Pictures of Mary Elizabeth

I know I've been terrible about posting, but here are just a few of many pictures to come. Hope you enjoy them. I promise she's A LOT cuter in person!!!

Only 30 minutes old, and she's as happy as can be!

The happy family!

This has pretty much been the story of her life so far...sleeping!

Her favorite sleeping position. She's practicing for "Touchdown Arkansas" on New Year's.

The best Christmas present ever!

Drew and I are very excited to say that Mary Elizabeth Dees is here! She already takes after her daddy in many ways...stubborn being one of them. She arrived on Friday, December 21st at 5:12 am. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and is 20 1/2 inches long. I know that everyone has been dieing to see pictures of our sweet Christmas present. As soon as I get them uploaded, I promise I will share with you.

Thank you so much to everyone for your thoughts and concerns. We truly are blessed to have such loving families and friends. I hope you all had a great Christmas holiday as well!

Delivery is right on time

We went to the Dr. this morning to find out that I still haven't dilated, dropped, or have a change in my cervix (I know TMI-sorry!). However, we did get an ultrasound and were happy to find out a couple of things. We found out that the baby is only measuring 38 1/2 weeks instead of 40 1/2 weeks, it weighs about 7 1/2 pounds as opposed to the 10 lbs. that we were predicting, and our baby might actually have a normal-sized head!!! We were both very excited about this last bit of news seeing that we both have large "domes".

After my Dr. examined me, he was was still concerned that I have had no change to my body whatsoever and that I might need a c-section considering that the baby is still high up in my ribcage. So to play it safe, he wants me to check in to the hospital on Wed. night and then hopefully induce me on Thurs. This isn't how I pictured having my baby, but if it means that it could decrease the chance of me having a c-section, then I'm happy. I'm just bummed that I won't get the chance to wake up Drew in the middle of the night and rush to the hospital like in the movies. On the other hand, I'm happy to know that we'll most likely be out of the hospital before Christmas!

So it looks like we're still delivering right on time! Happy Birthday Anna Carol and Baby Megan!

And still hangin' out

I went to the doctor today only to find out that I still have not dilated! However, I did find out these things: I lost one pound somehow, my blood pressure has gone down (yeah - considering my work environment!), and the baby's heartbeat is still right on track. When my Dr. got ready to measure my belly, he looked at my ribcage and gave me a look of amazement. Then he asked me how I was still holding on to this baby. Little Bit is still sitting very high in my ribcage, which explains why I'm always pushing on my ribs hoping that they won't break.

He measured the baby to be 40 weeks, which I won't even be 39 weeks until tomorrow. Then he said that this baby is acting like it doesn't want to come until January since I haven't dilated yet. So with all that said, I'm going on Monday to get an ultrasound and then he'll decide if he wants to induce or let me just wait out the course.

Whatever decision is made, I am still praying that I won't have this baby until the 19th, or anytime after that during my Christmas break. Although, I know that some people (i.e. family members) are pushing for more specific dates. I'll do my best to accommodate every one's schedule, but I'm going to Little Bit, my doctor, and God all make those decisions together. :)

36 weeks...

I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday when I read my weekly newsletter saying that I was 36 weeks (or 9 months) pregnant and that I'm carrying a honeydew! I can't already be at this point, right? Well, I guess it is that time, and I guess I'm ready as I'll ever be. Here are some updates of what's been going on around the Dees Household...

• This is my growing belly. I don't think that there is anymore room for my tummy to grow, but my doctor assures me that it expand even more! Luckily, I still feel great for the most part; I'm just starting to have that out-of-breath feeling.

36 weeks

• The Razorback football season is finally over, and I made it to most of the games! Drew just couldn't end the season, though, without purchasing some things before Little Bit's arrival. I thought I'd share his purchases along with things that my parents have bought for Little Bit as well.

Things to get Little Bit into the Razorback spirit (from Drew): A Razorback t-shirt, a Razorback shelf figurine, and a D-Mac jersey.






Things to get Little Bit into the Christmas spirit (from my mom): Rubber Duckies (reindeer, Christmas tree, snowman, and Santa Claus).










Things to get Little Bit ready for my dad's sense of humor: "Tastes Like Chicken" bib, "Made in Texas" onesie, and "Dallas Baby" bib. All of these are inside jokes, but the frog bib will definitely prepare my baby for my dad's sometimes cruel humor. I apologize, Little Bit, and know that we will always love you!

• We've completed our childbirth class and now I'm totally freaked out about having this baby, no matter which process I go through (i.e.: sans drugs, epidural, c-section). None of the choices sounded good to me at all, so I told Drew that this baby wasn't coming out of me...ever! After he got me to take my death grip off of his thumb during the way-too-long epidural explanation, he told me that we would "make it through it together" (Leslie, does that ring a bell?), and I'll survive just like all of the other gazillion women that have gone through this process before me. And after I talked to my doctor this week, I feel a little better. I just wish there was an alternate way for the baby to magically pop out. Also, I forgot to tell you all that Drew still got to see "The Video" the week after Halloween. I think it was God's way of playing a funny trick on Drew. The week that we missed, there were technical difficulties with the video, so Drew was lucky enough to see some of the video the following week.


• I started going to my weekly doctor's visits last week. I told Drew that this is when we start finding out how far along I'm dilated. Of course, this freaked Drew out a little and he wondered if he should cancel his Thanksgiving trip to see his Dad in NY. So Drew went with me to the doctor this week only to find out that I haven't dilated to anything yet, which is good b/c I want the baby to "cook" a little bit longer. However, I found out that that the baby's heartbeat was a little higher than it has been (mainly due to the 2 sugar cookies I had for lunch that day) and my iron level is getting back to normal. Also, he measured the baby to be about 37 cm, which means that Little Bit is most likely going to be a long baby according to the doc.


• This past weekend, we celebrated Drew's grandmother's 80th birthday. This is one of the few times that the whole family is actually together. We had a great time and I know that she had even a better time hanging out with family and old friends.





Mama Sam and her cards.



The family all together.

• My best friend, Sarah, took my maternity pictures today. We had so much fun as it was probably weird for both of us -- considering how modest I have always been. But I think she got some great shots and I can't wait to see her work.

Well, I think that's pretty much everything that has been going on in our world. I'm enjoying my time off this week and just getting ready for the big day to get here. I hope you all had a great Turkey Day and that you didn't eat so much that your bellies are bigger than mine! :)

More pictures of my school shower

Since I'm not finding out what I'm having, I think I made everyone stress out about how to decorate for the shower. But I think it turned out so cute, including the cake, that I had to share the pictures with you.

The food centerpiece.

Everyone said that this cake looked just like me...minus the big earrings. I never wear big earrings, do I? :)

The diaper cake was made with cloth diapers and had the cutest bee pacifiers.

Thanks again, for such a great shower!

Showered with gifts

Yesterday, my school threw me a baby shower. It was great, and again, I was overwhelmed! I got diapers, bottles, cute clothes, blankies, even a couple of handmade blankets. Here are a few of the pictures from the shower.

This is my sweet girlfriend, Cierra, that hangs out with me after school while waiting on her Granny to finish work. She was so excited to be able to come to my shower.

My principal made this blanket. The colors will look great in the nursery!

Happy birthday, Dixie!

Dixie's first day with us

Dixie @ 2 1/2 years old

Well, at least we think it's her birthday. We adopted her on January 15th and she was about 8-9 weeks old then, so we said that November 15th would be her birthday. Being the loving mother that I am, I took her to the vet to get her allergy shot. Don't you wish that it was your birthday? :)

More congrats go out to more of my friends

First, I have to say congratulations to my friend Aaron. Marc proposed to her last week at school. Isn't that cute? We're so excited that we've been able to get to know Marc over this past year! We can't wait for all of the wedding festivities to start!


Next, Drew and I had a busy week filled with more wedding festivities for our friends, Sam and Rickie. Although, I was completely worn out by Sunday, we had so much fun getting to hang out with a bunch of our college friends. Drew even cut a rug most of the night at the reception (go figure...he never likes to dance, but loved to dance the night that my preggo state wouldn't allow me to dance very much). Sam and Rickie, we're so excited that we got to be a part of your wedding and we can't wait to hear about the honeymoon!

Little Bit finally has bedding to sleep on!!!

After weeks of patiently waiting, I finally got the baby's bedding yesterday and quickly put it on the crib to get pictures of it. I love how the bumper turned out...I'll admit that I was a little nervous of all the colors even though I love color. But I think it looks great with the frog print that Drew got me for Mother's Day. I am a little disappointed, however, about the bed skirt (that's why I'm not even showing it all in the picture) because of the fabrics that I chose. So I'm going to rework that part a little, hopefully, before Little Bit arrives. Now the only things that are really missing in the Nursery are Little Bit and more than one crib sheet. At least, though, it's all finally coming together! OK, I have to stop blogging now because Drew and I are off to another childbirth class. I'm sure that Drew is super excited! :)

Little Bit's first Halloween

Yes, even Little Bit got to dress up for Halloween today at school.

Me with Spiderman, Dracula, 2 princesses, and a baseball player.

We let the kids dress up as a "book character", although I'm not quite sure which book characters some of them were supposed to be. I dressed up as Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle, Chrysanthemum's music teacher (based on the book Chrysanthemum by my favorite children's author, Kevin Henkes). Mrs. Twinkle is having a baby and naming her Chrysnathemum, so I thought this was the obvious character for me since I'm having a baby, too. The cute kindergartners really thought that I had a baby mouse inside my tummy. For those of you that aren't familiar with my character...my dress has a face drawn on it to make it look like the baby is sticking out it's tongue.

Which one is the real Mrs. Twinkle? And check out the awesome Razorpumpkin that I painted!

Drew and I went to our neighbor's house for Halloween dinner. Ashley always has the best set up for Halloween. So, in case you were wondering, we did miss childbirth class; I "allowed" Drew to skip out only if he promised to dress up. So here's Drew (aka Matt Foley)...

"My name is Matt Foley. I live in a van, down by the river."

The latest on being preggers

Apparently, I'm considered a slacker because I haven't blogged since the beginning of October. Sorry, Sam! So I thought I'd catch everyone up on what's been going on with my preggo self. I at least have pictures to go along with my few happenings.

First, I've been going to the Razorback games almost every weekend. Besides all of the walking around from the tailgates to the stadium, they've been very tiring since we haven't been playing so well. However, we went to Ole Miss last week and that was very fun since we won! It was hot, but it was really fun to see the Rebels fans tailgate..they know how to do it right (chandeliers, flower arrangements, etc.)! Also, I got to see my brother, Brant, and his wife, Kari. So that was an added bonus.
Me and Brant at Ole Miss (1st picture above). My necklace left a really rockin' tan line. I wish that I wore my Razorback necklace to sport an even cooler tan line. Brant and Kari (2nd picture above) wondering why we haven't won any previous games. Oh, and we're excited because I think Little Bit's Aunt and Uncle are moving back to LR in a few weeks. YEAH!!!

Then, last Tuesday, my dad had a partial knee replacement. He's fine...he's just hobblin' around. So I'm not the only one that waddling, or hobbling. :) I had to share this picture of my cute dad because I wanted everyone to see how "pimpin'" he looked right when he was taken to his room.

My dad talking to my brother. Aren't you jealous of his hat?

The same day as my dad's surgery, Drew and I took a breastfeeding class at the hospital. Let's just say that, although helpful, neither of us really want to see boobs ever again. The video was a little too much for the both of us. On a more serious note, though, I pray that breastfeeding does work for me and Little Bit.

Also, since I knew that Drew had so much fun on Tuesday :D, I drug him to childbirth class the following night. This class, unfortunately, is four Wednesdays in a row. The first class wasn't too bad since they took us on a tour of the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital. It did make it a little more real for the both of us, but I think it was very helpful for me. Next week is "the" video and it's on Halloween. Drew doesn't think anyone should ever have to be that scared on Halloween night, so I'm not sure if we'll be attending that class or not. I'll keep you posted.

Tonight was one of the most exciting things we've done so far this month, though. Our friends, Leslie and Robbie, got engaged today so we went to their new house and celebrated.

Me, Leslie, and Ashley's baby, Davis. Check out her ring!

The celebratory toast. We're so excited for you two and we're glad that we've gotten to know Robbie this past year.

As for Little Bit...I am now 32 weeks pregnant, which translates to 8 months along, which translates to 8 weeks left, which translates to starting to feel a little bit of panic on top of the anxious feeling. So to help control my panic, I woke up this morning and started to wash all of Little Bit's things (clothes, towels, blankets, etc.) Little Bit is CONSTANTLY moving and I think he/she has got rhythm (obviously not a trait from his/her daddy). About 2 weeks ago, I felt Little Bit flip inside me. Although it was an amazing feeling and an awesome thing to see, I'm praying that this will be the last flip before delivery because the nurse said that the head was in the correct position at my last visit. Also, the doctor said that our baby is long. I wonder how long! I start going to the doctor bi-weekly this week, then I will soon be going for weekly checkups, so I will keep you posted on any other tidbits of information that Dr. Simmons gives me. Oh, and my bedding should be finished this week, so I hope to have my nursery finished soon so I can post new pictures of the room.

I've got the best group of friends and family

Today was my baby shower and I was definitely showered! I am overwhelmed by all of the wonderful gifts that everyone brought. Thank you to my wonderful hosts for putting this all together! And thank you to those of you that traveled from out of town! I love each and everyone one of you!

Shower Invitation

Some of the gifts

My wonderful hostesses

Little Bit's mommy and grandmothers

Start 'em early!

The latest on me and Little Bit

With school back in full swing, I know that I've kind of fallen behind on my blogging. So here's an update on what's been going on in the Dees' world...I am now 29 weeks, which makes me officially in my 3rd trimester, so I am definitely showing and feeling Little Bit move ALL of the time.

28 Weeks

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago for my glucose test to make sure that I didn't have gestational diabetes. The glucose test made Little Bit shake and groove inside of me all day long, because I had to drink a high sugar drink for the test. Maybe I'll have a dancer, or a sugar-addict! Anyway, the test showed that my glucose/blood level was a little too high and that I am anemic (low iron level), so I had to go back for a 2nd test. The preparation sounded good at first because for three days, I had to eat a bunch of carbs and sugar (ice cream, cake, regular cokes, etc.); but, by the third night, I was ready to give all of that up! Fortunately, after I did the second test, I found out that my blood level is fine and that I don't have gestational diabetes!

Little Bit has already experienced his/her first Razorback football game and tailgate in Fayetteville. The picture that I had taken to prove it, unfortunatetly, shows nothing but our heads and the black sky. Instead I have a cute picture of my neighbor Will tailgating. I'm proud to say that it was a great trip and that Little Bit behaved. Hopefully, that will be the case next football season when we go to the games as a real family!

OH MY! The Hogs actually won?!?!?!

Some thoughts on the HOGS from Davis

Davis is all ready for his first game.

The Hogs didn't do so well, so I think I'd be sleeping, too.

I think we can all agree with Davis' facial expression about how the Hogs played yesterday!

I had to show off his long fingers. His toes are pretty long, too. Maybe we'll have a famous muscian amongst our group of friends. :)

Here at last!

We are so excited to say that Davis Ryan Atkins is finally here! He was born September 21st at 12:02 am; weighing 7lbs 1oz, 20.5 in.

Daddy Ryan and Davis

After seeing Davis yesterday, I'm even more anxious for Little Bit to get here. Ryan and Ashley, we know that you're going to be great parents and we can't wait to start having playdates with your sweet baby boy!

The almost-finished nursery

I wanted to show all of my out-of-town family and friends the progress we've made in the nursery. As you can see, we have all of the furniture. The dresser/changing table was mine when I was a baby and little girl (obviously I didn't use the changing table part as a little girl). ;) My parents refinished it for me, and I painted new drawer pulls for it. The small rocker was my Granny's, then it was mine. The glider belonged to my Mama and Papa. My parents also refinished both rockers. The swatches of color on the crib are for the baby bedding. I'm waiting on a few more pieces of fabric to get that made and to get my seat cushion recovered for the glider. The frog print that Drew got me for Mother's Day, which I based all of the colors from, is getting framed. I can't wait to get that and all of my bedding put into place! I feel like it's all coming together finally!

Also, if you noticed Dixie at the bottom of the dresser, she's lovin' hanging out in the Nursery.