Sunday School/ First Evan Shower

 How appropriate is this door hanger my sweet friend Cortney made? For this child we have prayed, just like Hannah did in 1 Samuel 1:27 and we are so thankful the Lord has chosen to give us our hearts' desire after many years of waiting. When I saw this on the front door at the shower I immediately choked up and walked into my shower teary-eyed. It was such a special day of celebration with sweet friends who have been prayer warriors for us and baby Thompson over the last few years. Walter and I are beyond grateful for the love and support we have received from so many of those who were at the shower. They have taught me how to pray without ceasing, how to love others better, and have shown us first hand how the Body of Christ is truly supposed to work. It's incredibly humbling to be the recipient of such love!

Janalee, Kristi, Lindsey, me, Cortney, Veronica, and Elisabeth

 The table was gorgeous and the food was delicious. I'm still impressed these ladies pulled it off without a hitch considering one had driven back from Knoxville that morning, one has a 3.5 week old baby, one had had a party at her house the day before, one was missing because she caught the stomach bug from her kids, and the rest had been at our church's annual picnic with their kids riding ponies and playing on blow-up toys just hours before. These girls really are something else!

yummy yummy

Gotta love a diaper cake! Thanks Kristi :)

It was also such a treat having my mom there. She was able to meet many wonderful women from my church who she has heard me talk about over the years. It was special to finally be able to put a face with a name.

And I think I may have the best dressed kid in town once Thompson arrives thanks to everyone's generosity. Thompson, or "T" as Walter and my brother like to sometimes call him is going to look pretty darn cute in his new duds. 

GBC Ladies Shower

I've decided I can't call these celebrations "showers" anymore because we aren't getting showered or sprinkled on if you will...instead it feels like we are getting POURED on by a monsoon with all these amazing gifts! Walter and I are beyond grateful for everyone's generosity and love. That being said, let me tell you about one of my recent "monsoons." ;)
Some of my mom's sweet friends from Germantown Baptist threw me an amazing shower last week. Everything was perfect; the food, the decor, the company. As I wrote in many of my thank you notes, I left there with a full heart and a very full car!

Wynellen, Laurie, me, Mom, Gayla, Debbie, Lesa, and Linda

How precious!

Fall is my favorite time of year so it was fun to see the decorations with the leaves, pumpkins, and pheasant feathers. I loved every last detail! (Not to mention how much my stomach loved the pumpkin spice cake...my mouth is watering just thinking about it)

reading all the kind words of encouragement from sweet ladies who have prayed for this baby for a long time

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They won't let you leave the hospital without an infant carrier and car seat installed so thanks to all the sweet hostesses we will officially be ready once Thompson arrives. I am beyond excited about my Chicco carseat!! It's starting to feel very, very real....

Yay! My Chicco carseat

 

College Girls Shower

Last weekend my sweet college friends threw me a wonderful shower/brunch at Interim restaurant. We had an absolute blast! It was so much fun catching up with everyone and re-living the good ole' days of being Chi-O's together at Ole Miss. It's wild to think that was almost 5.5 years ago! Starting at the top from left to right we have Whitney, Margaret Ann, Carolyn Grace, Noelle, and Ann. Then on the bottom you have Audrey, me, and Scarlet. I have the best friends ever!!

Pretty flowers

CG, Scarlet, and Noelle serving the yummy Muddy's cupcakes

Although Emily couldn't be with us because she lives in NY, she made her presence known with the most adorable smocked OWL outfit! X and a horseshoe, Chi-O!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist...) Thompson won't be a chi-o, but I plan on him marrying one. :)

Can't wait to see Thompson in this next Spring! Thanks Emily!!

 And then I was super spoiled with this Chicco (pronounced Key-Co...learned that the other day and figured I would share my new knowledge) Lullaby Playard. It's awesome. It has a bassinet and mobile that can be used in the early days. And of course I loved the carrying bag that it neatly packs away in. Anything to stay organized!

Love my pack and play!

Thompson was showing off in the parking lot as we headed home. Notice the manicured nails, gotta love my girlfriends!!

Destin!!

Walter and I managed to plan a last minute get away to Destin, FL as a mini baby-moon. We rented our condo at Mainsail through VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) and it worked out very well. I was worried it might be kind of sketchy or that we would be the victims of a scam, but thankfully everything went as smooth as possible. We had a great time relaxing on the beach together and hanging out. It was our last trip as just the 2 of us, or maybe I should say it was our first trip as the 3 of us since Thompson made his presence known the whole time with many flips, kicks and rolls!

 I know I still have a couple of months to go, but there is something very scary about leaving town when you are pregnant. You start thinking, "What if something happens? What if I'm one of those girls who goes into early labor?,What will I do without my doctor?" Well, as we know, the Lord has a sense of humor... On our second day we were laying out in our umbrella chairs when up walks my OBGYN doc and sits in the set of chairs directly beside us! How ironic is that?!? I had an appointment with him in Memphis on Tuesday and by Thursday we were both in Destin on the beach! Thankfully the trip was uneventful on the baby front, but it was very comforting to know that my doctor not only was in Destin but was staying at the same set of condos as us, should something have happened.

Here are a few awkward self timer shots on our balcony along with a couple of other pictures.

Walter and I found this whole in the wall in AL on the way there. Perfect little lunch spot!

Night 1 before going to Pompano Joe's

Handsome Hubs

Our seagull friend, Peg, who only had one foot. We only shared our snacks with him!

Night 2 before The Back Porch

Prom pose showing Thompson some love

Last night before heading to Destin Commons to shop, eat and catch a flick

Last but not least, a blueberry donut from The Donut Hole!! 6.5 months pregnant and The Donut Hole is a dangerous combination :)

Watch Thompson grow! (or should I say watch ME grow)

I always said I would never ever share growing belly shots....Well, never say never because I obviously changed my mind! The more I get to experience this miracle inside of me, the more amazing I think it is to watch Thompson grow and to watch myself grow right along with him in the process.

12 weeks

12 weeks

16 weeks

16 weeks

20 weeks

25 weeks

28 weeks

28 weeks

28 weeks

 Enough of me already! Let's look at this precious little one who is definitely growing weekly as well! (although it kind of feels like daily...) This picture was 6 weeks ago, so I can't image how much bigger and more developed he is now. It's amazing how you can see his spine and his heart, that little nose and those sweet little lips. I am getting butterflies just typing this!! We can't wait to meet this precious little boy!

Family Reunion Fun

I know I am a little behind, but I still wanted to share about this fun weekend! At the end of July we had a family reunion with my mom's side of the family at Pickwick. My Aunt Janet and Uncle Richie came, along with my Aunt Debra and Uncle David. My cousin Brooks and her husband Thomas were there along with their two kids Lucy and Yates. My cousin Brian came as well and of course my family was there. It was so much fun being together with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was also fun since this was the first time many of them had seen me since I started "showing" with baby Thompson. 

The weather was absolutely beautiful-- It could not have been a more perfect weekend! We had loads of fun in the boat and hanging out on the deck catching up. We got to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics together and laughed at how Lucy knew the geographic locations of countries Walter and I couldn't even begin to pronounce. She is one smart cookie! And as always my cousin Brian kept us laughing the entire time with his sense of humor.  It was my kind of weekend between the good food, fellowship, family, and fun.  I am so thankful to have these wonderful people in my life!

Love that little Yates!

My cousin Brooks with sweet Lucy

Hunter and Yates doing some surfing

Family tube ride with Brooks, Lucy, Yates and Thomas

Walter showed no mercy driving the boat...

I'm afraid nothing can slow Rod-zilla down. Here he is learning to surf!

My cousin Brian and Yates flipping the big tube just for fun

Walter and Haley....plus BABY!

Well, it is official. We are having a baby, due December 7th! We have been on quite the journey over the last few years with many ups and downs and lots and lots of heartbreak. But the Lord never left our side during our struggle, and I guess I shoudn't be surprised. For His word tells us, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

I can truly thank the Lord for this trial, and "consider it joy" as James writes about it James Chapter 1. For through this trial, my marriage has grown stronger, my relationship with my Savior has grown deeper, my faith has been stretched beyond belief, my prayer life has become more intimate, and my faith has been and continues to be increased as I watch the Lord answer prayers, remind us He's still with us, and place people in our lives who have been HUGE sources of encouragement. I'm not saying there weren't some really, really rough and ugly days. And I'm not claiming I never got frustrated with the Lord and wanted to turn my back on Him. What I am saying is that I was able to make it through those days because He never turned His back on me. And because in spite of the odds, we still had hope and peace-- which only could have come from Him.

I will be an open book for anyone who wants to know more of our story or who may currently be walking the road of infertility....As much as I want the Lord to use our story to help others and for His glory, I'm not sure I am ready to publish the oh-so-personal details on the world wide web. Please feel free to email me at anytime at haleytandrews@gmail.com

So all that to say, I'll be 20 weeks pregnant on Friday! Half-way there--- 20 down, 20 to go! And to top it off, we know this sweet miracle baby is a precious BOY! I know how much I love my husband, so if he is anything like Walter I will be doubly-blessed! (I prob just made some of you gag, but I'm telling the honest truth, people! :-)

Here are some pictures from our gender reveal party with our family. I'll update you more on Baby Andrews with future posts as well as share a little more of our struggle now that the word is officially out. Praise God from who all blessings flow!!

Design on a Dime-- Dollar Tree!

BLUE Icing!

IT'S A BOY!!!