What a crazy, crazy week.

So...Paul has been working all this week (as he does every week, lol) but of course, with 12 hour shifts we just do.not.see.eachother. End of story. Unless I were to switch my schedule to being away at night, and I do not adjust well to schedule changes. Especially when it would only give me an hour or less with my husband more. Anyways, I SURVIVED. There were lots of tears.

I'm pregnant.

There were lots of "I hate this and we are getting out of the Air Force asap."

Once again: I'm pregnant.

Basically, it was the type of week that if anything could go wrong, it did. For instance, something happening to my phone and me having no way to contact anyone, including my husband, if there was an emergency while he was gone. That, in and of itself was an emergency. You see...pregnancy and being alone just makes me feel really vulnerable. The second thing to happen: My sweet Marley escaped me when I was walking her and Dash. While Paul was gone. And there I was, trying to keep one dog in tow while running after the other...when pregnant. Not fun.

And the next exercise will be for even longer when I will be 34 weeks pregnant. Ummm, DOES ANYONE WANT TO COME TAKE CARE OF ME FOR THAT TIME?? lol. I'm needy and I know it. Don't judge.

Paul and I are starting to think that this military stuff just isn't for us. It's a little too late for that, I guess, but we have options. Just alot to work through to figure out "What next?" I'm the first one to say "Get me out of here!!" with my husband next in line to admit he's not crazy about being here (at this base) dealing with the stuff that goes on here. We live. We learn. And to top it all off, I missed the one concert that I go to every single year. We tried to go late, but the doors were already closed and they weren't letting anyone else in. I just love Paul's schedule. Or not. One thing I hate about pregnancy is my inability to cope with things that I used to be able to dust off my shoulder. The emotions are ridiculous, plain and simple. I get mad. I cry. I get sad. I cry. I feel happy. I cry. I feel overwhelmed. I cry. I cry. I cry. And I cry some more. Goodness!! Other than that, pregnancy is great. Cheers!

Because my husband loves me, he may be taking me to Oklahoma City tomorrow to see the concert that we missed tonight. It will be amazing to get away from the madness that is Shreveport, La. Tomorrow is the Mardi Gras parade. I want nothing to do with it. I hate La right now. lol.

So anyways, that's my venting blog. Now I need to recover for our trip next week. Can't be a basket case when I'm home, can I? Nope, no I can't.

22 week Dr appt.

So I had another OB appointment today. They were ALL good things to report. The cyst that Audrey had 4 weeks ago is completely gone. The perinatologist had predicted that would be the case. Another wonderful thing is that my placenta has moved and isn't low-lying anymore. That means it won't prevent me from having a normal birth, no c-section is necessary at this point. It's also probably why I went from not feeling any movement to suddenly feeling alot. The baby had grown alot. I was kind of in shock at how much she grew in 3 weeks. So I go to see the peri doctor in 3 weeks. Then I see my OB a week after that. After that, my OB will bump me up to more frequent visits. Joy. It can get kind of old going to the doctor so much, but it's so worth it! Another little fact: my next OB appointment is on my dogs' first birthday!!! lol. That sounds silly, but my "firstborns" will be a year old next month. Crazy. Oh how I love my pups. The year has flown by so fast and I can only imagine how it will be and how it will fly by with children.

Well I don't really have a whole whole lot else to say, so I'm gonna nap. I think last night's "emergency" was just too much for me. haha!

Oh how I hate you...

No, not you. It's thing thing called exercises in the military. Anything in normal day to day life comes to a screeching halt, in my case at least. Paul's normal shift leads to him having the crappy 12 hour shift. 7pm-7am. The first time this was the case, I thought it would be *such* a good idea to just get on Paul's schedule...where I stay up all night and just go to bed with Paul when he gets home. That was not fun. It gets sooooooooo lonely staying up all night by myself with no one to talk to, nothing on tv besides infomercials, just bored out of my mind. I did get to spend time with Paul when he wasn't sleeping. That's the only good thing. So now I keep a somewhat normal schedule. Sleep at night, awake during the day. The only problem with this is I will never see Paul. So it's like I'm living the single life with my two dogs in my apartment. Not fun. Just another reason why I do not think this military life is for us. Life here at Barksdale AFB isn't great for Paul's job. 4 more years, though. I can make it. Plus, life is about to get busy with babies.

In other new, things are all set for us to go home. I am SO looking forward to the awesomeness. I'm just praying for a few things. One of them being the baby shower. I pray that it's a good turn out. With certain things coming up, we'll be short on money for a little while, so anything for the baby will be a big help to us financially. God has it under control and I know He provides when it's NEEDED. It's just a matter of what HE sees as a need. Things I might want for Audrey might not necessarily be needed. It's going to be great being home though. Alot of fun to come.

I have another baby appointment and ultrasound on Wednesday. At the time, I'm seeing *someone* whether it be the perinatologist or the OB..every 1-3 weeks. In 3 weeks, its the perinatologist again, then the OB again a week later. I'm gonna feel like I live in a Dr's office.

We move basically 2 days after we get back from Tennessee. Hectic! But I can't wait to get in the new house and start decorating Audrey's nursery. I can't decide whether I want to paint her room or not. I might pick a color from her bedding set and use that. I kind of like the green in the set. That way it would be more of a neutral color for the future....and I love the green color anyway! Weeeeee'll see!

Time is flying and it is very scary at times! Heeeeellllllp.

Bible study

Today was a really good day! I went to the women's Bible study, but before that I got to meet some people in the preschool ministry and kinda see what system I will be putting my child into. The people are so welcoming and sweet at my church! I love it. I wish my husband had a better schedule so he could be more active, but that's beside the point. Duty comes first, unfortunately. Doesn't seem quiiiiite right.

The women in the Bible study are wonderful and welcoming. We're studying and memorizing verses from Colossians right now. Tonight was about keeping your mind and heart on God and and heavenly things, not worldly things. So hard to do when there are so many worries on this earth. We get so caught up in things going on or what's about to happen why we are here and what we are here to do. Lately, I have just been in awe of how God is working things out in my life, despite the fact that I worry and tend to not leave things up to Him. The past few weeks, He has definitely made His presence known and reassured me that everything is going to be juuuust fine. All these little details will work out. So many things have worked out just recently and I have thought "why was I worried about that??"...One, my car situation. Everything worked out perfectly. $4,000 in damages were paid for by State Farm (and our car looks better than ever!!). Most of our rental car charges were paid for by state farm. The rental car for 2 weeks was $700. We only had to pay $200...the amount of the damage insurance just in case we wrecked the rental car. lol! And all that happened right in the middle of tax refund season, so we were able to put $1,200 in savings, then use the rest on stuff we needed to do or wanted to do/get.

Everything is working out for our vacation and for the move right after! Now I'm just praying that things begin to fall into place with everything we need for our daughter! I have to remind myself that we do have plenty of time at this point...Shew.

A few new things.

Oh...my...gosh. I swear, pregnancy brain is THE WORST. I was like "oh I need to blog about this," opened a new blog post, then forgot what I wanted to blog about. That's reeeeal great. But it just now came back to me, so here goes...

I am going to a women's Bible study here at our church. I'm starting tomorrow night, so I'm anxious about going and meeting new people! It will be good for me though. I love our church and want to get more involved and connect with women here. Especially with a baby on the way..it will be good having some lady friends for support and friendship. I am so excited about this next chapter in life. There's a lot going on in my life and I am about to be busier than I've ever been here before. It's exciting and stressful.

One of the "shop wives" as in Paul's working buddies' wives offered to throw me a baby shower today. It was so sweet of her to offer. I don't know a whole lot of people here, so we will see how it goes. There's plenty of time to plan something. At the moment, I'm thinking a birthday party/baby shower around my birthday would be fun. Gifts could just be baby things :-) Maybe things will work out and we can plan something like that. I'm just honored that she offered to do it.

Audrey has been on the move A LOT today! It has been so crazy. She's still very low and I feel her at my belly button or lower. Earlier I swear she pushed up really hard on the front of my uterus. I felt my belly get really hard and and felt pressure that I hadn't felt before. A new sensation. Or maybe it was a BH contraction. I wouldn't know since I had never felt it before. Either way, I don't know when I will get used to her movement. It's such a weird feeling, being kicked or nudged from the inside. I like it. Last night, she kicked multiple times in one spot on the side of my belly. Too cute. I've been dreaming about her alot recently and really want my baby to be here already. I just want to take care of her outside of my body! I LOVE HER.

Anyways, that's what has happened in today's events. I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

My Pregnancy must-haves

I wanted to do a blog of things that I must have as a pregnant woman! But first, let me tell you about my V-Day. While I was sleeping, Paul was making his arrangements for my Valentine's Day gifts. This morning I woke up to a card and a rose beside my bed. Sweet! Then when I came out, my kitchen and dining room were clean!! I cried over this early last night. And on our dining room table was red roses and pink carnations, a box of chocolates, chocolate covered strawberries, and a big stuffed animal! Normally people wouldn't think this was a big deal...but Paul got the strawberries and made them chocolate covered all by himself! He melted chocolate and prepared everything while I was sleeping, because he knew it was what I would love. I really don't need expensive gifts and I said no jewelry since I'm swelling anyway. lol. I'd rather save the money for our baby :-) We aren't going out to dinner either. Saving money...So Paul made this completely perfect! He put time and effort into creating something I wanted. I LOVE my husband. On top of all that I got my car back!!! No more rental car. I'm excited. AND I got my maternity bathing suit that I ordered for our perfect vacation coming up. AMAZING DAY! Now...on to my pregnancy must haves...

1. A Supportive Husband- I would be LOST without my man. He is the greatest help and encouragement at my lowest and highest points in this pregnancy. Also, he's wonderful for helping me satisfy cravings...at weird hours in the day too!

2. A Boppy Total Body Pillow- I love it and I sleep so much better know. I don't know how I will go back to just using my one head pillow. This is a head pillow, belly pillow, leg pillow--all in one. It's awesome.

3. A good maternity wardrobe- liking what I'm wearing helps a lot when I'm feeling "big" or swelling alot. Body changes can make you down in the dumps, so splurging on a few nice things is necessary (for me).

4. Pregnant friends- Who else can REALLY understand what you are going through at the moment? hehe.

5. A big savings- Such peace of mind knowing that we can buy everything we need for our baby girl. I am SO excited about getting eeevvvverything. It's *my* pregnancy must have since I'm psycho about everything being just right.

6. Diet coke- I neeeeed caffeine. Desperately. lol.

7. Pasta or mexican- I seriously can never get enough of either of those foods! It's crazy how cravings are different with everyone.

Ok, I've blanked out. I'm multi-tasking and getting tasks confused, so this post is coming to a close. I am suuuuper excited about everything. Especially vacation...and our mini vacation that is within our vacation. lol! Bring on Wilderness at the Smokies. Woot woot!

Baby Shower

This post is just going to be a stream of consciousness post...

So my Mom and Gina Averett (her best friend) are throwing me a baby shower while Paul and I are home. We decided on Sunday March 6th, so now it's just about getting the invites out...which I plan on doing this week. Mom is going to call about getting the Fireside room at Manley Baptist for that time, probably tomorrow or Monday. We're debating on the time, whether to make it 3pm or 4pm on that Sunday. I wasn't really thinking we were going to have a baby shower since we live so far away, but this trip home is perfect timing and I'm glad we can do this. I don't care if we just get diapers! Anything will help alot. I don't know many people here in Shreveport, so doing it back home will be fun! I am sooooo looking forward to being back home. It will be THE BEST!!!

I've got a lot going on right now. Still dealing with the car...hoping it gets fixed soon so we can return our rental care (it will be 2 weeks on Monday!). Paul is starting 12's soon again. Blah. Then we have our trip home to get ready for and the move RIGHT after we back. Busy busy busy. Then after that Paul will have surgery and we will be finishing up preparations for Audrey Leona Balough's entrance into the world. Oh dear. A lot to think about. One day at a time...

Plans, plans, plans...

So Paul and I have been making plans for our trip home. Since we aren't going to Washington D.C., we still wanted to do something fun as husband and wife on our last vacation till November. So we did some research and have decided on the Wilderness at the Smokies resort. It's a few nice hotels with a big indoor water park, free when you stay at the resort. So we are getting a really nice room with a balcony and 3 days/2 nights at the resort. Just a nice little getaway for us. Plus, I love water parks...pregnant or not. Just relaxing, swimming, and having fun with my husband. My mom agree to watch the dogs while we're gone. I'm super excited for this time that we get together.

Speaking of my wonderful Mom...She wants to throw me a baby shower while I am home. We decided on either March 6th or March 10. She has to see when is the best for her friends and such. Then she's picking out invitations and mailing them out. I wasn't expecting a baby shower since we live so far away, so this was a nice surprise. I just need to make out a baby registry. Registries can be a pain in the butt, but this is for Audrey so it's worth it! There's so much exciting stuff coming up!! I can't wait.

Yesssssss!!!

Ok, there's a few things to update on.

1. We are coming home early!!! Paul and I decided to not take the extra time to go to Washington D.C. Paul doesn't think it's going to be so feasible for a 7-8 month pregnant wife, and I can't blame him! I'm starting to get uncomfortable as it is. So we are just going to take a week vacation at home! And at this point, it sounds like HEAVEN to me. Since we aren't waiting to have more leave by mid-April, we figured we'd just go home early. We're gonna save up that extra leave and money and go on a cruise next year with Audrey as a family :-) We're trying to get my family or whoever else can to go with us and make it a big fun group. There's a year to save up! Anyways, I am so excited about seeing my family in 26 days. So that's the first new development.

2. We got our tax refund and it is loverly! We are able to get some things and fix some things..like Paul's car. Plus we put alot of money in savings to help us for the move coming up and other baby stuff we want to buy! I am getting so excited about the move, being able to really "nest" and make everything perfect. Now if Target could actually ship my nursery set, then we'd be good! Mainly, the things left that we need for Audrey are all the smaller things (there's a bajillion of them, seriously), clothes, and bouncy seat. But we will get them, slowly but surely!

3. Speaking of...We purchased our pack n play tonight! It matches our travel system. I had to get matching, because I'm just like that. lol! My Dad gave me the money to get the pack n play as his and Mom's contribution for a big purchase. Between the crib, crib mattress, stroller, carseat and pack n play, we've spent $50...thanks to people donating stuff and giving us money. We are SO blessed. Sooo, while we were at walmart, I had to get some other small baby stuff to satisfy my urges to get everything NOW. lol. I got a 4 pack of receiving blankets, a bath set (hooded towel and 3 washcloths), bottles with nipples, pacifiers, teething ring, bib... I think that's it! This stuff is pretty cheap, thankfully.

Well, those are all the updates for now. Can't wait to see how things pan out over the next 4 months :-)

The Boppy and my husband...

So the past 3 nights have been awful when it comes to getting a good night of sleep. I've woken my husband up several times each night because I was wimpering, had made a sudden move and it woke me up saying "ow ow ow," or just rolling over and sucking in air really hard. He had noticed that I wasn't sleeping comfortably and I was moving alot more than usual. So last night at 3am, he decided he was going to take it upon himself to find me a pregnancy pillow. He went to both walmarts here with no luck. When I woke up at 9am after not being able to get comfortable, he offered to go to Target right then to see if he could find something there. I told him I would be fine and we could just go after he got some sleep. So around 7pm tonight we went out on our search. We went to Target (nothing), Bed Bath & Beyond (nothing), Babies R Us (nothing)....then we decided to make ONE LAST EFFORT by going to the Motherhood Maternity (that I didn't even know we had here). Paul and I were both very skeptical that we would find anything. To our surprise, they had the Boppy full body pillow!! I had said before that I either wanted to Boppy or the Snoogle pillow because I had heard of how comfortable they were for pregnancy pillow. Paul HAPPILY spend $60 on this pillow just for me. I.freakin.love.my.husband. The fact that he would make me being comfortable his priority just makes me feel so treasured and special. He goes above and beyond what I expect from him everyday.

So let me tell you about this pillow. It's basically a wrap around pillow that works as a head pillow, belly pillow, and leg pillow all in one. There is a specific indention for the pregnant belly to rest on while you sleep. It will also serve as a great nursing pillow when Audrey gets here, so I'm excited! Right now I am using it on the couch. I have the head part behind my back for support, then the rest wrapped around my hips and belly...with my laptop sitting on top of the pillow. It's a great multipurpose pillow.

Thank you, Lord, for my Boppy and my wonderful husband! I am blessed.

A LOT to say!

Today was better than I could have imagined it being. I will try to do a recap that has all the good details:

1. The perinatal appointment- It was soooo good and just what I needed to hear/see. First, the nurse explained to us exactly what the cyst was and the worst possible outcome (baby's death, which is really rare). Then we did our ultrasound. I just LOVE seeing my little Audrey. She is SUCH a mover and shaker. The nurse was shocked at how active she is. She had to chase her down because she kept moving. Trouble maker already. Everything looked great. Next, the doctor came in and talked to us. I LOVED HIM!!! He was such a nice and funny guy. Made me relax alot. He did an ultrasound and looked at everything. He said Audrey was showing no signs of Trisomy 18...one of them being baby not being able to open and close hands, which Audrey was doing just fine. The doctor said our little girl is just perfect. No worries. They both confirmed that it was a girl and Dr. Briery said "It's definitely a chick!!" lol. He then told Paul that Paul was going to wrapped around her finger. It was a sweet time. Paul told me after the appointment that this ultrasound was *his* realization and awestruck moment that there is really a baby in there (my belly). He sounded in love :-) So that's the recap of the appt!

2. Moving- It's done! We are set to move on March 17th and TMO is getting our stuff then. I'm so glad we got that set up. Now...we wait! I'm gonna love moving into a new place and getting eeeevvvverything set up for the baby! It's going to be so much much fun decorating and preparing.

3. Fun money- I sold my old iPhone today! To a guy on craigslist and I got $100 in cold hard cash for it. I neeeeeded some maternity clothes so I just took that and had a heyday at Burlington Coat factory on some awesome (cheap) stylish maternity clothes. Selling my old iPhone was a great spur of the moment decision for some clothes.

After shopping, we had dinner at Moe's. It was delicious as always.

Today was TOTALLY AMAZING. It was about time we had a really good day after a bunch of bad ones. And it's soooo wonderful knowing my baby is doing wonderfully!!

I LOVE....

BABY CLOTHES!! Especially baby girl clothes. I hope I am not getting too ahead of myself with my purchases! haha. Today I went to the Airman's Attic and got two outfits there that I liked, then I went to my favorite store: Target. Uh-oh. I wanted to look for some maternity clothes (because I am in dire need of clothes...outgrowing mine!)...but then I gravitated towards that darn baby section! I didn't buy too much, just a sleep and play and a 4 pack of booties.

I don't think anyone could blame me for buying this when I saw it. Now let's just hope that Paul feels the same way! He hasn't seen it yet. lol!

And these...Oh, Lord. We are going to go into debt. Or just use up all our savings on this little Miss Audrey. I just love love love love baby clothes. But I've said that already.

In other news, things are continuing to look up! We just have to go by TMO and hand in the paperwork to have our stuff moved and then we are DONE with all that. It's going to be such a relief. And being a one car family isn't toooo bad. If I want to go places, I just take Paul to work and keep the car. I reeeeaaallly don't want to give the car back whenever my car is fixed! lol. I love it too much. It's such a smooth ride and fancy. Haha! Tomorrow is my appointment and I am excited and nervous to see my girl again! I haven't really felt movement, so I just want to know she's moving and grooving in there! As far as pregnancy..eh, it's ok. lol. I'm most excited about having my baby in my arms. 21 weeks to go! Anyways, there's not too much else going on. I guess I need to fix dinner for my luvsband! lol.