D is not for Diamonds..its for Dyson!!

My sweet husband got me this for Christmas. I love it!!

I also got one of these for when Cooper comes:

Progress

We've been working hard to try to get Cooper's room ready. He'll be here sooner than later...so we thought we better get this boat a going! Here are a few pics of the progress we have made the last few days:

23 Weeks and counting...

How far along? 23 weeks...well..technically 22 weeks, 6 days
Maternity clothes? yes!
Stretch marks? not yet
Sleep: great!
Best moment this week: Feeling Cooper move
Movement: yes...most days now
Cravings: McDonald's Hamburgers...with ketchup, mustard, onions, and pickles!
Gender: Male
Labor signs: No
Belly button: In
What I miss: My old body..not that it was that great
What I am looking forward to: getting my old body back...Bootcamp here I come!
Weekly wisdom: get the book, BabyWise!

The $350 walk in the park

Early Sunday morning, Andrew woke up and, even though it was raining and cold, decided to take his favorite son (til April) out for a walk and play date with other dogs. About 30 minutes later, I am getting a call from him asking me if I know any emergency vet cl incs open on Sunday. You see, Jack had a fight with some barbed wire. Not good. His mouth was filled with blood and his legs were scraped up pretty bad. Also, he had a deep gash under his jaw. When we finally got the bleeding to stop, and after we called several clinics and found out we were going to have to pay over a hundred bucks just to bring him in, we decided to watch him closely on Sunday and take him to our vet first thing Monday morning.

Turns out, Jack Pratt had 4 teeth that were loose and needed to be pulled, along with his deep gash and other wounds. The vet said the wire had gone completely through his mouth to his teeth. Ewww!! I know! On top of that, he had an ear infection. Well, I could of told you that. This dog's ears stayed infected. They are the most expensive ears on the planet. He loves the water too much!

Needless to day, when we picked him up on Monday afternoon, he was so excited to see us and just wanted to play...back to being Jack!

We know, this is just God's way of preparing us...ya know...for when this happens to Cooper. I'm sure we'll have some scrapes and broken bones along the way!

Jack's a pro...well...not really!

My dad brought this goose home the other day to see how Jack would react...maybe thinking one day he could take him hunting with him. He walked around and sniffed the thing for what seemed like forever. He was kinda scared of it to tell you the truth...not a good sign. We did get this great picture with Jack's "first retrieve" of his puppy hood. I think he'll stick to digging holes in the backyard for now.

Hard at work for Cooper!

After we found out we were going to be a family of four, we decided to make some improvements to the nursery. I had in my head ever since I found out I was pregnant, that I wanted to put a closet organizer in there like the one I had at my house growing up. Ya know...with drawers and shelves..all the goods. So I enlisted my very agreeable hubby to help. (He loves projects...anything that has a start and a finish and is challenging he will do!) Well, it took a little longer than expected..considering we ending up having to repair holes in the drywall and paint..not to mention about 5 trips to Lowe's...but I was totally worth it. Here are some pictures from the day..I mean...month..haha!



Andrew hard at work putting all the pieces together...guys love to use their drill!



Here is a before shot...I don't have an after shot right now, but will post soon!



Enlisting some help from Jack!

Ahhhhh....mountain weekend

In mid-November, the CHS girls were reunited again (with their hubbys) for a much needed getaway to the mountains. (I would like to remind them..if they are reading this...that I am the ONLY one left there..it's not the same!) Little did we know, the mountain along I-40 was going to collapse and it was going to take us double the time to get there...but it was worth it! Andrew and I met up with Mariah and Bill, Jen and Trent, and Rebecca in Waynesville (home of Jonathan Crompton...whoot whoot). We enjoyed great meals, shopping, and a cozy cabin with amazing views. I even bought Coop something there before I knew "it" was a "he"! I just couldn't resist! On Saturday, the boys enjoyed some bonding time watching UT play bad football, while the gals tried to find their way around Asheville..on foot!! Once we realized downtown wasn't for us...we headed over to Biltmore Village and felt like we were back to reality. Not to bash Asheville..it was just very eccentric.

Here are a few pics from a memorable weekend:

Our sweet baby P!!

On Wednesday, November 25, Andrew and I went for our ultrasound to see the baby and find out the sex. We fully intended on having Cathy, the ultrasound tech, write down the results on a card and we were going to open in later that day at lunch or dinner. We were on our way to Memphis, so we were going to share the news when we arrived. Cathy didn't really seem to understand what we wanted. I mean, we can't read an ultrasound...don't know the difference between a leg or a head! I mean, until she points it out, you don't realize what it is. Well, Cathy finally agreed to write down the results on our card. Then all that changed when she said, "I"m not going to be able to hide this from you." Everyone knows what that means!! I knew it was a boy and had been telling everyone that for weeks. Whenever anyone would ask me if I knew, I would say, its a boy!!

More importantly, Cooper (what we're calling him) was healthy and active. No major hiccups...the doctor said everything looked great!

Here a few pics from the day:

It's a boy!

Sweet baby Pratt is a sweet baby boy! More to come later... (with pictures) :)

I survived!!! and updates on sweet Baby P!

I survived a trip to NYC with 6 teenagers and a pregnant lady (me!). It wasn't easy, but it was a great time and totally worth it! We had a great time seeing the sights, breathing the crisp (and unseasonably warm)air, and learning! As I remember the 10 girls I took last time like it was yesterday, I will remember these 6 forever, too! I don't remember every student, but it is hard to forget the ones that you spend time with out of the classroom doing "real" learning.

I came home to a clean (for Andrew's standards!) house and have been busy unpacking and getting ready to head out of town again on Wednesday to Memphis for Thanksgiving. We are very excited to visit (I think it's been a whole year) and to see all of our family and friends there!

Andrew and Jack had "man-time" when I was gone...which I'm sure was spent lounging around watching college football and playing in the yard.

We will know on Wednesday if I will be totally out numbered at home...and if my predictions are right, I will be (which is fine with me :) )...because we go for our BIG ultrasound to check on sweet baby P and find out the gender! We are very excited, but of course, we just really want to know if the baby is healthy...boy or girl..it doesn't matter. I always thought it would, but it doesn't. I have always wanted one of each, (just not at the same time..haha).

I felt baby P move in NYC for the first time on Thursday! It was a sweet feeling and one that I had been waiting for. Little air bubbles filled my tummy as soon as I slowed down from a long day. He must have woken up!

Until later this week for the big reveal...

The Best...

husband. How did I get so lucky? I could win a contest for the best husband ever..hands down. Since I've been pregnant and feeling puny, he has stepped up to the plate! And hit a homerun.

-When Jack needs to go out at 1 in the morning...its Andrew who gets up.
-When I wake up in the middle of the night throwing up, Andrew takes care of me.
-When I get up with a pounding headache, Andrew searches the house to figure out where I put the Tylenol.
-When I wake up in the middle of the night with a terrible cramp in my lower back (trying to be quiet so I don't wake him) Andrew senses something is not right and wakes up to massage the spot until it feels better.
-When I need a drink or crackers so I don't get sick, Andrew rushes down the stairs to get it for me.

You see, in his mind, he is not only taking care of me, but of our precious little baby too. I can't wait to see him melt when Baby P arrives and become the Best again. This time...the best Dad in the world. Our baby is lucky. He could win a contest.

Week 15 and feeling so much better!

Andrew and I went to the doc today for our monthly checkup for Baby P. We did not get to have an ultrasound so we could see our little man, but we did get to hear the heartbeat!! This is the first time we have heard it, so we were very excited. It sounded like a horse galloping, but the nurse said it was probably because they have dropped the doppler one too many times.

Next appointment, we get to find out for sure it's a boy!!! Of course, I think it is, but since I've told everyone already that this is what I think we are having, then it will probably turn out to be a girl..haha. We have a girl's name picked out, but no boy's name yet.

On another note...congrats to the Lady Vol golf team! They have WON their last 2 tournaments and moved up in the rankings to #7 in the country!! They have worked very hard...and so have Andrew and Judi...on improving and it is paying off! (Pictures to come)

Jack keeps getting bigger and bigger everyday and continues to be the happiest dog on the planet! He keeps me company when Andrew is away and goes bananas when he comes home from a trip. He is going to be so jealous when the baby arrives, but we know he will love him (especially when he is older and can play!) He loves all the neighborhood kids!

I'll keep you posted and hopefully have some pics on here soon...my belly is growing and my body is changing!!

We can't wait to hold our sweet baby in our arms...so bad we can barely stand it!

Our little peach!

Baby Pratt (or should I say baby boy Pratt) is the size of a peach this week!!! I have this feeling that it's a boy! Of course, we won't know until around Thanksgiving. We've started preparing Jack...Andrew is crying like a baby and waiting for Jack's reaction!! It's hilarious!!

Happy Birthday Jack!!

Wow, we can't believe you're already a year old...we've definetly learned so much from you so far. You have more than prepared us for Baby P! Hopefully the baby won't chew drywall, destroy doors, shred stuff animals, pee on the floor, wake us in the middle of the night..well??

You have shown us how to love and care for something together. You have given us more love than we could ever give you! Each day you are so excited to see us your butt shakes out of control because your tail is wagging so hard! We know you will love baby P just as much and protect him/her.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest, best-looking dog in the whole world!

Baby Pratt looks like a peanut!!

Andrew and I went to the doctor today for a checkup to see how everything was going...we got an ultrasound and got to see our baby moving around in my belly!! He/she was very active!! You can't really tell from this ultrasound picture, but the arms buds are forming (they are the 2 white circles). The right side of our peanut is the head and left side is the body. You can't see the feet..they were tucked under. The doc said everything looked great so far!! We will know the sex of the baby in about 8 weeks!!

And baby makes four....that's if you are counting Jack!

Yes, for those of you who don't already know (I think our parents have told everybody!) we are expecting our first child in April. We are super excited!! I've been feeling very pregnant, especially this week. We go for our second appointment next week...and should be able to hear a heartbeat!!

Andrew really wants a girl, who knows why since he deals with women all day long!! We are going to find out the sex and should know early December. If only we could agree on some names!!!

Ten Years down the road!

Tonight was my 10 year high school reunion! I can't believe it went that fast...seems like yesterday we were all still at PHS. Well, Andrew and I had a great time visiting and catching up with old friends. Here are a few pics from the evening...sorry, some of them are not that great, but it's all I have!

Group Shot

Me and April...friends since 5th grade!

Mandy, me, Britt, April

Britt, me, Erin, and Amanda

Girly Time...in Hooottttlanta!!

Before school time, all us teachers decided we needed some retail and girlfriend time....so we hopped in the car and drove to the ATL to visit Mariah!! We had an awesome time visiting, eating (of course), and doing the obvious...shopping! If you've never been to the NGa Premium Outlets then ya missing out!!! They are AMAZING! Especially if you are like us...and are teachers....and need a D-E-A-L!

I'm the only one left in the pic still at good ole' CHS (Jen married Trent went to Va...Rebecca transferred, Mariah left me for Bill....and then there is me)!

This is all of us on the front porch of Mariah and Bill's house...it's so nice!! Thanks for letting us come visit Mariah!! I miss you already :(

HHI 2009....Good Times

Last week, Andrew and I headed south for some much needed relaxation and fun with friends! Jen picked out an awesome house right on a golf course equip with its own pool! The first thing Andrew and I did was rent bikes which was a wise move...only 4 mins to the beach! We had some great games of football, volleyball, paddleball, and homerun derby at the beach and pool. We ended the week with a bang, practically taking over the local sports bar (there were 14 of us!) and singing Kareoke all night long!! Here a a few highlights from the week....out of order, sort of.

Andrew and Dustin singing "Sweet Caroline"

Blake was actually really good..she could be like the girl that was running it and pretend she is a "real singer"...ha ha.....Carrie's in the background


Chris, Justin, Andrew, Trent...our last supper

Jen and Trent....my favs!!

Serious game of paddleball

The girls got a golf lesson from the best teacher ever! Who just happens to be my husband! We were trying to be bad a$$, but I started laughing!

Self Portrait on the back deck

Our lovely pool....pardon the foggy picture...the humidity got to my camera!

This is for you, Ben...and Carrie!

We were so lucky our friend Ben Bost came to visit in June. Too bad the whole fam couldn't come, but maybe next year!! Can't wait to meet Carrie and the boys!