Little AJ

When Hibdon and I first saw the news we only talked about girls names, but when we joked about Hibdon raising a girl he couldn't go there.  He would always say that's a little wrestler in there, Little Adam Jr. Which later was AJ.  He would always refer to the baby as Little AJ.

Turns out we right from the beginning and it was a girl.  Out of the two names we liked, we found a Little AJ.  AnnaBella Jane that is.  We had the opportunity to see our little sweet pea today. I am 17 weeks and lost weight...whoops. I'm chalking it up to the sickness last week. The doctor was great and gave me plenty of time to ask lots of questions.

He asked me a question that really resonated with me.  He said I am now able to have the quad blood screening to check if my child would have spina bifida, down syndrome or other genetic disorders.  He said I am at the stage to have these tests.  He also said he will only approve them after I answer one question.  He asked me if I get an abnormal test result does that mean something in wrong with my baby.  I quickly replied No. Without thinking I went with a positive outlook.  1) An abnormal result could be skewed now and provide "normalcy" later.  2) If the "worst case" scenario happens it will be a precious child that my God blessed me with.  I have never in my life be so at peace with the unknown. I want my baby to be healthy.  I don't want my child to need to deal with medications and a billion doctors appointments. I do believe that every child is such a blessing.  This is MY baby normal or abnormal she is MINE and I love her right now more than I could have ever dreamed. She is mine and I am hers.

After my quick no, Dr. N said "that's what I wanted to hear. If you said yes, I wouldn't agree to it."  So after yet another vile of blood taken, we have a test underway.

Miss AnnaBella was a little sleepy during her photo shoot today so all of the pictures are covering her face.  Here's the best one.  She's just perfect. I just stare and gush at my little Princess.















I belong to you, You belong to me
You're my Sweet Heart

Bo Knows

There is nothing baby related about this post, but I must say I am inspired. Last night Hibdon and I watched the 30 for 30 special on Bo Jackson.  Those specials always sucked us in, but we had been planning on watching this one after a Bo vs. Deon Sanders debate on First Take. So as we are watching the Heisman, (Kudos Johnny Football and congrats to my Aggie Bestest Tator) we see this special is coming up next.  Yes, we live a thrilling life.  In our defense I am pregnant and was incredibly sick.

 I don't remember too much of the Bo Jackson days, I was a little young.  I remember the popularity of "Bo Knows", the cartoon of the athlete super heroes, baseball cards and the posters Big Brother had on his walls. I didn't know why it was so short lived.  Honestly, I thought he probably got himself into trouble and it ended his career.  I was so wrong! Watching this special and the Heisman was just a little too much for my pregnant heart, got me right there, you know?

Bo Jackson was one of the greatest athletes of all time.  He played both professional baseball and football at the same time.  He had principles and stood by them. He is still the only player to play in the Pro Bowl and All Star game.  Just a living legend.  You won't see him in the hall of fame though.  He had a massive career ending injury to end his career early. He was tackle in a small simple way, but because of his pure strength the force of his leg motion dislocated his hip.  He would end up needed hip replacement surgery at 28 years old. He was the only player to come back from that, but it just wasn't the same.

I'm a Coach's kid and can get sucked into these documentaries pretty easy.  Hibdon loves it, it's right up his alley.  I will tell you I could probably watch the Notebook or the biggest chick flick right now and not cry.  However, a sports moment, seeing the stories on Manti Te'o, Collin Klein and watching an eager energetic freshman win the Heisman.  Then seeing the Bo story.  Too much for my pregnant heart.  Can't do it, I get teary.  I stay away from my all time favorite movie right now. For the Love of the Game. I would be a basket case.  I'm weird, I know.  I'm getting used to it.

Just a little TLC is all I needed.

Yesterday marked 72 hours of feeling like crap-ola. Not just a little cold, like (sorry for the graphics) puking my guts up. Here's how it began...

Nice dinner Wednesday night with Uncle Speed and Aunt Sar, stuffed myself like a tick. Then I stayed up later than normal, which had me excited to be apart of the real world again. When I got out of bed Thursday I was still miserably stuffed and felt awful.  I went to work and even emailed Aunt Sar and Tiffy to tell them how annoyed I was with those "eating for two people".  My appetite has picked up, but my stomach is still the same size and the one meal I "ate for two" I was punished for it. I was on my soapbox. Then Thursday morning turned into almost lunch and so did the chills and fever. I felt horrible, seriously it was worse than "morning sickness".  I told my boss my symptoms and she told me to go home. My boss and coworkers are slightly germaphobic. They all looked very concerned, but from afar.

So home I went, Hibdon was off that day and did the best care taking possible. I went straight to bed and we called the nurse. Just as sweet as she could be, told me to treat my symptoms. So, off to the store Hibdon went. He brought back a care package of powerade, chicken noodle soup, medicine and trashy magazines. Then he let Maddy pup snuggle me in bed. We slept all day and night, only waking up to up-chuck the fluids I had taken in. Friday I called the nurse again and this time she gave me a timeline, if I couldn't keep 7-Up down by 4:00 p.m. it was time to go to the hospital to get an IV. That did not sound like fun so I slowly sipped until a full can of 7-Up was down. Small victories.

CC came over Friday night and brought me a baked potato, that I was craving. I ate a little less than half. I also ate three pickles, I think the first time in my life I have wanted pickles for the pure nutritional value. She hung out with me until I went to bed. There is just something about your Momma being there when you are sick.  I'll never be too old for that, never.

Saturday I was sure I would feel back to normal.  Got ready for the day, packed a gym bag and went to work.  I was so excited to get into the office and catch-up.  I was wrong, I didn't last long and there was no way I could have made it to the gym.  Back home I went to find Hon, Grandma Jane and McKenna cleaning my house to a sparkle and making pot roast.  It was soooo nice to come home to that.  They sent me right to bed and let themselves out.  I started feeling better at the end of the night.  I can drink water and eat solid foods!! It's been a rough ride, but I think all the extra TLC I have been getting was just what the doctor ordered.  With my family if I could bottle that up and sell it on the black market, I'd be rolling in it.  They are pros at TLC.

This leaves me incredibly anxious to go to our next appointment on Tuesday.  It's been on the calendar for months and every week we near it I get excited, but with not eating for 48 hours I am nervous.  Say a little pray for Baby AnnaBella please.  The nurse reassured me that the baby gets all the nutrients she needs and then I get mine.  Which is why it takes a while to recover.  She's right I am sure, but I just need confirmation.  Plus with my recent inability to keep liquids down I haven't taken my thyroid pill or vitamins in a few days.  I keep telling myself there was a time pregnant women didn't know it wasn't okay to drink or smoke.  Surely, a few days of not pumping the extras into will be just fine.

Thank you Lord for being bigger than my little flu bug!

Name Game

Tonight Hibdon and I finally solidified the name of our little Princess. We have been talking about girls names from the first day we found out that we were expanding our family. The two names we were thinking of were Abigail and AnnaBella.  Hibdon's choice was Abigail and mine AnnaBella.  We would go back and forth on both names.  Finally, Hibdon asked me to look up the meaning of the names.

AnnaBella-  Beautiful Grace.  Special right? It's a pretty name and the meaning is even Grace. I melted.
Abigail- A father's joy. You have got to be kidding me! How do I compete with that? He likes a name that literally means HIS joy. Come on!

So I thought I had lost until I told Adam why I like AnnaBella.  My Granny's name is Anna Ruth.  She is so kind and caring. She has never met a stranger and has mothered/grandmothered about every kid in town.  There are kids that I call or have called my cousins that are not related to me. Only because my Granny treated them as her own.

My Momma who I love more than anything, her name is Claudia Ann. She is stronger than any woman I have ever met, gives more until she can give no longer, absolutely never judges and is incredibly intelligent.  She is always increasing her knowledge and providing new challenges for herself.

My Momma continued the "Ann" name by naming me Brianna.

Once Hibdon knew this he understood why I picked AnnaBella.  He was very concerned about what her nickname would be.  I am less concerned.  I think there no way to predict her nickname. 95% of my friends and family call me Bri, my best friend Tator and some high school friends call me Brito, Big Brother, Duke and Tommy still call me B.B. and Neel calls me B.  There's no way to predict that.  Still, Hibdon needed to figure it out.  So if we choose to shorten her name we will call her Ella, but I think AnnaBella will be used more frequently.

AnnaBella's middle name was a no brainer.  Jane.  AnnaBella's middle name will be after Hibdon's sweet Grandma Jane.  She is the most caring, giving, prayer warrior of a grandmother. She has cared for many kids in Barnsdall and devoted all her free time to Hibdon and SIL. Just for funsies I looked up Jane, it means God is gracious. Of course it does. We love her and couldn't imagine life without her.

AnnaBella Jane Hibdon will be the beautiful grace in our life that God will so graciously bless us with.

Aunt Randi-Doll

I have always known how smart Big Brother was, but lately I have been doubting his intelligence.  He has been dating Randi-Doll for sometime now and not popped the question.  I LOVE Randi-Doll, I almost think she's my soul mate.

Randi-Doll is gorgeous, fun, easy going, witty and creative.  She loves Big Brother more than I thought was possible and maintains all the patience he needs. She has faithfully supported Big Brother and perfectly fit into our family.

Well, tonight he did it! Big Brother bought a ring, planned the event, and asked her to be his wife.  He did it right too.  They love the outdoors and love hiking.  This weekend's weather was perfect for it too.  They hiked like any old hike to a pretty spot with a great view, then Big Brother made their any old hike one to remember.  He got down on one knee and asked my favorite Arkansan to be his wife.

I can't tell you how excited I am for Randi-Doll to be my new SIL.  I feel so blessed, even spoiled that I get two of the most amazing women, whom I call friends, to be my SILs. It's perfect. What's even better is now my little girl with have two awesome Aunts.

Now, I will say that she will probably get away with murder when it comes to Aunt Randi and will more than likely be diva for fashion.  She will also learn to go with the flow and how to have a good time no matter what. She will probably gain a southern drawl the more she hangs around Aunt Randi.  I can imagine she will come home saying soda and pronouncing yellow, yella. She will learn to call the Hogs and make cute things out of nothing. She will be loved and love Aunt Randi.

We couldn't be happier that Randi-Doll is joining our family.  I just asked Baby H, she agreed. :)

Oh Christmas Tree

My Dearest Sweet Baby Girl, 

Last week your Daddy and I put up our Christmas tree. This was pretty special for me knowing the next time we put the tree up you will be here with us. Something you should know about your Daddy is he loves tradition and he is a stickler for it.  I'm a firm believer that the tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. Your Daddy likes this tradition too. 

I haven't been too energized to meet my requirement so your sweet Daddy surprised me by staying up very late to put the tree up within our tradition timeline.  Another tradition that is so special with our Christmas tree is that our tree is 26 years old. Each year your Daddy and I put up the tree that Hon and Gpa purchased the Christmas before your Daddy was born. 

When Daddy and I were having our first Christmas as a married couple Hon and Gpa bought a new tree.  They offered to give us their tree.  While Daddy enjoyed not paying for a tree, he was more excited at the thought of carrying his parents tradition on. The tree is big and gorgeous, I love having it. It can be a pain to put up, but Daddy is always there to help.  I am so happy to keep his tradition alive and maintain the Hibdon tree. 

We have started our own tradition in that Momma always picks the decorations for the tree and they usually change each year and Daddy puts the angel on top, we save that for the very last.  

Now our tree is up and you are growing in Momma's tummy.  This Christmas I think about Hibdon and McCauley traditions, my heart swells when I think of all the traditions we will make with you. 

I hope this tree lasts for a very long time.  Someday I hope to see you crawling under the tree to grab your gifts, just like your Daddy did. 

Merry Christmas Pretty Girl, I can't wait for you to get here. 

Love you like crazy,

Momma

Hello Second Trimester

Here I am almost 16 weeks of housing my little princess.  I have to say excited to be in my second trimester is an understatement. The first trimester flew by and PRAISE GOD for that. Hibdon and I discovered we were pregnant just before 5 weeks. I think I felt every first trimester symptom to extreme.  Okay, maybe I am exaggerating or maybe I am slightly weak, but goodness it was intense.

From 5 weeks I experienced ridiculous levels of exhaustion.  I typically can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, so magnifying this trait is not good.  Every day I would come home from work and fall asleep on the couch, Hibdon would wake me up for dinner and then I would go back to sleep.  The days I didn't fall asleep after work I was in bed by 7:30.  Hitting week 6 I started feeling the nauseous. It wasn't just morning sickness folks, it was allllll day sickness. Started early in the morning and left me going to bed feeling as if I could "get sick" at any moment.  Needless to say I moved a trash can to my side of the bed.  As a precautionary measure I knew where every trash can was, at all times.  I knew the steps to the restrooms at work. "Getting sick" was always on my mind.  Thank the good Lord that he gave Lance Company the vision to make cheese-peanut butter crackers. Saving Grace. Finally as week 9-10 approached my tummy started to feel a little more stable.  The headaches and dizziness picked up.  I felt like I was in the twilight zone most of the time. My pants started to get tight around my tummy and unfortunately acne appeared.  I looked like a chubby awkward thirteen year old girl.  Just add glasses and braces. I struggled to feel like myself. So I cried a little, okay at the drop of a hat.  Not at normal things either. Drew Brees broke Johnny Unitas record, I bawled like a baby.  Johnny's son wrote Drew a letter saying "records were meant to be broken", I lost it. Hibdon watched me more than the game. I am not a Saints nor Drew Brees fan, I'm a Peyton girl (always have been).  I still cheered and got choked up at every motion the offense made towards that record.

Finally, week 15 was here and so was Thanksgiving! Here I was started to feel better, staying up until the wee hours of 9 o'clock. Now I can eat a million calories and not feel guilty.  I would devour TT's stuffing, Neel's noodles, Grandma Jane's mushrooms and sinful potatoes and whatever delicious dessert Hon would find. Well, I thought wrong, I was still getting sick and the night before Thanksgiving was the worst. I didn't feel safe eating much at all on Thanksgiving.

Now that week 16 is here I am feeling like a million bucks. I have worked out every day this week. It was pretty short and sporadic before.  Now I am excited to make it to the gym.  I wake up early excited for work and go shopping after work. Man I feel good.  I can also feel my little princess moving around at times. My tummy will be flat on one side and round on another, she is moving like crazy. LOVE IT.







Last night I even had energy to "par-tay".  Hibdon and I met our fun friends for a work Christmas party at the country club. So fun and Baby H kept Momma feeling good.