Showered with Love - Baby Showers

We feel so blessed by the overwhelming generosity of family and friends who hosted and came to the baby showers for Baby Parsons!


Church Friends/Baylor Shower
On Saturday, April 21st, some friends from church (Courtney McCollum, Keli Kayser, Carrie Patterson, Ashley Smith, Lindsey Garrett, and Johonna Rowe) hosted a baby shower for church/Baylor friends. I am thankful for all they did, especially last minute for this baby shower to happen. We found out on Friday, April 20th, that Courtney (the one hosting the shower at her house) was going into the hospital to have Audrey Kate. So, Johonna graciously offered her home to have the shower and a few of the other women started calling the invitees to let them know of the changes. It all turned out perfect and I am extremely grateful for everyone who helped make the shower a success! Here are some pictures from the shower:

Mini Fruit Pizzas

Spread of veggies

Me with the Hostesses

Me with my mom and mother-in-law

Opening presents

Me!

Courtney, Claire, Kristin, and Amy

Micah, Keli, and Carrie

Swarren and Dillon

Stephanie and Alyse

Family/Family Friends Shower
On Sunday, April 22nd, a friend of my mom's, Sharon Norwood hosted a shower for both family and family friends at her home in Lucas. It was a very pleasant time to see everyone, especially those that I do not get to see as often, since Jay and I do not live in Allen. Everyone was extremely generous! Here are some pictures from the shower:

Me with the fancy table

Sharon and Emily Norwood

Me with my mom and mother-in-law

Fran Riley and Me

Yvette, Mema, Landry, and Rachel

Aunt Ramona and Stasia

Me with Cindy, Tracey, Claire and Michelle

Martha, Freda, Cheryl, and Julie

Aunt Lynda and Me

Vicki Reynolds and Me

All the gifts

Between both showers, Baby Parsons has just about all he needs for when he arrives (11 weeks from the shower weekend is the due date)! We are thankful for all of our friends and family who contributed to this new life we are bringing into the world. We could not do it without all of you!

Jay - The Triathlete!

Jay ran in his first triathlon on Sunday, April 15th. The weather was suppose to be really bad that morning, but it held off until the race was over. The race was, however shortened because of the chance of thunderstorms. The Triathlon ended up being a 300m swim, 6 mile bike, and 2 mile run. Jay ran the race with two other buddies, Matt McCollum and Neil Bales. They all did a fantastic job. I was very proud of Jay! Here are some pictures from the race:

Finishing the Bike

In Transition

Crossing the Finish Line

 Matt, Jay, and Neil

 Courtney and Matt McCollum, Holly and Jay Parsons, Neil and Oliva Bales

The triathletes with their pregnant wives!

Baby Parsons Continues to Grow (Weeks 23 to 27)

Baby Parsons continues to grow healthy and strong. We had the our 26th week appointment not too long ago and all is well with Baby Parsons. He has a strong heartbeat, as well as, strong arms and legs! He continues to kick me...just much harder these days! Jay and I enjoy getting to feel him move around!

For two nights in a row I had charlie horses in my legs. They were certainly a surprise wake up in the middle of the night since I hadn't had them since I was a teenager. I asked the doctor about them and she said they were normal since my body is "growing"!

I also had my glucose test done at this appointment. The sugary drink was not too bad. Just tasted like a flat orange soda. The blood results indicated that my glucose test was normal...which means I can continue enjoying chocolate!

Here are a few pictures over the last few weeks as Baby Parsons continues to grow:

23 Weeks:

24 Weeks: 

This was during our trip to New Braunfels, TX

25 Weeks: 

This was taken after Jay and I celebrated 4 years together. We redo our first date each year ... Dinner at Blue Goose, Arcade Games at 300, and dessert (the Nestle Toll House dessert place closed, but we still find dessert somewhere). 

 

26 Weeks:

27 Weeks:

We are getting closer and closer. We cannot wait to meet Baby Parsons!

Babymoon Trips - Phoenix, AZ and New Braunfels, TX

Phoenix, AZ: March 2 - 5, 2012
In the previous post, we mentioned that we took a babymoon trip to Phoenix, Arizona, for Cleveland Indians Spring Training. In addition to seeing the Indians on opening weekend, we also enjoyed the following sites in Phoenix ...

Visited the Biltmore - We're told that the Arizona Biltmore is known throughout the world as the "Jewel of the Desert," providing a restful oasis of 39 acres covered with lush gardens, glistening swimming pools, and Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. (Of course, that wasn't necessarily known to us until we got there.) While we couldn't necessarily afford to stay at the Biltmore, we did enjoy a nice dinner on the patio at Frank & Albert's restaurant.

Walked around Scottsdale Downtown - Old Town Scottsdale was a flavor of the old west. There were wooden sidewalks, many quaint stores lining the streets, and various eateries in the area. We stopped at Big Earl's BBQ to eat lunch.

Toured Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West Home - Frank Lloyd Wright began building this desert masterpiece in 1937 as his personal winter home, studio, and architectural campus. Jay and I knew very little about Mr. Wright, and we probably aren't his #1 fans, but we thought the tour was very interesting. I even got to play the piano in his home.

Toured the Arizona Diamondback Stadium - On our last day before going to the airport we took a stadium tour of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Impressive, but not as impressive as the Cowboy Stadium! They were replacing the grass on the field because the stadium had just been used for a motocross event.

New Braunfels, TX: March 23 - 25, 2012
We took one last trip to the hill country in New Braunfels, Texas, before I was advised to not travel, since I entered my third trimester at the beginning of April. We stayed at a quaint bed and breakfast called the Lamb's Rest Inn.

We arrived on a Friday night and enjoyed dinner at the Gristmill in historic Gruene followed by dessert at the Old Country Store.

On Saturday, we got up to a home-cooked breakfast (candied pears, cinnamon bread, and a fancy hash brown/egg casserole) and then headed out to New Braunfels. We had lunch at the Heishache Grill and then over to Landa Park. We walked the trails in the park and also tried our luck at paddle boating. It's much harder work then we thought! We also took a drive to Seguin and McQueeney, but let's just say there was NOTHING in those towns of interest. We were exhausted that evening, so we relaxed on the back patio to read before dinner at the Gruene River Grill.

Sunday morning we awoke to another home-cooked breakfast (caramel french toast). We checked out by 11 a.m. and headed back towards Texas. We decided to eat lunch in Austin at the Stubbs BBQ, but they were booked, so we ended up walking from downtown to the Capital and then over to UT to have lunch at Austin's Pizza just off campus. We watched the Baylor men's game on TV while enjoying lunch. We certainly got our exercise in that day!

We arrived home Sunday evening from a fun and relaxing trip!

Baby Parsons

After a long journey, from finding out June 2011 that I had a cyst on my right ovary the size of a grapefruit and the removal of the cyst along with the right ovary, God has blessed us with the pregnancy of our first child. We are extremely excited! Baby Parsons is due July 8th, approximately one year after my surgery. God is good! 

The following dates explain our journey with Baby Parsons thus far and the growth of Baby Parsons in my tummy:

- October 30, 2011: Pregnancy test confirming our suspicions.

- November 14, 2011: First doctors appointment. We were only 6 weeks pregnant. Could not hear the heartbeat yet, but we did see Baby Parsons. 

- November 20 to 27, 2011: We were going to North Carolina for Thanksgiving to visit the Parsons. Before we left, we told the Gentrys the exciting news and upon arrival in North Carolina we told the Parsons'. Both are very thrilled to be grandparents! However, they were not so excited to keep it a secret for another 4 weeks. We wanted to make sure all was okay with Baby Parsons at the next appointment.

- December 12, 2011: Baby Parsons' 10-week appointment. We heard the heartbeat and started seeing the formation of a baby. We started telling extended family and friends.

- January 9, 2012: Baby Parsons' 14-week appointment. Heard the heartbeat and the checkup went great. No concerns. Very thankful!

- February 8, 2012: Baby Parsons' 18-week appointment. This was the BIG appointment. Baby Parsons checked out great...heart, lungs, arms, and legs all growing and working properly! Also found out that we are having a ... BOY!

- March 2 to 5, 2012: Baby Moon Trip to Phoenix, AZ for Cleveland Indians Spring Training. We had a lot of fun getting to see Jay's -- I mean our -- favorite team, the Cleveland Indians, play opening weekend. We got Baby Parsons a baseball with 13 signatures of Cleveland Indians' players and coaches. Baby Parsons is already a Cleveland Indians' fan! :) 

- March 7, 2012: Baby Parsons' 22-week appointment. This was just a normal checkup. Heard the heartbeat and all checked out healthy.

Baby Parsons is a night owl and starts moving around about 10 pm. Baby does not like it when I lay on my back before going to bed. Jay is able to feel him move around more and more. Knowing that our boy can hear, I enjoy singing, playing the piano and reading to him during the day.

It is so very exciting! We cannot wait to meet our bundle of joy!