Avynlee Marilyn Kay

Avynlee Marilyn Kay

September 14, 2011 - 12:37 pm

9 pounds, 7 ounces

21 inches

Home Stretch

Somehow, I'm almost done being pregnant. I'm so excited to meet our baby daughter...but also a little freaked out. It's weird and surreal to think that in a week or so I'll be a mom. Crazy! Despite the cute little pregnancy tracker saying I have 6 days to go, my due date has been moved to tomorrow (so crazy!). I'm sure the 6 days is more accurate, though, so I'm just going to stick to it.

Last week, my work had a baby shower for Whitney and me. She is due 7 weeks after I am. I look like I'm ready to burst...and I am. I'm also ready for all this swelling to go away...cute jowls, huh? Even my nose is bigger.
Last week, my champion of a husband came home with some lovely flowers. He's the best. I had recently had a school related break down (side note: my mood hasn't been too affected by the pregnancy hormones, but I have had a couple randome bouts of hypersensitivity or aggitation...I'm sure Adam has really enjoyed that). He's the nicest guy in the whole world. I've never seeen orange daisies with random white petals. So pretty. We aren't a flower couple. Adam gets me flowers from time to time, but it's a rare and very sweet occasion. He included a very sweet note. I'm really lucky to have him.

Last week, my doctor cleared me to go to the cabin over Labor Day weekend. I was a bit unsure because it's so close to my due date...he wasn't worried at all. So we fit one last cabin trip in before we became parents. It was great. The weather was beautiful. I actually felt cold for the first time in SO MANY MONTHS. My horrible pregnancy heat rash is nearly all healed now (tmi?). Adam got a lot of runs/hikes/walks in. I helped my mom saw some wood (by "helped"...I pretty much mean watched her do it all). It was so nice to go up and relax. Things have been a bit chaotic the last couple months so some chill time was much needed.

And now, I wait. Maybe there will be a cute baby in the next pictures I post.

Basement Camping and Weekend Fun

Two weeks ago, our central air stopped working. This is awesome since pregnant women tend to thrive in 90 degree temperatures. It sucked. While it was broken, AK set up a little bedroom in our unfinished basement. He blew up our air mattress, moved the tv and wii downstairs, and moved my piles and piles of pillows downstairs. We spent just about all our time in the basement since it was at least 15 degrees cooler than our bedroom (hottest room in the house). It was kind of an adjustment, especially my jaunts to the bathroom (getting up off the air mattress and then climbing the stairs to the bathroom on the main floor...plenty of effort). But we both slept so much better down there. Last week the nice man came and fixed our AC. I am so glad it's working. But I've been kind of loving the basement camping, so we've kept it up. It's a great way to keep me super chilly, which I love. Poor AK sleeps wrapped up in down comforters though. What a champ.

We had a glorious weekend together. It was so busy and so great. I love when I get a full weekend of Adam time. Bliss. On Friday, we went to Mona because Adam needed to inspect a claim there. We popped in on some family while there. Then we hit up the red barn in Santaquin for some amazing produce and ice cream. So great. That night, we went to the drive in movies. We love movies. We love drive ins. The movies weren't that good but it was so fun being together. We think it'll be a good way for us to go to movies once Baby Kay's here. We stayed up later than we have in ages. We didn't get home until almost 1:30. It was like the good old days!

On Saturday, we picked up our Bountiful Basket and got some good cleaning done. We took a nap (in the basement, of course) and did some shopping for Baby Kay. Then we went to my aunts house for a birthday barbeque and some swimming (Adam swam, I did not). I love hanging out with family!

Sunday morning, AK woke up early and made me an amazing breakfast, he even made homemade blueberry syrup. What a champ. He loves me. I'm living the dream (with the exception of the horrible heat rash and back pain).

Baby Showers, Triathlons, and Wedding Cakes

It's been a while. I'm a slacker. We've been busy. The first weekend in July, we were in Lava Hot Springs...I blogged about that already. The second weekend, my sweet mom and grandma threw me and my unborn a baby shower for the Freeman side of the family. I was especially swollen on this particular day and my face is crazy puffy, but I figured I'd swallow the pride and use them anyway...maybe my baby will want to know what she made me look like!

(The narrations on the scrapbook pages are from Baby Kay's point of view since they'll be going in her scrapbook...try to ignore that)

This is more for Baby Kay's sake and for her scrapbook. I want her to know what gifts she got from all the people who are excited to meet her.
The next weekend, my good friend Brittany threw us a co-ed baby shower. I dig the idea and think all baby showers should be co-ed. Baby Kay is Adam's too. He should be in on the parties and gifts and fun, right?

The next weekend was the 24th of July weekend. I had that Monday off and Adam took it off so we could have a long weekend at the cabin. I love going to the cabin. It's my favorite place in the world and I wish we had more time to go. Maybe next summer. I can't wait to put Baby Kay in our hiking backpack and tote her all around up there. We went on little jaunts with my grandma (we're at a similar walking pace these days), had s'mores, played games, and tons more. AK even helped the Erics with some logging. I didn't think it wise to participate in my normal cabiny fun so I stayed pretty close to the cabin. Luckily Adam is comfortable enough to do his own thing sometimes. He went on trail runs and hung out with those more able (I'm in no state for logging). As much as I love being more active, if I have to take it easy, the cabin is the most lovely place to be doing it! My sweet grandma was so overly protective. She's 85 and kept trying to do things for me and telling me to be careful. You're 85 sweet lady! Take care of yourself! She already really loves her great granddaughter and wants me to make sure she is safe.

This is the only picture of the whole trip because I am a big failure at taking pictures of our lives. My mom took it on one of our little strolls up the road. See why it's my favorite place ever?

The last weekend in July, Adam competed in the Spudman triathlon in Burley, ID. Our friend Kevin lives in Arizona and flew in to compete as well. The three of us carpooled up on Friday night and woke up good and early (but not early enough) for some race time fun. We got a little confused on the start time. We thought it started at 8. It did not. Adam and Kevin were in the same wave and were supposed to start at 7:05. That didn't happen. And having a champion waddler with them didn't really speed things up. Kevin ran ahead and ended up starting one wave late. He and Adam were in wave 2. Kevin made it in time for wave 3. Adam wouldn't abandon his big pregnant wife though (I tried to make him run ahead, but he loves me more than winning...a lady down there thought it was awfully touching...she almost cried) and didn't make it to the starting line until the 4th wave and ended up leaving with the 5th. Sorry champ. Adam ended up starting the race at 7:20 (even though the timing chip started without him at 7:05).

Adam's goal was to go under 2:30.00 which he did handily...but it's not recorded correctly due to the 15 minute late start. I feel bad that he doesn't have proof that he did it, but knowing he did was good enough I suppose. While I was waiting at the finish line for my boy, I was super surprised to see him come in before Kevin since Kevin left 10 minutes before. There was a big bike crash and a bunch of people were taken to the hospital. We were so worried Kevin was among them. Thank goodness he was ok! And he made it under the 2:30.00 time too (but again, because of the late start, it's not really documented). I'm so proud of my husband for his hard work. He actually did the swim in a faster time than our friend Kevin who was one of the best swimmers in the state in high school. What a champ.

I didn't get very many good pictures, and didn't get any of Kevin, because of the way the race was set up. The transitions weren't all in the same place and I wasn't about to scootch my pregnant butt all around town.

Yesterday was Kailie Paulsen's wedding. My friend, Holli Paulsen Pierce, is due 2 weeks before I am. I volunteered to make her bridesmaid dress. Luckily my mom pretty much took over and did almost the whole thing. I barely helped at all. Her dress turned out so cute and fit over her baby bump! I was commissioned to do the wedding cake. This I actually did by myself and did not pawn it off on my mom. She wanted white gerber daisies but that fell through but I think the yellow roses ended up looking great too. This was the most time consuming cake I've ever made. That lace patterned fondant was not esay. But I think it turned out great.

My nice mom and sister helped me transport the cake and stack it. This cake is my new favorite.

Two Months Left

My due date is two months from now. I'm going to be a mom in two months (give or take a couple of weeks). This seems crazy to me. Who thought it would be a good idea to give me a tiny little person to take care of? I'm excited and overwhelmed...and so not ready. She has a crib and a carseat...and Adam and I. I guess that's all she really needs. And we are slowly collecting other useful items to help us care for our daughter.

We were counting family members a while back and realized that our baby will be the 13th on Adam's side and the 9th on my side. We took this as a good omen. Those are our numbers (from our more athletic days). Does this matter at all? Of course not. But we still decided that it must mean something good.

I resemble a watermelon smuggler. I can barely believe I will actually be getting bigger over the next two months. I feel pretty near maxed out. The vastness of my belly is getting pretty uncomfortable. More when she feels like tumbling around and playing punchy kicky. She's super active...not that I have anything to compare her to...but she's pretty much always in my business.

My right ribs will never be the same. I injured them several years ago in a surfing mishap and my genetics are like the opposite of that magic wolverine healing power...it's more like, you'll never be the same again power. But between my expanding belly and abusive baby, the ribs on the right are super tender and uncomfortable. Leftys are pretty much fine.

I dabble in the art of giant cankle making. They come and go. My shoes fit differently every day. The bad days are kinds gross. My wedding ring still fits though!

When I'm sick (the past week), I sleep like it's my job. There's a whole new lack of energy I've never experienced before. I could literally sleep all day long and have certainly tried to. But I'm on the up and up and am not such a blob these days.

I have the greatest husband in the world. He tells me I look cute pregnant. He feels the baby move and says it's cool (even though I'm sure there's a part of him who feels it's a bit alienish). When I wake up in the night, he gets really concerned...and I get up in the night pretty much every night. He makes me chose everything (dinner, activites, etc.) because he wants to accomodate how I'm feeling. He goes to the fabric store with me all the time. And he never complains. Even if I can't make up my mind and we're there for hours. He rubs my feet/belly/neck. He tells me my newly acquired stretch marks aren't gross..."they aren't that bad...you can barely see them...they'll probably fade...I still think you're pretty." He is the best. Best husband. Best friend. Just plain old best guy ever. And he'll be the best dad. In just two months!

*I'll update with pictures from my recent shower with my family and pics of what I've made and such in the near future. That'll make up for my current lack of pictures, I hope*