Early Morning

The more I think about it.
The more amazed I am.
At the marvelous creation.
Of my magnificent God.

My most favorite part of the day is awkwardly crawling into bed with all my pillows and Justin crawling in close enough to hold my belly. We feel our daughter moving around and giggle thinking about what she is up to in there. It is the most amazing way to drift off to sleep. I don't take a moment of this time for granted. In less than two months, that movement now inside my belly, will have her own bed to sleep in. They grow up so fast, don't they?

We've been reading through Psalm 139 at church. It has always been one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. Experiencing a person being "formed in my womb" gives it an even deeper meaning. The other thing I love about the chapter is how it makes me think about how I was also formed in my mother's womb, and her in her mother's. It seems with every generation that passes, our lives are that more full of purpose. Without the love of my grandparents and Justin's grandparents, our parents, and now our love for each other, this little blessing of ours would not be in existence. Life can seem so mundane if you let it. Get up, go to work, pay bills, go to sleep and repeat. But God has made us for so much more. Life is so refreshing when you can see the immense love that He has for us and I believe at the heart of that love is purpose, significance and relationships. Even something as small as a baby. Significance.

Good sleep is getting harder to come by these past days. My Saturday morning started much earlier than I had hoped (no thanks to an aching back). But with Justin still asleep, I found it a great time to get in some quality blogging. Not to mention, I caught an entire episode of Bob Ross painting on PBS. There is something about his soothing voice and the way he paints that is so calming. I'll have to remember his show when I'm up early with Baby Girl in the very near future.

Justin is now on a 'days' countdown. I think it's down to 54 today. Things are really coming together though. Mama got a new washing machine this week! Let the deep cleaning begin! Thanks to another great online deal, we've stocked up on almost all the cloth diapers we should need! I'm so excited that we'll never need to have diapers on our grocery list! I also found another great used deal on the exact baby bouncer that we originally registered for! It is so cute and I love how the owls match the wall decal that Justin put up last week. (Margie - I was able to use the rest of your gift money for this great deal!) 

And one more thing has been checked off the to-do list, we think we found the perfect name for our baby girl. You'll have to wait for her debut to find out. ; )

Changes: Observations from a Daddy-to-Be (Guest Post by Baby Daddy)

They say that your life changes after your baby is born -- that things will never be the same. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not true.

Things start changing even before that.

Let me frame it this way: No matter who I talk to, I always get one of two reactions when I tell people that we’re having a girl. Either “Oh, cute!” or something to the extent of “She’ll have you wrapped around her little finger.” I’ve already seen both of these reactions themselves in my life over the past few months.

“Cute!”
I’ve never really been one to enjoy baby clothes, girl or boy. They don’t know what they look like, right? And don’t get me started on those baby headbands. But then we started registering;  I have to say they make some pretty cool stuff for little girls these days.

Then there was Christmas. Erica was nice enough to wrap a present that was “To: Baby. From: Daddy” that I got to unwrap. Inside was a sleeper with guitars all over it. Maybe she will be her father’s daughter.

Wrapped Around Her Finger
Yeah, I’m pretty sure this has already happened.

Just look at our nursery. I’m definitely not the most “handy” guy, and I don’t really enjoy manual labor all that much. But over the last few months, I’ve been moving furniture, assembling cribs, installing curtains, installing roller shades to go behind those curtains... and now my latest masterpiece:

That’s a big wall decal that Erica found on Etsy, and we got it for Christmas and a baby shower from her mom. It was a lot of work, but it seems to me that I’m already smitten with my daughter.

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It’s funny: I’ve never really enjoyed holding babies. I’ve always been afraid I would drop them or break them or do something wrong. At this point, though, I can’t wait, probably because it will be our daughter. I am so excited to be a father. It’s crazy to think about it right now, but in roughly 61 days, I’ll be holding our little one for the first time.

So things have already been changing, and our daughter hasn’t even been born yet. At this point, I can’t imagine what kind of changes will happen after she’s born -- but I can’t wait to find out.

Showered With Blessings

Ok. Less than 9 weeks to go! Baby girl is growing more everyday it seems and I think she's going to be a dancer or gymnast. She sure moves around a lot in there!

I had a fabulous 10 days off work and spent the entire vacation at my parents' house. It was wonderful. My sisters, brother and brother in-law as well as my nephew London, all made it home for Christmas, so we had a nice time hanging out and reconnecting. London kept us busy and laughing almost non-stop. Our daughter has no idea what she has in store with that cousin of hers. I'm so looking forward to future Christmas's to spend with more children around Grandma and Grandpa's house. London kept asking me, "Erica, what time is the baby coming out?" It was the sweetest thing. Before he'd go off for his nap or to bed for the night, he'd say goodnight to everyone, including the baby. He's a real sweetheart.

My sisters threw my first baby shower for me after the first of the year. What a blast! It was so wonderful to see my family and friends that I'm not able to see as often as I'd like. And they sure blessed me with some wonderful (need I say, absolutely adorable) things. It's becoming more and more real to me as I start doing laundry and hanging up the onsies and sleepers to dry. Oh my they are cute.

Beautiful baby quilt made by my mom. It is soo soft!

I've been having so much fun putting everything in it's place. I'm so excited to welcome her to her new home! Speaking of which, stay tuned to the next blog post. We'll have a guest post from 'Baby Daddy' who shows us what he's been up to these days.

Santa Belly

I think I could get a part-time job playing Santa Claus this season. What do you think?

 

Starting into week 29, it doesn't help that this time of year just flies by. Looking forward to just four days of work this week then a stretch of 10 days off!!! I'm hoping to take full advantage of what will be the last nice, long vacation before baby arrives. I'll be spending much of it in the house I grew up in which is always so special this time of year. Remembering so many Christmas's of years past, it's always fun to spend time with my siblings and now having growing families of our own. Mom always makes the house look so beautiful, we enjoy all her delicious Christmas cookies and candy while Dad starts a fire in the fireplace. There is really nothing like being home for the holidays.

The check off list is really winding down. We only have a few more classes left. Baby showers are scheduled, nursery is looking good and the diaper stash is growing! I found an awesome deal online a few weeks ago and had so much fun picking out all the cute colors and patterns for our baby girl. Check 'em out!

I worked on a small project this afternoon. Justin installed some roller shades in the nursery that work great to keep light out. I figure they will come in handy for afternoon naps. Anyway, they were pretty bland, so I did some stenciling on them today. What do you think?

Praying that all of you have a blessed and merry Christmas this week. Take time to remember why it is we celebrate in the first place. We have all been given a very special gift, that of a Savior that came to Earth as a sweet babe to rescue us. We are called to share that gift with those in our lives. I pray that this year we all would give Him the glory and praise He so rightly deserves!

Joy to the world, the LORD has come! Merry Christmas from the Klemsz's.

Preparation

Oh, how I love Thanksgiving! Beautiful food, delicious smells, naps in the recliner, football and added to my thankful list this year...stretchy maternity pants. : )

Justin and I had a great time visiting my family in Homer for a few days. We got our necessary Chick-fil-a buzz, spicy chicken sandwich and a delicious peppermint chocolate chip milkshake. Yum. No Black Friday deals for us, as I do our Christmas shopping pretty much all year round and had presents wrapped and under the tree before Thanksgiving. : )  Came back to Lincoln to celebrate with Justin's family - I will never complain of getting to have two Thanksgivings a year!

I really can't believe it is December already. Can you? I mean, this cold Nebraska winter wind is way too familiar it seems this year. There are only a few things I really like about winter 1) Christmas, 2) flannel sheets and 3) warm beverages (non-alcoholic this year of course ; )  But what can you do? Make sure to start your car at least 10 minutes before needing to leave the house and keep your fuzzy slippers close by.

Things have been busy on the preparing-for-baby front. Justin and I got trained in infant, child and adult CPR and started our "birth expectations" classes. We have learned (and witnessed) A LOT in the past couple weeks. I've been reading up and trying to get as educated and prepared as I can for D-day. That being said, the thing at the top of my list is to go with the flow and as prepared as I can try to make myself, I'm most importantly prepared for my "plans" to go out the window. As much as I'd love to have a natural, drug-free birth, I had the blessing of witnessing my sister go through labor and deliver my nephew, London. As much of a blessing as that was, I remember shortly after realizing to myself "yep, drugs are the way to go".  Now, being in my own situation, I've decided to prepare myself as best I could, learning and practicing my breathing patterns and having Justin practice giving me massages. ; )  We've been to three of these classes so far and I must say, each one has left me more and more confident in wanting a natural birth. That being said, remember what was at the top of my list? Yeah, allowing my plan to go out the window if I needed it to.

So you moms out there, I don't ask for you to convince me one way or another (please), but I'd love to hear your comments on what you chose or maybe were forced to do when you had your babies. Are you glad you went one way or the other? What do you remember most? What was hard and what was easy? No gory details please, just an experience that you wouldn't mind sharing.

Hope this post finds you all in a happy, healthy spirit for the season. Blessings to you all!

Letter to my daughter...

Though you haven't yet a name, my love for you is more than I could ever have imagined. Though I haven't seen your face, or felt your soft skin, my heart swells and my face smiles at the thought of you. I feel you moving, dancing I like to imagine, in my belly as I sit down to write this. You are with me always and I thank God everyday for the miracle that is you.

Your daddy and I are smitten. We love to feel you move inside me. Your dad likes to talk to you and always wants to know how you are doing. We have your pictures on the refrigerator. I thumb through them often, staring in awe and wonder, anxious for the day we get to meet you.

I pray for you. So many dreams I have for you, I pray for God's guidance and strength. For you and for me. I've wanted my whole life to be a mommy. Throughout my years, I know this feeling of happiness and love is undeserved. But we have a Gracious God, who has allowed us to share this love. A love that He first showed us.

So many thoughts run through my head through my days and nights. Wondering. Overjoyed. Awed. I'm not worried or scared. God is with me and I am trusting Him to help me be the best mom I can. I know it won't be easy. I ask for your patience with me. I've played out in my head so many things. Giving you a bath. Changing your diaper. Nursing you. Laughing with you. Rocking and singing you to sleep. Oh, how I can't wait to hold you and sing you to sleep. To smell you.

Your room is getting ready for you. I hope you like it. Your daddy has worked hard getting it just the way I want it. : )  I stop by the doorway many times everyday and just stare. Daydreaming of what life will be like with you here. 

I need you to know how much your daddy and I love you. You are an answer to our prayers. We are so excited for the amazing change that is about to take place in our lives in the next months. We are proud, blessed, overjoyed to call you ours. We love you more than we can even understand.

Love...Your Mommy

It's a......

Wow, what a long and busy day! Work was full of meetings and deadlines, had to grab dinner on the run, did some consignment shopping, and went to Bible study. Seems like there was something I was going to tell you all today, but I can't put my finger on it...; )

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Ok, ok. I have a confession to make. We actually had our ultrasound yesterday morning but had to wait to spill the beans till tonight because I had to wait until Grandma and Grandpa Holgate received these in the mail today...

Yes that's pink folks. Baby Klemsz is a girl! The ultrasound went great. I can't even describe how amazing it was to see every little part of her on that screen. I didn't want it to end. It's hard to believe as long as all continues to go well, I won't "see" her again till she's really her, in our arms. The doctor got some great shots that I just can't stop oooing and ahhhing over.

 

Baby girl

Kinda freaky, but you can see her face on the right looking right at you.

She cooperated very well for us to see that she was all gir!

Baby foot (measures in right now at about an inch and a half)

Leg

Arm

Spine

I'm so amazed at the detail on these ones. 

We did get to share the news with Justin's family in person last night. We all enjoyed biting into some cupcakes to see what color (pink or blue) was inside!

Needless to say, the past couple days have been very exciting! Justin and I are so extremely relieved that everything looks healthy and to top it off, we are having a baby girl. Absolutely precious. God will never cease to amaze me by His creation. As each milestone comes, everything is becoming more and more real to us and we could not be more happy, excited, blessed, to be having this experience and to be able to have so much family and friends to share in it with us. We love you all.