Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Good morning and Merry Christmas to everyone! 

We are home, currently at #3 of the 4 places we get to celebrate. Even with the rush to see everyone, and be at all the different family gatherings, we are really, really enjoying our time home. The only problem we have is wondering how in the world we're gonna get all this stuff home. Santa must have really put in a good word for us, because I really think we've gotten WAY more than we deserve. Even Hannah has already had her first surprise party!  

Santa did find us this morning. He came to see Emma and William here at Granny's house. Miss Emma decided 6:30 was the time she needed to be to check things out. Needless to say, an early nap will take place. It was so awesome to have the two cousins together, and to be able to be here for William's first Christmas. I have some great pictures, but they are gonna have to wait.  

So for now,  Merry Christmas from the Hodges! We hope you have a wonderful day!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Oh Boy....

It's  a Girl! 

Hahaha, yes, I'm a little shocked. I was convinced this baby was a boy, but she is very active and healthy little girl! Everything appears to be fine and normal. She's a little bigger than the average, weighing 11 oz. right now. (Normal avg. is 8 oz) The doctor has put me on some medicine to stop the contractions, but he says that there is no indication of preterm labor. The meds are just a precaution to make sure a problem does not come up. 

Oh, we do have a name, and the credit goes to Channing for this one.... Hannah Grace Hodges. He did good didn't he? Emma can say it, and she does seem excited about her new baby sister. But, she always makes sure to tell me that she is a big girl, and this is a baby.

Channing and I are little nervous about the future with two teenage girls. But, I think there is a great age difference between them, and hopefully, the conflict with be minimal. Most of all though, we are just thrilled that she is healthy, and that there are no problems. We can't wait to get home and share the pictures with everyone. We have 3D pictures of her, which is something we didn't get for Emma. To me, she already looks like her sister! They have the exact same nose! And, I must say, it is a very cute nose! I would post the pictures on here if I knew how to scan them. Family, y'all are just gonna have to wait until we get home, but I promise you it will be worth it! 

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and for a good report. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted, and now I can focus all the good things and the preparations for our new addition. We are so excited, and so ready to get home and enjoy our break and the holidays. I'm not sure how often, if at all, that I get to post, so to everyone, Merry Christmas!, and Happy New Year! We hope you all have a wonderful holiday with all your families, and safe travels anywhere you may go!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Update and a Book Review

I promised an update, so here you go. 

First, everything seems fine. I've gained weight, and I'm noticeably growing. The baby's heartbeat is strong and illusive, because this child is never still. We have a very, very active little one on our hands....

Second, the ultrasound has been moved up to Monday morning. There is a slight cause for concern and she wants to have things checked out before we head home. Here's the deal: I've been experiencing what seem to be contractions for about two weeks. They started out very slight and not painful at all. However, the last two days they have become painful and accompanied by constant back pain. I really haven't thought much of it because I had alot of back trouble with Emma when I started gaining weight, and I feel this baby move all the time. The doctor is referring me to someone else Monday for his opinion, but she said this most likely just a case of me doing too much. I have been instructed not pick up Emma and keep my activity level down. She said going home should be fine, especially since we're gonna to take two days to get there.  She said the trip home may be just what I need, as long as I take it easy and let other people help with Emma as much as possible. I told her I didn't think that would be a problem. 

So, don't worry. If she was really concerned, they would have admitted me today and forced an ultrasound. Just pray that everything is fine, and all we see Monday is a healthy baby. With that said, we should be home sometime Wednesday afternoon. 


Now, for the book you all must read. I'm sure you've seen the commercials for the movie Marley and Me. I've heard about this book off and on for a couple of years, but never got around to getting it. I got it yesterday, and just finished it. This book is wonderful! In case you don't know, it's the story of a young couple and their highly rambunctious, non obedient lab. Even if you aren't a dog lover, you should read this book. I have laughed and cried all at once. So much of it reminds me of my many years with a canine companion.  This is an easy, relaxing read, perfect for the holiday break. I always like to read books before the movie comes out. That way you know how the story is supposed to go, and not how Hollywood thinks it should go. I can't imagine the movie being any better than this, but I would like to see it, just to see what they did with it. If you read it, or have already read it, let me know!

One more quick thing... My friend Nikki and her husband Nate are in the Philippines right now on a vision trip for Mission To the World. She will be updating her blog while there, so check it out, and keep them in your prayers as well. This trip has been in the making for two years, and they feel that this is the place they are called to serve. 

Official countdown...6 days!

The Cure for a Bad Day


I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did! Channing forwarded that to me this morning and I had to share it with you! I hope it made you smile!

I have a checkup today, so I'll try to post later and let you know the updates!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Pictures...

I've totally been slacking in the picture department these days. Because I have so many new ones, I put them all in albums on my Facebook page. Here are the links:



One album is from our trip to the zoo the night after Thanksgiving, and the other is from Louisville. I hope you enjoy them!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Our Holiday Weekend

We had a great, long, Thanksgiving weekend! I hope you did too!  Channing had Wednesday off, so it was nice to spend the day together, just the three of us. Daddy and C.J. got here early that evening, and the fun began.  This was the first time they got to be here longer than one day.  Channing cooked dinner that night, because I was tired of cooking after prepping all the stuff for Thursday. Emma was so excited to have visitors that she never got quiet or still until we sent her to bed. 

We got up Thursday to get ready for dinner that afternoon. Earlier in the week we had decided to have dinner with one of the families of a guy Channing works with. They had no company, and had decided not to travel for this holiday either. Daddy and I did most of the cooking, and took everything over there. Their kitchen could easily swallow mine. We had a really good time, and the food was great. Daddy was highly impressed with my greatly improved cooking skills. I didn't mess up one single thing!  I was kinda proud of me too! Daddy did the turkeys. He fried two of them, and they were amazing. It's my favorite way to have a turkey, and the other family also seemed to enjoy it. 

Friday was spent mostly laying around the house. We did get out and all go to the Columbus Zoo Friday to see their Wildlights exhibit. I think every other family in Ohio was there too. I really enjoyed it. I think it was a little overwhelming for Emma, and difficult because of the crowds, but it was totally worth it to see her on the carousel again. We have a ton of pictures, but I haven't gone through them yet. It was pretty cold. but Emma and I were very bundled up. The boys didn't think they were gonna need the extra layers. I'm glad I had mine on.

Yesterday was a lazy day. The guys cooked again last night from the care package the Ray's sent us. It was a very large cooler full of all kinds of good stuff. Things we could never get here. I literally jumped up and down when we opened it.  Daddy and C.J. left early this morning.  We already miss them. But, now I've started my countdown... 19 days until we get to come home!  We can't wait!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Snow Day!

Look at what we woke up to this morning!



Sadly, it didn't last long. It was all melted by 9 am. But, the noon weather report said we would get some more.  The snow started back about 1 pm. I stood in the window for a long time, just watching. I took these next pictures over the span of about an hour. 






Here's what it looks like now, after it has quit. 




 Watching it was pretty amazing. I don't know that I've ever seen snow fall like that. I opened our sliding door to take the pictures. It was so quiet. No loud noise like rain or sleet. Complete silence.  For those of you wondering, no, we will not be playing in the snow today, or for a few days. Emma came back from Louisville with a really bad cold, and I'm not letting her out of the house for a while. I'll try to post pictures from the weekend later tonight, or in the morning. We had a blast. I just wanted to share our first snow with you!