The Estes Family

2009-11-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

After much denial I am finally here to admit...I am no longer a blogger:( Sorry folks! It just takes me too darn long! I am on facebook regularly, updating my mood and posting cute pictures of Lily so if you want to "follow me" or my life please check out my facebook account! Also a quick note for those who have not heard- we are expecting our 2nd baby in the spring and we find out the sex in just 2 short weeks!! I think it's another girl but check out facebook in a couple weeks if you wanna know...:) ADIOS, Amigos!!!!!!!!!!!

PS- I am NOT deleting this blog because I do occasionally look at my friends blogs through it and there is a slim chance that in the future I will pick this blog up again!

Love to all,
Susy

Has it really be a month...??!!!?!!

2009-01-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

*****WARNING: This is gonna be long- I know I suck at updating lately!!*********
TODD's BIRTHDAY
Ok, so Todd turned 33 years old just after I got back from Ohio- he got his favorite dinner: Spanish chicken with mustard-green onion sauce, brown rice, black beans, and fresh green beans (it was soooo yummy!!) and an amazing 2 hour massage from yours truly!!:) I still can't believe my husband is 33!! But then again I will be the big 3-0 in November of this year- YIKES!!
CHOLESTEROL
I went back to the doctor to find out what was wrong and it is my stupid cholesterol!!!!! MOTHER OF PEARL!!!!!! Last fall when I was an EVIL (according to my family) Nazi on the South Beach diet eating NO carbs or fruit for months on end I took my cholesterol from 449 (considered "fatally high") to 189 (below 200= happy). Well fast forward 1 year and I am again doing the diet and working out 5-6 days a week but this time I am doing it normal by eating a few fruits every once in a while and several whole grain carbs a week- the realistic way to do this diet and not hate life. Well I have crappy genes in the cholesterol department because my number is 251!:( I am gonna go back one more time in February and get checked to see if it is still over 200, which I am sure it will be, and if it is they are putting me on a low dose cholesterol medicine that prevents build up in my ateries and starts breaking down the plaque that is there. Women who are pregnant or nursing cannot be on it so I guess it is a blessing in disguise that I never had any milk to nurse Lily! I REALLY wanted to control my cholesterol with diet and exercise and set a good example for my Dad/brothers but I also really don't want to die from a heart attack at 40 so medicine it is! And then in fall '09 when we start trying for baby #2 (AHHH!) I will just go off it until after the bambino is born!
FOOD
Lily LOVES LOVES LOVES to put things in her mouth...So naturally I thought she would be thrilled to start eating food...oh contrare monfrair (I am sure I slaughter that spelling- I suck at French stuff!)!!!!!! Lily is not a big fan of food- she doesn't hate it but she doesn't love it either. I started her on rice cereal- nope. Then oatmeal- nope. Then green beans- sometimes. Then squash- nope! I don't want to give her the fruit/sweet stuff until she likes the green/healthy foods. The only things that she likes are sucking on cucumbers and pickles- go figure!
CHRISTMAS
Leading up to Christmas I had so many people to make cookies for I ended up making 4 different kinds of cookies, 6 dozen of each kind- that is 24 DOZEN cookies, people!!!! It took 2 FULL days to make them all. Fast forward 25 years I am gonna be stabbing myself in the eye when it is time to make Christmas cookies!!! But in the end they were all yummy and/or cute! I also did my first cookie exchange and it was mixed bag- half the cookies were awesome and half were crap.
On Christmas Eve morning/afternoon I went to Burlington NC and saw one of my oldest friends in the world: JENNI GILES!!! I LOVE her! I went to her Dad's house and got to see her, her sister Kathryn, and her step-mom Kim. Jenni is my second friend EVER after moving to NC in 1987!! We watched old home videos of when we were 10-12 years old- WOW we looked rough! The early 1990's were not kind.
Jenni's mom, Jane, died of breast cancer when we were in high school I loved her soooooo much that I named Lily after her- Lily's middle name is "Jane. "
Now Jenni is so beautiful and happy and in love with a great guy I am sooooooooooo happy for her! It was the first time she met Lily and of course she loved her! Lily was wearing this cute shirt that says "Girls Team" in rainbow colors and Jenni was saying "Are you on the girls team?" and I said "Yes, that means she is a lesbian!" So of course we started cracking up and calling her "Lesbo" for the rest of the day!! Poor Lily, if she ends up being a Lesbian I will have myself to blame!
By dinner time Christmas Eve my sister Heather,her hubby Mark, my sister Laura, her hubby Travis and their 3 girls: Sophia 4, Holly 2, & Lucy 1 mo. all came over to my house for a yummy traditional Crenshaw family buffet! Then we Skyped my parents and it was great because my Mom got out of the hospital on Christmas Eve!!!!!!!!!!:) We are sooo happy she is home! She was in a wheel chair but now she is using crutches and getting stronger everyday. It looks like she is doing well enough so she won't need me and Lily to go to Australia which stinks because we miss her and Austrailia would be cool!! Thank you everyone for your prayers and support- my Mom really appreciates your love. While we were Skyping I planned to act out the Nativity with everyone while my Dad read Luke 2 over the computer. It was so fun and cute- it was an awesome way to feel close to my parents while they are so far away.
A bunch of my friends here were asking me if I really missed my parents over Christmas/holidays and I said of course but I felt worse for them because we were all together here while they were by themselves on the other side of the world.
We had a WONDERFUL first Christmas with Lily- it was just the right mix of Crenshaw's, Estes', and our little family!:) I know that this is gonna show how selfish I can be but this was the very first Christmas in my life that it wasn't about the getting but the giving- FINALLY I know what the TRUE spirit of Christmas is all about!! Look Ma, she's growing up.....!!

NEW YEARS
We rang in 2009 with some friends at a party! It was so nice to go out and do something because last year I was preggo with Lily and SICK AS A DOG! We played several awesome games but my favorite one was where we popped balloons and tried to find word strips that spelled "Happy" "New" "Year"- I won a $30 Visa card!!!!!! We had Todd's niece, Savannah and her friend babysit and Lily woke up at midnight with all the yelling/fireworks in our neighborhood. Well I didn't really tell Savannah how to deal with this situation because SHE HAS NEVER WOKEN UP DURING THE NIGHT since she was 1 month old! So when we walk in the door at 2 am Lily is in the Johnny-Jump Up laughing!! When we asked Savannah why she didn't call us she told us she didn't want us to worry- she then said she tried everything but when Lily would cry she was "really annoying- getting on my nerves"!! Needless to say Savannah is NEVER babysiting again if she is gonna tell me that my child who is the easiest baby on the planet is "annoying" to her....She is black-listed from babysitting until she is 30 years old!!! I put Lily down and thank goodness it has not effected her sleep any night since.
TEETH
Liy has cut her first 2 teeth!! She was little extra whiney and clingy but really NOT bad- I expected worse. But then again she does have LOTS more teeth to go so I am sure some will be worse than others. She is sooooo freaking cute with her little white teeth on the bottom when she smiles:)
HEIDI FORD
My friend Nicki, whose baby shower I posted pics of in my last posting had a healthy baby girl on January 6 (which is also my niece Holly's b-day AND Jennifer Garner/Ben Affleck had their 2nd daughter on the same day- you know I love celebrity news!!) after 15 hours of labor and an epidural(I tried to tell her she'd get one in the end!)! Everyone is happy and healthy and they named her Heidi Elizabeth Ford- cute! Congrats Fords!
WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE
Between cheating and eating lots of gluttonous foods at Thanksgiving and having to spend 2 weeks re-losing the weight I gained and then doing the same thing at Christmas I have just yo-yo-ed up and down in the same 6 lb range for the last 6 weeks. But it was worth it for all the yummy food! However now that the holidays are over I am back on track and have 8 more pounds to lose- anything beyond that is a BONUS. I am hoping that by Valentines Day(Lily and I are going to St.Louis, MO for my cousin's wedding that weekend) I will be back to my pre-baby body (plus some nasty stretch marks). All in all diet and exercise are both going well.
FIRST COLD
On Thurday Lily woke up with this nasty cough out of nowhere! It was sooooo sad, she would cough and then look at me with these scared little eyes and start whimpering/crying!!! By Friday she had a runny nose and a temperature of 102.3! We went to the doctor and it is a cold. I can't believe the only thing I give her is Tylenol- poor baby! She just moans and whimpers in her sleep and she sounds like she can barely breath. The fever seemed to have broken today so I am hoping by mid-next week her other symptoms will be gone too. It's funny I always thought, "It is gonna suck when she is sick because she'll be whiney, maybe wake up during the night, and I'll have to deal with her being fussy and clingy....now that she is sick all I care about is HER and every cough/moan/whimper/cry breaks my heart!!!! I love on her extra all day long- she is so pitiful! It just goes to show you how selfishly you think of things before you have a child. Before I was worried about how it would negitively effect ME but now that she is here it's all about HER!! :) Alright, I warned it was gonna be long- I promise I will try and do better about blogging sooner..... OH I just remembered- my brother John found our they are having a baby GIRL! They are gonna name her Abigail "Abby" Marie Crenshaw- we can't wait! And then in August they are gonna live with us for a few weeks while they get relocated here/Charlotte from Idaho.
Ok, now that's everything....

TOO MUCH DRAMA!!!!!

2008-12-09T18:51:00.001-08:00

LUCY LINOLEUM, TWILIGHT, BLOOD WORK, PICTURES, BROKEN BONES, THANKSGIVING...
Ok so I haven't posted because it just seems like one dramatic episode after another....some good drama, some bad! A brief recap of the last month...My sister Laura had her 3rd daughter, Lucy on the kitchen floor of her new house in Ohio November 7!!!!!!! It was the middle of the night and she was waiting for someone to come stay with Sophia and Holly so she could go to the hospital but Lucy just came too fast so Travis had to deliver her in the kitchen- thus the nickname, Lucy Linoleum! Everyone is doing great!:)

Lily got her first professional pictures taken at Portrait Innovations and she was sooooooo cute! I will definitely go there again:)

On my mom's 60th birthday and she crashed her motorcycle and broke half her body! She is still REALLY hurt, has been in the hospital for a month and will probably be there until New Years!! POOR MOM! She seems to be in good spirits despite the pain and boring bedrest. I offered to go out in the beginning of the year to help her once she gets out of the hopital especially since my dad is so busy with his job and now he is in the HIgh Council over the Singles Ward. My parents answer is still pending but maybe Lily and I will start 2009 Down Under!

I went to a girls night dinner at Chilis and found out through a secret icing on a YUMMY cake that my girlfriend Emily Black is having another BOY!! I am so happy for her:) Afterwards we went to see the movie Twilight- I WOULD RATHER EAT POOP than see it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS AWFUL!! Edward is hot but they turned it into a stupid joke of a movie!! I was devasted!

I helped throw my girlfriend from The Umstead Spa, Nicki, a baby shower for her baby girl due in January. I can't wait for Lily to have another playdate friend that is a GIRL!!! It also happened to be my 29 birthday that day (I AM OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). As a gift for Nicki I made my 2nd ever diaper cake and I liked this one much better than the first:)
Mieko and Lily

Nicki (mommy to be) and Me

Morgan and Nicki

My diaper cake
Mary Jo, Nicki, and Me
Me, Lily, and Elliott

I had my blood tested again now that I am doing South Beach and working out all the time again( I only had 6 lbs left to loose since having Lily but after Thanksgiving I gotta relose like 10!!!). RECAP- Last summer I found out I have fatally high triglycerides and cholestrol. I did SB diet and worked out and it dropped like 300 points and my cholestrol and triglycerides were fine:) Then I got pregant, ate whatever, gained weight and now I am back on track so I thought I should have my numbers checked again. I called the doctor today to find out my results and they said I need to come to and "talk to the doctor" which means THERE'S A PROBLEM!! If your numbers are fine they tell you so and you don't have to go in but if there is a problem they make you come talk to the doctor- I find out next week what the problem is- they test a LOT of things so it may not even be my cholestrol this time- what the crap is with my body!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Todd, Lily, and I went out to spend Thanksgiving with Laura and her family. Heather and Bob/Maria/kids were also there. It was INSANE with so many people in one house and so many kids but it was fun! Then when everyone left Lily and I stayed behind and hung out for another week. It was a great trip but full of tears, tantrums, and nonstop cleaning (yet somehow nothing was ever clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!). It took like 2 hours to get the all 4 girls ready and in the car for outings everyday!! And I wanted to get some photos of Lily in the snow but somehow that never happened. Lily and I flew home today- it was Lily's first plane ride and she did great! I had her in the baby bjorn while we were in the airport and everyone LOVED her- they all told me how cute and smiley she is and on the plane she slept the whole time and when the plane landed she woke up and smiled at every single person who walked by us!! I love my perfect child!!:) But it was crazy to drag all the bags and stuff around the airport by myself- I cannot even imagine what it will be like if we do go to Australia- it's a 23 hour plane ride with at least 3 connections!!!!!!!!!!

Ryan, Lucy, Sophia, Holly, Bobby, Isabelle, and Lily
Heather, Me, Laura, and Bob
Crenshaw, Chabo, McKeon, Estes
Me, Lucy, Holly, Lily, and Sophia

Lily and Holly
Ryan and Lily
Baby Lucy

I am soooooooooooooooo excited for Christmas this year! I just feel the spirit of Christmas so strongly this year- maybe because I am in love with my husband and baby and am focusing on service this year! I just feel happy all the time lately- quoting my brother-in-law, it feels like I "swallowed sunshine"!!!!!!! So all in all life is good!!

Lily's First Halloween

2008-11-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

Sickness, Craigslist, Working Out, & Babies....
OK, so don't ask me why but I have just no been in the blogging mood lately....sorry this is so long in the coming.

About 2 weeks ago Lily's neck was all red and splotchy. Then the red and splotchy dots moved down her belly and back and finally to her groin and legs. She was acting fine/not sick but by the following day it was even worse, on her face, so I decided to take her to the doctor. They took a blood sample from her foot and she barely cried about it but there was blood on both her socks, my shirt, and that night when I took the band aid off it was FULL of blood- WAAAAHHH! My baby bleed! But alas it was the blood that helped them know what she had- ROSEOLA! Apparently there is nothing they give you for it and it just goes away in a 3-5 days. What a waste of money at the doctor! If I had just waited one more day it would have been gone! Oh well, she is my first baby so I had to make sure she was ok and didn't have allergies or something.

I have gotten obsessed with craigslist lately! I went on there just to browse and next thing I know I am buying like 10 things!! I got obessed with looking for the Trumpette socks- you know the cute socks that look like they have little Mary Janes shoes on! They are way expensive at the boutiques so I decided to check craigslist. A lady in Durham had some but by the time I emailed her they were sold. At that point I was on a mission and I wasn't gonna stop until I bought some! I looked in surrounding NC cities but there weren't any...next thing you know I am looking from CA to NY!! I ended up buying some for $10 (including shipping) from St.Louis, MO. Then like 2 days later someone in Cary was selling some in different colors than the ones I bought for only $5 so I bought those too! I also bought Lily a Children's Place peacoat for $10 (orginally $50)from someone but when I went to pick it up they didn't have it with them so I am going back today and they are giving it to me for FREE because they felt so bad for not having it the first time!!:) I felt bad taking it for free so I baked them some pumpkin bread. I am sure I probably spent $5-$10 in gas just driving there and back but anything free is exciting!!! I also got some new bedding for our boring bedroom and I am loving it!!! It takes a little longer to make the bed in the morning but it is worth it! I will have to take a photo and post it. Anywho...Todd is gonna kill me if I buy anymore stuff so I have decided to just stop going to website for a while- it is very addictiive!

I have never lifted weights at the gym- I don't know how! I always just do aerobic or cardio stuff. I decided I really wanted to learn how to lift so this lady at my church told me that the www.bodyforlife.com website tells you how to lift. I went on there and made some notes for lifting and 2 weeks ago I started! M, W, F I lift and Tu, Th, Sa I do cardio. With the lifting I alternate upper body, lower body, upper body and with the cardio I do stair stepping style- I start on a lower level on the elliptical/treadmill and move up to higher levels every minute and then after 5 minutes I go back down and then work my way back up again- (repeat several times). I feel like my body is getting stronger and slimmer- I love it! Of the 45 lbs (shhhhhhhh!) I gained with Lily I have lost 35 of it. It is always the last 10 lbs that is the hardest! But I really am enjoying lifting weights!

Ever since I have had Lily I realize even more what miracle having a baby is!! I was at the gym watching a baby story- CRYING on the treadmill!!! It is just so amazing and wonderful having a baby and falling so desperately in love!!!! It almost makes me want to be pregnant again! Not really because being pregnant is AWFUL (I am miserably sick/puking, and in pain!!) but somehow now that I have Lily it makes it even more worth the awful pregnancy to have this gorgeous and sweet baby that I love unconditionally!! Just last night I was rocking her and she was asleep and my eyes were getting watery just looking at her sweet face and realizing how much I love her! OK you probably all want to kill me or throw up right now but being a mom really is greatest gift ever!!!!!!! And speaking of being a mom- we just found out my little brother John and his wife Amanda are having a baby in May 2009!! I am so excited and happy for them- more cousins for Lily!! Plus my sister Laura is due with baby girl #3, Lucy, on Monday. We are going out to visit and help with the girls around Thanksgiving so I will be sure to post photos after our trip.

I am just now posting our Halloween/Trunk or Treat photos but since I have already posted them on facebook some of you have already seen them. I am also posting some cute/funny photos just for good times....enjoy!

Madison, Tami, Dallin, me, & Lily
(the boyers looked awesome- her hubby
was the tin man!!)

Me, Lily, Rachel, & Tyler-
When Lily grows up she is
gonna marry Tyler!!!

Lily and Carsyn

Todd the vampire,
Lily the ballerina,
Susy the cat

this one makes me laugh

P.S. This was the FIRST election that I voted in that my candidate did NOT win...boohoo!!

P.P.S Lily pooped through her first outfit yesterday- while I was voting Lily was pooping!! It was all over her jeans, her onesie, and her socks!! It was so bad I had to get her naked and rinse her off in the tub!! Good times! I guess that is her way of telling me size 1 diapers are too small now...on to size 2!

Fall Fun

2008-10-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze

So if you are already my friend on facebook.com you have seen all these photos of our trip to Ken's Korny Corn Maze in Garner. It was overpriced and not as much fun as I was hoping but it is Lily's first fall so I wanted to go somewhere and get some photos:) If nothing else it was worth it for the cute photos...here they are....

I was TAGGED.....

2008-10-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

OK, so Ann tagged me so here goes: The rules are below...Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog. So I am tagging my mom, my sisters- Heather and Laura, Mandy Setzer, and Kim Reed! But anyone who wants to answer these questions just message me to let me know so I can check out your answers after you post:)

10 years ago I was:
1. Just graduating high school
2. I had a bad self esteem
3. I fell in love for the first time
4. I went to college at ECU
5. I got a tattoo against my parents wishes (they know now:))

5 things on today's to do list:
1. Go to playgroup at Crowder Park
2. Go to the library
3. Make my grocery list
4. Make this week menu plan
5. Love on and kiss Lily

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Brownies
2. Chips
3. Cereal
4. Fruit
5. Yogart

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Get a massage every day
2. Pay off all our debts (mortgage, cars, student loans...)
3. Start an IRA for Lily
4. Travel the World
5. Give my family lots of the money

5 places I have lived:
1. Cary, NC
2. Greenville, NC
3. Orlando, FL
4. Gurnee, IL
5. Fuquay Varina, NC

5 jobs I have had:
1. Helped at a dental office
2. Server at restaurants/country clubs
3. Massage Therapist
4. Selling food at Walt Disney World/Magic Kingdom
5. Mom

12 Weeks Old Today!!!

2008-10-07T11:08:00.001-07:00

DADDY & LILY
Lily is 12 weeks old today and will be 3 MONTHS old in a week!!!!!!!!!!! I think time goes faster AFTER you have kids- maybe because they change so fast time is more obvious.
So Lily now does all her sleeping in her room, in her crib. She started taking one long afternoon nap a couple weeks ago so I started laying her down in her room for an official nap time. She wakes up between 8-10am then goes back down for her nap between 12-1pm, wakes up at 4pm, and then goes down for the night at 8pm! I realized my child is ONLY AWAKE about 8 hours a day!!! That makes me laugh!:)

I am posting some photos of her with her Daddy! She loves her daddy sooooo much! When he comes home from work she just talks and talks to him. Daddy is pretty crazy about Lily too!:)

BATH TIME, GROWING UP, & CUTE PHOTOS
This is what I mean about how fast they grow....

Lily is 4 days old here

Lily is 11 weeks old here

Ok, so Lily has this dark patch of hair on her low back and it makes me laugh so hard! Of course, for her sake, I hope it falls out but I HAD to take a photo of it- enjoy......

And here are just some cute photos I took of her in the last week or so...

10 weeks and counting....

2008-09-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

LICKING BABY & FAUX HAWK HAIR
Lily is sooooooooooooo fun! I love her to death! She cracks me up because she is into this licking thing recently. She licks my shirt, she licks her arm, she licks EVERYTHING...it makes me laugh! Unless it means something is wrong with her and in that case please tell me what all the licking means!
To preface the photos I am posting....I give Lily a nightly bath to establish a routine for bedtime. When it's over and I am drying her off her hair gets REALLY curly on top of her head. I always brush it straight but a week or so ago I decided to just leave it curly and see how it looked in the morning. This is the result (SO CUTE!!)......

It looks pretty cute so sometime I leave it curly for the faux hawk and sometimes I brush it straight! She has also started "talking" a ton lately! It is sooo cute I need to make a video of it to post.

SURPRISE BABY SHOWER
So my friend Emily (Freeman) Starritt is pregnant with her 2nd baby, a little boy! She already has a little girl so I thought she needed a baby shower to celebrate and get boy stuff. Honestly, even if she was having another girl I think everyone who is pregnant deserves a PARTY!!!!!!!!! So I told her to come over for dinner at my house and surprised her with a shower! She was sooo surprised she started crying! She said she has NEVER had a surprise party before and was so excited!! It was such a fun girls night:) I made my first diaper cake but it didn't turn out as good as I was hoping though everyone else seemed to like it. Also, my other friend Jennie, has this real cotton candy machine and she made bags of BLUE cotton candy as favors for everyone- it was a big hit!!! We love you Emily!!! And can't wait for baby Jonah to be born!!! (That night Lily was soooooooo exhausted because I kept her up until 10:30pm that she slept 12 hours that night woke up for 1 hour/ate and slept 3 more hours....sorry Lily!!)
(L to R/couch: Jennie Councill, Emily Starritt, Elizabeth Starritt, Emily Black, Me & Lily, Erica Knight
L to R/floor: Emily Sampson, Jenn Nietschmann, Stefani Passey, and Tami Boyer)
**FUN FACT: all 4 girls on the couch are PREGNANT:)
I really LOVE the girls in my ward at church- some aren't even if this photo- we have such a great group!!!

FINGER SUCKER
Ok, so sometime when I go in to check on Lily or wake her up she is sucking on her thumb OR her pointer finger OR her her middle finger OR her two middle fingers.....It's almost always a different finger and sometimes she isn't sucking any fingers. She only seems to do it while sleeping so I am not too worried about it because it seems a bit irregular but seeing as I was a finger sucker (middle finger on my left hand) and (*cough) I did it until I was 13 (*cough, cough), yeah 13 years old, I am a bit concerned. There's not much I can do about it but just thought it worth mentioning to see what you guys think. (Also don't judge me that she is on her belly in the picture- I put her to sleep on her back 75% of the time but sometimes I lay her on her tummy just to give some variety).

WEIGHT LOSS AND EXERCISE
I have officially been on "the Beach"(diet) now for 3 1/2 weeks...the first week I lost 5.2 lbs, the second week I cheated while my friends were in town and gained 3.5 lbs back:(, and the third week I lost 5 lbs!! That is a total weight loss of 7 lbs which I am pretty happy with. However the body is a smart thing and I think it is getting too use to my elliptical and crunches workout for the last month so I am gonna start taking different classes at the gym. Today I did my first class WITH TODD, it was Zumba(for those of you who don't know it's a hypnotic/booty shaking/ latin dance class) and it was really fun!! I realized I SUCK at dancing even more than I realized (the 360 degrees of mirror don't lie). Todd also is a rhythm-less nation..poor Lily! But we both agreed we had fun and burned calories so that is all that matters. Next week I am doing a full week of classes; Mon-Step, Tues- Kick Boxing, Wed- Pilates, Thur-Circuit Training, and Fri-Water Aerobics. There is a good chance I might be dead by Friday, please keep a close eye on the obituary section of the N&O newspaper, just in case!! I have never done this kind of intense workout schedule before but I think it will be fun (I will let you know what I REALLY think AFTER the week is over)!! I still have 15 lbs of baby weight to lose and I will keep you posted as I go:)

Alright, I think that is all for now- thanks to everyone for your sweet, encouraging, and funny comments- keep them coming!!!

2 month check-up and vaccines

2008-09-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

So I realize I am posting 3 separate posts in one day but they were all so different that I wanted to dedicate an individual posting to each topic....Today Lily went to the doctor for her 2 month check (where has the time gone???) and to have her first VACCINES!!:( We had to wait an hour to see the doctor because of these 2 emergency appointments that had to come in. She was being so good just hanging out with me and all the other people in the lounge kept talking about how strong she is and how she has such great neck control. Super Baby!!!!!
When we got in the room the doctor went over the percentiles with me, she is 55% for weight (11.4 lbs), 50% for height (22.5 in), and 60% for head size (15 in).
He said that I am 40% for an adult woman at 5'3 and Todd is 97% for an adult man at 6'3. He said Lily is right on track for the expected growth pattern, he expects her to be around 75% for height by age 2, and guessing that she will be between 5'4- 5'7 as an adult woman....I hope she is at least 5'5- that would be a great height!!!! He also said she has the neck control and social skills of a 4 month old baby- SHE IS A GENIUS!! I asked him about the stuffy nose and he said she is still adjusting to the environment, nothing to worry about. And I asked him about her eye which has been red and puffy lately when she wakes up and he thinks a tear duct that is blocked may be infected so we have to start some eye drops morning and night.

Then came the sad part....the 3 shots!!!! Lily was so sweet, all innocent, just hanging out, not knowing what was coming. She had a pretty full belly but was getting sleepy and then WHAM!! It was so sad, she got all red and did that crying/screaming face where no sound comes out for like 10 seconds...I was in such shock, my eyes welling up with tears that the nurse had to bring me back to reality by telling me to give my baby kisses!!! I instantly started kissing her face- before you know it I could pick her up and comfort her. She was soooo good, she only cried for like 15 seconds!!! I was using her blanket to wipe my own tears away- what a trooper!! I took photos of her after the appointment and as you can see she is just fine (notice the band aids on her legs)....

AMAZING WEEKEND!!!!!!!!

2008-09-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

During my years at ECU I did an internship at Walt Disney World, Summer 2000. Two of my six roommates are still my best friends, Danielle Bellini and Sheila Knapp!!! They both flew in town this weekend to see Lily!! Danielle flew in from Florida and Sheila from Wisconsin. We have not all 3 been together in 8 years, I hadn't seen Danielle in 4 years, and Sheila in 18 months. DESCRIPTIONS: Danielle is this insanely hilarious Italian New Yorker, she is a newscaster on TV in Florida, she is gorgeous, so sweet/thoughtful, cries at the drop of a hat, and any guy would be lucky to have her!! Sheila is this Midwestern debutante, who is practically perfect in every way, she is an awful driver who barely has a license, life of the party, Christian nanny/girl who will someday make the perfect wife and mother!!
I love them to death and had the most amazing time with them!! I almost forgot I am a mom all weekend!!!!!!! I planned a laid back weekend with lots of girl talk time but also fun stuff that represented NC!! They flew in Friday, left to right: Danielle, me, Sheila....

I made dinner for them and then we left Lily with Todd and went for the best homemade ice cream in the world at Sunni Sky's!!!!!!!!!

The next day I surprised them with a NC Agricultural (Ag Jam) Country Concert at Walnut Creek/Alltel Pavilion in Raleigh. Jake Owen, Tracy Bird, Eric Church, Heartland, and Blake Shelton were some of the bands playing!! It was awesome, just like the NC State Fair with booths and samples of all NC food. Then we sat on the lawn and hung out. I introduced Danielle to country music in 2000 and she has been hooked ever since!! I wasn't sure if Sheila would be as excited about it but she loves music in general so she was happy! It was so fun to just laugh and people watch! We hung out there from 2-9pm. Later, Todd was making fun of me later when he was looking at the pictures because they are almost all of US, not the singers!!

Then we went to a late dinner at an upscale Carolina BBQ restaurant in downtown Raleigh called The Pit. It was on The Today Show for the best BBQ and it was GREAT!! We had hushpuppies (which Sheila thinks we eat at every meal here!!!), coleslaw, collard greens- my first time eating collards...not my favorite:(, mac and cheese...yummy southern food (for which I gained back 3 of the 5 lbs I had lost on South Beach Diet)!!! Then we walked around downtown a bit and finally hit a wall of exhaustion and headed home at midnight.

Sunday, we just talked all morning, trying to ignore the fact that our weekend was ending...we played dress up with Lily and those crazy Disney girls got us mickey mouse ears that said "Lily" "Mommy" and "Daddy"....

I wish every weekend could be this good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Playgroup

2008-09-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

I took labor and delivery classes at Western Wake Hospital while I was pregnant and really liked the other couples in our group. Well it turned out that 2 of the other girls had baby girls on July 15 just like ME!! So Lily(8.5lbs), Regan(5lbs), and Isabell(7lbs) are all the exact same age...Lily was 1 day late, Isabell was 1 week early, and Regan was 5 weeks early!! We all decided to get together 1 week ago and see how everyone was doing. Plus we invited another girl from our class that had a little boy, Brody, 2 weeks after us. It was really fun to see everyone! They were all wildly jealous with what a great baby Lily is! They could not believe she is such a good sleeper- I told them that we jokingly call her Rip Van Winkle because she sleeps sooo much (16 out of 24 hours)
Brody who is the youngest is the BIGGEST! And Lily was the biggest girl. Isabell is still 1.5 pounds smaller than Lily and Regan is still TINY(she still weighs less than Lily did at birth!)!! I love this picture, everyone looks so cute and also because Lily is passed out cold and Brody is making his move, groping her leg:). FYI, (left to right): Isabell, Regan, Brody, Lily

8 weeks old (tomorrow)!!!!!!!

2008-09-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that my baby is almost 2 months old! I am dreading the vaccine appointment next week! I am pretty sure I am gonna cry when Lily cries!!
So the super-baby continues....she now sleep in her big crib in her own room and is still doing 9 straight hours of sleep at night!!!!!!! She just keeps getting cuter because she smiles and "laughs" more!! I wanna eat her up!!
BLESSING and LAST NAME
Lily had her baby blessing yesterday and it was sooooo sweet! My mom made her this beautiful dress that I LOVE!!! She did such a great job during the blessing- not a sound! And I was worried about Todd because he can get kinda tongue tied and I was worried he would only say like 1 sentence and end the blessing or forget the wording to name/bless her! But he did AWESOME!! HOWEVER before he gave her her name he asked me how he should say our last name- weird question, right?! WRONG!!! HERE'S THE STORY: When we first got met Todd and his family were ADAMANT that ESTES was pronounced "Es-Tiss" and I said you just don't say "Es-Tees" because of TESTES (T-odd ESTES- get it- yeah he was teased alot as a kid)...but they denied that. So for the first 3 years of my marriage Todd and I said "Es-tiss" but suddenly his brother Joel moves to NC and he says "Es-Tees" and now HIS WHOLE FAMILY says it, including TODD!!!!!!!! I feel like a fraud who was lied to from the beginning! So I was ADAMANT that for the rest of my life I was saying "Es-tiss" and teaching our children to say it that way because they practically yelled at me when I tried to tease them about the Testes thing. Alright, long storry short...Todd said he was gonna "go with the spirit" on how to say our last name and he said "Es-tiss"!!!!!!!!!!!! HALLELUJAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM VINDICATED!!!!!!!!!

Boogers, Hair, & Diet
Hmmmm, what else has been going on?? OH- Lily has more boogers that stuff her nose up than anyone I've ever met. She has this cute little nose and these HUGE man-boogers!!! She is a heavy breather and I am worried she might have allergies...she also has random little small bumps on her back/shoulder and a dry patch on her cheek and ear...could this eczema??? Or I am just being a paranoid mom?? I might bring it up at the vaccine appointment next week if I can remember after being traumatized from her crying.
Also, I just got my hair cut and colored. I really liked it until I saw it in some photos taken yesterday at her blessing- I will post some of the pictures to prove what I am talking about. I think the cut and color make me look older and fatter and kinda like a man/lesbian/bull dike! But then last night I looked in my bathroom mirror and I liked it...which image is telling me the truth?? The mirror or the photos???
After having Lily I lost 25 lbs but I still have 20 more to go so I started back on the South Beach diet which I abhor!! The food is all really good and you totally lose weight but I am a CARB-aholic and FRUIT-Lover!!!! At least I can eat more of those things in 1 month/phase 2. I lost 4.2lbs and I've only been doing it 1 week!!! It definitely works and by next summer we may start trying for baby #2 so I a may only be doing it 1 year before I will indulge with the pregnancy.
Ok, so I am posting 7 week photos, her nursery (finally), and her blessing pics....enjoy!!

A day in the life of Lily...

2008-08-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

**WARNING: If you had a difficult baby...colic, difficult eater, never slept, screamed all the time- do NOT read any further or you will hate my guts!!****

Ok, so I pretty much have the EASIEST baby EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is PERFECT!! She sleeps all the time!! She goes to bed at 10pm, wakes up at 4am to eat, goes back to sleep at 4:30am and wakes up at 8am to eat again. She pretty much NEVER cries, even during the night, when she is hungry she grunts and smacks her lips...can you believe it????? My sister is insanely jealous of how awesome Lily is- her girls NEVER sleep!! I FEEL AMAZING- I get my sleep and that makes EVERYBODY happy!! I feel so good I have been out shopping, out to dinner, out to a girls night (without Lily!), swimming at the pool, etc!!! I am in love with this beautiful little girl and she couldn't make it any easier for me to wanna kiss her all day long!!
The only disappointing thing so far has been that my milk NEVER came in:( I worked with 2 lactation consultants, pumped, nursed, took Fenugreek and Reglan (which make me sick as a dog!!) and still NO MILK!!:( I am gonna try again with the next baby...sigh:( Apparently my boobs are purely decorative! Well that is all for now...I hope you enjoy all the pictures:)
Love,
One happy mama

Even more photos...

2008-08-05T09:13:00.001-07:00

2008-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

Our friends Scott and Kim Reed came over and took some awesome photos of Lily and us...enjoy the photos!!!!!!!! (Thanks Kim:))

Lily Jane Estes has arrived...

2008-07-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!!!! Our beautiful baby is here!!!!!!! Lily was born Tuesday July 15th at 2:12am. She is a fat 8lb 6oz and 20in!! She has a full head of dark brown/almost black hair:) And of course she is the MOST BEAUTIFUL PERSON I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!I thought she looked just like Todd when she came out but now she is looking more and more like me!!!

So some labor/delivery highlights are:
-Induced Monday 12noon
-Water broken 4:30pm
-Epidural 5:45pm (sorta worked...back labor but felt better when topped off with epidural bag)
-10 cm dilated/100% effaced 7:30pm BUT baby had NOT dropped
-labored down to get baby to drop 7:30pm-2am
-pushed Lily out in 15 minutes 2:12am

I got a 3rd degree tear inside my vagina, more bleeding than expected, an episiotomy, a hemorrhoid BUT no c-section so I was happy:) I am feeling pretty good and Lily is a good eater and sleeper...my nipples are killing me but I am hanging in there with the nursing. I will post more soon but here are some photos of Lily, her mommy, her daddy, and her cousins.....enjoy!!

Baby Update...

2008-07-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry there will be no pictures this time but I am gonna take some photos of the nursery in the next couple of days and I will post those ASAP!!
So I went to the doctor 10 days ago and I was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced BUT....Lily has NOT dropped into my pelvis AT ALL!!! My doctor was throwing around the word C-section and I was a little scared. I spent the next week walking 1-2 miles a day, swimming in the pool, rocking on a yoga ball, and doing crunches to try and manually squish her down....
I went back to the doctor 2 days ago and I am 3cm dilated, 100% effaced, lost my mucus plug, but still NO DROPPING! She's sitting as high as they come! In hopes of starting labor my doc stripped my membranes- OUCH!!!!!!!!! If you can avoid this procedure- DO! It feels like someone is scraping your insides, oh wait, they are!!! I had some more regular contractions that day but it didn't work as far as sending me into labor. So now the plan is that if she is not here by Monday, her due date, he is going to induce me that morning. He is pretty sure I will be 4 cm, maybe even 5cm (woohoo- I hope I am 5cm- halfway baby!) by then. My plan on Monday once they give me the pitocin is every time I have a contraction I am gonna ball myself up in the fetal position. My mom did this with her first baby because he would not drop and they were talking C-section and after several contractions he dropped and she was able to deliver vaginally. The only crappy part is that my mom said it is VERY painful to be in the fetal position during hard contraction....sigh!
The nicest thing about getting induced Monday is that now I have this week to do whatever I want and feel prepared to go to the hospital. Plus Todd is doing this special training with a trainer that flew in this week from NY, so it will be nice for him to get all the training done and on Friday tell them he is starting his paternity leave next week. While a week or so ago I was really wanting Lily to be here by now- I am pretty happy with the timing of it all:) Unless I have a VERY long labor it looks like Lily will be born July 14, 2008...on her due date!
So everyone can expect pictures of baby Lily this time next week!!!!!!!!

My Baby Shower!!!!!!!!

2008-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

LEFT: hooded monkey bath towel and banana washing mitt from my mom:)
BELOW: fancy pacifier clip and tiny bracelet for Lily from Kim Reed but made by Cara Anderson Kiggins

TOP LEFT: My sisters Laura (pregnant with girl #3) and Heather, me and Jenni Giles in background doing the celebrity baby quiz game
BOTTOM LEFT: Jenni Giles and me- I love this picture:) I haven't seen her in 5 years but she was one of my first friends in NC in 1987:)
TOP RIGHT: My amazing diaper cake that Heather made- everyone was gushing over it and I still haven't disassembled it because I love it so much!!
BOTTOM LEFT: Me showing off my MOUNTAIN of gifts!!:)

BABY SHOWER
In case you haven't heard I had the BEST BABY SHOWER EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My sisters, Heather and Laura, and my BFF from college Molly Oliver did a FABULOUS job!!! Also not to be forgotten is Jenn who donated her gorgeous house for the big event!! Everything was perfect- the food, decorations, location, gifts, AND sooooo many wonderful friends that came to help me celebrate!! I felt so special and so blessed!! I kept having dreams before the shower that no one came and that the food was disgusting and it was awful so when the day finally arrived I was blown away with how awesome it was!!

UNEMPLOYED
I can't believe it but I am only working 2 more days at the Umstead Spa!!!!!!!!!!! I am excited but now that is here it is bittersweet. I LOVE my friends at work and I am feeling kinda guilty to not be working. After Lily is born and I am exhausted and doing the FT mommy thing I probably won't feel so guilty but right now it is a weird transition for me to go from breadwinner to Todd being the breadwinner. (Speaking of Todd starts his awesome job MONDAY:))!

FAMILY MOVING
I am also bummed because my BESTEST friend (and sister) is moving to Ohio and taking Lily's cousins with her:( Laura is due with her 3rd baby girl in November so I hate that the cousin closest in age to Lily is moving:( I am in denial about the move....

MISCELLANEOUS
I have enjoyed washing all of Lily's gifts and putting them away! We now have her bassinet all set up in our bedroom and I see it every morning:) I will take pictures of the completed nursery very soon to show you how CUTE it looks!! Polka dots galore!!

Todd and I have been taking labor and delivery classes for the last 3 weeks and it is making it a little scary and a little more real that I am gonna have to push this baby out of me!!! And then I am gonna have to take care of her- it is all surreal still!!! Me...a mommy?!!! I can't wait but it doesn't seem real...have I mentioned that it doesn't seem real?:)

Todd built a beautiful garden in our backyard and we will have tons of fruits and vegetables to pick right around the time Lily will be born:) I am very excited!

On Sunday I found out that I am no longer going to be working with the young women at church!! I CRIED and CRIED all day:( I love my girls and will miss them...

Ok, I think that is all for now...just 4 more weeks and Lily will BE HERE!!! I can't wait to see her and love her!!!!!!!!!

8 1/2 weeks and counting........

2008-05-14T18:03:00.001-07:00

Hello friends- can you believe Lily will be here soooooooo soon??? I know I can't- it all seems so surreal. I feel like it will always just be me and Todd. I don't think it will be real for me until she is actually born.
Ok, so to update you all things in my life are much better than last time I posted.
MY WORK: Work is FINALLY working with me and I cut back to part time this week. I am switching from BCBS insurance to COBRA that way I have benefits over the next month before Todd starts his awesome job but I can cut back all the massaging so I don't go into preterm labor! COBRA is expensive but it is worth it! I have also invested in some very expensive but worth every penny compression stockings for work- I still have "cankles" but not as bad! And then I am giving my 2 week notice in like 3 weeks and I can't wait!!! Only 5 more weeks and then I am going to spend my 3 week RETIREMENT before Lily comes lounging in the pool tanning the front half of my body (I haven't figured out how I am gonna get the back half of my body tan yet with my big old gut!).
GESTATIONAL DIABETES: I did the horrible 3 hour glucose test where the draw your blood 4 times and nearly starve you to death knowing 100% that I was going to fail the test. I was 100% WRONG!! I PASSED! I couldn't believe it! I had no problem thinking I had it and was willing to do what was necessary to help Lily stay healthy but I will admit that once I found out I passed I was soooooooooo relieved! I figure I am gonna have to start dieting in a few weeks anyway at least I can eat whatever I want to now:)
MOTHER'S DAY: So I was pretty sure Todd would be oblivious to the fact that he should probably get me something for Mother's Day so I did not have my hopes set too high. However, he was soooooooo sweet and gave me beautiful white lilies!!!!!!! Isn't that soooo sweet! I loved the thoughtfulness of the gift. And every night when we say our prayers he always prays for LILY- it is very cute:)
TODD GRADUATED: Todd FINALLY graduated college!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When we got married almost 5 years ago it seemed like this day would never come. I am sooooooooooooo proud of him- he is the first in his family to graduate from college. He was sooo cute the day of his graduation- he was like a little kid on Christmas morning. The ceremony was 3 long hours during which I had to pee 3 times and then decided to go shopping at the Campbell University bookstore- it was REALLY LONG! But he looked so handsome and he was so proud of himself it was awesome! We went out to a celebratory lunch after the ceremony and then we had a big cookout at our house with all the Crenshaw's and Estes' family!! I love him very much and am happy to say that both Lily's parents have a college education!
MISCELLANEOUS: So I start my labor and delivery classes in 2 weeks and I very excited! They are 1 night a week for 5 weeks- my sister thinks that is insanely LONG and thinks I will be a licensed midwife by the end of the 5 weeks:)
I have really been enjoying all the new symptoms this pregnancy has to offer. Like the knife in my groin stabbing my pelvis and the fact that Lily has taken up permanent residence in my right side and jabs those ribs and squeezes that lung. I can't wait for the next few weeks for all the other fun things that will inevitably happen to me.
Todd painted the accent wall in the nursery and my mom, my sister, and I put up all the cute polka dots and letters- it looks ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will post photos after I get the bedding for the crib and the room is totally done:)
This is probably just because I am sick in the head but the umbilical cord on the baby ticker in the upper right hand corner of my blog looks like baby Lily has a huge penis!!!! It is very disturbing! Ok, I think that is all the current updates- life is good!

Hello Last Trimester, Goodbye Good Times:(

2008-04-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

WEEK 28:

Hello friends,
Sorry I have not updated my blog in a while- life has been a little crazy! First of all my work is being AWFUL about my pregnancy. They are making me work full time until my water breaks all over my uniform as I am massaging a guest!! I am already getting tired and my feet and back are killing me by the end of a long day of massage. BONUS: my ankles are swelling and 2 of my ribs have popped out:) Oh joy... And they said maybe they would work with me if I had a doctors note but my doctor says I have a healthy pregnancy and he can't write me one! ARGGGG!!! Also my work was denying me getting a lunch (I have never had lunches before but HELLO I'm pregnant and tired- FEED ME!!)- since I work a 6 hours shift not an 8 hours shift they don't HAVE to give me a lunch. Well, I THINK that some of those things are about to change....the manager that was making my life at work miserable is quitting Friday so the other managers said they would totally give me a lunch from here on out. They also said they don't want me working until I go into labor because then they would get stuck with all these massage appointments to cover so hopefully I can start my maternity leave July 1st and then as soon as Lily pops out I'll give my 2 weeks notice and never go back again but still have had my benefits for the delivery!!! Also I talked with HR and I can do part time massage and part time reservations for the Umstead Hotel (a sitting job- YEAH!!!:)) and still keep my benefits!! Unfortunately the reservations guy has not called or emailed me back in almost 2 weeks and I have been stalking him with voice mails and emails so I am starting to get a little nervous. Anywho....
On a better note Todd got a JOB!!!!!!!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!! He is gonna be working for Credit Suisse, an investment bank as a research analyst:) I am soooo looking forward to the switch in me working to him working. He graduates from Campbell University May 12 with his BS in Economics and he starts work June 16!!! I can't wait:) This has been the biggest blessing and burden-lifter!
So back to some more crappy news...I FAILED MY GLUCOSE TEST!!!!!!!!!! They said I only failed by 2 points but it means I have to go back Monday for the awful 3 hour test where I don't eat or drink anything for 12 hours while they draw vials of my blood- Hmmm, hours of fasting and blood work on a pregnant woman- yeah, that sounds safe!! I am gonna be STARVING and weak by the time I get out of there. I am pretty convinced that since I failed the first test I am gonna fail this next one:( If I do have gestational diabetes I will have to meet with a diabetes specialist and prick my finger 4 times a day, eat a low carb-no sugar diet, and start working out again- Mother of Pearl!! WHY??? Why does my body love for me to workout and eat low carb?? I hate it!!! (For those of you who don't know, last summer I found out I have really high triglycerides and cholesterol and had to do South Beach Diet and workout 3-5 times a week...it totally worked for getting me a HOT body and lowering my numbers but I was miserable:( ) Oh well, I guess if I have GD it will force me into a healthier place now instead of waiting 12 weeks and trying to get back into the diet and exercise thing after Lily is born. Which I apparently need because a family member just laughed at how HUGE my butt and thighs are now- thanks, that really helps! But now maybe my doctor will write me a note for work or my work will work more with me. Plus if I have GD I get to see Lily more before she is born via more ultrasounds:) The only kinda scary part is that I may have a 10 lb baby!!!!!!! The medical term for it is actually "fat baby"....poor Lily isn't even here yet and already she is being called FAT!!!!!!!! She will also be at risk for breaking her shoulders during delivery and I will be at higher risk of having a C-Section- Good times....
Well I think that is all for now- I will update my post again next week to let you all know what I find out about the gestational diabetes. At least I only have 12 weeks left and between Todd's graduation and job, my baby shower, doing the nursery (which I will post picture of after it is done- I can't wait:)), and massaging I am sure it will all be over and beautiful Lily will be here before I know it!!

WEEK 22 (part 2)

2008-03-14T18:30:00.001-07:00

Ok, so some people mentioned that they wanted to see the pink boots I got Lily so I took a few photos of some of the ADORABLE clothes I just got for her!! There was this HUGE consignment sale and everything I bought was between 50 cents and $3.00!! I loved it! I got like 25 outfits and it was only $40!! So I am posting 3 photos...one of a couple cute outfits, one of the shoes, and MY FAVORITE one is of her baby bikini (which is 100 times cuter in person because you can see how TINY it is!)!!!!!!!!!! I am making her wear that all the time under her regular outfits and then she will lift her dress and reveal the BIKINI!!! Ok, that is probably never happening but I love the idea of it. Although now that I think about it I just turned my newborn daughter into a stripper/flasher!

PS- I put the bikini on this dirty old polar bear that was my teddy as a little girl and I thought it looked so cute but it was freaking Todd out so he made me take it off.

PSS- Kim Reed: Did you see the card you made for Lily in the dresses photo:)

WEEK 22

2008-03-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

Todd and I went to the ultrasound specialist today. We got a DVD of the ultrasound and some photos and they are soooooo cute!! It looks like Lily has my nose!! And she has the biggest forehead ever! Then again Dusty Pyne used to slap my forehead in high school because it was so big!! Well, the most important part of the ultrasound was checking the fluid around her brain and it was PERFECT!!! So we are thrilled that she looks great and is growing strong. I bought her some baby clothes today and a pair of newborn pink cowboy boots!!! They are the cutest things EVER! We also got the crib assembled and it makes the guest bedroom seem more like her nursery. I am sure the next 4 months will fly by but for now it seems like FOREVER before we will see her.

Sex of baby!!

2008-03-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

WEEK 21:

Ok, so it has been a few weeks and I thought I should posts some new photos and share new highlights! I hate the photos of myself that I am posting because it is just further evidence of my weight gain but hey it's all for a good cause:) So two exciting things have happened...first, the baby started moving/kicking me and second, I found out the sex of the baby! So around week 19 I started feeling these little fluttery feelings in my belly. It feels like butterfly kisses inside my belly- very cute- I love it!! I can really feel it at night when I lay down and it is our little bonding time. A few nights ago it was tickling so much I was laughing out loud in my bed all by myself:)

The night before the 20 week ultrasound I was soooo excited I couldn't sleep!! I finally fell asleep at 5 am and woke up around 6:30am. I got up and got showered and ready for the appointment, giddy from the lack of sleep. Finally it was time for Todd and I to go to the doctor! Todd drove his car and kept playing crappy 80's songs and I wanted to stab myself in the eye so I finally flipped out and attacked the radio and changed it to country music. I am blaming the freak out on the lack of sleep....the giddy/giggly laughing phases were mixed with exhausted/annoyed phases the whole day- I know, I am a beast! So then we get to the doctors office and Todd and I were not speaking over the debacle in the car- I would not have this special day ruined with a fight so we kissed and made up before going into the doctors office. Once in the office I did the usual pee in a cup/bp/weighing in stuff. The nurse was in a daze and when she called out my weight she said "190 lbs"!!!!! I was like "WHAT???!!!" Then she apologized for the slip and said I am 160 lbs....I wanted to kill her for adding 30 extra pounds!! Then she put us in the check up room and I started Lamaze breathing and farting from all the stress of being able to find out the sex of the baby- I COULDN"T WAIT!!! Well the dazed nurse forgot I was getting the most important ultrasound OF MY LIFE and she put me in a non-ultrasound room- this was not helping my anxiety! So the doctor figured it out and I finally got the ultrasound! I could barely see the screen but first we saw the top of the head and then the boxing arms and kicking legs!! And we found out what we had been thinking the whole time...we are having a GIRL!!!!! She was very modest and did not want to open her legs- I am so proud:) During the ultrasound the doctor said everything looked perfect except that the fluid around her brain was measuring in the normal range BUT in the high end of normal and since the ultrasound machine is kinda crappy and grainy he is sending me to a specialist for a better look! He is 99.99% sure she is FINE but just being extra cautious! I am just pumped to see her again on a fancy ultrasound machine!! I go in 1 week and will post more photos of my little skeletor then!! She is perfect and I love her soooooooo much already!! We are gonna name her Lily Jane Estes and I can't wait to meet her!! I spent the rest of my exciting day lunching with girlfriends from church and calling family and friends!! It took me 3 days to feel caught up on my sleep but it was all worth it!!!!

Highlights of last 18 weeks of my pregnancy

2008-02-17T14:44:00.001-08:00

Nov. 14, 2007 5WEEKS
It is my mom's birthday today and I found out I am gonna be a mom too!!!!! I took 2 pregnancy tests just to make sure!

Nov. 23, 2007 6 1/2 WEEKS
It is my 28th birthday and the baby's present to me is to start throwing up:)

Dec. 5, 2007 8 WEEKS
Today we got to see the little bean for the first time!! I thought it looked like a little piggy:) I couldn't believe how big it is already!! I also found out I have a backwards uterus- good times. It looks like the due date is JULY 14, 2008!!!

Dec. 25, 2007 11 WEEKS
We FINALLY got to tell the world that we are having a baby!! I hated keeping this secret especially since I have been sooooo sick! I am sooo happy to finally share the news with family and friends. We mailed out a cute Christmas cards with the photo posted above to everyone out of town!!

Jan. 2, 2008 12 WEEKS
We got to hear the heartbeat today. A strong 159 beats per minute!! Now the chances of miscarriage are almost zero:) I have gained 5 lbs so far- not too shabby:)

Jan. 28, 2008 16 WEEKS
We heard the heartbeat again, this time it was 146 bpm. I love that Todd comes to all the appointments with me:) He is so sweet, supportive, and excited! He has been doing almost ALL the cooking and cleaning because I feel so lousy still!! I thought I would be over all the throwing up and exhaustion but no such luck:( I also thought I would look pregnant by now but I just look like I gained 15 lbs- ugghhh! Ok, so I only gained 5 lbs in 12 weeks yet in the last 4 weeks I managed to gain 8 POUNDS!!!!!!!! I have to stop eating fried cheese and I have to get back in the gym! But some good new is that I had the screening blood work done for downs and neural tube stuff and it was all negative:)

Feb. 11, 2008 18 WEEKS
Todd and I went to Olive Garden for an earlyV-day and he gave me the pregnant lady from the willow tree collection!! I LOVE IT!! Now I am just dying to know if I am having a girl or a boy!!! My money is on girl and so is everyone else's so we'll see....just 2 more weeks and we'll know!! And after that I am ready to start feeling so kicks so I know the little bean is still alive!!!! After my 20 week appointment when we find out the sex of the baby I am gonna take a baby bump picture to post!! Stay tuned.....