1 month

Wow the first month has flown by. It's be so fun watching her change and grow. Everyday is she making a new face or noise. She is such a joy!!

Katelyn now weighs 9 pounds. Dr. Stephens says she looks great and couldn't believe how she holds her head up. Katelyn has also rolled over three or four times and loves to smile.

15 days old

15 days old
Originally uploaded by mryalsn

Daddy and Katelyn

Daddy and Katelyn
Originally uploaded by mryalsn

Katelyn Brooke

The moment we've all been waiting for finally arrived. Katelyn Brooke Marley made her debut on November 15 at 12:55 p.m. She was on the larger side, Weighing in at 8 pounds and 14 ounces. My labor began Friday morning and continued to progress throughout the day. I called J.C. and he came home from work early to drive me to the hospital. Contractions strengthen through the night, but by morning still no baby. Around noon, Dr. Benson decided that Katelyn would need to be delivered by cesarean. 45 minutes later, we had a beautiful baby girl. It was the greatest birthday gift anyone could ask for.

Grandma's New Album

Photo album
Originally uploaded by mmp52

While Baby M and I were visiting Grandma yesterday she received a special package in the mail. A photo album that holds 600 photos!!! My guess is that she will have the album full by the baby's 2nd birthday. The album is huge and would hurt it you dropped it on your foot.

3 days to go

Wow the last few weeks have really flown by. I meant to post these pictures before now, but I have been having Internet troubles. My due date is fast approaching. I get more excited everyday, ready to meet this little person. I'm still feeling pretty good. I have little aches and pains here and there but nothing consistent. Baby M is still pretty active. I try to tell him/her that he/she would have more room if it would come out. But I guess we'll meet him or her when its ready.

J.C. had a little accident at work a couple of weeks ago. He basically got his finger pulled into the drill he was using at work. We spent a day at the hospital getting the nail reattached and a pin put in the end. It made for a long day. He is doing much better and will get the stitches out next week. The pin will come out in 12 weeks.

Halloween 2008

I had a great time creating my Halloween costume this year. I couldn't pass up my first opportunity to make a costume for Baby M too. We won $2.00 at the Lion Club's costume contest. It was a great night.

Our annual Halloween party was a great hit as well. This year Franki and Fowler got to join in on the fun. Hope everyone had a great time!!

Baby Shower

Grandma Judy and Aunt Janice put on a great shower for Baby M. Everyone enjoyed delicious refreshments and fun games!!

Shower for Baby M

Baby M is blessed to have such great family and friends.!!

Alison's veiw

Alison's veiw
Originally uploaded by mmp52

Usually my stomach looks round from my angle, but not on this day. The baby was kind of lopsided.

Apple Picking

Apple Picking
Originally uploaded by mryalsn

J.C. and Dad picking apples. I'm going to see apples in my sleep.

Pictures

I saw the top picture done somewhere and thought it looked neat so I wanted to try it. The other picture was taken on Monday. My stomach has really expanded in the last couple of weeks.

5 weeks to go!!

Alison & J.C. Parents to be
Originally uploaded by mmp52

Wow here we are last week at bootie camp. It was class at the hospital that went over what we should do once we get the baby home. It was a very fun afternoon. We all got to participate. Mom went with us and got a grandma pack for when the baby visits.

Some random things...

The baby starts moving just before J.C.'s alarm goes off.

The other day J.C. was poking and kissing my belly, shaking up the baby. Then he put he ear down on my stomach and the baby kicked him. He had this shocked look on his face and said, "the baby just kicked me." I laughed hysterically.


My bellybutton must stick out two inches. I call it my turkey timer because it reminds of the timer most Thanksgiving turkey's have to let you know when they are done.

We still haven't decided on names. But we have plenty of time, right??

Baby M gets the hiccups at least once a day. Once he/she hiccuped 4 times in one day. It's supposed to mean the baby is healthy and things are going okay so hiccup away.

We are going to donate the cord blood to the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank.

I will never understand...

I went on Sunday to Mattoon to rescan the items I wanted to add to the registry. After waiting 5 minutes at the jewelry counter, I set off to work. But just my luck, I couldn't get the scanner to scan. So, I took it back to the jewelry counter but she wasn't very helpful and didn't seem to care. I was going to give it one more try in the morning on the way to my doctors appointment but it doesn't look like I'll need to. I just checked online and there is a list of things. Some things I recognize from the pictures but the other descriptions don't make too much sense. Maybe the broken scanner was a sign but I'm just glad it finally took.

Have a wonderful afternoon and enjoy this nice fall weather.

Registeries are not for me

Okay, you would think I learned my lesson from all the trouble we had with wedding registries. But no, I went ahead and made one since we're having a couple of showers. First, I made one at Target. It was very easy. The items I scanned showed up and it was viewable at the store and online. One strange thing though was that a slow cooker showed up when I printed it out. Not sure how that got there, I thought maybe J.C. had been adding things after work.(haha) Well I decided that since there isn't a Target too close to Kansas that I would make a registry at Walmart as well. So on Wednesday I had some free time and went to scan away. My first warning should have been that the lady couldn't remember how to get things set up. After I helped her figure it out she said I was ready to go. I met up with Mom and we began scanning items in the baby department. 45 minutes later I felt like I had a good variety of items, I took the scanner back to the jewelry department. The lady did her thing and said it would be available in about 10 minutes. Well I had to be at work by 1:00 and Mom and I had planned to go to the Pizza Hut buffet for lunch so we left because I knew I could check it later online. Later that afternoon I checked online, it was not there. I checked later that night, still not there. So I thought maybe it took 24 hours to show up online. At 11:30 Thursday morning the registry was still empty. So yesterday after work I went to check the Walmart kiosk to see if there was some glitch with the online service. I typed my name in and received a message that said no items had been added to the registry. AHHHHH!!! This was very frustrating. And of course there was no one in the jewelery department to ask what happened. So I guess this weekend I'll be going back and doing a second registry.

Baby M in Action

Okay I think I finally got this to work.

Baby M in Motion

Okay this was just a test. I've got a better video with more action. The only movement in this one is at the beginning, so if you blink you'll miss it. I'll keep trying.

Fruit/Vegetable Update

I have discovered many new fruits and vetetable from the BabyCenter weekly e-mails. I have been posting it in the side bar so you can keep up too. So just in case you're wondering a Jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible root that resembles a turnip in physical appearance, although the plants are not related. For more information check out this website. What is Jicama? Before today I have never heard of this vegetable.

Hiccups

Baby M has the hiccups. I kind of feel bad since there's not much I can do to help him/her out. They last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes and can happen several times during the day. It's very easy to tell them apart from a kick or other movement. It just feels like a rhythmic beat coming from my stomach. Last night Baby M got them just as I was laying down to go to sleep. So that meant that I couldn't sleep until they stopped. But from the research I've read, fetal hiccups are perfectly normal and means the baby is healthy.

Baby sled

Baby sled
Originally uploaded by mmp52

Here is Nana's new sled. Now all she needs is some snow.

33 Weeks

Wow!! Does that ticker say 57 days to go???? Time sure has flown by. I went to the doctor this morning and everything is looking good. My stomach measured 33 centimeters which equals 33 weeks and Baby M had a steady heart rate of 148. My weight is up to 144 pounds. They were very busy in the office today. Tonight J.C. and I are going to a class to learn about epidurals. I know they're suppose to ease the pain but a needle that close to my spin scares me to death.

I've also starting purchasing the essentials for my overnight bag. The more I have ready the easier it will be on J.C. (I hope). I don't want to be in the hospital while he's running around Wal-Mart looking for supplies. He'll be nervous enough the way it is. :-)

One Week Boutique

On Saturday Mom and I went to Champaign for the One Week Boutique Pre-Sale.It's a big consignment sale. From the pictures you can see it was very busy. We must of stood in line for a half-hour just to check out. It reminded me of shopping the day after Thanksgiving. But it was worth the trip for Nana. She found a kiddie sled. So the now her slopes are open to children of all ages. I found some good deals as well. I think my favorite purchase was a pair of camouflage booties with deer heads on top, since it's arrival date is just in time for deer season. But it will be several years before he/she is wearing real camouflage and hunting with dad.

The Mom Song

I saw Anita Renfroe performed this song live at Women of Faith back in August. I guess I better get to practicing.



To be fair she also wrote a song for Dads.

August Belly

Okay, I'm a little behind on my belly shot photos. This is the one I took in August. Compared to last month's picture I don't think I look any bigger. I went to the doctor on Friday. Baby M's heartbeat was 150 and I passed the Glucose test with flying colors. No second test for me!! Two months from Thursday is Baby M's arrival date. Time has really flown by. Before you know it we'll be holding a sweet little bundle in our arms. Oh I can't wait.

Grandparents Day 8/7/2008

Happy Grandparents Day to our future grandparents, The Phelps' and the Marleys. I know there's not a little person yet to send you greetings, but he or she is sending lots of love kicks from the inside. Baby M can't wait to meet you.

Congrats to Janice and Justin!!

We found out over the weekend that Janice and Justin are getting married!!! Yea!!! J.C. and I are sooo happy for you!!.

Tom, Judy and Alison

Tom, Judy and Alison
Originally uploaded by mryalsn

J.C's Mom and Dad (aka Grandma and Grandpa) came over for a visit on Sunday. We had a very nice lunch and an enjoyable afternoon of visiting. J.C. and I were so glad they came to see us. Come back any time!!!

Glucose Screening Test

Last Thursday I went for the dreaded glucose test. I was told how terrible the stuff was you had to drink and how miserable it was to sit and wait for it to absorb into your system. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. I only had to drink 8-16 oz. ( two styrofoam paper cups full) and then wait one hour to get my blood drawn. It tasted like orange kool-aid. While I waited they gave me a few papers to fill out and I took a book to read. They also have a T.V. in the waiting room so there was plenty to keep me entertained. When my timer went off, the nurse took my blood and gave me my Rhogam shot. I am Rh negative so I had to have a shot to protect myself and the baby in case the baby's blood in Rh positive (More on that later). So after seeing the doctor I finally got to go home.

That was the longest I had ever been in the office. Usually your appointment takes about 5 minutes and you're done. On my way home I stopped at Arby's because I was starving. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight the night before because I had to fast for my test. This also starts the beginning of the every two week visits. I have to go every 2 weeks until I'm 36 weeks. Then its every week.

Our child birth classes are going well. Last week we toured the hospital so now J.C. knows where to take me. We didn't get see any babies though :-( They were all in their rooms with their mommies.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday on August 20th to Grandma Marley!!!!
We love you and hope to see you soon!!!!

Alison & Grandma

Alison & Grandma
Originally uploaded by mmp52

Over the weekend we celebrated Grandma's 90th Birthday. She had a great turn out at the open house followed by a relaxing evening at the pond. It was a great day. Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

August doctor visit

Baby M and I went and saw Dr. Meyer on Thursday. He is the new doctor in the office and I really like him. I now weigh 139 lbs and my stomach measured 26 1/2 weeks. Everything is right on schedule. Baby M's heart rate was 150, which is good. In about 2 weeks I have to go in for a blood sugar test to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. It's a test everyone must go through. I get to drink some delicious orange flavored kool-aid type stuff. I've been told its very sweet. Yum! doesn't it sound like fun.

J.C. and I have also started at child birth classes at the hospital. We are one of the three couples in the Wednesday night class. So far we have learned a breathing and massage technique but I can't get J.C. to practice the massaging part. Oh well. Next week I'll post a belly shot. It's rounding out quite nicely.

Baby M = an average size rutabaga

Each week I get an e-mail from BabyCenter.com with statistics on the baby. The greatest part of this e-mail is finding the section where they compare the baby to a fruit, vegetable or some other type of food. So far Baby M has been compared to things like kidney beans, grapes, medium shrimp, avocados, bananas, heirloom tomatoes and ears of corn. Certain food items refer to the weight while others refer to length. This week its weight is the equivalent to an average rutabaga. It gives us a good laugh to think of Baby M as these food items.

Baby Bump

Baby Bump
Originally uploaded by mmp52

Wow! I just can't get over this picture. I guess since I don't see this view very often, I didn't realize how round I look. You can even see my new outie belly button. This has to be one of my favorites.

Alison & Grandma

Alison & Grandma
Originally uploaded by mmp52

Great Grandma and Grandma came over yesterday to check out the crib.

Grandma painting the baby's room

Grandma painting the baby's room
Originally uploaded by mryalsn

Mom and J.C. spent the week before last painting baby M's room and our room. It's looks great. Thanks for all the hard work.

Baby M's New Crib

J.C. and I went and picked up the crib at Babies R Us today. It took less than an hour to put together. The best part is its a lifetime crib. That means it converts into a toddler bed with rails, a daybed and eventually a full size bed. So we should get lots of good out of it.

July 15 bump 22 weeks

July 15 bump 22 weeks
Originally uploaded by mryalsn

Slowly getting bigger. Here I am at 22 weeks. Only 4 more months to go.

Baby M

More pictures on my Flickr page.

July Doctor visits

J.C. and I went for the ultrasound on Thursday. It was so neat to see baby M move around on the screen. We've been able to feel it for awhile. We even got to see him/her chewing. Baby M was very cooperative and the technician sent us home with many good pictures. As soon as I find the CD I will post some of the shots. Baby M is currently on schedule with an arrival date of Nov. 11 and weights 1 pound and 1 once. It was a very exciting day.

On Friday I got to meet Dr. Meyer, the new obstetrician. He is very nice. Baby M's heartbeat was 150 and my stomach measured 22 weeks. Again, everything seems to be on track. I'm up to 133 pounds and still feeling great. I love feeling Baby M move around (most of the time).

Marleys

Marleys
Originally uploaded by mmp52

Chicken Visit

Alison visits chickens
Originally uploaded by mmp52

We've already started frequent trips to Grandma's to visit the chickens.

July 2008

This week J.C. and I go for a ultrasound at the hospital. We'll get to see Baby M up close. But we have decided not to find out the gender of the baby. We want it to be a surprise. I'll update later this week with more pictures.

June 18, 2008

June 18, 2008
Originally uploaded by mryalsn

Here I am at 19 weeks.