Busy, busy, busy...

Well, I am long overdue for an update, but we have been very busy with Kayleigh, as you can imagine. Kayleigh was born May 5 at 8:39 AM. She was 7 lbs 13 ozs and 19 inches. She is absolutely beautiful! We were blessed to have our parents in town to share the experience. She has already grown so much! We are headed back to the pediatrician next week for her first set of shots (I'm already dreading it!), but right now she is already up to 24 inches long and at least 10 lbs. I can't believe she is already 6 weeks old!

Just as we were getting settled into our new life with Kayleigh, we headed to Red Bluff for a visit and then back East for a long vacation. Kayleigh did great on the plane to Georgia! She slept almost the entire flight. We flew to Atlanta for a few days before heading up to Hatteras for Bob and Hadley's wedding. We had a wonderful beach vacation with Mom and Dad, Jared and Nicole, Tony and Louise and Grandmommie! We took Kayleigh to the beach one afternoon and Brett dipped her toes in the water! She loves water already! She floated in the hot tub with Daddy (before it was heated up...) and took lots of baths! Bob and Hadley's wedding was absolutely beautiful and all the wedding festivities were lots of fun. It was so much fun to see everyone again!! Although it was hard to leave the beach and our friends there, we all headed to G.G.'s house in Cullowhee. Kayleigh got to meet her Great Great Grandmother! That is such a rare and special thing and I think Kayleigh enjoyed snuggling with G.G. as much as G.G.! The boys worked hard in the pasture and the yard while the girls took care of things inside. G.G. came back to Georgia with us and we spent the rest of the week with friends and family. Kayleigh is definitely spoiled now and wants to cuddle constantly! I guess that's what grandparents are for!

We got some amazing pictures of Kayleigh while we were home. You can take a look at http://www.juligordonphotography.com/. Click on Client Proofing and enter the password "bonner".

We flew home on Saturday and spent Sunday celebrating Brett's first Father's Day! We watched movies and ate pizza and hot wings (his favorite!). Brett is back at work today and life is back to "normal." We miss everyone so much already! We are heading up to Red Bluff soon to pick up Lily, so it will be nice to be around family again. Randy and Lesa have had Lily for at least a month and we miss her terribly! As you can imagine, Brett is itching to get up there to get her!

I will try to post pictures and keep everyone updated on life here in San Fran!

Still waiting...

After one week of labor, we are still waiting! After having contractions for six days straight, we decided to go into the hospital Sunday night because they were so painful I couldn't take anymore. We were convinced it was time. When we arrived, the nurse couldn't believe I still hadn't had her since they thought it would be Wednesday or Thursday. She had actually been looking to see if I had delivered. Well, I was still having good strong contractions but I was still not dialated, so they suggested trying pitocin to try to jump start things. Since I was having my own contractions, pitocin was our only option. Well, after a day of pitocin and lots and lots of pain and contractions I was only at 1 1/2 cm!! They discussed trying more aggressive methods, but by this time I was exhausted and tired of all the pain. We decided to go home last night and wait some more! I have been sick today and still having contractions, so hopefully Kayleigh decides to make her arrival soon!! Mom flew home today, so I'm sure she will decide to come when Brett is on duty! Everyone keeps telling us that we must have a really stubborn baby, but that's no surprise considering I'm pretty stubborn myself! We will be sure to update everyone as soon as we have some exciting news! Keep us in your prayers that something happens in the next two weeks before I have to be induced. We are definitely hoping to avoid a c-section! Hope everyone is doing well!!

Labor!

I am 38 weeks and in labor! It all started last Friday when I started feeling a little sore and had a terrible lower backache. Lesa was in town cleaning our house so it was be sparkling when the baby arrived. We are so lucky to have family like that! Well, I told Lesa and Brett that I think she might be coming soon. Then, on Sunday, Brett got a runout from the station and around 6 contractions started. Just as soon as we were going to head to the hospital after about 2 hours of solid contractions, they stopped! So we went to bed and decided to get some rest. Well, Monday morning they began again. Brett and I got the car packed and the car seat in the car and decided to go to walk around before heading to the hospital to make sure they were going to last. Sure enough, after about 2-2 1/2 hours, they stopped again! By this time, I had already called my mom to tell her that I thought it was time. She was headed out here on a long 5 hour plane ride and the contractions were gone. Brett and I had a nice quiet evening and picked Mom up from the airport Monday night. I felt so bad that she came early and the contractions were gone. So we were determined to walk and try every home rememdy in the book. Tuesday, the three of us went to the Golden Egg in Novato (our favorite breakfast place ever!). I had an eggplant omelet, as eggplant supposedly helps induce labor. Now this was maybe my third time ever eating eggplant, but hey...it was worth a shot! (By the way, it was quite good, but I don't think anything they serve could possibly taste bad.) We also tried acupressure, which our childbirth class teacher swore by, and we WALKED! We shopped and shopped some more. We even paced Home Depot with Brett. We came home and walked the neighborhood. Then, around 6 pm the contractions came back with a vengence, but of course we were excited for pain. We continued to walk until I couldn't take anymore. Finally around 11 pm, we headed to the hospital. By the time I was on the monitors, I was having very strong contractions every 2 minutes or so. The doctor said they were beautiful...what a compliment! Ha! I was thinned but only dialated 1 cm...oh so far to go! After 3 hours at the hospital, they gave me a shot for the pain and let me go home to try to get some sleep for the long day ahead. The shot worked wonders! I am still contracting, a lot actually, but the pain is definitely not as bad with a morphine shot! I am at home laboring as long as possible before we head back to the hospital today. While it is possible for this to last a day or two, the doctor is convinced we will have a little one today! Brett and I (and our entire family) is so excited about meeting her. It seems so surreal that we are going to actually meet Kayleigh Lane! I will update more about her arrival as soon as I can! We love everyone and please say a few prayers for a good delivery!

Brett made heavy weather!!

Brett has made Heavy Weather Coxswain! We are so excited and before we know it, he will be a Surfman. For most of you this may be hard to understand how big of a deal this is but there are many at his station who have been here for years and still haven't made it, so it's a huge testament to how hard he works and how good he is at what he does that he made it this quickly. It is an even bigger deal that they expect his to make Surfman soon, depending on the weather. So I think for the first time ever, we are praying for bad weather!

I am finishing up my last two weeks at work before my maternity leave begins. I am busy training the person who will be taking over my position while I am out. I am ready to begin my leave, and I certainly have a lot to get done at home before Kayleigh arrives. I can't believe my due date is so close! I really can't believe in just over two weeks I will be full term! Where has the time gone? Brett and I are so excited about meeting our little girl!

Counting Down...

I am almost 34 weeks!! I can't believe I'm so close. It still feels like it is going to be forever though. I have 3 weeks left of work before I start maternity leave. I think it will feel much more real once I am home and really waiting. I have so much left to do. Her room is semi-put together, but I still have lots of decorating left to do. I changed her bedding once already and was so tempted to change it again! I think I'm going to drive Brett crazy! So the picture below is not what her room looks like, but I'll be sure to post pictures when I am finished.

For those of you who don't know, I ended up at labor and delivery last Tuesday because I was having strong contractions one after the other. After I was there a couple of hours they stopped and I wasn't dialating, so they finally released me after 6 hours or so. Brett and I were so bored. We had no tv and no bathroom in our room. We think it was just their way of making sure you really didn't want to come back unless you were really in labor! I've had a few more episodes of strong contractions, but they are always better once I lay down. I am hoping this means my body is getting prepared and I will go into labor at exactly 37 weeks! Ha! If only I was so lucky!!

Well, we had two wonderful showers, one back home in Georgia and one in Red Bluff. We are blessed with such amazing friends and family!! We got lots of wonderful baby goodies. I can't wait to have her so we can actually use it all! It was so nice to see everyone at the showers and catch up! I'll definitely have to post lots of pictures of Kayleigh in her adorable outfits! I'm quite excited to see what Brett dresses her in since it is ALL girly! Some have suggested that she might be a tomboy, but I don't think she has a chance. Her mom's favorite color is pink afterall.

Other than waiting on Kayleigh to arrive, life for us has been pretty normal. Brett has been busy at the station with a yearly inspection, and I have been working and being pregnant, which is definitely at least a part-time job as exhausting as it is! I have cut back on my hours at work which has been a big relief! They have been great and allowed me lots of flexibility.

I hope everyone is doing well! We can't wait to see everyone again but with our little one next time! Lots of love from California!!

Brett is coming home!

So after 3 long weeks...Brett is coming home tomorrow! Kayleigh, Lily and I missed him so much! It was definitely a long three weeks. I worked a lot, had a nice trip to Red Bluff, went shopping with the Brett's Mom and Aunts in the city and had a trip to the ER! Everything was great, except for the trip to the ER. My OB thinks it is my gallbladder acting up. Kayleigh is doing just great though! She is definitely a kicker. The doctors comment every time we go in how active she is. She's going to be feisty! I have an ultrasound coming up to test my gallbladder, but most likely it's something they will deal with after I have her.

Work is going well for me. My boss is out on a leave of absence for surgery, so I am the big boss! Well, not quite the big boss, but I definitely have a lot more responsibility! I've been lucky to have such a great boss, who has been a great mentor. I think I will enjoy working a few hours a week once the baby comes. I'm sure I'll enjoy getting out of the house, and I think Brett is really looking forward to having her all to himself! In case there was any doubt that she'll be a Daddy's Girl...he is already planning things for the two of them to do together...while Mommy is at work!

I hope everyone is doing well! We think of you all often and though we are enjoying life here in San Francisco, we miss all our friends and family! Can't wait to see everyone soon!!

Long Overdue Update

So...I have been really terrible about getting on here and updating. The pregnancy is going well. Kayleigh Lane has been kicking up a storm. I think she's going to be an athlete. It's so neat to feel her though. Brett has gotten to feel her strong kicks and even see them too. I think it's exciting for him to be able to experience it all with me. I can't wait until April (or May...but hopefully April) when we get to meet her! I've had a very easy pregnancy (I know it's hard to believe since I'm typically so sickly), and I've been feeling great overall. I've just recently developed a little carpel tunnel which is typically only bad when I'm on the computer a lot at work, but I've been wearing a wrist brace and trying to take it easy at work. We finally found some bedding for Kayleigh's room. It's so neat to start decorating her nursery. I'm still trying to convince Brett to paint the room pink...ha! We'll see how that goes! Brett and I will be back in Atlanta in February for a baby shower. I'm so excited about seeing everyone!

On a different note, Brett is in Cape Disappointment for Heavy Weather School for 3 weeks. I miss him, but I know he is having a blast. Basically, they are training in the waters where the Columbia River (on the Oregon/Washington border) flows into the Pacific on the Motor Life Boats (the ones that rollover in the big waves. It can get pretty nasty, so they are able to do a lot of training. He is training in 20 foot waves, so definitely keep them in your prayers. So after this school, he will be a Heavy Weather Coxswain and on his way to Surfman soon. Kayleigh, Lily and I can't wait for him to come home!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is off to a great New Year! I'll definitely try to update more often this year. I would love to hear how everyone's doing too! Love from the Bonners...and COME VISIT!!

And for those of you who haven't gotten a peak at our adorable little girl...