Happy New Year!

So one of my New Year's resolutions is to work on, and update, the blog more. You'll notice the new look and the fancy slide show on the right side. I hope you enjoy and, again, I'll work on updating more in the year to come! Thanks for reading...Matt

Visiting Santa

So, we made the trek out to Bass Pro in Olathe to see Santa on Sunday. As usual, I was petrified about being out and about, while Jody was cool as a cucumber.

I think we got there right around 1215 - the flyer said Santa was to arrive at Noon - and were greeted by a fairly long line, maybe forty people deep, but it went pretty quick. I don't think we waited much longer than 30-40 minutes. I can't even begin to imagine how long we would have waited at the mall...scary. Things went remarkably well, with little Kylie just kind of chilling in the stroller the entire time, working on that pacifier. She started to get a little fussy when we were about five minutes out from Santa, but a little bouncing and shushing (sp?) did the trick.

Anyhow, Santa was very authentic and everyone was super nice. I don't remember Mrs. Claus when I was a kid visiting Santa. I always thought she stayed at the North Pole, you know, kind of keeping an eye on everyone while the big guy was out doing his rounds.

Man, we've got a cute kid...

Still More New Pics

More (Newer) Pics

Kylie's Photo Shoot(s)

Here are some of our favorite pictures...

Introducing Kylie Mae

So...

She has arrived.

Sorry about the nearly three week delay, but this is our story:

Monday, November 3rd, 2008
Jody didn't sleep at all, which means I (this is Matt, by the way) didn't do much better. We were scheduled to be at the hospital at 7:00am for an induction - we arrived right on time. We were in a bit of a holding pattern until about 9 Monday morning when things finally got rolling. Rolling very slowly, but rolling.

Fast forward to Tuesday at 5:00am, after three rounds of inducing drugs and lots and lots of discomfort. Labor began.

After two hours that seemed like eight, the doctor rolled in and asked if Jody if she was ready for an epidural. Her response was something to the effect of, "yeah, about two hours ago". Anyhow, the epidural was administered right around seven and we were in for a few more hours of the ball rolling very slowly.

Finally, around noon our AWESOME LABOR NURSE Laura S (if you're going to have a baby, you need to do so at OMC with her) decided it was time to start pushing. It was about then that Jody noticed the epidural only took on her right side. Yikes. Well, Jody pushed and pushed for over two hours and we were at an impasse. The baby was close, but still not here. Apparently, this calls for extreme measures. They're called forceps. Really yikes! Dr. Estrada rolled in with the giant salad tongs and in a matter of minutes we had our baby.

Kylie Mae
11/4/08 (election day!) at 2:31PM
8lb 6.3 ounces
19 1/4" long

One Week and Counting!

Well, today was my very last OB apptmt, and wow was that a reality check for us! I can not believe that within a week we will soon see our little girl and be first time parents. The doctor mentioned a few times now that I will not go beyond 39 wks, and she is sticking to it. We are scheduled at 7am on November 3rd to be induced in case she has not yet arrived. Oh my goodness!! That's about all that comes to mind right now, and I am trying to think if there is anything that I still need to do. I feel like everything is ready to go, but then I worry that I may totally be missing something. Oh well, things can always be done as we go along and learn what to do. So that is the big news for now. The next posting will surely be full of pics and details about our little girl!

Nursery is Complete!!!

We are so excited to say that Kylie's nursery is officially completed! The parts that delayed everything were definitely the frames that are hung throughout her room. Poor Matt had to deal with the paint bubbling and speckling all over the frames, causing him to sand them down and start over many times. Now that is all behind us, and her room looks beautiful! All we need is our precious little girl and we will be all set ;) We hope you all enjoy the pics as much as we do!

4 Weeks to Go...

As of today, we just have 4 more weeks until our little girl will be here! I was kind of hoping that after my OB apptmt today that I would have some extra special news, but to my dismay that did not happen :( Matt was at my apptmt with me and he asked the doctor what the chances were of her inducing on Halloween, and well, she said she couldn't do it. Apparently inducing before 39 wks can fall under some sort of malpractice deal, and the sad part of it all is that I will only be 3 days away from being 39 wks along...so close!!

So why do I want our little girl here on Halloween? I moved out here on Halloween, and then the first time I met my husband was on Halloween, so I just thought it fitting that our daughter arrive on that day as well. Who knows, nature just may take its course that day anyhow. I guess I just need to sit back and be patient, and not dwell on the fact that no chocolates or anything else can be used to sway my doctor into inducing.

Other updates:
Twice a week I am scheduled to have nonstress tests, as protocol for my gestational diabetes. Well that is where I have learned that I am having contractions. To think all this time I thought that feeling was due to the baby being positioned a certain way, but nope, that tightness is the Braxton Hicks contractions. Who knew..lol surely not me.

As of last night I now have Fred Flinstone feet. I noticed that my feet and ankles are swollen and they look kinda gross. Yes, I know it is part of pregnancy, but I was kind of hoping that I would miss out on it, especially since I have gotten some of the other effects of pregnancy. Oh well, we are almost there ;)

Nursery

Okay, so I know it seems like forever since I last posted about how we were so close to finishing the nursery. Well, it seems as though we keep running into obstacles with painting all of the frames white. It would have been great if we found frames the sizes we needed that were already white in color, but that would have been too easy. Matt has had the tedious job of painting all of the frames white, and encountering painting issues along the way. On his final coat of paint for the frames that will be used to spell out her name, the paint bubbled up and crackled on Every frame! He was so upset, because that was the last step to completing her room :(

Anyway, I felt bad to keep everyone waiting to see the artwork I did on her wall, so here is a look at my craft work. (Note: the paint was still wet in some spots on the tree, so that's why it looks a bit streaky) Once Matt takes another crack at the frames, I will post pictures of our total work to the nursery. Until then, enjoy what you see ;)

Baby Shower with Matt's Work

Just a couple weeks ago Matt's work gave us a baby shower. It was so nice to see how excited his co-workers are for us to have our first baby! They gave us an amazing and much needed gift of a travel system, which is a stroller and carseat. She will definitely be riding in style thanks to their generous gift! Here's a look at her new ride.

His boss also gave us a name frame that is soo neat, because all of the letters of her name are cut out for us to put pictures in it! I have never seen anything like it before. So once she arrives, we will be sure to take a million pictures of her, and fill up her frame that will soon be hanging up for all to see ;)

Another one of his co-workers gave us this adorable outfit with the tiniest and cutest little tennis shoes to match and some little socks! So cute!!

They definitely went above and beyond, and we were so happy for everything they did for us and our little girl! I was so surprised and grateful that another co-worker of Matt's was so sweet to make some sugar free desserts for us to have following our lunch, since this gestational diabetes does not allow for the desserts with sugar (her thoughtfulness made it sweet and they were delicious!).

We have our crib!

Our crib came in on Friday, so Matt and his dad worked on getting it all put together that very evening. Here are a couple pics of what our little girl's room looks like with her crib all together. I was very excited to see it all assembled, so I could finally put on the cribskirt I made, and see how well it coordinated with the valance I had made for her window.

Oh, I have also begun painting on her walls today! Oh my goodness it looks so cute, but sorry...no sneak peaks for you guys. I want to wait until everything is complete before I post anymore nursery room pics, so you'll just have to be a little patient ;)

We're almost there...

Our crib has just come in, so we will be picking it up this evening and begin assembling it. Well, Matt will be in charge of the handy work while, I make sure that he is putting it together just right ;)

With the date getting so much closer we decided to take inventory on baby needs. We have most of what we need, but are still in need of a few necessary items before she arrives. Let's see, we still need:

*1-2 more crib sheets
*changing pad and at least 2 covers
*bottles
*baby monitor
*more burpcloths
*breast pump
*8-10 more burpcloths
*diaper champ

I think once that is set, all we will need to make things complete is our baby girl!

Church Baby Shower

Here are some photos that capture the creative details that Jessica put into the baby shower that she had for us. There were so many added touches that made the day so special for us and all of the guests that attended!

Sneak Peak in Nursery Decor

There are a few pieces of decor that we have finished working on for the nursery. I finished her cribskirt for the second time (after changing my mind on the colors, the first one I made did not coordinate nearly as well). We also finished getting a couple things framed that will hang on her walls. Once the crib arrives and we position it just where we want, I will begin painting a few things on her wall(s). Anyhow, I have included a photo of her cribskirt and one of the frames that will be on her wall. Things are all beginning to come together..I can not wait to see how well it all looks when everything is complete!

Baby Status Updates...

Our last apptmt gave us a more definitive answer to the sex of our baby. I was of course hesitant about the answer of us having a girl at our sonogram in late June. The sonographer did not have the best view of the baby, but thought we were having a girl. This was not assurance enough for me, so we asked the doctor if there was a way we could have another peak to determine the sex of our little one. Sure enough, the sonographer was right! We are definitely having a girl!! Whew..was I excited to know that I could continue with the room decor and not have to exchange all of the pink gifts from our baby shower for blue ones. Our doctor did the recheck and said it was the clearest image she had ever seen for determining the sex of a baby.

It was also our last apptmt where I had to take my glucose test. Unfortunately I did not pass, and had to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I struck out on that one as well. What that means is that I apparently have gestational diabetes, and now I have to follow a specific diet where I am counting carbs and I also have to stick myself and check my glucose level 4 times a day! The worst part of it is that I am not allowed to have any desserts until after the baby is here!! Do you have any idea how cruel that is not allow a pregnant woman to have anything sweet? Following along with the diet is not too terrible, it just takes some planning and it will be much easier to follow since my husband is soo great to do it right with me! Just a little over 2 months and I will be ordering up dessert from the maternity unit ;)

Ohio Baby Shower

I am definitely slacking on making current posts to our baby blog. I will say that it is all due to the pregnancy ;)

Our trip to Ohio this July was very exciting, as old friends and family were present to help us celebrate the upcoming arrival of our baby girl! It is amazing how the joyous news of a baby can be so infectious to so many people. Here are some photos that Matt was able to capture of the day of the wonderful baby shower that my family had for us.

Nursery Decor

Okay, so I gave myself way too many choices by choosing an array of colors to use in Kylie's room. I love the fabric that I had chosen before with all of the bright colors, and I had already used it to make her cribskirt. Unfortunately, I was overwhelmed with what color to use for the each item in her room, that I decided I needed to alter things.

Below is a sampling of the new color palette that I will be using in her room. All of these colors are used in a Noah's Ark theme that I found while working at Hallmark. I already have in mind what I will be doing for wall decor and may even paint some sort of mural on her walls as well. I will definitely need to revisit my artistic skills, as I create a beautiful room for our little girl!

Once we have another OB apptmt, we will see if they can confirm that we are indeed having a little girl, so I can get started on a new cribskirt. It will be like a bubble gum pink color with a hot pink ribbon as a trim. The colors in the color palette are still fairly neutral, so I can always modify things if needed.

Another Blanket for Kylie!

Okay, so I was thinking I would wait and make another blanket with the rest of the fabric I got once we returned from our trip to Ohio. Well, I was so excited with how well the first one turned out, that I just couldn't wait to do the other one! This one is definitely my favorite of the two!! Now I am looking forward to the day where I will wrap Kylie up in the blankies that I have made for her ;)

Kylie's First Blanket

I really wanted to make a couple blankets for Kylie, so I went out and got some flannel fabric on sale for half the price! It was a great deal for sure. Anyway, my sewing skills are somewhat limited, so I unsure how to do the handstitching to close the seam once I turned it right side out. After making a trip to our local craft store, a woman there told me to just top stitch it all the way around, and then I would have a bit of a decorative trim all around the blanket. That was a great idea, so I no longer had to worry about learning how to handstitch (though it would still be nice to learn something new...maybe next time). Here is a look at the final project of my first blanket for Kylie. You will see that I chose different fabric for the front and back of the blanket. Enjoy!

Our Baby Girl's Name

You all may have just read Matt mention the name "Kylie" in the post below. Kylie Mae Stump will be our little one's name. There are so many choices out there, and we both really like this name for our little girl. Most people seem to like the name, but then again not too many people will say they don't. We have encountered some that say they don't like the name, and tell us what names they would prefer. Honestly, we like the name and that is all that matters to us ;)

I'm sure we will reference Kylie many more times in our posting, so just know that we are talking about our little girl that will soon be here!

We Have Movement (Part II)

Hey readers! What's up? Matt here, and this will be my initial venture into this blogging thing.

So, I'm getting ready for work this morning and as I'm getting dressed Jody kind of rolls over and says that she really wants the baby to move (she may have actually said "Kylie" and not "the baby"). First off this was weird because Jody is NEVER actually awake when I'm getting ready to leave in the morning. I usually give her a kiss, tell her that I love her and that I'll see her later - all without much movement or sound coming from the recipient. However, today was different. She was awake!

Jody thought she felt little Kylie move and told me where to put my hand. Sure enough, just a couple seconds later, BLAMMO! There was movement. Needless to say, that was a pretty neat way to start my day.

I also started painting the nursery yesterday. It's this really cool kind of aqua-ish blue color. Yes, I know we're having a girl and blue is a boy color, but this is neat-o. We'll definitely put some pics up once it's all cut in.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my post. I should probably actually get to work.

We Have Movement!

This morning was the first time I felt our baby move! It was the most amazing experience to feel her moving around in my belly. I have been waiting to feel this for what seems like an eternity, but it finally happened today! It kind of felt like a hiccup in my belly or something like that. I just stayed still as I lay in bed this morning, and I felt one, then another, and another. It was so cool! I can't wait until she is kicking enough for Matt to see and feel her move too! Just another awesome experience during my first pregnancy that I wanted to share :)

Nursery Ideas

After taking a very short nap yesterday in attempts to recharge, I decided to start looking for ideas and colors for our nursery. I really wanted to find some bright and bold colors to make a fun room for the baby, that will be sure to keep her alert. Yet, I also wanted to get colors that would be gender neutral just in case they were wrong and our little girl turns out to be a little boy.

This is a photo of the fabric I purchased to make a crib skirt. I love the bright colors, and the pattern has both pink and blue, which can easily be incorporated into the nursery. All the colors will give me a range of options to use as accent colors all throughout the room. I can't wait to get started, and bring the room to life!

The Semi-Official Results are In!!

Well today was a big day, as we found out the sex of our baby...It's a Girl!! Today was one of the most amazing moments of our life! To see our baby on the screen and watch her kick and move around was just awesome! I had some tears rolling down my face as I saw her. I asked the sonographer person if he had any other patients for the day, because I wanted to just watch her move all day long :) He just laughed and smiled at me...Hello I was serious..lol

Now that we now we will be having a girl, I was thinking I may begin to sleep better. I'm starting to think that I will be sleeping even less, rather than more. I'm sure I will begin having all sorts of ideas of what colors to do her room in and all the things I want to do before she arrives. Goodness this is so exciting! Enjoy the first pics of our baby girl!

We are getting so close...

In just 2 more days we will know the sex of our baby! We are both getting so very excited, as the date draws near. Hopefully I will be able to rest once we find out the news, as I have not been able to sleep well the last few days due to my growing excitement.

We have almost finished our registries, and are awaiting the news before we have everything completed. My goodness were we overwhelmed with all of the baby products out there, and wondering what is and is not necessary. Thanks to a few people and some reading we think we were able to narrow things down to what will be the most useful. I am sure there will be some trial and error on some items, but we hope that we will be eliminate as much of that as possible.

It is so unbelievably amazing to see how quickly this pregnancy has been so far. To think just 8 or 9 wks ago I was so sick and needed to take meds to help with the nausea and vomiting, and now we are almost to the halfway point. I am just in awe as to how quickly this process has been, and how much I need to really embrace every new experience.

My Baby Belly

I am proud to say that I officially have a baby belly now, rather than one that just looks a little thick. I have always thought baby bellies looked so cute on other women, and have recently began enjoying my new look. I am still in awe knowing that this little miniature person is inside of me and we will soon be here for all to see.

Here's one of the first pics of my baby belly. This photo was taken the day before I graduated and is just soo cool for me to see how both the baby and I are growing!

We are both excited to see the upcoming changes and new experiences that are yet to come. I can't wait to feel our little one kick for the first time, and of course we can not wait until we find out the sex of our baby (just 4 more weeks!).

Our First Sonogram

Some things in life do not follow the plans we often tend to create. That is exactly what we realized when we found out that we are having our first baby this November! We were in shock that this awesome event was taking place this year, but also elated that soon we will be parents of a miniature Stump!

We are both realizing that this baby and pregnancy are going much quicker than we ever imagined...like I said this our first and we really do not know what to expect. We thought to capture our experiences by creating a blog, as a way to keep everyone posted on our journey to parenthood. Now everyone can experience our joy and moments of becoming new parents every step of the way!

Honey, we're having a baby!

I have always looked forward to the day where I could surprise my husband with the news of having our first baby. We had an inkling that the time was near, so we went ahead and purchased a pregancy test. I told Matt that I wanted to wait until after he went to work before I took the test, so I could prepare some way to surprise him if it was positive. I was so anxious that I could not sleep the night before, and snuck ahead and took the test in the morning while he was in the shower. I was shocked when it was positive in less than a minute! I was pretty certain that it had to be true, when the test is expected to take around 5 minutes. I hurried and went back to bed before Matt finished his shower. I so wanted to tell him, but really want to find some creative way to surprise him too! It was quite the challenge for me to contain myself and keep him from suspecting a thing.

As soon as he left for work I jumped in the shower, and was toiling over what I could do to surprise him with the news. I decided just to be certain that this was really happening, that I should take another test. Once again it was positive in less than a minute! I decided that my plan of surprise would be to tie a pink and blue balloon to his vehicle, so he would know that the time has come and we would soon be parents! I had asked the receptionist at the front desk to page Matt and explain that there was an accident in the parking lot, and he needed to go to his truck and speak with the other person involved.

I was in the parking lot across from his vehicle, as my cell phone began to ring. I had not seen Matt just yet, so I did not answer my phone. I wanted to see the reaction on his face before hearing his voice. He had the biggest smile on his face, and it was so cute to see the excitement he had!