Happy Birthday Jillian

Jill was such a wonderful "auntie" even after Mason ate her first "from scratch cake.

Jill at 16 and me at 19.

God has blessed me tremendously with 2 wonderful siblings, including my baby sister Jillian. I can't believe she is 22 today! We have shared so much in life including playing Little House on the Pararie, me making her be my pretend model (that's how I got to be good at doing hair and make up) and lots of fights, especially in high school. However, she is truly a part of me. Plenty of late night talks, laughing til we pee ourselves, and crying hysterically has helped me become the woman I've become today.

She was one of the first people I told I was engaged, she stood by me as my maid of honor at my wedding, I called her as soon as we found out we were pregnant...all of these important mile stones we have shared. I love you very much Jillian! I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

18 Week Pictures, even though I'm 19.5

The past week, Jude has really began to pop out so these pictures don't do him justice. However, while trying to use my camera this morning in a lesson, my lens officially broke so I don't know how I'm going to take update pictures until hopefully Christmas, when we get a new camera!

Justin and I went to Columbus last night to register at Babies R Us. We had so much fun! Justin was way cute about everything! I didn't know if I would want to do a theme, but when we found "Jungle Babies" it was too perfect for Justin's son. :) It's kind of crazy to think that this time next week, we'll be half way through my pregnancy. Holy Cow!

Fall Flowers and Birthdays

Jude has already taken my birthday thunder since we found out he was a he the day before it, so I am just now getting to blogging about my 25th birthday. That's right, on October 14 I turned a quarter of a century old, haha. Honestly, having the news of a healthy baby boy could not have been any better of a present, but along with that wonderful news, I did feel extremely loved and appreciated. I got lots of cards and money (thank the Lord I can get some new glasses now) from family and my sweet friends at work and students had me a cake and a few surprises. Justin was super sweet and bought me some fall flowers for the yard, which is what I asked for. We got some new mums and pansies to keep the yard bright until winter. We also went to Dreamland BBQ in Montgomery the following weekend.

Thankfully, my birthday is not marked with bad luck like Justin's. 2 years ago, he hit another truck on his birthday and this past year was when we had the terrible poison scare with Mason, so next summer on Justin's birthday, we're staying inside all day, no accidents! :)

Happy Belated Birthday to me. :)

Jude Aaron Dellinger's 1st Debut

This is his whole body, while standing on his head.
His sweet little profile.

Knees bent and something in between. Definitely a boy!

That's right! God has given us a beautiful and healthy baby boy! He is looking perfect and healthy, praise the Lord. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy! Justin and I are so excited to start a family with a son! We are praying for a continued healthy and safe pregnancy, as well as the hope that Jude will follow Christ's plan for his life at an early age. I'm so excited to be able to call him by name now, instead of Tater. :)

Mason is hysterical. I have read that dogs can since when you're pregnant and be very cuddly and protective. Well, on Sunday afternoon, Justin and I were snuggling on the couch and started kissing. Mason started barking and literally jumped on the couch and tried to get in between us. He would snuzzle his nose in between our heads. This went on for 5 minutes. He was so funny. He also has a routine that he is allowed to get on the bed ONLY with his blanket down over our comforter (can't stand dog hair in the bed, yuck) and he can only do this when we're lying in bed with him reading and/or watching t.v. Once we're ready to go to bed, one of us will tell him "bed time" and he'll go get in his kennel. Well, last night, I put his blanket in his usual place and he refused to lie there. He pulled it with his teeth to right beside me, rather than at the foot of the bed, and cuddled up next to my stomach. It's amazing to see how they sense things.

I guess I'm outnumbered. I have Justin, Mason, and Jude! So fun...a house full of boys...

Loves Me or Loves a Good Deal? :)

I think it's because he loves me! Justin won the "Best Husband" award today for sure. If you know my husband at all, you know he hates shopping, could care less about buying anything other than food, books, and camping gear, and knows nothing about babies. However, today he really pulled through!

The Kids Clothing Connection is a semi-annual consignment sale that comes to Opelika. They allow 1st time Mom's to come a day earlier than the general public if you pre-register, but the time is during the day while I'm at work. I asked Justin if he would be willing to go and he agreed to it. I research all of our "big" needs/wants for the baby and their retail prices. I then researched good consignment prices. And, off Justin went with a list of words and numbers he knew nothing about.

After 7 phone calls, this is what he came home with: (A few pictures are above)

1. Chicco Cortina Stroller, Car Seat, Base Set, Retail-$329+tax, with an additional base, retails at $75, total retail, approximately $425, including taxes

Our price=$120! And it's in excellent condition

2. Chicco Ultrasoft Baby Carrier-Retails @ $80, got it for $25! It still had the tags on it and was in the original packaging. This is what Justin is most excited about!

3. Gracco Pack-n-Play-Retails @ $70-$120, we got one for $25.

4. Bumbo Seat + Eating Tray-Retails at $45 and we got it for $20

Needless to say, God is good. He always provides! We spent $190 and the stroller itself is so much more than that! Yay! I'm going tomorrow to look for other good deals!

Justin was so proud, he even came by my classroom so I could go outside and see the items! He did a great job. I think this was his first big step into Daddy-hood.