Last Day of Class

We had our last Childbirth Education class tonight, and to be quite honest, I know I haven't learned everything I will need to know to deliver and bring you home! It makes me quite nervous to know that the expertise we received and ability to ask our questions is gone. I realize when the day arrives there will be plenty of people to help out, but I am sure I will feel like I should already know most of what is going to happen. I guess we will have to wait and see. I know having Angie there with me every step of the way is going to be extremely helpful. She is going to allow me to ask the stupid questions and be able to provide honest open answers, and not just tell me what I want to hear. In fact, she has definitely done that and helped already! Even though it was our last class and we got out early, I am still exhausted and just need to get to bed. It seems you will cooperate tonight, so I appreciate it! :-)

Another Sonogram...5 pounds!

Today was typical as far as work goes. I am still playing catch up from being gone last week, and my emails continue to build up. I brought it home again tonight, but had a hard time getting started. I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon, so had to leave work early. It was strange this time cause I met with Dr. Thompson instead of Dr. Mueller. He is not as friendly and made me wait for quite some time before seeing him. I don't plan on meeting with him again. They did another sonogram so I got to say hi again and see how big you are getting. Right now you are right at five pounds and she guessed that you might be between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 pounds when you are born. Although I want you to be healthy, that would be a big baby. So, I am hoping it will be on the smaller side of that. :-) To be honest, as long as you are healthy, I don't care how big you are. It was great to see you although you were not as active while we were there. I think lunch was settling in and so I wasn't able to really see your eyes and mouth opening like I did the last time. Regardless, it was great to see you and everything looked perfect. You sure have been active the rest of the night, so hopefully that means you will be going to sleep when Mommy does tonight. I will keep my fingers crossed after the night we had last night.

Poor Winston

Well, after being up all night with Winston, we had a pretty relaxing day. Daddy and I were up at about 2:00 AM attending to Winston, cause he got sick again twice throughout the night. So, we ended up coming downstairs to sleep and that wasn't all that comfortable. You were wide awake once we moved downstairs and Mommy just couldn't get comfortable. Not to mention, we just couldn't fall back asleep, so we watched a movie and then went back to bed. Needless to say, we slept in today and had a pretty lazy day. Mommy tried to take a nap even throughout the day, but again had a hard time. I am starting to get more uncomfortable as the days go by, but it is all worth it. I just keeping thinking to myself that it will be over soon and well worth the discomfort. After being lazy most of the day, Mommy had to get some work done. So, I worked for about five hours and then it was time for bed. I feel okay going to work tomorrow, although I still have a long way to go.

Busy Saturday

Slept in this morning as planned, and it was nice to be in my own bed for a change. The hotel bed was nice, but it was sure missing Daddy and Winston. Although it was raining all day, I wanted to get some running done. We went to BWW with Derrick and Angie, then went to see Aunt Tara and her new baby, Emma!!! How cute is she!? I was so upset that she had her while I was on my trip, but it was also nice to meet her at home. Daddy and I drove over to meet her for the first time and see how Aunt Tara and Jeff were doing. Of course, Mommy had to know all the details of the delivery cause she is going to be going through it very soon. From what Aunt Tara said, it sounds like I am going to be able to get through it, however I think Daddy has some doubts! :-) After our visit, we went to Best Buy to pick up our video camera so we have it all ready for your arrival. Then, we went to dinner with Grandpa Cline, Mel, Jenny and Don. We went to Mickie's pizza and had a great time. Of course you like pizza, so you had no problems with that at all. We had a nice evening and now it is time to relax and probably got to bed early.

Dallas Trip

Well, it was certainly a long week. I am going to try to sum up the week in one entry, rather than simply repeating the same events wach day, cause basically that is what happened. We were up at 6:00 every morning, breakfast at 7:00 and interviews beginning at 8:00. The hotel supplied breakfast and lunch for us every day, so that was extremely nice. A few things that took place this week included unexpectedly getting sick after lunch on Tuesday. Not sure what happened or if it was something I ate, but it just didn't agree with my belly. I also got sick again on Friday before leaving the hotel, and again at the airport in Chicago. I think the flying thing hit me hard again and it is just not my forte. I prefer to be on the ground rather than in the air. On a brighter note, we were able to leave the hotel one night this week and tour one of our Operations Centers, which was nice to see. We then went to dinner at the Bass Pro Shop restaurant, Big Buck's. It was extremely nice and I of course had to get a steak. I used the excuse that you were wanting me to order it, which I have done quite a few times throughout this pregnancy. Anyway, we had extremely long days of interviewing, and each night had to have a wrap up session for the day in which we ranked all of the candidates. All in all it was a great expereience, but boy am I glad to be home. I stopped at the office for a few hours before heading home. There were a few mishaps at work that I needed to attend to, but nothing too extreme. I will just need to play catch up this weekend so I feel okay going back to work on Monday. Came home after going to the office and Winston was of course glad to see me. Although, he was so happy he got sick and Mommy had to clean it up while she was trying to sleep. Guess I better get used to doing that huh? I got to rest a little before Dad got home, but it sure was great to see him. A week is quite a long time to be away and I was glad to be home. Relaxed the rest of the evening and plan to sleep in tomorrow.

Afraid to Fly!!

Left today at 9:00 this morning to catch my flight to Texas. I was pretty sad to leave and was extremely scared to fly. Daddy tried to put my mind at ease, but to be honest, it didn't really help much. I was nervous the entire time I was driving to Bloomington to catch the plane. I met two girls from work at the airport, and was glad to see them. I think it would have been a lot worse had I had to fly out by myself. We left around 11:00 this morning and nearly missed our flight in Chicago, but we made it with no time to spare. It really didn't give me too much time to think about how awful the next flight to Dallas would be, but beleive me, I was still scared. There was a short period of time while we were decending in Dallas that I thought I was going to lose my lunch, but luckily I didn't. We got to the hotel (Hyatt) with barely enough time to get signed in, settled in our rooms, and then downstairs for the first meeting of the week. We received all of the necessary paperwork needed for the entire week and was able to meet the Section Managers we would be interviewing with. I was glad to be at the hotel, and called Daddy before heading for bed. It was going to be a long week, and I needed to get some rest.

Dinner with Derrick and Angie

I went in to work for a few hours (six) today to try to get things under control before I leave tomorrow. I did feel okay walking away, but still know there will be some things that I have forgotten to do, or things that will come up that I was just not prepared for. I hate to think that the others at the office will have to take up my slack while I am out. However, I feel I have done okay informing them of what I have going on right now. Again, there were will be unexpected things that come up that I cannot prepare for, and I just hope they aren't too mad if that happens. :-) I met Daddy at Derrick and Angie's this afternoon cause he was there helping out on the breezeway again. Of course they got quite a bit done, but they also had time to play PS2 for quite some time. We went to dinner after they were done. We tried a few different places and most of them were busy. However, we finally decided on Applebee's. We had a nice dinner but I had not started packing yet. So, I had to make a quick trip to Walmart and then came home to pack. Unfortunately, Daddy was falling asleep the entire time I was packing, so I didn't get to see him much before I went to bed. I leave at about 9:00 in the morning, so need to get to bed.

More work...

Mommy spent most of the day at work today trying to get prepared to leave for her trip to Texas. She had to meet with quite a few of her team in order to help prepare them for what might take place while she is gone. It is extremely difficult to leave all of her files behind and let someone else take over, but I think I will need to get used to it for when you arrive. I plan on taking as much time off as I can, so I can spend some quality time with you when you arrive. I know I need to go back to work, but it will be extremely hard. I will probably not have any trouble forgetting about work when you are here, but for now, it is hard to let someone help while I am on my trip. More than likely I will also need to come in tomorrow too to get better prepared. Nothing on the agenda for this evening, we simply stayed home and relaxed for the night.

Dinner with Grandma (Dina)

Grandma Dina and Dave came to visit us tonight. We went to dinner at the Busy Corner, and then they came back to take a look and the progress we have made on your room. Although we haven't done too much, they really liked the colors and furniture we have so far for you. Grandma and I started looking through all of the clothes you have received from your cousin Kaleigh and you could just tell from her expressions, she cannot wait to see you in some of them. I just have a feeling that although she has seen everything we have so far, it will not stop her from buying you more! :-) I guess that's what Grandmas are for!

Trip to Texas

Well, Mommy got some not so exciting news at work today. She has to travel all next week to Dallas, Texas for work. I was asked this afternoon at about 2:00 and needed to let my boss know by the end of the day. It is something that I certainly cannot pass up from an opportunity perspective, however I am pretty nervous about flying. I talked to Dr. Mueller today to ensure it was safe for you and Mommy to fly and he said it was okay. Secretly I was hoping he was going to say that I probably shoudl pass it up. However, he gave me the green light over the phone so I will talk to him again at my next appointment on Tuesday before I leave. They want me to go to Texas for our Catastrophe Services Team Manager interviews. I will have the opportunity to meet with many of our Section Managers which will be great from a work perspective, so I need to keep thinking along those lines. My hope is that it isn't harmful for you to fly, so I am taking Dr. Mueller's word for it. Hopefully I will learn more about the trip this week.

Tour of Hospital

Had a typical work day today, extremely busy and although I had tried to get caught up this past weekend, it certainly doesn't take long to feel behind again. However, I knew I couldn't bring it home with me cause we had to go to our childbirth class. This was a good one cause we got to tour the birthing rooms at the hospital, as well as the Mommy/Baby rooms. It definitely put my mind at ease (a little) to see where you were going to be born and how the entire process was going to work. Just seeing all of the equipment they will be using and how it works was nice. I am starting to get a little idea of how we are going to bring you into this world. However brief the sessions, it is starting to get us prepared. I will certainly not promise that we will know everything when the day finally arrives, but we are starting to get our feet wet. All in all it was a great class, but of course Mommy is tired again and will need to get to bed.

Bunco at Mommy's

Had Bunco tonight, although we didn't play Bunco. We had decided that wherever it was held, the hostess was able to pick what we did that evening. So, the Academy Awards were on, and since I hadn't planned anything in time, I created a voting sheet and we simply watched the awards all night. I had bought stuff to make ice cream sundaes, so we made those as well. You certainly enjoyed having those, and of course there were enough left overs for you to have later too. :-) Since it was at Mommy's house, I am able to get to bed fairly early this evening. So. more to come later.

Visit with Angie

Got up early today and went in to work. I felt wonderful walking away today and will feel even better going back to work on Monday. It was definitely long overdue. I think mommy's boss will be happy as well, and hopefully my stress level will be a little reduced...which will make Daddy happy. Didn't have much planned for this evening, but ended up having company. I stopped on the way home to get a movie and was just going to relax all evening, but got a call from Angie who came over to keep me company. Derrick was at a poker game..imagine that..so she brought over her wedding video and pictures. We ordered pizza and watched the video. It was awesome, and the pictures were great too. There were quite a few pictures of Mommy and Daddy that I will want to order. Even though you were in Mommy's belly, you were not very noticeable in the pictures. I'm sure this was a releif to Angie who had three pregnant women in the wedding and one that had just deleviered. Regardless, they turned out great and I plan to order some. After the video, we looked at the pictures and then just chatted and watched a little TV. I think she could have stayed here all night just talking, but she had to work early in the morning. So, off she went and I went to bed.

TGIF!!

Thanks goodness today is Friday. I am looking forward to the weekend, even though Daddy is not here. I talked to him last night and it seems he had a great birthday. I feel bad that we haven't done anything for him, but he said he doesn't want me to. So, maybe we'll just go out to dinner when he gets home. Today was a busy day at work and I think I am going to go in again tomorrow to get caught up. I have been needing to do it for a while, and again since Daddy is gone, it will be a great time. We went to dinner tonight with Tara and Crystal...we went to Cheddar's so of course I had to get a steak. Hope you liked it...Mommy sure did! We had a great time even though Aunt Shell wasn't able to go. She had to stay home and keep the peace with Uncle Tim. They had another silly argument, so she will hopefully go next time. We talked about Aunt Tara possibly going into labor any time. She is due in two weeks, so you just never know. Many people say that your first pregnancy may result in an early delivery, so we'll have to see how long you last. You looked fairly big at our last sonogram, so I cannot wait to find out your birthday! Well, I need to get up early tomorrow to go to work, so time for bed.

Daddy's Birthday!

Got up this morning after not sleeping much last night and it was strange not to have Daddy here with me. Winston kept me up most of the night, which in turn didn't allow you to get much sleep either. You were not as active today, and I am assuming it was cause you were trying to get caught up on your sleep. Mommy needs to do that too, so since Daddy is not home, I will probably go to bed early! Today is Daddy's birthday and I just got to talk to him over the phone a little while ago. He is having a great time fishing in Arkansas, so his birthday seems to be a success. We will have to think of what we can do for him when he returns. He says he doesn't want anything, so we'll have to call Grandma Dina to plan something while he is away. Not sure he needs anything so we may have to be creative. He is doing pretty good fishing...he said he caught about four or five trout, so that is good. Wish I was there with him..I have never been trout fishing before, so hopefully he'll take us some time. I know he will love taking you fishing too. There are so many things that he is going to love to teach you...hope you like poker, playstation, motorcycles, fishing, bowling, horse shoes, etc. I know many of them seem like boy games, but you will like them! Mommy likes to do most of them with Daddy too, so you will too. Can't wait until you arrive so we can start all of these adventures!

Another Long Day!

Well, we're have way through another long week. It is the first five day week in a while, so it is definitely starting to take it's tol on Mommy. I sat in a staff meeting for most of the morning, and had another one this afternoon. So, basically I didn't get anything accomplished. I knew I couldn't bring work home with me though cause Daddy is leaving tonight for Arkansas. He is going on his annual fishing trip with his Dad, Uncle and a bunch of other guys. He is really looking forward to it, although I am going to miss him. Then, he decided to go to poker so rather than getting to spend time with him, I just relaxed all night with Winston. Daddy has to leave at midnight, so probably as soon as he gets home he will have to leave again. Oh well, he will be home Sunday so it isn't too long. I know he really hates to miss poker, so I'm starting to get used to becoming second on the list on Wednesdays which is okay. It's only one day a week, although I think that may change once you arrive! We won't tell Daddy that though...cause he swears that he will still want to go. My guess is that he won't want to be away from you for too long...even one day a week! But, we'll just have to wait and see. Tomorrow is Daddy's birthday, so we'll have to wish him a Happy Birthday when he gets home from poker before he leaves.

Maternity Pictures

Today was a great day...all I could think about was getting our pictures taken. It was a typical day at work...busy, busy, busy! Enough said about that. After leaving work a little early, I went straight home to pick up some clothes for our pictures. Daddy and I went to Photography by Michelle in Morton tonight (she did our wedding as well) to take your picture! We had such a great time and Daddy actually appeared to be okay with it. I won't necessarily say that he was having fun, but he did great and smiled for all of the pictures. He was extremely cooperative and I sincerely appreciated it. I cannot wait to see how they will turn out. She took quite a bit, so hopefully we will get a couple to show you off in Mommy's belly. I cannot wait to share them with everyone else too. After we got our pictures taken, we went to dinner and had a great time. It was nice to spend some time with Daddy since he will be leaving for Arkansas tomorrow. We have a nice evening and then came home and crashed of course. Mommy has definitely been tired lately, and has not been able to sleep through the night very often. I think you are trying to get Mommy prepared for what's to come. You do a great job of staying awake most of the night, which keeps me up too. I keep thinking of what it will be like when you are actually here, and am fearful that the sleep thing will take it's toll on me. I know I will be able to get used to it, but my day's seem to be so much longer when I don't get a good night's sleep. Well, I guess that is just one thing that will change when you arrive. I am looking forward to everything else...good and bad! :-)

Babies, babies, babies!

Today was a busy day at the office. I didn't have any meetings all day long, so we sat at my desk and just plugged away. Although I never did get caught up, I knew I couldn't bring it home cause I had Bunco tonight. So, I did what I could, and was happy with that. It will all be done at some point, and I am starting to realize what my priorities should be. I am doing better about knowing when I just need to relax at home, and am okay with that. I am starting to feel less guilty about not bringing work home, although it is hard the next day. Daddy will be on vacation for the last part of this week and all weekend, so maybe I can get some work done then! At Bunco tonight, it was great to see Aunt Michelle and Aunt Tara. We have some much fun talking about being prenant together and what we are all experiencing. Sometimes I start to feel bad for those around us cause that is all we talk about...however they understand, and ask questions too. It has been great to go through this with them, and I am so anxious to see how you will all interact with each other. There are going to be so many babies around in the near future that we won't know what to do! I know Grandmas are going to be happy about it. One in particular who doesn't have anyone else to share her joy with yet...you are the first one for Grandma Dina, so that will be extremely exciting for her. I cannot wait to see her initial reactions when you arrive. Daddy and I were just talking about that the other day. He could see that I was thinking about something, and asked me about it. I told him I was trying to picture Grandma's face when she sees you for the first time. I remember what my Mom thought, so I can imagine it will be the same for her. I also cannot wait to see Grandma Vickie with you too. She has become a pro at being a Grandma, so she will have a lot of fun as well. We'll have to keep in mind that when we all come over in the future, there will be three little ones and not just Kaleigh anymore! :-) Of course Grandpa's are going to be the same way. It will be interesting to see the reactions, and I know you will be loved unconditionally by everyone!!

Shopping with Daddy

Daddy and I spent the day shopping again today. We had some gifts to take back from Christmas, and needed to get the rest of your furniture for the nursery. After all the research I had done and found exactly what I wanted, not one store that we went to had the items in stock. So, I had to switch gears a little, which was somewhat disappointing, and get something else. However, I think I am going to love it, and I know it will hold all your "stuff." I cannot wait to put it all together and get your room ready. Daddy put me at ease that you are not going to care what is in your room, and as long as it holds your stuff, we should be okay. He has been great about putting things into perspective for me throughout this entire experience. I know I am somewhat hard to deal with lately, but he is doing a fantastic job! He is going to be a great Daddy! We went to lunch after shopping and again he put my mind at ease...of course this was after a few brief discussions and moments of worry! Once we got home it was time to relax. You knew I was ready cause you let me lay on the couch for a moment without much activity, and it didn't take me long to get comfortable and then it was time for bed.

Weekend with Aunt Michelle

Today I spent the day with your Aunt Michelle and cousin Kaleigh. We started the day with lunch of course...got to ensure you are getting fed. Then, we had some shopping and errands to do. We had a very nice day and enjoyed the nice weather...it was sunny and in the 40 - 50's. I cannot believe it is the beginning of January and it is so nice. I also cannot believe it is the beginning of January, and we only have a few short months before we get to meet you. You were extremely active again today, that has become the norm. You seem to be doing acrobats in there all day...especially after you eat. Daddy was at Derrick and Angie's all day helping them out on getting their new furniture. Then, he had a poker tournament tonight, so Mommy spent the day with Aunt Michelle. While he was gone, we attended Aunt Tara's baby shower. I got so many ideas of things you need as well, so that was a plus. I cannot wait to register for all the things you will need when you arrive. It will be a lot of fun for Mommy, although she may have to take Grandma's and Aunt's with me rather than Daddy...he is not necessarily looking forward to all of that. At times he seems to think you won't need too much, and always says we aren't going to spoil you, but I think that may change once you arrive! He won't be able to resist the temptation to buy you everything you need...and want! :-) After the shower, Mommy had to drive home to let Winston outside, so she just stayed home, watched movies and relaxed the rest of the night until Daddy came home. You were certainly happy about that too...I could tell it was time to sleep.

Baby Reflections

Well, I was a little disappointed today. We were scheduled to have your sonogram taken at Baby Reflections. All day long I was anticipating it...Daddy was going to drive all the way to Bloomington after leaving early from work to come and see you. I had a hard time concentrating at work all day because I was so anxious to see you again. It has been about six weeks or more since I saw you last, and I just couldn't wait. A few people from work had gone to this place and were able to purchase the smallest package, but also get a few of the 4D pictures. Well, that was not the case for us. She was going to make us pay $150 to be able to get the 4D ones. So, unfortunately we couldn't afford to do that, but it was still worth seeing you again. We watched you blink your eyes over and over, and it looked like you were talking to us cause your mouth was opening and shutting the entire time! It was amazing! You seem to be doing quite well, and I cannot wait until the day you arrive so we can see you in person. It made me feel better to be able to see you again and know that everything is on target. You are doing great...and we did confirm again that they didn't make a mistake the first time. Olivia is still an Olivia, and not a Cooper or Tyson!

Work, work, work!

Another long day's work today. I needed to bring work home again, but didn't. I plan to go in early tomorrow if I can get some sleep tonight. It is poker night though, so we'll see if you and Winston allow me to rest. Usually, Winston stays up until Daddy gets home so Mommy cannot get to sleep early. I hope you don't start the same patterns as Winston! :-) Either way, I am pretty exhausted today even though we have a short work week. I have been continuing my walking every morning before I get started, so hopefully that is helping me stay strong and remain healthy throughout this pregnancy. You were not as active today, so of course Mommy was a little worried, but you did start to move around a little more on the way home from work. I think you knew it was time for Mommy to leave and start to relax! Well, I actually have some errands to run and bills to pay, but that will all get done eventually. More important things to take care of and consider...like finishing your room so it is ready for your arrival.

Childbirth Education Begins

We had to go back to work today, and of course it was hectic as usual. Mommy continues to learn how to leave work at work, and tries not to bring it home with her and take her stress out on Daddy. I realize it is hard to do sometimes, but it's easy to talk myself into doing it now before you arrive. As soon as you arrive, no more work will be coming home with me! I think Daddy is glad about that too...he is the one that gets to see me stressed all the time and he certainly does not enjoy that. I didn't being work home with me tonight though cause we started our childbirth education classes tonight. I purposely didn't set any expectations for Daddy, cause I wanted to see his reaction without me asking for it in advance. We learned quite a bit the first night, and I think it will start to put things into perspective a little more each day. Once I know what to expect, I think it will put my mind at ease about the entire birthing process and bringing you into this world. There is definitely a lot to know though, and I am fearful that I will not learn everything in time for your arrival. My assumption is that most Mommy's go through these feelings though, so I am going to just take it day by day and see how things go. I know we have a lot of support, so you don't have to worry about us taking great care of you! We are bound to make some mistakes along the way, but I promise you that we are going to do the best we can. Our next class is not scheduled until 1/10/06, so more to come at that point.

Nursery Update

Daddy and I slept in today and definitely needed it...I think you were okay with it too. We relaxed most of the day, although Mom did some cleaning around the house. We also completed some more of your nursery. Daddy put the chair rail up today and Mommy painted some of the decorations we are going to put up. We had a great time getting the room ready for the rest of your furniture. Not to mention, we know have three 40 gallon storage bins full of your cousin Kaleigh's clothes. She will be so excited for you to start wearing them. I cannot wait for you to meet her...she is so excited to meet you too! You will have so much fun growing up with her and I cannot wait for you to meet. All in all today was a good day! We got a lot accomplished and it was nice to stay home for a change.

New Years Day

Today was a great day. We had a good time last night ringing in the new year, and stayed up until about 3:30 am playing games/cards. I think you stayed up with me the entire night, and was glad when you were finally able to relax. We got up early today and you were definitely ready to eat...so was Mom. We went straight to Derrick and Angie's for the New Year's Day Come As You Are Party. Of course Angie had so much food just waiting for you to have. Mommy had some chili that you seemed to enjoy quite a bit cause you were extremely active the rest of the night. We ended up playing cards again for quite a bit of the afternoon, and you were apparently rooting me on the whole time cause you seemed to be jumping around in there. After the game was over, I helped Angie clean up and then we took you home to relax. Of course Dad fell asleep on the couch as soon as we got home, and I did some more research on the internet about how to decorate your room. We are having so much fun putting it together for you...I hope you like it!