It's a GIRL!

On Wednesday, November 23, 2011 we were excited to meet

Devynee Karen

7 lbs. 4 oz.

19 3/4 inches

1:28 p.m.

(And yes, we have changed her middle name.  She was born on her grandma's birthday and this did not "hit" us until later in the day....what can I say?  I just gave birth!)

You pronounce her name like the name Devin with a long "e" added onto the end.  She looks a ton like her older sister and is quite the little sweetie.

Birth story coming soon, but for now I'll let you enjoy some pictures.

 The coming home outfit.

 First family picture.

With Grandma Cali

 Grandma and Grandpa Wyo

 Sweet aunt Sarah

We had many more visitors, but these are the pictures I got...I'll need to get the rest from my mom.

And now, I'm off to sit and maybe sleep.

39 weeks

Well, we made it. 
I had this post all pre-written about how I haven't had any contractions, but last night I was awoken by contractions at 3:30 a.m.  I got up, drank two huge cups of water to make sure it wasn't just dehydration and timed contractions that were five minutes apart for the next hour.  Then, I decided to head back to bed and was able to fall asleep until 6:00 a.m. this morning.  I'm continuing to contract, but according to the nurses at the doctor's office, I need to wait until I have to breathe through the contractions, or until they are 3-5 minutes apart.  So, I'll continue on with my day and we shall just see.
As much as I want to just find out what this baby is already, I remember those sleepless newborn nights a little too well to want to encourage an entrance earlier than the baby is ready for.  Plus, my to-do list has grown exponentially as each day I think of something I would love to do before baby arrives.  Like organize Easton's closet or finally clean the blinds in the kid's rooms.

My exhausted body is pretty much done by about 8:00 p.m. each evening.  The kids go to bed and I'm perfectly content to sit and relax instead of looking for my next task as is my usual course of action.

The swelling is significantly different with this pregnancy than with either of the others, which I think is because I don't sit at a desk for four hours (or eight hours with Easton) a day.  I sit and do work, run after kids and do house stuff, then sit again, then rinse and repeat.  My toes still bend and I can't yet say that I have cankles.

I've had so many offers of help and support from my friends both near and far, which is so wonderful.  It is great to know that friends have your back as you are about to throw your family "normal-ness" up in the air and start all over.

I have my hospital bag packed, camera batteries charged and a list of last minute items to grab on my way out the door.  I was able to pre-register at the hospital and it was nice to walk around the floor, get a feel for everything and learn where exactly it is I need to go when it is time. I've also washed everything I can pre-wash at this point and can direct Ronnie or others on where the gender specific clothes are once we know what kind of baby we will be bringing home.  Someone joked with me the other day that I could be doubly surprised and have one of each.  Call me crazy, but it didn't seem that funny.

Ronnie and I continue to shoot each other about five emails a day with new name suggestions, but so far I don't have any to add to the list.  I still maintain that I would really like this baby to come out holding a name tag (you got that baby?). It really doesn't seem like that much to ask.

Ronnie has been so funny with this pregnancy now that I am at this point.  He will ask me multiple times a day how I am feeling and I usually respond with the normal "feeling good, no contractions."  I don't remember him ever asking with the other two kids, so I inquired as to why there was the extra concern.  He informed me that Easton was born during first semester finals of law school and his brain was already going to explode so there wasn't any room to actually worry about when the baby was coming and with Kendree the doctor gave us an induction date five days before the due date, so he didn't have time to worry.  I guess now, all of that "free time" in his brain is going to when this little one will make an appearance.  It really is so sweet.

Looking back: 38 weeks, 37 weeks, 36 weeks, 34 weeks, 32 weeks, 30 weeks, 28 weeks, 26 weeks, 24 weeks, 20 weeks, 18 weeks, 16 weeks.

Wanna Compare?
Pregnancy with Easton at 39 weeks.
Pregnancy with Kendree at 39 weeks.

38 weeks

And the broken record continues....

I still continue to feel really great.  Sure, rolling over in bed is not easy and any sudden movements are a thing of the past, but overall I'm doing just great.

Based on the amount of heartburn I've had, this baby is going to come out bald.  Oh well!  My ankles are swelling like crazy, but actually go all of the way back down at night and I get to start afresh every day.  I don't feel like I've reached that c'ankle stage yet, but will be sure to document that when it happens (I know you are all holding your breath for that one).

At my doctor's appointment today, everything continued to look good.  My blood pressure was "excellent," the baby's heartrate was "great" and I'm measuring right on.  I did elect to have the doctor check me this time as I have had a few contractions (something I've never experienced with my other two pregnancies).  I am dilated to 2 cm and am 50% effaced.  The doctor told me that she would see me in a week, maybe.  Translated into KaLee-ese that means that I'll see her in a week.  I hate when they tell you things like that and then you think that it may really happen and the anxiousness starts, etc. so I'm just planning on having a baby around my due date as I don't think I'll go much earlier than that.  Especially since I have yet to have two contractions in a row.

I still haven't packed that hospital bag, but I do have a list so I'm on the right track.  I did decide to pack the things that I don't use on a regular basis (or at all yet) and then have a list with the bag of the other things I'll need to grab as we head out.  The nice thing is that I feel like I can always send Ronnie home to get what I want post baby.  In fact, I don't think we'll even take the going home outfits, blankets or carseat in the initial trip as that stuff just clutters up the room/car.

So tell me this...what things did you just love having at the hospital and what things did you not touch?  For me, I used my hard-soled slippers and robe like crazy (for all of those laps around the hospital floor pre-baby) but aside from a zip up hoodie jacket, I have never put on normal clothes until it is time to go home.  It's just too hard to deal with the layers all of the time, but the hoodie gives the appearance of being "presentable" for visitors and pictures.

Things I've done incorrectly?  With Easton we left the carseat in the car (in December) until it was time to load him up and then we had to wait for about 30 minutes for the nurses to heat it up with warm blankets enough that he could sit in it.  With Kendree, I neglected to make sure the video camera was charged, so we got a few minutes of record time and then had to wait for that to charge for an hour or so.

Nesting?

Some people clean when they hit that nesting stage of pregnancy...

Me?

I have the sudden and uncontrollable urge to have everyone in the family get their hair cut.

Kendree and I are taken care of as of yesterday, now on to the boys!

37 weeks

I'm at that stage where everywhere I go (and I mean everywhere) someone (at least one someone) asks me when I am due, or how much longer I have, etc.  A lot of people at stores will look at Kendree and then at my large tummy and just smile to themselves.  I know they are thinking that I have a huge awakening coming up.

I continue to sleep really well and can't complain about that at all.  [Ronnie might feel like he needs to complain about the pillows that I have to have around me that take up a lot of the bed here.] Heartburn is very infrequent, but Braxton Hicks have actually started.  This is a totally new experience for me.  I'm sure some of it is because I really never stop moving (what with the house, keeping up with the kids, errands, work, and my to-do list).  I'm at the point where I can tell exactly which body part is pushing outward (well, at least the bum and the feet).  My ankles and feet are really starting to swell and I think this pregnancy will be no different than the others in that I will get to the point where the only shoes that will fit on my feet are my Ugg boots and my Crocs.  Watch for that at church, you locals!

Easton told me yesterday that I have a very big belly because I am going to have a baby and then asked again if the baby is going to come out my mouth.  I explained again that mama would go to the hospital and the doctor would get the baby out, but it didn't seem to satisfy him as well as it has in the past.  He also wanted to make sure that I was going to come home from the hospital and that I would "get better."  Man, that kid picks up a lot these days.

This week the plan is to actually wash the gender neutral onesies, etc. and make the list of what I need to pack to go to the hospital.  Does anyone actually pack a bag ahead of time?  That just seems annoying to me as everything I want to take is something that I use on a fairly regular basis.

P.S. Today was my original due date.  Crazy to think about.

Lookin' Back: 36 weeks, 34 weeks, 32 weeks, 30 weeks, 28 weeks, 26 weeks, 24 weeks, 20 weeks, 18 weeks, 16 weeks.
Compare.
Pregnancy with Kendree at 37 weeks.
Pregnancy with Easton at 36 weeks.

The Name Game

I know some of you just DIE when I don't share the names we are thinking of, so here they are in all of their glory. 

I've listed them in alphabetical order, since Ronnie and I are not always in agreement on which one is our favorite.

Boys: Austin, Brecken, Bryson, Chase and Jackson.

Girls: Brynlee, Devynee*, and McKinlee. (obviously I have a thing for the double "e").

Middle names. (These have NOT been run by Ronnie, but I compiled a brainstorming list this week so I'm not totally empty handed when it is time to name this little one). I should also note that I think that middle names should have family significance, so all of these names are from family members, while Ronnie does not feel that way in the slightest and just wants them to "go."

Boys: Bentley, Grant, Nickell, Paul
Girls: Geniel, Keri, Lee, Lynn, Sarah

Edited to Add: You pronounce this one just like the name Devin and then add a long "e" sound to the end of it. 

The Vote

The time has come. 

The time for you to vote as to whether you think this little one will be of the sister or brother variety.

I'd give you some hints if I had any, but I feel as if I'm lacking in information.

Heartbeat? It is always there, but this doctor's office has only told me the rate one time and I can't remember what it was.

Morning Sickness? Well, I was "sicker" with this one than either of my others (read: I actually felt a little nauseous throughout the day if I didn't have food in reach), but it was nothing like what other women have to go through.  Plus, I didn't have a lick of sickness with Kendree, and she was(and is) a girl.

Carrying the baby? I'm definitely not carrying high, but I don't know that I'm carrying low either.  I suppose you can deduce that one for yourself based on the update pictures.

So there you have it...let's see who gets this one right. Feel free to vote with the poll on the right hand side. If you are brave you can tell us your vote "out loud" in the comments just for fun.

And go!

36 weeks

You get two pictures today, mainly because Kendree's little grin was too cute not to share.  She saw me taking pictures and had to get in on the action.

Baby continues to be head down and everything looks great.  My blood pressure is "awesome" as told to me by the nurse and baby's heartbeat is good. I got the "when to come into the hospital" speech today.  Surprisingly, I feel more nervous about making sure I get there this time around than I ever have before.  Probably because with Easton I figured I would be in labor for FOREVER (and I was about right) and then I was induced with Kendree and didn't have to think about it.  Then Kendree came lightening fast (remember, 1 hour from water breakage to why hello little baby).  I listened intently to the doctor's advice and then remembered that most likely (judging by my genes) I will never go early and I shouldn't even begin to worry until we pass my due date.  The doctor also asked about the sizes of my other two babies (Easton=7lbs. 10 oz. and Kendree=6lbs. 3 oz.) and then she guessed that this little one will be more in the Easton weight range.  I guess we shall see.

Now that baby is head down (or now that baby is bigger) he or she enjoys dancing on my leg nerves and making different legs go numb at inopportune times (like when I had to grab on to the counter to keep from falling while making dinner the other night), fun times.  My ankles have started swelling (mainly only visible when I am wearing socks and they leave crazy indents on my legs) and I've had a few bouts of heartburn.  Overall, I'm sleeping more soundly than I was a few months ago and I'm enjoying every precious hour I can get.

I feel like my preparations are pretty much done.  All of my baby projects have been completed (although my to-do list is still crazy long) and while I haven't done my load of gender neutral clothes yet, I'm feeling very non-urgent about it.  I'm sure I'll get to it in the next four weeks, but I'm not running out to get my bottle of Dreft quite yet.

Shall we look back? 34 weeks, 32 weeks, 30 weeks, 28 weeks, 26 weeks, 24 weeks, 20 weeks, 18 weeks, 16 weeks

Wanna compare? Pregnancy with Kendree at 36 weeks

Pregnancy with Easton at 36 weeks

Baby #3 Girl Everyday Quilt

I still just love this color combo (thanks Alisa for the nudge in that direction).

This one I machine quilted 1/4 inch from all seams, then washed the quilt and dried it on high to get that more "vintage-y" effect.

I really tried to line up the back and front quilt pieces on this one (the third quilt I did) and it shows.  It has a much more even back piece.   Once again, I machine bound this quilt and as we can see with all three of my quilts recently, I really love a striped binding.

This will be the quilt (if the baby is a girl of course) that will come to church and on most errands and get the most day to day use.  You can see Easton's everyday quilt here, and Kendree's here.  If this little one is a boy, he'll get the quilt seen here.

And now I can say that all of my baby sewing projects are complete.  Now on to the rest of my to-do list....just about a month left to go!

Right where he/she should be

That was the result of my ultrasound this morning. 

I don't know if it was my constant prayers, or if the doctor was just wrong to begin with (since I can feel the same hard lump at the top of my belly that I could feel before, only now I am told that is the bum), but this baby is head down.

We toyed with the idea of Ronnie finding out the gender at this appointment, but then it just didn't seem like a great idea.  I would start analyzing everything he said and he would be extra nervous about tipping me off.

Bring on the weekly doctor appointments and all the fun of those last four weeks!

Baby #3 Baby Boy Crib Bedding ZigZag Quilt

It is funny how these take months and months to get to the end, and then all of the sudden you finish all of them in a matter of two days.

The boy crib bedding quilt is complete!  I love the chevron/zigzag pattern and it is super cozy to lay on (just ask either one of my kids!).

I kept the machine quilting simple on this one as well.  I stitched in the ditch (on the seams) as well and followed the zigzag pattern as that was what I wanted to stand out.  Add in a little machine binding and there you have it. 

My lining up skills for the back vs. front pieces improved with this quilt, but could still use some work.  It's a good thing that perfection has never been my crafting mantra.

This is the largest of the quilts I made this go around and actually needed the piecing on the back (or at least a seam of the same material).  I WAY overestimated the amount of fabric I needed for both of my bedding projects, so if you are having a baby in the future, expect gifts made in these color schemes. :)

The rest of the bedding?  See the crib skirt and bumpers.

Tutorial for the pattern found here.

Baby #3 Girl Crib Bedding Ruffle Quilt

It is complete!  I just love this part.  The feeling of accomplishment can't be beat.

This was my first attempt at machine quilting (thanks to my mom for just happening to have a walking foot that I can borrow).  I just stitched in the ditch (on top of the seam lines) in between each ruffle.  Easy peasy.  The ruffles make this quilt way heavier than you think, so moving that much fabric through and around my machine was not a cake walk.

I decided to piece the back for some visual interest and in the process learned that I am not very good at lining up the front and back pieces in a straight manner (hello little crooked left-hand side!).  Oh well, I figure that by the time my kids would notice such a thing, they will hopefully love the quilt so much it will just make them love it more--right?

You can bet I machine bound this bad-boy.  I just don't know if I will ever do it another way.  In 15 minutes my quilt can go from no binding to done.  That is my kind of ending!

Just for comparison's sake, you can see Kendree's ruffle quilt here.
Also, for the complete bedding set see the crib skirt and bumpers.

34 weeks

34 weeks. 6 to go. At the doctor this week everything continued to look good, but baby is breech currently.  The baby was also breech at my 32 week appointment and this same doctor told me "no worries, we have plenty of time." At this appointment he scheduled an ultrasound for next Friday so they can assess what kind of breech we are dealing with and the next steps.  While the news (or really the scheduling of an ultrasound) was a bit of a surprise to me, after the initial shock that day, I'm starting to chill a little bit.  I'll just wait for this little one to turn and all will be well (that is what I'm tell myself anyway).

Fatigue has started to set in.  I'm still able to get things done, but I'm not looking for things to fill every minute of my day like I do normally.  Changing Kendree's diapers causes my left leg to go completely numb within about 30 seconds and getting back up off the floor is quite the feat. :)

Still no heartburn, but my ankles are starting to swell just a little bit.  My sciatic pain continues to come and go, but hasn't been nearly as bad as it was two weeks ago. 

Baby moves all of the time and has started to stretch which while humorous is not my favorite.  I am officially slow and "waddling." 

Ronnie and I have worked on baby names.  I presented him with a list of 24 boy names and 100 girl names and we have it down to 8 boy names and 24 girl names.  Now we both need to go through it again and mark the ones that we could actually name a child.  Ronnie is still not convinced that we have a boy name that he loves enough to name a child, so I'm continuing to search and add to that list.  I'm leaving the girl list alone for now until we whittle it down a bit more.

Wanna look back? 32 weeks, 30 weeks, 28 weeks, 26 weeks, 24 weeks, 20 weeks, 18 weeks, 16 weeks.
Pregnancy with Kendree at 34 weeks
Pregnancy with Easton at 33 weeks

Don't worry, I eased his fears

Yesterday, Easton and I were discussing the new baby (as we do everyday).  He asked me again, "We don't remember what our baby is?" and I answered that no, we don't remember, we'll just have to wait and see when the baby comes. 

Then, I asked him if he remembered when Kendree was a baby and he said that he did (riiiiight). 

Easton then asked, "When the new baby comes, we get to keep Kendree?" He was very serious and I could tell he was genuinely concerned that he might have to choose a sibling.

It nearly broke my heart.  I was quick to explain that we do indeed get to keep Kendree and we get to add another baby to our family, so there will be three kids and a mama and a daddy.

He was totally fine after that. 

He's got it down now, because at the library today, someone complimented on my double stroller (which I love by the way) and said that it must be nice with two kids.  Easton answered that we have two kids now, but we will have three kids when the new baby comes.

We're totally good.

Baby #3 Girl and Boy Crib Skirts

Wah-lah!  See, I told you it wouldn't be long until the crib skirts were done.  We get to view them on my couch for now, since you know there is no way I was stripping Kendree's crib for these shots.

The girl crib skirt:

And a close-up of the pleat in the middle.  I'm leaving the basting stitches in for now (hence why the pleat is not very pleat-ish) since one of these bad boys will be in storage for quite some time.

 And the boy crib skirt:

 Another picture of the basting stitches still in pleat.

Moving on to the quilts!  I just need to make a quick trip to the store to procure some batting and basting spray and I'll be on my way.  It's nice to have a semi-end in sight.

Baby #3 Baby Girl Bumpers

I just love these.  And I love that another thing on my to-do list was officially crossed off today. :)

 And here we see the outside fabric.  Which I totally love.  Like really, really love.

What's next?  Crib skirts for both genders which have actually already been cut out, so just a little pressing and sewing necessary, then I've got to get going on those quilts!  Not to mention finishing Halloween costumes and picking out baby names and organizing baby clothes, etc., etc,. etc.  Whew, I better stop thinking about it, or I'll be too tired to get anything done! :)

Baby #3 Baby Boy Bumpers

Another project to cross off the list!  This is the 4th set of bumpers I've made (one for Easton, one for Kendree, one for my niece and these) and I won't make anything but these.  I buy the foam inserts here and then follow the pattern they come with (except I divide the inside pattern piece so I can showcase three fabrics instead of just one per section).  They tie up easily to a crib and they don't do that bunchy thing that really bugs!

The outside is this simple stripe fabric.  (please excuse the blue painters tape on my carpet--that is the "do not get any closer than this line" line for TV viewing).

32 weeks

Whew! Another two weeks have come and gone...now to figure out where exactly they went!

I feel like a broken record, but I continue to feel really good.  I still haven't had a lick of heartburn and my ankles are looking skinny.  My feet are definitely a bit more, shall we say--spread, than normal, so not every shoe in my closet is comfortable.

I'm getting lots of "Wow, when are you due?" comments from total strangers now and I'm excited that instead of saying November (which sounded like forever in September) I can say next month.  It has a much better ring to it.  They don't need to know that it is not until the 30th. :)

I thought that the wonderful massage was the fixer of my sciatic pain, but alas, it is back.  If I get up in the middle of the night (inevitable at this point) I basically drag my left leg wherever I am going.  During the day, I don't have nearly those issues, just occasional pain.

I have to admit that when looking at the picture this month, I started to understand why people ask me if I'm sure I don't have twins.  Ah well, it's all part of the process. 

As for the names, we have gotten approximately nowhere.  I've decided to take a new approach and am in the process of compiling a "master list" for myself.  I'll then give it to Ronnie for his editing and we'll whittle it down from there.  The goal is to go to the hospital with 3-4 names for each gender so we'll see how close we can get. 


Curious to compare? 30 weeks, 28 weeks, 26 weeks, 24 weeks, 20 weeks, 18 weeks, 16 weeks.

Baby #3 Quilt top #3

I'm sure a few of you remember the Ruffle Strip Quilt I made for Kendree.  I love that thing, but learned a few things in the process of making it purely from what I could remember of a quilt I saw in a quilt shop 4 years prior.

I decided that I love the quilt too much to not make it for this next little one as well (if she is a girl of course).  I made just one change.  Instead of roll heming the sides of each ruffle, I decided to make each ruffle a tube of fabric so there would not be any wrong sides of the fabric showing.  Each strip was 3.5" wide by the width of the fabric (44" in this case) and each ruffle was 5" wide (sewn together and flipped) by 88".

And here's the end result:

Don't worry, those edges will be trimmed.

I'm happy to be done with quilt tops for a while.  Now on to crib bumpers and crib skirts!

One other quick note if you are making this....do not iron the seam of the tubes in the middle of the back so that you are sewing through 4 layers that you then have to gather.  It was a PAIN!  Move that little seam over to one side or the other a bit and no one will see it anyway.

30 weeks

And here we are, with just 10 weeks to go (CRAZY!). I went to the doctor this week and was weighed on the scale I normally am weighed on and what do you know?  I have gained 4 pounds in the last 4 weeks, not the 10 that last week's scale reported.  That lines up just right with my scale at home and the doctor said that they are officially taking me off of "weight watch" so now my appointments should just be the normal spacing (every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and then every week after that). I've finally seen every doctor that delivers babies in the office, so at least I know that I won't have a stranger with me (although for me, I don't know that it would really matter...as long as they can get that baby out as quickly as possible).

I'm feeling really good.  I have some sciatic pain on my left side, but if I keep moving, then it is easy to forget about. I got a massage this week (thanks Ronnie for the gift card last December!) and laying on my stomach felt amazing.  You forget how much you miss it!  The massage was nothing to scoff at either.

I haven't had any swelling yet and my heartburn has also been non-existent so far.  I'm feeling like I can be ready for a little someone to come in 10 weeks, but not much sooner than that. Baby is moving all of the time and doesn't let me forget there is a person in there for long.  I'm still able to "sleep" through the night but am using pillows all around me and turning over requires me to completely wake us (which is, I think, my least favorite thing about pregnancy).

Kendree now thinks that all belly buttons are called baby and if she sees one (hers, mine, Easton's) she must see every single belly button in the house.  Luckily these little events are all happening in the privacy of our home. :)  Easton reminds me occasionally that I can't run because "you have a baby."  Our "races" have pretty much stopped and I think he has to console himself a bit since he is now winning against a lady who can't even run.

Wanna look back? 28 weeks, 26 weeks, 24 weeks, 20 weeks, 18 weeks, 16 weeks.
Pregnancy with Kendree at 30 weeks.
Pregnancy with Easton at 30 weeks.