ANOTHER ULTRASOUND!!!!!

Because our little angel is SOOOO perfect, we were asked to come in and let a girl train on the new 3D ultrasound machines! We were there for an hour and a half! Layla is ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL!! WHAT a character she already is and what a HANDFUL she is going to be when she arrives! She was CONSTANTLY moving and playing and sticking her tongue out. I got to sit there and watch her practice the breathing movements. She even got the hiccups while I was there!!! HOW FUN!! Everything about her is PERFECT and they want me to come back AGAIN. Most babies apparently are boring, but Layla is head down and in perfect position to see EVERYTHING!! She kept licking her hands and yawning over and over again! What a doll!! She is, however, VERY low in my pelvis which is kind of scary thinking she may come early. Also, she is a little CHUNK! Well over 4 lbs they said and she has little fat rolls on her already!! AH! I just can't wait, but I sure CAN wait in hopes Matthew makes it home in time!!! Everyone be praying for that!!

Home and getting ready!!!

What a weekend we had at Alison's wedding in Mississippi!! GREAT time with family that I have missed SOOOOO much! Thanks to everyone for all the care you took of me and how sweet and loving everyone was!! I cannot WAIT to send you all the photos of little Layla!

I am officially 32 weeks now so not too much longer! AH! Getting SO very exciting as things are movin and people are helping me get ready! Next week I am traveling to North Carolina to move into our apartment! This is a HUGE step as I have been anticipating this move for 6 months now! I am SO glad I know right where we will be staying and I can get all of our things into the new place!!! How much fun I am going to have unpacking and setting up our new place! I hope my nesting instinct hasnt kicked in QUITE yet because that is a sign of impending labor! AH!

Things are almost completely packed up here ready for the move next Tuesday, the 3rd of July! We have a full room of baby things to take with us and all of her clothes and bedding and blankets are already clean and ready to be put away into their new places in her room!

Matthew is getting So anxious to come home! He is expecting to be home sooner rather than later, but we never know and I will keep you all updated as we find out ANY information! Be praying for Layla and I to have a restful week so we dont get too stressed out next week during the move!

Love all,
Katie and Layla

Updates....

So long again has it been since I have updated...

Things are rolling right along. Getting closer to the due date and closer to Matthew coming home (we can only hope). He's been really busy over there as I have not spoken with him in a couple of days. LONG days they have been.

Last night was the first night where I literally didn't sleep at all. I woke up about 5 times to go to the bathroom. Then Layla decided she was up and atom at 3AM and starting squirming around so much it made me nauseous. I finally gave up going back to sleep around 5AM and got up to start doing things for the day. A lot had to be done as tomorrow we are traveling to Mississippi to attend Alison's wedding. I am really nervous about the trip being so far from home and my doctors, but I am praying they will not be needed.

Last week we had a scare, but everything is ok now. I went into the hospital having contractions due to severe dehydration. After pumping 3 full bags of fluids into me, I was sent home since I had not dilated and the contractions were easing off. Apparently here in the south, dehydration contractions during summer are fairly common. Fortunately, it was not considered preterm labor as I did not dilate and I did not need medication to stop the contractions. We are very thankful they stopped on their own considering I was only 30 weeks gestation. VERY scary....in fact, I have never been so scared in my life. Mostly I just worried because the baby was still WAY too young to be born just yet. Anywho....thank goodness that is over with and I pray it stays away for a while longer! I need to make it to 36 weeks if at all possible which means about 4 more weeks so be truly safe. Please be praying for this to happen!

A lot is going on over the next few weeks....Alison's wedding this weekend. Then I am home for a week and the following week (the week of July 4th) I am traveling to North Carolina to move things into our new apartment. I am very VERY excited! Then I will have finished all of birthing classes (my breastfeeding course was tonight) and then we will just be on a countdown to Matthew coming home HOPEFULLY sometime in early August. If all things can wait and go somewhat as planned, I am praying the baby makes it that far and we will be together in North Carolina for Layla's birth. I also hope the excitement of Matthew coming home doesn't set me off into labor as well!

So.....please pray for my long car ride tomorrow and that Matthew can contact me to let me know he is ok. I am getting a bit worried about him this time and it seems to be keeping me from sleeping and doing anything else.

I pray you all are happy and safe!

Love,
Katie and Layla

Our travel system!!

LAYLA'S DADDY, MY SOLDIER!!!!

MY AMERICAN HERO!!!!

These are the latest pictures of Matthew. What a wonderful looking man and our very own hero! I love you, handsome! I am trying to get a few more of the mountains they had to climb, but they may not be on until later tonight.....they are taking a while.

Love,
Katie

WEB BABY SHOWER!!

Hello to all!!

I am 30 weeks now and life is really starting to roll again!! I only have about 9 weeks left of pregnancy which means.....its time to start buying baby stuff!!!! YAY! I have bought several things already and it just makes me more excited every day! For all of those that didn't hear about our web baby shower, please check it out and play the games and such!

www.webbabyshower.com/fullmer

Its an AWESOME site that my sister put together for everyone to enjoy! I have changed Layla's bedding though so please look at it on my Babies R Us registry and let me know what you think! It is SUPER soft and has BEAUTIFUL colors. Really....the pictures don't do it justice!! Everyone will just have to come visit to see it and our gorgeous daughter in person!!

Matthew is doing wonderfully overseas and is getting in TONS of advanced training! We are THRILLED with how much he has gotten done and is doing so when he gets home advancing will be VERY quick! He sends his love to everyone and cannot WAIT to come home! He is just the sweetest thing as he has seen my belly twice on webcam (when their internet isn't down over there) and he just has fallen in LOVE with it! He says he would rather I just stand up and talk to him the whole time so he could watch my belly and that he wants to put his hands all over it! What a dear husband! I love you so much, baby!!!

As for Layla and I.....we are growing VERY rapidly!!! Our next doctor's appointment is on Friday and so far we know she is getting SUPER strong! Her kicks and movements are SO dear and SO much fun to feel and watch! I have had two of the five birthing classes these last two Mondays and they are teaching me many things that will aid in having a natural delivery like I am planning. Kristin was able to go with me this week and even after a LONG day at work, she kept her eyes open and was impressed on how informative it is. Thanks for going with me, sis!! In just a couple of weeks now, I am driving to North Carolina to move our things out of storage and into our new apartment with the help of my dad and brother-in-law, Brian!! I cannot WAIT to start moving things in there and getting our home arranged! If anyone wants to help, let me know!! My daily walks are getting more and more difficult now as my belly weighs significantly more, but I am still getting all 3 miles in. I am hoping to continue the 3 miles a day until about 34-35 weeks where I will then cut back to maybe 2 miles a day. It is unbelievable how much better they make me feel. It clears my mind and helps with bodily aches and pains. Although, I know when I pushed it too hard the next day because my body has NEW aches and pains! I try to keep it a happy medium pace!

Well, I suppose that is all for now! I will be seeing my whole family at Alison's wedding next week! I just cannot WAIT to see everyone and PLEASE no one freak out about how huge I am! Trust me.....I KNOW! haha. Can't wait to see you guys and Alison and Ken....CONGRATS! I am SO happy for you guys and look forward to meeting Ken and having him as a part of our family!! We just keep growing every year, don't we! What a blessing!

Love to all....and don't forget to check out our site!!!

Love, Katie and Layla

Our little angel!!!!

Well, as you can see......we had our 3D ultrasound today!! And let me tell you.....it was absolutely AMAZING!! Our little baby girl is just PERFECT in every little way, as the technician said it. SO perfect, in fact, that she wants us to come back for free in a couple of weeks so one of her trainees can practice on me and I can get more shots! Layla is SUPER active and already has the FUNNIEST facial expressions. She can do everything from raise her eyebrows to giving en Elvis lip crooked to one side! Not to mention she already has a FULL head of hair! The lady was stunned and said she doesnt see babies with THAT much hair even right before birth! I mean literally it was waving in the fluid! HOW CUTE! She has these full lips that are already being used in pouty faces and big old smiles! Her button nose actually resembles my sisters more than mine or Matthews! The technician was stunned at how much she looks like me and says even when I was there for 19 weeks she thought she looked like me and now with a little chunk in her cheeks, she apparently looks JUST like me! Poor girl! But, she definitely has Matthew's ears, already very pronounced! What a beautiful, darling little girl! We made an absolute confirmation too that we are having a girl. She was playing with her little toes and loves having her hands up at her face and playing with the umbilical cord! Our little Tarzan and Jane she surely is! Her arms are already well filled out and legs are looooooong! The lady said she doesnt expect her to be any less than 21 inches at least at birth, she will be a very long baby! Not to mention a smart one because if you can see in some of the photos, she can completely open her eyes now. She spent much of the time looking around and up and down and over.....just checking everything out! She is perfectly positioned with her head way down in my pelvis and facing forward just like she is supposed to be and will apparently stay that way from here on out!!! Only 10 more weeks to go everyone!! Isn't that CRAZY! I just can't wait to hold her in my arms and see all these features and all this personality in person!!

Enjoy the photos!

Love,
Katie and Layla

Howdy!

Nothing too exciting to report on my end! Just another day bigger, another week bigger! My belly is growing so fast it is amazing. I think Layla is in a HUGE growth spurt as I have entered the third trimester because I have become SO exhausted again like I was in the first trimester and hungry as well! Other then that I am feeling GREAT! I still try and walk 3 miles every day....at least 15 miles a week. Layla has truly gotten stronger as she has learned the art of pushing out as hard as she can. It's really cute and endearing right now, but I know as these summer months progress I will be hoping she chills out! Last night she had the hiccups so bad that it kept me awake for an hour. SO cute, but also kind of annoying because they werent even MY hiccups! haha! I am enjoying still being mobile this much and hope I dont swell like all of my pregnant friends have started to swell where they cannot even walk! Lots of water drinking for me!

Updates on Matthew:
He is doing super well at the new base. REALLY enjoying it there and has actually been able to write up and successfully accomplish training missions! He controlled air today and felt GREAT about it which is awesome. Some of his confidence is back and he is getting a ton of compliments on how well he did and he cant wait to do more! VERY exciting!

He was also able to see me and my big old belly on webcam yesterday and it basically made his month! He was SOOOOO happy and excited to see us and how we have grown! What a dear husband he is as he told me how beautiful he thinks I am even though I am HUGE! (he left that last part out for my sanity). He said it was like Christmas to see me and that just seeing me for that little bit of time made this whole thing worth it. I agree.....I couldnt see him, but just him being so happy so see me and see how he still makes me smile is all I need to know he is getting through ok! I am sending him a webcam tomorrow which probably means he will get it just in time to leave country haha. Who knows if it will actually be able to work there, but we are going to try! Hopefully about 2 months now until he gets home.....still so far, but SOOOO much closer than where we started!

I start my birthing classes tomorrow.....my friend Trisha is going to go with me so I am not alone, I am VERY excited about this as I was dreading going alone to the COUPLES class. Now that time is starting to roll a little bit and we are into June, things are picking up and really seem real now. In a month from today I am moving into the new apartment in Fayetteville, NC with the help of Dad and Brian. After that, I am organizing then heading back to Augusta until time passes a little bit and Matthew leaves country. Once Matthew leaves country, I am leaving Augusta and heading for Fayetteville at around 37 weeks pregnant!!!! 4 hour drive, HOPE I CAN MAKE IT!!!! hahaha.....I cannot wait. It gets me excited just thinking about that trip!

Anyway, baby shower invites are going out tomorrow and email invites will be heading out as well so please leave me your emails!!!!

Love you guys!!!! We are on the home stretch!!!