Work Baby Shower for Matry- 31.5 weeks!

A sign I made for Matry's room- Emry has one too!

Yikes! A belly shot for Taylor.

Here is the glider my parents got us- I absolutely love it!


















I bought this diaper bag for myself- it's perfect!

The cutest photo album- ever!

Diapers- thank God!

This is obviously for when she is closer to 9 mths old.

My boss, Shelley, made these. Sooooo cute!

Shelley also got us these- Matry's name is even on her robe!

This is also from Shelley (she went over and beyond). It is a diaper changing mat and wipes holder- so smart!

...and more from Shelley...

From Janine- Matry's very own photo album- starring her (of course!)

My coworkers were wonderful to me this morning and threw a baby shower for Matry. We got so much great (and useful) stuff! Who knew there is stuff called butt paste? The food at the party was amazing- homemade Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecake- need I say more? After trucking in all of our goodies (and putting Emry to bed for a much-needed nap) I took pictures of just about everything we received. The coolest part was seeing everything with her name on it- it makes it feel so much more real! Here are some pictures, and I will upload pictures from the actual shower once I get them from my coworkers. Enjoy!

30 weeks (and one day)- let the countdown begin!

30 weeks and 1 day! Matry is growing every day but she still hasn't decided to turn. Her head (and feet!) are right under/in my ribs- she seems to be comfortable while I, on the other hand, am constantly uncomfortable. The Stakes family (Ben, me and Em) actually went and registered last weekend at Baby's R Us. They give you a list of items to register for- I'm telling you, if that wasn't overwhelming I don't know what is! We had a good time picking things out that we need, and Emry had a great time using the gun. If interested in looking at what we registered for just go to the the Baby's R Us website and search for the registry under our last name. On to other (more exciting) news, Andrea and Mark are in the hospital as we speak- despite the blizzard we should be welcoming Caroline very soon! We are all so excited here and waiting by the phone with anticipation. Hurry up, Caroline! Love to everybody near and far. Let the countdown begin!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Stakes!

Santa!? Nope- just me! Here I am- getting bigger and bigger every day!

Emry with her 'sister and brother' Fenway and Bruno'.

Ben and Emry were both very excited Santa came!

So, not much has happened since Christmas. I'm getting bigger and Matry is having her daily hiccups, but other than that we are just waiting on her cousin Caroline to come! Emry was very excited for Christmas this year- her Christmas list looked more like a teenager's with an ipod and computer topping her list, but we remembered she is a 5-yr-old when she also asked for a hamster. Needless to say, Santa (and Memere and Pepere) were good to her bringing her most of her list- even to include a (fake) hamster! Thank goodness the little thing is fake because Bruno would have felt we got him a toy if we brought a live one in the house. I've posted some pictures of Emry and her 'brother and sister' (Bruno and Fenway) opening gifts. We were all very lucky and got everything we wanted for Christmas. 2011 is going to be a great year- so many exciting things coming our way! We love and miss all of our family who are not here to celebrate the holidays, but we will see all of you very soon! Merry Christmas, and here is to a wonderful new year!

Matry- 27 weeks. First day of my last trimester!!!

Here she is! Well, it's easy to see- Matry has my nose! It seems she has Ben's full lips and the shape of his eyes. Poor baby has my cheeks and round face! I can't get over how weird it feels to see her. Every sonogram gets a little more detailed- she finally looks like a little human being! Right now Matry is breech and her feet are up by her ears. We can't get over how huge her lips are- she was sucking on her bottom lip nearly the entire session. Anyway- here are some pictures. Merry Christmas!

A good picture of her leg, ankle bone and foot. She already has Ben's muscles (that's what Emry says at least!) :)

Look at the cheeks on this kid. Another two and a half months of baking- I'm afraid to see how much more they can grow!

Saturday Church...

A quick post- We went to Church last night at Community Bible Church in San Antonio for their Christmas special. It was amazing- like going to a holiday concert! Emry had a great time and it was amazing to see so many babies everywhere in their holiday outfits- I can't wait! Hurry up and come, Caroline!! Anyway, a few pictures of the Stakes' family in front of the Church Christmas tree as well as some silly pictures at dinner afterward. Love and miss you all.

A little bump in the road...

Hello all! Sorry I haven't written in a while- life has been kind of crazy. Last week I started having contractions, and apparently having contractions when you are only six-and-a-half months along is not a good thing. I was admitted in to labor and delivery (twice in two days) where they finally learned I have a bladder infection- who knew? Anyway, after some IV fluids and being put on an antibiotic all is peachy. And, of course, the entire time Matry was being monitored she was having a ball. She seems to be a bit spastic- almost like she scares herself when she moves. The best way I can explain it is she seems to be like my parent's dog, Sophie. For those of you who know Sophie, you understand. I hope she grows out of that stage, otherwise it should be interesting. I've attached a picture of what happens when it's difficult to get an IV to stay. Fun stuff!

Matry- 6 months

So we went for another 3-d sonogram today. Matry looks like a real baby compared to her alien-like photo shoot last time. She was moving around a ton and was having fun kicking me. She likes having her hands in her face and sucking on her hand. Here are some pictures of her- enjoy!