Update on Daddy Warren

Since I am given such an abundance of insight and details into Daddy Warren's "vacation" overseas, this will be a short but important update regarding his duties. He was swiftly sent out on another mission over the weekend to a very remote location at which he will not have access to any communication methods to the outside world. Unfortunately this mission will last through the end of March. So please do not get discouraged if you are not receiving responses to your emails.

With only this concise and ambiguous explanation from Jay, I am left to fill in the blanks myself to satisfy my curiosity. I can only conclude that this is code for a mission to a remote island in the Pacific where he will be studying the communication methods of wild natives. That sounds better.

Well whether its the mountains of Afghanistan or the beaches of the Pacific, I know you will all be praying with me that he and his team stay safe. Before we know it, he will be back in satellite range and we will be gushing again about Peanut's footsteps inside my belly. I'll keep you all updated as much as I can. Talk to you again soon.

How's It Going?

I have been lagging on the entries, I know. There really hasn't been much going on here. I am just working hard and trying to relax as much as I can on the weekends. I have been able to soak up some great sun down here lately. I even got into the hot tub the other day. Of course it wasn't too hot. It was like taking a bath outside with massaging jets rumbling around me.

Speaking of that wonderful weather...do you all know what that means??!! Opening day is just around the corner! As I am sure you all know already that spring training games are in full swing. Those 'Stros are getting ready for a killer season, I can feel it. haha just kidding, who ever knows with those guys. All I know is I am getting revved up for the sound of smaking bats.

My last doctor's appointment wasn't very interesting. No pictures to share. I did do a tour of the birthing center, and it is really nice. The rooms are huge and they are all suites (singles) where the baby stays with you the whole time. I am looking forward to the next appointment because we get to see Peanut again. I am hoping both my parents will make it so I can show them around and they can see how big the baby's getting.

I worked on my room (a.k.a. my sister's old room) recently as well, trying to make it more accommodating for Abigail Jane. I don't know if I told you all, but I am using a family heirloom. I don't know if it's technically an heirloom yet, but my Aunt Cathy made it in her college shop class 28 years ago just before Angie was born. All 6 of our cousins (including myself) have used it since then, and she handed it on to me. My mom and I dusted it off, made it a tad more sturdy and got some cute bedding for it, and it looks like Abigail is going to be sleeping pretty while she's in Texas.

So I also thought that maybe we could turn this whole blog thing around and you guys could update me on what's going on with you. What's the news in your world??? I would love to know. Maybe you could post a comment to this entry updating me on your life?? I can't wait to see who and what's happening! Talk to you all soon.

Hive Five!!

It looks like Peanut already has her "high five" down. I guess she was telling me "Good Game" at the doctor's office the other day. We had a great appointment. I met with two of the high risk doctors, and both were very nice. They measured my belly this time; never had that happen before...and I believe they said I was 19 centimeters. Who knows what all that means, but it sounds large to me. After the initial consult with the first doctor, I went in for an utlrasound to look at Peanut's heart. That was our only concern now that the amneo results came back negative. The doctor back in Augusta thought that two of the heart chambers may be communicating when they shouldn't be.

The set up was really nice. I didn't even have to strain my neck to look back at the ultrasound screen because there was a flat screen on the wall in front of me to watch. They even had a lazy boy in the room for visitors. At first Peanut didn't seem to want her picture taken because she was in a pike position. Her feet were actually up at her head. So she was doing her best to cover that heart. They tried everything to get her to move, pushing on my belly, having me turn from side to side, I even walked around for 20 minutes and had a snack. Finally after an hour or so, she moved her legs down and let them check out her heart. The head of the high risk doctors came in to examine the pictures and look at the ultrasound himself, and after about 20 minutes he determined that he didn't see any cause for concern. High Five, Good Game!

I go back at 24 weeks which is Feb. 26th and then have another ultrasound at 28 weeks (not sure of that appointment's date). Oh and she is really movin' and grovin' in there lately. I hope that soon, other people will be able to feel her summersaults too!

The past two weekends, I have had the pleasure of watching my cousin, Nicole, play basketball. She is in the 5th grade and plays for a city league. Her team was undefeated until today. They are really good. Great team work and everyone gets their turn to try out their moves court. Nicole is one of the lady Orange Crush Ballers, she's got a sort of Horace Grant thing going on with her swift styling specs. I remember those days...and I can't wait to go cheer on Peanut!!!

And of course we had the Valentine's Day. Jay actually figured out the mail situation over there and mailed a present to me and Killer. I got it today and as you can see Killer really enjoyed hers. Jay got us some North Face jackets. I think he might have been hinting that we need to head somewhere cold. He is still chillin' over at Bagram, not doing much of anything, but thinking about coming home. But he did find one good perk about being stuck at Bagram...wondering off to explore new dining halls, or dining tents I should say. Apparently one day he was exploring the property when his Texas senses led him to a secluded building off in the corner of the base that few had discovered. He walked in to be hit with the wonderful aromas he was only able to dream about. Bar-b-que in Afghanistan??? What, that couldn't be safe...but low and behold, Jay claimed they had the best ribs he had ever eaten. Who would've thought.

He was finally able to send some more pictures. These are from the small base he was at recently. Snow, snow, and more snow.

Well, I'll be catchin' up again soon. I hope you all are doing well. Let me know if anyone feels an urge to take a trip down south to Seguin. We would love to have you. I can show you all the hotspots...well they may not be so hot, but they sure are a hell of a lot of fun. You know you are courious...hehehe.

When is Life Going to Slow Down

When we last spoke, I was about to make the trip to Texas from Georgia...well as most of you know already, I have made it safely on Texas soil. But before I left Georgia, I had one more important thing to do...Party! You know me, there's always time to have a party to celebrate!

Angie and Mom threw a baby shower/going away party for me and my friends at a hopping soup/salad/sandwich restaurant on Sunday afternoon. We dined lightly on ladies' fare and a little heavier on the desserts including a 5 layer chocolate cake...WOW. I am still having dreams of that dessert case. I got tons of goodies from the girls. It was my first baby shower and I will remember it always.


You can click on the picture to see the adorable gifts up close.

Then it was on to the Lone Star State. It took us 18 hours in 2 days. Really easy drive since it was on a holiday. I didn't stay put for very long because in less than 48 hours I was already up in the DFW area. I forgot how easy that drive was. I made sure to hit all the important stops...bar-b-que, mexican, Jason's Deli, home-cookin', oh my. Thank you to all of you who had to suffer through those evenings of watching a "Miss Preggo-Piggy"eat like she going for the gold medal. I am so glad I was able to see so many of you. Hopefully I will catch the ones I missed next time. I am sure I will still have the raging appetite so don't worry, you won't miss out.

On my way back to Seguin, I received a phone call from a family friend that turned out to be a job offer. It was Tuesday afternoon and I began working for Brent Beicker Enterprises and Beicker Insealation on Monday (this past Monday). I guess I should have taken advantage of my time off a little more intently. I didn't realize I would be working full time in Seguin, but I am happy that I decided to do it. One company is flooring, granite, and more and the other is spray foam insulation. I have a handful of responsibilities that boil down to helping organize and manage the numerous jobs they work on. The position isn't quite polished off yet, so I am helping figure out the exact description for the next person and laying the groundwork for some new office mechanics. It's great so far. I am enjoying it. It's keeping my mind busy, helping the time go by faster, and giving us a little extra money.

Oh and on the upside of my hormone rollercoaster, I decided to cut my hair and go a with little more natural color. Would you believe this is only a little darker than my roots? I was going for a hot mamma look...Do you think I pulled it off?

Again I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you all. I feel like my life is not slowing down; it is stuck on 60 mph and in the fast lane when i would prefer it to be more like 40 and coasting. Oh well...the faster the time goes by, the sooner we hear those footsteps in the distance. Which brings me to updates on those footsteps.

Jay is back at Bagram. He arrived back from his mission about a week ago to a huge selection of packages. He wanted me to tell you how grateful he is for all the wonderful care packages you all are sending. He and all his soldiers/friends are enjoying the goodies. Ffrom what I understand, much to their dismay, those soldiers' significant others are hearing all about Warren's abundance of packages. Jay was so anxious to catch up on the hundreds of emails he had missed over the last month, but unfortunately was denied access when he attempted to to get online. He could only access .gov, .mil, .us sites. He should be up and running soon, if not already.

In regards to the smaller more delicate footsteps...I will have a better update this weekend. I found out that I am assigned to Wilford Hall Medical Center on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. It is a hike from Seguin (45 minutes - 1 hour), so I guess it might be good to choose a c-section instead of natural. I went for an orientation already and go for my first doctor's appointment tomorrow (Friday). I am not sure what all I will find out; it may just be an introduction. I might see if I can get a tour of the birthing center while I am there. I also may have to wait a week or so for the next ultrasound. We'll see...I can't wait to see Peanut again!

Oh and we chose a name for Peanut...Abigail Jane Warren. Abigail means "A Father's Joy" and Jane means "God's Gracious Gift" and was my grandmother's middle name.

Talk to you again soon. I promise! I have my computer set up now at the 'rents house so I can get online whenever and not have to wait my turn. Since my parents got their 50 ft tower they have discovered a new love for high speed internet. Watch out cyberworld, Seguin is making a comeback.

So Sorry!

I am so sorry about the delay on my next entry. Life has been crazy busy, and I am having trouble downloading pictures. But know that I am going to do my best to get an entry done this weekend.

Thanks for your patience.

Snowed White and the 3 Dogs

I was gitty as a school girl when the snow began to fall Wednesday night. The last time I saw the picturesque powder plummet was several years ago in Alexandria, VA. This snow shower only lasted an hour or two, but that was definitely enough time for Angie, Nick, and I, along with the 3 dogs, to run around like we were kids again (the last time we remember it snowing in Seguin).

Killer decided that the fluffy flakes falling on her face looked tasty enough to snack on. Fortunately for me, I had the camera on her for her first snowy experience and captured her nipping at the snow as it floated down.

We bundled ourselves and the dogs up and headed outside to join the other neighbors in the col de sac who were also out enjoying this rare winter weather. Angie and I were immediately thrown into battle against Nick. The war was on after I almost received a snowball smack in the smacker.

It was a great break from reality and Angie's studies for her huge licensing exam on Saturday. Also fun to see the ground, houses, cars, and dogs turn white for a short moment. Although it is chilly winter weather outside, this is nothing compared to Jay's wintry windchill experience with temperatures recording in the teens. Hopefully he is staying warm enough while out on his latest mission. He currently isn't receiving any mail or emails. He probably won't receive any mail until he gets back to Bagram, which could be several weeks from now. That is all I know for now. I'm leaving for Texas Sunday, as in 2 days from now, and will be arriving Monday night. I do not know where I will be after that because, as I said before, everything lies in Tricare's hands and how they schedule my doctor's appointments. I will let you know when I may be coming to a city near you. Until then...

The Pecker-Checker Test Results are in!!!

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived...Peanut is indeed Honey Roasted! Oh wait we knew that already. I mean Peanut is a girl!! Can you believe it?? Some of you were right on the nose with your predictions. One more female to add to Jay's repertoire, but this little lady will definitely be an entirely new adventure. What I understand so far from Jay is that she will not be leaving the house until she is 21. No doubt all his friends will agree and take turns guarding the door from the outside. I am sort of excited to learn more of these Jay-isms regarding raising our little girl...they are intreging.

So needless to say we are both extatic, smittin', and wondering what the heck are we going to do with a little girl...come on I know you all are thinking it too. haha. Well we all know Peanut will be wearing a baseball cap and cowboy boots before she is 1, like any Texas girl should (my prediction anyway). Jay is already protesting against pink, just an FYI for all of you who have visions of pink everything in your mind. Let's be honest, we all know Jay, and knew that was coming. No matter pink, green, or yellow we will figure it all out with a little help from all of you who have raised their little girls (like myself) most successfully.

Before we received this enormous news, Jay and I did have a few scares over the last month or so...and I personally think "scares" is an understatement. In December, my high-risk specialist found an abnormality on an ultrasound that led him to believe Peanut might have a chromosomal abnormality. He ordered the mulitpile serum screening test (bloodwork) for late December and from that bloodwork came some more abnormal calculations that suggested Peanut was positive for Trisomy 18 Syndrome. This is an extremely scary and pretty much fatal diagnosis. They kept our hopes up with the fact that its common for false-positives to be calculated from the screening. So the next step was an amneocentesis on Jan. 9th. The procedure sounded scarier than it turned out to be (needle going down into the belly and getting a sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding Peanut), but it was the only definitive test available. So we definitely said YES in bold letters and even threw in some of our own money to get the results in 2-3 days instead of the normal 2 weeks. Definitely the best $400 we ever spent. After the longest 5 days in our lives, because the 2-3 days included a weekend, the doctor called back yesterday and confirmed that the test was negative for Trisomy 18 (Peanut doesn't have the syndrome). The results are 98% accurate and the definitive results arrive in 2 weeks. phfeww!!!

After about 30 minutes of losing it, regaining my togetherness, and losing it all over again...it all finally began to sink in...We are having a BABY GIRL! In only 5 months! Oh my GOSH! So of course the first thing my sister and I thought was to celebrate in the best way possible, SHOPPING! We went straight to Target, got a starbucks and b-lined it straight for the baby section.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. Peanut is our little miracle and we are so grateful to be able to share her with all of you. We cherish this huge circle of friends and family that expands from Texas, Georgia, Virginia, all the way over to Europe, and I guess right now to Afghanistan. We will make sure Peanut knows of the faith, love, and support that brought her here to us.