Saturday, February 26, 2011

Sometimes you're up...

AND SOMETIMES YOU'RE DOWN!


Man is that ever true in those final hours of pregnancy! Hormones galore, crying, yelling, being nitpicky...you name it. I think I have been mostly down lately. A few things I have been hearing that make me feel like jumping off the cliff some days:


1)" I hope that your baby stays in there longer so you can see what I went through being late with my baby!"- Seriously??? And don't think just one person has said this- multiple people have! While I know it's all love & jokes, my volcano of rage feels like exploding! Haha! - If you read this, and you have said this, I still love you :)


2) "Have you had that baby yet??"- Let us note that while the person is asking me this question, my belly is probably showing some cleavage from my shirt not covering the huge mass! - Yes, I had the baby person, I'm just really fat now. UGH!


3) "Anyday now huh? Looks like you're ready to pop!"- Thank you. Wait did I say thank you already? Ok, thank YOU for reminding me that I look like a whale! Not only do I feel like I weigh a million pounds, but now you have made it obvious that every insecurity I feel is true- I AM HUGE!


Those are just a few...a small few of many frustrating comments. These poor people mean well. I know they do- just trying to strike up conversation, or keep things funny. And that is very sweet. But when your emotions are at unspeakable highs and lows, you gotta be careful or pregnant lady hormone rage may just come after you! My poor husband and mom get the worst of my whining and complaining- they definitely deserve a metal- or at least a really nice thank you card- something!


I wrote this post to make sure that my blog stays real! My last post was picture perfect reminiscing of birth and being so excited, and that is definitely one of those really nice highs....but today, well, today is for real. It gets ugly around here people. I'm sure that once this baby makes her arrival, EVERYONE will be happier :)


Here's to keeping it real....


Love, K

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Reminiscing- Ellie's Birth Story

I am getting so anxious to go into labor and meet this little girl. I seriously can't wait. I'm getting so close, but yet it seems SOOOO far away. If Claire were to be born when her sister did, she would be here this Saturday- she will come a different day though, in her own time I'm sure :) I'm gonna try to recall everything I can as accurately as I can- not that you asked for my birth story again- but it somehow feels right to recount those memories and prepare my mind for what's to come!
This picture is Adam and I at our friends Justin & Samantha's wedding! I was a bridesmaid and had been having contractions all day. My contractions started around 10am that morning. By the time this picture was taken, I was having contractions as close as 3-5 min apart, but didn't want to go home because I wanted to keep my mind distracted!I was afraid that I woudn't handle the contractions as well just being at home- thankfully a good friend/mentor from my church saw me contracting and forced me to go home :) Thanks Karen! We were super excited at this point though! Our baby was coming!!!!
This is my best friend Heather and I right before I went home- we were both so excited! Can you tell?!?! I ended up calling her to make her come over and help set up my house for my homebirth, clean my house & do my dishes!! What a friend :) She gladly obliged and spent a long time making my home just the way I wanted it- there are only a few people in the world that I trust enough to see all my nastiness and she is definitely top o' the list! I'm so sad that she lives in Cali now and won't be here to see Claire's entrance, but she will be getting lots of weepy (good & bad weepy) phone calls post-partum for sure, so she won't feel too left out ;)
By this point, I was home, and spending most of my time in the birthing tub- the water took so much pressure off the contractions but eventually I spent the last few hours sitting on my toilet in the bathroom! Haha! As far as I was concerned, it was the BEST spot in the house to keep focused- weird, aye? But you gotta do what sounds good in those painfully intense moments. I remember my doula sitting in there on the bathroom floor in one corner, and Adam by my side on the other...such troopers! Everyone was so tired, but giving me encouraging words and advice along the way...so sweet.
Adam was such a good partner- that sounds like a wild west term, huh?? Ha! No, but really he was. He was doing his best to not fall asleep and be with me each step of the way. I love him so much. He is honestly the best husband and I'm so looking forward to what this birth will be like together :)
My sweet, precious Ellie Grace just minutes after birth. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and was about 19 inches long. We had a long, hard trial with breastfeeding, but she eventually became a champ. She was a mommy's girl then and continues to be, if not even MORE of a mommy's girl today. Adam asked me the other night if I could handle if Claire was as much as a mommy's girl as Ellie- to that I answered that I didn't know! It's a lot of work having someone love you so much ;) All joking aside though, I would be thrilled if little Claire loves me like Ellie does. It's a true gift & blessing. And of course she loves her daddy too! They are so sweet & silly together in ways that her and I aren't.
I can't wait to share Claire's birth story soon! It'll be much different this time around- I know what contractions feel like, I'm having her at a birthing center instead of home, and I'm already almost 3 cm dilated and ready to go into the full throws of labor! It will be very similar though also- I have my same midwife (who is super awesome), my same doula (who is equally as awesome), and Adam (do I really need to say he's awesome too?!). So, same difference- I hate that phrase- that's why it's fitting to use it!
Here's to crossing my fingers and praying to meet my baby SOON!
Love, Krystle

Monday, February 21, 2011

Claire's Nursery FINISHED!

Deeeeeeep breath out.....it's finally done! Claire's nursery has been finished for a few days now and I couldn'tbe more pleased :) It was lots of hard work, but I am so happy that her little space is done and just waiting for her arrival- clothes washed, sheets clean, diaper and wipe bin is full- now all I need is her. I forgot to add a before picture, and really don't feel like looking for it, so if you wanna see one just go back a few posts :)

Pre-curtain: I love how the light looks coming in :)
Post-Curtain: I thought it would block out wayyy more light, so I'll probably have to do something about that!
This is a view from our room looking in :)
This is kinda random, but I scored this tablecloth from Target for a mere $4.98 and thought I'd share since it was such a steal!
Love, K

Friday, February 11, 2011

Maternity Photos- Baby Claire :)

Once again, my friend Jennifer totally exceeded my expectations! She took some awesome family photos this past Saturday and I just love how they turned out. She captured such sweet moments, and I'm so thankful that I actually have some GOOD pictures of being pregnant this time around. If you are looking for a photographer, look no further- not to mention she is really fun & one of the sweetest people you'll meet too :)








Thursday, February 10, 2011

Whew!

Is it really only Thursday?! It seems like 2 weeks have passed since Monday...where to start??? Well, Ellie and I both got a terrible cold (maybe even a mild case of the flu according to my mom) on Sunday night. By Monday, I was completely out of it and getting dehydrated. I started having TONS of Braxton Hicks contractions and a few normal ones too, so my midwife asked me to come in to her office to get checked and make sure I wasn't in labor. When she checked me, she said that I was 2 almost 3cm and dilated and my cervix is SUPER thin- but not in labor yet. She told me that I needed to get better and basically lay in bed for the next few days to get my body healthy and ready to have this baby not being dehydrated. So, I had to stop watching kids this week and take some time to rest it up. I'm feeling great now, and there was nothing like a little scare like that to kick mine and Adam's butt's into gear to make sure that EVERYTHING is ready for Claire to come! It's a horrible feeling to feel so unprepared, and that's exactly where I was at on Monday. ANYHOO, we (Adam) has been making some great progress this week, and I just wanted to document where we were at!



BEFORE: Our tiny useless back patio- literally good for nothing except that storage closet
ALMOST AFTER: Still lots of finalizing to do in here, but it's coming along! Floors done, door & window installed, a few baseboards & fan. Can't wait to see the final product!
Claire's Crib: Isn't it SO tiny?! It made me laugh after we put it together :) But it's just perfect for our tiny space. By the way, my color scheme is gray & pink, and I think it already looks good together!
A view from our room
Claire's letters that will go above her crib :)
Me: Almost 37 weeks. Feeling huge, but it's so worth it.
Ellie came at 38 weeks and 2 days, so I'm hoping that her little sister will get the memo and come early too! That would be SO awesome. There is something about getting a nursery set up, and imagining a little baby in there that gets me feeling SO anxious, excited, scared, ecstatic, etc....I was so pumped about it last night! I'm so thankful for this amazing blessing that the Lord has given me already. I can't believe that she is already complete inside my belly and is just growing. I wish I could see what she looks like- I know I can get one of those 4D things, but I just wanna wait to see her in person :) Come baby come baby baby come come!
Crossing my fingers that she will be here next time I post...probably not....but I can always dream!
Love, K









Thursday, February 3, 2011

Family Fun!

I know that I put "Family Fun" in the title, but I thought I needed to document this photo! These are all the kids I watch during the day (well I watch Ellie everyday of course!). This is such a cute/funny picture of all of them. I have started the countdown...well, I officially started it like a week ago, but only 7 more days of watching kiddos for me! Then it's time to let my body chill out and rest til my little girl gets here :) So exciting!
From Left to Right: Sienna, Ellie, Scarlett, Noah, & Jude
Ellie posing in front of the christmas tree...our tiny tiny tree! It was perfect having all the kids in the house though- no one could pull it down on themselves and ornament touching was at a minimum!
The 3 of us at our church's Christmas Eve service :) Can't really see my belly much, but it's there!
Just being silly- my sweet girl.
Ellie out & about at the park!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Getting SO close!

Thankfully we finished our room in plenty of time thanks to good friends :) I'm almost 36 weeks and getting so anxious & nervous about having everything DONE! I had Ellie a little after 38 weeks, so I feel like it is definitely crunch time around here. Here are some of the things we've been up to lately:
Our new comforter in our new wood floored room :)
A picture of our room bare- Out that window is where the nursery will be :)
So irritated this picture is the wrong way, but here are a couple of the walls painted in the nursery. Were going with a gray & pink them...I figured that gray would be the much more calming color on the walls!
We painted the paneling also...made it look so much cleaner & brighter in there! My next post will have the before shot so you can see the dramatic difference :)
A Closer view :)
I'm gonna try to get all my room postings done this week! Hope everyone is healthy and staying away from sickies! Ellie had a little stomach bug on Monday and that was NO FUN AT ALL!
Love, K