21 Weeks

Sweet Carrot!

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long the length of a carrot. Every week Im just astonished how big you are getting. I love how intricate our God is and how he just continues to knit you together. I am still in awe that he finds us worthy of being part of His creation, thank you Lord!

It has been so much fun this week being able to call you buy your name. Hallee Jane!! (Hal-lee) Your daddy and I picked your name out before you were even created. We went away for our 5 year anniversary & it was there that we decided that we were ready to have a baby. We were so excited dreaming about you that we stopped by a book store and started looking thru baby name books. We kept finding ones we liked but nothing that was for sure. My middle name is Lee and I had always wanted my daughter to have that somewhere in it. I wanted to add it on the end of a name and Hallee was perfect! Jane is my grandmother's middle name and she has been a huge influence in my life. I am so glad that we found a name that we know will be perfect for you, Hallee Jane Brook.

This week your little, well not so little, cousin Jason Roger was born! He was 9 pounds 8 ounces 21 inches long, he is going to be a tall boy like his daddy. It was so exciting driving to the hospital dreaming of that being me in 19 weeks. You are going to have so much growing up with these little boys. It has been so much fun sharing this journey with your Auntie Sarah.

We moved this week so I am looking forward to starting your room. Your daddy & I can't wait to start painting. We love you so much Hallee I hope you know that. We are praying for you to stay healthy & for the great girl you are going to grow up to be. Love you so much!

Hugs & Kisses
Mom

The Big Reveal

It's a Girl!!

Our traditional funfetti cupcakes just like our wedding!

Up up and away...

Four Generations (Great-Grandma Patsy Jane, Grandma McCoy, Me & little Hallee Jane)

It was one of the sweetest moments when we announced her name and seeing the look on my grandma's face when she realized our little girl's middle name was after hers.

This is one way to grow your student ministry!

This was such a great moment! As you can see we were SO surprised. We are extremely excited to be having a little girl!! It was so much fun sharing this moment with our family & friends.

20 Weeks

My Banana!!

You weigh about 10 1/2 ounces now & are 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel, the length of a banana! I can't believe how fast you are grow & how quickly time is going by. Today is a milestone for us, it marks our half way point!! I thank God daily for allowing me the gift of being your mommy. This pregnancy has given me a new perspective of God our Father and the love he has for me as his child. I can't wait to teach you about your loving heavenly father!

This week your daddy was out of town in Texas at the funeral celebrating the life of our friend Kenny. I know that he did a great job allowing God to use him and share the story of Kenny's life. We missed daddy a lot this week and are definitely glad to have him home.

Another great thing about this week is that we found out you are a little baby GIRL!! I can not tell you how excited we are to be able to call you by name now. I know that God has been preparing my heart as well as your fathers for a sweet little girl. We had so much fun celebrating this special time with our family & close friends. What we did was I had the ultrasound technician write down your gender in an envelope and I took that to a local balloon store. I had them blow up either pink or blue balloons and put them in 2 large bins with lids. Then we had everyone over to my Aunt & Uncle's house here in San Clemente where we opened the bins and watched balloons fly. I can't wait to show you the video of every ones reaction.

We move this coming week so I'm excited to start decorating your room that I have dreamed about for weeks. I also can't wait for my next visit to Target because I can actually start buying stuff for you. We love you so much little GIRL!!

Love

Your Mother

**We will post the video later this week along with more gender reveal pictures. With the move we are missing internet right now, check back soon**

Photos by our great friends Trav & Hayley http://www.tandhphotography.com/

Hallee!

Today I found out you are a girl. Your mom and I were more excited than you will ever know. We really thought you were a girl and were excited for a little girl. I know that you are going to have me wrapped around your finger. I can't wait for father/daughter date nights, the fun of buying you little dresses, the joy of watching you go to your first high school dance (alone but totally content with that because you don't want to date until you are 21). I definitely don't look forward to fighting boys off of you.

I know that you are going to be a VERY beautiful girl (I can tell because your mom is extremely beautiful)! I am still in shock. You mother and I really were praying for a girl (we were content with a boy but for some reason preferred you.... Now we know why). I look forward to all of the things that go along with raising a girl except the boys I have to deal with and battling you on what not to wear. I am already praying that you are a woman that values your body, that develops into a Proverbs 31 woman of character, and one that holds strong to what she believes.....and that you become daddy's little girl.

I love you more than you will ever know. Remember that when we fight over why you can't wear that, or why you shouldn't go out with that guy. I thank God every day that he is creating YOU!

Dad

My Child

We find out if you are a boy or girl in a few days. Mean time I have to write a funeral message for a friend, try to catch up on sleep and move to our new home. You kicked my hand super hard today. It was the first time I could definitively say that it was you moving. My heart was racing when it happened. At one point you were rubbing my hand and I was so excited. It was like nothing else in the world mattered but you and your mom.

You are loved, and we couldn't be more excited about you. I call your grandma every few days to talk about you, and you aunt Sarah has been fun with how excited she is (even though your cousin Jason looks like he is 15 years old with how big her belly is). I love you and can't wait to see you.

Dad

My Son or Daughter

Yesterday one of my friends passed away. His name is Ken May and he was killed in Afghanistan by an IED. It seems surreal to me. I cried on the phone when his wife called me. He was a man that wasn't afraid of death, a Christian, a man that was straight forward and a man that I really loved to be around. One of my last conversations with him I asked if he was afraid at all to deploy and he said "why would I be? Worst case scenario is I go to heaven. I would love to stay here but if heaven is the worst that could happen to me there then why be afraid." I hope that is the perspective that you have. I also hope you are never in the military (I'll love you if you are) but I hope you're perspective on life is the same.

If there is anything I have learned it is that life is really short. You might never meet me, you might only know your mom and I for a few years. The stuff I want isn't important, the things you own are not important, how you show love to Christ and to the people you love is. I will be doing his funeral which scares me and excites me, but Ken would have wanted a party.

I love you. I wish you were here so that I could hold you and show you how much I love you. I got to see you yesterday at our ultrasound and it was so exciting. We have the picture somewhere in the house telling me if you are a boy or girl and mom won't let me peek! She is the most disciplined person I know. We are waiting until our gender reveal next Saturday when our family & friends can all be here.

I am praying for you and love you.

Dad

Week 19

Sweet Tomato!

I have to say that your daddy & I do not like tomatoes but this week we do! I'm not really sure what a large heirloom tomato is compared to a regular tomato but it must be big. You are 8 1/2 ounces and measure 6 inches from head to bottom, WOW!

This week has been bitter sweet for us. Romans 8:28 has been the cry of my heart this week, "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." The sadness we are experiencing has nothing to do with you but the loss of a dear friend of our. You will see more of that in your daddy's letter to you.

On a fun note your Auntie Emily turned 16 this week, I still can't believe it! You & I went out to her school and surprised her and took her out to lunch & to get a pedicure. She was so excited to see us, well mostly you! The first thing she did was rub my belly, cute! She says that if you are a girl you are going to be a little dancer like her, we will see. She really loves you and promises that she is going to visit you a lot.

This week your daddy surprised me with a wonderful Mother's Day gift! We got to go to a local ultrasound place and see you!! It was such a wonderful time seeing your sweet face. This time was a little different then the other ultrasounds we have had because it was 4D so we got to see more of your features. We did not get to view all of the video because we are having our surprise gender reveal next Saturday so we have to wait to see if you are a little boy or girl. Let me tell you it is taking EVERYTHING for us not to peek. I actually had to hid the envelope & video from your daddy, even though I know he really would not peek with out me. We are going to enjoy the entire video next Saturday with our family& friends that come to find out your gender :) I CAN'T WAIT!!

Your daddy also got to feel you move more this week. You seem to be most active while I'm at work and then after dinner when I'm laying in bed. If I lay flat you roll around in my belly, it is the funniest thing. I have really enjoyed feeling you move more, I thought at first I would kind of think it was weird, but I LOVE IT!!

Keep growing sweetie, love you SOOO much!!

Your Mom

My Baby!

Last night your mom felt you move with her hand for the first time! I am dying to feel you move and am super jealous. I pray for you all the time. We are moving for the third time in a year and a half so that we can get a bigger place for all of us. I hope you get to experience it. I mean I know that you'll live there but I hope you get the joy of experiencing living at the beach. Your mom and I didn't grow up here and I pray you get to. I am so excited to get to take you surfing and to build sand castles with you and to hopefully let you get to know me. I love you!

Dad

Week 18

My little Bell Pepper!

This week week you 5 1/2 inches long from head to bottom. You weigh 7 ounces, you are growing so fast! I received a package from my sweet grandmother, your great-grandma, with some maternity clothes for work. I am so excited to wear them & show off my belly now that it is showing.

We celebrated Mother's Day with our parents this weekend. It was such a fun time to see everyone & celebrate the amazing mothers they are to your dad & I. I pray that you will look at me like a best friend like I do my parents. We have learned so much about parenting from our parents, we have been blessed!

We also decided this week that we are moving. Don't worry we are still going to live by the beach, even a little closer! We are moving to a place I know you are going to love! It has so much more space for you grow up in. It is in the cutes little community with little parks for you to play in, take the dogs for a walk & learn to ride your bike at. I keep thinking about how cute your room is going to look, I can't wait to start working on it!

My friend Jorden who just had her little boy last week sent me this text this week. "Its amazing how fast it goes, it feel like I just share the pregnancy news & now he's here in my arms!! Cherish the journey my friend." I think this was an amazing reminder for me. I find myself wishing it was October & you were here with me but I need to enjoy today as well. So that has been my focus this week to enjoy all the changes in you & me during this 40 week journey. Thank you Jor for that reminder, love you friend!

Stay healty in there little one! Start getting ready for our next ultrasound in 2 weeks, I need you to cooperate so we can find out if you are a little boy or girl! I can't wait for the big reveal!!

Love you more then you can know!

Your Mommy

My turnip

We go back to the doctor tomorrow morning! So excited to hear your heart beat again. I think about you all the time. Every trait in me I hate I think and pray you avoid it. Even right now I fight tears thinking through how I have no idea how to raise you and give you only the good traits (the few) that I have. I pray for you all the time. I think about you constantly and I worry about you all the time. I don't know when you will get this or read any of this, maybe one day when we have a huge fight and you look like you need to know I love you, maybe I'll be dead (which I want you to know isn't the end of the world, I just get to to go home) but I want you to know that from the moment younger conceived we wanted and loved you. We dreamed about you, prayed for you, and worried about you. I love you.

Your dad

Week 17

My Turnip weighing babe!

I cannot believe how big you are getting. This week you weigh 5 ounces, as much as a turnip. You are already 5 inches long from crown to rump, that is not even including your little legs!! I have started to feel you moving around in my belly more and more each day. Your dad is so excited for the day he gets to feel you move. I think he’s a little jealous I get to feel you fluttering around in there. We visited the doctor this week for our normal visit and we got to hear you sweet heartbeat again. I have to say it is my MOST favorite sound in the world!! You are growing perfect in there and we get to see you again in 4 weeks. :)

Our great friends Gregg & Jorden had their little baby boy Asher Luke this week. He was born on April 27^th weighing 8 lbs 5 oz & 19 ¾ inches long. He is the sweetest little boy and already full of so much joy. Jorden is doing well and their little happy family is now home resting and adjusting to their new addition. It is so fun to hear Jor talk about the birth and seeing her baby for the first time and dreaming about that day for me. I wish that I could have been in Minnesota to share that special day with Gregg & Jorden. Gregg has been such a proud little papa sending me pictures of his little boy in all his Dodger attire. GO BLUE!! I can’t wait to meet little Asher when we go to visit in a few months!

Your daddy & I took a fun little bike ride this weekend and had a picnic at the beach. We were able to just sit there and talk about how exciting it’s going to be to share those moments with you. Your dad can’t wait to teach you how surf & ride a bike. I enjoy seeing the light in his eye when he sees another dad with their child, I know he is thinking of you, it's precious. We love you so much baby!!

Love,

Your Mother