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!