Updates, Updates, and More Updates

I don't really even know where to begin since I, of course again, have been slacking on keeping up with my blog.

As a glance over at the countdown for TBone's arrival it informs me we have just 30 DAYS left, yes that's 30 DAYS!!! Wow, I just can't believe that is all the time we have left...give or take a few. 30 days, that's a month! Thankfully I think we are as ready as we can be for the little guy to arrive. And since my last post I have had two Dr's appointments and everything still looks great. Logan makes sure he reminds me he is still here with all of his movements, which is a great reassurance. Sometimes a little uncomfortable but I will take it. I just think it is so amazing and I actually love sharing it with anyone who is around when he does start moving :) The movements are usually large enough that they can see it, so no I am not having all these random people touching my stomach.

I am still feeling pretty comfortable and although I am ready to meet him, I am not ready to get him out. I could use some more sleep but it could be worse. And some nights are worse than others. I have resigned to the couch a few times in the last couple of weeks, it's easier to stay inclined on the couch and the acid reflux demands it some nights.

We have also had two baby showers! The first one was a couples shower on Jan 9th in Chattanooga. We had a great time and we received wonderful gifts and it was just nice seeing those we hadn't seen in awhile. The other shower was at the Mister's office on Jan 18th. It was a little awkward for me since I had only meet most of the people there once but we had a nice time and it was really thoughtful of them to have a shower for us. Again we got some great gifts and one of the girls made an awesome 3 tier cake for us which was really nice of her. One of these days, not promising when, I will have a post of just pictures since I really want to get some pictures up of all the activities and fun we have had lately.

I have also started classes again. I have three traditional classes and then two days when I am in a 1st grade class. This is just my second week in the 1st grade class but so far so good. It is definitely a different experience from my Kindergarten school but I am looking forward to having some different opportunities. It is going to be a crazy semester but the Mister and I are very thankful to have our families available to help during the time I go back to school. My plans are to have Logan and then return back to classes after taking 3 weeks off. I get some crazy looks when I tell people this, but I was assured by a professor, that they had someone do it last semester and took off the same amount of time and was able to do it.

The Mister and I also had a birth class on Saturday and it was so helpful and I still am not too anxious about labor/delivery. The class provided breathing techniques, positions, and some other great tips for having an unmedicated birth. The Mister is a little nervous about how much support he will be but I think once he is there in the moment he will have no problem stepping up and being a great birth coach/partner.

I know I am missing things that I wanted to talk about but I am at a loss as to what those things were so I am going to leave you now with my most recent belly picture. Which is another thing I have been slacking on, I was doing so good get a picture taken every week and well I missed some weeks in there...oops.

A New Year and A New Decade

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve. This pregnant lady actually managed to stay up until 2:00am! I know I can't believe it myself. We had four very great friends come spend the evening with us and we all had such a good time. The fellas went to the Chick fil a Bowl and us girls stayed at our house playing dominoes and catching up. When the guys got back we had a very small fireworks display in our backyard to bring in the New Year.

I thought it would be fun to do a recap of the decade instead of the year because I really can't believe where I started at and where I am in such a short amount of time...well it sure feels like a short amount of time anyway.

So lets begin....

2000 - I was just a Junior in high school, spending my summer lifeguarding and my spring and winter cheerleading.

2001 - Graduation! Moving out on my own and starting my first year at Fort.Hays.State in Kansas.

2002 - One year down and starting my next while thinking Marketing is the way to go.

2003 - Finished my sophomore year and decide I need a change of scenery for the summer. Become a live-in nanny for a family in Chattanooga. To get to Chattanooga I take my first trip on a major jet. Meet my future husband and by the end of the summer I have decided to not go back to Kansas and stay in Chattanooga. A year of many first because it is also the first time I step foot on the beach.

2004 - The Mister and I adopt two dogs, Dusty and Dakota and buy our first house together. I have gone back to school to get my Associates. In December the Mister proposes on top of the Empire State Building.

2005 - August we are married and spend our honeymoon in Jamaica!

2006 - Graduate with my Associates in Paralegal Studies and begin working as a Paralegal at a law firm. I love finally having a 9-5 job and can't fathom the idea of ever going back to school. We spend our first anniversary in San Fransisco. The Mister's grandfather also passes away this year.

2007 - The Mister and I make a big move...we pack up our house and move to Atlanta. I am working in a law firm and not loving it. Second anniversary is in Nashville.

2008 - Not one for the memory books. I decide the corporate/legal world is not for me and yes I go back to school for my Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education. The Mister loses both grandmothers and his best friend, Foster, a 15yr old Australian Shepard and on top of that is laid off but fortunately is picked up quickly by another company. We decide for the third anniversary we would spend it in Atlanta. However for the Mister's 35th his parents take us all to DisneyWorld, the highlight!

2009 - Although a bad year for the economy, the Mister and I feel like it's been one of our best. The Mister gets a job offer he can't refuse doing what he has always wanted to do. I am loving my classes and looking forward to being a teacher. And the best part...Father's Day weekend when we found out we are expecting! Spend the fourth anniversary in Charleston.

I am looking forward to 2010 and the next ten years. I have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to especially in the next couple of months and I am sure the next ten years will bring about just as much change as the last ten and I can't wait.

Christmas Blizzard

Happy New Year! but before I get to all of that I thought I should at least do a post on our Christmas...and only a week late.

For the last 5 or 6 Christmases the Mister and I have switched back and forth between staying home and traveling to Kansas to see my family. This year was a Kansas year and I was really looking forward to it, mostly because I would get to spend several days with my 6 month old niece and share in her first Christmas celebration.

The years this occur we have an early Christmas with the Mister's family. This happened on the 20th and although small it's always a good time. This was at his parents house who have recently moved about 3 mins from us! His brother was there with his soon to be Mrs and she had her niece and nephew, which was fun to have some younger ones running around and keeping us entertained. I am grateful that we can do an early Christmas and although it is a little different than having it actually on Christmas it is still such a blessing to spend the time together.

Now the weather for Christmas was not looking promising for the plain states and they were calling for a blizzard throughout all of Kansas. My dad was very concerned we would not be making it out there but I remained hopeful. Our flight was set to leave on Christmas Eve morning and was landing in Wichita. That morning the first thing I did was check the weather and things were looking good. Our flight took off and landed without any trouble, no snow in sight. However before we even got out of the airport the snow and the wind had picked up. My mom picked us up and we were on our way to Salina (where my dad's parents live). We planned to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Salina with my dad's side. My brother who lives in Wichita also left for Salina. My parents had had my niece for the week so she was already in Salina with my dad and grandparents. By the time we got there the snow had stopped and things were looking pretty good. Well...for us anyways. The rest of Kansas was getting hit pretty hard. My two uncles and my cousins we all coming in from Kansas City, well this did not happen. Many of the main roads were closed and one uncle was completely snowed in and stuck.

So Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my dad's side was very low key but nice. Now the day after Christmas our plan was to have Christmas with my mom's side at her parents' house. Well as you can imagine they too had so much snow they didn't want anyone making the trip and possibly getting stuck or worse. So Christmas with my mom's side was canceled. Salina quickly became our home away from home for the weekend. It was nice and I know my grandparents loved to have the extra time with us. And usually our trips to Kansas during the holidays means spending numerous hours in the car driving from place to place so it was nice we didn't have that but I do hate that we didn't get to see my aunts, uncles, cousins and their little ones.

I am very thankful that the blizzard didn't keep us from getting to Kansas and I am very thankful we all remained safe; however the Blizzard of 2009 (which will now be referred as) really put a kink in our Christmas plans. I did have a blast spending two days with my niece and I have some great pictures I will post (hopefully before the next week passes).

It's Christmas Time

Ash over at Hetta Hoo and Ms. Ashes over at Just the Ashes posted two different but similar Christmas surveys and I thought I would join in on the fun.

If you want to join in just copy this entire post. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then post this on your blog.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I go with both. I love wrapping gifts but I also like using gift bags.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. It's just easier and it comes with the lights already on and real trees both the Mister's sinuses.

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day or sometime right around then.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably would be the American Girl doll - Samantha.

6. Hardest person to buy for? My brother and brother in law.

7. Easiest person to buy for? The Mister

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, two of them.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail - but we didn't do Christmas cards this year :(

10. Worst Christmas ever? I don't recall having a bad Christmas

11. Favorite Christmas Movie(s)? The Christmas Story and Rudolph

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually wait to the last minute, this year I was actually done at the beginning of December.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No.

14 .Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? All the goodies! I'm not sure of the name but my grandpa makes these Oyster Crackers with seasoning on them...yum and my mom usually makes Almond Bark covered Pretzels.

15. Favorite Christmas song? Silver Bells, White Christmas and many more!

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Right now we have been switching from traveling to staying home every other year.

17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No, I tried and missed two.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Growing up we would open presents Christmas Eve after we got home from Christmas Eve church service. We don't really have a tradition yet, but usually the Mister can't wait until Christmas day :)

19. Favorite ornament theme or color? No theme, the Mister and I each have ornaments from when we were little. We also having been buying an ornament a year since we got married and then we just have other random ones we have bought.

20. What do you want for Christmas this year? There really isn't anything I want. The Mister and I decided not to do gifts this year for each other and we will use the money to get things for Logan.

21. Egg nog or hot chocolate: Hot Chocolate with a candy cane and marshmallows! I don't like Egg nog.

22. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? The presents are always wrapped except for the things in the stockings.

23. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White on the tree. If we hung lights outside I might do colored if I could make it not look too tacky :)

24. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes!

25. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I have no idea when I stopped believing in Santa.

26. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Usually all of them :) Santa only left the stocking items and the gifts were from my parents. The Mister and I haven't started a tradition yet.

27. Snow. Love it or dread it? It doesn't really snow here but I loved it growing up, now not so much b/c it could affect our travel plans this year :(

28. Can you ice skate? I have only been ice skating once and that was in New York but I did pretty well for a first timer.

29. What tops your tree? A star, can't really describe what it looks like though - it is made out of red berries and sticks - kind of. I love it!

30. Candy canes: Yuck or yum? Yum!

If you play, please leave me the link so I can read your answers.

It's the Final Countdown...

Okay so I still have 12 weeks to go...but I am now in the 3rd Trimester and only 80 days to go!! I can't even believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by. It seems like it was just the other day that the Mister and I were unexpectedly looking at a positive on the pregnancy.test. I am getting more nervous but also more excited every day. I think Logan is already trying to escape, at least it feels like that some days. I am just waiting for the day his little foot pops out of my belly button.

I had my 28week Dr.'s appt on Tuesday. Logan is still head down...YAY! (this is why I know it his little foot that is kicking me right in the middle of my stomach) The Mister was able to come to this appointment also, this was only the second appointment he has been able to make. So he got to see the little guy and his heartbeat. The Dr also said I am measuring right on with 28weeks so that is good to know. Other than that it was another short and sweet visit.

So I believe it was my last post that I promised a picture of the rocker and the cradle so here there are along with a new belly pic. The color isn't very good in the pictures...sorry, but you get the jist.

Randomness

First I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!

Since I haven't posted in, oh.I don't know.forever, I thought I would do a quick updated of randomness.

1. I finished my Kindergarten placement last week and it was so sad to leave those kids. I really just loved everything about that experience. And for my last day my class threw me a surprise baby shower! The kids had all gotten me something. It was so sweet!

2. I am almost done with the semester!!!!! Unfortunately this means that I also have about 4 projects that I have to complete. 3 of which are due on Monday! Procrastinate much?

3. I am 26weeks right now and only one more week before I am in the 3rd Trimester!

4. Yesterday I did something I was sure I would not do during this pregnancy. I had a freak out and called the Dr, which lead to me having to go and be checked. The short version is me thinking I was leaking amniotic fluid when in actuality I just need to empty my bladder more often. No this does not mean that I wet my pants, but my dear husband would tell you otherwise. Thankfully Logan and I are both just fine.

5. We have also ordered the rocker for the nursery. This is our Christmas gift from my parents and I am so excited about getting it and have it set up in the nursery!

6. My grandparents also sent us the cradle we are going to use. It's the same cradle I used when I was a baby.

(I post pictures of both the cradle and the rocker on another post once we receive the rocker)

7. For Thanksgiving we will be spending the morning with some of the Mister's family and then driving down to Auburn to spend the rest of the day with some more of his family. We will stay in Auburn and tailgate for the Auburn v. Alabama game and then we will head home to watch the game here. The rest of the weekend will be spent finishing these projects.

The Mister and I have so much to be thankful for this year and I hope you all have lots to be thankful for too.

One More Appointment Done

Unfortunately this post will have no pictures of my beautiful boy. Although I did get to see him and his wonderful, little heartbeat, the Dr. had other things on his mind (like the woman who was in labor at 34 weeks) and did not print out a picture. That's okay though, I was just glad to get a glimpse of my little man.

My appointment went pretty well...as well as it can go when I have to give blood. I had the glucose test to do and I must say I thought the fruit punch (the flavor I had) actually was really not that bad especially if you like kool-aid. For those of you who don't know...I had to drink this in 5 mins and then an hour later they take your blood to see how you react to the sugar. If you fail it means that you could have gestational diabetes. If you fail the first test then you have to do a 3 hour sugar test. I was really hoping to pass with flying colors and not being a big sweets eater I thought I would. I found out when I got there it was only going to be a finger prick...this was even better! However with the blood from the finger prick I failed the test. Normal is 135 or lower and I was at 145. The nurse then said well we can take some blood from your arm because it is usually lower, ugh this is not what I wanted to hear. I am glad they did though because the number went down to 125! No gestational diabetes for this gal :)

However I did leave with all good news. My iron levels are a little low so they want me to start taking an iron supplement. For iron I should be at 35 or higher and at my first appointment I was at a 39. Now I am at a 32, which is quite a drop. I do know that I am not eating as much red meat as before. It just doesn't taste as good and this is odd for me who has always been know as a meat eater. I don't eat many vegetables and I don't like any fruit so I would say I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl but not since I've been pregnant. I guess I need to start adding some back into my diet. Other than that the appointment was good and I was out of there in record time.

For a little note on Logan :) The Dr. said he is no longer breech so he is hanging out upside down and I hope he stays that way. I don't want to worry about going into labor and him being in the wrong position. He is getting much stronger and is quite active at night. I can actually see my belly move with the kicks. Each kick is very reassuring except now it freaks me out a little on the days he is more quiet but I know he is just getting plenty of rest.