Joy

So I only have a few minutes but wanted to just update on a few things!

I really think Kyrie is so close to crawling! I am super excited about this. It may be next week or it may be another month or more before she does end up crawling, but she sure made some progress toward that next milestone yesterday. She definitely has the leg movements going and yesterday she was able to get up all on fours for the first time but her head was down on the floor. Then later, she got up on all fours and then lifted her head. It was only for a few seconds, but hey that's progress!! Now she just needs to learn how to move all fours at the same time! :)

She is also laughing a lot more now too! I played peek-a-boo with her while standing up and covering my whole self up with a sheet (she was laying on the floor) and then I would move the sheet and she would just laugh - not just the cute little giggle she did the first time she laughed, but a real good laugh! It was awesome. This was the first time she really got to laughing. Then later Brian was blowing on her belly and she started really laughing again. These are such precious moments in time.

I love that I could be having a rough day or upset about something and the mere smile or laugh from Kyrie makes everything just melt away. This girl means so much to me I just could not possibly see myself without her now. The Lord has truly blessed us with this precious daughter and for that I am so thankful. Words cannot express my gratitude to Him. She is a miracle to me and I pray I never take that for granted and cherish every moment with her.

Well, that is all for now. I think she may be waking up! Promise to make more time for this and do it more regularly!

Here are a couple recent pictures!

Left:  My Mom, Aunt Becky and cousins came up on the 21st and we all went to the zoo!! It was so much fun. Here is a picture from the zoo with my Mom!
Right: I went to Legacy Bank (my previous job) for an ice cream social with the Newcastle Fire Dept and they let us get in the truck. Kyrie put her hands up on the wheel herself then turned around to pose for the picture! It was so cute.

Coming Soon

Hello!
I am going to start my blog up again. I feel I am getting adjusted to my new life with a little one and I can manage my time better now. :) So my blog will be coming soon! Hopefully I will start it up tomorrow or sometime this week...

maternity pictures!

oh beautiful sunshine...

Wow what gorgeous weather we have had the past few days!! Loved the rain Saturday night and Sunday. It was so relaxing! Then the sunshine these past couple of days. Brian, Marlon, and I all went for a walk and it was just so nice to be outside. Spring and summer just make me smile. I just can't be in a bad mood when the sun is shining. Today at lunch, I napped in my car with the birds chirping, the breeze blowing through the windows and the sun shining on me and it was wonderful! Anyway, so thankful for this nice weather. The only downside to this season change is a major increase in my allergies. I felt awful on Sunday - congestion, sneezing, headache, and a slightly scratchy throat and itchy watery eyes. I was feeling all the allergy symptoms. But thankfully, they are getting better each day.

Well I am 32 weeks along today. Wow - time is just flying by. Only 8 more weeks at the most! According to my book, at 32 weeks she should weigh almost 5 pounds and be about 18 inches long. Crazy! I think she may be running out of room already at this point. People seem to think I won't make it until the due date - does that mean I am huge? Haha! At my last appointment (I was 31 weeks) my uterus measured 33cm, so a couple weeks ahead - which apparently doesn't really mean a whole lot at this point, but who knows maybe she will come earlier than planned.

Overall things are going pretty well. Here lately I have been experiencing lots of new pains and symptoms. I now have stretch marks appearing - my Mom confirmed this for me this past weekend. And I have been feeling some tightness every once in a while along with some weird feeling pressure (which makes me have to go potty right then!).  I am assuming my body is beginning to prepare for labor and she is working on being ready to come into the world. But I have enjoyed being pregnant - it is fun getting to experience all these new things and to know that there is a human being inside of me moving around and getting the hiccups - how amazing is that?! Which feeling her have the hiccups is pretty cool! Such a little miracle and blessing from the Lord.

Pain meds or no pain meds? That is the question. I have been thinking about this question for a while now and quite extensively. We learned a lot about pain medication options in our birthing class and I have talked with people about it and researched it some on my own. After much thought I have decided to try for no pain meds. Yes you heard me right, no epidural! A lot of people would think I am crazy and maybe I am. But you know the epidural scares me a lot more than the thought of labor pains do. But there are several reasons for my decision including (1) there are narcotics in pain meds and I have had a bad allergic reaction to a narcotic before, so this makes me slightly nervous (2) I want to be able to move around some and go to the bathroom on my own - I don't want a catheter and be confined to the bed (3) the idea of a huge needle going into my back near my spine just creeps me out - yes I know lots of women have been getting them for years, but still! (4) I want to be completely alert and awake for her arrival and I have heard that you feel a little out of it with an epidural. There are others, but these are at least a few of my reasons. I do hope and pray that I am able to follow through with this desire. I feel very strongly about having this little girl with no medication. I will be honest, as of late I have been thinking more and more about this whole labor and delivery time as it quickly appraoches and I am scared. I am scared of the unknown. What will contractions feel like? Will I be able to push through the pain?  Lots of things that are unknown. It is scary. When I get nervous about this, I just have to remind myself that the Lord will be with me and I will get through it. Even if it is painful, it will all be worth it when I get to hold my sweet baby girl. So I just continue to pray for the labor and delivery time and just trust in the Lord for his strength.

I got maternity pictures taken!! I just received them last night, so I plan to put them on a disk and get some printed off for my albums! And I will post some on here soon as well. I am pretty happy with the way they turned out. Compliments to Dustin Schmidt for his wonderful photography and editing skills!! I can't wait to share them - hopefully soon!

I also had my first baby shower this past weekend! It was in Broken Arrow with my family and some friends. I am so blessed!! Thank you to those of you that helped plan the whole event and put it together - you know who you are! The cake was so cute and very yummy! The decorations were beautiful and I got to take them home for baby girl's room (I will post pictures soon!). The food and snacks were delicious as well! It was wonderful. I was pretty excited that a few of my college friends and high school friends that I hadn't seen in a while came to celebrate with me. One of my friends drove several hours for it! Them coming meant so much to me. Sad thing about it all is that a couple of my family members were unable to attend because they were sick - one with the flu. MIssed seeing you guys but hope you are feeling better!! But baby girl got many adorable clothes, shoes, socks, etc. And we got a high chair, hamper for her room, and all sorts of great things! Thank you to everyone for the many blessings!! I had such a great time. I will admit that I was pretty exhausted though by the time I got home - but well worth it!

Well I guess that is all for now. I will leave you with a questionnaire.

How far along? 32 weeks today
Total weight gain/loss: Um..
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Yes they have arrived
Sleep: Exhausted all the time. Sleep is getting a little harder. I am just so hot during the night and I have trouble getting comfortable - but all is okay! This is just preparing me for lack of sleep to come, right?
Best moment this week: My first baby shower! It is fun opening gifts for someone else! :)
Movement: Lots! It's crazy when you can see my belly jumping and moving all over. She gets a little crazy in there sometimes. 
Food cravings: just chocolate...darn sweets!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not anything in-particular - just get indigestion still
Gender: girl
Labor Signs: Not actual labor, but possibly some braxton hicks...maybe?!
Belly Button in or out? It is starting to poke out there, not enough to poke through m clothes yet though. 
Wedding rings on or off? ON, but it does get tight in the evenings. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: A little of both actually. I get emotional mood swings and I have been getting irritated a little easier, but still happy!

What I am looking forward to: Getting things situated in her room - it is still such a mess!
Milestone: Got her bedding in the mail and it is all set up in the crib - loving it!

Goodies!

Hello!

Well I will be 30 weeks along tomorrow. Only a couple more months left! I still can't believe how close it is and how fast it is has gone by. Things have still been non-stop around here. Trying to get things done and going here and there and doing this and that. Needless to say, I am pretty exhausted. 

I got to go to Broken Arrow a few weeks ago and visit with my family. It was wonderful. I feel like I had some good quality time with them and it was just refreshing. I love and miss then so much! I got in town Friday afternoon and met my Mom. We went to the Just Between Friends sale in Southwest Tulsa. I only bought a doll for her to play with when she gets older because it was too cute. Then my parents and I went to this amazing home-cooking restaurant, Shiloh's. Oh man - it was delicious!! So I got to just hang out with my parents that night and it was great. Saturday morning my Dad and I went and surprised my grandparents at IHOP and had breakfast with them. Then my Mom, Aunt Becky, and Grandma went to this Women's Health Expo in Tulsa. I think we spent about 5 hours there walking around. We all went to this before and had a great time, so I think we may make it an annual thing! The highlight of that part of the trip is I got a pretty amazing surprise! This lady from OSU Tulsa walked up to me and asked if I would like a free ultrasound - no catch! So I signed up and a few minutes later all of us got to go in and see my sweet baby girl and hear her heartbeat! I didn't think I would get to see her again until it was out of the womb, so I was pretty thrilled about this. And on top of that, my Mom, Aunt and Grandma got to come in and see too. I think they enjoyed it a lot! :)  Here she is! Look at those cute cheeks! We also confirmed that she is for sure a girl! 

 

Anyway, the rest of the day was great. My brother and his family came over for dinner and so I got to visit with them for a little while. I ended up deciding to head home that night and left Broken Arrow about 9:30 that night. I don't normally like driving at night, but I just thought that I should go ahead and get home and then I could spend all day Sunday with Brian and Marlon. 

Brian and I have also been taking childbirth class this month. It has been pretty good. I have learned some good stuff in there. Our instructor is awesome! She is really fun - I sure wish I could request her to be my nurse when I deliver - she would help calm me for sure and be entertaining. I also got to take a class on nutrition for me during and after pregnancy which was pretty informational. I have been thinking a lot about labor and delivery and  I have lots to consider and research. 

This past weekend I went to the Just Between Friends sale here in Norman. I decided to volunteer at it so that I could get in on the presale - before it opens to the public. This is a must!! It was amazing to see how much stuff was sold that day before the public even got to come look. But I was able to get a changing table and a bassinet. Two of the big things I really wanted to find. And of course I got her some clothes and I found some cute maternity clothes for me! I volunteered Friday night from 6-10. It was a lot of fun but I was pretty tired!!  This girl doesn't stay up that late! There was a girl going around taking pictures and I made the JBF facebook page too (I posted it below and it will also give you a side shot of the belly at 29 weeks). Here are pictures of my findings! Also, I went to Hobby Lobby a week ago and bought some materials to make a few projects for the wall decor in her bedroom and found this adorable pillow for 80% off! It is the one with the green and pink flowers on it - the solid pink one came from JBF. There is also a couple pictures of a mobile that Rhiannon gave me. It is going to be adorable in the room and it matches perfectly! Thank you Rhiannon!!

 

seriously, is this not the cutest!?

We are going to paint this white to match the crib

I am really hoping that things can slow down soon. It has been a little rough with being so busy and not really having time with just Brian and I - where we can just relax and enjoy each other's company. We finally did for a few hours though on Saturday. We went to IHOP for dinner (so good - blueberry pancakes!) and then we came home and watched am movie. It was a much needed time of relaxation and time together. There is still so much to do and get ready. But I hope we can remember that we need time together and time to rest. We will be so busy after she comes and our lives will be changing a lot - so we really need to take this time now to be together and get plenty of rest!

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: still not disclosing this one. :)

Maternity clothes? Yes...and I have pretty much outgrown everything, so I had to buy more! 

Stretch marks? Not that I can see, but I am sure they will pop up afterwards.

Sleep: It's a hit or miss. I sleep propped up with about 4 pillows though which helps me sleep a lot better now. 

Best moment this week: Getting a lot of goodies at the JBF sale and we bought a mattress for he crib - just marking things off the "To Buy" and "To Do" lists!  

Miss Anything? Still looking forward to going for a run

Movement: Tons! She is moving as I type. I love being able to see her movements on the outside too. And I can feel body parts now - still not quite sure what is what though. It's interesting when she pushes a body part out and you can see a lump. 

Food cravings: fruit and sweets

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing in particular that I can think of. 

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope, I don't think so

Symptoms: Indigestion, back aches, fatigue, and pretty sure I am starting to swell some too. Oh and did I mention I have some varicose veins? Those are not so great, but worth it. 

Belly Button in or out? It is poking out a little bit now. Just slightly...

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy  

Looking forward to: Maternity pictures this weekend!!!

That is all for now - I will post again sooner rather than later! 

I'm still here!

Things have been pretty busy around here lately, obviously since it has been over a month since my last post! 

We have been trying to get some things done around the house in preparation for the new addition that is to come. :) A few weeks ago, Brian's parents came for the weekend and helped us paint the nursery and recover the glider I got from my Dad! Here are a few pictures to commemorate the events of the weekend!

 

They got the room all painted and it looks great! It is Dinner Mint Green. We plan to do white furniture and pink/white accents. I will take a picture of the glider when it is all finished up. Janet had to finish the top cushion at home. Thank you Roger and Janet for all your help on these tasks!!

The following weekend Brian and I went shopping for a crib! We found this one at Target and decided it was what we wanted! Brian and I put it together that night. Marlon I think is starting to realize something is about to change and he was getting pretty nervous this night. He kept wanting me to hold him! 

 

I am pretty pleased with our purchase. Now to get a changing table and a dresser or some type of organizer I could maybe put in the closet with drawers. Annnnd of course bedding for the crib which is the challenge right now. I just can't find a bedding set that I like. I may end up making it instead. I could just pick out fabrics I like and go from there. We will see. 

Sorry I do not have a belly picture right now. But I assure you it is growing everyday! I will take one next week when I am 27 weeks. Can you believe it? 27 weeks already! Time is going by so fast...

We started Prepared Childbirth classes last week. It will be pretty interesting. I have learned quite a bit already. Let me share one interesting fact with you: you dilate to 10cm before you are ready to bring the child into the world. Here is the instructors analogy. 1cm = a cheerio & 10cm = a bagel. Imagine that one! Anyway, we still have 4 more classes - I am really looking forward to them and learning more about what I am about to experience in 3 short months. 

On another note: My parents got to come visit a couple weeks ago! Brian and I shared the amazing food of Tarahumaras mexican restaurant here in Norman with them. They loved it! My Dad is a HUGE mexican food eater and he said it was probably the best food he had. He would probably drive all the way down here just to eat there again - it's that good! We also took a nice long stroll around the OU campus just for fun. It was a good day. I miss my parents so much and enjoy the time I have to spend with them. 

I also tried a new recipe last night that my Grandma had found on Pintrest. It was so yummy! I made spaghetti with Meatball Biscuit Bubbles (pictures below) and a veggie. And then I made a yummy peach cobbler (compliments to Clarissa!) Anyway, these meatball bubbles are delicious and super easy to make! I recommend you try them out. Here is the website where you can find the recipe (http://kathiecooks.blogspot.com/2010/08/meatball-bubble-biscuits.html). 

I am sure there are many other things for me to update on since it has been so long, but this will do for now. Hopefully I can keep up with this blog more often now! 

I will leave you all with this:

How far along? almost 27 weeks

Total weight gain: we will keep this confidential now! :)

Maternity clothes? Yes...and quickly outgrowing them. Gotta go shopping again soon. 

Stretch marks? Not yet still. 

Sleep: Sleep has been pretty good lately. Usually right before bed my indigestion flares up quite a bit, but I only wake up a few times a night now.

Best moment this week: Feeling her move all day yesterday was pretty amazing. 

Miss Anything? Running...

Movement: Yes lots of movement!! I don't think she slept much yesterday because I felt her constantly, which I loved. You can see it on the outside a lot more now too which is pretty amazing. I coudl just sit and stare at my belly all day. 

Food cravings: Sweets... agh!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Only if I eat too much at one time do I feel sick. 

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Not that I know of!

Symptoms: Indigestion, tingling feet (when I stand up it feels like needles!), back aches, tiredness again, and the emotional swings have set in. 

Belly Button in or out? Flat!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy  

Looking forward to: Hearing her heartbeat again next week and getting to visit my family soon and hit up the Just Between Friends sale!