I think I can, I think I can....

I feel like the "Little Engine That Could" these days...just plugging along.  I keep getting bigger with new aches and pains, but I know it will be so worth it in a few short weeks!  My last two doctor's appointments have gone well.  My blood pressure has been a bit elevated, which isn't great, but I don't have any other pre-clampsia symptoms, so the doctor isn't too worried.  My body is getting ready to have this baby, but we're not quite there yet.  Liam enjoys the right side of my belly, which makes for some pretty interesting "stomach distortions".  Today the doctor says he's hanging out near the nerve bundles in my left leg, which explains many of the recent "shooting" pains.  My other "new" symptom is having lots of hot flashes...it's crazy!!  I'm normally a covers-up-to-my-chin kind of gal, but Matthew says the past few mornings I've kicked the covers completely off!  And we've definitely had to turn the A/C on!!

Otherwise, we're doing great!  Matthew and I had last weekend to get some things together...I've sorted through all of his clothes (including the many wonderful hand-me-downs from cousin Caleb!!) and we've put together all of his accessories.  Matthew has been working on a changing table for him that we'll finish working on this weekend.  My proudest moment this week was when I put together the baby swing all by myself!  It took me a couple of hours, but I was pretty impressed with myself!  The other problem was that when I finished, after I'd been on the floor for so long, I couldn't get myself off the ground...those pains in my leg were killing me and I just couldn't move!  I had to drag myself over to the door to grab the handle and pull myself up!!  I was so worried I'd be stuck until Matthew got home...no more floor time for me and I'm keeping a phone handy at all times!!

Not much else going on here...just the calm before the storm!! :-)  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we finish this part of the journey!

Love,
Courtney

37 weeks...looking a little tired these days!!

The finished swing...and it works...Jack tried it out!! :-)

Birthday, Valentine's, & 36 weeks

It's been a great week so far!!  We had a fabulous time with Madeline, Darryl, Caleb, my Mom, Dad, & Becca in Temple celebrating Caleb's 1st birthday.  I can't believe my precious little nephew is already 1 and so big!!  He's walking like a champ and showed everyone what a big boy he was by not taking his morning nap on Saturday. :-)  Despite how little sleep he got, he was in fine form, laughing, playing, eating cake, opening presents, and flirting with everyone who came to celebrate.  He's also quite a ham in front of the cameras, too...just like Rebecca used to be!!  When we arrived on Friday evening in Temple, Darryl was still at the hospital, and Madeline & I needed to run a few errands, so we left Matthew at the house with Caleb.  I think he was a tad nervous, but did great with Caleb and he needs the practice!! :-)  Saturday morning, we all got up and started birthday prep.  The rest of my family came into town and helped finish up before all the guests arrived.  Caleb loved being the star of the show!!  Matthew and I went to Mass with my mom, dad, & Becca, ate dinner with them (while Madeline & Darryl went on a Valentine's date), and then we headed back to San Antonio.

I woke up Sunday morning not feeling all that great...I'm pretty sure I overdid it on Saturday, but try telling a Bowles woman to stop (that's what Matthew says...Madeline & I get it from our mother, who got it from her mother, who got it from HER mother!!).  My back was hurting, my hands and feet were swollen, and I was just exhausted.  So we ran a few errands around town and then came home and watched a movie....we had a great time just being together.

Monday I had planned to make Matthew a Valentine's dinner and I ran out to the store to buy some of the supplies.  At about 4:30pm, Matthew showed up at the house (which is SUPER early for him!!), and said he wasn't feeling well (I think HE overdid it too!!), so he took a nap and did not wake until 7:45pm.  I decided to postpone our dinner and grab something out instead.  Tuesday we was feeling much better so I made our special dinner of chicken parmesan (the meal that won his heart!) and chocolate dipped strawberries.  He brought me chocolates and we exchanged cards...we never do Valentine's up big, since I feel like it's Valentine's all the time with my husband (see post below :-), but we like to still celebrate.

Otherwise, I've just been spending my time getting ready for Liam's arrival!  I'm trying to keep organizing, sorting, and arranging.  I think I can say with some certainty that I think he's "dropped"...but I could be wrong!  I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so we'll find out.  This week starts my weekly visits to the doctor.  Everything seems to still be going well!  I'm having lots more aches and pains, especially in my legs and rear end...I think he's positioned himself comfortably on several nerve bundles down there! :-)  Otherwise, he's still moving and shaking!

Enjoy the pictures from the week!!
Love,
Courtney

Wish I had these lashes!!!

Love that smile

Hooray for 1!!!

He's such a playful little guy!!

The cake eating was HILARIOUS!!  Caleb had a blast!!

Once he realized no one was going to be mad...he went to town

"Want some cake Uncle Matthew??"

Love the birthday...

...And his new sandbox & water box!

Chocolate dipped strawberries I made Matthew (and me!!)

Chicken parmesan

36 weeks!!

I love my husband...Let me count the ways...

My husband is a saint...no doubt.  I'm an emotional person to begin with, but this pregnancy has been like a roller coaster ride for both of us.  I can't even begin to explain how much Matthew has been my rock when I'm anxious, worried, sad, angry, hurt, or upset.  This huge change that is about to happen in our lives has made me think about EVERYTHING that could go wrong, could be bad, or could ruin what we've got.  I've had many, many great days where I am so grateful for the gift of life that God has given us, and then I have days when I'm not sure how the heck He trusted me so much to make me a mom.  Sometimes I just have a bad day when I feel fat and ugly, and sometimes I just think I'll make a terrible mother.  Through ALL of the ups and downs of the pregnancy, Matthew has encouraged me, coached me, made me feel comfortable, and worked tirelessly to make me feel better.

In many ways, I think that the 9 months of pregnancy is like Lent or Advent...it's a preparation for the "big event".  I'm so grateful we've had this time to prepare mentally and emotionally for Liam's arrival and to solidify our relationship and our marriage.  I've been reading the book "Babywise", and I really like the message it gives at the beginning...the relationship between the parents is paramount and we put our children at risk when we don't make our marriage and our relationship a priority, we are not setting an example for our children or giving them a safe place to belong.  I LOVE that idea and find it so important when we (and by WE, I mean I) get wrapped up in how much our lives will change and how our relationship will change.  I know that our relationship and our lives will changes...for the better!!  But we must always make a commitment to each other for the benefit of Liam and the other 19 children we are planning on having!!

Matthew does such a wonderful job of making our relationship, our marriage, and our bond a priority.  I'm trying hard not to let the emotions of pregnancy take over my desire to do the same!  So I'm using this blog writing time to let you ALL know what a wonderful, amazing, Godly man I have as a husband...

Here are the ways I know that Matthew loves me everyday:

-He kisses me goodbye every morning, even when I'm passed out...he's even gotten out of the driveway, realized he didn't kiss me, drive back home, take off his work boots, come into the house, and give me a kiss...even if I'm still dead asleep!!
-He doesn't "expect" anything of me...when I don't want to cook, do laundry, go get groceries, or when I want to sit on the couch all day, he doesn't make me feel bad!
-He's ALWAYS grateful - when I do the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, the organizing
-He makes me feel special and beautiful because he tells me so!
-He's VERY excited about having this baby with me and he makes me feel like we're a team in this
-He goes to breastfeeding classes with me without me even asking :-)
-When he has had a LONG day at work, and I've been at home all day, he's falling asleep in bed, he turns to me and asks "Do you need anything?  Are you doing ok?" even when I haven't prompted it
-He thinks of me before he thinks of himself
-He prays for me, for us, and for Liam every night  (and the rest of you as well!!)
-He makes me smile when I'm having a terrible day
-He is a great listener and he will listen to me whine about anything and then knows exactly what to say to make me feel better
-He accepts my apologies
-He's quick to apologize
-When I'm cooking, folding laundry, doing the dishes, etc.  he comes up and gives me a hug and tells me he loves me

There are MANY out ways that I feel loved by my husband, but it helps to remember what a priority he makes me in his life because I realize that we'll be just fine as parents and maybe one day, Liam will make a list of the ways he knows that we love him!

On another note:  We've had a slow week!  Matthew worked all weekend and I spent the weekend cleaning and organizing baby things.  It's been cold here the past few days, but it should warm up soon!  We're headed to Temple tomorrow for Caleb's 1st birthday...can't believe how time flies...next thing we know it will be Liam's 1st birthday!  Everything's still going great with Liam...I feel like I'm slowing down quite a bit.  I can barely even walk for 30 minutes on the treadmill and I take lots of naps.  I think I'm storing up for when we're sleeping 2 hours a night!!  I've also been working on "lists"...lists of things we still need before he comes, lists of what to pack for labor, lists of what to bring for Liam, lists of what to do before he arrives...My life is full of lists anyway, but these are "baby specific" lists :-)

Life is good here...and we're GRATEFUL for the blessings we have!!  Here are the lyrics from a song that has helped me with all the "stuff" that's been piling up for me.  Hope you enjoy them!

Love,
Courtney


This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world

35 weeks!

Another week in the life...

Another week down...5 and a half more to go!!  I truly cannot believe that we're so close to this big new adventure!  Matthew and I had a great weekend, just the two of us, last weekend.  We spent all day Saturday driving to different baby resale shops around town to see what they might have.  We did find a few cute items of clothing, but nothing major.  We've decided it's a great way to buy some clothes for him in the future because the selection was great and so were the prices!  We went out to dinner Saturday night after Mass and just hung out at the house afterwards.  Sunday, I made Matthew relax at home...we rented a few movies (including the original True Grit with John Wayne...had to watch it before we see the new one!) and I cooked us lunch and dinner in.

This week we've had an interesting change of weather!  Monday, the weather was absolutely gorgeous...I wore shorts and took Daisy for a long walk in the park...then on Tuesday, the weather dropped about 60 degrees into the 20s!  I know it's not that cold considering what was happening in the rest of the country, but for around here...that's cold!!!  We never turned on our heater last year and I never wore a coat...needless to say, we had to do both this week.  It stayed nice and cold all week and we got about 1/2 inch of ice & 1/2 inch of snow on Friday morning.  Poor Matthew was stuck in terrible traffic on his way to work Friday morning.  While we're both from the south, Matthew spent a year in West Virginia and 2 1/2 years in Virginia, so he knows how to handle the snow.  The rest of the city (including the TxDOT folks) were at a loss!!  They closed down all the major interstates, freeways, and roads in the city until noon!!  Matthew made it to work safely after 3 hours on the road...2 of which were spent sitting on the access road to I-35, 1 mile from work.

He has to work all weekend, so I'm home alone trying to get plenty of things done.  It hasn't worked out well so far though!  I was at the grocery for 2 hours yesterday and by the time I got home, had it unloaded, and put away, it was time to get ready for church!  I'm going to try today to get lots of cleaning done though...wish me luck!! :-)

Things are going great with Liam...I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and things are still right on target.  He hasn't dropped yet and is still swimming around to his heart's content...I can feel him head-butt my ribs from time to time...It seems like his favorite position is on the diagonal.  He is very active, but I think his favorite time to play is when I'm in the bath tub...he kicks and kicks and flutters all around as soon as I'm in the water.  I can't decide if he's going to be a soccer player or a swimmer...maybe both!!  I'm still feeling good.  The latest malady of pregnancy is heartburn.  It comes on quick and it doesn't happen all the time, so I'm left in pain until the Pepcid kicks in!  I told Matthew that they other day, I bent down to tie my shoes and got heartburn...I've never had it before in my life, so it's a whole new world! :-)  Otherwise, besides the little aches, pains, and the occasional rough kick from the tough guy on the inside,  I'm feeling pretty good!!

Next weekend is our precious nephew Caleb's 1st birthday!!  I can't believe he's already 1!!  We're headed to Temple for his big day on Friday and we'll come home Saturday evening.  We'll post plenty of pictures from the party next week.

Hope you all are staying warm!!  Have a blessed week!!

Love,
Courtney

Baby hugs!

 34 weeks

San Antonio snow!!

Counting down...

It's been another crazy week here in the Powell household!!  I feel like we've barely had time to breathe...

Last weekend we went to Dallas for the wedding of my dear friend of 22 years, Adrienne.  We've know each other since Kindergarten (I still remember the day she came to school for the first time!) and we lived down the street from one another for a number of years and then she moved in right next door!  We've shared everything with each other since as long as I can remember...she was in my wedding 4 and half years ago and I was more than happy to be a part of her special day this past weekend.  She picked out these beautiful dresses (knowing I was going to be pregnant before I was!!) and my wonderful, amazing seamstress of a mother altered the dress that we had to buy many sizes too big...it fit perfectly!

Matthew and I scurried up to Dallas after he finished work on Friday, and he dropped me off at the church for the rehearsal (it was at the beautiful Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church) and then ran by his sister's house to drop off the animals.  Then he met us back at Blue Mesa for the rehearsal dinner (which was DELICIOUS).  After the rehearsal, I went back to the hotel with the gals to have a lingerie shower and to spent the night with the bride.  The next morning, Matthew, Shannon, & Kevin picked me up for breakfast and then deposited me back at the hotel so I could get ready (meanwhile, they went to IKEA).  I also had a great lunch with Emily and her husband Scott...I've known Emily since the dawn of time, too!!  She lives in Georgia now, so it was great to get an extended visit with her!  We did our own hair and makeup at the hotel and then headed to the church.  Mom & Becca and Darryl, Madeline, & Caleb met us at the church before the wedding (Becca & Madeline were in the house party).  The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and it was such a reminder of the vows Matthew and I made to each other 4+ years ago.  Matthew took pictures of the wedding party after the ceremony and then we headed to the reception!

The reception was at the Park Cities Club in Dallas high up on the 17th floor...it had amazing views of the city!  The food was great there, too (my life seems to revolve around food these days!!) and the cake was divine...the bride had a strawberry cake that tasted like strawberry shortcake...YUM!!  We visited with some folks from Athens who came to the wedding and danced a bit, too.  I started to feel yucky after awhile, so we had to scoot out a little early than I hoped, but I'm so glad we could all be there for Adrienne & Brandon's special day!!

Sunday morning, Matthew & I went to Mass and then to Einstein's with Shannon & Kevin.  Afterwards, we went to IKEA again for some returns and to check out baby furniture and then Matthew and I needed to go to Buy, Buy, Baby to get our carseat (I had a coupon!!)...I've been getting a little panicked about not having it in case Liam decides to come early!!  We had lunch with Shannon & Kevin, packed up, and headed out.  On our way home, we stopped to have dinner with Madeline, Darryl, & Caleb in Temple...it was fun seeing them again...and Daisy LOVED being able to say hello to Tyler (Madeline & Darryl's dog).

The rest of the week has been a bit of a drag for us...Matthew came home early from work on Monday because he didn't feel good and he ended up sleeping ALL day.  I haven't been feeling myself lately either, but I think this busy schedule is catching up with me!!

On the baby front, Liam moves almost constantly now...and I love feeling him move!  Matthew is very anxious to see him, but he's not baked yet and I'd rather he waited until 40 weeks!  We finished our childbirth classes which were very helpful (but made me a tad anxious about this whole "getting him out" thing) and last night we had our breastfeeding class which relieved alot of anxiety for me.  We also started "unpacking" a few of our baby items...including the carseat (which Jack tried out) and the umbrella stroller Aunt Maria got us (which we love!!).  Otherwise, we're just trucking along...I have another appointment next week with the doctor.

We're both very excited that we finally have a weekend where were are home, together, and not working!!  I think we're going to hit up some of the baby resale stores in town and REST...Goodness knows we both need it!

Enjoy the pictures from this week!

Love you all,
Courtney

Me and the beautiful bride!

Sisters at the wedding

Bowles gals

Caleb was VERY good at the wedding!!

Wedding party

Jack's trying out the car seat

He REALLY likes it :-)

33 weeks

2 for 1 night!!

Don't miss Matthew's post below!  He was so sweet and offered to write the blog for me this week, but I realized that my baby shower was last weekend and I needed to post a little something...

My baby shower in Athens was absolutely fabulous!!  There are some amazing women who have been in my life for as long as I can remember and I feel so blessed that they graciously threw me the shower and also showered me with gifts!!  As Rebecca says, "Liam made out like a bandit!".  I had a great time at home with my sister's and Caleb, too.  I came home on Sunday to be with Matthew for the rest of the week, but I got exhausted unpacking and then packing again.

The next weekend I went back to Athens for our annual scrapbook retreat with Lisa & Melissa Wilson (now Hart).  We've been scrapbooking together every January for 13 years!!  We try to get caught up on the previous year's pictures, but we've all been a little behind lately!  Madeline and I also got a terrible stomach bug on Saturday evening and we felt awful on Sunday, so we weren't able to go back home until Monday.  I came home absolutely exhausted and I still feel like I'm recovering...

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and Liam is still doing great...He's right on target despite the bug.  I feel huge these days, but I absolutely love feeling him move!  We're just trucking along!

Enjoy a few of these pictures from the shower!
Love,
Courtney

Opening presents!

Liam's loot!

The Man has a Voice and He is Speaking

Due to technical difficulties this post is not being brought to you by Courtney, but rather her partner in crime...one Matthew Powell. Thank you very much.

The week of January 4th began to look a little complicated because Courtney would be away from the house the next three weekends. The first being for her baby shower in Athens (would have loved to be there, but it was my turn at playing the head babysitter out at the jobsite this weekend). The second weekend Courtney would again be in Athens for her annual scrapbook weekend with her sisters and mother. It is always fun to see what she creates with all of the pictures that we have taken the previous year and then getting to read all of her cute and quirky blurbs. The third weekend we will both be in Dallas to attend the wedding of one of Courtney's childhood friends. Luckily we have the days to spend with each other in between and getting to marvel in the beauty of our ever-growing child.

With Courtney gone from January 6 to January 9, my evenings were very boring and dull, just waiting for Courtney to return. However, Courtney did make me my most favorite dish to have while she was gone and that is her homemade macaroni and cheese. I know that you might be asking how could he eat just macaroni and cheese for dinner, but let me tell you this...ain't nobody got nothin' on my lady's mac and cheese. It is the best and the easiest thing for me to have while she is away. The other problem with Courtney being away is that I often stay up later than I normally would. For some reason I seem to find the most intriguing things to watch on tv while she is gone and before I know it, it is way past my bedtime. Got  to get my rest in now, because I know when Mr. Liam arrives that those nights of deep slumber will be gone. At least until he gets older. When the weekend finally rolled around, I was out at the jobsite for both Saturday and Sunday. Large government project + BRAC deadline + poor management from those above me in the food chain = work, work, work. During the week, I am responsible for all of the underground utilities and all of the site beautification aspects of the project. However, on the weekends, these contractor's do not work, because they get what they need done during the week, which leaves me to wonder through the building checking out what I am missing by being on the outside. This weekend though required me to be onsite again on Sunday to help with water removal from the building. See the building is not 100% water tight, but we still have areas in which we have gone ahead and started finishing out spaces, so water in these areas is a big problem. Even with the rain and water removal, it could not ruin my day as my baby-mamma made her way back home and all was well.

The week of January 10, 2011 was another exhausting week of work for me given that the work that I still need to get in place, seems to invariably be held up by some other more important contractor. The only thing is that when you have a baby on the way all of the headaches of work seem to disappear. Life is definitely what you make of it, but not appreciating the beauty of a life being formed and growing is not something to be missed. In this the second week of our Childbirth class we took a tour of the hospital for the second time and discussed the "natural" (unmedicated) birth. Good thing that we got another tour of the hospital as the first time we were there, I totally spaced out and was more impressed by the size of the labor & delivery and postpartum rooms instead of really paying attention to where I would need to get Courtney to on that day when she tells me that "it is time". The discussion and videos of the "natural" birth made me more excited about the birth of our son, but at the same time question whether or not I could be strong enough to provide the support that Courtney is going to need on that day. However, I will be strong and will be there with her every step of the way and to help her in any way that I can. On Friday, Courtney ventured off to Temple to pick up her sister, Madeline, and then they headed to Athens for scrapbooking. I had originally planned to go with Courtney and have her drop me off at the lake for the weekend, but some things came up at work that needed my attention. However, all was not lost as Shannon, Kevin, Dad, and Brenda made there way down to San Antonio on Saturday after driving through Fredericksburg, TX and spent Saturday evening and Sunday morning with me. Our first kids, Daisy and Jack, enjoyed the company as it meant more petting and attention for Daisy and more laps for Jack to check out. Dad and Brenda left after breakfast on Sunday heading east on their way back to Atlanta after spending the previous week in Dallas, which was longer than originally planned due to the storm and freeze that hit the Atlanta area. Shannon and Kevin also packed up and I followed them up to the outlets in San Marcos to hang out with them a little longer before they continued on up to Austin to spend the evening. I then went to the Janie and Jack and the Gymboree where I purchased two outfits for  Mr. Liam. The one is a baby blue onesie with a dog on the front of it and the other outfit is a reddish-orange onesie with a gold star in the middle that says "Mommys Little Cowboy", which can be paired with a pair of blue jeans and button down shirt that I also purchased. I then made my way back home to San Antonio after I meandered through Gruene and checked out one of their antique stores. I always complained when mom wanted to look in antique stores, but now there is not an antique store that I pass, that I do not get the urge to stop in to and take a look around. Thanks Mom.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and we look forward to continue sharing our stories, adventures, and pictures with you in the coming months.

Matthew

31 weeks

Jack is getting excited about his little brother!

32 weeks

Daddy's outfits

Shirt in honor of Daisy