Hello Again!

Well long lost friend, I must admit I have missed you greatly! Please understand it has been much longer than I ever expected. Life just seems to hit these little pot holes that keep things interesting, and seem to leave me with a huge lack of free time. But don't worry... I will do my best to fill you in, and pick up right where we left off.

Let me begin by stating that if you are also a follower of my TTC blog, I will be removing it within the next few days/weeks. As you can tell, I can barely manage to find the time to blog, so keeping up with two is just a little ridiculous.

I figure it is easier to lay things out in a numerical sequence to keep things short, sweet, and simple.

So where to begin...

1.) For those of you who didn't already know, I am still in pursuit of my degree. The main reason I have had a huge lack of free time is because this semester I was taking the last course I need to graduate... STATISTICS! ouch...

2.) The good news is- I kicked statistics butt and I am DONE!

3.) The even better news is that I should receive my diploma in MAY if everything goes accordingly. You see... besides needing the stat class, I had everything I needed from A&M except a high enough GPA. After a nasty letter from my dad, A&M has offered to work with my situation, and I will able to hopefully raise my GPA without taking anymore courses. This has been a huge blessing, and although I am still waiting on the verdict, I am saying some huge prayers that everything works out in my favor.

4.) This was our first holiday season in Kodiak. Halloween was a cold and nasty night. We got a whooping 3 batches of trick-or-treaters, as we sat and watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Needless to say, we had LOTS of left over candy!

5.) And speaking of left over Halloween candy- when I went to my Dr. appointment after Halloween I was told that I was at risk for kidney stones and was given a list of foods to stay away from. The number one item on that list... chocolate! Talk about torture...

6.) As most of you know, Kevin and I were able to make it to Texas for Thanksgiving. It was a MUCH needed vacation from the remote island life (and work!). It was a whirlwind of a trip, and went by WAY to fast! Lets see if I can do some sub-bullets here...

• We left on a Wednesday, arrived in Houston Thursday night. We had dinner at Olive Garden with my dad, mom, and sister- and stayed with my dad at his new house (in which he made an AWESOME room for me, Kevin, and Kael.)That night I got really sick and was the first time I actually threw up this entire pregnancy.
• Friday morning we woke up, flew to McAllen, and that night there was a surprise baby shower.
• We spent that weekend at South Padre Island. The 85+ degree weather was AMAZING and I sat in the water the whole time!
• We had family pictures taken (with my in-laws)
• And celebrated Thanksgiving with Kevin's family and my dad's side of the family.
• Black Friday we flew back to Houston- and that night was "girls night" with my mom and some of her friends (mini bachelorette party if you will...)
• Saturday was her rehersal and my baby shower
• Sunday my mom got MARRIED!!
  
• Monday Kevin and I went to College Station and had lunch with Kelli, Kelly, and Eli
• We had some lazy days
  
• Lauren took some maternity pictures (I was 24 weeks)
• And when it was time to leave, I just couldn't handle it

7.) We got back to Kodiak December 3rd, and to be completely honest, I was very depressed for about a week and a half. After being up here for 8 months, it didn't seem that bad- but after going home and seeing everything and everyone that I miss, it was very difficult to get back into the swing of things.

8.) I guess I probably need to back track a little... at 20 weeks we found out we are having a BOY! His name will be Kael Liam O'Connor, and my heart just melts thinking about that little guy! I love him so much already!

9.) I have put in my application at the Child Development Center that I work at, for the Assistant Director position. It has been a roller coaster, but I haven't given up hope. I just keep praying that God will put me exactly where I need to be to provide the best life possible for Kael. And worst case scenario... if I don't get the promotion, I get to stay in the infant room and work directly with Kael (which I can't complain about).

10.) Kevin had surgery on his wrist about a week ago. He had a cyst removed, and hasn't been able to use his right hand at all. It has been interesting, but he is progressing quickly, and will get his stitches out January 3rd. Pray for a quick recovery because I can't keep shoveling all this snow!!

11.) The day of Kevin's surgery, we experienced our first BLIZZARD! They even closed down the base! After Kevin's surgery, we came home and put our pajamas on, had pizza, and watched movies. The next morning was the big surprise... snow up to our knees! After work that day I came home and had to shovel snow- in which I got yelled at for. Apparently shoveling snow can bring on preterm labor- so I haven't shoveled since! (I'm sure our neighbors HATE us).

12.) Needless to say... we had our first WHITE Christmas! It even snowed on Christmas Day (and hasn't stopped...)

13.) Speaking of Christmas- this was our first all alone. And to be honest, it was much more difficult that I thought it would be. Family is such a huge part of our lives, and not being around them was really tough. Christmas Eve seemed to be the toughest for some reason. I think I was shocked at how quickly Christmas snuck up on me in general. I didn't get to enjoy it like I was hoping, but Kevin did a great job of trying to cheer me up. Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful weekend, but I must admit that I am glad Christmas has come and gone- and we can move past it. But mark my words... next year will be different!

14.) I am 27 weeks pregnant now...can you believe that! This is my last week of the second trimester, which just seems unreal. And as we speak, I am exactly 90 days from my due date! I can't decide if that seems really close or really far away. I am so anxious to meet him already, and find myself day dreaming of what he is going to look like, and what his personality will be like.

15.) My next doctor's appointment is January 6th. I will have my glucose screening test as well that day. After that appointment, I will start going every 2 weeks rather than once a month. As far as symptoms go, here are a few more bullets:

• I have gained roughly 13 pounds so far (my big weight gain came after our trip home!)
• I am having a harder time finding a comfortable position to sleep in
• I am feeling lots of movement, and felt my first set of hiccups on Christmas Eve
• I still haven't had any major cravings, although I really enjoy my bowl of cereal every morning (and I usually have seconds!). I have also really been enjoying salads, pickles, and sprite.
  
• I have started having Braxton Hicks Contractions. It started with maybe 1 or 2 a day, and at first I thought it was Kael repositioning himself very low. After doing a little more reading I realized what that feeling actually was. They aren't painful, but definitely noticeable-it is like a very sharp tightening in my lower stomach. Today I have had roughly 10-15, typically 1-2 an hour. I've read this is your bodies way or preparing for the real deal, but as long as you don't have more than 4 an hour you are ok. Even though I've read this, I'm anxious for my next doctor's appointment so I can talk to him about this.
  

And if you have made it this far... you are a sweetheart! I know that was a little lengthy, but hopefully you are feeling a little more caught up. And I promise I will do a better job of posting more often!!