DIRECTIONS TO MEDICAL CENTER OF MCKINNEY

DIRECTIONS

It's getting closer to time, so we thought it might be a good idea to post some directions to the hospital. Of course, Randy will have his cell phone if anyone needs to get in touch with us:

FROM TULSA
Take HWY 75 south about 20 miles. Take the Indian Nation Turnpike south for 40 miles. Merge onto HWY 69. Take HWY 69/75 south for about 130 miles. Exit Eldorado Parkway in McKinney (around 40 miles into Texas) and go east. Go south on Medical Center Dr past HWY 5/HWY 399 (about 3/4 mile). Arrive at the Medical Center of McKinney. Labor and Delivery is on the second floor.

FROM OKC
Take I-35 south to Texas. About 35 miles into Texas (in the city of Krum) will be an exit for Loop 288 (when you exit, be sure not to take your first right onto 1173). Take 288 east/south to HWY 380. Go east (left) onto 380 for about 25 miles. Take 75 south for about 3 miles. Exit Eldorado Parkway in McKinney and go east. Go south on Medical Center Dr past HWY 5/HWY 399 (about 3/4 mile). Arrive at the Medical Center of McKinney. Labor and Delivery is on the second floor.

Beginning the 33rd Week

I am now around seven- eight weeks away from my due date, and even less from the birth if little Jack continues to grow at the rate he has been. I can't believe it is getting so close!

I went to the dr. yesterday and everything continues to look perfect. We are just so blessed to have such a healthy pregnancy- I keep praying that Jack will be as healthy as he seems to be. He is moving like crazy now and as of a couple of weeks ago has already settled into the "head down" position and is ready for birth. So we don't have to worry about him being breech.

We have scheduled a 3D Ultrasound for January 9 (also my dad's birthday!) to reevaluate his size, so we will get to take a closer look at him and see if he really looks like his daddy- Randy is just positive that Jack is going to look exactly like him- we'll see... Check back for those pictures!

We have also recently finished our childbirth class, visited with several pediatricians (we're still trying to decide who to go with but we have some great options and several within 2 miles of our house!), and preregistered at the hospital. We spent some time decorating the nursery and finally purchased some basics- diapers, wipes, baby soap and shampoo, etc.- in case our guy decides to come early.

I am still feeling really good- ever since I got over the morning sickness in the first trimester, my pregnancy has been really phenomenal. I am getting tired a bit more easily, though. And after working out, I have contractions that last for about 10 minutes. But then they go away and my doctor said that they are perfectly normal and fine- she's just happy that I'm still working out!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and check back for the U/S pictures in January!

Jack's Nursery

Well, we have finally made some more progress on the nursery and it is pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself! We still have a lot of work to do but at least the basics are there. Here are some pictures... Only 6-8 more weeks to go!

Oh, yeah, and I just wanted everyone to know that Randy has become an expert swaddler. He practices on a little doll we have. He also put a diaper on the doll just to make sure he knew how to do it- he is definitely going to graduate valedictorian of our childbirth class tomorrow night!

Getting Prepped

Well, we officially went to our first childbirth class Wednesday night, and it was pretty interesting. We got to (or had to... still haven't decided) watch a DVD on the miracle that is delivery. I think dad-to-be may be a little more apprehensive now than mom-to-be is. There were three women featured in this particular video and each of them opted for the all-natural way. It was like 40 minutes of screaming... first the women, then the kids. On the plus side, over the next several weeks, we're supposed to learn CPR and other useful stuff. Kristin is getting a little uncomfortable now, and starting to feel the fatigue factor. I think the second trimester is going to look like a picnic compared to the third.

One cool note... we got our first gifts dropped at the door the other day. Cord and Joanne Fitzgerald sent us a great little miracle crib sheet from the registry along with a mirror that their little son, Reed, apparently went nuts for. It's easy to see why: we played with it for a while ourselves; it crinkles and squishes and spins and... okay, sorry. Anyway, it was pretty cool. It just makes it seem a little more real.

It's funny to have something in your life that is such a huge event and that you've just never experienced before. Now that we're entering into the period of time in which it wouldn't be shocking to actually make that drive to the delivery room, it's just making us that much more anxious and excited. Add to that the fact that we'll both be out of school for a bit, and there's a lot of extra time to think about things too. Keep us in your prayers, and little Jack too. No real big changes to report, but that's probably for the better.

McKinney Fellowship Bible Church

We have lived in the Dallas area for just over two years now and, up until recently, we had been searching a searching for a home church. We were so blessed by our church in Oklahoma City, Crossings, and it seemed like nothing around here even compared. But after many prayers and many other church visits, we finally stumbled across McFBC this summer. It happens to be less than a mile down the street from our house but we had just missed it somehow.

Immediately upon attending our first service, we knew that McFBC was the place for us. We attended a new members class shortly after where we got to know the pastoral staff and a little more about the priorities of the church. This church is so Christ based, so Bible based, and so focused on community outreach and accountability through small groups. We couldn't believe what a perfect fit it was for us.

After joining the church in August, we were just in time to join a Life Group for the fall semester- "Experiencing Christ: A Journey Through Colossians." The Life Groups are small group Bible studies that meet once a week for fellowship, prayer, and discussion of the previous weeks daily Bible studies and Sunday's correlating sermon. We were blessed to be placed in a group with some truly wonderful people who made us feel even more welcome in the church. Our group consisted of two other married couples, both are pregnant (one with twins!) and three single women. We have really enjoyed spending our Sunday nights with them and sharing our blessings and needs with each other.

McFBc has really deepened both Randy and my faith and the life group has kept us more accountable in our walk with Christ. We even spent a Saturday serving a Thanksgiving meal in downtown McKinney- such a small step, but we just had not been making serving a priority in our lives before now.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us to find a church home- our prayers truly have been answered. Feel free to check out the McFBC Blog- it was especially created for members of the church to share their testimonies from the journey through Colossians sermon series. It is amazing to see how God is working in people's lives!

mckinneyfellowship.blogspot.com

June 7, 2006

This is the day that I found out I was pregnant. I have to say that I was sort of in shock considering Randy and I had recently had some long discussions about starting a family. We both were dying to have kids but finally made the practical decision to start trying in May of 2007 when Randy would be finished with school and we would have the possibility of earning some actual money. So when I found out I was pregnant two weeks later, I was (very pleasantly) surprised. God doesn't always follow our timeline and I trust that his plan is better than ours anyway.

I actually told my mom and my grandma that same day, because they happened to be visiting me and we were working on decorating my house. I couldn't keep it to myself so I told them and made them promise not to tell Dad and Papo. That was nearly impossible for my mom of course, but she did it and we headed home a couple of weeks later to tell the men of the family. I think my dad was the most shocked of all. We didn't tell him we were coming. We tied some pink and blue balloons to a little book about the joy of being a grandparent, left it on the doorstep, rang the bell, and hid behind the bushes. My dad came out and picked it up, looking very confused. He eventually concluded that it was at the wrong house and how was he going to figure out where it was supposed to go? That's when Randy and I popped out of the bushes. My dad again looked very confused but still did not make the connection. He just asked, "What are you doing here?.................ohhhhhhhhh!" He finally comprehended what was going on- it was so funny!

I told my grandpa by leaving a little note in his birthday card the next day. I think he may have been the happiest of everyone to find out the news. He had actually heard that I wasn't feeling well and had wondered if I was pregnant even before I knew that I was. When he saw me, he kept asking how I was feeling and what was "new." I said fine and nothing and he seemed a little disappointed that there was no news. Then, when he read his card, he teared up and I could tell how genuinely happy he was to find out that he is going to be a great grandpa.

I am very happy to be able to honor both my father and my grandfather with my son's name. His name is going to be Jack Patrick Biggs, after two of the most important men in my life. We can't wait to see what God has in store for Jack and for our family!

Trip to Baton Rouge

This past May, my good friends, Joel and Karin, got married in Baton Rouge, LA. Not only was it a blast to be there for their special day, but it also was a chance to get together with MANY friends and spend some much needed quality time with them. We had so much fun partying in Rich and Dan's hotel room (309), gambling at the riverside casinos, and meeting some of Joel and Karin's friends from college and from Boston, where they had lived for the past few years. Matt and Mary Shelton came in from D.C., Sarah Koss flew in from Seattle, all of the Oklahoma folks came in, and of course Dustin, Archana, Randy, and I drove down from Dallas.

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Rome, Pompeii, and Paris

Last March, I took on the task of hauling 40 high school/jr. high students and some parents and siblings, along with a few of my friends, across the world to Rome, Pompeii, and Paris. It was such an awesome experience. Not only did I get to visit my favorite city, Rome, I also got to visit some places I had never been. Not to mention offering my students the opportunity to travel abroad at such a young age. The kids were so amazing, we didn't have to worry about them at all. They had so much fun and I am really disappointed that I won't be able to travel with them again this year.

Here are some pictures...

Jake

As most of you know, in the fall of 2005, my family lost our beloved pet, our golden retriever, Max. Anyone who knew Maxer knew that he was the most loyal, friendly, happy dog in the world and was such a blessing to all of our lives for 12 years. We miss him so much!

Well, you know my mom couldn't live without another dog, so meet Jake, the new puppy. He is much crazier and more rambunxious than Max ever was. He has even "graduated" from about 3-4 different obedience schools so far but really isn't very obedient at all. I'm not quite sure if he can fill Max's shoes, but hey he is pretty darn cute!

Wedding/Honeymoon Pics

Randy and I had the most gorgeous wedding, thanks to my mom and dad! Here is a picture of the entire bridal party and one of me with my best friend, Sarah.

We were so blessed to be able to travel to Europe together for the first time on our honeymoon. We had both always wanted to go to Italy so we chose to visit Rome and Venice. Rome has since been deemed my favorite city in the whole world! I took several of my students to Rome, Pompeii, and Paris in March of 2006 and had planned another student trip for this December, but had to cancel it because of the pregnancy. I'm sure we will get back to Rome someday!

Our Home

For those of you who have yet to come visit us (and you know who you are), here is a picture of our lovely new home. We finally have furniture in every room, although there is a lot left to do. For now, we are holding off on any big projects until May when Randy graduates, in case we end up moving again!

Nursery Before and After

A few months ago, this room was referred to as the "Yellow Room" for some unknown reason, and it was used solely for the storage of Christmas boxes and luggage or to dry the laundry that couldn't go in the dryer. After a few painstaking days of painting over a wall so bright that Vegas would be proud and constructing nursery equipment whose instructions would confound a NASA space shuttle team, it is now a haven for anyone under two feet tall. Here are a few before and after photos...