What a difference a year makes....

I have just about decided I am the worst blogger in history. When reviewing all my previous blogs, in almost every one of them I promise to blog more often. Yet, here I am almost a year since my last post. A good friend of mine has a blog that she updates weekly, and I am so envious of her online documentary of what's going on with her family and watching her kids grow in pictures on the blog. So here I am once again, vowing to at least try and be more diligent about my blogging frequency.

Gage is now 14.5 months old, and needless to say has changed quite a bit from my last post. He is the hi-litle of our lives and an absolutel angel. We celebrated his 1st birthday with family and friends on Feb 11th. The theme was a snakes, and snails, and puppy dog tails theme. My Aunt Betty and Uncle George made 2 birthday cakes for Gage to celebrate. This in itself was worthy of celebrating. My Aunt and Uncle have made all of our cakes through the years, and I was more than pleased to have them carry on the tradition with my little guy. Gage wasnt quite walking as of his first birthday but he started shortly thereafter. Around 13 months he was walking 80% of the time, and only crawling when he needed to get somewhere fast.

He loves to walk now. And he LOVES to play outside. He's 27.5 pounds now and a heavy little sack of potatoes. His favorite foods are: FOOD. This boy can eat! He's a bottomless pit that we'll never be able to afford come the teenage years : ) Ha. In all seriousness, his favorite foods are strawberries without hesitation. He LOVES strawberries, toast with strawberry jelly, bananas, macaroni and cheese, little smokies sausages for breakfast, mandarin oranges, graham crackers, and yogurt melts. He is a good eater, not picky for the most part and doesnt seem to have his Daddy's distaste for veggies. He's off the bottle and onto whole milk, no more formula. He's been extremely easy to transition in almost every aspect. We havent had to really fight him on anything.

He is learning to blow kisses now and will wave "by-bye" when you leave the room. His first word was "Da-Da" but he is doing really well with expanding his vocabulary now. He can say these words: "Bye-bye, Momma, Boo, Ball, and if you ask him what does the puppy say...or if he sees a dog in the neighborhood he starts saying "woof woof" over and over. Its really cute. I am trying to get him to give kisses and he is getting better about it. Most of the time they are open mouth, bite your nose and slobber on your face kisses, but hey I'll take them.

This past Monday, Gage spent his first night away from home without us. Last September before I started this new job with Hines, Dustin and I took a quick overnight getaway to New Braunfels and my mom came to stay at our house with him. This past Monday, Jolene came into town and wanted to take Gage to spend the night with her in Lake Jackson. Dustin and I were really apprehensive, but wanted to encourage the relationship between the two of them so we relunctantly agreed and tried to focus on the bright side...no baby, meant date night for us. I really struggled with him being gone. It wasnt so much the time away from him, I was worried about him being in a new envinronment without me. He didnt have any constants or sense of familiarity so I was nervous. Gage did great and so did we. We missed him like crazy but it was indeed nice to have a night to ourselves and be able to go out to eat without worrying about someone throwing food, cups, etc across the table.

Without further ado, let me bring you up to speed in pictures....



Our 1st family pictures 10-6-11





  



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My first trip to the zoo! I loved the goats! 12-31-11



My first boat ride 4-1-12



Dreams about G....

I received my weekly TGIF email from my Dad today. He is evidently suffering from Gage withdrawals. My Dad has a long standing history of having very vivid dreams. Most of his dreams are about food, with the occasional dream about his grandbaby : ) When Gage was still in my tummy, my Dad had a dream that his house flooded and Gage came in the "game room" at my Dad's and told him he could come live with us. In that dream Gage was about 3 or 4 years old with sandy brown hair and a very inquisitive look. My Dad still remembers to a "t" what the little boy looked like. I guess we will have to wait and see if it comes true

See email below, Happy Friday!

I had a dream last night about Gage. He was sitting in a deer stand hunting with me, there was only one window straight in front of us and a long view of a clear cut with a line of trees. He may have been about 2 years old but was talking a lot. He was still small and sitting in my lap, his head was bigger than the rest of him. LOL. I told him we need to sit still and be quiet….

There were deer and all sorts of critters all over the place.

Everything that moved he would turn his head up and look at me and say: Gurmps! What’s zat? Gurmps! What’s zat? Gurmps! What’s zat? Gurmps! What’s zat? Gurmps! What’s zat?



Too cute.

I may need to rethink my choice of names as a grandparent.

A for effort!!

This morning when I dropped Gage off at school, the teacher stopped me and wanted to talk to me about G's bottles. I noticed that it took Gage a long time to finish a 5oz bottle..but I atrributed that to the amount that was in the bottle. A larger the quantity, the longer it takes to get it all down type theory. Anyways..the daycare teacher informed me that he was falling asleep a lot while taking his bottles and she thought he was ready for the #2 nipples. Gage is currently using the #1's. For those of you not aware, the #2 nipples have a larger opening, and therefore the milk comes out faster and the baby doesnt have to work so hard.

I mentioned to Dustin today that perhaps we should try her recommendation. Being the amazing Daddy that he is, he stopped on his way home from work and got some. Again, being the best daddy in the world...he removed them from the package and diligently boiled them to ensure Peanut's safety.

I just got the email below from Dustin..LOL...I give him an A for effort.

From Dustin:
I'm dumb! I bought 6 nipples and they had a #2 on them. Turns out it means 2 in each package. They are the same as we already had and I already opened and boiled them all. They didn't have any others at walmart

Oh..I also got this picture of our little angel

They start early...

Yesterday Dustin went to pick Gage up from school. When he got there Gage was laying on the floor on his tummy. Because his little neck muscles are not quite that strong yet, when he is on his tummy it sort of resembles a little turtle stretching their neck out of their shell. Its really cute the way his head kind of wobbles back and forth. Anyways, he was on his tummy looking at this little girl who was also on the play mat. She is about 6 months old..or as Dustin says…twice his age..

She was on her tummy too and they were just staring at one another with great curiosity. When Dustin bent down to pick up Gage the little girl's tiny chin just started quivering, her bottom lip puckered out into a full pout and then she started crying as hard as she could…

Evidently Daddy had taken her little friend away! Guess he wasn’t born on the day of love for nothing : ) The little cupid

Pics of Gage

Maternity Pics (courtesy of my sister)

These were taken two weeks before Gage was born

The Days and Weeks After

To say that Dustin and I had a horrible stay at the hospital following Gage’s birth is an understatement. All the magic and euphoria was almost immediately ripped away by careless nurses and poor treatment. I will spare any further details on that..but it was not one of my favorite moments. The day we were to come home from the hospital Gage came down with a pretty significant case of jaundice. Although this is common in babies the first few days and weeks of life, it through this mom for a loop to see her baby hooked up to a special glowing bed with tubes coming out every which direction. The doctor’s and nurses informed us we would have to have a “bili bed” in order to take Gage home. A home healthcare company got up set up and we were on our way to life at home with a new baby. I was exhausted by the time we pulled into our neighborhood. I had a total of 5 hours sleep in 3 days, and a constant parade of nurses and staff at the hospital made it impossible to get any rest there. Our home looked a lot like heaven as we pulled in the driveway! Maybe that was because two little angels had been working away while we were gone. As we pulled down the street I saw a cloud of blue balloons, a huge “It’s a Boy” sign in the yard and a wreath on the door. My heart was once again overjoyed and I was so touched. My mom and Dustin’s mom had really out-done themselves making our homecoming special. I was so touched. As we walked in the door the sweet aroma of a home cooked meal touched my nose and I took a deep breath. I felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. I was home, with my little angel. I could shower, brush my teeth, and SLEEP in my very own bed. And I did just that. Not only that, but I got to put on my very own comfy pair of pajamas that had not fit in months. It fit again and I was thrilled! I will even admit I poured myself a glass of wine that first night..and it too was GLORIOUS!




The next day we were to meet with the pediatrician to have Gage’s bilirubin levels checked. This would be my first time out of the house with my brand new baby and it was a wee bit harder than I expected. I diligently packed all of his essentials in my new diaper bag. Diapers, check. Bottles, check. Burp rags, wipes, boogie pickers, binky, check check check! I was ready! Off we went. My mother in law was driving and commented that my brand new car was not driving right? Hmm I thought. We pulled off the freeway, into not the best area of town…of course! And my car DIES! Here we are, in the ghetto, in a broken down vehicle, and running late to a doctor’s appointment. I was already worried about driving with Gage in the car..and now this. Ugh! Daddy to the rescue again. Dustin came and traded vehicles with us so we could go on to the doctor and he stayed there until the nearest Lexus dealership would come to tow my car. We get to the doctor almost an hour late and I am a bit frazzled. Gage has of course pee’d in his diaper which has somehow soaked all of his clothes as well. And there it was..the one thing I forgot in his diaper bag…a change of clothes. I put myself up for mommy of the year right then as I drug my 3 day old baby into the doctor’s office to have his heel pricked with a needle, wearing no clothes, smelling like pee, and wearing a dirty diaper. Yup, I win! I was then scolded for not having socks on the baby…and I literally wanted to smack the nurse and tell her look lady I am lucky his head and my head are still attached at this point. And by the way..I just had my first baby 3 days ago…could I get just a little slack? Sigh, those first few days and weeks were trying. Gage was a perfect prince. He went with the flow and he DID cut mommy some slack. He didn’t mind that he didn’t have socks on, that his diaper wasn’t changed immediately, or that he had to sit in the ghetto and wait for Daddy to come rescue us. When they say that babies are resilient, they were right again. My little man was a trooper.


We continued to have Gage’s bilirubin levels checked daily for the next 10 days. This sounds like a relatively easy process..go to the doctor and then you’re done..right? Nope..going to the doctor as a new mom with a new baby is ten times harder than you would ever think. The task that used to take you 1 hour, will now take 3 hours to complete. It was draining , but most of all I hated hearing Gage cry every time they pricked his little foot with a needle. All of this, and not to mention..I just had a baby! Momma was pretty tired and still trying to recooperate myself. To wrap things up and spare too many details..mom had some complications during week 2 that also required us to go see the doctor. When I said Gage I spent the first 2 weeks of his life going to a doctor’s office daily, I wasn’t kidding. We thought we had that obstacle tackled and then week 3 ½ ended with mommy having surgery. NOW we are back on track and have enjoyed our very first week home together with ZERO doctor’s appointments.
Now I am truly getting to enjoy my time home with Gage and focus on just loving on him and holding him. And working on his birth announcement etc etc. I have so enjoyed being a mommy. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be this fulfilling. I love taking care of him. And I don’t even mind the lack of sleep or getting up in the middle of the night. I actually enjoy it. That one on one time spent with him is priceless. I love watching him quietly suck on his bottle while the rest of the house sleeps peacefully. These are the moments I will hold on to forever and ever. I should also mention that aside from a fantastic baby, I have one fantastic daddy as well. Dustin is the perfect doting father. He is great with Gage and I really don’t know how I would do this without him.


So..there it is..the skinny on what has been going on in our lives the last month. And I do promise to update this blog more often. I know, I know..I always say that : ) Thank you to all our family, friends, and loved ones who made this journey with us. The outpouring of love and support, home cooked dinners, help, and visits have been more than we could have ever asked for. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

Gage's Birth Story

Finally…a free moment to update the blog. I have written this blog in my head about half a dozen times during late night feedings and diaper changes. But as a new mom, finding the time to actually sit down and put it all on paper has been a bigger challenge than I thought : ) Let me preface this by warning you this will by far be my longest blog ever. So….consider yourself warned.

Here we go…Gage’s Birth Story:
As most of you know the third trimester for me was spent wrapping up the last minute details and preparing for Gage’s arrival. Come the beginning of Feb and 3 weeks before my due date I was READY..And very large and very uncomfortable. The days leading up to Gage’s debut were some of the happiest days of my life. C all it instinct or intuition but Dustin and I had a feeling Gage would be here within days. So, we decided to take full advantage of the time we had just the two of us, it would be the last time in our lives : ) Thursday we went out to dinner just the two of us to a little Italian restaurant we like very much. It was a fantastic dinner, great food, great service, and great company! The following evening we relaxed at home after what we hoped was our final doctor’s appointment. It was also my last day at work until after the baby came. I was a bit melancholy about that, but happy to have the time off all in the same. I was pretty tired those last few weeks. At our 38 week appointment my doctor told me she would perform a procedure that would help push things along and commented that this procedure caused most women to go into labor within 24-72 hours. She mentioned however that first time moms were the exception. We went ahead and moved forward and hoped our little Gage would be the norm and not the exception. That night D and I relaxed on the couch with carry out and a movie. It was bliss. The following morning Dustin left for the day to head up to the deer lease with a buddy. It was one of those gorgeous Texas days outside. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and just the slightest breeze to keep you cool. Day-Z and I spent the entire day in the backyard and just napped, read a book, and contemplated how much life would change in a matter of weeks (little did we know it would actually be days) That Saturday was Sept 12th and my mom had planned a party at her house that evening for some of her closest friends. No sooner did we show up, and I started having “contractions” Not bad contractions, most people would not have even known I was having them. I ignored them at first and told myself this was yet again some false labor. We left the party early because we were just ready to go home and be together and I was just uncomfortable. Had I mentioned that already? ; ) So we get home, head to bed, and the contractions persist through the night. I stay up all night just timing them to see how close they would get. Through the wee morning hours of Sunday morning, and on into Sunday afternoon I kept contracting. They were now strong enough to not ignore, or sleep through, but still only every 15 minutes and not intensifying or coming any quicker. Dustin and I decided to take the day making last minute preparations. However, we did find time for a picnic lunch in the park and even a stop at the frozen yogurt place with the neighbors. Those couple days before Gage came really were magical. There was just this unsaid closeness and love between Dustin and I that I can’t explain. I really enjoyed that time spent with him. The contractions continued throughout the day and that night we went to eat dinner at my Dad’s house. He had gone all out and prepared his coronary cavarones (which is a separate story in itself) and really out-did himself for dinner that night. I ate 3 whole bites. I was not hungry at all…except, I wanted toast. THIS was the first time that whole two days I had convinced myself, this was really it. I remembered my mom telling me she wanted Luby’s before she had me. Instead, she had Mexican and it didn’t go over well. I now wanted toast instead of spicy lemon garlic butter sautéed shrimp? Yup I was in labor : ) That night at 1:30am the contractions finally starting intensifying and immediately jumped from 15 minutes to 8 minutes. I woke Dustin up and told him, it was time : ) We took our time getting ready to go to the hospital, well, I did anyways. Dustin was a tiny bit of a nervous wreck. He was anxious and scurrying to load the car. He got it all loaded, I was calm and steady : ) in fact, I was eating that toast finally ..knowing it would be my last meal for a while. Right before we headed out the door we stopped and spent about 10 minutes talking to Day-Z (my first baby) It was like she just knew her world was about to change and we wanted to just assure her it was OK. Call me crazy, I know..but hey..this dog has been with me for 9 years now and has seem me through some of the most influential years of my life. The least I could do was stop and give her a hug before replacing her with my new “baby” On the way to the hospital the contractions jumped again from 8 minutes to every 5 minutes and I told Dustin maybe we should drive just a little bit faster : ) We arrived at the hospital around 5am and I was sure I was leaking water. We got checked in and settled and the nurse came in to check. That’s when my world stopped….and so did the contractions!! For 2 solid days I had nonstop contractions. Now we get to the hospital, call the moms and says its finally time, and now contractions are stopping? We sat there for 2 hours waiting to see if anything would progress. I broke down. I was already tired at this point and now the nurses were talking about sending me home until I progressed further. I was humiliated and felt more foolish than ever. I really just sat there and started sulking..and then..one more contraction. The sweet nurse took pity on me and suggested we wait just 30 more minutes to see if I progressed. And what do you know? The contractions started back up and things started progressing. We were back on track!! I got changed, got the epidural, and strapped in for what I was sure was going to be a long process. It was now about 9am by the time we got settled in. The nurse estimated that this would take about 6 more hours based on where I was currently at. An hour later she came back to check me again and I was READY! My mom warned me that I would probably go quickly if I was anything like her. Evidently, momma really does know best. It was at this time that what was taking place really hit me and I started crying AGAIN. I spent some time with our family who had now arrived at the hospital and then right before it was time for the room to clear out I sat quietly with my mom, Dustin, and Jolene. Jolene said a beautiful prayer and then everyone left. It was just Dustin and I...and the thought still makes my eyes water. It really was the last time it would be Kelch family, party of 2. We did it! All the dreams and hopes, conversations, what ifs, wondering, and preparing for the last 38 weeks were here. It all came down to this moment. Labor was easy, blame it on these hips of mine. I heard Gage cry and my heart literally filled with love. Dustin looked at me and tears were streaming down his face. He was BEAMING with pride and complete bewilderment. We both were! Did this really just happen? All those months I had foolishly worried about whether or not I would bond with Gage, would he like me, would I like him, were immediately dismissed. The second I laid eyes on him and heard him cry I loved him more than anyone in the world. When people discuss marriage and spouses and they say “when you know, you know” they were right. When I started dating Dustin I just knew. When I would call my mom and ask her ”mom” questions or listen to other parents talk about their love for their children they would just say…its indescribable. Never has a word been more accurate and more inadequate all at the same time. When I try to describe how much I adore this little person the Lord has blessed us with, there are no words. He is simply indescribable.

Gage Matthew Kelch made his way into the world at 1:19pm on February 14, 2011 weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces and 19 ¾ “ long. Welcome to the world my little Cupid; you have completely stolen your parent’s hearts!

Week #37 1/2

I never pictured myself as a stay at home mom. Throughout the entire pregnancy I have often thought what in the world will I do for 6 whole weeks at home with a new baby. I was convinced I would go nuts being at the house with nothing to do other than take care of a sweet Peanut. No fires to put out, no daily interaction with the girls at the office I have come to know and love…what would I do?? When Dustin and I toured the hospital where we will deliver Gage Matthew I got my first taste of "OH"…the babies in the nursery were so little and so sweet…I tried to fast forward time to 6 weeks later and picture them going to daycare and my heart skipped a half a beat.
Last week when our "nanny" bailed I panicked. How in the world would be afford daycare..the ones near the house were so expensive..and even if we miraculously could afford it..would they have a vacancy. Last year when we found out we were pregnant they were already on a waiting list. In a bind, I called the daycare we liked a lot last year hoping for a miracle. They had ONE vacancy!! I went by there last night and I really liked what I saw. The place was spic and span..they knew every kid and their parents by name. The lady that runs the infant nursery is a little grandma lady that has been with this daycare for over 10 years…they have a strict curriculum that they follow and they really try to teach the kids as much as they can. They are very strict about keeping the day-care environment as close to the home environment as possible. There was nothing I didn’t like..and YET…I walked out of there in a flood of tears and could not gain composure for a good 30 minutes. Dustin met me at the door and scooped me up and just hugged me until I stopped. All I could say or think was he's too little..I cant leave him! All the things people told me over the years were absolutely right and I was thinking what am I going to do. I have never left D-marie at a shelter when we went on vacation because I didn’t want her to be scared and confused..and now I am supposed to leave this little tiny bundle??? That I absolutely adore more than anything???
I thought about it all night, talked to a lot of my mommy friends, and even went over the perks of daycare with Dustin and felt much better! In fact, this morning I feel like taking him to daycare where they have seasoned professionals, a structured curriculum, and they monitor his progress seems like a better place for him than home with me. I can offer him all the love in the world..but I don’t know how much tummy time he should get, and how keen his motor skills are or are not. And lets face it..if he starts falling behind, I wont even notice because I'll be too busy powdering his fanny and smothering him with kisses. So, what was a really lousy situation now has a ray of sunshine shining through. I just surprised myself immensely with the way I felt. I didn’t expect that sort of reaction from me. Looks like motherhood will bring out a whole new me : )

And now..another letter to Gage from my Dad! He sends me a "TGIF" email every Friday..this was this past week's entry. Enjoy

Tiny Gage Incubates Fully!

Good morning little buddy! How are you and your Mommy feeling today? Did you play all night long or let her get some sleep? What a good boy!
I hope you enjoy your remaining time being snug as a bug in her tummy and spoiled rotten. It won’t be very long now that you come out of your perfectly controlled and self contained environment. No, it does not stay 98.6 degrees out here all year round. And no, the magical tube that feeds you 24/7 won’t be hooked up forever. The other end of it that whisks away all of your little biological waste will be gone too….
Sounds terrible? Not really.
There will be lots of new people for you to meet. Mainly that guy with the deep voice that keeps talking to you through the wall of Mommy’s tummy. He is REALLY looking forward to having you around. He helped to make you! And your Mommy is an absolute sweetheart and wants to share you with him.
And he is not the only one looking forward to your debut into this world! You have a big family awaiting! We are all anxious to see you!
It may be dark and warm and cozy and easy living where you are right now.
But you will find that there are more people waiting to helping you along. Yes, we all plan to help keep you warm. Keep your tummy full. And even clean up your stinky little messes. (Yes, your poop smells. You will discover that too once the vacuum tube is gone.) We will rely on you to interact with us to let us know when you are hungry or if the cotton and plastic wrapper around your posterior needs to be replaced. You can rely on us to respond so that you will keep growing, won’t smell offensive and your nether regions won’t chap. At first you will need help with these things, but I promise it gets much better after that!
Right now you are restricted to a small but very comfy space. You have depended upon one special and loving lady to carry you this far. There are a lot more people for you to meet! We all look forward to being a part of your life. You will get to trade that warm little room for a great big world. There will be no limits on what you can do now! A lot more space to play! And the family that awaits you will enjoy watching you take your first steps (literally) into this life and seeing the magical discovery of this new world through your eyes!

I’ll be seeing you soon!

With love,
Gramps

Week #36

Once again..a lot to catch up on. A couple weeks ago Dustin and I attended a birthing class at the hosoital where Gage will debut. It was a crash course on all things pregnancy and delivery. I knew quite a bit of the topics covered in class from various talks with friends, or from my lovely books...but I think it was a good class all the same and I know Dustin learned a thing or two : ) At one point they had the "delivery" video and I kept urging Dustin to leave the room..I kept telling him once you see this you cant undo it : ) He stayed, and to my relief the video was not near as graphic as I had anticipated. The class ended with a visual sensory excercise and I will spare you all the details...it was hysterical and horrifically awkward all at once. If you really care to know, ask me in person! It does make for a rather comical story.

This past weekend, week 35 my mother in law came into town from Dallas to help me get the nursery all put together and finalized. I had one of the best weekends of my life. It started out Friday night with dinner at one of my favorite hole in the walls with my mom and mother in law..two of my absolute favorite ladies in the whole wide world. I LOVED being surrounded by two people that I love the most and its a rare occassion (actually this was the first time) I had them both all to myself one on one and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dustin was away that weekend on a fancy hunting trip so it was just the girls and oh so perfect. Jolene, a recent grandma to my nephew Colton, was well versed in all the latest baby gear / necessities. My mom and I were still rather clueless in this department so I was happy to have Jolene's help and input. I would like to reiterate just how truly lucky I have been through this pregnancy to have such wonderful people around me...from friends to family, and my amazing husband..I really dont know what I would have done without you and I have never felt more blessed! While Jolene was in town she kept asking what else I needed from Babies R Us..I honestly could not think of a single thing...so we made our way over there on Saturday anyways to return some clothes that were duplicates and just see if there was anything I had forgotten......$472 later I was REALLY set!!! LOL..it amazes me how much STUFF little people need. Gage's closet has now overtaken two rooms upstairs and I still foresee furture storage needs. How can one teeny tiny little person possibly need this much stuff! But they do! : ) Jolene and I cut the tags off all the clothes, blankets; and nighties and washed them in special baby soap and put them away. I never thought doing laundry would be so incredible. I enjoyed washing every tiny sock, bib, recieving blanket, every article of clothings. There were more oos and awwww's that weekend! I was truly touched by how fortunate we are to have Gage to have such incredible gifts from so many people! WE ARE LUCKY!! I have posted some pictures below of the outcome of Gage's room..its finally almost done. I am waiting on one more wall hanging to come in, and still waiting on Dustin to finish that dresser, LOL..and thats it folks..we are ready to rock and roll!

This past Wednesday we went to see the doctor for our now weekly check ups. I had been feeling "funny" for a couple days so I was anxious to have her check me. Despite some of the symptoms I had been having, Dustin and I were blown away to hear what she had to say...not only had my symptoms been spot on and my body working as it should (which still fascinates me that your body knows to do all this tuff) but I am already at 2cm!!! My Dr. advised me of a long list of items that I should not do for the next ten days..including walking, eating spicy food, stairs, etc. I am to prolong Gage's debut until week 37, and then she will let me deliver at any time. Before 37 weeks babies are considered pre-term so thats the reason she wants me to hold him in : ) I am doing the best I can and followed doctors orders. Week 37 is this coming Saturday, Jan 29th... We have our next doctor's appointment this coming Friday, I am anxious to see what she says then. At our last doctor's appointment, aside from finding out we are on our way...we also had an ultrasound that let us know Gage is already 6 pounds 4 ounces. Thats amazing to me the technology these days. The nurse tried to get a profile picure of Gage but he was being so shy and had his head buried into me. Imagine that, I have a shy boy...I think we all know which parent this trait is from : ) And it aint me! Ha! The one appendage Gage was very proud of though was his TT...that we have 4 pictures of...so thank you Gage...no pictures of your sweet face..but I have 4 solid pictures that prove to us once again you are certainly ALL boy! This will no doubt be used against you one day...I see slideshows at your wedding in the future : ) Kidding..not really!

We cant wait to meet you little Gage Matthew..time is a tickin! : ) Love you

Week #34 1/2

Goodness so much to catch up on again. I really do need to get better about this blogging stuff. So as promised in the blog below...I do have a funny story about Dustin and I.
In the beginning of my pregnancy, around week 18 or so I wasnt showing very much at all and I was pretty self conscious about this, that my tummy was smaller than what I had thought it would be at that phase. Dustin knowing how much I worried about this in the beginning must have filed this tid bit away : )

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago..week #32 and I am big as a house. Feeling all and all pretty down on myself, I was on facebook one evening and was pleasantly surprised to see that I wasnt all that big in comparison to some people I knew. I was either right on track or maybe a wee bit smaller. I was thrilled! I literally had been feeling like a whale lately so to see that this was not the case made me happy. I showed my sweet husband a picture of this particular individual who happened to be showing a wee bit more than me. I said to him, look she is bigger than I am dont you think? He promptly replied, no not really. I frowned and sat quietly next to my husband on the couch. He could tell I was upset and asked what was wrong. I quietly said, well...I guess I just dont see how big I am.... He again retorted, no you dont. Now I wanted to beat him : ) After seeing my reaction he picked up on the fact that times had changed, I was now happy to be small and he quickly back tracked...we both laugh about it now...but he was almost found himself in poopie diaper duty for 2 months : )

I am feeling..pregnant, but all in all I guess I cant complain. I am just more than ready for little Gage to be here! I am getting really excited about his debut and the opportunity to finally, finally hold him!! One thing that really helped both of us get excited was getting his nursery ready. Although we still have a long way to go...we are much closer now than we were two weeks ago and that helped me feel prepared and ready for Nugget's arrival. Dustin's mom is coming in this weekend to help us finalize all the details and get every last thing done. I PROMISE to post pictures of his nursery on Monday after I have all the last details put in place.

Dustin and I have both been REALLY busy lately with work, family in town, the holidays, and getting ready for the baby. Knowing our schedules would be hectic I asked that Dustin just paint an old dresser that I had, and place it in the baby's room. This dresser has been the baby dresser for 70 years now, and passed down through my mom's family. To say that it had 7 layers of paint may be the understatement of the year...I was in a hurry to get the nursery done and just said, what the heck..whats one more layer of paint? Dustin was having nothing to do with this. He wanted to not only strip it down to bare wood, but put all new hardware and everything on it. So that is just what he did...for the last THREE weeks now! And I'll be darned if he didnt finally get it down to the bare wood. On more than one occassion I thought if he sanded any deeper he was going to sand right through the poor dresser. He was close to being finished and I came out to see the progress. Everything was stripped with the exception of some grooves where the dresser had some detail work. There was old paint left in the grooves still and I was thrilled. I told Dustin that would look great and to please leave it so that when he distressed the dresser to make it look even older, it would have that old paint peaking through. It was at that moment, that I recieved the "you are on poopie diaper duty for a year look" and Dustin explained, through clenched jaw...that he did not just work on this dresser for 3 weeks to distress it. This dresser was going to look brand spanking new even if it was the last thing he did! I decided it was time for me to go back inside and work on my projects and leave him to his : ) LOL...He put the second coat of paint on it last night and I must admit, it looks beautiful!!! It was not the first time I found myself thinking..I am sure glad he didnt listen to me, his way did indeed turn out better. But, dont tell him I think this often!!! Thanks again babe for all your hard work. I know Peanut will love getting his diaper changed on top of your perfectly sanded, ever so smooth, refurbished dresser : )

Baby Bump Week #32!!!

More to come later...including a funny story from Dustin : )

Away in a manger no crib for a bed....nope not here folks...we have a crib!

Tis the season...for PANICING : ) We are down to crunch time folks and I am starting to stress a wee bit about our upcoming wee one! I am in full on nesting mode and getting our nursery all put together. We still have a lot to do! Much more than I would prefer...but thats when I have to slow down and remind myself, we still have 9 weeks or so. Hopefully! Last weekend our crib came in and Dustin and I decided to put it together Sunday night. This was somewhat fitting for the evening since Sunday marked two years since we had our first date. I reminded Dustin of the significance of the date and we both commented on how we couldnt think of anything else we would rather do to mark the occassion...than sit in our baby's room, eat gourmet cupcakes that I picked up to note the day, and put together our baby crib. Dustin also took note of just how lucky we were to have this "chore" on our never ending to do list. As he said, not everyone gets to do this, and some would give everything they had to be able to have a baby so we needed to stop and recognize just how lucky we are. And boy are we lucky!! I am blessed beyond words to have the priviledge of being a mother. But I cant help but be the most joyful over my marriage. I have always wanted first and foremost a happy marriage!! Followed by a home, a baby, and a successful career...in pretty much that order. The home and baby would have never been possible without Dustin by my side..not to mention it is a HAPPY home and we both know first hand just how important that is. So on a once again very sappy note..I would like to thank you again Dustin for making all my dreams come true and for being so very, very good to me. You are more than I could have ever hoped for! Being your wife and now the mother of your son is the biggest honor God has ever blessed me with! THANK YOU...and HIM!!

Not much else to report on this week...I am definitely passed the point of being uncomfortable. The back aches, the tight tummy, the swelling, feeling FAT, the whole nine yards are in full effect. Thank goodness though I am in the home stretch. The other not so pleasant side of pregnancy has been my hormones (yet another reason why Dustin is a saint..I have been a peach lately, ha ha) I am not angry or mean or anything like that...more like a class A whiner about how uncomfortable I feel...and I worry about the dumbest things all the time. I worry about liking the baby and him liking us. I worry about how I will cope with the lack of sleep...delivery pains...nursing, taking care of the baby, being a good mom, knowing what to do, adjusting to life with a wee one, and to be honest...how this baby will effect my oh so wonderful marriage. Will it bring us closer, will it be a hinge between us, will we be good parents, will we enjoy being parents. Basically, to quote my Dad..I am fearing the unknown and this is all perfectly normal. Its just so weird to me that life changes FOREVER in a matter of weeks. To all my mommy friends out there reading this, please feel free to comment and tell me I am crazy!! I could use the reassurance!

We have another doc appt on the 17th...then we start going every two weeks! That part is exciting. Thinking about Peanut's "eviction" and the day he joins the world does bring a huge smile to my face and a warm feeling to my heart. And as I look at our tree each night I see Christmases yet to come with bikes, Tonka trucks, and other toys under the tree and I cant help but feel giddy. Christmas is so magical with children! Dustin and I have also been reflecting back on our own childhood Christmas memories and that too makes us that much more anxious to welcome our little one into the world. Merry Christmas all, and Merry Christmas Gage Matthew...we'll see you in no more than 70 days....wow! : )

Oh, enjoy the pics from a few of my baby showers! : ) Thank you all again for all your generosity!

Thanksgiving, Showers, and Thanksmas....Oh My!!!!

It has been a busy last two weeks in the Kelch household!! On Nov 13th two of my friends hosted one AMAZING shower for my closest friends and family. Little Gage and I made out like bandits with strollers, monitors, jumparoos, bouncy seats, pack-n-plays, bedding, and the CUTEST clothes anyone has ever seen. We are truly, truly very spoiled!! That shower was followed by Thanksgiving at our house, and then another shower hosted by my sister in law and 2nd "grammie" Last Saturday we also celebrated "Thanksmas" with Dustin's family. The majority of Dustin's family lives out of town so it was great to get together with everyone and visit and catch up. The shower was that morning and then dinner that evening. Needless to say, maternity pants came in handy that day. If there is one thing Dustin's family can do, its cook! Holy moly, everything tasted DELICIOUS! And the shower was so incredibly cute...pics to come. Not one detail was left undone and I really appreciated all their efforts. I felt so spoiled and so loved. Dustin and I had MUCH to be thankful for these last two years, God has truly, truly blessed us.

I also started a new job...yet again. I know, I know...but this one seems to really be up my alley and I hope to be here for a very long time! Everyone in the office is fantastic, I enjoy the work, and things are good....but busy. But I am LOVING it.

Dustin and I ordered the crib yesterday, and our bedding will be in on Jan 4th..the nursery is REALLY coming together..courtesy of all our loved ones and their overwhelming generosity!!

Above is a pic of our little Peanut's bedding. I really cant thank you all enough...from co-workers, to friends, to family...the gifts were just unreal!! Thank you all soooo very much

Our next doctor's appt is on Dec 17th, and after that we start going every two weeks. Our little Peanut will be here in 11 weeks or less...where has the time gone? At our last appt the doctor said everything looked great...he is just growing, and KICKING, and getting chubbier in there. Other than that everything is developed and he weighs about 3 pounds already.

Baby Bump week #25!

Its getting BIG!! : )

Adventures in babysitting! And our last goblin free Halloween!

Has it really been 2 weeks since my last post? Oh goodness folks...you all are gold for putting up with me. Well let's see...where to start catching you all up. The nursery is DONE..well..done with the painting portion! Dustin and I finished painting the nursery last weekend. It was quite a job. We ended up short changing our paint, having to go back and get more. Got stuck in traffic for an hour due to wrecks and road closures..made it to Lowes to wait in line at the paint desk for 30 minutes. Finally made it home to finish painting after 2 hours away. Goodness...painting one room took us all day! This time last year we painted our entire downstairs in a weekend it seems. We laughed as we brought the nursery painting to an end and said baby #2...hope you like blue or white, because we're never painting again. But of course, we all know thats not true.

Last week a friend of Dustin's needed a babysitter for a couple hours. He went to high school with this girl, and I have grown quite fond of her. She lives in our area and will also be the person that keeps our precious Peanut when I go back to work from maternity leave. Anyways, she has 2 kids of her own, around ages 2 and 1. I offered to watch them for a couple hours last week and boy did Dustin and I have fun. They were great kids, they took it easy on D and I. We must have had that rookie look on our faces. We played with them for an hour after their parents left...that was all under control. I fed the baby while her older brother picked at his fish sticks. Aubri, the one year old was a great eater and I enjoyed spooning tiny bites of squash and mushed bananas into her little mouth. She was so cute. After dinner we played a few more minutes and then it was bath time. Saying that these two got a bath was well...not the most accurate statement. It was more of a dunk...with a whole lot of wiggling, laughing, and playing on their part. I think more water got on D and I...and the floors and walls of the bathroom then on the kiddos...BUT..they had a good time..and they did smell sweet afterwards. I took the baby out first and got her ready for bed, but I couldnt find a towel at first so for a half a second she is just being held in the air dripping wet, while I try and grab the nearest towel LOL. I left Dustin in the bathroom with the 2 year old boy to supervise him and finish "dunking" him. Once I got the baby changed, diaper on, and in her jammies Dustin brought big brother in. He patted him dry and we got ready to put his diaper and jammies on...when all of the suddent the cold air must have been too much for little guys and he started tinkling right there in the middle of the room. My expression must have said it all..Dustin immediately saw what was going on...scooped the lil guy back up and wrapped him in a towel...he panicked and asked me what to do...I had no clue..so he just ran to the bathroom with him and sat him down on the potty. It was hysterical. In the mean time, the little girl had quite a runny nose so I decided to get one of those suction boggie things to help clear her nasal passage. She was very cooperative and didnt fuss or wiggle or anything when I put the little contraption up her nose. I squeezed and she jumped back and laughed. Dustin looked at me and shook his head...he said..you know you are supposed to squeeze that before you stick it up her nose...that way when you release the squeeze it suctions all the congestion out...you my dear, just blew a bunch of air up her nose. OH no!! I felt terrible!! At least the little sweat pea laughed when I did this...again..she must have known to take it easy on me. Shortly thereafter the parents came home to rescue their kids from us LOL...Dustin and I laughed..and once we walked into the door of our own house..we looked at eachother with a smile and said..we have a lot to learn! Boy was that the understatement of the year! I will say this though..I knew it already, but watching Dustin with those two kids warmed my heart through and through. I have no doubt he will be an excellent father and I am so very lucky to have kiddos with this guy. Now..if poor Gage can bear with having Lucille Ball as a mother for just a bit, I promise I will learn all I can and take good care of you little guy.

This past weekend we also celebrated Halloween! Dustin and I sat outside with our bowl of candy...and our mini mutt and greeted all the trick or treaters (and good grief were there a lot of them) Day-Z was the perfect pooch not growling or barking at anyone. D and I are growing more and more certain every day that she is going to be a great dog to Gage. We laughed at all the little goblins that came by and talked about how this time last year we were both sitting outside with a cocktail watching all the little kids gather candy. This next Halloween we will be joinnig the ranks of parents tirelessly treking up and down the streets gathering mounds of candy with our very own little goblin. My how things change in one year....and we wouldnt have it any other way!!

In two weeks I have my first shower, and I cannot wait...except..I cannot find anything to wear! I hope to tackle that this weekend and find the perfect, fabulous frock that will hi-lite my little Gage...but still make mommy look like something other than a big bloated person. One thing is for sure...I am SO excited to see some old friends and catch up with family I havent seen in far too long. I am so blessed to have such incredible people in my life! This coming weekend also marks the start of deer season..so...that means...so long Daddy DK...we'll see you after you nab the big one! Dustin spent this past weekend doting on me again. Imagine that. He took me shopping for new clothes and told me to buy everything I loved that fit now, and would have room to grow, practical guy that he is : ) I literally tried on 36 shirts...he calmly, patiently sat on a bench outside the dressing room and didnt grow restless, rush me, or anything. (I think it helped that he had the Texas Tech game going on my phone, which kept him occupied) But still, he happily opened his wallet at the register and kissed me on my cheek and told me how beautiful I was and he hoped I liked my new threads! I dont know what I did to deserve him! Thank you honey!

On a different note, there are so many exciting things coming up...showers, Thanksgiving, Thanksmas, another shower...its exciting times! I will post pics tomorrow evening of my baby bump, which is in full effect, and little G's nursery! Love to you all....

DReeaaaaaammmmm....dream dream dream....

Its official...I have a case of the antsy pants....I cannot wait to meet our tiny little person. Its finally starting to sink in that we are indeed having a baby! I think this sudden "sink in" is being helped along by the fact that we have officially started work on the nursery! This past weekend Dustin and I decided to go get paint samples from Lowes for Gage's room. Dustin being the brains in this duo, mentioned that maybe we should get the curtains before picking out paint, since the curtains might heavily dictate the paint. Well, what a novel idea : ) I told you he was the brains! Except...the brains did not anticipate my next move...dragging him store to store to find said curtains! Ha ha! At one point I said lets run in to Pier One and see if they have anything. Dustin's retort was, I think I am being dooped..this store doesnt even have curtains you just want to go in here. Wrong!! Not only did we find the perfect set, this set was on CLEARANCE! Got to love a good deal, right? So curtains in tow, we were off to find the perfect paint sample. Six, yes six (thank gosh for those little sample sizes) paint samples later we found the perfect shade of blue to adorn our Peanut's walls! I will post pictures soon of phase 1 of Gage's room. Right now the room consists of 6 or 7 paint samples on the wall...the curtains are hung so I could see them in all their glory for comparitive purposes...and Gage's name is painted in a light blue paint, courtesy of his Daddy. The room is completely cleared out and the base boards and ceiling are taped off and ready for us to roll on a coat or two. Now we just need one extra weekend to get it all done. I have our furniture all picked out. Ironically the PERFECT crib for the room was at Target/Wal-mart. Its made by Graco and its called the "Lauren" crib...how funny is that? Picture of it below. I still need to find the bedding...but other than that, we are ready to go. I have the wall pictures picked out as well...but mums the word on those still..pics to come at a later date.

In addition to getting the nursery ready this past weekend, we celebrated my birthday with my family. My god parents hosted a nice dinner at their home, complete with my all time favorite chocolate cake!! And...I got some great gifts. My grandma and papa gave me all kinds of Ghiradelli chocolates to curve those chocolate cravings...as my grandma said on the card, "sweets for her sweet" My Aunt Debbi got us some very cool baby proof gear for the house. Score! My god parents got us our pack and play which will no doubt come in super handy on trips to see our family and show off our new addition. Dustin and I are so blessed, and the influx of baby gear has us even more excited about Gage's arrival. One thing I may mention....while sitting at dinner with my family we all started to recall how different things were when we were growing up. One of the most fascinating recollections for me...was my Grandmother talking about when they had kids (only 50 years ago, not that long really) they would just put the baby in the front seat of the car next to them and drive with one hand on the baby, and one hand on the wheel. No car seats, seat belts, none of that..just a swaddled baby on the seat of the car. My Dad mentioned a strap in the backseat of the old 52' Pontiac that was installed so the kids could stand on the seat and hold on. My, my, how things have changed : ) I also couldnt help but take note that Grandma didnt have an epidural the FOUR times she gave birth...whew...I fell in love with that woman all over again...my heart goes out to people that gave birth before this great new invention. I thought about how they just dont make things like they used to...including women..those were some tough cookies in not so long ago times.

I am also dreaming about our little nugget...which further adds to my antsy pants. Last night I dreamed that it was "D day" aka delivery day. I had no recollection whatsoever of getting my epidural or pushing or anything...? Just one minute Gage wasnt there, the next, there he was. Strange...! However, I find it extremely hilarious that even in my dream I made sure to get that epidural!! The part of the dream I loved most was when they brought my angel to me. He was PERFECT! He looked just like Dustin!! He had dark hair, and Dustin's great skin coloring with one tiny little curl towards the front of his head. All of the doctors kept commenting on how big he was, and how tall. (Guess I will put these big child bearing hips to use afterall LOL) I was so proud of him, he was so perfect, except one little thing. In my dream he had something wrong with his belly button? They had to do surgery to make his belly button look right and it was all bandaged up so I couldnt see it? Other than that, he was the most beautiful little person you had ever laid eyes on..funny belly button and all! I mentioned this belly button situation to my Dad this morning. He laughed at how absurd my dream was and then asked if we needed him to wait in the wing to cut the cord. He said he did good belly buttons, just look at Ashley's (he didnt get to cut my cord) I must admit...that kiddo has one cute belly button (but everything about my sis is adorable) I told Dad to wait in the wing..but I have full faith in DK's cut the cord abilities : )
Sigh...I cannot wait to meet Gage and kiss his sweet skin and hold him close!!

Other than funny belly button dreams and feeling excited things are going great. I continue to feel Gage move around in there and it still brings a smile to my face every time. I can feel that he has gotten considerably bigger from his movements. He takes up a lot of room in there already! I have my next Doctor's appt on Friday at 3pm to see how our Peanut is progressing. I will keep you all posted about what the doctor says. Only 4 1/2 more months to go!! I hope with the approaching holidays it flies by!!

Just a quick update : )

It was a great birthday weekend surrounded by good food, family and friends. My sis cooked a fabulous steak for the family Saturday night, my Dad made Gage and I a really nice dinner complete with a very cute cake..and although it was one of the more melow birthdays I have ever had..it was really nice. Sunday my mom made a really good home cooked, stick to your ribs kind of meal that put both Gage and I in a food coma. Our tummies were happy campers : ) Dustin surprised me with a new fancy smancy Nikon camera for my birthday and I LOVE it! He done good again : )

I continue to feel our little peanut moving around in there. I am starting to get used to his schedule already. He is active about every 3 hours now. Guess I had better sleep while I can. Dustin has been able to feel him moving around. His movements are still really light and you have to be patient to feel him kick externally...but its there!

I thought I would post a quick synopsis of what is going on with Gage right now and how much he has grown...followed by a recent pic of my tummy! This was the 21 week update..I am now at 22 weeks! Happy reading....

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better.

My tummy at 21 weeks

I FELT THE BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Thats how I feel right now!! Totally, completely, beyond words over the moon EXCITED!! Elated!!! OK, OK the whole story.....last night I went to have dinner with my Dad. Dustin was having dinner with his best friend so Dad and I decided to have a daddy daughter date night. I mentioned to my Dad on the way to the restaurant that the one thing I REALLY wanted for my birthday was to feel the baby move. He was surprised (like many) that I hadnt felt the baby already. I explained to him how nervous I had been about this....most people I know felt the baby at 16-18 weeks...here I was going on week 22 and nothing! I had actually mentioned to Dustin that I was nervous (OK really scared) that something had happened to our lil nugget and thats why I couldnt feel him. Dustin kept assuring me that there was nothing to worry about and Gage would "kick" at the right time.
So at the wee hours this morning my precious princess decided she wanted to get in the bed. Sometimes she and I host covert operations to sneak her in the bed without Dustin knowing. Well, last night she wanted to sleep right next to Dustin's head...which his allergies were having no part of. Not to mention...how can you be stealth when you're butt is parked next to Dad's head. So, we both kicked her out of the bed and I laid there trying to get comfy again when all of the sudden I felt it...It was just like everyone said it would be....a little butterfly feeling. I thought, this is too good to be true and figured it was just gas. I waited a few more minutes and then there it was....no mistaking that! THAT "bam" was definitely the baby! I jumped up in bed and told Dustin, "I felt the baby, I felt the baby!!" He sat up and asked, "do you think I can feel it," I told him I dont know try. So he placed his hand on my tummy and we sat there perfectly still. I was even scared to breathe...I wanted to feel it again so badly. Then all of the sudden..KICK...Dustin felt it too!!! Then the acrobat show really started...we laid there watching my tummy move every which way for about 30 minutes. SOOOOOO AMAZING!! I was so excited I told D I wanted to call everyone right then. I literally wanted to go knock on every one of our neighbor's doors and tell them I felt the baby move!! I started writing this blog in my head before the sun ever thought about coming up. I have never been so excited in my life! This was even cooler than when we found out Gage was going to be a boy...this was amazing, I cant stop saying that! : )

Last year on my 27th birthday, I got a house and an engagement ring from Dustin. We have all razzed him about how he would never top that birthday. This morning we laughed, and I told him somehow he had pulled off the unthinkable...this had definitely surpassed last year!! So DK, what are you going to do for my 29th? : )

This is hands down the most incredible feeling I have ever experienced...BEST. BIRTHDAY. EVER!! Big thanks to you all for being such a tremendous part of my life this past year...its been a heck of a year!! And my precious little angel Gage Matthew Kelch...THANK YOU for the best birthday present ever. I couldnt have asked for a more amazing, perfect gift. God is GOOD!

The 50 yard line and the case of the tiny body snatcher!

The half way point of this pregnancy..woo hoo!! A little over a week ago I hit the half way point, the 20 week marker..and goodness was I happy to see this milestone. Not only do I get the satisfaction of knowing I am half way through (is that really possible, where did the time go) this second trimester also brought with it, a much needed sense of normalcy! A little over a month ago I woke up with a serious case of morning sickness...which was odd for me because I normally got sick at night vs the morning. Then that night I felt awful again. The next day was a Saturday and I remember feeling great the entire day and I was so relieved to feel better. Then the next day was another good day, and then the next, and the next and so on..and what do you know...a whole month of feeling good! Its incredibly odd to me that one day the nausea is a double dose of eww...and then the next day, nothing and its gone for good? The last 2 weeks I have felt GREAT! My energy levels are back up, I can sleep at night, Im not getting up 4 times a night to use the restroom...aside from the doctor reassuring us that baby Gage is fine and my pretty constant weight gain, I wouldnt even know I am pregnant...Well, let me take that back. I still have a serious case of food adversions...Gage is very clear still about what he will and will not eat and chicken is still a DEFINITE NO. So, that lets me know our lil Peanut is still very much in charge of momma's body for now, the lil body snatcher : ) But otherwise, we have quite the lil trooper in there. So much so that 2 weeks ago I decided I was up for a girls weekend in San Antonio. I met up with 5 of my closest girlfriends and we headed for the Riverwalk. Gage and I were champs on Friday night. We hung out with the best of them while we sipped on our club soda and lime or just plain old water. The next day we all got up went shopping, had a nice lunch and then laid out by the pool. While my friends were sunbathing Gage and I fell sound asleep in the sun. Im talking full on REM sleep, dreaming, drooling, the whole nine yards. That evening we all went to dinner and I felt brave. Chicken fajitas sounded absolutely fantastic. I went ahead and ordered them and as soon as they made their way to the table I knew I was mistaken. Gage was having no part of those fajitas. I paid my $24 tab and told the waiter he and the waitstaff could have dinner on me..I didnt even touch it. I felt terribly frustrated. I hate wasting food number one, and I hate having extra attention drawn to me...and my refusal to eat that night at dinner I know had all my friends worried and I hated that. After dinner we wrapped up and decided to go to a piano bar. We made our way through the crowds and inside the bar. Unfortunately San Antonio has not joined the rest of the world on the indoor smoking ban. The smoke, coupled with my growling stomach were no combination and I decided this pup had better pack it in and let the big dogs stay out. After assuring my friends I was fine and pleading with them to stay out and have a good time, I relinquished myself to the hotel where I took a hot shower and put on my favorite pair of stretchy pants. I was still hungry so I decided to order room service. This was a very nice hotel so everything was expensive..but hey, this girl had to eat. I accidentally flipped the room service menu to the kids section and there it was....the $10 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich! I had to have it...right then!! I quickly ordered it on white bread even (I splurged) with a tall side of chocolate milk. The milk alone was $4. After I paid the room delivery charge, and tip, this PB&J with chocolate milk cost me $20...it was the BEST $20 I ever spent. The sandwich was warm but not toasted and the peanut butter and jelly were ooey gooey and oh so delish! Our tummies full, and stretchy pants on...Gage and I were happy campers. We found a good movie on TV and life was perfect! The girls came back around 11pm and we all giggled for a bit before going to sleep. Despite my inability to "hang" and turning in early on a girls night out (a FIRST for me, I am usually the dancing queen) I had a blast just hanging out with my PB&J and baby Gage.



I have had a lot of people ask me how we are doing the nursery so I am posting a pic below. I have a few tricks up my sleeve so I cant reveal everything yet...but..the nursery will look a lot like the pic below. The walls will be blue, the crib white, and I am on a mission to find those chocolate brown and orange curtains. This orange accent color is a huge hit with me right now? I dont know why...maybe its Gage's favorite color and he's subconsciously letting me know? Who knows..but this orange accent color is my new "thing" I am also going to take pictures of hammers and nails and construction type objects and have them printed in sephia print with big white mats. This will give the room a construction theme without it being too "baby-ish"







Dustin and I have been really busy these past few weeks, hence my lack of blogging (which I promise to get better about) but we do plan to spend the next couple weekends painting Gage's room and getting ready for our lil man's arrival. Dustin and I are still so excited!! Dustin sends me emails throughout the day to check in on me and see how I am doing..these emails often start with...how are my babies? I love it : ) I must admit though...it still hasnt really sunk in yet that we are going to be parents...I blame part of this on the fact that I am still not "showing" very much...so the reality of our lil man being in there is still hard to believe. But I know these next few months are going to fly by, especially with the holidays approaching and I know Gage will be here before we know it.



Finally...I hate to end this on a sad note...but I have been thinking and praying about this one little family for quite some time and have to mention them in here. I almost dedicated an entire "reflection" blog to this family but decided I couldnt put in words just how incredibly lucky I feel to be where I am. Before I say more, let me preface this by saying that D and I are blown away by how much our thought process has changed already...about EVERYTHING! For example, I saw a commercial on TV the other night for petfinder.com. The commerical starts with a little girl talking about how she finally got to spend the night in a tent in her backyard, her dad finally said yes...but only because Buddy was with her. The TV then pans over to a 100lb German Shepard...aka Buddy. I laughed, but then I couldnt help but think...oh Gage will never be allowed to sleep in the backyard. Then I laughed at myself..the backyard, really? Should be pretty safe, right? But the thought of my baby in a tent, in the backyard, where anyone could come and get him...I thought I was going to die. Let me also say that I dont leave Daisy in the backyard unattended either. So...I guess you could say I am doomed to be the worst mom ever...poor Gage will be locked in his room with me standing guard so no one can hurt him...EVER! But I am also logical enough to realize...doing things like camping in the backyard are a right of passage, and I have got to learn to let go a little. Im sure I will find the strength...gulp...heavy sigh...somehow..but for now...lets just say I am happy Gage is warm and in my tummy..he will never be safer! OK, so I got off track a bit. In thinking about how to protect your kids, your most precious thing in the world, and just how incredibly lucky I am...I found this blog about this little family. I went to high school with this girl and BOTH of her kids have mitochondrial disease. I wont go in to details but this is an awful, awful disease. Recently, the youngest boy lost his fight to this awful disease and at the age of 4 passed away. My heart breaks for this family. They fought so hard...they went through things no ONE should EVER have to go through. I have always wondered why God takes such little angels...but good things come in little packages and I know he needed a tiny angel and Samuel was just the kiddo. What a remarkable family, an amazing sense of faith, strength and spirit. I dont know what I would do if anything ever happened to my husband, or this tiny life we have created and grown to love (already) more than we ever thought our hearts could love! To make things worse, their older daughter is fighting her own battle with the disease and may not make it either. To lose one is something no parent should ever deal with...to lose both...is just...unimagineable. Or to fight this hard to keep your kids safe. You always think about protecting them from strangers, robbers and the like. But rarely do we think about protecting them from the unknown...and all to often in adults and children alike we take our health for granted until we are sick and then we remember just how valuable it is. Samuel's mother reflects back on his 4th birthday and how all they wanted was a day without needles, without IVs, no hospital visits, no pain....just normal! Having my renewed sense of normalcy back I can definitely appreciate what a gift a day without hospitals must be like. I will wrap this up now, I apologize for the length...BUT...I would like to take this moment to count my blessings (again) I have been blessed beyond words with good fortune, family, friends, health, and of course, you my angel..Gage Matthew Kelch.



If you are reading this, please do me a favor and pray for not only this tiny fallen angel..but for the peace and healing for his family, and to count your own blessings. Each day truly is a gift. Samuel Knight you are a hero and I thank you for putting up a good fight. May this blog be dedicated to you and your spirit, humor, and strength! God speed little one...may you finally find peace!!!

(To read more about this amazing family, click here http://www.missyknight.blogspot.com/)



Finally, I just want to say thank you..for each and every one of my many blessings...and thank you God, for our angel..may he always be happy and safe and trust in you.