This is our Pack n' Play! My parents got it for us. It is going to come in so handy when baby Magdalen goes and spends her days with Grandma Marshall! I love the pink and brown combo and it is so easy to set up!


We can't wait to use all of the cool 'toys' we have gotten! Come on Maggie!!!

38 weeks and counting!

Baby Maggie is cozy as can be still tucked away in my womb... There isn't much going on in there other than she is gaining about half a pound a week. Hopefully she comes soon... ha ha ha. She is quite squirmy and she makes my belly look like there is an alien trying to get out.


Here I am, I took this picture today before work and I am just amazed at how much I have grown in 3 weeks! I am officially uncomfortable... sleeping is getting a little more difficult so needless to say... I am ready to meet my baby! Really I can't complain, my pregnancy has been really easy and a few weeks of discomfort are definetly worth then end result!



I thought I would post a picture of my handsome husband... this was taken last june when we went to visit the Hudson's for Katie's baby shower.

David is getting more and more excited to meet his baby girl and is going to be a great daddy! As usual he is working really hard and has been a lean mean snow shoveling machine!

We love you all and can't wait for Maggie to get here so that we can all meet her!

Happy New Year!!

35 weeks!

Time for an update!!! Magdalen is growing like crazy and seems to be running out of room!! She likes to do her calisthenics 3-4 times a day which include her punching, kicking and trying to stretch as far as my belly will let her! Maggie also gets the hiccups at least once a day if not twice... sometimes strong enough for David to feel them too! She is just about done 'cooking' and should be making her debut sometime in the next 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 weeks!



Here I am, this is me this morning at 35 weeks 4days... getting bigger and bigger!!! I am still pretty comfortable considering that I am nearing the end. I have been sleeping 6-8 hours a night and enjoying every minute of it!! I am excited to meet our baby girl... though I do get a little nervous when I really think about it!! It is just amazing to me that I will be a mom soon... and that I have to give birth soon!! ha ha ha.

David is getting really excited too, we often talk about who she will look like and what her personality will be like. David talks to her often and says he can't wait to be able to experience her squirmy-ness in real life! David has been working hard as usual and recently finished his quarter at school with a 4 point average! He had to make a video for his final project and did a really great job! What can I say I am a proud wife!

Thank you all for your prayers and love. We can't wait for Maggie to get here so that we can all meet her! Love you all!

Pumpkin Explosion

I spend a lot of my day sitting... and as a result my feet and ankles swell up. Soooo, the other night I got home and did NOT want to sit down so I baked! I had a lot of pumpkin left over from Thanksgiving and I decided to use it all up! What you see here is pumpkin muffins, scones and bread. There were twice as many scones... but when I took the picture they were still in the oven! I will post recipes soon... they were all delicious!

Almost 31 WEEKS!!!!

The end is in sight... I can't believe I am just about into the single digits! 9 1/2 weeks left! Crazy. I thought it was time for an update! Okay, the update is way past due!! So here you go!

Baby Magdalen is just about 3 pounds and 16 inches in length... (that's an estimate of course). This week is big for brain development, also I was reading that she is opening and closing her eyes and will respond to light. She is a wiggly baby and likes to make herself known throughout the day... especially if I am in a position that invades 'her' space.

I am feeling pretty good, though the 3rd trimester has hit me like a Mack Truck. Hello heartburn... I guess I don't have anything to complain about since I have had it pretty easy!!! It has been really fun for me to 'play' with baby Maggie. I poke her and she pokes me back... I love to feel her kick, punch, and squirm!

David is also doing great. He has been working hard at school and work for his girls! He has been having fun talking to Maggie and cheering her on when she kicks. The other day he laid his head on my belly and started talking to her and she responded by kicking him in the head three times. It's amazing how much she moves when she hears his voice! David just lights up when he gets to share in that with me!

Also I thought I would update you on how Missy (our lovable dog) is doing! She seems to know something is changing. she has become extra protective of me and follows me around everywhere I go. She has also become extra loving and loves to cuddle with me and 'take care' of me. I just thinks it's so cool that she know's something is different!

All the preparations for baby are moving along great! David and I have been going to a childbirth class for the last 7 weeks. The class has been really helpful, it has shown us what we have to do to get ready for baby and what to expect realistically when that time comes! It has also been really nice to meet other couples that are also expecting their first baby! Next week is our last class! I can't believe the 8 weeks are up... Time flies.


Sorry it took me so long to update you all on how our little family is doing. I hope you enjoyed my little rant. I love you all!

Maggie's Room

A while back I was browsing online for crib bedding and nursery decor and couldn't find anything. I was overwhelmed by how expensive it all is and how much I didn't really like any of it. So, I decided to try my hand at sewing! I like to call it a poor mom's desperation... =]


As you can see above, I made the window valance. I am pretty proud of myself considering that I had never used a sewing machine!


These are the crib bumpers that I made, these were sewn by hand (only because I didn't yet have a sewing machine). Luckily my wonderful mother in-law let me use hers just in time to sew the valance! I also made the crib skirt out of pink tulle, I don't have any good pictures of it yet... but maybe soon.

I hope you like it, I do but I may be biased!

Belly!

I am so sorry that I haven't been posting... no excuse other than pure laziness. But here I go!!



I realized that I hadn't posted a baby belly picture yet so here it is! I am 31 weeks, and just now starting to really pop out! I took this picture this morning so that I could post it today... I'll have to ask David to take a better one soon! I love my new belly, it is fun to not have to suck in all the time... ha ha ha!

FINALLY

Check out my new posts! That's right 3 of them! Hope you like them! ENJOY!

Baby Shower #1

Back at the end of August my mother in-law Jo threw me a great baby shower with the help of Sarah my sister in-law! It was so fun, I was really lucky to have some of the most special women in my life join us! My mom and grandma came and so did our cousin Becky! What a blessing!


This is a picture of most of the ladies that were there... as you can see it was a really cute set up. It was set up as a tea party and they served pie and a really yummy veggie platter.


This is a picture of three generations of women.... (four if you count Magdalene... he he he). My grandma Cristina on the left came all the way from southern California, and my mom Maria came from Idaho. Really Grandma was already visiting my mom up in Idaho which is what made it possible for her to be at the shower!


It probably isn't fair... but I won the trivia game at my own shower and got to go home with some awesome Bath & Body Works anti-bacterial soap!


I got so many great presents at the shower. Above is the little papasan vibrating chair for baby Maggie. It was a gift from my Grandma! I can't wait to use it!


This is a picture of the awesome baby cart I got from my friend Mandy... I loved it so much that I put it together the next day and filled it with all the goodies I got at my shower!

It was such a great day filled with so many great women. I am sooooo blessed to know every single one of them and I am so thankful for their generosity!

Our weekend with Russell

Back in August David and I went down to meet Russell for the first time. I never knew I could love a little baby soooo much! He is perfect. He really is the most laid back baby I have ever met!


This is the only picture I got of me with him... I was too busy taking pictures of him with David that I forgot to have Dave take pictures of me!

This is Russell waving hello. He loves to raise one arm and just stretch out as far as possible.


I think I took about twenty pictures of just Russell. It was just so hard to stop since he is so stinkin' adorable.


Apparently David is a very comfy bed. Russell was very comfortable in David's arms he spent a lot of time sleeping with him. It was so fun to go down and meet him, and we can't wait to go down and see the Hudson's again!

Russell's Baptism

Here are some loooooong awaited pictures from Russell's Baptism! It was an awesome and Spirit filled ceremony. Russell's grandpa Deacon Bill Hudson performed the baptism and it was a private (family and friends only) ceremony. It brought tears of JOY to my eyes to see how loved this little baby boy is! David and I feel so blessed to be his Godparents and are lucky to forever be a part of the Hudson's family!



This is Paul, Katie, Russell, Me, and David right after he was baptized.


A shot of us during the ceremony, doesn't Russell look teeny tiny in David's arms? I love that!


And here is the BIG moment, Russell being baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Praise God! It was a beautiful moment! What a blessed day!

3D Ultrasound done on 9/21/08

One of the Ultrasound Techs at Mt. Baker Imaging (where I work) had asked if she could practice with the 3d Machine on me... so of course I said yes! Magdalene wasn't really cooperating... she kept here hands up by her face the entire time, she seems to be shy. Here are some of the pictures:

This one (above) is a picture of most of her body. You can see her arms and hands covering her eyes, you can see her nose and tummy and little legs and knees... so sweet.

This is her sweet little face.

another face shot, you can really see her lips and nose here.

I LOVE this one! It looks like she is embarrassed... like she is saying "Oh Mom...." ha ha ha!

Another view of the face.

Sleeping soundly... cute.

I love this one, you can really see her little hand and all her fingers, and her little lips... sigh, I can't wait to meet her! Hope you enjoyed these pictures! Love you guys!

Can't believe it's been 4 weeks!!

That's right I am just about 24 weeks.... I apologize that I have been MIA for so long!



Our Baby girl is moving like crazy. It is so cool to feel her responding to sounds outside the womb.... like when I have been quiet for a while and then I speak she usually responds to me with a couple squirms. Not to mention that she likes to use my bladder as a punching bag. In the last month she reached a major milestone... she should weigh just a little over a pound and is about a foot long! Think small doll... so cool and weird all at the same time!

I am doing really great, getting more and more excited as the days and weeks go by! I have been working on the nursery little by little. I finished the crib bumper and the window balance... for never having used a sewing machine I did pretty good if I do say so myself! Now I am moving on to the Crib skirt! I will post pictures up as soon as I finish!

David is starting school back up full time next Monday.... which is exciting. Though I am sure he is going to be more tired since this does mean more homework and studying!!! David has been talking to baby Magdalene more and more though I think he lulls her to sleep more than anything! It seems that she will kick up a storm up until he goes to feel it, then of course she stops! poor Dave!

Next Tuesday (9/23) we will start a Preparation for Childbirth class. It's once a week for eight weeks, I think it will be really cool to meet other couples that are also in their 6th month... and for David and I to learn together what to expect!

Thank you all for your prayers... know that we are praying for you too!!! Love you all!

Heh.

Thought this was funny!!




I am not quite this bad... but I am always HUNGRY!!!

I promise!!!

I will be posting pictures of baby's room, Baby Russell Hudson and baby shower soon!!! I haven't forgotten... I just procrastinate.

Also coming soon are pictures of Russell's baptism! (He gets Baptized this Sunday)

Love you all!

20 weeks and Ultrasound pics!!!

Notice the PINK pregnancy ticker!!! That is because baby Marshall is a GIRL!!! We can finally say she and call her by name... Magdalene Grace.



Baby Maggie is quite mobile, she likes to twist and turn and kick me right after I eat and when I am getting ready to fall asleep... it is the most wonderful feeling I have ever felt!!! This week her lips are more defined and you can also start to see her eyebrows and eyelashes. We already can't wait to meet her!!! The Ultrasound tech said that she weighs about 11oz. and that her body (crown to rump, not including legs) is about as tall as a can of soda. Cool Huh?



I love this picture, it looks like she is smiling.

This is her more serious pose... but still cute as a button!


And this is her foot... I think it's perfect of course!


I am feeling great, it seems that my energy has returned. I am actually thinking about going in and paying for a gym membership month by month so I can take advantage of the new energy supply.

David is really excited to have a little girl... though the first thing that he said was... " I better start saving!". he he he... The other night David was able to feel baby kick for the first time which of course was really special. He was so excited!

Thank you all for all of your prayers!!! We love you all!

18 weeks!

This week Baby has grown about 2 more inches which puts them at about 6 inches crown to rump. Also this week baby has been busy developing two different layers of skin, the epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis and the baby's external genitals are formed enough to be seen!! Baby is also becoming more moblie and since he/she is growing bigger and bigger I am starting to feel those wiggles! Here is a visual for baby's size... (it's a sweet potato not a chicken breast)
I am doing pretty good... it seems that my energy is returning which is great! For a while there I couldn't get out of bed in the morning! Now I have the energy for my walks and yoga which I love! I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and I got to take Jo with me so that we could listen to the heartbeat. I also got the bright idea to take in David's digital voice recorder so that I could record it and share it with David and the rest of the family. It is at 150 beats per minute... baby is movin'! he he he.

David is also doing good! He loved listening to the baby's heartbeat... and can't wait to see baby next friday! Dave is so flexible when it comes to dinner and what I feel like eating (or cooking). He doesn't mind the occasional sandwich dinner and when I don't have the energy to cook he does it! He is quite the cook! I am blessed... and so is baby.

Next Friday we have our ultrasound that checks to make sure baby and I are doing good. This ultrasound also will tell us (if baby cooperates) whether baby is a he or a she! Yeah! We can't wait. Even David is excited to go and register for more gender appropriate baby stuff!

We love you all!!!

17 weeks!

This week baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone and the fat is forming! Yea! So now baby will start to fill out and get those scrumptious chubby cheeks! The really cool new developement this week is that BABY HAS FINGERPRINTS! How cool!!


Here is how big baby is right about now:


I am doing really great! I am just about ready to put my pre-pregnancy clothes away... which is a little scary (and exciting)! I go in for a check up next week and I will be able to hear baby's heartbeat! I can't wait. I can't believe they make me wait a whole 4 weeks between visits! I am going to go crazy.


David is also doing great as usual! He is going to help me paint Jo's old rocking chair to match the rest of the nursery furniture. I re-upholstered it last weekend with this really nice floral blue canvas... as soon as it is finished I will post pictures!!

This weekend we get to go to Yakima and visit our friends Paul, Katie and their little one Russell. We are so excited to meet him! I promise to take lots of pictures and post them next week!

Love you all!

It's update time! 16 weeks

Hello everyone! 3 weeks 'til my ultrasound!! Yahoo! Hopefully we will know whether it will be a pink or blue nursery!!!

Baby is about as big as an avocado! The tiny bones have formed in baby's ears and he/she can now hear! Also, eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair are starting to fill in! Pretty soon baby's taste buds will be formed and they will be able to taste everything I eat in the amniotic fluid!!

I am actually almost 17 weeks at this point, so my update is a little late!! I am doing really great, my baby bump is starting to form and I am beginning to look a little more pregnant and a little less 'chubby'. he he he. I am getting really excited to learn whether it's a girl or a boy... I find myself daydreaming of what the baby's room will look like! I have started to feel some movement... mostly at night when I laying still... there are these pretty strong flutters. It is so exciting!!! I can't wait until I feel the first big kick!

David has been working really hard at selling all of the stuff in Baby's room. We are pretty much done... the weight machine is gone now and so is the George Forman FAMILY sized grill (it is huge) the other things are still pending. I am so proud of David, he really took charge! Our baby will have that room all to itself thanks to Dave!

We are getting really excited for our ultrasound, my parents, brother and grandma will be up in Bellingham and will be here for my first baby shower!!! Thanks to Sarah who will be coordinating it all!!! She is so good at this, she also did my bridal shower so I know this will be so fun!!!

Hope you are all doing great! We love you! Until next time!

Meet Russell David Hudson!

This is Russell our future godson! He was born on July 19th, he was 19 inches long and 6lbs 1oz. Paul and Katie are doing great, just enjoying their new little man. Though he is small, Paul says that he has big feet and big hands -- the better to play basketball with! ha ha ha... you have to know Paul to understand... :)

Isn't he just the cutest!!!

15 weeks... that's right 2nd Trimester!!!

So, I missed blogging during my 14th week.... but have no fear... I am here!

This week baby's legs are straightening out... and baby is learning to kick and stretch them out. Though since baby is still very small (only about 4 1/2 inches right now) the movements are still too small to notice. Also, baby's ears are positioned on the sides of it's head... they used to be on baby's neck. Baby is also practicing sucking, breathing and swallowing motions... that is just so cool!

This week I seem to be fighting off some kind of nasty bug... not really sure if I just have really bad summer allergies, or if I actually have a cold... who knows. Other than that I am actually feeling pretty good. I have more energy and I feel like I am coming back from the dead! I am starting to show a bit more... I am actually NEEDING my maternity clothes. I have also been noticing some pretty strong flutters in there at night when I laying in bed -- it is sooooo cool and amazing!!

This last Sunday we got some baby furniture... thanks to Jo and Kevin (David's parents) we have a crib now! Also, David and I got a little dresser/changing table! They are both ivory and perfect. As soon as we got back from our shopping trip David (and I) started cleaning out the bedroom that will soon belong to baby. I was so impressed by Dave, he went to town on that room... the closet is virtually empty and all we have to do now is TRY to sell the big stuff. It was so cute... I think the reason David attacked that room so aggressively is because he feels like he can FINALLY do something for the baby. (he hasn't admitted this... so I am assuming.)

We are so excited because we have about 4 1/2 weeks until our big ultrasound!!! We'll know the sex (if baby cooperates) on August 22nd!!! I can't wait to know whether it's Magdalen Grace or Benjamin Dariel!!! No more calling baby 'it'. Yeah!!

Vegas Trip!

Back in April we all met up in Vegas to celebrate my brother's 21st birthday! David and I had never been to Vegas so it was definitely an experience!!! So FUN!!


This is my family in the lobby in Paris... soooooo beautiful!


We found a great piano and cigar bar in Paris. The guy on the piano knew EVERY song imaginable to man! He was so funny too. I think this was our favorite place because it was mellow and laid back.



This is out in front of Treasure Island where they used to to a pirate show that was family friendly.... but now they do the sirens of TI just because they had to sex it up of course.


Vegas was really fun and next time we go we really want to go with more time!! Next time we really want to be able to see shows like Phantom of the Opera, Cirque du Soleil, and to ride the roller coasters. Oh yeah and we also want to be rich when we go next time!!! With stores like Gucci, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent and many many more designers... it just makes you wish you could even just afford a key chain... hehehe.

13 weeks!

That's right! I am just about done with my first trimester!!! Time flies...

Baby Marshall is growing and is about the size of a plum... kinda crazy if you think about it. This week baby is developing his/her senses of smell and taste... and is learning his/her sucking reflex. Also, baby is forming fingerprints, cool huh? Pretty soon baby will be moving around so that I can feel the little guy/gal. (can't wait)


I am doing great, though I am definitely needing some energy right about now. I sometimes think baby is a boy with how much energy the little one is sucking out of me!!!!! I had my first OB appointment and we went over all of my blood work and everything is just great! Looks like baby and I are healthy! I started crocheting a blanket for our little one... it is nice to sit an crochet and pray for baby and all of our loved ones... it is definitely soothing.

David is getting more and more excited for baby and the coming months! He is working hard and helping me at home when I don't feel very good. He takes very good care of me and baby. David has also started teaching Missy (our dog) some new tricks... right now he is working on teaching her to crawl. It is so fun to watch!


I love you all!! Many blessings!