26 weeks

Life is wonderful! I had another great check-up this week and my belly is still growing away. I am now 26 weeks! Molly's kicks and punches are getting stronger and stronger every day. I have not been able to tell a punch from a kick but am always trying to. We have started working on the nursery and are making progress at a very slow pace. The bed and changing table are up and ready but the chifferobe and rocking chair still have a ways to go. I have been trying to sew myself but am so messy at it that I get frustrated and put it down for weeks. I will get it finished and will post pictures when I do. In the mean time here are a few of the unfinished projects.

You really can't tell much from this picture except that I really need to get curtains!

Here is the rocking chair but the cushions have to be recovered so I just have the fabric laying on them.

I have mentioned before that we have been given many many clothes, blankets and bibs. It is wonderful and I don't think Molly will have to wear the same thing twice very many times if any at all. We are so thankful! Now I must find a place to put it all. Once I get them organized I will post some pictures.

We are also so happy that Spring is here and have really been enjoying the beautiful weather! Bj has just returned a bit early from a very rainy fly fishing trip in NC. My mom came and spent a few days with me while he BJ was gone. Here are few recent pictures of Caroline, Alen & Bodie one day when they stayed with us for a little while. Bodie loves Caroline and will let her basically do whatever she wants to him as you can see.

23 weeks & I just keep growing!

As you can tell I am growing away (I guess that means Molly is too)! I have been feeling her kicking more and more everyday. I love it! Everything is still going great! This pregnancy has really been a blessing and we are so excited about our growing family. We go back to the doctor on Monday so check back and hopefully we will have new ultrasound pictures.

So, I had to fire the place I normally get things momogrammed. Really it is not as much the mistake you see above but because they have moved and it is now really out of my way. I took a couple of onesies and burp clothes to get monogrammed and as you can see they got the burp clothes right and the onesies wrong. I was so disappointed because they were so cute. Oh well! I am planning on going to see the Lamm in a few weeks and will take her new onesies (plus a few other things) to monogram correctly!

Checkup

Our Check-up was great today! Molly seems to be very healthy and developing perfect. Her heartbeat was around 158. I am also doing great. I actually had the best cervical length today that I have had since the cerclage. We love getting to see her during the ultrasounds! She seems to be a little more cramped than she has in past weeks because today her legs were up around her head. I go back again in 2 weeks.

Sweet profile!

In this picture it looks like she is sleeping with her hands folded on the side of her face..so sweet!

And this picture is just to confirm that she is definitely a girl.

Molly Katherine

We have finally decided on a name! Bj and I really have not had a problem disagreeing on a name just actually picking one out (I have had more of the problem than him). I had wanted her to have a classic name but maybe one that was not popular. We both had really liked Margaret and we would call her Maggie but I have a little bit of an issue with her not going by her actual name. I am not sure why it was an issue for me but I do know that my entire life I have had to correct people on how my name is said and spelled...it gets old after a while. At one point we had talked about Molly and I am not sure why we ever strayed away but Sunday night we were talking and I remembered Molly. And so we thought about it for a few days and have decided that we will name her Molly Katherine Bowling. We love the name and I know that we will not meet her until the end of June but the name seems to already fit!

A little retail therapy...

So, I have had a little retail therapy for a little nervous energy! It has all been in good fun for Miss Maggie's nursery (no we have not made the final decision on a name yet but that is what we have been calling her). In the past few weeks I have been cleaning out the guest room (which will be Maggie's room) and have made good progress. There is very little left in there that is not going to stay which is great since that room seemed to be a catch all before. Once the room was clean I decided it was time to think about decorating! And so it all got a jump start when I found a cottontail fabric that I just love and has continued from there. I had wanted to do the cottontail fabric for the all the bedding but decided that it was too expensive. So one day this week I found a solid pink bumper, bed skirt, sheet and coverlet at a really good price so I bought it thinking I could use the cottontail fabric as a accent fabric in the room. Then yesterday at lunch I decided to stop in a fabric store around the corner from work to see what they had. Well, they had the cottontail fabric but in a different color way. I went ahead a bought a few yards thinking it would work especially for the price. Well, I got it home and compared it to the other and I am now regretting not waiting. The fabric I bought is a lot more cream and has brighter colors which may end up working okay.

Thanks to Lyndy and Christian I am already pretty well stocked on most things. Lyndy is giving us Emma's baby bed, changing table, bassinet, swing, highchair, car seat, pack-n-play, lots of clothes, bottles, blankets and monitors! Christian has given us at least 3 years worth of clothes! We are so thankful for everything.

Here are the some pictures...

So this is the fabric that I originally fell in love with.











This is the fabric that I have purchased.















The bedding
















Baby Book...I found this book and just fell in love it with it. You would think finding a baby book would be easy but it is not. I guess because so many people scrapbook that that is what most people use but I am too messy for scrapbooks!

20 weeks and kicking

Wow, how time flys! I can't believe that I am already at 20 1/2 weeks. Everything is going great and we are so very thankful. I have been able to feel the baby moving and kicking for a week now. Bj has also been able to enjoy feeling her move a little. It is such an amazing feeling and it was something that I had really been looking forward to. Along with us being able to feel her moving, my belly has really grown in the past week or so! We go back to the doctor in about a week and as usual I am ready. Although I have to admit that I am not near as anxious as I usually am...which is major progress for me. But please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we still have a long way to go.

In case anyone is wondering we have not made the final decision on a name yet but are really leaning toward Margaret (Maggie) Katherine Bowling (even if most of my family doesn't like it)!

Why is it so hard to pick a name?

29th Birthday and 18.5 weeks pregnant

Since we thought we were having a boy, I hadn't really thought of any girls names. Now I am ready for this little girl growing away in my belly to finally have a name. Here is what we like so far

Kate Elizabeth Bowling

Margaret ( Maggie) Elizabeth Bowling

Margaret (Maggie) Katherine Bowling (Maggie Kate ?)

My favorite so far and Bj seems to agree is Margaret Katherine! We are going to give it a few more days just to make sure. But like I said I am ready for this baby to have a name!