Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Our Bundle of Joy!







Those are some of her Christmas Pictures that we took over the holidays! Here are some other precious pics of sweet Chap!!!








Well it has taken me a while to post a blog but I finally did it! :) Motherhood is so amazing and Brian and I are loving being parents so much. Chappell is such a blessing and I just feel so lucky to have her in our lives. She is now 2 months old and just had her 2 month check-up and had to get her shots. I don't know who cried more, Chappell or mommy????? LOL It was hard but I made it through. Chap weighs 10 lbs 11 oz now and she is 23 inches long. She is getting so big! She also just started sleeping in her crib and she loves it! She loves the mobile and the music and she loves her swing...(that was the best thing ever invented I think). She stays in that thing for hours and looks up at the mirror and takes a nap...she is so content. She has also hit some major milestones already. She has turned over on her belly from her back, smiled, laughed out loud, and holds her head up on her own. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of her!

The holiday season has been so exciting with it being her first Christmas! We just did pictures and decorated the tree! This will definitely be a special Christmas for us. Just having her here is the best gift of all. I hope everyone has a blessed holiday season...more to come soon!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Happy Birthday Chappell!!!







Our baby girl has arrived!!!! There are no words to describe how incredible this feels to be parents! Chappell is the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen and I can't take my eyes off of her! Today is our 3rd day in the hospital and things are going great...mommy and daddy have MAJOR permagrin! Chappell just stares up at us with the sweetest eyes and expressions and she just makes our hearts melt! So her arrival has an interesting story to go along with it...here it goes.

I was orginally scheduled for a planned C-section because Chappell was breech for Friday, Oct 3, 2008 at 8:00 AM. We spent the day before doing final preparations for her arrival and were getting pretty anxious. Needless to say, mommy had a hard time falling asleep that night. At about 1:45 AM on Friday, I woke up for my normal trips to the bathroom and felt like I was having contractions. I just thought it was braxton hicks contractions and didn't think much of it...but about 15 minutes later my water broke!!! It was the craziest timing...what are the odds??? we're about to wake up for a scheduled C-section and mommy goes into labor!!! We called the doctor and were told to go to the hospital. I was in labor for about 4 hours and then had the C-section as scheduled. It worked out wonderfully and the birth of our baby girl was the most incredible experience of our lives. I couldn't see her at first but I asked Brian what she looked like and he said that she was PERFECT and when they brought her around for me to see her I saw the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen in my life! She really is perfect and I can't stop staring at her.
Mommy and Daddy are such ecstatic parents and just feel so blessed to have her in our lives. No words can express how much we love her...It is indescrible.

We get to go home tomorrow from the hospital. We are so ready to be able to introduce Chappell to her new home and get accustomed to the new surroundings with Mommy, Daddy and Daisy Mae. We sent one of Chap's hats home with Gibba and Manny from the hospital to let Daisy Mae smell to get used to her scent. She is going to be a great big sister and protect her. :) Stay tuned for more updates...until then enjoy some pics of our new addition!!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Big Ball of Emotions

On Friday of last week Brian and I went in for our weekly last month visit. Our doctor had ordered an Ultrasound to check the positioning of Chappell and her fetal weight. We were hoping that she was going to be head down and ready to go but what we thought was her hiney was her head. She is in the breech position...basically butt first. So we had to schedule a C-Section. At first I was upset because I wanted to have her naturally but I am thinking this may be a blessing in disguise. At least now we know when she is coming and I am having a chance to mentally prepare instead of it just happening out of the blue. Although I am scared of the actual c-section procedure, I am sooo excited for her to get here and to know I will be holding our little girl in 4 days!!! I told Brian I have felt every emotion in the book these last few days since I found out when she is coming. I'm excited, nervous, scared, anxious, ... you name it I am feeling it. But most of all I am just ready. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers this week! On Friday October 3rd, Chappell will be coming into the world!!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

A Large Closet for our Tiny Treasure





Chappell doesn't know it yet, but she is going to be the best dressed lil baby girl ever! Mommy and Daddy have had such a fun time buying her outfits and we've also been given so many precious things from family and friends. But before we knew it, her closet was completely full to capacity! She definitely has more clothes than us now and this is just a pre-arrival wardrobe...there will be much more to come. If she's anything like her momma, she is bound to love pink ... that's a given! Her coming home from the hospital outfit is all packed and ready for her to make her DEBUT!

Monday, September 15, 2008

The Ultimate Gift






Last night Brian and I made some very special pictures with Chappell. Brian took some maternity photos of my belly. We have been wanting to do this so that we can always have them to show Chappell someday and to show how important and amazing this whole experience has been for us. I think the pictures speak for themselves about how truly excited we are to be parents and to meet out little girl. This is ABSOLUTELY The Ultimate Gift from God. We are so blessed!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

One last Baby Shower before her arrival...





My friends from work threw me a wonderful baby shower last night! We went to California Dreamin'!! Chappell got so many great gifts and we can't wait for her to get here so she can use them! :)

Mommy and Daddy are still in the process of getting all her lil clothes washed and bags packed for the hospital. I will be 36 weeks on Sunday so only 4 more weeks til her due date!!! It is rapidly approaching and since Mommy always has to have everything planned out and perfect, I am determined to have everything ready to go this weekend.

Next week I start my weekly doctor visits and hopefully Chappell will hold out at least until 38 weeks. I just want to make sure her lungs are fully developed and she is ready for her arrival into the world! :)

I'm not going to lie, I am really nervous about the whole childbirth process, but I am more excited than anything. Anything I can do to bring this little girl into the world I will do. Brian and I are so excited and anxious to meet her! I can't believe how fast this whole process FLEW by! It really is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. I can only imagine the way I will feel when I see her for the first time. What a true miracle it will be.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Showering Chappell with Love




We had another wonderful baby shower a few weeks ago. Lindsay and Stacey threw the shower for Brian, Chappell and I and they did a wonderful job. They had an adorable cake made with items from our registry and Stacey came up with some cute games for us to play. We got some amazing gifts leaving Chappell's closet overloaded with love :) We are still trying to figure out where we are going to put everything. She is one lucky lil girl :) We are so thrilled for her soon arrival!!! Only 6 more weeks until she is due! Mommy and Daddy are just overwhelmed with anticipation and hope these next few weeks go by fast! We can't wait to meet our baby girl :)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Preparation for Childbirth Class

So Brian and I started our Childbirth class last monday and it lasts 6 weeks. There are 3 other couples in our class and I am the furthest along out of all of them. Everyone in there is having a girl except one couple. Our teacher seems to be very experienced so that's good- she is an RN and worked in Labor and Delivery and has 3 kids of her own. It's so interesting to hear all the different things that we are supposed to expect. She taught us how to do relaxation exercises the first night and we talked about postitive things that we experience during pregnancy. I talked about how incredible it is to be able to feel Chappell kick and the bonding experience that we have had and also how Brian gets to feel her at night when she is the most active. We watched a video that taught us how to measure contractions and when to go to the hospital when in labor. Then on the second visit...

We watched a video that showed it ALL!!!! It really scared me and I think every person in the room. It was a video of the actual birth and going through the contractions and different options that you have once you are there. It was just strange watching it from that aspect but I think that when it's our time to go through that and bring Chappell into the world that it will be wonderful and such a special experience. I am so thrilled for that day to come...but im still scared of the pain. But one thing that our teacher said that makes a lot of sense and gives me a piece of mind is that the pain was put into childbirth for a reason. It is to let you and your body know that it is time for the baby to come and it is all natural. So I am just going to relax these last few months and just let nature take its course. I just pray for a healthy baby girl and a healthy delivery.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Couple's Baby Shower









We had a great Couple's Baby Shower this past weekend! It was a cookout and lots of great friends and family came to celebrate Chappell's soon arrival! The weather was perfect and it was so nicely done. Our friends the Keck's and the Depew's hosted the shower and made a precious Diaper Cake for Chappell! It was filled with pacifiers, hairbows, spoons, and other baby supplies inside. It will definitley come in handy once she gets here! We also got a lot of bedding for the nursery that was much needed and of course more cute pink outfits and accessories for her! Granny got Chappell her Very Own Fairytale that is absolutely precious. Mommy and Daddy can't wait to read it to our sweet baby girl. She will in fact be a princess after all...

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Wee See Chappell



On Friday we had our 4D appointment to get a sneak peek of Chappell :) It was so incredibly amazing the technology that they have these days. We went to WeeSee Imaging with our parents (Gibba and Manny & Granny and Grandpa) and saw our baby girl. She is absolutely beautiful. We think based on the pics that she may look more like her mommy but you really never know. She seems to have full lips and they said she has some peach fuzz on the top of her head like her mommy did. She has the cutest lil nose too! But she wasn't as cooperative as we had hoped initially. She had her hand in front of her face along with her foot above her head (which seems to be her favorite position at every ultrasound we have) so it was tough seeing her face at first. After mommy had a coke, she started to give us more of a peek and we got some great images. She is getting so big and will be here before we know it! The further along mommy gets, the more tangible she seems to mommy and daddy. We can't wait to hold her in our arms!

After the appointment, Gibba and Manny and Mommy and Daddy went to Charlotte to shop for Chappell and go to the Tot Trade in Concorde to see what neat things we could find. First we spent the day at Southpark and then made our way to the Tot Trade. It was INSANE and CHAOTIC! We did find some steals but not sure if we will do that again. We found some cute lil outfits (which barely fit in her closet since she has more clothes than mommy and daddy put together), some neat collectors books, and Manny got a baby carrier for her. She definitely racked up this weekend! :) We had a great time and this whole experience has just been so wonderful! We love her lil munckin...hugs, kisses, and kicks, Mom & Dad

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Hiccup...Hiccup

Last night mommy and daddy got to experience your very first hiccups Chap! It was the cutest thing! At first you were kicking and daddy was feeling my belly. Then there was a constant jump every few seconds. We were like "what is she doing?" and then it came to me...I was like "She has the HICCUPS!" They lasted about 10 or 15 minutes and it was just so neat. Daddy tried to listen to them with the heartbeat monitor that we have but you couldn't hear much. I guess this means you're growing more and more! :) I can't wait for you to get here so that I can give you lots of kisses and hold my sweet baby girl! I love you...Mommy :)

Monday, August 4, 2008

Chappell's Nursery

























Her nursery is done and she's growing more and more everyday! :) Mommy and daddy are getting so excited about her arrival! We have a great friend, Stacey Heilman, who painted an amazing mural in her nursery this past weekend and it really turned out PERFECT! It meant a lot to us for Stacey to design and paint the nursery for Chappell and it just made it that much more special! She added some very unique touches as well such as a Mommy and Baby birdie on the wall and a carving in the tree that stands for "Mommy and Daddy Love Chappell" :) It is just so sweet...i can't get over it! Last night we had the big reveal for our families. We had my parents, Lance and Michelle, Brian's parents, and Caralee and Stephen over for dinner and then showed everyone all at once the nursery. They absolutely LOVED IT!!!! It definitetly makes it more of a reality since we are getting everything ready for her.

I hit my 30 week marker yesterday so only 10 more weeks to go!! This Friday, we are going to WeeSeeImaging to have her 4D pictures done. Brian and I and our parents will be attending. I can't wait to see what our sweet lil girl is going to look like. You can actually see her facial features and everything in these pics! She is going to be so beautiful and for us to be able to have a sneak peek is so exciting! Until then...TWEET DREAMS! :)

Monday, July 28, 2008

Our First Baby Shower!







































We had our first shower this past weekend! It was so wonderful and all of the hostesses made it very special for Chappell and I! It took place at the Magnolia House in Lexington and it was an all-girls luncheon. Chappell and I were showered with so many incredible gifts and the day was just perfect! It was so nice having everyone in town and getting to spend time with them!

We played some fun baby games like guessing how big my belly was and baby word jumble. My aunt MaryBeth guessed my tummy size almost perfectly! The shower was very girlie and perfect for us! Jenny made the cake topper which was adorable along with my "BOOTIENEER" and the Baby Bib cookies that she personalized for each guest. She is always creative like that.

Chappell and I are just so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends and this past weekend really meant a lot to us. Brian and I have to update her room now and put away all of her new items. :) This coming weekend, Stacey and Dave are coming to spend the weekend with us to paint the nursery. I can't wait to see the finished product...I know it's going to be so perfect! Stacey made us a beautiful canvas to go on the wall to match the birdie theme that we have chosen so I can't wait to see the rest of her designs...until then...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

7 month baby bump



Here are some pics from the other night at HA's WELCOME HOME PARTY!
Ingram and Adrianne give Chappell some love :)

Monday, July 21, 2008

28 week visit...let the 3rd trimester begin!



Today Brian and I got to go and see Chappell at the doctor's office. :) It was mommy's 28 week appt. which means I have officially entered my 3rd trimester! We were able to see some images of Chappell in 4D instead of just the standard 2D ultrasound. It was such a neat experience and we were able to see more of her features this way. She is so beautiful and we still think she may have her daddy's nose :) They told us that her legs are measuring 30 weeks which is an indication that she may be a tall supermodel. (once again taking after her daddy with the long legs). LOL But the most important factor is that everything looked good and she is measuring right on time which is such a blessing.

Last night Brian and I arranged all of her clothes in the closet and realized that we have gone a little crazy with the clothes-buying considering her closet is FULL and we haven't even had one shower yet! But we have enjoyed every minute of spoiling our little pumpkin! ;) Prepping for the weekend company continues ... as our first shower approaches on Saturday! TTFN!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Belly Flutters :)



Chappell kicks all the time now. She is the sweetest lil thing ever. She nudges me all day long at my desk and at night before going to bed especially. Brian is able to feel them as well. We read to her at night sometimes and talk to her everyday. We tell her that mommy and daddy love her so much and can't wait for her to get here! Sometimes I can see my stomach move when she kicks which is really cool. I love every minute of it!

We are now at 27 and a half weeks...almost the the 3rd trimester! YEEEEEEY! Brian painted the nursery this past week (pale pink of course) and we got the furniture as well! We decided to go with the birdie theme from Pottery Barn Kids (the Penelope Nursery) and absolutely love it! Our friend Stacey is coming in a few weeks to paint a mural on the wall. So the colors will be pink and green :) We can't wait to see the finished product!

My mom and I have been going kind of crazy with the baby clothes shopping...we can't help ourselves! We have gotten her a ton of cute lil onesies, sleepers, and other lil outfits that she is going to look absolutely precious in. :) My favorite thing I've gotten so far though is her "coming home from the hospital" outfit :) It's a pink lil gown (long-sleeved b/c it will be Oct most likely) and has her monogram on the collar in white. We also have her some pink shoes to wear as well. She is going to look like an angel :) She just kicked as I was typing this so I think she is excited about the outfit too! :)

Brian and I could seriously spend an entire day in Babies R Us...we did recently and bought our first item--- a stroller and car seat travel system. It's supposed to be one of the top rated (of course Brian researched everything before we bought) LOL It was exciting though to buy something like that. Our showers are coming up...the first one is next weekend and I can't WAIT! It's an all-girls shower and Chappell and I are thrilled about it! :)

20 week Ultrasound and 24 week Visit


well it's offiically A GIRL! We had our 20 week Ultrasound and they told us again that it was. We are naming her Chappell Harling Lackore :) Both are family names. Chappell is my great-grandmother's maiden name and Harling is Brian's mom's maiden name. We love the name b/c it is special to us and it is very unique. We are so excited to meet her! We have some great Ultrasound pics...her profile pic is my favorite. She already has her daddy's nose :)

I also had my 24 week Gestational Diabetes test...it was far from pleasant but everything came back normal so YEY! They made me chug this nasty cherry-orange drink and then you couldn't eat or drink anything so it was tough. But I was so glad that I made it through and that everything was A- OK :)

Being Prego at the beach




We went to the Outerbanks, NC (our yearly family vacation). I was 18 weeks at this pt. This year was very special b/c not only did we go with Brian's family and their friends, but my family was able to go as well! It was my parents, gpa, brother and his fiancee, Brian and I and our doggie Daisy Mae in one house, and Brian's family and their friends in another house. We had a BLAST! I must say though, it is certainly different going to the beach for a week when you're pregnant. I didn't stay in the sun as much that's for sure. It was such a great week though and it was the first time Daisy Mae had ever seen the ocean...she absolutely LOVED it! I'm so glad we brought her this year. :)

Morning Sickness and Dr Visits


well I've definitely been feeling what they call morning sickness...but what it really should be called is "all day sickness." But overall it hasn't been too bad. My body is just getting used to all of the hormone changes. I have had to take medication to help me get through this and since I've been on that, I feel like a new woman! :)

We got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time at 12 weeks. Our doctor waits longer to do that than most I think. It was very emotional and overwhelming...it really made it a reality for us. The heartbeat was fast...in the 150s. They warned us that sometimes it can take a while to find the actual heartbeat and to not get discouraged if that happened, but the minute the doctor put the monitor on my belly she found the heartbeat immediately! It was so exciting! I don't think I've smiled this much in a long time :) I have like permagrin :)

Because I am high risk, I had to go in at 16 weeks for my first ultrasound (my doc usually waits until 20 weeks). My sister had her little boy at 25 and a half weeks so they needed to check me early to make sure everything looked good. They said that everything was measuring great and that IT'S A GIRL!! They were able to go ahead and tell us...we were sooo thrilled! My mom has been saying all along it was a girl and I had the same feeling...Im very girlie so it's fitting :) We would have been happy either way, b/c we would like one of each ideally, but having a little girl is just so exciting! We didn't go crazy with the pink or anything at first b/c we wanted to wait on the 20 week ultrasound to get another confirmation. You never know...something could "pop up".

First Tri-mester Feelings




Brian and I found out we were expecting our first child on February 13, 2008! There were 2 lines instead of one and we were so excited to find out we were going to be parents. The next day just to be sure...we took another one. This one was digital and said YES+! So there was the confirmation we needed. On Vday 2008, Brian and I made a video to share with our parents and family the following night. (we were celebrating my 29th bday at Johnny's). I already could feel some changes in my body. I couldn't hardly button any of my pants and sat at my office desk uncomfortably all day. When it was time to show the DVD my heart was beating out of my chest in a good way but mostly from anticipation of how our family would react. We told them it was Brian's bday/vday gift to me so they didn't see it coming. At the end of the video it showed us looking at the test with excitement and the next picture was us with a thumbs up and Brian holding my belly :) We ended the video with a picture of baby feet and it said "The Lackores are expecting a new addition...8 months and counting!" Our family was sooo ecstatic. There were lots of tears and just happiness beyond words all around us. At this pt, I was almost 6 weeks! Needless to say this was the best birthday present I've ever gotten! Here is a link to the video we showed our family and friends to tell them the good news!

http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m207/ashelylackore/?action=view&current=Valentineof2008.flv

That weekend we went to Charlotte for a planned shopping spree for my bday that turned into more of a mommy-spree considering I couldn't fit into any of my pants. I got some new maternity clothes that I can wear now or later so that was exciting and with the style being babydoll, I can wear things I already have too. Our first doctor's appt was on February 20, 2008. They confirmed that we were pregnant so that was triple confirmation! This visit was mostly just a consultation but it was neat to hear all about everything and the different changes I will be experiencing. Brian was right there with me so that was great. We confirmed that our due date is October 12, 2008! (a week before Lance and Michelle (my brother and his fiancee tie the knot LOL) On February 24, 2008(dad's bday) I turned 7 weeks pregnant. My morning sickness has really picked up and the exhaustion that my body feels is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I have been trying to take naps at Johnny's at lunch and Ive been eating a lot of little meals throughout the day to help with the nausea. It's very hard to work when I am feeling this way and on the weekends all I want to do is sleep. I went to bed last night at 8 and it made a world of difference so I guess that is my new bedtime! :) No more shows for me except on the weekends. On a website I looked at yesterday I found out that our baby is now the size of a blueberry! I thought that was so cute. Our baby has a heartbeat, it's forming limbs, and the lungs are beginning to form. It's so exciting...Im just beyond words! :)