A lot to tell you....

So many things have been going on lately, it is difficult for me to know where to begin. So let me try to begin from the last time I left off.

David came home from Korea for a visit and he went to NJ for Carrie's pageant. He was home for almost 10 days and we were so excited to see him! He looks great and seems to be doing really well there. He will be home again in Nov. and then in the states for a few months.

Here are a couple of pics of him and some of the things he brought back for us.
In the first picture, he brought us back a piece of the fence that separates North from South Korea. Very interesting piece of history. The next picture is of my guys in New Jersey.

Carrie placed 4th runner up in the pageant. The best she's ever done so far! Congratulations Carrie! She won a nice scholarship for that. She also tied for first on Friday eve for the swimsuit competition. She has one more year to try and I think she is going to do it! So we will be going to New Jersey next summer and we will have Ethan to help cheer her on!

She was Cinderella in the parade. How cute is that? The next picture is after she placed in the top 5 and the last picture is with one of her directors.

I just bought a new car! One thing we have accomplished before the baby comes. We bought a RAV 4 and I love the thing! It gets great gas mileage and has a ton of storage area.

We gave the Corolla to Ryan for his 17th birthday. He was really surprised. It will be a great vehicle for him to drive.

And finally, my great friends had a baby shower for us. We got a lot of great things for the baby and I am so grateful to have such good friends. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came all the way from Oklahoma to be at the shower. Chris' girlfriend Stacy was there with her sister and of course, Lily. Several other friends were there and I am thankful for each and every one of them.

They are still working on our house. I haven't taken any pictures of it since they started demolition but they are slowly putting it back together again. The kitchen actually has paint and lights now. The downstairs bathroom has paint and lights and the rest of the basement has been primed and is ready for the last coat of paint. They will hopefully finish up lighting tomorrow and maybe start on the tile flooring. So anyway, it is coming together now.

Just 7 more weeks until the baby comes. I have a weekly dr. visit and ultrasound and non-stress test. All is fine. The baby is getting a lot bigger now and of course, so am I. It's getting harder for me to move around like I used to and if I bend over, I feel like I am cutting off my own blood flow. My belly gets in the way of most everything and none of my maternity t-shirts fit anymore. They are really tight. My ankles are swelling and it gets a little harder to eat or sleep. However, this is just a status report, I am not complaining in the least! I am glad to be pregnant mostly because I never thought it would be possible. The small miracle moving inside of me every day reminds me that Ethan is just that - a miracle. There is no experience like it on this earth. I love every minute of it. Ok, maybe not the nausea but that was over a long time ago.

Carrie is coming home for the birth of the baby. I am so happy that she wants to be a part of it. I am really looking forward to her being home with us for awhile.

Chris is getting ready to close on his house tomorrow. Dad's house will be gone. Not a terrible thing, I am sentimental because it is the house I grew up in but on the other hand, it has cost him a lot of money in upkeep and is requiring a lot of maintenance lately. I am glad to see him out from under it. His new house is really great and I hope he will be happy there. They will have a great place for Lily to grow up. We are helping them move this weekend.

Well, that's all for now. Hope you are all well.

Until next time...

Kelley

Things not to say to a pregnant woman...

Pregnancy comments 101:

Here are just a couple of things NOT to say to a pregnant woman. (These comments were made to me)

1. Friend: "Oh, do you know if you are having a boy or a girl?
me: "yes, we are having a boy!"
Friend: "I could tell you were having a boy because when I was pregnant with my little boy,
my butt got really big too!"
me: ??????????? Thanks????

2. Friend (different friend than the previous one): "How far along are you?"
me: "Well, I have about 10 more weeks to go."
Friend: "Wow! You are really big and still have 10 weeks left!?!?"
me: *%^?#!!!

Now for the updates...

The renovations on our house are still going! It has been 2 months now. However, they now have all sheetrock in and taped and puttied. One more coat of putty, then sanding then we are ready to paint! They will start laying flooring hopefully the week after next. Then kitchen cabinets and counters! Maybe my house will be back together before the baby gets here. I will be painting the baby's room probably the night before my c-section, so if anyone feels they are talented in the painting area, please let me know. I am accepting any and all volunteers for helping. I am not too proud at this point in time to ask for help.

David has been home! It has been 7 months since we have seen him and he looks GREAT! He has also changed a little bit. I think the military has been good for him. He has made a lot of friends and is much more social than he was when he lived here! We are proud of him for all of his accomplishments and we are especially proud that he is serving his country.

Everyone is in New Jersey right now except me. Carrie is in this year's Miss New Jersey pageant again this year. My doctor has advised me that it probably would not be a good idea for me to travel this late in my pregnancy so I am staying home holding down fort Gelnar for now. You can see more info about the Miss New Jersey pageant including pictures at http://missnewjersey.net/



I am going to Quincy tomorrow to see my favorite niece! She is 3 weeks old now. Chris and Stacy are doing really well. They should be moving to Hannibal very soon into their new house that they bought! It is so cute! They have a lot of good things going on for them now and I am really happy for them both. They are finding out very quickly how to operate with no sleep right now. Chris says that Lily does not sleep very much at all and she eats all of the time. She is so cute, I can't wait to see her tomorrow.



Well, that's all for right now. My favorite show 20/20 is on and I have to watch. So farewell for now.



Kelley