101.

That's the number of people we had at church this morning. It was amazing to have to keep bringing out chairs for all the people that kept coming in. God is really blessing @ Crossroads! I kept the nursery this a.m. and then Asah and I got the New Member's Lunch set up. I enjoy days like this in ministry, where you can really see the hand of God moving. Things are definitely exciting here, and we know this is where we are supposed to be.

This weekend was relaxing. Friday night we went on a date to one of those Japanese Hibachi steakhouses (yum) and then went shopping and I got a couple more pair of maternity pants. Regular clothes definitely don't fit anymore! Although GA lost to Florida, we still had fun griling out with friends on Saturday, and today we both had a long nap. Guess I need to enjoy these relaxing weekends before April rolls around :) I think life will change a bit then, but for the better! I'm looking forward to it.

Doc's appt on Wednesday. Looking forward to getting the big ultrasound scheduled. I'll keep everyone posted!

tnh

boy or girl? can't wait to know!

this weeks update says we probably could tell, but i'll have to wait a while before the "big" ultrasound. enjoy this weeks update!
tara

At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form. And if you have an ultrasound, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or girl! (Don't be disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down the gender depends somewhat on how clear the picture is and the position of your baby during the ultrasound; he may be curled or turned in such a way as to keep you in suspense.)

i have a really wonderful husband

last weekend asah came home with flowers and a body pillow. here are my lilys on friday and again on saturday. pretty incredible, huh? i like the vivid fall colors. the reason for the body pillow is that i am a tummy and back sleeper, and it's been a tough transition to sleeping on my side. the pillow is working great....i can only imagine what sleeping will be like when my belly grows even more!
just wanted to brag on my hubby!

tara

josie

one of the good things about the storm was that we moved into a place that allowed our daughter josie to join us again. here she is sleeping in our guest bedroom, one of her favorite pasttimes. i took her to the vet the other day to get her nails trimmed and they said she was 9 1/2 years old, or 54 in cat years. I asked how long I may have her around...they said indoor cats could live 18-20 years. who knew? i've had her since 1997 and she's a great friend of mine. it's nice to have her back in tickfaw. i think she'll be pretty jealous when april rolls around. probably wont be a lot of time to spend with her then, but it sure is nice to have her here. special thanks to asah's parent's for "cat sitting" while we were in new orleans!

tnh

this week.....

Head to bottom, your baby's 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Her body's growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more well-defined neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have lengthened and will be in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some growing to do, though.) She's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over her body (called lanugo). Her liver starts secreting bile this week, a sign that it's already functioning properly, and her spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells. She's also producing and discharging urine into the amniotic fluid, a normal process that she'll keep up until birth. You still can't feel your baby's movements, but her hands and feet (which are now half an inch long) are more flexible and active. Thanks to brain impulses, her little facial muscles are getting a workout as she squints, frowns, and grimaces. She can grasp now, too, and she may be able to suck her thumb.

*my fave part is that our baby now makes faces :)

have a good weekend!

tara

belly pics

i would never do this under "normal" circumstances....but we are so far away from many friends and family and unable to share a lot of this pregnancy, so i just wanted to bare my growing belly. The first one was taken a week ago, the second one is from tonight. this is only the beginning!!!!!!



th

asah's truck

as promised a long time ago, here are a couple pics of asah's new toy. sometimes storms are a good thing :) we miss the white one but he's really enjoying this one!!!!

what's up with baby hudgins this week?

Your belly may soon be big enough to announce to the world that you're expecting (mine definitely IS), but your baby is still tiny. In fact, he's only about 3 inches long crown to rump, roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp, and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there's a fully formed baby inside your womb now. Much more proportional than it was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he's starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed, and your odds of miscarriage will drop considerably. (Praise the Lord!!)

We'll know early Dec if it's a boy or girl! Very excited about finding out the results! We have decided that our boy's nursery will have a UGA theme :) and if it's a girl we'll go with Precious Moments. Fun.

Hope everyone is enjoying these updates. I think its fascinating what goes on from week to week.

-tara

sorting through our stuff....

this week has been busy for us. we've been rummaging through everything that was taken from our apartment and moved into our home. i've been pretty adamant about getting rid of stuff we no longer need (or have two of) so we've both been working very hard. we're giving tons of clothes, etc to a yard sale that the BCM is doing. the $$ goes to missions so we feel like its a good cause. we're probably 90% done sorting through it all. it's been a pretty big challenge! what helps is the fact that I know the room needs to be cleaned out for the baby, so it motivates me to want to get it all organized. some call that nesting. i call it wanting to get rid of all the clutter!
asah has been extremely consumed with school and church. right now he's playing playstation and i'm glad. he's been working so hard this week. yesterday i believe he spent around 5 hours straight on the internet for school. yuck! luckily the semester is shortened to 10 weeks. hopefully he can stick with it for that long. i have faith in him.
this weekend we're going to grill steaks and watch GA beat Vandy. I have a hair appointment and plan on drastic changes for the first time in 3 years!!!! I still don't know what I want to do with it but I know I want something different.
Well, that's about it. I'll post a baby update tomorrow or friday when I enter my next "week" of pregnancy. Things are going great with it and the sickness is slowly sneaking away. Today I've not been sick once for the first time in 2 months! That is a blessing.

Till next time,
The Hudgins

first trimester....done!

i'm a third of the way through! yay! we are back in tickfaw after a road trip of 1300 miles in three days. exhausted. but lots of positive results from meeting with the 7 pastors. we are excited about what God is doing here.
this is a short post, sorry. going to go rest, but before i do, here is what baby hudgins is up to this week....

Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

our sweetie!

enjoy these pics! on the one that says "body" and "head" our baby had its hand up near it's head waving at us. SO cute! on the one that says "profile" it looks like its smiling at us....

tnh

our baby this week!

Your fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, your tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, you won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

*courtesy babycenter.com

busy times!

things are buzzing in the hudgins household. we've both been working pretty hard and preparing for a quick trip to GA. Asah has decided to go on staff full time at Crossroads starting soon. So, we'll be traveling to various churches raising support for his full time salary. We're both feeling kind of funny about asking folks for a yearly commitment and partnering with us financially, but at the same time, this is what we really feel that we are to do. Church planting is far different than going on staff at a 75 year old established church. It's about creativity, including how funds are raised to support a baby church. We are praying for 10 churches to partner with us, as well as individual supporters. This is a unique opportunity for us to serve on a very exciting mission field. God is doing amazing things in Hammond and we are glad to be a part of it. Please pray for us as we travel this Tuesday-Friday.
On Friday we are heading back here because the Seminary is only giving us one day (8 hours) to retrieve all of our personal belongings from our home in New Orleans. This will be done on Saturday. Because of the health risks, I won't be making the trip. We think we'll have plenty of help, I'm hoping that a Uhaul is available as so many from this area are moving their lives to different places. I know that it will all work out. We are again trusting and believing that God will provide!
I have another doc's appt on Tuesday morning. We are excited with each week that passes, knowing that our baby is growing and thriving. The next post will detail what the little one is up to this week.
Hope everyone's had a great weekend, the posts will be slim next week as we'll be out of town.
Love,
The Hudgins-Asah, Tara, and baby!