Wednesday, January 30, 2008

4 weeks!!!!

Wow! We are down to less than a month and it is hard to believe! In some ways I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER and in other ways it feels like it has flown by. Soon this little one that been growing in belly will make her way into the world. I don't think there is much more in life that brings more excitement!

We have been busy the last week or so. Leigh (my best friend from church since about grade 5) is going to make curtains for the nursery. We went and picked out fabric. It got me excited about decorating the nursery. I can't wait to see the finished product! On Thursday night my parents, my grandmother (we call her mom-mom), Jeremy and I went out to eat and to see "Phantom of the Opera," the Broadway show. My brother and I got tickets for my mom for her birthday. I work at the performing arts center in Louisville (where the show was) and our friend (and one of my colleagues) got Jeremy and I seats in the 4th row. He works in the production department working all the behind the scenes stuff. It was awesome! The baby enjoyed it too. She kicked and turned the whole time! I will be surprised if she doesn't like music. I sing in our praise team at church and just sing a lot in general so she has been exposed to a lot of music during her life thus far! I sat down and played the piano the other night and she responded to it by moving around. It is amazing that she is not even born and responds to music. Pregnancy sure is fascinating!...sorry, I digressed.

I went to the doctor last Friday and now go weekly. I think by the end of the month I will feel like I live there. Everything looked good and as of right now the baby is head down. I was correct about guessing where her butt is. She pushes it out all day long making my stomach look pretty funny up-close. I guess we have a booty shaker in our hands...gosh, I hope not! :)

This weekend was probably one of the hardest weekends for me. Jeremy and I are youth sponsors (volunteers) for our high youth group at church and have been for over 4 years now. The annual youth ski trip was this weekend. I love to ski, but this year I couldn't ski...obviously. That would have been a funny sight on the slopes! Instead I stayed in the lodge and hung out with other adults and played games with some kids while Jeremy got to snowboard all weekend long. It wasn't too bad, but I sure missed it! When we got home on Sunday afternoon we just relaxed and watched movies except I had a hard time relaxing. I think the weekend wore on my body and I was uncomfortable just laying around on the couch. I was having mini-contractions and she was positioning herself right underneath my ribs. Ouch!

Monday night we went to an infant CPR and safety class. The women said, "We are here to cover the basics and let you know what to do until help arrives." We were really glad we went. We were given baby models with removable faces so we can share the models with other people in the class. It was very strange looking. I should have taken a picture of Jeremy because he was being silly with the removable face.

Our last class is tomorrow on anesthesia...yep, I'm going for the epidural. I'm not trying to be a hero! I really did think about it, but I am most concerned about being too exhausted that I won't be able to push when it comes time. God made medicine for a reason, right? :)

I hope to update the blog at least weekly up until D-day (delivery day that is). We will definitely update this with pictures of the new addition whenever it comes time, but let's pray that we have a couple more weeks left. We hope for at least one more week because at 37 weeks babies are considered full term. There is still so much to do. I started packing my hospital bag last night. It is all setting in that we will be HAVING A BABY ANY DAY NOW!


36 weeks...do I look like I am ready to pop? I get lots of "you are looking really pregnant these days!" comments. Nice!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Fun times

Lately we have spent a lot of time with friends and family. We are taking advantage of our time before the baby comes. I had my last two showers. The first one was thrown by Jeremy's step-mom, Annette, and sister, Tiffany. We played fun games, opened tons of gifts (with lots of diapers!) and ate yummy cake. Tiffany makes beautiful, delicious cakes. She actually did our wedding cake. She is so talented! Jeremy's family has already started spoiling this little girl. His grandmother even made me a diaper bag.

The second shower was thrown by two friends from work. We played a game where the guests had to answer questions about me. Jennifer and Heather did some scheming and got Jeremy and my mom involved. Apparently Jeremy thinks he is going to change more diapers and my mom thinks I will. Time will tell. It was another wonderful shower!

On Friday night Jeremy and I got treated to a dinner made by two other couples (well, I think the gals really did the cooking). I went to high school with Tracy, Blake (he was actually elementary school but starting dating Tracy in high school), Jamie and Derek. They definitely treated us! We had wonderful food and lots of laughs (with these four there will always be laughing). They gave us our baby swing (how nice!), a cute outfit and bibs that said things like "High Maintenance" and "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" Very typical gifts from these two girls. :) On Saturday night we went to eat with some of Jeremy's friends, Beth and Gary, and tonight we got together with Liz, another friend from high school, who was in town from Connecticut. I have probably gained lots of weight from all the food I have eaten with all these festivities!

The nursery has definitely changed over the past week. The walls are painted, new carpet has been installed and the closest is almost finished. There is a picture below of the closet. I have had to hold off until the closet was finished to completely move everything in. We moved in the crib and the dresser. We bought a rocker/glider on Sunday and that is now in the nursery. Things are moving along!

I go to the doctor again on Friday and will start going on a weekly basis. Hopefully everything looks good. She still moves all the time and right now as I type I am uncomfortable because she is getting underneath my ribs. Ouch! I know it is close to time because I get the question from someone "How much longer!?!" just about every day.

Have a great week!!!


Angermeier shower...Look at that cute cake!


The Kentucky Center shower (my work)...with the hostesses Heather and Jennifer


With Jamie and Tracy...we have so many funny memories together!


So Jeremy thought it would be a good idea to put baby socks on Sadie's feet! I know, he is a kid himself! He said it will keep her from scratching the hardwood floor. Too bad they didn't stay on long. I thought it would be hard enough keeping the baby stuff away from Sadie, but apparently I have to worry about Jeremy too.


Nursery closet...looks a lot better than before, huh?


A picture to show the paint color, new carpet, glider and crib. More pics to come when it is all finished.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

So loved!

We are so blessed! This past weekend we were overwhelmed with everyone's generosity. It is amazing how many people love this baby before she is even born.

The Labor and Delivery class went well. It was funny to see everyone shift in their seats when we watched the delivery video. Afterwards we went on a hospital tour. We saw two babies that were not even an hour old getting their first exam done. It was amazing! It all started sinking in imagining that will be our baby in 6 weeks.

On Saturday I had a wonderful lunch with Laura and Robyn and their moms. It was nice to catch up with old friends over a yummy lunch. Baby girl A received some wonderful gifts from them including a hand-made knitted sweater from Laura's mom, Robin, and very much needed items--a pack and play and a high chair! On Saturday evening we had the triple shower with the Seekers Sunday school. We had lots of fun playing funny games and opening gifts together. We are so thankful to have a great group of friends in our class. See pictures below for the best game of the night.

On Sunday I had a bridal shower tea at church hosted by Leigh, Katie, Heather and Terrianne. They did such an amazing job! Everything was perfect! Heather made the cutest tea bags that said "Have some tea from baby and me" and on the back "A baby is brewing". They had the date and my name on them too. How cute is that? After I opened all the gifts (again, I still can't believe everyone's generosity) Leigh presented me with a CD she made. She asked everyone who was at the shower to tell her their favorite lullaby. The CD was made especially for our little one with 17 of everyone's personal favorites ranging from "You are My Sunshine", "Baby Mine", "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and more. This is a gift we will cherish forever!

When I came home Jeremy helped me unload the car again. I put in the CD to listen to it for a bit and started to unpack all the gifts. Before I knew it I was crying. I haven't been that emotional this entire pregnancy, but I was just overwhelmed thinking about how much we are loved and are about to be blessed ten fold when our baby makes her debut into the world. Jeremy just hugged me and let me have a moment, but I stopped myself before I came a blubbery mess. :)

While I was having fun with all our friends Jeremy was at home painting the nursery. That's fair, right? Last night we picked out carpet and it will be installed tomorrow! That means we can start moving things into her room and begin to organize and decorate. I can't wait!

No, we have not picked a name. That is probably the number one question right now. We have several names that we like, but have decided to make that decision when we see her. (Another one of Jeremy's ideas that has surprised me.) So it will be a surprise to everyone.

Below are pictures from all the weekend's activities. This weekend we have our final showers and Jeremy and I might go on a date. We haven't had one of those in a long time and I know we need to do it now or it will be forever until we have one!

Have a wonderful week!


The guys had to put a balloon under their shirt and then had to put their shoes on. The first one finished with out popping their "baby" won. It was hysterical!


Jeremy is carrying a little high, don't you think?


Pretty funny, huh?


Opening gifts with little Lucy's help.


Everything was pink and green like the nursery will be. It was so yummy and pretty!


With the hostesses...Katie, Leigh, Heather and Terrianne.


Sadie had another run-in with the paint brush, this time it was her ear.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Dreams and things

It's official, I'm nesting. With only 7 weeks left until the arrival of a new baby, I guess anyone would be organizing and cleaning. Jeremy promises that the nursery will be finished painted this weekend. After that he will have to build shelves and put in rods for the closet. We also have to get the carpet laid. I want to get in there and decorate! The pictures show the work in progress. I should have taken pictures of what the room used to look like when it was our office...there has been a lot of change!

We just got great news today. The in-home daycare has an opening for us! We really liked her from the beginning, but she was full. We really hadn't found anything else that we were 100% on and was affordable. The woman, Shashi, is certified for up to 12 kids in her home. She has at least 2 other assistants and she takes no more than 4 infants, so that means our little one will be getting lots of lovin' and attention. It was such a sigh of relief!

One thing is for sure, pregnant women have some crazy dreams! I had a lot of weird ones in my second trimester. Not many of them were even related to babies or pregnancy. I have had a couple involving very large turtles...weird! One I did have about a month or so ago was related to labor and delivery. I went to the hospital because I was having contractions. I checked in and then told the nurses that I had to leave the hospital because I had something else planned. When I came back to the hospital I had already had the baby (not for sure how that happened)! The nurse said, "That is what happens when you leave." So I got into a hospital gown and got into the bed. They then brought the baby to me to meet her for the first time. I really haven't thought too much about labor and delivery, but I obviously am scared of it or totally avoiding it so much that it comes up in my dreams.

We have another class tomorrow...labor and delivery! After the class we will have a hospital tour. My prediction about the class is that Jeremy and I will have tons of questions or will just sit there in silence. I wonder kind of dreams I will have starting tomorrow night!

The baby is moving a lot, which is a great thing. She should be head down by now. If that is the case then I think I am constantly feeling her butt! All day long she pushes something close to my rib that feels like it could be a butt. It makes my belly look pretty funny, too.

I am having lunch with two of my closest friends from high school and their moms this Saturday. Our Sunday School class is having a "Triple Shower" for us and two other couples on Saturday night. I think it will be more like a celebration dinner. And on Sunday I am having a shower with some people from church hosted by some of my friends. It will be a great weekend! I am excited! I will post pictures of the events.

God Bless!


33 weeks (In some comfy clothes that aren't exactly flattering)


The nursery in progress. We took down bead-board on the far wall. It was put on poorly and it was a really weird height. Jeremy redid the baseboard and the trim around the window.


The owners before us used the closet as a work station so it had no doors and only shelves. We have to convert it back into a closet.


The nursery dresser/changing table located now in our guest room. Look at all the wonderful things she has gotten! I can't wait to organize it all in her room!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

More Christmas pics

I forgot to put up some pictures from Christmas with Jeremy's family. We're putting up Christmas decorations, working on the nursery and going to a UK/UL basketball game party. Go Cards! Have a great weekend!


Jeremy's mom found some placemats that Jeremy made when he was about 7 years old and wrapped them up to give to him. :) Look at the writing! Jeremy always makes fun of this type of lettering calling it "DG Font" (actually Brad Sabelhaus started it) because anything associated with sororities always has lettering like this (so they say). Ha! Look who used it back in the day!


Randy (Jeremy's new step-dad) reading a book that is supposed to be a joke...Fishing for Dummies. Jeremy and Randy have struggled with catching any fish this whole year at Lake Cumberland.


In front of the tree at Jeremy's dad and step-mom's house.


Jeremy's niece with her Spiderman apparel. Kameryn is a wild woman!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! We have had a lot happen over the last couple of weeks. Attached are a lot of pictures from our festivities. We enjoyed spending time with family over Christmas. We were excited just thinking about what next year's Christmas will be like. This little girl got lots of stuff for Christmas and she is not even born yet! Santa (aka Jeremy) got her the cutest booties and newborn outfits. We also bought a new digital camera with some of our Christmas money. We figured it would be put to work soon so we needed one that was nice and wouldn't take 15 seconds to find a flash!

Last weekend we went to Indy for New Years and for my first baby shower. Saturday we got together with Dan and Lindsay who are getting married in April. They currently live in NYC. It was so great to catch up with old friends. On Sunday we watched the Colts game with college friends at Brad and Tara's house.

Monday morning some of my best friends, Tara and Ashley, hosted a baby shower for Brooke and I. Brooke is having a baby boy 5 weeks behind me. Tons of our sorority sisters from Butler came in for the event from all over...even Kristine was able to make it all the way from London, England! It was a wonderful morning!!! I am so blessed to have such amazing friends in my life! That night we went over to Brooke and Brandon's house for Brandon's specialty lasagna and then went bowling to ring in the New Year. I am sure I looked pretty funny bowling considering it looked like I stuffed a bowling ball under my shirt. Don't underestimate a large, pregnant woman...I stepped up and got a strike on the first frame! How 'bout them apples? Jeremy got a strike on the first frame, too. Maybe Baby Girl A will take up bowling. I also got up and danced to the Cha Cha Slide. Once again, probably pretty comical. It was awesome to celebrate the ball dropping with wonderful friends we only see a couple times (if that) a year!

We are working on the nursery and hope that it will be done in the next couple of weeks. We went looking for carpet last weekend to have it installed very soon. Jeremy hung the closet doors, installed a nice new baseboard and started painting the trim while I started organizing a bunch of stuff. We are down to single digit weeks left (8!) and it is scary. I am trying to take it one day at a time knowing that we have so much left to do. If only we could attach a paintbrush to Sadie's tail and make her pick up some slack around this house!

I have started to feel very pregnant these days. I haven't been sleeping well, my sciatic nerve has been acting up again and I have heartburn for the first time in my life. Old wives tail says that she'll have a head of hair. We shall see! As great as it was to be with my friends all weekend I felt so bad that I just wasn't myself. It is hard to get used to the fact of not having as much energy then before I was pregnant. I am sure they forgive me, though. Tomorrow we have another doctor's visit. We will go every 2 weeks for the month of January and every week during the month of February. We will soon be parents...weird!

We are so thankful to God for 2007, but we are very much looking forward to 2008! May your 2008 bring you much love and happiness!

Blessings-
Laura and Jeremy

P.S. I think I changed the way that people can post comments. You can now post a comment without having a blog set up or certain email address. Just click the 'anonymous' button after typing in your comment. Make sure to put your name in the comment section or we won't be able to know who wrote it. :)


Dylan & Carrie came to Kentucky after Christmas to spend time with her family. They had dinner with us last Friday night! By the end of the night Dylan was lovin' Sadie!


Brooke and I with beautiful blankets crocheted by our friend Erin Riley!


With the hostesses Ashley and Tara. They did a wonderful job!


My mom even came up for the shower!


The babies meeting each other...maybe they will be boyfriend and girlfriend one day. :) That is after Jeremy sits down and has a talk with little Kline!


All of the DG gals at the shower!


Erin, Jeremy, Hannah...lookin' good!


New Year's Eve