Trek Hamilton Mitchell

On Sunday morning, May 15, we welcomed our precious baby boy into our family! He is the most beautiful little guy I've ever laid eyes on, and we are so incredibly thankful to finally have him here with us!

All day Saturday I had been quite uncomfortable. Truthfully, everything started the weekend before. After steady, painful contractions that led to little sleep on the previous Sunday night, I called in sick to work and headed to the doctor, certain that we would be having a baby by the middle of the week at the latest. My doctor even seemed convinced that I wouldn't make it until the next week, so we didn't even schedule another appointment. I got all of my bags packed and made necessary plans for Lorelai. By Tuesday afternoon, everything had all but stopped completely. Feeling incredibly disappointed, I decided I'd better get back to work. There was no use sitting at home and watching the clock. On Friday morning, I called my doctor and scheduled an appointment for the following Monday morning. Thank goodness I got to cancel that one!

Saturday proved to be the turning point. Friday night was when things kicked in again, and this time I made sure to stay on my feet and keep busy in attempts to encourage the contractions to continue. Around 3:30 Saturday afternoon, I decided to go ahead and go to the hospital. A quick phone call to Labor & Delivery gave me plenty of hope that I wouldn't be coming home without a baby. Things started off slowly, and around 11:00 p.m., the Pitocin drip was started. Labor went much like it had with Lorelai after this. For some reason, I tend to have less productive contractions as the Pit increases. That's not really how it's supposed to work, but apparently that's how I react to it. Thankfully, this labor was much shorter and less "dramatic" than Lorelai's. The only drama we experienced came when it was time for my epidural. Even though everything was done correctly, it just didn't work. After several minutes of waiting for the medicine to kick in, it was clear nothing was happening. So a spinal was my only other option. I welcomed the strange, other-worldly numbness with open arms! Anything to make the pain ease up! Although the medicine eventually wore off, and I began to feel very intense contractions again, the spinal worked perfectly exactly when and where I wanted it to. Just a short time after it all began, our sweet Trek graced us with his presence! His little cry was the most beautiful sound in the room!

Trek Hamilton was born on May 15, 2011 at 11:33 a.m. He weighed 6 lbs., 15.6 oz. and was 21.5 inches long. He's absolutely perfect, and we are MORE than thankful for him! To God be the glory!

Resurrection Sunday

We celebrate something that no other religion can claim. Today, we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior! Jesus is alive! I stand in awe of His glory.

We were blessed with AMAZING weather this Easter Sunday, which made the day that much sweeter. The sun, the trees, the wind, the grass...they all proclaimed the glory of God so loudly today! Praise His name!

I am so very thankful for my wonderful family. And days like these make me even more thankful that we are all right here together in the same town. (with the exception of my baby brother:(. ) We were fortunate enough to get to enjoy a delicious lunch with Pop, D-Dar, and Grandma Eva. After some play time outside in the sun, we headed over the Nanny and Pappy's house for a short visit.

Half-naked and opening her Easter basket. Nice...

I just love my little family!

She's not the least bit loved :)

Spoiled by Grandma Eva just like Mommy is!

She and Pop had lots of fun playing with the water hose

And she's out!

All that were missing were Ty & Ab...and TREK! I'm about 3 weeks from my due date, and I'm feeling more than ready! We have nothing ready for him at the house, but I don't even care at this point. I'm just ready for my little man to be here with all of us. But it's been requested that we wait until after Pop and D-Dar get back from Florida. We shall see!

Children are a gift from the Lord

We have received two very precious gifts in the last two days! I am so incredibly excited about the beautiful lives that God has blessed us with! Babies to love, nurture, and grow in the fear of the Lord. May he receive all of the glory!

On Monday, March 28, 2011 at 10:13 a.m., Miss Aria Marie Wisely finally graced us with her presence. We have been praying for you for a very long time, sweet girl! Mommy and Daddy Wisely are both doing well, and the new family of 3 were able to come home today. I absolutely cannot wait to watch her grow up!

On Tuesday, March 29, 2011 around 5:30 p.m., Miss Kendall Marie Welch decided that it was time to show her sweet face to the world! Lots of people have been waiting for you, baby girl! Jeff and Jennifer are both doing great. Although I haven't gotten to meet Kendall yet, I love her so much already!

Next up, Emory Grace Walker. She should be making her debut any day now. At least we hope so!

All of these sweet girls will be welcoming our Trek to the mix at some point. But for now, we will swoon over their perfect girl fingers and toes, and giggle over their cute squeeks and silly faces. Being a mommy is so much fun! And now 2 of my closest friends are getting to experience that precious gift first hand, for the first time. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Crazy Kid!

My Lorelai Roxane is one of the funniest kids I've ever been around. I realize I'm just a tad partial, but surely everyone would agree that she is quite the entertainer! I wish I was quick enough (and home enough) to capture pictures of her wild antics. But since I'm not, you'll just have to bear with my descriptions.

Just last week, she started making the craziest faces! Whenever she sees someone new enter a room, her eyes get SUPER big, and her little mouth rounds into a perfect "O", like she's never been so surprised in her life! Lo has also decided that it's hilarious to wrinkle her forehead and stare you down, like she's bound and determined to set you on fire with her eyes. I'm not gonna lie, occassionally it's a bit scarey! But usually it just makes us laugh. I'm sure our story will change when she's still making this same face as a teenager...

Lorelai is going to be a singer, just like Mommy and Daddy. She absolutely loves to sing along with the radio in the car! Her favorite songs from Sunday School are "Zacchaeus" and "Deep and Wide." I think it's the cutest thing when she tries to do the motions too:) And she doesn't only sing, she also is very animated when she does so! Music is in her blood, clearly. If a catchy commercial jingle begins to play on the tv, she immediately stops what she's doing a dances a little jig. We love it! And so does she!

I absolutely cannot wait for Trek to join our crazy adventures. If his activity in the womb is any indication, he will have no problem fitting right in with the crazy Mitchells!

Time for an Update

It's been a while...

I have lots of excuses lined out, but surely you don't have time to read them. I'll leave it open for you to imagine the chaos of the life of an 8-month-pregnant mom of a 15-month-old girl, who also gets to teach 4 and 5 year olds everyday!

My sweet Lorelai is all over the place lately. She's gone from walking to running, which is leading to several bumps and bruises! I have never laughed so much in my life! Just in the last week, she has come up with several very animated facial expressions. I'm starting to realize that I'm going to have a girl with an attitude on my hands! I'm not really sure if my attitude can handle it, but I've got faith that the Lord will equip us through everything! She really is a joy, and I absolutely love every second I get to spend with her. Lo is, by far, the most hilarious kid I've ever encountered.

Trek is growing perfectly on schedule! I went to the doctor today for my 32 week visit. I can't believe we're already so close to meeting our precious boy. I had a slight scare around the 28th week of my pregnancy. Trek decided that, instead of being hyper-active like he had been in the past, he would take a 2 day nap and freak his mommy out. I called my doctor, and we quickly found a heartbeat. Since then, he has made me pay heavily for that worry! If his activity in the womb is any indication of the kind of child he will be, then Jeremy and I will be quite thin, because we'll be chasing him everywhere! He is so much more active than Lorelai ever was. And his movements are never rhythmic. Instead, they are constantly changing. It's wonderful knowing that he is still growing strong! But he is certainly wearing me out!

God is so good. Jeremy and I are incredibly blessed! At this moment, we are sitting on go, ready to be with our friends as they welcome their sweet babies! Angela will be meeting Miss Aria on Monday, at the latest. And Julie will welcome Baby Emory any day now! I absolutely cannot wait to watch all of these babies together! Glory to God!

It's a...

BOY! This is definitely not news anymore, but I realized tonight that I haven't really shared my thoughts about this via blog just yet.

On December 28, Jeremy and I went in for our first ultrasound of this pregnancy. We were so anxious to find out the sex of our sweet baby! Up until that point, I hadn't given it nearly as much thought as I had when I was pregnant with Lorelai. Shock was still coursing through my veins! But on that day, I could hardly stand the anticipation!

Let me just say, the new hospital in Magnolia has some of the nicest facilities I've ever seen! And the staff was uber friendly. People tend to bash the local hospital a lot, but it really isn't so bad. It's just like any other hospital you will visit for your basic needs. No matter where you go, you'll have to wait in the ER (unless you're having heart trouble:)) And no matter where you go, it's will cost you an arm, and probably a leg, to get the care that you need. It's called life! Get over it, and be thankful that we have an updated hospital so close to us, with staff that, for the most part, is extremely dedicated to the wellness of the community.

Now that I'm off of THAT soapbox...! Jeremy and I were ushered in to a small, quiet room. It was just us, our technician, and the tv monitor above the bed. My heart was pounding! Would this baby be healthy? Would he/she have everything that they needed to survive? And of course I couldn't wait to know if Lorelai would have a little brother or a little sister! I thought I saw it once, while the tech was checking all of the things that she's required to check. But I kept my mouth shut. No one wants to sound like an idiot when they're in that position.

After a little conversation and looking at the heartbeat and such, she asked us the all-important question. "Are you interested in knowing the sex of your baby?" YES! And just like that, there he was for all to see! She paused the screen, and we were elated! I think Jeremy almost fell out of his chair. He really needed someone to high-five at the moment. All I could do was laugh. A boy...A BOY!! I was over the moon! I've wanted to be a Mommy to a little boy since Jeremy and I got married. I've longed to watch Jeremy be a Daddy to a little boy, teaching him things that only a Daddy can teach. And now we get to go on this wonderful adventure together!

Jeremy's mom was working at the hospital that day, so she was waiting outside of her office when we walked out of radiology. I told Jeremy not to say anything to her, just to hand her the picture. She quickly looked, and I believe her words were, "I don't even know how to read these things, and I KNOW that's a boy!" My mom's reaction was much the same when I drove out to show her. And my dad was thrilled! I think he's already planning his batting cages in the backyard.

You would think that with so much excitement, we would have a name picked out quickly. Not the case. It has taken us weeks to decide on a name! We thought we had a few options nailed down, but after trying to use them around the house, nothing seemed to fit. We want something unique. Obviously Lorelai isn't too common of a name, so I would like to stick with somethingn original, but not too weird. I like short, "tough" names for boys. Call me crazy, but I can't help but imagine what it'll sound like over the PA system at a sporting event...when he comes to the plate, or when me catches the toughdown pass. Maybe that's just me...

A few days ago, we FINALLY decided on a first name for our sweet baby boy! We're still tossing around middle names, but Lorelai's baby brother's name will be Trek. It's unique, it's fun, it's to the point, and it fits our personalities perfectly! It's so fun now to actually call him by name, instead of just #2, as he has so affectionately been called since we discovered his existance:) We have 2 middle names that we are considering at the moment, but for now he is simply Trek.

I can't wait to meet him! I can't wait to teach him things! I can't wait to take him to his first Texas Rangers baseball game. I can't wait to watch baseball with him this summer while we stay home and get to know each other. There are so many things that we will discover with our baby boy. We're praying for his health and happiness even now. New beginnings may be scary, but they're incredibly exciting as well!

New Adventures!

We are having the time of our lives with our sweet Lorelai Roxane! She has got to be the most fun I've ever had! I can't imagine the excitement that is to come. I know that, as she gets older and learns more, she'll only be more entertaining.

The day before Tyler went back to Fayetteville, he came over to hang out with Lo for the evening. In the middle of playing at our feet by the couch, Lorelai noticed that Daddy was eating a brownie in his chair across the room. Without being prompted, she stood up, and off she went! I was so so excited! We were all very calm and quiet as she made the journey across the room, but as soon as she hit Daddy's leg, I freaked! She looked at me and just laughed! Like she was saying, "All I needed was time, Mom! I got this!" Since then, she's been unstoppable. That was about 2 weeks ago. Now, she rarely crawls. If she does, she very quickly "corrects" herself. I'm absolutely LOVING chasing her around and playing with her!

Lately, Lorelai has discovered that she's the funniest, most entertaining person on the planet. I have no idea where she would get such an idea, but she is NOT shy about letting everyone know! She's still just a bit shy around some men, but for the most part, she makes sure she is the center of attention when she enters a room. It doesn't matter if we're in WalMart, a small shop, a restaurant, or our living room, she's a ham! She immediately waves and greets everyone and everything with a "Hi!" or "Hey!" as soon as she gets out of the car. She laughs and laughs at herself, showing off her big dimples and 2 tiny teeth! I find it incredibly entertaining!

As soon as I can sit and get them uploaded, I'll add videos of my girl walking and being goofy. We are having the time of our lives! I'm getting more and more excited everyday to meet our sweet baby boy! With any luck, he'll be just as sweet, loving, and silly as his big sister!