Picture Perfect

Brandon has always found a way to come up with the best presents ever and it was no surprise he did it again for my birthday this year!  He surprised me with a 3D/4D ultrasound from Baby Impressions here in Greenville along with a prenatal massage!!  Talk about the best gift right on time.  I had not planned on doing the 3D/4D ultrasound because my doctors office was going to charge way too much and I just did not see it necessary. So of course Brandon would find Baby Impressions which was way worth everything they offered us.  Anyone who lives in this area and is expecting I highly recommend checking this place out.  It was awesome!!!  I went and enjoyed my prenatal massage right away which was absolutely wonderful, but we wanted to wait til I was a little further along to do the ultrasound. 

So we waited until the week of Valentine's Day which just added another special touch because not only did I share this moment with my best friend, but we got to see our little man and his precious face!  I was 29 weeks which is what Eileen, the ultrasound tech recommended with our first.  It was perfect....She has done an awesome job with her set up.  There are two big leather sofas in the room, along with a big flat screen tv so you can sit and enjoy the experience and see your baby up on the screen.  You can invite your family and friends and whoever you want to, to be in there with you as well.  It truly is one of the best experiences!  We sat there in awe as we had the privilege of just watching Karson move all around...his precious little hands and feet all smushed up against his face.  I am still not sure how they manage to lay comfortably the way they do.  And as he moved his hands and his feet we finally saw his adorable face....and to no surprise to anyone  it was as if I was looking right at his Daddy!!! 

We have joked about what do you think he will look like...and my response is always "I know exactly what he is gonna look like, just go look in the mirror!" And sure enough I was more than right when we saw him.  It was unbelievable!! What a true blessing from God!! We left there just in awe of how amazing it was to see our little boy, our bundle of joy, right there in front of us.  We could not stop talking about it as we went to dinner afterwards.  We fall in love with him more and more everytime we see him.  What a precious gift that I cannot wait to hold in my hands and give him all the love he deserves!

"That was Easy!!"...Karson's Crib

Karson's nursery is not finished yet but thought I would share a picture with y'all of his crib but first....the story behind it all!!

Going from being an adult and taking care of yourself and your husband to becoming a parent really changes your perspective on things.  For instance, Karson is not even here yet but I still want to protect him, love on him, cover him, and keep him safe!  So when it came to picking out a crib all of that was in my mind.  I did not want to spend a whole bunch of money knowing that he would only be in it for a couple years, but I also wanted him to be in a safe crib.  I searched everywhere in Greenville that offered cribs (and well you can pretty much spend as much as you would like on a crib these days!!) So with doing research and reading reviews I became uneasy about the decision I had made thinking it may be the cheapest, but not the safest!!

I asked Brandon if we could go to Baby Furniture + Kids just to look at a few more before we bought.  Of course, my wish is his command :) so we headed that way....except I meant the main store and Brandon took us right to their warehouse where we had already been before and had not seen anything. (However, being married to Brandon for over three years now I have learned somehow we always end up at the right place and the right time...and everything always falls into place!!)  So, we decided to walk through the warehouse again.  And wouldn't you know the most helpful man was in there (which later we found out was the owner.....Talk about perfect timing!!) I talked with him about cribs and my concerns and he answered everything and made me feel a lot more at ease.  Needless to say, we walked out of the warehouse that day having purchased a crib and dresser....that was better quality than what we planned on purchasing, safer, and actually a better deal than what we had found!

So...for Valentine's Day I gave Brandon a "that was easy" button (you know the buttons from Staples that everytime you push it the man says "that was easy") Why? Because its just a known fact that when he gets involved everything has fallen right into place and always works out perfectly...imagine that!!! Another amazing reason why I love him :)

And yes...I do love his crib and his bedding!!

What's in a Name! (Karson Clay Kinder: KC)

Lots of thought went into naming our little man, but it also came so easy and wasn't even a question from all our dream building up to this point.  I never had the privilege of meeting Brandon's Papa KC but I feel like I know him from all the stories I have heard throughout the years. There is always a story to share when the whole family gets together and I just love all the laughter they create sharing the memories they have of Papa KC.  I know Brandon was close to Papa KC as he has told me several stories of him growing up as a little boy.  So my simple minded husband sees our two year old being "smart" and spelling his name "KC" at such a young age!! I laughed as I informed him KC could be his nickname but he would have a full name as well. 

K: We tossed up several names that start with K, but we knew his name would be KARSON when we looked up the meaning..."Free Man!" What more could we ask for our son but to be free!  Free from worry, free from fear, free from doubt, free from generational curses, free to worship & praise the Lord who came and saved him from everything and took it for him (which I know he will learn someday!) So to us its not just a name but their is a lot of meaning behind it!!

C: We knew right away we wanted his middle name to be a family name as well.  And it just so happened someone who meant the world to me and Brandon is name CLAY!  I remember hearing Kelliegh and Clay tell stories of Brandon riding with them and going on dates when he was little.  In fact they can keep up with how long they have been together by how old Brandon is.  And as I spent more time with the family I always loved Kelliegh and Clay.  I remember asking Kelliegh if I could have my wedding reception at her house one day even though I didn't know "when" or "who" I would marry at the time.  Doesn't God have an amazing way of leading us into our destiny!! 

      And now as we step into the parenting role we have always looked at people like Kelliegh and Clay and the love they have for their kids and we know we want to follow in those footsteps.  We have been blessed to spend time with them and watch them as their kids grow up. So we are honored to give him the name Clay.  Our prayer is he can model after his namesake...ambitious, selfless, caring, giver, compassionate, adventurous! 

      And I know there is gonna come a day where Karson is creating memories with his Daddy and Uncle Clay whether it be in the country or the duck blind!!

                               

So people ask what will you call him?  Well his name means more to us than we can express and they all have a special place in our heart.  So to me, I feel Karson is bound to have lots of names...Karson, Karson Clay, KC, my lil rugrat, and each one will be a special reminder of all the wonderful people we have in our life!!

Dr. Richard is on call tonight!

We have the joy of having many friends who we wanted to share this

experience with, but some of our favorite people got to share with us long before anyone else!!  Thank goodness for Dr. Ansley Hilton :) Ansley and Richard were the first to know we were expecting!!! We were staying with them because I had continuing education and Brandon had training for work.  It was so much fun being able to share our excitement with them as we have always loved the two of them and their family! It's never a dull moment staying with the Hilton's so it was fun telling them the big secret and still keeping it from the children in the house.

Of course that night we went up to her office to see that sweet baby on the ultrasound...which was Brandon's first time seeing the baby! Just to see that smile come on his face and the joy in his eyes was an awesome experience for me knowing he was already a proud daddy and in amazement of what God has given us.

Anxious to know what we were having we made a trip back to Fort Mill at about 17 weeks (my birthday weekend which was the best present ever) Once again, its been the coolest way to experience all the development and stages with some of the dearest people in your life.  It was awesome to be in the room with Ansley and Richard and just laugh and enjoy God's blessing together. 

"Dr. Richard" wanted the first call of seeing the ultrasound and letting us know whether we were having a boy or girl.  But as our little rugrat began moving around it was without question for any of us in the room ITS A BOY!!! How exciting and what a fun special memory to share with awesome friends as we watched our little man moving all around.

Me being the planner that I am we had already talked about names and knew that we were blessed to call our little one by name: Karson Clay Kinder!!