Ava Grace is finally here!

Ava Grace Gulliver was born on Friday, November 30th, 2007 at 8:03 a.m.  She was 17 days early but weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20 3/4 inches long.  Everything went well in the labor and delivery although my epidural did not do much good as I felt EVERYTHING!  But it was well worth it, as Ava is finally here and we are so excited!

Kylie is adjusting to being a big sister, challenging at times, as she is used to being the only child but does love her baby sister very much.  She likes to give her Baby Ava many, many kisses and always gets me diapers and wipes for Ava.

Ava is a great baby and hardly ever cries.  She only whimpers when she gets her diaper changed but other than that, the only noises she makes are her little baby squeaks.  Ava did have to have a special blanket when she came home from the hospital as she was quite jaundice and they were concerned about her levels.  She had to have a special blanket with a light attached to her 24/7 for the first 3 days after coming home from the hospital.  But after a couple of doctor's appointments, she is much better and got to come off of the blanket on Wednesday.

Thank you to all of our friends and family who have stopped by with flowers, meals, visits, etc.  We appreciate it all so much!  Above are some of the hundreds of pictures we have already taken of Ava and our new family of four.  The very top picture is of Ava on her one week birthday, yesterday.  It is hard to believe it has been a week already!

Baby G

Well, Baby G may be here sooner than we know it! We had a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon and I had my strep B test and the doctor also checked me to see how things were going since two weeks ago when he last checked me. (I was at 1 1/2 cm. dilated then.) Well, I am at 3 cm. dilated and 80% effaced! The doctor said it could be any day now! I haven't been feeling any contractions yet so it could be another week or so before Baby G makes her arrival. Thankfully I have the rest of the week off of work due to Thanksgiving break so I have a nice long weekend and don't have to worry about missing work if I go into labor in the next day or two! We'll keep you all updated!

On a side note, I wanted to just thank God for Noah Michael Ayers, son of Mike and Kathryn Ayers, (Kathryn is one of my best friends) who was born on November 17th. He was born with the cord wrapped around his neck 3 times and had to spend some quality time in the special care unit of the hospital. He is doing well now and hopefully I will get to see my "nephew" this afternoon before his little girlfriend, Baby G, arrives! God answered prayers and I am so glad that Noah is okay. Congratulations Ayers family! We love you!

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Aaron!!

Today is Aaron's 26th birthday! I can't believe it has been 5 years since Aaron has been in my life, I am truely grateful and very blessed. Aaron is the best husband and Daddy that a girl could wish or hope for. Aaron did tell the baby last night though not to come on his birthday so they could both have their special days and not have to share with each other. So far so good on that request. Baby G is still nice and snug in her home for the time being so I guess Daddy is getting his birthday wish!
Here is a picture of Aaron and I at a Michigan game last year.



Here is a picture of our family even with Baby G in the belly! Kylie and I love you very much Aaron! Happy Birthday!

Halloween Fun!

Here are a couple of pictures when we carved Kylie's pumpkin for Halloween. We thought she would not like the gooey pumpkin guts because Kylie is a very girly girl but she surprised us and loved helping Daddy and Mommy scoop out the squishy pumpkin guts! Here is a picture of Kylie and Daddy scooping out seeds and guts and then Kylie with the finished product, her very own jack 'o' latern! Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Putting up the crib!

Aaron put up the baby's crib the weekend of October 13-14. We wanted to be well prepared in case Baby G decides to make an early arrival like her big sister, Kylie, did! Kylie was born at 35 weeks so I told Aaron that I wanted everything to be ready by the end of October for Baby G. Here are some pictures of the proud Daddy and his little helper, big sister, Kylie!

Belly Shots!

I haven't been very good at posting belly shots so here they are! Better late than never, I guess!
2 months:
3 Months:

4 Months:

5 Months-It's a Girl!

6 Months:

7 Months:

8 Months:

It is so incredible to see how the human body adapts to a growing life inside of you. Sometimes I swear that my stomach can't get any bigger but in fact, it can and is still growing!

Smile for the Camera!

Yesterday, Kylie had her school pictures and Ma Goo Goo (Aaron's stepmom, who was watching her for the day) was helping her practice give her best smile for the camera in preparation for the pictures! I can't wait to see how they turn out and I will be sure to post them as soon as the pictures come in.

We are at 30 weeks and 3 days for Baby Gulliver! We cannot believe that in about 10 weeks (or sooner as I had Kylie at 35 weeks), we will have another little girl to bless our lives. We can't wait to meet her but do hope that she enjoys her safe home in my stomach for the 10 more weeks! We will be picking up her crib tomorrow or Saturday and then we will be painting the girls' room (as they will be sharing a room for awhile) pink and then we can set up the crib once the paint is dry. Once we have the crib all set up, I think it will start to feel VERY real, not that it doesn't already!

My two awesome friends, Katie and Michelle, are throwing me a shower in a couple of weeks and I am so blessed to have them as friends. They are so very thoughtful and since I didn't get to have an official shower with Kylie with my family and friends, they are graciously throwing me one for this baby. I am very excited and can't wait!

Happy Birthday Kylie!!!!

Kylie at the zoo with Ma Goo Goo and Gee-Spring 07

Kylie sledding at Nana and Papa's house-Winter 07

Kylie at Mommy and Daddy's wedding-May 05

One of our engagement pictures with our precious little girl with us!

It is so hard to believe that tomorrow, my little girl is going to be four years old! I keep telling Kylie that she will always be my baby, even though she is and tells me that she's a big girl. I also told her that I wouldn't let her get any older but she didn't like that too much!

Kylie has brought me and Aaron so much joy in our lives and we couldn't imagine our lives without her. We probably wouldn't be together if it wasn't for our angel. It has been a blessing to watch her grow and form her own little personality. Children are such a blessing from God and we are very fortunate to have Kylie as our daughter. We can't wait to see what the years bring for her.

We are having a Princess birthday party on Sunday at our house, finally we have a house that we can have it at! Aaron and I have a wedding tomorrow evening and I am having a very hard time with the fact that I will not be with Kylie the entire day of her birthday. But I know that her Nana and Papa will take good care of her and spoil her rotten for her birthday, although they spoil her rotten anyways, even if it is not her birthday!

We love you so much Kylie Jane and wish you a very happy birthday!!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Weekend Happenings at the Gullivers

This was last weekend but I've been slacking on posting these pictures. We went to the annual St. Joe festival last Sunday and Kylie got to play games, ride on a couple of horses, and see her second cousin, Finleigh, which they both rode together on a cute little train around the church yard. It was pretty hot out that day but we had a great time! Also, Kylie got to spend the night at her Granny and Grandpa Ben's house on Friday (Grandpa Ben was out of town so Kylie kept Granny company). She had so much fun and thank you Granny for having so much fun with Kylie!

Another big thing at our house is our newest purchase...I am officially a soccer mom, I guess! Aaron and I bought a 2003 Ford Windstar, yes, you heard right. A minivan!! I always told myself that I would never own a minivan but with two kids (in the near future) and a dog, it is really the best car for a family. It's got all of the bells and whistles, including a TV/DVD player in the van, which will come in handy on trips with the kids! I'll have to get a picture of the van, to prove that yes indeed, the Gullivers are a minivan family! :)

The belly is getting bigger, I'm at 23 weeks today. Baby G is quite a kicker and Aaron finally got to feel her kick on August 9 for the first time. We were pretty excited about that. Still haven't thought of any names yet though! Aaron and I went and registered for my baby shower this Saturday, that was fun! Aaron loved holding the scanner and scanning the items!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls!!!!!!

We are very excited to announce that the Gulliver family will soon be joined by another precious little GIRL! We had our ultrasound last night and she was very active, moving all over the place while her pictures were being taken! She is weighing in at about 12 ounces right now, almost a pound! It was so incredible to see the miracle of life that God creates. We got to see our new daughter's mouth opening and shutting and we even got a picture of her waving. We think that she was waving to her big sister, Kylie! I will have more pictures of my growing belly to post soon! I've attached some pictures of our new daughter!

Baby G's First Concert!!

Last night I went to the Rascal Flatts concert at the Van Andel Arena. We had awesome seats and Baby G was kicking away as Rascals were jamming away! Either Baby G is a girl and was going crazy because of Rascals or Baby G is a boy and loves his music! A little more than a week and we'll know for sure! I've included a couple of pictures from the concert, along with a picture of a Rascal Flatts t-shirt. Can't wait for the next concert!!

A Beautiful Wedding Weekend!

It was a beautiful and busy weekend! My brother, Jonathan, got married to the woman of his dreams, Lee Marie, on Saturday, July 14. We had a little scare with the rain in the morning but by the afternoon, it had cleared up and they were able to go through with the planned outdoor ceremony. It was a beautiful wedding and Aaron, Kylie and I were so blessed to be part of their special day. We had a great time and look forward to what the future brings for Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Bair! We love you both and wish you all the best!!

The pictures above are: (in order)

a) The beautiful bride, Lee, and the handsome groom, Jonathan

b) Me and my new sister!!

c) My immediate family

d) My mom, sister, Noelle, and me

e) Jonathan, Lee, and Kylie

f) Sibling picture: Noelle, Jonathan, and me

Belly Shots!!

The top picture is Kylie performing the "ring" game on my stomach, trying to determine the sex of the baby we are having. You put your wedding ring on a necklace and then see if the necklace swings in a circle or back and forth. If it goes in a circle, it predicts the baby is a boy and if it goes back and forth, it predicts the baby is a girl. Kylie really wants a baby sister so she was making the ring/necklace swing back and forth but when Amanda tried it on me, it did actually swing back and forth, therefore predicting another girl. When I tried this on Amanda, it also predicited a girl as well! We will see! This is another one of those wives tales you hear about prediciting the sex of your baby so not accurate by any means!

The second and third pictures are of Amanda and my bellies! She is at 11 weeks and I am at 17 weeks.

Here are some of the latest happenings in the Gulliver Family:

Aaron and I had another doctor's appointment yesterday. Baby G is doing well and his/her heartbeat was 140 again, as it was in June! This baby is one consistent baby! I am also VERY proud to report that I have only gained half a pound in my entire pregnancy! Yeah for me!

We scheduled our 20 week ultrasound, which is a little less than three weeks away, I can hardly believe it! Hopefully Baby G will cooperate and we will get a good view of you know where so we can finally know if Baby G is a boy or a girl. I am still thinking it is a boy, which we have the name picked out for a boy, but have not picked out a name for a girl yet. So if it is a girl, we need to hit the baby names book to come up with something! I will definitely post the results of the ultrasound as soon as we have it done!

Baby G will be in his/her first wedding on Saturday. My brother, Jonathan, is getting married to Lee Marie on July 14th! I am so excited for the two of them and can't wait to see all of my family that are coming in for the wedding this week. It will be a very fun and exciting weekend! I can't wait! I haven't seen most of my family since my cousin Josh's wedding, about two years ago!

Happy 1st Anniversary Matt & Amanda!

On Sunday, Aaron's sister, Amanda, and her husband, Matt, celebrated their first wedding anniversary. It is so hard to believe that it has been a year already since that special day for them. We got to spend some time with them on Sunday at their house but I just wanted to wish them a very happy anniversary and am so glad that they are in our lives. They are such wonderful people and ver much meant for one another! Above are some pictures from their special day. The first one is of Kylie and her Aunt Minnie and the second one is obviously me and Kylie.

We love you Matt and Amanda!

Aaron, Katie, Kylie and Baby G

Cheerleading Camp!!

Kylie attended her first cheerleading camp June 12-14 at Catholic Central High School. My sister-in-law, Amanda, is one of the head coaches for the varsity cheerleading team so Kylie got to go and find out all of the cool things that "big" cheerleaders do, as Kylie says. There was a preschool division that Kylie participated in and she went for three days, 2 hours each day. She learned a couple of cheers but most of all, had a lot of fun! The varsity cheerleaders helped coach the kids and her coaches were Lauren and Mara. To this day, she still talks about them. They are way cool in her book!

On June 14, all of the cheerleaders in the cheer camp got to perform their cheers. Aaron, his step-mom, Julie and I all watched with such delight as Kylie took center stage!! Julie and I had tears in our eyes! Well, she didn't really do anything but just stood there-I guess she was a little awestruck at all the people but I couldn't have been happier and more proud of her! It wasn't until about a day after her big performance that she started jumping around in our living room (with just me present) and shouted her cheers at the top of her lungs! She will only do her cheers if it is just me there, she won't do it for anyone else, silly girl! We are very proud of her and know that we have a future cheerleader on our hands!

Aunt & Uncle!

Aaron and I found out almost a month ago that we are going to be an aunt and uncle!! Aaron's sister, Amanda, is pregnant with her first child and we are six weeks apart from each other. We are so excited for Matt and Amanda and couldn't be happier for them. They are very special people and they are going to make awesome parents. Amanda is due at the end of January and we are so thrilled that our new babies are going to be so close in age.

Amanda and I are going to be taking pictures together with our bellies so I will post them on here soon! I still have to figure out how to load pictures on here. Congratulations to Matt and Amanda and we can't wait to meet their new little one!!

Love, Uncle Aaron and Aunt Katie

Big Decision!

So, we (okay, I) have finally made up our minds and we are going to be finding out the sex of our baby. I am usually great with surprises but I just have a gut feeling that this baby is a boy and if it is, I need BOY things! (I have tons of little girl things already!) Also, my sister-in-law, Lee, is going to be throwing me a "Sprinkle", a shower for this baby. Things were very, very different for me and Aaron so this time we will be able to include all of our families in the celebration of the upcoming birth of our second baby. So since I am having a shower, I want to be able to register for boy or girl things!

I am at 14 weeks today and still feeling a little sick but by now I am quite used to it. The weeks have been flying by already and I cannot believe I am three and a half months pregnant! I will post pictures soon of the ever enlarging belly! Nobody ever told me that with your second pregnancy, you get bigger faster! I look like I'm about 5 months along, not three months!

BABY NEWS!!

We are proud to announce that we are expecting our second baby! He/she is due December 17, yikes, a week before Christmas! Needless to say, the holidays are going to be a little chaotic this year! But we are very blessed to be expecting another baby. Kylie is very excited to be gaining a new brother or sister, although she is convinced it is going to be a girl. We keep telling here that God may give her a brother and she's not so sure about that. Aaron and I are debating on whether or not to find out the sex of the baby but we kind of want to be surprised at the time of birth! I keep changing my mind about it so I need to make a decision soon! We'll have another ultrasound at 20 weeks, 2 months away.

I am entering my 12th week of pregnancy and am really hoping that now that I am entering my second trimester that I will start to feel better as the days go by. I have been experiencing extreme fatigue, nausea and back pain. I have a gut feeling that this baby is a boy this time but time will tell. I will add the ultrasound that we had done at 8 1/2 weeks soon! I have to figure out how to post them on here!

First Blog!

Well, I am going to attempt to start this blogging thing!
Aaron and I have been married since May 28, 2005 and have a wonderful, beautiful, and smart little girl, named Kylie who is three years old. She is our pride and joy! We also have a new puppy, Maya, who is 9 weeks old today! She is very energetic and we definitely don't ever have any peace and quiet around our house! We also have a cat named Misha. Aaron and I just bought our first house in January and we are enjoying being homeowner's after about two years in apartments! We have been busy already with yard work and are anxious to do a lot of work on the house when the weather is nice again.
We look forward to reconnecting with old friends so please leave us a comment!