Christmas and the New Year!

(Audrey and Grammy)


Christmas has been a whirlwind for the Simcox household. It came, went and kept going without us really knowing. Although it passed us in such a flurry we had a great time with our relatives.

This Christmas we spent our time with my family in Waco. We got to visit with my grandfather, my brother and sister-n-law and my two cousins! We all stayed with my parents and man were we packed!

The evening we came back to Tyler our other family that lives in Houston came to see us on their way home from Texarkana. We were glad to see them even though our time was so short :( .

For the New Years eve we had some friends over and played games til the "Ball Dropped" and then we pretty much called it quits.

(Audrey, Great Grandma, Mimi, Kylie and Papa)

Simcox update: I am starting to work again as an independent Jeweler for Premier Designs. I am so excited about what I will be doing. Just ask me and I will tell you more about what I will be doing....

(Matthew, Me, Audrey)

Audrey update: I am now holding my head up pretty good although a little wobbly. I am really starting to engage in conversations and I love giggling and smiling! (Audrey)

Go, Go, Go...

Well I guess I should give everyone an update! Especially when I get anonymous comments requesting updating. Where do I start....
Well I know that Thanksgiving has been some weeks ago but I will start there and work my way back and forth.

For Thanksgiving we went to see our Simcox family in Houston. We drove in late Wednesday night and stayed through Saturday. Audrey's cousins were so excited to see her and hold her! Trystyn (6), Caleb (5) and Kylie (then 3) bought Matthew, Audrey and myself Christmas presents to give while we were there. They were so excited about what they had bought for us that they told us Thursday morning, first thing what our presents were. We did not know they were going to give us Christmas presents so we were a little confused about why they kept saying: "Trystyn bought Uncle Matthew a black and green kitty, Caleb bought Aunt Becca a doll with a blue dress and Kylie bought baby Audrey a doll with an aqua dress". Let me tell you, those were some presents! Of course Audrey's Mimi and Papa loved holding her and admiring her!

About a week before Thanksgiving, our church, Shiloh road, threw us a Diaper Shower. I had never been to a diaper shower before, but after taking care of our little girl for a couple of months I knew that diapers were very important! We were so blessed by our church family. They gave us hundreds of dollars worth in presents and we will not be in need for diapers for some time! Our dear friend Bekah organized the affair and even made us a huge diaper cake (see pictures for details).

Most recently Audrey has been able to meet two of her great-grandparents. On Tuesday she surprised her Great-Grandma Famie for dinner in Gladewater, and then Wednesday, Audrey's Great-Grandpoppy came into town to visit for a couple of days. Both great-grandparents are smitten with her. If anyone knows my grandfather, Poppy, they will know that he proposed to me when I was five and I turned him down. I said to him, "But Poppy, you already got one redhead" (my grandmother). Well he has not wasted any time in asking Audrey if she will marry him, and all she says/does is smile!

Audrey update: I am almost three months old and I am getting more and more active. I love to play with my ladybugs.

All Smiles

Audrey is now 8 weeks / 2 months old! She has changed alot since her birth. We are really enjoying her more and more each day. In the past two weeks she has started smiling and giggling at her mommy and daddy. We are really looking forward to spending the holidays with our families. I have read that around three months babies start to really engage with others and it will be fun to see her respond to her grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousins and friends.

I take after my Mummy!

(Audrey is Trick or Treating)
For a first Halloween this girl had a lot of social events! On Sunday night our church hosted a Trunk r' Treat event for the church and neighborhood. People signed up to decorate their car trunk and pass out candy in the church parking lot. There was a great turn out and some pretty neat cars. Unfortunately, Audrey slept through all of it...better luck next year.
Then for Halloween we were invited over to some friends house to eat chili, pass out candy and play games. Audrey was the only kid invited to the party! Her Halloween costume was a little outfit that had a little girl mummy next to a mommy mummy and her outfit read "I take after my mummy!" Most of the day leading up to the party Audrey was pretty fussy, so that night she was not in much better SPIRITS. Hope you enjoy these great pictures! (Trunk r' Treat: Do you think Matthew is more scared than Audrey by the witch?)

Hayrides and Hands

This past weekend we took Audrey to her first hayride and fall festival. A couple from our church hosted a hayride party out at there land. Before we left I made sure that we dressed Audrey in warm clothes and that she was ready for picture taking.
I was not sure if I was going to take Audrey on a hayride but I was sure that I wanted to go. We had a Snuggly pouch that we carried her in and everyone oohed and awed over her. We kept waiting for an opportune time to take pictures of Audrey in the hay. Finally the trailer with the hay in it stopped so we decided to get some pictures. Well not long after we got on the trailer for our photo shoot, several people hopped on ready for another hayride and the next thing we knew all three of us were bouncing along.
Audrey's face was so cute...each time the trailer bounced she would make a surprised face. Finally she became accustomed to the bumps and started falling asleep. Matthew and I were not too sure if the hayride was such a good idea to take a one month old on. When we got towards the end of the ride we went over a really big bump and were jostled a good three inches in the air, so then we decided to get off quickly. We were sure that we had caused our sweet baby to have a concussion or some type of serious brain injury but she was just fine.

Audrey's Developement: She has now found out that she has hands! Last night I was perplexed by the sound of smacking coming from her bed. I looked into her bassinet and saw that she was going to town sucking her hands. Her sight has also greatly improved. She will now follow our movements with her eyes when we are moving about the room.

(Audrey is sucking on her sweater)

4 Week old Wildcat!

This weekend is our Alumni's homecoming. We are unable to attend the celebration activities due to having such a wee one but our thoughts are with our team the ACU Wildcats. In honor of their game I dressed Audrey up in her first football team paraphernalia!
Things are going great with Audrey and we are really enjoying the fall weather we are getting. Each day, taking care of Audrey seems to get easier but then we get a curve ball every now and then. Although we are technically not supposed to take Audrey out until she is 6 weeks old we have quickly gotten accustomed to breaking that rule. It is so hard to stay locked up for 6 weeks. We are taking short trips to do errands, go for walks and to go out to eat. All this fresh air does not seem to be bothering Audrey at all and she is gaining weight at a steady pace.
Around the time that Halloween roles around will be the end of our "confinement" so to speak. We are looking forward to really getting out and about at that point.

Audrey's Wellness Check-up

(Audrey in her pretty, pink bouncer)

It sure has been a whirlwind since Audrey's arrival. Matthew and I have been surprised at how many people want to see Audrey and share in her birth. We knew we had lots of friends and family who supported us, we just didn't realize to what extent they loved us!

We are really impressed at what a good baby Audrey has been. We were expecting much worse from her as far as being fussy and hard to soothe. Don't get me wrong she has her times when her gas is getting the best of her but on the whole she is pretty easy.

On Monday I took her in to see her Doctor for her first visit. I was surprised when they called her name for us to come back to the exam room. I am not used to hearing people calling her name out! The doctor said that most breastfed babies lose 10% of their birth weight in the first week, so we were expecting her to weigh around 7.5 lbs. She weighed a whopping 8 lbs. We are so proud of her growth and health! Please continue to keep us in your prayers: for a good schedule and continued health.

Audrey's Here!

(Matthew and I before inducing)

Monday we went to the hospital around 5:30 a.m. to start induction. By the time we got settled into the labor and delivery room and started the Pitocin drip it was 7:30. My good friend, Jeanne, was with us all of last week to be with us when I went into labor. Sadly to say she had to go back home the same morning we were induced, so she was not with us when Audrey finally came.


(Me and Jeanne)
So from 7:30 a.m. to 6:42 p.m. (to be exact), I was in labor! Yikes! Labor was managable until I got to the harder phases. The only medication that I had was a pain medicine adminstered through I.V. but by the time Audrey came out it had been at least an hour and a half that I was without pain killers. I thought that labor would never end but I owe my successful labor to my wonderful husband, Matthew. He was there with me through it all (for the most part except when he went and ate). He would breathe with me, let me squeeze his hand as hard as I could and would quote scriptures to me.

I cannot describe the relief I felt when Audrey finally came out. We were so overwhelmed at coming through the labor and more importantly, having this new little girl that we had created.
We still cannot get over how marvelous she is and how much in love we are with her.
Now that I am home and the birthing high is over...I don't feel like my old pregnant self or my old self. But when I think about all the stuff that I went through and how don't feel up to par, I remember that little Audrey was worth it all.

(Matthew and his daughter, Audrey)

40 Weeks and Pushing On...

(Audrey's face: Vertically facing with cute nose in center)


Well folks, since the last time I posted I was hoping for a baby any day but our sweet Audrey is enjoying her hotel stay. Today we had our 40 week check up 2 days after the due date...still no budging. We discussed with our doctor what our options were. We decided that for the health of the baby and myself we would seek inducement next week if the hospital had any openings.

While I got strapped up to a fetal monitor to see what the activity level of Audrey was like, our doctor found out that our hospital had an opening first thing Monday morning. The fetal monitoring consists of tracking the baby's heart rate and movement rate at the same time. Our doctor was looking for three spike heart rates within 20 minutes, corresponding to the baby's movement. During a 30 minute span the fetal activity had only spiked once. So our doctor called for a Biophysical Profile test, a sonogram. At this point we were getting a little anxious about our baby's health but once the sonogram was underway we were reassured that she was just sleeping and displayed normal activity.

Then they took our money for the sonogram. So we are scheduled for inducement first thing Monday morning....if Audrey does not come sooner. Please keep this situation in your prayers and for God's guidance.









(Audrey's face: Vertically facing, kind of smooshed)

39 Weeks...Will it Ever End!

Several of you who are regular visitors to my sight are wondering...is the baby here yet? "Surely the baby has come and I just haven't heard!" Well, I am sorry to say, for myself mostly, that Audrey is still not here yet. (You would definitely know if she was!)

The due date is set for this next Tuesday, the 12th of September. A day that will live in...
my memory until a new day replaces it, the day that Audrey comes of course. All I want is for her to come when she is good and ready to come. However I might mention some fine print: when I go 2 weeks past the due date, then I will look into induction.

It is not so much that I am getting uncomfortable with my pregnant body, I have learned to live with it and even accept it. No, I am just ready to have this baby that we have been planning for, praying for and anxiously expecting. About 3 weeks ago I was pretty nervous about Audrey coming because I felt so unready. But now we have the nursery finished (check), all of her clothes washed (check) the various baby items assembled (check), her baby bag packed (check), the car seat assembled in the car (check), and my bags packed (double check).

The only real major dilemna is that I am going out of my mind waiting!

However, on a slightly different avenue, Audrey's delayed arrival has given us some much needed time to sort out our new insurance. As of the first of September we were officially covered by Matthew's insurance (even though we had not heard from the insurance company). We thought we'd give them a call and make sure that we were all ready for the hospital visit. Come to find out they had no record of us : { . So very quickly we jumped on the ball to get our insurance information and find out exactly what our new insurance covered. The hospital we had done all our childbirthing preparation with and the one we were planning on delivering at, was NOT covered by our new insurance. SHOCK, SHOCK! So hopefully we will get everything cleared and ironed out for our little Audrey's arrival. (Doesn't God work in mysterious ways!)

37 Weeks and Holding...

Audrey's Nursery (my mom made the curtain and dust ruffle; Amanda made the "Audrey's Room" sign).



Yesterday was my first "Once-a-week" visit to the doctor. This was the first appointment where the doctor checked to see if I had dilated yet. At week 37 the baby is considered full term, so Audrey could come anytime now. Although she is ready to come out of the oven, I have still not dilated yet and I am not in any hurry.

Saturday my mom came up to Tyler to help me finish the baby room and get last minute items. My mom is probably more excited about Audrey's arrival than I am (She has nothing to worry about: she does not have to go through pain and she knows what it is like having a kids). Since we have finished the baby room, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I am not as scared about Audrey coming as I had felt. I still feel like there is so much I still need to do but I know that I will never be completely ready for a new baby.


Audrey's Crib (I painted her name)



The doctor said that I was measuring about 38 centimeters at week 37. I had gained two pounds in the past week and Audrey is in position for coming out. A little over a week ago I started experiencing menstrual type cramping and the doctor said that these cramps can be considered false contractions. He keeps reminding me that if the cramping is intense and does not go away with change in position or by eating something, then I should go to the hospital. It is really neat to think that we could have a little baby here at anytime. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Ladybug Shower

Me and my hostesses (Dene, Amanda, Brooke, Janet, Cheri, Lauren not in picture)

A couple of weekends ago I had the last baby shower before the baby comes. It was the blowout baby shower of the summer! My Mom and a close friend Amanda, headed up the shower with the help of four other ladies. Since the shower was at my Mom's house and I was staying with her that weekend, I got to see the behind the scenes work that went into this awesome baby shower.
The first two baby showers I had were kind of early in the pregnancy and we did not know exactly how we wanted to decorate the baby's room . For this last shower we had already picked a theme and were running with full force in the the direction of "Ladybugs". So it was neat to have a baby shower that was centered around ladybugs and to see what kind of odds and ends others had picked out to decorate with.
At the shower we had games, food, and lots of friends. I just want to take a quick moment to thank all of you who helped with the baby shower and all the effort and love that went into such a great party. I also want to thank all of you for the sweet baby gifts.


(My Mother-n-Law, Me and my Mom)

There are rare occasions where you will be in the middle of an event and realize that "this is a special moment I will remember for the rest of my life", well this baby shower was one of those moments for me.

Baby report: We are at 36 weeks and counting! Audrey will be here in about 4 weeks give or take. We are taking birthing classes, getting a pediatrician squared away, assembling all the necessary baby items, and getting very excited/nervous about meeting and seeing our little girl.

Our Little Cutie!

Audrey's face: lips are open with nose above, hand is kind of hidding chin.

We have found a doctor in Tyler and have started child-birthing classes. We are really pleased with our new doctor and the technology and efficiency of the office staff.
On Monday we had our first appointment with our new doctor. We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat. We voiced our concern of a low lying placenta that was seen at our last sonogram, so our doctor scheduled for us to come in for another sonogram today to get information on the status of our baby.
Audrey's face: you can see chubby cheeks, hand / foot still blocking chin area!

Every time I see a sonogram of our baby I am amazed at the technology of our times and of the miracle of the baby inside me. It was re-confirmed that our baby is 100% girl and that she is healthy. The person performing the sonogram checked out baby Audrey's organs and vital signs. It was awesome to see how her body had progressed since our last sonogram. Her bones looked stronger and she looked like she was really filling out to be a plump baby.
Matthew said she had chubby cheeks like me and that it would be hard for those cheeks to fit through the birth canal. I think she has Matthew's forehead...Big! We are both ecstatic and proud of our little girl.
Audrey's face: She's kind of all squished up (placenta is half circle to left of face).

I never imagined myself going to a birthing class but here we are doing the new parent thing. The class was just like they portray them on TV. We practiced breathing through fake labor pains. We learned how to He...He...He...Hoo (Who)! Matthew and I keep talking about how he needs to talk to me as if he were hypnotizing me or leading me through a deep relaxation session. We keep picturing the scene from Office Space where the main guy gets hypnotized by a big guy who has a heartattack in the middle of the session. "Relax....Deeper and Deeper.....Deeper and Deeper..."

Celebrating Friends and Relationships

Carissa and I outside of Don Juan's

This week has been one of celebration and remembrance. Monday, the day after I got back from my family trip to Arkansas to see Jeremy and Eliza, I got to have lunch with an old friend. Because both she and I have blogs, she was able to find my blog and we were able to get re-connected. It was so good to see Carissa after almost three years of not seeing or communicating with each other. We met the first week we lived in the dorms our freshman year. She and her roommate lived about three doors down and we started hanging out all the time. Through the four and a half years we were at ACU we had some good times!

Matthew and I on our way home from dinner.

Along the lines of remembrance and celebration, Matthew and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary on Tuesday, the 25th of July. It seems like it was a long time ago that we were married but I know for all of you that have been married a while three years is nothing in comparison to 25 or 50 years of marriage. To celebrate we were planning on participating in our second annual ritual of going to a Japanese Hibachi grill. (The first year we were married we had our first dinner as a married couple at a Japanese steak house in Galveston, TX. Last year since Matthew was in the middle of taking the Bar Exam we were unable to celebrate a whole lot.) After making reservations to dine at a local Japanese steak house, we were invited to dine with Matthews uncle and aunt in Longview to celebrate his cousin's birthday. We accepted the offer and had a great time. Audrey, our little bun in the oven, was kicking up a storm making it hard for me to really enjoy being stuffed.
To continue with our Anniversary celebrating we are going to stay in a B&B in Palestine, TX tonight and then tomorrow take a trip on an old fashion Texas Railroad that goes through a state park. Since we are in the final days of non-childrendom we are living it up and trying to have as much fun as non-parents as we can. We are looking forward to our new baby but we are still nervous about how our lives will change and how expensive kids can be. For those of you who are keeping track of our count down we are at 33 weeks, at the beginning of our 8th month. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

We're in Tyler!

Many of you may know that we have moved to Tyler, TX. Our decision to move came around the middle of May. Matthew had applied to so many different jobs and finally after 8 long months of prayer and hoping Matthew got an interview for an Assistant District Attorney's position. A little over a week later Matthew was in Tyler starting his new job!
I stayed in Georgetown to wrap up my job and pack-up the house. The month we were apart was really hard on both of us but God got us through. I was glad to quit my job due to the level of stress becoming greater and the need to prepare for our baby's arrival this fall. (However, I am really going to miss all the people that I worked with and the friends we made while in the Austin area.)
It is truly amazing how in the span of a couple of months our lives were flipped. I went from being the bread-winner to becoming a stay at home mom and Matthew went from desperately searching for a job to becoming the bread-winner and loving it.
God is amazing in how His timing happens just when we need it most. Thanks to all of you who have encouraged us and kept us in your prayers. (Stay tuned for more updates on the baby girl!)

It's....A GIRL!!!!

We have some long awaited news! Matthew and I are going to have a little girl! We have been waiting for my 20 week (actually 24 week) check up for some time. Not only were we going to find out the gender of our child but I was going to under-go Gestational Diabetes blood testing. (Disclaimer: I hate needles of any sort...so this was a big deal to me).
Backing things up a bit to the night before our doctor's appointment. The night before I was so excited and nervous about finding out what gender our child was going to be. I was planning baby room ideas and mapping out the best places to register and how to get there the quickest. Matthew was not sure why I felt the need to stay up all night planning for this doctor's appointment when we would have 18 plus years to get used to the idea of our kid. The next day I was so excited that I woke up an hour before I needed to and started urging Matthew to get up as well.
By the time we got to the doctor's office I was ready. I had a snack prepared for after the appointment, a camera, a blank video tape to record our child's movements, thank you cards for the doctor's staff and lists of what to register for.
When we got into the sonogram room we were so excited and ready to find out how our baby was doing. I think the doctor could have told us we were having a monkey and we still would have been thrilled.
Matthew was all smiles as he watched the doctor locate each part of our baby. I was so astounded at how intricate the baby's body was formed. God is truly the miracle maker when it comes to babies.

Half Way there...and counting

Since the last posting we have had two doctors visits. The first visit included blood testing and heart-beat listening. Each time we hear the heart beat, it keeps getting stronger and stronger. It is so reaffirming to hear the baby's heart beat and to know that our baby is still doing well and that the dogs' jumping off my belly has not caused harm.

Speaking of the dogs...we are so ready to have kids that we sent our dogs on an Easter egg hunt looking for treats. At first the dogs could not figure out what we wanted them to do but when we would point to an egg and say "TREAT", they would rush over and sniff the plastic egg. Joan, our oldest and smartest dog, would follow the scent we had left from hiding the eggs. She would find an egg, put it in her mouth and crack it open to reveal the treat.


Back to our baby...on our second doctor's visit the only big thing that happened was hearing the baby's heart again but this time the doctor did not have to search for the heart beat. The minute the doctor put the device to my stomach, we could hear the baby's ticker. At this last visit we had a list of questions we wanted to quiz the doctor on and make sure we had not picked a terrible doctor.... he measured up nicely.

Next time we go to the doctor's office we will get to find out what the baby is...whether it is a human or not...oops I mean a girl or boy. I will also be test for gestational diabetes which can rise up only during pregnancy for some women. Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts and let us know if you have any job leads for Matthew.

2 down, 7 more to go

So far I have already had three visits to the doctor to check our baby out. On our first visit, Matthew and I got a big confirmation that we were pregnant with a sonogram. It was so neat to see what God can do without you even knowing about it. The sonogram did not show much but it did confirm that there was something going on inside of me. (black spot in picture is womb)
Our doctor asked us to come back the following week (5weeks) to confirm that there was a baby inside and to get a better idea of when we would be expecting our Wee-one. It was so awesome to see a creature inside me. I could even see it's little heart flashing. I started tearing up and realized how amazing God is. (baby is in left side of womb)
On our third visit (10 weeks), four weeks later, my mom was able to come down from Waco to join us. We were going to hear the heartbeat and then go out and baby shop. We were hoping to see the baby but all that the doctor did was move a small device across my abdomen with a radio-machine attached to pick up the baby's heartbeat. First we heard a loud whom-whom-whom, which was my heartbeat. Then the doctor shifted his device and we heard whim-whim-whim-whim, the baby's heartbeat! The heartbeat was not as fast as we had thought it would be but it sure was a strong a steady beat.
We are not due to go back to the doctor for another five weeks. At that point we will be 16 weeks along and into the second trimester. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and for a healthy pregnancy.

God's little blessing

This new year has been a bit rocky for us...even before the calendar rolled over. As many of you may know, Matthew lost his job back in September and has been searching for employment for sometime. In the midst of everything looking more and more bleak...God suprised us with a wonderful miracle. Around the first of the year we found out that we were expecting a precious little baby. Our first thoughts were of shock and dismay. But as the news started settling in to our minds we became excited and expectant.
Now that we are 2 months into this 9 month journey, we know that God has given us this baby for a reason in the midst of our chaotic lives. We have a ray of sunshine that was not there 2 months earlier. Isn't God wonderful in how and when he sends his blessings. Although we are greatly excited by our news we are still waiting and wondering what God will do about providing Matthew with a job. We ask for your prayers and encouragement right now as we look to God.