The Latest!

Some exciting things have been taking place in the Willis household over the past couple of weeks.

Let's start with the most exciting; on Tuesday afternoon Richard and I went for our second doctors appointment and we heard the heartbeat!! It was absolutely amazing. I rationally know that I am pregnant, but so many times I can't believe there is a human growing in me, so it was an amazing thing to hear.

When the docotor came in she told us not to worry if we didn't hear the heart beat right away. She said with as early along as I am it usually takes several minutes to find. Well, the moment they put the sonogram to my stomach we heard it! The doctor was shocked that they found it so quickly and that it was so strong! They were almost able to detect a rate! Dr. Hensarling estimated that it was about 160....so you know what the old wives tale says: If its over 140 it's a girl. We will see. We go back on March 8th and then just a couple of weeks after that we find out!

Last time I wrote I was feeling pretty miserable, but about a week and a half ago I started feeling great! Nausea would come every now and then but nothing too bad. I thought that I was over the hump; unfortunately, about 3 days ago the nausea and fatigue came back...and came back with a vengeance. Luckily only 2 more weeks until I am OUT of the first trimester! Can you believe it??




Week 10: This week lil' bit willis is the size of lime (2 inches) and weighs a quarter of an ounce!

"This is the beginning of the fetal period when your baby's organs continue to grow and mature. The majority of his/her vital organs, kidneys, liver, brain, and lungs are functioning, but will continue to mature throughout the remainder of your pregnancy. Your baby's head makes up half the length of the body, and there is a bulge in the forehead allowing for brain development. Fingernails, toenails, and hair will begin to become visible this week. The fingers are no longer webbed. The baby is actively swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking his/her legs." American Pregnancy. com

In other news, I finally stopped procrastinating (which I had been doing since AUGUST) and decided to take my RD exam....and I PASSED!!! YAY! That's right I am offically: Amy Willis RD, LD :) So, just in case you were already tired of me telling you what you should be eating (hint hint mom and dad :) ) ...you better watch out! :)

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!

Yep! That's right! Richard and I are EXPECTING our first child! Lil' bit Willis is due September 9, 2010 and we just can not wait! Talk about a perfect Christmas surprise! We could not be more thrilled. Richard and I found out right before Christmas and were able to tell both of our families, in person, on Christmas day! Before we left Auburn we bought rattles that said "Born to be an Auburn Tiger" and wrapped them up for all of our family members from "baby willis". I don't think we could have hoped for better reactions! There were tears of joy (like Mom and my sister Lyndsey) and then there were also words (or shouts) of excitment (from Pop and Becky). It was the perfect way to end our Christmas celebrations with our families!

Richard and I had our first doctors appointment a couple of weeks ago and we are scheduled to go back for our first ultrasound and to hear the heart beat on Februray 9th! Isn't amazing that right now God is forming our child, inside of me, in his own image!?!? Pretty amazing! I can't wait to meet lil' bit!

As far as how I have been feeling....hmmmm...well this changes literally minute by minute. Unfortunatley I am nauseous 98% of the time and exhausted 100% of the time. But, I have to remember, that when I feel like this it is a sign that our baby is growing and the hormones are increasing. It is a sign that my body is doing what it needs to in order to provide for lil' bit! :)

For now here are some pictures from our fun times over Christmas break. The Monday before Christmas Richard and I packed up (unfortunatley, Gatsy did not make the trip...she went to the doggy hotel AKA BOO AND PAPA'S) and headed to Henderson, TN to spend some much needed time with his family.

SANTA CAME for LB and Carter!

Gran and Carter looking at some goodies from Santa

Chuck and Chewy Runts...need I say more?

YAY for Cameras! :)

After Christmas Brunch we headed to Montgomery to see my family.

Russell and MA

Lyndsey and MA

MA loves her Uncle Richard

Miss Clairey

Claire playing dress up and getting "all married"

All the Ladies! Claire, Lyndsey, Rita (Mom's sister), Me (and lil' bit), Mom, and MA

A picture of our last Christmas with just the two of us! :)

OVER A YEAR AND A HALF: Our crazy beautiful life TOGETHER!

Well, it has offically been over 18 months since our last update and boy how our lives have changed! All I can say...we are blessed! Now that I am COMMITTED to keeping up with our blog here is a quick recap of our lives since April 2008...



We were completley showered with love and gifts by our friends and family before our wedding....(Seriously...we still have a garage full of gifts and we are SO grateful!)

On November 22, 2008 we offically became Mr. and Mrs. James Richard Willis! :)

Not to long after the wedding, Richard successfully defended his dissertation and became Dr. James Richard Willis! Just a side note about his dissertation...the DAY before our wedding (which was at 10:00 in the MORNING) Richard was driving to Auburn to turn in his final draft to all of his committee members. Talk about cutting it close!

Since I was in the middle of my internship and Richard was about to defend, we were not able to on our honeymoon right away....but let me tell you it worked out absolutely perfectly and it was well worth the wait! Over Christmas break we jetted off to BELIEZE for some much needed relaxation. We climbed on Mayan ruins, waded thru water up to our hips as we climbed up caves, tubed through caves (at times in pitch black) after hiking through the rain forest, and went to an iguana reserve! Talk about amazing! It was AWESOME!

For our first nine months of marriage we lived in Montgomery while I was completing my dietetic internship. During this time Richard was such a wonderful husband and commuted to Auburn for his job as a post-doctoral fellow for the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT). As my internship came to a close, Richard began searching for a permanent job and I started trying to figure out what in the world I wanted to do next. In the midst of the job hunt...NCAT offered him a job as an assistant research professor and I was accepted to Auburn's Grad school and offered a position as a graduate research assistant...so....the next thing you know we were house hunting in Auburn!!! So this is where we live now!

And finally.....we got a puppy....Ms. Gatsy Rose Willis! :)

And that pretty much sums up the past 18 months! Now we are just getting ready to run in a 10K next weekend at Callaway Gardens. All of their Christmas lights are up and the run starts at twilight! It should be so much fun! :) Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Thanks Amy

Well, apparently, I have been tagged by my fiance to write down 100 facts about myself. She obviously thought that this would be a good way to spend my time as I was in my bed sick, and she was studying. I guess I can tag someone later once I meet three more people on here! So here we go:
1. My full name is James Richard Willis
2. I was born on November 27, 1980.
3. That was Thanksgiving day.
4. Right now, I am sick with mono. No fun!
5. I am severely color deficient.
6. I graduated high school in 1999 from Chester County High School.
7. I have a BS from Freed-Hardeman University in Physical Sciences in 2003.
8. I have a BCE from Auburn University in Civil Engineering in 2004.
9. I got an MS from Auburn University in 2005.
10. On December 19, 2008, I will receive my Ph.D. as long as I can write my dis.
11. I have been dating an incredible woman since April 5, 2007. That is you Amy!
12. On March 1, 2008, she agreed to marry me.
13. On November 22, she will become Mrs. Richard Willis.
14. We will be moving to wherever she gets into her dietetic internship and PA school.
15. I have no clue what I am going to do with a Ph.D. in asphalt technology.
16. I enjoy watching pretty much any movie with my fiance even if it is Step Up, Center Stage, or something like that.
17. I love the theatre.
18. I get into kicks where I read a lot.
19. I am taking my last class this semester for my last degree.
20. My favorite baseball teams are the Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles.
21. My favorite football team is the Tennessee Titans.
22. My favorite basketball team is the San Antonio Spurs.
23. My favorite hockey teams are the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators.
24. I guess that means I enjoy sports.
25. Some people call me injury prone.
26. I teach group fitness at the local Gold's gym.
27. But that does not mean I like to eat healthy most of the time.
28. I would drive 2 hours just to get a world-class meal.
29. I have seen more movies than I thought humanly possible since mono has taken me over.
30. I have become a huge fan of and respecter of a properly working lymph system.
31. I like classic television.
32. Dick Van Dyke is one of my favorites.
33. The food network relaxes me.
34. I am going to win the Ultimate Recipe Showdown one day
35. I want to grill with Bobby Flay!
36. I used to enjoy writing music, but I have not done that recently.
37. My neck is starting to swell right now, so I will continue later.
38. Amy can give me a smile that makes me feel like I can do anything.
39. Registering for wedding stuff really overwhelms me.
40. I have taught the Civil engineering materials lab for the last two semesters.
41. I am teaching the Hot Mix Design Lab this summer.
42. I should be working on my dis. proposal right now.
43. I love traveling.
44. I have traveled to Scotland, Belgium and Romania on mission trips.
45. I have traveled to Greece for a engineering conference.
46. I hope to travel to Spain this fall for a conference.
47. My students complain about how hard I grade their writing.
48. I have slept through both Beaches and Pete's Dragon in the past 24 hours, along with getting 10 hours of sleep last night.
49. My fiance likes to clean my apartment when I am sick.
50. I am marrying the most wonderful woman in the entire world. Have I mentioned that?
51. I think reading a children's book can solve any problem.
52. I want a big dog one day.
53. I am allergic to cats, dust, and mountain cedar.
53. Some people have called me a picky eater, but I think I just have a sensitive palate.
54. I typically run a low body temperature.
55. So my 99.6 degree temp right now is really high!
56. I want to see Les Miserables.
57. I can sing all three hours of it (right now, if you wanted?)
58. I do not respond well to "ready, go!"
59. I am not a distance runner.
60. I am training for my part of a triathlon if I can get out of my bed any time soon.
61. I like the color black.
62. I like things neat and orderly if I have the time to keep them that way!
63. I like a schedule.
64. I have a wonderful sister Becky.
65. I have a great brother Chuck.
66. I guess Damon is alright for a brother-in-law. Just kidding Damon.
67. I am looking forward to getting my new sister, Lyndsey.
68. I love playing with Laura Beth and Carter.
69. I enjoy taking naps on Sunday afternoons whenever I get the chance.
70. I cannot tell you how much I want to graduate.
71. I still get scared of the future at times.
72. I like consistency.
73. My fiance says I radiate heat.
74. I think that is her way of telling me that I am "hot." (Just kidding Amy)
75. I cannot tell you how tired I am of being stuck at home.
76. I should have trained to be a masseuse, but my hands are too bony.
77. I am a sucker for a good song.
78. I really enjoy playing majohg to waste time while Amy is studying and I am supposed to be.
79. I think my fiance is the most beautiful woman on the planet, but she can't see it for some reason.
80. I try, but I don't always succeed.
81. I miscommunicate when I am tired.
82. I very rarely jump out of bed in the morning ready to go.
83. I should probably drink coffee, but for some reason this is disintuitive.
84. I like the cards that play songs even though most are cheesy.
85. My fiance likes it when I am cheesy. Good thing too considering it happens A LOT!
86. I have written 85 previous facts about me!
87. I like Snickers bars.
88. I am excited that I am able to eat unbland foods again because the Prednizone is out of my system.
89. I like the beach, but I am not a big fan of being in a swimming trunks, sunburn, or sand.
90. I wish I were a better swimmer.
91. I am a roller coaster enthusiast, and I am going through withdrawals.
92. I am hoping to go to Aspen for my honeymoon in December.
93. I have two more hurdles to jump through before I can graduate.
94. I hate ironing my clothes. Everything should be wrinkle-free.
95. I believe Dr. Seuss was a genius.
96. The man or woman who came up with the idea for The Cheesecake Factory was the MAN!
97. I enjoy world cuisines such as Greek, Thai, Italian, etc . . .
98. I am not a fan of onions, green peppers, and English Peas.
99. I hate lunge tracks in BodyPump.
100. I am done with this thing. Thanks Amy. I guess I need to search and figure out three people that I can make go through this!

I was TAGGED!

Since my sister tagged me...I guess it is my turn to fill out 100 facts about myself. I don't really know how this works, but I guess I am supposed to tag 3 people. Since I don't have very many blogger friends :(...I guess I will tag Becky (my future sis in law!), Richard (to give him something to do while he is stuck in bed) and Russell! :) Okay so here we go:

1. I grew up in Montgomery AL
2. I am graduating from Auburn on May 10!!
3. It has taken me 6 years to finish my undergrad :(
4. I met the love of my life in February 2007
5. I was a Richard groupie/ stalker (I was at every class he taught)… before he even knew
who I was
6. We officially started dating on April 5.2007
7. On March 1, 2008 I said YES!!
8. On November 22, 2008 I will say I DO!!
9. I cannot remember life before Richard!
10. I do not want to think about life without Richard!
11. Richard has taught me the meaning of unconditional love.
12. He is my best friend
13. I like PINK
14. I love chocolate…
15. And peanut butter…..
16. And…when you put them together…YUM!
17. I like nutrition
18. I cannot go for more than a day without working out
19. I teach group fitness
20. I swam for 14 years of my life….
21. Now I hate getting wet!
22. I am ADDICTED to food network
23. Throw down with Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, Iron Chef America….cant get enough
24. I am emotional
25. I cry easily…
26. Especially at sappy movies
27. I get frazzeled…
28. Very easily
29. I do NOT like Arizona
30. I am cold most of the time.
31. I would rather go to the mountains than the beach
32. I am a germ-a-phobe….
33. I get stressed when I lose my germ-ex
34. I am a horrible speller
35. I do not really like watching sports (like football, basketball, etc…)
36. BUT I am trying b/c my future in-laws are HUGE fans
37. Richards 6 yr old neice and 4 year old nephew know more about sports than me! (They can probably tell you every Braves player and their numbers without thinking twice about it!)
38. I am starting to really like baseball
39. I am competitive…
40. Very competitive…
41. To much for my own good at times…
42. I think I get this from my dad!
43. I don’t like getting dirty
44. But I love to get sweaty when I workout
45. I tend to feed people when I care about them….
46. Or when I feel bad…
47. Or when I want to make them feel better…
48. I think I get this from my mom!
49. I used to pride myself in not liking ‘unhealthy ‘ foods….
50. Unfortunately…..i am starting to like them
51. I am deathly afraid of roaches, snakes, spiders and clowns
52. I know maybe 10 words of French…
53. And insist on randomly using those 10 words.
54. I do not like mess
55. I pretend like I know how to cook
56. I do NOT….DO NOT like EBV…aka Epstein Barr Virus…aka MONO…aka the virus that is keeping my fiancée sick!
57. I like Disney movies
58. House is my favorite TV show
59. I am starting a dietetic internship in the fall (HOPEFULLY!).....
60. Location: TBA
61. Those 3 months without Richard will be the longest of my life
62. I want to be a Physicians Assistant…
63. But…I do NOT want to be in school for 3 more years
64. I am going to be married to a DR!! :)
65. You can call me Mrs. Dr. Willis! :)
66. My future hubbie will be able to build cool things and he will be able to play with asphalt
67. I am getting a dog
68. I am naming her Zoey
69. I have a tendency to be overly dramatic
70. I love coffee…
71. And diet coke…
72. And diet cherry limeades
73. And diet dr. pepper….
74. I like getting flowers
75. My grandmother gets mad at me because my toes are never painted
76. Even though I love pedicures
77. I like being surprised
78. Richard is good at surprising me
79. I have a hard time keeping fun secrets….which makes it incredibly hard to surprise Richard
80. I have trouble sitting still….which is hard when my fiancée has MONO
81. I have a hard time saying no
82. I like being outside…
83. Only when it is not too hot…
84. Or too cold…
85. And when there are no bugs!
86. Spring and fall are my favorites
87. Richard makes fun of me because I call all scents (like soap, candles..etc) flavors
88. I am a firm believer in retail therapy
89. I love my family
90. I have one PRECIOUS niece Clarie Collins McCrory
91. I wish I liked to read for fun…
92. I only like to read cookbooks and wedding magazines
93. My wedding cake is going to be CHOCOLATE!
94. My only real jobs have been in a gym…
95. Which is a good thing …..because that is where I met my future hubbie! :
96. I am a compulsive list maker
97. I am very very very indecisive at times
98. I have a small tendency to be bossy
99. I like MAC make up
100. I do not function past 9:30 at night…even though I can rarely sleep the whole night thru…and I can not function in the morning without my coffee