All about this mommy 2 be...I am truly amazed every day when I wake up that this is my life!! I say that because I am so happy and for the first time, all the pieces of my life seem to fit together just perfectly. I am married to the man of my dreams and very best friend and our love is like that fairy tale that I have waited for all my life. I am so lucky to be sharing my life with such a wonderful, loving, giving, patient man who loves me for exactly who and what I am. (Seems to be that's pretty hard to find anymore) Most people say chilvalry is dead, not the case with my man and that makes him the prince I have been waiting for! I have a beautiful nine year old daughter named Krystin who is absolutely positively the light of my life. She is the air that I breathe and the smile on my face- and soon she is going to be a big sister which she is so looking forward to. Between these two people God had so graciously blessed me with and the rest of my wonderful family and friends, I have a GREAT support system. Me, my husband and my daughter have been an "official" family since we got married on August 12, 2006. We recently completely the house we were building and decided it was time to expand the family. Funny how quickly things happen because within a few weeks of "trying to get pregnant" (which I had never done before, I had only spent years trying NOT to get pregnant) we had accomplished our goal and found out that it didn't take as much "trying" as we had suspected. On August 18, 2007 we found out that we were going to be the proud parents of this soon to be bundle of joy!! Interesting tidbit...I (we) conceived on August 4th and almost immediately I had this gut feeling that I was pregnant but I went on with things thinking that it couldn't have happened that quickly or easily. I couldn't overcome my gut feeling so even before my period was late I was taking pregnancy tests and getting negative results everytime. This was rather frustrating because I was pretty unsure about how soon you could get a positive result so I gave up and decided I'd try again in a couple days, and obviously a couple days make all the difference in the world because on Saturday morning 1st thing, the positive result was very clear... We immediately began spreading the news to our closest friends and family and our journey began.

The first trimester kinda sucked considering I was nauseated on and off all day and night every day for the majority of it. I was moody, tired and didn't feel @ all like myself. My poor husband and child dealt so well with me though and were so supportive and helpful that I made it through a whole lot faster than I thought and am progressing along just fine. I am currently 15 weeks, 5 days- thoroughly enjoying my second trimester and embracing my growing belly. I have had 3 normal visits with my OB/Gyn who is awesome and tells me that things are going great! I have gained 4 lbs. and am doing water aerobics at our local YMCA which is the greatest form of exercise for my body!!! It seems to be doing the trick too because my weight gain is minimal and it's all in the boobs and belly for the time being. I am very much looking forward to being a mommy again and can't wait to continue my story as the pregnancy progresses!

11/8/2007...15 weeks, 6 days...this morning I went and had an ultrasound done by a friend @ the hospital here in town, he isn't an ultrasound tech but is an RN so he agreed to take a look @ baby's progress and try to see if we could tell the gender yet. It was a ton of fun since it wasn't done by the doctor but I am aware that this isn't something that should be done often since the effects on the fetus aren't completely known with repeated, "not necessary" exams like this. So, yes it was interesting and fun, but it also gave me peace of mind to see our little angel growing so well. The last ultrasound I had was at about 7 weeks and some odd days and all you saw was what looked like a pea in a pod so this was super cool, especially for my husband to see the pictures with this being his first baby. Ultimately the ultrasound showed a beautiful profile of an active baby who likes to suck it's thumb and touch its face alot. This baby also seems to be rather shy or stubborn, I'm not sure which but was determined to not let us see what gender it was today. If a guess had to be made, the friend who did the exam said that he would guess boy because there was a moment where we saw something but are unsure if it was a peepee or umbilical cord because of the way the baby was laying. Oh well!! Sex of the baby remains a mystery for now but that's alright with me for now. Our scheduled ultrasound @ the doctor is Dec. 3 and I will be 19 weeks and 2 days, this baby better get ready and "bare it's behind" so that we can stop saying IT!!

"Nine Months"

Author: Unknown

My precious little baby,
I have loved you from the start.
You are a tiny miracle
Laying closely to my heart.
Each day I feel your presence,
Each day you quickly grow,
Each day your heart beats softly,
As only I could know.
So, I'll keep this in a special place
And remember each year through,
Of this special time in my life
In the months I carried you.

Congratulations!

Your Due Date Is Saturday, April 26, 2008

Your conception date was most likely Saturday, August 04, 2007
You are in Week 17 of your pregnancy
and your baby is 15 weeks old.
Your Third Trimester will begin 1/26/2008
117 days down, 163 to go!

Fun Birthday Facts

Your baby's birthstone will be Diamond (Innocence) Your baby's Astrological Sign will be Taurus Your baby's Flower is Daisy or Sweet_Pea (Yellow, Red and colorless) Your baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The Rat This time next year your baby will be 29 Weeks Old! Your baby will start kindergarten in 2013, be old enough to drive a car in 2024, finish high school in 2026, and will graduate from college with the class of 2030, give or take a year. Can you imagine?

12/03/07...19 weeks 3 days...Just got home from the doctor visit I've been waiting for and as you can probably already tell, IT'S A GIRL!!! Guess the predictions and intuition I had were completely off. This little girl had us all fooled and I'm convinced that she did it on purpose just to keep us guessing...lol. I cannot lie, at first when I didn't see a peepee I was a little disappointed considering I was SO hoping for a boy. But as it settled in and the "initial shock" passed I am very happy and satisfied. I realize that above all else, God has a plan for me and it happens to include little Miss Adison Clare!! I guess God thinks I've done a pretty good job raising my little girl so far so now I get to do it again! I can tell by looking at her on the ultrasound and feeling her kicking and moving that she is going to be a very beautiful little girl!! I must also say that I can't wait to see my hubby's face when he sees his little girl and she melts his heart!!! My daughter got to be there during the ultrasound too which was extra special and she is so excited to be having a little sister! After the appointment me, my mom and my daughter all went shopping and have found lots of super cute girl stuff!! It has definitely been a GOOD day!!!!!!!

12/11/07...20weeks3days...okay, so it has really settled in now that this baby is going to be a beautiful baby girl and now I can say without a doubt that I wouldn't have it any other way!! I am thoroughly and truly excited to add another angel girl to our family. Over the weekend my husband and I got to keep a friends little 6 week old boy and get us some practice...it was awesome and I loved every minute of it. Watching my hubby with the baby just made me more excited and anxious to see him with his own, he'll be a natural!! I have really noticed this little girl becoming more and more active in the past few days and I can almost predict her sleep and wake cycles as they become more and more regular. Right now she will move around every 2 hours or so and at about the same times daily. She doesn't really "wake me" much @ night yet but she definitely will not let me sleep past about 7 or 7:30 in the morning (on the weekend when I can!). It was a really memorable moment last night when I was laying a nice relaxing bath, looking at my belly when I saw her kick! Then it happened again and again I couldn't help but just laugh in amazement! I only wish someone (my daughter or husband, even my mom) could have been there for me to yell at so that they too could see it but of course I was alone so that got to be a moment that Adison and I shared alone!! How special. Then later on that evening my daughter was laying next to me on the couch and had her hand laid on my belly when she felt her move for the 1st time. I think it kinda freaked her out though because she didn't want to put her hand back after that! Bless her heart I know this has to be a lot for her to take in and she is doing such a great job @ it!!! I can say for sure that I have reached that stage in pregnancy where things have really started changing and I love every minute of it. Overall I feel pretty good on a daily basis and I am embracing my pregnant body (my hubby helps by telling me how much he loves my belly). I have just accepted and resolved to enjoy this pregnancy, every little bit of it from the good to the bad because it won't last forever and I may not do it again.

01/02/2008...23 weeks 4 days...WOW, it's really 2008! I can't believe it, where does the time go?? So now it all seems to be "real" as I realize that our baby girl will arrive this year, like in a little over 3 months or so! That is just crazy! My 1st pregnancy just crept along and I thought it would never end but this one I feel like if I blink I might miss something!! I am still feeling pretty good overall minus the back pain I have been having but probably brought on myself! This past weekend I got into my "project mode" and decided to clean all the junk, construction materials and plastic off the floor of the babies room so that we could start making progress on getting it set up and ready for her arrival. On top of this I also took down all my Christmas Decorations and cleaned out like 2 closets, our pantry and the mud room! Needless to say my back is paying the price for all that I accomplished that day- I must have pulled something but this is not uncommon for me, it has happened several times before I got pregnant. Being pregnant just makes it so much worse! Not only can I not take anything but Tylenol (no ibuprofen which I live by!) but I'm also carrying around this extra weight that makes be feel off balance enough as it is...add in the back pain and well, it kinda makes me a little grumpy! I'm really trying hard not to complain because after all is said and done, it does not good to gripe! I'll just grin and bear it, she's worth it and hopefully with a little time and rest, it will get to feeling better! So, our holidays were wonderful and I got to spend a lot of time with my daughter since I took some time off work before the end of the year while she was out of school! I love our Mommy-daughter time! So, as the excitement around me grows with the upcoming arrival of our little one I too, find myself more and more excited! Right now though, I'm just cherishing every moment of this pregnancy and trying to enjoy it as much as I can. After all, when else in her life will I ever have her all to myself like this again? I only wish I had taken the time and felt well enough to "enjoy" and remember my 1st pregnancy. Maybe it's because I was so young or just that I was pretty much sick the entire 9 months but I really only remember bits and pieces. I just didn't really take the time back then to "stop and smell the roses" I guess, but with this baby I'm really trying to bond with her and get to know her before she ever gets here. I feel like I already know her a little but am learning more and more with each movement and each day! Pregnancy just amazes me and I'm so glad I got the chance to be a woman and experience such a thing! Nothing compares to motherhood, that's for sure and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

01/16/08...25 weeks 4 days...So, the past couple of weeks have been great! I have felt fantastic overall and am really settling in to my fully pregnant state! My belly is growing pretty steadily and I can't help but be fascinated because some mornings (like today) I woke up and I swear, it felt like my belly had grown overnight!! This little girl is quite a little gem already and is constantly reassuring me that she is completely enjoying her time in my belly as she moves and turns about, literally ALL day long and sometimes even when I'm trying to sleep @ night!! I do not remember my 1st daughter ever being this active this often in-utero but it may be my loss of recollection from 10 years ago, who knows! I got to go this past weekend and have a one hour prenatal massage which was absolutely wonderful (meanwhile my 9 year old daughter was getting a "teen facial"- she's gonna make a heck of a woman someday huh?). I only wish that I could arrange it to have a massage like once a week or every other week until the end of my pregnancy but that may get a bit expensive so I guess I should just keep it to once a month for the last 3 months. We'll see I guess! Anyways, enough rambling- I just wanted to note how wonderful I have felt and the large surge in energy I have had recently. I just want to enjoy how good I feel right now because as I get bigger I'm afraid that might begin to change and my energy will decrease again. I am excited though because her room is painted, the crib is set up with the bedding in it and her changing table is ready. We had to order her chest of drawers to match and it should be here within the next couple of weeks! Once that arrives and we get some wall-hangings up, her room should be complete and we can start filling it up. My 1st baby shower is scheduled for February 23rd...YAY!! And, we are scheduled to go for our childbirth classes on Sunday February 3rd (one long all day class and we're done!). Making progress feels great because this pregnancy is flying by unbelievably fast and she'll be here before we know it!!

03/26/08...35 weeks, 4 days...WOW- I just realized how long it has been since I have written and I hate that I've been so bad about keeping up with it but time to update!! Things are still going very well and I really cannot complain because this has been an amazingly easy pregnancy. Of course I'm beginning to get a bit uncomfortable (esp. by the late evening and nightime hours) but all in all I'm still just taking it all in and trying to enjoy it. The past couple of months feel like they have gotten a little more hectic with baby showers and work issues but it's all necessary preparation for the arrival of our new little angel girl. At this point I have gained right at about 35 pounds but here recently I'm not gaining as rapidly if at all as I was before. I have begun to have some pretty swollen ankles on certain days but luckily the swelling is pretty much consolidated to my legs and feet and hasn't moved up much. I can tell a difference in the "chubbiness" of my face but I guess that just one of those things! Oh well, it's temporary and baby girl is worth it. Had a couple of little scares if you want to call them that at like 27 weeks and again at 30 or 31 weeks with some bleeding which meant an extra trip to the doctor, but after an exam doc said as far as she could tell everything looked fine and baby was doing well. No worries. I have been doing prenatal yoga once a week since 28 weeks which is wonderful and hubby and I are going this weekend for partner prenatal yoga, how fun!! I have really carried this baby high for most of the pregnancy but within the last week or week and a half she has suddenly dropped and settled into my pelvis like a pro. This has meant that I can definitely breathe a lot easier but makes moving around a lot rough and I waddle with the best of them now. Not to mention peeing at least once an hour. Hopefully this means that she's in there preparing like she should for her big arrival! I go next week to meet the final doc in the practice rotation and then I start the final countdown of weekly visits, unfortunately though my regular doc is going to be on vacation the 2nd week in April so I won't get to see her as I am supposed to but I like all the other docs in the practice pretty well so that will be okay! Have been having some spells of pretty good braxton-hicks contractions that I hope might be working on doing some good stuff to my cervix but we'll have to see when I go to the doctor. At this point, it's all excitement and anticipation...and I can honestly say that I am not fearing labor at all. I do have a fear of being told that my only option is a c-section because I really wanted to experience this whole labor and delivery thing with my husband because I feel like it is an awesome bonding time where a lot of mutual respect can be grown and formed. I also really want the story of her birth to be a good one with lots of memories involved to share with her someday as well as with others so lots of hopes and prayers that my body and this baby cooperate in this regard! Will update again soon!