One day at a time

2 weeks

2012-02-04T20:42:00.001-06:00

just a fun pic I took...

Here are some fun pictures that we have taken over the week! Life seems to be moving right along. Miss H is growing like a weed. At her 2 week check she was 7 pounds and 5 ounces!! She had to be back at birth weight...and well she clearly passed that (6#14oz).

We seem to be finding a nice little routine in life. She eats about every 3 hours during the day and then at night about every 4 hours. The night time makes mommy and daddy super happy because we get some great sleep in. She is such a great baby we couldn't be blessed more. I love that when we talk to her she turns to find us....I can't wait till we get a true smile. You know not a gas smile, but one she really means to put out there! I know it will come with time...and well I am kind of sad she will be 3 weeks old on Monday. I still look at her each day and can't believe a) that we created this precious little girl and b) that she is well a GIRL. I was so sure by the end that she was a boy.....ha what a great surprise! Okay so here are some pictures

getting ready to take a car ride

I love her little toes...

holding her daddy's hand

That sweet smile I was talking about....I am sure it was gas related!

She always sleeps with her hands in the funniest positions.

Enjoying a little tummy time....or her hand, but hey we tried!

I love these sweet lips...

Our first week...

2012-02-01T21:53:00.000-06:00

I debated to back track and blog about our first week home, and well here goes. (mostly because I don't want to relive our week) Miss H and I got to enjoy the hospital until Wednesday. We really didn't want to leave either...but they kind of kicked us out! HA! We arrived home on Wednesday around 4ish. Thankfully my sweet mom retired from teaching in December allowing her to stay with us. This was so helpful since I had the c-section issue....you know no lifting more than the baby, no driving, no this and that. I will never be able to thank my mom enough for all her help over my 2 weeks of No, No, No's. Okay that's a side note....

The week at home started off very ROCKY! Unfortunately Miss H headed to the doctor on Thursday due to the fact that she was looking a bit jaundice like. Sadly they said her level was much to high...thus my first HARD night as a mom! Home health sent over a "light box" that sweet H had to spend 24 hours in. Again so thankful my mom was here because this broke my heart. Not only did she have to spend 24 hours in this awful box, but I had to feed her formula too because my milk still had not come in (sorry for the tmi). She was only allowed to be out of the lights for a maximum of 30 minutes every 2-3 hours. The way to get rid of jaundice is to have soiled diapers and use the lights. Well, if she is not getting milk she can't go potty as much as needed, thus the formula! GRRR!! This night proved to be a challenge for everyone in our house. She had to be watched 24/7 so we all took shifts. Mom was the first shift 8pm-3am, I was told to sleep. However, how can you sleep when your baby is in this horrid box of lights. I tried to sleep beside her on the couch...mom enjoyed tennis on tv. Then at 3am-9am Chris took over...me still told to sleep! I tried to do so while daddy watched over our little girl. From 9-3 mom and I pretty much both "watched" her. The day couldn't end fast enough! We finally made it to 3 pm when it was time to head back to the doctor. Poor Miss H had to have her heel pricked again, to check her levels. Thankfully her level went from a 19 to a 7! The LIGHT BOX could leave our house for good! WHOO WHOO....although it was major heartache for this new mommy we made it through. The best part was now her level would never go back up! That brings me to the next challenge we faced.

my poor baby in the awful box...

the box ready to get the heck out of our house

Feeding! Well, since she got to eat formula from a bottle for a day she was living the easy life. I mean come on how hard is it go get the formula out of a bottle...not very it pretty much just drips out! Well nursing is not that easy... I mean she has to do some work before reaping the "milk". Miss H wanted to take the easy road, she was not so excited about nursing like before the formula. With much help from my mom and tricking our sweet baby she finally realized that this was her only choice. That night we were up pretty much all night on the hour. Miss H felt as though she needed to eat every hour, not idea but I knew it would help my milk come in. I was willing to spend the night up feeding and holding my baby after all I wasn't able to hold her the whole day before. Needless to say by Saturday we had MILK! WHOO WHOO, I felt much better as a mom believe me. Prior to this moment I was feeling like a failure as a mom. I mean heck if I had had milk she wouldn't have had to do that silly box. Okay at least that is how I felt, I know jaundice is not the worse thing that happens but it was rough.

Poop-explosion! Ha well Miss H has made her mark after passing the test to be released from the "light box". Heading home she left us a nice little present...well maybe not so little. Lets just say that she ended up needing a sponge bath by the time we got home. She had such a grand explosion that it was all the way in her hair. How in the heck does something so small manage that! HA HA HA, needless to say we managed through the FIRST of many that will probably follow.

After the all the drama it was nice to enjoy a weekend of friends visiting Miss H. Plus we have the most amazing friends....they all brought us food to eat. When you don't get much sleep that makes your life very nice not having to cook! Since mom was here Chris continued to work. However, he did make more stops at home than he normally would :-) I guess he missed his little girl! We went ahead and planned a little outing to Chris' work too. Miss H enjoyed meeting everyone up there...okay so she slept the whole time but still. Now were are just finding a routine around our house.

headed to daddy's work

visiting daddy at work

Now here are just a lot of cute pics that I had to add from our week at home, enjoy:

Her first play date...she really enjoyed it!

I love this one...

Meeting her great uncle and great aunt!

Picture overload

2012-01-28T17:24:00.001-06:00

We have made it through the first week and are on to our second week of life. I cannot believe how fast the time has already gone. I think she has grown so much already...it makes me so sad! I thought I would add some more pictures now that we have internet and blogger may want to work with me :-)

On Monday we have our 2 week check up at the Dr. I hope she is back to birth weight...that is our big goal at this time since she has some weight.

These pictures are in no particular order...just of her birth day!

Aunt Whitney

All of our visitors

Uncle Timmy

Kat visiting Miss H

Aunt Riley

Nanna

Minus the face...all dolled up to head home

First car ride...headed home

Cousin B acting silly

My mom and dad

Riley, B, and Little Bear all checking out Miss H as she got her first bath.

All cleaned up and ready to move to our new room.

Queen Tia Abby

The gang waiting on us as we rolled down to our new room.

Miss H and I as we head into our new room

B finally getting a good look at Miss H....he gave her her first nickname!

daddy and miss h

My mom and Dad finally holding her

Grandpa Steve-o holding his grandbaby

Papa holding Miss H

Uncle B holding Miss H

Can you tell who couldn't get enough of Miss H?

Little Bear and I hanging out

The girls enjoying Miss H together...so cute!

Harper Reese....Birth Story

2012-01-26T21:39:00.000-06:00

Here we are ready to go at the hospital.

Oh my goodness where does one begin? As most of you are aware we kind of "planned" our baby's arrival....but then again we really DIDN'T! It's so funny because before our baby arrived I had never really wondered about the birth story! Man was ours interesting and an adventure!!

Saturday:

As planned my mom, dad, sister and family all arrived on Saturday! Chris and I enjoyed spending the day with them prior to our arrival at the hospital at 5 that night. We finished up Harper's room and did a few other errands. Then at 4:30 pm Chris and I took off for the hospital...what a surreal feeling that was. I mean we were actually on our way to meet our sweet baby! Once we got to the hospital things were a little rocky....On the Tuesday prior there was another woman with my same name who came in and delivered there....thus causing some confusing as to who I was and how they didn't realize I was coming it. They had marked me off the induction book because, well they thought I already had my sweet baby. No worries the nurses and on call doc got everything squared away quickly. Plus we ended up getting a wonderful large room. This was great since we have many family members coming to visit. Around 7 pm we began the induction....since I was not dilated this seemed to be a long road. However, Chris and I were fully aware of that going in. My family came up for a bit and hung out...I was looking super sexy as you can see!

That night they checked me around 10...not much change so I didn't want poor Chris to have to sleep there that night. I sent him home, and believe me he was very hesitant to go. But really all I was going to do was sleep so why did he need to be there? I kept him up to date via text every time the nurses came in. Nothing much happened except contractions of course...but no major changes.

These wonderful gowns make me look GIGANTIC.

all hooked up and ready to go...

Sunday:

Sunday morning Chris arrived around 5 am as we had planned. Yes, he is an early riser! He was there when they began my pitocin.... My doctor was on call on Sunday that is why we planned this! She came in explained how things would work and said she would check back around lunch. Thus things began to progress a little more...or so I thought. I mean I was actually "feeling" the contractions at this point. My family arrived with breakfast around 8 and then Chris' family came in around 10. I was so glad everyone finally made it so that they would all be here for the arrival of Baby R. I then of course told Baby R he/she could come out because everyone is here! HA HA HA Noon came and went with no change other than the pain I was feeling. I began some iv pain meds...that made me talk crazy! Our poor family....got to hear me gab about random stuff! Then it was well dinner time and still no change. My poor doctor is so sweet she kept telling me things would work out and she had tons of tricks to try. After 2 bags of pit nothing had moved around....my doctor did a few things inside (sorry for the tmi)...scraped my membrane (which hurt like h*ll). Then at 10 pm we were sitting in the same boat. NOTHING moving forward...NO dilation what so ever! Our families were getting very excited about a baby, and well this one was not moving! Thus we were in for a long night I was afraid. Chris made is bed and we both tried to get some rest.

I was up off and on as the nurses came in and checked on me....don't be alarmed nothing changed. I mean I still was not even a 1! I of course hit the bathroom a few times. Let me tell you what a pain that is when your hooked up to a million machines...I am a PRO now let me tell you. Around 2:30 am after just returning from a bathroom trip I felt this huge kick on my stomach. Then the great flood began! Well it was a small flood and I yelled at Chris immediately. Chris I think my water broke come look. He stumbles over, actually he looked drunk, it was funny! He was so tired and not to happy about me waking him up. He said no I don't think so. Then I hit the nurse button she came in and kind of felt the same way Chris did. They both tried to connivence me I might have pee'd on myself. I new it was more than that....and well when I stood up about 20 minutes later those 2 finally believed me as it was the great flood! I was super jazzed and thought to myself that things must finally be kicking into gear. The nurse said she would let my doctor know, but to try and get some rest until she came in the morning. I tried to sleep and did off and on. Then around 6 I wanted pain meds, but didn't want to be talking crazy so I was trying to hold off. Which if you know me is big because my MO since I found out I was prego was GIVE ME THE DRUGS!! I am so pro drugs its not even funny! While I was analyzing if I should push the nurse button or not I heard this random dripping noise.

The Roberts' clan!

Doing some arts and crafts to pass the time!

MONDAY: January 16, 2012

Thankfully at 6:30 my new nurse came in and I asked her to turn on our light because I heard a funny dripping noise. She thought I was crazy, but did it. Sure enough there was a leak....and well they were going to move us to another room. My doctor arrived a few moments after the leak only to find out that her last "trick" was to well break my water. Since that had happened we were well at a stand still! YIKES! Next thing to do was a c-section!! I was pro that since after 2 days of "labor" nothing had changed.....and I just wanted to meet my sweet baby.

7:00: All our families had arrived for the big moment. I was geared up as well as Chris. We had packed our room to be moved while we were in the o.r. Off we went! Okay so I have seen c-sections on tv and stuff but man having one was so different. I felt like I was at Nascar and the Pit crew was setting me up! It was crazy in there....FREEZING COLD, but crazy. I got on the table for my spinal to be placed, well another fun adventure that was. After the 7th attempt it was in! WHOO WHOO and I was being slammed down on the table. Next thing I know Chris has arrived and is holding my hand ready to take pictures. He did an amazing job taking pictures...I love him for that. From there it was all a flash, and our doctor was asking Chris to look and take pictures. She then said...Well dad what is it? He looks and looks and looks and I wait and wait and wait...then finally it comes. "It's a GIRL?" I immediately begin to cry...I couldn't believe it we had a baby girl! She hardly even fussed either...they put her beside me on the warmer and began to clean her up. We were so in love in such a few short seconds. Truly it is amazing...

The awful shot I had to take prior to my c-section...

see I told you...

Now for picture OVER LOAD! Meet Miss Harper Reese: There are many more pictures to come...blogger didn't want to work for me, so this is all I got loaded!

Welcome to the world Miss Harper!

Harper and daddy!

Harper and I headed to our room.

Our first family picture

All dolled up...

Ready to head home!

Internet is down

2012-01-26T10:28:00.000-06:00

Okay I know y'all are just waiting to read all about MISS HARPER! Lol but our Internet is down and blogging on my phone well stinks. I have the post ready to go however it's missing all the great pictures. Hopefully today or tomorrow we will have Internet again! Believe me it is killin me. Plus I am missing reading all your wonderful blogs. Again the phone is just not the same...hope to post soon.

Welcome Harper!

2012-01-16T11:34:00.000-06:00

Baby R has arrived! Harper Reese was welcomed in to the world today! 6 lbs 13 oz 19 1/2 inches long. More info to follow...we are so overjoyed and blessed! Thank you for all your sweet thoughts as we made this journey.

A little help here, please!

2012-01-12T20:48:00.000-06:00

This was a cute one I found.

Tonight I thought I would be a good prego mom and start the search for a cute birth announcement! YIKES!!! I have read in many places to go ahead and have those picked out so all you do is add the picture and info. This way while you are trying to feed and well survive those first few weeks you are not also spending hours searching the internet. Here is the PROBLEM: there are a MILLION cute ones out there. I mean how do you pick? I want something cute and unique. Also I am very much about a picture, I mean heck we waited 9 months to see that sweet face...why not plaster it EvErYwHeRe?

I also liked this one.

Thus I turn to you my blogging friends. I normally use Shutterfly for all cards, photo books, and such but I am sure there are other options. Please send your info my way, I am begging you. I will accept anything from a web address to even dyi ideas! I am sure you have a place you love to print cards from. My sister is queen of cute cards, but she normally makes hers by buying templets and such. A) I am not that talented yet. B) She doesn't use a mac, therefore I am not 100% comfortable trying that now. I am sure as I learn from her and start trying on my own I could become a PRO like her....but not now! Thanks for all the great ideas I really appreciate the help you have no idea.

This and that!

2012-01-11T21:38:00.000-06:00

So many random things I have not blogged about lately....just trying to keep up my weekly updates going has been hard. Tonight I finished up my last round of grades for school for a while, crazy thought! Now, I finally feel free to blog about all those random things I haven't had time for or felt bad about doing over school stuff!

Let's see where to start Baby Prep: Okay so Chris and I have not really had that much baby/labor prep! The funny thing is every time our hospital offered a class we were out of town! YIKES...makes for a little nervousness on our end, but what can you do really. However, I do have to give big props to the one thing we DID do for our sweet baby. When I nannied my sweet niece back oh 7 years ago (wow she is so big..and I am so old) there was a local Target that would hold car seat safety checks. Remembering this I made a few phone calls over Christmas break. I called up the Hurst DPS and asked if they still had a car seat safety program. They passed me right along to a wonderful State Trooper. Officer Haschel was AMAZING!! He actually came to OUR HOUSE on CHRISTMAS EVE to take us through all the INS and OUTS of the infant seat.

He came in and did about 20 minutes of the safety features for us. He showed us how the car seat works in an accident and such. The whole thing was very informative. Then he took us out to our cars and showed us the best way to instal the seat. He installed it and then uninstalled it....then making us do it. After we installed it he checked and approved. He said the number one reason babies get hurt in an accident is because the seat is not installed properly! Check that off our list!!! We can put that sucker in like no ones business! Whoo whoo if nothing we are at least ready for the car. (if you live in the area I would love to pass along his info)

Baby R's room is pretty much complete! Check that off the list too. Oh and have I mentioned the NESTING that has been going on. Nesting, nesting, nesting....like crazy! The funny thing is that the nesting has not all been done by me either. I swear if I didn't get the nesting bug, Chris sure as heck did. He has cleaned the garage, we sent the pod back to the pod place, got a new dinning room table, and fixed the office up. The list goes on and on! I love that everything is coming together and ready for the next few weeks. Chris did a great job of making sure all our handy work got done too! Got to love a handy sweet husband!!!

Okay so I would love to add pictures of all the changes, BUT the camera is packed and ready to go! Sorry!!! Guess I wasn't thinking about the blogging I would do :-) After the baby comes I'll show you for sure! P.S. Be on the look out for a BOY or GIRL post coming soon!! Sorry for the random long post about nothing too crazy fun...just random thoughts.

Watch me grow, week 39

2012-01-10T20:33:00.000-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

I'm feeling rather large at this point...YIKES!

How Far Along: 39 Weeks

Size of the baby: All my pregnancy updates tell me it is the size of a watermelon! YIKES! I am hoping it is really in the low 7 lb range.

Total Weight Gain/loss: Back to 36, as of last week. I head to the dr. today so I hope no more weight is gained!

Maternity Clothes: Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January!

Movement: Heavens the moving is out of control. Chris and I sat in awe on Sunday at church as our little one was moving like a maniac. My stomach just went up and down like crazy! I am pretty certain this baby will be a wiggle worm.

Sleep: I snuck in a few naps this weekend. Still sleeping great minus the 3-4 bathroom breaks needed at night. I hope that means our little one will sleep good too, well one can dream right!

What I miss: Okay don't laugh...I miss being able to CALL SOMEONE and not get an immediate "ARE YOU IN LABOR" I mean heavens people am I not allowed to call unless I am in labor. Yes, everyone is on pins and needles but I do sometimes just want to call and chat about nothing! HA However, I am thankful that everyone cares enough to freak out when I call them. :-)

Cravings: No true cravings...just wanting to do somethings prior to baby. Like eating at certain places for the last time just us and such.

Symptoms: Swelling still, but I hear that is par for the course at this point in life! Braxton hicks also...oh and did I mention that I guess I finally have 'back pain" My lower back kills me now, I have been living on my heating pad!

Best moment this week: Well today we head to the Dr for our LAST visit! Crazy how the past 9 months have just flown by. I have a few moments this week some that are exciting and some that are sad.

Sad moment of the week) Knowing that this is my last week with my sweet kids at school! I am really sad to be leaving them for a while, and yes everyone says I wont once I see this baby....but for the past 6 months those kids have been my kids. I will miss seeing the daily progress from them. I just adore my class so much this year and I don't want them to fail because I have stepped away. I know I am crazy...but it's the teacher in me!

Exciting moments) Everyone family wise has booked or planned their trip. I feel like we have a great plan for all to be here to meet Little Baby R! Knowing we will meet our sweet baby in 5 days is AMAZING!!! The excitement in our house is out of control you have no idea.

Last weekend as 2!

2012-01-08T06:03:00.006-06:00

Chris and I can not believe it is our last full weekend without a sweet baby! Next weekend on Sunday (if Baby R sticks it out) January 15th we have planned our induction to meet this sweet baby. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Chris is excited too!!

Of course if Baby R would like to come before that we are really fine with that...but it looks like he/she will need some talking out! Since my last appointment not much has changed, other than the head moving down more. I of course enjoy being able to plan some of this out...especially for school and family. I have had a fear of my water breaking at school, I mean really I don't think 7 year olds should have to see that...ha ha ha So this information makes me feel a little better about my next 4 days of teaching. However, many of my co-workers think it would be great if I went into labor there! HA

Also since Chris' parents are all the way up in Minnesota I was worried they wouldn't make it for the birth. But now we have a plan so that helps out and allows them a chance to get here before anything big happens. That makes me feel better too. Also my family can plan there travels easier so they wont be driving like crazy people and risk tickets, they both have drives through small speed trap towns!

If all goes as planned my family will arrive on Saturday and Chris' Sunday morning very early! Then we will be GO for BABY R to arrive. Of course I am a little nervous about being induced for various reasons. A) I hear the contractions suck more B) I may not dilate enough to have he/she naturally C) it tends to take way longer than "spontaneous" labor Chris quizzed our Dr. last week and she said it is fine and being induced does not harm the baby at all. He was so cute to be worried about that, but come on I am the one carrying this thing...let's get him/her out and meet them already! :-)

Until then, Chris and I are going to enjoy our last weekend just the 2 of us. We had fun with friends last night! Today I am sure we will try to squeeze in a movie, dinner, or something. What a bitter sweet feeling this is!

Watch me grown, 38 weeks

2012-01-07T08:56:00.001-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

Here I am as we went out to celebrate New Year's Eve!

How Far Along: 38 Weeks

Size of the baby: Well we have an estimate on Baby R's size this week since we had our sono last week! Baby R was 6 lbs and 14 oz! Since the baby gains approximately .5 oz a day...I am guessing we are in the 7 lb range for sure! YIKES

Total Weight Gain/loss: Back to 36, that lb I lost last week came back this week, plus with a friend. GRRR...at what point can you get NO FATTER?

Maternity Clothes: Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January!

Movement: Although I am still sad about my whole belly button being KICKED out! I have noticed the kicks that use to be under my right boob have moved down to my tummy area more. This was confirmed when the Dr. declared our baby's head had moved even further down! I don't know how much further down it can get....without popping out!

Sleep: Well sad to be back at work, so no more naps! Sadness!! But I seem to be sleeping just like normal, which is great.

What I miss: Well, this week I have begun to miss more stuff. I think its because we are so close to the end :-) I miss tying my shoes normally, my kids help me out so much ha ha. I have also started to miss my kids at school. I know that is silly and not part of pregnancy, but the past few days knowing I am leaving them makes me sad. I see how far they have come and grown as students and will miss it. Plus I know they will miss touching and talking to the baby, since daily I have at least 18 pairs of hands on my tummy. This baby has no idea how many people love it already!

Cravings:Well...I went to the store to buy our "snacks" for the hospital bag! HA HA, I walked away with tons of snacks....trial mix, sour patch kids, m&m.....guess I was in a snack mood that day.

Symptoms: Swelling still, but I hear that is par for the course at this point in life! Braxton hicks also, not too bad but enough that you stop and wonder when the next will come and if it's the REAL deal!

Best moment this week: I have 2 this week!

1) Our weekly Dr. visit going as planned but most of all setting our induction date. There is just something about knowing your baby will be here NO MATTER WHAT by Jan 15th that makes life good. We are so excited only 8 days.

2) Coming home the other night to Chris who was on the phone with an old friend. I of course went about my business...then I hear them chatting about pregnancy and all the ins and outs. It is so cute to hear Chris talk about what he has enjoyed, the changes he didn't expect, and how he can't wait for the baby to arrive. Of course he has no idea I was listening to his conversation from a far...but it made my heart melt!

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

2012-01-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

Amazing that another year has come and gone! 2011 was full of so many memories! Let's take a look at what our year was all about!

January:

Claire and I enjoy a quick trip to pick up an award for the Arlington Tennis Association Adopt-a-school program

February:

I won tickets to the best Superbowl concert ever....Blake Shelton! It was Chris' first country concert and what an amazing one it was.

SNOW/ICE-CATION: We had a huge snow/ice storm allowing us to have the ENITRE week out of school. Plus it allowed us to enjoy all the super bowl fun going on around town!

My sweet wonderful grandmother joined my grandfather in heaven on February 21st. Thankfully I had gotten to spend a few days with her prior to her arrival there. However, it was still one of the events we could have done without this past year. We love you Grandma and Grandpa!

March:
Axa Awards banquet in Houston. We had a blast staying at the Four Seasons being spoiled to death!

Winston ready to go to the Doggie Dude Ranch

Our goodies as we got to our room.

Ready to go out and enjoy our night!

SPRING CLEANING!!! Yes, we spent most of spring break cleaning up the house getting ready to put in on the market. Little did we know we would be living that way for a while now!

Good Bye house and hello POD!

We even cleaned up the flower beds and put down a new walkway!

April:
Chris and I got to enjoy a nice little vacation to San Diego thanks to his work! We had a great time there checking everything out. Plus we hung out with many wonderful friends!

Bobby's annual Crawfish boil and Chris's family came to town! We always enjoy heading over for a little backyard fun at Bobby's. This year Chris' mom and sister joined us too!

Following her big brothers lead! Ha Ha

May:
Oh sweet May! May ended up brining our house more GOOD NEWS than we would have ever thought! We began this month with A RUN TO REMEMBER the OKC marathon. Our whole family ran in memory of my Uncle who passed away the year prior! It was amazing to see us all come together!

Here is the whole family gathered the night before the big race!

Of course Chris and I found out there was something else going on in our worlds! This little thing was a very nice surprise on MOTHER'S DAY! It is a Mother's day I will never forget!

June:
HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY to US! Chris and I got to spend our fist anniversary married together. It was a very nice low key event, but we enjoyed every moment of it. I cannot wait for many more to come!

Chris got to enjoy his first Father's Day knowing that he actually would soon be a father! We finally got to see our sweet baby too for the first time!

Baby R at 9 weeks!

July:
July was finally the month we TOLD the WORLD about our new bundle of joy! First we told my parents then his on the family cruise! July ended up being a very exciting month. I was so happy to finally not be hiding such amazing information from our friends and family!

Here we are heading out for the Roberts' family Cruise! It was a blast and I can't wait for next years trip!

Our first public up date about our sweet baby!

August:

August proved to be a very busy month for tennis! Our team made a trip to Little State and we had a blast!

SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL!!! I began preparing my room for those sweet wonderful kiddos that would soon arrive!

September:
September brought on great memories of traditions we have! First off Chris got to enjoy our annual Labor Day trip to Arizona without me this year! Sine I will need maternity leave I opted out, but the guys had a blast still. I enjoy some R&R here are the house!

Also this marked our 2nd anniversary of our ENGAGEMENT! Yes, 2 years ago Chris asked me to join him for the rest of his life on this wonderful adventure!

October:
October brought another year in age for me! Guess we can't stop that from happening right! Of course Baby R has continued to grow, causing me to really look prego this month!

We also had a little Halloween fun, or at least Winston did! Chris and I realized this was our last Halloween without a baby! Crazy

Oh and my wonderful tennis team made it to sectionals! Whoo Whoo! Thus allowing a quick trip to Waco and a nice family visit from my Sister and Co!

November:

Ahhh now it is Chris who grew older! Yes, I married a younger man, ha ha! Not only that but Baby paloza began at our house! We really started to see gifts and goodies roll in the door for sweet Baby R!

My tennis team gave me my first baby shower! It was amazing and they did to much like normal.

Chris was just in awe of the goodies we got

THANKSGIVING FUN! I got to spend the first part of Thanksgiving with my family, then rounded it out in MN with Chris' family. We had a blast and enjoy our holiday with family.

How could we forget that such a sweet little pup turned 3!

December:

Baby R had another shower, of course full of way to much stuff! Chris' family and mine headed down to attend the shower. We enjoyed getting to spend time with the family since we were her for Christmas!

Oh and did I mention we FINALLY FINISHED the baby's room! Here are a few pics of it in transition to the final product!

Here it is today!

Those are our bags packed and ready to go!
Sorry Iphone pic is not the best

Wow, what an amazing year! I love looking back and seeing everything that we did! Hope you have a wonderful 2012!

Watch me grow, 37 weeks

2011-12-31T07:18:00.005-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

This week I thought this picture was way better!

Baby R at 37 weeks!

How Far Along: 37 Weeks

Size of the baby: Well we have an estimate on Baby R's size this week since we had our LAST sono! Baby R is 6 lbs and 14 oz! Actually I think we could just stop there and meet this little person.

Total Weight Gain/loss: Well that pound I gained last week is no longer here...as I lost weight! I am down a pound, whoo whoo 34 total

Maternity Clothes: Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January!

Movement: Oh the movement wont stop..which is a good thing I guess! However, you will never believe what BABY R has done to me! Today I was getting ready like normal and blow drying my hair. When all of a SUDDEN Baby R KICKED the crap out of me and POP! No not my water, but my belly button! YIKES it has now popped out some, I am completely devastated as this is the only thing I didn't want to happen! Guess Baby R needed that extra inch or so! Sadness in my world though :-(

Sleep: Been sleeping more, even Chris made a comment on it. I blame that on the fact that I can take afternoon naps since we are out of school this week. I love those naps.

What I miss: Sitting normally, I feel like I am unable to cross legs or sit like a lady. How can it be so hard to move your legs? Well, it is!

Cravings: I have had a few ice cream cones this week, yikes!

Symptoms: Swelling....Goodbye ankles and hello sausage fingers! Poor fingers I hope one day they are normal again, I miss my wedding ring like CRAZY!

Best moment this week: Seeing Baby R on Wednesday! It had been a while since Chris and I got to actually see the baby, so that was wonderful. Also just having our weekly check up knowing things are still on track makes me feel at ease as well. Can't wait to see Baby R in person!

Tell us what you think

2011-12-31T00:11:00.000-06:00

Just for fun I added a little poll to the side bar! Let us know what you think Baby R will be. Since we are down to the final days I thought it would be fun. Everyone has a different idea as to what Baby R will be based on wise tells and such...so give us your input! Who knows we may find out sooner rather than later :-)

Christmas fun

2011-12-30T19:13:00.000-06:00

This year Chris and I spent Christmas just the two of us! Since I am restricted on traveling we couldn't go anywhere. Thus we had our first and last Christmas as just us 2. Next year we will have a little one running around, how fun. Anyway, when your on your own for Christmas it is very chill.

Chris woke me up to some yummy breakfast! Then it was off to gift opening! Our gifts were very simple as we had already done most of them early when we were with family! However, Chris did give me a wonderful gift this year. He gave me (and the baby) autostart on my car. Since we don't have a garage to park in he thought being able to warm the car up from the front door would rock. Let me tell you what, it does ROCK! I gave Chris some new golf shirts, but really we did a pretty mellow Christmas since we have a little one arriving soon.

Later that afternoon one of our friends joined us for Christmas lunch. We had a good time watching some sports and eating our way into a slumber! HA HA Here are a few pics from our day!

My boys ready to enjoy Christmas!

my new bracelet from my mom and dad, love it

Winston with some of his new toys....

Donna, Chris, and I sitting down for our Christmas lunch!

Winston worn out from all the fun today!

Watch me grow, Week 36

2011-12-27T20:33:00.001-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

Another week gone by!

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of the baby: Baby R is now the size of a honeydew. He/She is 17-18 inches long and weighing in around 5.5 lbs. She/he is gaining a .5 oz a day! WOW!!

Total Weight Gain/loss: Thus far 32 lbs as of our last visit! I was so excited because last week I only gained 1 lb! Whoo whoo let's hope this week is the same!

Maternity Clothes: Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January!

Movement: Tons, with little room to move I am feeling it ALL. Hiccups have been out of control this past week, poor baby!

Sleep: Still sleeping like a champ between bathroom breaks. Plus since it winter break I get to take NAPS! Oh how I love NAPS!

What I miss: Being able to travel and visit family this Christmas. Also enjoying a nice adult beverage with others at holiday parties. Winston is beginning to realize this baby is about to arrive! He has been very clingy and worried as we have finished decorating and moving furniture. Poor sweet pup!

Cravings: Yogurt this week, but I settled with a double dip waffle cone, mmm

Symptoms: Swelling....Goodbye ankles and hello sausage fingers! Poor fingers I hope one day they are normal again, I miss my wedding ring like CRAZY!

Best moment this week: Checking off ALL of our TO DO list for sweet Baby R! I Love getting to hear my baby's sweet heart beat. Also I am dilated to a 1, whoo whoo we are on the right track. Tomorrow we will know more about how much longer until Baby R arrives. Plus Chris and I celebrated our first Christmas as just us.

Merry Christmas from our house to your!

2011-12-25T06:00:00.002-06:00

Surprise Parties!

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday night my dear friend Alison's boyfriend, Chad, threw her a huge surprise birthday party! Alison is joining the 3-0 club...and well having a birthday on Dec 23 doesn't leave much room for parties as Christmas takes over. (again a reason we need Baby R to wait till January) Since she has not had a birthday party in a few years he thought a surprise one would be great!

Chad was so cute as he has been preparing for the past 2 months! He even asked her brother and sister to come to town for it. I of course helped out by posting pictures of Alison all over from her child hood. Thanks to her sister who stole the pics for us! All in all it was a wonderful party and she was more than surprised! Here are some pics to show the shock...I think Marcus her son was even more surprised! HA

the gang hiding from her

Alison very surprised

She just realized her brother and sister where there...

Marcus, Alison, and Chad-too cute!

Alison with her brother and sister

Baby R enjoying his/her first surprise party as well as Chris and I.

All the girls gathered up! Love this group they are the best!

Happy Birthday Alison and Welcome to the big 3-0!

CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000-06:00

Whew I made it to Christmas break, there for a moment I wondered if I would. I love that we get 2 full weeks off. I also love that we got out the week before Christmas, unlike my poor mom who gets out this Thursday. Can you imagine trying to finish your shopping with only 2 days before...NO, thank goodness we have this whole week. So what's on the list for our Christmas break...a MILLION things! Ha, Ha, Ha,

To Do's

purchase final Baby R items
organize Baby R's room/ closet
hang the decor in Baby R's room
put together all of Baby R's items
finish Christmas letters and mail cards
finish grades for school
wrap all family gifts for Christmas
pack our hospital bag, yikes!
oh and REST, REST, REST!!!

Okay so as of this past Saturday we have accomplished a ton! We can check off the list many of those items. (thanks to my friend Alison for helping out...she is the best)

we purchased the last 5 must have items on Saturday
put together Baby R's items

Cleaned up Baby R's room

I am so embarrassed to even post this...but this was after our last shower!

Looking better...that is just the closet, and those doors are gone! I'll post final ones this weekend!

Oh and also, I have wrapped all of the gifts that need to go with my sister to my parents!

That is well as far as we are for now. I plan to finish our Christmas cards tonight to mail out by Friday! Abby and Co will be here for a quick drive through tomorrow so I will have to love on my Little Bear and Monkey quick...as they will be off to my mom's for Christmas. Then Winston and I have big plans of hanging pictures and curtains in Baby R's room....we might even let Chris help some! :-) Now I leave you with a picture of what Winston and my Dr. would like me to be doing everyday!

Nothing but chilling, blogging, texting, tivo catching up, and well sitting! Winston is enjoying the warm sleeping spot if you can't tell!

Slowing down,

2011-12-21T16:19:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the lack in blogging this past week...but my life is so crazy busy now! I am suppose to be slowing down...per my doctor however that is just not possible! I mean come on really I have to plan for a sub to be in my classroom at any moment now. We have a baby's room to finish! We have baby items to buy, build, install, and prepare! Oh and in case you didn't notice...its the HOLIDAYS! HA HA HA, slow down really.

Thus my blog week recap from last weeks crazy adventures: (a little long, sorry)

First of all our last week of school we have "singing in the halls" every morning for the first 30-40 minutes! Yes, even though you may have heard that FWISD did not allow "SANTA" or "Christmas" in their schools, we still do it. Our school is very huge in traditions and well it would take an ARMY to bring all the traditions to a stop. Anyways, the first 2 days of singing in the halls are a little crazy as the kids are getting the hang of which song to sing when. We sing on average 10-12 songs....we cover all religions even :-) Here is a cute little piece of singing in the halls we were singing Jingle Bells....oh and did I mention all 450 plus students and parents crowd into the main hall! It is a blast promise!

So after singing for 40 minutes then you are suppose to have class, HA HA HA. Not only are you to have class but you also have to give test and such! Needless to say the last few days of school last week were a challenge, but we made it through!

Chris even joined us for singing in the halls!

On to the other aspect of teaching! I love my job and I love my kids, but man does it suck to have to plan for some person to step in and be you! I hate missing one day of school, but weeks! YIKES! I have been really stumbling on how to prepare my lesson plans for my sub while I am out with sweet Baby R! I started and restarted lesson plans like 4 times. However, I finally buckled down last Wednesday and just did it. I don't know if they are amazing or not, but well I did my best with what I could. I mean every morning I would wake up and realize I forgot to mention something or the procedure for this or that! Not only that but I have also begun winging my sweet babies!

Yes, I have begun to show them that if I don't arrive back after Christmas break they will manage and ACT NICE while I am gone! HA, HA, HA, easier said than done right. Especially my sweet S in class, he was my biggest worry. He like Winston can tell that the end is near and has been extra needy in class. Last week I had to look at him and say: "S you will be amazing and wonderful while I am gone because I don't want to hear other wise....then I will have to come back up here to have a chat" Of course in true S style he said back: "Well I don't want to have a chat, but I do want to see the baby." I then had to inform him that the baby and I would come only if he promised to act nice...otherwise he only got me and my "chat" voice! He smiled and agreed he could do it while I was gone! Such a sweet boy!

Why all the fuss on making sure SCHOOL is 100% ready to go....well last Wednesday Baby R and I had our weekly visit to the Dr. Things are moving right along, actually moving along so much that my Dr. asked over my 2 week break that I well....DO NOTHING! Her exact words were: Spend more time on my bottom than on my feet! Really, thus the rush to make sure we are ready at school for my sub to jump in, just in case I don't make it back to school on Jan 2. However, I had a small "chat" with Baby R and told him/her that coming before Jan 2 would not due! Ha like the baby cares what I think. Now I can blog about being on CHRISTMAS BREAK!! WHOO WHOO!

Watch me grow, Week 35

2011-12-13T06:00:00.009-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

Looking bigger by the second over here!

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Size of the baby: Baby R is now the size of a honeydew. He/She weighs in at 4.8 -5.2 lb. and is 17.2- 18.7 inches long!

Total Weight Gain/loss: Thus far 30 lbs as of our last visit! I go to the Dr. this Wednesday, and dread the scale.

Maternity Clothes: Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January!

Movement: moving and a grooving like crazy

Sleep: Doing great thus far, I mean as great as you can between the 4 trips to the bathroom.

What I miss: Now that it is Christmas I really miss all my cute Christmas shirts...and such! For some random reason I just don't think they would look as cute on this year :-)

Cravings: Since we had the baby shower this weekend...

I got to eat all my favorite foods~ mmmm!!

Symptoms: Swelling....good bye ankles and hello sausage fingers!

Best moment this week: Baby R's baby shower! Having both my family and Chris' in town...it is the best having family around. Of course I can't wait till Wednesday to see what the Dr. says!

Showered with love

2011-12-11T20:32:00.001-06:00

All of the wonderful hostess for our shower!

This weekend my friends threw Baby R and I a wonderful shower. This is our last big event before sweet Baby R arrives. I am so grateful to them for the beautiful day. Also, we are very bless that we got to spend the weekend with both my family and Chris' family. Thanks families for making the trip to see us! Nothing like a sweet baby to bring the world together. I have a billion pictures (thanks to Abby and Kara) but will keep it narrowed down a bit for your sake. Plus I think they do the shower justices more than me rambling on about how great it was. Here you go!

Here are all the sweet decorations and yummy food. P.S. if you want the info for the
amazing breakfast pizza click here.

All of my sweet guest that came to spoil sweet Baby R! Baby R has no idea how great all these people are....and will want to squeeze him/her up!

The kiddos

Chris' sisters and Mom, I am so angry that I didn't get a pic with them...

Abby, Mom, Little Bear, and I

Oh heavens all the goodies!

The Taft family....with sweet baby Jake who is only 4 weeks old...Hannah looks amazing already she gives me great hope for the after the baby look.

Look I finally found a good use for the "girls" up top....besides the feeding thing they will do later! They are excellent at showing off cute clothes and such!

After the shower we got tot meet up with my FAVORITE Oklahoma gals! I love the Flax's they are the best, I can't believe how old Abby is! She will be driving soon....holly cow, she was 5 when I first started nannying her! Oh yeah, wonder what's going on here...well Abby killed her toe on our front path! Not to worry the Dr was here to help out!

Here we are tying to make Abby feel better (and act silly) and "cover" up her crazy toe. Ha ha ha.... I love this family so much. Thanks Flax's gals for making the trip for Baby R!

Happy Birthday

2011-12-11T09:17:00.000-06:00

To the world's best dad! I love that we got to spend your birthday with you this year. I hope that our new addition to the family can be wrapped around your finger as much as I am. I love being a daddy's girl to the most amazing daddy in the world. Happy Birthday Dad! We love you.

Happy Birthday Little Bear

2011-12-05T06:31:00.000-06:00

All of us girls at Little Bear's party yesterday!

Little Bear I not believe you are already 8 years old! Amazing how the time goes so quickly. You have grown into such a wonderful young lady. I remember when you were just a tiny baby and now you are almost as tall as me! Thanks for being such a sweet, kind hearted little girl. You are the light of my life...I couldn't have asked for a more precious niece! I love you to God and back! Happy Birthday Little Bear!

Watch me grown, Week 33

2011-12-04T22:04:00.001-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

Another random weekly pic, so here ya go!

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Size of the baby: Baby R is now the size of a honeydew. He/She weighs in at 4.8 lbs and is 17.2 inches long!

Total Weight Gain/loss: Thus far 30 lbs as of our last visit! Looks like I am about done with the fatness, at least I hope.

Maternity Clothes: Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January!

Movement: Seems like the closer we get the more it move....I just wish there was a camera in there so I could see these great moves.

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good, between my 3 times a night bathroom breaks.

What I miss: Being able to reach things easily! Seems like everything is just an inch out of reach with this stinking belly.

Cravings: Nothing too much this week!

Symptoms: Swelling....but so far it's not too much to handle

Best moment this week: Going to the Dr. and hearing the heart beat...I so love that. Also I don't know if I mentioned it but....my stomach has finally out grown my HUGE girls up top! :-) Not sure if that is the "best moment" but it is a funny one! Finally being able to enjoy my LAST TRAVEL to Little Bear's birthday! What a way to end my journeys until Baby R arrives.

One more pic so you can actually see my fatness. Here we are after Little Bear's Tea party.

The big reveal....

2011-11-29T07:40:00.000-06:00

As I typed about on Saturday....My sister has put up the blog for my sweet nephew's birthday. Since I didn't take any pictures (what a bad auntie) I thought I would just show you the way.
Click here to see his super cute and amazingly wonderful birthday party.....If you have a boy who is about to turn 4 or just want some creative ideas, I promise this will help you out.

Check it out NOW, here.

Watch me grow, Week 32

2011-11-28T06:00:00.002-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

Thought you would get a kick out of my "Thanksgiving day" prego belly! Oh my, but isn't sweet Lily cute!

How Far Along: 32 Weeks

Size of the baby: Baby R is now the size of a squash. He/She weighs in at 3.8 ounces and is 16.7 inches long! Our sweet baby is growing like a weed these days.

Total Weight Gain/loss: Thus far 27 lbs as of our last visit! Yes, I know I am gaining tons of weight...mom will be on me! What is sad is now I bet I am HUGE because of the great Thanksgiving feast we had.

Maternity Clothes: Of course I am 32 weeks pregnant for gosh sakes. Plus Teri and I had some fun shopping for some new ones while I was in town.

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January!

Movement: Moving and a grooving over here. Baby R likes to really stretch out in there from time to time...no my favorite!

Sleep: Sleeping like a champ! I can not complain a bit as I still sleep wonderfully at night.

What I miss: My sweet ankles....with all my traveling this past week my ankles seem to be taking a toll. Fat feet are not very becoming! I am hoping they will get back under control this week now that we will be home again!

Cravings: No need for cravings when you have tons of food from Thanksgiving to eat!

Symptoms: Swelling....as mentioned above. My feet and fingers are getting a bit fat! YIKES

Best moment this week: Being with both of our families! I love spending time with everyone and letting them "feel" the baby!

Happy Birthday sweet boy!

2011-11-27T06:22:00.001-06:00

Our very shaggy little birthday boy!

Wow I can not believe that this sweet pup is THREE today! It seems just like yesterday when Chris and I were driving home with him. It is amazing how time sure flies by!

Since Winston's birthday always happens over Thanksgiving we did a little pre-party at our house last Friday night. Here he is getting his new birthday cake! His cake sings Happy Birthday, which he was not so sure about at first!

Here is a fun little comparison for those of you who like that!

His FIRST birthday!

His second birthday!