One Year Ago...

One year ago we (Matt and I) were living in a wonderful apartment in Maumelle, while also building a house south of town. I would go out to the house on my Fridays off and pick up shingles, bricks, and move concrete blocks from one position to another. On Saturday and Sundays I could not wait to show Matt the progress.

Well this particular Friday I decided that I would take it easy. The day before I decided that I would venture down the road to Wal-Mart and pick up a few needed items. If anyone knows us, you know that Matt loves to go to Wal-Mart and I avoid it if all possible! Well I headed home from Wal-Mart to unload my items. I ate a few banana peppers and then decided to take care of the things that I needed to do for the evening. Well little did I know that I would take a pregnancy test to double check and clear my head of any worries that I might be having, and there it was...the results. I immediately took another and another and another and another. Over the next few days who knows how many I took just to realize that I always got the same result. I will never forget that Thursday night when Matt got home. I felt terrible because his Dad was having some tests taken in Little Rock and I could not wait any longer for my husband to arrive. There I was on our bed, sitting in tears. Now you are probably thinking how terrible of me to be crying over such a wonderful blessing.

We had a lot going on in our lives. A few months prior we had made the decision to start building a house, and then we had found out that Matt would be leaving to Alabama on orders. We decided that I would stay behind and we could meet on the weekends. It would not be that hard or that long. Just a stepping stone in our life. Now it was about to be a even bigger stepping stone. Matt came home to find me in tears, wondering what in the world was wrong. As I told him that I was pregnant I remember this smile appear on his face. I needed to see that smile. Little did I know that he would soon become just as nervous as me.

The next morning I started hearing Matt's ideas about not going to flight school. That set in as a little problem with me. Ever since his college years, Matt had wanted to become a helicopter pilot. After a few days of realization, Matt and I decided that we would continue with our plan and dreams. Matt would head off to flight school April 5, and we (baby and I) would be meeting with him on the weekends.

We decided that we would not tell anyone that we were expecting until after the doctor's appointment. One day prior to the appointment, I decided that I needed someone to go with me. I told my Mom that I needed to ask her opinion about something in the new house, and she headed over. She met me in the living room and asked me what it was that she needed to see. I told her that I was pregnant. Once again the biggest grin from a first time MiMi. I asked her if she would go with me to my first Doctor's appointment. The next morning we headed off to meet with Dr. Taylor. I was texting Matt the entire time! After the positive results, Dr. Taylor began questioning me with medication questions. I was clear. Then he began questioning me with activity questions. My day job was fine, nothing too strenuous...but then it came to my mind about all of those Fridays I had been lifting brick after brick, shingle after shingle, block after block. What could I have done? I went back out to the waiting room, to return to Mom and give her the news. We waited a few minutes before I was called back for my first ultrasound. Mom went back with me to see the little peanut.

The lady proceeded to ask me how far along I thought I was in my pregnancy. I said maybe four to six weeks. She said that we would try a regular ultrasound first, but the baby might be so small that we would need to do a vaginal ultrasound. Little did I know that what I would see would change my life and be the second biggest blessing God had ever given me. God had blessed me with Matt and now a baby! That baby was not six weeks, but more along the lines of twelve weeks.

I went straight home to send the pictures to Matt, and began thinking about the next nine months. I will spare you with all the excitement of the next nine months. ONE YEAR AGO, God blessed me and Matt once again. Today we are enjoying out time together in Birmingham and playing with our blessed little girl. We love being parents and adore our little angel.