almost can't see my feet!

34 weeks! can't belive how quickly time has flown! people say that when i tell them how far along i am, then quickly apologize and say that it probably doesn't seem that way to me... but i totally agree with them! i think since i am so busy the past 7 1/2 months have just slipped on by. i've had such an easy pregnancy too, i can't really complain. besides being a little more tired than normal, my belly growing and growing, and much walking to fight the "elephantitis" (much more flattering description than "kankles"!!!), i have been pretty blessed and for the most part been enjoying the pregnancy.

only about 6 more weeks to go until we get to finally meet the little man!

*Eli Bradley Stebbins*

i really can't belive it.... it's so wierd to anticipate finally having him in our arms, to see his little face, get to know his little personality. can't wait!

i'm seeing my OB every two weeks now until july when i go to every week. everything is looking good, i'm measuring right on. i'm not too huge though, so i'm praying for a healthy smallish baby! =) we'll see how that goes!

the nursery is looking pretty put together- all painted in browns, with eclectic sentemental blue "boy" decorations. the crib, dresser/changing table, double bed (for late night feedings), shelves and rocking chair are all in there. i've been washing hand-me-down clothes and organizing them in the drawers. it's so exciting to just sit in the rocker, looking at the room that will soon hold our little son.

i had my first baby shower for him yesterday- church friends and family. so much fun, we were blessed with so many cute things that we need for him. such a shower of love.

brad is getting so excited and impatient. =) i think that time is creeping by much more slowly for him. he's so cute though! he can't wait to be a daddy- he loves to talk to Eli and cuddle in bed with his hand on my belly to feel him roll around. he was so excited to get our jogger stroller (a gift from his dad and step mom) and the matching carseat (a gift from my dad)- as soon as we got them he put them all together, checked out all the features, wheeled it around the house.... took the carseat and base out to the truck to figure out how to get it all strapped in correctly. =) he was very thankful though when "auntie michelle" gifted us with a pad that goes under the carseat base, since he was a little concerned about the carseat making marks on the leather seat. =) haha we might need to invest in a complete cover for the inside of the truck! =)

the little one seems healthy and happy- he just rolls and rolls! if it's any indication of who he'll be when he comes out, he's going to be quite the little monkey! he loves to curl up under my ribs though... making it somewhat difficult to sit. =P i've been trying to tell how he's positioned- can't quite tell yet if he's head down.... hoping he does choose that position soon though!

i will try to update this blog a little more often now- at least a time or two in the next 6 weeks. if i don't though, there should be updates on my facebook page. ;)

baby's coming soon!!!! =)

Anticipation

21 weeks! i can't believe that the time has flown so quickly. i've been horrible about posting on this blog, but here are the updates:

• i felt the first movement 4 weeks ago! (week 17) some people have described the movements as "fluttering", "goldfish flopping", "lava bubbles"... but mine was a distinct KICK! we were sitting at the movie theater, previews were just starting, and there it was! =) ever since i first felt it, the movements have become more distinct, gotten stronger and are much more frequent- recently i've been feeling more of a "rolling" feeling too. this little one is going to be active! =) i love the feeling of it moving- it just makes me smile every time i feel it. =) brad has felt it roll and kick a few times too- it really helps make it more real for him. =)
• we started our registry- just to get an idea of what we're needing and wanting. there is much more to put on the list- it's hard when you want to really invest and get the "best" stroller, car seat, bottles, etc. so much research!
• the belly is growing! finally! i'm mostly in maternity stuff, although i'm still loving using the bella band- such a lifesaver!
• the baby room is still a work in progress. =P we've gotten it mostly cleaned out and stuff put up in the attic, but we're still deciding how we want to paint it....
• we've been compiling a list of names that we both can agree on- it's kind of short though. you would think that out of a book of 55,000 baby names, there would be at least a couple that sound good! such a hard decision, the naming of a brand new little human. it really has to be just right...
• we're starting to collect odds and ends of baby stuff from friends, cousins, aunts and uncles... so far we have a high chair , bassinet, pack and play, crib, backpack carrier for next summer... and we've had offers of TONS of girl clothes if that's what we end up having.... which brings me to....
• the ULTRASOUND! we're scheduled to get a peek at the little one on Thursday 03.19.09. sooooooo excited!!!!! can't wait to find out what we're having! brad was really leaning more towards wanting a girl, (i haven't really felt one way or the other...) but now he's back pretty much towards the middle. there are great things about having either- we're just looking forward to a healthy little one! =)

so that's the latest! i'll post the results of the ultrasound as soon as i can! =)

second trimester, here we come!

i can't believe that the first trimester is almost over already! it seems like the time has just flown by... i will be 14 weeks on tuesday and officially enter the second trimester.
here are some of the things that have come with the first 13 weeks of being pregnant:

• lots and lots of pickles at first... so stereotypical, but it was the only thing that always sounded good!
• only getting sick twice- i have been very blessed...
• starting to get a little belly pooch- the first time i've had any sort of belly... so weird.
• random cravings for pasta, salty things, fruit, chinese food, fish.
• my face breaking out like crazy. =P
• many, many, many trips to the bathroom.
• adjusting to sleeping on my side- interrupted by at least one nightly trip to the bathroom.
• squeezing into my "fat" pants and the buying of my first maternity pants for when i can't squeeze anymore. =)
• buying pregnancy books for me and for brad.... =)
• getting the weekly email updates from babycenter.com, finding out what kind of food our baby is the size of... watching it grow from the size of a poppy seed to the size of a medium shrimp like it is now. (woohoo!)
• seeing our little one for the first time on the screen of the ultrasound machine... one of the best moments of my life.
• starting to think about being a family soon... thinking in terms of "the three of us"... planning the baby room.... picking out names...

it's been fun so far- i'm looking forward to the next trimester! i can't wait to start showing some more, to get the ultrasound to find out whether it is a boy or a girl, to get the baby room painted and set up, to feel the first movements of the little one inside me. =)

first dr's appointment!

last monday we had our first dr's appointment! Brad got to go with me- i'm so glad he was there to get to experience it. and it was so nice to have his support and jokes throughout the whole thing to make me laugh. =) he's so great. <3


we are going to Dr. Tomlinson- Dr. Dan as he is affectionately known as by his patients. such an awesome Christian man, he made us feel comfortable and like our baby was special and important to him. he makes it a point to try to deliver all of his babies whether he is on call or not- and he is successful at that 85% of the time.


everything looked normal and good- with me and the little one... he figured that i was almost 12 weeks along, putting my due date at July 28th. yay- smack dab in the middle of summer. =P haha actually, i am looking forward to hanging my huge baby belly out of a cute bikini around the pool the whole month of july! =) summer maternity clothes are cute, right? ;)


oh! and we had our first ultrasound too! it was one of the most awesome moments of my life to be laying there, have him put the wand on my little belly and see the first images of our little one pop up onto the screen.... see its little heart beating and see it actually moving around. so amazing. =) i was glad too that i was so far along in the pregnancy already, because you could tell that it looked like an actual little baby, fully formed- only really little!

once upon a time...

Brad and i were married on November 4th, 2005. yep, it's been 3 years, can you believe it?
we've been wanting to start a family for awhile now- but with Brad's analytical mind and our actual lack of time or money- we really couldn't see ourselves realistically being parents any time soon. haha well, as time went by and our situation really wasn't changing any (and Brad turning 30 last july and feeling the time crunch before he would be considered an "old dad"...) we really started praying about starting a family anyway. so, after much prayer and the wisdom we received from the people we trust for advice, we felt like it was time to just take a step of faith and see where God took us!
September 20th was my last day of birth control- December 10th we found out that we were expecting! we were so excited and in shock... i had to take two pregnancy tests before Brad would even tell anyone the news. =) it was really fun to get to talk to all the family about it over Christmas- it was such a great Christmas present for us.
it was so weird to find out- even though i knew that it would/could be coming... i just felt in shock about it for quite awhile. i had a couple of weeks right when i found out that i really felt queasy though, so that helped to convince me that i really was carrying a little miracle!

why a blog?

all right! here goes! =)
i decided to this blog to keep everyone who cares updated on the growth of the little one- and my belly!- and as a way to kind of journal my thoughts and experiences of being pregnant and a new momma. i will try to keep it as updated as possible- although i have a little bit of catching up to do, as i am starting a little later than i wanted to. ;)
so it begins....