Life on the Outside

Blakely Gray: 6 months OLD!

2010-08-24T15:00:00.000-04:00

My dear sweet sweet baby girl,

You are 6 months old today. I feel like I was just at the hospital having you, but you are already half a year old! You are such a sweet baby girl, ALWAYS smiling and giggling, ALWAYS!

You weigh 13.5 lbs, are in mostly 3-6 months clothes, and are in between Stage 1 and Stage 2 diapers.

You LOOOOOVE your toes. You play with them all the time, hold them, even suck on them. haha. You are working so hard on being able to sit up on your own, and can if you lean forward on your hands. You LOVE LOVE when we give your raspberries on your tummy, and you are quite ticklish everywhere. In a few weekends, mommy is going to start making some baby food for you to try. I can't wait to see your reactions.

You mostly sleep through the night. You wake up every now and then and just need your paci back.
You love playing with your brother. He can make you giggle so hard!
I love when I am feeding you and you put your sweet palm on my cheek and coo and smile, it lights up my heart, on even my hardest days.

Here are a few pics of you in your 6 month onesie, but we are having some real pics done of you soon too!

Blakely Gray: 5 months

2010-07-24T08:25:00.000-04:00

Blakely Gray,

It is so hard to believe you are 5 months already! We are so in love with you! I love getting up to come get you in the mornings, because you are always SOOO happy! At 4.5 months you FINALLY broke the 10 lb mark! We were SOO proud of you! Now you weigh around 11 lbs, are in 3 months clothes, and Stage 1 diapers. You are moving on up, big girl! We have pretty much doubled your birth weight.

You love to coo, giggle, and squeal. You LOVE when we give you raspberries on your tummy and tickle you on your legs and under you chin. You even have a few little "rolls," they are too cute for words!
You love playing with brother; he makes you laugh and smile all the time. You are great at holding your head up and are gaining control over your torso very quickly! You want to be able to sit up so bad, but I think it'll be at least another month or two before you can pull that off.
We love you baby girl; we pray for you and thank the Lord for you every single day!

(you'll have to excuse some of the grain, her room is kind of dark, hence the high ISO)

My little bath bunny:

Blakely LOVES to play with her feet. She constantly holds them in her hands and rocks back and forth on her back!

Some more cuteness

Mommy got some new photography props, and had some fun :)

we love you, sweet Blakely Boo!

Family Update

2010-06-25T14:30:00.000-04:00

This will be a fun picture blog. We recently gave Hudson a really old digital camera. He has had sooo much fun taking pictures like mommy. He always wants to have it with him, and get so excited to see the things he's captured! I'll have to upload some of his work. haha.

Here are some recent shots of Hudson and Blakely:

Here's Hudson, doing a photo shoot:

I love you little man, and your chubby little toes:

Blakely Gray,

You are 4 months old now! Adjusted age 3 months. You are giggling, laughing, and smiling ALLLL the time. It's soo adorable. You are learning to grasp and hold your toys. You have great head control, and love playing with your big brother! You are SLEEPING IN YOUR CRIB now! I love that you are in there, but dearly miss you being right next to me.

Your checkup isn't scheduled until the 1st week of July, but based on our bathroom scale you are somewhere around 9 lbs!

Here you are sweet thing:

I love you both so much, my sweet babies!!!

Watch my sweetpeas Grow :)

2010-05-25T16:59:00.001-04:00

Hudson Michael,

You're 2.5 ish these days! You are adorable in everyway. Mommy and Daddy are learning everyday to teach you and grow you through this stage in your life. We love you so much, and have so much fun playing with you and watching you learn and develop into who you are going to be! You are so handsome!!

Blakely Gray,

You are 3 months old now!! You weigh, according to mommy's scale, 8 lbs 12 ounces. You are in newborn diapers and newborn clothes, and some 0-3 months things. You are such a happy and sweet baby. You rarely fuss, and usually smile or cuddle all the time! You are getting bigger, slowly...haha, but you ARE getting bigger!

Blakely Gray: 2 months

2010-05-03T13:42:00.001-04:00

Blakely Gray,

You are two months old now! You weigh in at 8 lbs 4.6 ounces. You are 22.5 inches long, and your head is 14.5 inches in circumference. That's a WHOLE 3 lbs bigger and 2 inches longer than you were at birth!. You are in the 3rd percentile for weight (11th percentile adjusted age), and 75th for length!
You give the BIGGEST gummy grins when you wake up from naps, and have even started a cute little giggle. You sound like the Pilsbury Doughboy! You have fabulous head control for being SO tiny still!
You now wear newborn sized clothes and diapers! We are glad you are out of the preemie clothes, b/c there really weren't many preemie options at the stores.

Mommy was the photographer at a wedding this past Saturday, and the bride and her father danced to a song with these lyrics:

"But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it's still hard to give her away
I loved her first"

Your sweet little life flashed before my eyes, and all I could do was imagine you, being so beautiful on your wedding day, dancing with your daddy. Oh, how I cried. (it's a wonder I got good pics for that poor bride!)

I LOVE writing in the journals we got for you and Hudson. Daddy and I write you letters a couple times a week, telling you of the new things you each are doing.

Hudson Michael,

You are 2.5 half now! You are ALLLLLL BOY BOY BOY! You want to wrestle, jump, ticklefight, climb, scream, yell, fall, watch t.v., play in the sprinklers, and make us LAUGH all the time!
You are learning how to bargain, and think you can make deals ALL the time with mommy and daddy.
It's hilarious! I still sing your night night song to you every day at nap time, and sometimes at bedtime, when daddy needs a break from your night night routine!

Here is your favorite part:

"God bless mommy and matchbox cars
God bless dad, and thanks for the stars
God hears amen, wherever you are,
and I love you.
Godspeed little man,
Sweet Dreams Little Man,
You know my love will fly
to you each night
on Angel's wings."

You make me laugh so much. You require a lot of patience, repetition, and even spankings! haha. You love to sing twinkle twinkle little star, but you say "tinkle tinkle yittle tar." melts my heart every time.

First Swim at the Neighborhood Pool

2010-04-07T21:30:00.004-04:00

1 month in :)

2010-03-29T22:33:00.004-04:00

Blakely Gray: You turned 1 month old on March 24th!
You weigh approximately 6 lbs 10 ounces, and are about 20.5 inches long.
You are in preemie diapers still, and mostly preemie clothes.
You are waking up about 2 times a night to eat now, and sometimes stay awake for a while afterward. But, you are good at switching from nursing to a bottle, so mommy and daddy do get some sleep every now and then.
I love it when you smile REALLY big right before you fall asleep. I try so hard to get it on camera, but haven't been able to yet.
You also LOVE to be held, and may be on your way to being spoiled, but we are loving every second of spoiling you!
Sometimes when you fall asleep you take her hands and fold your ears down, as if to block out all the outside noise :) It's so cute.
Big Brother Hudson is enamored with you. He wants to hold you, kiss you and talk to you all the time!

Blakely Gray is here

2010-03-14T11:21:00.006-04:00

She's here! My water broke at 12:30 am, we got to the hospital around 1:15. I progressed extremely fast from a 4 to a 10 in 14 minutes. I pushed about 8-10 times and out she came at 3:14 a.m. At birth she was 5 lbs 15 ounces, 20 inches long, and a head full of curly brown hair! She is beautiful and we love her. Currently we are waiting for some re-test results on her newborn screening to come back. She may or may not have a rare metabolic disorder, and we are of course in deep prayer over her and are so appreciative of everyone's prayers and thoughts for us. Hudson LOVES LOVES LOVES his baby sister, and we are so amazed at how blessed we are to have such a sweet sweet family!

1 day old

1 day old

Hudson: 2 years 4.5 months old
Blakely: 2 days old

Blakely: 5 days old

Blakely: 5 days old

Blakely: 2.5 weeks old

Working on the Nursery

2010-01-24T16:16:00.002-05:00

More to Come!

Third Trimester

2009-12-22T23:53:00.003-05:00

I am so happy to say we are in our 3rd trimester now. I am 27 weeks and 2 days pregnant. We are DEFINITELY having a girl, and we are naming her:

Blakely Gray Villemain

Here is the bedding that we want for her room (minus the sheet):

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/room/rom/romnur/romnurbrk/

I can't WAIT to have her nursery painted, but still have yet to figure out how I am going to paint it :)

In other good news, I am waiting on another set of bloodwork results. If my antibody levels stay at 1:1 (the lowest possible), then I will be discharged from the specialist!!! how awesome is that! If you see me encourage me to drink water. Blakely's amniotic fluid was at a 9.6 last time we had an u/s. This is still in the normal range, but on the very low side of normal.

Also, my sweet sister and her best friend Barbara are throwing Baby Blakely a shower the first weekend in February! How fun, and what a sweet blessing!

80%

2009-10-13T12:36:00.002-04:00

We were told yesterday at an ultrasound that it's 80% that this baby is a GIRL! how FUN! I also saw the 3 lines indicating girl parts and no boy parts...but the baby BARELY showed us the goods...so we'll have to get confirmation in about a week.

In other news. Huddy Buddy turned 2 on October 3rd. I have a few pics and some videos, but since we are moving this week, I'm having trouble finding the time and organization to get them edited, and uploaded :)

Where we are :)

2009-09-26T14:20:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. So, we have a lot going on right now, but it is all GOOD stuff. We are so thankful for all of the blessings the Lord has laid on us. We have sold our house, and have bought a new house. The closings are set for October 16th. We are very excited about this, and are praying against being anxious about things going well. So far, we have all of our ducks in a row and are even ahead of the game for packing! (Thanks to some sweet sweet friends who helped up empty our CRAZY large attic last night)

The baby seems to be doing well. I will be 15 weeks on Sunday. My next appointment is in 2 weeks with my regular OBGYN. After that appointment we start our specialist visits on Oct 22nd. On the 22nd, we find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl, and if this protein group that Scott has and I don't is affecting the baby. I am nervous off and on about finding that out, and we ask that you pray first and foremost that the baby does NOT have the protein group. If it does, we ask that you also pray that my antibodies are not aggressively attacking the baby's red blood cells.

A dear sweet friend has allowed me to borrow her medical grade fetal doppler, so that I can listen to the baby's heartbeat as much as I need/want to. I listen to it at least 3 times a day. I know that seems excessive, but it really keeps me calm. The heartbeat started out at 160-170 from weeks 10-13, and has now moved more towards the 150s, sometimes high 140s. This drop is normal in the 2nd trimester.

That's the update for now :) Please pray. We know that God uses your prayers to keep us calm and they are such a blessing to us.

PREGNANT :)

2009-09-15T12:34:00.002-04:00

Hey all, we are 13 weeks and 2 days pregnant today! The baby's heartbeat is around 150. Our official due date is on March 21, 2010, but if all goes well, we will have a C-section scheduled for March 14, 2010. We've had 3 sonograms, and the baby looks great!

Vacation Videos!

2009-07-01T18:57:00.004-04:00

We LOVE our FLIP VIDEO:
http://www.theflip.com

It's so small and SO easy to work with. The software is so easy to use and makes it so much easier to post videos than iMovie. WOOHOO.

Now that I'm done with my little commercial, enjoy a few vacation videos of Hudson!

We're BACK :)

2009-06-28T21:47:00.003-04:00

Whew, so I feel SO behind in my family blog. I have TONS AND TONS of cute videos of Hudson that I need to get up. He's talking up a storm, walking, running, destroying things....all boy, all the time. Anyway. This past week, Scott's parents rented a house on Fripp Island for our 2nd annual Villemain family vacation there. It was WONDERFUL. We had so much fun relaxing on the beach and at the pool, playing cards, reading books, going for rides on the golf cart, going fishing, riding bikes on the island....ahhh I miss it already! Here are a few shots from our vacation!

Prayer Needs

2009-05-26T14:25:00.002-04:00

Hi everybody,

So, we are asking for family and friends to pray for us as we move forward with trying to grow our family. We have been medically cleared to start trying for another baby. In the meantime, we are going to be looking into adoption agencies, and hopefully find one that we feel comfortable with. When we do, we will begin adoption classes. This way, if we can't get pregnant, or something happens when we do, we will still be on the road to getting a baby through adoption. We are giving this to the Lord every day, and we are trusting him with our fears, our future, our joy and our faith through this whole part of our life.

Here are a few specific prayer requests that we have:
1. That we could remain calm and trust in the Lord through all of this.
2. For us to get pregnant and for that baby to NOT have the antigen (this would mean there it would be a normal pregnancy)
3. If the baby DOES have the antigen, pray for no major complications with the pregnancy.
4. We would find an adoption agency that we feel comfortable with, and The Lord would help us financially through that process.

Thanks so much for your prayers and thoughts. We are thankful for all of you, and know that God has used your prayers to bless us!

Mother's Day Gift....SHE NEEDS A NAME!

2009-05-10T20:35:00.002-04:00

SO, check out what Hudson and Scott got me for Mother's Day!! It's a way COOL funky plant. It's a ponytail palm tree! Right now it can stay inside for a long time. Eventually, in a year or so, it will get too big for the pot it is in, and will need a bigger pot. It's SOO awesome....and it NEEDS a name! Feel free to add a "slogan" to the name if you feel like it...but a name is good too. We want to have a long list to consider from. So far here are what we have come up with:
"Bathsheeba: The sinful temptation of the King" and "Shakira: Her hair don't lie." Feel free to voice your opinion and/or leave MORE suggestions for names and/or slogans.

Isn't she glamorous?

Also check out the super sweetness that Hudson and Scott drew for me. Scott had to help Huddy Buddy just a little bit...but he did his part too!

Caprese Salad

2009-05-03T21:19:00.002-04:00

OH, this is YUMMY. It's a good pretty healthy snack, a great Hors D'Oeuvres, or even a side if you'd like!

Caprese Salad:

Ingredients:
Fresh Tomatoes
Fresh Basil Leaves
Fresh, REAL Mozerella (comes in a ball shape form)
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt

Directions
Slice Tomatoes, lay on plate or platter
Lay a Basil Leaf on each tomato
Slice Mozerella into quarter size pieces about 1/4 an inch or less thick.
Lay Mozerella on top
Mix 3 TBSP basalmic vinegar and 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, dribble over the top of each tomato slice
grind or sprinkle salt lightly over the top. Eat immediately or put in fridge until ready to serve.

Geneticist and Specialist Appointment

2009-04-29T18:49:00.003-04:00

First off, we want to say thank you for everyone's prayers, kind words of encouragement, and all of the support we are getting from our friends and family. Our appointment went much better than we had been told to expect. First we met with a geneticist who explained in more detail what we "have" and what it can do to our future babies, if we decide to get pregnant again. She also drew out a genetic family tree and told us the probabilities of our children getting other genetic issues, which were all VERY small, but still interesting to know.

We were told, PRAISE THE LORD, that we should try to have at least one more child, and that the risks associated with our next pregnancy are present but not alarmingly high. There is a 50 percent chance the next baby will NOT get the antigen that Scott carries, but there is a 50 percent chance that the baby will. IF the baby does not have it, then the pregnancy will be normal. If the baby DOES have it there are a lot of varying possibilities.

Because my level of antibody is non-detectable right now, it probably wont' get to a reactive level until the middle of my 3rd trimester. If it's past 33 weeks, the baby will be delivered prematurely. If it's before 33 weeks, the baby will have an in utero blood transfusion. However, it still likely that we make it to 36-38 weeks and just have the C-section then with no transfusions, and a very jaundiced baby. But Jaundice can be fixed.

In any other following pregnancies where the baby has the antigen, my body will recognize it even faster and it will not be good.

So, what the Dr. told us bottom line is that there are a LOT of "odds" in the case and right now all the odds are in our favor. That we SHOULD try again, and then after that pregnancy that should by almost all means be successful even if it has some complications, we will reassess about a 3rd child.

We also learned that 77% of Caucasians carry this antigen, and 99% of African Americans carry it. so the antigen is VERY common, and it's very uncommon to find in a couple that one person has it (Scott) and one does not (me).

Because I have the antibody for this antigen, I have to get a medical bracelet or necklace and wear it at all times. If I were in a bad car wreck or needed a blood transfusion for any reason, and were to receive blood with this antigen in it, I would then have a hemolytic reaction causing damage to my organs or even death if it is not caught quickly enough. scary.

anyway, we are praising God for the good news we got today, though our anxiety levels about getting pregnant again are not completely gone. We have been praying through this every day, even multiple times a day and have decided to try and get pregnant again. In the event that we do get pregnant again, I will receive blood work to check my antibody levels every 2 weeks and sonograms every 2 weeks. Please support us with your continued prayers and words of encouragement. We are beyond thankful for all of them and for all of you.

Baked Ziti

2009-04-28T20:38:00.003-04:00

This one originated from Anna P. too, and has become a regular!

Though it's called Baked Ziti, I actually use Penne noodles.

Ingredient list:
1 16 oz box of Whole Wheat Penne Noodles
1 package of ground Mild Italian sausage (use turkey sausage to be healthier ;0))
1 LARGE can of Petite Diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp of Tomato Paste
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp dried Basil or chopped fresh Basil
Half a white onion
1 bag of Shredded Mozerella
1 bag of Shredded Parmesan

Directions:
Dice onion and mince garlic. Saute in LARGE skillet until the onion starts becoming translucent.
Add ground sausage, and cook until sausage is no longer pink at all.
Add can of petite diced tomatoes, AND 1 Tbsp of tomato sauce.
Add 1 Tbsp of Basil
Stir and Simmer on low......

Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees.
Boil your water, pour in noodles and boil for 10 minutes.

when noodles are done, layer the ingredients in a 9x13 casserole dish in this order:

Half of the Noodles
Half of the Meat Sauce
Half the bag of Mozerella
Half the bag of Parmesan
REPEAT :)

Place in the Oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges start turning golden brown :)

ENJOY! this was our leftover's shot!
This is a big dish, it'll feed 4-6 people.

What are Little Boys Made of?

2009-04-28T20:29:00.002-04:00

"Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails....That's what Little boys are made of"

....oh yeah...and WORMS!!!!

Healthy SUPER tasty dinner:

2009-04-22T18:34:00.003-04:00

You can't beat that right! It's Healthy AND super tasty! Promise!

Here's what was for dinner tonight:
BBQ chicken breasts, roasted zucchini, and corn on the cob!
YUUUUUUMMMM!!!

Timing is everything to serve it all warm:
Get the chicken going first, while the chicken is grilling, boil your water, then get the the zucchini in the oven, and then put the corn in the boiling water.... :)

Here's how:
1st: Fire up that grill
Trim and prepare chicken. I like to trim the yuckies off with my kitchen scissors and then tenderize it by using a tenderizer tool or you can just stab it a bunch with a fork on both sides! Good way to get out some aggression! lol

Grill chicken, flipping every 6-7 minutes. We grill on each side twice, brushing with our BBQ sauce. Make sure it's done by cutting into the thickest part to see that there is NO rubbery pink meat, and that the juices run clear.

2nd: pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
Cut zucchini in half longways and then cut it in half again. make 4 spears out of each zucchini. 2 zucchini's cut this way will feed 2-3 people.

Cover a baking sheet WITH SIDES with tinfoil.
Put Zucchini spears on tinfoil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt
Roast in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

For the corn: Boil water on the stove in a BIG pot

Shuck the Corn, removing the greenery and silk.
when the water starts boiling, add corn for 10-15 minutes
serve with Butter and Salt....but not too much if you are trying to be healthy!

Here is the end result. Eat UP!

Appointment

2009-04-21T20:45:00.002-04:00

We have an appointment with a genetic specialist on Wednesday the 29th of April at 2:30. We will keep everyone updated.

Please keep praying:
1. That there is a possibility we can safely have another biological child.
2. We will be able to assess the risks with clear minds and trust in the Lord whether the risks lean in our favor or not.
3. That the Lord would protect our marriage through all of this, and make us stronger.

The Results Are In.....

2009-04-20T18:00:00.002-04:00

So, We got a call today telling us that Scott does indeed have the JKA antigen. He tested positive for it. This is so hard for us. We were NOT told that we cannot/should not try for more children at this point, but to wait and see the results of further testing through a genetic specialist. Although, things are not looking good for us. From what we understand at this point, b/c I have the JKA antibody in my blood and Scott has the acutal JKA antigen in his blood, if our future baby also has the JKA antigen, my body will attack it. There is no shot to fix this like with RH-/+. There is very little research available, b/c it's not very common. However, there is hope, because with our miscarriage my titer level for the antibody was VERY low. It was 1. If my body were attacking the baby, my levels would have been between 4 and 300 or higher. So the thought is that this baby did NOT have the antigen and it was just a "regular miscarriage" Please pray for the following things: 1. that we can have more children. 2. that the pregnancies will occur with no or VERY little complications 3. that the Lord will heal our hearts and give us wisdom on deciding whether or not to pursue having more children. 4. that my heart won't stay broken for long if we are told that we cannot or should not have more children.

We will be seeing a genetic specialist soon, and will keep you updated.

New Recipe: Chicken Fajitas for 2 or 3 :)

2009-04-15T19:22:00.012-04:00

I first must give credit where credit is due: my BFF Anna P. made this for us for dinner one night, and now we make it all the time!

Ingredients and Supplies:
Large Ziploc Bag
Fajita Spice Packet (you can get this in the spice aisle)
2-3 Chicken Breasts
Whatever Veggies you like in your fajitas, I used: 2 Bell Peppers, fresh mushrooms, and half an onion
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil

Directions:
Cut up thawed chicken breasts with kitchen scissors into good size chunks/strips to eat
Chop Veggies to desirable size
Put it all in a Large Ziploc Bag with Olive Oil and Spice Packet, and MUSH MUSH MUSH until the chicken and veggies look well covered with the oil and spices.

Heat oven to 375 degrees
Line a baking sheet that has sides with tin foil, place everything in the ziploc baggie on the baking sheet.
Make a "cover" for the baking sheet with tin foil, but cut a slit down the middle, place over the top like a "tent"
Bake for 25 minutes at 375.

Tortillas: Layer flour tortillas on a plate between paper towels, microwave for 15-20 seconds right before it's time to eat.

Put everything together with sides you like...we always do grated cheese and sour cream....
EAT! SO yummy!

My Neice: Kate Nunnallee

2009-04-14T23:02:00.002-04:00

Here is my sweet niece! Not sure if they named her Kate Melanie Nunnallee or Melanie Kate Nunnallee; I forgot to ask what they decided to put on the birth certificate! BUT, I do know that she will be called Kate, she was born at 12:19 pm today, weighing 8 lbs 1 ounce, and measuring in at 19 and 3/4 inches long! She's a doll, and Papa Dale and Nana already have her in UGA gear of course!!

Growing: A Side Project

2009-04-14T12:47:00.003-04:00

Soooo, I was at Target, and in those SUPER COOL $1.00 bins they had these mini clay pots with different spices/herbs you can grow! I got Basil, Parsley, Oregano, and Chives! Here is a picture of them sprouting! Stay tuned to see their progress! I can't wait to cook with them!!!!

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips

2009-04-11T22:14:00.004-04:00

Hey all! This is a tasty little dish, that has a simple recipe, but it takes a little bit of time to chop up all of the fruit! It is SO worth it though!

Jessica's Fruit Salsa

3 Fuji apples: peeled, cored, chopped
1 lb Strawberries: chopped
8-12 oz blackberries: cut into 4ths
2 Kiwis: peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp white sugar
2-3 Tbsp preserves of your choice: I usu. use strawberry or blueberry

Cut up fruit, and mix it and all other ingredients together in a bowl.

Now for the chips:

10 ten inch flour tortillas
3-4 C of cinnamon sugar in a large ziploc bag
Either melted butter OR butter flavored cooking spray

Spray or brush each side of the tortillas with butter/butter spray
Use a pizza cutter to slice them into chips of your preferred dipping size
Bake at 350 on cookie sheets for about 10 minutes
Take out, let cool for 10 minutes, serve with chilled fruit salsa! SO GOOD!!

Don't you just want to EAT them all NOW!!

Scott is Half way done with p90x: Check out my BEEFCAKE!

2009-04-10T13:33:00.007-04:00

So, here are some before and afters of Scott's crazy p90x workout system. For those of you who haven't seen the amazingly cheesy infomericial....p90x is a Beachbody program that Scott V., Robert P. , James B. and a few other guys they know decided to do!
There are a few poses they do for their before and after. I'm going to try and arrange the pictures so you see a before pose, followed by it's after pose....for each pose.

Before: no flex After: no flex

Before: Flex
After: Flex

Before: Flex After: Flex

After: Super Flex :)

After: Super Flex

One of our FAVORITE meals....

2009-04-08T20:18:00.004-04:00

Hey all, I've had some requests from friends to post some recipes! I do love to cook. This is one of our regulars!

Grilled Salmon with a Brown Sugar Glaze, Wild Rice, and Green Beans.

Recipe:

Salmon: Fresh Salmon from your grocery store of choice (1 lb will feed 2 adults a toddler)

Jessica's yummy Brown Sugar Glaze: Mix 2 Tbsp of Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Pour over Salmon, and marinate for at least 10-15 minutes
Grill outside if possible, if not good old George Foreman
gets the job done! Grill on scaly side for 3 minutes til it pulls off easy, then grill on each side for 4-6 minutes.

Wild Rice: I cheat on this one...Uncle Ben's..it's sooo tasty! (follow box directions)

Green Beans: Fresh Green Beans, clean and cut off ends
put in large frying pan with the following:
1 Tbsp REAL butter
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sprinkle with Salt
When almost done....sprinkle with sugar. ( cook in pan until beans are as soft as you like. I usually cook them for about 15-20 minutes on Medium heat)

This meal is SOO tasty and healthy, even my 18 month old LOVES it!
See: that, my friends, is my toddler eating FISH!

Scott's lack of test results....

2009-04-06T17:15:00.003-04:00

SO, as I am typing this I am trying REALLY hard not to be angry beyond a reasonable point. After ALL that we have gone through (which was a lot) to make sure they tested Scott for the right thing, the Dr. didn't think we knew what we were talking about and ordered a different test than was needed. Scott of course tested negative for this random other test the Dr. thought he needed, and the Dr. ALSO has had the results since WEDNESDAY of last week, and had not contacted us or my OBGYN like he was supposed to. We have never had problems with our primary care physician until now. Please pray for us, as this is disappointing news, and we are back to square one on finding out what we really need to know before we try to get pregnant again or not. Scott is supposed to be having his bloodwork re-done either today or tomorrow. We'll keep everyone updated.

Hudson is 18 months!!!!!!!!

2009-04-05T18:17:00.002-04:00

Yummy Yummy Dinner

2009-03-30T16:34:00.002-04:00

So, I've been asked to NOT just post things about Hudson, and to include stuff we are doing in life too. One of the things I LOVE to do is cook, bake, grill. (CONFESSION: Really Scott does the actual grilling part, but I prepare the marinades and all the food that goes on the grill)
Anyway, lately we eat dinner with The Middleton's a LOT. Usually on Friday nights. It works out nice b/c we LOVE their company, and we both have toddlers who just so happen to love to play together! Here's a snapshot of our yummy dinner from this past Friday! What is your favorite meal to grill?

Update on Us

2009-03-26T09:04:00.002-04:00

We had our check up a week after our miscarriage and D&C. We are thankful to announced that the pathology on the baby came back normal with no outstanding reasons from miscarriage. This is a very good thing. Everything internally is back to normal and is healthy according to my OBGYN. However, the maternal fetal medicine specialist wants to have Scott's blood tested for a protein group that my blood carries the antibody for. We have known since Hudson that I have a rare antibody in my blood. It is called the "anti-JKA protein antibody" This should not present a problem with our future babies except if Scott carries the actual protein. The doctors are pretty sure this did not cause my miscarriage because my antibody levels were >1 before this pregnancy, 1 while I was pregnant, and 1 after the miscarriage. Because they raised a VERY tiny bit, they want to be 100% sure that Scott does not have the protein in his blood. If he does, we may have a very hard time having future successful pregnancies. Though, the doctors have encouraged me in saying if this were the case in my last pregnancy my antibody levels would have been in the 100's or at least raised significantly, and they were not. Not many people have heard of this protein group. It is VERY similar to RH -/+, BUT there is no Rhogam shot to "fix it." Scott will have his bloodwork done Tuesday the 31st, and we hope to have results back by Friday. Please pray first and foremost that Scott tests NEGATIVE for the Anti-JKA protein antigen, and secondly that we will NOT drive ourselves crazy with worry for something that is very unlikely for him to have anyway. Not sure who really all reads this, but we would love your prayers! Thank you so much!

Please Pray for Us: Our hearts are hurting.

2009-03-19T23:10:00.002-04:00

We were 11 weeks pregnant with our 2nd baby. We got to see his or her little heartbeat twice, but after some complications, we went in for our 3rd sonogram and the baby had no heartbeat. We desperately need your prayers as this is such an overwhelming time in our lives in many ways. We are leaning on the Lord and each other and our sweet family and friends. We know the Lord is going to provide for us and that He is protecting us, but the pain is still so harsh and scathing. My womb feels so empty and so does my heart. We pray that our little one knows how much we love him or her, and we pray that the Lord will just hold him or her close to His heart. I miss our baby and long to have him back inside of me growing, but I also know the Lord took the baby for a reason. I have moments of peace and deep understanding followed by moments of deep despair, and I am so thankful for my sweet husband who comforts me through it all. We are also thankful for all of your prayers, support, love, and the meals. We ask that you pray for healing in our hearts, and also that my physical pain would subside because it is pretty debilitating right now and it is a constant reminder of the emotional pain. We love you and are thankful for all of you.

Christmas and Such

2008-12-28T16:15:00.004-05:00

Here are a few random shots from all the different Christmas Parties we went to. I think we are missing the party from my parent's house b/c we took pics on my dad's camera there. We got Hudson a large bookshelf to put all of his books he already has and his TON of new books that we gave him for christmas this year on. I know it seems kind of lame, but he LOVES books. Sometimes when he gets really quiet in his room, we'll go peek in on him and he's sitting on the ground "reading" his books. This generally means he is flipping the pages, pointing and sometimes jabbering as he points. He's growing up so fast, I cannot even believe it!

Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer

2008-12-06T21:29:00.002-05:00

He's Got Skills, and he knows how to use them...

2008-11-17T20:03:00.004-05:00

So Hudson has been clapping for a while, but he recently in the last month or so has started waving bye-bye, and he started stacking blocks about 2 weeks ago when he was playing with his Uncle Brian.

Birthday Cake FUN!

2008-11-17T19:54:00.004-05:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to get these clips and photos up. Life's just been real busy! Here is a clip from Hudson's 1st birthday party. We stripped him down to his diaper so he could get as messy as he wanted while eating his cake! He had a great time!

Just some Random cuteness

2008-11-17T19:46:00.003-05:00

Here are some fun moments from the last month or so.

4th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

2008-11-17T19:39:00.002-05:00

These are a little after the fact, but here are some fun shots from The Villemain's 4th annual Pumpkin Carving Party! We hope you all can be there next year!!

...and the TROGDOR comes in THE NIIIIIIGHT.

2008-11-02T21:39:00.003-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone! Here is Hudson BEFORE he barfed all over his cute costume and didn't get to go trick-or-treating.

Look Who's WALKING!!!

2008-10-09T20:35:00.003-04:00

We were playing with Hudson tonight, and he decided to start taking 3-4 steps at a time. I'm sure he'll be running by the end of next week! You'll have to excuse the messy house and appearance. I am so excited that Scott was home for this, because he gets sad sometimes that he doesn't get to see as many "firsts" as I do. Good job Huddy Buddy for saving this one up for daddy!

Hudson's Mess

2008-10-03T14:05:00.005-04:00

Daddy left Hudson's cereal bowl on the edge of the kitchen table. Little did I know...Hudson can reach things on the top of the kitchen table now. He was so messy, and so proud of himself, I couldn't even be a little mad.

WE LOVE the FALL!!

2008-10-01T16:50:00.003-04:00

Here are some shots of Hudson I took today. He was so fascinated with the ducks in the pond an the pumpkin in his lap, that I could hardly get him to look at me. I can't believe he'll be one on Friday!!

Shave and Haircut....

2008-09-13T22:02:00.002-04:00

So, this is actually Hudson's 3rd haircut. But, it was his first in the actual hair salon where his Aunt Erica works. I wore the cape thingy and held him in my lap. We gave him a sucker to distract him while Erica cut his hair. He dropped it, but don't worry we didn't give it back afterwards!

Go Cubs Go

2008-09-10T13:42:00.002-04:00

Here are a few shots from Hudson's first Cubs game. Papi got him his first Cubs shirt and hat to wear to the game. He did great, and made lots of friends. Hudson kept bumming french fries off the guys sitting behind us, and getting high fives from the other fans.

What's Up Doc?

2008-09-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've had a few requests. There will be some rolling in soon. We have been out of town in the Chicago area for the last week or so. Hudson got to meet his Great Grandma on my side. He also met his Great Great Aunt Lois who is 87, as well as his 2nd cousin, Claire. She is 3.5 months old. Scott and I got to see the city, go to a Cubs game, a few museums, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Navy Pier fireworks, and much more. We will be posting more videos and pics soon. But here are a few that came before our trip.

In the Summertime, When the Weather is Right...

2008-07-19T15:11:00.003-04:00

Some snapshots of our summer fun:

These are shots from Hilton Head, Fripp Island, 4th of July, and the guest bathroom sink.
Enjoy!

CRAWLING....sort of :)

2008-06-17T19:31:00.003-04:00

crawl: a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body

Hudson began working on this at the beach last week when he was trying to keep up with his buddy Owen. (You'll see pics of them later in a post about the beach). We are so proud of him. He is exactly 8.5 months old today, and he is on the move for the first time as you'll see below in the video:

As you can imagine this is SO fun for us, but at the same time it amazes me that he is already 8.5 months old and learning to move around by himself. This is just one of the million moments I know I will have where I am proud of his developing independence, but bittersweet about not being needed as much as I was before. They DO grow up SO fast. I know he's still a baby, but honestly it's so crazy how fast time has gone by so far.

Dad's Day Came Early

2008-06-06T23:02:00.005-04:00

Me and Mommy surprised Daddy with an early Father's Day surprise. I got daddy some sweet supplies for our trip to the beach, and Mommy got him his favorite breakfast and dessert. She also helped me make that cool sign you see behind us. As another early Father's day gift, I have been saying the words "dadadadadadada" lately. He really really likes it, so I humor him every now and then. Mommy must really love daddy because she put in a lot of hard work to help me get this together for him. Thanks Mommy.

Fish heads Fish heads, roly poly Fish heads!

2008-06-02T18:05:00.006-04:00

Mom and Dad bought a bike seat for me, and Aunt April let us borrow Brice's infant bike helmet. It has 3 different covers. On my first bike ride, I was a fish!!! (You'll have to stay tuned to see what other creatures I can turn into!) Check me out:

Moving a Little Fast

2008-06-02T18:00:00.004-04:00

This is Hudson and Zoe. They switched between pushing each other and squeezing eachother's faces to kissing :) It was so funny. Hudson was a pretty aggressive little guy when it came to the kissing! Watch OUT ladies!!

Boating and Sunning At Nana and Papa's Houseboat

2008-05-29T13:16:00.003-04:00

Swimming at Grandma Winnie's

2008-05-29T13:09:00.003-04:00

Trip to the Park

2008-05-28T14:17:00.002-04:00

We took a family trip to the park yesterday. Hudson got in the baby swing for the first time! He LOVED it!

Photo Update

2008-05-19T20:01:00.002-04:00

Here is Hudson at 7.5 months. He's such a sweetie! He's thinking about crawling, but I dont' think it'll happen anytime too soon. We are also proud to announce that my cousin Gina Secrist had a baby girl this morning. They named her Claire Elizabeth. She is 18 inches long and weighs 6 lbs and 3 ounces (I think 3 ounces, I may have gotten that part wrong!) Everyone is healthy and happy! I can't wait to see some pics!

FAQ: Can Hudson Talk Yet?

2008-05-03T17:58:00.003-04:00

Well, as far as actually forming words....no. But he makes numerous sounds, only some of which are captured on this video. He mostly laughs and giggles, spits, and makes screeching vowel sounds. But hey, who knows if he thinks he's saying something, and we just can't understand it. He can make the following consonant sounds: "Guh," "Puh", "Kuh" "Yie", and his all time favorite, "RAAAAAAAAAAAH" like a lion. He usually does this one right before he's going to "bite". So, watch out if you are holding him and he makes that noise....

Hudson and some good friends!

2008-04-30T08:37:00.004-04:00

Here are some pics of Hudson with a few good friends. These were taken at Chris and Deanna's wedding shower, and then at Erika Bible's birthday party. The first one is of Brooke and Hudson, the second Aimee and Hudson, and the third Rivers and Hudson!

Thinking about it, but not really getting anywhere

2008-04-30T08:33:00.002-04:00

Hudson can get on his hands and knees now, but he can't really go anywhere yet. He's really proud of himself for being up on his hands knees though. I can't believe he is going to start crawling soon. He'll be 7 months on the 3rd of May! Yikes, time is FLYING by.

You're a Jumping Bean!

2008-04-22T14:46:00.003-04:00

This is Hudson in his Rainforest Jumperoo! The video actually makes me dizzy, so consider yourself warned. The close up of his feet cracks me up; he looks like a ballerina or something! He LOVES his jumper. Every morning when he wakes up, it's the first thing he wants to do!

SPLISH, SPLASH, I was takin' a bath

2008-04-19T16:42:00.002-04:00

Hudson figured out how to SPLASH!

Look at me, I can sit up!

2008-04-15T16:58:00.003-04:00

Sitting up is fun! I can't get to this position by myself, but once mommy puts me here, I can stay for quite a while! I think it's very funny

Half a Year old ALREADY!

2008-04-03T20:14:00.006-04:00

Dad called mom from work today, and said we needed to have a 6 month celebration for me when he got home from work. So mom got right to it, and baked a whole lot of cupcakes, and made me a special hat and everything. Here are some pictures of my little party, and a few other shots of me on the day I turned half a year old! Mom and dad are excited that I am happy and growing, but sad that it's happening SO fast!

Rubber Ducky, You're So Fun

2008-03-30T21:42:00.002-04:00

Bath time is more fun when I get to sit up!

1st Haircut!

2008-03-30T21:35:00.003-04:00

Aunt Erica cut Hudson's hair. He was born with a mullet, and it has gotten longer and longer. We couldn't wait anymore! We saved the clippings for his baby book though. Sorry to everyone who thought we should wait, and congrats to everyone who has been insisting upon the haircut since he has been born :) Hudson did very well during the cut.

Hudson's first Houseboat Trip!

2008-03-22T22:53:00.002-04:00

Hudson went to Nana and Papa's houseboat today! He had so much fun! Mom got to lay out, dad got to play RockBand with some guys, and Hudson got to play on the front porch of the boat!

The little Socialite

2008-03-05T07:50:00.003-05:00

Hudson had a play date with Caroline Hardy yesterday. This time he hung out with an older woman. Katie and her husband have the coolest little playroom. Hudson loved all the bright colors and the sweet baby girl he met!

Play Date with Georgia Walden

2008-02-28T15:36:00.002-05:00

Today was Hudson's first play date! He thought Georgia was SOOO pretty! He smiled, stared, and talked to her the whole time!

Yummy in My Tummy

2008-02-28T15:29:00.003-05:00

Hudson started eating "real" food this week. As you can see from the smile and the mess on his face, he LOVES it!

Hudson 3, Mr Lion 0

2008-02-28T15:21:00.003-05:00

Hudson has been having staring contests with Mr. Lion. He'll stare him down for over 10 minutes. Then, he'll knock him down and giggle.

GIGGLE GIGGLE!

2008-02-26T15:47:00.002-05:00

Mommy and Daddy have been trying to capture my laugh on video for a few months now. I finally gave in and let them do it!

Getting up There

2008-02-04T16:17:00.001-05:00

I am 4 months old now! I got my second round of vaccines today. That wasn't too fun. It hurt pretty bad, but once mommy picked me up I was all giggles and smiles. I am 25 inches long, 12 lbs 11oz, and my head circumference is 16.5 inches. I'm in the 50th percentile for height and head circumference, and in between the 5th and 10th percentile for weight. The doctor put me on rice cereal to help me beef up a little.
I really like to lay on my tummy and pick up my head to look around. I am working on rolling over. I should have some new pics up from Haley Lamb Photography pretty soon. I'm pretty darn cute if you ask my mommy and daddy!
I am in my crib full time now. Mommy and Daddy are happy to have their room back to themselves!

Under the Sea and Dreaming

2008-01-16T19:53:00.001-05:00

Daddy and I played this morning at about 5 a.m. I caught a fish and tried to eat it, but as you can see I don't quite have things figured out yet. I'm starting to get used to using my hands...

In it for the Long Haul

2008-01-11T15:21:00.000-05:00

Last night, I slept the longest I have ever continuously slept. 8 and a half hours! Mommy and Daddy were so proud of me. Although, they keep talking about putting me in my crib tonight and seeing how long I'll sleep in there. We'll see what I think about that...hehe.

Welcome to My Blog!

2008-01-10T12:43:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody! This is my first post. Just wanted to update you on life so far. I JUST started sleeping a decent amount of hours at night. Mommy is much happier and relaxed during the day. I think I'll keep it up! I also started giggling a few days after Christmas. At first I would start laughing and it would scare me, so I would cry. Then, I would laugh some more, but it would scare me again, and I would cry some more. But now, it's not so scary, and I love to giggle. Mommy and Daddy keep trying to "get it on camera", but I refuse to laugh when they put that thing in my face.