Yea!! After attending and throwing many baby showers over the last few years, it was time for my own! The theme was Leo's Safari and it was hosted by Laura, Melissa and Lauren. I had such a lovely time, got a ton of much needed items for Leo and was thrilled to have so many of my friends with me in one place. It was a perfect day!! Thanks again ladies!
Here are some pictures!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Maternity Pictures - June 14, 2009
I had my maternity pictures taken when I was 2 days shy of 32 weeks. We were really pleased with the way they turned out!! (Thank you Photography By Marks!) Here are a few....
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
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| From Maternity Pictures |
Diaper Party - May 2009
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| From Diaper Party |
My wonderful girlfriends, Niki, Pat, Chandra & Shannon threw Charlie and I a diaper party at the end of May. It was so much fun! They had cake with raspberry filing from my favorite cake lady in Spring (Lindy's Country Cupboard) a taco bar and ice cold margarita's and pina colada's (virgins of course for me and my other pregnant girlfriends). We ended the party in the pool which was perfect. All in all, it was a great way to spend an afternoon with some of our favorite people. Here are some pictures of the festivities. Thanks again to Niki, Chandra & Shannon for throwing us a party in the middle of their own pregnancies. And a big thanks to Pat & Eric for having the party at their house!
Here are some pictures! I was around 29 weeks in these pictures.
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| From Diaper Party |
Charlie figuring out where Leo is!!
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| From Diaper Party |
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| From Diaper Party |
Me and my lovely hosts: Shannon, Pat, Chandra & Niki.
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| From Diaper Party |
Ridiculous!!!
Monday, July 6, 2009
35 Weeks - My midwife left me!
Yikes!! The baby will be here so soon! Charlie and I are so excited. The nursery is nearly done, the bassinet is set up in the bedroom, his clothes are clean and hung and all exposed electrical outlets are covered. (Those little things are Cynthia-proof too, I can hardly get them out!!) Of course, there are still things to do, finish the curtains, write in his baby book, etc, but I think we are close to having it all ready.
Around 32 weeks my midwife called to tell me she was leaving the practice. I was so bummed. Charlie and I really liked Karen and we were excited to have the "midwife experience". Of course, she is going to a completely different setup at another hospital, so following her wasn't even an option. I am now seeing Dr. Reed who is the head doctor of the practice. She has a great reputation and luckily we had met her a couple times before. She was the doctor who saw me in the hospital during the kidney stone incident and I had one appointment with her when Karen wasn't available.
My 34 week appointment was my first with Dr. Reed as my official doctor. She was wonderfully sweet and we were instantly happy with her. Unfortunately, she leaves for vacation on August 6th (my due date is the 11th). I didn't want to have to make yet another change, so as long as my body is ready and Leo is ready, it looks like I will be induced around August 4th or 5th. (a little past 39 weeks). At first I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted, but the more I think about it, the more I am ok with it. With Charlie's parents living out of town, it will give them the opportunity to actually be here the day Leo is born and it's nice having a "game plan". Of course, Leo could still come on his own sometime in July if he feels like it. ;)
As of 34 weeks, Leo was still breech, but he has some time to turn. I am not dilated yet, but my body is making changes already to start that process. Our next appointment will be at 36 weeks. We will have a possible ultrasound and hopefully be able to schedule the induction!
I have a ton of pictures from my diaper party and baby shower that I will post soon!
Around 32 weeks my midwife called to tell me she was leaving the practice. I was so bummed. Charlie and I really liked Karen and we were excited to have the "midwife experience". Of course, she is going to a completely different setup at another hospital, so following her wasn't even an option. I am now seeing Dr. Reed who is the head doctor of the practice. She has a great reputation and luckily we had met her a couple times before. She was the doctor who saw me in the hospital during the kidney stone incident and I had one appointment with her when Karen wasn't available.
My 34 week appointment was my first with Dr. Reed as my official doctor. She was wonderfully sweet and we were instantly happy with her. Unfortunately, she leaves for vacation on August 6th (my due date is the 11th). I didn't want to have to make yet another change, so as long as my body is ready and Leo is ready, it looks like I will be induced around August 4th or 5th. (a little past 39 weeks). At first I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted, but the more I think about it, the more I am ok with it. With Charlie's parents living out of town, it will give them the opportunity to actually be here the day Leo is born and it's nice having a "game plan". Of course, Leo could still come on his own sometime in July if he feels like it. ;)
As of 34 weeks, Leo was still breech, but he has some time to turn. I am not dilated yet, but my body is making changes already to start that process. Our next appointment will be at 36 weeks. We will have a possible ultrasound and hopefully be able to schedule the induction!
I have a ton of pictures from my diaper party and baby shower that I will post soon!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Camping - South Llano State Park
Well, everyone thought I was crazy, but for our last trip before baby, Charlie and I decided to spend 5 days camping at South Llano State Park in Junction, TX. We had played around with several other ideas for a Babymoon, but in the end, having longer than a weekend to relax in our camper, fish, walk and play with Cooper, sounded better for us than our other ideas.
South Llano is an exceptional campground. Located in the hill country (one of our favorite places to be), the landscape turned beautiful long before we had even made it to the campground. When you pull into South Llano State Park, you immediately go over a low river bridge and pass the beautiful South Llano River. This ended up being a great spot for fishing, and the view is breathtaking.
Speaking of views, the whole park offers wonderful views. We hiked daily and saw different parts of the river. There are also bird blinds all over the park where I saw some of the prettiest birds I have ever seen in the wild. We also trucked up to the scenic overlook. It was a BIG hike for the prego, but it was certainly worth it. Here's a picture of Cooper and I at the scenic overlook.
This park also has a TON of wildlife. Besides the deer, birds, lizards, snakes (ewww!) and fish we saw tons of wild turkeys. South Llano is actually a protected Turkey Roost and parts of the park close down for months each year to give turkeys some privacy during mating season. It was amazing to see the turkeys just walking by our camp site in the early morning and evening hours. Cooper also loved looking at the turkeys, and I am sure, given the chance, he would have tried to catch one him self. Unfortunately, we forgot to charge the camera before leaving, and never managed to get a good turkey picture.
We fished every day as well. Our first few attempts at fishing were nothing short of frustrating. There are a TON of fish in this river, and it's so clear you can literally see the fish swimming right by your lure. Once, while fishing from a small cliff, I watched a fish run into my lure without giving it a second look. Charlie managed to hook a Guadalupe bass, and then nothing after that. I suggested that we run to town for live bait. We got one container of nightcrawler worms and went back to the river...in retrospect, we should have done this MUCH sooner! The first day with worms we caught probably 30 little perch. They weren't really large enough to keep, but they were so fun to catch on our ultralight rods. Those suckers strike hard and then fight so they were a blast to keep pulling in. It was semi-ridiculous though, we literally couldn't have our line in the water for more than 5 seconds before another one would strike.
Day 2 with worms proved a bit more lucrative. We returned to our original spot to catch a few more of the perch (you know, to build our confidence). Charlie managed to pull in a bass there that we were able to keep. Then we moved spots and caught a perch big enough to keep, more bass (I accidentally lost one off my hook when I was trying to pull it in), and then I caught a 16 inch Carp. That was a really big fish to pull in my ultralight rod, lots of fun!
Cooper also got a few opportunities to swim. We slept in some mornings, ate in town at a cute little restaurant that been open for 30 plus years, cooked a ton of great food and relaxed a ton. It was without a doubt one of the most relaxing trips I have ever taken! Here are a few more pictures:
South Llano is an exceptional campground. Located in the hill country (one of our favorite places to be), the landscape turned beautiful long before we had even made it to the campground. When you pull into South Llano State Park, you immediately go over a low river bridge and pass the beautiful South Llano River. This ended up being a great spot for fishing, and the view is breathtaking.
Speaking of views, the whole park offers wonderful views. We hiked daily and saw different parts of the river. There are also bird blinds all over the park where I saw some of the prettiest birds I have ever seen in the wild. We also trucked up to the scenic overlook. It was a BIG hike for the prego, but it was certainly worth it. Here's a picture of Cooper and I at the scenic overlook.
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
This park also has a TON of wildlife. Besides the deer, birds, lizards, snakes (ewww!) and fish we saw tons of wild turkeys. South Llano is actually a protected Turkey Roost and parts of the park close down for months each year to give turkeys some privacy during mating season. It was amazing to see the turkeys just walking by our camp site in the early morning and evening hours. Cooper also loved looking at the turkeys, and I am sure, given the chance, he would have tried to catch one him self. Unfortunately, we forgot to charge the camera before leaving, and never managed to get a good turkey picture.
We fished every day as well. Our first few attempts at fishing were nothing short of frustrating. There are a TON of fish in this river, and it's so clear you can literally see the fish swimming right by your lure. Once, while fishing from a small cliff, I watched a fish run into my lure without giving it a second look. Charlie managed to hook a Guadalupe bass, and then nothing after that. I suggested that we run to town for live bait. We got one container of nightcrawler worms and went back to the river...in retrospect, we should have done this MUCH sooner! The first day with worms we caught probably 30 little perch. They weren't really large enough to keep, but they were so fun to catch on our ultralight rods. Those suckers strike hard and then fight so they were a blast to keep pulling in. It was semi-ridiculous though, we literally couldn't have our line in the water for more than 5 seconds before another one would strike.
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
Day 2 with worms proved a bit more lucrative. We returned to our original spot to catch a few more of the perch (you know, to build our confidence). Charlie managed to pull in a bass there that we were able to keep. Then we moved spots and caught a perch big enough to keep, more bass (I accidentally lost one off my hook when I was trying to pull it in), and then I caught a 16 inch Carp. That was a really big fish to pull in my ultralight rod, lots of fun!
Cooper also got a few opportunities to swim. We slept in some mornings, ate in town at a cute little restaurant that been open for 30 plus years, cooked a ton of great food and relaxed a ton. It was without a doubt one of the most relaxing trips I have ever taken! Here are a few more pictures:
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
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| From South Llano State Park May 2009 |
Friday, May 22, 2009
28 Weeks - Welcome to the 3rd Trimester
I had my 28 week appointment on Wednesday. The ultrasound showed a very healthy and big boy! My midwife called him a beast! Leo is weighing in at about 2 lbs 13 oz and his measurements put him about 5 days ahead of average. We got a great shot of his face at the ultrasound, so I will try to figure out how to scan that in. My parents were able to be with us for this ultrasound which was super special.
All in all my progress report was good. My blood pressure is still normal and weight gain is fine. The reason for this ultrasound was to check that my placenta had moved up like it was supposed to, and it has. They took blood to test my glucose and iron levels and we should have the results back early next week. I'll start visiting every 2 weeks from now on until 36 weeks, then I will be in the office once a week.
All in all my progress report was good. My blood pressure is still normal and weight gain is fine. The reason for this ultrasound was to check that my placenta had moved up like it was supposed to, and it has. They took blood to test my glucose and iron levels and we should have the results back early next week. I'll start visiting every 2 weeks from now on until 36 weeks, then I will be in the office once a week.
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| From Belly Shots |
Monday, May 11, 2009
My First Mother's Day
We started my first Mother's Day on Saturday night with my parents. They surprised us with Leo's swing and some adorable dressing gowns. Then we went out for Mexican food. Here is Leo's swing, Charlie can't wait to put it together.
Sunday, Charlie worked, and he told me to take the day to myself, and I did! I spent most of the day watching girly movies and feeling Leo move around. I can tell he is getting much bigger because I feel him a lot more and his movements are getting stronger. I feel him more when I am relaxed and still so spending almost the entire day in that state let me feel him a ton. It was a very special Mother's Day.
When Charlie got off work we went to Carraba's and it was delicious. All in all it was a great day!!
Sunday, Charlie worked, and he told me to take the day to myself, and I did! I spent most of the day watching girly movies and feeling Leo move around. I can tell he is getting much bigger because I feel him a lot more and his movements are getting stronger. I feel him more when I am relaxed and still so spending almost the entire day in that state let me feel him a ton. It was a very special Mother's Day.
When Charlie got off work we went to Carraba's and it was delicious. All in all it was a great day!!
