A Long Distance Baby Shower

Well...last night much to my surprise Ben and Katie Nelson came in the front door with arms full of baby gifts! My first thought was that they were bringing things for the twins until Katie and LaJuan said, "Surprise...it's your baby shower!" After a second of confusion I became a little teary eyed at the thoughtfulness of our friends back "home" in Mobile. I definitely felt very much cared about and loved. We received some really cute things for Journey but even more importantly, I really enjoyed knowing that her life and her upcoming birth was being celebrated.


I want thank Morgan and Jenn White for their planning and pulling off a great surprise (and of course LaJuan for not spoiling the surprise). Thank you so much for being a great friend and for going out of your way to make sure we felt special and loved. Thank you also to everyone who was so generous in showering our little girl with pretty dresses, much needed gift cards, toys, picture frames, books and more. This means so much to us!


I am starting my 36th week and we are getting ready for the big day. At my last doctor's appointment my doctor thought Journey's heart rate sounded a little too fast so he ordered a Non Stress Test. She failed the test so I had to go downtown Orlando to the hospital for more extensive tests and an ultrasound (she is weighing 6lbs 3oz). Thankfully all was well with our little girl and the doctor and ultrasound tech both concluded that Journey is just a sleepy little baby...imagine that!

Demetrius and Jayden's First Disney Trip!

Here we are at the entrance to Epcot. Our good friend Lindsay works at Disney so she and her fiance Blake took us as there guests. We had a blast!

Jayden and Demetrius watching a juggling act. Jayden loves balls so he loved this!

You can't see it in the picture but he was watching a train go around the tracks. He mostly liked climbing up on the fence though.

On our way back to our car we realized we parked in "Journey." We took the opportunity to catch a photo of Journey under the "Journey" sign.

These are our friends Blake and Lindsay. Thanks again for such a fun-filled day. Love you guys!

As of Friday afternoon we officially SOLD our house in Mobile! Needless to say we are very thankful.  

Shoes, Daddy's Shirt and Mismatched Clothes

Jayden will now bring stuff to us to put on him. This particular morning it was Demetrius' polo shirt. I couldn't resist...

How about this stylist outfit. A striped onesie, blue and green dinosaur pj pants and some cool velcro sandals. This kid's got class and style!

And last of all...the new obsessions with shoosh (shoes).

Jayden's 15 month check up was today. He was 23lbs 14oz (50th%) and 31 3/4 inches (75th%). I also had my 33wk appointment and all is well. I'm still measuring one week ahead, which puts the baby in the 62nd percentile for size. Thankfully good ole' Daddy was there to help with all of the appointments. We will go today to the hospital to complete the pre-admission process. We've never been to the hospital so it's sort of a "dry run" practice just in case I actually go into labor on my own!

Journey, Jayden and Mommy

Journey's First Photo Shoot

Particular, Head Strong, Strong Willed....Determined

However you want to say it...he JUST is! We have known since the first night Jayden came into our lives that he is a determined little boy who does not easily give up. I would first like to say that I am so thankful for this characteristic of his. If I would have know this about him I would not have worried when my progesterone levels were less than half of what they should have been and I was told that another miscarriage was very possible. I would secondly like to admit that I have to remind myself to appreciate it and not try to "break" him of this trait. So, since the beginning I have really focused on teaching Jayden to obey so that this God-given trait does not get out of hand and turn into defiance and disobedience.

That being said, we decided that now is the time to take his bottle away. He has been drinking everything but milk from a cup for a while now but we haven't been able to convince him that milk in a cup is not poison. To make a long story short, we took his bottle away for 5 days straight and he didn't drink milk or much of anything else for those five days! So, after many dry diaper changes Demetrius and I decided "better a hydrated baby on the bottle for way too long" than a dehydrated, gloomy little boy. So, he has his best friend bottle back and we are saving this fight for another time!

Our Sweet Baby Girl

Here is a picture from my ultrasound today.  She measured about a week ahead of schedule at 3lbs 14oz.  She was trying to sleep...you can see her hand over her right eye.  She has the exact same mouth, nose, cheeks and chin as Jayden.  It was shocking to see her in 4D and to see how beautiful she looked.  We are so excited to meet her!

Amazing...

It amazes me every day to see how much Jayden loves Demetrius. They were sitting on the futon together and Jayden spontaneously turned towards Demetrius and gave him a "kiss." Can't believe I had the camera so close by!

I am always talking about how long Jayden's hair is getting. I thought I'd take a picture after his bath to show just how long it really is.

Summerville Update

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Many of you have held us in your prayers throughout the last few months as we transitioned to this new phase in our lives. We wanted to give you an update on what has transpired just this week alone (and it's only Wednesday)! His provision has been humbling and faith building. Our hope is that we will remember His goodness and stop doubting his plan for us.

The contract on our house is moving along and we are looking to close around the first of September. We had to replace the roof but the buyer agreed to finance it into their mortgage! We have also seen much financial provision in the areas of tuition and in one time financial gifts from friends and family. These gifts have really been used to help us get through the past three months of double house payments. Saying "thank you" doesn't feel like enough but it's all we have...so we do genuinely thank you.

Demetrius, Jayden and I will all have medical insurance beginning next month. Journey will be automatically added once she is born. We are so thankful for this amazing "gift" of God's provision...many of our basic needs are being met without any further debt! Demetrius also has a neat opportunity to work part time for the NBA's Orlando Magic this season. If he gets the job, he will be working home games in the Merchandise Department. We are excited because not only is it a cool/fun job for him but it will not keep him away from home much.

We are anticipating the birth of our little girl Journey! Although my last ultrasound was canceled because of the tropical storm, we are pretty sure that the doctor will induce me a week or two early since she is apparently growing fast. So, we are looking at about 8 more weeks until her arrival. We have been given lots of hand-me-down clothes for her, which has been so great.

I hope our news is as encouraging to our friends and family as it has been to us. We are never left alone to figure things out when we have a Father who looks after our needs (physical, emotional and spiritual).

The Men, the Olympics and their Macs

This is a scene I have witnessed many times since the Olympics began. The guys (Demetrius, Shane and Josh...a New Zealand friend) watching the games while "working" on their seminary assignments. The first day of fall classes were canceled because of the Tropical Storm. Do they look disappointed? Actually, I think they're ready to get this semester started!

Random Fun

Funny faces...this is the look he gave me after I parted his curly hair on the side. I think we'll stick with the afro!

Jayden now knows how to use Daddy's MP3 player. He will go up to Demetrius, reach for one of the ear buds and put it in his ear. He loves music....like father, like son.

Just chillin' on the futon watching a little "Boz" and "Praise Baby."

A New Contract

We have a new contract on our house in Mobile! The home inspection is today and the deal should close in the next few weeks. We are cautiously excited but excited nonetheless. We are definitely thankful! Keep you posted...

33 weeks???

I had my 28 week appointment today. My doctor says the baby measured 33 weeks! I personally think he's nuts but we get an extra ultrasound either way. Going in next Tuesday to see just how big (or how completely normal) this little girl of ours is. Keep you posted...

The Home Stretch...

I just passed the 28 week mark, which means I am beginning my third trimester. This pregnancy has flown by. I am truly looking forward to meeting our little girl, learning her personality and watching her grow. The nesting phase has hit full force...

I guess most people feel more confident with their second child and I must say that I will definitely have more appropriate expectations of this baby. I usually don't say that I have "regrets" about things, but I do regret not allowing myself to enjoy Jayden's baby days. I was so worried about regulating him and getting him to conform that at times I missed out on just enjoying him. I just worried about too much like a lot of first time moms do. I think I will do a better job about being flexible now that I know how fast they grow up.