Week 30

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!! :)

Well this week was pretty hectic. It started off pretty rocky when I had my second glucose tolerance test and was told that I failed the fasting blood sugar. So now I have to test my sugars 4 times a day for a week so they gauge whether or not I need medication. Very nice thing right in the middle of the holidays when the BEST food is around. We'll see how that goes after the week is up. We had a very good Christmas. My mom, brothers, and sister came down to visit and we all just hung out, ate food, and played with all of our new stuff. It was a good time! We woke up Christmas morning and opened presents...here are some pictures.

Christmas Tree

Here is our tree with all of our presents on Christmas morning.

Here is a picture of each person opening presents...

Caroline

Will

Mom

Andy

Ed

Hope

Me

Later on Christmas Day after all our presents were opened and we had showers we decided to go to the beach. It was a nice day, warm enough for shorts and t-shirts. Here are some pictures.

It was so nice to have everyone down at our house. Ed and I are so grateful to be able to spend Christmas with each other...FINALLY! :) It's hard to believe that next year it will be Baby's First Christmas. We will have a 9 month old!! Crazy! We can't wait!

Week 29

Yay it is almost Christmas!! :) We have been busy preparing for family to come visit. My mom, brothers Andy & Will, and sister Caroline are all coming to visit. We're pretty excited about "hosting" Christmas for the first time at our house. After Christmas we're hoping to see Ed's mom and Harvin as well as his Aunt Kathy, Uncle John, and cousins. It will be a great holiday season. So this weekend in our preparations we cleaned the house from top to bottom, did all the laundry, cleared out the nursery for air mattresses, planned out meals, went shopping, and planned out some fun stuff to do. Since we did so much work Friday and Saturday we just hung out today and went to a bar to watch the Steelers game (it didn't air on tv here). It was a disappointing game, but it's okay b/c they're still going to the playoffs. The bar was pretty neat though, it was ALL Steelers fans and packed to the brim. Pretty exciting. We're happy that we found a place to go when the games aren't on tv. We felt like we were watching the game in Pittsburgh. Ed is on leave (yay!) and I have to work tomorrow and Tuesday...but then I have 5 days off including Christmas and Christmas eve. It will be our first Christmas we actually get to spend together in 5 years I think. We are grateful to be able to celebrate the holidays together. Here is the latest belly picture...

Ultrasound!

Today we went for our 3-d/4-d ultrasound. Here are some of the clips from the session. No, we still don't know what the baby will be. We will find out in March along with everyone else. :) Enjoy!

This week has been great so far. We're really starting to get into the Christmas spirit. We've been recording all the Christmas movies on tv and watching them. Some of our all time favorites are A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and It's a Wonderful Life. It's been especially nice this year since we don't really go out much anymore. After a long day at work it's nice to turn on the Christmas lights in the living room and curl up with a blanket on the couch. Hope loves "family time" on the couch. Last night we had a Christmas party for my work. Before we left we attempted to get some pictures in front of the Christmas tree by using the timer on the camera. Here are some of our shots. Yes my belly is getting ridiculously large. We also took some new belly shots and I will put those down at the bottom of this post.

Back to the Christmas party...People were supposed to bring their spouses, but no one did so it was Ed and 5 women sitting around a table doing word searches with Christmas music in the background. It was pretty cute b/c they were asking him all about the Navy and his job. He's such a good sport. We did an ornament exchange and had cookies and punch. We also got a secret santa gift from someone in our neighborhood and we need to keep the tradition going. We have to pick someone in the neighborhood, put a gift on their doorstep, ring their doorbell, and get away before they answer the door. It's a pretty fun game.

Last Friday we went to a doctor's appointment and I had to do my glucose tolerance test. Basically you drink this cold orange drink that kind of looks/tastes like orange soda, but with way more sugar. You have 5 minutes to drink it and then you have to sit there for an hour. After the hour they draw some blood and test it to see if your body processed it or not. If you get <140>

So here are the rest of the belly pictures...

Ed thought this was a cool shot from this angle.

Here's the traditional side view that we've been doing.

Here's a scary view from the front. I think my belly button is going to pop out soon and it really freaks me out. I can't believe I'm putting this online, but here you go. Enjoy!

Week 27

This week started off kind of rough. I started it off by getting rear-ended in my brand new car. No one was hurt, but I was really sad that my brand new car got hit by a crazy old lady. Luckily the Highlander did it's job and took the hit really well. We have a few knicks and scratches on our bumper and the ladies 1994 station wagon is totalled...the whole front end is smashed in. We're getting everything fixed (thank goodness she had insurance) so the car will be good as new. Saturday night Ed went to Orlando to a Misfits concert with his friend Tyson. I decided that since I was home alone I would watch chick flicks and make a huge banana split. I took pictures...it was DELICIOUS!! :) Here are the steps to a pregnant woman's heart...

Step 1:Line bowl with cut up banana pieces.

Step 2: Add icecream of choice. This particular night I was feeling Neopolitan.

Step 3: Add syrup(s) of choice. This one has fudge, caramel, and marshmallow.

Step 4: Add whipped cream. I prefer the extra creamy kind.

Step 5: Add cherry on top (or in my case like 5 or 6...whatever looks good). :)

Step 6 is to obviously devour the whole thing and don't feel guilty about it. :)

So the rest of the week was kind of a bust too. I worked Sunday and then Monday Ed came home sick and has been getting over it since. He was on the couch for a good 4 days pretty much just resting and taking his medicines. I took the week off to relax with him.

Thursday was my birthday (yes I am old now) and we spent the day relaxing. Well I spent the morning at the dentist and ended up getting a cavity filled and then we decided to get milkshakes and watch season 2 of The Office for the rest of the day. It was quite nice to sit around in my sweats all day. Ed finally let me open my presents that I had been looking at under the tree for days. He got me a pink ipod...it's the cutest thing ever. Yes not only am I old, but I'm the last person on the earth to own an ipod. I also got some jewelry from my grandma that was gorgeous (of course). She got me a charm for my bracelet and a pair of amethyst and diamond white gold earrings to match the ring she got me for college graduation. I got some wonderful cards and thoughtful birthday wishes from friends on facebook and myspace. All in all it was a good day.

Week 26

Clemson vs USC

The big game that we wait for ALL year!! This weekend we had friends over and it was a lot of fun. We cooked a bunch of food and I baked a cookie cake and cupcakes that Ed and I decorated. My personal favorite was the "house divided" cookie cake. It was pretty and delicious. Ed decorated the USC cupcakes (he says he is not a pastry chef). I baked red velvet cupcakes so that the insides were garnet. For Clemson I made orange cupcakes and put tiger paws on them.

We got some cute pictures that day. My jersey barely fit my big belly and Hope wore her jersey and Clemson collar.
We had a great time and Clemson won once again so Hope gets to keep all of her Clemson stuff for the year. :) Just for the record, the beer I am holding in the first picture is Non-Alcoholic. Kind of tastes disgusting, but I had to feel cool and use my Clemson coozie. It was a fun day. After the game we played Rock Band and had a singing contest. Crystal was the big winner. She is the Rock Band singing Champion! Good times!

Week 25

Happy Thanksgiving!


We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving with each other and the dog. It was a family day. We got a later start than we had planned because the day before I suddenly got really sick and we ended up in the hospital. Everything turned out fine, but it was a little scary and we didn't get home until late. When we woke up we started cooking the turkey and any kind of pre-cooking that could be accomplished. Once we got all of that under control we decided to play Christmas music and put up all of our decorations. We got a lot done. We decorated the whole living room by putting up the tree and also decorated the banister. There are colored lights everywhere and it is so beautiful! We put up the other tree in the dining room and also the Christmas village that we love so much. Everything turned out beautifully. Here are some pictures...







That was pretty much the extent of our Thanksgiving. We ate our big dinner after we decorated and it was delicious! This weekend we are having people over for the Clemson/USC game. :) Go TIGERS!

Week 24

Well we have surpassed the 6 month point in the pregnancy. It seems like my belly gets bigger and harder everyday. Lately we've been excited because we're really feeling the baby move around more. I've felt it for a few weeks now, but at first it was just little fluttery feelings. Now it's full on kicks that make me stop what I'm doing and pay attention b/c they're so strong. Ed has felt it a few times too, which makes it more exciting to share. Here is the latest picture of my ginormous belly. If you look really closely you can see the huge vein on the side of it. Ughh.

Nothing too exciting to report this week. We've both been cleaning the house and clearing out the study for the baby's stuff that I've been buying. Last weekend I got a great deal on a crib that I absolutely love. We haven't put it together yet, but here is a picture of what it will look like. I'm not going to put the wheels on it. Other than all of that we have both been working pretty much everyday and going to bed early.

Last night we went to bed before 9:00 pm. We've been exhausted b/c neither one of us has really been getting sleep. I don't know if it's nature's way of preparing us for the baby when it comes, but we've both been waking up all through the night. I can never seem to get comfortable and it keeps Ed up. Also, what we call "Pregnancy Brain" has gotten worse and worse. I can't remember anything and I lose my train of thought. I think most people who come into contact with me think I am completely insane. It's the worse symptom so far of pregnancy and drives Ed crazy. Thank goodness he is patient enough to put up with me. We're looking forward to Thanksgiving, even though we will just be sitting here with our neighbors and other friends who are stuck in the area. Yay for the military to ruin every holiday. I really can't complain though, because at least we will get to spend it with each other. We're going to share the cooking with our next door neighbors and try to make the best of the situation. I'm sure it will be nice. We'll try and take pictures to post.

Week 23

Well we are almost to the 6 month point. Aughh!! Crazy! :) Lately we have been noticing that this baby has a personality. I've been able to feel small flutters for a few weeks now, but just this week Ed got to feel a kick for the first time. Lately I've been feeling it move more and more. Mostly though, the baby seems to sleep most of the day and awaken right as we lay down to go to sleep. Great...hopefully this isn't going to be true after it's born!

Today we went for our ultrasound. Last time we got to see the baby I was only 13 weeks along so we were pretty excited to see how it's changed and grown. The pictures were INCREDIBLE. The tech went through the entire anatomy of the baby and explained every little bone and parts of the body like the brain, kidneys, stomach, etc. It took about 45 minutes and we were glued to the screen the whole time in awe of how amazing it was. We made sure to tell her before she started that we didn't want to know if it was a boy or a girl so we had to close our eyes for that part. As hard as it was we both didn't peek so it remains a surprise that we will find out in March of 2009 like everyone else. At the very end of the ultrasound she clicked on a button and all of a sudden it was in 4-d!! We were so surprised b/c we had no idea that she could even do 4-d! We got to see our little baby's face. It is so AMAZING. Here is the picture she took.

Isn't technology absolutely incredible??? Our baby is so cute! You can even see its little ear and everything. Both of its hands are up to its face. Today was the best day ever!! The tech told us that the office offers a full session in 4-d for only $75.00 for their patients (it's normally $200+) because they want them to have the opportunity to get it done at a reasonable price. She said the best time is around 28 weeks or so. We are definitely considering doing it. They can put it on a cd/dvd so if we get it we'll post more pictures like this one.

We also went ahead and took another picture of the ever-expanding belly...getting bigger and bigger everyday! Here it is...

I can't believe I live in Florida and I'm this pale...oh well. I'll get out to the beach after the baby is born. There's no way I'm wearing a bathing suit now. Haha! :) Well we will keep everyone posted. That's all I've got for now.

Week 22

Well we are finally settled into our new house and getting really great at navigating the area. This week we had a doctor's appointment at our new OB/GYN here in Florida and we were very pleased. The practice is very nice and there are 4 doctor's available to rotate. They deliver at a hospital right around the corner and we have heard that the delivery suites are very nice, the whole unit is newly built. Here are some pictures from the hospital's website. There is a slideshow you can click on and see everything.
http://www.health-first.org/hospitals_services/hrmc/birth_suites.cfm

We haven't been there yet, but we are planning to take a tour soon. Next month we are going to start our "Prepared Childbirth Classes" at the hospital. We are pretty excited about it! We are just now starting to collect things that we'll need when the baby gets here. I am so excited about getting the nursery together. It's so much fun to look at baby stuff. I pretty much spend all of my free time looking online for the best deals. Ed likes looking at baby stuff too, but he's not obsessed with it like I am.

Updated..Finally!

Whew! I think the page is finally updated!! After the move it took awhile to get everything caught up. We are finally settled into our house. We got our phone/internet/cable set up, email me for our home phone number. We are going to use that one primarily because we paid for long distance this time (I had a problem going over my cell minutes). Last week I had a job interview with Pediatric Services of America (PSA). I will be working with kids who have special medical needs, but in their own homes. I'm excited because it will be more personalized care than at the hospital. I'm interested to see the differences between the two jobs. I still miss my old job though and everyone I worked with. I start orientation tomorrow so wish me luck!

Last weekend we went out to Orlando for our friend DJ's birthday. There were 12 of us total and we went to this great Greek restaurant. The food was incredible! They let people dance on the tables and they started dances around the whole restaurant with the people. Here are some pictures...

Week 21

Well our stuff got here first thing Monday morning!! They brought it over in a huge van and it took most of the day to get everything moved into the house.

After the movers left we looked around and realized we had a lot of work to do. Not only did everything need to be unpacked, arranged, organized, etc. We had to call and get all of our utilities set up. It pretty much took most of the week for us to get everything settled, but by the end of the week we had everything under control. I had a job interview in the middle of the week with PSA and I start my orientation next Wednesday. I'm so excited to finally get back to work. I hate sitting around all day...it sounds like a great idea but after about a week or so it's not fun anymore. I'm excited about starting home health nursing. It will be interesting to see the difference between that and working in a large hospital. Back to unpacking...

Week 20

Well this is the week we finally got our house!! :) We got up super early and left for Cocoa! We were excited to drive back down in the new car (pics to come soon!) and finally see where we would be living!! We got down here on a Thursday and did our initial walk through of our new house. We didn't get to sign the papers that day b/c it was too late in the afternoon. We spent the night in a hotel and planned on coming back to the office first thing Friday morning. We didn't mind too much, after driving/riding in the car all day we wanted to get some sleep. Here is a picture of Hope with her new dog bed...she fell asleep on this chair in the hotel with her leg hung up on the arm. She was exhausted!! :)

We signed our papers stating we accepted the house on Friday morning. We were so excited to finally get the keys!! The house is awesome...here is a picture of the front of it.
We couldn't get our stuff until Monday so we camped out for the weekend. We had to go to Wally World and get a big air mattress, tv, and dvd player so we didn't go insane in an empty house. Over the weekend we explored the area and ate out pretty much every meal except breakfast. It was exciting to look forward to getting our stuff and deciding where everything was going to go. So far the area is amazing with so many things to do, places to eat, etc. The movers brought our stuff on Monday and we couldn't wait to get everything unpacked and settled.