Summary of My Pregnancy Thus Far..

So for those of you who are wondering, what is pregnancy like? Well, I can't give you the complete rundown, because I'm still 10 weeks out from having our baby girl, however, I can tell you what the past several months have been like for me.

The First Trimester - Basically, the first trimester is feeling sick (for me it was, atleast), nausea, vomitting, headaches, and just overall irritability. You can tell that your body is no longer the same, and that you are now sharing it with someone else (baby!). However, it takes some time before this becomes rather apparent. I was about a month and a half along when I found out I was pregnant. It took a while for those nagging feelings to really kick in, and for me to think 'Hey, could it be?!'. So that's when I picked up two pregnancy tests - and viola! Both were positive. Along with the sick feelings, also comes the worry, anxiousness, the 'Am I ready for this?', etc. But I assure you, no woman is truly ready when she becomes pregnant with her first child. Atleast, not from what I have seen and heard. It's a new experience, a crazy rollercoaster of a ride, but it's so worth it.

The Second Trimester - This was my favorite! In my second trimester, the sickness and irritability pretty much left the building. Energy, creativity, and a zest for life took over. I think I felt better then, and got more accomplished, than I had in quite some time - even before I was pregnant. I went through what I would consider to be the 'nesting' stage right in the middle of my pregnancy. The house stayed immaculately clean, I scrapbooked, wrote poetry, letters, blogs, you name it! I was always staying busy, and never getting that tired. It was also in my second trimester, that I found out I was having a girl. I was so excited and over the moon - I began to shop for her as much as possible. Like if I was in a store, I just couldn't help but stop in the baby section and buy an item or two. I was also being given tons of clothes and accessories from friends and family. Now I think my daughter will need her room, as well as the spare room. Oops. ;)

The Third Trimester - So much for that energy.. I feel like I'm constantly dragging and have to literally roll myself out of bed or have Mike pull me up. Mornings are the worst.. I'd rather just stay in bed til the bathroom urge hits me, than to listen to the alarm clock and get up. Don't get me wrong, my house still stays rather clean (though Mike helps out a lot more now due to my nagging), but I can promise you there is dust on some shelves and the floor does not get vacuumed every couple days - more like once a week. I can't wait to regain my energy and have my house sparkling again. Men just don't get to the little details like us women do. Oh and did I mention I can't see my feet anymore if I'm standing up? And if I do manage to lean over enough to check them out, or if I'm sitting down, guess what? They're swollen! As if my feet weren't ugly enough already! I rarely get sick anymore, but I sure do feel like a big bowl of BLAH most of the time. Can't wait for our baby girl to arrive, so I can hold her in my arms, have her here with me, and get back to my not-so-lazy self. =)

So there you have it, folks. My pregnancy in a nutshell (or maybe a little more than a nutshell). As for the delivery and first impression, I'll have to fill you in on that in about 10 weeks. Thanks to all my readers! Much love.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!! I hope everyone enjoyed their day. I sure did. Got some wonderful gifts for my mom, as well as Mike's mom, and also my grandmother (we did a cookout with her and my grandpa today, since we had already done early Mother's Day celebrations with our moms). Mike got me a new coffee table and bookshelf for the living room, as well as a new maternity shirt. :) All in all, it was a pretty good day!

I'm so thankful for my mother every day, especially today. She has helped shape me into the woman I am and the mother I'm becoming. She's my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without her in my life at this point. She means the world to me.

It's also very exciting to have people wish me a Happy Mother's Day - makes it all the more real that in 10 1/2 weeks, I will truly be a mother! I cannot wait! Our little girl will be here before we know it. It's worth all the back pain, stretch marks, constant runs to the potty, and everything else that's not so pleasant that comes with pregnancy. She is now my number one priority. =)

Will be posting more in the next day or two. I promise to try to keep up with this blog better.. I know I have been slacking a bit, but it is good to express myself and write about my pregnancy! Thanks to my readers! <3

Getting Closer!

So I had an ob/gyn appointment today for my second glucose screening (will get a call with results tomorrow morning). My iron level was good, blood pressure was normal, and Kinslee's heartbeat was perfect. It actually made me excited and happy when my doc said I'll be coming in every 2 weeks now. That means it won't be much longer til our baby girl arrives!

Also, people have started receiving their baby shower invites from my lovely cousins, who are co-hosting my shower. I have to admit, my cousin knows me well - she picked out baby pink and chocolate for the colors of the invite. Awesome. Can't wait til then - all my favorite women in one place, celebrating my baby! 

Things are going really good, but I do miss that mid-pregnancy nesting phase I had before.. Now, unfortunately, I am tired ALL the time and have to take naps throughout the day to maintain some sort of energy level. I do, however, manage to get most of the housework done.. I'm just a little delayed on some things, and require more help from Mike. :) He doesn't mind, though. Which is really great, considering how many hours a week he works! I sure do appreciate having him by my side.. I couldn't ask for a better "baby daddy". ;)

Speaking of which, he will be here soon and that means I better go start fixing our dinner plates. Adios, readers!

Been a Little Slack, But!

Hi guys. Yes, I've been terribly slack in the blogging department here lately, but I've had soo many appointments and such going on the past couple weeks. To my surprise, my blog was nominated for Circle of Moms' Top 25 Pregnancy Journals! How cool is that?! Check it out and vote for Mommy Memoirs by clicking below:

Long Time, No Post! =D

Yes, slack is the new word to describe me. Atleast where blogging is concerned. Otherwise, I've been staying fairly busy in my day to day life. I've had a lot of things going on, and neglected this page. I apologize.

The good thing is, my blood pressure is now under control and is staying around 120 over 80, which is perfectly normal. The bad thing is, I've apparently pinched a sciatic nerve in my lower back, and it's making simple tasks very difficult (such as cleaning the house!). Thankfully, my loving fiance is doing his best to help out when he gets home from work. I'm also going to see a chiropractor on Friday. No major alignments, no x-rays, no MRIs, no pain pills.. Just hoping that some deep tissue massage and maybe very light electrotherapy will help. Atleast I have found a chiropractor that has been in practice for over 30 years and has tons of experience treating pregnant women. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Anyone else have experience with chiropractics during pregnancy? Thoughts, suggestions, concerns? Some feedback will be greatly appreciated, as I am a little skeptical of this whole situation.

In other news, Kinslee's vast collection of clothing, toys, accessories, and necessities keeps growing, thanks to our wonderful family and friends. We've barely come out of pocket for much of what we have, compared to what has been given to us, and for that we are very grateful. Just this past week, she was given an ExerSaucer and an activity mat from her Gramma and Grampa Halstead. Oh, I should mention, though, that I *did* go a little overboard and buy her a 9 inch (seat) western saddle to match mine. :) I know, I know.. it will be some time before she can ride, but I couldn't pass the deal up! Can ya blame me? ;)

Now, to follow up with some pictures!

Kinslee's ExerSaucer!

 Kinslee's saddle, and also her saddle being modeled by my best friend Ashley's son, Gavin. This little guy is very special to me, he's like my nephew and I hope he and Kinslee will be very close, as they are only going to be 9 months apart in age (almost to the day!). =)

My wonderful fiance, Mike, and Ashley and Allen's son, Gavin. I love this picture. It's as if Gavin is saying 'Hey Mike, what are we gettin' into tonight?' - Don't worry, you'll be seeing plenty more of this cutie! Ashley and I plan on doing some photo shoots of Kinslee and Gavin together in the future! :)

And last but not least, this cute little pony is Kinslee's! Skylark or "Sky" is a 2008 American Miniature Horse Association registered mare. She stands approximately 33 inches. She was housebroke by her previous owner, believe it or not. Although we do not keep Sky in the house, she is a very well mannered pony who spends her days relaxing in her paddock and munching on grass and hay. She has the easy life, for now. That is, until Kinslee is old enough to keep her trooping on the trails! She will begin training here soon (once I am no longer pregnant and am able to) to get her ready to carry a saddle and child on her back. It may take some time, but we are positive she will be the perfect fit for our daughter, as she is a very sweet, intelligent little mare. Big thanks to my mother for giving her to us for Kinslee. =)

Well folks, I hope this long post more than makes up for my lack of posting in the past week and a half. ;) Enjoy!