Are you kidding?!

Or this post could be aptly named "Hot air, cold water." We have been inundated with home repairs the last couple of weeks, and not just little repairs...very BIG repairs.

Fortunately, Dallas has been blessed with rain and cooler temperatures this Spring, so we did not break down and turn the air conditioner on until the middle of April or so (we are pretty stingy when it comes to energy bills, so this was after we had the heat off since the beginning of March). Well, we found out at that time that our AC system was only blowing out hot air. Ever since we moved into our house about two-and-a-half years ago, we have had problems with the heating and air. Our home warranty plan (Home Warranty of America, we highly recommend going with someone else!) repeatedly just filled the system with freon, and they said it was a condenser/or compressor (can't remember which one now) problem. And that was the extent of the repairs because "they could not guarantee that we had a functioning system when we bought the house." Yep...even a home inspection doesn't stand for much these days.

So, low and behold, when we got someone else to take a look at it this month, they said we needed to replace the entire system, furnace and all. Phew! Were not prepared for that bombshell (or very willing to cough up the money...we thought a European vacation or paying down our mortgage sounded nice :) After a couple of weeks sleeping with the windows open (thank goodness for cooler temps at night), we bit the bullet and had the work done. Alas! I sit here two days later in a much cooler house. This pregnant woman is very happy, although begrudgingly (due to the cost), but happy nevertheless that she doesn't have to sweat it out during the summer heat!

And this morning, what else do we find out?! That our hot water heater was acting up! Not kidding. I guess it's like they say, when it rains it pours. I will be sure to keep y'all posted on the latest of our fun home-ownership frontiers...

Muchas festividades

The last few weekends have been chock-full with lots of traveling but loads of fun! Two weekends ago I flew to Las Vegas on a Thursday night and had a three-day weekend with three of my girlfriends from high school. I had never been to Vegas before, so as you can imagine (for those of you who have been) there was lots of sightseeing/people-watching in store for me! The weather was really nice the entire time we were there, so we were thankful for that.

We went to an outlet mall the first day, and I bought a couple of fun things for me. But my most exciting buys were for little Jameston! Brett gave me gift cards to The Children's Place for my birthday in April, and I found two cute sets of slacks and long-sleeve, button-up shirts. One set is for 3-6 months, and the other is for 6-9 months. Oh so cute!

Here's a pic of the little outfits and shoes (and my first Coach purse :)

that I texted Brett while we were there

The dancing fountains at the Bellagio, a must-see while you are in Vegas!

On Friday night, we went out to eat at the fancy steakhouse Stack. Although a bit overpriced (I guess it comes with the territory), the food was pretty good. Afterwards, the gals wanted to hit up a club and go out "Vegas-style" so we headed to Jet, one of the newer clubs in town. Luckily it was at our hotel the Mirage, because I did not last long! I tried to stay up late, but my body would not let me. It was still fun to experience it!

Clarisse, mwah, Sami, and Jessica

On Saturday we went sight-seeing and walked all along the Vegas strip. I would have to say that the Bellagio Hotel was by far my favorite because of the gardens, blown glass ceilings, chocolate fountains, etc., etc.

21 weeks-Thanks, Jess!

Sami, thank you so much for being our guide...we could not have seen as much as we did without you! Here is a pic of her little cutie-pie daughter, Annalise. She's a doll, isn't she?!

That night we headed to the Dave Matthews Band and Jason Mraz concert at MGM Grand. It was awesome. They played for forever!! It was such a fun weekend filled with friends, great food (and buffets, yum), music, and shopping! We have been talking about taking a trip like this for several years now, so it was nice to finally succeed. I would consider this my last hurrah or girls weekend for awhile with parenthood quickly approaching :) Our upcoming hurrah will outdo any other trip or vacation possible!

Brett stayed home that weekend to demolish and rebuild our master bathroom (progress and pictures will be posted later). He figured it would be the best time, so that I would not be around all the sawdust and fumes. What a great husband I have! This a pic from our stay at the Driskill Hotel in Austin this past weekend

Last weekend was one of the busiest we've had in awhile, but it was so worth it. Friday night we saw one of Brett's and my all-time favorite musicians, James Taylor, at Fair Park in Dallas. It was such a fun date-night, and we really enjoyed the show. Mr. Taylor has been on our "Must- See Musicians" list since we have known each other, so I am glad we got to go!

He played about 20-25 songs, a lot of which were his older hits. What a concert!

And Saturday morning we drove to Austin and met up with Brett's parents for lunch before we headed to John and Wendy's wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was a blast! We had a great time seeing old faces and friends from Wichita Falls at the festivities, complete with a mariachi band, a photo booth for scrapbook pages, awesome toasts, and great food (of course :) Congrats Mr. and Mrs. John Cluley!

A traditional Mexican wedding dance...so cool!

We stayed at the fancy Driskill Hotel downtown (for little to nothing)

22 weeks, with my handsome hubby by my side.

We thought we'd change up the belly pics a little :)

Oh, and then on Sunday morning I trekked with two girlfriends from Tech to San Antonio to meet our friend (and recent grad-school grad) Kim for lunch. We had a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant named Aldaco's, overlooking part of San Antonio. After a day full of rain on Saturday, we enjoyed the clear blue skies, company, and yummy food on the patio (and we got so wrapped up in the ambiance we forgot to get a picture :(

What a couple of weekends it has been!

And he will be named...

Jameston Winters. We have already picked out our little fella's first name, even though it will be over four months, if all goes as planned, until we meet him. I have been set on his name for some time now, and I joke with Brett that when I locked in the name Winters, all of my eligible baby names (I had a list) had to make the "does it go well with the last name Winters" cut! I think it goes great, but I may be partial :)

We have chosen this name for several reasons (if you want all the specifics, let me know), but the main reason is that he will be named after my grandfather, James Stewart. My Papa passed away when I was four-years-old, and even though I was young, I still remember sitting on his lap a majority of the time when we were visiting my grandparents. We were partial to each other, maybe because I am the oldest grandchild on my dad's side. He was a wonderful man, and we miss him greatly. I feel honored that our first child's namesake will be after my grandfather.

Of course, we could name him James, but I wanted to be all creative and come up with a unique version. So, I thought of all the other names out there that end in "ton" (Ashton, Peyton, Kingston, Colton, the list could go on). Also, I love names that can be abbreviated, so we can call him James for short. I foresee myself singing James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James" to him while rocking him to sleep...

Since I came up with the first name (and luckily Brett liked it), he will be deciding our little guy's middle name. Stay tuned for that!

50-Yard Line

Can't believe we are midway through the pregnancy! Here is the 20-week belly shot:

I swear my belly grew even more that day! Or the dress makes it look even more round :)

Over the last few weeks, I have started to feel our little guy move around. It's hard to describe the movements, which I know will become even stronger and more noticeable, but it so cool!

Brett snuck a snapshot in. This was taken the night before we had our sonogram. We were so excited!

Now that we know we're having a boy, I have the desire to talk in sports terms (hence the title :) So, here is a picture of our first official baby boy purchase (we were told by many that we needed to got out and buy something the day we found out our baby's gender):

Even though we are more football and basketball fans, I could not resist! It even has a little baseball on the booty.

How cute!

I saw these and had to get them to give to Brett. I could not help myself with the cute message and the dog bib underneath, since we have two dogs. With Brett, Boomer, and now baby boy Winters on the way, Marlie and I are officially outnumbered. But we don't mind a bit!

Team Pink or Blue? Drum roll please...

We had our much-anticipated 20-week sonogram today, and it was amazing! We found out that we will be welcoming a BABY BOY into the world this September (as long as he stays put 'til then :) The due date was again changed, but this time it was moved up a little, to September 21st. Maybe he'll arrive a little early on Aunt Kayla's birthday! Here are some sonogram pics of our little guy:

Here he is, with both hands up around his face. He looks like he's rubbing his eyes :) I know, buddy, the appointment was early, but here's your chance to show off! I had some decaf coffee this morning, and he sure was active for us (which made the sonogram a little tough for our doctor :)

The entire sonogram was breathtaking! I cried like a baby after seeing our baby boy! It was so neat to see such a tiny little miracle up close...all the systems of the body and how they are functioning. Human life is so remarkable! The last sonogram we had was when he was just 7 weeks (see previous post), and he sure has come a long way since then!

He was face down, and if you look closely, his knees are at the bottom right. He's already praying (or being bashful for the next gender-determining sonogram shot :)

Here is the money shot! It is was easier to make out at the appointment than it is from the picture, but the sonographer made a bold statement saying he's 99.99% sure it's a boy! Now I can call the little one moving around a "he" instead of an "it."

He was smushed up against my side (causing the blurred right eye and side of his body), but here is a great picture of his cute little face! Wow, amazing...

We feel so blessed and beyond excited, so please bear with us and our enthusiasm. Today was truly one of the best days of our lives. Now that we've found out that our first-born will be a boy, we can't wait to meet him!

Bump Watch and Gender Guesses

Here we are at almost 5 months into the pregnancy (wow), and I just started to really show last week. I feel like I've been showing for about a month now, but not everyone would agree with me (hey, I think I know my body best!). I guess I offically "popped," belly button and all, at 18 weeks (Brett gets a chuckle out of that term, which I did not know even existed until I started reading pregnancy books). My doc said that since I am taller and have a long torso the baby has lots of room to stretch out, and that most women do not show until later for their first pregnancy. Well, the day has finally come when my belly broke that barrier. Whoohoo!

14 weeks

I am still wearing most of my usual clothes (barely), with the help of the Bella Band (thanks, Clarisse!), and I am also sporting lots of free-flowing dresses and peasant tops. If I dress the bun just right, people don't look at me strangely now when I say I am expecting. Hooray! I am looking forward to wearing all of the maternity duds that I got from Craigslist and Motherhood.

Sporting the 16-week belly (and a new haircut!)

Here are some pics of the updated belly...at first, it looked like I just finished eating an entire pizza, but now it has started to take shape. Fun stuff! We'll be sure to keep you posted.

Front view (Brett's idea :)

19 weeks

Also, we are only one week away from finding out if our little bambino will be a member of Team Pink or Team Blue! With all the excitement, Brett and I are counting down the days (okay, maybe hours), and I am having a difficult time concentrating and falling asleep at night. Any predictions? I have added a little poll to the top left of this posting...feel free to guess away!

Trilogy...

Of symptoms...pregnancy symptoms, to be exact. Sorry to disappoint those who were looking at the blog based on the subject and who may have gotten their hopes up on some talk of a Sci-Fi movie or the latest must-have reads. I'm not a creative writer, so it's the least I could do to lure readers in.

Although I've lucked out on the morning sickness/nausea front, I have still experienced my fair share of symptoms that go along with being preggo. My top three (not my favorite three, just the three that seem to keep reappearing) are: allergies, headaches, and heartburn (oh-my!). Now, these are by no way new to me or my body, but they have definitely been amplified over the last several months. Being a native Texan, and living in Dallas now for almost three years, allergies are apparent and come with the territory. So, I didn't expect them to disappear. However, my books tell me that with pregnancy, women fall into three categories when it comes to their allergies: 1/3 will improve, 1/3 will stay the same, and the other third will get worse. Guess which group I'm in! Well, I tried to tough it out and not take anything at first (I'm an anti-medication kinda girl...or maybe just cheap), but when my sleep and work were being interrupted, I had to break down. Needless to say, Zyrtec has been a must-have the last couple of weeks!

To go along with the sniffles and congestion, my head has been feeling the pain. My doctor said headaches are most common in the second trimester, mostly due to hormones...but I have diagnosed mine as allergy-related (I hope my self-diagnosis makes all of my med-school and doctor friends laugh :) I have heard for some time now that Tylenol is about the only thing you can take during pregnancy...wrong. I still have not buckled under the headache pressure, but when I do, I'll let you know the remedy. And the third symptom I have been blessed with is...dun, dun dun: heartburn. I won't go into the details, but those who know me well know that I have had an issue with acid reflux for several years (it usually came down to me either A) eating my lunch too quickly at work, or B) eating and then hunching over books or a computer during grad school). And I hear it only gets worse in the third trimester! Goodness...

With more exciting (and probably less TMI) news, I went to the doctor last week for our 16-week check up. Everything is looking great! My doctor tried to play her hand in gender prediction, but she ended up canceling out any guess. She said, based on my symptoms (i.e., hunger, lack of morning sickness, etc.), she would guess we are having a boy. Then, she listened to the baby's heartbeat (ah, breath-taking), and changed her mind saying based on the rate, she would say it's a girl. She didn't tell me the reading, but at our 10-week check, we heard the heartbeat and it registered at 140 bpm (smack-dab in the middle). So, I am just as neutral as I've been...I guess I don't have the best maternal instinct. I hope I do, just not when it comes to my own body!

I digress, but the most exciting news is that we go in on May 4th to find out if we're having a little Brett or Courtney. That day couldn't get here any sooner!

March Celebrations!

We traveled the last two weekends in March to take part in great get-togethers for loved ones and their special occasions. Two weeks ago my friend Lindi and I drove to Abilene for our gal pal, Wendy's, baby shower. She and her husband, RJ, will be welcoming a little girl into the world sometime in May. How exciting!

It was a wonderful shower, with fantastic food and fun games (the ones that Wendy allowed :) We had so much fun showering them with gifts and cute outfits (so precious) and helping them get a little more prepared for when their baby girl gets here. Awwww....here is a picture of her sweet nursery. The last weekend we drove to Boerne (north of San Antonio) for Brett's grandmother, GiGi's, 90th birthday celebration. It was so much fun!

Here's a shot of our niece, Riley (drool and all), during our road trip! She sang most of the time that she was awake, which helped keep us awake. What a cutie-pie!

Over fifty people from across the country (Texas mainly, California, Oklahoma, and Illinois) came in for the special occasion. We had a great time watching old family videos (tape reel and projector screen included), hearing about special memories and stories of GiGi, visiting with family and friends and, of course, eating great food!

A picture of the Winters crew...Brett (looking off) and me, Jared and Bryn (they are having a girl in July!), Cade and Jessica, with their girls Ruby and Riley, Will Ed and Cynthia (a.k.a., Papa and Granny), and the guest of honor GiGi, Gussie Turnbough, at the bottom/center of the picture. We were without Kayla, who is in American Samoa. We miss you, Kayla!

It was such a nice time, and we were so happy to be there. With six children, 20 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren (and four more on the way!), GiGi has been a big influence in everyone's lives. As a wonderful mother/grandmother/great-grandmother, Christian, artist, singer, cook, story-teller (the list could go on and on!), she is one special person and an inspiration to many.

FEED ME!!

No, I don't feel like some crazy monster from a movie, but my stomach is keeping me busy eating like one!! Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?!

I feel super blessed because I have felt pretty good throughout the first three + months of pregnancy, considering all the symptoms that can occur. So, I can't complain...but I can poke fun at myself!

Besides fatigue my other symptom would have to be that I feel like I can't eat enough! I have always been a breakfast enthusiast ("It's the most important meal of the day!"), and those who know me well know that when I am hungry I can get a little cranky. And with pregnancy those sentiments have been definitely reiterated for me!

Some mornings I have to eat right when I wake up...I usually make a b-line to the kitchen for some juice or fruit. And then I eat my real breakfast around 7:30 before I head to work. I used to be able to make it until noon for lunch, but things sure have changed! My co-workers will hear me rustling around in my office, eating trail mix or a granola bar for a mid-morning snack. My desk drawers look like the insides of a snack machine!

Here is a list I'll call "Courtney's Cravings:"

• Cheese-especially mozzarella or provolone! We have a stash of string cheese at home that I visit often.

• Oranges-juice, popsicles, the fruit itself...can't get enough!

• Chicken strips with Honey Mustard-Weird one...never been a huge fan, but for some reason it sounds good all the time! I have even contemplated it for two meals in a row :)

• Other sour treats- lemonade, cranberry juice, lime popsicles, and Starburst jelly beans (since it's Easter-time, this craving may be seasonal :)

And last, but definitely not least:

• Taco Bell-Kayla, you're rubbing off on me! I've always been a Bueno fan, but that restaurant is a little out of the way from our house. I even called my sister, Lynnlee, one night to ask her what we ordered from Taco Bell this past summer after a concert we went to: cheesy, bean and rice burritos...mmmm, healthy right?

I have read that cravings (and food aversions) can change throughout pregnancy, so I'll be sure to keep you posted. And speaking of aversions, I have not had too many of those yet :) At the rate that I'm going, I just hope that our baby is getting lots of nourishment (and good eats)!

Parents-to-be and the big reveal

As we recently posted, we are expecting our first child in September! We are so excited to begin this next chapter in our lives, and I know Brett's going to be a wonderful father!

We originally started this blog with the hopes that we would be able to write about this subject one day...we just didn't know WHEN that would be, as with many things in life. To make a long story short, Brett and I have been talking about starting a family for awhile...we have been married almost three years and have dated since we were 19. We had hoped to have a baby during late Spring of this year (after "busy season," of course), but God had other plans for us. Although it was hard to deal with at the time, we grew from that experience both individually and as a couple. During those months, we learned patience and perseverance in faith. We know even more now that He has a plan for everything, and we feel so blessed to become parents!

We found out the great news on Januray 13th...and this is how it all went down: starting this year I go in late on Tuesday mornings, and Brett left for work at his usual time that morning while I was planning on going to the gym. I took a pregnancy test that previous weekend, but it was negative. I took another one that morning, and lo and behold, it was positive! I could not believe it. My heart started racing and I was crying (happy tears). All I wanted to do was call Brett and tell him the great news, but I wanted to wait and tell him in person that night.

So, along with all the other emotions running through my mind, I started thinking about how I was going to tell him. I have always imagined coming up with some creative and memorable way of letting him know when the day finally came. What should I do to surprise him? And, much more, how was I going to keep this from him ALL day while we were both at work?

After work that night I drove to Target to get some stuff for dinner and a pair of red (gender neutral, right?) baby socks. I cooked an extravagant dinner (ha, no way...I had way too much on my mind! I stuck with something simple (that I could not mess up!) and one of the usuals around our house: pasta, salad, and bread). Also, I didn't want to cook anything too elaborate because I didn't want him to know that something was up right off the bat :) Before he got home I wrapped up the baby socks in a gift bag.

Only two weeks into "busy season" at that time, he had already been putting in a lot of hours. So, I gave him the gift after dinner, telling him it was a late Christmas present and something to get him through the next several months of work. Not really knowing what to think of this random present, he opened the bag and saw the baby socks. He looked at me, and I had tears welling up in my eyes, which made him get a little teary-eyed. He was speechless at first, and all he could say was, "Are you really!?" That night we talked and talked about how excited we were, when we were going to tell our family and friends, etc., etc. Ever since then we have been reliving that day in our minds and also preparing for the months to come!