Merry Christmas!

   

     What a great Christmas!  I know next year will be even more special since Baby Engel will finally be here!  We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve with my family.  We had a great time and Baby Engel got his/her first Christmas presents. I can't wait to add them to the nursery!  We woke up early the next day to drive to Hendersonville to spend time with Colby's parent on Christmas.

Click here to see Christmas pics!

Here We GROW Again!

A few updated pics of growing Baby Engel:

Eleven weeks pregnant

 

Twelve weeks pregnant

Thirteen weeks pregnant

Fourteen weeks pregnant



Butterflies in my Tummy!

   Another exciting day in the Engel household.  I was lying on the couch watching a movie when I felt a little flutter on my left side...you know, like a butterfly.  I didn't think anything of it at first, but then it kept going for like a minute.  I rolled over on my back and it stopped. I wondered if I was feeling the first movements of the baby.  I immediately got online and realized that I'm at the point now where I could being feeling the baby to move. I was ecstatic! It was amazing!  So now I'm waiting to feel it again just to confirm my instinct! :-)

The Baby Furniture Has Arrived!

     Alrighty! It's beginning to get sink in that this is really happening!  The baby furniture was delivered today and I was so nervous!  I was hoping that it would be exactly right!  I rushed home from work to find several huge boxes.  I had Colby open one because I was dying to see if it was the right color. It was so perfect!  Now, I've really got to get to work on this nursery. I've got some time off from work for the holidays so I've got to get busy. I can't wait to see it all come together!

                                    Daddy's about to open up the boxes!

A sneak peak of the furniture

Heartbeat 156 bpm

Today was our second doctor's appointment at 14 weeks. Everything checked out great! I am gaining the proper weight and the baby had a strong heart beat of 156 bpm.  We were very excited and thankful for such a great check up. Check out the video link below to see what's going on in my pregnancy from weeks 15-20. (Please excuse the advertisement at the beginning of the video).

http://www.babycenter.com/2_inside-pregnancy-weeks-15-to-20_10308111.bc

My second doctors appointment at 14 weeks pregnant.

A Few of My Favorite Things

     Yes, every pregnant women has her cravings and I am no different. Mine happened to be very random at times while there are a few things that I must have every day. We were riding down the road yesterday and I told Colby that I wanted Captain Wafer crackers and Raisinets. Yeah, weird huh?

      Everyone asks "Are you still eating ice cream?" Ummm...does a forest have trees? Of course, I am still eating ice cream! Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE ice cream and cereal...preferrably the really sugary kind like Fruit Loops. Below you'll find a few of my favorite things that are ALWAYS at our house!

 Anytime, anywhere, any flavor!

 Fruit Loops

 Cheetos Cheese Puffs

Dole Peaches

Chocolate...ANY kind!

One thing that I liked BEFORE I was pregnant, but do not like hate now is corn! No idea why!  It's known as the "C-word" at our house. I don't want to see it, talk about it, or smell it.  Okay...enough about that! I can't bare to put a picture of the "C-word" on this blog because I would have to look at it every time I logged in. You get the picture! :-)

Oh yeah, how could I forget?!?  This isn't a craving, but it's a MUST HAVE!  My chair back massager. Love it! Thanks to my daddy and hubby! :-)

Big Sister, Dakota

As everyone knows, the first love of our life was our puppy Dakota! She is so loving and a big part of our lives.  She definitely knows how to get what she needs wants whether it's a treat from daddy or cuddling from mommy. We have had several trips to the vet and a few sleepless nights with this little one. She has definitely been preparing us for her little brother or sister.

Cocoa is the other little girl who has my heart. She lives with my parents and is almost 16 years old. This picture was taken on Christmas Eve.



First Gift

     After telling the news to everyone, we received our first gift from a very special lady.  My great aunt Maxine is very special to Colby and I.  She is my mama's aunt and the sister to one of the greatest ladies I've ever known...my Maw Maw also known as "Maw."  Colby and I have grown really close to "Aunt Mack" over the past few years.  Maw passed away on March 28, 2008 so our connection to Aunt Mack makes us feel very close to Maw.  Aunt Mack crocheted a beautiful white blanket and gave Baby Engel it's first Susan B. Anthony coin.  These were two hobbies Maw and Mack enjoyed together...collecting coins and crocheting.  The gift will always be very special to us.  My Maw will not be able to meet Baby Engel on earth, but what an amazing guardian angel he/she will have (along with Maw Maw and Paw Paw Mosteller as well as Colby's Grandmother Engel and Grandmother and Grandfather Laughridge).

My brother and I with Maw

Will post pictures of Baby Engel's first gift soon!

Our Teacher's Having a Baby!

    Monday morning came and I was so anxious to tell everyone at school.  Everyone mostly found out throught Facebook. If you know anything about Facebook, you know it's the biggest gossip media ever! Anyhow, I chose to read a book called "My Teacher's Having a Baby" to my first graders.  The book is about a first grade class and it shares the changes to expect from the teacher such as a bigger belly or being absent from school.  After reading the book, I told them there was a reason that I shared this book with them because THEIR teacher was having a baby!  There eyes lit up and one child said "You mean you?"  It was so sweet!  One child even said, "Well, you're still skinny!"  Oh my! That was music to my ears! I was already beginning to look like I had ate too much turkey at Thanksgiving, so I was ready to hug that child! The next day, another student said "Whoa! You're really sticking out today!"  All I could do is laugh!  I can't wait to hear what they say in the days to come!

The book that I read to my first graders.

Tell the World!!

     Thanksgiving had arrived and we were FINALLY able to tell EVERYONE!  OH BOY or girl! It was the hardest secret we've ever had to keep! The first stop was on Thanksgiving Day at my house and then we were off to share the good news with Colby's family the next day.  We were going to give everyone the Christmas card, but it was going to be difficult to get everyone to read it at the same time. As we were standing in a circle, blessing the food, I gave Colby's arm a squeeze to let him know I was about to tell everyone. My heart was pounding so hard, it seemed like everyone could hear it.  Uncle Jimmy always says the prayer so after the final Amen, I said "Wait! We can't wait any longer!  Baby Engel will be here in June!"  The whole house hollered!  (Yes, we say "hollered here in the South.) Many hugs, tears, and cheers were shared. It felt so good to finally tell everyone!

     The next day, we traveled to Colby's hometown in Hendersonville, NC.  Usually after everyone finishes eating, we pass out gifts. Colby and I decided to pass out the cards last.  We slowly watched each person's expression as they read the card. It was so exciting to see their eyes light up as soon as they read the card. Everyone was really excited for us!

      After telling our immediate family, we mailed the Christmas cards to the rest of our family to reveal the good news. We also posted it on Facebook and called some of our closest friends on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. If you know anything about the Engel household, you know that this day is one of the biggest days of the year!  We are house divided...USC vs Clemson!  The day was even sweeter after the Gamecocks won 34-13!  I texted my brother to tell him that the baby was no longer a secret.  He announced the news to everyone at his tailgate.  If you know my brother, you know that's A LOT of people! He's a proud Uncle!  I also kid (this means "tease" Northern friends) Colby and tell him that our first child will be named "Williams Brice." This is the name of the Gamecock's stadium!  He kids me back and says he/she will be named "Dabo Watkins" (Clemson's coach and a wide receiver). Haha!

     Finally it was no longer a secret!  We were ready to shout the news to the world!

Mommy and Daddy

Brandy's family

Colby's family

Mimi and Papa calling everyone on the way to the USC/Clemson game. They couldn't wait to tell  everyone!

The cherry on top!  34-13 Gamecocks!

Capturing the Moment

     Our first prenatal appointment was October 21st. Colby and I were so excited to share the news with our parents and my brother. After finding out I was pregnant, I immediately called my brother.  Yep, he was the first to know! He was actually at work so I shared the news really quick! My exact words were "I just changed your name in my phone to Uncle Marty!"  He said "No way!"  He was really excited!  Now, I'm on the look out for one of those bibs that say "My Uncle's Hot and Single!" (He really is the best brother ever!)
     On October 23, we decided to cook out with our parents one weekend before it got colder and of course, tell them they were going to be grandparents!  We decided that we would take family photos.  The last picture would just be the parents and we would say "Say pickles" while taking the first picture. Then we would say "Say Brandy's pregnant" and then capture their expressions.  Being the jokester that Colby is, they did not believe him at first.  I had to say "I really am" for them to believe us!  I'll let the pictures below explain their reactions.  I gave each set of grandparents a picture frame and I gave Colby a frame and book.  Of course, I couldn't leave out my sweet Dakota.  She got a shirt that said "Big Sis" and I know she wore it proudly! There were many smiles and tears shed that day!  It's amazing how much this child is loved already!

Proud parents!

Brandy's parents

Grandparents to be

Colby's parents

Grandparents to be

Picture 1: "Say pickles!"

Picture 2: "Say Brandy's pregnant!"

Brandy's brother and the first to know

"Uncle Marty"

A must have!

Big sister!

 Gifts for everyone!

June 16, 2012

Growing, growing, growing!

     I had my first doctor's appointment today at Rock Hill, OBGYN with Dr. McClelland. We were told that we would have to have the baby at Piedmont Hospital rather than our first choice, CMC Pineville. We were rest assured that there maternity center was top notch and that one of my doctors would be there everyday.  Dr. McClellan tried to find the heart beat using a hand held monitor.  After searching and searching, he could only find MY heartbeat.  Needless to say, at that point, my heart was about to jump OUT of my chest.  The doctor told me that sometimes it's difficult to find the heart beart in early pregnancy using the handheld device. The good news is I got to have an ultrasound.  So we sat there nervously, praying over and over that everything was okay.  The nurse found the heart beat immediately and we were able to see the baby kicking.  He/She will definitely either be a soccer player or cheerleader.  Maybe even a Gamecock one...right Colby?!? ;-) So we left the doctor's office and called out parents to share the update.  We can now breathe a little easier.  Thank you God for this blessing!
     We decided that we would tell the rest of our family about the baby using our Christmas cards.  We will hand these out at our Thanksgiving celebrations with our families and we will mail a lot more! We can't wait to tell EVERYONE! 
     On another note, I feel like I am growing bigger by the day!  My cheerleading tummy that I have had for so long is now a little pudgy.  The doctors said I am showing quickly because I have a thin body frame. That's about it for today! This baby's hungry!

Nine weeks pregnant

Ten weeks pregnant

First doctor's appointment-11 weeks
November 23, 2011

First ultrasound-11 weeks

Our Christmas card

Whoa baby!

June 16, 2012

      Well the time has come when we can finally share our GREAT news!  Colby and I found out on our 3 year anniversary (October 11, 2011) that we were expecting our first child on June 16, 2012.  I had an inclination that I was pregnant, but wanted to wait until our anniversary to take a test.  I rushed home from school, took a deep breathe and opened the test. Colby was standing nearby.  I quickly looked at the test before the 2 minutes were up and noticed that there was a horizontal line. I immediately said "Nope, I'm not pregnant this time." Colby walked out of the room and I began cleaning my bathroom. I looked back at the test AFTER the 2 minutes that I was supposed to wait and saw a BIG FAT POSITIVE!  I immediately called out Colby's name and he came in the bathroom.  I yelled "I'm pregnant!"  Colby stood there in shock and I was literally jumping up and down.  I told him "Hug me, kiss me, yell, do something! Don't just stand there!" He was still in shock! 
       That evening we had dinner reservations at Ruth Chris and the topic of conversation was BABY, BABY, BABY!  What names did we like, how was the nursery going to be set up, when were we going to tell our parents?  The rest of the evening flew by because we were on cloud 9.  We decided that we would get a confirmation from the doctor and then tell our parents and my brother.  We planned to wait until after the 12 week visit before telling the rest of our family and friends.  We are so excited to begin this journey!  We're counting our blessings day by day!

We found out I was pregnant on our three year anniversary.

It will be one we'll never forget!

After finding out the good news.  We were headed to Ruth Chris

 for our anniversary dinner! "Baby" was the topic of conversation!

Dakota's going to be a big sister!