Baby Bear Kelley - 8 & 12 Week Sonogram :)

I have to say....

The first time that I heard your little heartbeat… going what seemed like a million miles a minute, my heart stopped. Well it actually didn’t stop….it took a flying LEAP straight up to my throat. My eyes INSTANTLY welled up with tears and I was, probably for the first time in a long time, at a loss for words. I felt Chads hand, as he sat there by my side in that dark room, squeeze mine, just a little bit tighter as we both just sat there and stared at that monitor above our heads. There you were.  Apparently we didn't even make a peep as the sonographer asked if we were excited.  Lol... Excited??!?!?! More like STUNNED and overwhelmed and overcome with emotion.  It all felt a little bit more real right in that one single moment.  :) We weren't just relying on our "magic stick" to know you were there.. we could actually SEE YOU!!   

Honestly, you didn’t look like a whole lot right then… A sweet little butter bean at most. Hard at work for the last 8 weeks though....you’d already developed from just a mass of cells into a tiny little being with webbed fingers and toes and only just a little semblance of that tadpole-like tail you started out with.  About half an inch long, you had gone from blueberry sized to the size of a raspberry AND growing... at about one millimeter each day.  ;) 

February 27, 2012

Already, you’ve been so good to your mama. No morning sickness… no REAL fatigue. No crazy hormone or mood shifts to scare your dad away ;)  I HAVE been taking a lot more naps though.. (thank you for that.. I really do enjoy those ;) and I’ve been sleeping like a log two seconds after my head hits the pillow. But other than that.. I’ve felt great.. I just hope it STAYS that way for the next 7 months ;) 

A few short weeks later.. we had our 12 week sonogram. I was so excited and a bit nervous to see you again. I’d heard so many horrible stories about miscarriages before this time… it definitely had me on edge. Since our last visit, I'd seen a nutritionist and had been put on Insulin to control my sugar levels that were still in the "normal range" for this diabetic...but on the higher end of normal for my pregnancy.  Wasn't as bad as I originally thought though.. the nutritionist actually made me give myself a REAL "practice" shot in her office.. just to be sure I'd be able to do it at home later.  Yikes!! Palms sweating.. and near panic (your dad covering his face and nearly passed out himself.. lol..) I thought of you and went for it.  Luckily, I. felt. NOTHING!!  It was amazing and relieving all at the same time.  :)  Whew!!! 

This time, when we saw you again, so much had changed!! You actually looked HUMAN!! We could see your little hands and legs... and when the sonographer zoomed in on your sweet little bear head, you looked like a REAL, HONEST TO GOODNESS BABY!!  :) 

March 26, 2012

Now the size of a PEACH (Insane!!) at about THREE inches long.. well 5.8cm she said.. you're developing your vocal cords this week and have already developed all of your new bodily stuctures as most of your systems are fully formed.  Your digestive system is starting to flex its muscle as it starts practicing contraction movements and the pituitary gland has started producing hormones and the bone marrow is making white blood cells. 

And because your dad was so great for remembering, we actually caught part of our visit on his Iphone (from a distance unfortunately).. the screen was high above our heads and he didn't want to waste any time trying to figure out how to "zoom in" at the last minute.  Oh...and if you turn up the volume real high at the very beginning, you can actually hear your little heartbeat!!! It comes out again at the end too by the way.. I asked the sonographer to play it again before she shut down.  :)  :) 

You totally made our day...  Can't wait to meet you!! 

Just a Tiny Speck of Life...

February 5, 2012 :) :) :) :)

It’s funny how much emotion can be conjured up from one little blue line on a stick.  It’s quite the “magic stick” though.. for in this "stick" lies our future.  A little window into what's going on inside my body at that very moment.  In less than one, single, solitary minute, our lives would change forever and our thoughts would instantly switch to you.  A speck.  Cells merging, converging.. creating life.  It’s hard to even begin to understand this miracle.  But in one instance… we knew you were there.  And in one instance, I knew you were meant to be mine.  I knew you were meant to be OURS.  

For the longest time I feared that I would never be able to have you.  Would my body cooperate?  Would we spend months trying?  Would you be ready for me, when I was ready for you?  So much time spent planning.. waiting for the right moment to bring you into this world.. Would God deem me worthy to even have you?? 

Your dad and I have loved you since before you were even created.  We've talked about you… thought about what you might become and even had a name picked out for you long before you were even a "speck" in my belly.  We can’t wait to hold you.  I have to admit though that even though I'm sooooooo incredibly excited to meet you... I’m nervous.  Will I be a good parent?  Will you come with a manual?!? ;)  I know there will be a lot of times where I'll second guess what I'm doing.. how I'm doing it and what I should do next.  But one thing will always be true.  I will love you all the days of my life.  WE will always love you.. Much more than I could ever begin to explain.  You were MEANT for us.  And we were meant for you. 

I can't wait to show you all the amazing things in this world.. All the beautiful places we will take you and all the adventures we will go on as one happy family.  BUT for now.. You and I have A LOT of work to do.  We BOTH have VERY important jobs to take care of..You keep growing, I'll keep protecting you in my growing belly and we'll see you in a few months!  :) 

Love,
Your Mom and Dad

And just to be sure you were REALLY, REALLY there.. we tested again, a week later.  ;) 

Oh and we also checked the EPT website OVER and OVER AND OVER again.. JUST to be SURE we were reading the stick right.. ;) 

Spring has SPRUNG :)

Spring has SPRUNG here in Dallas, Texas and I absolutely LOVE. IT.  Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming everywhere and once barren trees are starting to bud with gorgeousness.  After a VERY unusually mild winter (no complaints here by the way.. I HATE being cold..or HOT for that matter ;)  we are welcoming spring with WIDE open arms.  My fear is that this mild winter will only lead us into another blisteringly HOT summer.. YUCK!  Fingers crossed that this Spring lasts a LOOOOONGGGG time.  ;) 

Not sure what this tree is outside our window but it's GLORIOUS!!  :) 

The new, very eco-friendly water tower up in Addison.  :)

Sunset from our back patio.. :) 

Santiago Calatrava's Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge - Grand Opening Festivities

On a BEAUTIFUL Saturday morning a few weeks ago.. (I know, BAD, BAD BLOGGER for waiting so long to post!!) Chad and I took advantage of the gorgeous, over-cast but still glorious day to celebrate the grand opening of the new Calatrava Bridge near downtown Dallas.  Among hundreds.. dare I say... THOUSANDS??... of Dallas locals, we trekked our way over the bridge (which was lined with carnival type attractions, foodie trucks selling their goods and a band set up to entertain the crowd).  It was more than a bit chaotic at times.. when the hoards of people trying to pass through a two lane sized street decided to just STOP to hear the band.  Claustrophobia nearly setting in, we finally made it through unscathed. Whew!! (I was literally TWO SECONDS away from throwing some elbows just to get through..!!)   :) 

It was a great day none-the-less and we couldn't be more proud to have our very own Calatrava bridge gracing our city's skyline.  :) 

Part of the festivities included a "Parade of Giants".. honoring local Dallas legends.. :)

Bonnie Parker

(Bonnie of "Bonnie and Clyde")