ITS A GIRL!!!!!

And we are SOOOOO excited!!!!!!! I never thought I could be THIS excited!!!!

I went in for my ultrasound today at 1:30 with Dr. Luciani whom I absolutely LOVE!!!! He is the most amazing doctor!! I got my SECOND 3D AND 4D ultrasound today!! And didn't have to pay a penny!! Isn't that unheard of?! My doctor was in the Air Force for 20 years so I have a feeling he knows how to use up that military money!! :)

Once we got in the room and waited and waited some more, the doctor finally came in and we got to skype Bryce (thank you technology) so he could be apart of this experience with me. My mom and 2 sisters also came with me!!

Once the doctor started the ultrasound, we figured out that this baby girl is very modest! And flexible!! She was sucking on her thumb at the very beginning of the U.S. which was absolutely PRECIOUS!!!! Then she decided to hike one of her legs up by her face and wrap one of her arms around her leg (like she was trying to stretch). ha!! The other foot was tucked under her "goods" and her other hand was also covering herself up. So the doctor had to wait for the baby to move to tell if she was going to be a boy or a girl. She is also breach so it makes it even more difficult to tell if its a boy or girl.

The little black dot is her heart!! :)

He said she has very big feet for a girl! That comes from the Estes side of the family. He also said she has a very long, slinder neck (I guess thats a good thing?). Her heart rate was 150 so I hope she's going to be a very layed back baby! ;) She weighs 11 oz and measures at 19 weeks and I am 19 weeks and 5 days but the doctor said she is right on schedule. As long as the baby ranges within a 2 week span, the baby is on track. And just for me to remember: I gained 3 pounds since my last appointment!! I now weigh 114.

The ultrasound was the coolest thing!! Even though I have had several ultrasounds, each of them are so special to me!! The baby even smiled at us this time!!! I think the doctor was pretty impressed at this baby girl and what she can do (thumb sucking, stretching, hiding her "parts" to where he literally couldn't see anything, and smiling). I can't wait to see what this little girls personality is going to be like.

Were we surprised it is a girl? Not really. At our last ultrasound, the doctor said it looked like it could be a girl so we prepared ourselves for a girl. I seriously knew all along that it would be a boy. I just had a gut feeling about it. I was so certain it was a boy and so it was good to be warned at our last appointment that it could definitely be a girl. All of the "wives tales" led towards boy and I took a gender test at 10 weeks which is apparently 85% accurate and it said boy so I was pretty sure it was a boy and the Chinese Gender Chart said it would be a boy. I was certainly conviced it would be a boy. Now I know that nothing can "predict" a gender!!!

After the appointment, my sisters and I went shopping!!! My mom had to go back to the school for cheer practice so she was unable to attend the shopping spree. :)

Of course we hit up TJ Maxx and I got some super cute Ralph Lauren outfits for the baby and some other cute outfits. Then we went to Target, Old Navy and Hobby Lobby. I stocked up on bows and head bands at hobby lobby! They are super cute!!!

Am I crazy for already going out and buying some girl clothes? Probably!! But I'm ok with that!

Tribute to my husband!

My husband, Bryce Stringer, is currently serving our country in the United States Air Force. He is deployed right now for 6 months and will be returning in August 2011. I have never been more proud of this man. I have never met a man like the one I have. Bryce is the most determined, hard-working, strongest man I have ever known. And I truelly mean that.




I support you in what you are doing. I respect you for the service that you give everyday. I recognize the pride that you have for our country. I will never let you forget how amazing you are for defending our nation and the appreciation I have for your sacrifice. I will always stand by you, soldier, and those who serve with you.


So, thank you Bryce for what you do. Thank you for putting your life on the line every single day for our freedom. Thank you for working 14+ hours a day to keep us safe. Thank you for working in 120+ degree weather everyday in boots, pants, and long sleeves. Thank you for sacrificing your life. Thank you for encouraging everyone around you to be a better person. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for your sacrifice.

I pray for your safety and I pray for your safe return. I pray you will be a light to the soldiers that stand next to you. I pray that God would be with you in every step you take and every move you make. I pray that you will stay strong. I pray that you would be an encourager to the broken hearted service men. I pray for you everyday, Bryce. I love you!!

Show Us Your Life: Favorite Desserts!

I am linking up with Kelly's Korner today with Show Us Your Life: Favorite Desserts!

Mine and Bryce's favorite right now is Oreo Balls. They are sooo incredibly easy and sooo delicious!!!

Ingredients:

1 Package of Oreos
1 box of Cream Cheese
Melted Chocolate

Directions:
In a plastic bag, add oreos and crush them into crumbs or super small pieces. Then, add crushed up oreos and cream cheese to a large bowl and mix together. I use my hands to mix it. It seems easier.

Form mixture into small, bite size balls. Put balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate until cool. (They get warm by the heat of your hands)

While the balls are cooling, melt the chocolate. Dip balls into chocolate and refrigerate until chocolate has hardened.

Enjoy!!! These are sooo delicious and are usually gone the first day I make them. They also make a ton because it is a whole box of Oreos!! You can use any kind of chocolate and decorate how you want. These pictures are from the internet so of course mine don't look this good!!

19 weeks

I am 19 weeks and 1 day pregnant! I find out in 5 days what I'm having!! Bryce and I can't wait!! This whole pregnancy, I was leaning more towards boy but after my last appointment when the dr told me it looks like it will be a girl, I am now leaning more towards a girl. I hope these next 5 days go by fast!!! Baby Stringer is the size of a mango this week! I can't believe how big my baby is now! I keep thinking he/she is still small like the size of a quarter but I realize how big he/she really is when its moving around! I have really been able to feel the baby this week. I even got it on video and I am going to try to send it to Bryce so he can see. It really makes me so incredibly sad that he doesn't get to experience this with me. It's bitter sweet when I lay in my bed and watch our baby move and Bryce isn't there. I am very thankful that he will be at the birth though. That's what matters the most to me.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along? 19 weeks and 1 day

Size of baby: Mango! About 10 inches long from head to toe and 8.5 oz

Total weight gain/loss: I'm not sure. I will find out at my appointment on Tuesday!

Maternity Clothes: Not yet. Pants are getting snug though.

Gender: Find out on Tuesday!! Cant wait!!!

Movement: Definitely feel the baby move alot more lately. Especially in the evenings.

Sleep: I sleep great!

What I miss: Hmmm... tanning and Dr. Pepper. ha!!

Cravings: Just food! I am hungry all the time now!!!

Symptoms: Don't have any right now! This has been the easiest pregnancy ever!! Now watch, next week I will experience all the side effects just because I spoke too soon!!

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move

Ok, I need some help with baby names!! My favorite for a boy right now is Cooper. Don't have a middle name picked out but it needs to be short. Bryce likes Cooper but said he isn't sure if its his favorite.. I said, "It will grow on you". :)

I don't have a girls name picked out and don't even have a small idea of what I like. I like names that are not common but not weird either. I don't want a name that everyone else in the world has but I want it to be cute and something that will grow with the baby. I also like Hudson, Carter, Lane, and Pierce. Please Lord let me have a boy because I only have boy names picked out!!! Please leave a comment if you have any cute ideas for babies names. What are your favorite names?

18 weeks!

I am 18 weeks today and beginning to really love this pregnancy!! I have been so blessed with no morning sickness and not really any symptoms. (Don't hate me).




This week, baby S is the size of a sweet potatoe! I can't believe how big my baby is getting!!

Pregnancy Updates:

How far along? 18 weeks

Size of baby: Sweet Potatoe

Total weight gain/loss: I have gained 3 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Still in my regular clothes.

Gender: I find out in 13 days! I cant wait! I am dying to know!!!

Movement: I feel the baby mostly at night around 8 or 9pm. Sometimes I feel a small kick during the day but its rare.

Sleep: I sleep pretty good. I slept sooo good last night, probably the best sleep I've had this whole pregnancy!!

What I miss: My husband!!!! Wish he could be there with me when I find out what we're having!
Cravings: Nothing lately. Just food in general!!

Symptoms: None! I still wake up sometimes and forget I'm pregnant.

Best moment this week: Don't really have one

17(1/2) weeks pregnant!!

I know that I am terribly late on this post! I have been trying to find my charger for my camera to take a 17 week picture but I can't find it and my camera is dead so this post will have to do without a picture. Sorry!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along? 17 1/2 weeks

Size of baby? Baby S is the size of an onion

Total weight gain/loss? gained 4 pounds! Finally back to my original weight!!

Maternity Clothes? Not yet. I have bought a couple of things that aren't maternity but I can grow into them as I get bigger

Gender: Find out May 31st

Movements: I felt him/her this week several times! Coolest feeling ever!!

Sleep? Sleep is great!!

What I miss? Coffee

Cravings: Haven't really had many cravings this week. Maybe Olive Garden salad. I did have 6 plates of it last night though! :) Yes, I said 6. And it was so delicious!!

Symptoms: I can feel my heartbeat in my stomach. Maybe it's the increase in blood flow. Who knows. That's about it though.

Show us your life: Homeschooling

I am linking up with Kelly's Korner today on Show us your life: Homeschooling.

My mom homeschool my 4 siblings and I all through elementary school. We lived in Denison at the time and my mom was not a fan of their school system so she decided to homeschool us. I absolutely LOVED being homeschooled. Of course I don't really remember a lot about the schooling part of it but I remember that I loved it.

My mom woke us up at a reasonable time every morning and we got busy on our school work. Once we were finished, we had the rest of the day to play. It usually took us about 3 hours to do our school work, from what I remember. Handwriting was definitely my favorite subject.

I dont know the curriculum that my mom used but I know it was Christian based.

Why did you love homeschooling so much?
I loved that I didn't have to go to a school all day long and be around crazy kids! haha!! I was a very shy little girl and didn't like to be around a bunch of people I didn't know. I also liked that our schedule was flexible. If my mom wanted to take us on a field trip one day, she could! Its hard for me to explain all the reasons why I loved it so much but I loved it so much that I would love to homeschool my own kids. (Just gotta talk my husband into it).

Did you have any friends?
Alot of people have the assumption that homeschooled kids don't have friends. I had plenty! I attended a huge church growing up and was always involved in Awanas and Choir and all the other activities that went on. My mom was the childrens director so we were always at church. On Fridays, we attended something called Enrichment Classes. Its held every Friday at a local church and its similar school. The mothers were the teachers and all the kids got to pick several classes to take throughout the day. We went to those same classes for a whole semester. I took a P.E. class, and a Constitution of Independence class (we put on a play at the end of the semester. Super fun!!). I also took a cooking class, and a Jack's class (you know, the game with the bouncy ball and jacks). Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. The classes ranged from Kindergarten all the way up to Seniors in high school. Of course, the older kids took classes that were more challenging.

I also played soccer, basketball, and softball so I had friends from playing sports, along with all my other sisters and brother.

So through all that, I had plenty of friends!

What did you do after homeschooling?
Once my family moved to Sherman, my mom decided to put us in public school. I think once I found out the news, I cried for a month straight. I did NOT want to go to public school!!! Thankfully, my mom put us in the last 6 weeks of my 5th grade school year so we wouldn't be thrown into school for a whole year. At least the last 6 weeks was just enough time to show us what we were getting into! haha. Those were the worst 6 weeks of my life. I hated going to school. At least I had some friends there that I was friends with from church.

Now I look back and am so glad that my mom put us in public school. I was able to be a cheerleader and play softball in high school. My mom decided to get her teaching certificate so she was my Biology teacher and cheerleading coach in high school. ha! Funny how things turn out!

16 weeks

I am 16 weeks and 2 days! Babies the size of an avocado!!

I went to the doctor today! Thankfully, I switched doctors and I am so happy I did. My new doctor is so nice and soooo funny!!! I was not happy with my other doctor at all. She always seemed like she was in a huge hurry and wasn't very nice at all. I now go to Dr. Luciani in McKinney and he is awesome!!! It was neat to find out that he was in the Air Force for several years!

He gave me an ultrasound today in 3D AND 4D!!! He tried to figure out if I am having a boy or a girl but he said he can't see anything that makes him believe its a boy but it could always "pop out" anytime between now and 23 weeks so I go back again in 3 weeks to find out for sure what I'm having. He said everything looks good and the baby is measuring right on time! And he said that never happens. Usually the growth of the baby measures between 10 days before your due date or 10 days after and mine is measuring right at 16 weeks and 2 days!

I think Bryce and I definitely have a gymnast on our hands!! The doctor had a hard time trying to see if it was a boy or a girl because it kept doing flips and moving around! It was the cutest thing to watch!!

Can you see its cute little face?! I think this is just the sweetest picture!! He/she has its hands in the air!! So precious!!! He/she definitely has my cheek bones and Bryce's jaw line!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along? 16 weeks and 2 days

Size of baby: 5 oz

Total weight gain/loss: I gained 1 Ib back from the 3 pounds I lost a couple of weeks ago

Maternity Clothes: not yet and really not looking forward to it

Gender: Doctor says it could be a girl but it could end up being a boy. We will find out for sure in 3 weeks.

Movements: Not yet but cant wait!!

Sleep: Lately, I have been sleeping great!

What I miss? Monster energy drinks and Dr. Pepper and most of all, tanning!

Cravings: Oranges and Orange juice

Symptoms: Haven't really had any symptoms

Black and White Party

Every year, the college ministry I used to go to puts on a Black and White Party. Everyone dresses up in their church clothes but it has to be black or white! I have been to several Black and White parties when I lived in Tyler while I was in college and this year, I got another chance to go!

Me and Kaydee

The Black and White parties are held at a lake house that a family owns that helps out with the college ministry. They provide a catered dinner from a mexican restaurant in town. After everyone eats, we all just hang out, talk and take pictures! A group usually goes down to the dock and everyone dances! This year, it was freezing cold out side so I decided to stay inside where it was warm!

Everone "dancing"

Me and Ellen, the college director

The adults cleaning up

In years past, Bryce and a group of his guy friends dressed as the Jabawockeez and put on a dance for everyone. It was the coolest thing! Here are some pictures from a couple of years ago...

One of the very first pictures that Bryce and I took together

Friends!

The Jabawockeez