Our world...

Keeping our family and friends updated!

2010-08-29T13:43:00.001-04:00

Well, after an over two year silence, it is time to start posting again to keep everyone more updated on us!!! Many, many exciting things are going on in our life and I SO look forward to keeping everyone abreast on all of the fun! Too many updates to really remember for one post, but I will just start now and update as often as necessary! Here goes:

This month of August 2010 has been SUCH an eventful time in our family! Unfortunately, Matthew has been gone for all of it!!

-Layla started her ballet/tap dance class on 18 August, and what fun she is having!! She is only the most beautiful little ballerina I have ever seen! When she put the tap shoes on, she stomped around for 5 minutes just SO thrilled at the sound her little shoes made! I had a blast watching her and look forward to her recital in June 2011!

-Layla turned 3 years old on Sunday, August 22nd! We had a huge, fun party at Aunt Kristin's house with a princess cake and tons of presents for the little princess!

-Layla went to her first movie theater movie! We saw Shrek and she LOVED it!!! Although a little restless and with only one potty break, she watched the whole thing. She had a token popcorn tray with a half-water red powerade to drink! Yum!!

-Layla started school on 24 August and LOVES every minute of it! I cannot believe my baby girl is in school and learning SO much! What a joy and wonderful addition she is to her class. However, she is almost too advanced for her class as she has been spelling her name and saying The Pledge for nearly 6 months already! Such a smart cookie, way advanced!

-We have been traveling for weeks now with just a brief break at home for 3 days of school last week!

-Ryan is 3.5 months old and is just the absolute easiest baby I could have ever imagined! He is SO laid back and just never complains about anything!

-Ryan had his first long car trip and on the way home, he did great!! He finally was used to being in the car and has truly become an easy car rider now!!!

-Ryan is rolling over both ways (although front to back is still easier). He also pushes up and scoots during tummy time! His legs are constantly moving, I think he is going to be a runner like his Papas!!

-He holds his head up and watches everything going on around him about like that of a 6 months old!

-Ryan is VERY vocal as well with TONS to say and smile about all the time! Although, he loves, loves nursing and is happiest just after he eats!

-He stands up with his strong, skinny little legs and is almost ready for an exersaucer! Can't wait, he will have SUCH fun! It is not far out for that now, maybe a couple of weeks.

-He LOVES the smell of food and watches every bite that anyone takes, HILARIOUS!! Poor guy, too bad its only milk for another 2.5 months!! He even brings things to his mouth already to try and taste everything so he is getting VERY excited and ready to eat real food!

-Ryan's favorite sound is a womans voice, makes him smile like crazy! He giggles and laughs so easily and rarely cries!

-He sleeps through the night from 8:30 until about 5:30 when he wakes up, eats and sleeps again until around 10! He is such a lazy baby, so easy going!!

-Most importantly, Ryan is a SPITTING image of his daddy!! I can't get enough of the little Matthew mini-me! I love my boys!!!

-Layla is wrapped sooooo tightly around daddy's finger. About the sweetest thing I have ever seen. What a beautiful picture of a father and daughter so infatuatingly in love with each other. They have such googly eyes towards each other. Ryan is that way with his mama though so I have mine too!!

The best part is that Layla is truly such a good girl and has no problems when daddy is gone. She is the perfect military child as she is very adaptable and knows mommy is always there, but daddy will always return as well!

Phew- LOTS of updates!! Matthew returns home next week after his 3.5 week TDY to do some training up in the Rockies!! We cannot WAIT to have him home!!!

Come home soon and safely, daddy!! Love you!!

I will update our picture tabs to the left once I get home tomorrow! I will also update on many more exciting things going on with us in the next couple of weeks!!

The long road to California...

2008-04-10T18:51:00.004-04:00

Hello again to everyone!

Looks like we are getting this site up and running again since we have to keep a certain daddy in Iraq updated. It appears that he will have limited internet and phone access, but is able to check this site for pictures! So, it looks like everyone is going to reap the benefits of me putting up pictures often of Layla as she changes and grows so rapidly!

I have many things to keep us busy while we are here so I am looking forward to this deployment going by very quickly and getting my honey home!!! This is certainly a HUGE new chapter in our lives, right darling? So we are truly looking forward to the end of the deployment for countless reasons.

Without further jibber jabber as I know everyone that checks this site is just interested in seeing Layla.....here are several different pictures from the drive out to California from North Carolina...a 5 day, 4 night event!

Love to all and to Matthew, kisses from your girls.

Deployment 2008

2008-02-19T17:41:00.003-05:00

Welcome back, everyone!

Well, here we go again. I cannot believe it has been a year and we are starting the whole thing over again. Thankfully, I am not pregnant this deployment so hopefully we can get through this one with less of an emotional fireworks show, more like an emotional roller coaster. So, to start things off and update everyone on where we stand right now....

Layla is turning 6 months old this week....Feb. 22nd
She has started crawling backwards and has started saying "Mama" when she wants me. What a joy it is to hear that sweet little voice already! She loves watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv and jumping in her Door Jumper. She laughs hysterically at our dogs and finds them to be so much fun to hit, grab, pull fur, and lay on. The dogs respond SO well to her as they just sit there and sniff her and let her do pretty much whatever she wants to them. I am always there to protect her though, just in case! Layla's 6 month appointment will be next week and will be the first one that Matthew has been able to attend since Layla's 2 week appointment! He is VERY excited! We also will start her on solids next week and he is looking forward to that! Layla is rolling all over the place both ways and seems to favor her right hand slightly.

Anyway, Matthew is gone this week in Virginia for training and so far the training has not gone quite according to plan from what I have heard. Oh well, at least he is getting ready for the deployment! He did find out he is going to Iraq which is going to be hard on everyone, but he will be home quickly to see his girls, I know it! He will be leaving in early April sometime.

Around the time that Matthew leaves for deployment, Layla and I will be heading for a cross country roadtrip with the doggies with the assistance of Matthew's sweet dad.

So, this is just a quick update to get this site going again. I will be updating the pictures and such for everyone to see picture of the three of us! Please enjoy!

Much love,
Katie

DUE DATE!!!!

2007-08-20T09:26:00.000-04:00

Well, today is the due day!! And....nothing. Haha that is about where it ends. As of 9:30 AM(right now), little Layla has not yet graced us with even the IDEA of her coming soon. I have officially been pregnant now for 40 weeks and well.....it is FINALLY starting to get uncomfortable. She is sitting low now and I feel like she MUST weigh nearly ten pounds!! However, from the midwife calculations she is somewhere closer to 8 lbs. as of last Thursday.

Last Thursday was my last appointment and everything looked great she said, but....I was only 1 cm dialated and only 20% effaced which means it could be another week from then! We have another appointment today at 3:30 PM and hopefully, just hopefully I have SOME change that looks promising! The longest over my due date they will allow me to go is 10 days so at the LONGEST we will have a baby in ten days!! YAY!!

I cannot wait to have Layla out to start feeling comfortable again and so I can start doing things I used to! THAT is the motivating force now! Kristin and Brian came up for the weekend and what a GREAT time we had and they walked me nearly to death trying to get Layla to enter the world. But, no avail.... sorry guys! We had SO much fun though, staying up late and playing Spades and Hearts for HOURS! We sure do miss you guys up here and wished we lived closer!!! Thank you for coming to visit!!!!

So.....since Matthew has been home now for 18 days, he had to return to work since Layla decided her due date wasn't the one she wanted. This is pretty unfortunate considering we live about 15 minutes on the other side of base from where he works and my car is at the shop right now! Which means, if I go into labor fast or my water breaks and whatnot there is a good chance I will have to wait an hour for Matthew to get home and then take another 45 minutes to get to the hospital. And THAT is in the case of an emergency! Oh well, life goes on and Layla has already started dictating our schedules! haha....they sure start early!

Anyway, that is the only update, may have another one after the appointment this afternoon! Can't wait to surprise everyone with the good news when we get some!!!

Love,
Katie, Matthew, and Layla

MATTHEW'S HOME!!!!

2007-08-04T07:05:00.000-04:00

For all those checking this blog and haven't heard....

HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, my prince has come home safely and has been home now for a couple of days! He arrived Thursday at 5AM to my LONG awaiting arms! What a joy it was to see each other! His face just LIT UP when he saw me and my belly and ever since just CAN'T keep his hands off of it! He loves feeling her move around and taps on my belly because he likes to feel her jump! She is already responding to his voice and he talks to her ALL the time, I think he is just making up for all that lost time! The puppies went CRAZY when he got home and as soon as he let them out, they went NUTS with him! What a joy it is to have our family back together!!!!

Today we are just relaxing and cleaning the apartment up from all the gear he brought home (it's everywhere!). We are also going to take the doggies to the park to throw the ball around and get some of their energy out! My labor and delivery bags are all packed so now we are just waiting although I think we still have a few days which is wonderful! But, we will see! Who knows! Everytime I have a contraction or I worry that I may be in labor, Matthew gets SO excited and says he is VERY ready for her to come out! I think he cannot wait to hold her like I have been holding her these last nine months!! As of today I am 37 weeks and 5 days, so almost 38 weeks! She could come ANY time now, but I would still love a couple more weeks with just Matthew, but who knows!!

Anyway, Matthew is making his hashbrown scramble for breakfast and the bacon smells SOOO good!! I better go help if he lets me!!

To Kristin and Brian.....I miss you guys SO very much! Thank you again for all you have done, Matthew and I are SO greatful to have family like you. You are SUCH an example of true love and giving unconditionally! We love you and cannot wait to see you soon!!!

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, love and support! Our family is back together safely and about to expand even more!! What a joy our life is once again!!

Love to all from both Matthew and I!

Thursday

2007-07-31T08:32:00.000-04:00

Matthew will be in Thursday afternoon.

He has to spend the night in Baltimore and then has a layover in Charlotte on his way to Fayetteville. But.....he's on his way home!

I am heading to North Carolina this afternoon to get things settled in.

Please say prayers for Matthew as he travels and for Layla and I as I am praying she will not want to come early.

Off we go!

Doctors Appointment

2007-07-30T15:37:00.000-04:00

So.....

I am getting REALLY nervous and paranoid about Layla for SOME reason making her appearance early. But I have faith she will wait. I went to the doctor today and everything looks GREAT he said. He cleared me to drive tomorrow and said he has no reason whatsoever to believe that she will come early. He said he could check my cervix to see if I was dilated as the best indicator of whether or not she is imminent to come. However, last time my cervix was checked at the hospital at 30 weeks it sent me into contractions so he said it was really unnecessary and I should not worry. I am measuring perfectly at 37 weeks so Layla girl is healthy and happy. She moves tons, but the Braxton Hicks contractions are getting stronger, but still not hurting so that is perfect.

Anyway, on the home front.....Matthew will be leaving where he is within the next couple of days. We will find out more information when he gets to Germany as to more specific details of when we can expect him.

As for Roxy, Hurley, Layla and I, we are reluctantly leaving Kristin and Brian's house tomorrow afternoon around 3PM to head to North Carolina. Makes me nervous to drive away from the closest family and also such a DEAR sister and brother-in-law, but of course it will all be worth it when I am in Matthew's arms again SO soon! Let's just all pray I make it until he gets home and don't stress too much and don't worry about things until he gets here so I can make it! AH!

Ok, well....that is the only update for now. It will probably be my last update until August 2nd which means Matthew will be home! Since I am leaving tomorrow and we don't get cable in our apartment until the 2nd! YAY! My cell phone will probably be very busy, but don't worry, I will try to answer it if possible.....LOTS to do so I may be too stressed to talk for these last couple of days alone. Forgive me and please don't get frustrated as so many people have been. I do apologize, but honestly right now the last thing I am thinking about is talking on the phone....I am thinking about staying calm, healthy, and of course, Matthew!

Love to everyone!

Doctor's Visit Update!

2007-07-25T12:30:00.000-04:00

Well, it is noon here and what a GREAT day it is!!!

To start, I had my doctor's appointment today for week 36. Everything looks PERFECT and it went EXCELLENT! My belly is measuring exactly 36 weeks which is perfect and Layla is moving like a little wiggle worm! She is perfectly located head down, but NOT "dropped" or engaged yet which is GREAT news for her making it until next week when Matthew is expected home!! Speaking of....

Matthew is coming home NEXT WEEK!!!! In fact, he has already started moving back a base and will be OUT OF AFGHANISTAN by the end of today!! He and the other guy that he is traveling with are going to be just waiting for the next week for the flight home to the States! Finally he has started showing excitement about coming home now that it is getting real for him! In some ways it stinks for him since he basically just has to wait for the next flight out! ONE WEEK! That is all we are looking at now and well....LOTS to do in just a single week!

Next Monday is my next doctor's appointment, the last one here in Augusta, GA. Next Tuesday I am driving to North Carolina to our apartment!! Next Wednesday (hopefully) or Thursday depending on the flights home, Matthew will be HOME!!!!!!! We are both SO anxious, nervous, excited, and happy! The joy is getting overwhelming and lately, the thought of me being back in his arms makes me cry almost every time I think about it lately!

I will keep everyone updated about what is going on.......if not sooner, then next Monday after my appointment!

Love to all and all I have to Matthew!

Start of week 36!

2007-07-22T11:06:00.000-04:00

Can I get an AMEN! This whole chapter of my life is slowly coming to an end, pregnancy during deployment....YUCK! But, it has been a beautiful thing feeling and noticing my body change. I must say that I am one of the few women that LOVES being pregnant. All of my pregnant friends cannot WAIT to have their babies and be done with it, but I on the other hand am truly going to miss my baby bump! I pray I make it another 10 days until Matthew gets home so that he can be a part of this little miracle I am growing! It seems like just yesterday that we were in California for Christmas and I was still fitting in my favorite jeans! This year has been a CRAZY year and I must say I hardly remember the whole first 6 months except how I missed Matthew and couldn't WAIT for next week to come! I cannot believe we are closing in on the end of July 2007!!!

At the end of last year, I thought there was NO way that the next year would be as great as that one. Matthew and I met, got engaged, married, moved into a new home, got our wonderful doggies, and then found out we were pregnant to close the year. WHAT A JOY! But now.....approaching the second half of this year I realize something.....each year with Matthew IS getting sweeter. Life with him IS getting better with time and I see now how once you find the one you love SO much that time really does FLY by!! If I don't watch it, we will be 30 years old and looking back at these times as great, but always getting better! I want to enjoy this time with him....this time with Layla. I am cherishing the small things now, her little hiccups, kicks and squirms. I am realizing things I never want to take for granted again from Matthew.....his hugs, his kisses, and how it feels to be held by him. After so many months apart I realize that those memories DO fade, but the ones that don't are the times where we laugh until we cry, we sing at the top of our lungs and both sound terrible, the times when we feel free in each other to be completely ourselves. I will never forget the way it feels when he looks in my eyes and the way it feels when he stops time just to tell me he loves me for no reason at all. THOSE are the memories that will never fade. And now, with next week approaching faster by the day, I get more and more excited for us to refresh the memories of hugs and kisses, to refresh our laughter and tears. Time and time again I have said it, and I will never tire of saying it......I never know WHO reads this blog, but what I DO know is that Matthew IS my greatest, most precious gift. And I love being able to call him my own.

To all of our friends and family.....this week will undoubtedly be a long one, but it will also be the greatest anticipation, the greatest excitement that I have ever had in my life. More so than waiting for our wedding do I look forward to seeing Matthew's face again and feeling his hand cover mine knowing he is safe and in my arms again.

Matthew does not have access to the internet right now since he is traveling for the next couple of weeks, but if he ever looks back and reads this.....I want you to know that tomorrow is just another day until my tomorrow brings you back to me. I love you with all that I am!

35 weeks photos!!!!!

2007-07-19T09:24:00.000-04:00

My belly, sooooooooo big!

Enjoy in my misery! Belly is gettin' HUUUGE! And it is getting CLOSER to MATTHEW being HOOOOOOME! YAAAAY!

Be nice with any comments left!

Results are in!

2007-07-17T16:13:00.000-04:00

PHEW!

After worrying all night, I got the results back from my doctor's appointment yesterday and they are ALL PERFECT! Nothing to worry about, in fact, some of the levels are slightly low so that means I am perfectly healthy. Now I can tell you what the scare was....

I have been having some REALLY bad rib pain on my right side, now this is a normal occurance as her feet can be up there kicking, but the thing that scared me was that the pain was SO localized to the right side of my chest (near the liver). I have also been experiencing fatigue, headaches, and a few other symptoms that are ALL common in late pregnancy. What they were testing me for was Preeclampsia (pregnancy induced high blood pressure) and a condition called HELLP Syndrome (pregnancy induced liver failure). BOTH of the conditions are DEADLY and require IMMEDIATE delivery of the baby. Once the baby is delivered in both cases, the condition goes away. However, if not caught they can cause long term effects and even death if left untreated.

SO....needless to say, I was VERY anxious to get my blood work results back. They came back today and I was NEGATIVE on all accounts for both conditions! Which means, my rib pain is just Layla getting her foot WAY up there and kickin' the DEVIL out of my ribs, lungs, and liver!! Also, it means the fatigue I have is not medically related, it is just common pregnancy fatigue, the headaches are hormone level changes and I DON'T have any problem with high blood pressure which is fantastic!

THUS.....what this means is that I SHOULD (knock on wood) have NO problems making it another TWO weeks until Matthew gets home before I have Layla girl! This is a GREAT thing and really encouraging. Although, I must say that time is neither moving NOR making this wait ANY easier! I really think the last few weeks of deployment are made solely for torture purposes! I have already been cleared for the drive in a couple of weeks as long as nothing drastically changes before then, GREAT news! I will now be seeing the doctor's once a week until I deliver so my next appointment in next Wednesday. Then I will have one more appointment the following Monday before I head to North Carolina on Tuesday. Once in North Carolina and once Matthew is home (AHHH!!!) we already have an appointment scheduled up there for that Friday, August 3rd. This will be the FIRST appointment he has been to since I was 10 weeks pregnant!!!!! What a blessing for him!!!

So....two weeks from today I will be driving ONE WAY to North Carolina to get ready for Matthew's return!! I have to say though.....it makes me VERY emotional to be leaving Kristin and Brian's house. They have been SO kind, caring, and giving of all they have to me during this time. There is NO WAY I could have done so well through this without them! They will ALWAYS hold such a special place in mine and Matthew's lives for what they have done for us and how kind and inviting they have been. I will truly miss being so close to my dear sister and her husband that it makes me tear up at just the thought of leaving. I cannot thank you guys enough and we love you SO very much!!

I will keep everyone updated, there isn't really anything exciting happening this week (no news is good news right now!) Next week will start the fireworks as Matthew will be returning the following week! SO exciting!

Matthew, handsome, you know what I am thinking, words won't do it justice. I love you.

An update from Augusta!

2007-07-16T21:04:00.001-04:00

So....had my doctor's appointment today. ANOTHER different doctor, not that it makes a really big deal, but it does get a bit annoying to have to REtell the same things over and over again! Anyway, he basically just made me paranoid because I am having some sharp pains in my upper right abdomen that he checked out. Now granted, they could easily be just sore ribs from Layla kicking me, but it ALSO could be my liver getting out of whack. Just to be safe, he ordered some bloodwork for my liver which IF it comes back positive then I literally go in and deliver the baby TOMORROW. The only way to stop the progression of the problem, which could ultimately lead to liver and kidney failure, is to deliver the baby immediately. SO.....now that I am sufficiently worried sick and haven't slept in several nights anyways, I am paranoid about getting the results back, hopefully by tomorrow. It would just be SUCH a shame for me to come this far SO healthy and SO easily only to have to deliver her immediately. Apparently, though, the condition is VERY rare (in only .2%-.6% of pregnancies). So we have that in our favor. I will be sure to keep everyone updated as I find out more. They also did some bloodwork to determine if I have any risk of preeclampsia and also for anemia. I have another appointment every week from here on out, as standard procedure. And for those that have lost count....I am officially 35 weeks pregnant today! Next Wednesday will be my next appointment. Oh the joys......

Anyway, we are DEFINITELY getting closer now to my prince charming coming home!!!! I got in trouble last time I put exactly when he is coming home, so just know it is just sliiiiightly over 2 weeks until I get to see my handsome man!! And let me tell you, I have NEVER had so many mixed emotions in my LIFE! Nervous, anxious, excited, happy, CRAZY.....SO many thoughts and emotions running through me about his return. Will he still like to look at me? Will he think Layla moving is cool? Gross? Weird? Will he be ready? Will I be ready? SO many things I just cannot help but think about!!! AH!

However, Matthew is doing REALLY well and had the opportunity to hang out with a bunch of F-15 pilots yesterday! What a treat! He got to get up close and personal with the Fighter aircraft too as you can see in the pictures above! What a neat opportunity! Right now he is working crappy overnight shifts, but hopefully that helps him adjust back to our time when he gets back in not too long now at all! Neither of us like to talk about how close it is getting because it still seems SO far away!!!! Anywho....enjoy the pictures of my man!!! He's soooo dang handsome, I just have to show him off!

Matthew, tomorrow is one day closer.....our little girl and I are waiting on you! The pup pups are waiting on their daddy too!!!!!!

New belly shots...

2007-07-12T08:50:00.001-04:00

Reluctantly, I place these photos for everyone's enjoyment (except my own, of course). The good news is that I haven't gained any weight since my last appointment 4 weeks ago. Bad news is that I have another appointment on Monday to check and see how everything is and I am worried that the baby has dropped. In fact, you guys all tell ME what you think, has she dropped or not? Those pictures were taken this morning so that is literally how I look right this moment!

Love you guys and BE NICE! NO LAUGHING!

Ok, I have to vent!!

2007-07-10T18:40:00.000-04:00

Whoever decided that keeping track of TIME is a good thing, really needs to rethink their strategy! Why is it that when you want something SO bad, it takes FOREVER to come, and when you wish something would WAIT, it ALWAYS makes an early bird appearance?! AH!

Staying in Augusta right now is like watching the hands on a clock, watching the paint dry, or watching a pot trying to boil. It is KILLING me! Knowing that Matthew will be coming home sooner rather than later now is pretty much one of the most difficult waits of my life. Of course, it is REALLY tough on him too, but the good thing for him is that he will be on the move shortly to start base jumping to get home. I, on the other hand, sit here and wait wait wait for the ONE phone call that says "I am getting on the plane to come home". Those words are my anticipation for the last 6 months all balled up into one phrase. I am trying to keep from those words ALONE sending me into labor, much less seeing him at the airport!

What people don't understand is that basically I am excited about the baby, I am excited about the apartment, but my TRUEST excitement lays in being able to hug and kiss Matthew again. If EVERYTHING else in the world was to disappear and I had Matthew to love me, I would be the happiest woman alive. Without him, it LITERALLY feels like the world has STOPPED rotating. My life is at a standstill and has been for about 6 months. The only way that I feel like I have accomplished ANYthing is by this growing belly and the constant reassurance our daughter offers every 5 seconds or so.

So, again, to whoever decided keeping track of time was a GOOD idea, think again! I would rather him just WALK in one day and be like "I am home for good!" than to know I still have 4 weeks, then 3 weeks, then 2 weeks.....until that last week, I am waiting....waiting, waiting, WAITING!!!!! I must say of ALL this deployment, these last few weeks will be the toughest. I have basically NOTHING to do because I don't want to get stressed or excited so I try to stay calm and mediocre all day in order to not induce labor. It would be a cryin' shame to go into labor and have the baby THIS close to Matthew coming home!

Ok, well.....I am off my soapbox now. Now I am just STARVING so I think I am going to get Moe's for a BIG OL' BURRITO with some chips! YUMMY! Layla likes Mexican....and Italian, and American, and Chinese, and well....you get the point!

Matthew.....NOW I get what it is like with Ground Hogs day to you, same thing every day and basically just waiting for it to be over. Baby, you are comin' HOME!!!!!!! AHH!!!! I just CAN'T wait to see that smile when you come around the corner at the airport, I better look pretty because it might just be the LAST time you see me pregnant with Layla! Haha, wait.....knock on wood, I want a little time with you all to myself if it can be arranged! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!! Kisses from your girls!

ALL MOVED IN!!!

2007-07-08T18:54:00.000-04:00

After a whirlwind week and trip to North Carolina, I am back in Augusta at my sister's house safe and sound! Thank you for all your prayers in my safe travels and move because I am still feeling great! I didn't push it too hard, but I sure did command my helpers left and right to get everything done. Thank you to my dad, Brian, and Katie for coming up to help me move. I DEFINITELY could not have done NEAR what is done by myself!

With that said, the apartment is COMPLETELY move-in ready. Everything is exactly where it needs to be and even the clothes are clean and put away! We got our new washer and dryer that works wonderfully and the baby's room is COMPLETELY done! Even down to the diapers and changing table are ready! I am just SO excited about going back and let me tell you....it was VERY tough to leave! The only motivation I had to leave that apartment was, of course, coming back to the puppies!!! I missed them so much, but they were going CRAZY and I don't think they missed me so much.

I took MANY pictures of the apartment all set up, but I cannot post them on here since Matthew does not want to see them before he gets home. He says it will just make the next 3.5 weeks go by even slower, which I understand. Plus, it will be SO much fun to show him our new home and see his reaction to it all! Anxious, nervous, excited, worried....all those words describe my feelings as the day approaches that Matthew is supposed to return. I am SOOO nervous for him to see me and how big I have gotten. I have gotten UNBELIEVABLY big and it is really weird for me. Layla, however, is doing great and moving more and more every day. She is too funny and I really LOVE the feeling of her in my belly. It is going to be sad when she is no longer inside of me.....I am starting to dread that.

So.....all in all, these next few weeks I am taking it SUPER easy and basically putting myself on bedrest and drinking TONS of water. I don't want to come THIS far and then have Layla only DAYS before my love returns! I don't plan on doing a whole lot of anything just to avoid any potential stresses. Honestly, I hope I DON'T have her soon considering I really don't feel like it is time. I know I have no control over there, but for some reason it just doesn't feel real to me. Perhaps that is normal for a first time mother, but I hope we can just wait 3.5 more weeks....that's all I am hoping for. I am currently 34 weeks pregnant which is really bizarre since it just seems like yesterday that I found out I was pregnant. Of course, I get a reality check when I feel a nice kick in the ribs or hip bone!! For Layla to be 100% healthy, I need to make it at LEAST 2 more weeks for her lungs to be fully developed. After that, she will be SUPER healthy coming out any time. What a blessing this pregnancy has been and how healthy she is!!

Well.....I suppose those are all the updates for now. I am going to try and keep updated as much as possible, but I don't plan on being at the computer too much these next few weeks. A lot of laying down and staying cool and comfy is in my playbook!

Love to everyone......email me if anyone needs or wants anything! I cannot wait to see everyone we can when Layla is born! If you plan on coming to visit, we would LOVE to have you, please just call and let us know when you are planning on coming so we can tell you our schedule and needs!

To Matthew, I love you, handsome. 3.5 weeks is so close, but still so far! Be careful and keep that head down for just a little longer! We have come so far.....now is the home stretch. Your girls and puppies are waiting for you!!!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!

2007-07-01T12:15:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, the love of my life and I said our vows in Louisville, KY. That day is one we will never forget and one we fondly look back upon like it was yesterday. After spending one year married and only half of it physically together, we have both learned things about each other and what we "really married into". Neither of us could be happier or more satisfied. I must say that I never REALLY knew how perfect Matthew is for me until we were married and have gone through difficult times. He truly brings out the best in me and I like to think I do the same for him. I am a stronger woman married to him, he makes me strive to be the very best.

I don't consider myself lucky....luck had nothing to do with us. Fate, destiny and God's hand bringing us together at the perfect time and place is all that I can attribute to our wonderful life together. I am not lucky, luck fades and diminishes....I am blessed. I have a man that completes my sentences and knows how I am feeling from halfway across the world. He knows just what to say to make everything ok and when together he knows just how to love me and deal with me in the kindest, most gentle way. He truly is the greatest gift I could ever receive from above. heaven sent and heaven loved.

I cannot say one thing that makes us so perfect....there are too many ways that we match, that we fit and that we complete each other. We are each others rock, each others biggest fan, and each others strongest encourager. I confide in him and him in me. I know he will always be there to catch me when I fall and that makes me brave enough to jump with him into new things. I never knew how much I could love one person or how much I could BE loved by one person until I met Matthew and we let our love blossom and grow. I have never been so proud to call anyone my own. I have never been so thankful for God giving me someone in my life. I have NEVER been so full of joy, not just happy.....but full of joy than I am being with Matthew.

Now, with the GREATEST, most beautiful expression of our love....I have the privilege of carrying our child. There is no better way to tell a man who loves you with all that he is that you are pregnant. There is NO greater joy than what his face shows when he hears that his love for you was able to produce such a miracle. Now, with the day approaching our daughter's arrival, I marvel at the miracle of life and how perfect she really is. Only in THIS little perfection growing inside of me can I truly understand the perfection of our love. I am not saying either of us is perfect, we both have flaws, but our love is just that.....seemingly flawless, understanding of our differences and imperfections and strengthening our greatest achievements within each other.

So.....here's to us, baby, one year down and many MANY more wonderful years to come! You make my life a musical masterpiece worth playing every second of every day. Thank you for bringing harmony to my life and showing me what no one else ever has or ever will. Thank you for loving me.

I love you, Matthew.
Happy one year anniversary!

ANOTHER ULTRASOUND!!!!!

2007-06-29T16:32:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2007-06-25T16:48:00.000-04:00

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....

2007-06-21T22:16:00.000-04:00

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!!

2007-06-16T17:06:00.001-04:00

LAYLA'S DADDY, MY SOLDIER!!!!

2007-06-15T08:44:00.000-04:00

MY AMERICAN HERO!!!!

2007-06-14T15:08:00.001-04:00

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!!

2007-06-12T19:34:00.000-04:00

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!!!!

2007-06-07T21:53:00.001-04:00

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!

2007-06-03T19:20:00.000-04:00

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!!!

Como estas??

2007-05-31T17:27:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Well, another week is passing by. 11 and a half weeks until baby is due and less than 9 weeks until Matthew gets home!!! Finally getting a little exciting. Like I said, things are really picking up here. We are sending out the invites for the baby shower and they should be arriving next week! Yay!

Make sure everyone checks on here for baby shower information considering not everyone will be getting an invite due to that would be a LOT of invites! Instead, if you were at the baby shower that we had before then you might not get an invite as well as a lot of my college girls! I love you guys to death and I want you to participate in the baby shower, but most of you can check on here or on facebook and myspace to learn how to get onto it!! If anyone wants to make sure you get an invite please let me know!!

Well, here are the 28 week belly shots. Nothing to exciting, just getting huge! I have officially "popped" and now will continue to grow OUT! AH! Enjoy them as I am not sure how much longer I will boast with pictures of my belly.

Love,
Katie

WOW!

2007-05-27T22:08:00.000-04:00

MAN! I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated the blog!! Sorry, guys! I guess I am slacking on that and really need to get on it! I would say time flies when you are having fun, but really for me it is just time flies when you are getting fat and happy! Haha.

So I suppose an update is in order....

I had my doctor's appointment last week. Things went WONDERFULLY. I am perfect and baby is perfect! We have gained 21 pounds and the baby is growing JUST right with constant movement which is what they look for! Her heartbeat was 152 which is right on target and is perfect for our little angel! I also took and recieved the results back for my glucose test and everything is perfect there so no gestational diabetes.....YAY! Another hurdle down! I am officially 28 weeks today which is 7 months so only 12 more weeks to go!! Can you guys believe that?! It seems like just yesterday was Christmas, but it is almost June! Goodness, I cannot say time has gone by quickly, but the pregnancy sure has!

As for Matthew....he is doing well, but.....he has moved farther forward in Afghanistan. Pretty much the worst news I can get, but what can I do, right? Yes, it is the military life.....but NO ONE is prepared to go through this alone. Thank you to everyone for your support, thoughts, and prayers. There is NO way I could get through this alone and our family and friends are just unbelievably kind and giving. Thank you!

Matthew sends his love to everyone.....he wishes he could call more, but its not always easy, I suppose especially now that he is at the forward base.

As for the baby shower invitations....! They will be going out this week and we are thinking June 16th will be when we officially have the site up and going. For all those that don't get the invitations simply because there are SO MANY of you loving people out there.....you will still be able to get on the baby shower site even without an invite. For those that don't know what we are doing.... Basically, my sister is throwing and ONLINE baby shower!! I do not live near or even close to any of our friends and family making it VERY difficult to have a set baby shower! Thus......Kristin is putting together a site where everyone will be able to play games such as guessing the babies weight, birth date and so on. Many games, pictures, forums, and chats will be available through that site! Also, for those wishing to....we will have links to Babies R Us and target where we are registered and any gracious gifts we receive will be sent to my sister's house here in Augusta as we will be taking them to NC in a few different trips! It all works out great! On another note, anyone that wishes to rub the belly and/or give a gift or card, a hug, thought, or prayer.....I will be attending Alison's wedding in June so I will see everyone there as well!! This is a great way for people literally all over the world to be a part of our shower....Matthew in Afghanistan, Anna in Argentina, Matthew's family and friends in California, the squadron guys in North Carolina, my family in Mississippi, Kentucky, and New Orleans, and all of my college friends throughout the US now! What a cool way to stay connected! We only will have a few invitations so PLEASE don't be offended if one doesnt make it your way.....WE STILL WANT YOU TO BE INVOLVED!!! I will post on here all information to be a part of the baby shower, so don't worry!!! If you are close enough to us to be checking this site, you will probably get an invite or read on here how to get on the site!!!

Anyway, here is a picture of me taken by Kristin today....this is my 7 month belly. We are in the third trimester now!! 2/3rds done! WOOHOO!!!

Love to all.

Hey guys and gals!!

2007-05-21T11:48:00.000-04:00

Well, I am feeling pretty good this morning. I went on my usual 3 mile walk and it was just a beautiful day with tons of people out and about walking and doing yardwork and such. I love springtime! There is a good bit of smoke in the air still from the fires in south Augusta so I had pretty bad allergies to that on my walk, but I got over it. It was already over 80 degrees here when I went for my walk at 9:00 am. WOW, it's going to be a hot one!

After that I came home and showered and got all prettied up because EVERYONE feels better when they are clean and prettied up. Haha. I am all ready to go to my doctor's appointment at 12:45 for a regular prenatal appointment. YAY! Anyway, I will update everyone on how that goes. I am officially in my third trimester!!!! I am really not looking forward to stepping on the scale today at the appointment. AH!

Ok, well....off to the appointment and then maybe to my mom's to see her and try to help her pack up the house.

Love to all.

The most wonderful husband...

2007-05-19T19:02:00.000-04:00

Due to a lack of pictures recently as well as posts....I decided it is getting down to the home stretch of Matthew getting home and I better let him know how I look! Haha!

Many of you have seen me lately and many are going to see me in the near future. Matthew's family saw me while I was out in California and Katie Gunter saw me on the way out and on the way home! Now....my WHOLE family has the privilage of seeing me as I get even bigger! EGH! Sorry, guys! I am going to spend a night in Atlanta with my mom this Monday so she gets to see me and then....I will see the whole family at Alison's wedding on June 23rd (also my mom's birthday!).

The way I look at it is that I don't have TOO much time to start trimming up and making myself pleasant to look at for Matthew. 2 Months isn't too long to work on it so that makes the time seem even shorter.

Matthew had a great time today as he was able to see Toby Keith in concert out there in Afghanistan! I love it when they have morale things out there for the guys. As for Matthew, he is such a wonderful husband as I recieved flowers today when I came home. Such BEAUTIFUL flowers with a note that touched my heart, as always! Please enjoy those pictures as they are not even capable of capturing how beautiful the flowers really are.

Matthew, it seems as though many days are left, but every moment is a step closer to being together. I cannot wait for you to hug me and hold me and until I can look into those handsome eyes. I love you so much, prince.

Belly photos are updated as well......these represent week 26 as I start week 27 on Monday.

Love to all.....all my heart to Matthew.

Finally, an update!!!

2007-05-15T15:18:00.000-04:00

Hello!!!

Well, here we are again after a week of me not updating my exciting life. And I can honestly say this week has been just that....exciting!! I am still in California, but am leaving tomorrow morning to head back to Atlanta where I will spend the night and head back to Augusta. I cannot wait to get back due to all of the fun things coming up soon including birthing classes, a breastfeeding class, an infant CPR class, my doctor's appointments, and of course, the 3D/4D ultrasound around 30 weeks!!

What a great time I have had here in California. The weather was beautiful, but pretty chilly so I only got about 1 good day of laying out time. Other than that, I rested up and really enjoyed having some company around! Even MORE exciting I was able to go see Aunt Annie who lives only about 20 minutes from Matthew's parent's place where I am staying! Aunt Annie and I talked and talked for about 6 hours or so last week when I visited her and Uncle Ajit for dinner! I am noticably larger than the last time she saw me at Christmas during our visit and I believe she may be the ONLY one getting to see me in person actually growing larger! Most people saw me before and will see me after we have Layla! Although markedly larger, I am still the same old me!!!!

MOTHER'S DAY! What a GREAT year this Mother's Day was!! I mean I knew it would be wonderful because I am getting to enjoy my daughter already in the womb, but Matthew's parents bought me a facial and haircut to enjoy that day as well! As you could see in the picture, the woman took forEVER to straighten my hair with lots of chemicals and it was a REALLY neat change for a day or so! The humidity is so low here that it actually stayed relatively straight for a couple of days!!! THEN....as I returned home.....I was surprised by a whole clan of people awaiting my arrival for a surprise BABY SHOWER!!! WOW, I cannot tell you HOW surprised I was and it was pretty much the neatest thing to see so many people that cared and took part to make it such a special day for me!! How special, a baby shower on Mother's Day!!! The company and food was great and the weather made outdoor seating SUCH a pleasure for us all to chat and play many games that Matthew's mom put together! And in case anyone is wondering...I am currently 11 toilet paper squares big around my belly! Haha...not QUITE the 18 squares that Aunt Annie and Carol Nolte measured out, God bless them!! After the biggest array of presents I have EVER recieved, I feel like the most blessed woman in the world! So many outfits for our little angel that she will be well clothed for at LEAST the first 6 months!! I was also fortunate to accumulate some of the "essentials" for baby including pacifiers, bibs, booties, and bathtime washes! To Matthew's parents, thank you SO much for making this Mother's Day SO very special.....I have not felt THIS surprised and happy and excited since Matthew left! Now, I feel like I have so much to look forward to before Matthew gets home.

Pray for us that these next few months continue to fly by and that little Layla remains healthy and content to stay in my tummy until the full 40 week mark. Most mothers are DYING to get the little one out by 36 weeks and I am BEGGING that she stays in until 41!!! Hopefully within that time frame Matthew will have made it back to me safely!

Here is a rundown of what the next few months entail so everyone can stay updated:
May 21 - Next Doctor's appointment
May 24 - Infant CPR class
June 4-July 2 - Every Monday night a 2 hour birthing class (If anyone wants to go with me, I could sure use a partner!!!)
June 21 - Breastfeeding class
June 23 - Alison's wedding
July 1 - OUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!!
July 3-July 5 - Move into the apartment in Fayetteville
July 6-July 8 - Katie comes up to help me finish the details on the apartment
July 25- I offically move back to Fayetteville and register at Womack Army Medical Center for the labor and delivery unit!
3/4 - MATTHEW HOME!!! (we hope)

If you have anything you want to add to my schedule, these are the only dates that are currently reserved for things!!! HOWEVER.....PLEASE STAY UPDATED because soon we will be sending out invitations for the online baby shower that Kristin Davis, my sister, is holding for us!!! This will be sent out to all friends and family so you can participate in a few fun games , pictures, chats, and if you wish to purchase a gift (you don't have to), we will send our registries out then as well!!! If you are dying to know, we are registered at Babies R Us and Target!! All gifts will be sent to Kristin's house as I will be making a few trips and perhaps stealing Brian for a weekend to move all the stuff to Fayetteville in July!

Any questions, please feel free to call as I am learning more and more people are reading this blog to stay updated!!! We are SO thankful for our wonderful friends and family and all the gifts and prayers you have given and said for us!!!!

Much love to you all,
Katie and Matthew

2007-05-13T22:38:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

2007-05-05T19:41:00.000-04:00

Ok, so....

Not too much going on here right now. I am just preparing for my trip to California which takes off on Tuesday, May 8th. Looking forward to see all you Californians! I am getting really excited and nervous to fly for some reason. Never been scared to fly, in fact, always enjoyed it, but last time when we were on our flight home the turbulance scared me to death and thank goodness Matthew was there. This time, I have to brave it, but I am sure it will be fine. Although, I am much bigger now! hah!

Fortunately, I got Matthew's truck back from the repair shop from the accident and it looks like brand new! Only over $5200 in damage that had to be replaced! I sure did a number on it, sorry, baby!!! It is nice to have our truck back and I hope I am not scared to drive it!

Anyway, I spent today getting things organized for the trip. I am very forgetful these days and I am trying not to forget anything and to just be prepared for my Cali vacation!! The puppies are acting up because it has been a rainy day and they havent had much outside time. Roxy is trying to be particularly sweet, but I come to find out she is getting into mischief again outside.....she's the digger.

Ok well.....I am off. Peace ouuuuuuut!

Ever see a pregnant woman pant??

2007-05-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

So....the story goes as such...

Today in Augusta, GA record high temperatures have been made with the heat blazing over 91 degrees! Me, being the smart pregnant woman that I am kept the doggies inside in the cool air for the majority of the day. However, my intellect failed me when I decided upon the brilliant idea of trying to get a little sun.....AT TWO IN THE AFTERNOON! Wow.....brilliance was radiating quite literally. After spending only about 7 minutes outside and with the dogs begging to go inside, I suckered through the pain and stayed out. Not for long, mind you, because it isn't good for the baby. But honestly, I HATE being a ghost and that is exactly what I am right now! So....moral of the story, as I was laying there basking, more like deep FRYING in the heat, I came to the realization that I was breathing a lot harder than I probably should have been...in fact, I was indeed panting. At this startling discovery, I quickly tip toed inside with the ever-so-greatful doggies on my heels. Needless to say, I may have gotten about 5 minutes of sun time with about 50 years of grief for being so indulgent in the sunshine.

On a brighter note....pun intended....I DID get my 3 mile walk in early this morning before the cool, night breeze had vanished replaced by the thick musk of summer heat that Georgia is so lovingly known for. After quite the deliberation, I decided that perhaps staying inside this summer is the best idea, but you can bet we are looking into a pool membership this weekend!

Since I was overly exposed in my swim suit considering I just cannot sucker into buying a new maternity one....I decided to REALLY scare you all and post pictures of my pregnant body in the suit as well as go ahead and deal with the 24 week photos. Alas, here they are....enjoy and PLEASE don't magnify them, it will cause serious injury to the viewer!

Love, the panting pregnant woman

Alright!!!!! hehehe.

2007-05-01T19:37:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I am feeling the heat for not posting more. I apologize to those that actually check this! Some days it is more difficult than others to really find something exciting to say, but even so....here's what is going on in my life!!!

So basically.....not a whole lot is going on in my life. haha. Not right now, at least! I am waiting for May to really get underway as this is the month that most things really start happening and hopefully start to pass the time quickly! This month is full of excitment from going to California to see the family to starting some of the prenatal classes that are recommended! I am totally excited simply because the more little things like that which are planned in advance, the more little goals I can achieve to get to the big one of Matthew coming home!!

Unfortunately, the one thing I don't like anymore is getting in front of the camera, but since Matthew likes it, you ALLLLL have to suffer!! I am definitely bigger now and having Braxton Hicks contractions more often. This baby has also gained significant weight and muscle because her little kicks are more like a boxing match with Tyson! And I think she wins! Actually, it never really hurts, but sometimes I swear she is doing the cha cha or the can can with how she is rolling around and moving. It must be pretty exciting in there since she never really seems bored!

It has gotten unbelievably hot here already! Summer is going to be INSANE! I try to stay inside until dusk for my walk, but I think that is going to have to move to a morning routine as evenings remain very hot as well now! I think Layla likes the walks as she does a little dance when I get home and do my stretching. As for everything else....life is good as can be. I am hungry all the time and cannot sleep through the nights....all to be expected though! I bought some new maternity clothes so hopefully I will be feeling pretty soon!!

Everyone please stay in touch and let me know what is going on!

Love,

Katie

23 weeks update!

2007-04-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

Well, here are the 23 week pictures....I never really posted the 22 week on a post, but you can see them in the album to the left if you want to compare. The belly is really starting to pooch out and round out now and it is super easy to see Layla moving around inside like a little alien when I lay down! Not going to lie, pretty much the COOLEST thing I have ever felt is a movement all its own inside of me! I haven't measured my belly in weeks, and there is a reason for that haha....measurements are not my friend right now! BUT.... I can tell you....I am getting bigger! Some days I am larger than others depending on my activity level and how stressed I am. She seems to be still sitting really low with her head down, but her back, butt and legs way up near the top of my belly. Growing like a weed! Wait, that doesn't sound very nice....growing like a....Flower! Much better.

Ok, well.....I am off probably to buy some little baby items today. I am tired of waiting and CERTAIN things I am sure we will need tons of like diapers and recieving blankets and onesies....I am stocking up now!

Enjoy the belly shots!

I love my husband....and our baby!!

2007-04-26T15:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, so....had a doctor's appointment today. Everything went really well. I am doing wonderful and the baby is healthy and that is most important. I miss Matthew terribly, but I must say the most wonderful part about our relationship is how well we communicate. Yes, we both have our really stubborn moments, but in retrospect to each one, I cherish them. It is nice to both have opinions and to be able to choose and compare two strong opinions is a blessing. It's also nice that neither of us are weak and we always want the best for each other. I suppose talking things through has been the best way we get through things and I think that is why so many marriages fail. The trust in each other is not there and the ability to be honest, open, and up front about everything is true of successes. Anyway, the one thing I HOPE Matthew is being truthful about lately is that he still thinks I am beautiful, because no offense to anyone but I really don't care if you all think I am pretty.....it only really matters if Matthew thinks I am, even more than myself. Thank you to everyone trying to cheer me up about it though! I am not going to turn down free compliments! And to Matthew....you are such a sweet husband, I love you so much!

Layla is taking it easy these last few days, not too active.....she's relaxing from the week of boxing practice she had last week. She lets me sleep through the night mostly except the occasional punch on my bladder. I know, I know........EVERYone and their mom who has had a child tells me "Just wait, it's only going to get worse!".....ok.....I understand it is going to get worse, but is that information REALLY necessary? Not EVERYONE's pregnancy gets worse, ok people?? So let's just chill out on the "it's going to get worse" or the "just wait til the baby comes" comments. They get old and irritating really fast. Fortunately, my other pregnant friends (I have several, last November must have been mating season), we all agree that the one thing we DON'T like about being pregnant are all the people that want to tell you exactly how THEIR pregnancy was, like it is set in stone that yours will be the same.....or that we have no idea what we are in for with a child. I, actually tend to laugh at those people after getting annoyed because they obviously didnt enjoy pregnancy near as much as I do and I have a feeling they didnt enjoy new motherhood as much as I will. And....while they're at it, cut out the eyebrow raise that goes with it.....you know, the one that silently says "I don't know about that, just wait and see" like they are all knowing about your life and pregnancy. Kinda funny, but most everyone knows what I am talking about!

So, to end the day.....the weather is getting warm here (for those of you tempting the "just wait and see" comment, please refer to the prior paragraph) , I think I am going to get a kiddie pool for me to lay out in outside. I want to get some sun so my skin doesn't look so bleak and transparent! We will see though.....usually pregnancy and bathing suits don't match too well! the REAL challenge will be keeping the puppies out of the pool when I am in there! Or from drinking the whole thing.

Phew....ok, I am off to bed.....the tiredness of pregnancy is kicking back in like in the first 2 months! Man, I thought it would stay away longer!!

Love to all and love with kisses to Matthew.

To keep him happy...

2007-04-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

Even though I don't find myself the most attractive person in the world right now...I am posting these because apparently Matthew likes them. Even if he liked them I probably wouldn't post them except for the fact that if he DOESN'T see me pretty often, when he gets back he would be SHOCKED at how much I have blown up! So.....in either reason.....here are some pictures of me, my love. I hope they make your day.....you have already made mine.

I love you always.

My littlest angel...

2007-04-24T20:43:00.000-04:00

My littlest angel...

It's not the one growing inside

It's the little angel by my husband's side.

The one that keeps him safe at night,

And makes him stronger than his fight.

This little angel never leaves,

Because she knows that he believes.

That every time he has to crawl,

She will hold him and never let him fall.

My little angel won't let go,

When his hand meets friend or foe.

I love you, angel, take away my fear,

Take care of my love, my Matthew dear.

FAT!!

2007-04-21T20:38:00.000-04:00

Egh....

That is exactly what I feel today....FAT! I am getting so big that my stomach hurts whenever I eat. I cannot breathe very well either. Being pregnant is not always easy, man! I am tired all the time too and REALLY dont feel like exercising like I should be. Stretch marks are NOT pretty and are almost a guarantee! I cannot wait to get back down to my pre-pregnancy body....for those of you out there who think "good luck, it's gone, baby"....you just watch, it won't take me too long. See, most of you that think that probably don't know me all that well or haven't known me for long. You never saw me during my physical training and body building days...the way you train for that will be very similar to how I train to get back down to body.

I love being pregnant, but I hate having an "excuse" to be fat and lazy. This figure is NOT attractive to me, although Matthew seems to actually like it saying it is beautiful and feminine. What a great husband I have! Lazy.....well, it just comes down to now when i work out my stomach gets tight, my back starts to hurt and I am tired for about 2 days after any semi-extensive workout. Even walking kills me because my back starts to pull and my tummy is just so akward! somebody make it stop growing! Haha....wait, don't because Layla is big and healthy!

Anyway, just an update....nothing too exciting going on here. I signed up for Childbirth and Breastfeeding classes today. I am very excited. Also played some basketball today and STILL have my beautiful shot.....I hit MULTIPLE from behind the 3 and at the end I did my 10 shot free throw count and was still 9 for 10. There is a reason I held the county record 3 years in a row for free throws and set records at my school for 3 pointers! It's not all gone! It feels good to be REALLY good at one thing that even pregnancy cannot erase! haha.

On that happy note, I may even take a bubble bath tonight and just not look at myself in the mirror before bed so I think happy thoughts.

Oh and....Layla keeps getting the hiccups which is totally adorable. PLUS, yesterday I had a CRAZY big Braxton Hicks contraction that lasted a full minute and basically squeezed my stomach into the hardest knot I have ever felt. Kinda wierd, made my tummy sore afterwards! Not like anything I have ever felt before.....kinda like giving birth will be!

Ok, love and good night.

Trip to the doctor!

2007-04-18T17:25:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

A bit of an update. Today I called the doctor to inform them of my accident yesterday and he wanted me to go to the hospital just to get checked out. So I went to the actual labor and delivery unit where I would have the baby if I was here in Augusta for some reason giving birth. They were really nice, but it was a bit wierd because I was hooked up to all of the labor and delivery equipment to monitor the baby's heartrate and any contractions. Fortunately, no contractions at all and little Layla has a surprisingly strong heartbeat. Everyone was really impressed at how well they picked up her heartrate and said she is a big girl which is great. They monitored for an hour and everything was perfect so I was sent home. It was a little taste of what delivery will be like and is makes me even more nervous to go through it alone. It looks like Matthew is potentially not coming home near as early as we thought and the likelihood of me having this baby alone are getting higher by the day. A bit scary and I really pray he makes it because even in that room alone today for an hour was scary. Fortunately, my sister was able to take a few minutes off and I was actually at the unit at HER hospital. So she came to visit and check on me which was REALLY nice. I love seeing my sister's face. She seems to calm me more than most people when Matthew is not around to do it. I am blessed to have her the way I do right now. Thank you, Kristin, for all you are doing for me, Matthew and this little baby! I love you so much and can not thank you enough.

Anyway, I took a couple of pictures because I actually got dressed today and look cute! If you've ever been pregnant, you can appreciate the days where you actually feel decent looking. I wish we could feel this way EVERY day! haha.

Love to all and love with kisses to Matthew.

I AM OK! Don't worry when you read this post!

2007-04-17T21:53:00.000-04:00

To friends and family,

Some of you have already heard, but today I was in a pretty bad car accident on Hwy 20 on my way to North Carolina. I am ok!!! Don't worry, Layla and I are fine, she is still kicking around and playing Tarzan and Jane in my tummy. The truck is badly damaged and my body is very, very sore. But thank goodness because it could have been much worse. People slammed on their brakes in traffic going about 70 moh and I was the last one to get the memo and went careening into the woman in front of me. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the air bag did not deploy. The truck, however, is not driveable and is still in Lexington, SC.

Please pray for us seeing as how money has been tight because we were trying to save up for the baby. Looks like things just got tighter, but the most important thing is that we are ok and home in Augusta with Kristin who fortunately was able to come get me.

Anyway, been a long day...I am pretty tired and sore with aches all down my neck and back. My tummy is still wiggling around and Layla and I might go get checked out tomorrow just to be safe. Matthew does know and everything is fine, I didn't have to go to the hospital or anything to severe since my sister was able to come quickly to check on me and pick me up.

For fear that Matthew might have a heart attack, I am not posting the pictures of his truck online. Just know that fortunately, I was IN the truck and not my car and the truck took the brunt of the impact.

Love to all friends and family. Thank you for always being there and taking care of us! Without family and those we love and adore, we simply would not have the beautiful life that we have! I will update tomorrow with how things are going.

God bless.

ULTRASOUND!!!

2007-04-16T20:16:00.000-04:00

Well, little Layla and I had another ultrasound today! It was very exciting! They checked everything and anything that is possible. Her head, abdomen, arms, legs, hands, and face. All are perfect! The placenta and fluid are perfect and most of all, Layla is already over a pound in weight!!!! How exciting!

Anyway, here are a couple photos of her and hopefully more to come!!

Love to all.

A drag of a day...

2007-04-15T13:31:00.000-04:00

Dreary day after not much sleep last night...

Went to church this morning, even though not feeling too well. It made me feel better for a bit, but now I am just exhausted. I think nap time is almost essential to me getting through this day. I was offered a job at Motherhood maternity, but I think I will be unable to accept it due to how long it has taken them to offer it. Now I only have a couple of months before I leave again. I look forward to these months passing quickly.

Matthew sent some pictures as you can see on the last post. He surprised me and wow is he getting bigger or what!?! He called today, a bit bummed. He isn't sure exactly what he wants to do so right now is a big "up in the air" time for us both. Our lives are pretty great the way they are, but both of us love change and are trying to figure out where to go from here.

Anyway, the puppies are being sweet as ever. They give mommy lots of kisses and lovin' while their daddy is gone. In many ways I am SURE they know every mood I am. The good days and the bad, they know how to make it all worth while.

Layla is growing ever so much and the belly has really started to pop as you can see in the pictures above. We are growing like crazy and I think I may have finally resorted to just being happy and thankful with how my body is growing and changing during the pregnancy. It is a beautiful thing and AFTER the pregnancy is when i need to start worrying about the way it looks. Right now, I cannot be anything other than PREGNANT and getting more obviously so every week. I must admit though, I love this belly.....I talk to her and rub my belly every day often times just laying silently feeling her move. What a peace and joy it brings. I cannot wait to be a mom! I think some people are just cut out for it at an early age and I am thankful that I think Matthew and I are just those types of people. Parenthood really doesn't scare me, not with matthew by my side. The only thing I am scared of is this CRAZY world that we have to bring her up in.

Well, off for a nap for the two of us. The babies are sleeping in the sunroom already. It's a lazy Sunday and sometimes, these are the best kind of days.

2007-04-14T21:41:00.000-04:00

Just some pictures

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

2007-04-12T19:33:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 1 YEAR BIRTHDAY, ROXY AND HURLEY!!!

'~'~'~" Cel-e-brate good times, COME ON!!'~'~'~'

We had a grand old time playing today with our new toys!

Roxy recieved a new soft blanket for her laying pleasures and Hurley recieved the newest of tennis ball launching technologies! We threw two balls over the fence accidentally, so it works GREAT and kept the babies running for hours! What a FUN DAY!!

The BIG present were the two HUMONGOUS chewy bones they got! Hurley was a little taken aback that he had a hard time picking up a chewy, but eventually smelled it enough to start chewing right where it was. While Hurley was hesitating, Roxy came and stole his bone, brought it to where hers was and starting chewing on both! She LOVES her bone and unfortunately is a bit protective of it towards the boys. NO WORRIES though, when I went to grab it from her, she was sweet as can be!

All in all, we had a blast today and Layla must have really enjoyed it as well, she is constantly moving all the time now! She is so strong already that my tummy moves and looks like I swallowed and ALIEN! I couldn't resist getting a couple of darling onesies at Target that read... "Daddy does my hair" and "Party in my crib 2 a.m."

Enjoy the doggy pictures, but don't forget on the post right before this one, I posted new pictures of the growing tummy! I think I have officially POPPED! Only getting bigger from here, YEEEHAW!

LOVE TO ALL!!!

NEW PICTURES! 21 WEEKS!

2007-04-12T10:13:00.000-04:00

Just the pictures for now, be sure to check back tonight for a special surprise!

A rainy day...

2007-04-11T20:49:00.000-04:00

On a rainy day, miles from home...

Home is where the heart is, and my heart is in Afghanistan.....it seems these are the days I miss him most. The days he makes me laugh uncontrollably, then has to tell me goodbye. These are the days that make "us". I must admit that I am weak. I am weak without Matthew by my side. He lifts me up briefly each time he calls, just enough to get me to the next time. It really is sad how emotionally dependent you become on someone, particularly when you are pregnant. I have never needed someone so badly or perhaps it has never been where I couldn't have them when I DID need them. There are many nights where dreams of his homecoming wake me only to be alone in a bed with nothing but a body pillow and a cold other side of the bed. My stomach hurts sometimes and I have no reason why, perhaps it is when Matthew is hungry. I am sad sometimes and don't know why.......it just makes me miss him more, but what can i do but sit and anxiously count the days to him coming home and hope it goes according to that plan. Although, inevitably in the military, it won't.

Layla and I had a doctor's appointment today. Everything looks perfect, all the tests they do came out negative which is wonderful. My fundal height is 21 cm which I am 21 weeks, so it is perfect. Layla was kicking the doctor as he was trying to listen to her heartbeat. A bit difficult to find, however, because she was moving so much. He said she is very long, I laughed and informed him that that is exactly what everyone is saying. I know she will be, our little angel. Ultrasound on Monday. To be posted.

Matthew, I love you. I miss you. Have a wonderful day at work.

HAPPY EASTER!!

2007-04-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone....Matthew, sorry no pictures of me today.....I had some on here, but looked REALLY fat and ungly and decided to take them off. They didn't even look like me. I'm sorry, baby. I will run and take a couple of the babies for you and post them. I have been working out and feeling better about myself, and I thought that I looked really pretty today, but for some reason the pictures definitely proved otherwise. Sorry, they didn't turn out well at all.

I accidentally saved the pictures to my camera and not to the memory card so we had a little longer time trying to get them onto the computer! Anyways, I love you very much and hope you get to see them!

I had a good day at church with a really great sermon and really enjoyed the music we played today. A bit challenging, but very fun and meaningful! I took a small nap today and that was much needed, the baby is moving all the time now so it makes nightime sleeping a bit broken up.

So I am off to bed, nothing really too exciting today. I cannot wait until this time next year when we have a precious little angel to dress up and take to church on Easter sunday! The things I look forward to with this little girl are endless! Matthew and I talk about her all the time, the one thing she is guaranteed to be is LOVED LOVED LOVED!

And with that.....Layla and I are off to bed. Love to all and love with kisses to Matthew.

A love letter...

2007-04-07T22:25:00.000-04:00

My dearest love,

I write this to you in a very public setting simply because I do not care who knows the depth to which I love you. You are my blessing and my joy. I love you without knowing how or when or why. I love you with more than all that I am, and with who I hope to be. I love you with a kind of passion that makes the stars brighter and the moon bigger. Without your love I feel as though life would stand still, I would be incomplete and insignificant. You have given me a hope and a peace in a world where neither is abundant or sought after. I cannot wait to share my life with you, to share our dreams and passions. I love you for who you are with any imperfections because those imperfections are the small places I can perfect you. You perfect me in mountains of ways. You make me stronger so that I can make it from day to day. You make me smile when happiness is so far and yet when you catch my tears in the palm of your hand, they are your lips that kiss my eyelids so gently. In your arms, I am protected and in your hands do I feel loved and cared for. Like none other is this love, for no one else again could capture the depths of my soul in just one look and take my breath in just one kiss. Every part of me adores you and our beautiful child growing inside of me loves you unconditionally. This child is the perfection of our love, the addition to something that nothing compares. Words cannot describe how I feel for you, but this child can come close. With this marriage we are one unit, blessed by our Lord. With this child, we are one family, the strongest unit of all, unbreakable and unchangable. You are the strongest man I know, the bravest and the most defined. You have defined your life already in so many ways, but the one that sets you apart is who and how you love. You love so completetly and sincerely. In our vulnerability grew our intimacy, and in our intimacy grew our unconditional love. I want you to know that already you have a legacy and a standard set that others around you try to achieve and constantly fall short. Never let your guard down, there will always be those trying to break you and to break us. Our love defines strength. I am strong for you, for us. This time apart only makes us stronger and I look forward to the day we can look back on our lives and on these moments and laugh knowing that we truly lived with no regrets and with the purest of joy. We lived to the fullest, to the happiest, perhaps not with the most money or with the most "things", but we lived in, through, and for each other, completely, unbroken, and unconditionally in love.

You are my greatest gift.

The picture!!

2007-04-06T20:53:00.000-04:00

To everyone:

This is a hand sketched, pencil drawn picture by an Afghanistan citizen overseas. Matthew gave him the tiny photo you see and he drew this unbelievable picture! We are so thrilled and Matthew sent it to me as a surprise! How neat! The next one he wants to do is a picture of me when I am later and bigger in pregnancy to hang in the baby's room....like a maternity photo. If I keep going at the rate I am, it won't be long before I can give him a " big" picture of me!

To all you guys out there, friends and family.....I want you to know Matthew is doing really well overseas. He has been lifting weights very hard in his free time and really getting big and buff! As for Layla, she apparently is getting much bigger. At the time of year when everyone is trying to slim down to get into swimsuits, I cannot stop the inevitable growth of the little alien inside! My stomach is ever present and has finally stopped me from running so I am using work out videos to stay as in shape as possible. I told Kristin the other day that I didn't think I was getting bigger and by the look on her face I knew I was mistakened as she said, "I think you might want to measur." Sure enough, unfortunate as it may seem....to me....haha I have gained 3 belly inches since I got here, so 3 inches in a month and a half. WOW. That's all I can say, BUT the good thing is that my belly is what is really showing that weight gain and I love rubbing my belly. Layla is most active when I lay down at night and she just starts wiggling away. I actually can SEE my belly moving now when she squirms! How fun! What a joy we have! I cannot wait until Matthew returns to share in this joy in a new way, we all know how much he wishes he could be here for this exciting time.

All I can ask is that everyone really be thankful for our men and women that serve. Many give up the most important and BIGGEST part of their lives being away in order for us to remain free. Whether you believe in the causes or politics behind the war, support our troops while they are away. They are just doing their job and we are lucky that their job is protecting our freedom! Fighting is more apparent overseas, but it is also an everyday battle for us families left behind to stand strong behind our men in a country growing ever against what they stand for. Let freedom ring!

Love to all!

Hey Matthew!!

Ok, so I know you are so so SOO anxious to see these pictures, so without further delay, here they are! I hope you like them, this picture is awesome! Thank you for the present, baby, it is going to be SO neat to see it in our home again when you get back. You get back here soon, ok? This baby and I are waiting on you!

Love,

Your girls and Hurley

Hey hey hello! 20 week photo!

2007-04-05T19:49:00.000-04:00

Hey guys!

Well, first day of the Master's tournament, so Augusta is in FULL effect with people! The hustle and bustle is quite the entertainment, but not very inviting with the traffic it brings. I had an interview today, but it is getting so late in the game that these places are interviewing that I won't even be able to work a full 3 months for them before Matthew comes home. Kinda stinks! Anyway, just another day here. A little cooler with slight winds from the North making for a sunny, beautiful afternoon.

I cannot wait to get the picture Matthew sent me that he had done of us! It is apparently really awesome! I worked out today so feel a little better about the way I look, but I definitely need to get new tennis shoes before I work out tomorrow, I rolled my ankle in these old ones and that might be bad for a prego woman!

Ok, well.....I am going to go watch House recorded from Tuesday night. Matthew, baby, I love you so much.....you make me so happy and here are some pics for ya!

LOVE YOU!

So blessed...

2007-04-04T20:35:00.000-04:00

Today has been one of "those" days. One of the days I want to just sit here and miss Matthew, one of the days that I cannot stop thinking about him and everything reminds me of him. From the way the clothes smell to songs that come on the radio. I mean forget ever listening to music because EVERYTHING reminds me of him. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE what reminds me of him, but I HATE how much it makes me miss him.

After going to dinner with Kristin and Brian and spending the day mostly just missing Matthew and sad, I come home to read this sweet message he left me on this blog. I never really check it because well, no one ever writes on here except me. With that note, let's just say my day became instantly better. I cannot say this time away from each other is "worth it", but I know he over there for the right reasons. I just have a hard time because I am selfish with my husband. I want him back and all to myself. Right now I am sharing him with EVERYTHING and EVERYONE and I just want him back to myself where we can be a family and not have to worry about Afghanistan.

Matthew, thank you for that note, my love. It was such a nice surprise and I cannot wait until I can tell you how much I love you face-to-face everyday. You make me so happy and give me such joy. I love you, handsome.

I am going to feed to babies.....and I have a headache.

Love to all, but my heart to Matthew. Oh and P.S. Matthew, Layla already knows her DADDY is the crazy one! But she adores you anyway, it's ok! hehe!

I had some spare time finally

2007-04-04T09:14:00.000-04:00

Hey Katie,
You have had this thing for a while now, I figure its time i posted something. As you know its my day off from my workout, and tomorrow I will be getting up extra early to start my new routine. I am going to be so tired at first but will get used to it eventually. I miss you like crazy, and love you so much baby. You are so strong for going through what you go through day in and day out. There is so much you do that people sometimes miss or don't see because they take it for granted themselves. I am so lucky to have a beautiful and loving wife like you in my life. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the blessings you and i have had given to us. I know that there is nothing our family can't get through together. I just wanted you to know that maybe not everyone shows you the appreciation you deserve, but i know a loving husband who does. I hope you have a good day and smile a lot.

P.S. Layla i love you and don't give mama a hard time, she just wants what is best for you. Oh and Layla MAMA IS CRAZY!! hehe

I love you baby.
Matthew

For you....

2007-04-02T20:56:00.000-04:00

HALFWAY DONE!!!

2007-04-01T19:29:00.000-04:00

I AM HALFWAY DONE WITH PREGNANCY! Kinda sad!

Well, finally after weeks of a thick pollen cover on everything, we had a day of gloomy weather and about 5 minutes of rain, enough to clean the top layer of pollen off the truck!

Church was really neat today, we had an Army chaplain speak today and give a message about all the really awesome things our men and women are doing overseas. He has been in the military for many years and afterwards I went up to him to thank him for the words he spoke and he just profusely thanked Matthew and me as well for the things we give for our country. It is really neat to be appreciated as a military wife, it's not always easy and I think sometimes we get overlooked. Hard times that fall on our men overseas are also hard times that fall on us as wives.

And.....baby is movin'! Little Layla loves her mommy cause she is moving all around like CRAZY! She cannot wait to come out and see everyone. And, I definitely cannot wait to have her here with us! So.....much awaited, here are some more photos of meeeee and my belly with Layla! Enjoy!

Matthew, be safe, keep your head down and I love you! Ohh and, I posted some new pictures of me and of the babies in the album! Enjoy them, handsome!

Matthew, I love you.

2007-03-30T19:37:00.000-04:00

Matthew,

I want to say thank you for being such a wonderful husband. Whenever I am feeling down or just feeling wierd, you make me feel better and can always make me smile. Even on the hardest of days, your love for me shows to be unconditional. Thank you, handsome, for just being you, the man I love more and more with every passing day.

You are my hero in more ways than anyone else can know.

Love,

Katie

HICCUPS!

2007-03-29T22:10:00.000-04:00

Quite literally actually.... Layla had her first case of hiccups today that lasted about 5 minutes. they were too cute and were quite comforting! What a darling little thing and how sweet that she is well enough to be hiccuping in there! She must really be relaxing! Well, she caused me many cases of hiccups during my first trimester, so perhaps the have worked their way down to her now!

Heartburn much?!?! I have never had heartburn before and for all of you people out there that experience it regularly.....GOD BLESS YOU! That HURTS! You know, sometimes the gruesome side of pregnancy never really comes out. The parts that everyone overlooks because it is sucha joyous time. Well, I hate to break it to you, but pregnancy is not all glore and no gore! Due to the graphic nature of pregnant women's bodies, I will not go into too much detail. Viewer discretion is advised...

Actually, the worst things as of right NOW include the occasional heartburn and pulling sensations on the skin. Although no stretch marks yet on the tummy, I am getting some small ones in other places that hopefully will never be seen by anyone but Matthew. And I am praying he is one of those people that is blinded by the beauty of pregnancy and motherhood that he never really sees them in the eyes of a human being. My face is constantly broken out and the "glow" you always hear about in pregnancy, just means a facemask of sweat and/or grease from an hour's worth of activity. I think some people find the belly button popping out as in many ways disgusting, but actually, I find it very beautiful. I mean when can anyone else ever pop their belly button out and make it look so round and sweet. Although mine hasn't actually popped out yet, it is definitely getting a bit rounder. It is sweet and I actually look forward to that, I think those pregnant women with large bellies and popped out belly buttons are the most beautiful. The dark line down the center of the abdomen is another beauty mark caused by the increase in melanin in the skin during pregnancy. It is simply a line that darkens which we all have, just usually lighter in color. It is under the skin and cannot go away until once the baby is delivered, then it returns to absolutely normal. It's another cool thing that most people will never encounter, especially the male population. Kind of a signature of pregnancy, if you will. I have developed a shortness of breath, and requirements of taking VERY deep breaths just to feel like I inhaled all the way. That is kind of annoying, but expected to worsen as the baby increases in size.

As of right now, I have about a large melon in my tummy, perhaps about the size of a volleyball. Actually, it is more like the size of half of a basketball because it is round and stops right at my belly button.

Ok, well, enough for tonight. Love to all and happy Friday to Matthew.....one more paycheck down, right baby? I love you.

"A Prince At War"

2007-03-28T21:47:00.000-04:00

This is how I look at my husband right now.

Not only is he my hero, but my best friend and lover. What makes it so amazing is that he is my prince, the one person in the world that I would NOT want to be at war in case of losing him. Granted, I knew this day would come and all of that, but it sure is difficult to send the one person you never want to be away or be hurt off to war.

I cannot imagine being a wife back during the earlier wars when internet and telephone was a revolution of the future. Those women are the most amazing role models and I only hope that one day our daughter will look up to me as I do to those women who stood so strong when their husband were away.

Matthew is the one person that I want with me at all times and never ever get sick of. The one person that I can tell all of my secrets to and be silly or stupid around and not worry what he thinks of me. I love when he thinnks I am being crazy he just sits there with this stare looking at me like "are you done yet?" and then when I am done doing my silly thing, usually a random dance or song, he laughs and hugs me and says something like "See that's why I love you, always keeping me entertained" When really deep down inside that very comment actually means, "Dont ever embarrass me like that in public again!" Haha. It's a loving way to deal with the craziness of fun personalities. (That is how I rationalize my crazy, sometimes wierd behavior).

However, Matthew really has no room to speak. When he turns the music on in the car, he is absolutely in his own little world. It doesn't matter who is around or not around or looking. He will play the air drums and sing all day long if he likes the song that is on. Fortunately, for most of us, he turns the music up loud enough that we can hear him trying to reach the high notes. So actually what it looks like is someone head banging and air singing to incredibly loud, incomprehensible music and misses the green light while everyone honks. The greatest thing about it is that he totally doesnt care what anyone thinks including myself when I am in the car with him slouching down and trying to cover my face. I will admit, often times it is quite entertaining and occasionally I get in a head bang or two, but still....I love him for it. Once he gets that song over with he usually calms down and enjoys the rest of the drive like an old man going 35 and me saying HURRY UP!!!! Hahah.....aren't we an interesting couple?! Although, I suppose when I look at it, we are really one in the same. He just has his own music and I have to make my own by singing. Fortunately, I am not too bad since vocals run in the family and after exposing Matthew's Car Idol moments, i am sure he will speak differently about my singing. Perhaps I may never hear them again, highly unlikely though. They come and go and summertime is the best time to do these things with the windows down and wind in your hair!

So anyway, that is just a blip in the life of Matthew and Katie Fullmer. We try our best to keep everyone guessing and usually are pretty successful. Our life is never boring and always on the go, just the way we like it. With a baby on the way, it will be that much more hectic and honestly, I cannot wait. The personaility this child will have should be double dosage of her parents leading us to believe she may need medicine for that at a very young age! AH!

Ok, well off to bed, remember, comments are appreciated. To those we haven't spoken to lately, know we love you and miss you and hopefully will see you soon!

Love in the kindest.

BONJOUR!

2007-03-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

Hello to one and all....

Interesting day, but that's ok.....Layla and I are having some fun. Now that I know we have a little angel, we are in full force pink buying and registering mode! I promised Matthew that at least her stroller won't be totally all pink, but the rest.....well, that is the tough luck of having a girl and a wife who's favorite color is pink!! Wuahaha!

Girls officially will out number the boys and I cannot WAIT! Haha, we love you, baby!

As for anything else, well nothing else is really going on at the moment. Matthew doesn't really care what the words say on the blog anymore, all he wants are the pictures. So here they are, honey, for if you even read this far! I love you! Oh yeah, you like the spot on my shirt? I enjoyed that dessert thank you very much! Also, this is our 19 week photo....we accidentally skipped week 18, oh well....thing of the past, guess we can't go back and do it over! But look at the difference between week 17 and 19!! Wow, she's a growing little angel!

I have an interview at Motherhood Maternity tomorrow, so that would be a fun job for a pregnant woman!

Ok, off to bed.....us girls need our beauty sleep and I have determined that Layla is soaking all the beauty sleep out of me and that is why I am so tired all the time! Goodness!

Love to all!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

2007-03-26T17:46:00.000-04:00

IT'S OFFICIAL: WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!

And yes, she happens to be giving the middle finger and smiling in the second photo! Please excuse her, she wasn't in the mood for paparazzi.

This is the day we have been much awaiting, the day we find out the gender of our baby! Well, today I was fortunate enough to have an extensive ultrasound and it looks like we have ourselves a perfect little baby girl! There was pretty much no question whatsoever, they said she is a textbook case for girl parts! Thus, the party has started for buying pink and girly things! I completed our registry at Target and Babies R Us! Everyone please check them out!

Our little one will be named Layla Joyce Fullmer and the doctors said she is tall already! Like her daddy! She is all arms and legs and has nice long feet and a long neck, beautiful little girl! She loves to sleep so I hope she doesnt get too much of it now so we can enjoy our first few months with her on a decent sleep pattern. Yeah, yeah I know....wishful thinking! Hah! If she is anything like her daddy and I, she will be bouncing off the walls, but honestly, that is all we know how to do so it won't be too bad. Sleepless nights are inevitable and I look forward to bonding with the little one for the next few months until Matthew gets home and it is safe to have her.

She is growing like crazy, the doctor said and she is still currently without hair. The whole ultrasound she was sleeping and sucking on her thumb. A few times she did a precious stretch, but pretty much the whole time she had both her arms and legs flopped around the placenta like a beany baby. She is too cute! She was tightly graspig the umbilical cord and was sitting like a lady with her legs crossed for the majority of the sitting. However, she flipped with her bottom up towards my belly button for a few seconds to show us that she indeed is a little girl!

Matthew was elated to hear the news and we were fortunate to time it correctly so he called right as I was laying on the ultrasound table watching her move! We got several shots of her as well as a video of her moving so I hope to be able to post all of it ASAP!

WHAT A JOY WE HAVE!! A little break in the Fullmer all boys chain! I think Grandma and Grandpa Fullmer may have needed a boy break for a little while and she will provide just that!

Love to all from Matthew, Katie, and Baby Layla

To Matthew....

2007-03-25T22:32:00.000-04:00

Hey handsome,

I had a great day today. I did awesome on my french horn solo at church and I can tell the baby really loves music because every time I play she starts moving all around. I figure I would rather call the baby she just so I dont have to keep calling her "it" which sounds so harsh. Even though we don't know yet for sure that we are having a girl. Everyone is talking of buying pink, but remember to remid everyone, we dont know for sure that we are having a girl yet, so either keep the receipts or wait just 3 more weeks for a definitive ultrasound!

This was a hard week for us. So much happened in both of our lives and we were unable to share in it together. I cannot wait for you to come home so that we can enjoy our lives together instead of having so much unknown to each other like we are right now. Roxy girl seems to be feeling better a little bit, we will see if she can make it through the night without tee-teeing in her kennel. Last night broke my heart with her crying so I hope she doesnt do it again. I think the medicine is working really well though and it is slowly clearing up. I had Kristi take a picture of me or two for you, so there they are. I took a nice nap today and had a wonderful dream about when you get home. It was that I was sleeping on the couch with the baby on me when you came home from work and saw us laying there. I imagined you kissing me and picking up our baby and I wake up to you two playing on the floor with Roxy and Hurley laying close by. What a sweet, precious family I have. I could not ask for a better husband or best friend. Thank you for doing what you are doing even though it means being away during the hardest time. You are my American hero and I am beyond words proud of you. I pray for you every day, all day and know you will come home just as soon and safely as you can. Thank you for being you and being my husband. I love you so much more than words will ever express. See you soon.

Love,

Your Angel

An exciting day!

2007-03-24T22:28:00.000-04:00

To all our friends and family:

What a beautiful day it was! After long anticipating all morning the ultrasound that we have been waiting months for, Kristin and I attended the ultrasound starting at around 2:15. It was quite the awesome sight! The baby, yes, JUST ONE, thank goodness in more ways than one, but the baby, was VERY active! The doctors were making jokes about how active the baby was and how everytime they were about to get a perfect shot of the baby's body parts, the baby would move. What a sweet angel we have though. Moving and kicking and doing complete somersaults right before our eyes. Starting in the breech position, the baby became trasnverse across my abdomen and soon turned completely upside down and back again! How fun it was to see the baby moving in so many ways. The baby did a number of cute things from opening it's mouth to turning all around, kicking, punching, jumping, and most of all, it LOVES to suck a thumb! Fortunately, we were able to catch the baby in a couple of very cute photos that I have posted here as well. Baby's first photos and what sweet ones they are. Because the child is so young still, the face is what they called "alien face" because the soft tissue is not visible at all and the eye sockets and mouth are dark. A face only a mother could love, and I do love it dearly. Also, the baby's spine, ribs, head, face, everything is perfectly shaped and healthy! We have ourselves a little sweetheart.

As for the long awaited sex of the baby, the ultrasound was not 100% clear and affirmative for one sex or the other. However, due to lack of certai male parts between some clear femurs, the doctors said they were 75-80% sure we had a girl. A clearer and more advanced ultrasound will be performed when I am 21 weeks on April 16th. YAY!

Kristin, Brian, and I then attended the Augusta Arena football opener game and what a blast we have! What a blessing to have a family like ours! I love you all dearly!

To Matthew, I love you more than anything.

I LOVE YOU!!

2007-03-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

Another day...

2007-03-20T22:05:00.000-04:00

So after many more hours of missing Matthew, aka....another day, I am off to bed. Nothing really exciting happened today, unfortunate, but also kind of peaceful. Unfortunately, I had to take Roxy to the vet to be spayed this morning, which, of course, made me cry. BUT after that, I played with Hurley a lot because he was depressed missing Roxy. I then worked out and enjoyed a day of not doing too much. However, the baby did not move too much today. I felt maybe 10-15 movements today which is fine, just a more relaxed day is all.

Although, when I DO feel this baby move, it is quick, strong movements so there is definitely a play time down there and it is just so precious! What a bonding time with baby are those moments of movement. Other than that, I had a quiet, calm day and am now off to dreamland.

Matthew, I miss you and love you so much. Be safe and know your family adores you!

My man and our baby! What a beautiful family I have!!

2007-03-19T21:07:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Hope your Monday was as exciting as mine! Baby and I had a fun day of doctors and nurses! With high hopes for the day, I went to Eisenhower Army Medical Hospital for my appointments today starting at 1:00pm. First, I had to get all of my paperwork completed from the transfer from Fort Bragg. That took a little bit and my vitals showed an elevated blood pressure, I must have been stressed! Baby was very active though this morning and usually the baby is only really active at night. Some SERIOUS growth must be occuring with the little one!

I then proceeded to get MORE bloodwork done as routine, but for the 4th appointment in a ROW! BLAH! I have never really had a problem getting stuck by a needle until I watched Matthew and the guys at work stick each other and miss over and over again. One thing is for sure, I never want any of THEM drawing my blood or hooking me up to an IV! Matthew comes home with 5 prick marks sometimes, YEOUCH! Anyway, the lady was nice, but was talking the whole time and her whole body wiggled when she spoke so the needle was all over the place in my arm. NOT pleasant, but eh, oh well.

Then we went back for ANOTHER appointment, my prenatal appointment. I spoke with the doctor and they thought perhaps we should have an ultrasound right then and there just to cancel out the threat of twins, but since, she said, I am supposed to have one in two weeks, she just waited. Well......she took the baby's heartrate and it was 140 on one side and just as strongly 148 on the other side of my tummy, yet another reason to believe there MAY be some other little one in there. Considering how close the heartrates are though, they decided to move my ultrasound to a STAT status and scheduled one for me for this Saturday. SOOOO......if baby plays along, we might find out if we are having a little angel or little prince! Keep it in your prayers, that is something Matthew and I have SO been looking forward to for a while now! The doctor was impressed at how strongly she could feel the baby moving externally though and yet also thought this might be a cause for an ultrasound to be sure there aren't two babies in there.

THUS, not to get my hopes up....or down, depending on how you look at twins.......there may be just one still, but still the chance of two. Either way we are thrilled! All we want is a healthy little one (maybe two). We are still not hoping for a boy or girl more, but I must say I am leaning for a boy......everyone else says the way I am carrying is for a girl though so we shall see!

After that exciting appointment, I had to go next door to the OB and get a flu shot......EGH, what a sour way to end an exciting appointment! Now my arm is sore and my shoulder is tight. Never had a flu shot before; I never get sick or have the flu really, but we don't need to take any chances with the baby! So I got one.

Anyway, Matthew did well in his 5K run the other day and I was fortunate enough to get a photo or two. I am not going to lie, when Matthew says he is getting bigger and more buff, he is NOT kidding! WOW, HE'S FINE and allllll MINE! I suppose some people won't notice a huge difference yet, but his legs have NEVER been this big and his shirts have NEVER been that tight. It's HOT and I just feel so lucky that he is all mine! I guess we both get a surprise to see each other.....him being bigger and well......me being.......bigger. I like his version better, but I think MY reason for being bigger is a bit more long term exciting.

I must say, I know now more than ever how ready Matthew and I am for parenting. People always say you are NEVER really ready, but I think if EVER a couple is ready, it is us. The love, yes, of course that is there......unconditionally. But now it seems that things have fallen into perfect place for us. Our lives are exactly what we hoped for in going through this at this time. Each of us is accomplishing our dreams and goals and on top of that.......we are building new ones together. What a blessing! And with that, little baby kicked my stomach! haha. I wish you guys could feel this......it's quite remarkable, at only 18 weeks even the doctor just couldnt believe how developed the muscles must be to produce such strong movements! Just like Matthew and I though, go go go and push push push....life is what we are about and living is our passion!

Last, but not least, Roxy girl is getting spayed tomorrow and it breaks my heart that she can't know it's coming! Keep her in your prayers, it is so hard to let her go under the knife! And Hurley just won't know what to do without his baby sister overnight. Keep our little girl in your prayers!

Ok, enough for today......love to all.

Sunday, SUNDAY, Sunday!

2007-03-18T22:15:00.000-04:00

The cold front swept through Augusta last night making for a chilly arousal this morning. We slowly and groggily got up and ready for church in time for the early service at 9:15. Well worth it though because the music was this rock band and the message was from a youth speaker who was very casual, wearing jeans and talking to the young people about sex. It was a good sermon and we really enjoyed it. After church we made a run to Target and I got the CUTEST little baby outfits. I COULDN'T resist!

On was pink that says "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" Which is hilarious so i had to get it even though we dont know if we are having a girl or not. Also, I got a white one with black writing that says "Don't wake me....I'll wake you." A true statement, I am oh so sure! Anyway, after getting mmy fill of veggies at Ryan's steakhouse, we headed home. Now.....the HIGHLIGHT of my day was taking a 3 hour nap with my brand new pink body pillow. I have had some trouble sleeping because of my back and not being able to sleep on my tummy anymore. WOW, that pillow does wonders! Now I am actually looking FORWARD to bedtime.

Little baby Fullmer was active again this afternoon after my nap and I think thoroughly enjoyed me playing the french horn in orchestra at night church tonight. Little baby must be like daddy because Matthew LOVES music and I think the baby does too. Whenever I turn music on, the baby moves all about. Of course, music does similar to the same thing to my emotions as talking to Matthew does. It calms me and makes me feel good which may be why the baby likes when I do both!

Anyway, I have my next prenatal appointment tomorrow! Yay! AND......I get to schedule my ultrasound soon as well! Hopefully I get to hear the heartbeat again tomorrow, that is something I thoroughly enjoy. Calms me, although the baby moving calms me now too......again as I have said, a reassurance of sorts.

Well, love to all.....I miss my California family.....well, ALL my family, but maybe I will talk to you Californians soon!

Goodnight!

Man, I am pooped!

2007-03-17T21:41:00.000-04:00

Today was quite the entertaining day. Kristin, Brian and I spent basically all day out and about doing tons of things to keep us busy! ALL the while we were on our feet and that is something that I can say KILLS my lower back. BUT, it was fun and well worth it. By the time we got home, my little baby was saying to sit down and relax in more ways than one! My feet and hands were really swollen and my lower back was so very sore!

The adventures of the day included a few hours at the Augusta Home and Garden show looking at home furnishings, accessories, and improvement ideas and help. That was after eating lunch at Zaxby's. Then we headed to run multiple errunds back to back including Bed, Bath and Beyond, Sam's and Lowe's. PHEW! BOY am I tired! My body just cannot keep up much anymore and I am only HALFWAY THERE!

This is going to be an exciting week though so I am very much looking forward to the activities. On thing I am wondering about is that most of the places I applied for an easy part-time job are standing on my feet for hours at a time and that is something to be proving VERY uncomfortable. We shall see though what I am offered, if anything, and what I can do.

I am looking forward to hearing Matthew's voice tonight. I missed him a lot today and one thing I really don't like the feeling of is looking like a single pregnant, young girl. I feel like people are looking down on me even wearing my wedding ring, I wish he was by my side. I know he is here at heart.

Love to all.....my body is yearning for bed.

Quick reminder!

2007-03-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

I posted a couple new photos on here tonight. A few of the puppies and the picture of my belly week 17 is on there too. It is getting FAT! EW! I hope you guys enjoy them! They say that week 15 -week 19 is when the huge growth spurt in the baby is. I think you look at my belly album you can see that I would agree. I went from no belly to a total pooch! Not only that, but I have gained weight in my arms and face, WHAT IS GOING ON!?!

Matthew, I hope you ran a great race, I know you did well! I love you and will talk to you tomorrow whenever you can call!

Love everyone!

Worn slap out!

2007-03-16T16:54:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Yet another Fullmer day! Today was fairly exhausting. After being yelled at and hung up on by our former landlord because she is scared we will take her to court, I had to drive to Atlanta and back to get my mail that has been sent there. I was anticipating that a letter that Matthew wrote me would be there, but to my dismay it was not even though he sent it about a month ago. Oh well, the wait continues.

On the ride back from Atlanta to Augusta, our little baby started mooooooving and when I say moving, I think he/she was using my belly button as punching target practice! It was hilarious and actually quite comforting. It made me smile and feel at peace in a way that I have NEVER felt before. I suppose it is just such a blessing that the baby is healthy enough and happy enough to be that active this early. Anyone that has been pregnant before, I am sure you are aware of the peace and feeling I am referring to! Anyway, I made it back safely and am starving as always. Cheeze-its are my friend!

Matthew is running a 5K tomorrow before work and he is really dreading it! Keep him in your thoughts. Amazing how even in the midst of everything over there, the men can keep some of the morale in mundane things like a run. He will do great, he's a born runner! Matthew sent a picture today which I am also attaching, but rest assured, he said he did not eat the bread. He said the bread is called foot bread by the locals and that's because it is made with their feet! EW! Gross! no wonder that sign is up! Plus, I still cannot get over the goofy Army hats they have to wear! Cracks me up.

Well, I am not sure how many people are actually checking this site, BUT.......I am fantasizing a lot haha. Today I actually got dressed decently and look pretty cute, but also pretty pregnant.....EGH! Although as usual, Matthew tells me how beautiful I am from the pictures I sent him. (Maybe its a blessing he can't see me in person right now! I'm a blob!) Hah...I love him though and what a dear husband he is!

I hope you all are safe and healthy! I miss everyone very much and look forward to hearing from everyone soon!

Life as a military wife.

2007-03-15T21:12:00.000-04:00

You know what, I never really questioned the life of being a military wife. As soon as Matthew and I met I knew I could handle it, we would make it work. Some days are harder than others, some days go by much slower and the good ones always pass way too quickly.

The military has a way of speeding up your life tenfold. I am not sure if it is because you value your time together that much more or you just have no choice but to pick up and go with the flow. Nothing is ever set in stone and plans are never final. Flights must always be refundable and orders can be very unforgiving to any circumstance. Life in the military isn't what I would consider "life in the fast lane", you don't just sit and watch as life passes you by. You actually have no choice but to actively participate, if you don't participate, you wither away.

You never really know what it is like to be alone and you can never be assured of your time together. Either way, life can be taken for granted, but the time spent together is always priceless. Sometimes the best way to not get caught up in the moment is to slow down long enough to breathe and really count your blessings. As a military wife there will ALWAYS be things that you could be sad about or feel lonely towards. Those successful military wives and military marriages are based on faith, love, and trust in God, yourself, and your spouse. I have faith in my God that He will take care of me and my husband every day. I have faith in myself that I CAN get through this. And I have faith in my husband to do his job to his very best ability and then get himself home to me. The love must be unconditional, the purest and truest love that does not leave or walk away when things are tougher than they would be in the civilian world. My great-grandfather always used to say that "What does not kill you makes you stronger." This cannot be more true of a military marriage. If you are still alive and get THROUGH the hard times together, you WILL be stronger. The most successful military marriages are those that have already been through and seen the hard times, but have made it through. It would be easy to pretend you are great if you have not seen adversity.

So what makes a military wife special? One thing. Her husband. Without her husband she would have no fortress to hold on to. Her husband, what does he have? A wife to rest upon because without a foundation, the structure would tumble. Together, I believe a military marriage is the most blessed when it is strong both in its fortress, its foundation and most importantly God as its mountainside to rest upon. Beauty, grandeur, and memories to fill a lifetime can be found in just a few months of a military marriage, years build triumphs.

Thus, I must say life as a military wife isn't all that bad, in fact, it is the proudest job in the world. We are what stands behind the most brave and patriotic men in the country. Those that fight and those that die for a cause other than their own. A man or woman in the military is the most selfless profession on earth because what they train for and fight for means nothing about their own life, but their family, their friends, and their country.

American heros are the men and women that train and fight, but also their families. As a military wife now, I can officially say I feel nothing like a hero. But when my husband calls me, missing home from Afghanistan, not sure if he can do this anymore and I can get him to smile in 5 minutes before he has to go back out, I then feel as patriotic and proud as any soldier. I cannot deny my tears or my nights of saddness and lonliness, fear and worry. I cannot always smile at the couples I see everywhere or the fathers I see that get to come home. What I can rest assured on is that my American hero is going to do his best to protect those very men I see so they can come home to their wife every night.

When I signed those papers on July 1st, 2006, the day I was married to Matthew Fullmer, I knew but didnt know what it mean to be a military wife. You can NEVER know fully until you are in the moment and experience it. What made it blessed was that I was not afraid and knew that with God on our side, whatever trials may come, we CAN get through them. We will get through them. We ARE getting through them.

To Matthew, I cannot pretend I do not miss you. You know my heart and missing you is my every breath. But what you can rest at night knowing is that the strength to wait for you comes from the strength of our faith, hope and love in each other. But the greatest of these is love. I love you completely without knowing any other way. Our child and I await your return.

Yet another beautiful day!

2007-03-14T09:38:00.000-04:00

Well, folks, hopefully you have found our blog by now, or will soon!

Yesterday must have been quite an eventful day because I did not even sit long enough to see if the baby was moving again! However, as the night progressed and things settled down, I started to notice some tiny little movements that were very reassuring. As for MY day.....it was quite the ordeal....

I spent yesterday finally getting my name changed on my liscense and looking for a small part time job. Unfortunately, my resume is on my computer that is in storage in fayetteville. That's ok though since I don't have THAT extensive of a resume to rewrite, a mission for today. As the night progressed, Kristin came home and we went for a pretty stinky meal at Chili's total disappointment for us both for some reason....haha. Anyway, we came home to engulf ourselves in the 2 hour showing of "American Idol".

The TRUE highlight of our evening came later, but hysteria came first. You see, neither Kristin nor I are big fans of bugs.....of ANY kind. Low and behold, out crawls a HUGE roach RIGHT behind the TV, thank goodness for DVR or we would have missed the next 30 minutes of the show due to screaming, running, crying, yelling, laughing, and on and on. Since Brian wasn't home, the game was on.....for the roach. First, we tried to get the dog to go eat it, but he was too concerned with Kristin and I going CRAZY and wouldn't even LOOK at the wall where the bug was. Then we tried hitting it with a shoe, but any time either of us got within two feet of it, we would run off screaming about how totally gross it is and that we "just can't do it". Kristin, mind you, a FABULOUS physician, was jumping up on the couch and pushing ME, the pregnant one towards this hideous HUGE roach. Needless to say, I wasn't ABOUT to let THAT go, so I too got on the couch and we just sat there screaming and laughing for about 10 minutes. FINALLY, Kristin got the bright idea of using a broom, BAD IDEA. She knocked the roach onto the floor not to be seen again for about an hour. During which time we resumed the TV show with our feet up on the couch and a watchful eye behind the TV as to catch it when it flew out to get us.

PHEW! WHAT a commotion it was. The GREAT thing is that Brian came home soon after with Blizzards from Dairy Queen for us all!! What a chocolately treat! BUT....soon, the evil roach's head appeared and Brian, our hero saved the day by squashing the creature with a LOUD crunch. GROSS! Anyway, that was our real excitement of the evening......a little hysteria in the Davis household goes a long way haha!

Later, when Matthew was able to call me, I was laying in bed and almost immediately when I began speaking with him, I was calm and comfortable enough to feel the baby REALLY moving. I mean I felt the baby move yesterday with more of a flutter type. Last night, however, the baby was quite literally kicking and moving all over my tummy! I started crying and Matthew was so thrilled that our baby "recognized when mommy was talking to him". How sweet, we actually got to experience one of the first kicks together while he was on the phone! Baby must know daddy or how daddy makes mommy feel! Anyway, Matthew is doing well, he says that he is getting bigger and buff and was very excited about this blog site to keep us all updated. He sends his love to everyone and misses everyone dearly.

Well, that was the excitement of yesterday......today I plan to clean up around here and get some things done that I have needed to for a while.

Again, please forward this link to anyone that I have missed which I know there are plenty out there! I am going to post a picture I received of Matthew in Afghanistan today.

Love to all!!

It's a beautiful thing...

2007-03-13T09:39:00.000-04:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, technology is quite the next world wonder, is it not??

I am now able to not only communicate with my husband while he is at war, but I can write all of my exciting news here on a blog that all friends and family around the globe can enjoy! How neat! Considering most of you are up to date on Matthew and my life, I will only give a brief rundown of what has been going on in the last few weeks.

As of last week, I officially moved in with my sister in Augusta, GA. This is after the toughest decision ever that it was not worth the amount of money it would take to fly the dogs to California for 3 months. Who knew it would cost the SAME amount to send the dogs out there as it would to completely furnish our little one's nursery. After taking a few days to discuss it with Matthew and truly deliberate on whether I should just come out there, we decided not to chance not having that much needed money when the baby came. HOWEVER, our dear friends and family in California...I want you to know that I am truly saddened and heartbroken that I will not be able to spend as much time there with you all. I am planning on making a trip there for a shorter stay around early May. I do apologize for the false anticipation that I know so many of us had.

Matthew is doing well in Afghanistan, as well as can be. He sounds like he is doing well enough to get through comfortably and will perhaps be able to post on here to everyone sometime soon! The weather there is slowly getting better, but with much rain making it difficult to get his mail, which is a bummer. The last package he received was on with workout magazines and a teddy bear in an Air Force blues uniform that I sent him. In the little bear's hand is a recording of our baby's heartbeat at my last visit on February 23rd. he was thrilled and apparently allowed all of the guys to hear it whether they wanted to or not! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, he is starting to miss home so these next few months will be long for both of us.

As for our baby!!! As of yesterday, I FELT THE BABY MOVE!!! Quite an active little bugar seeing as once I really knew what movement felt like, the baby continued to move all day! What a joy and exciting event! I am currently 17 weeks and 2 days pregnant! My next appointment is going to be at the end of this month and an ultrasound will take place a couple of weeks after that to determine the sex of our little one!!! For those that have not heard, our little girl's name is Layla Joyce and our little boy's name will be Ethan Michael! In the possible event that we are blessed with twins.....haha we will keep you updated!

I am going to be getting pictures of my growing belly on here and some of Matthew and I once I figure things out a bit better on here. In the meantime, please check in as often as you like seeing as I have a bit of free time to work on it right now! Feel free to comment on here and we would LOVE to see and hear from all who grace us with your presence here!

Love to all!!