My Sweet Little Peanut

"Happy 4th of July!"


Happy Girl!!!


"Where is breakfast mom??"


Lots to think about!


"Did I mention I was ready to be out of this seat?"


Fun times with Dad at the River



I can't believe that Allie is almost 9 1/2 months old!!!! As I write it, I am amazed! She is just so much fun!!!! I can't say I define all the teething as fun - but she probably wouldn't either! We took her to her 9/10 month appointment the other day and it was fun to see how much she has grown. She is 15 lb. 7 oz. and 26 inches long. She is definitely my little peanut - - that puts her in the 5th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height. As the doctor said, everything is fine and she is growing in proportion - - - - so as he told me - she is just going to be petite. I told him that I was glad for her and being petite was something that was foreign to me - ha ha! :):) As some know - - - her head measurement is in the upper 85th percentile though. No wonder all the outfits that fit her and come with cute hats - - - well the hats just don't fit.

She is on the move non-stop and keeps us on the go. She loves to sit and have books read to her. Currently her favorite read is "Goodnight Gorilla." She loves walking around with her car and using it to get to things she previously could not reach. Each day is a new lesson in what we can and cant' touch in our house.

We are excited as we will be heading to visit family in two days! Yea!!!! It will be fun for Allie to see them and get to show off all her new tricks - my personal favorite is when she finishes eating, bottles, books, etc. she says "All done." Now for those who might question me, you can ask anyone at Family Camp - she really does say "all done."

I am soon going to post pictures from our Canada vacation - fun times and pictures of Anna (Allie's cousin) and Allie together!

Off to pack!

Uncle Adam comes to Visit

My brother is here to visit for a week and we are having a great time just being together! Allie loves her Uncle Adam and has had a wonderful time with him! It is fun to see them together and watch her get to know Adam :) We enjoyed the Giants game together on Monday evening (cold but fun), hung out today and went to college group tonight (great time!) and then not sure what Wednesday and Thursday hold - but they are sure to be fun!!!!!!

Enjoy!

A New Post Soon to Come

My mom and aunt were just out for a visit and we had a BLAST! It was such fun! I have tons of cute pictures I need to get uploaded and hope to do so very soon. It was fun showing them around California and just being with them! I can't wait to share pictures with you! Until then - enjoy the two pics I have of my cute 7 month old - wow how time flies! She is such a joy and brings us many smiles!

Something is REALLY Funny!

Last week Allie started really laughing - "belly laughing" and it is just toooooooooo cute! This video was taken at school and one of the teachers was playing peak-a-boo with her. She found this very fun and she laughed and laughed! Enjoy! Everyday she is more and more fun!

Allie's First Cold - Not fun but she is a trooper!

Being a new mom brings many "firsts" - some more fun than others. Starting late Wednesday night Allie was showing signs of a cold - the runny nose, rattling cough, etc. By Thursday night we were into the full blown "first" cold - complete with a low grade fever and all. It was a long night for us and her - it is just soooooooooo sad when they are the ones sick. They can't tell you what is hurting and there is little you can do - needless to say we have spent the day feeling so sad for her. She has been a trooper and managed to keep smiling all day (probably thanks to Tylenol). We are praying this is something that doesn't hang on too long. We had to laugh today when we realized last year I was sick on my birthday (because I was pregnant) and this year Allie is sick on my birthday. Here are a few pictures of my little trooper taking a few naps today - resting and getting better. We would appreciate your prayers that she will soon be well :) Even when she isn't feeling good she is still a joy and a doll!

Allie is "On a roll!"

Well, Allison had her 4 month check up today - 4 days early - and she weighed in at 11 lb. 11 oz. and was 24 inches long. The doctor said she was doing great! She was very alert and would have loved to get her hands on the stethoscope! She did try! She got shots (3) and has done well so far. I spent the afternoon with her at home not knowing how she would be with the shots - and I am sooooooooooo glad I did because her new accomplishment was rolling over for the first time from her back to her stomach. She had already done rolling from tummy to back - so now she can go both ways. Our world is changing again now that we have a baby learning to be mobile! We were excited. We didn't get the first time on video - but here is a video of her rolling later in the day! She is such fun!

"To Grandmother's House We Go!"

Well, we won't be going "over the river and through the woods," but we are heading to Allie's Grandma and Grandpa's house tomorrow. Yes, Allie's first Christmas will be on an airplane headed to her grandparents house! We are so excited and can hardly wait for the rest of the family to meet Allie Grace! She will be meeting uncles, cousins, aunts, friends and even great-grandparents! What a joy it will be to spend time with family and introduce them to our little Allie! We would appreciate your prayers as we travel and that it won't be too long of a day for Allison (or her parents :) ).

Looking back over the past year, it is evident time and time again how God has provided and cared for us! We are recipients of such marvelous grace! We are more than thankful for Allison and the blessing she has been to us! God is so good and we are blessed! May He be the focus of our lives daily! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

Time for a New Post

Well, as Drama Queen put it - it is time for a new post! I love the holiday season, but it seems that things often get busy and with having family here, the blog got put aside for a bit. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jeremy's family here! What a joy and blessing to be able to celebrate together and have Anna and Allie together! I think between three cameras and two new babies we had a total of over 600 pictures in just 4 days! Yea for digital cameras!!!!!!!!!!

Allie is growing so fast and brings us such joy and smiles each day! She is a happy little girl! At her 2 month appointment (wow - that is hard to believe!) she was 10 lb. 8 oz. and was 22 inches. She has captured our hearts - especially her Daddy's! It is such fun to watch her smile! She has started checking out her hands and will sit and stare at it - what fun to watch her discover the world around her.

We are counting the days until Christmas. Jeremy and I both are so looking forward to introducing Allie to the family. We will be flying on Christmas day and then spend some time with family and friends in Missouri. It will be sweet to have Allie meet her aunts, uncles, cousins, great-grandparents, other family and friends! Just think what we can do with so many cameras for over a week! I am also hoping that there might be a little snow when we are there - I know it sounds crazy but I miss it!

Enjoy the new pictures of Allie!

My Little Sweet Pea

Allison made her debut as a "Pea Pod" on "Reformation Day" so I thought I would post a few pics. We took her out to a few houses and had lots of fun! Isn't she a "sweet pea!" She is such fun and it is amazing how she grows and changes everyday! She is becoming so alert and we are catching some great smiles which makes the heart happy :) Each day with her is a definite reminder of God's grace, blessings and love for us! We are so thankful!



My First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch



Ready for Church with Mom



I am 1 Month Old Today - Mom says time is flying tooooooooooooo fast!

Three Weeks Old and loving time with Grandma and Grandpa!!

Allie is 3 weeks old today! There just aren't words to describe how blessed we feel - God is so good and we are loving having Allie with us! She brings us such joy each day!!!!!!!!! She had her doctors appointment and was doing well! She has gained weight and is 8 lbs. 13 oz. He said she was looking super and growing well! We are enjoying having Grandma and Grandpa Love here this week and they are loving spending time with Allie! My mom has been a huge help in getting Allie's room organized and finished up - it is a cozy place where we love to be and rock - special times! I have posted some pics of our week and will post more later when there is time - - - right now I am off to go enjoy time with my sweet little Allie Grace and her grandma :):) Special times!


My New Room


My room with my picture painted by my cousin Laura


Enjoying outside with Grandma


My first trip to the park with Grandma and Grandpa

Time Flies - I am Two Weeks Old!!

It is so hard to believe, but Allie is now two weeks old. She is doing really well and just bringing smile after smile to our faces! She makes the cutest faces! When we are so tired at 2:00 a.m., the nice part is those cute little faces you get that make it better! Thought I would post a couple of pictures of her yesterday - two weeks old! God is so good :):)


"I love my Dad!"


"I am a happy girl!"


"Love my time with Mom!"

One Week Old

Wow - it is hard to believe, but Allison is one week old! It is such a joy to have her in our lives!!!! Amazing how in an instant they capture your heart and your life is never the same! While life may not be the same, it is better! Yes, we are tired, but as I said before, that is overshadowed by the joy of having her here! (I was tired when I was pregnant - - so in some respects that has not changed - at least now there is a real reason to be up at night!) We are doing well and she is such a sweet baby! She made her first trip out today and met the ladies in the church office, school office and some others along the way - she did GREAT! She even made her first trip through the drive-thru of McDonalds! Thanks for your continued prayers!!!!

Allison Grace Writebol is HERE!!!!!!!!!!

It is with GREAT excitement (and a tired self - ha ha!!) that I am posting to announce the arrival of our beautiful little girl, Allison Grace Writebol!!!!!! She surprised mom and came a week early - yea!!!!!!!!!!! She was born on October 3, 2007 at 4:25 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and was 21 in. long. Labor began around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2. Everything went great and we are all doing well! We are home and ready to adjust to life with little Allie! We are so excited! The whole is experience is something that can't be summed up into words - those who are parents understand this the best! It was amazing and we feel so blessed to be recipients of such Grace and love that God has given us! It is a miracle!!!!! She is a joy and blessing!!! We can't wait for you all to meet her!

Thank you for your prayers for the pregnancy and delivery! God was so good! Please continue to pray for us as we learn to be godly parents and grow as a family!

39 Weeks!

Well, we have made it to 39 weeks and officially into October! For those who are wondering, I was really hoping Allison would be here in October (I just love fall) - so she can come anytime now :) While the last week has been uncomfortable, I can say that the past 39 weeks have flown!

We still need to put a few things on the walls - but we did get the bedding for the room and so I have posted some pictures below of her room. There is also a super cute picture I can't wait to frame and put up in her room that my cousin Laura painted for Allie! I love it! Once we have things on the walls, we will be mostly finished. I just want to find a small lamp for the dresser.

I am enjoying maternity leave and being able to rest when I want. It is a joy to take a nap whenever the need hits! I will try to get a picture of me up in the next week or two - I do want one picture for sure before we go to have her.

Again, thanks to each of you for your words of encouragement and prayers! Keep praying! We will keep you all posted!

Officially On Maternity Leave!

I awoke this morning to the realization that I am officially on maternity leave. This was an odd realization but an exciting one too!!!! It was so nice to not have to get up and get going so early and be able to relax! I am ready for that - following everyone's instructions to rest now because life is soon going to change.

Things are going well - we had our 38 week appointment and everything looks great! Measurements are right on track and the doctor says we are making progress. Her words, "Now we are just playing a waiting game for her to arrive." My blood pressure again was good which has been a great answer to prayer throughout the whole pregnancy.

So what to do now???? Wait for Allison to make her appearance into the world. Until then, I can rest and finish up some things I want to do in her room. I will post some more pics of her room soon - we did get our bedding and have a few more things to hang on the walls. Look for some more pictures to come!

We would appreciate your prayers as we continue this journey - - bags are packed and ready. Thanks again to all of you who have been such a source of encouragement! You are a blessing to us!

The Mystery of the Basket

So I know that my blog doesn't have a huge number of readers, but I am calling on the help of anyone who might be able to solve "the mystery of the basket." We have been very blessed with gifts for our new little baby. Recently (2 weeks ago) we received a package in the mail from JCPenney. It was an adorable toy basket for the baby room. It had come off our registry and we were very excited to get it. The mystery is that there was no name attached as to who it was from. I would love to be able to thank the person who sent us this cute addition to the baby room. You can see the basket in the picture below. It has all the toys in it and is by the rocker. So there you have it - "the mystery of the basket" - we love it and thank whoever sent it!

By the way - only 2 weeks to go - time is going so fast!!!!! Thanks to all of you who are praying, calling, giving me encouragement, and even helping me paint my toe nails so they look great (thanks Michelle). Hearing from friends means more than you know!

Getting Ready! Let the Countdown Begin!

As I sit to write this post, I can't even tell you how in awe I am that we are 3 weeks from the due date of our little baby! I can honestly say time has flown - when we found out (and it was early) I thought that it would be an eternity! It has went by so fast though! Of course everyone says the next 3 weeks will be an eternity - we will see!

We are working on getting things organized and ready for the arrival of this little girl. I have posted some pics of her room which is still in progress and will post more as we get more things done. Jeremy did a great job painting the room and has put up with my "nesting" the past few months. We are working on getting some things up on the walls and lamps in the next week. We just got the rocker Saturday and it is very comfortable! For the most part, I have my bag organized and packed thanks to my sister-in-law, Esther, who gave me a great list of what I needed for the hospital. We have the diaper bag ready too, complete with a cute pink dress for coming home and pictures! Now for those who are still wondering, "Could they be wrong, could it be a boy?" Well, last Tuesday we had another ultrasound to make sure the baby was in the correct position (which she was) and it was confirmed again - she is a girl.

It is all a little surreal right now - hard to believe that in approximately 3 weeks we will be a family of three - that she will be here with us! It has been an amazing time and I am reminded daily of God's grace in my life and how awesome He is! I would appreciate your prayers as we anticipate her arrival and prepare for the birth. We can't wait to meet her and can't wait to begin our life with her!

And for those who have asked, I did post one profile picture of me - not the greatest picture - but does satisfy those who wanted a profile picture! That picture was taken at 36 weeks.

Thanks for your prayers! Can't wait to let you all know she when she arrives!

News at the Writebol House

Today was our 20 week ultrasound and what a fun appointment it was! We were blessed to find out we are having a girl (yes, we know that there is a chance they are wrong - but from what we saw and the confidence of the tech, we feel pretty sure it is accurate - we just won't take tags off anything) and we were also thankful to find out that she is growing and developing quite well. To see the baby, watch that little heart beating, hands moving, well, there just are not words to describe the joy and awe we have for how God has blessed us! We would appreciate your prayers as we continue on the 2nd half of pregnancy and that the baby continues to grow strong and healthy. There aren't words for how excited we are and Jeremy will just have to teach her to throw a baseball and love camping! God is so good! Thank you for your continued prayers!