Hugs to Hattiesburg

I just wanted to write a simple post to express my love and longing to be with everyone who has suffered tornado damage in my hometown of Hattiesburg. I just want to throw my arms around you and give you a big hug.

My family is safe, but my parents had some roof damage and are dealing with a hole in the roof leaking into the screened-in porch and two bedrooms. Their damage is minor compared to some of what I'm seeing on Facebook and in the news. It's horrific. That was one huge storm, and it struck with no real rhyme or reason all up and down Hardy Street/Highway 98.

The campuses of both Oak Grove and Hattiesburg High Schools are pretty devastated, and my beloved alma mater, Southern Miss, sustained massive damage. It's just heartbreaking and surreal to see all the damage on national news.

I've just had such a heavy heart for the past 24 hours. For anyone in the 'Burg who reads this, please know my thoughts and prayers have been with you and will continue to be with you as Hattiesburg rebuilds. HTTT, OGTTT and SMTTT! Sending you love from Jackson.

We have a NEPHEW!

Cash Christopher Ferrell, our first nephew, was born Wednesday. He's a big boy weighing in at almost 9 pounds, and he's totally adorable!

We love our two nieces with all our hearts, but it will also be a lot of fun to have a little boy in the family!

Congrats to Katie, Neil and Big Sis Frances! He's a cutie and is so very loved already. :)

Halfway There!

We're a little over 20 weeks pregnant now and growing every day! The belly officially "popped" about two weeks ago, so now I actually look how I feel. :)

I'm feeling her move at night when I'm settled in for bedtime, and she kicked me for the first time yesterday. Just a sweet little kick, but definitely a kick!

This weekend we got started on the nursery by cleaning out most of the furniture and doing some organizing. Still much to be done, but we're just taking it one step at a time.

I promise not every post I make will be baby-oriented, but that's the majority of what's going on in our lives right now. Please forgive me for the time being! :(

Brooke's Baby Shower

My dear friend Brooke will welcome Baby Neely in just a few weeks, and this weekend we showered her with gifts at my house and had a fabulous time laughing and visiting with old friends.

The majority of guests were sorority sisters of ours from pledge classes 1997-2001. It was so much fun to catch up with everyone! Here's a pic of our big group... ALL Delta Gammas with the exception of one Tri-Delt. :)

And here is Baby Girl Grey and Baby Girl Sward in their first pic together. They'll be just four months apart, so surely they'll grow to be BFFs like their mamas.

It was such a fun day! We ended the night with a group dinner at Bon Ami, which was great. The food was delicious, and the company was even better.

I miss these girls and remember what fun we had together years and years ago! If walls could talk, then then Panhellenic dorms would have some tales to tell. :)

Baby Grey is a...

The verdict is in! And let's just say if I was a betting woman I would have lost some serious money!

Baby Grey is a healthy and wiggly baby GIRL!!!

We were a little shocked, but not in a bad way at all. Of course the first words out of my sweet husband's mouth were, "Wow, I'll have to pay for a wedding!" Once it actually sunk in, we were both extremely excited about having a DAUGHTER. It's so crazy!

Other than that big news, the appointment went great. Baby Girl was very wiggly and moving all over the place! She measured right on schedule and was perfectly healthy. We are so thankful and so humbled. And so PROUD to be the parents of a sweet baby girl.

(And a special round of applause for this mama who has only gained 3 pounds the whole pregnancy so far! Trust me, I know I'll catch up, but I'm thrilled with my initial progress in 18 weeks.)

What a great day... we're really floating on Cloud Nine. Now let the official planning begin!

Boy or Girl?

Only three more days until our next doctor's appointment and sonogram, the "big" one when we hope he or she decides not to be shy so we'll know whether Baby Grey is a boy or a girl! I'll be 18 weeks on Thursday. Isn't that crazy? It is FLYING by!

We tossed around the idea of not finding out the sex, but I just couldn't stand it. I am such an obsessive planner, and I just know I'd be an anxious mess if we decided keep it a surprise. Given the fact that we've never done this before, I know there will still be plenty of surprises along the way!

Sooooo... In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to do a little research on old wives' tales about gender prediction just to see what it says.

Chinese Gender Chart: BOY

Heart Rate: Above 140 = GIRL

Craving salty or sweet: Salty = BOY

Carrying high or low: Hard to say, but more low = BOY

Weight Gain: Only in belly so far = BOY

Morning Sickness: None = BOY

Mother's Intuition = BOY from the very get-go

Guess we'll find out soon enough! EEK! Honestly, we'll be excited either way. We just pray for a healthy, happy baby. Any combination of the two of us, boy or girl, will be just perfect to us regardless. :)

Holidays and Flea Market Finds

I apologize for my blog absence... the holidays were a whirlwind! We had a wonderful Christmas with both families and a wonderful New Year's break spent at home. We made our 2013 list of to-do tasks around the house, and we're already well on our way to getting some done!

This past Saturday we spent a few hours at the big flea market out in Flowood and came home with two GREAT flea market finds! See below...

The table was handmade from reclaimed lumber, and it takes the place of an old but cheap armoire that we finally got rid of over Christmas. The mantle is from a house in West Jackson built in 1902. It weighs about 80 pounds, but we LOVE how it looks, distress and all!

On Sunday I think I started the very first stage of nesting for Baby Grey. I felt this obsessive need to clean our bedroom, which included getting everything off the floor and into closets, which also meant cleaning out my closet to get rid of some clothes and shoes I knew I wouldn't wear again. Three hours and three full garbage bags later, it feels like we have a brand new master suite. :)

It was a very productive long weekend spent at home, which was a wonderful way to start the new year.

Here's to 2013! We are very excited for all that this year will bring!!!