Green Light

This last week we got the final thumbs up from the midwives that Peyton is ready to come at any time... Yikes!

We are officially 37 weeks which means full-term and he is welcome to come anytime, though his official due date is January 16th and Mommy is hoping he will wait to make his appearance until Oma arrives.

This last week we also got the results of the latest round of testing and aside from not having diabetes, we don't have Strep B (had no idea that this even existed until pregnancy), and my Iron level has finally risen to a higher level than anticipated! We've officially gained 25 lbs and I can't imagine gaining any more depsite them telling me I have another 4-10 to go... O_o really?!

I keep getting a lot of people asking for an update on the "progress" so here goes - we're not really sure. I chose the midwives as they are less intrusive and work on Peyton's schedule (something i've been trying to come to terms with haha). We don't get weekly "checks" but are told from our last one that we're on track. Though he hasn't "dropped" here are some of the symptoms i'm having ...

- Intense Braxton Hicks - when asked on a pain level of 1-10 where I am I say 4 since I know it's only going to get worse, but truly it feels like an 8!

- Major back ache

-Nausea, Indigestion, and Heartburn... thank heaven for Tums! My new found pregnancy love

- Stretch marks... sadly, they finally made their appearance and it's not pretty. Though i'm hoping they stay limited to the few and isolated area they are at, I think the lotion and I will win in the end

- Continued mood swings = crying over every Christmas song, picture or thought of a baby, and while prepping for Baby has really become a hindrance in effective progress of life

- Of course, I'm the size of a whale... okay maybe not so much that since you can't really tell i'm pregnant from the back but once the basketball swings forward - there is no mistaking who is in charge

It's reality for us now, the hospital bags are packed, the car seat installed, and now it's a waiting game. It hasn't been too bad the last few days as we've had the holidays and I have time off to enjoy but i'm getting slightly nervous for after the New Year. Matthew and I start back up with classes on January 3rd and I return to work then. I will have a couple days of training later that week and then we'll see how my major work projects go. I can definitely feel a difference in energy and manueverability so I hope we make it work well...

Blessings for Peyton

So many blessings have come into my life. At the end of November I participated in a Suicide Prevention Walk in honor of my little sister, Heidi. Our team, Team Heidi, was in the Top 3 fundraising teams and we couldn’t have done it without our family and friends support. Despite being 8 months pregnant, Peyton and I made the walk a cake walk. For those of you who sponsored us – here are some photos of the event (please don’t judge my appearance that early in the morning!)

Our little Peyton is very blessed! This last week he was very spoiled as our friends hosted three baby showers for us!

My office hosted a nice luncheon where we were gifted a pack’n’play, a sleep positioner, some adorable clothing and toys and the start of Peyton’s college fund J Matt was spotlighted with a Daddy Diaper Duty Kit which he proudly strutted around in.

Some beautiful women in my ward hosted a shower for me that had the yummiest food and wonderful company. We had a lot of fun playing some games where we learned I’m a texture-focused person. At that shower Peyton was spoiled with more outfits to rock, some much needed hygiene supplies including diapers, wipes, bath supplies, and a teddy bear. Despite not having family nearby, I was grateful for those women helping to fill that void.

Our third shower took place with my classmates and friends. There was some cute décor and delicious desserts where we gifted bibs, burp cloths, hats, a diaper bag, some more hygiene supplies, and a Bumbo.

I learned this weekend that despite my personal qualms with South Florida weather and traffic – we are really loved and have a great support system down here. I’m ever grateful for the generosity everyone gave to my little family and I’m so excited to see Peyton enjoy all these gifts.

We have one last baby shower in January that I’m a little nervous for. My sister and mom are hosting a shower in Utah for Peyton and I but unfortunately we won’t be able to attend as we’ll be within a couple of weeks of his due date. So, in order to have a presence, I’ll be skype-ing in to join the fun. I wish I could be there to personally see all my friends and family that may attend. My sister and mom are so kind to do this for me despite the distance.

Amongst all of this, we have started attending our birthing classes and if you thought labor was painful – this will be a close comparison. Despite finishing another semester of grad school, four hours of this class on Saturdays sure does take it out of us. In addition, I’ve had a cold that’s taking me out of commission despite trying my hardest to finish out strong before I go on leave. With all of this going on I’ve learned a few things I wish every pregnant woman could have (myself included)…

* A personal masseuse

* A personal chef

* A temper pedic mattress

* Unlimited vacation time

* Unlimited fundage for arts & crafts

* A personal designer

* A house keeper

* Photographer for the beautiful bump moments… though you might feel that these are actually few and far in between

* Unlimited Spa pass

* A whole new wardrobe that makes you feel empowered & beautiful

* A personal hairdresser

* A fantastic soaker tub

And of course, a supportive spouse that lets you vent and supports you through all the crazy changes and mood swings and loves you despite it.. (Luckily, of all the things on the list – I have this!)

We now have 40 days left to go so I’m grateful that we have Christmas, New Years, and work to keep us busy. Hopefully there will be another update before it all happens.

Babymoon!

With less than 3 months until our little man is expected to arrive we recently took a weekend getaway to Orlando. It was our chance to get a temple trip in before things got too hectic and while in Orlando – of course we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit Disneyworld!

24 weeks

24 weeks

26 weeks

The Orlando temple was beautiful and serene! It was the first time we’d made it out to the temple since we moved to Florida. Three-hour travel time for a temple trip sure has brought us out of Utah.

At Disney it was wonderful because it was fall! Despite the warm temps, we had a lucky cool draft that let me wear a sweater while looking at all the Fall decorations. Although I’m pregnant, I was also lucky enough to ride the Haunted Mansion with Matt. We took it slow but all the walking gave me the exercise I needed to enjoy the rest of our Disney trip.

This time around was the food and wine festival in Epcot and Peyton and I most certainly enjoyed our time there! With 25 booths set up in addition to the regular restaurant options… it took us two days to eat our way around the world. We were very lucky to have Matt as he would take my order and run around to five stations at a time while I sat and ate the food he brought. We also timed our trip perfectly so that we got to see Boyz II Men in concert! It was so fantastic and it didn’t hurt that we caught two of their shows … for free! It really has become our families happiest place on Earth.

We happened to be sitting right behind Shawn’s family and got to see his little moments with his wife and kids… thus the face.

Peyton Robert Biehl - January 2012

In the blogging world, I have earned an F! We’ve been so busy that taking time to upload photos and writing has been put on the back burner but hopefully, I can give a little update to the whirlwind that has become our life.

So in the recent months Matt and I are back in the full swing of life – but does it ever truly stop? We had a month “off” of classes that was spent with me working and presenting at various trainings for the job and Matthew was busy seeing his clients.

Right now we’re both in classes, actively participating as executive board members of our Graduate school’s Student Government Association, running around with our internships and jobs. Matthew recently picked up a second job to help us prepare for the biggest event of all – Our baby!

We found out about a week or two ago that we will be having a boy and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! We are anxious to have our little Peyton Robert join us in January but there’s so much to do before then that we’re quite okay waiting a little longer to meet him.

Since I’ve been slacking, I’m posting some pictures of the belly through the weeks and photos from the 20-week ultrasound. Sorry for the quality, I’ve misplaced the camera cord and can’t seem to remember where I’ve placed it… Oh the joys of pregnancy!

Our little Peyton Robert Biehl

Peyton gave us a high five during his photo session, sadly we captured it as he was changing it up and it looks more like he's practicing for the days we go on drive in South Florida (yep, he's related to Hildy!)

A strong heartbeat

Amazing to see the bone structure already there with his ribs, eyes, and arm

Okay, it's looks a little creepy but here we see those big Biehl eyes facing us - he wanted us to see him smile early on.

He has Daddy's strong shoulders already!

Oh Boy! Right in the middle of the pelvis bone.

Week 20

Week 18

Week 18

Week 16

Week 14

Week 14

Week 5

Week 5