Happy Halloween

We love tutus!

Kate and Luly

Ready for school Christmas pictures

Baby it's cold outside!

I'm finally big enough to sit in my exer-saucer!

Grandaddy and Kate

Farmer Kate

We love play dates!

One of the pictures from our photo shoot!

All dressed up for Aunt GG's bridal shower

Cooper and Daphne watching over Kate while she sleeps

Well, the fun's almost over! Kate will be 8 weeks old on Tuesday (it goes by so fast). So, my maternity leave ends next Thursday and Kate and I will both be starting school. I'm nervous about going back since I didn't start the year with this group of students...it should be interesting, to say the least! Kate will be going to a church school close to me and I will be able to visit her on my conference period and at lunch if I need to. The worst part of this, though, is that she has to get her shots, which we're really not looking forward to. But, now that her personality's starting to come out, I really don't want to go back to work. However, I don't think I could be a stay-at-home mom. I need the extra adult conversation that I get at work!

Kate is becoming more vocal and she's starting to make different noises and laugh. Our favorite thing to do is put her on her butterfly pillow or her changing table and listen to her "talk." She is also sleeping at least 6 hours at a time during the night and we've even had 2 nights where she slept 9 hours! Now our biggest challenge is finding a suitable diaper, if you know what I mean! And now, instead of crying to wake us up, she talks (it's actually more like yelling) to get us up.

We've been pretty busy for the last month with the fair and football. Now we're getting ready for Aunt GG's wedding...only 16 days to go. All 3 of us are in the wedding....I can't wait to see Kate in her honorary flower girl dress! We also had a fun play date with Jordyn Marchetti and Austin Bullock. Actually, they played while Kate laid on the floor and looked around! There's only so much you can do if you can't hold your head up. But we still had a great day! Also, we had a photo shoot with my cousin Jacy, who took some excellent pictures of Kate!

Until next time.....

Another Season of Football Begins...

As most of you know, Chris and I are both huge fans of football. So we were both very happy when college football kicked off this past Saturday. We bbq-ed some chicken, drank a few beers, and kicked off the day with College Game Day! The only drawback to our strong love of football is that we cheer for different college teams. We've agreed to dress our daughter according to who is playing at the time. So, when Texas is playing, she wears orange....when A&M's playing, she wears maroon. We have to do more wardrobe changes, but that's okay with me! Thankfully, we both cheer for the Cowboys on Sundays so there's only one outfit to put on! We hope you enjoy the fall as much as we plan to!

No one ever said it was going to be easy.....

I hate baths!

I'm finally getting some meat on my bones!

My clothes are still way too big but Mommy doesn't care!

Kate's closet....one word....ridiculous!

Daddy's girl

Kate and Aunt GG

I love my butterfly pillow!

I can't believe that Kate will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and that 2 weeks have already passed since I last updated the blog. The days go by so fast now and it seems like there's not enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done. And, due to lack of uninterrupted sleep, Chris and I don't know what day it is half the time! During the night, Kate wakes up about every 3 hours to eat. So, even though we're getting sleep, it's in short intervals and it's not the same as sleeping for 6-8 hours straight! But, every new parent goes through this and the amount of time she sleeps is slowly getting longer.

We're having a lot of fun with her, despite the very stinky diapers and spit-up! And she seems to think it's funny to tinkle before she has a diaper on! So, needless to say, the amount of laundry we're doing has increased and we have several wardrobe changes each day (we've already had to wash the car seat cover, too!). She's already very spoiled (thanks to Mommy, Luly, and her aunts) and she already knows what noises to make when she wants to be held....Mommy's a sucker for the whining and fake cries. One thing that produces real tears is bath time (see above pictures)! Wet babies are similar to wet noodles....so this is another new experience that we're muddling our way through. It'll all get easier with time!

Mommy and Kate have already been on several outings (because Mommy needs to get out of the house most days). We've been to my school, mom's school, the library, Dixon Animal Clinic, and Wal-Mart (yuck!). My rationalization for these outings is that Kate has so many cute clothes (again...see above pictures) that it's a shame if I'm the only one that sees them!

I'm going to try not to let this much time pass before I update!
Happy beginning of school and beginning of football season!

We're home!

Crossing my legs like a lady

This hat makes me look like an elf!

Chillin' with Mommy!

My new bed...I'm a little small for it but it's pretty comfy!

My pacifier's almost as big as my head!

After 2 nights in the hospital, we were able to come home on Thursday. Kate's doing pretty well....we're having a few problems sleeping at night. We're not sure if it's tummy problems or if she has her days and nights mixed up. But, needless to say, Mommy and Daddy haven't gotten much sleep the last 2 nights! We're going to try sleeping in the car seat so she's a little more upright! Hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon and we can get into a regular routine. The other 2 members of our family (Cooper and Daphne) came home from camp (AKA Dixon Animal Clinic) yesterday and got to meet their new baby sister. Cooper's still not too sure about her....Daphne doesn't seem to care much one way or the other!

Grandaddy

Aunt Cookie and Kate

G-ma and G-pa

Our tiny baby...I think the camera really does add 10 pounds because she looks a lot bigger in pictures than she really is!

The Galles

She's finally here!

Katelyn Elizabeth Galle arrived yesterday (8/10) at 8:04 AM. She weighs 5 pounds 6 ounces and is 19 inches long. She looks just like her daddy and she's doing great. She had a little trouble maintaining her temperature yesterday because she's so little but we've got it under control today!

So here's what happened.....
When I woke up Monday morning, I had pretty intense contractions but they were different from the other ones I'd been having because they had spread to my back. They got increasingly worse throughout the day so, at 3:45, when they were 10 minutes apart, I called the doctor's office and they told me that, because we lived in Brenham, we should head to the ER when I had them 7 minutes apart for about 30 minutes.

Chris was at home by this point and was doing some work outside. He came in the house at about 7:30 and I told him he needed to take a shower because we would be leaving for the hospital soon. By the time we got to Hwy 105 at 8:15, they were 5 minutes apart. I've never been stabbed, but I imagine it feels something like what I was feeling at that point (and I'm not exaggerating). I'm not sure what I expected labor to feel like, but nothing could've prepared me for what was coming.

We got to the ER at St. Joe's about 9:15 and they took me up to check my progress. At that point, I had to wait another hour and make more progress in order to stay. Otherwise, I'd be going home...for me, that wasn't an option. So after an hour, I had made enough progress to stay. I immediately asked for my epidural....she laughed and said I had to get my IV and do bloodwork first! I finally got the good stuff at about midnight and Chris and I were able to rest a little bit. And for all of those ladies out there who give birth without pain meds, all I can say is....WHY? But, seriously, kudos to you....you're stronger women than I am!

After the epidural, things went pretty fast. My doctor wasn't on call Monday night because she had been on call all weekend. I was pretty upset because, after 9 months, I really wanted my doctor to be the one to deliver Kate. But we got lucky....there was a shift change at 7:00 AM and the on-call doctor called my doctor (they're in the same practice) to let her know that I was close. At that point, she was on her way to a different hospital to check on another patient but she said if we could wait about 45 minutes, she'd be there. So I was very happy to see her when she walked in at 7:50....and Kate was born 14 minutes later! So, needless to say, the actual delivery was very easy for me and didn't last very long!

So, here we are with a new baby and we're doing great and couldn't be happier. Chris is already an awesome dad. He's been so great with her and with me. I also couldn't have asked for a better labor partner....he was so encouraging and was there for me every step of the way. We'll continue to post updates and pictures!

And now we wait.....

There's not a whole lot to report from this morning's doctor's appointment. We've progressed a little bit but not as much as I thought or would've liked! I, of course, got my hopes up and thought that she was going to tell me that today was the day and it was time to check in next door. But, no such luck! I've been having contractions for the last few days but they're not regular or intense enough to go to the hospital. She said it could be this weekend but it could also be after my due date. The good news is, and I quote the doctor "I'm on call this weekend, so, if you bingo, come on in!" So, maybe we'll get lucky and something will happen soon. If not, we go back to the doctor on Thursday. For now, we wait......

We went back to the doctor yesterday morning for our 37 week appointment and it was just as I thought....no progress had been made in 4 days! Katelyn's still doing well but she's not quite ready to make her debut. Our next appointment is next Friday (the 6th) so there better be some change in the next 10 days!

In other news, we celebrated our 1st anniversary this weekend! We spent Saturday in Houston getting some last-minute things that we needed. We had a nice dinner and did some shopping....overall, a great day! And, on Sunday, we thawed the top of our wedding cake and each had a piece. Good flavor....kinda dry. I guess spending a year in the freezer will do that. It's hard to believe that we were in St. Maarten on our honeymoon this time last year. Time flies when you're having fun....and getting ready for a baby!

Kate's Nursery

Kate's Making a Move

3 weeks and 3 days to go! We went to the doctor this morning.....Katelyn's still doing great and she's dropped! I'll spare you the details but we're making progress....she said she might even be here a little early....our luck, that means she'll be late. I asked if she could take a guess at her weight and she said that right now she'd say between 6 & 7 pounds! My belly's not as big as most people at this point, so I sort of expected that to be her weight at birth...but I guess it's the way I'm carrying her that makes her look smaller than she is! We go back on Tuesday....we'll see if anything changes in 4 days!

In other news, our 1st anniversary is Sunday and we're spending it at.....wait for it......
Babies r Us! We're actually going to celebrate tomorrow because we've got some other errands to run in Houston. And we have to exchange the duplicate gifts that we got at last weekend's baby showers. We're hoping that we'll be able to take a trip for our 2nd anniversary! Have a great weekend....stay tuned for more news!

35 weeks and 6 days

Cupcakes, Deviled Eggs, and Showers

A lot has taken place since my last update. We celebrated a busy 4th of July by going to 3 parties on the 3rd and attending the parade in Independence on the 4th. We had a great time making the rounds, but it was pretty warm so I spent most of the holiday weekend trying to stay cool!

We went back to the doctor on July 7th and not much had changed. Kate's still growing, she's got a good heartbeat, and she's still head down.

My fabulous sister-in-law, Gretchen, is getting married in October. So, on the 10th, we had a kitchen bridal shower for her. And, for this shower, I made 4 dozen cupcakes and 4 dozen deviled eggs! So I spent the day before in my kitchen, making a huge mess....but my canine vacuum cleaners are happy to report that the cupcakes were excellent! I was pretty pleased by how it all turned out and we had a great time at the shower.....Congrats Aunt GG and soon-to-be Uncle Chad!

This weekend was busy again with 2 baby showers for me and Kate! I had a wonderful time at both and Kate received some fabulous presents...we're very blessed to have such great family and friends who have already begun spoiling our child! Thanks to all of the hostesses for all that you did to make this weekend so special for us. And, as you can see from the pictures below, we now need a bigger house! My cousin's 5-year-old wisely noted that I'm not going to have to go shopping for a while. I'm going to be spending most of this week finding a place for everything and writing thank-you notes!

I will be 36 weeks tomorrow (yikes....it's getting close and I'm getting anxious!) so we will go back to the doctor this Friday, the 23rd. From that point on, we will see the doctor every week and this week she will begin checking for signs that Katelyn's birthday is getting closer. Hopefully, she'll be able to give us an idea of how big she is and if we can expect her to arrive close to the due date or if she's going to make her grand entrance early!

Blog updates will be more frequent from here on out....so stay tuned!

The cupcakes I made for GG's shower

GG opening presents

Me, mom, my aunts, and Granny at the ladies' shower on Saturday

Kate's presents from the ladies' shower...this is one spoiled little girl!

Aunt GG, me, and Aunt Cookie at the girls' shower

Diapers....YAY!

Well....2 more weeks have passed and we now have 7 weeks and 3 days until Kate's scheduled arrival. If she's anything like her parents, she'll be here a little early. If she takes after her maternal grandparents, she'll be fashionably late! I think she'll be early.....but I also thought she was a boy.....so, who knows? Her movements have increased, but they've changed. As she grows, her living quarters have become smaller....so, instead of kicks, it now feels like she's pushing me...and that's what it looks like, too! We saw the doctor this morning and there's not much new to report. She's still in the correct position, she continues to measure correctly, and my blood count came back normal (I'm not anemic). So we'll go back on July 7th and hope that everything stays on track!

My main activity for the last 2 weeks has been finishing the nursery. I've added a bookcase, wall frames, and a lamp, and I've sent the rocking chair pad to be recovered. My talented Aunt Marcy is painting name letters for the wall over the crib and my mom graciously took time out of her house building activities to iron the bedding for the bassinet and make sure it was perfect (I think she said it took her 3 hours...if you know my mother, this should not be a surprise!)! Other than that, the only thing I have left to do is order the area rug....and the nursery will be done!

Last Saturday, my fabulous sisters-in-law took me to College Station to be pampered and it was a great day! They took me to lunch, gave me a ton of fun gifts for Kate, and took me for a mani/pedi. Thanks, Aunt GG and Aunt Cookie....it was just what I needed!

Chris continues to be very supportive, which can't be easy because my body pillow and I are constantly moving throughout the night....and this doesn't include the times I have to get up to use the ladies' room! I can't wait for him to experience fatherhood....I know he's going to be a great dad.....and Katelyn's already got him wrapped around her finger!

I hope everyone's managing to stay cool....in case I don't update in the next week and a half.....
Be safe and Happy 4th of July!

32 weeks and 4 days