Seiden Grace's Birth Story: October 19, 2013

On October 19, 2013, our lives changed forever.  Seiden Grace Kelley decided to come into this world at 10:50 am weighing 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.  I can't even tell you how in love with this precious angel we are and how much she has already captivated our hearts and blessed our lives.  October 19th will be a day we will always love and cherish for the rest of our lives!

Here is Seiden's Birth Story:

On Thursday, October 17th, we had our last doctor's appointment with Dr. Tabor.  It was a normal appointment where he was just going to check everything and talk about Tuesday, October 22nd.  Which was when the c-section was scheduled.  Before he did the sonogram, I had to do another check-up where I was hooked up to the heart rate monitor for 20 minutes.  Seiden passed all her tests again with flying colors...DUH!  And the nurse said that I had had a few contractions during that 20 minutes.  But, I had no idea I was having contractions...I couldn't feel them at all.  Which, they said was perfectly normal and fine.  As long as I couldn't feel them, labor was, more than likely, far off.  In between the nurse hooking me up to the heart rate monitor and Dr. Tabor doing the sonogram, I went to the restroom.  When I went to the restroom, I realized I was starting to lose my mucus plug.  Which, I also told them and they were not the least bit concerned.  So, after the appointment, off we went to have lunch and run some errands.  We spent the rest of the day piddling and relaxing and going about business as usual.

On Friday, I woke up and went to the gym, just like always.  I did only walk on the treadmill this time.  I asked Dr. Tabor if I could still work out like I always have after the appointment on Thursday.  He said just take it easy and walk if I was going to do anything at all.  So, that's exactly what I did.  I got on the treadmill and just walked at a pretty steady pace for 2.5 miles, then went home.  When I got home, everything was just how it always was.  I took a shower, made coffee, had breakfast, then Cody got up.  When he got up, we watched a few shows, then went downtown to eat at Chimy's and run a couple of errands. All morning, I had been having some aching below my tummy.  I figured it was extra pressure because I assumed Seiden had probably really dropped and was just really heavy and it was causing me to ache.  I knew I had lost my mucus plug, so I also thought that it could just be some early labor pains...maybe contractions.  I had no idea!  I did some searing on good ole Google and most blog posts on Baby Center and What to Expect said that most contractions started in your back and then wrapped around across your belly...like around your belly button.  Well...my achiness was underneath my belly and felt more like the beginning of starting my period.  So, I just brushed it off and told Cody that we just needed to get some Tylenol while we were out and about because it was just uncomfortable enough that I wanted something to take the majority of the pain away.  We continued to go on about our day, enjoying each other's company and just hanging out.  I decided to cook us dinner that night, so we ran to Kroger on the way home and picked up a few things that I needed to cook.  We rented two movies while we were there and watched them and Shark Tank that night. I had taken the Tylenol around 3ish that afternoon and about 10:30, I started feeling really bad.  It was like a stomach ache/period cramps that just wouldn't go away.  I knew I couldn't take anymore Tylenol...you have to wait 6 hours before the next does...so I just decided that the best way to shake the yucky feeling was to just go to bed.  I told Cody goodnight and headed upstairs to see if I could sleep off whatever it was I was feeling.  All night long, I was waking up with "cramps" that lasted for a few seconds and then went away.  Every time, I would wake up, lay there, wait for the "cramps" to go away, get up and go to the restroom, and then head back to bed.  It was more annoying than anything because I just wanted to sleep and being woken up by "cramps" was not making me happy!

I did this all night long until 6:00 am on Saturday, October 19th when I finally just decided to get up.  I had also noticed that I was bleeding a little bit every time I got up to go to the bathroom, and it scared me a little.  So, I told Cody I was going to call the hospital just to make sure that we didn't need to go in.  Before I called the hospital, I took a bath, shaved my legs and arms, and got semi-ready for the day.  I walked downstairs, started the coffee pot, got Piper out of her little sleep spot, then called the hospital.  I told them that I was bleeding a little and was "cramping", but that other than that, I really felt normal.  I asked if I should come in and be checked, and they asked if I was having contractions, I said no, I'm just uncomfortable.  So, they said just keep an eye on everything and either call back or come in if something changes.  I went back upstairs and told Cody what they had said and that I was going to run to Kroger to get some panty liners because I was leaking fluid everywhere (how did I not know I was in labor?!?!?) and I didn't want to ruin my undies!  I got back to the house (still in my pjs), made my cup of coffee, and sat down to watch a few shows On Demand.  This was all happening around 7ish and in between then and when Cody got up, I started feeling worse and worse and my "cramping" was starting to get closer together and hurt unbelievably bad.  I went back to my good friend Google and was reading more blog posts about labor pains and contractions.  I was still thinking that if we went into the hospital, they would send me home because I was having this "cramping" about 5-7, maybe 5-10 minutes apart.  So, I just proceeded to drink my coffee, snuggle with Piper, and watch On Demand all the while feeling more and more pain.  Cody woke up about 9:00 and came right over to me, kneeled down by my chair and asked if I was ok.  I said no, I'm just hurting so bad and it won't go away!  He asked what we should do and I said I'm not sure we can do anything, if we go to the hospital, they'll probably just send us home.  So, he gave me a hug, kissed me, and got up to make some oatmeal.  While he was making his oatmeal and eating, I proceeded to have "cramps" more and more close together and way more painful each time.  He was watching the clock and finally told me, babe, you're having contractions and they are really close together.  I finally just said, ok, let's just go to the hospital.  So, I cleaned up the coffee pot, grabbed a granola bar to eat in the car on the way to the hospital, and headed upstairs.  I changed clothes and put on some mascara and then went to the bedroom to make sure we had everything gathered up.  We were moving pretty quick at this point because I could hardly stand up straight when I had a contraction.  Thankfully, I had already packed my bag full of pjs and sweatsuits for the hospital earlier in the week.  All I had to do was put a few toiletries back in my toiletries bag and we were ready to go.  On the way to the hospital, I was having contractions closer and closer together.  I was trying to eat my granola bar and would literally take one bite, chew it, and another contraction would be starting.  And...I was in complete denial that I was in labor.  I kept telling Cody, I don't know how people do this without medicine, this is the worst pain I've ever been in and this is just the first part of labor!

We got to the hospital around 9:30.  Cody dropped me off at the front entrance while he want to go park and I walked as fast I could up to the first floor.  I walked through the doors and the two ladies sitting in the office asked if they could help me.  I told them I thought I was in labor and then told them the situation.  I was scheduled for a c-section on the 22nd and Seiden had a cyst and who my doctor was and what the plan was since she had this cyst.  I went into the restroom and had to give them a urine sample, then got back to the room they had taken me to to change clothes.  When I got out of the restroom, Cody was already sitting there waiting.  One of the girls took my temperature and then was trying to check my heart rate, but I was having contractions so close together, it was hard for her to get my heart rate in between them.  She touched my stomach one time and was like, oh my gosh, your stomach is hard as a rock.  You're definitely having contractions and are in full blown labor.  Then, the other lady came in to check me and see just exactly what was going on.  I was in so much pain and there was so much pressure, I could hardly lay flat on the bed.  When she checked me, he eyes got as big as saucers and she said, I don't feel a cervix.  I was so confused.  I asked her what that meant and she said it means you're fully dilated sweetie.  WHAT?!?!?!?!?  How in the world did I not know that I was in labor???  And...not that I was just in labor...but that I was ready to push!  I seriously had absolutely no idea.  And what's so crazy is that all those "cramps" that I had been feeling all night long were contractions.  Seiden Grace was going to be here...and she was coming any minute!!!

I can't even tell you how much of a blur the next hour was.  As soon as the nurse checked me and told me I was dilated, I was immediately wheeled into labor and delivery where a team was already getting ready to do an emergency c-section.  Cody was having to fill everyone in on our situation as well as call our family so that they could start making their way to Ft. Worth.  Thankfully, the doctor on call was one of Dr. Tabor's partners and knew pretty much all about what was going on.  I have never in my life seen so many people moving around so fast.  I had 15-20 people moving all around me, putting in IV's, asking me if I was allergic to anything, signing papers, taking my vitals, and doing all kinds of other things so that they could get me back to the OR as soon as possible.  Because I was already dilated to a 10, we had no time to do a spinal so that I could be awake and Cody could be in the room.  I had to be under full anesthesia because it was the fastest and safest way to get Seiden here.  They got ready to wheel me off into surgery and Cody and I kissed each other for the last time before we would be parents to our precious Seiden Grace.  All I remember thinking the whole time was that I was so ready to see her and I was so ready to not be having contractions anymore!  In the OR, it was insane...what I remember of it anyways.  There were still tons of people moving around doing a million different things.  I was being introduced to the anesthesiologist, the neonatologist, the pediatric surgeon, and my doctor came in right at the end before starting everything.  The last two things I remember were the two contractions I had before I was under, I wanted to push so bad.  It was all I could do to not bear down and just relieve the pain.  And, then the anesthesiologist told me that he was going to start the medicine and when I woke up I would be a mom!

When I woke up, I remember hearing Cody and the nurse talking.  She was so sweet, and was asking Cody if he realized how strong I was.  Which I was confused about at the time, but now I realize that being completely dilated to a 10 and not really even knowing what was going on was what she was talking about.  I was just in complete denial that I was in labor the whole time, until the nurse told me that I was fully dilated!  Our family wasn't there to be here when Seiden came like we had "planned" and all the doctors that were supposed to be there were all different than the doctors that were there when everything went down.  Even though this wasn't the "plan," one of the best parts about Seiden coming on October 19th is that it was also my Mimi's 90th birthday!  So...Seiden was born on her Great Mimi's birthday...how special is that?!?  I had always secretly thought if we could schedule her delivery on that day, it would just be so awesome.  And thankfully, Seiden just decided she was ready to grace the world with her beautiful presence and give her Great Mimi the best birthday present ever!  When I really was awake enough to talk, the first thing I said (after I said hi to Cody) was what does she look like?!?  Cody came right over to me and showed me pictures of our beautiful baby girl who was absolutely perfect in every way.  I just couldn't believe that she was here, she was perfect, she was healthy, and she is ours.

I couldn't thank God more for what He has blessed our lives with through her.  She has made our faith grow by leaps and bounds, both individually and as a couple.  Our entire family has grown stronger and we have seen God move mountains through our tiny 6 pound 11 ounce 20.5 inch long miracle.  We are just so unbelievably honored and in absolute awe that He chose us to be her parents.  She is a living, breathing testimony to God's living Word.  Thousands of people have been prayer warriors for us and for her ever since she was conceived and have continued to grow as we have gone through this journey with her having this cyst.  She just continues to amaze us each and everyday and we just see God all over her.  She is going to be such a strong force for His Kingdom.  Her testimony will touch the lives of many and I know that He has just got the biggest plans for her.  I can't wait to see how her relationship with our awesome God grows and develops and how she brings glory to Him through the things that she does for Him.  We just are so in love with this precious angel.  I can't even put into words how our love for her continues to grow each and everyday.  It is an absolute unconditional love that we could never explain or describe, and the only other person that can truly understand is our awesome God who is her creator.  Sweet Princess...you are going to do awesome things for our awesome God!  You are an absolute angel and we are just so in love with you.  You don't even know how much you have changed our lives and blessed us in more ways than we will ever know.  We love you so,so much precious Seiden Grace!

Happy Birthday Seiden Grace Kelley!!!

Winter is Right Around the Corner! Get ready for a WINTER MELON!!! (Week 37)

This has been such an amazing week!!!  Not only are we ONE WEEK away from having Seiden, but Cody and I have had the best week together before our little princess arrives.  We are just in complete and utter amazement, excitement, and awe that we are days away from meeting our precious little girl.  We are about to be PARENTS!!!

So, before our lives are completely wrapped up in our precious baby girl, we have done a lot of self indulging!  My very best friend, my sis, from college lives in Frisco and we made plans to see her, her hubby, and her precious son Gavin on Monday.  We were going to meet out at Southlake Town Center for some shopping and lunch around 10:00.  But...the weather was not cooperating with us that day.  Normally, going shopping would have nothing to do with the weather, but Southlake Town Square is an outdoor, high-end shopping center.  And shopping mixed with cold and rain is no fun!  So...we just decided to meet at 11:30 at the Cheesecake Factory that is in Southlake Town Center for lunch.  It was right about halfway...they actually had a little further to travel...which was so sweet of them to drive further than we had to.  Lunch was fabulous!  Not just because of the food...but because of the precious people that we were with.  I haven't seen Amie since my shower in August, and it's really been awhile before we've gotten to spend time together without a lot of hustle and bustle going on.  I usually come to see her during the summer and we go on our annual shopping trip.  But, since I was preggers, and with all the going back and forth to Ft. Worth for doctor's appointments, it just never happened this year...it was a very sad day!  Thankfully...I just have an excuse to come down after Seiden is born AND then come see her this summer with Seiden...oh the fun times we'll have shopping together with our babies!!!  And let me just say...Gavin is just about the most adorable, fun, funny, and smart little boy we've ever met!  He is just so much fun to be around.  And Amie and Ryan are seriously the best parents.  I'm so thankful we have such amazing family and friends who are wonderful parents as examples!  We had such a good lunch together, we could have sat there all day talking and laughing, but sweet Gavin has his afternoon nap at 1:45.  So, about 1:00, we started making our way out of the restaurant.  It was so hard saying bye to my precious sis and her precious family.  But...I know I'll be seeing her soon after Seiden is born!!!  I love you sis...I'm SO glad that we got to spend some time together!!!

On Tuesday, Cody had a few errands he needed to run.  So, I literally spent almost the whole day lounging around the house watching HGTV!  When Sandra and LaDell got home, Sandra and I sat downstairs and just chatted while the boys were off watching manly TV.  It was so nice to just lounge around and sit and chat with her.  Around 4:30, I headed upstairs to get ready for a really special night that Cody had planned.  We had talked about doing something really special before Seiden comes.  So, we asked Sandra and LaDell for some dinner recommendations.  They gave us several absolutely amazing, five-star restaurant options.  But, we settled on Del Frisco's in Ft. Worth.  I have eaten at some really amazing five-star restaurants.  But, I have never eaten a more amazing meal at a five-star restaurant than I did on Tuesday night at Del Frisco's.  Every single thing Cody and I put into our mouth was absolutely amazing.  And, not only was our food outstanding, but the service was impeccable.  We could seriously eat like that every night!!!  We spared no expense, after all, this was our celebratory dinner!  We wanted to celebrate the last few days together as just us two as well as celebrate the fact that we are about to welcome a perfect, healthy, precious baby girl into this world!  We started off with a couple of drinks...yes...I splurged and had a glass of Moscato!  Cody ordered the VIP, which is their specialty pineapple infused vodka that they only serve at the Ft. Worth Del's.  I had a sip...oh my goodness...it was delish!  Then, we ordered the onion rings for an appetizer, and I also ordered the Del's salad.  For the main course, Cody ordered the bone-in prime rib with their jalapeno, bacon macaroni and cheese as the side dish.  I had the Governor's filet with a baked potato and sauteed mushrooms.  We shared the mushrooms and each took bites of each other's food and everything was just absolutely amazing.  Neither one of us could finish all of our food.  Plus...we wanted dessert and to have this amazing meals again the next day...so we had them box up our leftovers and had our waiter bring the dessert menu out!  Everything sounded so good, and we knew we couldn't go wrong because anything we got would taste amazing.  But, we settled on the chocolate, chocolate cake.  Oh my...it was the most moist, delicious cake we have ever eaten!  Both of us stopped it several times because we were full, but then our forks kept making their way to the cake and into our mouths!  After we were truly finished...there were only a couple of bites left!  We had so much fun enjoying an amazing, over the top, quiet meal together where everything from the service, food, and valet parking was just absolutely impeccable and outstanding.  It was the absolute perfect choice for our last big hoorah meal to celebrate each other and our precious Seiden Grace!!!

Wednesday was an absolute perfect day for us to just relax and truly do absolutely nothing besides relax, lounge, and watch TV and movies.  It was cold outside and rainy, so we took advantage and just got caught up on some of the shows that we record at home by watching them On Demand here at the Harrison's.  We also watched The Heat and Hangover 3...both so funny and so good!  I literally didn't get out of my pj's all day long!  Well...except of course when I went to workout in the morning.  But ever since I've been home, we've both been in our loungy, comfy clothes!  Sandra and LaDell headed to Abilene that morning to take care of their precious grandbabies and will be there through Sunday for ACU Homecoming.  So, we are just soaking up getting to spend time together like we would if we were right at our own home!  We couldn't thank this sweet couple enough for opening up their home to us during this time.  Both of us just feel right at home, and when they have been here, they just cater to us.  They are seriously the sweetest people and we are so blessed to have them and their precious family in our lives.  All of their kids are some over our very best friends and they are the most precious and genuine people you could ever know.  We love each and everyone of them just like our own family, and we know that they feel the same about us.  We are just so richly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!  It has made these two weeks in Ft. Worth feel so welcoming, warm, relaxing, and just truly amazing.  Of course, we still miss our dogs terribly.  But, we know that they are being loved on and completely spoiled by Cody's sweet mom!  It has allowed us to truly relax and soak up this time together without a care in the world because we know everything back at home is being taken care of by our wonderful and amazing family.

On Thursday we had our last doctor's appointment with Dr. Tabor before he delivers our precious Seiden Grace on Tuesday.  How surreal is that?!?!  While we were there, I also had to do all my pre-op stuff.  The only thing I couldn't do yet was to have my blood drawn.  So, I just have to do that on Tuesday morning before the c-section.  Which will be no big deal because we have to be at the hospital 2 hours before the surgery so that we can check-in and make sure we're registered and of course...pay for the hospital part of the bill.  YUCK!  The c-section is scheduled for 10:00 am...so we'll be getting to the hospital between 7:30 and 8:00 to get everything taken care of.  I think what's going to be the hardest for me is the no eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before.  I seriously wake up hungry and ready for a delicious cup of coffee.  So, my plan is to set my alarm for about 11:45 and drink a protein shake and eat a granola bar or two.  Maybe that will help me not be so ravenous when I wake up.  And of course...I'll be guzzling tons of water before I'm cut off!  The rest of the pre-op stuff included signing some papers and getting instructions on this wash that I have to use the night before and the morning of.  It's a sterilizing wash that helps prevent infections...so I have to use that from head to toe for my showers instead of regular body wash.  I also have to sleep in clean sheets and clean pj's the night before too...just to make sure that everything is absolutely as clean and sterilized as it could possibly be!  So...back to the appointment and an update on our little miss. Well...everything was absolutely perfect!!!  I had to be on the monitor again for 20 minutes and she was just so active and her heart rate was just perfect and beating strong.  The sonogram showed that the cyst hasn't gotten any bigger in the last week...so that was awesome!  My fluid levels were perfect and everything else seriously checked out just right on track.  That was pretty much all the appointment consisted of!  It was kinda lengthy because of the pre-op stuff.  But other than that, it was short and sweet!  Oh...and this is gross...but I'm losing my mucus plug.  It's not coming out all at once, but slowly.  It freaked me out at first because there was a little bit of a faint pink tint when I first noticed it.  But, the doctor said it was normal and a good sign that I was losing it...yuck!  I had several contractions when I was hooked up to the monitor.  I still can't feel them, so I had no idea.  But, it looks like our little miss might actually be more ready to come early.  Which, is a good thing, since her original due date is November 2nd.  She's only going to be here 10 days early.  But, just knowing that my body is naturally getting ready for labor is comforting.  It makes me feel like maybe we aren't rushing her too much.  But...I'm so excited for October 22nd!!!  It is going to be the most amazing day for the rest of our lives!  I guess I can also officially give my total weight gain for this pregnancy.  I highly doubt I'll gain much more weight in the next few days!  I have gained 13 pounds and the nurse told me that my BMI is 22!!!  That is seriously so super healthy and I attribute it all to running, CrossFit, a healthy and clean diet, and God just absolutely blessing me with such an amazing and wonderful pregnancy.  And Seiden weighs between 6-7 pounds.  So...both of us couldn't be any more healthy!!!  Praise the Lord for that!!!

We just continue to soak up this time with each other.  It has truly been absolutely amazing to get to be together and indulge, relax, lounge, and play together before we are a family of three.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous the past couple of days.  So, we have been enjoying the gorgeousness of this beautiful October weather during the days and chilling at night by renting Red Box movies and just kicking back and not having a care in the world for the next few days.  We are so looking forward to that first moment when we see and hear Seiden for the first time.  I can't imagine how absolutely amazing and overwhelming it will be to see her beautiful face and hear her sweet cries.  I'm so looking forward to the moment when they lay her on my chest and Cody gets to hold her.  I feel so at peace with everything and I am not nervous at all...yet!  I'm sure I will be when Tuesday is here and we are getting ready for everything.  But right now, I am just so relaxed and feel so comforted.  I know that God has washed this sense of peace over me and He is just taking care of both Seiden and me and He has been for the past nine months.  He is just SO good.  I am truly overwhelmed with all the blessings that He has given us and the miracle that Seiden is to us.  Both of us just feel so honored, blessed, and in complete amazement that He has chosen us to be Seiden's parents.  Oh sweet Seiden...you are so, so loved and you are a precious child of God.  Made special by Him and knitted together in my womb specifically for your daddy and me to love, protect, guide, teach, and bring you to know your amazing, loving, Heavenly Father.  We are so overwhelmed with joy to meet you and are in absolute and complete awe of you already.  We just love you so much and can't wait for the moment that you are welcomed into this world!!!

Seiden Grace at 37 Weeks:

• You are the size of a precious Winter Melon!!!
• You weigh 6.9 pounds and are 19 inches long!!!
• You are absolutely considered a full-term baby now...although you are still developing and growing!
• You continue to add fat to you precious little body.  And we can't wait to kiss and love on every inch of you!
• Your brain and nervous system continue to be fine tuned that you will be able to deal with all the stimulation that awaits you when you enter into this world.
• You continue to move, bump, and wiggle around inside mommy's tummy!  I absolutely love it and I know I will miss getting to feel you inside of me.  But, feeling you inside of me won't compare at all to how it will be see you and to hold you and love on you the moment you are born.
• We are absolutely so excited and honestly can't believe that this time has come!
• You are so loved Seiden Grace...we are just in complete awe of you!!!

Only 3 More Weeks (Really Only DAYS!) To Go!!!

Cody took these sweet pictures of our girls before he headed down here on Sunday.  Precious loves!!!

Me and my sweet sis, Amie, after our fab lunch at the Cheesecake Factory!!!  Look at how beautiful she is...and...look at how precious and handsome sweet Gavin is!  Gosh...I love them!!!

Cody and I before heading out to Del Frisco's for our celebratory dinner!!!

Me and my handsome husband!  I love this man so much.  He is going to be the BEST daddy in the whole entire world!!!  I'm one lucky girl :-)

Another Little Melon...A WATERMELON!!! (Week 36)

Well...this is the week that we have been preparing for ever since Dr. Tabor told me he wanted me here 2 weeks before Seiden is born.  And here I am sitting at some of our very best friend's parent's house blogging from Keller, TX.  We are no longer waiting for this time to be here.  We are sitting in the reality that we are 2 weeks, 14 days away from having Seiden Grace.  I absolutely cannot believe that she will be here in a matter of days.  And I can't imagine how much our lives are about to change and how much love that will open up in our hearts for our precious little girl.  Needless to say...we are SO excited!!!

Mom is with me this first week.  Cody had some loose ends to tie up in Amarillo this week with getting paperwork done and things like that.  He wanted to be able to come down here and be here for good until we can come home without having to go back and forth to Amarillo every week.  And thankfully, he's gotten most everything done and will probably only have to go back once or twice, and only for a day or two at that.  When he does have to go back those few times, mom will come and stay with me so that Seiden and I both have someone else here with us 24/7.  We actually didn't wind up leaving Abilene until about 9:30 on Wednesday morning.  Friday was my last day of work, and we had talked about leaving on Monday (after my appointment with Dr. Tadvick) or Tuesday.  But, the weekend just flew by and I really wanted some time alone at home with the dogs before I left.  I was also able to really lay out everything I needed to bring for both Seiden and I at a very relaxed and leisurely pace and also make sure I had absolutely everything I would need.  Not that I wouldn't be somewhere where I could just run out and get anything and everything, but for Seiden, I just wanted to make sure that I had everything I need or think I might need.  Anywho...it was seriously the best two days that I've had at home with the dogs since the summer.  Both days, I only left for a total of 3 hours to go and run a few errands as well as go to my last appointment with Dr. Tadvick on Monday.  I got caught up on all my shows that have just started for the fall as well as watched the first disc of Season 1 of The Gilmore Girls, all while the babies were curled up around me or in my lap.  We sat on the couch and had coffee in the mornings, then went and sat on the back patio for both lunch and dinner both days.  I sat outside with them after dinner for a couple of hours and just enjoyed watching them play, loving on them, and relishing in this perfect fall weather.  I wasn't running around the house trying to get stuff done, cleaning, or tending to other things.  I just sat there with them all day long and loved on them.  In fact, I didn't even get out of my pj's except to go to my dr.'s appointment and to go run 1 errand on Tuesday.  It was pure bliss!  Especially knowing that the next time we are all home together, we will have our little princess home with us.  I can't wait to have her home and enjoy coffee in the mornings with her and the dogs as well as enjoy lunches and dinners out on the back patio in the glorious weather we have this time of year with us holding her and the dogs running around the backyard playing.  I also can't wait to hear her giggling at them while they play and give her sweet kisses.  I can't wait for them to meet her, they will absolutely love her!

When Wednesday morning rolled around and it was finally time for us to leave Abilene and come to Keller, I wasn't the least bit sad.  The weekend and those 2 and almost 1/2 a day with the dogs was absolutely perfect, relaxing, and just what I needed.  I feel like I was able to spend all that time with them and completely focus on them as well as relaxing before leaving them.  I miss them terribly already, it hurts my heart to know that I'm not there with them.  But, I know that they are being loved on and taken care of and they are as ready as they will ever be to have their little sister come home and for them to be a part of her life.  It's truly going to be so wonderful!  And...being here in Keller is absolutely so comforting and no place I'd rather be if I can't be at home.  Sandra and LaDell have completely opened up their home to Cody and me as well as our families until we can officially got home with our girl.  They are another set of parents to us, and my parents just absolutely love them and their sweet and precious family.  Mom and I are already having so much fun here together as well as having so much fun here with them.  They are just so precious and genuine and it is truly wonderful being here with them.  When we got here on Wednesday, we stopped at Corner Bakery in Hulen and had lunch and then did a little shopping in the adorable shopping center before we headed to their house.  Once we got here to their house, LaDell unloaded my car (bless his heart...it was LOADED DOWN!)  and Sandra brought us upstairs so we could get settled in our rooms.  She had cleaned out the closets in all rooms and the dresser in the room we're staying in so that we don't have to live out of our suitcases.  She also cleaned out the fridge and put their stuff in the garage fridge so that we could have room inside for all of our stuff.  I'm telling you...this woman is gold...so precious!  We all sat around for a little bit afterwards and just chatted, then headed to Anytime Fitness so that I could sign up for a temporary membership while we're here.  Then, they took us to dinner at this wonderful Italian place called Oliva.  Holy yum...it was amazing!  The owner used to be the sommelier for Martha Stewart as well as catered all of her personal and private events in New York.  So, you can only imagine how amazing the food was!  Then, we went and got froyo and called it a night!

Thursday, I had an appointment with Dr. Tabor.  I had to do a little test (they called it something but I can't remember now what it's called) where Seiden's heartbeat had to be measured for 20 minutes.  They were testing for her heart rate, neurological activity, movement, then the sonogram tested for her swallowing and the amniotic fluid.  Well, she passed each of those 5 things with a 10!!!  Which, we already knew she would because she is the picture of perfectly healthy, beautiful baby girl.  The cyst is still just "there" and affecting her in no way and we are still having a plain jane C-section.  Which is scheduled for 10:00 am on October 22nd!!!  This cyst is basically just something that has turned in to be a cosmetic issue and nothing more serious than that.  In fact, today, he seemed more concerned with me and how we were going to handle seeing her when she's born with this cyst coming off of her neck.  It's going to be big, especially in comparison to her, it's not going to be pretty, and it's going to look strange when we all know what babies look like without something coming off of their neck.  He was so sweet when he was telling me not to be shocked or scared when we see her, just to know that it won't be there for long.  He told us that the MRI will be sometime later on the day she is born or possibly the next day.  So, within a couple of days after she's here, we will have more of a plan on what is going to happen with the removal of the cyst.  Until then, we just continue to pray that the last few days of this pregnancy are as wonderful as all these other weeks have been and for God to continue to watch over us as we get ready to welcome this new life into the world.  We are just so blessed that he is our doctor (if we can't be at home) and we just continue to praise God for all He has done for Seiden.  She is truly a perfect little miracle and we are just so overwhelmed with joy and honor that God has chosen us to be her parents.  God is just SO good!

After the appointment, it was time to do a little pampering!  Mom and I went and got a complete spa pedicure and I got my eyebrows waxed!!!  It was absolutely fabulous...I love being pampered :-)  I'm also going to paint my nails at some point, but I probably won't do that until closer to when Seiden is going to be here so they are fresh and have no chips!  After we were pampered, we did a little bit more shopping, then went to Mi Cocina for dinner.  OMG...I forgot how good that place is!  It's been awhile since I've eaten there, and it was mom's first time to eat there, but it was just absolutely delish.  We both had to bring half of our food home though...but I'm looking forward to those leftovers!!!  The only other official plans we have are going to the adoption celebration for my cousin and her husband on Friday.  They adopted a precious little boy back in April, when he was born, and everything is official tomorrow.  The whole ordeal just happens to take place in downtown Ft. Worth, and since mom and I are here, we are able to go!  As far as our plans for the rest of the day on Friday and the weekend...we are just gonna relax, play, and eat really good food!!!  Even though I'm not at home in Abilene, and I miss my sweet lovies like crazy, I truly am having such a wonderful time and enjoying being able to relax, hang out, be pampered, shop, and just enjoy some quiet time before our little miss comes!  It's been fabulous so far and I know when Cody gets here over the weekend, we will have so much fun continuing to relax, play, and celebrate!!!  Seiden Grace...you are going to be here in a matter of days and we are just counting down the days and anticipating your arrival.  We can't put into words how excited we are for you to be here and how thankful we are for you.  We love you so, so much!!!

Seiden Grace at 36 Weeks:

• You are the size of a WATERMELON!!!
• You weigh 6.5 pounds and are 18.7 inches long!!!
• You are officially a full-term baby, but continue to grow up to half a pound a week.
• You are getting ready for your big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid so that your sweet lungs are ready to take your first breath.
• You are also blinking and turning your head from side to side.
• You don't have much room in mommy's tummy...but you are just the most active little wiggle worm!
• You are head down (and have been for a long time), but girl...you are LOW!  Mommy is still not waddling (and never will!), but you certainly make me have to run to the potty often!
• We just love you so, so much!  Everyone is so ready to meet you and love on you.  You are just so precious to us and we have just covered you in love and in prayer ever since we have known about you.  You are going to be overwhelmed with support and love for your entire life.  You are such a blessing to us and we just adore you!!!

Only 4 Weeks (Really 2) To Go!!!

Put the Lime in the COCONUT!!! (Week 35)

I seriously can't believe this week is here!  I am really having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that this is my last week of work and we are now 3 weeks away from having Seiden Grace!  Time has just FLOWN...but I'm glad that it has.  This school year has seriously been amazing so far.  All of my kids are absolutely amazing, I love all my classes, everyone I work with is awesome, and this year has gone incredibly seamless as far as getting everything done and ready to be gone.  I was so nervous leading up to the school year that I was going to be doing things at the very last minute and even then, things still might not get done.  But, that hasn't been the case at all.  All of my lesson planning that I needed to plan for to be gone was finished by the third week of school.  And, all the technology stuff that I had to do (which was a really, really big list) was finished-up last week.  I've had to put out a few little fires here and there this week, but nothing that was a big deal or took me very long.  And...this week is Homecoming for Blackwell!!!  So, it's been a really fun and exciting last week of school.  I'm excited to be here for the game and to get to cheer on these kiddos.  They've had an amazing football season so far and I can't wait to watch them play for Homecoming!  Then...it's off to Ft. Worth we go!!!

We also had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Tabor in Ft. Worth this week.  We seriously received the BEST news we could possibly receive.  Well...unless he had told us that cyst was gone...then that would have been the best news!!!  Unfortunately, the cyst is still there.  It was 9cm long and 4cm going out.  So, it's gotten 2cm longer since last time, but it hasn't grown out anymore.  The amazing news is, is that it continues to grow out and not affect her breathing or swallowing.  Therefore, my amniotic fluid levels are where they should be and she is as healthy as a little horse!  In fact...she has grown a ton!  We seriously couldn't believe how big she was and how much she weighed whenever the sonogram tech. told us.  She weighs 5lbs. and 14oz...almost 6lbs. and we still have 3 more weeks to go!!!  He told us he thinks she'll be about 7lbs. when she's born...and she'll be 10 days early...what wonderful news is that?!?!?  Her heart rate was 163.  I'm telling you...she is an active little girl!  I feel her Move ALL the time!  She bumps, rolls, and pushes non-stop...and I love it!  All her organs were also perfect and her brain was just the picture of a future genius :-)  And...she still has lots of hair!  Yay for hairbows!!!  She already has a full draw of them in her armoire...thank goodness I'll be able to put them all on her with her beautiful head of hair!  It was all just such great news to hear and see how perfect she is, how healthy she is, how much she has grown, and how God just continues to wraps His loving arms around her, protect her, and not allow this cyst to affect her one single bit.

So...speaking of the cyst and the amazing news we received...are you ready for this?!?!?  We get to have a normal c-section!!!  In fact, he even said that I could deliver vaginally if I wanted to...how great is that?!?!?  We finally got the results back from the MRI at this appointment.  Dr. Miller (the pediatric surgeon) and Dr. Tabor had gotten a chance to sit down and talk about what they had found on the MRI regarding the cyst...which was absolutely nothing.  The whole reason for this whole exit procedure c-section was because they were afraid that the cyst was going to be pushing in on her airway and cause her to have trouble breathing.  But, the MRI results showed that the cyst is so far away from her windpipe and esophagus and there is absolutely no way that the cyst will affect her at all during delivery or afterwards for that matter. It's just...there.  It's honestly more of a scare and concern for us than it is for her.  She doesn't even know it's there.  And, of course, we hate it for her because she is going to have this goofy looking cyst coming off of her neck.  I just wished I could take it away and put it on me...I just absolutely hate it for her.  And I hate the fact of what she will have to go through of having it removed, having fluid injected into it, or just waiting for it to go away on its own.  He did tell us that because it's gotten bigger, and there's actually some mucus-like stuff in it now, that there is a greater chance that they will do surgery and remove it.  But, that they may also just inject a fluid into it that causes it to harden and be reabsorbed into her body.  The only way we will know a "plan of action" is by an MRI.  Which, they will do at some point in time after she's born.  That way, they will know exactly what that cyst is and what it's filled with as well as if it's near anything that's vital and would be too dangerous to remove surgically.  Everything is just up in the air until she's here and we do the MRI.  Ok...so back to the delivery!  I opted to go ahead and stick with doing a c-section because the pediatric surgeon and neonatologist will be right there in the room at the time of the c-section, just in case she does need a breathing tube, which we know she won't.  If we had done a vaginal delivery, it would have been scheduled and I would have been induced.  But, we don't know when she will decide to come and both of those very important people could be off with other babies.  Also, Dr. Tabor said that there was a slim chance, more like slim to no chance, the cyst could rupture going through the birth canal.  I didn't even ask what could happen if that did happen, because I had already decided we were going to do a c-section.  And that's what Cody wants as well.  It's just safer for her and then, on top of all the other stuff the doctors will have to do after she's here, we didn't want her to go through any more trauma than necessary.  I am just beyond thrilled that I will be awake to see my precious baby girl and hear her sweet cries.  And I am also beyond thrilled that Cody will get to be in there with us too.  We get to see our precious girl the moment that she enters this world.  We will get to give her kisses, talk to her, and be near to her from the moment she arrives.  And, because it's a normal c-section, Cody will get to go with her to the nursery and be with her while the doctors get me all fixed up.  We just can't even put into words how exciting this is and how thankful we are that God has continued to show these doctors who is truly in charge!  So...we are going to have our precious Seiden Grace here with us on October 22nd at 10:00 am!!!

We just continue to praise God for all His blessings and for answered prayers.  I seriously just pray each and every day that this cyst will never affect her in any way, shape, or form.  And God just continues to show His face and perform His miraculous healing.  Of course, I also pray that the cyst will just go completely away and dissolve into her body before she is born.  But, I am confident in God's will and in His plan for her and I am just being patient and waiting on His timing.  I know that He is in charge and I just continue to put my trust and my faith in all things that He is doing.  He has already performed so many miracles in Seiden's life.  From the moment that she was conceived and every step of the way through this pregnancy, He has been performing miracles.  She is so perfectly healthy and this cyst is absolutely nothing to her and it's all because God has laid His hands over her, wrapped His loving arms around her, and continues to love and protect her each and every second of every day.   I know that God has got big plans for her life and that she will be something amazing.  He has already made her strong and a fighter and I just can't wait to see all the blessings that He has in store for her!  And I know He will be right there guiding Dr. Tabor and all the other doctors during the c-section and because of that, everything will go flawlessly and we will have a perfect and safe delivery for both of us.  I am just so thankful and so blessed that He has given us a daughter and that she is perfect and healthy in every way.  I can't believe that in just 3 short weeks we will be holding her.  Now that we are having a normal c-section, I just keep imagining how it will be seeing her for the very first time after carrying her and feeling her move for the past 9 months.  It's such an overwhelming flood of joyous emotions, I can't imagine how it will be when it's actually here.  Oh... Seiden Grace...how we love you!  We can't wait to be your parents and love you, hold you, kiss you, tickle you, play with you, protect you, guide you, and show you the love of the Lord.  You mean more to us than you will ever know and you have blessed our lives in so many ways.  We love you so, so much!!!

Seiden Grace at 35 Weeks:

• You are the size of a coconut!!!
• You weigh 5.14 pounds and are 18.5 inches long!
• You continue to wiggle all around in mommy's tummy...and it is such a welcomed and loved feeling!
• Mommy has only gained 12 pounds...so you are taking up ALL of mommy's tummy and weigh half of what mommy has gained!  You are a big, strong, healthy girl!!!
• You don't have much room anymore...but you sure do like to make your appearance known!
• You are completely developed and all of your systems (from circulatory to musculoskeletal) are completely formed and developed as well.  The only thing that will fully develop after you are born is your digestive system.
• Your hearing is also fully developed and you respond best to high pitched noises.  No wonder why you move around so much!  Mommy talks all the time!!!
• Mommy's uterus is 1,000 times bigger than it was before we were pregnant with you!
• Your Opa, Bella, and Uncle Michael just absolutely adore you!  They just love seeing you grow and love giving you love.
• Your brother and sisters (Sarge, Faith, and Trigger) are also becoming very aware that you are in mommy's tummy.  They sniff at my tummy, give it sugars, and wonder what those bumps, kicks, and wiggles are all the time!  They love you so and can't wait to have a little play buddy!
• Mommy and Daddy are also just so enamored with you.  We constantly love on you, talk to you, pray over you, and anticipate your arrival.
• You have done some amazing things and continue to show how God is working in your life.
• We are just so in love with you.  You have already brought so much joy into our lives.  We continue to thank God for you each and every day and are so thankful that He picked us to be your parents.  We love you precious girl!!!

Only 5 (really 3) Weeks To Go!!!

Louisville, KY Pics!!!

Here are the pics of the trip!!!  I actually have a lot more printed out of Graceland.  My camera stopped working about halfway through and I took the rest on my phone.  The ones that are missing are the ones of all his costumes, his TV/media room, all his cars, and his airplanes.  It's sad cause there all good pics...but I had already deleted them off my phone before I got this entry ready to post!  But...enjoy all of these other amazing pics!!!