Baby Moon

Today I felt our baby get the hiccups for the first time. It was the sweetest little hiccup I've ever felt.
I've learned to cherish every moment that I feel her squirm, wriggle, stretch or shift. I love her more than I can say I've felt for anyone whom I haven't even met.
And I've also realized that this truly is an amazing time. I'm truly appreciating it. She really makes all the tough stuff about being pregnant go away. Especially those darned stretch marks. I find that it's all worth it. My mom bears hers for me, so why not I bear mine for my own. Sounds like a plan.

Tonight starts our Babymoon. Our 4 year anniversary is on Sunday and we figured that this is our one last anniversary without kids. So we're going to make the most of it. Events go from tonight to Monday afternoon (when the cable guy will show up). We'll try to take pictures of our little rondevous to record this event.
The PG stuff anyway ;)



And a very happy anniversary of 9 years to Keith and Emily.
Congrats!

Baby Shower

Saturday I went to my baby shower. It was wonderful. The cutest little event.
Emily started us off by playing a couple of games. I sucked at it but it was still fun.
Then we cut the cake which was very tasty. The punch was also very good. Pink even! We sat around and chatted as we ate or rather enjoyed. We talked about what we'll be naming the baby when she finally arrives.
Then it was devotion time. Emily read from one of her favorite books 1001 Things It Takes To Be A Great Mom. As she was reading a few of her favorites she started to cry which made the rest of us at least tear up if not cry right along with her. Then she prayed for Bryan, the baby and I and it was a beautiful prayer. I told Bryan about it later that night and just how touched I was by it.
I love that girl.
Then it was present time. I took my time unwrapping and enjoying it gift as it came. We got incredibly sweet gifts. Every thing was so lovely.
We received three crocheted blankets. I love crocheted blankets, I always think that they mean more because the person put a lot of time and effort into them.
And this diaper bag that we received from my mom-in-law is SO cute. I'm excited for it. She told me that I was more than welcome to return it for one of the bags that I had originally picket out but I told her that she wouldn't believe how long it took me to find something that was decent without spending an arm and a leg. Plus she got me one with lots of pockets so it's perfect.
After the presents we played one more game which we ALL sucked at and ended up giving up in the end. It was really hard but still it was fun.
So thank you Miss Emily and Miss Rachel for a wonderful party. I am so grateful of it and of these two ladies.

After the party the in-laws came to our house to eat and see the new place since we've moved in. My mom-in-law said that all of our stuff looked like it was made specifically for this house. They really liked it and just thought it was great.
We sat around and talked for a while then the men went out and grilled and us women stayed in a rested. All the while we were talking.
Dinner was awesome. Everything tasted wonderful and we had sweet corn which was SOOOO good. I could eat that every day I think.
They stayed until about 8:30 before heading home. It was really nice to hang out with them.

Anyway, today I have a lot to do and I haven't started on any of it. I'm feeling lazy but it's gotta get done... after I nap.
I'm pregnant. I can do that. :)

I'm starting to dread bed time

The beginning of the week didn't start out so hot. Something had happened this last weekend that really upset me. But because of my wonderful husband, I feel vindicated and much relieved. It ended up taking a lot of hurt off my shoulders. Praise God.
Today, I went and got my hair cut for the first time since February? I had to wait around the mall for an hour and a half, bah. I needed my hair cut but it turned out I didn't need much taken off since I've taken such good care of my hair. But it was nice to straighten it out, cut off anything that was bad as well as getting rid of some of the old color. My hair is almost back to it's good ol' brunette self.

In other news:
I'm growing more and more uncomfortable. Especially in once relaxing positions and places such as the couch, the floor, and our bed. We have a full size bed which was great when it was just the two of us. I could roll over comfortably, sleep on my stomach/side, breathe. Even when our cat insisted on sleeping right next to me on the edge of the bed. No problem. Now it feels like I flop from one side to another, not fully falling asleep until 2 in the morning and am having to attempt kicking our cat out of the way. Which she refuses but ends up at my feet anyway.
I'm also seemingly not giving her enough attention nor am I allowing her to do things I once allowed her to (i.e. laying on the table). This, in turn, causes her to urinate on the open and unfortunately available things in my craft area. But this is neither here nor there. Back to not sleeping well.
So if you know me well, you would know that I am a worrier. Not about things financially, because I know that God will truly provide, but of things of flesh.
The last few nights I have lied next to my husband as he sleeps and began worrying about things I cannot have any possibility of controlling. Mostly losing him. The thought horrifies me. Horrifying being an understatement.
I'm such a worry wart.

Do Not Worry
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Matthew 6:25-27

Anyway, I don't have much else to say because I am so exhausted. Plus the baby is rumbling around like Tarzan on caffeine.
Good night... hopefully.

Date Night

Last night Bryan took me on a date. I was very excited.
We went to get our tickets at 5:30 at the Galaxy 16
for Dark Night at 8:30
but they were sold out until 11:30 :(
Bryan got us tickets to Get Smart instead at 8.
We headed back to Granite City
where we waited for a table for 45 minutes...
We were told only 20-30 minutes.
So we didn't get to just sit and talk for as long as
we would have wanted to but it was still fun.
The food was amazing.
I forgot how good it is.
Bryan ordered a pizza -yum
and I got a very tasty sandwich.
Then we headed to the theater
which we saw massive lines for the Dark Night.
It kind of made us glad we didn't have to wait in line
but got to go straight to our seats.
Well Bryan did,
I, on the other hand, had to go to the bathroom..
surprise surprise ;)
So when I got in there Bryan had sat in our favorite row
but with one seat on each side of him
forcing me to sit next to one of two really big guys.
I didn't mind until the one I did decide to sit next to
went and bought him and his wife
a fried food platter supreme extra with a side of heart attack.
At first it smelled kind of good but after a while
the stench of his hot dog with extra relish
and potato oles started to get to me.
I actually thought that I might throw up.
So I moved to the other side of Bryan.
Much better.
The movie was awesome.
Steve Carrell is really funny.
There were so many lines that had us laughing
that we couldn't remember them all.
The only sad part about the night,
other than it ending,
is that Bryan and I were both yawning our way home...
at 10 o'clock.
We're officially old.

Turkey's (almost) done

I had a dream this morning that my belly button popped out. I apologize to all you squeamish but it really does happen towards the end of the pregnancy.
However, in my dream it looked really weird and I could stick it out and suck it back in. I'm pretty sure you can't do that in real life.
This hasn't yet happened to me but I feel it's getting close.
The vast space in my belly button has closed in on itself so much that there's not much left to go. And my skin feels like it's being cut into shreds as I grow even bigger and endure the horrendous curse of stretch marks. It makes me sad.
The baby is getting so big that I can feel her even if she's just getting comfortable. People are getting the chance to feel her as well.
This weekend, I was sitting with my family watching TV and feeling the baby kick and hit, yes TWO places. So my baby sister tells me not to be selfish with a laughter in her voice and asks to feel. So I offer the "hands" side to her and ask my other sister if she would like to feel as well. She got the "feet" side. It's funny to me how much Courtney wants to feel the baby. I don't mind, I just didn't think she would always jump at the chance whenever the baby was moving.
Grama also got to feel the baby -for the first time. She was pretty excited.
So the baby has her quieter days and others she won't stop kicking my in the ribs. I have a hard time bending over because that leaves less room for the baby and then a kick to my side. For such a tiny thing (four pounds at the moment) it feels like she could crack one.
I'm not even that big but since I'm having a harder time bending over that means a harder time getting up. So, yes, rolling or having someone help me off -even the couch.
What's funny to me is that in spite of the difficulties -the punching, the stretch marks, the rolling- I still very much enjoy being pregnant. Yeah, I have days where I'm just too excited and can't wait to meet this tiny person or others where I start to freak out that I'll be a mom here soon and maybe I'm not ready for it, but I truly enjoy being pregnant. Knowing that there is this wonderful little person, this creation that God has allowed Bryan and I to be apart of, trusting us to care and nurture this baby, is somewhat miraculous. And scary.
So I guess that I can and cannot wait. For everything.

Another Fourth of July successfully evaded

It has been a while, I know.
I've been working really hard on the house.
The move was good although some things were damaged. We should have been better prepared. We'll know better for next time. However, the house is wonderful. I think every day we say how much we love it, how much we were blessed by it, and how grateful we are of it. Pete loves it too... and as a matter of fact, so does Chloe. Everyone is pretty much just happy.

Bryan's birthday was the 26th so we had a surprise birthday party for him on that Saturday. He was surprised but everyone (but Emily) failed on saying the "Surprise!" part. Bruce did manage to yell "pickle" for some reason.
He got his pirate party -a mini one at least. He had a party hat and had to go on a treasure hunt for his gifts. It was pretty entertaining. He also got pretty spoiled. Not just that night, but I had also given him two gifts thus far, Sunday he was given a grill by his family and me as a group gift, and he gets one more this weekend from my family.

Fourth of July weekend, our friends were out of town and since we were going to his family (again) the next day we opted to stay in. Not that it mattered too much anyway since I don't think there were even any fireworks in town. We would of had to have gone out of town- which neither of us wanted to do. So far we have evaded the 4th for no reason for the 5 year. We have nothing against it, and we actually really like the fireworks show.
We just haven't (for some reason or another) seen a show since we've been together. I think one year we really tried but they were taking their sweet time and it was getting past 11. Sarah had a driving curfew and she was one of the people driving.. We probably would have gotten home around 1:30 if we stuck around.. so it just didn't happen. Actually the fireworks started as we got onto the interstate so we kind of watched it as it left our view.

This last Sunday we had a farewell party/birthday party for (my bro-in-law) Bruce. His b-day is on the 15th but he wouldn't be here for it. We had planned on surprising him with extra gifts that his mom, Deb, would place secretly in his room for him to find but he found them sooner than expected. So he got to open them all. He said that he'd rather open the gifts with his family and enjoy the "day" than open them by himself 4 hours away.

Tuesday I had my last baby appointment with my Dr. Bryan came along and we invited Deb along so she could hear the baby's heartbeat as well. It was pretty cool (as always) and this time my Dr. located how the baby was laying. I figured that she was laying how the Dr said she was. I've been feeling the baby pressing her foot into my rib cage lately. The Dr. pretty much clarified that it was her foot, found her butt and could feel enough to locate to her head. So now I'm on my way to the OB/GYN in two weeks.
(Baby's kicking and swiping as I'm sitting here. It makes me happy.)
Afterwards, Bryan and I went to wal-mart to start registering. It took us 2 hours and we only got a third done. We were so tired after but then Bryan took me out for dinner. I was pretty stoked. I had had a very good day.
So that night, for the first time, the baby made me jump pretty high and squeal as she swiped the side of my belly pretty hard. And my hand was there too so it was even weirder! So Bryan put his hand on my belly and got to feel it for himself. It was cool, once for me, once for her dad. Then she settled down. It's always so joyful to feel her moving around in there -even when she's kicking my in the ribs. I've got to say, I love being pregnant, in spite of some of the stuff it brings with it.. including my sad new stretch marks :( It's alright, one word- Mederma.

On Wednesday, not only Bruce left for Chicago to begin school on Monday, but I came down to CB to hang out with my mom and sisters until Friday.
We met Courtney in DM to trade me off. We had a bit at Cracker Barrel then headed to CB. On the way I kept feeling the baby pushing her hand into my side so that I could feel a firm spot. Court felt it too, which she thought was pretty cool. Later that night I could feel the baby kicking and swiping again so Courtney wanted to feel- which she did. It made her jump but she thought it was pretty awesome and she was pretty proud that she got to feel it. It's just so funny how active she is.
Anyway, mom's trying to sell her house so pray that it does. The sign went up yesterday and there's a showing on tomorrow at 5. The house is spotless and kind of empty. Grama came to help and it seems she did a pretty good job.. seeing as how we can't find anything. Courtney and I went and got primer and a tan paint for all the colored walls. Since we just got done house hunting, I tried to give them the knowledge from what I gained from it. At least knowing that a house that is very neutral will sell way quicker than one that's not.
Tomorrow Courtney and I will head down to Grama and Grampa's along with Bryan from CR. He has to bring a u-haul down so we can get the baby stuff back up along with few extra thinks. Saturday, mom and Sarah will join us and we'll all hang out until Sunday when we will head home.

I miss Bryan.