**UPDATE***on the Sandifers...

Katie and Whitney Sandifer (Lilly Claire's parents) are having a memorial service for Lilly Claire at 2pm on Friday at Wyatt Baptist Church in El Dorado. (It’s right as you are coming into Eldo from Magnolia.)

Katie is still in the hospital in El Dorado, but last we heard, we think they are talking about releasing her today.

***UPDATE***
Katie is still in the hospital in El Dorado because her blood pressure will not go down. They were hoping she would go home today but they are keeping her because of the blood pressure. They are going to try some different meds and maybe she will go home tomorrow. Thanks Sue for the update info.

Please continue to pray for strength and God's immense love to surround them.

We are soo blessed...

I ask that you fervently pray for some dear friends of ours. They're names are Katie and Whitney(husband). At my church shower yesterday one of our BFF's asked if I had heard about Katie and I said, "no, how is she?" She was pregnant w/ a little girl, Lilly Claire, and wasn't due until July and my BFF said, "she had her baby..." my mouth dropped... Katie wasn't due until July. She had the baby at 26 weeks. She also said that they thought she had a brain-bleed. The baby was flown to Children's in Little Rock after she was born and Katie remains in El Dorado. They had to take the baby because of pre-eclampsia and her blood pressure hasn’t gone down yet.
Lilly Claire went to Heaven last night around 8:47pm. Katie is still in the hospital in El Dorado… Angel One (the helicopter) flew Whit and baby Lilly Claire back to El Dorado so that Katie could spend some time with her.
I felt compelled in church last night to pray for them even more than I already was and woke up this morning w/ the same conviction. I did not find out the news of Lilly Claire's passing until I got to work this morning and Ashley, my BFF, had emailed me. Please pray for this family. This is their first child and we just saw them a few weeks ago and all was fine, just like w/ us. This makes me feel so blessed and guilty for the post I was going to post this a.m. about how exciting our shower was at church yesterday. So, I'll keep the "exciting post" short b/c I feel like it's not appropriate for me to be so gitty and excited when our dear friends are suffering w/ the loss of their precious Lilly Claire.
Our shower went extremely well. We had over 50 people come and stay and over 150 gifts given. We are so blessed and forever grateful for all of you who attended or sent gifts. They are ALL precious and special to us. We spent the evening after church putting everything up and were amazed at the generosity and love that was shown to us. Thank you, each one of you! Here is a slideshow of some pics from the shower:

Again, please remember Katie and Whitney in your prayers at this terrible loss in their family,

Dr.'s Appt. Update & NEW PICS!

Well, yesterday I woke up cranky just like our dog, Dee Dee did as well(I don't think he slept very well, haha). I guess I was cranky because we had to get up the same time we usually do, 6 a.m., because my appt. was at 9:15 a.m. and the drive is an hour and we needed to go to Home Depot before. :) So... anyhoo, here's the update:
~Re-took my glucose test and drank the nasty sweet stuff (I"m not a sweets person so it was really nasty again to me but I know it is for everyone...haha)
~Weighed
~Blood Pressure taken
all the general stuff...
Doc came in and... YEAH YEAH YEAH!! I ONLY GAINED 1 POUND!! He was very happy w/ me! WOO HOO #1..... THEN, he says, no dialation or anything, WOO HOO #2.... THEN, he says, "Hey, Paula (his wife who's like my 2nd momma, "Mamms") said you mentioned wanting to try to see Shelby's face. You want to try?" OMG YEAH!! THAT MEANT an ULTRASOUND!! WOO HOO #3... So THEN we're waiting for my beeper to go off from my glucose test so I can have my finger pricked to get my results and... WOO HOO I PASSED!! 121!!! Last time I was 140 and he wants LESS THAN 140 and the only thing I did different this time was eat a banana for breakfast and last time I ate nothing! WOO HOO #4.. then.... Here's our WOO HOO # 5 that is actually the best of all...


Isn't technology amazing!? My dr. said this machine is 5+ years old and is amazed to see what the new ones do. Isn't she gorgeous? She has Josh's lips. She weighs 4 lbs, which I weighed 4 lbs 8 oz. (I think that's right on the oz part) when I was born but I was a month early, she is no longer head down but is cross-ways, but will HOPEFULLY turn, he says, and is just perfect. She's a beautiful baby!

Here's some nursery pics too from our weekend of work I promised I'd post when I got my camera back:







The wall vinyl and plaque above the tutu bow holder are beautifully made by Shelley of Wonderfully Wordy. Didn't she do a great job?
The "S" painting I painted yesterday and once it's framed it's going to go on one side of Shelby's window.
The closet clothes are mainly from Josh's cousin, Melissa, who lives in Chicago. She sent us all her 0-3 month and some 6 month clothes and will send the biggers ones once we're done w/ these! We are so blessed!!
I know her armoire/changing table will change again once our showers are over. We have our main shower from our church THIS SUNDAY and we are soooo excited!! I'll post pics when I can!
~God bless,

32 weeks!!! 8 weeks left!!

Well, today, I am 32 weeks pregnant and feeling all 32 of them! Geese! I am tired, emotional as all get out, feeling large and in charge and nesting like no bodies business! We are on the downhill slope of this now, which shocks me! I told Josh last night, I cannot believe we have maybe only 8 weeks left before we meet Shelby for the first time. I'm terrified! I pray the delivery goes well and uneventful and that we can be the parents she needs us to be. This is a whole new ballgame and un-charted waters so here we go!
I need to clear some things up... my updates regarding my pregnancy are really written on emotional outbursts and a lot of the time I don't really say what I mean and mean what I say b/c I can't put it into words. Some of the things I've written have not come out the way I intended for them to. My "insane outburts" are not to give anyone a bad rap. Every thing I've written lately has been based on hormonal overload I think. haha... I don't mean to complain or fuss about things or anyone. I'm just venting. So, I apologize to anyone I've offended or hurt by my venting sessions. I am now monitoring my "alter ego" Bekah~"B" and will be more mindful of the things I say and post.
So, we go to the dr. thursday!! YEAH!! I'M SOOO EXCITED!! I love hearing her little, that's not so little anymore, heart beat and hearing all is well and so on. It's amazing. I am soo overwhelmed w/ love for this little girl it's unreal. I never dreamed I could love another human being as much as I love Josh but God has overflowed my heart w/ love for him and for Shelby. It's undescribable! I do have to re-take my glucose test Thursday but whatever will be will be. As a dear friend told me, Worrying about tomorrow robs today of its Joy" and I don't want to do that any longer. If I fail the test, then I fail and we go from there. Nothing I can do and if I pass, then WOO HOO... also, I have been doing well on my 1800 calorie-a-day diet, if I may boast, so we'll see if that helped w/ my progressing weight-gain. I hope it has but...worrying over it solves nothing. :)
Oh, best part of this week, we have our MAIN BABY SHOWER THIS SUNDAY (the 19th) at our church, Immanuel Baptist, and I am sooooo excited! This week we've been getting cards and packages in the mail from those who cannot attend from my home town, Texarkana. It's like Christmas!! We are so grateful to be surrounded by so many friends and family through this incredible time in our lives! I hope we haven't taken anyone for granted! We love you all!
~God bless,

31 weeks and Some Pics

So I think I've reached the "no-more-energy-cry-24/7" mark of this pregnancy b/c I'm totally exhausted and can lose my ever-lovin mind at the drop of a hat w/ either being irritated, upset, frustrated or crying. I feel like I've lost my mind... I am also feeling larger than life these days, which my Dr. LOVES to remind me about now EVERY 2 WEEKS, and just don't feel attractive in ANY WAY. Pity party? Yeap, that's me!
Here are a few pics from my Phi Mu shower from Sunday that was sooo fun and went well!








Aren't my hostesses pretty? :) The Ladies of Phi Mu did a WONDERFUL job and we are forever grateful for the wonderful gifts and hospitality they showed us!
yeah for double chin's... :( ugh... I am just in a very down mood these days. Not only is Josh STILL gone on his business trip that he comes home from tomorrow (Friday) that he's been on since SATURDAY, but seeing pics of myself makes me want to puke. I am huge and just ugh... My dr's wife likes to inform me that "well, when you're pregnant w/ a girl, you're just pregnant ALL OVER." WELL HONEY, I BELIEVE IT! OMG... I've done well w/ sticking to my 1800 calorie a-day diet but I guess we'll see what the scale says when I go back to the dr. a week from today when I ALSO get to re-take that nasty 1 hour glucose test. Woo hoo... something else I get to look forward to. I'm just down and tired and need a break from everything it seems. I am thankful and blessed to be pregnant, do not take my words as me being ungrateful or negative about being pregnant b/c I'm not at all! I love this baby more than I ever thought I could love another person. I guess it's just all these dang hormones going bananas.
I've still only finished one bag out of the 5 and have only cut out part of an outfit when I found out that my monogrammer's wife, who also does the work too, had a heart attack either last week or the week before so now I'm unsure if I can take these things to her or not... just a huge cluster of stuff goin on and nothing seems to be working out right these days... just pray for my sanity! Sorry for the negativity! :( Just one of those dreary days...

Weekend anxiety

This weekend is sad and exciting for me and I'm not wanting it to come but then again I do. Josh leaves tomorrow for Oklahoma for a conference and meeting and will be gone until Friday, April 10th. That's 6 nights and 7 days!!! I'm sooo dreading it! However, my mom is coming to pick me up and take me w/ her to Texarkana to stay tomorrow night and go to a lingerie shower for my dr.'s youngest daughter tomorrow afternoon and then us "goof," as mom calls it, all the rest of the day. I am also excited because I have MY FIRST BABY SHOWER THIS SUNDAY! Yeah!! The lovely ladies of my sorority, Phi Mu, are hosting me a shower Sunday afternoon here on campus and mom and mammy are coming with me too. It's gonna be soo fun! Full of Pink, lions, and all things girly! Can't wait!!


I am having LOADS of anxiety these days. I am, as my mom said, "Nesting" and I feel like I am not accomplishing ANYTHING every day. The house seems to never been clean enough, the nursery is in disarray, the guest room looks like a storage building, the nursery closet doesn't have the organizers I want in it b/c we haven't bought them, Josh is leaving for 6 nights and 7 days, work is crazy (full-time job), Bizzy Bs is closed for orders but is still piled up w/ 6 un-finished orders, I've not sewn anything for Shelby but the 3 onesies and some bows, I've not finished crocheting her baby blankie, I'm having to count my calorie intake every day, I'm worried about having to take that stupid 1 hr glucose test again fearful that I'll be 140 still and they'll make me take the 3 hour test, worried that no one will come to my Phi Mu shower because the invites were just sent out a week ago, and on and on... I AM OVERWHELMED TO THE MAX!!! OH and I'm dreading Easter b/c I now regret the dress we bought b/c I'll look like an elephant in it. I refer to the dress as my "Easter Tent." I just feel like I've got sooo much anxiety built up and NONE of it is wanting Shelby to come any sooner. I need her to take her time. I am SICK of being asked or told, "I bet you're ready to have that baby." Umm, actually, I'm farther than anything from that idea. I want her to stay nice and comfy, even though I'm not, as long as she can so I can get SOMETHING accomplished. I know I'm driving Josh crazy so I don't even mention anything. I just try to pretend it'll all get done itself. He's so busy w/ work and traveling I'm not sure it will though. PLUS, we've got the Blossom Festival that Josh is head-steak-cooker for SAU again for and it's the 3rd weekend in May so I can only imagine how "peppy" and "polite" I'll be in the heat on black asphalt near a flaming grill by then.
Just pray for me... haha.. I feel like my brain is on "creative-overload" and never slows down. I told Josh last night, "I feel like I'm going crazy." I truly think I am...
~God bless,

30 weeks & appt. update

good morning **Yawn**...
So yesterday we were 30 weeks pregnant! :) We also had a dr's appt. where I had my glucose test done (the 1 hour)...
here's what went on... we got all that Josh needed to get done in Texarkana, done before my appt. since we knew we'd be there over an hour, so we got there on time, got checked in, went in, drank the nasty "hummingbird drink" (as i like to refer to it as that had to be red, which I usually can't tolerate red drinks for some reason), got my bp taken (which was good), my weight, NOT GOOD....gained 9 MORE lbs, so now i'm at 165 (which means i'm at the "only gain 25 lbs" mark that the dr. set), and then found out he was going to have to check me since I"m 30 weeks yeah....what an enjoyable day so far...

so, the dr. comes in FINALLY after spending FOREVER in the room next door, and says, "Hmm.. gained more weight than i wanted you to AGAIN and at this rate, if you keep gaining like this, you'll be 190 when u deliver and I don't want that." Great, neither DO I! OMG... so, he's got me on STRICT 1800 a day calorie diet and i'm TRYING to walk more.

After he checked EVERYTHING, all was great w/ Shelby! No dialation (which is great), tummy's measuring right on track, baby's heartbeat was strong and great, etc...

THEN... after FINALLY gettin outta there, we had to wait 15 more min. for my glucose test results so we did... went back there and he said it needed to be UNDER 140 and low and behold... mine was RIGHT ON 140... so the nurse went and asked him what to do since it wasn't high, or low it was just right on and he says, "Just have her take it again when she comes in 2 weeks." UGH!! ARE U KIDDIN ME!?

AND YES, i now go every 2 weeks! I go back on the 16th for my appt and re-do 1 hr glucose test.

UGH.... OH... AND he asked me if i have had any swelling and i told him only sometimes after a LONG DAY at work and it's only in the evening or if i've been busy all day and he says, "Well, don't wear your rings anymore b/c you can either wear them and have the hope that they come off one of those days or the possibility of having them cut off." Geese!! So, i'm wearin this HUGE cocktail ring Josh bought me years ago and that's it. Josh laughed and said, "I did good!" haha

This was my "Bad Day" yesterday.... i'm ok today but still a little upset...

**UPDATED**Sewing Maternity Leave

**UPDATE is at the bottom**
Yes, I have finally decided to go on "sewing maternity leave" w/ Bizzy Bs. :( On one hand, I"m sad, but another hand, I'm kinda relieved! I've got at least 5 orders piled up to do from being off for only a week and a half of sewing! So.. once these 5 or more are done, I'll be sewing for my Shelby! I will continue to post pics and such but no new orders will be accepted till at least September, which may change depending on how difficult having a little one will be for me to adjust to. I am still working full-time so I needed to make a choice and let something go b/c I just can't physically do it all like I could before being pregnant.
SO, those of you that are now worried b/c you've mailed your check to me and I've received it and you are waiting on your order, DON'T BE ALARMED! :) I am working on your orders! :) I just can't start on any new orders... my mind, body and Shelby can't take it. haha...Please feel free to email me though and I will start a "Post-maternity leave" list. I was and am very hesitant to do this b/c I don't want to lose any business but I must do what's right for my body and my family. Any pics I post from now till September will be any designs I will start back up with. Ugh this hurts to do this but... I do feel a sense of relief but still sadness...
Sorry :(
I do have LOTS of cute ideas for Miss Shelby and I can't WAIT TO START ON THEM! :)
**UPDATE**
WE HAVE FLOORS! After a week of living on our dirty concrete slab, the lovely people at Storey's Flooring in El Dorado came and laid down our flooring and fixed what HOME DEPOT so ungraciously messed up.
See, it all started almost 2 weeks ago when we scheduled HOME DEPOT to lay down the Pergo flooring we had purchased about a week or two before that. They were to come on a Friday, rip up our carpet in the great room and hallway and lay down this lovely flooring by the afternoon. INSTEAD, they came in and in 2 hours all they did was SLASH our carpet (not pull up but slash into 8 pieces) and cut into our fireplace, yes, causing at least 2 inches of dust to float around my house landing on EVERYTHING, even in the rooms we closed doors too, and saw a hairline crack in our concrete and REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ELSE and LEFT. They said they could not lay the flooring on the crack b/c it was through the foundation and that all they could do was lay tile over it (which i'm not a 'flooring expert' but TILE WILL CRACK OVER A CRACK IF THAT'S THE ISSUE!). So, Josh called several contractors to come assess the issue and ALL 3 of them said, "these people just didn't want to work" and for those men to show them a house in South Arkansas that doesn't have a crack in their concrete. OH, and HOME DEPOT wanted us to pay $225 for the men "losing their day." haha.. umm.. no.. we went the next day (an hour away) to get our installation payment back and to tell them WE WERE NOT paying the $225 b/c of what they did and how they treated us and left our home. SO, we got our $$ back and ended up not paying the "loss of day" fee. :) One of the contractors that came out suggested Storey's to us and so we went w/ it and they came Thursday and did this (I didn't have the heart to take pictures of before b/c it was sooo bad but this is the finished product that we're MORE THAN happy with):




This is another factor in me deciding to go ahead and go on "Sewing Maternity Leave." After dealing w/ all this, I"m SOOOOO behind on my orders b/c I could not sew b/c of the demolition in my house! haha.....

29 weeks, shower & creations

**So I forgot to do my veggie/fruit comparison for this month when I blogged earlier... here's how big Shelby is from now until week 32:

Wow, ok so we're now 29 weeks.. OH MY GOSH... that's all I can say w/ my mouth wide open in shock. This pic below was taken Saturday, just 3 days ago, so it was actually taken at 28 weeks and 4 days, but close enough... I haven't grown since then.. I HOPE I haven't at least. haha....

It was obviously a bad hair, make-up, FACE DAY... ugh... it was also kinda early on Saturday for me to be awake...haha.. Anyhoo, there's the much demanded belly pic I've been harassed to post! haha... Yes, I know the last one we took was 9 weeks ago but really, I'd rather you see the drastic difference from this

to this

than just a gradual week by week view. :) I think it's more fun this way! My personal opinion. haha. I think she's moved up... She doesn't seem as low as before...

On to shower pics! Not mine, but of a dear friend that I go to church with named, Ginger. She and I are exactly 2 weeks apart and really the "gender cut off". She's due May 21st and I'm due June 9th and everyone due before her and to her due date are having boys, including herself and everyone after Ginger to my due date and a month or two after are having girls! :) haha it's really bizarre! It's fun to share this pregnancy w/ a girl who TRULY understands. It's neat b/c I kinda get the heads up on what to expect and what to expect at dr. visits. Ginger and her husband also struggled w/ trying to have a baby and almost to the anniversary of losing their first baby, the found out they're pregnant w/ little Evan Josiah. They're gonna call him Josiah. :) He may be Shelby's future boyfriend! His dad, Trey, is the Offensive Football Coach here at SAU so I know Shelby's daddy would approve since he LOVES football and played offense! haha... coincedence?? haha... Anyhoo, here's some pics from her shower that I helped co-host w/ 13, yes, I said 13, other ladies from our church. Oh, and my mom made the quilt under her diaper cake, I made the Diaper Cake and her bag and wipee cover. It was a huge hit and Ginger was really touched by all she got! She had a great shower and I JUST LOVE the colors we used to decorate and of course all my little Sir Fidels (lions) made their appearance at her shower to say "Congrats" too!












Another cool thing about Ginger and I, not only that we're 2 weeks apart and both struggled w/ conceiving these babies, but the night she called to tell me she was pregnant was the SAME DAY we found out we were pregnant! We both found out the same time! God knew we'd need each other and what a blessing she is to me and has been to me. Congrats Trey & Ginger! Can't wait to meet Mr. Josiah! Shelby's already getting ready to meet her new nursery buddy!
~God bless,