My Easter Bump (26.5 weeks) almost 7 months....were wondering how Joshua will look?

It is our first Easter being pregnant! Being pregnant and already loving a baby boy has given us a better understanding of the Lords love for us. And a deeper perspective of Jesus dying on the cross for us and then rising from the dead . If we already love our son so much, we can not even imagine how wide and deep is our heavenly fathers love.

We love this little guy already and we don't even know how he looks. Wes and I go back and fourth on what we think he will look like or whose looks he will favor.





We have even been looking back on some of our own baby pics and trying to see if we can come up with an idea of what Jesus will surprise us with. Everyone says that J.J.(Joshua James) is going to be a looker and I have to say that I agree, especially if he comes out looking like his Daddy!

* If you can't tell, the baby in the swing is me(Jonnique) and the baby sleeping is Wes!

6 months(24 weeks) pregnant and Joshua's Nursery is getting ready for him!

We unexpectedly had to move last week. To make a long story short, we were renting out a townhouse and the owner had not been paying the mortgage. The place went into foreclosure. We had no idea and was very surprised when a bank representative showed up at our door last month. The bank representative gracefully communicated that we had 28 days to leave. On the bright side, we fortunately found a new place that fits our budget.We are unpacked and settled. We had a lot of great help. Grandma Teri(my mom) came down weeks before the move and packed 70% of the place so that I would not have to bend and reach that much, that saved Wes and I a lot of time and energy. Yolanda helped me hang pictures and transfer all my clothes from the old place.Wes, LaDonna, and Donna(mother in-law)made sure I did not do too much the day of the move! Kathy Boyle came down the day after to help clean and organize.The guys(Irvine, Jeff, Ernie, Jon, Anthony, and David) helped Wes being that he has a torn ACL. Thank you so much friends and family. And we now have an extra room (besides our room and office/guest room). A room that we will make Joshua's nursery.

We have also decided on a theme for the nursery. The theme will be Sports. I chose this theme to play into Wes's fantasy of Joshua becoming a football or basketball player! I am so excited to create the nursery for our little MVP(Most Valuable Player), our Rookie of the Year, our All-Star, and our little Slugger. We will for sure be his #1 one fans! As you can see from my 6 month prego picture we have the wall paper that Grandma Donna purchased for our little player!

All I know is that he is a strong little guy already! I constantly feel him kick and move. Wes felt him for the first time last month and was just blown away by the amazing being that is growing inside of me! We will love him with whatever occupation the Lord leads him into and we are just so excited to see his face. We wonder who he will look like or will he look like both of us? With all this said I will keep you all updated on the construction of Little Joshua James Bell's Sports Nursery!

*The picture up top is an idea of what the nursery will look like ....we are so excited!

Daddy speaks and shares what Baby Bell's name will be....

I love the name Joshua because of what it represents. There are few times in my life which I have unmistakably felt the tangible presence of God. One of those times was when He spoke to me about my beautiful wife, and another time was when He spoke to me about the name of my first son.

It was about four or five years ago as I was riding on a train from San Diego on my way to Oakland, CA. I decided to read my Bible and spend some time with God during the trip. While doing so, I felt God speak to me about what He wanted the name of my first son to be. The name He spoke to me was Joshua.

I believe God spoke this name to me because of the Biblical Connotation. In the Bible Joshua was the person God chose to lead His people into the Promise Land. Moses, the only leader that generation of Israelites had ever known, had just died. Joshua was the man whom God chose to replace Moses. Joshua went on to be a great leader and successfully helped the children of Israel walk in the land God had promised to them.

God spoke to me that my first son should be named Joshua because he is going to a great leader, just like Joshua in the Bible. I know that God has a specific purpose and destiny for my son to walk into. I pray that he will make the right decisions in life which will allow God to transform him into the leader which he is called to be.

I picked the middle name for my son to be James. One reason I picked this name was to honor my father James (Jim) Lawrence Bell. My dad is an incredible father. He has always been there for me as I grew up and as I have walked into manhood. I have no doubt that my dad put his all into fatherhood. He was always at every important event in my life and I never remember him missing any of my soccer or basketball games in high school. He is a man of integrity, hard work, and generosity. My dad can also fix or build anything. It amazes me how smart my dad is. When it comes to fixing things around the house, or cars, or putting things together there is nothing my dad does not know. I love him very much and it is an honor for me to be able to give my first son his name.

James is also an important middle name for my son due to other reasons as well. I later came to be aware of the fact that Jonnique’s grandfathers’ name (on her dad’s side) was James. I have heard many great things about him and about how much he loved his grandchildren along with the generosity he showed to them. I never knew him but I suspect that he would feel honored for our son to have the middle name James. In fact his name was James Lawrence Briggs which is very similar to my fathers’ name of James Lawrence Bell. We thought that was very ironic and it only confirmed that our son’s middle name should be James.

After learning that Jonniques’ grandfather on her dad’s side was named James, I also learned that her grandfather on her mothers’ side is named James as well. Therefore James has been an important name throughout both our family history.

Another reason I like the name Joshua James Bell for my son is because of the nick name we can give him. His nick name will be J. J. (not Josh or Joshey)! J.J. obviously stands for Joshua James. I am the type of person who likes to give people nicknames or shorten their name. For example, my wife’s name is Jonnique, but I call her Nique for short or I have a number of nicknames for her such as Boo, Bay, or Ni. Therefore, I am sure that I will want a nick name for my son as well. I feel that J. J. is a cool nickname that can stick with him for the rest of his life.

I have not met Joshua yet, but already love him so much. I will do my all to raise him the best I can. I promise to give my time, energy, and affections to him. I pray that God will help me train him in the ways of the Lord so that he will not depart from them as he grows into a great leader and a great man.

If you ever read this Joshua, please know that you have a great name and you have been named after great people. Your daddy loves you very much and will always be there for you no matter what you go through. I can’t wait to see you walk in all that God has for you. I love you very much and am very proud of you. Your mother and I are very blessed to have you as a son. Never forget to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. Oh yea…also never forget to honor your mother and father (LOL)! I love you and can’t wait to meet you.


Sono Pictures:
Picture #1: Joshua at 16 weeks, showing us that he is a boy!
Picture #2: 3D picture of Joshua at 16 weeks, playing peek a boo!
Picture #3: J.J. at 20 weeks, showing his side profile, Wes thinks he looks like me!
Picture #4: J.J. showing us his cute little foot!

19.5 weeks(5 months) pregnant and in Mexico enjoying Babymoon!

Well this was a wonderful week for us three! We were blessed by my In-laws with a trip to La Pamilla, Mexico(very close to Cabo San Lucas) for a Babymoon. What is a Babymoon? The term has come to be used to describe a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby. You usually do it pretty early in your pregnancy. It is not recommended to travel by plane after about 32 weeks(internationally).It was really great, relaxing, and beautiful.We really enjoyed each other while we thought about BabyBell. It seemed as though the sun made my belly grow! I recommend any expecting parents to do it, if they can. Once again, Thank you Mom#2 and Dad#2 this would not have been possible without you two!

17.5 wks(4 months).....Growing and Excited!

We are about to be half way there, in about 3.5 weeks and we are very excited. Wes has really enjoyed watching my belly grow every week. He believes that it is just amazing. For me, there are times I have to speak out loud "Gaining 20-30lbs is what I want"! I am very honored to carry the blessing we are expecting and cannot wait to see him. We also purchased our first piece of clothing for our Baby Boy last week!

It is possible to find out the sex at 16 weeks!

As you all know I am a Labor and Delivery nurse. Which comes with a few advantages when you are pregnant. Wes being aware of these advantages, asked me anxiously a couple of times if I was going to try to find out the sex early at work. Well I did, last Sunday the 24th , a very slow Sunday at work I made a comment to one of the other nurses that I wonder if my baby is a boy or girl. She said lets see and asked one of the doctors to scan me. We gathered in one of the rooms, myself(laying on a bed as if I was a patient), 3 other nurses, and the doctor. After a few seconds of finding Baby Bell one of the nurses said, "oh my gosh, is that a Penis?" The doctor looked at me and said "Jonnique are for sure that you want to know the sex? And if I tell you do you pinkie swear that you will not go out and buy a certain color, pick a name, and tell everyone?" I said " Yes doctor, I want to know!" He then said, "I am 99.9% sure that you and your husband are having a boy!" The three nurses screamed and I just smiled with joy in my heart, as I seen my babies glory on the ultrasound.

I called Wes that night from work, but did not want to tell him over the phone. I just told him that I loved him, good night, and that I would be home a little late in the morning(I work night shift 7pm-7am) because I was having my 3 month evaluation done with my boss before I left work(which was true and it went great!).

Before I came home in the morning I stopped by a CVS store and picked up "IT'S A BOY" card and balloon. When I arrived home Wes was still sleeping but had awaken to me coming in the house. He yelled from the bedroom "how did your evaluation go,babe?" I told him to hold on and I would show him in a moment. I walked up stairs with the balloon, card, and a camera all behind my back. I turned on the light in the bedroom. Wes asked with his eyes still closed, "why are you turning on the light?" I said, "I need to show you my evaluation." I gave him the card. He read out loud " Cute and Cuddly, It's a Boy", with a strange face. Understanding soon and finally kicked in and his faced turned into excitement along with heartfelt laughter! I then handed him his balloon with a kiss.

We immediately called all of our immediate family members and told some of our close friends that day. I still wanted to be 100% before we shared it with everybody. So yesterday, Friday the 30th we had a 3D ultrasound completed. Wes is living proof that his baby and him are the same sex. The 99.9% that the doctor at my job gave me is now 100% without a doubt.

The weekend I started showing...just a little, at 14 1/2 weeks!

From January 10th-17th Wes was out of town on a business trip. About everyday that he called he asked if my belly grew. I answered "I really do not think so". Well when he arrived home late Saturday night and I opened the door and his first words were "Oh my gosh, your bump has grown and I can actually tell that you are pregnant". I did not believe him until the next day. Almost everyone that seen my belly made a comment about my little bump and how I was growing. I finally accepted that it was the beginning of my belly starting to show and my husbands words.

I am also feeling less nauseous these days and coming to enjoy some food again. While Wes was gone on his trip I had to confess and tell him about a night craving I had around 3 o clock in the morning. I woke up with my mouth salivating for baked Ruffle chips and pickles. After laying in the bed for about 1 minute thinking am I really going to get up and give in to this craving...I did! I also will announce for the first time in my life I ate an entire $5 dollar foot long BTL sandwich. My husband shared the experience with me by just saying "That is amazing"!