Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

22 Weeks!!!!

Well week 22 has arrived!! I promise a picture will be added after boy takes one tonight. I have pictures to add from Christmas as well, but I need to right cord to attach my school camera.

Week 21 had a great milestones for us! On the 26th, Stephen was able to feel Keira move for the first time. I had been thinking that I could feel her with my hand since the 20th, but Stephen wasn't able. I think he just wasn't being patient! :) But as we laid in bed that night, I told him to feel her move and the moment he put his hand on the belly she kicked him! I am so glad that we are at the point where he can feel her when she moves. I think it makes it all more real for him. Now that she is bigger, her movements don't feel the same as they used to. What used to be a tickle is now like a thump.

We attempted to pick up her crib on Sunday. We got to BabiesRUs and once we saw the box, we realized that our car is not big enough! So Stephen is planning on asking the boys at work to pick it up for us after their deliveries one day soon. We wouldn't be able to put it together anyway since the floors are not done yet. I think I have also decided that I don't want to put it together until we have all the stuff for the room... crib, mattress, bedding, and dressers. That way it looks like her room and not just a room with an empty crib in it!

This morning is showing me that week 22 will be an exciting one as well. As I lounged in bed, I felt a new movement. About every three seconds I would feel a bump. They lasted for about a minute and then quit. My guess.... HICCUPS! Yeah, another mommy-to-be experience!

Well thats all for now. Hopefully week 22 will be just as exciting as week 21! I hope you all have a great New Year!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Thanks Santa!!

Well Christmas has come and gone. All the preparations for two days of fun. It always makes me a little sad when its over, but next year will be the best one yet. So I guess that's something to look forward to!

Tuesday night we shared our stockings here at the house. Boy gave me an amazing lotion/face cleaner set. We're talking GOOD stuff! I got him a cute I Love My Daddy bib from Keira, some hand lotion ('cause he really needs it in the winter), some face stuff, and an itunes gift card that he couldn't open until after he opened his other gifts. The dogs got new blankets and a pair of socks ( they think fuzzy socks are toys).

Wednesday, Christmas Eve, we drove down to my parents house in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed the day with my family and went over to my Nannie and Papa's for a little while in the afternoon. We shared our news with my grandparents and my Nannie was VERY excited. I think she has been praying for this moment for a while. Afterwards, we went back to my parents and enjoyed the usual Christmas Eve smorgasborg and then opened gifts. Santa was good to me this year (as usual). Here's a rundown of my gifts opened on the 24th... a Cricut machine (whoo hoo), new jammies and slippers, my first mommy willowtree, target gift card, and a cute picture frame for Keira's room. Santa gave Stephen an ipod, a Nike+ chip to run with, a pair of Nike + shoes, a wii accessory kit, target gift card, and an xbox game. He has been wanting to get back into running, so hopefully his new gear will help him accomplish that!

Thursday, Christmas Day, we drove to Canyon Lake and spent the day with his mom, Patrick, Steph, and her friend Sev. Unfortunately his dad couldn't join us, but next year he will!! :) We hung out, had some laughs about Debi's road rage, watched the deer, and had a great Christmas Lunch with all the trimmings. Afterwards we shared gifts and Santa was good again! The best gifts were those for Keira. I really enjoy opening things for her!! Debi and Patrick got her some really cute clothes, bibs, socks, hats, and shoes. They also got her a pink bath tub! Whoo hoo! We were also given a digital picture frame, I got a really pretty necklace, and Stephen got several other things. Debi and Patrick also let us know that they are going to be getting us Keira's travel system which includes the car seat and stroller! Yeah! Now we just need to pick between the two we have picked out. I can't wait to get it! It is awesome that all her stuff is already coming together!

All in all, Christmas was great. I am really looking forward to next Christmas where Keira and Sissy Lemley will be the stars of the show back home and Keira will be at Debi's. I can't wait to put her in her Christmas dress!! I'm sure Stephen is cringing at the thought! :) Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Christmas Vacation!!

I am officially on Vacation!!! Whoo hoo!! This week has been so long, and I am sure that the next two will fly by. We had our Polar Express Day Thursday at school and man were the kids crazy! If I could drink I would have had a bottle of wine last night. Today was our Christmas party. My room moms did a great job and went way out of their way to give me some awesome gifts! Let me tell you that Christmas at Elm Grove is WAY different than Christmas at Houston. I was given a Target gift card, Starbucks card, Babies R Us card, a bag full of super cute Carter's clothes that I was dying to buy, and several other things. My kiddos' parents are awesome!

Now, I plan on spending the next two weeks sleeping! :)

Halfway through!


Here's the belly at 20 weeks! Some days it is way bigger than others, and maybe its just certain shirts! I should be hitting a big growth spurt soon which has me excited and nervous! Hopefully I can remember to take a picture every week so I can look back at this time.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Ignore My Last Post....

'Cause I was wrong! We went to the doctor yesterday and found out that we are having a little girl! At first the tech didn't know if she would be able to tell since small fry was not in the "goods showing" position. So why looked at other areas while we waited for her to move around. I had drank some OJ about and hour before our appointment in hopes that it would make her move around. Apparently she was not happy that her secret would be out today because at one point, the tech zoomed in on her face to show us she was frowning! Poor thing! But finally, after some measurements were taken of her LONG legs, she flipped around and showed the world that she is indeed a she! We finished up looking at her arms, heart, brain, spine, kidneys, etc. All look to be in great condition and no sign of anything wrong!! Towards the end, the tech was trying to get some good profile shots and she stretched her arms and her legs out as far as they would go. It was very cute. If she keeps that up, Stephen will be feeling her kick in no time. At one point it looked like she kicked and punched all at the same time! Her heartbeat was 148, lower than what it had been, but still great. The doctor says my weight gain is perfect, even though I still am not showing a whole lot. Halfway through and already at 15 pounds. Eeek! Its all for a good cause though right??

Here are some pictures of her!!


Profile shot as she kicked me!










Another profile stretched out. Its good to know she can get comfy in there!







Look at those long legs! And they aren't even completely straight!









Her hands crossed in front of her face. Better get all that arm crossing out of the way now!








Feet!





We stopped by Babies R Us on our way home from my Uncle Frank's funeral on Wednesday to begin registering. We still are not 100% sure of any of the big stuff, but we'll make the decision eventually! We did however find out that the crib we both loved was on sale! So, we bought it! We don't have it yet, but we will by the middle of next week. We can't put it together until we get the floors done up there. But hopefully Stephen can knock that out soon.

Other than that, not a whole lot going on. I have one more week of school before Christmas Break. Thank goodness for the vacation! I am so tired. My kiddos are sweet and I will miss them over the holiday, but I am ready to sleep in! We will be going to my Mom and Dads Christmas Eve and then to his Moms on Christmas Day. Sometime while I am off, Stephen is planning on taking a few days off so we can spend some time together. That will be really nice. I enjoy our days where we don't HAVE to do anything but lounge around. One of my best Christmas breaks was actually the one where he was in between jobs and we spent every day together, plus it iced over right before we went back to school so we had extra days together!

We thats it. I am going to get boy to take a picture soon. I have to get better at taking them!!!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Wow!

Okay, so this child has to be a boy! Why you ask? Because it has seemed to find how to drive me nuts! It is going to be a little Stephen I just know it! :) I have been feeling it move a lot lately and it seems like once it starts moving it doesn't stop. Right now it feels like a tickle, but it is getting stronger. I can't wait for Stephen to be able to feel it kick so he knows its in there moving around! As I type it is moving around!

I love it the most in the early morning when I am lying down in bed. When I put my hands on the belly I can feel exactly where the baby is. It surprised Stephen to feel how hard it is where the baby is. I still get comments on how I don't look 18 1/2 weeks pregnant, so I guess that is why I can feel where it is so easily!

We go to the doctor this Thursday to find out what it is. I am looking forward to going shopping afterwards for some gender specific clothes! I know I am very anxious to find out, and I assume Stephen is just as excited. I just wish he'd show it more! Keep your fingers crossed for healthy!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

18 Weeks Down!

Wow! 18 Weeks! Seems like just yesterday I was excited to be at 10! Now we are almost halfway through! Let the stress begin! Ha! Here's a rundown of recent events!

  • Thanksgiving Break was a much needed event. I love my kiddos at school, but I am tired! I have hit that point where I want to just sleep all day! I am down to 18 kids now and the change was a blessing. There truly is someone looking out for people! Without discussing, the change was made and now I feel like my kiddos can have the environment they need to learn. I only hope the best for the rugrat that left and its new teacher! But, aside from that, I am LOVING my kiddos. They are a super sweet, smart, caring group.
  • Stephen recevied a promotion at work and I can officially talk about it! He has been promoted to Store Manager and I couldn't be more proud of him. He had been pulling more than his weight for awhile and I am really glad that it didn't go unnoticed. Good work boy! I am very proud of you and thankful for the sacrifices you make for our family. (The dogs are too!)
  • Thanksgiving went off nicely. We stayed here and my sister and her family came down. It was very peaceful; which is the way every Thanksgiving needs to be! We will, however, be making the trek down south for Christmas... mmm stress for Christmas. Can't wait!
  • Stephen's Mom and Step-Dad are selling their house in Canyon Lake. They are building a house here in our subdivision. The move has its good and bad points. I really love his mom right now, adn would hate for anything to ruin our relationship. It will be nice for the kids to grow up near their Grandma though.
  • We are working on decorating the house for Christmas. The tree is up and so are the other decorations inside. The rope lights are put out outside, but Stephen will still need to put the lights on the house. One of the first things we thought when we bought this house was that it would be beautiful with Christmas lights, and it is!
  • Finally, Jelly Bean. He/She has been a lot more active. I still have days when I don't feel it moving, but more often than not it is squirming around. Is that a good or bad thing?! I still don't really think that I look like I am almost halfway through a pregnancy and some people have a hard time believing that I am as far along as I am. I guarantee though... I have gained weight! I see it every morning! We go to the doctor on the 11th for our big ultrasound and we are VERY excited! I cannot wait to buy gender specific clothes and call it by its name itstead of its nicknames! We have the crib choices down to two and will hopefully we making a decision soon. I am already getting excited about registering and having baby showers! Plus, I get to plan another baby shower for a very close friend of mine and it'll be all pink and girly!! :)

Well I guess that sums it up for now. I'll see if I can get the boy to take a belly picture tonight! I only have that one from week 10! So much for having a week-by-week scrapbook. Maybe we can be more diligent in the last half!