Christmas Up North...

We came home and celebrated Northern Christmas

on Friday with Liz's family:

Christmas Movies...

Christmas in Carolina

Liz and I spent Christmas in Carolina this year with Mom and Dad and the rest of the family. Here are some pictures from our gift fiesta...

Mom's in the bag again. Literally.

Corbin wonders if Jacob has something he'd be interested in stealing...

Jacob puts a marshmallow cheeseburger on his skateboard.

Liz gets the "grabber" she's been wanting. It's hard to be pregnant

and keep having to bend over and pick stuff up. My parents got her the super long

one since Liz is tall. She was able to help pick up all the used wrapping

paper without leaving the couch.

Duke gets new Christmas clothes.

Now, we're going to try and cut back this Christmas...(I think that's

a good idea...but it never happens!)

7 AM start time...so that we could be at Nana's for breakfast by 10:00.

Pictures from the baby shower...

While visiting in Kannapolis for Christmas, my aunts Leigh and Susan threw a baby shower for Liz and Lily. (With help from my mother and grandmother!) Besides getting some nice things for the baby, we also got to see a lot of our friends, including some we haven't seen in a long time! Aunt Chris even sent something from Florida via Nana! We had so much stuff that it filled the car up completely...we weren't sure how we were going to fit anything else in. (Like our luggage...) Here are some of the pictures, including one from the cake decoration that was a baby on what looked like a "Lily" pad blossom.

The outfit from Aunt Chris...

"Lily" on her "Lily"pad from the cake...

Linda, Ann, and Debby that we used to work with.

More of the shower...

Liz opening gifts with Aunt Diane, Marty, and Grandma-to-be!

Sister-in-law Laura, Aunt Ann, and Grandma Fisher.

Grandma-to-be and Liz.

Are YOU ready for Christmas?

I am...now...

A First...

One of the ladies we work with bought us this

angel ornament for Christmas. It's our first gift that

has Lily's name on it--we are so excited! It's strange

seeing the name and knowing that's what you

chose for someone to have for their entire

life. Liz and I overwhelmed constantly now

by the smallest things. We're in love with this baby already.

We have another sonogram tomorrow to check

the weight. I hope we get more pictures of fingers

and toes. I don't know why they matter so much

to me...I just want to see them. I can't wait to hold them.

Preggie...

We forgot to take some pictures of Liz

pregnant...so here's one to see! We're coming

toward the end and Lily is growing very fast!

Early Christmas Gift...

Please:

Click Here.

New Sonogram Pics

Because of the Gestational Diabetes, we are having sonograms every couple of weeks to monitor the baby's weight and overall growth. We got some good news, though: We'll have an amniocenticis at 37 weeks (the beginning of February) and if the baby's lungs are mature, we can go ahead and have a C-Section--and have the baby here earlier than expected! (We're very excited!)

Little Lily had her thumb in her mouth for much of the time we did the sonogram. It brings back many memories of mother painting a "burning" solution on my sister's thumb to get her to stop sucking it. It didn't work, I think she's still sucking her thumb and she's 30.

If you look closely, you can see her little fingernails. Hopefully she won't bite them like all of the other members of the Fisher family.

My New Favorite Candy...

I found this candy that I thought was hilarious...and delicious! (Carrie W.--this post is specifically for you!)

One More Thing...

Now here's a HINT for HELOISE! Don't worry, I got permission before I uploaded this one...I don't have a death wish! This was actually several weeks ago and I forgot to put it up. I think it's pure genius, I mean, if you're gonna be nauseas, you might as well be prepared, right? The comedy doesn't quite outshine the misery here, but at least Liz can find the humor in anything...

Kicking Away...

When asked the question, "What did you do last night?" I bet none of you would answer with, "Staring at my wife's belly." So, it seems strange to say that is exactly what we did tonight. The baby is starting to "show kick." When she moves around, we can see the flutters of movement on Liz's belly. We tried shining a flashlight on Liz's belly to see if that would work, but she really didn't respond all that much. However, if Liz leaned forward, and then back again, little Lily really started moving! She moves just about every two hours, which is neat, except when it is the middle of the night. (During the night, the movement coincides with Liz getting up to go to the bathroom...)

We talked to the Doctor last week about the possibility of a C-section sometime mid-February. He just said, "Not on a Saturday," and left it at that. We see the Doctor again next Monday, and hopefully Liz will be able to return to work. The nausea and vomiting really haven't abated all that much, but the blood sugar is slowly working its way back into normal ranges.

Family Thanksgiving!

Well, we had a VERY relaxed holiday meal...or at least as relaxed as it could be with me strung out on muscle relaxers for my back. I've been taking them during the day without many side effects, but guess what happens when you combine them with a little wine..........COMA! I was almost asleep just after dinner despite the fact that everyone else was having such a good time. My parents and sister came up from the Carolinas to join us, and Walter and his sister came, along with Aunt Patty, John, and Patty's brother Dennis. We had an excellent dinner, including Liz's Sweet Potato Casserole, a recipe she ripped off of the Food Network. It turned out to be my favorite thing! (Followed closely by the Macaroni and Cheese my mother made...) We're still trying to finish it all and I'm looking to be done by Tuesday. However, I don't think the homemade cheesecake my sister made is going to last another hour...I'm feeling a snack coming on. Speaking of cheesecake, Siobhan liked it so much that she put her whole face in the dish and was covered in it. She looked up and said, "uh oh," then continued munching away! You can see in the picture below that she got a little wild with the Buffalo Chicken dip too...

She's Really In There!

Since we found out that Liz was pregnant back in June, everything has taken on a surreal quality. But today, the "surreality" took on a whole new realm when I felt the baby move for the first time. Liz has been feeling it for a couple of weeks now, but I finally got to feel it for myself. Little "Lily" (the name we are liking so far...) is quite an active little girl, and Liz has even been able to see flutters of movement on top of her belly. I am so in awe of the whole thing, and can't wait for Lily to get here. I can't believe how much I love her already.

My Aching Back...

There's not a lot going on except that my back is killing me. If it doesn't get better soon, I may have to break down and go to the doctor. (Though my regimen of complaining and Canadian Muscle Relaxers is not a bad plan...)

Back pain aside, I'm ready for Thanksgiving to get here. Sitting down, eating, sitting some more, a nap, then midnight sandwiches...why can't everyday be Thanksgiving?

Furniture's Here!

The baby furniture is in! We've still got some decorating to do, but we'll post pictures soon!

Our Anniversary!

It's been 6 years today!

UNBELIEVABLE!

It's been quite awhile since I paid under $1.50 for gas, but I did it today! The local grocery store is letting customers save points to get deals on gas, and I saved up enough for $1 off. I can't believe I filled up car for just under $13. At one point several weeks ago...it was closer to $40!

It's The End of the World As We Know It...

I don't know what came over me!

I don't know why I did it!

It can't be undone!

I can only beg for forgiveness and hope in the long run it was the right thing to do.

This is a sad day indeed:

I VOTED FOR A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE!

Oh, the horror, the shame!

Blast From The Past...

Look what Liz uncovered in the dresser...this was from a "70's Day" we had at Kannapolis Middle School years ago! No, we weren't going for Tom Jones and Mrs. Roper.

A Little Rest...

The doctor has taken Liz off of work for a month to get her body chemistry straightened out. We found out that she has gestational diabetes, and combined with the nausea and vomiting that hasn't gone away, Liz runs the gamut of peppy to passing out every 1/2 hour or so. She sees the doctor again the first of December and hopefully will be able to go back to work...she misses the kids, and there's only so many times one can watch "Die Hard" and "Jaws." The baby's okay though...we just need to get Liz feeling better...

Happy November!

Some News Bytes...

1. We had about 35 Trick or Treaters last night, not too overwhelming, but just enough.

2. I'm ready to take the Halloween Stuff down and move immediately into Christmas. I'll keep you posted as to what actually happens.

3. Since the doctor doesn't want me to take the medicine for the toenail fungus, I have officially reclassified my foot as a hoof. Does anyone know where one might buy those giant horse knuckle clippers? I might also need a small saw and a rotating sander. (Christmas present?)

4. Some of you will remember when I last attempted fixing a toilet on my own and three hours of hell I went through. Well, I decided to attempt it again as the plumber was going to cost $168 more that what I have to spend. The toilet parts were only $5.94. This time though, it only took 20 minutes and I only cursed once, and that was because I put my knee in the water that spilled on the floor.

TTFN

Flat Stanley

Now that we are recovering from the storm, we have time to spend with Flat Stanley, Weston Edwards' 3rd grade school project. Weston is Jann McCombs' grandson (Ashlyn and Lynn's Son). We took Flat Stanley to Niagara Falls yesterday and photographed him enjoying a romp through the rapids. We'll be sending him back to North Carolina soon for Weston and his classmates to discuss where he's been!

Flat Stanley at the Horseshoe Falls.

Flat Stanley in front of Canada!

Flat Stanley in front of the statue of Nikolas Tesla.

Flat Stanley in front of the American Side of the Falls!

If You'd Like to Know the Sex of the Baby...

Click Here

Bionic Barb

Barb came through her surgery with flying colors! She had both knees done and is doing great! She's been moved to the nursin... I mean rehab facility today, where she'll stay to recuperate for at least a couple of weeks. Pretty soon, she'll be running a marathon!

It's A Girl!

Most Likely...

We had a sonogram on Thursday and the nurse said she was pretty sure it was a girl. We didn't get a good printed picture, but the image on the sonogram machine was clearly dark in our offspring's special area. There was NOTHING but two open legs! Even though we didn't get that picture, we did get a new pic, but it's not a great one. If you look closely, you can see the nose. Also, we went to the furniture store today and bought the baby furniture. We chose the "OMNI" furniture, the one in the picture below with the straight lines, instead of the sleigh bed looking ones. We bought an upright dresser and a short wide dresser to go with it. Once we add the new recliner, the room will be complete! It's going to take a month or so to come in, but I'll post pictures once the room is set up!

More Storm Pictures!