Surprise Baby Sho(o)wer

Last Friday, the always thoughtful Crissy Skelly, with the help of a few others, managed to throw me a surprise baby shower.  Apparently the plans had been in the making for quite some time and everyone around me knew about it.  These folks are pretty good at keeping things on the down low - we all know that I'm not!

Here is an extremely unflattering picture of me walking into the dining room where everything was decorated and there were about 14 of my Alabama friends smiling and yelling, "SURPRISE!"

After we all got some food and sat in our seats and I got asked about a dozen times if I was really surprised, I started to open all of Emmalyn's presents.  I got some help from Ethan, you might have seen him once or twice on this blog already.

Here is a picture of me trying to figure out if this adorable strawberry onesie will fit Emmalyn.  June got the outfit because she said it reminded her of Caleb and me.  Apparently anytime we have people over my desserts have included strawberries - told you I've been craving fruit the whole pregnancy!  I also just think the expression on my face that Sarah caught is hilarious!

Before everyone started dispersing we had to get a group shot.  This is the amazing group of ladies that I have the privilege of knowing while living in Alabama.  We are all in the same boat and it is great to know Godly women who understand the importance of attempting to be a good wife to a  man who flies 9 million dollar army aircrafts!

Sarah wanted to get a picture of me and all of Emmalyn's loot!  This kid is so loved by so many already and God is obviously blessing her even before she takes her first breathe of air.

And here is the spread.  Everyone pitched in to help make things and the cupcakes were from Cupcakes Ya'll.  A quaint little shop that I have been wanting to try.  They were amazing!

You might be wondering about the title.  Well, you see, Crissy bought a string sign that was supposed to say Baby Shower, but apparently there was a small typo and it really read, Baby Shoower.  I thought it was funny and very memorable!

Kayla : )

1000 Gifts

So, this week I'm in South Carolina for one last lone trip before Emmalyn's arrival.  So far I've had so much fun and there is still so much to look forward to - although I am missing my husband.  So, until I find time to upload all my pictures, you get the weekly One Thousand Gifts.

21. Getting to my destination on a long trip safely

22. Having my nephew talk to "Baby Poco" and see how excited he is about her

23. scented candles

24. Laughing with my brother

25. Hitting the pillow at the end of the day

26. My blanket - yes, I have a blanket that my grandmother gave me a few years ago that is so soft and I love it.  I brought it to SC with me because it smells like home.

27. Catching up with friends

28. Surprises from good friends

29. Relaxing with my Real Simple magazine

30. Summer rain

Kayla : )

Pregnancy Survey

How far along?   31 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain/loss:  Well.... I don't really want to say, but 30 pounds so far.  It is really hard for me to look at myself and feel pretty with that much extra weight on me.  I'm really hoping the Doc is right when he tells me he thinks most of it is fluid/swelling that will come off quickly and its not just him trying to be nice.  I guess I'll have to wait to see.
Maternity clothes? Still loving my cotton dresses and skirts.  Everything else is Maternity
Stretch marks?   Still none - working hard every morning to keep it that way
Sleep:  I sleep so hard!!!!!!!!  I get up about every hour to hour and a half to use the bathroom, but have no trouble going back to sleep right away.  I can sleep anytime!!!!
Best moment this week: getting more of the nursery done.  I finished painting my old dresser and bought some cubbies to go in Emmalyn's closet that houses canvas baskets that I'll keep extra blankets etc in.
Movement:  YES!!!!!  Her feet are loving my right side and I can tell when she is poking her butt out because my belly is lopsided.  

Cravings:  MILK and fruit still.  I also am loving small amounts of dark chocolate too.
Gender:   GIRL!!!! - Emmalyn!
Labor Signs:  None
Belly Button in or out?  still in... getting flatter.  Caleb still does his weekly finger check
What I miss: energy!!!  I have the desire to do certain things like walk outside, housework, taking pictures, but after just a few minutes I get tired!

What I am looking forward to:  traveling to SC to see all my great friends and family and have a baby shower to celebrate the little life growing inside me.
Weekly Wisdom: I'm looking more and more like my mom!!!!
Milestones: single digit week countdown.  5 weeks to full term and 8 weeks to her due date!

Also, last weekend Caleb and I got some maternity pictures taken.  I was going to do them with our regular photographer, Sara Parker, but Caleb would not be able to be there with me, so I just asked a co worker who loves to take pictures if she would be interested in taking some for us.  She gladly agreed to, and I love them!  Other than the fact that I look like an Ox wearing a white dress, the pictures are great!  Hopefully Emmalyn will appreciate them one day.

Kayla : )

Emmi's Nursery...So Far

Here are a few pictures from the nursery so far.  

This is the area bedside the rocker.  I still need to iron the curtains and table cloth, but I put it together just to see what it would look like.  

And this is my dresser from way back when that I painted and added new hardware.  It is very shabby chic and girly and I love it!!!!

I will be heading to SC next week and will return with the crib bedding so I can finish that area of the room.  Can't wait to see it all put together!

Kayla : )

One Thousand Gifts

21. Chick-fil-A

22. cookouts on the lake during a beautiful day with great friends.

23. Having a surprise lunch visit from my husband

24. phone dates with my best friends

25. Taking pictures for an awesome little family

26. coupons

27. Shopping at Michael's and letting my imagination go wild

28. Having a freshly stocked refrigerator

29. much needed rain

30. puppies

Kayla : )

So lately this pregnancy has been taking a toll on my body.  Excessive swelling and increasing blood pressure are the main symptoms, so I'm trying to be very careful - ya know the basics... Drinking plenty of water, keeping my feet propped up, and no salt.  However, I've been doing this for weeks and it doesn't seem to be helping.

So far, Emmalyn is just fine, but we would appreciate your prayers that the swelling and high blood pressures don't cause complications and the pregnancy will continue and we will have a healthy baby... and mama.

Not exactly the most or even remotely flattering picture, but this is me after work.  Very swollen!

Kayla : )

Our Weekend

This past weekend was eventful, but not very productive.  Caleb starts BWS (basic war-fighting skills) today and in preparation for it, he had to put together 30 maps.  And when I mean put together, I mean, trace his route, identify all power lines and towers, fold, glue, and glue some more.  The end result is a book of maps that they can easily flip to while in the cockpit.  Even though Caleb and a few other flight students got together to make an assembly line to get them done faster, it took them about 30+ hrs to complete the whole project.  I helped trace one map, but with my strange back ache, it just made it worse, so I ended up making lunches for everyone instead.

Aside from the maps, on Sunday we got up and went to church along with our friend Waldo (his first name is Adam, but I'm use to calling him Waldo, plus it is an easy name to make fun of : )  Anyway, while at church I got overheated (which doesn't take much these days) and felt so weak I thought I might pass out.  Upon arriving home, my breakfast reappeared which then made me very shaky.  I texted my friend Aimee at work and told her I might be seeing her later to get my blood pressure checked (I have no idea where my sphygmomanometer is, so I have to stop by L&D to get it checked.
She then asked what was going on and a few minutes later I got a call from my lovely L&D coworkers telling me they wanted me to come in ASAP.
My reaction - GRRRRRRRR!  I just want to sleep!
However, Caleb and I thought it would be better to get checked out, so we ventured over to MCE where I had a urinalysis, a CBC, and a CRP drawn and they monitored Emmalyn the whole time.  My blood pressure was a little elevated and I was "spilling" ketones in my urine and my lab work was pretty screwed up, but Miss Emmalyn looked great so I was sent home.  That's what happens when you work in the department I do - everyone is a mom!

So, after my hospital incident, Caleb and I headed home to get the house somewhat ready for the Bible study group to come over - it was our week to host.  I made my mother-in-law's summer strawberry cake recipe and before I knew it we were all packed in our tiny living room watching our weekly video.  This week was great.  The speaker talked about how men give themselves like 1,000 points for getting out of bed in the morning, and putting the dishes up, and getting their dirty clothes in the hamper instead of the floor.  Whereas women give their men 1 point for each of  these things.  Rather amusing if you think about it...and true.  I know every time Caleb does something useful around the house he continuously points it out to me for days afterwards!
At the end of the video, the speaker had us all get up and stand hand in hand with our spouses and repeat his words.  I don't remember everything he said, but I do remember it feeling like we were renewing our vows and it made me and almost every other wife emotional.
The speech was mostly about how you get caught up in day to day life and forget to appreciate each other and love each other like you did before.  For example, men usually go all out when they are courting a girl in order to "win" her, but once a ring is on her finger, most of that goes out the window for the exception of V-day and anniversaries.  And sometimes wives forget that nagging him about putting his dirty clothes in the hamper instead of the floor is the last thing he needs after being nagged at work all day.  Anyway, the message was good.

So after we finished up the Bible study and had a little going away party for our leaders, Brooke and Dave, we were all sitting around talking when Bumper kept begging me for some water, so I gave him some.  However, after drinking the entire bowl he turned around, walked 3 feet (to just where the carpet starts from the kitchen ) and vomits.  Everywhere.  In front of everyone and all over my dress.  I ran him outside, changed my clothes and came back out to the living room to see a group of our Bible study friends cleaning up my dog's puke.  What are friends for?

What a weekend!!!  Now, its back to work for both Caleb and me and helping the Skellys move on Saturday.  I think I'm going to go rest now because reliving all of that in my head just got me exhausted again.

Working hard on tracing!

The ghetto set up

Kayla : )

1000 Gifts

11. a morning glass of milk

12. long phone calls to catch up with family and friends

13. Friends that will travel way out of their way just to bring you a key because you locked yourself out of your house :)

14. sitting outside on a beautiful day soaking up the sun and being reminded how awesome God is

15. Getting my toes painted...because I can barely reach them : )

16. Sending my husband out the door in the morning with everything he needs - this is usually my first accomplished job every day

17.  Having a front row seat to birth when I'm at work.  No matter how many times I witness a birth, I never cease to be amazed.

18. Having great friends over to talk about how Christ has worked in them and their marriages (we love our Bible study group).

19. Hearing an "I love you" from my husband that was unexpected

20. The smile that shows up on my face every time I pass Emmalyn's nursery

Kayla : )

Its in the water

2010 is proving to be a very busy year.  I have so many girls from high school that are expecting their first child in the next few weeks, and there are even more popping up by the day!  However, there are two very important ladies in my life that are also expecting... My sweet sister-in-laws!  Yes, all three of the women in the Wilkes family are pregnant!!!!  My oldest SIL, Sara, is due in September with her fourth and Alecia is due in December with their third.  Grandma has got her hands full!!!!

I'm so excited for more nieces/nephews and cousins for Emmalyn.  She will have cousins so close to her age this just gives us more reason to get together more often.

Here is a picture of the three of us last August in North Carolina.  I'm guessing Emmalyn will be somewhat cute, because between the two of them, they have produced 5 great looking kids so far!

Kayla : )

Pregnancy Progress

A few of Emmalyn's Stats

~ 72 days until her due date

~ 52 days until she reaches full term

~ She is weighing in at approximately 3 pounds

~ Her head is measuring almost 2 weeks ahead (oh joy!)

~ At our last Doctor's visit she was head down

~ She is a very active baby.  I feel rolling and lots of kicks.  Sometimes it even feels like she is stretching out to try to find more space in there

~ Apparently she really doesn't like it when I lie on my right side because she beats me.

***

A few of my stats

~ My ankle bones have disappeared.  I hope they come back soon

~ I've started vomiting daily again thanks to the awful acid reflux!

~ I've gained 22 pounds in 7 months...WOW!!!!

~ It is definitely getting harder to move.  Sometimes I'll get up from bed or the couch abruptly not really taking the whole pregnancy thing into thought, but then I am reminded very quickly.

~ Emmalyn's current home has now become my portable table.  I love being able to balance a bowl there

~ I have to take prescription iron pills now, along with the prenatal vitamins and acid reducers

~ I have no idea how I'm going to last another 2+ months with her inside me.  I want her out so that I can see her in person
and play with her
and hug her
and kiss her cheeks
and smell her
and dress her up
and witness all of her facial expressions
and hear what her voice sounds like
and get to know her inside and out

...Until then, this is all I have (along with her almost constant moving of course!)

Kayla : )

One Thousand Gifts

I have an acquaintance's blog that I read weekly and since the first of this year, she has been writing 10 things a week that she is thankful for.  Its called One Thousand Gifts.  Its pretty much just writing 10 things a week that you are grateful for to remind ourselves how blessed we truly are.  Its funny, because none of her gifts so far have been about material things which I think is great.  I've been thinking about this for awhile, and I'm going to start this once a week gift post.  I do think randomly of things I'm thankful for and how blessed I am, but I think for everyone it would make us appreciate our God so much more if we sat down once a week and wrote out ten things that he has blessed us with.  Not that I'm not already happy, but I think that writing these will force me to remember just how much Christ does love us and wants to be happy.  I mean, he did have his own son die a brutal death just to have us enjoy eternity with him in paradise (hmmmm, wonder if we'll have cheeseburgers in paradise- ha ha, that was a little corny joke).

So, anyway, that's my explanation to why I'm starting this weekly post.  I encourage you all to sit down once a week and give thanks to Christ for all that he has blessed you with as well.  Couldn't we make one prayer a week dedicated to praising him instead of asking more of him?

1. The kicks that I feel daily in my belly from my daughter

2. seeing the people I love smiling

3. a loving husband that works so hard for his family and his country

4. hearing the birds singing outside my window in the mornings

5. a clean house (because it doesn't stay like that for long)

6. cooking (when I put the meal on the table its kind of like my Cast Away "look with I have created" moment :)

7. I'm still working on this one, but learning that God is in control and worry is wasteful.  Now, I just need to figure out what to do with all that extra time : )

8. Seeing God's beauty through my camera lens whether it be his own children or nature

9. Chocolate milk

10. short afternoon naps

Kayla : )