Rough Week...

Thank God it is Friday- and I'm OFF today!! What does everyone have planned for New Years Eve? Can you believe that we are about to say good bye to 2010, and ring in 2011? I must say, I am so anxious for 2011, and just know that it is going to be a GREAT year!

A few things I have to look forward to in 2011:

• The birth of my first child!!
  
• My mom, Bruce, and Lauren are coming to visit in April
• The in-laws are coming to visit in May
• :Fingers Crossed: Kevin and I will both be receiving promotions (or at least pay increases)
  
• We will hit the "one year" mark of living in Kodiak- which means only 2 more!
• Kevin and I will celebrate 3 years of marriage

Ok... I know none of that is SUPER exciting (minus the whole giving birth to my first child), but I have to find little milestones to look forward to. I've realized that if I can find a little something to look forward to every month of so, it seems to make time go by so quickly! And lets face it... I am ready for time to fly by! I'm so ready to meet this little guy, and to be done with pregnancy! And don't get me wrong... I have LOVED being pregnant, and have felt pretty fortunate about how easy it has been- with the key word being HAS. Which brings me to why I started this post...

This week has been a reoccurring nightmare! There has literally been something wrong every day! And all I can do is hope and pray that this is not what my entire third trimester is going to be like. This is how my week has gone thus far:

• Monday- Dizzy and light headed. It was bad enough that I actually went home from work. I also started having 1-2 braxton hicks contractions every hour. They aren't painful, but pretty uncomfortable
• Tuesday- Left work at 2 pm because my contractions had increased. By the time we got to the hospital I was having them every 7-10 minutes. They flushed me with fluids and monitored me and Kael for about 2 hours before letting us go home. They felt the cause was dehydration, so I have strict orders to drinks an ungodly amount of water every day.
• Wednesday- pretty typical day at work. When I got home, Kevin and I went and had dinner at the pizza parlor on base and then rented a movie. Halfway through the movie my back started hurting so bad, I was in tears. I took a hot bath to try and sooth it, and went to be bed around 8:30. Around 10:30 I woke up, to run to the bathroom to find myself extremely sick. And it continued until 4 am!
  
• Thursday- I had a short day at work, and only had to go in from 9-3. Thank God I was able to sleep in a little after being up all night, but I was still extremely queasy and tired. I managed to get through the day with the help of Sprite and Chicken Noodle soup. I went to bed around 7:30 that night, and continued to wake up EVERY hour to go to the bathroom. I am seriously on the verge of buying Depends if it means I could sleep through the entire night without getting up to pee 10,000 times! I also toss and turn like a Rotisserie Chicken with how uncomfortable I am. I am shocked that Kevin and the dogs have stuck around this long!
  
• Friday (today)- I woke up at 6:30 am... on my day off! Enough said. I am feeling less "sick" but still feel tired and run down. My goal for today is to try and find a maternity pillow because all I want is to SLEEP! Oh, and Kevin works nights all weekend, so I will be celebrating NYE all alone, and to be completely honest, I will probably be in bed around 8.
  

So there you have it... my rough week. A horrible last week for 2010, but hopefully it will all turn around.

Have a Happy and Safe New Years Eve!!

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!!

It's Offically Fall!

As of this past Thursday, it is officially Autumn! This is the beginning of the holiday season, and I can already smell and feel it in the air.

This past week was a rainy/foggy one. The weather was miserable and after having weeks of sunshine, it was not welcomed. Friday morning things seemed to change. The rain and fog was gone, the air was cool and crisp, and all the green that had been covering the mountains was beginning to turn brown. Autumn really is here!!

And let me tell you... it is already WAY colder than what I am used to! The high's are back down to the 40's and 50's and we have been warned that by Halloween the ice and possibly snow will be here- so we have about a month of "Fall" before it is Winter.

But to prepare myself, I have the aroma of Spiced Pumpkin and Autumn Wreath candles wafting through my house. I have pulled out my Jack-O-Lantern Scentsy warmer, and I'm just waiting to order and receive some holiday scents to fill it with!

And of coarse, I can't wait to get our pumpkins this year. We plan on getting 2 large ones and 1 little one to represent our growing family! I am already looking forward to roasting the pumpkin seeds, and watching Halloween movies.

But the best part about Fall is Thanksgiving... and we will be in Texas for that! And I can't even begin to express how excited I am for that trip!!

The Big Reveal...

After keeping my mouth shut for what has felt like an eternity... Kevin and I are so excited to announce that we are expecting a baby March 27, 2011! After a long and bumpy road, we are so thankful and blessed to be where we are.

As of today, I am 12 weeks and have been lucky enough to see our little one on 3 different occasions- the most recent being this past Wednesday. He/She is beautiful, has a strong heartbeat, and loves to wiggle around (even though I can't feel it yet!). I never believed in love at first sight until this past ultrasound. Watching the baby wiggle around and look at it's little profile made me melt instantly. I am already so eager to meet him/her.

If you would like a brief recap of our "bumpy" times, click here. That is actually the end result of what we dealt with, so if for some reason you feel the need to read through the whole process, simply click on September 2009, and scroll through the posts. (Crazy to think that was a year ago!!)

But if you would rather read about our current situation from the beginning, click here. You will need to start from the bottom and work your way up if you wanting to read everything.

I'm still trying to keep the two blogs separate, although I realize I have been neglecting this one. To be honest, I am so exhausted by the time I come home from work I sit on my butt and can't possibly think of anything creative to write. SORRY! If I can't seem to keep up the two, I will eventually merge them together. Until then, go ahead and start following me here, so you can keep up with how the pregnancy is going.

Lions, and Tigers, and BEARS...Oh My!

My first bear sighting was tonight (August 28, 2010) at about 8:30 pm. The bottom two pictures are from my camera and lens... you can tell how far away the bear really was (don't worry mom!) A very nice man next to me had the same camera, but a MUCH better lens, and let me borrow is for a little bit, and those are the top two pictures. Obviously, a much bigger zoom!

It was so exciting to finally see one... I have been dying to since we got here. I was actually told where to go look earlier today, and I was able to talk Kevin into going and check it out with me. While we were driving down the road we could see cars lined up with people standing by the guard rail taking pictures. We knew there was a bear, so we stopped and ran over. Everyone was so friendly and talked to each other. Apparently, the same few bears are out in that area at the same time every night. I'm hoping I can get Kevin to go out again tomorrow a little earlier so we can catch the bear fishing.

In other exciting news... my mom got engaged tonight!! I still haven't heard the whole story, but her boyfriend Bruce (who I helped set her up with in the beginning) has been planning this for some time now. He actually sat and talked to my sister Lauren and called and talked to me pretty much ask our "permission". We both adore Bruce, and know that he will make my mom a very happy woman. I can't wait to talk to my mom tomorrow so I can hear all the juicy details!! :)

Anchorage Trip!

Tuesday Kevin and I took a day trip to Anchorage. We rode a Coast Guard C-130 plane, which was an experience in itself. First of all, it was SUPER loud! We were given ear plugs to wear, and it was still so loud you couldn't even talk to the person sitting next to you. Secondly, when we flew onto Elmendorf Air Force base in anchorage the whole back of the plane opened up...like the stuff you see in movies where they parachute out! We were already on the ground, but it totally took me by surprise. The seats in the plane we like old, hand-me-down seats from a real airplane and it sat 51 people surprisingly. Once we landed, we were on the middle of the run way at the Air Force base so you can only imagine the planes we saw. There were these jets that were "practicing" or something that were pretty awesome looking. I will have to ask Kevin what they are called again, but everyone was super impressed. I got a few good pictures through the window on the bus we rode to the "terminal" so I will try to upload those a little later.

Once we were there, the day flew by! I definitely realize now that a weekend trip would be much more productive. We wasted so much time getting our rental car and dropping off equipment for the Coast Guard. We ended up eating breakfast at IHOP and I have never enjoyed my french toast more in my life! It was AMAZING! After that we went to a small mall that had an American Eagle, Old Navy, Pac Sun, etc. It was your basic mall- but still lacking a lot of stores. After that we went to a shopping center with Target, Kohls, Sports Authority, and Best Buy. We only had time to go into Kohls and Target. Everything was so rushed and not what I was expecting at all. Next we went back to the base, picked up some paperwork, and then went to another mall. This was like the holy grail! It was HUGE... and had everything! I wish we would have just spent the whole day there.

Either way, I'm glad we went. It was nice to see what the real world looks like. I was disappointed we didn't get to eat at least one other meal there, but it is probably for the best! It was definitely hard to come back home after that trip. I have no clue how I am going to handle it when we go home for 2 weeks!

Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman

Well hello there long lost friend! I'm so sorry I have been mistreating you! Things have been so busy and I have been so tired by the time I get home from work that I haven't had any creative juices running. Plus, to be completely honest... my life is pretty boring! I do have some upsetting news about the City of College Station and the EXIT Teen Center which is where I worked all through college, but I will save that post for when a little more information is released.

So onto why I decided to post tonight. First, Kevin is working nights so I am stuck at home watch the Disney Channel (don't judge...). Second of all, since Kevin is working tonight, he asked me to bring him some dinner. We have seen several commercials about these new tacos from Taco Bell called "cantina tacos". They resemble out favorite taqueria tacos, so we were pretty excited to try them out. Taco Bell is one of the 3 places we have to chose from, so new menu items is almost like a holiday! Here are the tacos I'm talking about...

They look pretty good right?!? I mean... as far as fast food tacos can go! The onion, cilantro, and lime is what "makes" our favorite tacos- so these had to be just as good, right? WRONG!! First of all... every one of those ingredients that I was looking forward to was MISSING! All that was on my taco was tomato...which I hate! Thankfully we have limes at home (thanks to the in-laws!) so I scooped the tomato out, cut up some onion, squeezed some lime, and put some salsa on...by this time my mouth was watering! I took my first bite and my mouth was not very happy. I managed to think happy thoughts and ate 2 of the 3 tacos, before I felt like gagging. Not worth it at all! :sigh:

I guess I will just have to hold off until November to get some good tacos, but the wait will be well worth it!

On the topic of food... you would not realize how much one person could crave specific food until it is all taken away from you! I find myself dreaming about Chick-Fil-A, Whataburger, Cheddars, and all my favorite Mexican food places (Casa Rod, Taqueria La Mexicana, El Pato).

Thankfully we will be taking a day trip to Anchorage this Tuesday and we will at least have a few more food options. Although none of my "cravings" are there either, there are places like IHOP, Chili's, TGI Fridays, etc. I have a feeling they will have to roll me back onto the plane at the end of the day because I plan on eating something horribly fattening and delicious for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Well...now that I have made myself sound like the fattest woman on earth, I will be heading to bed to dream of chips and salsa. Hope you enjoy the rest of this weekend, and I promise that I will be updating more often!