Thursday, June 25, 2009

Life is good, 6 weeks and counting
















I prepared a delicious egg sandwich that looks so good I had to share the pic. I fried an egg with fresh parsley dill yogurt cheese and layed it atop fresh Amish sourdough bread. Delicious.... and as I sit down and think about the last few weeks and project what life might be like in the next 6....yes I said 6 weeks... I think to myself, "Life is Good."

Bob and I went to the OB on Monday and Harper Elle is certainly growing. My belly measures 33 cm and she is approximately 4 lbs. I also am doing well, 18 lbs gained and healthy. Although, I am starting to understand when women would tell me how uncomfortable you get at the end. I think I use all the pillows in the bed at this point, there are 5, and Bob will be next. She is moving and kicking all the time but now I feel like I can see her head moving and pushing out of my belly. She is almost here and I picture what she will look and smell like everyday. We have been going to the pool for lots of exercise due to the ughhh.. 95-98 degree weather, and it's only the first official week of Summer. Got to love the southern heat.

I saw my family last weekend, my mom and sister threw me a baby shower in my hometown of Dunnville, KY! It was precious, lots of family and friends showed up! It was open house so people could come and go as they please, we ate and drank lots of punch! I will post the recipe because you will want to make it! My sis, Lee Ann, made all sorts of goodies for little Harper and will be starting her business really soon. Diaper towers, hand crafted burp clothes, and baby food just to name a few. My mom surprised me again with some really old baby blankets from my grandmother, great aunt, and one of our oldest family friends. Vivian, who has been like a second grandmother, gave me my outfit I wore home from the hospital....well my mom had it cleaned and gave it to me. It is so special to have the memorabilia to pass along to my little sprout. I know she will appreciate it when she gets my age.


It is all really coming together, preparing for the amazing miracle! I am really anxious to see her but I have just a few more things to do before then....take several naps, get a pedicure, have dinner with friends 2-3 nights a week, and buy lots of stuff I really never knew I would need. My bud Kelly is coming over this weekend and we are going to finish up the nursery. I will be posting the updates there....I just haven't got it quite right!

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Monday, June 15, 2009

Jaime and Cooper visit




















Jaime Costello, one of my oldest friends....I believe we date back to the late 80's, came by this afternoon with her beautiful baby boy Cooper. I don't get to see her often but when I do, it is always like old times. Some things never change and that's what I love about Jaime. She has two boys and is such an amazing mom, of course I pumped her for all the good advice I could. She was in town visiting family and stopped by to see me, my belly, and the nursery. Well she got two out of three because I still have so much work to do in the nursery..but it is coming along. Great to see you Jaim, hopefully we will get our 15 year reunion going this year. Did I say that out loud, ok, yeah 15 years....but you know, I actually like life with each year it continues. Cheers to old friends and new memories.

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Benjamin's Day at the Pool













My nephew, Benjamin, and I spent a day at the pool. It was so fun, we had the whole pool to ourselves for the majority of the day! He gladly let me practice taking shots with my new camera but eventually of course I had to get in. We played volleyball and raced on boogie boards. We had a blast and hope he can come back soon:)
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My Pizza....the right way.














My Pizza! Yes, of course I had to test it...as you should all recipes. Recipe will be posted.
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Summer Love














So far, I am completely enjoying Summer. I know, Summer doesn't officially begin until Father's Day but you know me, Mrs. Non-Traditional. Between going to the pool, taking Moss to the park, gardening, and thinking up great recipes with goodies from the Farmer's Market, what more could a girl ask for. Oh yeah, a beautiful baby girl. Harper Elle has really come alive. She is active all hours of the day, morning and night especially. In the middle of the night! Last night marked a milestone, 6 trips to the potty.......I mean if it's not my body preparing me for what is to come.....it's just plain mean. I love watching her move around my belly and respond when I push on her hands and feet. I constantly wonder what she looks like, I am so anxious to get one of those 4 D shots but I don't think it is necessary. And besides, it will be so cool to see her in person.

It was really nice to be around home this weekend, what we hoped to be a lazy weekend turned into lots of projects...as usual. We kicked off the weekend on Friday with babysitting Cashen and Madeline for a couple of hours, Kelly and Jeff hosted a baby shower so we stepped in to get some practice. It was interesting to see how our normal Friday of pizza and movies turned into..."Bob, what are they going to eat," "Bob, can you go outside and clean the highchair off and bring it inside," "Bob, can you not leave the room because I have to go to the bathroom again," and so on and so on. It was hysterical to see us completely out of our element but I must say we divided and conquered. It was a blast truly, and can't wait to do it again.


Saturday we landscaped...landscaped..well I would say Bob did most of it. It is quite hard for me to bend over a lot at this point. I made pizza....the kind I obsess over that my mother in law makes...and I received the top rating in history. Bob states, "Babe, this is the best pizza you have made." Of course I didn't ask for the comparison to Mom's, I'm just happy with a really really good pizza. Goodness knows it's pretty hard to come by around these southern parts.

Sunday was our first childbirth class. We are taking this class called hypnobabies, a way to learn about how to manage the birthing process through mental pain management or ie "hypnosis." Pretty interesting and I think it is going to be beneficial for me to positively think about childbirth and great for Bob, "my birth partner", and I and our bond through this experience. One of the icebreakers the instructor used was to intro yourself, expected date, and why you chose hypnobabies. I stated my info and finished with, "I've always wanted to give it a shot naturally." When she asked Bob if he had anything to add, he did...he stated," I will be taking the drugs." The entire group lost it....it was hysterical! We have 5 more weeks of class.....to be continued.



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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Harper Elle




















So it has been decided. Harper Elle will be her name. Harper is Bob's favorite and Elle is mine! We can't wait to meet her and see if it fits. If not, I suppose we should come up with a back up....I wonder...how many people come up with a back up? How many people wait until they actually arrive to name them? So funny to name someone who isn't here, the good thing is...she is here...every day I feel her moving and grooving. She already has so many nicknames, I wonder if she will actually live with her long awaited name? Mostly likely not, if I had to guess.
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Aunt Linda hosts a baby shower

My Aunt Linda, one of my mom's 9 sisters, hosted a baby shower for me this weekend. June 6, 2009. It was completely traditional, including games and great family fun. I loved it. All my aunt's, but one, and several cousins made it for the party. I received lots of parenting advice...thank goodness because I will need it...and plenty of reasons to spoil her.

My favorite advice was from my Aunt Carol who suggested, "to never let her cry." Let's just say my family is big on babies, I guess there would never be a reason for her to cry with that many arms around to hold her.

One of the most special gifts was from my mom. She gave me a blanket that my grandmother had made for me, she has since passed, when I was born and my mom had a blanket made for Harper Elle with her name engraved on it. It was so so special and will cherish the blankets. I can't wait to place them in her nursery.


Thanks to all my family for a wonderful shower and all the gifts. I love the time we had together.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jrterry1707/AuntLindaSBabyShower#
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Sweet Things














These are a few things I received at my shower that I think are so sweet. My mom gave me the sweetest statue from Willow Tree, a mother to be awaiting a miracle. It is so true.



















The monogrammed bib is an obvious giveaway that we have decided on a name.




















I hope she loves dresses because these little dresses will be stock piled in her closet! I'm obsessed with the bubble suits and dresses with bloomers. In the winter, I can't wait for tights! Having a girl is going to be so fun.
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Monday, June 8, 2009

Just Because




















I love the days that special things happen "Just Because."
Last week I received these beautiful flowers and he said "Just Because."
It is one of my favorite things.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Baby Shower at Tollgate




















What an amazing party! We had so many good friends come together to celebrate our new little arrival, Bob and I are truly lucky. Kelly was the hostess with the mostess....as usual. Thanks to all the girls who helped her and of course Breagel with his signature cocktail, Sangrita, it was a hit! So I hear... because I certainly didn't get to enjoy it, maybe I will have him make it for me when I return from the hospital. Everyone was so generous with the gifts and of course Sunday morning I woke up bright and early to start organizing everything in the nursery. Thanks to Jon for capturing so many moments on my new camera, I will cherish these moments.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jrterry1707/TollgateBabyShowerContinues#

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Day at the pool















All my buddies traveled down to Nashville this weekend to throw Bob and I the best baby shower ever. I got to host some of my closest and dearest friends along with their children for the first time together:) Casey and Jennifer Kaufman, Will and Michele Barber, Ryan and Whitney Mardis, Stephen and Sarah Clements, and Jon and April Nodine. Kelly Crowe and I split them between our two houses....kids and all!













Saturday morning I made brunch and had everyone over to my pool. The kids had a blast and I'm pretty sure the parents got their workouts in just following them around. April and I sat back in our pool chairs and relished in the fact we didn't have to run around just yet. Well she has it made but me...I will be right there with the girls next summer. And I can't wait!














I adored getting to know the kiddos a little better and seeing them all interact. It is truly amazing to see how fast they grow and develop into mini people. Love you all and please come back soon.

May 30th, 2009
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Wednesday, June 3, 2009

29 Week Check Up May 22nd

Check up stats at 29 weeks.

Belly Measures 27 centimeters, doc says I am right on track, usually it is 1 cm / 1 week.
Weight: 14 pounds gained

Heart sounds great, all tests have come back normal and baby is growing accordingly:)

Memorial Day weekend with The Cieteks
















Bob and Bernice came down to see us Memorial Day weekend. We had a blast. We picked them up from the airport and the festivities began. We started out with a trip to the grocery to get a few supplies so Bernice could make her FABULOUS pizza. It is not branded but it should be....I just love her pizza so I made sure she made plenty. Friday night we joined Breagal and his parents atPuckett's Grocery in Franklin for Dinner and music. They had a great blues band and of course good ole southern meat and three menu. The New Yorkers and Chicagoans were certainly testing their palates but I think it was a hit!

Each morning Moss was greeted bright and early by Bernice with a fabulous workout. She is missing Bernice and her daily runs. I suggested to Bob that it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he wanted to step in and keep it going....hasn't really worked out that way. Saturday we ventured out into the real country to see if we could find a German Shepard puppy. We visited a kennel but were not impressed...we came home and took a nap before we hit the honky tonk nightlife of Nashville. We walked down Broadway and 2nd Avenue that was filled with cowboys, bachelorette parties, and the usual townies playing their songs and guitar cases opened for tips. We ended up at the Wildhorse Saloon and loved watching the line dancers. We polished the evening off with a nice large ice cream cone...okay...just me but I thought it is 12:00am and I am downtown Nashville...bring on the ice cream:)















Sunday I had to work so Bob and his parents went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. They loved it and got to see Elvis' recording studio and a ton of memorabilia. I met up with them at the end of the day for Dinner.

Monday morning we drove over to Loveless Cafe for brunch and it was amazing as usual. Even though it's usually a 3 hour deal, it is always worth it! Fried chicken, country ham, hashbrown casserole, and the BISCUITS...love those biscuits. They really liked and of course can't get this food anywhere in upstate New York. Bernice and I got our nails done before they had to head to the airport for their flight back home.

We loved their company and wished we could see them more often. Come back soon!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jrterry1707/MemorialWeekendWithTheCieteks#
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Kate's Treatment















Kate's Treatment: My friend Kate received a diagnosis of breast cancer in March. She has now successfully completed her first course of chemotherapy. She is such a trooper and Marla and I accompanied her and hubby on her last day of treatment. We had a lot of laughs and gossiped about celebrity smut, our favorite TV shows, and UK basketball. Kate's hubby Tim is now directly connected to Coach Calipari and since Marla and I are Kentucky girls...you can imagine we didn't stop drilling him with questions the first hour we were there.

She is doing great and I continue to pray it remains that way.





















Her lawyer gave her these awesome boxing gloves to kick cancer right in the butt! Go girl!
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3 Year Anniversary














Bob and I celebrated our 3 year Anniversary on May 13th of course. We dined at the spot we had our first date, The Bound'ry in Nashville. We sat out on the patio and reminisced about old times. It was so nice to sit back and think about all the memories we have shared. Although it has been 3 years of marriage, it has been 9 years together. It has been such an adventure but we just can't anticipate what is to come with our next chapter in our life. We are truly thrilled about welcoming our new baby into the world so we can start making even more memories.

PS: we took this shot with our new camera and it's timer....what amateurs:)
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Cashen's 3rd Birthday














Cashen's birthday happens to fall on Mother's Day and I got back from Kentucky in time to see him at his party. It was hysterical seeing all these kids chatting, eating, and buzzing around the jump jump place. Kelly rented the place where they have huge bouncy inflatables and the kids loved it. I bought him a bag full of firetrucks and guess what he liked the most, the singing card!! I love how simple kids really are.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jrterry1707/CashenS3rdBirthday#


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Mother's Day 09




















27Week Check Up. We saw Dr Storck on Friday and I am right on track. Bob and I are starting childbirth classes next month and Dr Storck recommends exploring all options. I hope to try and go natural but we will see after taking this class. We now start going to the doc every two weeks.


Mother's Day weekend was wonderful! Bob and I went to Kentucky to celebrate with Mom Terry. Of course my mom and I went shopping for flowers all Saturday morning and afternoon and the boys golfed. As you can see, we grilled out and played with my new camera in the afternoon. Sunday morning Mom and I sat out in the sun and pretended we were somewhere on the beach. She got to see the baby kicking for the first time and took some shots of my belly. I know it is pretty white, so you may need your sunglasses to view the photos.

I think I'm really going to get use to Mother's day...Bob gave me beautiful diamond earrings to celebrate my entry into motherhood. They are soo special to me and I will never forget receiving them. Oh I hope he continues to spoil me this way...the only thing is..whatever will I do on Father's Day? I'm sure I will think of something.
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