12.31.2009

2 down, 1 to go

i am officially in my third trimester this week!

whooo hoooo!!
11 more weeks left!

today i had a baby checkup plus my glucose test.
yes i had to drink that orange drink although it wasn't as bad as i expected.
i won't get the results back from the test until next week because of the holiday.
everything else appeared normal with mom and baby.
baby's heart beat was 145 bpm & measured the normal size.
she checked my cervix & i am not dilated or effaced yet. (that is a good thing- we don't want a baby this early!)

i now go back to the doctor every two weeks until my last month which will be every week.

we are headed out to the lake this afternoon for the weekend.
the durretts & the fuschs will be out tomorrow.
of course we are excited to see them but are even more excited to play with our precious lyla kate!
it has been so fun seeing blake eww and aww over her.
i think it is safe to say he hogs her anytime family is around.
everytime we leave lyla, he tells me how much more excited he is to meet our baby girl.
i can't help but smile every time he says that- he is going to be such a good daddy!

OH & now that i will have a break from what seems to be my crazy life these days, maybe i will actually get to take some pics this weekend!
and YES YES, i will find someone to take some of the ever growing baby bump. promise!

i hope everyone has a safe and happy new year.

what a blessed year 2009 has been- i can't wait to see what is in store for 2010!

xoxo

12.09.2009

WELCOME Lyla Katherine Durrett

below is my new baby niece- lyla katherine durrett.
isn't she precious!?
born december 8, 2009 at 12:21am.
she was 8 pounds, 3 ounces, 19 inches long.
momma and baby are doing well.



look how good blake looks with a baby!
he's gonna be such a great daddy...i can tell already!
welcome baby girl!!!
i can't wait for her to meet her cousin in march!

week 40: baby durrett


12.06.2009

baby lyla is on her way

exciting news update:

lindsey & jeremy were told to come to the hospital tonight at 6:00pm.
she has been put on some medicine that will thin her cervix.
they will rest there overnight and at around 8:30am, she will be put on pitocin which will begin the labor process.
depending on how her body responds to the meds, baby lyla could come quickly or take all day.

blake & i will be headed up to the hospital in the morning so i will keep you all posted as i found out the details.

please keep them in your prayers over the next couple days for a smooth delivery and a healthy momma & baby girl!

we are all so excited to meet our newest little family member!

xoxo

12.03.2009

3D sono

we got to see our baby girl this morning & wow, are 3D sonograms are AMAZING!
she had an audience watching her- both sides of the family came to see a sneak preview!

there are a few pics below of what we could get.
let's just say she wasn't the most cooperative little girl. that stinker.
her heartbeat was 161 bpm.
we did find out that she is head up right now meaning she is considered breeched.
apparently doctors start to be concerned at 32 weeks on if they are breeched so hopefully she turns her little body around before then.

we spent an hour trying to get a good shot of her face/profile.
at first she waved at the camera but for most of the time her feet and hands were in front of her face.
she opened her mouth a lot, apparently swallowing the amniotic fluid and also playing with her fingers and toes.
she is one limber baby!

check out our beautiful little girl!



the above pic shows her knee close to her chin. her eyes are closed & you can see her tiny nose and mouth.
the picture above shows her foot pretty much in her face.
how can that be comfortable!?

i am just so amazed still at all of this- the entire pregnancy process.
she truly is a beauitful gift from our God.
blake & i cannot wait to meet our sweet angel.

12.02.2009

week 39: baby durrett


week 38: baby durrett


brrrrrr

buddy's first snow this morning caught on the iphone.

gotta love those sweet eyes.

...yes this is a new post

apparently my tator tot casserole post is making people hungry being that it's been the most recent post for over a week now so i have been instructed to update.
i apologize.

things have been great in the fusch household.

we had a wonderful thanksgiving week.
my sister came in town with her husband and my precious nephew, jett.
we had the whole family over for dinner one night.
i also spent a lot of time with them in coppell.
i even stayed the night at my parent's house because i just couldn't go back to dallas knowing my little nephew (meredith & patrick too) were so close!
jett stayed with me in my room & i got to take care of him all.night.long!
it was so fun & special for me even though he woke up two times in the night and again at 7!

my baby bump is getting bigger and bigger.
i am 24 weeks.
we had our monthly checkup on monday.
her heartbeat was 130bpm.
she weighs over a pound now & measures a little over 12 inches.
i have continued to feel great throughout my pregnancy with the exception of heartburn which began this week.
not the most pleasant feeling but i can tough it out right!?
tomorrow we have our 3D sonogram of our baby girl.
we are so excited to see her again!
we have invited both sides of our family to come see her especially since neither moms had anything close to this when they were pregnant.
i will be sure to post those pics sometime after the appointment tomorrow.

for those of you who are wondering where lindsey durrett's baby bump pics are...
i hope to get those up today.
i have weeks 38 and 39 to post.
my lovely laptop recently got a virus so i am having to stay late at work to edit any pictures (which is my excuse for why i have been lacking in pics these days). ;o)

and for those of you who are wondering how lindsey durrett is doing...
she is due this friday, december 4th but is scheduled to be induced on december 7th if she hasn't come before.
she is around 2cm dilated and 75% effaced and has been for over a week now.
we can't wait to meet baby lyla & couldn't ask for a better Christmas present this year!!

i promise to you all (you know who you are) that i will try to do a better job of updating.
i am ashamed of myself too. ;o)

11.17.2009

tator tot casserole


after hearing a bunch of people talk about making tator tot casserole recently, i thought i would give it a shot.
it sounded too yummy to pass up!
i found a recipe that i thought would work but added a few extras for flavor & nutrition...this isn't the healthiest thing i have ever made!
blake & i both enjoyed it and it was even good the next day reheated.
here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teapsoon ground pepper
1/2 yellow onion chopped (optional)
16 oz frozen bag of mixed veggies- whatever you prefer (optional)
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup- low fat, low sodium
1 cup of sour cream- light
2 cups of cheddar cheese (split)
1 frozen bag of tator tots
DIRECTIONS:
preheat oven to 400.
brown the beef with onion, salt & pepper until cooked through.
drain & place into 9x13 (sprayed) baking dish.
place veggies over beef- as much or as little as you would like. i used entire bag.
mix soup & sour cream in separate bowl.
layer on top of veggies.
top with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
layer bag of tots on cheese.
cook for 30 min.
sprinkle tots with remaining cup of cheese.
cook for 5-10 min or until cheese is melted.
it's that simple!
ENJOY & happy tuesday!!

11.14.2009

week 37: baby durrett


11.13.2009

chicken pot pie empanadas

last night i made these yummy chicken pot pie empanadas.
i wasn't sure how they would turn out but blake LOVED them and so did i!
plus it was SUPER easy.
i actually got the chicken & shredded it the day before so yesterday all i had to do was put it all together and bake.
it took no time at all.
each one of those slices is pretty big so along with a salad or side, one should be enough per person.
i also brushed melted butter on each one to add a tiny bit of flavor & also so it would turn more golden brown.
if you like more of a thinner or runnier chicken pot pie, i would recommend not putting in as much chicken or veggies or slightly increasing the amount of flour & chicken broth.
of course, if you don't like carrots or peas, you can switch out the veggies.

below is the recipe.
enjoy and let me know how it goes!
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Serves 4
Hands-on Time: 25m
Total Time: 50m

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1/2 yellow onion, diced
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 10 ounce box frozen peas & carrots
* 1 3-4 pound store-bought rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 refigerated 9-inch piecrusts (from a 15 ounce package, such as Pillsbury)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Still stirring, slowly add the broth. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the peas and carrots, chicken, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

3. Cut each piecrust in half to form 4 half-circles. Spoon the chicken mixture over the bottom half of each half-circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Using your fingers, wet the border with water. Fold the top of each crust over the chicken to form a quarter-circle. Press to seal. Make three 1-inch slits in each top crust.

4. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake until golden, 15-18 minutes.

11.11.2009

week 36: baby durrett


11.10.2009

week 35: baby durrett


11.06.2009

pregnancy is my excuse

wow. i guess you can say it's been awhile since i last blogged.
almost a month ago.
oops.
pregnancy is my excuse.

so now i will attempt to update you on our lives these days.
things have been mostly good around the fusch household.
we have begun to prepare for the arrival of baby fusch.
my parents came over last weekend to help paint the nursery.
as you some of you know, one of our bedrooms acts as a closet/getting ready room for me.
(blake uses the closest that is actually in the master bedroom.)
well we decided to make the nursery the room i use as a closet so i had to switch EVERYTHING over to the "guest bedroom".
that is what my mom & i worked on most of the time.
the boys- my dad & blake- painted the empty room.
they did such a great job...you would think we hired professionals!
we moved our guest bed into the nursery since it is a fairly big room.
i am quite positive that i will be spending a lot of time there in the near future.
we have ordered our crib, glider & have purchased our stroller.
the room is slowly coming together.
i will be sure to post pictures of the nursery once it's completed.

what else....
i am going on 22 weeks.
only 18 weeks left!
i feel great- completely normal if not better.
baby fusch is kicking like crazy these days.
i feel/see her moving mostly in the mornings & at night.
blake felt her for the first time a couple nights ago.
such a special moment.

i was asked for the first time this past weekend- by a total stranger- when i was due.
i was REALLY excited - it means this baby really is growing inside me!
told her that she made my day.

baby durrett- lyla katherine- is due in less than a month now!
we are so excited to meet her finally.
i know lindsey & jeremy are too.

*buddy bear update*
as most of you know, blake & i rescued a lab/doberman back in june...his name is buddy.
after trying to find him a home for a good month & going through some pretty nasty surgeries, we grew VERY attached to him and decided to keep him.
he is doing absolutely amazing- other than last week when he licked/ate some sort of decaying matter at the park- i won't go into details!
we love this dog more than one can explain & often say there is no dog out there that will ever replace him.
he has become so comfortable with us, our lives & our family & friends.
we find ourselves making plans around buddy- going to restaurants where we can sit outside with him, taking him with us to friend's houses who have dogs, etc.
we are so excited to see him with baby fusch.
i think he is absolutely going to love her & be so protective over her- he is already so good with kids & babies.

on another note: some of you are probably wondering where my baby bump pics are...or maybe you aren't but i am feeling guilty about this so i will mention it anyway.

since i became pregnant, i feel like i have become very laidback, carefree & calm with a lot of things in my daily life including photography & blogging.
stress has been rare which is good because i just don't let things bother me now.
not to say i don't enjoy them anymore but it just doesn't seem a priority these days.
like i said, i guess that is because there is a baby on the way & i have other things on my mind.
it took me until week 17 to get started on my pictures/journaling of my pregnancy.
i still have to edit all the pictures so eventually they will be up but i can't make any promises. ;o)
at least blake & i will have them...right!?

well that is all i've got.
overall- life is great & i feel VERY blessed to say the least.

oh and i am sooooo excited for all my friends who are about to have a baby, who are due around the same time as me, or are due soon after me. you are all in my prayers. what a fun journey we get to experience together!

happy tuesday!

11.02.2009

week 34: baby durrett


10.22.2009

week 33: baby durrett


it's getting close!!! isn't she beautiful!

10.18.2009

week 32: baby durrett


10.15.2009

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

we finally had our 18 week appointment this morning.
we had all the major testing done on our baby & momma & everything looks perfect.

as you can see, we found out that baby fusch is a precious little girl! ;o)
YIPPPPPEEEEE!!!
we are extremely excited & feel very blessed to be having a healthy baby girl as our first child.
words cannot describe the emotions we felt during this visit.
it was different than any other, of course, especially since she is getting bigger & bigger.
the doc went over the entire body, bones, heart, brain, kidneys, etc to double check that all was developing the way it should.
it was truly amazing seeing so much on this tiny baby.

up until this point, i have not really felt pregnant to be honest.
i never really had many symptoms so finding out the sex & seeing so much of the baby today was absolutely surreal.
i simply have a hard time understanding how anyone can witness what i saw today & not believe in our God & His amazing creation.
it brings tears to my eyes every time i think about our baby & that i really do have a tiny human growing inside of me-
AND i am beyond grateful for this journey that blake & i have been chosen to take together.

SOME BABY FUSCH FACTS:
she weighs about 9 ounces right now & is about the size of a sweet potato.
her heart beat was 150 bpm.
she was VERY active- doing flips & kicking my stomach although i haven't felt that yet but should any day!

below are a few pics from today's visit at the doctor.




isn't she lovely?!

10.08.2009

week 31: baby durrett


10.06.2009

week 30: baby durrett


9.29.2009

i must have the cutest nephew ever.




look how adorable my nephew jett is...everything about him.
i can't get over it.

i love him OHHHH so much!

9.24.2009

week 29: baby durrett


welcome jett

my sister delivered her first baby today.
jett elijah thurman was born on september 24, 2009 @ 1:54 pm.
he weighed in at 9 pounds 12 ounces.
measured at 21 3/4 inches long.

he was a BIG one!

mom and baby are both healthy and doing well.
they should be coming home sometime on saturday afternoon.
i will keep you posted on any news.

thank you all for your prayers & support over the last couple of days.
we couldn't have asked for a smoother delivery!

check out just a few of the pics i took today.
such a perfect, beautiful baby boy!
praise the LORD!







9.23.2009

baby news

we visited the doc this morning.
it was a quick appointment.
we listened for the heartbeat. found it right way.
strong & loud.
it was beating 150 bpm.
dr. smith says everything looks completely normal at this point.
yay!

we will find out the sex on october 15th.
we can't wait to see if we will be having a sweet baby girl or boy.
clearly, by the votes on the right side of this blog, we are having a boy.
which i am sure is very accurate.
soon enough we will know!

update on my VERY pregnant sister-
meredith's due date is this saturday so needless to say she is READY.
and miserable.
and begging for baby jett to come out.
we had three friends who were due either the same day as her or soon after.
they have ALL had their babies now.
all at home snuggling with their newborns.
not meredith. yet.
she is a bit envious i would say. ;o)

she is headed to the doctor as we speak to see if she has made any progress.
she has been having contractions for three weeks now but last night they really intensified.
we are hoping that means she will at least be dilated some & maybe we will see baby in the next couple days!

please keep meredith, patrick & baby jett in your prayers over the next week.

happy hump day!!

9.14.2009

week 28: baby durrett


9.13.2009

week 27: baby durrett


9.09.2009

not an aunt yet...

well no baby thurman yet for my beautiful, pregnant sister.
(doesn't she look amazing!)

due date is sept. 26th- & she is about to pop!
i really don't think her stomach can stretch any further!
she is definitely waddling around now, waiting for baby to come.

at her last doctor's appointment, she was not dilated at all. ;o/
just a couple more weeks meredith!
you can do it!

please pray for her and baby jett that these next couple weeks go smoothly & quickly!

i see you

today we got to see our precious bundle of joy.
we had our 12 1/2 week sonogram done plus some additional testing.
good news is that baby looks perfect so far.
nothing seems to be out of the ordinary & doc says baby has passed it's first round of tests!
praise the Lord!
we also had blood work done which we should get that back in approximately six days.

as for the sex of the baby, it was a bit early to tell so we won't officially know until oct. 15th.
no biggie- i suppose i will just have to hold off on the shopping for another month. darn. ;o)

the sonogram was so fun...it was our first time to see baby fusch as an actual baby with a profile rather than a dot in my tummy.
we also heard & saw the heart beat at the same time which is always an amazing experience.
the heart beat was 160 bpm & the hands & feet were moving around.
such an amazing thing to see & definitely made this feel more real than ever!

here are a few pics from the sonogram.
you can see the profile as well as the hands, body & feet.

below is a shot of the head with the hand near it's mouth.


i will be sure to keep you posted on more exciting baby fusch news!
baby bump pics will be starting soon!
PS- lindsey durrett, my sister in law, is on her babymoon so as soon as she is back, i will get her week 27 & week 28 posted!

9.07.2009

we're on a boat

i am in miami for another couple days.
we are on a friend's family yacht & are ABSOLUTELY loving it.
who wouldn't!?

once i am back & settled, i will have plenty of updates for you from the trip,
baby thurman & baby fusch.

i hope everyone had a beautiful weekend & a start to a wonderful week!

xoxo

9.03.2009

...did i really just do that?

i just ate not one but TWO lean pockets for lunch today, thirty minutes apart.
who does that?!
hopefully other preggers out there do.
at least there is broccoli in it...

9.01.2009

week 26: baby durrett


8.26.2009

baby fusch update

psalm 139:14-16 "i praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. what you have done is wonderful. i know this very well. you saw my bones being formed as i took shape in my mother's body. when i was put together there, you saw my body as it was formed. all the days planned for me were written in your book before i was one day old".

i read this verse today in my morning bible study & couldn't help but read it over & over.
what a beautiful verse & such a relevant one in my life today.
brings me to tears.

it seems it has been awhile since i wrote about baby fusch.
i will try to not let that happen again!

where to begin...
i am ALMOST eleven weeks.
can you believe it!?
the baby will be the size of a lime.
this is what thebump.com has to say about week 11...

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

NICE.
anyway, blake & i had an appointment on monday morning.
we actually got to hear the heartbeat!
our doctor warned us at the beginning that we shouldn't panic if we don't hear it because it is still kind of early.
well after a minute or so of searching, there it was.
pumping away.
167 bpm.
it was so amazing.
better than a sonogram!

we have our next appointment in two weeks where we will have some major testing done.
please keep baby fusch in your prayers.
in addition, there is a slight chance we may find out the sex of the baby.
my sister in law, lindsey, was sent to this same doc for testing.
he was able to tell them that he was 99% sure they were having a girl...& that was at 12 1/2 weeks which is where i will be.
pretty exciting but we aren't holding our breaths.

about me...
surprisingly enough, i am blessed to say i have YET to be sick or for that matter feel nauseous.
i am truly shocked at this considering the other two preggers in my life were both sick.
HOWEVER...i have definitely had other symptoms!
i would say the three most obvious ones for me have been my eating habits, needing extra sleep (i have never been a naptaker) & using the restroom in the middle of the night (never did that before either).
i cannot describe to you how hungry i get and so often too!
i have to eat 5-6 small meals a day to keep the baby happy.
and overeating is NEVER a good feeling.
also, most things that i loved before: grilled chicken, veggies, salads, etc. sound absolutely disgusting.
even the thought of seeing them. really.
it's all ramen noodles, pizza pockets, chicken nuggetts, pickles & pretty much anything else that is salty.
good diet huh.
i have mostly had water to drink plus some decaf hot tea every now & then.
i have tried really hard to stay away from sodas & even more so caffeine this first tri-mester.
we will see how long that last!

as far as my lil tummy goes...it is slowly starting to firm up.
it gets harder & harder to suck in each day.
but NO stranger in their right mind would ever ask me if i was pregnant at this point.
probably won't be obvious for another month or two.
but friends & family MAY be able to tell. ;o)

i plan on starting my baby bump series at 12 weeks, once i am back from cali & florida.

i hope each & every one of you are having a wonderful week.
i am off to cali today to visit rachel in san diego & erin in huntington beach.
i will be there for six days & it will be great although my boys will be missed.

xoxo

8.24.2009

week 25: baby durrett


8.19.2009

baby durrett: week 24


calypso cocktails

one of my favorite stores, calypso, is having an evening of cocktails this wednesday.
they will be featuring their new fall collection.
if you are in the dallas area, you should definitely take the time to stop by especially if you have never been.
they are located in preston center, off northwest hwy & preston.
you will love it!

enjoy!

8.18.2009

cutest kiddos

here a few pics from the lakehouse of some seriously cute kiddos.
i just had to share...
hope you all are having a fabulous week.

happy hump day!