6 Years Married & 30 Weeks Pregnant!

This was a big week of small milestones! On Sunday, Philip and I celebrated 6 blissful years of marriage. Blissful, challenging, fun, exciting, memorable, ups, downs, moving away, moving back, job changes, 4 houses...that's our marriage! And while it's not always perfect, it's perfect for us! We have had a lot of experiences in our 6 years of marriage and 9 years of being together. Who would have known all that would lie ahead of us when we said "I do" in 2004! Hard to believe that it's 2010 now, and we have lived in 3 different states, now on our 4th house (one we plan to be in for a long time to come), taking the biggest risk 3 1/2 years ago by moving to MS and the incredible, marriage-strengthening memories that we made while down there...and then the blessing we received when we decided to move back HOME to Atlanta. We made a choice to hold-off on starting a family until we moved back to Atlanta, and now here we are...so happy to be surrounded by family and friends in our hometown, and celebrating 6 past years of just the 2 of us (plus Hunter!), now expecting our beloved #3...we're starting our family in nearly two short months. So here's to half a dozen wonderful years with my hubby, my best friend, and my partner in the parenthood journey to come...I love you!

This week also marked Kinsley's leap from the 20's to the 30's! We hit the 30-week mark today, and we had another great routine OB check-up to "celebrate" yesterday! We are both moving right along! Hunter and I went over to eat a yummy dinner (and play with Pal) at Dan and Ang's last night since Philip was out of town with work, and my mom snapped some updated belly shots of me! Look out, waistline - Kinsley is growing bigger every day and it shows!!!

First Baby Shower at 29 Weeks!

Yesterday my sweet girlfriends - Kelly, Kristy, Jenny, and Jennifer - hosted a baby shower for me and Kins! These four girls are 4 of my best friends since college and were 4 my bridesmaids that threw me a bridal shower in the very same house a little over 6 years ago. And while Kelly lives out in the 'burbs of Atlanta like us(but in the opposite direction), Kristy drove in Savannah, Jennifer drove in with her 2 boys from DC, and Jenny flew all the way in from Ithaca, NY! It was so special and sooo much appreciated that all four of them were here! We had a great time catching up and laughing before and after the party...ahem, laughing a little too hard a times! And here are we now. I sat in the same chair yesterday to open baby gifts that I sat in 6 years ago to open wedding gifts. Funny how life comes full circle!

This shower was our traditional get-together of Alpha Chi's from college that always celebrate one-another's baby showers, weddings, bridal showers, and Christmas! My mom, Philip's mom, Angela and Kelly (the soon-to-be aunts) were also there! And I absolutely had a blast! It was the first time I was like, "hey, all of this pink stuff is for me...this is real...not much longer before she's here!" We got adorable girlie clothes, useful new-mom stuff, and lots of special new-baby items for Kinsley that will make my life easier for sure. Every detail was so perfect, from the food, to the decorations, to the games...all

I can say is thank you...I feel blessed to know that our sweet girl will have so many of my girlfriends waiting to meet her one day soon!

Favorite signs these days...

As we roll towards the 29 week mark, I thought I would share a few of my favorite signs to see when I pull into a parking lot - found these at work, at Publix, and at Best Buy...but I am certain that I will be wishing I saw these more often in the next 3 months!

3rd trimester...here we come!

On Thursday we hit the 28 week mark, technically the start of the 3rd trimester! I can't believe it...we began this life-changing journey with a positive pregnancy test back on August 11th, and now here it is, the end of January, and we are nearly 80 days away from meeting our baby girl (give or take a few days...depending on when she makes her grand entrance)! Things are really starting to kick-in now: time to really start making sure that we have thing in order. We started off Friday night by celebrating our entrance into the final phase of our pregnancy with a really nice "date night" together, and then met up with fellow-preggers friends Jason and Heather for dinner Saturday night...we are really trying to take advantage of these last several weeks where it's still just the two of us!

This past Wednesday we got more good news during our 28 week appt...Kinsley and I are "exactly where we should be" (according to the doctor) as far as growth, and her heartbeat is still strong. We will now be starting our every-2-weeks appts from here on out. Another great piece of news: the results of my blood glucose screening and iron tests both came back NORMAL! So that means no risk for gestational diabetes, and baby girl & I don't have to worry about food the rest of the pregnancy......if we want a milkshake - or two - then we can indulge! :)

Up next this week: our first baby shower on Saturday thrown by my wonderful friends Kristy, Kelly, Jennifer, and Jenny! Then, Philip and I are celebrating our 6-year anniversary on Sunday. Six years??? I can't believe how much we have experienced in these 9 years total of being together...and all that lies ahead of us - it's going to be quite a ride this year, that's for sure!

Baby Kinsley in 3D!

Today, we got to see our precious baby girl up close! What an incredible experience! After going back and forth about doing or not doing the 3D photos, we are SO glad that we did it...it was worth every penny to see our baby girl! This afternoon, Philip and I headed up to a place called Baby's First Images up in Alpharetta, and both of our mom's met us up there to take a sneak peak at their grandbaby! What an experience! We walked into a room with the ultrasound tech and there was seating to the side of the exam table and a huge screen on the wall that projected the images from the ultrasound, so we didn't all have to crowd around a small computer screen. It was awesome! Philip stood next to me and our moms sat next to us, all of us just staring at the large screen on the wall of our little one...each of us tearing up, laughing, calling out "oh my gosh, look at that...leg, hand, face, etc". And we got to hear her strong heartbeat on the sound system in the room - it was all priceless! Kinsley, from what we saw, loves keeping her hands (and her feet -

seems she's very flexible) up by her face, was actually playing with her feet, opened and closed her eyes and her mouth constantly, and even she gave us a few smiles - one particular smile came when I started talking to her...ah, that was my favorite moment by far. And we confirmed that our Kinsley's still a mover (even the ultrasound tech commented on her constant moving and squirming, which is a great thing), but she did fully cooperate in the short 15 minutes we were in there to get us some pretty great shots...here are a couple of our baby girl that we get to meet in 89 days...and wow, if this experience today didn't make us even more excited to meet her...wow...

Here's our baby girl...I cannot believe that she is looking like a "real baby." I mean, I read in books and websites what she's supposed to look like by 27 weeks, but it was amazing to see her here as this sweet baby, with a nose and eyes and chubby cheeks and fingers and toes. We are already in love with her.

Here's her big, round, sweet face...she seems to be grunting or something. Maybe frowning cause we woke her up. Sorry baby girl, I needed you awake for these 15 minutes! :)

This one's hard to see clearly, but she's rubbing her eyes and we got a clear shot of her little arm, hand, and fingers!

Open eyes and a big yawn and hands up by her face.

Side profile shot with her right arm and hand up by her face, and both legs and feet also up by her face...as I said above, she seems to be very flexible and quite comfortable this way!

Below is some video that they gave us from the session...it doesn't show the back of her head - don't freak out - because of where the ultrasound waves were hitting. But you get to see a good profile shot, her opening and closing her mouth, and then at around 18-19 seconds in, Kinsley starts playing with her foot up by the right side of her face, and you really see here move her feet back and forth at around the 27 second mark!

27 Weeks and Updates!

We are 27 weeks today - and so much to update on! As you can see (yep, back to a bare-belly update shot), my baby bump is getting MUCH more pronounced these days! We are 1 week from our 3rd trimester and I cannot believe how quickly this process has gone by. I am going to relish every last moment of housing our sweet baby girl in my belly, keeping her safe, warm, and growing...until the day we get to meet her face to face.

We decided to get out our first baby item: the stroller. I love it. We are trying to get Hunter used to the idea that this will be around for a while, and this will be his new walking companion. So we walk laps around the first floor of the house, and he doesn't seem to mind the new equipment. I even downloaded a "crying baby" app on our iTouch to see how he would react to the sound, and he seems very curious so far, which is only natural, so that's good.

Speaking of Hunter, he is still the baby of the house for 3 more months, and we decided to give him his own special treat...every night or so, he gets a few good licks from his own frozen 1/2 gallon of Mayfield vanilla ice cream...what a treat! He is THE happiest dog you have ever seen when that yellow container comes out!

Another big update: on Monday, we enrolled Kinsley in The Goddard School in Sandy Springs, literally a 5 minute drive down the road from my office. It is such a prestigious place and with 7 infant spots filled after they have only been open for 2 weeks, we were the lucky #8 spot. We now have a "plan"...I am a planner...I have to have a plan. The teachers and owner were really great, and the whole place - being brand new - was spotless. It's not cheap, that's for sure, but our little girl will be in good hands when I have to go back to work in July...that is, when she is not in the hands of her mama, daddy, or grandparents during the day. :)

Final update: so, today was an interesting day, but one that ended well. This morning, I started getting what I can only describe as menstrual cramps. Unusual. Especially for me, who has felt nothing but fantastic this whole pregnancy...in fact, I told the nurses today that if it weren't for Kinsley's kicks and the fact that my normal clothes don't fit anymore, I wouldn't know I am pregnant sometimes. I have been lucky and felt really great. But today, I just felt crampy, different, not what I have felt before. Kinsley was a little "quiet" as well, so my doctor asked that I come on over to Northside...no, not to my regular doctor's office near Northside, but the real Northside, the Labor and Delivery. That freaked me out to say the least. I arrived about 1:00 and Philip got there soon after (and thank goodness, he was great - made me laugh, watched Ellen with me, brought me McDonalds when I started to get ravenous hungry...he's going to be amazing when the "real thing" happens). After a few tests and constant heart monitoring on Kinsley and contraction monitoring on me, we were finally discharged at 6:00pm and told I was just having a case on "prenatal cramping." False alarm. Whew. In fact, Kinsley decided to really kick her activity up a notch when were was being monitored, scooting away from the doppler whenever she could, and always giving them a strong heartbeat between 140 and 155. Better safe than sorry. I am already impressed with that hospital. The ironic part of all this...Philip and I just took our hospital tour last night, so we knew exactly where to go today. Also ironic? We ran smack into our tour-guide from last night when we were leaving, but she was glad to hear that we were all good and "there would be no baby today." What a day. So, no need to panic - we are still healthy and cruising right along into our 3rd trimester next week, although I just have to remember to "take it easy," as the nurse put it. Will do.

Up next? Saturday we go for our 3D Ultrasound! Rest assured that up-close pictures of our baby girl will soon follow!

Snow!

We finally got some snow, although it was more like a light dusting (that really turned into more of a burden as ice on the roads) than a beautiful snowfall. The sun started melting the snow in the front yard before I could snap some pics, but I got some of the backyard. I think I am officially tired of the Winter cold weather and I am ready to open our pool, green grass, flowers blooming, and warmer Spring weather!

Week 26: Here's What's Happening!

I just thought this was so cool, I had to post....Kinsley can now "see"...well, she can sort-of see, I guess. Her sweet eyes are now open. Unbelieveable. I wonder if they will be blue like mine, or blue-green like her daddy's.

Week 26 of Pregnancy: Baby's Eyes Open

Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months — are now beginning to open. Your baby's brain-wave activity is also kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them.

Look who's looking. Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are beginning to open at 26 weeks pregnant. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). But do try this at home for kicks (baby's that is): Shine a flashlight at your stomach. Your baby might kick in response (as in: "Get that light out of my eyes!"). The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.

Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.
And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight (about nine inches tall and two pounds), and at the rate he or she is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.

New Years!

It's 1/3/2010. I cannot believe that I just typed that date as the current and correct year. Wow - what a year 2009 was! Philip and I were talking the other day about what a great past year this has been for us. We bought a new house (which is now truly our home - for a long time to come), bought a new car, found out we are expecting our first baby, had a pretty great pregnancy so far with a little one growing as healthy as I could hope for inside me, found out that our baby will be a precious little girl, and I ended the year by getting a new job within our company that I think will be a great role for me...actually, we both have our jobs, which is a blessing in itself. And we have the most incredible family and friends. I feel so blessed. We have so much to be thankful for! And 2010 is surely going to be one of the most memorable years yet...our life as we know it is getting ready to change forever - and in a way, it already has. We will celebrate our 6 yr wedding anniversary in January. And we will expand our family in April...I can't believe it...what used to seem so far away months ago, is really is not far away now at all! Kinsley is so present in every aspect of our lives already - Philip and I are so excited to meet her in person and fall in even more love with her once she is here.

So, here's to 2010 and all the ups and downs (and praying for more "ups") that come along with it! I am happy to say that I made it to midnight on New Years Eve...well, barely! I toasted with our friends (with yummy sparkling grape juice, of course) and kissed my hubby as we headed into 2010!

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.