Who Knew This Little Guy Would Bring Us Closer Together

Do Not Tell Dan I Told You This........

My mom gave me this little stuffed animal at the baby shower a week ago. He is the newest version of the Glo Worm from when I was a kid. You squeeze it, it lights up and plays classical music and water noises to lull the baby to sleep. So I took it out of its packaging and put it into Sophia's crib for the time being. Dan on a couple of occasions since then has taken it out right before we go to bed, squeezed it and put it on my belly. He's been talking to Sophia and he says this is important. That way he can lull her to sleep so I will sleep better. How precious is that? I love my hubby soooooo much. He is a God send. I am a very lucky woman!!!

Flu Shots......Ouch!!

Dan and I went over to Target to the pharmacy to get our Flu shots on Friday night after work. Mandatory for me being pregnant and semi mandatory for Dan being around Sophia so much after birth just for precautionary sake. Dan was a champ. He always is but usually gets the Flu from the shot and is down for 2-3 days right after. We got lucky. No reaction this time and he is feeling right as rain. Me on the other hand......I have an Owie!!! ;( They gave me a different Flu shot without the egg protein mixture in it to be safe that it doesn't cause an allergic reaction for Sophia. It was a bigger needle, a different kind of shot looks wise (big, blue, round cylinder kind of like a mini mag light flashlight but you can see through the plastic) with the needle nestled inside. When I got it, it hurt worse than any other Flu shot I had gotten before. I got a big welt on my left arm from it from where all of the fluid rested under the muscle. It took 2 days for the welt to disappear and the vaccine to dissipate. Hurt like a you know what and of course not thinkig Dan spent most of the weekend jabbing me in the left arm to get my attention not realizing that, that was the arm I got the shot in! Ow!!!!. All is good though this Monday morning. Feel great. Glad to have the shot, glad for that to be over.

Health Update....

I had a Dr.'s appt.this past week with my baby Dr. It was the first time in almost 6 weeks that I got to go face to face, mano y mano with my baby Dr. and we had a chance to talk about a little of everything. So far all of the blood work has come back negative. No Tay Sachs, no Down Syndrome, nothing. Praise God!. I also, after doing my 2nd blood glucose test (the 3 hr. one) am gestational diabetes free Another big Whoop! Whoop! for the "Big Guy Upstairs". My baby Dr. then weighed in on the cancer. Both incidences were cancer yes. However they were pre-cancer at the time they were caught. Both times the offending tissue was removed in its entirety and I am officially Cancer free. No chemo, no radiation, no meds. Thank God! He says although concerning that they happened so close together it is just a coincidence and I am going to have to be careful going forward constantly checking myself and doing my normal Dr.'s check-ups so that we don't miss anything in the future. On the flip side, Sophia is just fine. This is a me thing, my cells, my body not a baby thing. She is happy and healthy and will be delivered that way. After delivery though they may want to do some exams and tests just to make sure internally no cells grew during gestation since we can't see them right now. Aw...... ok now I can breathe a sigh of relief. Scary, yes. Frightening and unnerving to say the least. Happy that it is all over. Thank you to all of my family and friends who sent best wishes, words of encouragement and prayers. They were greatly appreciated and helped in times of uncertainty and distress. I love each and every one of you. God has blessed me by putting you in my life and I am eternally grateful.

Baby Nursery Is Done!!!

Finally finished. Now I just need to wash all of her tiny clothes, fold them and then put them into her dresser. Aw.... the sweet smell of accomplishment (and baby powder might I add) LOL!

Crass But Funny As Hell! Are You With Me Mommies???.......

Seeing as though it is Halloween, it is only fitting to see a lot of pumpkin carving going on. But when my friend Sheila Kercher sent me this via Facebook, I peed myself. Crass.......Yes. Hilarious....True. But priceless none the less!!!!



Baby Bump Pics Month #7

Took my next round of baby bump pics last night and got some of the prelims back already. Enjoy! More to come by weeks end.

Baby Shower #1

What a beautiful day. Great weather, great food, great conversation and surrounded by the people I love. And oh my gosh the flowers! What a beautiful bunch of arrangements. Thank you to all of you who attended and especially to my mom Rosemary, sisters Kimberly and Cynthia and my Mother-In-Law Laura for prepping and putting on my baby shower I am eternally grateful! Wow! I had so much fun. So much going on all at one time in one day. The games were fun, the decorations were spectacular and the clothes..... of my gosh Sophia's butt is going to be soooo tiny. All of the little pants and skirts and tights. And to think, when I look at my niece Faith and see she is so big and then realize Sophia will be a tenth of that it almost scares me to think she is going to be so fragile and tiny and breakable. New mom worries I guess.

I received my stroller and baby carrier travel system plus car seat bases for the car, baby slings, baby Bjorn carrier, bath time sets, receiving blankets, wash clothes, teethers, bath towels with hoodies (giraffe and dog- soooo cute), all of the mommy breast pump and necessities, a tummy time mat, bouncer, stuffed animals, pacifiers, baby proofing kits, diapers, diapers and more diapers, clothes galore (so cute- my favorite is a onesie my sister Kim bought that says Daddy says I can't date till I'm 25!), play pen, and a ton of other odds and ends that are a necessity. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life to share with Daniel and I this special time and to prepare us for the most important journey of our lives together....parenthood!

Oh and the cake....you are going to die! My friend Lindsay made it and it was 3 tiers painted blue at the top of each tier and green at the bottom of each tier. It had palm trees with coconuts on it and then she hand painted shortbread cookies in the shapes of zebras, tigers, elephants and monkeys and placed them all around the 3 tiers. Just stunning. So much love and time and energy put into something you are going eat! And boy was it good. The top tier was white cake with strawberry butter cream filling. The 2nd tier was strawberry cake with vanilla bean butter cream filling. The 3rd tier was butter cake with chocolate ganash. Are you drooling yet??? LOL I had a moment of weakness and had a piece of each. Ha, Ha.

And oh my gosh you won't believe it! I don't know how she did it but my mother in law hand made me 2 caps and 2 sleeping sacks for Sophia and another friend Ivy made Sophia's first baby blanket. And I have been in and out of my mother in laws house numerous times in the past few weeks and she was able to hide of the the machines and sewing stuff from me. Woo. So cool. Sophia's gonna love them.

96 Days & Counting.....

Ahhhh..... countdown time. I have less than 96 days till Sophia is here. Yeah!!!! And tomorrow is my family baby shower. So excited. Can't wait to see my family and friends and celebrate. So many of my family members and friends are pregnant right now and I can't wait to swap stories, take pictures and spend quality time together. I am soooo happy. So many people say that the 3rd trimester is so much harder. I will agree, but so many more wonderful, beautiful things happen in the 3rd trimester as well. I am taking each day, 1 day at a time and enjoying everything in passing. I am trying not to waste any moment of this entire process. I am documenting everything here on my blog or in my leather bound journal that I will give Sophia once she is old enough to read it and understand it. I am on the last 2 tasks to finish Sophia's crib and nursery area in the apartment. Can't wait till it is done and I can post photos for you all to see. So thankful for all of those special close people in my life right now who love me and are watching over me, who are putting on my baby showers, who are supporting me, who are making sure that I have everything I need and can really just nest at this time in my life with my husband, dog and belly bump. Call me spoiled. I don't care. I am loved. And I am thankful and appreciative for all of it.

Sooooooo...............Sleepy..........(Zzzzzzzzzzz)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...hmmmm.....phrump.......huuuuuuu.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...(snort) Wha? Oh sorry, a little tired today. Just (yawn) can't get going. Didn't (sniffle) sleep well last night (stretch). Left side didn't work, right side didn't work, back and left hip are aching, acid reflux and indigestion kicked in something fierce last night. Dan even left the bed for the couch with all of his pillows and blankets in tow. At least the dog didn't abandon me. He preferred to try to sleep right on top of Sophia (obviously this didn't help). I am in need of so serious sheep counting, sand man dust or drugs tonight to knock me out. 5 o'clock rolled around before I got comfortable and could doze off and then I was up an hour later to get ready for work. Maybe if I get my clothes out for tomorrow, pack my lunch, prep the house the night before I might get to bed early tonight and sleep in just a little tomorrow morning. Here's hoping!

Going To The Salon Never Felt Sooooo Good!

In preparation to make myself a whole and put together woman for the baby shower this weekend, I headed to the salon last night after work. I got a chance to box dye my hair at home on Sunday afternoon and needed the rest of the up keep and maintainance done by someone else. I walked in and they were busy. I ordered up a Mani, Pedi and Brow Wax. They took me over to the massage chairs where they do the Pedicures and drew me a foot bath. They said they were running late and would I mind soaking and relaxing for a while? Me, Little Old Me? Why sure, I would love to wait and soak and relax and get a back massage in the chair. No inconvenience at all!!!! LOL It was like a little piece of Heaven. A 20 minute foot bath/soak with the jets going, all warm and smelling of lavender bath salts and perfumed oil. A back massage that I could control by remote control and T.V. remote (which I don't get much in my household) to watch what I wanted on the T.V.. Awwwwwwww!! This is the life. Can I do this every day after work, especially Mondays? Yea Mondays would be good. So Mani with French Manicure and Pedi with French Manicure and Brow wax an hour and 15 minutes later I was beautiful, in one piece and feelin' Foxy!! LOL Better yet, I got home and Dan had made dinner for me. I am sooooo spoiled. And life is sooooooo good!

Glucose Tolerance Test #2

That's right, they made me do it again. I guess I failed the first time getting a 152 or was it a 154. This time they made me do the 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test. What a bear!!! I stayed up late last night to eat a 4th meal so that I only had the 8 hour fast vs. going to bed normal time last time when I had a 13 hour fast. I got up, got out, went to the lab, had an appointment at 9am but they took me as soon as I got in because they knew I was fasting. They took blood at the fasting rate, made me drink the syrup again and then tested my blood every hour on the hour for 3 hours. Oi Vay! What drama. I was tired, so hungry and so cranky. I mean truly what more can you ask out of a preggers. Isn't sucking me dry enough but that I also have to drink this terrible stuff and hang around for 3 hours!!! I need a nap. Hopefully the results are favorable this time. My mother-in-law, bite her tongue, said if it doesn't work out they can always make you do it again. Uh Uh, no way, no how, no gonna, no! I feel a hormonal temper tantrum coming on. LOL

Warning: Gross But Worth The Laughs It Will Bring

Late on Saturday night of this past weekend, Bandit seemed completely un-enamored with me. Didn't want a thing to do with me or the baby bump for that matter. He avoided me like the plague, walked around me and refused to sit next to me or on me. How rude! What could I have possibly done. So of course, Dan being the smart butt he is chimed in and said, "Wow you are like one of those ugly kids that the mom has to tie a pork chop around your neck to get the dog to play with you". Ouch! So Bandit wasn't in the mood. I didn't do anything. At least I think I didn't do anything. So Dan jumps up and says, "I have an idea". He went to the pantry, got the peanut butter an rubbed some on my belly bump. Ewwwwwww! He called for Bandit and he came running, smelled the peanut butter and I was his bestest friend in the world at that point in time. I and Sophia were getting licked by the dog who had been coerced by peanut butter and my husband and my husband was on the floor peeing himself he was laughing so hard. So what's a girl to do???!!! LOL Life brings its up and downs. You learn to pick your battles. How could I have been angry with him. It was so funny that even I started laughing. Ahhhh, and I cried a little too. They say laughter is the best medicine. It can cure anything. That is in fact what I am hoping. Laughter is always welcome at my house and I look forward to the sound of baby giggles and gurgles and toddler laughter to come.

Gorilla's, Orangutan's & Monkey's Oh My!!!

I love my Mother-In-Law. She spoils me rotten and she shouldn't. Sometimes I just don't deserve it. She is always thinking of me and the baby as she it out running errands. I was sweetly surprised by a small token she left for me this weekend when I visited her house. Since our Nursery theme is animals, she had recounted to me recently that as kids, she used to call Dan, Stephen and Rachel Gorillas, Orangutan's and Monkeys as kids. She has affectionately adopted the monkey nickname and moniker for Sophia. Laura had left me a small black box titled: "For the Mommy of Sophia". Inside was a small pendant necklace in the shape of a monkey in diamonds and black marquisette. The monkey is hanging from a single arm tail uncurled. So adorably cute. I wore it today and got a ton of compliments on it. Thanks Laura for the gift! It truly is a one of a kind and I love wearing it. Just one more thing to connect me to my little monkey! LOL

And Baby Makes 4???!!!.......

Before you get your panties in a bunch this is not me that I am talking about! I got the most remarkable phone call from my sister Cindy last night. We are heading over to her house tomorrow for Faith's 1st birthday party. She wanted to sit and talk with me a bit to touch base about my baby shower next weekend and the birthday party tomorrow. More importantly she had something to tell me. Cindy is now 5 months pregnant. She didn't want to say anything because she knows I am dealing with the baby showers and this is my first baby so she didn't want to steal my thunder. She made my mom and dad swear to secrecy not to say anything till later till she had the chance to talk to me directly. She is definitely showing now and she can no longer hide it so since I was going to be seeing her tomorrow she waned to tell me to not be shocked. I can't believe it! Sophia and Cindy's #2 will be 2 months apart. They will grow up together, be in the same grade together, go through the same stages in life together and I can take belly bump pics with my sister! How freakin' cool is this. Awesomeness!!! Wow! This is just the best news and I can't believe she kept it from me so long. That little terd. LOL Congrats Cindy, Roy and Faith on your new addition to the family!!!

This One's For The Moms.......

I have lost my knees. I don't know where they have gone. They have disappeared. I have looked everywhere. I have retraced my steps and I can't seem to find my knees. Everyone tells me my feet are the next to go. Oh goodness! How many more of my body parts will go missing, will I not be able to see or find before this roller coaster is over? LOL Shaving has become a real chore. I cant reach things or bend over as far as I used to. I have to move my belly and sit partially just to reach. I am officially ready for someone else to do my waxing just so that shaving is no longer an option.

And blow drying my hair.... who would have thunk it! Leaning over to blow dry gives me a head rush an my equilibrium is now really off. I go flying across the bathroom bumping into things just trying to keep myself up. It is comical. I should have Dan record it and post it to U-Tube. You would die laughing.

And socks.....oh socks. The dreaded morning ritual. Can't reach 'em. Can't get them on. Can't hop to put one on while balancing and surely can't sit on the bed to bend over to put them on. Oh my longing for socks.....

One day, some day soon all of this will return to me. All of my faculties will be normal, by biology will be reset to what it was before and my body parts will come running back to me like a slow mo recorded run and embrace from your favorite chick flick. Oh how I long for those days. In the meantime, VIVA LA PREGNANCY!!!!

Glucose Tolerance Test

The Glucose Tolerance Test is probably the most dreaded test during the 9 months a mom-to-be can go through. You fast for 8 hours, drink this horrible tasting flat sugary syrup, wait and hour and then the lab steals your blood. It's truly terrible. Well, I took mine Tuesday morning. Thank goodness there are now options of flavors: orange, fruit punch and grape. I chose fruit punch. Unfortunately my results came back a 154. Too high for my Dr.'s approval and now I need to re-take it next Monday. However, they are upping the ante. I now need to do the 3 hour glucose tolerance test, not the 1 hour one I did on Tuesday. Bummer. That means my entire Monday morning is now shot. Not really the best way to spend a Monday morning. I can think of a ton of other things: work, laundry, grocery shopping, errand running, sleeping, etc. Once this is all over I will have my next Dr.'s appt on October 25th and get the final results.We will know then whether or not I am having a bout of gestational diabetes with Sophia. It will also give us a chance to sit and talk to the Dr. in more detail about my cancer, thoughts, game plan, follow ups, etc. (Sigh) Only time will tell and unfortunately if you know me well, patience is definately not one of my more honed virtues.

Nicknames......

Everyone has a nickname. Ones we like, ones we don't like. Terms of endearment and terms for ridicule. Growing up I remember my mom being emphatic about making sure she gave each one of us girls our own nickname so people would call us by that rather than making up a nickname for us. I was Pamela therefore Pam, then there was Cynthia therefore Cindy and finally there was Kimberly therefore Kim. Little did she know people would make up nicknames regardless.

I was thinking earlier this week as to what nickname I would call Sophia. As a small child I remember an animated cartoon on the Disney Channel entitled The B.F.G. (The Big Friendly Giant). In the cartoon the main female characters name is Sophi. I just loved the way that name rolled off of my tongue. So precious, so pretty, so feminine. So Sophi it is. But for terms of endearment, that's a whole other story. It's Fall and Harvest time. The leaves have been changing colors and pumpkins are out. Pumpkins, hmmmmmm. Pumpkins. I like that. How about Punkin' (Punk-in) slang for pumpkin. Yeah that's it. She's going to be my little punkin'. Daddy has already chosen princess for his nickname for her. And now I have mine.

We Had Snow.....Well For At Least 2 Hours

We had snow for about 2 hours, then all of a sudden it blew through, warmed up to about 50 degrees and it was long gone. Here is what we drove up into.....

My weekend was great at Hume Lake in the Sequoia National Forest. The retreat was spectacular. The food was she-she gourmet, the company was fantastic but the speaker.....oh the speaker! Sometimes God creates a divine appointment between two people to make sure that they cross paths in life. This was one of them. I met Peggy Rupple our guest speaker for the entire conference. She is a 5 time cancer survivor of non-hodgkins lymphoma. She was a pistol, a tiny little thing filled with life, love and happiness. So of course I cried the entire weekend. God sent me this angel to speak directly to my heart at this exact time in my life and to give me peace in that He is the ultimate physician and He can cure and heal all. I felt connected and strangely drawn to Peggy. I had to meet her. I introduced myself Friday night after her talk and we spoke at lengths about her experiences and my current circumstances. We talked ourselves silly till about 11pm (way past this Preggers bedtime). God is good and he brought about enlightenment and peace for me. I came down the mountain last night a new woman: refreshed, redefined and radiant. I am to be in his word, trust in him that beautiful things can come from Cancer and to not let anyone of anything steal my joy at this place in my life with our impending bundle of joy!

It is only 2 days over a 3 day period of time, it takes an entire year to get to this date on the calendar annually, it is out in the middle of no where and takes 6 hours to get there, but never has anything been so important, so required, so necessary to renew my spirit. I LOVE HUME!!!

We're Off To See The Wizard..... (Naw just heading up the mountain to have a conversation with God)

Woo Hoo! Quiting time at the office. It's 5 o'clock and all is well. Time to grab some grub, head to my moms and crash for the night and then it is up the mountain first thing tomorrow morning. Can't wait. I have to tell you, if you have never been to Hume Lake before, it's like Disneyland. It is definitely one of the more beautiful places on Earth. There is so much to do up there and yes they have shopping, indoor plumbing and food. LOL This year being pregnant I won't be doing the High Adventure Ropes Course, the Bungee Jump or the Off Road Jeep Trek. Probably wont be doing any hiking either since it is 8000+ feet elevation. Looks like it has been raining most of the week weather wise so with the cold front moving in looks like there is snow in my near future. (I love snow! You should see me right now. I am doing the happy dance). I promise to take pics of the area and of the snow (if we truly get some) and of the baby belly enjoying all of it and post them beginning of next week.

More importantly, Hume is a Christian Group Camp where Bible curriculum is provided in a constructive and Christ-like format. I am looking forward to spending some time with my Abba Father this weekend. Listening to the words he places on my heart, the revelations he reveals to me and the course of action he lays at my feet to stand firm in my journey with him by my side. I have to tell you, I am so excited about teaching Sophia about God. About sharing Jesus' testimony and life and laying before her the foundation of an eternal life. God is good. He has blessed me so much over my short life span. I look forward to providing those same blessings to my daughter.

I'm off! T.T.F.N.

Sept 2011 Baby Bump Pics Are In (22 Weeks)

Yeah!!! New baby bump pics. Thanks to Rob's wife Charli for bringing these over last night. I thought I wouldn't see them till Rob got back from his 400 mile bicycle ride benefiting Ride2Recovery next week. I never realized how big I was getting until I saw these pics. Now I know I can't see my knees anymore when I look down but I can still see my feet so I didn't think anything of it. And then I saw these and thought wow I am huge. My little Sophia is a Moose!!! LOL

Happy Harvest Everyone!

Fall is finally here. The weather has changed, the rain has begun and its time to break out the galoshes and rain coats, hot chocolate and marshmellows, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomoato soup. Ahhhhh, cooler weather, I just love it. Fall is here and the baby is coming. THE BABY IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH SHOOT, QUICK WE STILL NEED A CRIB MATTRESS AND WATER PROOF PADS, A CHANGER PAD WATERPROOF COVER AND ............. OMG! We are so close to the 100 day mark I can't believe it. 90 days is 3 months with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's in between. Wow time really does go by so fast.

My mom keeps reminding me to take everything in. To do everything, to try everything, to document everything. You only get the chance to do this the first time once. I am enjoying slowing down. I used to be early, now I am on time after the baby comes I am sure I will be late. LOL I notice things now that I didn't notice before. I stop to smell the roses so to speak and it is a beautiful thing. As Martha would say "It's a good thing". I am looking forward to gettting some fall leaves and some pumpkins from the patch near our house and decorating for Fall. More importantly I am overwhelmed by how much I have to be thankful for this year over the up and coming Thanksgiving holiday. I am terribly greatful for my friends and family, near and far. For my career and all of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me so far this year. This is just the beginning.

Countdown Clock.....

I got this really cool widget for my Blog when I first started it all those months ago. It tells you how many days I have left till the due date. Today it says 114 more days to go. I can't wait for another 14 days to go by. 100 days is such a round number. As soon as we get into double digits it will really hit me and then we will be in the home stretch. I am soooooo excited.

As soon as Rob our photographer gets home from his 400 mile bicycle ride, yes I said 400 miles, (He is doing Ride2Recovery a bicycling fundraiser for wounded veterans this entire week. Check out the website http://ride2recovery.com/sponsor-a-rider.html and pledge towards his efforts under Robert Kugler) we will post the new baby bump pics. I have definitely grown. This makes me excited and nervous. Just how much bigger will Sophia get thus how much bigger will I get!!! Yikes. LOL

Had a good weekend but going to have an even better week. I am off on Friday and looking forward the going to Hume Lake (http://www.humelake.org/) in the Sequoia National Forest for 3 days with a bunch of women from my family for our annual Women's Fall Retreat. Weather looks cold and dreary this week and chance of snow this weekend is pretty good. Sophia's first snow yea!!! Gonna hopefully rent a golf cart. The hills up there are going to be murder on me at that altitude. Looking forward to it!!!