31 Days!

Here we are; 31 days left.  I had my 35 week appointment last week, and other than the fluids looking a little lower than hoped, everything is going great with Thumper.  We are starting to make progress getting ready too.  I knew that the first step to getting ready for baby would be to find a space to keep his or her little things.  Kaitlyn isn't ready to share a room yet, and we already tried putting a baby with Ellie when Kaitlyn was born, so the best option is to put the baby in with us until Kaitlyn can move with Ellie this summer.

One of our favorite things about this house is the master bedroom closet.  Shayne and I joked that it could be used as a nursery because it is SO BIG.  Whatever your thinking, it's probably bigger.  I LOVE our closet.  It's as big as a room with TWO small doors and lots of storage space.  Putting our things on one half of the closet was easy!  Now Thumper has a space for clothes, diapers, and all the baby things he or she will need.  Shayne is going to bring up the baby boxes later and we can start sorting out, cleaning, checking parts, and making sure that everything will be ready in time. Although it's stressful, this is the fun part.

I will be REALLY excited when I can click "buy" on my Amazon shopping cart.  Realizing that our money might not be in until March 7th (13 days to due date!) I moved everything from my Wal-Mart shopping card over to Amazon.  My brother Evan and I have Amazon Prime together so everything that qualifies (which is everything in my cart) gets sent in two days for FREE.  I guess since I might have to wait until March 7th, it's good to know that it can get here in a couple of days and hopefully everything we already have will be all ready to go. It will be like a second Christmas to get all those packages!

Which reminds me; I need to pack my hospital bag... and get a hair cut... and maybe my toes done.

Time is flying.  I know the days will get longer from here, but for now, it seems like the baby will be here in a flash and I might not be ready.  I am really excited for my next appointment.  I will be 37 weeks, full term, and my doctor will start monitoring any progress I am making.  I am really hoping for a natural birth this time around and in order for that to happen, I NEED to go into labor on my own.  Never having this experience, I am hoping for the best in this situation.  Unfortunately, you can not be induced with a v-bac so I will be trying everything safe I can to help this labor happen when we are in the safe zone. Spicy food anyone? :-D

That's all the pregnancy updates I have for now.  I am getting more excited every day to see this little one and bring him or her home. THAT will be a good day.

Welcome Baby Noah!

I am so proud to announce the birth of my newest nephew Noah Allen Joesph Munn to my brother and sister in law, Patrick and Ashley.  Early into our pregnancies, Ashley and I  joked that our babies must have jumped down from Heaven holding hands destined to be best friends.  I was so thrilled to be having a baby so close in age with little Noah.  We were only six weeks apart in our due dates which made talking about our pregnancies very fun.

I wish I could say I was there when little Noah was born, but he was in Pennsylvania.  I like to think I was there in spirit though because Ashley and I communicated a lot through text messaging and at times, it felt like I was really there with them.  When I got the word that things weren't going as planned with the delivery and Ashley would need a c-section, I wished even more that I could be there with them. I knew that Ashley had the strength and courage to have the surgery, but I also knew how much she hoped for a normal delivery and it would not be easy to accept for any of us.  I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning with her sister Brooke over the telephone waiting for the word that Noah and Ashley were doing ok.

Noah came Feb. 13, 2013 at 3:37 a.m. weighing 8.08 lbs, and 20 1/2 inches long.  He is perfect and absolutely adorable!  I wish every day I could hold him and can't wait to meet the little sweetie in person.  Ashley says he is a such a good baby - he nurses well, sleeps well, and is full of so much personality already! He is a blessing to everyone around him.  Both mom and baby are doing well.  Patrick and Ashley will be amazing parents and Noah will be a happy and very loved child.

Welcome little Munnkey! We love you! 

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous 

 It's to decide forever to have your heart go outside your body." - Elizabeth Stone

Valentine's Day 2013

Our family doesn't usually make the biggest deal out of Valentine's Day but I was looking forward to the holiday this year. Shayne and I decided ahead of time that it would be the perfect night to try making our favorite soup at Olive Garden, Zuppa Tuscana, and have little Olive Garden inspired dinner right at home with our two beautiful daughters. It's always a treat when Shayne cooks us a meal, so I expected greatness.  He cooked, while me and the girls set up a fancy dinner table.  The dinner was AMAZING.  We even ate by candle light.  Even though it wasn't the typical date night alone, we loved spending it with the people we love most; our family.

I had a little extra fun this Valentine's Day by doing the girls hair in hearts, and buying them each a traditional yearly Valentine bear, balloon, and candy.  It's always fun to see their faces, even though they have come to expect the same kind of present every year.  Ellie came home with several candies, of course, and I loved hearing about how our home-made "monster" Valentines were the most popular of the class!  

Shayne and I never do much for Valentines Day, but I surprised him by having some chocolate covered strawberries and a balloon for him that said I LOVE YOU all over.  He got the the world's biggest box of Whitman's Sampler (MY FAVORITE!!!) and a rose.  We have yet to have our Valentine's date out, but even without we had a great Valentine's Day this year.  

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

32 Weeks!

January 25, 2013

When I start a pregnancy, I always think how close 32 weeks would be.  Now that I am here, I have to admit, it still seems a long 6-8 weeks away until we meet this baby.  I prefer to look at it as 54 days to go!  This makes it seem right around the corner, and when I think of it this way everything does seem close!

Every part of pregnancy comes with the usual whoa's.  I find the last trimester's hardest of all.  With every week, I am feeling HUGE.  Sitting upright, bending over, getting up from a sitting position are all getting hard.  With my belly so big and awkward, I find that eating has it's challenges too; I spill something on myself at almost every meal!  The next biggest complaint I have is the sciatic nerve pain that just decided to set in. Sitting wrong or on hard chairs, kneeling, sitting on the hard floor, bending over slightly, and sometimes just walking will make a pain SHOOT up my leg and into my bum.  Of course I am having a couple very annoying issues with my sleep and bodily functions, but they are best left without details.  Overall though, I am trying to wait out the next 6-8 weeks with a positive attitude.  

February is my month to prepare.  By the end of February I will be 37 weeks.  Time to bring things upstairs, dust and clean everything and make sure it's all in working order by the time the baby comes.  Shayne and I sold our old car seat travel system and want to purchase a new car seat for this baby this month too. We are really lucky to have almost everything gender neutral already, but I am surprised at the amount of things we are buying... for example a playpen (our old one is pretty disgusting), highchair (our old one's straps broke), and I would like a double stroller, even a used one, at some point. Who can forget the annoying things you have to buy for each baby?  Soaps, lotions, bottle stuff, nursing items, pacifiers, a health and beauty kit, etc... it all adds up.  

My sister in law, Uurtsaikh, wants to throw us a baby shower... I suppose it would be helpful if we end up having a boy.  I am already overwhelmed at how much we are spending on this baby so help with clothes and diapers might be wonderful.  I haven't fully decided yet.   I feel kind of funny having a baby shower for my third baby although I know a lot of people do them.

One way I am happy to say I am prepared is with meals :).  Every time I have a baby, it seems I hold too high of expectations on how many meals to expect neighbors and family to help out with. Remembering that the average is only two meals, and with the possibility of a c-section looming I need to know that we will be taken care of - especially since Shayne only gets one short week off when the baby arrives. With this in mind, I have pre-made nearly ten slow cooker meals.  I find that slow cooker meals work out wonderfully for my energy level and I like having it ready whenever we want to eat it.  I am so excited to know that we have tasty meals ready to be cooked when baby comes.

My 32 week appointment was delayed thanks to a respiratory infection I got during my 32nd week.  At 33 weeks, I was so proud to tell my doctor that I had only gained a pound that month. My blood pressure was excellent, and the baby seemed to be doing great! Silly doctors though; when you tell them you only gained a pound, they get you back in ultrasound to make sure that the baby is still growing.  Luckily, the baby is right on target and I didn't mind seeing the little person again. 

My next appointment will be at 35 weeks.  35 WEEKS.  It's really snuck up on me.  To be honest, although I am uncomfortable much of the time, I don't feel ready yet and am overwhelmed with the amount of preparation that needs to be done.  I know that it will all come together... sometime.

Happy New Year 2013!

After a busy Christmas, I admit that the thought of a kid-friendly New Years Eve at home sounded like the perfect idea... and it was.  We planned a little 'party' for the girls, my brother David, Shayne, and myself.  Our party wasn't much more than pizza, a few snacks, soda, kid board games, a small firework show, and Wii games.  Kaitlyn went to bed around 9:00, so half of the night we were quietly welcoming the new year after that.  David there we had a lot of good laughs, and he seemed to add some excitement to the evening - much more than it just being the four of us.  At midnight, we quietly toasted to the new year with sparkling cider.  It was the perfect evening and the most fun I had on a New Years Eve in a long time.