Saturday, August 18, 2012

Super fast update!!!!

I've been admonished for not updating recently!  I'm sorry!!!!!

I decided the best and fastest way to update everyone on what we've been doing is to post a ton of pics out here and show you.  :)  Sorry I've been missing in action lately, we've had a lot going on not related to the pregnancy that's kept us pretty busy and distracted.  However, no excuse....  I'll do better!

ENJOY!


We babysat the cutest and sweetest kids on the planet.  I even found the girls playing "Shae Shae" and cannot express to you how much I absolutely adore this photo.  Mallory (L) and Reaghan (R) lumbering around the house acting like me.....too precious. 

We've been cramming as much information as we possible can into our brains about labor, delivery, pregnancy and being a new parent.  Hugemongous thanks to Oak over at Acorn Chronicles for sending me these wonderful books to help me through this crazy process.  These books have been a Godsend for certain!  I'm feeling more and more prepared by the day! (Amazing how unprepared I will still be come show time though!) 



We registered!  Rik picked out his diaper bag and we went ahead and bought the little guy his first stuffed animal.  It's a curly-furred puppy dog that is currently sitting in his new crib (more on that later)!  We registered in stages so that we didn't get overwhelmed and I think that made it so much easier.  We still have the bath and safety stuff to register for but are mostly finished. 



This is me at about 26 weeks.  I'm really loving having a baby bump.  I may even be slightly obsessed with the fact that I have one now.  I waited a looong time for this!  



We got the crib!  The original delivery date of August 1st was pushed back b/c the boutique we bought it from had a snafu and sold our crib to another couple b/c they thought we didn't need ours until September 1st.  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper since I took the day off to be here when it was delivered and was over-the-moon excited to just have it HERE.  Oh well, two weeks later, it made it.  Obviously, there was some assembly required.  Rik and I got right to work that night and obviously, Rik had NO problems figuring out which piece went where and with which screws. 

I got in on the action and worked my allen wrench like it was nobody's business....and it wasn't!  Those screws had another thing coming once I got started!



We had a little help from our Quality Control Team.  Tess, the Director of Operations, gave us the "Ok to go" when she deemed everything safe and secure enough for the baby to sleep in.  So, we proceeded.



Here is the finished product!  Quality Control was doing their last inspection, but we got the green light.  This was me at 26 weeks 5 days.  The walls will NOT be this green color for much longer.  We just hadn't yet gotten around to picking out which color we wanted to go with!  



We bought our bedding a few weeks ago and went through what felt like 200 paint swatches before narrowing it down!  I love the bedding and I love the color we chose.  We're actually painting today (once I get off here and help Rik tape off the trim!) so wish us luck!


We also went car shopping on the hottest day of the year.  It was a balmy 104 degrees this day and as you can tell by Reaghan's cheeks, it was a scorcher!  Uncle Rik reallllly loves this little girl, can you tell?  She helped us make the final decision on the car we ended up with!




We ended up with this!  A Honda Fit.  The color is what Rik has taken to calling Olympic Bronze.  It works.  The car needed to get great gas mileage, be roomy enough for his 6"4 frame, easy to get a carseat in and out of, have enough room in the back for all of his baseball equipment and have less than a certain number of miles.  This is the only car we found that fit every need and they took $2k off the asking price b/c Rik's dad has been such a good customer at the Audi retailer. 

We made room for the baby in the front room of our house which will be his temporary home the first few months and eventually, his playroom.  Thank goodness Matthew (blonde) and Owen (brown) were here to help Rik move this couch!  It's friggin heavy!

We snuggled and spent time getting used to our new belly.

 We played in the rain.  (her life is a stage)



 We took our Olympic Swim Team to show off their skills in the natural spring beside our house.


We had our huge backyard fenced in for the dogs to enjoy a good romp around out there and to have a place to stash them once the baby gets here!  We've been planning this since we moved in 4 years ago and just haven't gotten around to it or wanted to spend the money on it (either way).  The dogs are LOVING it.



I made a few things for a friend of mine who is due a few weeks before me.  Emily had a baby shower last weekend.  It was the sweetest couples shower and everything was so beautiful.  I'm waiting on her to send me a belly shot we had taken together so I can share it with all of you.  She is so adorable and we are so excited for her to have Madelyn!

I had my glucose testing this past Tuesday.  Just looking at this picture makes me slightly queazy.  It didn't go so well.  I had an early dinner the night before and fasted that morning so obviously, I was completely starving by the time this got started at 8:45. I drank it down in 5 mins as required and then went to meet with the doc.  Scrip Scrap's heartbeat was 150 and strong.  I gained 2 lbs since my previous monthly visit and she said I was looking great.  I have gone through a serious growth spurt the past two weeks and my belly is really going places these days so I was anxious about weight gain and his size.  The tech that measured my belly said the baby was measuring 29 weeks but she measured a little higher than where my uterus actually ends so I think that's a little bit off.  I asked the doc why I would be measuring 2 weeks ahead and she said that it could be either a chunky baby or a long baby.  I laughed.  Rik wasn't with me so I had to tell her how tall he is.  She said, "Well, there ya go! I'd rather you deliver a tall baby than a really chunky baby!"  She said it's likely though that next visit, he'll be back on target and it could just be that he went through a growth spurt the two weeks before our appointment.

After I met with her, I went back to the lab and waited to have my blood drawn for the testing. Thank your lucky stars I don't have a photo to post of this!  I started getting woozy.  That's NEVER a good sign with me.  I have low blood sugar on a regular basis AND I used to faint with needles.  I wasn't sure what was going on but I was cursing Rik for not being there right at that moment.  He is my security blanket.  I never pass out when he is with me.  NEVER.  It's been years!  Dealing with infertility has made a huge difference too, so I never even worry about it.  

Anyway, you can guess what happened.  The nurse drew my blood, I keeled over and proceeded to throw up what seemed like 2 gallons of fruit punch glucose "beverage" (it should NOT be referred to as a beverage, for the record).  When I woke up, I was sitting in the same chair, surrounded by four or five nurses with wet towels, dry towels, water, ice packs, etc.  And I had fruit punch coming out of my nose.  Fantastic.  I threw up all over myself.  It was NOT pretty.  Sitting in a puddle, my clothes were ruined, my dignity pooled in the floor at my feet and filled my shoes.  It was horrible.  I had to borrow scrub pants (they brought me a SMALL!!!!!  I barely got them up over this rear end people!) to wear out of there (who cares if you have vomit on your shirt right?) and had to go home for the rest of the day b/c I was so sick.  Once I got on the road, I had to throw up again in a cup at a red light because it was lunchtime traffic and I couldn't go anywhere from the turning lane I was in and then pull over on the interstate on ramp to finally rid myself of the last of the fruit punch.  It was a day I will NEVER forget.  Absolute mortification.  I thought I'd never show my face there again until they told me I had to come back Friday (yesterday) to get a Rhogam shot.  Ugh.  I survived.

So that's what we've been doing the past few weeks.  I hope this update has been informative.  :)  I guess the last piece of news to share with you all is that we finally picked a name for our sweet boy.  I'll be sure to update you with his name in my next post.  I mean, I have to keep you coming back for more, right?  Love you all!

Shannon




Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Guest Post - 1,000 Needle Sticks

I asked my husband to guest post a while back because honestly, I love his writing and it always sticks with me regardless of what he writes about. This post is no different. I hope you enjoy.

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1,000 Needle Sticks

Shot of what? Inject it where? Mix it how? Give this why? Is it time? Hold your legs up? How long has it been?How long do we wait? One day two days three days four days one week two weeks two weeks and two days two weeks and four days now your’re late we’re late really we’re late how do you feel I feel nauseous a bit you do yep I do man man man oh man do you think we got it right this time yes I feel like we finally got it right this time holy cow I think we got it right this time how late are you we are late baby baby baby –STOP – I STARTED TODAY….blank expression…watery eyes…turn around, turn away, walk away, stay away for two more weeks of avoiding the topic and wondering how on Earth we’ll ever get pregnant…

Infertility kills. Infertility hurts. It will –and yes it will – beat you down. It will be the elephant on your shoulders, weighing down your every step. Making every movement slow, deliberate, burdened, unnatural. You lose the flow of life. Lose the simple joys of a mockingbird on your brick wall somehow mocking the sound of a red tailed hawk. Normally, that would be fascinating – absolutely fascinating. But you just shrug that off and put your hand on the car door, open the door, sit down, close the door, sit in your silence for a few seconds, then put the key in the ignition and spiral your way back down into your own private hell. Every. Single. Cursed. Day.

The mechanism of infertility. The steady, methodical demolition of the self. The brutal machine that quite quickly condemns one of life’s greatest joys into one of life’s greatest failures. That “BFN”. Big. Fat. Negative…Big. Flaying. Nife.

You may never feel this alone. You may never feel as alone as you will as you endure this arduous process. But it is a process. But you are not alone, unfortunately. There is no solace in that, however – because who gives a rat’s rip that other folks are in your unique position. It doesn’t help. There is no help when there is nothing to help you. Either you get pregnant, or you don’t. If you try to look much beyond that, well… then I wish you the best of luck, friend.

Luck. Faith. Work ethic. Talent. Humor. Perhaps we’re not as solid as we thought? Perhaps we aren’t the strongest person we know? Perhaps we will never, ever get pregnant? Perhaps. I mean, it’s been over 2 years (I quit counting the months when I realized it’d been two years) so why should it change now?

And then I came home from Dick’s Sporting Goods around 8:00 one night. Had to get a new team catcher’s mitt and new BBCore approved bat. I walked in from the garage. I took two steps into the kitchen. And then I saw her emerge from the hallway. Her hand outstretched. Her face a beautiful display of one thousand raw emotions at once. In her hand a white stick. But I already knew because I had already connected with her eyes – her beautiful, oceanic eyes. She was shaking, barely able to speak, barely able to stand, barely able to barley be able to. Her body, like a life-sized tuning fork, hummed and sung with limitless energy. The test said we were pregnant…

So did the next test. So did the third test. And the fourth. And the fifth. And the sixth. So did the bloodwork. So did the next round of bloodwork. So did the ultrasound. So did the world-changing sound of the “thwump-thwump-thwump-thwump-thwump” sound of a beating heart – the beating heart – of our baby. Yes, yes – it finally worked. It finally, finally, finally, finally, finally actually worked.

Look. You may be down in that deep, dark, dank emotionless cave that only you can reach. You may be as cold as a mountain stone. You may be one step away from either retreating for good, or taking your first step towards the mouth that leads out of this damned cave. I wish I could take your hand, look you in the eye, and tell you that it’s going to be perfect. I wish that would make a difference. At some point, you’ll either get pregnant or you won’t. At some point, you’ll either keep trying for one that is of your own blood, or you won’t. Just don’t ever quit trying to fight your way out of this. Fight your way through it. Fight your way to your own unique sense of peace with your path –whatever that path may be. It isn’t easy. It was never meant to be easy.

I wish for you that which you need most right now. - Rik

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Hello me....

I have been thinking a lot lately about how strange it is to be ME again.  Not the old me really, just a new me.  A better me.  A peaceful me.  I haven't been "Ok" in a long time.  2009 was the beginning of what ended up being three of the hardest years of my life.  TTC, Infertility, pregnancy loss, job loss, my grandfather dying, surgery, treatments, etc.  It just felt like the hits kept rolling in.

Infertility hung around.  Dragging me under.  I couldn't get my head back above water.  I was drowning more and more every day.  To be so down and have so many disappointments and just want a child of your own to love with every part of your soul, to ground you, center you, firmly and decisively establish you as someone meaningful in this world and then not be able to have it month after month with no real idea as to why....it just does something to you mentally.  It leaves you feeling like you've been stuck on a Tilt-A-Whirl.  Going around and around, dizzy, sick, scared.  I thought things and felt things that I would NEVER admit to anyone these past few years.  There were times I thought my marriage couldn't last through another week.  Thank GOD it did.  There were times I thought I would go insane from the hurt and confusion of it all.  Thank GOD I didn't (completely).  There were days I couldn't even speak to people because it felt like uttering one word would take every ounce of strength I had and I needed my strength just to get one foot in front of the other.  And I thought I was a strong person before.  You find out just how much you can handle (or not) when you're dealing with being infertile.  I hit the lowest point of my life last year before finally, slowly, I began to claw my way back.  Back to life, back to Rik, back to myself.  But I still wasn't ok.  I still wasn't ME.  I felt unsteady.  A bad case of vertigo.  No real sense of which was up.  I was trying....I just wasn't getting very far.  The sadness was always there.

Until March.  Out of the clear blue my life did a complete 180.  When I had finally stopped expecting it, I received the biggest gift of my entire life.  I went from wanting a glass of wine to peeing on a stick and then being completely face down in my bathroom floor crying and shaking and freezing and saying the only two things I could say: "Oh my gosh" and "Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you."  I think I spent two hours saying ONLY those two phrases...  I was pregnant.  After years and months and weeks and days of never getting anywhere but further down, I was suddenly present.  VERY, very present.  Those first few days were such a blur.  Terrifyingly happy and just plain terrified.  Loss does a number on your faith.  It's true.  People say you've gotta have faith....it's hard when you have gone through a loss.  I was beyond scared.

I've heard people say their lives changed in an instant when something specific happened to them.   That night changed my life.  Just the knowing.  The beginning of something beautiful I thought I would never get to experience.  It took weeks to sink in.  It took months to finally feel that fear of loss start to slip slowly away.  It took even longer before I realized I am REALLY going to be a mother.  I will have a son.  In a few months, my house will be filled with tiny things.  Tiny clothes, tiny shoes, tiny toys, tiny diapers.   We will be exhausted and stressed and 100% in love with our baby.  We will go from a couple to a family.  Just reading that puts tears in my eyes.  My husband will finally get to hold our past and our future in his hands and let all that love in his heart pour all over our little boy.  Six months ago, I never would have believed we'd be here now.  This place is so.....content.  Six months and I am so me again.  The new me, but me all the same, only different.  I no longer feel like I'm hanging on to my sanity by a thread.  I'm no longer feel like every breath I take is through a tiny straw.  I'm functional.  I'm happy.  I found my smile.  I am at peace again.  I finally see my husband again.  Not the soldier beside me fighting his way through, but my soul mate.  It's so unbelievable to feel this way after so long in the dark.  And it all started to change that night in March.  I haven't spent one day since then living in sorrow or pain or anger.  I didn't even realize it until recently.  The rubberbands around my chest are gone.  The weights on my shoulders have been lifted.  The blinders I was wearing have been removed.  It's like I hopped on a speeding train back to LIFE and never looked back.  I hadn't expected that, I guess.  Not so quickly or so completely.  Our lives are changed.

There are so many people out there still dealing, dragging themselves through every day, trying to breathe in and out, hurting, aching and longing for all these same things.  It seems wrong sometimes that I stand on the other side of infertility now when so many people I know are still in the throes of battle, chest deep in the hurt.  I don't understand why the timing of things has happened this way, but I know that anyone I've met, talked to or followed out here who has gone through the valley of infertility and come out on the other side with their dream, regardless of if it's a child of their heart or a child of their body, they all say the same....The timing was perfect.  The child that was meant for them is theirs and they wouldn't trade a single moment of what they went through to get there.  That's so easy to say from "the other side" but I keep telling myself it is true and God's timing is perfect....if not painful at times.

I don't know what's got me thinking about all of this other than I had this amazing feeling of being present and completely content today.  It's been so long since I felt truly at peace that it was almost a surprise to realize that's what I was feeling.  I am so incredibly grateful.  I'm amazed at God's trust in us and amazed that He has given me the opportunity to build my life around my husband and our little boy.  I know I'll make mistakes and I know there will be days when I do hurt and suffer and struggle again...but for now, I am relishing in this light and soaking up every possible ray of peace and happiness that I can.  I've waited a long time for this.




Thursday, June 21, 2012

19 Weeks & Stuff!


Well, we went to the doc on Tuesday and unfortunately, Rik couldn't make it to this appointment.  It was the anatomy ultrasound so I decided to take my Mom with me.  She was so incredibly excited!  We saw the doctor first and did the ultrasound second.  Dr. N said I looked great, there wasn't any concern about the weight gain (or lack thereof) and then we got down to talking about some of the labor and delivery questions I had.  

She said we'd pow-wow about this a lot and in greater detail in the coming months but she still answered a lot of my questions and made me feel completely normal about it all.  

Epidurals: We talked about epidurals and she said she would put in my chart that this was not to be offered, but given upon request only.  
Episiotomy: I know what this is and enough about it, but I asked about episiotomies b/c honestly, my husband showed me a picture of one from one of his books and now I can't stop thinking about it.  I just wanted to her to explain when/why they are used.  Yikes!  She said she only does them when absolutely necessary and explained those necessary situations.  She explained it's a lot easier to suture up a straight cut than a very jagged tear. *shudder*  
Silver Nitrate/Antibiotic ointment for baby's eyes: She said it's the law so she has to do it regardless of if I test negative or positive for the strep B virus.  I may read up a bit more on this.
Skin to skin contact immediately after birth: She's 100% for it and supports that as long as there isn't an emergency w/ the baby (obviously).  She explained she had her daughter on her immediately, but her son was not breathing and they had to whisk him away to be worked on.  
Delayed cord clamping:  She said she used to always do it b/c studies showed it was better for the baby.  Now, she is a little more hesitant due to back flow of the blood while the placenta is still inside the mother.  There are reports of infant deaths from this as well as other complications.  She feels it's benefits and risks have to be weighed by the doctor and mother basically.  She said she is comfortable with a shorter delay in clamping but not a full delay till it stops pulsing.

We are going to take a birthing class at the hospital and I am going to take a breast-feeding course as well.  I'm trying to talk Rik into Daddy Boot Camp, but so far, he seems hesitant.  It's mostly a class on how to change a diaper, how to swaddle, how to feed, etc.  He probably does know most of this already from all our nieces and nephews, but I thought he might make some friends or just enjoy the experience.  I forget how different boys and girls are sometimes.  :)  

I have hit a stumbling block with the nursery.  We have picked out a crib and dresser from a dark brown furniture collection.  ALL the bedding I like for boys is shown in a WHITE crib.  I'm picky, I'm not going to fib to ya.  I don't want animals or trains or tractors or tools or any other type of theme really.  I want something with a design but not something w/ bright colors.  I don't want it to be too dark b/c I want the room to feel light, especially now that the furniture is darkish.  The problem is, everything I like really only looks good w/ a white crib and ours is dark brown.  I'm having a rough time matching something to our crib without actually seeing it in it.  It's a mess!  I found a really cute heirloom voile quilt that I ordered a swatch on from Restoration Hardware.  We'll see what it looks/feels like when it gets here.  I may just go the plain route and just mix n match the other pieces of the bedding to jazz it up a bit.  

We found a few gliders we love, but of course we both like different ones.  Go figure.  We are going to convert our front room/library into a play room or nursery for the first floor so maybe we'll put his in there and mine in the baby's actual room? haha.   I'm just excited to finally have this opportunity.  So far, it's been really fun shopping for his little room.

I will leave you now with some adorable pictures of my little scrip scrap!  Hope you think he's as sweet as I do!

Cutest profile in the business!!!


Doing his "Thriller" dance moves!!
(I told Rik he'd be a dancer!)


I don't know if he's yawning, smiling, or yelling at us to quit smooshing him....


Waving hello to his Daddy!


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Sweetest Crib in the 'Hood.


We seriously have the sweetest crib in the neighborhood...and I don't mean our house.  We literally bought our baby boy the sweetest crib in town yesterday.  We love it!  I can't wait to officially get started on his nursery.  I'm almost finished cleaning that room out and thankfully, during my napping phase a few weeks ago, Rik got a head start and took down the bed and moved the heavy stuff out!  I love having a husband with initiative!  

I am planning on working up there all day today so I can't write for long.  I'm going to attempt to post a picture of the crib below, we'll see if blogger will let it stand.  If not, click on this link and you can view it that way.  We bought it in dark walnut.  I love it!

More on the nursery building soon!  




bon_shef_wal.jpg
My sweet boy's new crib.

To all you Father's out there, both NEW and OLD, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!  I can't wait for our own little one to be here for next year's Father's Day.  :)  Rik is going to be the best.Dad.ever.  

Oh!  If you have any boy names you'd like to throw our way, I'm taking suggestions.  We have a dry erase mirror (our bathroom mirror) with a list of about three or four names we love but aren't sold on just yet.  Let's see what you guys can come up with!

XOXO,
Shannon

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Pics from yesterday's post!

Here ya go. Me at 17 weeks. The bathing suit shot is free of charge, unless I blind you, then I guess I will compensate....



Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hey-loooo there!

Well, wow.  What a few weeks we've had!


Vacation with the family (awesome pictures to come) and lots to update about the pregnancy.  I always dreamed of doing what I'm about to do so would all of you please stand and applaud the fact that I get to do my very own pregnancy update email/questionnaire!  THANK YOU!


How far along?  18 weeks today!
Total weight gain/loss? No weight gain yet!
Maternity clothes?  Yes, some times when I want to be uber comfy, otherwise, I'm still fitting into most low-rise things.  I am thinking though, that I have worn my favorite jeans for the last time (Sunday).
Stretch marks? None so far. I'm sure towards the end when my rear end explodes (from weight gain) and my tummy quadruples and then quadruples again, I'll be singing a different tune.
Sleep?  Annoying.  I wake up every morning at about 5:15 wide awake.  Always thinking of our little scrip scrap and what he's doing in there and what he'll look like and is this lack of weight gain a bad thing, etc.  It's like my psyche is training me for those early mornings just like my bladder and my constant tossing and turning are training me (as best they can) for waking up all night long w/ the little one.  Yeah right, this won't even compare...
Best moment last week? FEELING HIM MOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!
Movement?  Last Wednesday, I was laying in the bed on vacation, getting a little R&R between beach trips and the little rascal moved/kicked.  I jumped and then laid very still and waited....he did it again a few minutes later and I just KNEW that was him.  It was two more days before I could feel him again but since then, he's been a regular old show-off.  When I wake up, he is knotted up into a tiny little ball (or something) and he sticks way out - it's VERY weird looking/feeling.  It looks like a growth/tumor!  Anyway, Sunday, he was all bunched up and Rik had just served me breakfast in bed (YES!!!!) when I felt him punch or kick really hard.  Since he was all bunched up, I could feel it so much more.  I grabbed Rik's hand and put it on there and he thinks he felt it too.  :)  I have to say, this was the coolest thing thus far.  Gosh, I cannot believe I am going to have a baby.
Food cravings?  I wouldn't say I crave anything, but I reallllly want the things I cannot have.  Sushi (raw), oysters (I did break the rules on vacation and have a few which I feel HORRIBLE about), soft cheeses, etc.  The mind wants what the body can't have! Vino, anyone?
Gender? Baby boy!
Labor signs? I've got nothing but constant back pain - nothing labor related.  Too early.
Belly button in/out?  Still way in but looking more like a swimming hole than a belly button these days. 
What I miss:   Really just the foods I love and can't have.  Other than that, just being able to move about without having this severe back pain.  Beyond worth it, just annoying.
What I am looking forward to: Next week's ultrasound so I can see him again.  One week at a time, right?
Milestones: Feeling little man move.  It's something I never thought I'd be blessed enough to experience.  Oh, and finally starting to have a bump instead of a pudge.  :)  I'm finally showing and it's kind of sweet to look down and see it.  


Ok, when we found out what we were having, I posted this quick little update and then we were so busy getting ready for vacation, doing ball tournaments, etc that I haven't had a chance to even breathe for three weeks.  It's been chaos.


The ultrasound tech didn't make it super special or anything and was in a crappy mood (airing dirty work laundry with a co-worker kind of mood) and so it wasn't exactly as made for television as I had imagined in my mind, but still....we got the news and it was very exciting.  We didn't get to see him move as much this time b/c she was in a hurry but he was adorable and sweet and we got a great shot of his personal business so we know for sure he's a boy.  The other really cute thing is that in all of our ultrasounds, since he's had legs that is, he's had his legs crossed at the ankle for at least a portion of the show.  It's like he's all kicked back, doing his growing thing and doesn't have a care in the world, regardless of the fact that I'm in a constant state of worry and paranoia!  (he just bumped me to let me know he doesn't appreciate me talking about him like he's not here...hmmph!)  Anyway, this last visit was very adorable b/c he had his legs crossed and wouldn't let us see his business.  She had to poke me (too hard, I might add) with the wand thing to get him to move around and eventually, he opened them up for us.  It was really cute.  I know that's what they do, cross their legs and such, but it was just cute to imagine him being all chilled out and relaxed like his Daddy always is.  That's clearly all changed as much as I have felt him today.  :)


I hope you all are doing well, I have a ton of catching up to do and can't wait to get to it so here's a pic of me at 17 weeks to show you my little bump!  :)  




And because my sister in law is sadistic, here is another one with a tiny shield to hide me a little bit....yes, I'm whiter than the sun, leave me alone.  :)



**stupid blogger won't post the pics, sorry!**

Till next time, 
Shannon