Enough Already!

If I have to hear from ONE MORE person how MISERABLE I'm going to be in the summer during my third trimester, I'm going to S-C-R-E-A-M!



.......................That is all.

6 Month Appointment

Yay for a successful doctors appointment today! Ally is measuring right on target at 1 pound, 8 ounce! I can actually breath for a while knowing that she is okay! She also showed herself for the first time today in 3D! It was so amazing to see her face! The image isn't perfect because I'm still pretty early on for 3D pictures. The technician said in about a month the pictures will turn out a lot better because there will be more fluid which helps produce the pictures. Nonetheless, it's still my baby girl! <3 I'm so in love!


My mom is taking me to a 3D specialty place in a few weeks and they will do an hour long session where we will get video too. I'm super excited for that! The images should be much clearer! Yipee! On a different note, my baby shower invitations will be here tomorrow and they should be going out by the end of this month! The baby shower is June 26th! Also, Ally's crib bedding was ordered on Sunday and should be here by the end of the week! Things are starting to come together! Here's the link to the nursery theme:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3755957

That's all for now! <3

Pregnancy. A Rant.

So it's been a little while since I've posted but only because there hasn't been anything significant happening lately. I am currently 5 and a half months pregnant and yes, I'm about to vent. You've been warned...

I thought that when this day finally came and I got what I've wanted for so long, I would enjoy every second of it. That being said, it couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm already starting to feel uncomfortable in my daily activities, i.e.: walking, bending over, sleeping, being awake... haha. I'm having pains I never new existed, sleep deprivation which I've never experienced, and anxiety like nothing I've ever known.

I know what you're thinking... "GIRL, you just WAIT until your baby is here!" Okay, okay! I get it! I know I'm not going to be sleeping, I know I'm going to be worried all the time, but that time is not right now. Right now, I'm dealing with these pregnancy issues and I'd appreciate it if you'd just let me be cranky! Thanks! : )

I know that the moment Ally arrives, our lives are going to instantly change forever. I know we're going to experience a love that we didn't even know was possible and I want that so badly! I just want it to be here now! Though I feel like I'm emotionally ready, I am no where NEAR physically ready. Thanks to my amazing sister-in-law, Sarah, we have a good start on baby stuff but we have a long, long way to go. With 3 and a half months to go, I have less time in front of me than behind me which is... SCARY! I know the baby shower will be a huge help, but I'm a planner (almost at an OCD level) and I feel like everything needs to be done NOW, hence my anxiety!

On a different note, I had my 20 week ultrasound 2 weeks ago and everything looked good. She is measuring 2 days behind but that is normal according to my doctor. The doctor said she'd probably be a 6 or 7 pounder. Don't even think about joining the baby pool now that you know that bit of information! I go back on May 11th because when the tech was doing my ultrasound, Ally decided to face towards my back and she wouldn't turn over for anything. We didn't even get to see her face or more importantly for the anatomy scan, her heart. So wish us luck on the 11th! Hopefully she's not being stubborn and will show us what we need (and want!)

Before I Was a Mom...

I received this poem from my mother-in-law and I had to share it.

Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on,
Pooped on,
Chewed on,
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body...
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment,
or the satisfaction of being a Mom ...
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

- Author Unknown

Holy Babies'R'Us!

I finally registered for my baby shower yesterday. I say "finally" because all of the women on my pregnancy forum have been done for weeks. I have no idea why because their showers will be around the same time as mine (end of June) and I felt out of the loop. Apparently everyone wants to be ahead of the game. Usually I'm one of those people but because I have no idea what I'm doing, it's taking me a while to get motivated. Plus I've been on Spring Break for a week and have gotten absolutely nothing accomplished.

That being said, I feel so relieved! Not that I've actually purchased anything but just getting an idea of what I need is calming. I registered at Babies'R'Us online because going into that store right now makes me anxious. There are thousands and thousands of items and it's so overwhelming.

After a review by Shannan and my mom, I think I have everything covered! Here's the problem... I need so much stuff! And I'm not talking the diaper genie, bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer, baby wipe warmer... I'm talking about the basic necessities! I'm hoping that the people attending the baby shower will not ignore the registry just to buy "cute newborn outfits" that Ally will probably be able to wear once and grow out of... Maybe I could put something on the invitation like, "necessities only".... No?

Speaking of "cute newborn outfits", my sister-in-law came over the other day with some really cute outfits for Ally! Note: these outfits are NOT newborn because she is a smart cookie!

























So cute, right?!?! She is going to be the BEST Auntie ever! Sorry about the pictures... I was taking them quick on my phone to show my mom and was too lazy to take better ones. Also, I have NO idea why the layout of the pictures is so messed up but I can't figure out how to fix them... Why is blogger being so difficult today??

If you want to take a peek at my registry, here's the link: (If you notice something I'm missing, send me a comment! Thanks!)

http://www.toysrus.com/registry/search/index.jsp?_flowExecutionKey=_cD8CB1A9A-FA71-9940-7A7A-5C3D7C6FB9F5_k23A9FA1D-F19A-5716-CE41-17E883BD2582&overrideStore=TRUS

The Celebrity

My husband is right in the middle of changing jobs, sort of. He has been working as a technician (mechanic) for Saturn of Henderson for the past 4 years and they are closing. As I'm sure you've heard, Saturn is no longer. The dealership is owned by Findlay and because he is SO good at what he does, they are transferring him to Findlay Chevy on 215 and Rainbow. There were 12 technicians at Saturn and they are only taking 3 over to Chevy.

This is a good thing for several reasons. One, he won't have to drive to Henderson everyday! Woo hoo for saving on gas! Chevy is WAY close to our house! Two, he has been wanting to work there since they opened. It is like his dream of dreams job. Since Saturn is closing and there are still many Saturns on the road, the 3 that are being transferred will still be "Saturn" technicians. Shane is hoping that after a while, he will be able to work on Chevys too. (Both are the GM brand and he is certified to work on any GM but he's not sure how the "Chevy" technicians will feel about them taking over.)

He is hoping when he moves there; his first day is Thursday, April 1st; that he will be as busy as he was at Saturn (he is paid on a straight commission basis). For example: if he does a transmission job and Saturn pays him 20 hours to do it and he gets it done in 2 hours, he still gets paid for the 20 hours, times his hourly wage. So he has the ability to make a great deal more than he actually works. I think his highest paycheck to date was something past the 300 hour range (over a 2 week period, working only 90 hours.) He has so much motivation and loves his job so much I really can't see there being an issue.

I tell him all the time how lucky he is to love what he does for a living. There are very few people in this world who have that same feeling. I am so proud of him and everything that he has done for himself and our little (expanding) family. And every day I tell myself how lucky I am to have such a motivated, loving, caring, husband.

Here is the picture from the article. His eyes are closed, of course! They are supposed to be pointing to the "future" at Chevy but to me, it just looks silly!

Here is the link to the full article. My celebrity. <3

http://www.lvrj.com/drive/saturn-dealership-closes--workers-move-to-chevy-89253452.html

Alien Baby!

For the past two weeks or so, I have begun to feel Ally move around in my ever-expanding belly. At first, I wasn't sure if it was her moving or just.... gas. (Eek!) By now, I can differentiate between the two. Yesterday and today, I have felt her so much! She is ACTIVE! I thought babies were supposed to sleep alot??? Not that I mind! Every time is happens, I get a big smile on my face. All of this movement got me thinking...

ALIEN!

Holy cow! There is something inside of me that is...... living?!?! Women have babies every single day; every minute of every single day. But you (me) never really think about how amazing and crazy it is until it's happening to you (me).

I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to experience this. For a long time, I didn't think it was going to happen for us. And now that it has, I'm trying to enjoy every second of it, whether it be a good experience or bad. So far, my pregnancy has been pretty mellow. No morning sickness, no cravings (yet) or aversions (yet) to food and only mild tiredness. I sure hope it stays this easy! (I'm not counting on it.)

Anyway, I'm so in LOVE with my alien baby!

It's a.........................

We're having a GIRL!!!!!!!! At 13 weeks, we had a scan done to determine the chances of down syndrome (results came out fantastically) and the ultrasound technician asked if we wanted to know the sex. I was shocked because I was only 13 weeks pregnant and I thought it was impossible to tell that early. Sure enough, she said she was 80% sure BK was a girl and at our 16 week ultrasound, my doctor confirmed it! Shopping is going to be SOOO much fun! I can't WAIT to get started!

Here's the first thing purchased for Ally by my friend Shannan:








Aww! I'm getting so excited!

One Word...Doppler.

Because of my history of miscarriages, I am understandably nervous about this pregnancy. Though now out of the really scary part and well into my second trimester, I am still a bit apprehensive. One of my friends recommended me to buy a doppler (a device where you can hear the baby's heartbeat) to use at home. She said it would ease my mind a bit about how the baby is doing. I searched online and found one that had a speaker so both Shane and I could listen to it.
This is the one I got. When it came in the mail, I couldn't WAIT to try it out! The directions say exactly this: Add a generous amount of lubricant to the end of the wand and point the wand at the baby's chest. Hmmm... how in the heck do I know where the baby's chest is?? So I decided to just start searching all around. When I found a heartbeat, I was so excited however it wasn't nearly as fast as I thought it should be. During my last ultrasound, BK's heartbeat was 155 and this heartbeat wouldn't go past 105. I started to get concerned so I posted a question on a pregnancy forum I spend a lot of time on. Someone mentioned it was probably my heartbeat I found and not BK's. Well... that's a relief! I tried again and still could only find my heartbeat. So I got frustrated and gave up for a few days.

A friend I met on the pregnancy forum just got a doppler as well and she said I should try to look lower (near my pelvic bone) and what do you know?? There is was! Clear as day! There was no mistaking it was BK's heartbeat so I sat there for 15 minutes just listening to it. It made me feel so much better!

I thought I would go crazy with this thing using it night and day (as did everyone else that knew I purchased it) but it hasn't been too bad! I've only been using it about once a week or so. It's just so nice to be reassured in between doctor appointments!

Best $60 I ever spent!

Baby Koehler Actually Looks Like a Baby! (sort of)

Ta Da!!!! This ultrasound picture was taken at 10 weeks. Everything looks perfect! BK (Baby Koehler) is measuring right on schedule and the heartbeat is perfect! This is REALLY happening!?!?!

Is BK a boy or a girl??? I guess we'll just have to wait and see!!!