A photo Journey through our Summer.....

FSU Football 2009. FSU vs Miami.



Kenny Chesney concert at the Wharf

The Hutchersons visit Pensacola.

Blue Angels with the girls.

Blue Angles 2009 on Pensacola Beach.

A weekend at home. Shawn brought home dinner.

Harper's first hike.

Our family vacation to Gatilburg to celebrate mom's retirement. Hiking Laurel Falls.

What a wonerful summer it has been!! But now we are ready for our new adventure and we are ready to bring baby Harper home. Just 6 short weeks left....

Babymoon...34 weeks.

It is finally Friday! I am headed back to the dr. this morning to have a full check up. I have been sick for about 10 days, so we are headed back for another look. We thought it was a sinus infection...but it seems to be lingering around. Our poor baby girl has been all drugged up on Robitussin for a week now, so I am sure she is feeling a little under the weather too.

We are getting packed up this morning for our weekend staycation! Shawn and I are headed out to Portofino for a weekend of relaxation. We are going to have massages in the morning an relax around the pool.

At 34 weeks...Harper has grown to around 19 or 20 inches long and is probably about 4 1/2 or 5 pounds. From this point on, she will gain about 1/2 a pound a week while her length will pretty much stay right about where it is now. She has been busy rolling around, especially at night.

Although we are beginning to slow down now, we have been very busy over the last several months...
In July we took a big family vacation to Gatlinburg to celebrate mom's retirement. It was so much fun to be up in the mountains. We took Harper on her very first hike. We also made a trip to Orlando to visit the Hutchersons.

In August, we went to the Kenny Chesney concert over at the Wharf in Orange Beach which was so much fun but it was terribly HOT! Out door concert in August wasn't the best idea, but we had a great time. We also traveled to Atlanta for Jesica an Fran's wedding. It was a gorgeous wedding...the bride was stunning!
And then in September...we took Harper to her very first FSU football game. Although it was a loss for the NOLES...it was a great game. WE played the Miami Hurricanes (woof) and it was definitely a close one...down to the last second. I thought I was going to go into labor right there in Doak! Fortunately we all made it out in one piece.

After our little trip this weekend...we are planning to stay around the house and get ready for our big arrival!

Blog Neglect....

I am not exactly sure where the last three months gave gone but I have had a very poor showing on this here blog. With just baout 6 weeks to go until baby Harper arrives...we are getting so excited and can hardly wait.

What's In A Name??

Well, apparently a whole lot..when it is your very own daughter. Shawn and I have been talking about baby names for a very long time now, but it isn't until you are actually faced with the decision that you realize just how important it is. We had a boy name ready to go, but had to think a little harder on the girl name, but we have finally decided on a name Shawn picked out. (Just like the china when we were getting married...I have realized he really does have opinions on all things sentimental)

We can't wait to meet baby girl...Harper Anne Hutcherson!

Glamour Shots...

Here are some recent pics of baby girl. These were taken at a little over 20 weeks (5 months). Truly amazing what they can see in an ultrasound.

Her long toes...I wasn't kidding. Shawn says that means she will run fast.


She was sucking her thumb (left) and resting her elbow on her knee?? Can you see it?
Go figure...I sucked my thumb til I was way too old. Like mommy like daughter.


IT's A GIRL. The arrow is point in between her little legs.

Sweet baby girl.

Its a GIRL!

Well...the moment of truth...I HATE BEING WRONG...and boy was I wrong. I was absolutely convinced that I was carrying a baby boy. Don't know why... just my gut feeling, so I was very surprised to hear those three words...ITS A GIRL!! Ofcourse, Shawn was gloating because he has said all along that is was a girl. Regardless, we are so excited. Although I have been pregnant for 20 weeks...knowing the gender and starting to really plan (and buy) things for her has been more fun that I could've ever imagined.

A growing belly...

The belly is a bizarre thing but sort of a right of passage for a first time preggo. It is the first sign of a growing baby, so in the beginning, I tried hard to find the makings of a bump. Then, for a while...you just look like you ate too much for lunch. Finally, I am starting to look pregnant and strangers have started to comment. So, I guess that makes it real. Here is one at 7 weeks and then again at 15 weeks. I need to get an updated one, because I am now almost 19 weeks and the bump is offically growing....stay tuned for more.

7 weeks and counting...

15 weeks..during our trip to Chicago!

My Favorite Things

Okay...I am not Oprah. Don't be expecting any giveaways, but here are a couple of my new favorite things.

Two things every preggo must try:

1.) Prenatal Massage--I had my first prenatal massage last week (thanks to the baby's daddy for the gift certificate to Still Water Medical Spa) and let me just say....It was the best 60 minutes I have had in a while. I am a believer!! Pregnant for not....get out there and get you one. I am hooked an plan to have one a month...maybe I can even convince Shawn that I need them after the baby comes too! They have these cool pregnancy pillows that allow you to lay on your stomach letting your belly fall through the opening in the middle of the pillow. After 4 1/2 months of side sleeping...I enjoyed the 60 minutes on my stomach. It is the little things.

2.) Water Aerobics--okay, so I am not quite as enthusiastic about this one, but still think it is a dream come true. I have been going with my mom, which is fun for us to do together, but it is also a little funny. Aside from me, my mother is the youngest one in the bunch...if that tells you anything about the water aerobics attendees. I had been a few times in the past when recovering from running injuries or long training runs, but have never LOVED it like I do now. It is so relaxing and allows you to be weightless for just an hour a day!


I am 18 weeks and feeling great. Two more weeks until the big ultrasound. June 16.

Love Taps

As a first time mother, each day brings something new to think about, wait for, and sometimes worry about. If anyone else is like me, they can relate to the fears and worries of pregnancy. Regardless of ultrasounds and strong heartbeats, there is still something very surreal about the presence of another human inside of you. In reading about pregnancy and talking with other people, it seems pretty common to wait for that first flutter of activity and movement to truly confirm the fact that there is life in there.

The real trick is determining what is and is not the long sought after flutter of the baby's first movement. Although the baby has been moving, flipping and squirming for weeks now his bones have not been strong enough to make an impact that is strong enough to be felt....UNTIL TODAY. I had a slight feeling over the weekend that I wondered about, but this morning I felt it for sure. It is still very slight and actually a touch bizarre, but feels like a soft steady pulse. It happened about 7 times in a steady rhythm and then disappeared. It is a wonderful feeling and I will wait patiently for the next one.

May 27

Today, Shawn and I are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that just three short years ago, we said our vows and entered into this wild thing called marriage. We have truly had so much fun (except for the broken leg and surgery part just 4 months after we were married)...let me just say I didn't realize I would learn so much about " in sickness and in health" in those first four months. Although I knew a lot about Shawnie Boy at that point...we took our relationship to a WHOLE new level that day in the hospital and the many weeks on the road to recovery after that...what an experience that was. But nonetheless, we have truly been blessed with a wonderful relationship, good health, and the best family and friends anyone could ever imagine. If a trip in the ambulance with a broken leg is the worst...I'd say we are doing pretty good. Now today, we are both looking to the future. We have always enjoyed our time together just the two of us, but there is just something so complete about adding a baby into your life. We look forward becoming a family.

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." Ruth 1: 16-17

Still a mystery....

Aunt Allison and Aunt Melody!


Mother/Daughter weekend in Jacksonville. Allison made a delicious brunch for us!



Wicked in Jacksonville



Well, we had out 16 week appointment yesterday and although we got great news and a healthy heartbeat...it was actually pretty uneventful. We did not receive an ultrasound..I almost resorted to begging, but I controlled myself. So...now we must wait another four weeks for the big ultrasound. As my mother often reminds me, patience is not my virtue, but I am going to do my best.


We are so excited to find out whether we will be having a son or daughter, but more importantly we are simply praying for a healthy baby! When you really start to think about it, it is actually quite amazing that any baby is born in one piece and with all of their parts. There are a multitude of things that have to happen just right and it simply amazes me. Our God is so amazing and shows Himself with each passing day of this journey. Shawn and I are just so thankful to Him for this sweet life and we are already eager to meet this little baby.


We did break down and buy our first box of diapers over the weekend. The newborn diaper is actually smaller than the palm of Shawn's hand and it is thrilling to picture a little behind in there and I cannot wait. Please keep praying for baby Hutcherson as he/she continues to develop. This week the baby is learning to breathe and swallow on its own...pretty cool

Here are a few cute pictures from our Mother/Daughter trip to Jacksonville! We saw Wicked and spent time lounging around. It was just what the doctor ordered!


-Leslie

Boy or Girl??

We are nearing the finish line to the mystery baby. In a few short weeks, we will find out whether we are having a boy or a girl. In the meantime, we have been receiving all sorts of advice on how to guess the gender of the baby. What do you think?

Any ideas or fun suggestions on how to guess the gender?

For now...this is all we have to go on...

Nosebleeds....really??

So, since I am just starting to blog now, I am a good 16 weeks behind. A quick snapshot to get caught up....We are currently 16 weeks pregnant. That whole first trimester went zooming by. Although I really wasn't all that sick in the first 12 weeks, it is a great feeling to be beyond the mornings with saltine crackers and the afternoons/evening on the couch. Poor Shawn...I am not sure what he ate for dinner for all those weeks, but I had no interest in cooking. Somehow, he managed to survive...he is definitley a trooper and so supportive.

We go back to the doctor tomorrow morning for a check-up. Although I would love to have an ultrasound, I don't think we will get one this go round. Just a quick listen to the heartbeat, but if we do have an ultrasound, we might be able to find out the gender! So, my fingers are crossed.

In the grand scheme...pregnancy has been a breeze, but as if the weight gain, fatigue, and acne aren't enough...this week I have been a nosebleed machine. What is up with that? Your body does some very bizarre things. Fortunately, as stated in the bible of baby (What to Expect When You Are Expecting), nosebleeds are quite normal and frequent during the second trimester. Yahoo!

Thank you to you all for your prayers, excitement, and support! November 3 will be here before we know it.....

To Blog or Not to Blog?

Although the idea of blogging has certainly become a reality for most people, I just wasn't sure it was for me. I always enjoy reading them and keeping up with friends and family, but I have wondered often about this phenomenon. We display the majority of our lives for all to see, oftentimes leaving very little for the imagination.

Nonetheless...here I am! Officially, a blogger. I have realized it is a great way to catalog the major events in our lives and will serve as a modern day journal. Although my husband is very disciplined in writing in a real journal and always keeping sentimental track of our lives and the world around us...I have not developed such a habit, so I thought I would give this blog a try. I know we will enjoy looking back on our journey into parenthood together and with our friends.

I do realize that the daily happenings with the Hutchersons will be a bit boring for most, but for anyone keeping up...Enjoy!

~Leslie