Issues

I have been having some issues in the computer department this past week. I was about 95% sure I was going to have to buy a new computer, but luckily we have a wonderful computer guy that has helped fix the problem. I have to get a new hard drive, which sounded scary and expensive to me but turned out to be very reasonable. Only bad thing is that I might have lost all my pictures and documents. Good thing is I have a blog that I post all my favorite pictures to! It is kind of sad how much I rely on my computer though....I am definitely going to start backing things up!

Other issues......as you know....Zach and I are buying a home...a foreclosed home. So, before we can actually move in, there are some things that need to be fixed or updated to make it livable under our standards....no big deal. In order to do these repairs, we are taking out a 203K loan which is designed specifically for people who buy foreclosed homes....Great...right? Well, what we didn't know is that it takes 2 or 3 weeks AFTER closing to get the loan approved and make the funds available to the hired contractor. Darn! We close on October 20th and 3 weeks after that is November 10th...cutting it mighty close and that is when they can START the repairs. Not looking like we will be bringing the baby home to our new home but oh well....such is life. In the 2 to 3 weeks after closing, we are going to go in a rip all the carpet out and let the home breathe and paint. I will be able to start unpacking all the kitchen things too...so we will definitely still be busy!

The swelling is here...in full force! I can't stand up for more than 20 minutes without my legs turning into tree trunks. So unattractive! Zach loves to just touch my feet and see how long it will take for them to regain their coloring. So easily amused :) We are getting closer though...6 1/2 weeks! That is less than 50 days! Thank goodness it is getting cooler too....I just love FALL!

32 week Appointment

I had a wonderful visit with Dr. Pohl today. I got measured and was 32cm....right on track. The heart rate was still found below the belly button which indicates the baby is still head down and it was 155....higher than it has ever been, at least since my first visits. He said this could be because the baby is very active at this time or the fact that I was STARVING and so was he or she!

I had questions about the wonderful topic of episiotomies, when he starts to check my progress towards the end and any restrictions he has during labor. He said he is not a doctor that just automatically cuts...which made me SO HAPPY! From our classes, the nurse gave us the impression that doctors do whatever is easiest for them and that usually means the procedure is done. I was so glad to hear that my doctor really wants what is best for his patients.

About the checking my progress towards the end, Dr. Pohl said he runs some tests at 36 weeks and then does the normal check for any thinning or dilating at 38 weeks. He let me know that once I hit 40 weeks, if I do, I can be induced on that day or wait as long as I want, it is up to me. Since I really want the labor to progress naturally, I don't think I would even consider induction until 41 weeks or October 21st because it can be much more painful. Everything with my pregnancy seems to be going right on track, so I am not worried at all.

Since I am going to do this labor thing natural as long as I can, I wanted to make sure I knew what I could and couldn't do during labor, especially with the tub. I have heard that the tub can be a great relaxation tool and can relieve a ton of pressure during contractions. He said as long as I am not pushing, I can be in the tub! Another great thing.

Other than my appointment, these last couple weeks I have been experiencing a ton more pressure because of the baby's head being down. I have found doing squats at night really helps with the pressure the next day. And squats help prepare my body more for labor....so I am hitting two birds with one stone.

Should We Build an Ark?

I mean seriously.....

These pictures were taken by some of my friends and posted on facebook. The first 2 are about 1/2 mile from my church and the 3rd is in Lilburn, GA. Crazy! Due to the rain, the Gwinnett County Schools are out of school and that means no work for me since I work with after school programs.

From the news, only 1 woman has died from the flooding in Gwinnett but many more in surrounding counties. Please keep everyone in these flooded areas in your prayers, especially the ones that feel the need to drive. There have been numerous homes flooded, bridges collapsed, roads completely washed away....

Luckily, my parents pretty much live on a mountain so there will be no floods here!

Couple Quick Thoughts

***Another wonderful Saturday of Alabama Football! Roll Tide....I can't wait for next Saturday and finally be playing another SEC team!

***Zach and I went to a couples shower last night for our friend's Matt and Laurie. What a great time! I don't think my tummy has been touched that much EVER and I loved it. Everyone is so excited for us and to see what the baby's gender will be.....lots of mixed opinions! I can't wait for Matt and Laurie's wedding in December...it is sure to be a great time!

***I hit 32 weeks yesterday! YAY! Only 8 more weeks! I have been feeling kind of bad for Zach lately....I think he just might turn into a popsicle if he spends one more night with me. I am sleeping with the covers off trying my hardest not to die from being so hot and he has all the covers, snuggled very tightly in a little ball....HAHA....Okay, not that bad...but let's just say he really hates getting out of bed every morning with two fans blowing straight on him. Zach has been talking to the baby so much and I just cherish all these moments so much. As much as I don't think I will miss being pregnant...hello that means I have a beautiful baby instead....but I have very much enjoyed being preggo. Even though the kicks are now in my ribs, I love feeling the kicks....and even though it takes me an extra couple moves to get up so I don't hurt myself from the baby's position, I love that I can feel the baby's position! I just love this little baby so much....8 more weeks!

***I have my 32 week check up on Wednesday. I have a lot of questions to ask that I have been thinking about from our Baby class last week. Mainly on different procedures that take place during the last couple weeks and during labor and delivery. These classes have really been so worth it! Zach and I also watched the dvd "Happiest Baby on the Block"....Cory and Kimberly had this and told us we needed to watch it. Holy cow that pediatrician knows what he is doing. It is crazy how fast he can calm a baby! I would recommend googling it or watching it for yourself if you have a baby on the way....lots of great, helpful tips.

***The inspection went very well! Thank you so much for all your prayers! The inspector let us know of only 2 other things we didn't already know that needed to be fixed...SUCCESS! Now, we will be interviewing contractors to get estimates on the work that needs to be done...Probably going to be my favorite part! I love picking out finishes and decor and getting a great deal! Our set closing date is for October 20th....I can't wait! One of the most important things we will be talking to the contractors about in TIME! After closing, we have 25 days until our expected due date! That means, 25 days to paint, install flooring, update parts of the kitchen, do all the necessary work on the exterior, move in, unpack, clean, organize........ALL IN 25 DAYS! It so can be done! I am so excited to bring our baby home to it's actual HOME!

SHOW US YOUR LIFE

Show Us Your Life is Dinner Recipes this week....YUM! One of my favorites from growing and now one of Zach's favorites is Swiss Chicken!

SWISS CHICKEN

3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts

1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup

Swiss Cheese Slices

(you need to cover the chicken....Zach likes a ton of cheese though so it is up to you how much)

1/4 cup of White Cooking Wine

(or drinking wine if you have it around the house)

1 box of Stuffing

Butter

(can't have a good recipe without butter!)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix COC soup with Wine. Lay chicken into cooking dish. I usually use a 9 x 13 pyrex. Pour mixture over the chicken. Lay the Swiss Cheese over the chicken....however much you want. Cover with stuffing. Pour the butter, once again however much you like, over the stuffing and cook for 45 min to 1 hr. Check after 45 to see if chicken is fully cooked. I also sometimes cover with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes so the stuffing doesn't burn, but you know your oven.

SO GOOD!!!!

Mission in the Mountains

I have a truly AMAZING sister....yes....Be jealous! For those of you who have sisters, you know that there is no bond like sisterhood...or I hope you do. There is always someone there for you to talk to....ABOUT ANYTHING....Always a shoulder to cry on....a hand to hold....a huge deep laugh about the silliest things....a BEST FRIEND who doesn't judge and will never leave! An amazing gift from God. I love my sisters.

My sister Kaitlin and I have, for quite some time, had a great relationship that I treasure and love dearly. She is such a blessing in my life and truly makes me want to be a better person. She is such a strong individual...a strong woman...a woman of God....and I look up to her, even though she is my younger sister.

Kaitlin graduated from Auburn about 1 month ago, as some of you many remember from an earlier post. It is so funny, especially in a home of 3 girls, how different each one is. Chrysti and I always knew our passions....went to college having everything "planned" out....what our careers would be....what the next 10 years would look like (or so we thought). Kaitlin went to college not knowing a thing....having no direction (or so she thought). From her Freshman year, I can remember vividly her talking about how she never thought school was for her...that what she wanted to do she couldn't learn at school, but she had goals. She wanted to study abroad, which she did, and she always loved the Spanish language....she graduated in Spanish. Even on graduation day, Kaitlin had no idea what she was doing with her life....but she was open to anything......and she was okay with not knowing what was coming....she trusted that everything would be fine....I love this about her!

Boy was she in for a huge surprise! Kaitlin was excepted to a year long Missionary Program at Covecrest in Tiger, GA in August....about 1 week after graduation. I cannot even express to you how happy I am for her. I have never seen her so happy in my life! She left for Covecrest on Monday afternoon. I spoke with her today and it was like talking to a different person.....in a GOOD WAY! I can't wait to go and visit her!

I want to ask all of you to keep her and her faith journey for the next year in your prayers! Part of the missionary experience is to share her witness through a blog....And we all love reading blogs! Here is Kaitlin's link if you would like to follow:

http://www.kaitlinbyrne.blogspot.com/

I love you, Kaitlin and I am so proud of you!

House Hunters

First, let me catch you all up on our house hunting adventures over these last couple months....

We found a house back in June that we really liked...loved the area, school district, price...EVERYTHING! Put in a contract and did not get the home.

Then, we found another home....wasn't crazy about the area, but felt it could be a good match for us. Sent the contract in, was excepted, had the inspection and WE RAN!!!! Holy Cow was that inspection such a blessing! There was so much wrong with the home that didn't meet the eye. Then, we found another one that just went up that week and put in a contract....already had 12 other contracts!

So, after this Zach and I just felt that maybe this wasn't the time....We were trying so hard to find something and there was just nothing and we didn't want to just settle on anything! About a month ago, we got a call from our realtor letting us know that house #1 (the one with everything we liked) was going back on the market, but before they wanted to talk to us again to see if we were still interested....and of course, we were. We sent in our contract, it was accepted, signed the addendums, and these last couple days we have been waiting for the final round of signatures to make the contract binding. We got the final contract in on Monday and we are so excited!

Now for the hard part. We have the inspection tomorrow. Please pray for us and a great inspection....either for it to show us that this is supposed to be our home or show us that this is not where we want to be. Even though we do love everything about it, we are not going to get in over our heads. Just please say a little prayer for us tomorrow.

We know of some things that already need to be fixed....nothing we feel we can't handle...but we will see tomorrow what else there might be. If all goes well with the inspection, closing is October 20th!

Showered with Love for the Little One!

Our baby is so lucky....and so are we to have such great family and friends! We received so many wonderful things for the baby at the baby shower this weekend in Berry. Side Note: 9 MORE WEEKS! I want to thank everyone that came and celebrated our little one and to those who sent gifts and couldn't be there. Here are some pics from the day:

Cousin Tucker....I love those eyes!

All of the wonderful hostesses!

Crystal and me....and our little ones! Thank you so much for coming!

And of course, the AMAZING cake made by The Dessert Box. Holly and Zelda did such a great job and the cake tasted SO GOOD! They even made a fondant pacifier!

The shower was decorated with elephants.....what can I say....I love them!

I had planned on the shower being the day to wear heels for the month....well there will be no heels for the months of September and October due to excessive swelling. I brought the heels with me, without trying them on first. There was no way my foot would have fit into that heel...Thank you Baby!

Baby Update!

Much to update on! I will be 31 weeks this Saturday....very exciting. Only 9 weeks left to go....about 63 days! That really puts things into perspective! I had my 30 week check up yesterday. Everything went great. I have been feeling a ton of kicking in my right rib these last couple days. I wasn't sure if it was a foot or not but it definitely felt like a little heel stabbing my rib. So when the doctor started to find the heart beat, he always starts on the right side of my belly....no heart beat found there. So he shifted to the left and there it was.....I asked him what this meant since it is always on my right side. He said that the head was down, the back went up my left side and the bottom was in my left rib and then the feet and hands were probably in my right rib....go figure! I was so happy to hear the head was down...that also explains my urgent need to run (waddle) to the bathroom 3 times an hour and the added pressure. The heart rate was in the 140s, once again. I am not sure what I measured...I always get wrapped up in talking to the dr. that I forget to pay attention to those things. I am guessing it was fine though because he said nothing.

Zach and I started our Ready & Able class last week. We had our second session yesterday. We went on the tour of the Women's Pavilion. We saw the delivery rooms, recovery rooms, nursery, NICU, OR and much more. We went over all the rules of the hospital and what would happen in each room. Very helpful. Zach and I have already decided it would only be the two of us in the delivery room, but seeing how small that room actually is and learning how many people will be in there for delivery...I don't think you could squeeze another body in there. We also went over all the procedures that will take place after the delivery. If all goes well, once the baby is born, our instructor let us know that for the next hour or so, Zach and I get one on one bounding time with the baby before they start all the tests and other things in the nursery. I so look forward to this time! Once we have this time, we will be moved to the recovery rooms and the baby will be taken to the nursery. Oh I can't wait!

Going to this class has really motivated me even more to deliver naturally. It may be that our instructor delivered naturally and she is very honest with the information she provides or that the more knowledge I have of the whole process helps me wrap my mind around what actually is going to take place and encourages me that this is possible. One thing that I am sure of is that I will need Zach to be there for me every step of the way. In class, we have been practicing breathing techniques and ways to help labor progress, walking, swaying, moving around...another reason why I don't want an epidural even more now. This past week, we learned a way to have Zach help me calm and release tension. Since it is hard to do this without pain, our instructor suggested that I hold ice in my hands for 60 seconds and have Zach try to calm me. I am not quite sure how the pain of holding ice actually relates to the pain of having a baby, but it can't hurt to try.

One other thing that our nurse suggested to us, since we were the only couple not finding out the sex of the baby, was to talk to the doctor ahead of time and let Zach announce who our little one is, Zoe or Ben. This made me almost start crying right then....imagine on the day of delivery! But how special would that be? That is if Zach will even look down there on the day of delivery. I am finding the more and more he learns in this class about the whole process...the closer he will be to my shoulder and facing the wall. Bless his heart. I don't think he gives himself enough credit. He is going to be amazing!

Lots going on this weekend....Chicago at The Fox Theatre on Friday night, Berry on Saturday for the shower and then home for a farewell dinner for my sister on Sunday. I am going to be exhausted!

Time to Celebrate!

Hello to all that read....especially all in Berry, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa or relatives of Zach!

Zelda's sisters are throwing a shower in honor of our little one on the way! Since I feel like I know a lot of you, but unfortunately we have never met, I would like to extend the invitation, but don't have your address.

So, what better way to invite you than by the means we all met in in the first place. Consider this a Blog Invite to a Baby Shower!

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009

Time: 1:00 pm

Place: Bevan Chapel*

I would love to see you there....especially if we have never met before! But those of you that I am friends with or relatives of Zach....we would love to see you there too :) If you would like to come, just email me at rebecca2685@gmail.com or Zelda at zelda1958@directv.net and let us know! And if you can't come....please email me your address anyway so I have it for the future!

*If you need directions, just let us know when you email us.

Our 1st Anniversary!

1 year ago today, Zach and I had the most wonderful day of celebration with our family and friends....a day I will NEVER forget and cherish for the rest of my life. My life was changed in July 2007 when I first met Zach, but totally turned upside down when we truly fell in love in October 2007. From this point, I knew I never wanted to spend one day of my life without him in it. Isn't it so wonderful when you are 100% confident in a decision....like there was no decision even to make...it was just meant to be! I never knew love could feel so good!

This past year has been FULL of many changes, good and bad, happy and sad, but I got to go through everything with this amazing man and that makes everything that much better! Everyday, I love him more and more! So what happened in the last 365 days.....here are some pictures of our year!

Happy Anniversary Baby! I love you!

SHOW US YOUR LIFE

Show us your life this week is School Pictures.....This should be interesting! I grew up in Lilburn, GA and went to St. John Neumann Catholic School and then went to St. Pius X High School. From my very first day of Kindergarten to my last day of my Senior Year, I wore a uniform.....and LOVED IT! But, I do always remember looking forward to picture day because it was "out-of-uniform" day! And we usually got a new outfit, which was always so exciting.

This was my first day of PreSchool....I would guess 1989.

This was the first day of school....I think 1993 so I would have been in 3rd grade.

I think this might be 4th grade.....1994

And possibly 5th grade....1995. This one has marker on the picture. You know how in grade school you would cut up all the little wallet size pictures and give them to all your friends. Well, I made sure never to leave anyone out and wrote everyone's name on the back of their picture. I guess the marker rubbed off.

This was my Swim Team picture from my Freshman year....2000.

This was my Swim Team picture from my Sophomore year 2001.

This was Golf Team picture from my Junior Year...2002. Not quite sure why I was on the golf team, since I can barely hit a golf ball to save my life!

And then my Senior Portraits.....2003. I can't believe how blonde I was!

And finally.....College Graduation from The University of Alabama in 2006....Roll Tide!

Hump Day Update

Another great week of accomplishing things on my 101 in 1001.

#88. I finally got our OWN Kroger Plus Card. If some of you don't know what this is, it is a HUGE money saver and I absolutely love Kroger grocery. I can go online to Kroger.com, see all the weekly specials, see all the coupons for the week, and simply add them onto my card! No cutting, even though I do love my coupon binder. You just scan your card at the beginning of check out and VIOLA....savings! I love getting that receipt at the end and seeing the dollar amount I saved....instant smile to my face!

#42. I have joined a book club! Angie Smith, from Bring the Rain , has started a book club with her best friend Jessica. It is an online book club, which I think is so cool. The book we will be reading is:
My sister has already read this book and said it was wonderful, so I can't wait to dive in. Every week, we read one chapter.....very doable...and have a discussion on Sundays! I went to LifeWay to pick up the book yesterday and picked these up too.....

Both cds are great...I can't stop listening to them! One of the group members of Selah, Todd, is Angie's husband...the woman starting the book club. His voice is just beautiful!

#12. I also started to be able to check off another number from my list at the store. I bought my Christmas Cards! Yes...I am aware it is September....but they were exactly what I was looking for and Buy 1, Get 1 Free....HELLO....of course I am going to buy them. Can't beat only spending $10 on Christmas cards. Plus, I have to plan ahead because I know my mind is going to be in another place come November.

#38. Zach and I have paid off one of our debts! What a great feeling! Not only is this number on my list a goal to pay off debts, but also not to enquire any more in the next 2 years....except, of course, the biggest debt of buying a house. More to eliminate buying on a whim with money that is not there.

#92. And last but certainly not least.....I made Monkey Bread yesterday morning for breakfast....Thanks Kim for the recipe! And it was HEAVENLY! Ooooy and Goooy perfection! This will not be the only time I make this though in the next 2 years....My husband didn't get to take part in the feast and he has got to enjoy this fattening, yummy, breakfast (more like dessert)!

*I found out yesterday that I am no longer a sub but now full time (meaning 20 hrs/week)at the YMCA. Very exciting for me!

*The baby has been kicking a ton....but it is very different. I feel the kicks more at the top of my belly bump and it feels exactly like a little heel. And it is constant at times. I love it!

*Saturday cannot get here soon enough!