Stretch Marks

Well they are here.....


Like seriously....


I am actually pretty upset by this.  It is my own damn fault.  Why the heck did I think I would go through pregnancy and not get them?!?  I mean I already have them on my hips and thighs from when I was a teenager.  What in the hell made me think that my tummy would be spared?  I have put cream on my belly religiously every single day knowing that it wouldn't prevent them but, hey, it can't hurt?  I am an idiot.


I guess I thought since I had made it to 37 weeks without them that I wasn't going to get them.  Well that is not the case.  Literally they sprang up overnight.  In the past 72 hours I have gone from ZERO stretch marks to like 10.  WTF?!?!  


I wish I wasn't upset.  It is a weird feeling.  I know they are so worth it and I would take them a million times over just to get my baby girl here safely.  But it still does make me a little sad.  I think if there was just a couple I wouldn't be so freaked out...but I think there is a new one every time I look down!  


Breathe, Kelly....


I will just consider them my battle scars.  Not from pregnancy (because pregnancy has NOT been a battle at all) but from infertility.  I have scars on my heart from IF so why not my tummy?  I remember, not so long ago, desperately wanting to be pregnant.  I would have done pretty much anything to be where I am now.  I am so thankful to have a healthy baby girl growing in there.  I don't even really know how to express how grateful I am.  Who the hell cares about a few marks on my belly?  Every time I look at them from now on I will remember how hard we worked to get to this place and how much heartbreak we had to endure.  Then I will look at my sweet girl and know it was all worth it.  She is worth it....she is worth it a zillion times over :)


Ok I have talked myself down now and I feel better :)  Bring it on stretch marks....bring.it.on.

Kelly Belly-37 weeks

First of all, thank you for all the great comments on my maternity pictures.  Y'all know how to make a girl feel good :)


How Far Along: 37 weeks!!  Only three (maybe) weeks left!

Size of Baby: The books say she is about 6 3/4 pounds but I think she is more like 7...

Weight Gain:  no weight gain this week...so still +30 lbs total


Doctor Appointment: all was well.  I am "just about" fully effaced and dilated to 1 cm....he said a "tight one".  This makes me happy!!!   More progress from last week...the time is very near :)

Sleep: I get my best sleep starting at 5am...this is not good :)

Best Moment of the Week:  getting the giraffe that my Grand painted for Blakely's room...it is soooo adorable.  I promise I am going to post pictures of the nursery soon...just waiting on pillows later this week.

Stretch Marks: I think I am starting to get a couple on the underside of my belly.  It is hard to tell because I can't see down there very good.  I hope they stay light....

Movement:  yes...big movements..sometimes I feel like she is trying to crawl out of my belly button.

Symptoms: All still basically the same.  I guess the most difficult symptom is my joints in my fingers HURT!  They hurt the most at night....like it is difficult to wipe when I go pee!  But they hurt throughout the day as well.  It hurts to try to open a bottle of water.  No swelling anywhere else...just my knuckles...weird.  Instead of having my husband rub my back or my feet, I ask him to rub my fingers :)

What I Miss:  nothing...

Food Cravings/Aversions:  I just eat all the time...lots of pasta.  This is probably not good.  Last night I had oreos with milk...YUM!  And ton ight I am having ice cream...rocky road :)

Gender: little princess

What I'm Looking Forward to: I am obviously looking forward to her getting here....I feel like it will be before my due date.

Weekly Wisdom: drink water....

Milestones:  Blakely is not considered full term!  Way to go honey bear!  


Here is the belly this week...

A few more maternity pics....

Here are a few more of my maternity pictures for your viewing pleasure ;)


I thought they turned out really great....better than I expected.  These are just the ones she posted on Facebook.  I won't have the other ones until I place my order...which I need to do soon!

This was not a pose...I was laughing and telling him that my belly was bigger than his now :)

This might be my favorite one....

Kelly Belly-36 weeks & a maternity pic sneak peek!

How Far Along:  36 weeks!  Only one more month left....this momma is tired!

Size of Baby: she is the size of a crenshaw melon...I have no idea what that is.  The books say she weighs 5.75 pounds but I think she is over six...who knows :)

Weight Gain:  + 2 more pounds this week so I am at 30 total.  How did I gain two pounds in one week?!?

Sleep: Hit or miss.  I didn't sleep at all last night.  I am exhausted....

Best Moment of the Week:  We went to get the stuff off of our registry that we needed this weekend.  So now we are pretty much ready for her arrival!  Everything is put together, car seat bases are installed and clothes are washed!  The only thing left is I need to get the breast pump from my sister in law.

We hung up all of the things in her room so it is looks finished now!  I plan on taking some pics of the nursery this weekend and then I will post them.  

Also my dr appt today went great.  I am 80% effaced now!  I was sealed up tight a week ago.  I am happy that there was a little progress.  I'm not sure why I am so excited :)

Movement:  Yes!  I love it so much and I will miss it.  But I am looking forward to baby snuggles :)

Symptoms:  I am a crazy emotional wreck,,,right honey?  Still have the contractions often.  I had another episode where they lasted for about 2 hours but then they went away.  It is crazy to think that one day soon they won't go away and we will head to the hospital..

I am feeling lots of pressure.  It doesn't really hurt, it is just uncomfortable to be up for a long time...feels like she might fall out!  

Peeing ALL THE TIME...  

What I Miss:  nothing...I am so excited for her to get here!

Food Cravings/Aversions: I am eating sour patch kids right now.  I used to hate the things before pregnancy...so you think I will hate them after she is born?  

Gender: princess Blakely

What I'm Looking Forward to: Sleeping tonight and all day tomorrow if I can!

Getting the last few things done around the house...

But the thing I am looking forward to the most is her arrival!  I am so excited!!!

Weekly Wisdom: don't stray too far from a restroom...

Milestones:  only one more month to go!  O.....M...G....

Here is the belly this week

And here is one of my maternity pictures.  I'll post a couple more later this week.  Happy Hump Day!!

Three showers in three days!!!

On Saturday I had my second shower.  This one was given by three of my mom's friends.  It was a brunch and it was wonderful!  We had biscuits with ham, yummy grits, fruit salad, artichoke dip, and a rotel spinach dip.  Literally makes me hungry thinking about it :)  They had beautiful flower arrangements all over the house.  My family and Lonnie's family were there, my mom's friends, and the girls that I work with.  It was a great turnout and there were SO MANY GIFTS.  I was seriously overwhelmed!

My niece and nephew (Syble and Collier) were at the shower.  Collier was so not wanting to be there so Lonnie came after he got off work and played with Collier.  He was super excited to see Lonnie until he realized there weren't leaving!  I tried to get Lonnie to sit and help me open the gifts but he was having NONE of that..HA!  

And now for a picture overload :)

These were the napkins...how cute!

 She helped me open all of my gifts...and did such a great job.

 This is a Christmas dress from Syble.  She has one just like it and so does her other cousin.  So at Christmas all the cousins will get their pictures made in the matching dresses.  She was so excited to tell me all of that after I opened it.  

 Blanket that my mother-in-law made...this is the first thing she has ever crocheted! (Does that spelling seem weird to anyone else?!!?!?)

 monogrammed diaper bag from my Grand!!!

 Those are baby TOMS people!

 super cute onesie with diaper cover and bow :)

 This is what one of the hostesses gave my mother for her birthday...Now baby girl will have a place to sleep when she goes to Granny Diannie's!  (Not sure that is what we are going to call her but cute anyway!)

 Grand, Aunt Jerry (Grand's sister), and me

 all of my fam :)

 best mommy ever :)

 The hostesses with me and my mom and my aunt

Marilee, mom, Beth, me, Casey, and Jenni

 Mother-in-law, Syble, me and mom

 This is my BFF Sarah.  Seriously I don't know what I would do without her.  She is the best and I love her so much!  

On Sunday night I had a small pajama shower!  Hello!  It was so great to not have to worry about something to dressy to wear!  This shower was given by the wife of one of my husband's partners.  All the other wives were invited so there was a total of about 10 of us.  We sat outside and it was perfect weather!  She even brought her glider out and that is what I sat in all night...SO COMFY!

I look so huge and puffy in this picture!!!  And you can see my pink bra and my white belly...WTH??

This was her youngest daughter telling me to lift up my shirt and take the baby out.  It was super cute!!

I had such a nice time at this shower.  It was really laid back and intimate.  They all brought me their favorite book that they read to their children (I am the only one without kids) so her library has already been started!  My favorite part though was this.  The hostess had a piggy bank and she passed it around and everyone shared a parenting tip or any parenting advice with me and then they put their change in the bank.  It was so sweet to hear what they all had to say.  The ages of these women range from my age to my parents age.  So to hear the advice of a woman who just sent her child off to college and then the advice of a woman whose baby is about to be one was very helpful.  It was also very emotional and I cherish everything they said to me.  

On Monday night I went to my monthly bunco group and they threw me a surprise shower!  It was so sweet I almost cried!  Here are some pics of that.  We forgot to take pictures until the end so there aren't very many!

 Yes, I was as tired as I look in this picture.  I had a long weekend and then I had worked all day....I look AWFUL!

So there you have it!  I have spent this entire week washing baby clothes and organizing all the wonderful things we were given.  We are so blessed!  I am so thankful that we have so many people who love us and our baby girl.  

If you made it through all of that you are a trooper and thank you :)