My Burgeoning Belly

The title says it all...here are some very back dated pictures of my pregnancy. I was OH SO LUCKY to be extremely nauseous for the first 16 weeks of the pregnancy, the worst being from about 6 weeks until about 14 weeks. I did actually lose weight for a while and finally started gaining weight at 18 weeks. It was frustrating to be sick, but I figured if it was part of growing a healthy baby, I would do it. And I will do it again to have another one, it just isn't fun. Oh well, it all turned out just fine! Anyway, because I was sick for so long it took me a long time to start showing. People would ask ridiculous questions like, "Are you sure you're pregnant?" Um...yes, pretty sure! I was so happy when I did finally start showing and gaining weight!

So, here is my belly's journey to full term, starting with the first picture I have where I have a belly, sort of. I wasn't really showing yet, but I sure tried to look that way!

18 weeks - Jodi and I at the Gender Party PUSHING our bellies to show! It's crazy to think that Zolie and Kirby are here now and have already had their picture taken together (future blog :))!

22 weeks - finally starting to look pregnant, not bloated :)

24 weeks - at this point I was still wearing my regular jeans (barely) but had to unbutton them.

28 weeks - the start of my 3rd trimester and one step closer to seeing my girl!

29 weeks - Jodi, Vanessa and I were the pregnant bridesmaids walking into bars on 6th Street in Austin for Jana's Bachelorette Party. The bouncers (extremely observant fellows) kept offering us free drinks...um...no thanks....It was comical.

32 weeks - Tyler and I at Jana and Buddy's Rehearsal Dinner. I did the Cupid Shuffle and had my first round of Braxton Hicks Contractions...I was having fun and I over did it, A LOT.

32 weeks - Tyler and I at Jana's wedding the next day. I didn't know how big (or not) I would be by 32 weeks so I ordered a HUGE bridesmaid's dress (at the recommendation of the sales lady) and it fell right off before the alterations!

33 weeks - At my Tomball Shower and at this point I was REALLY looking ready to go!

33 weeks - Jodi, Angie and I at Jodi's Baby Shower for Kirby Love. Angie has not been drinking the baby-makin' Kool-Aid lately. She's already got 3 handsome boys!

35 weeks - Heidi and I letting our bellies play together, she had JUST found out that she was expecting...Baby Rice is due in February - YEA!

The next group of pictures is from our Maternity Session. We had our good friend Christina take our pictures and they turned out precious. She did an AMAZING job and you can see all of the pictures on her blog: http://christinashippeyphotography.com/blog/?p=1004

I love that we have this memory of our eagerness and excitement about our sweet baby.

My FAVORITE! This picture describes our relationship perfectly.

This next group was a BONUS! Jodi and I have been best friends for over 10 years. God has blessed our friendship and put us together and held us together through some CRAZY times. We found out we were pregnant 2 days apart and told each other the same day. Our due dates were 2 days apart (completely unplanned) and our girls were born 2 days apart. We got to see each other in the hospital with our sweet babies as infants in the nursery. Before they were born we wanted to have a session with Christina Shippey (who is Jodi's sister-in-law) and capture our bellies together. Again, Christina did FABULOUS and these pictures were SO FUN for Jodi and I to take together. You can see all the pictures from the session at http://christinashippeyphotography.com/blog/?p=1040

AND...last but certainly not least. This is my last belly pic.

38 weeks - This was the snapshot we took right before we walked out of the house to go to the hospital. Sunday, July 17 at about 4:45 - Zolie was born 27 hours later and that belly was deflated...mostly ;)

Gender Party - 2-25-2011

Because we waited until our second trimester to tell everyone we were expecting, it wasn't but a month later that we found out that our little bity was going to be a girl. I had seen a friend from high school had a gender party and when I told Tyler about it, he loved it too. We decided that was a perfect way for us to find out if our little bun in the oven was going to be tutus and recitals or basketballs and trucks.

At our BIG ultrasound we asked the sonographer to tell us anytime she was in the "nether regions" so we could look away. We were teasing each other that one of us would cheat, so we stared lovingly (haha) into each other's eyes the whole time so we would know for sure that we were being honest. She cut that picture out seperatley for us and sealed it in an envelope. Later that day I dropped the envelope off with my best friend, Jodi. She and her husband found out the next day if thier baby was a girl or boy also, so she had her secret to keep and mine for a few days. TORTURE! I knew she knew, she knew I she knew...it was crazy fun!

Jodi called a baker friend of ours and explained the process and said to bake a cake and dye the cake itself either pink or blue and ice it completely white and write "It's a ?" on the cake.

We invited our families and some of our closest friends to dinner and had a VERY suspenseful meal waiting for dessert!

Here are some pics of our night. It was SO fun! If anyone wants to find out the sex of their baby in a fun way, this is it!

My beautiful mom, Nonnie and I waiting for dinner...

Mommy and Daddy waiting to find out!

Cutting into the cake! Funny moment...the baker (who is a friend from church) wanted to trick us, so she "accidently" dabbed a little blue icing on the bottom decorative part. Tyler took it out of the box and was saying "I see it, I know, I see it" before I even cut into it. I was yelling at him saying "No you don't, No you don't" because I wanted us to fin out at the exact same moment!

We both were FULLY convinced it was a boy - so imagine our surprise! PINK! GIRL!!

Pink cake for our sweet girl, Zolie Addison Rohr!

"My Daddy ROCKS!" - Yes, sweet girl, he does. Hard core. :)

Everyone weating blue that thought Baby Rohr was going to be a little boy.

The smarties of the party who guessed GIRL!

Jodi and I letting our girls "play together" - our bumps have grown SO much since then!

Grammy, Daddy, Mommy and Nonnie

Our sweet friend Hallie, her crazy hubs John couldn't make it - but their little boy Jack (who will be one of Zolie's boyfriends) came too!

My beautiful family - only missing Steven - was all able to make it!

Uncle Bubba and Aunt Mayra just recently moved close to us, so Zolie can see them anytime she wants!

Thank you Lord for my beautiful best friends!

Tomball Beauties! My momma and "Aunt" Betty!

Sweet Aunt Nat Nat - the friend I've had the longest! :) Zolie will love you as much as I do!

Aunt Kellis - I love you! Kellis was my roommate in college for several years - Zolie is gonna be spoiled by you, I just know it!

My AMAZING mentor, Lisa - or Nonnie Lisa as Zolie will call her!

Jodi and Bryan - their sweet Kirby WILL be Zolie's best friend - and their birthdays will be days apart - maybe even the same day!

Kelley and Heidi - they are expecting a little one in February! Tyler and I should be pros by then to teach them the ropes, right?!?

Katy and Erich - Tyler's best friends from high school that we don't spend nearly enough time with, but ALWAYS have fun!

Jantie and Buddy - they live too far away! But, We love them just the same and can't wait for them to make Zolie laugh as hard as they make us laugh!

SOOO - Gender Party = AWESOME SUCCESS! It really was one of my (and Tyler's) favorite memories we've made in our marriage. We loved it. Thank you friends and family for making it so special and finding out the surprise of our little girl with us!

I was going to blog my entire pregnancy today - but it is NOW TIME to go the hospital! We start the induction early in the morning. So I must go for now. I will continue to blog the rest of our pregnancy, but it will be after she gets here!

Send prayers and thoughts and love our way - we are on our way!

Baby Rohr is coming...TOMORROW!

I have not blogged since the day I posted that we were pregnant. WOW - way too long! Tomorrow I go to the hospital to be induced so our little one will be here! And I have SO many emotions (but we will save that for another blog...) So MUCH has happened since then! I am going to blog one thing at a time. Anyone who has facebook has seen most, if not all, of these pictures and events. But, for those who don't facebook - here we go! Ultrasound Pictures!

Our very first ultrasound picture of our little one - 7 weeks and 2 days - 12-10-2010

Next week - the size of a raspberry! - 8 weeks and 2 days - 12-17-2010

Mom and Dad get a gummy bear for Christmas - 9 weeks and 9 days - 12-26-2010

Baby Rohr's first human profile - just a few days before we announced to the world of our pregnancy! - 12 weeks - 1-12-2010

The next five pictures are from our BIG ultrasound on February 22 (17 weeks and 6 days). It was SO FUN! But, when it came time to see if our teeny-tiny was a boy or girl we looked away. We had the sonographer cut that picture out seperately and not tell us what it said. Later that week we had a Gender Party (pics and blog about that later ;)) where we found out with our family and some friends that our little miracle is a GIRL!

Her perfect little foot!

The circled area was the proof - GIRLY GIRL! No worries friends, I have had about 6-7 ultrasounds since then, she is STILL a girl, there were no hiding apendages in this pic! :)

Her long legs! She get's those from her daddy! Perfect for dancing and swimming and chasing Miss Ava.

Her beautiful profile and backbone all curled up and comfy!

Tiny hands waving HI to everyone! She can't wait to meet you!

The next 4 are from our March 18th appointment (21 weeks and 2 days). These were the times I was grateful for being high risk because I got to see my little girl so often! Not all moms and dads get the luxury of so many ultrasounds - most people only get ONE, I can't imagine!

Precious little arm bones holding up a sweet face, she was thinking about us as much as we were thinking about her!

Sort of a scary picture - but you can see her perfect little skull.

There are those long legs again - always measuring at least a week ahead of average schedule!

A month later on April 20 (26 weeks) we got to see her again! The next 3 are from that day.

Look at the gorgeous face! Already posing for the camera!

These last 2 are from May 18 (30 weeks) where she was measuring 3 pounds and 5 ounces.

I can't wait to meet those squishable, kissable, loveable cheeks tomorrow!

This was the point where I was dismissed from seeing my high-risk doctor for the intensive ultrasounds. We still got an ultrasound every week from my OB/GYN then until now, but on a machine that wasn't as fancy or clear, so the pictures aren't as good. So, you'll just have to wait for the pics of the REAL girl!

I can't believe that she is going to be here tomorrow (assuming my body takes to the medicine correctly)...I am so excited I can't even find words to explain. Looking back at these it is amazing to me that God has crafted her from a single tiny cell and grown her completely inside of my body. As I look down and see her knees and elbows and feet almost poking through my skin I am still amazed and get giddy about her movement inside of me.

I PRAISE HIM for her, because she is "fearfully and wonderfully made" and He loved her before she was even in my womb. So did we, precious baby, so did we.

Moving on to the next blog...Gender Party! :)