on blogger if you care to click.  You can comment without even having a blogger account by clicking on anonymous. Please leave your initials.

This past month baby enjoyed her first friend's birthday party, first time at the park, and the joy of applying for a passport. Baby is now 4 months weighting in at 12 lbs 2 oz and 23.25 inches long. Off the top of my head- at birth she was 5 lbs 6 oz and 18.5 inches long, at one month 7 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches, at 2 months she was 8 lbs 13oz and 20 inches, and at 3 months she was 10 lbs 10 oz and 21.75 inches. ( I have tried to be thorough with labeling her professional pictures, and it looks like that has helped me in remembering.) She does not like tummy time much at all but is handling it a lot better than last month. It is so delightful when she smiles at us and a little bit funny when she smiles at this one particular ceiling vent. Has it only been 4 months (plus nine) that she has been in our lives? She really is such a delightful and happy baby.

pictures on blogger.

Life is wonderful. I feel that at the tender age of 22 that I have accomplished most of my life goals- a college graduate, wife, and mother. My tombstone would already read "beloved wife and mother." As I hold my little one in my arms, I am already dreaming of becoming a grandmother myself. On fb I posted a picture of her wearing my engagement ring and a friend commented that hopefully it will not happen for many years to come. Well, since she is not yet 3 months- I surely have many years to wait for such a happy occasion. Yet, already I am embracing the thought of my daughter getting married and having babies :) When she was wearing the rings I felt like I have already given them to here- anything that is mine I now consider hers. Well, I do hope to be blessed with many more daughters so there will have to be sharing between them. I simply think now all that I may "own" is not my own but to be shared with my children. I was thinking of material things- yet really one of the most important things that I can give to my children is my time. It is my dream to be here at home with them all through childhood and beyond. If circumstances would require me to go out and support/supplement the family say N was going through more schooling or became injured, I would have to and that was one major reason I thought a college degree was important for me. Yet, as life stands now I will forgo the upgraded cars, fancy dinners, and exotic vacations to be here making the most of the 7226 days I have with my daughter until she turns 20.

She is now 11 weeks old and just rolled over front to back this week. Once she started smiling back at us- I finally felt like a mother. It is so delightful to see her face light up- just because we are smiling at here. No toys, treats, or tricks needed to see her happily grinning face. She is simply happy to be playing with us.

For now I posting more pictures on blogger.

You can also leave comments there if you want without signing in at all. Select anonymous.

Little Ballerina


A flapper baby

I found it really funny that I ran out of energy to copy over my last blog here- as I would go into labor 2 hours later :)
























 

Little did I know while writing the last post-that I would go into labor that very night!! We went to bed at a good hour, and I had my normal pregnancy amount of difficulty falling asleep. My body was tired, yet my mind would not turn off. So, I got out of bed went on the computer (fb of course), and after a little while was ready to try to go to sleep again. Boy did I fail at that one!!!!! I had just gotten cozy (not too easy of a feat while 8.5 months pregnant) when baby girl gave a great full bodied kick. It was a rare kick at this stage of the pregnancy because she had replaced such vigorous kicking with more gentle movements due to the space confinements. All of a sudden I felt myself pop from the inside!! I crossed my legs hopped out of bed to the bathroom at which time it was slowly sinking in that I or rather she had broken my water and two weeks also. I called to N, and he rolled over. I called again and said that within 24 hours we were going to see our daughter!! I could not say that we simply put our bags in the car and made our way for the hospital. That next day was the day I had promised to get the bags all packed. So, we went around the house finishing up our hospital packing and took out the video camera to get a pregnancy shot I had promised I would get and then off we were at 2 in the morning heading for the hospital in the pouring rain. I was so thankful that N was actually home when I went into labor! Since my labor was not really started and the time constraint due to the waters having broke- they put me on pitocin and with that decision my try for a "natural" birth ended. Since a pitocin labor was certainly not a natural labor, I had decided that I would go for an epi if they said pitocin. Getting the epi, took 2 tries, 15 mins, and 3 contractions. It was MOST uncomfortable having to be perfectly still through those contractions. After having been awake for 36 hours the thought of then pushing just seemed so far fetched. Yet, the pushing part of the labor was really my favorite part. It was so much easier to work through those contractions rather than breathing through them. N was a great support as he counted for me and actually held his breath while I held mine. It was a family effort- all three of us working towards the same goal. After 14 hours in the hospital our little girl was born. They put her on me all slimy just like I had asked them- and then off she went to get all clean. I uploaded quite a few closeups so that you can get the views you would have gotten if you could be here with us.

 

1st navy ball-2002

     This past election got me thinking about the past and looking back to recall my life in 4 year spans.  The day of the election I had a doctor’s appointment and thought that I could squeeze in voting an hour before the appointment because I could always vote in under 5 minutes back home.  So I go to the polling location and find that the voting line is out the door! I asked how long the wait was and they said that it was about two hours!  I had never encountered that. So, I decided to go after the doctor’s appointment and wait in line with N. No need to wait in line for hours all by myself.  So we met at the school (the polling location was the public high school), got in line, and thankfully it was so much smaller than it was the few hours before.  I made sure I brought snacks, and there we were waiting outside in line snacking away (mostly myself on gummy bears) at a new polling center in a new state with our baby girl.  It ended up being only 45 minutes, and it was pleasantly spent talking with my husband. In the past four years we have graduated, married, gone through a deployment, moved to a new state, become members of a new church, and have become parents. 

    The 2004 election was my first time voting in a presidential election, and I remember going with my mom to the local NJ voting polls with less than a 5 min wait.  I didn’t even have my driving license!  In 2004, I had just started college,  many of my friends were still in HS, was learning to drive, was with N, and had a really great time just being young.  I remember staying up all night watching the results come in all by myself. It was a lot of fun, especially when they called a state for Kerry and had to take it back, and really memorable.

    In 2000, my parents had an election party. It was really great fun.  I was a baby!- well at least a young teen. I know the pictures from that night are not on this computer but they were so cute and should be found.  I had just started HS, was starting to become an “item” with N, and just loved life.

    In 1996, we had just moved back home after two years of living on the other side of the country. We were living with my uncle while waiting for the renters to move out of our house.  It was a blast living with my uncle and playing with his kids in woods. Life consisted of getting school done by noon and playing the rest of the day. That campaign season we saw Mr. and Mrs. Dole at a rally.  I enjoyed that.   I remember that election night very well (which is surprising because I forget so much so easily) because of my dad’s reactions to the results. The memory makes me laugh.  By this point, I believe I had seen N once while visiting his church over the summer.

    In 1992, we went to go see President Bush at a rally. I remember it being sooo crowded. Those are some really cute pictures as well. At this point in life, I was learning to read and just played most of the day.  

 
Love this pic
 

Our expressions were off- so this did the trick


Look at that belly!
     

The yellow leaves were amazing







 



Love the background


A favorite painting





We were originally planning to go to longwood- but this weather was certainly more museum appropriate.






Because of the baby's due date, both Christmas and Thanksgiving travel were out of the question. So, last week we went up to visit our families and friends for the last time before baby's arrival. It was surreal saying good bye with the thought that I will see my baby girl before I see them again. We really had a wonderful time visiting with all who could see us. Since we grew up in the same church and our parents still go to church together and even work together, when we are with one set of parents we are generally with the other set as well. That is just how it has always been for us, yet I am realizing more and more how rare that it and what a blessing it is to have our families living in the same area so that with one trip we can see them all. With N's family we went to the art museum. We haven't been there in years and that made it especially sweet. It was great seeing everyone. We really miss you all down here.

I am now 36 weeks and feeling more and more ready. Last Wednesday, at my 36 week appointment I measured to be 1cm dilated. That was a great wake up call that his girl could really be here any day. So I have gotten much progress done on the nursery and packing this week. The packing is odd though because there is so much I will want with me that I am using day to day such as toiletries and certain clothing items. There are definitely certain things that I do not use day to day, and they were easy enough to pack up.

Time has been going by very quickly these last few weeks. I want to be a more regular blogger (at least once a week) and by the time I get on to blog again I realize it has been over a week and in this case two weeks. I am thinking I should just carve out specific days of the week say Mondays and Fridays and just do it so that it becomes part of my routine and so that you out there would know when to check my blog. Thank you to all who are reading and especially those friends of mine who comment. I really enjoy being able to interact with you through this blog. VA is great in so many ways, but it lacks my dear NJ friends. I had been a stealth reader on certain blogs for years and never commented. Looking back I guess I just felt that I did not know them well enough or that what I had to say was silly. Now that the tables are turned, I have become a much better commenter because I realized that saying something even if it silly is so much more appreciated than saying nothing at all. And I do always post pics so at least you could comment on them even if it is really silly.

Monday I will plan on getting up more pics of the nursery progress.

Our First Christmas together 2006

 
The tree in our hotel lobby



I love how simply it is decorated. Now those vases are just ugly.


We actually went to the movies Christmas day. I love muvicos. Notice the shorts? That's Florida for you.


Next month we will be celebrating our 2nd anniversary, and it has only been since March of this year that we have been living in our own place. I was really looking forward to decorating our house for the holidays this year and building our own family traditions. We were married the day after Thanksgiving 06, he was deployed Thanksgiving 07, and Thanksgiving 08 I will be eight months pregnant. Yes, it would be possible to go all out for Thanksgiving for the two of us. But that really does not sound enjoyable or sensible to this very pregnant one. Going back home to be with family would be an option but just not a wise one being so close to my due date. So, instead of starting our own tradition or going back home to the traditions of our families (who are by the way spending Thanksgiving together without us) we are doing something completely different but really great. We will be spending it with our church family.

Our first Christmas together 06 was spent all by ourselves in sunny Florida honeymooning. It was absolutely great but certainly did not feel like Christmas. We actually went to the movies that day and ordered room service. Our second Christmas 07 was spent completely apart on opposite sides of the world as he was deployed. I was really looking forward to finally starting our own traditions, decking the halls, listening to the best of Christmas music, and actually taking an overly cute picture this year to send to family. And then along came baby... She is due the 10th of December, yet she could easily be late a week or more. Do I really have the energy to decorate? and do I really want to spend the money on that when she is coming? My imagery of the day has turned from a made up woman in a red dress with curled hair dishing out pieces of pie to a brand new mother recovering a week after delivery just wishing for the five minutes and the strength to take a shower.

All of this uncertainty has drawn me back to the reason for the season- a BABY! Christmas is truly about God humbling Himself to be made into a helpless baby to save His people from their sins. and This Christmas as I take care of my own baby- I will not be able to forget why we celebrate this holiday and how amazing it is that God would choose to become such a helpless, messy and fragile being.

This Christmas might not have the sounds, sights, and smells of a traditional Christmas, but what better tradition could there be than having a new baby just in time for Christmas?!

30 Weeks
 





I am now past the 30 week mark and love being so close to seeing our baby girl. Last month the nursery furniture came, and last week we put together the cradle. It seems like I am taking the tiniest steps towards getting everything together and in its place, but we will get it all together eventually.

I felt so loved to be showered with love, support, and gifts by our new church family. It was a dual bridal/baby shower- actually my idea, and I loved the way it turned out. Thank you all so very much!

on blogger if you care to click.  You can comment without even having a blogger account by clicking on anonymous. Please leave your initials.

This past month baby enjoyed her first friend's birthday party, first time at the park, and the joy of applying for a passport. Baby is now 4 months weighting in at 12 lbs 2 oz and 23.25 inches long. Off the top of my head- at birth she was 5 lbs 6 oz and 18.5 inches long, at one month 7 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches, at 2 months she was 8 lbs 13oz and 20 inches, and at 3 months she was 10 lbs 10 oz and 21.75 inches. ( I have tried to be thorough with labeling her professional pictures, and it looks like that has helped me in remembering.) She does not like tummy time much at all but is handling it a lot better than last month. It is so delightful when she smiles at us and a little bit funny when she smiles at this one particular ceiling vent. Has it only been 4 months (plus nine) that she has been in our lives? She really is such a delightful and happy baby.

pictures on blogger.

Life is wonderful. I feel that at the tender age of 22 that I have accomplished most of my life goals- a college graduate, wife, and mother. My tombstone would already read "beloved wife and mother." As I hold my little one in my arms, I am already dreaming of becoming a grandmother myself. On fb I posted a picture of her wearing my engagement ring and a friend commented that hopefully it will not happen for many years to come. Well, since she is not yet 3 months- I surely have many years to wait for such a happy occasion. Yet, already I am embracing the thought of my daughter getting married and having babies :) When she was wearing the rings I felt like I have already given them to here- anything that is mine I now consider hers. Well, I do hope to be blessed with many more daughters so there will have to be sharing between them. I simply think now all that I may "own" is not my own but to be shared with my children. I was thinking of material things- yet really one of the most important things that I can give to my children is my time. It is my dream to be here at home with them all through childhood and beyond. If circumstances would require me to go out and support/supplement the family say N was going through more schooling or became injured, I would have to and that was one major reason I thought a college degree was important for me. Yet, as life stands now I will forgo the upgraded cars, fancy dinners, and exotic vacations to be here making the most of the 7226 days I have with my daughter until she turns 20.

She is now 11 weeks old and just rolled over front to back this week. Once she started smiling back at us- I finally felt like a mother. It is so delightful to see her face light up- just because we are smiling at here. No toys, treats, or tricks needed to see her happily grinning face. She is simply happy to be playing with us.

For now I posting more pictures on blogger.

You can also leave comments there if you want without signing in at all. Select anonymous.

Little Ballerina


A flapper baby

I found it really funny that I ran out of energy to copy over my last blog here- as I would go into labor 2 hours later :)
























 

Little did I know while writing the last post-that I would go into labor that very night!! We went to bed at a good hour, and I had my normal pregnancy amount of difficulty falling asleep. My body was tired, yet my mind would not turn off. So, I got out of bed went on the computer (fb of course), and after a little while was ready to try to go to sleep again. Boy did I fail at that one!!!!! I had just gotten cozy (not too easy of a feat while 8.5 months pregnant) when baby girl gave a great full bodied kick. It was a rare kick at this stage of the pregnancy because she had replaced such vigorous kicking with more gentle movements due to the space confinements. All of a sudden I felt myself pop from the inside!! I crossed my legs hopped out of bed to the bathroom at which time it was slowly sinking in that I or rather she had broken my water and two weeks also. I called to N, and he rolled over. I called again and said that within 24 hours we were going to see our daughter!! I could not say that we simply put our bags in the car and made our way for the hospital. That next day was the day I had promised to get the bags all packed. So, we went around the house finishing up our hospital packing and took out the video camera to get a pregnancy shot I had promised I would get and then off we were at 2 in the morning heading for the hospital in the pouring rain. I was so thankful that N was actually home when I went into labor! Since my labor was not really started and the time constraint due to the waters having broke- they put me on pitocin and with that decision my try for a "natural" birth ended. Since a pitocin labor was certainly not a natural labor, I had decided that I would go for an epi if they said pitocin. Getting the epi, took 2 tries, 15 mins, and 3 contractions. It was MOST uncomfortable having to be perfectly still through those contractions. After having been awake for 36 hours the thought of then pushing just seemed so far fetched. Yet, the pushing part of the labor was really my favorite part. It was so much easier to work through those contractions rather than breathing through them. N was a great support as he counted for me and actually held his breath while I held mine. It was a family effort- all three of us working towards the same goal. After 14 hours in the hospital our little girl was born. They put her on me all slimy just like I had asked them- and then off she went to get all clean. I uploaded quite a few closeups so that you can get the views you would have gotten if you could be here with us.

 

1st navy ball-2002

     This past election got me thinking about the past and looking back to recall my life in 4 year spans.  The day of the election I had a doctor’s appointment and thought that I could squeeze in voting an hour before the appointment because I could always vote in under 5 minutes back home.  So I go to the polling location and find that the voting line is out the door! I asked how long the wait was and they said that it was about two hours!  I had never encountered that. So, I decided to go after the doctor’s appointment and wait in line with N. No need to wait in line for hours all by myself.  So we met at the school (the polling location was the public high school), got in line, and thankfully it was so much smaller than it was the few hours before.  I made sure I brought snacks, and there we were waiting outside in line snacking away (mostly myself on gummy bears) at a new polling center in a new state with our baby girl.  It ended up being only 45 minutes, and it was pleasantly spent talking with my husband. In the past four years we have graduated, married, gone through a deployment, moved to a new state, become members of a new church, and have become parents. 

    The 2004 election was my first time voting in a presidential election, and I remember going with my mom to the local NJ voting polls with less than a 5 min wait.  I didn’t even have my driving license!  In 2004, I had just started college,  many of my friends were still in HS, was learning to drive, was with N, and had a really great time just being young.  I remember staying up all night watching the results come in all by myself. It was a lot of fun, especially when they called a state for Kerry and had to take it back, and really memorable.

    In 2000, my parents had an election party. It was really great fun.  I was a baby!- well at least a young teen. I know the pictures from that night are not on this computer but they were so cute and should be found.  I had just started HS, was starting to become an “item” with N, and just loved life.

    In 1996, we had just moved back home after two years of living on the other side of the country. We were living with my uncle while waiting for the renters to move out of our house.  It was a blast living with my uncle and playing with his kids in woods. Life consisted of getting school done by noon and playing the rest of the day. That campaign season we saw Mr. and Mrs. Dole at a rally.  I enjoyed that.   I remember that election night very well (which is surprising because I forget so much so easily) because of my dad’s reactions to the results. The memory makes me laugh.  By this point, I believe I had seen N once while visiting his church over the summer.

    In 1992, we went to go see President Bush at a rally. I remember it being sooo crowded. Those are some really cute pictures as well. At this point in life, I was learning to read and just played most of the day.  

on blogger if you care to click.  You can comment without even having a blogger account by clicking on anonymous. Please leave your initials.

This past month baby enjoyed her first friend's birthday party, first time at the park, and the joy of applying for a passport. Baby is now 4 months weighting in at 12 lbs 2 oz and 23.25 inches long. Off the top of my head- at birth she was 5 lbs 6 oz and 18.5 inches long, at one month 7 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches, at 2 months she was 8 lbs 13oz and 20 inches, and at 3 months she was 10 lbs 10 oz and 21.75 inches. ( I have tried to be thorough with labeling her professional pictures, and it looks like that has helped me in remembering.) She does not like tummy time much at all but is handling it a lot better than last month. It is so delightful when she smiles at us and a little bit funny when she smiles at this one particular ceiling vent. Has it only been 4 months (plus nine) that she has been in our lives? She really is such a delightful and happy baby.

pictures on blogger.