Baby Shower

I work with a wonderful group of people who over the last 4 years I have lived in Washington have not only been great friends but have been like family to me. Yesterday they hosted a baby shower for Katie and it was a great afternoon with delicious food (yummy sushi, chocolate cake, and cheesecake to just name a few), fun baby games, and an amazing group of friends. As I was making the cold drive home in the dark I kept thinking how blessed I have been since moving here and how God seemed to know what He was doing from the moment he planted the seed in my heart to move to Bellingham.

I first arrived in Bellingham in September and by October I had found my own studio apartment, had gotten my job with Head Start doing the same thing I had done in Denver, and had met some wonderful friends who continually encouraged me to not give up. Then 2 years later when I least expected it, I met the love of my life and less than 2 years later we had beautiful baby girl on the way.

I truly believe God has a plan for everyone's life and He always brings just the right people into your life when you need them the most. The people I work with have been so supportive of me and have seen me go through many challenges and I wouldn't be where I am today without their kindness and encouragment. Thank you so much to Becky, Cinthya, Maryann, Wenda, and all of the Head Start team!


I also received a very unexpected gift that was a complete surprise and of course brought tears to my eyes

Grandma Sharon, who lives in Denver and was one of my mom's best friends, made Katie a beautiful baby blanket that I know she will just love. Sharon thank you so much for making this day even more special!



Katie will be one adorable little girl with all of the cute clothes she received.

The winners of the "Guess the Size of the Baby Belly" posing with the belly.


Thanks again to everyone for making this day so special!

33 Weeks, almost 34

Here is our most recent picture of Baby Katie and I. She is moving so much right now and sometimes it gets painful but nothing too bad. I have started practicing my different positions that we learned in child birth class and am working on relaxing and slowing down my breathing. I decided to put an actual tummy shot in this post since I hadn't done that yet.


It's back to work for Jeff and I this week and it isn't easy getting back into your regular routine after being off for a week. Let's just say 5:00am came very early this morning. Although it did feel good to get back to the gym since I had taken all last week off. Not much else happening here in Bellingham. Football season has pretty much ended for Jeff since every one of his teams is either done for the season or might as well be. We were joking yesterday about that saying it must be God's way of ensuring that he can completely focus on his little girl that is about to come into this world.

Hospital Tour

Last night Jeff and I spent two hours at the hospital being informed of what to expect when the big day arrives. It was very helpful even though it was a lot to take in all at once. However, the best part was at the very end when we spent about 15 minutes touring the facility and seeing the rooms. I think I was most surprised about the security the hospital here in Bellingham has for babies and moms. They are very thorough and even put a little alarm on the baby's umbilical cord that will go off if she gets too close to a door or stairwell. Mom, dad, and baby also all have matching bracelets so there are no mix ups but luckily this hospital has never had that happened.

We also found out that all of the labor and delivery rooms have bath tubs and even though you can't actually deliver in the tub you can still use it to relax. Another reassuring thing I found out is that I will have one nurse with me during the entire labor and delivery and I will be her only patient. After Baby Katie is born we will all move into a post-partum room where there is one nurse for every 6-8 patients but luckily I will have my wonderful husband there with me the entire time and I know he is going to be a great support person.

I am still going to try and go drug free but I am staying open minded to the idea of an epidural. We will just have to wait and see how I handle the pain. One week from Saturday we have our weekend long child birth class which I am really looking forward to. I feel more comfortable when I know what to expect and hopefully this class will give both Jeff and I some help with that as well as some ways to get through the pain. I don't think Jeff is looking too forward to spending his whole weekend in class but I think he will manage :)

29 Week Dr. Appointment

This past Monday Baby Katie, Jeff, and I met with our Dr. for my monthly checkup. We have one more in a month, then we go two weeks later, and then once a week until our baby girl arrives! I can't believe we are going to be parents in a few months and yet I am still feeling very unprepared. Jeff however, isn't nearly as worried as I am and keeps saying that we don't need to get everything now.

At our appointment we had an ultrasound where Dr. Cook took a lot of measurements of our little one including her head and belly. Then he averaged the numbers together and got a weight of 3lbs 16 oz! I was a little surprised she was that big because my book and weekly e-mails say that she should be about 2.5 lbs. So Baby Garner is a big girl and in the 75th percentile which means that if she stays growing at the same rate she could be an eight pound baby. Now that really scared me! I might just change my philosophy on drugs. We also found out that the hospital here in Bellingham is very supportive of breast feeding and if everything goes well Katie will be in the room with us during our entire stay. It was a good appointment and it was so great to see her again. We got to see some close ups of her face and she scratched her neck, yawned, and was even moving her mouth like she was nursing! Ultrasounds are amazing!

After our appointment we continued our tradition of going to our favorite Asian restaraunt. Jeff didn't want to jinx us but I think it was really just an excuse for him to get his favorite dish...Mongolian Beef. I love that my husband has been so involved with this pregnancy. I was thinking the other day how I usually always say "we" are pregnant rather than "I". He has also been able to make it to every Dr's visit except for one which I am very thankful for. And now when I leave for work in the morning he always says bye to his girls. :) I don't know how I got so lucky but I couldn't ask for a better husband.

26 Weeks

I had another picture request so here I am at 26 weeks.
It was Jeff's idea to take a picture in front of our new fish tank.

Dramatic Dreams

I am at the 26 week mark today and have still been feeling good except for the increase in emotions and sensitivity. However, the strangest thing about this whole pregnancy are the crazy, intense dreams I have almost every night. I don't know what is causing them but I do know they are always very realistic and sometimes very emotional.

Last night I had an especially difficult dream about my mom. It was so real that when I woke up to my alarm I just started crying because I had been crying in my dream. It was so vivid that it took me a while to snap out of it this morning. I have read that dreams are sometimes associated with anxiety or worries and this would make sense because I have been missing my mom a lot as I get ready to become a mom myself. I also rarely dream about my mom and usually when I do they are about memories I have of her so to have one that left me in tears was kind of disturbing. Have any of my previously pregnant friends reading this experienced this same thing? I was hoping it wouldn't last the entire pregnancy but I am starting to think I have another three more months of this. I just hope they aren't so intense and dramatic....some sweet happy dreams would be nice.

Our Little Girl Kicked!

This morning for the first time Jeff felt his little girl kick! It was great and something we have been anxiously waiting for. This kick was a little one too so I can't wait for when he feels her strong ones. It is such an incredible feeling when you know there is a little life inside you. A lot of my friends said to enjoy every day of this pregnancy and I am really trying to do that because there will never be another 9 months like these.

As with pregnancy symptoms I am still having crazy dreams. This past week I gave birth to a banana which definitely was the weirdest one yet. I think it was due to all of the fruit comparisons I have been making. My back is starting to hurt a little more but I am still sleeping well except for the midnight trips to the bathroom. No major mood swings either which is nice. So overall the Garner's are doing really week and just getting more and more excited to meet our little girl. We also go back to the Dr. this Tuesday but I think it will be a short visit.

Today is the Seahawks game and clean the house day. Good times here in Bham!

24 Weeks

Today I reached the 24 week mark and the most exciting update is that I am really starting to feel her kick. I love it and it is the most incredible feeling. Now that I know what it feels like I realize she has been kicking for a while but I just wasn't sure. Unfortunately, Jeff still hasn't felt her move yet but hopefully that will happen soon. Whenever we are laying on the couch I have him put his hand on my tummy but then of course she becomes very still.

These are two pictures I took by myself which I discovered isn't easy but at least it gives you an idea of how much she is growing. I will write more about our weekend later today.

Our Little Katie Louise

21 Weeks

21 Weeks and I am really starting to look and feel pregnant. Jeff and I are doing well despite the fall like weather we have been having this week. Work is really busy for me because we are in the middle of enrollment. So my days are filled with answering the same questions over and over from parents and staff. Therefore, I have been tired and falling asleep on the couch before 9:00! Maybe I should start getting less sleep to prepare me for our little girls arrival. Well I am off to bed but my friend Beth requested a more recent picture....so here you go girl!

19 weeks

I got my weekly e-mail update today and our Little G is now the size of a tomato and I just had to post this picture because it made me laugh once I really thought about how we keep comparing our baby to different fruits and vegetables.

17 Weeks and Vacation Time

I don't think I have looked forward to a vacation as much as this one coming up. Jeff and I are off to Montana on Friday and I am so excited! It has been over a year since I have been to visit my aunt and uncle in Billings and that is just too long for me. I have always been very close to them especially since I lost mom and this trip will be extra special because Jeff has never been there and hasn't had a chance to really get to know my family. So we don't have much planned which is the perfect kind of vacation. We will be doing a lot of relaxing, eating, socializing, and probably more eating. My uncle is an amazing chef and now that I enjoy cooking too we will be eating very well. It will be fun to get some girl time with my aunt and grandma and talk about mommy to be stuff. I also can't wait to hear stories about my mom when I was first born because that is something I really miss....not being able to to talk to my mom about her first time mommy experiences. I have so many questions and will just have to rely on my instincts, great friends, telephone calls to Grandma Nats, and the new book I found, "I am a Mom, Now What?".

So, now that I am almost half way through my pregnancy and things have been going so well, I am starting to think more about the newborn time instead of the actual pregnancy. I am of course still taking care of myself, exercising 5 days a week, eating well (mostly), and trying not to stress or worry about being a mom. I am pretty sure I will be a good mom but since this is something I have never done before, it is hard not to question my abilities. One thing I do know is that Jeff is going to be a great dad. He is so loving and patient and I can't wait to see the first time he holds his little one. We are both getting very excited to meet our little son or daughter!