New Pics

Steve and I went to the Botanical Garden today and took the last of our baby bump pics. Enjoy!

Doctor's Appointment

I had another doctor's appointment this morning. (I go every week now.) Claire and I received a good report.

WARNING: This paragraph contains graphic medical info. I will not explain it. If you don't know what it means, you can Google it for yourself or just remain in the dark. My cervix is 80% effaced and almost 3 cm dialated. And Claire is in the right position. The doctor was very pleased. Everything is moving along quickly and easily.

I have had a few Braxton Hicks contractions, but they're not at all what I expected them to be. They don't hurt at all.

I still haven't had any swelling or any other odd complications. I've actually lost weight during my pregnancy (due to a better diet). And as yet, my belly button hasn't popped. (All of these are answers to questions from various family members.)

Being pregnant has been a wonderful experience. I have loved carrying this sweet girl and cannot wait to hold her in my arms.

Kelso Baby Shower

This past weekend Steve flew up to Washington to help his grandparents with some household projects. While he was there, they had another baby shower for us! How fun! Here are some pics:

A beautiful dress from Uncle Jerry and Auntie Esther

Two hooded towels from Aunt Lori - love the personalized designs!Two blankets from Claire's Granny and Grandpa - The white one was hand-crocheted by Granny. It's lightweight, which is perfect for Houston weather, and so beautiful and soft. What a treasure!

Books from Claire's Aunt Dawn and Aunt Kasey - We can't wait to start reading them to her.

There was one more gift that Steve was unable to bring home with him due to its size. His parents gave us a gift basket full of baby basics with everything from baby wash to diaper rash cream. It's being shipped to us, and we'll post pictures as soon as it arrives.

Thank you all for being so sweet to us! We love you!

Psalm 139:1-4, 13-16 New Living Translation

O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it! You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalm 139:1-4, 13-16 NLT)

What an amazing Psalm! God is so incredible! It's so neat to know that God has known Claire from the beginning, even when I didn't know she was there. He has loving created every finger and toe and eyelash. Every perfect detail was part of His plan. So amazing!

Virtual Baby Shower

We had the last of our baby showers yesterday. Steve's family, who spends Easter weekend at a fabulous beach house in Oregon, shipped their gifts to us during the last few weeks. Then yesterday, we connected with them via webcam and opened all of our presents. It was a really fun way to have a shower since we couldn't be there with them in person.

From Grandpa and Grandma O - a tummy time play mat, a washcloth and towel set, a bunny lovey, a beautiful pink dress, a doll that giggles, a beautiful handmade baby blanket (such a treasure!) and two pairs of baby bootiesFrom Aunt Tamara, Uncle Tom and cousin Tyger - a really soft baby blanket, some cloth diapers/burp rags, a box of Disney board books, a package of wipes, a five-piece layette set that includes a stuffed cow and says, "Got milk?", matching "Got milk?" burp cloths and a package of stickers (You'll notice that everything is perfectly pink!)
From Aunt Jill, Uncle Ryan, and cousins, Katie, Sarah, Keegan, Luqus, Autumn, Dylan and Dahlia - gowns, a board book, hat and socks, baby sunglasses (a necessity for the Texas princess and oh so cute!), a hand and footprint stamp and frame set (I love this and can't wait to use it!), several outfits and a mommy and me apron setFrom Claire's Grandma Robin and Grandpa D'Wayne - a baby blanket with lady bugs (too cute!), a Tinkerbell swimsuit and cover-up set, three books (one about Oregon airports - to ensure she visits often, one about healthy eating during pregnancy - oops! should have had this earlier, and a My Pregnancy journal), a red dress, a pink dress, a purple pant set and a pair of pants with airplanes on them

Thank you to everyone! It was so good to see you, even if it was via webcam. We look forward to seeing you in person and introducing you to Claire in August.

And a special thank you to Aunt Jill who organized the shower for us. You are so sweet to have thought of doing this for us. We really appreciate it!

We also received two other gifts this weekend. One from my boss at my old job back in Tulsa. He and his wife have always treated me like family, and I love them dearly. They sent us a gift card to Target to help round out our registry. We're going to use their gift to purchase a baby monitor. Thanks, Don and Janice! We love you!

The other was a gift from our next door neighbors, Ron and Beverly. They bought me a baby sling. I see women using these everywhere - the airport, the grocery store, etc. - and they look so handy and so comfortable. I can't wait to try it out.
Again, to all of our family and friends, we really appreciate all of the gifts that you have given us. Claire will definitely have everything she needs and some things that her mommy just had to have! Thank you so much! We love you all!

More Presents!!!

My little girl is so spoiled (as she should be)! While attending my brother's wedding this past weekend, she received some very nice gifts:

Two adorable dresses and a blanket from my Aunt Cheryl and cousins, Angie, Keaton, Becky, Jon and Evan. Also, Mommy received the book What to Expect The First Year - a much appreciated gift that is sure to come in very handy!

Also, while I was shopping in downtown Ada, I just couldn't resist the following purchase. It's a JellyCat. My niece has several, and I love them. I just had to buy one for Claire. And they were on sale! What a deal!

Thanks, Aunt Cheryl, Angie, Keaton, Jon, Becky and Evan! I know that Claire will be so beautiful in her new dresses and so cuddly in her new blanket. It was great to see you last weekend!

Just for fun: A pic of the girls - left to right - Angie, Becky and me.

The Funniest Question Ever!

While attending my brother's wedding this past weekend, I had the opportunity to see some wonderful friends that I haven't seen in quite a while. One such couple has an adorable, almost-four-year-old son who is quite hilarious. You never know what might come out of his mouth. And his take on life in general is just so funny!

At the rehearsal dinner, this adorable child was running around with the other little kids who he called "my little boy" and "my little girl" - his "my little girl" being my niece. They are so funny together. After my niece had gone back to the hotel to get some sleep, he looked at me and asked, "Do you have a little boy?" I smiled and said no. He asked, "Do you have a little girl?" I said, "I will soon." His mother started explaining that I had a baby in my belly just like his teacher at school. She explained that while his teacher was going to have to a little boy, I'm going to have a little girl. He wanted to see the baby, but his mother started telling him that the baby was in my tummy and that we'd have to wait until she's born to see her. He reached out and touched my belly. He looked me in the eye and asked, "How did she get in there?" The only thing that popped into my head at that moment was "God put her in there." I knew this would just raise more questions, so I waited to hear what his brilliant mother had to say. She giggled and told him they'd talk about it later. (I'm sure she was hoping that he'd forget about it by the time later rolled around.) He looked at his mom and then back at me; and with a complete look of shock and awe, he asked, "Did you eat the baby?!" It was hilarious!

Oh the questions that little boys can come up with! Thanks for the giggles, H!

Grounded

I am officially grounded. Steve, Claire and I got home yesterday from Matt & Randi's wedding in Oklahoma. It was beautiful!

We are not allowed to make any more trips until after Claire makes her appearance. However, Claire has been quite the traveler in utero. She has visited 10 states, Washington, D.C. and two foreign countries. She's been to Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Arizona, as well as D.C., Canada and Mexico. Several of those she visited more than once.

We are now grounded and are getting ready for her arrival. Her nursery is complete; and all of the basics have been purchased. This week we are installing the car seat in the car and are working on baby laundry. It's so much fun washing and folding those little clothes. I can't wait to put her in them.

Our last baby shower is scheduled for Sunday afternoon via webcam with Steve's family who is spending Easter weekend at the beach in Oregon. (With less than five weeks until her due date, we are no longer allowed to fly; so we are unable to make the trip in person. I think the virtual shower will be a lot of fun though.) I'll post pics next week.

Have a Happy Easter!

The Latest

We had another doctor's appointment this morning. Everything looks good! Mommy and baby are healthy!

The doctors' ultrasound kicked the bucket this week; so they were testing out a new machine today. They asked if we would be willing to have another ultrasound. (Who wouldn't want a free ultrasound?!) Of course we said yes. Here are the latest pictures of our adorable baby girl:

Her profile

Her whole face with her hand in a fist near her chin - so sweet!

She looks absolutely perfect! And for those who keep warning us against pink saying that ultrasounds can be wrong, and we might be having a boy; we saw very definitively today that Claire is a girl. All of her girly parts are clearly formed, and pink is the perfect color for her nursery! :) No more worries.


Only six weeks to go!!!