We Give Thanks....

It is the beautiful time of year where the leaves are falling off of the trees, holiday shoppers are out and about, and we are reminded of how incredibly blessed we are and how very much we have to give thanks for. God has blessed us so richly in this past year we could not even begin to recount the many, many ways. However, this past weekend, we were able to go to Florence to be with family...and what a better reminder of blessings abundant than quality time spent with family! :)

Our first day of Thanksgiving break we went to Georgetown for some ice-cold fishin' and shrimpin'! :)

Also while in Florence, My Mom and I got some expert advice on cloth diapers from my dear friend Minnemie, mother of 4 awesome boys! :) 

(the youngest 2 pictured here with Minnemie)

And of course, there was a FEAST of food on Tuesday night!!!

We are so very grateful to the Lord for blessing us above and beyond measure. We love our entire family dearly, and cherish time spent together! Thank you for the wonderful memories and lots of LOVE! :)

Beanie Weanie Wiggle

Good Morning All!!! :)

I am pleased to share that we have wonderful news. First of all, we heard back from the doctor that our second part of the pre-natal screening is normal!! Praise the LORD! (that is the AFP test, my blood lab values are normal). So the next big thing is the 20-week ultrasound on December 10th...where they will do the anatomy scan to check for any abnormalities, and also we will find out if Little Bean is a Mr. or a Ms. Bean ;)

Also, to my great joy and excitement, I am happy to report that I have started to feel little tiny bumps and flutters. Little Bean is making his/her presence known, and it is such a precious little tickle! :)

I am very excited that at the end of today Josh and I will travel to Florence, where I will be able to spend several days of quality time with family and friends. Josh will be starting Orientation for work, so he will be making some trips back and forth (so we covet your prayers for travel safety). We have on the agenda a big trip shrimping with my Dad, diaper making with my Mom, acquiring of many pieces of furniture as nursery items, lots of eating yummie food, and much more!! :)

We love you all!! Happy Holiday Season :)

The Bump

This past weekend was full of lots of fun and family time! Jon & Erin came down for a few days. We enjoyed a walk on the beach, touring downtown, driving around in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant, and just relaxing! We also got a few pics on the beach...where you can see the beginning of a little Bump, which we call Little Bean :)
     
   
   

Other happenings in our household include new dates for Baby appointments. The next appointment, on Nov 10th, will be a brief visit where they will draw blood from Lila. That blood draw combined with the information from the first screening will provide a better picture of how the baby is doing. We both liked the doctor that we met with on Halloween. She had great bedside-manner, and was very informative. She did not all together write off the results from the first screen, rather, she was encouraging and reassured us that they would do as much possible to provide good care and preparation for anything that puts me or the Baby at high risk. 

The following appointment will be another ultrasound, at 20 weeks, on Dec 10th. That will be what is called an Anatomy Scan. Which is basically where they will just be taking another close look at Little Bean to make sure all parts and pieces are forming together well. They will look for classic "markers" for Down's Syndrome. Furthermore, at 24 weeks, on Jan 5th, they will do an ECHO of the baby's heart, also to look for any malformations or congenital heart defects. All in order to be better prepared at the delivery of this little one. 

**This Just IN**

We have made the big decision for Josh to not attend classes in the spring semester coming up. Instead, he is applying for jobs at MUSC as a "patient care technician", basically a nurses aid. By getting a job there Josh will be able to help with present and future financial needs, and further his education in healthcare. We are still waiting to hear if he will be offered an interview at either MUSC or USC schools of medicine, so we greatly appreciate your continued prayers in that area. In the mean time, we are seeking God's way for what HE would have us do in the near future while we wait :)