37 week belly shot

I took this picture of myself b/c by the time Chad gets home lately I am to tired to do anything! We had our 37 week visit on Friday. The midwife said that I am measuring right on now, and that Maddie sounded fiesty. Her heartbeat was great and she kept kicking the doppler. Maddie is head down and very low. Perfect position for a regular delivery. (Hopefully!) She did not check me so I am not sure if I have made anymore progress, but I am still having some contractions and pressure. Some of my family think Maddie will be early, but I think she is going to be late like her Mommy always is! My in-laws ar taking us to Scalini's next weekend to see if the eggplant parmigian myth is true. I might try some really spicy food, too. She will come when she is ready, I just hope she knows how much everyone is ready to meet her. We go back for our next appointment on Friday, and then we have our hospital tour on January 8th. Oh, and we found a wonderful lady to keep Maddie when I go back to work. She lives 2 minutes from us, and was referred by a friend. I am so excited that we have someone we really like to keep Maddie. She has another teacher's child and her own, and she is so excited to be watching Maddie b/c she loves babies. Please keep us in your prayers as Maddie's due date gets closer.

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful and blessed Christmas this year. We spent some wonderful time with our families and got so many things we love, but don't deserve. On Christmas Eve we went to Chad's grandparents for our first get together. We ate a ton of food and then opened lots of presents. We always have such a fun time with everyone together. Noah helped Chad pass out presents and he was definitely the life of the party. On Christmas day, Chad and I opened our presents first at our house and then headed over to Chad's parents. Chad got me the Burberry diaper bag I was wanting. I LOVE it! Chad's parents were very generous and got us our monitor and pack and play/bassinet for Maddie. We also got a camcorder to record those special moments when Maddie arrives. It is really neat! My mom-in-law got me a Brighton suitcase that is pink and brown with tons of little compartments and some cosmetic bags that match. It's my hospital bag and she already started the packing for me with some nightgowns, slippers, and an layette and rattle for Maddie. It was so thoughtful, and we can't have a Christmas without someone shedding some tears of joy, and this year it was me. :) My dad came over to our house to visit for awhile, and then we went over to my mom's to eat lunch. We ate way too much, but it was so delicious we could not help ourselves. Mom got Chad some movies he has been wanting and got me a beautiful coat and some outfits. Like I said, we received so many wonderful gifts and are very appreciative of everyone's thoughtfulness. Oh, my sis-n-law got me a "hooter hider" for me to use when I am feeding Maddie. It is so adorable! She has more pictures of Christmas that I will have to get copies of and put up. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

A quick update

Chad and I went for my 36 week visit on Wed. I had my Group B strep test, and I pray that come back negative so I do not have to take any antibiotics during labor. The Dr. also checked me and I am not dialated any yet, but I am 50 % effaced. I have been having some contractions, but they are very inconsistent. Chad and I installed our car seats today, but I have yet to pack our bags. I'll do that after Christmas. :) We are ready for her to make her debut anytime after Christmas. I would love for her to come early, before Christmas break is over, so I do not have to go back to work. But, only the good Lord knows when Maddie will be ready to come. :) We go back to the Dr. this Friday(the day after Christmas) for my 37 week visit. I can't believe we are on our weekly visits!! That really puts it into perspective that we are going to be parents very soon. Yeah!! I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Our First Gingerbread House and 35 week belly shot

I only have one more week of school til the winter break. I cannot wait to be able to sleep in a little bit and just relax! My energy levels are definitely getting low the bigger I get. I cannot believe that in 5 weeks or less little Maddie will be here. I would LOVE for her to come early so I do not have to go back to work after the break, but she is leading the show, and I am sure she will be stubborn like her Mommy. :) Emma and her Daddy Scott brought Chad and I a gingerbread house kit to make. What a great tradition for us to start, especially since these are the kinds of things we will be doing with Maddie next year. I think it turned out pretty cute. What do you think? Thank you Jordan family for thinking of us!

33 weeks

I forgot to post a belly pic at 32 weeks, so here is my Buddah belly at 33 weeks. Maddie is definitely getting bigger! Her movements are getting more intense, and some of her kicks are pretty strong. I love feeling her move. That will be one thing I will miss about being pregnant. I have another Dr.'s appt. on Wed., and then another 2 weeks from then, THEN we start going every week! We are really getting down to the final countdown. I can't wait!!

Maddie's Room (A Work In Progress)

We have been working on Maddie' s room for a few weeks now, and it is really getting me excited for her arrival. We are still waiting for her glider and I want to find a shelf with hooks to hang on the wall. Hopefully everything will be ready before she makes her debut!

My 2nd Baby Shower

On Saturday, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law hosted a beautiful baby shower for Madison. They are the best party planners. Everything was perfect and Maddie received some adorable gifts. I cannot wait to dress her up in some of the outfits that she received. Chad's grandmother got Maddie a beautiful dress from Strasburg Children's that she will probably wear as her "coming home" outfit. My mom-in-law got her a gorgeous white dress from Strasburg that will fit her perfect for Easter. She will look just like a little doll in both. Thank you Darlene and Summer for an amazing shower!

3D Ultrasound at 30 weeks

Today we went to have a 3D ultrasound to see our little girl. Little did we know she was going to be a stubborn little thing, just like her Mommy. :) We got a few pictures of her face, but in most of them she kept wanting to turn away or put her arm in front of her face. Towards the end she started making a pouty face and it was so cute. I don't think she liked the lady poking at her. I am still feeling pretty good, and the Dr. said everyhting looks great. I could not ask for anything more. We are going to the Dr. every 2 weeks right now until Dec. 17th and then I start my weekly appointments! We are working on the nursery, but still have lots to do. I will post pictures once it comes along a little more. I love just going up there and sitting in her room. I can't wait till I can hold her in her room and lay her in her crib. Only about 10 weeks left. I can't believe it!

28 weeks and My First Baby Shower

I am officially 28 weeks and that means I am in my 3rd and final trimester! Yipee! I cannot wait to meet our sweet Maddie. We had her furniture delivered last week and it looks so cute in her room. I can't wait till we get the bedding and finish decorating. It is becoming more real that she will be here in 2 months! Afton and Alexis host my first baby shower. It was so cute. They did such and amazing job, and I have the most amazing friends. They all got me (well, Maddie) the cutest gifts. I started washing her clothes so I can hang them in her closet. Thank you Afton and Alexis for all of your hard work, everything turned out wonderfully!

Our New Home :)

Chad and I moved last weekend into a new home. We decided that since we are adding to our family, we needed some more room. Our first home was given to us by Chad's grandparents to live in until we ready to build or get a house of our own. We are so thankful that we had that opportunity. It was perfect for the two of us, but with Maddie on the way, we were ready to make a change. We love our new house and hope to have visitors often! We are in the process of getting settled and I am in the process of slowly decorating the house. :) Oh, I go for my glucose test on Tuesday b/c they told me to wait till I was 26 weeks to do it, instead of at 24 weeks when I had planned on doing it before. Please pray that I pass, and I won't have to do the dreaded 3 hour test! Things are going great with the pregnancy. My belly feels like it gets bigger everyday. I am going to take a bath in our new jacuzzi tub tonight, hoping that will help my aching back. That is pretty much my only complaint right now. Hope fully only 11-13 more weeks till we get to meet our sweet little girl!!

24 weeks!

I am now a little over 24 weeks. Since school has started, my pregnancy has begun to fly by! I went for my 24 week check up last Thurs. and got my orders for my glucose test, but they told me I should wait a week or 2 until I went for my test. Soooo, now I have to go back and do the dreaded glucose test. Hopefully I will only have to do the one hour!! I also made my 28 week appt. AND then they scheduled my 30 week appt. after that. That's right, after my next appt. I will start going every 2 weeks! I can't believe it. We just bought a house and closed yesterday. Thank the Lord, everything went smoothly. We are going to start moving this weekend. I will post pictures once we get a little settled. I can't wait to get Maddie's room ready. My dad just purchased her crib, so we should get it in about 6 weeks. Here are some pics of my growing baby bump. :)

The Fair and Kellie Pickler

Pictures of my new classroom

Our school got tile over the summer and they also decided to move my room down the hall a little bit. I didn't mind moving since we had to pack up all of our things anyways and bring it home. Here are some pics of my new classroom.

Noah Came To Visit

This is what happens when you don't wear your shoes outside in our house...


Just Kidding!! Noah was trying to get Sammy to go in his cage and this is how he decided to help him get in. He is too funny!

We got to watch Noah tonight for a little bit. He helped me make spaghetti and then we watched SpongeBob. I love when Noah comes to visit. He is so entertaining. We love him so much!!

20 weeks, halfway there!!

"Daddy's Little Dear" :)

We hit the half way mark. I cannot believe in 20 weeks (or sooner) we will have little Maddie here to snuggle and kiss all over. I am getting more and more excited as I get bigger and bigger. I am feeling her move everyday now, and although it still is not hard kicks, it is very noticeable if I am not moving around. I love every movement she makes. We had our 20 week appointment and the Dr. did all the measurements fromthe ultrasound. Maddie is measuring right on with our due date and everything looks great. She is healthy and growing just like she should. I could not ask for a better blessing. I think Chad and I are going to start registering the next weekend he is off, b/c I have my first shower the last weekend in October. I can't wait!! I am feeling pretty good during this trimester, and I hope it stays that way. Besides some minor back aches and leg cramps every once in a while I can't complain. My cravings so far have been ice cream (not too unusual for me though) and KFC mashed potatoes and gravy. I want them all the time. I'm curious to see if I have any other stange food requests as my pregnancy progresses. I go back to the Dr. on Sept. 25, and they will give me my papers to get my glucose test done. I think I am going to go the next morning to get it over with. Hopefully I pass! Here are some pics of my growing belly.