Work sucks.

So Jeremy went back to work last Thursday, but I had my mom here to help me out when I needed it. (I miss our dishwasher!) Today was the first day that I was home alone with Layla and Zver. Zver annoyed me for a while this morning, but I sent him out into the backyard so that I could get some housework done in peace. Layla was a little angel, she was wide awake, but I put her on her tummy on the Boppy pillow and she just hung out while I vacuumed. When she got tired of that I put her in her little jungle bouncer. I think it scares her a little, but I think she likes the lights. Soon enough daddy came home for lunch and she started to get fussy. I think she just wanted to be held by her daddy...I know I always want to be held by her daddy! ;D
Layla and I just got back from a long walk. We went about 40 minutes through our neighborhood. The weather is SO PERFECT today! The sun is out, it's nice and warm. Layla enjoyed the first few minutes of it wide awake, but quickly fell asleep. I forgot to take my iPod so I just enjoyed the scenery and kept taking peeks at my perfect little angel asleep in her carrier.
I decided that I like Nebraska better in the spring. Winter was just too cold this year. I loved the snow, but would have enjoyed it more if I weren't pregnant. Last summer I came for a week to visit and it was enjoyable, but a little too warm for my taste...well, it's better than Mississippi, so I guess I can't complain too much! I haven't experienced the Autumn yet, but I'm guessing it's a little colder than I'd like.
I think I've rambled on enough for today.

Yay for Grandma Robbin!!

Today Layla, Jeremy and I went to the airport to meet Grandma Robbin who flew in from California to finally meet her first grandbaby! She also met her son in law for the first time. We've just been hanging out at the house letting grandma and Layla bond. My mom was able to see Layla get a bath and when she was all dry she layed her down on the cookie monster blanket and rubbed her down with baby lotion. We're having a good time and are looking forward to Grandpa Pete coming out here on Wednesday. Both grandparents will be leaving next Saturday, so we're happy to be able to spend this week together!

Perfct baby,

So far Layla has been so amazing. She sleeps pretty much the whole night and naps a lot during the day. She wakes up to eat, burp, get her diaper changed, and make cute little faces for mama and daddy. Her favorite thing to do is lay on either mama or daddy's chest and fall asleep. She also has amazingly loud burps and farts, she takes after her mommy!
I could not have asked for a better labor and delivery, and now I have the perfect little girl. Jeremy and I are two wonderfully proud parents and we are enjoying our family time getting to know our little bundle of joy.

Welcome baby Layla!!

On Wed morning I woke up about 3:15 am with some cramping, and about 15 minutes later my water broke and the contractions got more intense and closer together. So Jer and I packed up and left for the hospital around 6 am. A few hours after I was admitted I was given an epideral so that I could relax until it was time to push. In early afternoon the nurse said I was ready to push and sent for my doctor. After pushing for 4 contractions (11 mins) Layla was born!

We had a great couple of days getting to know our little girl while I was recovering in the hospital, but we finally got to bring our little girl home today. She meet Zver, and he was very excited to see her. After a while he got more comfortable and knows that he has to be gentle with the tiny new person. They are now best friends!

Insomnia.

It's about 2:30 am here in Omaha, and the little munchkin in my belly is not letting me sleep. I have ten days until my due date! The past week or so it's gotten to be so uncomfortable and I'm having a hard time sleeping. Also, I have developed heartburn for the first time in my life. I hope that means Layla will have a fully head of hair!
Okay, I just wanted to vent about my no sleeping.
I'm tired.
Oh, and here is a picture of some cute little baby flip flops my mom (the flip flop queen) got for the little monster to wear this summer. Notice uncle Matty in the background with a sweet little message.

26 DAYS TO GO.

The countdown has begun.
Jeremy and I are both anxious to be getting the show on the road. I really just want to get the scary labor part over and done with so I can play with my little baby girl.
Today I felt two contractions, but they were so far apart and didn't last more than 10-15 seconds, so I know they were just braxton hicks. I think BH contractions are a mean tease for us anxious blimps. As much fun as it has been being pregnant, I am at the point where I am just ready for it to be over!!!! The only thing I'm going to miss is feeling her little movements inside my belly (not so much the big kicks in the ribs.)
I think the world is ready for Layla. I hope Layla is ready for the world real soon!!!

You know you're happy when.....

When you get a new fence!! After having this house since October we finally got a fence around our backyard. Personally, I think fences should come with the house. We always had a fence growing up in California. I guess the midwest is full of weirdos who like to have everyone in their business. It's still not the woodn fence I would have preferred, but at least it's something to keep my devil of a dog from running off again. Hours before the fence people got here Zver decided to make a run for it. Maybe he knew it was going to be his last chance for escape? Well he took off to the house you see in the background of the picture below. Once I finally made my way down there with the leash he took off around the house and made is way down the street. Not fun. He spent the rest of the day in his kennel. Today he was starting to act up again, so I let him out to run around and he just did laps around the whole yard. He was like a race horse running around as fast as he could. I was happy that he was getting all of his energy out, but in the process he got covered in mud and made his way into the house and got mud all over my white carpet. He really is an evil dog.So Jeremy's family had gotten us a gift certificate for Pottery Barn for our elopement. I'm not a big fan of pottery barn (too expensive for my taste) but we were able to find something to make good use of the money. We got some wine glasses, champagne glasses, martini glasses, and margherita glasses. Since I am not allowed to drink alcohol for another month or so I made good use by squeezing the apple juice from my juice box and drinking it from my awesome wine glass!

Another fun story about Zver....Jeremy was sitting on the computer and Zver was laying on the floor next to him. Suddenly Zver started growling and barking at something in the kitchen. Jeremy looks around the corner and there is absolutely nothing in there. He looks at Zver to follow his eyeline and it turns out he spotted our puppy calendar. He saw the little dog looking at him, and I guess he didn't like it. Zver likes to bark at the TV whenever another dog is on there. He runs around trying to figure out how this dog got into the house and why he can't see the dog standing behind the TV. Not the brightest dog...definitely entertaining though!

Haircut.

I went to the BX on base today while running errands and decided the haircut lady looked bored, so I let her cut my hair. I cut about 4 inches off and added some layers. It's pretty different, but I like it.Jeremy is really interested in Astrology and likes to go outside and admire the night sky. Since it is now nice and clear weather he just bought some really nice binoculars that can bring out amazing details. I like to go out with him and he shows me all these beautiful stars and planets and different solar systems. It'll be nice to take these out in the mountains and get much greater detail.
Not much else has been going on these days. We're just enjoying our time together and waiting for Layla's arrival. I have about a month left and am really looking forward to meeting this little person I've been growing inside me. Layla is coming at a perfect time when the weather is getting warmer and new plants are growing. I'm so happy that it is springtime, and I'm really looking forward to spending the summer with my little girl.

My mom keeps telling me I need to update...

So I haven't updated in a while, and a lot has gone on.
I made it safe and sound to Nebraska, and Jeremy and I have been spending time together as newlyweds, decorating and furnishing our home, and getting ready for baby Layla to grace us with her presence. (Yes, we found out it's a girl!) A few weeks ago she tried to jumpstart my labor and sent me into pre-term labor, but the docs were able to stop it and send me on my way!
The day I left the hospital, I got on a plane to go visit my family out in California! I hadn't seen them since Christmas of '06 so I was happy to go home and see my parents and siblings and my best friend, Robin. Not much has changed, and it felt good to be back there hanging out with everyone. Matty still picks on my mom, and I was able to get picture proof of it!
Also, while I was home, my daddy had a massive heart attack. They kept him in the hospital for observation a few days, but they finally let him come home just a couple days before I left, so I still got to spend time with him.
While I was home my mom and dad set up an appointment with this company that does 3d/4d ultrasounds. We were in there with the tech for about 40 minutes and the whole time Layla was moving around, kicking, sucking her fingers and toes, and touching her face. She was just the cutest little thing and put on a good show for us. I think she looks just like her daddy's baby pictures, but Jeremy just doesn't see it. My mom and family friend Kristen threw a baby shower for me and Layla and so many people showed up with well wishes and great gifts! It was so nice to see all these familiar faces after being away in the military for so long. Layla got a lot of cute clothes! Later that night she was so hyper and active that she put on a two hour show for Gramy Robbin. I was laying on the couch while we were watching some T.V. and my mom could see and feel her move and kick. She's an active baby and is always moving. Layla is getting stronger and stronger everyday, and last week when we were at the OB for an appt they were able to measure her weight through and ultrasound and she weighed 3 pounds, 4 ounces (as big as her Aunt Wendi was when she was born!)
Speaking of Wendi, I just want everyone to know that she is a chicken face with a chicken beak!
Zver has been a lot of fun, and I'm so glad that we were able to adopt him. He's still a puppy but he doesn't look like it at all. He's a big dog, but he acts like he's tiny. Zver likes to run around chasing his tennis balls, chew on a bone, or chase his tail. He still acts like a big baby and goes crazy if he gets left alone. For the most part he has stopped pooping in the house, but the other day we found a few surprises he left for us in the entryway. We still love him though.
On Valentine's Day I woke up feeling like I was swallowing shards of glass, turns out it was just a sore throat. Since then I've had a cough/cold and two days ago somehow developed pinkeye. Jeremy has been taking such good care of me! He took me to the doctor yesterday where they gave me some eye drops. I hate putting things in my eyes, so Jeremy does it for me! The drops have really helped, and I'm hoping this cough/cold and the pink eye are cleared up ASAP!

Zver!!

Since I am moving to Omaha to live with Jeremy pretty soon, we decided that we are going to get a puppy to keep me company while Jeremy is at work or flying or deployed. Luckily one of Jer's friends has a 6 month old puppy named "Zver" (Russian for Beast) and they are going to let us adopt it into our family! They think he is part lab part newfoundland. He's a very large puppy, and will keep us busy. We're going to pick him up and bring him home sometime next week during the Christmas holiday. I'm looking forward to finally having a dog!

Baby Chastain

So we don't officially know what the baby is, but we will be finding out as soon as baby decides to stop being so shy and flash us already. The last ultrasound baby was too small so they couldn't tell if anything was there (or not there.) Then today baby wouldn't get into the right position for us to see.
Just today I had an ultrasound appointment where they did a full anatomy scan. Baby has all ten fingers and ten toes. Limbs are developing perfectly. The spine looked strong and the heart was beating steady. It was very active so I was in there for about an hour and forty-five minutes with them trying to get pictures of different organs and body parts to make sure they are developing properly. So far, everything looked great!
Baby had it's legs squeezed tightly together so we couldn't really tell if it was a boy or a girl. We could view the bladder (which had developed just fine) and right underneath we didn't see ANY boy parts. Three different techs came in and their opinions were that it was a girl with a slight possibility of a boy who's parts were being squished.
Hopefully at the next ultrasound baby will sprawl out so we can get a clear view. We're both getting very impatient and can't wait to find out whether it's a girl or a boy. Next ultrasound I'll be in Nebraska so Jeremy will be able to attend and we'll find out together what we're having.
Boy or girl, I'm just happy the baby is developing properly and seems to be happy and healthy. Baby is very active and moves around and kicks and punches me 24/7! I honestly cannot wait until I can meet the baby and Jer and I can hug and kiss it.
This is the first grandbaby on both sides, and we know it is already loved by many!
Baby Chastain is due on April 18, 2008. This ultrasound picture was taken today at about 22 1/2 weeks. It's laying down facing the camera and it has both hands in it's mouth. Right as the tech was capturing the picture it tilted it's little head back so you can't really focus too well on the face. Don't worry, I saw it's nose and it does not look like Jeremy's =) Just kidding!

2007

Okay, where to start? So much has happened the past year and it's all been so fun and crazy!
For a while Jeremy and I were stationed at separate bases and had to take leave every once in a while in order to see each other. While I was visiting Jeremy in Nebraska for my 21st birthday he surprised me with a beautiful engagement ring and asked if I would be his wife. After spending a little over a week and half together I had to get on a plane and head back to my base in Biloxi, Mississippi. We planned on getting married as soon as we could so that I could get orders to get stationed in Nebraska with him.
Well, a few weeks after I got back to Biloxi I discovered that I was pregnant with mine and Jeremy's first baby! We were so excited and could not wait to share the news with our loved ones.
After waiting about a month and a half, Jeremy was able to fly down to visit me and we took a little trip to Tallahassee, FL to visit with his brother Josh and attend a Florida State game. While in Tally we went to the court house and eloped on September 7, 2007. It was pretty fun and exciting, and you know I've never done anything the conventional way, so it was just my style!
In just a few short days I will officially be a civilian again. We decided that me separating from the Air Force and moving to Nebraska was the best decision for our little family. This way we will be able to live together and prepare for the baby to arrive, and once baby Chastain is born I can stay home and raise the baby!

Why blog?

So my mom started a Fausett family blog to keep everyone up to date on her siblings and all their families. There are just so many of us that I thought I'd help her out by posting my new family's info and everything going on so she doesn't have to keep updating for us. It's hard to keep in touch when both of us come from such large families with lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins. So this way Jer's family and mine can stay updated on things going on. I think this is a pretty good idea, and since I won't be working soon I should have no problem keeping it up!