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!

Happy New Year!

In keeping with tradition, we blew up the Mitchell Christmas tree again this year! Friday night, we headed out to the 101 for a yummy supper of finger foods. At exactly 8:00, everyone headed outside to get ready for the show! All of the neighbors are notified of the official start time, so everyone is in their yards or on their porches waiting for the excitement. It's quite funny to listen to Claudine stand outside and yell to all of the neighbors, making sure everyone is ready! This year was bigger and better than ever to help celebrate Lorelai's first birthday.

Here's the deal...every year that Jeremy and I have been married, he and his dad have been blowing up a Christmas tree. It started out as just a little tree. Mark gets a real tree that he decorates for his yard every year. It used to just be a small potted tree. Not anymore! Jeremy gave him the idea a few years back to fill his used tree with fireworks and set it ablaze. It's now become a tradition, and it keeps getting bigger every year! Check out pictures from this year's exciting show!

As cool as these are, they just can't do it justice! I'm already looking forward to next year!

Lorelai is One!

My sweet baby girl turned ONE on Friday, December 31! It's been a couple of weeks, but I haven't actually had time to sit and blog since then. She is absolutely a BLAST right now! Lo's new tricks include showing off her teeth, identifying her belly, nose, and ears, and even taking a few steps here and there! We are so proud to be Lorelai's Mommy and Daddy.

Her birthday was a lot of fun for us. We had a small party of just family and a few close friends. Everyone met at the Bus Barn for pizza and cake. Of course we had a blast! Lorelai hammed it up quite well! After way too much cake, we tried our best to have her help open gifts. She wasn't interested in the least, choosing instead to play with her friends and her new wagon. That was ok. As long as she was enjoying herself, we didn't mind.

We were suprised that she didn't have a horrible tummy ache after all of that sugar! Instead, a sugar coma ensued, and Lo, Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a good long nap after the party! Friday evening, we spent time at the Mitchell home, where we enjoyed our annual Christmas tree burning. It was spectacular! The best yet! Pictures of that coming soon. For now, enjoy some sweet shots from our precious girl's first birthday!

We loved the cake! Leslie Story did an awesome job!

I'm ready for the party, Dad!

Ahh...a little taste of heaven

She ate nearly half of this cake!

Sadly, we didn't get any sort of family picture during the day. Everything seemed to go so fast that we never got a chance to stop and have anyone take our picture! Thankfully, Christmas was just the week before:)

Last week, Lorelai had her 12 month check up. My big girl weighed 23 pounds! She was 29.5 inches long. We've got a chunk on our hands! Her big girl carseat finally came in today, so she is officially forward facing now. So many changes! I'm loving every minute of this!