Revised photo of Baby Dowdy-This Post is For You, Mom!

My mom couldn't make out her new grandbaby. Ha! She is too funny! I called her this morning to let her know I had posted the 4D picture and she just couldn't decipher anything about Caroline. Thankfully, my sister is in town and was able to help her but I still think she is uncertain what's what so Mom, this labeled photo was made just for you. Love you!!

Sweet Baby Girl!

Look who we got to see today! Isn't she PRECIOUS?!!

David and I got to meet our High Risk OB today and we were very pleased. Our pedi cardiologist recommended we start seeing Dr. Kirshon at St. Lukes (where I will deliver) for the remainder of my pregnancy and he was wonderful. He definitely scored some brownie points when he surprised us with a few 4D pictures of Caroline! Dr. Kirshon said Caroline's heart looked very good, despite the left side still being under developed. Aaaahhh....music to my ears! I will see Dr. Kirshon every two weeks from now on and then once a week near the end of my pregnancy. David and I feel confident that Caroline will be in good hands. I'm so happy that we got to see that sweet face for the first time. She has completely stolen our hearts!

Today marked week 29 of my pregnancy. Where has the time gone? Sometimes I wish I could slow it down a bit because I LOVE being pregnant but at the same time I am so ready to meet my sweet Caroline. She'll be here before I know it!

New Bedding, A Happy Little Tree and Father's Day

Look what finally came in the mail this week! I have been waiting patiently (my hubby may disagree with that statement...Ha!) for Caroline's bedding to arrive and the sweet UPS man delivered it on Tuesday. I LOVE IT!I'm thinking about having her name or her initials embroidered on the bumper. What do you think? Wish I would have thought of that when I placed my order!

This has been my headache, I mean project this week. I decided to try my hand at painting a tree in Caroline's room. I've never done anything like this before and it was a bit challenging. Fun while it lasted but boy am I GLAD it is done!!

I wish I had a nicer camera because it's much prettier in person. Her walls look beige in these pictures but they are really a pretty pale green. Hubby and I have added a new camera to our wish list! The little mobile you see hanging there on the left is another project I'm working on. I ran out of supplies and haven't felt like going back to the store to get more so it's not quite finished yet.

Happy Father's Day to the Best Daddy to Be....

Caroline and I thought we would recognize Father's Day for David this year so we got him a few goodies. This frame is from Caroline. It says, "Caroline has a prince....his name is Daddy!" I can't wait to put the first photo of Daddy and his baby girl in it! A very talented and creative girl I used to work with made one of these for her husband and I just couldn't resist making one for David.

We also got him a bottle of his favorite cologne, some shower gel from Bath and Body Works and the book, Stong Fathers, Strong Daughters: Ten Secrets Every Father Should Know. David loved all his goodies. Don't ya just love how none of my wrapping matches? That is SO not like me but I totally forgot to purchase bags and tissue so I had to use what I had around the house. I wish I had snapped a pic of us before we left for church but we were in a hurry to get out the door. I'll have to remember next year!

Just call me Picasso!

Ha! Not even close but I did tap in to my artistic side this week and must say that I'm pretty proud of my efforts. I think I have a new love for painting. Maybe one day I'll take a class and learn a thing or two.

I've been on the hunt for art work for Caroline's nursery and found a few peices on line that I fell in love with but didn't want to pay the hefty price tag to own them all. Art is expensive!! I thought to myself, "I can do this!" I'm by no means an artist (blending, shading, etc....no idea!) but I can certainly look at a picture and draw it so I made a trip (or 2, 3, possibly 4) to my trusty Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies. You should have seen me trying to pick out paint and brushes....sheeeesh! That could be an entire post in itself. Any who, here is what I came up with....

I found a set of 6 canvases on line for $300. Not a bad price for all six but I still thought I could save a penny or two by doing them myself. I made all six for around $75! I used scrap book paper and acrylic paint to create the birds, flowers, and butterflies. Pretty cute don't you think?

This next one is my absolute favorite! I saw a similar idea on line that a mom had done for her son. I used left over paint and the canvas was on sale 50% off so I think I spent around $15 on this one...what a deal! I painted the tree with left over paint and then wrote a letter to Caroline from me using a white paint pen. If you click on the picture you may be able to see what the letter says in a larger window.

Cute letters on sale 50% off at Hobby Lobby, painted white and decorated with scrap book stickers. Hot glued to Dollar Store frames, also painted white. Pretty pink scrap book paper for the back ground. I think I spent around $20 on this project. Cute, cute, cute!

Cute birdie canvas I made for FREE! The canvases were buy one, get one free and this one was an extra I had from the other projects. I used left over scrap book paper to make the little birdie. Isn't he cute?! This canvas was $130 on line!

Me working on the Letter to Caroline canvas. I had so much fun!

So while I'm no Picasso, I certainly had fun being artsy this week and I think Caroline will one day appreciate the sentimental details created just for her.

The nursery is almost complete! The bedding is due to arrive any day now and then I can get going on the drapes. I can't wait to start that project. I'm so thankful for this time off to be able to do all of these special things for my baby girl before I am too big and too tired to do it.

Have a great week everyone!!

A Fun Ending to Another Great Week.....

Amidst all the projects I had going on at home I still managed to squeeze in some time for two of my favorite people! These ladies and I go back to my days of teaching third grade in Katy. Christy and I have since left the Katy area but we still try to get together a few times a year. We'd all love to see eachother more often if we could. When we first met Christy was single, I was dating David, and Rebecca was mommy to two precious preschooler twins. Boy how times have changed! We're all married now, Christy is expecting her second child, me my first, and Rebecca is now mommy to four boys! I just love these two!

Christy, me, Rebecca

Chirsty at 34 weeks, me at 27 weeks. Both expecting girls!!

A Fun Week

I've been a busy bee this week working on Caroline's nursery and I'm having so much fun! I love decorating and since the heat is unbearable while pregnant, this has been a perfect way to stay indoors and in the comfort of the nice AC. Here's a sneak peek at one of my little projects. I'll be posting more later this week. I found this lamp shade for $7 at Target but thought it needed a special touch.

I had this lamp base tucked away in a closet so I grabbed some white spray paint from the garage and went to work. I need to touch up the top still.

I found the most adorable vintage rose trim and some pretty beaded trim at Hobby Lobby for about $5. I hot glued them both around the shade and ta da....I have a precious new lamp for the side table in Caroline's nursery! I can't wait to show you the other things I've been working on!

Happy Anniversary B & T!

My brother and his sweet wife were in town this weekend celebrating their 7th wedding anniversary. They live in Round Rock and wanted a change of scenery so they spent the weekend at a condo on the water. We got together for a quick lunch on Saturday but left the love birds alone for the rest of their stay. Hope you guys had fun. We love you!!!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Last Sunday I got together with these three wonderful ladies that I have know since 6th grade. We haven't seen each other in ages and have been trying to plan a get together for quite a while. Last Sunday we finally made it happen (thanks to Jen!) and it was A BLAST! It's amazing how old friends can just pick right up where they left off. I have such fond memories of these girls and seeing them made me realize how much I have missed them. We plan to get together again soon and I can't wait!!

I hope you all had a great week too!!

I will trust in you Lord

This morning I woke very early, like 5 am early! I was just so anxious about our appointment that I couldn't sleep. I was worried about my sweet baby girl and what today's news would bring. I was afraid for Caroline. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't put my thoughts to rest. Then I remembered the scripture I came across in my pregnancy devotional book before bed last night. I randomly open this sweet little book every night before bed and I can't tell you how many times the scripture I open to has been just what I needed to hear at that exact moment. Here was last night's word from God....

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalms 56:3-4

It's amazing what comfort I immediately felt when I remembered that I needed to release all my worries to God and allow him to direct what ever happened today. I needed to not be afraid but to trust in Him. I was then able to get a little more rest before our appointment.

Here is what we learned about Caroline's heart at our appointment....

As of today Caroline's left ventricle is still quite small when compared to the right ventricle. However, the left side has continued to show growth over the past six weeks and is functioning properly. Praise God! This is what we wanted to hear!! As long as the left side continues to grow at the rate it has been, then Caroline should not need heart surgery. What great news this was to hear!

We are not quite out of the woods yet though. Now the area of concern is the aortic arch (artery that supplies blood from the heart to the body). The concern is, that after she is born, this artery may be too narrow (a defect called Coarctation of the Aorta) to supply adequate blood flow to the lower body. If this happens, then Caroline will need one surgery to repair the artery. Sometimes when this artery is repaired it allows the left side of the heart to grow to proper size. What a blessing this would be!! Once Caroline is physically hear her doctors will closely monitor her and be able to tell if she needs the surgery or not. Some babies need it right away where others do not show symptoms for several months.

Dr. Ayers said she felt very optimistic about Caroline's progress. Dr. Ayers also recommended we get lots of rest before Caroline arrives because she feels that our little squirt is going to be handful. She kept kicking the US tech and was very active during the entire appointment. Ha! What a little fighter we have!

We will not see Dr. Ayers again until I am 32-34 weeks in to my pregnancy. She would like to do one more ultrasound just before Caroline arrives to see how the left side has progressed. Please pray that the left side of her heart continues to grow in size and have proper blood flow.

David and I left the appointment feeling very confident that Caroline is going to be okay. Once again, God has shown us that if we trust in him, he will always come through.

Thank you to all who are following and praying for our sweet baby. Your prayers are being heard and I am forever grateful for your support!

A Great Start to Summer Vacation!

I got my braces off yesterday! Woohoo! What a fantastic start to summer! I am so happy to be braces free for the rest of my pregnancy. 26 Weeks Pregnant and all smiles!
I couldn't decide which picture to use so I posted both. Ha!

On another note....

Tomorrow we are going for our second appointment with our Pediatric Cardiologist. I'm very nervous and anxious but trying to stay positive and hopeful. Please pray for a complete diagnosis this time and more good news for our sweet Caroline.

The End to Another Great School Year

I had the sweetest room mom this year. She went out of her way to plan THE BEST parties for my students. I told her all year that she should be a party planner. She really out did herself though during our last week of school by throwing a surprise baby shower for me. Thank you Wendy for a wonderful end to another great school year!

We played THE FUNNEST game during the shower. Wendy had each of my students bring in a baby picture of themselves and we tried to guess who was who. The kids and I had a blast trying to guess. I got them all right!

Such a fun surprise!

A Few Highlights from May

May was a very busy month and I just didn't have much time for blogging. With the school year coming to a close, Mother's Day, and a few baby showers, the month of May just flew by. It was packed with fun times with family and friends and I really wanted to share some of the festivities with you so here are a few highlights....

Mother's Day 2010

I celebrated my very first Mother's Day! My sweet hubby woke me for church that morning with a bouquet of beautiful lillies (my favorite), an adorable baby girl bootie charm from Pandora, and the sweetest card ever. He even included a little note from Caroline. I thought it was so thoughtful of him to acknowledge Mother's Day for me this year. What a good hubby I have!

Here I am on Mother's Day-22 weeks pregnant.

The hubby and me before church.

After church we went out to Cypress to see the final stages of my brother's new home and take momma to lunch.

Momma got a new purse from David and me. She loved it.

Staff Baby Shower
My wonderful team at work threw a baby shower for me and Baby Caroline in late May. I am blessed to work with some amazing women who went out of their way to make the shower very special. Caroline received so many goodies! It was such a great day.

The Fourth Grade Team, better known as, "The Unit."

Farewell to a Good Friend

I had to say good bye to a dear friend at the end of the school year. Amy and I were introduced a few years ago by our husbands, who were both attending Chiropractic school. We instantly connected and became great friends when we discovered we were both elementary school teachers. Last year Amy's school lost a slot and mine gained one so she transferred on over. It was awesome to have her on our staff. Everyone loved her! This year her hubby was blessed with a job in Dallas so they decided to make the move to the big DFW. I will so miss my sweet friend! I know we will remain close and I will see her again very soon. Love you Amy!!!!

Some ladies from work and I got together for a "Farewell to Amy" dinner. Amy is the pretty blonde in the middle.

At the close of May I was 24 weeks pregnant.

A Little Update...

Well, I have not been very good at updating my blog page. May was a crazy month and I just couldn't find the time! I'm hoping now that school is out for summer I'll do a better job of keeping everyone updated on how Caroline is doing. Most of you know that our precious baby has been diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a rare and very serious heart defect that will require at least one, but possibly three open heart surgeries within the first few years of her life. I plan to add a link (as soon as I figure out how...ha!) that will provide more information about HLHS for anyone interested in learning more. It has been a bumpy and very scary ride and we still don't have a complete diagnosis but we have remained strong in our faith that the Great Physician's work is not complete and her little heart will be healed! It's amazing how much progress Caroline has made since we first learned of her condition at our 18 week ultra sound.

I plan to post more later but for now here is a little update....

We are going for a second visit with our Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. NancyAyers, on June 9th at Texas Children's Hospital. We feel so blessed that God answered our prayers and lead us to this wonderful doctor. Caroline will be in great hands!

At our appointment, we are hoping to hear that the left ventricle has grown in size and shown improvement so that we can get a full diagnosis and more details about what lies ahead. At this point we still don't know exactly what type of surgery Caroline will have or how long she will be in recovery. I will update as soon as we know more. Please pray that the Great Physician will continue to heal our sweet baby. God Bless!

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24)