It's a velociraptor...

     I suppose I could reveal to you what the ultrasound showed...its a velociraptor folks. That's right. I am birthing a tiny little dinosaur. No? Okay, okay. It's a GIRL! Yes, we were hoping for a boy, but I am still excited! Ryan is...nervous haha. He is probably most afraid that he won't know what to do with her. I have done my best to reassure him, it will all come when we welcome her into the world, i'm just not so sure my words are doing any good. He will be a great dad.

      Here I am. 23 weeks. Many things are going on these days, yet the time (and energy) may be lacking. We are trying to get everything in order. The house, our rooms, the baby's room, the yard and somewhere in between there eat and breathe. OH and the registry. I have worked on that thing for a total of four hours and guess what, its still not done. Those things take FOREVER! There are so many things that are incorporated with it, it's exhausting.
     On a better, much less stressful note, I can feel her move constantly. The way she moves, kicks and flips-I am pretty sure she is going to be a ninja. It is the most amazing feeling though. I think if there is anything  I will miss about being pregnant, it is feeling every move she makes and her little heartbeat. At first I wasn't sure if I was crazy but feeling the heartbeat was phenomenal. As I sit here blogging, she is just kicking away and I love it.
      I am going to close this blog a little early. It is late and this mamma needs to go to bed. I do want to leave you with this thought. As scary as things can be, I believe that I can do it. We can do it. I have my days where I am not so sure, but I sub-consciously know that we make a great team. There is so much in both of our lives that makes us scared. I just take everything day by day. I found a quote today that as simple as it is, means so much. It doesn't say where it came from but states "We are all a little broken & that's okay." Just take some time to let that sink in.

Excitement in the womb!

      Here we are folks. Week 20. Half way through the pregnancy. (Needless to say, I obviously suck at blogging hahaha) Only 3 days remain until we find out what we are having. YIKES! I have to say I am freaking out a bit. Its exciting and scary all at the same time. After this, it will all feel real. I can finally answer everyone's question and maybe nail down a name.

      For any other new mom's out there, don't get it twisted. Everyone has their own opinion on whether or not you should know the gender. (It is very true, many moms will try and tell you how to be pregnant) When someone asks me why I want to know the gender of my baby, I merely say "Ain't nobody got time for all that guessin'." Then, after I crack myself up, I usually explain that there's enough to worry about. I don't need to worry about whether I can buy this color or that lamp. Is this too girly or is that too boyish. I just simply don't have time.

     I have definitely started to feel the pressure to get things done. I feel like there is absolutely no time to get everything situated before the baby comes. Not to mention, money. Ugh. Money. Anyone have a bagillion dollars I can just...have? No? Alright. Money pressure not only comes from you but others as well. There are certain people that it's okay for them to say "Hey, you have [this much] time to get everything." Others- not so much. We worry about it enough, we don't need anyone else stating that I am running out of time and stressing me out.

     The next big stress-er people put on you is your diet. No, I don't drink 5 liters of pop a day, so please when you see me with a large McDonald's Coke, hush ya face. Haha. I have put myself on a sodium watch. I realized just how much sodium is in everything. Flavored water. Really? I did find that dried Apricots have no sodium and lots of other goodies in them. Besides that, they're delicious! Also, I discovered Breakfast Essentials mix. Soooooo good! I drink one every morning. It has about 90 mg of sodium, lots of goodies and folic acid!
     We also felt the baby kick this week! It was very exciting! Felt strange...but was exciting. Ryan was able to feel it a few days after I was. The little nugget didn't make a move when Ryan was around haha. It made us even more excited for "it" to arrive. I think that in this crazy world with all the stress, it gave us something that we could just stop for a minute and forget everything else.

     My pregnancy has been a learning experience and a test of my, and Ryan's, patience (or lack-there-of). There is plenty of learning left to do. I am hoping to gain everything I can out of this time in my life. We will see where the next few weeks takes me.

One of Many Firsts...

     Welcome...Welcome... As you may have guessed, I am classified as a soon-to-be, scared-out-of-my-wits, first-time-mom! My name is Katy and I would like to start by introducing you to my family. I believe to fully know and/or understand someone, you need to know where they come from.

     This is me (left), my Dad (Mike) and my sister (Anna). We are a very close-knit family. Extended and all. It can be overwhelming at times but always comes out great at the end. I am not sure what I would do with out my family. Including the times I would like to choke them...or is that just the hormones? I'm not so sure anymore. Haha. This picture is to give you an idea of my who I spend my time with. Please keep in mind, that this photo does not include everyone, myself included (SERIOUSLY, I think they forgot about me!)

     My family also includes some very close friends and their children, whom I've adopted as my nieces and nephews. The nieces Jimmie and Olivia and nephews Tristan and Brody. I also have GOT to mention my bff's in my bff club! Kenz and Jacob. (Before I continue, I should probably share...that I LOVE PICTURES! They capture the moments of my life that mean the most and I want to share them with everyone!)

(Brody and Olivia)

(Kenz and I)

     Anyways, this is undeniably my first child. As unplanned and unexpected as it may be, I am still excited to meet the little nugget. Ryan (boyfriend and little nuggets father-who would NOT approve of his picture being on here) and I are oh-so-scared out of our minds. We were not together for very long before-SURPRISE!! I was pregnant and we were on our way to being parents. I do know that as uncertainty I have, we will be the best parents we can be. We won't let each other be defeated :)

      I am currently 17 weeks along and in just a few short weeks, we will find out the gender! Maybe then picking out names will become more real. As or right now, we play the how-about-no-game. It makes finding a name exhausting. 

     I am going to close my first blog entry with this advice, do not be afraid to lean on someone. Whether it is a friend, cousin, aunt, uncle or the dog (which I do often...). You are going to need it, regardless of how strong you are. Until next time...here is a picture of my favorite pup (who gets much leaning, literally...)

(Jax)