Babyrobics

One of my absolute favorite things Kimber does is what we affectionately refer to as "babyrobics".  This usually occurs in the evening - 8 or 9 ish (as you can tell by the fact that she's wearing jammies in the videos).  She kicks and moves her arms and moves her tongue back and forth and in and out of her mouth.  I truly believe it's her exercise.  I love every minute of watching it.  Sometimes she "talks" too. 

This is the first video I ever took.  All I think when I look at it is how I remember holding those jammies up to her and thinking how "huge" they were, and now they fit.  She's growing so fast.  I want to remember every precious moment, but it seems like the time passes so quickly!  It's so bittersweet.....

In this one, she "talks".  It's super blurry - my phone was dead so I used Clayton's and the settings must have been different or something.  But you can hear her sweet little voice.  It's the best sound in the whole world.  I love it SO MUCH!

Ugly Sweater Party

This past Saturday, Clayton and I were invited to an ugly sweater party.  From the very beginning, I wanted to make shirts - you know, like our mothers did back in the day with the snowman made out of puff paint.  Didn't everyone have one of those?  I did.  Anyway, we went to Wal Mart Friday night to buy supplies, and Clayton sort of took the reigns with his idea for what he wanted to do, so I decided to just match his. 

I have to say, Clayton's shirt is for adult eyes only, as it contains some anatomy not normally shown on a snowman.  But, we had a BLAST making our shirts on our first Saturday with nothing to do since basically July.  It's nice to have Clayton home....we missed him.  Of course, I snapped some pics of the preparations and of course the finished product.

before picture....matching gluing stations set up in the kitchen  :))

Clayton's sweater - side view heehee

full frontal (no pun intended) of Clayton's sweater

Hat: oreos

Eyes/Mouth/Buttons:  M&M's

Nose/other unidentified anatomy: Carrot

Arms: real twigs we got out of the backyard

My sweater.  I gave her some anatomy too, made of a Hershey's kiss on top of a Reese's peanut butter cup

My sweater also had some flair - glittery stars, a belt, and a sash.

Us at the party.  Clayton got 4th.  I submit that's partly because we were outside on the patio while people were tallying votes.  Either way, the sweaters were a hit, we had a great time making them, and had a blast at the party!!  We will of course be on a quest for something even funnier next year.  :)) 

Kimber's New Ride

Hauling a baby around is no easy feat, and we quickly decided the current vehicle wasn't cutting it.  I also have to say I'd been wanting this car for a while, even when we bought the one we had.  Anyway, Kimber has a much more spacious and safer-feeling ride.  She likes it and so do I! 

Christmas pictures and a HEISMAN!

Last Saturday was an eventful one in the Stewart household. :))  As I mentioned before, Kimber's 3 month pictures produced no smiles, nor did we have an opportunity to put her in a Christmas outfit.  So, I was determined to get some for the Christmas card, at the very least.  I decided I'd put a black fleece blanket over Kimber's boppy lounger and then set her on it.  I got her all dressed and ready in her adorable Christmas outfit then grabbed my camera ready to snap away on my smiley baby.  However, my camera apparently wasn't charged.  So, what does one do when they have a happy and adorably dressed baby ready to pose?  I grabbed my iPhone, and started snapping!  I was worried if I didn't get any of her happy, I might not get any.  You never know with a baby, and I needed to get everything done Saturday because we're already SUPER behind on Christmas cards.  But, that's how it is when your husband is a football coach and the team is in the playoffs.  He was never home before dark, much less in enough time for me to attempt to fix my hair (which is a RARE occasion these days).

I think what I got turned out great!  The iPhone4 definitely earned some additional value in my book..it takes great pictures and helped me out in a bind!!!! 



I had to include the last one because it's hilarious.  :))  Kimber was actually perfect and didn't cry until the very end.  I couldn't have asked for anything more from her.  I got at least 150 pictures!  After Kimber's impromptu photo shoot, we got all gussied up (meaning I washed, dried & straightened my hair) and headed to our friends the Schwank's house for our family Christmas card picture.   Lindsey has a really nice camera, so we posed by one of the lakes in our neighborhood (which also happens to be in Lindsey's backyard).  Unfortunately, Ranger was left off of the Christmas card last year, so we made sure to include him this year.  However, it was no easy task getting a newborn and a dog to look at the camera at the same time!  Lindsey was great though...she kept snapping away, whether we were ready or not, under the assumption that she'd capture everyone looking at some point, which she did.  Shockingly, I loved our pictures.  I have to admit I didn't have much faith that we'd get Ranger set, Kimber looking at the camera and not crying, and Clayton smiling a genuine smile, but we got all three!  Kimber was a pro - perfect again.  Maybe I need to have a little more faith in her.  heehee

The final event was Saturday night - a HEISMAN trophy for BAYLOR UNIVERSITY'S Robert Griffin III.  What an awesome accomplishment for a fine young man, and wonderful recognition for our university.  I'm so proud to be a Baylor Bear.  The highlight of Baylor football in my college career was October 30, 2004 when we beat Texas A&M in overtime and rushed the field.  But, what a long way the program has come.  I'm betting people don't leave at halftime anymore!!  The Bears had such a great season and I'm looking forward to seeing the Alamo Bowl.  I wish I could talk Clayton into going, but that may be difficult with our new addition this year.  Either way, I won't miss a minute of the action!!  Sic 'Em Bears!!!

3 month pictures - still a work in process

Yesterday was our appointment for Kimber's 3 month pictures.  Let me briefly mention that the newborn pictures were quite an undertaking. It was a 4 hour process....  So, I had high hopes that the 3 month pictures would be great, especially since Kimber is so interactive and always so smiley.

WELL, not quite what I had hoped for.  Kimber was out of sorts yesterday.  The photographer got some shots of her looking at the camera, but she was so somber.  She didn't crack even one smile in an hour and a half.  And, she was somewhat fussy.  The whole experience was frustrating to me.  1, because I wasn't in control of the situation - she's just a baby.  :))  2, the ONE time I needed her to smile and she absolutely wouldn't! and 3, all we wanted her to do for newborn pics was sleep and she wouldn't, then yesterday all we needed was her to be awake, and she only wanted to sleep.  Needless to say, we ended up rescheduling, but not before we completely wore ourselves out shaking every toy imaginable and talking to her, etc.  I'll have to learn not to get frustrated.  I can't do anything to change it and she's just a baby.  A very cute one at that.  :))  And, in her defense, she was fussy even after we got home.  I think she's starting to teethe, so that could be the reason.  I also think she was extremely tired....she slept 7 hours last night!  The most so far! 

Here's one shot the photographer sent me:

Sweet smiles and sitting up!

Kimber is growing so fast.  I can't believe she's already 3 months old!!!  She's smiling on a regular basis, and has been for quite some time.

She's also sitting pretty well - obviously not completely on her own, but she is pretty sure she's grown.  She LOVES lights, especially the TV.  Lately, when she's crying, we can hold her in front of the TV and she stops and watches.  We even got a DVD player to hook to the headrest of the seat so that she has something to look at when she's in the car.  Our car has a DVD player, but she's rear-facing so she can't see it yet.  So, we improvised.  She's so interactive and just wants to play and talk to you, so the car makes her cranky.  She's not in to just looking at the seat.   So, now, she watches Baby Einstein.  Hey, you do what you can, right?  If there's one key thing we've learned, it's that parenthood is baptism by fire!  But we wouldn't trade if for anything!!

Sitting in the Bumbo!

Watching TV on the couch :))  Rudolph was on.

Update to the present, part 2 - so what do we do now??

Bringing Kimber home was so exciting, but so scary at the same time!  I think all of us immediately felt better once we got home though....just being back in our comfort zone and out of the hospital.  Our parents have been wonderful and so helpful, stopping by every day.  It is so fun watching our parents become grandparents and seeing how much they love Kimber.  It's amazing, and I never get tired of seeing them interact with her.

The last three months of our lives have definitely been an adventure.  There are so many characteristics from Kimber being in the womb that have manifested themselves into our lives.  For example, I remember when I was pregnant, I'd usually wake up between 4 and 5 to go to the bathroom and tell Clayton how active she was at that time of the morning.  She'd be going to town kicking me at 4:30 in the morning.  She's still up at that time, and ready to play.  More recently, we've had discussions (I'm sure she understands) about night-night time versus playtime.  :))  The other main thing is her little personality.  I told my friends and family several times when I was pregnant that she was sassy and very strong.  I could just tell....weird, but it's so true.  Most people that hold Kimber comment on how strong she is.  And, you only have to be around her for a few minutes to catch at glimpse of that sassiness.

I'll try to catch you guys up with some pictures, then post again with some stories...

1 month old

bath time!! 

Wildcat outfit for daddy's football games

First football game.  Homecoming, and Angleton won!  10/14/11

                                                    2 months

I absolutely love mornings.  My mom told me that would be the sweetest most precious time with a baby, and she was so right.  It's the reason I'm late for work EVERY day.  But, I just want every minute with her.  Being a working mom is hard!!  There's alot to balance, and work doesn't seem to have the same priority.....at 5 I want to rush home to her and can't wait to see her!!!!

Here's my favorite picture so far that I snapped one morning before I picked her up:

Update to the present, part 1

I have been terrible about updating the blog!  I feel so bad that I haven't posted pictures of our adorable Kimber, or shared any stories.  I'll try to start from the beginning...

Near the end of August, my blood pressure spiked one weekend.  I noticed I saw prisms on Friday, then by Saturday night and Sunday, I could tell it was up.  I'm a textbook bp person - it's always 110/70, so it's definitely abnormal for my bp to be high.  I took bp with my home cuff - 123/96- and called the hospital.  They weren't as helpful as I would've liked, so instead of dramatically rushing up to the hospital on a Sunday night, I decided to just wait and call the doctor's office first thing Monday morning.  Sunday night was kind of scary, with bp reaching 137/99, even after I spent the entire day/weekend in bed.  But, Kimber kept moving the entire time - I just knew she was fine and strong.  Monday, the dr sent me to the hospital for observation, where they monitored fetal movement and my bp for an hour.  Kimber performed fabulously.  Of course. :))  I knew she was sassy.  They also sent me home with a urine collection jug with strict orders for 24 hours of bed rest.  They wanted to check protein levels in my urine and see if my bp would decrease with bed rest (even though I told them I'd been in bed ALL weekend).  Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've collected your own urine, every bathroom trip, for 24 hours.  heehee  When I went back Tuesday, my mom went with me.  I was alone the first time with Clayton already being deep into football season.  We got so tickled at Kimber during the observation on Tuesday.  The fetal monitor (as many of you know) is like a microphone on the baby.  We could obviously hear Kimber's good, strong heartbeat, but she moved so much and every time was like kicking a microphone.  It was so loud that the lady taking my information couldn't hear me telling her everything for all the racket.  I loved it - it was hysterical.  It let me know that Kimber was definitely strong and definitely a fighter.  Everything looked good with movement (obviously) and my blood pressure was down, so they didn't admit me (which I had been warned about), but they did place me on bed rest officially.  August 23.  I was bad.....I went to work Wednedsay and Thursday - the 24th and 25th.  Then, I took Friday off to REST and attend my regularly scheduled dr appointment.

My regular doctor had fallen and fractured his shoulder and had to have major surgery, so I was already seeing another dr - Carrie Ball.  LOVE her.  She's a tad more cautious than Dr. Irwin, and was with me especially I'm sure since I wasn't originally her patient.  So, Friday, she informed me that I was 37 weeks and considered full term, and that I was officially on BED REST  until Kimber came.  We discussed options.  She wanted to induce me Sunday night, the 28th, with the baby being born on Monday the 29th.  I told her that unless there was a severe problem (at which point I wouldn't argue anything) then I wanted to wait until September 1 because the grade cutoff is August 31.  Call me crazy, but knowing the baby was fine, strong, and healthy, I wanted to try to wait.  She informed me that I could wait as long as I wanted, but that I had medical reason (with my bp) to induce anytime.  Additionally, my observation time at the hospital the prevous week had revealed a somewhat low platelet count.  She told me that if I waited too long and my platelet count continued to decrease, then there was a possibility that I wouldn't be able to have an epidural.  All things considered, I decided to go in September 1 night, spend the night, and be induced early Friday morning, September 2, my offical 38 weeks.

It was weird knowing when I was being induced.  I'm a planner so it was kind of nice not having to worry about the spontaneity of everything, but it was weird knowing it was the last night we'd sleep at home just the two of us, etc.  Can't explain it but new mommies probably know what I mean.

As far as the birth experience, it was surreal and getting the epidural was the best decision I've ever made.  It made the entire process so much easier.  My nurse, Seyda, was wonderful.  One great thing about Women's Hospital is that they give you a one on one nurse for the entire birth experience.  She's there ONLY to assist and monitor you.  Pitocin was started at 7:30 am and the dr broke my water around 8:30 I believe.  I wanted to feel labor pains a little, just to see what I'd be missing haha.  So, I didn't get the epidural until around 11.  I was READY for it by then.  Fast track to the afternoon.  Since the nurse constantly monitors you and the baby, she noticed that at one point, Kimber's heartbeat didn't rebound after a contraction like they wanted it to.  Since by that time they can't tell what's going on down there, they inserted a second catheter to inject some fluid into the birth canal/womb in case Kimber's umbilical cord was wrapped anywhere it shouldn't have been.  By 7pm. I was at 9cm and 100% effaced so they knew it was CLOSE, but it was also shift change.  At that point, Dr. Ball had to leave to pick up her kids in Sugarland, so I changed doctor and nurse.  This was a HARD point for me, having been with the same people all day.  That's the only time I almost got scared/teary.  But the nurse was so wonderful, she had gone and handpicked a new nurse for me to make sure I'd feel completely comfortable.  By 7:45, it was time to push.

Call me crazy, but I didn't realize it wasn't like the movies where the babies automatically fly out on the first try.  There's actual pushing with just the nurse for a while, depending on how low the baby is, etc.  This is the part that was surreal for me.  For some reason, I always assumed I'd have to have a C-section or something would go wrong.  So, strangely, it was gratifying for me that I got to do it the "natural" way.  I use natural loosely because people also use that term to explain women who don't get an epidural and I DEFINITELY had that.  Anyway,  I pushed for about 35 minutes before the doctor, Dr. Black, came in.  I'll never forget watching Baylor play TCU on the delivery room TV while I was pushing and delivering.  Dr. Black commented on the game and said that there must be a TCU fan in the house.  I politely infomed her that it was a BAYLOR FAN in the house about to knock off a ranked team.  haha.  It gave me something to focus on anyway.  Kimber did come out right away once Dr. Black was there.  She shot out like a tiny torpedo.  My mom and Clayton informed me later that they actually worried that the doctor wasn't going to catch her, just because of the speed she launched out with.  I think that's hilarious.  It's because of all the extra fluid they had injected.  Kimber's official stats were 9/2/11  8:33 pm  7 pounds, 1 ounce.  She was perfect and cute right away, and so feisty.  I love it.  Confirms to me she's definitely mine!!

29 weeks!!

Wow, time is flying by.  I really need to get better about updating this blog so I remember what happened.  I haven't been "journaling" my pregnancy, unless you count the scraps of paper on my desk, at home, etc. that I've jotted down cravings and feelings on.  Hope I can find them all for a baby book!  How am I so busy??

I guess I've successfully entered the third trimester!  I've noticed a slight decrease in my energy, but I've been exercising to hopefully keep myself up and about.  I do feel like I need a nap every day, so the weekends are nice since I have time to do that.  The definite thing I've been wanting to eat is ice cream.  Not pregnant, I can really take ice cream or leave it.  But, pregnant, it's what I think about....what consumes my mind after each meal.  Pretty funny actually.  I'm sure I'm packing on the pounds, but I still say there are worse things to crave.  I think...

My 10 year class reunion was this past weekend - wow time flies by.  No one has changed to terribly much.  It was wonderful to see and hang out with everyone.  We all ended up in a big mass on the dance floor - I thought it was great -  no huddles of groups only keeping to themselves.  I think everyone truly enjoyed catching up and being in the company of old friends!  I had a blast and did some dancing.  I paid for that - literally limped into the house at the end of the night, but it was so worth it.  :))

Other than that, I guess I'm rocking along just fine.  I'm getting anxious to meet my sweet baby girl - she's extremely busy in my tummy these days but I love it.  Her nursery still isn't even close to finished....nothing like waiting until the last minute, right?  I've picked out her crib but it's on backorder.  Once I have that in the room, everything will come together.  Baby showers are in the planning stages, so that's fun too.  I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends when that time comes.  We're headed to the river this weekend for our annual family reunion which means I guess I'm headed to the maternity store to find a swimsuit.  I'm so tempted to just wear a bikini since it's the river and just family, but maybe I'll try to keep the belly under wraps.  I need to do better at taking pregnancy pictures...don't feel like I've documented this enough.  I'm also still considering maternity pictures....not sure whether I want them or not.  We shall see.  :)

We're expanding - literally

It's been a while since I posted anything!  At some point, I will learn how to do this and post pictures, etc...going to have to for sure learn by the time baby Kimber gets here. 

The pregnancy is progressing along nicely - if you call my acne-ridden complexion "nicely".  I've read and heard stories about women who experienced acne early in their pregnancy, but everything "settled down" and cleared up by the second trimester.  Well, here I am, at week 25, well into the second trimester and the more pregnant I get, the worse my face gets.  The only pregnancy glow I have is created from the acne cream I apply twice daily.  That being said though, I am extremely blessed that this has been my only real symptom.  I haven't been sick, I'm sleeping well, don't have any swelling or body aches, or for that matter even any crazy cravings.  KNOCK ON WOOD  (I feel like I have to do this).  I will say that I wake up more often during the night for restroom breaks, which is to be expected.  However, I'm usually one who sleeps through the night.  So, I've noticed two things: My husband occasionally snores (never heard it before), and he shares my pillow/sleeps extremely close.  No wonder I'm always hot when I sleep! 

The "cravings" I've had so far haven't been too abnormal, at least I don't think they have.  I went through a weekend where I absolutely had to have a Sonic Dr. Pepper and it was all I could think about.  This isn't the greatest thing to crave with not only the caffeine but the sugar content.  But, for two days, I indulged.  Thankfully, it went away.  Now I have a whole 12-pack of caffeine free Dr. Pepper in my fridge.  hee hee  The other major craving is Butterfinger Arctic Swirls from Red Top.  For those of you not from Angleton or Brazoria County, an Arctic Swirl is just like a Blizzard.  If Angleton had a Dairy Queen, that's what I'd have, but the Arctic Swirl is delicious and does the trick.  This one kicks in randomly.  Thankfully, there's a Red Top right around the corner from my office.  :))

Little girl is very active in my tummy these days.  When I first started feeling her kick, I could easily decipher her sleep patterns and she only kicked a few times a day.  Now, she's a busy girl somersaulting around on and off most of the day.  I love it.  It's so cool to feel her kicking.  I know after she's born she'll grow up so fast, so I'm trying to treasure this time when she's so close to me. 

My what to expect when you're expecting e-mail last week said the baby is officially "viable" and that I should pack my hospital bag.  Really?  Sheesh.  The nursery in our house isn't even ready.  We've started registries and are busy getting the guest room stuff cleaned out of what will be the nursery.  We're close, so I'm not too worried.  It's just a matter of moving the furniture now.  I'm ready to start getting everything in order though. 

Guess that's all for now.  Looking forward to Clayton having time off for a few weeks this summer and enjoying each other before our world officially changes! 

16 weeks and counting....

Tax season is still dragging on.  Clayton and I are so busy this time of year....dinner time starts around 8:30 when we're both home, we eat, and then crash into bed completely exhausted only to wake up and start all over the next morning.  This is not my favorite lifestyle pattern, especially now that I think I'm more tired than normal and my daily splitting headaches haven't gone away.  I'm so lucky to not have been stomach sick at all.  But, I have recently diagnosed myself with pregnancy narcolepsy.  I fall asleep at my desk at least 5-6 times a day.  It's kind of comical.  I'm sure my office neighbors walk by my door and get quite a fun glimpse of my head sagging.  I'll be anxious to see if that slows down once my work schedule is not so grueling.  As for the headaches, I don't know what to do.  One can only take so much Tylenol, so I just deal with it.  This means I spend many days in a fog of sleepiness and headache.  I'm quite the picture right now.  :))

Although we're totally impatient to meet our little tadpole, it does feel like the pregnancy is going by fast.  I'm already 4 months through!  Crazy.  I have a few weeks to clean out one of our guest rooms before we find out the sex of the baby and the buying spree begins.  :))  I've had my eye on a few bedroom furniture choices already, but I'm always open to suggestions. 

As for now, I'm just trying to make it through the next few weeks of work with a smile and a good attitude, which has not come easily to me this week.  I was quite the sassy-pants on Tuesday.  But, I rebounded well (I think) haha. 

Well - this is new!!

The first thing you probably notice as you visit this page is that it's pretty blank.  That's because I'm ridiculously new to this whole blogging thing.  The reason I've started this blog is because, I'm pregnant!!  And, it seems these days if your preggers or already have a kid, the thing to do is have a blog.  It's a great concept - one I hope I can become more proficient at in the coming months.  :) 

I'm about 14 weeks pregnant, with a due date of September 16, 2011.  Until then, I'll be musing about my life, pregnancy and vaious doctor's visits.  But, once the baby comes, this will hopefully contain lots of stories about our journey as parents and lots of adorable pictures of tadpole, of course!  Tadpole is the baby's affectionate nickname for now since we don't know yet what the gender is.  When I first found out I was pregnant and started downloading pregnancy apps on my iPhone, the first "update" I had on the baby was that it was currently the size of a tadpole.  And, thus the nickname was spawned. 

For now, we are anxiously awaiting April 21 when we'll finally find out if our little tadpole is a boy or a girl (if he or she cooperates).  I've had several people tell me that I'm cheating by finding out the sex in advance of the actual birth.  I understand that point of view completely, but I'm DYING to know!  I'm a planner by nature, so I'm pretty much chomping at the bit to start shopping for gender-designated clothes and baby items!!

I hope to get my act together soon and at least put a few pictures here and update the "about me" section.  It's tax season around my neck of the woods, so this is it for now I suppose.