At last...the wait is over!

We did it! We waited 40 weeks and 2 very long days to find out that we have a beautiful daughter to add to our family. Her name is Emily Grace and she couldn't be cuter if I tried! She was born June 19th at 12:51 am, weighed 8 lbs. 1.1 oz and was 20 inches long. She has dark blue eyes, brown hair and is very strong! She is doing very well and is healthy as can be. =)

As mentioned in the previous posting...I (still) suck at keeping up with pictures but as soon as I download them from my camera I will upload them here for all to see.

Any day now...

I can't wait! We are due (officially) June 17th but I have been having lots of strong and some very painful contractions so we are thinking baby may be a little bit early this time. I went to baby depot today and picked out a blue pajama and a pink pajama to take to the hospital, and picked out a user friendly double stroller! I still have no idea what sex this baby is...with Jack I knew very early on but this time I haven't had the boy or girl feeling.

I'm getting anxious but at the same time, a little nostalgic since this is likely my last pregnancy. As hurried as I am to get this baby out, it's a little sad to think that I will never feel a little one kicking or hiccuping again. I have truly enjoyed my pregnancies, despite their uncomfortable and painful moments, it is so magical and humbling to grow a tiny human and share the same body for almost a year. It's amazing to me how a mother's love is the strongest bond of all and begins well before the baby's first breath. I can't speak for how dad's feel on the subject, but from my observations theirs is more of slow growing process, like a plant growing from a tiny seed into beautiful blossoms with careful attention to the plants needs. A mother's love though, it is more like the sunlight, a constant and unwavering power source that is completely irrational and unending. The things a pregnant woman ponders late at night...

I suck at keeping up with pictures, but I promise that I will take some of the big brother and the new baby to post just as soon as he/she is born! Speaking of pictures, I wish I had had the belly portraits done with Ryan and Jack, I love to look at them in the doctor's office, but oh well.

What a Year!

Well...it's been over a year since my last posting and although I don't have time to be writing this as I have a final due by Friday at midnight....here I am proscratinating anyway. I was tempted to leave the previous post up for a while longer since in only about five months the title will yet again ring true.

For now though, Jack is almost one (holy cow did that year go FAST!) and I am busy getting ready for the holidays, planning his first birthday party and getting ready for my final semester at school. Misleading though, since I will not actually be at ASU aside from one night class, instead I will be student teaching 8th grade history at Maricopa Wells Middle School. I'm excited about dusting off the cobwebs and getting back into the classroom, but I'm equally nervous, anxious, and doubtful of my abilities. I'm also really worried about having to take Jack to daycare everyday. I know most kids are in daycare by six to eight weeks old, but not mine...we got to spend every moment of a full year together and the thought of only seeing him rushing around in the morning and then for dinner, bath, and bedtime everyday is scary, depressing, and very overwhelming.

He hasn't started walking on his own yet but Jack has been cruising on the furniture for months and has begun to build stairs to climb on and reach items that have been strategically placed out of his reach...little bugar. He is such an amazing child, I love to watch him learn something new everyday and hear him giggle uncontrollably when we count his ribs. He just might be the most ticklish child that ever was. It's funny though, I'm not worried at all about how he will react to the new baby, I'm more worried at how I will react to having to share my love and attention. It feels like there just isn't enough of me left to love another child as much as I love him. A wise woman, whom I call Gramma, once told me that she too felt this way and with her reassuring smile told me that with each new baby that comes along your heart grows and there is room for them all. Gramma's are so smart, well I can't speak for them all, but mine is anyway. I hope I'm half as wise when I become a Gramma someday.

I hope you too have known someone as wise and loving in your life as my Gramma has been in mine. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (since I am unlikely to post prior to these momentous occasions.) =)

8 1/2 Months...

D Day is getting closer! As of Monday the 12th I am 8 1/2 months along. Thanksgiving is almost here and then I'm going to blink and school will be over, Christmas will be rapidly approaching and my belly will be a ticking time bomb waiting to explode!

Ryan and I went through the Infant CPR class last week, great information for new parents, especially those that have never taken a CPR class before! Ryan was adorable, he kept whispering to me "Am I doing it right?" He's going to be such a good dad...he is so cute about talking to my belly already, I can only imagine how he'll be when he can actually hold the little guy!

Our next parenting classes don't start until December, which makes me nervous as the baby is already measuring a week big so an early delivery would not be unexpected. This series of three classes are crucial...the birthing and breathing. That's the information I need to know...I could've skipped CPR but I can't skip this one. I've never had a baby before and since I'm not going to have an epidural I really need to know about all of those breathing techniques that will help get me through the rough spots. I told the scheduling lady on the phone that she should call all of the parents enrolled for the earlier starting classes that are having epidurals and kick them out since they won't need the information anyway. She laughed but of course did not call. I am so panicked because the classes are scheduled for the 5th, 12th, and 19th of December and I'm due on the 24th! Talk about cutting it close! We've decided that if I go into labor during the class we are going to stay to hear the rest of the information and then go to the maternity floor...we wouldn't want to miss any tips that could help us!

I have some updated photos but I need to scan them in at mom's before I can upload them to the blog, so be patient!

I think I've stalled as long as I can, I'm supposed to be writing my 20 page paper that is due on Thursday night...but I've been myspacing and blogging for almost an hour now. I'm an effective procrastinator but that will not help me get school projects out of the way so that I can do fun baby stuff, so off I go to write...

P.S. Anyone willing to do some writing should contact me, we can work out payment!!

Okay....here are some pictures!

I'm 7 months along now...feeling huge and generally uncomfortable. I can't remember what my feet look like and all I want to do is lay down but I can't. Other than that, everything is going fantastically!

We just had another ultrasound last week and apparently baby is measuring 6 days ahead of schedule at 2lbs. 9oz which puts him in the 60th percentile. This is only good news if the baby plans to come out sooner than expected!

As promised, here are some pictures!

The Plan....

Here's the plan...since it has been requested in written form.

I am taking a full load of classes and teaching this semester...I know I'm crazy! My finals are over by the 7th of December so that will leave me with about two weeks before I'm due to deliver the little bundle of joy. In January I will take one internet class and another in August, by this time the baby will be a year old and I will be finished with my degree (except for student teaching of course). In January (2009) I will student teach and then graduate in May.

Our master plan...I can hear God laughing...is to get pregnant again in March of 2009 so that I will deliver in December 2009, making the babies two years apart. After staying home for a year and a half with the second child I will apply for my provisional teaching certificate and hopefully get hired on at Maricopa High School where I will teach for many years to come.

The pictures, I promise, are coming soon. Soon (in the Shelby dictionary) is defined as: as soon as I get around to it. :o)

The Nutty-P

I had the ultrasound today that was checking on the kidneys, they are still slightly dialated however the doctors do not see a need to worry at all. In fact, they think that the baby will literally grow into the kidneys and make this a "non issue." So good news there, I also got some great new pictures...of course I haven't scanned them in yet but I promise that will get done ASAP!

The baby has been kicking like crazy lately! I'm so glad he's been active because it reassures me that he's still doing alright in there but it's fun to feel all the little taps and big kicks too. He's exactly on target for the due date according to the ultrasound measurements (which must be fairly uncommon judging from the surprised reaction by the ultrasound people). I'm 20 weeks along now which is a big milestone in pregnancys because the chance of survival outside the uterus is greatly increased after 20 weeks. It would not be optimal of course, but at least now if something happens there is a chance that he could survive. Survival of the offspring always makes a mother feel warm and fuzzy. :o)

New pictures coming your way soon!