Getting Ready for Gabbie!

I only have about 3 weeks left before I am due… I truly cannot believe it! I have been so lucky with this pregnancy and felt great the entire time. I haven’t been sick once! Truly, other than being tired about 7 pm and unable to clean up after Dallas and Stella when they go outside, I can’t complain! I am still working, and hope to up until she arrives. I am looking forward to my 3 months off once she is here to just enjoy our new little girl.

I have also started to “nest”, at least that is what the books call it. I see it as more being prepared for our little girl when the time arrives. Either way, I have gotten her clothes washed, her bedding up, her swing ready, and all the other stuff ready for her arrival. Kiley won’t let me put the car seat bases in just yet, but I will soon! My nieces helped me pick out the paint! My father-in-law, Larry, had it painted for me! Thank you to both! I love it!

Gabbie's bedding! I love it!

An overall shot of her room. All the "stuff" (car seat, extra base, stroller, bouncy seat, etc) is jammed in the one corner at this point. No worries, it won't stay there!

My glider! Got up at 4am the Friday after Thanksgiving for this one! I only paid $125 for this $300 glider! Wahoo! Thank you, Larry, for setting it up!

Dallas and Stella are wondering what all the fuss and new stuff is. They are very curious and come into her room with me any time I am in there. They will have quite the adjustment when Gabbie arrives! We predict Dallas will adjust smoothly and Stella will become her protector.

Dallas is here wondering what is going on! I have not doubt that he will enjoy little Gabbie once she arrives! At least, I hope so!

As I have gone through everything, I am very grateful, and somewhat overwhelmed, at how generous all our family and friends have been. We really do have everything we need for Gabbie, and Kiley and I have bought very little ourselves. Thank you to everyone! Even more, I realize how loved Gabbie already is! She is definitely going to be a spoiled little girl, but we can’t for her arrival!

Christmas 2008

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. Once again, we had a wonderful Christmas visiting family in Utah. It is strange to think that this is our last Christmas without our own little one to enjoy this holiday with!

We were lucky and had great roads throughout our trip. Kiley had to put up with a prego meltdown in Wells, NV since I was worried we would have bad weather and run into problems. (Just for the record, I have only had 2-3 prego meltdowns… not bad for 36 weeks!) Of course, the main reason we were even going was because I wanted to be with family for the holidays, and this would be our last trip for several months. We decided to proceed and I am very glad we did!

We spent Christmas Eve with my family. I failed to take any photos, but will post those my sister-in-law took once I get copies of them. We left to head to Bountiful on Christmas Eve to avoid the bad roads. Glad we did!

We spent Christmas Day with Kiley’s mom, her husband, and his Grandma. His Grandma is 97 years old and still beats us all at cards! She is quite the trooper!

Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Christmas! We are definitely looking forward to 2009 and the adventures that await us!

Have You Had Your Yearly Mole Check?

Melanoma, I hate it! I know hate is s strong word, but in this case, it isn’t strong enough. I have lost 3 family members to this horrid form of cancer, an aunt, a sister, and this year, a dear cousin. We obviously have a genetic link in our family, which has made me very stringent in my use of sunscreen and my mole checks. I had my most recent mole check this week!

Now, as much as I hate melanoma, I love my dermatologists, Leonard Swinyer. He and his entire office take this all very seriously! You may ask yourself, “Don’t all dermatologists?” Well, unfortunately, some are not as detailed and thorough as others. With my family history, mine has me come in twice a year as opposed to once. Even before my sister and cousin passed away from melanoma, he was very detailed in mapping my moles, measuring them, and documenting them through photos. With the news of my cousin on this last trip, they even referred me to Dr. Doug Grossman at the University of Utah Dermatology Center. They recommend anyone with a family history or if you have had melanoma removed prior to go once a year to Dr. Grossman who does even more detailed mapping of your moles and once a year to Swinyer’s office. Some may think this is overkill… I figure it is being proactive.

I also learned on this last visit that you can get moles and melanoma in your eye. Your dermatologist can’t detect this. I have never had an issue with my eyesight, so don’t go to the eye doctor. So, in addition to your yearly mole check, you should also get a yearly eye check. Well, I guess I will start going! They also cautioned that one should wear sunglasses as diligently as you wear sunscreen. As this was new to me, I am passing it along to you!



So, the purpose of this post… Please go get your mole check done! If you don’t have a good dermatologist, please go see mine! Swinyer himself is not accepting new patients, but the other providers in his office are, and they all sign on to his philosophy of being as proactive as possible! A yearly doctors visit is definitely worth it if it can catch melanoma early!

Here is his info:


http://www.lswinyer.com/index.html

Phone: 801-266-8841
Address: 3920 South 1100 East Suite 310 Salt Lake City, UT 84124
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

For those interested in the U of U doctor recommended:

Dr. Doug Grossman
U of U Dermatology
801-585-0100

Celebrating Gabrielle Grace Brannon

I traveled to Utah last weekend for two baby showers in celebration of Gabrielle Grace's upcoming arrival. We still have a couple of months before she makes her debut, but wanted to plan the showers early to avoid bad weather.

The two Grandma's! How lucky little Gabbie is!

My family threw me a shower that Friday night. It was so good to see family and I am so appreciative of everyone's generosity!

My mother-in-law, Vicky, gave me some very special gifts. Her mom is 97 and use to crochet a ton. She isn't able to do so any more, but over 20 years ago, Vicky had her make a blanket and sweaters in the hope that one day she would have a grandchild to give them to.

Saturday, my good friends Buffi Morris and Jenn Harrison threw me a shower for my friends.

Oh, how I miss my Utah friends! It was so good to see so many of them! Although I enjoy living in Nevada, I do dearly miss my good friends! Keep in mind that I am only about 3 and a half hours away! We love visitors!!!

I am so lucky and blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! I cannot tell you the difference it has made in my life!

Thanks again to everyone!

Per Janet's Request...

My sister Janet has been hounding me for a photo of what I look like prego! Well, here I am at 29 weeks! 11 to go!

We also had our 30 week ultrasound November 13. I am thrilled to report that Gabbie is doing great! She is about 3 lbs. 3 oz. We confirmed she is a girl and measuring right where she should be for her due date of Jan. 22. She is moving a lot and we had our first night of Alien Baby about a week ago! My stomach was morphing! Kiley and I just sat back and watched. I have to be honest, it freaked us both out a little! Kiley had just watched Alien the week before and was worried she was trying to get out to attack us!

I think we will have a thumb sucker, or at least a fist sucker. The last 3 ultrasounds we have had, she has been sucking her fist. Here is her profile with her fist right in her mouth.

I have been so lucky in that I have felt great my entire pregnancy. I haven't been sick once! I just hope she is as good when she gets here as she has been so far! I can hope, can't I?