One Month & Christmas Festivities

Friday our sweet girl was a month old! It is so hard to believe that it has already been a month since she arrived!

On Wednesday Lily Claire was able to get out of the house! It was a little warmer so I decided I would get her all dressed up and take her to the Petty Line Christmas party! The people at the office hadn't seen her yet so I thought it would be a good time to let her go visit them! They were so excited that Lily Claire was able come see them! Here is a picture of Lily Claire with her Uncle Bryan...

Every Christmas I get together with a few of the girls that I graduated from high school with...this year it happened to be Wednesday night! Zach was at work so I took Lily Claire with me! The girls were so excited that Lily Claire was able to come with me and that they were able to meet her! They had a fit over her and of course they held her! Hopefully a few of them caught baby fever!! I would love for Lily Claire to grow up with some of their kids like we all grew up together! :) I was too wrapped up in visiting with them to get ANY pictures.

On Christmas Eve we visited with Zach's Dad, Fran, Jake, Machelle, & Grandaddy Burke. Ken & Fran gave Lily Claire some very adorable gifts! Fran sews so she made her two dresses here are pictures of them:Lily Claire's "Pops" aka Ken & Fran also gave her a pair of leopard ballet flats with a pink gerber daisy on the toe! I can't wait to find some fabric and have Fran make her an outfit to match! Here is a picture of her shoes:Christmas Eve night we went to my grandmother's house to visit with my family. We had a houseful so I won't name everyone that was there, but they know we enjoyed visiting with them! Lily got more gifts there such as: money, burp cloths, a bib, & an ornament!CHRISTmas Day: Zach had to work today and we missed him dearly. It was just not the same without him there. Lily & I packed up and went to her Gram & PawPaw's house! We ate breakfast and opened gifts with my parents, grandmother, my brother's family, & my sister's family. Lily Claire got TONS of toys...literally I have no idea where we are going to put all of her stuff! I got some new clothes, jewelry, plant holder, & money & Zach got clothes, a Lowe's gift card, & we got a coffee pot as well! We are so blessed to have such wonderful families!

Here are a few pictures of Lily Claire from this week!

2010

Wow! What a year! 2010 was a very eventful year for our family! It all began by me getting my degree in Elementary Education and filling a maternity leave at CIS. In March, Zach bought me a 2010 4-Runner! We also found out that I was pregnant in March! So, needless to say that was when the fun all began for 2010!! In May, we took our last vacation before the "baby" came. We went to Mexico with another couple and we had a wonderful time! In June, I along with my mom & sister coordinated the Jr Miss Peach Pageant! That was very special to me since I was the 1999 Jr Miss Peach! I was offered a position at CIS to teach 3rd grade...I accepted that offer! We also moved into our FIRST house this month. We were very excited about being homeowners, especially with a baby on the way! This month we also found out that we were having a baby girl...Lily Claire Burke! :) Can I just say that this was a VERY busy month for us! On July 26th we celebrated our 2nd anniversary!

In August, I began my first year of teaching!! I was so excited yet nervous about it at the same time! Their futures are in my hands and that can be a little scary at times! But, when you see a child progress in something that they have struggled with or see their "light bulb" come on it is SO worth it, even the tough days! In November, Lily Claire's nursery is ready, carseat installed, and now we wait for her to come! She did give us several false alarms as we waited for her. On November 24th at 4:34 PM our little angel was welcomed into the world! She weighed 7lbs, 6oz & was 20 inches long. I cannot even explain how it felt to hear that little cry for the first time! She is such a blessing to us and we honestly cannot remember what life was like before she was here! I tear up every time I think about the day she was born.

In December, we loved on Lily Claire every day and thanked God that she was healthy! She was a month old on Christmas Eve! We celebrated Christmas by visiting family on Christmas Eve & Christmas day. This year has passed by so quickly! It was the best year of my life and I will never forget it! Lily was a gift from God and I thank him daily! We can't wait to see what God has in store for us for 2011!
Pictures from 2010:

Easter~ 2010
This was our first family photo since we found out I was pregnant!Mexico~ May 2010
24 Hour Race- "The House Cleaners" team~ June 2010Baby Bump~ August 2010
Baby Bump~ September 2010Baby Bump ~ October 2010Baby Bump~ October 2010

I didn't take pictures after this! I didn't want to remember how swollen I was, I figured if I did remember I would never want to have another baby!!!!

Lily Claire~ November 24, 2010
Lily Claire~ December 2010Christmas Eve 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

3 weeks old

Lily Claire is now 3 weeks old! She changes so much each day and I can't believe that it has already been 3 weeks since we first held our baby girl! She has been sleeping much better the past few days so let's hope it stays this way! She likes her bath (sometimes), her favorite part is when I rinse her off with the shower sprayer that is on her tub! Here are a few pictures of Lily from this week!

"Purrfect" pjs!

Lily & her big brother, Junior!

Sleeping late with Daddy

2 weeks old

Wow how time flies! I can't believe that Lily Claire is already 2 weeks old! It seems like just yesterday we were sitting at the hospital anticipating her arrival!

Lily has been blessed with many visitors and loving family members in the past 2 weeks. She hasn't been able to get out of the house much just yet...it is way to cold for that. She was able to get out for a little while last weekend to take her newborn pictures taken by Picture This Photography!

Here are some pictures of our sweet little angel...

Lily Claire is HERE!

On Wednesday, November 24th at 4:34 pm Lily Claire was born. She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long! She has a beautiful head full of black hair and is perfect in every way! We are so thankful that she is here and healthy as can be!

It was a long labor process and I have never been so happy to hear a baby cry! We were all getting very worried and anxious by the time she arrived...her head was turned sideways when she was trying to come through the birth canal after about 3 1/2 hours Dr. Heaton was able to get her out without doing a c-section.

Lily Claire wore the dress that I wore when I was born for her hospital pictures! Here is the link...
http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=6472249f-2b5d-4c37-872f-26f9ffbc9622


Here are a few pictures of our little princess...

38 weeks

Lily Claire will be here by Wednesday afternoon!!!! We are going to induce labor at 6AM Wednesday morning if I have not gone into labor by then! At my 38 week checkup I was 2 cm dilated & 75% effaced so Dr. Heaton said that she may be here before Wednesday!!

Since I don't have any other news other than that and I refuse to share a belly picture at this point I thought I would share the sweet gifts from Lily Claire's Papa Ken & Fran! This was one of the first gifts that she received and I have been in love with all of it since the night I opened it! Here is a picture of everything...

The background of the picture is a blanket that Fran made especially for Lily Claire! There are also two burp cloths, two onesies, bloomers, a headband, & a jacket. I LOVE monogrammed things so naturally I loved everything they gave her!

Hopefully by the next post I will have pictures of my sweet baby girl to share! Happy Thanksgiving!

36 weeks

The doctor visit went very well today. I have not dilated any more and my cervix is 60% effaced. Dr. Heaton said that we can induce at 29 weeks if I have not had her by then, which will be the day before Thanksgiving! It makes me so happy to know that Lily Claire will be with us in the next few weeks! Please keep Zach, Lily Claire, & me in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks!

I never shared any of my maternity pictures by Sharon Melton with Picture This Photography so I will share one today! They turned out great which reminds me that I really need to order some this week! :)

35 weeks

Yesterday marked 35 weeks gestation for me! Whew what a relief...only 5 more weeks to go!

This has been a very interesting week so I will catch everyone up. Tuesday morning I woke up and my feet were still extremely swollen. So, I called and made a doctor appointment because I have been worrying about my swelling especially since it was not going down overnight. So, Tuesday after school mom & I loaded up and headed to St. Vincents. When I saw the doctor I told her that I had been having cramps in my lower abdomen so they decided to check to see if I was dilated. I was dilated 1/2 a centimeter and had been having contractions since Saturday. So, they decided that it would be best if I stayed a few hours for them to monitor my contractions. Well, those few hours turned into over 4 hours because I was having regular contractions and they decided they needed to try to stop them. After the second shot of medicine to "stop" the contractions it had not worked yet and my blood pressure started dropping drastically. It dropped to about 60/20 so they gave me an IV and oxygen. We finally left the hospital around 11 PM with orders to stay home the rest of the week and to return on Friday to be examined again.

So, I will go tomorrow to be examined and we will see if I have dilated any more. I have still been having contractions, although they have not been regular. Hopefully after tomorrow they will allow me to return to work! I will update you after the appointment! Keep your fingers crossed that Lily Claire is not too anxious to come... at least for a week or two! We want her to be a healthy little girl so she can come home with us as soon as possible! :)

31 weeks

I am now 31 weeks and 4 days along...the countdown is getting closer! Today we hung Lily's name above her crib, hung a painting in her room, and mom sewed butterflies on the valance to add more color! We are now moving right along!

The baby shower is this Sunday and I am getting really excited about it! Hopefully Lily Claire will be stocked up and ready after Sunday! We still need lots of necessities...diaper pail, car seat bases (for Zach & mom), bottles, high chair, play mat, and much much more!

I will go for another check-up tomorrow afternoon and hopefully everything will still be right on track! (Oh, I'm not sure if I mentioned that I passed the 3-hour glucose test!) I am growing more and more each day, I'm beginning to think I might just run out of room! My belly is now the size of a basketball and I can no longer see my swollen feet! haha! I will continue to keep everyone updated!31 weeks, 4 days

29 weeks, 2 days

I went to the doctor yesterday for the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. I will find out the results on Monday...hopefully I will not be diabetic! I will go to the doctor for my checkup on Wednesday and every two weeks after that.

Everything is starting to come together in the nursery, crib is ready, changing table is put together, glider is in place...now all we have to get is the dresser. I have been working on getting her "coming home" outfit together. She will wear the dress that I wore home when I was born and the blanket that I used. Yesterday I found her shoes to go with her dress, they are adorable, they will have her monogram on them! Now, I just have to find her bow(just in case she has hair)!

I won a free maternity photo session with Sharon Melton and we will take the pictures in a few weeks! I am really excited about this and can't wait for the session! :)
And now for an updated picture...

28 weeks, 1 day

We had our doctor's appointment this morning...glucose screening(results will be back Monday), 4-D Ultrasound, and checkup! Everything is looking great, I'm measuring right on schedule, Dr. Heaton said that everything is absolutely perfect!! Here are a few pictures from the 4-D ultrasound...

27 weeks & 6 days

I will be 28 weeks tomorrow and my belly is growing by the minute! I have started having heartburn on a daily basis....so I'm guessing she will have hair when she finally arrives! The kids in my classroom love to watch Lily move inside my belly! She really enjoys when I read to my students because that's when she moves the most while I'm at work. Everything is finally coming together but it still seems like I have so much to do to prepare for her arrival!

I have my monthly checkup on Thursday and I will have the glucose test AND the 4-D ultrasound! We cannot wait to see Lily Claire on Thursday and I will post pictures of the ultrasound for you to see! It almost seems as if it will never be time for her to arrive and I sure hope these next 3 months go by quickly. We are so anxious to meet her...we are both very impatient people!! Continue to keep us in your thoughts & prayers throughout the rest of my pregnancy! :)

24 weeks and counting

I had a checkup on Monday and everything is looking great! I am measuring right on schedule and her heartbeat was 157 beats per minute. My next checkup is on September 9th and I will have my glucose test and 4-D ultrasound! I can't wait to see the 4-D and see our beautiful little girl! We can't wait for her to be here. My mom & I painted her room a few weeks ago. We also have her crib set up with her bedding in it. I am still trying to find the perfect dresser for her room and hopefully I will find it soon! Here are a few pictures of her nursery...

20 weeks

I am now 20 weeks pregnant and had my checkup today! Most of you probably already know that IT'S A GIRL! Everything is going great and she is growing so fast! Her name will be Lily Claire Burke! I have decided to decorate her nursery with butterflies and flowers with white furniture! On a side note, I am getting ready for my first year as a 3rd grade teacher and have been working in my steaming hot classroom the past few weeks! It is coming along and it will be ready very soon! Please pray for Zach & I as we get ready for Lily to arrive and as I begin my first year teaching!

We're Expecting!

Zach & I found out a month ago that we are expecting our first child! We are so excited that we can hardly stand it! I am now 10 weeks & 1 day along! We will go to the 2nd doctor appointment next Wednesday and we will get to hear our baby's heartbeat! We will take our last trip together before the baby is here on May 2-7! We are going to Riviera Maya, Mexico. I am looking forward to getting away from our very hectic lives and relaxing for a week on the beautiful beach!