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Summer Break!

So I made it!  This day seemed so far away, and it is finally here.  Just a reminder of how close Evie's due date is approaching.

Bed rest went ok, I could have probably taken it a little easier (but you all try moving and finishing the school year sitting on a couch/bed all day!  Bet you it would NEVER happen).  The move went well and I really did not life much at all.  Keith is amazing and we have already unpacked all of the boxes.  Our plan this weekend is to get the pictures hung, clean up a bit, and work on Evie's room.  I also need to pack our bags for the hospital...can't believe I am saying that!

This week we had another check up (CERVIX TALK WARNING!) and it seems I have progressed even further.  I hope this means that this little girl is ready to meet us soon!  I know that my body feels ready.  The doctor said that I am now dilated to 2cm, 90% effaced, and her head is at a -1 (last week I was hardly dilated, 0-50% effaced, and head was at a -2) so clearly I have made progress.  Her instructions were to kinda take it easy this week, but next Thursday I will be 37 weeks and she will be officially "fully baked" however, she said that if she made an appearance this week that would be ok too!  Oh and did I mention that she could feel my bag of water and there is so much tension on right now that it is bulging a bit!?!!  She said it is likely that it will break and put me into labor...guess we will see!

I think you all know, but just in case you don't, the start of summer break for us means a change of scenery.  The last two years we have been living at the beach!  First in Oxnard and this year Ventura.  It has been fun and such a great adventure for us.  We have made some life-long friends and find it bittersweet to leave.  However, we are truly excited to be going back home to Tehachapi to raise our family and be close to ours.  I think our families are excited to have us back too!

Leaving an area means leaving jobs and finding new ones.  We are both on the job hunt right now.  Keith had the option of staying with Dreyer's Ice Cream, however, frankly, the guy is tired of getting up at 3:00 AM and working in a freezer all day.  He wants to actually do something with the degree he worked so hard to get.  He has applied to a few positions and a temp agency.  Right now we are optimistic that something will come up soon and he can leave retail permanently.  I am really proud of him and I am faithful that God will show us just the right path.  I have found quite a few open teaching positions for the fall and actually had an interview last week that seemed to go well.  I have another interview on Monday, which is quite exciting as well.

So, summer break brings reason to celebrate!  We are excited for this new adventure--new baby, new home, new city, new jobs.  Keep us in your prayers as we make this HUGE transition and HAPPY SUMMER VACATION to everyone!

Bed Rest...

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my last two week check-up (now I go every week!).  I should back up a bit though...

For those of you who do not know, Keith and I are in the middle of a BIG move for us.  We decided around this time last year that we would like to move back to Tehachapi to start a family and raise our family in the small mountain community that we grew up in.  The BIG move is this coming Saturday, June 4.  We then have one more week of work left before we officially leave.

In order to get ready for the move, I have been pushing myself probably a little harder than I should have.  But I was making an effort to not push so myself too hard, but with a house and a classroom to pack-up, maybe it was inevitable.  So on Saturday I had lunch with a friend and then Keith and I did our grocery shopping for the next two weeks which included a Costco trip. On Sunday Keith, Nick, and I worked at our friend's Vintage Clothing and Textile Show.  It was a full day (5:00-5:00!) and we went home exhausted.  Monday I did some shopping and then we worked on packing the WHOLE kitchen.

It was busy, but now insane.  However, Monday night we were watching a movie and I started having some back aches.  It was kinda like period cramps, but stronger.  I started to time them and found that they were about 6 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each.  I watched it for about an hour and decided I should let Keith know what was going on.  Poor guy. (haha) He said, "Wow, could we be any less prepared?"  And he is pretty right.  Everything we need for the baby is already in Tehachapi.  The cramps lasted a couple of hours and then I went to bed.  When I woke up to go potty at 12 they were gone.

(Warning: As many of you may already know, being pregnant has this unspoken rule of being able to talk about your nether-regions like an everyday topic.  Cervix talk is ahead...)

So skip forward through Tuesday (which I worked hard all day trying to teach and finish my classroom "just in case") I had my doctor's appointment.  I told him about my night and he was doing the Strep B test anyway, so he decided to check me.  He said that baby's head was really low, surprisingly low and my cervix has already started to thin out (probably the night before from the contractions).  So he said that to be safe and keep her in at least one more week, I need to be off work for the rest of my pregnancy and modified bed rest (more horizontal during the day than vertical).

So, that is where we are now...just pray that she stays put for at least a week more, but I REALLY don't mind if she wants to make an early appearance before July :)  I'm so close to being a mama!

Baby Showers

I am so blessed!  I have the most amazing friends and family.  I had not one, but two amazing showers and Evie definitely has LOTS of amazing women in her life that love her so much!

My first shower was hosted by Aunt Donna and my dear cousins Kelli and Cari. 

Nina worked hard with others making some delicious food and AMAZING desserts!

And Aunt Donna get's to take credit for the beautiful decorations!

Here is our first picture with FIVE generations of beautiful "Walker" women!

And one very excited grandmother...I wish I had gotten a picture of the other grandma too!

So, I have a TON of pictures from the first shower because Cari was nice enough to be photographer for me.  The second shower, hosted by my dear friend Deanna and her mother Adriana.  This one was in Santa Barbara with all of my dear friends I have made over the past two years.  It was so fun (and yes...I loved my new dress so much I wore it to both...)

There were yummy drinks, and delicious desserts, but best of all great friends!  (and silly games of course!)

Belly Kicks

As I have said before one of the best parts of being pregnant is feeling that precious little one move.  On our vacation, Keith and I were laying belly to belly.  I sometimes forget that he doesn’t get to feel Evie move every day, dozens of times.  So as we are laying there, she was dancing up a storm.  He was able to feel her on his belly.  It was really funny.  And very sweet when he said, “I guess this is kinda how you feel all the time.”

Our Babymoon

So for Spring Break this year, Keith and I opted to do what we truly love best...CAMPING!  This may seem a little crazy seeing as I was seven months pregnant (April 23-28).  However, if you know us, our camping get-up is not a two-man tent and sleeping bags on the ground.  We have a 12-person tent, an aerobed, and more camping gear than a Jetta can really hold.

30 Weeks!!

We left on Saturday for San Clemente.  We had been looking forward to this time away for some time and the weather was suppose to be AMAZING.  We were mostly just excited to have a trip, just the two of us.  The last time we went away so long was our honeymoon, so this seemed quite fitting.

The whole trip was so relaxing.  We spent most of the days at the beach.  I napped and tanned and read in a bikini!  It was a little scary feeling a little LARGE, but my Keith assured me that the only BIG part of me is my belly, which is clearly holding my baby.  So I strutted around, a big preggo mama, in a bikini.  (I wasn't the only one there either!)

Keith spent his days napping, reading, and swimming.  He was a little surprised at how warm the water was, I think it was around 62 degrees.  He really enjoyed it!

By Wednesday, while we wanted to go to the beach for our last day there, we were tired and burned.  It was no easy trek down to the beach from our campsite, and by Tuesday, the bottoms of my feet were a little swollen.  So we went for a drive down to Dana Point and had lunch.  It was a great way to end our week.  We also watched the sunset every evening.  It was just a great time of reflection and to just be together.

While we were ready to go home Thursday morning, we are so glad that we went.  It was a great time and our last trip before we take on parenthood!  Very exciting!  But it also reminded us how perfect we are for each other.  We were able to spend 6 days and 5 nights with just US and no distractions!  We made campfires, and played Trivial Pursuit, and just read our books enjoying the peacefulness and we weren't even sick of each other in the end (haha).  This trip made me so excited for our growing family.  It is going to be so much fun!

I love this guy!!

Third Trimester!!

I was really sad when I got on here to do an update post and realized that it had been a month since my last post.  Where does the time go?  I got an email today saying "Welcome to your 31 week of pregnancy!"  I know that I am in my 31st week, but just seeing that, WOW, it made me think what a small number 9 is!  Evie's due date is 9 weeks away and she could come before that (EVERY PERSON READING THIS BETTER BE PRAYING SHE DOES NOT COME LATE!!!).  I feel like there is so much to do before she comes.

As I reflect on the second trimester, I am realizing just how good I had it.  People say that the second trimester is bliss...THEY AREN'T KIDDING!!  Almost overnight, I went from sleeping almost soundly to getting up every two hours to go potty and switching sides every hour or so because something feels uncomfortable.  My belly feels huge (and I still have 2 months!) but the muscles that support it ache at times.  And then there are my feet.  Not swollen, but as I sit here I am icing the bottoms.  (It just sounded like it might help and it feels pretty good.)  Anyway...enough complaining :)

Despite all the ways I feel uncomfortable, my day to day is still full of bliss.  It is so amazing when you get to the point that you can just nudge your little one and she responds with a little nudge back.  It is almost like sweet gesture between the two of us, rather than just a reflexive response from her.  I had a dream last week that I was able to take her out of me and hold her and dress her and kiss her.  We all passed her around and fell completely in love with her (more than we already have!) but then I had to put her away, back into my womb, because it wasn't fair that I had not gone through labor to have her.  By the time labor comes around, I know I will be ready for anything just to see this precious little girl.

Child Birthing Classes: Part 1

So last week we attended our first child birthing class.  This is the first in a series of 6 that will conclude on May 4.  We decided to start them now because we will not have time to complete them before Evie comes, once we are back in Tehachapi, and any later than this, we will not have time to complete them in Ventura.  We went back and forth on whether or not we should even do them.  I am currently taking prenatal yoga and I am learning some great pain management techniques, as well as breathing practices, but we want to be as prepared as possible, so we decided to go for it.  We are taking them through the local community hospital in Ventura.

The class is two hours and our instructor, Pam, was pretty entertaining.  She made the topics interesting (though I think Keith was a little bored)  Half way through we had a break.  During this time the men were encouraged to try on the empathy belly to get an idea of what we women are going through.  Keith looked pretty good in it!

After the break we watched a video and then had to practice the breathing techniques...which I DO NOT LIKE.  I prefer my yoga breathing, but I tried to do it anyway with little success.  I could not figure out when I was suppose to be breathing in.  Then it didn't help that Keith was laughing.  Needless to say I started laughing and we were the only couple out of 10, who could not do the breathing exercises because we were laughing so hard.  I felt like "that" student in class who the teacher figures out the first day of school is going to cause problems.  But regardless of what everyone "thought" of us, we laughed the whole way home remembering the night.  

A "Priceless" Day

From the beginning of this pregnancy, we knew that we wanted to get a 4d ultrasound done.  We looked into pricing and while it was a lot (almost as much as the stroller I want!) it was one of those things that I figured would be "priceless."  I can now say that I recommend it to EVERYONE!  It was the neatest experience and a day we will cherish forever.  So many friends and family together for a sweet occasion.  As four generations of my family gathered together in this lovely room to watch the fifth generation floating and smiling and stretching, there were smiles and tears.  It was so beautiful. 

We all met in the lobby of My First Peekaboo in Ventura before and took some pictures.  14 people all together came to share in this fun day and to see Evie Love in action for the first time.  

 

  

Then we went into the room.  My cousin Kelli described it best, as what looked like a cozy massage room.  The lights were dim in this nice sized room.  There was a nice big bed for me, and a couch and chairs for others.  We had so many though, that many were comfortable standing and or sitting on the ground.  The screen was a large projection screen, so there was not a bad seat in the house! 

Then Anna, our technician, got started.  She put the lotion on my belly and started some quiet music that would become the soundtrack to the DVD we purchased.  And then we watched in amazement at the little girl who came to life on the big screen.  It started out black and white and then went to 4d.  I was so choked up when I saw her beautiful face for the first time.  

I didn't care what she looked like, but I could tell she was pretty.  Everyone laughed at her moving, while we counted her fingers and toes and smiled that our baby is perfect.  

Soon people were guessing at who they thought she looked like.  When she smiled they said Jami's mouth, but when it was closed and she looked like she was sleeping we thought maybe more like Keith's.  

Some said maybe she had my sister's nose, but Keith insists it is a baby nose and we will have to wait and see on that one.  Grammy said she has her daddy's ears. 

All in all Keith and I think she is probably a mix of both, but it will be so much fun to see her pictures next to our baby pictures.  However, it will be even more fun when she is here with us.  

This is experience was truly incredible and for $139 we got a DVD, a CD with all of the pictures, and these amazing memories that we will never forget, and that truly is priceless.

Feeling Evie Move

The first time I felt Evie move I was sitting at my in-laws house working on my computer.  I didn't tell anyone when it happened because I wasn't sure.  This was January 23.  After that I would randomly feel her move every few days.  Now, feeling her move is the highlight of my day.

At first it was like bubbles.  That is the best I can describe it.  Now sometimes it feels like bubbles, sometimes like butterflies, and sometimes it is a full blown kick.  The other day I was sitting in a staff meeting and had my hand resting on my belly.  She kicked my palm a couple of times.  These were the hardest kicks I have felt so far.  The coolest part was that I could feel that it was a little foot.  Like I could feel the actual little bones, where as before I had no clue.  It was so precious and melted my heart. 

Keith has felt her once.  It seems like she will be doing flips in there and when I call him over to feel, she stops.  Stage fright I guess.  The other night we were in bed and I was feeling the little pats.  He asked if he could feel and as soon as his hand touched it she stopped.  He is excited to feel her more and after the kicks the other day, I know it's close!

A Moment to Share...

Most days I don't mind being pregnant.  It's actually a lot of fun.  It's fun because I'm never alone :) and I always have something to talk about (whether or not people want to hear is another question all together...haha).  I don't really mind when people touch my belly, but what cracks me up (most of the time) is what people say when they touch it.  

When 5-6 year olds touch it, they usually say something like, "Wow Mrs. Butler, your tummy is getting BIG!" or "Is the baby sleeping?" or, my personal favorite, "You're getting really fatter!"

When people my age touch it, they usually say something like, "So cute!" or "Love it!"

When people older than me touch it, they usually affectionately rub it and ask, "How are you feeling?" or "You are really starting to show!" or "Do you feel her moving a lot?"  

But the best was last week when I wore a sweatshirt to work.  Now, in her defense, I usually wear clothes that show that I am pretty much all belly (see picture below) but it was a cold, miserable day and a big sweatshirt was sounding so cozy!  So I wore it.  This lady at work affectionately touched my belly and then very sweetly said, "When you wear that you don't really look all that pregnant, just mostly a little chunky."  I laughed.

A Not-So-Pink Nursery for Evie

Anyone who knows me could probably tell you that I am not a "pink" lady.  I have no problem with the color, I think it is quite pretty, but I don't know if it has ever been my favorite color.  When I was younger I know it was purple, then around fourth grade I changed it to blue, and since high school my favorite color has been green.  I LOVE green.  Look at my wedding, my classroom, my closet and you will find green all around.

Now I know that in having a little girl, pink is inevitable, which Keith and I have accepted and embraced.  We are ready to dress Evie in the girliest of girlie colors almost everyday.  However, we have decided that her nursery will be a different story.

I had found a few different prints that I loved, but when I saw this, I knew it was for my girl.  I will get the whole bedding set, but I plan to accent the room with other details, rather than this line.  I found a cute cherry blossom lamp at Ikea and I have different ideas for the walls all together.  I'm still shopping and looking around.

In this picture there is still a lot of pink, but I mostly love the cherry blossoms with the red, pink, and green.  My plan as of now is to do a green accent wall behind the crib with the tree decal below.  The tree will be brown and the flowers will be pink and red.

Still very girlie, but a little more earthy, which works well for me.  I think it will be really cute when it is all done.  We also made a selection on our crib.  I think it is perfect for the room I have in my head.

I can't wait to get to work on it.  Too bad we still have a little while before that happens, but planning is definitely fun.  I'm now searching for pictures and a chair.  We will see what comes up.

20 Weeks...Half-way There!!

It's hard to believe that we are already half-way through this pregnancy!  I can't believe how fast it has gone and I can only imagine how fast the next few months are going to go!  As you can see...my belly has definitely grown to reflect how big little Evie is.  Right now she is about the size of a banana!

Since we found out we are having a girl, it feels like we can connect with the baby so much more.  We call her by name.  We talk to her and plan for her.  We have started thinking about her nursery and even bought her a cute outfit.  Everyone in the family is excited as well!  My mom bought a beautiful coat for her and I have heard that some others have been shopping as well.  Just over four months until I can hold my little girl!

It's A Girl!!

I think I knew that it would be deep down inside.  I truly did not care either way, but I am so excited and I can't wait to meet this little girl.  I know I'm biased, but I think even her ultrasound picture is cute!

So this Evelyn Love Butler!  But I call her Evie :)

Twas the Night Before Our Ultrasound...

Remember being a kid and knowing you were going to Disneyland the next morning to experience the most magical place in the world was enough to keep you up the night before?

Or remember those long nights before Christmas waiting up to hear Santa on the roof top and to wake up on Christmas morning morning to see what was left under the tree?

That is how I feel waiting for tomorrow!  I am so excited to see out little baby on the fuzzy black and white screen.  To see how big he or she is and how different he or she looks from the little bean pictures we got at the 8 week ultrasound.  I am very excited to see if it is A BOY OR A GIRL!!!  It is so close...3:30 tomorrow afternoon.  Don't worry...I'll keep you posted!