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So I may be a tad bit outdated posting this picture, but hey, at least I got it up here.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.

May I officially introduce... Cooper Cole Allen

Toby and I recently (Dec 22) had to go back to the hospital for a follow-up ultrasound regarding the "markers" the doctor saw at our last appointment 4 weeks ago. If you need a refresher, we met with a genetic counselor who explained to us that the baby had some choroid plexus cysts, an echogenic cardiac foci (or something like that), and his kidneys were a little "brighter" than what would be considered normal. So, knowing what to expect at this next appointment, we went in hoping that the markers would be gone, but with full acceptance if they weren't. Needless to say, we had good news and bad news... the good news is that his kidneys seemed to functioning properly and there were no additional markers / findings. The bad news - everything looked exactly the same. The doctor verified to us that even if the cysts and the foci were gone, the odds of a chromosomal abnormality such as Down's Syndrome would not be reduced. We're still confident (as confident as possible) that he's going to be completely fine, but I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind everyday... how will I react if he does have Down's Syndrome...
Anyway, onto more exciting news... Toby and I have officially given him a name. Drumroll please... dddddrrrrruuummmmm rrrrrooooollllll....

Here is COOPER COLE ALLEN at 24 weeks - about 1 1/2 pounds:

In case you were wondering, that's his hand by his mouth... not sure what's going on there. We decided on Cooper because from the list that we had, that was both of our favorites. And Cole is Toby's middle name, so we're just passing on the goodness.

And me... and my belly... at 24 weeks:

Feeling him move around and kick and punch, or whatever he's doing in there, has been absolutely amazing. He's pretty active just before I'm getting ready to go to sleep, so I find myself regularly yelling at Toby to come and feel my belly. Just recently, we've discovered that we can actually SEE him moving around as my belly moves also. Now that is quite intriguing, to say the least. Nonetheless, we are enjoying these moments as the time seems to be flying - only 3 1/2 more months. I find that I am smiling more at what some people might think is nothing, but I know it's because I feel his little hands and feet moving about. Toby has also become quite the communicator - he likes to talk to Cooper through my belly button. hehe... And I adore him for that. He often starts his talks with, "Cooper! Cooper, this is your dad."

So that's my news for now. Thanks for all your prayers and support throughout our journey! It's been a bit of a roller coaster, but I wouldn't change any of it, as it's made us appreciate the blessing we have coming more and more each day.

So long December... So long 2009...

Well, it was my original intention to post a blog on a weekly basis - or at least every two weeks - but clearly, that isn't happening. So now I find myself trying to play catch up. December... what happened during the month of December... Well, Toby and I had both of our Christmas parties. At my Christmas party, I must confess that we (though Toby would say him) won over $200K at the craps table. Yeah, so, it was fake chips; but, as our luck would strike, we had over 200 raffle tickets that we put in a raffle prize bag and actually did NOT win anything. We never win. EVER! So long $100 Starbucks gift card. So long spa package... maybe next year. **Toby would like me to add that he did not want those raffle prizes. There Toby... it's been declared. He wanted the iPod; however, since we have 3 iPods currently (2 of which are out of service), he did not win that battle.

Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to reminisce from Toby's first Technip Christmas party. This is us in 2007:

And here we are this year - 2009: (Not sure what the Hollywood theme has to do with Christmas)

Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Notice my growing belly... And to think, in 2007, Toby had no idea what he was in for. :)

Other than Christmas parties and the end of my 2nd to last semester in my MBA program (yay for 3 A's this semester!), we've done nothing more than work on baby Allen's room. Toby had this grandious idea to paint stripes on the wall - and not just any stripes, these are meticulous stripes. He's been doing a wonderful job and I'm so proud of him for taking on this task. I'll definitely be posting more pictures of his room soon, but for now, this is all you get...

Here's the proud dad...

I guess the "theme" would be monkeys. I was determined to not have a bedroom that looked like a zoo threw up in it, so we've managed to just scatter some monkeys here and there. I absolutely LOVE the bedroom... it really is perfect. I was so motivated last weekend that I actually managed to redo the bathroom as well. So now, baby Allen has a monkey bathroom. Gotta love it!

OH! And for you northerners (you know who you are) reading this... I would just like to say... it snowed in Houston this year. I think it came down for a couple of hours and was entirely melted within another two hours, but nevertheless, it felt just like Christmas - a little early. Here it is - our big snowfall - isn't it gorgeous???

And that's about it for our December. We had a wonderful Christmas break; we managed to spend a little bit of time with my parents, Toby's mom and step-dad, and Toby's dad. For Christmas, Toby got me a fancy sewing machine. I'm VERY excited to use it; if only I could figure it out. :) Someday... someday...

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!!! Happy New Year!