Marsters Mania

Virginity

2011-01-12T09:17:00.004-06:00

Did I get your attention?? Although I have a beautiful child, I am talking about my virginity. Yep, I lost it last weekend!! My New Orleans virginity that is.

For the past 3 or 4 years Jenny has gotten a group together to take a trip to New Orleans to celebrate her birthday and we finally got to go with them this year! The Satterwhites, Fiedlers, Dashers, and Marsters (plus a few stragglers) headed out Friday 1/7 for what proved to be a really fun weekend! I have to say, honestly it was a lot cleaner than I expected. And although we were only at the French Quarter for a short while I could spend an entire weekend there people watching. But Bourbon Street is pretty much where we called home. After a little bull riding, lots of drinking, taking pictures with bums, drinking, listening to complaining about where our hotel was located ;), drinking, gambling, drinking, watching football, drinking, listening to good, live music, and drinking we headed back home Sunday, feeling like death I'm pretty sure! It was a great time with a great group of people. I'll post these pictures later too...

My best friend's wedding!

2011-01-05T09:23:00.003-06:00

As most of you know, 2010 ended and 2011 began with a bang with Erin's surprise wedding! I can't say there have been many times in my life that I have been truly caught off-guard with a surprise but I have to admit, she got me! I didn't think she had it in her to pull of a lie / secret of this magnitude but she did and it was AWESOME!! I couldn't be more happy for the new Mr. & Mrs. Smith (not the movie)! Dustin is an extremely lucky man to have such a beautiful, kind, caring, smart, successful wife, and I wish them a lifetime of happiness. Love you Erin!

2011 Resolutions...

2011-01-04T15:50:00.003-06:00

Its been 3 months since I posted on my blog and for some reason I don't think anyone missed me! At times I feel like I'm talking to myself when I post things on here, but that's okay, its my outlet and will be forever available for McKenna to read!

As I do every year I've made several New Year's resolutions. Since I rarely keep my resolutions, my first resolution is to stick to these resolutions... although I'm not off to a great start!

Resolution 2 (since keeping the resolutions was 1): post to my blog more often. I really do think it will be neat for McKenna to go back and read all of this goofiness one day.

Resolution 3: I have to admit that I've been a big hypocrite recently. I never understood parents who let their children sleep with them. I always said "my child will never sleep with me." Well, first of all, I truly believe that babies do NOT belong in bed with the parents for any reason. However, when they get old enough that you're not going to roll over and suffocate them, its okay to take an occasional nap with them. However (again), my beautiful little princess has made her was in to my bed, permanently! It started as a visit during the night and back to her bed. Then it was a visit and I just put her in bed with me and back to her bed. Then it was starting out sleeping in her bed and joining me about 1:00 - 2:00 and now... she goes to sleep in my bed! That brings me to my resolution, to get her back in her own bed!! Its going to kill both of us but I know its best. I have to admit, I actually like her sleeping with me :)

Resolution 4: I also said that my child would not be one of those to constantly have a "paci", and I have stuck with that. She never has a paci in her mouth during the day or at nap time. However (again), she still wants a paci when she goes to sleep at night. So to make the adjustment back to her room even harder, I'm taking the paci away!! Well, maybe I'll do one at a time but its time for both things to change!

Resolution 5: This one is one I think at least 50% of the world makes... I'm going to start eating better and exercising! I was planning to use Erin and Dustin's destination wedding as motivation for this one but since they had a surprise NYE wedding I guess I'll have to find motivation elsewhere!

I'm also giving up my afternoon coke and going back to drinking water! Man, I have a lot to accomplish this year!!

I know ALL of you that are reading this... hahahahaha.... are anxious to see new pictures of McKenna. As part of resolution #2 I will be posting pictures ASAP!

Until next time... HAPPY 2011! May it be happy, healthy, and prosperous!

2 years old already?!?!

2010-10-01T09:19:00.004-05:00

Okay, so she's not officially 2 yet but... tomorrow?!?! This can't be happening! She has grown up way too fast :( The last 2 years have honestly been the most rewarding, exciting, trying times of my life. McKenna has brought more joy and laughter than I could have ever imagined. The worst days are made brighter just by seeing her face. Long, sleepless nights are prefect when she's laying on my chest. Vomit on the floor is okay... okay, not really!

Here's what she's in to and what's going on with her:

McKenna is FULLY potty trained! Yep, she has been potty trained for over 2 weeks already! It was the easiest thing ever. I knew she was ready and the sitter knew she was ready but neither of us had any idea that it would only take a day and a half for her to catch on and be accident-free! She loves her Dora and Elmo panties :)

She talks so much and has an amazing vocabulary for her age. The things she says and knows amaze me! She is pretty much talking in complete sentences but still has some of her own special words that I haven't quite figured out!

Barney and Elmo are still her favorite cartoons - oh joy!

She loves, loves, loves to "color" but her coloring is really just drawing on a blank piece of paper. She just started liking to make O's. She wants me to draw an O and then help her draw one.

Every evening when I get home from work we have to go for a ride in her wagon and go see "my boys". Our neighbors have 3 boys that she has gotten to be friends with and she asks for "my boys" all the time! I think she has a little crush on Matthew, the 3year old but I think that's going to be a problem because Blake, the middle son, seems to have a crush on her! They are the cutest, sweetest boys!!

I guess I could go on and on but I think you get the point - she is my everything and words could never express my love for this beautiful little girl!

McKenna is NOT a country girl (which we'll work on)! She hated the "moo's" at the Fort Bend County Fair and was only interested in rides and putting on her lipstick!

Sunday, 9/26, Yaya, Paya, Nik, McKenna, and I went to the Texans / Cowgirls football game. She was such a trooper and did great through tailgating and everything. She was amazed by the field... for about 2 minutes and then it was back to her lipstick! This is her showing off her pretty lips!

And finally, here is my precious princess on the day before her 2nd birthday! I took cupcakes to school this morning and put her in her "Birthday Girl" shirt so she could celebrate with her school friends.

I LOVE YOU MCKENNA LYN!!!!!!

PICTURES!!

2010-09-22T21:22:00.003-05:00

Better late than never, right? Here are some from July and August; I haven't gotten to September yet!

Coty and I having a glass of wine at Sugar Land Town Center - gotta love a little girl time!

Oh yeah, McKenna was there too!! Look at my little Texans cheerleader!

She loves yogurt so much that she has started licking the yougurt container to get every last drop! The result - yogurt all over the face!

McKenna got her first pedicure! She was really good for the most part but before we even left she messed up one of her big toes.

While she was getting her pedi she also got to play in mommy's lip gloss - this is her "pretty lips" picutre!

She loves to get in our bed, get under the covers and watch cartoons. This day she even requested that I delvier her juice to her!

Dax wanted pony tails in his hair like McKenna had!!!

McKenna and her boyfriend Dax at dinner (before the pony tails!)

Happy 28th birthday to Nik!

In August we made our first trip to Refugio in a long time. We hung out with the G's and went swimming at Grammer and Pa's.

When we first started potty training I let McKenna run around naked for the most part (just in the house). I was on the computer this day and looked down and she and Maggie were laying on the floor playing :)

Peek-a-boo!!

Potty training here we come!

2010-09-09T15:57:00.002-05:00

First of all, I know I need to post new pictures. I just uploaded 3 months worth of pictures on to my computer, now I just need to post some. Coming soon, I promise!

Tricia and I made the official decision today that its time to start potty training McKenna. She has been using the "big girl potty" off and on for a few months but never consistently. I've started taking her diaper off when we get home and just letting her run around the house without any pants on. She's doing really well holding it and not going on the floor but she won't go on the potty either; I've decided she waits until I put a diaper back on her and then goes. I think it will be a very easy process once we get started. And I am ready to not have to buy any more diapers!!

In other news, Frank and I have put our house on the market. We're not sure where we'll move to but we felt like the time was right to make a move so here we go! Wish us luck!

I'll post some pictures soon because we've been doing some fun things I'd love to share. Until then....

Funny new sayings from my Princess!

2010-08-17T12:28:00.002-05:00

I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that McKenna is talking so much now. Its the cutest thing ever!! Of course, as the previous post shows, sometimes she repeats things she shouldn't but she doesn't know better. In the last week or so she's come up with some of the cutest (kind of) things to say:

The other day she said "pretty Mommma" :)

I don't know where she got this but she keeps saying "_____ crying." She's said, "Momma crying," "Mammie crying"...

And the latest 2 came last night when she told me, twice I might add, "I don't like it!" Then later I was playing with her and she told me "you're funny"!!

She also got her first busted lip this weekend. She was running from our bathroom to the bedroom and fell and hit the bed. She cried for a few minutes but it didn't really bleed all that bad considering how bad it was. Poor little thing has a pretty nasty scab on her lip now but as always, it doesn't seem to bother her!

Let's see other cute things she's doing... she is trying to learn how to jump, and she definitely has a vertical leap like her momma's! Watching her try to jump is hilarious! She loves being outside and going for rides in her wagon. I think I see a switch coming from Elmo being her favorite to Barney... great! We have seriously watched the same Barney movie about 10 times in a row in the car!

I have some new pictures I need to post, just have to take the time to upload them!

Oh s**t!!

2010-07-19T10:46:00.002-05:00

I have a friend named Danielle that lots of times I call "D" so we've told McKenna that her name is "Aunt D". Well Danielle was over yesterday and McKenna has apparently decided her name is "B" instead of "D" which was really cute! As soon as Danielle left McKenna started asking "eh B"?

Anyway, B was playing in the recliner with McKenna and she kept crawling out of the chair head first. I was sitting there so I would catch her and flip her over which she thought was fun but it started a bad habit and Miss McK thought she could do it by herself. She dove one time when I wasn't paying attention and I grabbed her at the last second before she hit the tile, and I said, "you little s**t"! About 2 seconds later McKenna said - S**T! Uh oh... that was a first!!! B and Dada thought it was pretty funny!!

4th of July

2010-07-15T12:50:00.002-05:00

I know, these posts are a little out of order but... Here are some pictures from Mom and Dad's on the 4th of July!

Viral rash?

2010-07-15T12:34:00.003-05:00

My poor little princess has been sick this week :( Its been a long week for both of us. We didn't sleep much Sunday - Tuesday nights and she finally got a good night's sleep last night. (Maybe its the ghetto black-out shade / sheet I put over her window?!?!) We were at the doctor Monday only to find nothing out! She said her throat was a little red but other than that she didn't see anything, no explanation of the fever. That night she was running 102.4 temperature and I panicked a little - thanks for saving me Loralyn! After alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen for about 6 hours her fever broke only to come back the next night.

Yesterday morning when she got up she had a horrible rash all over, even on her face! I was frustrated and tired and decided I wanted answers so we went back to the doctor this time to find out it was just a "viral rash"? What? I have never heard of a viral rash? UGH! So, its a virus that just has to run its course... lovely!

(Viral rash)

(She felt terrible, can't you tell?!?!)

The good news is she's back at school today and seems to be feeling much better, although she's still a little spotted!

Time for new pictures!!

2010-07-08T14:44:00.003-05:00

It just so happened that some friends of ours were having a birthday party for their husbands on my birthday, so we joined the fun!

One of my best friends from college, Tracy Sommerlatte Matthies, is having a baby boy any day now. She invited all of her friend's kids to her shower too so McKenna and I took advantage and spent the night with Coty and Grasyn. McKenna and Grasyn were great with each other!!

These pictures are at the baby shower.

Introducing the newest member of the Marsters' family... Maggie Mae Marsters! Born 3/26/10, welcomed home by big sister, McKenna Lyn!

After work one day McKenna, Ty, and Cori had a play date at the park

This is McKenna's newest boyfriend, Kason! They just met a few weeks ago but I think it was love at first sight :)

Big Cousin Cori starts kindergarten this year so Miss Tricia had a party for her, Avery, and Erica at Stomping Grounds... fun, fun!

BAD Mommy moment...

2010-07-07T11:46:00.002-05:00

Uh oh... I had my first "bad mommy moment" this weekend! As we all know, it was 4th of July and with that comes fireworks!! My mom told me Saturday that their neighbor had 2 sparklers she wanted to give us for McKenna to see, and I told her I didn't think that was a good idea - smart Mommy thinking at the time! Then came Sunday and we had all been out for a walk on the golf course and on the way back the neighbor was sitting outside. Of course we had to stop and visit which then gave her the opportunity to go in her house and get the sparklers.

We got back home and were out on the back patio and I thought, "I'll just light one of them and see how she likes it" so I did and she was pretty intrigued but stayed back. Since that went so well I decided to light the second one. We were looking so cute and festive in our red, white, and blue with our sparkler that Paya wanted to take a picture. Well, sparklers don't last very long and we were running out of time and he couldn't figure out how to turn the camera on so I grabbed it from him to turn it on, and in that split second that I took my eye off of my princess she grabbed for the sparkler... UH OH!

Thank God she didn't grab it with her whole hand but instead managed to get in between her fingers somehow. You talk about scream... she got a pretty good blister in between her pointer and middle finger and another one on the side of her middle finger. I FELT HORRIBLE! She cried for a few minutes and then calmed down and went to bed but I, on the other hand, cried for about an hour!

Mom ended up calling the emergency room and finding out how to treat it so Nikki and I went in to Marble Falls about 10:00 and got all of the necessary medicine, gauze, tape...

McKenna slept through the night more or less but had pretty yucky battle wounds when she got up. We doctored them as instructed and she didn't seem all that bothered by them; she was more bothered by having her fingers taped together.

I took her to the doctor yesterday and she said we had done everything right... other than letting her be that close to FIRE! She slept without the bandage last night and the blisters looked much better this morning.

She will heal just fine but will probably have scars... just not as big as the scars the whole incident left in my heart knowing that I could have prevented the whole thing if I had just stuck with my gut and not taken the damn sparklers! BAD MOMMY!!!

Its been a while...

2010-06-22T10:43:00.004-05:00

Where does time go? I'd like to take the time to go back and re-cap the last year of our lives, since I lasted posted anything on this blog, but I'm simply not taking the time to do that! If you have specific questions let me know and I'll get back to you!

The most exciting recent events in our lives have been:

We bought McKenna a cava-tzu puppy name Maggie; she loves her! Every morning when I get her out of bed and every afternoon when I pick her up from school the first thing she says is "eh Mammie" which in McKenn-ish means "Where's Maggie?" She has been a great addition to our family, although potty training has proved interesting.

Speaking of potty training - I hate to speak too soon but I think McKenna is going to potty train herself! She has poo-pooed in the potty several times and tee-teed only once but she hates to have a wet diaper and as soon as she "goes" she wants the diaper off! We make visits to the potty several times every day just to practice wiping and flushing the potty... her choice.

In May (I think) McKenna was selected to compete in the Cute Kid Contest at Sugar Land Town Center and she won for her age group!!! Actually, long story, but who cares, she won and got a beautiful, plastic, 3 feet tall, gold trophy... so proud!!

Unfortunately, in June I turned 29! Yikes, time flies!! We didn't do much to celebrate because I figured I'd save up for next year :)

McKenna is growing up way to fast and has become quite the little girl. She's very smart and is talking up a storm. She's a little parrot right now, pretty much repeating everything anyone says... great! She loves to read books and watch movies but also really enjoys being outside and has taken to swimming. She is fearless when it comes to jumping off the side of the pool in to the water.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for her. She is absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me!!

I only have a few pictures on my work computer. I lost my camera for a while and just got a new one for my birthday so I'll have more pictures uploaded to post soon.

I'm glad to be back in the blogging world!!!

Quick update....

2009-09-04T13:16:00.004-05:00

4th of July

2009-07-08T11:05:00.006-05:00

I have lost the charger for my camera so I'm relying on others to take pictures of my precious child... isn't that terrible? Thank goodness Melissa came through on the 4th of July and she got some great pictures!

Things with our little family have been great. McKenna had her 9 month check up (I know, can you believe it?!?!) yesterday and as always the doctor said she was "perfect"! We weighed 19lbs 8oz (45%), was 28 1/2 inches (90%), and has a big 70% head! She is not crawling yet but when inticed with my cell phone she has learned how to use her arms and legs, in a worm like motion, to get to it! She is pulling up to her knees on things so its very possible that she will skip crawling altogether, which the doctor said was fine.

2 weeks ago she had an ear infection and the following week she had pink eye so its been a rough time for her lately, although she has stayed her happy little self through most of it!

Of course Frank and I have nothing exciting to report because our lives revolove around her but we wouldn't have it any other way! We manage an outing every now and then but most of the time I opt to take her with us.

Here are some of the pictures from 4th of July at Gran and Grandad's... good times!

Aren't we a cute little family?

James, Frank, & David... brotherly love!

This is Dax, he belongs to Jenny & Don and might possibly be a future suitor!

Sunglasses are one of her favorite toys, and I am okay with that because they will keep her entertained for a long time!

This is what happens when McKenna's hair dries naturally!

Ty is getting so big! He is crawling all over the place and cruising. I always try to get McKenna to watch him so she can learn. He is so cute!!

I am not sure who first put their child in this ice chest but it was so cute... they all loved it! I'm just glad McKenna didn't pee in it :)

This is cute Julian; his mom is Kim. Julian used to go to school with McKenna but we don't think he's coming back next year.

Who's the little chubby baby?!?!

Here's Dax again! He was McKenna's first kiss!!

Everywhere we go the first thing everyone comments on is McKenna's eyes! I always say thank you and then give credit to her daddy!

And here is the diva of all divas... CORI!

Guess who....

We had a great 4th with our friends!

Updated McKenna pictures

2009-05-28T12:27:00.005-05:00

This was our first family trip to Bass Pro Shop. You cannot read her cap but it said "Future Hunting Princess"! And if her daddy has any say, that couldn't be more accurate!

McKenna's new favorite game... Peekaboo!

I see you...

What a little ham!

She LOVES to jump around in this nifty little toy her Yaya and Paya bought.

The next 3 pictures are our best attempts at 7 month pictures. I'm not sure who's bright idea (mine!) it was to give her sunglasses because I could not get her to look at me but when I took them away she fussed so...

She is SO much fun!

Lookin' good!!!

This was the evening before Paya's knee replacement surgery. We all thought she would make a horrible face with the lemon but she actually didn't react at all!

McKenna loves her Paya! And thank goodness his surgery went well and he is recovering nicely!!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-15T15:33:00.003-05:00

PLEASE NOTE: I WAS HUNGOVER ON MOTHER'S DAY AND DID NOT EVEN THINK TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH MY DAUGHTER... THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!

Houston, we have a TOOTH!

2009-05-14T14:37:00.002-05:00

Monday when I picked McKenna up from school she was a little out of sorts and Tricia said she had been sleepy and fussy all day. As soon as we got home I gave her a bottle and she went straight to sleep and slept for about an hour, after sleeping for 4 hours during the day. When she got up she was still not real happy so I stuck my finger in her mouth and she had a tooth that was literally about to break through the skin already!

For the last couple of weeks I've tried to look in her mouth just to see if I could see a white bump but every time I open her mouth she sticks her tongue out so I could never see anything! But you don't have to look very hard now because by Tuesday the tooth had come through the skin and its white and shiny now!!

She only has one coming through right now which is fine but I hope they don't come in one at a time! I would rather have 2 at a time and get it over with!! Ty, on the other hand, is cutting 5 teeth... no thank you!!!

I have tried to take pictures but she is not cooperative but don't worry, I don't give up that easily!

McKenna's 6 month pictures...

2009-04-10T08:50:00.004-05:00

Wow!!!... Did I really just write that? 6 months?? Its gone by so fast!!

Our pictures last weekend actually turned out better than I expected. The place we went was a zoo with everyone wanting to take Easter pictures, but McKenna was great the whole time. She smiled at everyone and just looked around. The photographer had a stuffed Mickey Mouse that he was playing with, with her and she thought Mickey was pretty cute I think!

The other pictures are from April 2nd, the day she actually turned 6 months. Since we were having "real" pictures taken 2 days later I did not even bother with our typical monthly pictures that we take at home; these are just some snap shots from her playing.

The time is upon us again...

2009-04-02T11:03:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I'm making this post already but... today is McKenna's 6 month birthday!! It has been the fastest and most enjoyable 6 months of my life. She brings so many smiles to our family and very little frustration.

She got over the stomach bug after a few days and took on a cold but it seems to be getting better. She just has a nasty little raspy cough.

We've started her on "real" food and so far she has had green beans, peas, and carrots. She did great with the green beans (and they helped with her pooping problem!), the peas she wasn't so sure about and she loved the carrots! We just gave them to her for the first time last night and she ate half of the jar. I really think she would have eaten the whole thing but I got scared and didn't want to give her anymore! She has never had that much real food all at once and I didn't want her to get a tummy ache.

This morning was her 6 month check up with Dr Todd. We got a great report, as usual! She is in the 50% for weight & head and 90% for length! She got her third round of shots and did extremely well with them. She cried for the 30 seconds it took the nurse to give her the shots but as soon as I picked her up she stopped crying.

Saturday I'm taking her for her 6 month / Easter pictures, and I am going to take some at-home 6 month pictures today so I should have some new ones posted soon!

Time continues to fly and each day gets better and better :)

Ta-ta for now... ~ Amy, Frank, & McKenna

Fighting off a stomach bug

2009-03-26T13:27:00.002-05:00

I know its been a while since I've updated the blog but there isn't too much interesting to report, and unfortunately I do not have any new pictures to post :( I know, bad Mom!

This week started off a little rough. McKenna was staying with Yaya and Paya last weekend because I was supposed to have Lasik surgery (that's a whole differernt story). As most of you know my poor baby only poops about every 3 or 4 days, so when Mom called and said McKenna had goen for the 5th or 6th time since in tow days we knew something was wrong. Ty had just gotten over a really bad stomach virus and I was certain McKenna had it so I asked Yaya to bring her home. I just wanted to be close to her doctor in case we needed to take her in.

As luck would have it, she did not have any more of those problems the rest of the day Saturday or again at all until Sunday night. We battled the bug for a few days and had lots of yucky diapers and lots of sleepless hours but I am glad to say I think she's on the mend. I stayed home with her Monday and had to go pick her up Tuesday but she was back at school full-time yesterday.

I think she is really trying to crawl too. Its hilarious to watch her because she kicked her legs and scoots in circles but she cannot quite figure out how to use her arms to hold herself up. I'm not ready to have to chase her all over the place and certainly not rushing her growing up but its inevitable and its fun to see her going through these changes and learning new things.

We're back on oatmeal cereal after taking a hiatus due to the stomach bug but I have not started her on any other foods yet. She has her 6 month check up next week so hopefully the doctor will give us the go-ahead to start other foods... if not I will probably do it anyway like I did the cereal!!

I promise to take some pictures this weekend...

Finally, new pictures!

2009-03-06T13:25:00.004-06:00

As promised, here are some new pictures of Miss McKenna. I am retaking the 5 months pictures because I do not like the way they turned out but I'll share them anyway...

Happy Birthday Yaya.... and Erin!

2009-03-02T13:58:00.002-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday (I won't tell you that she is 29 for the 24th time!). I just wanted to take a minute to tell all of you (3 or 4) followers how wonderful my mom and McKenna's Yaya is. She has always been a wonderful mother but as I get older she has become so much more than that and we are now wonderful friends. She probably gets tired of me calling and complaining and bragging and using her as my shoulder to cry on and my source of financial support when needed but she has never once complained... as a matter of fact she complains when I don't use her for everything she has to offer! No matter what I have ever needed in my life my mom has always been there.

I don't remember a lot from when McKenna was born, thanks to an awesome epidural, but one thing that I will never forget is my mom literally falling on me and crying her eyes out when McKenna was finally delivered. We've been through some hard times and lots of joys in our family but never have I seen my mom react the way that she did to seeing her first grandbaby. I knew then that everything was going to be okay.

Mom, you have been the best mother, mother-in-law, Yaya, and friend that Frank, McKenna and I could ever ask for and we love you so much! Happy Birthday!!... and anniversary! (Still can't believe you got married on your birthday, what a nut!)

Today is also my best friend Erin's birthday. Believe it or not, Erin and have literally known each other our entire lives! There are so many fun memories of their "dress like your mommy" birthday parties, trips to The Place, cheerleading in our panties (when we were 22!... just kidding!), volleyball in their backyard, nights out in Austin, and so many more! My only regret about our friendship is that we do not live closer and do not get to see each other more! I love you mia, and wish you a very happy birthday too!!!

5 Months?!?!?

2009-03-02T13:47:00.003-06:00

I guess what they say is true, time flies when you're having fun! I truly cannot believe its been 5 months since McKenna Blessed us with her presence... and what a Blessing she is! She is the best little thing we could have ever asked for. As a matter of fact, Yaya is still telling us that we should not have any more because she is too good!... Of course, I am sure she would be thrilled for us to have another little one when the time is right.

We took McKenna to church for the first time this weekend. I know most of you are good church-going people ;) and I am a little ashamed that we did not go before she was 5 months old but what can I say? She was so good and looked so cute! I was not smart enough to take any pictures of her but take my word for it, she was cute!

She is really trying to roll from her back to her tummy but hasn't quite figured it out yet. This weekend she made it about 3/4 of the way over, and I helped her the rest of the way. She just laid there looking around like, "What just happened?" She is also a big fan of putting everything she possibly can in her mouth. She will eat paper, tags, toys, whatever.

My newest debate with myself is over whether or not to start her on solids. Everything I've ready says she is ready but the doctor said to wait until she is 6 months old... hmmm... what to do? Last night I put some rice cereal in her bottle which I later found out is bad so tonight I think I am going to try spoon-feeding her a little cereal. From what I've read if they show interest in your food, have good head control, and open their mouth in response to bottles and things being offered to them they are ready. I think I am going to go against doctor's orders and try it anyway. It has been making me feel so bad to sit there and eat with her staring at me!

Tonight we have to take 5 month pictures so I will get them posted as soon as possible. I'll also try to get some of our first try at cereal off of a spoon! For now, here is a picture I took this morning to send to Yaya for her birthday :) Love you Yaya!!

McKenna's 1st wedding

2009-02-25T09:05:00.004-06:00

Last weekend McKenna had the pleasure of attending her first wedding; Tracy Sommerlatte and Wyatt Matthies got married in Brenham. I was in the wedding party so I had appearances to make Friday and Saturday before the wedding so Yaya and Aunt Nik Nik took care of McKenna for me. I was not there when it was time to get dressed but apparently Miss McKenna did not like her pretty new dress or her pretty new shoes! They said she pretty much threw a little fit and cried the entire time. When they got to the church she has snot all dried up on her nose so I knew things had not gone well! Once they got there she was fine and was fine for the rest of the night... and she looked really cute!

Still trying to figure out what in the world she is wearing and why its so uncomfortable!

Like the "growths" on my face?!?!? N-I-C-E!

Valentine's Day pics... a little late!

2009-02-25T08:58:00.004-06:00

I know I said I was going to post some new pictures last week but I'm just getting to it.

Amy took McKenna on her first amusement park ride at Chuck E Cheese. I thought I heard someone calling me and I looked over and Amy had put McKenna in with Brinley in a car that rocked. She still does not sit up on her own very well so Amy held her. She was not quite sure what was going on. At one point Brinley wanted to hold McKenna's hand but she wasn't paying attention and McKenna decided to put Brinley's hand in her mouth! Brinley did not like that very much!!

It was Jace's 6th b-day party at Chuck E Cheese on Valentine's Day. He and his friends had a lot of fun, and we finally got a good picture of McKenna with her Nanny and cousin Jace.

Look Mom, no swaddle!

2009-02-17T13:51:00.002-06:00

As you can tell by reading my blog, I have been seriously stressing over how to get McKenna to where she can sleep without her swaddle. For the last week she had been sleeping for only 7 hours or so versus the 9-10 she was sleeping previously. When it was time to put her to bed she would be sound asleep and I would lay her down and swaddle and she would wake up and fight me. But I was convinced that she could not sleep without it, and 7 hours of sleep was better than 3 or 4. So I kept fighting her until she would give up. Is this child abuse?!?!? When she would cry during the night and we would go to get her up she was squirming like a little worm trying to get out of her swaddle. Once the velcro was undone she would bust out of the swaddle like biscuits exploding out of the can!

Anyway, last night we went through the same routine with her waking up when she was swaddled so I decided not to fight it and just put her down without the swaddle and see what happened. She was awake for just a few minutes when I put her down but she went to sleep pretty fast... and slept through the whole night!! I feel like a huge pressure has been lifted! I felt horrible swaddling her but I was being selfish and wanted my sleep too and felt like the only way I could get it was to wrap my little burrito up every night. Hopefully it wasn't a fluke!! And now when she is 16 I guess she won't have to be rolled up in carpet, like Paya was afraid she was going to!

Happy Birthday Paya!!!

2009-02-17T13:43:00.002-06:00

Today is my dad's (Paya's) birthday!! We sure wish we lived a little closer so we could eat a piece of cake with him but instead we just have to pretend so tonight I believe I will have a cold adult beverage in his honor! Speaking of, this morning McKenna and I visited about how it was Paya's birthday and she told me that to celebrate his big day she wanted to wear a camo outfit to school :) So I dug through her closet... and yes, its that crowded that I have to dig!... and found her a precious camo onesie with ruffles on it. The picture below is not very clear because I took it on the camera on my phone but you can tell she was very excited to send Paya a birthday wish first thing this morning.

Happy Birthday Dad / Paya!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

(I will have some more pictures to post tomorrow, hopefully)

What just happened?!?!

2009-02-04T14:11:00.002-06:00

From day 1 when we were told to start "tummy time" with McKenna, she HATED it! She would put her head down and cry. No matter what I did to entertain her or try and make her more comfortable, she would cry. It was a struggle to get her to stay down more than 3 minutes. So apparently, being the hard-headed Marsters she is (just kidding!), she has now decided she doesn't have to spend any time on her tummy... she'll just roll over!! That's right, our little girl learned how to roll over yesterday!

Miss Tricia, our awesome sitter, called me about 4:00 yesterday afternoon to tell me that McKenna was rolling all over the place. She said she put her down for tummy time and she fussed for a little while and then suddenly just rolled over. So she turned her back on her tummy and she did it again! Every time she would put her back on her tummy she would just roll and start smiling. I asked how many times she did this and she said at least 8.

When I went to pick her up they had to do a demo for me and sure enough she rolled right over! When I got her home we tried it again and she just kept rolling on to her back! It was sooooo cute!! She would look around for a minute and then put her shoulder down and very slowly roll.

Here's what amazes me; 2 days ago when we tried tummy time she acted like she could not even hold her head up. She fussed and squealed and made the neighbors think I was abusing her... 2 days later she is holding her head up without any trouble, pushing up on her arms and rolling over... how does this happen?!?!

McKenna is 4 months old today!

2009-02-02T09:12:00.003-06:00

If I was a good mom I would have gotten up early this morning, dressed McKenna in a cute outfit, and taken a few pictures to post this morning... however; I did none of the above!! I will take some pictures this evening.

Last week we had 2 doctor's visits which both turned out fine. I finally took McKenna to physical therapy for her neck. Basically what they said was that she does have a little tightness in her neck but not much. They showed me some stretches to do, told me to make her spend more time on her tummy, charged me way too much money, and told me they want her to come back twice a week... WRONG! Its not fun at all but I have actually been doing the stretches with her and will continue to do so in order to avoid having to go back.

At the eye doctor we found out that there is absolutely nothing wrong with her eyes! We have to go back in 4 months for a check-up but her vision is great and there are not other reasons for concern.

She has finally almost gotten over her cold but I did have to wash her nose out with the saline wash this morning :( Other than that we had a good weekend. I posted a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure. I will have her 4 months at-home pictures later this week.

We are doing everything we can to keep her from being a thumb-sucker but she loves her hands and will do anything she can to get a finger (or 2) in her mouth!

This was early one morning before I got her dressed for school. I had just gotten her out of bed and she was still waking up!

And this was yesterday at home. Its amazing how much she has grown up already!!

This weekend I went to a bridesmaid luncheon for one of my wonderful friends who was a bridesmaid in our wedding, Tracy Sommerlatte. Sometimes life gets very busy and you lose touch with people you care about. Tracy and I never really lost touch we just don't talk as much as we used to. She is so beautiful and such a great person. Seeing her so happy and excited to get married was fun! I miss you Tracy Latte :)

I also got to see my friend Kelly's new baby boy while I was in Brenham. Cale is a little over a month old now. It was so weird for me to hold him. I had already forgotten what it was like to have to support their heads and everything. McKenna is only 4 months old but already soooo different than she was at 1 month! I was really glad to see them too!

Growth spurt? Not feeling well?

2009-01-23T14:54:00.003-06:00

For those mom's out there who have been through this before, please tell me how you determine what exactly it is that's "wrong" with your baby when they are not doing things according to their normal routine. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining! McKenna is still the best baby we could ask for, but she has been out of sorts for about a week, and I'm not sure how to determine what's going on.

She has been getting up in the middle of the night again, which she hadn't done for over a month. She is very restless at night and grunts and groans and kicks around but most of the time is not awake when she is doing this. Her nose is stuffy and she is kind of congested but she doesn't act like she feels bad. Could she just be going through a growth spurt? I thought they tended to sleep more when they were growing... I'm confused! If she's not feeling well and there is nothing we can do other than squirt saline wash up her nose (which remains a true joy in our lives... right!) and use a humidifier, how is she ever going to get well? Again, I am not at all complaining because it could be SO much worse, I am just trying to get some helpful hints from the other knowledgeable women in my life who I know are feel of great advice!

Other than both of us having snotty noses, life has been great! McKenna is still doing good at daycare. We have not taken her to physical therapy yet but I guess we better put it on the agenda for next week, along with her opthamologist appointment.

This weekend is our precious niece Cori's 4th birthday party! This will be the first birthday party McKenna has ever been to so we will take lots of pictures so I can post some new ones next week. Other than that, its going to be a quiet weekend at our house. Or at least I hope it is. We're going to try to get McKenna well, get her back in her own bed, and make her spend some time doing tummy-time... wish us luck!

PS - like the new layout?!!? I thought it was time to get rid of Rudolph!

PPS - for those of you who swaddled your babies, when did you quit using the swaddle and how did you know they were ready to sleep without it? I don't think McKenna is very fond of being a baby burrito but its the only way she will not wake herself up!

Reclaiming our room...?

2009-01-14T09:33:00.002-06:00

The week before I was supposed to go back to work I decided it was time to move McKenna to her own room. Yaya was at our house the first night I decided, "okay, this is it, I have to move her." So I got the monitors all set up, cleaned her bed out (it had been being used for a little storage space!), put her fan in there, tested the night lights, and was getting ready for the big move and Yaya says, "I don't want her to sleep in there by herself!" So guess what, McKenna was saved! Frank was gone that weekend and I didn't want to go through the transition by myself so after Yaya left McKenna got to keep sleeping in her bed in our room.

Sunday I made the decision again; today was the day. I went through the whole process again and as I was feeding her the last bottle before bed time and I was looking in to her beautiful blue eyes it suddenly hit me that she was going to be starting daycare the next day and I didn't get to stay home with her anymore. She has really become my little side kick and I hate to do anything without her. I cried and cried and cried... and decided I didn't want her to sleep in her own room just yet, I want her close to me. The whole first week I was back at work she stayed in our room. I would tip toe around in the mornings, get myself totally ready, load the car, get her bottle ready, pick out her clothes, and then wake her and Frank up. That wasn't so bad but I really missed listening to the radio while I was getting ready, yet I did not want to risk waking her up before I was ready for her.

So this weekend we finally made the big move! Saturday night she slept in her own bed in her own room!! I put her down about 9:00 and she slept until almost 8:00! The transition went really well. I only got up twice to check on her and other than that I slept pretty good too. I figured if she woke up and got mad enough I could hear her crying even without the monitor.

Sunday night didn't go as well. She escaped from her swaddle and about 2:00 I heard her sucking on her hand. I reswaddled her, watched her for a little while, got the coffee pot ready to have coffee ready for me that morning, and went back to bed. About 3:30 she started crying, a real cry. I got up, made her a 4 ounce bottle (figuring she wouldn't even take it all) and she sucked the bottom out of it! She went back to sleep about 3:30... 5:45 came awfully early Monday morning but I sure did enjoy listening to the radio, keeping the bathroom door open, and having a little more freedom to get myself woken up and get my day started.

Now I know you are probably thinking that's the end of this story but its not. Monday when I picked her up from school she was snotty, a little out of sorts, and was running a little bit of fever. I washed her nose out (oh the joy!) and gave her some Tylenol. Since she wasn't feeling well Frank wanted her to stay in our room again and I did not resist. Last night she was not feeling well either so I am sure you can guess where this is going... after 2 nights in her own room McKenna is back in our room! We'll try it again next week :)

McKenna's 1st day of school / Mommy's 1st day back to work

2009-01-08T11:16:00.002-06:00

I was holding up fine until Sunday evening when I was feeding McKenna a bottle and I looked down and she was just starring up at me with those beautiful blue eyes. It was then that I realized that I wasn't going to get to spend all days looking at those beautiful eyes any more and I lost it!! I think I cried for a good hour. 3 months of being home with her definitely spolied me! She is the most amazing little thing ever :)

Sunday night I did not sleep a wink so when 5:40 rolled around Monday morning I drug myself straight to the coffee pot and started my day. I got myself all ready for work and woke up my 2 sleeping beauties (Frank and McKenna). She busted out of her swaddle like she always does and she smiled at me, like she was saying "its okay Mommy, I am ready to go to school." So I dressed her, fed her, visited with her for a little while and got everything ready to go. Before we left I asked Frank to take a few "first day of school pictures." He took some of me and McKenna which showed exactly how early 5:40 came so I did not even post those! That morning we got our firt ever picture of her smiling, which is posted below. Daddy took a few pictures with her and we were off. I kissed her 100 times before I left but I didn't even cry!

Its been a tough adjsutment but we are making it. Now when I get off of work I realize, with the help of my mom, that housework can wait and so can dinner; all I want to do is spend time with our angel.

3 months goes by SO fast!

2009-01-02T22:08:00.003-06:00

WOW! Has it really been 3 months since McKenna was born?!?! I guess it has because today is her 3 months birthday... and what an amazing 3 months is has been!

I must say that with lots of help from mine and Frank's families, and a Zoloft every night :) I have adjusted quite well to motherhood. Every day is something to look forward to; a new noise, her reacting to something, pooping twice in one day, you know the usual. But Christmas day brought the greatest gift ever when McKenna laughed out loud for the first time! Unfortunately I did not get to see it because I was in the kitchen but it was loud enough for me to hear in there! What a milestone. Of course, now we are the annoying parents and grandparents that are always trying to get her to laugh, and that means making goofy faces and doing things I saw other parents do and thought they were crazy!

McKenna's new thing now is her hands. She is completely fascinated by her hands. She looks at them all them time and concentrates very hard to get them in her mouth. This was a task at first but she has mastered it! She is also learning to hold on to things. She will grab a rattle and hold it, and today so got a teething ring and got it in her mouth. As I said, each day is something new and exciting.

I'm also thrilled to report (hopefully without jinxing myself) that McKenna has been sleeping through the night since she was about 10 weeks old! Most nights she is asleep for 10 hours but sometimes its longer and sometimes its a little less; either way, I am very happy! (Sorry to all of you mom's and grandma's (Ms Cooper) who are not having such good luck. Please don't hate me!)

Monday is the day I have been dreading for the last 13 weeks, when I go back to work. I didn't think I was concerned about it until today when I had a panic attack, cried, and switched babysitters... yep, that's right, I switched babysitters the Friday before McKenna is supposed to start daycare! It was a crazy feeling I had but something just wasn't right with the girl we had chosen. Thank goodness Miss Tricia still had a spot for her so she will get to go to "school" with Cori, Ty (eventually), Dax, and lots of other fun kids. I have cried my eyes out today knowing I am going to have to leave her but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Here are some 3 month pictures...

McKenna's 1st Christmas

2008-12-27T17:48:00.004-06:00

In the 27 Christmas' I've celebrated, there have been some amazing memories but Christmas 2008 was by far the best! Of course McKenna was spoiled rotten by my family as well as Frank's and got more gifts and kisses than we could have ever imagined. She got her first gun and her first golf club!! She is such an awesome baby and pretty much slept through all of our Christmas' and even when she was awake she was just taking it all in. If we had gotten nothing at all for Christmas that would have been fine with us because this year God blessed us with the best gift ever when he gave us McKenna. I know you don't want to read all of my sentimental comments about how good my life is so here are some pictures...

Can you believe its been 2 months???

2008-12-04T12:03:00.004-06:00

It doesn't seem possible that McKenna is already 2 months old... but she is! The last 2 months have been filled with so many memories and have truly been the most exciting times I could imagine. McKenna has become quite the little road warrior, traveling all over the place with me. I don't want her to "hear" me saying this but she is sleeping really good at night time, usually going down between 8:30 and 9:30 and getting up between 4:00 and 5:00 for a midnight snack. Then she will usually go back to sleep for 3 more hours. But when the sun comes up her eyes are open and its time to get up!

I just started back to work from home part-time. It feels kind of nice to have some responsibiilty but that does not mean I am necessarily looking forward to going back! I miss the people but does anyone ever really miss work?

Other than that we are just getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the last few weeks we get to spend all day together before I go back to work anfd McKenna goes to day care. Frank is busy hunting so we are both looking forward to hunting season being over!!

I'm not going to caption the pictures because there are too many but these pictures are from Thanksgiving and from McKenna's 2 month birthday (in the Christmas outfit). She is getting so big!!!

Time for an update...

2008-11-23T12:32:00.004-06:00

Sorry its been a while since I've posted any new news. As you can imagine, I do not have near as much free time as I used to!

McKenna went for her one month check up on November 11th; she weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces (only 7 ounces more than me when I was born!!) and was 22 inches long. The doctor said everything was great and we were doing a good job!

I've definitely adjusted to life as a mommy. She is the most amamzing thing that has ever happened to me, and I love her more and more every day... if that's possible! She is sleeping for 5 to 7 hours at night and then will sleep for another 3 to 4 hours after her middle of the night feeding. She is a great baby! I hope you enjoy the pictures of our little princess!!!

This is Yaya and Paya's neighbor, Miss Janet. I loves visitng Miss Janet when we go to see Yaya and Paya!

And this is Miss Janet's husband, Mr. Brownie. They do not have any children so they spoil me!

I made my first trip to Crockett to visit Honey and Poppa... they even let me sleep in their bed for a little while!

I also went to my first volleyball game. Cousin Caleigh was playing in the playoffs. They lost but I had fun... well, I slept through most of the game but I was learning by osmosis!

Aunt Nik helped me get ready for Meagen and Jake's party. Other than the newly-weds and the Mexican martinis I was the biggest hit!

I really like just laying in my pack n play and kicking around...

My Gran loves me so much! She even lets me spend the night with her sometimes!!

Paya taught me how to cheer when I watch football games with him!

These 2 pictures were taken when I went to my one month check up. This was my first time to wear this pretty dress :)

Our Baby is 1 Month Old Today!!

2008-11-02T16:13:00.008-06:00

I can't believe McKenna is already a month old! Its been an amazing month full of learning, adjusting, and wonderful memories. There have already been so many firsts, from her first doctor's appointment to the first time she slept for 6 hours during the night to her first Halloween! I can't describe how much joy and excitement she has brought to our lives.

Frank is getting the hang of being a daddy and is so cute with her! He still isn't big on burping her after she eats but he's getting better and has even taken baby duty a few mornings. And I give him all of the credit in the world for being patient and understanding with me during those first couple of weeks when I was psycho, hormonal woman! Between my crying and helping with the baby I know he wanted to go crazy but he was a trooper and never complained or lost his cool!

My mom has already proven to be the best Yaya ever! She stayed with us for 10 days after McKenna was born, and I do now know what we would have done without her. Then 4 days after leaving I asked her to come back and she was here before I could get the question out! Then McKenna and I went to Horseshoe Bay and stayed with Yaya and Paya for a week and my mom and I alternated getting up with McKenna every night. Between her, Frank's mom (Gran), and Lindsay (Sissy), they have saved me from going insane!

Today April (Nanny) took pictures for McKenna's birth announcements so be expecting those fairly soon... hopefully I will be better at getting those out than I have been with writing thank you notes! If I owe you a thank you note its probably written and sitting waiting for a stamp so it can go in the mail so accept this as my apology and my "thank you" for now!!

Until next time... enjoy the pictures!!

I love my cousin, Ty!!! He is 3 weeks older than me and is going to take care of me :)

These pictures are from my first trip to Yaya and Paya's house... I just love these guys! Hoot was a little annoyed by me but he Will have to get over it!

Mommy and Yaya took me to eat at Slick Rock while we were there. We got to see Daddy, Paya, and Grandad all hit their golf balls in the water!! These pictures were after lunch, outside of the club.

While we were in Horseshoe Bay we also went to visit the Murphy family... who knows I might have met my future husband there!

I also had my first "explosion" on the trip to Yaya and Paya's! Yaya and I both had to change clothes!!

I was not too sure what to think about my first Halloween. I was not a big fan of the ladybug costume or having 4 wardrobe changes but I think I was a trooper for the most part... and looked SO cute!!! Mommy and Daddy love their little love bug :)

O

2008-11-02T16:13:00.003-06:00

O

2008-11-02T16:13:00.001-06:00

The happiest, most exciting day of my life!

2008-10-14T10:04:00.002-05:00

I thought the day I got married could never be topped... that was until I experienced the nerves, anticipation, and exhilaration of having a baby! McKenna Lyn Marsters made her arrival on October 2nd at 2:04 pm. She weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20.5 inches long! She is absolutely perfect!!

I started having contractions Tuesday while I was at work. I wasn't sure that's exactly what it was until one of the contractions doubled me over in pain. Thank goodness I was scheduled to see the doctor Wednesday anyway. My mom came in late Tuesday and went to the doctor with me and Frank Wednesday morning to get the scoop on my induction. I was 1cm and 80% effaced so of course the doctor said to just ride the contractions out until my scheduled induction the next morning at 5:00am.

Wednesday night was a VERY long night for me and my heaven-sent mom who stayed up with me all night timing my contractions, hoping they would get close enough together to go to the hospital... they never did! At 4:30 Frank and I left for the hospital.

As soon as I got there I was given pain medication and examined by the nurse who said I was now at 2cm and still 80%. The medicine they can me made me hallucinate and have weird dreams but I did get some rest. I couple of hours later the nurse came back to check me again and I was at 3cm so I got my epidural. WOW is all I can say! I felt nothing other than the feeling of floating on a cloud. It was a really strange feeling but I knew it would be worth it as my contractions got worse.

Mine and Frank's families joined us at the hospital for the big arrival. After hours of watching the monitors and clocks, about 1:30 the nurse said I was at 9cm and 90% so if anyone wanted to go eat lunch now was the time because I would start pushing soon. McKenna's heart rate had been dipping with each contraction but it would come back up when the contraction was over so they were not too worried.

As luck would have it, after the women went to lunch, the men were visiting in the hall, and I was alone, the doctor came in with a look of concern on her face. She said that it was time to push and get the baby out or we would have to go in to an emergency C-section. She did not know if the cord was around her neck or if she was laying on her cord but McKenna's heart rate was of concern. They called the women and Frank back to the room where they found me crying, Frank panicked, an obvious urgent situation. There were 6 or 7 nurses and the doctor in my room talking about a C-section.

Long story long, I started pushing early (before I was 10cm or 100%) and with a little assistance from a vacuum we delivered McKenna at 2:04. For those of you who are moms you already know the feeling; for those of you who are not, you cannot even put it in to words! It was beyond anything I ever expected. The relief and joy I felt were overwhelming and it was amazing how I immediately felt at bond and attachment that I know will never be broken! We are so in love with our baby and realize each day how Blessed we are to have her :)

WE LOVE YOU, MCKENNA LYN MARSTERS!!!!

Here comes McKenna... October 2, 2008!!!

2008-09-30T10:43:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!! I just wanted to let you know that unless God or Mother Nature have another plan in mind, we will be welcoming McKenna Lyn Marsters to the world October 2nd!! After many sleepless nights full of abdominal pains, peeing 5 or 6 times, and tossing and turning the rest of the time Frank and I decided that we were ready to have this baby and the sooner the better. We will check in to Memorial Herman Sugar Land Thursday morning at 5:00 to begin the induction process. Obviously there is no way to tell how long it will be before McKenna makes her grand entrance but I'm using the power of positive thinking and assuming she will be here Thursday since we are starting the process so early in the day. Please keep us in your prayers!

I know it will be at least a week before I post another update but I will get some pictures up as soon as I can, or I'm sure McKenna's aunts and grandmas will be sending pictures out on my behalf too!

Love you all :)

I'm ready to meet my little McKenna...

2008-09-26T14:59:00.004-05:00

Monday after work Lindsay took a few pictures of me and Frank and my growing bump. We're not the most photogenic couple but you get the idea! In these pictues I am 37 1/2 weeks pregnant and feeling every bit of it!!

This is our new nephew Ty Harrison and his favorite uncle, Uncle Bro!

Yesterday Frank and I went for our 38 week appointment and pelvic exam and I was dilated to a 1 but that was about it! Dr. Joykutty told us if we're ready for McKenna to be here and we want her to induce me she can do it as early as next Thursday (10/2). However she also gave us the option to wait and come in Thursday and see how much progress I had made and then if I haven't already had her by then she will induce me on Monday (10/6). At this point we've opted to go in for our regular appointment Thursday and see what's going on then. If this weekend doesn't go well and I am miserable and change my mind she said to call her Monday and she will schedule to induce me Thursday. Bottom line, McKenna Lyn Marsters will be here no later than Monday, October 6th!!

Depending on what's going on during my day sometimes I am really anxious and feel very ready and at some points during the day I feel much better and not in a hurry at all. Our priority of course is doing what's best for the baby so we don't want to rush things by inducing too soon... and I don't want to put myself through too much unnecessary torture! The hormomes are flowing in overdrive right now too. It doesn't take much to make me cry or make me mad, which you would think Frank would take note of but he isn't handling it or me very well right now. I think he is a little freaked out and nervous about everything and doesn't quite know what to do so of course everything he does is wrong... in my eyes! He'd probably be really glad if I would just let her induce me Thursday and get it over with without him having to put up with me for an entire weekend! He is at the deer lease this weekend for one last outing before baby makes 3 ;)

And to finish out this lengthy post, Amanda came over yesterday and finished painting a few details on Mcenna's walls so it is officially complete and ready for our little princess!!

37 weeks & no baby action... but we have power!!

2008-09-19T14:22:00.002-05:00

So Dr. Joykutty did it to me again yesterday... I had a 3:45 appointment and about 10:00 she called to see if I could come in early because she had 2 girls in labor who were going to be delivering about the time of my appointment. Frank was still in Sienna so I called him and he hauled buns to the hospital to meet me. She got us right in and started her exam but this time I had a "real" pelvic exam I guess they're called? She pushed and felt and dug around it felt like; only to tell me that I had not dilated and my cervix was still hard! McKenna did not like this exam at all and let us know by moving around and squirming the whole time the doctor was pushing on her head! Everything is still great according to the doctor. My blood pressure is still very good, she was please with my weight gain (22 pounds!), the heartbeat was nice and strong, and my protein level is good. She did tell me that I tested positive for Strep B so before I have McKenna I will have to have a couple of bags of antibiotics but its not a risk to me or her. My next appointment is next Thursday afternoon, and we'll talk about inducing if that's what we opt to do.

At first I was opposed to the idea of inducing but the closer I get to d-day and the more pains I am feeling I think it might be nice to know exactly when I will have this baby! She will not induce before 39 weeks so unless is happens naturally, the soonest I will have her will be October 3rd... 2 weeks from today!

The next most exciting thing going on in our lives is that after 7 days without electricity our power was restored last night!! I can't imagine how those people feel who still do not have power and will not have it for weeks. I just keep thinking how lucky we were that we didn't have any damage to our home, we are all safe, healthy, and happy (for the most part!), and we had friends and family for support during the storm. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who continues to be effected by Hurricane Ike.

Evacuation, No Power, Ultrasounds... OH MY!

2008-09-16T10:49:00.003-05:00

Wow, where do I start with this update?? I guess I'll go back to Wednesday night when we were at the in-law's watching Hurricane Ike drift closer and closer to Houston. I quickly remembered just a couple of weeks before that when Hurricane Gustav threatened so we fled to Horseshoe Bay only to have 1 leaf blow off of our trees. At that point the internal debate started about whether to stay or leave. I had to keep reminding myself that I am 36 week pregnant and probably need to take care of baby McKenna first. So we went home and started packing. This time I didn't pack like I was going to be there for a year because I was torn about going anyway and really had a feeling it would be another false alarm and we would be back quickly. When Thursday morning rolled around and we realized the storm was not changing directions we decided it was best for us to leave. I had already done lots of picking up and hurricane-proofing around the house but Frank took me to work then went home and did some more preparation work. We left Houston about 3:00 and got to Horseshoe Bay at 8:00; a drive that usually takes almost 4 hours took 5 which was actually not that bad. We spent 4 nights with my mom and dad just hanging out and being thankful we had electricity.

Our house did not have any damage but our trees and landscaping took a pretty good hit, as did everyone elses'. We were lucky that we dodged a bullet there. However, here we are on Tuesday morning and we still do not have power at home. Lindsay & David are running on generators but April & James have power so we stayed with them last night. Hopefully the electricity will be back on today but in the even that its not I think I will suck it up and open the windows at my house tonight and just stay there. After being gone for 5 nights all I want to do is sleep in my bed!

This morning we had an ultrasound done to take measurements of our little princess. It is hard for my doctor to tell how big she is since I am tall and she could be "hiding" as the doctor told me. I think much to our surprise, according to her measurements, McKenna weighs 6 pounds 2 ounces today! Dr. Joykutty said she did not think she would be very big but from what I've read her measurements are right on target for her due date. The only other thing they really told us was that her heartbeat was 150 which was good. Because she is so big now its hard to see anything on the screen so I think we got a picture of her leg bone and spine... not very interesting! We go back to see Dr. Joykutty Thursday so we'll see what she says about the information from the scan and see if I've made any progress toward delivery.

Baby Ty is home and doing good. He, Lindsay, David, and Cori are all adjusting to their new life with a baby but he is great and SO cute! I will try to post a picture of him in the next couple of days.

That's it for the Marsters' for now....

Ty Harrison Cantu!! 9/8/08

2008-09-09T14:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a really exciting day for the Marsters and Cantu families as Lindsay, David and Cori welcomed Ty Harrison Cantu to the world! Linda called about 7:45 to tell me that they were getting ready to break Lindsay's water so I went up to the hospital to see her. Almost 3 hours later she had only dilated to a 3 so I left and went to work. Two hours later I got an update that she was 4cm. Then about 1:15 they called and said she was at 7cm and 30 minutes later she was 9cm so I left work and went to the hospital. At 3:17pm Ty Harrison Cantu entered the world weighing in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches. It was one of the most exciting, surreal, emotional experiences ever! I took lots of pictures and have not had a chance to upload them yet but I can assure you he is a cutie! The delivery was easy and Ty and Lindsay are both doing great. They are coming home this afternoon to settle in to their new lives. Welcome to the family Baby Ty! We are all so excited that you are finally here!!!!

Now I am more excited than ever for our big day!!

Update on McKenna

2008-09-09T14:37:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday I had my 35 week appointment with Dr. Joykutty. Things continue to go really well and she was very pleased with my checkup. Until this point she had been telling me that I would not have any more ultrasounds but at this appointment she changed her mind and said she wants me to go for one more ultrasound to get McKenna's measurements. She has told me before that because I'm so tall I can easily hide a big baby and since ultrasounds are the only way to tell how big the baby is, I guess she decided that's what we're going to do. It will also give us a better idea of whether or not she will need to induce if McKenna is too big or if I'm going to be able to just play the waiting game. I've scheduled my ultrasound for next Tuesday, September 16th.

I am still feeling great. I, of course, am tired most of the time but I think I've been a trooper! With the girls here for my shower this weekend we stayed up way past my bedtime both nights but I thought I hung in there pretty good!

My emails told me last week that it was time for me to start packing my hospital bags and getting McKenna's stuff and Frank's stuff ready too. I didn't want to haul a bunch of stuff out before the weekend so I think over the rest of the week in addition to watching Ike I'm going to get everything ready for the big day! It seems so surreal that its right around the corner but it is :)

I go back to see Dr. Joykutty this Thursday to have the Strep B test done, and I'm hopeful she will check to see if I've dilated any but who knows with her!

Pappasito's Baby Shower

2008-09-09T14:23:00.004-05:00

Last weekened 9 of my closest friends hosted a baby shower for me a Pappasito's in Sugar Land. It was so much to have all of my girlfriends together. The shower was really nice and many more of my friends and family joined the hostesses in helping me celebrate and prepare for McKenna's arrival. Below are a few pictures from the shower. Thank you again Shelley, Nikki, Erin, Coty, Tracy, Meagen, Mindy, Brittni, and Keri!

Signs McKenna is growing....!!

2008-08-29T10:27:00.002-05:00

As I get closer and closer to my due date it is becoming increasingly obvious that our little McKenna is growing and getting ready for her grand entrance in to the world. Here are a few indicators:

1.) The once barely noticeable baby bump has turned in to a very obvious baby belly! Some of my maternity clothes are getting a little tight and my t-shirts I wore before I got pregnant, and up to this point, are now more like bodysuits.
2.) The baby kicks that have become body rolls are now a full out boxing match with my insides. I guess she is cramped up in there so when she moves it feel like she is hitting every internal organ she can find... I can't wait until the day I pee all over myself because she catches me off guard and gets a good one in on the bladder! Its such a strange but amazing feeling to have a little life inside of me. There was a day last weekend when we were at my mom and dad's that she didn't move a whole lot and it was worrying me; you just get used to the movements. As my doctor said, a moving baby is a healthy baby!
3.) This one is most important... I cannot eat as much as I has been anymore! I had also kind of started noticing this over the last couple of days but last night was when reality hit like an 18 wheeler! We ate pizza at David & Lindsay's. I had my normal 3 pieces and ate a piece of Daddy Frank's pizza crust... not too bad for what I had been eating. It was about 8:00 when we ate. I went home, took a bath, got ready for bed, and got in bed about 9:30. As soon as I laid down I knew it was going to be a long night. That damn pizza sat at the top of stomach / bottom of my throat and would not go away. I got up and chewed on 2 Maalox (YUM!) and got back in bed. For the next 3 hours I sat up about every 20 -30 minutes and let out one of my infamous Amy belches, hoping to relieve some of the pain and discomfort to no avail. I took 2 more Maalox, asked Frank to get me a Sprite, and propped myself up on every pillow I could find without breaking my neck. The Sprite was flat so it didn't do its job but somewhere between being propped up and completely exhausted I was able to get comfortable and sleep for about 3 hours. Did I mention that when I get heartburn I drink water to make myself burp (weird, I know!). So on top of being miserably full and feeling like my esophagus was on fire, I was up at least once an hour peeing.

I learned 2 lessons from all of this: no more eating foods with acid in them or lots of anything for that matter and our little princess is getting big and ready :)

With only 6 more weeks left until my due date I am getting increasingly excited and oddly enough, more relaxed. I know that sounds weird because most women start to get nervous but I'm either not to that point yet or I'm a freak!

I'm back...

2008-08-22T11:04:00.003-05:00

Sorry for getting off track the other day. I'm back now and my mind is a little more clear. So, this week has been nice and uneventful, which is exactly how I wanted it after last week!

I went to the doctor yesterday for my 33 week check-up and she said we are both doing great. The appointments are fun because I get to hear her heartbeat and find out if everything is still on-track but other than that its not very exciting. She took my blood pressure which was great, tested for protien in my urine which was good, measured my stomach and said I was measuring right on schedule, and listened to the heartbeat which was nice and strong. Oh yeah, she weighed me and I had gained 1 more pound. I'm actually surprised it wasn't more because this week my belly has really popped and I am feeling and really looking pregnant. The doctor said that McKenna is head-down still which is good but it doesn't mean she won't turn between now and delivery; we're just hoping she doesn't. She also said that she didn't think McKenna would be very big. I found this interesting because I was over 9 pounds and Frank was over 7 pounds as a twin, but I'm 110% fine not having a 9 pound baby!

The always reliable ;) weekly updates say that McKenna should weigh about 4.5 pounds now and be 17 inches long. Its so hard for me to believe that this little life is all curled up inside of me! She is still really moving which is lots of fun for me to watch and still freaks Frank out!

I feel like I'm getting to the point of being very content and ready for whatever our sweet baby brings our way. The nesting has actually slowed down a little and the things that were stressing me out have kind of taken a backseat to the excitement I'm feeling. I had a revelation this week and I realized that at this point the best thing for Frank and I to do is spend as much time together as we can and really enjoy each other's company because in 7 short weeks our lives will change forever. Not that we won't still be able to enjoy each other but our lives will just be different.

I'm feeling great, and like I said, getting big! I've noticed that turning over in bed is becoming a huge chore and most of the time I just go ahead and get out of bed and go to the bathroom and switch sides when I get back in bed. My back also hurts on one side but I'm convinced that I have a pinched nerve or something since its not all-over pain.

I guess that's it for this week's update. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Nikki said I'm slacking...

2008-08-20T16:11:00.007-05:00

Nikki emailed me this morning and told me I was slacking on updating my blog and I just couldn't let that happen! I guess I should have looked to see when my last post was but I didn't so I'm just going to update you and if I've already said it, sorry!

First of all I'm adding a few new pictures. The first one is from mine and Frank's one year anniversary in May... aren't we cute?!?!

The second picture is the progress we've made on McKenna's so far. I'm really excited about how its coming together. We have her furniture now and should have the rest of the bedding this weekend so I'll try to post a new picture next week.

This one is the most recent baby bump picture I have but keep in mind it is over a month old. I will be the first to say I have grown quite a bit since then!

Now for the update...

Last Thursday, 8/14, I woke up in the middle of the night very uncomfortable and with lots of pain in my lower abdomen. I didn’t feel well but I went in to work in hopes that that pain would go away after being up for a little while. Well the pain persisted so I called the doctor and they told me to get in to see Dr. Joykutty right away. I had done a little research on the computer and read all of these horrific things that could cause lower abdominal pain, so when the nurses expressed urgency for me to get to the doctor I panicked. Frank met me and took me to Memorial Herman Southwest where we had to wait quite a while to see Dr. Joykutty because she was delivering a baby. While we waited the nurse ran a urinalysis and said she thought I had a bladder infection but she wanted the doctor to look at the results and let me know. When Dr. Joykutty finally came in she confirmed that was what was going on and that’s what was causing the severe pain. She said that on top of having the infection, McKenna’s head is on my bladder adding to the pain and pressure. After hours of pain and worrying I was more than relieved to know that everything was going to be okay. Dr. Joykutty did an internal exam to be sure my cervix was still closed and we listened to McKenna’s heartbeat and we were on our way home to rest for the day. I can’t tell you the panic and anxiety I had at the thought of something being wrong with me or my baby. It’s a feeling I do not want to experience ever again!

Okay, I'm distracted today... I'll post more tomorrow!

31 weeks and more pictures...

2008-08-11T13:08:00.003-05:00

Above are more pictures from my baby shower. Thanks to Deniese for being the official photographer!

Here is a note for all of the other mom's and mom's-to-be out there... Babies R Us now will not return, exchange, or give store credit for any items without some type of proof of purchase. If its a gift off of your registry you are safe but if it was not on your registry and you do not have a receipt you will not be able to get any type of store credit or credit at all! So, save your receipts for everything. Not that I wanted to take back any of the precious gifts I was given but I heard this news through the grape vine ;)

Last Thursday was my 31 week appointment, and things continue to go well. Little McKenna's heart was just beating as fast and as loud and it could. My blood pressure was normal, protein levels were good, measurements were good, and I gained 2 more pounds! I didn't even haev any questions for the docotor so it was a fast visit. My next appointment is August 21st. I have already pre-regsitered with both hospitals... its getting so close!!

This weekend I also got the bumper pads for McKenna's bed from the lady that made them. They are really cute if I might say! As of now we have a curtain, bed, bumper pads, and sheets so we are making progress but still have a little way to go. I will post pictures of the bedding later this week.

That's all for me, Frank and McKenna for now...

My First Baby Shower

2008-08-05T10:27:00.003-05:00

This weekend Frank's Aunt Pat and cousin Amy and my Aunt Jan hosted my first baby shower! It was very nice, and I could not beleive all of the stuff we got. I will have to say that one of my favorites, and everyone else's too, was a onesie that says "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" Too cute!

I posted a few pictures of me and Frank and our families. Notice how excited Frank looks in the picture of me and him! I'm pretty sure the last thing he wanted to do was come to the baby shower and take pictures with me... at least I let him wait until the end to come, once the gifts had all been opened!

Between Frank and James' birthday Friday, Lindsay's shower Saturday, and my shower Sunday, we had a very fun and busy weekend. I hope all of you are staying dry! I have my next doctor's appointment Thursday so I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again after that!

Only 10 more weeks :)

2008-07-31T09:27:00.002-05:00

With only 10 weeks left until my due date we are starting to get busy and I feel the pressure mounting! This week we met with one potential babysitter and one potential pediatrician. I have been excited for each of these appointment and couldn't figure out why until I realized that all of these meetings and appointments just mean one thing... its getting really close! I'm still at the point where some days I feel like its going to be here tomorrow and some days I feel like its another 6 months away. When I take the time to stop and think about all that we have left to do I'm glad we still have a little time. Next week we are meeting with another babysitter and at least one more doctor; I'll be glad when those decisions are made!

I have my first shower this weekend, and I'm so excited! I can't wait to see all of the cute things we get for McKenna. Since we don't have her furniture yet I'm sure our house will be in slight disarray for a little while after the shower but hopefully we can put the finishing touches on the walls next week and get her furniture in place.

Frank's birthday is Friday, Lindsay has a shower Saturday, and my shower is Sunday so we have a very busy but fun weekend ahead of us.

As week 30 comes to an end things continue to go smoothly. The baby bump is more and more noticeable, although it still seems to come and go depending on what I am wearing. I have had random people start to ask me when I'm due, and others that know I am pregnant say I hardly look pregnant. Again, I think it has lots to do with what I'm wearing. Last weekend I was in a shoe store and the sales lady was attempting to sell me all kinds of extra crap to help take care of my shoes and I kept telling her no thank you. After she asked me if I wanted to buy some kind of special cleaning product and I said no her next question was, "What do you do?" or so I though that's what she said. When I told her I was in banking she gave me the strangest look and didn't say a word. Finally I realized she had asked, "When are you due?" I am just not used to having the very obvious bump but I am loving every minute of it, even having to lean back a little to carry the extra weight!

McKenna has been a great baby. She is very active during the day when I am at work and when I get home and sit for a little while she tends to keep moving but when its time for me to go to bed she must go to sleep too. Lots of people have told me that their baby was the most active at night when they were trying to sleep but she has not kept me awake. The nights I don't sleep well its not because she is kicking and flipping and making me uncomfrtable, its usually because I am restless or my mind won't quit thinking of things I need to do.

I guess that's it for this week. I'll update you next week on all of the baby gifts we get this weekend :)

The 29th week ends with excitment!!

2008-07-24T15:48:00.002-05:00

Well the end of my 29th week has proven to be exciting! The painters are at our house today and from what I hear have already painted both bedrooms; the guest room and McKenna's room. I cannot wait to see them!! The fabric store also called today to tell me that the last of the fabircs I was waiting on for McKenna's bedding is in. Lisa, the lady who is making the bedding, emailed me and said that the curtain for the baby's room is ready too! Oh my goodness, everything is coming together!

I also had my monthly doctor's appointment today with Dr. Joykutty. As always, the first thing they did was weigh me and I had gaiend 2 pounds since my last visit 3 weeks ago. My grand total is now 15 pounds which the doctor said was great. My protein level was good, my blood pressure was good, and she said I was measuring right on track for my due date. We listened to McKenna's hearbeat which was nice and strong and while we were listening McKenna kicked and it made a loud noise in the doppler-thingy! Dr. Joykutty told me to start taking over the counter iron supplements to help my body prepare for the birth of the baby and told me she would see me back in 2 weeks. She asked me where I wanted to deliver and casually said something about inducing but not until the 39th week. I'm sure you will all be mad at me for this but I'm not even sure why she said that. It caught me so off-guard I didn't even ask any questions. My initial thought is that its because she isn't typically on call at the hospital where I want to deliver so if we schedule it, we will be assured that she's there. I know it has nothing to do with McKenna or my pregnancy because everything is perfect so far.

Until I have something else exciting to post...

Sleep... I just want a little!

2008-07-22T09:18:00.003-05:00

Its Monday night / Tuesday morning at 3:53am and guess who is still awake?? That's right, me!! I laid in bed from 9:15 until 1:00 trying to go to sleep but tossing and turning and then I couldn't stand it anymore, I broke down and cried and cried... To make matters worse while I am stuggling to get a few hours of sleep Frank is snoring his butt off, apparently resting very soundly! Now I'm really crying and pissed! So I decide its time to wake him up so that he can be miserable with me. I'm not sure what I thought he was going to do for me other than be awake with me and quit snoring. He got me some water, rubbed my back, let me cry on him... what an angel! About 1:45 I calmed down and told him to go to sleep, I would be fine. After laying there for 2 more hours I looked at the clock for the last time at 3:53 this morning. Now here I am at work, trying to function on 3 hours of sleep, 2 nights in a row!

I know what all of you mom's out there are thinking, "just get ready..." Don't get me wrong, I am ready and excited; the difference is when McKenna gets here and I am only getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep, when I am awake at 2:00 in the morning there will be a good reason! This is the time I am supposed to be resting up for her arrival. I keep telling myself that I'm just getting an early start on being prepared for the sleepless nights but I know that sometimes Daddy will be able to get up and feed McKenna and I can rest a little. However, Daddy cannot sleep for me... although he tries sometimes! If any of you already-moms have any suggestions as to how I might be able to rest better at night I welcome your thoughts and insight :) The body pillow was a lifesaver for a while but its not cutting it anymore!

Food aversions and Target-girl inspiration!!!

2008-07-17T09:08:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!! I just thought I should give you an update since its been a little while.

On my lunch break Tuesday I went to Target to see if there was anything else I wanted to register for. After quickly discovering that I had already picked everything I wanted from there, and much more from Babies R Us, I ventured in to the food section of Target to find myself something to eat... surprise, surprise! As I was walking around this section I noticed this very cute blond headed girl that just looked like she was sooooo happy; I kind of wanted to knock her out... who is that happy?!?!? After seeing her on 2 or 3 different aisles I finally noticed that she was pregnant and looked to be about as far along as me. It was then that it hit me, she had "the glow!" She was dressed cute, had makeup on, and had the mommy-to-be glow. So I made a decision in that moment that I am going to make more of an effort to dress cute and smile more because people notice. Of course, this girl probably doesn't work, has $1MM in the bank, and has a nanny, maid, private nurse, personal shopper.... but that's no excuse! We'll see how long I can stick with this plan to be cuter but for now, Target chick better watch out!!!!

Now for part 2 of this update: growing up Nikki and I could not beleive that Mom didn't like cold cheese... who doesn't eat cold cheese? I think Nikki lived on it for 2 or 3 years! Mom likes melted cheese but she cannot stand cold cheese of any kind. Well everyone, I'm officially turning in to my mom! I've discovered my second food aversion... cold cheese! I have tired eating it twice this week and its a no-go! The first time I thought maybe the cheese was bad, althgouh it was not expired, so I threw it out. I opened a new package that does not expire until September and I put it on a salad; I could not even eat the salad!! PS-my first aversion is the smell of raw meat. I've never "liked" it but I could tolerate it, but now I gag when I smell any type of raw meat. And if I smell it and then try to eat it after its cooked, I have to go dig in the freezer and find some waffles!

On to the more meaningful news... Today is the end of my 28th week of carrying and caring for our little girl. I can't believe that I've officially entered my last trimester! I'm really trying to get organized and get things put in place but it makes it hard with not having her furniture yet. The painter was supposed to come Tuesday and give us a final estimate so that he could get started but he had to cancel; now its going to be next Tuedsday before we can start. Once he gets her room painted I can make the final payment on her furniture and have them deliver it so that I can get her clothes off of the floors and out of the bins they are packed in and put them up. Lindsay gave me about 12 huge rubber tubs full of Cori's old clothes, from newborn to 3T, so I have been having fun going through those and seeing what we have to look forward to. McKenna will definitelty be one of the best dressed kids around!!

This week's updates say that McKenna should weigh about 2.5 pounds and be close to 15inches long. Over the next 12 weeks, give or take, she will gain weight more rapidly as she stores up some body fat... we want a healthy, chunky little girl ;)

I still feel great but I'm definitely starting to feel pregnant! The baby bump is very evident now and people have started taking notice and asking me about the baby. My back hurts on occassion but never anything bad. The goal for the rest of this pregnancy is to walk at least 3 days a week, eat good foods, and GLOW!!!!!

4th of July with Yaya and Paya

2008-07-08T15:55:00.009-05:00

(This picture was at Whitewater, an awesome, real grass putt putt course!)

Over the weekend we went to stay with Yaya and Paya (my mom and dad) for the 4th of July... Thanks for a great weekend Mom and Dad! The guys played lots of golf and we spent some time shopping. Since I have become very conservative, shall we say, we shopped at fun places like WalMart, Bealls, Home Depot, and Dollar General. However, Mom and I did manage to squeeze in one stop at Accent’s Boutique so that we could order our little bundle of joy a name cutout for her room :) I’m so excited! It’s a hot pink, wooden, “McKenna” cutout that is lined on the edges with black and the name is covered with hot pink glitter! It’s going to look so cute on her lime green wall behind her bed.

Sunday I got her stroller and car seat! Frank put them together for me that night; there was minor assembly required. They are really cute. I had not seen them in person, just online so I was a little nervous about how they would look but I love them! And they will be perfect for use with a boy if we happen to have one of those one day ;) Our painter will be back in town next week so hopefully within a couple of weeks we’ll have her room painted so that I can get her furniture delivered and get David and Frank to put her bed together. It’s all getting more and more exciting by the day.

McKenna is still very active and her movements are higher now than they have been. I guess as she is getting bigger and is starting to move up where she has more room. Today she is especially busy because I have pants on that hit me about mid-belly and she does not like things that fit tight around her. As soon as I pull the pants to where they are not against my stomach she quits kicking! They are maternity pants and are really stretchy but I guess she is just territorial and does not want anything in her space!

I am still feeling good. I’ve had a couple of cramps in my lower left side of my abdomen but they have both happened when I really had to go to the bathroom. They are pretty bad, to where I need to sit down or lay down until they pass but I think I’ve learned now not to wait that long to go to the bathroom!

13 pounds?!?!?!

2008-07-03T10:57:00.003-05:00

Today was my monthly appointment with my doctor and also my day to do my glucose test for gestational diabetes. I was afraid I was going to have to drink 3 gallons of chalky stuff like people have to do when they have colonoscopies (right Nikki, Lindsay, Dad, Daddy Frank...??) but I just had to drink a 10 ounce bottle of fruit punch flavored watery stuff. It was not bad at all! Once I drank that I had to wait an hour before they drew my blood so the doctor went ahead and saw me during that time. Of course the first thing they did was weigh me, and I had gained 7 pounds in 5 weeks for a grand total of 13 pounds!!! Boy was I surprised! In the first 20 weeks I gained 6 pounds and in 5 weeks I have gained 7?!?!! Dr. Joykutty said that she was not concerned and 13 pounds is not a lot.. phew! She then followed that up by saying she only wants me to gain 20-25 pounds total. I guess I better cut back on the Lucky Charms and cookies every night! Its time to switch to fruit and whole wheat toast :)

She listened to McKenna's heartbeat and said it was nice and strong and her growth is good. After a very short examination she said she would see me in 3 weeks and after that appointment I will start going in every 2 weeks. Now I realize how close we really are to having our first baby! Today is my 26 week mark so going by the book that only leaves 14 weeks until I am due. It seems like a long time when I think about it like that but when I hear things like its time for me to start going to the doctor twice a month it seems so close!

Lindsay went with me to register at Babies R Us on Tuesday; thank you again Lindsay!!! We were there for 2.5 hours going down the list of suggested items to register for. I seriously don't know what I would have done if Lindsay, or someone else who already had a baby, had not been there. There were so many things that I hadn't even thought of and so many things that I didn't really care about or know what to pick. How do you decide what kind of bottles and pacifiers are best if you don't know how your baby will take to them? I guess its a shot in the dark and you hope for the best. Either way, we picked some really cute and fun things!

Our stroller and car seat are supposed to be delivered to our house today. I went ahead and ordered the infant car seat and stroller that I wanted because they were discontinuing that specific model and it was the only one I found that I liked. I can't wait to get home and see it and figure out how everything works! I think I am going to go ahead and put the car seat in my car so that I can get accustomed to it... okay, maybe not quite yet!

Finally a Picture!!

2008-07-01T10:32:00.002-05:00

Awwww... isn't she the cutest thing?? Thanks to my sweet little sister, I am finally able to post a picture of our little McKenna. This picture is from the first ultrasound we had done on May 21st. (The pictures from our last ultrasound did not turn out so well since her foot was on her head!) At the time of this picture she was 19 weeks and weighed less than a pound. She is now 25 weeks and from what I've read, today she weighs closer to 2 pounds and is over a foot long. Its amazing how fast they grow once they get to the 1 pound mark. And its just as amazing how fast I've grown! After 25 weeks of waiting I believe I am finally starting to look pregnant. It happened just like everyone said it would, kind of over night.

I go back to see the doctor Thursday and will do my glucose test for gestational diabetes. I'll post another update after that appointment.

Thanks Nikki for helping me post my first picture! Love you :)

Great News x Two

2008-06-24T11:35:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday morning (June 19th) Frank, my mom (Yaya), Frank's mom (Gran), and I went to the hospital for a follow-up anatomy scan and got to see our little McKenna again! Much like her dad, she was being a little bit uncooperative and had one of her legs up around her head, with her toe on her nose at one point! It made it hard to get a good profile picture but was pretty cute to see. I asked the doctor if she was like that because she was uncomfortable or didn't have enough room to move, and she said no, babies just get in these positions. The tech took all of her measurements and counted fingers, toes, eyes, etc. Everything "looked great" according to the tech... yeah!!! On an even better note, the small cyst the she had when they did the last anatomy scan was gone!! From the time of our last appointment until this one I did lots of research which all said that more than likely the cyst was nothing to worry about. As both doctors explained it to me, the cyst is like a pimple that forms and goes away. However, I was still very relieved to know it was gone even though we were not supposed to worry. McKenna's measurements indicated that she weighed about 1 pound, 5 ounces, and I am a few days further behind than originally estimated but not enough to change the due date.

Yesterday Lindsay and David went in for their follow-up scan and found out that Ty's cyst is gone too!! I know they are relieved too. Now lets just pray Lindsay has some relief from the pain of her separating pelvic bone.

I'm a little ashamed to admit this but... McKenna made her first trip to the casino this weekend! I was off Monday so Frank and I decided to make one last trip to Lake Charles because we know once she gets here we will not be going for a very long time. Let me just say, its NO fun to gamble when you don't have money to gamble with. Its sooooo much nicer to go when our Daddy's are financing the trip! Thank goodness our room was comped and so was all of our food. We gambled a little and spent a little time out at the pool but mostly just took it easy. We won enough money to put everything we withdrew back in to our account and pay for our gas; that's definitely a winning weekend in my eyes!!

With being off last Friday and this Monday it was very nice to get to relax and enjoy some quiet time with my growing girl and my sweet husband. Now its back to reality.... Y-U-C-K!!!

27 years....

2008-06-11T09:51:00.004-05:00

I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on the last 27 years of my life... Born and raised in Refugio, TX (more or less) this quiet, introverted girl who did not like to leave home, graduated from Refugio High School and decided to attend college at A&M, (after many years of being a Longhorn); this was the first of many surprises to come over the next 10 years! So off to College Station I went and then things really started to change! Nikki will be the first to tell you that I left home barely talking and came back for the first time after leaving and never shut up! Then after college, and a little breather where I stayed home for a few months, I was off again, this time to Houston! I spent 3 years going out, dating here and there, and pretty much spending every weekend with Erin seeing what kind of trouble we could get in to... then it happened. I met Frank and yet another surprise took place. 10 weeks after our first "date" we were engaged! WHAT??? What's going on here, this was not part of the plan! I was not going to get married until I was 30. But as they say, things happen for a reason, and I couldn't have been happier. At 25 I was engaged and married before I turned 26! Frank and I decided we were going to wait a couple of years to have children and 2 months later I was visiting the doctor talking about starting a family. Once again, WHAT??? Now I am 27, have been married for a year and on my 27th birthday I am also celebrating my 23rd week of pregnancy! Life is awesome!!!

So to all of my friends and family, most especially my mom and dad, I want to say thank you for making the last 27 years unforgettable! I can't wait to see what the next 27 years have in store. Its weird to think that in 27 years I will have an almost-27 year old! Love you all :)

22 Weeks / Grasyn's Baptism

2008-06-09T11:12:00.002-05:00

Since I haven't posted any updates in a while, this is a combo update from the end of week 22 and from this weekend. So last Thursday marked the end of week 22 of my pregnancy. I still feel great other than being tired. My weekly updates say that McKenna's eye lids, lips, and eyebrows are now forming. She is covered in a fine hair which forms on all babies and eventually falls off... of course, Frank and I are both hairy bears so hopefully we do not have a baby cub! Yesterday she was acting more like a baby gymnast or kick boxer maybe. It was the most active day she has had so far. I looked at my belly for about 10 minutes, just watching all of the movements. It wasn't just kicks, it was kind of a rolling movement, and she must have been kicking and punching at the same time because there was all kinds of activity going on at both ends of my stomach.

One of my very good friends, Coty, asked me to be a sponsor for her baby, Grasyn, so Saturday afternoon I wento Brenham to see them and attend her baptism Sunday. Grasyn is getting so big and looks just like her daddy... sorry Coty! This is another instance where if I was good with a camera I would post a picture of her but... At church Grasyn was really good until about 5 minutes before it was time for her to be baptized and she decided she was not happy! Of course, she got through it and looked like a little princess. Thanks to Coty and Brad for asking me to take a special role in her life. We are excited to be joining the girl gang!!

Poor Frank...

2008-05-29T16:20:00.003-05:00

I have to take this opportunity to say that although he drives me crazy sometimes, Frank is a great husband! Last night about 8:00 I have a panic attack or anxiety attack or something goofy. I felt like I wanted to run around the block 3 or 4 times, my heart was racing, I was sweating and could not breathe. Frank called Lindsay and she told me to just relax and take some deep breaths but I still felt like I was going crazy. I finally calmed down enough where I thought I could take a bath so Frank was kind enough to treat me like Alex did Rebbecca on Grey's Anatomy last week! The bath made me feel tons better... until about 2:00 in the morning when it happened again.

I woke up and was hungry so at 2:00 Frank got up and cut an apple up for me. After I ate half of the apple I still felt like poop so I started crying again and woke him up again so that he could feel sorry for me. He's always very compassionate and does whatever he can to help but I think all I really wanted was to curl up and cry and he let me... the joys of pregnancy :) Thank God for Frank being so patient with me!

My First Blog

2008-05-28T14:55:00.005-05:00

I decided that I am going to be a little more organized with the birth of our first child than I was with our wedding. I realize most people do not create blogs until the baby actually arrives but I know myself all too well and its going to take me a while to get the hang of this so I figured I better start now.

As I'm sure all of you know by now, May 21st Frank and I found out the we are going to have a little GIRL!! McKenna Lyn is expected to meet the world on October 10th and we could not be more excited! I am sure I'm driving Frank crazy because I am in nesting mode and I am ready for all of the preparations to be done now!

Last week marked the half-way point for me with the pregnancy and things have been wonderful. I know all of you mom's and mom's-to-be out there who suffered morning sickness and all of the other horrific things you hear about are going to hate me for saying this but pregnancy has been very easy for me so far. About 2 weeks ago I felt McKenna kick for the first time and it was a life changing experience. For the first time reality hit me and I knew without a doubt that there was a life growing inside of me... either that or an alien has invaded my body!

I'm going to do my best to update this website occassionally but its really intended to help everyone keep up with McKenna when she gets here. So until then just save the web address :)