Mommyhood

So i thought i would update this blog a little bit while my sweet little angel takes a nap. Mommyhood so far has been more than i could ever imagine. I love it. I am so exhausted but so alive and happy all at the same time, its amazing. Today was her first Dr appt and it went great. She now weighs 7lbs 3 oz which means she has gained 2oz since leaving the hospital, which dr says is wonderful. She is in excellent health and her growth is progressing normally:) I am so happy my little bug got a clean bill of health. She also had her first bath last night, it was definitely an adventure, she seemed to like it but definitely didnt like being taken out afterward, too cold i think:) Becoming a mother has definitely had its challenges, but seeing this beautiful little girl that God has blessed me with has made it all worth it. Please continue to pray for our little family as we adjust to having this new little one to care for. Thanks:)

Julia is here!!!

Our baby girl has finally arrived. After 14 hours of labor Julia entered this world weighing 7lbs 7oz 20 inches long. Words cannot express how much love i have for this little girl I've only known a few short days:) She is everything i imagined and so much more.

Progress!

So i had my Doctors appt. yesterday and everything went great. Dr says my cervix is thinning and getting ready for labor:) YAY!! She said get out there and walk walk walk. Julia's heartrate is great and her growth is right on track. Now its just a waiting game on when she wants make her debut. Her room is all done, Robert installed the carseat a few days ago and our bags are packed. The anticipation is almost too much for me to handle, i cant wait to finally meet this little girl that has already changed my life so much.
Come soon my little Noelle:)

One More Month!!

So i can't believe i am only one month away from finally meeting my little lovebug:) These last eight months have been filled with lots of different emotions as well as obvious physical changes. The first three months of this pregnancy were definitely rough and not just on me. I didnt have really bad morning sickness but my main complaints were my mood swings and hormones. I was all over the place. My poor husband, i am so thankful for him and how understanding he was during that hard time. I would be crying one minute and screaming the next it was so unperdictable but thankfully around the beginning of my fourth month the crazy lady slowly faded away. Since then my pregnancy has been pretty easygoing, no major problems or complaints. Robert and I have definitely tried to cherish every moment of this time in our lives because we know it will be missed. As I now enter my 9th and final month of this journey I realize how truly blessed I am to have been able to go through this amazing experience. More and more I am realizing how amazing our God is. Everytime I get to see my little girl or hear her heart beat I am just filled with awe at how God is molding and shaping this little love of mine into one of his precious creations. It amazes me that there are actually people who can think we came from goo or something. Our bodies are so complex and perfectly designed how can it be even be denied that we have a Creator. Please keep both Robert and I in your prayers as we enter this last month of pregnancy and the scary but rewarding experience of childbirth. And finally as we start our lives as parents to this precious little one that we are so anxious to finally meet:) We cant wait to meet you little Julia Noelle!!

Sorry Its Been Awhile:(

Sorry i havent updated in awhile, its been nonstop this month. I have less than 8 weeks to go and i am getting very excited to finally meet my little lovebug! We went a few weeks ago for the 4D ultrasound and it was absolutely amazing:) She was a sleepy little girl most of the time, but she was opening her eyes and mouth towards the end. Seeing my baby girl so real and upclose was such an amazing experience. I am so in awe of God and how he is just shaping her into this beautiful little girl:)



We also had my baby shower this last saturday. It was very fun and exciting and my little girl got spoiled beyond belief. She got so many wonderful things. We told people we were decorating with her room with ladybugs and people just ran with it. She got ladybug blankets, clothes, wall art and toys. I love it:) We were so blessed by everyone's generosity and help. I am so blessed to be learning how loved this little girl already is!!


I am going in every two weeks to the Doctors now, just so she can keep a close eye on Julia's development. She is already head down which is great, we are just hoping she stays that way until her b-day. She is right on track with her development and thankfully mommy hasnt gained too much weught yet. Well thats about it, we are just busy preparing for her arrival a little bit everyday. I will try to update sooner. I am posting some pictures of the 4D ultrasound and also of the baby shower. Enjoy:)

Less than 3 months left.!!

I cant believe how fast time is going by now. I am now starting my third trimester and have less than three months until i get to meet my little love bug and I cant wait. I have been feeling some pretty mixed emotions these last few weeks. I am so excited to finally have my little girl in my arms but i am definitely getting nervous with the whole going through labor thing. Robert and I are in middle of taking our childbirth classes and we watch a birth video every week and I sit there like Oh Wow, im going to have to do that!! There's no getting around it. By the end of the video im so emotional about the parents meeting there child and the mom always looks so happy. Please keep me in your prayers as far as labor goes, I am aiming for a natural birth no drugs or intervention unless there's an emergency. Please pray that I would be strong and that I would fully rely on the Lord and His strength to bring this child into the world in the best way possible, naturally. There are so many drugs that are given to women that hurt more than help in the labor process. I just want to be left alone to birth my child without so much chaos and confusion.

My baby shower is fast approaching. October 25th is the date. I am so excited to celebrate this little girls soon arrival with my family and friends. We have some really fun things planned for the day that i am excited about.

Phisically I am doing great, i have only gained about 13 pounds so far so not too bad. Doctor says i will probably gain another 10-15 pounds by baby time which is great. My belly is definitely growing more and more. Julia loves to move around during the day and sometimes at night which can be disturbing while im sleeping. Its cool she must know my voice because i will talk to her and say shhh mommy's here calm down and after a few times of doing that she will calm down:) Robert and I are going on our hospital tour this friday, so we are definitely looking forward to that, we have lots of questions:) Well I guess thats it for now. Please keep our little family in your prayers:)

Leslie, Robert, and Baby Julia

Seeing my baby girl again:)

Robert and I went for an ultrasound and just thought i'd share a couple pictures of our little love bug!! She was moving around so much, its was amazing to her little mouth moving and her fingers wiggling, so cute:)

She is definitely growing quickly:) Her heartrate was at 154 BPM, which is nice and strong. Hope you enjoy the pics of our little Julia Noelle!!



I love this pic, she's got her little hand under her chin:)




















This is her showing her feminine side:)

6 months preggo

Just taking a little time out to write a bit. I will be 25 weeks pregnant and i cant believe it, its starting to go by so fast now. Its hard to imagine that in about 3 months i am going to welcome a little girl into my home. That Robert and I will be mommy and daddy to our little Julia Noelle:) Pregnancy thus far has been pretty good to me, no major struggles, thank God. I am learning so much about my body and how amazing it is to be able to carry this child. God is so great and the way he molded us together just amazes me more and more everyday. I love this little girl i am carrying more and more everyday with each little kick and squirm it just puts a smile on my face.

My baby shower is set for October 25th and i am so excited to see everyone and spend time with friends and family i dont see often enough. The theme for Julia's room and baby shower is ladybugs, i love the bed set we picked and all the little room organization stuff we registered for. We are in the process of trying to figure out how exactly we want to decorate her room(painting, etc.). We have starting buying things little by little. So far we have her dresser/changing table, her bassinet, car/seat stroller combo and some other odds and ends. Such cute stuff!!



Robert and I started our Bradley Birth class this last sunday and it went great. Cant wait to learn more about what will be gonig on with my body pretty soon. It definitely helps me cope and not be so intimidated with the labor process. Well i guess thats it for now just wanted to do a quick update on me and baby Julia.

23 Weeks Today!!

So today i am 23 weeks pregnant! My pregnancy is starting to go by very quickly and I am trying to savor every moment of it. I went for my doctors appointment yesterday and it went really well. I am measuring at 24 weeks so doc says she's a little big but that is perfectly fine. I have only gained one pound which Dr. says is also perfectly fine as long as baby Julia is growing. I have to go in for some bloodwork tomorrow, to ck for gestational diabetes and also to make sure my iron levels are ok, so please keep that in your prayers. Julia continues to make herself known more and more. She is moving and grooving throughout the day. Robert got to feel her the other night just rolling around in my tummy and he said he couldnt believe there was a little person just moving around in my belly! We got our stroller/carseat combo yesterday and just couldnt wait to put it together.I was looking at the carseat just daydreaming about putting my little lovebug inside of it:) I also got this really cute CD called Praise Baby, and i play it for her every night so she can listen to some worship music and I pray she comes out alreay knowing her need for Jesus! Well thats it for now i guess, talk to everyone soon!! I also posted a recent pic of my growing belly!



Robert, Leslie, and Baby Julia!!

My 24th Birthday

So Yesterday was my 24th birthday, wow time seems to be flying by.

Robert took me to The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, it was so much fun. All the different kinds of fish and sea life were amazing. The sea lions were definitely my favorite, they are so smart and love to be funny!

Julia seemed to like it too she was moving and kicking all day. I cant wait to take her there after she is born. We got touch the baby sharks and stingrays, i have to admit it was a little scary at first but after a few times it was amazing to be able to touch them. After our day at the Aquarium we headed to my parents house for some birthday grub...yumm. It was my dinner choice, so my mom made homemade chicken nuggets and broccoli cheese and rice casserole...mmmm....amazing:)

So all in all it was great day just hanging out with my husband and my family. Thanks guys for an amazing day!!

Baby Julia

Just wanted to write a quick update.

So our little girl just keeps making herself known more and more everyday.
I feel her all the time now, just kicking and squirming. At first it was definitely
a little weird but when realized it was her, it put such a smile on my face and
on my heart. I am falling in love with this little girl more and more everyday.
We had a very excited moment a few days ago Robert was able to feel her little
kick from the outside. It was amazing to see his face light up and smile and say
"I felt my little girl". So cute:)

We are starting the planning stages of putting together my baby shower,
we are thinking the end of October sometime. We will definitely keep everyone
updated on that.

Talk to everyone soon!!

Its a Girl!!!!

Yep, thats right its a baby girl for the Banks family!!

Our ultrasound appt. went really well. Baby Julia is healthy and growing by the minute. We are so excited to be welcoming this precious baby girl into our lives. It is amazing how much bigger she is compared to my last ultrasound, you can see all her little features. Her hip bones, her little facial features, even the little bones in her fingers, it was amazing I get emotional just thinking about it.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and excitement during this special time, please continue to pray for a safe and healthy delivery for our baby Julia:)

Julia Noelle is due December 19th!!

We cant wait for our little christmas present to get here!!!

5 Months Today:)

Well today is my 5 month mark, and i am so thankful to have made it this far without any major problems. My belly continues to grow and I am feeling this baby move more and more everyday. Some yucky things lately are my back is sore by the end of the day, i have the worst memory and have just completely lost any smarts i did at one time possess. Sleeping is a major chore, before i got pregnant i was a stomach sleeper, so that had to change, now they say dont sleep on your back either so im trying to get used to sleeping on my sides which is definitely not a position of choice for me, not to mention i have to pee at least twice a night, i have crazy dreams that wake me up and i just feel like im tossing and turning all night. I went and got a pillow thats called a Snoogle its like an amazing pregnancy pillow that keeps you from turning on your back and you can put it between your legs too which I've heard helps. Last night was my first night with it and it is AMAZING, let me tell you. I slept so good and i was comfortable, thank you Lord because everyday I was waking up in a FOUL MOOD because I hadnt gotten any sleep. All the yucky things aside though, its all worth it. Everytime I feel this baby move or look in the mirror and see my belly growing so that this child can grow, it justs puts a smile on my face and all the aches and pains go away. Its amazing and unexplainable.

So we are less than one week away from finding out if weve got a girl or a boy growing in my belly. We are so excited and we get more and more anxious everyday. At this point I have no idea what this baby is, Robert and I have gone back and forth, at first we thought it was girl but lately we have been feeling like boy. My parents both say its a girl so we will see who's right. We can't wait to start calling this baby by name and buying cute stuff. If i havent shared the names we picked i will now.

For a girl its.... Julia Noelle. Julia was my great-grandmothers name and Noelle is for the time of year she will be born(christmas), we just wanted to spell it a little differently.

For a boy its ....Kaleb Michael. Both Robert and I love the name Kaleb we just wanted to play around with the spelling and Michael was Robert's fathers middle name and its also my big brothers name so that worked out perfectly.

We are so in love with the names we have picked for our child they mean so much to us on so many different levels. I cant wait to share which name we will get to use first:)

So I guess thats it for now, next time I write will probably be to announce the sex of the baby, praying that he or she cooperates with us. Hope everyone is doing well and I'll talk to you soon.

Thankful:)

Hey

Nothing new really just enjoying my growing belly and contemplating life. Ok so this might seem mushy, but i just wanted share how thankful I am for the life God has blessed me with. I see so many other relationships and marriages go through some stuff that I could never imagine. God has really done some amazing things in my marriage and in both Robert and I individually. As most of you know we went through some rough times there at the beginning and I know without a doubt that had we not had the desire to please God and be faithful to Him, Robert and I would not be together today. Its hard to think about now because more and more everyday I realize just how much I love this man I married. Carrying this child has made that love even stronger, and I realize how truly blessed I am to be able to give Robert this child. It is truly amazing to me to watch my husband start to become a daddy. I am so excited to be starting this journey with Robert, God has truly made him the man of my dreams and I could't imagine doing this with anyone else:) As for right now I just continue to be in prayer that He would continue to bless our marriage and give us strength to go through the hard times that life can bring.

Hope everyone is doing well, leave me a little note:)

My first post:)

Hey everyone

I decided to create a blogspot so that i can update friends and family on our life and our growing baby. I am almost five months pregnant now and growing by the minute it seems, and loving every minute of it. To catch everyone up i am due December 19th 2008 and we are so very excited to welcome this child into our lives. July 23rd we get to "hopefully" find out the sex of the baby and we are crossing our fingers that he or she is willing to let us take a peek. I am so blessed to have my husband Robert, he has been so supportive and understanding through this process. My first three months were pretty rough. I had all day sickness, i was tired 24 hours a day and my mood swings were homerun style. I am so thankful that God gave him the patience to deal with me because even I was ready to leave me. Thankfully, this last month or so has been a lot better. The sickness is gone, i've gotten probably 80% of my energy back and the mood swings are down to a minimum(for now). Right now we just enjoying this pregnancy and are so excited for whats to come.

This past week I have started feel this baby move quite a bit. I feel it mostly at night when i am laying still and when i sneeze or cough i get a couple little twitches:) Starting to feel this baby moving has made me fall in love with my child even more. I cant believe God has blessed me with this little life growing inside me. I can't wait for Robert to be able to feel our child moving. Thats it for now, i will post again soon:) I posted a pic of my evergrowing belly at 4 1/2 months:) Enjoy!