22 Weeks- We are Thankful!

We went to the doctor for our monthly visit last Wednesday before heading out of town. Everything looked great and the dr. said that I am progressing beautifully! I know it's hard to believe, but I have only gained 7 pounds since I found out I was pregnant! I know that number will increase, but I am super happy about that right now! Hudson's heartbeat was great- 156bpm. On our next visit (Dec. 30), we will get to have another ultrasound to see how he's growing! :) He's becoming quite the little soccer player in by belly. It's always comforting to feel those movements, it lets me know that he's still in there cooking! :)

After our dr. appointment, Travis went back to work while I loaded up the car to go to SETX. He got off a little early and we headed out. For the most part, the dogs were very well behaved in the car (Snuggles is not a fan of her crate), and once we made it past Houston construction, the trip went quickly! My mom had yummy gumbo waiting for us at my parents house. We got up on Thursday and drove to Lufkin to visit with my mom's and dad's families for Thanksgiving. We made sure that we were back in Silsbee by 7:00 to watch the game. I was definitely stressed during the game, but I'm so proud of the Longhorns for rising above and coming up with a win. Good fight, aggies. Now on to the Big 12 Championship!!

My mom and I planned our shopping strategy for Black Friday and we were nuts and decided to get up at 3:00 am to grab some door busters! After stops at HEB Plus, Sears, JCPenney's and Target, we headed home with our loot at 6:30am to eat breakfast, take a nap and wait to meet up with my grandmother and aunt. We headed back into town at 10:30 and went to the Mall, Ross, Bed Bath and Beyond and Kohl's before finally heading home at 5:00! I was exhausted. We had a good time with my brother and his girlfriend, Maria. We love her, she is so good for Dustin!! :)

On Saturday, we slept in and headed to Travis' parents for lunch on our way back to Austin. It was good to see his family there and get some yummy food again! We made it back to Austin around 6:45pm, unloaded the car, unpacked and sorted through all of Hudson's new stuff from Uncle Bil, Aunt Wendy and Mike (thanks so much!). It was great to be at Bannockburn on Sunday, and we had a relaxing afternoon. I'm now looking forward to Girl's Night tonight and all of the Christmas parties that wills start next week! Three more weeks until two weeks off of work! :) Also, please pray for a possible teaching position that may be on the horizon. I'll give more details later if anything comes of it.

Hudson at 22 Weeks:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.