Birth Story!!

I can't believe that I'm finally a Mommy!!! The experience is one that I will NEVER forget. It was perfect in every way.

Sunday morning I had some wonderfully tasting castor oil (blech!). It didn't really do much so I just went on with my day and kept busy. Sunday night I went for a walk and thought I might have been peeing myself! Haha!! Nothing came of that so Matt and I watched a movie then we went to bed. As normal I would get up to go pee every hour but this time it was more frequent that I was getting up to pee. I was so tired that I didn't put two and two together that I was having strong contractions. I was so tired and out of it that I kept going back to sleep!! So at 3:20am I went to the bathroom again and this time my water broke. Yay for it NOT being in the bed! :-)

I wake Matt, grab the bags and head out the door and were at Tripler about 10 minutes later. I get to my room and wait. So from 4 to 7am I really didn't have much of a dilation change so I got pitocin. By 9 am I needed that epi!! Half hour later I'm good to go and happy as a clam!! I thought for sure I would see 6pm roll around. But about 2 hours later they check me and I was complete and ready to push. Boy was that a shock. Matt said that is when he got nervous. He was thinking he might have a bit more time to process that we were there to have a baby. But the time had come!!

At 11:35am I started pushing and at 1:58pm on Monday March 26th, Baby Christian was born!! 8lbs 5oz, 19 3/4in (but we are going with 20!) and all 10 fingers and 10 toes. PERFECT! I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I was smiling even through my last push!! I would do this ALL over again in a heartbeat. Matt was great, the doctors were great, the nursing students that were there were great! JUST GREAT! I was tremendously blessed with a perfect birthing experience.

We can't wait to post some more pictures! :-)

Still no baby!

Another OB appt this morning. A little progress - but not much.....better than nothing! Due date is on Monday and I'm hoping I don't make it that far. I talked to the OB about possible induction dates just in case I went over. Since we will have family here on the 5th of April I don't want to STILL be pregnant! Eeek!

So now I'm home, relaxing, and have my swollen tootsies up with a cold washcloth on them. My poor little sausage toes look like they have had a beating this week.

If you haven't seen them yet, I have a picture of the finished nursery and of the new stroller!!

OB appt today

I'm so exhausted!! I knew that the end of pregnancy was a little rough...but sleeping just isn't working for me!! I do my best and I will have to try and take some naps these next couple of days.

I went to my OB appt this morning. She walked in and said I was supposed to have a baby by now!! You aren't kidding, Doc! I wish... But she checked me and I was at a solid 3cm and a bit more thinned out than last time. She also tried to break my water but wasn't able to get it. So She stripped my membranes and sent me on my merry way. She said to just relax and take it easy. I'm still going to walk when I can and bounce on my exercise ball to see if that helps bring him back down and open me up more.

So...STILL PREGNANT!!

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On a side note...our neighbors got a new dog. It's a Weimeraner. Absolutely beautiful dog. He is 5 months old and reminds Matt and me of Abby. I almost cried when I first saw him just because we had been talking about Abby earlier that day. Although cute...this puppy sure is noisy! He stands and howls at the door when the neighbors leave. We are going to have to work on this problem...because when they wake up Christian, THEY can put him back to sleep!! ;)

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Okay, off to do another week of homework!!!

Wed. OB appt.

I had my OB appt this morning. Things were good! I'm 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. She said he is 'right there'. :) A little grapic here....but I got my membranes stripped/sweeped and I have been having contractions all day ever since!!

I am using my exercise ball to help with rotating my hips...it supposedly helps with laboring. And I'm drinking as much water as possible. A walk might help things along as well.

Hospital bag is packed...cameras charged...I am ready!!!

New Blog

This is the NEW blog website. The other one was just being so slow and I couldn't get much done in it. So this one will be getting a trial run to see how I like it. So far, so good.

Reminder - 'New' cell number for us. We only have ONE now. It is Matt's number: 605.484.0109

That is about all for now. My brain is too mushy to think of anything else to update with!!

Crystal and Christian!

OB appt update!

Original 02-22-2007

I had an OB appt yesterday morning. It went very well! I'm measuring fine, baby is head down..and I'm 1/2 cm dilated!!! It's a start...I'll take it. I also signed up for a'Sweep Study'. If you want to know more about it, email or call and I'll tell you all about it!!

So the highlight of my day yesterday was...I thought I was going to have this baby! About 11pm last night I thought he was just pushing and moving around quite a bit. He does this often and he is quite a squirmy tkye. But after my stomach and sides started to hurt I felt around and my entire stomach was ROCK hard! For about 10 minutes of homework this was going on and I didn't have a clue. But when I realised and started timing..they were about 5 minutes apart. Matt was at work and I was chatting with him and almost gave him a heart attack. But I layed in bed and they settled down. So far, so good today! But now I want to run a marathon and meet this little guy.

Wish I had more pictures

Original 2-14-2007

I wish that I had more pictures to add to the photo albums!! I have been so busy with school work online and with Arbonne. Then when I get free time I hang out with Matt and we don't go anywhere. We are relaxing as much as possible before the end of March!

March will actually be a busy busy month for me! I have many things planned with Arbonne and I'm very excited about that....that means that I will potentially be making some money!! Then of course ANY time in March this baby could show up. But I'm ready. I have my bags packed!

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Well, today is Valentine's day. I hope that I can get some pictures of us and post them later this week.

I will even try and get some pictures of the Arbonne booth at the base carnival this weekend...I would love to show you all what I've been up to this month.

XOXO, Crystal and the Peanut!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Original 02-09-2007

So this week has been a little busy! Matt worked quite a bit and has a couple days off. They are still on shift work and they aren't quite sure when (or if) it will go to M-F. I sure hope they get their ducks in a row and figure it out. No one is happy with the situation and they want something to come of all the talk and waiting.

Saturday morning, Matt and I are going to take some more pictures. Erin is going to take some portrait type pictures for us and maybe a few outdoor ones. I'm pretty excited...Matt isn't too fond of pictures LOL

Saturday night I'm going to a Bunco game!! It's a really fun dice game. We will have a Valentine theme so I'm hoping they give this pregnant lady some chocolate!!

I have also had this entire week be filled with Arbonne! I'm a new consultant for this company. It is sort of like a Mary Kay, but the products are all natural, never tested on animals, pH balanced....just some GREAT products that I'm so excited to sell!! They also have a baby care line that I'm going to try once the little one gets here.

For those of you that have not seen most of the pictures from my photo shoot with Erin, here they are. There are over 100 pictures so it may take a few minutes to load all of them: http://crissyscloset.spaces.live.com/?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWljcm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdWxsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!3024DBC69F04A10D!738&_c11_PhotoAlbum_startingImageIndex=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_commentsExpand=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentExpand=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentFocus=0&_c=PhotoAlbum

I'm a supermodel!!

Original 02-02-2007

Okay, not *really*... But yesterday (the 1st) my friend Erin took some pregnancy pictures of me. She is trying to start up her own photog business so she is taking pictures of whoever she can find for her portfolio. So of course I wanted some pictures just as much as she did... We went to Ko'Olina Resort to the lagoon for a few pictures of me in the water and on some rocks.

Now, Erin is no professional (yet) but she made me look SO good! I'm so proud of her and I can't wait to see all the finished pictures after she edits them. She did a few last night and sent them to me in an email so I have one to share with you all!!

~Click to make the picture bigger~

So there I am! Doesn't she make me look like an angel?!?!

Can't wait to show you all more!

It's a baby Herbie!

Original 01-27-2007

As I posted before...we had a minor mishap with the original Herbie that resided in our kitchen. Well, tonight during our movie, an adorable little gecko decided to join us. Baby Herbie has set up shop in the living room!! He is a cute little guy if I do say so myself. Fast, too! But I managed to get a few pictures of him. Baby Herbie isn't as big as Herbie (hence the name) - about 2 inches long. Big beady eyes and long suction-cupped feet.

Say hello to the new addition! (click on pictures to make them bigger)

We are happy to have him and can't wait for him to eat some bugs and grow big and strong!!

An update! TGIF!

Original 01-26-2007

Sorry it has been so long since an update. It feels as if Matt and I have been in the On Mode for the entire week. With Matt working quite a bit and myself trying to get my online classes underway and the house cleaned up we just feel super busy. Have I mentioned how many dirty dishes only two people make? It is crazy! But thank goodness it is Friday!

But some good news came of this week!! My loan company finally figured out what they were supposed to be doing with my money. Long story short: They were not putting MY money in MY account. After 3 months...they got it right!

We got our car fixed, finally! It took us a few weeks to find someone that would do the work and for us to bring it in on Matt's day off. To Tuesday was the big day for the car to get some shiny new parts (I have pictures in the Photo Album of our day). They mechanics did a two day job in a little less than 12 hours for us. They were SO nice and I'm going to send them a Thank You card. They worked their butts off and we are VERY pleased with the work they did. Now we just need to get some new brakes and the car is good to go!

I had an OB appt on Wed. Everything is fine. He is growing well and I'm a bit of a tubby girl...but who says baby weight is a bad thing? Maybe when he chubs up more, he will take MY chub! A girl can dream.... Just a few more weeks and I will be considered full term! Can't wait. Matt asks me all the time if I'm done with him yet so he can have his turn with him. I don't blame him. I have had all this time with the baby and Matt just sits there watching me get fat...sure can't be all that fun for him. His day will come soon!

I have the car seat all ready for the baby too! I even tested out the fit with a teddy bear.

How does it look? Good, ya? We can't wait to put it in the car. Not too much longer. 59 more days!

Well that is all for an update today. Matt works all weekend. I will most likely do school work and sleep...I need to get in all that I can!!!! Love you all.

Matt, Crystal and the Baby

Hello!

Original 01-16-2007

It's been a while since I have updated!! We are all doing very well. The past week has been quite uneventful. We tried to go bowling a few days ago but the power went out towards the end of the first game. So that ended our fun for the night. Good news is....I WAS BEATING MATT!!!

I got my package from you today Nancy!! So many cute things in there. I squeeled each time I pulled out something new. I love the sweater vest Winnie the Pooh outfit...he will be the cutest kid on the block wearing that.

My dad had knee surgery early this morning. He did fine. Doesn't remember much and he is happy about that. And the big guy that he is...he almost fainted TWICE!! The pain was too much for him at times. He had to scoot up the stairs backwards and on his bum to get to the living room. He goes back for therapy on Thursday and is NOT looking foward to bending his knee. But he is a trooper and he will get better. He must if he is coming to Hawaii!!

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Oh!!! I have had a new revelation! I, Crystal Keefer, am going to cloth diaper our baby. I have been reading a TON on it and not only is it better for baby's bum and the environment...it will save us LOTS OF MONEY! Big plus there! I'm excited to try it out and figure out which diapers will work for the little guy. Matt is even all for it too. We figure it was done forever, up until 20-some years ago when they made disposables. If my grandma and mom can do it...I can too!! Very excited to try it out.

Well that is about all we have for an update for us. I have an appointment on the 24th..then I think I might go to every two weeks after that. Not too sure. I hope I go twice a month after this one because I know it will make time go a little faster.

We shall see!

Don't worry!! Matt, the baby and myself are fine! It's the pet gecko in our kitchen that we are worried about...

Original 01-06-2007

Don't worry!! Matt, the baby and myself are fine! It's the pet gecko in our kitchen that we are worried about...

As mentioned in a previous post, we have a gecko living in our kitchen. We rarely see him and occasionally leave a tupperware lid of water out for him. After all, he is doing us a favor by eating the other bugs, so the least I could do is hydrate him!

Well late one night as Matt and I were in the living room we heard our friend Herbie making his loud chirping-type noises from the kitchen. They were unusually loud (and close!) but we thought nothing of it. A few minutes later matt ran into the kitchen to get himself something to drink. To my shock I hear Matt scream a big, "Oh No!!" He comes back to the living room with the most pitiful look I have ever seen! He was on the verge of tears and looked quite frightened.

"I think I killed Herbie..." On Matt's run into the kitchen, Herbie happened to be very close to the living room door and was almost crushed by Matt. I asked if he was still on the floor. Herbie squeeled at the pressure of Matt's foot and had run off. We haven't seen or heard from Herbie since.

This may sound a bit odd, but please keep Herbie in your thoughts. For Matt's sake, I'm hoping Herbie is still able to eat our bugs and live happily beneath the appliances.

Happy New Year!!

Original 01-01-2007

Well, our new year got here.....slowly.....

We went to the church service Sunday morning on base. It was a very good sermon and we enjoyed the gospel music to bring in the last day of the year.

Then we went to my friend Erin's house on Pearl Harbor. A few other couples went as well, along with their kids, and we all just sat around, watched some tv, had some food and watched the time drag on....and on....and on....

It seemed like it took midnight FOREVER to get here. But FINALLY it came, we watched the ball drop, gave each other kisses, Matt kissed the belly...and then we left their house about 2 minutes later! HAHAHA! We were dog tired; I didn't get my nap that day and Matt had been up since quite early that morning. So we went home, gave a few more kisses and went to bed.

It doesn't feel like 2007 but we are SUPER excited for everything it has to bring!!!

God Bless and Happy 2007!!!!

End of the year...

Original 12-29-2006

My OB appointment went well. I passed my glucose test and I am NOT diabetic! That is one less thing to stress about the last 12 weeks of this pregnancy. Now I get to worry about weight gain, contractions and possible preterm labor! Yippee! Okay, I'm not that worried about anything. I feel great and can't wait for these next few weeks to get moving. So I hear...the last trimester goes by quickly. Lets hope!

Other breaking news....Saddam is dead! That is all.

The 26th has come and gone...

Original 12-26-2006

...and so has my massage.

It was a good one! One hour just isn't long enough, either, so I will be getting another one before this baby comes. I was so relaxed and the hour flew by too fast. Wondering if they have an hour and a half one because I think I'll do that next time. My massage lady thought I looked pretty darn good for 27 weeks!!

I have an OB appt tomorrow (27th). I have the glucose test beforehand that I'm not looking foward to. But I'm VERY excited for the Labor & Delivery tour afterwards. I want to see where I'll be having this little guy. 13 MORE WEEKS!!

All for now...I'm relishing in my relaxed state and watching tv!!

Merry Christmas!!

Original 12-25-2006

It's been a pretty darn good year. Matt and I were sort of bumming the approaching holidays, but I think we are happy that they are here now. We can't wait for 2007 to start up and bring new adventures for us both.

Matt and I got some great gifts and we can't wait to put them all to good use. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful families that love us from afar!!

We hope that you all had ag reat Holiday Season and you got what you wished for. God Bless you, from the Keefers!

Can't wait for December 26th!!

Original 12-22-2006

Okay, I know that the 26th is *after* Christmas, but I have a very good reason for being very happy about this day!

I am getting a prenatal massage at 3pm that day!! I'm so excited. I have been getting very uncomfy at night and my back hurts quite often so this is going to be a real treat. I can't even describe how much I'm looking foward to this. The massage that I got for my birthday a few years back from Nancy and Kerry was absolutely wonderful and I have been wanting to get one since. I can't want to get another hour of pure bliss!!!

A few things on Matt's days off...

Original 12-14-2006

It has been a decent few days off. The first day was a little rough because we both needed to switch back to day shift. That was a doozy and we sure felt the blow of it. I think I felt it more than Matt did, though. But more on that a little later.

On Matt's second day off we went out to a few places. First stop was the gun store. We just browsed and found out about the VERY strict gun regulations here. Hawaii (and California) are the worst places to live if you are all about your gun collection! Second stop was the card store. Matt wanted to pick up some things but, alas, for the second time in a row that we have visited there, it has been closed. So since it was closed we walked down the strip to a pet store. There were two of the cutest little puppies in there that I wanted to take home with us. But of course we don't need THAT much excitement around this house! After the closed card store and the pet shop...it was Walmart!! I would be going to Wally World every day if it weren't so far away. It takes a bit to get there but, boy does the place tickle my fancy!

At Walmart we bought a cute crib set for the crib. I was just getting frustrated looking at an empty crib...and now it's decked out in a cute little animal themed set. I'll have to take a picture and add it to the webpage. After we put that in the cart I added just a few things that were adorable and just oh so precious. Matt added some 'I love Daddy' bibs and I threw in some cute bobby socks. Can't wait to put some cute little piglet toes into them!!

Now this is where my day went downhill. I think, for the first time, I felt my contractions! Crystal does NOT like contractions! Basically felt like my stomach was getting stabbed with a few million needles. I was done for from that point on. I had to come home and lay down and ended up sleeping for about 4 hours. The joys of pregnancy!!! So now for the past two days I have felt completely off and my tummy is quite achey. I feel good...just tired.

Matt and I got the lawn-care done before my tummy started cramping today, though! And it needed some work. The trees are losing all their leaves and they ALL fall in OUR yard. Matt mulched them with the mower and we filled four HUGE bags. Good thing it was trash day today, too, because we missed it last week....again. So now that the outside has been spruced up...it's the inside that needs some working on. I swear the kicthen is messy every day. We use SO many dishes for just the two of us. Oy vey...pretty soon there will be baby bottles galore!!

Not much else went on during our few days off. Just a lot of browsing the regular shops we go to and enjoying the time spent AWAKE together rather than sleeping together. Friday is another day off for us and we might try and hit up the nice resaurant on base. We heard it has some awesome food and the view of the beach is quite nice as well. If I remember the camera I'll take some pictures of that as well!

Enough of my ramblings... Hope you all are having a great week! Hugs and Kisses from myself, Matt and our Little Peanut!

A night out for us!

Original 12-10-2006

All-in-all, Matt's night off went well! The journey to our night, on the other hand, was quite stressful. We left our house early because we wanted to make a few stops before we went out to dinner at a Mexican place I found on the internet. Good thing we did, becuase an accident caused a literal back-up of traffic on the entire Nimitz highway. It took us over 2 hours to go less than 10 miles to downtown Honolulu. As we are sitting...going an inch a minute...our gas light dings on!! We freaked out a little bit as traffic was bumper to bumper for as far as we could see....but luckily we found a gas station and filled 'er up!

Then we finally found our Mexican restaurant after a couple rounds around a few blocks. Buildings here are definately not like back home. They are all scrunched together and nothing is marked clearly. It's either in this building or that building with no signs on the outside. But after a few phone calls to the restaurant and asking a few parking guards, we got the right building and found our way. And boy was our food good!! Hawaii isn't known for good Mexican food but this place was very much to our liking. I had enchiladas and Matt had a huge quesidilla. Mmm, tasty! We enjoyed our dinner out on the lanai with a nice breeze and Christmas singers down below. It was a great meal.

Then after dinner we walked back towards our parked car and decided to catch a movie.... Boy was that a mistake. We didn't choose a good movie. It was called The Fountain. It was a lot of back and forth 'back flashes' and 'time warps'. Very trippy if you ask me. It was a story going off of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and it was just...all wrong. haha. This one need to go right to the .99 cent rentals.

But after our movie we went back home and kept on with our night shift schedule. We watched another movie on TV and cuddled on the couch. It was a great ending to a pretty darn decent night!

A few random things, The Nativity and my first MOPS meeting!

Original 12-06-2006

Since Matt has been on night shifts I have been trying to stay up later and later at night. This way I can sleep with him in the morning when get gets home..and it feels like we are 'spending time together'. Granted we are sleeping but at least I'm not in the other room bored to death while he is out cold. This has been working out well so far! He has a few more 12 hour shifts to go and then I think we might be able to go back to normal.

I am on a crafting kick the last few days. I have been making a lot of greeting cards and have been looking into expanding my collection. Maybe I can start selling my homemade cards on eBay and get some money back?! What do you think?

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Last night, I joined a group of people from Bible Study and we went to the movies. The Nativity is what we saw...and it was fantastic!! Maybe not a movie for the younger kids (Herod, the murdering of the babies, etc) but it was definately a movie that us Christians need to see and promote. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

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So today (the 6th) I went to a MOPS meeting. Mothers of Pre-Schoolers is what MOPS stands for. And of course, I do not have a child yet but there are many pregnant women, along with the moms, who have heard about me (my friend Blanca watches their kids in a playroom during the meetings) and have wanted to meet me. I had struggled to get out of bed since I was sleeping most of the mornings due to Matt's schedule...but I am SOOO glad that I went! It was so much fun to meet other mothers and I think I will enjoy going back. This group is all military wives and very Christ centered. Each week is different, this week being a craft week, and other weeks being Bible Studys and/or discussion groups. I can't wait to learn more about these women and this wonderful group.

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Well that is about all for now. Now I'm just waiting around for Matt's one day off so we can spend it doing nothing I'm sure haha. But he is looking foward to it a lot. As am I. I think the baby misses hearing his voice as well. Hope you all are having a great week so far!

Gecko...and NOT the car insurance!

Original 12-04-2006

Geckos are considered good luck here in Hawaii. If you find them in your home consider yourself blessed. We happen to have a gecko living in our kitchen. He goes from appliance to appliance and hides out underneath. Not only is he cute...he will eat the bugs that come in from the backyard!

Now for the gecko that tried to kill me tonight...

I was on my way to get my weekly craving of chicken nuggets from McDonald's tonight. It was nice and breezy so I thought I would open the window. I reach for the button, push it...then I see him!! A little one inch albino-looking gecko sitting on the top of the window ledge. Maybe he wanted McDonald's too. Needless to say, I about ran off the road, almost hit some cars and almost had a heart attack. I compose myself and sit still do he doesn't go leaping for me and then REALLY run me off the road!

Well I finally get to McDonald's and in the drive through. The window is already down so I get my pocketbook and try to shoe him out. He gave me a glare and scooted to the outside of the door. Phew, I'm home free! So just as I'm about to pull up and order he tries to get back IN the car with me. "No way, Jose!" I shoe him back out and he makes his way to the hood of the car...."and stay there!" I order, pick up my food and head back home.

As I pull up to a light...I see him again! He scurries to the windsheild wipers, plants his feet and wedges himself into the groove of the wiper and window. I think he is holding on for dear life for the journey back home with me. A few lights and right turns later...the gecko and I are safely back home. This little gecko sure didn't want to ask me about my car insurance.

A few relaxing days

Original 12-01-2006

Yesterday, and most likely today and tomorrow, will be relaxing days for us. Matt has to switch over to night shifts so he can work the exercise that will be happening at work. Twelve hour shifts for two weeks in a row...guess who isn't thrilled about this? Since most of his office is working these same shifts maybe they will make it easier on all of them for the following weeks (and upcoming Holiday)? One can only hope.
So to make up for the upcoming stressful weeks we have been watching movies and just hanging out.

Thanks to my Mom and Mum...I received some great gifts for the baby in the mail! You should see my face and hear my little squeels when I hold up cute onesies and toys! I have a large bin that is already starting to fill up with clothes. He will be dressed to impress! We now have a height chart as well. SO CUTE!
Speaking of the baby, I have a Labor and Delivery tour scheduled in a few weeks. So I guess that really means I have to pop this baby out, huh? We take the tour of the labor rooms, the recovery rooms, and all the general places that we will be visiting as the months progress. It's quite exciting but also nerve racking at the same time. I have passed the point where this baby could now live outside my body and possibly survivie if I happen to go into a spontaneous early labor...scary! Matt and I watched a "Birth Story" last night and there was a one pound baby (which is what our baby is at now) that was born and it was SOOOO tiny. "So bake all the way, mister!"

Well I suppose that about covers it for the last day...not much to update on when we haven't gone anywhere! Matt and I will most likely be going to the gym today. He is dragging me along...joy! Hugs and Kisses to everyone!

Crystal and Peanut

Welcome to our first family blog!

So Matt and I made this website to keep in touch with friends and family back on the Mainland. There is only so much that we are able to update on a site...so Blogging here we come! We are going to try and blog as often as we can to let you know of the happenings here on Oahu.

Not much has happened this past week except our power went out for the third time since being here. Of course the first thing I thought of - "The MILK!" haha Milk is $4.99 a gallon and I just cringe every time I have to buy more. But luckily the power was out for only 10 minutes max.

I also had another OB appointment this morning. Everything is fine. I feel fine; baby is fine; Daddy is fine!

That about wraps up the first blog. Maybe tomorrow I will have more exciting news!