Edie's first visit with Santa

Hi everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Things are pretty busy here with Edie, and I don't have much time to get on the computer. Hopefully one day soon I will update the blog with pictures of Edie from months 2-5. Matthew and I took Edie to visit Santa this past Saturday...and we actually got a smile out of her:) I don't think the picture could have turned any better. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox greeting

A Milestone!

I will remember August 11th as one of the happiest nights of my life. Edie slept through the entire night!!! Matthew and I are so proud of her:) We think that the new blanket we are using to swaddle her (a Kiddopotamus) is helping her to sleep more soundly. Any other time we swaddled her at night she would somehow wiggle out of her blanket several times throughout the night. Here is a picture I took of Edie the morning after her long night of sleep. I hope this pattern continues!!!

Splish Splash!

Here is a picture of Edie's first bath. She just loves bath time:) It is one of her favorite parts of the day.

Sneak Peak of Edie's Nursery

The nursery is not quite finished...I still have to pick out curtains and add a few finishing touches. But for now Edie just loves her nursery...and so do I:) Her daddy and Papa painted her room a beautiful lilac color (which turned out so great). Edie and I spend many hours in her rocking chair talking, singing, and reading books. It is such a peaceful room:)

Acid Reflux

Poor Edie has acid reflux! The good news is that this is a common occurrence and an easy fix according to our pediatrician. Edie now takes a liquid form of Zantac twice a day and she is feeling much better. She now weights 7 lbs. 1 oz. and is only waking up once or twice during the night for feedings. I can't believe she is over a month old...time is going by so fast!

Here is a picture of Edie's first trip to the doctor...her sweet Nana gave her that adorable dress:)

Our new home!

The past few months have been really crazy! On top of preparing for Edie's arrival, Matthew and I also purchased our first home:) We were literally moving into our new home on the same day Edie was born. Here is a picture of the front of the house. As soon as we get a few more boxes unpacked, I will post some pictures of the inside.

She's Here!!!

We are so happy to introduce everyone to our beautiful daughter, Edie Elizabeth Allen. Edie arrived on Monday, June 29th at 4:10 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 7.5 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long. We are having so much fun getting to know her:)

Showers of Love Part 2

Here are a few pictures of the baby shower our wonderful friends Jackie and Julie threw for us in Houston. It was so nice to relax and enjoy a nice meal with the people we love!

The best burp cloths ever...thanks Mike and Julie!!!

Mike and Julie got us this adorable outfit with a picture of our dog Buddy on it...super cute!!!

Me with the party planners!

I was so lucky to have the best kindergarten class this year. I not only fell in love with the kids, but I also loved working with their parents. Here are a few pictures of the baby shower my kindergarten class had for me at school. Sorry, but I could only put up pictures of the backs of heads of the kiddos in my class. Otherwise, I would have to get permission from their parents.

They had so much fun helping me open my presents

The kids loved trying to guess how big my belly was!

Showers of Love

Matthew and I were blessed with several baby showers over the past several months. Here are a few pictures from each. The first set are from my baby shower in my hometown of Winnfield, Louisiana. One of my childhood friends Lindsey, her mom-Mrs. Pat, and Matthew's Aunt Sheila hosted the event. It was such a special way to spend time with friends and family:)

Me with the hostesses

I love these girls!It was so sweet of our friends Jackie and Brandon to drive all the way from Houston for the baby shower
My wonderful team of Kindergarten teachers held a baby shower for me at school. It was so much fun, and I really loved the surprise cake they ordered for me. Geaux Tigers!!!

The CAKE!!!
My wonderful team of teachers I get to work with everyday...I am so lucky!

Maternity Pictures

My wonderful and talented friend Jackie took these picture of us so that we could remember this special time preparing for Edie's arrival. Here are just a few...enjoy:)

Just a few pictures from Easter

I know that these pictures are really late, but I guess late is better than never:) These were taken on Easter Sunday at my mom and dad's house in Natchitoches. We had a wonderful day visiting and spending time with family (and when I say family...I mean my BIG family-I think that there were almost 25 of us together for Easter Sunday dinner!)

4 (including Edie) generations of women in my family

Finally...a new post!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates in the past few months...but between work, preparing for Edie, and buying a house things have been a little crazy:) Now that school is out for the summer, I will do my best to update everyone on what has been going on in the past few months.

Glucose Screening

I had a monthly appointment with my doctor last Monday. Everything was great:) We did not do an ultrasound, but we did get to hear Edie's heartbeat:) While I was at the doctor's office, I did a standard glucose screening. I got my results back a few days later and everything was perfect! Hooray!!!

Now my appointments will be twice a month until the month of June when I will be coming in each week. In the meantime, Matthew and I are busy house hunting and preparing for Edie's arrival. We still have so much to do, but thankfully we have a wonderful support system in our friends and family who are so willing to help out in any way they can:)

We have a name!!!

After much thought and deliberation, Matthew and I have finally decided on a name for our beautiful little girl...Edie Elizabeth Allen. The name Edie is in honor of my grandmother (my dad's mom) Edith. Although she passed away before I was born, I have always felt a special connection to her. My dad says that I posses many of the same qualities that she had, and I so proud to name my daughter after a such wonderful woman. The name Elizabeth was easy to decide upon. Both Matthew and I have always loved that name, and Elizabeth was such a righteous woman. Her commitment and dedication to God was amazing!

Both Matthew and I cannot wait until the day we get to hold our precious baby girl. In the meantime, we will just have to practice with our friend's (Mike and Julie) little girl. Her name is Lily and she is a cutie pie. I just know that she and Edie will be great friends:)

Update:)

I'm so sorry it has been so long since my last update. We have been really busy getting ready for the baby and spending time with friends and family. In February, Jared and Katie made their annual trip to Houston. We had so much fun hanging out with them! It made us wish we lived a little closer:)

Here we are at the House of Blues!

In February, we were lucky enough to have visits from Matthew Carroll, Matthew's brother Peter, and his beautiful bride-to-be Sarah. We can't wait until their wedding in August!!!

In March, we were able to spend time Lindsey Thurmon...oops Norris and her wonderful husband Brad. Lindsey was in town taking a test and they stopped by for a quick visit. We were also able to spend my birthday weekend with my parents and my brother who helped us pick out essential items for the baby such as a crib and a stroller. We are so grateful to have been able to spend time with the people we love!

Enjoying my birthday dinner with family:)

Matthew's Diaper Bag

Matthew was so excited when he opened up his birthday present from his parents this afternoon. He has been looking for a diaper bag everywhere, and was surprised to find the exact one he has been wanting from Babies R Us. Not only is it a diaper bag, but it will also double as a carry all for toys and other essentials once the baby grows up. Matthew was very excited, but mostly because it looked more like a backpack than a diaper bag. See, even guys are picky about what type of bag they carry...not just us girls:)

New Doctor

We met our new Dr. today...and we LOVE her! She is so caring and friendly:) The best part is that her practice is right next to our house. She also delivers at one of the best hospitals in the Houston area...another plus!!! We are so glad that our friends recommended her. We know that she will make this an extra special experience.

Everything at the appointment today went great! We go back on March 2nd.

Everyone has been asking to see some pictures of my ever growing belly. Well, I hope you are not expecting bare belly pics, because that is just not my thing:) Here I am over this past weekend at 18 weeks. I am really excited in this picture because I just felt our little girl move!!!

Matthew is still trying to upload the DVD from our Anatomy Ultrasound we had a few weeks ago. Until we get it up and running...I thought I would post a few pics of our favorite moments. Enjoy!!!

Anatomy Screening

We had our second trimester ultrasound last Thursday and it went great! The specialist was able to check all of the baby's organs and bones, and she is developing perfectly. He did, however, mention after viewing her long legs that she might grow up and be tall just like her daddy! Although she was really wiggly, she was in the breach position throughout the entire process...no matter what we did, she would not roll over! Don't worry, this is a normal, healthy position for babies at this stage but it made his job a little more difficult. I guess she just wasn't in the mood to have her picture taken that day:)

Our next appointment is February 2nd, and we will be meeting our new doctor. Matthew and I have been on the hunt for someone closer to our home, and hopefully she will be the one. We have a copy of the entire ultrasound from the anatomy screening on DVD. As soon as Matthew is able to upload it on the computer, we will share the highlights with you.

Big Brother Buddy

I saw this adorable shirt online last week and had to get it for Buddy! We are all anxiously waiting to see how Buddy will react when the baby arrives this summer. He is so used to being "top dog." I'm sure once he meets her, he will love our little girl as much as we do.

Another trip to the Doctor

I went to the Dr. today for my monthly checkup. Everything looked great. Her heartbeat was really strong...although we had a hard time finding it because she was moving around so much. She is always so active each time we go to the Dr. (my dad is convinced that she is already an athlete). That's all the news we have for now...I don't go back for another ultrasound until January 22nd. Happy New Year!!!

Christmas in Colorado

We were so lucky to spend the holidays in Colorado with Matthew's parents. It was so nice to just relax and hang out. We had so much fun...we only wish we could have stayed longer. Although, I don't think Buddy would have liked that idea at all. He did not like the snow...I think he really missed the warm Texas weather.

It's a Girl!

Here she is!!! We have been waiting so long for this precious little girl. After going to the Dr. on December 19th we were so happy to find out that Baby Allen is strong and healthy. The ultrasound was the most amazing experience. It was so much fun watching her move around. We can't wait to see how much she has changed when we go back next month.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him." 1 Samuel 1:27