Merry Christmas 2012

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  Ours was pretty good except for one thing . . . Lydia got sick.  Merry Christmas to her . . .

Lydia's Christmas outfit.  I made the tutu.

First, I want to tell you about our day.  It was great!  We let Lydia wake up on her own, because honestly, she didn't care that Santa came.  Then, we opened presents.  Lydia got a crib mobile!  She will love it!  It's safari themed, and very bright colors.  I think it will give her great stimulation and entertain her in the mornings.

 

Lydia seems to like her new mobile from Santa

After we got ready, we headed to Lance's brother, Scott's house for family festivities.  We opened presents, had lunch, and played games.  Lydia was an angel, but that's no surprise.  She's such a good baby.  We're pretty spoiled.

After we partied with Lance's family, we went to my parents' house.  We opened presents, ate dinner, and hung-out for a bit.

 

All of Lydia's gifts.  Such a spoiled girl!

We were able to be home around 8:00 pm.  We put Lydia to bed and watched Hunger Games, one of the presents I received from Lance's mom.  I was very worried about Lydia, because she had a bad cold.  I had to stop the movie several times to check on her.  We have a monitor, but monitors don't tell you if the baby can't breathe.  I asked Lance to give her a blessing, and that calmed me down a bit.  I took her in to the doctor the next morning.  At that point, it was just a head cold.

The cold got worse as the week progressed.  Poor Lydia!  She was super stuffy.  We had a party to go to on Thursday, and I went back and forth on whether or not I should go.  Lance and I went to the party and left Lydia with my parents.  I figured she was in good hands there.  It didn't help the guilt I had leaving my baby when she was sick, though.  However, it was nice to get a break and "sharpen the sword," as Lance says. 

The party was at Golden Corral and bowling afterward.  I pretty much had my worst game ever.  I got 43 (I think - I'm too lazy to double check right now).  Usually I'm in the 80's.  My best turns happened when I used a 14 lb ball.  I guess I'm too buff for the dinky little 10 lb ball I initially chose.  Ha ha!  Lance did awesome and got 143 (I think).  When we picked Lydia up from my parents' house, she sounded pretty bad.  But, she was VERY happy to see us!

I debated on whether to take her to the doctor again the next day (Friday) or not.  We ended up taking her in at 6:45 that evening.  Our fears were confirmed, she has RSV. 

She doesn't need to be hospitalized as of right now, but we got a fancy machine delivered that sucks the snot out.  It's called the BBG machine.  BBG stands for "baby booger getter."  That's really what it's called.  Isn't that hilarious?  It is probably one of the best machines ever invented.  Lydia sounds immensely better.  We have to use it often, like once every hour, but wow.  My little Lydi-bug is breathing clearly now.  Hallelujah! 

Last night (Friday), I was very worried and in tears over it, but seeing her improvement has lifted my spirits for today.  I hope the improvements continue and that she doesn't get any worse.  We've got a couple more weeks of this, it sounds like, so I'm still worried, but I'm glad we have an effective tool now.  Please keep Lydia in your prayers!

After she's over this, I think that we should not get sick the rest of the year.  We've met our quota, right?  A nasty bout of RSV is sickness enough for one year, don't you think?  Ha ha!  Let's cross our fingers.  By the time she's well, it will be about half way through cold and flu season.  I'll be crossing my fingers that we don't get any more sickness.  It's not fun, especially with such a little one.

Well, I hope the rest of your holidays are fun!  We'll probably have a quiet little celebration at our own house this year.

Sympathy, Opinions, and Milestones

Well, what a week!  It's crazy how much can happen in such a small amount of time.

Some hot topics this week in the news were: the elementary school shooting back east and wearing pants to church.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims of the shooting.  It's heartbreaking to think that there are people out there who would hurt children, or anyone for that matter.  Every life is a precious gift, so never take it for granted.  You never know when tragedy will strike.

My view on wearing pants to church is indifferent.  If it is your best outfit, sure, wear it to church!  Nobody ever said you HAVE to wear a dress.  You're just asked to wear your best clothes, because what you wear on Sunday to church should show the respect you have for Heavenly Father.  It's just that in our culture, a dress is viewed as someone's best clothing.  It is starting to shift from that traditional view, so if you feel like a pant suit is your best, or a pair of jeans is your best, then go for it.  If you feel you're being judged, don't worry.  We're not supposed to judge anyway, so do what you think is right.  That's the beauty of free agency.  We can figure out for ourselves what is right for us.  As for me, I still believe that a dress or a skirt is my best.  Besides, I don't get to wear dresses or skirts many other places, and they're so cute!

So, a lot has also happened with our little Lydi-Bug this week, too!  She has hit a few exciting milestones.  First off, her doctor prescribed a multivitamin for her.  The first day she thought it was pretty weird.  I don't blame her.  It smells kind of funny.  But she seems to like it more and more each day.  What a great kid, right?  She's okay with trying new things . . . for now.  We'll see when she gets to those defiant toddler years.

She has started working out her laugh.  It's not a full-fledged laugh, but she's starting to figure it out.  SO CUTE!!!  I've been so excited for this ever since I knew she was coming!  I love baby laughs.  She also loves to talk and sing.  I love her sweet little voice.

She has discovered her hands and is very interested in them.  Thank goodness!  She lets me put her down for longer periods of time now because of this.  She loves stimulation, and gets very excited about the hanging toys on her bouncy chair.  I think I know what Santa is going to bring her for Christmas (a crib mobile).  She will love it!

Tummy time and bath time have gotten much better.  She still isn't a fan of tummy time, but she doesn't scream the second I lay her on her tummy.  She is getting a feel for it, and is becoming quite strong.  Bath time is slowly becoming a fun time for her.  She HATED bath time for two months, and yesterday, we had a major breakthrough!  She smiled a ton during her bath!  I've figured out that she gets cold during it, so squeezing the wash cloth over her with the warm bath water helps her stay warm and cozy.  Now, the goal is to keep her happy when I take her out.  The poor thing shivers like crazy.  I dry her as fast as I can and dress her in cuddly outfits.  She loves it when I give her lotion massages, though, especially when I talk to her.  She loves being the center of attention.

 This is what she used to think of bath time.

Also, the doctor told me to put her to bed drowsy.  We've been putting her to bed zonked and hope she doesn't wake while we tip-toe out.  So, this past week we have put her to bed drowsy, but still awake.  She has done VERY well.  The first night she fussed for about ten or fifteen minutes, and then slept for about six hours.  What a trooper! 

She is an amazingly wonderful baby.  I'm spoiled with her.  She lets me get a lot of sleep, only cries when she's hungry or tired, and is so easy to take places.  I can't help falling more and more in love with this girl.  I love being her mommy!

I love our family!

Lydia's 2 Month Check-up

Well, Lydia had her 2 month check-up today.  Everything looks great!  She's growing wonderfully, her development is right on track, and she got her vaccinations.

Here are some stats:

Length: 23 in, 75th percentile (She's grown three inches since birth!)
Weight: 11 lbs 12 oz, 75th percentile (That's 3 lbs, 10 oz more than birth!)
Head circumference: 40.5 cm, 85th percentile

She's still my little chunk monkey, and growing chunkier by the minute!

The shots went as well as can be expected.  She obviously screamed bloody murder when she got poked, but she calmed down quickly, once I was able to hold her and comfort her.  She fell asleep by the time we got to the car, so we were able to run some errands immediately following her appointment.  She has been acting pretty normal today, just a little sensitive when I forget she has had shots and touch the injection sites accidentally.  Oops!  Sorry, 'Bug!

 I LOVE Lydia's pediatrician, and the clinic she goes to!  We take her to Pediatric Care of Ogden.  Her doctor is Dr. Baranko.  If you're looking for a good pediatric office, this one is fantastic.  We've seen a few doctors there.  They're all wonderful, and the staff couldn't be nicer.  I got all of my questions answered today, and feel pretty good about starting some new routines with Lydia.

 This is what I get to hang out with all day, every day.  I'm so lucky!

I'm so glad she's growing big and strong!  It puts a mommy's heart at ease to know her baby is healthy.

Two Months!

Here is a snap shot of our two month old Lydi-bug.  I took a lot more pictures, but I'm trying to go easy on the picture uploads right now.  This one is my favorite.

Best two months yet!  We love this girl so much!

A Little Potty Humor . . .

I made up words to another song.  I sing it to Lydia often because it fits.  It's to the tune, Are You Sleeping.

Are you pushing

Are you pushing

Lydi-bug

Lydi-bug

That poop needs to come out

And it needs to right now

Push, push, ugh!

Push, push, ugh!

I know, it's very potty oriented, but she is so funny when she pushes!

P.S.  Lydia is two months old today.  Time sure does fly when you're having fun!  I love her more than ever!

Catching Up

Well, it's only been a couple weeks, but a lot has happened.

I turned 27.  I'm old, I know. Bleh.

My post-partum check-up went well.  I'm healed!  Now to work off the extra tummy flab.

Thanksgiving was fun!  However, the entire weekend, Lydia got way too spoiled.  She was pretty naughty today when it was just me.  She was pretty upset that she didn't get to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house today.  Hopefully, she's over it now.

We're still working on the basement.  It's been a while since I've posted about this, but yeah, we're still working on it.  Lydia still shares her room with the computer, but hopefully that will change soon.  I'm really hoping it will change before she grows out of her bassinet, because honestly, the crib won't fit.  She's pretty close, so we're kind of on crunch time.  But Lance is doing an awesome job downstairs.  I won't post pictures yet, because it's a HUGE change.  And the colors we've chosen for the walls are very bold.  We only have one wall finished right now, but it's bold.  It's AWESOME!!!

Lydia has been sleeping very well lately.  She has stretches of 8 hours sometimes.  Not every single night, but it's happened quite a bit in the last week.

I'd show you pictures, but apparently, I've reached my allotted 1 gig.  STINK!!

So Tired...

She's holding onto her favorite toy.  It's her favorite because she can hold it.

 She frequently falls asleep in her carseat.

I think it's nap time.  This girl wears me out!

Failed Christmas Picture Attempt

This is what happens when you change a baby's clothes who doesn't like to be changed . . . especially into a pretty dress.  Heaven forbid I have her look fancy.

Getting changed is the saddest thing ever.

She's offended.

You're seriously trying to take my picture again, Mom?

Maybe we'll try again another day.  She's still cute, even when she cries.

One Month

Well, we made it through the first month with a new baby.  Yay!

Lydia is growing insanely fast.  Who knew a month could go by so quick?  Technically, she's over a month now, but it's been a busy week. 

Lance and I got the stomach flu last week.  Yuck. We made it through it.  If I can go through that, I can get through just about anything, right?  Luckily, Lydia didn't catch it.  I took her to the doctor just to make sure, though.  They weighed her, and she was 10 lbs!  Whoa!  Huge! 

She's also to the point where it's hard to hold her certain ways, because she's so long.  They didn't measure her at the doctor, because it wasn't a routine well check-up, but I'm sure she's grown quite a bit.  She's also a very strong baby.  She holds her head up really well during tummy time or while I'm burping her.  She is good at following a person with her eyes.  She also tries to figure out who is talking when someone new talks.

Here are some recent cute pictures of her.  Enjoy!

Growing so fast is exhausting!

Big . . . yawn . . .

Smile!

Hanging out with Daddy.

Sticking out her tongue.

Smiles!

More smiles!

It's been a challenging but super fun month.  We love our little Lydi-bug!

Lydia's Baby Blessing

Last Sunday Lydia got blessed.  Lance did a great job giving her the blessing.  She was an angel and slept through it, thankfully.  She looked like an angel, too, dressed all in white.  Afterward, we invited our family to our house for a pot luck dinner.

Getting ready

Full length shot.  The dress was mine when I got blessed, so now it's extra special to us.

Closer look

Booties

It was a great day!

National Adoption Month

Hi everyone!  November is National Adoption Month!! 

As most of you know, adoption is very important to Lance and me.  We started our own adoption journey a little over a year ago, and while we stopped it because we finally got pregnant, we are still HUGE supporters of adoption.  We also have four adopted nieces and nephews, who we love a ton! (Loving them is no different than loving our biological nieces and nephews, FYI.  Some people worry about not loving an adopted child as much as a biological one.)

Our cute nieces and nephews

I know there are many people out there who are curious or interested in adoption, but don't know a lot of details, so they're a little scared to move forward with it.  I want you to know that it is an amazing journey.  It is a wonderful blessing.  Not only are you doing a service to the child, but to the birth mother as well.  And, you get a sweet little child to add to your family.

The process to get accepted is a little long, but it's not as bad as you'd think.  It's a lot of paperwork, yes, but very worth it.  You do have to have home studies, interviews with your caseworker, and background checks.  They don't want to give a child to just anyone.  Chances are, if you don't have a criminal record or a serious mental illness, you're good to go.  (P.S. Being depressed because of infertility does not qualify as a serious mental illness.  All of us who have experienced infertility have been through it, and it's okay to be sad.)  You also need to take adoption classes.  They're not bad.  You learn a lot about the process, birth mothers, and getting "chosen."  Yes, you get chosen by a birth mother, so it could take years or it could be a matter of days once you're approved.  That's a big deterrent for people.  Yes, it can be emotional, but waiting a few years is a lot better than not getting a child at all, right?

Many of us hear about people who get chosen, but the birth mother decides to keep the child, or someone else involved in her life steps in and decides to keep the child.  That is not the norm.  Yes, it happens from time to time, but you get similar risks with a pregnancy (miscarriage, still birth, etc.).  You'll be put back on the list and hope for a better outcome next time.  Don't get me wrong.  I know it's heartbreaking, but the fear of that should not deter you from choosing to adopt.

Another deterrent is money.  At LDS Family Services, they treat it like tithing, 10% of your income.  It can be a lot, but as many of you who have been through infertility know, it's well worth it to get a child.

Something I really enjoyed about the process of adoption was the support.  I went to monthly meetings held by LDS Family Services that were for women who are waiting to adopt or have already adopted.  We got together and talked about things that were on our minds about infertility and adoption.  It was nice to meet people in my same situation and become friends, and to get my questions answered by people who have been through it.  I think that a lot of other adoption agencies have support groups as well.  I just know mostly about LDS Family Services because that is the agency we went through.

If you're on the fence about adoption, or even slightly considering it, my advice is to at least call an agency to get more information.  The initial call or appointment usually is just to inform you and make sure it is what you want to do.  There isn't usually a fee for that (some private agencies may have a fee, but ask when you call).

I hope this gave you a little insight to the process.  Adoption ROCKS!!!

Halloween 2012

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Halloween!!!

 

Lydia was a black cat in a tutu.  Not too flashy, but still super cute.

We celebrated by going to my parents' house and having dinner in a pumpkin.  We also ate tons of sweets, yum!  My ENTIRE family was there.  Yay!  This was the first time that my sister's family and my brother's family were able to hold Lydia.  There has been a lot of sickness going around, and we haven't wanted to expose Lydia when she's this little.  But everyone is doing much better now, so we were able to go.

I loved seeing everyone in their costumes!  (It was just the nieces and nephews)

Audrey: Hogwarts student
Ashlyn: 50's girl (she used one of my poodle skirts!)
Merrin: Homecoming queen
Connor: Monster something or other
Kohl: Shy Guy
Dallin: Indiana Jones
Katie: Ninja (pink)
Brielle: Purple fairy
Paxton: Ninja (red)
Declan: Skeleton
Lydia: Black cat

Lance went trick-or-treating with the crew.  He was just one of the chaperones, but he dressed up, wearing a U of U T-shirt, saying that he was dressing up as something he's not, a U of U fan.  Whatever!  He simply likes BYU better, but he still likes the U as well.  Silly man...

Lydia had way too much fun.  She also decided to take only 1/2 hour or less naps all day long.  She slept really well last night, thankfully.

I can't wait until the next holiday!  I love this time of year!

2 Weeks

Today, Lydia is two weeks old!  Wow! 

She had her 2 week check-up, and everything looks great.  She's growing like a weed, and plumping up nicely.  She was 20 7/8 inches long (60th percentile), 8 lbs 10 1/2 oz (55th percentile), and her head circumference was 37.8 cm (85th percentile).  She's right where she needs to be and then some.

It's been an adventure getting used to having a baby around 24/7.  I love her tons, but there are hard times as well.  I had a case of the "baby blues" last week.  I pretty much just felt overwhelmed and sore.  I really needed to get out of the house.  My main problem was that I wanted to show her off, but couldn't because most of my family members are either sick or busy.  For a couple days, I didn't even get Lydia or myself ready at all, because there was no reason to.  So, that made me feel frumpy and grumpy. 

Thank goodness for my wonderful mother and wonderful hubby!  Thursday, my mom came and took Lydia and me out to lunch and for a short shopping trip afterward.  It was so much fun to get out of the house and spend time with my mom.  She was a lifesaver that day!  Every day since, Lance has been very nice and taken me for drives and little errands.  It feels good to have a reason to try to look nice.

It's also been hard to get used to the sleep schedule.  Lydia has a hard time getting to sleep the initial time I would like to go to bed.  Sometimes she stays up an extra 1-2 hours.  But she gives me about 3 hour stretches during the night, so she's not too bad.  I just need to remember to nap during the day when she naps.  I've also been trying to read while I nurse, so that I don't get bored or fall asleep with her in my arms.  I've had a little dry spell lately with reading, so it's been fun getting back into it.

Lydia really is a very good baby.  She mostly cries when she is hungry.  Sometimes it seems like I can't feed that girl enough, but most of the time, it's about every 2-4 hours, so not too bad.  She sleeps most of the rest of the time, with just a few hours of awake time each day.  She's absolutely adorable during that time with bright eyes and silly facial expressions.

Super cute outfit from my sister.  Her diaper leaked all over it just after I took her picture, so Lance was the only one that saw her in it.  But at least I got the picture taken first!

I love this outfit!  The jeggings and sneakers make her look so big!

Exhausted Mommy

She loves to cuddle.  :)

Another super cute outfit.  She's spoiled.  :)

Well, there's the update.  It's been an amazing adventure getting used to being a family of three.  I love watching her grow!

1 Week Old

It's hard to believe that Lydia is already one week old.  Didn't I just have her yesterday?  Perhaps it seems that way because I haven't had a good night's sleep since then.  Or perhaps it's because I've had way too much fun cuddling this beautiful baby girl.  Either way, happy one week birthday, little Lydi-bug!

 

So, how has it been being a mom for a week?  Well, all I can say is, WOW!  There have been so many ups and downs. 

The day after we brought her home was really hard.  She wouldn't stop crying, and we didn't know why.  We had an appointment with the pediatrician the next day, so we toughed it out until then. 

The problem was that my milk hadn't come in yet, and she was starving, even if I had just barely fed her.  Poor kid!  I felt like a horrible mother, but honestly, there was nothing I could do. 

That night, just a few hours before the appointment, it came in, so we were able to get a few hours of sleep right before.  She had lost one ounce shy of an entire pound since birth.  No wonder she was so sad. 

Right after the appointment, we started feeding her more often and she slept much longer.  She has been an angel ever since. 

The pediatrician had us come in the next day to weigh her, and she had gained four ounces.  That was a HUGE relief! 

She is now back on track for normal development.  She even lets me sleep in 3-4 hour stretches during the night.  She is a really good baby, and maybe I'm biased, but she's also the most beautiful baby as well. 

I knew I'd be overwhelmed with love by being a mother, but there really is no way to describe it.  It's amazing.  I also see how much Lance loves her, and it makes me love him even more.  He is so sweet with her.  It melts my heart when he kisses her cheek or talks to her in his sweet voice.

 

It's been a little hard to adjust to all the changes around here, but being a family is the best thing ever.  We love our little Lydi-bug.

The Stork Gave Us a Visit!!

We welcomed our tiny dancer into the world on Monday, October 8, 2012 at 3:11 pm!!

 

Lydia Michelle Welling

She is absolutely perfect!  We love her soooooo much!

I started contractions at 12:30 am on Monday.  I woke Lance up at 1:15 am to help me time them, since they seemed severe and regular.  At about 2:15 am, I got everything ready to go, including myself, and we got to the hospital around 3:00 am.

As I got checked, my contractions seemed less severe.  I was afraid they would send me home, but I was dilated to a 4, so they kept me there and admitted me for labor.  I was sort of freaking out out with both excitement and nervousness.  It was happening that day!!!

They asked me right away if I wanted an epidural, but I decided to tough it out for a couple more hours, since the contractions weren't too bad.  I finally decided to get it around 8:00 am.  It was HEAVEN!!!  Seriously, I hadn't felt that good in 9 months.

Apparently, I had really hard, close contractions for hours, but the pushing didn't begin until about 2:00 pm.  I was exhausted!  They don't call it labor for nothing.  Finally, at 3:11 pm, she came out!  She whimpered about three times, and then was quiet.  They tried and tried to get her to cry, but she just didn't want to.  She was oddly content.  Don't worry.  She's a very good crier now.  Believe me.  :)

She was 8 lbs, 2 oz, 20 inches long, and absolutely perfect!  We named her Lydia Michelle Welling.  She's pretty much the cutest baby ever. 

 

Our labor and delivery nurses with Lydia.  They were the best!!

 Family photo right after the birth and clean-up.

 24 hours after she arrived, I had to change her dirty diaper.  Happy one day old celebration, Lydia!

I love her so much!

Ready to go home!

Getting fussy because I'm changing her.

We are such lucky parents to have her!

Wacky Welling Song

Well, no news yet, but I wanted to share a silly song I made up words to a year or two ago, when we were exploring our options with infertility/adoption.  I wanted a child so badly, and sometimes my mind does crazy things when I get a song stuck in my head.  It's pretty silly, so bear with me for a second.  The tune is to the birthday song that they sing in restaurants all the time.

A wacky Welling welcome,

From both of us to you.

We're glad you'll be our family,

And now we'll scream, woo-hoo!

A wacky Welling welcome,

We love you through and through.

We can't wait 'til you come out,

So we can party too.

Hey!

Welcome to our family Tiny Dancer!  It's time for you to come out now!  Please come soon!

October Awareness

October is a lucky month. It has two awareness causes!  And these two are very dear to my heart.

The first one is Breast Cancer.  I have an aunt and a cousin who have had breast cancer.  They are survivors, and have fought a great battle.  So, as awareness, I want to remind all the ladies out there to do there monthly self-checks, and also to have a doctor check once a year.  Also, if you're over 40, I think it is?  Get a mammogram!

 

Cute little reminder I found on Pinterest.

The second one is Down's Syndrome Awareness.  I don't have anyone in my family who has Down's, but I've met many people who do have Down's.  They are such wonderful, sweet, loving people.  Each of these people I have met have made a significant impact in my life, and have a permanent place in my heart.  So, as my challenge to you, whenever you come across a Down's Syndrome person (or any other type of mentally disabled person), get to know that person and be his/her friend.  I promise it will be a friendship that you won't regret.

I LOVE this picture and quote that I saw on Pinterest.

October rocks!  I hope you see lots of pink and can make a new friend!

Almost . . . Not Quite . . . Still Waiting . . .

Here's the 39 week update. 

I had my appointment today.  VERY long wait.  My doctor got stuck in surgery.  I don't mind too much.  I understand how this type of thing can be unpredictable.  Honestly, my delivery could deter my doctor from his regular appointments as well, so I don't get upset. 

However, I did give Lance a scare.  He tried calling while I was there, and with no answer for a while, he decided to come home a little early to check on me.  He brought his work-from-home equipment, though, just in case, which he utilized well for the end of the day.  I was a little surprised when I saw his car when I got home.  He's a wonderful husband for worrying so much about me.  I think I'll keep him.  :)

So, wondering the stats?  I'm still dilated to a 1, but have progressed to 80% effaced.  It's a little improvement from last week.  The doctor said that my fluid level is a little low.  It's not the minimum, but he wants me to come in on Monday of next week to make sure things are okay, because if it gets too low, then the baby needs to come ASAP.  He told me to drink LOTS of fluids.  I may take up temporary residence in the bathroom for a while...

Other than that, everything looks fine.  Tiny Dancer was measuring to be about 7 1/2 lbs again.  This is the time when her growth slows.  He said that she was still practicing her breathing, so that means that she probably won't come in the next couple of days.  She'll stop her practicing before delivery.  That's okay, but I was hoping she'd come, like now.  He also said that she is VERY low.  Yeah, no kidding!  I've pretty much got the waddle down perfect because if I don't waddle, it's extremely uncomfortable with her head right there.  I physically can't sit with my legs together.  Yeah, church is an adventure.  I had to go home early this week because I was in pain due to the low position of the baby.  Don't judge!  It HURT!

Are you wondering about my contractions?  Well, I've had quite a few this past week.  There have been times when I've wondered if that was it, but they weren't consistent, and tapered off after 30-45 minutes.  Those times are a little disappointing, because I get so excited for nothing.  I know I should be enjoying these last days of pregnancy, but I'm in constant suspense, and all I want is to hold my baby in my arms rather than in my belly.  Don't worry.  I am still doing the minimum amount of housework possible for my sanity.  I still make dinner and occasionally do dishes, of course.

I have finally experienced the awkwardness that comes with being pregnant.  Yesterday, I went to the post office and two grocery stores.  At every place, someone talked to me about my pregnancy.  At the post office, a lady talked to me for almost five minutes!  She even offered to give me clothes.  I politely declined, since I don't really know her.  She was very sweet, but it was a little awkward.  At the first grocery store, the cashier just asked me my due date and how I was feeling.  It was kind of surreal to say that it's NEXT WEEK.  That was fine.  Not awkward at all.  Then, at the second grocery store, an older lady came up to me and said, "I just wanted to wish you luck with your baby."  And she patted my belly.  Okay, the pat was a little awkward, but I didn't mind.  I also get lots of smiles from people.  You know, the "ah, you're going to have a baby soon," smile.  Yeah, I'm ready to pop, and it shows.

I entered a photo contest this last Saturday.  It is about October, and the winner gets a free photo shoot.  My picture isn't getting very many votes.  The contest ends on the 12th, so if you're friends with me on Facebook, please vote for my picture!  Instructions and links are on my FB page.  I was being very brave and took some shots of my belly.  Here are the pictures I took.  I only entered one, of course, but here are some of the others that I didn't erase because they turned out somewhat decent.

Pose 1.  I didn't choose this one because you can see the cabinets in the background.

Pose 2.  I chose this one because of its simplicity.

Pose 3.  I didn't choose this one because you can tell I'm the one taking the picture, and you can't really see my bump very well.

Pose 4.  I didn't choose this one because you can tell I'm the one taking the picture, and the bottom of my foot is disgusting.  It's always like that (the joy of dancing barefoot consistently for a few years).

Vote for me, please!!  And pray for me that this delivery will be SOON!  I'm hoping this week.  If not, I'll live, but I really just want it to be now.  :)

Happy October!!

It's October!  I've been waiting for this month all year!

All but one of the nieces on my side of the family have birthdays in October.  When we found out our baby would be due this month, we thought it might be a girl, just so it would follow suit.  Actually, I was a little skeptical about it being a girl, because that would be a little too predictable.  But it turned out it is a girl, so that will make 5 of my parents' granddaughters born in October.  My dad's birthday is also in October.  So, I'd like to post now about these birthdays so that I don't get behind, and you can see the wonderful people who will share a birthday month with my baby girl.

Ashlyn and Merrin.  Ashlyn has the glasses.  Her birthday is today, the 1st.  Merrin's birthday is the 26th.  They're both turning 13.  Crazy teenagers... They're also the best of friends.

Audrey's birthday is on the 8th.  She'll be 15.

Katie, the one with the glasses, will be turning 7 on the 18th.

 This is my dad.  His birthday is on the 15th.  I won't tell you how old he is.  I'll just let you know he's the grandpa of soon to be 11 amazing kids.



Happy birthday to these peeps!  And Happy October to everyone!