Pennies and Pics

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Today is the big day...well not really. I spent the day cleaning and watching T.V. expecting the labor to NOT start anytime today. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and she said I am still not dilated and my cervix is long and tight. I will go on Monday to get a NST (Non-Stress Test) where they strap on the heartbeat monitor to my belly and monitor the heart rate, movement, and oxygen levels (I think). So then if all is well we will wait until November 10 to be induced. This means that Sydney could be born on 11/11/11! Exciting, but all that really matters is that she is born healthy and their are no complications. I haven't had any contractions yet, just a lot of Braxton Hicks (tightening but no cramping) and this usually goes away after a few minutes. So I am not sure she will be born on her own but we will just have to wait and see (she is kicking me as I type this lol). Her room is ready, car seat installed, and bags packed! All our friends and family are anxiously wai

Okay people it's getting down to the wire! The last few weeks I have been wondering when I will go into labor, where I'll be if my water breaks, how far away from the hospital I will be, and what day will be Sydney's birthday. Physically, I feel fine; just have bad acid reflex which seems to arise no matter what I eat and find it harder each day to move around easily without having to catch my breath. Since the beginning I have felt like I wanted to go all the way to her due date and even longer (11/11/11). However, I feel like I am ready for her to be born today! Especially since my nurse told me she could very well be 8 pounds or bigger if I go past 40 weeks. Yikes! Let's get her out now while she's 6.5-7 pounds. Bruce and I have the car seat installed, the baby room ready, and our bags packed. So now we are just waiting....

iTunes no longer has public music lists. Below are the names of the songs and artist. All American Girl  Carrie Underwood Toxic Yael Naim    4:27             New Soul     Yael Naim    3:30                     Little Dreamer       Van Halen    3:23                 Bottles       V.V. Brown    3:02     I Got You Babe     UB 40    3:10                     Beautiful Day        U2    4:04                 Calling All Angels       Train    3:49                     American Girl        Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers    3:30               God Love Her       Toby Keith    3:37                 Tiny Dancer       Tim McGraw    5:09   Ooo Baby Baby     The Temptations    3:46        My Girl      The Temptations    2:45 Crazier       Taylor Swift    3:15                  Your Love Is A Song       Switchfoot    4:22  Baby Girl        Sugarland    4:14                  Isn't She Lovely    Stevie Wonder    3:20                  You Are My Sunshine       Ray Charles    3:0

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Wow I can't believe I am approaching my 8th month of pregnancy. I am feeling well so far and still working 2 jobs. During the week I am trying to work at the school as much as possible and then work at Outback on the weekends. It is very hard to wait for a paycheck once a month from the school, so working for cash tips is great. After about 4 hours of work at the restaurant my feel begin to feel like they are going to fall off and I can barely bend down due to back pain. So my co-workers are great and help me out a lot with carrying trays and food for me. I am hoping to work as much as possible before baby Sydney arrives so I can take time off of work and be with her then. The picture above was taken over Labor Day weekend at a hotel room in Las Vegas. No nightclubs or gambling for me, just there for my best friend's wedding. Being in vegas while pregnant is not the best situation, however relaxing by the pool and eating out at buffets are the best! I felt strange walking

Ok, so now it's pretty obvious I have a little one growing inside me! Once customers at work started to ask me my due date I knew I was definitely popping out. It is great to hear advice parents give me when they ask about my pregnancy. Everyone says get used to not sleeping and buying a lot of diapers.

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One of the best parts of being pregnant is that I get to have a party thrown just for me and my baby! I decided to have it in September when my dad will be visiting from Kansas. Of course, that molded the shower into being co-ed, which is quite the popular trend now. Many baby shower websites have pages of ideas for co-ed showers that make them guy friendly. I have been to quite a few showers and I want ours to be a celebration for our new baby and family that includes everyone, not just the ladies. We have picked out a park near my brother-in-laws house in Rancho San Diego. I have also decided to do a 4D ultrasound the day before the shower so I can display pictures of baby Sydney. Also so that my dad and the rest of the family can see her on the big screen at the ultrasound. We were referred by a friend to Ultrasound Experience in San Diego, where they have large screening rooms and display screens so everyone can see the baby clearly. To check out their website click here .

11 11 11 If baby Sydney is born on 11/11/11...this is what numerology says.. Lucky Name Numerology

Graco DuoDiner Dempsy High Chair Little Boutique Lamp  Little boutique clock Little boutique photo frames Thanks Grandpa! We can't wait to see you in September!

Bedding find for $15 All these garage sale items for $25 Choosing the right shade of pink is difficult! Crib Deal $105

Happy 4th of July! Cali at the park Summer Time 2011

Getting used to being a daddy! Checking out the safety features with the fake baby... This is what the future holds for us... I feel in love with this pink crystal lamp...& using the gun was a lot of fun!  Thanks to my sister Jayme for helping us pick out all our baby stuff, what a fun day!

It's a girl! We are not 100% sure, but so far it looks like no male parts....We are so happy that our baby is healthy and we are so blessed. New due date is 11/3/11.

Quiz: Is It a Girl or a Boy?

Memorial weekend after eating a lot of BBQ and snacks... In the baby's future room....                             We cannot wait for June 11th, when we have our 20 week ultrasound and find out the gender of our baby! I have been feeling well, but my doctor said I am on the borderline of being anemic, so I am taking more iron supplements including my pre-natals. I haven't felt the baby kick or move yet...but can't wait to feel that!

At our second appoint we met with the nurse practitioner Rita to hear results from all the blood testing I had done previously. To our relief, all the tests came out good, she just recommended I get more iron in my diet. Then the best part happened...we heard our baby's heartbeat! It was the greatest sound ever, I instantly started crying with excitement and relief. It is official..there is actually a little person growing inside me. I can now feel comfortable to tell all my friends the exciting news..although many of them already had a feeling something was going on. On May 11th we will have our first ultrasound and I hope to remember to have Bruce videotape it with my phone so I can share the experience with everyone.

It is so weird to not know about any information about the tiny life that is growing inside me. I am so anxious to have an ultrasound so I can be reassured that everything is okay, and to find out how far along I really am. On days when I wake up with energy and no nausea I start to get nervous as if I wasn't pregnant. I know that as a first time mother I am probably thinking too much into it and scaring myself, which is why I hope to set up an ultrasound appointment ASAP. Tomorrow's appointment is basically just filling out paperwork and the nurse will then set me up with an appointment to see my doctor. I just got finished watching 16 and pregnant where a girl had the hard decision to give up her baby for adoption, and then changed her mind, twice. I feel so lucky to have waited for the right person and the right time in my life to start a family. Thank you to my amazing husband and all my family and friends.

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Planned parenthood told me my estimated due date is November 4th, but after looking at this calculator we may be looking at a Halloween baby! At least I won't have to look for a costume to wear...I have my first appt. to fill out paperwork on Wednesday (4/20), then I can set up a REAL appointment!

When I found out I was pregnant, I was elated with joy, but soon reality set in that Planned Parenthood would only take me so far in providing prenatal care. With no health insurance, I knew I could turn to state and government programs for assistance. I had a difficult time researching what I would qualify for so I decided to post my findings online so other women in my position could find all the info. in one place. Keep in mind this is information from the state of California and can change with time. AIM _: Access to Infants and Mothers :  low cost insurance for women already pregnant: It includes all your doctor visits, birth, and postnatal care. The income guidelines are as follows: Income Guidelines (for April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012) AIM Family Size (count pregnant woman as 2) Monthly Household Income (Gross income after AIM deductions) Total Cost of AIM Coverage (1.5% of adjusted annual household income) 2 $2,453 to $3,679 $442 - $662 3 $3,090 to $4,634 $556 - $834 4 $

So I was excited to hear back from a low-cost insurance program for pregnant women, where I can get everything I need for prenatal care for a low monthly cost and I talked to them a few days ago and I was denied because we make too much money! Of course they don't take into account our bills and mortgage payment, so now I am starting again at square one to try to find a program or low cost insurance. I am so anxious to see a doctor to be reassured and hear our baby's heartbeat, I am waiting until Monday to start calling around to hospitals and Neighborhood Families to see what types of payment plans they have for pregnant women without insurance. Note to self before we have our second baby- get health insurance situated before getting pregnant!

I am in week eight of my pregnancy, and surprisingly I feel better than a few weeks ago. I am still a bit nauseous but not as much and I have more energy these past two weeks. Bruce and I were bargain shopping at a thrift store and spotted this glider chair and ottoman; retail value over $200. We figured we could clean the upholstery or re-upholstery it, so even though it is a bit early to start buying baby furniture we could not pass this up for $40. I also found a brand new baby rearview car mirror and a What to Expect When Your Expecting book for $1. I love bargain shopping, I have to admit it is hard because I don't want to get ahead of myself since I still am waiting for my insurance to get approved and set up a doctor's appt. But so far all is well and I have been trying to eat healthy food; cutting out sodas and chips has been a challenge; but definitely worth it.

We are proud to share with our family and close friends that we are expecting our first baby around November! We ask that you not post any news to social networking sites since we are waiting until week 12 to share the news with the world. I recently went to a pregnancy clinic to get tested and the nurse thinks I'm about 6.5 weeks along. I am extremely tired all the time (working 2 jobs and finishing my master's doesn't help) and nauseous throughout the day. Which makes it hard because not everyone knows I am pregnant so I can't tell them I'm sick or tired in a believable way. I am also craving everything fruit and peanut butter. I am very sad I can't have chocolate and want it even more now that I can't have it. Also I have eliminated all caffeine (soda...ugh) and many other loved food items from my diet, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to take because I feel truly blessed we were able to conceive and thank the Lord everyday for this miracle. Photo

We were so excited to tell the world about the  good news...but we wanted to only tell our close friends and family until I was farther along in my pregnancy. So we invited them out to dinner and told them we were celebrating a late birthday dinner for Bruce, since many of them weren't able to attend his birthday dinner an hour away from San Diego. As Bruce was getting ready to take the group picture at the beginning of dinner he said "Everyone smile and say...Katie's pregnant!"..then he took the picture. A few people (my mom and others thought he was joking) then I started to cry with happiness and they I looked at them and said it was true! At that point my mom really started to cry! Bruce's parents are on the right hand side of the picture, my brother, brother in law, sister in law, baby Kira, Amber, Mike, Danny, cousin Kristi, mom, and Dominic are all pictured here. I was so glad to finally tell someone! Hopefully people aren't searching for my blog and fi

We are positively having a baby!

I was dying to tell Bruce that I was pregnant, this is how I did it.