Baby Shower Pics (She'd better be a GIRL!!)

Below are some pictures from the shower last Sunday. To see more photos, click HERE or on the "Photo Albums" link to the right of the screen.

Baby Shower

This Sunday I had my first baby shower for Lehna. I had a very nice time. Lehna made out like a bandit! It was crazy. We played the game where you have to memorize things on the tray and then you had to remember what we just saw and then we also played the "dirty diaper game" and well that game was kind of gross. It was kind of hard to who would have thought melted chocolate would be hard to identify. The food was WONDERFUL it was a salad luncheon and I ate like a pregnant person it was great! I enjoyed myself. Lehna got many many things and I am VERY grateful for all of them. I know Lehna is equally exited if she knew what we were talking about. The shower was great and I am going to get pictures so I will attach them to the blog once I figure out how to do that. LOL Technology and I just don't always get along! But Lehna received a high chair, carseat stroller set, Mini swing, Lots and Lots of pink clothes, blankets, a Bandana bear Lamp and mobile, baby food spoons, dishes, and cups, bottles, diapers, baby medical kits, baby toys, a digital baby journal (which I'm going to check out to see if I can use it on the site), picture frame, monitor, and a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head. I am soooooo grateful for all the gifts and the shower and I thank everyone that gave us the gifts and planned the shower. I am working on the thank you cards and I hope to have them out by the end of this week. I do have another baby shower on Saturday so I'm pretty excited about that shower too. It's amazing just how much "stuff" this baby takes! Who would have thought some one so small could need so much! I guess the smaller they are the more they need. I was really excited to unpack everything that took a LONG time and I have started to sort out the unisex baby outfits that I am going to wash up. I know that I will probably get more at the next shower but I want to have something ready just incase baby Lehna decides to come THIS WEEK! Wouldn't that be WONDERFUL I know I would like it! I just want Baby here! I know Tait worries that the baby won't be "ready" which I also have those worries but I just can wait to hold the baby in my arms and give her kisses and all that good stuff, even the not so good stuff I can't wait for. Although I keep hearing over and over is "enjoy the time now" which I know things will change majorly but I think it will be a nice welcome change. At least I say that now. Well that is my weekly update. Lehna still continues to kick the heck out of my sides and ribs.... the rat! Until next week.

Baby Lehna

I wanted to update my online journal of baby Lehna's progress. This week we had another doctor appointment and it went very well. I found out that the reason why my hips were aching so badly is because they are expanding to make room for baby to "come down" so that was kind of exciting news. I asked the nurse if there was anything I can do about the soreness and she said "not really" so that was kind of disappointing she said I can take warm baths and Tylenol and that is about it. I have learned though that the slow dancing that Tait and I learned at the child birth class makes my hips feel so good so we have been doing A LOT of dancing lately! The baby has been doing quite a number of pushes and tugs this morning I think she may be in a bad mood, and I didn't even put ice on my belly! I can't believe just how close we are to getting to see baby Lehna (or Nikolai)! It just makes me so happy to think about. Tait is so very cute as he talks about how he's excited about having her here it makes me really happy. I know that I'm ready for her to be here I am ready NOT being pregnant any more... not that I haven't enjoyed the experience I am just ready for the next part. I have heard its better. We have a baby shower this weekend for Tait's side of the family. I'm pretty excited about it; I know it will be a lot of fun. It just will be fun to see all of Tait's family since we really don't see them all that much. They are such a riot! And I have heard through the grape vine that Lehna is going to be quite the spoiled baby! AND this is only the FIRST shower! It's just scary she's not even here yet and she's going to be a clothes monster! So all the hospital bags are packed and ready to go... I keep having these dreams about the carseat. Last night I had this dream that the hospital REFUSED to let me take the baby home because the carseat was not up to safety standards so we kept buying new ones and they said that we only had 3 attempts to get the carseat right or we would not be able to EVER take the baby home. I think I'm having some anxiety over the whole carseat thing... I think that if I were to do it over again I would get the carseat ourselves not that I don't trust the relatives to get it but I think that since I am not the one picking it out it makes me nervous... why I'm not sure I think it's part of my neurotic personality. I know that which ever one we get it's going to be perfectly fine but again... it's just me I guess! Well that's my update for the week. I know that next week I will have much more to say about the first shower and the up coming shower the next weekend! Shower Shower everywhere! Well thanks for reading about Baby Lehna!

Journal of Lehna

Today is Lehna's first journal entry... This is Stephanie (by the way) Lehna's mom, well life support at the moment. Lehna is my unborn child. As you can see from the beautiful ultrasound Lehna is going to be a BEAUTIFUL baby. We are excepting her to make her grand entrance on March 31, 2005. I am really hoping that Lehna actually makes an appearance earlier than that but that unfortunately is not up to me. My husband Tait thinks that Lehna will not make her appearance until April 8 or 10th I have informed Tait that he is NOT a loud to spread those nasty rumors. So I guess time will tell when Lehna actaully gets here. For the most part Lehna has had a pretty easy time there were a few times at the beginning which she scared her mommy but she was always fine. The doctor thinks Lehna is developing great and so I'm pretty happy with that. Lately Lehna is growing a fast rate and she weighs a whooping 4 lbs! I have discovered that Lehna has been practicing her breathing quite often because she gets the hiccups. Unfortunately I think the hiccups makes baby Lehna upset because she usually starts kicking the heck out of my rib cage once the rumbles start. Making any night time hiccups impossible to sleep through. Tait of course just says 'aww baby Lehna' which is sweet but not excatly what you want to hear at 3 in the morning. As the time has gone by it's amazing to think that in a few short weeks I will be a parent for those of you that know me that's quite scary. I have always wanted to be a mommy I have since I can remember so this is a life long dream for me to be able to fulfill. There are of course the normal jitters that I worry about but I know as long as Lehna is healthy everything else will work it's way out. For my family this is going to be the first girl grandchild in both my side and my husband side so there have been a lot of anxious grandparents awaiting the arrival of the first girl. Lehna will have one cousin named Landyn who just turned one this past weekend so I know a new baby will be welcome. Tait and I have been trying to prepare ourselves for the arrival of the baby by taking baby classes and reading lots of books. I have a feeling that no matter how much we read or how many classes we take we are still going to fill unprepared and nervous. I am going to strive NOT to be the nervous mommy but I have a feeling that may not happen, poor Tait. I'm sure the doctor will be on speed dial and I'll be calling over every sniffle and sneeze... but that's why they get paid the big bucks right? In prepation of Lehna's arrival there are two baby showers in store for us. The first baby shower is Feb 26th in Williamsport, this is going to be from Tait's side of the family. The second baby shower is scheduled for March 5th in Peru, this will be from my side of the family. I am really excited about both baby showers and I know that a LOT of time and effort is being put into both of them and I thank all of the organizers and planners for the baby showers, b/c I KNOW that it's hard work. So Thank you all! I know Lehna also thanks you, you just can't hear her yet. Lehna is going to have LOTS of relatives that will love and adore her just like her mommy and daddy. Well I must sign off on this first entry because I could go on and on for hours over the new baby. Until next time

Lehna's First Video

Lehna on February 7th, 2005