COURTNEY - SENIOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER, NAPLES FLORIDA
Of course I had a ton of shoots right before leaving on maternity leave last week. And now that I'm "officially" on leave, I've had a massive amount of calls from clients wanting to book sessions before the end of the year. Apparently the magazine spreads I've been doing are catching some attention locally and it has helped send lots of new clients my way. It kills me to have to delay sessions for people due to my current state of being 9 months pregnant with a c-section scheduled in just 36 more hours. I feel so out of commission and it drives me crazy not being able to control all of that. I love my clients and I want to work them in as much as possible. However, I've hit that spot where it isn't an option for at least the next 3-4 weeks. Grrrr! The good news is though, in return for my hands being so tied with business, I'm fixing to get a newborn placed within them that will help keep my mind off the business I'm stalling. :) What a gift! I'll take that exchange any day.
I had the honor of photographing Courtney a week or two ago and thoroughly enjoyed my shoot with her. I thought I'd share some sneak peeks of her session here on the AGD blog as well. We did a bright and early sunrise session at 6:45am and the lighting couldn't have been anymore gorgeous at that moment.
It about killed us to get out of bed and start that early but boy was it ever worth it in the end. Amazing isn't a strong enough word for the gorgeous sun rays that beamed down over the top of her at that hour.
I love the above shot. I love it soooo much that I've decided after I have this baby, I'm cutting up a cute pair of jeans and working some magic on them as Courtney had on her own. LOVE LOVE LOVE! Her jeans were to die for. Can you tell I'm dying to get out of these maternity clothes and back into some ROCKIN' style worthy jeans again? WHEW! It's been a long time. :)
During the session, we ironically stumbled upon some very cool backdrop items that gave her images a grunged up feel. I was in heaven. Bring on the beat up lockers, the trash, the old broken down chair, etc. It really added that much more character to the location. So fun!
Again, the early morning sunshine/rays ROCKED our socks off.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with you Courtney. I had a blast. Can't wait to do it again sometime.
As for the final countdown to baby Seaman's arrival, we are in the homestretch now. I've run ragged - like a chicken with my head cut off - over the past two days trying to get everything done before my parents arrival from Indiana tomorrow evening as well as before I head to the hospital Thursday morning. I'm happy to report the the only things left on my to do list are a meeting at Kenidi's school tomorrow, a nail/pedicure appt. after that, some last minute Christmas shopping and then on to my pre-op appointment at the hospital tomorrow at 4pm. Once I'm done with the pre-op, I'll be picking my parents up from the airport. YAY!
I doubt that I'll have much time to blog tomorrow so if I don't, please know how much I appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers that are rolling in from all of you. Brennen has graciously offered to update my facebook page ever so often for us on Thursday morning with minute by minute accounts of all the action. If you aren't a friend of mine on facebook yet, feel free to friend me HERE. In the meantime, I hope to be able to update the blog later in the day Thursday with a quick picture or two. The hospital has confirmed to us that they have spotty and very limited internet access. Therefore, I'm praying that it will work for us during the three days I'm stuck there. :) Either way, I will update all of you just as soon as I possibly can. Thank you again for your constant encouragement, love and support for our family. There are no words to express what my blog family means to me.
Five. Just five more days. Cinque, Cinco, Cinci, Cinq. Five. As one of my fellow photographer peeps put it...I'm so bored while waiting this out that I'm now learning how to count down the days in foreign languages. LOL!
Who would've ever guessed that when I wrote this post back in April of this year, that we'd get to this moment in time, with only five days to go - so quickly? I swear this pregnancy has flown by at a lightening fast rate. I can't believe I'm saying that considering how miserable I've felt in the past couple of weeks but the truth is...it really has flown by. I've hit that pivotal point where I'm ready to "evict" this kiddo. At 38 and a half weeks, I feel he has "baked" in there long enough. It's time to smoke this baby out of his hole. LOL! I'm glad he has decided to hold off on his arrival until this week though. It makes it much easier on my parents to get here - as expected. They fly in this Wednesday evening and I'm just as excited to get them here as I am to get our lil' man here. :)
Brennen put the baby swing together for me on Thanksgiving. He wanted to do it all himself and he did. My Mom supervised him while she was here but he assembled that thing like an ol' pro. After we did that, Brent dug the Christmas tree and decorations out for us. We spent the evening putting the tree up together and getting the house Christmas ready. I wanted to do it all before I go into the hospital this week because I didn't want to mess with all of that once I was home and barely able to move. My goal is to knock out all of my Christmas shopping in the next 5 days as well - so that it is completely done too. I realize I'm asking for a miracle here but that never stopped me before. It's worth a shot and I'm going to attempt to accomplish it all in between all of my other scheduled appointments. Hair, last OB appt., nails/pedicure, a good ol' waxing, school visits for Kenidi next week, grocery shopping, a pre-op appointment at the hospital and so forth.
We have to be at the hospital by 6am Thursday morning. My c-section is scheduled to begin at 7:15am. I hope to be out of the OR by 8am and in a recovery room until 9am. From 9am on...I should be in my postpartum room and enjoying our newborn. I have two of my photography peeps coming in to take photos of the big day for us. They are braving those early morning hours and getting there where I'm wheeled back to the OR at 7:15am. I can't begin to express how grateful I am that they will both be there documenting the arrival of our 3rd little one and for the fact that they are going to be my "eyes" while I'm missing beautiful moments because of undergoing another c-section. I'm sure they will have gorgeous images to share and I know they plan to post "some" of them on facebook. Therefore, if you are a friend of mine on facebook, keep a look out for them. And of course once I'm able to move myself, I'll be taking my own pictures and will do a post here on the ol' blog as soon as humanly possible. I plan to have Brent or Brennen update my page on Facebook as much as possible that morning. For those who are friends of mine on FB, you'll get step by step accounts of what all is happening as it happens. I'm praying that I won't be so drugged up that I can't enjoy that first day or that I'm not dry heaving and sick like I was with my last two c-sections (for hours following the surgery) to where I can't soak all of those first few hours in clearly and coherently. Speaking of praying, any prayers you guys can send our way over this next week would be phenomenal. I'm extremely anxious about undergoing the spinal this time and having to endure that surgery and recovery process yet again in my life. I've been praying that God will give me an unbelievable amount of peace that morning and the days leading up to the birth. If all of my prayer warriors can pray for my peace and sense of calm as well, I'd be forever grateful. I know many of you have already begun emailing me and posting little notes on my FB page letting me know that you are praying for our family in the coming days and that you can't wait to see photos of our little guy. I can't thank you enough for your prayers and for your words of support, love, and encouragement. There is no way to put into words what all of your friendships mean to me. Cyber driven or not. Hundreds of you have been a part of our lives for many many years - long time and loyal, faithful, blog readers. I realize this moment in our lives is just as big an event for all of you as it is for us. Because of that, I'm so thankful and so blessed by each of your caring, prayerful, and kind demeanor's. Your hearts are huge and we are definitely feelin' the love. Thank you so very much for being here for us during such a joyous occasion. We can't wait to share "him" with all of you come Thursday. :)
I hope to blog a few more times in between now and then should time allow it.
Nope...no baby Seaman yet. We are still here - big, HUGE, and moving reaalllllyyyyy slowwwwww. It just dawned on me that I haven't blogged in a week. I'm such a slacker. You can tell I'm a little busy getting ready for our new little guy to arrive, eh? We have 16 days until he makes his grand entrance into this world so needless to say, I'm a bit frantic at this point. I've been working my tail end off with photo shoots and events so that I can stay busy and keep my mind off the nervous jitters. With each shoot I do, my feet and back pay for it royally because of how far along I am. I shot for a charity event this past Saturday night and must have looked miserable or just "bad" overall. I had some lady walk past me and go..."you poor thing." I didn't know whether to feel good about her sympathizing with me or be hormonal and ticked that she clearly felt like I looked like some "poor thing." LOL! I laughed with her and moved on but it haunted me the rest of the night. Every 10 feet someone stopped me and would say things like..."You are having a baby, right?" I would answer with..."I sure hope so!" :) If not then I'm getting ready to give birth to a small country of hippo's. You can tell they are scared to ask in case I'm not really pregnant. One of these times I'm going to get brave enough to joke with them and tell them "No" when they ask if I'm expecting. I'm dying to just see the follow up look on their face if I were to tell them "no." Yes, I'm mean and hormonal. It's a good thing I only have 2.5 weeks left or my practical jokes could get real bad. Hee hee!
I have a couple more magazine shoots to do in the next two weeks and then another creative shoot this Saturday at the crack of dawn. After those, I should be able to take it down a notch and just wait out the big day. I want to keep moving because in the back of my mind I know I'm going to be home bound for several weeks - unable to drive or get out at my leisure as I normally would. So...I'm taking advantage of being able to run around like a chicken with my head cut off and am totally relishing in how great my abdominal muscles feel right now considering how they are about to be sliced open - end to end - in 16 more days. Gross I know. The thought of not being able to get up and down out of chairs and/or my bed on my own for a bit after the c-section makes me cringe. The idea of having stitches in that spot again makes me sick at the mere thought. Having to look at the incision site for the first time following the surgery is always the worst. It takes mental preparation for me. Lots of it! I'm asking all of my prayer warriors to please just pray for me regarding a safe surgery - a fast recovery - and of course a very healthy baby. We are down to the wire friends. I still can't believe how fast these past 9 months have gone. The staff at Starbucks is fixing to miss my morning drive thru visits for oatmeal and an iced carmel machiatto every morning. LOL! They know my order like the back of their hand. Decaf, nonfat, and 2 brown sugar packets with my oatmeal. They too finally got brave enough to ask if I was expecting the other morning. I've only been going there EVERYDAY for the past 6 months. My oatmeal craving has been too strong to deny and they've got the best. It took them this long to finally ask me if I was pregnant. I explained that yes...I was...and they've helped soothe my cravings during my past two trimesters. According to one of the staff members, I'm known as the "brown sugar lady." I guess there could be worse names in life, eh? :0)
This week is set to be a busy one. (what's new?) It makes the days go by so much quicker to stay busy so as I said...I'm totally ok with this schedule. I can't believe I haven't run this kid right out of me yet but he clearly likes his womb. And I like him staying there until December 2nd because I want my parents here in time for his arrival. It's awesome to know that my Dad and Cathy will be here before I know it. They come in on the 1st of December and I'm so ready to see them and spend those next couple of weeks with them. My Dad is even bringing me some boxes of coco wheats from good ol' Indy. For some reason, the Florida grocery stores do not sell coco wheats here. Criminal I say, Criminal. Brennen and I have been craving coco wheats for a year now. And yes, speaking of a year, can you believe that on the 20th of this month - this Friday actually - we will have lived here for one year already? Crazy how fast that time has flown too. 12 months, 9 months, man a lot has happened in that short little time frame. God's plans are amazing aren't they?
Happy Monday evening everyone! xoxo, Angie and baby Kr_____
(only 16 more days and you guys will finally learn the name of our new little guy to be)
"No pictures please! No pictures please! The paparazzi just needs to back it up!!!"
Yeap, this is what I envisioned Baby Seaman saying as the nurse photographed him again at our 35 week ultrasound appointment this afternoon. As you can see in the photo above, he is holding his left hand up in front of the camera almost as if he is hiding from it. Like Mother like son, eh? Wonder where he gets his camera shy-ness from??? LOL!
All was well with baby and I at my appointment today. My OB said I'm making this too easy on her. I'm praying that things continue to stay uneventful over these last 28 days. I've never had ultrasounds this late in the game before and it is amazing how much they look like real babies instead of skeletal aliens on the ultrasound screen. He had changed and filled out so much just from last weeks appointment even. The nurse got a great face shot of him today (didn't get a photo of it though) and he was so formed and perfect that I sat there trying to decide who he looked most like. The image was almost like a 3D image. It was very clear - his cheeks and little face were very prominent and so easy to see. He had his eyes closed almost as if he was sleeping although he was moving around at the same time. It was crazy to me that the picture was so clear that we could see that his eyes were indeed closed. The nurse pointed it out and I just sat there floored and shocked at how perfectly I could see him. He was adorable. Perfect in every way. And the hand shot above...now how cute is that chubby/chunky little hand with all 5 fingers? LOVE!
Gotta' run for now. We are headed to Kenidi's horse therapy for the evening. Hope everyone is having a grand Thursday thus far. Good news is...tomorrow is Friday. YAY!
Making his 34 week debut...Baby Seaman at his finest. A full on face view looking straight at us. They don't get any better than that. This was the latest ultrasound photo from my 34 week OB appointment this morning. As usual, he was in there moving all around just as I feel him doing each day. His heartbeat was nice and strong and his size was measuring right at 34 weeks (which must have plateaued out because he is measuring right on target now rather then bigger than normal as he was at my last visit).
With 34 days to go, I had lots of questions for my OB this morning. It's amazing how much I've forgotten or just plane blocked out from my last two pregnancies. So much has changed since my delivery with Kenidi 7 years ago. The main thing I was concerned about was the fact that I am having to get a "spinal" with this c-section rather than an epidural as I had with both of my other c-sections. I've heard from some people that spinals are a bit scary because they numb you further up into your chest and down making it feel as though you can't breathe. I read somewhere where one gal literally couldn't swallow on her own so they were having to suction her mouth out for her during the process. That didn't sound fun to me. Therefore, I questioned the doc on why the spinal over the epidural. She assured me it was just a deeper and quicker working anesthesia. She said it wears off faster and just makes more sense for c-sections now days. I asked her about the horrific spinal headaches I hear about after having spinals done and she said they are rare but if that happens, they do a patch on the area and correct it so that the headache subsides. I just know I don't want to be laying down flat for 8 hours following my delivery. I also let her know that I don't handle pain medication and/or nausea medication very well. I hate feeling groggy and doped up - resulting in me sleeping off and on the whole first day following the c-section. Then, I don't like the medication that they give me for nausea either. Most times it never works and I end up dry heaving over a bed pan while holding the 500 stitches across my abdomen taunt and safe with a pillow because it's so painful to get sick after a Cesarean. The first day after my c-sections are never fun. Truthfully, the first day just downright sucks. When you want to be visiting with your family and friends (visitors in the room) as well as cuddling with your newborn, I can't because I'm either puking or sleeping. It drives me crazy! I'm praying the OB gets the combination of meds right and that I can enjoy this process more than the last two. And she said if all goes well, I should be up and walking about 8-12 hours after the surgery and also able to take a shower with help the very next morning. Keep your fingers crossed for me that all of this stands true. I'm swollen up - more than I'd prefer and my blood pressure was a tinge high when they took it today. No signs of pre-eclampsia though - just the typical "end of the road" pregnancy symptoms. They told me to watch my blood pressure at home and call them right away if it got any worse. I truly believe it was just a bit high because I had to run to keep up with the nurse that walked me all the way back to the OB room from the ultrasound room. Like my husband, she walked at the pace of a marathon and I was really huffing and puffing by the time I got to the room and she took my blood pressure. I knew it was going to be high because I could feel my heart beating out of my chest while she was taking the reading. She took it twice and it had come down to 132/80 the 2nd time so it was definitely calming down the longer I sat there and caught my breath. I have a blood pressure cuff here at home though and will be monitoring it closely in the coming days. My OB didn't seem concerned in the least.
Oh and guess what...Baby Seaman decided he would try to cooperate and has now turned head down and ready to go. No more transverse or sideways laying kiddo. YAY! Although this makes no difference because I'm having a c-section anyway, it still helps me comfort wise and takes a bit of the pain away now that he is where he should be. I asked the OB what would happen if my water broke and I happened to go into labor before my December 2nd c-section date. I curiously questioned her on whether she'd still do a c-section in that case or whether we could try and go for a VBAC. No chance. C-section it is - no matter when I go into labor. BLAH!
The really cool news is that I am now on weekly visits to the OB and I also found out that I'll be getting a weekly ultrasound each time I go all the way up until delivery day. How crazy is that. This heart stuff with me has really caused them to keep a close eye on the pregnancy thus resulting in lots and lots of ultrasounds which makes me a happy girl. I love seeing that little man on the screen - even if he is kicking at my belly button which in turn makes me feel like I could go thru the roof. Belly buttons are sensitive anyway - let alone when your skin is beyond stretched out and he is in there tap tap tappin' away.
Well, I'm off to go edit some images from the family beach session I did in Bonita Springs last night. Praying the ugly black snake that was hiding and waiting for us in the sea oats on the beach isn't showing his sneaky serpent face in any of the images. Guess that is why we should follow instructions and stay out of the sea oats, eh? That works for me. Seeing him in there pretty much cured me of trampling thru those from here on out. And yes, if I could have gotten my car on the beach, I would have run him over - fo' sho'! Unfortunately that wasn't an option though. Aside from the family session, I have some awesome shots to share with you guys from the senior sessions I did this past weekend. I hope to get those up and posted real soon too. I had a blast during that senior shoot out and couldn't be more thrilled with the images that came from it all. Hope all of you are having a wonderful hump day. Enjoy your evening. XOXO, Ang
In the past 2 weeks, I've had three different women comment to me - out of the blue - "How great my ankles look for being this far along." Wellllll...aren't they just sweet as suga'! I didn't even know women checked out pregnant women's ankles. Did you guys? Unless someone points it out to me, I'd never think to look. With us being in Florida, I wear dresses almost every day just to keep from getting over-heated. I guess my ankles are quite visible due to my legs being exposed. Problem is...I soooooooo don't feel like my ankles look great for this stage in the game. In fact, when I walk thru the house during the day or night, I envision this theatrical sound of what King Kong sounded like as he stomped thru NYC in that movie and trampled the entire town - crushing buildings and cars with one step of his foot. Yeap, that's me - that is my third trimester. With 6 weeks and 6 days to go, I am totally shamu with feet. No joke. I moan and groan with every movement made to the point where I'm sure it appears to an outsider as though I'm dying. And when I switch sides in bed at night...God for bid you have to hear what kind of noise and process that takes. We are talking action-adventure soundtrack. You think I'm kidding - but I swear I'm not. I don't know that our big king size bed can handle my big king sized butt much longer.
The other night, Brent was laying beside me with his hand underneath my belly. (I was laying on my right side. Baby Seaman was kicking up a storm and rolling over like nobody's bin-ness'. Brent wanted to feel him and in doing so, he got the shock of his life. At two different points he belted out..."Oh My Gosh!!! Oh My Gosh!!!" He couldn't believe how prominent the kicks were and just how powerful the lil' man was inside there. He's like..."That is almost like an alien trying to get out from inside there." At that moment, I was reminded of Sigorney Weaver in the movie "Alien."
Oh yeah...that is totally what this child looks and feels like when he gets to rockin' and rolling in my tummy. I was cracking up at Brent and his shock over how powerful he was. He asked me if I remembered Brennen and Kenidi being that strong when I was pregnant with them and yes...I do. This baby is no different.
Not only have I definitely hit the uncomfortable stage but I've also definitely reached that hormonal stage now too. The other day I was walking thru a restaurant wearing a shirt that read "Rockin' my bump." As I was headed to the restroom, I passed by a table with about 5 women sitting at it - they were maybe early 30's in age. One of them proceeded to read my shirt allowed with a very condescending tone. I heard her say..."Rockin' my bump???" You could tell she said it to be a smart ___ but didn't in turn realize just how loud it rolled off her tongue. She clearly never intended for me to hear her. However, I did. It was in that moment that the ol' Angie DeNease came back inside me. I refer to my younger era as Angie DeNease - the days of high school when I was considered body guards for all of my girlfriends. Angie DeNease was the girl that took no crap from anyone and if you so much as looked at me wrong or dared date a boyfriend I once had - you were screwed. Yes, that was "Angie DeNease." I'm soooo not proud of that girl. In fact, I'm extremely embarassed by her. My temper back then stemmed from the genes that my mother passed down to me. My Mom was the chick you didn't mess with when she was younger too. I have vivid memories of my Mother in street fights where my Dad would have to pick me up, put me on his shoulders, and walk away to get me away from the action and what I was witnessing. It wasn't a pretty sight but that was life up until I was maybe 8 years old or so. In fact, my Mom STILL carries that gene and it has caused her some embarassment in her day as well. I have haunting memories of being 7 years old and getting thrown into a thorn bush by an older girl during a fight outside in the neighborhood I lived in with my Mom. When I got home to my Mom, looking for comfort as I poured blood from every square inch of my body from the thorns that were now embedded in my skin...instead of comforting me, she took one look at me, grabbed my hand, slammed open the front door and marched me right back down the street to the girl who did it. Needless to say, I lost the first round with the thorn bush but didn't loose the 2nd round as my Mom stood there almost as if she was ringing a bell in a fighting ring. She wanted me to let this older girl know who she was really messing with. From that day forward, I was taught to never, ever let anyone see fear in me. Never ever let anyone whoop my skinny scrawny little butt and to never be afraid to defend myself when necessary. Truth is...that life lesson created more of a bully in me than teach me anything of worth. I have found myself apologizing to many, many girls that I tortured in high school due to my behavior back then. In fact, that behavior today would land me in kicked out of school and probably in juvenile with the way bullying and fighting is no longer tolerated in schools. Am I glad that my Mom taught me to fend for myself and never be afraid of anyone? Yes. However, that lesson was taught the wrong way in my opinion. No worries...my Mom knows how I feel about all this now. Rarely do I ever feel that temperament come out in me like it used to back in my younger days. Thankfully I've grown up, matured, learned the value of forgiving, and tried to steer as far away from that genetic temperament trait as possible. And needless to say, my kids are being taught differently. Wayyyy differently. LOL! Anyway, as I was saying...I rarely sense that "Angie DeNease" (my maiden name by the way), come out in me like that anymore. But when the girl at the restaurant loudly expressed her need to make fun of my shirt that I was wearing the other night, she almost got a quick glimpse of the old Angie. I told my Mom - when talking to her about the ordeal later - that I hadn't felt that feeling in years. This chicks condescending tone stopped me dead in my tracks - right in front of her table - with her and her 4 other compadres' awaiting and watching my next move. Naturally, my stopping on a dime and the look I proceeded to deliver to her after she made her comment caused her sudden grave concern. She immediately knew the damage she had done and by the look on her face, she needed to come join me in the restroom to clean herself off. When all was said and done, she looked at me and every so nicely said..."Oh I'm sorry - I was just reading your shirt." Uh yeah...sure you were! I don't know if she thought she was safe because a pregnant woman would most likely not "throw down" with her or what. Truth be told...she should reconsider before ever getting ready to make fun of an 8 month pregnant woman given our raging hormones at this stage in the game. I calmly regrouped and gathered my composure again and then began placing one foot in front of the other as I headed back on my way to the restroom. I had to laugh because I can only imagine what kind of psycho I must have looked like to each of those girls. I mean come on...there were 5 of them and only one of me. They could have easily jumped me and whooped my butt without a second thought. But at that moment, the old "Angie DeNease" in me didn't even think that far. All of a sudden...I was 7 years old again and a pit bull on a leash getting ready to be turned loose on someone who had taunted me and poked at me to the point of no return. Amazing how childhood memories stick with you even all these years later.
So...in a nutshell...you know you are in the third trimester when you're ready to knife someone for even looking at you the wrong way. It wasn't one of my proudest adult moments in life and was one that I had to repent about later. (once my nerves had settled back down and I realized just how hormonal I was at that particular moment) I guarantee you that the woman who crossed my path with her condescending tone will think twice though before she ever goes to mock a pregnant chick again. And when I came back out of the restroom and had to pass their table to get to mine, I noticed that low and behold...every single one of them had left. Gone. Just like they had seen a ghost or something.
On another note, at my OB check up this week, I got medicine for the heartburn and I'm so proud to say that my pain and issues surrounding heartburn are totally gone. This prescription is working like a charm. It took about a day to get into my system and begin working but now that it is...I'm in total heaven. They gave me a medicine called protonix. It's safe during pregnancy and it makes me a happy girl again. I go back to the doc on the 27th where we will get to see our little guy on the ultrasound screen yet again. That also makes me a happy girl. I started putting some things in my hospital bag and in baby Seaman's diaper bag last night. I figured now was a good time to get that process started. As I was packing for the two of us and our hospital stay, the butterflies started again and the whole process was ever so surreal. Six weeks and six days.
Even with only 6.5 weeks to go though, with the way I feel at this moment, I'm totally ready to tell my OB that it's time to "smoke this little guy out of his hole" as if he were a mole or ground hog running rampant thru my yard. Let's get this show on the road. :0)
No. This isn't me. However, I've felt like walking around with a sign like that over my face in the past few days. All I know is that when this baby comes out of me in the next 7.5 weeks, he had best have a head full of hair that resembles the old monchhichi monkey dolls. No joke!
When the doctor pulls this son of mine out of my stomach during the c-section, I fully expect her to say "WOW! This kid has a head full of hair!" Kenidi caused me heartburn and came out with a head full of it but she didn't cause me near the discomfort that this kid is causing me. I swear I'm ready for hair to start growing up and out of my esophagus due to how much pain I'm in.
Yes, I've tried Tums. In fact, I eat them like they are candy only to have the heartburn come back 5 minutes later. It hurts to drink, it hurts to eat, it hurts to lay down, etc. etc. etc. I can even drink water and it causes intense heartburn. I can't win! I've decided today that I'm calling my OB on Monday morning and plan to beg her for some sort of relief. I've never in all my life felt such discomfort. It's insane. So...God help us if this child comes out bald after all I've put up with in the heartburn department. He had better have so much hair that he needs an immediate hair cut. I mean it. Maybe it will be so long that dreadlocks will have formed by then. Yeah, yeah, a Rastafarian baby. Reggae bound. Bring on Bob Marley's look alike. Just give me something to be able to say..."Oh OK...that's why I went thru all of this pain and torture." :) I'm approaching my 32nd week this week. I told my neighbor this morning over breakfast that I just have this really weird feeling that I'm not going to make it to December 2nd. It might be anxiety because I know my parents are so far away and when I go into labor, they still have to rearrange their schedules and hop a plane to reach me. I'm sure a lot of the anxiousness is coming from worry over all that. With Brennen, my water broke on the day of my scheduled c-section. I was 39 weeks exactly. I was lying in bed, unable to sleep at 3am and BAM! I felt a pop or a slight bubble and then it was all over with from there. The c-section was scheduled for earlier in the day than planned and he arrived at 8:53am that morning. With Kenidi, I never had any signs of going into labor. In fact, when I had my c-section with her at 39 weeks, she was still tucked nice and tightly in there with no plans of making an appearance anytime soon. But with this baby, I just don't feel like I'm going to make it to that 39th week - to my December 2nd c-section date. He might prove me wrong but something tells me this one is going to be different. We'll see what God has planned I guess. I'm praying that I'm wrong and that this is all just anxiety setting in over my parents living in another state than me now.
On another note, so sorry to have been a major blog slacker this week. I had a big shoot on Tuesday for a breast cancer charity event here in Florida. After shooting on my feet for three straight hours, I got home to an aching back that night and feet/ankles/legs that were severely paying for my stupidity. The hubs gave me a great foot massage to help make up for the pain but in the end, I knew better than to do such a thing at almost 8 months pregnant. In the end though, I had a great time at the event, shot lots of fun people, and met some great new friends. It was all so very worth it. :) Since then, I've been trying to get caught up on editing and house work. My laundry pile looks like Mount St. Helens erupted in here right now. I have a family shoot on the beach tomorrow night which I'm looking forward to and then we are celebrating my Moms birthday at some point this weekend as well. The weather here in Southwest Florida is nothing short of spectacular right now. The muggy humid air finally gave way to the Fall temps and it's a pleasant 83-88 degrees each day with a wonderful gulf breeze coming in off the ocean. The palm trees that pepper my every view sway with ease against that gorgeous blue backdrop of a sky and the whole atmosphere makes my days all that much better - even with the incubating of this monchhichi wanna-be baby. (a.k.a - severe heartburn) Like my friend mentioned today, I'm glad I'm 8 months pregnant in this weather rather than in say the heat of July. WHEW! Don't know that I could have adjusted to that.
Hoping everyone has a spectacular weekend. Until Monday, be safe and have fun. Much love, Angie
PS...I've had many emails recently regarding my schedule for the holidays. Yes, my plan is to keep taking sessions all the way up until the end of November or until my big, fat, shamu, butt, can't get up and down anymore. Therefore, if you are heading South for any of the holidays (thru Thanksgiving) and would like to book a photography session with me, feel free to email me at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com. I'll be taking a few weeks off after the little man arrives but should be back to my normal schedule by early to mid January. I'm truly looking forward to photographing your families as you come down this way for a vacation in the next two months. And for those of you who've already scheduled with me, well you'll get to see a real life "beached whale" in action during our session together. LOL!
When we walked into the ultrasound room for my 30 week appointment today, the technician said "You're carrying high!" This is something my Mom has said to me over and over - each time she sees me. In fact my Mom kept questioning that baby Seaman was really a boy because of just how high I was carrying. (I guess the old wives tell from back in the day is that if you carry high, it's a girl. If you carry low, it's a boy.) I suddenly began to panic and questioned whether my Mom could be right regarding it being a girl after the technician commented about this as well. However, my panic was quickly put to rest once they got the ultrasound going. Baby Seaman is DEFINITELY still a boy. In fact, the technician's exact words to us were "WOW! This boy is well endowed." LOL! She took a photo for us and Brent made me promise not to share it here on the internet. Therefore, you'll have to take my word for it I guess. We all got to laughing about it and I found myself just glad that all the boy stuff I have purchased thus far wasn't going to have to be exchanged for pink items. Mom...the OB assured me that those who believe the high/low tale are still living in the ice ages and that there is absolutely no truth to it whatsoever.
Come to find out, the reason why little man appears to be so high in my tummy is because one...he is lying "transverse" instead of the normal up and down lengthwise position. For those who aren't familiar with what transverse means, it is basically where the baby is laying right to left instead of North and South. This new position of his explains my recent discomfort. I've had increased back pain. Can't sleep worth a darn. And have just felt an overall achy and uncomfortable feeling lately. I always feel him more on my right side - in my ribs - then I do on the left. This is because his butt is the only thing on the left side of me. His feet, hands/arms, face, etc. are all tucked nicely together over on the right side of me. This also explains why he moves, kicks, pokes and prodes at me when I lay or try to sleep on my right side. This is a sample photo of how a transverse baby is positioned in the stomach...(only my little guy is face down - looking toward my heiney)...
What is it about my kids that allow them to think these funky positions are OK? Ya know...Brennen was breech and that is what started this whole "must have a c-section" issue. Kenidi behaved and stayed head down in the correct position but look where that got me...an automatic repeat c-section because of Brennen's breech birth. Now I have this one laying side to side instead of up and down. Good thing they've already told me that I have to have another c-section or I might be having one either way if this kid continued to stay in this position. Stubborn Seaman babies, I tell ya.
On another note, it appears as though baby Seaman will be another big one. They told me he is measuring about a week and a half ahead right now. Her words were...he isn't a buddha baby but he will definitely have some extra padding when born. :) I'm used to this as I was told the same thing about Brennen and Kenidi and the doctors were correct in their guesstimations. They both came out as 8 pounders on delivery day. She looked at Brent and said they probably follow his height. I asked what classified a "big baby" to them and she said average babies total up to be around 50% in size right now. Bigger babies around 75% and buddha babies at say 95%. Well Baby Seaman is measuring at 71%. Therefore, he isn't HUGE but he is following the same protocol that his brother and sister did with their in utero growth.
Aside from that, everything looked great. The doc complimented me on my control with the weight gain again and also mentioned how great my blood pressure has continued to look given my heart condition and how far along I am. I guess she expected to have to up my heart medicine dosage by now considering how statistically they do in other women. I'm praying everything continues to go well over the next 9 weeks and that it all turns out happy and healthy for both the baby and I in the end. I'm also praying that he makes it to that December 2nd date and doesn't require me to go early because my parents and Brent's mom already have their flights scheduled for that specific time. What a nightmare that would be to have to call in the troops early and mess their schedules completely up with work and all. Ugh! I don't even want to think about it.
I go back to the OB in two more weeks and was told that we'd get another ultrasound around 34-36 weeks just to check his size again. I'm loving all of these ultrasounds this time around. I never had that many with Brennen or with Kenidi. It's awesome to see him on that screen. I can't wait to meet him in person come December.
In the meantime, thanks to all of you for your prayers regarding my photography news. I had some shoots for the local magazine I mentioned this week and boy did they test my photography knowledge and know how. The most recent shoot I did was for a doctor inside a treatment room with a large innovative new radiation machine behind him. Think MRI machine only 3 times as big. The room was dark and had blue color schemes coming from everywhere. The day before I shot a woman in her home that had yellow color casts coming from every angle. The lighting tested me - the blue & yellow color casts tested me - it was all such a learning experience. Thankfully I had a small pep talk with myself and with God out in the waiting room before my shoot with the doctor that day. I was so nervous that I was trying to talk myself into getting up and walking out. Of course I didn't but trust me - my feet wanted to. The enemy sure wanted to convince me that I wasn't qualified for the job. He almost won too. Almost. God finally shook me and told me to basically get a grip - to get a hold of myself and my fear. So I did. In the end, the shoot went great. And in fact, the doctor turned out to be a doctor from Indiana - just minutes from my old stompin' ground, Center Grove. (CG) Something about photographing a fellow Hoosier helped to put my mind at ease and gave me a sense of calm. It made all the difference in the world. I'm confident it was a God thing - placed there to help me overcome my insecurities for the session. It's amazing what you can do when you have God on your side - shaking some sense into you - ultimately forcing you to dig deep and gain confidence in yourself on a whim like that. I walked out of that hospital shoot feeling like a new woman. I got the images edited and sent them over to the magazines editor later that afternoon. Thankfully, the shots worked and will be used in their November issue. God is good. I couldn't survive this life without him.
Right now...we are gearing up for Grandma Debbie's (Brent's moms) arrival into town tomorrow. She'll be here visiting with us through Monday night. The kids will be thrilled to see her. In the meantime, I'm going to try some funky poking on my belly in my attempt to get baby Seaman to turn lengthwise and give me some relief. Something tells me he likes this position though and intends to stay there for a while. :0)
Yeap...you guessed it. Here I sit - in my car - blogging on my laptop - hoping to kill some time while I "RE-TAKE" my glucose intolerance test. Otherwise known as pregnancy's gestational diabetes test. Rumor has it that I failed the one hour test last week so now I'm back for the three hour one. That three hours consists of 4 blood draws and fasting since 9pm last night. Thus meaning that I can't eat again until after 12 noon today. I'm S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G! I don't eat read meat very often but today...I'm thinking a nice, juicy, cheeseburger and fries from Five Guys burgers is really going to hit the spot once I can bust outta' this lab. :) The real torture came at 6am this morning when I had to get up and make the famous guacamole dip for a class project that Brennen had due today. Yes, for his consumer science class we had to make a family recipe that we all love, write about it, and send it in for a grade today. Talk about going insane. Have you ever been so hungry you could eat a horse all while having your favorite dish right in front of you but you can't even taste test it while making it??? I thought I was going to die. I just wanted to curl up in a fetal position over in the corner and cry. I'll be making up for this fasting come noon today though. Don't you worry! Funny thing is...the lab told me that I was only allowed to go as far as their parking lot while waiting out this three hours. I am not supposed to leave. Well of course in true rebel style, I bolted and snuck out during the first hour of the test. I thought to myself..."Whata' they gonna do? Follow me???" LOL! So...I strategically parked far enough from the receptionists window so that she couldn't see me leaving. I got in my car, went and filled up my gas tank and then ran home to my own restroom. The lab restroom is GROSS. Last time when I was here taking the one hour test, I heard another patient come out and inform the staff that he had spilled his urine specimen all over the sink and floor in their bathroom. There is only ONE bathroom. Needless to say, the idea of going back in there and touching door knobs, sink faucet's, etc. makes me physically ill. So...when a girls got to go, she sneaks out of the lab and goes at home. HA! I made it back in plenty of time and I don't think they ever realized I was gone. I told my parents that I felt like a kid in school skipping class or something. It was too funny. What does failing the first glucose test mean you ask? Well it means that if I don't pass this next three hour test, my life is over as I knew it. If I fail this one, I'll be put on a strict diabetic diet throughout the remainder of my pregnancy and will have to prick my finger for blood tests/readings each day. YUCK! As you can imagine, the thought of no junk food such as cupcakes during the remainder of my pregnancy almost seems criminal. I can't bare the thought. I'm praying I pass this test with flying colors and can put all this behind me and just pretend it never happened. I should know mid next week whether I passed or not. Cross your fingers for me, will ya?
Going from bad to good news...I did have my 7 month/28 week check up this week with my OB. Other than me failing the first glucose test and my iron levels being low (from not eating red meat), all looked and sounded very well. She has graduated me to every two week appointments now and with the next appointment on September 29th, we get another ultrasound which I wasn't anticipating. She said they do it for Moms 35 and over whom also have heart problems or are on heart medication, etc. I'm so thankful for another chance to see our little man on the ultrasound screen. Sending up prayers again that he still looks healthy and well. The OB officially scheduled my c-section for December 2nd at 7:15am should I make it that far. I'll be 39 weeks on that day. (a week earlier than my due date) What an early morning that is going to be. I have to be at the hospital by 6am to prep for the surgery. I get butterflies just typing that part. WHEW!
UPDATE: I survived the 3 hour glucose test. Won't know my results until mid next week but until then, I'm pigging out in fear that they are going to call me and tell me that I failed that one too - leading to this strict diabetic diet. Therefore, I'm living it up until I get the confirmation that I did or didn't pass. And in true rebel style, I left the lab and headed straight for Five Guys burgers as mentioned above. This was my way of making up for that 12 hour - really 15 hour - fasting nonsense...
This is BIG for me because I am not a red meat eater. Rarely will you ever catch me sinking my teeth into any kind of animal actually. I'm by no means a full fledged vegetarian but with each year that passes, I become more and more close to that. I don't care for meat let alone red meat. Give me pasta and carbs and then I'm a happy, happy girl. However, when you haven't eaten in 15 hours, your body craves some crazy junk. Today it was a fat, nasty, cheeseburger. I tried to resist the urge but finally caved to the weakness. It was a total artery clogging and truly disgusting meal when you get right down to it but daggone - it sure tasted good! One of those every once in a while can't hurt a girl, right??? I'm back home now and ready to start editing some images from last nights shoot at the studio. I had a blast with my Naples Photography peeps again and can't wait for our event next week. (Night photography on 5th avenue - YAY!) Until the next post, go eat a big, fat, artery clogging cheeseburger and enjoy every minute of it. I know I did.
PS...Just wanted to send up prayers for the families of my two girlfriends who died tragically in a car accident 21 years ago today. I know I've blogged about them here before. Some of you might remember those posts explaining the details. There isn't a year that goes by where this date doesn't haunt me. Tracy Jones and Ann Grube were taken way too soon from this earth. I pray heavily for their parents and what pain they must go thru on a daily basis let alone on the anniversary date of their accident each year. We were freshman in high school when the accident happened. Too young to die. They've been dead longer than they were ever alive at this point. For me, that is so very hard to stomach. I can't imagine what it does to their parents. I know that their parents have access to my blog and we've tried to keep in touch with them somewhat thru the years. If the Grube or Jones families are reading this post, know we are lifting you up incessantly in our prayers today and always. I know I've told you before but I'll say it again...they are gone but never forgotten. All of the girls within our group will always remember Ann and Tracy and the loss that is still felt even today from their passing all those years ago. :(
I walked into the labor and delivery section of the hospital this morning toting tons of paperwork with me. The front desk security card took my drivers license, photo copied it, and then made me pose in front of a camera for a photo id too. Needless to say, they aren't messing around when it comes to those coming and going in the maternity/delivery area. I love the extra security considering how I'll be delivering there in 11 more weeks myself.
Security directed me upstairs to the labor and delivery floor for my scheduled appointment. I was there today for my pre-registration for my epidural this time. I had to go pre-register for the hospital stay a couple of weeks back but this time I was being directed to labor and delivery for the anesthesia portion of my stay. Apparently now days they want everything done and ready to go prior to your arrival when it comes to the delivery. I mosey-ed my way down the postpartum hallway in an attempt to find the office I was supposed to go to for my pre-registration appointment. As I passed each postpartum room, my knees got more and more weak. The smell of the hospital suddenly sent a massive amount of memories flooding back. I kept thinking to myself..."I can't believe I'm about to do this again. I just can't believe it." I continued to try and put one foot in front of the other while making my way to the epidural consult office. With each step, the nervous jitters set in more and more. I don't know that I'd call it "fear" necessarily but more like a huge bound up ball of emotions that has been building over the past 7 months. All of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks that I'm like seventy odd days away from delivering our little boy via my 3rd c-section. I'm so very excited to meet our son but the whole thought of the c-section, the surgery, the aftermath for the 24-48 hours following, and just the recovery in general is just crippling me today. I don't remember feeling so jittery with my other two c-sections but then again, one of those was 7 years ago and the other being 11.5 years ago. I've done some sleeping since then and I'm sure I've successfully blocked out the memories of being scared and nervous since then.
The postpartum floor was immaculate, very nice, and had extremely spacious rooms. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not quite sure why I thought it would be any different but I'm glad to have been able to view everything ahead of time. During my pre-registration consult for the epidural, they of course go over everything leading up to the surgery and during/after the surgery as well. I even had to watch some video explaining the process of administering anesthesia and the worst case scenarios of what could happen when doing so. I felt like they could have left all the negatives out and I would've been just fine not knowing or not remembering the risks involved. Between the anxiety of the surgery, knowing I'll be away from my other two children for three full nights before being released from the hospital, and just the unknowns all together, I was a nervous wreck by the time I left the hospital appointment this morning. I got back in my car and realized that I needed to take a few deep breaths and figure out a way to balance my nerves and stabilize my emotions again. My heart was beating out of my chest. Of course my first thought is to always pray for peace. And so I did.
I'm quite sure these bouts of nervousness will come and go again as I approach these last 11 weeks. I see my OB tomorrow for my 7 month check-up and to seal the date in stone for my c-section (which they tentatively have set for Dec. 2nd). After that appointment, I start going to more frequent OB appointments. Rather than every 4 weeks, it goes to every 3 weeks. Then every two. And before you know it, you are going once a week right up until your delivery. When they start making you come more frequently like that, you know your delivery date is within reach. The next 2 to 2.5 months are going to be a complete whirl wind. We have friends and family coming in from out of town to visit, lots of things to tackle before the little mans arrival, my photography classes to organize and teach, sessions to fulfill, sessions to edit, and so forth. Again, I'm practicing how to balance my nerves when it comes to all that I know needs to be done in the next two months. On December 1st, my parents are set to arrive for two weeks to help us take care of the new little one as well as just help out with the normal day to day bus and school routines with Kenidi and Brennen following my surgery. Brent's Mom, Debbie, will be come into town the same day my parents are leaving. She'll be here for a week following after that. So...we should have plenty of help between them as well as my own Mom up until the Christmas holiday. I have high hopes of getting my Christmas shopping done during the month of November so I don't have to worry about it once the baby arrives. I'm so thankful for supportive and loving family members who are taking time out of their busy schedules and time off work to come stay with us. We couldn't do it without them. I'm sure of it!
As I sit here and type, baby Seaman is kicking so strongly that it is visible on the outside of my "buddha belly" and shirt. I'm always amazed at just how powerful they become in the third trimester like this. I wonder if my anxiety and nervous jitters play any part in how active he is today. I wonder if he senses my excitement yet my nervous-ness. I do know one thing for sure. For someone who wasn't planning or expecting this pregnancy by any means, I'm madly and deeply in love with this child & I cannot wait for the next 11 weeks to zoom by so that we can meet - eye to eye - face to face - in person. I can't wait to introduce him to his brother and sister. I can't wait to see my parents holding him in their arms as they've done with my other two babies. I can't wait to show him what it feels like to sugar his toes in the sand for the first time or to see the big vast ocean with his own eyes for the first time beings that he resides only 5 minutes from it. There are so many things I can't wait for. So many things I never planned for - never had in my deck of cards - but now am eagerly awaiting. Thanks to God's unexpected blessings, our Christmas this year will be epic - no doubt. Grand in every sense of the word. Even with all of the nervous emotions, I realize that this "surprise" baby was in God's master plan. Therefore, I will continue to pray that God keeps him safe, watches over the remainder of my pregnancy, and blesses us with a very happy and healthy delivery come December.
I'm headed out the door now to go pick Brennen up from his weight lifting club that he does after school twice a week. Kenidi just got off the bus so our evening routine is beginning. Back to balancing the nerves. :) Thank goodness for God and his ability to provide me the peace I need as this next chapter in our book unfolds. Much love, Angie
Kenidi was sitting in front of me the other morning as she woke out of bed and I snapped this shot of her hair. I like to call her "Goldilocks" as the summer season begins to strike because her hair moves from a dark brown to a summery golden blond with the most natural of highlights that I'd kill to have within my own hair. She actually needs a hair cut right now because her style has lost the shape of that angled bob that works so easily for her. However, laundry, packing, and organizing for our vacation this week has taken over the front burner which means Kenidi's hair cut most likely will not happen until we get back after the July 4th holiday. Her hair can handle it. Mine on the other hand would be an absolute mess at this stage if I didn't keep up with haircuts and such. So not fair!!!
As I work on my laptop now days, I see less and less of my toes. I noticed the other night that my stomach must be showing more lately because as I prop my computer on my lap, I'm beginning to less of my feet and toes. It cracked me up the more I thought about it so as my camera was laying beside me (like it generally always is - attached to my hip), I snapped a shot to prove it to all of you.
I go back to my OB doctor this Wednesday morning for my 4 month appointment. Hard to believe we've hit that 4 month stage in my pregnancy already. The last month seemed to just fly by. No complaints there. While at my appointment this week, I get to make my gender ultrasound appointment for next month. Therefore, we should hopefully be finding out what we are having in the next few weeks. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I guess that always comes with the territory though. I want to see our little one and find out whether it is a boy or a girl but I also want to make sure that he/she looks healthy and that everything is progressing as it should. During that ultrasound appointment next month, the docs will also be conducting the 2nd half of the nuchal screen test which is the test that shows possible signs of downs, trisomy, etc. Thankfully the first test I had came back with great results but they compare those results with the 2nd test that I'll have next month. From there, they will then make a more definitive confirmation on what they see after combining the two test scores and the two blood tests together. Needless to say, I pray every minute of every day that God has hands wrapped around this baby and that everything will stay healthy and safe over the next 5 months. I'll definitely update each of you on when our gender ultrasound appointment is set for so that I can have my prayer warriors drowning prayer around that date as it approaches. We've promised the kids that they can attend that appointment with us so Brennen is especially excited. He of course is still rooting for a boy. Brent still wants a girl. Kenidi is just now beginning to learn that there is something inside my belly. She has begun climbing up on the bed and kissing my stomach when I'm laying down. Well...in all honesty...she kisses my boobs on the outside of my clothes because she thinks the baby is in there. HA! We are trying to explain to her that the baby is in mommy's tummy and not in my breasts. God love her, my chest is larger than my stomach right now so I could easily see how she'd be confused. I laughed the other day when a fellow pregnant December mommy referred to her boobs as having reached "porn star status" due to their overwhelming amount of growth. It's crazy what pregnancy can do to a woman's upper half, isn't it? Painful I say. Painful!
For now, I'm off to finish a round of laundry that I'm planning to pack away in the suitcases. Most of you know where we are headed for vacation. Some don't yet know. Stay tuned...I'll divulge where as we head out on Friday. I'll be marking one of my items off my "bucket list" thanks to this upcoming vacation. I cannot wait to get there and capture it all for you via my camera. My body wants to go into convulsions as I think about it. :0)
Thanks to a fellow photographer friend here in Naples, her recommendation for me to try these in regard to my ongoing nausea has helped a lot. I found these at the Motherhood store here in our mall. I went thru the first pack within like 4 days. Although they aren't a complete cure, they do help take the edge off and slow down the intensity. Thank you Jesus! (and thank you Jennifer G. for turning me onto these) I'm sure that these have been out forever by now but beings that I haven't been pregnant in 7 years, they are new to me. I'm behind the times. I know. I've got lots of catching up to do. :)
It's Friday evening. I'm curled up in the bed, overcoming one of those nauseated days as well as a sun burn that competes with something straight out of a horror flick. Oh yes, my intelligent self decided to go sit at the beach yesterday with my mom for 3 straight hours after having not been in the sun for several weeks now. (thanks to the morning sickness all day and all night long) I was Miss pasty which is unusual for me because I am a born, bled, and raised sun girl. However, the heat has been too much to handle since becoming pregnant and I haven't visited the beach in like 7 weeks. My mom convinced me to go yesterday though so we loaded up a cooler with iced down wash cloths as well as a cold spray bottle & parked ourselves 2 feet from the shore line so that I could easily get up and take a dip if I needed to get cool. For the most part, it was doable. I survived. Now though, I could pass as one of the Lobsters in a restaurant that was just recently boiled up to serve table side with hot melted butter. My base tan was gone and I over did it. Imagine that - me over doing the sun. My knuckles are burnt (again) and my knees hurt so bad that they are stiff as stone. I can barely bend them to walk. And my face - oh yes - sooooo not pretty. I look like botox gone bad with swollen puffy eyes and such. I'm back to looking like a true tourist here in Florida again.
Because of this beautified state I'm in, I'm freezing and covered up under our big down comforter with no relief. Chills. Goosebumps. And let's not forget the pregnancy nausea. All that makes for a pleasant afternoon. NOT! It's my own fault. I knew better. :(
With that said, I'm off to enjoy the weekend. I'm hoping to get a photo shoot in tomorrow and then some girl time with a gur-fren Sunday evening. (Dinner and Sex & the City 2 movie) For now though, here is to visions of aloe trees dancing thru my head tonight. Enjoy your weekend. It's June - my favorite month of the year. Enjoy every second of it. It's going to be a great 30 days. Sunburns, nausea, and everything else in between.
Pregnancy takes a toll on your bladder and I had forgotten just how many bathroom breaks we have to endure as pregnant women. I got out of our neighborhood and half way down the street the other day and decided I'd better go back home and take "another" bathroom break before embarking on my morning. So, I whipped it around, did an infamous Florida u-turn, and headed back home. Story of my life these days. However, I wouldn't have it any other way.
In other news, last night was the final night of my most recent photography class. All of the students did such a wonderful job. I couldn't have been more pleased. They each deserve huge pats on the back for the jobs well done and their incredibly devoted hard work over the past four weeks. As mentioned, due to our upcoming vacation as well as just being pregnant in general, I'll be taking a 2 month break from instructing any classes throughout June and July. However, I've decided to open the class registration back up for an August 1st class. Should you be interested in signing up for the August class, feel free to click HERE. We'd love to have you.
We have 7 days of school left here in Southwest Florida. Thank goodness because my kids are busting at the seams. Kenidi has already checked out mentally and is so ready just to be home doing her own thing each day. Brennen's 5th grade graduation is next Thursday. It's hard to believe that he is graduating from elementary school and will be a big, bad, 6th grader this Fall. Brent's Mom (Debbie) is flying into town next Wednesday and will be spending the week with us. Luckily, we convinced the school to allow her to attend Brennen's graduation with us even though they were only supposed to be allowed 2 adults per student at the graduation ceremony. We'll be so very glad to see her and have her here with us for that week. Summer is so close that I can taste it. Yes, I'm in a summer state of mind.
Speaking of school...I got a very sweet note from a friend and sweet teacher from Brennen and Kenidi's old school back in Indiana. We have managed to keep in touch with many of their teachers from back home and Jennifer happens to be one of our favs. She was actually an aide in one of Kenidi's classes before we moved south. I just had to share her note with you - (hoping she doesn't mind). It brought instant tears to my eyes. Call it pregnancy hormones - or just emotions in general - it broke my heart and lifted me up all at the same time. This is what it said...
"Hi Angie(and #3!) First off congratulations to the whole family on your wonderful new blessing. We will definitely be praying for you and the baby for the rest of the pregnancy! I know that GOD knows what he is doing in your life and the life of your family. As we are wrapping up the school year, I've had numerous reminders of your children. Kenidi's name on a box or mailbox makes me miss her all the more. It's always such a blessing to stop and think of her. I think of her smile and say a prayer that all is well with her. I also wanted to let you know that Brennen had several pictures from Flatrock in the end of the year video presentation for 5th grade recognition today. It was so great to see his smile and the kindness that radiates from his eyes. I wanted to let you know that we miss you all at WCE still and that I think of you all often. Jennifer" As you can imagine, I'm a sap right now. And this email made me that much more sappy. There are many days where I question whether our move to Florida was the right thing for Brennen and Kenidi. However, I've recently been made very aware of why we are here and not back in Indiana. All of a sudden it clicked the other day why God pulled us from Indiana and had us move 5 states away. When I reflect on the big picture, it had nothing to do with our love for the beach. It had everything to do with God knowing what was best for our family as the past few months have played out. There is one particular individual who still can't seem to let go of our family and just relish in her own. After another bout of her text messages came across my phone recently - even on holidays such as Mother's Day for Gods sake (I've since called AT&T and paid extra for a service that now blocks her multiple number(s) of choice from getting thru my phone), it suddenly became very apparent to me why we are here and not in Indiana. God knew where we needed to be as this individual works thru her massive issues. God knew that I had no business being within a 14 mile radius of this individual nor she within a 14 mile radius of me. Our move was protection from God for our family and the distance we needed to overcome others who fail horribly at trying to bring us down. Our move South was Gods way of ensuring I'd keep my sanity through it all and it worked. After I read Jennifer's email, as much as it hurt me for Brennen and Kenidi to not still be in Carmel at the schools they loved (and we loved with them), I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God knew best. I knew we were in the right place and that the thought of moving back to Indiana was a distant memory. I'm so content here. We are content here. Brent and I went on a date night the other night and we were talking about what a beautiful place we live in. It's like living in paradise every day. Although living in Florida doesn't erase away your problems, it sure does help you arrive at them a bit more relaxed than you would have normally. LOL! For that, I'm thankful that God plucked us up out of the cold Midwest and moved us to the tropics on a whim. Yes, he knew best. His plan wasn't our plan but we listened and we followed the opportunity and the opening of the doors. We are here now and things are better because of those opportunities. Oh and Mother's day...well it ROCKED the house. The text messages that day reminded me how thankful I was for the ability to pray. I prayed that God wouldn't allow that individual to ruin my Mother's day even though she was attempting to. And he didn't. My Mother's day this year turned out to be better than any thus far. Amazing how God works, isn't it? And Karma...oh yes...rumor has it that Mrs. Karma herself has paid some nasty visits to said texter in recent months. Funny how life comes full circle, isn't it? Oh the irony of it all. I'd be lying if I sat here and told you that I didn't find some enjoyment in it so I won't. Christian or not...it feels good to confirm that God serves up consequences for ones actions. Maybe not punishment but definitely consequences.
So...as you can imagine...life feels good right now. I know life goes in spurts and in phases so I'm not nieve to think the feelings will last forever. However, I'm grasping onto the feelings of good, great, awesome and incredible right now and throwing my hands in the air while screaming hallelujah to the world. Yes, even when suffering thru morning sickness. You'll find me hugging the white goddess and thanking God out loud for the vomit, for the nausea, for the headaches, for the big ol' heavy veiny boobs, and for the beautiful life growing inside of me. God is good! He deserves all of the glory as my life - our life - is nothing without him. Thank you Jesus for the unexpected blessings you continue to bestow upon this family. Thank you for standing by us even when your company isn't deserved. Thank you for life and all the lessons we've learned within it. Here is to a summer chalked full of surf and waves, salty sea air, soft white powdery sand, golden tan skin, the laughter of two beautiful children, new travels to far away lands, the right to crave crazy concoctions, incessant bathroom breaks, and 6 more months of bliss as we plan and organize the welcoming of our early Christmas gift this year. I praise you for it all. The good, the bad, the ugly, the pain, the bliss, and the many moments of being unable to breathe in good and bad situations because life took your breath away when you were least expecting it. It all happens in a blink. Life ROCKS!
Five. Just five more days. Cinque, Cinco, Cinci, Cinq. Five. As one of my fellow photographer peeps put it...I'm so bored while waiting this out that I'm now learning how to count down the days in foreign languages. LOL! 
