We had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. Our great friends, Kip and Erica Copeland came to visit for the weekend, with their P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S 3 1/2 month old daughter, Anna Kate. (Owen nicknamed her Anna Kate Plus 8!)

We had originally planned a beach trip, but that didn't work out. So we enjoyed a quiet and relaxing weekend at home, and I gobbled up as much time with cute as a button AK as I could.

Kip and Erica are missionaries to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and are home temporarily while AK is little bitty. We don't get to see them much, and this is the first time we got to meet AK.

I think Anna Kate might just be the happiest, most pleasant baby on the planet. She had a few episodes...a scary wasp being one of them...but other than that, she was an absolute angel!

I think it was a huge eye opener for the Oster. Well, I don't think...I know. After they left, he said to me "I'm just not ready for this!" To which I replied..."Umm, it's a little too late for that!!"

While they were here, we had plans to go to the zoo on Saturday, or maybe it was Sunday. I can't remember! So we got all dressed up and loaded in the car. On the way we stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A. As we were eating, it started to POUR down rain. So, the zoo was out, and it turns out we got all dressed up just to go to lunch. But AK fell asleep on the way home, so we drove around a little to let her sleep.

Then we tried to go to the SEC Baseball tournament championship game. I think LSU was playing somebody. The game was supposed to start at 3p, so again, we got all dressed up and went to lunch at a mexican restaurant. We were there for a few hours, just passing time. Then it came time to go to the game, so we loaded back in the car. As we drove up to the ballpark, the parking attendant kindly told us that the game was over, and it actually began at 12p instead of 3p. Apparently they were trying to "beat the rain" - which never showed up that day if I remember correctly. The funny thing was that the park was FULL of people that had been there the whole time. I still haven't figured out how they knew about the time change. So we had strike two under our belt.

On the way home, we decided to stop at the Aldridge Botanical Gardens for a nice stroll and just to stay out of the house for a while. I must say I was a little disappointed in the gardens. It's fairly new, and I guess too early in the season for anything other than the hydrangeas to bloom. So it was kind of drab, and full of mosquito's. And small. BUT...we had a great time, and watched some couple take pictures for their wedding that night. And as usual, Anna Kate was a doll!

We were so sad to see them go, and hope to get to see each other again soon (before October!!). And we can only pray that our little daughter is as sweet and easy going as Anna Kate.

Here's some snapshots from the weekend...enjoy!!

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Our backyard has been something of an eyesore for us and our neighbors since before we moved in. Once upon a lifetime, the previous owner of our house seems to have had a little garden area, surrounded by rocks, but it has since grown into a jungle of Poison Oak and Poison Ivy.

I'm assuming the circular rock garden housed a flower garden of some sort. But it really could be where he buried a precious pet. I'm leaning towards to graveyard because it's the one area where Tas has decided to try to dig to China. Something must be catching his nose.

With a little one on the way, and with a husband that is HIGHLY allergic to poison oak, ivy and anything else poisonous, we decided to roll up our sleeves, and have someone come make our backyard pretty again.

Our goal is to have a nice pleasant sitting area to the left of our back porch - a place that currently floods anytime it rains. Also, since our backyard is a small mountain, we wanted to level off a section for a future play area for the little one. And one day...maybe...we might put a gazebo type area to the right of the play area. Big dreams...but we'll see.

It's been raining so much, that Herbert (the excavating guy) hasn't been able to come turn our yard into a dirt pile because it's too muddy. But on Saturday, he caught a break in the rain and brought his little BobCat to play in the mud.

I was shocked at how quickly he worked, making to level area, and clearing the rest of all of the weeds, etc. The level area now looks perfect for a pool, but alas, that's a total pipe dream!! I'll settle for a playground for now!

Of course, he didn't get to finish because it started raining on him. And it's been raining ever since. Now our backyard is a true mud pit, and streams of muddy water are flowing down from the top to the bottom of the driveway. I'm on pins and needles praying that it doesn't turn into a giant mudslide and take over our house.

Herbert won't be able to return to finish until the mud pit has dried up a bit...which will hopefully be sometime this week.

Until then, enjoy some pics of the progress....the first one is pretty much what the entire yard used to look like. The second is of Herbert in his BobCat, playing in the mud...

This one is a look at it slowly turning into a mud pit.

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Labels: Backyardigans

We're getting lots of questions lately on where we came up with the name...Sayla Grace.

Prepare to be enlightened...or at least informed!

We started the name game before we found out we were pregnant. Knowing if we had a boy, he would be John Owen the 4th...given that Owen is the 3rd. We would call him Johnny (and later John) after both of our father's. Even though my dad goes by Ed, his first name is John.

Anywho...Tuesday that plan was put on hold until the next rugrat (hopefully!).

But with girl names, we were having a harder time coming up with a name. We knew we wanted something that was not on the "top names" lists that you see floating around the news, but at the same time, we wanted a name that we both LOVE. We didn't want it to be a case of mommy picked your name and daddy agreed half-heartedly...or vice versa.

So perusing through the baby name books we went. It was my job to come up with an expansive list that O could tear through. And so I did. There were lots of names on it, so many I can't even remember them all. Owen didn't have a clue what to name a girl, so the original list was up to me.

As promised, he tore through the list, marking off every name in his path. All the while I'm thinking, "Oh My! This is going to be difficult!!"

Turns out the only name he stopped on was "Sela" (as in Sela Ward - not that I wanted to name our baby after her, I just liked the name). But on my list, I had written the different ways to spell Sela. Among them..."Selah" - a biblical term found in the Psalms, meaning "to pause and reflect".

Being the only name left on the list, we entered into discussions on the proper way to pronounce "Selah" - apparently we entered this discussion along with many theologians and biblical scholars. Some say it's pronounced "See-La"; some same "Sha-la" (as in the Hebrew term); and still others pronounce is "Say-la".

When we discovered the "Say-la" pronunciation, we both instantly said "THAT's IT!!" And we've been stuck with it ever since. We decided to spell if phonetically, mainly because of the debate over how to pronounce Selah. We didn't want her to have to constantly pronounce it for people. Though I guess she'll constantly have to spell it for them, so I'm not sure that matters!!

The name Grace is simply because it reminds me of God's grace, and the grace that brought us together as a Christian couple. It is the grace we vowed to keep at the center of our marriage on our wedding day. And the grace that will bind our family forever.

So there you have it. It's not really a glorious story, but that's our story. Little Miss Sayla Grace...I will forever say it means "to pause and reflect on God's gift" ~ because that's what she is...God's Gift!

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Labels: Sayla Grace

So everyone has spent the last 4.5 months trying to guess what we are having. About a month ago, I found a list of questions related to gender predicting, and the results were that we are having a boy. Below is the little quiz, with my original answers, and some updates....enjoy!!


Is It A Boy? Or A Girl?

1. Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant woman. If the suspended ring swings in an oval or circular motion, the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings back and forth in a straight line, the baby will be a boy. There is also a version done with a needle and thread above the mother’s wrist or her belly. Results are the same. - Ring swung in circles, back and forth

2. If you carry your baby high and tight, it is a boy. If you carry your baby low and wide, it’s a girl. - Originally I wasn't sure how I was carrying? - Right now she's down around my pelvis.

3. If you crave fruits and vegetables, it’s a boy. If you crave meats and starches, you will have a girl. - Don't really crave either yet...though I'd rather an apple to a steak. (Originally). I'm still not really craving anything.

4. If you crave sweets, you’re having a boy. If you crave salty foods, you’re having a girl. - I do like salty foods right now. (Originally). I cannot really stand sweets!

5. If the hair on your legs is growing faster than before you were pregnant, you’re having a boy. If it is growing at the same rate or slower, you’re having a girl. - I shave every day, so I can't really tell how it's growing!

6. If your feet are colder now than before you were pregnant, you’re having a boy. If they are the same as before, you’re having a girl. - My feet have always been cold.

7. If your husband is gaining weight right along with you, you’re having a boy. If he hasn’t gained any weight, you’re having a girl. - He's losing weight. It's falling off of him and making me jealous!

8. If your hair is gray, you’re having a boy. If your hair is not gray (natural or dyed), you’re having a girl. - Haven't seen a gray strand yet.

9. If you have morning sickness early in your pregnancy, you’re having a girl. If you haven’t had morning sickness, you’re having a boy. - No morning sickness here!

10. If you look particularly good during pregnancy, you’re having a boy. If you’re not looking so good, you’re having a girl. - Umm, I think I look good! ;o) (Originally). Now I'm starting to look like a pizza again!!

11. If your urine is a bright neon yellow color, you’re having a boy. If it’s a dull yellow, you’re having a girl. - Can we say neon? (Originally). Now it's quite dull! I know you wanted to know that!

12. If you must have orange juice everyday, you’re having a girl. If you don’t like orange juice, you’re having a boy. - I'm loving some orange juice right now...drink it every morning!

13. If you’re having headaches, you’re having a boy. If you’re not, you’re having a girl. - Headaches are becoming more frequent.

14. If someone asks you to show them your hands and you present them palms up, you’re having a girl. If you present your hands palms down, you’re having a boy. - No one has asked me this!

15. If you pick up a coffee mug by the handle, you’re having a boy. If you pick it up by the body of the mug, you’re having a girl. - I haven't had a coffee mug lately, but I pick up my water jug by the handle.

Boy scored 8.5 (originally) 6 (currently)
Girl scored 6.5 (originally) 9 (currently)

So obviously without this little quiz we know it's a girl, but it was fun to speculate for a time! I couldn't imagine not finding out. How people do that is beyond me!!!

Now the fun part sets in...decorating the nursery!!!

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Labels: Baby P, Boy or Girl?

Once again, I apologize to you for being distant lately! Everything is fine. It just seems that I spend all day on the computer at work, so when I get home, the last thing I want to look at is the computer.

I had plans to show you "the bump" at 14, 15 and 16 weeks, but it seems my camera had other ideas. Sometime between this weekend and today, my camera decided to erase all of my pictures. Pictures that started with the day we found out - the obligatory pics of the pee stick...then the random snow we had in Birmingham, with some cute video of the Monkey playing in the snow. And then there were the baby bump pictures that I was going to put in my "Belly Book" ~ But alas...not now! They have magically disappeared, never to be seen again.

So I'll start with this week...week 17. And from now on I will not leave a plethora of pictures on my camera without downloading them to my computer. I'd get upset, but what good will that do? Bring my pictures back? I doubt it!

So the baby has grown from a mere poppy seed to the size of an onion...although it feels much larger than that! Not round, but just the length/weight. Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints. And the ears are starting to function...so we have started talking to the bump. It's comical.

We went today for our monthly checkup. Everything was normal. The doc got a new Doppler machine that doesn't record the heart rate, so we got to hear it, but we don't know how fast it was. Sounded fast to me.

Then Owen surprised me and asked the doc if we could have an 'unscheduled' ultrasound. Cost's extra, but we considered it my mother's day present. The doctor obliged, and put us in line to see the tech.

There were no measurements or anything - that's at the next appointment - but we got to see the little bugger literally doing somersaults, stand on its head and shoot us the bird. And in true Prescott style, the baby sat Indian-style, or with the legs underneath for most of the time.

It was so amazing to watch. Definitely lets you know that there is a God. There's no other way something so miraculous can happen. There's just not.

We got some good pics, but when I tried to scan them in, I couldn't make it work right, so I grabbed my trusty camera and took pictures of the pictures. Never a good idea, but it's the only way I can share them with you. Don't worry. I've already downloaded them to my PC, in case the camera decides to get squirrely again.

So here's a little slide show of the ultrasound pictures thus far...

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Labels: Baby P, Boy or Girl?