Belly Pictures!

Well, as usual... it's been awhile since I've posted a blog! It's been hard to find the time lately with all the baby preparation going on. Just to update everyone, I will be induced on January 8 if Gabe doesn't decide to make his grand entrance before then. Please keep me and Bill in your prayers! We're very anxious and excited about it all. I wanted to post some new pictures that we had taken last weekend of my prego belly. One of Bill's friends that works with him at the sheriff's office has just started doing some professional photography work and took these to get their portfolio started. I hope you all like them!

This first picture was taken in front of the window in my dining room. I really liked the saying that she put in the picture!


I thought this picture was so sweet! We were actually done taking pictures and this was just a natural hug that Bill gave me. She still had her camera out and captured this one when we weren't even expecting it!


I really like how this one focuses on the belly. You can see just how big that boy is getting!


I was glad that she took a picture of us in the nursery. I thought this one was sweet, too.


I'm just sitting and waiting patiently for Gabriel's arrival...

Isn't Technology Great???

OK, I know I haven't posted any pictures of little Gabriel in awhile. I guess I better put these up before I get in big trouble!!!

It's so amazing to be able to see all the little details of his face! Here's another one...

I'm sorry I took so long to post these guys! I really hate that I didn't get to come up to Tennessee this year for Thanksgiving. I wish I had gotten to see all of you! I know God had His reasons for keeping me here. I'll try my best to keep everyone posted on any changes with the pregnancy. Just know that so far... so good!!!

In Loving Memory

Alot of you have heard by now that Bill & I lost our Daisy girl yesterday. I thought I'd post a copy of a beautiful tribute that Bill wrote last night...

We had to put Lazy Daisy Baldridge to rest this evening around 7:30pm. She had taken a bad fall from jumping off our furniture a week ago and had been hobbling around since. For the past couple of days we noticed she was having real trouble walking, then this morning she could not hardly hold up her rear end. After going to the vet this morning we realized she had a spinal injury and had a slight possibility of recovering. He said there were a couple of options; a $1500 surgery and cortisone shots in her spinal column. The surgery was not a guarantee and with our baby situation and Daisy’s age we just could not go that route. The cortisone shots were an option that sounded ok except she would have to be off of her regular medication for awhile before they could give it to her because it could cause bleeding ulcers in her stomach. The cortisone would only have a 20-30% chance of allowing her to walk again in a few months. The vet said that if she got worse or completely paralyzed in the back legs that the most humane thing would be to put her down. By this evening, she was paralyzed in her back legs and could not walk or stand at all. We brought her to another vet who told us pretty much the same as the first vet and after many tears and much deliberation we decided to let her go.

Daisy had been our baby for nearly 10 years. We have shared so many experiences with her and I am so thankful that she shared her life with me. She will be dearly missed.

Why I Can't Vote For Obama...

Yet another reason why this election is so important!!!!! Please scroll down and turn down the volume on my music player at the bottom of this page so you can hear this video...

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!

Well, the anticipation has been building for quite some time. I didn't get much sleep last night because I was so excited about going to the doctor today! I was just praying that the baby would cooperate and let us see what we needed to. Mom, your dream was right...it's most definitely a BOY! We'll be naming him Joshua Gabriel, but we'll call him Gabe. I can't wait to see everybody at Thanksgiving! Please pray for us this weekend...there's a little storm you might've seen on T.V. called Gustav that's got everyone pretty anxious. I tend to not worry about it until I have to. I guess we'll no for sure where it's headed by late Saturday or early Sunday morning. If we do have to evacuate, we'll be heading to north Louisiana. We'll have our cell phones so you can reach us. We love all you guys!!! Here are the latest pics of little Gabe a.k.a. "Peanut". Click on the pictures for a larger view!

It's amazing how big he's gotten! You can see so much detail now!

In this picture, his foot is at the top and his hand is just underneath it. It looks like he's pointing at the camera!

This is a profile picture of his face. I think he looks like Bill already!!!

I saw this at Target right after we left the doctor's office and thought it was just too appropriate!!!

Carrots, Eggs, & Coffee

This story was passed along to me and I thought I'd share it!

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.' 'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?' Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. 'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

Have a Great Day!