She's baaaaaaack!!!!!!

Kels finally made it from Seattle!!!!!!! and she didn't forget her camera :) Of course she immediately made me lift my shirt, pull down the band on my pants and expose the belly within the first 2 minutes! She loved every minute. She brought baby Kreck the best bag of goodies, it was precious! Taco Bueno was our FIRST stop! Out of all the places to eat in Dallas, that was her FIRST and ONLY option! Forget about me being preggers and having a say :) We then drove to my house (which is only 30 minutes from Dallas, but apparently to Kels its considered a "road trip") to see the baby's room. Refer to Kelsey's blog to get her experience. http://kelseyandgabriel.blogspot.com/

Kels and I were first friends (literally, we lived next door to eachother our whole life and are 1.5 weeks apart). Even though we live across the country from eachother now, its like we never skip a beat when we get together. I love you Kels and glad we could catch up, laugh, and play like old times! You truly are my other sister! **muah**

...Christmas with the Krecks...

Well folks it has come and gone! I can't believe my favorite 2 months of the WHOLE year have flown by so quickly. After 8 Christmas "get togethers" I'm party pooped out and ready for baby to be here! 2 days shy of 36 weeks! Next Dr. appt is set for Tuesday.

I do want to share some of my favorite/most creative Christmas gifts received this year. I couldn't think of anything I wanted. I did, however, think of 2 things I needed. First, a "nursing tank" go figure! So theres another $50 saved thanks to mom and dad :) Second, a toaster! Thanks to Haley and Nick for the most high tech toaster ever... lol I love it!

1. My family knows me all too well and figured out other gift ideas. My sweet in-laws, Mom & Dad number 2, got me the most needed gift...TUPPERWARE! Seriously, who would have ever thought one would get so excited over something like this?! Don't get me wrong, I do LOVE the video camera and electric wine cellar they gave me, but I have always wanted a set of tupperware. Left-overs here we come :)

2. Mom is the queen of creative gifts! This year I was so tickled to find a designer hospital gown under the tree! Completely functional, buttons all the way down the back etc... How fun is that!

On another note, the shutters for the window are finished!!! So beautiful and better than I had pictured in my head. Thank you to Papaw and Tammy for their amazing perfection and creativity!

I tag EVERYBODY to post all their favorite/most creative gifts given or received this year! Happy new year!

:::::Keeping up with the Krecks::::::

....Another successful Dr. appointment under my belt. Belly measured 34 inches, blood pressure good, baby heart beat good, and I didn't gain ONE pound! GO FIGURE!

....Around this time every year Blake and I make his Mamaw's homemade hot sauce. Completely made from scratch, and properly canned to last a lifetime....or at least a few years :) We quadrupled the batch so he could give some to his customers. After 5 hours, lots of watery eyes and choking due to breathing in jalapenos we have a hot sauce factory!

....It seems to be the season of cooking! One of my favorite treats of ALL time is Crembrule'!! If you haven't tried it before, you are missing out! It is super easy to make and super fun to caramelize & torch the sugar on the top! You can buy crembrule' kits at Bed Bath & Beyond to experience the joy all for yourself :) ....TAGGED....Kelsey Brooke tagged me to post the 4th picture from my 4th picture folder. My folders are alphabetized and is from the "baby blessing" folder so here it is...

...Is everybody done with Christmas shopping?!! Blake is a tad behind...I promise I hear, "what do you want for Christmas?!" about 10 times a day. I seriously cannot come up with one thing. Does anybody have anything that I want that I may not know that I want yet?! I need ideas people!! Help me help me

Fa la la la Christmas!

Yes, I'm still alive! Sorry for the waaaayyy overdue update.
The past few weeks have just seemed to FLY past me. I'm 34 weeks pregnant...yes I said it, 34 weeks!!! Oh my goodness, holy moly! I'm pretty sure I'm feeling every emotion in the book at this point. I have had such a pleasant pregger experience which I am so grateful for! Being anemic and all, I am sleepy ALOT :) but YAY for iron pills right?/NOT! I have never been a pill taking fan and am horrible at remembering. Another Dr appt on Wednesday so I'll be sure to update you after that.

This weekend has been full of craziness! Friday, Blake's parents, my brother in law and his fiance, and cousins went on our annual trip to vegas (this time for Lanna's 21st bday) which of course I had to miss because I can't fly now. TEAR! Anyways, Blake went to the ranch for the weekend with buddies along with my dad for their annual goose hunting extravaganza. Mom and I took the weekend to spend at the Wildcatter resort and spa in Graham, Tx. Which was incredible and relaxing none the less. Massages were great, food was spectacular and the resort is some place I will be frequenting often! As for the guys' goose hunt you ask?...Well, Blake got the flu and had to come home missing the hunt. My dad got kidney stones and spent 5 hrs in the hospital also missing the goose hunt!

So here I am taking care of a sick hubby....I'm glad I got a flu shot!

Thursday begins all of the Christmas festivities! Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday afternoon are full of family, food and fellowship! Then we have 2 days to rest and then kick it in to full gear Wednesday and Thursday! WHEW! and before we know it, we'll have a baby to post about!!! I hope everybody is having a great holiday so far!

::Weekend Update::

Is anyone else wondering where the time/year went?!! It is already Thanksgiving week and I still can't believe time has flown so fast! "Tis the Season..." I love it!

I'm so hoping nobody reading this is a memeber of PETA due to the fact that I come from a hunting family, married into a hunting family, and happen to hunt myself...so don't judge me :) Its all I know! We go to the ranch EVERY weekend and this past weekend I decided I wanted to shoot a deer. ( a very random statement on my part)...I have tried so hard while being preggers not to be one of those "I can't do this, I can't do that....just because I'm pregnant and its a good excuse" type of person! So I wanted to shoot a deer just to say I did at 7 months preggers. Blake and I had been hunting this one management deer for a few weeks that needed to be taken off the ranch. And on Friday night...here he came. After one perfect shot :) and a blood trail...there he was. (no, I did not hunt in this outfit, I put it on when we came back to get comfy...you love it)

Enough of proving I'm really a country, redneck...and lets get to our belly photoshoot!! Last week Blake and I had pictures made with my belly and of my belly. We had them taken in my parent's backyard at the house I grew up which made it very special. I will post the website once they are up, but my mom took a few over the photographer's shoulder...so here is a peek

The nursery is almost finished!!!! I can happily say we are over Half way done and I couldn't be more excited. With the help of my mother-in-law and my fantastic husband who can make anything...my visions have come to life! It is exactly what I had imagined and more! A few more details need to be finished...something on the window, rocking chair, super cute storage boxes, fake tree etc...Take a look

WOW!

Yesterday was my Family and a few friends baby shower. Little did I know EVERYONE would show up and some! I tried to get around the house to talk to everyone and chit chat a bit, but little did I know I would be opening presents for over 1.5 hours!! WOW! But don't worry I did get to eat a piece of cake after everyone had gone :) Oh my goodness...I'm feeling overwhelmed(in a good way) and extremely blessed! It was so perfect and such a great success! Who knew baby stuff could be so fun! If you want to see pictures click on this link http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068142&l=495f0&id=54600247 I posted only 37 out of 150 pictures! So you can have a taste of the fun that was had :)

WOW we are 3/4 of the way done and its all starting to set in. I'm feeling great though and forget I'm pregnant often....that is until I pass a mirror! HA! I have had a few memory issues ever since becoming pregnant. Meaning...I forget things easy, do goofy things that I would normally not do etc... For example, I was unloading the dishwasher the other day and put the cups in the refrigerator! WHAT?! Blake and I were on our way to eat and his seatbelt warning beeps came on in his car and I said "Blake, put your bathing suit on." Ya I know...hillarious! But there is hope people! My mother was watching the infamous Dr. Oz from Oprah and he was talking about women who are pregnant. He said that a pregnant woman's brain shrinks 7% due to the fat that the baby sucks from their brain! So there you go, I'm not going into early Alzheimers and I'm not crazy! He did also say that the brain does stretch back!

The greatest time of year is upon us! It is my favorite time from Thanksgiving day until New Years day. The decorations, the weather, the smells, the friendly people, being with family! I LOVE it!

Have a great week everyone!

::Going to the Chapel::

Over the weekend my sweet brother-in-law proposed to his precious girlfriend Lanna!!! YAY for a new Kreck in the family! It couldn't have been a more perfect proposal and she was SHOCKED to say the least. It happened out at the Ranch in Breckenridge, Tx. We were joined with loads of friends and family and it looked like a scene from "The Bachelor" with candles, aisle runner, column, christmas lights etc...See for yourself...The Kreck boys covered their bases when it comes to their favorite places to be..Blake asked me to marry him at the Lake house (our home away from home in the spring/summer) and Jake asked Lanna at the Ranch (our home away from home in the fall/winter). Here's a flash back to our proposal :)

Thank you Kreck's for loving Lanna and I as your very own!! How very blessed we are to be in your family!!!!!!!!!!

Kreck Update...

Happy belated birthday Blake! My sweet husband turned 26 1.5 weeks ago and I missed it due to being on the cruise. So happy birthday Blake...Love you!

This past Thursday we went to the ranch, drove into Abilene for a wedding, and drove back out to the ranch to hunt. Blake shot a 250lb boar with his bow...tracked it down just in time to find that it didn't die, it was wounded and not very happy! To make a long story short...The boar decided to charge him and with quick thinking Blake pulls out his pistol and goes to town on this boar while running away! After 11 shots...lets just say only the boar was hurt :) So I'm glad he's ok and I'm glad I wasn't with him!

Today, my family threw Blake and I a baby blessing/shower. It was full of kind words, blessings and prayers for sweet Baby K...and boy do we feel blessed! We got some super cute things and now things are starting to feel real!

I can't believe we are 27 weeks already!! Where did the time go?! I think a little anxiety is starting to settle in so if you want to add me to your prayer list that would be awesome. We could use the help :)

AMEN!

Sorry for offending those who oppose, but if you still feel Obama is the right choice after this...well... Those of you who agree, please feel free to copy, paste and send a million times over!! I received this as an email and thought I'd share...

This is very good, I hope everyone prays really hard before they vote !!!!!

This article is from Huntley Brown - he is a fabulous concert pianist, man of God and is a black man. I appreciate so much his reasoning for not voting for Obama. I would like to see this article published or spread out via Email to as many as possible. It's good stuff!

Why I Can't Vote For Obama : By Huntley Brown

Dear Friends,

A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating...

First I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads I follow. I can't dictate the terms He does because He is the leader.

I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.

We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I don't know Obama so all I can go on is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007.

< http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/> NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008)

To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with..

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % rating. There is a reason the homosexual community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him. There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court.

There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill.
There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.
There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion.
There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue. The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:

A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps. (Remember this is a live baby)

B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.

C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.

D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.

E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed. God help him. There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law.

Think about this: You can't give a kid an aspirin without parental notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years. Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now? Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and disciple him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 'Go and make disciples of all nations.' This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you believe what you believe etc. The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him? Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a

1. Commitment to the White Community

2. Commitment to the White Family

3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic

4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community.

5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions

6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System

7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System. Would you support a President who went to a church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside. This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discovered he went to a racist church. The church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world. A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it's a white church or a black church it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote. Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of Liberation. Cone once wrote: 'Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him.

Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this? So what does all this mean for the nation? In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king. First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 'Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.'

Then God says 1 Samuel 1:18 ' When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.' 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.' 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king.' Here is what we know for sure.

God is not schizophrenic He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends.Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation,

1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation.

2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings, Huntley Brown

I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!!

After a fabulous 7 day, very relaxing, badly needed, unexpected cruise to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, & Cabo...It feels great to be home!! I haven't EVER been away from Blake that long in the 8.75 years of being together and I'm so thankful to be home! Cheers to Cruise '08 group and thanks for the FUN! (no...I am not drinking the wine, they made me hold it) :)

We landed at DFW around 5:30, got dropped off at my cousin's wedding around 7, picked up Blake's car from his parents, unpacked, did laundry, cleaned the house, uploaded pics, read blogs dated back 7 days and its only 11:30! Sorry for the short post, but I'm exhausted!
Off to bed!!!!

...5...

Thanks Meredith for the cute blog idea! Sweet Meredith did a "daily ten" blog that was absolutely precious...I, however, cannot thing of ten things at this moment :) so we will do a "to be continued blog" 5 today and 5 more as they happen or as I think of them!...

10. Wedding Bells: Sissy face is getting married in 3 days! Finally, my older sister aka bridezilla (for now), says I DO on Saturday. I am so happy she found a great addition to the family and couldn't be happier about my new brother. I am, however, ready for her drama-ness to subside and have a calmer Haley around...but I do love her and am happy to listen when I'm asked/told to :) Her day will be perfect (as far as she knows...we wouldn't tell her otherwise) and it is going to be a great celebration. Love you sissy face!

9. Hooray for Fall: I could not be happier about fall! This weather has been great and I'm loving every second. Especially leaves changing color/falling off the trees, pumpkins everywhere, the smell of new candle scents in every store, holiday decorations...(and when I say holiday decorations that does NOT include Halloween. I am anti-halloween, but of course I did do the whole trick-or-treat thing and dressed up when I was younger. I can't pin point exactly WHY I am so anti halloween, but I hate the decorations, the smell of plastic everywhere, scary things and how gloomy it feels. So we can all expect all my lights to be off and me not to be home on halloween night. SOORRRY! :) Other than that...hooray for fall!

8. "Punkin Cake" recipe: Adding to the above...another reason I love fall is pumkin! Pumpkin EVERYTHING! You name it, bread, cake, pie and I'm all over it. Here is one of my favorite/easiest cake recipes! So very good for dessert and even better in the mornings as a pastry with coffee...Try it out and decide for yourself! Feel free to tweak it in anyway, shape or form. I'm all about fun cake pans etc...You may have to cook it longer depending on the pan, but make sure the knife comes out clean :)

"Punkin Cake" recipe

*One box of butter yellow cake mix that has pudding mix in it
Mix as per the directions which includes adding:
*1 stick melted butter
*3 eggs
*1-1/4 cups water
Add to that:
*1 can of pumpkin (Save 2 Tablespoons for the icing)
*3/4 cup brown sugar
*1 tsp pumpkin spice
*Bake at 325 degrees for an hour.
*Check to make sure a knife comes out clean. If not, bake for 5 to 10 more minutes or until knife comes out clean
*Cool for 5 minutes before turning cake out of pan.
Ice with the following mixture:
*1 ready made can of Cream Cheese Icing into which you add
*2 tablespoons of the canned pumpkin

7. Am I overreacting? Is it just me or has anyone else experienced this? For some reason I feel I have a post-it note on my head that reads, "please tell me a horrible birthing story" or something like "please tell me what I look like and how big/small you think my belly is" or maybe even "please tell me what I can and can't do/eat while I'm pregnant even though you aren't my Dr." Although most of this unwanted advice is unsolicited, I do appreciate happy stories and comments that are nice and comments/opinions that I do ask for :) I'm only saying this due to an experience I had today at my nail spa. As I'm sitting in the spa chair enjoying my hot rock massage...The lady in the chair next to me feels the need to express, "wow, you are really swollen. I can't see your ankle bone. When was your last Dr appt?" REALLY LADY?!

6. Yes, I got an airbrush tan: ...and it rocks my face off! Seriously! I so badly did not want to be white and pasty for my sisters wedding! Tanning was not out of the question, but the concern was "over heating" so good ole sissy face recommended the airbrush tan at Nordstrom Spa. Hesitant and nervous as I was, I did it. So far it looks great and I will definitely do it again.

I'm obsessed...

...with my dog! I am totally convinced that I have the best dog in the world. If you have a dog...I'm pretty sure you feel the same way. For those of you that don't know her, she is a border collie named Dixie, but also goes by Dixie Mae, Mamie Sue, Mame and Mamer. She is incredibly smart, affectionate and loves everyone! Blake and I got her at the end of my junior year in HS and the end of his freshman year at SMU. She is a little over 6 years old and is our CHILD. I swear sometimes she is human. As funny as it may sound, I have caught myself wondering if I will love my precious baby boy as much as I love her. :) This dog potties on command, goes to sleep on command...When you say "do you want me to rub your belly?" She lies on her back and lifts her leg. When I say "Where is daddy?" NOMATTER where Blake is she finds him, jumps in his lap and licks his face! (just to name a FEW) It is truly amazing and even though she is a dog... She truly is a family member, buddy and best friend. Check out the video below...Blake was on the roof, calls her name and she comes running...UP THE LADDER!

The latest...

*Congrats to our dear friends Will & Erin Benson on their new baby girl. Brylee Ann Benson was born at 2am weighing in at 5.4lbs and 17 inches long. She was 5 weeks early due to Mommy Erin's Toxemia/high blood pressure. The 12 hour wait in the waiting room with family and friends was well worth the wait! So glad to be apart of it! Both Mom & baby are at home and doing great! We love you guys!




*Only 9 more days until my sister becomes a wife. YAY! She will be the most beautiful bride EVER and I can't wait to stand up there with her on the best day of her life (in all my preggers glory). October 4th here we come!


*Dove hunting is here and I have been blessed with a husband who is OBSESSED! Meaning, he leaves every weekend to go the ranch and when we get back he hunts at fields around our house everyday... if I give him permission. And of course, I would never tell him no. Last week,I went 3 times and enjoyed watching Star work (she gets the birds and brings them back) and being with Blake doing what he loves most. As for me, I sit in my chair next to them with blow pops on hand and my handy dandy iphone playing solitaire or calling out trivia to compete with Blake. Oh the things we do to be with the ones we love :)



*We are 22.5 weeks and going strong! Over half way there!!


Other than that, no new news. I hope everybody is enjoying their beginning of fall. All of the greatly anticipated season premiers are finally here! Tonight = GREY'S!! and Sunday = Desperate! Gotta love it!

Done, done, & done!

* Go to Church...CHECK


* Lunch with the Family...CHECK


* Paint the Nursery...CHECK


* Make Sopapilla Cheesecake...CHECK


* Load unneeded furniture to be stored...CHECK


* Be on time to the "Kreck Family Social" at 4:00...CHECK

What a productive day! Here is the nursery thus far...painted and with the barnwood porch made with love by Blake. Baby's crib will go underneath it. Yes, its perfectly safe and constructed as if it were outside. Blake hung on it and its NOT coming down :) It's hard to see in the picture and I wish everyone of you could see it in person, but the picture does not do it justice. The posts and top is made out of barnwood and the roof is sheets of metal. Its not quite finished. Blake is going to add a sign in the middle and maybe some deer antlers etc... on it as well. There will be shutters on the window no curtains. Next up...buy fabric tomorrow for the bedding!

At Last....things do work out :)

The cleaners called today notifying me that the person who received my pants BROUGHT THEM BACK! I happily picked them up today and life is good.

My mother-in-law and I went fabric shopping for the nursery today and found some AMAZING choices! I can't wait to see it all come together. As we speak, Blake is building away a fabulous "old west town porch" on one wall of the nursery with the metal angled roof and barn wood. It's hard to imagine...but I can see it in my head :) and you will get to see the ending project when its finished. Next up, get paint!

Tragedy!!!

I'm on my way into "town" to pick up a few things for dinner at the store and run by the cleaners to pick up my jeans (the maternity 7's that just so happen to be the ONLY pants that fit and I wear them EVERYDAY). I arrive at the cleaners first, handed the lady my ticket, waited patiently in the car for her to come back with my jeans so I might initial the ticket and happily drive away. It wasn't 2 minutes later she comes back with khaki old man jeans that look nothing like my 7's I dropped off the day before. I nicely tell her they aren't my pants...she double checks the ticket and says "are you sure?" Once again, I smile and say "I'm sure!" She goes back inside and I wait and I wait and I wait...After about 35-40 minutes she comes back and gives me the most terrible news..."It looks like your jeans got switched with another order." As I look at her in terror, I repeatedly ask "what now?" "How can I get them back" "What if they don't come back" etc...She proceeds to tell me that they have to wait a week to see if the person who got them brings them back and if they don't she says her supervisor normally gives a store credit. "STORE CREDIT??? I ask " You mean to tell me you are going to give me $250 store credit to a dry cleaners?! and you actually think I'm coming back here?!" I'm trying to stay calm at this point, really I am! She says that she will call me if they come back and if not we will try to work something out. I assure her that I will be reimbursed for the pants and will be driving by everyday until something gets resolved.

Of course, I call my mom and tell her the tragic news which she replys, "honey, you can buy more and its just a thing...we can't take it with us." Leave it to mom to bring me back down to earth in the midst of a seriously small issue in the scheme of things. Thanks mom! I love you! (For some reason, non important issues really seem a lot bigger/worse when you're preggers)

And if anybody reading this is like my friend Kelsey...I'm sure you're thoughts are "who dry cleans their jeans?" Well, I do! I guess not anymore...at least not there! I'm so hoping whoever got my pants will return them. Hopefully they don't need maternity jeans and are thinking about the little ole pregnant girl without pants :) If I ever needed a glass/bottle of wine...it would be now. Dang!

Ok...I'm done now and happily eating my jar of nutella while watching TV. I'll keep you posted on the mystery of the lost pants. Pray for my sanity. :)

Going to the chapel...with Haley!

My older sister and partner in crime (Haley) is getting married! Exactly 24 days until the big day! I have yet to get my bridesmaids dress altered, but mom was smart enough to buy a BIG size so I can wait for alterations to ensure a perfect fit. I am happy to report Haley's best friend and other matron of honor is preggers as well. So at least she and I get to stand together in all of our pregnant glory!

Haley's bridal shower last Sunday was quite a success...She received EVERYTHING on her registry! Maybe, just maybe she will put the pots and pans to good use!

Last, but not least...Me and Baby K are 20 weeks! Here is the 20 week belly...

Wish me luck on the baby nursery!

The baby that never got a name...

It has been non stop..."what about this name?" "What about this one?" All to be followed by, "no" "I don't like that one" "I want it to be one syllable" "I want it to start with a B" "I like it, but don't love it"...AHHH!! It seems as if I should just let EVERYONE ELSE name this baby! I thought it was MY baby, but I guess I was terribly mistaken :) I have a few more months until the birth certificate has to be signed, so maybe we can come up with something that will please EVERYONE...myself included!

Needless to say, we are ecstatic about our little boy or "baby buckmaster" as Blake likes to call him. Apparently, he will be born with a shotgun in his hand and wearing camo. I don't doubt it for a second! Next up...decorate the nursery. I would like to start this process before I can't see my feet anymore. Looks like I have some work to do in the next few weeks as well as looking forward to my older sister's wedding! But I'll put that in a different post. I hope everybody has had a great end of their summer...and I'll leave you with our most recent sonogram pics of baby K from our 18.5 week sonogram!...Mom says he has "the most beautiful head" lol I'm not quite sure how she decides these things, but I'll take the compliment :) Thanks mom!

ITS A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went to the Dr. today for our sonogram and IT'S A BOY!!! The Dr was 100% sure with no questions asked! The scan was great and our little boy is healthy as ever and swimming around like a fish! I will post pics as soon as possible! Hope all is well with everybody and have a safe and fun holiday weekend! YAY for baby boys!

What to do? What to do?

My OB/Gyn I have had for 6 years decided to retire in the middle of my pregnancy. I'm incredibly sad, but happy for her that she gets to stay home and raise her two little girls. With that said, the last time I saw her she reminded me that I needed to schedule a sono at 18 weeks to check the sex of the baby. I saw my new Dr Monday and she said I needed to schedule a sono at 20 weeks! Which means I would need to wait 2 more weeks! I'm very anxious to find out as is Blake, but I would like to minimize the chance of "not seeing anything" and having to go back. One Dr said 18 weeks the other says 20. What to do, what to do?! So I'm praying about it and if anybody has experience with this...good or bad...please share any advice you may have. This seems like such a small issue, and it is, in the scheme of things....but I'd so love to "feel" pregnant and start picking names etc...

As I said, I met my new Dr on Monday. She seems very nice and I'm excited to continue my journey with her. Blake quickly became fond of her when he found out she drives an F250 diesel truck just like his. Go figure!
The baby heartbeat was normal, blood pressure good, my weight....not so great! Thats right, the Dr mentioned my weight. One of the most sensitive issues I've had my WHOLE life is now a nightmare come true. She was very sweet and approached it in a senstive way. She said I'm not over weight by any means and I'm still under as of NOW, but pretty much if I keep gaining at the rate I'm gaining...it won't be good. She encouraged me to workout and eat healthier which was exactly the kick in the bum I needed. At the end of the conversation she added that she gained 65lbs with her pregnancy and hates seeing other women do that as well. And as you can guess, my bum was in the gym the next day!

So, opening day of dove season starts Monday! And of course, we are going to the ranch this weekend and every weekend until the baby comes! Yes, I'm serious. So yay for cookouts and fun family time!

I hope everybody has a wonderful labor day weekend and I will post as soon as we get back!

Still Waiting!!!

I was so hoping this post would be titled "It's a boy" or "It's a girl." But I'm sad to inform you, that is not the case. I am officially 18 weeks and hope to find out what it is SOON! And when that day comes...you will know as well!

As I said in the last post, I have irrational fears ALL of the time. The most consistent worry is wondering if the baby's heart is still beating and what if it stops beating?...Would I know? Could I have prevented it?! etc... My sweet friend Jacci has officially erased that fear! She shipped me her fetal heart doppler she used during her pregnancy. Tonight when I got home from my parents house, Blake eagerly said, "The doppler is here, lets try it out. Please step into my office." I grabbed a paper towel as they do in the Dr's office and carefully folded it over my jeans so the gel didn't dirty them. I layed on the floor and Blake placed the doppler on my belly. After about 1 minute of moving it around....there it was...a sweet heartbeat of 148 bpm. His face was priceless, filled with wonder and awe. His parents came by and got to share in the fun as well. Here are some pictures of the eventful evening...

Last night, I was talking to Blake about the development of the baby as of now...I was telling him that the baby can hear now so we should talk to it. He then put his mouth up to my belly and says this..."Hi baby, I'm your daddy. My name is Blake and I sell boxes. I like to hunt and fish and its a week away from the eve of dove season. You will see a lot of doves in your life with us. You shoot them with a 4/10. You'll probably be shooting them with my 4/10"...He rambles and rambles on and on preparing the baby for its life with us. He ends his conversation with baby K with "and move around lot...kick mom real hard and give her gas." It was the most hillarious, sweetest 5 minutes of my life.

Baby fun! This is for you Kels...

Ok...so I'm a few months late posting these, but lets start from the beginning shall we?! As you all know I'm 4 months preggers with a due date of Jan. 28th! Whoo hoo! No more morning sickness, but an occasional migraine here and there.

At the beginning of July, my best friend Kelsey (now living in Seattle) came to visit. We had our usual lunch outing followed by a shopping trip just like the good ole days. We went to "Pea in the Pod"to buy pregger 7 jeans and, of course, she FORCED me to put the "belly" on. Being 10 weeks preg at the time, the "belly" felt a little silly. She ended up putting a belly on as well and we got some great pictures. We did always say that we would be pregnant together! So I guess this was as close as we were going to get for the time being...it was great fun and, yes Kels, I'm glad we took pictures :)

10 weeks preg belly The "belly"
Best friends preg together at last!

At 12 weeks I went for my first trimester screening to make sure the baby didn't have downs or trisomy...I got some great sono pictures and was amazed to see the baby jumping around like a piece of popping corn!

More pictures of 4 month belly to come! We find out what it is in TWO weeks! I just hope its still in there. :) I haven't felt it move yet and I've been having irrational thoughts like "could it's heart just stop beating" "would I know?" So hopefully all is well and I'm sure it is! So pray for a healthy baby and healthy mom!

First!

Alright, after many requests and pleads to start a blog...here it is. I caved in people! With that said, for all you non bloggers out there I'm going to use this site as a way to keep in touch with people, update you with pregnancy news, day to day life and post pictures. You can post comments as well.

A week ago, I was pointed in the direction of a blog of a sweet couple who had their first baby. I don't know the whole story, but I read enough to know that the baby was born too early and was having severe complications. The family was encouraging others to pray for their little girl. So without knowing the family or the baby...I prayed. Needless to say, I find it amazing that God can use anyone to resurrect a person's prayer life/spiritual life. God is good and the sweet baby girl is making progress thanks to all the prayer warriors out there!

As for today, I have a terrible job to complete! I am going to attempt to clean out the office closet! Doesn't sound bad? If you only knew! Over the years it has some how become a belly button height pile of JUNK. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about. You know...that closet where you put the "hmmm I may need this later" stuff . Who knows what is in it, what I may find and hopefully I can throw most of it away! I'll let you know how it goes!
Have a great week!