26 weeks and counting!

The 26th week is more than half over now, and I am pretty much caught up on blogging and housework.  I have been on alert for work the last few days which has given me a chance to get caught up here at home.  We had a fairly quiet weekend.  Friday, I had to go into work for a little while for some classes, then we went to meet Remy Hossain.  He was born to my cousin Megan and Brandon in Topeka about 2 weeks ago and we had not had the chance to meet him yet.  He is a little cutie, and I am sure him and his brother, Aiden, will keep Mom and Dad moving! 

Me, Megan, and Remy

Saturday, I took the chance to sleep in and Tim was up before me getting some yard work done.  He was on call for EMS and did get called in briefly a couple of times, but I am just glad it wasn't for a transfer, which would have had him gone all day (pretty much)  Between the calls he did the the yard mowed, trimmed, and the bushes trimmed.  It always looks so nice when he is done, just seems like it needs done about twice a week!  After I got up, I went to work on sewing the pink ribbon on the bottom of the curtains for Little Miss's room.  I found the perfect green curtains at Target for only $8 a panel, so snatched them up and then decided that I would  personalize them a bit with some ribbon.  They turned out great, and Grandma that sewing machine has came in so useful once again!!  I have those pictures on the other camera so will get them uploaded soon and post the process.  Saturday evening we went to Mass and they took time to install the new officers in the Knights of Columbus, this included Tim! He was elected to be a Trustee and is the co-chairman of a committee.  I don't remember the name of it, but it is the one that plans most of their events...he is going to be a busy guy!  After Mass, we attended a dinner to celebrate with the other new officers, their families, and other members of the Knights of Columbus.  We had a great time, and the meal was fantastic! 

Sunday brought me sleeping in (again) and Tim heading off to work.  He is working a trade today (Monday) so he is there again.  I am not a huge fan of him working for 48 hrs straight, but at the same time I am so thankful that he has a job that he is able to trade days around with the other guys when he needs time off....so that makes the back to back shifts well worth it.

He will be home tomorrow, then have to work again on Wednesday and Saturday.  His project list for tomorrow is pretty short though, just has to hang the new blinds in the nursery!  He does have the 4th off this year so I am looking forward to that.  I will be going to Topeka on Tues and Wed this week to fly.  Those will be my last flights until after the baby is here.  The AF doesn't allow you to fly in your 3rd trimester, so it will be office work for a few months.  It will be kind of bitter sweet.  I am bummed that I will not be able to fly for so long, but it is also exciting because we are that much closer to meeting our little one. 

Hope you all had a great weekend and that this is a short week for you with the holiday coming up! And here is the 26 week pictures:

26 weeks

Fit for a Princess

So I know that I have been saying how much we are working on the nursery, well here is your first sneak peak.  We still have a lot to do, but the major things are complete.  The painting is finished (as of last Thurs!), the cornice box built, the crib and chair put together, and a few decorations in place.  Now it is just adding things as I see them to make it a room our Little Princess can enjoy and grow with!

For some reason, I can't get a space between these first pictures, but this is where we started..We put a new base coat on the walls after tearing 2 layers of wallpaper covered with paint down.  Fortunately, it came down VERY easy!

Stripes, Stripes and more Stripes! The pattern that we are painting duplicates the stripes on the crib skirt.

 Looks so much different after pulling all the tape

Stripes are complete, now for the flowers, we used a projector and I traced the pattern onto the wall.

A bit tedious, but well worth it!

 All done, I could never have done this without Carla!  She is AMAZING!

Daddy got the crib all put together, and kept it "G" rated, guess he was practicing "watching his words"

First wall hanging, it says, "When they placed you in my arms, You slipped into my heart." And Tim with his 1st Father's Day gift...It says, "My hero did come, his name is Daddy!" 

It's starting to come together!

Making the cornice box, and measuring out the windows.  It is now hung, with green curtains, I have to sew the pink ribbon at the bottom of the curtains then will post those as well!

Our bedding won't be in until the end of July, we ordered it off of www.etsy.com.  For anyone who hasn't checked out this website I highly recommend it!  Everything on there is custom and hand made.   I was thrilled to find the perfect bedding to create our room, I just have to be patient because it should take 8-10 weeks from when I ordered it.  This will be very similar to what we are getting, our bumper will be traditional in style (taller and thinner) with brown piping around the top, and we didn't put her name on the back. 

  

                                        

So there is the update on the nursery, I will keep the pictures coming as we make progress on it! I know already we are going to have problems if she ever wants to paint her room!

A wonderful way to celebrate!

Well, it is a week later, but finally I am getting this post complete!  Last Thursday (17 June) was my 27th birthday, followed on the 18th by our 5 year anniversary, and the 20th being Father's Day!  We has an absolutely wonderful weekend celebrating and hosting my Mom, Dad, and my Grandma Chester.  Here is the recap!

Thursday I was on Alert (basically on call for work) so I was able to be home all day, and Tim was home as well!  This was the first blessing, because Tim had worked like 6ish straight days between the Fire Station and EMS.  I was so happy to have him home with NO pager attached to his hip.  We did get up early that morning because our good friend Carla was going to be at our house at 8 a.m. to finish up painting on the nursery!  She offered to let me sleep in on my birthday, but I just wanted to get the painting done.  Though we still have a few months, I really wanted to check that off of our list of things to do and have a good part of the day to relax.  I think we were done by around noon, so we made great time and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!  While painting I was spoiled with phone calls, texts, cards, and birthday gifts!  Our friend and neighbor Sharon stopped by to deliver my "birthday cake" tiaramisu...my absolute favorite!  She is a great chef and this creation was no different.  She also gifted me with what is quite possible the most comfortable pair of pj's that I have ever had....especially for my ever expanding tummy! They are pictured in the 25 week belly shot.  Along with some other goodies from her, Tim gave me a new bottle of my perfume, Coach Legacy.  If you haven't smelled/tried it I recommend it, it is fantastic!  Like I said other cards, and gifts and great friends made this a special day.  We spent the afternoon in the pool next door just soaking up the sun (with lots of sunscreen) and relaxing.  Sharon and Dick then invited us over for a birthday meal at their house that evening.  Pretty sure, I couldn't have gone out to eat anywhere and had something so tasty!  Shortly after dinner brought a highlight to the day, my Family arrived!  Mom, Dad, and Grandma C made the long trip to celebrate the weekend with us!  We all sat outside and chatted for a while, but after the long ride and a busy day planned for Friday it was time to get some sleep!

Friday, after we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast made by Tim,  we made the trip up to Kansas City to do some shopping!  For the guys we started the day out at Cabela's, then it was off to Target, USA Baby, Babies-R-Us, Lowes, and a few more.  While at Babies-R-Us we showed the family some of what was on our registry and some of the funny things we found while registering that we figured were better on the shelves of the store.  Mom and Dad had graciously decided to purchase our travel system for us, which we had registered for there.  We showed them a few that we liked and then the one we had picked. It is a Graco system and we are so excited to get to put it to use.  For dinner that evening we were treated to an anniversary dinner at The Cheesecake Factory!  Mom, Dad, and Grandma had never been to one, and actually Tim and my first experience with this restaurant was in Hawaii a few weeks prior.  We had said so many times while in KC that we should eat there, but by the end of a long day we were usually ready to just get home.  So this time we planned for it, and I think we were all glad we did.  It was so yummy!  Everyone enjoyed their meal and of course their cheesecake!  Grandma and I shared the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (my favorite kind), Tim had also told our server that it was my birthday weekend so I was overwhelmed with dessert....my cheesecake and a bowl of ice cream with whipped topping!  Our server also noticed that we were expecting and had asked about it. Grandma to be piped up to say that it was our 5 year anniversary and that we were expecting our 1st child in October.  When she brought out our cheesecake, Congrats was written in chocolate and it had pink and purple sprinkles on it too, so sweet!  After dinner and misery set in from eating WAY to much, it was time to head home.

Yummy!

Grandma & I enjoying Cheesecake Factory

Saturday, Tim again made us breakfast, and we really just spent the day hanging out.  After we got up and around we went down to Jody's Attic (where I work on a Sat a month) so that Mom could look/shop. We hit Maurice's and some quick groceries at Wal Mart then went home for a while.  After lunch settled we all went next door to spend some time in the pool!  They hadn't been swimming in some time, so it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.  That evening was our friend Chad's 30th birthday party so we had a BBQ over at their house.  It was a great way for my family to meet some more of our friends and see the ones they already knew again.

Grandma and I

Dad and I

Our summer hang out!

Grandma soaking up the rays! 

 (I think she must have been in the middle of talking in this pict)

Sunday, the chef took a break and we went to The Grain Bin for breakfast and to celebrate Father's Day, with my Dad and Daddy to be, Tim!  When we got home Dad and Tim put the travel system together, I think we all snuck a nap, and just chatted and caught up until it was time for them to get back on the road home. 

Some quick family picts

Love this one!

We had such a wonderful weekend, and I am so blessed that I was able to spend my birthday with family and friends.  Even more blessed to have been married to my best friend for the last 5 years of my life, which have been the greatest ever.  I know that our lives are about to change more that we could have ever imagined, but I don't think anything will make my heart happier that to see Tim as a Daddy.  I am so grateful for my Dad and the relationship that we have, so knowing that our little girl will have that same opportunity fills me with joy! So, thanks so much Mom, Dad, and Grandma for coming to Chanute to visit us, you made it one to remember, and we can't wait to see you in a just over a month when it is Rodeo time!!

25 Weeks

Well, I still haven't located the 23 week pictures, but it is now marking the end of week 25.  Things are going great!  We had a doctors appointment last Wednesday (16 June)  and her heart was beating along at 148 beats per minute, right where it should be!  It will be a month until our next appointment, but then we start going every two weeks, I can't believe that we are already so far, and with each day Tim and I are more and more excited to welcome her into the world! The nursery is still coming along great, and as soon as I get just a few more things done I will get some pictures up. 

June 20, 2010

This was my birthday and our 5 year anniversary weekend!

25 weeks

 Sporting my new pj's that I got as a birthday gift from Sharon, they are SO comfy!

Time is flying...this is really 24 weeks!

So I guess time really is flying by...as I was going to to work this morning I realized that this is a 24 week picture...not 23.  I am still hunting down our 23 week picture, it seems to have disappeared.  If located I will back post for ya!

Not alot to report on 24 weeks, but here is the belly shot.  Definitely looking pregnant now, but I love it!  We were headed out to Quarry Stone  for a summer kick off BBQ, so I was actually in something other than pj's!  Kind of a nice change.  We had a great evening, and the weather couldn't have been better.  A nice breeze, great food, and even better friends!

22 weeks and Hawaii!!

After three tries, we finally made it!  We got to spend 30 May- 5 June in Hawaii.  I was there for work, so we took the opportunity for Tim to fly over commercially and meet me there so we could take in the island together and have a (work related) babymoon before Little Miss arrives!  We had a wonderful time and now can't wait to get back. We spent the whole time on Oahu, so next time we would love to check out another one of the islands.  I did fly a few times while we were there, but we still had plenty of time to enjoy the tropics!  Here is a run down of our week:

We got there on Sunday so that evening took it pretty easy.  We went with another of of the crew members (and his wife, who also made the trip) to Duke's.  It is a restaurant/bar right on the beach, and a favorite of many of the aircrew from Forbes that are regulars to Hawaii.  Though I didn't get to partake, they are said to have some of the best MaiTais around...guess I will find out next trip!  It was completely packed there that evening so we put in our names for a table for dinner and just stood outside and enjoyed the view when one of the servers came and set up a table for us and took our order right then and there.  It was perfect, our wait to eat INSIDE was like 2 hours, but instead we had a table on the beach in no time!

Tim with his Mai Tai

We had Monday off since it was Memorial Day, so Tim and I made the drive up to the North Shore.  It is generally much quieter and slower pace than Waikiki, however, not so much on a holiday.  It was jam packed with beach goers.  On our way there we came across the Dole Plantation, so we stopped and toured that before getting to the beach.  Once we finally found a parking spot and made our way to the beach it was great.  We enjoyed the water for a while, and then I got out to snap some photos and play with our new camera that we bought the Saturday before we flew out.  (More on the camera later)  There were a few surfers out so I got some neat pictures of that, the North Shore is what you see frequently on TV when there are surf competitions in Hawaii.  I believe they are their biggest in the winter, but it was still really cool!  That evening we met up with Aunt Cindy and Rick, who have been living in Hawaii for a few years.  They are family on Tim's moms side of the family.  It was great to see them and catch up for a while. 

At the Dole Plantation

Bird of Paradise....one of my favorite flowers!

Tuesday, we took in Pearl Harbor and went to Ford Island to the Pacific Air Museum.  We didn't tour the USS Missouri, but did see it and get some good photos of it.  Pearl Harbor was very surreal, many monuments you visit and so far from where what they are commemorating took place.  In this not being the case with Pearl Harbor it was a very humbling experience.  The museum was very cool and housed planes from the war.  Seeing such a huge part of history in the USS Missouri was amazing.  That is where the Japanese surrendered and WW2 came to a close.  That evening it was time for some work.  We were scheduled to fly, however, as we were just getting ready to start engines, we got a call that our receiver had a maintenance problem and was a cancel.  So we called Tim, who had just started a round of golf to come and get us, then we had an evening in Waikiki.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

Control Tower on Ford Island, you can still see bullet holes where it was hit

Tim and I at Pearl Harbor

Wednesday, Tim and I decided to make it a beach day and relax since I had a flight that evening.  We spent the morning on the famous Waikiki beach and then once we had gotten enough sun, we headed back to the room so that I could get ready to go fly.  We did get to fly that evening and it went well.  Tim stayed on base and relaxed while we worked.

Thursday was another day off for us!  We stared the day (like we had a few of the others) with a big breakfast at Wilbur and Orval's, which is a great restaurant on Hickam AFB that faces the bay to Pearl Harbor.  We saw this ship, many times you can see ships docking or subs emerging!  After breakfast we headed for Hanauma Bay for snorkeling.  Since many of the guys at work have been to Hawaii many, many times they know all the good spots to check out, this being one of them.  Hanauma Bay is a state park area with world class snorkeling.  After about a mile walk (up hill) this pregnant lady was tired and ready to chill on the beach for a while.  I did snorkel for a while, but then took my spot on the sand while Tim checked out more sea life.  We had met up with some other in our group there and then after a while we all headed for Bellows for an evening BBQ.  Bellows is an Air Force Station.  They only have Security and Services there.  They have bungalows that you can rent out right on the beach and it is AF owned so very quiet.  We loved it there, and hopefully will get to have family vacations there at some point!

View from Wilbur and Orval's at breakfast

Hanauma Bay, AMAZING!

Tourist Tim!

Friday morning was another flight for us.  It wasn't to long and left us some of the day to enjoy as our last day together on the island.  Tim's flight left that evening and he had to be at the airport about 7pm.  We pretty much got done flying, went and got some lunch, did some shopping and then it was time to say good bye!

We left early on Saturday morning to fly back to Forbes.  Tim got back to Kansas City about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday after flying all night.  He got a nap and then headed to Topeka where we landed about 9:30 p.m.  We had a wonderful trip and loved being able to spend quality time together in the tropics.

While there we also finished week 22 and began week 23.  I felt great the whole time we were there.  I did get tired, but am actually grateful now that I didn't go in January.  I was really not even close to 100% at that time, and was in the midst of the first trimester blahs.  So even though we were excited to go then, it worked out so much better to go at this point in pregnancy versus earlier!

22 weeks, we forgot to take a "real" belly shot

Half Way!!

Wow, I can hardly believe that we are half way through this pregnancy!! Though the first trimester was a test, the time since then has been GREAT!  I am still feeling awsome, but can definatly tell that she is growing and taking up more space.  (And I have a ways to go!) After sitting upright for a while I tend to have rib pain and have to recline or lay down for a bit....which can be a challenge since I travel for work. I should probably call it discomfort more than pain, but at any rate it is not a feeling I am use too! 

On another note, we finially made it to Ohau, Hawaii last week!!  We had a wonderful time, and I will get that post done this week I PROMISE!! Along with the 22 and 23 week pictures! But for now here is the 20 and 21 week shots!

20 weeks, Half Way!

21 weeks!