:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

       So tonight Matt got to call!! Granted it only lasted about 5 min and consisted of him telling me that he got a really bad sinus infection right after getting out of the field (thank heavens it wasn't while he was in the field!!), him asking if I was still prego, to which I responded maybe just to make him sweat a little ;) and then letting him know that yes the baby was still in the oven and me telling him that I needed his address to call him home (which he ended up having to call me back with because he had to go get an OPODR, but hey now I have it!!).

     It's funny how we get used to living without things, and then when they are back how crushing we realize it was to be without them... Don't get me wrong, I knew I missed Matt's voice and being able to talk to him, but I never really let myself know just how much I missed it until I got to hear it tonight. Even if he did sound very off because of his sinus infection... I'm so looking forward to him getting home and being able to take care of him again. I really can't wait! Between being able to talk to him again and being able to see him again I don't know how I'll be able to handle all the excitement and keep this baby in long enough for him to get to the hospital :P. I don't know why, but I keep getting this feeling that I'll have this baby within a few days (as in by the 16th) of him getting home. However until he boards that plane to come home Matt has placed me on bed rest (which I quickly negotiated down to doing as little as possible because I would go crazy being trapped in my house for a week!!) Granted Monday afternoon I'm planning on working out in the yard all day in hopes of getting this baby to start working his way out... And with it being my first I'm probably safe to bet that I won't have a very quick labor so unless I start having major contractions Monday morning I plan on doing everything I can to get this baby out of me ASAP!

       But this child is letting me know it's bed time so I will write again soon I just had to tell someone about how exciting it was to get a few min to talk to the most amazing husband in the world!! :D

Night all!!

Just for Eric :)

       So I just realized that I haven't been showing you guys the finished products of everything I've made for our little angel since finding out we're having a boy!! So to play catch up here are some pictures of everything that's finished :)

  

 

 

 

This is for turning napkins into bibs when all the ones I have are either nasty, or I just forgot to pack one :)

 

       This is a close up of his blessing outfit, the symbol on it is a celtic knot for "eternal family and love." Which I thought was very fitting for a blessing outfit :)

 

These onesies were my first attempt at sewing on stretch knit fabric. I'm hoping that the rest of the clothes I'm making him out of knit fabric turn out better...  I'm still just learning how to sew on knits, but I'm really happy with how they turned out!!

       Besides all of this, I have 3 more outfits that I'm currently knitting, a bunting, some sleepers, and several more onesies that I'm going to be sewing for my little prince! I'll post pictures of those once they are finished as well :) Granted those pictures will also probably have a cute little baby to go with them!! :D

Saying goodbye to my one true love

      When Matt first left for basic training last year, I thought that it would be easier to say good-bye to him if I was pregnant. Well having said good-bye pregnant, I can honestly say it's just as hard ever. Granted this time, I know more then ever that I'm not alone. This little  boy of mine seems to know just when to give me a hard kick to remind me that he is always with me. Eric's been such a comfort to me, he's really the best boy a girl could ask for. He listens to me complain, doesn't back talk, and always knows just what to kick to get me out of bed (granted whether that last one is a good thing or not depends on the time of day/night ;] ). But more then anything he's a constant reminder that Matt does, and always will, love me and would do anything for me. I'm so grateful to have that reminder this time around as I won't be able to talk to Matt after tomorrow until July 6th at the earliest. but more then anything I'm so grateful for a husband that isn't scared to put aside his comforts and do what is asked of him no matter what. Something I'm sure he learned from his dad that has impressed me everyday that I've known Matt.

      Matt has been such a blessing in my life, I can't even begin to describe everything he does to show me how important I am to him every day. Last night for example, I broke down and just bawled because he was going to be leaving me for a month and I was scared that he would miss the birth of our precious son. So Matt just pulled me into his arms, let me cry and then gave me a blessing of comfort. Something I didn't even know I needed until he offered to do it. I'm so grateful that he knew how much I needed that, even after I told him that I'd be okay and that we needed to go to bed so that we could get up in the morning to get him to the airport. I'm so lucky to be married to a man that knows me, and knows how to help me even when I tell him I don't need it. He's taught me more about myself then I ever thought anyone could. I guess that's part of why I fell in love with him in the first place. He's always been more patient with me then I deserved, and has always gone out of his way to make sure I knew how much he cared about me. I wish there was a way to put into words everything he does, but there isn't and that, I think, is what makes it so special.

       I could probably go on for hours about how amazing my husband is to me, but after only getting a few hours of sleep last night and working today all I want to do right now is dream about him. So that is just what I'm going to do. Sweet dreams!!

And then that frown turned upside-down!!

       MATT GOT HIS ORIGINAL DATES BACK!!!!!!!!! And I'm just a little bit excited about it!! :D Thankfully my husband is amazing and a half and was able to get enough work out time in before last Wednesday that he was able to pass his PT test!!! Which means he'll leave on Monday for a month but that he'll get to be here for the baby!! :D Instead of leaving 3 weeks before my due date he'll come home and have a week and a half (ish) to wait for our little bundle of joy to come!

Crushed...

       This is probably a premature despair on my part, but currently it's all I can think about since I got the call from Matt's commanding ROTC officer... I found out Thursday night that Matt's training dates for this summer were moved from June 13-July 11 to July 8-Aug 6. Which means that unless this little boy comes the week of July 4th Matthew won't be here to see him come into the world... So I've been contemplating what that really means to me. I guess I never really thought about what it would be like giving birth to my first child without the support of my amazing husband. Every dream I've had about giving birth Matt is always right there beside me, helping me and sharing the pure and ultimate joy of finally meeting our son. But since that call, I feel like all my hopes and dreams are being crushed and thrown out the window. I mean this is our FIRST. You only get one of those... Granted you also only get one second, third, forth and fifth too... but having that first one, the one you base all your expectations for the other deliveries on, having that one crushed just feels so much more depressing to me (at least for the time being as I have yet to experience the others). I keep hoping that MSG Straight got him mixed up with another cadet like he has in the past, but I don't dare believe that to be true...
So on Monday I'm going to talk to my OB about possibly inducing the week of July 4th, but I don't think he'll agree to it... But for now I cling to the hope that he will agree because it is an extenuating circumstance... If not I'll just hope and pray that I'm like my mom when it comes to the first child. Because in all reality having Eric any time after July 1st would still be considered full term... So I just hope and pray that Eric feels the same and is ready to come meet his family that couldn't be more excited to have him.

30 weeks and counting :)

       I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by!! There are days where it feels like it'll never end, but then I look back on it and there's only 10 weeks left until I'm due!! However, all I care is that he stays in for 8 weeks and 4 days. After that he's free to come whenever he wants because then his daddy will be here to see him make his grand entrance. Since out little getaway to San Diego Eric has been more active then ever. :) I think he liked that I was walking WAY more each day then I normally do when I'm at home. He's still a night owl but he's becoming a morning bird at the same time... I'm hoping that he doesn't keep that up once he's here.

      Other then that, Matt and Eric have been keeping me busy as always. Matt with making new bags for all of his flags, and Eric with finishing up a few last min things before he comes to join out little family. I'm contemplating making Eric a Peek-a-Boo blanket. One of my friends was explaining it to me, it's a solid/small print blanket with flaps and under each flap is an object/animal. That's not a very good description so if I do end up making it I'll post pictures of it once it's all done.

One of those nights...

       Do you ever have those nights where no matter what you do you just can't get to sleep?? It's been those one of those nights since Matt left yesterday morning for training in the National Guard. One thing I do look forward to more then ever is the night that he comes home and I get to cuddle with him again.... Thankfully Bray'Tac has been more of a cuddle bug then ever lately. I'll wake up late at night (being a pregnant woman and all...) and he'll be there snuggling up next to me or else laying on my legs. Right now he's currently laying down next to me on the couch just waiting for me to pick him up and carry him into bed.... lol at least until I typed that.

     Yes it is almost one in the morning and yes I should be in bed sleeping right now, but for some reason not having Matt here I just don't want to crawl into my bed... so I'm carefully avoiding it by staying up until all hours of the night watching Veronica Mars and wishing that Matt was here... wow I sound like a love sick teenager pining away for her boyfriend of two days... anyways....

      Alrighty I'm going to watch one more episode of Veronica Mars get something to eat and then crawl into bed... and hopefully fall asleep...

It is Spring right???

       Sun, snow, rain, windy, snow rain, cloudy, freezing. What is wrong with this picture?? Oh yeah IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE SPRING!!!! Where's the warmer weather? The sun? The warm breeze that you want to sit outside in?? After having a few days of warmth a while ago I was all excited for the weather change. But now, it feels like those few days were a sneak peek at what's coming out later this year....

       Okay I'm done whining about the cold now.

       On the brighter side of life, I got the quilt top for Eric sewn, I just have to quilt and bind it then it'll be done. I got one set of curtains done, got some buttons (love buy one get one free sells) for a "Quite Book" for Sundays (or just any day) and I'm almost done planning the activity quilts. So that's pretty much my sewing projects in a nut shell, besides helping my mom make some quilts to donate to a local stake my mom works with (she teaches some of the kids in the Spanish wards piano /organ so that they can have real music at church instead of a CD to sing with).

      As for my knitting, I'm almost done with the blanket Matt picked out for Eric, his one outfit is coming along nicely and I've got a few sets of booties/socks made for him. I'm still waiting on the yarn for his blessing outfit but that should go pretty fast since Matt picked a fairly simple pattern for it (thankfully).  He also has helped me pick out a few more items to make for Eric that I'm actually looking forward to making.

       Oh and can I just say that I love ShopKo baby sales!! I got a $10 off a $40 purchase to ShopKo in the mail and was originally going to just get rid of it. But then when we found out that we were having a boy I ended up saving and using it. So, I kidnapped Matt for a night and we went to ShopKo during their sale and I got about $80 worth of baby clothes for $35. I was so happy!! At first Matt wasn't all that impressed with what we'd gotten, but then I started adding up what we should have paid for everything. He was much happier after knowing how much we'd saved.

       Other then that life has been pretty much the same as always... I've been working extra hours at work, and Matt's been keeping caught up with most of his homework and gets to register for classes tonight... But that's pretty much our life in nutshell for now!!

~Melanie

Playing Catch up...

       Well since finding out that we'll be expecting a little prince in our family I've been playing catch up trying to get everything re-done for him. So far I've been able to make the top of his crib quilt, 3 flannel sheets for the winter and a couple pair of booties. I've got one outfit for him on my knitting needles and two more in the planning phase. Matt has also picked out his blessing outfit for me to knit, so I'll be starting on that pretty quick here too. I've found that in some ways having this change in our lives has been a blessing to me. It's given me something to do to keep busy while Matt studies away with his school, and not feel like I'm just sitting at home waiting for him to get home each night. It's also given me a chance to be extra prepared for future children and to continue to look forward to what the future has in store for us. And if nothing else, it's given me a chance to have even more of an excuse to do some sewing :). Once I finish quilting the crib quilt I'll post pictures of everything that I have gotten done so far for Eric.

       As for Matt, he's got 3 weeks of classes left and then 1 week of finals. He seems to be a lot less stressed about school since finding a tutor that can explain what his teacher fails to do every day in class. He's also been able to work out his schedule to meet with the TA's for some of his other classes and is doing good in all of them. His ROTC classes are going well and he seems to still enjoy them, granted after hearing what some of the cadets have had to say about his last performance at lab I really want to rip some heads off... Thankfully Matt has talked me out of the hormonal psycho-ness for the most part and so now we just ignore it and move on to talking about happier things (i.e. our week vacation to San Diego this May!!)

       Yes it's true. Matt and I are going on our first "real" family vacation since getting married. (I found out when talking to Matt that our Honeymoon and the 3 day getaway to Park City don't count because they were cut short by school and other such reasons...) So this time we are taking a week and just playing in San Diego. I for on am so excited to go. It'll be nice to go and just have fun together someplace warm but not burning. I'm really hoping that it rains one of the days that we're there so we can have a day to just chill and not be running around... Although knowing Matt, we'll probably spend the majority of our time playing at Legoland, Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo. Thankfully he's not pushy when I tell him that I need a break or just time to sit (especially since Eric came into the mix:}). If nothing else, this pregnancy has shown me just how incredibly lucky I am to be married to such a wonderful man. Sometimes I wake up thinking it's all just a dream, until Bray'Tac jumps on Eric and wakes up Matt. Then it all seems so real that I just get overwhelmed with joy that it's all mine and no one can take it from me.

       Now that I'm starting to get all teary eyed (so claiming it's a pregnancy thing right now...) I'm gonna go eat some chocolate cake and start working on sewing some more things for Eric.

Biggest shock of our lives!! (so far)

       Well it turns out that after all the nights of thinking I'm having a little girl, and everyone telling me it's a little girl, we were all very wrong. Turns out that my shy little girl that wouldn't spread her legs for the first ultrasound was really a bashful little boy that let it all hang out during my ultrasound today. At first Matt and I weren't quite sure what to think. We've both been so excited since finding out about our little princess around that we weren't expecting to hear the doctor say, "Uh oh, looks like Samantha turned into Samuel." We were both so shocked that it took him saying, "I'm going to use some very technical terms right now. Right knee, left knee, weenie. So, unless you're having a three-legged girl, I think it's safe to say it's a boy." We were also able to find out that my placenta is the reason I feel him moving so little (which is really good to know because I've been freaking out when I haven't felt him for more then a day, turns out that's normal for where my placenta is, but will end soon enough).

      I was so shocked when I found out, here I'd been making all this stuff for a little princess only to find out that we're having a little prince instead!! So not only do I now have to redo the nursery bedding (thankfully I had gotten all the stuff for a boy nursery while Matt was at basic, so it's just a matter of finishing it), but I also have to start over on all the baby clothes and blankets I've been knitting. Thankfully I had started a baby boy blanket long before I got pregnant, so I can finish that one off for Eric (Matt had picked it out for him early on anyway). But now I have to find the time/coupons to get/make more fabric for sheets (since they are outrageous to buy) and his blessing outfit. Matt has picked out an outfit that I hopefully will be able to finish in time, granted he was nice enough to pick one out that is fairly simple and uses bigger needles then the last one he picked out. But for now I'm just going to worry about the blanket, sheet and outfit that I was able to get stuff for today. I'll post pictures once they are all completed.

        Since daylight savings is throwing me off, I better head to bed so I'm not a zombie in the morning. Night!!

20 weeks and counting

       Well I'm half baked!! (Speaking of which, Ben and Jerry's Half Baked Cookie Dough ice cream sounds amazing right about now...) So it's all down hill from here :)!! Tuesday we'll get to see our precious little girl again and I for one can't wait!! Tuesday really can't come fast enough for me...

       Other then that I've just been working on some dresses for Samantha and trying to decide if I have enough sheets for her crib... I've been told you can't ever have too many of them but at the same time I don't know that I want to be storing tons of sheets either... Same for blankets... As far as those go I've got a few saved just for Samantha that I got from Great-Grandma Lenna, Grandma Hennen and some that I've made just for her... right now though with all the fabric that I have in my stash I've been trying to make scrappy quilts that I'll decide what to do with once they are done. I have to make two Play-Time quilts (one I've started and the other I'm still in the planning stages of) But I'll post pictures of those once I get them done. The first one is just bright and uses up a lot of my scraps, the second one I'm thinking about putting butterflies and flowers on depending on what fabric I find to make it with.

       But since I'm just posting to avoid doing dishes I better cut this one short and post again once I finish cleaning...

~Melanie

The Blessing Dress

 

        So the pictures aren't the best, but this is the dress we are going to bless Samantha in. I'm thinking about adding a ribbon around her waist and a white flower.... But I haven't decided yet... If I do end up adding them I'll post more pictures (and have Matt take them so they actually turn out...)

~Melanie

Blessing Dress and other news

       We finally agreed on a dress!!! WOOT!!! And it's even the one that I already have made (now I just need to clean a path in the nursery/junk room so I can post some pictures of it!!) I've also thought about making some minor changes to it, like adding a ribbon to by tied around her waist-ish area to hold the dress on better, and to help it not look like she's drowning in it (depending on how big she is as the time of the blessing). I've also thought about adding a flower to it, but I haven't decided about that yet (or what kind of flower I would do if I do choose to put one on). We decided that since she'd only be wearing it for a few hours that my time would be better spent making her an outfit to be worn after the blessing. Because let's be honest the maximum amount of time she'll even spend in the dress is about 3 hours... So with the pattern that Matt has picked out I'm going to crochet her an outfit to wear after the blessing, that will be her special outfit for the day. I'll post a few pictures of the pattern once Matt gets off of his computer so I can scan them in (because taking pictures of pictures never turns out very well...)

       Matt and I also went to Build-A-Bear (because I finally decided what I wanted to do for my birthday) and made Samantha a Daddy Bear. It's similar to a bear that I used to have, but it has army clothes on so that when Matt is gone for drill or whatever else she can still cuddle with him (and yes I am a MAJOR Daddy's girl, so that's where the idea stemmed from). Originally we were thinking about making it a cute bear that had a flowered shirt and camo pants, but when we found the ACU uniform with beret that all changed. Matt's going to see if he can get an extra set of ID tags to put with the bear, so it really will be Daddy (in bear form). I'll have to post pictures of it as soon as I take some :).

       Anyways that's the news for now!! I'll keep you updated on any future changes ie the ultrasound pictures we'll get next month :).

~Melanie

Keeping Busy....

 

 

This is what happens when a girl goes shopping and has a day to herself. 

Above there is a pair of pants, two pairs of booties, 3 sheets, and a dust ruffle for the crib to hide all of Matt's army stuff. I'll post more pictures when I get the crib all made with the bedding Matt picked out for Samantha. :)