Is it time???

Well, this past week has been a very eventful and tiring one! We have thought on several occasions that Manning was on his way... only to find out he was teasing us just a little bit!

It all started on Sunday. I started having back to back contractions and pains in my lower abdomen and back, so I stayed on my left side all day trying to relax to see if my pains were real labor or false labor. We called a good friend of ours who is a nurse, Brooke, to come check me out. She said she could definitely feel the contractions, and since I'm planned for a c-section, she didn't want me to progress too fast, and she thought I should head to the hospital. So, Cody and I rushed home, gathered our bags and the carseat, and off we went. It was late, so we went in the ER at Germantown Methodist Lebonheur, where we will be delivering. After a short wait, a nurse came and got me in a wheelchair and took us up to the labor and delivery wing. There, I was put on a monitor for a couple of hours, got an iv, gave blood for the section, ya know, the works. The nurses told us that my contractions were 2 to 4 minutes apart, so we were starting to think that Manning was coming, especially when they took the bloodwork for the c-section. Then, a short time later, the doctor decided to let us go home since I was only dialated 1 cm and wasn't progressing fast at all. So, at midnight, we headed back home to try to get some rest with doctor's orders to rest, eat lightly, and drink lots of fluids.

Two days later, my pains picked up again, so we made a call to the doctor. They worked us in rather quickly and checked me over and told me that I was contracting, but that I could do that for days... dialated only 2 cm, and we were sent back home.

Two days after that, we had our regularly scheduled doctor's appointment. The doc told us that I was still only 2 cm, and that she really thought I could make it until Tuesday, our scheduled c-section date. They did an ultrasound and said that he looked beautiful. He's weighing in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. and he's above the 9oth growth percentile, so we know he's a big, healthy boy! So, Manning will be here on Tuesday, November 24 around 5 p.m., just in time for Thanksgiving. There's no better time to welcome a sweet baby into our home. He will make this Thanksgiving the most special one we've ever had. We have so much to be thankful for, and we can't wait to meet our son in just a few short days!

*The picture is of me yesterday after the doctor's appointment, at 38.5 weeks!

Mom's Surprise "Dee-Dee" Shower

Regina and several of our coworkers at school had been working on a surprise shower for Mom for over a month. It was so hard for me and for my family to keep this a secret from her! I'm terrible at buying gifts secretly and not telling her what I bought. I almost slipped and told her several times... but somehow, shower day arrived and she didn't have a clue. Another reason this secret was hard to keep is because the day of her shower, that was the first day that my doctor put me on modified bed rest, so I couldn't even go to work! So, I had to figure out an excuse to go to the school without her getting suspicious. I finally decided to tell her that I needed to come get some things ready for my maternity leave, which was true, and she didn't suspect a thing. She was very surprised and got some really cute "Dee-Dee" goodies! She's such a great mom... I can only imagine how awesome she's going to be at being Manning's "Dee-Dee."

Church Baby Shower for Manning

On November 1, 2009, Keiser First Baptist Church showered us with gifts galore for our sweet Manning! Thankfully, Cody decided to attend this shower with me and helped open gifts. I don't think I've ever opened so many presents in my life. We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful church family, and we are super excited about all of the amazing gifts we received.

A few days after the shower, my family came over and helped us put everything away. I am finally starting to feel like we have everything ready for Manning's arrival... well I did feel that way until his nursery bookshelf came in yesterday... I guess we'll always find one more thing that needs to be done. That's ok with me, though, it keeps me busy and makes the days pass faster. I just can't wait to finally meet our sweet son and see his precious face. Thank you, Lord, for this great blessing!

Ole Miss vs. Arkansas... Boo Pigs!

The Ole Miss vs. Arkansas game is probably the most important game that we play all year! The reason being is that Cody and I have to listen to hog fans year round. They always think they are going to beat us, so it's really nice for them to be wrong sometimes. Personally, I like Houston Nutt. This year was no different than any other. We had been counting down the days until the Arkansas game, but with that being said, I'd also been nervous. I'm always nervous when we play Arkansas, because I know how badly they hate us. Especially now that Nutt's our coach, I just knew the AR players would be really pumped up and ready to play.

Well, finally, the big game day arrived, October 24, so Cody, Mom, Molli, Ethan, Melissa, Burch, Hank, Van, Kaci, Logan, Drew, Scott, and I loaded up and headed to the game bright and early Saturday morning. Because of my huge, 34.5 week belly, we were moving slowly getting to the stadium, so we missed the hotty toddy and kickoff. We finally made it to our seats right after the first touchdown of the game... that was a happy surprise...to arrive and to have already scored 7 points! Luckily, the game continued to go in our favor, and it felt FABULOUS! However, we didn't celebrate until the last minutes/seconds of the game. We all know that as Ole Miss fans, you can't celebrate too early... we have been humbled a time or two. The final score of the game was 30-17, and that made our entire year. I am very proud of our rebels and Jevan Snead. Our whole team showed up to play, and it really paid off! After the game, we went to Old Venice to eat and thoroughly enjoyed our short visit to Oxford. HOTTY TODDY! Go Rebels!

Ole Miss vs. Alabama

Ole Miss football is such a big part of our lives! Cody, Mom, Dad, Melissa, Burch, and I decided to head to God's country, also known as Oxford, for the Ole Miss vs. Bama game. We were hoping for a win, but we were sadly disappointed. Snead and his offensive line just didn't bring it, so the tide rolled right over us.

We still had a good time, though. We always enjoy Oxford, and we went to Taylor Grocery (my dad's favorite place) after the game, so of course, we loved our trip! If only our Rebels could've won, it would have been perfect! I have to admit, though, that my adrenaline kept rushing every time I heard the Jaws theme song playing from the loudspeakers, despite the score on the scoreboard. I like the new "landshark" nickname that we've acquired. I've even purchased a shark necklace.

Happy Surprises!

On September 26, we had our first baby shower at the Osceola Country Club! We had been looking forward to it for so long... I had no idea that a huge surprise awaited me in addition to the shower!

It all began on Friday night before the shower. We had a surprise birthday party to attend for one of our dear friends, so Cody and I went to the party and as usual, I hung around for a while and just talked and talked. I didn't know that I had somewhere important to be. I just knew that Cody sure was acting funny trying to make me leave the party so soon.

Well, I finally gave in and left, and we decided to drop by Joanna and Chase's house to visit. When we got there, I just went in as usual, made myself comfortable, and started catching up with Joanna... still didn't have a clue what was going on! After we had been there about ten minutes, I heard the front door burst open and in ran a crew of my college friends. They had visited the local truckstop (they love Arkansas accessories lol) and all had on a trucker hat, and Mia even had on an Arkansas t-shirt. Before I could figure out what was happening, they all ran in and surrounded me and yelled, "SWAT TEAM!" (For those of you who don't know... In college, we called ourselves the Swat Team and would do funny things to guys that cheated, blew us off, or just weren't cool. Sounds crazy, I know, but it was just for fun!)

Time seriously stopped for a few seconds, because they absolutely blew my mind. I had no clue that they were coming, and I couldn't believe my eyes that they were actually standing in front of me. When I finally realized they were real, I burst into tears (happy tears of course) and hugged all of them. I have never felt so loved by my friends in all of my life! I later found out that Cody and my whole family had known about this surprise for months. How they kept that a secret for so long, I have no idea!

That Friday night was full of fun and surprises, and I even stayed out and about until after midnight. That's a big deal for a woman who was 30 weeks pregnant at the time! Right after twelve, Cody and I headed home to rest up for the big shower the next day!

On Saturday, the big day had finally arrived... our first baby shower! I was beside myself with excitement, especially because most of my friends would be there to share such a special day with us! We had a perfect shower with lots of precious presents, friendly faces, and fun times. People gave us all kinds of cool baby stuff ranging from diapers, Ole Miss gear, and camouflage, to swings, bouncers, and strollers!

Thank you all for such a great visit and surprise and for all of the perfect gifts! We love all of you very much! Now, we just need to get busy on those thank you notes! :) Also, a special thanks goes out to our sweet hostesses: Joanna, JoBeth, Heather & Randi.

Visit from Cody's mom...

This past weekend, Tami (Cody's mom) and Tyler (his brother), came to Arkansas for a visit. She brought cake to celebrate Cody's birthday...a little early. On his birthday (Sept. 27), we will be the same age again. He loves that I'm a few months older than him, so he can rub it in a little.

Tami also brought several baby gifts for Manning. She started out saying that I had to save them for a shower, but ten minutes later, the excitement had her changing her mind. Cody opened all of the gifts because he says he won't get to open as many as I will! We are both like children, we love opening gifts! :o)

Their visit happened to fall on the same Saturday as the first home game, Ole Miss vs. Southern Louisiana. I had looked forward to going all week long, but I woke up and saw that thunderstorms were in the forecast for Oxford the entire day and night. After much deliberation, I decided that it would probably be best for mine and Manning's health to stay home. I didn't want to risk getting sick. Well, as most of you probably know, it didn't rain a drop at the game, so I missed for no reason. Oh well! Cody and his family seemed to have a great time, and I had a good time watching the game from home on tv. The rebels dominated, and all were happy! However, I am looking very forward to the Alabama game, and I plan to be there wearing my cute Ole Miss colors and landshark accessories... big belly and all!!!

Cody... sympathetic pregnancy symptoms? Yes, it's true!

Well, I know that the title of this post may seem odd to you, but Cody has been having lots of body ailments these days. Every day, he comes in complaining about something new. Of course, I always just look at him and smile... because I already know exactly what he's talking about.

For example, he came in from work today, sprawled out on the couch, and told me how badly he was hurting in his lower back/tailbone area. I just giggled, and told him that I bet I could guess exactly where it hurt. So, when I demonstrated, he was amazed that I already knew. I've been having sciatic nerve pain over the past couple of weeks in that exact same spot because Manning loves to get comfortable on that nerve... I'm just not a complainer, and didn't mention it. Or maybe, it's that I'm a little tougher than he is, who knows?! lol Anyway, after today, I'm confident that he is suffering from sympathetic pregnancy symptoms. I have researched it and 20-40% of males have the same symptoms as their pregnant wives. They say it allows the male to form a bond or connection with his wife and growing child, and that it will make them better prepared for the baby's arrival.

I would have never believed it to be true, but up until now, Cody has had the following symptoms: (if y'all only knew how much I am cracking up typing these out)

1. Rapid weight gain and a rounding belly

2. Increased appetite and hot sauce cravings

3. Headaches

4. Fatigue-he just doesn't understand why he's tired so much :)

5. Sciatic nerve pain

6. Hip pain

7. Trouble sleeping

I just thought I would share these humorous findings with you! I can honestly say that pregnancy has been wonderful so far for me, and that I love being pregnant, pains and all! Despite his pains, I really think Cody is enjoying it as well, especially when he gets to feel/see Manning roll around and kick in my belly. That's when he's the most excited! Seeing those little rolls and movements just magically make all of those aches and pain go away! Thank you, Lord, for all of your blessings!

We have a name! YAY!

After much deliberating, discussing, and changing our minds, we have finally named our little one! We have known his first name since before conception, so that one was easy. The middle name has been a completely different story! His name is Manning Joseph Moore, and here's the story...

We chose Manning sometime around last duck season. My grandfather, Papaw Jim, once worked for a man named Tommy Goldsby. Since Papaw's passing, Daddy and Tommy have kept in touch and remained pretty close, so Daddy offered to take Tommy's grandsons and son-in-law duck hunting. One of the boy's names was Manning, and Dad knew immediately that I would love it. So, as soon as he got home that day, he told me, and he was right. Cody and I both looooved it, and that's the day our son was named! Why wouldn't we love that name? It has a connection to my late grandfather, we love Ole Miss football, and we are pretty big Eli fans! Hotty Toddy :o)

The middle name has been an ongoing discussion since forever between Cody, myself, and my family. My family really wanted to put my maiden name, "Girdley" as his middle name. But, I just couldn't do that to him. I kept Girdley as my middle name, and I think that's enough. Girdley is just so hard to pronounce, spell, and use in everday life. I am still haunted by professors mispronouncing it in college... I got things anywhere from "Gridley" to "Girdle" to "Turtle". I'm telling you, it was insane, so I hated for our son to endure that same kind of embarrassment.

We did, however, want to name him after my daddy, since he's so special to both of us, and this is his first boy! I just can't explain to all of you how excited he is... every day, he calls and checks on Manning or will just come rub my belly and say sweet things like "that's my boy." It makes me tear up even thinking about it. He also likes to make predictions about what Manning's going to look like one day... right now he truly believes that he's going to have a head-full of dark hair, be a big, muscular boy, and be 6ft 5in tall. Daddy is just precious! :o) Well, let me continue the story... I suggested Joseph a long time ago, since Daddy's name is Joe, but Cody wasn't sure if it was right. We were walking around Wal-Mart the other day looking at baby stuff, and somehow we mentioned my dad, and Cody said, "I love your dad, let's name him Joseph." And that was it! Our son now has a name...Manning Joseph Moore.... and we love it!

The pictures that I've posted are of cute monogrammed bibs and a shot of Manning's name above his baby bed! The nursery is getting closer and closer to finished... I will post more pics soon!

Happy Birthday, Molli, Mom & Hank!

Happy Birthday has been a pretty popular saying here lately! We've celebrated so many that I can't count. We have a 27th thing going on in our family. For example: Henry's birthday is July 27th, Mom's is August 27th, Cody's is September 27th, Kaci's is October 27th, and maybe our little man's will be November 27th... who knows?!

Cody's birthday is right around the corner, so I'm doing my best to think of something to get him. The only things he wants are golf gear (He eats, sleeps, & breathes golf at the moment), so that may be what I go with, and of course I could never go wrong with anything Ole Miss related. So, I guess we will see what he ends up with. I just hate not surprising him with something big. He always does the best job on my birthday... but I think women are much easier to buy for than men.

I've posted a couple of our "party" pics for you to enjoy! Happy Birthday to all!

Getting ready for baby! :o)

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I guess I'll try to catch up in this post! We have just been super duper busy preparing for our little man and me getting myself accustomed to going back to work. Let's just say that going to back to school has not been too fun... but that's an entirely different post!

In the meantime, I have registered for our sweet boy's showers and arrival. We registered at Babies 'R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart. Actually, I haven't registered at Wal-Mart yet, but I'm going to! I had such a fun time the day we went to Babies 'R Us. Thanks to my dear friend, Laura Lee, I really felt like I knew what I was doing. She sent me all kinds of checklists and suggestions. Thanks, LL! I also took my mom, grandmother, and aunt with me... they are always a big help! We registered for diapers, bottles, car seats, strollers, fun toys, diaper genies, and the list goes on and on... I had no idea that there was so much stuff to choose from. They even have baby wipe warmers and bottle warmers you can plug into your car... who knew!? It was SOOO fun!

We have also been working really hard on the nursery. Cody has all of the furniture put together, and I'm beginning to work on decorating the walls, etc. We've decided to use an Ole Miss theme. I'm sure you all could have guessed that! We just know that our little rebel will love it. Hotty Toddy! We have most of his bedding on now... we're just waiting on his custom-made bumper pad to come in to complete it. As soon as it's complete, I will take some pictures and post them!

I have also been doing my fair share of shopping! I try not to buy too much because I know we have showers coming up, but it's so hard. So, I'm trying to buy unique things that people won't think of... like cute little smocked football outfits for his first Ole Miss football season. We went to the Helen Brett Show this past weekend, and I'm proud to say that I only bought one monogrammed outfit and a painting for the nursery! Pretty good, huh?

Family Vacation to Hot Springs...

In July, our family traveled to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We had a really good time just hanging out with family and getting away for a while. I spent most of the week shopping for our little man and enjoying the wonderful seafood!

It's a BOY!

On July 13, Cody and I went back to the doctor for our 20 week appointment to find out Baby Moore's gender. We had been counting down the days for this appointment, and so had my family! Our excitement was obvious when we showed up with three extra people for this special appointment... my mom, grandmother, and aunt went with us to see things for themselves!

Cody and I went back by ourselves first. When it was finally time to find out, the ultrasound tech put it on the screen and left it for us to figure out. I think it literally took us about 3 seconds to figure out. I just shouted out, "It's a boy, isn't it?!". Then, it was time for the rest of the crew to come see, so they filed in and literally took over the tech's screen (lol). Then, they saw for themselves that we would be welcoming a precious baby boy into the family! The room was full of giggles, grins, oohs, and aahs! It was such a great day!

Mom immediately left the room to call my daddy. He's been wanting a boy for so long, so she knew that this would thrill him, and she was right. He is so excited about his grandson...he's already looking at Ducks Unlimited special edition rifles...and the list goes on and on.

God is so wonderful!! I can't explain the joy that this child has already brought to our family. I can't imagine how we are going to be when December 2 rolls around. Every morning, I wake up and thank God for this very precious gift. I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life! Now, I'm just ready to meet our little guy! :)

Langley Wedding

The Perfect Southern Wedding

Last weekend, Cody and I went back to our favorite place... Oxford, MS, for our dear friends' Sarah and Skip's wedding. The entire weekend was fabulous! We got to hang out in the perfect little town where we met, and we got to hang out with all of our college buddies. Everyone was there, and we had such a great time!

On Friday night, we had dinner at 208 with a bunch of Pi Phi gals and their dates/husbands. After dinner, we went to the Downtown Grill to meet up with the bride & groom and all of their guests. It was quite obvious that all of them had been having a great time! They were all amazed by my growing belly, and let's just say that it was the star of the show. I don't think I've ever been rubbed so much in my entire life! While at the Downtown Grill, Michael Jackson was blaring from the speakers. I guess they were playing a tribute to the late and great MJ... and I think I have a dancer on my hands. The whole time the music was playing, Baby Moore was wiggling and dancing in my belly. This made all of the belly rubs worthwhile. :)

Saturday was great, too, even though it was 100 degrees! We all got up and went shopping. We got some Rebel gear and some maternity stuff too. Then, we got ready for the wedding. The wedding was at Oak Hill Stables, and it was gorgeous. Skip & Sarah had an outdoor wedding and reception. Colonel Reb even made his appearance while the band played Dixie. It was a true Southern wedding... a beautiful sunset and horses behind the chapel, Colonel Reb's appearance, ice sculptures, the Ole Miss groom's cake, peonies in every flower arrangement, floating initials in the pool, a Mo-Town band, the "glistening" taking place due to the Southern heat, good food, and great friends! Hotty Toddy!

And the birthday surprise arrives...

Cody decided to surprise me this year for my birthday. I usually give him hints and help him out a little, but he wouldn't let me this year. He said he knew exactly what he wanted to get me. Since I'm not good at surprises, the suspense has been building forever... and I've been anxiously awaiting my present.

My birthday surprise arrived today, 2 days early, but I got to go ahead and open it! I love love love it! I got a Coach diaper bag! My hubby is so good to me! :)

Houston, we have a baby BUMP!

Over the past few weeks, I have definitely developed a baby bump, and I LOVE it! Cody thinks I'm silly, and of course, he thinks it's humongous. It's really not that big...but I'm definitely growing! He thinks that I just don't remember what I looked like before pregnancy. To his defense, I have had about ten people come up and rub my bump... so maybe he knows what he's talking about!?

I did have to go out to shop for a new dress this past week. We are going to Oxford this weekend for our friends' wedding (YAY!!), and I realized that I had nothing to wear. I took mom with me, and we began searching for a dress. I had no idea how funny our little outing would become. I grabbed all of these cute, fitted dresses like I "used to wear." Mom, on the other hand, grabbed a few "flowy" dresses. I thought she was silly for even bringing those in the dressing room. When I modeled my first choice, I don't think my mom has ever laughed so hard! Let's just say it wasn't flattering at all. Then, we both started laughing, and I just pushed all of my dresses to the side and faced the fact that I had to go with her choices. We decided on a plain brown dress with a green satin bow that is much more flattering than my fitted, sequined choices. Who knew that shopping when pregnant could be so much fun? I think she's told everyone that story. She thinks it's hilarious! :)

We're going to have a BABY!

On March 23, 2009, Cody and I found out that we are pregnant! Since then, we have been thanking God for such a special blessing and have been planning for our new little arrival.

Since we still don't know what Baby Moore is going to be, I have been buying one pink and one blue of "whatever" it is I'm buying. I've also been trying to buy some neutral items that could work for either a boy or a girl... I just can't help but buy things! We will find out if it's a boy or a girl on July 13, and trust me, I can't wait! We both really believe it's a boy, but we will be completely happy with whatever Baby Moore turns out to be!

Another update... We are ordering our baby furniture tomorrow! YAY! It should be here in a few weeks! Also, names are picked out, but we are keeping them a secret until we know for sure what we're having! We will let you all know soon! God is so amazing, wouldn't you agree?!