The Courtney's

Baby Courtney #3......Boy or Girl????

2011-05-25T22:45:00.020-04:00

We are so happy to announce the sex of baby Courtney #3 today!!!! I had no idea we would find out the sex today because I am only 16 weeks along and Chris was home with Ben and Sam while I was at the Dr. But they were so nice and put it on a DVD and turned off the monitors and I was just as surprised when Chris and I watched the DVD together when I got home! What a neat idea! So onto the news.......

It's a

Girl!!!!

Kimberly Mae!!!!

We are beyond excited! Samantha will have a sister to be close to and I know they will lean on each other for support all throughout their lives! Sisters are the best friends to have and I am so happy they will have each other, always!!

Saying Hello!

Little Feet!!

We are blessed beyond words and we thank God everyday for our growing family! I do get strange looks when people find out I'm pregnant and already have two little ones. When I tell them I will have three under three their faces are pricesless and their comments are always "wow, you have your hands full!" I do, and I will, but I wouldn't want it any other way!!!!

Samantha's room and a moment!

2010-05-24T14:37:00.005-04:00

Wow, I can actually say we are finished with Samantha's room! What a great feeling! We have been working on it for two months now. We started painting at the end of March and now here it is coming to the end of May. I still have a few peices of her clothes to wash and I need to add her bows to her bow hanger. My sister has promised me another bow hanger so that is the final decor to add. This weekend was so busy with trying to finish. Chris finished painting her door and closet doors. (And also Bens closet doors) He also patched a few spots on the wall. (Totally my fault. I wanted her name curved and of course the first few tries were a little off. So it made for some ugly nail holes. lol) Well, last night we decided where the final decor would go and then I went and put Ben to sleep. I heard some banging and knew he was getting started without me. Then he came and took Ben from me, put him in his bed and called me into Samantha's room. He had it dark all exept the lamp/nightlight that I passed down to her. When i walked in it just felt so right. So peaceful. Just like Bens room felt almost a year and a half ago. (and still does!) Chris looked at me and said this has to be the best little princess room ever! He then joked about how he could not beleive he was saying that. Lol. (Thats the man in him. Although his kids turn him to mush:)) So we stood there looking around and feeling the moment and imagining our little baby girl being here very soon. I never thought that we would get it all together. From worrying about the blue carpet, the size of the room and finding furniture to fit our taste, budget and her room......it has all come together! So Samantha, whenever your ready to enter the world....comon! (Of course you should probably stay cookin for at least 5 more weeks:))

Onto the pictures! These were taken with my camera phone because Ben will not let me play on the laptop anymore. He wants, and deserves, my 100% attention. So everything is being done from my phone including the writing!

****the photos dont look right. will download better pics later****

I would like to thank my Husband for all his hard work! He is AMAZING and I am so lucky to have him! And thanks also to Jason and Jessica for all their help as well.

I can't beleive that we will have a little baby girl soon! So hard to beleive! Can't wait to hold you Samantha Gail :)

2010-02-18T11:51:00.001-05:00

So I am trying to text from my phone. Let's see if it works.

Baby #2 Ultrasound....Boy or Girl?

2010-02-11T12:21:00.008-05:00

So, it's been awhile since my last post. Benjamin is keeping me very busy. I don't know if I'll ever make another post once Baby#2 arrives. Hopefully that's just a joke! Lots and lots of things happening right now. Benjamin and I were both sick for awhile and we stayed indoors away from the cold. Once we both felt better it was off to the store, mall or to meet Chris for lunch. Benjamin just loves getting out and actually gets cranky when we stay indoors too long. So even if its a bit chilly I snuggle him up and we go take a ride in his little car. (that we bought at a consignment shop for only 12 bucks! Best 12 bucks ever spent!) We just go up and down the street a few times but he has a blast.

Well, Lots of other things going on but I know most of you are here to find out the sex of baby Courtney #2.......

Why not take a guess?

Boy?

Girl?

IT'S A

GIRL!!!!!

Introducing Samantha Gail Courtney!!!!

She is showing off her little girl parts!!!

Look at her little chubby belly!!!

She has her hand up to her ear! Just like big brother does when he sleeps!

Just look at those little feet! Melts my heart!

We are beyond thrilled! I think we are both still in shock! I cried when she said "It's a girl" and she had to wait for me to stop because I was moving too much to get more pictures taken. LOL. We have been calling her by name ever since. Benjamin is going to be such a great big brother to his little sister!

One more thing to add....This little girl is measuring bigger than what Benjamin did at his ultrasounds. The dr said we could have a little bit bigger baby on our hands. I just pray Samantha doesn't pass up Benjamin. That's always a concern when you have kids really close in age. Oh well, we shall see what happens.

God is good and we thank Him for blessing us sooooo much!!! Love to all!!!

Happy Halloween and some VERY good news!!!!

2009-10-31T23:35:00.020-04:00

I know it has been quite awhile since I last updated this blog. Benjamin has kept me quite busy. There is so much to talk about and I plan on making some blogs about how much he has grown and what he has been up to and hopefully that will be soon. But tonight I want to share some Halloween pictures and some VERY good news with everyone. So on to the pics:)

Friday night we went to a church fall festival and we took these festive photos.

He seemed fine at first

But then Benjamin decided he did not like the pumpkin or the hay! Look at that face!

So Mommy got in the picture too. Silly Boy!

My boy is getting too big! Isn't he just the cutest little pumpkin?

Then we headed to Sarah's house for Aidan's Birthday party.

This photo set up was the cutest idea. Love it!

Then we decorated some pumpkins.

Here is the birthday boy!

He got lots of trucks!

And now for mine and Chris' costume

Can you tell what we are?

A close up of my costume! Do you get it yet?

*

WE ARE EXPECTING BABY COURTNEY #2!!!!!!

First test I took it was very faint. I was being told faint is still positive.

Yep, It was quite early!!!

Well Chris went and got a digital test AND IT IS POSITIVE!!!!

So excited!!!!

This family of three will be a family of four July 2010!!!

And Benjamin is going to be a great big brother!!!

We are beyond words! God is amazing! I am so thankful to Him for blessing us so richly with Benjamin and Baby Courtney #2. There will be more posts coming. I plan on writing alot more soon. Stay tuned!!!!

Birthday at Disney, Disney with Old/New Friends and Much More.....

2009-05-22T15:07:00.013-04:00

WOW, lots of things have happened since the last time I posted. I guess I didn't realize just how busy we have been. But we have had the most fun lately. First we went to Disney for my Birthday. Since we already had season passes I was able to get the cost of a ticket in Disney bucks....which is about 75 dollars. WHOOHOO....You know I just love that:) We had the best time. And there was not a big rush to do anything special just walk around with the boy and enjoy just being there. There were lots and lots of pics taken. Oh...almost forgot....Chris got me a new camera for my birthday that also does video. So that was fun and exciting to have on Benjamin's first trip to Disney.

Then, Just 3 weekends later, we met some old church friends at Disney. It was so weird how it all fell into place. The Millers and Spells did not plan their trip together but found out some time later that their vacation was planned for the exact same time. So then I found out and just HAD to meet them there. It was so nice meeting Jennifer's family and also meeting Michelle. We all had kids....Ben being the youngest so it was all about them most of the time. There were a few times that Jennifer's Mother was very nice and watched the kids while we went off to an adult ride. Such sweet people. It also felt so weird that the last time I had seen Cade or Scott we weren't even thinking about marriage much less kids.....and there we were with our families....All 30 something. But the weirdest thing is since I had known of Michelle and Jennifer through the web it felt like it wasn't really the first time to meet. And it was bittersweet leaving because I knew it would be quite a while before we all see each other again. Especially all of us together like that.

Yeah so call us crazy but we are thinking about going back to Disney again....I know right. Total obsession. But it is star wars week and Chris has always wanted to go. It would also be for our anniversary too. I think its safe to say that we celebrate almost every holiday/event at Disney now:)

So much has been going on with Ben. He is learning and surprising us everyday. Whether its a new laugh or face he always has me getting the camera out to try and capture it. Currently he is in his bouncer using his feet to grab his toys then bringing them up to his hands. He then can pull some of the toys off of the bouncer. I knew it was only time before he found his feet. I have caught him holding them but can never get it on camera. One thing he found that I won't get on camera is....his TT....yep that's right....He found it. Before his feet actually. I was changing his diaper and there went his hand. He grabbed and sorta yanked on it. LOL. Didn't seem to hurt but I startled him because it startled me and he pulled away. Luckily I have been able to keep him from grabbing again but that doesn't mean he doesn't try to. I am just hoping its all normal for a little boy his age. LOL

We bought Benjamin a Bumbo seat and a friend of ours Sarah gave us an entertainer saucer. He doesn't seem to like his Bumbo seat too much. He is still a little small for it. But he tolerates it for his cereal feeding which we started last Sunday. He is doing okay with the cereal but I think it took a little time to adjust to it. Today he had a blowout diaper as well as a few days ago. And its a little stinkier too.

Ben had his 4 month checkup and shots. He now weighs 13 pounds 8 ounces.....WOW! Growing fast right? He is now into 3 month clothes but some of his 0-3 months still fit. 3-6 are still too big. But it won't be very long.

What a Little Prince!!!!

Having fun on the Carousel....Although I was too short for the horse and was scared to fall off:)

Dumbo!!!

Sword in the stone......

Can he get it out? Maybe next time!

Mickey and Minnie!!!

My Birthday Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich...YUMM!!!

Castle at night

Epcot

They have the flower festival right now

Happy Birthday Mickey hat:)

Epcot at night

Epcot fountain with my new camera:)

Scott and Matthew at Epcot

Riding the Nemo ride

There's all of us....Exept Michelle and Morgan:(

The Spells and Bouttes

My Cutie-Pie

The Spells

Big Bird....Oh I mean Cade:)

I was so excited that Jennifer finally decided to ride big thunder railroad and she liked it:)

She also decided to ride rockin roller coaster....I was so happy she did and she said she might actually do it again...YAYY

In all fairness here is mine.....and I look just a terrified!!

Michelle and I also rode the Rockin Roller Coaster but didn't capture a picture:( And for some reason I got very few shots of her and Morgan....I think its cause Chris had my camera the times that it was just Michelle, Morgan and I:( But we had tons of fun:)

Some random pics of the boy. He sure love to play now and daddy plays with him every night when he comes home from work.

Funny Faces

Bumbo:)

Pitiful!!!

Loves his Teddy Bear

So Excited

Playing with Daddy again

Yummy??

Not so much!!

Happy Easter!! Merry Christmas In April:)

2009-04-10T13:17:00.002-04:00

So last weekend we took Benjamin to meet the Easter Bunny for the first time. I thought it was going to be about 10 bucks for a few pics. HA! Try double that for just 2 pics. Well, it was worth it because he just looks so sweet. I grew up with my mother taking me and my brother to see the Easter Bunny every year, Even when I was well into my teens. I plan on having these little traditions for Ben, Just for fun:) Plus, I love his little preppy outfit. The Disney pooh collection at target is my favorite by far!

All the newborn sleepers are getting too small for Ben. Alot of the smaller ones have been too small for a few weeks. Now most of them are so small that he can't stretch out his little legs. So we had to go buy some 0-3 month ones. I have not had a chance to wash them and he spit up on all the ones that somewhat fit. So I went digging and found a sleeper that my friend gave me. Her son was born Dec. 17th. Just in time for a Christmas sleeper. Well, It is size small not newborn so it fit. HA! He got to celebrate Christmas and Easter all in one week:)

Yesterday Morning I started seeing the birdfood from the feeder in the backyard going down. When Chris got home he asked me if I had been paying attention to it. He told me to look real close. I realized we had a little friend eating our birdfood:) So I grabbed the camera and zoomed in and was able to get this shot of him.

Can you see how he chewed his way into it? Silly little squirrel. Makes me think of the commercial for trix cereal.....Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids:)

Does Motherhood Really Hurt?

2009-04-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

So Benjamin is 13 weeks as of yesterday and I would have thought that most of my baby weight would be gone by now. Now don't get me wrong, if I would have been told that I would keep this weight forever I wouldn't care because it was all worth it. But I know that it is possible to lose the weight. I have always had a hard time keeping weight off . One reason is due to being so short. But I took up running before I got pregnant and was planning on running in the Disney Jan 09 half-marathon. HA! Plans never work out for me! But I am so glad they didn't:) Anyway, I decided since these extra 20 pounds are not moving that I would start running again. BTW, I only gained 30 pounds when pregnant and I came home weighing the same amount as I did when I left to deliver Ben?!? Then due to BFing I kept most of the weight on and then before I knew it I had lost 15 pounds. I was happy. Then I had to stop BFing. Five pounds came back. UGH! So, Here I am 20 pounds "Overweight" so running again it is!!!! But the problem.....#1)I have a new baby who wants all my attention(which I LOVE giving it to him) and as soon as I get on the treadmill he knows it! So I try the bouncer and when he gets tired of that I try the swing and when he gets tired of that I try the floor mat with sea friends to kick and when he gets tired of that I try the Bassinet with his mobile and when he gets tired of that.......I have to stop and give him attention. I usually get to walk/run about 5 minutes or less at a time. Ok so problem #2) After having a baby I feel old. My body hurts more. Really???? Its kinda crazy but my knees wanna give out on me and my legs felt like they were gonna fall off yesterday. And I only got to run 1/2 mile. I have to admit though that since Ben doesn't give me much time.....I crank up the treadmill. Yeperoni......crank it up and run as fast as I possibly can for as long as I can. That is until my knees go weak and my legs feel like jello. Oh and when his bouncer was no more fun I was holding him and picking up his floor mat at the same time and my leg muscles almost did not hold us up. I have been told that having a baby ages you. Well if it does then how do you stay young so that you can keep up with them? I don't want to be sitting on the sidelines watching Chris (who of course is in great shape, maybe he should try and have a baby!) and Ben playing around. I don't want to be one of those mothers that their son passes up in performance at age 10. LOL. If we are riding bikes I wanna be right there with the both of them. HA!

So the question to all of you is did motherhood hurt you? I mean hurt in every possible good way. Motherhood could never actually hurt.....not the heart anyways:)

Zantac & Texas

2009-04-02T18:40:00.006-04:00

Benjamin is 12 weeks old as of yesterday. We have finally found what works for him and his feedings. Zantac for acid reflux has been a blessing. I don't know how long we will have to use it but for now it has helped so much. The only thing about Zantac is its very minty just like taking tums. So we have to hurry and put the bottle in his mouth after giving it to him or he spits it all out. LOL. The playtex drop-ins also help alot. I hate being wasteful but Ben doesn't like anything else. I am hoping that in a few months we can switch back to the avent bottles. Ben is also back on the A.R Lipil formula. He likes it the most but it makes nasty chunks when he spits up. I was leaving to go to the store today and I heard Ben start fussing and decided to get out and make sure he had his pacifier. Well, he had spit up and he spit the chunks out of his mouth and across the car and it was on the back of 2 out of 3 seats. LOL.

We went to Texas the 25th-30th and enjoyed all of our family meeting Benjamin for the first time. Ben enjoyed it for the most part but got cranky Saturday and Sunday from being passed around so much. Saturday we stayed at my grandparents for most of the day and he slept and slept. LOL. He has been sleeping alot since we got back too. But he did really well on the plane. Alot better than I thought he would. We brought some pedialyte with us because he LOVES it and I knew that he would need to clear his ears during take off and landing. He did very well with it. He sucked it down so much that I had to constantly take it out of his mouth and wait a minute then put it back in for more ear clearing. It was alot of fun and it made my worry of flying alot less because my attention was on him and it almost made me forget we were flying. Not to mention he was a conversation starter. LOL.

Here are a few good pics from our trip.

My Mamaw and Papaw seeing Benjamin for the first time.

My Aunt Vickie, Papaw and Ben. I think Ben likes Papaws cowboy hat!

Makenna....Yeah she could pass as mine!

Renee and Makenna meeting Ben.

My Dad saying hello again.

Cousins!

Aunt Renee with Benjamin

Aunt Roxanne makes Ben smile!

Aunt Nikki, Cousins Allanah, Lauren & Aidan with Ben.

Uncle Chris with his Neices.

Grandma and Ben.....Priceless!

"Aunt" Bev, "Aunt" Susan, "Aunt" Linda and "cousin" Evie.

Sisters

Crazy Tavia and I

Well, gotta go. Guess who is cranky?

Acid Reflux?

2009-03-21T16:37:00.002-04:00

Okay so the Colic formula did not work. We tried both and he eventually got diarrhea not to mention he just hated drinking the stuff. We are now being told to put him back on AR Lipil....which has added rice cereal. The thickness will coat his little tummy and keep the Acid Reflux to a minimum. If it keeps acting up they are going to put him on Tagament. The Dr. told us he did not want to classify Ben as Colic but maybe high maintenance. He shows some signs of Colic but also signs of what might be Acid Reflux. So how do we know? I guess we just put him on Tagament and see if it works?!?! I am hoping something does because I want my little man to be happy. I have a history of Reflux so I totally know what he feels like and my heart goes out to him. In fact, I am on Nexium and was on it the whole time I was pregnant. Poor guy. So looks like I am responsible for giving Benjamin Acid Reflux:( Sorry Sweetie. Mommy loves you!

Colic???

2009-03-18T14:11:00.003-04:00

So over the past month we have had alot of feeding problems with Benjamin. From Spitting up, Projectile Vomiting and Fussiness and Gas. We have tried every formula on the market exept the colic formula. That is what I just got back from the store with. We have tried several kinds of bottles including Dr. Browns and Playtex drop-ins. The Dr. is now saying Colic may be what he suffers from. I have read where Colic babies cry all day everyday for no reason. I never thought he could be Colic because although he may cry he will stop when we pick him up. And although he is gassy it doesn't seem to make him overly fussy. But because he can't seem to keep down but an ounce or two from a four ounce bottle the Dr. is calling it Colic. We shall see. If the Colic formula doesn't agree with him then I don't know what to do. We have a Dr. appt. tomorrow.

Wish me luck! And prayer too! I just want my baby to be full and happy!

Poor Baby....

2009-03-13T14:02:00.002-04:00

Ben started fussing while I was writing my last blog. Then he started crying as I was posting the picture. I decided it would take just a second and to let him cry. I felt so bad when I walked over to his swing and he had spit up all over his onesie, buried in his double chin, in his nose and all in his hand. I wish I would have taken a picture but I felt so bad I immediately took him to his room to clean him up. LOL. See what happens when I take just 5 minutes to try and write a blog. Now I must try and eat and maybe walk on my treadmill before he wakes up:)

OMG Way Too Long!

2009-03-13T11:42:00.003-04:00

Way too much time has passed since I have written on here. I have been thinking about it everyday. Right now Benjamin is nice and comfy and quiet in his swing. I should be taking a shower right now. Or fixing me something to drink. Because I know he will get fussy soon. That is why it is hard to get on here. I am okay when he gets a little fussy but I cannot stand it when he cries. So Yes I hold him alot. He has had alot of tummy problems and I can't help but think that sometimes when he cries he is hurting and I want to comfort him. Some people say I am spoiling him while others say they can't be spoiled at this age. Is it spoiling him if we let him fall asleep on Chris chest every night? Or that every morning after his breakfast we go back to bed and its in my arms he sleeps? I love this time together. Yesterday morning he was laying beside me and looking up at me. I thought he was sleeping so I had my eyes closed. I heard him cooing and opened my eyes and he was just smiling at me and cooing like crazy. Ben in such a sweet boy. Melts my heart.

I will, oneday, get on here and write our birth story. It was such an amazing day. But right now my days are filled with taking care of him and being there when he smiles so I can catch it on camera. Making sure I don't miss anything. I feel so lucky to be able to stay home and take in all his firsts. Even though I need to get better at writing them down. Anyone else have a hard time finding time to write in baby books? Or just to write period? Well he is starting to fuss. Let me share a pic before I go. More to come.

Thank you Rhonda for this outfit. It is my favorite and I just loved him in it for his first pictures. I just love him sooooo much!!!!

Introducing Benjamin David Courtney

2009-01-16T12:36:00.002-05:00

Benjamin David Courtney born January 7th 2009 5 lbs 14 oz 19 inches

Proud Parents

Proud Mommy

Thank Heavens for Little Boys

What a cutie pie

Birthday Party for Chris, My Dad and Benjamin

So Tired

Benjamin Just "Chillin" in his swing. He has already changed so much!

Okay so the birth story to come soon. But I wanted everyone to see pics. We are so in awe and in love with our new baby boy.

Amazed, Sad, Excited, Scared, Dedicated, Thankful

2009-01-05T13:30:00.008-05:00

Emotions that I am feeling right now..Amazed..Sad..Excited..Scared..Dedicated..Thankful

I am so amazed that I am 39 weeks pregnant and that very soon I will have Baby Benjamin in my arms to snuggle with. I am amazed at Gods outpouring of Love and I can feel it everyday that Benjamin is inside of me. Knowing where Ben came from and how that can only be from God is truly amazing to me. Starting from just a tiny embryo and God using my body to nourish and protect my baby boy is truly Amazing.

I am sad because very soon I will look down and no longer see a belly but my feet again instead. Sad because I won't feel Benjamin twist and turn and kick anymore. Sad because for the first time December 30th Chris and I felt Ben hick-up. He hick-uped again last night too. Soon I won't be able to feel that inside of me. Last night Chris also put his ear up to my belly and heard Benjamins heartbeat for the first time without using any amplifier. Sad that soon that vision will only be a memory.

I am sooooo excited to meet my little boy and hold him close. To feed him and connect with him locking eyes with mine. To bathe him and clothe him in all his cutesy little boy outfits that are in his new closet and dresser. To rock him to sleep. To fall asleep with him in my arms. To watch him grow and learn and have milestones like crawling and walking and talking. To hear him say his first words. For him to tell me he loves me. I am so excited for Benjamin to grow up with a set of parents that love him soooo much and want nothing more than to help him grow up to be a mature, honest and moral man just like his father. And to be goofy and fun right beside his father. I can't wait to see Chris hold him and teach him and play with him. To tag him along to all his sporting stuff. I also can't wait to see him take after me. To be giving, loving and maybe a little bit of a worrier. To be outspoken and spunky. To be outgoing and loud. I am so excited to see which characteristics he gets from Chris and I. Will he have my curly hair? Will he be short? Average? Tall? Brown eyes? Blue Eyes? He has no choice but to be pale:) I am so excited to meet my little boy!

I am scared of labor. Not knowing what to expect. Being the first time. Not knowing which option when asked is best. Pain. No modesty. I have tried to prepare myself by watching some labors on youtube. Some are absolutely amazing. They seem like they are too perfect. It seems like there is no way it can ever be that perfect. There is this one video where it is just the woman and her husband and the midwife or dr only comes into the picture for a few seconds to check things out. It is very short and she is smiling and happy the whole time. The father catches the baby and the mother brings her knees up to her chest and holds her baby so tight while smiling and laughing. I am soooo scared. There will be nurses and tubes and monitors beeping and the dr poking and checking. I am also scared of my little boy entering this crazy and sometimes cruel world. Knowing that he is no longer protected inside of me is scary. Knowing that I can't always be there to protect him from getting hurt. Knowing that he will cry and be sad. Scared that he may have to endure the same pain as humans that Chris and I have.

Dedicated. To raise my son in the best way possible so that he is responsible and Godly. That he will not be ashamed of who he is or where he came from. That he will love life and treat himself with respect and most important to treat other people with twice the respect. I am dedicated to raise Benjamin to know and love his family. To respect all woman and to be a Godly man to them. To find a loving and respectable woman to become his wife. To put her first behind God and to raise his children in the same Godly way that his father and I have raised him.

I am sooo thankful that we have had the experience of having a child. Being pregnant has been the most amazing thing for both of us. I am so thankful that this pregnancy has been so easy. I mean, it has been so easy that I feel I could have ten more:) I am thankful that I never have felt miserable or have never had any complications. That I have had the perfect textbook pregnancy. I am thankful to have family and friends who have done so much and given us so much to make Benjamins arrival perfect. He has more clothes that I can even imagine and he has everything he may ever need to make him happy as a little baby. I am thankful knowing that God will make a way to make sure that Benjamin always has what he needs. That we as parents will always have whatever it takes to raise Benjamin safe and healthy. I am thankful that Benjamin will be raised in a nice new home in a nice neighborhood with nice schools. I am just thankful. For everything. For everyone. Especially for my Husband and my little boy.

Benjamin, I want you to know that I have enjoyed every single second that you have been growing in my tummy. I know you will not remember being born but I know that it will be the best day of mine and your fathers life. You have already given us so much and I know you will give us so much more. The love we already have for you is over pouring. I hope you can feel it now and forever more.

May 8th. The day we found out we were pregnant.

Now we wait for Benjamins arrival.

New Years Eve

2009-01-01T21:31:00.005-05:00

So New Years Eve was so great because we rang in the new year right after finishing the Nursery. It took so long because I changed my mind a time or two. I decided not to decorate in Nemo border and stickers and chose the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep instead. I am very happy with my decision and I want to eventually decorate in Nemo but I don't think it was "Baby" enough. So here are the pics:)

I know this picture is dark but I thought it was kinda cool to see his name in the mirror with him in my belly in the mirror:)

Well, I had my Dr. Appt on Monday and I am now Dialated to a two. Dr says things look good and that he will see me next Monday. I have gained just right at 30 pounds and my blood pressure and everything is perfect. My feet are still a little swollen and I notice my face is really having the swollen look. My nose even seems swollen. LOL. He is definatley running out of room and I still can't seem to eat very much at once. I actually don't seem to be gaining. But I know Benjamin is.

39 weeks today. My bags are packed for the hospital and the nursery is complete so now I am just sitting back and waiting. We have done alot of last minute shopping for the baby and things for the hospital and it seems like the more walking and tired I get the more I feel contractions and pressure. Gets a little scary sometimes wondering if my water is going to break or if I will start getting real contractions in Walmart or the mall. LOL. I think I will stay close to home from now on. Although I wonder what free gifts we would get if we did have our baby in a store somewhere. LOL.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-27T11:31:00.004-05:00

Christmas Morning at 38 weeks. As you can see there are still boxes to unpack. But, we were able to put the tree up at the last minute so we could enjoy Christmas. We cooked all morning and then picked Susie up from the airport and then ate lunch around 2. I got so full so quick. I was kinda disappointed because I felt the Christmas Stuffed feeling way too soon. LOL. But Benjamin loved it all. I have to admit that snacking is so fun when pregnant at Christmas. Since I can't seem to eat a whole lot at once snacking has become something I do alot of. And what better time to find goodies to snack on than at Christmas:) I can get full off of Judy's (Jessica's Mom) cupcake cheesecakes. And they are sooooo good:)

I should have pics up of the Baby room and house by the end of the weekend. Or that is what the plan is anyways:)

Nursery, Ultrasound and Dr. Appt.

2008-12-24T10:02:00.002-05:00

I have been in severe nesting mode but have not been able to quench my thirst because everything else besides the babys room has taken my time away. I can clean and organize the house but still feel the nesting itch because I am not cleaning and organizing the baby room. The sunroom is almost finished and then we can put the birds out there and then make the room they are in the spare room. Therefore, actually making room for us to organize the baby room. Right now there are so many boxes piled up in Benjamins room and alot of it isn't even his. Just getting stuff out of the way. BUT, I AM SOOOO EXCITED because this past weekend I found exactly what I was looking for in furniture for his room. I kept looking on craigslist hoping to find a great dresser that would not just serve as a "baby" dresser but something that would last for years to come. People who are selling real wood furniture do so at a very expensive cost. And if you find a "deal" it is usually gone fast. I was very lucky to find a white dresser with mirror and matching TV armoire. I won't be putting a TV in there now but I am excited about using the space for pictures and whatnot. The furniture has a distressed look which I love. So while at this families house picking up the furniture the mom told me about some second hand stores that may have a baby bed for a decent price. I was telling her there was a bed I really liked at Babies R Us but it was a little too costly for my budget. BTW, the reason I was choosing BRU is because they have their furniture on display where you can see and feel the quality. I thought I would like the Jenny Lind bed but found it difficult to put the side rail up and down. Actually, most of them were very hard for me to do. Either my arms are too short or my knee is not in the right place to push the bottom in. Anyways, so we went to this second hand shop and found the PERFECT bed that I was dreaming of for $100 dollars cheaper than what BRU sales it for. HA! Best thing is it looked brand new. So after talking to the owner he said it was brand new right out of the package. He put it together himself. Now, I want to very much trust people and sometimes I do trust a little too much:) but I am going to take his word for it. And if by chance it is second hand you can't tell at all:) So I am a happy girl. We have the furniture set up. I love walking in there and I can't wait until everything is set up. Oh the joys of the waiting game. LOL.

So I had the ultrasound on Friday and the tech asked me my due date. She then starts measuring the head. I thought the head looked big but she thought otherwise. The machine then measured his head as 33 weeks along. After she measured the rest of him it also said 33 weeks along. Wow! So I asked her if that was okay. She said yep just a small little boy. Then she had it calculate how much he weighs. It said 5 pounds 9 ounces. I know this is just an estimate but it still looks like he is not a very big boy. So for the weekend all I could do think about what the Dr. was going to say.

So I had the Dr. appt yesterday. He was very happy that he is a small baby and said everything looks good. After checking me he said I am now a "true" 1 cm. He said he could tell a difference from last week to this week saying that I am definitely progressing as I should be. So no more talk about a scheduled c-section. Also, when he "checked" me last week I was nearly to tears and this week when he checked me I was in no pain. He made a comment saying that shows how I am progressing. So now it is a waiting game. He thinks I am now fine for a normal delivery and will only do a c-section if things stop progressing.

I am still having contractions. I am still having back pain from the contractions from last week but it is getting better. I have noticed the more I do and what I do affects the pain and it gets worse later at night. My nausea has seemed to go away but my appetite is still small. Last night for dinner I had a decent size plate of food to eat. It was spicy Thai so I got pretty thirsty right away. I drank down a glass of tea and had no more room for food. I had then realized that at lunch I was in a hurry and did not drink anything with my nuggets. Maybe that's why I needed so much tea. And the weirdest thing happened. I was rocking in the chair after drinking and my tea was sloshing around. But its not in the "normal" sloshing place. It was way up high. Above Benjamins butt. Felt really weird.

Susie comes in from TX tomorrow afternoon. So last night we put up our Christmas tree and Chris put up some lights outside. It just did not feel like Christmas because we have been so focused on the house and the baby that we had not taken any time to do anything Christmassy. So we made the Christmas tree Blue and Silver....for Benjamin:) I can't wait until he gets here and I can buy his personalized baby ornament:)

Sinking in....

2008-12-18T10:08:00.002-05:00

So it's all starting to sink in. We will be holding a little baby boy in our arms very soon. I was trying to relax last night and watch some TV but all I could think about was how soon he was going to be here. I am in severe nesting mode right now. Which is really hard because there are alot of things I cannot do myself around here. Chris is busy when he gets off of work building on a sunroom to our back patio. So until he is finished with that I am trying to find things that I can actually do to help with the nesting and organizing.

I had a Dr. appt for my swollen feet on Friday. I was told to take it easy. So, I thought I would slow down a little bit. I don't know if slowing down made me realize just how tired and exhausted I really am or what but Sunday and Monday I slept in pretty late which I normally don't do. I was having mild cramping and contractions but thought nothing of them. Then by Tuesday Morning I was going to get up early and try to do more things around the house but I still felt crampy. I then ended up having a pretty major set of contractions. It was weird and different from all the other contractions I was having. I felt it in my lower back and it seemed to want to stay no matter how I moved. It was actually hard to move because it was pretty strong. Ever since that contraction I have had back pain. I already had a Dr appt scheduled that day so when I went in I told him what happened and he said I was going to be uncomfortable because I am in the final stages. WHAT? WOW? It has come really fast. I don't have everything ready. He said I am 1 cm dilated. When I went to the Dr about my feet I saw the Midwife. I talked to her about the planned C-section the Dr mentioned. She told me that if the baby is under 8 pounds then I should be fine to deliver normally. But otherwise I should consider the C-section. She made me feel like she would be able to spend more time with me during labor than the Dr. and that she would check me early on and throughout to make sure I was progressing good and then we would be able to tell if I needed a C-section. Before my appt with my original Dr. on Tuesday I prayed to God asking him to help me with this decision. I asked Him to help me with the decision of a Midwife Vs. Dr. and with normal delivery vs. planned C-section. So when I went in I tried my hardest not to offend the Dr. with my questions about the Midwife and the difference in time that they may have over him. I feel really good with his answer. He told me that he will not just be there to "catch" the baby. He will set me up and check me periodically and monitor my progress. He said he would make the decision for a C-section if he felt I or the baby was in danger. He made sure to say the words "you need to trust me". I felt like God was answering my questions. I know the Dr. must have been frustrated that I was doubting him. I think he realized he scared me though about the scheduled C-section talk. He told me that some women like the sound of that. I let him know that I don't really want to have that so he made me feel comfortable knowing that if I want to try normally then we can but that he has the experience needed to tell when a C-section is necessary. Thank you God for making me feel comfortable because right now that is one less thing I want to worry about.

It's quite funny because I asked the Dr. soooo many questions and as he was walking out the door he said I know you feel like you have all these questions but don't worry we won't know all the answers until even closer to time. So, I am taking a chill pill! LOL. I go tomorrow for my ultrasound to see how big Benjamin is so far. The Dr. estimated 6 pounds. We shall see.

It's really weird because this whole pregnancy I have felt that I could be pregnant forever. I still don't feel like I want him out this very second. But I definitely know what women are talking about now when they say they are uncomfortable. I am so blessed to have had such an easy pregnancy. I am actually just now starting to feel nauseous. I felt slightly nauseous at the beginning but felt better when my tummy was really full. I never threw up once. But now I am feeling like I have no appetite. Throughout the whole pregnancy breakfast has been something I never skip. But before I was pregnant I never wanted breakfast. That's how I feel now. Like I don't want anything to eat until lunch. And even then I find it a little difficult. But it's nothing major. Just minor blah feeling.

On another note, it does not feel like Christmas over here. It is suppose to be in the 80's this weekend. Which is okay because I have no pregnancy winter clothes. But what about hot cocoa on Christmas morning? May not have any. LOL. Maybe we will set the thermostat to 68 so we will feel chilly enough for it. LOL.

Well, I am 37 weeks today! Pretty crazy. Time flies. I am already feeling like I can't keep up with everything. I have a pregnancy journal that I have not wrote in since before our Tx trip. Things have been crazy busy ever since we got back. I am kinda mad at myself because I don't want to forget anything. But I think that I am just getting myself ready for when the baby is here. Because am I really going to have time to write in a baby journal once he is here? I am thinking probably not. LOL. I am glad I started this site. I may not track everything here but I am sure it will serve as a reminder of my journey later down the road.

Moving Hurts!

2008-12-10T17:06:00.003-05:00

I don't suggest anyone move while just a month from their due date! I am extremely exausted. My ankles look like they belong to the Marshmellow Man. And not only are my Ankles swollen but the bottoms are swollen. So every step I take hurts sooo bad. But that is really the only complaint I have. I feel fine otherwise. I am super tired but that comes with moving anyways.

I know I have been slacking with writing but I must keep this short. I have sooo much stuff to do and my nesting stage is definatley setting in. So looking at all these boxes is annoying me so now that Chris is home I get to have him help me organize it all. What fun! I want the baby room set up first but of course thats not realistic. LOL

BTW, The baby room is sooooo pretty! It is painted baby blue with white trim and a middle border. I am sooooo happy with it. I can't wait to set everything up.

Which actually needs to be pretty soon because the Drs. are talking about taking him early. Suppose to be due Jan 10th but they want to take him the end of the month. We will know more next Tuesday. He might be a New Years Baby!!!

Okay, so much for short.....I will update sooner next time. I promise:)

Time to Shout it out!!!!

2008-11-26T11:04:00.004-05:00

We are buying a house! We are actually suppose to close this friday. There were some things the seller needed to fix before we could start the closing process and with the economy the way it is I was a little worried about telling everyone right away. Just in case. But we have been very lucky and we are very happy to announce that we will soon be in our new house. And it will be ours. Our first house to call our very own. We are so happy and we looked for so long. We love the location it is in first and foremost. Then we decided we liked this house even though it is older because the trees and neighborhood is more mature. Alot of houses we looked at around the same neighborhood were newer houses and there were no mature trees and the houses were spitting distance away. So we took our time and the right house came along. It pays to be picky:)

In other news, Gracie got fixed yesterday. I feel so bad for her. She was wanting to walk around and was still drugged up. She kept falling over and was trying her hardest to jump on things. Of course I kept her from doing so and because she is so stubborn I have to keep her in a kennel. I figure for at least a few more days until she can fully walk and jump without hurting herself. I let her out to eat, drink and use the litter box. She is so tired though she is doing nothing but sleeping in the kennel. They did not send me home with any pain medicine but said they gave her a shot that should last for several days. I am sure hoping she is not in any pain:( And I am praying this fixes her attacking problem. Because she is the sweetest kitty.

Well, I was trying to upload pics from our Tx trip but the upload on Blogger is messing up. I have no more patience for it:) Plus, I have a ton of stuff to do. I will try later.

Cat Fight Leads to Braxton Hicks!?!

2008-11-24T10:45:00.002-05:00

So last night was the craziest night EVER!! So for those who don't know we have two cats. One is over ten years old, Sandy, and she is a fat Siamese. She is declawed and spayed. The "kitten" I call her, Gracie, is about three years old and is very tiny. She has alot of fur but without the fur she is a little bitty girl. She is not spayed or declawed. Crazy thing though is that Gracie never really tries very hard to get outside. All we have ever done is hiss at her or nudge her with our foot and she walks away from the door. Alot of times she just stands there sniffing the outside air but never tries to walk out. Well, last night was extremely different. Chris was taking Sugar outside and Gracie was by the door and ran to get out. Chris hissed and pushed her away with his foot. She then tried again but with more force and had a horrible meow behind it. So he picked her up and tossed her a foot or so away. She came back for more. Chris was having a hard time getting the dog in because she was acting hesitant because of the cat. So when Gracie came back again and even stronger willed Chris tossed her a little further which ended up being in the hallway, about five feet from the door and a few feet from Sandy. Gracie immediately started attacking Sandy. That is when I come into the picture because the cat screaming was horrible. By the time I run in there they had both made their way into the office which is down the hall and through the dining room. At this point Chris had ahold of Gracie but she was going spastic and was biting and clawing up his hands. So he tossed her into the dining room. But it was far from over. She still wanted to fight. And it was Chris or Sandy she wanted. We closed off the office, which is not a real door but a plastic accordion door, and she was trying her best to still get to Sandy. So I took Sugar and Sandy into the bedroom so that Gracie would not hurt either one of them. That is when I notice Sandy is bleeding. She has very thick fur but I could not find any cuts except on her paws. From what it looks like is that she used her back claws as much as possible to grip the floor and get away from Gracie. Her claws looked a little shredded on the tips and it maybe even further which is what caused the bleeding. Other than that Sandy is luckily very fine. Gracie was still acting crazy and wanted to attack Chris when he was coming back inside from getting the kennel. She did not seem interested in going outside anymore but just wanted to hiss and attack him. But not me. So into the kennel she went for the night. Sandy finally decided to venture out of the bedroom and was not even close to the kennel and Gracie was wanting to attack. So we had to move Gracie into her own room while in the kennel. I felt really bad but could not chance her hurting Sandy again.

Well, I called the vet and of course she needs to be Spayed. They wanted to run tests on both cats for crazy diseases like Leukemia and Cancer which was going to be very expensive. I really don't think that Gracie is acting like this because of a disease. Chris had a cat that did this exact same thing and was back to normal after being fixed. So we will also get her declawed and we will see if this fixes it. Because honestly, I just took a picture a few days ago of both cats sleeping nearly on top of each other. They may not act like they love each other all the time but they have never done this before. And Gracie is normally the sweetest cat ever. She will let you do anything to her. So it was really sad to watch it all last night.

In the mix of all the commotion I started having contractions. I haven't had them in quite a while actually. And last night they did not want to stop. I had to try and get my mind off of my cats and think about something else. After I started tending to Chris and the cuts on his hands I forgot about the contractions and at some point they stopped.

I have an appointment for Gracie to be fixed in the morning. She is now in the "bird room" with Keeco and he is actually imitating the cat fight noises. LOL. I thought Gracie was fighting with herself or possibly Keeco but he picked up on the fight so now we may never know when its a real fight or not. LOL. Sandy is so funny because she still wants to know where Gracie is. She keeps going and sniffing at the door. I think they really do care for each other and hopefully in a few days everything will be back to normal:)

Texas Trip

2008-11-19T10:55:00.004-05:00

We are back home! We had an awesome time with Family and Friends. I must say it was still hard to leave but this time was different. We got to spend so much time with everyone that it was very relaxing and wasn't rushed until the very end. I believe this is the longest trip we have made so far. The driving was a little rough. And once we go to Texas we both started having sinus problems. Still having some but its slowly going away.

We had two baby showers. Both were totally awesome and way more than I expected. The first was thrown by Chris family and the second was thrown by my family. We rented a small Uhaul trailer to bring everything back in and that sucker was pretty dang full. We brought back a lazy boy from my grandparents house and a rocker/ottoman from my Dad and Tavia's house. We are just so greatful and appreciative of everything that everyone has done for us. Little Benjamin has so many great things already and I can't wait until he is here to enjoy them.

The very last day we were in Tx was the craziest. We were pressed for time because we had a hotel waiting in Pensacola. And driving a trailer back would take longer than it did the first time around. So everything started going wrong. The trailer did not fit right (even after messing with it the day before and being an hour late to the shower) and Chris spent alot of time trying to make it less loud. Can you imagine driving 13+ hours with a squeaky annoying trailer. Thankfully, with all the guys helping we managed to have a very quiet ride home. And the drag from the trailer was not as bad as we thought it would be. We made it to Pensacola at a very decent hour and headed straight to bed. We sorta took our time on Monday driving back and still made it home around 6pm.

So the craziest thing that happened the day we left was during lunch with my family. We went to Casa Ole which USED to be our most favorite place to eat in TX. Well, nearly done with our meal my Aunt found a roach in her half drank tea. The manager explains that they sprayed for bugs and washed all dishes but that one must have gotten left behind. OMG, so I am kinda freaked wondering if we are eating off of bug spray plates. So a few minutes later everyone is standing up to leave but me. Chris notices a can under my seat. He rolls it and notices it is a bug fogger. WHAT!! So he picks it up to give to the manager and it starts spraying all over the table and me! So Chris quickly points it to the ground and drops it. It is spraying on my feet and legs! I am kinda freaking out because the smell and taste is overwhelming. The manager then picks it up and it starts to spray again. UGH. So the ride back to my grandparents to shower seemed to take forever. Even after showering I could still taste it. I then decided it must be in my hair. So I washed it too. Then I ate leftover shower cake to get that nasty taste out of my mouth. An hour after eating.....finally no bug spray smell. UGH! What an adventure! Needless to say our meal was free!!!

But it all ended well!! To our surprise somebody broke into our home and left stuff.....instead of stealing:) Jason and Jessica surprised us with a new kitchen table and chairs and even some new dishes. All plastic for Benjamin to use when he gets big enough:) and they even had a little froggy set for him with a sippy cup and bib and this cool froggy bowl that suctions to the table. LOL. Right smack dab in the middle of the table was a big seahorse light for Benjamin's room:) The coolest thing. Chris could not help but hang it up in the living room until we get his room set up. LOL.

I had a Dr. Appt. Yesterday and I had some swelling from the drive to and from Tx. They did not seemed worried and actually said at this point swelling is to be expected. Thankfully though the swelling went down. The very next morning after coming home it went down alot. But I still think my feel look alot fatter than normal. And my lips look plumper. LOL. Guess I better enjoy that while I can. LOL. Oh, and even after being in Tx and eating foods I normally don't eat and then adding leftover shower cake to it all....I only gained 3 more pounds in 3 weeks time. YAYY! I really thought it was going to be more. So 25 pounds so far. The little bitty Dr. I saw yesterday seemed to think I am gaining too much.....but that's only one Drs. opinion. All the others have been very fine with my weight gain. I am fine with it too. I just pray he is not too big so that I can avoid a c-section.

I have tons of pics from the trip. But that will have to be added later. Gotta go get some groceries.

Benjamins "First" Halloween.....

2008-11-03T09:50:00.007-05:00

Guess what Benjamin was for Halloween?

We even made an air hole. LOL. My belly button! Believe it or not my belly button is still an innie.

It was soooo much fun to decorate my belly. It wasn't really for Halloween because we did it the day after so we could go find the face paint on sale. Although, when we got to wal-mart there was really nothing left. So we ended up just getting children's face paint in the arts and craft section. Thank goodness we did though because I don't think the stuff they sale for Halloween would have been enough to cover my belly. LOL. Chris did a really great job and he loved getting out his old soccer uniforms. I think the one I am wearing is from when he was in Jr. High.

I mentioned in my last post that we had a Dr's. appt. last Monday. Everything went very well. Much to my surprise I have gained....you ready for this....1 pound since last visit! I could not believe it. There was a month between visits and only a pound gain. I was expecting to hear like at least 5 pounds. Because it really does feel like I am getting bigger. And I guess I am since when the Dr. started to measure my belly I said "I don't think that's gotten any bigger because I have only gained a pound since last visit." Ha. He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and said "Oh you've gotten bigger!" The way he said it was like oh trust me this boy is growing. LOL.

So I really liked this Dr. He is the head of the office and this was our first time to meet with him. I thought he was going to be very hurried and that we would have a hard time asking him all the questions we had about our birth plan. But it was quite opposite actually. He was very patient and he sat down and just let us ask away. And he did not act like anything we asked was stupid. He did ask me how tall I was. LOL. And I knew where this conversation was leading. Chris answered "On a bad hair day shes 4'10". The dr. laughed and said "Well, you know what we say about women under five foot right?" Oh no, here it comes...."They are usually very petite framed and have a hard time delivering so you might need a c-section if he looks like he may be too much for you to push out." Great, I knew it. LOL. I said "Okay so we don't want a nine pounder right?" "Oh, seven pounds may be too big for you." He said. So then he said that we can do an ultrasound closer to time and see how big he might be. So I guess it just depends on how big this little nugget decides to get. I feel like he is huge but I guess only time will tell.

We are leaving this Thursday for Texas. I am so excited but I have ALOT of stuff to do before we go. I am not really looking forward to the long drive but I am looking forward to making some crazy memories. Whether it be that we jam out to our favorite music to see how much Ben moves and shakes his little tail feather or whether we decide to stop at every McDonald's on I-10 from here to Tx so that I can pee....It will be fun...Tiring I am sure....but fun. And whats great about this trip is that we can bring alot more things than we normally do when we fly....including Sugar. She has not been to Tx in a long time. And since she has been the "baby" in our lives for so long everyone is going to enjoying seeing her, especially my Grandpa.

I can't believe I am already 30 weeks. Time is flying by. Getting scared no doubt. But also getting so anxious to have him here. I think that once we get all of our baby stuff I will really get anxious to have him here. I don't know why but I feel like I have procrastinated on alot of stuff while being pregnant. I think my nesting mode is starting, slowly I am getting to the point where I want everything perfect before he gets here. Even me. LOL. Of course that's not gonna happen but I feel like I need to constantly be doing something productive or I am not being a good "Mommy". I think Moms feel that way once the baby is born but I never thought I would feel that way before he is here. I don't have the feeding or diaper changes yet but when those things are here I will have less time to clean my house. So I think the house will be spotless before he gets here. Don't know how long it will stay that way. :)

Stretch Marks, Halloween Fun & Birth Plan

2008-10-27T12:47:00.004-04:00

Yea, So remember the 100% Cocoa Butter that I told yall about? Well, it really does work. How do I know you ask? Because I ran out and the store I bought it from was out so I reluctantly bought some 75% Cocoa Butter and 25% Jojoba Oil....Big mistake. Within 5 days I noticed 3 stretch marks pop up. So that is now a total of 4. Because one stupid day I decided to use baby oil instead of the Cocoa Butter and literally the next day I had a small stretch mark. I was actually happy to have it because I wanted to have some sort of scar to remember being pregnant. But now I have 4 and they are around my Tattoo. So it looks like my sunflower has sun rays beaming off the top of it. LOL.

Well, I am going to go to another store and buy the 100%. Now, if you know me you know that I am not THAT worried about my looks and I don't go on extreme diets or care what people think of me. But, if I know that I can avoid something like this then I don't see any reason not to. I already have alot of stretch marks on my hips just from gaining weight and growing up so trust me I am no beauty pageant contestant. LOL.

I am actually quite proud of the stretch marks I have. I created a pregnant memory and I know when I look back at them I will remember my little boy before he was born. Plus, I also have quite a while longer to go. Almost 11 weeks. So, who knows, I may be making some more memories which include waisting money on 100% Cocoa Butter and still getting stretch marks. LOL.

So, tonight I plan on making Caramel Apples with Chris and Benjamin. LOL. I know Benjamin will be a huge help. He usually gets active when I am either thinking about food or eating. Plus, He LOVES fruit AND chocolate AND Caramel. So I think we will both be pretty happy tonight. :)

Any ideas for painting my belly for Halloween? There is a pumpkin patch down the road. Maybe I can paint a pumpkin on my belly and blend into the crowd. :)

Dr. appt. today. Gonna ask him TONS of questions about the birth and my birthing plan. I have a feeling that since God has laughed at many of my other plans that He will laugh at this one too. If the Dr. laughs....maybe its a good sign that God is laughing. Hmmm, Anyone else have a "Birth Plan"? What was it and did it go as planned?

Thanks to everyone who reads and comments on this site. This is truly the happiest time in our lives. Pictures to come soon.

Amazed and Thankful!!

2008-10-20T12:32:00.004-04:00

Last night was soooo amazing! We heard Benjamin's Heartbeat from our bed last night. The coolest things ever! Chris Mom (Susie) sent us our first "Baby Box" back in our first trimester. It was right after we got home from our trip telling family about being pregnant. She just could not wait until we found out the sex. She went and got all kinds of stuff for the baby and I was so excited to find a baby heartbeat moniter. Now, it is nothing like what you see at the Dr's. Office. It is one from Baby's R Us and it says on the box that starting in your third trimester you can hear the baby's heartbeat. Well, that did not stop up from trying during the first and the second. About once a week we would frustrate ourselves with this monitor and never hear much of anything. Besides one time I believe I heard the rushing sounds of the placenta. But it was so faint and then went away. So I could not be for certain. And if any of you have ever tried this monitor it is basically just an amplifier. So you hear whatever background noise there is surrounding you. So we would make the house completely quiet. We would not sniffle nor cough because you could bust your eardrums out. Well, after many months of being disappointed by hearing my stomach processing food......We heard Ben's Heartbeat!!! It was the coolest thing ever!!! I had originally told Chris okay just five minutes I promise. We probably won't hear anything so just five minutes and we can go to bed. Well, a few minutes later we heard something very faint....Pluesh, Pluesh.....After re-positioning it a few times and turning up the volume......we could hear mine....BuBoom, BuBoom....And if you listened closely there was something you could hear right behind my heartbeat...Benjamins......BuBoom, Pluesh, Pluesh, BuBoom, Pluesh, Pluesh....and then mine slowly went away and it was just his.....Pluesh, Pluesh, Pluesh. I can't tell you just how amazing it was. I mean, I have heard it at every Dr's. Appt. since 12 weeks. But there is something about being able to listen to it at your house in your bed and just relaxing. When we hear it at the Dr's. Office it is usually for a whole 30 seconds. LOL. I think the first time she kept it in a little longer because I was crying and she knew it was our first time to hear it. But since then its really quick. I have to admit.....5 minutes turned into 30 last night. LOL. And it was so funny because neither one of us could sleep after that. We were both so excited. I fell asleep with my Son's Heartbeat in my Head....And in my Heart:)

Braxton, Charlie, Sleep and Registry

2008-10-18T11:10:00.003-04:00

So much to update about. I have something I can't wait to share with everybody but it will have to wait a few weeks. It is something we are very excited about but want to make sure before we jump the gun and shout it to the world. LOL.

So, I have come to the conclusion that I don't like Braxton or Charlie. They are definately on my list of men to avoid while pregnant. LOL. Okay, all joking aside, I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions. I have only had three so far but that has been plenty enough to let me know what they are and how to stop them. They seem to happen during the night when I am getting in or out of bed or when I am lounging around and decide to get up for something. They can happen at anytime I am sure of that but those are the times they have happened to me. I read up about them and next time I have one I am not just going to sit there and endure it like a precious pregnant milestone. I am going to move around or walk or stretch like the article from Babycenter.com suggested. Its funny how even something like Braxton Hicks is so special to me at this time. LOL. But that doesn't mean I like him!

And then there is Charlie. You know him. I know you do. His last name is Horse. Yea, Me and Charlie Horse are getting to know each other very well. For probably the last month. I beg him to stay away while I am driving but he always appears anyway. Thankfully for not too long and he never really makes a huge impression then. But he has made a HUGE impression while I have been sleeping. You would have thought I was in labor. And Chris is there telling me to move my foot around. I can't, Charlie has a hold of it and won't let go! I can't even look at my calf when it happens cause it looks all deformed and kinda grosses me out. Again, another milestone of pregnancy that I am actually happy to be able to write about. But that doesn't mean I like him!

Sleep. Oh how I miss him! That is one person I wish would come back into my life. I mean, not sleep that after I have been up and out of bed at least 1o times (to pee, of course) and then tossed and turned because my legs and hips are hurting only to have to roll over again soon because now the other side is hurting and then finally crawling out of bed between 9 and 10 a.m. only because I can't take it anymore kinda sleep. I mean, the kind of sleep where when your head hits the pillow you fall asleep and then before you know it the alarm is going off and it feels like you just now laid your head on the pillow because you NEVER woke up. NEVER! Thats how Chris sleeps. LOL. Not for long buddy. The baby crying will be waking you up. And me of course, but hey, I will be used to it. So sleep, I guess I will see you in about 2 years. Maybe. If I am lucky.

Some of you may have already received an invite to our baby shower. There will be two and they will be in TX in November. They have already sent out invites for the shower that my Dads side is throwing for us. The only thing they forgot to put in the invites is where we are registered. So anyone who needs to know, we are registered at Target and Babys r us. I don't know if this helps. I am thinking people may look up these places anyway since these are 2 of the 3 most popular places to register. Thanks in advance to everyone who is coming and I can't wait to see everyone and catch up. The only thing I think I am dreading is the drive there and back. But it is soooo worth it.

Well, I have many more things to talk about, like Chris just calling me about a german shepherd puppy for sale, but thats all for another day. LOL. Hopefully my next entry is not titled our new addition. LOL. PS. Anyone who knows Chris know that this is his favorite type of dog. Keep me in your prayers. LOL :)

Cake or the Truth?

2008-10-06T11:38:00.005-04:00

So last night we ate pizza and I ate freakin three pieces...I NEVER do that! Okay, it was thin crust but still. That's alot of pizza for me. So even after eating I still felt like I could use dessert....Chocolate:) So Jessica suggested we go to this wing place because they have really good cake by the slice and its only 2 bucks. Okay. Sounds good. We pull up to the place and I say I am kinda scared....It was a little bitty place next to a run down gas station. So she reassures me it is worth it. So the lady behind the counter has fake eyelashes and fake eye colored contacts in and she looks me straight in the eyes and asks "How many month r'you?" I reply "Six 1/2" Her face at this point is indescribable but I will try my best. She has her eyebrows up and her eyes are about to pop out of her head and her mouth is completely relaxed. I had a feeling I knew what that look meant but I asked anyway. "Do you think I look small or big?" She replies "BIIIIIG!!" Not just big okay, but BIIIIIG! So I am thinking what the heck does she know about being pregnant? She looks like she is 15 and a size zero. She then pulls her shirt tight around her waist and says "I fo months and I ain't even as big as you!" She keeps the same look on her face and asks me if I am having a boy or girl. I explain to her that I have heard that boys you carry more frontward and girls you carry all around including your backside. I told her that at 20 weeks or so I just gained alot and really started to show. I told her maybe the same might happen to her. She still kept the same look and in fact it changed to a more disbelief look than before. She watched me all the way out the door and into the car. I don't know if she was totally scared of whats to come or if she is thinking there is noway she would ever look like me. Either way I got told the honest truth from someone definately not afraid to tell me. LOL. She told me they were out of chocolate cake somewhere during the conversation but she might have been telling me that because she thought I did not need it. LOL. You would think that hearing the truth would have made me think twice about chocolate cake. NOPE. We went to the grocery store and bought one....a whole one. You know, the round ones with 4 layers of cake and icing:) I figure, if I am craving something I should go with it. The last thing I want is to look back at this pregnancy and regret not enjoying every minute of it. I eat healthy on an average daily basis. In fact, I make my cakes with applesauce instead of oil and I use less icing. But sometimes, the indulgence in "real" cake just hits the spot!

So I went camera happy. It's hard to tell the size of my belly in a black shirt so I decided to take from different angles. I really don't think I look that much bigger but yall be the judge. It can't get any worse than the chocolate cake lady so don't be afraid to tell me the honest truth. LOL.

26 weeks....it is just flying by. I am so glad I am enjoying every minute. Being big is soooo much fun right now:)

I calmed my craving.....

2008-10-02T15:19:00.004-04:00

So last night for supper I was craving something cold, like a slushie, but did not have very many ingredients for some of the recipes online. And alot of them were for punch and the recipes were for large quantities. After searching like a mad women around the house and entering my ingredients into the google search engine I came up with this delicious float recipe.

Orange Sunshine Sherbert Float

1 cup cold, pulp-free orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup cold ginger ale
2 scoops orange sherbert
Orange and/or Lemon rind (for garnish)

FIRST, mix and stir gently the orange juice, lemon juice, and ginger ale. THEN, put one scoop of orange sherbert in glass. Fill half the glass with juice. NEXT, add another scoop of orange sherbert. FINALLY, add juice as needed. Garnish the top with orange and/or lemon rind.

I did not use the rind because it was just me and my drink looked pretty enough without it. But for a party or something it might add that special touch.

I must say this hit the spot and calmed my craving and kept me from crying:) Yes, I was nearly to tears. But it feels soooo good to find that food or drink that just hits the spot. And then after I drank this I made banana walnut muffins:) And this was supper. LOL. Sounds yummy huh?!?

Just had to share. I am 26 weeks today and I will be sharing a pic later. Stay tuned:)

Glucose and Iron Test

2008-09-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

YUCKY!!!! Is how I feel after having to drink the orange flavored sweet drink at the Dr. office today for my Glucose Test. I almost didn't keep it down and it gave me such bad heartburn that I am still tasting it 6 hours later. Good news is that my glucose levels are normal...123 to be exact and the nurse did not tell me my iron level but it came out normal as well. I am so excited because I do eat alot of carbs...Cereals, bread, yogurt, fruit and I think I eat even less meat now that I am pregnant than I did before and even then it wasn't alot. I am just not a huge fan of meat so I am sooooo thankful that I can still eat all the carbs I want. I hate to say though that I have already gained....yall ready for this.....20 pounds. YIKES!!! But, the Midwife told me that at around 20 weeks or so most women get a huge growth spike and I have double the fluid now than I did just a few weeks ago. When I went to my last appt. 5 weeks ago I had only gained 13 pounds. But I am looking at this in a positive way and I can still stay right at or under 35 pounds if I gain a pound a week from now to 40 weeks. So far though I don't gain by week. It is much more like by month. I will stay the same weight for several weeks and then WOWSER I gain several pounds overnight.

I am so excited to say that I now feel the baby move all the time. I have noticed in the last few weeks or so that he has moved up. All of the first trimester he was under my belly button. A few weeks ago I could feel him sometimes right above the belly button and he has slowly moved all the way up. So now he is covering all areas and I never know where he may kick or punch. Or both. I can't tell you how cool it was the first time I felt him kick me in my lower stomach and then punch me way up high at the same time. It was the first time I could really tell how big he is becoming. Or long I should say. But something I felt for the first time last night is my stomach processing my food on my right side.....Call me crazy but that usually happens in the middle somewhere not on the side....so I was kinda stunned at first and was wondering what was going on until I realized he is pushing on everything in there and my body is making room.

This is really the best time for me in regards to how I am feeling. Besides being a little more emotional than at the beginning of the pregnancy I feel better than I did the first trimester. For me I was originally uncomfortable getting used to the hardness and awkwardness of my belly even though it was not very big yet. I think that the little things like getting in and out of bed or using my stomach muscles at all was very hard at first. But now that I am used to it and that he is actually using all of my stomach instead of the bottom half I feel so much better and it doesn't seem quite as difficult to do these things. Although now the hard part is forgetting that I can't always do everything because of my growing belly. I have a hard time washing dishes already. I just need longer arms. LOL.

So, I just realized I have a little less than 15 weeks left if I go to my due date. OMG, only 15 weeks.....Thats just insane. Time has flown by. I don't know if I am going to be ready to have him out of my belly and into the world. I am going to miss the feeling of having my baby safe and secure and constantly moving around. And what about the belly? I am going to miss looking pregnant. Just all of a sudden he will be out and my tummy will be empty:( But then I think about holding him in my arms and cuddling with him. Giving him kisses and smelling his newborn smell. Hearing him cry and whoo. Finding out who he favors more, Chris or I? And then watching him grow into his own little person and finding out whether his personality favors Chris or mine...or both...and what new traits he brings into the family. And then I can't wait:)

Hurricane Ike & Disney World

2008-09-18T15:45:00.004-04:00

I can't beleive it has been two weeks since my last update but alot has been going lately. The most recent of things is Hurricane Ike. Chris Mom had a vacation planned to Orlando to go to Disney and then to come to our house in Jacksonville for another week. She decided not to cancel plans for Orlando and Disney so we met her and a co-worker and her husband in Orlando last thursday. We tried to enjoy ourselves as much as possible knowing a storm was about to hit. But when the news came that home was hit hard and nearly everyone we knew back home was affected it became harder and harder to have a good time at the happiest place on earth. So we ended up not doing as much as we normally do and at one point we decided to make Chris Mom excape the Weather Channel and get just a few hours of Disney into the day. I beleive it really helped get her mind off of things she had no control over at the moment. Needless to say she is headed back early and will not be coming to Jacksonville to visit. She needs to get home and start whatever repairs is needed to her home. We are definatley thinking of everyone back home during this time. And Galveston was our home for many, many years so the damage there is also on our hearts.

On the day we excaped the hotel room and the Weather Channel we went to Hollywood Studios and I was craving something icy and cold to drink. In the line waiting I saw that they had pickles and I immediatly started craving one. So what I ended up eating and drinking was a lemonade icee and a pickle:) Nice!!!

That is Chris Mom behind me and she thinks I am crazy for this combo I chose. But let me tell you it was soooo good!!! And it really filled me up. LOL. It was a HUGE pickle! Oh and notice my pinkies in this picture....Chris says I put my pinkie out it all the time when I am drinking and eating. I never notice....that is until a picture is taken. LOL

And we found some stickers for our car that fit us pretty well. We have seen them on other peoples car and knew when we found them that we would get some. It is a Father, Mother and Son decals and they all have Mickey Mouse ears on:) Right up our alley right?

What isn't shown is the doggy decal that we got for sugar. She is also wearing Ears:)

Oh and I might also add that I am 6 months today and I feel great!!! He is really moving around a bunch and sometimes you can see it from the outside. My stomach will do all this jumping and moving. Really exciting time.

The only thing that is bothersome is how much I have to pee. When we were at the parks I had the hardest time because I would have to go sooo bad and then ten minutes later I had to go sooo bad again. I was trying to stay hydrated because I was sweating but that meant stopping at every bathroom. LOL. Oh, and I ate one day four times before four o'clock. LOL. And I ate a whole cheeseburger and fries.....which btw, I never do. Always a kids meal or junior burger. LOL. It had to have been all the walking around we were doing. Now my appetite is back to normal. Thank goodness. LOL.

22 Weeks Pic

2008-09-06T09:46:00.003-04:00

Okay so I don't have much time. I am sneaking in here while Chris is getting ready to leave. We are going to look at some houses today. Anyhow, we stay very busy on the weekend when he is home. I just wanted to quickly update with a new pic. I decided to go somewhat full-shot. Ignore my stupid hair. I have a feeling this boy of ours is gonna be a pretty boy.....he is drying out my hair like crazy. I can only wash it now a few times a week because it is so brittle.

That's all for now. I have tons to say but it will have to wait. Be back soon.

Dream, Dream, Dream.....

2008-08-26T21:06:00.006-04:00

So, I would love to be dreaming alot like they say you normally start doing during pregnancy but the problem is I can't sleep. No matter what I do I just can't seem to sleep for more than 1-2 hours at a time. Last night I just stayed up when I woke up at 2 am because I was soooo frustrated. Oh well. At least I will be used to the no sleep thing by the time the baby comes. But when I do get to sleep I have pretty vivid dreams. And crazy stupid dreams too. Never would I ever wake up wondering if they were real life because they seem so far fetched at times. Oh and the best dream of all.....I was dreaming I was eating tons of candy and chocolate and just stuffing my face.....I woke up with a stomach ache! Pretty funny if you ask me. And the best part is I really have not had a whole lot of cravings for chocolate or candy. Kuddos on that for sure. But still loving my dark chocolate raisinettes.

So I will be 21 weeks on Thursday and we had a drs appt today and heard the heartbeat again. 150-160. I go back in 5 weeks for my glucose tolerance test. YAYY! I know everything will come out normal because everything else has. No worries at all!

Oh, and some cool news I found out today. I normally see one of the drs but when I found out that anyone in the office, including the midwives, might deliver depending on who is on call I decided it would be best to get to know all of the drs. and midwives. Well, the midwife I saw today told me a little bit about herself and the other midwife. She said the difference between them and the drs is usually the drs are rushed and try to hurry things along a little faster. But the midwives have more "time" and can end in a smoother less rushed delivery. Of course, if there were complications, then the drs would be called. Or if a c-section was required. This gives me piece of mind because I have seen and heard of hurried drs that do things such as an epesiotomy when it may not be medically needed. That is just an example of course. Oh, and she said there is usually a dr and midwife on call. So, I am really thinking about going with the midwife. We will have to wait of course until closer to time but if I am in good health and nothing wrong that a midwife can't handle then we will probably take that route:) So exciting!!!!

Okay, so I was 20 weeks this past Thursday and I feel like I have gained a ton just overnight. In all reality though it was just 2 pounds. I have gained all together 13 pounds and the drs and nurses say I am staying right on track. I have been textbook all the way and if I keep going this rate then I will gain the proper amount of weight and the baby should not get too large making it a easier delivery. Lord, I pray now, that you let me have a 7 pounder.....No ten pounder PLEASE!!!! I know, just picking.....but that would be super-de-duper!!!!

Picture at 20 weeks.....

I finally had to buy maternity clothes and it was so fun shopping and finding super sales on everything. I don't have much yet...but my eyes are open to sales racks:) And maternity clothes feel so much better than regular clothes....I wanna wear them even after he is born:)

Nothing else to report. Oh, but I started really feeling him move recently. Mainly at night and well, since I have not been able to sleep I have not been feeling him as much these last few nights. But when I do feel him.....Holy Smokes....Its pretty dang awesome I must say.

18 Week Ultrasound & 19 Week Picture

2008-08-14T20:29:00.005-04:00

Last week we went to have the ultrasound to find out the sex and to finally see our little one transformed from a little nugget to a little bitty baby! Of course, I have posted a picture and everyone knows its a boy but the video that was made did not work. So this morning we had an appointment for a redo. I was so happy that we were giong to see the baby again....but instead she fixed the DVD. It had to be finalized with the ultrasound machine. I was a little disappointed at first but then quickly got over it when we got home and watched it for the first time since last week. I am happy to say that I am sooo glad that we actually have the original ultrasound....because it is THE ultrasound we found out the sex and the first time to really see a baby moving and living inside me. So that emotion is behind this video and will be everytime I watch it. Which btw, I have watched it at least eight times:) I had to record it from the tv because for some reason the laptop won't pick it up. Enough talking....here it is....

You can also view it a little larger at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ybp0aUicgo

I am 19 weeks today and this picture is from yesterday. Close enough to 19 weeks for me:)

Can you tell I have gotten bigger? Oh trust me when I say I can! The black band over my jeans is a belly band and is wonderful. It keeps my pants up without having to button them. Yep, I am to that point and will have to buy maternity clothes in a few weeks I am sure. But this band has been a clothes saver:)

I will write more late....I must tell yall about how much this little guy is moving! I will save that for another day:)

The results are in........

2008-08-06T11:34:00.007-04:00

It's a BOY!!!! We are soooo excited!!!! Little Benjamin David Courtney!!!! More pics to come later. Our big computer is still not working and the laptop for some reason won't download the scans so I had to take this shot with my phone. LOL.

The votes were won by one vote.....but yesterday when I checked it was a tie. Anyways, Chris is super de duper excited that we are carrying on his name and I am just excited period!

I might download more pics from my phone later....takes a while though. I wanted everyone to see the boy parts now:)

You can never really master.....

2008-07-26T12:02:00.006-04:00

Peeing in a cup!!! Nope, I will never have a gold medal for peeing in a cup! Everytime you go to the Dr. during pregnancy they ask you to pee which is never a problem to actually pee....it is getting the pee in the cup! I just make sure to get a good little amount in there and then stop. LOL. They have never said I have not given them enough. Okay, enough about Pee:)

We heard the babys heartbeat again yesterday. It was sooo much stronger this time. Last time it was hard to find it and it was really low. Well, all she had to do was place the wand on my belly right under my belly button and there it was! Just so strong and a little faster this time. It was right at 150-160 this time. Hearing the heartbeat will always amaze me!

For the past week or so I have been feeling a little faintish. The first time was in between meals and I really wasn't hungry. But I guess my body and baby thought otherwise and I felt dizzy real fast and as soon as I ate a snack I felt better. This has happened several times since the first. I asked the Dr. yesterday and they tested my blood sugar which was in the 90's and they tested my Iron which they said was high so they just said I must eat a small snack between meals....every 3 hours! Geez, I love food but comeone. I feel like a stuffed turkey. I am going to have to get creative and also keep alot of fruit and things around the house. Oh, and she said to stay away from alot of sugar and bread to keep my blood sugar from raising then dropping. UGH! Does Milk balance out the sugar in Oreo's?!? LOL

So, I am not brave enough to show full body pics yet to everyone BUT I will show some belly shots. I know that doesn't make much since but I really don't feel like I look pregnant yet when you look at my body at full figure. I just feel like I look fat at this point. Anyways, I will let yall see the belly:)

This picture was taken a week ago at 15 weeks.

This one was at 16 weeks. Can you tell a difference? Or do I need to just get over it and post full shots so you can really tell? Maybe next week:)

Well, we are off to the beach for the day:) Thanks for tuning in and thanks for all the wonderful comments yall leave me:) I am thankful I can keep in touch with all of you!

Everyday I Feel Different....

2008-07-22T10:22:00.003-04:00

Every day is so different at this point in the pregnancy. I am 15 weeks as of last Thursday and when I woke up last Wednesday and Thursday I felt really pregnant. My stomach felt much tighter and I felt like it was so hard to move around. By the time Friday came along, I was wondering if I had reached that hard belly stage already. Well, slowly over the weekend my stomach got less hard and now it feels back to what it was before. It is so weird to never know at this point how I am going to feel when I wake up. When my belly is at its hardest it is much harder to sleep at night. I am finding that every morning at least one part of my body is hurting. So weird to me. My weight has not changed that much. Yesterday and today I am back to feeling much skinnier and my stomach doesn't feel hard like it did. This is so weird to me.

We go back to the Dr. this Friday and we will hear the heartbeat again. My Mother-in-Law gave us a heartbeat monitor thingy and I wonder if it would work at this point although it says it won't until the third trimester. Hmmmm. I might try it. LOL.

We got to the Dr. when I am 18 weeks to find out if it is a boy or girl. We have pretty much decided what we want the room to look like and I really hope that we can be creative enough to pull it off. Chris suggested we use a projector with stencils to draw everything onto the wall. That still sound hard to pull off. But it will be soooo fun to try. LOL. Maybe we should start now so that we have plenty of time to paint over and try again. :)

This is the bedding we have agreed on for a boy. You must have known we would have chosen an underwater scene. :) Although, Chris likes this bedding for a girl too and I think it has a little too much blue and green for a girl. But we shall see. I really do love this one. And seeing it in person made all the difference too.

This one I love for a girl. It is from Target but it has been out of stock my whole pregnancy. We shall see if they get more in stock. I really like it and think it is much better for a little girl. It is not overly pink. And I would not be using the wall hangings or the border so that will be even less pink. And the walls would be the light blue/green color.

And this one I like for a girl too. It really has no pink in it and we could do so many different things with this one. But I like it because it is not too blue for a little girl. And the color they have on the wall in this pic is the color I would go with too. But of course not the border or wall hanging. We have our own little wall creations in mind:) But this bedding is only available online. Which means not seeing it in person. Hmmmm.

It is so much fun deciding what to get for our little one. And imagining all the possibilities.

Belly pics to come soon. As soon as I get brave enough to post them on the WWW:)

I am addicted to....

2008-07-15T14:08:00.003-04:00

Chris homemade hot sauce! The last time he made it I was 8 weeks and I ate nearly a gallon of it. That time he made it super hot like I like it. And by the time I was done my throat and mouth were numb. I had to go to the Dr. after about 5 days of a constant sore throat. I had not even thought that the hot sauce would have given such a bad sore throat because I really did not have any heartburn with it. The Dr. advised I stay away from the good stuff. Did I listen? Nope. LOL. I was craving it last night and decided we would try this again and just not make it quite as hot. It worked. I drank it up and today my throat does not hurt. I am so thrilled!

But that is not the only thing I crave. I crave sweets but I have to admit I thought I would crave chocolate alot more than I do. I was able to have a bag of dark chocolate raisinets last me almost 3 weeks! That's pretty crazy considering I could normally eat the whole bag in one setting. Oh and I still have some miniature heath bars left that I bought the same time as the raisinets. So that's pretty good too. Oh and I crave salt. I could eat just rice and soy sauce and be soooo happy. I also want to buy some sea salt that you grind because it still is more coarse than regular salt. I have actually been craving this for quite sometime now. Oh and lets not forget Chris bar-b-que....yea, craving that too.

Something I am not craving as much as I thought I would is Ketchup. I love it usually on everything from hamburgers to chips. And I do still eat it with my burger but not with chips. I bought these ketchup flavored chips and at first I thought they were ok. But now, I think about them and I want to throw up.

Something that I normally have everyday since before I even knew I was pregnant is Yoohoo Lite. I knew I liked regular Yoohoos so I decided to try them one day. I have been hooked ever since. It is now my morning drink of choice.

Oh the joys of pregnancy cravings....I am loving it. My taste buds have never been stronger:)

100% Cocoa Butter

2008-07-11T17:04:00.006-04:00

So, A few weeks ago I started asking around and searching online for the best product for stretch marks during and after pregnancy. I wanted something natural and that would not harm the baby once he/she is here. What I found on the Internet was amazing and confusing. There are so many products out there and when I looked at the ingredients I didn't know what the heck was in this stuff much less if it is safe for myself and the baby. So I wanted something pure and found 100% cocoa butter. How much purer can you get than that?!? You can eat it, it's safe and works great from what I have witnessed so far. And it's kinda fun to use. Since it is in its natural state it is very hard and you can't just pour it out or scoop it out of the jar. It either has to be microwaved or what I like to do is let my own body heat soften it up. I take a hard object, like a butter knife, and I scrape away at the top layer. Now, a little goes a long ways. So I then pour the flakes into my hand and hold my hands together to let it melt. It is the coolest thing in the world. Once it melts I then put it where stretch marks are prone to appearing. I have also put it on my feet and elbows. Works wonders. And it soaks into my skin very well. I would recommend this product to anyone who has stretch marks or who wants to avoid them. I already had some stretch marks to begin with and I look better now at 3 months pregnant than I did not pregnant because it is working on my existing stretch marks as well.

Oh, and the smell is divine. I smell like Chocolate all day. I can handle that:)

The Nugget Bump Can Move?!?

2008-07-09T10:48:00.000-04:00

So this morning I felt really skinny. Okay, so not like skinny but skinny for me. I have felt fat for the last month or so as I put on weight and my stomach gets tight. Last night I woke up at 4 am (nightmare, explain more later) and went to pee, of course, and then could not fall back asleep. One reason was the nightmare and the other was because I was hungry. I was not going to go eat at 4 am! So, I eventually fell to sleep and when I woke up for real I did not feel that hungry but my stomach felt skinnier. The upper part where the food goes was skinnier but the bottom part where the baby is was not and it was actually very visible at that point. I don't get to see it very often because I am usually even all around. But I was in awe. I just kept looking at the bump and touching it and pressing on it. There was one point where I was feeling the left side and it was really hard and then I felt the right and it was not hard at all. Usually whenever I press on the bump I feel kinda weird as if I am pressing into my bladder or another organ but when I pressed on the right I felt none of that like I did on the left. I went back to the left and I actually felt it move over. It went back to the middle so to speak so that it could be felt on both sides. I know this sounds crazy (or maybe not so much) but I promise it was the coolest thing ever. I wish Chris would have still been home.

To think that the baby moves already is crazy to me. It must be just the tiniest little thing right now. When we went to hear the heartbeat for the first time at 12 weeks (which was the COOLEST thing in the world) the Dr. mentioned that the baby kept moving. I was shocked. I made sure that she clarify what she said. Yes, the baby can move at this point. And it will move away from noise. WOW!!! I almost cried at that point. And then, when she found the babies heartbeat, she said listen closely, there is your heartbeat behind the babies. Your hearts are beating together!!! Yea, I lost it to say the least:) Chris was feeling it too. It was so sweet. My little nuggets heartbeat was between 130-140. She said it is an old wives tale about the heartbeat and the sex. We shall see. I think this heartbeat rate means a boy. Hmmmm:)

So the nightmare....Yea, so I watched a movie with Renee last night before Chris even got home. That's how much of a housewife I am. I can have dinner ready(which Renee always takes over if I am not done when she gets home, too small of a kitchen for the both of us) and sit in front of the tv and watch a full movie all before my season finale of Hell's Kitchen comes on:) and before Chris even gets home to realize it. So anyways, this movie was called the last call and it was scary. Not really like blood and stuff but with weird images of a mom and baby. I don't like seeing stuff like that. I am glad that the kid at least was CGI instead of looking like a real kid. But the CGI kid was all over my dreams last night. They say your dreams are more vivid when your pregnant and I usually don't even dream(or just don't remember them) but now I have alot more. So, Chris, Renee and I are all getting chased down and hunted down by little kids. Ugh, I thought that watching Hell's Kitchen after this movie would get my mind off of it. I don't even remember most of the dream now except that Renee was wearing my clothes. And she was afraid to go into the kitchen because it felt "coodley"?!? Her words, not mine:)

More Pictures

2008-07-08T14:15:00.000-04:00

So these pictures are from when we did not know we were pregnant or even if we were yet. But it had to have been right around this time that we conceived:)

This one is when Chris first took me Scuba Diving. It was the first time for me to be in complete gear and go diving:) Did Chris think I was super hot?!? It was somewhere around this time I conceived:) And your not suppose to dive when you're pregnant....OPPPS!!!

And this Picture of Chris was the day after the scuba one of me was taken. Did I think Chris was super hot?!? LOL.

My First Trimester

2008-07-08T11:14:00.000-04:00

Things have been really good so far. I am now in my second trimester. Well, from what most people say. But my pregnancy journal says not until 15 weeks. I guess they are looking at it like since you really aren't pregnant yet the first 2 weeks or so that they need to add the 2 weeks in there. Anyways, I am going to just go with what everyone else says and say that I am 13 weeks and in my second trimester. I really did not even know I was pregnant because I never got real sick. And then I kept waiting for it. When we went to Texas, I was really tired from all the going and thats when my emotions started kicking in. I had realized that none of my family, exept Renee who is living with us until September, will be able to experience any of this pregnancy with us. And then of course, thats when I realized that I got sick if I did not eat as soon as my body said it was hungry. It was weird too because I would stay sick for the rest of the day but I never threw up. I am so thankful for that because I hate throwing up. The eating or feel sick thing happened for several months and there were several days I felt sick. But, things have seemed to change for me lately. I have been a little less hungry and I was staying really full all the time. So I decide to slow down a little. I now don't get sick if I get a little hungry. Which I am very happy for because I was afraid for a while that the whole pregnancy would be constant eating and alot of weight gain. So, now I am back to eating pretty normal. Of course, I have my moments where all of a sudden I am starving and nothing seems to satisfy me. I still have only gained 5 pounds, which has been total throughout the whole pregnancy. I will sometimes weigh myself though and it will say 9 pounds gain and then the next day it is back at 4 or 5 pounds. I think I get water gain or just maybe ate more that day. Who knows.

I have so much to talk about and will make more posts later but....I want to share some pictures. Some of these pictures will be some you have already seen but I want to make this sorta like a baby journal so that I can remember everything. So onto some pics:)

The first set of pictures is how we told our family that we were pregnant when we went down there for Memorial Weekend. And then of course the day we found out and the first two ultrasounds. The First one is from 6 weeks and the seconds from 8 weeks. I call this baby my little nugget:)

First Time

2008-07-07T14:53:00.000-04:00

Hey There, I decided to start a blog so that I could keep up with the things that happen because this truely is a great time in our lives right now. For those of you who are reading this you probably already know Chris and I either as a friend or family member. But just in case, here is a little info. I just turned 30 and my Husband, Chris, is 31. We just celebrated our 10 year anniversary and also found out we are expecting our first child in January. We have known for a little over a month and is so hard to keep up with everything and I want nothing to be forgotten during this wonderful time. We moved to Florida about 2 years ago from Texas and we LOVE it. So, I am sure there will be tons to post.

I am new to this sort of blogging. I have had Xanga and Myspace and while Xanga is pretty much blogging it has changed so much that I have grown to not like it as much as I used to. And Myspace seems harder to communicate with people who don't have a Myspace. So, now I am trying this. I hope to update at least once a week especially during the pregnancy.

I am now going to go see what I can get my page to look like so I shall post again soon:)