So in love...

Okay, everyone may be getting tired of my constant posting of pictures, but I just can't help it. We are all so in love with little Chloe and have been having a great time taking lots of pictures over the last (almost) 2 weeks. Here are a few more of Chloe with her Daddy and Big Sis...













And a couple of Chloe all by herself...

First Bath...

Chloe had her first bath today. After the initial shock of the water she did great. It was so nice to get her all cleaned up finally. :)



And here are a couple pics of her tonight...

On our own...

Yesterday was Andy's first day back to work, so it's just been Bella, Chloe and myself for the past 2 days. So far we've done fairly well, although I have to admit that I'm exhausted. Yesterday we ventured out to my work to say hi and then over to Andy's work so he could show everyone his new baby girl. I had to run to Target to get a mirror for the back seat (I can't handle not being able to see Chloe since she is rear facing in her car seat) so Bella stayed with her daddy and Chloe and I ran to Target. It was nice to get out of the house, but by the time we got home I was spent. I went to bed as soon as Andy got home but was still really tired today. We did manage to run to the store to pick up a few groceries, but other than that it's been a "resting day" (that's what I told Bella). We took a short walk tonight so Bella could ride her bike a little (she had Andy take her training wheels off on Monday) and of course the first time it's just me and the 2 kiddos, she tripped on the curb, fell into her bike and split her lip open. I thankfully had a kleenex and a nice man who was outside and saw her fall brought us out some ice. Bella is quite a trooper and after we got her lip to stop bleeding she hopped back on her bike and rode the rest of the way home. I guess this is life with two! ;)

Chloe is still doing so well. She's such a peaceful little girl. Today she was a little fussy thanks to my decision to not really change what I usually eat in hopes that it wouldn't bother her tummy. Bad decision on my part. Her poor little tummy was obviously hurting her and I of course felt terrible (pretty sure it was the medium salsa I had on my burrito at Qdoba yesterday). I will now be watching what I eat a little closer and hoping that she's not too sensitive to things. The other big news is that her umbilical cord fell off today. I didn't get around to giving her a bath, but it's first on my agenda for tomorrow. I can't wait to get her all cleaned up...the sponge bath thing just doesn't quite do the job!

I think that's about it for now. I'll leave you with a picture of me and my girls...

My precious baby girl...

A few more pictures!

Chloe Faith...

Here she is. Our beautiful baby girl, born on June 18th at 10:12 a.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 inches long.






By the way, I apologize for the delay. I had internet in labor and delivery but not in recovery so I wasn't able to post like I thought I would be able to.

We just got home about an hour ago and I'm off to get some sleep in my comfy bed!

Our little girl is on her way....

I'm posting from the hospital. Currently 8 cm and the Dr just broke my water so she should be here before noon!

I will update as soon as I can!

Andy...

Today is a very special day for us, a day that without Andy wouldn't have nearly as much significance in my life. Not only is it Father's Day, but it's also our 7th anniversary.

First off all I want to say Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. Being a dad is a huge responsibility and an amazing privilege at the same time. I know that us moms and wives don't always understand what it means to be a "daddy", but from this mom and wife, I can say that we appreciate what you do and the role you play in our lives more than words can ever express.

Since Andy loves to read so much Bella and I decided to make him a bookmark for Father's Day. In preparation I asked Bella why she loved her daddy and this is what she said,

I love my daddy because...

He reads to me.

He yells really loud at the games sometimes (reffering to watching sports).

He tickles me.

He plays baseball with me.

He's silly and I'm silly too.

Because he's a really great dada!

It was so neat to hear the things that stick out in her mind when she thinks of her daddy. As I was reading over what she said I realized that it really all comes down to the fact that she has a FUN daddy who takes time to be with her and participate in her world! She doesn't realize it now, but there will be a day when she understands what a gift it is to have a dad like she does.

I recently read a quote and even posted it on my blog. It said, "The greatest gift a Father can give his children is to love their mother." This quote really takes both Fathers Day and our Anniversary and sums it up into one big blessing. Andy loves me in a way that I never really imagined another person could. His commitment to me and our family is so strong that sometimes I don't even get it. He has said something to me over the years that has taken a while to really sink in, but I think I'm finally getting it and honestly, it probably means more to me than anything else he says. He tells me on a regular basis, "I choose you the day we got married and I have chose you every day since." Today, after 7 years of being married, I am so honored to have a husband who "chooses" me and our family above everything else.

So, to you Andy, Happy Anniversary and Happy Father's Day. You are an amazing man and I'm honored to be your wife and the mother of your children!

Checking in...

I know some of you are wondering, so I thought I'd check in and say, "Yes, I'm still pregnant." ;)

I'm very anxious to meet our little girl, but at the same time am okay with waiting for a few more days if that's what she needs. Now that I'm on the mend I've been keeping busy with little things around the house and am actually feeling pretty good. Bella and I worked on a Father's Day gift for Andy yesterday which was a lot of fun and our friends Kyle and Terri brought us over pizza for dinner and we watched a movie. Today I am going to the church for a wedding that I was in charge of scheduling, planning, etc. I do most of the "wedding stuff" at work and was certain I would have a baby by now so a few other people agreed to take care of things today. If I go one of them can stay home so I decided since I'm still pregnant I will go for a couple hours and help out. Tomorrow is a big day for us...Father's Day and our Anniversary. Andy has a softball game that we wil go out to in the evening so we should have a fun-filled day. Other than that it's just life as usual until we get to meet our newest little princess.

I'll leave you with a picture taken by a very camera happy daddy...

Just a note...

To say that I've officially been pregnant longer this time than I was with Bella! ;)

Maternity Pictures

A few people have mentioned that they can't see my slideshow for some reason, so I thought I'd post a few of the pictures...

Our beautiful Bella..

Sick!

Last Monday Andy came down with a nasty cold. By Tuesday, I was sick too. Wednesday morning I went to the Chiropractor and stocked up on natural supplements to help us get healthy quick. Andy has been getting better over the past few days, but I just haven't been able to shake it. I thought I was feeling better on Monday morning, but by the afternoon I was feeling worse than ever. Monday night I ran a fever all night and had a terrible pain in my chest. When I woke up in the morning I had a nasty cough and felt like a truck was on my chest. I relented and called my OB. As I suspected I have a sinus infection and am now on antibiotics. I took my first dose last night and am hoping that by tomorrow I will be feeling a bit better. Today the right side of my face feels like someone punched me. Not only are my sinuses killing me, but my teeth hurt when I eat and I just generally feel a whole lot of pressure in my face.

Of all times in my pregnancy to get sick this seems like one of the worst, but I'm trying to maintain a good attitude about it all. I was a bit stressed about going on an antibiotic, but knowing that I really need it is making me feel a little better about it. I started on a Probiotic for myself and have some for the baby when she is born. With that I'm confident that our systems will be restored to their healthy balance of good bacterias.

Other than sleep and lay on the couch I haven't done much over the past week. It's driving me nuts mentally, but I know I need to let my body rest as much as possible in order to get healthy. I keep thinking that if I hadn't been sick I would have had the nursery painted by now. ;) I'm just so glad I got so much done over the past month so that I have been able to rest and not completely loose my mind over all the things that need be done.

I guess that's all for now. I'm just praying that I stay pregnant for a couple more days while I continue to get better and then I will be very anxious to finally meet our newest little princess.

39 weeks

and counting...

I had my weekly OB appt today. I'm 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced, -2 station and still not in labor! ;) My Dr offered to induce me this week if I wanted to, but I declined. I must say that it was very tempting, but with no reason other than convenience, it just didn't feel like the right thing to do at this point. So for now, we continue to wait...

We did get a chance to take some maternity pictures today and I quickly created a slide show of a few of them. We had fun and got some good ones for being such amateurs. These are only a few of what we took, but most of them I don't feel comfortable sharing with who ever may happen upon my blog. Some of the more revealing ones are absolutely beautiful and something I will treasure for many years to come.

Click here to check them out.

38 week belly pics...

Here I am in all my pregnant glory! ;)







Big Sister...





And just because I really love this one...

Quote of the day...

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
- Theodore Hesburgh

Our Dancing Queen!

Bella had her summer recital today. It's so much fun to see how excited she gets about dressing up in her fancy costume and getting all "dolled" up. Here are some pictures...

Hot Mamas!

On Monday we went to Lake Tahoe for the day. Out of 4 (including me) of our closest friends, 3 of us are pregnant. Here is a progression picture from not pregnant at all to ready to pop!!






It starts out with Amy who still has her "no babies" body. Then there's Terri who is due in December, Jessica due in August and me, due any day now!!