Thankful...

That is how I feel right now...thankful, thankful, thankful.

Some of you may know that we got a bit of bad news at our last sonogram 3 weeks ago. The ureters connecting the kidneys to the bladder are not draining properly, causing little mister's kidneys to dilate. I got a call from our midwife Mavis the day after our sonogram, and was told we would need to see a specialist to further assess the situation. My heart sank into my boots after that phone call. No one wants to hear that there is something wrong with your baby, or that you have to go see a "specialist". There's something about that title, at this point in the pregnancy that is just insanely scary.

Our appointment with the specialist was set for yesterday, December 16th. I tend to worry (which really gets me nowhere), So the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster to say the least. But God has remained faithful throughout it all...giving comfort and peace in abundance when needed.

The appointment was yesterday, and I cannot tell you what a HUGE relief and burden has been lifted off of our shoulders. The dilation in the kidneys has gone down!!! At this age the cut off for a normal sized kidney is about 4mm. 5mm - 10mm is considered mild, but anything beyond that is when they really start to get worried. Our little guys' kidneys were measuring 11mm three weeks ago, but measured 6mm yesterday...meaning that the severity of the condition is pretty mild. Dr. Boehm (our specialist) told us that technically the condition is called Hydronephrosis, but it is so mild in our little guy that he said he wouldn't even call it that. Instead he rattled off some strange concoction of words, calling it that...haha. Everything else looks normal and healthy...thank you Lord!

So we have another appointment in 4 weeks to have another sonogram to check up on the kidneys, and to have a consultation with a pediatric urologist...so your prayers for our little guy are still definitely appreciated!

We are so thankful for everyone's thoughts and prayers, and even more thankful for God's provision in every way. I'll keep you posted on all things baby H...we're only 3 months away!!!

Lots of Love,
Jill

Christmas Craft Night...

Nothing says Christmas quite like Crafting ;)

Being that we're only 23 days away from Christmas, we thought a little holiday shindig complete with Mulled Cider, yummy treats, a gift exchange, and crafting ornaments would do just the trick for this months installment of Craft Night!! I think everyone will agree that our last craft night of the year was a complete success!

Below are some links to some of the ornaments we worked on....

Felt Christmas Ornaments
Felt Animal Ornaments
(No one really followed these patterns, but we made some adorable bird ornaments similar to these)
Beaded Snowflakes
Beaded Monograms

The beaded ornaments took a little finagling, but all in all I think everyone's ornaments turned out BEAUTIFUL!! I'm totally mad at myself for not taking more pictures of everyone's individual ornaments...but here is one of our little creations made by Moriah...

My handsome hubby took some snap shots of us working away on our ornaments...

All finished!

Next we had a little Dirty Santa gift exchange. The goal was to bring something hand-made, or craft inspired. It's not often that crafters actually receive something crafty...ha.

I cannot say enough how much I TRULY enjoyed our time together last night! I cannot wait to see what we craft next year!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

A Hickman Christmas...

The Christmas season has finally arrived, and has made it's way to the Hickman Household! Last night Russ and I decided it was about time to brighten up our little house and Electric Avenue and bust out our Christmas decorations!

I just love the Christmas season...don't you?! There's just something so warm and cozy about Christmas lights and brightly colored decorations...makes my heart smile! I've been wanting to do some Christmas crafting for the more personal touch...so we got out our craft glue, sequins, and ribbon and crafted away...

One of our crafts...Christmas Tree pine cones!

Laura from *ellatrain knits* sent me a link to this Christmas ornament craft. Just a quick tip...the smaller the scraps the cuter they look!

Russ' sequin ornament...I love it when my hubby wants to craft with me :)

My sequin ornament...I went for the more traditional Christmas look.

Saw this cute idea for a tree topper on Marthastewart.com a couple years ago, and have wanted to try it out ever since! I think it turned out pretty darn cute if I don't say so myself...ha.

Our little Christmas tree, decorated just the way we like...with lots of random ornaments! Craft night is tonight...so we'll be filling it up even more with our crafting!

Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures from our craft night holiday party! For those of you in the Nashville area, If you'd like to be added to the craft night email list, shoot me an email at jilllouisehickman@gmail.com and let me know!

Happy decorating!

I <3 Sewanee...

Have you ever been to Sewanee, TN? If not, please do yourself a favor and go check out this quiet little college town. Sewanee is nestled in between Nashville and Chattanooga, just off of Highway 24. We weren't expecting much on our way out there Friday night, but were pleasantly surprised Saturday morning to wake up to beautiful and breathtaking surroundings. I've got a lot of nature pictures to share with you...I hope you don't mind. I just couldn't help but take pictures of most everything I saw...I could have taken more, but my batteries gave out...ugh.

Enjoy...

A dear friend of mine has been offering us her cabin to stay in for years, and we finally took her up on her invite. SO glad we did, and you'd better believe we'll be headed back there!!

View from the screened in porch

Yummy breakfast Saturday morning

I was CRAVING pumpkin pancakes for the last couple weeks, and they were WELL worth the wait. These are pumpkin pancakes I made from a mix I got at Trader Joes. Wish I could say they were made from scratch, but sadly, I'm not that crafty in the kitchen...ha.

Ponies munchin on some hay!

Giant cross we dead ended into

I've been begging for a butterfly or ladybug or any cute creature to land on my belly...
finally got one!

a scenic view point on the natural bridge

One of these days, I'm not going to be able to see my legs...ha

First carving-of-initials for Russ and I.

Russ playing on the rocks

I thought these rocks looked like little skeletons

This bridge was created naturally by wind/water...
how crazy is it that this kind of beauty just happens naturally.

I think this angle accentutes my ever growing belly...ha.

BEAUTIFUL church on the campus of Sewanee: University of the South

I really liked this door

Perfect sunset ending to a perfect day!

So, in addition to our amazing time in Sewanee, we were also treated to a football game Sunday afternoon. I nannied for the Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly back a few years ago, and he was kind enough to get Russ and I tickets to the Bills/Titans game this past Sunday. This was my first professional football game!!

Legacy game: Bills wore their original uniforms, and the
Titans wore there's (Houston Oilers jerseys)

This is where they put the Bills fans...ha.

Beautiful sunny day, with my handsome hubs.

Well that concludes my post for the day. It was such a long, relaxing, fun weekend! It's pretty amazing how just a day away can completely refresh you. Hope your weekend has refreshed you as well!

Bookshelves!

Now that we know we're having a handsome baby boy ;) I've been searching high and low for cute pieces to make his room perfect! One of my favorite blogs of late is Ohdeedoh. I've been loving all of their posts having to do with all things kids! Today, while scrolling through I came across these ADORABLE book shelves....

I kinda wish they came in other colors, but golly...are they not just amazing?

That's really all I have for today. ha.
Happy Halloween everyone...be safe and have a fantastic weekend!