18 Weeks!

What is going on this week...

"Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound."

Soooooo crazy! The belly at 18 weeks!

17 Weeks!

What is going on this week...

"Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker."

I am feeling good! Starting to gain more weight, which is never really a nice thing for a girl to have to hear or see. It is hard because I have been blessed with a great metabolism and have weighed the same- give or take a few pounds- for like the last 8 or so years. I know I know, I sound pathetic! But all of a sudden your body starts putting on this weight, and I am like wait a minute my bottom is not suppose to look like that! I know it is needed and that I have to gain some weight or I won't be a healthy haven for baby Kersey. It is a blessing and quite incredible how your body changes and adapts to the miracle growing inside. The belly continues to grow. That is also an interesting thing- how some people at this stage in pregnancy are barely showing and then there is me with a huge baby bump out there. I guess since I am so short there is not much room for it to go, but out. Crazy! It is exciting to be showing and people can see that I am pregnant. I think it has become more real to Michael now that there is evidence there is a baby inside :-) Love love love!

Mary Jane Winterburn (1921-2007)

"The Lord is my shepard; I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." Psalm 23

It has been a difficult week to say the least. My grandmother passed away last Saturday afternoon. She went into the hospital the previous week because of dehydration and lack of appetite. They found that she was bleeding internally. She had a blood transfusion and was appearing to be much better. Then she started to digress again, at which point my dad and Linda went quickly to Ohio. I wanted to go, but they told me I should wait. They did not want our last memory of her to be one where she was not herself and difficult to see. She stopped talking on Wednesday last week and slept most of the time. It seemed as if she was ready to go. Her wishes were that there would be no drastic measures to keep her alive, as she did not want to be alive on machines. She wanted to meet Jesus! I was able to talk to her on the phone, I think she was able to hear me even though she could not respond. I told her I loved her so much, and I talked to her about the miracle growing inside me. I told her I would miss her so much, but I was excited for her to meet and dance with Jesus and my grandfather. What a hard thing to swallow even though I am excited, it is hard to let go... She passed away after being moved to hospice care. My dad and Linda were with her. She opened one eye to look at my dad for a while, and then she passed on.

I flew up on Monday to Ohio. We had a memorial service on Tuesday afternoon. The service was nice, a lot of great memories were shared! Her wishes were for cremation and to be buried with my grandfather in Michigan. That will occur sometime this summer.

We know that her soul lives on, but it is hard to let go of someone who is a part of who you are. She was an amazing woman, a very special woman! She held nothing back, not out of spite but out of love. She loved her family dearly and was so proud of everyone. The last time I had a conversation with her was to tell her we were having a baby! She was soooooo excited, but made sure to tell us that she wanted us to have a girl like we had anything to do with it :-) She loved babies! My cousin is expecting also, and we are due within days of eachother. We have the same birthday, born a year a part, so we are hoping our babies will share the same birthday like we do.

She loved to dance. My last memory of her was at our wedding dancing with one of her best friends. I am so thankful she was able to share in that special day with Michael and I. My last memory is an awesome one! I know she is dancing now, rejoicing because she is finally home! We love you so much and will miss you dearly!

This is a picture of her (on the left) dancing at our wedding with her best bud Betty.

16 Weeks

What is going on this week...

"At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails."

15 Weeks

What is going on this week...

"At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form."

I am feeling great, except for a little sinus problem!

Kylie turned three!

Kylie Michelle Leona Winterburn... this child is my precious neice. She has a very special place in my heart, and words can't describe the love I have for her! She is my little doodle bug, my protege. It overwhelms me to think about how much I love her, and then how much I will love my very own children. Kylie turned three on April 21! We celebrated with a good ol' BBQ! Here are some pics.


We are singing "Happy Birthday"


Opening presents!


Opening our present!


Putting on her princess dress and shoes that Robyn and Bryan got her!


The princess swinging while looking through her binoculars!

One Crazy, Wonderful, Beautiful Year!

I look back at this last year and think, oh my wow! So much has changed! The changes are wonderful, but sometimes I feel like I blink and so much has happened and time has flown right by.

Last April, on Easter, we celebrated my niece, Kylie's, birthday where Michael met my parents for the first time. On Saturday, we celebrated her birthday again. She turned three! I just can't believe it! It really seems like it was not too long ago that she was crawling around. And... obviously so much has happened since Michael met my parents a little over a year ago.

Pic from last Easter!


In May of last year, I started a new nanny job with a wonderful family! I have loved getting to know them over the last year, and absolutely adore sweet Jenna! Since we are moving (still not sure when), the family had to start a search for a new nanny. They found one after several months of searching, and my last day was on Friday. It was bitter sweet. I am going to miss them dearly, but I am so excited about what our sweet Lord has planned for Michael and I in Scottsdale. Is it a compliment that I sent my boss to the ER on Friday with panic attacks because I was leaving??? Not so sure about that! They are a wonderful family and they have blessed and enriched my life this last year.

Pic of Sandy and Jenna!


On July 3, Michael and I were engaged. (Okay, so I know this is long, but who doesn't like to share their story!) He asked me to go to Santa Fe, NM with him since I had a day off for the 4th of July. He said he had a meeting, but it would be a fun place to hang out. Little did I know what he had planned- nobody knew except for our families. He rented a convertible car and played it off like he got lucky- I was clueless but enjoyed cruisin in it. When we arrived to Santa Fe, we drove up to this fabulous hotel in the downtown Plaza- again he acted like he had no idea how nice it was going to be. Me- still clueless! The night we got there, we went out to dinner and then went up the mountain to watch the sunset, but it ended up being very cloudy and it started to rain. He had planned on proposing that night, but it did not feel right to him with the lack of visible sunset and the rain. He asked me to get up the next morning to watch the sunrise. He knew I was not a morning person, but I knew that he was and that he loved watching the sunrise. After some hesitation on my part, asking if we could wait until the next day to get up early, I agreed to get up. He knocked on my door about 5:30 a.m., and thankfully I was already half awake with a headache. We cruised in the convertible to a nearby park, and got out and hiked up a hill to a huge white iron cross. Michael had his video camera (to video the sunrise, of course :-)) and he set it up. Luckily I had sat down, so he could adjust it to where I was on camera. He came and sat next to me. We talked for a minute, and then he got in front of me... still clueless! He had a Bible and said he wanted to read to me. When he aked me to feel how soft the Bible was, I started thinking hmmmm... that was a little different. He read five passaged about love. By about the third, I stopped listening, as my mind was excitedly racing with is he really doing this! Tucked in the page of the last passage, was the ring. He got on one knee and asked me to grow old with him. I of course, said yes! The Bible was new, and he had The Kersey's printed on the inside. He also did not have a meeting after all and planned the whole trip for the proposal. We spent the rest of the day at a spa, having all kinds of pampering done. It was awesome!

Pic right after we got engaged! I look cute, I know!



The next few months were filled with a lot of wedding plans, showers, and Michael and I growing even deeper in our relationship. We were married on December 16, 2006 by one of our favorite people- Paul Matthies. Everything was more than I could have ever dreamed of. We have 980 pics to document the occasion! We spent our honeymoon in Mexico at a resort called Verana. It was amazing, beautiful, and very relaxing. We returned just in time for Christmas, where some of my family spent the night at my parent's house so we could get up early to watch Kylie do the Christmas present extravaganza.

Pic of singing praise to our sweet Jesus at our wedding!


About two weeks later, we became pregnant with our precious little one! And oh my, what change! If someone would have told me what my life would look like now a year ago, I would have laughed hysterically and told them they were crazy. But ya know, it all makes sense to me right now, and I would not want it any other way. Our God has brought so much change to our lives, but also in our hearts. He continues to stir us to be better, and we will stive to be raised up as Godly parents. We want to do better and be better than we are right now. Lord, please overwhelm and consume us!

Praise be to God for one crazy, wonderful, beautiful year!