"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #12 - 2009)

Today was our final date of the "12 Dates of Christmas" for 2009. This afternoon we watched a youth students basketball game - it was fun to go support her.

Earlier in the week we did some Christmas shopping... the valley recently got a Rooms to Go store and on one of our dates we went perusing through the store and if you know me, it's hard to leave a furniture store with making a purchase. We had been wanting a new entertainment center for quite some time but had never found one we really liked until now. So needless to say we purchased an entertainment center. Then the following day we purchased a new 40" flat screen with the gift card from Kirk and Donna (thank you!). So we spent time this evening taking down the Christmas tree, clearing out the old entertainment center and putting up the new one with our new TV. It was cool because we were able to bless a family in our church with our old entertainment center.

Here it is.

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #11 - 2009)

Tonight we went to a "Rio Grand Valley Killer Bee" hockey game. The game was intense. The Bees tied it up with just a few to go in the third. Went into overtime-then a shootout. We ended up loosing but Micah and I had a ton of fun. Mack slept through the whole thing!

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #10 - 2009)

We enjoyed some great fellowship as we celebrated with one of youth student's for his birthday.

Me and my little bundle of joy:)

Once we got home Micah built a fire and we roasted marshmallows and talked.

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #9 - 2009)

Enjoyed some hot chocolate as we sat at Barnes and Nobles. Set some goals for the new year like having family devotions together with Mack. He may not fully comprehend what's going on but we are beginning to pour into his spirit the Word of God.

There's our little guy sleeping.

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #8 - 2009)

Nothing too big today, we ate lunch at Chick-fil-a. They have amazing shakes and ice-cream cones.

Then rented a movie called "The Cove" (a documentary film of the purported annual killing of about 2,300 dolphins in a National Park at Taiji, Wakayama, in Japan) and cuddled on the couch.

There's our little man!

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #7 - 2009)

Merry Christmas! This is the picture we had a friend take to put on a Christmas card, didn't get it out as soon as I wanted so I e-mailed it to any friends and family I had e-mails for and posted it on facebook. I got several returned e-mails so if you did not get it let me know and I can resend it if you want it, just let me know.

We started our morning with a simple breakfast in bed - cinnamon rolls.

We read the Christmas story to Mack.

We got Mack his first Christmas ornament for the tree - that's all he got for this year (he doesn't know any different).

We had a nice lunch with Micah's parents then just vegged at the house the rest of the afternoon playing a game called Bananagrams, it's similar to scrabble - fun times!

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #6 - 2009)

Did a little shopping this morning, once we purchased our items and got to the car we realized they were too big to fit so we had to wait for backup. Needless to say we had to wait around in the parking lot for a little bit, luckily we live in south Texas where the weather is nice in December.

Enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve service at church - I would say there was standing room only but even the standing room was occupied, in fact we had people lining the halls.

Dinner with some friends.

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #5 - 2009)

It was a beautiful day so we had a picnic lunch in our back yard.

Then Micah took Mack to the in-laws and when he came back to pick me up he said, "I didn't rent a limo but I borrowed this car." We got dressed up and went out to dinner at Johnny Carinos. We had a great evening together.

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #4 - 2009)

Today was a low key day, slept in this morning then did some shopping. Micah captured this awesome picture. Had dinner with some new friends - the Taylors.

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #3 - 2009)

Today marked 4 weeks for Mack.

Taco Bell for lunch.

We saw the movie "Invictus" starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, I'd recommend it.

We ended the evening with pizza from BJ's.

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #2- 2009)

Today was a fun day with Mack's grand debut at church on a Sunday morning. He slept through most of it but at least he was "Shalom".

We also had a staff Christmas party this evening where we enjoyed food, fellowship and exchanged gifts.

To end the evening Micah and I made sugar cookies together. It's always fun to get a little messy when baking!

"12 Dates of Christmas" (Date #1- 2009)

Micah and I began a new tradition last year called the "12 Dates of Christmas". To keep from solely vegging out in front of the TV during the holiday season we've decided to have at least one "date" each day for 12 days where we do something fun. This could be as simple as going for a walk or eating out at one of our favorite restaurants. The idea is do do something together, take lots of pictures and in the end I will make a book out of it for memory sake.

So we began our dates this year with the classic Nutcracker ballet.

We dropped Mack off at Micah's parents. (I was a bit anxious as this was the first time to drop him off anywhere - I think all new mom's experience this, right?) I think he enjoyed his time as we enjoyed the show and ended our date with Starbucks.

Blessed Wife and Proud Mommy

Micah was able to post a little sooner than I was been able to get around to it, so this may sound redundant if you've read his blog because I am borrowing what he posted and adding a few of my own comments.

"I want to dedicate this post to thanking God for his direction and mercy. Buffi's significant contractions started around 2am on November 23rd and they increased throughout the morning. She pushed for about two hours and was worn out by 11:50am. The doctor and nurses were aware that Mack was not in the correct position (in lay-mans terms he was lying on his back facing up when he should have been lying on his stomach facing down)

Our doctor, who is a wonderful Christian and a key volunteer at our church, successfully turned Mack to the correct position...but Mack apparently didn't like that so he rolled back over and in doing so pinched off part of the placenta, his life source, causing his heart rate to drop rapidly.

Immediately everyone flew into action as they rushed Buffi to the O.R for an emergency C-section. I threw on a one size fits all (except for large people like me) set of scrubs and went into the O.R. The team did a great job of delivering our baby with no problems, in just a few minutes he was cleaned up and in our arms.

Tears come to our eyes when we think about how close we were to loosing him and then tears of joy and thankfulness to God for leading us to the hospital and doctor that we have had. Early in the pregnancy we had considered a midwife/natural birthing center...if we had gone that rout Mack would not be here. The midwives, as awesome as they are, are not set up to handle what we needed today. All along while Buffi and I were trying to decide where to go and who to use we simply did not feel peace about the birthing center. Now we know why. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Mom is recovering slow and steady, Mack is doing fine as well. He is cute!"

I can't explain the rush of emotions I felt as I heard Mack take his first gasp of air into his lungs and let out his first tiny cry... tears streamed down my face, just minutes later I saw our baby boy for the first time and all I could get out was "I love you" before they had to take him away and continue stitching me up from the surgery.

Micah was absolutely amazing through the whole thing especially since I was completely dependent upon someone else for the next several days as I recovered from surgery. I don't have the words to express how grateful I am for him - I feel like my love for Micah has grown even deeper. Well there's so much to say yet I'm at a loss for words... I am an extremely blessed wife and proud mommy!

Here are just a few pics. The last one was the day after we got out of the hospital - we hosted Thanksgiving at our house with all of Master's, Interns and a few staff. It was truly a thankful day.

39 Weeks Pregnant

How my baby's growing:

My baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and is weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces. Once he's born I'm sure he will be a bit over 8 pounds.

How my life's changing:
I have been so blessed to have had such an uncomplicated and stress free pregnancy. I keep telling Micah he has no idea how good he's had it, especially since I've continued to do everything at home that I did before like cooking, cleaning etc. After the baby it may be a different story but thankfully I will have my mother-in-law with us for a few days and then my mom will be here for a week.

Choosing the right doctor for your baby is an important decision: We'll be visiting the doctor's office six times in the first year for routine well-baby visits alone. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the choice. Some parents take their baby to a pediatrician, a doctor who specializes in the care of children. Focusing on children's health and practicing with kids each day gives pediatricians a leg up when it comes to expertise on children's medical issues. Other parents prefer a family practitioner, a doctor specializing in family medicine who can treat the whole family, from birth to old age. One advantage these parents point to is that the family practitioner should be well versed in health issues that pertain to your entire family. After interviewing a pediatrician named Martin Garza, who also attends our church, we felt confident we'd found the right doctor. He went above and beyond our expectations! If you are local and looking for a pediatrician I'd be happy to pass on his information to you.

Well with the Dr. going out of town and approaching 40 weeks we've decided to induce Sunday night. Mack should make his grand debut by Monday morning if not sooner! Lord willing that everything goes smoothly we should be home by Tuesday evening. And would you believe it - we're still hosting Thanksgiving at our house... of course I won't be doing much but thankfully between Radonna and Karen our stomachs will all be pleasantly satisfied.

Keep us in your prayers and we'll be sure to post updates and pictures soon.

38 Weeks Pregnant

How my baby's growing:

The baby has a firm grasp, which we'll soon be able to test when we hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Of course we're wondering what color our baby's eyes will be... Both Micah and I have blue eyes but that doesn't guarantee Mack will. We may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

How my life's changing:

We are just playing the waiting game at this point. So far everything is right on track, Mack is in position and I'm dilated to 2 centimeters already so he could come at any time. I still feel pretty good other than a little cramping here and there. It's funny because everyone assumes I'm just miserable but this pregnancy has been very blessed without any morning sickness, moodiness, complications or anything else that couples with pregnancy. Still getting around about the same, well maybe a little slower and actually starting to waddle just a bit. Haven't had any more swelling - praise God!9 months/38 weeks

Had my first craving for Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Fall Favorites

I have to say, Fall is my favorite season even though we don't have much of a change in seasons in the Valley. Here are a few of my "Fall Favorites" in no particular order.

A big pot of chili shared with your favorite people.

A change in wardrobe, accessorizing with those scarves is always fun.

A warm cup of cocoa.

'Tis the season for baking.

Probably my most favorite is the change in scenery (although that doesn't happen here in south TX - it sure makes me miss home).

What are some of your favorite things about the Fall?

Blondies

Found a new recipe I like. I've been in this baking mood lately... don't know if it's the season that brings it on or my sweet tooth.

Blondies

Prep: 20 minutes

Bake: 25 minutes

Oven: 350 degrees

Makes: 36 bars

• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 cup chopped nuts

1. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat brown sugar and butter over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. Stir in eggs 1 at a time; stir in vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces and nuts. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (avoid chocolate pieces). Cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut into bars while warm

For an added bonus top with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream - yum!

37 Weeks Pregnant

How my baby's growing:

Yeah — my baby is full term! This means that if my baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though my due date is still three weeks away.

After having another ultrasound today, we found out Mack is weighing in at 7 pounds 6 ounces. I wonder what he'll weigh when he's born... I weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and Micah weighed 9 lbs 6 oz. Any guesses to what you think Mack may weigh at birth?

Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But They say not to be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz. Micah had very blond hair until he was about 9 yrs old and I've always had brown hair. Hmm - who will he take after?

Buffi at 2 months old.

How my life's changing:

Braxton Hicks contractions are coming more frequently now and last longer and are more uncomfortable.

It's harder than ever to get comfortable enough to sleep well at night. So I've been taking it easy through the day — this may be my last chance to do so for quite a while. I believe we have everything ready as "nesting" kicked in 3 months ago and hasn't stopped, now it's just a chore to try and keep the house clean for it's many guests that will visit once Mack arrives. Thanks to my wonderful husband who's been chipping in and helping out. As a man finds his pride in his work so I find my pride in my home. It's very humbling to ask for help in cleaning my home but I know it will probably be much appreciated in the first few weeks Mack is here.

And last but not least I've experienced the first bouts with swollen feet and ankles - we're getting close!