The Spiegels

Meet Camilla

2009-03-02T12:41:00.004-06:00

We are so proud of our little "Jeff!" She favors him for sure! Camilla was born on Jan. 5, two days before my birthday. Happy birthday to me! We went in to be induced that morning, and after 16 hours of labor, Camilla joined us via c-section at 10:58 p. m. It was a day of emotions. We were amazed to finally meet her. These days have been filled with so many things. It has all been sort of a blur. The fact that we are parents hasn't completely settled in 8 weeks later.

Camilla is 8 weeks old today. She smiles the most beautiful smile and is generally a very content and happy baby! She has started daycare, which admittedly gave me a nice break for some me time at first. However, I start work on Wed. (for which I am totally unprepared) I find that the closer this gets the harder it is to leave her at daycare, and the more I want to cry. Our time is running out. Jeff will be out of town on my first day back, so wish me luck!

2009-01-01T16:00:00.003-06:00

Baby Business

2009-01-01T15:43:00.003-06:00

I realize that it has been about 2 months since I have posted, and I apologize profusely. We are scheduled to be induced on Mon., Jan. 5th. I am not sure why we are inducing, except that we think the doc might be worried about the baby getting to large for a natural birth if we wait much longer. My actual due date is tomorrow. At my last appt. on Mon. I was "pretty close to 3 cm." So far, not much happening. I think she is content to stay where she is. I think I may have been feeling some contractions (tighting, etc.), but not painful and I am not uncomfortable physically, just mentally. Since this is my first expereince at child birth I am unsure about what is happening with my body. Because of this I am worried that something may be happening and I would miss the warning signs. I am hoping that she decides to come willingly. However, regardless we should have a brand new baby girl on Mon.

Family Ties

2008-10-26T18:10:00.002-05:00

Friday Amber, Andrea, and I had a girls night since we cancelled bunko. We just sat and chatted about random things. We had a lovely day yesterday. Our little cousin had his first birthday party! We were able to visit with Jeff's family that we haven't seen all together in awhile. I love time with family and friends.

What's Up Doc?

2008-10-22T18:51:00.000-05:00

Another doctor's appointment today. We are 30 weeks and 4 days. Baby's heart rate-155. Mom's weight-no longer posting. The realization that we only have 10 more weeks of pre-baby is very scary! Doc. says everything is moving along as planned. "All the numbers look like they should." We are now going every two weeks, and will check the baby's weight at about 36 weeks. This will help us decide on natural or c-section delivery.

The weekend...

2008-10-19T16:25:00.002-05:00

I made the most of the day on Saturday. Jennifer, Aunt Darlene, Addie, and I went to the Parent Palooza, the Shop and Stroll, and the Showcase of Homes. Addie was participating in the fashion show for Patty Cakes at the Parent Palooza. Very entertaining! Addie did a fabulous job! Other than the fashion show I can't say that I would attend again. There were only one or two booths that we were interested in. We had a tasty lunch at El Acapulco then headed to the Shop and Stroll. Again, this was a nice distraction, but not a very substantial shopping trip. Regardless of the futility we enjoyed browsing. Later, we made our way to the Showcase of Homes. There were some interesting floor plans and home design ideas. Jennifer found some ideas to help with choices for her new home, and I envied the ability to be creative. We all had a great time and were home sooner than we anticipated. Jeff and I were planning on attending the Brown's Halloween party. However, Jeff was still mowing the yard when I got home and then had to workout. Needless to say we were very late, and didn't arrive until everyone else was on their out. We got to mingle a little with the remaining guests, but missed almost everyone. Finally, a late night trip to get groceries at about 10:00 p. m. These spontaneous trips only remind me that soon it will all change and we will have to plan each and every outing that we take! Oh, the best part of this day was the house was presentable when I returned from town thanks to my lovely hubby! He does yards and laundry! Eat your hearts out ladies! I would be glad to rent him out for $100 a day.
Today was a brilliantly relaxing day! I worked on report cards for parent conferences on Tues., hung out with Jeff, and watched a movie or two! We spent some time sitting outside on the patio, enjoying this wonderful fall weather. I love this time of year. October, November, and December may be the busiest months, but they are my favourite!

Babies Galore!

2008-10-12T21:53:00.006-05:00

Saturday was a day for family and all things baby. Jeff and I attended a family reunion on my side. There is nothing better than family, food, and fun! I love being a part of such a big family, and it is nice to get to make up for what I missed when I was younger, being away all those years. Aunt Linda is the master at these get togethers. She always does such a great job of making them memorable! We all laughed until our cheeks hurt as we watched the paternal members in what can only be described as the funniest thing I have seen in a long time, Cajun golf.

Later, Amber and I scooted off to town. Jace had his first haircut and I registered at Patty Cakes and Target. Hence, the baby palooza! It was alot of fun to register at Patty Cakes. They have such cute stuff, which makes it hard to choose, but still fun! I was glad to have Amber along at Target. When Jeff and I went we literally stood in front of most of the items with our mouths agape staring. It helped to have someone who actually has experience in these matters to give advice. Thanks a bunch girl!

Putting the crib together

2008-10-10T16:08:00.003-05:00

Can you read those?

Now all we need is....everything else!

Give Me Some Sugar!

2008-10-10T14:54:00.005-05:00

Besides being busy, busy, busy, we had a Dr.'s appt. on Sept. 30th. Everything was great, except the fact that my glucose test resulted in 165, 30 points over the tolerated 135. So, we scheduled another appt. for the 3 hour test today. At the end of the day my sugar was a proud 104. No gestational diabetes for this girl! Thank Goodness! The yucky orange drink was not as horrible as I imagined. However, I don't think I will be drinking an orange Fanta or Sunkist any time soon.

In other news....last week was homecoming at Wynne. This is always a fun, but crazy week at school. This year the primary teachers took part in the tutti ta and the cowboy. I thought you might like to see the two pregos, me and Shea, giving our best!

Last night Jeff and I went to eat with the family for Karen's birthday.

Nursery colors and bedding have been decided. Black and white bedding with lime green minky dot. The skirt is a black background with a paisley pattern. The outside of the bumper is a white background with a black damask pattern. The inside of the bumper will have material from the skirt and the green minky dot, all with black trim. Curtains have not been decided yet. I'm not sure if I should go with black and white curtains or something with the pink or green. I thought I would mix some lime green and dark pink accents around the room. We are still searching for a dresser.

WE DID IT!

2008-09-08T18:23:00.004-05:00

Wrong or right, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a crib! I know that I had my heart settled on white, but I was thinking that we may have to use this crib for a second child instead of buying their own. The white crib that I adored was very sexist, as in it looked only like a girl, and the other white cribs that I could use for either or did not live up to that one in my mind. So, I decided to go with the espresso color and this lovely crib.

2008-09-07T17:57:00.004-05:00

Friday was the end of what seemed to be a five day week! I happily drove away from school with the knowledge that I would not have to return until Mon. Jeff and I had plans to get together with Jeremy and Stephanie, whom we haven't "hung out with" in a while. We decided to eat at Chili's and head back to Jeremy and Steph's house to see their new bedroom furniture and continue our conversation from supper. We didn't get home until about 1:00 a.m. We always have so much to talk about when we get together with them. We had a great time!
WOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOIE! GO HOGS! Jeff's cousin and her husband were generous enough to let us have their four tickets for the game on Sat., since they are in Pennsylvania at the moment. Amber and I have been hunting tickets together, so I was very excited that we lucked out! I was equally excited that Amber and John were able to go on such short notice. On the way to the stadium we stopped by Pickles and Icecream to check out some baby stuff, then it was off to call the hogs. We met up with Andrea and Mackey (they were tailgating) before the game. We headed into the stadium only to be sent away, because Jeff's ticket had the stub removed from the bottom. Needless to say this almost put a damper on our gaming experience. However, we went to the office and he spoke with some guy named Charlie, whom must have been the man to see since the lady at the gate said "Oh, Charlie signed it.", when we returned. So, all was well and we made our way to our seats. A nail biter to the end, the Hogs won and we were satisfied with the win no matter how ugly it was. We met back up with Andrea and Mackey on the way to the car, and headed home.
Today, I was up bright and early. I took my time drinking my decaffeinated coffee on the patio, called my dad, mom, and brothers, ate a bowl of cereal, ordered the crib, and headed to get groceries. Jeff on the other hand slept in, but had tons to do when he got up! He mowed the yard, burned his calories, and is tearing the old carpet out as we speak to make room for the new and improved on Mon. All in all it was a full weekend. I CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT ALL AGAIN!

This is worse than moving

2008-09-02T21:20:00.002-05:00

Jeff and I spent the weekend upending our house. We removed every bit of furniture, junk, and odds and ends from the two spare bedrooms. We crammed it all into the living room and the kitchen. We will be getting new carpet in the nursery and the "man cave" next week. Next, we have to determine where to put the things that were in the "nursery" that we don't want to get rid of. We are quickly outgrowing our house and the baby isn't even here yet! Jeff exclaimed "This is worse than moving!"
We made our monthly trip to the Doc. today. Everything is "on cruise control" as the Dr. reported. I weighed a whopping 105.6 lbs. I seem to be averaging 3 lbs a month according to each Dr. visit. Baby Camilla or Clara Grace's heartbeat was 154 bpm. "Couldn't ask for better," according to our nurse. She is moving more and more each day.
After the Dr. we ran to Barton's to check the ETA on carpet installation. By next Tues. we should have brand new carpet! Next, we headed to the mall to exchange a shirt and buy new lotion from Bath and Body. Our last stop (which should've been our first since the it was on the same street as the Dr.) was Wilcoxson's to look at yet more cribs. I KNOW! I KNOW! They had one of my choices in stock (the one shown in white on my older posts). The other choice is from JCPenny, but they had one that was similar in style and compatible in price. Alas, I did not take pictures. Anywho, we had a busy afternoon and made it home about 7:00. Now to relax and rejuvenate for another exciting day of teaching and learning!

All in a days work

2008-08-31T15:33:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was quite an adventure in shopping. I'm a little surprised that I made it through with only 3 hours sleep! I tagged along with Stacy, Jake, and Ruby Kate to scope out the puppies at Petco and some bedding fabric. Our first stop was Petco only to find out that the puppies would not be there until 1:00. So, we decided to go to look at fabric and grab a bite to eat at Chili's. Delicious! I think that Jake was so excited to pick out a puppy that he could hardly think about anything else, but he was a good sport while we bided our time. Finally it was 1:00 and we headed back to Petco. It didn't take long for Jake to realize which puppy was for him, but the process took what seemed like an hour. I was so glad that I was able to be a part of that special experience. I was tempted to take one home myself, but I was warned by Jeff ( who knows me all to well) "not to bring home a darn dog, because we have two pets and one growing in there (pointing to my stomach)."

Later, I was at the mall when the power went out! We decided to leave since we didn't know when it would come back on. Only to discover that we were very low on gas and the gas pumps didn't work. Luckily, Wal-mart had a generator. We shopped around there and by the time we came out the pumps were up and running, so we got gas and made it home.

Rockin' and Rollin'

2008-08-30T00:43:00.003-05:00

It has been a pretty smooth week at school. The kids are settling in and getting the routine down, which I love. Things are moving along nicely. Speaking of moving along, I have begun to feel forceful movements in the mid-region. As I sit typing this at 12:46 a.m. Clara or Camilla Grace (Jeff and I are still "discussing" the two) is pounding away at my right side. It is such a strange and rewarding, yes I think that's the word, feeling after the light flutters from just a couple of weeks ago. It's amazing how quickly things change in your body when you're preggers. Everything seems to happen overnight, such as the sudden loss of your orignal wardrobe, the sudden gain of a rearend, and the strong movements that give you such joy.

2008-08-29T22:16:00.002-05:00

Jeff and I looked at this crib as one of the first choices. It does not come in white. If I choose this crib I will have to rethink my bedding. Maybe I should just let someone order the crib, and surprise me! I think that I might be a little obsessed!

Fabrics??????????

2008-08-28T22:46:00.006-05:00

Latest search on bedding

2008-08-28T22:33:00.002-05:00

Recent Bedding Thoughts

2008-08-26T21:57:00.001-05:00

The great debate....

2008-08-26T21:36:00.003-05:00

Today, as any other day, was a busy busy day at school. However, no matter how busy I could not stop thinking about how I really need to choose something, anything, and soon! The great debate goes on! I am still unable to decide on a crib or bedding! HELP! My time is quickly running out. The difficulty comes down to what I love and what is logical (financially speaking). I don't want to feel ridiculous for overpaying on one piece of furniture. Granted, it turns into three pieces with the purchase of extras. My thinking is I love the first crib, but if I get the second one in white then I have more to spend on the multitude of things she will have to have. The first one keeps calling to me. Maybe tomorrow I will crack.

2008-08-24T20:31:00.003-05:00

Everything Else

2008-08-24T19:58:00.004-05:00

I am going to back track just a few. Our summer was pretty uneventful bar one or two things. We finally bought and installed our patio doors, which we absolutely love. No more walking the dog all the way around the house to let her in the fence. No more standing outside with her on the leash waiting until she does her business. All of that is taken care of with a quick open of the patio doors. We also finally broke down and bought some very nice patio furniture on sale. Now, we enjoy relaxing on the patio, especially in the cool weather we have been experiencing lately.

Of course one of the biggest and most anticipated highlights was finding out the gender of Baby Spiegel ( yes, we have narrowed down names, but they will be revealed later:). We were a little shocked and very excited to find out we are having a girl! I actually remembered to take pictures to docuement the event. Very proud of myself!

About a week before school started we took a trip to Georgia to visit my Aunt Linda, Uncle Joe, Katie, and Will. We had a great time relaxing with them. Jeff and I were given a sneak peak at karate practice. Will and Katie are both yellow belts and working their way up. Jeff enjoyed playing the wii with Will. I was begrudgingly given a turn.

Now, school has started and I am running to keep up with everything! I struggle with it now. I can't imagine what I will do with an infant. Everyone tells me it just kicks in and you do what you have to do. I will have faith. Of course any and all suggestions about staying organized, mommy wisdom, cribs, names, bedding, strollers, bottles, breastfeed, and anything else that I should know is always welcome. I need all the help I can get.

22 weeks....IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

2008-08-24T17:58:00.004-05:00

Sorry, I have not been very diligent about this blog thing. Once school begins everything else tends to go out of my head. I have been laboring over huge decisions such as what kind of crib and bedding ( do I go funky and modern, or fru fru traditional) to get. These may not seem like huge obstacles for normal people. However, if you have ever been shopping with me you can vouch that my decision making abilities are pretty much non-existent. They're even worse when it comes to something that I'm going to have to live with for a very long time. I plan to add pictures of the informative ultrasounds and some of the cute outfits already purchased. For now, I have posted for your viewing pleasure the crib choices. We have decided that white will be great for a girl. Let me know what you think!

18 weeks....

2008-07-29T16:02:00.003-05:00

We had an unofficial ultrasound on Fri. Alas, they weren't sure what it could be. So, we shall wait until Wed., Aug. 6th to find whether it will be blue or pink. The ladies didn't really give us any other info. It was mainly for us to get an extra picture. They did say that he/she was moving quite a lot. I have been feeling flashes here and there, but Jeff is not able to feel them on the outside yet.

17 weeks and counting

2008-07-25T09:18:00.000-05:00

Jeff and I went to the Dr. yesterday for our monthly checkup. We were informed that everything is going swimmingly! This always makes me think, "How do you know? You haven't seen the baby!" I know that this is their job and they have been doing it for a very long time, so I try not to think that very often. Well, I finally hit the 100 lbs. mark! I thought Jeff was going to do a happy dance right there in the dr.'s office. Why he has been waiting for this moment, I don't know. The baby's heartbeat was 150, right where it should be. We chose not have the triple screen test at this time. We head off to the pregnancy care center today for a free ultrasound. We're not sure how much info. they will be able to give us since they are training students. Our hopes are high that they will be able to tell us the gender. I prayed all night that everything would be in its place and forming correctly! Wish us luck!

Baby News

2008-06-26T10:31:00.000-05:00

Alrighty, Amber and several others cannot believe that I don't have a myspace, facebook, or a blog. So, here it is! I have finally given in to the peer pressure. We made our second trip to the doctor yesterday. The baby's heart beat is a healthy 164 beats per minute. I am carrying it very low. The nurse was searching for the heartbeat in the center of my stomach and could not find the heartbeat for a period of time that felt like several minutes, but was probably more like 1 or 2. She finally decided to move lower and BAM! There was that marvelous sound. I am officially 12 weeks and 5 days and weigh 97.9 lbs with clothes on. Still no clue on names or nursery decour, but we'll get there.