Baby Simons 1st Check Up: Week 11

Today was the big day that I had been waiting 4 whole weeks for...another doctors appointment. Sounds silly, but I have been told that when you are pregnant you live for your next doctor's appointment and your next sonogram. Well, today we finally got to go to the doctor. It was a rather quick visit compared the ones before...they weighed me and I hadn't gained any weight! PRAISE THE LORD! They took my blood pressure and then we went to the exam room. She said that we were going to try and hear the heart beat today, but not to freak out if you couldn't hear it because the baby is still very small. I told her that I would try not to freak out...she assured me that if they didn't hear it, then they would do a sonogram...which part of me was hoping I could see the Baby. She pushed the doppler thingy into my midsection and moved it all around for what seemed like forever and I was thinking...we aren't going to be able to hear it. But, then all of a sudden she said...there it is! I was like "are you sure?" Because it sounded so far away...she said the fast one is the babies and the slow one is yours. I listed really hard and heard...flub,flub...flub,flub...flub,flub...and there it was...our baby's heartbeat. I asked Kevin if he could hear it and he said yes and smiled! Maggie, our great nurse, said that it was beating 160 beats per minute and it was suppose to be between 140 and 180. She said that it sounded good and strong! Great words to my ears!

Our doctor came in and said that everything looked good, all the blood tests came back great. She also reminded me that I had O negative blood and would have to have a shot at 23 weeks and then again at delivery if the babies blood is positive instead of negative. And then she told me that I was not immune for German Measles!! I said...okay...is that bad? She said that is wasn't and that they would give me a shot after delivery. Who would have thought...German Measles...Maggie said that it wasn't very common...and I was like...for sure...since I have never heard of it! So people...get your vaccination for the German measles!

All that to say, my heart and mind are at peace today because everything is good with the baby. It is funny, but it is like the baby and that fact that we are going to be Mom and Dad became a little more real today!

Thanks for sharing in our journey with us!

This Year's Theme: Leap of Faith!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

This year has in store a LOT of changes for the Simons House. A new baby, a new house, a new business and much more. Therefore, we have themed it with "Leap of Faith". At first, it was just a way of saying...I don't know how all of this is going to happen. But now it is a journey that we have begun. I believe that the Lord knows us so much better that we know ourselves. When we found out that we were going to have a baby, the planner in me about freaked out! I thought...how in the world are we going to get our house built in time, get a car that has more than 2 doors, hire a full time person to work with Efficient, gain more clients to pay for the additional responsibilites, start a new business, etc....the list goes on. But then a wise friend of mine reminded me that God is in control and He wants to guide and maybe even carry us through this journey. He wants us to trust Him and He wants to provide for us beyond what we can imagine. She encouraged Kevin and I to make a list of the items that we were worried about and pray over that list and let God take care of them for us. Through this we have realized yet again, that we are NOT in control of our lives, but God is and that He will provide all that we need.

All that to say, instead of Leap of Faith, maybe our theme should be walking in faith!

We have the plans!

So the house plans are in the process of being printed...all like 15 copies!! We should get them today and that is one MAJOR step completed in the house building process. We have been working on them for what seems like FOREVER!! But, now they are complete. Kevin and I are SO excited to see all the hard work that we have put into thinking about a house that would work well for us for many years to come as well as a great place for Efficient (my business) and Gracie Productions (Kevin's full service recording studio) to work with great clients! Hopefully we will be able to scan the plan down to a small enough image that we can post it on the site...if not, we will definitely be taking pictures throughout the entire process!

Timeline!

So many of you may be thinking...how long is the process going to take and is it going to be built by the time that the baby gets here? And my answer would be GOD WILLING! Hehe...just kidding...here is the estimated timeline that we have been given.

• TODAY: We will receive 15 copies of plans.
• OVER THE NEXT 2 WEEKS: Our great builder Danny Moss of DR Moss Custom Homes will work getting the costs for the actual building part of the house
• OVER THE NEXT 2 WEEKS: Kevin and I will work with my best friend Valerie Griffin of Valerie Griffin Designs to pick out all of the things going in our house. It is actually a big list...appliances, interior doors and exterior doors, windows, fixtures, plumbing, flooring, granite, brick, glass and mirrors, lightings and fans...WHEW...a big list. But, I have confidence that Val can help me make great decisions and pick out things to make our house look the way that I want.
• OVER THE NEXT 4 WEEKS or LESS (Approx): We will be finalizing the loan and Danny will be getting our permits. If anyone knows anyone in the City of Fort Worth, we would love help in getting our permits quickly!
• BREAK GROUND! We should have the foundation poured within 2 weeks of everything being finalized and it should take less than 6 months to finish the entire house.

As you can see it is going to be cutting it close to get everything finished by the time that Baby Simons makes it's arrival...but, we are praying for a closing in JULY! The current timeline puts us in the first two weeks of August, but hopefully everything will move a little faster!

We will do our best to keep things updated on the blog concerning the house and the baby! Thanks for joining us in the journey! We couldn't do it without your friendships, prayers and support! We love you!

Introducing Baby Simons!

It is true! Kevin and I are expecting our first baby sometime in early August!! Kind of crazy, but super exciting news for us!! As you can see, the baby is VERY small, I am told the size of a rasberry. We actually got to see the little heart beat when they did this sonogram! The doctor said that everything looked great and that the baby had a healthy heart beat. As of tomorrow we will be 8 weeks!! Whew hew!!

As you probably guessed, that has made our house process start moving extra fast considering we have between 7 - 8 months to get the house built before the baby comes...which is a MUST!! We actually met with the architect this morning and within the next 2 1/2 weeks we should have our final plans. Then we can choose all our stuff, finish the financing and break ground! Whew hew...2007 is going to be a BIG year at the Simons House!!