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!

I'm still alive!! & Stylish Blogger Award! =)

For those of you who actually keep up with this, I wanted to let you guys know - I'm still alive and kicking! I've had a very busy and stressful week and honestly haven't given updating my blog much thought. Terrible, right? Anyhow, things are looking up as of today, since I got good news at the doctor's office. I had been put on medicine for high blood pressure Monday, but as of today (Thursday), my blood pressure is back to normal and I'm so happy about that! There were tiny traces of protein in my urine, but the nurses say that is probably caused from the high blood pressure I was experiencing, so nothing to worry over yet. I go back April 12th for a routine doctor's visit, unless I have any problems before then and have to go back in to the lab or something like that. Yay!

I have to share this picture with you guys - it's a onesie I ordered for Kinslee from Inktastic. It's personalized with her name, and there's a matching cap on the way (should be shipped to my house within the next week and a half). She will be wearing this home from the hospital! <3 Here it is:

Adorable, right?

In other news, I'm so excited to say that I received my first blog award from My Amazing Life as a Mommy and Wife! Here's the award, along with the instructions I received with it, and I'm passing it on to other blogs I follow and adore!

To completely accept this award you have to do these four things...

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 10-15 blogs you feel deserve the award.

4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award.

So I've done #1, now for #2; 7 things about myself:

1. My family and I own 3 horses: Red ('99 AQHA gelding, my personal horse and my baby boy), Rebel ('00 APHA gelding, my dad's horse), and Skylark ('08 AMHA filly, Kinslee's Miniature horse given to her by my mother)

2. My best friend, Ashley, has a son named Gavin. He is almost exactly 9 months older than Kinslee when she's born. We plan to dress them up in corresponding outfits and do photoshoots! <3

3. I swear I did not become pregnant (had been sortof 'trying' for a while) til I first held/touched Gavin. Apparently, he was a goodluck charm!

4. I've always been a country girl, even though I now live in the city. My first vehicle was a Dodge Ram pickup truck. I traded that in for a Firebird (went through a sports car phase), then traded the 'bird in for another Dodge Ram. This time, it has four wheel drive! ;)

5. I have two awesome dogs: Mercedes Moonbaby (aka Mercy, who is a white Pit/Boxer/Bulldog mix), and Ellie Mae (aka Ellie, who is a CKC registered black/tan dapple Miniature Dauschand). They are both big hams, who wouldn't bite a hot stick of butter, and I love them as if they were my children. They ARE my children! =)

6. I've never been a good cook. In fact, I learned most of what I know now from my fiance, who happens to be a very good cook. It wasn't until I started 'nesting' in my pregnancy that I began to start cooking every night, not even letting Mike help much because I wanted to prove that I *could* be a great cook! And what do you know, there's friends and family at our house nearly every night lined up ready to eat my cooking!

7. My biggest passion and hobby in life, besides horses, is photography! I absolutely love to take photos. One day, I will get the chance to go back to school and make a career of my passion.. but for now, it's simply a hobby and something to focus on to relieve stress. A great outlet for me, much as blogging is. You can see some of my photography at my Facebook portfolio: Memory Lane Photography Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Now, it's time to pass on the award! Here are the blogs I feel deserve the Stylish Blogger Award. Please don't feel left out if you don't make it on the list, because there are TONS of great blogs out there that I enjoy viewing, but I have to keep this to a 10-15 blog minimum, and my fingers are getting tired! ;)

1. A Bit of Me

2. Little Boys Are Made of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

3. Love You Always and Forever

4. Bubbi and Boo

5. Chronicles of a Country Girl

6. Double Duty Mommy

7. Hip Chick's Guide to PMS, Pregnancy, and Babies

8. iNeed a Playdate

9. Ins and Outs

10. Little Miss Momma

11. Roller Coaster Ride

12. Toddler Awesome

13. Unstitched

14. One Little Mister

15. On The Old Path

Midnight..

Well folks, it's 12:05am where I'm at (South Carolina, US), and yes, I'm still wide awake. My fiance has to be in to work at 2am.. so instead of going to bed, I opted to stay up to make sure he was up and ready to go in time. He didn't make it home this evening til about 7pm. So needless to say, he's not getting much sleep tonight.

It had me thinking, that Kinslee and I are so lucky to have such a wonderful man in our lives. I couldn't ask for a better provider for myself and our child. He works his tail off to make sure we have everything we need, and most of what we want. For those of you who are wondering, Mike is self-employed as a sub-contractor. He installs kitchen and bathroom cabinets and laminate counter tops for SC's largest and most popular cabinet/counter top company.

His only co-worker is the contractor for which he works, who also happens to be one of his best friends. The two of them are like peas in a pod. They work so well together, and his partner's wife is a stay at home housewife/mommy, like myself. We are very lucky to have "found" them, as they are such good friends and Mike wouldn't want to work side by side day in and day out, doing this kind of manual labor, with anyone else. I also have to say, I am very fortunate for the two of them, besides job security, as they have passed on several things to Kinslee that their babies have outgrown, such as a boppy, travel swing, bouncy seat, and over 5 boxes of very cute and like-new baby girl clothes, socks, shoes, bibs, etc. What good friends we have! =)

Aside from these two, I have also been blessed with other wonderful friends that have been supporting Mike and myself in our journey to becoming parents. My best friend has given me several things, and still continues to give me things as her baby outgrows them, as well as buy things for Kinslee out of the kindness of her heart. Not to mention, all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Three of my cousins on my mother's side are hosting my baby shower in late June. Speaking of which, I went today to Target and Wal-Mart to register for gifts for my shower for Kinslee. I don't expect to get everything on my list - there was a lot we still needed that I hadn't realized before! However, I am mostly just looking forward to celebrating and having 'girl time' with all my lady friends and family at the shower! Can't wait! Although, Mike will have to bring the truck and come pick up all the gifts, after words!

My stress level has been a little too high, and so has my blood pressure (as I mentioned in one of my recent posts). I won't go into the details of WHY I'm stressed out, but just know that I am doing everything in my power to make things better, and to stay healthy and sane for my daughter. I cannot wait to meet her, and give her my heart. Really, she already has it. It's like I said in my pregnancy journal/organizer about a month ago... "I haven't felt my baby kick yet, but she or he sure has pulled on my heartstrings". Now, we know that it's a GIRL, and yes, she has started to move more. I haven't felt a kick per say, but I have had the feeling of a fish swimming in my stomach, and little 'bumps' here and there (along with pain in my back, ribs, and bloating - but I hear that is all pretty normal!).

In closing, I'd like to thank those who are following this blog, and supporting me in my pregnancy!  Like I mentioned in my last post, I am hoping to hold a contest here soon to gain more followers, promote the blog, and promote some other businesses/crafters as well. I think I have decided that the prizes will be crafts and/or artwork from a few of my friends. My cousin's wife (one of my best friends) has agreed to donate a painting to the contest, valued at $80. Wow! She sure must love me :) Not to mention, she could use the promotion and advertisement herself. I plan to try and get some business cards made up for her here soon. If anyone is interested in seeing some of her work (her page is still under construction and only a small portion of her work is posted at the moment), check out her page HERE!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, guys, and good night to all. <3

Almost 100 hits, up to 7 followers, time for a contest?!

Hi everyone! I was thinking about holding a contest or two to promote my blog and gain 'followers'. If you would be interested in entering the contest, please respond to this post (even if it's just the word LIKE). I need to see if this is worth taking the time to do, so please let me know if you'd be interested, and any suggestions for contest ideas and/or prizes you may have. I was thinking once I get to a certain number of followers, I'd let those who would like to enter, comment on a post with a number, then I'd take those numbers and use random.org to pick a winning number. As for prizes, I'm still working up my 'crafty' side, so I don't know about actually making a prize, but I would probably purchase something for the winner or send them a gift certificate. Let me know what you guys think! =)

In other news, I am up to 7 followers - I started with 1 (myself) this morning. Not bad! Kinslee's daddy is very proud of me for finding an 'outlet' for myself through blogging. I've been rather stressed lately and a bit of a nutcase, so he's happy I have found something to peak my interest!

Speaking of stress, my blood pressure has been slightly elevated.. Anyone else have/had elevated blood pressure during their pregnancy? Any tips, tricks, advice? I was told by a friend to lay on my left side, to help lower my BP. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Signing off for now. Goodnight, followers!