Spring at the Dallas Arboretum...

This afternoon we went to the Dallas Arboretum to enjoy the beautiful spring day, get some exercise and also to test out (and play with) our new camera that we got for Christmas. As you can tell from the pics below, it was a perfect day...

March Madness!!

I don't usually keep up with college basketball, but of course this year our Baylor Bears proved to be the "Feel Good Story" throughout the season. We of course were there when the scandal hit the campus, so to see the progress that we have made is absolutely incredible. Even though we lost in the first round, I have to say that it was a big feat for us to make it there in the first place. We are so excited for our team and for our University.
I stumbled upon this interview this morning of Coach Drew (obviously done before we lost) and I am so incredibly pumped that he is our coach. Not only is he obviously a good coach and a wonderful motivator, he seems like a wonderful Christian man as well. Now, if we could only get someone like him for our football team!!
As far as the rest of the tourney goes, I'm one game back on my bracket from my sweet husband. If you know me at all, you could say that I can get a wee bit competitive. So there has been just a little bit of "trash talk" in our house this week over our brackets... and I will still hold to the fact that I truly believe Jeff waited until I filled my bracket out and THEN he filled his out!! (He completely denies this of course). So Round 2 begins today and we'll see how I do....

Georgia's Getting Ready Too!

We realized the other night that we've been getting everything ready for Mr. Brady except for our Little Miss Georgia! (She reminded us of that when she came in from the backyard all muddy and itchy.) So at 10:00 on Wednesday night, Jeff gave Georgia a bath. Although she gets a little upset during the bath, she always loves Jeff afterward for making her smell good!
She's been such a good big sister already by only sniffing at Brady's toys and stuffed animals, even though they are out in a basket for her to see all day. We're so proud of her and hope that she only does even better once Brady gets here. We think that she may actually begin to think that he's her baby. She's a really sweet dog and I think once she gets used to him, she'll be a wonderful protector and playmate!

Northern Oklahoma or Maybe Kansas....

We went to the Doctor on Monday for my second official "exam". I was so glad that Jeff was able to go with me this time because it ended up being a very long appointment! I had been feeling a whole heck of a lot of pressure since last Thursday so I was sure that our little Brady had dropped and was getting himself ready to visit us this week. On Sunday night, we were both SURE that he was going to come this week. So sure, in fact, that we got our bags out from the attic to get packed for our trip to the hospital.
So I was ready for some "good" news at the doctor on Monday. Instead, during my "exam", Dr. Wells said... "I can't tell if he's head down so we're going to do a sonogram". Well of course the sonogram is the biggest treat because we get to see our little boy, but it kind of scared us a bit because he rushed out of the room. Turns out that he IS head-down (which is a good thing) but he's very high up in my belly. Dr. Wells described it as being in Northern Oklahoma or maybe even Kansas when he's supposed to be in Brownsville. So that gives you an idea of how far he has to go. The truly good news though is that Brady is happy and healthy in there and my blood pressure and weight is doing well so there is no reason to be concerned about that. This only ups my chances at having a C-Section, but we will know more next Monday! Only 14 more days until my due date!!

Almost There....

So it's almost time and I've been very lazy about updating the blog... so sorry!! The Nursery is pretty much finished and we're getting all packed for the hospital. I'm feeling very achey and sore but I have heard that is a good thing! I'm trying to stay active to encourage our little Brady to drop a some more... or any, for that matter!!
Here's a picture of the nursery... Jeff painted that little table red and some sweet friends from work did the glider for me, which fits perfectly in the room! The whole nursery has been one big collaborative effort and we so appreciate everyone's help and hardwork for it to all come together!

The Perfect Rug.

The closer it gets to the time Mr. Brady is supposed to arrive, the closer we get to having the nursery finished! This weekend, our big feat was to find a rug! I know it sounds so morbid, but I wanted a "moo moo cow" rug, so Jeff went on a mission to find one that was affordable. When we went to the store in De Soto that Jeff found online, they only had the "beef" cow hides... not exactly what I had pictured. I felt really terrible because the old lady there was incredibly sweet and helpful, and so proud of her 'hides', but they just weren't what I had in mind. So when we were leaving, I picked up a pillow that they had on one of their pieces of furniture and told her I was looking for a hide like the pillow.... and as it turned out, they had a whole bunch of those in the 'back'! They just normally don't sell those kind as hides! So we got incredibly lucky.

I was kind of worried about Georgia being upset at another "animal" being in our house, but she hasn't seemed to notice. She likes to walk around on it though because it kind of makes a funny noise, like a drum beat, when she does. She loves the nursery and has definitely picked up on the fact that something is going on. Sometimes at night when I get up for one of my four potty breaks, she goes into the nursery just to check it out one more time and makes a really soft "ruff" sound and then comes back to bed. I would LOVE to know what is going on in her mind!!

What is Mardi Gras Anyway?

This weekend we had a fantastic time going to our first ever Mardi Gras celebration. It was the Quick "Mystique" Festival and Parade down at Victory Park in Dallas. It definitely was an adventure! The Dallas Morning News says that there was supposedly 35,000 people there and I think I saw every single one of them.... and some of them, I saw too much of them! It was such a great time and I think it is so neat that Dallas is starting to do stuff like this!
It was like crossing the Red Sea of People to get out of there! Justin was in the parade and we all had hoped to catch a good blackmale picture of him in his green tights, however all of our batteries in the cameras ran out before we got to see him! So no pictures of that! We sported our Mardi Gras masks and had a great time watching the Grambling band in the parade! I definitely do not think we will be going to New Orleans anytime soon to celebrate Mardi Gras though, Dallas was racey enough for me!

Project #1 is Finished, Onto Project #2!

We stayed up late on Friday night (or should I say that JEFF stayed up late on Friday night) to finish our first nursery project... the covering of the letters! It ended up being a lot harder to maneuver it all than we thought it would be and I couldn't work the staple gun very well because you had to push really hard on it. So whenever I was trying to do a letter, Jeff would have to stop doing his letter and come help me on mine! :) So all in all the only letter that I really did was the "B" and Jeff did the rest of them. He did such a great job! I keep telling him how "craftsy" he's becoming!! He loved using the staple gun!

So now we're onto our second nursery project... the "art" for above Brady's crib! We decided that we really wanted to get all different sizes of tin stars and paint them to match the colors of his bedding. On Saturday we went to an iron shop in downtown Frisco and found all sorts of fun stars to put in his room. We're currently testing out the different arrangements we could do and trying to figure out what the colors will look like and where they should go! I'll post an update when it's all finished!

We Have Curtains!!!!

We have a new addition to our nursery... these beautiful curtains that Darlene made for us!! I can't believe that she made them herself! My favorite detail are the little tab tops with the buttons!! Thank you so much Darlene!! We love them!

Only Nine More Weeks!

So I had a little "incident" this week, if that's what you want to call it. I was standing in line at Einstein Brothers Bagels trying to get a sandwich for lunch, and there were two little boys and their mom in lie in front of me. They couldn't have been more than three years old. They kept turning around and looking at me with this very curious look on their face and then they would turn back around and turn their attention on the chocolate milk that they were getting. (It looked so good that I got some too...) I could tell that they couldn't really figure out what was going on in my belly. It was kind of humorous and I was getting a pretty good kick out of it actually.

Then all of a sudden one of the boys turned around and gave me a good slap on my belly and then turned right back around! I couldn't help but let out a little laugh because I could just see his mind working all of this out! His mom was absolutely mortified and kept promising me that he had never hit anyone before. (I actually felt quite bad for her because I'm sure I will be experiencing the same kind of thing some day.) She asked me if I knew what I was having, after explaining to the boys about the baby "living" inside my tummy, and I told her we were having a boy. She gave me a big smile and then nonchalantly said, "Have fun!" I got in my car and started laughing outloud because I found the incident quite humourous.

Luckily Baby Brady and I are recovering quite nicely from the little hit that we took.

Our Very First Nursery Project- LETTERS!!

So, I originally had this grand idea to find all different kinds of wrought iron letters to spell out Brady's name for his room. I sent several people searching and there had been no luck. So one night this week, Jeff and I ventured to Hobby Lobby to see what we came up with. We ended up having a great NEW idea to upholster the letters of his name ourselves to match all of the fabrics in his room!!
So, the project has begun. This picture is of us putting the batting (or "Bunting", which is what Jeff calls it) on the letters. Jeff glued two letters together to get them to be a little thicker first. He's so very handy with all of these things! Jeff was having a little fun with the letters, trying to figure out what other fun words we could spell with his name.... I hope none of Brady's classmates in Elementary school catch on to this one!

10 Weeks and Counting!!!

Today we went and had what is believed to be our very LAST sonogram. It was so exciting to see how much our little Brady has grown! They say that he's approximately 3 pounds and 4 ounces and he's measure right on schedule and more importantly, right on average for his "age". Jeff was a massive ten pound baby when he arrived on this earth and we're hoping that Brady is just a tad smaller than he was, or there might be a few complications and changes in our "plan". In this picture here, you can see his whole face, his chubby cheeks and a little bit of his left shoulder. (It's like he's looking at you.) He's definitely an active little thing and likes to wiggle around all night long, which I find quite funny. We're are so excited for the weeks to come!

Sports Heals All Sports Wounds

So it came time for the Sunday Night Football Game last night and where were my Cowboys? Oh, they were probably at home like I was, warm and toasty, watching the game that they SHOULD have been playing in. (Okay, maybe one or two of them were in Mexico... but that's beside the point.) Oh, but I'm not bitter... anymore at least.
So, even though I was completely broken hearted and down when the game started, I started rooting for the Giants and Eli. (He's in my top Five Quarterback List, even though no one else seems to agree with me.) So, here I go, the only one I know of that is going for the Giants and I find myself starting to really get into the game. Of course I fell asleep by the end (I've been battling a cold and had taken two Benedryl) but Jeff woke me up and told me that Eli did it! He won in Overtime!! And suddenly, I feel a little better about the the fact that "My Team" isn't in the Superbowl! Why, you may ask? Someone said it best yesterday on the Radio... "SPORTS HEALS ALL SPORTS WOUNDS..." and that's totally what happened! Not that I'm not still disappointed about the Cowboys and I'm still a broken hearted fan, but in some ways I feel like now I have someone else to root for in the mean time! Go Giants!!

And the Nursery Fun Begins!

So the Nursery has begun to take shape. We have picked out the bedding, painted the room and put the furniture together. Jeff was very meticulous about painting the room, and as you can see from the pictures he did a wonderful job! We got the furniture from Lone Star Baby in Dallas and Jeff worked so hard to put that together the day we got it. He's already such a proud Daddy. When I got home from work on Thursday, the room was all set up as much as it could be. (See the picture of the dresser). Jeff had put out some of his clothes, his stuffed animals, books and the piggy bank that my sister made Brady for Christmas. (Notice what it resembles?) :) There is still a lot to be done, but it's an exciting and fun task at hand!

The Home Stretch

So I got an email the other day saying that I'm now officially in my Third Trimester!! Yay! I've made it. Sometimes it seems so very long and sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday that the little stick suddenly showed up with two lines instead of one. As long as I've been pregnant, the goal has seemed to be to get to the Third Trimester. Supposedly that's the best, but for all of you who would like to know the TRUTH... here's what the Third Trimester means to me so far....

1. No sleep. I've not been able to sleep well (with the exception of a few days here in there) for the last three or four weeks. Either my back hurts or my neck hurts or my legs cramp or my arms fall asleep. No lie.
2. Pimples. I never broke out, even when I was a teenager and in college. Just the occasional pimple here and there around my period. That's it. Now, I have woken up on two occasions with 10 or more pimples that have suddenly appeared on my face. It looks like a miniature paint ball gun had a field day with me.
3. Cankles. Jeff didn't understand this term until last Saturday. I was on my feet all day, (it was one of my more "motivated" days) and by the end of the day my feet started tingling. So I sat down and took my shoes off and there they were. Cankles. That's when you can't tell where your calf ends and your ankle begins. Luckily, the next morning they were back to normal and there have only been minor incidents since then.
4. Gas. This one may be a little TMI for some of you, but I promised the bitter truth from the beginning... and it simply cannot be controlled. A few weeks ago I was sitting on a wooden bar stool (yes, it was wooden- no upholstery in site) at a friends house and it just slipped out and there was absolutely no hiding what happened. Of course it also happened to be at a silent moment when the guys were taking a break from the Wii. So just be warned... that it happens, and it's okay. Deal with it. Move on. Enough said.
5. Helplessness. I can't tie my shoes or take my boots off. I can't pick things up when I drop them. I have a hard time shaving my legs and I definitely can't paint my toenails. On Friday I dropped some floor samples at my office and I can't bend over and pick them up, but I can actually get down on all fours to pick them up. My friend looked over and thought I had fallen down. Just learn to ask for help... which is not an art that I've mastered yet!!

So with all of that said, there are also some wonderful things about reaching the Golden Third Trimester. I feel little Brady move all of the time. He even can tickle me now if he rolls over in just the right spot. I also can feel that he's growing to be a strong little boy inside of me. I can see the end in site and everything seems to be coming together. You start showing more in the Third Trimester so now everyone actually knows that you're pregnant instead of just having a lot of treats over the Holidays. The best thing about the Third Trimester is being able to start your official countdown and knowing that I'm finally going to come face to face with our beautiful baby boy. I know that sound sappy, but it's true. When I think about that moment, I must say all of the "bad" things seem meaningless in comparison. I would gladly go through all of that (and I've had it easy compared to a lot of women) just to meet our sweet Brady face to face.... I hope that wasn't too mushy of a note to end on!!

Go Cowboys.

Very Merry Christmas!

So... this was our last Christmas child-less!! It was really busy, as Jeff didn't get done with his exams until 4 days before Christmas, but we still managed to have a wonderful time!

I guess you could say I had my first "meltdown" in public over the month of December! I decided it would be a wonderful idea to get my Christmas shopping done early, so the first Saturday in December I decided to make the trek to Northpark all by myself. Jeff begged me to wait until he could go with me, but I insisted that it would be fine. So here's how the morning went...

tried to get to the mall at 10:00, right when it opened (or so I thought-little did I know that it opened at 9 during December). The parking lots (yes-I went to almost all of them) were already 90 percent full. So I thought I would be smart and park where there was less "traffic" even though it was further away. Well, that was a mistake. By the time I walked the 2 miles to get into the mall, in my coat and scarf, I was sweating. I guess I didn't realize how tense I was from the parking lot nightmare!


Needless to say, it was an unsuccessful trip. The total of my purchases for the day included all of a t-shirt for myself and a sonic drink. (Of course, I was entirely parched and then I waited in the line at Sonic for 30 minutes just for a cranberry limeade... that's when I ended up in tears.. in the mall... by myself.). I hate to say it, but my sweet husband was right.

With all of the hustle and bustle of the December month, Jeff and I managed to get all of our holiday shopping done, another doctor's appointment over with and all of our exams are taken. We attended the HKS Christmas Blow Out and the next day got up early and toured Texas Stadium (A.K.A. The Center of All Things Wonderful). We even managed to pick out our bedding! (More to come on the nursery...) We spent time with friends and family and even managed to have a date night to ourselves. My Cowboys aren't looking so hot, but we're crossing our fingers for the month of January (and hopefully, February).

Sorry this one was long, I promise I'll keep up with it more in the future!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I feel so beyond thankful this Thanksgivng! Baby Brady and I are healthy, and Jeff is so supportive and wonderful. We feel Brady move so often now, and all of his tiny body parts are developing right on schedule! (Okay, so Jeff and Brady's Uncle Ryan don't think that EVERYTHING on him is tiny!) :) We have wonderful family and friends and we feel so undeserving of even the simplest of things during this exciting time.
Jeff, Ryan and I traveled to the Land of Lubbock for Thanksgiving to spend it with our grandparents. (Our grandparents go to the same church and have known each other for longer that we've been alive!!) It snowed big flakes on Thanksgiving and then was just cold the rest of the time. We were thankful for so many things on Thanksgiving, including the overwhelming Cowboys win. But even MORE than that, we are thankful for all of YOU who are a tremendous support and encouragement through this new stage of life. We could easily feel like we're walking blindly through this, but God has so generously given us family and friends who have gone before us and pray for us daily. Thank you ALL for who you are in our lives and what you mean to us. We love you!

Baby Leach is a Baby Bear!

I am a little behind in posting this one, but at the beginning of November, Jeff and I traveled the long 2 hour trek to Waco for Baylor Homecoming!! It was the best Homecoming ever! We just went down there on Saturday morning and had a front row seat for the Parade and saw my sister and the KKG pledge songs, then we went to Spice and Ninfa's!
What a wonderful, quick Waco trip!!! At the time of Homecoming, we were expecting Baby Madeleine and we bought a cute Pink BU T-Shirt for her, but now that we're expecting Baby Brady, we will need to get a new BU T-Shirt!!! (Maybe even a hat!)

Ooops!!!

So, even though we had recieved TWO "official" opinions on the sex of our little baby... we found out yesterday that there is now NO mistaking that Baby Leach is a Baby Boy!!!! Right when we saw the picture, I knew that something was different!! I would post a picture, but I don't want to expose our baby's "goods". Baby Boy Leach is now officially Bradyn Walker Leach. (He'll go by Brady...) Jeff really wanted to name him Antonio Romo Leach but I vetoed that so that when Brady is the star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys he can make his own legacy! :) He will get to go to Texas Stadium before it closes though! So we're into all things blue now!!

Good Bubbles and Bad Bubbles....

So I've promised honesty in my blog... so if you aren't up for what I'm about to write, avert your eyes, please!

GOOD BUBBLES-I've begun to feel baby Madeleine move around in my belly! It feels like little bubbles right underneath my belly button. I especially feel her when I'm trying to go to sleep or I've just eaten a good meal. It is my most favorite part about being pregnant so far. I think this is where your glow comes from!!

BAD BUBBLES- On Sunday before the big game, I was having sharp pain on my left side. I mean gut wrenching pressure and I couldn't lift my leg to put my pants on! So, I called my mom and asked her if I should be concerned... (because, of course, moms know everything-what a scary thought that is since I'm about to be a mom and I know nothing!) She told me not to be concerned because it's just GAS! That's right, you heard me. I was a bit gassy on Sunday! Nobody tells you about these things before you get pregnant. So do NOT be concerned if this happens to you... according to my mom, it's just gas!

Baby Leach is a Baby Girl!

Our gut insticts were right! We're having a baby girl. Baby Madeleine Swann! I cannot wait to meet her! She is our little Wiggle Worm! She was moving around so much today that they couldn't get too good of a 3D shot of her, so here's the 2D one that is our favorite. She was waving to us! You can see the profile of her head on the right and her little arm sticking up in the middle and her leg is on the left hand side. I know I'm biased, but I am already in love with her!! :) More soon!

All Becky Can Eat....

So Jeff and I went to the fair and I, as any pregnant woman would, had a field day with the food!! Sadly, I had to nix the rides this year (even though I think Jeff was extremely grateful as I like to go on the scary, expensive rides) but I did get to experience the Dart Rail, the Petting Zoo and all the fried food I could eat while I was there....
After riding the germ-infested Dart Rail (although extremely cheap and convienient), we paid an unearthly amount to get into the Fair. Then we paid an even more unearthly amount for two Corny Dogs and drinks. Jeff had never ate a corny dog at the fair before! He finally understood why I had been talking all year about getting one!
After the corny dogs, we headed over to the Petting Zoo where we were exposed to who knows what kind of germs. Can somebody say "Hand Sanitizer, please!" But this is always one of my favorite parts of the Fair. And of course, any true Fair-Goer knows that the BEST Fair Food is right next to the Petting Zoo- Tornado Taters!! (And you HAVE to get them with the Cajun Seasoning....) Luckily I was feeling pretty good that day, so I able to eat my "fair" share! (I just laughed outloud to myself!)
Then we headed over to the Car Show where I picked out my Mom Car and Jeff picked out his Truck. (Of course it was the one with a t.v. in the tailgate!) Let's just say these two cars will have to be long after we pay for college!!
After the Car Show, we experienced what Jeff calls "Heaven in a Fried Nugget", A.K.A. Fried Cookie Dough. Who would have thought that three spoonfuls of chocolate chip cookie dough warmed up just right and then fried in funnel cake batter would be eight dollars? (Sorrry- to be fair, I did forget that they add powdered sugar and chocolate sauce too). It was so worth it though! All three of us enjoyed it!

How 'Bout Them Cowboys!

So I've become obsessed with the Dallas Cowboys this season. I've always been a "fan" in terms of wanting them to do well- mainly becaue I want my husband to be happy- but never this fanatic. It's actually borderline unhealthy. Especially for a pregnant woman whose hormones are all over the map. I was doing great, I was totally into it and I even used to have "fun" watching the games with Jeff. But now, I must say, it's like four hours of intense warfare. I not only want to beat the other team, I want Romo to throw 3 TD passes, Julius Jones to rush for a touchdown, and T.O. not to drop a ball. Anything less than that is unsatisfactory. I actually would consider it a bad game.


Needless to say, I was pretty happy with my Cowboys until the infamous Buffalo Bills game happened last night. Yes, it HAPPENED to the cowboys. Jeff was worried that I may go into premature labor. When Tony Romo had his 3rd Interception I think I threw Georgia across the room when I stood up to yell. (She's not a Cowboy's fan now.) I know we pulled it out of our back pocket and got the W, but I didn't get the game I wanted.

We have a tough schedule coming up and I'm going to be pregnant for all of it, so they better come to play!

Where's My Glow?

Halle Berry was quoted recently as to having said that she has loved every minute of her pregnancy. From the Morning Sickness to the Hot Flashes, she has found it wonderful. Well, all I can say is that either she is on some serious drugs or she's an oscar winning actress!

As far as I'm concerned, so far I've just felt yucky most of the time. The very very beginning was wonderful before the actual sickness kicked in. Then comes the hunger pains. You wouldn't believe how hungry you can get after a three course meal. So hungry that it will actually wake you up in the middle of the night and you HAVE to eat something. AND to add to that... if you DON'T eat anything, then you'll get sick right when you do eat something! (Believe me, I've experienced this...) To add to the morning sickness, there are hot flashes and constant bathroom breaks. Who in the world said pregnant women are supposed to be glowing? They must have never been pregnant!!

I've heard the "good part" kicks in around Week 20 and obviously I'm not there yet. It's when the morning sickness is gone, you're obviously pregnant instead of just looking bloated and you start to actually feel the baby. Well- I'm ready to have my glow. Wherever it is, I can't wait to get it!! I am so overjoyed to be having a baby and I don't understand how I can be green in the face and still be expected to glow!!

I liken the early part of pregnancy to pledging a fraternity. You get rushed for so long and you think it's going to be wonderful because everyone says it is... and it is, but no one talks about the pledging part. The part where all the hazing happens. Well. That's what I'm doing right now. I'm pledging the fraternity of Pregnancy and I can't wait to actually be a member!!