The Hoke Family

I love Shutterfly!

2011-01-17T22:13:00.003-05:00

I just love Shutterfly. Especially when they give me free stuff! I was helping out my awesome sister and ordering some cards for her. Now they say if I share what I created on my blog, that I could get a $25 gift card. I'm always getting stuff on Shutterfly, so this will be awesome!

Scripted Name Baby 5x7 folded card

For hundreds of thank you card designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

We're Alive!!!

2009-09-23T10:26:00.005-04:00

Yes, we are alive. And, yes, I kind of hate blogging lately. I admit it. : ) As I'm sure everyone already knows already, Brody is going to be a big brother! So what that has translated to is PURE EXHAUSTION for me. I have just in the last couple of weeks started to feel like a normal human being capable of functioning day to day. I am 17 weeks pregnant today and our little munchkin is due March 3rd. I swear its a girl and Rory swears its a boy. We'll see who is right in about 3 weeks : )

As far as the Brodester goes.....he is HUGE! And sooooo much fun. He has a motor that never stops. Hence, the exhaustion for mommy. He is 17 months old now and really becoming a big boy. I've recently enrolled him in a toddler music class at the Y that we go to once a week. He is quite the social stud and already swooning the ladies. Day 1 he went straight for the cute blonde girl. I asked Rory if these kind of things are pre-programmed or what?! And eeeeeeverybody, child and adult, love Brody's hair. I'll try to get a good picture of it but, man oh man, it is kinky curly strawberry blonde. He's such a stud.

Here are a couple of pictures to satisfy you for now. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't busted out the camera at all in about 3 or 4 weeks. My memory card was full and I just recently cleared it.

Sneak Peak

2009-06-22T12:09:00.002-04:00

I'll blog more later but here are some sneak peaks from our beach vacation/wedding adventures. See how much Brody loooooooved the beach? : ) He HATED it. He wouldn't let you put him down in the sand and he WAILED if you took him near the ocean. I think the waves crashing scared him. We had a good time though. And Brody did AMAZING for the 15 hour car rides there and back.

Pool Day!

2009-06-15T15:56:00.006-04:00

Yay for the first day at the POOL!!! Tish and I were not quite sure how this trip would end up but I'd say it was a success! Brody loooooooved the pool and was splashing around in the water and clapping his hands the whole time. Evie, however, wasn't too interested. She didn't want to get her pretty hair wet : ) We had a blast and plan on going more often now that we've tested the waters!

Channeling Einstein

2009-06-04T10:32:00.005-04:00

Let's Play Catch Up....

2009-06-04T09:41:00.019-04:00

Brody turned 1 on April 21st, his birthday party was on April 25th. Brody's closest friends and family were all in attendance and we had a great time.

Then beautiful weather finally decided to make an extended appearance. Thank goodness, because Brody and I were both clawing at the door to be outside! Brody thought about how he'd like to spend our summer days....

We spent some time swinging at the park.....

Playing on our new backyard play set from Grandma and Grandpa Hoke...

Discovered that he now loves to dip anything, especially grilled cheese and potato smiles, in some good old fashioned organic ketchup....

Daddy caught a toad to show Brody. So we let him nearly squeeze the life out of...er, I mean, gently play with it. : ) I still shudder in disgust when I look at these pics. BOYS!

Then Daddy placed the nasty toad on Brody's head and Mommy nearly vomited. After this interaction, we freed the toad and mommy scrubbed Brody's little hands for the next hour : )

We also make a trip down to southern Ohio, where Rory used to teach. Jake, one of Rory's former students, had a graduation party that we just couldn't miss. However, I didn't manage to get any pictures of. I did get some pictures when we visited to Sockmans. Courtney and Kristin were either students or basketball players of Rory's. We try to keep in touch with them and it was great for them to finally meet Brody. Brody was soaking up all the attention from the pretty girls. : ) He even stripped off his shirt, haha.

And, here we are. Now you're caught up. For the most part, atleast. I'll try to do better with blogging. I'm even feeling a redesign of the blog, maybe : ) Aunt Mandy, however, is in high demand so it may be a while.

M.I.A

2009-06-03T15:45:00.002-04:00

I know, I know. I've been MIA lately. So sorry! I'm really been lacking motivation as far as this blog is concerned. Brody is, however, as cute as ever and I will post new pics SOON! So check back with us!

By the way, my little man is WALKING!! He's been doing very short distances for a while but starting yesterday he's really taken off. Making trips clear across the room and all!

1 Year Old!

2009-04-21T19:48:00.006-04:00

I can't even believe I'm writing this post. The past year FLEW by! And I'm amazed at how nostalgic I've felt all day. All week, really. I was talking to Brody all day saying, "Ok, Brody, exactly one year ago, Mommy was getting her epidural," "Ok, exactly one year ago, Mommy was getting her second epidural," "Exactly one year ago, Mommy's water broke," "Now, exactly one year ago, Mommy was squeezing you out." haha Luckily, Brody is still young enough to not realize how crazy his mommy is : )

Anyways, the past year has been amazing! Brody has just been such a blessing. SUCH A GOOD BABY! I mean, he really, really is. Good sleeper (usually), good eater (always). Just a good boy all around. I may not get as much sleep as I used to or dress as stylish as I used to, but I would not change it for the world. I love the Brodester!

As for his stats.....today he weighed 25lb 2oz and was 30 1/4in long. Those are both around the 80th percentile. Dr. Thomas said Brody checked out perfectly, both physically and developmentally.

This was first thing this morning. Can't you just hear Brody saying, "Ok, seriously? Pictures this early?"

We went to lunch at Bob Evans, where Brody CHOWED DOWN

Playing around in the living room. I'm his favorite playmate. He told me so.

This is at exactly 3:55pm, Brody's time of birth. And he was ticked that we were headed to the doctor : ) Sorry, bud.

I'll post some comparison pics later.

Helmet, anyone?

2009-04-14T13:42:00.006-04:00

I'm looking for one, preferrably, with a face mask, chin strap and any other safety features that one might come with. And, while we're at it, could you throw in a padded body suit as well?

I need both of these things to survive Brody's childhood. This child is going to be the death of me! We were having a lovely morning playing and chasing each other around the house. (Notice exhibits A, B and C below). Then in one slip of his balance Brody fell into the bottom shelf of his closet, leaving a gaping hole above his lip! Or atleast that's how I interpreted it at first glance. Ok, maybe it was just a really bad cut. Either way, I decided to bypass all nursing knowledge in my brain and go straight to freaking out. I got out my trusty first aid kit and cleaned him up, while simultaneously packing his bag for the ER. I was sure he'd need stitches. And what, might you ask, was the first thought to go through my head. Was it, "My poor baby! Stitches will hurt!" or "I hope he's not scared of the ER!". Nope. Neither of those. It was, "Oh no! My beautiful baby's face! We have pictures in 2 weeks!" Don't judge me.

Long story short....Poppy came over and laughed in my face. He didn't think the cut was stitch-worthy at all. I'm telling you, it is a pretty nasty gash. But after I put my nursing brain back on I was able to assess, clean and bandage the wound. Then a call to the pediatrician's office confirmed my findings but pacified me with an appointment anyways. I'm sure they're used to crazy mothers. Anyways, the bottom picture is with his pseudo-dressing above his lip. And while we're looking at his adorable face, lets take a poll. Should I trim the curls? I mean, really, is it becoming a bit too Bozo the clown-like?

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T21:36:00.007-04:00

Well, Brody's 1st Easter has come and gone. We went to Rory's Grandma's house for lunch and then to Mimi and Poppy's house for dinner. We all ate well : ) There aren't too many pictures to document Brody's 1st Easter because he has become such a BOY in the fact that he is nearly impossible to photograph lately. But here are a few pictures that I was able to snag. I think the pink in his shirt brought out the red in his hair that day. haha : ) Cousin Ethan had the same outfit as Brody for Easter and looked super cute as well.

And here is Brody in his new puppy dog towel.....

His "red wing" is back!!

2009-04-02T13:33:00.003-04:00

When Brody was younger and losing his baby hair, he got to where he was almost bald but held on to this one single patch of hair on the right side of his head. We affectionately called it his "red wing" because it always flipped out. Well, Brody eventually lost his "red wing" too. Until now! The "red wing" is back!!......and has multiplied. haha : )

Belle and Ethan Come to Visit....Grandma Richmond does too!

2009-03-02T13:12:00.007-05:00

Mimi and Poppy kept Belle and Ethan over the weekend so Brody got to play with his cousins! I love watching the 3 of them interact. Brody and Ethan are cute because they'll just sit and stare and smile at each other......until Brody tries to chew on poor Ethan or, worse, crawl on him. Then there is Belle, who looooooooves Brody. She's so stinkin cute with him. And they actually play really well together. Belle would read (in her own little language) to Brody and he would just stare at the book and really listen to her. Then she would walk away and call Brody to her like a dog and he'd crawl right to her. It was funny.

My grandma Richmond also made an unexpected visit, which was really nice. I didn't know she was coming and she hadn't got to see Brody for a while so it was good to see her. And she had never met Ethan so she picked a good weekend to come!

The three kiddos....Belle didn't want to see by Ethan and hold him up so Mimi had to prop him. Oh, the sibling love! haha

Grandma Richmond with 3 of her great-grandkids

Grandma and the boys. Brody is such a ham!

These next two pictures are a dangerous sequence that crack me up! Brody was playing next to Ethan and it made my mom and I nervous because we didn't want big bubba Brody to fall on poor little Ethan. Well I took the top picture then as I'm taking the bottom picture, Brody starts to fall on Ethan. I saved Ethan's life that day : ) You can tell in the bottom picture because the picture is out of focus, as I had to move mid-picturesnap to catch Brody. : )

Pulling Up to Stand

2009-03-02T13:07:00.004-05:00

I'm way behind on posting pictures on here. Hmmm, I wonder why. : ) Here are some cute pics of Brody standing. He's so darn cute! I love that little tushy!

Reaching for a book....

Look at those curls!

I Have an Ulcer

2009-02-23T19:18:00.002-05:00

I mean, really. Okay, not really. But I will.....soon, I think. Raising a boy is not for the faint at heart, that is for sure. Incident #1 tonight....Brody is pulling himself up to stand on EVERYTHING. Tonight he took a big spill and wiped out on our hardwood floor. He was crying so hard that no sound came out for what felt like forever. However, he recovered quickly and all was well. Incident #2 tonight.....I had been giving Brody a bath in a blow-up duck for a while now. Well, recently, I graduated him to the big ol' regular tub and just didn't put much water in it. Tonight he slipped and went underwater. And whats worse is that HE LOVED IT. I almost had a stroke. So then he spent the rest of bathtime trying to go underwater. I don't think I can handle this : )

9 Months Old

2009-02-05T20:28:00.011-05:00

I know I'm a little late with this post but I can hardly believe that Brody is 9 months old! We had his check-up at the beginning of this week and he checked out perfectly. And he's finally on the growth chart!! haha Usually when people say that its because their child has been on the lighter side. Not my big guy! He's always been off the chart....as in over 100%. But he now weighs 23lbs 4 oz (80%) and is 28 3/4in long (73%). He's really starting to thin out with as much as he's moving around. And, of course, he is just cute as can be!

Brody has been hitting several milestones lately. I'll mention the most important one first....he FINALLY said "mama"!!!!!!!!!!!!! This just started yesterday : ) I LOVE it! He is also transitioning from army crawling to up on all fours crawling. AND he is now pulling himself up to his knees on just about everything. This makes me a nervous wreck. I want to wrap pillows around him or something. I'm constantly envisioning him losing his grip on whatever it is and busting his chin. I know its bound to happen, though.

Well, on to a slew of pictures. I tried to do Brody's 9 month pictures myself but he's a moving target now so it was not easy.

I slicked back the curls for his photo shoot. Doesn't he look like such a little man?!?!

I could not PEEL the monkey away from him to take pictures!

So cute!

Eventually he was sick of being dolled up and just wanted to play with his cars : )

Getting up on all fours..

I love the chub!

Pulling up to his knees..

Naked Baby on the Move!!

2009-01-20T20:07:00.008-05:00

When I say that Brody is on the move 24-7...I mean that he is on the move 24-7. Nothing stops the boy, not even diaper changes. This morning was particularly adventurous when I tried to change his diaper and get him dressed for the day. He was not having it! He wanted to MOVE! It has gotten almost impossible to change his diaper because he wants to grab whatever is around him or roll over or sit up, etc.

But look at that little tushy!! So cute!!

This picture really shows what I'm saying here. First of all, notice that I'm changing him in his crib. Why? Well that would be because last night I tried to change a dirty diaper on the changing table and he decided to roll over mid change. So the cover had to be washed : ) Secondly, notice the mobile is lopsided and uneven. Well that would be because he yanked one of the fish off. (I just need to take that thing down. Who am I kidding?! haha) Then we have naked Brody crawling all over.

"What's that you say, mom? You want to take some pictures?"

"Here! How about this face! Take a picture of this!"

Discovered that his crib rail doubles as a teether : )

Practicing for his American Idol tryout

How can you resist that face?? : )

First Time Sledding!

2009-01-20T19:58:00.005-05:00

And I didn't even get to enjoy it with him!! : ( But thats okay because it was a fun time that Brody and Rory were able to have together. Rory even took a picture on his cell phone and sent it to me at work. I laughed so hard! And, actually, I was quite proud of Rory for even attempting to get Brody in his snowsuit all by himself. : ) The boys had a good time!

Finally Caught Up!!

2009-01-05T14:43:00.004-05:00

Whew! I think we're caught up. I did skip blogging some fun events over the holidays. Maybe I'll blog them sometime but for now, we're caught up! So here are some pics of Brody in real time...today!! : )

Christmas 2008

2009-01-05T14:17:00.006-05:00

Well, I have about a millions pictures from Christmas but here are just a few to sum up Brody's first holiday season. Christmas really started for us on Christmas Eve morning when we went over to Mimi and Poppy's house to open gifts with Mandy, Nic, Belle and Ethan. Mimi and Poppy, as always, went overboard and the grandkids got a TON of awesome gifts. Check out this picture of Brody next to his Santa bag full of goodies. : )

This is a play tent that Brody got and he really loves it! Check out the cool camo play flooring too. Mimi got that to put down when she watches Brody because its nice and soft.....and easy to clean : )

The boys in their matching pjs. I swear Brody could probably gobble Ethan up in one bite : )

All of our gifts from Mimi and Poppy under our tree

Grandma Horner got Brody this stuffed puppy and he LOVES it! Thanks, Grandma : ) (by the way, we miss you!)

And here is the aftermath. This is after Brody got a visit from Grandma Judi and Grandpa Ed on Christmas morning, who brought him lots more goodies! Can you spot Brody is this mess?? : ) And notice that the Christmas tree is already down. I couldn't stand it. I had to start cleaning and organizing.

Best Gift Ever

2008-12-26T09:32:00.006-05:00

Rory and I both agree that the best gift we've ever received has, by far, been Brody. He is such a joy and we just love him to pieces!

Trip to Lexington

2008-12-26T09:10:00.007-05:00

Brody and I took a little trip a few weeks back to visit our good friends Bethany, Ashley and Dan. Brody and I drove by ourselves to Florence where we picked up Bethany and then the three of us headed down to Lexington, where Ashley and Dan live. It was a great trip and I was impressed by how well Brody did in the car!

Uncle Dan gave Brody a faux-hawk, although its kinda hard to see in the picture!

The lovely Ashley and Bethany

Brody and I cuddling on the couch

Ashley's house was GORGEOUS! It was like straight from a magazine. I meant to take pictures of every room but forgot to. Here is a picture of her Christmas tree. Do you see Bethany and Brody in the picture? : )

Ashley has two dogs, Riley and Lila. This is Lila in the picture. Her and Brody really bonded : )

Family picture! : ) Ashley, Brody, Lila and Riley

Waaaayyyyy Behind

2008-12-26T08:59:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. I'm waaaayyy behind on blogging new pictures of the little guy. The pictures below explain why. Brody is very mobile now. He can roll just about anywhere and has recently started crawling. So now I can't leave him for a second because who knows what he'll get into. The other day I went downstairs to put some laundry in and I came back up to find him gnawing on the legs of the dining room table! I'll be going on a blogging marathon today, though. So stay tuned!

Belle Comes to Visit

2008-11-11T14:29:00.006-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my parents kept Belle for a few days. Brody looooooves Belle. Here are a couple different series of interactions between Belle and Brody that I thought were hilarious.

Here is Brody thinking, "Hmm, that toy looks interesting. I think I want to play with that."

"Oh no you don't!" says Belle : ) haha. Belle just doesn't know what to think now that she has gone from #1 grandchild to #1 of 3. She's 2 years old. What do you expect?

This next series is my favorite. Brody has developed some pretty quick hands and can latch on to just about anything before you know it. Hair, noses and eyebrows tend to be his fave : )

Uh, oh. Here she is within reach.

Here is Brody going in for the grab. At this point Belle is still smiling and playing along.

Ouch! Yep, he did it. He got a good grip on the nose.

And here is the staredown. Belle is saying, "Fool me once, Squirt. But you won't fool me twice."

NICU Halloween Party

2008-11-11T14:08:00.007-05:00

I know Halloween was quiiiiiite some time ago now. This shows just how behind on blogging I am. Anyways, each year several girls from work get their kids together for a Halloween costume party and Brody and I were in attendance this year. I am, however, a bad mom and didn't have a costume for Brody. I did have a cute shirt for him, though. It said, "I love my Mummy, my Mummy loves me" : ) We had a great time at the party and it was nice for Brody to be able to play with some other babies his age.

Brody playing on the floor with Olivia, who is only a couple days younger than Brody and Grant, who is only a couple of weeks younger. Then there is Carter, 9 months, in the striped shirt.

Brody and Benjamin. Benjamin was born on the same day as my nephew, Ethan. So he was the youngest kiddo in attendance at only 3 weeks.

Benjamin, Brody and Grant. Grant came dressed at the Cleveland Browns Brownie Elf. SO CUTE!

Let me preface this picture by saying that there about 12 kids at the party, ranging from 3 weeks to 3 years. So a group picture was nearly impossible....no, actually it was impossible, period. Here is half of the group, though. Grant, Anna, Brody, Benjamin and Noah.

Mobility begins....

2008-11-11T14:04:00.003-05:00

Get ready for a blogging marathon. I'm a little behind here.

Brody has been rolling over both ways for well over a month now. But within the last couple of weeks he has started using this as his mode of transportation. I realized this when one evening I placed him on a nice, soft blanket with several toys...went to check my email...and came back to find him on the cold, dirty hardwood floor. Notice picture below : ) The days of letting him lay on our bed while I put away laundry and leaving him on the changing table while I wash my hands are long gone.

6 Month Pictures

2008-10-20T21:16:00.016-04:00

Brody will be 6 MONTHS OLD TOMORROW!! I can't believe it. I decided to do Brody's 6 month pictures myself. A very, very good friend of ours has a beautiful house on a beautiful piece of land so that is where we did the photo shoot. Brody wasn't quite feeling like being a model as we got very few smiles. But we got some good pics, nonetheless.

Rory, Brody, and Tom

What a male.....he was all smiles after I let him go inside and sit on the sofa : )

I.Love.Fall

2008-10-15T12:32:00.004-04:00

He eats!

2008-10-11T22:12:00.006-04:00

Brody has been eyeing our food while we eat for weeks. Then he started waking up around 2-3am-ish acting like I never feed him. (But, really, does it look like I don't feed the child?? : ) ) So I decided that it was about time to add some variety to his meal plan. For the past 5 1/2 months he has been strictly mommy milk. The following photos describe how the introduction of food has gone....

Day #1:

Reaction: "What are you sticking in my mouth?...This isn't working...How am I supposed to suck this crap off the spoon?...Forget this."

Time Elapsed: 15 minutes

Day #2:

Reaction: "Ok, this is better...I like this fruit stuff you've added. Nice choice....I'm still not understanding that I can't suck this stuff off the spoon."

Time Elapsed: 10-15 minutes

Day #3:

Reaction: "I get it now! I open my mouth and you stick the spoon in....This isn't so bad after all."

Time Elapsed: 5-10 minutes

Day #4:

Reaction: "Forget this oatmeal cereal/fruit stuff, Mommy! Bring on the steak and potatoes!"

Time Elapsed: 30 seconds

I don't think we have a picky eater on our hands. He is LOVING his food!

Buddies

2008-10-11T22:03:00.004-04:00

These pics were taken the day after Ethan was born. I've just been a little slow to get them posted. : ) Brody and Ethan are going to be buddies, I can already tell. Although, in this first picture it looks like Brody could eat Ethan! haha

I like how it looks like Brody is really talking to Ethan in this picture. He's probably saying, "You better just get used to this whole picture taking thing. They're a bit ridiculous with their cameras."

Going in for a hug : ) How sweet!

Ethan Amadeus Freshour

2008-10-02T20:53:00.017-04:00

Ok, get ready for a slew of pictures.... (they're kinda out of order but I'm on Mandy's fancy Mac and have already accidentally deleted several pics so just go with it)

Here is Brody playing with Aunt Mandy before Ethan arrived. This was also before Aunt Mandy's epidural arrived, so she wasn't very fun to play with : )

Brody and Mimi
Ethan Amadeus Freshour...8lb 5oz
Mimi & Poppy and their boys
Brody meets cousin Ethan for the first time...
Bright eyed...Welcome to the world!
Mommy and Ethan
Ethan and Aunt Sara!
Me and the little man
Welcome to the world, Ethan!

Cousin Ethan has arrived!

2008-10-02T16:27:00.002-04:00

Ethan finally made his debut! He was born today at 1:57pm, weighing in at 8lb 5oz and 21in long. He's got a perfect little round head with lots of dark hair. So cute! Brody waited in the waiting room with Poppy while Ethan arrived. He was very excited to meet his cousin! However, I think he might have trouble sharing the attention. Mandy was getting close to the point where she could start pushing so I nursed Brody really quick before I handed him off to Poppy. Well, just as I handed Brody to Mimi to take out to Poppy, he had a MAJOR blowout. I'm talking, poop up to his neck. And Mandy is literally ready to push, the doctor is waiting for us to get out of her way so she can get stuff ready for the delivery and here we are stripping my son down to his birthday suit. And wouldn't you know, I didn't bring an extra outfit with me. So, yeah, this created an issue jussssst as Ethan was ready to make his entrance. So we said Brody must have known this and wanted to turn the attention back to him : ) I'll post pictures soon. My camera is still at the hospital (I came back to Mandy's house to let Brody get a good nap).

We're Back!

2008-09-29T20:01:00.009-04:00

Sorry about being MIA lately. Apparently, blogging hasn't quite been on my priority list. Let me catch you up....

Brody is 5 months old now!! Thats almost 6 months, which is 1/2 a YEAR!! haha I know, I'm a bit dramatic. But, seriously, the time is flying by! Brody is soooo much fun! He's really interacting a ton. He grabs for just about everything...toys, people, hair, jewelry, he's not picky. : ) He rolled over from tummy to back (FINALLY!) on Sept. 18th. However, he's only done it a couple more times since then. We're working on rolling over from back to tummy and sitting up. Let's cut him some slack though, people, he's got a lot of weight to move : ) My not so favorite milestone at the moment is teething. He's a slobbery, drooling, chewing fool. Which I don't mind. The congestion, fever, and no more 10-11 hours of sleep at night stinks though. Its just a phase, though, right?

In other news, Brody's cousin Ethan will be entering the world verrrrrry soon. If he doesn't arrive before, he'll be forced out on this coming Thursday. We went to visit Mandy over the weekend and tried to coax Ethan out while we were there but he wasn't budging. : ) We can't wait to meet him!

Here's what happens when you try to get a 2 year old to take a picture with you. Niiiiiiice.

Finally, it is FALL!!! I LOVE fall!!! Tonight Rory and I took Brody out to Fulton Farms to get some pumpkins for our porch. I couldn't resist taking Brody's picture with pumpkins. Isn't he so stinkin cute?!

Jessica Strickland Wannabe

2008-08-21T13:41:00.007-04:00

Most of you probably already know that I love, love, LOOOOOVE Jessica Strickland's photography. She did our engagement pics, wedding pics, my niece Belle's pics and will be doing Brody's 1 year pics. Now as much as I wish she could just live in our home and photograph every moment we have with Brody, I know that's just not possible. So what I do is follow Brody around like the papparazzi and pretend that I'm Jessica. : ) I bought a fancy camera and I'm constantly messing with it to try and get some super cool pics. So I was pumped this morning when I took some pics of Brody during some tummy time and caught some sun flare! I don't even know if thats what it is called but I thought the pictures looked neat anyways.

Riiiight before a sneeze...: )

When Brody was younger, his hair had a definite red tint to it. Now its coming in much, much blonder. But he still has this tiny patch of red on the right side of his head. See it sticking up in the picture? Rory calls it his "Red Wing" haha : )

Done with tummy time and ready for a nap

4 Months

2008-08-21T13:41:00.006-04:00

I cannot believe that Brody is already 4 MONTHS OLD!! I don't like that the time is going so fast. But Rory and I are having a ton of fun with him now that he's interacting with us more. I took Brody for his 4 month check up yesterday and he is definitely growing like a champ. He weighed 18lb 6oz (96th percentile) and was 26 inches long (90th percentile). Such a big boy! Handsome too. : ) He is smiling a TON now and even gives me some good belly laughs. His best friend is a blue elephant that hangs on his car seat. He goes to bed around 8:30pm every night after his bath and sleeps till between 6 and 7am. Although that sounds great and it really is pretty good for 4 months, Rory and I take turns putting his paci back in a couples times during the night. Here are some pictures that I took today...

Brody & Riley

2008-08-18T10:58:00.008-04:00

A couple weekends ago Rory, Brody and I made a trip down to Cincy to visit some friends. Brody got to visit with his Aunt Bethany and meet his Aunt Ashley for the first time! We also got to see our good friends, Jason and Megan....and their dog, Riley. Brody and Riley got along really well, except when Riley kept stealing Brody's monkey! : ) I did a little photo shoot with the two of them to try and get some good pics. This is the best I could do....

Meet Riley...

"Seriously, Brody, when is your mom going to stop with the camera??"

"Never, Riley, never."

Saving Money

2008-08-13T19:59:00.002-04:00

As I've already mentioned, couponing is my new hobby. I love saving money! Check out the new blog that my sister put together for me, her and Tish to share our money saving tips.....

www.mommy-cents.blogspot.com

Gettin' my feet wet...

2008-08-04T11:25:00.007-04:00

In the coupon market, that is. When I had Brody, I went part time at work. Well, with the census down at work I've been getting cancelled quite a bit. So I've gone from 72 hours/pay period to about 28 hours/pay period. Ouch. So after hearing about all the money that people save from couponing, I decided to give it a try. So today was my first outing. I decided to go for only a few items and see what I could do. I felt like some sort of sneaky thief walking in to CVS, coupons in hand. : ) Here is how my trip went...

Transaction #1

Dawn Dish Soap:
on sale for 0.88 (reg. 1.99) - 0.50 coupon = 0.38

Crest Toothpaste:
on sale for 2.49 (reg. 3.29) - 0.75 coupon= 1.74 + earn 1.50 CVS bucks

Infant Advil:
on sale for 5.79 (reg. 6.29)- 1.00 coupon= 4.79 + earn 5.79 CVS bucks

Covergirl Make-Up:
B1G1 special + B1G1 coupon = FREE

Total Savings= 15.64
Out of Pocket= $9 plus tax

Transaction #2

Pampers:
on sale for 8.88 (reg. 12.49) - 1.50 coupon= 7.38
use 7.29 CVS bucks earned

Total Savings= 12.40
Out of Pocket= 0.09 + tax = 20 cents!!

Now I'm still learning the ropes but I'm loving this whole saving money thing!

Cousin Ethan

2008-08-04T11:25:00.006-04:00

Brody would like everyone to go over to Aunt Mandy's blog and meet his cousin Ethan. Brody and I were at her 3D ultrasound with her and Brody just laid on the floor and talked to Ethan on the big screen the whole time. It was cute. Ethan looks like a little fella so we've already named my big bubba as his bodyguard : )

Happy Anniversary to US!

2008-08-04T11:25:00.002-04:00

Today is our very 1st wedding anniversary! WOW, has it only been a year??? Who would have thought that we'd have a 3 month old baby on our first anniversary? Certainly not us! haha : ) But we consider ourselves IMMENSELY blessed, not only to have each other but to have Brody as well. I love you, Rory : )

Good Luck, Mandy!

2008-07-30T09:15:00.000-04:00

Haha. This picture says it all. : )

For those of you who don't know, my sister is having a baby boy in October. So Belle is learning the hard lesson of sharing. Here she is sitting in Brody's Bumbo seat and playing with his toy.

First Swim

2008-07-23T14:43:00.008-04:00

My parents bought a little mini pool to have in their backyard for all the grandkids. So Rory and I took Brody over for his very first swim. Back when I was still pregnant and guessing that I would have an average sized baby, we got Brody his first pair of swimming trunks and swimming shirt. Notice picture below. Laying flat the outfit looks pretty normal.

Well, my handsome man has turned out to be just sliiiiightly larger than average (MUCH cuter than average). So when I scooped him up and took him to Rory out in the pool, his cute swimming tee turned into a belly shirt and his swimming trunks barely covered half of his rear. Notice picture below : )

Needless to say, if we decide to go swimming again, he'll be sporting a good ol' fashioned diaper. : ) He did enjoy the water, though....after the initial shock, that is.

My niece, Isabella, will be staying with my parents allllll next week so be on the lookout for some cute Belle and Brody pics. If they cooperate : )

Hook, Line and Sinker

2008-07-23T14:43:00.006-04:00

Darn those Sears Portrait Studio people and their photo enhancements! We went in planning to spend about $20-$30. Well, $90 later we came out with the CUTEST pics ever! Its just money, right? HA! I guess we'll just have to do without groceries this week : ) Here are some of the unenhanced pics I swiped from the Sears website:

Classic Brody face

Family photo! Atleast Brody looks cute : )

He has started to belly laugh, which I LOVE! He was laughing so hard that his eyes are semi closed but its still adorable.

Handsome Little Man

2008-07-20T16:12:00.019-04:00

I absolutely LOVE being Brody's mommy. I may have a little more cellulite than before, dress nice a little less often, and have some serious bags under my eyes but I LOVE this kid like crazy! He is soo fun and I just really enjoy having him in our life. Here are just a few cute recent pics.

Here is my little chubster! Look at that belly! And the diaper is there not just because I'm posting this on the internet. It's because he usually gets a little tooooooo relaxed in the tub and I got sick of draining poo out of the water : )

Mommy and Brody : )

Brody has been holding his head up for quite a while now. So putting him down for a nap isn't as easy as it once was, as you can see. He's so nosey!

Brody in his Bumbo seat...

I LOVE this picture! You can see his hairy little ears : )

Brody will be 3 months old tomorrow!

Dinner with the Girls

2008-07-20T16:12:00.012-04:00

Many years ago (I'm so old!), I was blessed to help out with a youth group and teach a Bible Study with a WONDERFUL group of girls. I've seen these girls through Jr. and Sr. high school and have loved being a part of their lives. Now they are all in college and even two of them are getting married soon! We all try to keep in touch as much as our busy lives allow and some of the girls came over for dinner one day last week. It was great to see them and catch up and I'm so glad that they got to spend some time with Brody. I love these girls so much!

Brody and Amy

Brody flirting with Kelsey and Amy

All the girls...Bethanie, Marie, Kelsey (holding Brody), and Amy.

Date with Evie

2008-07-20T16:12:00.005-04:00

I'm way behind on blogging here so I'm gonna do some marathon posting. Brody and Evie get together for a date just about every week and I usually try to get some pics. They're so cute together! Tish and I can't wait till they start to really interact with one another. They're just now starting to realize the presence of each other.

This picture cracks me up. Brody is already trying to impress Evie by flexing his muscles. He is his father's son : )

The PDA begins....

Awww, young love : )

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-07T13:02:00.011-04:00

Okay, so I'm obviously a few days behind on this one. Just wanted to share some cute pics of our little man from the 4th. We didn't venture to any fireworks this year but maybe next year. : )

Family Outing

2008-07-07T13:02:00.010-04:00

Lying on a beach, soaking up the sun? Backpacking through Europe? Cruising through the Caribbean? Lounging at a Sandals resort? Nahhhh. Not quite our idea of a family vacay these days. Why jet set to St. Lucia when we can hike our way through Charleston Falls, which is about 15 minutes from our house. We decided to take this outing with Brody one day last week and had a really good time. Brody looooved being outside looking at the trees and listening to the birds. While I did enjoy getting out of the house and spending time with my two men, I quickly realized just how out of shape I am. We had fun, nonetheless, and Brody took a great nap that day! I'll have to being thinking about where our next outing will be. Hmmmm. Maybe Youngs Jersey Dairy. Or maybe just to Mimi and Poppy's so that mommy and daddy can nap : )

Brody is 11 weeks old today!

2 Months Old!

2008-06-27T22:48:00.006-04:00

I'm a few days behind on Brody's 2 month post. I took him to the doctor for his check-up and he is one healthy boy! He weighed 14lbs 6oz (off the charts) and was 24in long (95th percentile). The doctor said he was a beautifully healthy boy and doesn't need to see him again until his 4 month check-up.

Developmentally, Brody has changed sooo much. He's smiling a TON and talking up a storm. Right now, the little elephant that hangs on his car seat is his best friend and he talks to him all the time. Brody is also mastering that whole head control thing. : ) I'm having so much fun being with Brody everyday and I absolutely hate the thought of going back to work. However, Brody's babysitter happens to be his Mimi so that makes it a little easier for me. I just love that little guy so much, I hate to be away from him!

Here are some recent pics of the little guy. I love the one of Rory holding Brody in the Baby Bjorn, it cracks me up.

Brody with his favorite little monkey that Aunt Mandy made him. He never takes a nap without him!
Hanging with daddy

In the Baby Bjorn with daddy. Rory will do ANYTHING to make his little guy happy and Brody loves to ride around in this.

Working on holding his head up

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2008-06-12T12:59:00.004-04:00

Hey everybody! This is Brody. Today is my daddy's 30th birthday and I just wanted to let you all know that I have the best daddy in the world and I love him very much. He told me and mommy not to buy him anything for his birthday so we didn't. But we did make him a little something. So here you go, daddy! Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day! We LOVE you!

Love,
Brody and Mommy

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Brody Takes Evie to the Levy

2008-06-04T14:51:00.007-04:00

Brody and Evelyn had another date the other day. They had a nice romantic walk on the levy : ) and lunch at Night Sky. They were even dressed in their matching Old Navy outifits and hats. It was too windy to keep the kiddos outside for their photo-op so we settled for Winans.

Tish and I could not stop laughing when trying to take their pics. Don't they look hilarious!? Or atleast annoyed, one or the other : )

Afternoon at the Levy

2008-05-30T10:12:00.008-04:00

Brody has definitely already let us know that he is quite the outdoorsman. Whenever he is fussy and we can't get him calmed down, all we have to do is go outside and that usually does the trick. So yesterday afternoon Brody and I took a trip to the levy. And he LOVED it! The levy has played a big part in my life (it was the hangout spot for my friends and I during high school, Tish and I lived in an apartment on the levy, Rory proposed to me on the levy, our wedding pics were taken on the levy...) so I'm glad Brody enjoys it as much as I do!

Brody has been smiling a lot lately and I finally caught one (or atleast half of one!) on camera! : )

Seriously, how handsome is he?!?!

Brody is 5 weeks + 4 days old!!

1 Month Old!

2008-05-21T20:56:00.004-04:00

Brody is 1 month old today! That is soooo hard to believe! This last month has gone by so fast! We have finally gotten into somewhat of a routine and all 3 of us are adjusting just fine. Brody is so much fun! He's starting to smile, which we LOVE!

I took Brody to his 1 month check-up today and he's definitely growing. He weighed 11lb 9oz, which was in the 70th percentile and was 22.5in long, which was in the 90th percentile. Such a big boy!

Brody is 1 month old

Growing SOOO Fast!

2008-05-14T19:31:00.005-04:00

Brody is getting SOO big, SOO fast! I can't believe that we already have his 1 month check-up next week. So far, this whole parenting thing is going pretty well. Most days atleast : ). He's not sleeping through the night but is going 3-4 hours MOST nights. We're not that lucky every night but its still early. Rory thinks I'm spoiling him already but look at that face! How could I resist! Here are some recent pics of our little guy!

Brody is 3 weeks +2 days old!

Brody Patrick Hoke

2008-04-24T17:47:00.006-04:00

I can't believe that my little guy is a week old and I'm just now posting his birth! HA! Better late than never, I guess.

Brody Patrick Hoke entered this world on April 21st at 3:55pm, weighing in at 8lb 14oz (WOW!) and 21 inches long. He's got mommy's strawberry blonde hair but looks like daddy other than that.

Motherhood has been quite an adjustment but I'm having fun learning the ropes. I just don't know who cries more...me or Brody (I'm pretty sure Rory would say me : )). Rory has been settling in nicely to the daddy role and is very, very sweet with Brody. He's even mastering the diaper changes!

Here are some pics....

Brody's entrance into the world

Checking things out

Mommy's first look and family of 2 becomes family of 3

So true : )

Evelyn

2008-04-17T21:03:00.007-04:00

Today I spent the afternoon with Tish and baby Evelyn. She is so cute! Evelyn, that is : ) But Tish looks great already too! I just had to dedicate a blog post to little Evie.

Wide Awake!

New mommy, Tish

Big yawn!

Evelyn being guarded by Tish and Ben's first baby, Buddy (he's on the chair)

Unless he decides to come out on his own, Brody is going to be forced out this weekend! Rory and I are going to the hospital at 5pm on Sunday to be induced so we'll be meeting our little guy sometime on Monday probably!

Baby Brody is 39 weeks and counting.....

The Nursery

2008-04-14T18:19:00.012-04:00

I know I've been terrible at updating. Sorry. But here are the much anticipated nursery pics!!

BEFORE:

DURING:

THE FINAL PRODUCT:

Now all we need is Brody! If nothing happens before, I'll probably be getting induced on the 21st or 22nd as my doc is going on vacation.

In other exciting news....Brody's future wife has entered the world! Little Miss Evelyn Mae Dehus was born on April 9th at 7:01pm. She weighed 7lbs 3oz and is absolutely ADORABLE! I'll try to post some pics of her soon.

Baby Brody Hoke is 38 weeks + 4 days and counting.....

Brody's Future Wife

2008-03-14T19:00:00.010-04:00

As many of you already know, my good friend Tish has joined me on this rocky road we call pregnancy. Actually, she got pregnant first and is exactly 4 weeks ahead of me. What's especially exciting about this is that she is having a sweet little girl and I'm having a sweet little boy! And we've already arranged their marriage! Here is their first picture together, still in their mommas' bellys:

The name of Tish's little one is still a secret to everyone. Although Tish did let Brody and I in on the secret and we think its a beautiful name and will someday sound great with the last name Hoke! Tish and I can't wait for our little one's to get here so that 1. we can finally see their sweet little faces! 2. we can work on getting this baby weight off and 3. they can join us as we lounge by the country club pool this summer! : ) (My mom thinks we have a skewed view of reality by thinking #3 will actually happen! haha)

Tish, we're soooo close!!

Baby Brody Hoke is 34 weeks + 1 day and counting......

Baby Shower #1

2008-03-14T19:00:00.005-04:00

Well, unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of my shower. The shower was on February 17th. I had the intentions of taking a bunch of pics but I just never got around to it. Here are a few, though:

Here's a pic of the mountain of gifts. And this is only shower #1!

The beautiful shower planners, Ashley and Bethany! Mandy did a TON of work for the shower, too, but isn't pictured. Ashley came all the way from Florida!

Ok, I guess that's really all I've got. I told you I did a bad job of taking pictures of the shower.

I'm Going to Birth a Toddler

2008-02-10T16:30:00.002-05:00

My mom gave Rory and I an early gift yesterday.....a 3D/4D ultrasound of little Brody. Here's a list of the crew that went: me and Rory, my mom, my sister Mandy, and my best friends Ashley and Bethany. Ashley came all the way from Florida for this weekend! And Bethany drove up from southern Ohio! Brody is one loved little boy already!

We got confirmation from this ultrasound that Brody is, in fact, going to be the size of a toddler by the time he makes his grand entrance. He is such a chunky monkey! Just wait till you see these pics.....

This is my FAVORITE picture! I think he looks just so sweet and cuddly. But look at the size of those hands and forearm!

We tried so hard for a good face shot but he just would not move those hands! This didn't surprise me, though, because this is exactly how he's been for EVERY ultrasound.

He has his little legs crossed in this picture. And, again, look at the size of his calf! Yikes! And we definitely know he's Rory's son with those toes : )

The ultrasound lady kept commenting on how chunky Brody looked. AAAAND how cute he looked : ). She could also tell that he's got lots of hair already. Rory and I can't wait to see him!

Baby Brody Hoke is 30 weeks + 3 days and counting....

We're in the Home Stretch!

2008-02-10T16:30:00.000-05:00

Yay for the 3rd trimester! Don't worry, I won't whine as much in this post. I'm past that.....for today : ). Rory and I went for a couples massage yesterday, which helped tremendously with my back pain. Here's an updated belly pic..

Not a great pic but you can definitely tell I'm growing. And you get a sneak peak at the nursery! More pics on that soon. And here's that ultrasound pic of Brody that I promised. This ultrasound was at almost 26 weeks and we had to have it done b/c they thought they had seen something abnormal with his brain on my 21 week ultrasound. But all is well and Brody is growing like a healthy baby boy should be! Although he did weigh 2 lbs at that point.....70th percentile! Yikes!

But, really, how cute is that profile?! Rory and I are getting really excited and can't wait to meet our little man!

Baby Brody Hoke is 29 weeks + 3 days and counting.....

I'm done!

2008-02-04T02:44:00.000-05:00

with this whole pregnancy thing, that is! I knew it was coming, though.....the point where I was going to get uncomfortable. But, good grief, this stinks! Here are my complaints:
1)My back hurts ALL THE TIME! Especially after my 12 1/2 hour shifts. 2)My feet hurt with this extra 29 (not 30, YET!) pounds on them.
3)Sleeping is becoming impossible. Notice that I'm writing this at 2:50AM. I just toss and turn (slowly..b/c even that isn't easy at this point).
4)The swelling has begun. Again, especially after my 12 1/2 hour shift. I worked all weekend and right now my hands are like baseball mits. Not comfy!
5)My belly button is so tight that I think it might burst!
6)I have to rock myself to gain the momentum to get my big butt off of our bed. Seriously.
Ok, I'll stop. I've still got just under 12 weeks to go so I should just suck it up. Just needed to vent : ) I do have a great husband, though. He's been putting up with me well. He'll rub my back and tell me I look hot (although HAHA, there are mirrors in our house!)

I'll end this with a funny story, though. Last night, Rory and I were laying in bed and Brody started to move around a lot. I lifted up my shirt and I think we watched my belly for like 15 minutes. It was CONSTANT WAVES! He was all over the place! I think this was the first time that I was like, ok this little being inside me is ALIVE! And every few seconds there would be this extra hard bump stick way out on the left side of my belly, which I'm guessing was his little butt. And if Rory pressed on my belly, Brody would fight back like, hey back off! I'm already crowded in here! It was HILARIOUS!

I'll try to post some pics later today. We had another ultrasound a couple weeks ago and geesh, that's a whole other story!

Baby Brody Hoke is 28 + 4 days and counting......

Under Construction

2008-01-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

The blog has been acting funny lately, so I'm trying to fix it. If things look weird, bear with me.

Mandy (Sara's sister)

Brody's Nursery

2008-01-02T16:33:00.000-05:00

Rory was a hard-working man during his Christmas break and got Brody's nursery ready to be painted. G-pa (as Belle refers to him) helped too. Our plan is to start painting this next weekend. Here's what we've picked out so far.

The bedding:

The crib:

The dresser:

Cute, huh? I'll be sure to take before and after pics of the nursery to let you know how it turns out.

Baby Brody Hoke is 23 weeks + 6 days and counting.....

Belly Shot

2008-01-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

Alright, alright. Here's the long anticipated revealing of the belly shot. This picture was taken on 12/29/07 when I was 23 weeks and 2 days preggo with Brody. Don't mind my gross looking face in this picture. Mom got a new camera for Christmas that shows EVERYTHING, especially an oily face with no makeup. Rory and I actually just ordered the same camera, which I may learn to regret.

Needless to say, I'm feeling rather large these days. Tipping the scale at a whopping........haha, you actually thought I'd tell you?? And here's a picture of Belle and I on Christmas Eve. Not a great picture of me as my mouth is full of food but you'll rarely find me otherwise these days. : ) But look how cute Belle is!

Baby Brody Hoke is 23 weeks + 5 days and counting.....

The Official Results!

2007-12-20T22:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the official results are in. And.....it's still a Brody. : ) The below picture is pretty self-explanatory. He was being shy at first but then, with some coaxing, decided to spread 'em.

My mom and Rory both went with me to the ultrasound. Unfortunately, we didn't have a very fun tech. She just did her measurements and didn't let us do much admiring of our very, very cute little boy. The ultrasound was on the day that I was exactly 21 weeks and Brody already weighs 449 grams, or 14.9 ounces. That's only 1.1 ounces shy of a pound! What a porker! Below is a profile picture of Brody. Isn't he so cute?? What you're seeing by his face is part of his arm. He isn't much for photographs yet as he kept his arms over his face for the whole ultrasound.

In other big news, I'm feeling him kick now. That started around 19 weeks. Rory was even able to feel Brody kick one night when he was being extra rowdy. I think this whole process is finally becoming more real to Rory now that he's seen Brody on the ultrasound and felt him moving in my belly. I just wish we could split up this weight gain somehow. : ) Everyone tells me to enjoy it, though. But they're not the ones getting asked if they're having twins!

Anyways, Brody is healthy and happy for now. We'll just keep truckin' along and hope that April doesn't take too long to arrive.

Baby Brody Hoke is 22 weeks and counting......

Pictures of the Goods

2007-11-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from my impromtu ultrasound from last week. Not the best pictures because we were in such awkward positions but you get the point.

This first picture is just a cute profile shot. Isn't Brody super cute already??

Now let me guide you through this next picture. Brody was moving around a ton so it was hard to get a clear picture of the goods. You could see it better as she was scanning. But anyways, what you see here is his bottom with his two legs coming up in the air. Then his little pee-pee is right in the middle! Sorry the picture is so dark!

Preliminary Results are In!!

2007-11-16T12:01:00.001-05:00

Notice that I said....PRELIMINARY. As in, not 100% for sure.

I was at work yesterday when an ultrasound tech popped around the corner with her lovely little machine to do a head ultrasound on my tiny little patient. The wheels started turning in my head and I looked at the other nurses in my pod. They were thinking the same thing. Sooo when the tech was done with my patient, we politely asked if she might be willing to assist our plan. "Just a quick little peek," we said. Boy? Girl? I had to know!!! So we pulled a couple screens around so that it wasn't completely obvious what we were doing. (I was also trying to save some dignity, having to flash my big gut!) A few other nurses and respiratory therapists (even a nearby interested parent!) heard the commotion and we soon had a nice little audience. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. I had to stand up while the tech tried to crouch down to get a good view of my baby. "Open your legs, baby! Open your legs!," the tech said as she's jiggling my belly for all to see, trying to move the 4 inch being in my body. Finally, a good view.....It's....a.....BOY!!! However, like I said, not 100%. Although, pretty much 100%. I'm only 17 weeks so its still so small to really tell. But for now....Brody Patrick Hoke, it is.

Baby BRODY Hoke is 17 weeks + 1 day and counting....

Preggo Update

2007-11-03T10:39:00.000-04:00

I know, I'm terrible at this blog thing. I can sit at the computer for hours stalking other blogs but to update my own? Not easy for me. I think its just that I never know what to type. So maybe I'll try updating more often, just making them brief updates. I'll have to back up a few weeks to give you the exciting update....I got ANOTHER ultrasound! This time it was at 12 weeks, 4 days. How did I do this, you might ask? Well long story short, if you're ignorant enough to believe that your water broke when actually you just peed your pants, you buy yourself another look at your baby. Shut up. You try having a living being sit on your bladder and not freak out when a little bit sneaks out without warning. Now I know that its not amniotic fluid : ) Again, shut up. Here's a look at our cute little REAL looking baby... (sorry about the poor quality. i took a picture of a picture)

In other preggo news, I have only 1 pair of jeans that I can still button comfortably. I'd post a pic of the growing belly but I'm not quite ready for that yet. Here's some dialogue that occurred between me and a very sweet older RN that I work with...

Honest RN: "Wow, Sara! You're really starting to pop out there!
Me: "Yep."
Honest RN: "Are you sure you're not having twins??"
Me: "Yep."
Honest RN: "Must be a big baby!" (smiles and walks away)
Me: "Must be." (crying)

Oh the joys of pregnancy.

Baby Hoke is 15 weeks 2 days and counting....

1st Check-Up

2007-10-09T18:08:00.000-04:00

Today was my first prenatal checkup with my doctor. Rory took the day off of work to go with me. It really was nothing exciting except that we got to hear the heartbeat! At first, my doc had trouble locating the heartbeat, which made me VERY nervous. But then he found it and it was so awesome! I wish I had my own doppler here at home so I could listen any time I wanted. He said everything looks great and I'll see him again in a month. Maybe I'll start posting some pics of my expanding waistline. Believe me, it is expanding. But so far I've only gained not quite 4 pounds, which I can deal with. I just feel like a massive cow, thats all.

Baby Hoke is 11 weeks + 5 days and counting....

Sarah McLachlan - World On Fire

2007-09-28T11:19:00.001-04:00

World on Fire

2007-09-28T11:05:00.001-04:00

I've seen this video a million times and I really don't know how I came across it this morning as I did my morning ritual--check email, blog stalk. But as I watched it again today, for the first time in a while, I bawled like a baby. Why? Well probably because 99% of the times since I've been pregnant I'm on the verge of tears. No, really, it was because I hope and pray so genuinely that Rory and I are able to teach our child how to love, how to serve and how to give to those less fortunate. I think that sometimes we forget those lessons ourselves but that is my prayer for our child. I remember when I went to Africa, my dad threw a fit. I was either going to die from AIDS or TB, or I was going to get eaten by an elephant, or I was going to catch some rare disease. But he let me go. When and if that situation comes for me and Rory and our child, we'll probably throw a fit too. But we'll hope he/she goes.

(See video above)

Baby Hoke is 10 weeks + 1 day and counting....

8 Week Ultrasound

2007-09-20T20:04:00.000-04:00

I'm really lucky to work where I do now that I'm pregnant. For those of you that don't know, I'm an RN in the Neonatal ICU at Miami Valley Hospital. Now, for the most part, I haven't felt too terribly sick so far this pregnancy. However, there was one day last week that I was reeeeally sick. I'm talking, I had stuff coming out from all directions. Bless Rory's little heart. I'm sure he was completely disgusted but he was changing out my puke bag nonetheless. When I woke up the next morning I still wasn't feeling well but went to work anyways. I was still puking at work but then I started to notice that I was bleeding a little bit. This is why I say I'm lucky to work where I do right now. Not only do I frequently pass my OB-GYN in the hallways but his office is one floor up from where I'm at. So when I started to bleed I just made a call up to my doc and they had me down for an ultrasound in no time. The ultrasound showed that everything was fine. They said that they saw no signs of bleeding in my uterus. They said it must have been from all the puking and pooping (hey, we're being honest here, folks) from the night before. AND I got to see the little heart fluttering. Rory was jealous : ) So here is a picture of our little lima bean.

Baby Hoke is 9 weeks and counting...

Alright Alright

2007-09-17T20:41:00.000-04:00

Well, Mandy created this beautiful blog for me and she's on my back about posting. So, Mandy, here you go. You're probably the only one reading this....

I've always been anti-blogging so this is a stretch for me. Well, let me clarify. I've always been an anti-blogger. I am, however, the ultimate blog stalker. I'll do my best to please, though. : ) So you're probably wondering, why start blogging now? Welllllll, funny you should ask. As you may already know, Rory and I were married over 6 weeks ago. The wedding was perfect and we couldn't be happier than we are at this point in our lives. THEN God decided to throw us a little curveball in life. WE'RE PREGNANT! Not planned, to say the least. Yet still a blessing. So Mandy thought I should blog our whole journey with the pregnancy and parenthood because she wished that she had. I'll do my best to put up pictures (I do have and ultrasound pic already!) and not make this blog boring. Rory is begging me to let him post but, believe me, that would be like opening up a box of worms. (I love you, honey!) Maybe if he's on good behavior. :) Well, anyways, welcome to our blog and we'll keep you updated on how all 3 of us are surviving!

Sara

Baby Hoke is 8 weeks + 4 days and counting......

Get Posting already!!!

2007-09-17T19:59:00.001-04:00

Im done until Rhaya lets me know how to get the center to go to the bottom. You can go ahead and post and it won't look too bad once you get a few on there.