Doctor's Appointment Today!

Jason and I went to the doctor's today. We are into the middle of our 36th week and are doing our once a week visits to monitor our progress. We are doing really well and are still on schedule to deliver on November 22nd. Last week, I had gained 11 pounds of fluid in a 2 week time frame and my blood pressure was elevated. Dr. David (our obgyn) was very nervous and wanted to make sure that we were closely monitored with my blood pressure and severe water retention. However, this week, everything has changed. We gained 2 pounds in 1 week (which she stated was normal at this point) and my blood pressure was back down to 120/72. She said that we were had not dilated any and that my cervix was pointed to my back-bone. I asked when that would move, and Dr. David stated that my cervix would begin to shift when Kennedy makes progress and decides she is ready to face the world. I told Jason that she is probably going to be stubborn (like the both of us) and take her time, therefore being born after her due date as she will be laid back and not in a hurry. Forget the fact that my cervix pointing towards my back-bone is the uncomfortable-ness that I have been feeling/borderline of pain. Her heartbeat was very strong and she is still very active. We are scheduled to go back next Monday for another checkup, so I will be keeping you updated.

For those of you that were wondering, we did ask Dr. David if she could determine Kennedy's weight. She stated that it would be an estimation but she felt all around my stomach. She then said that if Kennedy were to be born today, she would say that Kennedy would probably weigh in between 6 1/2 pounds to 7 pounds. Jason and I about died, since I do have roughly 4 weeks left and that is when babies do most of their growing. OMG, if she is going to be 10 pounds. Can you say C-SECTION? Keep your fingers crossed that she isn't over 9 pounds. We want a newborn not a toddler! ha ha ha
With Love,
Jen

Another Busy Weekend.........

Another weekend has come and gone. Friday was a pretty busy day. After a full day of school, I came home and my mom was here. She had just gotten her hair done and decided to stop by to drop off a present from one of her customers for Kennedy. We then discussed going to dinner but she wasn't really up for it. So she went home. Jason and I then decided we didn't want to go to the grocery store, so I took him to Horizen and watched him eat sushi. Oh well. Afterwards, we came home, did our thank you cards (from Mom's shower on October 5th) and watched the ball game and went to bed pretty early. Well, I fell asleep on the couch and then Jason woke me up to go to bed.

On Saturday, we had talked about getting up early going to vote, running a few errands, all before the baby shower. However, I was so unmotivated to get ready and begin my day, that we got none of that done. Jason then received a phone call from his mom that he needed to come help with the shower decorations by bringing a ladder and hanging up the "TALL" stuff. It helps to be 6 feet tall. So he left to be a big help! My mom and Tiffany then came by the house to pick me up to go to the shower. I got to hang out with a few great friends, and we laughed and talked about so much. There were a few guests I didn't know or remember, but at least they were there because they knew Jason and they were there for him. But I felt a little funny about taking a present from someone I didn't know. We received lots of things that were on our registry and also lots of things that were not on the registry. If I can give any advice, STICK TO THE LIST! But other than that, it went really well and we had a great time. After the shower, we came back home, unloaded all of the presents, picked up the dogs, and went to Milton with my mom. When we got to good ole Miltonia, we picked up my dad and went to eat the Roadhouse. MMMMMMMMMMMM. We then came home and went straight to sleep.

On Sunday, Jason and I got up, I went for breakfast, and then we went through the presents from the day before. We had a ton of laundry to do so I wanted to get started. I had a wedding to go to, My good friend Nick Davis, but I was feeling under the weather with a head cold. Luckily I am going to the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some medicine to feel better. After going through all of the fabulous gifts, Jason and I managed to get ready and left to run some errands. We ate lunch at Santino's and ran into Briana. We then went to Target and bought a ton of stuff that we hadn't received off of our registry that we definitely needed. We then went to the pet store for some dog food and then to Jason's favorit store in the world (Books a Million). Then we just came home. Jason put together the highchair, and put the carseat/baby carrier in my car, so when the time comes we are ready. We finished the laundry and now have decided that we are completely exhausted.

We do have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, at 1:00, so hopefully we have made progress in 1 week, and we can definitely keep you posted. We officially are down to a little less than 4 weeks, and we are so ready. My birthday is this coming Saturday, so maybe Kennedy will be my birthday present. I guess we will wait and see. I am a little concerned about my blood pressure as it is on the rise, but we will see.
With Love,
Jen

Help me..........

I can't believe I am saying this, especially online, but for those of you who know me, I am sure you know that I don't like to ask for help. Not for anything. But I finally gave up and had to do it. I have now succumbed to getting Jason up 30 minutes earlier in the morning to shower, so he will still be in the house when I shower, incase anything happens. Also, I know have to get dressed in the morning while he is still in the house so he can put my socks on for me, if I choose to wear them. When I get home, he unloads my car for me, takes off my socks, and makes me sit on the couch with my feet up and waits on me hand and foot. He doesn't let me bend down and pick things up, clean up, etc.

Now I know some of you are thinking, "isn't that what he was suppose to do"? My husband is great and loves me bunches, but I can't stand to feel helpless. Kennedy is going to be so proud of her dad, whom she loves so much already. Anytime he rubs my belly or scratches my belly she freaks out and it actually looks like she is going to just punch through my belly. It is really creepy, but cool all at the same time.

With Love,
Jen

We did it, Jason and I graduated.....

Jason and I had our last lamaze class on Monday night, (which I may have mentioned before). We are officially graduates and ready to move on to try out how "Strong" I think I am going to be during labor. We registered for the Child CPR class tonight, and decided to take both grandma's with us. Well my mom is going to be "Nana" and Gail hasn't decided what she is going to be called yet. So the 4 of us went and learned how to save lives, both on Adults and Babies. Did you know it is now 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths. It is pretty crazy to know, that I can actually attempt to save a life if I had to. Here is hoping it never has to happen.

So we feel ready for the whole shabang now. We are going to finish packing Kennedy some items in our hospital bag, that way Jason isn't unorganizing her room, while we are in the hospital trying to find something for her to wear. You may never know what he would bring for her to put on. ha ha ha

We are definitely just hanging out for the rest of the week. We are pretty busy tomorrow still, as we are going to look at a house in Milton. I will keep you posted on that. We would like to buy before the interest rates spike and we are in more of a recession than we are in now. I guess you never know.

Thanks for checking on us!!!!!!
With Love,
Jen and Kennedy

Doctor's Appointment Today

Kennedy and I had a doctor's appointment today at 4:15. We are in the middle of our 35th week, and have just started our once a week doctor's visits. We have officially 32 days until our due date and counting.

Our appointment went really well. Kennedy is in position and we seem to be just waiting for her arrival. We haven't started dilating yet. My blood pressure is a little bit elevated, not enough to enduce my labor yet, but enough for Dr. David to be concerned about. Along with the elevated blood pressure, we have had substantial weight gain these last 2 weeks, but according to Dr. David, it is all water retention. I feel severely swollen, but according to the doctor, we are just going to monitor my situation closely. Kennedy is doing well and appears to be happy. Her heartbeat was in the 140's today and she of course was playing "catch me if you can" with Dr. David as she was trying to hear her heartbeat.

We went to our last lamaze class tonight and got a graduation certificate. We heard from a few parents and saw their newborn babies and got to ask questions or hear their experiences. It was pleasant and peaceful. They were all so precious. Mrs. Hanna, our lamaze teacher, started off class with answering any new questions, asking about doctor's appointments, and just being a fabulous concerned woman. When it came to Jason and I, I told her about our doctor's appointment and the water retention/weight gain. She seems to think that with the elevated blood pressure, we will go sooner than later, and more than likely, not make it to our due date. However, no matter what, Jason and I both agree that Kennedy will come when she is ready. We do have our hospital bag packed, for a just incase. We are all put together, but getting a little nervous.

Thanks for reading and I hope I didn't leave anything out. We will definitely keep you posted on the progress and of course Kennedy's arrival.

With Love,
Jen

We are married.........AGAIN!

On Saturday, Jason and I got re-married. We had made the decision a few months ago that we would have our marriage blessed by the Catholic Church, so we could raise Kennedy Catholic. In order to do this, we had to meet with our priest, take a relationship test, go over the results, and then have a small ceremony. It was really funny to see how after 3 years of marriage, Jason and I did on our results from our compatibility test. We were matched fairly well, and no we didn't cheat. We even disagreed on the same questions. It was fun!

So now, we have 2 wedding anniversaries. April 2nd and October 18th. We didn't have a big ceremony, and only had a few people. Our guests included my mom, Ann Smith and Betty Regna, Jason's parents, his sister and Jeanne Jackson. So a small intimate ceremony. And believe it or not, Jason did not cry like the first time.

The funny part of the whole thing was that Jason had to help me get up from the chair and the kneeling bench. We didn't wear anything fancy, and only took a few pictures. Just thought I would post them for ya'll to see.

The Happy Groom before the ceremony!

The Bride and Groom in the small chapel, Before we realized we were getting married in the big chapel.

Father Dennis O'Brien, Bride and Groom.

We hope you enjoyed the pictures of us. Yes, for those of you who were at the first wedding, we do realize the weight gain over the last 3 years, but remember, I am pregnant therefore a major weight gain, and Jason just has sympathy weight for me. We will be thin again, give us 1 year.

With Love, Jason and Jen

Another day down.....

I don't know what is funnier in our house right now, The dogs pretending to be the "baby" or us trying to dress the dog up as the baby. Let me paint a picture for you. Jason and I were sitting in Kennedy's room putting up her laundry, when all of a sudden Jason got my attention and I looked over and there was poor Delilah in a newborn diaper. We laughed so hard that she was embarrassed, wouldn't move until we took off the diaper, and then she left us and wouldn't come back for a while. Another day in the Gardner household.

We are excited about our Pensacola Baby Shower coming up on October 25th. Grandma Gardner and Aunt Jeanne is throwing the shower for Kennedy and we can't wait to see what she is going to receive. She already has so much and we, as parents, are SO GRATEFUL!

As we close out this blog session, I would like to ask everyone reading this, to pray for our BEST friends, Aaron and Andrea. They are having a difficult time with some difficult news. They are the greatest, strongest people that Jason and I have in our lives and we are always forever grateful. We love them and hope that all of you can wish them well in your prayers and keep them in your thoughts as they make it through such a hard time.

Anxiously Awaiting....

So, the countdown begins. 40 days to go and counting. Jason and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kennedy Marie Gardner. Although her due date is not until November 22, 2008, we are taking a baby pool of estimated dates of arrival and the guesses of her weight. If anyone is interested, email me and let me know.

Also, This Saturday, October 18th, 2008, Jason and I are taking the plunge (yet again)! No, we aren't doing anything crazy, but we are getting our marriage blessed by the Catholic Church. So needless to say, we will have 2 wedding anniversaries, April 2 and also October 18. We are blessing our marriage so that Kennedy can be christened and raised Catholic. Her christening date will be December 20th, so watch out for those invitations. After the 18th of October, we will be posting some pictures so that you can see our 2nd wedding/marriage blessing and enjoy in the day with us, one more time.

We will keep you posted......
Jason and Jen

Milton Baby Shower 10-5-08

On October 3rd, my lovely cousin Audrey and her mother, my Aunt RoseAnn, flew in from Scotland for Kennedy's 1st baby shower. My mother, Audrey and Tiffany, threw the first shower for the "Milton Folk" at the Garden Center. It was fabulous. Kennedy is going to be "SO FASHIONABLE" and have all of the latest, best baby gear on the planet! Jason and I are very grateful that we have such wonderful friends and family who love us dearly, and we know will love Kennedy the same.

So here is a picture of my expanding waist line/baby belly for those of you to see. Keep checking us out as we will continue our blog efforts more frequently now, and with a ton of pictures of Kennedy as we have 43 days to go and counting!

With love,

Jennifer and Jason......