What a difference a year makes!

Brad and I decided that we would tackle Christmas decorating today which means that we had to first go and pick out our tree. I am super excited that Brad gave in and agreed to a live tree as that is what I grew up with and believe it is the only way to go (my dad will be so proud)! Two Christmas tree lots later, we had the perfect tree and it was time to start decorating.
These days (almost 35 weeks!), I do everything I possibly can in my pjs since they are so much more comfortable and I figured this project would be no exception. That is until Brad told me I needed to stay dressed because we had to take pictures since this would be our first real Christmas together. What?!? I couldn't believe it but he was right. It will be our third Christmas together, but first being married and getting OUR house ready for the Holidays. It is crazy to think about that just one year ago, Brad and I had not had our amazing wedding and certainly did not have any idea of the blessing we would have with Lillian! It was a very clear reminder that we can never imagine how quickly our lives can change or the many gifts God has in store for us.

Can you tell I am a little overwhelmed by the task ahead?

Brad trying to keep Emily from taking out the tree - Already!

Baby Shower

I had my first baby shower Sunday in Birmingham and it was so much fun! I was able to spend time with some of my favorite people in the world and got some fabulous gifts for Lillian as well. I cannot say enough about how blessed Brad and I are to have this type of love and support during such an exciting time in our lives!

This is my life-long best friend, Tracy, who came in from NC to help with my shower...
She also MADE this incredible cake - I cannot believe how talented she is!...
My other best friend, April, is due just 10 days after me so we had to do a belly shot...
My precious grandmother also came...
These are all the wonderful hostesses that made this day so special for me (They are all so amazing and I can't thank them enough!!!)...

Happy Halloween!!!

Poor Emily! Since Lillian is not here yet for us to torture with costumes, our dog was forced to be our victim for yet another year. I cannot say enough about how much she hated it OR how much Brad and I loved it! Seriously, we both laughed until we were crying. I believe the look on her face sums up her humiliation and frustration at being dressed in the rooster costume (which I must add is a little too small). Lillian has no idea what she is in for! :)

Pictures!!!

So, it only took ALL weekend, but Brad was able to figure out how to get the pictures from the 4D ultrasound where we could post them. Here are just a few - Enjoy!

She looked so peaceful with her little hands up by her face...
Was I kidding about how much she looks like Brad?...
Towards the end, we even got this little grin...
We love her so much and can't wait for January to meet her!

Lillian in 4D

Brad and I went for our 4D ultrasound today and it was truly amazing! I had debated whether I even wanted to do it since it is fairly expensive and many that I have seen either didn't produce good pictures or just looked really strange (sometimes even creepy). Now, I can't say enough about how happy we are that we chose to do it!
There is some good news and some bad news however, from the experience. The good news is that we got some fabulous pictures of our beautiful little girl, but the bad news is that we only have them in hard copies and on DVD so there is no way for me to post any of the actual images. You will just have to take my word for it when I say that she already looks EXACTLY like her daddy! From the first glimpse I had of her, I was blown away by being able to see Brad's nose, mouth and chin on Lillian. This is not just something I see... the ultrasound tech, our doctor and both of my friends that have seen the pictures, all said that she looks just like Brad. As I find him to be super cute, I couldn't be more thrilled for this to be the case. :) Maybe she will be as precious as our niece, Carson, who also got the strong "Carter genes"!
The one slightly interesting (and possibly a little disturbing) thing that came out of our ultrasound visit is that the tech said that Lillian is weighing in at 3 pounds and 8 ounces. Although that amount seemed extremely large to both Brad and I, she assured us that was average and we let it go. I have since done some research however, that says the average baby at 29 weeks only weighs about 2 1/2 pounds! Obviously, we are now praying that she either doesn't know what she is talking about or meant to say 2 pounds and 8 ounces! I am comforting myself by focusing on the fact that Brad and I are both small people and it seems highly unlikely we would produce an abnormally large baby - right???

Nursery Update

Finally... Progress is being made on the nursery! Lillian's bedding has come in and it looks fantastic! We have also ordered the pictures to hang in her room and let me say, that is a relief. Anyone who has read the blog of my friend, April Reed, will find this story especially funny... When Brad and I were looking at prints for the nursery he really liked this one of a bunny (I have included a picture of it). I told him that if he liked it, we should get it. He kept hesitating and eventually told me that he was afraid if we got the one bunny picture, I was going to get stuck on that and have the whole nursery covered in bunny items. He was afraid we would end up with a "bunny theme"... HA! I guess men really do have a fear of a theme getting out of control. :) I was able to assure him that we were not going to have a nursery theme and that I was capable of having just the one "bunny item".

This is the infamous bunny picture and it will hang over Lillian's dresser/changing area. I think Brad did a great job picking it out! We ordered this picture with Lillian's initials to hang over her crib. I LOVE IT!!!
This is the main fabric that Lillian's bedding and curtains are made from... Is it not so sweet?!
We chose this as the accent fabric... I really wanted to have more green (my favorite color) than pink for the bedding.
I can't wait to get everything set up in the nursery so that I can post some pictures of the final product!

A New Job and Growing Belly!

We got some very exciting news on Friday... Brad got a new job offer! As some of you may know, the job he had with United Rentals was not a very good situation and we had been praying for some time now for something better to come along. The answer to that prayer started about a month ago when a friend of Brad's told him that his company, Medrad, was looking for a new rep for the state of Alabama and that he would be more than happy to refer him for the position. Brad researched the company, felt that it would be the perfect opportunity and three interviews later, got the job! He will be selling medical equipment in radiology labs within hospitals (that is the simplified version that I understand enough to explain :) ). There will be some traveling, but it is a small sacrifice for us to make for all of the benefits this job offers. Thanks to those who have prayed with us for this opportunity to work out!


Also, we are now just over 24 weeks (I prefer to say 6 months because it just sounds further along) and the belly is definitely growing! These pictures are from Tuscaloosa this weekend for my cousin's wedding and you can really see the change from just under 3 weeks ago.