Adios 24 weeks!!

So, we are about to begin 25 weeks...I am working on pics of me as a baby to post. Remember my parents live in a different city...so I have to get them next trip home...although I will say, my pics will not bring quite the hysteria that Charles' did! Here is what cade has been up to this last week. He has really popped out a bit more in my belly and I enjoy eating certain foods to "stir him up". In fact, I LOVE to eat and then take a bath about 30 minutes later. This causes him to move around a lot, and I sit there for about 20 minutes and stare at my belly. My FAVORITE is when he makes ripples in the water (Mommy calls them waves)! YES!! He actually makes the water move! Charles loved watching it the other night and I think we have a very strong, active boy coming our way!!

"Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon." --BabyCenter.com

Cade's Room!!!

So, we had a busy weekend full of painting, adding a chair rail and moving furniture in to Cade's room!! It actually looks like a real room now and even has a lamp and curtains (Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Hall)! Check out the finished product!!

"Daddy" taping and starting the paint project! He was SO excited!!

Grandma Hall helping paint

Grandpa Hall and Uncle Chris painting the chair rails

Daddy and Grandpa nailing in the chair rail

Please do not notice the hair! It was a long day!

Yeah it's Done!!

This is Mommy and Cade's spot that we rock in each night and read/listen to music.

And, of course we said goodbye to week 23 of the pregnancy...so here is what Cade did in Mommy's belly this week...

"How your baby's growing:Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb." - BabyCenter.com

Couple of the Month

So, each month our Sunday School class does a "Couple of the Month" feature. Well, Charles and I were the featured couple this month...so for more interesting facts about us, our goals and how we met...check out our class blog at: http://www.cfbcstartingpoint.blogspot.com!

Want to know the NAME????

SO...are you ready for the big news??? WE HAVE DECIDED ON A NAME!!! Baby Hall's real name will be: Cade Beatty Hall!! Charles and I really like the name Cade, and Beatty is a family name and also Charles' middle name. SO...our little one will have the same initials and middle name as his Daddy!! We just couldn't be happier and are so excited for Cade to get here!!

Now, here is an update on how Cade grew this last week while Mommy and Daddy were deciding on his name!!

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Easter Weekend...WOW!

So Easter weekend was packed with family and excitement! We headed to Round Rock on Thursday night to visit with my parents over the weekend. To start it all off, my Sister and Mom helped us register at Babies R Us for over 4 hours on Friday!! That was not only exhausting, but a little overwhelming looking at all the choices and options. Several times I remember thinking, is this for real? The excitement kept me moving and thankful for the angel in my belly! Not to mention controlling Charles and my Sis with a gun around a huge store...We did have to delete a few things that got initially scanned! :) Then, on Saturday, My Sister and I spent the majority of the day going through Mackenzie's old clothes and finding "non gender" items we can use. I would say we were successful by the look of our Honda Element driving away! See pic below!

As if those days were not exciting enough...the best day of all was Easter Sunday! We had a brunch with homemade quiche and ham, and then watched Mackenzie open all her Easter baskets. We left about noon and got to spend the rest of the afternoon with Charles' Family back home in Spring, TX. Charles' Mom had prepared an AMAZING dinner of Brisket, homemade cheese grits, asparagus, fruit salad, and so much more! It was an eventful/tiring weekend, but one I will never forget! God is so good and we thank him again for being our Savior and rising from the dead to save us!!

Mackenzie reading someone's Easter card...of course her translation was pointing to each word and singing "Happy Birthday". She is my Princess!
The Parks Clan

Me at 22 weeks prego...

The Fam

Charles as a Baby

Everyone knows how much I love my hubby. He really is my favorite dream come true and I am sincere when I say I am so lucky to have him. He is simply perfect and is the most genuine man a woman could ever ask for...but MAN was he a big baby...here are a few pics in case you do not believe me that he was 30 pounds by 3 months! Heehee! Now I do pray that our baby boy is EXACTLY like his Daddy...just smaller coming out of the womb...can I get an Amen, PLEASE! I will post pics of me as a baby when I get pics from my parents!! This Christmas pic was taken when he was about 3 months old
This pic was taken in the Spring, so we are guessing he was about 6-9 months old??

Easter's almost here!

I get giddy about this time every year when i think about how our Lord rose from the Dead to save US! It still brings emotions to me and i pray that everyone takes this time to reflect on the reason for Easter. Sure, we love seeing the beautiful lil girls in Easter dresses, boys finding eggs with their baskets, the loads of candy, and the Easter bunny coming to visit...BUT, I believe I get more excited about the real reason, our LORD rising from the Dead!! Anyway, that is my "blog"...just wanted to leave you with a reminder about what Easter is.

Now, here is what Baby BOY Hall has been up to this week. We are starting week 22, so here is week 21's information. As for names, don't worry... we will share names when we get some...but for now, no names are even close (remember we have both worked in schools for over 5 years!)!

"How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better."

I have noticed the "nudges" in the last few weeks and they are my FAVORITE! I missed the whole butterfly stage...but my little boy is definitely nudging his Mommy. Now, he just needs to be compliant and do it when Daddy is feeling for it! I think he believes it is a game to hide from Daddy!

The circle of life...

Ok, so I sit here and wonder how in the world do I express the feelings I have had in the last 48 hours?! First of all Tuesday was filled with excitement and NO SLEEP that night in anticipation for the big day on Wednesday. My parents had come into town and my sister and Mackenzie surprised me yesterday morning as well! Of course this started a long crying fit of excitement! Charles' parents also took off work, so everyone could be there to find out the sex of Baby Hall!! There is nothing better than having the entire family with you! So, on the way to the apt, Charles and I prayed for a healthy baby from God. We did not care whether it was a boy or girl...just a healthy angel from God. And our prayers were answered! We got a very healthy baby BOY!!! That's right, the Hall house will be overflowing with manliness! Below are a few of the sonogram pics from yesterday.

This is a profile shot of our boy laying down. You can see the facial features, spinal column, and even the 4 chambers of his tiny heart. He has a big heart already, just like his Daddy!

This picture is looking from the bottom up. His legs look like frog legs and the arrow point to the treasure!!

Here is the confirmation picture. I wanted to be SURE it was a boy, so here it is from another angle. The picture is looking up from the bottom. His legs are crossed and moving so it looks blury...but where the arrow is pointing is the "money shot" that proves we are in fact having a little boy. His daddy was very proud that it was so noticeable...must be a man thing!

So, as if there was not enough excitement yesterday, I got to spend the whole day telling all my friends/co-workers at school that it was a boy. I had a black dress (Target is having a great sale!) to wear today and was ready to tie a pink or blue ribbon around it depending on what the sex was. Well, we did not use the pink ribbon! Here is me at work today!

ALSO, Saturday morning our furniture came in! So, we officially have a place for our little man to sleep now! Here are the furniture pictures! Don't worry, I know the room looks empty, we will get there soon! FINALLY, Here is what our Baby Boy has done this week! Can't believe we are officially half way through! I just want to hold him in my arms!

"How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery)."