6 (+ or - a couple) weeks to go!

A couple of FAQ:

How far along are you? 34 weeks

When are you due? October 26th ~ 39 days to go, according to lilypie.com

What are you having? A girl!

Do you have any names picked out? Yes and No. We have a list of a few names, but none that we are set on (Correction ~ none that we totally agree on.) We will have to narrow it down when she is born. Don't tell Rob, but I'm secretly hoping he'll break down and let ME choose her name ;)

How are you feeling? I am feeling great! My belly is getting big, but otherwise I have no complaints. Okay - other than my ankles which are CONSTANTLY swollen. I guess that's what being on your feet ALL day will do to a pregnant woman! I think I'll be wearing flip flops until November because God knows I can't squeeze my feet into regular shoes (at least not during the week!)

How are you sleeping? As good as I can! I think the long days at school help me crash at night! I also sleep with multiple pillows to help keep comfortable.

Are you nesting? Yes- not only at home, but at school too! It is awful! I feel like I can't ever keep up with wanting things to be immaculate around the house and in my classroom ~ attemping the impossible, I guess. I'm probably driving Rob even more crazy than normal when I flip out over some mail laying on the island, a dish or two in the sink, or some socks laying on the floor! What can I say?? ;) I'm getting ready for baby!

How is Rob feeling? He thinks he's gained sympathy weight. I think that's great! Then we can shed the pounds together post-baby!! Otherwise, he's doing great and getting excited for baby's arrival! He's been extremely supportive through this entire journey ~ always making me laugh when I just want to cry, rubbing my back when it's been a long day, and waiting on me when I whine about my swollen ankles. However, I think he may have a heart-attack if she gets any more clothing! I think he'll be surprised at how many outfits she will actually go through in a week! Oh - and the whole dirty diaper thing has him totally freaked! I say he'll learn quickly and it won't be nearly as bad as he thinks it will be. Okay- it will totally be just as bad as he thinks it will be, but I think he'll handle it much better than he thinks.

Will you notify people when you go to the hospital? Don't worry ~ Rob will be updating facebook regularly on our progress! My friend, Jenny, has also graciously volunteered to update my blog as soon as there is any news (Right, Jenny?)

All in all things are going wonderfully! We finally picked out our crib bedding which I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I will post pictures as soon as I have the nursery set up. It is currently cluttered with gift bags, tissue paper, baby clothing, baby suppplies, baby toys, and many other things baby (ALL of which Annie thinks belong to her, I might add). I am beginning to feel ready ~ ready because we have all the "stuff," ready to be done being pregnant, ready to have my ankles and feet back, ready to wear my old clothes again, ready to meet our baby girl, and ready to watch Rob fall more in love with our daughter than he could ever imagine!

Next up... pack our hospital bags and WAIT!

Here are a few pics of our first baby shower, thanks to the Liddell/Flynn families, friends, and a WONDERFUL Mother-In-Law who organized the entire thing!!

Thinking really hard while playing a fun trivia game!

Mommy and Daddy-to-be

Yummy cake!!

34 Weeks Pregnant ~ Beware of the following pictures!

I am baring the belly this time to show its true size!!

Annie: Big Sister

When Baby Liddell arrives in October, Annie isn't going to know what hit her. Her world is going to turn upside down with all the attention {eeek...} on something other than HER! But I'm not worried! You can see for yourself that Annie is already a great "helper" and I'm confident that she'll be a great big sister. For other dog lovers... How did you introduce your furbaby to your new baby??

Annie helping to paint the nursery

{Notice old paint color: canary yellow}

Annie helping to open the boxes of crib parts

{Notice new paint color: celery green}

Annie helping to find all the pieces

Annie helping to read the directions for the stroller

Annie helping to assemble the stroller.

I'm sure she'll also "help" with dirty diapers, stinky laundry, and baby toys. ;)

P.S. I'm 30 weeks (30 weeks 3 days to be exact) pregnant! Almost to the single digit countdown!! AND I think I finally found a cribset that I like.... pics coming soon!

Time for an Update....

.... in more than one way! First things first, I got a new laptop!! Yay!! I was so excited to frequently update my blog once I became pregnant and had actual news to blog about. However, I've been without a laptop since last December when mine crashed!! Sitting in our office (in the basement) at the desktop is not exactly convenient for internet surfing, online shopping, facebook stalking, and blog updating! BUT I am back in the game, and hopefully more frequent updates will follow. My blog is currently "under construction" and might be for awhile because I know nothing about designing blog templates. So - forgive me while I play around with different fonts, colors, and backgrounds until I find something that works for me!
In baby news, It's hard to believe I haven't updated since our ultrasound almost 10 weeks ago!! My pregnancy is going wonderfully, and I am feeling amazing. I really have nothing to complain about if you don't count weight gain, heart burn, and swollen ankles, but those are just minor, right? ;) I am growing daily, which means baby is also growing bigger and stronger. I can't believe I am already in my 3rd trimester. I know those first 12 or so weeks just DRAGGED on while I waited to announce our news, but the last few months have just flown by. She will be here before we know it!

Here I am in all my pregnancy glory at 28 weeks!

Coming soon: Nursery pictures! We've painted the nursery and purchased our crib. However, we are STILL looking for a cribset, so please pass on any suggestions you might have for cute websites, shops, etc... I've checked Target, Babies R Us, JC Penney, Pottery Barn Kids, Amazon.com, Ebay, and countless other sites and have yet to come across something I love.

It's A ..................

GIRL! We had our 19 week ultrasound today and it was AMAZING!! This was our first ultrasound. It was all I hoped it would be, and then some. I have been anticipating this appointment for weeks. Rob and I met at the clinic after school today and the sonographer called us right in. My bladder was thankful :) The wonderful sonographer took all the important measurements she needed before checking out "the goods." She was wonderful and explained all the very important anatomy, including the four chambers of the heart, the stomach, the ribs and spine, the brain, the umbilical cord, hands and feet, etc... It was amazing! Baby is healthy and strong, all 10 oz. of her. Her measurements were perfect and lined up with my current due date. When she finally revealed that the little baby squirming around in my belly was a girl, I couldn't help but tear up. I think I would have responded the same way had our baby been a boy, but the anticipation and emotion was just so overwhelming. It truly makes this pregnancy become very real and very exciting! It really puts my mind and my heart at ease. At this point all is well, and I can just hope and pray that this pregnancy continues be smooth and uneventful! Now I can relax and truly believe that Baby Liddell is busy growing everyday and let Mother Nature do her job! I'm almost half way there! Hopefully soon I will begin to feel those little feet kick!

And finally, here are some "baby bump" pics! (And Eww.. why are prego pics so unattractive??)

14 weeks

18 weeks

Welcome Second Trimester!

Good-bye anxiety and nausea; Welcome growing belly and maternity clothes! I have reached one of many milestones in this pregnancy- completing the first trimester! I am so excited to have finally reached the second trimester- when the risk of miscarriage drastically decreases, my pants slowly become tighter and tighter due to my growing belly, and I regain some energy! They say that the second trimester is when most women feel the best during their pregnancy. I can't wait to see what this trimester brings. Some of the highlights I look forward to are a growing belly and seeing a healthy baby at our ultrasound (finding out the sex will also be a bonus)! Thanks for all the "congrats" and well wishes from wonderful friends and family! Pregnancy is such an exciting journey and it just feels that much more special with the love and support of friends and family. I have enjoyed reading the stories and seeing the pictures of all YOUR pregnancies. I hope you enjoy our journey as well!

The Club

I am excited to announce that I am officially a member of the "pregnant mommies club." This is an unofficial club that you are officially a part of once you become pregnant. A club in which we all have many things in common: raging hormones, changing bodies, goofy appetites, and most importantly, the amazing privilege of creating a human being inside our very own bodies. Like many of you have already experienced, I've been waiting WEEKS to share the big news! I am now almost 13 weeks pregnant and I am due October 26th. Last week, I had my first appointment with our midwife in which Rob and I were able to hear the most beautiful sound ever, our baby's heartbeat. I had been preparing myself all day to hear this, however, when I actually heard it, I was still speechless and teary-eyed. Although I knew I was pregnant on February 17th, I didn't truly believe it until I heard that strong heart beating. Here's our story so far... On February 17th, I was two days "late". Although I had gone off birth control only the month before, in hopes of getting pregnant, I couldn't believe it would happen so quickly for me. I decided to take a pregnancy test "just to be sure" that I wasn't pregnant. I was home by myself and took the test. After only an instant, the test showed a positive result. I was in shock and denial. I had no idea what to do next, so I called Rob at work. As I was calling him, I realized how silly it would be to tell him over the phone while he was working, so I had a very short, akward conversation with him, and then came up with a plan "B." I took another pregnancy test "just to be sure" that the first one wasn't wrong, then I decided to write him a little note and wrap it up in a box along with the positive pregancy test. Then I waited, and waited, and waited. FINALLY, he arrived home from work to find the gift waiting for him on his night stand. I was already in bed and had to keep my back to him until he opened it because I knew my face would give it away! After opening his surprise gift, he grinned, and his first words were, "Are you serious?" followed by "I told you so!" :) Rob was positive I would get pregnant as soon as I went off of birth control, and boy was he right! Then, I burst into tears. After the initial shock and excitement, I was greeted by the strong urge to tell everyone I knew, but my head said otherwise. Nobody tells you that the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are an awful mix of excitment, fear, and anxiousness! I wanted to talk to everyone I knew, but was afraid to tell anyone for fear of having a miscarriage. I'm sure Rob got tired of hearing me say "Can you believe we're going to have a baby?" after the 650th time. Maybe not, because it's still pretty cool! After 5 painful (not literally painful, but it sure felt that way) weeks of waiting, I finally had my first appointment with a nurse. I could call it a "disappointment" because it involved paper work and blood work, but provided no confirmation of a growing baby- not even a pregnancy test! It was another 3 weeks before we could hear the heartbeat. That day was the most exciting and scary day I have ever anticipated. All I could think about was how amazing it was going to be to hear the heartbeat, and how painfully devastating it would be if we didn't. I can excitedly say that I WAS able to hear the heart beating, and that was all the reassurance I needed! That evening, Rob and I decided to share our news. We had already told our immediate family over Easter, but wanted to tell the extend family, friends, and co-workers. The word is out, and it is such a relief! In the meantime, I am waiting. Waiting for my next appointment in two weeks to hear that amazing sound again, waiting to completely outgrow my clothes (as they are beginning to get a little tight), and waiting until our 20 week appointment when we can find out if our little pumpkin is a boy or a girl. Wish us luck!

UnDeR CoNsTrUcTiOn!!

Yikes -- Under construction!! Yes- it's true! I am actually updating my blog! I hope this will give me the motivation to get back into the loop :)