Updated Pictures

I know I'm so behind on pictures. She is growing SO FAST! I just can't keep up. This morning I found her rolled over in her bed. What? She isn't supposed to be doing that yet. She's still a newborn. This is her 1 month picture. In a few weeks, she will be 3 months. Where has the time gone?

This is Anne Elise meeting my Mississippi College roomates, Dru and Kenzie. I am so thankful for them both. We had a great time at MC. Dru has such a sweet spirit. You will never meet someone more kind than her. Dru is such an awesome example to me. I need a little more of her soft spirit in me.Kenzie is such a fun friend. She also has taught me so much. Kenzie is so carefree and has taught me not to stress and just be myself. I can't tell you how many times this girl just laughs something off and says "really?". She has taught me not to sweat the small stuff.

Anne Elise is definitely a Paw-Paw's girl. He spoils her rotten, and I have a feeling that he isn't going to stop any time soon.

And this is our sweet dog Terra who is doing a great job watching out for her new "sister." Terra has done a great job transitioning to the new baby. She doesn't bother her, and only occasionally does she get this close. She checks on her here and there, and then just minds her own business.

Anne Elise and BabyWise

We were so excited that Mrs. Brandy Jaggers came to do Anne Elise's newborn pictures. I've had so many people ask me if I've taken a million pictures of her, and to be honest, other than with our iPhones, neither one of us really have. It's sad, but when I come home from sessions, all my equipment goes back into the safe and I really don't like pulling it all out just to snap 1 or 2 pictures. I've pulled out my old Canon Rebel, dusted it off, and started doing a few snaps here and there, and I've tried to be intentional about taking more pictures of her. I don't want her to have to scroll through our old iPhones to see pictures of her growing up.

We are so thrilled that Anne Elise started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks! Yes, that's right! 7 weeks! What a blessing from God. I think he knew mommy was ready for some sleep. I read the BabyWise book and after trying it out for 2 weeks, I was so upset.She just would not fit into the descriptions of the book. So I was a little upset, and told all my pregnant friends how terrible the book was. After a few weeks, I pulled the book back out, and tried the routine again. It worked! She started sleeping better, and she was much happier when she was awake (sorry to all my neighbors who had to listen to her scream as we strolled). The poor girl was never happy until she got into her "babywise" routine. I think the Lord was teaching me patience.

All the trials of a baby can be so trying at times. I must say we are both SO thankful for our church, MOPS (moms of preschoolers FBC Tupelo), and my mom's small group at Lawndale Pres. Everyone has been such a blessing with their help, words of wisdom, meals, prayers, and so much more. My mom's small group has taught me so much about lifting each other up in prayer, and sharing what is on your heart.I am so thankful for each of the girls in that group. They all have been a blessing to me. It's amazing when we get together. I strongly believe their is a direct line to God in the room. It's unreal to see how he works in each of our lives. He has taught me so much about the power of prayer. Thanks be to God!

Anne Elise has arrived

I know she will be 4 weeks tomorrow, but this is my first chance to sit down and blog. Anne Elise has officially arrived into the Wood family, and she is already spoiled rotten!

The delivery was amazing. Dr. Brandy Patterson was amazing, and she made Arthur gown up and deliver his baby. I thought that would be weird when we discussed it before, but it was really special. I'm so glad Arthur got that experience.

She has been quite a joy. The first week was pretty hard, just trying to figure it all out, but we are now on a pretty good routine. She loves to eat, eat, and eat some more. If she's not eating, she's sleeping, or we're strolling. This little girl loves to be on the move. I stroll our neighborhood nonstop. I've gotten to be friends with all the builders and workers doing development in the neighborhood. They know our schedule, and when we'll be out.

We've had lots of visitors, and we just love it. My mom, dad, and sister have been lighting up the road between Tupelo and Grenada. Aunt Holly was here for her first bath. After she screamed the entire time I bathed her, Aunt Holly got to come to the rescue and bundle her in the towel. Pop and Gigi (Arthur's mom and dad) have also been spoiling the sweet girl. Gigi also came and stayed and did the night shifts for us. It was nice to get some rest. We love it when anyone takes the night shift for us.

I just love this little girl. I cannot imagine life without her. Being a mommy is amazing, and it's by far the best job ever. There is no doubt she's a daddy's girl. He spoils her rotten. There isn't a wimper that goes unnoticed by him, and she know it. She gets her way with Daddy.

The Nursery is Complete!

Today, we got in our bedding and our frames for above the changer. These were the two things we were waiting on to complete the room. I am so excited.

Arthur is out now having some last little manly time before the baby arrives. For Father's day, I got him a custom made gun chest from a local man, Dan Matthews. I met Dan's wife here in Tupelo right after our move. She is such a caring, beautiful lady on the inside and out. She really puts a lot into the community, and has been an amazing role-model to me. She has all kinds of advice on how to cope, care for, and deal with an adventurous husband. And I've never seen her not wearing a glowing smile. On our trip to Peru this past February, Arthur got to meet Dan. Dan had driven his motorcycle from the Arctic Circle, all the way to Peru, and plans to finish the journey all the way to the tip of South America. He is one adventurous man, so naturally Arthur took a quick liking to Mr. Dan. Dan has an unbelievable talent to take natural and funky pieces of wood and make them into AMAZING works. If you have ever been on pickwick lake and seen the twisted, funky treehouse, that is Dan's work for his grandchildren. It is unreal amazing what he can do with wood and his hands. And Dan has all kinds of stories. So to make the gift even better, Dan is letting Arthur help out with the construction of his gun chest. I went to the dust shop to see Dan Tuesday, and he had all types of wood and ideas he was excited about working with. I can't wait to see what these two come up with. We have been so blessed to meet the Matthew's family here in Tupelo. Kay and Dan both mean a lot to me and Arthur. As we were driving off from Dan's house Tuesday, we both agreed that we would love to be just like them when we "grow up."

So today, while Dan and Arthur are building, I'm doing a little nesting and putting the finishing touches on the nursery!

A Shower for Anne Elise

This past weekend, Anne Elise and I got showered with many blessings. It was so exciting. One of the greatest joys of the shower was getting to see all of my friends one last time before this little one arrives. The shower was just adorable. All the vintage decor was a compliment to her nursery, and it was just adorable. Of course, being pregnant, one of my favorite parts is the food. Yuuummmmeee! Wow, my friends can cook! Anne Elise enjoyed every little bite. She also enjoyed a couple cupcakes on the trip home.

I still can't get over all the gifts. I could not stuff one more thing in my car for the ride home. Terra, our cocker spaniel, went to Grenada with me, and she rode home in my lap because all the stuff was a little overwhelming to her.

Once I got home, I unpacked all the boxes and started my nesting. Arthur couldn't believe I was unpacking and organizing as tired as I was after such a long, fun day. Anne Elise has two sets of chest of drawers and a fairly large closet, and I promise there isn't space for one more thing in any of them.

There were adorable baby pictures of me, Arthur, and our family members on each table. Arthur and I laughed at them for a good while after I got home and showed them to him. I was a bald little girl until very late in life, and he was just as funny as ever. He has a cheesy little grin, a diaper, and cowboy boots in just about every picture. We saved them all for Anne Elise's baby book. I hope she gets as good a chuckle out of them as we did.

Thanks to everyone for the shower of gifts. We are very appreciative for all the support of our friends and family as we anxiously await the arrival of our sweet little girl. Hopefully the next post will be her entrance into this world. I go to the doctor today to check on progress, and keep your fingers crossed that we are coming right along.

Nursery Sneak Peek

I'm not finished with the nursery just yet, but I am getting so close! I'm so anxious and excited about everything, I just couldn't wait to post a few pictures of how things are going so far.

Our plans are only to be in Tupelo for one more year, so about six months after Anne Elise arrives, we have to put our house on the market. With that in mind, we decided not to paint the nursery and leave it the neutral color. First we had to pack up Arthur's office. If you know him at all, this was quite the chore. When we moved from Jackson to Tupelo, we packed up his entire bedroom (hand-me-down navy-ish recliner and all) and stuck it in this "man cave." So once we got all of his items settled into his new office space, I have been in project mode trying to complete the nursery.

We also want to have more children, so we tried to purchase nursery furniture that we absolutely loved and could use for every child, boy or girl. Of course, it didn't make a difference to Arthur, so I found a set that was perfect for us. It isn't gender specific, and it's a classic look that I hope won't go out of style for all of the future Wood babies to come (Lord willing I make it through number one).

Just Fishin'

Ok, so lately, I've had the crazy pregnancy hormone takeovers more often. Everything makes me cry or laugh until I cry. I'm so ready to get rid of these crazy hormonal breakdowns, and I know Arthur is as well. One thing that gets to me is country music. Trace Adkins new song "Just Fishin" kills me every single time. Dear Lord, please send us our precious baby girl soon so I can stop getting crazy looks at stop lights due to my hysterical crying.

So speaking of fishing, Arthur and I decided to get out of the house and break up our routine last weekend. We went to Davis Lake and fished with Terra. Arthur caught two fish, and I gave up after a couple of unlucky cast. But I got to play with Terra and take pictures. We waited until late so the heat didn't get the worst of us. It was nice to be outside without the extreme heat during the beautiful sunset.

I went to the doctor today, and I have now officially started my weekly checkups. I am now 35 weeks. 5 more weeks (at the most) before we meet Anne Elise. Unfortunately, today I didn't get an estimated weight or approximate due date which I was hoping for. I'm so ready, and I just want someone to tell me what is going on and when this pregnancy journey is going to come to an end. We had our second week of childbirth classes this week. Arthur is doing a great job, but I must say, I think he is just as nervous about this as I am. Next week the doctor will check for progress for the first time. I'm so ready to see how that goes, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

I got a package today that said PUSH, meaning Pray Until Something Happens. So I guess I'm going to start PUSHing, and maybe you can push a little for us as well!

The Cove Family

Since our move to Tupelo, we have been so blessed to meet so many new friends who share in our excitement about Anne Elise's arrival. We were so blessed to move into one fun neighborhood! The "cove" (which is really the street behind us, but they have been ever so kind to adopt us), had a little shower for us last week. We were so blessed to receive lots of diapers and sweet baby books for the arrival of our little girl.

Thanks to each of them for their friendship over the past two years. We look forward to one more year in "the cove" until our move. Unless any of you can talk Arthur out of moving ;)

Anne Elise goes to Gatlinburg

Arthur and I had the itch to take a vacation, but seeing as we can't fly and we are limited on how far we can go, we were pressed for ideas. So we decided on Gatlinburg, TN. We had a great time. Anne Elise was dying to eat at the Pancake Pantry, so of course I treated her to strawberry smothered pancakes full of powdered sugar and syrup. Yummeee! This is me at 27 Weeks! We went to the aquarium, the Dixie Stampede, rode the Gondola, and ate lots of great food. On our way out, we drove through Cade's Cove. Terra traveled with us and she loved it. We rented a quiet little cottage in the mountains, where Terra got to enjoy being the "only child" for one last little trip.

Anne Elise loves TCPS Cheerleaders

I am so proud of these girls. This was FCC Cheer Camp in Jackson when I was 28 weeks. Anne Elise got to go to her first cheer camp. These girls were great for me and have already spoiled my little girl. They brought home every award there was to take at camp. I will miss them all this fall as they start the season with their new cheer coach, but as soon as Anne Elise and I get settled, we will be back for many visits. Plus, as you can see, I'm very blessed to already have 14 awesome babysitters.

Last week, these sweet girls got together and had a baby shower for us. We were so tickled, and we were blessed with so many amazing gifts. I can't wait for Anne Elise to come out and play dress up with all her new outfits and toys. She loves the TCPS Cheerleaders, and we all are so thankful to each one of them and their families for sharing in our lives since our move to Tupelo.

Growing

We are now 32 weeks. I'm experiencing Braxton Hicks for the first time, and maybe even a contraction here or there. I'm not sure. I do know that sometimes it hurts, and sometimes it doesn't. But I go to the doctor on Monday for our regular checkup. We are going every other week now, so it's getting close. Wow! I still can't believe I'm about to be a mommy. I told Arthur this morning, "Can you believe in a few weeks, I'll start waking up before you do?" He got a good laugh out of that. He wouldn't laugh if he knew how much I have spent on baby clothes this week. SHhhhhh!