10 Months Later

Well, the basketball in my belly has been replaced by the one in my arms! I have no idea what I now weigh and haven't had ANY time to exercise. The fact that it's winter isn't helping me reach my fitness goals! Oh well, it's only been 25 days!

Oh, and I can't find the pink tank top, so I decided to use white as my "post-pregnancy" color!

It's a GIRL!!!!!

After 7 hours of labor, Brynn Shaylee was born on November 23rd, 2008 at 8:32am. She weighed 6 lbs, 10 oz and was 19 1/4 inches.

It's hard to believe almost 4 weeks has gone by. She has already changed and grown so much! We are so blessed and happy that our baby is finally here!

9 Months...I made it!

Well, here is the final of my monthly pregnancy pictures. I wasn't sure if I would make it but I guess our baby wanted me to have a nine-month picture to add to the memory box! I am posting this six days before my due date and feeling great. I thought for sure that I would be a mom by now (I would like to thank all the people that told me I would definitely have the baby early. I appreciate you getting my hopes up!) but apparently having a small frame doesn't determine how long you carry a baby for! While waiting for the baby, I have been able to get a lot of things done around the house. I cleaned out my recipe box, filled in Diamond's Dog Record Book (I figured that would be pushed far aside once we have a baby book to complete!), and Bryan and I have done some decorating around the house that we could have done for the past year but decided that doing it days before our baby comes was a more opportune time (is that considered "nesting"?). I am looking forward to meeting this baby that I have carried for the last 39 weeks. I am most excited to see what he/she looks like (I'm hoping for curly blonde hair and hazel eyes!).

Hopefully it's not too much longer until we meet this child (that I have taken to calling "Squirmy", due to the fact that he/she is always moving around in my belly!). We are praying for a safe, natural delivery with no complications. Now all we can do is wait...

Fun with Ribbon

I started my Maternity Leave on November 1st and to keep busy I've been working on some projects to finish the nursery. I was planning on breaking out the sewing machine and making curtains, but after a trip to Joann Fabrics, I decided that without my mom here to guide me along, that task seemed near impossible. The trip wasn't wasted, though; I found some different ribbon that matches the bedding set that is in the baby's room, and I decided to decorate the lamp shade that my friend, Annie, gave me. After successfully completing that assignment, I decided to use the ribbon to decorate a basket that we have stocked with diaper-changing neccessities. I still have a few ideas of ways to complete the nursery but need a few more supplies. I will post more pics once I'm done - unless the baby is here and then I may be a little too busy!

Oh, and the pie was something I made after I ran out of things to sew ribbon to!

Busy B and some Honeybees

With 5 weeks until the estimated due date of our baby, we finally decided to get the nursery ready. Bryan started painting the room and last weekend Bryan's sister, Leslie, came to visit. She helped me make decisions regarding the room decor (i.e. it's better to have a crib set with a baby pattern on it than to have a light shaped like Winnie-the-Pooh). We found a Honeybee crib set that we really liked and decided to purchase accessories that will match the colors (instead of having everything with Honeybees on it ). Using Leslie's experience, we decided which clothes to wash and which ones to wait on since we don't know how big this baby is going to be and how fast he/she's going to grow. And then while they put the crib together, I stayed out of the way (and kept Diamond out of their hair) and cooked dinner and brownies (of course!)

So, now we're down to 27 days to the EDD and the room is about 75% ready. We just need some wall hangings and curtains and we'll be all set. Oh, we need the baby, too! (The baby's coming whether the room's done or not, so I'm not too worried about it!)

8 Months...feels like forever!

So, I'm 34 weeks and bigger than ever! It always amazes me to see the difference from month to month. I swore I didn't get bigger than last month, but after comparing the pictures, there's no denying that this baby is still growing! I had a doctor's appointment today and it was pretty uneventful, which is probably a good thing! The baby's heart beat was strong and the heart rate was in the 130s (according to some, that is slow...so is this a boy or what???). My doctor did advise me not to take the trip to Dallas in two weeks that I was planning. I figured that's what she would say but I was still bummed. I was looking forward to visiting with friends and going to the Smokin' Spirit Party. I guess it wouldn't be worth it if I went into labor mid-flight or while I was there. I'd have to stay at Rob or Michelle or Berri's house until the baby was a few weeks old and I could fly back! I guess I'll just use my vacation days to relax.

Bryan has started painting the baby's room. My dad had offered to come down and paint but Bryan was adament about being the one to paint his baby's room. Even though he works so much and could've taken advantage of having someone else paint, it was important to him to be the one that did the preparations for his new baby. Things like that reinforce what a wonderful man Bryan is and what a great father he's going to be! Once it's done, it's going to look great. I can't wait to see how it looks with the furniture!

We are both getting excited as the due date gets closer! I don't think we realize how our lives are about to change (I know I don't!) but we're looking forward to what's in store! Diamond is also getting ready for what's coming, although she may not know it yet! We're curious to see how she acts once there's a baby around, but I am confident that she's going to be fine. Only time will tell!

Let's Go Ravens!

Bryan got tickets to another Ravens game this past weekend. He called Artie and had him fly up for the game and off we went. I happened to find a purple maternity shirt on Saturday night at Macys so I wore that in support of the team. I fit right in with all the die-hard fans! The weather was beautiful and although the Ravens lost, we all had a good time.

Once again, I didn't check the camera battery before we left the house, so I was only able to take a few pictures before it died on me! (Note to self: check camera battery before heading to the hospital to give birth!)