Asher's Nursery

My cousin who is an interior decorator came this week with her husband and transformed the front bedroom in my house formerly known as "Ian's Room" then it was "The Craft Room" and finally, finally it is "Asher's Room!" This nursery couldn't be any more perfect. It is everything I have dreamed of for our sweet and healthy little boys. Words cannot express how awesome I think it is...

Asher...he is a busy bee these days. He wiggles and kicks all day. He has a pretty good schedule now. I usually feel him during lunch and then he naps and I feel him after school and then he naps and then he usually wiggles all night long. A night owl??? I think so!

I can't tell you how many times this week I've heard..."Wow, you're really blossoming!" Well yes I sure am. I have exploded into a fat cow!!! I'm kind of scared to be weighed at the doctor tomorrow because I'm afraid it will be B-A-D!!! Oh well...

As things are nearing Asher's arrival I find myself worrying about Ian. I know he is perfect! I just continually say to myself..."We're not replacing you Ian. We're simply adding to our family. You will NEVER be replaced my sweet and perfect Ian." I hate feeling like I am replacing Ian. I'm taking his pictures out of frames and putting Asher's sonogram pictures in and I am taking his pictures out for the frame to be ready for Asher. I remind myself this is simply a normal action taken by all parents preparing for another child.

I also keep getting the question..."Is this your first child?" What a hard one!!! No it's not my first pregnancy and no it's not my first child. But do I really have the strength to explain this situation to you right now??? Yes...I do!!! Ian is my child...he was my first pregnancy...and that simply can't be ignored. "Well how old is your first child?" Well...can I explain that one? He's two...no wait he's 3 1/2. No wait...he's really 23 months and 3 weeks! Geez...let's just drop that one and say "He's 2 but he lives with Jesus now!" (Awkardness inserted here)

Well...this tired momma' is going to bed. Enjoy the nursery pictures and I sure hope you love it as much as I do :)

Perfect and Beautiful

Last Friday we went for an ultrasound to check on our sweet little Asher's heart. The news we received was for greater than we could have imagined hearing. From the beginning to the end of the ultrasound the doctor talked about how beautiful and perfect everything was about our little boy. "Wow...he has long legs!!!" "And look at this perfect heart he has. You see this...." "And look at this brain...this looks like a very smart brain right here." Aahhh...music to our ears.

At one point Wae exhaled and said "Whew...are you sure you're talking to the right people here??? We're not used to getting good health reports." The doctor obviously gave his condolences about Ian and proceded to tell us how perfect our little Asher would be. What an answered prayer and a blessing from our holy and almighty Heavenly Father!!!

We were able to have a sneak peek in 4D. He only weighs 11 ounces right now so it was mainly skeletal but I could tell he is gonna be a cutie :) He really did have very long legs and the sweetest little feet just a kicking away at me. He waved at us and his fingers were so long and precious!!! The doctor counted his fingers, checked his kidneys and so on and so on. We saw more of this little baby than I ever dreamed of seeing. I have to see I have been 100% overly impressed with UAB hospital!!! This is where we have went for the specialist ultrasounds and tests and every person we have come in contact has been overly nice. That goes so far when you have been through what we experienced.

Tornadoes...this past week our state went through a horrible devastation. It started early Wednesday morning and lasted throughout the day and the effects will be felt for months if not years. My college home of Tuscaloosa was destroyed and many lives were lost. A sweet college friend's family lost everything...their home, their barn, etc. And just a couple of miles from our house homes were demolished and lives turned upside down. Hundreds of lives were lost, so many were injured, and countless homes were destroyed. There are no words to describe the devastation you see in our state. Our county has been out of power since the storm and the estimate is 7-14 days wtihout power. However, you can't help to be thankful to have a home that has no power when you look around and see all the homes that are now simply a pile of rubble. Prayers for the victims of this disaster and for all the men and women working so diligently to restore what has been lost from these storms!!! Please pray for our state!!!

Heart Examination...

We go tomorrow morning for Asher's sonogram on his heart. This is our last specialist appointment as long as we get an all clear on his precious little heart. We've had no scares or anything this pregnancy regarding the condition of his heart but because of Ian's heart condition there is cause for concern. So...with that being said prayers are needed for a healthy heart tomorrow. We need Asher to cooperate so the doctors are able to see everything they need to see.

Pregnancy...well it seems as though my stomach is bigger every morning. My book says Asher is about 8 inches long now. I'm not crazy about desserts these days and just to be honest I'm not a fan of not liking desserts. I have bought every Easter candy imaginable hoping to like it and no winners yet. I seem to love salad these days and I've never been a salad fan. Go figure...Asher's making me like things I don't really like. LOL...

Asher's bedding has come in and it is so cute. Andrea gave me Colin and Ellisan's rocking chair. I have always loved, loved that chair so she gave it to me when Ellisan got her big girl room. I based Asher's bedding around the yellow rocking chair and have been very pleased. :) I have a cousin who is so special to me who is an Interior Decorator and has a business in Birmingham. She was actually with us when our precious Ian flew to Jesus. She is doing Asher's nursery and OH...MY...GOSH!!! It is going to be oh so cute! I cannot wait to have it finished and post pics for you all to see her awesome work. Ian's monkey painting is going to hang in Asher's room and is going to be just perfect!!!

Work is busy and I am crazy. The end of the year is wild at school but evidently I had forgotten just how wild it is. I let the stress get the best of me this week and I was officially overwhelmed. I thought it was pretty awesome that Wae said..."This is the first time since you've been back working that you've been stressed out about your job." That lets you know how great of a job I have.

Well, I've got to get things ready for tomorrow and make a list for Mom and I to accomplish after the appointment. Curtains for Asher's room, new bathroom stuff for Asher, an Easter dress for me, clothes that fit me, and the list goes on and on. I foresee a long day in Birmingham ahead of us. But oh how fun it will be to finally be buying things for my sweet little boys room and his anticipated arrival.

Rhizo Kids Conference...

This post is generally directed towards the 2011 Rhizo Kids Conference. Tracey Thomas is handling the conference this year and after BEGGING her to let me help a little she came up with something. I need help with breakfast food. We are having dinner catered this year so we don't have that worry but we do need to have breakfast foods for a breakfast buffet. The conference is June 9-12. We will serve breakfast on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We would like breakfast casseroles, cinnamon rolls, cream cheese danish casseroles, fresh fruit bowls, and any breakfast food you know how to make would be great!! We didn't do this last year and think it was one aspect we needed to work on. The town of Centre (and surrounding areas) also provided the conference with drinks last year. We could use this again. Anything you can bring (water, sodas, capri suns, etc.) You can drop them off at Cotton States Insurance now until June 7th. Y'all are awesome!!! We could also use helpers. We will need babysitters for the healthy kids and for the RCDP kids. I believe most families are bringing grandparents this time but not everyone is. It's always nice to have extra hands and eyes though. Thanks for helping. You can email me at maryellis96@yahoo.com to volunteer to bring food or babysit or to help do anything I can't think of.

Asher...he's a stinker!!! I'm no longer the pregnant woman you hate. I'm now the pregnant woman you sympathise with. He has made me sick through week 15 with throwing up and he moved on to amplifying my allergies after that. I have been battling a cold for three weeks now and it has escalated to bronchitis. I am now on three different meds in hopes of knocking out the bronchitis before I end up worse. I am ready for him to be here and healthy!!! I have gained 12 pounds so far. I look and feel like I've gained 30 but I haven't. LOL... Wae reminds me that I said I would just be so thankful to be pregnant that I wouldn't complain at all. Well...that's over. I am still just as thankful to be pregnant but I am complaining from time to time. BUT...always with a smile on my face. Well better go get things ready to work tomorrow. I've had a very lazy Sunday today in hopes of feeling better. They say rest is the key ingredient to getting well...I'll see about that.

My God is faithful...

From the very first moment of this pregnancy I have been humbled by God's grace. I have been thankful that God decided to once again let us raise a child of His here on this earth. During the long 14 months of infertility the devil snuck into my every thought and started making me believe God did not trust me as a mother and that is why he had not blessed us with another child. I was beyond devastated during those trying months.

Then January came and we discovered we were pregnant and the gratitude I had towards God for blessing us with another child was unbelievable. What a different person I am after Ian. When I became pregnant with Ian I don't even think I thanked God for His blessing. I know I didn't pray unceasingly for a healthy child. I just kind of assumed everyone had healthy children because that's all I knew. I was more concerned with the color Ian's hair and eyes would be. I was planning his t-ball days and his first day of school outfit. Not this time...this time I am praying for every part of Asher. I used to tell Ian "I love you from the tip, tip, tip of your head to the bottom, bottom, bottom of your toes." Now as I pray for Ahser I pray for him "From the tip, tip, tip of his head to the bottom, bottom, bottom of his toes."

Well, it looks like those prayers have been answered. UAB called me at 4:52 yesterday afternoon and told me the BEST news I could have ever heard!!! "Mrs.Ellis, I've got some great news for you. You are having a HEALTHY little boy with no RCDP!!!!" PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whew...what a relief to finally hear those words. "Healthy" "NO RCDP" Now all we have left to clear is sweet little Asher's heart. We have an appointment on April 22nd at UAB with the high risk department for an in depth ultrasound which will measure his bones and check his heart. After that it looks like we will be cleared for an all clear with a healhty little Asher.

When I received the news I went to Asher's room. I fell on my knees and sobbed as I thanked my Savior Jesus Christ. He was the first one I wanted to share my news with as if he didn't know. Hahahaha...HE created this sweet healthy little being I am carrying. If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you have no clue as to what I'm talking about I encourage you now to dig into the word and search for Jesus. I encourage you to ask Him into your heart as your personal Savior. If you want to experience what I have been describing all this time as I talk about MY Jesus then girlfriend you need a relationship with Christ in your heart. It's a decision you will NEVER regret!!! If you need to talk to someone about it, I'm always here...

It's a...

I had my CVS test this Monday. Let's just say this test was less than pleasurable. My test was done through the abdomen where they stick a large, a VERY large needle through your abdomen into your stomach. They do a sonogram the entire time and watch the baby in order to know where to stick you!!! Now that part was fun. Our little baby was wild. Kept hitting it's head and kicking and flipping and flopping. Such a joy to see. They did the test and whew it was over. Oh nope...Mrs.Ellis we are going to have to do it just one more time to ensure we have an adequate amount to send off for the RCDP test. GREAT!!! Let's stick that large, VERY large needle back in my belly and through my uterus once more. Great idea!!! OUCH...it hurt bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad that's over. I had bedrest the next day. Just to recover from the trauma and to make sure my sweet little baby was ok resting in there.

So we knew that within 48 hours we would have some preliminary results back on some health issues. These aren't issues we were really concerned about they are just issues normal people worry about. We got those results back and Praise the Lord they were healthy normal results. Now it's time to wait 3 weeks for the RCDP results. Tick...tock...tick...tock.


We also got the results for the gender of the baby. The moment you all have been waiting for. Well we really didn't get the results of this. The sweet, sweet genetic counselor called my dear friend Tracey Thomas and gave her the results. So Tracey knew and we did not know. Tracey called a friend who had made some cupcakes. Sabrina made us 15 cupcakes with pink filling in them and 15 cupcakes with blue filling in them. Tracey called her and found out what was in each container. Sabrina had labeled each container with a bible verse. So after that Tracey knew which container I was supposed to serve to our guests at our baby reveal party.


I opened the container which said "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." After reading this verse I was convinced this was the girl box of cupcakes. I got all the cupcakes out and was ready to serve our guests. We explained the rules to all the kids and adults and on the count of 3 we bit into our cupcakes. We all found out together that WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER LITTLE BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After much consideration we have decided on the name Asher Andy Ellis. Asher because it means happy and blessed and that is exactly what this child means to us. Andy because we are handing down a family name which also served as Asher's big brother's middle name.


I visited Ian's grave and let him know he would be having a little brother. As I was telling Ian all about Asher I was suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that Ian has probably already met sweet Asher's soul. Ian has probably warned Asher about all our crazy habits and those two brothers have probably already had lots of play time with one another. I am overwhelmed and humbled by God's grace.

We are beyond excited and things are underway already in Asher's room. The baby bedding is ordered and my cousin who is an interior decorator is going to decorate his room to give it a fresh look. This momma's heart is overflowing with joy once again and I cannot wait to be a mommy to another little boy!!! Thank you Jesus for entrusting us with another child of Yours. Thank you Jesus!!!

Checking in...

I'm sorry I haven't updated before now. Wae and I had our day full of doctor's appointments this past Tuesday and it wore me slap out!!!

Our day started out with a sonogram. I won't go into all the details of the sonogram but I will say that it did not live up to my expectations. It wasn't the baby at all. The baby was pure perfection!!! That little bit was moving and wiggling with arms on top of the head and all. Let's just say that I wasn't pleased and leave it at that. :)

After our sonogram we saw my OB/GYN and it was a very quick meeting. I asked my questions, we were told everything looked great, and told to make another appointment at 16 weeks. The baby is measuring 4 days ahead of schedule so I'm saying the due date is now September 11th. What a memorable day in the US huh? Well, it's a real memorable day to me because it's the day my Paw Paw Kelly met Jesus. What a man my Paw Paw Kelly was!!!

After a little break we met with a genetic counselor and a genetecist about a test we will be having on the baby. We discussed risks, advantages of the test, and of course our sweet little Ian. I'm not sure if I've ever met two people in the field of medicine who were as kind and caring as these two. I was VERY impressed and thankful for this meeting. So...we are having a test Monday. This test will show that our baby is healthy and that we serve an almighty God who is still in the miracle business. We are simply having this test to put our minds at ease so that we can enjoy this pregnancy with no more thought given to RCDP. Please pray for me and the baby Monday! Please pray for every doctor and scientist who works on our test results and most importantly please pray that these results prove NO RCDP!!! It will take 3-4 weeks for the results to be in. Those will be some long weeks! A nice little perk to the test...we will know if we are having a baby boy or a baby girl TUESDAY!!! We are having a baby reveal party that night and it's going to be so much fun. I'll post pics and video so you all know if we are having a little Asher or a little Linnie!!!

Prayers appreciated...