Kai's July Ultrasound

I made another video!

Check it out at the bottom of our blog.

[This was the July 13th Ultrasound]

Pregnancy & Deployment, July 18th 2009

Doug called last night with some potentially great news! He may be coming home earlier than we expected =). Yay!!! I'm so excited! I know not to get my hopes too high when it comes to the Marine Corps, but I can't help it this time. The thought of him being home during the 3rd trimester & the birth of our first child makes me so happy! I guess time will tell.

I have been downloading lots of music to keep me motivated during my workouts.

Some of my new favorite songs:

"Imma Be" Blackeyed Peas

"Here I Come" Fergie

"The New Workout Plan" Kanye West

"Fashion" Lady Gaga

"Fire Burning" Sean Kingston

I've worked out everyday this week, except Tuesday... I went to the pool & the sun completely drained me. I'm so sore, but I feel amazing! I'm so ready to get back to Hawaii so I can start taking fitness classes. I get really bored with the treadmill... especially since I can only walk or jog very slowly. Running is too much impact for me now. Since I have boobs & a belly, it feels like I have 13 pounds of weight just bouncing up and down when I run. Booo. But something is definately better than nothing... so I'm going to continue with the treadmill until I get back.

Pregnancy & Deployment, July 17th 2009

I will be 21 weeks pregnant tomorrow! My pregnancy seems to be going by so fast!

Kai has been moving around so much. It's amazing to feel this little life in my tummy.

Despite all of the aches & pains, I'm really embracing my pregnancy.

It is such a beautiful experience.

I'm so grateful to be a woman... We are co creators with God.

I love our little boy so much already!

Doug & I can't wait to meet him!

I heard from Doug yesterday morning!

I'm so thankful we've been able to talk almost every day.

He seems to be doing well. I miss him so very much.

Only a few more months in Indiana & I will be on my way back to Hawaii.

I'm so excited! I have so much to do before his homecoming,

but I know staying busy will make time go by a little faster.

My aunt Jessy & her children are back in Idaho.

We miss them so much! It was so nice to have them in Indiana

during my stay.

Jessy took me to her gym a few time while she was home.

I'm now way more comfortable with working out while pregnant.

I was hesitant to do so many things, but she made me realize that it

was more than okay. So I'm back to doing more challenging cardio

workouts & strength conditioning. I've learned to only listen to about half of

what people tell me. I was so worried & nervous about hurting my baby, I

was always scared to "over do it". I have been working out hard,

and Kai & I are just fine =). I'm in a better mood every day, I know it's good for him &

it's going to help with labor & recovery. I feel so relieved!

Pregnancy & Deployment, July 13th 2009

Today was my mom's birthday [Happy Birthday Mom]! I had another ultrasound this morning. I'm officially half way through my pregnancy! My mom, dad & little cousin Mackenzie were all able to go with me to my appointment. It was so amazing to see Kai again!

Ultrasound photo from today:

Heartbeat: 144 Weight: 13 oz

Yesterday was my baby shower! Thank you so much to everyone that could be there! Doug & I are so thankful for all of your love & support! It was so good to be surrounded by my family & friends. After the shower, Doug's family & my family from Idaho got together for a cook out at my parent's house. I really missed my husband on this special day, but I was so grateful to spend it with our loved ones.

Doug seems to be doing okay in Afghanistan. I know he really wanted to be a part of this past weekend. We all missed him so much! I'm beyond ready for him to come home. Not having him here with me is the most difficult part of this pregnancy.

I have gained 13 pounds! Weight gain is part of pregnancy, so I guess I better get used to it lol! I have been working out with my Aunt Jess this past week & dang! I'm sore. It's not easy to stay fit during pregnancy, but I know it will be worth it! I'm really trying... I guess that's all I can do.

Pregnancy & Deployment, July 2nd 2009

I talked to my husband on the phone & Skype today! Ah, I love him! I also got a letter along with lots of pics from Afghanistan in the mail. Here is one photo that I'd like the share:

I LOVE YOU BABY!

He got my 4th of July package right on time! Yay! As always, it's nice to know he's safe. I love when we are able to communicate often... it makes it so much easier!

Kai is getting much bigger! This week, my uterus is officially the size of a cantaloupe. Yikes! At least we know our little guy is healthy. I could feel him move from the outside of my belly this morning while I was talking to his Daddy. I've felt him before, but today it was very obvious where he was at & how he was turned! I got a new gadget that allows me to listen to his heart beat, movements & in about a month... I should be able to listen to him hiccup! It definately helps me bond with him & it makes the discomfort of pregnancy seem worth it on a daily basis!

My back is suffering MAJORLY! It feels like I'm wearing a 10-13 pound pack on my front side that I can't remove when my body begins to hurt! Everyone warns you about how bad morning sickness is & how much labor hurts... but Damn! My back pain is the worst thing I've experienced so far. I know it's only going to get worse as my weight increases. I've got to get one of those support belts for my belly asap... hopefully that will help! I guess I now have a taste of what my husband has to endure... I can't imagine carrying around his pack all of the time!

My nutrition is finally back on track! Whew! I've got to get back to my workouts now that my baby shower invitations are finished! Those things have completely consumed the last 3 days of my life! But it needed to be done & I'm so glad that I finished them. Mommy & Kai are much happier when I workout... so that's exactly what I'm going to do today.

Baby Shower Invitations

They are finished! I made over 100 assorted invitations! These are some of my least favorite color combinations, but at least these scans show the outline that I used for all of them:

Cutting out each pregnant woman was my least favorite & most time consuming task, but it was well worth it! All of the baby shower information is printed on the background color on the opposite side. After 3 days of cutting, pasting & printing... they are all finally in the mail!