In a last minute attempt to cram as much fun into our last remaining days of freedom before this baby arrives.. ;) (kidding.. but not really.. ;) Chad and I hit the Chihuly Night Exhibit before it's departure in November. Thankfully the weather was beautiful and of course the glass sculptures did NOT disappoint. Absolutely BREATHTAKING! I was also honestly surprised how well our little workhorse camera did at capturing those amazing creations. Little to NO editing was needed on the majority of these photos. Granted, I DO tend to take a million and one photos of the same thing, in the off chance that one shot is more "in focus" than the other or at a better angle.. so my odds were greater that we'd get good shots. Luckily, we had a lot of beautiful photos to choose from. Great job little Canon Rebel. I think we'll keep you. :)
If one thing is certain about our little girl, who is set to grace us with her presence in just TWO WEEKS!!! ... is that she is VERY, VERY...VERY LOVED! By not only Chad and I (and obviously her grandparents and our immediate family)..but by our wonderfully amazing friends! From the moment we announced our pregnancy back in February, our friends (turned Aunties), both near and far, have been just as excited as we have been about our little girl's arrival (and have shown us more love than we could've ever known!!). From inspiring words to mommy tales of wisdom... from helpful advice to hosting and planning the most DETAIL ORIENTED and fabulous baby shower one could've ever hoped for, these Kelley's couldn't be luckier to have such amazing people in our lives!
A GIGANTIC THANK YOU a MILLION times over to our sweet party planning gurus, Lisa Roden, Brenda Spinelli and crafting legend Kendra Spinelli for their time, love and remarkable attention to detail! The shower was beautifully executed and no stone was left unturned or unappreciated! Ya'll Rock! :)
Amazingly awesome "Welcome Wreath" that Kendra Spinelli made for little Miss Everleigh.
(Which will be proudly displayed on her nursery door soon!! Just need to get one of those door hooks! ;)
Seriously ADORABLE! Carved and created with love by Miss Brenda Spinelli :)
So much attention to detail!!
Cookie Fruit Loop cups filled with cream cheese frosting.. favor boxes filled with yummy treats.. Cucumber water...drunken, and NON-drunken punch.. White Chocolate filled raspberries...Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels :)
Cookie Fruit Loop cups filled with strawberry cream cheese frosting.. :)
Separate table with loads of goodies.. From quesadillas, chips and dips to shrimp cocktails and fruit salad. :)
Mommy's Sippy Cup :)
Waiting for the games to go around.. :)
Concentrating VERY hard on trying to find safety pins in this GIGANTIC bowl of RICE!!
AND making a weird face in the process! My apologies.. lol..
Trying to get safety pins out of bowl of rice.. (Without looking!)
SOOOOOOOO much tougher than you'd think!)
About to bite into Everleigh's cake! :)
Daddy-to-be making sure the pacifier passes inspection :)
Having fun opening gifts.. :)
Instead of cards for the shower, Everleigh got BOOKS! Starting her library off RIGHT! :)
Shortest blog post EVER. More for posterity sake.. and to show the progression of my belly through the weeks until delivery. :) Bigger and bigger everyday.. Almost THERE!
I honestly don’t remember HOW or WHEN Chad and I finally settled on our baby girl's name. I DO know it’s been in “holding” for MUCH longer than we’ve even been pregnant though. BOTH our names have been. (A name for a boy and a name for a girl I mean…) Tight lipped and in the Kelley vault for well over a year, we FINALLY revealed her name to the world.. (ok, maybe that was a little dramatic), we finally revealed her name to our immediate family and friends the day we found out we were having our sweet baby girl, at week 17.
A family name it’s not.. well that’s not entirely true. Everleigh’s not a family name…we just really fell in love with it. We wanted something classic but not too common. Something interesting but not over-the-top. The one thing, however, that we couldn’t settle on for the longest time was HOW to actually spell it. So many variations, so many possibilities. Everlee, Everli, Everlie, Everly, Everley… none of them though, seemed special enough. They were all certainly CUTE, but definitely not classic. Or at least not to us.
Here’s the run down on our thought process as far as the variations were concerned.
Everlee – was actually a strong contender for me.. but.. Chad wasn’t convinced. We also got comments on how the “lee” part just seemed too masculine. That seemed enough to get this variation…Nixed.
Everli– Too short and trendy. Didn’t think she could carry that variation into adulthood without seeming like she had a little girl's name.. Axed.
Everlie – Looked like Ever-LIE to me.. Next.
Everly – This one looked like it was missing letters. Didn’t seem complete… Nope.
Everley – This one never seemed right… not sure why. It was never even an option for either of us… Eh.
After all was said and done, the one spelling that we kept coming back to was Everleigh. Certainly the LONGEST option of them all.. (which will probably be a problem for her throughout her school days). Curse those dang school scantrons with not enough boxes, or those kids who will probably mis-pronounce her name cause they’ve never seen “LEE” spelled like “Leigh”. But..it was the spelling we liked the best so, it stuck.
Isabella, however, IS a family name (well sorta). My grandma (“Nana”), my mom’s mom, is Isabel. And although we contemplated just leaving it as Isabel, we thought Everleigh Isabel Kelley needed a little something extra.. like.. MORE LETTERS! Longest. Name. Ever. At least we didn’t go super Mexican on her and give her a bazillion middle, hard to pronounce Spanish names like.. Everleigh Don Francisca Paola de los Nopales Kelley. In a way she should thank us. We saved her YEARS and YEARS of a cramped writing hand. Lucky duck. Ha!
My spunky grandma Nana getting down at our wedding. :)
Probably NOT the best picture of her, but I ran across this and COULDN'T pass up an opportunity to show her having fun. I was actually SHOCKED when I saw this.. I don't remember taking this picture and it's VERY unlike her to be doing anything like this anymore. :)
This October, right after our little baby bear arrives (and while I'm conveniently on maternity leave ;), I'll celebrate my 6th anniversary with Aguirre Roden. In that time, I've moved from Architecture into the Marketing department, bought a house, met Chad, adopted a sweet little puppy named Macie, got engaged, got married and finally, GOT PREGNANT! Not to mention all the wonderful traveling we've done in between and all the babies that have been born in our family since that time! Whew... Makes me tired just thinking about it all...so much has been accomplished in such a short amount of time :)
Needless to say, I've been through a WHOLE lot with so many of my wonderful coworkers. Especially the ladies in the accounting and admin department who've been Chad's biggest fans since the beginning and have watched excitedly as my life has unfolded before their eyes.
The one thing I've always loved and appreciated about these ladies is how involved and excited they've gotten for me and all the major events that have happened in my life since moving to Dallas. This little girl in my belly was certainly NO exception!
Being super stealth and oh so sweet... they prepped and planned for weeks (without a peep from anyone involved) gathering supplies and funds from all my coworkers in the office for a very special SURPRISE baby shower for me and our little bear. (And considering my office's proximity to the conference room where this little party was to be held, it was certainly a FEAT to get this all done without me noticing.) :)
Sweets, treats and generous gifts was all I needed to make me feel so special and LOVED!!
The beautiful cake was DELISH!!
Our stock pile of diapers has begun :)
What's with all my CRAZY faces!?!? lol..
Everleigh's first PIGGY BANK!!
Just what she needs to start her college fund off right... :)
It's funny that even with so much going on and so much to mentally and physically prepare for in the next few weeks, my mind has literally felt like MUSH. I really haven't been able to focus on any one thing. Blogging especially. Even though I've wanted to capture as much as possible about this whole pregnancy experience, I've honestly had the hardest time compiling my thoughts into anything logical. Pregnancy brain perhaps?? Or maybe its just fatigue as my body prepares me for all the sleepless nights ahead. Each night it's a bazillion trips to the bathroom, constant tossing, turning and not being able to find a comfortable position as me and Macie jockey for space on our KING sized bed! Who knew a 30lb Schnotty (that's hybrid speak for a Scotty/Schauzer mix ;) could take up so much room on such a large bed. ;)
Our sweet little furry Macie has pretty much been stuck to me like glue for the last few weeks. We are pretty convinced her doggy sense has made her aware of my growing belly and the baby that's due around these parts in the next few weeks. :)
Regardless of whatever has been making me feel so incredibly BLANK these days, I'm determined to document this pregnancy for posterity sake.
Here's the low down on my 33 WEEKS of pregnancy!! :)
CRAVINGS: I personally don't think my "cravings", or "hankerins" as Chad Kelley likes to call them, have been ALL THAT weird, but Chad might actually disagree with me on this one. :) At the beginning of my pregnancy, it was chili and cornbread, corn dogs (kinda random) AND.... pickles with sweet Crystal Light powder on top (yeah, yeah, yeah.. that last one might be a little strange, I must admit) but lately it's been mostly fruit. Pineapple, grapes and cherries have been in constant rotation in our fridge. And oh yeah... all things greasy and yummy..(like a juicy hamburger;) or PIZZA!! Mmmmm.... Lou Malnati's anyone?? ;)
My sweet husband actually sent off for one of our favorite Chicago pizzas a few weeks ago. Remembering one of our memorable pizza stops on our last trip to Chicago, he surprised me with this tasty, tasty treat one night for dinner. :) LOVE. HIM!
AVERSIONS:Not so much actually. For a few weeks at the beginning though, I couldn't look at or even THINK about eating eggs. Egg are a staple in my (usually) super low carb, high protein house, so I was kinda worried at first when I couldn't even LOOK at them! Thankfully, my fondness for eggs has since returned, although I'm trying to save all my egg consumption til after the baby is born, when I return to my normal low carb lifestyle. (just don't want to get sick of them before I really start to rely on them again.. ;)
EMOTIONS: Nerves? Check. Anxiety? Check. Giddyness? DOUBLE CHECK!! Aside from the occasional happy/nervous tears.. everything has been running smoothly on the emotional front.. so far anyway ;)
FEARS: Since even before I got pregnant, my biggest worry has been my own diabetes. How would this affect our baby?? Would she be healthy? Would she be born diabetic?? Taking extra precautions to ensure all things ran smoothly, I've kept my insulin/sugar levels in check, I see an OB and special gestational sonographer (every week now) and consult with an endocronologist/nurse educator as needed. So far, so good. She's right on track! Obviously the fear of the ACTUAL delivery still looms in my head...but at the end of the day, as long as she's happy and healthy, I can't WAIT for our little girl to make her appearance..pain or no pain...ughhh (shudder) :/
My preggo life..
Every single day (since I found out I was pregnant) I get the luxury of injecting myself before each meal and once with a different type of insulin before bedtime. Luckily, I've become a pro at dealing with needles.. :/ Lucky me! :/ :/
SURPRISES:I have to be honest and say that the biggest surprise for me is HOW INCREDIBLY EXCITED Chad has been about this little girl!!! Before this pregnancy, I couldn't even FATHOM the amount of joy that now radiates from his eyes whenever we talk about how much our lives will change in the next few weeks. I always knew he'd be wrapped... I just never realized HOW wrapped he'd be...ALREADY! I honestly didn't think that dads got THIS excited to shop for baby things...happily making a million trips to Babie's R Us and Buy Buy Baby.. putting the crib together... helping put the nursery in order or hanging up her little, pink baby clothes. I was already so in love with this man, I'm fairly certain my heart is just going to EXPLODE when I finally get to see him holding her in a few short weeks.
Our baby girl's coming home outfit all ready to go! This was one of the Valentine's Day gifts I got from Chad before we knew what we were going to have.. <3>
BELLY MOVEMENTS: Olympic athlete in the making! Stretched WAAAAAYYYY across my belly, from far left to far right, there is NO WAY this little girl is going to like to be swaddled. She has definitely made the most of my widening waist by practicing her Riverdance moves any chance she gets. :) OH and those HICCUPS!! Coming on every other day or so, if I close my eyes and concentrate reeeeeeallly hard, I can almost hear her sweet little hiccup sounds. Eeeeep!! (if you look closely at the video below, you can see my belly JUMP from her sweet hiccups! :) Best part of my day...
WEIGHT GAIN:Ughh... I'm STILL not exactly sure how I'm supposed to feel about gaining weight EVERYWHERE OTHER than my belly itself. At least until most recently. I widened out...first losing my waist (making me look square and linebacker-ish) then came the widening of the hips, butt and god awful thighs! FINALLY, well into the 7th month, my stomach finally decided that it wanted to play catch up. Thankfully too, cause although everyone said I "looked great" cause I was hardly showing.. I just felt FAT and unworthy of even shopping for cute maternity wear. I can finally, finally walk into a maternity store and actually feel like I SHOULD be shopping there.. :) Yeah for baby bellies!
As for our little one.. last Wednesday, during our weekly sonogram visit (we go again this Wednesday), she weighed in at a very scrumptious 4lbs 13oz. :) At the rate we are going.. she'll be an EASY 7.5lbs at our 38 week induction.
It’s pretty amazing the incredible GROWTH that takes place on a daily basis when you’re pregnant. In the elevator mirror each morning, I take a long glance at my belly knowing full well that by the time I head home each day, our sweet baby girl will have kicked her way to claiming a few more inches of belly room. Just a few short weeks ago, her presence in my life felt like mere flicks, followed by gentle taps then stronger and stronger jabs…which has now led to ALL of the above PLUS the slow undulation of my belly as she gradually moves from one side to the other. I’ve joked that it feels like she’s rearranging furniture in her little belly apartment.. while other times, she’s MOST definitely practicing her soccer moves for the 2032 Olympics. ;)
30 week belly - 8 more weeks til induction!!
I count myself extremely blessed for having a fairly "easy" pregnancy so far. Other than feeling LIKE THE SIDE OF A BARN!!..... gaining weight mostly and pretty exclusively in my hips, butt and thighs (UGHHH!!!), I haven't had any issues at all. With my diabetes in check and pretty well controlled, I'm still considered "High Risk" and have to see my regular OB every two weeks now.. (at 32 weeks I will start once a week visits). I also have to see a "special" sonographer just as often to make sure the baby is growing as she should be.. (which so far, has been perfectly!) Last check up at nearly 30 weeks measured our little bear at a whopping 3lbs 9oz. ;)
With toes officially gone, it's beginning to get a bit tougher to do the simple things I was used to doing just a week or two ago.. namely, rolling over in bed without grunting, bending down to paint my toes (which are in desperate need of some attention), leaning over the table to eat (just hand me a bib cause the only comfortable way I feel like I can sit at the table is leaning WAAAAAAAYYY back in my chair)... and just plain BREATHING..which is starting to make our stairs a challenge...not to mention the elliptical I've still been doing.. :/ Slowly but ever so surely I'm reaching that point that most pregnant women get to at end of their pregnancy.. "GET THIS GIRL OUT!!"... (but not before she's ready of course.. ;)
As I prepare to take this journey called Motherhood in just about 8 weeks from now… (EEEEEkkkkkkk!!!), I can’t help but think how my own sweet Ma ;) has shaped me into the person I am today. From strict disciplinarian to incredible softie that would walk to the ends of the earth for us kids.. she’s been my constant. Always there to listen, always willing to impart her wisdom and knowledge… she’s been the epitome of strength when times have been tough (even when I know she’s felt like crumbling) and I can only hope, as I prepare to raise my own little one, that I’ll be half the mother she has been to me. You're amazing in every way Mom, thank you for being AWESOME!!
Happy 21st Birthday Mom ;)!!
This time, last year, celebrating her special day, at Choctaw Casino :)
As you can probably imagine..as we cross over the 28 week mark...my ever-growing belly has been at the top of my priority list as summer quickly passes and I realize just how much still has to be done around the house. Even though we've tackled QUITE a lot in the weeks since my parent's last visit up here.. there are still a few little annoying things left to take care of before I can finally proclaim the nursery ready for Little Miss Kelley.
My burgeoning belly ;)
She likes to hang out on my right side for some reason.. :)
Overly motivated and surprisingly energized, I got down to business this past weekend on do-it-yourself wall art and of course... HAIR accessories! Who knew I'd turn into such a GIRL...now that I was about to have a little GIRL!! ;) It's funny how in just a few minutes of walking into Hobby Lobby on Saturday, my mind began to reel with all the PINK possibilities and overly frilly, girly things I could do to the nursery. All the things that I had once scoffed at.. Pink tiaras and feather boas, glitter and rhinestones.. all of a sudden were potential room decor?!?! What the heck?!?! Hahaha.. Not finding my inner "girly girl" until I was ummm.. about TWENTY THREE!!... the thought of all this pink was making me laugh. I quickly came back to reality and focused on what I had originally gone there for. Hair Bow/Band accessories! That was about as frilly as I would allow myself to get right at that moment... Until next time.. ;)
Just a little tease of the wall art that will go up behind her crib.
Shades of teal and dark pink are the colors we are going for in her room..
Lets see how it all comes together!
Time consuming but surprisingly relaxing.. :)
After I ran out of paint (I had only bought one small tube because I didn't know what color would work best), I turned my attention to hair accessories. It was mostly an experiment to see how easy hair bands would be to make...which actually turned out GREAT!
Who knows if she'll actually let me put these on her.. BUT... they're CUTE!
Super easy to make.. I just used ribbon with elastic ends and I made them in larger sizes as well so she could grow into them. :)
Pretty successful I must say.. for just an experiment! :)
