The Big Reveal

Bow or Beau?

Since finding out I was pregnant, I've honestly not even thought too much about gender.  My thoughts instead were ensuring the baby was healthy and developing at the correct rate.  I know all mothers worry/think about this, but I think due to our fertility issues and miscarriage, I just obsessed about it.

Leading up to the appointment, Stephen and I knew we wanted our families to be involved in the gender aspect.  These "reveal parties" are quite the trend, and there are a ton of great ideas circulating to reveal boy or girl.  We thought about a lot of different options, and decided ultimately to make it a family evening and an easy reveal.  I googled a few different bakeries, and decided on one close to our neighborhood.  The owner was really sweet and was willing to work with me on the surprise.  The plan was that after our sonogram, I would bring her the gender in an envelope and she would create one "gender" cupcake out of the 24.

Fast forward to Thursday and our appointment.  I was a ball of nerves, but also so excited to see the nugget.  My OB refers everyone to a perinatologist to do the anatomy scans, and the one she referred us to was across town.  It took us 45 minutes to get there, and I was back in my car in 10.  Really fast appointment!

The sonographer was excellent!  She explained EVERYTHING in detail, down to measuring her pinky toe!  We saw all of the major organs, watched the blood flow through the four chambers of the heart, down the spinal cord...it was amazing.  I know we saw all of those things with Knox, but the sonographer then didn't tell us anything.  This one was very informative and made us feel at ease.  Everything on the baby checked out perfectly, and I was REALLY excited and relieved.

We told her at the beginning we didn't want to know the sex just yet, so she made us close our eyes while she got the "money shot."  She printed pictures for us and we were out the door.  We took Knox to the appointment, and I'm so glad we did.  He just stared in awe, pausing a few times to ask questions, while taking it all in.  At one point the sonographer showed us the profile with the baby's hand rubbing her eyes.  Knox looked at Stephen and said "that's adorable."  I melted.  It was a sweet moment, and I'm glad we all shared it together.

Once I left, I made sure the envelope was as far out of my reach as possible.  I didn't want to peek, and knew I wouldn't...but I didn't want the tease.  That afternoon I met with the baker and gave her the envelope...then it was just a waiting game.

Friday, the Dotsons came in from Houston, Kelly from Dallas and then all of my family arrived at our house around 6.  We had errands all day to keep us busy, but we were really anxious and excited.  The food was super casual, a few trays from Chick-fil-a and homemade fruit salad and mac 'n cheese.  The kids scarfed while the adults avoided the elephant in the room...the one cupcake sitting in the glass dome on the cooktop.

I decorated using the trusty google search "Free Gender Reveal Printables."  I only paid $6 for the cupcake toppers to have our name on them, the rest were free!  Pretty schnazzy!

I printed off a little chart of the "Old Wives Tales."  As you can see, all but two said "GIRL."  

The tally of "Bow Vs Beau" was slanted from the beginning.

One of the "Beau" tallies was Knox.  Since he's known about the baby, he's always said girl.  Then two days before the reveal he flip-flopped.  That's why he came dressed in blue!

The cousins had no idea what was going on, except that there were a lot of toys, balloons and nuggets to enjoy!  (From Left-Right:  Ally, Conner, Olivia, Mackenzie and Holt.  Not pictured:  Erick, Knox, Avery)

Once everyone had eaten, it was time.  Not going to lie, I was a nervous wreck.  Again, I honestly didn't care what the gender was.  There was just something about the build up to finally knowing that was a bit crazy.  We cleared the table and sat Knox in between us on the banquette.  The original idea was that he would eat the cupcake and we would all cheer.  Once we sat down and he saw all of the cameras and people hovering and staring...he clammed.  So, we just asked him to remove the cupcake topper (which would have the icing on it).  Below is how it all went down, including waterworks from me!

My face, ha!

Total shock...then tears!

Explaining how he would have a baby sister!

Stephen had to take the big bite to show the icing...Knox still needed to warm up.

And he did...

We are so thankful that the baby GIRL is healthy, and so overjoyed to be able to have another baby.  We are completely in awe at this miracle, and thank our Father daily!  It's truly a blessing and dream come true. 

Blakely Marie Dotson-Due 2/14/14

As far as her name goes, it is one we have had picked out for quite some time.  In fact, Knox would have been Blakely if he were a girl!  There's no real significance to the name, other than we liked it.  85% of the time she'll go by Blake, but we love how feminine Blakely is.  

Marie is my middle name.  I was named after my grandmother, whom I never met as she died 8 months after I was born.  We shared the same birthday, and I love that I carry her memory along with me in my name.  Ironically, a few of Stephen's aunts and cousins also have that middle name, so it was a given!

We just love her so much already.

Bring on the pink!!!

Catch up...

The amount of catch up I need to do on this blog is getting comical...but in efforts to start somewhere, we're just going to have a photo dump.  I've been putting off this post because I kept avoiding editing the pictures...so I decided to not edit and just post them up.  

Here in Austin we're finding a lot of different bugs and wildlife than our usual Dallas mosquitos.  We've had praying mantis, grasshoppers the size of my hand, wolf spiders (read: MASSIVE), and the occasional coyote.  Knox found a catchable grasshopper one morning, so off we went to locate the bug catcher.

He was so excited!

I decided we needed to release him to the wild, so we went outside.  Knox promptly told me he wanted to document the release.   He's into using my "big" camera lately, and he did a good job!

Another thing we've gotten back into is painting.  He loves to paint, both acrylic and watercolor.  I decided to just let him go for it and use the art for his hallway.  I think it turned out cute!!

 I really do have plans to show you the house, and to update you all on what we've been up to...but it will have to wait.  You see, yesterday we went for our anatomy ultrasound.  The little nugget is perfectly healthy, and this momma could NOT feel any more relieved.

We had her put the gender in an envelope, and a baker is going to give us cupcakes to reveal the gender.  Tonight's the shin dig, so I'll post an update soon!

Knox's First Day of Preschool-3's

I have so many planned posts, and just no time to write them.  Moving in, getting the house settled, what Knox has been up to, pregnancy updates...but they'll just have to wait, because today Knox started PRE-SCHOOL!

He's been so excited to start school and meet new friends.  He's asked me every week this summer when school will start, and when we started the "(x amount) of sleeps until school" talk he's been super pumped up.  It makes my heart happy that he loves meeting new people and learning.

Funny story...I told him on Sunday that he had two more sleeps until school started.  I meant two more "big" sleeps, meaning at night.  Well, when he woke up from his nap yesterday he was ready to go to school.  I told him he still had one more sleep, to which he argued "no I don't.  You said two more sleeps.  I sleeped last night and my nap today.  2 sleeps."  To his credit, he was keeping track and really excited.  Once I explained everything he was fine, but also bummed.

This morning, we got ready and snapped some pics before his big day.  He wasn't too keen on smiling for the camera, but we still ended up with a few good shots:

Once we arrived at school, I made him take a picture in front of the sign...it was bright outside, hence the squint!

He is currently enrolled in the Tuesday/Thursday class while we are on the waiting list for a MWF opening.  While home, I got a call from the director that an opening came up, so he'll be going again tomorrow, and then MWF for the rest of the year!  He's so excited...and though I'll miss him, once Dotson 2.0 arrives it will be a huge blessing!

When I picked him up, the teachers said he did great and they loved having him in the class.  Can't ask for much more than that!  We're looking forward to a great year!

Hope all of your kiddos have a great year, too!

Cat's out of the bag...

Not too long ago I posted about our infertility issues, and our pursuit of adoption.  God had really put my heart at ease about the reality that we wouldn't have any more children of our own, and I was really excited about adoption.

One of the first things after applying for adoption is the home study.  Since our house is still under construction, we decided to take our time finding an agency we both felt comfortable with, live in our house for a month or so to get settled, then tackle the application process and feel better about the home study.

The summer was flying by, and we were super busy with small trips and fun events.  The house was coming along, and we were trying not to obsess too much about the details.  One morning over coffee, my dad casually mentioned that he was praying we would get pregnant while living with them.  Ummm...we'll just take a moment to let that settle.  My first thought was "gross!," and quickly moved to, "that's awkward."  I laughed, and we joked about it a bit, but later I realized how bold that was.  My parents, like Stephen's and a lot of you out there, have been praying for two years that we would get pregnant.  But this, "while staying with us," took me back.  There was a timeframe!  Ha.

Honestly, I forgot the comment soon after.  Things were still plugging away on the house and we were away almost every weekend.  My parents were also headed out of town, to Portugal in fact.  Before leaving, my dad was fasting in preparation for the trip.  What I found out later was that he was also fasting for us.  Taking away all distractions and able to focus more clearly in prayer, he was again BOLDLY praying for a baby for us.

Stephen and I held down the fort here, and once they returned we headed to San Antonio for my brother's CrossFit regional competition.  Somewhere during that week, we conceived our miracle baby.  I had no idea of the "timing' of things, nor that I was around that "time" when we should try.  Honestly.  It was so far from our minds.  One of the things that makes me laugh is when we were doing IVF, and every other fertility method out there, people would say "Just when you stop thinking about it you'll get pregnant." I feel comfortable enough with you readers that I can say I wanted to PUNCH people when they would say that.  Worst thing to say to someone trying their darndest.  But...maybe in this case it worked out.

The next few weeks were the same...checking on the house, visiting my grandmother in Tulsa (and not dying in tornadoes) and then visiting my in-laws for my MIL's birthday.  On the way there, I was feeling as if "she" might be coming soon.  I quickly checked my calendar to see when I should expect it, and sure enough it was that weekend.  I used caution, and fully expected her to rear her head...but she never did.  While in Houston, I just had this weird feeling I should take a test.  It probably had something to do with the cocktails I was consuming, but I just thought I should check.  Without anyone knowing, I went to the store and got a little test.  In two and a half years, I've seen a gazillion negatives.  What's one more?

POSITIVE.  Seriously positive.  

I called Stephen to come upstairs and could barely get it all out.  We hugged, and he asked to see more positive tests...such a guy!

We decided to keep it just between us for a bit.  We didn't want to get too excited until we'd had a doctor confirm.  The minute we got back to Austin I had my records from Dallas sent to an OB/GYN here and had an appointment 3 days later.  Nervous, much?

They did an ultrasound which showed a very small sac, and did an HCG beta test.  I came back a few days later and did a repeat Beta, which confirmed I was pregnant.  I came back weekly for the next few weeks for sonograms until the baby was big enough to see on ultrasound, and then again until we could see a heartbeat.

What a glorious day that was.  The tiny flicker was clear as day, and instantly Stephen and I felt sure things were progressing well and couldn't wait to tell our parents.

This part was tricky.  We were living with mine, but wanted all to know at the same time.  We invited the Dotsons to Austin to "check on the house and design ideas," and thankfully they took the bait without too many questions.  Once here, we all went to the house where I asked them to look at something in our "crap room."  Once inside, they could see a banner that said "Nursery Design Ideas DUE on or before Feb. 16th. 2014."  It took them a bit, but everything finally set in.

It was a perfect day.  We all cried, there were a lot of questions, but everyone was over the moon about this miracle baby.  From the history of his prayers and fasting, I think my dad's reaction was the one that most hit home to me.  He was so shocked, and so emotional...I won't forget that moment for the rest of my life.

And...here we are.  I've been SICK and tired, but I wouldn't change a thing.  I wasn't sick with Knox, and I honestly feel God is allowing the sickness to give me a constant reminder that He is GOOD and things are progressing normally.  We're so thrilled, humbled and can't wait to meet this wonder baby!

Thanks for all of the prayers, calls, texts and messages on this journey.  We love each of you and are so thankful you are in our lives!  And if you are on the infertility roller coaster, please know that there is HOPE in the One who can do more than man or medicine.

Luke 18:27-But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Family Reunion and Wedding in Lakeland

 Two weekends ago Stephen and I traveled to Lakeland, FL to attend his cousin Ricky's wedding.  The weekend had a little special meaning, though, since it was the first time (ever) that all 12 of Stephen's first cousins were under the same roof.  Family from FL, TX, HI and Honduras came in town for the event, and we had so much fun catching up and goofing around.  Since we all stayed at the same hotel, there was never a dull moment.

The rehearsal dinner night we got gussied up and celebrated the beautiful couple.  We had to take a few family pics, too!

Before attending the rehearsal dinner, the guys were on the prowl for a late night spot to go to afterwards.  We quickly learned that we had one option...the brass tap.  After looking at their website, we realized they boasted having an extensive draft beer menu.  With 12 potential drinkers, they devised a plan for all of the cousins that could attend to head there afterwards, and try and drink one of every beer on tap they offered.  Lofty goal, but one that the group was willing to tackle.

I'm happy to report that all 62 beers on tap were consumed.

The boys went and played golf that morning, headaches and all, and the girls lounged around and shopped.  We met up for lunch and then relaxed in preparation for the wedding.  Their wedding and reception were beautiful, and everyone had a great time!

The "plus 1" picture

All 12 with Grandma

After the wedding, we headed back to the hotel to hang out.  And when I say hang out, I mean take over the lobby at 1am:

So much fun!  Even the bride and groom popped in...poor guys :)

The next day we headed home to our little guy.  It was nice to have a break, but also so nice to snuggle him again.  Until the next reunion...

Knox-isms...from the mouths of toddlers!

We just returned from a little family reunion for a cousins wedding in Florida, and we left the nugget home with Gigi and Papi.  We always miss him when he's not around, but we seemed to really miss him this time.  I think it's the age...he's hilarious.  Not necessarily meaning to be, he just is.  

My friend Mollie posted a while back some things her daughter Claire had said...so I copied.  I keep a running note in my phone, and when he makes a funny comment I jot it down.  Here are some of the recent things that have come out of his mouth:  

Knox: "I feel like Santa."
Me: "Why?"
Knox:  "Because I got sweaty from my food."

Me:  "Knox, stop kicking mommy's seat."
Knox: "No, I'm just exercising." (And then continued to count to 20 reps kicking my seat)

(He couldn't find daddy on the tennis courts, but was still clapping while looking)
Knox: "I'm just cheering for the other mans. Two more!!"

Knox:  (First day of 100 degree weather)  "It's so hot. It's making my eyeballs hurt."

Me: "Knox, do you want toast with jelly for breakfast?" 
Knox:  "No.  Can I just have the jelly?"

With Gigi this weekend (she documents, too)--
Gigi: "Knox I need to run home and get my phone."
Knox: "I have my fast shoes on, I can run."
Gigi: "Oh, I mean I need to go home and get my phone"
Knox: "oh, can I stay in the car?"
Gigi: "I guess. I am just going to get my phone."
Knox: "can I look for stuff?"
Gigi: "what?"
Knox:  "Can I look for stuff in your car?"
Gigi:  "look for stuff?  No."
Knox: "oh!  My Mom says no, too!"

Knox: "Watch this GiGi!  You will laugh!"
GiGi: "I can't. I'm driving."
Knox: "OK, you can just laugh!"

After tripping:
Knox, to me:  "I hurt here, here, here, here and here (pointing all over). You can just go ahead and kiss my whole body."

Knox: (while looking at me in glasses and work out clothes):  "Mommy, you should probably go get dressed."
Me:  "Oh yea, you don't like the way I look?"
Knox:  "Well, you can't go to HEB's (he pluralizes it) like that.  And you look prettier when you have real clothes on."

Knox: (in a public restroom, the lady next to us passed gas)  "Mommy, I think she needs to try to poop, too.  Will she get a toy if she goes poo poo?"

He definitely keeps us on our toes, and we haven't ever had more fun than with him!

Fourth of July 2013

My parents neighborhood has a 4th of July parade every year, including a city Firetruck.  I could probably end this post here, knowing that you all will understand what this meant for Knox:  Mind Blown.

The truck arrived 45 minutes or so earlier than the parade time, so we were able to walk down and catch a peek.

The hose adapter.  It was really heavy, but he managed with a few grunts for emphasis

Daddy let him drive

 

Sitting in the backseat, all buckled in and ready for an adventure

Standing on the front bumper

Wearing Lt. Campbell's helmet

Once the parade was ready for take off, we went back to the house to get a front row seat.

Watching the parade, and waiting on the Firetruck

The only family shot of the day :( 

Once the parade was over, Knox requested a second visit to the Firetruck.  Thankfully, Gigi and Papi obliged.  He came home with a Tiger's Blood sno-cone, so the trip was worth something, right?

We spent the rest of the day soaking up the rays by the pool and eating some yummy BBQ with the family.  A good Rangers win was icing on the cake!

Hope each of you enjoyed your 4th!