20 Weeks

It is really hard for me to believe we are halfway there!  In just another 20 weeks we will be able to meet our baby boy!

I am feeling really good now.  No more nausea!  I still get tired from time to time, but I seem to have more energy and make it through the day more easily.  I have started to feel baby boy Bybee move around quite a bit.  He is definitely going to be a soccer player with all of the kicks I have been feeling.  Shane felt a little movement for the first time on Sunday.  He will start to feel him more regularly in the coming weeks though.

I finally started to get things for the nursery.  The crib (thanks mom & dad!), bedding and an alphabet set for the wall have all been ordered.  Over the next couple of months we'll work on getting furniture and a few other decorative items.  Shane hopes to have it painted after we get back from our vacation in early July.  Once some final decisions are made on everything, I'll post some pictures so you can see it coming together.

Aside from baby boy Bybee excitement this past week, we had a few other things that are worth talking about.

Casey
My cousin, Casey, came in town last Tuesday to stay the night with us.  Casey and I are merely 11 days apart (Shane and Casey both have the same birthday - with a 10 year difference).  Over the years we have become pretty close although I only get to see him a couple of times a year since he is stationed in various places.  He joined the Marines after college and has lived all over (San Diego, Corpus Christi, Alexandria, Afghanistan).  Casey even missed our wedding since he was about to ship out to Afghanistan for a 9 month tour.  This visit was great, although sad at the same time.  On Wednesday he left for Japan and we will not get to see him again until 2014.  It is a 2 year term and they will not allow him to come home during that time.  We really enjoyed getting to see him, talk, and catch up on things.  Luckily we'll be able to communicate via email and facebook so he'll get to see pictures of his "nephew" once he arrives.  We will miss him but are so proud of him for defending our country all these years!

Maggie
On Thursday, June 7, Maggie Elizabeth Bruce was born at 10:30am weighing 8 lbs, 4 oz!  Maggie is the daughter of my close friend, Courtney, and her husband Billy.  They already have one of the cutest little girls in the world, baby Emma, who just turned 18 months.  I was able to go up to the hospital and spend alittle time with the family and also see alot of Courtney's family (mom, dad, step-mom and sister) who I have become fairly close to over the years.  I am so happy for Courtney, Billy & Emma on the newest addition to their family!

Ellen
Thursday evening, my close friend, Ellen, and her husband and son came to stay with us for the weekend.  They came up to do some fun things with their son, Ty.  On Friday they went to an aquarium and Legoland in Grapevine, then over to the Dallas Zoo on Saturday.  Although I had to work while they were here, we were still able to spend some quality time together in the evening.  Ellen is due on August 9 with another little boy so the two of us really enjoyed our time on the couch.  We love just sitting around and catching up on life.  John and Shane have become good friends over the years as well.  John is also a teacher and high school soccer coach so they have similar experiences and stories to share.  Ty is the sweetest little boy and we always enjoy getting to see him and spend time with him.  It was sad to see them go on Sunday but we can't wait to meet their little one and have our two boys be so close in age!

Last week was a crazy week but so great at the same time!  I am definitely looking forward to some downtime this week and our 6 year anniversary on Saturday!