It's a . . .

Girl!


She surprised us all, but Abigail Grace Barrios entered the world on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 10:16 AM (one day after her due date) weighing in at 7 lbs., 3 oz. and 19.5 inches long.  We are completely smitten by our precious daughter and thank our Heavenly Father for her life and allowing us to be her parents.  

Will post more pictures and details about Abigail's birth and our hospital stay soon.  This momma is gonna go get a quick shower while her baby sleeps. :) 

Reminiscing on Valentine's Day

Eight years ago today Henry and I went out on our first date.  He had asked me just a few days before to be his girlfriend.  As I remember it, we were sitting in his big Dodge Ram when he told me he was "falling head over heals" for me.  On Valentines day we got all dressed up and drove to Chattanooga (45 minutes from our college) for dinner and then went to our school's Valentines Banquet at the Tennessee Aquarium. I remember it poured down rain that night and Henry had to run to his truck in the rain.  His suit got soaked.  It was a great first date.

Tonight, eight years later, our Valentine's celebration was a little (okay, a lot) different, but filled with eight years of love and memories that we didn't have that first Valentine's together.  Since I am great with child we decided to stay in tonight.  Henry got home early from work and made our dining room look so nice.  He set the table with our nice plates, candles and flowers and we enjoyed take out from the Cheesecake Factory including a piece of yummy cheesecake.  We didn't have to be at a fancy restaurant to enjoy good conversation and good food together.  He is so good about making special occasions feel special.  I love him and am so thankful for the way he loves me.  I look forward to the Valentine's day 50 years from now, when I'm 76 and he is 79 and our lives are filled with many years of special memories together.

Counting down the days

Wow, I knew things had been crazy but I didn't know it had been almost 3 weeks since I last blogged.  Life has been busy to say the least.  I've been trying to wrap things up at work (as much as that is possible when you are constantly being asked to complete new requests) and take care of as many last minute things around the house, while at the same time trying to rest as much as possible.

On Tuesday I will be 39 weeks.  I can't believe how fast pregnancy has gone by.  It feels like yesterday we found out we were pregnant.  At the same time these past few weeks have seemed to creep by.  As much as I enjoy feeling the baby kick and move around in my belly, I am so ready to not be pregnant anymore and hold this baby in my arms.  I've started having Braxton Hicks contractions and some back labor which is not fun, but my doctor says is good because it hopefully means my labor won't be as long.  I hope she is right.  I'm so glad I've already decided to have an epidural because if these contractions that I'm having aren't the real deal, I'm going to be in big trouble when the real thing hits.  

I'm sure there is more to blog about, but I'm fading fast so I better go get some shut eye.

I've lost control. . .

. . . bladder control that is.  Yes, I wet my pants a little this morning when I sneezed.  Thankfully I was at home and the only thing to witness my little accident was our cat Stella.  When you have what feels like a 5 lb. bowling ball pressing on your bladder you feel the urge to go pretty much constantly. 

I had my 35 week appointment yesterday and I am still on track for my Feb. 22nd due date but babies don't typically follow the schedule we have set for them.  I guess I should start getting used to that now. :)  To me my belly feels like it is getting bigger even though most people tell me I look small for 35 weeks.  I wonder if that means I will go late.  My current pregnancy symptoms primarily include increasing fatigue, chronically swollen hands and feet and achy joints.  Although I would not say that I am miserable, I am definitly getting to the uncomfortable stage.  As somone who likes to be on the go and get things done, it has been difficult for me to slow down and ask others to do things for me.  Henry has been so helpful cleaning around the house (which he normally does a lot of anyways) and working hard to get some household projects crossed off the list.  He is going to be such a great dad!  I can't wait to see him the first time he lays eyes on our baby! I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.

I had two baby showers this past week and they were both so special.  Last Thursday, a bunch of my coworkers threw me a shower here at work.  It was so much fun and a really special time for me to celebrate all the special friendships I've made working at HFBC these past 3.5 years.  We opened gifts, played some fun games, ate yummy snacks and enjoyed being together.  Thanks to Candie, Linda, Jeanene, Jan, Jessica and Erin for putting together a great shower!

On Saturday, some dear friends from our Sunday Bible Study class threw another shower for me.  Jen was gracious to host the shower in her home along with Liz, Julie and Katherine.  My parents came in town over the weekend and it was really fun for me to get to introduce my mom to my friends who have become a big part of my life since moving to Houston. One of the really special things that the ladies did was they had each person write a prayer, verse or hope for our baby on a quilting square that they are then going to have made into a quilt.  What a super meaningful gift!  I am so thankful for the friendships the Lord has blessed me with.

At some point I hope to be better about posting pictures with my posts, but right now downloading pictures from my camera and then uploading them to the blog just isn't a big priority.  It's obvious from the beginning of my post that I need to focus on regaining control. :) 

Happy New Year!

This is way over due, but better late than never.  Happy New Year!  I can't believe 2010 is gone and a new year is here again.  In January and February a year seems like a really long time to me as I look at the calendar, but I always get to the end of it scratching my head wondering how the time went by so quickly.  Like most years this past year was filled with a lot of ups and downs.  As I was reflecting on the year, there are several things that happened that make 2010 stand out in my mind.

I greived the loss of my dear Paw Paw who after a long battle with esophogeal cancer went to be home with the Lord on March 16th.  He served his country and loved his family well.  A big cut up from Ripley, TN, he was always making up words, living up to his nick name (Take a Break Clay) and threatening to give his grandkids a nuckle sandwich when they acted out.  I miss him so much.

I became a cat person which I never thought would happen.  In February we "adopted" a stray cat who our neighbor kids quickly named Stella. I was resistent for a while at first, but have now come to love her.  Why did no one ever tell me that cats are so much easier than dogs? :)

We are pregnant!  On Father's Day (June 20th) I took a pregnancy test and never in my life have been so excited about a plus sign. 

Spent the summer with a bunch of boys.  Henry's cousins, Diego & Kevin, came from Guatemala for 2 weeks in June to spend time with us.  We took them and our nephew Ethan on a road trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee (one of our favorite places in the world).  We watched a lot of World Cup soccer, laughed a lot, struggled to communicate with each other (D & K only speak Spanish and I only speak muy pequeno Spanish), and laughed some more.  We visited our alma mater, Bryan College, floated down the freezing cold Ocoee river, and saw Rock City and Ruby Falls.  It was a blast!

Celebrated 3 years of marriage with my honey!  We celebrated by going on our honeymoon again - to Asheville, NC.  It was such a relaxing trip filled with beautiful scenery, lots of naps, and reading time on a big wrap around porch.

The Fall seems like it was one big blur of activty, doctor's appointments and preparing for baby.

I am so anxiously excited for all the new things we are going to experience in 2011.  I am thankful for this season that the Lord has us in right now.  He is definitly at work and has already proven Himself faithful in our lives in big ways this new year.   

32 Weeks

I am 32 weeks as of yesterday.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  Neither can Henry. :)



Here is an update on what's going on with me and baby now.

Mom:
- I've gained 19 lbs. so far (as of my appointment last week)
- the only shoes that I can wear are tennis shoes or flip flops. By the end of the day my feet look like a latex glove that has been blown up like a balloon.
- My hands are swollen too.  I have not been able to wear my wedding ring for several weeks now.
- I started experiencing low back pain at the beginning of my 3rd trimester.  Although I have other friends that have experienced this a lot worse than I have, a few weeks ago I decided to do something about it and started seeing a chiropractor.  She has helped me so much.  I love Dr. Batterton!
- Cravings: in the last few weeks I started craving carbonated drinks and sweet drinks, especially fruit juice.
 - Overall I feel really good and love being pregnant.  Bing pregnant over the holidays is especially fun, because it is a great excuse to eat whatever I want. 

Dear Baby Barrios,
Even though I am not ready for you to come (I still have so much to do), I cannot wait to meet you.  Your daddy and I were talking the other day about how we are going to react when you finally make your entrance into the world.  We agreed that we will both be emotional messes, but in the best way possible. We already have a name picked out for you if you are a boy (we're not sharing this with anyone) but are having a hard time deciding on a girl name.  You love to move a lot early in the morning (that is often how I wake up) and in the evening after dinner.  You move at other times during the day too and I love it (except for when you use my bladder as a punching bag). You had a strong heartbeat (in the 140s) at our doctor's appointment last week. There are times when you like to stretch out and I can feel your head (or maybe your booty) with my hand pushing out towards my belly button. It is a very odd feeling, but I like it. Keep on growing!  You are doing great!
Love,
Mommy

Christmas in Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas weekend.

The whole family: Conrads, Dunavants and Barrioses

This is Hope, my youngest cousin, and her brother Spencer in the background.  This girl doesn't just walk across the room, she either rolls, cartwheels or flips across the room.  She is definitly a gymnast. 

Opening Gifts

Lucas, Me & Henry

The Guys: Lucas, Dad, & Henry

The Girls: Me, Grandma & Mom