Heartbeat

A year ago today I saw our little guys heart beat for the first time. It was so surreal to me because I still was in shock that I was actually pregnant and that I was going to be a mommy. This year has been the fastest year of my life. It seems like I looked up and bam it was December. Matthew and I have been overwhelmed with the blessings 2010 has brought us. We are so thankful to be near our family and friends. Jack has grown so much in the past month. He loves laughing at Matthew and I. It is a race as to who gets to pick him up in the morning because he'll always greet you with a smile. He talks all the time. He has started on rice cereal this month. We are taking it slow but he seems to really enjoy it. He had a growth spurt since his last check up. At his four month check up he was 14 pounds and 24 1/4 inches long. He is such an easy going kid. He loves to watch Judd and Lucy run and scoot around the house. It won't be long and he'll be chasing them I'm sure. Looking forward to the new year. Many Blessings to you all!

3 months and counting...

We can't believe our little Jack is growing so fast. He has changed so much in the past couple weeks. He is now laughing, talking non-stop and trying to sit up on his own. We are amazed at how much he recognizes us and will smile the minute he hears our voices. Matthew keeps trying to show him how to crawl. I don't think I am quite ready for that yet. The best times are when we are driving to my sister's house in the mornings and I'll turn the music up to my favorite song and you can hear his voice pipe up. We go for his 4 month check up the first week of December so we shall see what his stats are then. He has definitely started filling out some of his clothes. We hope you all have had a great start to a beautiful fall.

One Month

Jack and his buddy Judd!




This past month has flown by so fast. Jack has been growing like crazy. He has been such a great baby. We have traveled to Waco with Julie, Judd and Lucy. Yes, we were probably crazy doing that but they were all great. We have also gone to Canton and stayed our first night away from home. Our good friends the Olivers live near Canton so, we went up the night before to not make the travel to much for Jack. Thanks for letting us invade your space Joe and Dicque. His cousin Judd is in love with him. Judd talks to him all the time when we are visiting and comes running if he hears Jack cry. My favorite story of Judd's love is when he was helping (watching) me feed. He asked ever so nicely "Can I have some milk?" While trying to keep a straight face I said "No, this is for baby Jack." His reply "Ah, Bummer!" You have got to love the mind of a 2 and half year old. We also attended our first Tuesday sale at the livestock barn. He loved being carried around by Mikki and then the two of us both passed out in Grandma Barb's office. He got to meet all of this GG (Great Grandma Courtney) family and attended his first dove hunt. He is starting to smile a little and cooing. He still looks just like his daddy but has my eyes. His hands are almost as big as mine. Luckily for him maybe that means he didn't get my height. It has been quite an eventful month for us.

Jack Ellison Domel

Jack has finally arrived. He was born at 5:22pm on August 1, 2010. He weighed 7lbs. 12ozs. and was 20 1/4 inches long. He is everything I dreamed about perfect in my eyes. I was entering my 41st week of pregnancy and was getting a little impatient. I started having back labor on Friday at work. I left early came home and rested and the contractions subsided. On Saturday I hadn't had any contractions so my mom, sister, Ashley Bell and I took a quick trip to Waco that afternoon. At about 11:45 I started having contractions about every 7-8 minutes. Not believeing I was actually in labor we didn't make our trip to the hospital till about 3:00 Sunday morning. I got to the hospital and was admitted. We waited till 8:00 to call our family. Since, he was face up I struggled to progress and with my small frame he would not have fit through the canal. I was dilated at a 6 from 8 till about 4:45 when we decided to go back for a c-section. I know many people don't believe in having cesarean births but when the time comes you will do whatever it takes to protect your child. It was such a relief when they held Jack up for me to see. It was the greatest moment to see his perfect face. Matthew was such a great supporter helping me through my contractions and holding the tray while I threw up. I could not have had a better partner through this pregnancy. I can't believe it has already been a week.

One Year

Today, Matthew and I are celebrating our one year anniversary. I can't believe it has already been a year. The Lord has truly blessed us so much this year. We are so excited to see what he has in store for us this next year together. There is no better way to be reminded of how blessed we are then to witness two friends join their life together in Christ. Congrats to David and Katie Klumpp!


Also, some of our dear friends whom are pregnant with twins due in August are 5cm dilated and 100% effaced. They are only in their 28th week. Please pray for them and their sweet babies.

Our mini vacay

This past week Matthew and I took a little vacation to Florida. We stayed the week with my uncle Preston and aunt GenaVee. It was so nice to be able to get away from work and take a little time for ourselves. We left out on Saturday morning and arrived in Crystal River on Sunday afternoon. Matthew wanted to drive since he had not been to the east of Texas before. It was a long drive but it gave us the opportunity to really talk about all the changes that have happened over the past year. Matthew was ready to hit the water the minute we walked in the door. He was on the water everyday of our trip. I got to go out twice because one day the water was to choppy so I had to stay back. On our fishing trip out with GV and Preston was when we each caught baby sharks. As you can see on my face I was not interested in touching it. Matthew kindly reminded me it wasn't Jaws. My Aunt and Uncle were great hosts. We had gourmet meals every night and then we treated them to dinner at their favorite restaurant one night. My uncle and Matthew really had a great time nagging on each other. It was so great to see my relatives too because we rarely get the opportunity anymore. We had a great week off because we are going to be busy from here on out this year. We have three weddings, bachelorette parties, and showers between now and mid July. So, time is going to fly before Jack arrives. We cleaned out his room today to start moving in the furniture. Yes, I know we are major procrastinators but we have both been so busy with work it has been the least of our worries.

We hope everyone is having a splendid May. We can't believe the year is half gone!

An Ol Man and a Papa

Matthew and I both had the priviledge of having a close relationship with our grandpas. We have great memories that we carry with us everyday. Our grandpas were two of the most special people in our lives. So, here is an insight to our memories and why they were so special to each of us.

I will start with Jack "The Ol Man" Courtney. Matthew has fond memories of fishing and gardening with his grandpa. He loved hanging out with his Ol Man. Jack had a heart that he shared with everyone. He was a little Ol Man but he had a garden to feed the world. He never sold his garden goods instead he gave them away to everyone he knew and even brought some up on Tuesdays to give away at the weekly cattle sale. He was a giving man of not only his garden but of his time. Matthew remembers his Ol Man picking him and Courtney up from school and every time he stopped to get them each a soft drink. He had a loving and giving spirit. He will be greatly missed by many. Matthew kept telling everyone that he would not be having a garden this year. With a little convincing, he is upholding his Ol Man's legacy and has a beautiful garden this year.

Next comes Claude "Papa" Ellingson, he was one of my best friends. The fondest memory I have of my Papa is him standing on the fence line to watch me walk into my high school graduation. He made a point to call my name and give me his big hello and smile. I could see it all over his face how proud he was of my accomplishments. Little did I know that he would be gone less than a year later. He was the man that had his opinions and wasn't afraid to share them but he had a heart that he shared with many. When he left to be with our King was one of the hardest days of my life. My heart had completely broken in two but the Lord would send a man into my life shortly after to help heal that broken heart. I met Matthew two months later.

It is because of these two men that Matthew and I have decided to name our little boy Jack Ellison Domel. We pray that our Jack will have a heart of gold like his Great-Grandpas and will be a great example of his namesakes.

Team Blue!

We went to have our ultrasound today and found out we are being blessed with a baby boy! I had a dream a couple weeks ago that I was telling everyone it's a boy so, I have had a feeling for awhile it was a boy. Matthew knew he was going to have a house full of girls so, the look on his face when we saw it was a boy was priceless. It will be something I will never forget. He can't quit saying "It's a boy, It's a boy!" He is so excited about his hunting buddy. Everyone in our family said girl except my sister, she went with the motherly instinct. His dad said it was scientific proof if the heartbeat was fast it was a girl so, it was definitely fun telling him he was wrong. I think everyone had it in their heads that it was a girl so they are all still shocked.

The Domel Addition

In late summer, the Lord will be blessing Matthew and I with our first child. After the major shock wore off, we are overjoyed with this adventure the Lord has laid before us. We are looking forward to all the many lessons and patience we are both going to learn this year. It has been a crazy time for us. I have been sick since I was about 7 weeks along. I am now in my 17th week so, it has been a long two and a half months for both of us. In the end I know every moment of this pregnancy is going to be worth it. We can't wait to meet the little guy or gal. We don't have an ultrasound schedule until April so, we will find out sometime then what we will be having. Everyone around me says girl because I have been so sick, but I keep calling it a boy so, we shall see. We were both initially so shocked that we didn't talk about it at all till I went to the doctor, I would barely even talk about it to him because I just didn't believe it. I went to the doctor right before Christmas. He couldn't come along because it would have been pretty obvious to his parents had he asked off and we wanted to wait to tell them till we knew for sure. I saw the little nut and it's heartbeat so, we told our parents at Christmas. My family had pretty much already figured it out because I am terrible at keeping things from them. His family was shocked but really excited. We threatened them all with the secret because Matthew really wanted to hear the heartbeat before I told my bosses, which wasn't until early February. They all did great, even Judd! LOL!

I am still trying to figure out this new computer so, when I do I promise to post pictures! Because, yes there is a baby bump now not just an extended waist line.

New Beginnings

I have had this blog address saved since the moment Matthew and I were married. I have always enjoyed following everyones blogs and couldn't wait for the day to have my own. Matthew and I were married in June and well we are just now able to get internet access at our home, which anyone who knows me understands how much disappointment I felt when I realized I would not be joining the blog world. Needless to say I then committed myself to an iphone so, I could at least get to my email without having to drive to one of our parents or my sisters house to check it. Our lives have been non-stop since the moment we said I do. Deer season rolled around in October and well that meant bye bye weekends til mid January or at least weekends with Matthew. I did make a huge accomplishment for myself by shooting my first deer, which happened to be a nice 9 point. It hangs right next to Matthew's much smaller 8 point. Lol! We have also been blessed to witness many friends get married. I look forward to many more blog posts. I am still learning how to use my new mac and how to blog so, I will post pictures the moment I figure that out.