End of Month 1

Well if you can believe it, Emily is already 1 month old! She has done a lot just in the last week! She is really starting to follow your voice and your face. It's neat to watch. She also likes to lay in her play gym and try to touch the hanging toys. She has had lots of fun with all the friends and family that have come to visit.

Here she is in her stroller for the first time. Auntie Cori and I took her to the mall...and to the movies!!!


Here she is with her Auntie Cori who came all the way from Texas to visit her:

HI!!!!!


Mommy cut my nails for the first time. Don't they look pretty?


Here I am with Grandma Bonnie. She's doing tummy time with me:


Check out this link to see all the pics from the last month:http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562057411aLYSqy?vhost=good-times

Sleeping Beauty

If you all can believe it, Emily slept through the night last night!!! I was shocked. I fed her at 9:30pm and put her down at 10pm. I woke up around 2am and was like...OMG...is she okay? So I checked in on her and she was sound asleep. So I closed her door and went back to bed. She didn't wake up until 5:30am!!! So she slept for almost 8 hours! Then I put her back down at 6am and she slept until 8am. So I feel fully refreshed!! Yay!!

Aunt Cori is coming to visit today, so we are VERY excited!!

Have a good one!

Go Pack Go!

Okay...so I know most of you are thinking...what has happened to Teresa? Is that Emily in a PACKERS outfit? yes...yes it is! I have lived in WI for 8 years now...today is the big football game to see who goes to the Superbowl. My good friend Sarah's boyfriend plays for the Packers (#65 Mark Tauscher...Go Mark Go!!). She stopped by this weekend with an outfit for Emily and said she HAS to wear it on Sunday...so here she is! She will be wearing it again when they play in the Superbowl.

So...eventhough I am a true Bears fan at heart, it's hard not to root for the Packers today. So here goes!!! GO PACKERS!

New Video of Emily

Check out this video of Emily with the hiccups! It's so cute.
http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3048760260102774306gOwmsW?vhost=good-times

I also posted some more pictures in the Jan 2008 album from our visit to IL. We got to see lots of friends from back home. http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562057411aLYSqy?vhost=good-times

We went to the lactation specialist yesterday and did some nursing work with Em. She did great!! The specialist said things are going well. She got weighed before she ate and she is now at 5lbs 13oz!! yay!! After I fed her, she had drinken 3 ounces!!! What a big girl!

Hope everyone is doing well.

Emily is 2 weeks old

We took Emily to the Dr yesterday for her 2 week check-up. I can't believe it's already been 2 weeks...now if she would just sleep through the night HA HA!
At her 2 week check up, everything looked great. She is back up to her birth weight of 5lbs 7oz. She grew an inch and a half and now measures 19.5 inches.
Her face is really filling out, I can't believe. She has been in preemie clothes and today, for the first time, I put a newborn outfit on her!! It's a little big, but she'll grow into it in no time.
Now...if she would just sleep through the night...oh wait...I already said that :) She is sleeping about 2 - 3 hours at a time. Some nights are better than others. The last two have been barely 2 hours at a time.

Nursing is going better, she is still being darn fiesty when trying to latch. I don't know why she feels a need to make it so difficult. Once she does latch, she will nurse until she's blue in the face! So I give her 20 minutes and then say...that's enough! Mommy is not a human pacifer!!

Em has attended her first TWO parties already! She was out an about on New Years Eve at Aunt Kacey and Uncle Tony's house. She was just 5 days old, but was the star of the party. Mommy was a little cranky, but Em had a great time being passed around. Em was also at Matt and Brenda's wedding reception hosted by the golf course. It was a nice party where she got to meet lots of friends. She did so good!!! And mommy was in a better mood too :)

Let's see...what else..she had her first big road trip yesterday. Mommy and Em came down to IL to visit Grammy and Grampa. She did great. Slept in the car the entire time. We even went to Grammy's hair salon to show her off to all the girls. They all thought she was so cute. Then we stopped by Aunt Kathy's office to visit with her and cousin Jenny!! Em can't wait to meet the whole family. We are still in IL and plan to come home tomorrow.

Well here is a link to some new photos...enjoy!
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2481631220102774306DFyGsW

The Birth Story

Sorry I haven't written too much...been busy with the new little peanut at home. Trying to get on some sort of routine here...

Anyways, thought I would update everyone on how Emily arrived in this world. My water broke at10:30pm on Christmas night. Of all nights, Kory was actually home, which as most people know had to be a sign because he's never home at night. So we headed to the hospital and got there around 11:45pm. They took me to triage and we had to do some tests to see if my water actually broke. While we were waiting, I was hooked up to the monitor and started having mini-contractions, so we were pretty sure this was the 'real thing'. At about 12:30am they said the test showed amniotic fluid, so sure enough..we were admitted to St. Mary's. We got set in our room shortly after that. They decided to give me 2 hours to see if I could make any changes on my own. I was 3 cm dialated when I arrived in triage and 2 hours later I was still at 3 cm, so they decided to kick start my labor with Pitosin. WOW! That stuff is AWFUL!! Okay...so it does what it's supposed to do but geesh! Those contractions got fast and hard really quick.

To take a step back...my mom really wanted to be there for labor and delivery. My parents came up from IL to Madison on Christmas Eve to celebrate the holidays at my sister's so I didn't have to travel home so close to my due date. So they slept over to Christmas Morning and then headed to their house on the lake up in Hayward, WI. That's about a 5 hour drive. When they got there, mom called me from her cell phone in town to say that their phones weren't working. So if something happened, I was supposed to call the lady down the street and she'd come get my mom...too funny, right? Well OF COURSE my water breaks. I knew I needed to call them, but wanted to be 100% sure that I was going to be admitted before they started the 5 hour drive home. SO....at about 1am I called the neighbor and she had to get out of bed and drive down to my parents and wake them up. They ended up having really bad weather up there and it took them 7 hours to get to the hospital! I felt soooo bad!!!

Okay, so back to my contractions getting worse. This was probably around 5am when they started to get super intense. Kory and I did some walking and I sat on the birthing ball for a long time. That was wonderful! Kory's mom arrived around 5am or so. She and Kory helped me through the next 2 hours of labor which were super intense. At about 7am I was 4cm dialated and decided I wanted an epidural. So my epidural arrived around 7:30am. I was then pretty close to 5cm. The epidural HURT! Nobody told me that!!! But after it worked, I was feeling darn good. Kacey and Casey both arrived at the same time around 7ish. Just after the epidural, so it was nice they didn't have to see me in so much pain. I'd like to have more nieces and nephews! HA HA

After I got my epidural, we were all just hanging out. I think mom and dad got there around 8am or something like that. Then we all just hung out waiting for the baby to come. We had lots of good times, just chatting and laughing. It was one of the most special times of my life. I had a room full of people I love!!!! We were all so anxious to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl!!!

So at about 9am I was a good 7cm, then by 11:30am I was 10cm. So they called my Dr who was in Sun Prairie at the Dean Clinic. I was SOOO ready to push, but they said just hang in there. So I was busy breathing through my pressure to push. Dr. Zenner arrived around 12pm and did an exam...he barely put his fingers in and said...OKAY! Time to push!! Everyone get ready! HA HA I guess the baby was about ready to come out on her own. So everyone got ready. I pushed for 20 minutes and baby Emily arrived in this world!! It was so amazing!!!!

She is already a little angel. She sleeps pretty good and is starting to nurse better and better. It's taking both of us some time to get the hang of it. I had heard nursing was hard, but I didn't realize it was by FAR the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Giving birth was easy compared to this nursing thing. We are hanging in there though and gettting better each day.

Speaking of nursing...she's just waking up, so I'm off to nurse again.

Thanks for all the prayers and special thoughts. We are so blessed.

Baby M has Arrived!!

Emily Kaslyn Marion arrived on Dec. 26th at 12:30pm.
She weighed 5lbs 7oz and 18 inches.



She is a tiny peanut, but absolutely georgous!!



Here is a pic:


Thanks for all the well wishes. I will write more when I have time...18 years from now :) ha ha

Please Help....

We have some friends who have had infertility problems in the past, and because Kory and I have been so blessed with this pregnancy, I thought what a wonderful time to try to help other couples have the same blessing we've had.

Our friends, Scott (Kory's drum teacher from when he was a kid) and his wife Melyssa (my wonderful hairdresser!!) have been trying for several years to get pregnant. Here is a message I received from her today.


As most of you know Scott and I have been trying to have a baby for over 4 years now. We have been going to a fertility clinic for the past year and have already had 3 failed IUI's (inseminations) and 1 failed IVF (in vitro). NONE of this is covered by our health insurance and we have had to take out a loan to be able to (hopefully) have a baby of our own!
It will only take a minute of your time and if you would please do this with Scott and I in mind just send this quick letter to our state representatives to get them to pass a law that fertility should be covered by all insurances. We beg for your support, to help us and others like us in the future.
Here is the link:
https://secure2.convio.net/res/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=119
If for any reason you can't get it to work, here are the steps to take that will get you to that page:
*Go to <www.resolve.org>
*Under the subject "Quick links"
*You'll see "Insurance Information" click here *Click on Federal legislation *Click on where it says "To write to your senators now..."
*You should be at the page where you have to fill in your name and address and then the letter should already be written next to it!"
*Please read the letter and send it!
We thank you all for this small gift that could be HUGE! I am thinking that there is "power in numbers" so the more of you that do it the better. If you feel so inclined to keep doing it (as I plan to every day) maybe our point will get across eventually!
Happy holidays!
Love,
Melyssa and Scott

Please take the time out of your day to go to the website and submit the letter. It is already typed up for you. I just did it and it only took about 2 minutes. It will be worth your time.

36 Week Check-up

I went to the Dr today for my 36 week check-up. This is a big one because they do your first cervical exam. I am happy to report that I am not dilated at all yet...but my cervix is softening. He said normally your cervix feels like cartilage (kind of like the end of your nose) and now it's feeling like your lips--so a lot softer. So that's neat!!

He also did a quick ultrasound to verify position and the head is down!! yay!!! He's hoping that won't change between now and delivery, but there is a slight chance it could change. The heartbeat was around 155 which is what is has been since the beginning. We all know that means it's a boy, right????? You just never know :)

I had an appt today to get the car seat checked and had to cancel because the roads were so bad! I didn't think it was a good idea to head to the other side of town with the roads as nasty as they were. So hopefully I can get in sometime before the baby arrives.

Well I think that's it! Just wanted to give an update. Hope everyone is enjoying this snowy December!

35 weeks and 3 days---not that I'm counting!!!

Well we're getting down to the end here...getting anxious, and getting nervous! I think nursery is finally all set. We've got all the baby clothes washed up and put away. Got all the bedding washed...for the 2nd time. Aunt Bea (the cat) decided she really liked sleeping in the crib and when I banned her from the crib, she decided the changing table would suffice!! So I've washed everything again. I'm getting practice making the crib...who designed those things? It's nearly impossible to make up the crib with the bumper on!! Oh well! I'm sure I'll get good at it :)

I packed the baby's bag this weekend and got mine about half done. A lot of the things I can't really pack until the last minute, but I wrote them down so I won't forget those items. I wrote up my 'call list' so we know who to call when. I can't believe we're down to the wire!!

Kory dutifully put together the swing this weekend! yay!! He also put the car seat in the car...boy is it weird looking in my rearview mirror and seeing a carseat!!! The car seat was a bit adventurous of a process because mind you..it's about 10 degrees here!! So I heated the car up and we both went out there and it took us a while to figure out the whole 'latch' system so you didn't have to use the seatbelt. We put it in nicely behind the drivers seat...well when we went to but the actual carrier on the base we realized my seat had to be moved so far up that I couldn't get behind the wheel!! So we had to unattach it and reattach it behind the passenger seat!! It was a cold process, but we got it done!! I am going in for a carseat check on Tuesday to make sure we have it in correctly.

Let's see...what else is going on....Kory is busy working lots of hours. This is the busy holiday season for Fed Ex. Other than that, we've just been hanging out and trying to relax when we can. We've had many days of nasty weather the last 3 weeks, so Kory has really been exhausted when the weekends roll around. It takes a toll on him when he has to drive for 14 - 15 hours in a row.

Anyways, I should get going. I go to the Dr on Tuesday, so I will post another blog later this week. It's my big 36 week check up!!! So that should be exciting.

Baby M has a cousin on the way!!!

I am so excited to announce that Baby M has a cousin on the way!!! Cori is pregnant with a little brother or sister for Mikaiya.

And guess what???? Baby Stampf #2 (as I am calling it until Mikaiya gives him/her an official name!!) is due on MY BIRTHDAY!!! July 10th for those of you that don't know. YAY!!

I am very excited that Baby M will have a cousin close in age, so they can hang out when we visit each other.

Congrats Cori & Jeff!!

WI Baby Shower

Click the link below for photos from my WI baby shower:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=x67xubp.33u66ckp&x=0&y=c13fhu

It was a blast! Thanks to Kacey for planning and hosting the shower. Painting onesies was so much fun. Thanks everyone for coming and for the wonderful gifts. I can't wait for Baby M to arrive and use all his or her new stuff!!!

Congrats to Sugarland!!

Yeah! Sugarland FINALLY won the Best Duo of the Year award from the CMA's.

Congrats and very well deserved.

Illinois Baby Shower

I had my first baby shower this weekend. It was back home in IL with all my friends and family from that state :) I had a great time and am so happy that so many people were able to come celebrate with me.



I have uploaded some pictures if you'd like to see them.



Click here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/8941176@N02/jwpV16



Here are a few of them:

Me and Grammy


The sisters--aren't we so cute? Even color coordinated!!



Cori made this cute diaper cake!



Me opening some cute socks!



A party shot!

Butternut Squash

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

How my life is changing:

Your baby's very active now. Your practitioner may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks and will give you specific instructions on how to do this. Let her know if you ever notice a decrease in activity. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion, which in turn can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation as well.

Your growing uterus may also be contributing to hemorrhoids. These swollen blood vessels in your rectal area are common during pregnancy and usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth. If they're itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath or applying cold compresses medicated with witch hazel to the affected area. Also avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your practitioner before using any over-the counter remedies during pregnancy, and let her know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.

Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy, where laying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. You might note that you feel lightheaded if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid "the spins" lie on your side rather than your back, and move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

Being pregnant sounds fun...doesn't it? Reason 4,325 Kacey :)

Happy Halloween this weekend! We're off to "Trailer Trash Days" at the Vosberg's. Being pregnant fits right in!!

Week 29...Tomorrow

I just got back from Dr and thought I would post a quick blog. I am VERY happy to report that I only gained 3.5 lbs!! So my Dr didn't yell at me...which was very nice! He said I am now right on track, so that was good news.

The baby is doing well, heartbeat is still in the 150's. My uterus is measuring at 28 cm which is right on track (it goes along with your weeks!!).

Dr did say I have some trace amounts of protein in my urine which isn't that out of the ordinary. I guess this means they watch your blood pressure more closely. I've always had pretty low blood pressure, so I thought that was odd, but they did say it's going up slightly. So anyways, they will just watch that more closely from here on out.

My next appt is at 32 weeks, then I go every 2 weeks! yeah!! I'm getting closer. I also checked no cervical exams until 36 weeks unless they see a need to do them earlier.

Kory and I had our birthing class on Saturday...we survived!! Kory didn't even pass out during the graphic birthing videos :)

Okay, I think that's all for now. Hospital tour is this coming Sunday. Nothing else too exciting.
Bye!

Mikaiya Goes to Sea World

Cori and Jeff took Mikaiya to San Antonio for a trip to Sea World! What a lucky little girl. I haven't posted pics of her in a while, so thought I would. Not only is she my adorable niece who I miss to pieces, but she's also my god-daughter! I am so lucky to have her in my life. Can't wait for her to meet her little cousin.

End of Week 27

Here's me and Baby M.

As you can see...Baby M is getting quite large!!!

Why we love our dog!!!

For those of you that don't know, Otis is the BEST dog on the planet. He is just such a special dog to Kory and I...yeah...I know Bonnie and Kacey are just laughing as they read this...but really! Otis is a 'special' dog..in more way than one :) HA HA

So last night, Kory and I were sitting around eating ice cream and watching TV (our usual Sunday night ritual!!). Otis was throwing his bone around the room. He likes to entertain himself by throwing his bone up in the air and then he goes and gets it, and does it all over again. So we weren't really paying attention to him throwing his bone around.

After a few minutes, Kory takes a drink out of his big glass...he always drinks out of the old Country Thunder mugs...regular glasses are just TOO small for him!!! So then I realize Otis can't find his bone. I'm like hmm...and while I'm processing all this, Kory is drinking out of his glass...all of a sudden I put two and two together...Otis had thrown his bone right in Kory's glass!!! OH MY GOSH!!! I have never laughed so hard. You know those big belly laughs where you can't stop? Oh geez! I thought for sure I was going to go into labor right then and there.

Kory was sitting there practically vomiting realizing that he had just dranken his water that had Otis bone and dog spit in!! HA HA It was a riot. I had to get his permission to share this with everyone! Be careful when you get a kiss from Kory...you never know where his mouth has been!!

Love you honey! Thanks for always making me laugh!!! You too Otis!!

Grandma & Grandpa's 80th Birthday Party

Well I promised to upload pictures when I got them from Kristen. So here are a few shots from Grandma & Grandpa's 80th birthday party in Indiana last weekend:

Here is the whole family that was at the party (L to R, F to B): Bonnie, Grandma, Grandpa, Tom, Tony, Kacey, Me, Kory, Kristen & Liz



Here is a cute pic of Grandma and Grandpa:



Here is a self portrait of the sisters!! Aren't we cute? If only I had skin as beautiful as those Marion girls!!!



Here is one of Tony, Kory and Uncle Jim. What a handsome bunch!!



Here is Kory and I with Grandma and Grandpa. We love you guys!



ENJOY!

How to add a comment

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That's 70's Show

Kory and I had a great weekend. We just got back a few hours ago from our trip to Indiana.

Friday night I went out for Matt Reel's 30th Birthday bash planned by his fiance, Brenda. It was a blast!!! A big group of close friends met in Deerfield and got on the rented limo bus. We were all dressed in our 'Born in the 70's' attire. It was a riot!!!! Then we went to Matt & Brenda's house to pick up the birthday boy. All Matt knew was that he was going out with some friends for his birthday tonight. So Brenda took him out to dinner beforehand and then had him open his birthday gift...what he opened was a white leisure suit with all the accessories to look "70's". Matt was told to put it on and not ask any questions. So eventually the bus pulled up and Matt and Brenda came out of the house and boarded the bus. Matt was happy to see all of us not only there to party with him, but also dressed in silly outfits!!! Matt and Brenda looked AWESOME!!!

Here is a group shot of everyone:

Then we headed to Matt's parents for birthday cake and then bar hopped through Fort. I got off the bus around 10pm. So I only have pictures from the first half of the night. I hear it got pretty crazy by the end of the night!!! So click here if you want to check out the photos: http://www.flickr.com/gp/8941176@N02/vx9V34

On Saturday morning, Kory got home about 6am and we headed to pick up Kacey and Tony--who were actually ready--though a little hungover from Matt's party!!! We headed to Indiana for the weekend. We had Grandma & Grandpa's 80th birthday party. The WHOLE town was invited..the whole town of Goodland, Indiana that is! It was lots of fun, though exhausting!! Bonnie and her sisters put on a great party and I think Grandma and Grandpa had a good time, so that's good. I don't have pictures to post from Indiana, but Kristen took lots of pics and PROMISED me that she would send them to me when she got home!! Hope you are having a safe flight Kristen! Miss you already!!

Hope everyone else had a good weekend too!!

Week 26

So I thought all along that week 26 was the start of my third trimester...silly me...it's week 28. So still two more weeks in the second trimester. I thought I read it somewhere, but I was wrong. Anyway, here is a another photo. The ones from week 25 don't really do the big belly any justice!!


I went to the Dr on Tuesday and everything looks good still. He listened to the heartbeat and said it's 150 bpm!! So we all know what that means, right? It's a boy!!! Well...not so quick! He actually said it's a 50/50 chance based on the heartbeat...doesn't get us any closer to knowing if it's a boy or a girl! HA HA The Dr is also not so happy with my weight gain. I have gained 12 lbs so far and he only wants me to gain 15 - 20 lbs during the entire pregnancy. So yesterday I met with a nutrionist to help me. She was pretty nice and wants me to focus more on getting exercise and worry less about what I am eating, so that was good to hear! I also had my glucose test yesterday to check for gestational diabetes, but I haven't got the results yet. Everyone said how bad the 'orange' drink was, but I didn't think it was too bad. Tasted like orange gatorade to me!

People have been asking me if I've had any baby dreams yet, and I haven't...until last night. I had my first baby dream! Now...it wasn't a good one, but it was a baby dream and baby M was a girl. Auntie CeCe was helping me and the baby was pooping all over the place and we couldn't get it in the diaper, so we put the baby in the bathtub...it was quite a strange dream!! Just thought I would share :)

Well it's Friday...so Happy Friday! Hope everyone has a great weekend. Kory and I are heading down to Indiana with his family to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa's 80th birthdays.

New Belly Shots

Here are a few belly shots Kory took this morning. I am 25 weeks pregnant. This is my last week of being 6 months pregnant. On Thursday, I will be 26 weeks pregnant--which means the start of my 7th month and my THIRD trimester!! I can't believe how fast it's going. I go to the dr tomorrow, so I will post later this week if anything comes up!

We've gotten so much done around the house the last few months, it's unbelievable. I posted a few posts down the page showing the work so far--so check them out. I will post more basement pics as we get it further completed. We just have some cleaning up and organizing to do.

In the midst of all the remodeling and new baby coming, Daddy bought a new semi!! So I hope to have pics of that soon too.

Enjoy the pics....

New Sofas Upstairs

To create the new living room downstairs, we needed to get new couches upstairs...oh darn!! We decided to get black leather sofas to help with the amount of dog hair in this house. Now we can just brush it off the sofas. So feel free to start wearing black again when you come visit!!

We added more seating, yet the room looks bigger--so that's pretty cool.

Basement Peek

Well the basement is still a little under the weather, but I wanted to post a peek of the new living room:

Before--

After:

Yes!! That is the exact same corner!! Can you believe it? I will have more before and afters coming soon.

Nursery Project Update

Well we finally got some work done on the nursery. The 'nursery' used to be Kory's office, so we had a lot of work to do to move everything out. Then this weekend we painted it to get it ready for the new baby. It looks awesome!! We also picked up our crib and dresser. So right now the room is a little empty, but thought we'd post pics. Thanks to Auntie Kacey for helping us pick out the cool green color! We love it!!





Here is the paint color alongside the polka dotted sheets:

Here is the crib:

Here is the dresser:

Here is another shot:

Baby Registering

The mom's came up today and helped me register for baby. It was fun, but completely exhausting! I was supposed to have Shelly, Jason & the girls over for dinner tonight and I had to call her at like 2:00 this afternoon and say...."there is no way I am going to make it". I was already exhausted and I still had another store to go :)
So thanks for understanding Shell!!! Can't wait to see you at Maya's birthday party this weekend.

So, back to registering...we are officially registered at Babies R Us and Target. Click on the titles and it should take you directly to our registeries--so go check them out if you'd like. I will probably be updating them a bit, but I think we did a darn good job. So thanks to Grandma Bonnie and Grammy! I really...REALLY appreciated all your help today. We had a great time!

Let me know what you all think! Also--let me know what we forgot :) HA HA

First craving??

Well I think I might be having my first cravings!! Every night this week I've wanted to eat those kraft carmel squares...you know the kind you're supposed to melt and make taffy apples? Well screw the taffy apples!! I just want the carmels!!!!

Getting BIG!!!

Week 23 arrived on Thursday. I can't believe how fast the time is flying. We've gotten a lot done around the house the last few weeks which is making me feel a little better about things. It's definetly becoming more 'real'.

The baby is moving around pretty regularly. It feels like it's most often after I eat and in the evenings around bed time. It still doesn't feel normal, every time that baby moves I am just in awe. If you've never felt it before, it's just impossible to explain the feeling. I really feel like the baby has moved up in the past week or two. At my last Dr visit he said the baby was right around my belly button, but now I really feel like the baby is up higher, so we'll see.

We bought a crib and dresser for the baby's room yesterday!! That's really fun! We were buying sofa's at Slumberland and noticed they had a crib back in the clearance section. It's a crib normally priced at $499 and it was on sale for $148!!! So we bought that and a regular (not baby room furniture) dresser that was also clearance for $148. I decided not to get a changing table, because I will just use the dresser as a changing station if I need it. Grammy (Mom Walker) ordered the baby bedding this week, so I'm excited to see what it looks like in person!

Here are a few pictures from College Day at work on Friday:

I look like I have mini-basketball under my shirt!!

Hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying this cooler weather. I am so happy to see fall!!

I will write more soon! Feel free to leave a comment! I love to see them :)

Practice Makes Perfect

Since I've been pregnant, I decided I wanted to do something that would keep me somewhat physically fit. So I started taking a yoga class through my work. I think Bea is channeling me here saying....you skipped yoga this week! HA HA Doesn't she look like she's doing a yoga pose? I think so. If you can't tell how she's laying, she is laying on her back with her back paws pushing on the window and her front paws stretched out....wait....maybe she is making animal puppets on the floor :) HA HA

Anyways, just thought this was a darn cute picture!! It's pretty rare that we consider Bea 'cute'. Usually she is a holy terror!!!

Doctor's Visit Today

Today was my week 22 doctor's visit. We discussed my test results from my last visit and the results of my ultrasound. Everything went really well. My blood test results from last week all came back as they should, so that was a good sign. The ultrasound report indicated that everything was measured that should have been and everything measured correctly! So that's a good sign. Glad the baby held still long enough to get some good quality measurements. The Dr said I measured 22 cm which is right on track for 22 weeks. I did gain over 4 lbs this week! Holy smokes! He said I've gained 5 lbs so far, which isn't bad for 22 weeks along. He said I am right on track which is nice to hear. The Dr wants us to start looking into our birth class and hospital tour...so that's on my agenda to get done. He also thinks we should start working on our birth plan--what the heck is that? I started reading my book and it says we need to make a plan of who we should call and when, and also things like whether we want medication (heck yea!) and all that good stuff. So I'll have to start doing some research on that.

We also committed to a daycare provider this week. Her name is Chris and she lives in our neighborhood. She's actually a friend of Kalli's (Kory's older sister) from about 10 years ago. She has 5 children of her own, and does daycare for 4 other children. Four of her five children are school age, so they aren't home during the school year. The 4 daycare kids are only there during the school year. So it works out well. Baby M will be the only daycare kid there during the summer!! We will be doing 4 days a week with Chris and then Bonnie (Kory's mom) will take 1 day a week. Thanks Grandma Bonnie!!!

Other than that, Kory and I have been working on the basement...needless to say we could really use his Dad's help!! Hopefully he can come help us this coming weekend. We got the spare bedroom primed and painted. Now we just need to lay the carpet. We also started tearing apart the new office and decided to take a break and wait until next weekend. I will post pictures once the project is officially complete!

Well I think that's all for now.

Baby Ultrasound Pics

Kory and I got to see our little peanut for the first time today!! It was so exciting. See pictures below. We labeled some parts of the image so you could see what we were referring to!!!

I know it's hard to see the red text, just click on the picture itself and it will enlarge for you!!

The technician seemed to think everything looked good. She asked us if we wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl and we said NOPE! Just tell us there is only one :) And she did. Only one baby, but everything looks good. We meet with our dr again on Tuesday and he'll get the full report.

Kory and I were happy the baby held still so we could get some really close images of it. We even got to count all 10 fingers and toes!! It was pretty amazing.

I will update again next week once we go see Dr. Zenner.
Happy Baby Growing!!

Week 20-Half-way to Baby M!!!

Well it's the official half way point...okay, so maybe not until Thursday, but thought I'd put my update in today. I took some pics this morning:

Hope you like them! As you can see...the belly is getting bigger week by week. Next week is our ultrasound, so I will send pictures out after that visit.

I've also THINK I've decided on the nursery bedding:

It's colors are green, yellow and dark brown. I think it will be good 'unisex' bedding. And both Grandma Bonnie and Grammy Mary have offered to create a valance for me since this didn't come with one. Now...how to make a mobile! HA HA We'll have to figure that one out!!

Okay, I think that's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well.

Week 19 - Baby Marion Update

Well today is officially week 19...1 week until half-way. I can't believe how fast the pregnancy is going. Work this week was insanely busy. I put in over 40 hours already, so I decided to take tomorrow off. I am hoping to work on Kacey & Tony's books while Kory is sleeping, so that will be a good job done. I am feeling pretty darn tired today for some reason, probably just because of the busy work week.

I don't really have too much to update on the baby. I am feeling it move more and more, but still not feeling it every day. I am still searching for nursery bedding so I can decide what color to paint the room, but I haven't found anything I really love yet. I've got 2 that are 'maybe'. So we'll see.

Mom is coming up next Sunday to help me shampoo all the carpets downstairs so we can start moving Kory's office down there. We've got to make sure it's all clean and purdy for him :) I've also set up a day for registering for the baby shower. Both my mom and Kory's mom are going to join me at the end of Sept. So that should be a really fun day! Plus, hopefully they can help me decide what to put on the registry.

Okay, I'm off to take care of Otis.
Have a great week!

Week 18 - Baby Marion Update

Well it's officially week 18 today. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and everything is going well so far. I got to hear the heartbeat again and it's still amazing to hear! The dr said I am measuring well and everything looked good. I am very proud to have gained my first 1/2 lb!!! Hopefully by the next visit I will have gained some more weight. My belly is definitely getting bigger, so the dr is not concerned. Here are some pictures:

I scheduled my ultrasound appointment for August 28th. I am so excited!! We are not going to find out the gender of the baby...so we're keeping everyone in suspense :) I have been feeling the baby move every so often. Not quite every day yet. Although, Kory saw the baby move for the first time on Sunday which was a little frightening for him! HA HA I thought it was way too early for him to see it, but the baby must have been in just the right position. So that was super exciting.

I checked my baby center update and here it is for week 18 (and no the 'she' is not a hint!!!!):

Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Well it's officially Week 18 today

Back to blogging

Well I am officially back to blogging. I am trying to link together my blogger and my myspace, so I don't have to post things on two places. So if you click on my title (back to blogging) it will send you to my myspace account. I have not blogged since January. A lot has happened since then. But instead of back tracking, I'll just write about what's going on currently.

Last weekend we had my cousin's wedding down in IL. That was fun. We left early because I was so tired, but we still had a great time. The wedding was just beautiful. Great job Yo!!

This week I've been busy working late. I took a 1/2 day yesterday and spent it with Kory's mom and sisters (Kacey and Kristen). Kristen is here visiting from Fargo and it's been wonderful to see her! After work today, I am heading to Kacey's to work on our Sugarland shirts! Yep! Another Sugarland concert...are we stalkers or what? ha ha We have 10 girls going and are making We (heart) S-U-G-A-R-L-A-N-D shirts. Now, let's just hope we dont get out of order or we will really be screwed up :) I will post pics. The concert itself isn't until June 29th, but we're making the shirts tonight.

Kory's been working a lot too. He started doing this early run, so he leaves at 5:30pm. Makes for a really short amount of time that I get to see him in the evenings. Actually...I don't think I've seen him since Tuesday!! Geesh!

Well I'll be writing a lot more frequently. So expect to hear from me!!

Rae and Luc come to visit!!

Well I haven't written in ages...my apologies (I think I always start my blogs out that way!!). Anyways, my friend Rae from high school came up to visit on Friday with her 7 month old little boy, Lucian. He is adorable!!! Rae and Luc met me for lunch at Panera on Friday, then we came to my house. She hadn't seen our house yet, so it was fun to show her around. For some reason my cat, Bea, had it out for Rae. She did not want her in the house, so it was an eventful night of Bea randomly attacking Rae every time she got up....once Rae was sitting on the couch and Bea was 'nicely' sitting behind her on the top of the sofa and Rae turned to look at her and Bea hissed and jumped at her...holy smokes! I started to get scared of my normally very nice cat!! It was a riot. Thankfully the cat seemed okay with the Luc, just was afraid of Rae for whatever reason.

Anyhow, we hung out here friday night. Kory and I made her some fajitas, so that was yummy! Then we watched TV and just caught up on old times. We don't get to see each other as much as we'd like. Rae and her husband lived in NY for several years and have been back in Chicago for almost a year now. It's great to have them 'home'. Rae even convinced me to watch some Australian tennis! HA HA Nice job Rae! It was actually entertaining.

Then Saturday we got up...and with a little more of Bea antagonizing Rae, they left about 10. I hope you come and visit soon and hopefully the cat will be a little nicer to you!!