The best Christmas gift ever...

We have taken so many pictures lately! Here are some for all to enjoy!

There will be more to come.

My baby boy

Kyle and Parker

Cousin Ethan 5 mo. and Parker 2 weeks

Aunt Monika, Aunt Erika and Aunt Becky

Christmas Eve at Grandpa Andersons

An answer to prayers

Merry Christmas!!

The very best gift we have ever been given.

This was by far the very best Christmas that we have ever had! We didn't have our tree, stockings, lights or any of our other traditional decor out yet it still had that Christmas feeling. I really wanted to get them out and numerous times told myself that today was the day, but it just didn't happen. All we needed was our family and friends and Parker to make the holiday! Even though our house wasn't decorated, we still had a great Christmas. Christmas Eve we spent the evening at my dad's. We opened gifts, snacked and just enjoyed eachothers company. Parker got to spend a lot of time hanging out with Grandpa- he even took the liberty to throw up on his new Seahawks shirt a couple times (he may be telling us he is an Eagles fan like his Dad). Chistmas Day we made it out to the Lewis families place in Suncrest for home-made cinnamon rolls, coffee, gift opening and a delicious prime rib dinner. We had so much fun seeing everyone and just enjoying the Christmas spirit. We received the very best gift this year- Parker and time with our loved ones. I couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas.

Day 12 of our new lives

Our lives changed 12 days ago today.

I can't believe that it has already been 12 days since Parker was born- I am loving being a mom so much- I really do believe that I am supposed to be at this stage of my life right now. God has prepared us as a couple and individually as well. Kyle is an absolutely amazing dad already- he has been so helpful and I have nicknamed him "the baby whisperer" because his natural instincts with Parker are outstanding! I keep telling him that I never would have thought that I could love Kyle anymore than I already had but now that I see him with Parker that love has grown so much that I am astounded. We really didn't set ourselves up to have any expectations of life with a new baby other than that you just don't know what it will be like until he is here. I think that that helped because it has made our transition go so smoothly and it has been very low stress (yay!). Parker has already had a ton of visitors in his short time here. My sister, Erika came from Florida to visit for a few days, my friend Traci came from Seattle, not to mention just about every other family member and friend that we know- he is so loved already and that makes us so happy. He is sleeping and eating well. He gets up just about every 2 hours or so to nurse and get a diaper change (or two, since he really likes to pee without a diaper on) then its back to bed until the next round.

He already has such a great little personality and presence- he smiles and makes the cutest little faces and noises.. I can't believe that we are finally parents and that Parker is here- We already love him so much and can't thank God enough for our little miracle.

Wonderful little guy

Dad and baby meeting each other

Our new family

Amazing!!!

Well I am going to fill in a little bit for the blogger as she seems to be a bit busier then me. First I would like to thank all of our friends and family for their love and prayers. Our labor went incredibly smooth and was actually enjoyable. (I kow that might be hard to believe) Jessika is a champ. She went into labor and got right down to business. The total time was about ten hours and she ended up pushing for only about forty minutes. We were blessed to be able to have two of Jess' sisters with us and the third was deffinately there in spirit. Our nurse was awesome and gave us awesome coaching instructions. And before we knew it we were able to meet Parker face to face. All the feelings that i had had and all the emotions that i had felt could not even come close to the moment I saw him. The only thing that really describes it is perfection. Jess was feeling good other than the soreness and Parker got a clean bill of health so we were able to leave 24 hours after he was born. This is really short and lacks a lot of details, but I should leave something for Jess to do. :) Thanks agian for all the thoughts and prayers and for those that have been able to stop by and visit.

After much anticipation, here he is!

Parker Anderson Lewis

Dec. 2nd 2008 6:04 pm

7lbs 9oz 19 1/2 in long

This is actually happening!

To say todays appointment was progressive is an understatement- I was a bit worried when I got a phone call one hour before our appointment letting us know that my preferred OB is out with the flu that this day was going to stink. On the bright side, we still got to go in today just a few hours later, at a different office and with a doc that I have seen once before. They did the normal checkup stuff and due to the healthy size of the baby, the fact that my swelling is still an issue and that my blood pressure is kinda high (I forget what it was)- they want to induce us- TOMORROW MORNING!! Yep- so we will be officially heading to the hospital at 7am to get things going. I am dialated to about 1 1/2 and 75% effaced so they think things should go pretty smoothly. This is really happening. We went to dinner at our friends tonight, Chandra and Brians, as we had already planned, which has helped move the night along since we are definately prepared for this and it may just be impossible to sleep tonight- think of Christmas Eve times 100!! They say it will take 2-3 hours for the Pitosin to kick in, then labor starts (directly followed by an epidural) and hopefully be tomorrow evening we will meet our new baby! I promise I will get some pics and a new blog up telling all about how things go- keep us in your prayers!!

Prepared and Progressing....

I officially stink at keeping this whole blog-thing up to date...

We are now only 10 DAYS away from our due date- CRAZY!! I feel very prepared now, clothes all washed and folded, diapers at the ready, house kept fairly clean (I'm tired), hospital bags packed (including snacks!) and now we just have to wait, which may be the hardest part so far! It's so amazing to think that this whole pregnant thing is going to be over soon and that this new little miricle will be in our arms- I just can't wrap my head around it! I was telling Kyle the other day that I am so happy and excited but a little sad at the same time- I think bitter-sweet is the way I would describe it; we tried for almost 3 years to get pregnant and when it finally happened- it flew by SO fast! I will miss his little kicks and hick-ups, sitting with Kyle and feeling him move together and even those little leg stretches that hurt just a bit. But knowing that we will be meeting him soon and starting this new life as a family takes away all that and replaced it with sincere excitement that I have never felt before. Kyle and I already love this little guy so much and are in awe that this is actually going to happen any day now. I only have 2 days left at work- which is nice because I'm getting a bit cranky and uncomfortable. That and my Doctor has had some concerns with my swelling and blood pressure which as of todays appointment seem to be getting better since he told me to "relax more"- meaning that he wants me to lay down after work on my side for 6-8 hours not including sleep (he obviously doesn't know me very well) Kyle has done a great job trying to keep me to the doctor's orders- cooking dinner and reminding me that I should be laying down every chance he gets. The doc was also a bit concerned that Parker was kinda big so we had our 2nd ultrasound last Wednesday and he is average size for his age- about 6 lbs 10 oz so far but it seems like more because of my size and how I am carrying him- all out front and in the middle... not cozy.

All the resting seems to be helping the swelling and possibly my pregression towards labor! As of today's appointment I am at a "1" and 50% effaced- which gives me hope that he will be here sooner than later- YAY!

Parker at 38 weeks.

Baby showers!!

I have to say that my showers were so perfect! I had my friend/coworker shower last month and my Family one last weekend. My friend, Chandra hosted the friend shower at her house- which she just moved into only 2 weeks before she had the party- everything was awesome! We had food and friends and lots of great gifts for little Parker. Chandra's sister, Charelle, made an amazing diaper cake which she displayed on a table with pictures of Kyle and I- it was so cute! My sister Monika hosted the family shower at my house and I have now come to realize that my livingroom is a bit of a squeeze for about 15 people! Good thing it was family and we really didn't mind being so close together- we still ate, chatted and played some fun shower games. I am trying to get all my thank-you cards written up and sent out as fast as I can but honestly, I am a bit slow with it so if you still haven't received one, I promise it's on the way :)
I am really thankful everyday of my pregnancy- everyone has been so incredibly generous and I know that Parker is loved so much already, it is so hard to explain my happiness and gratitude to all my friends, family, coworkers and God for all this true LOVE!!!

Clothes, clothes and more clothes!!

the big 2-8

Pumpkin belly!

Kyle's baby bump

I did in fact celebrate another birthday this year, maybe I haven't done a new blog about it because I may be in a bit of denial still.... but I am now officially 28. I think 28 is going to be a great one though- this is a defining time in my life and, believe it or not, I really have embraced it! It was a great birthday full of fun, family and food- all my faves! On my actual birthday, the 16th, I worked then after work Kyle and I got to go to Greenbluff to do our annual pumpkin pickin'- success as usual. This year the trip was cut a bit short due to fun pregnancy back pain so no apple picking this year but that's okay there's always next year! We did get some fresh honey, onions and of course, pumpkins so we didn't leave completely empty handed....shocker. It was a ton of fun and on the way home we swung by Babies R' Us so that I could check out the glider that Kyle picked out for me and to add a few things on our registry then headed home so that Kyle could get started on dinner. Those of you that know Kyle know that he loves to cook and not just food but dang-good-food and my birthday dinner was definately delicious! He made BBQ salmon, potatoes and crab and then we had turtle cheesecake for dessert-YUM! One of my other gifts from him were tickets to a Chiefs hockey game fro Friday (the next day) and dinner before at this restaurant called Scratch. It's new-ish and it was REALLY good! New fav-calamari from Scratch. Then to top off the b-day fun, we had a party at my Dads on Sunday night to celebrate mine (the 16th), Monika's boyfriend Dan's (the 16th), and my sister Becky's (the 22nd) birthdays together... it was a ton of fun and I really do like celebrating all of our birthdays together. This was a great birthday and I really am thankful for one more candle to blow out on the cake!

Prego-update

We are getting closer!!
I am officially at the uncomfortable stage now which I was hoping would hold off just a bit longer so I could get a little more prep-work in but it's just not about me anymore! I have the absolute worst back pain that I have ever had and I am having to ice the center of my back daily. I am still getting pregnancy massages every other week but I think I may start to go in once a week- they are so helpful! The braxton-hicks contractions have definately increased and like to sneak up on me. Sleeping is done in hour and a half incriments that I am either switching sleeping positions in the middle of, being kicked in the ribs and lungs so hard it wakes me up, or making trips(several) to the bathroom. I think that my body is just prepping me for being up regularly during the night to nurse so I will try to keep that one in the bitter-sweet category. At my last Doctor appointment she was a bit concerned that I was having some early labor symptoms so they went ahead and took a test that can determine if you will be going into labor in the next 2 weeks- amazing that they can do that! My test came back negative which is good- he still has a bit of "baking" to do yet! As far as the braxton-hicks- I just have to drink more water (2 liters before noon!!) and try to stay off my feet and rest more.
I am officially done being the company trainer for Thomas Hammer- which is also a bit bitter-sweet. I really loved the responsibilty of it and getting to teach people technique was really fun but there is no way I can keep up this pace right now! I have also been instructed by my doc to cut back my hours at work too. I'm only supposed to work 4-6 hours a day! If you know me then you know that this is so much easier said than done! She told me this a week ago and so far, I'm not doing so great at this but I don't think my body will tolerate me much longer.
We had our first of 2 birthing classes today. There really wasn't a ton of info that I was shocked about but it definately puts a stamp on the fact that you must begin preparations...NOW! Next weekend we go over more about medications and the actual labor process which will be more informative for us.
Even though I am doing a bit of whining, trust me, I am still loving being pregnant! This little guy is moving a ton and we are pretty sure soccer is in his future. We know our lives are getting ready to change forever and even though that is a scary thought at first, we are really looking forward to that change and meeting him soon!

The turning of the leaves

Yay for Fall!!!
So, if you are like Kyle, you may not be as excited as I am that summer is gone and fall is officially here. Don't get me wrong, I do love the summer time but fall is definately my very favorite season! The air smells so good, it's crisp, clean and breazy. You get to wear cozy clothes again, well, if you aren't a big pregnant girl you can because there's not too much that is comfortable anymore at this stage. The colors of fall are all so pretty, you get to pull out all the autumn and Halloween decorations-it just makes me happy! The fair really kicks the season off so every year we go, even though it is the same thing every year it's still fun! We have a couple other fall semi-traditions- we celebrate my birthday (Oct. 16) by going out to Greenbluff. We pick apples, pumpkins, have cider and sometimes get to sneak in a slice of delicious Apple pie! Last year we got to go with my sister Monika and her boyfriend, Dan. Dan and I share a birthday and we both like to just kind of take it easy so it makes for a really great day! Last year we also got to go do some birthday golfing which was so fun but I think I may be a bit too big for that this year-booo! We are still planning on the trip to Greenbluff though so that will work for me!
Fall this year is even more exciting than usual because it is getting us a bit closer to the arrival of our little one! I still really want to enjoy it as much as possible though while it is here because I think the one and only downside to fall is that winter is just around the corner-sorry!

Things NOT to say to a pregnant woman....

I have decided that I am going to try to work as long as comfortably possible until the baby comes. A couple reasons for this, my job doensn't pay me maternity leave but they do hold my job for up to 3 months. So I have saved my vacation time and sick days for some coverage during that time- I would like to take the full 3 months if at all possible but we will have to see how that goes. Hopefully I don't have to use any of my time off too early but that all depends on how this last trimester all pans out. I am starting to have a bit of back pain during work and my feet resemble sausages by the time I get home but I am getting pregnancy massages about every-other week which helps a ton. If you are pregnant, never underestimate the power of a great massage!
The only thing harder than the physical stuff while working is trying to gracefully listen to every little comment and question that gets thrown your way. I'm not talking about every now and then, I mean letterally every other, if not every single person that comes up to the counter for their daily fix..... for those of you that aren't aware, I am the manager at 2 Thomas Hammer coffee shops at Sacred Heart Hospital. One being the largest volume store in the company, I have a ton of interaction with people throughout my day. I have some of the best customers and I really do love my job but.... there are just some things that you never say to a pregnant woman, especially one you really don't know. Not all people say things that they intend on coming out mean or rude, but seriously, I think some people just DO NOT think before talking. Wasn't that something you learn before middle school?!
Here are some examples of things that I have been said to me at work....

• "So, how much weight have you gained?"
• "Ya know the guy that did that to you?"
• "Wow, look at your belly, your pregnant right, not just a little fat?"
• "How are you feeling?"- Nothing wrong with this one too much, but it's more the tone and look they give you, like they expect your head to start spinning any time. Plus, do you REALLY want to know the answer to that question.....cause I'll let you know every gory detail if ya want
• "Oh, you look REALLY tired!" um, yeah, just like I feel
• "WOW- your belly is really sticking out there!"
• Them:"Um, How much longer do you have", Me: "About 3 months". Them:"oh man! You are going to be HUGE! My friend is only due in 2 months and she's way smaller than you." me- "Um thanks, have a great day!" then as she leaves I proceed to start bawling at the counter.
• "WOW- I think you have doubled in size since I last saw you" (fifteen minutes later...) "Yeah, you have definately at least doubled in size!" (30 min, later...) "I just can't believe how BIG you are all the sudden!" followed by..."I just Can't get over it! Are you feeling okay?"
• "You probably aren't about to, but you look like you could deliver any time!"
• "pregnant women are CRAZY- I hung out with a couple of my pregnant friends over the weekend and all they did was talk about being pregnant, what to eat, how they feel, UGH!"-my repsonse: "well, being pregnant is a big deal and it's all you think about. They aren't crazy, they are just really excited." (followed by a smile)

And the winner.....

• "So, is your husband the father?" My response, after the initial shock of what I was just asked, "well, I guess we'll see" Then when I realized that she was actually serious I said,"What kind of question IS that?" her response"Oh, you would be surprised in my department" (She is a nurse!) followed by, "So, is this your husbands first baby too?" All I could do was just say "yep" give her a delicious beverage and countinue to laugh about it the rest of the day.

Now don't get me wrong, I understand that this is exciting and most people mean well and for the most part people have been GREAT, but I think of all the times in my life when "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" could apply, it would be now. I LOVE my big belly and the little miracle inside it, and if that means that I have to just grin and bare it, I will.

So just a bit of advice next time you see a pregnant woman, any pregnant woman, it's not so bad asking how far she is or if she has a name picked out. But make sure you tell her that she looks great, beautiful even and congratulate her on that little bundle of joy that she is growing so amazingly...even if she does look a bit round and tired:)

Baby talk....

For those of you that don't know (which I'm pretty sure there aren't many) We are going to have a BABY!! We are so excited! This has litterally been the happiest time in mine - and I'm sure Kyle's lives. I have always been appreciative of my blessings but I think that now more than ever I am so aware of what a gift God has given us. We had some trouble getting pregnant so now that we are we have definately not taken any day for granted. Every little movement, kick(even in the ribs) and flutter makes me smile. One of my very favorite things is to watch Kyle feel the baby move, yeah, I think I officially have that instant pregnant-mommy-sappy thing going on but I just can't help it! He has been so incredibly supportive during this whole pregnancy- going to every appointment possible, cooking, cleaning, building the crib and dresser, painting the room, rubbing my back, and telling me that I still look good even when I don't really feel like I do. I couldn't have asked for more!! He will be a great dad, I just know it!!

We are trying to spend as much time together as possible, We took a trip to Seattle for the weekend a bit ago- went to the Seahawks home opener, dinner at the Crab Pot- DELICIOUS! went to Pikes Street, bought a new tv stand at crate and barrell (we need one here!) and hung out with my friend Traci and her Sister Jen. It was a blast- we definately needed it! We've been trying to do things together at home too: going out to dinner together, movies, shopping - ya know- the things that will be pretty hard to do when the little one gets here- which is going to be soon! We are due December 5th so that only leaves us with about 10 weeks! We are having a boy- his name so far is Parker. I've always loved that name for a boy- we tried lists of other names but just couldn't get away from Parker. The middle name is a bit up in the air. We originally liked Anderson (which is my maiden name) but just recently have liked Noah. So that may be one of those "wait till we meet him" things. I could go on and on about all the baby stuff (it's kinda a big deal) but I'll save some of it so that I can have another blog topic to talk about at one point. plus, I don't want to bore you:)

New Bloggers!

Hi everyone!

So I've decided that starting a blog will be a fun way to talk about all the new and exciting things going on in our lives right now. I have a couple friends with blogs and I think it's a great idea- not only for info-sharing but so I can get some of these events "down on paper". Call it a time-killer or even a time-waster but I think I will enjoy this (I may even be able to get Kyle in on a blog or two) So bare with me as I am VERY new at this and will basically be feeling my way in the dark but I will try to keep up and make this fun!