The end of my pregnancy went just as wonderfully as the beginning. I had little to no swelling or sickness. I was able to keep working and remain active. I worked out almost daily and had actually been to a yoga class earlier on the day I went into labor. I LOVED being pregnant!! I loved the way I looked, the way I felt, the life that was about to come into existance, ALL OF IT. Chris was wonderful through out the pregnancy. He was in Little Rock through most of it, but he came home almost every single weekend. Since we had just moved into the house, he was having to do a lot of the odd jobs himself since I couldn't do any painting or heavy lifting. I am independent and Chris is too so this may have caused a few rifts on occation, but we got it all done!
Here are a few pics of me and Chris towards the end...



Testing out baby equipment on poor Lucy



About 2 weeks before Thomas came


Belly pic at 37 weeks (1 week before Thomas's arrival)



Daddy giving him a kiss!! So sweet



Not may pics of Chris so this is a nice one taken about 2 weeks before Thomas was born. I would also like to mention that Chris LOST 10 pounds while I was pregnant...so much for the sympathy weight. I was on my own!

Keena's Family Shower

This was the first shower that the name was revealed, and that was only a couple of days before hand. (Chris wanted to keep the name secret till he was born, but caved in the end) So we got a personalized cake!! Both sides of my family came together in a joint effort. It was held at my parents house and it was so wonderful to get to see those family members that I don't get to see very often.
I got a lot of amazing gifts, but the one that meant the most was the hand crocheted blanket that my Grandmother made. I had hounded her to please make me one, but she had insisted that she did not remember how. Even gone so far as to tell me she had tried, but couldn't get it to do right. My Grandfather passed away the morning of the shower my friends had for me, so the blanket meant even more. To know that she and Granddaddy had sat and talked during his final days as she crocheted it brought me to tears in front of a lot of people. For those of you that know me well, you know this is a VERY rare for me.


The spread


The blanket Grandmama made! (notice it is white so I can use it with the next baby!)

My Bestiest Throw a Shower!!

My best friends from High School threw me a shower in Lewisburg. As always, Alli, Meli, and Sara went above and beyond when it comes to being great friends. There was a ton of food! All of the guys came and socialized in the backyard while the hens stayed in the hen house for the shower. The best part of this shower was the suprise of Meg being there!!!
For those of you who don't know, Meg was one of my best friends when Chris and I were stationed in Columbus. She moved to Breckinridge, CO shortly after Chris and I left, so for her to be there meant A LOT!
After the shower we had a cookout, and as always Sean grilled some great food!!
The girls responsible for the shower! (Meli, Meg, Alli, and Sara)

Merritt Shower at the Lake

The next shower was at Smith Mountain Lake with the Merritts. A good time was had by all and it was great getting to catch up with all of Chris's aunts, uncles, and cousins on his mom's side. As showers go, we got lots of good stuff! It was so nice of them to throw us the little get together. Everyone came over to our cabin for the shower, then we went to I believe Susan and Ren's cabin for a good board game. (I think it was Trivial Pursuit, but it's been so long now I forget!)


Chris Lucy and I just before or after opening gifts.

Long Over Due

Since it has been a very very long time since my last post. I am going to try to update as much as possible this next week. For those of you that have been checking in I am sorry it has been over 6 months since I updated it. It just seems to be easier to post pics on myspace and be done with it. Anyway, I will try to recapture each moment since we left the Vineyard!! :)

Vineyard Vaca

Chris and I got to take a wonderful pre-baby trip last week. We spent about 5 days on Martha's't been on the island in almost 10 years and I had never been in the summer time when it was warm. We Vineyard visiting with his family. We had a wonderful time!!! Chris hadngot to catch up with his family and take in a few touristy things too. They gave us a surprise baby shower while we were there too. It was so nice and Chris and I appreciated it so much!!! The vacation went so well overall that our luggage didn't want to come home so it decided to stay a day or two longer than we did, but we got it back eventually. Those couple of days were a little rough though considering ALL my maternity clothes were in my bag except a couple of shirts and the jeans I wore on the plane. But hey all is well that ends well right?

Pregnancy Update

So far this pregnancy has been beyond wonderful!!! To say I have had an easy pregnancy thus far would be an understatement. I have had no morning sickness and so far no swelling or sciatica. I'm still trying to do a modified workout at least a couple of days a week and I've been taking a yoga class one to two days a week. I can't help but feel that my keeping active is what has helped this pregnancy along so well. I've had to stop running and move to the elliptical the last couple of months not due to balance or fatigue, but peeing and breathing. Mainly I have to stop every 2 minutes to go pee and I can't breath while running. I enjoy the elliptical and can read while I'm on it so I don't mind too much.
He started feeling his movement around 19 weeks. He is moving a ton everyday!!! I'm at 29 weeks now and he is starting to make hard movements and the kicks are turning into hard knots that stick out for extended periods of time. He usually likes to hang out on my right side, which makes me look a little bit whop sided, and that is usually where I feel the kicks and knots at too.
I can only hope that the rest of this pregnancy goes half as smooth as the first 29 weeks have. I thank God everyday that he has given me this gift and that he has blessed me with such a comfortable pregnancy. Chris has been wonderful also. He makes sure to tell me almost daily how beautiful I look and how much he loves my pregnant body. It is amazing how him telling me that can turn a miserable I feel fat day into a I love every inch of my blooming body day!!
Now, if we could just decide on a name we would be set!!!