week 39

i figured i should sneak a blog post in before the baby comes seeing as it has been four months since i last wrote.  yikes!  where has the time gone?  this week has been rather eventful as we have been getting a bunch of last minute things done before our little girl makes her appearance.  i find myself thinking about the baby and labor almost nonstop and am filled with all kinds of emotions from anxiousness to excitement to panic.  fortunately, the excitement and joy outweighs everything else because in a few short days we will be snuggling our baby whom we have been so eager to meet.  in addition to preparing for kyla, david has been landscaping our yard by himself, sprinkler system and all.  not exactly an easy task with this texas heat and hard soil, but he has learned so much and tries to make a little progress everyday (pictures to come).

so i am pretty sure i won't really miss being pregnant, but there are some perks.
1. feeling and watching the baby move...there is nothing like it unless of course she is up under my ribs.
2. never having to worry about looking bloated or sucking my stomach in.  if i eat too much, no one can even tell...well at least from my belly. :)
3. always having a little table to rest my plate, drink, or arms.  i'm really gonna miss that.
4. being able to take long naps and not feel guilty about it.
5. not being allowed to run.  gonna be honest, not killing myself during cardio sure is a great treat.  :)

be prepared for many blog posts in the coming months as i will probably have lots to say about the difficulties and joys of motherhood, and of course, there will be a plethora of photos and videos to post.  with that, here is a picture from today at 39 weeks and 1 day.

a quiet evening

dinner: homemade hummus and cucumbers

dinner companions: two snuggling cats

dinner entertainment:

it's a....GIRL!

 

 we drove on some seriously icy roads to make it to our appointment, but boy was it worth it!  i must confess that i really really wanted a girl.  although we had an ultrasound last month and the doctor was pretty sure it was a girl, it was more reasurring to get a confirmation.  the best part is, she is healthy and active (praise the Lord).  in fact, my ob had a hard time getting good pictures because the baby was moving around so much.  i am 21 weeks and 1 day; however, she is measuring 22 weeks and 2 days so we might have a bit of a chunker. :) she is currently 1 lb. and 2 oz.  although i was about 7.5 lbs, david was 9lbs. 9 oz. and two weeks early so i'm a little apprehensive.  i probably shouldn't repeat the doctor's response to this information, if you catch my drift. :) anyways, everything looks great, and we are ready to get started on the nursery.  let the shopping begin!

thankful

what a week! last wednesday, david got back from a 2 week tdy, and to say i was happy to have him home would be an understatement. due to his crazy tdy schedule, he was able to take off thursday and friday so we had a wonderful four day weekend which included lounging around, working on the house, a day trip to fort worth, errands, and baby registering. on monday evening, we had an exciting development...our very first abilene snowstorm. since then, david has gotten three snow days, and we haven't even ventured out of the house due to the icy roads and freezing cold. today, however, we will brave the weather to see our little munchkin on the ultrasound screen. i anticipate that the baby will have grown quite a bit since our last appointment not only because i have the belly to prove it but also because i have been feeling quite a bit of movement lately. even david has been able to feel some acrobatic kicks. :)

this weekend, david and i are going to lubbock so i can participate in a photography workshop. it's a tremendous opportunity to ask questions and soak up loads of valuable information. hopefully, you all will be able to see improvement in my work in the coming weeks. i purchased a website template and hope to have it live for viewing very soon. until then, be sure to check out my facebook fan page, cassiedealphotography.

needless to say, this week i'm feeling very grateful and blessed.  i had the opportunity to meet some other wives last week  while david was gone, started attending a Bible study at our new church and joined a 6 week photography class.  best of all, our dear friends welcomed their first baby into the world last thursday at 3:30 p.m.  little tucker weighed in at 8 lbs. and is just adorable.  we can't wait to meet him and give him some snuggles.  it also made us very excited and eager for the birth of our baby in june!

thanks for reading and stay tuned for the big baby announcement this afternoon. :)

our backyard on tuesday morning. looks the same today.

new endeavor

i hope you all had a wonderful christmas.  having my family here was probably the best present ever, and it was quite sad to see them head back to colorado yesterday.  we spent the week laughing, eating, shopping, watching movies, hanging out, wrapping and unwrapping presents, and celebrating the greatest gift of all, the birth of christ.  please keep them in your prayers as they leave for africa on saturday.

i wanted to give a little update concerning my latest endeavor.  i am finally stepping out and pursuing one of my dreams...a career in photography.  check out my new photo blog.  i would love your comments and feedback.  God has really blessed me with a supportive husband and family as well as some potential clients here in abilene.  you can read the rest of the story in "the beginning" section of my blog. 

photoblog!

kuddos

for the shoppers

11 days until Christmas!  this year, i have decided online shopping is the way to go, especially if you can take advantage of free shipping deals.  not only is it easy and convenient, but you can actually shop in your pajamas, which is a good thing for a pregnant woman who wears her flannel pj pants more than she would like to admit.  i also find myself very excited to check the mail everyday.  if you are still trying to find some last minute gifts, look no further.  check out these awesome stocking stuffers for the photo enthusiasts in your life.

1. pretty sure everyone needs one of these, even if you are like me and only like 3 drinks on the starbucks menu. 

the camera lens mug

2.  or how about this fun little camera camera to remember your elementary school days.

the juice box camera

 3.  a seat belt camera strap is bound to be reliable and durable, right?  

the seat belt camera strap

4.  tired of a boring old flash drive? check out this super cute usb drive.

camera usb drive

5.  you can never go wrong with a new t-shirt.  

camera strap tee

6. who wouldn't like opening their mail box to find a polaroid postcard?

polapost mailable frames

7.  last but not least. probably one of my favorites little gadgets from this website, magnetic lenses for your iphone. choose the fish eye, macro, or wide angle, or just splurge and get all three! pure awesomeness!

camera phone lenses

happy shopping!

13 and counting...

happy 13 weeks, baby deal!  i sure hope that my firstborn loves birthdays as much as i do and doesn't mind if a one day holiday turns into a week long event. 

this week, the baby is roughly 3 inches long or about the size of a peach and already has a fully developed brain and facial features.  amazing.  here is the newest picture of the little one that was taken last week.  so what do you think, boy or girl?  i'm pretty much dying to know.  baby names and decorating ideas for the nursery are often on my brain these days.

12 weeks

 i decided the other day that i needed to start exercising again. 9 weeks off from any form of physical activity is quite a significant break. although i'm still feeling sick at times throughout the day, i seem to have more energy and am ready to be more productive with my days.  after reading several reviews on amazon, i settled on two pregnancy work out dvds that promised to whip me into shape.  since the gym is 20 minutes away, my plan is to alternate between dvds, walking, and making trips to the base. interestingly enough, amazon sent me an email the next morning saying they would ship one of my items separately for quicker service, free of charge.  apparently, even amazon knew just how out of shape i am because they chose to expedite the arrival of my perfect pregnancy workout dvd rather than one of david's christmas presents.  talk about a blow to the self-esteem.  needless to say, i went on a walk this morning.  :) i sure hope you all are ready to see some bulging biceps from this new mama in the weeks to come.

some other things occupying my time these days include: unpacking our closet and getting settled in our lovely new home, online shopping for christmas, napping with my kitties, removing said kitties from the christmas tree (see photo below), and stalking photo blogs for inspiration for a maternity shoot with one of my besties this weekend.  so excited! oh, and i'm proud to say, i have cooked five times since last week. i know, pretty awesome. what can i say, i'm loving cooking in my new kitchen. i just dislike menu planning, grocery shopping, grocery unloading, motivating myself to actually start cooking, and cleaning up.  if it weren't for those things, i would probably cook three times a day. :)

{don't worry, no ornaments were harmed in the removal of my tree climbing cat.  unfortunately, i can't say the same for my arms.}

december is flying by at a rapid pace, and i'm very excited for all the company we will be having over the next couple weeks as well as celebrating the birth of christ and the incredible blessings he has lavishly showered upon us.