One year later

The Allens are back!

I just read my last post - April 6, 2010. You should read it too! :) The day Toby and I were heading to the hospital... the last day it was just "us." My oh my, where has the year gone? It seems like I was just sitting here in the same spot on this same couch, uncomfortably pregnant and wondering how in the world I was going to know how to be a mother. And it's already been a whole year!!!

It would be an understatement to say I've learned a lot this year... a HUGE understatement. I mean, I knew my life would change, but it seems like the me from one year ago isn't even me anymore. Weird. One year ago, I was quitting my job, wrapping up grad school, hanging out with friends, going out with my husband, and living a semi-carefree life. Today, I'm cleaning up puke and poop and making up songs about banana pancakes and toothbrushing. I'm dancing like a crazy person to shows like Imagination Movers and The Wiggles. I wash clothes and mop floors and cook and clean toilets. I've learned to be dependent on my dear husband who goes to work everyday to make sure we can live a comfortable life. I love him for that. Rather than stressing about making my boss happy with my work, I stress about diaper rashes, new teeth, fevers, the consistency of poop, and whether or not I'm going to be able to effectively teach my son his ABCs and how to count to 10 and the colors of the rainbow. But never in a million billion years, would I change one single thing.

People are right when they say you forget about the bad stuff. Well, they're semi-right. I don't think I'll ever forget the first 2 months of Cooper's life... a diagnosis that seemed to take forever (he's allergic to milk) and a small bout of post-partum depression - no doubt due to non-stop crying and sleep deprivation. But all the great things that we have celebrated over the year have FAR outweighed the first few months of craziness. When he smiled and laughed for the first time, when he learned to roll over and crawl... when he got his first tooth and said "mama" for the first time - like really said Mama... when he took his first steps toward Dada, learned how to ride his 4-wheeler, and made his first best friend... even getting his first bloody nose and a forehead covered in bruises. I hope I never ever forget these memories because they are the best. And they make me so proud.

It's been a great year with great change, and I know the Allen family has many more great things coming. But in the meantime, if you ever stop by, you might find Cooper and me dancing and singing songs like... Oooooh, banana pancakes. Banana Pancakes... we mash bananas and we make pancakes. Oh yummy pancakes, my favorite pancakes... too bad Cooper, you can't have syrup. :)

Newborn Cooper...

11-month old Cooper...

The Big Day!

Well, I suppose tomorrow will be the day our lives change forever. Toby and I will be heading up to the hospital at 10pm tonight to start the induction.

I'm pretty sure today has been the slowest moving day of my life. I've been searching for things to do to help the time pass, but nothing seems to be working. And I still keep glancing at the time... 11:53 AM... seriously?! I've known about this date for the past two weeks and have naturally been so excited; however, this morning, when I got up from another sleepless night, my nerves were overwhelming. Talk about nervous! I'm not sure what's better... to know the day you will become a parent, or for the day to come by surprise. I can definitely say we are more than prepared... the house has been cleaned three times over, grocery shopping - done, numerous trips to Babies R Us for last minute supplies - done, bills paid up for the month - done, and I must admit, there's not one dirty piece of clothing in the entire house... But all this preparation can hardly prepare me for what's to come.

For weeks I've been consumed by the thoughts of what he will look like. I think I'm most excited to see if he'll be blonde like Toby or brunette like me - and if he'll have Toby's killer dimples. I've also been assessing my reaction if it turns out he has Down's Syndrome. When we first found out of the increased possibility, it was waaaaaayyy back at 20 weeks. I've since been able to put it out of my mind, but now, the day before his birth, the thoughts are back. How will I react? What will the Dr. say when she delivers him? Hopefully, we won't have to worry about that at all, but I can't help but wonder how I will react when I see my son for the first time. ...The little guy with the feet that have adored my rib cage for months.

Nevertheless, Cooper is coming... soon, very soon. Tomorrow, Toby and I will be mom and dad. We'll have someone we're responsible for other than ourselves and someone we'll worry about for the rest of our lives. We'll have a helpless little creature who will depend on us for every little thing in his life. He'll laugh with us when he's happy, he'll cry for us when he's sad, and he'll learn that no matter what, we'll always be the people he can come to for anything. I can only hope that I'm as great a parent as my mom and dad were for me. I hope that when Cooper is all grown up that he'll be able to look back on his life and smile when he thinks of all the great experiences he shared with his family. Maybe I'm thinking a bit far into the future... I suppose for now, we should focus on how to feed him, bathe him, and change his diapers. Hopefully, I'll remember that when using Desitin... it only takes a dab. (Sorry, Lily.) But nevertheless, these are the things I'm thinking about today. I just want to be a great mom. For years and years I've thought about this day... the day I turn into a mother. A comforter. A nurturer. A protector. And I can't believe it's finally here. :)

Ready or not Cooper... here you come!

36 weeks...

I'm a little late posting this pic, but here is baby Cooper and me at 36 weeks...

32 weeks and 3 days...

So I may be a tad bit outdated posting this picture, but hey, at least I got it up here. I'm now two days shy of 34 weeks - wow! - 34 weeks. Only 6 weeks left?? Seriously?! It seems like I was JUST 6 weeks pregnant. Time sure does fly.

Toby and I are getting very excited and nervous about the big day. We've got all of our shopping done (err, I've got all of our shopping done) with the exception of a few little things... like a couple more bottles. But for the most part, we are ready and prepared! For those who don't know, I've been on medication to keep from contracting; however, some days it seems my body does what it wants to do despite the meds. Anyway, my Dr. said at 35 weeks I can stop taking it and let whatever is going to happen, happen. At my appointment today, she said I'm measuring a bit ahead of schedule - about a week and a half - so I can only pray that Cooper makes his grand entrance at least a week and a half early. ...sigh... The weeks sure do drag about this time, so I've heard.

Anyway, here are Cooper and me and 32 1/2 weeks...

Abby Homemaker

For Christmas, Toby got me my very first sewing machine. Being that I was in between semesters with not too much to do, I decided to take on a couple of projects. My first was a bedskirt for Cooper's crib. Since it seemed to turn out okay, I ventured into the world of stockings. Not just any stockings... but patchwork stockings. So now I just want to show off my work a little bit since I FINALLY had our names embroidered.

I'm not sure what I'll tackle next... perhaps curtains for the living room... perhaps. Only time will tell... to the attic go the stockings.

Great friends make for a Great Day!

Last Saturday, a few of the greatest friends in the world hosted a wonderful baby shower for me to celebrate Baby Cooper's upcoming arrival. Melissa, Jamie, Kimberly... you guys really are the greatest! These same wonderful gals threw Toby and I our wedding shower before we were married, but I must admit, this one was way more exciting for some reason. I think it's the anticipation of what's ahead - with the wedding, I kind of knew what I was in for. :) But with Cooper, there's so much that I don't know - what will he look like, how big will he be, will he be blonde like Toby or dark-headed like me, will he have those big "get you out of any trouble" dimples like his dad... We have a whole new life with new experiences waiting for us and I am so excited. I guess for all these reasons, this baby shower was a great day! A great day of celebration and preparation! But of course, it wouldn't have been the same without my amazing girlfriends! For those who don't know, we all went to high school together. I'm pretty sure Jamie was my first friend when I moved from Corpus to Tomball - we met in the youth group at Salem and she helped make my transition an easy one. Melissa and Kimberly I met at high school - they were close friends with Jamie. I have amazing memories with each of them - Kim and I seemed to always be getting into something that last year of high school and Melissa and I... oh Melissa and I... my first years in College Station wouldn't have been the same without you! :)

I am so very grateful and appreciative for these girls. I consider myself lucky to have such amazing people in my life who I know care a lot about my family and me.

Thanks girls!!! ...for everything you've done for me and all the help and advice I know you're going to give me when baby Cooper comes! :)

Here are a few pics from the shower...

Bring it on, 3rd trimester!!!

So... my pregnancy book I read here and there told me to enjoy my 6th month as much as I could because when the 7th month/3rd trimester came, that's when I'd start feeling uncomfortable. Well, like clockwork... the 3rd trimester came with a bang. My rib cage (the right side) will randomly ache and feel a bit tingly and the pinched sciatic nerve doesn't help much other than distract me from the discomfort in my ribs. I think I might need a wheelchair by the end of this pregnancy. But, all in all, I guess it's not so bad. I mean, I can't really move when I'm laying in bed, it hurts to bend over (heaven forbid I need to pick something up the ground - I'm getting good at using my toes), and if I ever need to take step with my left leg, as soon as my foot hits the ground, I get a wonderful jolt of pain that shoots from my butt down my left leg. But, really, who uses their left foot when they walk anyway...

As I may have mentioned before, Toby and I finished Cooper's room and what a great accomplishment that was. I was determined to finish his room before school started this semester, and we actually did! I hope you all think it's as amazing as we do!!

And to think... a small part of us actually enjoyed all this! :)

Anyway, I also realized that I've lapsed on the belly pics. So my first was at 6 months and this one is at 7 months... only 11 weeks and 4 days to go (but, seriously, I'm not counting).

I realize I'm not the whale that I think I am, but there's something about someone saying "your belly is so small for being 7 months" that kind of gets under my skin. Is that supposed to be a compliment? Should I feel honored that I'm not entirely busting at the seams? I mean, I do have 11 weeks for this big boy to grow. I guess it's because I'm so achy these days that when someone tells me my belly is "small," I feel I don't have the right to complain about my pains. If I feel this way "small," what in the world am I going to feel like when I start getting the "you look like you're about to pop!" Anyway, that's my venting for the day. To those who think I have a cute, small belly... thanks. But there is zero part of me that feels small!

I suppose that's all for now. I'm digging deep at the moment to find some motivation to start my homework for the semester. I keep telling myself, I must stay ahead of the game... do not feel procrastinate... get going, Abby, it's the last semester... gotta finish those projects before Cooper comes... two last classes... go team! And nothing works!! I have no motivation. I am a procrastinator. In fact, I'm convinced that's when I produce my best work - when it's due the next day. I work best under pressure. So if I can possibly stop searching for distractions like the laundry that needs to be folded, the movie that has captured my attention, the stack of papers that need to be filed... and so on... maybe I can start reading Chapter 1 in my books. Chapter 1. ugh... last semester.