Memorial Day Weekend...

This year, it was hard for me not to do our normal lake festivities. I LOVE being on the river or the lake during Memorial Day weekend, but not this year. Pregnant woman... not so much!

But, we did enjoy some time with lots of Kevin's family members at The Yingst 2009 Family Reunion. They were expecting around 100 family members, but it turned out to be closer to 50 or so. The food was yummy. Kevin's dad's band played, a lot of kids and adults swam, there were horseshoe games going on, 4-wheeler rides, marshmallow (smores) roast and much more. It would have been a better time for me if I weren't waddling around. Wow... this girl can waddle! LOL I was on my feet most of the day and Khloe didn't appreciate it... she was putting a load of weight on my bladder and made me take 5 million bathroom breaks. LOL She didn't kick a lot when we got home... and I could tell she was just as exhausted as I was... she slept until the next day (which is very unusual for her - usually she kicks the fire out of me constantly!). Anyway, because of my 3rd Trimester Pregnancy Rash (PUPPP or PEP), I could not be in the sun a lot. Just the humidity was causing my rash to flare up and itch like crazy... no fun!!!! I just can't stand it anymore and am going to resort to the steroid shots or early inducing for permanent relief. I look like a freak without clothes on. The rash has spread from my belly to my inner thighs, shins, arms, hands, neck, breast area, sides and part of my back and bottom. It just doesn't seem fare! No relief... nothing helps ease the itching. I'm sad. I read about it all the time on the Internet and they continue to say that the rash only affects less than 1% of pregnant women... comes in the third trimester... usually only occurs in first time pregnancies (not me!), those carrying boys (not me!) or woman carrying multiples (I pray not me!). So strange! But, the reunion was an okay time... it was all weekend.

Kevin and Peyton went hiking yesterday for Memorial Day and I stayed home and caught up on some chores and rest. I have still been knocked down with chest congestion and allergies... stinks!! Anyway, they left at 9:45am and returned around 8:30pm or so. An ALL DAY hike trip. They hiked the Kings River. They were sweet enough to bring home dinner... it was yummy! Kevin decided to drive down some very tight trails and risk scratching his Hummer due to all the low hanging limbs on trees. Sure enough... today I look at his truck and there are massive scratches all down both sides of his truck. How dumb!! That's only about $2K worth of fun... Ugh Boys!!!! but, I guess they had a really good time. Kevin loves the outdoors and took some beautiful pictures of wild flowers throughout their hike. Neato!







Today I bought some more adorable little dresses and rompers for baby Khloe... Yes, Momma is OBSESSED!!! I just cannot help myself! She does not need any outfits for a year or so... None! Her closet is fuller than mine! Seriously! Kevin has no idea how much money we have spent on her so far. Wow! I just can't wait for her custom bedding accessories and rocker/glider to come in... only a few more weeks and her nursery will be complete! Hooray!

35 Days to go... AND COUNTING!!! People still keep telling me that I am only 2 weeks out. I pray they are right. I would not mind having her 3 weeks early. Gosh, I look like I could have her ANY DAY now! LOL

Until next blog... chow!!

Baby Shower Invitation (Too Cute!)... & Yingst Family Reunion Info!

So, this week my good friend, Kentrina, mailed out Baby Shower invitations to a lot of my friends (this is my second baby shower... this one is mainly for friends and my side of the family). When I opened the invitation from the mail, I was pleasantly surprised! She did an AMAZING job designing them... she's a pro! I loved them... they are DARLING!!! She used the print and colors of Khloe's nursery... and voila... the cutest shower invitation EVER! I am registered at The Baby's Room in Rogers and I know the ladies up there pretty well. Anyway, they wanted Kentrina to give them one of my Shower invitations (because you get perks from their business by doing so) and they LOVED it! They even sent me an email telling me that it was the most adorable invitation they have received, yet. Neato! Good job, girl! Kentrina has been a very good friend of mine since 6th grade. She's one of those friends that you can go months without talking to and when you do talk about you just pick up exactly where you left off and it feels like you haven't missed any time away from each other... a guess another way to put it is that she is "a friend for life!" Sweetie! I'm sure the shower will be just as sweet as the invitations... looking forward to it! I just hope I don't go into labor before the shower... I sure feel like it lately. Yikes! The shower is two weeks from tomorrow. LOL

Here's a picture of the darling invitation for my baby shower... AWE!!!!



This weekend is Kevin's family reunion at his parents' ranch in Missouri. They are expecting around 100 people... yes, there are that many Yingsts! Crazy! Most of them are camping out on their property all weekend. Craziness! It should be a good time! Between us and his parents, though, we spent around $1000 on this event... I hope everyone enjoys it for that cost! LOL!!! There will be horseshoe tournaments, golf tournaments, horse trail rides, the underground pool will be open and there will be water games (water basketball teams), Kevin's dad band will play much of the weekend, hourly drawings and SO SO much more! I'll post pictures at the end of the weekend (probably more like Monday). LOL

On a last note... I ordered Khloe's Custom Valances/panels, lampshade and minky dot fitted sheet for her nursery today. Amber McGilvray in Fort Worth, TX with Love Bug Bedding will be making them this time... not the same lady in New York. They should be done in a few weeks and will match her crib bedding perfectly. I cannot wait to see them! Yippee! That should do it on all the baby ordering. I'm done with all the custom made stuff... thank goodness! It gets to be stressful when you're trying to figure out how you want something designed for a nursery. Wow! LOL

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone... and please be smart and SAFE!

Only 39 days to go..... WOO HOO!!!

XOXO

34 Week Doctor Checkup... Only 42 Days to Go!

This morning, I had my 34 week doctor checkup at my clinic. It was nice to walk straight into your room... have your doctor walk in and examine you... and walk out minutes later! That's why I schedule EARLY morning appointments... because the doctor isn't behind if you're the first appointment and there is NO WAITING! Go Me! LOL Anyway, baby's heartbeat was perfect and my belly is still growing. Nothing new to report. I complained, though, to my doctor that I can't hardly stand the Pregnancy rash that I have (it's call PUPP). It is horrible! It keeps me up every night and my poor husband has to listen to me scratch (tear into my skin, rather) all night long. It is horrible... horrible! Like I said before... go figure that I would get the stupid rash... I have some bad luck sometimes. :( The rash spreads when it's hot, so my doctor instructed me to take cold showers (even getting up in the middle of my sleep and taking a cold shower), take Pepcid and Zyrtec (or Benedryl) and continue putting benedryl creams and sprays all over. The rash is now covering my ENTIRE belly, inner legs, inner arms and breast area. Talk about having a miserable 3rd Trimester! :( Stinks!!!!! Anyway, my doc said if those things didn't work all together by this weekend, then we will discuss steroid shots. I have been so good about not taking ANY medicine this entire pregnancy and I cannot imagine whimping out now and getting steroid shots of all things. Ummm.. Nah! The rash supposably disappears completely when baby is born.... but, gosh... that's SIX more weeks!!

So... everyone thinks that I am carrying multiples, still. They tell me constantly that my belly was tiny before the pregnancy and the way it sticks straight out and teh way that I am carrying her indicates multiples. Either that or I'm farther along than I think I am. Everyone says twins or only 2 weeks left. LOL We'll see... I hope not!! I wouldn't mind the "two weeks left," though. LOL My belly is double the size it was when I was pregnant with Peyton (10 YEARS AGO)... I just don't understant. And it is ALL BELLY - not an ounce of my own fat. It's as hard as a rock. Weird!

Haven't completed Khloe's nursery, yet... although that is my goal! As long as I can get my husband to agree to hang the pictures in there. LOL He is so busy lately. He moved his office from BFE to right across from Lowe's in Bella Vista today... so he has been busy with all of the office transition stuff. His location now is very visible and I know his clients will appreciate it more! But, as soon as her nursery is 100% complete, I will post pictures! I can't wait to see the finished project myself.

Peyton won his baseball game last night... good job, bubby!!!! I'm posting a couple of pictures of him at his game last night. He had a GREAT hit into left field. Go Peyton!

Julie Swanson's Baby Shower - 5-17-09

Yes, my weekend was overloaded... one event after another! Funny how that happens. LOL

Anyway, my friend, Julie Swanson, had her Baby Shower on Sunday, May 17th @ 2pm. It was a good time... and good getting to compare bellies with Julie. I still think my belly is enormous compared to hers (we are only 3 DAYS apart... crazy, I know!). Julie was a glowing. She really enjoys being pregnant and is really valuing every minute of it (unlike some one I know... me!). She got some really cute gifts and the weather was perfect. The sun kept casting a shadow on everything, so I tried to take as good of pictures as the sun would allow. :o) Julie is a sweet girl and I was glad to be there for her!

Here are some pictures of Julie (with Baby Ryan in her belly)...

Julie's Cake with Baby Ryan's Initials... Ryan Forest Swanson!


Some of her Gifts that her guest brought for Baby Ryan!


Julie Showing off her Baby Bump... cute!


Julie opening gifts... Velveteen Rabbit & Book!


Another shot of Julie holding her Baby Bump... The Sun was Bright!


Julie and I comparing Baby Belly Size... Hmm... Looks like I win??!! Yikes! LOL


That's it... good times! Congrats Julie!

Kevin's Client Appreciation Event - 5-16-09

Kevin decided to throw a party (Client Appreciation Event) for some of his most reliable and valued customers. He had the event at his parents' ranch in Missouri. It was a pretty good turnout. Kevin's dad's band played for entertainment and Kevin had the food catered by Smokin' Joes BBQ in Bentonville. Some of the older clients really enjoyed themselves... dancing and singing along with the music. Too cute!

I had to hurry from Sarah's wedding to Missouri to attend this event for my husband. It was great... the second I showed up several of his clients bombarded me wanting to see the progression of my pregnancy (belly growth) and just to catch up. I could barely breathe the entire night... everyone was so sweet though! Everyone couldn't believe that I had 6 weeks left... they all said there's no way and that I will have her in a couple of weeks. We'll see, I guess. LOL

Here are a few pictures from the event...






Too Funny! There were about 40 clients or so there!

Kevin's Cousin's Wedding - 5-16-09

Kevin's cousin, Sarah, got married Saturday at 230pm. The wedding was really small, but she did a good job for putting it together herself. The only thing that I fear is that Sarah and her new hubby, Thomas, are SO young... I'm hoping it's not a short term committment! :( They are only 19 & 20 years old. Yikes. But, I wish them all the luck in their marriage.

Here are a few pictures of their wedding...

Maternity Photo Session... 5/13/09

Yesterday, we had our Maternity Photo Session with one of the best photographers in NWA... and a close friend of ours (Chandi Gregory w/Picture This! Productions). Anyway, it was the first clear day in quite some time... thank goodness, no rain (until late that night). We started off the photo session at Chandi's house in her studio room. Then, we left and had a very short photo session in Wilson Park (it was starting to sprinkle when we got there, so it didn't last but 5 minutes or so). LOL She always does an amazing job! I've only seen a few of the pictures, but I CANNOT wait to see them all... I'm sure they will be so sweet! My boys (Husband and Son) were troopers! The didn't really want to do the photo session to begin with, but they hung in there. It took us almost 2 hours. We did some of just Kevin and I, some of Peyton and I and some of just me and my big belly! I'll post more when Chandi is done editing them! I'm sure she'll post them on her website, too (www.picturethisfilms.com).





Other Good News... I received Khloe's nursery crib bedding in the mail a couple of days ago. It is exactly how I wanted! I'm so happy... original one-of-a-kind bedding for a one-of-a-kind girl. No one else will have that exact bedding. Yippee! You saw the pics I posted earlier. When the lady in NY finished the bedding she emailed me those pictures, so you saw my bedding already. As soon as I am done decorating the entire nursery (pictures and all), then I will take pictures of it and post it on a blog. It shouldn't be much longer. I decided to have some custom valances, sheets, lampshade and pillow made to match the bedding... it will take about 4-5 weeks to come in. I just wanted the same theme throughout her nursery. Boy, is it expensive to have anything custom made. Wow! It's going to cost me another $300+ just for those items. Yes, having babies is VERY expensive... if anyone says it's not, then they are CRAZY! I designed the additional items on a piece of scratch paper and emailed it to the seamstress... she LOVED it and said she couldn't wait to make it for me. She's not going to charge me S&H or taxes, either... woo hoo! Probably because after everything is completed, then we ended up paying $700+ just for her bedding. Yikes! It will be worth every penny, though... and remain a heirloom in our family for generations to come! :o)

I'll keep you posted on pictures (both maternity photos and nursery photos!)... ONLY 48 DAYS TO GO! Woo Hoo!!! Oh, by the way... My husband thinks we are having twins... his dad had a dream last week that we were having twins, too. CRAZY! And, I keep hearing crazy stories about how one hides perfectly behind the other and never shows up on ultrasounds. Scary! I hope that's NOT the case!

Much Love!

1st Baby Shower...Hostess: Mary Yingst 5/9

This past weekend was crazy busy. Saturday (5-9) was my first of two baby showers. Mary was the hostess... she's my mother-in-law. The shower was fun! This particular shower was mainly for Kevin's side of the family and close clients/friends of Kevin (and now me!). Mary was very selective of the guests. :o) They all were wonderful women... and really seemed to have enjoyed themselves. The shower was from 11am - 1pm at The Final Touch in Bentonville. I got some of the cutest gifts for Baby Khloe!! This group of women had REALLY good taste!!! Khloe will love her rattles, stuffed pets, blankies, outfits and everything else she received! Everyone put SO MUCH thought into their gifts and I am truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! Great job ladies... I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did. The games were cute... of course the "Measure Momma's Belly" game was comical. Everyone must have thought by looking at my belly that it was HUGE... all of their pieces of ribbon were way longer than my belly (after they measured). Wow! Some of them were so off that they had gone over by double (meaning I was actually half the size of the ribbon they had cut in guessing my belly size... LOL!!). Funny! I guess my belly really does look as big as it feels. :o) My mother-in-law, Mary, was an EXCELLENT Hostess! Truly! The decor was elegant and beyond beautiful! The food was very gourmet and wonderful... we even had specially coffees and teas brewing. Amazing! The cake was darling, too... and yummy! FANTASTIC JOB, MARY!!

For Mother's Day, Kevin got me a packaged massage/facial/manicure/pedicure gift certificate to The Embassy's Spa. I CAN'T WAIT to utilize that! My honey is a sweetie!!! I'll be using that gift package right before I go to the hospital to deliver baby Khloe. I love you honey! My son is such a sweetheart too. He tried to pamper me all day Mother's Day and TODAY! He hasn't even been feeling good, but he did the dishes for me... put them away... baked a pizza (pre-made of course)... gathered all the trash from the kitchen and all bathrooms and took the trash out. What a sweet little boy! I am SO TRULY BLESSED with such an amazing family! Love you guys!

Here are some pictures from my Baby Shower on Saturday, May 9th...

The Baby Picture Matte Shower Sign-In...

The Lovely Hostess Herself... My Mother-in-Law, Mary!!

Mary Kay and Lenora... Neat Women! Lenora used to be our neighbor...

Our Good Friend and Pastor's wife, Sarah Hill!

My Adorable Cake - Matches Khloe's Nursery!

Some of the Ladies at my Shower...

Kevin's Cousin Marcy and Me... Thanks for Helping Mary with Shower!


Jennifer & Amanda... Kevin's 1st Cousins!


Part of the Buffet Selection... and my Cake!

Belly Measuring Shower Game... Some were WAY off!! LOL



Kevin's Aunt Cheryl Won the Game... She was REALLY ClOSE!

Tammy Schwartz & Chassity Nunnally... Our good friends!!

Gift Opening... Cute Stuff!!



These are all the gifts from the my baby shower moved to Khloe's nursery...


Overall, the Shower was a lot of fun! Everyone complimented Mary on her Hostessing and said the Shower was really lovely and they enjoyed themselves! :o)

57 Days to Go... and Just a Little Pampering!

Only 57 days to go and this discomfort will all be over... Yeah!! Today I decided to pamper myself a bit. I went to my favorite nail salon/spa and got a Pedicure. Boy, it has been a while... and geez did it feel amazing! My husband hasn't really done the rubby dubby thing on my back or feet since I've been pregnant (which is when I need it the most!), so I have to fin for myself. LOL He works hard, so I guess he has an excuse. :o) I picked pink for my polish color, because we have our maternity photo session in a few days and pink represents our little girl... and newest addition! Besides, pink's allowed... it's Spring now, right?!! It was so refreshing that I decided to schedule a full body prenatal massage (A WHOLE HOUR) tomorrow with some fantastic massage experts. CAN'T WAIT! (I'm posting a picture of my pretty feet - and guess what... they aren't even swollen!)

Tomorrow is my 32 week doctor appointment. I'm curious to see how everything is going... and if I've gained any weight this month. It sure feels like it! It's so strange how my belly is harder than a rock (literally)... it's a little scary. I think she has already began turning upside down (head towards my uterus) to allow her head more space. Last night it was so strange. I was helping Peyton with his homework on the couch and all of a sudden there was this perfectly round fist-size ball poking out of my belly (only on the right side, though). I believe it was Khloe's head. She felt like she was having a hard time figuring out where she wanted to go. Anyway, my belly was lopsided and it was VERY freaky! Peyton was a little creeped out. It looked as though she was trying to tear through my belly. Some of this stuff freaks me out. LOL!! I'll post a blog tomorrow with the doctor's visit update!

I couldn't help myself, but I also went by The Baby's Room, again, today. They know me by name there. It makes me feel good or OBSESSED! LOL I bought a couple small things and think I have decided on the rocking/gliding chair that I want for Khloe's nursery... they are all just so big - and SO expensive. I told Kevin that he needed to buy it for me tonight at dinner. He agreed. It's only $600... I just hope it's not too big for her nursery! He doesn't want me to do the minky dot fabric on the chair, though. He wants to be able to use it after Khloe's out of the baby "rocking" stage somewhere else in our home. So, I'll probably go with a soft Chocolate print. We'll see. Afterwards, Peyton and I met up with Kevin and ate at a Mexican Restaurant in honor of Cinco De Mayo today. LOL Now, I'm just at home watching American Idol and Dancing with the Stars... they are at the movie theater watching the new "XMen - Wolverine" movie that came out a couple of days ago.

Long day... and I'm sick of all of this depressing rain! :(

Khloe's Crib Bedding Set Complete... 5/1/09!

Last night, I received an email from the lady that I paid to make Khloe's Custom Crib Bedding. She informed me that she was already done with her bedding and would be shipping it UPS to me on Monday. Can you believe she is already done with it?!! I am so excited. She told me it would take 4-6 weeks and it took less than 3 weeks. She must have been really excited to start working on it. I had collected ideas and colors that I wanted for the bedding and emailed her (countless amounts of time) trying to make sure she understood exactly what I wanted. And... obviously she did. She made it exactly how I had envisioned it! I am still in shock. Boy, that woman in New York can sew... she's amazing! I finally get to finish decorating Khloe's nursery completely now that her crib bedding is on it's way. I will set it up in her crib as soon as I get it next week and post it on my blog... the finished nursery, that is! Hooray! That really perked my weekend up. Everything is going smoothly... now all we need is baby Khloe to be here!

ISN'T IT DARLING?!!!!!!