Pictures of the Delivery and First Days

 Katie had to get hooked up to Oxygen due to her high blood pressure

 Little Evie

 George and Mary picked up Julie and Mike from the Alexandria airport on Sunday afternoon and were our first visitors!!

 First family photo

 First car seat ride, and Evie's big feet

 Walking out of the hospital

 Charlie loved Evalynn, and wanted to lick her all over. Then he ran away while Mike was unloading the car and it took us about an hour to find him as the animal control people were picking him up from down the street.

 Evalynn Park right after her birth

 Another picture right after her birth

 Evie loves to be swaddled

 Katie and Evie

 Katie and Evie would fall asleep skin to skin

 Dr. Mason holding Evie

 Julie and grandchild number 6!

 Katie had to go on a magnesium drip and was just released to eat solid food Monday afternoon. Mike and I brought her a Wendy's cheesburger

 The very useful Titty Tent

 All of us watching the movie The Terminal Monday night. Katie was starting to feel a lot better since the magnesium drip ended

Travis holding Evie

Fashion Blunders

Got to love this man

Well for any of you that know Travis  you know that fashion means very little to him.  I have tried over the last few years to influence his choices in clothing but it will take years to get rid of the old since he hates to throw out anything.  I was sitting on the couch and down walks Travis in this outfit he dressed himself in.  We have a redneck camouflage hat, his favorite "I love mom" shirt and his bright and cheery swim trunks.  I just laughed and told him I couldn't wait to see how he dressed our daughter.  I am really hoping that I will be able to screen his outfits before we go out.  I am also praying that Evie will take after my fashion and bypass the goodwill stores and stick to bargain shopping.  

Evie Ann's Baby Room

Bassinet which will be moved to our room and her changing table.

Her bookcase with all her toys

Crib, chair and her lullaby mix Travis made her.

Well her room is as complete as it will be.  Thanks to my mom and sister they really helped me get the last minute organization and baby items that I will need to welcome home our baby.  I have had so much fun making little Guppy's room a place that hopefully she will enjoy as much as me.  I am still so amazed at how much the dogs and cat love to go and lay in her room.  I have to keep the door closed so that they don't go in there and make themselves at home, but I have to admit I find myself relaxing in the rocking chair with the dogs as my feet quite often. The room really has a warmth to it.  

I am so excited about being a mom but the responsibility of a parent is really starting to sink in.  I pray that God gives me the wisdom and patients to raise little Guppy in the right ways.

33 weeks

Guess who was taking the picture...Travis so I had to show some skin

My belly is growing very fast at this point but my energy is still high.  Thanks to my new diet my swelling is really cutting back.  I am not that uncomfortable but putting on my sock in the morning requires me taking a few breaks to catch my breath. I am noticing that the OR rooms are feeling much smaller and I am not adjusting as fast as I should because I still try to squeeze through places that I will not fit. She is a real mover and you can see her and now feel her many movements and start to make out different body parts.  She is head down and only a few more weeks and we get to meet our baby girl.

Girls Night

I didn't want to crack my mask but Travis is loving the fresh feel on his face

 Travis and I have limited time together, which will only decrease with the soon wanted addition to our family, but I talked Travis into have a beauty night.   We trimmed our nails and massaged our feet and my favorite did a deep cleansing facial mask. I think Travis really did enjoy the extra glow his face had after the mask.  We watched movies and just hung out! It was perfect! I have so much fun with Travis and am so glad he won't shy away for trying thing out of the norm.

Surprise Shower

The biggest highlight was that my work TOTALLY surprised me and threw Travis and I a baby shower.   It was so much fun and I was so thankful that my sister and mom could be there to share in it.  Travis said he wanted to take us girls out and I suggested Mexico Lindo (which was exactly where he wanted us to go). If I would have known that we were going to my baby shower I would have looked much cuter but I was hot from the day and already extremely swollen at this point and just threw some clothes on. 

As we walked in the restaurant we were moved to the back and I walked in to almost ALL of my co-workers.  Everything was perfect! I had so many gifts from baby clothes, monitors, pack'n plays, diapers, shampoo and wash and so much more.   It was almost overwhelming!  I couldn't have planned a more perfect baby shower!  I am so thankful to have a friends who have become like a second family to me here in Louisiana. 

The Hunt for BBQ

Pack-A-Pig

While Kenzie was in the south the desire for BBQ became ravenous.  We had a real adventure in Shreveport where we asked the locals if there was a good BBQ restaurant near by.  They raved about a placed called "Podnuh's."  It is pronounced like if you were saying, "Howdy Partner."  We set off to find this great BBQ restaurant but as we drove we found ourselves in a more shady part of town and when we pulled up to the restaurant there were NO cars.  My mom quickly got on her Iphone and looked up reviews.  The first three were great but on almost every third to fourth one a customer was food poisoned.   Travis had a bad feeling and convinced Kenzie we should try somewhere else to eat.  At that moment some more locals came out of a building and so Kenzie bravely walked over and asked where we could find some great BBQ and after she declined Podnuh's they recommended "What-A-Burger" at this point Travis yelled at Kenzie to get back in the car.We ended up eating at a Irish Pub since that was all we had time for.  

The next day though Kenzie's craving for BBQ had not left so we went to a place called Pack-A-Pig in Leesville. We met Benjamen who had taken the business over from his father and been doing BBQ for over 50 years.  We got it to go and met Travis at his work were we enjoyed good old southern BBQ without food poisoning.

At the pool where Travis brought us strawberry daiquiri (mine virgin of course)

At church

 

Kenzie saving my hair

Beginning of July (I was 32 weeks pregnant)  my mom and sister came out to Louisiana to visit before the baby was born.  It was so nice to have family come down experience the jewel of the south.   They got in on Friday and we went to a local place called Tunks.  It was highly recommended to Travis and I.  We got a good laugh when Kenzie had to choose between frog legs and alligator.  It was the beginning of her culture shock. 

The next morning we drove up the Shreveport, LA where we spent all day shopping at the boardwalk.  It was a lot of fun and I bought so many clothes for little Guppy.  Kenzie bought hair supplies and so on Sunday after church Kenzie went to work on my hair. 

Family photos

This is my favorite

This was as much skin as I was willing to show

Travis really wanted maternity pictures done.  I didn't understand the point of taking pictures of me when I have never been bigger, but it was important to Travis so I made an appointment with a friend.  In the end I was glad that we did take them.  The only problem I faced was that I was really swollen and it was so hot  my hair couldn't have been more frizzy!  Travis originally wanted those pictures where I am basically naked holding myself to cover up a little and I had to let him down because there was no way you were going to have me take my clothes off and capture it. 

This was the last time I could fit my wedding ring on.

4th of July

Still early in the evening while the community was setting off fireworks

So much smoke from all the local fireworks

This was the flag the Travis helped hang

Travis helping take the flag back to the fire station

This year for the 4th of July Travis volunteered at the New Llano fire station.  He was out in the heat all day preparing for the big event.  In New Llano the community can come to the park and set off their own fireworks under the supervision of the fire station.  It starts at about 1800 and then at 2100 New Llano puts on their own fireworks show.  It was really fun to sit and watch others set off firecrackers.  My favorite part of the night was when a firecracker started a fire in the grass and I watched Travis run out there and stamp it out.  As soon as he got back in position he looked at me and smiled and I gave him a big thumbs up.  Travis has been volunteering every Thursday night until about 2230 at the fire station.  It is a really long day for him because he still works his 12 hour day with the Army.  I am so proud of him and every week he comes home excited about what he learned.