Almost There....!

The past couple weeks have been pretty miserable for me. I've had a cold for about 3 weeks and then last weekend I started getting a low-grade fever and flu-like symptoms. My doctor did call in some flu medicine that I was able to take that I don't think worked, and after talking to another doctor and two trips to urgent care, it was determined that I had a really bad sinus infection and two bad ear infections. Needless to say, I felt absolutely horrible and was wishing this baby would come now so I could take some medicine. Well, God didn't think it was time for Trenton to come (which it was too early anyways), but after finally getting a doctor to give me some medicine for my ear infections, I started feeling better quickly. Luckily though, after about a week on this medicine, my ears are virtually all healed, though I still have this nasty cold that seems like it's never going to go away. Throughout this whole time of being miserably sick though, I can say I have the most wonderful caring husband in the world :) He took care of me the whole time and forced me to stay in bed the entire week, or on the couch when I needed to work from home. I do love him :)

This week was also Christmas! It definitely has not felt like Christmas, nor have I been as prepared and excited as I normally am. I'll blame it on being so sick. We had a wonderful family game night on Christmas Eve and ended up playing an intense, cut-throat 7 hour game of Monopoly. No matter what game is played, it is always so vicious! Everyone was too scared to play Phase 10 this year though since I've won two years in a row... :)


Here is my 36 week picture! I also created the whole 9 month photo collage. The last picture to take will be the day I go into the hospital! Because hopefully I won't make it to 40 weeks or longer.....

Over the weekend we got our maternity photos back! Joseph and I decided we are a pretty cute couple; which naturally means we are making cute babies.... :) Here are a few of our favorites!

The tag says "Do Not Open Until January 2013" in case you can't read it

Week 34

I am finally to that point where I actually feel pregnant. Of course I have felt our little baby move constantly for the past few months, but I have been so blessed and grateful for such an easy pregnancy, that I haven't really had much of the "typcial" pregnancy issues. Until the past couple weeks. I have been getting more and more uncomfortable since Trenton is so low into my hips that it makes sitting and standing and lying down uncomfortable after just a short period of time. Which of course leaves no other position to be in but uncomfortable and painful. But at least this all started with only less than 2 months left. I can deal for such a short period of time. Hopefully....

Last weekend we ended up calling the doctor because I was having some pretty bad contractions in my back, and since I really don't know what exactly I should be looking for when it comes to actual labor, a call to the doctor helped. But after about 2 1/2-3 hours of those contractions, and some heat and Tylenol, they did finally stop. I have been having quite recently and frequently though, a lot of menstrual-like pain/cramping in my abdomen; which I read is a sign that real labor could be close :)

I had my 34 week check up today and mentioned the frequent (and viturally constant yesterday and this morning) cramps I've been having and the doctor decided to check to see if I was dilated at all. I wasn't, which is a good thing since Trenton needs to cook for at least another 3 weeks :) Since I've had a cold the past week and a half and can't seem to kick this cough, I did get permission to take some Robitussin to hopefully get rid of it before Trenton makes his debut. Even though I don't like taking medicine, it will be nice to not cough every 30 seconds. I'm sure my coworkers would appreciate it too....
At my work Christmas party last Friday night, my coworker's wife (who so graciously did our last 3D ultrasound) felt around Trenton and said that since he is so low, she would be surprised if I did make it 40 weeks; she was thinking I'll probably deliver around 38 weeks or so. So here's to hoping that she is right!

Over the weekend we also took some maternity photos, so I can't wait to see how those turn out! These last few weeks are still pretty busy on the weekends, which is wonderful, although my days at work have been slow. But hopefully we will be able to make it through the holidays, with as little discomfort as possible, so we can spend time with family, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and anticipate the day our little boy decides to enter the world!

8 Weeks 'til We Meet

Trenton,

Today marks 32 weeks of you growing inside me and only 8 more weeks until your due date. Daddy and I are getting more and more excited to meet you! This week was Thanksgiving; how did you like the 4 days of delicious Thanksgiving food?? It'll be even more fun next year when you can eat some of it yourself. This weekend Daddy and I got your room all set up! We bought the last items needed for you, set up your crib, washed all your clothes and organized everything. It was so fun to be able to work together with Daddy to get ready for you. We even got your diaper bags and my hospital bag packed and ready to go. Daddy decided he wanted his OWN diaper bag for you....so I guess we will be ready no matter what then! We even stocked up on diapers and a ton of wipes from Babies R Us' Black Friday sale this year. We are pretty sure that Black Friday is a no-go from now on except for maybe stocking up on diapers and wipes again. It was such a good deal!

You have been growing and moving around like crazy still; kicking so hard! I am getting tired of having to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes so I am hoping you come early :) Also, your wonderful Aunt Steffie bought Grandma Kathy a plane ticket to come see you in January! We are all so excited and grateful. I'm sure you will learn too, there is nothing like having your mommy with you in such a life-changing event :) The other day you and I scared Aunt Brittany. And of course Daddy and I thought it was hilarious. I have been getting contractions lately, some stronger than others, but nothing terrible. But one strong contraction came and stopped me mid-sentence. When Aunt Brittany thought it was you kicking me really hard, I said it was actually a contraction and I'm pretty sure her heart skipped a beat or two thinking we had to get to the hospital ASAP :)

We did have your 32 week check up today and the doctor said you have a really strong heartbeat and are measuring perfectly. Always good news of course!  I've seen those pictures on the Internet of seeing the baby's hand or foot imprinted through the mom's stomach and I've been wondering if that is going to be you. You are still moving so strongly so I am always checking to see if I can see you through my stomach :)

And as always, here is the 8 month photo! My shirt is getting a bit small, so hopefully I won't stretch it out too much more since I used to wear this shirt all the time pre-pregnancy.....We only have two more photos left before we get to actually photograph your cute little self :)

Hello, Sweet Boy!

The past couple weeks have been the start of the very busy season! It is nice that I seem to have a lot more energy than most pregnant women at 30 weeks. It helps get my never ending to-do list done. Though as soon as I stop moving, I definitely feel the reprecussions of going non-stop....

I've never been the type of person who could just relax and do nothing on vacation, and combine that with being pregnant makes for a very tiresome self when I get back. Last week Joseph and I got to spend the weekend in Las Vegas with my coworkers. We had a lot of fun walking around all the hotels and gambling some. Trenton, your daddy is going to have to teach you to play blackjack because he is pretty darn good :) He ended up winning a pretty good amount of money! But then I lost most of it playing slots.....oops. In Vegas, you walk everywhere on the strip, so I definitely got my excercise in; and I'm pretty sure I made up for the past 7 months of not excercising as much as I should have. And poor Trenton definitely got his fair share of second (or third?)-hand smoke :( One fun thing we did with my coworkers though was tour the Hoover Dam! That was really neat to see, though every single one of us was worn out from that. But Joseph and I got to meet up with my mom and sister who so graciously drove the 4 hours from Bakersfield to come see us :) It is always wonderful to be able to see my mommy.

After the busy weekend in Vegas, came the next busy weekend and preparations for my baby shower! It was really fun to help plan and prepare for that. A good number of family and friends came for the shower and Trenton got some much needed items, which of course is wonderful and greatly appreciated.

Then came our 30 week check up! Trenton, Daddy and I are so excited that we get to meet you in just 10 weeks! Though we of course, me especially, won't mind you coming a few weeks earlier.....The check up went well; nothing too special of an appointment. I did meet with one of the two male doctors at my clinic though. I am very apprehensive about going in to labor when one of the male doctors is on call at the hospital but it was good to meet with him. It didn't really settle too many nerves about having a male OB deliver my baby, but that's okay.

One of my coworker's wife is an LPN at an OB clinic, and she so graciously offered to give us an ultrasound for free. So of course I wanted to take her up on that offer! On Tuesday, Joseph and I got to see our precious little baby again. In 3D :) Technology is so amazing and we are so blessed to be able to see our son before he is even born. She did have some trouble getting some good pictures of Trenton though because he is wedged so far into my pelvis already. Which she said when I do go into labor, will most likely help me dilate quickly; which of course sounds wonderful to me! But she also said that is the reason why I have to get up and go to the restroom every 15 minutes (literally) and why my hips hurt so much. But at least since I do have to get up every 15 minutes, the walking helps relieve some of the pain in my hips :) Trenton wasn't really cooperating too well with us during the ultrasound either. He kept putting his hands and feet by his face and moving around too much. He also seems to like sitting folded up in a little ball; silly boy.....we are pretty sure he is going to like to sleep with his hands by his face though so mittens are going to be a necessary investment for us. Trenton also has some big feet! In our last 3D ultrasound at 17 1/2 weeks, Trenton looked exactly like Joseph, but in this one we could see he has more of me in him as well :) He was making some faces for us too it seemed, so I really think he is going to have his daddy's personality. A life of laughter is ahead of us in our little family...... :)

Here are a few of the pictures we got of our sweet little baby the other day!

Look at that adorable little smile :) He kept that arm up by his face the entire time

This one looks like he is puffing out his cheeks like he is blowing bubbles or something, because the other pictures his cheeks and lips don't look that big. But who knows, I've always had pretty chubby cheeks too..... 

This one he is completely folded in half. But still the most adorable little baby in the world :)



Colors of Change

I love living in a state where Mother Nature celebrates the changing of seasons. In Bakersfield the only seasons were hot and not-so-hot; with an occasional small splash of rain in April. But in Atlanta, I get to experience one of my favorite times of the year: fall. All of the leaves are starting to change and it really does make my long commute to work and back that much more joyous. Trenton, I can't wait until next fall when we could play in the leaves together right after Daddy rakes them all up into a pile :) Besides, that's what piles of leaves are for, right??

One huge change is that this week marks the beginning of the last stretch of my pregnancy! The past 7 months have been a relative breeze with only slight discomforts here and there. As these last 3 months progress, I hope I continue to have an easy pregnancy. Although Trenton is a strong and active little baby, so the bigger he gets, I just know the more uncomfortable I will get with how hard he already kicks me.

Today was my 7 month check up and now I will have to start going to the doctor every two weeks. Which means Trenton is getting closer to meeting the world :) I had to do the much-dreaded glucose test today though to see if I have gestational diabetes. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I'll know the results in a couple days. But since I didn't get a phone call today I am guessing it was negative and I'm good to go. I am going to have to adjust my diet some over the next 3 months to get more protein and fiber to hopefully help with my weight gain. I also had to get a shot today since Joseph and I are opposite blood types. Since I'm O-Negative and he is O-Positive, we could possibly have issues in future pregnancies. Trenton is fine, but my body could possibly fight against future babies if I don't get this injection with Trenton and every other baby here on out all because of our blood types. But overall Trenton is great and seems to be growing just fine :)

Over the past few weeks, there is so much going on in our little lives. Brittany and Montez got married and spent their first week of married life in Spain. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and I loved being able to be part of their big day. And they get to keep the memories of their European travels with them, pickpocketed and all :) There was also a sudden death of a long time friend whom we will all miss so dearly. Trenton, you will get to grow up hearing stories of a wonderful woman and someday we will all see her again in Heaven.

Pretty much every weekend from here until 2013, Joseph and I have something going on. I'm thinking there is some good in being due right after the holidays because all this busyness is sure to make the time go by quickly. Which of course means we get to meet our little baby that much sooner. This weekend Joseph and I finally get to take our Las Vegas trip! It will be so nice to have a mini vacation before the two of us become the three of us. Since we will be going with my coworkers and their spouses/significant others, hopefully there won't be much work talked about :) We don't really have that much planned except a dinner and cocktail night (yay soda..... :| ) in my boss' suite, and then a trip to tour the Hoover Dam. But my mom and sister are going to drive over for the weekend so I am really looking forward to that! And some relaxing hopefully.

And of course, 28 weeks here we are! When comparing to last month's picture, I actually have grown a significant amount the past four weeks....!

 
I was also playing on an app on my phone and created this collage of the first 6 months. It's fun to see how small I was when we first found out I was pregnant, and how much Trenton has grown over a short 6 month period :)

Hearts Filled with Joy and Sorrow

This weekend was filled with both extreme joy and extreme sorrow. I found out that a young couple I went to college with lost their precious little baby boy at 38 weeks over the weekend. I don't know the parents of Baby Ezra as well as I knew other family members, but every student and faculty member at my college is so close-knit, it is heart-wrenching. I have had a few other friends lose their babies late in their pregnancies and I cannot imagine it. Though now that I am pregnant, it does become more and more real. You always know things like this happen but never in a million years do you think it would happen to you. But the truth is, and this weekend and this young family was sadly shown, none of us are exempt from saddness and grief and death. It really can happen to anyone; it can happen to us. It makes me ever so grateful for every little kick and movement I feel because it is proof that our little Trenton is still with us. Prayers for this family would be so appreciated, I'm sure, as they cope with the loss of their son, but also with the joy knowing that Ezra gets to grow up in the arms of Jesus. It is such a sad time, but knowing they will see Ezra again someday is a great hope they have in Jesus.

On a happier note for the weekend, Brittany and Montez got married! It was a busy and eventful weekend for our family as we get everything set up and organized for their special day. It was absolutely beautiful and all of Brittany's plans for their wedding turned out fantastic. And of course she was absolutely gorgeous :) I can't wait to see all of their pictures from the photographer and especially can't wait for them to get back from their honeymoon in Spain for the week. Let's just hope they worked on their Spanish while on the plane :) They are going to have so much fun celebrating their first week as Mr. and Mrs. Cammon in such a historical place like Barcelona. I am so excited for them and look up to their relationship.

Please pray for both of these couples, for their grief and their joy as each of them start a new and different journey in their lives and continue to rely on our great God in all times of life.

Miracles of God

I have to start out by saying that God is just so amazing and I am so grateful to be called His daughter and to know that He takes care of us, even in the funniest ways.  I've been a bit stressed lately about some financial concerns and have been praying daily for God to show us how to tackle everything and be alright about it. I was even praying (semi-jokingly) for God to give us a miracle while we are in Las Vegas in November (more on that later) and let us when even just a couple hundred dollars, because that would help tremendously. But then I get the news yesterday that I got a bonus at work! We finished up a long and tedious project my team has been working on for a couple of years, even before I started, and we got our bonuses from that client! When I logged in to look at my check stub I almost cried. I got a ginormous bonus! Even after taxes cut out 40% (which sucks by the way) it was still a huge chunk of money that helps us tremendously toward our goals and helps us get on track. I have been in such awe and so grateful for the miracles God gives. I asked for a small couple hundred dollars while in Vegas, and God decides to one up that and go for a couple thousand right now instead. God is so so good..... :)

Now about Vegas. My company is wonderful and I love it so much. I mentioned this awhile back, but now its actually happening. As a treat for doing so well last year and bringing in so much revenue for our company, my boss is treating our entire team and our spouses to a weekend in Las Vegas! So in November we will be heading for a nice weekend "babymoon" to Vegas :) of course with my co-workers but that's alright. But my wonderful mommy and sister will be making the 5 hour drive over so we will be able to see them too!


On another happy note, a couple weeks ago Joseph finally got to feel Trenton kick! It was so exciting. Sometime I feel like I was more excited than he was but that's okay :) Trenton had been very active at that time and I've been waiting for the weekends to have Joe feel him. But of course as soon as I call him over Trenton stops moving. So I started pushing him around to get him moving and I think I made him mad because then he just wouldn't stop moving and kicking! And hard too. Which now of course I definitely do not mind. And he has been moving practically non-stop since.

A funny story happened a few weeks back too. Joseph wanted to learn about swaddling. So what does he recommend? We get a blanket and put Brittany on the floor to act as "baby". I just wish we got some pictures of us swaddling an her like a baby!

We also had an appointment on Friday for my 6 month check up. Nothing too exciting but the doctor said Trenton is an active little guy. He kept kicking her as she was trying to to listen to his heartbeat :)

And here is my 6 month photo!

Half Way There!

To my sweet baby Trenton,

 

This week marks the halfway point in my pregnancy with you and I must say that Daddy and I are so excited we are that much closer to meeting you. Today we had our 20 week checkup and another ultrasound at the doctor and we got to see you moving around. You are an active little guy! The technician had a hard time taking your pictures because you kept moving around too much. Does that mean you are going to give Daddy and I a run for our money? That’s ok, we will be happy with your crazy self. :) You know, you have a lot of stubbornness and obnoxiousness running through your genes, so I am sure its going to be a fun childhood for you.... :) We even got to see you attempt to suck your fingers. That was the neatest thing. You couldn’t quite figure it out yet, it seemed, but you sure were trying! Daddy also noticed that you have the Goodall chin….so we can tell so far that you have Daddy’s nose and Mommy’s chin. The tech also said you were 14 ounces! Keep growing little buddy….

Baby Trenton at 20 weeks :)

 

It has only been a couple weeks since we officially found out you were a Trenton, but it seems like longer. We just love being able to call you by name now! I’ve been able to feel you move around in my belly for about three weeks and it is such a pleasant reminder of how precious of a gift you are. Poor Daddy hasn’t been able to feel you yet, but he is so anxious! I read the other day that if you put a stethoscope to the belly, you could hear the baby kicking. So I bought one from eBay and it came in today and guess what? I really could hear your kicks! It was pretty cool and I can't wait for Daddy to hear you also.

 

Your Daddy is just so sweet. Sometimes when he comes home late at night, he will put his hand on my belly and talk and read to you. And as your mommy, I just love being a witness of that. I’ve started making some art for your nursery and it has been so fun for me. I hope you get the crafty spirit from me J I am a bit biased, but I do have to say that you are going to have the best nursery around! Here are pictures of what I've created so far:

 

Trenton, I hope as you are reading these letters as an adult, that you understand even more how much you are loved; even before you were born. I am so anxious to watch you grow into the man that God wants you to be. I hope as you look back on your life now, that your dad and I have raised a man that loves his family, cherishes friendships, works hard at everything he does, and most importantly, lives a life that brings honor to God. You have a lot of life ahead of you and as I sit here today dreaming about your future, and you looking back at your young life so far, that you will continue to grow up into a man that takes care of his own family one day and follow in your father’s footsteps.

My prayer for you is that as you grow, you will learn to fight for what you believe in, stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, become the friend that you would want to have, and most importantly, live a life of no regrets. 

 

As our first born child, you get to be spoiled first and get to teach your future younger siblings so many cool things! But right now, as I sit with your little banana-sized body inside my belly, you are my world. You and Daddy are my two most favorite men on this earth and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life learning and teaching and guiding and witnessing the love of both of you.

 

Love Always and Forever,

 

Mommy

Daddy Blog Takeover!!!!

So this is the daddy take over since i haven't really had a chance to get in here and blog i decided now would be a perfect time. We found out what of the sex of the baby is and were so excited, we even decided on a name which is great. Before we get to that though I'll go back through everything that has happened so far From Daddy's point of view So lets Begin

Let me start from how mommy surprised me. I was at work and we were walking into the breakroom for lunch and i saw some balloons at our table and i was like what in the world. Next thing i know brittany my sister walked over and sat a pan of cupcakes down and i was getting really weirded out. I was thinking what is going on its not my birthday what is going on, then brittany told me to look at the cupcakes to see the surprise. On the lid it had "Which would you rather have?" and then i opened the container and it had red and blue cupcakes but i still couldn't understand what was going on then after much contemplating i kinda knew in my heart what was going on. I then looked under the lid of the container and it said....."Your going to be a Daddy" and my heart dropped and i put the lid down so fast and brittany and montez( brittany's fiance) looked at me and wanted to know what was going on, so i finally got up the courage to show them they freaked and at that same time she walked into the breakroom and i was like "are you serious" of course she was lol. I was so excited and scared all at the same time I couldn't even focus at work the rest of the day, which driving a forklift isn't a good thing so i had to stop driving the rest of the day. Talk about the biggest surprise of my life :)

but before i get into another story i have to give this quick side note mommmy was so exicted that for the next six weeks she gave me an update of everytime you changed in size from a apple seed to an avacado lets just say she was super excited.... lol

When we finally got our first ultrasound it was amazing and kinda weird it wasn't a regular ultrasound where they do it on the stomach they had to go through the *cough lady parts lol .....but anyways ultrasounds like that i never understood it just looks like a bunch of blobs but the tech was able to point out the head and butt but i didn't really see it so i just took her word on it. but they also let us hear a heartbeat and that was amazing it became really real to me then i looked at tiffany and i just fell in love with the baby right then i just couldn't believe something so small already has a heartbeat

So weeks went by of course things were happening but more like little things like tiffany having headaches but wasn't a whole lot just a lot of people betting(not really more like guessing) as  to what the sex of baby west. i was guessing a boy just because i have a friend that our lives have been pretty parallel in how stuff has been going and just a few weeks before they found out they were having a boy so i just knew we were too.

Then this past friday it was finally time to find out the sex of baby west so we got up early went into the doctors and as tiffany was getting weighed the nurse said that they don't tell the sex of babies before the 20th week even though they let her schedule that date so needless to say mommy wasn't too happy so we wait for the doctor to come in and she confirmed what the nurse said but she still let us hear the baby's heartbeat but that time we were just looking for a little more....so tiffany got on the phone after we got done at the doctors office and called some specialty ultrasound places and we got an appointment the same day!! which was great!! but because of atlanta traffic and complicated hospital layout we were late and of course she blamed me for stopping for something to eat even though she was hungry too! ;) but they worked us back in even though it really only took 10 mins. when we got in the room there was like five 40 inch tv screens and an ambient light and soft classical music and i big couch for me to sit on! it was a nice environment so she laid down and the tech got to work!

As soon as she found the legs i knew exactly you were a BOY!!! it took her a little longer to confirm my belief but she eventually did. she started taking pictures in 3D and it was amazing i could see you!! you have my nose i can tell already and you kinda look like i did as a child. It was the most amazing feeling ever i said silently to myself Thats my boy!!! it was a weird kinda pride like I'm proud of my boy for swimming around LOL but it was a great time although you were not happy the tech was pushing you around a bit.

While we were heading home i was thinking a lot that because this is our first time i want both of us to be involved in naming baby west in of just the first boy being named after me so i told tiffany this and she was on board but was totally fine either way which is why i love her. but at the same time it was weird like God just dropped a name in my head i didn't force it . so i told tiffany the name and she liked it so your name became Trenton Cole West!!

The last part of my story involves telling my family tiffany made a cake that the inside would tell the sex of the baby by the blue icing which was really cool and really tasty!! my mom was so funny being super excited it made me laugh really hard but Mr lerone didn't want to know what the sex was but he should of left the room because mommy ended up blurting it out anyway LOL it was funny after we told them i went to walmart with britt and montez to pick up some stuff and while i was there i picked you up some clothes including a shirt that said "Daddy's # 1 little tough dude" and some other things it was just amazing i just felt like you were already here these next few months will be tough to get through because i can't wait to see you. i'm glad i got to see you already but i can't wait till i can hold you! I love you so much!!!

-Dad

16 Weeks of Growing Baby

I have to start out by saying, I just love my husband. He is such a great supporter and encourager. When I am having a bad day, he somehow knows exactly what to say to make me feel better, even when he doesn't realize it. Our baby is going to have an amazing father. God paired us up perfectly :)

The past few weeks haven't really been much different, which I guess is a good thing; just makes writing any updates a little harder. I did talk to my doctor about all the headaches I've been having and she recommended I see a neurologist since I already got bad headaches from when I was hit in the head in high school. But I was talking to Joe and talking to my mom and we are all on the same page about this. You see, I'm really good (or bad, depending how you look at it) at self-diagnosing myself and since I've learned to deal with the bad migraines for the past 8 years, I can typically tell the difference between what kind of headaches I am having. Plus, Joe and I both don't want to add another doctor bill right now.....and really, what can a neurologist do for a pregnant woman? I can't have any tests or x-rays or MRI's done....So I think we have concluded to opt out of seeing a neurologist and just stick to my self-diagnoses for now :)

One thing that has been different in our lives though, is Joe has started helping me in my Sunday school class :) I work in the infant room every other week at our church and he has started coming with me which has been wonderful to see him interact with other cute little babies. This past weekend we had a little 9 week old baby and I absolutely loved seeing Joe take care and learn how to take care of this adorable little baby. There was some apprehension but he did great and I was so proud of him. Have I mentioned how much I love my husband lately?

This week also marks the beginning of a new month! So of course, here is the 4 month picture :)

Goodbye First Trimester, Hello Second!

Today marks the beginning of the second trimester! 14 weeks now. I have been so lucky in not having the stereotypical first trimester of morning sickness and food aversions. Which I am so very very thankful everyday for that!

Nothing too big happened this past week as far as the baby goes. Joe and I have had some good talks about our little one though and that has been wonderful. While my sister was here, she bought some cute little outfits for Baby West and we can't wait to use them :)

I always wondered why pregnant women touch and rub their bellies so often. Now I know. It's just so neat and such a reminder that God placed a tiny little being inside you for you to take care of and for Him to grow into a healthy little baby. I find myself constantly putting my hands on my belly and just smiling; thanking God for such a miracle.

This week though, there is a lot of happenings going on; at least on the Goodall side of the family. On Wednesday, July 25th, my oldest sister will be having a C-Section about 5 weeks early due to some complications we all knew would happen when her and her husband got pregnant. But on Wednesday, the first grandbaby of the Goodalls will be born! I am excited to see, and eventually meet, little baby Elijah Charles :) Prayers would be appreciated though as baby Elijah will have to be in the NICU for awhile, as well as healing from the C-Section for Karynn.

We all decided that Karynn should wait a day, though for Elijah to be born because the 26th seems to be a great day to be born :) My baby brother will be 5 years old on Thursday and I cannot believe it.That little stinker is growing up and he and Michael will both be starting kindergarten this year.....oh, and also on the 26th is my 24th birthday too...but really ever since Travis was born, my birthday has disappeared and it's been his birthday. But I don't mind, I kinda like him :)

3 Months Down, 6 More to Go!

Today marks THREE MONTHS! We are almost out of the 1st trimester and it's pretty exciting :) Today we had a doctor's appointment and we got to hear the heartbeat. It was absolutely wonderful.

I am sure it's not just me, but most if not all mothers, but I was pretty nervous right before hearing the heartbeat. Since the first trimester is the most susceptible to miscarriages, that fear has always been in the back of my head. Now I haven't had any signs whatsoever that I have had a miscarriage and I have been seeing and feeling changes signifying that I really am still pregnant, but that fear still lingered.

BUT, we heard the heartbeat and all is well :) My doctor said it sounds good and now I need to start gaining weight. With only one week left in the 1st trimester, I have gained a whopping 1 1/2 pounds; yet still not back to my normal pre-pregnancy weight. My doctor told me I need to gain at least a pound before I see her again in 4 weeks. So here's hoping all this food I've been eating will start catching up with me! Just not too fast though :)

In 4 weeks we go back to listen to the heartbeat again, and then 4 weeks after that we get to (hopefully) find out what we are having! Any bets on what it's going to be? I'm thinking maybe a girl; just because probably 99% of my pregnant friends this year have had or are having boys. So I'm just saying 2013 will be the year for girls. Just my speculation of course.....


Also on a side note, I got my first "Are you pregnant?" question today at work from my favorite security guard. I guess that means I officially look pregnant now :)

11 Weeks and Counting

Dear Baby West,

Today you are 11 weeks growing! You are getting bigger and bigger and Daddy and I are so excited. My belly is starting to grow out, though sometimes it just looks more like I’m packing on pounds rather than baby. It seems that the exact day 10 weeks hit, you decided it was time to make Mommy sick though. How about we just go back to me eating a ton of food and not getting sick? Deal? Deal J Rice cakes, Tums, and sherbet ice cream seem to be helping me this week, so at work I have practically an entire pantry full of different food in my desk, and the fridge and freezer in the break room has my ice cream, popsicles, and 2-3 different types of lunches every day just for me. I never know which ones are going to make me sick……

Grandma Kathy sent you some things for your nursery with Auntie Stephanie this week! I am so excited to get things ready for you. You are going to have the best nursery around! Though I am a bit biased. My clothes are also starting to not fit anymore, but sadly I’m in the stage where my clothes are too small, but maternity clothes are still too big. It’ll come though, and frankly, I’m excited to get a new wardrobe for a few months.

You are going to get some good flying in before you are born, little Baby! This year I will be having to travel to new clients with work, so there are quite a bit of opportunities for us to fly. And you, me, and Daddy get to spend a wonderful 4 days in Vegas with my coworkers and their spouses since we brought in so much revenue last year. Your mommy is very, very blessed with an amazing job with awesome perks J As of right now, this trip is planned for the end of August, so Daddy gets to see Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Hoover Dam for the first time! We will need to take you there again one day when you’re older. The Grand Canyon is an amazing place to see God’s beauty.

There are just 3 weeks left until we go into the second trimester. Let’s leave the first strong, and not very sick J Daddy noticed my growing belly for the first time the other night. I just love your daddy. His face of pure excitement and awe and wonder, was just amazing for me to see and I cannot wait for him to feel you move for the first time. He already said he isn’t going to take his hands off of you J

I love you precious baby. Keep growing strong and healthy.

We see you, little Baby West!

Saturday, June 16th 2012

Last week I didn't post anything mostly because I had my first bad week. I started off the week with a terrible, terrible migraine. Usually over the counter medicine doesn't work for my headaches so this is one thing I have been a bit worried about with this pregnancy. But God is good. And so is my husband. He got up at 3:30am and went to the gas station to buy me some Tylenol. Then he stayed up with me until I was able to get semi-comfortable enough to fall asleep. Isn't he wonderful? :) And thank You, Jesus, it actually worked. I by the end of the next day my headache was gone.

I also had my first bout with food aversions. I was making chicken one night and then all the sudden the smell was repulsive. I just couldn't get away from it and I was so queasy and miserable for two days after! And I must say kudos to every mother who has had morning sickness because these two days of being so extremely nauseous were horrible! I don't think I could handle it every day.

This week was a great week though! On Monday, we had our first ultrasound!! It was so exciting to see our adorable little lima bean of a baby! I just wish I was able to capture the look on Joe's face the first time he saw his little baby. Especially when he saw the heart beating. It was such a precious and beautiful moment.....

The ultrasound technician also gave us a more accurate due date, which is now January 21st, 2013! We thought I was 7 weeks along at this point but I'm actually 8 weeks. Which I also figured out this is a honeymoon baby..... :) The only bummer part about the new due date is now there really is not a good chance of it being a February baby at all. I guess little Baby West will be sharing a birthday month with Daddy, Aunt Brittany, Uncle Michael, and Aunt Karynn for sure!

This week I also broke the news to my boss and coworkers. For some reason I have been pretty apprehensive about telling them all, but I knew I needed to do it sooner rather than later. 1. because my belly is already starting to grow and 2. we travel so much with work that my boss really does need to know so I can take the proper precautions while flying and collecting documents at client sites. But good news. They took it well. I also found out that one of the ladies I eat lunch with at work is also pregnant! So now there will be two of us waddling around the office this winter :)

And since another month has passed by, here is the 8 week picture! My stomach is starting to grow a little bit, though I'm not really sure you could tell in this photo or not.

Week 5!

June 1st, 2012

It's Week 5 Day 3 and little Baby West is the size of an appleseed or a sweet pea. He or she is now visible to the naked eye too :) That is so exciting to think about!

This week has been another week of annoying and bothersome cramps but not too terribly bad. I haven't had any of the supposed "normal" symptoms yet like extreme tiredness and exhaustion, or morning sickness. The funny thing is, I'm sort of opposite. I've actually been really hungry! Which for me, that's a praise since I am pretty sure I am getting hungry as much as a normal person and I haven't had any sort of "normal" when it comes to my stomach since I was 18 years old. I still can't eat a lot of food but I do get really hungry every couple hours. So for me, that is super exciting :) Although, I have to admit, it does make me nervous that I will gain a bunch of weight....my goal is to gain no more than 30 pounds this pregnancy. Which will still put me at the heaviest point I have ever been in my life; which also freaks me out a bit! At least most all of it will be gone when the baby is born and while breast feeding.

This week I have also been a bit stressed out. Dealing with health insurance is a pain! I have never been so frustrated about something like this before. Who knew that trying to figure out which insurance plan to choose could result in so many what-if situations.....! But I think we are close to figuring that all out, thank goodness.

We are also starting to look for a midwife in the area that we are comfortable with. Joe and I both would like to deliver at home if at all possible, so prayers in finding someone in the next few weeks would be fantastic :)

Another good news about this week is that I am officially a West and a Georgian! Today I spent the entire day getting a new social security card, driver's license, car insurance, and license plate and tags. I must say though, I have been dreading losing my California plates :( The new Georgia plates are so ugly....!

How We Surprised Daddy and Family :)

Even before I thought I was pregnant, I had been thinking of creative ways to surprise Joe and our families when we actually did get pregnant. Good thing I love planning things because the little baby came sooner than we expected :)

Now, I know lying is bad, but I find there are exceptions when planning surprises. At least that's my theory. 

The Monday before I found out I was pregnant, I asked Auntie Brittany if she would help me surprise him at work sometime, though I wasn't sure when yet. Then Thursday came along and I found out I was pregnant. And here comes more lies. We have a friend, Emily, that has been staying with us, so I had to also lie to her. Since I bake cupcakes often, I told both Joe and Emily that I had to bake cupcakes for a baby shower at work on Friday. Then, so Joe wouldn't see the cupcakes I told him that my frosting messed up so I didn't do cupcakes (which isn't entirely a lie because my frosting did mess up the first time). After I decorated the cupcake box I hid them in a cupboard that I knew Joe wouldn't look in. I then told Joe that I was going to the chiropractor Friday morning, but really I was going to the OB/GYN to verify my pregnancy. I also told Emily that I was going to surprise Joe with dinner at work Friday night so she wouldn't suspect anything. 


Friday, May 26th, 2012

So here is how it went. Aunt Brittany and Uncle Montez both didn't know what was going on; just that I had a surprise present for Joseph. Brittany hid me in a side room of the cafeteria at work and Montez was recording the whole thing. Then Brittany brought a balloon that said "Congrats!!!" to Joseph, and my plan was for him to be all confused at that point. I think it worked :) Then she brought him over the cupcakes. 

This is the top:

So Joseph proceeded to open the lid and at first he just closed it. But then realized that he might have seen something. So he opened it again and looked at Brittany and Montez all puzzled, then decided to text me first to see if what he was thinking was true.

This is what he saw:

 Once I saw him pull out his phone I walked out of the back room. At first I didn't think he saw what the inside said, but then this is how the conversation went:

Joseph: "Is that for real?"

Tiffany: "Yes"

Joseph: "No. You're lying. It's a joke."

Tiffany: "No, it's real. I found out this morning."

Joseph: "No. Really?"

And then he proceeded to turn the box lid around to Brittany, Montez, and the camera. Everyone was surprised and shocked :) After some jokes from his coworkers, we talked about it all, and poor Joe was so shaky that he couldn't finish his dinner. Sorry honey.... :)

The daddy to be still in shock!

It is still all so surreal to us! 

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On Saturday morning, Emily helped us take some pictures so we could surprise his family. Mom was the main person to surprise so I told her that Joe and I took some pictures the other day and we brought them to show to everyone. I handed her the photos upside down and when she flipped them over, she was in shock. It was great. After confirming that we were serious, she was just so excited! She didn't put the pictures down for a good 15 minutes. And that was only because she went to get a baby picture of Joe :) She was so giddy about finding out she was going to be a grandma!

We told my mom pretty much the same way. Except we had Auntie Stephanie pick up the photos that I sent to Wal-Mart in Bakersfield, and while she had Joe and I on FaceTime, she handed Mom the pictures. Her expression was priceless. She just couldn't stop laughing and it was hilarious.

When we told the rest of our families, pretty much everyone's first response was "Wow, that was fast!" ya.....we were thinking/semi hoping it would take a little longer than 2 weeks to get pregnant.....I guess God had other plans :)

Here are the pictures on how we surprised the families!

And this is the beginning of the weekly update photos!!!

Welcome Baby West!

Thursday, May  24th, 2012


We are going to have a baby!!!

For about a week before we found out, I sort of had a feeling that I was pregnant. I was having weird symptoms that weren't typically normal for me. Then on Thursday, May 24th at 12:58, on my lunch break at work, I took an at home pregnancy test. And to my semi-surprise, IT WAS POSITIVE!!! 

Now, we have only been married for a couple days short of 7 weeks, so it's a bit soon, but I guess God didn't think so. I have to tell you though, the entire we before, I was a wreck. Have you ever seen the Disney movie, Tangled? Well, you know at the beginning when Rapunzel finally leaves her castle and she goes from one extreme to the other about being free and disobeying her mother? That was seriously me the entire week. It was like a war zone in my head between not wanting to start a family yet and it would be nice to start a family right now....

After I took the home pregnancy test, I called my doctor and got an appointment for the next morning to confirm. And guess what?! I really am pregnant :) As of right now, our due date is January 29th, 2013. Yet another January birthday for our families......You see, I told Joe from the beginning that I absolutely did not want a baby born between the end of November and end of February, because between both our families we have 7 birthdays, with 4 of them being in January alone! And now 5 counting little Baby West. God has a funny sense of humor sometimes.....

We have our first ultrasound in two weeks to hopefully hear the heartbeat and also get a more accurate timeline of how far along I am. I really cannot wait! 

I know that Joe and I are going to be great parents and we have wonderful families and friends surrounding us all over the country to help us out. Though we are nervous and anxious, we are both very excited for this next step in life.

LoveAlways, 

The West Family