Cali Kaye Perry is HERE!

This was taken just before we left for the hospital!

Getting Ready

She was a small thing compared to the other 2!

All Clean!

Maddox was putting on a show the whole night. I wonder if he is excited to be dethroned as the youngest?

Bryanna is playing with the toys that Cali brought for the kids. Cali knew exactly what Bryanna liked! An Ariel Polly Pocket!

Maddox got a movie, Orange Tic Tacs (his favorite), and Cars sippy cups.

Daddy and his kids.


In case you are wondering why this post isn't as beautiful as others, It is MARK. I'm sure Stacy will post a better one once we get home. We should be coming home sometime today. Mommy and Baby a doing great!

Cali's baby shower

Some wonderful friends threw me a baby shower! It was so beautiful and elegant! Just look at the spread of food!
And of course, no baby shower would be complete without some nothing bundt cakes!
Look at this diaper cake....isn't it the sweetest, most adorable thing ever??? How cute did that turn out?!?! Some great friends made that for me, and I just LOVE it!
My sister, Jen, helped bring some of the delicious spread, it was so yummy!

And the cute little girls getting to come to the baby shower!! Bryanna, Abby, Lexy and their friend Julie.
How cute is this little guy....on a chair playing with the balloons!!!
Camille, Monica, Bryanna, Alissa, Michelle
Mom got these adorable matching jammies...aren't they sooooo gorgeous? Bryanna wore them last night, I think these little jammies are her new favorite!
Christa, the quilting queen, made this precious butterfly quilt to go in Cali's room! It is SO sweet, she is seriously such a pro with quilts, and she is such a good friend! Love this lady!
And my sis got this cuper cute Petunia Picklebottom Diaper bag...its vinyl so I can keep it nice and stain-free!
one of my favorite things during the newborn stage are the dress jammies....no zippers or snaps or buttons to mess with in the middle of the night...how cute are those ruffles?
did they have to get THAT face on film?
My first little angel with the balloons...she is so excited to finally have baby Cali get here!
I get to be induced this week...HURRAY!! It's nice to know when she will get here...we have lots of things "to do" this week in prep for the new arrival...like get the dog to the groomer...put in the laundry room sink...put in a new banister upstairs, bryanna accidentally kicked out one of the spindles. Darn! Now Mark gets his wish of putting in an iron banister!

We are so excited to have a new spirit in the family!

Ain't Misbehaving!!

So, yesterday, I was able to play tennis at 36 weeks!! I paid for it last night, but it was worth it and fun. Just for the record, Jen and I won in three sets...5-7, 6-0, 6-3. (Yes, the pregnant lady bageled them in the second set!! :) I got there a hare late and our opponents wouldn't give us a five minute warm up, so I guess the first set could count as our warm-up! In the six years I've played league here, no one has ever been that much of a stinker...no warm-up??? Come on, they were just asking for a spanking!! I originally stopped playing tennis two weeks ago, but my team was in a bind and I had to play or we'd default a position. So what's a girl to do? I'm not misbehaving!!! I thought I'd get one last picture, pregnant in our team uniform!

This is my cute sister, Jamie and one of her BFF's, Alex, who recently joined the church. They are grubbing after a hard core swim team practice. Jamie is such a good friend and example to all she is around. Aren't they such cute girls?!?!?!?!
Photographer---Bryanna

And of course, Bryanna the photographer wanting to take more pictures...

My mom's dog had puppies a while ago, and they kept 1 of the 3. Meet Beauregard (but we call him Beau for short). He's the sweetest and most obedient little pup ever...and the kids just love to cuddle and squeeze and give him lots of kisses!

I couldn't forget to post pictures of the almost finished Baby room. I still have to get the dresser, but I know the exact one I want, its just a matter of getting it!! I will put it right under the picture here.

And to finish this wall, I found a mirror at Home Goods. It should be complete right around the time Cali arrives... just two-three weeks left!!!

life

I think the anticipation of a baby coming makes life slow down a little bit...we know the big due date...count down the weeks...prepare the nursery...gain weight (yahoo!)...etc. I have just about a month left and it will be a very long month, the end of every pregnancy goes by a little slower than the rest because tasks zap more energy out of me and I feel like I move around like a turtle. I love to stay busy, and I look forward to having projects to do, anything to keep my mind off of the obvious and the uncomfortable. So I have a few things that won't take much time, but still will help me keep my eye off the goal. It also doesn't help that my cold has moved down my throat...practically down in my lungs. Now from just being stuffy and sore, I'm coughing too. Cali is growing and doing well...I need to kick this cold before she arrives, and get my kids on the same healthy track so our home can be happy and feeling groovy for her big debut.

This cold + pregnancy has put me into the dead among the living mode. The days Bryanna doesn't go to preschool, I sometimes stay in my pj's til I know Mark is coming home from work. Although I could stay (and some days do) locked up in the house all day, I get a little stir crazy and would LOVE to go shopping...that for some reason always brings sunshine to a rather dull day.

And talk about shopping, last friday I was going through my make-up drawer and found a $25 gift card to Kohl's and a $50 gift card to The Cheesecake Factory!!! Now its really game on!! It's like finding a $20 bill in your back pocket of some jeans you haven't worn in a while...jack pot!!

Thank goodness for crafts to keep the kids happy. They really are getting so big and I just can't believe how much older they have been behaving. I have tried to stay consistent with discipline, which help them know the limits and boundaries, although Bryanna likes to test them occasionally. Maddox just gives right in and is easier to coax.

8 months

Here's to 8 months!! 33 weeks and just a few more to go!! Bryanna took my picture for me, and as you can see, she progressively got better!! She had lots of fun being the picture taker!!

I must say that I sleep much better (when I can finally settle in) at this stage in the pregnancy than I have with the other two. Maybe its because I'm trying to keep up with Bryanna and Maddox? Those kids have so much energy! I have been able to play tennis still, which I'm so grateful for. The first week of league was this past wednesday and I played with my sister. I have to write the score down just to remind myself in years to come, we won 6-1, 6-0. Yes, I'm a little proud of that, but only a pregnant lady would know that moving around chasing after a little yellow ball isn't the easiest of tasks!

tiddliwnks

I ordered this cute crib bedding, called Tiddliwinks Raspberry Garden, from target.com and I can't wait for it to come next week!! As soon as I get my little paws on it, I can get paint matches and start designing Cali's room! I feel like I finally have something to do around the house besides cooking, cleaning and doing laundry! Yay!


The last two months of my pregnancies, I start nesting BIG TIME! I have to have everything clean and perfect so by the time I get home from the hospital, I can focus on the kids and just trying to stay happy with the little sleep I know I'll be getting.

I was able to get this sweet travel system, so I'm really feeling prepared to welcome this baby! While Mark was waiting for me to get to target with the kids, he was browsing and found this travel system on sale for $160, when its normally $199! We got rid of our last infant car seat after Maddox, knowing that its only a 2 year life on most infant car seats.

This Season...

has been full of EVERYTHING!!! I am going full speed as the count down to Christmas is less than 13 days. WOW, where has the time gone? I'll tell you....if I could remember. I have been doing something every night for the past two weeks. It is time spent wisely, but it is busy, busy, busy. I have barely had time to think about blogging (which is a guilty pleasure of mine, I find I could always be doing something more productive than sitting on the computer blogging, but alas, I do it anways!)

I am grateful for this month to reflect daily on why I am so busy serving, doing, baking, cooking, decorating, addressing 100 envelopes...etc. Because I have been given much, I too must give. My heart overfloweth with love for my Savior. Mark and I slipped away last night to the Temple, and it was the best date we've been on in a while. We have much to do, but nothing better than temple work.

I have opened up to the New Testament and read the story of Christ's birth in Luke:2. It has helped me during the rush of this holiday season, finding the small and quiet moments when the spirit can speak to my heart and give me the stamina to keep up the pace. I don't think I've had a busier Christmas season in my life, ever. And I don't recommend it either. I am happy to be in the moment, but I am also looking forward to the New Year and welcoming our baby girl into the family.

The pregnancy is going well. The baby is growing and so am I! I am 6 months and my prego belly still doesn't look quite pregnant. But, I'm ok with not being so obviously pregnant, mostly because I'm not at that extremely uncomfortable stage yet. I am doing well with the weight gain so far...I'm really trying NOT to gain...but its inevitable. And if I haven't told everyone already, we are having a GIRL!!! We named her Cali, and set up her crib in her room already...and we all affectionately call it "Cali's room". Just by doing that has turned it all real for me. I am excited to start shopping for crib bedding and fabric...and once I get the color scheme going we will do some fun painting in her room. I have lots of baby girl clothing I kept from when Bryanna was a baby, but we have gotten rid of the infant car seat, so I am keeping an eye out for a good deal on a new one. It will be nice to have Christmas over and behind me so I can focus on preparing for Cali to come. I feel like my to-do list is a mile long, but I am happy to "do" it nonetheless!

Mark has helped with organization this week. He put in more shelving in ALL FIVE closets!! He is simply amazing and I am so grateful for this quality he has of being so handy and actually putting his talent to use around our house. He gets things done in no time! I am truly blessed to have him as my husband. He has dealt with a wild and crazy pregnant lady for the past 6 months...and that's putting it lightly. With the economic storm, he has felt more financial pressure than ever before, and it has been hard on both of us (and me with my prego hormones doesn't make for a good combo!). I know we can weather this storm, but some days it feels overwhelming. Even at the same time, I know there have been several BIG blessings that have come from this hard economic year, and I need to count those blessings everyday. I thank Mark for working hard and some days not feeling the compensation from it, and I thank him for getting up every morning ready to conquer a new day and putting on a can-do attitude to get us through. I love him so much.

It's a wonderful life and I am so blessed.

Long time....No blog!

yes, yes, yes...its been a while. Please forgive me. I've been in a funk, with lots to blog about, but no time, or just plain lack of motivation. We finished our loft...pictures to come. I have been loving having my house back to normal privacy, without workers coming and going, banging away, tracking dirt all over. Its heaven to wake up with an extra room in the house. I'm very proud of Mark for getting it done in a timely fashion...just about two weeks and that's all folks!!

On to other news....we are having a boy...or a girl. I've had two ultrasounds, one telling us its a boy, and the other a girl! I'm 18 weeks now and so hopefully next ultrasound will give us the final verdict and the baby will cooperate!!! I'm anxious as ever to get the nursery set up, now that we have an empty room upstairs just waiting for a newborn to fill it up. I've been sleeping like a rock lately, and I'm grateful for all the wonderful and fabulous sleep I'm getting. It really makes a huge difference in how my day goes.

And on to more good news, I've gotten the green light to play tennis and do whatever!! So I've played twice already and its been SO FUN to pick my racquet back up. Oh how I've missed hitting the tennis ball. It's such a tension reliever too. I'm a much happier mommy and wife when I can do my little hobbies. And speaking of hobbies, I even got ALL my scrapbooking stuff out again and went to a girls night out and scrapped the entire time. I forgot how much I really enjoyed scrapbooking was reminded why I even got into it.

Curse of the Curls

Most mornings, my sweet little Bryanna wakes up to her hair looking like a wild and crazy jungle girl. Its beautiful when its tame, untangled and her locks are in place. But the challenge of almost every morning is getting her hair brushed. This girl can get herself ready in the morning, except for the hair. We are working on that one. And I do feel for her. Unless we get it wet, its a bear to brush. Lately when we finally get it all brushed out she says to me, "Mom, Look how long my hair is!!" It is actually pretty long when it is straight, but then it curls up and becomes shoulder length again. This kids just wants long straight hair, and I'm afraid she's not getting it, ever. If only we were all happy and content with what we were given! I get stopped in the grocery store, at the park, practically anywhere by strangers who admire her blond locks. They think I've curled her hair for some special occasion and ask what the big day is for. Some times I just go with it so I don't have to explain why her hair is gorgeous for no reason! If she only knew the envy most people have for her hair, maybe she would appreciate it a little more. Too bad you always want what you don't have!

And for this silly boy, he's my little snuggler, cuddle bug and still gives me a kiss when I beg for one. He is content to just sit on my lap and do nothing, or let me tickle him to pieces and blow bubbles on his little belly (my favorite!) These two kiddos are the best at playing together while we are home just hanging out. That's what I've been doing for the past 6 weeks anyway with my new limited lifestyle.

There are advantages to a slower pace. My house is getting more organized, my laundry is always done and caught up, the dishes are always done, and the floor is kept, swept and clean. My fall decor is all out and looking fantastically spooky. And one more thing to add, my appetite has been cut in half, partly from the nausea and partly because I just can't exercise anymore. I'm not complaining, I'm actually happy about the loss of appetite, especially if I can't get my body moving and sweating, I don't want to pile on the pounds.

I've hit the 12 week mark, which is big for me. In the very beginning, it was getting through to the next week and hoping the baby was still going strong. Then it was getting to the 12th week in my mind that would seal the fate of the baby. Well, not much has changed, the risks are still around, but the best news is the baby is growing and getting bigger than the blood clot, so everyday I'm getting away from the reality of another miscarriage. I have been feeling optimistic and that's all a mother can do anyway. So here's to hitting 3 months!

week 11

Has it really only been 11 weeks into this pregnancy? It feels twice as long as it really is. Regardless how slow the time seems to be going, its wonderful to see the baby doing well and no new issues, the old ones are still lurking about. His arms and legs grew super long (comparatively speaking...I mean how long can they really be right about now? At least they don't look like stubs!) And he measured two days bigger than normal, so quite the growth spurt this past week. Because there is nothing new, I can wait two weeks to go back to the doctor!




On to other news, I am proud to say that my little Maddox is fully and completely potty trained, with accidents few and far between! This last week, he has made leaps and bounds. I've been potty training him the entire summer, and he has done a great job, but regressed every time we went on vacation (which was a bummer, but the beach was well worth it both times!) He made a trip to the pediatrician a few weeks ago because his eczema had gotten out of hand. I feel bad for the him because it stings and itches and it makes him especially crabby. The doctor said he'd most likely have it all through his childhood but would eventually grow out of it. So for now, we are putting cortisone cream on with some aquaphor twice a day (who knows for how long we have to do it!).


Another happening this week was our garage/my car got broken into Tuesday night. The thieves took my cell phone (of all things), my radar detector and our $400 pressure washer that was sitting in our garage. If anything makes my blood boil, its dishonest, nAsTy, crooked, disgusting (...you get the idea...) people who have no respect for others or themselves. So I have a new phone now, but lost all my contacts...all of my wonderful old and new friends & relatives, phone numbers that I need very much! So to replace them, PLEASE, please, PLEASE email me your phone numbers, so I can stay in contact with you. Whoever took my phone I hope feels at least a tinge of guilt (if not now, eventually...one day) and wants to apologize, because its such a pain in my neck!! It would make me feel better anyway.

If the culprit is reading this, I want my things back. And to everyone else reading this, email me your phone number!