The Lewis Family

Plans are...hard to make

2009-02-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

and hold to. Every time we make a plan it seems it goes out the window for one reason or another. And this is incredibly unnerving to my oldest child syndrome. That means...I'm a control freak, and when I can't control, I freak.

Aside from that, we're headed to Ann Arbor, MI March 11-13 for a job interview for Mark with Plastipak Packaging. This should be fun.We have friends in the area and we both like it...it's just cold! Ann Arbor is about fourty five minutes from Canada, I think. If this Michigan job doesn't work out, we plan to move to Lexington. We have friends there, as well as family, and I know one of our friends can get me on with the local daycare so that I would be able to have Audree with me, kinda.

My tiny (not) baby is all grown up. Not really but she's pretty close. She can full-on crawl, stand up, say "Mommy" and "Daddy", knows where her nose is (and Athena's) and is just plain BIG. She's into her 9-12 and 12+ clothing which of course is heartbreaking to me. I'm not ready, Audball! Stay small! Do it for mom! She doesn't listen ;).

Here's some links to my facebook photo albums :D.

Audree 8-9 months
Audree 9-10 months

Cappucino Muffins

2009-01-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Espresso Spread:
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the first two ingredients in the microwave. Mix in the next three. Cover and refrigerate until serving. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir milk and coffee granules until coffee is dissolved. Add butter, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool and serve with prepared espresso spread.

These are FABULOUS! I love the espresso spread. They're pretty rich even without the spread.

So, what'll it be?

2009-01-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Mark and I have been discussing our New Year's resolutions, and here are mine:

* Start school. I want to go college.
* Learn the ways of frugality, even moreso than I am already.
* Trim our budgets down. I spend about $150-$200/month on groceries and household goods and I'd like to either keep that the same or trim it. It's down from $300-$400 when we didn't have a baby, and only one dog.
* SAVINGS! Oh man, I can't think about this enough. By the end of the year, I'd like to have at least two months' bills saved, just in case.
* Start sewing. I am so hard to buy clothes for, so I'd like to remedy that by either making or altering my own.
* Start baking bread. Yes, I suck at this. I'm awful! I want to learn to bake so that it doesn't taste like dirt. Yech.
* Become a Proverbs 31 woman. I think this would benefit my family, marriage and myself in so many ways.
* Share my recipes.
* Grow closer to God. I would like to be closer to Him and to learn more about Him and His ways. I have a feeling He could teach me a thing or two ;).
* Grow closer to Mark, spiritually.
* Work more as a team with Mark
* Be happy and comfortable with my body. That being said, I'm not saying I'm going to lose weight...I just want to feel better about myself.
* Enter one photography contest a month. Maybe I won't win...maybe I will. I sure have an adorable subject!
* Continue honing my cooking skill. We are eating so much better now than we were when we first got married and I hope we keep it up.

That being said, I'm also looking back on the years past. How have we/I improved?

Well...we made a small addition to our family :). Being a mother is amazing, scary, stressful, lonely, crazy and just plain fun. I never thought I would feel this way. I didn't give birth the way I wanted but I'll try again with our next child. I'm still breastfeeding! I'm still making baby food! I take care of my family the best that I can and we're all happy.

My cooking skill has improved significantly. Our first year of marriage, I couldn't tell you the difference in a roux and a bechamel, and now I can make both with my eyes closed. I don't remember the last time I bought Hamburger Helper, Kraft Mac n Cheese...any of the packaged stuff. I'm doing almost all my cooking from scratch. I just have to learn breads now! I've even made tortillas! I really enjoy my cooking and baking and candy making...that's my therapy. It saves me when there's a baby screaming in one year, a husband asking, "Hon, where's my..." and two dogs chasing a hissing cat around my feet. Leave me alone in the land of ladles...I'll be fine.

To be continued. Someone has discovered a heinous scream...fingernails on a blackboard, folks.

New Year's Resolutions....

2008-12-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

we need some around here. I've had them in the past but they never stuck. I never really wanted them. I wasn't clear in what I wanted. I didn't set out a plan of attack. I don't know what ours will be, but we're doing them this year...together, and we're going to stick with it. What are your NYR?

Christmastime!

2008-12-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

So Mark is out of the Navy and on the jobhunt. Goodbye Connecticut! We're now living in Albany, KY. I'm sure you've heard of it...it's also called BFE. There's no Walmart. Isn't that illegal?

Anyway we've been spending time together and with family. My family finally got to meet Audree and we've been blessed with holidays around the Lewis table lately. We arrived in KY on Thanksgiving day and came straight to Susan's house, and are also doing the first half of Christmas here and then all heading down to Dennis'. He is finally off for awhile :).

Audree is 7 1/2 months old and can feed herself, sit up, stand assisted, says "Mama" "Dada" and "Tata" (cat). She's big, silly and adorable...and just plain perfect!

The whole gang at Thanksgiving dinner

Mark sewing Dennis' Christmas present

Audree and Josh

Audree and my brother

Audree and my great aunt Nadine

Audree and my grandma

Audree and my mom

Audree and Dennis

Audree and her cousin

Audree's first snow!

Audree and Ben

Audree and Elaine

Elaine and Audree

Busy busy bees.

2008-11-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today-dental appointment, cable cut-off
Wednesday (tomorrow)-pre-inspection with the movers, laundry and packing what will go with us
Thursday-packers, dental appointment if needed
Friday-packers, movers, Audree's last checkup
Saturday-spending time together, taking last pics of Mark in his uniform
Sunday-Last time at Mystic Aquarium
Monday-movers
Tuesday-check-out of housing, start driving to KY
Wednesday-driving to KY
Thursday-driving to KY, Thanksgiving dinner

I'm going to go crawl into a hole now...lol.

We are so busy. Mark and Audree are napping right now. When they get up we're going over to the rental house (on Pelican Ave.) and starting to pack. Eeek, there's so much to do. I need an assistant lol.

Pics!

2008-11-14T11:20:00.001-08:00

Here are the much-delayed pics.

Quiet everyone, I'm trying to nap here!

I have no idea. She's just upside down.
.This face is so innocent.

Her myspace pic. lol.

The onesie says, "I love my mummy". She needed a halloween outfit as well as a costume, lol.

Baby's new carseat! Her old one expires next month, so we had to get her a big-girl one.

And this is the dryer. yeah. lol.

Baby's breakfast with mom! Dad went to work so baby and mommy went out.

At the rental house.

Her very first bite of bananas! She wasn't sure.

And then she decided they were yummy.

Are you talkin' to me?

She wanted to feed herself.

Daddy took this one

Reading with dad

She wanted to eat the book.

The gorgeous trees on our street

Watching the sea lion show.

Penguins are adorable!

She's so funny.

Little girl loves her daddy!

We named him 'Ol Toothy.

Hangin' out.

Curly hair!

What a mess.

Her goofy hair cracks me up.

Mom forgot her hat :/

She's all bundled up

She fell asleep with her head down--too cute.

She's supposed to be watching the fishies...

News

2008-11-14T08:45:00.000-08:00

We had a house fire on November 1st and we're still out of our house...it's still not livable. The dryer is shot and we've lost a few little things but it wasn't too bad. The minor repairs are taking forever, though.

Mark's last day in the Navy is the 25th of this month. We're having the navy move us and we're going to stay at my FIL's house for a bit until Mark can secure a good job. We have a resume ready and sent out, we're just waiting to hear back. Mark did get a job offer from a nuke plant in Michigan, and it's definetly not out of the question.

Audree turned 6 months and is eating bananas and avocados, and will be starting sweet potatoes very soon. I'm making all her baby food at home. She eats cereal mixed with a fruit or veggie 3-4 times daily and loves it.

She had her 6 month well baby appointment and got her shots. She is healthy, just small. Crazy huh? She weighs only a few more ounces than she did at her four month appt, but she's lengthened out. The doc wants us to up her intake; I was only changing 4-5 wet diapers a day, which is about 3 less than what she needs. Since I've started feeding her cereal more and breastfeeding, I'm getting about 8-10 wet diapers a day, and that makes everyone feel a bit better. She has an appointment in two weeks so we can check her weight.

She also had an "accident". Mark was on our bed with her (at the rental house) and she rolled off the bed and hit the hardwood floor, back down. She started projectile vomiting after so we took her to the E.R. She has a mild concussion, which means her brain was just rattled, as the doctor said. She's fine, we just have to be more careful. The nurses and doctor said that this is a normal thing and every baby gets hurt now and then.

And I'm exhausted, lol. My friend Kim is watching Audree right now so we can check on the house, so I have to go, but I have plenty of pictures of Audree's first solids and stuff to upload when I have time.

Halloween!

2008-10-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a few shots of Audree's Halloween costume. She also has another outfit that she'll be wearing on Halloween. There's so much cute stuff out there...it was too hard to pick just one thing :).

So...

2008-10-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

I've decided to go to school for social work. Any advice?

Look at this!

2008-10-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Look what I learned to do!

"In My Arms" by Plumb

"In My Arms" by Plumb

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your Curly Que's
Your contagious smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight
Knowing

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Story books
Are full of fairy-tales
Of kings and queens
And the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing
You'll someday see
The truth for lies

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
Cause you are never all alone
Cause I will always
Always love you

Hey I
Hey I
Will love

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

In my arms

New pics and videos!

2008-10-09T11:31:00.001-07:00

That tongue! She's so silly.

Reaching for daddy's boots. You'll notice the mail on the floor...the cat ran from the baby and knocked the mail off the bar.

Oh look! A new hiding place!

How much of myself can I fit under here?

Mom?!

Can I get a hand here?

Where am I?

True man...he fell asleep with the remote in his hand.

What a cute carrot top.

She just keeps spinning...

And spinning...

And spinning!

Oh! I just love this picture of her. She's just so innocent and pure :).

Well, she's also a little mischievous. She managed to roll into her playmat.

Daddy's first day wearing blues

I think she was pointing at the kitty. She loves that crazy cat!

And she loves the camera.

Asleep on daddy's lap

Asleep on the floor...

She's so cute!

Athena loves pictures, too.

5 months!

2008-10-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

My little girl is growing up so fast. She's 5 months old now! She had to go to the doctor on her birthday, though. Not for shots, but because she wasn't feeling well. Her right eye was swollen and she screamed (not cried, mind you) for hours in between naps. I couldn't do anything for her and I felt so bad. Turns out she had pinkeye and an ear infection :(. Poor baby...I'd scream, too! How on earth did she get pinkeye? I don't think I've ever had it! The doctor, Commander Mitchell is a very nice lady. I had to beg for an appointment and got one with a different doctor and made it to my appointment 20 minutes early. The nice doc., Comm. Mitchell, came out to the waiting room and took us into her office since there were no rooms open. She checked out Audree's eyes, ears, nose, listened to her breathing and checked her for a fever. She had a slight fever but nothing to be concerned about. She was given amoxocillen for her eye infection, nasal drops for her runny nose, eye ointment and a cream in case she gets a yeast infection from the antibiotic.

On another note, I'm not sure who will read this and really care or understand, but I've never really felt God. I don't really want to hear the "You have a child...how could you not feel God when you hold her?" I just haven't. Last night, for the first time in my life, I felt God. I was talking to Mark about plans...what we want to do after the Navy. We just found out he's being recommended for discharge. There's something that Mark really wants to do...something that he's been telling me that God is calling him to do. God's never called me so I didn't really understand; I thought it was Mark's excuse for trying to convince me that we needed to do this. Last night I felt something I've never felt before. Mark is not very good at articulating his point. He says some really outlandish things sometimes and doesn't mean them that way, that's just the way they come out. Last night he had no trouble speaking to me. There was a fire in his eyes and I was honestly scared to look him in the eyes. Every time I did I felt a million things all at once. I have been baptized...I was 13, and it was on my dad's birthday because it was the thing you were supposed to do at 13. Mark told me that we're the perfect couple...I have never felt the feeling but I could speak the words and he had the feelings but couldn't speak the words. Seeing him last night was kind of scary, I must admit. I saw something in him that I never have before. And I liked it. I feel different today...really different. I feel peaceful, calm and patient. I've never been patient, lol.

So...I guess I was saved last night. I thank God for speaking through my husband and I thank my husband for speaking the words and allowing God's words to flow through him. I now know why Christians are happier (I've always noticed this). I hope this feeling lasts forever.

About our decision: when Mark is ready for the rest of the world to know then we'll announce our future plans. Some will call us crazy and that's okay. We have each other and God on our side. We always did...we just didn't know it.

Oh and Mark scratched the car today. It's not that bad. Oh well. CT drivers need some training, seriously. He hit a pole to avoid being hit. At least he's alive and not hurt...I can better handle a dented car rather than a dented hubby :).

It's fall!

2008-09-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Fall, I've been waiting for you! This is my favorite season. I love the different colors of the leaves and the crisp, cool smell. I just feel happier in the Fall. I will be digging out my fall decorations this weekend...Mark will pretend he's excited ;).

I'm baking now...a lot. I have made cakes, pies, rolls, bread, sweet bread, muffins...all kinds of things from scratch. I want a food processor for Christmas, or a mixer! Mark found a nice one that I think he'll be getting me. As for him...he's getting Guitar Hero World Tour. Audree's getting a new carseat, a baby pen (like off The Rugrats, lol!) and, of course...toys. She'll get new clothes and a toothbrush in her stocking, too.

And I found this hat today and I want to get it for her so bad, but I can't fathom spending $20 on a hat.

Click here to see the item. Isn't it adorable? It would be so cute on Audree! I bought her a similar one the other day so we'll see how cute it is on her ;).

Pictures!

2008-09-26T22:53:00.000-07:00

Audree's cold is actually allergies :(. She had a swollen right eye so the doc gave us some antibiotic ointment for that and some saline drops for her nose to keep it from drying out but that's all they can do. At her shot appointment last week she weighed 14 lbs, 10 oz, was 25 3/4 in long and her head measures 15 3/4 inches. Today she weighed 14 lbs 12 oz which means she's gaining weight. She's eating less now. She can drink from a sippy cup, although she doesn't like water. She also opens her mouth for a spoon and will bang away with the spoon and bowl if you don't watch her VERY closely. We feed her cereal one or two times a day, depending on how she feels and how much patience we have, lol. She still doesn't need it so we're good. We've also been reading to her at bedtime and she really enjoys it. She likes to touch the book and try to eat it.

Look at that silly face. Someone managed to wrap the links around her

...and roll underneath her floor gym.

Oh! she says.

She wanted that bib off!

First time in the big-girl swing!

I just adore this hat. And...her face!

Waiting on 4 month shots :(

This was right before she was bitten by that bird.

She is so curious!

That bird is gorgeous

Audree and mommy at Mystic Aquarium...same place I went into labor with her!

Close-up

Audree and daddy after her first church service

Audree and mommy

Sorry, she's a little hung up right now.

Look at those rolls!

What are you, kitty?

Daddy made tuna casserole...how did the baby get floured?

She can help hold the umbrella.

She fell asleep on the caterpillar toy!

She wants to play, too.

Giving us "the eye"

She's so sweet! I love her onesie.

Daddy reading to her

Yes, we're still alive.

2008-09-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. We're super busy right now. Audree has her first cold so she has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. We went to the Providence mall today and I got something absolutely fantastic--an oil spritzer! No more cans of nasty oil for me! If I get a spare minute, I'll post pictures. Scratch that; I'll probably take a bubble bath instead. I'll get to it this weekend, I promise!

Some news

2008-09-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

Mark's sub disqualification packet came in today. So, we're either going surface (carrier or DDG), to a shore command or getting out. Right now we're really stressed so we'd appreciate if you keep us in your thoughts.

I've been cooking and baking from scratch. I'm attempting my first loaf of bread tomorrow so we'll see how that turns out. Also, a local supermarket had a great deal on fresh corn--12 ears for $1.99, so Mark shucked and de-silked them all while I boiled the cleaned ears, cut off the corn and froze it, along with some corn on the cob. I'm going to try making strawberry jam and jelly next week I think. Tonight I made chili with black beans and ground turkey. Mark said it was the best he'd ever had, so I guess that means I did a good job! It was tasty and not heavy or greasy like chili usually is. I'm thinking about putting some tried-and-true recipes on here, if anyone is interested.

We're also struggling with religion right now, so to speak. Neither of us believe in becoming members of a church just to be able to say that you belong, and we believe that it sometimes can take awhile to find a suitable congregation. I've been looking around. We know what we're looking for--a large new-age church with a small church feel with a praise band looking for new members...Mark wants to start playing again, and Audree and I would love to go hear him. I've actually never heard him play bass. For Christmas last year I got Mark concert quality reeds so I got to hear him play clarinet and it was lovely :). He's very talented. Anyway, we are looking for a church but we want a specific kind. We want to grow in the church as well as help the church grow, if that makes sense.

A very dear friend of mine has a child in the hospital. The baby is slowly but surely overcoming obstacles she's been faced with since birth but right now, she's a little overwhelmed. The little girl is a day younger than Audree and both the mother and Ava mean a lot to me, so I'd appreciate if you kept them in your thoughts, also. My heart is breaking and goes out to Kay right now; she's 14 hours away but I wish I could be there with her right now, but I'm needed with my family here right now. I'm doing all I can from here. Some of you may not agree with this, but Mark and I are discussing me pumping and sending milk to Ava via UPS and dry ice for a little while to help her gain some weight. I'm taking a half-dose of Reglan, drinking 2 cups of Mother's Milk Tea and taking 8 Fenugreek supplements a day to keep my supply up. I can step all that up for awhile to help Ava be fat and sassy :).

Audree has a doctor's appointment next Friday for her 4 month shots. I can't believe she'll be four months on Monday...seems like it was only yesterday that I was whining that I wanted to go into labor! Also, some of you have been asking what Audree needs. Right now she's in 6-9 month clothing and she enjoys musical things and colorful things. She also likes water. We appreciate anything from our friends and family, but by no means is anything expected.

I think that's all...I'm done rambling. Here's the pictures you cam here for!

Stacy, Me and Rochelle...they came down to visit from New York

Napping on Mommy

Audree and Ava...Audree's vicious!

At the Dental office
Crazy hair!

Photobucket Link

2008-08-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Since so many people have been asking for full-sized copies of the photos I post, I've created a Photobucket.com account for our pictures.

http://s457.photobucket.com/albums/qq293/thelewisfamily05/

You can order prints there and have them mailed to you or printed at Target.com if you're interested. I have different folders on the left-hand side to make things easier to navigate. I'll be creating more the older Audree gets.

No news is...?

2008-08-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

If no news is good news then I think we're doing incredibly well, lol. Still no word, so we're just waiting.

Dad...you've got tummy time backwards!

Look at her foot...

Poking herself in the eye

She's always happy!

She didn't like the pool

Holding her new baby popsicle...you crush ice and put it in the the mesh part

Daddy stole her new popsicle!

She's partying

After the pool experience

I'm coming to get you, mom!

Funny face 1

Funny face 2

Daddy's girl

Cat on baby...:/

Cat under Mark's raincoat

This face reminds me of my little brother, Joseph

Oh, she loves her daddy!

Guarding his baby

My friend Kay and her daughter, Ava...Ava passed out from a milk-induced coma, lol.

Cat in the dryer

Birthday girl gets her shots :(

2008-08-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Audree is 3 months old today! I can't believe it. She's growing so fast and I just can't keep up! I have pictures, though...so, 20 years from now when I never see her (lol) I'll at least have the pics to keep me company :).

Napping with Dad.

Before leaving home to get her shots

She has no idea...at the NACC waiting.

She's so patient.

And now, passed out afterwards.

She was sooo tired!

She can barely keep her little eyes open

Aquarium trip

2008-08-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

We went to the Aquarium on Saturday with some of our friends, Paul, Nicole and John Taylor Boweter. We had a lot of fun, but we got rained out right at the end. Yuck! Audree really liked watching the fish. She's not to the point that she gets "excited", but she does show interest. She watches them swim back and forth and is really starting to pay attention to the littlest things. We bought her an exersaucer yesterday, and so far, she likes it. We're also buying Mother's Milk tea for me, to try to keep my supply up (we'll see, so far it's amazing!). We hired a babysitter and a went out on Saturday night to see the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. It certainly was dark! I didn't like it very much, but it was an interesting movie.

Her pretty dress from Stacy and Steve

My little sweet pea. I love her little ballet slipper socks!

Watching fishies

A little shocked in her exersaucer

Whaat? Do you see that baby in the mirror?

So...

2008-08-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

Audree starting rolling over completely! She's been able to roll over partly, but her arm always gets in the way. She's figured out how to do it all the way now! I'm so proud of her :). I was baking a cheesecake and she was in the kitchen with me, on her floor gym. I laid her down on her stomach and turned around. I looked at her when I heard her make noise, and this is what I saw:

This happened twice more until I finally saw her actually do it! Mark got to see her, too, so that was really awesome.

There was a death in Mark's family so I am probably going to be flying to New Orleans area for a couple of weeks or so next week. We'll see what's in store for us. Meanwhile, please keep everyone in your thoughts.

Picking out her clothes for the day

She likes to look at herself, lol.

The sign on one of the containers on base

Ava and Audree gossiping

I think they were fighting here...

Going to her first yard sale!

Watching mom making dinner

Laughing at that silly monkey
Playing on mom, waiting for dad

I'm so glad she took a nap while we were waiting on Mark

She knows she's cute ;)

She made it to her side...while "sleeping" (yeah right!)

She has an attitude...

But she's just so cute and sweet!

She's my little redheaded angel

I was at dinner with Kay and went to get Audree out of her carseat...she was happy apparently

Oh! I just love her

Sleeeeepy baby...shh.

Very happy baby

"Look guys, I'm adorable with this bow."

I love this outfit!

Daddy's home!

2008-07-25T13:17:00.001-07:00

Well, Mark is home for a couple of weeks! While he was underway, he was involved in an incident on the boat and is on restriction to the boat until Tuesday at 4pm. He got 10 days total, but has already done most of them. Audree and I got to go on the boat, in the pouring rain yesterday to see him. It was very scary...we had to stand on the sub, on top of it, in the pouring ice-cold rain. I thought for sure we were going to fall off the side. We didn't obviously, but we had to go down the hatch. That was very interesting. It was narrow and straight down...no slant at all. I stayed in the galley for the most part and then he showed me around the boat. The boat's idea of chicken parmasean was a fried chicken patty with spaghetti sauce and cheese. It was very interesting. The boat was neat...very small and tight, but full of stuff. They have all these crazy places to stick trash and this weird tube where they put the trash, it gets compacted and then shot out of the bottom of the boat into the ocean. Talk about littering, huh?

Last night I went to bed about midnight (seeing Mark tired me out--I've been going to bed around 4:30-5am!) and then woke up to feed Audree about 2:30 I think, then put her back in her crib, fed her about 6:30, put her back and she didn't wake up again until noon. She's added that halfway feeding around 1:30-2:30 recently...I'm not sure why, she doesn't always eat, I guess she just wants comfort. Other than that she's sleeping through the night. After that she wakes up between 10:30-noon and we play for an hour or so and then she takes her nap. We just play throughout the day, run errands...whatever. She goes to bed between 7 and 9, just whenever she's tired. I give her a bath before bed, usually. Today, she woke up and spit up shortly after so I went ahead and gave her a bath and put her in some new clothes I bought for her yesterday. I'm trying to find sleepers for her because she's out of 3-6m stuff and 6-9m stuff is too big. So...she doesn't really fit into anything. It stinks because I have about 20-25 sleepers she never wore. Good thing they're unisex and can be use for our next baby! After her bath today, I brushed her hair and got her dressed, all the normal stuff, then I laid her on the bed while I stood in front of her and got dressed. She started sucking her thumb and went to sleep so I moved her to her crib, which of course woke her up. I turned on her music thingy and she went right back to sleep. I've stopped nursing her to sleep and rocking her to sleep now. I rock her while I feed her, and when she's still barely awake, I put her in her crib. She puts herself to sleep now, which is good...she's not dependent on certain things. If I leave her with a sitter I know she'll be okay now. If she wakes up, I don't have to rock her for 30 minutes to get her to go to sleep anymore, either. I have certain songs, mostly from the Jungle Book, that I sing to her and dance with her to during the day and she really likes that. I've been playing Mark's favorite songs since he's been gone and it reminds us of him. I'm baking pumpkin bread to take to him today and a cheesecake tomorrow...although he says he doesn't "need" it.

I get to go at 5:30 to see him for a few hours. It's very strange to be told that you can only see your husband during his visiting hours, but oh well. When I talked to the guys on Mark's boat, they said that they guy Mark was involved with was very annoying and that one of them was going end up doing something if someone didn't. Oh well...Mark's doing well, though. I'm leaving to see him around 5; he wants Starbuck's so I'm going to get that for him on my way. A friend also picked up the movie Dodgeball, which is Mark's favorite, for me to take to him. I've been looking for it for the past month or so to no avail. I'm so glad...thanks Kim! He'll be excited to see it :).

Yesterday, after I saw Mark, I took Audree to the Nex to look for the movie for Mark and for sleepers for Audree. I put her in the Snugli and she fell asleep so quickly! I decided that, since I didn't have anything better to do, I was going to just walk around the Nex and then the commissary and just kinda kill time while she took a nap. It's so rare that she naps on me anymore. She really likes to be with me and play with me, but sleeping on me...no way. I really enjoyed it. While I was at the Nex, I picked up some clothes for Audree. I bought her this adorable purple outfit (I don't like purple but it looks cute against her red hair!). The top is a onesie, but it has this little flowy part that covers the matching corduroy pants. So, it looks like she's wearing a shirt, not a onesie, like a big girl! I love it. Here's some pics:

Saying hello to daddy yesterday before we went to see him, wearing her pink sailor suit.

She looks so worried!

I just love this outfit!

She's precious!

Buried in my hair while I was talking on the phone the other day.

Warning: picture overload.

2008-07-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Mark is still out to sea. He's due home soon and we're very excited to see him! Audree's gained about 2 pounds or so; she's about 15 pounds now. She's in 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers. She's such a big girl! Even better news is...she sat up for the first time yesterday! Yep! She was laying on her back on my lap and I was getting ready to feed her. All of a sudden, she pulled herself into a sitting position. I was so shocked! I tried to lay her down to feed her, and she resisted. She really was sitting up! She laid back down after about 30 seconds or so and then sat back up twice more during her feeding. She's growing so fast and my memory, blog and video camera just can't keep up! I'm glad I'm recording all of this because it's flying by. She is also sleeping from about 9pm-6am, waking up to eat and then sleeping from 6.30am-9.30 or 10am. She wakes up, I play with her for about an hour and then she takes another nap for about 30-45 minutes. She's up for the rest of the day. Occasionally, she'll take a nap around 4 or so for about an hour, but not usually.

I'm losing weight and I'm so excited! I bought jeans before Mark left and...they fall off me now! They're just so big. I can't believe it. I feel so much better about myself. I'm not looking at the scale really; the way my clothes fit is a perfect indicator. I'm feeling better, eating better and being more active and it shows. So, I went shopping with Kay, Ava's mom, and bought new jeans. They're a size 10!! I was a 12 when Mark left, so yay! I'm excited to see his face when he sees me :).

Mark's been having some trouble on the boat but we're hoping nothing comes of it. I'm also having trouble with some bleeding due to my PCOS. I have to have that checked out soon and have a biopsy done. I'm not looking forward to it.

Anyway, that's our update. I'm making a lot more friends here; I met Kay, who had Ava the day after I had Audree, with the same midwife, in the same hospital, in the room beside mine. We actually met on Mother's Day, I do believe. I also met Nicole, whose husband Paul is on Mark's boat. Her husband is a TM and Mark seems to get along with him okay. Nicole has a son named John that's about 2 weeks younger than Audree. I'm making new friends and getting to know the area better. Mark's being gone means that I am meeting more people...and, dishes and laundry stay clean and so does the house. However, I'm dying for him to come home and turn the house upside down again. It's almost too clean; I have nothing to do! I'm going to repot my herbs. We bought some before Mark left and, surprisingly enough, I've kept them all alive! I just need to repot them now.

No more pictures, please.

She's a thumbsucker now!

How cute is this?!

Watching Rachel Ray.

"What are you?" she says.

She loves tummy time!

Fresh out of the bath and VERY unhappy!

Napping in her pack and play...she was swaddled, but she wiggled out of it.

Conked out on her playmat.

The adorable outfit Stevi sent.

She didn't like the shoes, though.

She looks beautiful!

Kim's son Landon and Audree.

She says hello.

Having fun!

She gave me a hickey.

This onesie is too cute!

Gotta love the mohawk.

The onesie says, "I love daddy" and has bubbles all over it.

All of her bathing suits...the one on the right fits now.

Big blue eyes!

Big eyes!

I like this cute onsie...and the even cuter face!

She likes the computer, too!

Audree and I watching Mark's sub leave.

Can you see all of us? I'm holding Audree, and Mark's sub is in the background.

Winking baby!

Audree and mommy

Audree and Ava

4th of July and another goodbye...

2008-07-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Mark is gone again but he'll be home soon. He's been pretty sick so we didn't do too much this weekend...we went to see fireworks on Saturday night and then to the base fair on Sunday. I also bought some herbs to start my herb garden outside this time, so the cat doesn't fill up on Parsley and Cilantro again :\. Here's some pics from our weekend!

Oh--Audree is 60 days old today! Her 2 month birthday is tomorrow, yay!

He'll be home soon.

He carries his world on his shoulders, in that seabag.

All of us at the fair.

Daddy and Audree in front of the fair

Mommy and Audree in front of the fair

A close-up

A team effort...Mark and I threw darts and won this little puppy for her.

Big grins!

Little smiles

He loves the way she smells.

Hold on tight, baby girl. He'll be home soon.

He loves feeding her.

His face looks weird, but she likes the thumbs-up!

She's hiding...lol.

Before the fireworks

Daddy and Audree in front of the fireworks.

Daddy and Audree watching the fireworks.

Us at the fireworks.

They're really good at this sleeping thing.

Streeeetch!

Nakie sleeping baby
She's so cute!

All pretty in her 4th of July gear!

She put her hand on there...I was trying to put it on her head but it didn't work.

Such a funny face

This one is priceless!

How festive

Getting ready to go pick daddy up from the pier!

Mark's sub leaving--July 1st

2008-07-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

I finally have the pics of Mark's sub leaving--yay!

The first underway

2008-07-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

...is always the hardest I guess. I've been away from Mark before, but Audree hasn't (well, and known it, anyway). Yesterday wasn't that bad. I dropped him off on Monday like we talked about, and then Amtrak broke a bridge and so he couldn't leave. He called me about 7.30pm and said I could come get him...I was so happy! He's sick though...sore throat and stuff. Yuck! I hope he's doing okay. I had to take him back in yesterday morning and he called around 3.30 I guess and said they were leaving. Then, at 4.00, my friends Stacie and Paul came in from New York to see Audree and I. It's great to have great friends! They wanted to see the base so I took them on and showed them around. Guess what we were able to see? Mark's sub leaving! Yep, we saw tugboats pull the sub away from the pier and then we followed up the river for about an hour and a half, taking pictures and watching the sub dive. I know Mark's in the Navy, but seeing him do his job (he's a Nuke...he doesn't do his job, the boat can't leave) made me so proud! Just to know that he's responsible for something so massive and important, lol...it gets me all choked up. I'm so proud of him! Anyway, we saw the sub diving and stuff but I forgot my camera so I'm waiting for Stacie to send me her pictures. We went around and saw Groton, Mystic and Westerly and got some good pics and memories. They spent the night here and then we went to breakfast this morning and they headed back to New York. We had a lot of fun...they're moving down here in August and I just can't wait!

My little girl and I

My cute little Mohawk baby

What's she plotting?

Stacie and Audree

Paul and Audree

She naps in her pack 'n play now!

...and she pretends to nap, too.

Audree has her own little laugh!

2008-06-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

I put Audree in the Snugli while I cleaned today, and this is what happened. Apparently she likes the movement.

She likes to look at her reflection in the mirror on her floor gym.

And, she has the cutest laugh! Click the arrow below to listen.

Mark is leaving really soon so we're trying to spend time together and everything. He's really bummed about having to go, but it's part of his job. He'll be back soon and she won't grow that much...we hope. We're also going to go out this weekend and buy Audree some more toys and Mommy some clothes (yipee!). I've lost quite a bit of weight and nothing fits right anymore.

Oh--and we went to the DMV yesterday because our car registration is expired. It took us four or five hours and Audree didn't really sleep the whole time we were gone so I knew she was going to be overtired at bedtime. Little did I know how bad it would be! She fought sleep for about an hour and a half and then finally went to sleep about 9 p.m. last night. She didn't wake up until 4 a.m.--that's right, she slept for SEVEN hours straight! We went to bed about 10.30 so we got more sleep in one stretch than normal. I feel a lot better today. Off to tackle laundry now! Mark has duty tomorrow so I'm going to get his stuff washed and ready.

Six weeks old!

2008-06-20T12:30:00.001-07:00

Mark decided he'd rather have me cook for him for Father's Day, so I made salmon. For his gift I made a mini scrapbook, photo keychain and a pillowcase with Audree's foot and handprints. Also, some friends of the family sent a gift card so we bought her this little gym. We put some extra toys on it, but it's pretty cool. There's a mirror on one part and a little lion in the middle that plays music if you tug on the string.

Audree is much more active now and is growing like crazy. She's in size 2 diapers and is totally out of all her newborn clothes (she had two sleepers she could fit in, haha). She has her playtime and normal sleep times. Our nighttime routine is a lifesaver; it at least calms her down some. Last night, though, she was very fussy. I ended up warming up the heating pad I used through the last half of pregnancy for back pain, laying her on it and then swaddling her with the pad underneath. I turned on her music and gave her her paci and she was out like a light. Every once in awhile, mommy gets it right!

Athena's guarding Audree...that big, bad lion won't get her today!

The onsie says it all.

I did a good job...even Audree approves!

Elephants are cozy.

Just some pictures :)

2008-06-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday is Father's Day. Mark wants to go to Craftsteak at Foxwoods. It sounds yummy! I'll post more pictures from that venture afterward. I'm excited for him to see his FD present, also!

That's right. I'm the proud mom to a crib sleeper! Audree puts herself to sleep (with the help of her mobile, in the corner) and sleeps 4-5 hours at a time. YAY! I get sleep now!

Her onsie says, "50% Mommy, 50% Daddy, 100% Cute". Thanks, Stevi!

Guess who's one month old?

2008-06-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

I just can't believe it! Audree is one month old today. I can't believe that a month ago about this same time, I was holding my baby girl for the first time. Wow. She has changed so much and so have Mark and I. We've settled into a routine with her and it's making things easier. She has playtime and naptime at the same time every day, and a nighttime ritual that she likes. We've figured it out. Now that we've mastered this age, she's going to change and do something different now, lol.

Mark had a birthday!

2008-06-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yep and it snuck up on both of us! We thought it was still a few days away. Oh well! He had duty the day before so when he came home, he took a shower. The baby was asleep so I went to straighten up her room and, when I came back to our bedroom, I saw the sweetest sight. Mark was playing with the baby! She was laying there, watching and listening to him and smiling from time to time. She's developed her own personality and we're falling more in love with it every day! We went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner and then went to see the new Narnia movie, Prince Caspian. It was an alright movie. Dinner was good and the baby did have to be fed...luckily, we had a bottle that I'd pumped. She fussed twice during the movie. She was hungry the first time and needed to be changed the second. We then had to go to Wal-Mart to do our grocery shopping; we've been procrastinating because of time. We hardly see each other now and when we are together we want to be at home. I bought him a watch, the three Indiana Jones movies and a car charger for his cell phone for his birthday. I had to feed Audree right after we left so when we pulled around the parking lot for me to feed her, Mark jumped out and started digging through bags to find his gifts. Boys!

A smiling, happy baby!

2008-06-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

I took this video the other day. Audree is such a happy baby. She's constantly smiling!

Almost three weeks old!

2008-05-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Audree will be three weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe it! She has a doctor's appointment at 1 at the clinic for a checkup. I went to the breastfeeding support group this past Saturday and found out that she's getting 2 ounces of milk every five minutes! WOW! They had me strip her down to her diaper, weigh her, feed her and weigh her again. She weighed 10 lbs, 4.4 oz before I fed her and then gained 2 ounces after. She's also breaking out in a bit of a rash around her face; I'm going to ask the doctor about it tomorrow. And...she's going through a growth spurt and eating every hour and a half for 10 minutes or so and then sleeping. She's still really active though! She has her playtime in the morning, afternoon and night for a half hour each time.

Mark had dental surgery yesterday. The skin connecting the lip to the gums is called the frenulum, and Mark's was too low for them to be able to work around it to put the screws in for the new front tooth. So...they cut that piece of skin off. He's healing from that and then goes back in another two weeks to have the screws put in and hopefully the tooth, too. We'll see...the Navy does things on their own time frame.

First real bath!

2008-05-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Since Audree's belly button stub fell off on Thursday, we were able to give her a real bath instead of a sponge bath. She liked the real bath a lot more than being held in a towel! Mark bathed her while I took pictures :).

Audree and mommy

Audree inside the sling...she likes babywearing!
Grandma Susan and Audree

Bye bye, belly button!

2008-05-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Audree's belly button fell off yesterday night...on her two-week birthday! Yay! Here are some new pictures of her:

Two weeks old!

2008-05-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

Miss Audree is two weeks old today, yay! She's sleeping more at night and smiling when you smile at her now. She can roll from her back onto her side but no further...her arm gets in the way and she can't figure it out, haha.

Mark starts three section duty rotation tomorrow. Every three days, he'll be gone from 7am one morning until 7am the next. It's kind of like Prototype in a way so I don't think it'll be that bad. So, he has duty tomorrow and Monday.

She's growing so fast!

2008-05-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! Audree is ten days old now. She's changed so much. She now sleeps in her bassinet...she did it for the first time last night. Thank goodness--I'm scared of co-sleeping. She's also have more quiet awake times throughout the day, where she likes to play and learn. It's so neat to see her little eyes follow your voice and watch her learn. She's incredible!

Last Thursday was her first doctor's appointment. She was born at 10 lbs, 2.5 oz. She left the hospital last Monday at nine pounds even. On Thursday, she weighed 10 lbs, 12 oz and had grown a full inch! The doctor also recommended we give her Tri-Vi-Sol vitamins. It's vitamins A, C and D...and they made her really sick. We gave them to her on Friday morning and she ended up spitting up and...stuff, all day long. She didn't sleep well all night, either. Apparently breastfeeding mothers absorb all their Vitamin D, which babies need for strong bones (Vitamin D helps you absorb Calcium). The doctor felt we needed a supplement but after seeing what it did to her, we won't be continuing it.

We had some friends come in from New York yesterday. They have twin boys (!) so we all went to the Aquarium...last time I was there, I went into labor! Here are some pics from our adventures:

Audree is here!

2008-05-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

I'm in the hospital right now...I'm super tired and hungry, lol, but I thought I'd update. I'm going to post the birth story later. Here's some pics though:

Well...

2008-05-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the Aquarium tonight and walked around for about three or four hours. My MIL is here, and, since I've been having regular contractions since 3am this morning, we decided to take separate cars. After the Aquarium we were deciding on dinner and said we'd all just ride together so we were getting in my MIL's car and...my water broke! Yep, just like that. It was a slow trickle so I wasn't sure at first. We went onto dinner (I'm pregnant and wanted crab legs!) and after dinner, I stood up and so much water gushed down my body...wow. We're at home waiting on the doctor to call me now.

Today is my due date. Uh-huh, lol.

40 weeks: a fully-baked baby!

2008-05-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday. My cervix is fully ripe and I'm 1 cm dilated. The doctor offered an induction. I'm still not sure if I made the right decision but I told her yes. I have so many mixed feelings about it...I don't know if Audree is ready. If that were the case I think she'd be on her way, not having to be forced out. Either way, if she doesn't come by 41 1/2 weeks I'll have to be induced anyway. So...the big day is Tuesday, May 13th at 7:15 am. I'll be started on Pitocin drip and have my water broken when the doctor comes in. If the contractions progress enough that I don't need the extra help, I'll be taken off the drip and be allowed to move freely. Kinda shoots my birth plan out of the water. I really wanted to do it all here, at home, with Mark and my doggies, not be confined to a hospital bed. Oh well.

This morning I started having contractions around 3am and they're still about 25 minutes apart, so no real progression. However, they are regular. Mark is coming home soon and I'm hoping we'll be able to go walking and see if the contractions get stronger...and I'm hoping they do! I want to have Audree naturally. We also need to go to the cake place today and order her cake. I'm pretty excited :). I'm so glad Mark can be here with me and we'll get through this together...I'm so happy. He's my rock and I'm glad I have him to turn to when I'm about to do the hardest thing I've ever been faced with.

39.4 weeks

ONE week?!

2008-04-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks. Wow. Only one week until my due date and it's fast approaching. I'm nervous and excited. Audree's nursery is done, although she'll be sleeping in our room for the first few months. Everything is ready, the bags are packed, I'm ordering the Birth Day cake tomorrow, the announcements are almost all addressed. I have nothing to worry about yet I'm freaking out. I can't believe it's so soon! I'm not ready to let her out yet and let other people touch her, haha. It's been my sole responsibility to take care of her for the past ten months and now I have to hand her over and let other people see what they're capable of. It's unnerving and very, very scary. Oh well. I can't keep her inside me forever and that wouldn't be pleasant, anyway. It's time to trust the world with my whole world.

Susan and I went to The Cake Lady today. It's a small, 1950's-ish cake shop in town. I've looked online and found a few different cake designs I'm going to try to combine to get my ideal cake. We'll see what it looks like I guess! When we first walked in the shop, the owner asked if I was pregnant. I said, "Good Lord, I hope so!". They all laughed. Another lady told me that, when I walked in, she thought I was so cute and happy and I put a smile on her face. It really made me feel good after the casino incident last week. Mark, Susan and I went to a casino to kill time and I was told by a very rude Russian lady that I shouldn't be there...I have baby. She proceeded to tell Mark and Susan that they should keep my away, because I have baby. Right...ugh. I really don't like rude people. Luckily that's all that's happened.

Audree is incredibly active and keeps me awake from 4.30 am when I wake up to go to the bathroom until Mark goes to work around 7.30am or so. I feel like I never sleep! Here's the best part--it's only going to get worse!

Mark and I are going to see Blue Man Group tomorrow. I'm excited and nervous. What if I go into labor at the show? Well, I paid for the tickets so I'm staying to see the show :D. Hopefully I'll have pictures from tomorrow and be able to post them on here. Only seven days...holy cow.

Murphy's Law...

2008-04-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to think my real name is Murphy.

I've been having irregular contractions since Monday but I haven't been that worried. On Wednesday morning at 1am I decided I couldn't handle this horrible back pain any longer. I wasn't feeling the contractions anymore, just an awful spasm, almost a stabbing pain, on the right side of my back with every contraction. I woke Mark up, called the doctor and went into labor and delivery. The nurses took me right to my room and hooked me up to the Toco. The baby's heartbeat was high (180+) and I was having contractions the whole time. They were very, very strong and painful but not regular yet, so they were kinda a waste of time, lol. After a bit of monitoring, the doctor came in to talk to me. I told him how I was feeling and what was going on. He did an exam and said I wasn't dilated yet but I was having contractions. He wasn't sure what my back pain was and said to give it awhile and see what happens (I thought this was a ridiculous notion since I'd been having this pain since January and it just got so severe I couldn't handle it anymore). He though since I'd been vomiting since Tuesday morning I might be dehydrated so they should give me some IV fluids. I hadn't been keeping anything down, including just water. Three different nurses came in to try to find a vein. Apparently, if you get really dehydrated, your veins play hide and go seek. They couldn't seem to find a vein and it was incredibly painful. They would stick a needle in and search for a vein...needless to say, I still look like a junkie. The last nurse finally found the vein and was able to make contact with it, while each of the other nurses "blew" the vein. They thought they were in the vein and hooked up the fluids to the needle, only to find out they were nowhere close and my arm started swelling like I had an allergy. I was really glad when the final nurse stabbed me and it was all over. It took two and a half bags of fluid to get me to the okay stage. The Toco was left on me all night long. At about 8:30am the doctor came back and told me he was going to release me. After a sleepless night, an incredible amount of pain and just wanting to go home, I was elated. He also diagnosed me with Sciatica. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It starts in your back and runs all the way down to your feet...mine was pinched and that's why I was having such severe pain. He wrote me a prescription for painkillers and said a nurse would be in a minute. Another nurse came in to check my vitals one last time, when she discovered my pulse was over 120 and Audree's was 200+. She brought the doctor in who called other nurses and they all talked about what was wrong and they weren't sure. They thought I might have Tachycardia, a heart disorder. I've been told I have a heart murmur now which I've never had, but I don't know if the two are related. The doctor suggested I see a cardiologist and a physical therapist/chiropractor for my back. They brought me breakfast and towels so I could take a shower, I signed some papers and we were on our way!

We went and picked up my prescription and I took my medicine when we got home. The painkillers didn't really help...they did numb the pain just enough that I could sleep for more than a half an hour at a time, which I haven't done in nearly a week. That was nice. Yesterday was my doctor's appointment, where we found out my blood pressure was high (147/70) but the doctor wasn't concerned about that. My heart rate was normal and the baby's was fine so I'm not sure why it shot up at the end of my hospital visit. Everything else is fine, though.

Mark and I are both still exhausted. Well, he says he's rested but he's still asleep right now :). I'm overtired and I can't sleep. My MIL will be here on Monday so we're trying to finish a few things up. We just found out yesterday that Mark will be going to a school on Monday, Diesel Generator School, while the boat is gone. This is awesome news because it means he will be home when the baby is born! I've been really worried about it. He also got his badge thing that says he's officially part of the USS Virginia crew on Friday...it's a big step and means he won't be kicked off the boat like we thought might happen. Mark also has a mock disaster drill on Tuesday during the day, and the Dad's Bootie Camp class on Tuesday evening. That will be a long day for him! I'm starting to get more energy now and we all know what that means...Miss Audree will be here very soon! I did laundry and dishes yesterday, as well as cleaned the kitchen and living room. I hope to get the nursery completely finished this weekend so I don't have to think about it anymore. I also have about 100 more announcements to address so we can just get them together when the baby comes and get them out.

Oh--and I didn't have a shower, but my MIL's coworkers threw her a nice little Grandma Shower with things for the baby. I'm so excited about seeing everything. It really meant a lot to me that they did that, and whether it's pregnancy hormones or not, I cried...I'm really blessed with everyone in my life!

We're on to weekly appointments...

2008-04-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

That's right...every Friday I have an appointment until the baby's born! No more once-a-month or every-two-weeks appointments, it's every week! It's getting closer and closer (duh!) and we're getting more and more excited. I had my doctor's appointment today and she "checked" me...no dilation or effacement yet, but the baby has dropped. That's good. Audree was asleep during the appointment, until the doctor decided to push on her little world. I got beat up by a baby then :). The submarine ball is this weekend and neither Mark nor myself have any desire to go, but he still got the day off today. He decided to go in anyway, at least for a few hours, and see if he can get any quals done. That's good, too. He's going in this weekend also. We've been talking about what's going to happen when we're out of the Navy some. I want to live in Tennessee or North Carolina and he doesn't really care, lol. We want mountains, the ocean and family, so we'll see. He can't get his Electrician's License until he gets qualified and gets his "fish/dolphins". When he does that, he'll be a qualified electrician and, if nothing else, we have that to fall back on when he gets out of the Navy.

We've also been working on the Nursery today. While Mark was gone, I bought little wooden letters to paint. They spell out her name we think they're really cute! I just love how they turned out. Mark and I finished painting them and he helped me tack the ribbons on the back, and he hung them up. They're perfectly spaced over the arch of her crib and everything, although the crib is off-center in the picture. We also bought new drawer pulls for the dresser in Audree's room (trying to get used to calling her by her name instead of "The Baby" lol). The screws that came with them were too short so we bought new ones today and Mark and I put them on the dresser. I think they're really cute! When they're all on and finished I'll put up a picture. We're also going to safety-pin the same green ribbon that's on her name on the back of the crib quilt to hang it on the wall. There are only a very few things left to do...my bag and the diaper bag is packed, so we're just doing the last few finishing touches! Here's some pics of her name and the few pulls that I have on the dresser:

36 weeks...

2008-04-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

and the baby's dropped. I woke up with the worst pain I've felt in a long time and I couldn't move. I tried explaining it to the doctor and she told me the baby has dropped...we find out for sure on Friday when I get "checked". My belly is lower (Mark says, anyway) and this pain still hasn't gone away. It's in my pelvic area all the way to my bum, and it gets better if I sit in one position for a long time until I go numb, haha. The doctor said to try Tylenol every 3-4 hours and a warm bath. Apparently, the only cure for this is delivery. She said I have about two weeks to go. I can't believe it! No contractions yet so we'll see if I'm dilated on Friday. Wish me luck--maybe we'll be having a baby really soon!

How many days?

2008-04-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Yes--only 30 days left until the due date of May 7th. The doctor hasn't changed my date yet but I'm hoping she will on Friday, and at least give me a better idea. Friday's doctor's appointment is the one I'm dreading...I get "checked". Egh, I'm not looking forward to it. Tomorrow we have a breastfeeding class at the hospital and we're also supposed to have our carseat inspected at the same time. I guess I'm going to have to reschedule that one! The 22nd is the "Dad's Bootie Camp" class that Mark wanted to take. It's supposed to teach dads about infant care. Susan (my MIL) is leaving to come here on the 20th. May 1st is Blue Man Group, so I don't know who will be going...if anyone at all!

As obvious as it sounds, it's getting closer and closer every day. We're waiting to put up the wallpaper border but I'm going to go ahead and have Mark hang curtains (Lord knows I can't do it!) and the little pictures so I can get pics of the nursery on here. It's almost finished, just the last few things to do. My hospital bag and the baby's bag are packed, minus the little things and snacks. Oh, and my pregnancy craving--Popsicles! I swear I crave them like crazy. I think we buy one BIG box a month...I could eat them all day long!

Mark was in R134 Air Conditioner Maintenance School all last week and this week until Wednesday. He had a dental appointment this morning for his partial and got a haircut. His hair grows so fast! We're not sure where he's going after this school is finished.

The growing belly...

2008-03-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how big I've gotten! Check out these pictures...you'll be amazed as well!

6 weeks

16 weeks

20 weeks

22 weeks

25 weeks

32 weeks

I can't believe this is almost over and we'll be meeting our baby girl soon! I'm already 33 weeks and 3 days...that means only 46 days until my due date! Is anyone else freaking out right along with me?!

New Furniture!

2008-03-19T09:55:00.001-07:00

Since we got married, Mark and I have never had new furniture. We had a futon and then hand-me-down furniture, and we've been saving to get some new stuff. Thank goodness--our old stuff was seriously in bad shape! Bear tore a hole in one of the sofas and the other two were just so incredibly uncomfortable that I don't think I would have even kicked Mark out onto them during a fight, haha. We started our search for grown-up furniture, some we could buy and call our own, and found a great furniture store here called Bob's and made the purchase for a new microfiber sectional, as well as a Tempur-Pedic twin mattress for the baby's room this past Sunday. Both have a terrific warranty so we're good for five years, anywhere in the U.S. We also bought a rug at Staple's for $30...it was marked $179 but since it's apparently end-of-season, we got a great deal on it! Here's some pics:

32 weeks...and more!

2008-03-17T12:31:00.001-07:00

32 weeks, 8 months. I'm huge!

The Build-A-Bear we made for Audree.

Audree's Heartbeat

2008-02-22T10:07:00.001-08:00

I just found this while looking at the pictures and videos on my camera and I thought I would share it. It's a little video of Miss Audree's heartbeat...strong at 160 as usual. They say the heartbeat is supposed to change...but hers hasn't. It's been 160 at all my appointments. Hmm. Anyway, enjoy the video!

Almost 29 weeks!

2008-02-19T11:34:00.001-08:00

So much has happened and I haven't had a chance to blog about it. Okay...Mark went underway and less than a week later, I started having contractions and went to the ER twice. I was having serious back pain, so the docs gave me a shot in my back and Tylenol 3's. I was vomiting and couldn't keep anything down for over a week. I was given another prescription for Phenergan and I had a hard time keeping those down, too. I was put on bedrest because I kept having problems. Mark was sent home because I was in pretty bad shape and he's home now. He's working an office job (he doesn't mind it, actually!) and is available to take me to all my appointments now, which is good.

I had an appointment on February 8th where I did the 1 hour glucose screening, which I failed. Yesterday I did the 3 hour glucose test and we're waiting to hear the results. I'm not sure what we'll find out but the doctor said the readings from the 1 hour were so far off the chart she doesn't think this one will come back normal. I also found out I'm anemic, which means I will have to have a blood transfusion whether I give birth naturally or have a c-section, and if it does come back that I have gestational diabetes, I'll been induced about four weeks early. As of right now, I've only gained 12 pounds so I need to put on more weight. I can do it when I'm not pregnant...why am I having a problem with this now?! I bet we all wish this was a problem we had to deal with (not being able to gain weight, I mean)!

We're also going to take childbirth classes and we've chosen to use the Bradley Method instead of Lamaze. It just sounds better for us...the Bradley Method is also called Husband-Coached Childbirth. I'm currently reading Husband-Coached Childbirth : The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. They're both really good, informative books and I'm learning a lot. We still wanted to take childbirth classes, though, but since I'm so far along the Lamaze classes aren't taking me...for whatever sense that makes. I've found a local Bradley teacher so we're going to start classes next week.

As far as baby stuff goes...the registry is almost completed! We've bought everything but the twin mattress set and the changing pad...wow. We've bought all the big stuff and almost all of the little stuff, so we're getting ready. The room is almost finished, too...we're waiting for Target to get one more roll of the wallpaper border in and we'll start on that, and I'm painting little wooden letters with the baby's name that we're going to hang on the wall. Hopefully we can get some more of that stuff finished this weekend.

Oh, and...today is my 21st birthday!

My heart is under the sea.

2008-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Mark left yesterday for a short underway for a few months. He'll be back soon and one day is already down, so it's one more day until I see him again. In the meantime, I'm going to work on some special projects for him, just do some things to keep me busy and make time pass.

Before he left, we celebrated my 21st birthday on January 19th instead of February 19 since he won't be here. We also did an early Valentine's day. For my birthday, Mark drove an hour and a half or more to get to Warwick, RI to take me to Carrabba's, which is my favorite Italian restaurant. We had one in Charleston, but RI is the closest one here. Anyway, so we went and spent the hour waiting and then had fabulous lobster ravioli, pasta weesie and tiramasu. It was sooo good, really worth the drive!

We've been married for two years and we keep trying to get pictures taken and something always happens where we can't. This past Saturday was picture taking day :). We went to Avery Point Lighthouse in Groton and had some photos taken by a professional photographer. She will also be our birth photographer if Mark can't be here when the baby comes, as he's scheduled to be out and the boat is shorthanded, but we'll see. Here are some pictures from our shoot:

There will be more to come, but here's what the photographer sent over. I edited them and I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. They're our first family pictures and I'm so pleased!

Getting closer....

2008-01-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it...I'm almost 6 months pregnant! Time sure is flying. Mark is leaving very soon for an underway, so he's going to miss some of the pregnancy. We're hoping he'll be able to be home when the baby is born, but we're not sure yet. Just in case, we bought and assembled the crib last night. Rather, we picked out the crib and Mark put it together, lol. We've gone back and forth over which crib we wanted and finally decided to pay the little bit extra and get the one we REALLY wanted, instead of settling on a cheaper one. I'm so glad we did, it looks great!

Winsor Convertible 4-in-1 crib in Pine

We forgot to buy the mattress so we have to go get it. I'm also going to be purchasing the crib set online since it's not available in-store. Everything is coming together and I'm so pleased! The last things we have to buy are bottles, the baby bathtub, diaper genie, boppy, and a few larger items like the swing and bouncer. We're making sure everything is getting taken care of and I am really pleased.

I just wanted to add that if Mark isn't home when the baby comes, we've hired a birth photographer and doula to attend. I don't have family who will be coming, so I need support. The photographer will just take pictures of the baby right after she's born and then come back the next day to take newborn pics. I'm very excited to have these. If Mark can't be there I want to keep him as involved as possible. We're also having pictures taken Jan. 19th at a lighthouse at sunset. I'm very excited for this, also.

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday. I have the instructions for my glucose test now, and have to do that before my next appointment on February 8th. Mark won't be here so I'll be going to that one alone. At my last appointment, my due date was changed to May 9th because the baby's limbs aren't measuring appropriately...so, she's short. That's to be expected, though. I still think she's going to be early. The doctor also okay'd me to be on calcium supplements since I don't like milk, so we bought those along with an iron supplement, since she said my iron was low. So now I'm taking Flintstone vitamins twice a day (since I can't take prenatals), folic acid once a day, calcium supplements twice a day and iron supplements twice a day. Yuck! Lots of pills.

The baby is healthy and we're doing fine. Getting everything ready for Mark to leave and stuff.

20 Week Ultrasound Pics

2007-12-24T11:01:00.001-08:00

I finally figured it out, so here they are. They all say on them what exactly you're viewing. Isn't she cute?

Oh...she's sucking her thumb in this one! ^^^

Pictures of Our New House

2007-12-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

We're finally settled in and everything so I'm going to start posting pictures of the house as I have time. I've taken them so it's just a matter of uploading them all. I'll be adding them all to this post, so hang tight!

Front of the house w/ our minivan.

Front w/ bay window and entryway.

Front entryway. Front door on the left, garage door beside that and laundry room directly in front.

Front entryway again, hallway to living room on the right.

Kitchen

Kitchen 2

Bar in the kitchen/family room...and Athena

Family room

Family room skylights

Bay window in the family room

Dining room...we still have MORE boxes to go through. Oh, and our new coats! Mine is blue and his is mustard yellow :).

Family room/dining room/entrance to kitchen

Dining room

Living room and Bear's tail

Living room and Athena peeking out the patio doors.

Living room

Athena and the patio door

The backyard and Bear. Look...we have big tree!

Stairs...very important part of a two-story house.

Downstairs bathroom...across from the stairs.

Aramil on the first landing on the stairs.

Upstairs bathroom, across from the stairs.

Master bathroom

Master bathroom

Such a nosy bear!!

Nursery, not quite finished yet.

The huge, gorgeous crib! I'll post pics when we get the crib set and mattress on.

Right side of the closet

Left side of the closet

Well...

2007-12-21T10:42:00.001-08:00

We had a doctor's appointment at Westerly Women's Health in Westerly, RI on December 14th and got to hear the baby's heartbeat, and an anatomical ultrasound was scheduled for December 18th at 10:00 a.m. at Narragansett Radiology. We waited around for awhile in the lobby and then went back for our turn. The radiologist was very nice and funny and got started right away. We saw the baby's spine, ribs, heart and chambers, the four lobes of the brain and stomach. We saw so many things I can't even name them all!

He said, "Alright, it's time to get down to business now." He moved around on my stomach a lot and then said, "Oh, there it is. Can you see it?"

I said, "Is it a boy?"

He zoomed in further and said, "Nope...it's a girl!".

We were so happy! Mark jumped up and immediately put his hand on me and smiled. We received ten ultrasound pics. It was incredible to see the baby the way we did...she was clenching her fist and releasing, and playing inside me where you could see it in the screen. Just as I suspected, her head and abdomen measured 20 weeks plus and her legs were 19 wks 1 day and arms were 19 wks 3 days. She'll be short, no doubt about that! According to the doc, she weighs 0.8 pounds and will be about an eight pound baby if she's carried to full term. Also, since I didn't get an appointment in time I wasn't able to have her tested for Down's Syndrome, but the radiologist was able to tell us that she does have the nasal bone that most children with DS don't have, and doesn't have a thick flap of skin on her neck which is also a big indicator. So far, she's happy and healthy which is what we like to hear.

The name we've chosen is Audree Elizabeth, by the way. We didn't like the traditional spelling of Audree (Audrey) so we changed it. We bought a bunch of clothes for her and are setting up the nursery. We have the dresser and glider, so we have to buy the stool for gilder, a twin bed (since we only have a two bedroom house now) and the crib. I'll post pictures of the clothes and nursery when I have the chance. Also, my scanner isn't working properly so I'll post the ultrasound pictures when I get that figured out.

Audree's BabiesOnline.com Journal

We've moved!

2007-12-06T20:23:00.002-08:00

Just letting everyone know that we've moved. If you'd like our new address please contact me at thelewisfamily05@gmail.com and I'll send it right out to you!

I'll have pictures of the new house up pretty soon. It's a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath townhouse. I like it, it's cute :). Pics to come!

14 week update!

2007-11-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Well, we went to the baby class today, which was a total waste of time. Among many of the inaccurate and out-of-date facts pointed out to us today was that a mother can drink less than 5 drinks a day and be okay and not at-risk for fetal alcohol syndrome. Right...not. I'm not taking the risks. I will turn 21 and be pregnant, but I'm not going to have that celebratory drink that they say is okay. It's not with us.

Anyway, we had an ultrasound today. Mark got to see the baby for the first time today and he was very excited. He took a video which is posted at the bottom of this blog. The ultrasound machine's printer was broken so we didn't get any ultrasounds from the doctor, but I was able to take pictures from the video and that works for us. Here's what we have:

I'm measuring correctly, just over fourteen weeks and will get another ultrasound at twenty weeks, when we hope they will be able to determine the sex. Anyway, that's about all that's going on today! I'll try to post more pictures as I have time. And, here's the video; if you pay attention closely you'll be able to see the baby move. Please ignore the talking, it's Mark, the doctor and I discussing the baby and my lack of appointment. I'm about 7-8 weeks late on appointments, but it's no fault of mine; I wasn't in the computer as pregnant, even though they found out at the clinic...lol. Click here to see the video (it won't let me post it right now).

It's been awhile...

2007-11-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been awhile, huh? We have orders to Groton, CT for the USS Virginia. This type of submarine is the kind that goes out for 6 months at a time every 1 1/2 years. So far, it hasn't done the 6 month deployment, which isn't great news. We knew Mark would go out to sea, and here it is! We're not sure of dates yet, but it'll all work out. We're hoping he'll be home for the birth, but if not that's okay too. We're really busy trying to pack and just get everything ready in general. We have a new car now and I'll post pictures as soon as I have a chance. I'm in the middle of laundry so I thought I'd sit down and write a blog since I've kinda been neglecting it.

Anyway, we're 14 weeks pregnant now. I'm out of the first trimester which puts my mind at ease a great deal. I was very sick a few weeks ago so my doctor put me on Phenergan, which helped tremendously. I'm very glad to be over it, though. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I hope they'll do an ultrasound, but we don't know yet. If they do they may be able to predict the gender, but we'll see. For kicks, I decided to try a Chinese Gender Predictor. Try and see if it was right for your kids! Here's what it says for us:
Kind of ironic that it says the baby is a girl, since when the doctor used the Doppler and the heartbeat read to be 164, he also predicted a girl . He says there's no real science behind it, he's just a seasoned veteran and has kids of his own. According to the doc, 130-145 is a boy and 145+ is a girl. Apparently, men are lazier...even in the womb ;).

I'll try to update tomorrow after the doctor's appointment. I'm taking my camera to record a video of the heartbeat and hopefully the ultrasound.

Bought some baby things!

2007-09-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Mark and I went shopping at Babies R Us and bought a few things for the baby. We've also found a new car....expect pictures soon! And...we're 8 weeks pregnant today! Only 4 more weeks to go, and hopefully the morning sickness will go away :).

This is a picture of everything we bought.

The soft baby blanket...it has a bird, turtle and two giraffes and says, "two by 2".

The cute pacifier holder.

A really cute rattle/teether.

Mark's pick...a Tubmarine, since Daddy will be on a submarine.

And off to the Emergency Room...

2007-09-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening, after Mark went to work, I noticed some spotting and some cramping pain. It got worse and so I called the doctor-on-call. He told me chances are I was either having a miscarriage or an eptopic pregnancy, and it wouldn't matter if I went to the doctor or not. I asked for a referral to go anyway, and he sent one. I called Mark and he took me. We arrived at 10:05pm, and checked in. About an hour and a half later, we were sent to a room. I had blood drawn and gave a urine sample. Then, an ultrasound tech wheeled me down for my first ultrasound. Mark wasn't allowed to go with me, so I went alone. I had to have a vaginal ultrasound since the baby isn't old enough to show up on a regular ultrasound. The tech started the ultrasound and after MANY painful minutes later, showed me my baby. Here's a picture of an ultrasound similar to what our baby looks like now:

Be aware: this is NOT actually our baby, just an ultrasound that's very similar.

Anyway, I also got to hear the heartbeat, which was 136 bpm. According to the myths, it's a boy...but we'll see! Anyway, I have a gestational heart murmur (doc says it's because my heart is working harder to provide for two), and the due date has now moved to May 7th. This is good because...Mother's Day is May 11! So, if all goes as planned (which we know it won't!), I'll be a mom for Mom's Day! The baby is fine...apparently, some bleeding is normal during the first trimester :).

Making a list, checking it twice...

2007-09-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to Target last night and created our baby registry. We've already had a bunch of people ask where we're registered, so the link is here. It was a lot of fun...Mark scanned everything! He wouldn't let me touch the gun except to turn it in at the end of the night...lol. And about the T.V....yeah, I have a feeling it won't be going in the nursery...haha.

Anyway, we're planning a baby shower for our friends here in SC for either Oct 9-10 or 27-28, those are Mark's only days off. When we have more permanent dates we'll let you all know!

Baby baby baby news!

2007-09-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor on September 6th to have a routine pap smear done. When I got there, they asked me all the normal questions, and then "When was the first day of your last period?". I told her and she said, "You're late." I said, "Yeah, my period has a mind of it's own...no big deal." She urged that we needed to test before the pap smear, so I said okay. We did a pee test and then Mark and I went back into the room and waited. The nurse came in and told me to go ahead and get undressed and put on the gown and stuff, so I did. The doctor then came back and told us the lab was backed up and it would be a few minutes. Ten minutes later, she came back again and said, "You can go ahead and put your clothes back on. Congratulations...you're pregnant!" I stared at her and said, "Are you serious?!" She laughed and said, "Yes...very much so." Mark turned red as a beet and then ran over and hugged me. It was a whirlwind from there. The nurse came in and talked to us, and the doc game me prenatal vitamins. We then went to Perkins' (lol!) and had breakfast (it was 9am when all this ended).

Turns out, I was 6 weeks exactly on September 6th. Also Kinda ironic...Mark and I had our first date June 6th, 2005...3 years, 3 months ago lol. Something else kinda weird...my grandpa passed away about a year ago. I miss him so much! Anyway, he liked to tell stories and jokes and stuff. Mark always told me we couldn't get pregnant until my grandpa was done telling our future kids stories. I had a dream about a week and a half or two weeks ago that my grandpa and I were sitting on a tan couch and he said to me, "Well, I guess I'm done with them for now. You can take them.". How weird! Also...my best friend Shannon is about four weeks ahead of me!

Anyway, we're super excited. Mark says we don't have a preference on the sex, but I secretly hope for a girl LOL. We already have the name chosen. The sucky part is....we're moving end of Nov. :(

We're gonna be parents!