Abbie is two months

Abbie with her great grandpa Jack.

Abigail meeting her great grandma Lois.

Abbie sitting on Santa's lap. She is so cute!!

Abigail is officially two months old. She had her two month check-up with the doctor and she now weighs 10lbs 12oz and is 23 1/2 inches long!! Wow!!

Abigail met Santa and absolutely loved him. While all of the other kids were screaming and crying, Abbie sat on his lap and smiled and cooed. Then she pooped, which was absolutely hilarious.

Then Abigail's great grandparents, Jack and Lois, came to Colorado to meet her despite record cold. It was so cold one of our pipes even froze!! Abbie loves her GGMa and GGPa and we are looking forward to going to Florida to see them on the 30th of December.

Abigail is 8 weeks

Learning to cook green bean casserole for Thanksgiving and dancing.

Shrek loves Abbie. Our little babies sleeping.

A Happy Thanksgiving in deed.

Hanging out with mom and dad.

Going for a walk with Mom and Shrek.

I am so cute!!

Wow has time flown by!! Abigail is going to be 8 weeks old in two days and she is the light of our lives. I figure she probably weighs a little over nine pounds and has definitely grown length wise because some of her clothes are too small. Right now, she has started talking to us in the cutest little coos you have ever heard. She loves to smile and just is an easy going kiddo. We read every day and she runs around with us constantly and hardly ever fusses.

Thanksgiving was awesome and she sat at the table in her high chair with Grandma and Grandpa DeCew, Grandma Diana and Rolando, Uncle Bert, and Aunt Kat. It was great and then Uncle Kyle and Amanda came over for desert. She just sat in her chair and watched everyone and smiled. We had dinner at our house and everyone brought something so it was absolutely perfect!! We can hardly wait for Christmas.

Abigail is now 34 days old

This is Abbie getting her ultrasound, no I did not drug her :)

Smiling

Happy Halloween!!

Watching football with daddy.

Abigail is now 34 days old and doing fantastic. She can eat like a grown man, sometimes devouring about 7 ounces of breast milk in about two hours. Our little girl now weighs 8lbs 6.5oz and is starting to fit into regular clothes. We love her so much and can hardly believe how beautiful and amazing she is. This week she has really started smiling and making a lot of noises. She can already hold her head up pretty well by herself and actually sat with no one holding her for about five minutes yesterday. The doctor said on Wednesday that she is extremely alert for a one month old and that we needed to stimulate her more in order to keep her mind busy and hopefully help her sleep more. We had an ultrasound on her kidneys as they felt she might have had a kink in one ureter while she was in the womb. All is well and Abigail literally just laid on the table for over half an hour and let the radiology technician look at her kidneys and bladder. Life is wonderful and only seems to be getting better!!

Almost 3 weeks old

Abigail saw the pediatrician for her two week check-up last week and she is doing fabulous. She weighs 6lbs 6oz, so almost an entire pound in one week. She had grown 1/2 an inch and is very healthy. We are currently working on breastfeeding as her mouth was too little up until now. It is going rather well and we are getting the hang of it finally.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing ever is seeing her smile and laugh. In her sleep she will laugh hysterically and it is probably the sweetest sound ever. I cannot wait until she laughs when she is awake!! But I am not trying to hurry a thing.

Shawn and I love being parents and can hardly believe how precious and beautiful Abigail really is. We made her, it is just astonishing. She is going through a stage right now where she only wants to be held so she typically sleeps on my chest or else she is not happy. I do not believe you can spoil a baby too much and it is just deepening her bond with both Shawn and myself.

Her great Grandma Max came out and has been spending time with little Abbie. Also for thre days last week her Grandma from Florida, Becky, came out and had a wonderful time bonding with baby Abigail. It was great to have some time with her.

Abigail is 9 days old

Wow, how fast time flies by. Abigail is 9 days old today and she is gaining weight and becoming more beautiful every day. Right now she is such a daddy's girl. Her little face lights up when he comes home from work, it is so amazing to see. We are working on the breastfeeding but her mouth is still too little to feed herself this way so I pump 6 times a day and we feed her. She has this little baby bottle and she loves to hold it while she eats. Abbie is a wonderful baby, she almost never cries and she just watches you and smiles. It is amazing being a wonderful, although the sleep deprivation is a bit difficult. I am still healing from the c-section which is very painful at times, but all is well. Next week we go to the pediatrician for Abigail's two week check-up and then off to the lactation consultant to hopefully get our little girl breastfeeding. Boy would that save me a lot of time!!!!!!!! I do not care how much sleep I lose, or how much work I have to do, I am so in love and I will do anything for my little girl.

Abigail's first two days

Abigail is doing fabulous. She is eating like a champ and absolutely adores her daddy. Shawn has barely even let me hold her and I am her mom!! At this point, I have yet to change a dirty diaper or even put her clothes on because Shawn is such a wonderful, hands on dad. It is amazing and I feel so blessed. She has now met Grandma Judy and Grandpa Mike, Grandma Diana and Rolando, Uncle Bert, Uncle Kyle, and her godmother Carla. She is going to be so loved and adored.

Pictures of Abigail's Birth

Abigail Is Here

Abigail was originally suppossed to arrive on October 12th but due to decreasing amniotic fluid levels and my health suffering the doctor, Shawn and I decided to begin inducing her Thursday October 9 at 8pm so she most likely would have been born Friday night october 9 or Saturday October 10. However, when I went in for my pre-testing on Tuesday October 6, the doctor became concerned about my failing health and stressing out Abigail so he sent me directly to labor and delivery to start the induction. At first he put this tape around my cervix with prostoglandins in it that are suppossed to soften the cervix. I allegedly had some small contractions but luckily never felt even one. Then after twelve hours of the tape, I was started on Pitocin, which starts contractions of the uterus. Again, I was contracting but not feeling them. However my hips began to hurt and due to the Pitocin I was forced to lie still in the bed so they could monitor Abigail. I just could not get comfortable and I was starting to get very irritated so Shawn and I decided to go for an epidural to make me comfortable. We would need the epidural anyways for the c-section if that was needed later. That was the best decision we made as I was able to relax. Finally, after about 18 hours of "laboring", Abigail's heart rate started to decelerate slightly when I was contracting, and still only barely 2cm dilated, so we went with the c-section. What an extremely strange feeling knowing people are cutting you open but not being able to feel it at all. I got kind of scared but all went great and out came Abigail, gorgeous and perfect, and yelling plus starving!! She took to breast feeding great and sleeps for hours at a time until we wake her up to eat. SHE IS SO PRECIOUS!!

Full term!!! 35-37 weeks

Abigail and myself have been doing better. We went out to Standley Lake for Labor Day and Shawn and my last holiday without kids!! It was fun but a little too much for me overall. I just do not feel very well and that just makes me not want to socialize. However, it was nice to go out in our beautiful RV and hang with our friends on the lake and by the campfire. The RV makes life so much easier because you can shower, do dishes, and have a fridge!! We went out on Thursday night and it was wonderful for me on Friday because everyone had to go to work so I was all alone. Shrek and I went for a walk by the lake together and we slept soundly until 10am. It was amazing!! We then spent the weekend boating and hanging out and came home on Monday. My dear friend from high school Sarah came out with her daughter Leah and brought Abigail so much cool stuff!! It is so nice to connect with old friends, and it seems like there was never a day where we were not in touch, despite the fact that it has been about 12 years since we last saw each other.

Abigail now has to be monitored three times a week and we also get an ultrasound every week to check the amniotic fluid as well as Abbie's growth. She was a bit behind but has made a miraculous recovery in the past two weeks. She not only has been gaining an absurd amount of weight but her amniotic fluid has increased as well. At 36 weeks she weighed 5lbs, 5 oz, gaining a whopping 7oz and at 37 weeks she gained 9 more ounces and is now 5lbs 14oz. Plus her bones and organs have begun to catch up to where they should be and in three weeks she has gone from being in the 8th percentile to the 29th percentile!! I swear Dr. Austin scared her into staying in my belly for longer when he told her he was going to deliver her early. Now we are considered full-term and at my appointment this week the doctor said she may even come late. What a rollercoaster ride!!

Baby shower and 31-34 weeks

First and foremost I have been slacking on the blog. Life has been one hectic rollercoaster since I last wrote.

The Friday before the baby shower I went to the doctor and was having some spotting and other issues so the doctor put Abigail on a monitor and we were told we were in pre-term labor. It was scary, but all turned out well and I was told to just relax over the weekend and not go to work the following week.

Abigail's baby shower was fabulous and my mom, Shawn's mom, Grandma Max, Aunty Cathy, and Aunt Charlie were among those who came and helped immensely. Abigail has so many people who love her already and I can hardly wait for her to meet them, including myself and Shawn!! During the baby shower, I opened presents for over two hours!! It was very overwhelming for me, as I had not been feeling well at all and was on "bed rest". However, it was worth it and Abigail will be beautifully clothed and have plenty of toys for months to come. Plus, Aunt Cathy and Uncle Walt brought her a talking rocking horse that is in her room so she can be a cowgirl before she knows it. Everything we received is so wonderful and I had such a great time. It is nice to know we have so much love and support around us.

The next day, Monday, I went back to the doctor and was told I had gained 10 pounds of water weight over the weekend and my blood pressure was 170/120!! I was also spilling protein in my urine, which shows that your organs are not functioning properly. Immendiately I was put on bed rest and Dr. Austin said there would be no more work for me. This was quite a shocker as I was only 31 weeks pregnant but with how I had been feeling it was also a relief. Luckily, I have a very realistic doctor and he said just to take it easy but that I could still go swimming and stuff.

So then the next week, I went in for an ultrasuond and Abigail's amniotic fluid had dropped down to a 7!! Dr. Austin immediately put me into the hospital for three days and did constant monitoring of Abbie's movements and heartbeats while monitoring my blood pressure and proteins. It was intense at times but nice to know that Abigail was doing well and I was doing okay. Shawn was so sweet and slept on a couch that he pulled right up to my hospital bed. My mom was also wonderful and made sure Shawn was well fed and that my spirits stayed up. Dr. Austin gave me two shots of steroids intended to speed up Abbie's lung development and then explained to us that she would be delivered before September 16th. Finally we were allowed to go home and told to just rest and relax. I made Shawn take me directly to Target so we could buy the few things we still needed after the baby shower such as the changing table pad. We need to be ready in case she comes early!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

30 weeks

I am so sorry but I have not taken any pictures yet!! Maybe I will do that tonight.


Abigail is 30 weeks and weighs 3 pounds and one ounce. She is growing great and when she was last measured she was right within all of the proper growth parameters. We have been having some issues and unfortunately we spent about six hours in labor and delivery monitoring little Abigail's heart rate and movements. She is more than fine and what they consider to be a very happy baby. I however have not been feeling well and was concerned because I did not feel her kick for about 24 hours despite the fact that she has been kicking me so hard it feels like she is going to pop out of my stomach. It was good we went in to labor and delivery for moinitoring as we found out that the amntioc fluid has dropped from 11, which is at the very bottom of normal range, to 9. The doctor is not all that concerned, but we had another ultrasound and they measured the baby and she is normal and doing great. She is a spitfire and kept kicking and punching the ultrasound technician. It was so funny. Plus when they were monitoring her in the hospital she kept doing what my mom and I called "water aerobics" and would move. She moved so much that the poor nurse had to basically stand by me and continue to move the doppler paddles for five hours!!

Shawn went to Sturgis and had a blast. Unfortunately he only got to experience about a day and a half of the events because little Abigail and myself were not feeling well. Being the absolute sweetheart that he is, he came home two days early to take care of us. What a wonderful husband!!

The baby shower is this Sunday and we are so excited. My grandma and both of my aunts are going to be out here so that will make the shower even more special. We are pretty much set, but we are so excited to see the little gifts Abigail receives.

See you next week and hopefully I will have lots of pictures for you!!

Less than 11 weeks

The literature states that Abigail now weighs 2 pounds 3/4 ounces and she is the size of a butternut squash. We are 29 weeks now and I am just waiting for Monday so we will be 30 weeks, which seems to be the big hurdle to me. Abigail is kicking up a storm and has even kicked hard enough to move my book when I am reading.

Right now I am studying my booty off in order to take my National Counselors Exam next Thursday. I am feeling more prepared than I was but still get nervous that they will send me some curve balls or that I will get some of the theorists confused. At least I made it through the 1000 questions in the Encyclopedia Of Counseling and now I can just review.

Next week Aunt Cathy, Aunt Charlie, Uncle Walt, Uncle Don, Grandma Max, and her boyfriend Jerry will all be coming out!! It is going to be a fun-filled weekend of parties. First we are going to be celebrating Cathy and Don turning 50 this year. Then Sunday the 9th we are having my baby shower and all of the men including my dad and Shawn are going golfing and out on the boat. It should be fun and I cannot wait to see everyone.

Look for nursery pictures next week as I think I am finally going to take some and post them. yeah me!!

7 months pregnant, only 84 more days

Abigail is now 28 weeks and she is due in 84 days (if she is born on October 14th which we would love :))!! The nursery is really almost finished and my mom came over this past Sunday and helped me get the loft area where I will most likely be hanging out and breastfeeding ready, then it will probably become the playroom. We put a bunch of stuffed animals that I have had since I was a little kid all around. Then we moved all of the baby bouncers and walkers to the basement. Mom brought over a bunch of my old toys such as my absolutely gorgeous and amazing dollhouse (she cannot play with that for a long time!!) as well as my Barbies and Cabbage Patch Dolls. It is fun and now I am so thankful we are having a girl so she can have all of this amazing stuff from my childhood that I loved. If she does not want it, that is alright too but atleast I have the option.
Being pregnant is pretty cool and it is absolutely one of the weirdest and cool things to feel this being in your belly kicking and squirming around. Abigail has a schedule already when she kicks the most. At 5am she wakes up with her daddy and squirms around for about 45 minutes. Then she usually wakes up around 9am when I eat breakfast and get going at work. Next around lunch she kicks a bit but at about 2pm she starts kicking so hard I think others can hear her kick the chair I am sitting in. Then she does some light kicking on my way home at around 5-6pm and then again at 10pm when Shawn usually reads out loud to her. That is when she kicks the most, when Shawn is reading. It is so cute and I cannot wait to see her in his arms.
Shawn has been out of town on work this week so I have not seen him for the past three days and I can hardly wait until I get home tonight and get to see him. Abigail is going to kick up a storm when she hears his voice.
In other news, the amniotic fluid has been a little bit low and so we were unable to do the 3-D ultrasound. The doctor says everything is okay and that the fluid is only slightly low and nothing to worry too much about. I have been eating really well and drinking probably close to 2 gallons of water a day because I am so darn thirsty. I am going back on August 10th to have another prenatal ultrasound to measure little Abigail's growth as well as the fluid and then we see the doctor on the 12th again. I think we will do the 3-D ultrasound again on the 19th so everyone can join in and see our little Abigail as long as her fluid levels have improved and everything is going well as I predict it will be.
Other than that life is good and I am counting the number of days until I do not have to work anymore. Right now, barring any issues, my last day will be October 2nd, which is only 72 days away!!!!!!!

Abigail's 27th Week

Abigail is officially in the third trimester and boy is she getting big. Literature says she can now suck her thumb and even cry in the womb. We shall see if she is a thumb sucker tonight at our 3-D ultrasound. Shawn is so excited for it tonight that he can hardly stand himself.

This past weekend Abigail's Uncle Bert and godfather came over and very sweetly stood in the 100 degree attic to put in a ceiling fan for her in her nursery and in Mom and Dad's room. He is so sweet and is excited to meet her. Meanwhile we finished putting up the border and put most of her clothes away. She is going to be the best dressed baby in the world!! Shawn went to this garage sale this weekend and bought an entire bag of adorable baby clothes. He is so funny and sooooooo excited!!

Tonight we have our 3-D ultrasound and Grandma Lois & Grandpa Jack, Abigail's Nana Becky as well as Grandpa Dennis, and her great Aunt Cathy and Uncle Walt will be watching it from all over the country. Her Uncle Kyle, Aunt Amanda, Grandma's Judy and Diana, and godmother Carla will all be there as well. So amazing and I cannot wait to post some pictures. They say you can even see the hairs on the babies' head.

Other than that, Shawn had his championship game inside the Colorado Rapids' stadium for the third season last night. Unfortunately the boys lost, but all winning streaks must come to an end sometime. His team played CCCP and the game ended in a tie at zero-zero. Then the game went to penalty kicks and CCCP outscored Podiatry Associates 2-0. It was disappointing but I am sure this fall PA will get the chance to get their revenge!!

26 weeks and counting

Today Abigail is 26 weeks old. The aveoli in her lungs are almost fully formed, although they continue to grow until she is 9 years of age. She is about as long as an English cucumber and weighs two whole pounds. The coolest part is that she can actually hear music and respond to it through kicks!!

This weekend we took our RV and boat to Standley Lake and hung out with our friends for four days. It was absolutely amazing and we had such a wonderful time. The coolest part is that we only had to drive 15 minutes to get there and on the 4th of July we had pizza delivered to our campsite, then went out on the boat on the lake to watch four different fireworks shows. The lake is gorgeous and the backdrop is the mountains, which is just phenomenal. Shawn learned to wakesurf behind one of my friends from high school's boats and had an absolute blast. He is hooked and I have a feeling I may be fighting him buying a new boat next spring :).

Overall I am feeling pretty good. I have some light swelling in my hands and feet but more so when I am working and sitting at my desk all day. My ribs are still quite painful but I have learned to ignore them and last week my hips felt like they were being torn apart but that seems to have subsided. Really my only complaint is that I am sooooooooo tired and get a little heartburn at times. Other than that I love being pregnant and cannot wait to meet my little girl!! We finally have the crib and the matching dresser thanks to my parents and my parents-in-law Dennis and Becky from Florida. Abigail's room is looking adorable!! I will have new pictures soon I promise.

Abigail's Crib

Last night Shawn finally got the crib we have been wanting for our little Abigail. There were none in Colorado but Shawn managed to get the one that was shipped into the state for the next 12 weeks. He of course had to put it together right away and it is so cute. We put her little bedding on it and thus starts the decorating of the nursery!!

Monday was absolutely amazing because I saw her actually kick so hard that my tummy visibly moved. It was both incredible and kind of creepy at the same time. Her kicking is definitely becoming stronger and more consistent. Yesterday I thought she was going to kick through me to the chair I was sitting on at work.

We are on a mad hunt to find an RV, this is primarily fueled by Shawn. It seems once a man gets an idea in his head there is no turning back. Shawn has been looking online and wants an RV so he can take his girls to Yellowstone and be safe when they are camping. We saw a very nice one last night, but I am just not sure we are going to use it enough to justify the cost. Oh well, you only live once right.

In other news we have lost three icons this week Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. Wow.

23 weeks, WOW

Abigail is now 23 weeks old and weighs a pound. It is odd but it seems like I have been pregnant both forever and for just a short time. Shawn and I found new bedding we like and we bought it. The bedding is light pink and brown with baby cows, horses, bears, and rabbits on it. It is very girly and frilly but so cute. We also bought her her very first pair of shoes. They are pink flip flops that even have a little thong. Oh my God, they are adorable!!

This weekend was great, we boated every day and managed to avoid the horrific storms and tornadoes, but just barely. The weather has been so freaky and one minute it is gorgeous out and the next it is like tornado alley and hailing.

Shawn and I went to a couple of parties and said goodbye to a dear friend who is moving to Fargo, North Dakota to be with the love of her life. We are going to miss her, but luckily her family lives here so she has to come back to visit!!

Life is so good and we feel so blessed to first of all, have each other, and be so in love. Then we are extremely thankful for Abigail and our sweet dog Shrek, and our amazing friends and family. Plus we have a gorgeous house, nice cars, and an awesome boat on a private lake. Wow we are so lucky!!

Next week.......six months pregnant!!!!!!!! We had better find a crib!!

Tornado

Sunday Shawn and I were driving home from his mom's house when we saw this giant funnel cloud. We were both totally fascinated as you could actually see it swirling in the sky. It was about half a mile from us in this field. Then all of a sudden, it dropped anchor and started twisting on the ground, throwing debris everywhere.
Well, then Shawn and I were hooked so we started pretending we were storm chasers and were sort of following the tornado. It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Shrek laid in the back and napped, thinking his parents were total freaks. It was a blast.

In other news, Abigail is the 22 weeks and the size of a spaghetti squash this week. Shawn and I have been desperately trying to find a crib we think will be cute and sturdy enough for our little monkey. However, we are having a very difficult time finding one that is not $1000 (anyone who knows us will not be suprised that we like the most expensive cribs you can find). Shawn finally got onto Ebay yesterday and scored the crib we have been wanting for $80, a steal. Unfortunately, he did not read the fine print and the fact that the seller lives in New York and refuses to ship the crib. Now we are back to square one. Oh well, we will find the one we want I am sure.

Only 127 days until Abigail's due date. We are so excited it is ridiculous!!

It's a girl!!!!!!

Well we had our 20 week ultrasound last week on Wednesday May 27, 2009 and found out that our little monkey is going to be a girl. Her name will be Abigail Marie O'Neill.

So now that we know the gender, we allowed ourselves to go to Babies' R' Us and pick out a theme and all of that good stuff. The theme is called Jungle Luv and has elephants and monkeys and rhinos. It is very cute. Plus many of our friends who just had babies have been giving us stuff so we are feeling very blessed.

Man I am so excited, yet nervous and overwhelmed at the same time. I cannot wait to meet Abigail and take care of her. She is going to be an extremely loved child.

Ultrasound!!

So we are officially 20 weeks pregnant and going to the doctor today to find out if Baby O will be named John (Jack) Michael or Abigail (Abbie) Marie. Shawn and I are so excited we can barely even stand it. The fruit anaologies for this week of pregnancy say that Baby O is the size of a large banana. Starting at 20 weeks the baby is measured from head to toe rather than head to rump. I am feeling great and can feel the baby kicking pretty often, especially in the morning before I get out of bed. Sunday Shawn and I were listening to Baby O's heartbeat using a home fetal doppler and you could hear the baby moving around and kicking or punching. It was so wonderful.

Shawn and I are doing great and accumulating baby clothes and toys quickly from our friends who already have their babies. Once we know the sex we will be on our way to the amazing world of Babies' R' Us to determine exactly what we think we need and of course WANT!!

We cannot wait to share the sex and of course Baby O once he or she arrives with all of you. Thank you for your love and support.

A can of soup??

So I am 18 weeks pregnant today and Baby O is allegedly the size of a can of soup. These analogies are killing me.

We are excited to find out the sex and have a lot of stuff already that has been given to us by our wonderful friends and both my mom and Shawn's mom have been buying all kinds of things. We all had Mother's Day dinner at our house last night and it was absolutely fabulous to have everyone over to our house!!!!!!!! I love our house!!

Our St. Maarten Adventure

Shawn and I just got home from a ten day “babymoon” in St. Maarten. It was fabulous and we had such a wonderful time. It is so great to have met the man for me, and there was not one second when we were tired of one another or wished we could get away from one another. That is amazing to me. We went around the island, which is 37.5 square miles, on a 4-wheeler and had a blast. The island is half French and half Dutch; the Dutch side is more relaxed and laid back. We made friends with some locals and went to a Jam where they had models showing off new clothes and good music. Then it was Easter so they have this Carnival for almost two weeks and we went to the calypso parade. It was a bit overwhelming being the minority, like we only saw maybe two other white people the whole time, but also a blast and something you would not normally get to be a part of. We took a speedboat around the entire island and spent a few hours at two deserted islands. One was Tintamare Island, and we had a volcanic mud bath there. It was a blast and Shawn put mud all over me and the baby belly. When we were finished it was amazing because we went to rinse the mud off in the ocean and our skin felt like it had baby oil all over it. Next we went to Pinel Island where we snorkeled and had lunch. It was gorgeous and I wish I could go live there. Shawn found a giant conch shell while we were snorkeling, so big he almost could not even pick it up. The ride home was very bumpy but well worth it. Shawn got sick when we got back to the hotel but it could have been all the beers, the hot sun, and then the bumpy ride. I was fine until the next morning and I was just feeling so nauseous but once I got sick I was fine. We met an awesome couple from Ontario on our boat island hopping trip and spent the entire trip with them morning, noon, and night. We were disappointed that they live so far away but they promised to come and visit.

Home on the range

So we are home from St. Maarten and boy do I wish we were back on that beautiful island. Work is so draining, but our house is finally coming together and our deck passed inspection. Shawn has been working on the deck for almost two months now and it is finally finished with the exception of a little stain.

This weekend we are having a huge housewarming party and we are so excited for everyone to see our new home despite the fact that it is not totally put together yet. We still need some furniture and stuff but it is 80% finished in my opinion. Homeownership means never being finished and we are fine with that.

Life is grand and I am going to the doctor today for our four month checkup. Keep you posted.

Oh Vacation Is So Sweet!!

Vacation is so fabulous!!

We are having a wonderful time. Shawn and I rented a four-wheeler and toured the entire island. It is only 37.5 square miles so it takes about two hours to drive around the entire island. We went to this old coral reef and Shawn found a large conch shell in the water. Even the locals we have become friends with said they have not found them and they have lived here for their entire lives!! We then went out on a speedboat the next day to Tintamarre Island, where we had an ancient volcanic mud bath. When we jumped in the ocean after the mud had dried, our skin was soft as silk. Then we went on to Pinel Island where we ate lunch, laid in the crystal clear waters, and snorkeled over reefs. We saw so many amazing fish, and Shawn found another gigantic conch shell, but the slug was still alive inside so we left it. The waves were bouncy and we were so tired yesterday that we just walked the short five minute jaunt into Philippsburg to shop and hang out. It was awesome and we are having a blast. Today we are just going to hang out and take a hike with our absolutely fabulous new friends from Ontario, Mark and Kathy. We have been having a blast with them and wish they lived closer but they are already promising many trips to see us.

We are going to be so sad to leave, but excited to see Shrek and share our adventures with everyone.

Gorgeous St. Maarten

We are officially in gorgeous St. Maarten!!!!
We arrived after about 14 long hours of flying from midnight to 2pm, but we are finally here. The water is completely clear and the color of pure turquiose. We walked into our room and have a jetted bathtub big enough for about four people and a view of the bay on our large balcony that I could take home with me.

Today we transfer to our home for the week and are looking forward to just snorkeling and swimming all day. The pina coladas are absolutely amazing and the people are friendly.

Shawn and I are so happy to be here and keep looking at each other with these huge grins, incredulous that we are finally here!!!!

This morning we woke up and worked out together, which was such a treat. Now we are off to the beach!!

VaCaTiOn!!!!!

So we officially go to St. Maarten in 38 hours and we are so excited. Our bags have been packed since Saturday and we are just waiting for Thursday night to come so we can board the plane and get to our tropical island destination.

The morning sickness is about gone but now my bottom ribs are killing me. The doctor said it is from the extreme amount of growth I have had in my breast tissue, so I am just praying they go back to their normal humongous size after the baby or I am going to have to have these puppies reduced. It is really only bad after work, when I have been sitting at a computer all day. I am working on kind of sitting back while I am typing and Shawn is wonderful and helps me get dinner and all together at night.

The deck is finished and now when we get home from vacation we will have one weekend to prepare for the gigantic house warming party we are throwing on May 2. It should be a blast and I am looking forward to entertaining eventhough our house is not in perfect shape.

Second trimester

We are officially in the second trimester!!

This past week has been especially hard in regards to being sick from the baby as well as extreme fatigue. However, despite the five hour naps I was taking, my mom came over for over 6 hours on Saturday and just decorated and opened boxes. It was amazing!! The house looks great and I am so relieved to have most of the boxes gone and the house decorated.

The deck is almost finished and Shawn spent the entire weekend on it, again. We spent all day Sunday finishing screwing and drilling and now we just need to finish off the top with screws and put on the hand rails and we can get it stained!!

BRUTAL

This is an ultrasound of Baby O at 9 weeks and about 3 days. We are now 11 1/2 weeks so baby O is a fetus and even bigger.


Today is so brutal in regards to how I am feeling I can hardly believe it. I am feeling so exhausted physically as well as nauseous. I am just hoping this is the end of the first trimester so I have to just put up with this last bout of tiredness and nauseousness and then I will start feeling wonderful again.

I am so excited for the second trimester I can hardly stand it. We are going to St. Maarten/St. Martin on the 9th and I am hoping to be feeling wonderful by then.

So this is an update. I became extremely sick tonight and just sat next to the porcelain throne crying, so pathetic. I was sitting there just begging Baby O to help me feel better and Shawn came in and was so sweet. I keep thinking I would never want to go through this again, but there has to be a reason people have multiple children. I am so excited to see this little one I can hardly stand it. Hopefully then I will be willing to have a brother or sister for Baby O!!

Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night we sold my motorcycle, which broke my heart but such is life. I had not been feeling very safe on it since it had been tweaked a bit by one of Shawn's friends and now I am going to be a mommy (#1 priority). It was sad because that was the first big gift Shawn ever bought me and was pretty much when I knew he was going to ask me to marry him. Sure enough less than two months later we are actually getting married in a whirlwind.

Baby O is well and I am so excited because he or she is almost 11 weeks. I just am so impatient to feel those first kicks and flutters I can hardly stand it. Baby O is in there kicking and punching up a storm, I just cannot feel it yet. It seems all of our friends are having babies right now so it is really fun to see all that we are in for. Shawn is probably going to be scared out of his mind but I cannot wait. What a lucky kid with all of the fabulous friends and family we have in our lives. He or she will have an entire town of great-grandparents in Florida, plus three more sets across the country. And unlike his or her mom and dad both sets of the wonderful grandparents will only be minutes away to spend time and spoil them.

The house is coming together but my ribs have been brutally hurting me so it is slow. I finally finished our bedroom and have been throwing stuff away in amazing amounts. We did buy a very adult dining room table that I love and still need a couch for our living room, one for the basement, and a tv. The bar downstairs is set-up and then we are almost finished setting stuff up.

Shawn is starting on our new deck this weekend and I am super excited about that. Next I would love it if he would tile the other two bathrooms and the landing in the basement but all in due time. I do not want to wear him out :).

We leave for St. Martin in a short two and a half weeks!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh I am so darn excited.

We are officially a plum this week

Baby O is the size of a plum this week and growing rapidly. I had an ultrasound last week and actually got to see Baby O moving about inside of me which was a completely surreal experience. The pregnancy is still not super real at this point despite the fact that we have heard the heartbeat and seen pictures because aside from morning sickness and extreme fatigue I just feel sort of bloated. I am looking forward to the first time I feel Baby O move around inside of me so I can be sure there is actually a baby growing in there.

Baby O is officially a fetus this week so we are out of the gestational period where malformations are most likely to occur, so yea!! He or she now is beginning to form little fingernails and toenails and is developing hair follices. Go Baby O, Go!!

What a wonderful life!!

So we have officially owned our new house for a month tomorrow and boy what an adventure. We have changed so many things it is incredible. We painted the entire house inside from top to bottom, cleaned the ducts, had all of the carpets deep cleaned, and Shawn tiled two of the bathrooms and they look fantastic!! We have hung all new lights, changed the locks, and cleaned like crazy.

Shawn has become an amazing handyman and has built these enormous shelves in the garage for storage as well as a giant loft above his work area to store our holiday stuff. We have plenty of room for growth!! He put in a dog door for Shrek and it was such a pain in the butt that it took him over 5 hours and we still have to go and buy a new one that is bigger.

Baby O is growing well and is the size of a kidney bean. He has webbed fingers and toes and a his little primordial tail is almost gone. We are very excited and cannot wait until the rest of the house is finally together so we can start thinking about our nursery.

Shawn's next project is to build a giant deck so we can enjoy our phenomenal view!! We still have lots of work and most of all, we really need furniture.

To be continued....

Can we move already??

Okay so I am just ready to move NOW!!

I got my kitchen all put together last night although I am sure I am going to have to move my gadgets around about a thousand times before I am satisfied but atleast I can cook in there. I started on the master bedroom at the condo, my worst nightmare, but made quite a large dent and have all of the important pieces ie: shoes and purses packed. All is good.

Saturday is the actual moving day, though we do not have much left but our furniture, boxes of books, and our closet stuff.

I am so excited for us to be in our new house. It has been both a blessing and a curse to live in the condo while we were working on the new house. It allowed us to paint and tile and make the house ours before our belongings take over. However, Shawn and I have barely seen each other over the past two weeks because he has been working on tiling the bathrooms, putting up shelves in the garage, and just working on different odds and ends while I have been trying to tend to our life and pack up the condo. The only time we really see each other is for the fifteen minutes before we pass out when we get home.

Holy Cow!!

Shawn and Dad at our closing on our first home.


Okay so as usual our life is insane!!

Not only did we close on our first house on February 6th, but we also found out we were pregnant. Shawn then had a two level spinal fusion on his neck using a metal plate on Wednesday February 18 so neither of us can lift anything heavy and both of us are exhausted for different reasons.

Since February 6th we have begun painting our house and it looks fabulous!! The first two levels are finished and they look so good. Our master bedroom is being painted and should be finished tomorrow and then the painters will move to the atrociously scary basement and get rid of the frightening murals. We are so excited and the paint, new appliances, and our touches so far are looking wonderful. Shawn and one of his soccer teammates named Robert are going to tile the bathrooms because they are all carpeted for some stupid reason. Then we just need to get the carpets cleaned and we will move in on the 28th of February.

My mom and some of our very good friends have been helping us move boxes and all of our stuff to the new house gradually and we have been slowly putting things away. Shawn's mom has been helping as well and bringing sustenance in the form of cookies and such to keep us motivated.

Anyways we are psyched and Shrek loves his new yard!!

Oh Baby, Oh Baby!!

Holy cow!! Friday morning I took a pregnancy test after a month of thinking I had the flu and discovered we are pregnant!!

I then went to the doctor and the test turned immediately!! The doctor said we are most likely about two months pregnant.

Our first ultrasound is this Thursday February 12, 2009 at 3:30pm so we will be listening intently for a heartbeat and the baby will be measured to more closely determine how far along the pregnancy is.

Not only did we find out about our pregnancy, but we also closed on our first home!! What a day. Life is incredible.