up the arms and legs and a strong heartbeat in the middle. Did me mention that this sweet baby moved during our ultrasound....I didn't feel it, because it is only the size of a dime but we sure did see it. What a miracle! Enjoy my friends....thanks and love.
Em

I will lay down and sleep in peace for you alone O lord make me dwell in safety...Psalm 4:8

I don't even know where to start this post. Colin and I have had the most emotional, scary, heart wrenching weekend. It all started on Saturday morning when I woke up with some cramping. I assumed it was because I had put in a long day at work on Friday and rested for most of the day. Around 3:00 I started moving around and did my baby yoga, a little cleaning, and then headed off to Saturday night church with Stef and her sweet momma. After church I looked at Stef and said I just don't feel right, I feel like I am about to start my period. Colin and I made plans to go on a date to Bonefish Grill after church and I figured we would be sitting and enjoying a good meal together....nothing strenuous. As we were walking to our table on the patio (what a perfect night for dinner on the patio), I knew what had happened. I went to the restroom and my biggest fears were confirmed. I came out and told Colin and immediately called my friends Kristin and Leann who are nurses. Leann told me to call Dr. Akin and most likely he would tell me to go home and put my feet up and rest. Dr. Muse was on call (Dr. Akin's partner) and he instructed me just like Leann had predicted. He also told me 1/3 of women bleed during their pregnancy and that they couldn't do anything for me at that point and to call on Monday.
When Colin and I got home the bleeding and cramping became worse and worse. I was up most of the night just praying that God would protect our sweet baby and not take this precious gift of life away from us. (Side note, I had to do this without my mom and dad, they left on Saturday for Puerto Rico and I know if I had called them they would have been on the first flight home. We didn't know how things would turn out and really wanted them to enjoy their much needed vacation).
Sunday, I began to feel a little better the bleeding slowed down, but the cramping was still there. I just kept praying that Monday would come, I wanted so desperatly to see our sweet baby, and in the same breath I didn't want it to come. I didn't want to know if something was wrong, I didn't want to face a miscarriage, I didn't even want to think that word. Colin and I spent the day laying in bed watching movies, and he really did take great care of me. I am so lucky.
Today I didn't go into work because I wanted to call Dr. Akin's office and try and move my 4:00 appointment up so we didn't have to wait any longer. Luckily they did have a cancellation and we got to go at 1:30. We were basket cases. I couldn't look at Colin, he kept reassuring me that everything was God's plan and that he loved me not matter what. He rubbed my back and just stood there so strong. When Dr Akin finally came in my whole body was shaking. I wanted to know, but I didn't want to know. I was already tearing up when he walked in the room.
At first I didn't see anything, and I was thinking ok God, we trust you and your plan and then all of the sudden we spotted this little bean. It moved and had a strong little heartbeat. It was our baby....ALIVE and well! We cried, we laughed, and we thanked God. Dr. Akin said that I just might be one of the lucky women who will bleed throughout her whole pregnancy. He also noticed a little clot next to the placenta, and that phantom baby was still there. We were beyond thrilled, thankful, and blown away by our sweet baby. We could see where the head was forming, little arm and leg buds, and that sweet little heartbeat. Praise God!
Thank you Lord for watching over our sweet baby and continuing to protect him/her. May you continue to be GLORIFIED in the story of your new creation.

God Appointments...

Well, "it" finally hit me. I have been down most of the day due to this sweet baby Stout. I called in at work, and have been munching on oyster crackers, sipping on hot Sprite and soup. I have slept on and off and in a wierd way feel happy that I feel sick. It must mean there is something going on! Although I have had a rough day I wouldn't miss what God has planned tonight. All my friends that I have met through Dr. Akin's office and Replenish are coming over. My mom has prepared some sweet treats (bless her), and some of my other friends are bringing over some of their favorite dishes. I am nervous....but I really feel like God has made this appointment. I am going to share my book Longing for a Child with the girls, and a small exerpt about how we are not alone. I am hoping and praying that this is an outlet for all of us to feel a part of something bigger, to feel hope, and comfort. Please pray for us tonight.

Em

Yoga

(one of my basic moves above, yeah right!)
I have no idea what I am going to write today. I know that I need to be more consistent in my blogging, and have really slacked off. I did come home today and try to be productive before I passed out from a full day with my little Kinders. My friend Kristin gave me a prenatal yoga video that I watched laying in bed last night, and actually did this afternoon. Colin was making fun of my last night, but I just wanted to watch and see if I could do all of these moves. It as actually very relaxing and I LOVE stretching! They have three women demonstrating how to do certain moves. One lady is in her first trimester (She might be a size zero), one lady in her second trimester, and the last in....you guess it, her third. I am living for the third because all she really does is sit in a chair and breathe....my kind of work out. I am also going to try to start up my walking again tonight. I am looking forward to a nice, healthy dinner from the grill. Chicken and an assortment of grilled veggies. Man that sounds SOOOOO yummy.



So anyway, I feel like I am off to a pretty good start this week. I am hoping to do yoga at least four times a week (today I started with 20 minutes, and eventually hoping to work up to at least 40-50). Wish me luck! Hope all is well with my friends. Love,

Em

7 weeks

(Still a little scary looking, but I love this little baby)
I have the latest picture of our little pencil eraser (technically that is how big our baby is now), I have also learned that our baby's arms are about the length as this printed "1". We have been reading up on EVERYTHING! I am a little overwhelmed and just don't know where to start. We need to put new carpet down upstairs, I would like to do that before we order all the furniture. Colin's dad isn't aware that we have a few projects for him in the nursery as well. We would like to install bead bording (sp), and crown molding...he is so handy!



Colin and I have had a very relaxing weekend. We have enjoyed each others company, and spent some good times with friends and family. This week looks low key, until this Thursday. I am having a get together for a some friends that I have made along this journey. We are going to get together to pray, encourage, and talk through where we are in this process. I am praying for a good turn out and for all these young women to leave feeling connected and not alone. If you think of it, please pray for us on Thursday at 6:30. Love you guys.

EM

Climbing Mountains

What a great week so far. Each day I notice that I get tired a little bit earlier in the day then before. Someone told me that being pregnant in the first trimester is like climbing a mountain every day....I believe it. I feel like the biggest loser. I usually come home from work and take me a short nap. Then Colin and I are in bed at a really early time (we were both asleep by 8:15 last night).
Other that the fatigue, I am feeling pretty good. We read in our pregnancy journal every night about what our sweet baby looks like and is developing on that specific day. We also read a prayer out of a book for pregnant women. Both are such great ways to end the day.
Hope all is well with all my friends....love ya.

and......

The big news is.....we are having ONE bouncing, baby Stout! We are thrilled. We went in for our ultrasound at 4:00 today around 3:30 (we were so excited). Dr. Akin got us right in. At the beginning of the ultrasound Dr. Akin said he saw multiples. He said it looks like you are having twins. After a few seconds looking around he concluded that we had a phantom twin (the embryo tried to implant, but eventually stopped developing, it will either absorb back into my body or I will miscarry that baby). Dr. Akin reassured us that the other baby is not in any danger, and he has seen this in other pregnancies. We are THRILLED to be blessed with ONE little baby and just pray that God continue to strengthen this child and protect it.

We have pictures....see above. Baby Stout is at the top between the two x's. The other bubble is the infamous phantom twin. We saw the sweetest little flicker on the monitor and that happened to be the heartbeat. Praise God, at 6 weeks this child has a heartbeat. Blown away. One thing to read about it online, another to see it with our own eyes. As you can tell we are ecstatic!!

Love,

Em, Colin, and Baby Stout

Big Day!

We will post tonight! Colin thinks two and I think one.....we shall see!

Shopping...

(Peg Perego carseat)

(Peg Perego stroller, carseat snaps in)

(Baby girl option)

(Baby boy bedding option)

(Cocoon 3000/4000 series http://www.forevercocoon.com/ )

Although that sweet picture of our baby below is not one for a frame, we still LOVE the idea that there is a Stout baby created by our HUGE God living inside me with a heartbeat this week. I am hoping that we get some real ultrasound pix tomorrow at the Doctor and I will put those up.

Yesterday Colin and I had a really productive day. We went to get the oil changed in my truck, at lunch at Chick Fil-A (along with everyone else in Lexington) and then we hit the Baby's Room. What was really cool is he liked the same baby furniture that I liked. We are going to go with a dark, dark brown (I think that the bedding posted before is out, we found some cute stuff at Restoration Hardware), and I think we also found the chair we like, stroller and carseat. I will attach pictures below. This whole process is a little overwhelming, there is SOOOOOOOOOOO much to choose from. Take a look at what we like so far (above, I can't get pix to download after my post)

Heartbeats..

I love Saturdays....I get to sleep in, be a little lazy, and today Colin and I are going shopping for baby furniture, attending church, and going to dinner with some dear friends. NOW, there is another reason I LOVE Saturdays....I get my baby update from http://www.babycenter.com/.

http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/trimesters/week/article/6th-week-pregnancy

Our sweet little bun is just a little pea this week and there are little stubs that will become arms and legs(see above). The coolest part for us this morning is that this child's little heart takes its first beat this week. What a miracle, God has been so good to us, we are speechless. Check out the above link and see what other interesting facts their are about baby(ies) Stout.

Speaking of baby or babies...we are TWO DAYS away from finding out how many. We have had so many predictions...my heart is still leaning towards one, Colin two, and some friends have no comment. Whatever the number, we are so thankful and incredibly excited to meet this sweet child.

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend. Go CATS!!!

Em

Replenish

Last night I had the opportunity to share our story at church. It was an incredible experience, and the best part was connecting with women after I shared. We met in groups according to your season of life and there were twelve women battling infertility. It was so comforting to talk through where each person was and to have a common language and a true understanding of what is going on in our hearts and minds. I am so thankful that God opened that door for me to speak last night. When I got home I was exhausted from the day, but my heart was happy. I exchanged emails with two of the girls last night and am looking forward to building a relationship with them. God is so good.

On another note....so sorry about the venting in my last post. We did talk it out and Colin and I are doing great. We don't argue very much and when we do I just need some time before I am ready to chat. He is so patient with me, and I realize how lucky I am.
Em

What??

(my two favorite men...one might be in the doghouse right now....love ya guys)

First off, before I go any further please know that I love my husband....but sometimes he DRIVES me crazy! For example, he doesn't seem to remember anything I plan for us, but he knows each and every opening day and time for hunting season. This year we are celebrating our six year anniversary and he just told me he had nothing planned (remember last one before the sweet kiddos are added to the mix) because we have no money...come on....nothing? I mean quality time would be great, maybe if I scheduled a deer, turkey, and other game to be there he could show up. Have you realized I am venting....we have dinners planned out for the week. I get home around 4, so me and baby stout usually get hungry around 5:00 (I eat lunch at 11:30)....at 6 I called to see if Colin was planning on coming home...he is buying new cell phones for work, no call (guess they had his cell phone). Ohhhhh...Just being honest.



He is the best husband in the world, would do anything for me, but sometimes HE DRIVES ME MAD. Does anyone else have any issues with their significant others? You probably do, but you wouldn't blog about it, which I shouldn't be blogging about it but it feels so good to get it out. I am going to go and dress up like a deer now so maybe my husband will chat with me.


Em

Yours....

Last night at church during communion I was praying for this child(ren) that God has blessed us with. My prayer has been since we found out is:

Father~

Thank you for this gift of life you have blessed us with.

Thank you for the journey, and for the love you have shown us.

Thank you for your patience as we have cried, been angry, and rejoiced.

Thank you for sending your son, for this child.

Father, we know that ultimately this child is YOURS.

You have placed this little person in our lives.

This is YOUR plan, this is YOUR child, and we pray that we can raise them in YOUR plans.

For the time that you give us with this little one, we pray we can be an example of you.

Help us see with your eyes, love with your heart, listen with your ears, and speak with your words. Amen

Thank you again for this gift, may we be the parents you have called us to be.

Our friend Vandee sang a song called Yours by Steven Curtis Chapman last night. The first three verses were written before the final one. He wrote the final verse after losing one of his adopted daughters in an accident at his home. His prayer is and was that although he walked through this valley of losing a child, this child was ultimately His. Here is link to a video on Utube....lengthy but totally worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ERm0_tuKM

Em

Worth the Wait..

(here is the note that was attached to the flowers for my mom and dad. Hard to read:

"Worth the Wait. Congratulations Grandma and Grandaddy. Love Colin and Emily

(here are my three positive tests, I had never had two lines and just couldn't believe my eyes)

So sorry I haven't been blogging this week. Honestly I come home from school and crawl in bed for a nice little nap before dinner. I am exhausted! I love my job and am so thankful that I can come home and have a little bit of quiet time before the hubs gets here. We have had a busy week. Wednesday we attended a worship service at Southland called First Wednesday. It was so good to worship, pray, and have scripture read over us. Thursday, we got to hang out with Jess and Richie. We had a blast eating dinner at Panera, and then headed to Jess' to excavate large shrubbery from her yard. The boys managed to break a really thick chain in the process. On Friday, we had dinner with the Jenning's, Feola's, and Sisk's. We ate at Outback and all conversations were around babies. Out of the four couples, three of us are pregnant and one couple has the cutest little guy named Sam. We had a blast and were greeted with rain as we left the restaurant, it was wonderful!

I have been up this morning since 6 watching One Tree Hill and contemplating my plans for the day. Colin woke up at the crack of dawn (4am) to go and hunt. It is opening season for deer I guess.

We are counting down the days to September 15th. I think that I have one little bun in the oven, my kids think two, and a few friends think three. Who knows? I will try to be better about blogging this week. By the way, I get to share my story on Wednesday at Replenish. Please be praying that God use me to reach women who may be going through the same journey. He has been so faithful, so good and loving to us and I just want to share His works. Love ya'll.

Em

Friends

Good Morning,
My mom pointed out that the times listed for each of my posts are off. I can tell you there has only been one post in the wee hours of the night, most of my posts are during daylight hours. Don't worry, I am sleeping through the night (at least most of the time). Colin and I had our Life Group over last night for pizza and football. We had a blast! It was the first time we had seen each other since we found out we were pregnant and I had a ton of questions coming from my Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy. The girls were very honest and helpful. Thanks ladies.

Today Colin and I are going to run to Lowes to look for carpet to put in our upstairs bedrooms, and blinds to put alongside our front door windows. We are also expecting guests this evening. Jenny Ann, Jason, and Addysin are coming back to Lexington. Jenny Ann's dad is not doing well at all and they want to be close to family during this difficult time. Please pray for the Beaumont/Barber family.

Tomorrow is back to school. My friend Dom (who is also pregnant) and I are going to register for baby yoga on Tuesday evenings. It is a Central Baptist. I am going to continue to walk around the neighborhood at least 4-5 times a week too.

All this said, we are still SOOOO excited about this (or these) precious gift(s) that God has blessed us with. We are blown away that He has entrusted us with these bundles of joy.
Love ya'll,
Em

PS Stef...you are right I forgot to mention, please tell me your favorite bedding on my last blog.