Facelift

I'm talking about the blog...NOT ME! =) I started playing around with the blog today and gave it a facelift. Don't be surprised if it changes again! It will definitely have to change when baby #2 arrives! I can't wait to see pictures of TWO baby girls together. It blows my mind to think that in about 3 months we will be a family of FOUR! The Lord is gracious...that's one thing that keeps ringing in our heads as we go through this pregnancy. I am reminded of what Hebrews 4:16 says, "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it." We found God's grace to help us through our infertility struggles, through the adoption process, and now we continue to seek it as we raise Georgia Claire and get ready for her little sister's arrival.

I know it's crazy but there are times that I STILL cannot believe I am pregnant...even with my ever-growing tummy, cravings, and feeling the baby move. Speaking of cravings, I drove about 20 minutes today to get a good watermelon because I was craving watermelon. When we got home, Georgia & I sat down and ate and ate and ate! It tasted SO GOOD! I have been feeling well during the day, but in the evenings I start getting really tired. Shelby keeps reminding me that I am 6+ months pregnant and I spend the day chasing and entertaining an 11+ month old! I've been eating well, I'm trying to walk most mornings before it gets too hot (just picked this back up), and I TRY to rest while Georgia is resting. I've gotten pretty clumsy...I was not the most graceful to begin with but as my tummy grows so does my clumsiness!

Here's a pic of my watermelon-eating buddy today!

Eleven Years

On May 29, 1999, I became Mrs. Becky Braman. I will never forget that day...such a pretty ceremony, even though it only lasted about 15 minutes! We pulled away from the church, got about 1/2 a mile away and I burst into tears and said, "I miss my family!" Shelby and I laugh about it now...I think at the time he was thinking, "What have I done?!" I was fine after a few minutes. The ceremony and reception were such a whirlwind that I really didn't get to visit with everyone like I had hoped. We drove to Dallas the first night and then spent a week in Cloudcroft, NM. It was a great trip!

Shelby & I have had quite a ride the last 11 years, but I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything. We've moved 6 times, bought 2 beagles, given away 2 beagles, I got my teaching certification and taught public school for 8 years, Shelby graduated with a Masters in Biology, gone into debt, gotten out of debt, purchased two homes, Shelby became an ordained deacon of our church, said goodbye to our two remaining grandfathers, adopted Georgia Claire and are pregnant with our second daughter! WOW! Growing up all I ever wanted was to be a mom and a wife...I had a great example in my mom and wanted to be just like her. Now, thanks to Shelby and his great work ethic and overwhelming desire to provide for his family, I'm now staying home, enjoying our daughter and preparing our home for the birth of our second daughter! I love you, Shelby!

Since we were going to be in the car most of the day yesterday for our anniversary, Mom, Dad, & Kathy told us to at least go eat breakfast by ourselves and they would watch Georgia. We were only gone about an hour but it was nice to enjoy our breakfast together, just the two of us. In Fredericksburg, there is a bakery called "Rather Sweet". The owner is Rebecca Rather, cousin of Dan Rather, and pastry extraordinaire! They have scones and muffins and other yummy goodies, but their cinnamon rolls are something that Shelby and I MUST have every time we go down there! They are HUGE and I dare not think about how many calories are in them, but instead enjoy every single bite...YES, I eat the WHOLE THING!

Family pics...

Looking forward to the next 11 years and many more with Shelby, Georgia Claire, and her little sister! Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings in my life from cinnamon rolls to loving husbands to precious baby girls!

Hill Country Visit Part V

Part V of our trip consisted of playing in the creek and taking pictures behind the guest house of some dear church friends of Angie & Joe. They have a beautiful piece of property with more Cypress trees and a flowing creek right behind it. Next time we are going to spend a whole afternoon playing in the creek! It was so much fun but we didn't have a whole lot of time while we were there.

My sister Kathy and her girls, Mary Katherine & Caroline...

The boys...Gabe, Luke & Will...
Luke...I still call him my little Lukie Pookie. Even though he's almost 7, he was our first nephew and holds a VERY special place in our hearts...he is such a sweet boy!The boys again...looking a little mischievous!
Paw Paw, Georgia & Will...precious picture!
Grandma with the granddaughters...Mary Katherine, Georgia & Caroline...
All of the grandkids with Grandma & Paw Paw...we were thinking this MIGHT be their Christmas card picture for 2010, but then realized our baby girl #2 will be here! (Gabe-6, Caroline-3, Will-4, Georgia-11 months, Luke-6, Mary Katherine-4)

Dad wanted a picture of "all of his girls"...

My sisters and me...I love them both so much!
Shortly after this picture we started our trek home. It's such a long drive, but with 4 kiddos it made it even longer! Thirty minutes down the road Georgia had a "blow out" and we had to pull over and change her diaper and her clothes...and clean the car seat--YUCK! Another 30 minutes down the road and we stopped for Happy Meals for the kids and lunch for us. After another bathroom break and a quick visit with my Granny, we finally made it home. It was a long trip for us, but it must have felt like an eternity to the kids. We pulled up at a red light beside my parents and Kathy & her kids about 30 minutes down the road. Mary Katherine was sitting by the window and when they rolled down her window she asked, "Are we in Texas?" to which I replied, "Yes!" Then, in a relieved but exhausted little voice she said, "Yea!" and put her head back on her car seat. It was a fun but hard trip on all of us. When we got home Georgia crawled all over the place and enjoyed playing with her toys that we had left at home. She went to sleep last night at 9:00 and slept until 8:15 this morning! Poor baby but lucky us! We slept TEN hours!

HIll Country Visit Part IV

Part IV of our trip consisted of all 6 cousins playing together...and wearing each other out! Gabe got a small pool for his birthday and all became fish for a day (all but Caroline & Georgia).

Gabe, Will & Mary Katherine enjoying each other...

Will is so sweet with Georgia...he LOVES giving her lots of attention and she loves it, too!
Will LOVES cuddling and reading books...Aunt Kathy got some great one-on-one time with him here...
Shelby filled water balloons for the kids...Mary Katherine gathered her ammo for the boys...
Grandma & PawPaw brought fresh green beans, new potatoes, peppers, and squash from their garden. They snapped the green beans while the kids played and we enjoyed a DELICIOUS meal that night, thanks to them!

Paw Paw might be a retired entomologist, but his skills still come in handy with the grandkids! Gabe was given an ant farm so after they found some ants, all of the kids watched (and squealed and yelled some, too) while Paw Paw put the ants in the gel.

Here is Will being silly...looking through the ant farm...

Caroline & Georgia took a bath together that night and she wanted to help feed "Georgie"...such a big helper!

Hill Country Visit Part III

Part III of our trip consisted of attending Gabe's 6th birthday. Mom & Dad, and Kathy, Luke, Mary Katherine, & Caroline all came, too! Andy had to stay at home and work...a good principal's work is never done! Gabe's party was a hit for children of ALL ages! Angie got a musician from Austin to perform for the kids (and adults). He was a HUGE HIT! The kids loved him!

Georgia even got excited with her daddy while the musician sang...
She was mesmerized by the pelican puppet that the musician used...she stared at it the entire time!
Here she is dancing and waving her arms to the music...
SO much fun!
Angie made homemade cupcakes & peach and peppermint ice cream...YUM!!!! Here is Gabe and a few of his friends after a water gun fight and lots of singing and dancing...
Georgia was asleep as soon as the car was moving and slept the entire way back to the Meyer...
BUT, she woke up for her bath!
Happy Birthday, Gabe! So glad we could all be a part of your celebration!

Hill Country Visit Part II

Part II of our trip consisted of Georgia, Shelby & me heading to Comfort, TX to a B&B where my family stayed two summers ago. It has become one of our favorite places! The Meyer Bed & Breakfast is a wonderful and relaxing getaway...right on the Cypress Creek, beautiful scenery, incredible breakfast, lots of deer, and located within walking distance of the antique & gift shops in downtown. We enjoyed relaxing and Shelby enjoyed getting some fly fishing in while Georgia took a nap. He had an audience...an older gentleman sat in one of the Adirondack chairs and watched him as he fished. I love watching him cast his fly line, too. There is something so relaxing about it.

This is our view from our room...Cypress Creek is just at the bottom of the hill...

Georgia by the creek and the BEAUTIFUL, LARGE Cypress trees...Georgia and her daddy...she looks at him and starts to giggle...so sweet!
Mean momma put her toes in the cold creek...she's not too sure about cold water yet!
We went into San Antonio the following morning. I had a maternity dress to exchange and Shelby "needed" to go to Bass Pro Shops...Georgia LOVED the stuffed animals.
Sweet Georgia while we waited for Daddy in the fly shop...
That afternoon we went to meet up with the rest of my family to celebrate Gabe's 6th birthday!

Hill Country Visit Part I

Shelby was able to take a few days off and we were able to take a trip to the hill country...to relax, to see Georgia's birthmom Julia and her family, and to attend our nephew Gabe's 6th birthday party (and to see my sister Angie, her husband Joe, and Gabe's brother Will).

Part I consisted of lots of traveling and stopping a little over half way and getting to see Julia and her family. It was the perfect way to break up our trip, and it was a good way for Georgia to crawl around and stretch her legs. Georgia did great on our trip...took a 2 hour nap going before our stop and a 2 hour nap after our stop.

Here are some pictures of our visit...Georgia with Julia...

Georgia with Julia's mom, Stacy...
Georgia got lots of hugs and kisses during our short, but sweet visit...
Georgia with Julia, Stacy, and Stacy's mom (and Julia's Nonnie) Vicki...

Such a sweet family. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of chicken salad sandwiches, chips, dips, stuffed tomatoes, sweet tea, and homemade desserts...MY KIND OF MEAL! We are so thankful for Julia and her family...they love Georgia and we love them!

Low Risk Pregnancy

In the fall of 2005 I was told by a doctor that my chances of having biological children were slim to none. A test he had performed showed what looked like a "T-shaped uterus". Of course I was devastated, went home and cried my eyes out and Shelby came home early that day. I can remember getting on my knees and praying for God to please hear my cry to be a mom. I think by the end of the prayer I was sobbing and lying on the floor. Then, we met Dr. Putman at Baylor in Dallas and suddenly things didn't look so bad! Instead of a "T-shaped uterus" I had what is called a "septate uterus" where there is actually a wall dividing it into two chambers. Dr. Putman gave us hope. He told us he could go in and surgically remove the wall and that we could achieve a successful pregnancy! So, in July of 2006 I had surgery and began my road to recovery and years of fertility treatments and procedures. What we didn't realize at the time was that I also had a severe case of endometriosis and a huge cyst on one of my ovaries. I can remember my first post-op appointment with Dr. Putman and him saying that he couldn't believe I wasn't in more pain. I've always had a high pain tolerance, and he had asked me prior to the surgery if I ever had severe pains...I knew I had pains every month, but I didn't think they were severe. I just thought what I was experiencing were normal pains that every woman went through...guess I was wrong! And so began our journey of taking medication at first, which led to three IUIs which led to two IVFs which led to NO pregnancy. Dr. Putman was stumped...left my case as "unexplained infertility".

Our journey was a tough one but we always knew that a precious baby was in our future. I was determined to do all that we could do to try to achieve pregnancy first, before pursuing adoption, and I'm so glad we did. Those struggles and heartaches and ups and downs on the roller coaster of infertility made our hearts more ready to receive the incredible gift of precious Georgia Claire! By the end of 2008 I was R-E-A-D-Y to be a mom, and by the end of 2008, Georgia's birthmom Julia was making the decision that she was NOT ready to be a mom...all in God's plan.

So, fast forward a year and a half...I had an OB appointment today and heard these words from my doctor-- "You are actually a very low risk pregnancy!" She said it took me awhile to get to this point but I am "a textbook case of a healthy pregnancy"...my weight gain has been great, my stomach is measuring great, & my blood pressure has been great! PRAISE GOD! Here is a picture of me today...26 weeks pregnant.

I thought IF I ever did get pregnant that I would be high risk, possibly on bed rest...God is an amazing, miraculous God and I am so thankful that He is blessing Shelby and me with TWO little girls! =) Here are a couple of pictures of my buddy from today...she was so good at the doctor. My doctor actually asked me if Georgia got sunburned on her legs this weekend but I informed her it was carpet burn from all of the crawling! The girl can MOVE!

Church Party

Shelby came home on Friday and Georgia & I have thoroughly enjoyed our weekend with him...and look forward to a whole week with him! Yippee! No work travel plans for him this week. On Saturday we worked outside all morning...Shelby mowed, trimmed trees & bushes, and took the dog pen down. Georgia and I planted flowers and plants, swept, and watered plants. She was FILTHY by the time we went in at noon, and probably had eaten a bug or two and some dirt...I'm sure it won't be the last time! I didn't think about taking a picture of her until AFTER her bath...DARN!

Georgia is finally feeling better and her ears have cleared up. The last two nights she has slept through the night...we're hoping she has gotten back on her schedule. She has been sleeping all night since about 6 weeks old so to start waking up in the middle of the night at 11+ months old has been a shock to all of us! I know, I know...I should count my blessings, and believe me, I KNOW that I am blessed to have a baby that likes to sleep! Of course, last week while Shelby was out of town she woke up each night. Friday evening he told me that he would get up with her when she woke up and...you guessed it...she slept until 7:30 Saturday morning and I WAS WIDE AWAKE AT 6:00! Go figure!

Saturday evening we had a church get together at my mom & dad's house...61 people total (27 kids and 34 adults). Our two young couples classes got together and enjoyed their beautiful backyard, a cookout, and homemade ice cream and desserts. It was a great evening and Georgia was exhausted by the time we got in the car to go home. She was asleep before we got out of their neighborhood!

Here are some pictures from our evening. Happy girl saying hi to Momma...

Talking with Daddy...

Hanging out with Paw Paw and sweet cousins Mary Katherine & Caroline...

Joel getting some good cuddle time...Joel is one of our Sunday School teachers, as well as a very good friend of our family's. He's an Aggie, works with our family each Christmas Tree season, and is one of the "tractor buddies" that we look forward to seeing each Tuesday night. We love Joel like family, and you can tell that Georgia feels the same!

Georgia and some of the girls playing...

I am so thankful for my church friends and family! Georgia is growing up with an extended family of believers that love her, and our entire family.

Eleven Months Old TODAY!

Could it be?! Georgia Claire is ELEVEN months old today?! WOW! How we love this little girl. The past 11 months have been absolutely FANTASTIC and full of so many happy happy times. She is now crawling and crawling FAST...Shelby said the other night that "Hurricane Georgia had made land fall!" But we love it. We love watching her on the move and usually she squeals while she's crawling. She's SO proud of herself! She now says "Mama", "Dada", "Bye Bye", "Ba Ba" for bottle, and lots of other Georgia words that we haven't quite figured out! She loves to be outside and loves to "help" me with the laundry and dishes. She lights up when Daddy gets home and loves to rock with her favorite blanket. She's now in 12-18 month clothing...still a big girl! I think she is going to be tall...she's still in the 98th percentile in length, and you can tell with some of the clothes we try on her...especially onesies. We bought her a swimsuit Saturday at Old Navy-they were having a great sale and she needed one for our trip that's coming up soon. (She's been given 2 or 3 and they are ALL TOO SMALL! Maybe her little sister will be able to wear those.) We're going to the hill country to relax and rejuvenate, and to also see Will, Gabe, and my sister Angie & brother-in-law Joe. We can't wait! Shelby needs the time off from work...he LOVES his job and is doing so well, but it has been stressful lately and he needs the break. Below are some pictures I took of her in her new swimsuit...

It fits and I think she really likes it! It was early and she still had bedhead. Her hair has gotten long and I almost always have to wet & brush it before we leave to go anywhere. Look at her creases and rolls...I told her I wish I was that cute in a swimsuit!

Crawling around...
Happy girl (even though she's still not feeling too well)...look at her wave in her hair! Hahaha!
AND my ABSOLUTE favorite pic of her first swimsuit modeling session...it looks like I told her to "Give me sassy" or something...her expression and the way she is sitting CRACKS ME UP!
OH HAPPY ELEVEN MONTHS! Thank you, Lord for this precious baby girl and the happiness she has brought to our life! We love her so much and are so incredibly thankful for her life and your plan for us through the miracle of adoption.