Big Mama. 40 weeks!

We've made it to our guess date! It's so strange seeing the calendar convey that it's past her date (A friend even texted me the other day and said she bought MEAT that expired on our guess date! ha!) . We have so long awaited and anticipated the end of March that it's really surreal that it's happening! I am pretty sure our March baby will be an April baby. What a beautiful time to be born.

Let's hit the highlights, shall we?

Yup. Woah, Mama.

Still carrying Olive up pretty high. She hasn't dropped down yet, which actually was a huge blessing, because two weeks ago she decided to flip over onto my right side in a posterior position (which is definitely unfavorable for birthing. It often results in very, very long painful labors and a lot of heavy back labor). I felt the little bug do it and it had me worried for two weeks. Thanks to great midwifery advice, which involved lots of crawling around on my hands and knees, pelvic rocks, rebozo sifting, and swiveling on the birth ball, we found out today that Olive flipped back over and is in a great position for birthing! HOORAY!

Today at our appointment, our midwife and a student they had there led Colin in feeling all of Olive's little body parts. He got to fee her little rump, her limbs, and most exciting of all, her bobbly little head... it just killed me in the best possible way to see him really get into it and be amazed by her little figure. Our midwife, Lisa, joked that Colin was a midwife in the making (because of how hands-on and excited he is!). It really is the most awesome thing seeing Colin engage with this pregnancy, and I feel blessed. When I went to the bathroom during our appointment, I come back and saw him scrutinizing a chart on the wall that was all about the physiology of breast milk production and Lisa was explaining a few things to him. So cute.

Last week I started feeling funny, and while I chalked it up to allergies for a day or so, I woke up Wednesday morning the sickest I've ever been. Every joint and bone in my body felt like it was being ripped apart, and I had a fever of 101.5. Colin knew something was very wrong, so he took me to the doctor and they confirmed that I had Swine Flu. Swine Flu?! Who gets that?? Thankfully, Colin got vaccinated a couple of months ago, so he was able to be with me still. It was just scary realizing that Olive could come at any time... not to mention, the flu is super dangerous for pregnant women! God was gracious, as were so many people who prayed for us, and I have healed up quickly and well!

So now, we wait. We're patiently waiting, but boy would we be so thrilled if she decided to come tonight! I would be so excited to see these Braxton-Hicks contractions turn into the real thing. But my heart, especially, is well, and I feel blessed right now with quality rest and comfort. It's a very peaceful expectancy as we wait for Olive to pick the perfect time for her to be born.

Thanks for following our journey! We're coming to the end of this chapter, and hopefully the next post we write will have Olive's face in it!

Full Term!

I am such a slack blogger. I won't apologize again!

This past week we hit another awesome milestone-- 37 weeks (Baby is the size of a watermelon. a WATER-MELON. aah!)! We can now safely deliver at our out of hospital Birthing Center. We are becoming increasingly excited for our birthing time, not only for the end result (which will, obviously, be the best), but even for the process of laboring to have her. We both have a lot of peace and assurance as we face the marathon that's ahead.

We have also been really slack about taking belly photos, but I did snap this rather disturbing one the other day so I could show Colin while he was at work! Olive's movements weeks ago changed from kicks and jabs to what we call "lumping". Throughout the day, I'll get all sorts of sizes of lumps that stick out or run along my tummy. It's crazy. Check this out.

See that huge lump on the right side? That's about where her knees are, so I'm assuming that's what is sticking out here (For reference, the skinny dark line going down my stomach is usually right in the middle. That shows you how off kilter her lumps make my tummy!). Her body parts are a lot more distinguishable. Colin loves guessing what he's touching. We've picked out her shoulders, elbows, and leg bones at times! I love experiencing her in all of her baby-ness. She gets hiccups a few times a day now, too. So cute.

Right now I am so overwhelmed with the piles and piles of stuff that we have for her. It literally seems like we have another roommate moving in! It's going to be fun finding space for everything (What a blessed problem to have, right? :))

Although things are being crossed off of our Pre-Baby To-Do list, it seems like new things are added every single day. One of my favorite things, though, was Colin installing our car seat! We got a new car recently, so driving around in my new mom-mobile with a car seat in the back makes my heart sing a little bit.

Overall, there is still so little for me to complain about. I feel really blessed in and by this pregnancy. I know that a lot of women are (understandably!) miserable, especially at the end, but that has not been my experience. I love carrying her, and I feel so incredibly grateful for the experience and opportunity that will result in our little Olive being in our arms in a few weeks. There is so much to be thankful for. Pregnancy and expectancy has grown so much intimacy between Colin and I. It's been such a sweet time for us as a couple. I can't wait to see another facet of Colin develop as he puts on a new hat-- Daddy.

Thanks for reading! More to come, I hope. Grace and Peace!

Photographed.

This weekend we had our maternity photos taken by our friend, Sarah Scruggs. We were so blessed to have her! Sarah is such an easy person to be around, and her presence and style really put us at ease. The whole time she was shooting her face would light up with excitement over a new idea, or her eye would catch the simplest line or color or detail on the scene. Despite the FREEZING temperatures and the crazy amounts of wind at the marina (that my body would succumb to, in the form of a cold, the following day. still, well worth it!), we had such a great time. Thanks, Sarah!

Here are just a few of the previews she sent us. We couldn't be happier about them, and can't wait to see the rest!

Besides the photo shoot, we were able to stay in a beautiful hotel thanks to Sarah's husband, Charley, being a pastry chef at the resort! We went out to Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island that night for fish tacos and burgers, then walked across the street to a sweet little wine and espresso bar. There were about five older men in there, having a jam session, and, as fate would have it, they loved playing Creed songs. Imagine our excitement. We were so grateful for a short pause in life to spend together-- things have been pretty hectic lately.

We also decided over the weekend to go ahead and announce Little Girl's name! We have had it picked out for months and months, but for a lot of reasons decided to wait. Colin and I's daughter's name is...

We couldn't be more in love with our "little branch", as Colin calls her. I have loved the name Olive for a long time, and love that all over the Bible it is used as a symbol of peace. In Romans 11, Paul writes about how we, as Gentiles, were wild olive shoots that have been grafted onto the tree (God's people) and are able to share in the "nourishing root" (Salvation). Beautiful. Her middle name, Rae, is special to us, because two awesome women in her life share the name! Rae is Colin's Grandmother's first name and his sister's middle name.

34 weeks down! grace and peace!

30.5 weeks!

I am such a slack pregnant belly photo taker/blogger. Apologies! Apologies all around! (If you got that Arrested Development reference, pat yourself on the back). Since it's been 6 weeks since our previous pregnancy update, obviously things have changed a little!

I think it's safe to say that my "baby bump" has officially transformed into a BELLY. Wowza. Even I don't realize how big I've gotten until I see pictures!

We are well into our third trimester now! Pregnancy continues to get better and better. Baby girl is so big in there-- we play with her all the time. My favorite is feeling/seeing her little feet knead my side, pushing on them or grabbing them, then having her pull them back... repeat. It's amazing how strong she is getting, too. This week she woke me up at 6 am with some pretty hard kicks and lots of movement, so much that I wasn't able to go back to sleep, so I made myself a cup of pregnancy tea, prayed for her, and enjoyed spending time with her the way things are now. I couldn't help but walk by her nursery and peek in, imagining waking up to grab our little girl in the wee hours.

We are getting so ready to meet her! Almost every day Colin says, "I just want to hold her/I just want to play with her already!" It's been so endearing to watch Colin's affection and excitement for her grow. He's so interested in what position she's in and what she's doing. He tells her all about his day (the other day he even told her about pricing shirts! ha!) I can't wait to see him be a Dad.

Things are going well. Even the miniscule pains of pregnancy that I've felt so far (back pain, insatiable hunger, constant peeing, packing on those pounds) just wane in comparison to the absolute joy and privilege of being pregnant. I know there may come a time when I am really uncomfortable and ready to not be pregnant anymore, but I have loved every step of growing our little girl! My heart just bursts when I think about meeting her for the first time.

We are excited for the first week of February, too-- we are starting our Hypnobabies classes, as well as taking a mini babymoon to Charleston and getting our maternity photos done by the wonderful Sarah Scruggs!

Thanks for reading this novel! Hopefully we'll be better and give more updates before we have this little one! 67 days until our due date!

Grace and Peace,

The Kisers

24ish weeks!

Colin and I have started slacking off on taking pictures, so we finally snapped a few after Church yesterday. This is 24.5 weeks!


Updates are slowing down a little, or at least becoming more regular! I am still in that honeymoon phase of pregnancy where I feel great, energized (I have never been the type to be able to pop up out of bed early in the morning, until now), and productive. Although I have definitely started moving slower (and don't like not being able to get up quickly or gracefully), I feel good. Belly button's still in (I have no idea how), itchy skin and stretch marks are at bay for now, no swelling (wedding rings are still on!).

Yesterday morning, though, before Church, I woke up to go to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and I kid you not, my belly was GONE. I looked pre-pregnancy, maybe a tad bloated, but completely not pregnant. It was so freaky, I ran in and showed Colin. How did Little Girl manage that one?

This past week was a little scary pregnancy-wise, but all is well! I had some seriously bad Round Ligament Pain on Thursday (stretching, stretching!) and ended up in Urgent Care on Friday night because of blood in my urine (that wasn't scary at all...). It ended up being, thank goodness, just a bad UTI that I had no idea I had-- and trust me, I know what they feel like.

This week will be fun and festive, with Colin's company Christmas party, our youth group's Christmas party, and our Church's annual Christmas Ball!

21 & 22 weeks!

Time is just blowing by, and it shows no signs of slowing down as we are now in the middle of the holiday season! Here are some pregnancy related things and updates.



I felt like I was at a standstill as far as belly growth from weeks 18-21, but this week was a big belly growth week apparently! The second photo, taken by my mom, really shows little girl's ever expanding home (This was even before eating our Thanksgiving meal!). There is nothing to complain about. Sickness is gone (after 20 weeks, thank. goodness.), no stretch marks or itchy skin yet, steady weight gain, no heartburn, no swelling, belly button is hanging on for dear life (ha!). These are the glory days of pregnancy, I know, so I'm enjoying it! She's a little wiggle worm and brings her parents (and grandparents! and uncles and aunts!) so much joy already.

Also, had my first guys-hitting-on-me-then-realizing-i'm-pregnant-and-freaking-out moment. It was hilarious. Colin got to witness it from about 30 feet away and we died.

Ventured out shopping this weekend, also, which I've never done on Thanksgiving weekend, but I must say... GAP is the best thing to happen to pregnant women! I already had a few things from there, but holy smokes. If you're pregnant, you NEED these pants (side note, they look a little awkward in the photo, the foldover is NOT that long and it's more scrunchy). They are so soft, stretchy, and the foldover covers your butt. I love these.

Also of note at GAP, anything from the Pure Body line, especially these t-shirts. I have loved everything I have of theirs (camis, tee shirts, long sleeves, a sweater, two kinds of leggings), so if you're pregnant and want some comfortable clothes, go to GAP!

19 & 20!

Here we go, a combination of weeks 19 and 20! I can't believe we are HALF WAY.

so you can see our priorities in life, on the cabinet... hairspray and swedish coffee (?) coulda moved that... :)

1. Colin was able to feel Little Girl move for the first time about a week ago, at 19 weeks! It was definitely one of the most precious moments, seeing his face and how intently he waited for each little kick of hers. He is smitten and fascinated.

2. On that note, her kicks are getting SO STRONG! She's not under my ribs yet, so things aren't painful or very uncomfortable, but they can definitely be surprising at times. Only a few weeks ago were they tiny little thumps, now I feel them a lot of the day and it feels like she's doing somersalts in there! When she's especially active I can actually see my tummy moving from the outside a little bit. This is one of the most beautiful parts of pregnancy.

3. The harsh reality kicks in: I'm pretty sure the dryer has started shrinking my pre-pregnancy jeans (that jerk!). I digress. Let's be honest. Pregnancy weight gain has kicked in, and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to wear my old jeans, even with my trusty Beband. There is no more natural thing than weight gain in pregnancy (between 25-35 lbs. is considered "ideal"), and I'm embracing it, don't get me wrong, but Colin grunted when he was being playful and picked me up the other day. GRUNTED.... as in he was straining. hahahaha.

4. And lastly, we signed up for Hypnobabies birthing classes yesterday! They start in February. We are trying to be very intentional with the way we go about the birth of our daughter, and want to be as informed and prepared as possible. I can write another post entirely on why we chose Hypnobabies, why we chose a Birthing Center over the Hospital, and why we want a medication-free birth, if people are at all interested.

Baby Steps to the Nursery...

It's November! I can't even believe it. Time is absolutely flying.

Found this awesome video on babble, and it definitely inspired me! I love wearing scarves, and usually settle for the classic loose drape. Here are 25 wonderful ways to wear your scarf (and just the cutest video!)



We have officially begun putting together (and I say that as loosely as possible) Little Girl's nursery! I have been gathering ideas for a while now, but we now have a crib on the way as well as some beautiful crib bedding. We also found a dresser/changing table at the thrift store this weekend, so once I finish painting it I'll post about that as well!

We opted for the simple and classic look of a white Jenny Lind-style crib. If you look at nurseries on Apartmenttherapy or Pinterest, you will see this crib everywhere. It's simple and affordable!

(Both images found via apartmenttherapy)

For bedding we decided to go with this babydarling pink and mustard crib set (she also has an adorable gray and yellow set that we considered if we were having a little boy!). I always thought I would be one of those moms who didn't do any form of pink for her little girl (I've never been much of a fan of pink), but I absolutely love the way small pink accents complement my favorite color of all, mustard. If you know me at all, you probably knew mustard was going to make an appearance somewhere in this room ;)


All this to say, my etsy favorites list grows and grows by the day (I've said it before and I'll say it again, that website is DANGEROUS), and I am so looking forward to putting together Little Girl's room bit by bit.

Happy Monday!

Our Daughter.

It trips Colin and I out to say that-- it's one thing to say "we're having a girl!" or "she" or numerous other ways of saying that our little baby is a girl. But when we hear each other, or other people, say "your/our daughter"... it stops my heart. I don't know if it's because it reminds me that this beautiful gift is entrusted to us for life, or because it reminds me that I'm going to be a parent, rather than a woman growing a baby... whatever the reason, we are in awe.

We got to have an hour long ultrasound, our first and only one, since our birthing center doesn't do them. Beforehand I tried to fill my bladder up reallllll full and chugged some orange juice to get soon-to-be-not-so Mysterious Kiser moving. The very first time we saw our little girl in her entirety, she was snuggled against the placenta, like a pillow, and she had her hand to her mouth. Talk about melting our hearts. We were shown all of her little intricacies, including her "pretty little heart", as the tech kept calling it, with all four chambers pumping away, her sweet little limbs, spine, kidneys, brain. It was absolutely wild to see her kicking and twisting away in there!

I will say, though, I am even more convinced, having seen our baby react to it first hand, that ultrasounds are disruptive and unpleasant for the little ones. I've heard it before (apparently the sound waves are disruptive), but even the tech commented at how far away Little Girl was trying to get from the machine. She went way down low to my pelvic area for the last parts of the ultrasound. Maybe she felt indignant at the lack of privacy and everyone trying to get some good looks at her privates (she had her cord in the way as well as, at times, both of her hands and feet. ha! what modesty!)

The whole pregnancy I had the feeling I was growing a little girl. Most people guessed "girl" for us. I know that people don't like to hear this when they ask what we wanted, but we truly did just want to have a healthy baby, though I have secretly relished the idea of Colin being a father to a little girl. He has the perfect patient and jovial temperament, and I know this little one is going to be the apple of his eye (and be twisted all around her little finger!)

This picture gets me. Look at her delicate little lips and chin! And that little nose! I find myself looking at this picture too many times a day.

And, just because we think it's the most amazing thing ever... her spine! We could see all the little bones flexing as she wiggled and moved.

Little hand and little arms.

We can't say it enough... the joy of having others share in our excitement overwhelms us. Your words are taken to heart and are so meaningful! We love getting to share our experience with you guys. Thanks for following Little Girl's journey!

18 semanas, and date night!

18 weeks! Not too much to report this week. I am definitely showing more and more, so it's becoming apparent to the outside world and those who didn't know that we were pregnant that I am, in fact, with child. I just love it. Last night I was laying in bed and was so distracted by Mysterious Kiser's little kicks that I couldn't sleep from happiness and my mind wandering.

Last night was also date night! We headed to MVista to see what (cooked, don't worry!) sushi we could rustle up. That place never disappoints, and the company definitely never disappoints, either! We got the potstickers, a Jade Roll (my very, very favorite tempura fried roll), split the orange chicken with brown rice, and shared a pot of blooming white tea. A little slice of Heaven!

1. Colin was wearing his post-shower towel around his head and shoulders like Mother Theresa... then invited Abner in for a father/dog chat.
2. I oughta stop wearing that black maxi dress. It's going to get stretched out :( But it is my absolute favorite, most comfortable article of clothing.
3. Colin with the remnants of our sushi roll.
4. I love this man. My soul mate.

grace and peace to you!

Mommy! Mommy! *sip* Mooommmy!

1. In the Kiser household, we love Allstate's Mayhem commercials.
This one, though, takes the cake in my book.



2. I know that many of you probably saw our post on facebook, but yesterday afternoon I felt Little One's very first without-a-doubt-it's-baby kicks! It was unmistakable. It felt like little, tiny pokes or bumps from inside, just below my bellybutton and to the left. I have been able to feel them a few more times since then, and it brings a huge smile to my face every single time! I know there is nothing unique about pregnancy (the vast majority of women are blessed to be able to conceive more than once!), but it sure feels special and miraculous.

3. Any time I talk to others about being pregnant, they almost always ask if I've had any weird cravings. I haven't had anything interesting to report at all, sadly, except what DOESN'T sound good. Well, my friends, I have one that takes the cake. On Colin's way home last night at 9 pm, I had the most intense desire for a chocolate iced glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut... and... an eggroll. It defies explanation, but eating both of those things, side by side was heavenly. (Before you call the prego police on me, I have been monitoring my diet carefully and don't often indulge in super sweet or fatty foods!) My husband is incredibly loving and serves me so readily. I am very, very blessed.

4. I totally missed blogging about it, but this past weekend our wonderful Mama K came to visit us! We love her, and she is one of the most gracious house guests you could possibly have. We were able to eat, relax, get outside (for walks and Colin's soccer game) and play games. Such a leisurely time with one of our favorite people!

Completed a game of Monopoly. for serious! Who does that?

Got to see Colin score a goal on Sunday! Go, husband!

Hope everyone stays warm, it's going to be our first chilly weekend in the South!

the most beautiful sound in the world.

Yesterday Colin and I were privileged enough to hear it. The steady, quick, and strong heartbeat of our baby, that is.

I can't explain the beauty of that moment. Colin and I both listened in awe, holding hands, crying and smiling like fools. The reality of a life being nurtured inside of my body is almost too much to handle. While our midwife was searching for the little one's heartbeat with her doppler (that little fish was swimming away from it like the dickens!) we even got to hear a few thumps... which she happily explained were the little kicks of our baby!

The past two months that we've known of the little life growing inside me have been so filled with joy. Joy in throwing up everything that I put in my stomach, joy in feeling utterly stomped flat by fatigue, joy in seeing Colin whisper, "Hi" and, "I love you" to his baby every night after he gets home from work.

Thank you for loving our little family! We are about 13 weeks along, and our little one is due to enter the world March 31st!