Curtains and coming home outfit!

So since I had a 4 day weekend this weekend because of President's Day I thought I should do something productive. So Josh and I headed to Hancock fabric and picked out some fabric for the closet. We took the doors off when Josh painted and I decided I didn't want to hang them back up. So Sunday night I made these pretty curtain panels for Mia's room! Hope you like them.

Here is a picture of both of the panels I did.

Here is a close up of the top panel
Here is a close up of the fabric...
it's little ballet shoes, so appropriate for our ballet themed room!

Here is the bottom curtain after I made another one and attached ribbons to both of them to keep them tied back.

And here is the fleece blanket I made Amelia

Also this week, I started contemplating what I wanted to bring Amelia home in. Yes, I understand that the practical thing would be a onesie or a sleeper gown, but hey, it's my first baby and I'm a tad bit impractical at times. So I was talking to my mom and she mentioned that she still had the outfit I came home from the hospital in...that settled it. Amelia is going to come home in the same outfit I came home in almost 27 years ago!! My mom had it in a box with my baptisimal gown and on the box had written what I wore each outfit for and that she had boxed it with love on August 20, 1981. Can you believe that!! So the lace on the dress is a little yellow, but who cares, it's the meaning and the photo opportunity that matter. I can't wait to bring our daughter home in the very same outfit her mommy wore home from the hospital. What a blessing. So here is a picture of the coming home outfit (it has a matching diaper cover that isn't pictured) and a picture of me 27 years ago this March, coming home from the hospital in the very same outfit.
Check out those cheeks...the ultrasound tech that did our 3D thought Amelia looked like she was going to have some cheeks on her...well if she does, we'll know where she got them!
This is me on the way home from the hospital!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Today is the day of love and romance and me being 28 weeks!!

I can't believe that 12 weeks from today I am due with our baby girl. The interesting thing is that in the beginning making it to 12 weeks is a milestone! It seems like it takes forever to get there. Now as I sit here I realize I only have 12 weeks left until our daughter arrives! Crazy, isn't it!! So as a flashback I thought I would post a picture of me at the milestone of 12 weeks and then post today's pictures with 12 weeks to go!! :)

So here I am at 12 weeks pregnant, there is barely a bump and yet I felt huge!!

And here I am today with only 12 weeks to go! Up 20 pounds
and a baby belly that can not be hid!

Here it is covered.
Here it is from the front, you can start to see my linea negra
(the blackline running under and above my belly button)
And here is a picture of me dressed for work...
not great, but I thought I would share!

I should also send an update that Amelia is quite active these days and actually kicked Josh in the face last night when he was talking to her! haha! It was cute! She also had her first case of the hiccups that I could feel. It was this rythmatic thumping that lasted about 30 seconds...It is just such an overwhelming blessing to feel her grow and move!

I can't wait to meet you, Amelia Rae!!
We love you so much already!

Mia's Room

So today, Josh and I spent most of the day working on Amelia's room. It was fun and tiring all at the same time. I thought I would post some pictures of what we got accomplished.
I also posted a picture of what I'm looking like these days. I figured most of my pics are just belly shots...so here is a real one...and you can see Comiskey trying to sleep in the background!

Here is the closet system we installed. Hanging up are the clothes she already has! I think she's going to be spoiled...
I took the doors off and am going to make fabric panels to hang there instead of doors.
Here is a picture of the hutch we put together and another view of the closet.Here I am after a long day with Mia's finished crib and crib bedding!
Here is a picture of Mia's crib and Comiskey "guarding" it.
Daddy and Comiskey after a hard days work!
Josh has done such an amazing job and been such a big help doing everything I ask him in preparation of Amelia. I just feel so blessed to have a husband as great as him. I know that he is going to make an amazing daddy and I can't wait for him to meet the little girl he's been working so hard for!

3rd Trimester...13 weeks to go!

So today marks the 27 week mark, which in most books constitutes the 3rd trimester! I can't believe that I am 2/3 of the way done with this pregnancy. It still amazes me! I had a doctor's appointment today, and they said everything is looking great. My weight gain has been good, I am measuring right on track, Amelia's heartrate was 138bpm and overall they are happy with how this pregnancy is going.
I did have to do my gestational diabetes test today, but I passed so that was a good thing. They are also sending my urine to the lab, there was a little bit of blood in it again today, and I may have another bladder infection...oh the joy!
Overall I am feeling good...and big and just excited that very soon we will be meeting our little girl. Here are the newest pictures from this week. This was a big weight gain week...3 pounds! YIKES!!! So I am officially up 17 lbs!

Uncovered belly

Covered bellyBelly from the front...it's really starting to round out on the sides!
And one of me...my face looks a little fat here! YIKES!
Thanks for all those who continue to pray for us...we really do appreciate it.

3D Ultrasound

So Friday, we decided to brave the weather and head to Naperville, IL to Stork Snapshots. It is a facility that specializes in 3D/4D ultrasounds. Needless to say it was AMAZING. We got to see Mia smiling and opening and closing her mouth. And let me tell you, she's pretty flexible, her foot was on her forehead!!
We also verified she is 100% girl. She was not afraid to show it yesterday. So here are a few pictures from the ultrasound. Hope you enjoy them.

Here she is showing off her chubby cheeks

And here she is all cuddled up and comfy.

Here you can see how flexible she is by having her foot in front of her face. Well hopefully you enjoyed "seeing" our baby girl!

98 days to go...(But who's counting?)

So we have made the leap and have under 100 days until the arrival of our daughter! It's hard to fathom that today at 26 weeks, I am so close to meeting her.
Thanks for all those who prayed for me this past week. The Lord is amazing and has blessed me by slowing returning my health. Thank the Lord!
Well, next week I will officially be in the 3rd trimester. I can't believe that I am almost 2/3 of the way done!! YAY!!
Well here are this weeks belly pics for those of you who are still brave enough to look!! HAHA.
I only gained .6 pounds this week, so I am happy that the weight hasn't come piling on yet. For those of you interested, to date I am up 14 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. So I'm still doing well, but I still have 14 weeks to go!!

Uncovered belly

I've noticed my tank top is getting shorter and shorter...
oh wait...my belly is just getting bigger and bigger!
For those of you who want to look, here is what I look like from the front!
My poor belly button is disappearing by the day!
Well, we'll keep you updated on any new information. Please keep Josh, myself and Amelia in your prayers!

Mia's room...A surprise!

So while I was gone at my conference in Madison, WI this week, Josh suprised me by painting Mia's room. I must add I have been blessed with an "AMAZING" husband. So I decided to add some pictures. The best part of the story is that he actually took 2 days off work to work on the room...then he fibbed and told me he got called into work...he even called my mom and had her in on it. Plus he has been REALLY sick. So he told me he only got the ceiling trim done...I was disappointed, but oh well. Needless to say I was SHOCKED when I came home and it was all done!! :) I love it. The color is beautiful and I feel so blessed that he wanted to surprise me! When he told me he hadn't gone to work after all I was amazed that he had pulled it off!! Well it was worth it.

Here is the room right before we started painting. The walls were patched. This is the old color of the room. Here is the old ceiling fan!I love this picture of Josh...he took it so I would have a surprise when I got home...He's so cute!
Here is the new color and the new ceiling fan/light~

I love it!!

What an amazing husband and father-to-be!!
Mia says "Thanks, Daddy, for working so hard!"

Trip to the Hospital...

So Thursday (25 weeks) I went to work and after about an hour I was in excruciating pain. I called the OB group and they told me to come right in. I was in so much pain, that the school nurse had to drive me. I was in hysterics from the pain. I got to the group, they ran a urine sample and it was full of blood (sorry for the info). So they sent me right over to the Genesis Birth Center. As soon as I got there they started me on an IV and gave me Percocet for the pain. I was only allowed a clear liquid diet for the first 8 or 9 hours. I was so hungry. I slept on and off most of the night and they continued to strain my urine checking for kidney stones. After some more blood work it turns out I have a UTI that was heading towards my kidneys and intensified by the pregnacy and my uterus growing. So they put me on antibiotics for the next 4 days. I am glad to be home now. It was so weird being in the birth center with a baby bed next to my bed. I realized how soon this was all going to happen. My nurses were WONDERFUL, it was such a blessing that I actually knew most of them! :)
We took some pictures, so I can look back and see how big I am on the day of delivery vs. my 25 weeks stay in labor and delivery!
Here I am with some percocet in my system...note the dazed look on my face.
Here I am getting ready to go home. Don't those gowns make you look beautiful?
And here is the balloon and the lovely flowers, my mom, Lindsey and Auggi brought me! It was so nice and the flowers were beautiful! ;)
So hopefully we are now back on the road to recovery. I am off to sleep some more, but wanted to give an update to thos who read! :)

25 weeks!

Well only 15 weeks to go. I can hardly believe it! It's going so fast.
Sorry this is short...I'm still pretty tired.

But here are the newest pictures.

Only up .02 pounds from last week! YAY!!

And here I am with my belly covered.

Moving right along...24 weeks!

So here I am sitting and pondering the fact that in about 16 weeks I will be holding our precious baby girl. Isn't that amazing! I just feel so blessed everytime I think about those things. Well, we are moving right along and baby Mia is doing great. She is measuring right on track and all my vitals are good. It was amazing, last night while I was watching TV I looked down and could see her kicking (not like a foot coming out, but the skin would bump out for a second) it was awesome to actually "See" her move. Josh, on the other hand thought it was semi-creepy! I could see how that happens!! haha!!

I gained another pound this week, so I am still doing great, but definately noticing my belly growing bigger by the day.
Here are the newest pictures of me, 24 weeks pregnant!

And here is the covered belly!

So check back soon as we continue to update our journey, awaiting the birth of Amelia Rae Stocking~!

Bought our Crib Bedding!

So since finding out baby Mia is on her way, we had to start all over on our nursery designs! We figured she probably wouldn't love a baseball themed room! haha!! Although, her daddy would!
So we started looking and pondering and finally decided on the perfect theme! A pink dance room, what could be more precious. So we have decided to paint the walls a really nice grey. Then we are doing black floating shelves and a black shag area rug. The bedding will be simple, but pretty. Here is a picture of the bedding we chose! It comes with the sheet, Bumper, Comforter, Crib Skirt, Pillow, Diaper Stakcer (hanging on dresser), Toy Bag (hanging above crib) and 2 valances:) I am so excited for it to come.

Then we will accent with the following pictures. I just think they are too adorable!


Hopefully Mia will love her pretty in pink dance room!! :)

Ultrasound Results...Take 2

So we had our 2nd ultrasound today, and the baby was still being semi naughty...or maybe just modest. They can't be 100% but they are 99% sure it is a baby girl!! Can you believe it? Josh and I were shocked...I was sure I was having a boy, but sure enough it's a girl. I heard some stories though how ultrasound showed girl and they had a boy...but for right now, Amelia Rae will be joining the world this spring!

23 weeks pregnant!!

Well, we have reached the mark of 23 weeks pregnant. It's crazy to me to think that I am over halfway there, this baby is reaching 8 inches long and should weigh about 1 pound right. I am constantly reminded of the miracle of conceiving a child. I feel so blessed to be on this journey. Here are the newest pictures from this week. I gained a fair amount this week, so I decided maybe this is the week that I will stop sharing that piece of information!! haha!! I have really popped out this last week, I'm not sure if you can tell from the pictures or not.

So here is my growing, bare belly.

Here is the covered belly.
And here is a picture of the belly button I'm losing. I use to have a major innie and now it is just about flat. You can see the hole from my belly button ring right above it.

I noticed this happened about 2 nights ago, amazing what your body does.
Well, tomorrow we have another ultrasound to hopefully see who this baby is. So pray for open legs and a healthy heart (the ultrasound is because we didn't get heart measurements last time).

Baby purchases!!

So Josh and I have started making baby purchases!! It's so exciting!! :) I love it. After Christmas we went and purchased our baby furniture. It is beautiful and I can't wait for it to arrive. Here is our crib in Cherry.

And here is the changer/hutch we got. You put the changing pad on top and then can take it off when the baby doesn't need it anymore!

However, yesterday we made our biggest purchase yet....

A 2005 Chrysler Pacifica!

I love it. I was really sad to give Petey up, but I needed more room for the stroller and other baby gear. Plus we got an awesome deal on it.
It only has 20,000 miles...so we'll be set for awhile.

Here is a website picture of it. It is this color with gray interior!
YAY!!

2007 in Review!

What a year 2007 has been! It was a year filled with laughter, heartache, joy, excitement, surprise and every other emotion you can think of.
The year started off with the thoughts of babys surrounding us. We had already been trying for so long and the journey at times seemed never ending! In February, I was asked to be the head choreographer of Creative Christmas, and so the meetings began. Talk about starting early.
In March I turned 26 years old and had a hard time dealing with the fact that I still wasn't pregnant. But I continued to have faith in a God that is so much bigger than me!
In June, the choreographers and I starting working on the dancing for the show! Wow...it was still summer!! YIKES!!!!
July took us to Colorado to spend time with my family...a Pilcher Family Reunion. It was wonderful to be with family, spending time playing cards, laughing and enjoying each other...what a blessing! In August, a miracle happened. On the 13th Josh and I celebrated being together for 5 years...can you believe it and on August 26th I found out I was pregnant. I remember falling to my knees and praising a faithful God...one who never forgot about me, but in the time it took, taught me patience, perserverance, unconditional love, faith and so much more. We spent the next months enjoying this time God has blessed us with...I also spent much of the next months perched over the toilet, bowing to the Porcelain god. In September Josh turned 27...wow we're getting up there!
On October 16th, Josh and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. It was such a blessing to look back and see how far we've come. November brought Thanksgiving and family and December brought Creative Christmas, which was amazing, Christmas and Comiskey's 2nd birthday!! Amazing!

I just feel that 2007 was a blessing in so many ways! We were blessed beyond measure and I wish I could more adequately put into words all that transpired. All I know is this past year has taught me about a God and a husband who love me unconditionally and a family who will never turn their back on me! Thank you Lord for the blessings of 2007 and I hope to be a blessing to many in 2008!

Finally Updating!! :)

So, I have been off work since December 21st and so now I am finally taking the time to update my blog...since I know so many of you are curious as to the belly!! :)
So this Holiday season was such a blessing. I got time off to relax, enjoy time with family and friends and spend much needed time with my husband! What a blessing.
The baby has been kicking up a storm and Josh was even able to feel 2 days before Christmas...it was amazing!

And here I am today...22 weeks, up 1.5 pounds from last week...
Thanks to all the New Years Potlucks! haha

And here it is covered.

Now I'll show you last weeks pictures.
Here I am at 21 weeks, I actually lost a pound this week. So I am up 7 pounds total.
Here is the 21 week belly covered.
A week from Friday, January 11 is our next ultrasound to try and see who this little baby is!
My prayer is for a healthy one, but I'd still like to know...boy or girl!