June 2011

School's out for the Summer!!!
I don't think I've ever been so glad to have summer break.  My whole body was thrilled that it wouldn't have to endure long hours of standing and stress for a couple of months.  This also meant that Kory and I would have time to go to movies, the library, the pool, and pretty much do anything we wanted.  Well, the heat changed all those fanciful plans I had.  We stayed in the house most days.  We took a weekly trip to wal-mart or the grocery store to stock up on fruit and goodies.  Triple digit temperatures and pregnancy don't mix well!

Major Home Yard Project
With all my moaning and bellyaching about the heat, my DIY husband decided to give me what I wanted...a pool!  Now if you know Eric, you know that he takes DIY to a whole new level.  What started as a small above-ground-pool-to-be-installed-in-the-ground-done-in-3-weeks project became much more: including LED lights, stairs, a waterfall, and more.  Oh you want to see the finished project?  Well me too.  When it is finally finished I'll take pics and post. :)  When you're constantly changing the design, running a business, going on a vacation, having company, and oh yeah, having a baby, projects like this tend to get put on hold.

Meet Mr. Kibor!
Eric's dad came for a quick visit.  He was in the U.S. for a little business and stopped over here to see us for a couple of days.  This was mine and Kory's first time to meet him.  He enjoyed playing Memory with Kory while here and got the game to take back to Kenya for the kids.  We enjoyed having him here and Eric really enjoyed getting to see him after so long apart.

Can we say slacker???

Oh wow!  I haven't posted since April and so so so much has happened since then!  The next to last post I did was when I was 15 weeks pregnant.  Now my baby is already 12 weeks old.  Surely time is NOT moving this quickly!!!

I have been wanting to find time to blog for a while now.  I'm not even going to pretend to start giving all of the excuses that have come up and kept me from the blog.  I really hope to make more regular posts in order to document our lives that are so rapidly moving along.

In order to "catch up" I'm going to do a few posts with the highlights that happened that month.  Then hopefully after the new year I'll be better at documenting events as they happen.

Still Here!

I'm still here and planning to make several posts soon.

I've just been so tired the past couple of weeks, I haven't had any energy to even write a post.

I have several posts I want to do, if I can just remember them when I sit down to type! 

Just wanted you to know, that we're doing well, just busy and tired (well, I'm the only one tired!).  Kory told me last night she wishes she could give me some of her energy.  Oh boy, so do I!!!

I'm heading to a Women's Conference this weekend with my dear friend GC.  I'm so excited to get to spend some girl time with GC and BC praising and worshipping God.  I went to this conference last year and was so uplifted afterward.  I've been looking forward to it all year!

Hope to catch up soon.  Happy *almost* weekend to everyone!

Pregnancy - Week 15

I'm into my 2nd trimester and people keep telling me my energy will return.  Well Mr. Energy, just so you know, I'M READY AND WAITING.  I'VE MISSED YOU DEARLY!!!  (In case you can't tell, I haven't had a return of energy yet.)

I'm obsessed with not getting stretch marks!  At first I was using my regular lotion on my belly and applying several times a day.  When my belly starting bursting out so quickly, I thought, this is gonna be trouble.  So stepped it up and bought Palmer's.  That stuff stinks!  I don't know about you, but I don't want to put stinky lotion on after I've just showered.  Plus, it could be my imagination, but I started itching alot when I was using it.  Which at first I thought that was my skin stretching but now I think it was a reaction to the lotion.  My friend I teach with, WC, recommended putting Olive Oil on my skin because it soaks in unlike baby oil that sits ontop of your skin.  Lucky for me, I cook with Olive Oil and have a few bottles of it my pantry (Extra Virgin, Extra Light, etc.).  I had a bottle that was almost empty so I took it to the bathroom and applied it post-shower.  I have used it every day since and haven't experience any itching at all.  It does absorb nicely.  It doesn't smell that great right when you apply but once it's rubbed in, no odor.

How I've felt:
-tired, more like exhausted
-a little less hungry than weeks 5 - 14, but still quite an appetite

What I've craved:
-nothing consistent, but I can't get enough Italian food and ice cream
-I've liked and wanted breakfast foods a lot more than before I was pregnant (especially pancakes and cinnamon/sugar toast)
-This week I really wanted some doughnuts.  My sweet hubby went and got me some this morning before church.  I ate one and put the other on the counter for later with strict instructions for no one to eat it.  Just slightly protective of my food. :)

Any Changes:
-Haven't slept well this week.  Going to bed by 9:00ish and waking up around 3:00.  Then toss and turn and doze until 6:00.

What I'm Wearing:
-Getting dressed is an annoying and stressful time everyday.  I've had to start planning 5-10 minutes extra for this task.  I try-on and take off several times before finding an OK outfit (notice I didn't say cute or great - that's non-existent).
-With the return of warmer weather, I've been able to wear some of my sundresses/summer dresses.  These are so comfortable.  It's how I plan on spending the summer.
-I've bought maternity jeans, black maternity pants, and one shirt.
-Mostly wear loose-fitting shirts and only a few of my pre-pregnancy pants "work" with my belly.
-Bought a "belly band" yesterday and can't wait to try it.  Hoping it will smooth things out a bit so I can wear some of my regular pants.

About the Baby:
-about 4in long and 2 1/2oz; the size of an apple
-air sacs in lungs are beginning to develop; developing taste buds
-can sense light
-legs are now longer than arms

Just What the Doctor Ordered...

*I may have put some of this in my last post but can't remember.  Even if I did, I have some new info. to add to it.* 

I've had a lot of pain in my tailbone and hip area with my cyatic nerve hurting a lot.  Some evenings it's just unbearable.  I talked with my doctor about it from my first visit.  At my last visit, he told me to try visiting the chiropractor and getting massages.  If these treatments didn't work, he was going to send me to physical therapy.

This week I visited the chiropractor on Wednesday.  I had visited her in December one week before my wedding when I couldn't move my neck and left shoulder.  Lucky for me, she also has special training in treating pregnant women and children.  So, I didn't have to try to find a new one. 

Anyway, she adjusted me and I immediately began to feel some relief.  When I went in, I couldn't put much weight on my right foot because of my cyatic nerve hurting.  By the time I left I could put weight on both legs.  Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday I felt a little better than I had before, but still had some pain.  By Saturday morning, I was hurting the same as before.

When I was at my first appointment, I mentioned that the doctor also wanted me to try massage.  The chiropractor told me that they could do trigger point therapy (I think that's what it's called but can't be sure) that is basically a massage.  Since it's not called a massage, insurance will pay for it.  Or in my case, when I pay out of pocket for it, it goes toward my deductible.  Win/Win, right???

Saturday I went in for my 30 minute "massage" and then was adjusted again.  Again, I began to feel immediate relief after she popped me all up.  :)  My chiropractor was explaining to me that some of the problems I'm having, if not treated now and throughout the pregnancy can cause my uterus to twist and limit space for the baby to turn at the end of pregnancy.  Well, we for sure don't want that so I'm so glad I "whined" to my doctor enough and didn't just chalk it up to normal pregnancy pain.  My chiropractor also asked me some questions that determined that my problem actually existed pre-pregnancy.  It's just being agrivated and can have some more serious effects now.

Kory and I ran errands the rest of the day so I was hurting pretty badly by the evening.  But after some tylenol and heat applied, I felt relief again and haven't felt much pain today.  I have to visit the chiropractor weekly until my body gets adjusted to "normal."  Then I'll just experience regular pregnancy pain and discomfort rather than exaggerated. :)

Pregnancy Post - Catch-up

I hope to do weekly or bi-weekly posts from here on out.  I need to do a little catch-up first though.

Honeymoon Baby!!!
Eric and I didn't plan on having a baby right off the bat.  BUT, it happened that way and we're ok with it.  I have to admit, it took me a little longer than it did Eric to be "ok" with it.  I just got overwhelmed with the thought of "WOW, this is BIG!"  I also was a little nervous to get excited until we went to the doctor and found out that everything was ok.

On February 15 we went for our first doctor's appointment.  Eric went with me so we both got to see the sonogram.  As soon as the baby came up on the monitor, the doctor and tech both said, "That's a wiggly baby!"  Uh-oh!!!

Anyway, we saw the baby moving all around, heard the heartbeat (170 bpm) and saw its tiny arm and leg nubs.  We learned that the due date is September 17.  It was tiny but still bigger than what I thought it would look like.  I could actually make out the head from rump.  :)

The week after that appointment, my belly started pooching out.  Before I was pregnant, I really didn't eat very much.  I would eat a reasonable breakfast, peanut butter and crackers for lunch, and then a big meal pretty soon after school.  Well, since I've been pregnant, my appetite increased and if I don't eat when I'm hungry, I feel sick.  So, of course, I have to eat!  I told some girls at school that I would have gotten a "pooch" even if I wasn't pregnant by the way I've been eating. lol!

When I was 12 weeks, we took these pics:

This was the Sunday we "announced" our news to our church family.  Everyone was very excited for us...and some were shocked!  Kory wore her "Big Sis" shirt and it was neat to see some people's reaction, whether it was immediate or a little delayed. :)


12 week sonogram:

(I'll add these later).

Heartbeat was 150 bpm.  The baby kept moving its hand from its mouth and back down.  I could clearly see arms, legs, and feet this week. IT was much calmer this time.  IT even gave us a good wave.  Eric couldn't make it to this appointment but was in awe at the size difference in just 3 weeks.  The sonogram tech said the baby was very cooperative which made momma proud! :) 


This is 14 weeks: 

I had to do a "self-portrait" because Eric had left the house and I wanted to change into some pj's.  So I had to do the mirror shot, which I am NOT very good at.  I kept blocking my face but that's ok, the point is the belly! :)


Here's how I've felt so far:
-tired
-at first had a little nausea in mornings but ok once I had breakfast; it was hard to get up in the mornings because no matter how much I slept, I was still tired
-now I don't feel so great in evenings after I take my vitamins; I'm trying to take them closer to bed so I'm asleep when they "kick in"
-pain in hips, tailbone, and sciatic nerves bother me - I had all of this sometimes before pregnancy, but since becoming pregnant it's worse and more consistent; Dr. L wants me to try chiropractor visits and massages then physical therapy if those two things don't work
-restroom visits OFTEN!  I was so surprised that this "symptom" happened so quickly;  I thought it happened when you were bigger but I've been informed that no, it happens early and just gets worse...joy!
-headaches in evenings - this has mainly been on days that I've worked; I haven't had many over spring break except when I'm on the computer too long  ;)
-TIRED (oh, did I list that already??)...not necessarily sleepy, just that my body feels exhausted and I need to lay down
-dreams - very long and vivid dreams; some nightmares; sometimes the dreams last all night and I don't feel rested in the AM
-HUNGRY

I think I've had it pretty "easy" compared to how sick some women get.  A few weeks after finding out I was pregnant, I made a concious decision to try to enjoy being pregnant as much as possible.  I was the little girl that always pretended to be a mommy, wife and even pregnant!  I would stuff pillows or balloons up my shirt to look pregnant.  That was always my "dream" as a little girl.  So now that it's happening, I WANT to enjoy as much of it as possible.  I am just so amazed by the miracle happening inside of me.  To read the weekly updates and learn of each developmental milestone that God makes happen is awesome.

Spring Break 2011 (pt. 4)

Thurday
My friend BC and her little guy J came over for lunch.  We wanted to get together to spend time chatting but I knew if we met at a restaurant, we wouldn't get as much visiting in before little J would want to get down and be on the move.  Since she hadn't ever been out to my house, I thought we could just have lunch here together.  We had chicken salad sandwiches, strawberry and spinach salad, and dump cake for dessert.

She spent several hours here.  We haven't really gotten to spend much time together since last summer.  She and I used to teach together so we were used to seeing each other daily.  That's the biggest thing I missed this school year was getting to visit with her regularly.

J is growing up so much.  He's walking and is everywhere.  He's such a good baby though.  He's so happy and never fussy.  He even didn't feel 100% but still just smiled and interacted so sweetly.  I hope my baby is that way.  :)

Thursday night Eric and I went on a dinner date.  We've only gone on one date that I can remember since we've been married.  It was nice to just be the two of us.  We couldn't decide on anywhere to eat.  This NEVER happens because I usually have tastebuds leaning toward one restaurant or another.  But this night I just didn't have a craving for anything and all the restaurants around us didn't sound good.  Well, actually, I did make a suggestion but Eric wasn't too fond of it.  I wanted Italian...again!  I had Italian on Sunday, Tuesay, and Wednesday, but I wanted it again.  He had been eating the spasagna for 2 days so he wasn't too willing to do Italian.  He also made a suggestion of a restaurant that used to be my favorite.  But I haven't wanted it since we ate it last time.  We ate it for Eric's birthday.  At that point we were beginning to suspect my pregnancy and I ate so much there and then felt so bad afterward that I just can't stand the thought of it right now.

Anyway, Eric had seen a Furr's open up a little ways away.  He said the parking lot was always packed and often a line out the door.  We decided to try it.  Well, it was good but we won't drive that far to go there again.  We both decided that we prefer Ryan's over Furr's.  As we left, Eric said, "Well, that was a first and a last."  Poor guy was let down.  However, we were both so stuffed that we were MISERABLE.  We came home and fell asleep on the couch very quickly.

Friday
I laid in bed reading until almost 1:00!  I haven't gotten to do that in a while. 

Eric left his phone here at the house when he left for work.  When he came back at about 10:30 to get it, he brought me a cappucino!  I haven't had one since I found out I was pregnant because I cut back on my caffeine intake.  It was so yummy!  I love it when he does little things like that for me. :)

Once I got up, I tidied the kitchen and finished up the invitiations for CH's baby shower.  I finished making them but still have to write the details in them.  Then get them addressed and send them out.

Then I decided to finally buckle-down and start a blog.  I've been contemplating it for a while.  I'm not good at keeping up with scrapbooking or printing pictures out.  I want a way to keep up with all the memories of our life and a way to keep our families aware of what's going on in our lives.  I didn't have a clue about how to make the page or anything.  So I sat down and started it.  It took me several hours and few trial and errors to get the layout and design set up.  But I like the way it turned out and hope I can keep up with entries.

Eric picked Kory up and brought her home.  She's so excited that she has a loose tooth!  I thought it would just barely be loose, but when I felt of it, it is very wiggly.  I noticed the one next to it is a little bit loose, too!  Looks like she'll probably lose 2 teeth before starting kindergarten!  I think she'll look so cute with a hole in her bottom row of teeth.  I remember how fun it was to lose teeth and get used to putting your tongue through the new space in your mouth.  I'm excited for her to experience that fun childhood privilege!  We'll post pics when she loses them.

Spring Break 2011 (pt. 3)

Tuesday
I had Eric take Kory to daycare today so I could get some stuff done around the house. Kory is such a social child, that she thrives on interaction with others.  So daycare is not torture for her, but fun.

I spent the day, straightening up the house and cleaning.  I also did some resting.

After I picked Kory up from daycare, we made dinner.  We had Spasagna, salad and garlic bread.  It was the first really home-cooked meal we've had in quite some time.  We all enjoyed it.

Wednesday
Eric took Kory to daycare again today because I had a lunch date with a dear friend. 

As an example of the clothing independence Kory is trying to assert, I'll share this little sidenote.  I was trying to "sleep in" a little.  Eric was getting Kory ready for daycare and feeding them both breakfast just like every morning.  I heard a knock on my door.  Kory comes in and to the side of the bed.  She says, "I was just wondering if I can wear different clothes today."  I set out her clothes for the next day at night.  Eric said when she went to get dressed she was "bothering" him about not wanting to wear those clothes.  So instead of just saying, "No, that's what you're going to wear, go get dressed," he sent her to discuss it with me (who was trying to sleep in).  I asked her why and her reply was I don't like them. Keep in mind, this an outfit that she squealed upon seeing when I brought it home from the store.  She's worn it several times and never complained.  It's very soft cotton and comfortable.  I don't send her to daycare or her mom's in very good clothes.  She was going to both of those places on Wednesday.  Not to mention I hadn't done laundry over the weekend like I usually do, so clothing options were running low.  So, all that to say, that despite her oh-so-convincing argument of "I don't like it," I made her wear it anyway...I know, I know, I'm soooo mean!  What's funny is that after daycare I asked her why she didn't like it and she said that it wasn't her favorite color.  I asked her what her favorite color is, knowing full well that the shirt had her favorite color on it.  As she was looking down at the shirt with huge bands of pink and purple, she said, "Pink and purple."  I think she got my point.  Oh, the joys of emerging independence. :)

I met my friend GC at Olive Garden for lunch.  We spent about 3 hours catching up and pigging out.  We both had large servings of salad, ate several breadsticks, cleaned our entree plates, split a dessert and drank so much liquid we thought we would float out to the parking lot!  I am so blessed to have a friendship with GC.  We have marveled so many times at how God brought us together as friends and how we just know that we are "Forever Friends."  We don't get together as much as either of us would like, but I always feel so refreshed after spending time with her.  She is one of those amazingly kind and Christ-like women that makes being a Christian woman appealing.  I look forward to April when we can go to the Women's Conference at her church together for the 2nd year.

After our lunch, I headed to Wal-mart to pick up a few groceries.  Then picked Mallie up from the groomer's and Kory up from daycare.  Eric took her later to her mom's for a couple of days.

Spring Break 2011 (pt. 2)

Monday
I met my friend TH at Chick-fil-A to drop Kory off with her while I went to the doctor.  I didn't tell Kory where we were going or who we were meeting.  We just walked up and saw them.  Kory was STOKED!  She and TH's oldest son, J, have a sweet friendship.  Since they've been out of town a lot lately, the kids haven't seen each other or gotten to play together.  She offered to watch Kory for me during my appointment so they could play together.  After they played at Chick-fil-A, they headed to TH's house and the kids played outside and then inside.  They had several hours of playtime and were worn out by the end.

My appointment went well.  Really nothing new was done.  We listened to Baby K's heartbeat which was around 150 bpm.  That's the same it was last week at my sonogram.  I discussed the pain I'm having in my hip and tailbone area.  I mentioned it at my very first visit, but I'm not getting any relief and it's getting worse.  He told me that good posture would help and gave me some excercises/stretches for pregnancy that might help.  He also told me to try visiting the chiropractor and getting massages, which I haven't set appointments for yet.  If none of that gives me relief, he'll send me to physical therapy.

After my appointment, I ran to Kohl's to get Kory some spring/summer clothes.  She is growing like crazy.  Everytime I go to dress her, something that just fit her is too small, too tight, too short, etc.  Eric and I were in shock because on Monday night she had some pj's on that fit.  On Friday night she had the same pj's on and they were too tight and kept showing her hiney when she'd bend down!  I got her about 4 shorts and shirts outfits and 2 dresses.  I used to keep her closet STOCKED with clothes.  She always had so many new clothes that sometimes she would grow out of them before we took the tags of them.  Everyone always commented on how cute her clothes were and how cute she looked.  Now that she's out of the Toddler section (I have to buy a 6X for her and she just turned 5!), I have a very hard time finding clothes that I like for her.  I still want her to look like a little girl.  So many of the clothes for her size look like teen and adult clothes.  I don't want her looking like she just walked out of a punk rock concert or is ready to go out to a bar.  The sad part is, she's starting to want a little more independence over her clothing.  She's wanting to dress like the older Disney stars, and I don't want her to.  I don't think that they dress badly, it's cute for them.  I just don't want our 5 year old to dress like them...ever yet.  Anyway, I digress.

I also bought me a loose fitting top and some maternity jeans!  I can still button all, well most, of my pants.  But, they're tight and they make me bumpy and the button area bulges out.  The maternity jeans make everything smooth.  The let my belly be round and not bumpy and lumpy.

Then I headed over to Hobby Lobby to look for some baby shower invitations.  TH and I are giving a baby shower for our friend, CH.  Her 3rd baby is due in May.  Her theme is "cowboy" but I didn't see any I liked.  So I gathered materials to make some.  :)

Once I picked Kory up, we headed home and made dinner.  We had hamburgers and pan-fried potatoes.  I tried to make them the way my mom does.  I think they turned out ok.

After dinner and after Kory got into bed, Eric and I watched The Final Rose and After the Rose.  We were so glad Brad chose Emily.  She was my top pick from the first night and one of Eric's top picks!  **I know, that show is trash!  I don't need any lectures from any of you. (Ok, daddy?)  :)

Spring Break 2011 (pt. 1)

Spring break is always a bittersweet time for me.  Trust me, I look forward to it and count down to it just like all teachers and students.  However, the day spring break begins I start wishing for time to sssslllllooooowwwww down because I know all too soon, we'll be back in the swing of all the chaos.  I think we're all this way with any breaks or vacations we get.  I was the same way with my wedding and know that my pregnancy will be the same way.  Time just seems to always move too fast or too slow...never seems to be a happy medium.

Spring Break Highlights:

Friday night and Saturday = LAZYville.  I wasted my time away on resting, surfing the internet, blog stalking, facebooking, etc.  Kory played, colored, drew, and watched some movies/cartoons.  Eric worked...as usual (he doesn't get a spring break, or much of a break at all).

Sunday
Eric, Kory, and I headed to Mesquite to eat at Chipotle...yum!  Normally after church we eat somewhere around our church building or house and then run errands.  We decided that since we were going furniture shopping a little further north, we would eat at a restaurant we've missed since I don't live up that way anymore.  On the way to Chipotle I was out of sorts trying to decide if I wanted to get soft tacos or a burrito bowl.  Let's face it, food has always been important to me, but during my pregnancy, I can't get enough!  I just really couldn't decide what I wanted to eat.  So my husband, being so accommodating and caring, told me I could get both!  So that's what I did...isn't he sweet?  I ate the tacos and got a bowl to-go so I could eat on it for lunch on Monday.  SCORE!

Kory waiting in line

After a nice lunch, we headed over to Ashley Furniture to finally pay for the couch we had picked out last weekend.  We were also going to look at new bedroom furniture.  All week the sales guy had been calling us with the price of the couch going up and down.  We went in expecting to get a certain price.  When he got the paperwork together, the price was more than we went in expecting.  It was only by about $150, but Eric was not happy.  He felt we were getting the run around.  I just wanted the couch. :)  Eric told the guy we were going to look at some other places and we would be back if we didn't find anything.  I knew we wouldn't find anything comparable, but I went along since Eric had the money and the car keys. :)  We went to Rooms to Go and a little furniture that was a joke.  We weren't gone 30 minutes before returning to Ashley!  We purchased the couch and intended on looking around at bedroom furniture.  By that point I was too tired to continue so we headed home.

When we got home, I laid down for a short nap while Eric and Kory did some drawing (Eric) and coloring (Kory) at the kitchen table.

That evening I got to meet up with my friend TH for dinner.  It had been way too long since we'd gotten to chat and this was a first for us without husbands and kids.  It was so great to spend time catching up and just getting to know each other better.  She and her husband have been a blessing to our family since we first met them when we visited Creekside.  As our friendship continues, I know God is preparing us for a lifetime of friendship.

While I was gone, Eric and Kory were supposed to go to a movie.  As they went to leave, Eric realized his truck keys were in my car.  So they couldn't go to the movie.  He had a very disappointed 5 year old on his hands.  He pulled the Wii out and she had fun playing that.  It looked like a good time was had anyway as the living room was a MESS when I got home.

DISCLAIMER: I intended to do a recap of the whole week in this one post.  BUT, not surprising to anyone that knows me, I got a little long winded.  So I'll break the Spring Break Highlights into more than one post.  :)

Starting to Blog

Just getting our blog up and running.  We hope to use this as a way to keep in touch with family near and far as well as document big and little events in our lives.