Waiting on Nature to Call...

After yesterday's doctor appointment it became shockingly obvious that I might be waiting on my lil' man a little longer than I had originally planned (yes, I know... that's what I get for even trying to plan!!), and I was going to need to find some things to do or that butt print on the couch would just keep getting bigger and becoming more permanent! 

My mom came in town yesterday to take care of me, secretly hoping that she would be the first to arrive at Caden's birthday party... sorry KK, you'll have to come back later! Before she left today she helped me get a few things I would need to prepare myself for the week. We came up with a few projects, a few fun things and of course several things that would encourage my body to let go of my Caden! 

This morning we took the LONG way to the Round Rock Library, hoping a few of those city pot holes might just do the trick! No luck there, so we decided what the heck, let's check out a book or two! My mom helped me fight the urge to check out the new Phillipa Gregory book (IT'S HERE!!) with a few light hearted choices. I decided to start with the Sophie Kinsella book and so far so good! I only made it about 30 pages in before I feel asleep... I love nap time! 

Once I woke up from my nap I decided it was time to bake a few chocolate chip cookies. I have had my mixer since Justin and I got married, but rarely use it because I have always been slightly intimidated by it and my handy-dandy hand mixer always did the trick! Well my cookies today... which I have made thousands of times, chocolate chip from scratch, turned out to be Shrek-sized! They are huge! I needed to have used my paddle attachment, but it was no where to be found (Justin's first project, when he gets home tonight!). If I can find the attachment, I am going to try a new cupcake recipe tomorrow! 

In between my Shrek-sized batches of cookies I sat on my "birthing ball." Anyone who has taken childbirth class will know that a birthing ball is no different than your regular AB Trainer and it is used to help women through the first few stages of labor. Even though I am not in labor I figured sitting on it couldn't hurt and it might encourage Caden to get engaged into my pelvis! So I sit, rock, roll and even take a few bounces... don't judge!

Aside from those fun activities, I also participated in a few other "labor-encouragers" today, and I think at least one might have worked! Not that I went into labor, but while at the grocery store I had my first semi-painful contraction...yay! I was trying to pick out Justin a new deodorant and I asked my mom to help pick something out because I couldn't focus. It was the strangest feeling, and then tight belly and a little ache. That was our last stop before the check-out line and the checker said, "One of those days, huh?" Hmmm... did I look bad? My mom said my face was red and splotchy, and she could tell I didn't feel well. I made it to the car and no others followed... BUT even one is good news, right?!

I also made a trip to the mailbox today... had a little bladder spasm (which is oh so fun!) but no contractions... BUT I did get the new Pottery Barn Kids catalogue... quality reading! AND I captured a little Vitamin D... what a beautiful day!

And that friends is what I call a busy day. Of course I still have dinner to put on the table and I am sure a TV show or two to watch later this evening and then I'll crawl into bed... which is going to be an entirely different post... HILARIOUS!

Happy Tuesday!

Nature Must Take Its Course

Well, we're back from the doctor... nothing too much to report...

Weight: up 2 pounds again

Blood Pressure: great!

Urine: great!

Measuring: 41.5-42 (still ahead of the curve)

Dilated to: 3cm (we made very little progress, but still progress!)

Effacement: 80% (no more progress there)

Still head down, but Caden's head is not engaged in my pelvis quite yet.

We had a sonogram today and best they can tell we've got a BIG baby. Right now they said he is about 8 pounds 13 ounces, but that could be off by a pound either way... so 7 pounds 13 ounces is as low as we'll go and 9 pounds 13 ounces is the high end, but not the highest end since he will likely continue to grow over the next several days.

My doctor said my job now is to go into labor... he gave me some "help" during my exam... um ouch! And told Justin and me to do what we did to get ourselves in this position... but I'm still deciding if I am really THAT desperate though!

So next Tuesday we have another appointment, and if I haven't gone to the BIG show by then, we will likely be induced! Until then... we are going to let nature take its course. We are certainly thankful for a healthy mom and healthy baby at this point. Just before the doctor came in today I prayed a quick prayer, "Your will be done!" And... so it is! I am sure I will be coming up with all sorts of blog posts over the next few days to pass the time... so get excited!!

Sorry for the anti-climatic post this evening... thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers and sweet texts and messages today! 

Love to you all!!

Still growing... and growing... and growing...

It is pretty normal these days to get stopped by complete strangers for "Caden-talk!" Today, Justin and I hit up the outlet mall by our house and here is the play-by-play from our very first encounter of the day...

"Oh look at you," a blond, middle-aged sales woman said as I strolled by her t-shirt cart.

"Yep, look at me," I smile.

She stepped out a little further and said, "You know I was big like you with my first. Is this your first?"

"Very first," I stop to chat!

"Well, I was big just like that with my son, are you having a boy?"

"Yep, a little boy!"

"Well, I was big just like you (You think she thinks I'm big? She said it three times!!) and you know what they did," she asked? "My doctor called for a sonogram when I was about 39 weeks because I was growing so much they thought I was actually having twins!"

"Oh, that's funny! I think I will have a sonogram at my next appointment too, just to check things out, but I'm pretty sure we're not thinking twins," I giggle. 

"Oh yah, don't worry about that. You know what it ended up being," she asked as she excitedly awaited the delivery of her punchline?

"A 10 pound baby!"

"Ha ha, oh, ha ha ha! A 10 pounder huh? Oh, my! Ha ha!"

"Well good luck to you, you'll love every minute of motherhood!"

"Thank so much, I'm really looking forward to it!"

Alright ladies and gents, it's time to place your bets... 10 pounds anyone? 9? 8? 

Happy Saturday!

2 and 80

Caden and I had a doctor's visit today... we LOVE going to the doctor right now. This week we were especially excited because it would be our first cervical exam... had we made any progress? Has the little "pain in my rib" been worth anything?! I mean other than an adorable, growing little boy of course... it IS worth that!

So here's the play-by-play from today...

Weight check: up another 2 pounds! Urine: good! Blood Pressure: great! Heartbeat: 130-135ish. Measurements: 38-39 cm, wait... did I shrink? Yep... he's dropped! Now, time for the exam.

I stripped down, threw the sheet around my bare bottom-half and hopped back on the table! At that moment Justin says, "I'm so glad I'm not a girl!" If I had been on his end of the room, you'd better believe I would have been thinking the same thing, but it really isn't all that bad is it, ladies? (NOTE: This was before my exam!)

So the doctor comes back in and we chat a little bit, "We're going to check your cervix today, it is going hurt, I'll try to be gentle, etc."

As she is getting gloved-up she wants to assure me, "with first time pregnancies it is very common for women not to make any progress by the first exam, so not to worry if nothing happens, you won't be pregnant FOREVER!"

I had already prepared myself for this outcome. Dr. F didn't even want to check me until today when I am almost 39 weeks, so I figured progress would be slow-go this first time around!

Alright, now for the good stuff... the exam starts! She looks up at me surprised and says, "Wow, girl... I don't know what you've been doing but you are 2cm almost 3cm dilated and 80% effaced, he is looking really good. He's head down and I feel your bag of waters!" 

Justin is super excited and says, "So when do you think he'll come?"

"If I could tell you that I would be a millionaire, but what I can tell you is that it is highly likely you'll go into labor on your own, but if you don't and we have to induce for some reason it should go pretty fast!" 

"Alright doc... this is good news!"

Now the bad news is, I could barely walk after the exam... she said she was being rough and although it didn't feel too too bad while she was doing the exam the further the night goes on the more and more sore I get! Ouch! 

So now we wait... which is what we were doing before, but now at least I know that Caden is making his way into the world. He's determined and working hard, so if he needs to keep using my ribs to push his way down to the bottom, so be it... go Caden go!

We'll keep you posted!

In other news... Justin and I had what we figured to be our last date night before Caden's arrival! We went to one of our favorite restaurants in Austin on Saturday night, sat outside on the patio just before the cold weather arrived, and ate more food than any two people EVER should! It was so yummy! Here's to new adventures, we toasted!

Here is a picture before the big date... again capitalizing on fixed hair and makeup! 

Here we are at the restaurant... after previewing the picture Justin said, "Hey you know... I kind of like this you being pregnant thing, it makes me look really skinny!" I do make him look nice and small in this pic... not a great angle, everything is being pushed UP! Pregnant belly=ultimate push-up bra!

And now... the pic from tonight! Happy 38 weeks and 4 almost 5 days old, Caden! We can't wait to meet you!
Happy Monday!! 

My First "Undercover" Operation

Today, my wonderful husband paid for two very sweet ladies from Georgetown to come and clean our home from top to bottom! Our house needed a fresh start before Caden got here, and six hours and a lot of elbow grease later everything is lookin' good!

While we were trying to keep ourselves out of the way this afternoon we had a few projects of our own to tackle. If you haven't heard, tomorrow morning we are going to wake up to freezing temperatures so it was FINALLY time to put on the winter comforter, although I am sure I will end up with my half doubled over Justin since I have my very own built-in blankie!

Justin was super excited to break it out...EXCEPT...the comforter requires a duvet cover, huge bummer! For those of you who have a duvet cover or have ever attempted to put a duvet cover onto a big, thick king-sized comforter you know the challenges it presents. While Justin was giving his best effort to get our comforter back on the bed, I sat quietly in the corner and watched.

Okay, okay, so I wasn't so quiet... but oh my goodness the site, the site! It was too much for me to handle! I was overcome with laughter!! After a few minutes of watching the Ghost of Christmas Past haunt my bed, I snuck over to the table and grabbed my phone and starting filming. You'll notice that the video is interrupted once, not long after I start... I was caught! It was SO hard to hold my laughter inside, it was painful! So I pushed pause, laughed out loud, told him he was THE MAN! He agreed and went back in and I pushed RECORD! You'll notice this time around I wasn't too concerned about silencing my outbursts!

To translate...during the second part of the video, Justin is completely frustrated with the duvet and my hysterics or "mocking" and says:

"You could be helping me, but instead you're mocking me!"

He goes back in... the Ghost speaks! He says..."This really isn't' THAT funny!"

"Oh, but it REALLY is!"

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I have! I have laughed until I cried over and over again today! Yep...those tears again! :)

Happy Saturday!

Tired of Tears

Just over an hour ago, I was on the phone with my mom telling her my plans for the rest of the afternoon. One of those plans being posting a blog entry, although I told her there wasn't really anything that I was particularly inspired to write about today, and fortunately for all of you, I decided to spare you and forgo posting yet ANOTHER belly shot. So I nestled into the day bed in the only room in my house that the sun seemed to be peeking its far too absent head into and began to read. 

In that same phone conversation with my mom a few minutes earlier we both lamented to each other how tired we were of crying. We had both cried several times today and at that point it was only noon! Woe was us!

As I was reading, I was consumed by this thought of being tired of tears. It was a natural human emotion and I'm a girl and a pregnant one at that. Why was I so tired of it? What about tears made me so tired? I came up with several reasons:

• Tears usually mean the acknowledgement of sadness or of intoxicating joy that if ruined will bring nothing but the most extreme disappointment
  
• Tears are a sign of weakness. I am crying because I cannot handle the reality of a situation, the circumstances in a situation.
  
• Tears seem to insist on the absence of joy, a sign that something deeper is eating at my mind, my heart
  
• Tears make you look puffy and red-faced, taking away from any kind of natural beauty you might have had in a particular moment
  
• Tears, when shared with others, typically get a sorrowful, concerned and troubled reaction. Why are you crying? What is wrong? Are you okay?
  
• Tears create waste, Kleenex after Kleenex, sleeve after sleeve!

The list was growing and growing, I was certainly tired of tears! I was tired of crying, I was tired of tearing up when I was overwhelmed with happiness and joy and tired of shedding tears when I was burdened about the future for myself, my baby, my family and others who I don't even know personally but know they are experiencing an extreme season of sadness. 

Then the sun got brighter (and continues to as I sit here and type) and I said out loud, "Jesus wept." Jesus wept, Katie. He wept. He was saddened for others, just like you and He wept. When thinking about his own fate, He wept. He wept and sweat when he thought about his future. He sweat and cried tears of blood he became so troubled. He wept out of sadness and He wept in fear. Jesus wept. 

I wonder, was Jesus ever tired of tears? In Gethsemane, when He finds himself in a literal battle of will with His father I know he must have been tried, exhausted, overwhelmed by his fate. He pleads for God's mercy and asks for Him to take this cup from him, if there is any other way God, please let it be! Please, oh please! I am deeply troubled by what is to come!

BUT, he says, thy will be done! Do as you need to! May your Kingdom prosper and may your plan be fulfilled, so that KATIE will never have to be tired of her tears as I am of my own!

Katie, do not be tired, do not be weary, for in your tears there is hope! I have come to bring you hope. In me, you can find rest. In me, you can find peace. In me, you can find understanding. In me, you can have life, and life to the full. Your cup runneth over, Katie!

Though tears may be hard and tears may be tiring, ALL tears have hope. So next time I feel those tears begin to creep down my red, blotchy face I am going to remember that Jesus wept and Jesus also feared, but the greatest thing of all to remember is that Jesus also submitted to the will of His father and through His tears, through His fear, pain and torture we will NEVER grow weary! Tears and fears will come and go, but His love will always remain. Our hope is ALWAYS secure.

I weep!

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40: 1-3

No Room At the Inn

Monday, Caden and I had our 37 week appointment with Dr. Fernandez. After participating in the Tour of Doctors since the end of October it was good to see Dr. F again. Just before Dr. F came in to see Caden and I, we were surprised by another knock and a familiar voice at the door...it was dad! We were so excited that he was able to make it! It was certainly a welcome treat and of course he too was glad he was there to hear the following news:

"Well, you are measuring about 40 weeks, which is about 2cm ahead, which is about what you've been doing the entire pregnancy," Dr. F says, "I think we've got a big boy in there you two!"

The look on Justin's face couldn't have been prouder... 

"I think it is time to start thinking more seriously about that "epi" hoons," Justin chuckles.

It's true I haven't decided on a birth plan...my motto is free and flexible, because I have NO IDEA what to expect. So until we get to that exciting moment when labor begins I'm going to keep my options open! Although I must say when I heard Dr. F laugh as he said we've got a big boy in there, having an epidural seemed like it might be our only option! :)

As we were leaving the office we had to stop off at the scheduling coordinators and set our next few appointments. I knew I wouldn't get to see Dr. F next week because he would be enjoying the holidays with his family, but I never thought getting an appointment would be so hard.

After sitting there for several minutes while all of the coordinators are trying to figure out where to stick me Justin says, "There's no room for you and Caden at the inn!"

It was true, I was like Mary, no one was available to see me, what would I do? I couldn't wait two weeks to be seen again?! Fortunately for me, and thanks to modern technology, an appointment block popped up on the computer screen just in time! So next Monday at 2:30 we'll go in to check things out... this will be my first exam, so you can imagine my anticipation, I can't to see if we've made any progress!

Here are a few more bump pictures, you are probably getting tired of these, but we are taking more and more lately to be sure we have the most accurate end of pregnancy pictures possible! 37 weeks and 4 days!

 

Time for a little R&R... hope everyone is having a Happy Hump Day!! 

FULL: Term, Belly, Face

Well...we've made it! As of Thursday, December 11th, Caden and I are officially full term. Since the technical full term is still a few weeks short of 40, we'd like for Caden to fatten up just a bit more, but as you can see from the title of this post, things are gettin' a bit FULL around our house! :)

Here I am Thursday, December 11th, 2008, 37 Weeks! One of the hardest things to overcome over the past few weeks is the ever-changing shape of my face. My chin has doubled, my nose is spreading and my lips have had an in-house collagen treatment! I have been applying all of the slimming make-up techniques I know and have been experimenting with several different hairstyles! I've done curly, I've done straight, I've done curly and pulled backed, straight and pulled back and while none of them are ready for the red carpet, my mom and I decided that no matter what, away from my face is the way to go... thank goodness for bobby pins! 

Yesterday, I decided it was time for a little hair TLC, one of my favorite things to do! Justin's co-worker's wife owns her own shop in Georgetown so I decided to give her a try... she was fabulous! I know I said I would be wearing my hair away from my face, but I wanted to show you guys a picture of my "new" hair before I got too crazy with my bobby pins! Not too bad right? 
And then I decided... why not take one more belly shot. I came to the realization last night that I should take pictures more frequently over the next few weeks, because one of these could be my LAST pregnant picture! Isn't that crazy?! Depending on how my progress looks on Monday when Caden and I go to the doctor, we might have to post the our belly shots from beginning to end as a little refresher of how far we've come! Get excited about that...

As promised, here is a picture of our beautiful Pack N Play... in reality it didn't take quite as long as my post may have made it seem, but it still was no 10 minute job! It is downstairs and ready for some Caden-lovin'! Thanks again Justin... it looks fan-tabulous!

Seeing as how I am having to write this post while laying on my left side, hoping to literally DUMP Caden right out of my rib cage that he likes to curl his little butt up into, I must sign-off for now! Don't guess I've "dropped" yet! I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

And for all of my Bears out there... Go BU Basketball! Sic 'Em! 

I am thirsty.

'Bad news' was the title of the email I received from my cousin this afternoon, letting us know that a dear piece of their family was lost today. Although not an official part (but probably headed there) of our extended family, he was a very special person to so many who are special to me! A bright smiley face whom we had all shared dinner with just a few weeks ago is gone; his young life taken in a tragic car accident. 

Not fair...no justice...why...shock...fear...uncertainty... all these words overwhelm!

After praying through our tears for our loved ones who have been impacted this life that was taken away, I looked at my mom, who happened to be visiting, (what a blessing that we could call upon God together) and asked...now what? Now what do we do to help? What can we say? What happens next? All day I have wrestled with these questions, but I kept hearing a voice, "draw near, just draw near!" 

Isaiah 55

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the people, a leader and commander of the people. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."

Seek the Lord while he may be found call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of the briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed."

This is always God's plea "draw near to me!" No matter good or bad He asks us to draw near so He can love, cherish and protect us according to His perfect plan for His kingdom. And He is the one who numbers our days according to this same will for our lives! In Him both life and death are perfect, but we know that His perfection does not come without sadness and pain and so now what? What next? What can we say? What can we do? 

DRAW NEAR! Seek Him! Take rest in His promises! Find hope in His word! Gather strength from His sovereignty! 

Drawing near alongside you... many thoughts and prayers are with each one of you! I love y'all!

Celebrity Look-Alike

I strongly believe in not taking myself too seriously in anything that I do... being pregnant is certainly no exception. I've learned in my 26 years of life that if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? I have compiled this post mostly for my own entertainment, but hopefully others of you will also get a laugh or two out of it as well. I know at first you might feel bad for laughing, but remember I LAUGHED FIRST, so you have every freedom to crack up, chuckle, or laugh until you cry!

First a little background...

This weekend Justin and I, after saving for months, bought a Blackberry Bold for me to use while I am at home with Caden. The goal of the new phone was for me to be able to take and email videos and pictures of Caden throughout the work day so Justin could always be "in the loop." He doesn't want to miss out on a thing. On Saturday, after our big purchase we went to Chipotle before heading to the movie. While Justin was waiting for me to finish up my burrito he decided to play around with the phone... experimenting with the video feature. He is trying to get me to give Caden a "shout-out," but I was clearly more concerned with stuffing my face than playing the "video game."

After looking at the video and laughing hysterically for several LONG minutes (it hurts really bad to laugh that hard right now) I realized that I had a celebrity look-alike. At 8 months and a week or so pregnant I bare a striking resemblance to Jabba the Hut.

Pregnant Katie Cox = Jabba the Hut

Don't believe me? Check out the evidence below! It's proof-positive.

Exhibit 1:

Watch the video below and then click here to view my celebrity look-alike in action! 

See the resemblance? 

The video is even funnier if you channel the munching sound of the "cookie monster" while you watch! 

"YUM YUM YUM YUM! Me like cookies! YUM YUM YUM!" Hilarious right?!

Exhibit 2:

Like Jabba, I too can place food on my built-in shelf and feed my friends and family!

I tried to find a picture of Jabba eating but no luck. In the picture below you can see his handy-dandy shelf. Our bodies both fold layer upon layer on top of each other... but we're okay with it... we embrace it! We're all smiles, Jabba and me! :)

Exhibit 3:

Jabba the Hut, if you'll remember, when he feels a bit puffy at the end of the day he also lays on his left side to take the pressure off. Jabba and I are firm believers in the left-side trick! 

Click here to see Jabba's left-side action!

Are you convinced yet?

How about this one?

Pregnant Katie Cox = Mrs. Potts the Teapot

She has an obvious affinity for stripes, although Mrs. Potts is used to hiding her curves and chooses vertical stripes...smart lady! And she loves her little buddy Chip as much as I love my Caden! He's worth it all!

Well that's all for this edition of Celebrity Look-Alike! Until next time...click here!

Caden's O-Line!

XXX         XXX

 XXXXX

OOOOOOOO

              O    O     O

What a day for college football! In the spirit of Tim, John Parker, Sam, Chase and their tough offensive lines, Caden would like to introduce his excellent and experienced O-line that will be leading him to victory in the coming weeks!

Starting at Center, #1 Grandad, ALBI EVANS!!

And by his side, starting at Right Guard, #1 Grandma, KK EVANS!!

ORIGINS of the Names:

ALBI: In high school my dad's friends called him Albino Bill (note the freakishly white blond hair) and after telling my sister-in-law Emily this story over dinner one night she decided that if he wouldn't agree to the original name we picked for Caden to call him, ("BB") he would become Albi. After a 10-page long email exchange amongst our entire family, it was decided that Albi, to be spelled A-L-B-I and pronounced AL-BEE was the winner!

KK: Justin, being the dear, sweet son-in-law that he is, affectionately calls my mom 'Crazy Kim,' thus it was decided LONG ago that when it came time for her to be a grandma she would have to be called KK. 

Caden loves his KK and Albi!

Starting at Left Guard, #1 Grandpa, PAPS COX!!

Ready to come to his rescue, starting at Left Tackle, #2 Grannie, NANA COX!!

ORIGINS of the Names:

PAPS: In high school Justin decided that his dad was much more than just a dad and thus converted his name to Paps. His dad liked it so much that he decided to resurrect the name for use when he became a grandpa, so PAPS it is!

NANA: My sweet mother-in-law felt like this name was most appropriate for her. She has always wanted to be a NANA. Her name was probably the easiest to settle on in the entire bunch!

Caden can't wait to visit Paps and Nana in Waco!

Finishing up the starting line-up, playing Right Tackle, #1 Lab, AUNT MOLLI!!

Molli is the sweetest lab you've ever met and will no doubt be very protective of her first nephew!

Everyone knows that an offensive line is only as good as its second string (I am not sure if this is really true, but it works well for my post, so go with it). 

Playing back-up Center, #1 Uncle, UNCLE TAG!!

Off the bench, playing Right Guard, #1 Aunt, AUNT CORI!!

ORIGINS of the Names:

UNCLE TAG: Trent Agnew=TAG, get it?! This all started during his days as a Phi Chi at Baylor. Justin really wanted to use Uncle Baldy, but we figured the poor guy has had to deal with enough strife from his brother-in-law so we decided that Uncle Baldy will only be used for comedic purposes.

AUNT CORI: We are still working on this one... might end up changing it in the future, but for now Aunt Cori will remain just that. Either way she'll be the cool aunt who will let all of her nieces and nephews eat dessert first, something she's always said she wanted to do! Lord knows Caden will love that! 

Caden can't wait to come to Aunt Cori and Uncle Tag's house for dinner!

Running a close second to the starter, playing Left Guard, #1 Uncle, UNCLE JOSH!!

And always there for a good sack, playing Left Tackle, #1 Aunt, AUNT EMMIE!!

ORIGINS of the Names:

UNCLE JOSH: Like Aunt Cori, Uncle Josh hasn't been too creative with his name choice, but we love him for it! Uncle Josh is a no-nonsense guy who will certainly be ready to teach Caden the ropes. 

AUNT EMMIE: Aunt Emmie will be Caden's favorite snuggle buddy (besides his momma and daddy of course!). She has already spoiled him rotten! We contemplated Auntie Em, but she is no where close to that scary lady from the Wizard of Oz...Aunt Emmie is much more suitable for her tenderhearted personality.

A little bit serious and a lot sweet, Caden will love spending time with Uncle Josh and Aunt Emmie!

Backing up the top dog, playing Right Tackle, #1 Blue Lacy, COUSIN GRIFF!!

Cousin Griff is the perfect playmate for Caden, fun and rambunctious, but a good napper too! He'll certainly spice-up the doggie world when Caden visits San Antonio!

With an offensive line like this, and the superb coaching staff leading the charge, Caden and his team have a bright future ahead of them, and who knows maybe even the Baby Heisman in 2009?!

That's all for this edition of SportsCenter. Don't forget to log-on to Cox's Corner for more on Caden Ford and his O-line's march to the championship!

Building Memories on Caden's Birthday!

Tonight we are celebrating Caden's 36th birthday by literally building memories! Whoever said a Graco Pack n Play is an easy project was wrong and I have a SUPER handy hubbie! 

After we finished dinner he said, "...I think I'm going to set up the Pack n Play real quick..." 

Then I said, "Oh honey, why don't you relax tonight it might take a while and I know you've had a long day at work." 

"Hoons, its a Pack n Play, I got this. It will take 10 minutes," he assures me!

So I sat my fat and happy booty on the couch and started to blog. Originally, I thought this post would be pretty boring, just a belly pic or two to celebrate Caden's birthday, but the memories quickly started to build.

"Hey, can you come help me real quick? The directions don't tell me what to do," Justin requests.

"Are you sure? I have a hard time believing that the directions don't explain how to put the MAIN piece of the Pack n Play together," I question.

"Yah..." 

He sits back down and studies.

Turns out the directions did explain how to put the mystery piece together and as of 7:27 pm we are making progress, and when we get perplexed to the directions we go!

Whistle while you work honey... you're doing a great job!

I don't think I have the patience to hold the blog post until he finishes it up, but I'll be sure to put a picture up of the finished project soon! I never knew a Pack n Play could be so pretty... it might have to become a permanent piece of furniture in our living room! Thanks Gram!

And now... the 36th week Belly Pic! I need a color touch-up! :)

This was last night, so I wasn't officially 36 weeks but I had make-up on for the first time all week so I figured I better capitalize on the moment. PS: We don't normally have our kitchen chairs strung out all over the living room, but we had Bible Study last night which requires every seat in the house!

Now back to buildin' those memories!  

Side note: it is now 7:37 pm and the sleeves just got pushed up on his arms and his hands slammed to his hips. The things we do for the ones we love... Happy Birthday Sweet Caden! :)

Just proof-read the post... now a few minutes later and we have gone backwards, taking off a piece that we just put on! Okay enough of the embarrassing play-by-play for Justin... I'm out!