The Name Game!

Oh, my! This is why we didn't even think about names before we knew the sex. You all know my wonderful husband. He is a very, um, we'll say,...passionate...person about UT football. I have known that since the day he suggested our wedding day be on UT's off-day. (In hindsight, that would not have been such a bad idea, I admit.) I was not prepared, however, when he verbalized his wish to name our baby boy NEYLAND. Unique, yes, but after a stadium?! Maybe we should just call him FIELD GOAL and forget about it! I'm not saying that I have any bright ideas in the name department, but I sure didn't see that one coming.

Neyland, Neyland, Bo Beyland
Banana Fanna Fo Feyland...
Nah!

I love you, Wesley.

Update: Oh, the irony! We named him Tucker. Can't do the name game with THAT one! Ha!

Sweet Baby Feet!

Wesley and I went Tuesday, October 27th to a high-risk doctor to have a more extensive ultrasound to check on Baby Boy Wyatt's foot and other organs. Two techs and a doctor all three agree that they do NOT think he has a club foot. The even greater news is that all other major organs look normal as well! Yay! Our prayers have been answered. I know that nothing is guaranteed, and we are still cautiously optimistic, but MAN are we relieved! It's amazing how much we love him and care about his well-being already, and we've never even met him. In a few weeks, we have to go back for a fetal echo cardiogram, but that is routine practice for diabetics. We're just gonna keep praying. Many thanks to all of you who are keeping us in your prayers. You don't know how much that means to us, and we certainly can feel them.

IT'S A...

Boy, oh, boy! Watch out, world, there's another Wesley Wyatt on the way! Can you believe it? What a wonderful night. Wesley's mom graciously hosted us at her house for the Gender Jubilee! She set the table with antique baby toys and pink and blue everything. She even wore a pink top with blue pants just to show that she was impartial. When we sat down to eat, she had everyone choose either a pink or blue napkin to show their prediction. Clark, Charlene, Aunt Polly, Bobby, Philip, and Sam chose pink. Wesley, Betty, Clay (who put his order in via Charlene) and I chose blue. Oh, what fun!

The Big One!

On Thursday, October 22nd, we went to have our "big" ultrasound. We were nervous and excited at the same time. We knew we weren't finding out the sex of the baby at the time, but we hoped all the other news we received was good. The tech said the heart, spine, brain, and other major organs looked normal. She also said that our little bundle of joy might have a club foot. This, of course, took our breath away for a moment, but she assured us that this type of birth defect is easily corrected and poses no major obstacles for little ones. We are going back on Tuesday, October 27th to a high-risk doctor for a more in-depth ultrasound, just to take a closer look. Please keep us and baby Wyatt in your prayers. We are thankful for the news we did receive, though. The fact that the other major organs seem normal brings us comfort.

Now, for the fun part! We wanted our families to be able to find out the sex of the baby the same time we did, so we planned to have a gender jubilee. Lora Hammond, the wonderful lady who made our wedding cake and Wesley's wonderful Neyland Stadium groom's cake, agreed to help us make the big announcement. We told her we would have the ultrasound tech put the news in a sealed envelope, which we would deliver to her (without peeking!). She knew to make a pink cake for a girl or a blue cake for a boy. The color, of course, would be the actual cake, but the icing would be nondescript. We wanted to be able to cut into it and be surprised. I don't think I've been this excited about anything in a very long time!

Sweet Dreams?

I must say that sleep has been my friend over the past few months. Nothing will deter me from slinking into a peaceful slumber. I must say that lately snoozing has not been so sweet. I have been having crazy dreams. Last week I dreamt that I had this baby three months early, and it was a boy. My sweet baby boy then turned into a CAT, and I thought to myself, "Man, how disappointing! All this time for a cat." To beat it all, none of that worried me in my dream. My biggest concern was that I didn't have any lesson plans ready. I don't know what part is the most concerning! Where are my priorities?!

CAT-astrophe

As you can tell by now, we are animal lovers. We love our dogs like children, and I love our cat.
Wesley will be the first to tell you that. I have to remind him, though, I had the cat before I had him. Just between me and thee, he loves him, too. Mr. Kitty, or "Fuzz" as Wesley lovingly refers to him, is an inside cat. He has asthma, which prevents long stays outside, and he also has no claws for protection. We have been through a lot with this little fellow. From blood pressure meds to fluid pills to EKG's to asthma attacks, we've dealt with it all. Well, a week ago this past Saturday, he snuck out of the house when I was letting the dogs out. I didn't notice his absence until I realized he had not taken his usual post at the foot of the bed Sunday morning. We searched all over the house, fearing the worst. We looked all over the yard and neighboring properties. It wasn't as cold as it has been lately, but I just knew that my little furball might be suffering or would soon suffer an asthma attack. Rusty and Brutus even got in on the search. Wesley went on to church, and I stayed home with my four-legged foragers to continue looking for our lost loved-one.

About mid-day, I had all but given up hope of ever finding him. He had never stolen away for more than a couple of hours before, so my fears were growing. I let the dogs out one more time, hoping their noses would pick up on his scent, but the only thing that Rusty found was droppings of an unknown creature. I was all the while calling for the cat, as I had been all day. I thought I heard a faint sound, but I honestly thought it was a bird. I put the dogs in their crates and went to the front yard to investigate. I called once more and low and behold, I heard an"meow"! I looked waaaaaay down in the yard and saw this...

















In the corner of our yard, there is a water tile that goes under the road and leads to an overgrown hillside over which Wesley had searched for quite some time, I might add. There is a family of groundhogs that live there. You can imagine my surprise when Mr. Kitty emerged from the hole that is inhabited by rodents! I was inching toward him cautiously, asking if he was OK, like an idiot. He was just sitting there like, "Hey, what's up?" That sneaky little son-of-a-gun had ignored our calls all day! We must have been within feet of him several times. So the question remains...What does it mean when a cat who thinks he is a groundhog emerges in the Fall and doesn't see his shadow? Hmmmm.....








Update:
I came home from class this past Saturday and saw one of the groundhog clan members scurrying around the yard. Perhaps looking for his new friend...

P.S.
Mr. Kitty now has a lovely purple collar, complete with a nametag and bell that jingles with his every step!
I know, I know...we REALLY need kids.

One-Year-Olds and Wedding Showers!

This past weekend I traveled to Nashville to attend the birthday of Mr. Graham Harrell, the son of Kelly and Michael. Wow! That's all I can say. Tiny tots were everywhere, having a blast painting pumpkins, coloring, riding the pony, (yes, I said pony!!) and cruising on the hay wagon. Did I mention this was his first birthday? Parenthood jitters have set in! Oh, my. What have we gotten ourselves into? No, really, it was a great party! Kelly, you are a great mom.

On Sunday, my sister Cari's future mother-in-law's church (did you get all that?) gave Cari and Jason a wedding shower. They had a great turn-out. My hand went numb writing down all of the names!