Happy 2007!

How did you celebrate the new year? Ours was quite different than our past New Year's together. I will say, though, that New Years is pretty over-rated. There is always such high pressure to have a great time. I think Stephen and I have had a fight of some sort every New Year's with the exception of this year's.

We spent the morning trying to calm Mr. Crankypants. I'm pretty convinced he is going through a growth spurt. He has been eating every 2 hours and I'm lucky if he sleeps a 3 hour stretch at night. (he was sleeping 4 and 5 hour stretches) I'm praying for that first night of 8 hours of straight sleep. I cannot imagine what that would be like!

Later, we went to the mall for some shopping. Adler always seems to do so much better outside of the house. I don't know if he gets bored or what, but he sleeps so much better when we are out and about. We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. You seriously can't go wrong at that place. I've never been out to dinner for New Years, but I have to say, it was a really fun experience. We packed a bottle and fed Adler after we placed our order. This turned out to be a great decision because he ate and passed out by the time our dinner came.

Adler's sleep gave Stephen and I a great opportunity to look at each other and have a conversation! It was good catch up talk - ever have those with your spouse? - and good reflection talk. The end of the year always brings up questions like a) what was the best/worst part of your year, b) what are your New Year resolutions, etc. We both agreed that Adler's birth was the best part of the year. As far as resolutions go, we both had "work out" and "work on our relationship with Christ" - both things I feel I say every year.

Anyways, have a fun and safe New Year. Welcome 2007!

Mama Claws..

No, not Mama Claus (although I may resemble her right now - 13 more lbs to go!), Mama Claws.

That's what you grow after you become a mom. So, I have discovered anyways. It happens when you feel your new baby is threatened in any sort of way.

Case in point:
Stephen and I were at PF Chang's with some good friends of ours (Meg and Ben). Adler was chillin' in his car seat on the chair next to me. All the sudden, out of no where, a chop stick came flying through the air and landed on my plate - right next to Adler, making a loud crash in the restaurant as it landed on plates, glassware. I had no idea who threw the thing - but I knew it came from the table next to us. I turned and gave them the worst look I could possibly muster - it was probably a look that said "die and burn in h-e-double-hockey-sticks". Anyways, I soon realized it was a 3 year old at the table next to us who had thrown the chopstick - I think the parents were concerned for their child's life after my "death stare". I tried to recreate the look in a mirror at home later - trust me, it was pretty bad.

Case in point #2:
I was at the grocery store with Adler. I had his car seat on top of the grocery cart. I was in the freezer section and briefly stepped away from the cart to get something out of the freezer. A lady passing by accidentally bumped her cart into mine. Hearing the "collision" I whipped out my death stare at this poor woman and just said a sarcastic "WOW" and took off. (but what my "wow" really said was "wow, you must be the dumbest person on this earth..." or mabye something worse)

Case in point #3:
There are innocent victims to speak of as well. My poor sweet sister, Rylie, wanted me to teach her how to change Adler's diaper. She asked if she needed to cover his "wing-wang" to keep him from peeing (which, by the way, the answer is "yes"). I was quick to reply in a very irritated tone "Uh...can we PLEASE NOT call my son's penis a "wing-wang"? That is a name for dirty old men!" She was gracious enough not to be offended and just said "okay". Poor thing - thanks, Rylie, for your patience with your crazy big sis.

As you can see, I have problems. Pray for me. O, and if this happens to you, you can't say I didn't warn you...

A Mom-umentary

Well, obviously, it's been a while since I've blogged. I guess you could say I've been a bit busy. When Adler isn't needing my 100% attention, I usually try to eat something, take a shower, catch up on email/phone calls, write thank you notes, and try and maintain the house/dogs.

I can remember wondering about my new-mom-friends "what the heck do they do all day?" and "what is taking them so long to call me back?". I would love to share with you just what my day is actually like, so I thought I would journal my morning today. (just to give you a glimpse)

First, though, I want to share that Adler is doing great! He is so awesome and such a joy! I can't wait for Stephen to come home from work today - Adler started really smiling today when I was talking to him! I can't wait to show Stephen! Adler is now 6 weeks old and he was 9lbs 9oz at our last doctor's appointment - and is in the 50th percentile!

Ok, so on with my "mom-umentary" of December 12, 2006
1am - 4:45am -
sleep

4:45am -
I wake up hearing Adler crying in the baby monitor. Stephen and the dogs have gotten used to this routine by now, and they have learned to sleep through the entire experience. I stumble across the house, dodging piled up laundry and empty Christmas decor boxes. I peer into Adler's crib - his face is red and wrinkled as he is wailing big time(I'm pretty sure the neighbors can hear him). I can't help to notice how cute he is all bundled up in his blue swaddler. By this time, though, he has managed to wiggle his right arm out of the top of the swaddler and he is waving it wildly above his head. I quickly pick him up and almost immediately he stops crying. He knows his mommy! And more importantly, he knows he's about to eat! I take off my shirt (he is a messy eater and this is just easier) and assume the eating position. Hopefully when he's a teenager - it won't be this easy for him to get a girl undressed. When he's done eating, we do a quick diaper change, wrap him back into his swaddler and it's back to bed for both baby and mom.

5:30am - 6:45am -
sleep

6:45am -
It's only been 2 hours since his last feeding (and one hour of sleep for me). I can hear Adler half crying half making a grunting sound. I know this means he is uncomfortable of some sort. I decide to go into his room to investigate. The first thing I notice is that he has definitely taken a big dump. I reach down to pick him up and he lets out a big fart. I know now that the poor kid just has gas! We do a well needed diaper change - I can tell he's not feeling too great. I guess Adler doesn't like PF Chang's (where I had dinner). When he has gas, I know it helps him to lay on his tummy. So, I lay down on the couch and lay him on top of my chest. He complains at first, but finally relaxes and lets out a couple more toots. I'm drifting off to sleep and I hear Stephen's alarm clock go off. Everyone is awake now! By this time, it's been 2 1/2 hours since Adler's last feeding and he has started crying again. I decide to go ahead and feed him - he silently approves of this decision - all I hear now are big gulps! After his feeding, another needed diaper change, I finally get him to sleep. Stephen kisses me and Adler goodbye as he leaves for work. I've gotten 4 hours and 45 minutes of sleep (total), so I decide to go back to sleep.

9am - 9:45am -
sleep

9:45am -
I wake up, this time not hearing Adler, but Tristan (the dog) gagging. I know he's about to puke. I dive to the floor in hopes to save the carpet. I grab the first thing within reach (Stephen's pajama pants) to put under Tristan's mouth. Too late. Dark redish/brown mushed up dog food is now on my carpet. At the same time, I hear Adler waking up. I hope that he's just crying in his sleep, but he soon let's me know that he's for real. I get the baby settled back to sleep and the carpet cleaned up. By this time, I've gotten 5 hours and 30 mintues (total) of sleep. Still exhausted, I decide to try to go back to sleep.

10am - 11am -
sleep

11am -
Time to feed Adler! Feeding, diaper change, and clothing change all takes about an hour. Then, it's 30 minutes of "awake" time. We cuddled for a while, I talked to him and played with his hands...he started to get a bit cranky - this means he's ready to go down for his nap. I swaddle him up, pop in the pacifier - this is a winning sleep combination and he's back to sleep.

12:30 - 2:00 -
My time! I feel somewhat rested (6 hours and 30 mintues total), so it's not worth going back to sleep. I decide to spend some time blogging (at Stephen's request). However, the day is half over and I haven't 1) eaten 2) showered 3) brushed my teeth!

It's 1:30 now, I have 30 more minutes left, so as you can see the day flies by! But it is all so much fun and so worth it!

Kristine's on her way to Hollywood

Here is a skit my friend, Ellen, and I did for our Young Life Club to promote our annual weekend trip to Sharp Top Cove.

adler is not a "treat"

As many of you know, adler is our first son, but he actually has an older brother and sister. Tristan and Sadie, our two dogs. It's been interesting to watch Tristan and Sadie as they've tried to figure out who Adler is and what he might taste like. In all honesty, we were a bit anxious about their introduction to baby. Both for different reasons, but we were mostly stressed about how Sadie's hyper attitude would be around a 6 lb 15oz baby.

Here's Sadie, head on lap just relaxing.


Really, she's been the best of the two. We have been totally surprised at how calm she is around Adler. It's almost as if she knows that patience now will lead to the reward of playing with a kid later. The frisbees that Adler will throw her, the tennis balls he'll toss for her to catch. You can sense her excitement for the future.

Tristan was initially our first string starting mut. We were sure he'd be cool with Adler as he's shown character around other small kids before...boy we were surprised when Tristans first reaction to Adler was to lick his lips..."errr, no Tristan, Adler isn't a treat." Surely, he's just got some dog food on his mouth and he's trying to lick it up..well, he didn't stop. Mostly I think Tristan was just really confused for the first couple of days, but then we let them meet up close (with us very weary of his actions) and Tristan took a minute to sniff his head, then he kissed Adler's cheek and I think the lightbulb went off..."oh my, this tastes like my master...he is not a treat, I don't want to eat that...but I will remain curious of his sounds...maybe I should watch over him to make sure that he's okay"

So, now Tristan walks around the house curious of what Adler's up to. Sort of like an older brother, with a watchful eye over him, Tristan now finds new purpose as the oldest sibling in the house.

Adler's Birthday Story

Every birthday I can remember, my mom tells me my birthday story. I know it by heart, but I still like to hear it - even at age 26. She tells how she decided to go to the hospital, all the details of that day and my arrival. She does the same thing for my sisters too. We all love to hear our birthday stories.

Here is the story I will tell Adler...

Early Sunday morning, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. At 38 weeks pregnant - and a list of "to-dos", something just didn't feel right. I had talked to the doctor earlier in the week because I was concerned I was leaking amniotic fluid. She assured me that if my water had broken, I would know it. Still, I just didn't feel like things were right.

Stephen was still asleep, so I turned on the TV. The only thing that was on was Birth Day Stories on the Discovery Channel. So, I watched the stories of two different families. One family had some complications in the birth which resulted to trauma to the baby. Sitting on my couch, I just felt like I needed to call the doctor again. I would hate if something went wrong with my pregnancy and all because I didn't call or didn't ask the question.

I decided to call the on-call doctor. I explained to her some of my symptoms and she recommend that we go to the hospital. By this time, Stephen was up. I apologized to him because I just knew they were going to charge $100 to be admitted to the emergency room, just for them to tell me everything was fine. He assured me that it was worth it. We wondered if we should pack a bag...we decided to throw in a couple things...just in case. As a joke, I packed Adler's "take home" outfit.

We arrived at the hospital, they had me sign a bunch of papers, answer a zillion health questions, put on a hospital gown, and put me in a delivery room. As the nurse was asking me all the questions, I said, "You people know that I'm not here to deliver a baby, but for you all to tell me that I'm OK, right?". She kinda smiled and said, "Honey, if your water has broken, you are delivering a baby today!". I said, "Well, it hasn't..". I was kinda rude.

The doctor finally arrived and after an exam confirmed my water had indeed broken and announced "We're going to have us a baby today!".

Shock, fear, anxiety, "my to do list has not be completely marked off!"

Stephen made all the phone calls. Everyone was just as excited and surprised! We had a couple pre-Adler visitors - The Fountains and the Claytons stopped by. Rylie made it back in town from Florida just in time, Raynelle and Tom were able to hop on flights from Houston to arrive before Adler.

So, from 9:30am - 4:30pm little to no progress was made. It really was about the doctors figuring out what levels of medicine to give me. By 4:30, they decided to pony up and get things going - so that's when I got the epidural. At 8:20pm, it was pushing time!

It didn't seem to take long at all, but Adler arrived at 9:23pm - healthy and screaming his little lungs out. I'll spare you the graphics, but it really was the most amazing experience ever. I will never forget what he looked like - they put him immediately right on my tummy - he was gorgeous!

So this is the story I will tell Adler - I'm sure some birthday's he'll say "mom, tell me my story again" and other's he'll say "geez, mom, not again..". But October 29th was one of the greatest days of my life and one I will always cherish and celebrate!

I love my Adler!

You are more beautiful

adler ryan hunton is here, and in full effect. He is the most awesome child. so sweet and fun to hang out with. Kristine and I thank everyone for your prayers, encouragement, advice and love. You are all loved by us and we are so glad we have friends and family like you. Here's Adler's first slideshow (of many, I am sure), but you can also find more pics at flickr.com/photos/stevohunton.

Also, if you click the button to the right of the play button, it will shrink the video and make the pics more clear.

The 4am Curse

Did you know there was a curse on the 4am hour? Well, there is if you are 8 months prego. Tonight, or today - it has finally gotten me.

Probably for the past week I have woken up every 2 hours - usually a trip to the restroom and repositioning pillows and flipping to a different hip to sleep on will put me right back to sleep.

Except at 4am - it's a bit more of a battle. I'm typically wide awake and my mind starts wondering from things of Adler, to trying to figure out my last dream, to what I plan to eat when I get up.

I've usually been able to fall back to sleep, but this morning, I just couldn't. Adler loves to sleep high up on my right side. His butt feels like a little softball poking out. It's really uncomfortable and keeps me from being able to breathe deeply.

So, here I am watching "Builders Surplus" slashing prices and Disney's sad attempt of a cartoon by recreating "The Emperor's New Groove", but with really bad cartoonists - it's kind of Beatle Juice like. What ever happened to good cartoons like Tom and Jerry, Garfield, The Smurfs, Bugs Bunny?

Sadie is good company and I am showing her my appreciation for her sympathy by letting her up on the couch with me.

It looks like Christmas morning in our living room. Stephen and I spent our Saturday going through the Babies R Us Guatlet, Target Challenge, Lenox Marathon, and the Trenches of Ikea. We did it all - returned, exchanged, purchased mostly all things Adler. Stephen got a new outfit from Banana Republic, I got some nursing outfits, even the dogs made it out with new doggie bowls.

So, there are all kinds of boxes and wrappers and new items laying about. We got a fireplace screen, which I'm really excited about because that means we can actually have a fire in the fireplace this year. It will be so fun to cuddle up on the couch with Adler while the fire is glowing.

MTV is actually pretty good at now 5am. They actually play music videos - imagine that. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely got Two-A-Days tivoed and haven't missed an episode and I love that Tina described punching Beth as hitting a "frozen piece of pig", but it's nice to see some Old School MTV - even if it's at 5:23.

I'm hoping that maybe some of my rambling here will allow my brain to feel somewhat unloaded so maybe I can go back to sleep. Stephen and I actually planned on going to the 9am service and that means getting up in less than 2 hours.

So, thanks for participating and sorry if this was really random and boring, but isn't that what Blogs are for?

Flashback

Just been thinking lately about where we're headed and rarely take the time to reflect on from where we came. Here are some of my favorite pics I happen to have on my computer.

This picture is at one of our favorite places on this earth, Young Life's Frontier Ranch. This was the summer after our freshman years in college. We went with our high school Young Life as leaders. One of my favorite days of the week at Frontier is when we hike to the top of Mt. Crystalite. Fun times....










Here we are, on our way to our honeymoon in St. Thomas. I look at this pic and love our wide-eyed 22 year old faces. What adventures ahead...




A year in Arkansas, a move to Atlanta, new jobs...and we bought our first house in 2004.







We wanted to take fun pictures Christmas 2004, so we had the talented Ryan Booth meet up with us at The Market in The Woodlands




We took a small group from Riverwood HS to Frontier Ranch the summer of 2005. We had a great time even though we were completely exhausted when we got back. But it was worth every second.




We went to Aruba last Thanksgiving. It's crazy to think that at the time, we had no idea that we'd be parents in a year! Our 5 year anniversary is this summer and we are hoping to take another similar trip. It was so good for us!


The sunsets in Aruba were amazing. One day, we rented a jeep and drove it all over the island. It was so much fun!


This past summer, we went to London with Stephen's family. We went to Wimbledon for a couple days and took a train to Belgium where the Huntons lived for a few years. While walking around the main square, we came across this bar named Adler. We thought it was pretty cool. I was only 5 months at the time..look how little I was!


Now, here we are 8 months prego with only 4 weeks to go! It's amazing how time flies! God is so good to us!

Adler's future soccer teammate, Colby

Not only did we have a great b-day weekend celebrating my oldness, but we also were pumped to meet Colby, who joined us on Thursday the 5th. Colby is the son of our good friends Cameron and Jamie Clayton, but more significantly a future best friend of Adler. Adler can't wait to meet him, in fact they've been introduced as Kristine held Colby on Friday night, ultimately giving Adler the up close belly "hello" from setting Colby in her lap.

Colby is so cool, and he's blessed to have the parents he has (as you can see, he takes after his Dad who obviously loves him a TON). So, get our your video camera, orange slices, and Capri Suns cause we're headed to the soccer field in T Minus a couple years where Colby and Adler will start what can only be described as a junior soccer dynasty.

A couple pics:

We gonna sip (Trappist Rochefort) like it's yo birthday

I am officially 27. As of Oct. 7th at around 6:35am I turned a year older, but unlike last year, I don't feel too old at the moment. I'm particularly excited about this year and the next, as my friend Cameron gave me some words of encouragement on being 27 (these were his favorite years). Plus, I will be a Dad in mere weeks, so I'm excited at the coming fountain of youth that will constantly have me on my toes.

The birthday was great, Kristine always does a great job of making me feel special. We headed out Saturday morning after some much needed sleeping in and went to a great breakfast spot near Piedmont park in midtown Atlanta called "The Flying Biscuit". They have the best breakfast food (I had the "Egg-ceptional", which is two eggs on black bean cakes w/ grits and a biscuit)

We spent most of the morning walking around the park and taking pictures with my new camera as we went along, then saw a photography exhibition in the park and went home to watch my Razorbacks whoop up on the Auburn Tigers/Eagles. It was a great day.





I must be too old to climb! I used to be able to get up on this tree, but alas I failed in my old age.
That night we headed out to Decatur with our friends The Fountains. It was so great to spend time with them. We ate dinner at Taqueria Del Sol and then went to my favorite bar in Decatur "The Brick Store Pub". They specialize in Belgian beers and have such a great atmosphere (you feel like you're in Europe). We tasted some awesome beers and had a great time talking/catching up. Overall, a great night! Thanks Kristine for a great b-day!

The miracle of birth ain't so pretty when it's a VHS from the 80s

Ok, wow...Kristine and I went to our baby class last Saturday. It was informative, exciting and scary at times. Our nurse "teacher" lady was really smart, and actually pretty entertaining, but I do fault her for one thing. She simply did not provide enough...what's the word I'm looking for?..."warning" as we stared toward the first video of the class with eyes wide open, searching for knowledge in the vast confusion that will be first time parent-hood. There we were, gazing at the screen, learning about the three stages of labor, the coming pain of the "pushing" stage, And (insert sounds of car tires screeching/turntables scratching/etc)....then we get the "money shot" of the baby's head entering the world for the first time as the scary looking stranger on the 80s VHS smiles/pants awkwardly in her pain to say "it doesn't look like a baby"...wow. I mean, the nurse told us that there were some parts that were graphic, but I didn't know that "some parts will be graphic" meant..."Hey Stevo, get ready cause you're about to see what only this poor woman's husband has seen, and even he might not have been able to stomach this..."

However, kidding aside, it was interesting and I felt like we learned alot from the class. I learned that nurses and DRs know a lot, and thank God, because I don't and I could drive myself crazy with all the worry for Kristine and Adler. I also learned that I am a pansy compared to Kristine (I kinda already knew that), and that she will forever have my respect for taking on such a huge task and giving birth to Adler. I can't wait to be there with her when she does. She's so tough and an inspiration to me and is going to be a great Mom.

One thing is for sure though...I think the reason that second time parents do not go back to baby class is not that they've heard it all before, but that they just don't want to see 80s lady's money shot again. I know I don't.

Adler love

Here is a cute pic from my shower. These girls are so dear to me:
Kath, KT, Lauren, Amanda, Kim, and D

mini Babymoon

The Huntons took their last flight as just a couple last weekend. The next time you see Kristine and Stephen on a plane...they will be parents! Last weekend, we went to Houston for a baby shower being thrown by a few of my Mom's close friends. Luckily, we both had Friday off, so we flew out Thursday night. We got in really late, but woke up the next morning ready for our 24 hour babymoon to Galveston. We packed up the car and took off, with a pit stop to meet Emma Kate Wells along the way.

How cute is this?
It was great to see Adam and Katie and their new house. So funny that we're just behind them in becoming parents, as I would have thought it would be longer...but now Emma will clearly have a crush on Adler, so hopefully we'll do a good job of making a gentleman out of him.

So, we drove down to Holiday Beach in Bolivar, TX where my parent's beach house is. It was great to be there on a Friday because no one was really around. So nice to be by ourselves and have a moment of relaxation before the coming whirlwind of parenthood. We hung out down at the beach for a while, took a great walk together that must have been 2 miles round trip. It was such a special time for me to just relax and talk with Kristine, because as we all know, sometimes life gets so crazy that you forget to just walk and talk with your spouse. I'll keep that last beach walk in memory for a long time.
That night we decided to head over to Stingarey, a local seafood restaurant on the bay side of Bolivar. The sunset was awesome and we really enjoyed our meal. Kristine had some stuffed fried shrimp that were awesome. Again, just so much fun to spend time with her...we talked about Adler coming and how crazy it is going to be. The cool part is that we seem to be really unified in our excitement for Adler. What will he look like? Who will take after? All the questions I'm sure every first time parent asks...The next day, we headed back to The Woodlands for Kristine's shower. I was scheduled to "rumble" @ tennis with PT (Patrick, my brother) as he has taken up the sport again and has improved in both the sport and his smack talking. So, he asked for it:
ACE!The shower was great. All of the friends that showed up were so incredibly generous to Kristine and I, and we ended up with a bunch of stuff that we really needed (like the trash can specifically made for POOPIE diapers). Someone told me that babies poop a lot? I don't know if I believe them... just kidding.
Somebody get that baby off the cake?! Oh, it is the cake...

Finally, we ended the weekend with Church and lunch Deyoe style. We stayed at Kristine's house on Saturday night after a great "b-day" dinner for me at my house. (rib, Potatoes, Asparagus, Orange/Curry Salad, GOOD Wine) "YUM" The next morning, we headed to our old church, saw where PT works for the church (the new building for Youth/etc is like the coolest arcade, gym, concert, coffee shop you've ever been to). After that we took in some brunch with the Deyoes and Shelley's boyfriend Jon...we could tell the new guy was pretty nervous, but who wouldn't be in that situation? I remember my first times hanging out with Kristine's parents...but this guy also has the sister's husband there to meet. Extra pressure. (but fun to watch).
Overall, it was a great weekend and great to see friends, but we won't even get into how bad the flight back was...Let's just say that Kristine was a real trooper and I was proud of her for sticking it out.

Adler's First Tennis shirt

It's closer than a month and a half now, and wow....so much has gone on since March, when we found out we were going to be parents. Bodies have grown (as evidenced by Kristine's most recent pic and my sympathy weight pic), a nursery has been completed, showers have been thrown, etc, etc...we're almost there and it's gonna be a wild ride.
Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive of us through friendships, gifts, love, advice, understanding and so on. You're all so great and give us so much hope.

Brain Drain Soup

I recently made the best soup ever. Even Stephen said so, who I think is a really great cook. He even emailed me at work the next day to tell me how great dinner was, which I thought was pretty big time.

This soup came about in the most unusual way. I was trying to be creative with some left over rotisserie chicken from Publix. I saw this episode on the Food Network on how to make a great soup using egg noddles and chicken, so I thought I would give it a try.

Since I already had the egg noodles, I stopped by Publix to pick up a couple things: chicken broth and a can of peas (this fit perfectly into our budget and I was really proud).

I got home, I remembered I had used the egg noodles in a pasta dish last week. (dang! don't you hate when you do that?) When unpacking the grocery bag, I realized I actually grabbed 2 cans of garlic chicken broth and the can of peas I picked up was actually the kind with onion and mushrooms - not what I had intended. This was a case of the baby brain drain.

Jamie and I often talk about this problem. It's when the baby drains your brain power and you can't remember what you were going to say or forget why you were walking into the guest bedroom. It seems to happen more frequently when prego - I think Adler is going to be really smart because I often feel really dumb - so hopefully that means he's getting all the brain cells right now. I'm pretty sure this is a medical fact, by the way.

Anyways, it was time to get creative in the kitchen - if all else fails, order pizza. So, I put on a pot of boiling garlic chicken broth, added torn pieces of the rotisserie chicken, added a strained can of the pea/onion/mushroom mixture and got things boiling. I realized I really needed a starch to go in the soup - noodles would have been perfect! All we had was a box of kous kous. I love kous kous (was introduced to it by our friends, the Vogeltanz) so I figured it couldn't hurt - so I poured about half the box in. It all looked pretty good. I decided to add cut up pieces of steamed carrots from the night before. This added great color. Stephen was in for quite a soup surprise!

I gave it a taste test - pretty good! Not as garlicy and I had anticipated. Dinner was ready! Stephen and I sat down in our usual spot - the couch - and dinner was served. Stephen looked at the soup with suspecting eyes. I pretended not to notice. He moved his spoon around, trying to be complementary and said, "Mmmmm....porridge!"

Okay, I know it was a bit thick (probably should have put in less kous kous), but I had to laugh. The last time I heard the word porridge was watching the movie "Oliver". What the heck is porridge anyways??

Well, to make this already long story short, he took a couple bites and was sold! I actually have plans to make my Brain Drain Soup this week (by request!). So, ladies, if you are looking for a cheap way to surprise and feed your husband, try my special soup. It was a hit in the Hunton house! Enjoy!

Isn't She Lovely??

This is our God-Daughter, Graycen Harper Fountain. She likes french fries, ice, panda bears and laughing at her Uncle Bocch. She is so much fun and will teach us how to be parents to Adler.

John and Misty are her awesome parents. We are so thankful they have already stepped through the "wall of fire" of parenthood so that we have someone to help lead us through (and watch Adler on date nights:))

Thanks Fountains for a fun night out last night!

I love this song, by Stevie Wonder. It reminds me of the Fountains and the incredible love they have for each other and their Gray:

Isnt she lovely
Isnt she wonderfull
Isnt she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isnt she lovely made from love

Isnt she pretty
Truly the angels best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I cant believe what God has done
Through us He's given life to one
But isnt she lovely made from love

Isn't she lovely
Life and love are the same
Life is Aisha
The meaning of her name
Londie, it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
Thats so very lovely made from love

Shower The People You Love With Love

Last weekend was our first ever baby shower! What a way to feel loved by your friends! We had a really great turn-out and really appreciated everyone coming to our party. This is a group picture of the girls - I think missing a few that came later. Stephen's mom also came in town to join us and for some "back-to-school" shopping. We figured that since we are soon-to-be parents, this would be our last and any future "back to school" shopping will be for Adler. I guess you have to let go of somethings as you get older...

We received some really great gifts. Some of the big-ticket items were the car seat (now we can take him home!), high chair, and baby Einstein entertainment center. We also received some great necessity items like fitted crib sheets, ear thermometer (we were glad not to get the booty kind), blankets, hooded bath towels, stuffed animals, and some super cute outfits.


I couldn't help to stop and be thankful for so many great friends in this city. It is hard to believe we have lived here now for 3 years. I had it really great in Texas. I had the dream group of girl friends. These were my sisters - memories starting in 7th grade youth group, growing together through jr. high, high school, and college. I also had great friends I had met in college to add to my super special group. Any girl would be envious of the type of friends I had.

So, it was difficult when I left Texas. I left the greatest circle of friends ever. I remember spending our first year of marriage reading lots of girly books. Anything to feel connected to girls. It was strange living with a boy all of the sudden!

It was amazing to look around and see the love and support of so many people. I love the creative way God has brought each special friendship into our lives. We had friends from every different stage of our 3 years here. I love having old and new friends. The old are stable, consistent, reliable. The new are exciting and refreshing. I find so much joy in mixing these two together.



Thanks so much for your support of our family! We appreciate you all so much!

Is this really happening?

Wow, it's September and Adler is coming in November!!! I remember when Kristine and I found out we were pregnant on March 11th. It has flown by, and so much of me feels still like this is new and crazy. March 11th was hysterical though...Kristine had just had a birthday on the 9th and went out with the girls on Saturday for some much needed female bonding. They tasted some wines at a very cool spot in Vinnings "The Grape". I remember her getting back to the house and wanting to take a pregnancy test. I guess the girls had all been talking and got her worked up, cause there was no way that we were pregnant...but anyway, let's take the test just to confirm that you're still not pregnant and then we can sleep tonight....ERRRR...what's this faint light pink line I see???? UHH, take another one...OH my, it's darker pink....HMMM...(insert 10 minutes of Stephen heading over to Publix to buy the most expensive version of the pregnancy test - surely the cheap ones were wrong)...OH, both of these were practically hot pink lines? wow. we're pregnant.

So after the confusion slightly passed and the hugs halted we went to Doc Chey's to eat for three. This was the funniest part of the entire night, because we sat there is disbelief and could barely talk at the table because we were both completely at a loss of what to say. So many emotions all at once:

Are we ready?
Can we afford it?
I'm going to be a Dad!
I'm going to be a Dad?
Are we ready?
Can we afford it?

We then finished the night by randomly dropping by our friends' "The Claytons" house because 1) we needed someone praying for our sanity and 2) we probably were scared to go home and sit there mulling over the future...it was a great decision because they really put us at ease with their positivity. "Thanks Claytons!"

So now, it's 2 months away...Kristine and I are closer to being ready for Adler, but there are still things to take care of. Things I can't believe I have to do at 26 years old to prepare for a child. It's scary sometimes, because I know that there will be so many hard things about being a parent. BUT, there are so many things I'm excited about, so many things I can't believe I get to do at 27 years old (10/7 is the b-day, presents can be sent to 591 M. Gerizim :)

So, my prayer for The Huntons today is that God focuses our eyes on the positives, on the blessings he is preparing for us through the arrival of Adler and that the negatives will just be the things that we can't even see because of the blinding light and joy that God will provide with this gift.\

Labor of Love Weekend

How was your Labor Day weekend?

Stephen and I spent the weekend working on Adler's room. I have spent so much time thinking about where he will be sleeping, eating and pooing for the first months of his life. In collecting the things we loved for his space, we leaned less towards the "baby" themed rooms and more on the "trendy baby" side. The colors we picked just so happened to be Target's colors for the "back to school" season. So, basically his room looks more like a dorm room, but we love it.

My two big projects were the curtains and a piece of artwork I did using an old window frame. I have a notebook of drawings, measurements, prices, etc. All to create the perfect room for our Adler.

I have discovered this is how I make life decisions. I think, contemplate and talk to people about my different options. I weigh every decision - I will do as much research and information collecting it takes so that I feel that I am making the best choice. Finally, when I am ready to make a move - it all comes very easily and quickly to me because I have executed this a million times already in my head. Unfortunately, life doesn't always give you this much time to make decisions.

I have at least 3 more projects brewing in my head:
1) shelves - Stephen's dad is coming in town this weekend and I have charged them with building floating shelves for the walls.
2) chair covered - I have already bought the fabric (orange polka dot fabric on chair in pic), I am having someone come by to pick up the fabric and cushions Friday
3) SOMETHING above the crib.....this is where my brain is stuck
4) Okay, I said 3, but I'd really like to do some sort of organizing with the closet, but this can wait for a while



The first picture is of the curtains - you can see my Martha Stewart skills at their finest! My friend, Jamie, was a big help in the design. This was my first attempt to sew curtains. I thought it would be hard seeing as how most of my sewing projects stick to the pillow and button repairing levels. But I figured out that if you can sew a straight line - or even somewhat straight - you can sew a lot of stuff!



The second picture is of the window frame I decorated. I found this frame in the front of an old house they were renovating near my office. The people there gave this window to me for free. It sat in my garage for a long time while I thought about what I was going to do with it. Finally, I came up with the idea to create these little animals using felt. The total cost for making this was about $31. The felt and yarn was $6. A can of paint was $10. The letter "A" was a big splurge from Anthropologie for a cost of $15. It all turned out pretty decent!

So, it was our Labor of Love weekend. I had to stop and think - just what lengths does our Heavenly Father go to prepare life for us? I was reminded of Luke 11:13. "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

I have become all consumed by ways I can create the best for Adler. Christ has this same desire for us - but even more so than we are even capable of understanding or giving. How much do we miss out on by just not asking?

Prego Thoughts

I'm 30 weeks pregnant today. Only 10 more weeks to go! This is a picture of me and my friend Jamie (6 weeks ahead of me) at her baby shower.

My pregnancy book tells me Adler is 3lbs. Crown to rump, he is a little over 10 3/4 inches and total length is 17 inches!
I can tell you, he is definitely getting crowded in there. It also tells me I should gain about 1 lb a week from here on out!

A baby born between the 38th and 42nd weeks of pregnancy is considered full term. Babies born prematurely usually weigh less than 5 1/2 lbs. So, it seems Adler will be packing on the lbs in the next couple weeks - it's like he's just baking in there for the last 2 1/2 months.

Stephen asked me the other day how I've liked being pregnant. I feel like it's one of those things that a year from now I'll say, "O, I loved being pregnant". Here are some of my thoughts on the matter. I will use the Tri Delta rush method of pro-con-pro.

So, first let me start by saying I am completely honored that God has blessed Stephen and me with the charge of parenthood. In so many ways, I feel inadequate and ill prepared, but it only makes my need for my Father greater and deepens my desire to know and cling to Him.

However, in gaining 25lbs, developing a protruding stomach, and entering the world of bottles (angled or non), nipples (flat or rounded), and wipes (to warm or not to warm) you have to find some humor. Here are my thoughts on things to complain about being pregnant and things to love...

My complaints:
1) The knocked up teenager stare - OK, so I know that pre-pregnancy I look pretty young for my age. In volunteering with Young Life, I often get mistaken for a student rather than the 26 year old I am. When paying to enter the high school games, the moms always charge me the student rate - I always have to awkwardly tell them I am an adult. Anyways, in the past month, my fingers and even wrists have gotten swollen. I can't wear any rings, bracelets, or even my favorite watch. This leads to the "knocked up teenager stare" by strangers. I can often follow people's eyes from my swollen belly to my naked finger. I love to watch how they choose to react. I know I could buy a cheap fake ring to avoid these looks, but a part of me thinks it's kind of funny and I kinda like to make these people wonder.

2) The fish bowl effect - I came up with that phrase all by myself because this is how I describe what it feels like to be pregnant. Overall, my body feels normal - if I'm distracted by something for a while, I'll forget I'm prego for a second. The fish bowl effect comes into play mostly in mobility - getting up and down from sitting - and especially getting out of bed. Bottom line, your sense of gravity/balance seems to be thrown off. Being prego, you can only sleep on your sides at night. I constantly feel like a pancake, having to flip over as one side gets achy. I can feel Adler's weight shifting as I shift - he'll often kick in complaint of my new sleeping position. Moving around, it just feels like a fish bowl.

3) The "I didn't wear that yesterday" method - If I did not wear an article of clothing to work the day before, it is fair play for creating the current day's wardrobe. I have adopted this method because I have discovered that buying pregnant clothes is futile. I went on a mini prego shopping spree about a month ago. I bought a skirt, a couple tops, and a pair of fantastic capri maternity pants. For the most part, none of these clothes fit anymore. I tried to hang on to the capri pants for as long as possible. Even though one of the two buttons was already broken, I would try to salvage the last button, clinging on for it's life, by unbuttoning my pants when driving/ or sitting at my desk for a long period of time. Finally, I had to face the reality it was time to retire the pants when even slouching them below my stomach, they would no longer reach across. At this point, I am caring less and less about my pregnancy wardrobe. However, I put this in the "complaints" section because I imagine this is more of a complaint coming from my coworkers. (not that shirt again!) I work for a non-profit group - we currently don't have a "dress code". But in the past 2 weeks, I have heard rumors of one being created. I can only imagine it is because of my 'flip-flop-just-wore-that-2-days-ago" wardrobe.

My joys: (tired of hearing my complaining yet?)
1) E-gad! My butt has shrunk!! - I realize this is not reality, but an illusion created as my stomach continues to get bigger and bigger, but I don't care. When getting dressed, less of my worry and attention is on my butt. I love it! It has definitely become overshadowed by the attention grabbing belly and for this, I am thankful. This may be the only time in my life I haven't wondered "does this make my butt look big?"

2) People are nicer to pregnant women - This has definitely been the case in my experience. A good place to be pregnant is in any kind of line. People want to let you ahead of them - bathroom lines, lines for food, grocery store - it's great! I always accept theses gestures because I know they won't last long. I only wish there was some kind of sticker you could put on your car so people would give you their parking spots. This is when I get mad. "I'm pregnant! Why can't you give me this prime spot??"

3) If all else fails, pull out the pregnancy card - I will admit that I have been pretty good about not abusing the pregnancy card at work. My boss has been very supportive and understanding especially in the beginning when I would be late to work due to a headache or upset stomach. But it's always nice to know, when you run out of excuses like "my dog ate my alarm clock", you can always blame the pregnancy. This is the case not only for work, but for any social gathering you are dreading. It is always great to blame for any kind of moodiness or harsh words you didn't mean. It is also the only time in your life you have an excuse for eating 2 pieces of cake instead of one (you are eating for two). I have lived the past 30 weeks more guilt free than probably any other time. Tired? Take a nap! Your pregnant!

Well, this has become quite the blog. I promise to not let future blogs get this long. Overall, being pregnant has been a great experience. I am so thankful for such great health for myself and Adler. The most miraculous thing has been being completely out of control of the development of Adler and having to trust Christ as He knits together each detail. I hope to continue this learning experience into Adler's life outside of the womb and try not to control his every life experience, but to trust Christ with the life he has for our son!

PT came to town

Well, Patrick rolled into town yesterday for his short visit, but we had a really good time. Kristine was able to get PT and I free tickets to the last Atlanta Falcons pre-season game, so we headed out that way and got a taste of the NFL in Hotlanta. Let's just say it's a bit different than walking into Reliant Stadium for a Texans game. Not only are we both spoiled with the club level in Houston, but the stadium is brand new. In Atlanta we parked a ways away and walked with the masses all the way to the Georgia Superdome, got to the game and found our seats, which were actually pretty good.

The funny part of the game was that not only the players seemed to be in pre-season mode, but the announcers, flag runners, firework crew, etc...everyone was off their game just a bit. When the Falcons scored their first touchdown on the first possession, the fireworks went off...BUT, keep in mind that we're in an extremely well lit dome? Fireworks just are not impressive when exploding into a bright room...but the perfect smoke circle from the explosion was cool. :)

Dinner was expensive..."Super Dog" was $5 and the "Big Beer" was $7.75...also, I think it should be illegal to call a hot dog "Super" if it does not come with Chili and Cheese on it. Just a thought.

We stayed for the first half and then decided that none of the good players would ever grace the field that night, so we headed out just as the two high school teams took the field for their half time scrimmage. On the first play, one team's running back broke a 60-yard run for a touchdown...not only was it probably the highlight of his life, but definitely the best play we saw that evening...it was awesome.

We headed home, all the while realizing why it's better to pay the $20 to park near the stadium...our $10 parking required us to walk through some "less attractive" areas of Down Down-town Atlanta, as well as talking to some friends along the way who politely asked for money to get some Micky D's. But we made it. :)

At home, Patrick and I stayed up to watch, what should have been a 3 set victory by Andre Agassi in the US Open, but instead turned into one of the great 5 setters I've ever seen. It ended at 1am and so did our day. Thanks PT for stoppin by!

Meet Adler Hunton

Meet our Adler Hunton! Age 20 weeks (in this pic)! This is the very day we found out we were having a boy! Here he is waving hi to you...

What an exciting day it was. If you have had the amazing experience of seeing the miracle of a baby moving inside of you or your wife, then you understand. If you have yet to had this experience, then you have so much to look forward to! The most beautiful thing was the spine - I know that sounds weird, but it was amazing! You see every single detail..it was absolutely one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced. I can only imagine what birth will be like. Hopefully, they will have the epidural juices flowing :)

Today, Adler is 29 1/2 weeks. We had a dr's appointment today. Dad came too. We met a new doctor in our practice. First, she was running an hour behind - then they brought us into the room where we waited probably an additional 20 minutes. Don't you love moving from the waiting room, just to be brought to a smaller waiting room? It was a bit maddening. Anyways, she did the quick stomach measurements, baby heart beat listening (always very cool), and that was it!

One of my favorite experiences of our waiting is when Stephen began admiring the children's artwork in the room. He noticed one child's crayon drawing of an ant family. Above the picture were the words "I love singing The Ants Go Marching". Stephen read this outloud and then asked me, "Dave Matthews?". HA! I love it! He will be the world's cutest dad. You should see him with our God-child, Graycen. He adores her, and you can tell she loves his attention!

We are excited for what God is doing and the amazing person He is creating!