Baby Boy has a name!

We've finally decided on a name for baby boy Nickell! Here's how it came about: we had previously decided that we wanted a junior, but couldn't agree on the name we would call him (Cole and I both have very strong opinions!) Then when we found out about his heart problems, we decided that we wanted to give him a name that really meant something. We know that we could be blessed with this child for years to come or we could only have him for a few months, but either way we want his name to always be a comfort to us, something that will point us back to the goodness of God. So Cole thought it would be great to find a name that literally means "God is good". However, in all of my name searches it appears that there aren't any names that actually mean "God is good" and any of the ones that come close are funky-straight-out-of-the-Old-Testament ones. But I did find that Cole's middle name, Matthew, means "Gift of God", so I've been jokingly referring to him as Matthew for a week or so, waiting for Cole to give it the thumbs up or down. A few days ago Cole had his arm over my stomach and the baby kicked suddenly and Cole said, "Hey, Matthew kicked me!" I looked at him and said, "Wait, what?! Seriously?" And he said, "Yep, Matthew it is!"

So, it turns out we will have a junior! Cole Matthew Nickell, Jr, and his name will always remind us that he is a gift in our lives, no matter what happens. I've found endless comfort in knowing that God has purposefully given us this little boy who's going to have all these problems and have to struggle to live, yes, but who's also going to show us how to love in a new way and trust in God in a new way.

I'm back!!

After taking the last week and a half off to move, we've arrived and I now have internet again! Woo hoo! (It's amazing how dependent I am on the Web.) Our new address is 1471 Herndon Dairy Road. Same city, same zip code. I was going to post pictures along with this blog, but it seems my husband has stolen the cameras for the day :( so you'll have to wait. Just wanted to let you know I haven't dropped off the face of the earth!

Top Ten Reasons I love Asheville!

1) I still feel like I'm coming home every time, no matter how many years I've been gone! And it's the only city besides Aiken where I don't need a GPS.

2) I still get excited every time I see the mountains suddenly burst into view as I cross the border.

3) Everywhere I go, there's a memory. If I'm up on the Parkway, there's that tree I fell off of and got a huge goose egg on my noggin'. If I'm downtown, there's that restaurant where I went on my first (and last) blind date :). Driving down Merrimon takes me back to high school when I was always going over to the Councell's house. Going out to Fairview brings back all those square dances where I'd get wayyyy too hyper. Going through Haw Creek... well, I know exactly how painful it is running up each of those hills! And of course, the Asheville Mall takes me back to my 14 year-old self that spent her money way to easily and needed someone to tell her to chill on the boy craziness :).

4) Even though I've had my own house for 3 years, I still refer to my parent's house as home. And I will never not love waking up to the smell of Dad's coffee brewing and his waffles cooking!

5) THE FALL! I think everyone in the south knows what Asheville's fall season looks like, so no need to elaborate there.

6) The water and the air. I'll explain: in Aiken I have wavy hair that takes hours to dry and straighten. In Asheville, I have straight hair that takes 5 mins to dry it and I'm ready to go. Humidity is my enemy and Asheville only has a few months where it's bad.

7) Haw Creek. I can't remember not living in this neighborhood and I love the memories I have here. I think it was the greatest place to grow up!

8) Downtown. People who are not natives get so confused about it. They're like, "Wait, I thought we were in the South? What's with all the hippies, earth nuts, and liberals?" Haha. It's such a combination of everything and that's what makes it so interesting!

9) Doc Chey's! Only the best Thai/Asian restaurant I've ever been to! If you're ever in Asheville, go there and get the Spicy Thai Shrimp Rolls for an appetizer and either Pad Thai or Low Mein for your entree. Ah-ma-zing!

10) My friends :). I still have a lot of high school friends in the area and it's always great catching up when we visit. There's just something irreplaceable about having friends who have known you your whole life and still tolerate and love you!

Big-bellied Photo Shoot!

Since I know you all want to see pictures of massively pregnant women, Jessica and I have good-naturedly obliged you by modeling the following:

Me - 27 weeks. Jess - 30 weeks. 

Oldness

Today I am 25.

Cole did nothing for me.

Breakfast in bed? Nope.
Birthday cake? Nope.
Dinner out? Nope.
Changing all Claire's poopy diapers for me? Nope.

(Haha kidding! Cole just had me write all that to be funny. Don't worry, he's taking me out tomorrow night!)

Anyway, I don't feel very old or wise. I still think of myself as a teenager or at most a college kid. Then I look around and realize how far removed I am from that age group and that holy cow!  - I have a husband, a baby, and another on the way!

I guess I am kind of old :)

Here's what I'm lookin' like these days.....

Almost six months! 

And yes I did just go on a run, thank you very much :) 

Tiny little munchkin

My little girl is still on the small size, even though she eats and eats. Her 1 year stats:

- 19.8 lbs. Yep, she couldn't even tip the scale to 20
- 28 inches long... I like to call her short stuff :)
- 6 teeth FINALLY!
- Way past walking and now trying to run...... away from me
- Especially when she grabs things off the floor and I catch her trying to eat them (which happens every 5 mins)
- Is also trying to climb to get things I've put out of reach, like books she wants to eat and dirty diapers she wants to play with
- Learned how to push doors closed and get herself stuck in rooms
- Wants to sample everything we're eating
- Likes to have books read to her
- Will kiss and hug on command (most of the time)
- Is such a happy baby!
- Continues to be a source of joy for Cole and I, especially with what we're going through now

We are so grateful for our little Claire!

Happy 1st Claire!

I can't believe my baby turned one last Saturday! This year has flown by entirely too fast! When I look back to this time last year and remember all the emotion, confusion, and exhaustion surrounding her birth, it's nice to smile and get a little perspective :). It really has been such fun to watch her grow and learn and develop her personality. Cole and I are constantly amazed at the never-ending joy she brings to our lives. Who knew that such a little person could so completely capture our hearts?! She really is one of the sweetest and most easy-going babies I've ever known. I'm so thankful that she eased us into the world of parenting gently :) haha.

Here are some pics of Claire on her birthday. Stats will follow after she has her one-year checkup on Friday.

Good News!

Well, we finally have some good news to go along with all the bad! Today we got the results of my amniocentesis back and the baby is normal in the chromosomal area! This means no further problems like down syndrome, etc. What a praise!
So, sigh of relief on my part! Now we just have to wait until he's born to determine what the future will be like. It looks like I'll be delivering in Augusta and then he'll be having the surgeries in Atlanta, but we'll know more about that once we meet with a cardio surgeon.

Dealing...

This past week has had its ups and downs but overall I'm simply trying to trust God's plans and reasons for handing me this difficult trial. Whenever the waves of sorrow hit (usually at night in bed) I keep telling myself "God is faithful, God is faithful, God is faithful!" I've already seen this faithfulness with the overflowing love of friends and family. Church on Sunday was especially helpful for me... it was almost like the worship service had been tailored to speak to our situation. The prelude song was "I Belong" by Kathryn Scott, and man! it was perfect. Here it is: