Li'l sisser.

Well, there it is. Warren and I went in for my 20 week doctor's visit and ultrasound and were pleased to discover that the li'l baby that's been doing cartwheels in my belly is a GIRL! It's kind of funny, because with Eason, we had a boy name picked out, but no girl name; and this time around we had a girl name, but no boy name. Here is a picture of...

Evelyn Elizabeth Bazemore

a.k.a. Evie (pronounced E-V)

Evelyn is Warren's mom's first name. Elizabeth is for my sister, both mine & Warren's grandmothers (including my Mom's mom who I and my sister are named for "Sara Elizabeth"), 2 of Warren's aunts, etc.

I had been open to whichever the Lord would bless us with...I mean, I have so much fun with the little man that we already have, that I would love another boy, but there's something neat about having one [at least] of each. As of late, we were thinking it was probably a girl, and everyone else was thinking that too, so I was kind of getting my hopes up for a girl, not to mention the whole name thing. Well, walking back to the car after the Carolina game Saturday, Warren, Eason, lil baby and I ran in to our dear friend Adrian Dupres. Adrian was one of our college pastors and discipled Warren for a while, and now is the chaplain for the Gamecock football team. We walked together and caught up and when we parted ways Adrian (in true Adrian form) bear hugged all 4 of us [we Bazemores are but grasshoppers in his sight] and prayed for us. It was so special, BUT he prayed for the little "boy" in my belly. So, then I was sure that it was probably a boy. But, nope, the pictures confirm that we have a beautiful little girl being knit together in my womb. Praise the LORD!

Warren said, that my response to being told the gender of this baby was the same I had for Eason. Both times I exclaimed, "YESSSS! Thank you God!" and cried.

The ultrasound went great, Evie seems to be developing just as she should be. It is so neat what all you can see and our tech was great about explaining it all to us. We saw all 4 chamber of her little heart beating [something, I remembered enjoying baout Eason's 20 week ultrasound], and she even opened and closed her mouth. Her ankles were crossed, like Eason's during his 20 week ultrasound. She also had her thighs clenched tightly together, making it difficult for the tech to get what she referred to as the "refrigerator shot" of her girl parts. I was very please that we have such a modest little lady. Wow, I am super excited!

Eason is excited as well. He now points to my belly and says, "Li'l sisser."
A few weeks ago, I started to explain to him that after the lil baby grows some more in Mommy's belly, the lil baby would come out. He appeared rather shocked at first and inquired, "lil baby come ouuut?" But now our regular conversation goes like this:

Sara: "Eason, who's in Mommy's belly?"
Eason: "Lil sister! " pause "Lil sister, come out?"

Sara: "Yes, after she grows some more. When she comes out what will that make you?"

Eason: "Big brodder!"

Warren & I would then reply, "and you're going to be the best big brother ever." So, now when I ask him, "When lil sister comes out what will that make you?"

Eason proudly proclaims: "Best big brodder ever!"

And Eason, you will be the best big brother ever. Evie will be so blessed to have you help her grow up! I love you both!

Choo choo trian

So, this post is not in chronological order, but I am trying to memorialize some great memories.

Daddy B is from Winnsboro, SC, home to the longest running clock in America (which actually came from Charleston) and home to the S.C. Railroad Museum.  The museum's regular season is over, but they were offering steam train rides that made a special trip up & down it's 7-mile round-trip track a few weekends ago.  We ordered our tickets and Grandmomma, Granddaddy, Warren, E & I travelled up to Winnsboro for the event.  

No wonder steam trains don't run so much anymore, we nearly gagged on all the smoke & fumes.  Nevertheless, Eason was thrilled to see a real train up close & running.  The engine was the same type as Percy, from Thomas and friends.

Eason loved the "red ca-boose"!

After the train ride, we drove by and saw the old neighborhood and the house where Granddaddy grew up.  Then we took our picnic lunch to Park Woods.  It was so neat, because this is the same park where Warren's parents and grandparents had many picnics when Warren was growing up.   

Thanks Grandmomma & Granddaddy for a special day!

Halloween, etc.

We actually didn't take Eason trick-or-treating this year, but he did have ample opportunities to dress up as a giraffe. [Or at least I created plenty of opportunities.]  When I first tried his costume on him, he was quite skeptical, but after I pulled the top over his head I couldn't control my laughter, he was too cute. Eason still wasn't sure, so I paraded him in front of the mirror and he started laughing as well.

Last weekend, we had a kamakazie trip.  I was in Myrtle Beach Wed-Fri for a conference for work and so I got to see & stay with Warren during the week, which was wonderful! On Wednesday night, Warren and I went to dinner with my high school youth pastor & his wife, Tim & Susan Surratt. It was such a blessing to be with them.  I don't think I have seen them since I graduated HS, but God certainly used them in my life in a mighty way back then and it was great to reconnect and hear all that God is doing in and through them in Pawley's Island. On Friday, the Bazemores brought Eason down to us and they got to see Warren's office for the first time. Eason really enjoyed playing in his daddy's chair and "working" in his office.



Then we all went to Ripley's Aquarium, where we saw lots of sharks, sting rays, & a sea turtle. Supposedly they have summer camp programs, where kids get to spend the night. We will have to look into that and of course I think I will need to be a chaperone.


Friday night, Warren, Eason & I attended a fundraising dinner for an international soccer ministry based out of Pawley's. We met some new friends and E and I had fun playing in the rain.  Speaking of...the rain was nuts that night.  We proceeded onto Charleston to spend the night with Zani and Mark.  I of course passed out within the first 20 minutes of driving, and am so thankful for a husband that knows how to drive in such conditions. All that traveling with the band paid off.  When we got to Charleston, Warren tried to rouse me to ask which way to go and I was so groggy I just said take Rutledge. As we veered off of 17 Warren looked ahead and then asked me again, if I was sure that was the best way to go. It had now been a constant downpour for several hours and the lovely, but low-lying Chas streets were beyond swollen. I didn't open my eyes but said go on. Warren then said, "Keep going? Even though the car up ahead has stalled out in the water?" I finally opened my eyes and realized we were going to have to be creative to get to my mom's house. We reversed down the road, went one direction, then went the wrong way down Ashley Ave., but so was everyone else. All trying to locate and stay on highish ground. We finally got to mom's and Warren was exhausted. That night and the next day, Eason had a blast playing with Zani and Mark. Then we went to a "halloween carnival" birthday party for Reed. It was so much fun. Her mom planned all these games and Eason really enjoyed himself.
It's hard to believe these three are all 2 years old now.  Which means that H has been married for over 2 years, since they were all in the belly for her wedding.  Crazy how time flies.

I don't know the name of this child, but the costume was awesome!

Finally, we changed and drove to Sumter for Hilary Davis' wedding. It was beautiful, and was so great to see some old friends. It's crazy how our lives have changed. Eason also made a new friend, as it turns out Michelle Kelly's little boy is the same age as Eason and they enjoyed dancing to the band. We finally made it home exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep and a restful Sabbath.

Getting the band back together

When Jesus is Lord of your life, relationships just go deeper than normal.  We are blessed to have wonderful families by blood and by Christ.  Recently, we enjoyed a weekend with our Silers family, and I have to echo Sasha in saying, "did it really have to end?"  

On Saturday, Sasha and I enjoyed throwing a baby shower for Trisha!  I cannot wait to meet the little one God's been knitting together in your tummy!

On Sunday night we enjoyed hearing, Aunt Laura and Uncle Shane perform at Cornerstone. 

Eason enjoyed playing the piano ...

and the drums...

and the field...

I mean, how cute are these little ladies!!!

Followed by a later than usual evening enjoying one anothers' company.  Eason was patting the li'l baby in Trisha's tummy.

It was so great to be around this family and the little ones that God is blessing each of us with.

I am so looking forward to living together on the Silers compound!  

Chris, Marcus, Katie and Sadie, we missed you.

Two Years Old

I cannot believe our little man is two.  As Warren and I went to sleep the night of E's birthday, Warren commented how he couldn't believe that E was already 2.  The crazy thing is that I know it will be like we blink and we'll be saying good night and remarking, "I can't believe he's 18."  Time flies so fast.  This little man has been such an amazing and awesome gift of joy to our lives, and we thank God for him everyday and pray that God will enable us to be parents that raise E to know the love, peace and joy of His heavenly Father.  

Eason, I pray that you will continue to love to pray as you do now.  That you will continue to ask to read your Bible and want to talk about Jesus.  Thank you Lord for such a precious heart!

We had E's second birthday party two weeks ago and it was a great time with family and friends.  Dad, Elaine, Libby and Zani came up from Charleston, and they were a great help in getting ready for the celebration.  

We were so glad to have so many friends come and play!

Eason loves him some Thomas.

Dad took up his post as the grill master to provide tasty hamburgers and hotdogs.

But he still found some time to play.

Eason was so glad to see his cousin Libby, but missed his Su-su, 

who was celebrating a birthday with her daddy.

"Tank you Yibby, for helping with my party."

Of course, E was thrilled to see his Grandmomma and Granddaddy.  

Even though he sees them almost everyday, they make each day a new adventure!

Granddaddy Mark couldn't make it cause he was on call, 

but he sent E some cars and they are enjoyed daily!  "Tank you Maaak"

Update on "Li'l Baby"

I went in for my check up yesterday. Warren couldn't go with me, because he is working so hard in Myrtle Beach, so my precious friend, Michelle (or "Shull" as Eason often calls her), went with me. It was a quick appointment. So far, I've only gained 2 pounds (praise the Lord). I think my blood pressure was good, but I don't really know what those numbers mean.

The best was that we heard our little one's heartbeat again. I love that swift wooshing sound. Michelle was awesome, because she had never heard a baby's heartbeat like that before. Her excitement was contagious, and I really appreciated her company. We also brought along Daddy B's minidisc recorder to record the heartbeat. When we were pregnant with Eason, one of the nurses at that practice suggested that we record the baby's heartbeat. That way whenever I wanted to, if I was having a down day, or just wondering what was going on with that little one, I could listen to the heartbeat and be encouraged. It was a wonderful tip, so we decided to do it again with this baby. Last month the heartbeat was around 160. This month the rate was 149-150. Healthy and going strong. The doctor said everything looked great!

I think I have even been able to feel the baby move on occasion already. Since, I kind of know what to expect, when I lay in bed really still at night sometimes I am pretty sure that I feel that wonderful, familiar flutter. I will echo Nancy, in that feeling the baby move and kick is one of the best parts of pregnancy. Babies, their growth & development, etc, is such an amazing testimony of the creative and detailed God we serve.

As for my precious Eason, his Zani gave him a book on being a Big Brother. We have read it and I found him timidly flipping the pages this morning. So far, I am sure he is pretty clueless (as are me & Warren) as to how this baby will shake up our worlds. But I will say that when he sees the ultrasound picture, he knows that it is a picture of the "little baby." Also, when I ask him where the baby is he often pats my tummy gently and says "li'l baby." Only a God as amazing as ours could possibly create another little one so presious as our little E. Thank you Jesus!

OCD

and he gets it oh so honestly from his momma.  For a few weeks now, Eason's nighttime ritual has included time spent with this ball game with four different colored balls that are pushed through holes, travel back & forth down a maze and come out at the bottom.  However, this play is not random and it is not disorderly.  In fact, Eason stacks the balls in a certain order each time from one end to the other, aligning the colored ball with it's corresponding colored hole.  After stacking them on top (naming each color as he goes along), he then proceeds to push the balls through, in the same order.  Often he retells what color the ball is that he is pushing down, and sometimes he even says "red ball down red hole" and so on and so forth.  I think it is quite impressive for a not yet two year old.  I might add that he does not appreciate help or interference with his organizing.    

This boy is quite amazing.  He has a varied and daily-increasing vocabulary.  He can actually count to ten.  He has started to learn his ABCs, which right now go something like, "a,b,c,d,e,x,y,z."  Who really needs all those in the middle anyway.  Well, I cannot take credit for his brilliance.  Eason spends each day with his Grandmomma & Grandda Bazemore and has learned so much from them.  Grandmomma reads to & with him constantly.  He loves books, and will often walk around with a book speaking gibberish, but pretending that he is reading the book out loud.  His Grandda's musical influences have enabled him to almost completely sing any of the following,

"Let's go fly a kite"

"Row, row, row your boat"

"Zipedeedooda"

and of course "Slinky."

This child never ceases to amaze me.  He has such a sweet spirit, but can be very serious, focused & independent.  For instance, sometimes I will try to join in when he is playing with his toys.  If he is really focused, he does not want interference.  One day the conversation went like this:

Eason: "No, go away, mommie."  

Sara: "No, no Eason, that is not nice.  Do not tell Mommy to 'go away.'"

Eason: "Mommy, move."

Sara: "no, sir, do not tell Mommy to move."

Eason: [looking around for some new plan, remembers that I like to look outside, points and says] "Mommy, window."

Mommy got the picture, and decided that was not such a rude way of saying 'leave me alone' and rather creative.  

5th Haircut

So, it was time.  I never want to cut Eason's hair, or should I say get it cut, but it was time.

This was the boy's 5th haircut.  The first in Camden, the second & third by Mrs. Loretta at Kidz Korner, the fourth unfortunately at the mall, and finally we returned to Mrs. Loretta.  She does such a good job, but it is so short.

Finally, just for you Zani....

Eason likes to watch a video of the Bo Hunks, an orchestra.  He has seen it so many times now that when his Granddaddy plays music, Eason will often leave the room in order to make an entrance like the maestro.  At his grandparent's, he then stands in front of the music cabinet, which has a glass door, where he can watch his reflection.  From there he will conduct the orchestra and then take a bow before making a grand exit. While I don't have footage of that, here he is conducting and bowing.

The sweetest part is that his daddy enjoyed conducting the orchestra when he was Eason's age.

Quick Update

I had my second doctor's appointment earlier this month and the doctor said everything was great. I even got to hear that quick little heartbeat for a few seconds, it was beating at a rate of about 160. I still cannot believe that I am pregnant. I would say that I don't "feel" pregnant, but I guess I just don't recognize what I feel as pregnant. The exhaustion this time around has been ridiculous. One day last week, my boss actually sent me home earlier to sleep. I must have looked pretty rough. But I must say that was what I needed, I even took the next morning off to sleep 3 more hours. It was amazing how productive I was that afternoon, being so well rested. My next doctor's appointment is early October and we should be able to find out what we are having early November when we are at week 20. With the first trimester over, I am looking forward to this exhaustion and upset stomach going away. For now I think it is God's way of making me rest, cause otherwise, I can't sit still.

Crab Boil

A few weeks ago we travelled down to Charleston to enjoy the Woodard's annual crab boil. We had a great time, especially Eason. It was so good to see Wench (aka Melissa), Will & beautiful little Reed. Melissa and I met two years ago when we were both pregnant with our gifts from God, and I count myself blessed to have her as a friend and to have shared that experience together. Eason was born on October 8th and Reed was born on October 31st.

Also, at the crab boil, we got to see the ones who introduced me to Wench. H (Sarah) and Simons Young.
H is, I do believe, my oldest friend, going back all the way to kindergarten and I love her more than words can tell. She is truly one of the greatest girls I know, and the Lord has blessed us with one of those precious friendships that picks up right where it left off, no matter the lapse of time between talking. H & Simons live in ole San Fran now, but they were back to visit & it was soooo great to see them. Although, she scorned me as having become too landlocked up in Columbia, by not already having Eason addictecd to shrimp and other fares from the lowcountry. H, I am sorry, I repent & will do better to bring him up as one who trods in the pluff mud.

Eason was a hit. and speaking of hitting, he really enjoyed the mallets used to crack open the crabs, playing drums wherever he could and running laps around the table.

He also reminded me of how very literal children are in interpreting what they hear. We had been in the back of Wench's yard enjoying Reed's car (thanks Miss Reed for sharing) when I mentioned to him, "let's go back into the party and say hi to everyone." Now, Warren & I knew some of the folks there, but certainly not all of them, and Eason really knew even less. But that did not stop him from reaching and waving his little hand as high as he could and proclaiming, "HI!" as he made his way around to greet each group of people at the party. I tell you what, that boy has never met a stranger. We had a great time and look forward to next years'!