Our cabin had a huge porch with a hot tub, fire pit, grill, rocking chairs, and outdoor table/chairs. The weather ended up not being as cold as I had anticipated, but it was still wonderful fall weather - perfect for reading and relaxing outside. We went to the local grocery shop the evening we arrived and cooked all our meals at the cabin. On Friday we went hiking on the Deep Creek Trail - and were able to see 3 beautiful waterfalls! I'm new to the outdoor hiking/camping thing so this was pretty exciting to me. The 5.5 mile hike was a little difficult seeing as I'm 6 months pregnant now (wow, really?!) but we went slow on the uphill parts and we all got a good bit of exercise and fresh air!

Watershed Cabins

For our first anniversary Seth planned a surprise trip for us to Watershed cabins in Bryson City. It was such a wonderful surprise and we had a great time relaxing, hiking, and relaxing some more:)

One Year Ago

I can hardly believe I'm already writing this blog, but it's true, Seth and I have been married for one year already! Man, God is good! This year has been a blessing beyond words. We've shared so much joy and love in 365 days, it truly is amazing. I am honored to have Seth as my husband - he knows how to love me like no one else but Jesus. For that I am truly grateful! I know I speak for us both when I say that we are eager to see what God has for us in the next 365 days of marriage...including the one very special gift arriving in January:)

Here's a look back at a little over one year ago...

Movement and More

Today I'm officially 22 wks along and while I've been able to feel/see Lilly Jo move for about 1 month now, the movements are becoming more frequent, more intense, and higher up in my belly. Apparently I'm carrying her really low because until today all movements have been extremely low. Today during our company meeting I felt her up at my belly button. This probably isn't exciting to anyone but me, but it was fantastic to me! Seeing her move is the most facinating thing and I can't wait to see more as she continues to grow!!

A lot has been happening lately so here's a hodge-podge of pictures...enjoy! Our friend Krystal Liner became Mrs. Gallahan a few weeks ago - CONGRATULATIONS KRYSTAL AND RAY!!

Meet our baby GIRL....

On August 26th, Seth's birthday, we were able to find out that we're having a little girl! We had picked out both a boy and a girl name before we even knew we were pregnant so there was no need to look in a baby book after the 19 week ultrasound. Meet, Lilly Jo Apple!

Her feet were one of the first things that we saw on the ultrasound. They were so tiny and yet so active! Seth made me eat a piece of cake before the ultrasound in hopes of making her move into a good position for viewing. Boy did that work! Her feet were twitching and moving back and forth and it was so neat to see!

She was apparently in a great position because the ultrasound technician was able to see everything she needed to. Her body was measuring just right - even about 1 week ahead of schedule. At 19 weeks she weighed about 10oz and measured 6.5 in from head to rump (not sure of the head to feet measurement). Her heart looked wonderful and we were able to see all four beating chambers! We were also able to see her brain, spinal cord, kidneys, and probably more but I just can't remember it all.

This is my favorite picture of Lilly Jo - sucking her little thumb:) As I mentioned before she was very active and we were actually able to see her move her hand over to her mouth, put her thumb in, and watch her suck her thumb for about a minute! To both me and Seth, that was the most amazing part. Watching her interact with her own body that she's just now discovering! God is just amazing, how he has formed and continues to grow Lilly Jo inside of me! It's the most wonderful blessing - and I'm so thankful for the technology we have today that allows us to get a sneak peak at our little girl!

To celebrate finding out the sex, we went to Alumni Hall at Crabtree and bought Lilly Jo her first NC STATE outfit:) This jumper can/will be worn next summer/fall, but the booties will be one of the first thing she puts on at the hospital! Seth was quite proud of his WOLFPACK picks!

Seeing her on the ultrasound made us both so much more ready to meet her...but until then, I'm thankful for the pictures/memories we have so far!

She truly is the "apple of our eye"...