Sweet Baby K!

Happy Snow Day!

2011-01-09T17:49:00.003-06:00

I'm enjoying a lovely lazy Sunday with my girl, and we got our first snow of the year! She can't say her S's, but she loved the "No"! We didn't get much and it was really wet, so it melted pretty quickly, but we got a few shots.

Now we are watching Lady and the Tramp. It just started, so Lady is still a puppy. Kaelynd is glued to the TV. But every time the scene changes, she starts crying, "Poppy". Like, really crying. She thinks something happened to the puppy. Then Lady comes back on the screen and she's smiling again. "Poppy!" She's a sensitive one, this 21-month old.

Of course, she's smart too. There's a scene where Lady goes into a room where someone is sleeping. All you hear is snoring. Loud snoring. Very loud snoring. Shaking the bed snoring. Of course Kaelynd yells out "Daddy!" Yeah, that's my girl!

Mommy Frustration - Not Sleeping!

2010-09-06T13:44:00.004-05:00

Baby K was weaned completely about 3-4 weeks ago, and prior to that, was only nursing before bed, for a 3-4 weeks. She has been very good about going to bed and nap time with a milk bottle, a little rocking and then into the bed. I mean, I was so happy that I could get her to bed in 10 minutes flat and then have an hour or two before I went to bed to do laundry, clean the kitchen, surf FB, or even brainlessly watch TV, which is a very rare treat, believe me! I just treasure the hour to myself (when I don't fall asleep rocking her). I was really thinking... heck yeah - the multi-faceted life of a working mom can resume. I might actually get my life (and house) back together.

Think again! All of a sudden, at 16 1/2 months.... SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GO TO SLEEP! She acts like she never had a bedtime/nap time ritual, which is driving me crazy. Oh, sure she'll take a bottle, and her eyes get heavy, but when she's done, she wants to show me new tricks. She kisses me, tries new words, wants her babies from the crib, then puts them back in the crib, wants to give them the bottle, jump up and down, climb up and down in the rocker... ANYTHING but settle down and go to sleep. She'll tuck her babies in, cover them up, and pat their back - exactly how I put her down - but she won't lay down herself. She becomes the wiggliest worm there is!

So - I've tried just leaving her in the crib with the hopes that she'll settle down herself... Oh no! What do I see on the baby monitor... one little monkey jumping on the bed. It makes me laugh but yeah... not so much. Then, on some nights, she'll poop. So on go the lights, out come the wet wipes, and the whole procedure just reinforces her thought that she should be up playing, not sleeping. We start the entire ritual over again on those nights. Fun.

Oh sure, she naps regularly at school, but not at home. I'm about to ask her teacher, "How do I put my child to bed?!" Yesterday - no nap at all, oh until 4:00pm! She just wants to play and play, and totally fusses and thrashes when I try to rock or sway her. Here it is, 2:00pm, and once again, no nap for today. I tried for about an hour (falling asleep myself), then gave up and listened to "uh-oh.... woooooo.... brrrrrrrrrrlllll.... bay-beee... roo-roo" and the like.

This is bringing on a totally new kind of exhaustion - one I thought was gone when I stopped breastfeeding. I have read it's common w/ toddlers, but really!? I'm just wondering if anyone I know went through this. What did you do? Of course, if you are one of those that your baby fell asleep on their own and slept through the night at 6 months, and you never had a sleep problem again, keep that joyous tidbit to yourself, please. I can hear your laughing at me from here.

VOTW - We caught her winking!

2010-07-28T00:24:00.001-05:00

7/27/10 - We caught her winking!

Not only is she waving at strangers when they are not looking at her but tonight we saw her winking! We couldn't believe it, so I turned on the video and winked at her, and this is what happened! Towards the end, she looks like she's just twitching her eyes, but I promise, she's trying to wink! I don't even know who taught her how to wink - I love it! I'll have to get more of her, but this was the first day we've seen the wave then wink wink wink combo!

VOTW - on Sunday

2010-03-14T18:03:00.003-05:00

Because I just blogged about her and her box-cart, and because Mom is coming to town this week & we will probably be busy packing! This was taken last Saturday, 3/6/10. And, as I posted previously, this was the first time she stood unassisted and picked something up. I just know she's going to walk soon! Oh boy! Enjoy!

Been so long...

2010-03-14T14:01:00.004-05:00

Oh, I know it's been forever since I've posted, but I just haven't taken the time to do so. To say I don't have it is true, but I need to make the time to share Baby K with you!

She's almost eleven months, OMG, and my is she growing! As I sit and watch her empty and refill her diaper bag, I am just so grateful that this wonderful little being is in our lives! Just yesterday she started putting the strap of the diaper bag over her head. I'm just amazed at all she does. Every little thing is worth journaling about and I'm trying to jot things down daily.

Here's more that she's doing now:

• Shaking her head (and shoulders, too) "No". Speaking of "No", when she's into something, and she hears that word, she right away drops what she's doing. Sometimes, though, she doesn't, and she just takes off crawling away from me... FAST. I'm only laughing on the inside, though!
• Making the sign for dog and saying "Doh" when she is focusing on one of the dogs.
• Standing on her own, and even lifting her empty box-cart with no support!
• Pushing empty diaper boxes through the house, filling them with whatever she finds. We ended up getting her a shopping cart for this, and she just has a blast! Right now in her box-cart is a box of Girl Scout cookies, dental floss, a gift wrap bow, and a small stuffed animal. In her pink shopping cart is a plastic turkey.
• Holding the phone to her ear and talking. When she first picks it up she mumbles, a two syllable "yo-oo" (hello). She doesn't do it with her play cell phone, only a real cell phone.
• Bounces, jumps, dances (not quite sure which) up and down when she is singing and clapping or when she's just very excited. I have been waiting for her to start dancing, so this made me very happy!
• "Motorboats" with her mouth on mommy's arm, chest, tummy - wherever. We weren't doing that on her tummy, so she may have picked that up from school.
• Kisses! Kisses! Kisses! Okay - so they are opened mouth and a little sloppy, but they bring a smile to her face, which makes me smile all the way through.
• "Puts on" clothes (and sunglasses and hats) by putting them up over her head. Sometimes she misses & they go right behind her, but it's so enjoyable to watch her do it over and over again, and I love watching her sit with a pair of pants resting on her head as she giggles with joy because she did it!
• Waves from her wrist now, instead of just her fingers. In fact she waves when you start to say "Let's go bye-bye."
• She enjoys feeding her self with the spoon. When I fill it up, she takes it right to her mouth. When she's cleaned it off - she puts it back in the bowl. She's also drinking milk from a sippy cup with her meals. When she's done, she stacks the glass in the bowl, too.
• As far as walking, she's been creeping along for quite a while, and she's getting bolder about reaching for things when she's standing and getting further up on her knees from the ground. She knows there's more she can do, but she's not quite ready to go out on that limb yet. It's just a matter of time, I know.

We fought thrush for over a month, and as of today, we have not seen symptoms for over 7 days! Thank God! I do not wish a resistant case of thrush on my worst enemy! With the added worry, the missed time at work, the dr. appts, the extra boiling and laundry, and the frustration when it kept coming back, it was a nightmare. Oh my! Ours lasted so long, due to a combination of not getting the right treatment for both of us at the same time, and the amount of stress I'm under. She & I were passing it back & forth. I pray we have it beat, but I'm terrified to stop the treatment!

Stress? What stress? Oh, besides lack of sleep, (still) trying to learn how to do it all with a career and family, and fighting the thrush, we were notified on February 25th that the owners of our rent house wanted to sell and would not be renewing our lease that ends 3/31. So we are moving from our rent house after 6 years! Thankfully, we found a place that we like a lot, and we are starting a new chapter in our lives. We are looking forward to it. Pray we get the house we want. In other news, I've been taking part in a Bible study group at the church, Beginnings. It's amazing, and each week I feel it's speaking directly to me. I'm going to join the church and we will get Baby K baptized there, hopefully on the weekend of her birthday. Daddy has had some good jobs come in, so he's been busy, but with paying customers - both individual and commercial. He landed a nice commercial account, and they are pleased with his work, so that's an answer to our prayers. So, even with all the stress, we are doing well, and very happy.

Now, here are some pictures so you can see miss Baby K in almost real life! I'll post more soon!

3/6/10 - Pushing her box-cart around the house, playing "pick up". She's fast with that thing!

3/9/10 - Her new pink shopping cart - Daddy's idea, of course! I was good with the diaper boxes, lol!

3/14/10 - Wearing the diaper bag, emptying the contents, closely examining each thing as she removes it, of course! You can see by the looks of the living room, she likes to "empty" things! Here, she's pausing to wave at mommy!

3/14/10 - Lifting the diaper bag, as if she forgot she already had it "on". Look how strong she is, heh heh. She's really trying hard! You can also see she is "wearing" her pink sweater, tastefully, over her right shoulder.

3/14/10 - Look mommy - I found some clothes that I can play with!

3/14/10 - Here she is after she "put on" her pink sweater... LOVE IT!!

VOTW Wednesday - Multi-tasking Baby

2009-10-21T22:00:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! This video was taken earlier in the month, 3 weeks ago. She has no interest in babydolls, stuffed animals, rattles or baby teethers...NO! Give her a remote control, a cell phone, or a laptop, and she's totally happy. She started grabbing for the laptop early...hmmm, wonder why?! Yeah, okay, she sees it a lot. Well, she does enjoy watching videos of herself. She just gets so quiet, like she wants to study that baby on the big screen....

Enjoy this multi-tasking baby, and pay no attention to my annoying voice!

VOTW Wednesday

2009-10-14T13:03:00.003-05:00

Yeah, so I missed last week. Sorry - it won't happen again! I just couldn't find the BEST video of her last week. They were too long or showed too much of me (not fit for internet - trust me!) or something!

But for this week - here's a great one!

3 days before she turns 6 months, and she's ALMOST crawling! Each day she is getting closer and closer! Just Monday she was pulling herself along the floor with her arms, and Tuesday she was up rocking on her knees when I picked her up at school! She's almost there! Oh - and do not pay attention to her outfit. It was pieced together at school from odds and ends in her diaper bag. Yeah, that won't happen again, trust me - only matching "second string" outfits from now on! Even her teacher made a comment that they really didn't know what to put on - there were so many colors!!! (Love you Miss Kim!)

Enjoy your VOTW! Love, Mom of Baby K!

VOTW Wednesday - Part 2

2009-10-01T05:51:00.003-05:00

I had to resort back to embedding from YouTube. Uploading to Blogger was ridiculous!

Continued from yesterday....The next one was taken last night at her last changing before bed. I was kissing her tummy & telling her she smelled like baby, and she was cracking up. She was actually laughing more before I got the camera. She has become QUITE ticklish. She giggles at the slightest thing touching her tummy, and even her neck. She LOVES to laugh. I have more video of her laughing, but I'm in it, covered in spitup and my hair's all raggedy, so yeah, that's not getting published. The camera is all over the place in this one, because I kept bending down to kiss her or sniff her tummy to make her laugh and couldn't exactly hold the camera still. Plus - I had my Creative Memories conference call on in the background. Sorry!

VOTW Wednesday

2009-09-30T15:22:00.008-05:00

Happy Wednesday! This week's videos are kind of different. They were both taken yesterday. The first one is when I went to pick her up at school, and she was playing in the circle. It's like a baby pool made out of gym mats, and it contains the baby and toys. It's funny because she was perfectly content until she saw me, then BAM!, she got fussy & wanted OUT. She was tired though. I could tell it the minute she raised her little head. She's started saying "hi"...or what sounds like it anyways. That's the first thing Daddy says to her, and when she says it it sounds just like him. So, the minute she lifts her head & sees me, she says it, but the teacher was talking, so you can't tell. It's like she knows what she's saying, because she does it at just the right times, at the exact time you should say "hi". But, I'm sure it's just her sound of the week. You can also see how she raises her arms when she wants to be picked up. It's her yoga pose, LOL! My mom likes her pouty lips when she cries, so that's part of the reason I picked this clip. Poor baby...

Okay - I'm done with trying to upload this 2nd video. Maybe I'll try again from work, but it's taking way too long. It's 5:30 am on Thursday and I've been trying since Wednesday at 3:30. Sorry! Enjoy the one for now!

VOTW Wednesday

2009-09-23T12:53:00.000-05:00

Hi there! It's been another month! Wow - has flown by, entirely too fast!

I'm going to start a weekly post - Video Of The Week Wednesday... So, here's a few older ones, but they are so cute, and not everyone has seen them. Plus there's a recent one at the bottom. And...YES, I know today is Thursday! Enjoy!

Last month, in August, she started doing raspberries. On this night, in the first part of September, she was playing in her crib, and I could hear her from the living room just a blowing raspberries, so I snuck up on her. It was hilarious! She was making raspberries, and spitting all over herself. At one point, her face turns red, she's blowing so hard.

About the same time she was doing raspberries, she started doing this chewing thing, like she's chewing her tongue. It's so funny! It's like she's got a big wad of bubble gum in her mouth! She doesn't do it as much anymore, so I'm glad I got a clip of it!

This next one was this past weekend. When we did her 5-month Cat in the Hat photo shoot. This was at the end of her "photo shoot". She was getting very loud. She was ready to be done! It was just a random video clip. But you can hear her "gargling" technique, which is what she's moved on to from raspberries.

Stay tuned for a video each Wednesday and more frequent blog posts! I have a lot to share from September - as we celebrated both Mommy's & Daddy's birthdays. It's been a busy month!

First Day of School!

2009-08-24T13:44:00.012-05:00

Hi everyone! I know I'm extremely behind on my blogging.... so much so, THREE people have mentioned it to me in the past few days!!! Take for instance, this post... I started it MONDAY and here it is THURSDAY and it's going up! Bear with me, please. I love that you all are keeping up with Baby K, so don't give up on me!

I'm taking a minute on my lunch "hour" to say Baby K is doing MARVELOUS! She's just over 4 months now and 17 lbs 1.5 oz (99th percentile!), over 25 inches long (95th percentile), and her head is measuring 42cm (75th percentile).

Monday she started her "school". No more one-on-one babysitter. She's in a group of 7 babies (with at least 2 adults at all times) at a local church. It's been an 'adjustment' that's for sure, but I think it's going to be grand for her.

Here are some pics from the first day of school....

Sunday - all dressed up ready to Meet The Teacher

Her beddie...but she's not that interested. She was so busy checking out the room!

Monday morning...time to get up for school!!! Sleepyhead was not ready to get up!

All dressed and ready to go! Give Daddy a kiss before we leave!

I handed her to her teacher, and you can see how concerned she was that I might leave! She was so interested in what and who was in the room!

A view of the first day of school "Getting to know you's"...

There is so much to see and play with! Mind you, she was ready for a nap by this point. Her eyes were heavy, but she did NOT want to miss anything...

How could she sleep when there was so much to do, so many babies to meet!

Oops! Forgot to rotate this one. But she grabbed on to this baby's dress with one hand, and played with the star toy with the other. She was getting so excited!

She loves her exersaucer at home, so of course she had to take this one for a test drive!

More interest in someone new...

They told me she had a great first day! She was good. She ate and played a lot, and slept a little, very little. So, at the end of the day she was BEAT! Here's a pic of her when we pulled into the driveway, a mere 1.5 miles from school!

Her second day went just as well, and she was just as tired when we got home! See the little elephant? It's from her toy gym that goes in her bassinet/playard. She loves the little animals, and has now been able to get them off, so she likes to carry them and chew on them. I keep one in her carseat, so it's waiting on her when we get in the car after school. It helps stop the fight she puts up about getting put in her seat!
Her third day was fun - they took them outside on the buggy (a stroller for 6 or 8 or something!). They said she LOVED it! Of course, that's the day they misplaced 2 oz of my $#*! liquid gold (milk). YIKES!!! So, we'll see what fun her fourth day brings!

So, thanks everyone for checking on us! We are adjusting to a new routine now with the new school, and it will take some time to get used to it. But, we are all doing well. We have a low-key rest weekend planned after this rough, exhausting week! *sigh*

Quick Hello!

2009-07-14T13:03:00.011-05:00

Hi everyone! Wow - Baby K is growing SO FAST! I am really trying to get a hold of things and get us on a schedule. We are adjusting to work (pumping 3x/day in the office), going to our babysitter's house every day, getting enough rest, eating right, and getting laundry done. (Notice I didn't say cleaning house!)

The blog will continue to be found on the original domain, but go ahead and start using http://www.momofbabyk.com/. Right now, only the blog is on it, but soon, there will be more!

So, Baby K is almost 3 months old and she's been doing some amazing things. Yesterday, she started laughing. She's been making noise when she smiles, like a little cooing, but yesterday she started the full blown chuckle! OH - it is the most adorable thing! I haven't gotten good video of it, but I'll post it when I do. She laughed when I grabbed onto her foot like I was going to eat it. She laughed when I tickled her tummy with her Horton blankie/toy. Then, the best thing...I was reading her Hop On Pop last night before bed. When I got to the page with the yellow snork/bird looking characters, she just giggled away. OH! My heart just melts thinking about it again! Those characters were on several pages, and everytime she saw them, she'd giggle even more. I LOVE IT!

Also - she's been sleeping through the night! Yep - the last 3 nights, she's slept through! Saturday she slept for over 10 hours - I was kind of nervous. But Sunday & Monday, she slept from around 9:30 until I had to wake her up at 5:45. I'm so amazed...and of course it could be a fluke. Of course, being so sentimental, now I miss our midnight feeding. That's just one more time I'm not spending time with her. Now, the weird thing is that she doesn't tee tee during the night. The last 2 mornings, DRY AS A BONE. Then, about an hour later, FLOOD. The doctor said to watch to make sure she has enough wet diapers during the day, and if so, nothing was wrong. It's just WEIRD. Anyone else have something like this?

Last week, the DAY after her doctor told us to watch for her to start using both hands, she pulled both hands together in front of her face to look at them both. She's using her right arm more, too so we are pleased. In fact, she reached for Winnie The Pooh with it last Tuesday.

Oh! And she LOVES her feet. She can only see them now, so she's not grabbing them YET. Look at her in her Bumbo seat watching her little feet! She's very strong holding her head up too, but we have only tested the Bumbo seat...there's something in my head about not putting her in it until she's exactly 3 mos, LOL!

I also think she's on the verge of rolling over! Here's two short clips of her this past weekend. She was getting hungry, as you can tell!

It's really SO amazing these little milestones! Oh, life goes so fast, and Daddy & I are so amazed and in love with her!

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-04T14:49:00.005-05:00

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

I wish I could say we had big plans today but we don't. Oh yeah, there are a few parties, but they are all outside, and it's too hot for me. Last night there were fireworks all around us, but Mommy didn't want to take me because my ears are still too little. She didn't know if I could take it or not. Mommy wishes we had a pool so she could swim & sun while I'm napping, but this 4th of July, Mommy & I are going to hang inside the house and I'm going to watch her work on my room, when I'm not napping or watching Qubo in my swing. She said we are going to Wal-Mart later to get dog food and stuff. Daddy went to the farm. He's been wanting to go for a long time, and Mommy doesn't want to take me yet. She told him yetserday to go and have fun, so he'll be home tomorrow.

I did hear Mommy say she wishes we had something to do for the holiday, especially when she sees cute kids dressed in red, white & blue on the internet and on the news. She wishes we were in Houston. That's okay, I'm too little to know what's going on anyways! I'm glad Mommy dressed me up and took some 4th of July pictures in my dress from Grandma Roma.

Yesterday we had a great day. Mommy & I both dressed in red & white. We had tons of things to do. We ran errands and then went to see Brad & Lauren, where Daddy met us after work. Here's a picture of me & Mommy. It's kind of far away, but we were using the timer on the camera.

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy 4th! I'm off to enjoy the rest of my fun day with Mommy! She told me to tell everyone to live it up!

Love, Baby K

Post-partum has nothing on this...

2009-07-03T19:42:00.001-05:00

(RANT WARNING - this is not pretty!)

They talk plenty of post-partum depression.... but they don't tell you everything. Let me enlighten you a bit!

So, when I was pregnant, my darling dog Logan died. I got so depressed, I thought I was going to have to go on meds, but I made it through. Then, I had an emergency cesarean, and for a couple of weeks was so emotional and in so much pain, being less than the supermom I thought I would be, and with Shane working so much, I went through a depression that manifested itself through being resentful & bitchy to those I love the most (so sorry Shane & Mom). I thought I had been through it all then. But MAN! This has been worse than those two put together!

It started about a week before I went back to work. Just knowing that my time at home with Kaelynd was almost over. It was just little things, not jumping up to clean & do laundry before she got up, just sleeping in most days. So, that's not bad right? Then, going out for a drink here and there (okay - 4 times during 10 or 11 days). I was just blowing off some steam, I guess. Living the last of my free time. Then, the two days before I went back to work, I'd wake up crying. I cried a lot those two days. It was more of a panic of HOW on earth was I going to do it...get enough rest to be productive at work, be prepared enough on Sunday for the whole week (meals, clothes, etc.), have enough energy after a long day (not to mention the commute) to come home and spend quality, stimulating, time with Baby K on top of eating, bathing both of us & going to bed at a decent hour, oh the list went on. I say I, not because Shane doesn't help(because he's a huge help), but because he works so damn hard - physically in this heat - that I didn't want to put more on him than he already does. Now, for those of you that don't know - I am a WORRIER. So, I know I tend to over-worry about things BEFORE they happen. It's something I've improved on over the years, but with my lack of sleep and this being a new mom thing, it took over me once again, as in years before.

The first two days back were just okay. I avoided my friends' and family's calls because I didn't want to break down, but I was in tears the entire drive to Dallas on Thursday. I was angry about going to work (totally different long story there), and sad that I was not at home with the two people that loved and needed me most. The day got better, because, on your first day back from a leave (once I got there, anyways) it's social hour and everyone's so happy to see you & I was truly happy to see them. Friday she had a doctor appointment, so I was out a half day. Those days were bearable...I guess because I was running on adrenaline & I knew I only had 2 short days till the weekend. Plus, my BFF, Julie was coming in to meet Baby K, so I was really looking forward to seeing her and chillaxin' at the house.

But, MAN, Monday hit, and oh did it hit! I bawled my eyes out on the way to work. "I just can't do this!" I was ready to through in the towel. Seriously. We are talking breakdown mode. Seriously. Even though I had a relaxing weekend, I felt like nothing got done. Now that's not really the case, it's just that it's all never really done, and there's always more to do. Plus I was just not prepared for this long week, being away from her even longer. (yes it was only a 4-day week). I'm overwhelmed with it all right now. I pump 3x/day at work, and I'm in a #'s based job, so I try to overcompensate because of the breaks I have to take. How sad is that - I'm nourishing my baby and I'm so worried about work? SAD. But some will say that 's just the type of good employee I am. That's just the pressure I put on myself. I'm so exhausted I'm having dizzy spells. I'm going to the doctor just to have tests done, but I really think it's fatigue, and maybe maybe maybe I'm not eating enough calories. I've lost more weight, it seems since I've gone back to work, and I'm absolutely starving all the time (like right after I had her). I'm really working on eating the RIGHT things, with my newfound limitations, but it's a process. But Monday I was dizzy most of the day. The lack of sleep did not help. Yes she's sleeping better through the night, but I put her down and finish wrapping up for the next day - washing & making bottles, labeling breastmilk, picking out both of our outfits, clean the kitchen or do a load of laundry, etc. Then I finally wind down & go to bed, and I've got only about 4 hours before she's up for a feeding anywhere between 3-4am. Well, my alarm goes off at 5, so you can see how much sleep I'm getting. Monday night after work, I fell asleep nursing her. One night this week I wanted to go to bed at 7, but how do you do that with an infant that needs care, that you are trying to get on a schedule, that you put to bed between 9 & 10? Jeez one night I started getting her ready for bed around 8:30. The next thing I know it's after 10, and I'm just now attempting to get her down. That didn't include a bath!

Oh, I could go on and on about the "little challenges" that have come up, and I hope I don't sound miserable, because I'm not at all miserable! I love Baby K, and I love being a mom. Most hours of the day, especially the hours I'm with her I'm SO HAPPY! This is a temporary thing. I know it's just an adjustment, and I will get through this, believe me, I know that.... but let me tell you - motherhood (at least working motherhood) has just come and bit me in the ass - HARD! Now it's my turn to bite back!

Daddy Time

2009-06-12T01:25:00.007-05:00

This goes back in time, but I wanted to share these videos of Kaelynd and Daddy. They were taken May 26th, the day she got bottle fed for the first time. The first video is them just talking, and the second one is her taking the bottle. He is really good at getting her to mimic him. He's so patient and loving. I love watching them together. As I watch them, I don't know whose smile melts my heart more...

Hugzzz, Danielly

Cliff Notes - Week 2

2009-06-11T14:34:00.012-05:00

Hi everyone! Man, if I don't get caught up on these cliff notes, I'm never going to be able to tell you what's going on in the present, ha ha! So, let's continue...

May 26th...I got my first bottle from Daddy! In the beginning, I just wanted to play and talk with Daddy, like we do most nights when he gets home. But then, all of a sudden, there was a bottle nipple on my mouth. I wasn't sure quite what to think at first, but I got the hang of it. Daddy had been wanting to feed me for a long time, so this was a very big deal! He was so very tired from work, especially because he did a lot of welding that day, but you can tell we both enjoyed it!

May 27th...Mommy had her doctor's appointment, so I went and met Dr. Liaci that delivered me. We also went and spent the afternoon at Mommy's work. I met A LOT of people that day! I liked it there, and got to spend time "working" in the office. I was on my best behavior and was dressed really cute in my outfit from "Aunt Mechel". See - there is absolutely no reason why Mommy can't keep me under the desk when she goes back to work!

May 28th...Mommy had her nutrionist appointment with her friend, Miss Rhonda at Healthy Solutions. She's really good at telling Mommy how to be healthy. Infact, she was very impressed with Mommy's digestive system - Mommy's been taking all her supplements like Rhonda told her to. Rhonda put Mommy on this machine that tested EVERYTHING. We found out she's allergic to a lot of things...milk (we knew this), eggs, asparagus, beer, nitrates, nitrites, and one nut - almonds or cashews - we forgot so, we have to ask again. Those are some of Mommy's favorite things! She wanted to get tested, because there's a good chance I could have gotten some of the same sensitivities from when I was in Mommy's belly. So, that was a fun day. I met David, the hairdresser. He's glad I have straight hair. Mommy told him to just wait - it will probably be curly too! The funny thing that happened this day is I had a blowout in my diaper, and mommy was here by herself, so she didn't know where to put me down. I ended up on the bathroom floor while she got my tub ready. I was just laughing at her!

May 29th...Mommy and I had a typical day at the house. I ate, slept, pooped, danced and watched Ellen. I always doze off after I eat, so Mommy lays me on my Boppy for a few minutes. She takes a lot of pictures of me when I'm dozing. She likes it when I've got the glazed-full-of-milk-look on my face, or when I get punchy in my sleep, or when I streeeeeetttccch. We have a lot of sleeping pictures of me! Mommy's friend Sean came over to deliver an armoire from Miss Ashlyn who is 12 years old. It was hers from when she was a baby. She's giving me her crib too! Ashlyn, Missy, her mom, and Sean gave me a baby clothes bouquet made by Sean's cousin. You can see how it was put together and what all it had in it. It's so cool!

May 30th...Daddy stayed home so we had a lazy morning, and then I went to a scrapbooking event with Mommy. Her friend, Aunt Malinda was hosting a retreat at Stolen Moments Inn, and it was a blast! At first, I just slept in a chair off to the side, but then I got to help Mommy make a Father's Day gift for Daddy (but don't tell him yet - it's a secret!) We are already making plans to go back, since it's so close.

May 31st...This was a very lazy Sunday. Mommy and Daddy were both very tired, so we watched movies, Daddy grilled and we napped together. I love these days when we are all here! In these pictures, I'm really holding tight to Daddy (he's not lying all the way down, he's partly sitting up).

Well, that's it for this week! On to the next!

Cliff Notes - Memorial Day

2009-06-10T22:36:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! This day was a holiday so it gets its own entry! Monday, May 25th was Memorial Day and Aunt Deanna & Uncle Marshall came over for a barbecue. It was nice for us all to be together. They brought tons of wonderful food and Daddy did his grilling magic. We had tilapia, steak, chicken, and chicken-apple sausage, and that was just the meat! What a feast! Mommy had started using the Baby Bjorn around the house, and I like it, so it was nice to be in it for the barbecue. Poopie and Baby Bear enjoyed the company too. That evening Breanna came down from down the street and I gave her the birthday card me & mommy made for her. It was Tinkerbell. Here are several pictures of the day.

Thanks for reading! More to come. Love, Baby K

Cliff Notes - Week 1

2009-06-09T18:10:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone! Baby K here! Mommy has not blogged in forever, so she's helping me give you the cliff notes version of what's been going on in my life. We have all been busy getting to know each other (Mommy, Daddy & me) and I've been busy GROWING. Here's some pictures and some quick details about what we've done since we had the car wreck. By the way, everyone is okay from the wreck. Mommy and I are both going to see Dr. Walling, and her car is still in (Daddy's) shop, but it's all fine.

So, I'm going to speed blog since our last post. I'm going to try a picture a day with a note about what I did. Somedays were so fun, I might have to post more than one. Here goes..

May 19th...I like to help Mommy blog.

May 20th...we got in the car wreck. I had my first trip the ER, but you can see, by the time we got home, I didn't even know what happened. I was just ready to eat.

May 21st...I discover my toys that can go in my bed. I like to watch them while the music plays. I can't reach out to them yet, but I'm thinking hard about it!

May 22nd...Mommy and I like to dance to the Ellen show, then watch the show and laugh at her funny jokes. I love to dance! It reminds me of when I was in Mommy's belly. Ellen has such good music, and Mommy holds my head really tight, but it can be exhausting...

May 23rd...My first Pillow Fight Club! We were going to watch, but we didn't make it in time for the fight, but we saw a little bit of it from the road.It was funny, because it was mainly little kids. Mommy was not good at getting us both out the door on time. (She's STILL working on that, today, too!) We enjoyed a day on the square in McKinney, and lunch with Aunt Deanna, Uncle Marshall and Aunt JulieTwo. Mommy saw a place, Made of Sugar & Spice, where little girls have dress up parties. I told her I might be a "Girly Girl" & want a party there when I'm older...I think I heard her say something about baeing in trouble! That night we went to Applebee's for a family dinner, so I wore my new green dress from Ms. Eby. Just because I was dressed up didn't mean I had to wake up!

May 24th...Daddy's home! We play and lounge and nap all day until it's time for a bath. I've been better at tummy time, but for this picture I was a little tired. I'm really strong and can move my head quite a bit. After a bath I like to have my hair brushed. I tried to do it myself!

Okay - that's enough for now...more to come later!

Hugzzz,

Baby K

Little Bear

2009-06-09T13:02:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone - I haven't posted in a very long time, I know. I'll post later today, but for right now, I want to ask for your prayer for another family.

I want to ask everyone to pray for Bear, and his family. He is 9 months old and has been in the hospital since May 4th with pancreatitis and has had complications from it. Here is his website if you'd like to get updates or sign the guest book - http://www.babygraves.com/. But - let me warn you...ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A MOTHER... do not read it at work (Julie), unless you can sob in your office and freshen your makeup when you are done. His mom, Jill, writes in such detail. You can tell what a trying time they are going through. They are still in for a long haul and not completely out of the woods yet. Please pray for their family and for Bear's quick recovery! As a new mother, I can't imagine what she is going through seeing her precious baby boy so ill.

Now, because I know you are asking...we are doing great! It's just hard to find time to sit at the computer for any length of time. I've been enjoying my time as a new mommy and spending a lot of time with Kaelynd and Shane before I go back to work. I'm going to update my blog today, with pictures, so stay tuned. I'm sorry I've been so busy, because I know everyone is anxious to hear about her. I'll do better and when I go back to work in a few weeks, I will update at least weekly!

Thank you bloggyworld! I know prayer circles all over will be busy!

Wow!

2009-05-21T12:58:00.002-05:00

Here are the car pics! 'Nuff said...

In a Flash...

2009-05-21T02:21:00.006-05:00

It happened so fast. It was a gorgeous afternoon, it was a beautiful drive by the ballpark, on our way to Kinko's to fax something for Shane. I was glad we went when we did. I had forgotten there might be a game, but the roads weren't closed yet - yay us! Our light was red, then green... as my foot goes from the brake to the gas... as I hear the squeel of brakes... as I see the white front end approaching us to my left... as I brace for what's to come... as I think of my one month old daughter in the back seat on my side... as I started to scream... CRAAAASH!!!! It all happened in the flash of an instant.

I did scream then (and I might of peed my pants), as I force the car door open to open the back door to check on Kaelynd. I'm not sure how I did that, after seeing how it was wrecked, and it now won't close. The tears are flowing. There's metal in my way, metal from the front end of that (delete my choice word) guy's car. I somehow move that metal, with my leg, I think. But all that went through my mind was I've got to get to my daughter. I've got to see if she's okay! I didn't pay attention to the hissing from under his hood, fluid leaking around my feet, or the guy sitting behind his deployed airbag. No - that is not what had my attention. The ONLY thing on my mind was Kaelynd. I was TERRIFIED.

Yes, we were hit by some (delete my choice word) one that ran a red light today. Kaelynd's carseat sits right behind me, since I have a console in the backseat, if you are wondering why she was right by the door. We are okay though. Kaeylnd was thoroughly checked out by the (cute) firemen and EMT's. They said she was all packaged in her seat nice and tight. The straps could have been a little tighter on her chest (not sure how - poor thing!), but her head and body were safe with all the padding. They showed me how much her carseat was jostled, and it probably only rocked a little bit. They were very sympathetic and comforting, as most of them were dad's.

We reached Shane and he came running to our rescue. I didn't see him pull up, but at one point, I looked up and he's running (hair flowing in the wind running) towards us. "I love you, are you okay? How's Kaelynd?" We gave him a scare too, poor thing.

We went to the ER to be checked out (waste of time - RUDE doctor). I really didn't think we should go to the ER, but with insurance you better do it now, or it's a hassle, and I didn't want questions asked later. We will both go see our regular doctors too.

Thank God the guy has insurance, thank God there were witnesses, thank God I wasn't further out in that intersection, thank God Baby K has a super safe car seat, and thank God it wasn't worse! I don't have pics of my car yet, as I didn't have my phone with me, but I'll post some later.

It just goes to show what can happen in a flash...

I'm So Big!

2009-05-19T15:47:00.005-05:00

Today was my one month doctor appointment and I have grown so much! I now weigh a whopping 10 lbs 7 oz and I'm 22 1/2 inches! The doctor said everything is looking good. She's impressed with how I'm holding my head, and how I follow Mommy & Daddy across the room - past midline, whatever that means. I'm not talking yet, or cooing, but she can tell I really want to, by the way I'm moving my mouth. My cord spot is healing well, although she says there's a spot that was overhealed before the cord fell off. It will eventually go away, so I'm okay with that. I will have an 'innie', she's sure of it.

I did have to get a shot today - I heard them say it was for Hep B. It was in my thigh, and I really screamed. Mommy had to hold me down, and she did good. She didn't cry, but I thought Daddy was going to by the look on his face. I was good though. I only cried for minute, then Mommy scooped me right up and I was all better with her kisses.

The doctor said something that made Mommy wonder. She said "It's time to get this baby in the tub!" Mommy thinks that was the doctor's way of saying I'm dirty. But I'm not dirty. Mommy does a good job bathing me, and was just waiting for the cord to heal up a little bit, and to ask the doctor about it. Daddy said that's not what the doctor meant, but Mommy can be sensitive. I'm sure I'll like this thing called a tub, since I really like the water squirting on my head and body when Mommy gives me a sponge bath.

The doctor told Mommy to be more diligent about keeping me up days so I'd sleep longer at nights. Right now I'm taking long long naps during the day - like for 5 hours, and then I'm up every 2-3 during the night. I hear Mommy say that's not going to work long term - whatever - I'll change my schedule when I'm ready. They also talked about my spitting up. Mommy is doing all the right things, so as long as I don't get worse, I don't have to go on medicine. Dr. Harris says this next month will be the tell, as the reflux gets worse in the 2nd month. I'm not grunting all the time, and the spitting up isn't painful, so from what Dr. Harris says - this is normal. My little system is still growing, and the doctor gave Mommy some more tips for feeding and burping me.

Other than that - Mommy and Daddy got all their questions answered - and believe me - they had a long list! It was a good doctor appointment, and I go back in a month. We'll see how big I am then!

PS - I dressed in this outfit that used to be big on me! It was a gift from Brianna when I was born, and I'm about to grow out of it!

Happy Tuesday!

Love,

Baby K

Baby K in the Hat - One Month

2009-05-18T23:32:00.002-05:00

Here are her one month "Baby K in the Hat" pics. I have a feeling we'll have to get more creative next month, as she grows! You can see her hair is falling out, poor baby! And, check out that wide-eyed look! I'm a little concerned that the flash was too much for her eyes. I read in my What to Expect book (I'm CONSTANTLY looking stuff up in that book!) that you are supposed to have the flash at least 40 inches away from their eyes. Yikes - I hope I haven't damaged her eyes!

Enjoy these pics. We didn't get as creative or as picky with these as we did her first one, in the hospital. We had at least 40 shots of that one!

I know I need to take the date off the camera - that drives me crazy. Also - I'm trying to figure out why you can't click on the pics when I upload them. If you have any blogspot pointers - send them my way. Thanks!

Mimi & Grandpa's Visit

2009-05-17T17:54:00.007-05:00

I told you my pictures were crazy, and now, dealing with different cameras and cards I've lost about 2 days of pictures, including of when Kaelynd's cord fell off last Thursday night! DANGIT! Well, it's a good thing I take so many to make up for it, I guess.

This weekend was wonderful with my Mom & Dad in town. We celebrated Kaelynd's one month birthday in style! The first exciting thing was that she got to meet her only grandpa! I don't look like my dad, because he adopted me when I was little. So - fun fact about Baby K - she doesn't have any blood grandfathers, but she has TWO living blood great grandmothers!? Isn't that odd?! Of courese, I've added her first picture with Grandpa in her New Friends slide show here on the blog.

It was a quick weekend visit, and of course Baby K slept through most of it! In fact Saturday while they were here at the house, she was asleep the whole time! She woke up a little bit when we went to visit them at their hotel. Then, she slept through the LOUD time at Joe's Crab Shack - go figure - she's at home with loud music, talking and people dancing all around! She was awake a bit for Sunday for her one month party, and to see Mimi & Grandpa leave to go back to Houston. Here are some highlights of the weekend.

Saturday, we all enjoyed several hours at the house, looking at Baby K, talking about Baby K, singing to Baby K. We ordered from Fuzzy's Tacos, and enjoyed the day.

We opened Kaelynd's one month gift - a James Avery angel ID bracelet. She will have to grow into it.

Then we went to Mimi & Grandpa's hotel room for a visit, then off to Joe's Crab Shack. I enjoyed the relaxing time with Mom. Twice this weekend she told me I was doing a good job with Baby K. That means the world.

I'm not sure what Baby K is telling Mimi - but it looks like a pretty good secret!

Here are some pics of her one month birthday party! Don't worry - the bow was just for her party picture, since I don't have any hair bows yet. But we are going to get a few. She gets to enjoy her cupcake through Mommy's milk, of course. Yay me!

Grandpa and her had a pretty serious conversation, it looks like.

Have a safe trip home Mimi & Grandpa! Come back real soon, and please stay longer!

Phew! That was a busy 24 hours that left us exhausted, so Baby K and I settled down for a long nap. Now these are the moments I want to last forever!

Almost a month...

2009-05-16T00:26:00.002-05:00

Wow - tomorrow Sweet Baby K will be a month old! I just can't believe it!

Tomorrow mom and dad will be here, and for the first time, Kaelynd will meet her grandpa! I'm very excited about that, and a little nervous too.

Kaelynd has changed and grown so much this past month - I'm just amazed. I'm really loving being a mom. Everyday I just feel so blessed! I do feel a bit like a single mom, since Shane is working so much. But, I'm grateful he has work, and we'll get through this.

Since I'm behind the curve on blogging, and sharing pics, I'm gonna cheat a little bit, and just post a link to some of her pics this last month when I get them posted. I'll try to be better about staying up to date with her blog - promise! But for now, here's a few recent pics of Sweet Baby K. We are having camera issues, so some of these pics might not be the best. I'm taking a lot with my phone, and we are borrowing cameras while ours gets repaired, so I'm not used to them. That's another reason I'm so behind... I'm dealing w/ multiple cameras and 3 memory cards, and I can't find my card reader, so I'm dealing with Kodak Easy(SLOW)Share...GRRR. I'm slowly getting it together though!

Dangit, my pics are so screwy. I'll have post them later. It's 2:30, and she's hungry. Sorry! Thanks for checking on Baby K!

My First Mother's Day

2009-05-11T01:04:00.011-05:00

Wow! What an amazing First Mother's Day!

It started at 2:30am, during our middle of the night feeding. As I was sleep walking around, making sure my nursing station was stocked, I was greeted with a hungry baby holding one of my cards...Shane was home for his first day off since Kaelynd came home from the hospital 3 weeks ago. The day was so nice just for that reason alone! But we slept in after her morning feeding. We had visitors - Scottie and Donna, we ate a late breakfast, then we had a lazy afternoon of watching TV and napping, while Shane put together her swing. It's really nice, too! We tried it out right away, and as soon as I turned the music on, she looked towards it. I was amazed. Of course, then she peed on it. Yay for machine washable covers! (I told Shane that diaper needed to be tightened, but I was in too much of a hurry!) Here she is looking towards the music...

She loved her swing!

Then, we were going to go on a family adventure to the park for some nice outdoor Mothers Day pics, but, unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards today. Luckily, we took a couple of indoor pictures in her in her cute outfit (the first girlie outfit I bought for her!). I was a little upset we didn't make it to the park, but I'm really glad we took these pics. She wasn't in her finest supermodel mode, but they are still so special.

My friend Becky must have sensed I was having a bit of an emotional day, because she came down for a visit. Then she invited us to dinner at their house. Shane had a special dinner of grilled steaks planned, but we decided to go down the street, that it would be nice to get out for a while.

So, I grabbed my Mommy Sippy Cup and my bottle of champagne that has been waiting to celebrate Kaelynd's birth, and off we went...

Nick made a wonderful meal! It was his first time to meet Baby K. We sat around and compared C-section stories and watched the basketball playoffs. We laughed and ate and I drank some champagne. We laughed some more...

So, yes, this Mother's Day was packed full of emotions and activity. It was a glorious day and something I've waited for for years. From the day starting with text messages galore, to it ending with champagne laughs with Shane and snuggles on the couch with Baby K - I couldn't have asked for a better day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I raise my glass to my mom, my mamaw, and all the amazing Moms out there!

Mother's Day Eve

2009-05-09T23:30:00.001-05:00

(copied from my handwritten journal to Kaelynd, 5/9/09)

Tomorrow is my first Mothers Day! I just can't believe you are here. I am still amazed that we have such a beautiful, perfect daughter. Oh Kaelynd, you were so worth the wait, the previous losses, and the terrifying delivery... Yes my dear, you are worth it all. I've waited so long for you, longer than 9 months...I've waited many many years, and it's all so perfect. THIS is how it was meant to be. I look at your darling face, and even though I wonder about your mouth (you just won't stick that tongue in!), I just marvel at what a miracle you are. I thank God every day for gifting us with little, amazing YOU! I often cry because I'm so overwhelmed with love for you. So, on this Mother's Day eve, know how cherished you are. You are what will make this day special..for tomorrow and for always. Love, Mommy

Does This Outfit Make Me Look Fat?

2009-05-04T23:56:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone, I'm Kaelynd. I'm 18 days old. It's so nice to finally meet you all! I've met so many people in my short life. Mommy has pictures of everyone I've met, so she'll be sharing them soon.

So - do you think I look fat in my lime green Cutie outfit? I'm turning into a little porker. I had my two week doctor appointment today and I weighed in at whopping 8lbs 14oz! That's a full pound over what I weighed when I was born. Plus - when I left the hospital, I weighed 7lbs 4oz. So, everyone is very pleased with my growth. I've even grown an inch - to 22 inches long. The doctor said I'm doing very well eating (obviously!), and I'm big and strong. I have alert times in the afternoon, and sleep 3-4 hours at night.

I'm enjoying getting to know Mommy and Daddy, as you will see from the tons of pictures Mommy has. She's getting to post them soon. Tomorrow she has a doctor appointment herself, to see how she's recovering from my birth.

Thank you all for coming to visit, for emailing or calling Mommy and Daddy, and for all the wonderful things given to Mommy and Daddy to help prepare for my arrival! So far my life has been gloriously lazy and I'm so pampered (no pun intended!).

I'll be back online soon, so be prepared for some wonderful pictures and funny stories, because my life is not going to be ordinary!

Love,

Baby K

What have I been up to?

2009-05-01T03:41:00.003-05:00

What have I been up to? Well, it's 3:30am, and I'll give you a little glimpse...

Tonight, we get home at 12:30, and all I can think about is getting a turkey sandwich. Breastfeeding makes me hungry, and I know I had a big dinner, but it's time for a snack. But first, we need to get Kaelynd changed and fed. So my turkey sandwich will have to wait. I get her dressed for bed, feed her, burp her...oops - I must have jiggled her around too much - she throws up over my shoulder - the first time she's really spit up. It lands on the glass coffee table. I'll clean that up when I get her down. It's just glass. I feed her some more, then she has a BM. So, having learned my lesson a few times already, I wait a few minutes, to give her a chance to "finish" before I change her diaper. Onto the changing table she goes, she's dozing now, ready for that deep 3-hour sleep. I must be tired, because somehow I didn't have her bottom covered, and was caught off guard with a bit of an explosion. Poor thing, she's not phased by my screaming or jumping. She just wants to get clean and dry and go to bed.

So - I have spent the last 2 hours getting her dry and clean and in clean socks & a new diaper, then rinsing baby poop off of my gown, the changing pad, her socks, a receiving blanket, and now they are soaking in the washer. I scrubbed the spots off the carpet. I cleaned the changing table attachment to her bassinet (that is NOT easy). Then I scrubbed the bathroom sink and counters where I rinsed & cleaned everything AND went over the countertops with Clorox wipes. I washed my hands about 14 times, and - yay - it's finally turkey sandwich time... Oh, dangit! I forgot the spit up on the table...

LOL - But, did I tell you how much I LOVE being a mother, and how much Shane & I LOVE our darling Kaelynd?!

Hi everyone! I know I've been MIA, but it's been a whirlwind of a two weeks. I'm back though, and have so much to share. Kaelynd is two weeks today, and she's so wonderful and perfect, and I'm amazed at how blessed we are every moment I stare at her. We've had our families in town visiting and helping us this entire time, and as of 9am tomorrow morning, the last of our families will leave town. Their visits were so good, but too short - all of them. I've been slowly and painfully recovering from the C-section. Oh - and I've been loving learning how to be a mom to such a wonderul baby.

But - as I look at the posts by Karen, on the day of my labor, I cry. I cry because it was such a blessed, but emotional day. I also cry because I was very lucky to have a friend that documented my day in such detail. Karen - it was such a special thing for you to do for me, and I can't THANK YOU enough!

I felt good enough this week to get on email. I have many to answer, and lots of calls still to return. I will blog some pics of Baby K tomorrow, and look forward to blogging details of her life. I thank everyone for the sweet words here on the blog, FB, Twitter, and Ning. I am getting to all of them, now that I'm back online.

So - more to come tomorrow, and in the days and weeks to come. But for now, I've finished my turkey sandwich and I'm going to try to catch a nap before Baby Kaelynd wakes up for yet another feeding...

2009-04-16T19:21:00.005-05:00

Danielle, Shane, and baby are officially in their post-partum room until Sunday. I wanted to blog one last post with some memorable photos of the day before I handed the reigns back over to the new mom.

First Bath

2009-04-16T19:02:00.004-05:00

Kaelynd received her first bath this afternoon about 3:30pm. She is a very calm and laid back baby so far. She cried a tiny bit when they washed her hair, otherwise I think she enjoyed her first bath.

Precious baby girl

2009-04-16T14:02:00.004-05:00

Mom, Dad, and baby Kaelynd are all doing great! Kaelynd weighed in at 7lbs 14oz, and has a head full of hair. The doctor's let Shane look to see the sex of the baby, and he got the joy of telling Danielle that she was now the mother of a baby girl.

She's here!

2009-04-16T13:10:00.003-05:00

Welcome,

Kaelynd Antoinette Foth

Danielle's mom went back to check on how Danielle's c-section was going and walked back there just as they were bringing Danielle and the baby out of the room. Both mom and baby are doing well.

Grandma, on the phone with Danielle's sister.... giving the great news!!!

Waiting...

2009-04-16T12:31:00.003-05:00

We are all just waiting to hear the good news....

2009-04-16T12:05:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from earlier....

Danielle talking with her mom, Shane, and friend Missy.

Danielle and I.... taking a break from blogging for a moment.

Danielle's labor and delivery room.

Danielle texting family & friends.

Paging Shane...

2009-04-16T11:59:00.002-05:00

They are ready to get Danielle prepped for her c-section. Shane went to get coffee, so Danielle's mom is currently hunting him down.

C-Section

2009-04-16T11:45:00.003-05:00

Danielle's nurse, Katy, came in about 11:30am to talk to Danielle & Shane. They have decided that baby Foth is worn out from all of the activity earlier. Since baby Foth seems to be tired, they are not going to chance starting the pitocin again. Therefore, they are going to do a c-section at 12:30pm.

Danielle's mom has arrived from Houston! There is nothing stronger than a mothers love.

2009-04-16T10:46:00.003-05:00

Shane is out in the waiting room, letting Danielle get some rest before they try the pitocin drip again. He said at one point there were about 12 nurses in their room. Things have calmed down now. We are still awaiting Danielle's moms arrival from Houston. She should be here any minute.

2009-04-16T10:26:00.003-05:00

Just talked to Shane, they took Danielle off the pitocin. They are going to wait about half an hour before they start the drip back up again. If the baby's heartrate drops again they are going to do a c-section.

2009-04-16T10:20:00.001-05:00

While I wait to go back to Danielle's room, here are some pictures....

Heart rate

2009-04-16T10:08:00.003-05:00

Danielle's nurses just rushed me out of the room. The babies heart rate was dropping so they were moving Danielle around trying to get the heart rate back up. She is on oxygen and they had another nurse coming in with a fetal monitor.

I will let you know if the birth plan changes... or if they can get the heart rate back up.

Water has broken...

2009-04-16T09:55:00.003-05:00

Danielle's water broke around 5am this morning while she was resting. Her nurse Katy, just started the pitocin drip. She is 3-4 centimeters and is up and talking on the phone to a friend.

The nurse just came in, the baby had a d-cell, where the heart rate drops down a bit. Apparently the baby does not like the pitocin drip. They put Danielle back on oxygen and laying on her side. The nurse said it's not an emergency.

Labor & Delivery

2009-04-16T09:23:00.002-05:00

I am now at the hospital in the waiting room, while Danielle & Shane rest. After I talked to Danielle last night around midnight, the cervidil medication started to come on strong again and started to cause the heavy contractions as a result. They put Danielle back on oxygen and gave her a shot to take the edge off. They had a rough night. During the night the nurse had to come in and remove the cervidil because Danielle’s body was not reacting well to it. Danielle was so groggy from the shot; she kept asking them to remove it and she did not realize they had already taken it out. During the night they moved Daniellle down to her labor and delivery room. She also got her epidural to help with the pain. She doesn’t really remember getting it, she even had to ask Shane if she already got it. They gave her another shot this morning to help ease the contractions and tame them down. As of right now Danielle is still on oxygen. She keeps trying to take it off because it's making her throat hurt. Her voice sounds pretty raspy, and you can tell she is worn out. The last time they checked she was dilated to a 3. Both mom and dad are very very exhausted and are trying to get some rest this morning while they wait for her doctor to call.

Bump in the road.

2009-04-16T00:23:00.003-05:00

I just got off the phone with Danielle and am sad to report that things got a little scary for her and the baby. As of right now they are both doing ok though, so that is good.

A little before 11:30pm, Danielle's body started reacting strong and fast to her cervidil medication. She started to have contractions that were strong and hard with no breaks in between. The long contraction caused Danielle's legs to start shaking, her arms started to curl up and her teeth were chattering. Since there was no break in this long and hard contraction the babies heart rate dropped. Once they called the nurse in, the nurse pulled the cervidil down from the cervix a little, and gave Danielle some oxygen and started her on a fluid drip. This helped calm the contractions down and the baby is now doing good. Danielle's blood pressure is at 124/77 when we talked. As of right now, Danielle's contractions are 2 minutes apart. The nurse gave her an Ambien, and they are hoping that slows things down enough for her to get some rest.

As of 10:45pm tonight she was dialted at a 2 and was 75% effaced. They havent done another cervical check since, but I will keep you updated.

Hopefully Shane and Danielle can get some rest, they are both exhausted. Everyone say a prayer that both mom and baby go through this labor and delivery process with no more scares.

Checking In

2009-04-15T23:05:00.004-05:00

This is Karen, I have now taken over Danielle's blog until baby Foth arrives.

Danielle and Shane arrived at the hospital about 8:45pm tonight to check in, after a quick stop through Taco Bell for a bean burrito (Danielle's last dinner as a mom to be). Danielle was stressed on her way to the hospital, but once they started walking through the labor and delivery doors the excitement of what is about to happen took over.

Danielle and Shane are now checked into their first of 3 rooms during their stay at the hospital. The room they are in now is called the anti-partum room, where they will stay until they go down to their labor & delivery room at about 7am tomorrow. Danielle said this room is like a hotel room and even has a fridge! Once they got in their room Danielle got to meet her first of many nurses, Sarah (who she said resembles her friend Kirby that lives in Denver). Danielle and her nurse discussed her birth plans and then got her blood work started. They have hooked her up to some monitors to monitor her contractions, the baby's heartbeat, and Danielle's blood pressure. Both mom and baby are doing good so far.

At about 10:45pm the nurse came back in to give Danielle a medicine called Cervidil. What this is, is a little piece of mesh fabric that is embedded into the cervix with medications on it that will ripen the cervix. This process has been pretty uncomfortable for Danielle, she has to lay still for about an hour to let it take effect. As I was talking to her it was causing her to cramp, and she was pretty uncomfortable. The Cervidil will stay in her cervix for now unless she starts to cramp too bad or she starts to have contractions close together. In that case, they would remove it and let her labor on her own.

The dad to be seems to be settling into the room. When I talked to Danielle, she said he had already made himself at home. Shane had already lined the counter with his snacks (chex mix, toffee popcorn, gatoraide etc.). At about 11:00pm Shane was already in his pajamas and was getting his bed ready for the night. Danielle was going to be taking an Ambien about 11:30pm so she can get some rest. Hopefully Shane will be able to rest too, which is hard to do in a hospital.

As soon as I get any word on any progress I will blog asap.

We cant wait to meet you Baby Foth!

Final Countdown!

2009-04-15T11:12:00.003-05:00

Dear Baby, your daddy and I are SO excited to meet you! In fact, there are so many people waiting on you! I'm sure you are familiar with me saying "No, no baby yet!", when you hear me talking on the phone. You are apparently very comfortable where you are, but you are 9 days past the day you were expected, and the doctor does not want to make it hard on your little body to come into this world. So, in less than 24 hours, we will be so close to meeting you, if you are not already here! Tonight, your daddy and I will check into the hospital and they are going to do a few things to mommy's body to help you come out. I pray it is gentle on both of us, you especially, and that you decide you are ready to meet the world pretty quickly tomorrow. I just can't tell you how long I've waited for you, and how happy both of us will be to hold your darling little self in our arms! I'm just filled with so many emotions, but the overwhelming feeling is joyous anticipation for your arrival. Be ready for the world, Baby, because we are ready for you! You will be so loved and so cherished by your daddy and I, as well as the rest of your family and extended family! You will have so many friends, and so many adventures. Remember, from your book we've been reading..."You'll find that this worlds a great place to begin, but it could use some help - which is where YOU come in. It's a scrumptulous world and it's ready to greet you. And as for daddy and me...well...we can't wait to meet you!" Happy almost-birthday Baby! We will see you soon! Love, Mommy

Well, in less than 8 hours, after a light dinner, Shane and I will check into Presby Dallas to prepare for the induction. They will do a minor procedure tonight to soften my cervix, and then we'll see where I am tomorrow morning. As the doctor is optimistic, I will try to be too. "Hopefully, Thursday morning, we'll just break your water and you'll go on your own!" Let's hope! If not, they will start the pitocin drip. I'm very anxious, and pretty terrified. I've received so many encouraging words, and talked to so many moms that were induced, so I do feel better today than I did yesterday. We are in good hands. We are in God's hands. I have chosen to not focus on the fear. I mean - COME ON - I am about to meet our baby! FINALLY the time has come! This is the most exciting time in my life!

Today, I will do some last minute preparation around the house. (We'll have company for over 2 weeks after the baby is born - Mom, Criste, and Roma and family! I will be so thankful for the help, and the time to get to know our child.) I'll re-pack my bag for the hospital - double checking my list. I will run a couple of local errands for last minute stuff. Yes, the floors need to be swept and mopped again (gotta LOVE dogs!), but they may just have to wait! I will keep myself comfortably busy, but not overdue it. I need to be rested for what my body is about to go through.

After I update this blog, and send an email to my short list of contacts, that will be it on the computer for a while. If I wanted to - I could sit on Blogspot & FB all day, but I won't. I'm in my own little quiet zone today, so forgive me if the phone calls and/or emails are limited. I've got my checklist of things to do today, and it's the bare minimum.

Remember, my friend Karen will be blogging updates (right from the hospital - right here on my blog!) tomorrow until the baby is born, so stay tuned to the blog for the most recent updates. If you are unable to follow the blog, and want to know when the baby is born or have any questions about visiting or anything, make sure you are in contact with one of these people: Mom, Roma, Criste, Janelle and Anita for family. Then, we've got Malinda H. for my girlfriends, Mike C. for our Burning Man friends, Heather H. for my Burnett's friends, and Lauren D. for our Studer's friends. They will know all. Mom will be heading up from Houston tomorrow AM, EARLY, so she will get to be at the hospital for the arrival of Baby Foth. Pray she has a fast and safe trip!

Well, signing off for now. Thank you all for your prayers and support! I'm so excited for you all to meet Baby Foth!

Test

2009-04-15T10:01:00.003-05:00

test

This was a test post by Karen, who will be updating my blog while I'm in the hospital. LOVE THAT! THANK YOU KAREN!!! More details to come...Danielle

Make a guess!

2009-04-10T20:13:00.001-05:00

My friends at Studer's started the idea of a Baby Pot to guess the date and sex of the baby. Looks like a lot of peeps lost their $2, but the pot is still open. There's 43 people in it so far. We originally thought the doctor wouldn't let me go past 4/13, but now she's changed her dates, so there's a good chance that Baby Foth will be born on Mason's 2nd birthday. Isn't he ADORABLE!? He's got the most amazing eyes.

Mason's parents have been SUCH a help with so much advice to us. They are our friends from Studer's. The funny thing is that Mason and Baby Foth were concieved on the same day 2 years apart! It's the day of an annual birthday pool party for 3 of the gang at Studer's. FUNNY STUFF! So, I keep telling my girlfriend (and Mason's cousin) that if she wants to get PG, wait for the birthday party in July, LOL! It would be so wild if Baby Foth was born on the 15th!

If you still want on the pot, take a look and send me your guess for date/sex/time & you can owe me the $2 per guess!

My maintenance man is here, from the landlord. He woke me up this AM when he called. He was coming to put the dryer vent in. So, he brought donuts, and I made the coffee. We sat and chatted for a while before he got to work. He knows my neighbor, who has been in the hospital for 5 months, and then we caught up on family stuff. How nice is that? Then, while he was here working, Sandy Walling, from my chiropractor's office, called to check on me - to see if I had had the baby yet. Dr. Walling, her hubby, said from the background for me to go walking at the zoo! They will check back again next week. How sweet was that? Here's a pic taken in March, at 36 1/2 weeks of me & Sandy & Dr. Walling. Throughout my pregnancy I kept up with my monthly adjustments, and they were such a help, so I had to have a picture with them for my maternity album! (I obviously had just woken up. I still look half asleep!)

I'm telling you, it just reinforces the fact - Arlington IS still a small town - and that's why we love it. I'm a big city girl by nature, being raised in Houston, and still sometimes think I belong in the city limits of Dallas. But, I have to tell you, that I really appreciate the small town feel of Arlington. There are so many people we love here, and it's a large enough city, I mean - we DO have martini's, sushi, and a Cheesecake Factory, and don't forget the Ballpark, and the new Cowboys stadium! Plus - we aren't that far from Dallas OR Fort Worth - we are right in the middle. We were talking about it the other day. It's a nice place for us - a place between the country, where Shane would want to be, and the big city, where I am used to being. Funny how having a family makes you think about stuff you really don't think about otherwise. We might just be here to stay.

Doctor Appointment - Thursday 11:00am - STILL NO BABY!

2009-04-09T16:46:00.000-05:00

40 weeks/2 days, BP 108/72, 183.4 lbs, 38 cm

I am still only at 1.75 cm, the baby is head down, but just not ready to meet the world! I go back to the doctor Monday morning, IF I'm still pregnant, and we will have the option of inducing either Tuesday or Thursday. Since I'll just be at 41 weeks on Tuesday, as long as the baby is okay, we will wait and induce Thursday. We just really don't want to induce.

We are finalizing our contact list, and we've got Mom, Criste, Roma, Janelle and Anita for family. Then, we've got Malinda for my girlfriends, Mike for our Burning Man friends, Heather for my Burnett's friends, and Lauren for our Studer's friends. PLUS - my friend Karen will be blogging as the joyous event happens! I'm so excited that she has offered to do that!

So - we are still just prepping for baby. I'm glad I'm not just sitting around waiting. I would go crazy! I worry, though, as I wash little clothes if our baby will be too big for the newborn stuff. The clothes look so tiny, and what if the baby, because he/she's late, is too BIG! I worry about when & where my water will break? In my new sleep number bed? You can't flip the mattress on those you know...On my new carpets? We don't have enough washable throw rugs for me to stand on constantly, and I want to keep the new carpets beautiful...In my car? I've been driving sitting on one of those large waterproof pads (from Babies R Us) with a towel over it for two weeks now - so I think I'm safe in the car!

No more tears!

2009-04-07T23:48:00.000-05:00

Who sang that song, anyways... I can't get it out of my head!

So - It's official - I am on maternity leave! I just had to do it....The driving & sitting up at my desk were really becoming a pain - literally. Hence the song...because almost every morning, I would leave my house near tears, and sometimes the tears would come, depending on how much sleep I had. But, sitting up to drive or work at my desk and computer was just getting too painful. Is the baby all stretched out in there? If sitting up feels like I'm squinching the baby, he must be. Either that or the baby is HUGE!

It's starting to hurt when the baby moves - like I'm being punched from the inside. Even a little stretch hurts from the inside.

But - the baby is dropping more and more, which is not comfortable on my bladder... AT ALL.

So - off to bed, and then up to walk... WALK. WALK. WALK. Then, I'll blog more about my progress, how I'm feeling, and post some new pictures. Nighty night!

Due Today, Here Tomorrow?

2009-04-06T10:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Baby, today is the day you are supposed to come. Wow - how this time has flown by (well, at times, it didn't!), and I have tons of stories to share with you about your time in my belly - some will wait until you are much older, though. This morning your daddy woke me up "Good morning momma to be! Today is the birthday of your baby!" He was getting dressed for work, trying not to wake me, and would have snuck out to work, if I hadn't opened my eyes to let him know I was awake. It was very sweet, considering he knows how much I am NOT a morning person. Plus I was up very late getting ready for you still. We went to bed around 1:30, and then I woke up at 5:30. I think I'm just anticipating you. Of course, at 5:30, I wanted to get up and start working again, or at least get on the computer, but didn't want to wake him up in the living room. So, little one, we are waiting for you and even with my Sunday meltdowns, which have been happening for the last two weeks like clockwork, we are SO ready to meet you! Today we are going to the Opening Day for the Rangers, which has been a big joke since we won tickets in January. Will you come today at the game? Oooh - exciting! Our friends are anxiously awaiting a story on the news "Woman goes into labor at Opening Day!" That would be crazy, but your daddy feels we have two or three more days. Just in case you came early, we had a baseball outfit for you, but Daddy was quick to point out that I bought it too big. Well, maybe you can wear it in June, when we go back. We will be making lots of games this season, I think. I hope you like baseball! I know you will like being outside, because both me & your daddy do. Will you be like me and love the sun, or be like him and hide in the shade?! Oh, just one of the many things we can't wait to get to know about you. Well, we are just waiting now, so come on Baby! Love, Mommy

Hello blog followers! We are STILL getting last minute stuff done, including having the electrician put the dryer plug in today. The actual dryer will come later this week. It's really cute now to see all the little baby clothes hanging, air drying, but I know it won't be cute when I'm dragging-butt tired & there's a crying, hungry one demanding my care. We still have a lot on our list. Let me tell you it was not smart waiting until the last minute to get the carpet in. It was fine to rush to pack stuff away, but as I unpack it, I'm cleaning and organizing, and you know how much time that can take - at least it does for me! So, we have boxes left to unpack still, but it will get done in time. If not, it will get done after the baby comes. The bed is ready, we have enough starter supplies, and the basic necessities are ready to go.

The baby feels like he/she has dropped more. It's a little uncomfortable to walk. It's a little uncomfortable down there period. If I sit too fast, or for too long, or stand up too fast, or for too long, I get pains. I'm off work today and scheduled to go in tomorrow, but I may decide that will be my last day. Shane & I disagree about that due to the economy, but I think he understands that it may come to that. He's more understanding about that after this weekend. . Even driving is uncomfortable, as I have to drive "laaaaaid back", like I'm cruisin down "A1A...beachfront avenue!" - you get the picture! The uncomfortable part is sitting up to check my blind spots. I hoist myself up holding onto the steering wheel, then back I go. I'm sure it's hilarious looking. We were out for 4 hours yesterday, running errands. It wasn't that we had a lot of errands to run, it was that I was moving SLOOOOOW. Again the uncomfortable walking. In fact - when I was coming back from the bathroom at Home Depot (stop 3), I was waddling, and tired, and some lady said "Wow - look at that! (my belly, I guess) How far along are you?!" Still waddling away from her, I answered out loud , "I'm due tomorrow." Then, answering, not out loud, "Now leave me the hell alone!" Yes - it's come to that. I feel great most of the time, but when I'm done I'm done. And I get to that point very quickly these days, heh heh.

As of Wednesday, I was only 1.5 cm, and the doctor "stirred things up". I was not expecting that, and did not like it at all. She said if I haven't made progress by this Thursday, she will move me along...OUCH. And of course, if I haven't delivered by Monday the 13th, she will induce. She will gladly induce anytime this week if I tell her I'm ready, but we don't want to do that.

So, today, we will valet park at the Rangers game, something we NEVER do, and I hope there is parking left by the time we get there. I just called and there are tons of ppl there already! We just want to be safe, just in case something major happens while we are there. Shane went to work and I'm waiting on him, and of course, for the electricians to finish. GRRRRR.

So, there are quite a few people that have bet on the 9th on our Baby Pot. Shane guessed that date from the beginning, just from a gut feeling. Now, come to find out, it's the next full moon!

So, even though our due date is today, will Baby Foth be here tomorrow? Ooooh, COME ON BABY and GO RANGERS!

Is something happening?

2009-03-28T15:02:00.000-05:00

So, I've just been feeling WEIRD today. There is SO much I need to do, but I wanted to have a lazy morning, like it's the last one on earth or something.

I lost my mucous plug this AM. I'll spare the details, but we are PRETTY SURE that's what it was. Now, I know I could have plenty of time before real labor starts. But, I am a little crampier than normal and I'm having contractions. I can't tell if it's when the baby moves, my uterus contracts, or if they are braxton hicks. How can you tell if you've never gone through it?! All the reading in the world doesn't compare to FEELING it and going through it, plus - I think I've FORGOTTEN everything from my classes!

A quick recap of the last couple of WHIRLWIND weeks.... Work is BUSY, and I'm trying to wrap things up so my applicants and customers are all taken care of. I know they will be, but I want to make sure I leave everything perfect for my office. I could be working today and was planning on it, but again - I wanted that lazy morning. Week before last, we finished our hospital-based classes, except for the makeup class on 4/4 if we haven't had the baby. That was an exhausting week with classes on Monday & Wednesday evenings, after doing the same the week before. Then, it was time to get the house ready for Mom's visit in 2 days! Last weekend, Mom was here for the whole weekend and my BFF Julie was here too. I was honored with TWO more wonderful showers - one by my BFF's Julie, Malinda & Mechel, and one by my boss, Mrs. Burnett. I took Monday off to recover, and really needed it. Also on Monday I had the airducts cleaned, and the couch, loveseat, and my lazyboy (which will be my rocker) steam cleaned. After that, it was pack the house up to have carpet installed. That was done Tuesday and the house is still packed into 1 1/2 rooms. You should see ALL the baby stuff -it's stacked in the half bath, almost up to the ceiling! Tuesday I took one more class at Babies R Us - a free class - on breastfeeding & the ABC's of babycare. I mainly took them to learn about the breastpump I want to get. I have to admit that on Thursday, we went to a birthday party and I ended up dancing. I just couldn't help it! I've wanted to dance so much since I've been pregnant (after the 4 mos of morning sickness). It's pretty funny, I'm sure, watching a 9 month prego dancing to top-40 songs, just getting down! Well, with the dancing, and my busy activities, plus my exam on Thursday, Shane is sure, that's what got some activity going on with the baby and my body.

I have a list of things I HAVE to accomplish this weekend. Some are have-tos & some are want-tos, I guess, heh heh.

Let's see - there's a million thank-you notes, clean the baseboards in the rooms w/ new carpets, vacuum all the carpets, unpack, dust and organize some of the house (our room & then the baby room, in that order), put the playard/bassinet together, go get the stroller & carseat, arrange for car seat installation/lesson, sort baby gifts (blankets, clothes sizes, towels, mattress pads, diapers) to see what we have & what we will need the most in the beginning, that's the short list, I guess. I'm getting a little NERVOUS! I really didn't think the baby would come this soon, and I could still have plenty of time, but then again....baby Foth could be here SOON! Oh - one more thing - I need to get the call list together! Yeah, and in my downtime, I want to blog about my 3 AWESOME showers, and post pics!

It's 3:30 now, and I've had a lovely lazy day. I'm off to get Shane so we can go get some car parts & then my work will begin. We'll hopefully get to work together. He keeps me on task & moves me along, LOL! Have a great weekend everyone!

Baby Care Class # 3

2009-03-17T00:22:00.000-05:00

Tonight was our Baby Care Class # 3. Well, it's # 2 for us, as we have one to make up. Tonight was good. It was interactive, and we got out early. We went over "layette" and talked quite a bit about diaper choices. Tonight's lessons were diapering, bathing, dressing, baby massage, and feeding. She taught from her PowerPoint, we watched videos, then we went to the individual stations for hands-on training. The hands on stations were good. I mean, it's been almost 10 years since I've changed a baby's diaper (Brianna), and I don't even remember giving a baby a bath by myself. But, of course, Shane reassured me that we will do just fine. We will not break our baby, he promises!

Shane was really good! He was better at changing a diaper than me, since he remembered all the cleaning tips from the video. But he did almost put the baby up on it's head when he was dressing the baby! Here's a pic of him practicing swaddling.

I shouldn't laugh, though. At the bathing station, I traumatized the baby by covering the face completely with the washcloth, which they said specifically NOT to do! Although, I did good remembering how to do the "football hold" while washing it's hair. But, I'm not quite sure how that works with a larger baby.

Shane did NOT like seeing the examples of baby poop (we got a handout full of pictures, since the color & consistency can change with age, and of course diet). What is he going to do when it's REAL?!

I am very interested in learning more about baby massage. It sounds very beneficial.

Tonight, during the class, I was feeling less overwhelmed, and more and more excited! We are going to have fun together, bonding with our baby, learning his/her personality, and watching him/her grow!

On a bummer note - when we got home, around 9:30, Shane went BACK to work to paint a car. Bless him - he does way too much! He needs a break, that man!

Doctor Appointment - Today 10:00am

2009-03-12T13:10:00.001-05:00

36 weeks, BP 97/65, 179.8 lbs, 35 cm

I gained over 2 lbs this week! So, I'm right back to my starting weight. Ankles are a little swollen, but not my fingers or wrists, but I also know I'm a little dehydrated today. She's not concerned, as she knows I will step up on the water. I knew I was lacking yesterday and today. Blood pressure low - 97/65, and my belly is measuring 35 centimeters. All good.

She said to have my bag packed this weekend, to carry it w/ me just in case - no real concerns yet. Next week she'll start checking my cervix to see if I'm dilated or not. I tested negative for the Strep B test (or E?), so no antibiotics when I arrive at the hospital.

Funny thing - she did say "You are wearing all black to look skinnier!" I quickly corrected her - "NO! I'm wearing it because mainly that's all I have in maternity clothes!" Why on earth would I have to try to look thin now?!?! LOL!

Baby Foth is almost HERE!!!

Here's some pics. The rest from the set are here http://flickr.com/gp/daniellygirl/T4bV81

36 Weeks - (Picture at the top) This is the black sweater mom gave me. Not sure if we'll have another cool spell before April. But glad I had it yesterday!

Hospital Tour - We took the tour this Saturday. We are both very pleased with the hospital. It's a REALLY good hospital.

Shane's Drawing - This is Shane's rendering of the baby kicking me & constantly putting his feet up towards my chest. He's pretty right on with the position of the baby, too. He drew it the other night, when the baby kicked me so hard, my notebook that was resting on my tummy popped up - almost off my belly!

Prego or not? - I was trying to show someone who is trying to guess girl or boy by how I'm carrying, or if I'm pregnant all the way around. This picture is an optical illusion - because in black an the way I'm standing - can you even tell I'm pregnant?

Tall Angle - Man - I look BIG! Yeah, no question about me being pregnant now!!! It doesn't seem like the baby is sitting real high, but he IS! I still have a soft (translated: fat) belly at the bottom, but the top is rock hard. This picture is a weird angle, b/c Shane is so tall.

Tonight if I am not exhausted when I get home (which I am now), I will updated my blog - I still have to put our AWESOME shower up! But we have been going 90 to nothing lately - so I may go straight to bed!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2009-03-02T09:25:00.000-06:00

YAY! I love the Google logos, the way they change them! Today would be Dr. Seuss' 105th!

This weekend was a whirlwind, but something tells me it was only the beginning of the storm. We had a magnificent shower given by our friends at Studer's. It was so overwhelming and we are so appreciative. I haven't had a chance to even download photos yet, much less journal about it. But - I will soon. There is so much to say - it was AWESOME!

Then, Sunday, I got to go to my friend Lauren's shower. She's due 2 weeks after me. It was fun!

On my whirlwind list: This weekend - childbirth classes, then a tour. I'm also registering for the babycare/CPR classes, that we will have to do during the week. We're making the final decision on staying in our house now or moving, so there's much room preparation to be done. I just want to do a clean sweep of our little house to make room for baby!

Happy Monday everyone, and Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Funny Stuff

2009-02-28T10:45:00.000-06:00

Okay - this is quick - because I've got to go get hostess gifts for our Studer's gals that are hosting our first shower today! So - I've got 2 funnies for you.

Last night was hilarious. First of all - Shane was home at 7:30 which is AMAZING. He's been working SO hard this week, and with the busy weekend we have, it's not like he could work all weekend as usual. So - I expected him late late, as he has been this week. Most of the week I've gone to bed before he came home. :(

So I had just finished my usual Friday night dinner - leftovers from Friday's big lunch at work. Then, I was emptying the trash cans to get the trash out for the trashman that comes on Saturday morning. All of a sudden, it hurt to walk, and I couldn't bend over to pick up the trashcan in the bathroom. I was in SO much pain! It was unreal. I had no idea what was going on. Was it a contraction - a really long one? Did the baby drop suddenly into my pelvis? Was his head stuck somewhere that was causing me this pain? Oh, I hurt. Shane was like "Get off your feet now, and if it doesn't go away, we'll take you to the hospital!" So, laying down for a few minutes gave me some relief. Then, stubborn, I got back up to finish emptying the trash. Oh! The pain again! So - needless to say - I was forced down for good by Mr. Shane. So, after laying on my side for a while, I got to thinking of what I ate. A big salad, with this amazing honey mustard/horseradish dressing, plus hummus and garlic bread. Mmmm, what a volatile concoction, right?! So - I realized - the pain was probably just gas!!!!! That's the only logical thing, right? I figured, the gas was blowing up in my body, then, when I stood up, the weight of the baby, ON TOP OF the gas...OUCH! I felt like I was going to POP. So - (TMI alert) - my thoughts were confirmed in the middle of the night. Yeah it was just gas! LOL!

So - the second funny isn't as hilarious, but still it made us laugh. Last night, we were ready for bed at 8:30!!! WOW - if you know us, we can go and go an go. Oh my - what has become of us?! What a week to make us ready to crash that early. Sure enough, we both took our separate beds (he likes the couch), and I heard him snoring within minutes. I was out before 9, because I missed the end of Flashpoint. What duds?! But we needed the sleep, that's for sure!

Well, off to do my last minute stuff! Have a great day!

Up Again!

2009-02-25T23:40:00.000-06:00

Okay - so maybe this isn't TRUE insomnia, because I'm actually very tired. But Shane is working late, yes, it's VERY late. When I'm tired, I get afraid when he's not here. Funny - mom says that about when dad travels. Here it is almost midnight, and I'm still up! I did get to talk to mom for about an hour tonight. She's coming to town for not one, but two showers in March. It's the end of her spring break, and the weekend before her birthday. We've got a busy busy weekend, but it will be fun! Then we were talking about what will happen when the baby comes. Of course, when she gets the news that I'm in labor, she'll drop everything and head up here from Houston. I worry about that. I don't want her driving by herself if she's tired, or worried, or excited or nervous...all the things she will be, she's my mother! Here's a picture of us when I was in Houston in January (I never blogged about my trip. It's on my to-do list.) This was right after she made the baby kick. It was so cool!

I got to talk to my sister last night, too, for about 30 minutes. She's in Costa Mesa, far far away. I'm so sad that she hasn't seen me pregnant. I'm sad that her AND mom aren't here with me every day to experience every little thing. I don't know when I'll see Anita again. It's hard being so far apart. I know we are in each other's hearts and on each other's minds every day, but I really miss her.

My little cousin, Valentino, has jaundice. It's not bad enough for him to go back in the hospital, but they do have to take him to the doctor every day to monitor him. I tried to call his mom today to check on him, but I haven't heard yet. I'll check again tomorrow. I think my little sister had jaundice. Man, I REALLY need to write down what my mom tells me about the past, because this pregnant brain is getting worse!

So, maybe I should try to go to bed, since it's after midnight. How do I stop my mind?! Oh, I wish Shane was home. Dang, and I was going to go in early tomorrow AND get up and wash my hair. Well, if I go to bed now, I can get a good 5+ hours sleep. Guess my body's getting ready for what's to come!

Got Sleep?

2009-02-24T05:38:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm up for the day. You might think, okay - 5:30, Danielle, you should be up to get ready for work. Well dangit - I've been AWAKE, tossing in bed since 3:30!!! I finally got out of bed at 5:00 when I realized I would not be falling back asleep. Oh, how am I going to do it today?! Yesterday was rough. I will pray for adrenaline to get me through the day. My ability to perform and to be ON all day at work is what determines my paycheck. Well, no stressing about it now. There's emails & blogs to catch up on!

Last night we were up so late, that the baby's movement cycle kicked in. He gets active around 10 or 11. The baby is sitting so high. I started feeling movement at the top of my tummy, just under my chest. It didn't start as kicking, just movement that made me feel my skin and insides stretching. Shane put his hand on me, and got to feel quite a bit of movement. It was awesome! We just sat there, my hand over his, and the baby was being very active. I could feel the movement, then the kicking, even with my hand over his. We sat laughing, which made the baby move more, which made us laugh harder. I love that!

Two weekends ago, he got to feel hiccups. It was the morning after we ate at Hooters...YUM! I think the baby is face down, because the hiccups were low, on my left side. They weren't as jolty as I imagined them. They were soft, and if I had been up and moving around, I might have missed them. But Shane got to feel them. He just giggled.

Oh - also last night, I was flashing Shane my tummy, which I like to do often, just for that shock effect. My tummy is so big - I love his reaction! He fakes horrified, but I think he is truly amazed and curious. Before we measured my belly, he decided to draw on me. He's done that a couple of times. But, with the recent news, he has started calling me Octamom, because he thinks I'm so big. Well, the sad thing is, I'm not really as big as he thinks and I'm gonna grow more, baby! So, here's his latest silliness.

YES - he actually drew 8 babies on my belly! (Pay no mind to my horrible scar from my rejected belly ring & the one from my laparoscopic appendectomy, please!) He is so funny! The funniest part is that last night, as we were looking up boy names, we started a list. Then, we started saying the names out loud, to see how they sound. Well, Shane started saying each name, while he was touching one of the 8 "babies" on my belly. It took me a minute to realize he was getting a feel for the right baby name. Well, he was going around clockwise, and when he got to the one 2nd from the bottom, on my right side, he got a kick! What was the name? Shane!!! Ha ha, that's not really an option though. Neither of us want a "Jr."

We are keeping the names pretty much to ourselves. It was one of the first pieces of advice I got, and it was from my co-worker, Melissa. We've told a couple of people (Shane more than I), but who knows - we could change our minds at the last minute!

GRRR, it's 6:30 and time to get in the shower, and of course, NOW I'm tired! Sleepytime would come so easily right now. But - must keep going - time to get the day started! Have a Happy Fat Tuesday!

I Grew Over The Weekend!

2009-02-23T22:03:00.000-06:00

So I got home Sunday from my scrapbooking weekend, and went to see Shane at the shop. He SWEARS my belly got bigger while I was gone. This is a funny picture, so I thought I'd post it. On my weekend, I actually got see this same shadow of myself almost naked, when I was disrobing for my massage. I was AMAZED at how big I am. Then, I looked at myself almost naked in the mirror at the B&B. Can you believe we don't have a full lenght mirror at home?! My oh my - what I've been missing. WOW - I AM BIG!

Tonight we measured my belly right at the belly button, at what was once my waist, and it's almost 45 inches. Now, I wasn't a thin kitten to start with, but I probably was about 34 inches in my belly. Size 14, yeah, that's 34 inches. So, we'll measure weekly now, or at least we will try.

Tonight we sat on the computer and just looked up name after name for boys. We'll see what grows on us. We were on the computer for almost 2 solid hours going over names! (And I SWORE I'd go to bed early tonight - I was exhausted from the weekend, and up till midnight last night!)

Oh! Also - I got a call from Lauren, who is the head hostess at our couples shower this weekend. It's the Studer's gang, so of course it's co-ed. She's SO excited! I'm SO excited! She was telling me all the yummy food she's making for it. She hasn't gotten many RSVP's, but many don't RSVP anymore. It will be SO FUN!!! It's this Saturday at 2, and yes, it's AT the bar, LOL! It's just how we roll in the Studer's gang. It will be empty except for the party, and there are only a very few that are smokers in the regular gang, so it won't be smoky. Traditionally the guys take the father-to-be (or groom-to-be at a wedding shower) on a bar crawl while the ladies do their thing. I don't know if they will do that this Saturday. I know I'd love it if Shane was there for the whole shower. But - whatever happens it will be SO WONDERFUL!!!

Happy Birthday Cousin!

2009-02-23T21:30:00.000-06:00

(For some reason, I'm having formatting problems, and I can't back-date this post. It's from Saturday, 2/21/09.)

I've got a new baby cousin!

Welcome to Baby Valentino Ochoa the 5th!

Born Feb 21, 2009 at 10:28 a.m.

6 lb. 10 oz, 20.5 inches.

Okay -so he's my 4th cousin and will be our baby's 5th cousin, but in our family - it's just "cousin"! We don't have that many! On his side of the family, his father, Valentine was the only grandchild, so Baby Valentino is VERY special, and has been 33 (I think) years coming!

I can't get down to Houston to see him, since I can't travel that far - doctor's orders, since I'm this far along. But I can't wait to see him after April.

Isn't he beautiful?! I got the call while I was at my scrapbooking weekend in Canton, and I was just in tears I was so happy! Jenel (mom) and baby are doing well!

Okay - so you might ask - how is he my 4th cousin? Well, Baby Valentino's great grandmother, my Tia Lupe, was my grandmother's sister. It's really simple math when you think about it

Oh, I'm so happy! One cousin is here, and one more to go!

Happy Babies Ya'll!

2009-02-16T23:13:00.000-06:00

Well, now that my internet is back up and running, I'm SUPER behind...in everything...from uploading photos, registering, compiling address lists, blogging, reading blogs, answering emails, updating FB...you know - all the IMPORTANT things! Really, I am behind... and I will get caught up SOON, I promise! I mean, as I type, I'm uploading 234 photos to print for this weekend's scrapbook retreat. I've also started uploading all the photos from the last two months to Flickr to share with my friends and family. MULTI-TASK, baby! I'm getting to a few emails, but that's my next project. *sigh*

But, I wanted to share something so sweet with you. Look at the chalkboard above. This is a message center that is by the front door, next to our coat racks. Last year we had an amazing Valentine's Day party - oh it was sooo swanky! But, one of our old friends was good at doing signs, so she did a Happy Valentine's Day Ya'll sign. You can tell she has a good hand by the artwork that's still there. (Okay, I admit - it's not MUCH of a message center, considering we still have the Valentine's Day sign up from 2008! But I did have a poster over it for the last 11 months, and I've used the magnets to put reminders up for us. LOL!) So...anways, this morning on my way out the door to work, I hotice the sign. Shaner changed it to Happy Babies Ya'll! What a way to head out the door, with a huge smile on my face...oh that's so sweet!

Quick Nursery Notes

2009-02-11T22:07:00.000-06:00

Okay, while my internet is up, I can give a quick update. I think we are set on ideas for the nursery and bedding!!!

First of all - I want to think my friend Missy - she is giving us a Ragazzi crib and armoire. Here's a similar picture. What an amazing gift!

Now, for the big announcement...the theme... Dr. Seuss!!! We both love the Dr. Seuss characters & books, so we are very excited!

There are about 10 nursery examples floating around the internet (not to mention the new Pottery Barn Kids line) so we've been surfing & collecting ideas. Our final ideas are coming together in our minds, and even though we are still deciding WHERE our nursery will be (when we will move), we have something to picture. (These pics are from Dane's nursery, one of the best ones we saw online.)

We are thinking we'll have one wall with the periwinkle (the pic above looks more blue, but we like true periwinkle) background, and the other walls with the light green background. A MUST is the dresser, even though I prefer just a 4-drawer. We'll find that at a thrift store and re-do it ourselves. The walls will have our favorites...Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs & Ham, Horton, Hop on Pop, Thing 1 & Thing 2 and Oh The Places You'll Go. We'll trace them on the walls with a transparency machine, and paint them in.

So, with the white furniture, and the beautiful bedding we chose, and a few Dr. Seuss accents, the walls will be the exciting key feature. Here's the bedding. With the excitement in the walls, we wanted something neutral but not too blah. I'm very very happy with it!

So, that's a quick update, and I'll update more soon. We are getting anxious to know the sex. I am feeling more and more like it's a boy. Shane still believes it's a girl. Tonight, he was talking to my belly, "Kick once if your are a boy, and twice if you are a girl." Nothing... not a movement. Guess we are not meant to know!

Hooray For Those That Exercised During Their Entire Pregnancy!

2009-02-09T15:01:00.001-06:00

...because I am NOT one of you. Oh my! My mom has been after me to walk, walk, walk during my pregnancy. Now Shane is after me. I've wanted to, believe me. But I can find a million reasons not to...

The first 4 mos, I was sicker than a dog, not to mention the exhaustion that came with the first trimester.
Then, I lost my dog, and was too sad to walk without her. (YES, we have 2 other dogs, but SHE was the only one I ever walked with.)
Then, the holidays came, and the cold.
Then, there's always been my commute. I leave at 7, and I'm super lucky if I get home by 6:30 or 7:00. With my stressful job, I rarely leave for lunch, and if I do, I'm stuffing my face at a restaurant, enjoying someone waiting on me, gabbing with girlfriends. Most of the time, I eat while I do Creative Memories work or other home work, like paying bills.

Sure, I could go on and on... but that's not my point. The point is - TODAY I WALKED! I've had my tennies up here at work for about a month - figuring I'd just at least walk the stairs at lunch, if the weather was bad. Before I was pregnant, I used to walk the parking garage, but with all the exhaust (it's an underground garage), I thought it best not to with baby. But - yes, today for the first time, I finally got up off my butt and walked. I only did 20 minutes, but I will continue it. I'll do anything to help my labor at this point!

I did notice I got out of breath easier, and I can't take as long of strides as I used to, but I got SOME exercise. YAY! Not only do I hope it will help with an easy labor (something tells me I will not have it so easy) but I hope it helps my back, which has been really bothering me the last two days. It's my lower back, the same pull I usually get, but on the other side. I had an adjustment Saturday, so that, with the walking today, hopefully will work it out.

PS - I did get some exercise yesterday, chasing and playing with our friend's beautiful dog. She's a lab mix, and she liked to chase me & eat big sticks (translation: tree branches), just like Logan. :) Okay - so that was only 15 minutes or so, too...it was SOMETHING!

Blakely's Shower and See

2009-02-01T00:26:00.000-06:00

Tonight was our Shower and See for Blakely Rhyan. Well, I guess the shower part was for Karen & Milo, but the See part was definitely all Miss Blakely. She is SO sweet! What a good little baby! I'm so tired, but I wanted to post quickly to get the pictures up and sent to Karen and the girls. We had the shower at Bethany & Tony's new house, and it's beautiful. It was a great group of people, good food & cake, and really so much fun!

I think in the pictures of me holding Blakely, I look scared. I have to admit, I was a little nervous at first, but then I was just buzzing around, holding her and orchestrating the baby food game, snapping pictures and playing hostess. But in the pictures, I still look nervous, heh heh, maybe it's subconscious. She seemed light, but my arm muscle was fatigued when I set her down.

I got my favors made, I made gift bags of candy, and magnets with Blakely's picture, name and birthdate on them. I didn't use my Cricut afterall, but the magnets were a big hit. They really turned out cute. Karen got to take the extras, so she can give them to family members and stuff. For their gift, I gave them an Creative Memories Everyday Display to go in Blakely's room. I predecorated it, and they can change it out throughout the year, as she grows. I really love those things, and I designed it to match her room. Here it is:

We did play one game - the baby food game, where you have to guess what is in the jars by look, smell, or taste. We played in teams and got the guys involved. It was hilarious! It helped that everyone, or mostly everyone had had a couple of drinks. Shane partnered with my friend Kristin and they won. Bethany and Tony came in 2nd place. It was a very fun, casual, relaxing happy night. In fact, here are guys "relaxing" over a shot of Jager, LOL!

My fellow hostesses were Bethany, Kristin, Camie, and Robyn. Robyn was in Vegas, so she could not be there. Camie brought her two daughters, one I hadn't seen since she was born 2 years ago, and her newest is 3 mos old. She's so laid back for having 2 kids that young. It seems like she's a pro!

Well, again, it was a blast of a time, I wish I could post more pics, but they are on my Flickr page if you want to see them all. I'm so going to bed now. I bet I sleep all through the night tonight!

Quick Update

2009-01-31T08:36:00.001-06:00

Our phone service has been out since Monday, so I've been without internet...GRRRR! They said something about a short and had to redirect it..blah blah blah. So, I have so much online reading and posting to catch up on. Today is busy though - I'm getting ready for Blakely's Shower and See tonight. I'm making favors & of course I am doing it last minute, but I'm excited - I get to use my new Cricut (at least I'm gonna try!)

I do have so much to post, but just wanted to say "I'm still here!", and give a quick update.

All is well, my belly is getting bigger (and little more in the way, LOL), and the baby is VERY active most hours during the day. But the coolest thing happened last night! I was sitting here, waiting for Shane to get home from work, and I felt this thumping, real fast, like the heart beat. I was sitting very very still and raised my shirt. I watched my belly thump thump thump for like 10-15 minutes. It was so cool, I could see it from the outside - at the top of my belly! Sometimes it was a strong beat, sometimes it was more of a wave across about 5 inches of my belly, but mainly just a faint fast beat and I could see my skin moving (almost like a twitch you get in your eye sometimes - it's REALLY hard to explain, I guess). Now I'm not really sure what it was because I've never heard of anyone SEEING the heartbeat, but I've read that if you put your ear to my belly this far along, you might be able to hear it. I started to worry - what if it's some type of seizure?! But, then I calmed down, and just figured it was more than likely not a seizure. I was glad to be able to see the movement, and just watched in amazement. I'm telling you - I'm just totally amazed at what the human body does to reproduce!

Okay - since I've been up most of the night, and up on the computer since 6:45, I might go back to bed for an hour or so, before starting to run all my errands for tonight (plus - I have GOT to take some maternity pants to the seamstress for hemming.) I don't want to be tired for tonight!

Thank you God!

2009-01-20T09:32:00.000-06:00

I called the doctor yesterday, and got the results from my test. NO gestational diabetes! Thank God! Now, where's that banana pudding?! Just kidding.

Shane has me promising to not buy the Bistro Boys' brownies. "Oh, but they smell soooo goood when they are baking, and my office is right next to the Bistro!" LOL....He's getting stricter and stricter, which is totally adorable. I just know he's going to be such a great father! You have to understand, we have been so "go with the flow" and laid back in life, it's such a change to see. Don't get me wrong, he's always had such high family values. Thanks to his mom and grandparents - they are what made him who he is today - he's the most honest, loyal, hardworking, and sensitive man. There's so much more than I can't list (as it is I'm getting weepy). But, I can just tell, he will be the backbone of our family. He's already filled with so much love for the baby in my belly. He's cautious, protective, and so loving. I cry just thinking of seeing him hold his child.

So - the nurse sounded a little put out that I called, but they are always so busy. She reminded me (I already KNOW, thank you) that they would have called if something was wrong. My next appointment is in 3 weeks from the last one - February 4. Then, I think I go to two weeks for a while, then every week. WHOA! I can't believe it's almost here. I'm getting SOOO excited, and yes, still very overwhelmed. But, I do have faith that everything is going to be just fine. As Shane reminds me so much - there's nothing we can't handle.

I Cherish These Sundays

2009-01-18T16:27:00.003-06:00

Well, as I knew it would be, last night was fun. I wasn't myself though. I was tired, uncomfortable, and pretty weepy in general. I really was trying to have fun, for Shane - so he'd enjoy himself, and for everyone else - to show how grateful I was. I started crying on the way there, and then a few times while I was there. Why did I cry? Oh, for no reason, really. Well, I had reason at the time, I guess.

We were each in the top 20 winners in gambling money. That surprised me, because we didn't get a seat the blackjack table until late late. When I finally got a spot, I had fun, though. It took me back to VEGAS, BABY! I'm so addicted to that game - it was hard for me to cash-in and go eat, and I was STARVING! Shane got Opening Day tix for the Rangers, but can you guess when that is? April 6 - our due date!!! There were jokes about being the first delivery at The Ballpark, and getting Ranger tix for life, or having to name our child Ranger But, we'll see what God has in store for that day. I got a silver business card holder - FANCY.

The night ran late. I had planned to leave the function around 10 or 10:30. But, the event wasn't planned that way, so we didn't get out until almost midnight. After walking around in my heels (the pic was from the wedding on 12/31), my back was killing me! I haven't invested in any prego dress shoes, and I've just got a different center of gravity now, LOL! On the way home, I still offered to take Shane to Studer's for some drinks & karaoke (I coulda taken off my shoes there), but he was ready to call it a night, too. Thank God.

Today, after a good night's sleep, breakfast in bed, then a nap, I feel much better. It's a glorious pajama day. We are watching Sunday movies, surfing on our laptops on the couch, and munching on whatever snacks we find in the kitchen. We both have so much to do, and I know days like this put him behind at work, so it makes it more of a big deal, and I cherish these days even more!

No Call From the Doctor on Friday

2009-01-17T17:40:00.000-06:00

I didn't get a call from the doctor on Friday with the results of my glucose test. I thought about it off and on, but was slammed at work. Oh my - it was one issue after another, let me tell you. Finally at 4:00pm, I called, and I guess they changed their hours to close at Noon on Friday. DANGIT! Oh well, maybe that means all is well, if they didn't call me. But - I'll call Monday morning. For the weekend, it's diet as usual. Oh darn! I left my banana pudding at work, bummer. The Bistro Boys made it Friday (FINALLY - I've been asking them to make banana pudding for months!), and I bought 3 orders - 2 for us to split at work, and 1 to take home. If my test does come back positive, then no more sweets like that for me!

Tonight we have my company awards banquet. I'm about to hit the shower to get all dolled up for a few hours to not get an award. Joy, I have to wear the same dress I wore on NYE to Sarah's wedding (still haven't posted that blog). But I'm sure I'll have fun - because it's casino night, and I love seeing everyone. But I would pay someone to let me stay home in my comfy clothes and watch TV. That's just the way I feel on Saturdays!

Dang the peanut butter scare again. I've got a jar of Jiff or some brand name in the pantry. That's safe, thankfully, I LOVE IT! I'll just remember to stay away from anything else with peanut butter in it.

Well, off to the shower....

15 minutes later...

I was thinking - it probably sounds like I'm in a bad mood, or ungrateful. Nope - just big, and pregnant, and moody, and I want to stay home! Welp, not in the happiest mood, I guess. Today, I was supposed to get my hair done at 2. I was going to go back all dark, since my highlights are halfway down my head, and I probably won't be able to keep up with highlights once the baby comes. Plus - I wanted him to do my hair in an updo. I wanted that pin-up girl look. Welp, my haidresser stood me up! I just started crying right there. He said he had me down for NEXT weekend. No - we changed it, on the same damn day we made the appointment! NEXT weekend, I will be in Houston. I was so upset. This is the second time he's done it to me. The first time, he thought it was my fault, but I have an inside source who told me he lost his book. Okay - you are probably wondering... YES, this guy is that good. I'm very particular about my hair. He's the Hair Nazi (like the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld). He'll fire you if you are late, or miss an appointment. He's good with curly hair, he does my highlights to where when they grow out there's not a solid line around my head, and he's fast. OOOOH, but I am frustrated now. I almost went out and got a box to darken it myself. But, I knew that was a pregnant, rash decision. Plus - he was going to do it somehow that it was safe for me, and I probably would have poisened my baby dying my own hair, and I'm sure I would have been crying the entire time!

Then, I was upset that Shane didn't come running home to his crying Baby-Mama. When he did finally get home, he laid right down & is still snoring. I guess I've got to scramble to get him ready too. We've got 45 minutes till when I wanted to leave. I better go get busy. I don't want to!!! Waaaaaghh!

I do feel a little better after a shower, though. I guess I'll turn on some happy tunes to put me in a good mood.

Just stuff...

2009-01-15T18:43:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to tell you a few things...

First, the leg cramps have started. About a week ago, two nights in a row, I woke up in the middle of the night with them. This week, night before last, I got started getting them again. I am pretty lucky, I guess, because I wake up just as they are starting. I can feel the creeping of the cramp, coming up from my heel, as my foot starts to point. Slowly the tightness crawls up my leg, but I wake up JUST before the *aaaaghhhhh!* intense pain in my calf. Most of the time, I can stop them by flexing my foot. If I keep it flexed, stretching out my calf, the cramp doesn't set in all the way. Twice, though, I was in full cramp mode, trying to roll myself out of the bed (we had a lower mattress pre-sleep number bed), and have a low platform bed, so yes, I had to try to roll myself out. I'm moaning, "Oh, oh, oh!", and I can't get my damn foot flat on the floor. It just wants to stay pointed, dammit! Shane is snoring away, oblivious - which is hilarious or suspicious, you decide. Usually he's a light sleeper. Now, don't get the wrong idea, he is in another room oblivious, not right next to me. Most nights he falls asleep on the couch.

Let's see - what else, oh - about 2 weeks ago, I noticed - on the toilet - that I can't bend over anymore. This isn't gross or anything, I was just reaching to re-fill the TP roll while I was there, and I couldn't bend over to reach to the cabinet. Just little things you notice. You notice them, and they make me smile. Like, my belly has been big, but it hadn't been "in the way" before. Today I was trying to organize the supply closet at work, and was so miserable bending over, I almost threw something at my dear employee, Morgan. Thank God she's so patient, since she was in my shoes just over 2 years ago, or almost 3 now. And she got HUGE, OMG - she's a tiny thing, and I've seen a pic of her belly. It looked like Seth was just stretched out, reclining, legs straight out in her belly. I mean her belly was just STRAIGHT out there. I'll see if she lets me post a pic, LOL! Anyways - yes, bending over to put my water or lunch in our little tiny fridge on the floor at work SUCKS. Everyday, I think I'm gonna ask Shane to build me a table for in there. Oh, and we have a glass door that locks at the bottom, like in retail. I can still get down there to lock the door, but luckily there is a door handle I can hold to hoist myself up with! Pretty soon, though, if I'm the last one out, I'm going to have to call the concierge to come help me!

Lastly, now that I'm in my third trimester, I want to apologize in advance. I may not be one of those lovely "I loved being pregnant!" ladies who breeze through this. I just want to prepare you. If I get non-responsive, or bitchier than I already am (possible?), please understand. If you've been pregnant, I'm sure you will sympathize with me and totally understand. If you have not, let me prepare you. I may have less filters on my mouth, I may be more emotional, or I may just plain ignore you. I've seen it happen & I've had it happen to me. I've later heard from my friends how they went through it. I could get uncomfortable with back pain, swollen from fingertips to toe tips, and let's face it, just plain miserable. Just know that I love you and will be back to my old self, hopefully soon. I'm not planning on it, in fact, I hope to be an ecstatic momma-to-be up until the day our beautiful baby arrives in our world, but if I do go underground the last few weeks or few days, just remember, I apologized already....LOL...

Doctor Appointment - Today 10:30am

2009-01-14T22:43:00.000-06:00

28 weeks, BP 107/71, 174.6 lbs

Today was my glucose test for gestational diabetes. I'm a bit nervous waiting for the results. Supposedly my natural father had diabetes in his family, so I've always feared someday I will deal with the damned disease. (Is it a disease? I think so.) But, being pregnant, I'm sure I've got a little higher risk than some... my starting weight, my LOVE of carbs & lack of truly healthy eating habits, my non-existent excercise routine, and of course my age.

Nellie hands me the orange bottle. "Here, drink this real fast and tell me when you are done." The glass window slides shut. I'm by myself in the waiting room, and I'm eyeing the location of the trash can, incase it doesn't stay down. With all the horrible things I've heard about the thick orange drink, I can just imagine it going down and coming back up... all syrupy like . For some reason, I thought it would be chalky and syrupy. But it wasn't. Not at all.

I shake the bottle (not sure why), and open it and chug about half of it down...MMMM, Glucose 050 Orange is actually good! It's got two of my favorite things.. sugar and orange. It's like a thick sweet koolaid, or a thin Triaminic syrup. It made me smile. It made my gloomy/high-pressure/stressed/on-the-verge-of-tears morning just melt away. Maybe it wasn't the taste that made me feel better, maybe it was the rush of the sugar that just got me high. I knock on the glass, and talk through it, to tell Nellie I'm done. Okie dokie, now we wait.

Waiting in the waiting room, I realize that I STILL don't look pregnant all the time, I just look big. Two gals came in & started chatting about their pregnancies. I join in the conversation, asking them about sex, names, due dates (one in two weeks, one 4/9). One nervously looks me up and down, like should she ask or not, but she decides not to. I can tell, out of the corner of my eye, as I'm talking, she's sneaking peeks at my belly to try to tell if I'm pregnant. Finally I just say "We're waiting to find out the sex. I'm due April 6. Today I'm 28 weeks, and I'm here for my glucose test." I see a look of relief, and our conversation continues. Then another lady comes in, one gets called back, and the conversation goes on. That was fun! Strangers, bonded by our buns in the oven. I loved it!

So, as far as my doctor appointment goes, the heartbeat was very strong, and perfect as usual. I'm measuring 29 cm, at 28 weeks. Dr. Liaci says that's perfect. She's pleased with my weight control. I gained a pound in the last month, and I'm still down from where I started. She checked my ankles and hands, no swelling. Asked the usual - cramping like you are going to start your period? headaches? seeing spots? dizzy? - no. no. no. no. Perfect! She's getting to know me, so twice she said "I know you - go ahead and ask your questions." And the second time she said that she reached over and handed me my notebook. LOL! That's great. But, this time I didn't have many question - only 3.

1. How do we know that the baby is growing enough if I am still lower in weight than I started? She assured me that they baby is getting what it needs. I'm the one that will be deficient, not the baby. I'm doing perfect, she said. She started clapping to applaud me for my efforts. Yeah, I really didn't say there was no effort on my part. Oh well, I liked her clapping for me.

2. It feels so good to stretch my back out flat. I know I'm not supposed to sleep on my back, but how long is too long? No more than a few minutes she said. I can be a little on my side, a little on my back, and that's fine - just as long as I'm not flat on my back. Good - I feel better about that.

3. WHAT will give my hips relief?! The answer is zip, zero, nada. It's part of the deal, she said. I'm doing what I can, comforter under the sheet, body pillow to keep them straight, and changing sides through the night. The the only additional thing that might help is, yep, you guessed it - EXERCISE. Even walking will make the muscles stronger, which will take stress off the joints. Hmmm, novel idea, exercise. I know I need to start, or I will be in hell in labor. Shane offered to build me some stairs in the living room. Gotta love him!

So - I go back in 3 weeks, and they will let me know by Friday what the results are. At first they said "If you don't hear from us, everything is fine." Then, she must have remembered who I am, because she said she'd call me by Friday with the results, no matter what. She knows I'm a worrier! Imagine that!

I AM SO PUNCHY!

2009-01-12T15:07:00.000-06:00

So, yes, I'm posting from work. I am taking a quick 15 minute break to eat lunch. YES, just now, at 3:00. Whatever. I'm so frustrated. I have been SCREAMING (in my head) and crying (sometimes in my head) all freaking day. I want to go workout on a punching bag. I would have gone for a walk at lunch, but today just didn't allow for it. And that's not an excuse. Trust me. Do you think I want to wait until 3pm to take lunch?!

I'm really freaking out over here. I'm just not ready! Maybe it was the birth of Blakely that make me realize it. Maybe it's every time I log on - I see that damn counter of how many days I have left. I just have been sent into a panic. But, knowing me, it would be happening anyways.

This weekend I had a bad weekend. Not for any reason, other than I was hormonal and upset. Poor Shane, he really is a trooper. He has put up with so much, and he is trying so hard to keep my spirits up. I love him so much. He's got his own worries and bad days, but he's always there to lift me up. Dammit - I'm crying again!

With the most uncomfortable sleep EVER, I'm never really rested. So, this weekend, I was tired. Too tired to go through all the CRAP that I need to get rid of. Too tired to clean the house. So Shane stayed home from work Sunday to help. That got me going though. Bless him. I mean - we don't even have ROOM for a baby, much less any baby THINGS that we don't have yet.

That reminds me, I've got to go register for stuff, I guess. Don't even get me started on this.

Then we are trying to figure out where we can move and how soon. Can we afford to buy, or will we have to rent again? If we rent - we can't get as much house as if we buy. But - we've GOT to move. We need a house w/ a garage, and we have got to be closer to my job. This drive is KILLING me. We will better know our timeline by the end of this week. But - the mere act of house hunting online stresses me out. Shane asks a simple question about a house I found, and here comes Miss Punchy with a reply. And, I usually LOVE looking at houses on the internet.

We've to register for birthing classes. I am not going into this not knowing what to expect. The hospital is in Dallas - so more coordinating w/ Shane's schedule. We just figured we'd be in Dallas by now.

I just feel like my calendar is filling up quickly.. But really - there's NOTHING on it.

Then there's work. I'm in a commission-based, numbers-oriented job. Do I have to tell you that 4 mos. of being nauseous, not to mention the economy, and additional other factors have my numbers low?! This before I am going to take 2 mos off?! I'm on a deadline to be back up to a certain point before I go. Self-imposed or not - I've got a deadline. I've always been a top performer, and never had to fight like this at a job.

I've scheduled a trip home - one last trip home before I can't travel anymore. See, I'm REALLY SAD that I haven't seen my family much being pregnant. Then, there is my annual scrapbooking trip that I have planned, too. But - the stress at work and home has me wanting to cancel both trips. What business do I have being gone two whole weekends when I have so much to do at home and my numbers are down at work?! That was my thought this morning, on the way in - I'm canceling it all. But - I know - this could be the only time I'm pregnant - so I need to go home. I want to. I really NEED to be home. And the scrapbooking trip - that's for my home based business, so I can't bail on my customers. Well, I could and they could become someone else's customers. But there is that contract I signed. I should canceled it when I found out I was pregnant. That's how I feel dammit - about something that I LOVE, something that is so important to me!

Oh, I'm just in a tizzy about it ALL, dammit.

Okay, okay - I will breathe, take it one day at a time, not stress out the baby, and all the other advice I've gotten. Yes, sometimes I just have to vent. Ha! Yesterday, in between the tears, I was having screaming fits on the couch. At first the dogs ran and hid. Then they realized, when Shane and I started laughing, that I was okay, so they came back thinking I wanted to play. I just need a few more crazy screaming fits & I'll be okay. I tell myself that, and the tears will stop and the bitchiness will stop. Right?! Whatever...back to work...

Body Pillow - WHAT?!

2009-01-10T20:28:00.000-06:00

I had a sorry night's sleep again last night, but it's not different from any other night. So today I broke down & went to buy a body pillow. I just woke up from a nap, and I DID NOT feel any relief on my hips. WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT PILLOW?! From what I'm reading, it's helpful to hold it between your knees & hug it. How does that work? Well, it doesn't, not for me, anyways. My hips are what's bothering me, not my back... at least not yet. So - here I sit, tired and frustrated. I want to go to sleep, but I am NOT looking forward to it. I think about Jenni McCarthy's book, Belly Laughs, where she went and bought a new very expensive mattress for some comfort, and her husband couldn't even sleep on it. Well, we have a sleep number mattress to set up tomorrow, so I hope we both will get some comfort from it!

We were supposed to go to a party tonight, but I'm just not up for it. No real reason, just not. I feel bad because Shane & I were both were looking so forward to it. We miss our friends.

I want to crawl out of my skin right now. No real reason, just frustrated. I'm hungry, tired, and physically frustrated. I'm feeling pretty punchy tonight. Poor Shane. He tries to make me laugh, but I end up crying. Finally he gets me laughing. What a great guy he is, I swear! He's gonna make us a big batch of popcorn and we'll stay up to catch some of SNL. Unless I get punchy again....

Happy Birthday Blakeley!

2009-01-09T07:14:00.000-06:00

Blakeley Ryan was born yesterday around 5pm. She was a healthy 6 lbs 13 oz, and 20 inches. Look all of her dark hair! She's beautiful! What a blessed day! This picture is from Karen's blog. Congratulations Karen & Milo!!!

Blakely is almost here!

2009-01-08T11:23:00.000-06:00

I'm crying because I'm so excited!!! Seriously, I can't stop the tears (and yes, I'm at work!) My friends Karen & Milo are at the hospital right now, awaiting the birth of their daughter, Blakely! I'll post again, when Blakely is here, but I just had to share the news! What a blessed day!!!

OMG - Finally!

2009-01-06T23:31:00.000-06:00

I REALLY was on the way to bed, I swear. I guess the thought of my hip pain got me and the baby all excited. He was really going crazy in there. So, I take my hands off the keyboard and try the test, once again, to see if I can feel the movements from the outside.

See, I've been waiting for the day to come where I can easily feel them with my hands. I'm dying for Shane to feel it too. It seems like every time I put his hands on my belly - the baby calms down. Shane thinks I'm just having gas. I wanna say so bad. "Yes, baby, there's that too." But I keep that little tidbit to myself as much as I can. Oh yeah, there's plenty of that.

So, I put my fingertips on the top of my uterus, on the right, just under my chest... and OH MY GOD! I FELT IT....BUDUMPBUMP. Just like that! I am so ecstatic right now! Was that hands or feet? It doesn't matter. Our baby is getting stronger and I FELT the movements!

Of course my first instinct is to scream and wake Shane up to come feel it! But I don't. A-that will give him a heart attack, and B-the baby will inevitably be still when Shane touches me.

So, with the happiest smile on my face, and a bit of sudden heartburn, I'm off to bed. As usual I will start to fall asleep with one hand under my head, under the pillow, and the other hand under my PJ's, wrapped around my belly, around the baby.

Is there such a thing...

2009-01-06T23:11:00.001-06:00

...as a good night's sleep?

If it's not the insomnia or the constant hunger (Is it time for a snack yet?!), it's the waking up every 3o minutes to roll over due to the excruciating hip pain. But the sad thing is that both hips hurt, not just the one I'm laying on! Now, can someone tell me why in the heck would the top hip, the one that's not bearing ANY weight, feel like it's broken?

So, every woman that has had a baby swears by a body pillow. But I just don't get it! How is a body pillow going to help? What do I do with it? Do I sleep ON it? I already sleep with a lot of smaller pillows....hugging one...one between my knees...recently I've tried propping one under my backside... NOTHING helps my hips. You have to understand, I do not have big hips, in fact, there has always been a question as to whether or not I actually have any hips. And, the hips that I do have don't seem to be spreading, at least not from what I can tell. If my hips were spreading, I would look like I've always imagined Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls that make the rockin' world go round" look. No, no, I do not look like that now.

Well, I'm off to my rock hard bed, and the baby has started boxing in my tummy in protest. He knows I will be tossing and turning all night, and throwing him all around. I can just imagine him wondering what the heck is going on..."What - we are rolling over AGAIN?! I'm getting seasick in here!"

..and I guess my stubborn hips are going to walk myself to the store to get a magic body pillow this weekend!

It BOUNCED!

2008-12-27T03:00:00.000-06:00

(posted 1/6/09)

This is something I want to remember so bad! As I sit in bed, all propped up on all kinds of pillows (Can't be flat on my back, you know!), with just a bit of insomnia, I'm just surfing Facebook. It's not comfortable to keep the laptop in one place, but it is comfortable to have it rest on my belly, just moving it around from time to time. It was about the time of night that I notice the baby is very active, around midnight or 1am (That's the original time I felt it for the first time, too.) The laptop was resting on my belly, but kind of high up. All of it sudden - it BOUNCED! YES, the freaking laptop moved! I was amazed, and excited, and laughing. Shane was snoring. He's GOT to be able to feel the movements and kicks soon, he's just got to!

Stay away from the pregnant woman!

2008-12-26T23:24:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness - I've got another cold! What the heck!? I felt an itch in my nose the other night. Today - my nose started running at breakfast & now the sore throat started, and it's going full force with the sneezing and going through Kleenex like crazy. I SWEAR! Welp - there goes my weekend of getting tons done around the house. Looks like I'll be resting up and getting better for work on Monday. Niiiiice. I've started taking what I can take, gargled with warm salty water, made sure the EmergenC is stocked for tomorrow (If I take it tonight, I'll be up for a while, and I'm already exhausted but can't sleep!). Natural remedies - here I come... AGAIN.

You know, not pregnant, I'm already so susceptible to colds, but I think for the next 100 days I'll wear a sign around my neck that says "If you are sick, or if you've been sick in the past 7 days - stay the hell away!" Yeah, that sounds harsh - but I'm easily irritated these days. LOL! Of course Shane says "What else is new?" I say, "It will change in 4 months." His reply, after some thought, and a chuckle..."Yeah, we'll see about that." What a sweetie, right? It was cute and funny, but he is very lucky I was in a good mood, LOL!

On another note - I thought Karen had gone into labor. I saw an update on Facebook - but I misunderstood. I'll call her tomorrow though. Miss Blakely is almost here!!!! I'm so excited for her and Milo, and at the same time a wave of panic hits me. Especially when I see on my new Pregnancy Widget on my blog that I only have 100 days left. 100 DAYS?!?!?! Oh my! We have so much to do!

Jenni in San Fran

2008-12-24T17:05:00.000-06:00

(Posted 12/27/08) I actually reached Jenni today! It was good to talk with her, and give her the big update. I know I waited too long, and I regret that, but at least she can share the next 3+ months of my pregnancy.

She was just back home in Texas, so again, I kick myself for not contacting her sooner. But her trip was very short & hectic, so I may not have been able to see her anyways. The most important thing is that I got to talk to her now. Big things going on in her life as well, and I spent sometime on her website to see her beautiful boys. They are SO BIG now! 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. Her youngest is a year younger than Julie's. I actually got to speak with both boys - although only for a second. Antonio sounded SO GROWN UP, and Jackson was distracted by the thought of getting dressed to go on a walk. WOW - how does she do it with 2? I've always wondered that about her. Her husband is a gem though. They have always made such a good team, so being a parental team works very well, I believe.

Funny - she had a thought of me when she was flying through McCarran Airport. She wondered if I was there - playing in Vegas. My life has changed SO much, it's unreal. I haven't been to Vegas in years. I haven't traveled anywhere in a long while. And, yet, here I am about to experience the hugest change in my life. WOW. It makes me think about how I'm different now from the 1998-2001 years when Jenni and I were super close, when I could jet off to Vegas, to Philly, to NYC, to Toronto. It makes me wonder how I'll be different from now in 6 months, a year, 2 years. It reinforces my thought that it's so important to journal, to document our history for future generations.

Well, the call to Jenni had more tears than I expected. Tears of joy over finally becoming a mother, tears of sadness over Logan. Jenni does know so much about me. I treasure her friendship, and no matter how long goes between our next talk (which I do not plan on being long!), she will always be closest to my heart than many.

YES I KNOW!

2008-12-22T23:24:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know I haven't blogged in forever! I'm trying to get back on that train. I was very depressed for a few weeks due to losing Logan, and just found it hard to be social - including being online. But my lack of desire for social interaction has passed. The baby is doing excellent. Mommy & Daddy are wonderful, too. I have so much to catch you up on, I know! Just know that I'm back & will be filling you in on this whole wonderful-yet-scary, amazing-me-daily, challenging-at-times rollercoaster of a pregnancy.

Thank you to all that emailed when I lost Logan, and thank you to all that have emailed and called since I haven't been online.

This pic was taken on Thanksgiving Day in Houston, at the Holiday Lighting on Post Oak. My belly is a month larger now. I've got a lot of catching up to do, and I will do it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Kirby in Colorado

2008-12-22T22:42:00.000-06:00

Today I got to tell one of my dear friends Kirby about my pregnancy. Why so late, you ask? Well, remember the post I made about falling out of touch with old friends? She's one. I think about her almost every day, her picture is on my desk at work, and yet - my silly emotions have kept me from calling. First it's been too long, and I feel guilty. Then I feel non-deserving of her joy over my pregnancy and even her friendship. Let me tell you - those are stupid feelings. Anytime I talk to her, I remember why I love her and feel so stupid for waiting so long to call her. As she says, life happens. Yes, she's right; it gets in the way of us staying in touch as frequently as we did when we lived in the same city, when we met when we worked together, when we hung out almost every weekend, and then later, when we were in each other's wedding, then even later as we threw our other best friend a baby shower. Life does happen - we move away, and we go through changes in our jobs, our marriages, our health - small changes, big changes, hard changes, great happy changes. Well, bottom line - I enjoyed our conversation. We caught up on events over the last year. It was wonderful, like we hadn't missed a beat. I truly hope that our child is as blessed to have such amazing friends in their life as I do. I pray that he or she will experience the immense joys, the close bonds, the side-busting laughter, and the heartfelt tears that come with dear friendships.

Kirby was excited for me, since she knows how long I've wanted to be a mother. I shared my joys, my fears. I shared with her some of the pregnancy secrets - the stuff you never hear about happening to your body until you are pregnant; the stuff that scares you, and grosses you out; the stuff you would NEVER talk to a stranger or a co-worker about, but somehow, because they are or have been pregnant, you share it all. Maybe I've broken some "pregnancy code" by warning her - but I think women should know!

I'm absolutely ecstatic that I got to talk with Kirby. Jenni is next. I don't have long before Christmas and then in 2 days it's her birthday. I will call before then. Kirby and I will stay in touch now. I'm determined to be a better friend to all my girls. I cherish them so much! Family and Friends mean everything to me.

By the way - the picture is one I quickly grabbed. I don't have access to alot of my older pictures right now. It was taken in April of 2005, at the baby shower for our best friend Julie, who was pregnant with her 2nd son - over 10 years apart! Yes, my hair was red - a mistake by me - but look how curly it was!!!

Let him (or her) eat cake!

2008-12-20T00:30:00.000-06:00

Posted 12/24/08 - backdating the post though....

Our friend, Lauren, turned 30 this week. We went to her surprise party at Studer's - our local watering hole - you know the place you'd find one or both of us at least 3 nights a week pre-baby. We hadn't been in since probably August, so it was good seeing some of the regulars, and of course good ole Bob Studer. I hadn't ever gone up to make the big announcement because I was so sick for the first 4 months, then I lost Logan, then we got into the holidays, yada yada yada....

Our dear friend Courtney wanted to have a pic of my belly. She is SO excited and anxious for April and the new baby to arrive, as she attested to on her myspace. I haven't seen her in 2 months almost, Lauren & Brad too. It was so good to hang out with them. Brad's mom was so sweet too - asking me questions about the pregnancy. It was also good to see Roxy. She's been so helpful, calling to check in on me, sharing her momma wisdom, as she has a 2 year old, and a 6 year old (I think he's 6). I miss hanging with my Arlington gals! It was fun staying out till 10:30 after a long work week, ha!

So - in the pic, Shane decided to feed *baby* some cake. (I will type it like that, *baby*, because he calls "her" by name all the time. We are just not ready to post it. We are still trying to figure out how to spell it!) "Eat some cake *baby*" he said! Too cute! He talks to "her" in the sweetest voice. I adore it. I adore him. He's going to be such a good father! (PS - I type "her" like that because we don't know the sex. Remember, we are going to be surprised!)

I love you Logan

2008-10-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

Today was the hardest day of my life. We had to put my dear sweet angel Logan down. She had some type of accident in the back yard that blew a disk in her back and paralyzed her. We found out she had an existing disk problem when we did the x-ray at the hospital, but usually this happens gradually - it was the accident that made the onset so sudden. All three dogs were playing outside, when we heard the yelping, yelping like I had never heard my baby cry before. It was horrible. I still hear it echoing in my ears. It was the last sound I heard her make, besides her heavy breathing and painful groaning at the hospital. Part of me wants to burn it out of my ears, but I can't, because I'll never hear anything from my baby again. I'll never hear her low bark at birrrrds or squirrrrrrls, her high playful "speak" bark or her playful whine when she wants to play with her toys in the house.

I'm so sad beyond belief. I can't believe she's gone. I miss her so much already. Oh, the pain I feel is unreal. I know I'm posting only things that are related my pregnancy, but this is related. She was only 7 years old. I thought I had more time with her. I know she would have been so good with the baby. I couldn't wait to see how she reacted to the new little baby in the house. Yes, we have two other dogs, but Logie Dog was my baby. She was with me for over 6 years...through the horrible relocation to Dallas, through my divorce, through every rough thing that I've been through. She has been my rock. She has made me smile when I didn't think there was anything to smile about.

It's related to the pregnancy because, see, we did have the option of an expensive surgery. It was a long shot - she only had a 70% chance that she would walk again. At a time when we are saving every extra dime and scraping to get ahead and out of debt, we faced the most difficult decision we've had to make together. We did try to get approved for Care Credit, but did not get approved. I'm just so sick about it. I'm just so angry about it. I just hear my self over and over saying "Shane, if I wasn't pregnant, I would go in debt the rest of my life to save this dog." I HATE that I said that, I HATE that I had to make that decision.

So, tonight, at 6:45, my darling angel Logan took her last breath in my arms. NOTHING could have prepared me for that hell of a moment. Nothing has ever hurt me this bad. Oh, I miss her so much. I never want to forget her smell, her warmth, her playful character. Oh - she was such a character! She was still Logan today, even though she was lay there paralyzed wanting to get up and run out of that hospital, lifting her head when I said "shoos!" as I recalled to her all the games we loved to play. I want to write and write forever about her so I don't forget anything about my beautiful dog. I want to see her face again, to kiss her head, to hold her warm body in my arms in a big ole hug, to smell her, to run with her, to play with sticks or balls with her, to swim with her. I want to do anything with my Logie-Strogie again, but I know I won't, and it hurts so bad. I had to leave her in that place and I hated it. I just kept holding her and crying that I couldn't leave her. Holding her, crying over her, and kissing her. I know she's in a better place and not in pain, but I'm so hurt, and I miss her so much. Oh, my dear sweet Logan, I love you and I'm so sorry I had to let you go today. I'm just so sorry, and I miss you so much.

To Know or Not To Know...How Do We Decorate The Nursery?

2008-10-18T19:41:00.000-05:00

We are starting to throw around nursery design ideas! After my last appointment, we scheduled the 20 week sonogram (along with those other 3 tests), and I tried to schedule it so Shane could come. See, the dr. is right across the street from my work, but 35 miles from Shane's shop. It's really difficult for him to get away from running things to get to Dallas mid-day.

Well, we're both leaning towards NOT finding out the sex of the baby. We've got 5 weeks to make a final decision, but I think we are going to wait until April for the suprise!

So, Thursday and Friday I got some pics from the internet of gender neutral nursery ideas. I'm not that impressed with the selection, but I did find an idea that Shane and I are both very excited about! I am not going to share it yet, because we are not 100% on it. PLUS - if you didn't know, we are going to move into another house soon, so of course, we have to decide WHERE, before we start the HOW we are going to decorate.

If any of you have any nursery pics you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd love to take a peek. Send me the link or send me a PM with the pics.

Now, we are off to a 40th birthday party for our friend Missy. I'm a little tired, but we haven't done anything in it seems like forever. The theme is Fiery Stars, so red is the color of the evening. Looks like the red & black wig is coming out!

15 Weeks, 2 Days - Doctor Visit

2008-10-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

Another successful (but not uneventful) doctor's visit - Woo Hoo! 10:30 am appointment time, and in true Danielly-fashion, I walk in at 10:35. Now - I do not feel bad about this, as they make me wait at least 15 minutes EVERY TIME. I think next time, I'm going to call right before I leave the office, which is right across the street, and see if they can take me on time, or if I should work a little longer as they might be running behind schedule.

So...they call me back around 10:55, I set my stuff in the room, then I weigh in - lost another pound, leave a UA, take my blood pressure - nice and low, still excellent, and I'm ready to see the doctor. Now, I love the nurse, in fact, I am very happy with the whole staff there. But, it must have been something about this being my 1st visit in my 2nd trimester because I was expecting so much more! The nurse was telling me about the next batch of tests that needed to be run. I didn't get them down in my notepad because she was talking too fast. (Now, my notepad is very detailed, and sometimes I sense they think I write too much down in it.) So right away I was frustrated. See, I want it all in my notepad for no specific reason, just that I WANT IT! I want everything given to me in black & white, and with scientific, detailed exactness, but I don't get it, then I get upset. But I'm sure I'm learning some kind of lesson through all this, right? Bottom line, they are going to 3 blood tests, a regular CBC, TSH - for my thyroid, and AFP - alphafetoprotein. I have to have that done sometime between 16-22 weeks. She gave me a pamphlet, that described the AFP tests, but it hardly answered all of my questions, and my frustration grew. I had on my list to ask if I could have the blood test for Downs, instead of the amnio, but she said the Dr. doesn't do that - she does the amnio. (I was going to ask, because I heard about it on the news, and my friend who is two weeks later than me already had it done, and I've read about it - so it's got to be the right thing to do right?!) With my frustration increasing, I decided to bite my tongue until I could talk to the doctor.

So, up on the table I go. No need to even remove a shoe, much less anything else. What!? Still no sign of the doctor. I thought the doctor comes in for this part, but no, and I'm still biting my tongue. So, with the nurse's help, and the Doppler machine, we heard the little heartbeat. It was fast and strong, and this time, she found it quickly! A strong 145bpm!!! I was so happy and a little surprised - surprised that it was still so low on my belly. I had questions about why it seems like my belly is getting larger - is it baby or is it bloating or something else, yet I'm still losing weight and the baby is still so low; again, I want to know EVERYTHING. So, I start to talk, but I can feel the tears coming, and I turn into a 10 year old as I'm trying to stop the tears! She senses something is wrong and asks me and I deny it and I'm biting lower lip so it doesn't pout out. But then the tears just start flowing, and she makes me tell her what's wrong. Oh - I felt so childish later!!!

My concern was: if I was such high risk during my 1st trimester, and now I'm in my 2nd trimester, HOW can the doctor KNOW that everything is okay, and I'm returning to normal risk?! I'm just sitting there bawling. I bring up the amnio test, I bring up my questions about my stomach, all between loud sobs. The doctor comes in (or someone did, I didn't turn to look) to ask if everything is okay, and she assures her it is. She calms me down, and then goes out of the room, while I wait for the doctor. I wait a few more minutes, as I'm sure she's telling the doctor how upset I am. Looking back on it now, I just shake my head and smile.

The doctor comes in and says everything is fine. I'm doing well. That's it. That's my scientific, detailed, black & white answer! There it all is. WOW, she's good. Hmmm. Well, I listen to her, and she explains more about the tests, she tells me what is going on in my tummy, she asks about my sleeping (and other) habits, she lets me know what to expect in this phase of my pregnancy as far as "growing pains". She was going through my chart and telling me all my labs looked good and the door comes open, and she gets called to labor! She said, "lay right there, relax, I'll be right back." WHAT?! I didn't get to ask any of my questions from my notebook!!! Well, I waited less than 5 minutes and decided I needed to go back to work. After all, they told me I could wait 15 minutes or an hour. I could not wait that long. So, I left one question with the nurse for the doctor and asked the doctor to call me so we could wrap up by phone. On the way out, I got to talk to the nurse and the office manager a bit, but I was not in the mood. They were being very nice and trying to be informative, but I was not having any of it. For instance, on my first visit - I got a purple bag. Well, I find out on this visit the purple bag was supposed to have a book in it (among other fun things that I just got this visit, but those are extra treats!). This book is "the only book I'm supposed to read, not even the internet. In fact, if you are reading What to Expect... throw it away." To that I snapped, "I wish I would have known that before I bought it!" Seriously, though even if everything that was supposed to be in there would have been in the bag, I probably still would be reading What to Expect... along with the internet!

So, in journaling this, I see that I must go with the flow a little more. I need to relax and stop stressing so much about this pregnancy. Yes, I've waited for a long time to be a mommy, and yes, I had started to feel like my time was running out. But, I have to realize that God has given me this chance, and I should not be so worried about it. He will take care of us. I will enjoy the little pleasures. I will trust my doctor when she says "Everything is fine." I will trust it all, whether it's in black and white or shades of grey. I am grateful and happy, although hormonal!

I thank God for you!

2008-10-14T18:30:00.000-05:00

(Backposting this because I haven't been able to get online all week!)

I want to thank God for my family and friends! Being pregnant has opened my eyes and my heart so much! I am blessed to have family and friends that call to check on me, that cry tears of joy when I tell them I'm pregnant, that send me an encouraging email to share their experience, that mail me a baby card the minute they hear, and that will listen to my hormonal rages and crying through these months.

Through the years, I have lost touch with so many friends, and that has been on my mind so much this past year. I know, life happens, but my life has gone through so many "chapters", and I really regret losing my good friends.

So, I thank God for you, and I thank you - the friends I have not lost touch with, the friends I've reconnected with, and the new friends that this pregnancy has brought me. Near and far, online and in-person, you are all very much appreciated!

Hormone Crazy and The "Mask"

2008-10-12T22:10:00.001-05:00

Well, this weekend was one of those hormonal crazy weekends. And, let me warn, oops I mean tell you first, that this post is long and there's no real news, just my rambling notes. No, if you want a really good blog, read Sassy's blog. She's a school bud and I've been secretly reading her blog for over a month since I found Facebook. She's funny, touching and very spirited in ALL of her posts!

So....Friday, at work I was a grumpy, stressed irritable witch, alternating with a crying, sentimental mess! And that was only during the day!

Before I tell you about the rest of the weekend, some background: We were going to try to go camping, the first big thing we were going to try to attempt during my pregnancy. I was going for just one night, and Shane was going to stay longer, about 3-4 days. Now, please keep in mind, this 250-person event was going to have so much going on, just a constant state of activity, food and entertainment, but I had planned a safe, quiet, cool refuge for my naps. We were so looking forward to it. Welp....long story short, we changed our plans, due to the cost. Now, keep in mind this is not just a pack-the-car-and-hit-the-road camping trip. We were taking a commercial truck that he converted into a bar on wheels, so there was fuel for the truck, the generator, and the booze for entertaining. Those costs add up, and we got nervous and canceled our trip. Now - that is a good thing because usually we would strap ourselves out and worry about it later, I mean, my hero always saves the day! But things have definitely changed with a baby on the way. We are more cautious of the money that we dish out, much more cautious. I should think of that as a good thing, right? Well, that's not quite how it hit me.

First I was heart broken about not going on the trip. I mean heart BROKEN. I cried all night Friday night. Then Saturday I was filled with worry. How are we going to do it with a baby?! All my fears came to the surface and paralized me all day. What kind of mom would I be? How would I have the energy to keep up with a little one, Shane and a home?! How would I know how to handle certain situations like crying all the time, then, oh my, what about dating? Then there's everything in between!! What if neither one of us can figure out how to put the diaper on right? Oh, it was endless! I didn't get a thing done. I didn't even answer my phone all day. You would have thought that I had suffered an extreme loss, like a pet, or my job, or Shane. It was CRAZY! Then, just like that - it stopped! What the heck - who was that in my body? Do I have split personalities? I know, I know - it's the hormones. I'm blaming EVERYTHING on the hormones these days. How long can I get away with that, I wonder?

Today was better. Shane stayed home with me and didn't go to work. I was grateful, but we didn't do anything. Well, we watched football, caughtup on Facebook, and househunted online. It was a good lazy be-together day. Now, to bed for a good night's rest to prepare for my busy week at work.

Oh - The Mask! I almost forgot! Yes, I've heard of The Pregnancy Mask, but my skin is never affected by anything, so I never thought I'd get it. I'm not saying I have it, but here's the scoop. Last night, Saturday, I got really really sick. My morning sickness hadn't been that bad in a long time. Shane was amazed, and felt helpless, and the dogs ran and hid. It was a pretty violent episode, and when I was done, my lips felt like Goldie Hawn's in First Wives' Club. So I get up and look in the mirror, and WHOA they were swollen, and there were two red splotches right under my eyes, on my cheekbones. IT WAS THE WEIRDEST THING! I figured it was just from being sick, like it caused all the blood to rush to my face. Today my lips were normal, but the redness is still in my face. It's not dark, like I've seen The Mask, just like I'm flushed or something. We'll see if it gets darker or just goes away.

Here's to a wonderful, feel-good week! Oh - I have a doctor appointment on Thursday. It's just a regular monthly visit, but I'll have my spiral notebook handy with all my questions, as usual!

Second Trimester!

2008-10-09T08:47:00.000-05:00

This week I officially started my second trimester!!! Woo hoo and boo hoo.... Thank God I've made it to 14 weeks - the point where I am no longer high risk. But... I'm still getting sick. My RX ran out last week and I was hoping the sickness would taper off, but today I renewed my RX. I just can't function and I can't eat without it. This week has been horrible. I am hopeful, though, that the morning sickness will start to decrease. It's just got to, right?!

I've been so excited about starting this blog! My friends Karen & Milo have one for their daughter on the way in January. Karen keeps up their blog and it's totally adorable! Check out their blog. I want to be able to keep our family and friends up to date on everylittle thing during my pregnancy, especially since everyone is spread out all over the country. I was just waiting until that magical 14 weeks.

Now, I will backdate some earlier posts, so that I've got a permanent record of my entire pregnancy. So, check back often!

11 weeks 3 days

2008-09-18T17:45:00.000-05:00

Here's the second sonogram taken 9/18 when I was 11 weeks 3 days. The following is an email I sent to my immediate prayer circle of friends and family right after my appointment.

Thank you all for your prayers and concern! My appt went very well today. I was afraid to look at that sonogram at first, but there was a strong heartbeat, and significant growth! She took 4 different shots, and that little sucker was just a moving around - I think he/she was DANCING! You can't tell from the shot I attached, but I could clearly see a little leg. The doctor was very pleased with that, and I got a due date of 4/6/09!

She said I could tell the world in another two weeks. Technically I'm still high risk until 14 weeks, but after that I will no longer be considered high risk. That's exciting!!

Again, THANK YOU ALL!