10.5 Month Update

Much has happened since the last update. She was sick right around when she turned 10 months and that took about a week to cure up. She had a runny nose, cough, and wasn't sleeping well. She is now feeling like her normal, happy self - I'm happy to say!

She has taken 9 unassisted steps several times but she still prefers to crawl at the moment. She gets lots of praise & hugs whenever she does walk by herself. And she finally waved bye-bye to me! She doesn't wave consistently yet but at least she has started.

She says do for dog, ca for cat, and of course da-da. Still no ma-ma. Little stinkpot.

She went to Martinsville with us last weekend and she did very well. She, of course, did not go to the actual race but stayed behind with nana. She did get to watch the fly-over and also the blimp up above. And everyone there at the campsite fell in love with her but what else would I expect? Gots lots of cute pics which are posted on facebook.

I don't have alot of time to catch up but wanted to update as much as I could in the few minutes that I have. Annabelle is doing great, though, and I'm so very thankful for her. I love that little girl so much!

Almost 10 Months

I've been a slacker this month with posting new stuff about Miss Annabelle. She'll be 10 months old in less than a week and I haven't posted since she turned 9 months. Geesh!

Her crawling is at warp speed nowadays. She still uses her right foot but her left knee for crawling, too. It still cracks me up but I don't notice it as much since it's normal for her. I did have a friend at church crack up after she watched her crawl, though, and I just told her that Annabelle does her own thing. She stands all the time without any assistance, too. She is very confidant in her standing but not-so-much when she's walking. She has taken a few unassisted steps but never more than 1 in an row. I think she gets a little wobbly & chooses to crawl instead. Now, if she has ahold of my finger for balance, then she'll walk beside of me. And she just thinks she's big stuff. The first day I tried that, I wanted to show Jason. She, of course, took 2 steps & then froze to smile at him. After he got on the floor with her, she walked from the kitchen to the hallway holding just 1 of my fingers so she could reach her da-da. And then proceeded to give him a big hug & a slobbery kiss on the face. Too, too cute!

She is obsessed with saying da-da. Even this morning heading into town, it was da-da-da-da-da-da. Last night, right after her bath, she said Ma twice. But that was it. She then started with da-da-da again & never said Ma again. She's such a stinkpot! But, it'll come in time.

I've started planning a small 1st birthday party for her. 2 more months is all we have left before she turns ONE!! I'm hoping to have a small party in December for her but have a pool-party on June 13th with more people there. Her nana bought her a Princess Crown to wear - I'm pretty sure that she's going to take it off immediately but it's worth a shot to try it.

Her grandpa played guitar & sang at church on Saturday. He did a really good job, especially since he was put on the spot & wasn't prepared! Annabelle seemed to like the music but got super tired from not having a good nap.

She had her 9 month doctor appt on Friday. She weighed 18lb 9oz and was 27.5" long. Her nuggin' head is in the 90 percentile still and her weight/length are still 50. I'm surprised she doesn't topple over more often than what she already does. Of course, she topples alot. In a one week span, she got a bruise on her shin, above her right eye, on her left temple, above her left eye at her hairline, a bruise on her cheek,and busted her top lip. I was afraid to take her in public for fear of people thinking that I beat her! She's done better recently & has no bruises currently.

I think that catches everyone up for right now. She'll be turning 10 months on Tuesday. Maybe I'll be talking about her walking skills next month!

9 Months

Annabelle turned 9 months old on Sunday. She's doing really well with everything still. No new teeth (thank God) and I hope there is a little break for the next one. She got her first tooth on Memorial Day & by Labor Day had a total of 6 teeth. I haven't weighed or measured Annabelle recently so I don't know those stats. I'd guess she's probably about 18lbs, 28" long or close to it.

I was told by Michelle (she watches her while I'm at work) that Annabelle is changing looks. I agreed with her because I think so too. I should've asked for details on what she meant. I think she's looking more like a toddler, less like a baby but still exactly like her daddy. She might've meant that she was starting to look like me -- but I doubt that. lol I posted a picture recently of Annabelle's eyes to get opinions on what color they are. Most answers included GREEN. I got one where she said they are greenish-gray, one saying hazel, but the others classified her eyes as green. I don't feel like they are green but I have high hopes! Their comments just made me happy that at least something of mine will show in my child. lol

Annbelle sounds hoarse now. She woke up yesterday sounding like she has a frog in her throat. Not really sure why or how or anything. She is otherwise fine. She's playing hard & is a happy baby. I hope that her raspiness doesn't lead to something else. Her next doctor appointment is October 2nd for a checkup. I'm going to discuss the flu shots with him to see what he says about it. I'm sure he'll recommend the regular flu shot but I'm curious about the H1N1 shot. It scares me.

I was sitting on the floor last night with her. She climbed up on my knee, stood up, and then let go. She stood by herself for probably close to a minute before getting tired & sitting back down. I was telling her how big of a girl she was for standing by herself & she just smiled from ear to ear. I could tell she was proud of her accomplishment. Just thinking about it makes me want to squeeze her & give her butterfly kisses. (which she hates, btw)

I took her to Pond Creek Baptist on Sunday morning for their Homecoming. I hadn't been there for nearly a decade. There were a few new faces but I recognized most of them. The guy who bought the home I grew up in was there with his family. He & his wife has a little boy 1 day older than Annabelle, and also a 3 year old little girl. It's kinda odd to think that there are children growing up in my old home. They're seeing it like I did (or at least similar) with a child's point of view. One may even have my old room! Anyway, nobody probably understands what I'm talking about so I'll just drop it. lol

I have a wonderful praise for a dear friend! I just heard news about it today that something that I've been praying for has indeed happened. Without going into details about it, I just wanted to express my thankfulness over the whole situation.

For those of you who don't know, I've been attending New Life Baptist Church lately since it's so close to my home. It is more convenient with time schedules & being a mile from the house. Anyway, it is a wonderful small church that has a fire in it. It is really helping me & I'm thankful that I finally started attending there. I think I'm even going to join...if they'll have me. :)

My FIL (Jeff) won our NASCAR game last week - or at least the first part of it - and is getting enough money from it to buy Annabelle a swingset. I was just teasing when I said that anyone who wins money has to buy a swingset for her but I believe he's taking me seriously. (Right, Jeff?) She will be tickled with it as she ages. That's just a great toy that will last for a long time. Plus, she's finally loving swinging on the swingset where she hated it when she was younger. I used to love swingsets when I was a child. But, I always had the cheap metal ones that would come off the ground when I swung too high. LOL I think it was my objective to see how far I could make it jump off the ground.

Well, I think I wrote enough of a novel so I I'll stop. :)

8.5 Months

Annabelle is 8.5 months this week. She's still working on that 6th toofer - it's a stubborn little booger. She got to see her grandpa on Tuesday for the first time since mid-July and had a nice visit with her Nana & Papaw last weekend.

Crawling is a breeze, so isn't standing up so long as she holds onto something. Her toofie smile lights up a room whenever daddy comes in, too. They're pretty cute together. We're experimenting a little more with solid foods but she is still pretty picky and prefers purees. Unless its on momma's plate. The only complaint I have with the solid foods is that her poo is so nasty now! Phew - she's such a stinky girl.

Jason got his out building put up over the weekend. I have to admit it looks pretty good out there. Jeff (Jas' dad) did alot of the work & really helped Jason. Of course, it was probably the other way around...Jason probably helped Jeff out. lol

Not much has happened in the past week but I still wanted to do a little updating on here. I'm starting to print out this blog so I can put it with Annabelle's baby book and want to keep it active for her.

Only like 3.5 months until she's one year old!

First Cold

Annabelle got her first cold the day before she turned 8 months. Bummer "birthday." I stayed home with her on Thursday and had already scheduled Friday off so she was with her momma from Thursday to Sunday. She was starting to feel a bit better by Friday, too. She started sleeping through the night again Friday night which was wonderful. Now, if I could've only blocked out the snoring & the dog. lol

She is doing wonderful, outside of her cold, and enjoyed her trip to the Cincy area. She was able to go to the aquarium there & she really enjoyed looking at the fishes. She was way ready to go by the end of it though since she really hadn't had a good nap that afternoon. She did good in the hibachi restaurant. I was a bit scared that she'd freak out but she just slept and then ate during dinner. A couple of times she looked at me with a freaked-out look to see if things were 'ok.' I just smiled at her & cooed with her and she was fine. She's such a big girl.

We both had a good time at Shelly's baby shower on Saturday. She had her first true temper tantrum while we were there (once again, she was tired from not napping well that afternoon) and she knocked my cup right out of my hands. She just REALLY wanted my cup!

I think we're all exhausted today and will take this whole week to catch up on some rest. lol

Almost 8 Months Old

Miss A will be 8 whole months on Thursday! Can you believe that? Me neither. She's been a busy girl since last week, too.

On 8/5, I noticed her 3rd tooth on the top was peeping through the gum. And on 8/8, I saw that the 4th toofer was making its appearance, too. She's just not wasting any time with these teeth!

She has mastered the art of crawling. Sometimes she likes to use her feet, too, which kinda reminds me of a crab crawl or something. It's quite funny to see her do. And she's fast! She loves to crawl to momma, too, which I just find too endearing. lol And once she gets to me then she has to climb on me.

She can stand on her own, too, by using "stuff" to help her get to her feet. That "stuff" might be me, the couch, or her crib. Just whatever she gets ahold of. She also tries to climb other stuff like boxes but she ends up just scooting them across the floor instead.

Yesterday, she had been up playing with Nana all morning. When she saw me on the couch, she made a bee-line for me. But she didn't crawl. Nana was holding her by the sides for stabilization and Annabelle just started walking toward me. It was such a great moment. Makes me realize (again) that all those days & nights that I had no sleep, was attached to her 24-7 in one form or another, and pretty much looked like a zombie were all worth it. Papaw says that she'll be walking on her own in a month...I guess time will tell.

She hasn't been one for taking her naps the last 3 days neither. I think she was just too busy learning new skills to want to sleep. But, after she got in the pool for a while & got her belly full last night, she was down for the count at 7:45pm. Slept until 6:30am, too. She was a tired bird!

And now, because of all of this, I must baby-proof my home. Like, yesterday!

Quick Update

Not alot has happened this past week so this should be fairly short.

Annabelle, as alot of you already know, got her first sting on Sunday. It was from a wasp that had a nest on our back deck. She swelled a little on her ankle from it, but we rubbed Benadryl on the skin and it was looking great by Monday. She's such a tough cookie! She did cry but not as violently as she could've. She got extra cuddles that evening from momma.

Her crawling and 2 top teeth are coming along quite well. Daddy watched her all day on Friday. He put her on the floor in the living room, went into the kitchen, and found her rounding the corner as he returned to her. lol She just wasn't patient enough to wait on him. I think she gets her impatience from her father.

She'll be 8 months old next Thursday...now its my turn to cry violently. Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future. :) (Made you hum that in your head, didn't I?) She's starting to look less like a baby and more like a toddler now. *Sigh*

Thank you for all the prayers last week. I did some good news concerning one person. The situation improved but is not completely gone yet, so he still needs prayer.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

7.5 Months Old

Just remembered that I need to update a few things on here - I'm trying to be better at remembering.

We returned from the beach this past Saturday. We all had a blast while vegging out on the sand & listening to the ocean. The ocean makes Annabelle a sleepy girl! She did pretty well while we were there, especially since she was out of her normal routine & environment.

She is officially crawling now! She still has to master that skill but she does get where she wants to go. She's just slow at it. Her 2 top front teeth are slowly growing in. I can see the entire bottom part of both of them but they are taking their time at growing. She likes to grind them which just sends shivers up my spine. Even just thinking about it gives me the creeps. She gets a funny look on her face when she's playing with her teeth, too, which is a dead give away that she's grinding.

I was in the kitchen the other evening while Jason had Annabelle in the living room. He was repeating "Can you say daddy? Da-ddy" to her. Sure enough, the girl repeated him and said daddy. I heard it from the kitchen & he yells "did you hear that, Carrie?!" Yes, I heard it. She's such a stinker. Of course she would say daddy first. I haven't heard her say it again since then. The closest she says to Momma is "Mmmm-mmm." lol (Did I mention that she is a stinker?!)

She had her Dr appt on Monday evening. She is up to 16.14lb, 26" long, and has an 18" head size. Doctor says that she's growing perfectly. She doesn't have to go back until the first of October. She did not like that appointment whatsoever. She got fussy just from the stethoscope! Then the dreaded shots came....she stared at me with tear filled eyes pleading with me to help her make this man stop hurting her. Shots are so hard on us both!

On a lighter note, we will be traveling to the Cincinnati area on August 14th to visit. Plan on taking Annabelle to the Aquarium while we're there and I'll be going to a baby shower for a dear friend due in November. (She's having a baby girl though she doesn't "officially" know it yet. I'm just pulling a Miss Cleo on her & proclaiming PINK. lol) I'm really looking forward to seeing some old friends from up there. Even the most recent visit was almost a year ago! That's just too long of a timespan.

Anyway, if you are friends with me on Facebook, then I'm sure you've already seen the pictures from the beach. If you are not on FB, then register & look me up at http://facebook.com/carriemccloyward to take a look-see.

Finally, I ask for prayers for a a couple of friends and family members who are going through some trying times. I don't know alot of details but I do know that they need guidance, protection, and reassurance. I hate it when bad things happen to good people.

7 Months Old

Well, it's been forever since I've updated this blog. I need to get in the habit of doing it so that you know what Miss Annabelle is up to nowadays.

First off, she turned 7 months old yesterday. Growing up is such sweet sorrow. I love to watch her grow and learn to do more but it hurts to see her growing up so quick. Everybody warned me but I think I underestimated how fast time flies.

Lets start by saying what she's doing now. She is moving herself around. I can't say she's crawling yet but she's almost got it down. She moves from one area to another by log rolling and inch worming across the floor. She has figured out to get up on her knees and hands but hasn't quite moved them all at the right time. She has figured out how to move backwards, though.

She has 2 bottom toofers that cut through on Memorial Day. Her top 2 toofers are almost through. I can see ridges through her gum so it's close. I tell you, I was sad to see the "gummy smile" go but that "toofy smile" is so endearing. I just want to gobble her up sometimes! Overall, I have to say that I hate teething. It's hard on Annabelle and it's hard on moma, too!

She is Little Miss Grabby. Anything that you have, she wants to have....so she can put it in her mouth. She loves paper. I have to really watch her around my newspapers or I find her chewing on them. And I let her have a hard cardboard book to play with while I cooked dinner one evening. I looked down and the edges had been chewed all the way around. It truly looked like a puppy had gotten to it! She is a chewing machine!

She is eating alot of different solids now. She really likes sweet potatoes, squash, and green beans. And she does really well when daddy watches her now. She always has big smiles for him AND he swears that she put her arms out & said "da" to him the other day. I think he's hooked!

She has been sleeping in her own crib and in her own room for a month and a half. And sleeping through the night, too. She sleeps from 9pm to about 6am. I can't complain nowadays about her sleep schedule. Whenever she gets bored after waking up, she just pushes a button on one of her music boxes attached to her crib & that entertains her until I get her up. She moves all around in that crib, too. And she likes to sleep on her belly, knees under her belly, and her head against a corner. I know...weird. But, just like her daddy used to do. (She is definetly a mini-Jason)

She loves the pool. She gets in her floatie and kicks like crazy. She likes it when momma swims with her around the edges and when I play peek-a-boo around her.

I just washed up all of her 6-9 and 9mo old clothes this past weekend. She's grown out of her 6 month clothes for the most part now. Luckily, she is staying in each group like she should - not too big or too small. She's just a healthy, happy little baby and a true blessing to the Ward-McCloy family!

On a side note about her parents - we're doing well. Still gainfully employed which is a blessing in itself. Jas is working at our Kyger Creek jobsite until October-ish (who knows after that) and I'm still at the office. We're heading for vacation in a few days for some much need R&R at the beach. It'll be Annabelle's first long trip so I pray she does well. Aunt Tammy will be going as well. I'm already thanking God for the great weather that he will be providing for us - I just have faith that He will provide us wonderful weather.

I hope all is well and take care!

Picture of Daddy & Annabelle

Aren't they cute?!

Daddy & Annabelle

Another "upsidedown" face. I promise that the child smiles! I'll have to find a picture of her smile....

Picture of Me & Annabelle

Doesn't she look happy?! LOL

4 Months Old

Annabelle is now 4 months old. She's gotten so big! She had her very first Easter this past weekend, and we (the grandparents & I) took her for her first Easter Egg Hunt. It was quite chilly outside with strong winds so we both had to have jackets on. She enjoyed watching the other children play around and she found 7 eggs. Grandpa & Papaw wanted her to find more after they found out that there was candy in them. I told them that there were younger children there and we had better let them have the eggs instead. LOL Here we are sporting our ears with the Easter Bunny. (Which didn't freak her out at all)

Annabelle is doing all the normal baby stuff at her age. She's drooling constantly! She either has her thumb, her fingers, or her entire fist in her mouth - they must taste mighty good. She holds her head up really well when she's on her belly and rolls from her belly to her back. She "stands" up alot (we just have to hold her stable.) She "talks" alot and has started giggling which is soooo cute. She's sleeping through the night pretty well nowadays and on a good routine. And she supports herself when she's being held and of course has to chew & taste everything she touches.

On another note, Jason is still working uber-hours down at Gavin and driving to/from everyday. He'll be doing that until early June. I'm not very confidant about my job. Some of our jobsites are closing up & we're no longer needed there so I just might be standing in that unemployment line like alot of others. But regardless of what happens, everything will be just fine. I just have faith.

Polls

I forgot to mention about how bad we all are at predicting what babies will look like! She has dark strawberry blonde hair with blue eyes! LOL The polls predicted either dark hair or no hair with brown eyes. I just thought that was funny.

1 Year Anniversary

Jason & I will have our 1 year wedding anniversary on Sunday! The time has just flown by, but it will do that when you try to fit way too much stuff into a year. We got married, found out about Annabelle, I (finally!) graduated with my BSBA, we sold our home, bought a new one, moved, and had Annabelle all within 2008. Busy, busy, busy.

This year? I'm not doing anything! lol Well, other than working which seems to be wearing me out in itself nowadays. Annabelle is eating every 4 hours, including 11:30p and 3:30a, so getting up at 6am for work is just hard. Working and caring for a baby is harder than what I thought it would be!

We're planning a night out on Saturday to celebrate our anny. We're staying at the Blennerhasset on Saturday and eating at Spats. We're staying in the Blennerhassett Suite...here is a link to a picture of it. /http://www.theblennerhassett.com/content/content.aspx?department_id=35 Nana & Papaw will be staying with Annabelle while we are gone and probably will love every minute of it!

Annabelle has her own website now that I am slowly updating. I try to do too much online at times & seem to forget to update her site. It is http://www.totsites.com/tot/annabelle2008
It is a site in progress but hope to get it up & running full force soon.

I am constantly downloading photos online, too, onto Photobucket so if you want to be copied on those - just let me know! I also have a Facebook account - just search me and request to be a friend if you haven't already! I try to post a good bit of photos on there, too. I have almost 250 photos on my RAZR phone that I bought a cord for so now I can download all my photos onto the computer from it. Yay!!! I have some really good ones stored on it, too.

Michelle Fullerton in Belpre, OH has taken snapshots of her both at 3 weeks and 3 months. I FINALLY received the disc from my sister from her 3 week old pictures so I plan to download them shortly. Michelle has taken some really cute photos of Annabelle!

Annabelle & I went to the church's revival last night. Lasted from 7-9p! She did surprisingly good but it was hard on both of us...I'm super tired today. Dad & his friend played their guitars and sang. Dad sang "Some call it Heaven, I call it Home." He did a good job though he says that he didn't. Yesterday was 1 month after mom died, though, and I believe that was on his mind. Keep him in your prayers.

I think that's about it for an update. Not alot is new or interesting! I have a ton of videos that I need to upload but don't know how yet - she is just too cute in them. Still learning!

Finally catching up on here

Aren't they cute together?! Miss Annabelle is a Mini-Jason, as you can tell. Everyone tells me how much she looks like him. She does have my eye coloring and my ears though! She acts like him, too. Her temper is DEFINETLY from the Ward side of the family since the McCloys are so even tempered. She also gets a bit grumpy and only wants to eat, sleep, or be left alone. Sounds just like her daddy, right?!

She is now 2.5mo, almost 3 months old! She'll be 3 months next Friday. Time has just flown by and she's grown so much. She sleeps through the night now...waking up sometimes at 2 or 3am to eat but then she falls right back to sleep. She just catnaps throughout the daytime.

She loves lights...which is why we took the photo above where she & I are staring at the lights. Of course, she's much cuter than I am in the picture but it's still comical. Her smiles are so contagious. It just makes me so happy to see her happy. But, I have to admit that I have to smile when she's mad, too. She's just so darn cute when she gets mad because she straightens herself out, her face gets dark red, and she just screams her lungs out. And then she has kick...alot. And the more she kicks, the louder she screams. It's quite a performance.

I saw my nephew, Joel, a couple of weeks ago and he's SO big & such a cutie-patootie! He just looked humongous compared to my Annabelle. I want her to grow up but I don't think I want her to grow up THAT fast! He's only 5.5months older than she. That's just too fast!

I have returned to work after a long maternity leave so I should be able to keep things updated now. Our Internet at home is terrible and I just hate being on it. Annabelle is currently staying with Miss Michelle from the church and seems to be doing well at adjusting without her momma. I feel better knowing she's in really good hands, too, so the adjustment is a bit easier for me as well. Of course, it still isn't fun being away from her all day long! I miss her alot

3 Weeks 4 Days Old

So much has happened in the last 3 weeks that I just don't even know where to start. I've been without any type of Internet since December 11th so I am trying to catch up with everything today.

Annabelle was born on December 13th at 1:58pm. She weighed only 6lb 15oz and was 20" long - smaller than what I expected but I'm not complaining. I feel so much better now and just am so happy to have her here with us. She has been very healthy other than getting jaundice 2 days after she was born. She had to stay an additional day in the hospital and spent 24 hours under the UV lights but that was short lived and she's doing very well now.

She is absolutely beautiful - even when she is having a temper tantrum. I think everyone has just fallen completely in love with her in these short 3 weeks, especially her momma. We're not on any type of schedule right now except for Annabelle's schedule. LOL She is a very happy baby and only gets really upset when she has a pee-pee diaper or is hungry. She loves stretching and swinging and eating. She eats all the time which is why I say we're on Annabelle's schedule.

Speaking of Annabelle's schedule - she's waking up & typing with one hand is challenging. Update & pics later!

37 Weeks....Maybe the Final Week?

Well, I had the doctor appointment yesterday afternoon. I am making progress which is good. He set up the ultrasound and amnio for tomorrow at 10:30am. By the afternoon, the results will be back and will let him know if Annabelle's lungs are developed or not. If it is positive, we're going to have a baby on Saturday, December 13th! If not, then we have to wait.

Tammy & I have been working on the nursery this week to prepare for her arrival. It's not exactly what I want but it will do - it is just fine to bring a newborn into. I also put up the Christmas tree last night so she would have her first tree up when she comes home. And Tammy is working on the diaper bag for her. I still need to pack my, Jason's, and Annabelle's things for the hospital and also put together the swing for her, but I plan to do that tonight.

Jason is coming home tonight so he can be with me when I go in for the Amnio. The doctor told me that the only complication is that it can put me into labor - which is what I would want anyway. He doesn't want me to go into labor without him being in Parkersburg. And I really don't want to either - he would drive like a maniac on his way down here...Even worse than usual! LOL

Pray that her lungs are developed and we can deliver our Christmas miracle on Saturday. We're praying for an easy delivery, too! Send me lots of easy labor vibes! LOL

36 Week Dr Appt & Update

I am now at 36 weeks along! Only 4 more weeks.....Maybe!

We went in for an ultrasound and doctor appointment yesterday. Everything went well - Annabelle is healthy and everything is great. Her head and her tummy are measuring 2 weeks larger than what they should be AND she's already at 7lb 4oz. Now, I will go ahead & tell you that a normal weight for 36 weeks is 6-6.5lbs because I know all of you out there do not know that. So, she is measuring VERY big for her age.

She refused to show her face, too. She covered up with her arms the entire time. We were allowed to see her nose, her mouth, and one eye lid - but never at the same time. Couldn't see if she had hair neither. SO, that should still be a surprise when she's born. She got the hiccups, opened her eyes a few times, and showed off her cute little toes really well. I could've swore that she smiled at one time, too....BUT she could've just been moving her mouth. What we could see of her - she is gorgeous and chubby. Her cheek looked very pinchable! LOL

I go in next Wednesday for another checkup. The doctor explained that he doesn't do inducements until at least 39weeks on normal cases, but said that he would induce me earlier since she is so big as long as her lungs are developed fully. So, I guess they will check that out and if the lungs are developed, then we can schedule inducement. We may just have a baby here next weekend or something. Time will tell! Maybe the week after next.

I couldn't sleep at all last night - kept dreaming about 7lb 4oz. LOL Plus, I was in alot of pain too. I don't know what was wrong with me but I just hurt all over. The doctor couldn't believe that I was still working full time. I have so much to do before she arrives and not enough time to do it in. But, it will all work out and I'll find the time somehow!

Please keep us in your thoughts & prayers!

35 Weeks & Happy Thanksgiving!

So much is going on right now that it just doesn't seem like it'll all get done! LOL Jason & I are moved in but we still have boxes everywhere. We do have the kitchen somewhat situated now and we're slowly working on the other things. We're getting our satellite/Internet installed today - we've had rabbit ears for days and have gotten only one channel...ABC. So, we watched Dancing with the Stars 2 nights in a row. LOL

Jason got probably 70% of the sanding done on our dresser that we're using for Annabelle and we should be able to paint it (to match the crib) pretty soon. I've spent a couple of evenings in the nursery just trying to figure out what I have and don't have yet and doing some laundry. I have ALOT of pink clothes - I'm pretty sure it's oozing out our windows at this point.

I have an appointment with the pediatrician this afternoon so I can meet him & ask any questions. I'm anxious about that - I feel like I'm entering unchartered waters & have no idea what to expect.

We're having Thanksgiving in our new house which will be really nice. Jeff & Jason are going to go hunting for a few hours, too, out back. We have a huge 24lb turkey for only 4 people. Ugh - that's so much turkey that I'm sure we'll all be gobbling by next week. lol But, oh well! Tyson & Brutus will be happy with any leftovers!

With only 5 weeks until my due date, I'm feeling exactly the way you would expect me to...tired all the time, waddling (like a penguin according to Jason), hurting everywhere, heartburn. Everything that you expect with a normal pregnancy.

Jason will be heading out of town (yet again, Thanks ICI) from 12/8 to 12/13 unfortunately....so, I'll be 37 weeks along, living in the country, and nobody home in case something happens. So, just pray that nothing happens!!! I was saying that she can show up anytime after the 10th, now I'm saying anytime after the 13th.

And did I mention that Annabelle is STILL kicking as much as she can?! If she isn't kicking, then she's pushing. My favorite is when her feet go into my ribs and her head pushes into my bladder. Little boogerhead! LOL And she likes to shove her bum out so that my stomach is lopsided, too. Well, I'm assuming it's her bum - that's what I think it is. LOL

Jason had a dream that she came out with dark brown/black hair & blue eyes and was wondering where those features came from. I reminded him that I had dark brown/black hair with blue eyes when I was born & that could very well happen. He was so bummed out in the dream cause Annabelle didn't take any of his physical traits. He's so funny! Of course, I had a dream that we got ultrasound pictures done & she had blonde hair with blue eyes and I was bummed out because I didn't want her to have blonde hair with blue eyes. So, I guess I'm funny, too. LOL Of course, in real life, we'll be ecstatic no matter what!!!

34 Weeks

Everything is going good here. We got the last of our things out of our former house last night - took us 4 loads plus 2 loads to the dumpster but we're out. Handed over the keys last night, too. Our new garage looks like a cyclone hit it but we'll get that cleared away as we move stuff in.

We really thank those who lended us a hand to help us move. We could not have done it without you. In total, we had 2 full Uhaul truckloads, about 8 pickup truckloads, and 2 pickup loads to the dumpster. We let our 2 cats outdoors last night, too. One is a schizo-cat and always hid anyway - I haven't seen her since last night. Tra has always wanted to be outdoors so we're trying it out. He was on the front porch this morning with our stray cat that we've kinda adopted.

I had a great appointment yesterday at the doctor's office. Everything is showing very well & there isn't alot of threat of a too-early delivery. He told me that I'm measuring 1-1.5 weeks ahead of schedule and that Annabelle is appx already 5-5.5lbs. He asked if I was a big baby (the Dr was a different one from who I usually see) and I responded that Jas & I both were 9lb babies. His response was that history tends to repeat itself....Great. lol She's still head down which is awesome, too.

He put me on a machine to test to see how she's doing since I am having contractions (irregularly, but he wanted to make sure that there isn't a threat). She did very well - AFTER the sonogrammer woke her up with a jolt of buzz. Annabelle's little heartbeat went from 130 to 160 in 2 seconds flat. It must've woke her up & startled her.

We have an appointment in 2 weeks, and then thereafter will be 1 week appointments. He told me that I could take Tylenol PM to help with my aches/pains and to help me sleep. He also gave me some samples of heartburn pills and recommended Zantac too.

Overall, I think the appointment went really well. I was there for over an hour! I think I might even like this other doctor better than the previous one. BUT, either could deliver the baby - it just depends on who is on-call that day.

So, anyway - that's our big update for the week. We got the keys to our new house at 5:30 Sunday, moved in, got moved out of our old house & turned over keys, and had a really good Dr. appointment. I'm exhausted! LOL

Our New House

Well, here it is...some photos of our most recent purchase. We closed on our house on Champion School Rd on Friday afternoon. We should be getting keys on the 16th but no later than the 17th. We can't wait to move in!!!

32 Weeks

Time is flying by so quickly right now! At least it feels like it for me. We have less than 8 weeks until we have a brand new baby girl to welcome into this world.

I was able to briefly meet my first great-nephew, Joel, last Sunday. The way I had to hold him was right over my belly and Annabelle didn't kick or push at him one time. Which is surprising since she hates for her space to be invaded. LOL

I was able to watch a 3rd nephew get married this past weekend - it's about time! lol It was a lovely wedding though and we wish them all the happiness in the world!!!

The doctor appt went well on Tuesday. Everything is normal and we go back again in 2 weeks. Her heartbeat was back in the 140s range and she's still moving like crazy. We have a few classes at the hospital the first week of December and we get to tour the birthing facility, too. It's eating up a Saturday in Ohio's gun season which is eating Jason up. LOL

We're closing on our new house TODAY at 4pm!!! (Thanks so much, Tammy!!) We went for the final walk through last night, got to have some questions answered, and feeling pretty excited about everything today. We'll get posession sometime on 11/16 and will begin moving in that same week. We have to be completely out of our home that we sold by the 22nd so everything is working out thus far. Though, it has been like pulling teeth to get here.

Thank God that we are finally able to get this over with so we can get the house ready for Annabelle. Luckily, the house is completely move in ready except for one small detail in the nursery - the border has to be changed but that will be easy. It is at chair level so I won't even have to strain to reach it. I just have to find the right border to put back up!

Not much to update this week. Everything is going really well and we're getting closer & closer. Remember us in your prayers & thoughts!

31 Weeks

Physically, Annabelle & I are doing very well. She's a moving like crazy still and flip flops from one side to another. I still have problems with heartburn but not as bad as before since I know I can safely take antacids to help me. I am having braxton hicks too, but not regularly or anything. I've been told that its perfectly normal.

Mentally, I'm about ready to bang my head against a brick wall. LOL We closed on our home last Thursday and was trying to close on our new house on Friday. We've hit 2 big road blocks, though, and while one is workable - the other might tank the whole deal. We're waiting to hear from the mortgage lender to see what they have to say. We might not be able to close until next Friday and we won't be able to get posession until November 17th at the best. But, like I said, the mortgage lender has problems with our appraisal and can nix the whole deal and we won't have any control over it.

Luckily, the baby isn't stressed out about anything. At least she wasn't at the last doctor's appointment. I have another appt on the 4th for just a checkup. For those who are biting at the bit about another ultrasound, the doctor has not mentioned anything about a final ultrasound so far. Of course, I was told it is after the 30th week and I'm just now at 31 weeks. I'm assuming that they like to wait until closer to the due date. Of course, we only have 9 weeks to go!

Wow, 9 weeks doesn't sound like alot of weeks. Time has just flown by!

I want to thank everyone who is trying to help me keep my sanity lately - that's not an easy job right now. And Annabelle thanks everyone for her presents that she's received - she's heard all about them & can't wait to see them. LOL Just keep praying for us!! Lord knows we need all the help we can get right now!

30 Weeks, 10 More To Go

I have officially started the 2 week Doctor checkups which is a really good sign of getting close to the "end." Doctor said that the baby is growing very well and could tell that her head is already on my bladder, her bum is up against my diaphragm almost, her back is on my left side, and her arms/legs are on the right side. It made sense because I always feel a ton of movement in my right hand side. Her heartrate was in the 120s which is very normal so she is not showing any type of stress that I'm feeling from this move.

Annabelle is still a very active child even if she's not somersaulting anymore. She likes to wake up between 4-5am, too. A habit that I HOPE she breaks very, very soon! Neither Jason or I are morning people so if she ends up a morning person, I am blaming it on a grandparent....probably my dad! He used to wake up extra early so he could "stare at the wall" and drink his coffee. Now tell me - how does that make sense?! I would must rather stare at the back of my eyelids than a stupid wall. LOL

We are closing on the house we're selling today!! We had a final walkthrough with the buyers last night and all the paperwork will be signed this morning. We're also going out to the house we're buying to meet with the home inspector afterwards - it'll be nice to see our new house again! If Tammy receives everything in a timely fashion, we should be closing on that house next week sometime, so we should get posession of it on November 7th!!

We and our buyers are both anxious to move into our new homes so I'm hoping things start going smoothly with everything!

Anyway, I feel like I have many things to do and not enough time to do them in but know that everything will work out and be fine in the end. I have to tell myself that pretty often. LOL Just remember us in your prayers & thoughts, and things will turn out great!!!

Holy Cow! 29 Weeks

The time is fast approaching us - hard to believe that we will be welcoming Annabelle into this world in about 2.5 months!!!! We aren't even close to being ready right now, but after we get moved to our new place - I'll be doing my best to get things in order.

Speaking of moving........We finally found a house! We're pretty psyched and will probably be closing on it the same time as we're closing on our house on Ros Mar. Tammy is being a busy bee with our loan and expediting things quite quickly! I think it's her way of getting revenge on the sellers. LOL The house is between Lubeck & Belleville and has 5 acres, which Jason loves. We'll see how much he loves it after he's had to mow that massive yard all summer!

I think we'll be moving in about 3 weeks. Two more weeks to close the loan and then we're giving the sellers 7 days to vacate the house. I picked up some boxes this morning so we can start packing the stuff that we aren't using at the moment.

Nothing is really new with Annabelle. She's squirming around like crazy still which is funny. I think she must be asleep at the moment though. She really responds to food already. LOL Jason or I can start talking to her about spaghetti or hamburgers or something, and she gives a good healthy kick. It's pretty funny, truthfully. We start our 2 week Doctor appointments now. I haven't heard anything about my blood work for my sugar test. I assume that is a good thing cause I know they would've called me if I had problems.

I was out of town working all last week so I missed my weekly update, but I'm glad to be back in my office this week. I hate being out of town, it makes my life more stressful than I want it to be!

Thanks again for all you all have done thus far for us. Through prayers and faith, we'll end up with a very healthy (probably chunky LOL) baby in December. We are very blessed.

27 Week Update

Annabelle and I are doing very well this week. Had a rough weekend with being sick, but feel much better now.

Jason should be home again after this week is through. It'll be nice to have him around again. I'm sure Tyson will be glad to have him home again, too. I think he gets bored when it's just me at the house.

We put an offer on a house today. It's located between Lubeck and Belleville on Champion School Road. I'm sure they'll counter offer but it was worth a shot at a lower price. It really is a nice place with a beautiful yard. I think we close on our current home in 2 weeks so I hope that we can come to an agreement on this home or find another place to live quickly. We have 30 days after closing to vacate but that will go by pretty quick!

Not much has happened other than that so not much of an update this week. Just keep us in your thoughts & prayers!

26 Weeks - Last week of the 2nd Trimester

Time is flying by! Annabelle will be here before we know it - which is so exciting but scary, too. She's moving like crazy nowadays. And loves to give me heartburn that feels like hell resides in my chest. LOL

Don't forget to vote on the 2 new poles on the right hand side of the blog! I won't mention names but I do know of a certain sister of mine who didn't even know that the poles existed. Let's get with the program!

As you can tell from my attitude, I'm actually feeling very well. My spirits are good and haven't had much to complain about. Well, other than that blasted heartburn of mine! I'm finally looking pregnant, too. My dad tells me on Tuesday that I'm finally looking pregnant so I guess it's official that I have a belly now. (But, he also told me that he figured out why my belly wasn't very big --it's all in my backside. Hmph - what tact you have, dad! It's a good thing I'm pregnant or somebody would get thumped for that!!!)

Jason is still working out of town in Dresden. He's supposed to be back after next week. We'll see what happens after next week.

The house inspection went really well yesterday, as far as I know. The only 2 big problems included the dishwasher & the jacuzzi tub not working. But, it turned out that the inspector just didn't know how to use a dishwasher or to properly turn on jets. Both are just fine and dandy. I think everything is progressing well. Jas & I are still house hunting. Going to look at a couple this weekend, I believe.

Not much of an update this week. Feeling really well. The next checkup is still 1.5 weeks away and that will include having my blood drawn for a standard sugar test. Hopefully I pass!!!

As always - Thank you all for your continues prayers!

25 Week Update

Annabelle and I had a checkup yesterday afternoon. We are now 25 weeks along and doing very well. She's growing ahead of schedule but I think she's using my long torso for her growth rather than growing outward. (I still do not have that big of a belly) I think I look like I'm expecting now but I'm still not like others who are at the same stage. The doctor told me, though, that she's growing and developing very well and not to worry about how much my belly is growing.

Her heartbeat was at 148bpm yesterday, so she's staying pretty steadily in the 140s. I go in for my sugar test in 3 weeks - I pray that I pass!!! She is moving ALOT lately, too. I truly believe that she's awake more often than she's sleeping which kinda scares me since I've read that she's starting her sleeping schedule already. She's still being stubborn for her daddy and refuses to move when he can see or feel.

Of course, Jason is still working out of town. Next week is supposed to be the last week, but I have my doubts. He's now working 5-10s instead of 4-10s, too, so he's away for longer each week. I suppose time will tell when he gets to come back home. I hope soon, though.

For those of you who don't know, we already have a contract on our house. We have no place to move to yet, but we have until mid-November to vacate the premises so hopefully we'll have one by then! Add in the complication of not knowing if we're going to stay in Parkersburg - and we have one stressed out momma! LOL So, I have no idea where to look for a new home, Jason is out of town, and we now have to start packing up for the big move. I'm just a little bit stressed.

Once again -- Thank you all for your prayers for us. We ask that you continue to do so. We're very thankful that our Anna-Banana is healthy and growing well, and we look forward to being able to introduce her to you all here in about 15 weeks!

24 Weeks Down, 16 Weeks To Go

I forgot to post last week! We went to Gatlinburg for a long weekend and I just totally forgot since I was busy at work trying to get things ready for my absence.

Everything is going pretty good here in Parkersburg. We listed our house on August 29th and had a offer on it on September 3rd. LOL I wasn't prepared to sell this quickly - we have no where to move right now! Our company has thrown a monkey wrench into the plot as well. We're not for sure how long we'll both be at ICI so we're afraid to buy a new home in Parkersburg before we know for sure that we'll be able to find jobs in Parkersburg. I just keep telling myself that everything will work out the way it's supposed to and that I just need to relax. We're still in negotiations with the potential buyers at the moment, but will hopefully be able to make a decision before they return from their honeymoon.


On to another subject -- the baby & I are both doing well. She's kicking and squirming and somersaulting like crazy nowadays. And she loves sugar! I had a lemonade yesterday that put into a tail spin. And I ate some taffy from the Gatlinburg candy store a few days ago and made her dance. Her aunt Chas got to see her trying to pop out of my stomach on Sunday - a show that nobody else has gotten to see, including her daddy.


We went and bought alot of clothes at the Carter store in Gatlinburg last Saturday. Jas says that she's set now but I have a feeling that she'll be getting more clothes. LOL We ended up buying a crib earlier this week and will be picking it up tomorrow - it's so pretty (I posted a picture of it below). We have a dresser and hope chest that we'll need to paint to match the crib. I finally registered at www.Walmart.com, www.Target.com, and www.albeebaby.com yesterday, too. I really can't believe all the baby stuff out there that is needed - it's really overwhelming! She's going to be taking up more space in our house than we do! It seems like we have so little compared to what we need for her. LOL


Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for Annabelle, as well as me and Jason. The next few months are going to prove to be a bit stressful and we need all the support that we can get! I go for a doctor's appointment next Wednesday for a checkup, and I'm sure that everything will be fine and dandy but prayer is always needed.

The baby shower will be October 11th at 2pm, I believe it will be in Belpre, Ohio. There will be one in the Huntington, WV area in November as well for those who don't want to travel to the Parkersburg, WV area but I don't think a date has been set yet. Either November 8th or 15th, I believe, though.

Everyone take care and thanks again!

We have a healthy baby!

Well, sorry for the delay!!!!! I didn't mean to forget!

The baby was 15oz in weight, about 4" from head to bum (plus the little squirming legs that she couldn't measure), the heartrate was 141bpm, and had a beautiful ultrasound profile.

I was able to see the spine & rib cage very clearly, and the little kicks & jabs too. Overall, we have a very healthy baby who is absolutely beautiful already! Just ask gramma Missi!

AND.....





























Her name is Annabelle Eve Ward. Yep! We're having a baby girl. Jason can't believe that there isn't a wee-wee there, but there isn't. LOL He's still getting used to the idea of having a girl - shoot, I am too and I was fully prepared for hearing "It's a girl" on Friday. I've just had a feeling since we found out we were expecting that we were having a girl.

And she was already "talking" to us! She was looking right at us and was moving her mouth like she was having a conversation with us. Missi swears that she was saying momma....does that sound as her first word???? LOL

Anyway, just wanted you all to know! I'm going to try to post the ultrasound pictures today after work! She is such a cutie!!!

21 Weeks and the BIG U/S

I am now 21 weeks along and we have the BIG ultrasound today at 2:30pm. To say I'm excited is really an understatement. I have a long list of phone calls to make, too, after I get out of the checkup to people who also are so excited about the unveiling of the hoo-ha. (Or weiner like Jason likes to say, but whatever!)

Doing really good considering I haven't had a day off in 2 weeks. I'm taking off at noon today, though, so that will help the weekend seem a little longer. I really can't complain about anything. I'm just tired but I'm getting better each day that I get more rest and not driving 200 miles a day for work. Ugh - that wore me out!

Jason got home from his jobsite last night - his week was exhausting too. But he said that it isn't as bad as working at Conesville like he did in the spring time. Plus, he gets 3 day weekends while he's up there!

I will be posting again later today so that I can introduce you to the baby! I'm praying for an active, growing, developing baby regardless of what the unveiling reveals! Only 6 more hours!!!