Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, what a week! First off, TJ and I have to give a HUGE public shout out to the Weber family and tell them how greatful we are to their kindess and hospitality to us for the ENTIRE weekend. We had SOOOOO much fun and are truly greatful for all they did for us while we were there! THANK YOU GUYS!
So, we had a FABULOUS thanksgiving! It started out with a LONG road trip to Georgia. Kaitlynn and I headed off around 1300 and pickec up TJ in Lumberton and we were off! Kailtynn did GREAT! We could not have done better on our first road trip as a family! We arrived at 2300, in time for some good introductions for Kaitlynn and the family, try some yummy soup, and head to bed! Thanksgiving day we all got ready and took turns playing with Kailtynn and helping LuAnn. As always the food was DELICIOUS! We had everything from stuffing, to candy yams, to baked beans, to corn bread or regular stuffing. It was SOOOOOO good. I made a complete pig of myself, but it was SOOO worth it! Then we watched Get Smart, laughed hard, and then ate pie and played cards. What a wonderful day! =)
Friday we headed to an old civil war site and I forgot my camera! UGH! We walked the trail and had a fun time picturing the soldiers trying to climb up the terrain! It was alot of fun and we enjoyed the time outside! That night it was movie night as we watched National Treasure Two!
Saturday we headed to the aquarium, but it was in Tennessee this time. It was a lot of fun and Kaitlynn enjoyed it, I think! She spent time the in the carrier and the stroller. She was such a trooper, what a champ! That night we ate MORE pie (yummy, yummy) and then played games like apples to apples and mad gab!
Sunday was the trek home! It wasn't quite as smooth as the ride out, but still quite uneventful other then Kaitlynn TOTALLY pooping ALL over herself, the car seat, her blanket, etc. Not to mention it was while we were in the middle of NO WHERE! It's funny now, not so funny then! =)
Yesterday was her two month check up. She is a CHUNKER! She is 23 1/2 inches long (althought I still think she is atleast 24 inches) and 12lbs. 9 oz. She is in the 90% for height and 95% for weight and 70% for head circumference! She is otherwise healthy and did GREAT while getting her immunizations. She continues to grow and change everyday! Her favorite thing now is to stare at her hands and then carefully bring them to her mouth! Oh, plus, I think her hair may be turning red, but we will have to wait and see!
Well, now that this post was a MILE long, we hope you all had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving and we love you all. We are truly greatful for all of our blessings both big and small. What a great time to stop and reflect and enjoy all of our blessings! We love you all!

TJ's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to TJ!
TJ turned the big 28 yesterday and so we celebrated his birthday on Saturday! Well, it actually started out on Friday night with dinner at Red Lobster with me, Kaitlynn and my mom. It was great, I love the coconut shrimp there, IT'S DELICIOUS! Saturday we ate some sloppy joes (I know, what a glorious dinner) opened presents and gave TJ his cake. It is actually a REALLY large Ms. Fields cookie! It was SOOOOO delicious! I was skeptical at first, but I think I ate more then TJ did! =) That night we went to our friends house to watch the BYU vs UOU football game! GO UTES! It was a great end to a great day! Sunday we chilled around the house and enjoyed spending time together and with Kaitlynn.
Monday, his actual birthday, was a little rough. He had to wake up at 5:30 to drive to Lumberton to spend all day with a very rude Pediatric Cardiologist, then at lunch spilled Pepsi ALL over his pants and the cafeteria was only serving lasagna for lunch AND dinner. If you know TJ, you know that Lasagna is like his MOST UNFAVORITE food! So for dinner he went out to Burger King. What a way to spend your 28th birthday. Poor guy! We love him though and hope he has a better week!
Kaitlynn grew out of her bassinett and now is a big girl in her crib. She actually does REALLY well and continues to sleep really good at night. The first night though, our monitor battery died and so TJ woke up and heard her crying. I didn't wake up until TJ woke me up. I don't know if I would have ever woke up if TJ hadn't been there. YIKES! Since then I have learned to make sure and plug it in, and not rely on the battery! =)
We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we love you all! =) Enjoy the pics of Kaitlynn and TJ's birthday!

Six weeks and then some!

All is well here with our little family! Things are busy, busy, busy
but all is well. Kaitlynn continues to grow and grow and grow! I
weighed her today and she is already about 12 lbs! What a chunker! =)
She is also SOOOO long, atleast 24 inches! She keeps outgrowing all of
her pajamas! =) Oh well, it means she is eating well I guess! She has
started to talk to us and it is so cute. Her smiles are getting bigger
and more frequent and she is getting on more of a regular schedule. She
also can roll from her stomach to her back, but we have yet to catch it
on camera! She brings more happiness into our home then we could have
ever imagined! She is just a sweet heart!
I am doing well, still at home with Kaitlynn and trying to figure out
how all of you moms get things done each day. I have a hard enough time
trying to work-out, shower, do my hair and make-up and cook dinner each
day along with feeding my daughter seven times a day and playing with
her, changing diapers, bathing, etc. When does house cleaning, laundry,
grocery store, etc get done? Things that I used to get done in one day
now take me two to three. Oh well, I wouldn't have it any other way!
Hopefully I'll figure out how to be more productive!
TJ is going very well. He finished his rotation at Butner with the
crazy people and now he is doing pediatrics. He is really enjoying it
so far. He continues to learn alot and his rotations are flying by! It
is crazy to think that next year at this time we could be somewhere
totally different writing a new chapter to our book we call life. How
exciting! =) Anyway, here are some pictures of our cute little girl and
some video we took of her!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is so much fun! I have always enjoyed Halloween, I mean, who can't love a holiday where it is totally expected for you to EAT as much candy as possible? Althought I don't usually dress up, it sure is fun to dress up your little child! =) We had such a fun time celebrating Halloween this year! It started off on Thursday night at the ward party. It was a lot of fun to see everyone in their costumes. We had a weenie-roast along with yummy treats, a cookie walk and a trunk-or-treat. It was a lot of fun! Then Friday we had a chilli cook-out with some of our friends out here and it was great! We had some of the BEST caramel apples I have EVER had in my life! YUMMY! Kaitlynn was so cooperative the ENTIRE time! She didn't hardly cry until the end of the photo shoot when she had definitely had enough of mom and dad taking pictures! She is such a trooper! She is so much fun as she continues to make new facial expressions each day and learns how to make new sounds each day! She continues to amaze me how much she is awake and alert and tries to take in! I know I'm partial, but I just think she is the cutest thing! =)
Anyway, this weekend has been great and I'm so lucky to have such a great family. TJ is very patient with me and my "neediness" that has now doubled since our new addition. He is very helpful and I really appreciate all that he does for both Kaitlynn and me! I do have to admit, that I really can't remember alot of the cute songs to sing to Kaitlynn, but TJ knows them all. It is alot of fun to see what that little girl can get her daddy to do without even saying a word! =)
Well, we hope you all had a great weekend and we hope you are able to enjoy some of the pics of our little girl! We love you all!

One month gone already!

Kaitlynn turns one month old tomorrow. I can hardly believe that she has already been with us for four weeks! She is such a precious spirit and we are truly blessed to have her in our home! She has been such a trooper to put up with TJ and I! She is such a great baby, she eats well, sleeps great and poops ALL THE TIME! I can't believe how much she has grown and changed over the past four weeks. Life really does go by so fast!
She has started to find her vocal cords the last few days and now occasionally makes some very sweet squeels and noises. She has figured out that if she cries, mom and dad will do just about anything for her! =) She is awake several hours of the day and is sleeping really well at night. Half the time I have to wake her up because I need her to eat! =) She is such a sweet spirit and I don't think she could be loved any more! =)
Here are some more pics we took of her after her first day at church. She was superb, she ate during sacrament meeting and then slept until the closing prayer in relief society. She is fabulous! =) Although, I have to admit that most of her dressess look like mini skirts on her, because she is SOOOO long! I don't think newborn dressess are made for 22+ inch babies!
This past weekend TJ and I decided it was time to take her out into Durham! She was almost a month old and we just couldn't take it anymore! =) So, Friday I got all ready (this means doing both hair and make-up, it really is a big deal) and we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse! YUMMY! Then, Saturday TJ studied in the morning and then we all headed out to the state fair. It was a lot of fun, we saw bunnies, cows, goats, a juggling act, some of the demolition derby, ate a corn dog, and some old farm equipment! All in all it was a great day! We were all exhausted by the end of the day, but it was well worth it! Then on Sunday it was off to church. This is more activity then Kaitlynn has seen since she has been born. She was very cooperative and I think she really enjoyed it!
This week we are going to get her dressed up for Halloween and head to the ward party! I am really excited to see all the kids dressed up this year! Halloween takes on a whole different meaning when you have kids! =)
Anyway, life here is going great! We will continue to keep you posted as time is available. I swear that Kaitlynn has a sixth sense because everytime I sit down to blog, she starts crying. Hence why it has taken me three days to finish this one! =) We will keep working on it though! Love you all and hope you are all doing well!

Growing up so fast!!!

I can't believe she is already two weeks old! Time has gone by so fast! I swear, it was just yesterday when we brought her home! How much fun we have had over the last two weeks though! She is definitely a very sweet spirit and we are so blessed to have her in our home! She really is such a great baby, I honestly cannot complain! Plus, how can you have anything but love for such a precious girl? =)
We went to the Dr.'s this week and she is not gaining enough weight, so we have to feed her more often now. She was already eating every 3 hrs, so now we are doing every 2-2 1/2 hrs. I swear, all I do is feed her, TJ burps her, we change her diaper and then it is time to do it all over again! Oh well, it is so much fun! Plus, we were able to give her a REAL bath on Tuesday which was SOOOOOO much fun! She was not so sure about it at first, but after Dad put in warmer water, she was much more comfortable! Other then that, she continues to be healthy, healthy, healthy!
I have to say thanks again to my mom and Julie! You guys were great and we truly appreciate you taking time out of your schedules to be out here helping us. Julie, thanks so much for cleaning our house, I feel so much better with a clean house! TJ and I ate like royalty while you guys were here and I didn't even have to do the dishes! It was SO nice! =)
Anyway, we hope you all have a great week and here are some more pics of our little one! Love you all!

One week old already!!!

I can't believe that our little girl is already one week old! Time is really flying bye! This past week has been full of memories! I do have to admit, I was prepared for the discomfort after the delivery, the sleepless nights, the blow out diapers, the baby crying, the feeding, and even the chance that I might lose my hair. I was NOT ready or aware of the emotional changes that would occur. I was not ready for the crying non stop, or the surfacing of emotions over EVERY LITTLE THING! I swear, TJ has had to give me more hugs and more comfort in the last week, then he has in our six years of marriage. Sometimes I don't even know why I am crying! I cry over the fact that my baby is crying, I cry when I see TJ holding Kaitlynn, I cry watching the movie "Babe the Pig," I cry when my mom leaves, I cry when I hear someone else cry. I AM OUT OF CONTROL! =)
Other then the crying, things are going great! Kaitlynn is the best baby ever. She sleeps when I need her to, she eats every 3 hours on schedule and poops occasionally! Other then that, she is awake and very happy. I can't believe how alert she is! TJ loves playing with her and all of her toys. He gets so excited to use the bouncer, the swing, the rattles, the stuffed animals, etc. He is seriously the best dad ever!
I feel as though I'm getting the hang of things. I was so proud of myself today because I was able to feed Kaitlynn, give her a bath, eat breakfast, go for a short walk, shower, do my hair and makeup all before noon today! This was a record since she has come home! Most days I stay in my PJ's all day and don't shower until in the evening! My goal is to atleast shower each day this week before 12:00, we shall see how that goes! =)
I have to publically thank my mom for coming out for a week. She is amazing and TJ and I truly appreciate everything she did for us while she was here. I don't know what we would have done without her! Thanks dad for letting her come, we really, really, really, REALLY appreciate it! THANKS SO MUCH! We also have to thank Julie who is still out here with us right now. I know it was a sacrifice for her to come and we really do appreciate all that she has done for us as well. Thanks to her family back at home for giving her up for a whole week! We really do appreciate everything everyone has done for us! We are so truly blessed!
I had better go, I hope you enjoy the pics and we will continue to post more as we are very picture happy right now! We love you all!

Our new addition!

I am really sorry that we have waited four days since the birth of our little girl to post pictures, but things have been REALLY busy! Our computers did not work very well in the hospital, so we couldn't post things there and since we've been home it's been feeding, burping, sleeping and changing diapers! Life seriously could not get much better then this! =) We will post more throughout the week as time permits, but please be patient! Here are a few of my most favorite ones! She is super cute (I know we are totally partial) and I honestly don't think I could love her any more then I do right now! Plus, I truly appreciate my husband as he has been the BEST DAD EVER! I also have to thank my mom who is an angel in the flesh. I don't know what we would have done without her! Thanks to everyone who has called, texted or e-mailed us and for all the prayers offerred on our behalf! We truly appreciate all of the support from our family and friends! Anyway, we love you all and we will continue to update throughout the week!

Quick Stats:
Kaitlynn Kiana Barnett
Born October 1st, 2008 at 11:26 a.m.
8 lbs. 12 oz
22 inches long

Love you all!

The eve of the BIG day!! =)

Just a quick little update on the eve of the arrival of our sweet little girl! It is so nice to actually KNOW when she is coming and I feel very comforted knowing I don't have to wait much longer! Tomorrow we will be blessed with the arrival of our little bundle of joy! =) I am so very excited I can hardly wait! TJ is also very excited, but he informed me today that he is also scared to death! =) I think it's cute! My trip to the Dr.'s went as follows:
Arrived and found that the sonogram had been cancelled since we scheduled the C-section for tomorrow. After talking to the Dr. he reassured us that a C-section was still an option, but also pushed the induction more this time. Strange that he didn't mention it last time? Oh well, we were both up for the induction as opposed to the C-section. He checked me again, still no effacement, the baby still had not dropped, and still no dilation. So, we had planned to go to the hospital tonight to start the induction and see where we were tomorrow afternoon. If nothing was happening, then we would do a c-section. Out of pure inspiration (I think anyway) he decided to obtain the sonogram anyway to measure how big she was. Guess how big? Anyone? I was thinking about 8 lbs., but no, she measured at 9 lbs. 1 oz. The Dr. was SOOOO surprised at this, he thought for sure she would be under 8 1/2 lbs. His response was very comical! =) Anyway, after finding out how big she was and that I had not progressed at all my percentage of failed induction was probably around 80% or more. So, we decided to just do the C-section. After finding out how big she really was, I think I am more relieved then ever not to have to push out a 9 lb. baby. You women who have gone before me and done that, you are amazing! =)
Anyway, so we are very excited! We will post pictures after her arrival and we will let everyone know how big she really is! I am so excited! It's finally time! =) Thanks for all of the supportive phone calls that we have received and the prayers on our behalf, we truly do apprecite them! We have such great family and friends, we are truly blessed! We hope you all have a wonderful day and we love you all!
P.S. What did we do on our last night as a married couple without kids? We went to eat at a chinese buffet! YUM!

4 days late and..........still waiting! =)

So, we don't have a baby yet, sorry to disappoint everyone! I was hoping that at this point we would have some great news, but still nothing happening! =) I can't even say that I've had any contractions or anything, still no progression! At this point we are just waiting, and waiting and waiting! =) TJ is getting a lot of work done on his paper though! =) So he is very happy! Since I'm not progressing AT ALL, I have another Dr.'s appointment on Tuesday when I will have a non-stress test and an ultrasound to make sure everything is alright. If nothing has changed, I have a C-section scheduled for Wednesday. Although I was quite nervous at first, I becoming more and more comfortable with this decision. I guess the best part is that atleast I know that by Wednesday we should have a baby! =) HAPPY DAY! Anyway, if anything changes sooner we will definitely keep you posted, until then we will just keep waiting! =)

Haircut and due date!

So, for fear that I might lose all my hair after my baby was born. A co-worker suggested that I cut it and take the vitamine Biotin. The combination usually helps decrease the amount of hair loss! So, above are pictures of me 40 weeks pregnant and with my new haircut! TJ really likes it and I have to give a shoutout to my friend Liz for cutting it! She did a great job! We will keep you updated on our baby progress, but still no contractions! =)
P.S. So I resolved to drinking castor oil this morning! My mom told me it worked with her, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! It really was not as nasty as I thought it would be, but we will see what I'm feeling like in a few hours! =)

Still no baby =(

So, this is just a quick update. I still have not had a baby! Sorry to disappoint you, but I promise none of you are as disappointed as I am right now! =) I went to the Dr. and I still have not Dilated AT ALL! He said that I have started to efface, but until I start to have contractions, I will not start dilation. So, here it is, my due date, and nothing happening! =) I am REALLY being taught some patience! =) So, because my cervix is not cooperating I can't even be induced because the induction would fail and then I would have to have a C-section! I really don't want a C-section, but as each day passess it seems as though it is more and more intrigueing! =) Anyway, I will post more later and as things happen (if they ever do) I will let everyone know! However, you will probably hear the screams of joy from out here if and when contractions start! =) Love you all!

39 weeks and...........still no baby! =)

So, I just wanted to let everyone know that as much as I wish I had some exciting news, there is nothing changing at this point. I still have not had any contractions, and I mean NO contractions. I still have not had any progression with dilation or effacement either. Not to mention, the Dr. I saw today does not believe in stripping the membranes and they said that they will wait until between 41-42 weeks before they induce! I really hope I don't have to wait that long, it will mess up ALL of our plans! =) Anyway, so if there are any secrets you know of to increase this process, please don't hesitate to share. I already know walking or exercising and I walk about 3 miles 2-3 times a week WITHOUT any results, I also know Castor Oil, but I read that it can make you have really bad gastric cramps WITHOUT uterine contractions. So, please let me know! =) We will keep you posted if anything happens over the weekend, we love you and hope you are all doing well!

Slowly but Surely........

Dont' worry, the Stork is Still in Flight and delayed upon arrival at this point! We will keep you updated with his flight plan! We apologize for any inconvenience. =)
I went to my Dr.'s appointment on Friday and she said that I am still NOT dilated OR effaced at ALL, but my cervix is Softening. I think she just said that to give me the SMALLEST glimpse of hope that progression was happening to save me from utter discouragement that this baby was NEVER going to get here! =) She then followed up with the comment, "don't worry, it could happen at any time." Right, any time, it's taken nine months for my cervix to "soften". At this rate I MIGHT be dilated at Thanksgiving! =)
I am just learning patience, which obviously I don't have enough of yet. I will be 39 weeks this week and going strong. No real contractions yet, but if anything changes we will let you know. I'm just planning on the fact that this baby will probably be LATE and won't come until October, which will be fine! We are estimating her to be around 7lbs, which I think will be perfect! I am hoping she is between 6.5-8lbs.
Although no baby news, TJ and I still had a wonderful week! He is really enjoying his cliniclas and continues to learn so much each and every day. I love to see the excitement on his face as he talks about the patients he saw that day, or the treatment he remembered that would help them. He only has one week left of his family medicine rotation and then he'll be home with me for four weeks writing his paper! I'm quite excited about him being home, as I am SOOOOOO sick of doing the dishes all by myself! =)
My work is going well too. I continue to work 40hrs a week or so. This past week was SOOOOO busy, it really made me want to go into labor just to get out of coming back to work! Oh well, although my due date is September 24th, my boss has me scheduled until September 27th. So we shall see how that all plays out!
This weekend was enjoyable as well. TJ had to work late Friday night, so I lounged around the house, cleaning a little, doing some laundry and finishing some "small" projects in the apartment. Saturday I had to work, but then came home to find TJ sick of studying and ready to go out! We went and did the "massive baby shopping" to get everything else off our list we still needed. It was a lot of fun, but took a lot longer then we had thought! We got some diapers (so many choices), bottles (so hard to try to choose, and SO expensive), wipes, infant tylenol, a bathtub, boppy, etc. Then, TJ's FAVORITE thing, the DIGITAL BABY MONITOR! I don't mean any monitor, this is like the Tim the Tool Man Taylor Baby Monitor! Now, it doesn't have video feed, but it has just about everything else! It was so funny to watch him read all about it and get so excited about picking it out! He just cracks me up!
After shopping we headed to a work barbeque with all of my co-workers. It was so much fun! There were a lot of people there this year and I knew them much better then I did last year! We weren't planning on staying long, but ended up staying for 2 1/2 hrs! TJ was such a trooper, he didn't really know very many of the people, but was very patient with me and very supportive! To reward him for good behavior, we stopped by the Cheesecake factory for a little dessert and then returned home to watch USC dominate Ohio State. (well, he watched it, I was too exhausted and fell asleep, surprise, surprise!)
Well, sorry about the long post, we hope you are all doing well and we look forward to hearing from you and we love keeping updated with all of your wonderful news and your fun lives! We will post if anything exciting happens, but seriously, I wouldn't plan on it for another two weeks or so! =) Love you all and have a wonderful week!

Hotel Michelle..........No vacancies!

I have to thank my mom for my new nickname, Hotel Michelle. She mentioned it to TJ this last week, and he LOVES it. So that is what I am being called now on a regular basis! =)
Well, things here continue to go very well for TJ and I. We are one week closer to the delivery of our little girl. I will be 38 weeks along this week and doing well. I have not really had any contractions, but I honestly can't complain. My ankles are not swollen, I am still sleeping well at night, only waking up once, still able to work and can still bend over to tie my shoes and shave my legs! All in all, I am very lucky! =) My Dr. told me on Friday that since I was full term I could deliver any time. Especially since tropical storm Hannah was coming. The pressure changes often cause women to go into labor. Well, Hannah came and went, no baby, so obviously it is going to take more then a tropical storm to get her here! =) Althought I am anxious to see what she looks like and I am so excited to meet her, I am very comfortable being hotel Michelle for another two weeks or so! =)
TJ continues to trek along in his clinicals. He is learning so much each and every day and truly enjoying his experiences! His preceptor is really quite good and he receives good feedback almost every day. I continue to be amazed at how much he has learned over the past year or so and am so proud of how hard he is working! What a trooper!
This past week went by fast, but still held some great memories. TJ and I enjoyed our Monday by starting out with a brunch, went miniature golfing (which he creamed me at), and spent five dollars playing arcade game classics like skee-ball. It was a lot of fun to just be out and about during the day enjoying the weather. However, I was quite embaressed after we were finished with our arcade games and only had 100 tickets. I wasn't feeling too bad until the kid next to us said with excitement "we have 1000 tickets!" I gave him an encouraging grin and told him that was great, then he looked at our pathetic pile and said "that's all you got?" Ego demolished! =) After using our tickets to purchase a foam airplane we left and headed to the pool to see if we could launch bees out of the pool with our new toy. Guess what, it works! =)
This weekend we were going to go to a soccer game, but with the wind and rain decided to do something indoors. So, it was off to support the Lady Bluedevils in a volleyball match! It was really quite fun and they actually won! TJ and I even went down at half time to try to serve for a T-shirt, but neither one of us were successful! Oh well, maybe next time! Saturday night we spent finishing our nursery. WE FINALLY FINISHED IT! YEAH! Attatched are some pictures of our nursery and our stoller/car seat combo! Now all we need are some diapers and bottles and I think we might be set! =) (probably not, but we will see)
We hope you are all doing well and we will keep you updated with our baby news (if we have any) as it happens! Plus, we also want to thank everyone for partcipating in our online showers! They have been so much fun and we truly appreciate you taking time out of your schedules to participate! A big THANK YOU to all of you! Have a great week and we love you all!

Stay-Cation

Althought it has been a while since I posted last, not too much has changed with us. Don't worry, I am still just as pregnant as ever and again, not really thinking it will happen any time soon! Although somedays I think it would be nice to have her here, there is a much bigger part of me that screams "wait!" =) TJ and I are so very excited for her to come, but are both terrified at the same time. His comment to me each day as he leaves to go to clinicals is, "Don't pop today." So far, I've been a very good listener!
This last week at work was one of the LONGEST weeks I've had since I started. My co-doctor was out of town and so from Wednesday to Wednesday I was the only provider which meant ALOT of hours! I did survive and was going to reward myself with a trip to the beach over the holiday weekend. However, last Friday as I brought the idea up to my Ob/GYN she very graciously told me that I needed to stick around and the beach was too far. This was conveniently right after she told me I was not dialated at ALL! I immediately thought, she doesn't really mean I can't go, and was going to ignore her advice. My husband, however, is a much better listener (imagine that =) then I am and simply said, Michelle we are not going. You don't like it when patients ignore your instructions so don't ingnore hers. My first thoughts were as followed:
1-why did I have you come to this appointment with me,
2-why did I ask her anyway about traveling, and
3-I finally realized he was right. Darn that husband of mine!
Hence, why we decided to have ourselves a little staycation! =) I started mine Thursday afternoon and TJ joined me Friday night! I did some painting on the nursery on Thursday and just relaxed. Friday I went to my first EVER massage. I had received a gift card for a prenatal massage, and it was FABULOUS! I have now developed a new love for professional massage, although I can't say I will be able to afford one any time in the near future! Did I say how much I LOVED it! That evening we had a ward cookout and enjoyed the very hot, very humid tempteratures. We refreshed ourselves with some of our favorite shakes and then headed home for a movie night! Yesterday we ran some errands in the morning, watched some college football (GO UTES) and then spent about 3 hours at the pool relaxing, swimming and soaking up some sun! Then it was off to dinner at Red Lobster as I had recently discovered they had added cocunut shrimp to their menu! It was HEAVENLY! YUM! After making a pig of myself we had plans to attend a Duke Football game. I know, why even bother going to a Duke football game, but we were going to try to be good sports and support the school. We parked about 2 miles away, make the trek in the rain to the gait, hand over our student ID's and are about to enter when we are stopped dead in our tracks with the words, sorry ma'am you need a ticket. WHAT? I have a spouse card! It gets me into Duke basketball but not football? (try to figure that one out!) I mean, this is the WORST team in the ENTIRE country, you are begging fans to come to your stadium, but yet you won't take my spouse card without a ticket? Oh, and the only tickets avaible on game day are $25.00. So, needless to say, we could not bring ourselves to pay that price to watch a team that held the longest losing streak in the HISTORY OF FOOTBALL the year before. Instead we walked the 2 miles BACK to our car in the pouring rain, went home and watched Clemson get BLOWN out by Alabama while eating fresh made cookies/cookie dough. It was a much more comfortable, climate controlled game! =) (pictures are of us ALMOST going to the football game)
Tomorrow we will probably head back out to the pool, complete finishing touches on the nursery and maybe even talk TJ into going for a hike! =) All in all, our staycation has been great. Life cannot get much better then spending time with your husband, doing as little cooking as possible (which leads to very few dishes) enjoying the pool, and watching great football!
We hope you ALL have a wonderful week and we will keep you posted if there is any news from the BIG BELLY! =)

34 weeks, REALLY?

I can't believe I am already almost 34 weeks along! Where has the time gone? =) I have included a much anticipated profile view of my ever growing belly! I had a Dr.'s appointment on Friday and so far so good. She is in perfect alignment so far, moving all around, growing rapidly, and I don't think she is leaving her comfortable home anytime soon! =) I have two weeks again until my next appointment when I will be 35 1/2 wks. They will check to see if I am dialated at that point. I was so surprised when my Dr. told me that, I repeated it like three times. Is it really that close?
As the day draws closer, I am starting to "nest" I guess you call it. Friday evening TJ came home and I had re-arranged ALL of our closets to make space for "stuff". TJ asked me what stuff I was going to put in the new space and after much thought, I had no idea. I was just happy to have some space! =) Needless to say, he laughed and did not quite understand my excitement! Besides making space, I also made a little blanket for Kaitlynn. TJ picked out the material if you didn't notice! He loves it! =) Our nursery is still in the works. I was hoping to get it all set up, but TJ was ill all weekend so he was not able to work on it! He caught something from the patient's at his famiy practice clinic. Poor guy!
We had a great week. My work was pretty low key and TJ continues to learn new things each day at his clinicals. We have both enjoyed watching the Olympics this weekend as well! If TJ is going to be sick over the weekend, I'm glad it was this one as it gave us an excuse to stay in and feel patriotic as we cheered for the USA! It just makes me feel so greatful for the nation we are a part of and for the freedoms that we enjoy. We truly are so blessed to live in this place at this time, even with all the negativity that surrounds our economy, etc. It is so neat to see nations from all over the world come together and compete respectively. What a great event!
We hope you are all doing well and we will continue to keep you updated with our baby news! Have a great week!

Where did July go?

I can't believe that tomorrow is the first day of August! I have not idea what happened to the last month. So many things that I had planned to get done, are still NOT DONE! Including having the nursery all put together! =) I still have eight weeks left, but am starting to feel a little nervous about where to put things, do we have enough space? Do we have enough clothes, bottles, binkies, what about blankets? Are we really ready to have a baby? What was I thinking, did I forget all the stuff I had once learned about labor, I should have known better! =) What about diapers? Nursing bras, what are those? etc, etc, etc.
TJ and I did go to our childbirth class on Saturday and all of a sudden the facts I knew about child birth became very personal and I became REALLY nervous. I kept thinking, I forgot about that, and that and that and that. WOW! =) Oh well, it is going to happen no matter what now, so I better just cowboy up! Everyone just makes it look so easy, seriously, you really do! =)
Things are going well! TJ is REALLY enjoying his clinicals and I am REALLY busy at work trying to keep up on EVERYTHING so that if something were to happen all of my patients would be taken care of! I am now running out of energy every night around 8:00 and then spend the next hour trying to motivate myself to get up and be productive, but few times it is actually successful. Most of the time I fall asleep on the couch or bean bag while TJ studies!
Last week we had our first baby shower with TJ's PA program so I have some pictures! I promise the next post will include a profile view, but there are definitely some pictures in here that reveal my ever growing belly! =) The shower was great and we are so thankful for all who came and are SO greatful for all of the presents! It just makes us more and more excited!
We will keep you updated with all of our baby details, I am now 32 weeks and feeling good but growing like crazy! =) Love ya tons and enjoy your weekend!

The big 25

Well, it has happened, I am officially a quarter of a century old! =) I turned 25 on July 16th! I have to say it was a wonderful birthday, followed by a wonderful weekend! It started off with waking up to go to work for the morning and enjoying a delicous breakfast that my husband had made! At work, my patients were few and I received an ENTIRE gift bag FULL of homemade cookies, YUM! Then after returning home around 1:00, TJ and I headed for the tennis court! He even let me win two games this time! =) Then we cooled off with a dip in the pool! That evening he took me for some GREAT ribs at TGI Friday's. Before we left, he had bought me a Happy Birthday crown that I had to wear to dinner! It was really cute and a lot of fun! Dinner was great and I ate WAY too much!
It was pretty funny when we went to leave because TJ got the check so I ran to the bathroom. I guess while I was gone our waitress had everyone come out to sing, when they got to the table, I was no where to be seen! When I returned to my table, I noticed the ice cream and then began to hear the clapping for the SECOND time by all of the employees! It was quite comical! My birthday had been perfect, but it wasn't over yet!
I returned home to find our apartment decorated and a suprise party with some of our cute friends and their families! TJ had made an excellent cake with an edible quarter with the year 1983 on it! It was really cute and thoughful! We ate some ice cream, chatted, watched cars and played a killer game of Hand and Foot! It could not have been a better day! Thanks to everyone who helped it happen, especially TJ, and for everyone who gave me a call to wish me a Happy Birthday! We are so blessed to have such great family and friends!
The weekend was great as well because my parents came out for a visit! We had a great time showing them around Durham, playing some tennis (which we won!!), golfing, swimming, playing rook, eating some GREAT food and going back to where my dad grew up in West Viriginia! Thanks so much for coming out, it was a great birthday present and a great weekend! We really appreciate you making the trek out here and we really had a wonderful time! Thanks so much!
TJ started school again last Monday. He had one week to get back into the routine and tomorrow actually starts his first set of clinicals! He is really nervous, but is starting to get excited as well! I know he'll do great! We hope you all have a wonderful week and we love you all so very much!

P.S. Sorry some of the pictures are blurry!