at a glance

Monday:B&K
Today we had visitors. Ben and Kacy, a couple I've know since college, came and spent the afternoon with Whitaker and I. They were in town for the holidays and it was soo good to spend time with them and catch up. There's something so familiar and "home" that comes with spending time with old friends.
Tuesday:Tummy Time
Whitaker and I headed over to see miss charlie ann today. Ms. Sylvia's friend who was in town helping out is an occupational therapist. She kindly reminded me the importance of tummy time (near sighted vision, bilateral movements, arm and wrist strength, etc.) Since then we've been working really hard to incorporate as much 'tummy time' in to our day as possible. If this kid is gonna join the NFL right out of HS, we need to start getting him ready ASAP.

Wednesday:Hello Sunshine
Today we headed off to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with Joel's family. By this time I was craving some time south of the mason dixon. Everything went so smoothly getting there. This was Whit's 4th plane ride... this kid has flown more than me by the time I was 16.

Thursday:Giving Thanks!
Thanksgiving went great. It was just us, Joel's folks, and his brother Andrew. We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. (Whitaker start sleeping 10+ hours at night!!!)
Friday:Pickle Ball
We celebrated Joel's 27th birthday. The community that Joel's parents live in is like a day camp for adults. They taught us to play pickle ball. It's almost like ping-pong and tennis combined. SOO FUN! At one point we had the whole family out on the courts playing together.
Saturday:Turkey Run
Joel and Grampa Samples headed down to Daytona Beach for a huge car show called Turkey Run. Joel came home looking like a lobster from all the sun, but he had a great time. Meanwhile, the rest of had a lazy day together. (Whitkaer masters the art of sucking his thumb!)
Sunday:Airport Adventure
Today was a scene out of a National Lampoon's movie. Our flight was delayed 6 hours, not including the almost 2 hours that we were at the airport to catch our original flight "on time". Screaming babies, frazzled parents, bad airport food, and "Mele Kalikimaka" on repeat, almost un-did all the relaxation that we had acquired that week.


Whitaker and I are back on a plane headed to Pittsburgh on Thursday to get ready for Ilse's 30th birthday party on Saturday. This holiday season is already flying by!

3's a charm!

Third Trimester. 2/3rds's of the way there. Three month's left.
However you say it- we are finally on the home stretch! But, we aren't at the finish line yet.

Thus far most of my hormones have come out through sappy tears falling over the most pathetic commercials. I can't watch 2 seconds of the new Animal Protection 'somethin' or other' organization with Sarah McLachlan singing in the background- it kills me! The tears still fall at the drop of a hat, but the mood swings have arrived! They exhaust me as much as one of my 'waddle' walks around the mall. Yes, I said it- waddle. With 90% of the weight I have gained sitting front and center- my poor back and hips never had a chance.

As far as punches and kicks are concerned, I think our child will either be a world renown tap dancer at the age of two, or the next Jet Li at three. The baby also seems to be nocturnal - I'm sure all my running around during the day allows him to literally bump around for the ride and in the evenings when my feet are up, it gives him the opportunity to show off. Of course, like his daddy, he's shy. I've tried so hard to move fast enough to get Joel's hand where the punching bag seems to be at the time, but of course, the baby freezes as soon as he has Joel's attention.

For the memory book- Joel did feel Whitaker jump this week (wk. 28).
My favorite is when the baby stretches and holds and I can almost feel his little hands or feet.

The apartment is slowly coming together- I did get the majority of the pictures hung in record time. We still have some corners with bins that need to placed in storage (aka- mom and dad's basement!) As soon as I get those corners clear they will be filled with baby necessities. No square inch of this apartment will be left bare when all is said and done - in 'Clean House' style, of course!

Joel and I are thrilled that Joel's Uncle is making a bassinet for the baby in the shape of a boat. The U.S.S. Whitaker - I can't wait!!! Our little man will fit right in with the rest of sail boat babies here in Annapolis. Here is a picture of the progress. Check it out!

The most exciting news for the month of June was that my brother-in-law became a citizen of the United States after 15 years and 15 days of setting foot on U.S. soil. It's been a much anticipated event and very long journey for him and we, as a family, are rejoicing! Here are some snapshots...

My brother-in-law has been the bell of the ball over the past few weeks among his co-workers, and it couldn't be more deserved! I guess he has come home from work looking like Uncle Sam- strutting a top hat and decked out with all the USA gear one could want. It makes you realize the true definition of what it means to be 'Proud to be an American.'

P.S. Aren't they a gorgeous family!!!

Joel and I wish a very Happy Fourth of July! And remember, if your summer vacation plans bring you to the D.C. area, promise to give us a call!

one day over the rainbow...

There will be a pot of gold, a BMW Z5 for me, and a '09 Audi S4 stage 3 for Joel, and MOST OF ALL a perfect place for us to live!

Yep, we have not found the rainbow yet! We're still looking!

The apartment searching is still going. Every day I have my ritual of checking craigslist and www.apartmentratings.com for some inspiration. This morning, there were a couple glimmers of hope. Continue to pray that we are able to get settled soon (i'm dying to start decorating the nursery- and to get "my stuff" out of storage)

Great news- we are very excited about a church we visited, Bay Area Community Church. It's south close to Annapolis, so we are going to try to focus our apartment search so that we are within driving distance. It will be a HUGE blessing once we are able to get plugged in!

Joel is still working very long hours, but doing GREAT! A typical workday has him out the door by 6:00 am and typically doesn't come home until after 7:00 pm. The long hours makes me soo excited for Fridays and most of all the weekend, when I have him ALL to myself. :)

The baby is doing fabulous-growing and making mommy feel HUGE and kicking his little heart out! It soo precious! I've had a blast scouring the clearance racks for outfits. I've fallen in love with what Lands End has- Between the sail boats, alligators, and anchors- everything is soo adorable! It's hard to believe, I'm 5 months along! I spent the day organizing yesterday and updating my calendar and it was a shock to see how little time is left before his arrival. (REMINDER: Mark your calendars for August 2nd! - Baby Shower and open house at Mom's place)

I am doing well. Adjusting, but again doing well. Joel has been very supportive and and my sister is on speed dial! My quiet times consist of Monday: praying for Faith, Tuesday: praying for Trust, Wednesday: praying for Patience, Thursday: REPEAT!

I know the Lord will provide and has something great in store for Joel and I while we are here. Plus- let's be honest, 24 months and we are off on the next adventure, where ever Joel's job may take us....

Hope all is well!

Joel, Jac, and Mr. BabySamples

Think blue!

Boy Oh Boy, we're having a boy!

Many prayers later, and a few tears- the ultrasound tech on Friday confidently told us that a boy was on the way. (I would have posted the picture- but the time it would have taken to find a scanner, etc...)

Joel and I agreed, we fell in love that morning. Seeing the little man stretch, kick, and wave his arms, was amazing. He even cooperated, at first he was on his back, and by simply laying on my side while the tech punched in some numbers to determine where his measurements fit on the scale to determine his due date, he flipped over and the tech got some awesome profile shots. (I'll send the pics with Joel in the morning and have him scan them).

The MOVE:
The move, the move, OH THE MOVE. We made it! A special shot out to my dad, sister, and niece who were are welcome party upon our arrival. Our major hiccup was that the storage containers were not big enough for all of our 'stuff'... by the time we left we threw away all our food, kitchen items, made several trips to the goodwill, and had the car packed so tight, it would make any college senior proud!

The ride itself, went well. We made our first leg of the trip on Friday and spent the night at my best friends apartment from High School in Chapel Hill, NC. On Saturday, we had a simple 5.5 hour ride up to Maryland.

With Ilse's help and multiple trips to the grocery store, we settled in quickly. We even had enough energy to head down to Annapolis on Sunday, which was the highlight of the weekend. I know we only hit the surface of seeing the many gems of the city, a ride over and back on the bay bridge was especially exciting- in the rain. It was quite awe striking to see a barge below that looked 'small'. (the funny part was dad romping around with the camera around his neck, claiming he hadn't been a "tourist" in years (quite comical).

Our next adventure is finding a place to live! I'll keep you posted!

Have a great day!
Joel, Jac, and Mr. BabySamples

and the beat goes on...

Hello!

I thought I would take advantage of the time I was resting with my feet propped up to update everyone on what is going on at the Samples household...

Joel is in town for the weekend, and has been working feverishly to sell his car, so far- to no avail. Please pray that we are able to miraculously sell it before the move. It would be SOO nice to only have to drive one car up North.

Joel flies out tomorrow evening and thus begins my very busy week without him. I am soo excited though to know that this will be the last time I will have to drop him off at the airport. After this weekend, I will be going with him to Baltimore. The plan is as follows:

Mon. - meet with friends

Tues. - get my hair highlighted and cut! (SOO revved about that!)

Wed.- last minute packing, meet with friends - (i know, rough life)

Thurs. - the movers come to pack up the apartment and load the storage containers. Joel flies home that night!

Fri.- 8:30 am, last Dr. appt with my Atl OB and then at 10:00 am we have a sonagram scheduled to tell us the sex of the baby and to make sure there are 10 fingers and 10 toes.
We are planning on leaving straight after that to Chapel Hill, NC to stay with my best friend from high school.

Sat.- leave NC in the morning and head to Baltimore, MD where my sister, niece and dad will be anticipating our arrival. (I AM SOO EXCITED)

My sister and I were talking about all the reasons to pay people to come and pack our stuff- even what little we have. I told her the most important reason to me was that I didn't want to wear myself out. I know the move will be hard enough- Joel having a new job, new city, new baby, etc... I didn't need to start our next adventure burnt out. I am so thankful the Lord has provided that option for us.

I found out GREAT NEWS today, the apartment complex does not require a notice AND does not have a check list of cleaning that has to be done. Their only request when you leave is that you leave no trash behind. What a relief! I was dreading cleaning- from the base boards to wiping down the blinds. (the Lord is soo good).

This past week I finished up my last week at work. It was crazy busy, but it went soo well. I will miss my buddies! It's amazing the relationships you form with people you spend 40 hours a week with. I promised everyone that I would stop before we left town to tell them if the baby is a boy or girl.

Joel and I are still rolling names around, we've narrowed down our choices for boy names, but aren't having much luck making progress on deciding on girl names. We seem to always disagree. (watch- the baby will be a girl- then we'll really be up creek w/o a paddle :) That's ok- I'm guessing we will spend much of the trip to B-more digging in the archives of our brains for names... (now if only i kept that list from 5th grade...) hehe.

Well- that's it. Oh- mark your calendars for the first weekend in August. (2nd). If you're around - Ohio that is... stop by! Joel and I will be in town visiting!

Have a great day!
Jac, Joel and babySamples

14 weeks and 4 days

It's an unholy hour on Thursday. I can't sleep, as I now have a full fledge sinus infection and a headache that ridiculous! Granted, the thought of ONLY being able to nurse it with Tylenol and Sudafed, isn't helping! (which i haven't even had the chance to start taking- i just don't feel like running to wal-mart at this hour) We also received some news last night about Joel's job and the next adventure ahead of us which has my thoughts racing.

Joel will begin working at a new position on a job up in Baltimore, MD. (Brandon Shores to be exact). If you google map it- you will see that it is right off the Chesapeake Bay. The catch is- he starts THIS MONDAY! The story so far is that he will work up there during the week and fly home on the weekends, at least until I can get organized and pack us up and completely relocate to Maryland. The AMAZING thing about all of this, is that I will only be 4 hours from my sister in Pittsburgh. A dream come true!

Details.Details.Details. The last time I moved states was after college, and I don't think that really counts... Between giving a notice at work, scheduling the move- movers vs. U-Haul, and of course, when we get there- finding a place to live! My head has been spinning. We have been told that Joel will most likely be on the job for a minimum of 18 months, and after that- who knows where they will send him next.

My mantra has been Proverbs 3:5-6, 'Trust in the Lord will all your heart, and lean not on your own understands, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight." I know that God is in control, and if I simply remove my "self", doubt, worry, and even my own understanding, the Lord so badly wants to take over and give me a peace that comes with truly trusting the One that is leading. The Lord has great plans for us, I can proclaim that promise- now I simply have to wake up each morning and surrender to it.

Baby time:
One of the best parts of having a baby is the shopping (at this point, window shopping)! Though I have to say, it didn't take me long to find a crib sets that I fell in love with! I wanted something that was gender neutral that I could use over and again (Lord willing!). www.landofnod.com - love this site! I am also really excited about the crib beddings sets that Dwell Studio has out at Target! So fun! and at a great price!

I can't wait to start painting pictures and sewing things for the nursery. Thankfully husbands (well, my hubby) aren't really into this stuff- so I finally am going to have a room in the house that I free rein to do what I like! Granted Joel will be looking over my shoulder and the check book :).

Things are going well with the pregnancy, though I did have a bit of a scare the weekend before my Doctor's visit, as I was cramping far more than what they had described as normal. At my Dr. appointments it was confirmed that my corpus luteum cyst was still there (instead of disappearing as it should have) and was most likely leaking- thus the complications with cramping and severe pain. Good News is that it will go away- it's just something that can happen and isn't very fun. The good thing that came out of all of this was that I got an impromptu ultrasound and was able to see the baby kick. It was amazing to see the changes from 9 weeks to 13 weeks- oh my, has the baby grown!

The next few weeks are going to be hectic, but very exciting! I promise to give updates often!

Jacqueline.

the bridgewater ladies

Hello!

I've heard down the grapevine that several of the ladies from back home have been anticipating an 'update'...hehe.

My next doctor's appointment is next Monday, St. Patrick's Day. I have finally reached 12 weeks- 3 months! I've been feeling a whole lot better, and eating my little heart out.

Thankfully all of my clothes still fit, and there is a only a slight baby bump. (i'm not complaining- i'm dreading shopping for maternity clothes) I plan of wearing 'normal' clothes as long as I can. I look forward to taking advantage of what sewing skills I have acquired since I got my sewing machine for my birthday, to alter what is possible in order to make the belly fit! Thankfully the style for tops is long. I don't want to jinx myself, but of course, I'm hoping for the basketball belly- we shall see.

Speaking of bellies- mom encouraged me to start measuring my belly each week. Well, Joel decided he wanted in on the action, and so we now have a contest of who has the biggest. Believe it or not, he's winning! (he was soo distraught) Granted, to make it fair, I measured our 'cabooses' and of course-I won that one. hehe.

I did tell everyone at work a week or so ago that I was pregnant. That Monday I went in and got my hair chopped. (I love it- and it is sooo much easier. It's a combo of the cut I use to have when it was short and the katie holmes hair-do). So when I came in on Tuesday, it was easy to tell everyone why I made the drastic change- I was expecting and I was starting now to simplify life! I promise to post pictures soon!

Yes, we have thought of some baby names- we are havin' the dickens of a time agreeing on a girls name. So far all I have is: Caroline or Jillian.
For a boy: Whitaker Lee or Jacob Taylor
Any Ideas? Feel free to leave a comment and help us out!

Joel is doing great- of course! Work is going well and the clock has finally begun to tick to the countdown for when they will move us. We are so excited about the idea of moving closer to family.

Well- that's about it for now.

Have a great week! and for all the Ohioans- may you not remain buried in snow forever! Those of us living south of the mason dixon are enjoying sunshine and 60 degree weather! :) Come and visit- we'd love to see you!

Jacqueline, Joel and BabySamples