At the Flip of a Coin

My grandfather was only eighteen in the spring of 1941. He joined the Navy and once training was over they gave him two options - Hawaii or Texas. He was born and raised in Texas; so the thought of getting out and starting a new life somewhere else was all too exciting. Several of his friends had made the choice to go. Who wouldn't go to paradise? But the guilt of leaving behind the grandparents who raised him and his two sisters was also tugging at his heart to stay. So he made up his mind - tails, he stays; heads, he goes. And no matter what the outcome was, that was exactly what he was going to do, no matter how hard or how difficult it maybe. He flipped the coin. Tails it was.

To think, leaving something like that to luck makes me only see God. Because, if the coin was heads, he would have never met his future wife Lila Walters. He would have never had Janice Hunter, who would have never had me.

God obviously has a plan for my life and my children's lives and their children's lives. He wasn't about to let a flip of a coin stand in His way. Instead, He was only going to use it in is plan.

Praying for Thankfulness

There's not much to say, other than today is a day of remembrance. We remember pain. We remember joy. We remember Uncle Joe, and what he meant to us. He touched lives across the world, and life hasn't been the same without him.

Tomorrow, the sorrow continues, as Jared and I remember the loss of our first baby.
However, somewhere in all this sorrow, we're able to find joy and peace in that one day we will be reunited with both of these precious creations of God.

Please pray for my family and I over the next week. May we be thankful in a time when thankfulness comes easily to others but not to us.

Papaya!

We've made it to 22 weeks! He's the size of a papaya! We're only updating Crosby's status every two weeks now. Last week he was the size of a pomegranate. This week his eyes and lips are more developed making him look more and more like a newborn. And according to thebump.com, he's sleeping 12-14 hours a day. However, I think not. Sometimes he keeps me up at night with all his kicking and punching. I'm just taking this time as preparation for when he's actually here keeping us up with screams instead.

This is us around the house. Jared is hard at work at his new standing desk he built. This is where you will find him from now until December.

B-A-N-A-N-A

Jack Crosby is the size of a banana! Right now, he's growing more and more every single day. He's kicking and stretching more than ever, which at times makes taking naps or resting difficult if he's not in the mood to do the same. I definitely think he's taking after Jack Johnson the boxer not Jack Johnson the singer. However, he does respond to music. He also starts moving around after I've eaten a good meal. I've finally been able to stomach peanut butter again, and he seemed to either love it or hate it. Yet, I can't imagine him hating it if he's a member of MY family.

Crosby is the size of a Man-go!

We made it to 19 weeks! And Crosby is officially the size of a mango (or man-go according to my brother). His brain is hard at work developing the crucial sensory systems necessary for hearing, vision, touch, smell and taste. He also may have hair growing on that head of his. Both of us had hair when we were born; however, Jared's was red and mine was brunette.
The one thing we're really hoping for is the eye birthmark. I have a brown line in my eye that the doctors said was just a birthmark. My brother also has it, along with his son Shepherd. We hope Cros gets it as well.
Also, I've learned that his Aunt Lulu and Aunt Jesse are calling him Captain Jack. Haha!

Drumroll, please.....

Jared and I are pleased to announce we are going to be the proud parents of a baby boy! Jack Crosby Johnson's estimated time of arrival is now January 1st 2013! Thank you all for your patience. I got of work later than I expected today, so it put me a tad behind in posting this. We're so excited to now say "Him" and "He" when are talking about Baby J. By the way, we will call him by his middle name - Crosby. The men on my dad's side of the family go by their middle names, all the way back to my great-grandfather.

Jack is the middle of name of Jared's father, and it is also the nickname of Jared's favorite author C.S. Lewis. He's always wanted Jack despite being "Jack Johnson." I couldn't deny him his favorite name that also meant a lot to him. As for Crosby, Jared and I just heard the name and fell in love with it. 

We're holding on the Talulla Grae for another baby someday. Like some of you heard, Talulla is the combination of our siblings names. Taylor, Lulu (for Lindsay), and Laura. And of course, we couldn't leave out Garrett. That's where Grae came in. 

 But here he is! Our sweet baby boy!

This is him waving at us!

Sweet Potato

18 weeks! Baby J is the size of a sweet potato (if you couldn't guess what I drew below - I learned sweet potatoes are not the most enjoyable objects to draw). Baby's ears have settled down in their final position and the map of veins is visible beneath the translucent skin. Baby J is now yawning, hiccuping, sucking and swallowing. And most exciting of all, he or she has been twisting, rolling, punching and kicking! It's the craziest feeling in the world! It's been happening so much this past week, so Jared finally got to feel Baby J kick. He's now obsessed with feeling my tummy, and I love every second of it!

(ipregnant app; thebump.com)

TOMORROW is the big day! We find out the sex of Baby J! And we can hardly wait! However, the rest of you won't find out until Tuesday (Sorry Charlies). Blessings to you all and don't forget to vote! This is your last chance!

Vote! Baby J: Boy or Girl?

A week from today, we have an appointment to find out whether Baby J is a boy or a girl. We have posted a poll on our sidebar for you all (who care) to place a vote. We will announce the result on August 7th. (The rest of the world needs to allow us time to tell family and close friends first.) The poll ends on August 6th at 1:00 PM. Good luck!

Week 17

Baby J is the size of an onion! Baby's cartilage is turning to bone and fat is beginning to accumulate as development continues (Both Jared and I were pretty chunky so he's got a lot to accumulate). Both the fingers and toes are developing fingerprints! (ipregnant app)

I am doing much better. Nausea is still knocking me down from time to time, but I haven't thrown up in a week! I'm so thankful; now, if we could just get the nausea and fatigue to go away. I feel like I've taken more naps in this past week than I ever have in my life. I've never been a napper, yet I took two today! 

I think I've felt the baby move. Multiple times it's been bubbles or little movements here and there. However, the other night I threw myself on our bed right after we walked in the door from being gone all day, and I'm guessing Baby J didn't like that because he/she poked me twice. It was so fun!

A week from tomorrow we are found out if Baby J is a she or a he. We cannot wait!

16 weeks - Avocado Baby!

We made it to 16 weeks! Baby J is the size an Avocado! I'm a little behind in posting this as I am actually coming up on 17 weeks pretty soon. But here's the update on Baby J.

He or she is listening to the sound of our voices, thanks to the tiny bones forming in his or her ears. Baby's hair, lashes, and eyebrows are growing. His or her eyes are closer together and more in the front of the head. The heart is busy pumping blood and the toes are starting to grow toenails. 

(iPregnant App and thebump.com)

I am STILL feeling sick quite often. I heard someone say that you always want to be a little sick because then you know your body is still doing what it is supposed to do. Therefore, I'm trying to feel good about not feeling well; however, that proves very difficult when my head is hanging over a trashcan. Besides all that, We're looking forward to feeling the baby move and then come August 6th finding out if Baby J is a boy or girl!  

DMB

This was somewhat our anniversary present to each other. Dave Matthews Band came to Charlotte for which we bought tickets the day they went on sell. One of the best things about the show was one of our favorite bands was opening for them - The Head and the Heart.

Here's a little background story to The Head and the Heart: Once upon a time they came to Raleigh. We bought tickets for around $10 a piece. Cheep. We got there, and BAM! I got super duper sick. It was awful. We heard one song and had to leave. I seriously was crying. I'm very passionate when it comes to music.

So here's our second chance to see them again! Hooray! However... turns out, if you want to see a concert in Charlotte only 12 miles away from your hotel AND if there is also a Nascar race happening, you don't need to leave for the concert 1 hour in advance you need to leave 3 hours in advance. It literally took us 2 1/2 hours to get 12 miles. Needless to say, we missed The Head and the Heart. We're beginning to think it's a curse.

All in all, we enjoyed the rest of the concert despite all the pot smokers and drunk maker-outers. I was just glad to finally partake with Jared in one of his favorite pastimes - going to see DMB.

Here I am again, snacking on some peanut butter crackers and also keep them down.

One our way home, we stopped at Ikea! It was our first visit and it really set us off dreaming! NYC apartment here we come! (Just joking! Well... maybe someday!)

This is Jared's "dreaming" look. I can see the gears turning.

 

We of course went to the baby section and found this mama and baby fox! Love it!

15 Weeks!

Baby J is now the size of a navel orange! He or She's joints and ligaments can now all move! Baby J can also sense light through his or her sealed eyelids, and the lungs and respiratory tract are developing. Also, Baby's legs are outgrowing his or her arms and the taste buds are starting to form but do not yet taste sensation.  - The Bump and iPregnancy

I am still dealing with nausea and vomiting. The longest stretch I've had is 3 days without throwing up. That's much much better than it used to be, however the nausea is still sticking around. Praying this all goes away soon.

Hope everyone has a blessed week!

Happy 14 Weeks Baby J!

I am 14 weeks now, which means we're finally in the second trimester! The chances of miscarrying are very low now! Praise God! However, Baby J is still making me sick. Yesterday was a very good day. I made it through Hannah Reid's wedding! Yet, tonight is a totally different story. I'm usually sick in the evenings, which makes doing anything after I get off work nearly impossible. Such as, cooking, cleaning, spending time with friends, etc... Jared has been an AMAZING help and such a trooper. Jared and I reached our 2nd anniversary on July 3rd! We celebrated on the 4th by taking a day trip to Durham to eat at our favorite restaurant Maggiano's and watch The Amazing Spider-Man. I did well most of the day, but come 3 o'clock it was time to get me home.

Here's a little something to hold you over until next week. Hopefully I can post some older pictures soon of what else we've been up to this summer other than laying on the coach, throwing up. Like our trip to Oklahoma! However, that's pretty much what I did the whole time we were there as well. My poor family.

Baby J is the size of a LEMON!

Thunder Baby

I want to thank everyone for their sweet responses! And for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about... Well, you missed out. Haha! 

To fill you in though - a few days ago, we announced on Twitter that Jared and I are expecting! We couldn't be more excited. The official due date has been pushed up to January 1, 2013. At the time I drew on the chalkboard, we estimated December 30ish.

Once we sent the tweet out, the OKC Thunder (@okcthunder) requested they post this on their blog, and we of course gladly obliged. You can read about it here. Our baby also has a twitter account you can follow at @thunderbaby2012. 

Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on another great adventure. THUNDER UP!

Carolina Strawberry Pickin'

A few weeks ago I took Matthew to Hunts Strawberry Farms to go strawberry pickin'! We did this last year and had a blast. As soon as we could we got out there this year, and the weather was perfect.

 Hunts has these turkeys that follow the customers around. Matthew was fascinated by them at first...

 Then they got a little too close to him. He told me it was time to go and then disappeared! I turned around, and he was crawling in the car. Before I knew it, he was buckled and ready to go.

 After picking strawberries we had lunch at the park.

Scott and Sierra Get Engaged!

Some of our dear friends recently got engaged. I'm very much late on posting about their surprise (or should I say Sierra's surprise - Scott of course knew! Haha!) party due to feeling under the weather. 

The future Mr. and Mrs. Scott Jones!

Fwends!

We seriously cannot get enough of cornhole!

Scott - almost spilling his drink

4000 Steps

Pregnancy Support Services of Wake Forest (Soon to be First Choice Pregnancy Solutions) puts on a walkathon every year to raise money for their nonprofit organization. This was our first year to participate, in which my team and I raised $1000. I want to personally thank Jimmy and Natalie Bunch, Liz Fowler, Erin Cooney, Allie Esposito, Allen and Teresa Smith, Tori Smith, Sean Hicks, Rachel Spreng, Sherry and Troy Meachum, and Rebecca Jones. I know this was tough to try to raise money especially since most of us are broke college students, but I want to thank each of you for having such a wonderful and joyful heart to participate for the cause and support such a great organization that helps save lives.

The Ladies!

The Gents!

Leave it to us to find cornhole! I think we're all addicted!

This was one of my favorite shots because it looks like Erin is levitating her beanbag!

GO TEAM 2!

This is one of my favorite families! They crack me up!

Stretching before our 4000 steps!

Me and Husband

TEAM 2 AKA TEAM HUPERNIKE! (In Greek Hupernike means "More than conquerors")

Jeff was our Team Chauffeur

Micah was on a mission! He was so adorable! Walkin' with spirit!

Somehow our team went from 10 to 50! CRAZY!

These were blocks that each team had that when all put together built a bridge.

Finished our 4000 steps! GO TEAM HUPERNIKE!