Christmas 2012

Dear Santa,

I would like a pink tricycle,

 a pink and purple camera,

 and clothes for Christmas.

Love Emily

     Emily was so excited about Santa Claus this year and then woke up with a fever Christmas morning...poor baby!  Thankfully she was still able to enjoy MOST of the day despite not feeling very well.  Stephen was also sick with a fever and sinus infection and then to top it all off, I was blessed with a little GI bug that night!  Needless to say, I hope to not experience another Christmas day that like in the future!  Santa did bring Emily everything on her list plus a mop, broom, a train, and a necklace that he hung on the tree!  LOTS of pictures below of our Christmas festivities!

Lights before Christmas at Riverbanks Zoo!

Making Christmas Cookies!

She loved adding quite A LOT of sprinkles to each cookie...

The best part of cookie making!

Opening presents at Nini and Bop's House!

Daddy got a new "Hat" :)

Tacky Christmas Sweater Poole Family Christmas!
Stephen dressed up as Cousin Eddie...

Licking the beaters after frosting a cake for Jesus's birthday!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Thumbprint Cookies for Santa and Carrots for the Reindeer! 

Finally a smile on Christmas morning!

Tricycle!!!

Mommy on Christmas Day!  32 Weeks Pregnant.

Aunt Rie helped Emily open up her presents at Grandma and Grandpa's!

Trying to peek into the top of her present...

Was occupied the rest of the evening... LOVES her new dollhouse.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  

Looking forward to 2013 and a little baby boy... :)

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Ten Years together total...

Five years married today...

One two year old Daughter...

One little boy on the way...

I love you more than the day we were married and it grows with everyday that passes.  Happy 5th Anniversary to my wonderful husband!  You mean the "globe" to me! :)

30 Weeks and Counting!

     I now know why my belly is poking out so much-  not only does my "little" 30 week boy already weigh in at 3 lbs 9 oz but he is also poking his behind STRAIGHT out front!  He is head down now (yay!!!) and perfect.  He participated in his ultrasound by kicking and moving everywhere making it difficult to obtain the images they needed and would not cooperate when trying to see his sweet face, but I am happy and blessed to receive reports that we have a healthy baby and continued healthy pregnancy!  Below is a 3D picture of my sweet boy at ~30 weeks AND a comparison picture of my sweet girl when she was ~28 weeks!  I do believe they are going to look alike...

Matt

 

Emily

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...CHRISTMAS!

     Finally, I have a tree up and my house is decorated!  Emily has her own little tree up in her room again this year and helped decorate it last night.  Frosty the Snowman (the old one) came on TV and Emily was mesmerized by it.  Needless to say, she had fun going through all of the decorations and putting up our tree.  I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner!  And then after that, the baby will be here before we know it...  I have an ultrasound on Wednesday and can't wait to see how big he is measuring.  My personal estimate is 3.5 lbs.  We had a baby born last week in the NICU at almost my exact gestation and weighed in at 3 lbs!  I can see why my belly is starting to balloon out!  Also, on a side note--  our sweet lab has bladder cancer.  While we have no CLUE how long he will live from here on (could be years...), we are treating him with medications to make him comfortable.  He still plays and eats and acts like his old self for right now!  Pictures below of decorating and playing with Ace!

Placing the ornaments onto her tree.

Showing me the Penguin Ornament.

Decided her tree was so tall she needed her stairs...

Placing her angel on top!

Big Kiss for Mommy.

Throwing the Ball for Ace!

Silly Girl.

Best Buds.

So Sweet...

Having Fun!

Turkey Day 2012

     I was off of work for Thanksgiving this year and Stephen and I went to Spartanburg and Charlotte to spend the holiday with his family.  Emily enjoyed her applesauce and goldfish!  :)  She did eat some dessert of course.  When I asked her what she was thankful for this year, she replied... "Cheeze-its, Waffles, Cherrios, Animals, and Animal Cookies."  After some discussion, Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Matt were added on to the list.  :)  Hope everyone enjoyed the day with their families!

26 weeks and counting!!!

     I am 26+ weeks...  I can officially walk around the NICU now and see what my baby looks like and what stage he is in.  It does not cease to amaze me how tiny a baby can be born.  Viability for a baby is "24 weeks" give or take, so I have definitely passed that milestone of my pregnancy which can be scary for a NICU nurse especially!  However, we are doing good and he is moving and growing!  I hope to post some ultrasound comparison pictures soon so we can all see if they look alike thus far... :)

Halloween 2012

     Emily was a cowgirl for Halloween this year!   She had a good time trick or treating at the few houses she went to with her cousin Chad.  Even though she was too sick over the weekend to enjoy trick or treating downtown or the trunk or treat at church, she was healthy by Wednesday and able to attend her school's Halloween party and dress up that night.   We were even able to carve a pumpkin!  She picked out all of his facial features but refused to touch any of his insides...   I had to work on Halloween but her Daddy got her dressed and ready to go trick or treating with Chad! Here are some pictures along with a short video of her in action riding her horse!  Happy Halloween!

Hmmm... So many to choose from!

"Cheese!!!"

Let's go Chad!

Trick or Treat!

Probably the best part of Halloween Trick or Treating to a 2/3 year old-  ringing the doorbell!

Last Stop at Grandma's House!

Checking out the Goodies!

Giddy Up and Yee Haw!!  

Stephen Matthews Poole, III

     Yep, that's right!  It's a BOY!!!!!  We are so happy to share the news that Emily will have a baby brother.  His full name will be Stephen Matthews Poole, III and we plan to call him "Matt".  We also had the anatomy ultrasound done showing that he is PERFECT!!- just breech but we have 20 more weeks to work on that :)  I feel very, overwhelming blessed today.  Praying for a continued healthy pregnancy and family!

Clemson vs. Furman 2012

     We took Emily to the Clemson/Furman game this year!  She did about as well as I expected-  great at the tailgate and only lasted about 30 minutes in the stadium.  We had a really good time and she loved the band, fireworks, cheerleaders, football players, and especially loved the balloons they released at the beginning.  It was VERY hot but she was a trooper!  We also got to see our best friends Estephanie and Whitney and their babies Cole and Palmer.  Pictures from the game posted below!
     On a side note, we should find out the sex of the baby on October 2nd!  I'm carrying differently than I did with Emily so we'll see.... :)

Kissing on Daddy!

And Nini...

Loves her Tailgate Chair!

Standing in front of the stadium

Emily, Me, Estephanie, Cole, Palmer, Whitney
Best Friends!

Waving at ALL the buses and talking to them

"Where's the bus?"

"Hey Mr.Bus!  How ya Doing Mr. Bus?"

Watching the Band and Cheerleaders