Happy Halloween to Everyone!!!

Okay - so I meant to post yesterday, but ran out of time, so I've got a few topics to discuss today, so here you have it:

The weekend: I had a fun-filled weekend full of my favorite past time - SHOPPING!!! Brandon decided last minute to go to Coushatta w/ his dad and grandpa, so I made the most of it and decided to go spend some money. On Saturday, me, my mom, Amy and Bryn went shopping. First stop was Doodles (where I'm getting Dayton's bedding). We just went and browsed around. I got the cutest little onesie that is black and says "Texas Hold Me!!!" and has little card suits on it. I figured his daddy would love a poker outfit for his little gambler! Then we went to Pottery Barn Kids. Amy got Brock some big-boy bedding for his new bed, since Dayton will be using his old one. We stopped by Carter's and Mom picked up a few little things for Dayton - all of them having to do with sports. I got him matching bibs to go w/ all the outfits we picked up. It wasn't until I got home that I realized every single one of them has to do with "Daddy" - Daddy's All-Star, I Love my Daddy, Daddy's Little Sport. We need some I love Mommy garb!!!! We went to the mall and shopped around there for a while. I had grown out of all of my nice pants, so I need something besides blue jeans to wear. I picked up a few cute little outfits at Motherhood - if any of my NewFirst friends are reading this - thanks for the Visa Cheque - you bought this momma some much needed clothing!!!! Last stop was Target where I found a cute little sweater set and went ahead and picked up Brock's birthday gift. Brandon and I had seen this Elmo tool bench on t.v. and Brandon was very persistent on wanting to get that for Brock for his birthday. He advised me to buy it if I saw it because he thought w/ Christmas around the corner it might sell out, so now we've got a cute little tool bench, drill, and workbelt to store in the office until the end of November, but that's okay - it's just so adorable, I know our little Brocker will love it!!!! When we got home, I spent the night w/ my parents since Brandon was gone. Me and Dad watched the UT game together - I think my blood pressure was through the roof that night. Two Rods watchin UT sports is not a good combination - my mom was a nervous wreck. Thank goodness they pulled that one out. That was almost enough to send me into premature labor - I swear, those Longhorns better straighten up for the sake of me and little Dayton...

On Sunday, I was ready for round two of the shopping extravaganza. Mrs. Zabodyn and I decided to go in for a trip since the boys were gone. We went to Babies-R-Us first. We love browsing the aisles there. The more I go, the more I get used to the place - it can be sooo overwhelming!!! I found another stroller that I liked there, so now I'm undecided on that issue, but I think I'll let Brandon decide. Mrs. Zabodyn picked up a few outfits for the new grandson and she even found herself a precious little bouncy seat. It has a rainforest theme and it is just the most precious little thing - can't wait to see the little guy in it! I found some baby books that I liked, but I'm gonna wait for Brandon to go back with me before I buy anything. I want him to have a say on all this fun stuff!!! Then, we went to Swoozie's - I love that store!!! I got myself a very large insulted Longhorn cup to put my water in everyday. Yesterday I drank four glasses of it - so it was worth the 18 bucks I spent on the darn thing. I also got the cutest little light blue fabric frame that says "Bundle of Joy" and has a little satin blue ribbon on it. I put Dayton's newest sonogram picture in it. After Swoozies', we too hit Carter's. We didn't really find much, just a long-sleeved button up dress shirt - it's the most tiny little thing! If it fits him at the time, he's already got his outfit for Aunt Jennifer's big day!!! He will be so handsome at his first wedding! After Carter's we went to Target and browsed around there - didn't buy anything besides some peanut M & M's - I know, shame on me. Remember when I said I wasn't craving anything sweet - well, that is starting to come. I've been all about chocolate lately - not good! Oh, and we also managed to eat at Pei Wei somewhere in there - my new biggest craving that is the hardest for me to get. I'm in love w/ the Honey-seared chicken and lettuce wraps - yummy!!!!!

Baby Update: According to my weekly emails, the baby is around the size of a slice of pizza - strange comparison, huh? The little guy still moves and kicks constantly. Supposedly my major weight gain is starting to begin. Well, that last Dr.'s appt for me hit hard w/ the whole 7 lbs weight gain - this could get scary!

Halloween: Speaking of scary - Happy Halloween to all of you. Hope your day is going well. I'm finishing up at the office right now, then I'm off for the day. My mom and I made over 70 candy apples last night, so that was quite the chore. Brandon and I will be going to my mom and dad's for the early evening to see the kids in their costumes, then we're going to the Zabodyn's for the rest of the night. Brandon wants to dress up and scare kids so we'll see how that goes. I told him, I could just flash my belly when the kids come up to the door and that would be sure to scare them all away, but he didn't like that idea - might scar the kids for life!!!

Dizziness: One side note, today I am extremely dizzy. It was like all those mornings I woke up w/ morning sickness and felt hung over w/o the alcohol. It's like I'm high w/o the drugs now, kinda like when you take Benadryl. Anyways, I'll survive. Thank goodness I don't have heels on today - that could be dangerous. Sorry for the long post - so much to share today.

You guys take care! JZ

Another Friday!

Hey Guys - well it's Friday again - yippee! Haven't had anything exciting to say since my last post on our big news. As you all know, yesterday was my birthday and everything went well. We actually celebrated on Wednesday night - had our families over - because last night I had dancing till 8:00. The weather was nasty here. All and all it was a good birthday. I even got some new cute little outfits for Mr. Dayton. My mom had went and bought a few little newborn boy outfits. They are so precious - all of them having to deal with football. One even says "Daddy's Team". They are so cute. Can't wait to go do a little shopping myself. Although, I must say it's a little overwhelming now - I don't even know where to start. Of course, there is so much I want to buy, I have to pick and choose wisely - Daddy might not like Mommy hitting the credit card that hard!!!

Today I did some work from home for BR Grace and then I had some Dance Pizzazz paperwork to take care of, and of course, there are always bills to pay! I've been home all day, but with my eye balls glued to the computer in the office. Atleast I'm in comfortable clothes!!!

We did have an exciting event happen at lunch today. Brandon came home to eat with me and after we had finished, Dayton was just moving around like a little monkey in my stomach. Brandon has been trying to feel him kick for quite some time now and so far hadn't had much luck. But, today Brandon felt his little boy kick for the first, second, and third time - three good little punches. He was so excited. It was a very special moment. Brandon is a very proud Daddy already and I can't wait to see what a wonderful father he'll be.

You guys have an awesome weekend - stay warm! JZ

IT'S A BOY!!!

Well, it's official. We're having ourselves a precious baby boy. Glad to be able to show off some new pics of Dayton, better than the ones of Mommy popping up when you open the page. Hope you guys enjoy these. Mothers - hide your daughters, he's quite the looker ;)

Here is the little guy's spine and back of his little head. Pretty cool lil' pic!

This one is from the side, you can't see his little profile very well at all, but check out that leg and large foot - I think he'll be a little kicker - UT could use a new one right about now!!!

Now, here is my handsome little son - check out his precious little profile. Let's hope he doesn't have Mommy and Daddy's big nose. I just love this pic - it's one of my favorites. He looks like a little baby!!!! The dark spot in his chest is his cute little heart.

Okay, here he is showing off his goods. Notice the nice arrow the technician printed on the pic for us so we could be certain it was a boy. Kinda hard to tell what's going on, but he's got his little leg hiked up, and well, we can all see what's going on down there - just use your imagination!!!

Hope you all enjoy these. Again, they are much better than Mommy's pics. Now that I'm getting to be a pro at this scanning/picture taking business, I will be sure to keep you posted. Oh, and you'll all love to know that I gained 7 lbs. since my last appointment - nice, huh? I was mortified, but he assured me that I was behind on weight gain and now I had caught up. I've gained 10 lbs. in 21 weeks. He said I need to gain 1 lb. a week for the rest of the pregnancy - yikes - that's 19 more lbs. Fun times, you guys!!! And, Dayton's little measurements were perfect, he's right on schedule, all of his extremeties look good. He weighs a whopping 15 ounces (1 ounce over weight) - uh oh, gonna turn out like his Mommy, and he's between 6 and 7 inches long. You guys take care - thanks for all the support!

Preggie Pics...

Okay - Here they are. Don't laugh too hard. Please know that I am being very brave in doing this. I may soon regret it, but here I am as of today - officially 20 weeks pregnant, half way there. My how time flies and tummy grows!!!! ENJOY!

Back to Work

Well, well, well...
A week off of work was a week very well spent. I didn't get everything done that I needed to, but I did manage to make some lead-way and leave myself w/ a sense of accomplishment. I started working w/ BR Grace Co. on Monday, so it's back to work. I'm working up at the office this week, trying to get used to everything and learning a lot of new and challenging reporting. Everything is going well. I work as much as needed and the pressure is less.

I know I mention it a lot these days, but it is totally amazing how active this little one is! I always thought that when people talked about feeling the baby "kick" it would just be a slight flutter at night before I go to bed or just a couple times a day; however, this baby kicks at all times of the day. As I'm sitting here writing this, I can feel him/her moving around. Anytime that I'm sitting or standing remotely still, I am very aware of this baby. I read that they are awake and asleep about the same amount of time everyday - could you imagine just laying around in some amniotic fluid being awake for 12 hours a day - weird isn't it? It's like he/she is saying, "Hey Mom, it's me. I'm here!!!" What a wonderful feeling! Still not hard enough for Brandon to feel, but soon I'm sure. It's getting to be stronger and stronger.

I'm starting to get to the uncomfortable stage of this pregnancy where my belly is beginning to get in the way of things. Even changing positions on the couch or in bed can be very trying for me at times! I'm gonna brave it up and get some pics of me posted on here, I just haven't had a chance. I think my belly button will "pop" in the next couple of weeks - that's when it turns from an innie to an outtie - that'll be pretty funny. Entertaining, isn't it?

No other real news to report. Sorry I hadn't written in a few days, things have been crazy!

Life Away from Work

Well, Day 2 of my new life, and things are going good. I'm starting to learn how to slow down around the house, too. Yesterday and today I've gotten up around 8:00, got dressed, put make-up on (I know it's pointless, but it makes a pregnant, hormonal momma feel better!) and I'm working hard by 8:30. I don't even turn the t.v. on. I've cleaned out a couple of closets and made some minor progress around the house. I'm just wearing myself out in the mornings and then in the afternoons I don't feel like doing much. This morning I went to HEB and it was wonderful!!! I got to go at a time that it wasn't busy and I actually had time to shop. I'm enjoying having the opportunity to have lunch ready for Brandon every day. It makes me feel like such a better wife. For someone like me who's used to 30 minute lunches and working past 7:00 at night, it is such a great feeling to take on the role of an actual wife. I told him not to get used to it, but the last two days, I've had his lunch along w/ a fresh glass of tea waiting on the coffee table for him when he walks in. We are so happy - even Lucy is enjoying having Mommy at home. She just follows me around all day, and when I run errands, I take her along. Bandit even came over for a playdate yesterday afternoon. Hope all is well w/ everyone. I'm sure ready for this cooler weather that is supposed to be coming - take care! JZ

Shopping for the Perfect Nursery...

First and foremost - HOOKEM HORNS!!! How about those Longhorns, that was a pretty awesome game, but I have to say I was glad to not be there in the heat. Instead I was in the comfort of my own home w/ a fine friend ;)

Today Brandon and I went to Houston to check out some nursery options. First stop was Baby's 1st Furniture. I had been here a couple of times w/o Brandon so this was his first trip. We walked around and viewed everything they had in stock. Then we took the time to sit and look through some books they had in the back to see if we could find anything that caught our eyes. Turns out Brandon is about as picky as I am, so we didn't have much luck. We came across a few brands that we liked so it was a good start.

Next stop was a cute little baby boutique called Doodles. We finally hit the jackpot! We found many options that are definite possiblities - boys and girls. Coolest thing about the place is that they make custom bedding. We can pick whichever colors/fabrics that we like and they will put the bedding together for us. We're not sure exactly what we'll get, but now we're pretty sure it will come from there. It was a huge success! We were both very excited, and now I can't wait to go back. I think we'll be ordering bedding sometime in November. They say it can take up to 10 weeks to come in. We'll start on the nursery sometime in January if everything goes as planned.

So today started my life away from the bank and so far so good. Since Brandon had off, it just felt like a normal weekend, but tomorrow will be different. I'm going to begin cleaning the house. I'll keep you guys posted...

Today's Dr. Appointment

Today I had another doctor's appointment. Everything went really well. I gained another pound and a half and he said that was healthy. My blood pressure was good and my urine test was "perfect". So, everything seems to be going great! I took my mom w/ me today so I could prove to her once and for all that I was not carrying twins. When he did the doppler, Dr. Ogdee assured her there was only one baby in there. The baby was kicking like crazy again today. I've got an active one in there let me tell you. I made him tell me what his hunch was based on how I was carrying and the speed of the heart beat and he is guessing BOY - so we shall see. We discussed my doctor options for when he leaves and it looks like I'll be seeing him through the end of November, and then I'll probably be switching over to Sangalli, so I can live with that. Three weeks from today we'll (hopefully) know for sure what I'm carrying - a little Dayton Wayne or a little Elise Marie! 3 more days of work - so hard to believe. I better get back at it. I'll write again soon. Take care!!!