A wonderful Christmas!

This year we had an absolutely amazing Christmas! We always have a fabulous Christmas but this year seemed to be extra magical....for many reasons. Seeing Christmas through the eyes of your children is like nothing else and with this being Karsyn's 1st Christmas it made it extra special. She loved looking at her toys and she esspecially loved ripping up the tiny pieces of paper!

Christmas morning we woke up at our house with just Jeromy, Kara, Karsyn and I. Santa had left lots of presents for the kids and they were extremely happy with what they were given! Karsyn recieved a Crawl and Cruise Musical Jungle and some some small toys in her stocking and Kara and Karlee recieved shirt decorators.

After we had drank some coffee and got dressed we headed over to my Mom and Dad's house to open presents with the rest of the family. We loaded up all of our presents....yes....all of them! We normally have them over to spend the night on Christmas Eve but with the snow we had we decided to just wait until the morning and go there instead.

We had a great time with the family and Holly and John loved helping Karsyn open her presents. I think it is safe to say that Karsyn now has more toys that Toys R Us. :)

After we opened gifts with my family we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and rushed home to meet Karlee. She spent the morning with her mom this year and came over around 2. Kara had been dying for her to get there all day so that they could finally open their big box. Karlee opened all of her gifts first and then it was time.........

The kids were so excited opening the box! They could hardly contain themselves......

After opening they were shocked to find a tiny box inside.....but still excited to find out their surprise!

They were showing us that the small box wanted to be opened.......the anticipation was growing and they then found a DVD to be played. Which drove them even crazier.......so.....after days of excitment and an afternoon of anticipation the DVD was played.......

It was in that last 15 seconds of the DVD that we finally announced that for Christmas we would be taking a family trip to DISNEY WORLD!!!! This picture shows the exact second the words came out of my mouth.

What this photo doesn't show is that immeadiately after Kara screamed so loud she could have shattered glass....and Karlee cried because she was so very happy. For months we have been planning this vacation. I spent countless hours reading planning books.....deciding and ordering outfits.....making dining reservations......searching for the cheapest airfare and dreaming about the moment that we would finally be able to share the surprise with the girls and I have to say that their reactions made it all worth wild. This would be their first visit to Disney World as well as Jeromy's 1st visit. We were looking forward to leaving!! Now....it was off to pack our bags to leave for the airport just 3 short hours later. :)

As you see......our Christmas was magical for many reasons.

It's a bird...it's a plane...

No....wait....it's the greatest Christmas present 2 little girls could ask for!

Can you imagine having to stare at this box as a little kid? I would have gone crazy! We actually just finally wrapped it and set it out last night so it has only been tantalizing them since then. They are going to LOVE this gift! I couldn't think of a more amazing present then this. Truth be told...I think I may be more excited then they are. :) They haven't opened it yet obviously but when they do they are going to freak out!!! I can't share the secret yet though because Kara and Karlee both read this blog on occasion and I don't want the surprise ruined. But...tomorrow after they open it I will share with all and hopefully have some pictures of their reactions!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! I know this year we have so much to be thankful for. I feel so blessed and lucky this year. I am looking forward to seeing how Miss Karsyn acts tomorrow. She is obsessed already with rolling and scooting over to the tree and chewing on the presents. One last picture before I go.....

Doesn't that just look perfect?!? I am so happy with my family and Thank the good Lord for everything that I have. Again, Merry Christmas....enjoy your blessings. :)

6 years ago today...my life changed

Yes...6 years ago today I went on a date with the most handsome man I had ever met....little did I know that one day he would be the man I was married to. We met a few days before Christmas at the mall. I had taken a part time seasonal job at The Children's Place and he was one of those last minute shoppers. I helped him while he was shopping and he asked me out while I was ringing him up. :) I remember when he walked in I was smitten and blushed. I guess you could call it love at first sight.

We went to TGI Friday's for dinner....while not the most romantic choice it was very casual and we had an opportunity to talk and get to know each other. Afterwards we went back to his apartment and watched a movie. I remember being nervous the whole time but I remember how shy he was at first too. He actually asked me if it was okay to sit next to me during the movie....such a gentlemen. :) Now....the first kiss is a major deal when you start dating someone....seriously....you think about it....you make sure you are chewing gum for the freshest breath and then you wonder when it is going to happen. Well....I can actually say that our first kiss was magical! He was...and still is...a great kisser. :) Anyway.....that's the beginning of our story and I can't believe that that was 6 years ago! 6 years ago today....my life changed....and definitely for the better! I love you Jeromy! :)

Here are some pictures from our dating years. Note....I was a lot younger and skinnier then....I hate the old me. :)

This picture is actually only 2 weeks after our first date. I was 18 and Jeromy was 24.

This is at one of the 7 concerts that we went to while we were dating....at The Green Day concert.

This was taken at the State Capitol in Austin.

This was on our way to Sherlocks for St. Patty's Day in 2005.

And check out these 2 cuties! Kara and Karlee were 2 and 3 when we started dating! So sweet!

Family Pictures

Today we had our Christmas pictures made. In the past years I have always thought about doing Christmas pictures but never actually did because I always got busy and side tracked. This year I had been talking about getting pictures done with our whole family since it is Karsyn's first Christmas and I also said I was going to send out Christmas cards. Well....as of last week it seemed as it that wasn't going to happen. I really wanted to do them so I made an appointment in the middle of the week during the day. I pulled Kara and Karlee out of school around noon and Jeromy took a long lunch. They turned out really well and I am happy to say that I will actually get around to sending out Christmas cards this year! WOHOO!! In fact.....as soon as I get done blogging I am going to address and stamp them.....NO EXCUSES! I'm hoping that this will be a trend we can keep up with every year. I always enjoy receiving Christmas cards so I am happy that I will actually get to send them out. :) Here are the 2 family poses that we chose. They are scanned so the quality is grainy but oh well.......

I love the kids in this one! Karsyn's big ole grin just melted my heart so this one was our first pick!
And I love how relaxed yet awesome this one is! I never would have guessed that I would have liked it so much but this one is my favorite of the whole family.

Aren't the girl's outfits ADORABLE?!?!?!? I just love them and we received SO MANY compliments on them. My friend April made them. She is so incredibly talented. It's nice to have friends in talented places. :)

I'm a winner and a loser.....

Seriously! This statement is so true! I will explain.......

I am extremely lucky to have been the winner of the $25 gift certificate from my friend Tina's blog giveaway that she was hosting. I am so excited....the gift certificate to Uniquely Monogrammed. She has some really amazing things but I am going to be good and save it to use on a custom outfit for Karsyn's 1st birthday in May. I seriously never win anything so I was suprised and excited when I found out that I had won. Tina will be hosting several giveaways in the next few months so make sure you check out her blog and watch for them!

And now for the loser part........My name is Lauren and I am a pacifier loser. Seriously.....before Karsyn was born I probably had about 30 pacifiers (no joke!) and today I gathered them all up...from under beds.....in the car.....out of the diaper bag......the nursery......you name.....I looked there. And all that I could find was 10.....yes.....you read that correctly.....10! I don't know how I could lose them so easily. I try to stay fairly organized with them. I always keep 1 in the crib.....1 in the car seat....and 1 in the diaper bag. I try to only use them in their places and if I take them out of their place I make sure they get put back. But somehow I have managed to lose 20 or possibly even more pacifiers in 7 months. I guess I better buy stock in Mam. :)

Well....there you have it.......today I have been both a winner and a loser. :)

Just some quick pics from the patch!

Okay.....so after I posted Halloween pictures I realized that I didn't share any pictures from the Pumpkin Patch. We have been to this pumpkin patch together every year since Jeromy and I started dating. It is in Flower Mound. We usually spend the entire day out there enjoying the hay ride, the bounce houses and other activities but it was so rainy and chilly that we were only there for about 30 minutes. Hopefully next year we can spend more time there!

Halloween in December

Okay......I realize that Halloween was a month and a half ago but I just realized that I didn't post the pictures or share any stories so I wanted to catch up. I'm trying to be a good blogger and stay as current as possible. (Although....with things happening daily I'm not sure I will be able to.) My goal is to take time out of each day to blog.....even if it is just about the little things.....cause after all......isn't it the little things that make life wonderful. :)

This year for Halloween we went to Robert and Tina's house. Every year they have their kids and grandkids over....and since they are my second family we went along this year. Robert and Tina are wonderful people and from the first time I met them when Ashley and I were in college they have always treated us like part of the family. And it is so nice that Kara, Karlee and Karsyn are able to grow up with Maddie, Maycee, Addison and Kennedi. :) And the guys like each other too. :)

So anyway......as I was saying....this year we went to Robert and Tina's. We took the kids trick or treating and then we all hung out, ate some delicious gumbo and had a great time!

Kara, Karsyn and I posin for the camera. :)

Look at this group of cuties....Maycee, Maddie, Kara and Addison

Ashley and I with the babies. :) Aren't they just the sweetest!

Mommy and Karsyn Trick or Treating

Daddy wants his picture taken too!

We had such a great time and next year Kennedi and Karsyn and going to want in on that candy action! It's great friends like this that make life fun!

Hurry....before it's too late!

My friend Tina is hosting a giveaway for a gift certificate to Uniquely Monogrammed. This lady has some amazing items! Today is the last day to enter so check out Tina's blog! Here is the link:
www.itmaybeacrazylifebutitisourlife.blogspot.com

Don't forget.....enter before it's too late!

Proud Mommy

I am always proud of my girls. But today I am extra extra proud of Kara......she was selected as Student of the Month at Lakeview Elementary! She was told today at the beginning of the day and had her picture taken for the newspaper. She kept it a secret all afternoon and finally spilled the beans at dinner. Thursday she will get to do the announcements and is very excited. I don't have any pictures yet to post but I just had to share how proud I am of my wonderful daughter!

A quick Trip with 5 generations

After we checked out of the hotel on the 22nd from Kara's birthday party the girls and I headed home to pack the car. We had decided to make a quick 3 day trip to Houston to visit my family. My Aunt Dana, Uncle Bill and cousin Brayden live in Pearland and my Nanie and Nana were there visiting from Corpus Christi. It really isn't a bad drive....about 4 hours normally......so when Kara gets a holiday week I like to try to make a quick trip there to hang out and visit with them. This was only the 2nd time they met Karsyn....she was 6 weeks old our last trip in July....so they were so happy to see her and see how much she had grown.

The drive Sunday wasn't terrible but there was more traffic than normal and we also had to stop for 45 minutes at Buckee's (which is the GREATEST road stop ever off of 45!) to change Karsyn's diaper, use the restroom and grab a bite to eat.....they also make fresh fudge! It is delicious! So it ended up taking about 5 hours to get there but once we were there we were able to relax and visit with everyone. That evening Dana, Brayden, Nikki (Brayden's girlfriend), Kara, Karsyn and I went to see New Moon. It was a really great movie that we all enjoyed. Karsyn did really well in the movies. I nursed her and then she pretty much slept for the entire thing. Now I am anxiously awaiting for Eclipse in July.

Monday we did a little shopping for the girls at an outdoor town center and the weather was perfect. Sunny, in the 70's with a cool breeze.....perfect for walking around outside. I also found a perfect pair of skinny leg jeans at Ann Taylor Loft that I am really excited about.....I can finally wear all of those boots I bought! :) Monday evening I wasn't feeling very well and felt like I was coming down with a cold so I went to bed fairly early.

Tuesday Dana and I left the kids with Nanie and Nana and headed to an amazing Scrapbook store in Clearlake....By Design Scrapbook Boutique. I scored some awesome things for Karsyn's scrapbook. It is getting so hard in Dallas to find scrapbook supplies so it was nice to find things that I hadn't ever seen. When we got back it was time to load the car and head home. I was feeling terrible and was running a fever but I was afraid if I didn't leave then that I would be too sick the next day to drive. So we headed home for a LONG drive! It took us about 5 1/2-6 hours to get home and I got a ticket on the way back....BOO....for speeding.

One of the things that I find the neatest about my family is that we have 5 generations! My great grandmother is 88 years old! She says the funniest things and keeps everyone on their toes. It is really nice that my children can say that they have a great-great grandmother. Here is a picture of 5 generations. This picture includes: My Nana (1st generation), My Nanie (2nd generation), Aunt Dana (3rd generation), Me (4th generation) and Kara&Karsyn (5th generation). There are a lot of other family members not pictured but this is 5 generations all together.....pretty incredible!

Here is 15 year old cousin Brayden with Kara and Karsyn. Isn't he handsome?!? :)

We had a great time and I am looking forward to seeing them again....hopfully sooner than later!

A Pool Party!!!

This year for Kara's birthday party we decided to have a double birthday celebration with Kara's best friend, Maisie at The Embassy Suites in Frisco. They each invited several friends for swimming and then had 2 friends stay the night. Tara and I planned for weeks so that the party would be perfect. And it was despite a run in with the evening manager when we checked in. Long story short they ended up having to comp us a 2nd room because they were not going to allow us to have additional guests in the pool. Jeromy got everything straightened out and after that things were smooth sailing. The men even discovered that they have complimentary Happy Hour from 5-7 every night! Tara and I think we may have a joint birthday party for ourselves there. :)

The kids swam for 3+ hours and had a blast. They jumped, played Marco Polo, flipped and acted goofy as usual. After we finished swimming we headed up to our room for pizza and fun! My brothers girlfriend, Christa stayed the night and gave the girls pedicures and makeovers. They loved having her there.....and so did we! It was so nice to have a teenager that could keep them occupied. I recommend that for anyone having a slumber party!

In the morning we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast buffet and packed up our stuff. I think one of the greatest parts of not having it at our house was not having to clean up the mess the girls left behind!

Here are some pictures of the party:

BEWARE of being scammed!

Well.....we were scammed! Against my better judgement I purchased airline tickets from an independent airline broker and my instinct was correct. It was a scam! The company's name is Travel Smart Services and this is the link to their website http://www.travelsmartservices.webs.com .

We purchased our tickets over a week ago with promises of receiving flight confirmations with 24-48 hours. I waited patiently and e-mailed a few times for updates always receiving an auto reply response. Well......as of today I received an e-mail stating that my e-mail was undeliverable. LOVELY! I am just wanting to warn everyone else so this does not happen to anyone that I know.

So as of now we are back at square one for a vacation that begins in less than 25 days. Hopefully we will be able to find something fast within our budget. I guess that is what I get for not trusting my instincts!

So excited about my Etsy purchase!

I'm sure you are all thinking.....What is this? Well......let me tell ya! :) This is called an iSpy bag and I ordered 2 this morning from Etsy. It is a bag for all ages that is filled with small beads and little trinkets hidden inside. On the outside of the bag is a card listing the items inside. My girls are getting one of these for Christmas and I am going to give the other as a gift to one of our neices. This is such a great toy for kids going on trips or ones that get bored easily in the car! I will let you know what I think when it arrives. In case anyone is interested in ordering one the seller is cricketandsix. :)

8 years ago today........

I welcomed my beautiful daughter Kara Ashton into the world! She was born on a beautiful Friday at 12:34pm weighing 7lbs. 13oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. My labor was fast and very easy. My mom and sister were there and they kept shouting how beautiful she was while she was being cleaned up. I was pretty out of it after her delivery but the 1st thing I remember saying to the doctor was "Is it still a girl?" He laughed and of course replied "yes."

She has been such a blessing and I love watching her grow. She changed my life in so many ways and I can't imagine a day without her! She has such a kind heart, a free spirit and a playful attitude.

Today Karsyn and I took her Chick-fil-A for lunch at school and also brought cupcakes for her class. Her party is this weekend and it is a joint party with her best friend Maisie. (They share the same birthday!)

Here are some pictures from today:

Kara and Karsyn after Lunch

Kara and her best friend, Maisie (they share a b-day and both have red hair! Crazy coincidence!)

Kara and Mommy enjoying lunch

Happy Birthday Kara! Mommy loves you and I am very proud of you!!!

"It goes by way too quickly."

I'm sure that everyone has heard this cliche statement. It isn't until you are a parent yourself that you realize just how quickly it does go by. On a day to day basis you watch your little one changing and learning new things. It was just last week as I was reading my 'Your Baby Week by Week book' that I told Jeromy there was no way that Karsyn would start splashing in the tub a week from then.....but....just this weekend when we were at the pool she started splashing her hands and giggling in delight! WOW! What a difference that week made!

I also think back to last year when Kara began 1st grade and her reading was still spotty and she had to have me help her sound things out. I used to be able to spell words out to Jeromy like N-A-P to keep it from the kids. Then one day in the spring she looked at me and said "No way! I am not taking a nap when we get home!" Now she reads everything! If I have something private that I don't want her seeing I have to hide it because she can definitly read it now! I am proud of that milstone and I love listening to her read. :)

Karsyn is now 3 1/2 months old and she is changing every day! She has been sleeping in her own room at night (for the last 2 weeks!) and she even falls asleep with the help of a pacifier! If you asked me a month ago if she was taking a paci I would have said no because she just started liking it! Not that I want her to be addicted to a paci but as a breastfeeding mommy it is nice for her to have a way to soothe herself besides nursing!! She really is a great baby and so easy to breastfeed! She is now eating every 3-6 hours (the longest stretch at night) but she only takes about 10 minutes to finish a feeding! It's great...really and I love spending that time with her! My ultimate goal is 1 year but at 6 months I will evaluate where we are and I will see how things go from there! My next adventure is going to be making baby food!

Here is Karsyn's picture from 3 months! Look at her chubby cheeks!

And I had to add this picture because people always wonder who she looks like....and well....not to brag.....but this looks exactly like ME! My mom said that she looks so much like me that for her it is a blast from the past!

Oh....and on a side note! Remeber the last post I made about Karsyn being used for advertising for Picture People?? Well.....if you go into the Stonebriar location up above the couter there is a black and white picture of a chubby sleeping baby. Can you guess who that is??? Yep....that's right! It's my little Karsyn!

Days flying by!

I know that I said that I was going to try to post weekly but I have yet again beeen distracted by the day to day of motherhood. Karsyn is getting so big! It's hard to believe that she is already over 2 months old!!



I began coaching Kara's cheer squad this week and I am seriously overly excited about it. (It's pretty embarrassing!) I just love being able to share something that I loved so much with my daughter. Plus I am hoping that it will be a good workout to help me lose these extra 10 lbs. of baby weight I am still carrying around! Maddie and Maycee are on our squad. Kara is really happy to have her friends cheering with us. I know that April will have some pretty embarassing pictures of me before all of this is said and done. In fact, I think that she got a picture of me doing a handstand at our first practice! LOL! Our squad is the Lobo Gold and we cheer for a 7/8 year old boys football team. I can't wait for our first game. So far, in 2 practices I have taught the girls 7 cheers. I wasn't sure if they would remember them all but this morning I heard Kara in her bedroom practicing so I am pretty confident that the other girls probably remember them too! Holly is helping me coach and she is a God send! She is such a talented cheerleader and really has great skills for teaching children. (She will make a great parent and dentist some day!) Unfortunately, Holly can only attend 1-2 practices a week because of her work schedule so I will have to wing it when she isn't there and hope for the best. :)



We went to Karsyn's 2 month old check-up last week and she is officially 10lbs. 4 oz. and 21 3/4 inches long! I can't believe how fast she is growing! That is almost 4 lbs. and 3 inches up from her size at birth. She really is still such a little peanut though. She is 45th percentile for weight, 30th for height and 10th for her head! I laugh at her head size because she is 2 months old and 0-3 month hats are still GIGANTIC for her little head! I was buying her some fall clothes today and I wanted the matching hat but seriously laughed out load at how ridiculously huge the 3-6 month hat was on her! I ended up buying the 0-3 month hat because it was still pretty big on her. So as long as her head doesn't go through some major growth spurt she will be sporting a really cute hat this fall!



One of the worst things about well baby visits is the vaccinations. I always hated when Kara had to get shots and even though we are on an alternate vaccine schedule for Karsyn I knew that she would be getting some at her 2 month appointment and I was having really bad anxienty about this! The day of her appointment I was flustered and nervous all day! At the appointment I was sweaty and shaking. I am so glad that Jeromy was there to hold her arms down. I cried when she got her shots because she had the saddest little face and cried so hard. I held her and nursed her in the room for about 20 minutes before we left the office. I had to give her Tylenol every 4 hours for the next 24 hours because the shots were giving her a fever. :( I felt really bad for her and she acted like her legs were hurting whenever I would touch them. Jeromy and I are glad that we don't go back for another 2 months but we are both still dreading more shots!



Ironically before her appointment; in all of my anxienty I had Karsyn's 2 month pictures made at the Picture People. They turned out so cute and I ended up spending a lot more than I wanted on them. She was so alert in the beginning and we got some great shots of her smiling and holding her head up. Then she fell asleep and got some amazing pictures of her sleeping. Of course she is my baby so all of this sounds obviously cliche that I think that they were adorable but then yesterday someone from Picture People called me and asked if they could e-mail me a waiver because they wanted to use Karsyn's pictures on their website and for general advertising! So maybe you guys will see her in some future advertisements for them! I should have the e-mailed images from the session soon so I will upload them as soon as I get them.

Well, that pretty much puts us up to speed. I am sure that the next few weeks will be spent hanging out with the kiddos, going to cheer practice and getting ready for school to start. I love summer but I have to admit that I am ready for school to start back. It is such a challenge to entertain 2 girls and take care of a baby. I am ready for scheduled nap times and the ability to actually clean my house!

A Long Overdue Update

As pointed out to me this weekend by a good friend I have been a bad blogger. I know this. There are so many days that I think about getting on but then something comes up and I forget all about it until I am half asleep and by that point I am way too tired to get up and begin. (Believe me....with a 7 week old sleep is a necessity!) So this brings me with so much to catch up on that I am not sure where to begin.......

Karsyn is such a great baby! I really enjoy spending my days with her and watching her grown and learn new things daily. Coming home from the hospital was quite an experience. The day that we were discharged there were more than 30 other couples going home with their newborns that day! It was a very busy weekend on the L&D floor at Plano Presby. By the time that we got home it was around 3pm and we were happily greeted by my mom, brother, Christa, Kara and Karlee. The girls had been making WELCOME HOME KARSYN signs all day and my mom had been busy cleaning and even mowed our yard! (I know....I have the greatest mom EVER!) Our stork sign was proudly displayed in the front yard for the whole neighborhood to see that we had welcomed our new baby girl into our lives. Here is a picture of our new family by our stork.

From there the weeks flew by! Jeromy was home with us for the first week and then my mom took a week off of work to stay with me and help me with Karsyn and household things. It is such a blessing to have such a wonderful mom and a pretty great hubby too. :) On Memorial Day we went to Jeromy's dad's house to celebrate with the whole family. They were thrilled to have the newest addition there and we were surprised by the news that there would soon be another new addition to the growing Boulet grandkids! Jeromy's sister, Brandi and her husband, Todd will be welcoming a 4th baby sometime in late December! Karsyn will love having a cousin so close in age!

With the kids being out of school for the summer we have been enjoying going to the pool and hanging out with friends. Karsyn went swimming for the first time on June 18th. She LOVED the water! I only put her in for a few minutes each time we are down there but she seems to enjoy every second and usually falls asleep for quite some time after getting out.

2 weeks ago we discovered that Karsyn has a minor case of acid reflux. The was spitting up every time after she ate. At the dr's office she weighed in at 8lbs. 13oz. I am happy that she is gaining the appropriate amount of weight but I was sad that the dr. said that her crying after eating was due to heart burn. SO SAD! A mother never wants her child to be in pain.

Yesterday we celebrated the 4th of July and Karsyn loved being outside. She sleeps well with lots of noise so she did just perfectly. Here are some pictures of our little family on the 4th!

Well....I know this update isn't very detailed but I just wanted to do a quick catch up and I promise that I will try to update at least once a week from now on!

My Birth Story

Finally...I have been meaning to post this for a week now but have been so busy with Karsyn that I just haven't had an opportunity....but here it is! Finally!

I was scheduled for an induction on Friday May 22nd but Karsyn had other plans. I woke up Thursday morning, May 14th exhausted as normal but with a busy day planned. Ashley B. and I met up at the Stonebriar Mall and shopped for a couple hours. Afterwards I had to go to the grocery store, do some housework and pick up the kids from school. After finishing everything I started feeling really tired and really strange. I layed down in my room for about 30 minutes before having to get ready and leave for Karlee's school play.

At Karlee's school play I was feeling really weird and having some braxton hicks. I was also feeling very crampy but had been experiencing these for a few days so I didn't think anything of it. Kara and I left there and headed to Jeromy's basketball game. At the game the cramping was getting stronger and the pains were going down my legs. They were really uncomfortable. I called my mom when we left and asked if I could bring Kara over to spend the night because I wasn't feeling well. Jeromy drove and we took her to my mom's. (It is about 15 minutes from our house.) On the way to my mom's the contractions were getting stronger and the cramping was steady inbetween the contractions. I began to feel them going down my back and I knew then that it was something more than just what I had been experiencing the days prior. We rushed home so Jeromy could take a shower and I called the doctor. Dr. Garner wasn't the dr. on call but the dr. on call told us to go to Labor and Delivery but that because I was only 37 weeks that I shouldn't expect to be staying. I threw some last minute toiletries into our bags, we loaded our car and headed to the hospital. As we pulled out of the driveway Jeromy turned to me and said "I have a feeling that this is a practice run."

We arrived at the hospital around 10pm. They checked my cervix and I was still a 3. (The same that I was on Monday.) They hooked me up to the monitors and we waited. I was having contractions 2-3 minutes apart. After an hour and my pain level was increasing they checked me again and I was still a 3 but my cervix was softer. They decided to keep me to monitor me for a few more hours. At this point they decided to give me a shot of stadol to help me relax and get some sleep. Jeromy left to grab something to eat and pick up some DVD's for our video camera. When he got back I was already out of it and falling asleep. I slept off and on until 4am when they came in and checked me again. This time I was dilated to a 4, 90% effaced and my bag of water was bulging. The nurse then looked at me and said "Okay. Well, we will go ahead and start your IV and you can get your epidural as soon as you are ready." Jeromy and I looked at each other and were shocked! I said "OMG! We are having our baby today!"

It took them an hour to get my IV in and going. By 6:30 the anesthesiologist came in and gave me my epidural. Dr. Garner called up to labor and delivery around 7am and told them to go ahead and start pitocin to speed things up. He came in around 8:15 and broke my water. (The amount of fluid that came out was unreal!!!) I labored very comfortably and around 10 the nurse came in and checked me and I was about 9 1/2 centimeters dilated. Dr. Garner showed up around 10:15 and started prepping the room for delivery. Once he was suited up it was show time. I started pushing at 10:30 and 4 contractions later at 10:40am Karsyn was born. When her head came out I looked down and was absolutely amazed! The umbillical cord was wrapped around her neck once but she was okay. When she came out I couldn't beleive that I was looking at my baby!! She just looked so tiny!

When Karsyn let out that first cry Jeromy turned around to kiss me.. he was crying and I was crying....I think everyone was crying. It was a perfect moment and I am so happy that she is finally here. All the heartache and worry were worth it when I stare at my baby girl. She is just an absolute gift from God and we feel so blessed.

Just some quick pictures of Miss Karsyn!

I am busy with Miss Karsyn but I have a quick second to share some pictures of her. She was born last Friday May 15th at 10:40am. 6lbs. 6.5oz. 18 3/4 inches long. She is absolutely PERFECT! I will post our birth story and more pictures soon! I promise. ENJOY!

Only 9 days left!

As I type this I realize how incredibly anxious I am that Karsyn will be here so soon! 9 days at the most before we meet her! Last night Jeromy and I did a lot of prepping that was needed. He did the dishes while I sterilized the parts to my breast pump and worked on freezer meals. I am now up to 4 meals, 5 loaves of bread and 77 pigs in a blankets! My goal is to have 2 weeks worth of meals prepped and ready to go so that I don't have to worry about cooking while we are getting settled into a routine. I must admit that I have really enjoyed cooking all these different things and I think that this staying home business is going to suit me well. :) Our hospital bag is finally packed and ready to go at any moment (with the exceptions of my daily use items) and the baby book is in the diaper bag ready to be taken to the hospital too! I am so glad that everything is coming together...finally! Friday we are having cleaning people come for a deep cleaning and Monday we are having our carpets cleaned. I think that once those things are done I will feel more prepared for Karsyn to get here. Jeromy has his own list of household chores for the weekend.....he has to do yardwork in addition to changing the a/c filters and batteries in our smoke detectors. Other than that we have a pretty busy weekend ahead of us with graduations parties, birthday parties and all the house preparations. Luckily Friday is my official last day at work so next week I can finish my freezer meals and maybe even take a nap!

I say all these things that we have left to do and gulp because my dr. isn't very confident that we will make it to induction day. I am already 3 centimeters dilated and Karsyn's head is super low. His exact words to me were "Well...luckily I am on call this weekend. I won't be surprised if I see you there." I almost fell off the exam table when he said that! I just cannot believe that she could come sooner than 9 days. But, just so I don't get my hopes up or overwhelm myself I am sticking with 9 days to go. And I look at it on the bright side....being this dilated will only help my induction to go smoother!

And here it is....this is what a full term pregnant girl looks like! :)