Just wanted to share a pic of Her Cuteness playing in the "clubhouse", her little pink tent.

Ok, here's the latest pic of Audrey and me:

Still not too miserable, mostly due to her being kind of low.  The heartburn has been manageable and I can usually get out of a chair or bed without help.  I caught up on my weight gain over Christmas (shocker!) and have now gained a total of 13 pounds.  I am still praying fervently that the water weight will not pile on like it did with Kate, but only time will tell!!!  Audrey is super active, and very predictable in her routine:  Snoozing in the morning, snoozing in the afternoon, elbows in the evening, nap from 8-11:30 pm, and then dance party til 1 am.  Hiccups anywhere from 3-4 am that make Mommy have to go to the bathroom.  She likes the loud music at church (love that subwoofer) and when Mommy sings.  (Of course that may change, since Kate used to like my singing in utero, but now she frequently says, "No like Mommy to sing!")

Now that Kate is in her new room, I am really looking forward to personalizing Audrey's room and making it special just for her.  :)

Well, she's in her new room!  We worked like crazy and in one week the guest room transformed from "Boring Beige with Miscellaneous Clutter" to "April Mist Green with New and Vintage Furniture and Girlish Accessories."  Kate has been so excited about this project that once it was done, she had no trouble sleeping in her new bed.  This was fantastic because Mommy and Daddy were so worn out from the process that we needed our sleep too!!!

Most of the credit goes to Paul because of course Amy was useless when it came to certain types of paint, hardware installation, assembly, moving furniture, and anything that involved a ladder.  So if he seems extra sleepy or walks with a limp, cut him some slack.  Of course there are a few finishing touches needed, like curtains and stuff on the walls.  We'll get to that eventually...

For the complete transformation process, visit flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/selzhanik/sets/72157594494447259/ or login and visit our page.  Look for the set titled "Kate's New Room."

We ordered Katelyn's big girl bed the other day, and it should arrive soon.  Now all we need to do is have the garage sale and paint the room!

It was kind of hard to find but we ended up with exactly what we wanted - a twin sleigh trundle bed in a dark wood color to match my grandmother's antique furniture, which is in her room.  Here's a link to a photo:

http://www.havertys.com/catalog/group.do?group=HVT122+Youth

It's the bed in the uppermost picture.  She's very excited about it!

Hey everyone, I just found out that they made available on the Hill Country website a video of the duet I recently sang with Dee Brauel.  It's basically a mix of DVD background images with some video of the two of us singing, i.e. what you would see on the jumbo-tron if you were actually at the service.  The audio is not fantastic because it was just a rough live recording (ooh, I sounded like my husband there for a sec).  But anyways, just thought you'd like to know.  Not sure how long it will be available.  Follow the link and click on "O Rejoice" under "Watch Live Music Performances."

http://www.hcbc.com/templates/cushcbcnw/details.asp?id=28485&PID=212441

Have fun!

-amy

Name: Audrey Jeanette Hooper

Current Weight: About 10 ounces
Fingers: 10
Toes: 10

Here's a link to the video, BUT FIRST please read the instructions!  Please do not just click the link.  It's only two minutes long, but it's still large!  First, right-click on the link below, and select "Save Target As..."  Choose a place to save it, such as your desktop, and click Save/OK.  Then, minimize your browser so you can see your desktop (or where ever you chose to save).  Double-click the file (default name: December-12-2006.mpg) and enjoy.  We've tested playing the file in Windows Media Player 11, and it works with that.  Hopefully it works with your player, too!

December-12-2006.mpg

It's official!!!

Our 2nd child is definitely a girl!  Stay tuned for more news, her name, ultrasound pictures, and maybe even an ultrasound video.

For family obsessed with Kate desktops, I'm spreading some Christmas cheer!  Please use these photos only for your desktop background!  (We have better versions for ordering prints and such, just let us know.)

To use these on your desktop, decide on which one you like the most, and click on the screen size underneath the photo that matches what you use.  (You can find what screen size you use on your Windows PC by right-clicking on your desktop, selecting Properties, selecting the Settings tab, and taking note of the Screen Resolution setting.)  After downloading the large image in your browser window, right-click on the image and select "Set as Background."

(Note: For 1024 x 768 screens, your best choice is likely 1600 x 1200, and then select "Stretch" for the "Position" setting -- which it will likely default to.)

"Hello, Santa!"

Full Size Desktops:
1280 x 1024 (Common 17" to 19" LCD screen res)
1400 x 1050 (Common HP laptop res)
1600 x 1200 (High res true 4x3 monitor)

Faded Warm Christmas Lights

Full Size Desktops:
1280 x 1024 (Common 17" to 19" LCD screen res)
1400 x 1050 (Common HP laptop res)
1600 x 1200 (High res true 4x3 monitor)

"I'm This Many!"

Full Size Desktops:
1280 x 1024 (Common 17" to 19" LCD screen res)
1400 x 1050 (Common HP laptop res)
1600 x 1200 (High res true 4x3 monitor)

Going Shopping Painting

Full Size Desktops:
1280 x 1024 (Common 17" to 19" LCD screen res)
1400 x 1050 (Common HP laptop res)
1600 x 1200 (High res true 4x3 monitor)

Ridiculously Adorable

Full Size Desktops:
1280 x 1024 (Common 17" to 19" LCD screen res)
1400 x 1050 (Common HP laptop res)
1600 x 1200 (High res true 4x3 monitor)

Just wanted to let you know that we updated the flickr site recently with pictures of Katelyn's birthday party.  I'm a little behind with the blog entries right now, because of all of the holiday hoopla!  But I'll get there. :)  This is one of my favorite pics of Kate and Paul ever:

Thanks to my friend Jen, who taught me the basics of Photoshop today!