GREAT EXPECTATIONS

It sure was a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2009-11-04T18:18:00.001-08:00

Words cannot describe...

2009-10-29T21:11:00.001-07:00

Walker, talker, and fit thrower!

2009-10-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

Desert Camping with the fam
Dustin Theresa and Mia!

Grandpa & Mia

She knows how cute she is!!

Notice the bottom two teeth :)

Nate's Birthday Trip to Sedona

Joey & Mia

Grandpa Hull & Mia

My little Mia turned 10 months on October 3rd and is already walking like she's been doing it for months, she now points to things and tells me what she thinks it is, and surprisingly she throws a tantrum every once in a while when things don't go her way or if I take something out of her hand. Every time I see a newborn I get a little sad because it just flew by way too fast, but on the flipside of that when I see these toddlers running around talking and able to play on the playground I get so excited for whats to come!!
I am so happy that fall is finally here...it was a rough summer considering I couldn't do much "outside" with the baby. Also, it is Nates busy season working long hours! As soon as October came I felt the need to buy cinnamon candles, train for a marathon, take trips to the park, buying Mia cute sweaters and beanies, and plant flowers!! Its amazing what cool weather can do to an Arizonian.
Mia is doing just great, every night Nate and I are in awww by our baby girl, we are so proud and feel so lucky to have her!
SHOUT OUT: Congrats to my brother Dustin and Theresa on your engagement!! You two are adorable, and Mia just loved you both!!

A preview of Mia's 8 Month Shoot

2009-08-06T07:58:00.001-07:00

Fun videos and pictures!

2009-08-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

Update!

2009-07-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've been getting on to myself lately for not posting and feel really bad I havne't done anything since MAY!!! Wow does time fly by when you have a little one that hardley sleeps anymore ;-) "Mia get out of the garbage!!" Oh man does she love that garbage bin! And then when I tell her "no" she goes right back to it..and smiles!! uh oh! I sware Mia changes everyday..doing something new all the time I can hardly keep up! Lately she has started crawling (and is everywhere now), she's also all over in her walker as well. She says "mama" A LOT, she'll even say it why she's whinning...pretty cute!! These days she is pulling herself up and standing holding onto stuff...it would be ok if she held on but sometimes she just lets go and then tries to walk or something!!! Scares me to death!! What a ball of fun she is! Since getting layed off I am really enjoying being able to spend all this time with her.

We took a family vacation to Montana a week and a half ago...had some pretty memorable times, and the weather was amazing!! We visited yellowstone national park, the animals are of abundance there!! We got to relax in some hotsprings, that was a first. We went to a Rodeo for the 4th of July..Mia loved to watch the horses. At the end of the rodeo they had a pretty cool firework show, amazingly Mia was in Awww by it and then fell asleep!!! My favorite part of Montanta the visit to my aunts friend who owns and trains wild animals...we got a personal tour of the many animals (grizzly/black bears, tiger, snow leapord, lion, wolves, bobcats, mountain lion and more!! Mia was very intrigued by the animals and the noises they made! We have lots of pictures from the park, but unfortunately we are not alound to post them over the internet.
However I have tons of pictures from Montana that I will be posting VERY soon...so come back agian soon!

2009-05-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

2009-05-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

2009-05-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Before I was a Mom...

2009-05-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom ...

I will do anything to make her laugh!! Enjoy!

2009-04-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my bad camera skills, in my own defense though I have to hide the camera otherwise Mia will just stare at it.

Fun Pictures!

2009-04-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Mia's First Easter!!!

2009-04-15T10:44:00.001-07:00

Trip to the park =)

2009-03-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Mia says Hi to everyone!! =)

2009-03-03T14:15:00.001-08:00

I think she might be teething...

HAPPY 3 Months my sweet sweet baby!!

I am such a proud mama!! You are the best baby in the whole world, and I am so happy you are all mine...and nates =) Im having so much fun with you, you make me smile a million times a day, and you smile right back at me....you don't just have a smirk on your face either...its wide open smile (the cutest ever) I always love to show you off to others and put you in cute clothes! I like you in blue cause in brings out your deep blue eyes! However the outfit your wearing in the above pics is one of my favorites. Anyway, I love that your a girl...can you tell!?!?!!! Every morning when we wake you we tell you good morning, and it always seems to make you smile and put you in a good mood! We do lots of tummy time and your very good at lifting your upper body up!! You are so smart too....you mimic things that I do...like sticking the tounge out, or opening the mouth up!! You love it when your diaper gets changed....I think you think its your time to talk ahahah. You also love your baby massages and bathtime...you like to relax and enjoy the moment =) You have changed our lives dramatically and we are loving every minute of it!! Dad seems to think you like it went he sings his crazy rock songs...I'm not convinced...but I do know he has your attention while doing it. Everyone thinks your just a doll, and your very luck to have so many people love you. You also have TONS of baby friends...Payton, Sydney, Cyra, Ryan, Joey, Jaxson, and soon to be Carlos. We would also like to thank you for being such a good sleeper...we can put you to bed at like 8 and sleep all night and then we have to wake you up in the morning!!! Oh and how sweet you look sleeping...you have no idea! We love you so so much!!
We love you to the moon and back mi mi's!!!
Mom

Pictures of our trip to Colorado

2009-03-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Getting back into the swing of things...

2009-02-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

With Great Grandma Jonnie

Mia on the bouncy ball

The top photo is of her precious smile, its to die for!!!

So I am now working full time again, it seemed like my maternity leave went way too fast! For some reason I thought Mia would be all big by the time I went back to work hahah. Its been really tough having to leave her to go to work, I never thought it would be THAT hard!!! Mia is always in good hands though....My mom aka Grammy watches her every Tuesday, Auntie Hal and Jacque aka YaYa alternate thursdays...and then she comes to work with me on Mondays and Fridays when I work for Air Max which is the company Nate works for (his sisters husband is the owner and runs the company out of his home) I feel so fortunate to have a schedule like this because I know that most people have to put there kids in daycare 5 days a week. Its working out just perfectly to say the least!!

This last weekend we went to Colorado to visit all of Nates family which was about time! Mia went on her first plane ride and did greeeeaaat!! I was pretty nervous too, but she just fell asleep on my lap. Unfortunately Nates Grandma Ida is really sick, it was so good to see her again and to have Mia meet her. Ida held Mia and kissed her, tried to feed her chocolate, and even laid her in bed with her. Too cute!! Mia finally met her grandpa Hull and her Uncle Eric...she really liked them both!! We had a long layover in Denver where we were able to meet up with Mia's Great Grandma Virginia and Aunt Terry, they just loved our little Mia...Mia and Grandma Virginia are so cute together!! =) I will post pictures of our trip here in the next few days!! It was so nice to see everyone and we hope to go back again soon! Oh and I cannot forget to mention that Mia gave me the best Valentines day present on V-day....she LAUGHED!!! Its official she has the cutest little giggle...I would have never thought she would giggle this early in the game!! Its so exciting cause she does new things all the time....she is such a joy!!!

WHY HELLO!

2009-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

I apologize for slacking on my postings...but with the new baby, holidays, and going back to work..its been busy to say the least! My good friend Catherine came over to do Mia's newborn photoshoot (she is 3 weeks old in the pictures) I hope you enjoy these beautiful pictures, I just love how they turned out. Mia will be 2 months on Tuesday ALREADY!!!!

Our Birth Story - December 3, 2008

On December 2nd Nate and I went to our Doctors appointment to determine what the next step was since I was a week overdue, at the appointment the Dr. monitored her heartbeat and my contractions and they also checked the amount of fluid I had in the uterus. During all these tests Nate and I were hoping they would induce us...we were thinking of things we could say (like Nate going out of town) so that they would induce us SOON. Well to our surprise the Doctor walked in and Nate asked her if she was going to send us to the hospital right then and there...and the Doctor said "I think we can do that, let me call the hospital to check if they have room for you". At that moment I was so excited but VERY Nervous! The doctor came back and said that they could induce me at 7am the next morning. I was so happy to hear that, cause I don't think I was ready to go at that moment =) We went home and was able to relax (at least try to) and hopefully get a good night rest. So Wednesday Dec. 3rd we woke up and met my mom and Aunt Carol at the hospital at 7am. We got to our room where we would soon delivery our baby...it was such an exciting time! It was a long wait before they started anything, about noon or 1pm they finally gave me a pill to help soften my cervix because I was only 1 or 2cm dilated. About an hour or two later they inserted this bulb in me to dilate me to 3cm. About an hour or two later the bulb had came out (meaning I was at a 3cm). Then they started me on pitocin...it started getting late so I told my mom she could go home and get some rest and that I would call her if things started to quickly progress. I was having mild contractions through the night, I remember at around 11pm the contractions were getting a little painful but nothing I couldn't handle =) Nate and I were trying to get as much sleep and relaxation as we could, but it was difficult because nurses would come in every 20 minutes or so to check the monitors and get me to move positions because Mia would be in "sleep mode" as they would call it. They finally took me off the pitocin because my body was able to contract on its own. Around 3am several nurses came in and explained to me that my contractions were one on top of the other and that they needed to give me medicine to slow them down. The medicine they gave me made my heart race to the point I got really scared like something was wrong, but they said it would go away...which it did eventually but then my entire body started to shake uncontrollably I started to cry because at that point I was freaking out with not only the shakiness but also because several nurses and the doctor came in and broke my water and told me the baby isn't moving on the monitors and they were concerned. They left the room I told Nate to call my mom because it seemed like we were getting really close and I needed my mom there, to both of our surprise Mom was awake and getting ready to come to the hospital...let me remind you that this was about 3:30am. Minutes later they were all back in my room notifying me that I was going to have to have a C-Section...I was so confused at what went wrong...what did I do wrong...but I knew I couldn't ask questions because they seemed rushed to get me in the Operating room. I was really scared in the operating room because Nate wasn't with me, I guess he had to get in his dressings and some nurses were going to get him as soon as I had my epidural in. Once Nate came in I felt so much more comfortable and safe...now I'm getting excited because I'm going to see my baby girl whom I've waited so so long for!!! During the operation I could feel a lot of pressure and movement of my body but couldn't feel any pain, and all of a sudden the nurse beside me started to say how beautiful she was. They got her out and took her over to the warming bed, and for some reason I did not see them do this....of course Nate went right over to the warming bed to take get a look at his precious baby. I finally heard her cry for the first time, it was such a relief!!!! I remember trying to bend my head to get a glimpse of her...but there were so many nurses surrounding her that I couldn't see. So I then asked Nate if she's ok, and if everything is ok, he smiled at me and said yes!! At this point I couldn't wait any longer to see her...they quickly brought her over to me and at this moment I remember thinking how perfect she was...but also how BIG she turned out to be!!! After a minute or so, they took her away..I guess to the nursery where Nate followed. They stiched me up and wheeled me into the post op room where I was there for nearly 5 hours by myself. I had a few family members come in to see me and show me pictures of Mia...it was so exciting to be able to see her again, but hard that I wasn't getting the real thing!! After the 5 hours passed they wheeled me into my postpartum room where I would get to hold my baby for the first time! When I got in there I was in so much pain that I started crying because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold Mia. Nate brought her over to me and tried handing her over to me but it hurt to even move any part of my body. Nate quickly got the nurse and told her I needed more drugs...so once that kicked in I finally held her and was just the happiest moment of my life!! Even though I got hit by the C-Section bus (as Catherine would say) I was more relieved that Mia was ok and that she was healthy and just absolutely perfect in every way! The first night at the hospital was the worst and best night of my life....Nate had to leave at 9pm because we weren't aloud to have anyone there after hours. About 11pm Mia started crying uncontrollably, and I couldn't get out of bed to help her so I called the nurse...no one came. I called again and no one came...I did everything I could to get out of that bed to get to her and grabbed her up and laid back down in bed...she was screaming at this point and I felt helpless, so I rocked her back and forth holding her tight as she cried...I then started to cry because of the pain and not being able to get her to stop crying. Even though it was a rough night I truly believed that Mia and I bonded because of this. I knew she needed me, and I would do anything for her! Mia ended up getting a little jhondis where she had to sit under the florescent blue light in the nursery. After a few nights at the hospital we were released from the hospital. It was so nice to finally be at home and begin our new family together =)

Merry Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-22T08:58:00.001-08:00

We are having so much fun over here with out little christmas baby! When they say your life will change..they aint kidding! I am totally consumed with my baby girl, I can't stare at her enough =) Nate and I are so in love with our Mia and can't get enough of her. She is such a happy baby...and even sleeps most of the night--->she must get that from me ;-)

We wanted to wish everyone The Merriest of Christmas' and a happy new year! If you didn't recieve a christmas picture it is because I didn't have your address, so I hope these will do. Love you all xoxoxoxo

Mia Joelle...our precious baby girl!

2008-12-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!! Our Mia is FINALLY here!! I am so thankful that she is one healthy baby weighing in at 8.6 pounds and 21 and 1/4 inches long! Being a mother is more than I ever imagined. I only uploaded a few pictures because it takes so long, and I have to attend to my new little one. Please, if you would like to see the many pictures of Mia's birth-day e-mail me at kdobson16@hotmail.com and I will send you them. Well I must get back to motherhood =)

Thanks to all of you who visited us at the hospital and for all your gifts, flowers, and congrats! We love you all~

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great thangksgiving with great food and your loved ones!! Nates family came down to visit from Colorado for the long weekend so we spent most of our time with them which is the first time I did not spend Thanksgiving with my immediate family. It was a change, but a nice one =) Unfortunately, Nates family was not able to see the baby...I can't tell you how bummed I am about that...but I hope we can make it out to see them in Colorado, or that they can come down again for Christmas!!
I am thankful for so many things right now in my life....and I wanted to share at least some of them with you...

I am thankful for:
Our baby Mia, and that her time in the womb is about to end =)
The look on Nates face when I have any pain --->cause he thinks Im going to go into labor
All of my family and friends, and those of you that have taken those long strenuous walks with me
My wonderful footrubs that Nate gives me whenever I ask for them
My mama for calling me everyday and being there for me
All the strangers that wished me good luck with the delivery...its comforting!

There is so much I could go on forever....LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!
xoxoxoxo

We have a Dr. appt. on Monday at a different facility where they have more equipment to monitor the baby...and then at that point we are going to "talk" about inducing.

Due Date Day!!!

2008-11-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

You get your mind set on this one day... the "due date" for 9 months!! Of course you tend to get your hopes up to have your baby on this day OR EARLIER. I tried to not get my hopes up too much, but poor Nate "expected" her to be here by now, so much that he was too excited to sleep last night. We saw the Dr. this morning, and thankfully we have dilated to 1 cm...doesn't sound like much, but at least we've dilated =) Surprisingly I am not too nervous about delivery day, but I'm sure that will change the minute we get in the car to head to the hospital!!
Well Mia...we are ready when you are!! The house is spotless, your room is finished, your bouncer and swing has batteries and are working, your clothes and blankets are all washed, everything is set up and ready to go!! We are more than ready!! Nate and I think about you every minute and you are all we talk about these days!! We love you so much already!
Ginny is making a scrapbook of the entire pregnancy and she had me write a letter to Mia. It was somewhat difficult since I don't know "how" she is going to change my life...I just know she will. Its a beautiful letter that I will someday give to her to read. I have been dying to see her little face, and Nates face when he holds his first born!! Its such an exciting time right now...I am so overwhelmed with all these emotions!

So... Happy Due Date today ...now its time to go walking hahahah

9 Month Photoshoot

2008-11-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

A very special thanks to Catherine Flynn for taking these beautiful pictures!!! I know I will treasure them forever =)

Catherine has such great talent in photography, I love her style, technique and her bright personality!!!! I highly recommend her!! You can see more of her work by visiting her website at http://pawzpetportraits.com
Thanks again Catherine!!!

5 MORE DAYS!!! =)

Quick Update....

2008-11-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Y'all!

Jacque bought the entire family tickets to watch the Cardinals vs. 49'ers last Monday night for my dads birthday!!
***Congrats to Jacque for finishing her Masters degree!!***
I had to share one of the pictures we took so you could see how close we were to the field (6th row!!) I love football, and Nate obviously is obsessed with it..we had such a blast!!

People have been wondering if I've had the baby yet...and so I thought I would inform you all that there is still no baby YET. I had a doctors appointment today and I guess I haven't dilated, but I definitely am getting contractions (the ones that don't hurt) =) I cannot wait for our little Mia to be here already, I'm so not patient!!! The hospital bag is packed and ready to go, and tonight I'm going to put the car seat in which will be interesting!! =) I had to show the picture of our rocking chair my mom refinished for me. It is so beautiful and VERY special since it was my grandma's rocking chair!! I love it!

Not much else is going on over here except our office is moving to a new location so I'm having to pack up all my things at work, we are looking to move in January, but since I will be on maternity leave its best I pack up my stuff now. Hallie and I were in charge of picking all the interior parts of the new office such as the carpet, granite counter tops, cabinets, paint, and etc... Its going to be so nice!!! So thats it for now...hopefully the next blog will be pictures of baby Mia =)

20 days left...

2008-11-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

We are really getting excited over here to know that we have roughly 20 days until we see our baby girl!! I just can't believe it! I know in some sick way I will miss my belly bump and being able to feel her moving inside of me. The other day Nate and I video taped her moving...and I think someday it will be neat to show her that! I had a Dr.'s appointment yesterday morning.. and as usual I am doing just great! The nurse always remarks how easy of a patient I am...I am so fortunate to have such an easy going pregnancy. Little Mia was measured and is estimated to be about 6 1/2 pounds! I cannot wait to meet her, hold her, hear her cry, feel her, and talk to her!!! She is always on my mind and always will be! This morning Nate came in the bedroom and asked me if I wanted to smile...I was somewhat confused at first so I just smiled at him, he said "come here" and took me into Mia's room and we both just smiled looking at the most beautiful room, and the beauty of knowing your going to have a family very very soon! I love him! *tear*

So I did my American duty this morning and went out and voted. I was hesitant because here I am 9 months pregnant, the last thing I want to do is wait in a line. I left the house at around 8:45 hoping that I miss the crowd. I showed up and there was about an hour wait...so I stood in line, and all of a sudden this angel of a man came up to me and said "come with me"...and took me to the front of the line!!! Its a great time to be pregnant =)

My good friend Christy had her baby Sydney Thursday Oct. 30th weighing at 8 pounds 6 ounces! I went and saw her at the hospital and she is just adorable!!! Perfect baby in every way. When she cried you could barely here it hahaha. I caught her opening her eyes..what a cutie!! I'm leaving here now to go and see her again now that she's home!!!

More Pictures of Mia's Nursery

2008-10-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you mom for creating Mia's cherry blossom tree!!!! I cannot believe you were able to paint that in only 2 hours...you are AMAZING!!!! I am in love with it and I know Mia will just love it too! I've got to say Thank you to Hallie for her help in painting the centers of the flowers too!!! Mom is coming back to my house today because we decided a little blue bird on the tree would finish it off just right plus Mom has to sign her name!

I have a feeling Mia is going to be pretty fiesty!! I say this because she moves A LOT!! Yesterday she was kicking and moving around for 2 hours or so! I'm not sure if thats normal but I was like "geeze! Give me a break Mia!!" Also, there was this one night where Nate and I were sitting on the couch watching her go crazy with her movements and she literally kicked SO hard that Nate practically had her foot in his hand. We both freaked out when it happen..it literally took my breath away and Nate was in total shock with what happened! It was like she wanted out!!

Mia's safe haven....her nursery!

2008-10-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Our First Peek at Mia....

2008-10-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

Nate and I decided a while back that we were not going to do the 3D ultrasound because we got zapped with that enormous bill from our previous ultrasound. A week ago we were sitting in bed wishing she was here already and thinking of what she may look like. The anticipation was killing us...so I brought in the laptop and we looked at the prices for 3D ultrasounds..and to our surprise they are only like $100 (with the special). I am so glad we did because It was amazing to see...my eyes watered up with my first glance at her beautiful face! She is absolutely perfect! During the ultrasound Mia smiled at us (picture #4 from the top), SO CUTE! From the ultrasound I think Mia has her daddy's nose, lips and his chubby cheeks. She definitely has my butt chin YAY! In the one picture it looks like she is totally flexing her bicep...Nate is proud of her muscles! =) We were told she has tons of hair..which I learned recently that may be why I have such a bad case of heartburn!
33 weeks ...so we have 6 weeks left!!!!

DRESS THAT BABY!

2008-10-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

One of the baby shower games was called "dress that baby!"....it turned out to be a hit, I was cracking up at everyone trying to put on the babies essentials as fast as they could!! The baby shower couldn't have gone better....I had a great time with everyone, and was amazed at how many people came to share this special day with me. I want to thank Mom for hosting the get together as well as Hallie, Jacque, Tammy, Krystle, Mary, and Rick for all your help!!! It was an amazing shower...just beautiful! I have never in my life been so happy and so grateful!!!! I am truly truly blessed with so much!!!

Later that night some friends and I went to see Jimmy Fallon at the Tempe Improv. I felt like I needed to do something I have never done before (before baby arrives)...so seeing a comedian is something I have always wanted to do, but never got the chance. I am obsessed with it now...I want to go next month!! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time...and let me tell ya...being pregnant and laughing hard can be a painful combination. I urge all of you to go sometime and laugh your butt off...humor is definitely one of life's best things!

ROCKY POINT

2008-10-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well its official....this is probably our last vacation for awhile!! We had a blast in Rocky Point and I wanted to share some of the photos with all of you. The second picture from the top is Nate's sister Stasia. And the other couple you see is my cousin Will and Ginny!!!
I am so excited for this weekend....the baby shower!!!!! I have a great surprise for those of you who are coming to the baby shower!!! HINT: I am going on thursday to get it done...and I will show it off with a DVD at the shower =)
LOVE YOU ALL!

Thankful....

2008-09-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

My family is truly a gift to me! For those of you that don't know me very well, I come from a large family. I am the youngest of seven siblings, I have 2 sets of parents, 4 sets of grandparents, and several aunts and uncles on both sides. And thats not even including Nates side of the family....he has 6 brothers and sisters too! I am so thankful to have so much love surrounding me. Today my brother Dustin and his girlfriend Theresa whom reside in Austin had a layover flight here in Phoenix heading to Portland. We got to spend a little bit of time with them today while at work ;-) Its always great to have us four siblings re-unite..even if its only for a few hours. I have very few pictures of us all together, in fact the picture I have of us framed at home looks like we are still teenagers!
It was great to see you Dustin and Theresa! Love you both! XOXOXOXOXOXXO

On a very sad note, over the weekend my best friends great dane "Brooklyn" passed away at only 7 months of age. The cause of death is unknown. She will surely be missed, but we know she is in Doggy heaven! R.I.P. Brooklyn.

Cat, Fish, and Crib....

2008-09-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Nate went deep sea fishing for the first time over the labor day weekend and I have finally downloaded the pictures he took during his trip. He caught a ton of albacore, yellow tail, and 1 dorato (sp?). There may be a picture that doesn't belong....Can you tell which one?!?!? =)

-Melanie this picture is for you since you adore my cat Kenni
-LeAnn, I thought you would like this one too =)
-And for any cat lovers out there

I cannot wait to get home today...my crib is at my door step... FINALLY it has arrived!!
Nate and I have fun together when we have to put things together...we bicker A LOT...but its all funny. Anyway, I am so excited!! ITs like the last major thing left in finishing Mia's room.

Congrats to my friends Megan and Nick who had their baby on Thursday. I visited them at the hospital on Friday to hold the brand new baby "Payton". She was perfect in every way, I am so happy for them!! Let me tell you...It really hit me that day that this will be Nate and I in a few months...its really exciting and surreal NOW!

7 Months Pregnant!!!

2008-09-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

Only 75 days left to go =)

Time is really starting to fly by and before you know it our little Mia will be here! I'm having a hard time bending over now..and its difficult to put shoes on, shaving the legs, and just leaning down to give the dogs love!! These last few months are going to be tough aren't they!?!? I am having the occasional "HOLY COW" days, my rings don't fit, my shoes are tight, my shirts roll up....ah heck, its all funny! I am starting some prenatal yoga with my prego friend tonight...should be lots of fun.

I read up on some facts about how baby is doing at this stage and to my surprise it says that if she was born today...she would have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival. That is insane! You just stay in that womb lil Mia until your fully developed ;-)
Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.

My friend Megan is due any day now, so I hope things go well for her...and I just can't wait to meet her little girl "Payton". The domino effect has just about to begin.

Congrats to my sister-in-law and brother...Tammy and Eric...They are expecting! Cannot wait to find out if its a he/she.

2008-09-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Dad putting together the changing table!

So in the above picture is Mia's room...which we are still working on. I got a lot done over the weekend...and I really cannot wait to show it off. Having no health insurance has caused some problems, we got stuck with a $600 bill for Mia's ultrasound...which is crap since they gave us a $250 estimate! I'm really starting to lean toward Obama because of our helath care system sucks!!

My grandma's sister passed away this morning due to cancer. I love you Aunt May, and you are here in all of our hearts!! I will treasure each day that I am here and not take it for granted...cause we never know how long we have on this beautiful planet!
Love to you all!

California Rolls...mmmmmm

2008-08-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Nate and I went to our doctors appointment for little Mia yesterday...everything about this pregnancy seems to going very smoothly! The only thing is that Nate has a positive blood type and I have a negative blood type. This can cause RH incompatibility between the baby and I. It can be pretty serious because my body can become sensitized against this pregnancy. To avoid this from happening they gave me a Rhogam (human plasma) shot yesterday in my hip...somewhat painful. Nate got to watch the nurse stab me with this large needle right into my hip... he was grossed out to say the least. Its all worth it for my 'lil Mia =) Other than that everything is going great...Mia's heartbeat is strong and steady and kicking like a NFL punter or something! I always try and take the time to spend watching her and feeling her movements...I can now feel bone now...like her heal elblow, and or knee...too neat!!!! I have to get going....California rolls ...here I come!! hahah

6 MONTHS!!!! YAY

2008-08-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am officially 6 months prego...only a few more to go! Not really because Hallie just informed me that 40 weeks divided by 4 is 10 MOTHS!!! How can this be confused with 9 months!!! Goodness. My good friend Catherine was so nice to capture this very happy time in my life....so THANK YOU Catherine...I couldn't be happier with how the pictures turned out!!!! I hope you all enjoy some of my favorite shots that were done! My ultimate favorites are the ones with Nate and I....we are just so happy!!!

Nate and I have been watching a ton of the Olympics, we enjoy the swimming, gymnastics, and diving!!! I saw a quick version of the opening ceremony..and WOW!! These athletes are just amazing to watch...and it crazy to think they are the best in the world and are setting new world records!!! GO PHELPS!!! Its a pretty horrible thing going on with Russia and Georgia...I hope it will end soon...They are killing civilians, woman and children with bombs!! It is dangerous situation over there and must stop! Why is peace such a hard thing to comprehend!!!
Mom came over for dinner last week and we made fried green tomatoes that were so tasty!! Mom is working on a painting for Mia's room...I am in awe by it....there is like a row of ballerinas on point, it is just beautiful!!! Yesterday my mom, Jacque, Tammy, Hallie and I got together for dinner and discussed plans for the baby shower....its going to be such a great time!!!! We have some fun games planned and good morning brunch set up too!!!

I am off on a business trip to California...leaving today and coming home Thursday for a Seminar regarding the new property management software we will be utilizing. I am very excited and eager to finally learn this software as it will basically perform most of the functions in order to manage property.

Gotta run!! xoxoxoxo

Happy Friday Everyone!

2008-08-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Its been a good week, I have been doing a lot with girlfriends which is always fun! I am so grateful for every single one of them, and they make life that much more beautiful!! On Saturday I met with a group of them at Cafe Boa down on Mill Ave...which had excellent food! Some of the girls couldn't help but get baby Mia some cute outfits (Some of them say "High Maintenance" and "bald is beautiful" hahah...they are hanging in my closet and every once in awhile I will go in there and look at them...I can't get over how tiny they are...and I can't get over that I am having a baby!! Its so crazy! Every so often I say to Nate "We're having a baby!" He laughs at me. I don't know what I would do without him sometimes, he makes me so happy! I can't even explain to you the excitement in our hearts for this little baby...I find us talking about it a lot! Today I am definitely having some growing belly pains....Nate says thats a good thing...but man is it uncomfortable! I recently ordered the crib and changer from Walmart...it must be a popular one cause its on back order and won't be shipped for awhile. Im going to make her drapes too....that should be interesting since I've never sewed a thing in my life! I also ordered Mia's bedding and wall letters....I can't wait to get it all together...and then of course I will share pictures with all of you!! My lovely sister Krystle is currently making my baby shower invitations (Thanks again Krystle!!!) but I wanted to mention the date so you can keep it open...OCTOBER 4th @ 10:30am.

Have a great weekend!!!

To my Aunt May, I love you and I'm thinking of you.

Our Trip to Pinetop

2008-07-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some pictures from Pinetop, we had a nice relaxing weekend that was definitely needed!!
Nate and I decided that our baby girl will definitely be named Mia...(even though Nates family dog used to have that name :) Little Mia is such a mover! I feel her all throughout the day and even Nate has got to see her move! I probably look weird when I am starring down at my belly waiting to see her next move, but its so AMAZING I love it! Nate and I are definitely in love with her already, and can't hardly wait to see her!! I had my monthly Dr.'s appointment today that went very well...I really like my doctor even though I have a hard time understanding him. He makes me feel comfortable and hes really really nice. I have gained about 20 pounds already!!! Well enjoy the pictures from Pinetop...we didn't have much luck catching fish but the weather was just perfect! Mom....don't worry, we took it very easy on the quad =)
xoxoxoxoxo

ITS A GIRL!

2008-07-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'M SO HAPPY!!!

Yesterday had to have been the best day EVER! I have been waiting 5 and half months to find out if I am having a boy or girl...and my dream came true yesterday at the ultrasound when the nurse said "its a girl"!! Nate and I are still in love with the name Mia. Yesterday at the appointment ...Mia definitely looked right at us and waived during the ultrasound..it was amazing! I even have witnesses...Mom and Ginny were able to come and meet the baby through technological advances =) It was such a treat to have them there. Mom was so convinced it would be a boy that she had bought camouflage hat and booties to give Nate and I...but to be safe she also had a pink barrette!! I will post the ultrasound pics asap. After the appointment I had to go to Target and pick out a couple of very pink girly outfits and Mia's first stuffed animal. I am about 22 weeks now, so that makes me half way through the pregnancy! Wow has time flied! I have started to "nest" as some would call it...but basically I am getting rid of all my crap and cleaning my house to its fullest potential ;) I have to get rid of our office room to make way for Mia's room...I have no idea where my office is going, but at least Mia has her own room and it will be beautiful!
Nate and I are heading to Pinetop for a little bit of a vacation this weekend to get out of this heat and hopefully do some fishing and quad riding!

Love you all xoxoxox

9 days and counting!

2008-07-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

This is Nates Dads house in Hotchkiss Colorado

Megan's Niece Mackenzie

Colorado was great, I am so glad I was able to go!! It was Stasia (nates sister), Megan (nates niece) and I on the voyage to the oh so beautiful Colorado. We had a bad start however, we missed our flight getting there because we were 10 minutes late in checking in our bags (FYI ...you have to have bags checked in 45min. prior to flight)....it was such a bummer! I got to spend some time with most of Nates' family ..... Mom (Betty) and her husband Steve, Nates Dad (Denys) and his girlfriend Mary Jean, Nates sisters Emily and Jessica and their two boys Hayden and Kieren.

The first day we went to Wal-Mart and walked around the "baby" section which is always fun.... Nate is from such a small town that when you do go to places like Wal-Mart you run into a ton of people and family that you know! Its so different than where I'm from. Megan's half sister came by to see us and showed off her 5 week old baby girl named Makenzie. I was so happy to hold the little doll....Now I really can't wait to have my own little one in my arms. The couple seemed like pros at being parents ALREADY! It was pretty reassuring to say the least. Mom aka Betty had me go through a TON of their family pictures and let me take home any of them I wanted. I brought home so many pictures of Nate and his family growing up, I am so excited to go through them with Nate tonight because he hasn't seen any of them. I now know what my boyfriend looked like growing up...and I must say, he was such a cutie!!!!! I loved going through them and seeing Nate as a kid ...and then imagining what our child will look like =-)
We then visited the dad aka Denys...its so funny because Nate and him are so much alike and have the same type of humor! We spent the day hanging out with everyone and played basketball and just sat around and talked. During the trip I saw 4 deer, one was a fawn....I swear it was Bambi! Overall it was a great trip and I was happy to be able to get closer to Nates family.
Most of them said I'm having a girl.....but Stasia is still set on that it will be a boy. I love getting everyones predictions!

***9 more days until we find out if bubby is a boy or girl!!*******

THE PREGNANCY CRAZE....

2008-07-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

So I get a call yesterday from a very good friend Jenn, whom explains to me that she is PREGNANT!!!! Definitely I'm excited that we will be together in this new chapter of our lives...but let me tell you... this is friend #5 that is pregnant! These five friends of mine are very close with me and I'm thrilled to have them close by, pregnant, and moody with me =)
Heres the countdown *by due dates* of the friends:
My friend Megan is 7 months
My friend Christy is 6 months
I am almost 5 months
Craig is 5 months
Nicole is 3 1/2 months
Michelle is 2 months
and....lastly... Jenn is 1 month

WOW! Unbelievable aye?!?!? There REALLY is something in the water =)

In case you were wondering, our doctors appointment was a relief....they announced that the blood work for down syndrome was normal. We got to hear bubby's heart beat which is always comforting! Our next appointment is July 16th for the "finding of the sex ultrasound".

I am off to Colorado to visit Nates family *without him* = (
I will be gone July 3-6th to go see the Hull and Gagnon families

Blogging.....Why Not?

2008-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

BUBBY @ 18 WEEKS

This is such an exciting time in our life, and we wanted to be able to share that with as many of you that were interested in how the bubby is doing! So why not blog aye!?!? This little bubby is already loved to the max, I am so thankful to have all the friends and family for support ...you honestly make it that much more exciting!!! When you touch my belly I just love it because it assures bubby just how much love he/she has brought to each one of us!

Bubby is the name "for now" for our little one, I got tired of calling it "it" :). We have names picked out ....and hopefully Nate won't change his mind. If bubby turns out to be a boy we would love to name him Wesley Bryan Hull, and if bubby is a girl we love love love Mia Joelle Hull. I didn't have a hard time picking out the names, I saw/heard Mia and I knew that would be the name if we had a girl. Nate has been convinced that we will have a boy, and after I had dreams of bubby, I have a feeling it will be a girl. We shall find out soon and end all this speculation! We have a Dr.'s appointment on Wednesday and then we will set up for the ultrasound appointment then.

I recently graduated college and got my Bachelors in Business Administration in Small Business Management...whew....its great to FINALLY be finished. I have received so many congrats for my achievement, it has really meant a lot to me that you all believed in me :) I have so much more I want to accomplish, and I feel like this is such a huge step for me....

I look forward to keeping you all posted on my life ...and life with bubby. Enjoy the belly pics :)