Who wants to know???

Well, we went to the doctor today for our 19-week ultrasound.  Our appointment was at 1:15.  We got in to the tech at about 2:15.  Apparently, everybody wanted to see their babies today.

So these are the two onesies I purchased the other day...specifically so I could do a fun little blog post about them.  Wow...it's come to that.  First, I start taking pictures set up especially for scrapbooking.  Now I'm buying things directly for my blog.

Hey!  Maybe this means I'll start writing on it more!  (Don't I wish?)

(Did anyone else hear that "Don't I wish" in Gwyneth Paltrow's voice?  No?  That was just me?  Okay.  Note to self:  stop watching View From the Top.)

ANYWAY...where was I?  Oh yes!  We went to the doctor.  I bought onesies.  Here's a pic:


Now...any guesses as to what we're having?  Which one I'll keep and which one I'll either take back or give to my sister-in-law who may or may not be having whichever one we didn't have?  Okay...got it in your mind?  Keep it there for a second...focus on your answer...hold it....hold it....

We interrupt this blog entry to bring you a quick commercial!  Is there anyone out there who has NOT tried Groupon yet?  It's the most fabulous way to save some doll-uhs on restaurants, massages, etc. around your fine town!  Have a coupon emailed to you everyday!


And right now, if you join under this link, you will not only give me a $15 referral bonus, but you'll get $5 in bonus cash after your first purchase!  And LOTS of the offers on Groupon are for around $10, so after you've bought one, you're halfway there to the second!  So please...for your sake...for your DAUGHTER'S sake...(name the movie)....join Groupon now!  Click here!


We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled blog entry.

Still have that answer in your brain?  Because heeeeeeeeeeeeere's the answer!

That's right!  We're having a baby girl!

See?

 Here's a couple more pics of the cutie-patootey:

Ugh!  Isn't she precious???  I think she has my nose.

Well, there you have it!  Our big news for the holiday season!  We're going to Chili's to celebrate tonight.  Can't wait to get me some of those deeeeeeee-lish-us chips!

Good Golly That's a Great Deal!

Who's excited about shopping on Friday?  Does everyone get up early and go stand in line?  I'll admit, I've done it the last few years (even took Had with me when she was a wee babe), and I do enjoy snagging some extra-deep savings!

However, this year I may not have the energy.  After cooking all day on Thursday (and growing a human in my not-so-tight abs), I may be just too wiped out.  But fear not...I shall be attempting to log on to the interwebs and find some sweet deals!

Want one a little early to help you out this Christmas season?  Do you shop online?  Do you use Amazon to do said shopping online?  Well, hold onto your hats...I have a doozy of a deal!

Right now, in preparation for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, Amazon is offering a free Amazon Prime account for parents and students!  For those of you who have no idea the value, let me just put it out there:

Free 2-day shipping

$3.99 next-day shipping

Does that whet your shopping whistle?  I had to jump at the chance for it!

It's not a full subscription...it's good for three months, unless you purchase things in the baby store, like diapers at 30% off, which can add months to your free-shipping benefits.

But three months of free 2-day shipping and uber-cheap next-day shipping is EXCELLENT, when it's right before Christmas (and your son's birthday happens to be exactly one month after Christmas)!

Here's a little info about it, along with the links, that I received in a "Black Friday" email:

Just in time for their Black Friday sale, Amazon.com is offering a free subscription to Amazon Prime for students and parents. For those unfamiliar with Amazon.com Prime, with it you can receive free 2-day shipping on any order, without any minimums. Plus, Prime members also enjoy next day shipping for $3.99 per item. We view Amazon.com Prime as an excellent way to receive the products in your order quickly and free of charge. With Amazon.com having some of the lowest prices around, free shipping, and no sales tax (in most states), they are making a strong case for you to shop there this holiday season.

If you are a student and want to sign up for Amazon.com Prime, go to:
http://www.blackfriday.info/go/300

If you are a primary caregiver of children and want to sign up for Amazon.com Prime, go to:
http://www.blackfriday.info/go/299


And here's some FAQ's regarding the Amazon Mom side (not sure the stipulations of the student side)

Hope you all can take advantage!


Happy Thanksgiving...countdown to turkey is 3 days!!!

Our big news...in case you missed the memo!

Hadley has some news to share with you:

 

 Did you catch that?  No?  Let's take a closer look:


Towards the end of August, I started feeling a bit more tired than usual.

Strange?  No...I have a 4 1/2-year-old and a 2-year-old.  Tired comes with the territory.  Like right now...I barely have the energy to type out this post.  But I'm committed now...I gotta see it through!

So I did what you do on the little stick and lo and behold, there was a cross instead of a minus!

As this is now our fourth pregnancy (and only two kiddos...you do the math), I was very hesitant to spread the word so early, but since the grandparents' birthdays are all so close together, it seemed like the opportune time to tell them.

First was Pappy and Nana (Pappy's birthday is August 30).  We made the shirt for Hadley to wear and our test was to see how long it took to register what it meant.  Nana's reaction is about 10 minutes after I put the shirt on Hadley.






Next was Grami's turn.  Her birthday was the very next week (Sept. 6), so we headed to her house for Labor Day/b-day fun.  Her reaction was a bit quicker:





Next was Grandma's (my mom) turn.  I should note here that, due to pregnancy brain, I thought it would be a great way to tell Daddy the day I found out by having J.J. walk over to him and give him the little stick.  Did it occur to me in that swift, 3-second decision that letting a 4-year-old know he's going to be a big brother and then expecting him not to tell anyone would be pretty tough?  Nope.  Didn't even cross my mind.

But the only person he really wanted to tell was his BFF Mia-Kate, so we weren't too worried.  And he did SO well!  He never said a word to Nana & Pappy until we told them.  He never uttered a peep to Grami & Grandpa Mike until they already knew.  He even kept it a secret from all his church and school buddies!  (Due to a doctor's appointment conflicting with his need to be picked up from school, he did get to tell Mia-Kate, because her mom already knew)

Then came Mom's birthday (Sept. 9).  We had spent almost the entire day with her...ate lunch w/ her, played outside in the backyard with her...with no hint of the news escaping his lips.  No sooner had I gone in to Hadley's room to get her up from her nap and put the shirt on her, did Johnny come home from work, walk by the back door and hear J.J. say to my mom, "Did you know Hadley's going to be a big sister?"

Two minutes.  The kid held it in for two weeks and those last two minutes he couldn't take it any longer.

Thus the lack of a surprise picture of my mom.

So there you have it!  We are expecting a new little Hughes sometime late in April.  The actual due date is April 28, but as I'll be having another c-section, the little one will make his or her debut the week before.

Will we find out what we're having?  YES!  We are not ones to wait (okay...I'M not one to wait...Johnny would be fine if we did).  We have the ultrasound on November 30 so I'll be sure and (try to remember to) post that little tidbit sometime that week.

No names picked out yet...we kind of used up all our good ideas with the first two!  :)  But you know we'll find something cute.

I personally like Sandrine.

Or James...but only if it's a girl.

The Best Things in Life Are Free, or Why I Love Shutterfly!

Recently, because I have the blessing of a friend like Julie who is always in the know about the best in frugal finds on the interwebs, I was directed to a link that would bless me even more this holiday season!

That's right...50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly!  As a girl who considers herself to be quite the creative holiday photo maker (courtesy of Photoshop Elements, that is!), I always strive to save a few bucks by making the cards myself.  However this year, due to our impending arrival, I have opted to try and make my life as simple as possible...and what better way to do that than simply selecting one of the hundreds of beautiful cards the fine folks at Shutterfly have available?

Now...the big decision is whether to emulate Julie even more and send out Thanksgiving cards, stick with the traditional Christmas cards, or do what I did last year (because I was overwhelmed by two kids, 800 Christmases, a new DSLR camera--which pic to use????--and a Christmas Eve blizzard) and send out New Year's cards!

That will probably depend on whether or not we decide to get family pictures taken.  But that's not important right now.

What IS important is that you all take a moment and go check out the fabulous selection that Shutterfly has to offer in the photo card milieu.  And if you're feeling wordy, like me, go check out whether you want to try your hand at spreading the word about this fabulous deal by following this link.

 Oh...and while you're at it, why don't you consider uploading your photos to Shutterfly as a back-up to your current photo-storage method!  With unlimited storage (they never delete photos) and multiple print options, it's a fine choice!  Plus you can make cool gifts like wall calendars and photo books and all your pictures are already right there!