Our Traveling Girl

By the end of this pregnancy, Mackenzie will have already traveled to southern Florida and the Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. I went with my mom, and brother to visit my grandma down in Florida for a long weekend last week. It was such a nice visit. My grandma suffers from Vascular Dementia, so you never know what you're going to get with her. She has her good days and bad, and is super alert one minute and then in her own world in another. The one thing to keep remembering, is to smile. If you let it get to you, it will break your heart. We went on Saturday to visit her in her new home in Coral Springs, Florida and she was so excited to see us! We didn't know what to expect and certainly didn't want to get our hopes up, but she proved us wrong. My brother walked into the dining hall with flowers and the whole place lit up. All the old ladies went crazy and weren't shy to tell my brother how beautiful the flowers were. Grandma showed us around her assisted living and we went outside and sat under a tree for a little while. She was so funny! Grandma wanted so badly to take us out to lunch, but since she just ate, we told her we would come back on Sunday for lunch. We got a call early Sunday morning from her home saying that she had fallen sometime during the night and was at the hospital. We were heart broken. The family spent Sunday in the nasty, nasty ER of the hospital trying to calm Grandma and reassure her that everything would be ok. We did all hear a common response from the staff (including the on duty police officer) my Grandma at almost 88 years old, is one feisty lady! And she has a mouth on her. She will be spending the next 3 weeks in rehab and will then get to go back to her place. Below is a picture of us on Saturday under "Grandma's Tree".

Scott and I are leaving on Saturday for a week at the beach with some friends of ours. It's our last before Mack vacation. The drive down to Florida is about the same amount of time to the Outer Banks (about 10 hours), but it didn't bother me last week, so hopefully this week it will be just as easy.

I went to the doctor right before I left, and everything is still looking great. I'm currently 29 weeks and 2 days. My iron is still on the low side and they're still montoring it, but it doesn't seem as much of a concern at this point. I'm measuring right on for weight gain, blood pressure and I passed the glucose test. I'm now going every 2 weeks which is so crazy....September will be before I know it! It's so hard to imagine what Mackenzie will look like. Scott and I have made some predictions based on what we looked like as infants and toddlers, but it's so hard to invision our own child!

The same friends that we go to the beach with every year, help with a local Labrador rescue group. I got an email the other day asking if Scott and I would check out a pair of boys that were found in Grant Park and brought all the way to Paulding County. Since we live right behind the shelter, Scott ran over there the other day to check them out. The rescue group thought they would be good addition to the group, so we are going to pick one of them up this afternoon. The shelter was having them nutered, but one of the boys got very nervous and wouldn't load into the van, so he has to stay for a little while (but Lab Friends is still going to take him) and then we found out that before the boarding company will take them, they have to have all their shots. Scott and I are going to rush over the shelter this afternoon, scoop the one up, take him to the vet, and then meet with our friend so she can take him to boarding. Good grief, after all this, I really think it's harder to adopt/save a dog then it is to have a child! So, if you ever think a Labrador would be a good addition to your family, check out http://www.labfriends.com/

Oh My Achin' Back

I'm finally starting to feel the effects of pregnancy. My back is pretty much aching all the time now. And I get very restless at night. I'm so sleepy during the day and I've been taking cat naps here and there, so I guess I have to cut that out. I wake up around 4:30 a.m. and toss and turn until my alarm goes off. But, if this is all I have to contend with, I say I'm doing pretty well! We're getting down to the wire, so crazy! As of yesterday, I was 28 weeks, which means I only have 12 weeks left. When we went to my first appointment I was 11 weeks and 6 days, and that's exactly what I have left if I go full term.

Mackenzie has made her home on the right side of my tummy. It's so funny to watch her roll, punch, kick, and turn in there. My stomach changes shape where ever she is. The other night, I had a perfectly round ball protruding out of my tummy and it was too big to be a hand/foot/knee/elbow and too bone-y to be her bottom, so we are guessing it was her head. It was as if she was trying to hear what was going on out here.

I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow and praying that all goes well, I will be leaving shortly after to drive down to Ft. Lauderdale with my mom and brother to visit my Gramma, Aunt and Uncle. We haven't seen my Gramma since she left GA for FL to move into a nursing home. I'm ready for some mom and family time. Oh, and a nice perk is the beach of course! As long as I get the go ahead to travel tomorrow, and as long as the trip goes well, Scott and I will be spending the first week of July in Nags Head! It will be our 4th year going and has turned into quiet the tradition. Some friends of ours grew up going there every year and it's always a blast. It's such a fun place, because there are no hotels to contend with along the coast, just age old, cute beach houses. This will be our last childless vacation so again, we're praying that everything will be ok tomorrow.

27 weeks...where has the time gone?!

I can't believe that we are down to less than 100 days! It's scary and exciting all at the same time. We got the top half of Mackenzie's room painted and we are waiting for the beadboard, so we can finish it up. We're really happy with the color that we chose. Once her room is together, I will be sure to take some pictures. We went back to Mable House Ampitheatre this past weekend to see America. The only song I knew was, "Riding Through the Desert on a Horse With No Name" but that's ok. It was so hot and I was super uncomfortable because my back was killing me. I hate complaining, so I was just in a bad mood.

Earlier Saturday, my niece had her first dance recital that she's been praticing for all year. In the middle of the second routine, Abby's tutu fell off of her! Instead of panicing, she tapped her heart out with her tutu around her ankle's and casually stepped out of it when she got a chance...she never stopped smiling and never missed a beat...did I mention she just turned 6?! Abby never ceases to amaze me!

Tomorrow is Scott and mine four year anniversary...again, where has the time gone? It seriously feels like yesterday that we were getting married. We aren't doing much tomorrow, because on Thursday we are heading up to Ellijay with some friends for a long weekend, and boy do we need it! I can't wait to relax and be lazy all weekend. The best thing about going up there, is that we can bring the pups and they always have a blast playing in the river.

I have to mention how proud I am of my brother. As some of you know, he's nine years younger than me and even though he stands almost a foot over me, he is still my little brother. Well, as of last week, Matt, is now a United States Marine and I couldn't be prouder of him. He still has a year left in high school, and won't be going to basic training until he graduates, but that just means that he has entire year to prepare for what's in store. Love you, Matt!

25 weeks and 2 days

Yet again, I have another Thursday off, so it's time to blog! I had my glucose test last Friday and the doctor said that if there is a problem, they will call me otherwise, we will discuss the results at my next appointment on June 20th. The test wasn't bad at all, the worst part was getting my blood drawn...I hate the anticipation of the needle. I had the drink cold and drank it through a straw and the only problem I had with it, was that it was so sweet that it gave me a sore throat. We did hit a rough spot. Once again my iron is very low. I have battled with this for years and right when I get it stable, it drops down. The nurse was much more concerned about it than I was only because she didn't know that this is a constant medical problem for me. The doctor wants me to take an iron supplement opposite of when I take my prenatal and from here on out, I will have to get my iron checked. If there isn't a significant change, I will have to get iron shots which apparently hurt pretty bad. I just have to watch what I eat and make sure that I'm eating foods high in iron.

We definitely have a future athlete on our hands! Mackenzie is constantly moving now. She favors my right side and loves to kick/punch/poke me right in the rib cage. Scott felt her move on Monday night on the way home from my moms. Unfortunately, he was driving so he really couldn't focus too much on the movement, but he started laughing and couldn't believe that he could feel her as much as he could. I'm still feeling really good and don't have much to complain about. I'm still sleeping well, with only a few tosses and turns a night and so far no dreaded midnight potty breaks! We're getting her bedroom together slowly but surely. We plan to get paint this weekend and I have to measure the crib so I can get the right measurements to start her bedding which I'm sooo excited about! We're headed to Mable House Ampitheatre tomorrow night to see Randy Travis so we will see if Mackenzie likes country music or not!

24 weeks and 2 days

We've had such a busy month! The first weekend in May kicked off with our niece, Abby's 6th birthday. The weather was great and we all had a great time. Scott and I have gotten into the tradition of giving Abby outside toys, and this was the third year in a row that we bought her some sort of chalk set. Scott LOVES shopping for his nieces and nephews, and it's so much fun to watch him roam through stores trying to find exactly what he's looking for. I hope he carries on with his love for shopping when Mackenzie gets here! The 2nd weekend in May was obviously Mother's Day, and on Saturday we went to Lake Allatoona with Scott's parents, brother, sister in law, and their kids. It was a bit windy and way too cold to get in the water, but Scott and the kids got in...they're nuts. We had a little cookout in the picnic area and enjoyed relaxing in the shade. On Sunday, we headed up to my mom's to celebrate with her and also my baby brother's 17th birthday. Had the wind not been blowing so hard, it would have been a perfect day for swimming in the pool, but no such luck. We all enjoyed being lazy and talking about the babe. That Sunday night, I got the best news! Carmen called to say that she is pregnant! I was in total shock and I still am, but I'm so stinkin' excited! Ever since her and Mat got married, I told them to wait just 2 years for me to finish school and then we would have babies together, well Mackenzie decided to change that plan for us, so I was cheering Carm and Mat on to get moving! Well, all I can say, is that we couldn't have planned this if we tried! She's due less than 2 months after me and I couldn't be happier for her, Mat, and baby C. Now last weekend, was Drew's first Communion and I have pictures!

Scott, Me, and Drew down in the prayer garden at his church.
Drew resembles Scott so much! It will be interesting to see what Mackenzie looks like, because Drew can easily pass for Scott's son.


Abby, Me, and Jamie. Abby recently turned 6, and Jamie is 10 1/2.
Scott, Me, and Mackenzie! Our first pregnant photo at almost 24 weeks!

As far as Mackenzie goes, things are going really well. She's a little mover and shaker early in the morning and late at night. I would love to be able to see exactly what she's doing in there, because there are times that she's moving non stop for quiet some time. I go tomorrow for my glucose test and I'm praying that everything will turn out fine. I was starting to get very discouraged because I couldn't find any bedding that I liked. Everything out right now just isn't much my style or if it is, it's not worth what the price tag is! I started searching for fabric and finally found EXACTLY what I was looking for. I visited several fabric shops and have to tell you about Fabric and Fringe, it's off of Canton Highway and it's amazing! The prices are no more than Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or Joann's and it's a huge warehouse with bolts and bolts of fabric! I was in heaven! Now my mom and I have to get crackin' on the bedding and Scott and I have some serious painting to do!

21 weeks and 2 days

Scott and I were back at the doctor again last Friday for a routine check up. The nurses are continuously impressed with my blood pressure. It's always been on lower side and continues to stay low thus far. Apparently, Mackenzie is measuring right on and her heart rate is great. One funny thing that happened was, Scott was wearing his work shirt and the doctor asked Scott what he did for a living. After finding out that Scott works in the home remodeling business, the doctor asked for his business card! I told Scott that he could trade work with the doctor as long as he agreed to deliver our baby! I absolutely love, love, love this particular doctor and am hoping, wishing, and praying that he will be the one on call when I deliver. My next appointment isn't until may 23rd, and that's when I get to do the lovely Glucose test. All the nurses were trying to scare me by saying how gross that stuff is, but I love anything orange flavored and I have quiet a sweet tooth, so hopefully it won't be as bad as they all say. I'm starting to feel her move around a lot more, but nothing for Scott to feel just yet. I'm finally starting to feel pregnant, and had my first pouty day last Saturday. Scott had a softball tournament that lasted all day, and even though I was sitting down, the babe didn't like that one bit. I stood for one of his entire games and then my sister in law and I spent the rest of the day shopping! I've really tried to pace myself when buying things for Mackenzie, but it's so hard! The summer clothes are way too cute, so I've bought some things here and there and I've been buying sizes that will fit her this time next year and beyond. May is an extremely busy month for us, and I'm taking pictures this weekend. I promise! It's my niece's 6th birthday on Saturday, so she's having a party, and then next week, my brother turns 17...yes 17! It's so hard to believe that he's all grown up! And then we have Mother's Day, my nephew's 1st Communion and the list goes on. On a different note, please keep the Moeller Family in your prayers. John and Diane Moeller have attended our church for many years, and John started up the company Scott works for. John found out sometime last year that he's lungs are dying and the prognosis isn't good. Unfortunately, over the winter, the doctor's found cancerous spots on his lungs and lymphnods. He went through several rounds of chemotherapy and nothing worked. Last week, John was back in the hospital and later found out that the cancer has spread to his bone marrow. It's been such a tough year on everyone and John and his family don't deserve this kind of pain. To end on a happy note, like I said, I PROMISE to post some pictures early next week. Classes are officially over and I've taken all my finals and now just have 2 projects to turn in on Monday! Yay!

19 weeks and 5 days

Scott and I went to the doctor on Friday for our 20 weeks ultrasound. We found out some exciting news, we're going to have a daughter! Everything is looking great. The name we picked out is Mackenzie Elizabeth. Mackenzie is Scott's middle name and Elizabeth is mine. I know it's a mouth full, but I have a long name and it's never bothered me. Her heart rate was 147 beats per minute and she's weighing 10 ounces....she's a little chunker! Everything I've read says at 19 weeks the average weight of the baby is from 5-7 oz., so it's nice to know that she's healthy! We got to see her brain and heart which was amazing. Her brain looked like when you cut a tomato in half with all the different sections. And her skull was a perfect circle. She decided half way through the ultrasound that she had enough and put her hands over her eyes...too cute. We went shopping on Saturday and picked up a few new clothes for her and they are already hanging up in her closet. Scott loves to shop, so it was fun shopping for our baby together yesterday. The room isn't anywhere close to being done, but it's cleared out and ready for decorating, so that's our next task. I still feel great. I go back to the doctor this Friday for my 20 weeks appointment. This one includes the glucose test and yummy drink for the testing. I'm officially out of all of my pants unless they are elastic! I can't even stand the thought of anything on my stomach, but still not much of any weight gain and I still don't think you can tell that I'm pregnant. I know, I still don't have pictures up, I'm working on it, I promise!