Tribute to Daddy

On this Father's Day, I am by myself, but for good reason. Sam is gearing up to start work tomorrow morning in Savannah, Georgia. His work doesn't just include fixing houses or team-leading the kids, sure that's part of it, but his main job this week is to show how much people care, in doing so, show how much God cares. I know he will make God very happy this week, and it is my hope that he will show our Father's love to those who need it most!

I can't wait until Lindsey and Lainey are old enough to know just how special their Daddy is and do something to tribute him. My husband is strong and courageous and is the kind of man I had always hoped as a little girl I would marry. He gives unconditionally to our family and it doesn't take very much for me to know exactly how much he loves Lindsey and I, and now Lainey. He is my comfort and he is Lindsey's comfort - her safe place. I know he will be that for Lainey too and for that, I am so thankful.

You see, I came to these expectations of a husband and father through watching my own Dad. He set the bar really high!!! That should tell you just how wonderful Sam is! My Dad taught me to set my expectations high and to never waiver on them. When I think of my dad, of course, I have tons of wonderful memories, but there are those moments in particular that will never leave you. He was my defender, protector, and always the best Daddy on earth! I'll share with you a few moments in particular that made him my hero:

1. Kindergarten days - he would help me get dressed in the morning. I specifically remember him leaning over to help me put on my culottes and I thought it would be cute to jump into them. When I did so, I busted his lip. Needless to say, he wasn't happy, but still loved me me anyway! ;-)
2. Deer hunting with my Daddy and him teasing me that a ring-tailed cat was outside the stand and then making me whine further when he started making cat noises. Guess he was more interested in making me squeal than getting a deer that morning.
3. When I was little (before seat belt laws), my favorite thing to do was to ride in the truck with my dad. He had "Ole Green" back then and I would stand up in the seat next to him (most of the time with my arm around his neck) when he was driving. No matter where we were going, I assumed the position. I eventually got too tall to do that and then was required to buckle in.
4. I remember him cleaning up my bloody knee after the dogs on our street would chase me and make me fall. He would pick the little rocks out and then tell me it would be alright because he had "worse places on his eye."
5. I remember the pride in his eyes when he walked me out on the field when I was nominated for Homecoming Queen.
6. I also remember the pride in my dad's eyes (tears actually) when I graduated from college. I think that was his biggest dream come true for his baby girl.
7. And most recently, when I told him that I was having a girl, he said he needed to pull over and wipe the tears from his eyes. I can picture the love and pride in my daddy's face at that moment and the feeling of joy is indescribable.

I can't wait to watch him create new special moments with Lainey as her Pops. Somehow I think it will allow me to relive all those very special times I had with my Daddy. I love you Daddy!

Happy Birthday Lindsey!!!

How Special is a Name?

To Sam and I, choosing Baby Woolard's name was very important. We want our child to have a name that is special - a name that has special meaning to our family.

We have chosen to name our sweet girl Lainey Grace. I have been set on Grace as a middle name for my daughter for many years now, but Lainey came to us in a much more special way. This name, in our family, envelops the character traits that we hope our child inherits. We are naming her after Sam's cousin, Elaine Callan-Nayman. She has always been special to Sam and as I have been welcomed into the family, she has become a favorite of mine as well. It is rare to meet someone who is as special as she is. Her kindness is immeasurable and there aren't enough words to describe how wonderful of a person Sam and I think she is. We are blessed to have her as the inspiration for our baby's name.

We can 't wait to welcome our new baby girl, Lainey Grace, to the family in October!

Baby Woolard is a....

You know what they say...Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

What a WONDERFUL DAY! As I looked through teary eyes at my baby girl on the screen, I can't even begin to tell all the thoughts that were running through my head. Mostly I think I was thanking God for how beautiful and perfect she is! The doctor said everything looks fantastic with her and she kept commenting on how cute her profile is. She was not ready to get up for the ultrasound and had to poked an prodded to get her up and then when she finally was ready to move, she gave us a little yawn...it was precious!

The first picture, well, you know what that is a picture of! ;-) It wasn't a close-up, so I went ahead and posted to reassure you guys, it is a GIRL! ;-) The second picture was just so cool that I asked the tech to please print it! She has long legs! :-) And I know you can't see very well, but on the Face Profile picture, she is looking at us and it's amazing how much better you can see her in person on the screen than on the printed pictures. So if you look closely, you will see her spine and her face is on the right. You can see her eyes, her nose and mouth. She weighs approximately 12 ounces (in the 69th percentile for weights) and the doc said she is a little chunk right now.

Lindsey is pretty excited, but not all that shocked by the news. She "knew" it was a girl all along. Mi-Mi, Pops and Jared all predicted a girl, but they were just so excited to hear to the final word that they were right! I think Mommick and Grandpa were predicting boy, but now Mommick will have to keep the play-clothes around. The Woolard "curse" is broken and Lindsey will not be the only girl in this generation! We are all just so excited!

God is GOOD! Thank you Lord for all our blessings!

Anxious thoughts...

Well, as most of you know, we are going to find out the sex of the baby on Friday morning. I have been getting mixed reviews lately. My mom has recently changed her vote to girl - b/c she said I am carrying the same way she was carrying me. My dad votes girl, along with Jared and Lindsey. Sam and his family are still voting boy. So that leaves me somewhere in between. At this point, I don't care, I really don't. I just want to hold my precious sweet angel in my arms, boy or girl, and have him/her know how loved he/she is.

I have to say, with all that we have been through the last year, with the miscarriages, I still have fear in me that something could go wrong. I have to remind myself that God has gotten us this far and he is ensuring that this child growing inside me is blessed in every way. I have a dear friend who found out she is pregnant this past week. She had her HCG done again today and it dropped from 314 on Monday down to 251 today. For those of you who never had to worry about these kinds of numbers during your pregnancy, feel blessed - very blessed. She and I, we know all too well that falling HCG is NEVER a good sign. HCG is supposed to double every 48 hours and rarely does a falling HCG rebound to where it needs to be. But I almost hesitate to use the term NEVER because as we all know, all things are possible through Christ. This is a dear friend of mine, so if you are reading this, please take the time to say a prayer for her. God brought us together as friends so that we could support each other through our tragedies, I have no doubt. I only wish now for her that she was experiencing the same blessing that I am experiencing right now. I pray for God to bring her a miracle and if that isn't meant to be, then to give her peace in her heart to know that God will choose what is right for her.

Again, I will never take for granted how lucky I am to have my special angel on the way! I will keep you all posted on our ultrasound we are having on Friday. Hopefully Baby Woolard will be cooperative! Love to you all!