Friday, November 23, 2012

Our baby announcement for Troy:

Stationery card
View the entire collection of cards.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Troy William Manning

We had our baby boy! He was born on October 5, 2012 at 11:26am and he was 6 pounds 6 ounces and 18.25 inches. He had tons of dark brown hair and was eating really well within a couple hours of delivery. (I was thrilled about that!)

The Labor and Delivery

The last couple of days before I went into labor, I started passing my "mucus plug". I took that as a good sign that I was going into labor on my own. I didn't think it would happen just two days later! On Thursday the 4th, I took a shower, got ready and when Todd got home, we went to Target to close out our registry. When we got there and I was walking around, my contractions felt like strong menstrual cramps and they were about 8 minutes apart, they hurt and I sometimes had to stop and breathe through a couple of them but I was sure that it was just false labor or something else. We got everything we wanted off of our registry and checked out.

Dilated to an 8 and ready to see my boy!



When we got home we finished our birth class while Todd built Troy's baby bookcase. My contractions started getting more painful and closer together. We called Kim, my sister-in-law and doula, and she said to just go to bed and try to get some sleep. Well just as soon as I tried to get comfortable, the contractions got a lot worse. I decided to get up and just wait it out, see if it got more painful or if it went away. I let Todd sleep just in case this was true labor and we were looking being up all night. I played on the computer for maybe an hour when the contractions were so painful that I couldn't stand it anymore on my own. I woke Todd up and asked him to help me by filling the tub up with warm water. He decided to call his sister and she came over to help with the labor.

Going through a contraction with the help of my sweet husband and my doula/sister-in-law, Kim.



I labored until about 6:15am at home, I changed positions about every 3-4 contractions and I managed them pretty well! I was able to talk and keep up conversation with Kim and Todd. At about 6 o'clock, the contractions were getting so painful that I wasn't even able to think about anything else but managing the pain. I turned around and saw Kim and Todd exchanging a look like "She needs to go to the hospital now." So I said, "I think it's time to go to the hospital, guys." We got everything together and after another handful of contractions, we were in the car and on our way to deliver baby Troy! Each contraction was more painful than the last and I remember breathing heavy and even moaning pretty loudly through some of them. We made a video of me going through a contraction on the way to the hospital...it kind of scares me. haha It takes me back to how much pain I was in! It was insane.

Todd comforting me while I am in pain.


When we got to the hospital, we signed in and they sent me to triage. The nurse started a hep-lock in my hand and checked my blood pressure. They did a vaginal exam and told me I was at an 8! I was so happy! I really wanted to get to the hospital at a 7 or an 8 and it happened! I wanted to be "past the point of no return" so that an epidural wasn't even an option. The contractions were getting really intense and I was starting to tense up. The nurse's, my mom, Kim and Todd were all very good about getting me to relax through each contraction telling me to breathe and to let it happen.

Looking at our sweet baby boy.


Each contraction was more miserable than the last. After being checked 3 or 4 more times and not really progressing as fast as I thought I would, I started to lose hope that my body would cooperate before I died! haha I really started to lose faith in myself, I was so tired and in so much pain. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry and sleep and just be done! Todd was such a great support to me though, he smiled at me and stroked my hair, told me he loved me and held on to me when my body was contracting. The nurse left the room for a minute when I was probably about a 9 and Todd decided to give me a blessing. That was so inncredible and so helpful. I was able to gain some strength and motivation back. Plus it was just so tender so see Todd crying and so worried about me. We were both relying on God to help us through the end of this process.

Daddy and baby Troy.


It was 6:45am when we got to the hospital and checked in, 4 hours later, I was told I was at a 10 and could start pushing. I really thought that it would only take an hour TOPS before I would be pushing but I was dead wrong! haha My transition from a 8 to a 10 was longer than I planned on it being and I think that is what made me start losing hope towards the end. However when the nurse did tell me that I could start pushing, I was so happy that I think I even whimpered and smiled. This was before the realization set in that I still had to push the baby out. haha I started pushing and after maybe 10-15 minutes of pushing, my water FINALLY broke. Then another 10-15 minutes of pushing and Troy's little head was visable. I heard my mom, Todd and Kim telling me that they could see his head and I just kept thinking "You're lying! You can't really see him! You're just telling me that so I'll keep going!" haha

Sweet baby Troy.


The nurse's told me to stop pushing until the doctor got there and I managed ONE contraction without pushing. It was excruciating. So the nurse's told me they would deliver my baby if they had to and to just keep pushing whenever I felt a contraction coming on. Pushing baby Troy out was a lot harder than I expected it to be but after 45 minutes total of pushing, he finally made his debut into the world! The doctor put him on my belly and the nurse's started wiping all the goop off of him. I picked up the rag and helped them clean him and just stared at my baby in awe. I couldn't believe that he was there and had so much dark brown hair! He was already lifting his head up off my tummy and as soon as the nurse's were done wiping him off, I put him straight to my breast. He didn't latch on right away but he soon proved himself to be a champion nurser. :) I couldn't be more proud of my little boy.

Yaaaawn.


I was so happy to finally be done with the labor and felt a great sense of accomplishment when I looked at my baby. I had such a supportive nurse, she was awesome. Kim, my mom and Todd were amazing at helping me through the whole labor. After a couple of weeks, I could honestly say that doing it natural was not that bad and I would do it again for sure. I would probably like to have a birthing tub handy because the water helped a lot when I was laboring at home, but I really liked being able to feel everything and knowing that my body was putting off endorphins and hormones to help me through the whole thing.

He fell asleep like this. haha So weird. Love him.


Life after 10/5/12

Since Troy was born, we've been busy with check ups and taking care of the little peanut! We had a check up with the pediatrician just a few days after delivery and Troy was already back up to his birth weight! She said that is great and they usually like to see babies back up to their birth weight by 2 weeks and he was there after like 4 days! :) Champion eater! Love it! Then a week later he was weighing in at 7 lbs 5 oz! Almost a whole pound heavier! Love it! He is doing so well! We got him circumcised last week and that was miserable for me and him both. I was hyperventilatinng when they brought Troy back to me. I could just tell that he was not being himself and it broke my heart! Although I know we made the right choice in doing it, it was still a hard day for mom and baby, probably for daddy too.

Halloween - Mama cow, baby cow and Farmer Todd!


My milk came in just 3 days after delivering Troy and it was paaaainful. I did not expect the "engorgement" stage to be that awful but it did pass after a few days, massaging and always being diligent about emptying my breasts at every feeding was what helped unclog my milk ducts and get the engorgement to go down. I'm pretty sure I got something like mastitis in week 3 because I got a fever and one of my breasts had all the symptoms of mastitis. I was able to get it to go away though, I let my fever ride for a day before I took an ibuprofen to break it and I haven't been sick since! Nursing is hard, very very hard. I'm glad that I was warned well beforehand about that because I knew what was coming. I can see why a lot of women give up and just go to formula, breast feeding is HARD. It's so worth it though, even though there was pain and discomfort in the beginning, I still loved having my little peanut need me! I love the closeness we share and I love that his little hand rests on my chest and he relaxes completely. I just love being his mommy and giving him everything he needs to grow.

Bath time with mama.


Speaking of growing, we have had more check ups at the pediatrician. Troy is now well over 9 and a half pounds. I love when they weigh him. It's like Christmas for me! I get so excited to see what number is going to pop up on the screen! haha


He has started smiling and is more awake now. He sleeps for about 5 hours at night and then another three hours usually after that. It's great! He actually likes getting his diaper changed now and he LOVES baths and being in the water. I got in the tub with him last night and just let his body rest in the water while I held his head up and he loved it.

Bath time!



I love talking to him and hearing his little coo's and even his different cries. He has this adorable cry and I take it's meaning to be "I don't know why I am whining but I just want to do it!" haha I LOVE that he loves me. He will whine and cry and then I will pick him up or take him from whoever has him and he will immediately calm down. It's so fun being a mommy. I love that he loves me and I love that he wants me! :)

Perfect little face.



Todd is the best and cutest daddy. I'm not surprised though, he is such an amazing man and is so loving and caring. I am so blessed to have him. He is so patient with Troy when he is fussy and loves to take care of him so I can get an extra hour or two of sleep. He works SO hard for us every day. We love when daddy comes home!


Juicy lips





I look forward to my 6 week check up this week. I stopped bleeding/hurting around 3 weeks and feel completely healed up! I have started working out a little bit but I don't want to overdo it so I'm waiting to sign up for my boot camp until the DR gives the ok! Can't wait until I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight! My clothes are a little snug and some don't even button up. I'm just hoping that my body will go back to it's original size but if not, I don't really care, I'd rather have the precious angel baby than my pre-pregnancy body.

Daddy kisses.


I love being a mom. I LOVE BEING A MOM! I love it. So much.
Mama kisses.

Now bring on the holidays with this cutie pie!!


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Full Term!

This week I am 37 weeks which means that I am officially full term and believe me, I can tell. There is NO room in my belly for anything else but baby. haha I try to eat small meals frequently but I just get so full so fast! Everything seems to be uncomfortable now - going to the bathroom, sleeping, walking, sitting, breathing, eating, drinking. haha Not to sound like a complainer but 6+ pounds of baby can be kind of uncomfortable! Every night before I go to bed, Troy gets really active and it starts to hurt a bit, I get these shooting pains down in my lady parts. I know they aren't labor contractions because they are way too fast to be true contractions but man they can hurt! My belly is sore every morning when I wake up and Troy feels like he's going to come out of me any minute because he is soooo loooow. But other than all of that...haha I really do love being pregnant. I will take the end of pregnancy pains with a smile on my face because my pregnancy has been so great and Troy is so healthy!

Me at week 32



My SWEET and AMAZING and WONDERFUL husband bought me a massage and facial at a little boutique salon called "Belly Bliss" for my birthday! It was MAGICAL! I wanted to cry when I had to get dressed and go home. It was the most relaxed I think I have ever been. I fell asleep for part of the massage because it was soooo good! I really needed it too because I had a hard weekend with our big move. My back and feet were killin'. My birthday was a blast though, I got to hang out with my mom all day! We got our make up done and went shopping. It was so nice to spend time with her. We also had dinner with some of the Brown's at Metro Pizza and lunch the next day at Lucille's! Yum!



We moved when I was 36 weeks prego. (I don't recommend that). Anyway, it wasn't so bad, I had some help packing and unpacking and Todd and his friends did the moving while I was at a baby shower so when I got home, I just had to start organizing everything! I have been so busy finding a home for everything and preparing the baby nursery. We put up the pack n play in our bedroom and the crib in Troy's bedroom. We put the bouncer together and Todd has been refinishing the baby dresser. It looks awesome already and it still needs another coat of paint and all the new hardware installed! I can't wait until the dresser is finished and in Troy's bedroom. I also ordered the cute fabric I am going to use for Troy's crib bumper and bed skirt so that'll be fun when that's finished too!


Me at week 33



I did some laundry the other night and just had to cry a little bit! Everything is SO tiny and adorable! I can't wait until Troy's little body is in the little clothes and I can wrap him up in the cute blankies I have for him! I am pretty proud of myself for finding and matching all the little socks together too. haha

Me at week 34



Last week I went in to get an ultrasound because I was measuring a little bit too small pretty much since my third trimester started. I have been a couple centimeters off every week so they sent me to the nearest ultrasound center (which happened to be a high risk pregnancy center) just to make sure he was growing how he should be. So I had the ultrasound and he was measuring nice and big. 6 lbs 2 oz and that was in the 26th percentile so he is just fine with his weight, he should be closer to 6 lbs 10 oz now.

On the not so good side though, they saw that one of his arteries in his heart is a little too narrow. It's the ductal arch in the pulmonary artery. I think it's called ductus arteriosis. Anyway, long story short is that this artery needs to stay nice and big and open until he is born and then it closes after he takes his first breath. So they monitored me for a week and then they did another ultrasound to see if it was better, worse or the same. Anyway, they said they might induce me early if it didn't look good the next week. But alas, everything was perfectly fine! I had Todd go with me because I was a little stressed out. :) Just a little bit though...haha Anyway, it was so nice to have Todd there with me. They hooked me up to be monitored and I had a couple of contractions that I couldn't even feel. Weird, right? Then they took me in the ultrasound room with the sonographer and the pediatric cardiologist. They did the ultrasound and the ped Dr. said everything looks great and there would be no need to induce me. They are still going to monitor me twice every week just to make sure his heart beat and everything stays normal and then I will just be able to go into labor on my own. Yaaay! I really want Troy to come when he is ready, obviously if he never wants to come then we'll have to make him but I'd rather give him the opportunity first. :)


I had my Dad and Todd give me an anointing and a blessing and that helped loads. It just helps me to remember to have faith that everything will be okay. I said lots of prayers that day that I found out there could be a problem and I just remember feeling that nothing bad was going to happen, Troy would be fine and if I had to be induced early, it would all be okay. :)

Me at week 35



So other than that little hiccup, the pregnancy has been going great, I am uncomfortable but it's nothing too extreme and Todd is so sweet to always rub my back or my feet or anything I need. Sometimes I just think how happy my life is and how lucky I am to have such a great husband. We went on a walk the other night and I told Todd how weird it will be in a month when we are going on a walk with a stroller and baby in tow. I will miss it being just Todd and I but we're so excited to see baby Troy and be his parents. He is coming into a home that is filled with love.


Me at week 37



I'm glad that Todd and I waited a couple of years before getting pregnant. I was so anxious to be a mother when we were first married but I'm glad we waited. We have so many memories to cherish now from the first years of us being together. We were able to travel a bit and make lots of friends! We're excited to start the parental journey now together!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Christy's surprise baby shower!

My sister came to visit this summer with her husband and two little boys. She got here mid-July and didn't leave until a little over a month later! It was so nice to have her for so long. When she was up in SLC, UT visiting her husband's family, my family decided it would be a good idea to do a baby shower for her, she is having her first girl and we thought it would be fun for her to get some girl cloths and girl colored stuff for when little Jane arrives. So we decided to make it a surprise and sent out the invitations! I thought for sure that she was going to know what was going on but she had no idea! (At least that's what she says...) haha

She wanted to go to the temple while she was here so our sister-in-law, Staci, kindly agreed to attend the temple with Christy and that gave us a good 3 hours to set up for the shower, which turned out to be just enough time! When she got to the shower there were already some people there waiting to surprise her.

We had a really good time visiting with lots of friends and family and opening cute baby gifts! I think Christy was a little overwhelmed with all the love being thrown her way. I'm sure my mom was, I think she even got some tears in her eyes when the shower was ending, she has some awesome friends!

Here are some pictures of the shower, not all of them will upload for some weird reason but I did get a few to upload just fine.

Christy and my mom.
Christy and her boys. (They love her to pieces.)
Opening gifts!
The food table with the banner I made for the shower!
Me and my sister!

It sure does stink to have to say goodbye to the Clark's. It's always a little lonely and quiet. I miss the snuggles the boys give me and their cute voices saying my name whenever I walk into the room. I miss my sister being near and being able to tell her everything I want without having to call and time it all out just right. We were spoiled with so much time together and next time we see each other, our babies will be here in the world! Love you, Christy!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Todd's birthday and our 4D Ultrasound



The 18th was Todd's birthday! So of course we celebrated like rock stars! But mostly just like a boring married couple that is expecting their first child. :) We went to dinner last night at PF Chang's with my family and then had some chocolate bundt cake for dessert. Todd got a bunch of money and gift cards which I will have to make sure he spends because sometimes he forgets to stop doing so much research and just buy something! :) I got him an awesome USA soccer shirt that he ended up loving and wanting all along. I had no idea! I must have read his mind. :)

The morning of his birthday we had a 4D ultrasound that my mom, Todd's mom, my sister-in-law, Staci and my sister Christy(&Ethan and Nate) were able to attend. It was so much fun! As soon as the ultrasound tech put the little machine on my belly, I just started tearing up! She measured the babies heartbeat and I lost it! So happy to have a healthy baby boy inside my belly! I love being a mom! We got to see so much of him. He smiled for us, showed off his boy parts pretty openly. (I'll be having a talk with him about that.) We also got to see him blinking his eyes, we saw some hair on his head and his little hands stacked one on top of the other. So cute! She said he is estimated to be around 4 pounds and 3 ounces and about 14 inches long. She guestimated that if he was born at 40 weeks he would be 7 lbs 14 oz or about 8 lbs. I hope she is right! I want him to stay cookin' in me until he is healthy and strong.

We were also able to visit the hospital and tour the maternity ward. I didn't realize that 20 other people would be touring the place with us so I made sure that I was at the front of the pack so I could hear everything and ask questions. I was so glad to hear that St. Rose is making their hospitals more mommy-baby friendly, meaning the baby will be with me the whole time, I will have lots of skin on skin and breastfeeding time with him and he will be rooming in with me the whole time. Overall, I was surprised at how accommodating they are planning to be. I was nervous that the hospital might give my baby a bottle or something if he wasn't nursing right away but they have lactation specialists to help new mommies and the new baby figure it all out. I am actually looking forward to birthing little Troy! I know it will be a crazy experience and most likely the most pain I will ever endure but for some reason, it doesn't scare me now, I just can't wait to see his face and kiss his cheeks and I'll go through anything to be able to do that!

We loved seeing Troy on the ultrasound. I'm pretty sure Todd enjoyed it but I was in absolute heaven on earth. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen and am still in shock that there is a baby inside me. haha You would think after 8 months of being pregnant and a little person kicking me all day long would be enough to prove that there is actually a baby in there but it still blows my mind. I think it will be a weird but obviously very special moment when I see him for the first time.

I had an appointment with my OB the other day and they want me to get an ultrasound through their "people" so they can get good measurements of Troy. I am measuring a little small for my gestation and they want to make sure Troy is healthy and strong! I can't complain because I really do love seeing him on those ultrasound screens but it would be nice if they were free. :) haha

Speaking of FREE! My good friend, Amy told me that I might qualify or a free breast pump through my insurance. So I did a little digging and guess what?! I qualify! Free Medela breast pump coming to the Manning home! So excited about it because I plan on breastfeeding lots and I would love to not pay $200+ for a breastpump! Hooray for scoring deals on baby stuff.

So far everything has been normal and going really great with my pregnancy. Troy is sitting a little low these days so sometimes it's a little uncomfortable but sometimes it's totally fine! It's different every day. I love feeling him move around now, he is so big that it can be a little painful but I love feeling his feet push near my ribs and his hand push down by my hip/leg. He's just stretching out and making more room for himself to grow! Being pregnant is so much fun-I love it! We're so excited to see baby Troy in just 6 weeks! Crazy! So excited though!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Pregnancy Update

It's been about a month since my last update and I should probably try and be better about it because this pregnancy is flying by! I feel like it was just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant and now I have this belly on me that is just getting bigger and bigger and BIGGER every single day!

Lately Troy has been really active! I don't know if he is being more active than before or not but it definitely feels different. Instead of the light kicking I would feel and the light feeling of him rubbing his hand or foot across my belly, it is now a lot stronger. He kicks so hard sometimes that it scares me! When I was reading a chapter out of my book last night before bed, he kicked so hard that I gasped because it scared me. It didn't hurt very much but it wasn't super comfortable either. There have also been a few times where he will push one of his limbs out SO far that I can feel my skin stretching and little bits of pain shooting through the nerves that are being strained. I think he needs more room, ya? haha

He is getting big, around 3ish pounds now and probably around 15 or so inches long. (I should know the exact measurements this Saturday when Todd and I have an ultrasound.) That is BIG! I can't believe there is a baby that big inside my belly! And unless he is moving around, I don't even feel like I am pregnant at all. You would think having something that big in your belly would hinger the ability to breath and feel comfortable but I feel like I did before I was pregnant, which is great!

I can usually sleep pretty well, although sometimes my hips will hurt and be sore so I'll have to roll over from one side to the other multiple times per night. I have to get up to use the restroom about 3-4 times or more per night, which was annoying at first but I'm used to it now and have decided to just accept it because I know I will be sleeping like that when the baby comes.

One of my friends who was one week farther along than me just had her baby girl 9 weeks early! I have to say, that was pretty scary for me, as I am sure it was for her as well. I just kept thinking what if I went into labor and they couldn't stop it?! I'm not ready for baby Troy to be here yet! As much as I want to see him, I want him to be healthy and fully developed before that time comes AND I want to have some baby essentials besides the stuff I have now. I have a million outfits already, tons of clothes but no baby gear like a baby bath, shampoo, wipes and the flippin car seat! haha So anyway, that really put some perspective on the fact that it just happens when it happens.

I have so much to do and prepare for before Troy gets here. We are planning on moving into a bigger place soon so I just hope that I can get everything unpacked and set up before he comes! I feel like my mind can be in 10 different places at once sometimes, I have so many things I have to do lately that I have to write them down as soon as I think of them or I will totally space it for a while until it pops into my head again and then I'll stress about it even more because I didn't do it the first time I thought of it! Crazy times.

Todd continues to be the best husband ever. He is very helpful and will drop what he is doing to rub my back for me if it is sore or to take me out for dinner because I'm sick of eating the food in the house. He talks to baby Troy and tells him he loves him and loves to feel Troy move around. He usually says "Woah!" everytime Troy moves, which makes it more fun for me because I'm so used to the movement that it reminds me how cool it is when Todd feels it and has that look on his face like, "Is that MY baby?!" haha He is so funny when I come into the room because my belly is getting so big now and Todd just smiles and rubs it.

I have been researching birthing classes and different methods people use during labor, I thought a lot about hypnobirthing and the bradley method but honestly they are just way too ridiculously expensive. I found another great birthing class for around $50 and am going to be doing that one, it's online which is great for us because we can just do it at home. I have heard from many people that they think birthing classes are useless and they might be, but I want to decide for myself. :) I don't like feeling unprepared for something important and birthing a child seems like something I should educate myself on a little bit, don't ya think? haha

My sister-in-law, Kim, has been a big help with educating me on pregnancy, labor, and breast feeding. I am so looking forward to breast feeding. I get a little sad when I think about Troy not being in my belly anymore so I know that being able to breast feed him and him needing me will make me feel a little bit better when I don't have him moving around inside me all day long, and all night sometimes too! haha

I was able to go to lunch with my friend Lauren before she moved back to Utah. It was fun just talking and catching up. I remember when she sent me a text of a little ultrasound peanut and told me she was pregnant! Then a couple of weeks later I found out I was pregnant! So much fun to be pregnant with friends. I have been lucky to have a lot of pregnant friends around me, which helps because I worry a lot so hearing that they were going through the same things I was made it easier for me to just relax and let me body do what it was made to do!

Todd and I spent a week in Newport Beach, CA with my family in July. It's our annual family vacation and it was such a blast! It was extra special this year because my sister and her WHOLE family were able to come and spend time with us. Bryan usually has to stay in Vermont and go to school but he was able to get time off from school to have a family vaca and then he went up to Salt Lake City to do a rotation in the University of Utah hospital for Anesthesiology. We had a blast down there, the weather is so beautiful and there are so many fun things to do. Todd got up every morning and played tennis while I slept in. :) We went to the beach, shopping, ate at some fabulous restaurants and just spend some good quality time together with family and friends. I took my week 28 picture with my sister in front of the Newport Beach LDS temple.

My belly has been growing a lot and I can't believe how big it is every day when I wake up. I have been bumping it kind of a lot in the past week...on the refrigerator or the table when I get up from eating. Thankfully I don't bump it too hard but I do need to be better about giving myself more space to move around.



I guess that's all for this post. I will be getting an ultrasound done on Saturday morning so I'll be posting about that soon! Can't wait to see my little boy!





Thursday, July 12, 2012

Last week of my second trimester

I can't believe I'm almost done with 2/3 of this pregnancy. It's going by so fast! I can't get my head wrapped around the fact that there are only 3 months left before I'll see my baby boy! I've been super busy with my schooling, traveling, and preparing for Troy's arrival that I haven't been very good with the blogging.

The most recent thing that has been fun and exciting is baby Troy moving soo much! He kicks and squirms and does flips all day, sometimes all night too! Thankfully it isn't strong enough to wake me up yet but when I get up to use the restroom, he is just moving around all over! He is getting really strong, he loves to poke his foot out and say hi all the time! Todd and I were watching "Batteries not included" the other night and Troy was moving almost the entire time. He was sticking some part of his body out so far that my belly was slanted diagonally. Todd was loving it and we were probably bugging the heck out of the baby because we kept touching the spot and pushing in on it a little bit. It's so weird to see my belly move around and twitch all day. Sometimes it is like there is a party going on in there! It makes me smile though. I'm glad that he is comfy and happy in there.

My belly is starting to get so big now, it's starting to hinder my ability to do anything! haha I have to have help buckling my shoes and when I put on my pants my legs have to be open wide or else they'll bump into my belly. It's a really weird feeling but again, I love it. haha I'm such a weirdo, all these pregnancy symptoms that are supposed to be awful and I just think they are great! Well all except the back pain. I didn't think I would have any back pain at all but apparently it's about as common in pregnancy as nausea is. Didn't know that!
I love that my belly is big enough that people comment and ask me when I am due. I'm in a weird stage right now though because I can't really remember not having a tummy but then I seem to forget that I have a tummy at all and end up opening the refrigerator and bumping the door into my belly. It doesn't hurt, I just feel stupid because I don't even know my own body well enough right now to remember there's a bump sticking out of it! haha

I ran into one of my friends who is about as far along as I am and we are totally different. I look 100% pregnant and she still has a flat tummy. haha It's so crazy how people carry their babies differently! I'm taller than her too, and not by just an inch, by many inches! haha All those stereotypes about shorter people showing sooner than taller people were just thrown in the garbage. So far I have gained about 16 pounds and am feeling great other than the back pain.

I have been trying to work out and stay in good shape throughout the pregnancy but it is reeeeally hard for me. Every time I go to work out, I have to be careful to not overdo it, which makes it frustrating because as soon as I feel like I am getting a good work out, I have to stop. If I don't stop and just keep going, I'll have a sore back, tummy and basically be miserable for a few days until the soreness wears off. That has been pretty hard for me. I have been trying this new thing where I work out in the pool, basically I just kick in place for a while and it works my legs and abs out while I'm getting in some cardio, but again, I have to be careful how hard I push it because after the first time doing this little work out, my tummy was sore for like 3 days. Miserable! I still go swim laps at the rec center, but I usually only do that once a week. I love to work out, it's one of my favorite things to do, so not being able to work out to my hearts content is a little bit of a downer.

I have had a sore back for basically the past few weeks. It's a dull and persistent pain. I feel like it really never goes away. One night I was in so much pain that I finally just took a tylenol and it was magical. I felt so great and was able to sleep peacefully. Then the pain came back the next day, super fun!

Todd has been so sweet and helpful throughout the whole pregnancy, he massages me and helps me relax so I can fall asleep and he is so sweet to Troy always telling him he loves him and kissing my belly. I am so thankful for such a sweet husband, he is already such a great daddy and Troy isn't even here yet! Last night I was feeling Todd's biceps because they are sexy and I love to...haha Anyway, I was feeling his muscles and I told him how Troy is going to know his daddy just because of how Todd feels. His strong muscles and warm body and hands will be such a comfort to our little boy! (Yes, I am crying right now...haha I love my boys.)

Well anyway, back to the updates on life...we bought a dresser that I found off of craigslist. It is a REALLY cool dresser. Very well made and will be perfect for the nursery once we refinish it. We just have to figure out when we are going to do that refinishing job! The crib arrived today and I'll be ordering the carseat soon. We want the chicco keyfit 30. It's the number 1 carseat in america so we figured it was safe enough for us! The Nordstrom anniversary sale is going on right now, (yaaay!) and they have a really cute petunia pickle bottom diaper bag that my mother bought for me as a gift. It's grey and yellow and looks like a purse but can also be worn as a back pack. Super excited to be using that adorable bag soon!

I'm really excited for all of this to start coming together. I still need to buy the fabric I want for the baby bedding and curtains. I know I want the curtains to be white but I also want them to be black out curtains. I just feel like babies don't nap as well if it's not cool and DARK in their room. I'm very much into the neutral colors for everything baby, especially the nursery. I want to try and stick with lighter pastel colors or just tans and whites. I know that it'll be hard to do that but I just have a picture in my head of how I want it to be and I'm sticking to it! haha

I've been saving my glass jars from every food item I've cleaned out of my fridge. Applesauce, pickles, sundried tomatoes, as long as it's glass, I'm keeping it. I want to dye them different colors and put flowers in them for the nursery. I'm trying to make the nursery look gender neutral but I also don't want it to lean more on the girly side so I'm going to make sure there are some serious boy things in there, maybe a football or something. haha

Well that's all I can really think of for updates on the pregnancy and life. I'll post my week 24 and week 26 picture, I didn't get around to a week 25 picture but it's okay, my belly is slowly growing so I can miss one week and it won't be that big of a deal. :)





Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Vermont in the summertime

Back in June I was able to visit my sister, Christy, who lives in Vermont. I have been there during the fall and it is breathtaking but the summer was so beautiful as well! We went to a farmers market, strawberry picking, got some yummy creemee's, went to soccer practice, shopping, went on nature walks, swimming at lake champlain, ate at Shelburn Inn and saw all the cute animals at Shelburn farm. My favorite part was just being with my sister and her family though. Her sweet boys were so happy to see me and made me feel so loved and welcome every time I walked into a room! They are such sweet boys and I love them to pieces!

The beautiful rose garden at Shelburn Inn



When I first arrived in Vermont, Ethan immediately told me the first thing we would be doing when we got home was looking at all of his toys. I was pretty tired because I took a red eye flight and didn't sleep a wink of it so after looking at Ethan and Nate's toys, I took a good, long nap. :) There's nothing a pregnant girl loves more than a nap, in my opinion! Maybe some pizza...haha When I woke up, Ethan was right outside the door ready to play! haha He also wanted to see all my shirts that I brought so he could pick out my outfit for every day I was there. "Katie, wear the flower shirt today..." "Katie, wear the black shirt with dots today..." It was really fun to sleep in his room with him on his Toy Story sheet bunk beds, he even let me sleep with buzz one night. :) We watched Harry Potter 1&2 while I was there and I loved how into it Ethan was! I'm a big Harry Potter fan, always have been and always will be so it was really fun to be able to share it with Ethan too!

The boys in their matching hawaiian shirts from Grandma Melodee.


Nate loved to talk to me and tell me every single thing that he had on his mind. "Kee-tee, guess what?!" "What?!" "'Merica!" He is a big fan of Captain America, as is his big brother. He is such a smart little boy and I was really getting a kick out of all the different things he could say. Even if he couldn't say something or hadn't ever tried it yet, he at least gave it a go. He always got so happy and said "Keeee-teee!" whenever I walked into the room he was in. He loved playing with the Mr. Potato Head toy set and would bring it over to me saying "Poh-tay-toe." He also did this hilarious trick where you would say "Nate, do frowny face!" And he would turn his face into the most hilarious frown you have ever seen and then you would say "Now do smiley face!" And he would switch the frown to the biggest, cheesiest and crooked smile on planet earth. It was probably one of my favorite things he did because it was just hilarious. He loves to follow Ethan around and copy him.

Nate doing his "frowny face"



Christy played this game with Ethan and Nate to basically wear them out before bed time, I can't remember what they call it but it was something like whatever Christy challenges Ethan to do, he had to do it! So he was running around and jumping everywhere and Nate was just giggling like crazy and having the best time of his life trying to copy cat Ethan's every move. They are such sweet brothers. You can tell how much they love each other.

Christy was super mom, making dinner and baking and driving us everywhere. Bryan was super dad, grilling and helping lift heavy objects, all the while studying for his schooling. They sent me home with a big suitcase full of baby boy clothes for Troy because they are expecting a baby girl. Todd and I are really grateful for that! We are set on clothes for at least the first 6 months and then we can go get more clothes from them when he has grown out of the first set! :) It pays to have babies after your siblings do. All of our siblings have been giving us so many things for baby Troy that we aren't going to need much else besides what we register for! We are excited to have our baby here and feel way more prepared than we did in the first trimester.

It was so much fun to see them and spend time with them, one of my favorite things was helping them get ready for bed. We would read books, tell stories and sing songs! The boys were just the cutest things ever and I loved spending the week with them just doing whatever we all wanted to do!

Strawberry picking with Ethan!

The beautiful scenery at Indianbrook lake.

Eating maple creemee's with the boys.

Nate helping us pick strawberries. He was the taste tester. :)

Cute baby Nate loving the beach at Lake Champlain! I can't wait until we are all at the beach on the west coast in a couple of weeks. :)


Ethan LOVES sticks and collecting things. This was one big stick!


The Clark family playing in the shallows.

Helping Nate come swim in the water.

Nate learning to kick his feet!