40 Weeks....

Today Ryal, Hailey and I had a great doctors appointment. They said everything looked great and we just had to see how the next few days go. They hooked me up to a fetal monitor to check her heart rate - which is healthy and strong - and to see if I was having contractions. I WAS and didn't even know it!

They said it could be any day now but if for some reason she has not come we will be induced on Friday morning. Meaning we would have our baby girl no later than this weekend! What wonderful news!

Ryal is still working, having a hard time keeping his mind off the arrival of Hailey and I am working from home just in case something happens. Emma Grace and Charlie are keeping me company. I am sure they have no idea what they are in store for.

The house has been ready for weeks. We are going to keep Hailey downstairs in our room for the first couple of weeks/months. Once she is on a schedule or mom and dad are ready, we will move her to her nursery upstairs.

I can not believe it has been 40 weeks and in a few short (or what might seem like LONG) days we will finally be able to meet our baby girl. We can not wait.

We promise to keep everyone posted.

Any Day Now!

I can not believe it has been so long since I have last blogged. So much has happened and I am so sorry I have not shared it with everyone.

Life is wonderful and Ryal and I are expecting our little girl any day now. We had our 39 week appointment on Monday and we are almost 2cm dilated and 90% effaced. Meaning we are ready!!! The doctor did say she could come this week or anytime until Aug 24- that is when we would be induced.

I am not sure who is more excited and ready - me, Ryal or the grandparents. Either way we have so many friends and family awaiting the birth of our little girl - we can't wait to meet her.

I am still at work - working until we go into labor. Our bags are packed and every time I call Ryal I can tell he is disappointed that I am not informing him that my water broke or I am having contractions.

I have included some photos of the belly progress over the past few weeks. They said she should be around 7lbs 3oz. All I know is she is going to be perfect! We can not wait to be parents!

36 Weeks

37 Weeks

38 Weeks

39 Weeks - photo is coming!!!

Co-ed Shower This Weekend

This weekend we have a co-ed shower hosted by our dear friends here in Raleigh. Check out the beautiful invitations they sent.

More photos to come soon!

Time is Flying!

Sorry it has been so long since our last post. Things have been so crazy with the start of summer and preparing for our little angel.

I am officially 31 weeks today and am happy to report the Curtis family is doing great! We had our 3D ultrasound on Monday and Hailey is weighing in at 3lbs! During the ultrasound we got to see a little personality from her - she is absolutely adorable. Ryal and I are already in love!

This past weekend Grandma and Grandpa Bucalo were in town helping us around the house. Ryal and my dad power washed the house, while me and my mom worked on the nursery (photos below).

This weekend are wonderful friends in Raleigh are having a co-ed baby shower! Both sets of grandparents will be in town for the event. Needless to say we are busy.

Below are a few photos! I hope you enjoy.

Me 3o Weeks and Growing!

Hailey at 30 weeks!

Hailey's Nursery

Grandma Bucalo made the curtains and lamp!

Bedding hand made with love by Grandma Bucalo!

All that's missing is our little girl!

Custom made doll house made by her uncle Jay.

Hand painted by aunt Tina!

23 Weeks and Feeling Great!

Ryal and I are 23 weeks! We are so excited and can't wait to meet Hailey in August. She has been super active in my belly - a dancer for sure. We are just waiting for her to be strong enough for Ryal to feel her. It will be soon though. Things are coming along great with the nursery. Grandma Bucalo is hard at work and what I have seen so far is PERFECT!!!!

St. Patty's Day 2010

Ryal and I went with our dear friends and neighbors, Brad and Emily Walling, to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day. We had such a wonderful weekend full of green beer (for the guys of course), haunted pub crawls, pedicures and of course lots of food!

Check out the video slideshow from our trip.

17 Weeks Growing

My belly is growing and so is our little girl. She is about the size of my hand now!!!

We're Having A GIRL!

Ryal and I could not be more excited to find out that we are expecting a baby girl on Monday!

Grandma Bucalo has already been shopping for the baby's wardrobe - fur coat and all! Everything is so precious.

Below are the photos from our ultrasound. I hope you think she is a beautiful as we do!

15 Weeks

I am a few days shy of 16 weeks and so far things are going great. We had our 16 week appointment on Monday and the heartbeat was strong at 150 beats per minute – slower than last visit but normal as the baby continues to grow.

My bump is getting bigger and bigger each day. I have lost all hope of fitting into my normal clothes and am fully committed to my new maternity jeans and tops.

In less than 10 days we have our big appointment to find out the sex of Baby Curtis. Ryal is 50/50, but I think it is a girl. We shall see. Either way we are extremely excited about moving forward with names, wall colors, and more baby stuff.

Last weekend my wonderful parents came for a visit! We had such a great time working on the nursery. Ryal and Dad installed a ceiling fan in the baby's room, while mom and I added shelving to the closet. The biggest surprise came when they snuck in a beautiful new rocker and footstool to the nursery. Baby Curtis is already so spoiled. Thanks again mom and dad! We love you!

This weekend Ryal is playing in a softball tournament and I am getting some things done around the house – including watching my favorite 1 year old Owen. We have a busy day planned on Sat including going to Costco, hitting up the inside playground at the mall and hopefully a big nap!

I am also getting my hair cut on Sat – finally! It has been a long time coming.

All in all things are fantastic and Ryal and I are more excited than ever!

Sorry no pics this week. Hope to have some next week.

14 Weeks and counting!

Today we celebrate because I am officially out of my first trimester! Hooray!

I am feeling great and so excited about getting started on the nursery. This weekend my parents are coming up from Columbia to help install a ceiling fan and some additional shelving in the baby's closet. I have included a photo of the belly as well as some details of how the baby is developing this week.

19 more days till we find out the sex!

Baby Curtis can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his/her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his/her facial muscles are getting a workout as its tiny features form one expression after another. The kidneys are producing urine, which releases into the amniotic fluid around him/her — a process he/she will keep up until birth.

In other news: Baby Curtis is stretching out. From head to bottom, he/she measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he/she weighs 1 1/2 ounces. Baby Curtis' body is growing faster than his/her head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his/her arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his/her body. Baby Curtis is starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his/her body. His/her liver is starting to making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his/her spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though I can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, my little one's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Cravings...

Today I think I had my first encounter with a true pregnancy craving. After hitting the gym at lunch I could not go back to work until I had McDonald's fries. I HAD to have them. I waited in the drive-thru line for at least 30 minutes but it was totally worth the it....so satisfying.

I must add I had fruit and yogurt with my lunch as well - so don't worry mom!

24 more days till we find if Baby Curtis is a HE or SHE....can't wait!!!

13 Week Update - Last week of the first trimester!

Baby Curtis is 2.9 inches long and weighs up to .8 ounces - about the size of a media shrimp. He/she is significantly larger, but is still pretty tiny!

By the end of pregnancy week 13, Baby Curtis looks like a tiny yet fully formed baby. While his/her head is still quite large, his/her body is starting to catch up. The eyes are starting to move closer together - up until this point in time, they rested closely along the sides of the head.

Baby Curtis' fingertips, veins and organs are clearly visible through his/her still-thin skin, and his/her body is starting to catch up with its head — which makes up just a third of the body size now. If we are having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.

Nursery Furniture!!!!

We are 13 weeks and counting and everyday we get more excited about Baby Curtis! My belly is rapidly growing and I have resorted to some maternity clothes (especially the jeans!).

As you can imagine without yet knowing the sex it is SO hard to buy for the little one! This weekend we made our first big purchase - the baby's nursery furniture. Thanks to Baby Curtis' wonderful grandparents, we were able to get a beautiful crib and dresser from Munire Furniture. I have attached a photo below of what we selected but the crib will grow with the baby into a toddler bed and eventually a double size bed - it is amazing what they have come up with these days!

In six to eight weeks we expect our order to be in and Ryal will be tasked with putting the crib together while I "supervise". We are so excited - our smiles grow bigger everyday.

I also had a surprise visitor at work yesterday. My dear friend Allison Davis (owner of Sandfoot Photography) stopped by with milkshakes, mom's favorite, and a gift for Baby Curtis. Since Allison is one of the state's top photographers, she is preparing our little one to follow in her footsteps with the his/her very own toy camera and photo-book (baby safe of course). Not to mention a toy cell phone - it is never to early to learn to text! We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends. THANK YOU so much Allison!

Our 16 week appointment is Feb. 22 and we find out the sex March 8! Counting down the days!

Our Little Wild One - 12 Weeks

Ryal, Grandma Bucalo and I went in for a 12 ultrasound to see how the baby was growing and developing. I was absolutely amazing with what we saw.

The ultrasound lasted about 45 minutes because Baby Curtis would not get in a proper pose for his/her photograph to be taken. I had to roll on my side, lean my chair back, wiggle my hips...it was quite a work out for mommy!

Baby Curtis would sleep for about 5 minutes and then wake up and move around, kicking its' legs, flipping in circles - sucking it's finger! At one point the little one got the hiccups - it was adorable!

The heart beat was 164 today! Healthy and strong. And measures about 2 inches! From the measurements we are still on track for a due date of Aug. 17, putting me at 12 weeks and 1 day.

Needless to say, today made everything so real! I am completely in love with the little guy or girl and can't not wait to meet him or her in Aug. Our 16 week appointment is Feb. 22 and we find out the sex March 8!!!

We can not wait!

12 weeks

Telling the World

After a great 12 week appointment, we were FINALLY ready to tell the world. We called as many family and friends as we could and made our official Facebook posting. We received so many wonderful responses.

We have the best friends and family. Thanks to everyone for the support and well wishes!

First Trimester – 9 weeks pregnant

January 15, 2010

The past few weeks have been rough, but so amazing. Ryal and I had so much fun telling our family. Everyone is SO excited about the little one, even starting to buy presents for him/her.

At our first doctors appointment on Dec. 29 we got to see our beautiful baby. It was about .5cm long – amazing! The heartbeat was nice and strong and my test came back strong and healthy. The doctor gave us the estimated due date as Aug. 17. Since then I have been battling with nausea, insomnia, food cravings and dislikes, but every minute has been totally worth it.

Around week 8 my jeans started to feel snug and I have felt the need to unbutton them at times. I can’t wait for my BellaBand to get here. Ryal has been amazing around the house taking over cleaning and cooking most nights letting me relax when I get home from work. We have already rearranged the house moving the guest room to the office making room for the nursery.

We are dying to tell our friends – it has been so hard keeping our exciting news a secret. In just a few more weeks we will have our second appointment and be out of the first trimester!!! Then we will tell the world.

It is hard to believe that in a little less than 7 months Ryal and I will be parents!!!

Telling the Parents

We were able to tell both sets of parents at Christmas!

We gave them this as a gift and made them figure the rest out. It was such an exciting day!

We’re Pregnant!

The word is finally out!

December 11, 2009

Yesterday was one of the greatest days of my life. Ryal and I found out that we are expecting a baby!

Let me back up. Two days before the BFP (big fat positive) I started having a real sensitivity to scents. Everything smelt so strong. I could smell co-workers food from down the hall. It was just weird.

I woke up the morning of December 10 and thought I would take a pregnancy test. A faint, faint line appeared in the test strip. I can not explain the exact emotion, but it was probably the most overwhelming feeling I have ever had. I was sure this was a positive, so I decided to test later that night and if indeed it was positive I would tell Ryal.

Of course that is all I thought about at work. I rushed home an hour early and took a digital test. After the three longest minutes of my life Yes+ appeared on the screen. I just started to cry. I was pregnant. Ryal arrived home about an hour later.

He came in the door and gave me a kiss. He said he had this crazy feeling that he was going to come home and I was going to tell him we were pregnant. I laughed it off and thought - wow, how did he know? After a few minutes I told him I had an early Christmas present for him. I gave him a bag and inside was a onesie that read “Future Spartan”. He just looked at me and knew. We hugged and cried and hugged again. The rest of the night we just thought…..wow, we are pregnant!!

The Michigan State onsie!

The positive test!

New Year, New Camera

Ryal and I had a wonderful holiday! We went to MI for a week to spend time with family and friends. It was a great week besides getting stuck on I-77 for 13 hours on the way up.

As one of our Christmas presents from the Curtis', we received a new Nikon D60! We have had so much fun playing with our new toy we thought we would post a few photos. We are still learning but so far have some great photos!