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!

Cloth Diapering!

So a friend suggested to me this evening that I consider using cloth diapers. It sounds like a great idea - good for the environment, cheaper in the long run, and honestly not that bad to add to my laundry list. What do you guys think? Any thoughts on cloth diapering? Has anyone else reading used them? If so, do you think it is/was worth it?

I need some feedback soon! Baby shower is coming up and if I decide to go with cloth diapers, I will need to revise my registry (put lots of disposable diapers on the list).

In other news, Kinslee's pink camo cap (personalized with her name and a bow) just came in the mail today (finally!). It matches her pink camo onesie perfectly! Her coming home outfit is finally complete (she has several pairs of pink and white socks). =) Cannot wait to meet her and bring her home with us!!

Very tired, will post more ASAP. Goodnight, readers!

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

Updates on Kinslee

Looks like I may just have to make the spare room into Kinslee's playroom, eventually. She already has so much stuff that's been given to us and/or bought for her. Of course it's hard to turn down free stuff, and it's hard to keep myself from buying cute stuff! Her "Aunt Teffy" just informed me that she will be custom painting a bobble-head horse/pony to match Kinslee's pony, Skylark. How awesome is that?!

I ended up making 2 CD's (wouldn't all fit on one) of 'Songs for Kinslee'. I made copies for her daddy, and for my parents. Will have to make copies for Mike's parents as well. I was laying on the futon earlier, listening to the CD's and trying to relax and bring my blood pressure down (by laying on my left side), and what do you know.. Kinslee must like the songs because she was seeming to have a ball in my belly! I could feel her 'bumping' around. Not necessarily kicks.. just bouncing around happily, as I would like to think. =)

So I missed the Tot Trade that happens every year at the Jamil Temple in Columbia, unfortunately. Disappointing in a way, yes, but at the same time.. we are running out of room for all the clothes she already has! I even bought her a new outfit yesterday.. Red and white polka dotted tank top and shorts and matching headband. The top says 'Love Bug' and has lady bugs on it. Her Gramma Halstead bought her matching maryjane booties to go with it. :) Sweet. We also picked up two 2 oz. bottles with cute sayings on them, a 3 pack of bibs with cute sayings, and I got a Winnie the Pooh bib for my parents' house (they are doing Pooh theme in their nursery). Speaking of the nurseries, here are the themes:

Our house - pink camoflauge & horses

Nanna & Poppa Worrock - Winnie the Pooh

Gramma and Grampa Halstead - Ducks (gotta keep it neutral since Mike's older sister, Becky, is expecting in October and we're not sure yet if it's a boy or a girl!)

Great-grandparents (Mamaw & Papa - my grandparents) - Unicorns (in my old room up there, there is still a unicorn wall border)

Wow, this little girl is so loved already! We cannot WAIT to meet her!