Dr. Appt #10

Thursday's appointment marked the first of my weekly visits to the Doctor. Andrew could come at any time!!!!

We had our first ultrasound since we found out the sex of the baby (20 weeks). Andrew is right on track. The ultrasound tech is estimating him at 5 lbs 7 oz right now. She said babies grow about 1/2 lb each week so we are probably looking at 7 1/2 - 8 lb baby depending on when he arrives. I was very excited to hear that... not exactly looking forward to giving birth to a 10 lb baby if you know what I mean. During the ultrasound she pulled out the 3-D wand - it was sooooo cool to see our baby's face and he isn't even born yet! We think he has my nose, but mostly Josh's face. Check out the pictures below.

The ultrasound was followed with an exam by the Doctor. Nothing else exciting happened, however I was feeling very dizzy and light headed at the appointment. The Doctor said that was normal and if I could go home and rest for awhile before heading to work that would be wise. So that's what I did!

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, I was unable to schedule an appointment for next week. So the next appointment is scheduled for the following Monday, Nov. 28. at 11:15am. Stay tuned!

Dr. Appt #9

Another routine doctor appointment today. I have had no complications so I get in and out fairly quickly with the exception of the infamous waiting room.

Mom snapped this picture while she was in town this week. She said this is the only shirt that makes me look pregnant. I feel like my belly is big (mostly because I am always running into doors and sitting too close to a table or desk), but others say that I don't look like a woman who has six weeks left of pregnancy. What do you think?

I mentioned mom was in town this week. She came for a few reasons. She delivered our crib so we could begin working on Andrew's room and she also came to assist Jackie in getting her car repaired. She arrived Friday evening (just in time to watch the Rangers lose the World Series). Saturday we dropped off Jackie's car at Maaco in Houston, while Josh worked. That afternoon and evening I had a Fall event at work so mom and Karl hung out at the house and began putting baby furniture together. When Josh and I arrived home later that evening the bookshelf and dresser had been put together and all the baby clothes had been washed. On Sunday, mom and I went to Babies R Us to pick up the crib mattress and traveler system. Meanwhile, Josh was at home putting together the crib. We just relaxed the rest of the day. Monday it was back to work for all of us. Mom worked remotely at our house through Wednesday and returned to Dallas on Thursday.

We had a great time while she was visiting. She was a huge help since I seem to get tired very easily nowadays. She was like the Energizer Bunny... she just kept going and going and going. I look forward to her staying once Andrew arrives, but I fear I will never want her to leave! She definately spoiled us this week with cooking and cleaning. Thanks again Mom!


Here are a few pictures of Andrew's room... all we need now is a rocker to finish off the room.

Top 10 signs you know you're pregnant!

10.) You move into a new house with more room to accommodate the baby and all their belongings and you still don't have enough for room!


9.) Your center of gravity begins to shift and you trip, fall and run into walls.


8.) You seriously ponder the thought of investing in Charmin Toilet Paper and Tums because you use them so frequently.


7.) Your belly reaches a point where it should be mandatory to wear reflectors.


6.) You get your own personal party where "Ooooooos" and "Awwwwwws" echo throughout the room.


5.) Your belly plays a multi-functional role: It serves as a nurturing womb for baby, Table duster and a TV Tray!


4.) Suddenly everyone cares for you as if you have a disability.


3.) You begin to wonder if nine months without a menstrual cycle will be worth all the pain and suffering of labor.


2.) People begin to actually read the blog to keep up with the breaking baby news!


1.) You are more grateful and appreciative for the simple things in life. Things like not loosing your breath when doing the laundry, getting to sleep on your stomach, receiving back adjustments from Josh.

Baby Shower - Huntsville, TX

The weekend was full of excitement! We had special visitors from Minnesota - My Aunt Jenny and Cousin/God-Daughter Makayla. They were in town for my baby shower, which was hosted by my sister, Jackie.

The shower was magnificent! Summary of the Shower: good food, goofy games, amazingly delicious cake, fantastic fellowship and generous gifts!

Andrew's Mom, Grandmas and Great Grandmas

Baby Andrew and Me

Makayla and Me
Once we got home and Josh returned from the SHSU vs. SFA football game I updated him on the festivities that took place at the shower. Then he opened his gift from Jenny and Makayla - "Josh's Diaper Tool Kit". Looks like he is ready for some serious diapers!!!!!

Jenny was the official photograoher for the event... stay tuned for more pictures!

Dr. Appt #7

Well... this appointment was pretty unproductive! I sat in the waiting area for about 25 minutes until my name was finally called. Did the usual... pee in a cup and weight. Then it was back to a private room where they took my BP (123/80). The Doctor came in checked the babies heart rate, confirmed that my glucose test results came back great and then asked if I had any questions. A few seconds late I was out of there... I was in the back for less than 10 minutes! That was a very expensive 10 minutes I'm sure. I guess I would rather be safe than sorry, but overall I have had a very smooth pregnancy... Mom and Baby are doing Great!

I will have two more appointments just like this one: 32 weeks and 34 weeks. After that it get's interesting!

In other baby news... This weekend marks my first Baby Shower!!! I am getting super excited!

An Unexpected Blessing

Exciting news in the Elliott household! We received an unexpected blessing from the good Lord above!
Josh was offered a position at St. Luke's Hospital in The Woodlands. He will work as a Part Time Licensed Athletic Trainer. He works for the Hospital, but is doing contract work with Montgomery ISD. Right now he is working Monday and Tuesday evenings at Jr. High football games.

This new position definitely comes with its challenges since it's a new program, but the pay is worth it. Josh expects his first paycheck this week!!!!

Injury highlights so far: two sprained ankles, broken thumb, and one ambulance call. The ambulance wasn't for a serious injury... the kid's parents weren't at the game and he wouldn't stop whining. The coaches called the parents and they said to transport him to the hospital.

Our New Home

Josh and I have been searching for a new home over the past two months. We needed a little more space with a baby on the way and we wanted to get out of our current neighborhood (not exactly family friendly). We narrowed our search to some townhouses in Alden Bridge - The Woodlands, TX. Last weekend we finalized our decision... it was getting close to the end of our lease date in the apartments (October 31st). We selected a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath townhouse with a two car garage. It is about 1,550 square feet on a corner lot. The home was built in 1997, but has had some remodeling work done recently. New tile in the Kitchen/Dining Room, new carpet downstairs, 2 inch blinds in all windows, new AC unit, and energy star appliances. The rental includes all the kitchen appliances, but no washer and dryer. Not a problem at all because we have our own.

We will move in just a few short weeks; I will slowly be packing up the apartment throughout that time. The lease starts October 15th, but we will move the majority of our furniture and belongings on October 21st. I think we will be having a Move In Party that weekend... being seven months pregnant is no bueno when moving. We could use the help unpacking!

Our new address: 2 Timberstar St. The Woodlands, TX 77382. Here are some photos of the front of the house. We will post inside pictures after we get moved in.

Dr. Appt #6

Glucose Screening Day!

Exactly one hour prior to my appointment I had to drink a glucose mixture. It really didn't taste as bad as I thought it would, but it did burn a little going down. It was A LOT of sugar!!! Less than a minute after I consumed half the bottle I felt my heart rate drastically increase and the baby was bouncing around like crazy! We were both on an extreme sugar high.

When I got to the appointment they immediately took a couple tubes of blood. They are checking to see if my body can bring down those glucose levels to a normal range within the hour. If I don't have a result within the recommended range then I will have to go to a special lab to get a three hour glucose screening... same thing only they take your blood three times at one hour intervals.
The Dr. said "No news, is good news". If I need to go for further testing I should hear by next Monday. This meeting I had a normal blood pressure... that's a first! Lately I have had a wide range of BP results: 130/90 all the way down to 93/55. The Dr. said that was normal and over these last couple months my BP will likely increase. She also recommended we register at the Hospital and find a Pediatrician. I asked her about the classes available at the hospital - she said none were required, but she suggested we attend the infant child care class.

Tomorrow marks 28 weeks and the Dr. said we will move to having appointments every two weeks. Once I hit 36 weeks I will have weekly appointments until the baby arrives. Do you know what that means??? More blog updates!

Dr. Appt #5

As you can see I am finally getting a belly! (very exciting) The baby is kicking pretty frequently and they are definately getting stronger. Luckily they are still bearable... who knows how long that is going to last? I have only had one night when the baby kept me up for over an hour because he was kicking mom-stop(I think I drank too much Mountain Dew that day). I am really good about regulating my caffeine intake, but for some reason that day I was not thinking of the consequences.

So today I had a doctor appointment. It was pretty uneventful except for the blood pressure cuff. The nurse took my BP as they normally do, except it didn't sound and feel the same as it normally does. She said it was 116/80 and then she walked out to get the Dr. The Dr. came in and checked for the baby's heartbeat (sounded good by the way). She said next time I was going to have my diabetes screening. Then she asked if I had any questions or if there was anything she could do for me? I said yes! "Can you take my blood pressure again?" I explained that it is usually higher than that and I had some concerns about the way the nurse took it. So she said no problem! She grabbed the BP cuff and stethescope off the counter (same one the nurse used) and placed it on my arm then pumped... and pumped, and pumped and so on. She said "huh, it would help if we had a cuff that worked". (it sounded like there was a whole in the cuff or the valve was bad. the cuff never pressurized so it was impossible to take a reading). The Dr. went to grab a new cuff and returned. The new BP was 130/82... that's more like it! I can't believe that nurse was just making up numbers for all those patients in that room! and how many others have the the same? and how many patient's lives could have been at stake because of someone just giving a random number? Oh my goodness!!!!!

On a lighter note, Josh and I have been spending a lot of time narrowing down our preferred baby names. We have had a lot "help" from my dad in the baby name department. So stay tuned and maybe we will make a decision soon. Send us any suggestions (no "J" names please).

My First Baby Shower

My sister, Jackie, is hosting a baby shower on October 8th in Huntsville, TX. We have invited many family members and friends. I hope they can come!

Josh and I have been building our registry over the past few weeks. It was an overwhelming task to say the least... definately not the same as creating a wedding registry. So I need all you mommy experts to let me know if I am missing any "absolute must haves". That way I can register for it! We are registered at Babies R' Us, Target and Kohls. Some things we didnt register for because we figured people would get them anyway (clothes, pacifiers, blankets, toys, etc.)

I hope to see everyone at the shower... and I can't wait to oooooo and awwwww over all the cute little baby stuff!

Baby Gifts

This week we received our first two baby gifts courtesy of Mimi and Poppy!

First, Mom called me to tell me she had ordered and received our baby crib from JC Penney that we liked. I am so relieved our baby will have a place to sleep!

Secondly, we received a knock at the door when we sat down for dinner this evening. It was a package for Jill Elliott. Looking at the box, it was from Kohls so I had a sneaky suspicion it was our crib bedding. I was RIGHT! I pulled it out of the box and said "Awwwwww". Josh was excited but definatly did not display as much enthusiasm as I did. So now... not only will our baby have a place to sleep, but he will have cute, comfy sheets and blankets to sleep on. Yay! Thanks Mimi and Poppy!

TCC Homecoming - Galveston, TX

I took Thursday and Friday as vacation days so Josh and I enjoyed a long weekend in Galveston after our Dr. Appointment Thursday morning. We got down to the gulf around 2:30pm and checked into our hotel - Baymont Inn. We headed over to Moody Gardens where Texas Chiropractic College was hosting their Homecoming festivities. We walked around the expo a while and then headed over to the museums at Moody Gardens. The first day we only made it through the Aquarium exhibit. Once we finished up there we headed back over to the Moody Hotel to meet Josh's Grandpa and Grandma for dinner followed by the College's Beach Party and Moody Garden's Palm Beach. After a long night of visiting we headed back to our hotel for some Zzzzzzzzs.

Friday, Josh and I attended Dr. Sportelli's opening speech for the day. He covered a 50 year history of the Chiropractic Profession... very engaging and informational. After that we went over to see the Rainforest Exhibit. We were kind of rushed to get through there because we were supposed to meet Josh's dad in League City for lunch at 11:00am. But since we had 5 day passes we could always come back to that exhibit. We met Terry at Cracker Barrel and headed back to Galveston. Josh dropped me off at the Hotel for a nap and he headed to Moody for a Seminar - Practice Management and Ethics. When he returned we put on our swim suits and sun screen for a walk along the sea wall. It was very hot, but since we were on the coast the breeze made it bearable. When we returned to the hotel we had to take showers to get ready for the TCC Homecoming Banquet. It was a nice event - food, speeches, awards, fireworks and dancing. Here's a picture of us all dolled up at the Banquet.
On Saturday, Josh woke up early to attend the Board of Regents meeting - I got to sleep in! When he returned we checked out of the hotel, grabbed some lunch at Quiznos and headed back over to Moody Gardens to check out the exhibits we missed. We went back through the Rainforest Exhibit, Rode the Happy Feet Ride Film, saw the Discovery Exhibit (bones), Rode the Paddlewheel boat in the Galveston Bay and then we topped off the day with some Dippin' Dots. On our way home Josh's dad invited us to go eat Chinese Food with some of the family - so we took a little detour to Crosby and enjoyed the food and fellowship. We made it home about 10:15pm, unpacked our stuff then crashed on the bed.

It was a good quick get away. Here's the link for all the pictures we took from the trip.

Dr. Appt #4 - It's A Boy!

I have been patiently waiting my next Doctor Appointment... well Josh would disagree. He would say that I have been impatiently waiting. As you all remember this was the trip we were going to find out if we were having a girl or a boy. When we arrived, we first headed back into the ultrasound room, the technician asked us if we were having a boy or a girl and we said "That's what we're here to find out". Then she asked us what we think it was we said boy. (Josh has never thought of it being anything else and I have had many signs that lead me to this answer) She proceeded to squeeze the eeewy goo on my belly followed by the wand. With in a matter of two seconds she said... "it's definitely a boy"! The baby was in a perfect position to show off his prized jewels for us all to see.


Once she took a few measurements and a few pictures we headed over to meet with the Dr. As we were waiting we realized that both of us were wearing blue shirts... kinda funny! Not much happened with the Dr. Will head back in four weeks for another check-up. Will not have another ultrasound until 36 weeks (16 more weeks).

Color me Happy!

Earlier this month I debated whether to color my hair or not. I have TONS of gray on my head and I am only 25 years old! Many co-workers said not to color my hair because it might harm the baby's development. I did some research online and found nothing to substantiate that claim. I also figured there would be some kind of disclaimer if it did harm you or the baby. I called mom just to get her input... she confirmed my thought process. She also mentioned that when I was home this weekend she wanted to dye her hair... if I got one we could both do ours. So I purchased a box of Loreal Paris 7 1/2 A hair dye and packed it in my suitcase.

Tonight mom and I pulled out our boxes and to our surprise they were almost the exact same. Mom had purchased one shade darker - Loreal Paris 7A. How funny!

See our below and after pictures below: Subtle changes... but at least it covers the GRAY!

It's not Robbin's Brothers!

One of our stops while mom and I were out on the town today was Kohls. I picked up a couple things and decided to check out the jewelry to see if I could find a pregnancy ring. My wedding ring has not been worn the past couple weeks because of the swelling in my hands.

I found one that I liked and it was only $18.00. On our way home I put it on and asked mom how long she thought it would take for Josh to notice. We didn't take bets, but if we did I probably would have lost. It wasn't but an hour after we got home and Josh said... "That's an interesting ring". I'm sure he said that because it isn't anything like my wedding ring other than the color silver. Although it is different than what he expected he said he still liked it.

Fancy Feet

Today was Mom and Me Day! We started of the day with a pedicure, went hunting for a few things - no luck, grabbed some lunch and then some shopping.

Check out these Fancy Feet!

Dr. Appt. #3

The day started off with Josh saying, "Don't you dare find out the sex of that baby without me!" I told him not to worry because I am not scheduled to have an ultrasound. (Josh was unavailable to make this appt since he has been working at the DeBakey Clinic in the afternoons)

So after work I headed to the appointment. It started out with a typical weight and pee sample in a cup... then off to the exam room. This visit was unlike my others because I didn't have an ultrasound before meeting with the Doctor. The nurse took my Blood Pressure, it was a little high - 143/94. The Dr. came in and she said, "Why is your blood pressure so high?" I didn't really have a good answer other than... "Well, I did survive the day at work." We chuckled.

She had me lay back so she could find the baby's heartbeat. Thankfully it was still there! After that she decided to re-check my BP - 133/85... a little better. She asked if there was anything else she could do for me and I said no, I have the normal symptoms - heart burn, frequent urination and swelling... so much so that I can't wear my wedding ring anymore. She said no problem... head to Charming Charlies for a temporary! We chuckled again... I love my Doctor!

She suggested I return in four weeks for an ultrasound, but I remembered I will be out of town on business that week, so I asked if I could come in three weeks instead. She said no problem. I was so excited because at the next appointment we get to find out the sex of the baby!!!!! Anyone else as excited as I am? If not, I will be sure NOT to post anything about our next visit and it will remain top secret... to you at least!

Bubbles in my Belly

Today I experienced something unusual. I am pretty sure I have felt my first little flutters from Baby Elliott. Ladies I have been sharing the experience with has described the first flutters to be like a butterfly in your belly... well, I describe it as tiny bubbles. And no it was not GAS... I know what that feels like! Ha!

Today marks week 15 on Baby Elliott's journey to birth... which is also the second week of the second trimester. Baby Center describes week 15 of pregnancy:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

Next Doctor Appt. is Thursday, June 30th. I don't think I am having an ultrasound this time so it looks like we will have to wait until July to find out the sex. Does anyone have any guesses yet? Josh says the baby is a boy until proven otherwise. I have a feeling that it will be a girl... but I don't know if that is wishful thinking or a mother's intuition? Send us your thoughts. TTFN, Ta Ta for Now!

The Road to Graduation

Josh has recently been accepted into a four week rotational program sponsored by his school, Texas Chiropractic College. He had to go through an interview process in order to be selected. They only allow two chiropractic interns into the rotation each session. This rotation program happes to be the longest running rotation (since 1985) sponsored by TCC which allows the interns to attend the rheumatology rotation in the afternoons while they can still see patients at the Moody Health Center in the morning. The rotation is under the direction of Dr. Martin D. Lidsky at the Michael E. DeBakey Medical Center (world renowned VA hospital) located on the southern side of downtown Houston.

Three medical residents and one medical fellow attend the rotation with the two chiropractic interns. Basically they do nothing but observe. Josh says they follow the Dr. around stand in a very small room with the Dr. and patient and then walk out, and go to the next patient. They don't get to ask the patient questions, but the Dr. does quiz them during the patient exams. When Josh arrived home after his first day at the DeBakey Clinic he just looked and me, smiled really big and said, "I realized I am a genius!" Apparently Dr. Lidsky had asked the crew why the palmer region is spared during carpal tunnel? No one new the answer except Josh - because the pamler branch of the median nerve does not travel through carpal tunnel, it goes over it. Josh was excited to realize that his knowledge and education was at or above a third year medical resident.

Although it is a few more miles for the Camry on an already long trip, the experience and exposure he will receive through this program will pay off in the long run.

Doctor Appt. #2

Well I am in my 11th week of pregnancy. This picture was taken today, you can kind of see a "pouch" developing. Unfortunately Josh had clinic this morning so I had to go to my second appointment by myself, but we would both rather him go the later appointments as it gets closer to having the baby. During my visit today I had a normal check up in addition to some special testing for down syndrome.


Currently, more women are electing the first trimester combined test, done in two steps during week 11 to 13 of pregnancy. The first trimester combined test includes:


Ultrasound: The doctor uses ultrasound to measure a specific region on the back of a baby's neck. This is known as a nuchal translucency screening test. When abnormalities are present, more fluid than usual tends to collect in this tissue.

Blood tests: Results of the ultrasound are paired with blood tests that measure levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Abnormal levels of PAPP-A and HCG may indicate a problem with the baby.

We had quite the ordeal trying to get the baby to cooperate - it was being very stubborn today (maybe it's a boy). The first ultrasound we had a view of the right profile - the baby was not moving, just kicking. So the technician said maybe if you go to the bathroom and relieve your bladder it will move, I said okay it's worth a shot. So I did and guess what? The baby moved! ... just not in the right direction. It was then laying on it's belly. In order to do the test she needed the baby to be laying on it's back. After some coaching and poking the baby was still not cooperating. So the technician suggested I meet with the Dr. and then come back and try it again.

I met with the Dr. very briefly. I have not had any complications or sickness so she said we'll draw your blood and see you in 4 weeks. Then it was back to the ultrasound room. Well, surprise, surprise, the baby still wasn't in the right position. The technician poked and jiggled my belly and poked and jiggled some more and finally the baby curled up in a ball laying on it's back. She quick took the measurement and printed some pictures and then I was on my way to work for the day. The pictures of the baby curled up were not as cool as the one below. This is like looking at the baby as if it were laying on the floor looking up at you. You clearly see the head, arms, chest and legs. Isn't that cool!!!!

Quarter of a Century!

On Sunday we celebrated Josh's 25th Birthday. The day started off kind of slow, we slept in a little bit and then I decided I would make Josh some muffins for breakfast. This was a special treat since normally we don't eat breakfast at all. Well, long story short... the muffins were expired and they did not turn out good at all!!! So much for breakfast!

Then Josh opened his birthday presents and cards. He received a birthday card and best buy gift card from my mom and dad, a card from my Grandma and Grandpa, and then I gave him a cute litte card with a couple of gifts. I got him a new dress shirt and tie in addition to a white lab coat. He wears his every day in clinic and it is getting a little worn. Now he will have a spare.

We didn't really do anything in the afternoon just lounge around the house. We did schedule a webcam date with Makayla so she could wish him a Happy Birthday. That was fun!

That evening we met Josh's dad, step mom and grandma for dinner at Johnny Carino's. We absolutely LOVE their Potato Soup - they didn't let us down this time either. It was soooo good! After that we went home and watched the Finale of Survivor.

I don't know that it was an especially exciting or memorable birthday, but it was relaxing and enjoyable. Happy Birthday My Love!

Doctor Appt. #1

Today I had my first ultrsound and Dr. appointment. We discovered "IT" or "Baby Bean" is seven weeks and four days in the making. Turns out it was a Hawaii Baby - too much info???

Below you can see the ultrasound picture we received - of course after scanning it doesn't really to it much justice. If you look to the right of the round sac that is the head and to the left you can see the butt and legs forming. We got to hear the heart beat - "going strong" said the Dr.

I have another ultrasound and lab work scheduled in another four weeks.

Current Pregnancy Symptoms: I am really not having any symptoms other than I am ALWAYS hungry! Yay no morning sickness!!!!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage!

Well I am sure most of you have heard already, but Josh and I are going to be parents!

We found out about three weeks ago and spent the last week telling our family and friends. We are very excited about the journey ahead, but a little anxious at the same time.

My first doctor appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, May 4th! Only a few more days and we will know a little more information, but for now we are guesstimating the middle of December we will have an early Christmas present.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Maui - Best Vacation Ever!!!!!

Josh and I had a great time in Hawaii, we both agreed it was the best vacation ever! We kind of needed a vacation from our vacation though. We didn't come back with hardly any sun - some wondered if we even went on vacation. Well, we did and I have the pictures to prove it. Check them out here. I don't have any pictures of the surprise party (which was priceless), so I will have to get those from my Aunt Diane who was our official photographer for the week. Here is a quick snapshot of what we did all week:

Sunday, March 13th we arrived in Maui about 2:30pm - mom had been texting me all day because they were arriving in Maui the same day but a few hours earlier. Since we were staying in the same hotel we had to make sure we didn't run into each other. We did NOT want to ruin the surprise on Monday. Later that afternoon Josh and I picked up the birthday cake, some food for the breakfast surprise party and then unpacked our stuff (once we finally got into our official room... it's a long story).

Monday morning we (Karl, Audrey, Jackie, Diane , Josh and me) surprised Dad at breakfast- he was speechless. After breakfast, five of us (Josh, Jackie, Diane, Haley Spooner and me) went to the Maui Ocean Center and the Maui Tropical Plantation. That evening we went to the Spooner's hotel and had some appetizers and drinks.

Tuesday we got up at 6:15am to begin our Road to Hana Tour. Josh and I were accompanied by Karl, Audrey and Diane. It was about a 12 hour day, but we saw a lot of great scenery. A couple highlights were the Black Sand Beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park and swimming in the Oheo Gulch Seven Pools. It was definately a long day - but worth it.

On Wednesday me, dad and Josh went on a Snorkeling trip. It was extremely windy that day so the water was rough and they were unsure if we were going to be able to visit both snorkeling spots on the agenda. We went to Turtle Town and Molokini Islet for some snorkeling. This was my first real snorkeling adventure, but dad had been a few times before. He said that there was quite a variety of fish at Turtle Town - he said that was rare. When we were heading back to the harbour after our snorkeling adventures we saw some whales - I got some pretty good shots. We got back to the hotel about 2:00pm - at that point we needed to get ready for our evening plans. We had tickets to Warren and Annabelles Magic Night Club (Extremely funny - good food too) which was in Lahaina. We had a little bit of time before the show so we walked along Front Street in Lahaina and got an opportunity to check out the local shops. It was a great day!

It wasn't long before we were on our next adventure in Maui. We got up about 2:15am on Thursday to begin our way up Haleakalā for the morning's sunrise with Diane. Haleakalā, "The House of the Sun", is a dormant volcano and the tallest peak on Maui, reaching 10,023 feet above sea level. We got to the top about 5:30am and sun was expected to rise at 6:25am. It was very chilly up there and extremely windy - Diane was used to it since she lives in Iowa. The wait and weather was worth it - the views were amazing to say the least. I think I easily took 100 pictures that morning. The view was constantly changing as the sun was coming up and the clouds were rolling beneath us. It was also Diane's last day and she was supposed to leave the hotel at 1:00pm to head towards the airport - well after our early sunrise we had a couple hours to spare and she really wanted to see the Olivne Pools (north side of the island). So we went on a quick road trip. It was fun! We are so glad Diane was able to join us on vacation. We rarely get to see her so it was a special treat to be in her company for the week. The rest of the afternoon was spent resting on the patio of our hotel room to catch a few rays and Zzzzs. That evening we hung out at Mom and Dad's room and ordered some Pizza from a local restaurant just a couple blocks away.

Friday was our last day in Maui. The six of us (Mom, Dad, Karl, Audrey, Josh and myself) had breakfast in Mom and Dad's room to clean out the refrigerator. Our flight wasn't until 9:00pm that evening so we had a lot of time to kill since we had to check out of our room at noon. We saw a lot of stuff that day - we went to Iao Valley, a black sand beach just south of Wailea, Peggy Sue's Restaurant, Island Paperie (scrapbook store) and we also checked out a local mall. After all that we headed to the airport to drop off our rental car and get checked in.

Before our trip to Maui I was very worried about the long flight, but I managed really well. Josh and I had a great week and would love to go back some day - there was still so much to see and plus this time we didn't really RELAX like you are supposed to on vacation, nevertheless we still had a great trip.

We send a HUGE thanks to Mom for planning such a special surprise and generously paying for our hotel for the week. We really did have a great time!!!!

Dr. Josh

Today, Josh received his name tag during the Texas Chiropractic College's White Coat Ceremony. He has officially joined the Moody Clinic as a Student Chiropractic Intern. He has less than one year until he graduates.

I am so proud of him and so thankful that I get to share my life with him.

Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe it is 2011… I don’t know about you, but it takes me forever to finally write the New Year on documents. Even today I am still writing 2010 on stuff for work. Anyone got any suggestions as to how I can get in the habit of writing 2011????

Over the new year weekend, we spent some time at my parents house. On Wednesday we had our Christmas celebration with my parents, siblings and their “significant others”. We had a fabulous dinner and enjoyed unwrapping Christmas gifts. On Thursday, my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins arrived from Minnesota and Iowa for our annual Kuklenz Christmas. Of course we always have fantastic food and very entertaining games.

Josh and I really treasure time spent with my family as we don’t get to see them regularly throughout the year. You can see the cute & crazy Kuklenz Klan below minus an uncle and two cousins :(

Merry Christmas!

Josh and I visited his Mom’s house for Christmas. I can’t believe it but Santa found us up there!!!

We spent the day there watching the kids open presents, eat dinner and just visit. Unfortunately I came down with a bad cold so I ended up taking a nap for the majority of the afternoon. Then we had to head home because we had to get ready to go to Josh’s dad’s house on Sunday to celebrate with the Elliott Family. We had a great time there as well. Gifts, food and a few riveting games “try and unwrap the gift card game”.

Happy Anniversary!

We did it; we survived the first year of marriage!!!!!

To celebrate we spent the weekend in Houston. We started off Saturday morning at Hermann Park. We toured the Houston Museum of Natural Science and spent some more time in the Park just around the museum. That afternoon we went to Marble Slab to get some Ice Cream – an expensive but ever so yummy treat! Then we made our way west towards the Galleria where our hotel was located. We got checked in and all cleaned up to go to dinner.

We ate dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. I have a feeling it will become an annual tradition since we went there last year on the day after our wedding. We loved the food and atmosphere – especially the sweet potatoes!!!!! Some might say they’re “Orgasmic”.

On Sunday, we had breakfast at the hotel then checked out shortly after. We headed across the street to the Galleria where we enjoyed the afternoon just walking around and doing some last minute Christmas shopping. During the Holiday season they have an ice rink in the mall, we have always wanted to go ice skating, but on Sunday they were hosting a holiday special by kids in the community… so no skating for Josh and Jill – maybe next year! We had a late lunch with the elephants and gorillas at the Rainforest Café (Josh had never been).

That was it… not too exciting, but we did enjoy the quality time together and just getting out of the house. We didn’t exchange Anniversary gifts, but I did get my Christmas gift early, I got a camera… very helpful to document our eventful weekend.

Hanging out at Hermann Park

A duck with a mohawk, tee hee hee

Being silly at the hotel

Our complimentary dessert at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Mmmmmmmm

Good News!

Well, there have been many blog-worthy topics that have taken place over the course of the past few months, but can I find the time to do it… NO! Let’s see we bought a new TV Stand (for Josh’s big screen T.V. he is hoping Santa will bring him), we went on a week long road trip up to Minnesota and Iowa visiting all of my Family (we had a blast), Josh took his first round of national boards, Jill was almost held at gunpoint, Josh received his white lab coat - a ceremony honoring students going to clinic, we went church hunting, we went to the Moore family reunion (Josh’s mom’s side of the family) at Ratcliff Lake, and much more I’m sure, but my memory is failing to recall anything else at the moment.

So I am sure you are asking yourself, what could be so exciting and noteworthy that Jill finally found some time to mention it on the blog? Well I can assure it you it is very exciting news… are you ready??? Okay here it goes – JOSH PASSED ALL SECTIONS IN PART 1 OF BOARDS!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!

There were six sections for Part 1 and in order to pass each section he needed to receive at least a 375 or better. Josh was very anxious about taking these exams. Not only were they scheduled for the week right after we got back from our week long road trip, but he had to take six tests within a span of 36 hours! Part 1 of Boards has a reputation of being the most difficult to study for and hardest to pass. Each of the exams had 150 multiple choice questions which tests a “basic” science. Normally Josh does not excel at test in these types of subjects because he is more hands on – But this time he did! His grades for each section are below (he cut chemistry kind of close don’t you think?)

General Anatomy - 434
Spinal Anatomy - 411
Physiology - 411
Chemistry - 375
Pathology - 498
Microbiology - 470

I am so proud of him, and I know he will be a great Doctor!

Throughout the next year Josh will work towards his license by completing three more exam parts as well as Physical Therapy. Once he completes all of that, he will have a license! Part two and three are scheduled for March 2011.

Happy Birthday America!

Over the Holiday weekend Josh and I traveled to The Colony to visit my parents. We arrived Friday around noon just in time to go grab some lunch at a new restaurant, Palio’s. That afternoon we just hung out, there were many storms that passed through due to Hurricane Alex. Mom had blessed us (Some would say punished) with a home cooked meal, Pork Chops in the Crock Pot. (She made it especially for dad although he never ate any). Dad’s flight was re-routed to Oklahoma City, so he didn’t arrive home till close to 9:45pm, and Karl arrived shortly after that. Then it was off to bed for all of us!

Saturday we all worked on a top secret Christmas project. Mom and Dad will be hosting the Kuklenz Christmas at their home this year. I can’t wait, it seems like it has been many years since I have been able to attend the Kuklenz Christmas festivities.

Sunday we went to church, came home and made some brunch and the girls headed off to the Allen outlet mall, while Karl practiced driving the Mustang (he is supposed to get his Manual Camero in the next couple months) and Josh and Dad trimmed the Palm Trees. That evening we grilled some burgers and had a 4th of July feast.

Monday morning, Josh and Dad (mostly Josh) decided it would be a good idea to go rent a trailer and finally finish off the retaining wall by inserting the pea gravel. Check out Mom’s blog for pictures: www.the-kuklenz-family.blogspot.com. Once they finished, Josh got cleaned up and we hit the road back to Houston.

Another visitor!

Jackie came for a visit this past weekend. She came down on Thursday night after a long week of band camp. She spent most of her time of Friday playing the Wii, but she did manage to go get a massage (lucky duck). Once I got home from work we went grocery shopping and proceeded home to watch a movie, Invictus. I thought it was a pretty good flick.

Saturday, just after we woke up, we headed to Old Town Spring. I have never been before so I wanted to check it out. And I didn’t want to be out in the heat of the day so we went fairly early. It is basically an old town that now is filled with little shops, restaurants, museums and art galleries. Take a look: http://www.oldtownspring.com. It was a fairly cheap trip; I only bought one thing (I can’t tell because it is a present for someone). On our way home we picked up some lunch. Later that afternoon Josh went and showed off the old Camry to a potential buyer.

That evening Jackie went and visited Karl and Audrey while Josh and I attended his Grandpa’s birthday bash in Pasadena. We had a great time! I still had not met all of Josh’s extended family so it was nice to finally put a name with a face. We came back home that evening and Jackie had met us there after her visit with Karl. She stayed one final night with us and was off to band camp bright and early the next morning.

This week I am working nightshift and then Josh and I are headed to my parent’s house on Friday for the 4th of July weekend. I am so excited; we always have such a great time together!

Our New Baby! Not the crying kind though!

As mentioned in an earlier blog, Josh and I have been looking into purchasing a new (well... newer) vehicle. We found a great deal this past weekend so we jumped on it.

We purchased a 2007 Ford Edge SEL plus with only 23K miles. This car has everything you can think of… Navigation System, Vista Sunroof, Premium Leather, Tow Hitch, Parking Sensors, 6 CD Changer, Heated Seats, Memory Seats and much more! The car is in great condition for being 3 years old. We haven’t picked up the new car yet because we asked the dealership to fix a couple things first.

Pictures will be coming soon. In the mean time here is a picture of the vehicle pulled from the dealership’s website.

Mary's visit

This week we had some company. Josh’s little sister, Mary, came for a visit. She arrived Tuesday afternoon and stayed through Sunday morning. During her visit she attended classes with Josh at Texas Chiropractic College, played the Wii, slept, assisted us in car shopping and went bowling at Main Event. Sunday morning we woke up and drove to Grapeland, had lunch and visited with Josh’s family before heading back home. Mary assured us she had a great time.

To top off the exciting week, Mary got a summer job offer shortly after she got home. Congratulations Mary!

Weekend Activities

The weekend went by so fast. We have been looking at what kind of vehicle we would like to purchase next. Josh is driving my old car, a 1996 Toyota Camry. It has a couple issues we need to get fixed, but overall it still runs well. I am afrait at some point we will be putting more money into the car than it is worth so I want to find something that we can purchase just in case. Even though we are only living off of my income, we are still saving money (one of the reasons Josh loves me so much). So we have some money saved up, we also switched insurance providers (savings of about $100/month), and I also received a substantial raise this year. Woo Hooo!

Josh made breakfast both mornings, pancakes on Saturday and breakfast burritos on Sunday. When we weren't out looking at cars, we were lounging in front of the TV or out on a walk... boy was it hot this weekend!!!! We did end up renting a couple of movies on Saturday night, Sherlock Holmes and Public Enemies. Both were ok, but neither were a "must see" in my opinion.

Memorial Day Weekend

Josh and I spent Memorial Day weekend in Dallas at my parent’s house.

Josh picked me up at work Friday afternoon so I didn’t have to travel south and then back north again (traffic leaving Houston is bad on a normal afternoon, not to mention a Holiday weekend). We arrived in Dallas around 7:15pm, had a bite to eat and just lounged around awaiting the arrival of my brother, Karl, and his girlfriend, Audrey. Not much else happened on Friday night, we went to bed kind of early.

Saturday we woke up and Mom made breakfast burritos… Mmmmmm. Jackie only ate scrambled eggs because she had her wisdom teeth taken out the day before. Eggs were nice change of pace from her slushes and pudding she had been eating. Anyways, breakfast was delicious; we cleaned up the dishes and proceeded outside to assist the boys in building the retaining wall around the air conditioner units. Mom, Audrey and I made three trips to Home Depot to pick up more stones for the retaining wall, luckily we ran into some strapping young men to lift the stones… you know that what that means? no broken nails… wooo hoooo!

Before and After

Once the sun had reached the side of the house the boys came inside and we all had lunch, then it was POOL TIME! The rest of the day was spent pool side… ahhhhh I love the sun! Dad had put ribs in the smoker for dinner; we could smell them all afternoon. It really left our mouths watering for the dinner bell! Right before dinner dad threw some marinated shrimp on the grill, Mom and Jackie didn’t have any shrimp so that left more for the rest of us, but there still wasn’t enough… they were so delicious!
Sunday morning, Jackie and Mom got ready to attend church while the rest of us headed to the lake before the crazies got out. We got out on the lake around 10:00am and sped across the lake to Dad’s favorite anchor spot. The boys chatted while Audrey and I soaked up some rays. Once we got a little toasty, I finally convinced Audrey to jump in the lake with me, it was disgustingly refreshing. Awhile later we traveled back across the lake only this time, it was a little different. By that time it was close to 1:00pm and the crazies were out! It took us a lot longer to get back across the lake, people were cutting you off, and there were tubers and jet skis, waves and more waves!!! Time to go! So we did! We loaded the boat, got home and put the boat in the garage in record time, we were home by 2:00pm. We spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool and enjoyed some burgers and hot dogs for dinner. That evening it was the battle of the T.V.s Karl and Audrey were watching the Twins Game while the others were watching the Nascar Race.

Monday, I got up and made Monkey Bread for breakfast. The boys finished up the retaining wall while I mowed the lawn. The rest of the day was relaxing around the house and packing for the trip home. We left The Colony around 2:30pm and arrived at home shortly after 7:00pm. Nothing particularly significant happened over the weekend, but I was extremely thankful to see my whole family. It’s not very often we are all together anymore. I hope to see them all over the 4th of July Holiday when we all work on a special project! Stay tuned for more on that story!

Happy 24th Birthday Joshua!!!!

I asked Josh what he wanted to do for his birthday and he said he wanted to spend the weekend at his dads because he was off work, which is a rare occurrence. After we got home from work on Friday we packed up and headed to east Houston. We had a great time just visiting and telling stories. Saturday (Josh’s Birthday) we woke up to the smell of Pancakes Terry was baking in the kitchen. We all rested after breakfast, and I baked Josh’s birthday cake (Funfetti of course!). We grilled some burgers for lunch and rented movies to watch for the rest of the day. Throughout the day Josh got to open one gift from me at each meal. I will let him tell you what his least favorite gift was.

On Sunday, we woke up early to get ready to attend First Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX with Josh’s Grandparents. After church they treated us to brunch at Franks. After that we went back to Terry’s and watched the Nascar Race (Jimmie didn’t do so hot) and I took a nap. We packed up all of our stuff headed back to Pasadena for the Strawberry Festival. Can you believe we got a huge flat of strawberries for just $10? I am looking forward to Josh’s smoothies. After the festival we met Terry, Net and Josh’s Grandparents at Texas Roadhouse to treat them to dinner. It was delicious! We had a very relaxing weekend… now it’s back to school and work!

San Antonio Get-Away

May 7th – May 9th Josh and I went to San Antonio, Texas for a weekend get-away. Work had been really stressful and exhausting the few weeks before and Josh was on his last week of break in between trimesters. So we decided to just go away and have fun. If anyone knows me in the slightest… this is extremely out of character. But it was worth it!

Friday morning we woke up, packed and headed for San Antonio with a slight detour through Brenham, Texas. Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham, Texas has been cranking out the best ice cream in the country since 1911. Visitors share in the rich history of Blue Bell with a short film, see the ice cream making process from the time the milk is received to the time the filled ice cream cartons are sent into the blast freezer, and then end the tour with a serving of ice cream… Mmmmmm. A friend of mine from college currently works in the Marketing and Research department so we got to see him as well. Josh had been to the factory before, but it was my first time. It was pretty interesting. After the tour we grabbed some lunch and got back on track for our trip to San Antonio.

We arrived at the Courtyard Marriott on the Riverwalk around 5:30pm. We walked to Market Square to check out some shops and eat at a Mexican Restaurant/Bakery, Mi Tierra. We strolled around the riverwalk and headed back to the hotel. We planned on visiting the Planetarium at UT San Antonio on Friday night, but when we arrived they had cancelled all shows for the night. Hmmm, what do we do now? Well we headed back to the hotel, walked around the river again and just relaxed. Ahhhhhhh

The next day we did visited some museums: Ripley’s Believe it or not!, Guinness World Records, Tomb Raider 3 D Adventure and Louis Tussaud's Wax Works. We walked around the Rivercenter Mall, walked to the La Vallarta (off the riverwalk – they had small little shops). We grabbed some lunch at The County Line Bar-B-Que, it was delicious! Then we went on a boat tour of the Riverwalk. The rest of the day we just walked around either on the riverwalk or up on the streets of downtown San Antonio. Then we headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We had reservations for the IMAX theatre that evening to see Avatar in 3D. The movie was great, it was a lot better than we were expecting it to be. It was about 10pm after we finished the movie so we strolled back to the hotel and ventured down the new section of the riverwalk that extends down towards the Art District. It was very peaceful, but kind of scary at the same time. This section of the river is not as commercialized as the rest so there weren’t very many people around.

When we woke up Sunday it was misty outside. We had planned to go to the San Antonio Zoo, but I didn’t figure that would be good Zoo weather, so I told Josh let’s just head towards home… so we did. We stopped at Buckeys to get some beef jerky and Fudge… Mmmmmmmm. And then I remembered there was a big outlet mall we had passed on the way to Brenham on Friday. I asked Josh if he wanted to stop by there before we go home. He took a little convincing and then finally agreed. So we headed to the Houston Premium Outlet Center. Wooo Hooo SHOPPING!!! After we finished there we still had a 30 minute drive home. While we are exiting the Outlet Mall Josh says, “That sure was more expensive than the Zoo.” and I replied, “But it sure did make me happier than the Zoo!”

It was nice not having an agenda or a list of things to do or a budget to stay in. We did as much or as little as we wanted whenever we wanted to do it. Now that is a vacation! I am really looking forward to the many more, big and small, vacations we will take together in our lifetime.

Josh's Grades

Josh has completed another successful trimester at Texas Chiropractic College. They are not all A’s, but he did pass all his classes! Great Job Dr. Elliott to-be!

Adjusting 4 -- A
Physical Medicine and Rehab -- B
Diagnostic Imaging 3 (X-ray Physics) -- B
X-ray Position -- B
Internal Diagnosis I -- B
Nutrition II -- C
Clinical Neurolgy -- C

Texas Motor Speedway

For Christmas, Mom and Dad gave me and Josh two tickets to April’s Nascar Race at Texas Motor Speedway. The day had finally arrived, and we were so excited to go to the race… ear plugs were bought, race scanner was reserved, Jimmie Johnson paraphernalia bought and displayed proudly… oh and don’t forget the rain pancho! Oh Yes, you heard me correctly. IT WAS RAINING!!! If anyone knows anything about racing it is that you can not race in the rain. BUMMER!

It had been raining a couple days leading up to the event, and the morning of the race it did clear up a little, but there was still a constant mist. We decided to head out to the race track and be optomistic. While we were there we walked around the track and did some souvenir shopping. We also met up with an employee from my work, Toby (he is a die-hard Nascar fan and doesn’t miss a race at Texas Motor Speedway), we grilled up some chicken and burgers while we all place dour predictions about the race. 3:30pm rolls around and still no race, race was scheduled to begin at 2:00pm. We found out they had re-scheduled the race for the next day. Well that’s just peachy!!! NOT. I had to work the next day and Josh had to complete his last two finals for the trimester, it was impossible to stay! BUMMER!

Tickets were non-refundable. BUMMER! We tried selling or giving the tickets away to family and friends, but no one was interested.

The next race isn’t until November this year and we haven’t decided if we are going to purchase tickets yet. SIGH, it’s still a sore subject. So I would suggest not mentioning it.