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Friday, December 3, 2010

This year we'll get to sign 4 names!!!

First off, if you know me at all you know I hate to do things out of order.  I've been meaning to blog about each month since Katie Brooke has been born...but that hasn't happened.  So you know if I'm skipping how I like to do things it must be important!

Today's topic...CHRISTMAS CARDS!!!

Since our first Christmas as a married couple (2005) Brendan and I have made photo Christmas cards.  They help us get a card out to MANY people, including our large church family.  This year is no exception.  However, two things are different.  Last year we signed Brendan, Jenny, Baby, and Audrey (yes-our dog!).  This year, though, we get to sign Brendan, Jenny, Katie Brooke, and Audrey!!!  I'm determined to start traditions for Katie Brooke no matter if she remembers them or not and an annual photo Christmas card will be on our list!  Another difference this year with our Christmas card is that we're getting many for FREE!!!  Shutterfly.com is a great site I use with a lot of the pictures we've already collected in Katie Brooke's 5 short months here.  They are offering 50 free photo cards which I can earn by doing exactly this-talk about it!

They have HUNDREDS to choose from so picking one out is going to be much tougher.  Here are some of my favorites.  Feel free to give your opinion!

I always stress about the colors we're wearing.  This is making me consider using B&W.  Love that green and red, the initial, and the option to use so many pictures!

Katie Brooke has a Christmas dress with candies like this. that would go perfect with this card. 

I really am a sucker for things with initials.  
Besides Christmas cards Shutterfly is great for all kinds of things.  They can help you make great photo books with their templates; I've been working on one about Katie Brooke's arrival.  I also plan on making a calendar in the near future. 
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/desk-calendars     
 Well, that's all for now. I'll try and get back real soon to write all about Katie Brooke's first 5 months.  (Whew...will that be a task!)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Katie Brooke's Arrival!

Sunday, June 20th I was admitted to the hospital to start my induction.  To help me get started my doctor gave me Cervidil that was to work throughout the night.  After some Ambien I got a really good night of sleep.  We were surprised to learn that I had started contractions on my own, but I didn't feel them at all.  Around 5am I woke up, the nurse removed the Cervidil, and I enjoyed a shower.
The doctor came in sometime around 7am and got me started on Pitocin.  I still hadn't dilated much or thinned out.  Half an hour later she broke my water.  Within 45 minutes my contractions were about 3 1/2 minutes apart and we were hopeful that my dilation would pick up soon. 
I had pretty bad back labor for a few hours, some of which I was able to have visitors through.  I was nervous to learn that epidurals weren't routine until you were around 4 cm.  I wasn't sure I would be able to make it.
Besides the back labor I had really bad nausea partially due to not being able to eat- I was STARVING!  Thankfully I was able to get some phenergan and did receive my epidural when I was just 2 1/2-3 cm dilated sometime in the 1 o'clock hour.  I was kinda scared about it hurting, but the worst part just ended up being the initial numbing shot.  Afterwards I was knocked out and able to sleep for around 2 hours.
Sometime around 5:30 p.m. my doctor came in to check me.  Yet again, I was still only 3 1/2 cm and 80% effaced.  At that time the doctor talked a little about a c-section saying that with the "power" my contractions had been, she expected to see more progress.  Knowing some surgery history of mine and that I was a 9 lb baby she wanted to know my thoughts of having a c-section.
Overall I was alright with the idea- if it's what was best for Katie Brooke and myself.  I just didn't want to go through hours of pushing and then end up with one.  She agreed and said that she would give us an hour to an hour and a half to see if there was anymore progress. 
By 6:20 or so the doctor check me and yet again found that I was still only 3 1/2 on my own and around 90% effaced.  With that news she scheduled a c-section for around 7pm.
By an hour later I was in the OR getting my epidural topped off and prepped for surgery.  My nerves weren't too bad...but my nausea was still in full force.  I had been given zofran earlier after I declined more phenergan (I didn't want to be out of it).  However, I'm pretty sure they gave me phenergan in the OR because I had to fight to stay alert before her arrival.  It took a while for me not to feel anything.  In fact, at one point Dr. T. "tested" me and then asked if I felt anything.  My response was, "A pinch-Like a knife slicing".  It took a while, but I was finally numb enough for them to start.  Dr. T. later said that I did have quit a few "hot spots" where I wasn't completely numb. 
Eventually at 7:46 p.m., with Brendan right by my side, we heard the doctor announce that our daughter, with a head full of dark hair, was here!  We didn't hear a cry right away which made me a little nervous, but it wasn't long that we heard her sweet whimper.  Later we learned that we didn't hear her cry because her cord was wrapped around her neck.  Earlier in the day the nurses kept coming in to tell me I needed to roll a bit to my right (I was laying completely on my left side due to back labor).  Now we know it was because KB's heart rate was dropping a bit- probably due to her cord being around her neck.  We are SO grateful that God's providence was for us to delivery via c-section so the cord couldn't cause any harm to our beautiful little girl.
Within 15 minutes or so we had our first family picture taken, I had kissed my daughter, and her daddy was taking her to the nursery.  On his way he showed her off to our sweet family and friends who had been waiting patiently all day long for her arrival.
Our next three days there were great.  We had some great friends come and meet Katie Brooke, got some gorgeous newborn portraits, enjoyed a sweet steak dinner, and received some great care from very sweet nurses.  Since June 24th we've been home.  That's 9 days of adjusting.  The biggest is of course getting "use" to the interruptions of our sleep.  Katie Brooke is a great sleeper and would probably let us sleep through the night if we let her, but the dr. told us to not let her go past 4 hours between feedings.  We've also started having some trouble of getting her back to sleep after her midnight feeding- but hopefully that will soon swap back.

God sure has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams!   

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Pregnancy Week 38

Sunday I was able to go to our evening service.  Brendan was preaching and did a great job.  Our week at camp had started earlier that day so there weren't a lot of people at worship (they were at camp!).  However, I was able to visit with some great brothers and sisters.  Little Danielle was so excited to know that Katie Brooke could be here so soon.  Now, earlier this day we had some troubling news.  The car seat that we had planned on using (given to us by a family at church) wasn't going to work in either of our cars.  The base just wasn't safe enough for our little Katie Brooke.  We had a police officer at church even take a look at it.  So...we had planned to head to Dothan first thing Monday morning to buy a car seat/stroller that would be safe.
After spending TONS of time researching what car seat is the safest in our car (yes, there really is a website that tells you) we headed to Our New Baby Monday morning.  We were in and out of there in less than 30 mins with a stroller that they assembled for free!  After about 15 minutes the car seat base was installed and we sighed a big sigh of relief!
We had another early morning Tuesday with my OB appointment at 8:45.  This day ended up being a VERY long day for us.  You can see my previous post to get the details.  Long story short, by the end of the afternoon we had an induction date for the upcoming Sunday and Monday.  We are going in Sunday night to get things started with Cervidal and then Poticin Monday morning.
Wednesday is was able to go and get a pedicure seeing that I hadn't been able to do my own for a while. :) 
Thursday was my last "girls day" with my own little girl.  I met up with some friends for lunch at one of my favorite "girly" places to eat.  Afterwards I was REALLY hoping to find a table to sit beside the rocker in the nursery.  I did stretch myself a bit, but after running in Big Lots and Burks Outlet I found a great table at Fred's.  It was already assembled and it was the last one.  There are two little places where the paint was gone, so I was able to get it for $25, ten dollars less than the manager first told me!  I was so happy and knew Brendan would be happy because he wouldn't have to put it together.  Later on that evening Mandi came over to bring supper and keep me company since Brendan was staying out at camp all afternoon and evening.  After we ate, she and I (mostly she) did a few things in the nursery.  We hung the mobile (so happy with), put some pictures on the wall, and set up the new table.  I'm so pleased with the way the nursery turned out.  There are a few details still left to do: hang a mirror on the chifrobe door, hang a monogram Mandi is painting, hang a cross stitch my mom is working on, and hang another cross stitch my Grandma Jo is working on.  I'm so excited to have such a great room for Katie Brooke.
Friday I laid around a bit so I would have enough energy to go out on our last official date before Katie Brooke arrives.  We were planning to go to dinner and see Toy Story 3.  Before we did either of those, we went by Dr. T.'s office to pick up our papers for our induction.  Once we left there we went to Chili's.  Don't ask me why, but I was wanting it.  We got there pretty early, but for some reason the waitress wanted to seat us in a certain booth.  Well...this 9 months pregnant gal wouldn't fit!  Thankfully I was able to laugh it off and she moved us to a table with chairs.  After that we headed back to Enterprise to watch Toy Story 3.  I held up okay, but was EXTREMELY hot so I did swell a bit.  Thankfully we got there early enough to get end seats of a short row and didn't have anyone else next to us.  The movie was adorable.  I even cried a few times.  Some of which I know was pregnant emotions, but I still think I would have teared up not being pregnant; I'm such a softy.
Today (Saturday) has been a laid back one.  I was able to sleep till about 7 after getting up for a bathroom run around 4.  Like lots of recent days I nap practically all day long.  I definitely become better at napping and hope I continue to be once KB is here.  I did the last of our laundry so we won't have to be concerned about it when we come home.  And Brendan did a run to the grocery store for some things that should be useful when we come home.  He was also sweet enough to bring dinner home- some Mexican :)  (It doesn't hurt to try some at home induction things, does it?)

Seeing that this was my last full week of being pregnant I want to remember a few other details to share with Katie Brooke.  So...here goes:

My sleeping has been interesting to say the least.  Some days I'm able to sleep till 7 or even 9, while others I'm up before 6.  Bathroom trips aren't always a must, but if they are it's between 3:30 and 4:30 am.  Audrey (who sleeps in her crate in the laundry room) is getting better about not crying to be let out as soon as she hears one of us.  I'm sure we'll have some adjusting to do once KB gets here, but I'm hopeful Audrey doesn't take too long to realize we are getting up for the baby and not for her.  We shall see! 

I've still been wanting to eat tons of fruit.  I can finish a pound of strawberries in just a few days.  I've also been known to eat as many as 3 bananas in a day!
 
I've tried to do better about my sodium intake since being on bed rest and have done pretty good.  The negative side of this is that there aren't too many snack foods that aren't sweets and have lower amounts of sodium. 

Well, guess I've been rambling enough.  Our next post should be about little miss Katie Brooke's arrival. 
Till then...thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

What a day!

This morning we had our 38 week appointment.  After last week's appointment I knew I was going to have to get my feelings in on not wanting to be induced unless Dr. T. felt it was necessary.
We got there a few minutes early and didn't have to wait too long before we were called back.  I was surprised to learn that we were actually headed to the monitor to have a non stress test done.  After that I had my blood pressure taken.  You should have heard the nurse when it came up as 131/7?.  We were also surprised because of the readings I had been getting here at home for the last week (they were all up). 
Once we saw the dr. she was really sweet to understand my feelings about not wanting to be induced unless she thought it was necessary.  After she checked me (which by the way...no change) we talked about some of the symptoms I'd been experiencing the last few days (nausea/headaches/high BP readings) so she thought it would be best to send us over to the hospital where I could be on the monitor for longer and have my BP checked frequently.  (Side note- There were a few times during the non stress test that things could have looked better.)
So...Brendan and I grabbed some lunch nearby and then headed to labor and delivery around noon.  We were there till about 2pm when we were discharged.  My labs, BP, and Katie Brooke seemed to be doing alright.  Knowing my feelings on inducing Dr. T. had the nurse make me an appointment for next week.  This is where things got interesting.
We didn't get to see Dr. T. personally while at the hospital (she had a delivery and then ran back to the office) so we were totally shocked when the L&D nurse told us our appointment was for NEXT Friday, the 25th-2 days before my due date!  When I asked why I was told that Dr. T was out of town Tuesday-Thursday.  Oh, what wave of emotions ran through me.  Why didn't they tell us this at the office? 
You see...I haven't had ANY appointments with the other dr. in the practice and can't imagine anyone but Dr. T delivering Katie Brooke.  So...Brendan and I made the decision that we didn't want to run the risk of going into labor or having my BP spike and needing to deliver while Dr. T. was out of town.
So...here I was, the annoying patient that can't seem to get her mind made up, calling Dr. T. just hours after telling her that I didn't want to be induced unless she felt it was medically necessary calling to ASKED to be induced before she goes out of town.  Thankfully she was very understanding and we are now scheduled to start our induction Sunday night with Cerevidil and then Pitocin 12 hours later on Monday.  If everything works we should have Katie Brooke here in our arms sometime Monday!
Brendan and I are excited, however, I don't think the reality that we'll have our little girl in less than a week has hit completely.
Our plan for the rest of the week is to enjoy these last few days of being a family of 2 (ok, 3 counting Audrey).  Guess we'll get to go and see Toy Story 3 and I just might be able to get a pedicure like I've been wanting!  Who knows...maybe we'll get the last decorative touches done in the nursery.  Anyway we spend it will be wonderful, I just know it.
Thank you to all our wonderful family and friends for your support, prayers, cards, meals, and cleaning you've done this entire pregnancy.  You all mean so much to us and we look forward to Katie Brooke getting to meet each one of you.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Pregnancy Week 37

I was able to attend Sunday morning worship for just the second time since being on bed rest this week. Brendan was preaching so I did a no-no and drove myself there. It was so uplifting to be with so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
On Monday Brendan was home like he is every Monday (it's his "off" day). Vacation Bible School started that evening. Brendan was to lead the singing like he usually does, but this time I wasn't helping out like I normally do. Strange and weird, but nothing I could do to change it.
Tuesday we headed to my appointment with Dr. T. We had an early appointment hoping that would cut down on our waiting time. It did a bit-but we were still there for almost two hours total. During this appointment I was shocked that my blood pressure was actually a bit down (upper 130s). So...when the dr. came in she was quick to bring up the induction topic. However, this time (for the first time) she made me feel as though it was more in my court to decide if I wanted to have it. I was totally caught off guard about this and dealt with a lot of mixed emotions over the next few days. The appointment ended with her checking me and telling me for the third week in a row that we were still not "ready".
That evening Mandi came over and kept me company while Brendan was at VBS. She finished painting the teacups and Bible verse on the chifferobe as well as starting some wall art for Katie Brooke. While she was here I was able to chat with her sister Amy who is an L&D nurse. We discussed all the things Dr. T had mentioned using for inducing and my feelings about choosing me daughters birthday. She really helped me sort out my feelings about the whole situation.
Over the next days Brendan and I came to the conclusion that we're up for inducing, but only if Dr. T says it's best for medical reasons (and only medical reasons) otherwise I'm going to be patient and let my body prepare itself for labor. I am quit interested to see how it does if I'm suppose to stay on bed rest with my feet up though (isn't that the opposite of what you're usually encouraged to do to help move it along?).
On Wednesday I escaped out of the house again, but only to go and get a massage! One of my students gave me a gift certificate for the total cost of a 50 min prenatal massage. It was WONDERFUL. I only wish the girl would have massaged my ankles! (I didn't understand why she didn't till a friend told me afterwards that massaging ankles can start labor) :)
Thursday I was home...but did manage to make us dinner. We gotta eat, right?
Friday I had an appointment to get my last trim before Katie Brooke arrives. I had been needing this for around a month so I was relieved to get it done before she comes!
To end the week Brendan and I enjoyed a nice Saturday at home. He went and picked up dinner so I didn't have to cook and we watched tons of Back to the Future. We also TRIED to install our car seat, but with no luck. Turns out the one we'd been given has a base that had an involuntary swap 2 years ago (not a recall or else I would have caught this MONTHS ago when I looked). So...tomorrow morning bright and early we have to make a dash to Dothan and get a car seat and stroller so little Katie Brooke can come home! Can't believe we're doing this the week she could be coming home. Trying not to stress about it-don't want the blood pressure to rise!

In other news...

For the past three evenings (and various times today) I've been experiencing nausea. Even had to take some of my left over Zofran to get rid of it each night. Some say this is a sign of going into labor, but my BabyCenter email said it was a symptom of preeclampsia. Don't plan on calling the dr. about it unless it gets really bad. I'll just be sure to tell her Tuesday morning.

That's all for now!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Pregnancy Weeks 32-36

No real developments for week 32. At my appointment I was still having major swelling issues and BP was REALLY elevated. It was elevated so much Dr. T sent me to the hospital to be monitored for a few hours. Thankfully after a few hours my blood pressure had come down enough that I could be discharged. I was to complete a 24 hr collection so my protein levels could be checked. When the results came back we were all pleasantly surprised to find them very low....so no preeclampsia diagnoses still. The nursery was coming along nicely. Mandi, my best friend, was helping me with some art projects for the room including a floral mobile. (It was more like she did the whole thing with a little help from me.) The following Saturday Uncle Sam and Whitney came down for the day. They brought my childhood chifferobe I had been HOPING to use in Katie Brooke's nursery. We have big plans for it...just hope they get done!


Before

In progress

We finished that week with a trip to the Biscuits game in Montgomery with lots of young families from church. We had a blast!
Week 33 started with my first Mother's Day. Brendan was SO sweet. A few weeks ago Audrey, our four-legged daughter, had broken my newest favorite necklace. For my gift he had gotten me a replacement for the broken necklace. He also managed to get Audrey to "sign" my card with an I'm sorry I broke your necklace message. (He had stamped her paw print in the card!) If it couldn't get any cuter he had her deliver the card with the necklace in the envelope to me by carrying it in her mouth. What a memorable first Mother's Day. :)

Audrey wishing me a Happy First Mother's Day and Week 33!
Week 33 also brought our first two parenting classes. We opted to do the classes here in Enterprise and not Dothan so we could do them with our friends Troy and Carie whose little girl is due the exact same day as ours! The classes were some what practical, but very memorable. :) At work this week we had Field Day. I was VERY relieved when it was over and so were my swollen hands and feet! To finish this week I was busy getting ready for our Senior Banquet at church. One of my tasks required me to go to Wal-Mart. Upon leaving I found that I had probably set the record for worst case of "baby brain". I had left not only the car unlocked, but the keys in the ignition and the car running the entire time I had been shopping!!! I was so relieved to still have a car. Later that evening we celebrated with some of our friends from church whose little girl, Natalie, was turning 1! We can't wait for Katie Brooke to meet sweet Natalie.
Week 34 started off as busy as week 33 had ended. After a great morning of worship and lunch with friends I attended the bridal shower for LeAnne, a now college grad who was in the youth group while we've been here. After evening service we had a great Senior Banquet for Joe and Bethany. These two are going to be missed, but we're so proud of their choices to attend Christian universities this fall.

Joe, Myself, Bethany, and Brendan
By Tuesday of this week I was already worn out...wonder why?
At my doctors appointment Dr. T was really concerned about my swelling and yet again my blood pressure. So...she put me on bed rest. She had mentioned the possibility earlier so I wasn't completely shocked. However, in my mind I thought, for some reason, she would let me finish the week at work and THEN stay home. What was I thinking? I was very fortunate to get Ms. Bonnie from church to sub for the remainder of the year. We went the following day for an ultra sound to check Katie Brooke's breathing and the fluid levels. All were found to be good. We were even given an estimated weight of 6 lbs 5 ounces!
Week 35 began with my first Sunday not being able to go to all services at church. Brendan and I had made the decision that I should come to only one service. Thankfully my in-laws wanted to come and see us for the day. They were sweet enough to come early and take me to the morning worship service. I was so thankful for them. Mrs. Charmaine even brought lunch and cooked us another meal for during the week! The rest of the week was full with doctors appointments. My good friend Kelly helped me get there. Brendan was very busy picking up the rest of the chores and even started doing our grocery shopping! He is being a better sport about bed rest than I am!
Week 36 started with Memorial Day weekend. The Chances and the Holleys came over for our annual shrimp boil. This was by far the hardest week since being placed on bed rest. I love entertaining and getting our home ready for it is something I've always taken seriously. Not being able to clean and prepare my home was the hardest thing, but I'm so grateful for my husband's willing heart and for my in-laws who also pitched in to get everything ready for our other guests.
Happy Memorial Day and Week 36!

On Tuesday we had another appointment with Dr. T. Brendan was able to take me to this one. Dr. T discussed with us the real possibility of inducing if my BP was still high the following week. Tuesday evening Brendan's sister Christa came down to keep me company for the next few days. The following day she snuck me to work so I could see my students one last time before school let out for summer. I took them each a kite and received from them a basket FULL of goodies for Katie Brooke. The best gift, by far, was a quilt that my room mom had hand made. The quilt includes all 17 hand prints of my students with each of their names under their print. I truly is the sweetest gift I've ever received from students.



The week ended with me spending a few hours in my classroom packing it up for the summer. Thankfully I had help from not only Brendan, but also April. After we were through April and I had lunch with Mandi. It was a great way to get the official summer started!

Pregnancy Weeks 28-31

April was going to be a great month. I wasn't going to get sick, the nursery was going to start coming together, and I was going to be have two baby showers!
Week 28 brought another doctors appointment. And yet again, my BP was still elevated. Dr. T had asked me to keep a log of 2-3 readings a week since my last appointment. Upon seeing that those readings were pretty normal she believes that my elevated BP is due to my anxiety. Although, she is watching me closely because I am still having swelling issues. The same day I saw her I also visited my endocrinologist. I was encouraged to learn that my TSH levels were FINALLY stable and that my vitamin D level had also come up to the normal range.
We did have one scare at the start of this month. When we opened our crib we found that it was SEVERALLY damaged. After 36 or so hours of not knowing if we would be able to get a replacement we were pleasantly surprised to learn we COULD get one and that it would be here by the end of the week! I was so reveled!
The weekend we were 29 weeks Mom came to town for a visit. She helped Brendan get the crib put together and we also placed the padded rocker we had bought from our friends in the nursery.
On April 11th I had my first shower which was hosted by ladies from church. We had a great time! Besides having Mom here my good friend April and my great in-laws were able to come for the day. Katie Brooke received TONS of pretty things to wear.
Citty, Me, and Nana
29 Weeks at KB'S Church Shower
The following week was pretty uneventful. However, week 30 was my Spring Break! It was so nice to be able to catch up on some sleep and stay off my feet. When we were 30 1/2 weeks we had our 4-D ultra sound. Katie Brooke was a bit crammed already, but we still managed to get some amazing video and pictures of our little girl. While we were there the ultra sound tech gave us her her estimated weight as 4 lbs and 6 ounces putting her a week and a half ahead of schedule. The following day I snuck off to the outlets in Destin with some girl friends from church. Out of the four of us, 3 were pregnant and the other had her 1 year old. Needless to say we had LOTS of bathroom trips. We had such a fun day!
The following day my mother and younger sister, big sister, brother-in-law, and my niece were making the trip from Tennessee! They were all coming to town for a friends and family shower. Before the rest of our family arrived for the shower my cousin Whitney came and did some maternity shots with Brendan and me. She has been taking photographs for some time now, but we were her first try at maternity shots. We had a lot of fun, just wish I hadn't started swelling towards the end of them!
The friends and family shower wonderful. We received TONS of things for Katie Brooke. But I have to say just getting to spend time with our loved ones was the best present I could have asked for.
April was such a great month. :)
31 Weeks! Single Digit Count Down!!

Pregnancy Weeks 24-27

The end of week 24 brought another trip out of town with the youth group. We were heading to the SOAR Youth Rally in Augusta, Georgia. This was by far the longest trip I had taken since all of our driving during the holidays. My migraines were better by this point, however I started having swelling issues while on this trip. Work was also very stressful during this time due to one of my co-workers being on maternity leave. Let's just say for a few weeks I felt as though I was teaching two classes. By my next appointment my blood pressure was elevated and yet again my weight gain was over the top. :(

Happy 26 Weeks

The following week when I was 26 weeks we were anxiously awaiting the call from my sister that she was in labor. Tuesday morning, two days after her expected due date, I received a text from her that she had started contracting during the night. I spent the rest of the day in constant contact with my brother-in-law through text messages. By that afternoon after I had lined up a sub for the rest of the week, Brendan and I headed to Murfressboro (against my OB's recommendation). She felt that I shouldn't travel more than two hours away from home due to my elevated BP and swelling issues. We arrived around 12:30am on Wednesday. Em was doing great and if everything progressed as it had, we were expecting her to start pushing around 5-6am. So...we headed to their house just a few minutes away from the hospital for a few hours of sleep. However, soon after we fell asleep we got the call that she was ready to push! We threw ourselves together and headed back up there around 3:15 or so. At 4:03 am my niece JuliAnn Evie was born!
Uncle Brendan and Aunt Jenny with JuliAnn

Brendan and I were able to stay till Thursday afternoon and then headed back home. Over the weekend Brendan headed to Auburn to spend some time with his dad and I spent Saturday with new friends Kelly and Rob who recently moved to Enterprise and are expecting their first baby in early October. We had fun shopping for baby things at our local arts and crafts festival and even browsed through our adorable boutique. I found a great Auburn outfit for Katie Brooke for next season and her Christmas dress for this year. I'm so excited about dressing our little girl! During the 27th week of my pregnancy we were giving standardized tests at work. I knew I would have to be on my feet more than I had been and did my best with it. Of course I swelled, but the worst thing about this week was the respiratory problems I was having. I thought I was just having sinus trouble that was developing into a respiratory infection. Once I made it to the doctor that Thursday he diagnosed me with bronchitis, but said if we were able to do an x-ray I'd probably end up with a diagnoses of pneumonia. Needless to say I was, yet again, under the weather for several days. By that Saturday I did go with Brendan to take the furniture from the soon-to-be nursery to his parents' house in Prattville. We had the crib for over a month...but it was still in the box waiting for the room to be cleared out.

Pregnancy Weeks 19-23

The weekend that we started week 19 we also had a "See You Later" party for our good friends Mookie and Mariah. They were moving to Indiana to be closer to Mariah's family. They too are pregnant and are due about 4 weeks after us. While at their party we also spent time with our college friends Jeff and Jenn Hubbard. We've only seen them a hand full of times since we were all married so this was a special treat. And believe it or not...they are expecting a little girl about a month before Katie Brooke is to arrive.
All of Us! The Chances', Madaris', Hubbards', and Blalocks'

College Buddies
Me, Jess, Mandi, and Jenn

Earlier in the day before going to their party I visited the neurologist my OB referred me to. He put me on a preventive medicine. The only side effect I'm not happy about is excessive weight gain. He actually said he didn't usually put women on this medicine, but since I was already going to be gaining weight, I shouldn't be to upset about it. :(
The following weekend we made a quick trip to Prattville to spend time with my in-laws, including my sister-in-law, the newly engaged Christa and Ryan! We had a great visit and even found Christa's wedding gown!!! The sweet couple will be married Oct. 9th later on this year!
20 Weeks Half Way There!!!
The following Thursday evening, when I was 20 1/2 weeks pregnant I came home with a migraine. I went to sleep as soon as I came home hoping to wake up feeling better, but was totally surprised. I started vomiting and couldn't stop. We ended up in the ER upon my OB's advice. I stayed there till about 2 am on fluids, but still vomiting. Back at home I took it very slowly and missed out on a huge snow day. Needless to say that our Valentine's Day wasn't too special...but I was grateful for all Brendan did to take care of me.
21 Weeks Happy Valentine's Day!
The following Thursday when we were 21 1/2 weeks we had another ultra sound. She had grown so much in just the 4 weeks that had past. This time she was a bit more uncooperative and wanted to stay curled up a lot more so I was happy that we had found out she in fact was a she the month before! At this appointment I was discouraged about my weight. I had gained just over twice as much in the last four weeks than I had the previous weeks. The dr. isn't concerned since I've still only gained half of the recommended weight and am half way through the whole pregnancy....so we will see.
21 Weeks 6 Days at Emily's Family Baby Shower
I finished this stretch by going to my first consignment sale. I couldn't help but by a few little things for my little one. :)22 Weeks!

Pregnancy Weeks 14-18

Entering the second trimester also brought the year 2010. We enjoyed our annual game night with friends from church. With my energy still not up to par for staying up SUPER late I was struggling around 10:30, but after being asked to play some Bananagrams I was wide awake and was able to bring in the new year like we've done for the past five years, in prayer.
Corn chips were still a favorite snack of mine. My students had gotten pretty use to me sneaking a few while we swapped center during reading. :) My weight gain had been great. I had gained just the right amount.
Week 15
On January 10th, when I was 16 weeks I had a fluttering feeling in my stomach while getting ready for church. I wasn't for sure, but thought it might be me feeling our baby. Within the next few weeks I thought I felt it again. Brendan came over to give it a shot and sure enough...we BOTH felt her move. We were around 18 1/2 weeks pregnant when this happened.
When we were 16 1/2 weeks we had scheduled to have a gender scan ultra sound. We really didn't mind what the gender was. Most thought it was a boy, some thought it was a girl, I had a feeling that it was a boy-but wasn't ever convinced it wasn't a girl. I had let my students take a vote. The girls thought it was a girl and the boys thought it was a boy. We were never able to come to a decision on names, especially a boys name. We always said that once we knew what Baby Chance was we would be able to name them. So, on the morning of January 14th we were overjoyed to find out that it in fact was a GIRL!

We spent the day together registering at Babies R Us and buying the first girl outfits at Kohls. By mid afternoon we made a special phone call to some of our dearest friends...the Strunks.
As many of you know they lost their daughter, Katie, in a tornado on March 1st, 2007. Katie was one of our teens in the youth group Brendan worked with at College Avenue church of Christ. We were all very much affected by this tragedy. Probably the biggest way we were affected was realizing how important Brendan's job is in ministering to teens. In the days after Katie's death we were constantly with the Strunks. On of these days Kathy, Katie's mom, had said that one day she wanted someone to name their little girl after hers. This stuck with Brendan. For the past almost three years he had said that if we had a little girl he wanted to name her after Katie. So...when we called Dirk and Kathy that afternoon we shared with them the news that we were having a little girl and we asked for their permission to name her after their Katie. Their response was one I'll ever forget.
Now for her middle name we were stuck for some time. We knew we wanted a one syllable name that would flow with Katie. We plan to call her by both first and middle so she can have her own identity and so others wont automatically think of Katie Strunk when they say her name. We plan on sharing the details of the young lady she's named after when she's older. Till then if she asks we'll tell her she's named after someone very special who lived for God and brought much happiness to many people.
Over the MLK, Jr. weekend we were with the youth group for our Winter Retreat. We enjoyed a good time at the 4-H center. This was the first weekend I started loosing my all day nausea and even ate two cookies! I was overjoyed that my sweet tooth was coming back. :)

The following weekend when I was 18 weeks pregnant I traveled to Murfressboro, Tennessee for my big sister Emily's baby shower. She was pregnant with my first niece and due to deliver March 21st. We had a great weekend together, but I was starting to feel that traveling wasn't something I would be doing much longer.
My sisters, Mom, Emily's mother-in-law, and me!

18 Weeks

Pregnancy Weeks 9-13

During these weeks of my pregnancy I was still experiencing major morning sickness...but it was lasting all day long. I did, thankfully, have more energy...but wasn't sure if that was because I was getting closer to the second trimester or if my thyroid medicine was helping me out. My headaches were becoming unbearable. My OB thought it was best that I go and see a neurologist. I was annoyed at having to go to yet another dr., but was looking forward to not having 3-5 migraines a week.
By 11 weeks or so I was REALLY having trouble wearing any non maternity clothes. The Belly Band helped a lot, but wasn't too comfortable for all day wear. I was shocked that I was needing maternity shirts so early. I really thought pants would be the first thing I needed, but found I needed to extra length that maternity tops gave to hide how I was keeping my pants up!
During this time we had Thanksgiving and Christmas. The hardest part about these holidays was not being able to really enjoy eating some of my favorite foods.
On Thanksgiving I ended up in bed for a few hours after lunch, but thankfully my sister Emily, who was also expecting, was there to help me along with Brendan. Around this time cranberry juice became one of my favorites. ;D
Thanksgiving 2009

Week 12 and my 26th birthday

During our Christmas travels I did pretty well. My stomach didn't like I-65 through Birmingham too much, but I managed. As long as I could stay cool I did ok. I was still having trouble stomaching sweets so I had to be content with very small amounts of super plain desserts like pound cake. Salty things were still my top pick. Besides cranberry juice I was also able to keep water down, but it had to have lemon in it. I was happy that I could handle a small amount of chicory and coffee (decaf or course!) Wasn't making it at home for myself, but wouldn't decline my sweet sister or mother-in-law if that offered it. Both were sweet enough to order it since you can't purchase it anywhere here.
Christmas 2009
Pregnant Sisters :)

Christmas Eve 2009
Chances' Annual Finger Food Feast :)

The last of my first trimester was spent at Exposure (a youth camp Brendan helps put on every December 27-30th in Huntsville). It's always such an uplifting event and this year was no exception. We got to visit with a lot of our close friends who we don't get to see often. My energy and headaches did ok. I did overdo it one day and certainly paid for it the next. Besides having to turn in much earlier than everyone else I would say the week was great!