Pregnancy Pictures

My sister, Amy, was on top of things today- not only did she take 165 pictures of me at 37.5 weeks pregnant, she also picked the top 25 or so and edited them. I am pleased to share with you her work. The pitures turned out really good I think.

Thank you so much Amy for capturing this moment in my life. I truly believe you have a gift with photography. I love you!!

Sneak Peak

My sister Amy, came over this afternoon and took belly pictures of me. This is just one of 165 pictures. I will share more after she has done some editing. I am thrity seven and a half weeks pregnant today. I will have a new baby in my arms in ELEVEN days!!!!

Gym Class

Yesterday we did a make up class for Claire and I had a chance to take a few pictures since I had help with Allan and my nephew Jack. She loves her gym class and asks to go every time we pass the building. It is always extra special when her daddy joins us.
Her last class is this coming week and I am sure there will be more pictures of her little awards ceremony to follow. I have had so much fun doing this mommy and me class and cannot believe that this is the end of the road for us. She will be able to go in all by herself in the fall since she will be three. Makes my mommy heart a little sad.

The highlights of gym class every week are playing chase with me during warm up, jumping on the trampoline, playing with balls and bubbles, and going to the movie room after class for five minutes. It is just too fun watching her and we are so thankful that she was given this class as a Christmas gift. It has meant a lot to me and my Claire Bear.

Cute Hair on a Family Date

Look at my baby girl's hair....isn't she so cute! I thought she looked like such a big girl for our family date. She wasn't too thrilled about letting me take pictures at first, but she warmed up to the idea after a game of chase around the laundry room.

"No pictures please!"
"Okay maybe one as long as I can be extra cheesy and cute."

"Are we finished? I am ready to go to the popcorn fee-a-ter."

Friday night we decided to go on a family date and it was so fun. I have mentioned before that we are trying to make the most of every moment as a family of three. As my due date races closer and closer it is getting harder and harder for me to leave Claire at home (although we are hoping to get one more mommy and daddy date before this little guy arrives). We ate a quick dinner at home then headed to the movies. We went to see Up and we LOVED it! Claire was fantastic and stayed in her seat or my lap the entire time. I love making little memories with my family, they are pretty stinkin' special!

Thank You!

A few weeks ago my mom called and asked if she and a friends could come today and clean my house. I was floored by the offer and so looking forward to it. A few crazy circumstances happened at the last minute and her friend could not come, but she and my dad decided to go ahead and head this way to help out around the house. They got here early this morning and she got right to work. I have a bathroom and bedroom that are cleaner than they have been since we moved in I think. She worked so hard. She also cleaned the half bath and vacuumed the living room. My dad dusted the downstairs. I was SO blessed. They both have pretty bad back problems so it meant a lot that they worked until they could barely stand up. Thank you both so much for giving us the gift of cleaning today. This is an area that has really been lacking around here and is a source of stress for me. Thank you for seeing the need and helping!!
While they worked on the downstairs I was able to get the upstairs dusted and vacuumedand the guest room set up for when Jacob arrives. I may have overdone it a bit, but it is so nice to have it all finished. I wonder if I can keep it somewhat clean between now and our little man's arrival...I will sure try.
I love you Mom and Dad! Thank you for practically helping, it was exactly what I needed.

Still The Same...But Different

I love that Allan and Claire have been cuddle buddies since the beginning of her life.  I love comparing these two pictures.  I recently took the one of them in bed after she joined us in the middle of the night and that sent me on a search of a picture of them early on.  They have such a special relationship and that makes my heart happy.  I could not ask for a better father for my children.

Allan napping with his two day old daughter

Allan napping with his two year nine month old daughter

37 weeks (tomorrow)

I went in for another check up today to see how this baby boy of mine is coming along.  I was sure that I would be heading straight over to the hospital to give birth after the amount of contractions I have been having the last 15+ hours...oh wait the being in labor part was a little bit of a dream, but that would have been so cool.  

Anyway, the tape measure does not lie, you people are right, I am big.  My belly was measuring in at a plump 41 weeks.  Did you remember the title of this post?  I am just 37 weeks into this journey.  

Speaking of big bellies, I am going to go of on a little tangent- if you have a close relationship with someone by all means talk about the size of their belly and laugh, call them fatso, make jokes about them having multiples, take bets on when they will deliver, do what ever your comfort level inside your friendship allows.  BUT if you don't know the person with the big belly either keep your mouth shut so you don't say anything stupid (kidding...kind of) or tell them how cute they are and just keep moving.  Believe me when I say that when a woman is at this point in her pregnancy and there is no doubt that they are measuring big and they are waddling everywhere they go and they have worn the same two shirts and one pair of shorts for the last month because that is all that fits them, the last thing she wants to hear is "Wow, you are really big!" or "please don't have that baby while you are in my store" or "I can't believe you are able to walk with that huge belly" or "when were you due? last week".  You are not funny and what you are saying is NOT original, or encouraging.  There are some people who think I am very wise so you should listen to what I have to say ;) OK, now that I have that off my chest I feel so much better.

***I had a big smile on my face while writing that last little bit.  I am not truly offended by stupid comments about the size of my belly (most of the time).  Please take this opportunity to get your panties out of a wad.*** 

For those of you still with me, I will let you know about the rest of my doctor's appointment a few hours ago.  Dr. F does not typically do a progress check at every appointment but since I had not progressed one little bit last week I insisted.  I am glad I did, it turns out all these incredibly uncomfortable contractions are doing a little something.  He gave me a 1.75, which I was pleased with.  He assured me that our little guy is head down, he even touched his head.  How cool is that?!?!?  I mean if you don't think about it too much.  

I asked him to do his guesstimation on how big Jacob is weight wise and although there is nothing that will tell us for sure he said that he was pretty sure that he was just under 8 pounds.  He doesn't think that he will reach 9 pounds within the next two weeks which was encouraging.  Again, this is all estimation, only God knows the exact measurements of our baby boy. 

All in all I was encouraged by this appointment.  I really needed to hear that I had progressed some.  It was a bit of a blow last week when I was a double 0.  There are some people wanting to take bets on when I will deliver.  Most people who see me in person think there is no way I will make it another week.  I am scheduled to deliver on June 11th and Allan and I both think that will be the day.  I have no expectation of having him any earlier.  That being said, Allan has been instructed by me to have his cell phone with him at all times...just in case :)

My plans for the next two weeks are to get a few more things knocked off the to do list, have my sister take a few preggo pictures of me, play with my Claire Bear as much as humanly possible, cuddle my husband as much as my body temperature and belly will allow and take it easy whenever I get the chance.  

I cannot believe that he will be here two weeks from tomorrow...holy toledo!!

Happy Anniversary

Sarah and Karl are the couple who introduced Allan and I.  It was their wedding that brought us together- he was a groomsman and I was a bridesmaid.  Initially they wanted no connections to our relationship just in case it didn't work out, they didn't want any of the blame.  I guess now they are alright with us giving them a little credit ;)

Congratulations on SEVEN years of wedded bliss!  I am seriously inspired by your commitment to each other.  You are perfect for each other.  Love you guys and miss living closer to you.  Here is to many many many more years of love and commitment.  I hope that you had a very special day.

Seven Years

I met the man of my dream seven years ago today.  Who knew that a "chance" meeting at my best friend's wedding would change my life forever.  I love you Sweet Man!  I am glad that you weren't turned off by the Home Depot hat ;)

36 Weeks!!

Guess what that means?  I will be meeting my boy exactly three weeks from today!!!!

Camera

A few of you have commented on the pictures and wondered if I got a new lens or got my old one fixed.  All of the pictures in the last two posts were taken with our super zoom lens so I had to stand really far away from Claire to get the pictures.  As for the regular lens, ours is still broken, but we had a little miracle happen...one of my friends who is a really good photographer and takes her pictures really seriously upgraded her lens and offered to GIVE me her regular one.  I just about cried, really.  It is not a great time to be buying a new lens and we need one pretty soon since Jacob will be here three weeks from today.  We were blessed beyond belief by her generous offer and can't wait to use it a lot in the near future.

Super Jump

Claire asked if I could take a picture of her doing a super jump and I was more than happy to oblige.  She was so proud of herself.  If you look closely you will see that her favorite baby Penelope made the jump first which cracked me up.

An Afternoon Outside

Yesterday afternoon Claire, Allan, and I spent some super fun family time in our front yard.  We had such a great time running, jumping, splashing, digging in the garden and just being together.  I know that I have said it before, but I LOVE my little family time!  Claire is really getting into getting us all involved in whatever game or adventure she is wanting to do and is constantly making suggestions for us to do.

I have said a lot of random things to my best girl over the last 2.5 years.  Yesterday I added to things that make me laugh once they come out of my mouth "Claire please stop licking the driveway."
Claire had a great time swimming in her homemade pond.  I think that we need to get her a real little pool for the summer.

Claire and Allan hunt for rollie pollies every afternoon.  It is Claire's favorite thing to do.

Step1: Dig next to the flower bed

Step2: Drop rollie pollie repeatedly when it makes a ball and rolls out of your hand

Step3: Examine rollie pollie to see if it is still alive...it usually isn't

There is pretty much nothing sweeter than my baby girls toes in the water, or her pond as she liked to call it.

Claire really wanted to make it "rain" with the hose.  I love this series of photos, such concentration.

A Little Update (with pictures)

Some of you may remember the night that Allan and I took Claire to the grocery store late at night to try and buy Pirate's Booty.  This was the outfit she chose to wear and we loved it.
When I woke up on Mother's Day this was the sign hanging just outside my room.  Allan and Claire had worked really hard decorating it and making a list of some of the things they love about me.  It was one of the most special sign ever.  I love when they work together to be creative and make me feel loved.
This last weekend Allan took Claire on her first fishing outing.  They first made a pitstop at the store to buy a pink fishing pole.  Claire has been talking about this adventure with her daddy ever since.  I absolutely love that the two of them are buddies.  Allan is an amazing dad, Claire and I are both blessed to have him on our lives.  They didn't catch anything this time around, but are looking forward to their next trip to the lake very soon.  I think that we are going to take her out to the golf course sometime this week, I can't wait.
Well this is what I look like at 35 4/7 weeks pregnant.  I had my first progression check yesterday and was really disappointed when he told me that all the contractions and discomfort I have been feeling have been for nothing.  I was a double 0 (not dilated or effaced at all).  The bright side was that I had lost a pound and my belly was only measuring a week ahead instead of three because he has dropped a bit recently.  I cannot believe that he will be here three weeks from Thursday, June 11th.  Physically I am ready to get this little man out of me and I am feeling much better emotionally about adding a new member to the family as well.  There are still a few organizing things I need to get done soon, just in case I go into labor on my own in the near future.
Lastly, I was sitting on the couch last night and looking at the picture and frame across the room from me.  I just love it and thought I would take a picture of it.  I think it was one of Claire's most angelic looking pictures, it captured a side of her that rarely shows itself since she is normally smiling/laughing and running wild.  The quote on the frame was one that I had never seen and I think that it captures the way I truly feel about being her mommy.

New Lens

My camera lens is broken which makes me SUPER sad.  We will have to buy a new one and I was wondering if any of you know where the best place (and cheapest place) is to buy a new one.  It is the standard lens for the Canon Rebel.  I am a little scared of used ones.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a great weekend.  It was so relaxing that we didn't even take pictures (granted our normal camera lens is broken, so there really was no way we could have had we wanted to).  I will make it brief because let's face it a post without pictures is not the most entertaining.

Saturday- Allan let me sleep in which was aided by the Ambien that I have started some nights.  When I finally crawled out of bed we decided to make a trip to the donut store and to pick up weed killer at Home Depot.  I was without make up and had my hair in a ball, but the weather was so cool we decided to just keep on driving to the zoo.  It was a great spontaneous outing.  Claire got to feed the little parakeets for the first time and she thought that was super cool.  I definitely had to take a little Tylenol and you guessed it another Ambien to make it through the night, but it was so worth it to make some memories with my little family.

Sunday- Once again I got to sleep in which was super cool.  I woke up to a great Happy Mother's Day sign and a list of things that they love about me.  Allan cooked a yummy breakfast and then cleaned the kitchen and helped straighten up around the house.  Once all of that was finished we weren't quite sure what the next step was for the day and then Allan suggested a last minute trip to Austin.  One of the perks of having a husband in the airline industry is that we can do last minute flights for the afternoon.  We hopped on a plane, rented a car for the day, played at Zilker Park, ate at our favorite hole in the wall Green Mesquite, and headed back home.  It was a great day.  I did end up having a lot of contractions and discomfort because of a little too much activity, but that was the only downside.  Overall it was a great day.

I love being a mom.  I love having a helpful husband to share this journey with.  I love making memories with my little family and do not take these moments for granted.

What The Stretchmarks?!?!?!?

Ok so here is the deal...although the final outcome of pregnancy is a true blessing and I know that becoming pregnant and staying pregnant with a healthy baby is a true blessing there are parts of it that are not pretty and I am in the THICK of it!!!  The look of pregnancy, meaning my round belly, I love.  Feeling my little guy kick and twirl inside me I love.  There are a few things I am NOT loving at the moment...breakouts from the waist up, lack of circulation to my legs, not sleeping without the help of medication, feeling like my baby weighs about four hundred pounds, and the new one for today- FREAKIN' STRETCHMARKS.  I didn't get any of those little beauties until my last week of pregnancy the first go around and there were only one or two tiny ones.  This time they have popped up at 34 weeks and I have a feeling they are only going to get worse which stinks.  I just told Allan that when my pregnancy days are over in a few years I will be getting some touch ups done to this body of mine and now I can add stretchmark removal to the list.  I would post pictures, but really now, who wants to see that?  Here is the deal before any of you get too up in arms about what I wrote.  I am so thankful to be having a healthy baby boy in four weeks and six days at the most.  If going through the yuck brings me a kiddo it is totally worth it.  I just wish there was a less painful more glorious way to get the same outcome.

The Booty Store

Around 8:45 tonight Claire went into the pantry and when she came out she said she wanted to eat Pirate Booty (basically an organic cheeto).  We didn't have any so Allan said "maybe Mommy will take you to the store to get some".  A few minutes later we told her tit was time to go upstairs to read books and get ready for bed when we noticed she was not only wearing her silver sparkle dress, she was also putting on her white foofy socks and pink shoes.  She said "but we are going to the booty store."  Allan had not been too specific and she thought that he meant I would take her tonight to get her Booty fix.  It was just too cute to pass up so we headed to the grocery at 9:00pm (and that is why we are the coolest parents ever) she was so excited and kept talking about going to "The Booty Store".  Much to our dismay found they had stopped carrying any of the Booty snacks (Pirate Booty, Fruity Booty, or Veggie Booty).  We let her shop around for a bit it came down to a sparkle baton, Betty Boop Mother's Day balloon, and chocolate milk.  With a little direction we headed back home with a milk box and went straight upstairs.  We have said our family prayers and battled over why she can't sleep with an open milk container and now she and Allan are telling funny stories and she is singing her heart out.  I think that Allan will be asleep before she is.  I love that kid and I am glad that we totally broke routine and spent some time with our funny kid.  She was quite the sight in her outfit and the people that shop that late were very entertained by her.  It was a good night!

Her Garden

Claire has been scattering seeds the last few months in our front flower bed or as she likes to call it her garden.  It may end up being our best flower bed yet once it all fills in and blooms.  She has planted a ton of marigolds, a few black eyed susans, and a whole package of some other flower that I have no idea what it is but if it blooms will be really pretty and colorful and bigger than we thought they were going to be.  Allan is thrilled to have a daughter that is following his passion for yard work.  I think it is pretty darn cute too.

Becoming Her Own Person

Claire has just recently decided that it is great to pick out her own outfits.  I love it!  Her outfits are usually horrific from a fashion standpoint, but I love letting her be her.  Obviously there are times that she gets a little guidance from me, like when I pick out two outfits and let her choose one, but on days that we are just hanging out at the house or running to the grocery store it is fair game.  I love the person that Claire is becoming...she amazes me and makes me happy daily!

Oklahoma

While Allan was having a relaxing time playing five million rounds (maybe a slight exageration) of golf and lounging by the pool in South Carolina with his dad for four days, Claire and I headed north of the border to spend some time with my sister and her family in OK.  As usual Claire had a great time playing with her cousins, minus a few arguments that come natural with being two.  I always enjoy being around the Waters' family, they are one of those groups of people that it is just easy to be around.  We spent a lot of time just laying low and hanging out since there were rainstorms for most of our time there.  I have to give my brother-in-law, Beau, a shout out...he let Sara and I go to the movies on Thursday night and he kept Claire and his two kids until past bedtime and survived.  It was so nice of him to give us a few hours kid free.

This was my last time to hang out in OK with only one kiddo.  That is a weird thought, a thought that would have made me sad and stressed out a few weeks ago, but I am really feeling totally ok with it at the moment.  I am ready to get this boy out...more on that in a later post.

Claire and Ainsley had a few fun play times together.  It makes me excited about Claire being a big sister in just a few more weeks.  She loves babies and is really good with them.  By the way, how cute is my girl with her hair up in a "ball"?  She looked so old.

After one of the rainstorms passed Claire and Asher needed to get outside for a bit.  They are not allowed to go out without shoes on and these are the ones Ash chose to go play in.  I thought he was way too cute in his daddy's boots.
How do you entertain two two year olds in one house for a few days?  Playdough.  I do not have a good playdough set at our house, but this made me want to get one.  It entertained them for about an hour.
One of the things that I love about going to OK is how much outdoor fun Claire has.  She gets good and dirty and that is the way childhood should be.  The first evening we were there it had not rained yet so there was some good dirt to dig in and when we gave them a bath afterwards the bottom of the tub was covered in dirt.  I LOVE IT!
This is one of the greatest swings ever.  What I wouldn't give for a big tree to hang a horse swing in.  Claire would have spent hours on this thing if she could have.

A Short Visit From Papa

Last Wednesday night Allan's dad (aka Papa) came in to town to spend the night before he and Allan headed out for a long weekend of golfing in South Carolina. We had a great dinner out and then he surprised us with some gifts. Claire loved having her Papa here to play chase with and climb on. It was nice to have him here for a night.

An early Mother's Day and Father's Day gift from Allan and Gig: our new diaper bag and an Ergo Baby Carrier which made me super happy!!! Claire also recieved a new doll which she carried around for the rest of the evening.

Claire wanted a picture with her new baby. She decided that she wanted her doll to be right beside her "favorite baby picture". I love that cheesy smile!

Claire is always happy to spend a little time with her Papa, even if it is just for a few hours.

More Storage

My sister told me that in order to add more pictures in Picasa I had to buy more storage so that is what I just did and I think that it worked.  I am so thankful that I will be able to add more pics to the computer and the blog soon.  I need to download a few from the weekend I just spent in OK and post tomorrow...it is too late to start a project like that tonight.  Just thought that my faithful readers needed an update ;)