25 Weeks & Looking Forward to New Years!

Here are some updated baby bump shots at pretty-much the 25-week mark (which is actually tomorrow)...clothed this time, no bare-belly...although, next time I should try not to wear a red shirt against our red dining room walls. Hunter also hopped in for the photo opp...I'll pat my tummy and say "baby," and I normally get a cold, wet nose to the belly button - Kinsley surely loves it! :)

Another great think about pregnancy: it helps you rekindle friendships from the past! Below is a photo with a friend of mine, Heather...we started at Newell Rubbermaid together back in 2002 in Atlanta, have kept in touch since then, and discovered a few months back on Facebook (ahh, the wonders of FB) that we are not only expecting 2 baby girls 2 weeks apart, but we also live about 3 miles away from one another and have hubby's who are in the same field of work. We met up for dinner last night with our guys and grabbed this side-by-side belly shot of our girls, Kinsley and Leighton! I told Heather that she basically put a volleyball under her shirt to take this pic - seriously, adorable!

Looking forward to New Year's Eve tomorrow! Pretty sure I wil be asleep by midnight, but I will try to stay up to welcome in 2010 with my sweet hubby, pup, and baby girl-on-the-way!

24 Weeks on Dec 24th & Christmas 2009!

We hit Kinsley's 24 week mark on Dec. 24th - Christmas Eve! And what a great Christmas! We missed being with Philip's family this year as they were all up in PA - just wasn't the same. But we couldn't make the trip up there with being preggers and Philip's knee surgery that we managed to thankfully squeeze into 2009! So, it was Christmas with my family this year! After a few days of recuperating from the knee surgery last Monday, it was finally Christmas Eve! We went to church with my parents and Dan and Ang, then off to Ted's for dinner before back to their house with our pups to spend the night. As you can see from the Christmas morning pics above, Santa definitely knew where we were staying this year! Don't you just love Christmas AM pics - everyone looks so fresh-faced! We had a great time gift-opening... we even got a special gift addressed "To: Mommy and Daddy, From: Kinsley" for her to use once she's here...and Hunter had a great time opening his gifts, as you can see! And then a family tradition at the Marshall house on Christmas morning: Beignets! I think they are actually better than the ones at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans! I am not sure why I decided to take a bare-belly shot in front of the tree AFTER I had taken down about 6-7 of those beignets, but I am pretty sure that Kinsley thought that they were as delicious as I did! So here's my growing baby bump shot in front of the Christmas tree at 24 weeks - next Christmas will be amazing with her in our life!

23 (almost 24) Weeks!

Philip snapped this photo of me in front of the tree last night after a long day at the hospital for his knee surgery...whew, how I am growing! But that means that she's growing, so I couldn't be happier! I love to read my weekly updates on her growth status, and this week's is pretty cool!

Your Baby
Your baby isn't just sitting around (on your bladder) doing nothing, she's working hard preparing for life outside the womb—perfecting her lungs and packing on the pounds. She'll gain ½ pound this week alone. Other highlights this week:

Things are starting to get a little crowded inside the old womb as baby grows bigger and bigger. Your ribs are probably pining away for the good old days when they didn't have a foot permanently lodged between them. Hate to break it to you, but it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Your baby's ears are fully functional now. And since they are, you may notice that loud noises and sudden movements can startle the little bugger. She's getting used to the everyday sounds inside the womb: the sound of your heart beating, your lungs inhaling and exhaling air, the growling of your stomach because your partner promised he'd be right back with that double cheeseburger and he's taking forever! She'll even be able to hear your voice!

Baby's got a fully developed inner ear now. This means her sense of balance is working and she can tell whether she's hanging upside down or right side up. She can also feel you moving, so go ahead, pop in your favorite tunes and boogie.

Philip's Early Christmas "Gift": Knee Surgery

So we started off this week of Christmas with a trip to Piedmont hospital for Philip's knee surgery. It was actually the first time in the 9 years that we have known one another that he has had to go through something like this. Nothing like an already hormonal, pregnant female going back to kiss her husband goodbye as they wheel him off to surgery. Yep, I teared up quite a bit. But all went really well...better than expected, actually. We were told the worst case scenario would be a titanium screw in his knee if Dr. Royster (who was wonderful by the way) got in there and bone was exposed, and 1-2 nights in the hospital. But instead, we got the best case scenario: the planned lateral release and scope and back at home by later that afternoon. Philip's cartilage was pretty torn-up behind his knee cap - I have both pictures and a recording of the surgery to prove it - but should be all smoothed out now, so hopefully no more pain! And the lateral release of his tendon should keep his knee cap from dislocating again. He will be back to his full-strength, healthy-self in no time!

As for me, I am officially off till New Years from work - what a nice break! I cannot remember a busier December ever work-wise...basically juggling 2 jobs at 5 months pregnant got to be really wearing on me. I didn't even leave the office last Friday until almost 7:00, but well worth it to get everything done in preparation for some time off. I officially took over my new role this past week, with it really kicking into high gear at the first of the year. So right now I am really just concerned about helping Philip recover (and that's a full-time job as he's not getting around very easily yet), resting, and getting last minute Christmas shopping / cards done. Hunter is LOVING having both of us at home...in fact, today's schedule consists of sleeping by the fire and watching the various bad Christmas movies on TV.

Kinsley continues to be doing great and letting me know she's in there at all times of the day - even the early hours of the morning when she thinks it's time to play. :) She is obviously growing bigger everyday as it is becoming even more evident these days that I am very pregnant...I will update with a growing belly shot soon!

The Big 3-0!

I cannot believe it, even as I am sitting here...I am in my 30th year of life on earth. I am so blessed. It is funny - I have told the story a few times today of what I always pictured on my "30th birthday."...nothing short of Carrie and the girls on Sex & The City...dressed to the nines, probably even in NYC, a Cosmo in hand...well, it is a little bit different than what I pictured years ago, but my blessings are so abundant. Even though a lot of family was out of town today, including Philip for work, I did have a wonderful dinner with Mary, Tom, and Kelly...it was so sweet of them to make sure I wasn't alone tonight, and we had a great time and a great dinner! I had phone calls and messages from so many friends and family...it was great. As I sit here, I am reflecting on how lucky I am and how God has blessed me so far...I have an amazing husband, loving family, the best dog ever, a wonderful house to call home, a new job that I think I am going to really enjoy (and my new role became official today, as a matter of fact)...and oh-so-important, a healthy baby girl growing bigger and stronger every day inside me.

We had a 22 / 23 week check-up yesterday: Kinsley's heartbeat - easily detectible this time...no more hiding in there - was still loud and strong at 140 bmp, she is estimated about 1.25 - 1.5 lbs (it's about time, since her mamma has put on well over that amount), and the "size of my uterus" is where it should be...and much to my amazement, that means over my belly button...seriously, they measured my belly with measuring tape. Crazy! I am really, really starting to notice the changes in my body, especially over these past few weeks. She is moving constantly - which I L-O-V-E. Somersaults, kicks, punches...she is having a party in there. And when I feel her moving about, I feel like everything is okay. Kinsley is already changing my life...changing our life. She is going to make my 30th year the most memorable yet.

The first weekend of December!

It was a great first weekend of December 2009! Started off Friday night with our annual AXO Christmas party, which was held at our house this year! It was great to see everyone (although there were quite a few that couldn't make it and were sooo missed), and there were actually 4 of us there that were pregnant! It was fun to be able to talk with the "experienced" mommies about their new babies and to the other expectant mom's-to-be about everything that we are going through together!

Then it was off to the mountains on Saturday with a group of friends. Lot's a great photos below of my growing belly and beautiful mountain views in the freezing cold! It was a great time to get away and relax. You know your defintely in the full swing of pregnancy when you actually look preggers in a sweater!!! Ashley and Lauren even kissed my belly in a photo (underneath that big bulky sweatshirt) for good luck! Kinsley is going to be blessed to have so many people excited to meet her in April!

21 Weeks and Kickin'!

We are 21 weeks today, and last night was big night for Philip...we had just finished up dinner and I was sitting on the couch when Kinsley starting kicking away. I placed my hand on the outside of my belly, and there was no doubt I could feel her kick against the palm of my hand! I called for Philip to get in here, muted the TV (not sure why - maybe I thought the sound of TMZ in the background would be distracting), placed his hand where mine was and asked him to be patient while I barely moved a muscle...then she kicked...hard...twice! (I think she is going to be a soccer player...Philip thinks dancer because she moves a lot when there is music around). He felt some little flutters and then the two strong kicks right to my abdomen! His facial expression was priceless...a HUGE smile. My favorite thing that he keeps saying to me is, "I cannot wait to meet her"...well that, and asking every time we chat over the phone at work, or when we are getting ready for bed, or waking up in the morning: "how are you, babe...and how's our little Kinsley?" This is one daddy-to-be that cannot to meet his little girl...although I think I might have scared him last night when I asked if he thought she would be an avid shopper like her momma... :)