Hello Again!

I'm so disappointed in myself for taking such a long sabbatical, but things have been a whirlwind around here since Christmas.  Remember, that's back when we were in between houses living in an apartment. And the ONLY nice thing about apartment living is you tend to have more free time because you aren't keeping up with a house :)

So, here we are in late April, all moved in and  thoroughly enjoying the new casa.  We've done a lot, but there are still many details undone.  We'll get there though, slowly making it ours and gathering those details that truly make it OUR home.

Along with the move came a new school for Reese.  We loved her previous location, it just wasn't going to be very convenient anymore, so we decided to simply transfer to another of the same school location.  Reese adapted well and moved into the 3-4 year old class.  She continues to LOVE her school days and we are thrilled to be living near such great public schools--Kindergarten will be here before we know it :)

Today marks 38 weeks in my pregnancy and boy am I ready for this little one to come out.  We had planned on not finding out the baby's gender beforehand, but JP and I both saw the same thing on an early sonogram to which we decided to confirm several weeks later.  Reese was thrilled when we let her know that she was going to have a baby sister and has really embraced it throughout the pregnancy.  Here's to hoping she continues to "embrace" all that comes with bringing a new sibling into the family.  I have a feeling she's not going to make it as easy as I'd like her to :)  Feel free to leave any advice on making the transition an easy one on the older siblings without completely making them rotten.

Baby Girl Parker #2, dubbed Cleopatra by my parents since her name has not been disclosed yet, could be making her appearance any day now.  She's measuring a bit bigger than Miss Reese and has been quite the mover and shaker in my ever growing belly.  Overall though, it's been another enjoyable pregnancy that I can't complain about.

Now we just sit and wait, which by the way has been kinda nice.  Our calendar is usually filled with work travel, weekend travel, events, projects, etc, etc. and I guess you can call it the calm before the storm, but we've enjoyed some fairly low key weeks and weekends lately.

Here is a quick catch up in pics:

At the neighborhood Easter egg hunt

Loving her new sunglasses

Before church yesterday--the sun's all over the place, but we're all smiling :)

Where it all began

It's hard to believe I started this blog over 3 years ago announcing the birth of then Itsy Bitsy Parker aka Reese.  Well, I'm going to keep things short and sweet because I'm headed out for a week long business trip and there is still packing to do. 

But word is starting to spread, so I figure I can make it official.

A Beautiful Day

Our lives changed forever at 2:06 pm last Friday--and for the absolute best! 

It all started with my weekly appointment on the previous Wednesday.  The docs office was very busy and finally after waiting 1.5 hours in the waiting room, I finally got taken back to an exam room.  One of my doc's nurses came in to do my check, since I know they were trying to make up some time to fit everyone in before the end of the day.  I was 2 cm dialated and 60% effaced.  Being that IBP's due date was the following Monday and a mere 5 days away along with my progress, she began talking about the option of induction.  I have been against inducing all along because of some of the horror stories I had heard about extremely long labors, often ending in C-sections, etc, etc.  JP wasn't with me at the appointment, so I really wasn't making any decisions then and there, but as soon as I left the office, my mind began wandering.  Should I do this?  When? I wonder if things will be as easy as the nurse lets on? Then I began thinking that we were about to be upon the weekend and I knew that my doc was not on call, so if IBP came over the weekend (which had a high probability per my doc), a different doc from the practice would be delivering her.  I picked my doc for a reason and really wanted him to do the delivery, so I was gravitating on the side of inducing.  After several rounds of phone tag with the office and several questions, we decided to book it because a Friday morning check-in was available.

So, we were set and as soon as we made our final decision on Thursday afternoon, everything began to feel so surreal.  Alarm sounds at 3:45 am on Friday (after JP and I both tossed and turned all night) and our beautiful day began.

final preggo pic and about to leave the house

We checked in to the hospital at 4:45 am and by 5:30 am, my IV was in and Pitocin started.  Around 8:30 am, the doc came in to break my water and things really got going then.  Progress continued and I finally got the epidural at about 6 cm and what a difference it made!  Love the epidural!!! 

staying connected during labor

quick house divided pic with Dr. Seeker and my nurse Kessa

At 1:30 the nurses began breaking down the table and calling the doc in because IBP was near.  After less than a half hour of pushing, our little beauty was here!  The experience was absolutely amazing and the end result words cannot explain.  We have been living on cloud 9 ever since!  We are absolutely in love with our Baby Reese!

loading up to go home

she has stolen our hearts!

39 Weeks

So here we are at 39 weeks (and 1 day) and expecting the arrival of IBP any day now!  I'm so ready to meet this little one, to know what his/her name is going to be and just know our newest addition.  The world talks about pregnancy being 9 months, but in reality, the pregnancy life cycle is 40 weeks, which is really 10 months.  So being just a week shy of the 10 month mark, I think back a bit at the past 39 weeks and I have to say for the most part it has been a piece of cake.  Of course, I've had my uncomfortable moments these last several weeks, which make me more ready than ever for this little one to be here, but all in all I have had a truly wonderful pregnancy and I wouldn't change a thing.  So, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on  my favorite thing about being pregnant (besides indulging my sweet tooth more than ever before!).  Hands down, being able to feel this little life move around inside of me has been the most fun!  It is truly a miracle and I sit in awe and enjoy being kicked every single day!  Take a visit over to the Graco blog for more of my sentiment on this topic.

So, hopefully our next post will be to announce the birth (and sex, and name, and weight, etc.) of IBP!  We can't wait!

Pink or Blue?

It seems something has gone astray with my original "boy or girl" poll.  It was up to just under 70 votes, and now it's back down to 40-something, so I've decided to create a new one.  We are still holding out on what IBP is...my mind literally changes daily on what color I think he or she will wear.  I do love hearing what everyone else thinks though, so please cast your vote and we are looking forward to seeing who is right very soon!

The Nursery

A while back I posted Beginnings of a Nest.  Well, minus some personal touches, given the fact that we don't know who this little person is just yet, IBP's nursery is nearing completion.  I have been getting a lot of requests to post pics, so here are a few, as well as my recent post on the Graco blog detailing my nursery makeover.

The Beginnings of a Nest

This past weekend was a bit of a change for me. Texas was playing UTEP at 2:30 in the afternoon and I knew that it was going to be blazing hot, so I decided to skip the game and tailgating festivities all together and get the walls painted in IBP's nursery. See, I'm the painter in the house and quite particular about how it's done, so I figured I better get going on it before I get too big to balance on a ladder. That coupled with the fact that I've had the "nesting" bug ever since I returned from the ABC Kids Expo in Vegas--check out my post on the Graco blog for more deets on that one.

Before I could even begin prepping for my painting extravaganza, we had to empty out the room. For the past (almost) 2 years, IBP's now nursery has been our home gym, which we have truly come to love. JP and I both use it on a regular basis hoping for an outcome of burning calories and toning muscles. Well, it was time to make the move to the garage. The gym along with the TV now occupies half of our garage.

We haven't used it yet in it's new destination, but I do look forward to it very soon (now just to get the TV hooked up for some accompanying entertainment).

So, Saturday afternoon I was ready to go. JP was tailgating, then going to the game, so I had the house to myself. The fact that the room isn't enormous helped me conquer the complete project by Saturday evening.

(completely unaware the above pic was being taken until it was too late)

Of course, there were a few touch-ups to be made on Sunday, but nothing too time consuming. On Sunday, we disassembled the crib, then reassembled it in it's new destination. See, I ordered it online and I wanted to be sure I liked it before it was too late to return, so I assembled it to get my approval about 6 weeks ago in our bedroom.

The room is quite stark at this point in time, but I look forward bringing a bit more life to it in the coming months and then the finishing touches, of course as soon as IBP arrives and we know how masculine or feminine it really needs to be. Ta Ta for now!

Top Registry Picks

So, after going through the baby registry process and writing 'My Registry Reaction' a while back, I decided to do a 'Top Registry Picks' post on the Graco blog. In this, I solicited some help from Graco Nation (a group of ambassadors from around the US) to give me their advice, and it was VERY helpful, I might add! Take a read and see if your top picks made the cut...holla back with any other great advice or recommended must-haves!

My Maternity Style

I am the only first-time expectant working at Graco right now, and because I'm a contributor to the Graco Corporate Blog, I thought it might be cute to put together a quick read on 'my maternity style'. Though I've tried to stay in my 'normal clothes' as long as possible and really just beginning to get into these new digs, I thought I'd share my view on making the transition into this new category of clothing without totally losing sight of my own sense of fashion. For all of you who have 'been there, done that' shoot me you 'must-haves', too!

http://blog.gracobaby.com/2009/09/08/my-maternity-style/

Preparing for Pink?

...Are you kidding? We've decided to wait until IBP joins us in this world to decide whether to prepare for pink, and we're sticking to it. I always thought I would find out being the planner that I am, but my dad has always said that this is one of the best surprises in life. That coupled with the fact that friends like The Ehlert's also had a fun time waiting for a surprise made me think I wanted the same.

Well, last Monday I had my 17 week doc appointment and we could have found out whether IBP will be clothed in pink or blue, but we stuck to our guns and have decided to wait. Dr. Seeker did the ultrasound, we watched the entire thing, then at the end he wrote "secret" in the comments. I asked him if he knew what IBP was going to be, and of course he did. JP always thought he would be able to tell from the ultrasound, but I think we are both up in the air on this one. He asked if we wanted to be tortured by having him write it down and seal it in an envelope, but I think I can do without that. So, our doc is the only one who really knows whether it's a boy or a girl.

The rest of my visit went great. IBP is right on schedule and looks as healthy as can be. It is always a great reassurance since there is always that fear of the unknown. I love seeing that little baby on the screen--wish I could do it everyday!

Secrets...Secrets...Are No Fun!!!

So just a quick update, Heidi is now nearing the end of her 13th week of pregnancy, and she is looking amazing and Itsy Bitsy is growing...We had a doctor's visit last week and we had a great time watching the baby move around and hearing the heartbeat.

Now to get back to the theme of this post...I am definitely not one for secrets especially the ones that I have to keep from people, so keeping Heidi's pregnancy was not a fun chore for this guy...

One of the most challenging ventures was when Heidi and I strolled down to Gruene Hall with our friends, Matt and Shelley for a Reckless Kelly concert. We were also meeting up with Heidi's lifelong friend, Melissa and her husband.

Heidi and I are known to frequent a few Texas Music concerts during the year, and with that comes the consumption of a few German Soda Waters...BEERS! Well, Heidi knew that she was pregnant, so she would not be partaking in any adult beverages. The fun part was to not make the reason blatantly obvious to our friends. There was first a virgin vodka and club (club soda and lime), then the offering to be the designated driver, and finally her totting around an O'Douls bottle.

There were probably little bitty suspicions leading up to our announcement, but I for one was so glad to get that secret off my chest...This is one secret that didn't hurt anyone!!! Love you all!

- Parker