Pregnancy Update- 16 weeks

We had our doctor's appointment Tuesday, October 13. Louis LOVES keeping track of my weight gain. Ask him to settle the little debate we are having about it! Getting on the scale is the worst part of being pregnant. I feel like the nurse is standing there thinking, "Whoa, Miss- you better watch how much you give into those cravings". Abigail has informed me that my belly is as big as a fat elephant (she's much too kind). Everything checked out well- baby's hearbeat was a strong 150 bpm, and once again the girls enjoyed that part best! I measured right at 15 cm, but I feel like a 25- weeker....I am showing so much!!! Our ultrasound is scheduled for November 9. I have enjoyed feeling little flutters at night when I'm lying flat in bed. My legs have already started the achy throbbing as in my other pregnancies, but MUCH sooner!! I'm hoping compression stockings will aid in some relief. I've had a great pregnancy all in all...I was very fortunate again this time to have a fairly smooth frist trimester without battling rough morning sickness. So onward we go into the 4th month!

I botched up a friend's recipe....but the result was good!

A sweet friend of mine brought some awesome broccoli cheese soup to Community Bible Study last week. So to prepare for our church picnic today at the lake, I called her last night to get her recipe. She said it was easy and I had all the ingredients on hand (or so I thought!). So I dumped in the two cans of cream of chicken soup to the pot. Then headed to the fridge to pour in one and a half cans of milk. Hmm, I only had milk to fill HALF the can. So, I HAD to improvise. I ended up using a jar of white alfredo sauce. I went to the freezer and pulled out what I thought was frozen broccoli only to discover it was frozen spinach! (I had frozen lots of fresh veggies over the summer into clear ziploc bags). So I improvised (yet again!). Then I noticed the mixture was just WAY too thick, so I added a can of chicken broth. Then I felt it need some more texture, SO I peeled and chopped 5 potatoes. Hmm, needed a little color. So I chopped 8-10 baby carrots. Then I added 1/4 block of velveeta cheese because Anna and Abigail had eaten some sliced cheese and there wasn't enough left to put in 7-8 slices, Amy said should go into the pot. I let the crock pot simmer on low for about 6 hours during the night. I was really worried, I might have to pick up some chips on the way to the lake for fear that my "throw together soup" was going to be a flop- BUT to my surprise it was VERY good, and the girls LOVED it. It had SPINACH in it, and they LOVED it!!! They were even perched at the end of the table recommending "Mommy's soup" to all the church people passing through the line! They were a sight!

Davis Baby #4 to Debut April 6, 2010

Sounded like a headline of a movie star or something...word gets out fast in our little town!

Pregnancy suspicions
Louis took all 3 girls to the Cumberland County Playhouse with people from church sometime mid-July. I had a Community Bible Study Luncheon that morning so I couldn't go, but when I got home I had about 5 hours to myself while they were still in Crossville. Normally I'd make GOOD use of that time to do deep cleaning I can't normally do when the girls are around. I came home from the luncheon and DROPPED. I couldn't get motivated to do ANYTHING other than pick up the living room and a few toys in the playroom. That week I had terrible fatigue and after a ride in the country left me wanting to find the toilet, and QUICK, we decided to take a home test on a Tuesday night.

I'm 11 weeks, 2 days and nearly at the end of my first trimester. It seems the first appointment took FOREVER to get here, considering we found out we were pregnant on July 21st when I was 3 weeks along! Other than a few rough spells of nausea (usually involving car rides) and headaches, I have had a good first trimester. I bent over last night to pick up Aliza's sunhat to hang up, and Abigail asked me if I'd be able to do that when my belly was big. They are smart!

We got to hear baby's heartbeat today at our first doctor's appointment- it was a strong 160 bpm!!! Abigail asked of the heartbeat, "What is that thing?" The girls behaved super well while I was being checked over...they just took it all in! Even Aliza was quiet and still. Louis helped them get their rubber gloves on so they could act like doctors too! We are super excited to have another blessing in our family. Hearing the heartbeat made it so real for us today!! Abigail and Anna are cheering on another girl. Maybe they'll get their wish!

My girls, the bookworms

We rely on the library pretty heavily for enjoyment around here! We have gone at least once a week for the year we've been here, so far. We love storytime on Thursdays and getting to do a craft that goes along with the story for that day. The deal we've made is that if Abigail and Anna sit quietly during storytime, then they each get to check out a movie. They love this tradition, and LOVE picking out 5 books a piece each week. Anna's favorite is "The Jolly Postman" where there are envelopes glued to pages with postcards, letters, etc. We've had that one at least 5 times...Anna can ALWAYS find it among the many shelves!! Now that Aliza is more mobile, she has gotten into the habit of pulling books off the shelves by the dozen! All my girls are bookworms! The summer reading program started Thursday, and they are SO excited! We read books everyday together, but now have to record them in their Reading Log for prizes each week. Abigail and Anna were "reading" the other day while I was cooking supper, and shouted, "Where's my Reading Log? We read our books". So if you see us out in the yard on a blanket, look closely...there might be a book in our hands! We've had to stop having our picnic lunches in the yard because the ants terrorize us!! Maybe they'll leave us alone if we are only reading!

Abigail's Dance

Abigail with her dance instructors, Ms. Dana and Miss Shaun.

We have been so blessed by Abigail participating in dance at Cathedral Oaks Dance Arts this year. Each week during class, Ms. Dana shared a devotion with them, they prayed, and often times the girls would lead the prayer time. Girls 4-6 years old!!!!!! She has learned MUCH more than dance technique this year! Last weekend was CODA's Dance Recital. Unfortunately, 3 hours before she was to perform the Friday night show, Abigail came down with a nasty stomach bug (the same one Aliza got 48 hours before, and Anna got 4 hours earlier that day). She was crushed to miss it, but clearly was looking out for her fellow dance friends. "I don't want to throw up on stage and get everybody else sick", she said to me an hour before she was to get ready. She rested all night and the next day, pulling herself together to dance for Saturday's show. All of the songs at the recital were praise and worship songs, and these dancers of all ages just took your breath away by the way they lifted their bodies in praise to The King! For the finale, the Prince of Egypt theme song, When You Believe, played as all the dancers held hands and spiraled the stage. "There can be miracles, when you believe"...dancers tiny and tall lifted their arms praising God....it was phenomenonal! I could hardly see Abigail through my tears of joy, but she was up there, with her graceful arms, reaching toward heaven.

For Outreach Week (this past Wed.) they went to a local nursing home and performed their dances for the residents. They adapted well to a much smaller "stage" and just did wonderfully! After the 4 classes were done, the dance students were encouraged to mingle. I was so touched by Abigail who walked RIGHT over to a gentleman, shared her scarf with him and the two of them just played together. She was so gentle with him as if she sensed he was frail. He was so cooperative and played and danced right along with her. My, how God uses our children!

30 Reasons I Love My Husband

Happy 30th Birthday (May 2) and 9th Anniversary (May 6), Louis

1. He seeks God's Will for his life and loves serving Him!
2. He adores his 3 daughters.
3. He never thinks my ideas are
bad, even when they turn out to be.
4. He doesn't seem to mind my organizing and re-organizing, and re-re-organizing, until I'm happy with it. He just always asks "Where's ________? without looking first!
5. He has a way with preaching so that ALL can relate and understand- He's never over your head!
6. He's a terrible speller, and ALWAYS makes me feel needed!!
7. He praises me often.
8. He is sensitive, and I appreciate this quality about him.
9. The first time we met at band camp in 1995, he was just as shy and nervous as I was.
10. We can always find something to talk about.
11. He isn't critical of my absent-mindedness, and I have a lot of that!
12. He often goes after food requests of mine, at any time of the day.
13. He's good to clean house "just because".
14. He'll take all 3 girls to McDonald's for a playdate if I'm not feeling good.
15. He makes accomodations for us to be together as much as he can.
16. He keeps the grass mowed, the trash out, and the bills paid on time!
17. He talks out loud as he plans his day so I know where he'll be and when, in case I need him.
18. He can be silly with the girls when I don't feel like acting so silly.
19. He is the perfect Daddy of daughters!
20. He supports me in more ways that I can count.
21. He often ends up giving me my gifts early, because he's just too excited to wait.
22. He is spontaneous.
23. He is always looking for ways to make things better.
24. He likes simple things.
25. He loves being outdoors as a family.
26. He has molded some of his interests to fit what we like.
27. He has painted fingernails, put up hair, and has participated in tea parties with his girls!
28. He makes the best french toast EVER!
29. He has eaten everything I've cooked, even when it hasn't turned out perfectly.
30. I love listening to him laugh and joking around with him. He TRULY is my best friend!

I love you SOOO much, Louis, and truly thank God for you daily!! I have been so richly blessed knowing you these past 14 years and have loved being your wife for 9 of those years!