Loving life

Life is so precious. I am amazed each day at how much more I grow to adore this sweet little girl that God has blessed us with. Each smile and trusting look she gives overwhelms me. I am so blessed. Being a mother is just like I always thought it would be.....no. It's even better! To have someone depend upon you and love you unconditionally is such an extraordinary thing. I cannot get over it!

Finley will be 11 weeks old tomorrow. She is sleeping through the night wonderfully! She is a good eater and overall a happy little baby. She loves to "talk" to Mommy and Daddy and her toys. She will stare at herself in the mirror for hours and absolutely loves her bath time. She cries and cries when it's time to get out of the tub! I may have a little swimmer on my hands. :) Mike and I both just love her to pieces. God has truly blessed us!

Pictures: Nursery and 36 week ultrasound!

36 weeks

Alright...we're almost there! This little girl is running out of room inside of me. She is unfortunately still breech, so we'll see what happens in the next couple weeks. If she doesn't turn, she will be gracing us with her presence (via doctor's intervention) in three short weeks! If she turns, then she can take her dear time coming out (hopefully not too long though). Still the slow steady weight gain...I am a little wider and carrying lower (profile shot looks pretty close to three weeks ago though). Everyone is assuming I am due any day now, which, in all honesty, is possible. Hospital bag is packed and ready to go. Baby's room clean and cute. Newborn clothes washed and put away. Enough diapers for at least the first week or two. Now the waiting game begins. I still have things left to do, but I tried to get all the important things done before this point. It is pretty tough to be comfortable now...heartburn is a regular problem, as well as finding a comfortable position to sleep in. But thankfully I have lots of time to rest at home before she gets here. Praying and hoping for a smooth delivery (whatever way God sees best) and a healthy, happy baby!

33 weeks

Here we are - in the last stretch! This little girl is welcome to come anytime in the next 4 to 8 weeks. Whenever she is ready! She is still very active and very visible on the outside now. It's fun to watch the rolling going on under my shirt. :)

The dreaded heartburn and nausea have returned in full force. I am hoping that I'll be able to eat enough for the two of us during the remaining month or two. Just not much room in there! Other than that, the baby and I are doing very well. Still measuring and weighing-in right on target.

Only one more week of work, then I'll be at home getting things ready for baby. AND getting lots of needed rest. It's a little sad to leave all the kiddos and my co-workers at the school, but I am excited for a bit of me time before my little one is here. The nursery is looking fabulous...only a few finishing touches and it will be ready.

The mural is finished!

Here are the promised pictures...I will take more when we have all the decorations, furniture, and bedding in place.

30 weeks

Wow! Getting closer and closer. Just had a wonderful Spring Break. Now back to work for around four more weeks. Then I'll get a little resting time before baby gets here. I get to see my doctor more regularly now - every two weeks. Then once I hit 36 weeks, it's every week until baby comes. It really is coming fast. Not much new to report....baby and I are still doing well. She is still flipping around inside trying to decide how to get comfortable. :) I still tire quickly and enjoy getting to nap and rest. And I'm still not done painting the baby mural! I better get crackin'! Well here's your photo update this week!

Third Trimester!

It is here....the last leg of the journey. The third trimester. I cannot believe how quickly it arrived. In roughly another 12 weeks Mike and I will be holding our little girl in our arms. We can't contain our excitement!

I have had a teensie-weensie bit more energy over the past two weeks. I have started the mural for the baby room and will post pics when it's all done (hopefully this week, but we'll see). The energy has helped me get some things done that I've been putting off, but unfortunately it doesn't last as long as I'd like. I'll take what I can get though.

Last weekend Mike and I took a crash-course birthing class. We got to tour the maternity ward, ask our questions, simulate labor, etc. We were exhausted by the end of the eight-hour day, but feel more prepared than we were before the class. And we were sent home with plenty of pamphlets and other reading material to help us stew over what was taught. Next on the list is finding "THE" pediatrician for us and start getting our spoiled pup ready for a baby. Oh joy.

All of my doctor's appointments have been going well. Baby's doing great, as am I. Not gaining too much weight and hopefully it will stay that way. :) Our little gymnastic/dancer is still bouncing away inside of Mommy. Pretty soon she'll be getting too big to wiggle around as much as she does. In the meantime, hopefully she'll get herself turned around in the right direction. Ha!

Growing like a weed...

Well, today marks week 25. Only another three weeks to go before I am considered in the third trimester. It has gone fast! As you'll see from my photo journal, the bump is definitely growing. Especially within the past two weeks! Wow, what a difference. Just starting to feel out of breath while walking (and especially climbing stairs). Not much difference in my energy level, but I am getting more and more excited the further along I get. Our little one has become much more active in these past couple of weeks as well. Kicking and poking and somersaulting...she loves to move. I think I might have a little dancer or gymnast growing inside of me!

In other news, we just finished clearing out the old office today. I washed and taped the walls and baseboards. So now we are ready to begin painting! It is an office no longer. It is now the baby's room! Hopefully we can get the wall color up this week. I would like to begin my mural this next weekend. The goal is to have it done by Easter (because I really don't think I'll feel like doing it after that). I will post pics of the room when it is complete. Well, that's it for now!

Tired...

I am so tired of being tired. I've had a week and a half vacation of work due to two blizzards. All the rest was good for me, but I did not accomplish much. I tried to get things done, like work on the nursery, get the house clean, get some projects done....but I struggled to do the smallest things. Doing the dishes makes me need to sit down for a long time. Cleaning the bathroom or folding laundry makes me need a nap. Cooking dinner makes me so tired that I can barely eat it. I have gotten so little done in my time off that I am frantic that I won't be able to handle a "normal" week when work start back up tomorrow. God help me! I really hope that my second trimester burst of energy will kick in soon...but then there are only another four weeks before it's over and I'm in the third. Yikes! The time is just flying by!

Besides feeling like a zombie, I am so elated. Feeling the little one within me kicking and moving more and more each day is so wonderfully exciting. We've even felt a few kicks on the outside! What a little miracle. She's worth it all. I cannot believe that in a few short months I am going to be a mommy. (sigh) :)

It's a Girl! Finley Cailin is due June 20th, 2010

Oh what to do...

I am having trouble deciding on the fabric for my baby's room. I have two different options that I like very much. Either way I go I will be painting a woodland animal mural (owls, deer, squirrels, birds, etc) in the fabric colors on the nursery wall. What do you all think? Which would look better with a contemporary modern mural? I am leaning towards the the browns, greens, reds and blues. But still not sure.

20 weeks!

Here it is....the 20 week shot. Had to go buy a new navy shirt. :) 6 days till the big ultrasound!

Halfway Point....20 Weeks!

Halfway Point….20 Weeks!

Next bump pic coming soon...I need to find a new navy tank that fits. :D

My big ultrasound appointment is coming up one week from tomorrow! I cannot wait! I am so anxious to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl. You have no idea. Mike is excited as well and will be coming with me to the appointment. We have both names already picked out and will share them as soon as we know what we’re having. After the appointment we’ll have a better idea of the due date as well.

I haven’t been having any really strange cravings so far. I notice sometimes I want more salad, fruit or dairy. I guess what I want depends on what my body is telling me I need. But nothing really strange yet. I’m glad I’ve been wanting mostly healthy things right now. I think today I drank three glasses of milk; not including what was in my breakfast cereal (and what’s funny is I never liked or drank plain milk before now!).

I’ve been feeling the need to be more active. I haven’t really been doing much as far as exercise so far during the pregnancy due to fatigue, but every now and then I get a little antsy and feel I need to get moving. I do have a prenatal pilates video that I enjoy every once in a while. I really wish I had someplace where I could go swimming…I know that would be beneficial. What’s nice is I do a lot of walking up and down stairs at work and some minor lifting and moving of books. So without even exercising, I am still getting some cardio and strength training.

Also in new news....quite positive that I've been feeling the baby move for a few days now. It's such a different sensation! I know those kicks will get harder by the week though! :)

I really wish I knew someone else (that I see regularly) that was also expecting. I have several friends that live far away, but none close by in the same boat. It would kind of be nice to be able to compare bellies, symptoms, joys and anxieties with someone in similar circumstances. I am blessed though. I am surrounded by a great support system at work, at church, at home, and through email/facebook/phone. Thank God for all my great friends, family and co-workers that have been there to share their stories, give advice, pray for me and just listen to what I’m going through. You all are the best!

18 weeks and counting....

Well the pregnancy has been progressing well. I only had to deal with 5 or 6 weeks of really bad nausea and still have occasional fatigue. Overall feeling great!

I've really started to show over the past few weeks. I am so glad that I am photo journaling the progression of "le Bump" (a.k.a. my growing belly).

The doctors and I still disagree as to my due date. I am convinced that I am due June 9th while doctors are saying June 20th. I know it's not a big difference, but if they were right I wouldn't have found out I was pregnant when I did. I think I'll win in the end. :)

A little less than three weeks to the big ultrasound. I am so excited to see how much baby has grown and developed. And, of course, I really would love to know if it is a girl or a boy. We'll see!