ChEeSe

I am so full...and sooo sleepy

Look at these muscles ladies!

What you looking at?!?

I LOVE my fuzzy!

Good Bye 2011

The Fenstermaker's have had one great year and all though we are sad it will be coming to end we are very interested and excited to see what 2012 has in store for us! This year has blessed us with so many things to be thankful for. We have a great family and friend network that have been our number one supporters in everything we do, even when they know we are headed for disaster! We have grown closer to our family, grown with our friends, lost a few and made a few. Cheers to all the memories we shared in 2011 and may 2012 bring twice as many!

I for one could not have made it through the past year with out my best friend...my go to person...my tell all....MY HUSBAND!! I may not say it often enough but he is my better half and he truly completes me! He has given me a great year with so many moments to cherish and memories to last a life time. We have also expanded the family.... our little man Braylon is now the center of our attention, the every minute of our day, and the whole of our hearts! He is our greatest blessing this year and it has been such an amazing and wonderful journey so far. I can only imagine the milestones, love, laughter, tears, and memories we will be having with him in 2012!

We hope all of you had a great 2011 and we wish you all the best in 2012!

Update

We are 5 weeks and 5 days into parenthood and it has had its challenges but over all it has been one amazing journey! We have been loving every second spent with Braylon. He has already changed so much both physically and his personality. He loves spending his days eating, napping, staring at lights, and getting mommy to hold him every chance he can. He is such a cuddle bug! We are amazed at what he can do everyday from his little smiles to his muscle control! He has us wrapped around those cute little fingers of his! He is growing like a weed too! He is off the growth charts according to the doctor. Just over 12 pounds and 24 inches and still growing! He is eating so much too! The other night he ate 10 ounces over the course of an hour...he slept great that night too! Maybe he is preparing for another growth spurt! He will be playing football before we know it! Andrew and I are doing well too! We actually got out for a date night last week thanks to cousin Michelle. We went to a local winery and ate and enjoyed some adult talk, although I feel like we talked about Braylon a lot. We were only gone a couple hours but we could not wait to get back to our little man, especially me! I think Andrew is already working on another date night! Andrew is back to work full time now. He misses us during the day but I try to stay on top of sending him emails and pictures so he can catch some of those fun moments too! I need to start taking some video! He has Christmas break coming up next week and it will be nice to have him home with us and at night too so he can share a little more of the night time wake up duties! I am still hanging out at home and loving it! There are a few moments where I think it would be nice to get back to work then I look at my handsome little man and think I could hang out with him everyday forever! I have a little over three weeks left with him and then its back to work for me and to in home day care for him! We have a great lady lined up...Amy Piercy! Amazing lady and wonderful family! We are so lucky to be able to take Braylon there. We cannot wait for him to get to know her and her family! As for now we are going to continue to enjoy the lives of parenthood and being home as a family for the holiday season! We are truly blessed and so lucky! Have a great day!

Happy 1 Month (a little late on posting)

We were just at the Doctor on this past Monday (5 weeks and 3 days) Braylon is growing off the charts weighing in at 12 pounds and roughly 24 inches. Give or take a little on both since he is can sit still! Doctor said he is growing like a weed and seems to be a VERY healthy big boy. We had some concerns about his fussiness though. There is a chance he is a bit colic or he may just be going through a growth spurt. There is never a right answer since the little guy can not tell us whats wrong. He did however eat 10 ounces on Monday night! Whew!!

Grandmas and Grandpas

Thank you KE Photojournalism!!!

A special thanks to Kate Elliott for coming and taking some pictures of our new little man! They turned out great! Here are a few! Make sure to check out her facebook page and like her work!

He is here!

It was quite the journey but Braylon is finally here and is already a week old!We went in last Wednesday to be induced Thursday morning. After 18 hours of labor, two epidurals, and only dilating 2cm...Braylon graced us with his presence via c-section early Friday morning at 12:27am weighing in at 9 pounds 14 ounces and 23 inches long! He immediately stole our hearts and the rest is history! It was amazing how quickly you forget the previous 18 hours! Since I had a c-section Andrew was able to go with Braylon right after he was born and stay with him as they made sure he was a healthy big boy! This first week has been a huge blessing! I have been having a fast recovery and Andrew has been nothing short of AMAZING! I am one very blessed lady! We have been spending our first few days at home cuddling and trying to learn what his wants and needs are! He loves to cuddle and this momma is not going to complain! We have been pretty lucky at night too! He is going about four hours between feedings at night and usually will get right back to sleep! Now that I said that ... tonight will be a different story! I could go on and on about how great he is and how wonderful things are but it would bore you after awhile! We wanted tog et some pictures up so you could see how much he has grown already! Its amazing how fast their little features can change!

We wanted to say a very SPECIAL THANK YOU to all our family and friends who have stopped by, helped out, and just plain showed us love over the last week! We love you all and are very blessed to have you in our lives! THANK YOU!!!

It's OFFICIAL

We are heading in to the hospital tonight and getting induced early tomorrow! The day has finally arrived! YIKES! We are both very anxious to meet our little alien as well as both a bit nervous! We are very excited for him to arrive and can not wait for him to meet all of you! We will keep you posted!

Our new and refinished rocking chair!

ADORABLE!

I have been wanting a cute little hat for Braylon to wear but just have not found any we liked or I was not about to pay an arm and a leg for a little hat. Andrew's co-workers had a little shower for him this mornign and this was one item they went together to get. I LOVE IT! Thank you ladies and gents! It is perfect!

Stinker!

Hello all! Last Friday we went in for a doctor appointment and everything was fine except my belly measurement. I was measuring about 2.5 centimeters small. Which is funny seeings how I had gained 4 pounds in six days! They asked if I would move my appointment up to Monday(yesterday) and schedule an ultra sound to double check everything. IT WAS A LONG WEEKEND! We were not sure if we should be worried that something could be a little off or excited that we got another ultra sound. Well we made it through the weekend and everything checked out fine! He is measuring about four days ahead and at about 7 pounds. He was quite the little stinker for the ultra sound though! He was pushing, kicking, punching, and just plain stubborn! He was super active and the ultra sound lady was a little shocked at his craziness! Maybe because he kicked her a few too many times! She tried to get us a few good pictures but he just WOULD NOT stop moving around. He also had a hand up by his face and refused to move it! The more she wiggled h im around to get him to move it the more stubborn he became. Finally he ended up putting both hands right over h is face! GRRR! Needless to say we did not get a picture of him so we are even more curious than ever to meet this little guy and see what he looks like! Our next appointment is Wednesday of next week. We are getting checked to see if we are dilated and hopefully things are still good to go. Our bags are packed, the car seats in, and now we WAIT! I am very IMPATIENT and I really HATE WAITING so I think we would both be ok for him to arrive at anytime! Andrew told me he is very anxious to cuddle with him and hold him! I can not wait to see Andrew as a DADDY....he will be the BEST!!!

Maternity Pictures

Check them out at

amy becker photography

go to online ordering and put in the password....babyhawk

Enjoy!

I think we are ready!?!

I feel like at the beginning of this adventure the weeks were dragging and now that we are down to four weeks I wonder where the last 36 weeks went! We will be having this monster :) in no time at all and I think we have things ready and prepared the best we know how to! His room is ready, things are washed and clean, the car seat is in, and I am working on packing a bag for the hospital. I hope that is the essentials! We know once he is here those little things wont matter but at this point its the waiting game and it keeps me busy to get all these things done. I am running out of things though!

Andrew is also pretty prepared from what he is acting like. He recently took a daddy boot camp and enjoyed meeting new dads and their little ones as they spent the morning doing some daddy talk, man questions, and of course baby changing! Andrew has also been ready Braylon a story every night before bed. He is quite the story teller. It is funny to hear him get all tongue tied on the rhyming books! I am sure Braylon is getting a kick out of it too! He had the best pirate voice the other night and I fear Braylon will LOVE it and I will have to listen to it over and over and over one day!

Everything else is going great for both of us! Andrew is enjoying his class so far this year and they seem to be having fun with him as well. He recently started the Tuesday night tutoring at his school. He runs a 9 week tutoring session each Fall and Spring and so every Tuesday night I am lonely bird until 7:30 or so! It used to be nice to have a night to relax but I am finding the the word "relax" does not really exist anymore! My job is finally on track and I am in the office " running the show ". (ha, ha)I would not really go that far! It has been great getting to learn some new things and dealing with parents from a different perspective then when I was the teacher. I do miss the classroom A LOT and wish I could have the best of both worlds! It was so much fun to see the everyday changes in the kids and to see the progress and make that lasting connection but I do feel I can make a difference as the Assistant Director as well. Sitting in a chair is the hardest part when I would rather be out and up and running around!

We hope all is well with you, our family and friends, and we will be sure to keep you posted on any Braylon news! I am sure he will wait to arrive close to his due date so do not get to anxious yet!

Beautiful!

This is the quilt my mom's friend made for us! It is double sided! We just gave her some color samples and this is what we got....we LOVE it!

4 weeks....but who is counting!

5 weeks to D-day!

We are finally getting all of Braylon's things arranged, organized, and cleaned up! I added a few fun touches tonight and we got our new changing table up and ready to use! We can not believe we have 5 weeks left (give or take). It is amazing how time has flown by and how much change I have felt over the last couple weeks. Braylon is definitely getting bigger! There is not much room in there for him to move around but some how he manages to kick and squirm all over the place. It is starting to get a little uncomfortable! I am still a firm believer we have either a long alien or a fat alien in there! Andrew took a daddy boot camp class this past weekend and realized he had a little more skill then he gave himself credit for! I have full confidence that he is going to be the bestest daddy in the world but he just needs to believe in himself a little more! We are looking forward to another doctor visit this Friday and then its one a week from then on. I also have gotten into the office full time now, instead of in a classroom. I am looking forward to normal weeks and a little less time getting up and down! Have a great evening!

34 weeks

Here is the latest picture! I am 34 weeks done tomorrow, only 6 more to go. CRAZY! I went to the doctor this past Thursday and I actually dropped a pound. It may have been because I had not ate much that day, but either way you look at it I still lost a pound and not gained 6! YAY!

Braylon's Shower

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that come and showered us with love, happiness, and gifts! We had a great turn out and it was so nice to see all of you! Braylon is already spoiled and he ended up with so many new and fun things! After the shower we are even more excited for him to be here so he can try out all the new things! We have been blessed by all of you and most of our essentials have been taken care of. We have done some shopping with all the gift cards to finish buying what we think he will need when he gets here. We have come to the conclusion we could be very off on what we think he needs and what he will actually need. The only thing left to do is a little clothes shopping and a few small things like laundry soap and burp clothes. If you know of anyone who has infant boy Fall/Winter clothes they are willing to part with please let me know! As fast as they grow out of clothes at this age we are all for some well taken care of hand me downs! Here are a few pictures of our gifts from our amazing family and friends! We are still waiting on the changing table to come and once that is here we plan to get his room situated and put together!

What do you think?

Andrew and I tried to put up a poll on the site but it was not working how we wanted! GRR! Here is what we were going for...

TAKE A GUESS: WHEN WILL BRAYLON COME AND HOW BIG WILL HE BE??

Take a minute to add your guess as a comment to this post! Every comment made comes to our emails and we would love to see what you all think!

It's painted!

Fireworks!

This weekend we went to Boomtown. It is a night full of fireworks, good fireworks! There were so many loud ones, fire balls, and they even did fireworks to music. It was worth the hour drive and Braylon seemed to get a "kick" out of it as well! Every so often when one of the loud booms went off he jumped! It was so funny! I am not sure if he liked it or hated it but after awhile he did get used to it!

A front shot for fun!

Its not a great picture but I hope to get a good one of Andrew and I at our upcoming shower. Just thought I had not shared the front view! I feel so much more belly out front than belly wide but I also want to just keep thinking I am all belly! HA!

A mover, a shaker, and major hiccupper!

Braylon is one VERY active little man. Not to mention he seems to have taken up home in mostly the right side of my belly. It is amazing to look down and honestly see that one half of my belly sticks out more than the other half! The doctor said that he will move most after meals and during my quite/relax time. He does his big kicks and turns and punches during those times. Sometimes I am stopped in my tracks at the feeling. He still move non-stop all day for the most part though. I could be running a marathon and I think he would still be in there trying to bust out, at least that is what it feels like. I think Andrew and I in for it once he becomes a mover! The other thing Braylon is constant at is the darn hiccups! LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON! When Andrew gets the hiccups they are horrible and last forever! Braylon is the same way! The other night he had them for almost 20 mins! Poor guy! I have been trying to see if it is related to any foods I eat but nothing has been consistent.

On a more grown up note, Andrew is back to school and has been very busy getting things in order! He has been staying late after school this week and spent many hours there this past Sunday. I wish sometimes I could be mad at him for being there so much but he is such a great teacher and is doing so much for those kids! I am sure I get a little grumpy sometimes! As for me, our new center has officially opened and kids are learning. We had a employee that just did not work out so I have been in the three year old room this week and until we hire a new employee. Let me just say....16 three year olds and a pregnant body are not a good match. There is another teacher in there as well! The getting down and getting up and bending over, by the end of my time in there I am just spent. I have also been working some long days to try and get my office stuff done after being in the room all day. Andrew says the days are too long but I just am not the person to walk away and leave stuff half done or be late on things. I am also pretty stubborn! Diezel has been loving life and has been super lazy! I think he has a hunch something is different but just has not really acted different. We are anxious to see how he reacts when Braylon comes. We were just thinking, 10 more week, it will be here before we know it!

A sneak peak

We did a little test wall in Braylon's room to see how the strip would look. It turned out so its on to the rest of the room this weekend I think.

What a weekend!

We had quite the weekend and it is continuing to be a very stressful and busy week! My brother, Justin, came home for a couple weeks on leave from the Navy. My family and some friends all decided it would be fun to go tubing and do a camping weekend. Our original plan was to just stay in my parents camper. Somehow the thought process turned into us wanting a camper, needed a cement slab, and of course a bigger car one day. We made a quick trip to Cedar Rapids two weeks ago and day dreamed of new campers. Then we came home and day dreamed of new cars. To my surprise we went to test drive a car and see if we would like something along those lines and came home with a tahoe! Not what we had exactly planned, but it was a great deal! So then we decided to pull Andrew's parents camper up to camp with. Day two of our camping adventure I lock the keys in camper, WITH NO SPARE! I cried for over an hour! This was my first real emotional episode of being pregnant. I was so mad and upset with myself. I could not stop crying for anything! It was one of those moments where the tears just well up and roll down with out any emotion behind them, they just kept rolling. We finally got into the camper and things were good. Then day three, on our way home, something in the tire broke! SERIOUSLY! This was not our weekend. We had to make a pit a stop at my parents, pull it apart (with much thanks to Jim), and then head back home to meet Andrew's dad for drop off. We felt horrible. I believe we learned that we either need to get our own camper or maybe we just don't need one at all! We finally get home form the crazy weekend and its 90 degrees in house and the thermostat is broken! We are calling it one ROUGH weekend! This week has been crazy, busy, and stressful too! We are both preparing for school to start and it seems to have just rushed up on us. Andrew as gotten back into "school mode" where he is getting up earlier and I have fully taken on the Assistant Director position and time is crunching on making sure things are in order. Needless to say Braylon's room has been put on stand still. :( I am really hoping to do it Sunday because I am getting anxious to now what it will look like! I hope you all had a much better weekend than we did!

28 weeks and and extra 27 pounds!

Glucose test :(

This morning is my glucose test. In fact I am sitting in the lounge area right now trying to waste time. I had heard from others it was a blood draw, a drink, an hour, and then a blood draw. Well, let me just inform you things have changed! I had to fast for 12 hours which actually has not been bad. The test itself is actually a two hour test now. I got here a little before 8am am and luckily was called back in record timing for a place this busy! It started with two blood draws to test if I could even take the glucose test. After confirming my blood was good I drank and orange drink. To my surprise it wasn't all that bad but because of all the sugar and no food, I am a little shaky. I have been sitting for a little over an hour, had one blood draw at the hour mark and have another 45mins until my 2 hour draw. At this point I am getting hungry and bored! I do not have a long attention span for those of you who don't know me as well. After this I plan on getting a decaf coffee and a very big snack!

We have our 28week appointment Friday and we signed up for a few classes too. Andrew even signed up for Daddy Boot Camp! I am anxious to hear everything he learns! It will be fun for him to be around all those new dads. Look for a new picture beginning of next week. I feel like I have gained so much more weight! My belly is looking more like a basketball and feeling hard like one too!

Happy Wednesday!

Pregnant plus dentist?!?

So today I finally went in for some cavity fillings. I had an appointment scheduled way back when I was about 10 weeks. I wasn't sure what to expect with all the numbing (which has never went well for me) and the lying way back. Well the process is over! It took eight needle pokes of novacane for it finally to be numb! Crazy! They started drilling four times and every time I could feel it! Once I was numb it was only a 20 minute process. Super quick! A little stressful but I made it though with only one potty break while the novacane set in! The best part....because I am pregnant they had to use a different type of novacane and it wore off with in the hour of leaving the dentist! Amazing!

A few home projects

Here are a few home projects we have been working on over the last couple weeks. We are trying to finish up a few things before parenthood really settles in and Braylon is here. We know how time for these things will be limited in the near future! The first picture is our new and more adult like bathroom! We actually just crammed all this into this past weekend. What a headache, but the final project was worth it! We are still planning to paint the cupboards a dark chocolate which will add a little better look. Hopefully we will have that done in the next week or two. Picture two is of our front grill deck Andrew rebuilt. (sorry for the messy space. Andrew is working on painting the back deck and had to move somethings to the front.) I did help a little too!  Hopefully this next summer we will get the front two decks stained and then somewhere down the road a new back deck with stairs! The last picture is our spare bedroom we finally have put together. It was nice to get Braylon's room all cleared out! I also finally got my wood desk and a book shelf! yay! Next project for me.... Braylon's room!

Andrew's new look!

This is what happened when he tried to give his goatee a new look...it did not work out like he planned so he just shaved everything off! He clams he wanted to see if he could get carded again. (He must feel old!) He wouldn't look at me! He also thinks he looks sophisticated! I love this man!

Braylon Asher at our 20 week ultrasound

Here are a few of our 20 week ultrasound pictures. He was a little stubborn and very active that day. He was literally running laps with his legs but luckily for Andrew we were able to find out that we were expecting a boy. He seems to love to nuzzle down low in my stomach. In the first picture he was arching his back and nudging his head right into my bladder. This was funny and very uncomfortable seeing how you have to have a full bladder when doing the ultrasound. The second picture is a face shot but it took a lot to get it. If you look real close you can see a side shot with an ear, his eyes, nose, mouth and I am sure his hands are there too. He was sucking on his hand/thumb and would not for anything move them away from his face. The nurse starting poking my belly and all I could do was laugh as we watched the little guy bounce around but it worked! The third picture is called a profile picture and the last is his giant feet! I think he will be taking after Andrew in the feet department! Enjoy!

24 weeks done today!

This is not the best shot but what else can you do when you have a box and a camera timer! I am officially 24 weeks done today and weighing in at an extra 20 pounds! (YIKES!)

WELCOME!!!

Hello everyone! We have had lots of people asking for belly pictures and updates on our growing family! This will be our new family site that we will use to share pictures, videos, stories, and many memories. Please feel free to visit as much or as little as you want. I know we have lots of family that we do not see very often and we hope this will be a fun way to stay connected. Make sure you share all your comments with us at the bottom of each blog entry. We would love to hear from you! You can also have all our blog entries directly emailed to you too! check out the " Follow By Email " area under our photo! We hope you all enjoy!