9 Weeks pregnant

We are now 9 weeks pregnant and I still can't believe it! Sometimes during the day I'll have this thought, "Wow, I'm pregnant." It feels as if I had forgotten for a little bit. I think I'm having these thoughts and feelings now because all my pregnancy symptoms have subsided. I feel better than I've felt in a very long time! I've started walking/jogging which makes me feel better physically and mentally. I joked with Casey during the 1st pregnancy that I was born to be pregnant. :)

Gabe is growing up

He is just so darn cute! He can say "Yes" which is "es" which is the sweetest. He also says please which comes out "peas." And when Casey was putting him to bed the other night he asked Gabe to sing with him. Casey began singing the "Big Red Car" song by the Wiggles. One of the verses goes, "Beep, Beep, Chug, chug, Big Red Car." Gabe started singing "Beep, Beep." So cute! It's amazing how much they know at this age. I am the proudest mommy on the planet.

Mom's worry

I just heard the other day that Green Tea blocks folate absorption. I read this on my anencephaly support web site that I try to read once a week or so. I have not done my own research but was very saddened when I read this.
I started drinking green tea back in the beginning of December. I have to ashamedly admit that I had not been taking my 4 mg of folic acid, however I was taking a B vitamin. Of course it's natural for fear to creep in because I always wonder what if anything I could have done differently with my first pregnancy. Which in my heart I realize is ridiculous because God allowed Nathaniel to die and that was God's plan for our lives. He was my special baby boy who avoided all the pain and hurt of this life and went straight to heaven to be with Jesus, which is where we all hope to go someday. My dad said it perfectly in his eulogy of Nathaniel, "Nathaniel lived a virtually perfect life. He spent 8 months next to his twin brother Gabriel and then was welcomed into this world briefly by his loving parents, grandparents, and friends. He then went to heaven where he will never suffer from sin or hurt."
All that to say that I think as a mom it's my natural tendency to worry. But then my worry is magnified because of the experience we had in our first pregnancy. Our doctor has agreed to do a sonogram at our 12 week appointment so we can make sure everything is ok. (Nathaniel was diagnosed at 12 weeks).

Pregnancy Symptoms and Other Happenings

Well I am definitely feeling pregnant. For the past 3 weeks I have struggled with nausea and being very tired! I mean super tired!! Recently my symptoms have changed a little. Now in the morning I feel great! I don't feel nauseous and am full of energy. But then by the afternoon I feel very tired, dizzy and a little nauseous. The main symptom here that is very different from my first pregnancy with the boys is the dizziness! I feel like I'm going to pass out. Very strange. And by this time in my last pregnancy my symptoms had subsided, although I did take a nap daily.
So I'm guessing it's a girl. hee hee :)
And we already have a name picked out if it is a girl (we picked out the name while living in Chicago).

Chuck E. Cheeses

We took Gabe to Chuck E. Cheese's over on the west side tonight. My dad "Papo" brought cousin Em and Ab to join us. They all had a lot of fun, even Casey! :)

Here they are doing the Hokey Pokey. After the song the staff threw tickets up in the air, so they gathered up lots of tickets for a neat prize at the end.

Good News!

We are pregnant! I've been waiting to post this great news so I could speak to some people in person, but I couldn't wait any longer to make this announcement!
We are in awe of God's blessing! We were told back in August that due to results of some tests we would still have to go through IVF because we could not get pregnant naturally. We were going to start IVF in October but at that time found out we had additional fertility insurance coverage starting in January. We were planning on starting IVF in the next couple of months.
We are currently 6 weeks pregnant! It still has not sunk in. So this is what it feels like to get pregnant naturally. You are a week late and you take a pregnancy test and it's positive?? What? What happened to the month and a half of grueling shots and endless doctor appointments? Thank you Lord for such a blessing!

God knows all things and is incredibly sovereign! When we did our first IVF cycle I was so disappointed that we did not have any embryos to freeze. But I also knew that if we did have frozen "babies" we would absolutely have to give each of them a chance at life. God knew full well the outcome and now I am praising Him that we don't have frozen "babies." Amazing!

Out to Dinner

I decided that it would be fun if tonight we took Gabe to the Rainforest Cafe. Maybe not such a good idea. By the time Case got home, we got there about 6:30. Gabe was so tired that he ended up falling asleep at the table. He was also scared of the roaring lions. We'll have to try again another time.

New Year's Resolutions

Here are mine for 2008
1. Be more organized
2. Lose those last 20 pounds...or maybe 30. :)
3. Be the best mommy in the world!
4. Be the best wife in the world!
5. To be finished Christmas shopping by Dec. 15th!
6. To complete some 5Ks and a couple of 10Ks.
7. I resolve to Get in shape, stay in shape and get pregnant....that's an oxymoron I think. :)

I love the new year! I always feel that renewed sense of energy to tackle new projects and old ones for that matter. I love Christmas but it always is so stressful, and every year I vow to not be out shopping on Christmas Eve but end up shopping on Christmas Eve. 2007 was no exception!

Biggest Loser

I have entered the Biggest Loser contest...of Heritage. Our neighborhood is having a Biggest Loser contest. Everyone who enters pays $10 and then the winner, 2nd and 3rd place get a % of the kitty. I need something to motvate me so I'm going to be the Biggest Loser. :) Our first weigh-in is Sunday, Jan. 6th.

Amazing Love

These past several weeks have been to my surprise fairly difficult. I have been surprised by the grief over Nathaniel that I experienced. The first time it really came out of nowhere was a few days before Christmas. I walked into Garden Ridge in Hulen and began to cry. What?? Where did this come from?? Very bizarre. I called Casey and he reminded me that I was the Mommy so of course I would be sad. And he also reminded me that we found out that we were pregnant while we were in Garden Ridge. I had completely forgotten that. Perhaps that was it. I'm still not sure what it was.
Yesterday evening I was sitting checking email and watching TV after Gabe went to sleep and received an email from a new friend that completely overwhelmed me. It reminded me once again that God is sovereign and cares even about me and all the little things going on in my life. This friend offered to help make a scrapbook for Nathaniel. Wow. I sobbed as I read her email because I couldn't believe how incredibly amazing God is. The email came at the perfect time. I'm simply amazed right now. I can't even put into words the feeling I have. I'm grateful, in awe, amazed. It reminds me of the song, "Amazing Love." I cry everytime I sing it at church. It describes better than I ever could my amazement and awe of His Glory and Love!
Amazing Love, How can it be.

"Kike"-filled Christmas!

Santa came to our house and boy was it fun! This was the first Christmas that Gabe actually knew what was going on. He asked Santa for a "Kike" and a "choo choo," and Santa delivered! Gabe received 2 bikes from Santa, one is a motorized motorcycle and the other is a Schwinn trike. He also received a hot wheels-type trike from Mimzi and Grandpa that makes motorcycle sounds! 3 "Kikes"...Wow! Santa also brought a train table and a little train set, a tractor playset, a pair of shoes and a couple of DVDs, one is the Wiggles, which puts Gabe in a trance! hee hee.

The minute he saw the motorcycle from the top of the stairs, he said, "KIKE!" And now when you ask him what Santa brought he says, "kike, choo choo."
Santa brought mommy a salad spinner, a tea pot, workout clothes and a telescope. We saw the full moon through the telescope the other night and it was amazing!!!

Meeting Santa Claus

We went and saw Santa Claus last week. I was determined that I would take him this year. Last year he did not go and I've lamented about it all year long.
He was such a good boy as we waited in line for Santa. Of course mommy wasn't thinking clearly, because we got in line right about 11:30...lunch time. I normally always have some sort of snack in his diaper bag, whether it's goldfish or a Fruitabu, and I always have a drink for him. Well not on this day. He was hungry the whole way through the line and got ancy towards the end. He was pointing to his mouth and whining. He then spotted a boy in a stroller behind us and the boy had an unpeeled banana sitting in the tray in front of him. Gabriel walked up and pointed to it and almost grabbed it. I quickly picked him up and apologized to the mom and said, "sorry, he's hungry." I truly just said this to justify his actions. But the mom gave him half of the banana. That was really generous and sweet of the lady. Gabe gobbled that banana up so fast. And then it was time to meet Santa. We waited in line for about 30 minutes. I wasn't sure what to expect. Casey and I had been talking a lot about Santa the past week and pointing him out whenever we could. He then started pointing to Santa and saying "anna." Mom replies, "Yes, that's Santa."
He actually walked up to Santa and only hesitated a little. He sat in his lap and just leaned his head away from Santa's head. I think he didn't like the beard so much. He was so cute, though. No tears and just as brave as he could be. As we were walking away, I said, "Ok Santa, Please bring us a bike and a train." So we've been talking this train and bike thing up pretty good. And now when we ask Gabe what Santa's going to bring he says, "kike" "choo choo." I cannot wait for Santa Claus to come to our house. Christmas was always such a big deal at my house. I found out the Secret of Santa in 4th grade but we always continued to do Christmas the same and then of course, Lauren was born so Santa always came to our house!!!
But now that I'm older and trying to establish new traditions for my family, I question how much emphasis I really want to place on Santa. It's hard to not just do what you grew up with, especially since it was such a good experience. But I do want Gabe to understand what Christmas is really all about. So we talk about this a lot. My sister and I plan on baking a cake on Christmas day and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. This makes so much sense to me now. I remember hearing about someone doing this before and thinking it sounded strange. (Don't ask me why). I mean this will really speak the children's language because they understand birthdays! I tell Gabe that on Christmas it will be Jesus' birthday and we will sing...and I proceed to sing the song. He seems to love the Birthday song and always gets really calm and quiet when I sing it. He's so precious.

Casey just recently taught him how to give eskimo kisses. So adorable! That's all for now.

Gabe

Ok. I know I'm partial but Gabriel is the cutest thing. He had RSV last week and ended up with an ear infection mid-week. Needless to say it was not a fun week, but I told Casey it was the best time of my life? Why? Because Gabriel slept with us for the 1st time since he was an infant (Casey has never let him sleep on the bed but when he was teeny, tiny he would sleep on top of my chest)!!! He slept in between us this time and I would wake up with him snuggled up against me. Or he would crawl on top of me and fall back asleep. Oh my goodness, my heart melted! He's so precious. And funny! He takes his diaper off any chance he gets. And he loves to take showers with Daddy and Mommy (separately of course). Ok probably too much information for the public, but this is for posterity's sake. He brings in his rubber ducky and a cup and has the best time in the shower. If one of us is already in the shower, he'll walk up to the door and knock on it and then try to take off his shirt and unfasten his diaper. So cute!
And since he's been sick he has become a super momma's boy! He will hardly have anything to do with Casey and comes up and kisses me several times during the day.

I could go on and on! I am just praising the Lord for the time I have with him and for allowing me to be a stay-at-home mommy.

Online Mystery Hostess Party - Win an 8 Day/ 7 Night Getaway!

Hello everyone!
If you still need to buy gifts or if you just need a mascara, lip gloss or shaving cream, why not have your business go towards a good cause?
My Mystery Hostess Party was so successful that I'm opening it up to those of you that weren't able to attend in person. Anyone that places a $30 + order between now and Wed., 12/19, your name will be put into the drawing to be the hostess. Products will be available no later than Friday 12/21.

Click Here to start Shopping!!

What is a Mystery Hostess Party? This means that each person placing an order of $30 or more will enter their name in a drawing…the person’s name drawn will become my "hostess.” This will entitle that person to receive all hostess credits and hostess incentives of the online "party". She will receive hostess gifts and 10% of total party sales in free products!!!!

Also I’m raffling off an 8 Day/ 7 Night trip and a 3 Day/ 2 Night trip. I'm so excited for one of you to win this fabulous getaway!!

For every friend you refer that places an order, you will receive 5 extra chances to win the getaway and hostess credit!

Let's go shopping and win some free stuff, and it's all for a good cause.

The profit of the sales will be donated towards purchasing food and clothing for 2 needy families.

Many Blessings!
Angie
817-741-4795
www.marykay.com/acmoore

Gabe's first haircut

WGabe had his first haircut today! We had big plans to get Christmas pictures taken with all the cousins and with our family so he really needed his haircut. He sat so still and was such a big boy! We decided to keep the back for now since he still has cute little baby curls.

Colorado Trip!!

We finally went to visit our good friends Shad and Cheryl in Fort Collins! We wanted to go over the summer but it never worked out so we went the 1st weekend in December. It was so much fun to spend time with them. (Casey and Shad are like brothers since they met in college and are both only children). One of the highlights of my trip was going to the Coach outlet! I bought myself a purse and 2 others to resell. Gabe loved seeing "Uncle" Shad and "Aunt" Cheryl. We went to dinner at this neat little place and Gabe was able to occupy himself playing on the floor next to the table so we actually had some conversation! We walked around downtown Fort Collins before dinner and went to this really neat toy store. This is where we decided that Gabe needs a train table from Santa. We had to drag him away fom the table they had setup there. We went to our favorite breakfast place in Fort Collins, Lorraine's. It is New Orleans style fare, and is sooooo delicious!
And "Grandma" Sheila, Shad's mom bought Gabriel a really neat airplane (Shad is a pilot) and a book. He learned a new word once he got the toy airplane. It came with a couple of passengers with little suitcases and he picked one of the suitcsaes up and said "bag." And then he walked over to where Cheryl had her purse hanging and he pointed to it and the toy bag making the association, and said "bag." It was so precious. He did this several times during the weekend! He was fascinated with Shad's mountain bike. And right before we left for the airport Shad brought out the "big guns" and showed Gabriel his BMW motorcycle. Boy, Casey and I are in trouble once Gabe can start asking for people. I think Uncle Shad will be one of his favorite people. :) Hello, he has a REAL "KIKE".
Shad and Cheryl were introduced to the Wiggles over the weekend! We were all able to sing "In the Big Red Car" word for word by the end of the trip.
All in all it was a great trip and too short. We will definitely be going back, hopefully soon! I love Colorado and Fort Collins, especially!

A new post finally!

It's been a long time since I've posted! Where has all the time gone?
In November, my best friend came to visit and Gabe played with her little girl. (Is it too early for an arranged marriage?) She has the same last name so it's really convenient. :)
Here they are together!

We had a very busy November.

Lots of pictures from November and a short re-cap.

Gabe had his first sleepover with his 2 cousins, Emily and Abby. They took a bath together which was so sweet. Those girls love Gabriel and take such good care of him. :)

We had several Thanksgiving dinners. We started on Sunday before Thanksgiving and finished up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Sunday we ate with my maternal Grandmother and mom's sister's family. On Thanksgiving day we had brunch with my family and hosted dinner with Casey's parents. On Saturday we headed up to Ardmore to visit with my paternal grandmother and all of my cousins. Lots of eating and a few extra pounds later, we managed to see the entire family, except for a few cousins.

This is cute!

More fall Festivities

Ok. I got WAY behind on posting pictures of our fall festivities. The camera was confiscated by my husband for work purposes. :)

Here's a picture of the Praise and Worship that parents were invited to at Gabe's school. He was really enthused as you can tell. He never danced or smiled. He just kept staring at me. Next time I'm going to hide.



The others are in a slide show of a Halloween party with our small group and the Pumpkin Patch with our neighborhood playgroup.