My in-laws sent me a cute display of cookies that looked like lemons and a pitcher of lemonade. On a few of the cookies it said "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade". I thought it was so sweet of them to do that. Danielle told me that that is why she has a pitcher of fake lemonade in her kitchen. This situation that we are in right now has made me so upset and stressed out. I just pray that something will happen for the good out of this. It is very hard to see outside of what is going on right now. Thank you for all the encouraging words.

Bad News

My company has closed down. That means that I will be out of a job. It is not a good situation right now. I have all the odds pointing against me, so please be praying for us.

Thanks

continued from last post...

Update on Baby Boy!
This little boy is kicking so much now it is unbelievable. In church on Sunday, I was sitting their listening to Pastor Doug speaking and it started happening. He was moving all around in there just like he is doing now. I think he knows what I am thinking or something. I look down at my belly to see if I can see anything on the outside but you can't yet. It is such a weird yet amazing feeling. Last night I got up to go to the bathroom for like the 5th time and at this point I guess he didn't want to settled back down when I wanted to. At 5:45 this morning I just layed there rubbed my belly and talked quietly to it. He still moved around a bunch. So, I finally just rolled over on my side and rocked back and forth. I guess he liked that because it stopped long enough for me to fall asleep. Also, he loves it when I eat. He goes nuts in there. It is just truly amazing!!! Josh told me again he likes and wants the name CALEB. So, we may go with Caleb, unless Josh changes his mind. I love it. I love that it the bible it says that Caleb was Joshua's right hand man. How awesome is that! Josh and his little boy Caleb. So cute!

3rd time writing this!!!

Well, my company has come and gone. Michael, Melissa, Lacey, and their two dogs all arrived at our house on Thursday afternoon after an 18 hour drive from Houston. They were beat. Michael and Melissa passed out and Lacey was beyond tired that she couldn't fall asleep. After everyone woke up, we all went out to Friday's and then to Baskin Robbins. We came home and Lacey, Melissa, and I all went to bed while Michael and Josh hung out for a bit.
I had to go to work Friday, so after work Mike and Danielle had made it in from Houston. They didn't have a bad drive because everyone had already left. The girls made dinner while all the guys watched TV. After dinner, Danielle, Lacey, Melissa, and I all went shopping. Danielle bought me a few cute outfits at Maternity Motherhood. Then we went to Ross and Target.
Saturday morning I woke up around 8:30 and made breakfast. We all ate, got ready, and met up with Mike, Danielle, Pastor Doug, and Janet at Baskin Robbins and then went over to the movies. Josh, Michael, Lacey, Melissa, and I saw "Lord of War" while the rest of them saw "Flight Plan". After the movies, we met up with Matt and Stacey and we all went out to the Grismil to eat. It was very yummy, hot, but yummy.
Sunday we woke up and did the church thing. It was so good having my inlaws there. All throughout service this little one kept kicking. It is so weird but so amazing to have this little one inside of me kicking now. After church, we went to Salsalito's for lunch. Went home and took naps and then went to church again. After church, we came back to my house and made burgers. THANKS MOM!!! I had to work yesterday but then we went over to Pastor Doug and Janet's for dinner. We took steaks over there and grilled them. THANKS MOM AGAIN!!! It was all very good.
Michael and Melissa left last night to go home because Melissa had to be at work at 5:45 in the morning! Good Grief. Mike, Danielle, and Lacey are all leaving today.

It was such a long and good weekend. I had so much fun being around family. The reason for the mini vacation was bad but I had a blast anyways. Thanks Melissa for helping with all my laundry! It helped so much.

Looks like a full house

Well, it looks like we will be getting company this weekend. Josh's parents, brother and his wife, and Lacey are all coming here to San Antonio this weekend to try and get away from the Rita. That is just crazy. Pray that their homes are okay. I am not sure when they are coming. Either Thursday or Friday.

This little guy

Lately, it has been rather quiet around my office due to the job situation that is taking place here, but anyways, I sit here and sometimes get kinda lonely. Not that lonely because I like being by myself a lot but sometimes you know a little hi here and there wouldn't hurt. As I have been going through files thinking to myself a lot about nothing, I sometimes feel this fluttering and movements in my belly. They have been getting a lot more stronger lately too, but I think it is cute because the times that I feel the most alone it is like this little guy inside me is saying "Hey, I'm here, you're not alone". It almost makes me want to cry (probably the pregnancy emotions and hormones working). I feel like he can sometimes sense my emotions and feelings. It's so awesome. I have this connection with this little man that I don't even know yet. Just some random thoughts that I figured I should log so I would remember moments like these.

NEW BLOG RING FOR XANGA

Hey all! I started a new blog ring for my xanga site. It is called "Christian Couples expecting new baby". If any of y'all want to join it come on.

What a wonderful weekend!

I had such a great weekend. The only thing that would have made it ten times better was if I had my parents here too. Anyways, Josh and I drove to Houston on Friday night. When we got in we dropped our dogs off at Michael and Melissa's house and then met the family over at Josh's parents house. We all just hung out and talked for a bit. Then we busted open the ultrasound video and showed the family. They were so thrilled about seeing him again. After a little bit Michael and Melissa went home. Then the rest of us were just sittin around for a little bit talking. Josh's dad showed us how Phoebe, their little dog, says her bedtime prayers. It was the cutest thing. Josh and I were getting ready to leave to go back to Michael's when we heard his dad going into the garage. He came back in with this 8 millimeter movies and the reel. We all sat down around 1:00am and watched the old movies on a sheet on the wall of Josh when he was a baby. It didn't have any sound but it didn't need it. It was so cute. It got me kinda choked up. It was nice sitting there watching his family watch him when he was a baby and now we are going to be doing that soon watching our baby. I love the family I married into.
The next day we all got up early, got breakfast, and went over to the sale at USA Baby. We got there early and didn' t have to wait for anything. I was having a hard time trying to figure out which one I wanted. I knew I wanted certain pieces, but I couldn't decide anything at the time. Josh was having a hard time also. We ended up getting what we wanted. THANK YOU MOM AND DAD! We got the crib, which is convertable, 4 drawer dresser, 3 draw dresser, when we flip it over it is a changing table and a dresser and then when you don't need the changing table anymore you flip it over and you can put a tv or anything on top, and a toy chest. It is all such nice wood furniture. My parents offered to pay for all of it so we didn't have to worry about it. It is such a blessing!!! I am going to have to take lots of pictures and send them to them so they can see it. I will also post pics up here too. After getting the furniture we went to Luther's BBQ and ate lunch. After that I spotted a "Dunkin Donuts"! Josh brought me over there to get an iced coffee. It was awesome. Then, we met up with Josh's family again and went and looked at model homes that Josh's brother and his wife were looking at. They were very nice and pretty decent priced too. I wish that Josh and I could live in Houston. God knows best though! After that we went back to the house. We had to go rescue Lacey because her battery went dead in her car. That took a little time and worked up everyone's appetite again. We all went to Casa Ole and had dinner. It was yummy! Josh and I left there around 6:00ish and got home to San Antonio around 9:30ish and he asked a friend if he could come over and help us unload all the furniture. They got it all in the room and after Jon left, Josh and I set up the baby furniture. We couldn't wait. We were both very excited. It looked so cute in the room with all the Winnie the Pooh stuff. Sunday was our normal day of church.
What an exciting weekend. Now, I always have to open the door to the baby's room and peek in there just to see everything set up. God is really awesome.

Time

Okay, I got two more hours and then I'm homebound! Work is driving me nuts. Actually, it probably isn't so much work but it is my supervisor for that matter. I really hope this school calls me that I applied at. I guess I haven't really talked about it much on here, but really there is nothing important. They may be closing the facility down that I work in and so that would leave me jobless. Not good. But on the other hand if they were to keep it open I wouldn't want to work with this superviser. Anyways, I applied at a local school to work in the office and I pray that they hire me. I would get school holidays and it is less than 10 minutes away from my house. Oh that would be awesome!
We are going to Houston this weekend to get the baby furniture. That should be exciting! We are going to USA Baby. Okay, well I am going to try and push the time to make it go faster. Talk to y'all soon again. Feel Better Michelle!

IT'S A .....................

Hey everyone! I'm soooo sorry about not posting right away. I had a lot go on last night and this morning. We didn't go home at all last night until about 11:00pm and by then I was exhausted. I know I said I would post but I am so sorry. Okay, well here it is.............

BABY ALLARD IS A BOY!

He was so cute too. We got to see his little pee pee (that is what my doctor kept calling it). As soon as she said it I saw the look on Josh's face and he was so excited and proud. I wanted to cry but all I could do was giggle because we had a butt view and we saw his little butt too. I just kept thinking to myself typical guy. She gave us his measurements and he weighs 9.9 ounces right now, which is a little under a 1/2 pound. At one point when she was showing us his little face we saw the hands up by his head and then all of a sudden they moved down so she followed it and it looked like he was scratching his butt. He is definetly taking after his daddy already.

My doctor also told us that I had to be careful because I was caring the placenta low, which she called it previa. Not sure if that is the correct spelling. She said it was still early in the pregnancy enough for it to move up but she said just to take it easy. Please pray that nothing will come of this. I had dreams all last night that I couldn't stop bleeding. I guess I am just being over paranoid.

That is it. I am going to have a son! Crazy. I praise God so much. He truly knows our desires. I will try and post pics tonight.

Tonight!!!

You know I just love all you blog buddies out there. It makes me feel so special to know that other people care and are just as excited as me about milestones in my life such as finding out what Baby Allard is going to be. Thanks! We go today at 4:00pm. I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get things done at work so I can leave early. I will post tonight if we find out what the baby is. I am just praying that this baby is ready to show us who he/she is! I'll talk to y'all later! Have a great day.

Thinking

Right before I was getting ready to write this post I looked at my ticker and it said that I was 18 weeks and 2 days. It hit me all of a sudden that in another 2 weeks I will be counting the weeks by the teens! It feels like it was only yesterday that Josh and I were on our way back from the Dr.'s calling our family and telling them about the news. It is just crazy to me how time went by so fast. In two weeks I will be halfway through! Now that I am going into my 5th month my stomach is starting to show. I can actually wear maternity clothes now and not look like I am swimming in them. Some are still a little too big but it is a heck of a lot more comfortable than trying to squeeze into something. I'm also starting to feel the baby really move around a lot. I don't get really hard kicks but just little flutters like the kid is saying "really, I'm in here, see!" It is just amazing what God can create. I am watched the ultrasound video over and over again and just can't seem to come to the realization that that is my baby sometimes. Tomorrow we are hoping to find out what he/she is, that is if the baby is in the right position. Well, a lot to think about.

My weekend was pretty eventful with church stuff. Friday night I went to a ladies night at the church. We played bunco and ate food. It was pretty fun. Then Saturday, I had worship practice in the morning and then Josh and I went to lunch. We hung out for a bit and then we had to go visit one of our youth in the hospital. Sunday was church and then between church and church we had our friend Brent over for lunch. After lunch we all sat down to watch a movie. It was called Crash. It was really good. Today, I am pretty tired. Well, I am gonna get back to work. Hope y'all had a good weekend and now lets look forward to this weekend again together!

4 MORE DAYS!

I hope this baby is gonna show us what he/she is on Tuesday or else I am gonna have so many countdowns. Not too much going on lately. Just trying to get through another week of work. Pray for my job situation. Don't want to go into too many details but it needs prayer. I just booked my flight for Christmas to go home to Jersey. I am soooo excited to see all my family and my home town and my home that I grew up in for 23 years! I think it is kinda cool that my parents still live in the same house. They don't think so but I can just walk in there and it brings back so many childhood memories. Oh, I can't wait for Christmas! Tonight I am going to a ladies fun night at the church and then tomorrow Josh and I are just gonna straighten up the house a bit from last weekend. I'm sorry Jenny that you had to see it a wreck like that. Life is just crazy sometimes. I work all day and then we go out at night for church, church events, etc. Lots of church! I guess being a youth pastor's wife that would make sense of why we have so much church. Anyways, I am going to continue working. Y'all have a good weekend. I'll try to post more if I get a chance. Not sure what I am going to talk about but I'll try. Okay! Love y'all.

6 MORE DAYS! Nursery Pics

These are the pics of the nursery. Josh's dad painted Pooh, Eeyore, and Piglet on the wall on two different spots. Then he also added those cute jars and pots that look like they are sitting on the shelf. Danielle, Lacey, and I all painted and put the border up and then we hung the curtains. I still can't get over how awesome of a job that Mike did painting all that by free hand. All he did was look at the border and then painted it on. He also painted little bees all over the room. It is sooooo cute. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Now, we just need the furniture which my awesome parents has said they were going to help with! God is just great and He is supplying all of our needs.

7 MORE DAYS until we find out if it is HE or SHE!

I didn't want to load my blog up too much. It may have a ticker overload!

something funny

I'll update more about my weekend later when I can put the pics up of the nursery but I just had to share this with everyone. I was sitting down at my desk to get ready to eat my lunch. I got chili and then a salad. I went to go put the napkin on my lap and low and behold I have to place the napkin on my stomach because my lap is now being kinda covered by my stomach. It was rather amuzing to me and funny because not that I was super skinny before this but I could look down and see my lap clear. Funny! I'll update more in a bit. I had a blast though this weekend and got so much accomplished with the baby's room. I think I will put a ticker up for a countdown to when we find out if it is a HE or a SHE!

A good time was had!

Well this is the border that is going to be in the baby's nursery. Josh and I went out last night night when I got home from work and we went to Target first to pick the border up and then to Home Depot to get paint. The paint matches the little green leaves in the border. It is so cute! So after we got all that stuff, Josh had surprised me and took me out to Red Lobster. Okay, Red Lobster is not the best seafood in the world considering I am from the shore area up in Jersey where seafood is awesome and cheaper than it is down here. But anyways, I was just glad to get a lobster. I ate the whole thing! I could have eaten more but I only got a 1 1/4. The lobster actually tasted good like ones from back home. After that we just went home and well...Yeah, we had fun. Ha ha. Then, we were going to start cleaning the house and the baby room but we just decided to go to bed and do all that today and Saturday. I got to talk to Lacey last night on the phone for a bit too. I love her and I love how it feels like I have a little sister. Not that she is little anymore cause she is going to be 18 in October but I love how she comes to me for advice and I can remember the days when I was going through some of the things she is experiencing now. Well, that is it. I can't wait for this weekend so the family can get here and we can start painting and decorating. It is so exciting for me. Yesterday was my last birthday alone without kids. Kinda weird. I will always be a mom on everyone of my birthdays now. Well, write in a little bit again.

Christmas Celebration

I had to join in on the ticker celebration and count down to Christmas. "It's the most wonderful time of the year." It's better than my birthday! So, I hope y'all like my ticker for Christmas.

Today, 24 years ago my mom was going through what I am about to experience in a couple of months, LABOR. I hope that I have my baby as easily as she had me. She actually went to the doctor's that morning and the sent her home and then around 1:oo-1:30 her water broke while her and my Aunt Barb were together. So, my dad came and picked her up and they all went to the hospital. I came so fast that the doctor was still in the elevator and didn't have enough time to get there so an intern with the help of a nurse delieverd me. Pretty cool story. I was born at 4:14pm, so I am actually not 24 until that time. My due date though was August 17th so I was a couple of weeks late. Not too bad though.

A girl in the youth group last night gave me a present. When I opened it I was so excited and she said that no one had told her that I wanted to start collecting them. She got me the pregnant woman holding her belly from the Willow Tree collection. My mom had bought my first one for me and it was an angel holding a sunflower. So, now I have two. There are so many more that I want. They have a whole nativity scene too that I want. I put both of them in my china hutch and they look so pretty in there.

I am not sure what the plans are for tonight. I don't think anything really. All I want to do is go get paint and the border for the nursery that way when Danielle and Lacey get here we can just start painting. With four people working on it, we should have it done in no time. Okay, well I am gonna get back to filing for a bit. I will try to write in a little bit.

Thanks Jenny for my birthday post!