The Allred Front Door: baby

Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts

First Bites

Just a glimpse into the night that Landon had his first bites...

Baby Boy Allred will be here soon! I'm 34 weeks along! This pregnancy really has flown by for me. I thought feeling crummy in the beginning and now the summer heat would make it drag on, but it went by so fast! Although, even with this awful heat and being so far along, I can't complain too much... I'm pretty comfortable for the most part--sleeping really well, not even really swelling much. Last week I even travelled the 22 hour (one way) stretch to Washington for a family reunion quite comfortably. I can't believe that in a matter of weeks I'll have a little bundle to take care of forever!

Yesterday I had an ultrasound, and it was so fun that Brett was able to come with me. It makes it so much more special with him there holding my hand and seeing how excited he is to see our little baby. The baby is looking really good, and overall I am measuring about right on time. His size/weight is in the 30th percentile, so he shouldn't be too big of a baby (huge relief for me!), but it really isn't an exact prediction for how big he'll be when he is born, so we'll see!

He currently weighs 4 lbs. 7 oz.

He still is moving all over the place and hasn't moved down yet

He has one foot low, and one foot next to his head, which might explain the kicks in my ribs and the kicks I feel low

He is pretty cute, even in the blurry ultrasound pictures!

What a cute little face and profile!

The nursery is almost pulled together, I should be posting "after" pictures soon. We're pretty excited about how it all came together, especially since we did it on such a tight budget.

And we call him Baby Boy Allred, he is still yet to be named. I am trying to hold out for the names I love, but Brett isn't budging and giving in...so we shall see :)

Baby Boy Burp Cloths

For those of you that didn't know, I used to work at a ribbon store in college, called Ruffler's Roost, but it is also widely known as Ribbons and Lace, which is exactly what they sell!

I love making baby girls adorable hair bows and other accessories with ribbons, and sadly you just don't have as many options when it comes to boys and ribbons. But there are options!

I whipped up a few burp cloths and binkie clips for our little guy, and I have to admit they are equally adorable and "boyish"!

I love finding the little buttons to go on the clip of the binkie clips, especially the tractor one that says "Save a Horse, Ride a Tractor". Too cute! If you don't know how the binkie clips work, there is a clip on one end and a velcro loop on the other that you can secure a binkie through. Clip it to the baby's shirt, and if it gets spit out, it's never far or on the ground.

The burp cloths are just cloth diapers that have the strips of ribbon sewn on the bottom. It is a bit tricky to get the ribbon perfectly straight, even with pinning. I am getting better but I can't lie, it bugs me when I notice they aren't perfect. But I guess no one will look as closely at them as I will! And they are "handmade" so perfection is usually impossible!

And of course, I also have to share a girlie one I whipped up for a friend...

That's a binkie clip, burp cloth, and bow all tied together.

Now aren't those fun? That is one thing you can do with ribbon for a baby boy!

A Baby Bump and a Flower

Mother's Day has new meaning this year, seeing how I feel little kicks and squirms in my stomach daily, from our adorable baby boy on the way!

But I have to admit, I've always loved Mother's Day, even as a young girl. That's because my dad (and ahem...mom), made sure that every year on that special day, all the girls and women in our family had a corsage--including me! I can't remember how old I was when this tradition was started, but I was young, probably around 6 or 7 years old. My sisters and I, along with our mom and grandmothers have always worn a corsage to church, and I remember how special it made me feel.

Mother's Day
May 13, 2012 (my one year wedding anniversary!)
Wearing my Orchid Corsage

My parents taught me that motherhood and womanhood was part of my divine nature, even though I wasn't a mom yet. That I should be respectful of that calling I had been given. I knew early on what a special role it was and am so grateful I did at such a young age. Even those who are not yet "moms" or have not had the chance in this life to rear children, we are all still mothers--it is our divine role.

I remember in 4th grade, my class had to draw a picture of what each person wanted to be when they "grew up". After we finished, they were on display in the bulletin board in the hallway leading in to the library. I drew a picture of me as a mom! That was always my response of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was instantly teased by a lot of the boys in my class, and they called me "mom" ever since. Which I have to say, wasn't nearly as offensive to me as they probably intended.

Some might think that this is a ridiculous thing to aspire to, even at such a young age. I think it worried some of my teachers at the time. But I always knew it was my biggest goal. Now here I am, I just received my degree from ASU, and I'm so glad! Working as a Recreational Therapist has been so rewarding and I hope to continue to grow and progress in that field. I love working on new things, learning new hobbies, developing friendships and new relationships. But I'm sure as I look back on my life, I'll feel that being a mom was my most important (not glamorous) job, and for that I am so excited!

So here's to the beginning of my newest and most important chapters in life! I'm scared and worried, but I am also very excited!

I Feel Good!

Well, I am finally feeling GOOD again!

I can now fix dinner and grocery shop without feeling like I am about to lose my cookies.

And I don't feel like I am going to topple over and collapse of exhaustion at 7 pm every night.

I feel little baby movements in my tummy, which is way neat, and they are increasing every few days!

The bump on my belly is obvious to the world now, but I am still in the awkward "is she pregnant of chubby" phase to strangers.

And since I am feeling so good, I feel like taking pictures and blogging again, hence the blog posts resuming!

The bump (a few weeks ago)...

Visiting my aunt and uncle, Carson and Jen, in the hospital after she delivered her beautiful baby twin girls. They were big for twins, 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 7 lbs. 4 oz! Names are Tessa and Claire.

We went to movie in the park to see the Princess Bride (inconceivable, I know!).

And had a picnic dinner at the Easter Pageant with Jacob and Camille!

I hear the second trimester is supposed to be the best...I am soaking it all in!

I am about 17 weeks now, we find out what we're having in just a few more!

Oh Baby!

Well, I'm sure most have heard the news! Brett and I are expecting and due in September! We are so thrilled and can't believe this chapter of our lives has already begun!

Most have heard that we had twins on the way, which was quite the surprise (especially when Brett was not even at the appointment with me!). They looked identical, and one was slightly smaller than the other. Unfortunately, it is common to lose a twin during the first trimester...and that's what happened to us. Even though we are bummed, we are still so grateful and excited we have a healthy, growing baby still on the way! Thankfully, when this happens with identical twins in the first trimester, I don't "miscarry" like most women would with one baby, the baby just stops growing and slowly gets absorbed into the fluids. They still aren't sure why this happens and is so common, but it most likely is from the shared circulation of the two babies, and one will just begin to dominate the other. Just to give you an idea, here are the two ultrasound photos:

Here are the two babies at 7 weeks, looking on track

and...

Here is 9 weeks, you can hardly even see the second baby now, in the top, right corner.

What a difference 2 weeks makes!

Twins do run in the family though, each of my parents have a sibling that has a set of twins. And identical twins are not proven to be genetic. Once you conceive multiples, your chances of conceiving them again shoots way above average!

Now I'm at 11 weeks, and things are going great! I've been so lucky to not be nearly as sick as some women (like my mom!). I have fainted once (thankfully Brett was there to catch me), but not once thrown up. Nausea comes and goes, and sometimes at night, when I'm tired, I start to feel crummy. But I've already been having really great days, so I think the worst might even be behind me.

Things I've been eating a lot of lately:

soups

Ritz crackers

lots of bananas

jolly ranchers

cherry 7 up

QT icees

pistachios

apples

strawberries

and mexican food!

I feel like overall I've been able to keep pretty healthy eating habits, but sometimes that sugar/carbonation just helps my stomach feel settled. And when I have to be in Downtown Phoenix at 7:15 am every morning, I will do what I have to do to feel good!

So even though we aren't getting the "2-for-1" deal this time, who knows, we might sometime later! But for now, we are just so excited with one coming at a time!

Oh Happy New Year!

Going to Golden Gate on New Year's Eve with the Clark side of the family.

One of our favorite family traditions!

And a fabulous New Year's Eve party hosted by our dear friends Dave & Kelly Florenz (the newlyweds)!

Baby James makes another appearance!

And then Brett and I started off the New Year right (on his day off--January 2) by hiking the Mormon Trail at South Mountain, with a picnic lunch at the top!

We are already loving the new year and are so excited for everything it has to offer!

Update--We Are Still Alive!

Well, I obviously took a break from blogging for a while, we just had too many fun and exciting things going on!

Lots of Holiday get-togethers and celebrations with family and friends.

We got hot chocolate with the Whitings and drove around and saw Christmas lights. We saw several decked-out houses, and even saw a house that coordinates the lights to Christmas music on the radio--it's crazy!

Here it is without the flash,
so you have a better idea of how "decked" these halls were!

We attended the annual Brown Family caroling party on the 23rd. Complete with a delicious Mexican dinner and all piling onto the flat-bed truck to carol. It was a blast!