Reba & Kelly

P. and I went to Indianapolis this past weekend to see Reba and Kelly in concert. We left Friday around noon and for a while there I was nervous we were not going to make it by start of the show at 8pm. We hit two major traffic jams and stopped 4 times for me to empty my bladder. But we knew we were out of Michigan as soon as we saw the blue skies of Indiana. It was amazing the almost instant change in weather as soon as we crossed the state line. We made it to the hotel in time to check in, check out the free happy hour in the restaurant and walk down to the concert. By the time we got there, got a burger and found our seats the concert started with Melissa Peterman as the opening act. She is a comedian that played Reba's "best friend" on the show Reba. She was

pretty hilarious and it was fun to see her in person. Reba and Kelly together were just awesome. They did so many great songs and sounded so good together. The whole concert was captivating and I was wishing it wouldn't end. Reba looked awesome and sounded as perfect as always. Kelly has an amazing voice, American Idol got that one right that's for sure. I just loved the whole evening and when it was over I wanted to drive up to Illinois for the next stop on the tour. Instead we stood in line at the souvenier stand for a dark brown Reba hoodie that I had to have. See picture. What a fun night! Thanks to my wonderful husband for getting me the tickets, taking me to Indiana and buying me my awesome hoodie to remember the whole night by.

The next day we checked out Indianapolis a little bit. The best part of the city was seeing the sun. We hardly see the sun in MI and it was so bright it hurt our eyes. We commented all day about how totally different the weather was but how close we still were to MI. We headed home around 1pm and right about the time we crossed into MI the weather changed, it started to snow and just got worse from there, fast. It took us about 7 hours to get home Sat, a trip that should have taken less than 5. So, all in all, getting to Indiana and getting home was rough. The concert and our time in Indiana were a lot of fun. Check out our pics. Fun, fun.

The Name Simon

We are considering the name Simon. Simon Archer Selinski. What do you think? My friend R. did up a blog for us on the name Simon to help with the decision. I like the name because in the Bible Simon is also known as Peter. They are the same man. So since my husband doesn't like the name Peter I thought Simon was a good substitute. I would love to be able to name our son after his wonderful dad.

Simon: the name

From The Last Word on First Names (1995) by Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran:

"There is an appealing genuineness about this name, perhaps due to phrases like 'simon-pure' and 'Simple Simon.' An Old and New Testament name (Simon was the second son of Jacob and Leah and the original name of St. Peter) that gained an English accent around the time Roger Moore was playing Simon Templar on The Saint then became part of the British invasion of names that hit our shores along with the Beatles and Mary Quant. Simon never reached saturation point here and can still make a stylish and interesting choice. We also like the original form of the name, SIMEON, although we must point out (before someone else does) its similarity to the word meaning apelike."

From The Guinness Book of Names (1974) by Leslie Dunking:

"biblical; Hebrew variant of Simeon, 'Yah has heard', but in Greek Simon is 'snub-nosed'."

From The Baby Name Wizard (2005) by Laura Wattenberg:

"Popularity:#240

Style: Biblical, English, Timeless

Nicknames: Si

Variants: Simeon, Shimon

Sisters: Amelia, Elise, Leah, Lydia, Ivy

Brothers: Julian, Miles, Nolan, Isaac, Graham

♦ The familiar classic Simon has always been well-used in England. In America, it's been heard most in nursery rhymes and children's games. The name is finally getting its due attention in the U.S., and its British aura adds an extra level of handsome charm. Simon stands to be a stylish prize for years to come."

From The Baby Name Personality Survey (1990) by Bruce Lansky and Barry Sinrod:

SIMON: "(Hebrew) 'he who hears'

Image: Simon is described as a strong, well-built man who is either quiet and simple, like Simple Simon, or intelligent and creative, like Paul Simon or Neil Simon.

Famous Simons: the biblical disciple Simon; Simon (Uncle Tom's Cabin) Legree; playwright Neil (Plaza Suite) Simon, musician Paul ("Bridge Over Troubled Water") Simon; TV's "Simon & Simon"; the nursery rhyme "Simple Simon"; the game Simon Says; TV's Simon ("The Saint") Templar.

R.'s take: Simon is uncommon, yet familiar, Biblical but no longer distinctly/solely Jewish (for families concerned about how it "meshes" with WASP-y surnames). It has a certain weight and gravitas. And everyone should know how to spell it and pronounce it. A solid choice.

Thanks R. for the info and input! Fun stuff.

From bibletools.org I found:

Simon (or Simeon) was the original name of Peter, the son of Jonas (or John), and brother of Andrew, a disciple of John the Baptist, as Peter also may have been. A fisherman by occupation, he was an inhabitant of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee, though subsequently he dwelt with his family at Capernaum.

So, that is Simon. Like I said, we are still in the consideration stage. I can see myself still trying to decide on a name while staring at my son's face in the delivery room. It has to be right. It has to be perfect.

Have a great weekend! P. and I are going to a Reba & Kelly Clarkson concert tonight. I CAN NOT wait. I love Reba, love seeing her in concert and am loving the idea of getting out of town for a night to get a change of scenery. I wish the concert was in Florida....oh well, Indiana will do. Love to all my loved ones.

31 Weeks!

31 weeks! We are down to single digit weeks left. The countdown is on! This week, our baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. We can expect him to grow about a half pound every week from here on out. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. The only major organ that has yet to fully develop is his lungs. Each day they are growing stronger but he needs these next few weeks to be able to breathe on his own after his birth. Their suggested activity for this week is to make a list of items to bring to the hospital. You mean I have to start thinking about the trip to the hospital?

I am doing pretty well. Hips are pretty achy and it’s getting really hard to breathe. But overall I am feeling good. I know it could be worse, and is going to get worse, but for now I am thankful for my situation. I am getting really excited to meet our little guy though. I am ready for him to be a part of our life and our family. But....I am starting to get nervous about the pain of labor and delivery. Do I have any idea of what I am in for?

We are in for another huge snowstorm tonight and tomorrow. Pray for my sanity. Love to all of you.

Super Bowl

P. and I went to the best Super Bowl Party ever. It was at our church and they didn't miss a beat. We didn't have anything else to do so I thought we would go check it out for the first half or so. Boy am I glad we did. It was so much fun! The best part of it for me was all the food. A hungry pregnant woman's dream come true. Heaven on earth for an expecting mom.

We arrived just before kick-off with our Sara Lee raspberry pie in hand and walked into a REAL Super Bowl party. The first thing I noticed was all the food. There were about 9 huge tables full of party foods. Subway subs, pizza sticks, nachos, chili, cornbread, chips, salsa, popcorn, meats, cheeses, 7 layer dip, popcorn, and desserts galore. Any dessert you could want. They had a keg of root beer, frozen drinks, soda, and hot chocolate. I ate, and ate......and ate. I was so happy.

They decked out the place with balloons, streamers, wall hangings, and tons of Patriots and Giants stuff. They had games, drawings, and cool giveaways. We didn't win anything but that's ok. The games for the kids were so awesome. What a great place to take your family for the big game. They had a Wii, Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, Ping Pong, Dodge Ball, Air Hockey, football throwing game, punting game, and then the normal church building entertainment/game room open. The game was projected on the screen like the slides during a service and P. and I sat at a high bar table and watched what I thought was one of the best Super Bowl games since the 49ers last won. I really wasn't that excited about the game and thought for sure the Patriots would win, big. The game came down to the last minute and the Giants pulled out an amazing win. It was such a great night. I had so much fun. I can't wait to do it again next year!

A Couple Milestones

1. My "inny" is now an "outie". My belly button has officially popped out.
2. People have finally acknowledged my pregnant physical state without me telling them. I had two people comment on my pregnancy last week who didn't know me. At 31 weeks I finally look pregnant!

Do I Live in Michigan or Antarctica?

I know my title today sounds a little exaggerated but I am really starting to wonder. This is my third winter here and by far the worst. For over two months now we have had bitter cold temperatures and rarely go more than a day or two before the next snow storm barrels through. I feel cold, I feel agitated, I feel stuck. Our heating bill has skyrocketed and there are days where the heat never shuts off just to keep the house at 66 degrees. There are other days that I cannot make it down or back up our driveway due to the snow and ice and the roads are consistently slick and dangerous. Your life revolves around the weather. You start to plan your errands around the days where there is a short break from the conditions. It's too cold for the dogs. They are lethargic, grouchy and only go outside when absolutely necessary to relieve themselves and even then they take 2 steps out the doggie door, pee and hurry back in to their warm bed. When you live in a place like this the weather truly affects your mood, your safety, your schedule, your state of mind, your life. Today is February 1st. We can expect another 2 months of cold weather. Not as cold, hopefully, but cold. It is depressing really. I am not saying I am depressed but I can feel my happiness waning. Winter, especially this winter, is sucking the life out of me.

I have a lot of feelings and emotions regarding my life here in MI. I love my husband and I will go wherever he goes. I love our acre of land and all our trees. I love MI summers and the lakes. I love my one incredibly close friend here. P. loves his job. But there are a lot of things about MI that we struggle with. The first is that K. is no longer here and she is the reason we moved here. The winters are so cold, snowy, gloomy and unrelenting. The economy is horrible. The property taxes are outrageous. It has been so hard for us to find good friends and even harder for me to find a good job. I am so much farther away from my family. And lastly, it is extremely hard and costly for us to take care of our CO rentals from so far away.

P.'s recent trip to CO has made us consider a move. It has always been in the back of our minds. We go back and forth on the pros and cons of living in MI, living in CO, living somewhere else out west. Should we stay, should we go, if so, where? Can we make a move? What should the timing be with a new baby on the way? Will our house sell here? Will P. find another good job like he has here? Will we miss our land, trees, all the water and the summers here? Do we want to live back in a big town or do we want to go to a smaller city? How will this move affect K.?

What is the answer? We don't know. I pray about it every day. I think about it constantly. But I have to keep in mind, we are mid-winter. MSNBC reports Jan 24th as the most depressing day of the year because the mid-winter weather is wearing you down, you are broke from the holidays (or in our case from maintaining our rentals), you have broken your new year's resolutions already, and you feel like you have nothing to look forward to. The article says this is when most people book a tropical vacation to somewhere warm to give themselves something to look forward to and help them survive the remainder of winter.

But boy do things turn around quickly at the first signs of spring here. It's like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. MI is so beautiful in the spring and summer. We had such a wonderful summer last year camping, going to the lake, picking fresh fruit, fishing, and touring MI. MI has summers that you see in movies. Kids playing in the lake, sitting on the dock, strolls along the "beach", lake cottage getaways, naps in the hammock. It's truly wonderful. And even fall is quite enjoyable here. The leaves change to beautiful colors and the weather is still comfortable. Are the summers worth putting up with the winters? I don't know. Today I would say no.

So, what to do? All I can do is look outside and admit that it is pretty. I can be thankful I don't HAVE to go out in it. I can watch a movie, have some hot chocolate, turn the heat up and accept this is my home. For now.....

P. and I will have a nice quiet dinner at home tonight. Tomorrow we are going to a Christian parenting conference put on by P.'s employer. And tomorrow night we go to church. Sunday P. is playing football with some guys at work and then we will go to a Super Bowl Party at church. Life is good with P. I would rather be here in MI married to him than anywhere else in the world without him. And soon it will be spring, and our baby boy will arrive, and summer will come, and K. will visit and winter will be a distant memory. But for now, here is a picture of our reality.

30 Weeks!

30 weeks today! 3/4 of the way done! They say the next 10 or so weeks until the baby comes are the longest of your life. You can't sleep, are uncomfortable all the time, pee constantly, have gas and constipation, you swell and have mood swings on a daily basis. All these symptoms combine to cause time to creep by. Sounds like fun! I think the worst of it right now is the lack of sleep. I am uncomfortable from the time I lay down until the time I get up. I toss and turn all night and to tell you the truth, I dread bedtime. My hips hurt and no amount of pillows help. Week 30 has been more of the same for me. Contractions come about every hour, I pee about the same, every hour, I have terrible, ridiculous gas but no constipation, no swelling and the mood swings are not too bad. With a little more sleep I don't know that there would be any. But you can ask P. if that is true or not..... So, all in all, things are going pretty well. Could be worse, that is for sure. I feel healthy and not as miserable as they say I might be feeling. There are some issues that are quite annoying but I really can't complain. I am happy with my weight, my size and my progress. I am happy to be at 30 weeks. Over the next few weeks I plan to get serious about finding a name, spend some time on the nursery, finding a car seat and stroller, "spring cleaning" the house and basement, making meals to freeze and getting these classes at the hospital done.

My sweet friends J. and T. here in Grand Rapids are planning a baby shower for me. It will be Sunday, March 2nd. I know most to all of my friends and family in California and Colorado will not be able to attend and that makes me sad. But I have made a couple wonderful friends here in MI and we plan on having a party anyway to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our little guy. It's a good excuse to eat some cake and stare at my belly and I never mind that.

They say our baby is about 15.5 inches long now, and he weighs about 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). The emails this week basically tell you that you are feeling uncomfortable and some ways to cope with the symptoms. Oh, and his eyesight is getting better and stronger but that when he is born he will only be able to see a few inches from his face so to get down close to him for a while. His teeth are formed under his gums already. I had my 30 week appointment today and everything looks good. I gained almost 4 pounds in 2 weeks. I am not thrilled about that but they said I am still on track and not to worry. His heart rate was 158 and I could hear it better today than ever before. It was so loud and clear, no swooshing in the background like usual. My uterus was painful to the touch and my doctor said it is probably bruised from his kicking and not to worry. My urine test showed my sugar to be high but again, nothing to worry about and my blood pressure was right where it should be. I am curious when we will start talking about a birth plan or when we will go into more detail about the labor and delivery. I go back again in another 2 weeks so I will ask them then. For now, all is good. The weather here today is warmer and that is a relief. We needed a day of relief. Even if it is just one day.

Here is a picture of my babies this morning curled up together on their favorite chair. They have a bed right next to the chair but they choose to pile on top of each other in the chair instead. Have a great week. I love and miss all of you very much.

29 Weeks!

29 weeks, wow, can you believe it? I am having a hard time believing it myself! Where has the time gone? 29 weeks is for real. Like really real.

My 29th week email updates talk a lot about how his kicks are getting stronger and stronger. Boy am I feeling it. This morning he kicked me so hard I almost lost my breath. I asked him, “What was that all about?” It was another night full of contractions and trips to the bathroom. I am getting pretty groggy from the lack of uninterrupted sleep. Welcome to motherhood huh? The emails say he now weighs a little over 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. His skeleton is hardening each day so I need to make sure to get plenty of calcium for the both of us.

I gave in and had cinnamon rolls today. I had been doing so well staying away from sugar and simple carbs but I just had to have them today. It was snowy and cold outside, I was stuck inside and they just sounded so good. So I made them and ate 6 of the 8 rolls and have been paying for it since. But they were so worth it. I made up for it this afternoon by having some eggs and a piece of whole wheat toast and a smoothie with plain yogurt, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, watermelon and juice for an afternoon snack. Oh, and a cup of milk of course.

Yesterday I registered for prenatal classes at the hospital. P. and I are going to do an all day Saturday Childbirth Preparation Class on March 1st. We will also attend a breastfeeding and an infant CPR class in Feb. I had my next appointment with the doctor on Friday this week but changed it to Monday to get a different doctor. I don't really love any of the doctors at my practice so I think for our next baby I might change offices. God willing of course.....and if I am willing.... :)

Darn.

Packers lost. Brett didn't play well and they just didn't seem to want it bad enough tonight. Oh well.

Go Packers!

It is a bitter cold day today. High of 10 degrees with a windchill making it feel like -5 degrees. Within seconds of going outside your nose and eyes hurt from the biting cold. So, I am staying inside. No reason to go out really. The Patriots are playing the Chargers right now and in a couple hours the Packer/Giants game will start. I love the playoffs and this year is no exception. Last weekend the games were so close and exciting. I was shocked at a couple of the outcomes. 3 of the 4 games came out the way I had hoped. And today I would love to see the Chargers win but don't see that happening. But tonight, tonight is the big game. I have always been a Brett Favre fan and not just because he is a great quarterback... :) I would love to see them go to the Super Bowl but I can see the Patriots taking home the title in the end. Oh well, there are some years when I don't have strong feelings about either team in the Super Bowl so I always like to watch and feel passionate one way or the other. So....go Green Bay, go Brett, go Cheese Heads. And P. really likes the name Brett for our son so we will see what happens and go from there. :)

I don't have my camera this week so can't take a 29 week picture. But I have a picture of me P. took Tuesday night before the hospital tour. This is a new sweater my parents bought and sent to me. I think it looks pretty cute. And I know, I still don't look very big for being so far along. But I am happy about that. Being bigger would mean more troubles and less comfort. Maybe even mean bigger baby to push out so right now it's ok that most people tell me they can hardly tell I am pregnant. I am still trying to stick to the lower carb, lower sugar diet but have added a few treats back in on occasion but nothing like before. I am happy with my diet and feel good about the changes I have made for me and baby.

I Passed!

I passed my 3 hour glucose test with "flying colors"! I am so happy. I called first thing this morning and they said that I passed each hour's test so everything is great. I am so relieved and a little shocked, but mostly relieved. Not only because I don't have to do this horrific diet but because that means baby and I are healthy. The gestational diabetes scare had me worried about our health and our future health so it is good to know we don't have to worry too much about it. I still want to stick to a lower carb, lower sugar, more whole grain, fruit and vegetable diet but not to the extreme that I thought I was going to have to. I guess this little scare was God's way of making me change my diet and I am listening, I promise. Today I met a friend at Qdoba for lunch and had a chicken salad and water. I can't complain because it is a really tasty salad loaded up with beans, corn, chicken, salsa, cheese and sour cream ranch dressing. But it is low in carbs and if it were before the glucose scare I would have ordered the nachos but today is different.

I see the doctor every two weeks now so my next appointment is in just over a week. I have been having more and more contractions lately that wake me up every hour or so at night. I am a little concerned about their increasing strength and frequency so will run them by my doctor again at my next appointment. But no spotting with them so I guess it is just more of the same and hopefully nothing to worry about. This week's email mentions Braxton Hicks contractions but I didn't expect them to happen so often at this point. My nightly trips to the bathroom are becoming more frequent to the point where last week I was getting up 3-4 times a night to pee and last night I got up 5 times. P. says my body is preparing me for having a child and breastfeeding at night.

Well, off to the gym to walk on the treadmill a little bit then to the grocery store for some more watermelon and whole grain stuff that I can find to eat. I am constantly hungry these days. I ate my whole salad at Qdoba about an hour ago and am starving already. Almost like I didn't eat anything at all. Thanks to God for a good test result and for taking care of me and baby. It's a good feeling to go through this pregnancy with Him on my side to catch me when I fall. I don't know how people get through life without a relationship with God. I am glad I don't have to.

Hospital Tour & Glucose Test

P. and I toured the maternity floor at the hospital I will give birth at last night. It was a fun experience to see where I will spend a couple days coming up here in a few months. Seeing the room, the stirrups, the baby warmer and the family waiting room really made me excited and made a lot of this so real. We first saw the family waiting room that had vending machines, books and magazines, toys for kids and a cool machine that you can email pictures out from. I wonder if there will be anyone hanging out in that room waiting for our baby. We saw the triage where you go to be evaluated when you first come in. If you are in true labor you then go to a birthing room where you finish out the labor and delivery. These rooms looked ok. A little cold and uncomfortable but I guess I can't expect it to be like home. This room made me a little nervous because it is where all the action happens. I haven't been concerned much with labor and delivery but after seeing that room I can't help but start thinking about how it will all go for me. Then we saw the nursery but there were not any babies in there because babies now stay with their mother at all times. They said you can request the baby goes to the nursery at night so you can get some sleep and they will bring you the baby when he/she wakes up so you can feed. Not sure if I am going to want to let him out of my sight when that time comes or if I will be happy to have a little relief and sleep. We will see. And last we saw a recovery room where you will spend 2 nights, 48 hours + from the time you deliver. I was pretty surprised you have to stay for 2 nights but they said if you really want to they will let you go earlier as long as there are no problems. Again, not sure if I am going to want to get home as soon as possible or stay at the hospital for the help and security of the nurses and staff. So, all in all it was a fun night. It was eye-opening. It was a reality check. It is weird to think that maybe the next time we walk in there I might be in labor. And when we leave we might be coming home with our son. It seems like a good hospital where I will get good care. Fun stuff.

I had my 3 hour glucose test this morning. It was terrible. I had to fast after 7:30pm last night, couldn't eat this morning, got there and my blood tests were at 8am, 9am, 10am and 11am. After the first test I had to drink a full bottle of lemon-lime syrup and things went downhill quickly after that. I was nauseous and light headed for the next 3 hours to where I was laying down in the waiting room on the floor and didn't care who was stepping over me or staring at me, I just needed to lay down. It was finally over and I could come home and eat and as soon as I am done here I am going to lay down and recuperate. The nurse said I could try and call my doctor tomorrow sometime to find out the results. Wish I didn't have to wait but I guess one day isn't bad. Please keep me in your prayers. I really hope the results come out normal or not too extreme in the way of gestational diabetes. But like I said, if I failed my test today I will do what I need to do to ensure the rest of my pregnancy is healthy and the baby is growing in a healthy environment. But it would be really nice if this complication wasn't serious and I could continue with the pregnancy as is.

Headed to bed now. My pillows are calling me......

28 Weeks, 1 Day!

Pray for me......I have my 3 hour glucose test tomorrow morning. I hope my results come out ok and I don't have to deal with gestational diabetes. But we will do what we have to do. I just really pray we don't add another complication to this already interesting pregnancy. I will update tomorrow. Goodnight.

27 Weeks, 5 Days!

We are well into my 27th week now and headed towards the third trimester which I think starts next week. A normal pregnancy lasts on average 40 weeks meaning I have just 12 weeks left! 12 weeks! Boy does that make me excited.......and nervous. :)

Apparently this week our baby boy weighs almost 2 pounds. They say to chalk up any rhythmic movement I may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups. I felt them for the first time this week and it's true, they are totally obvious and rhythmic almost like a little heartbeat. With more brain tissue developing, our baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what he's thinking?

I guess my body is gearing up for the final lap, so they say I may start noticing some new symptoms. I am starting to get some lower back pain when I am on my feet too long and at night I am starting to get leg cramps that right now are quickly relieved. Other than that things seem same old, same old.

My activity for this week is to sign up for a breastfeeding class. I haven't signed up for any classes yet. I wasn't going to until my best friend K. told me yesterday that she highly recommends them for me, especially for my first baby. So I really started to think maybe they would be a good thing for me. I like to be prepared. I am not someone who likes to get into something I don't know much about. I like to have all my bases covered, and more. So I might start looking into some birthing, breastfeeding and infant care classes to prepare myself for what is to come. Better to be over-prepared than under, right?

His lungs, liver and immune system still need some time to mature, but if he was to be born now, he would do alright with some medical assistance. This is a huge relief for me. Last night I had such bad contractions that I thought I was going to have the baby right there in bed. I kept telling myself that if he did come he would have a hard time but probably be ok. I am ready anytime he is....but a couple more months would be great. Hang on there little guy.

I had a doctors appointment yesterday that didn't go as well as I had hoped. Good points were I gained 4 pounds which isn't bad considering the holidays, my diet, the pregnancy and the fact that I feel and look like a whale. I was happy with 4 pounds. My weight is 160, 9 pounds up from my first doctors appointment at 9 weeks. At my lowest weight during the pregnancy I was at 147 so if you look at it that way I have gained 13 pounds total. You know I always thought I was going to be a huge, gigantic pregnant woman due to my appetite and eating habits. I never considered the morning sickness would be as bad as it was but I am pretty happy with my weight gain and the way I look at this point in my pregnancy. We will see if I still feel that way 10 weeks from now. Back to the doctor's appointment....his heartbeat was at 148, kinda high the nurse said. My uterus is growing on schedule and everything feels great. Now to the bad news, I had my glucose screening test and my results were really high. It was supposed to register at about 130 and I was 185. So, basically my sugar levels are too high and I need to change my diet drastically to ensure the rest of my pregnancy and our baby are healthy. That is really hard for me. Carbohydrates are my lively hood. Brave is the man who denies me my carbs.... So, all in all, pray for me that I can get my sugar counts under control, that I deal with this new diet well and that our little guy is healthy despite our little diabetes concern.

Last week P. and I spent a few days in AZ. P. had a conference in Tempe and we went out early to spend a couple days with our aunt and uncle. We had a nice time with our family catching up on old times and just spending time together. They made us a wonderful turkey dinner Sat. night and P. got to see a hunting buddy that lives down in the area. The trip was nice and a good last getaway for us before the arrival of our little boy. Here is a picture of us with our A.E. and U.B.

26 weeks, 3 days!

26 weeks this week! Boy did the holidays make time go by fast. I am so glad I felt so well through all the celebrations and activity. What a great Christmas and New Year's! I love the holidays so much anyway and this year there was something that much more special about them. I am kinda sad they are over but I am excited to get the new year started and have this little guy. 3 more months. I have a feeling he is coming early. Only because of the contractions that I still have but I could be totally wrong. One can always hope.

Here is some info emailed to me about what is happening with the pregnancy this week. "Up until about the 26th week, your baby's eyes have been sealed shut. But now they open and blink. He can now see, hear, smell, taste and feel. All his senses are intact and will continue to develop after he is born. He weighs a little less than 2 pounds and will continue to gain weight. Some of the weight you have put on is the extra fluid you need to support and nourish a healthy pregnancy. He measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber), from head to heel." What in the world is an English hothouse cucumber anyway? :)

This week they recommended you start thinking about a "birth plan". Some issues to consider when creating a detailed birth plan:
• Do you want a drug-free birth or are you banking on an epidural? Bring on the drugs.
• Would you like the freedom to walk around and move as much as possible? Sure, why not though I can't see myself wanting to be overly active.
• How much monitoring of your baby would you like? Do you want to see the monitors or have them turned away from you? As much monitoring as needed or recommended. I would want to see them unless me seeing them prevents the doctors from seeing them.
• Are you open to medical interventions, such as Pitocin, to speed up your labor? If this concerns you, what techniques would you like to try first? I am open to medical interventions. I trust the doctors to recommend the right next step and will listen to any advise that is right for my labor and the safety of my baby.
• Do you want a mirror brought in so you can see your baby crowning? No way!
• Would you like to use props such as a squatting bar or a birthing ball, or amenities like a bathtub during labor? Nope. A bed will work just fine.
• Do you want your delivery to be a private affair (just you, your partner, and the attending medical team)? Or would you like friends and family there to help? Just me and my hubby.
• Ambiance in the room: Would you like special music playing? The lights dimmed? A video camera rolling? Reba, lights dimmed, no video camera. Some pictures would be great but nothing below the waist!
• After your baby's born, do you want your partner to cut the cord? Do you want to hold your baby immediately? Would you or your partner like to stay with your baby during testing and evaluation? P. can decide if he wants to cut the cord or not. I would love to hold him immediately. It would be nice if we could be with him during testing but it is not necessary.
• How will you feed your baby? If you plan to breastfeed, would you like to try breastfeeding as soon as possible? Breastfeed as soon as possible.
•Will you have a religious ceremony after your baby's born? I don't think so.
•Would you like to stay home with your baby full- or part-time? I plan to stay home with him full time.

It's time to really start thinking seriously about names. K. really liked the name Jake but I am still not sold on it because it is so popular. Jacob was the 3rd most popular name in 2007. But Jacob Archer has a nice flow don't you think? I still have faith the perfect name will come to us, we just have to be patient.

My other kids are doing great. Can't forget about them in all this baby talk. They are great, kind, sweet dogs who are my closest companions. I have no worries about them adjusting to the new baby and all of us living happily together. Check out silly Serra in this picture.

Happy New Year!

Hope you had a great first day of the new year! We spent ours laying low and taking down Christmas decorations. I was feeling a little under the weather but hope after a good nights sleep tonight it will subside. I was planning on posting a picture of me at 26 weeks but P. is working on our PC and I wasn't able to get on it to post any pics today. I am not able to post pics from my Mac on this blog site for some reason. So, I will get one up as soon as I can. Stay tuned and have a great year!

At Year's End

Can you believe it? 2007 is almost over! It feels like it was just the end of summer and K. was headed home and we were discovering our family was going to grow by one. 2007 was a great year. I have no complaints. The pregnancy was rough there for a few months but we are past that and headed down the home stretch. I can almost see the finish line off in the distance.....

The year started with my neck surgery on Jan 19th. I had two discs replaced with bone and a plate with four screws placed down my spine. That wasn't fun but almost a year later I am not having the problems that I used to. My neck is stronger and I only have problems if I really over do it. My migraines are still temperamental. Sometimes I can have a month full of them and then there will be months with no sign of them. For a while there I questioned whether or not surgery was the right thing for me but I think I could honestly say now that it helped.

In Feb. K. moved to VA to live with her mom. She wanted to be near both of us but was convinced VA was a better place to live. We had moved here to Michigan to be close to her only for her to move again. We were all stuck in a tough spot where we could fight it but then we put K. in the middle of an ugly court battle and it wasn't worth the pain and stress on all of us. So she moved away, I continued to heal from my surgery and stayed busy selling some stuff on eBay for extra income and she was back mid June for the summer. In April I visited northern CA for my cousin's bridal shower then in June P. and I went to the wedding that I was honored to be Matron of Honor in. The wedding was gorgeous, we visited with family we hadn't seen in a while and spent a couple days in beautiful Tahoe.

The summer was a blast. S., J., H., and C., came for a visit over the 4th of July. We spent a week at a cottage near Lake Michigan with some friends. We did a lot of camping and spent summer days with family and friends. On Aug 3rd K. returned home to VA and our pregnancy tests came out positive. And you basically know the story from there. Once the morning sickness passed life got a lot better. And Christmas was amazing. P. and I had such a fun holiday season together enjoying the beauty of it all. We are so thankful for the life we live, the things we have and the future that is ahead of us. We took advantage of everything the Christmas season had to offer and I am sad that it is coming to an end. K. arrived a week ago and we only have one more day with her. It has been a great week and I will be sad to see her leave. To be honest the whole visit went much better than I expected. We have had a lot of fun together celebrating Christmas, playing games, seeing movies, shopping and spending time with family and friends. As I type she is making a fort out of boxes with her school friend Allie. The giggles are refreshing. The late nights have been tiring though and about midnight the other night during one of her sleepovers I asked P., "Do boys have sleepovers?". I can't imagine they are quite as loud or giggly though.

K. has been so excited about the baby. She didn't notice my tummy under my jacket at the airport so when we got home P. took her into the room that used to be the study and she saw the crib and rocking chair. I took my jacket off and she saw my belly and has been consumed by the idea of a baby brother since. She talks to my tummy and rubs it all day. Everyone we see she shares our news with them. She has made it her job to figure out his name and so far likes Jake the best. On Christmas day K. and P. both got to feel AND SEE him kick which was the best Christmas gift I could have asked for. It has been so fun to have K. so excited about the baby. I am not going to know what to do without all the baby attention when she leaves. It's too bad she won't be around more to be a big sister to her little brother. I can see her getting tired of him pretty quick though after changing some diapers and listening to him fuss. But in the meantime she is thrilled with the news and I am thrilled she is thrilled. Because I am thrilled too.

So, here we are. Just 2 more days in 2007. I have to say this has been one of the best years of my life. I am happy with my life and thank God for the life He has given me. I owe a lot of my incredible happiness to my husband too. He makes life so enjoyable for me. I don't know what I would do without him in my life. And my dogs bring me an amazing amount of joy every day. They are the definition of true companions. And then there is this little guy in my belly that makes me smile every time I feel him move. I have yet to get tired of it.

2008 looks bright. It will bring a world of change. Thank you to my friends and family for being such a special part of my life. And thanks for being a part of my pregnancy through this blog. Happy New Year to you and yours.

Just call me Betty......

Yesterday I was little miss Betty Crocker and darn proud of it. I tried my hand at sugar cookies and have to admit they came out pretty good. I used a mix for the dough but still had to roll it out, cut out my shapes with my new cookie cutters, bake them to perfection then make some icing for decorating. The first batch I rolled the dough too thin so the cookies came out brown and crispy. Each batch got better and better until I had lots and lots of sugar cookies. P. and I decorated them last night with green and yellow frosting and sprinkles. We had a nice time together catching up on our days and enjoying our first annual cookie making day. Boy I sound so mom-ish now. My mom and I used to make thousands of cookies at Christmas so I have a long way to go to match her Betty Crocker status. Next year I will add a few more recipes and see how it goes. I have a couple years before my kids really know if I am the cool cookie cooking mommy that I think I am.

Watermelon

I have been eating watermelon, a lot of watermelon, for about 2-3 weeks now. I love it. I have always loved watermelon but lately I NEED it. I don't know if it is how refreshing it is, it's texture, it's sweetness or that it relieves the pregnancy taste in my mouth while I am eating it but something about it is working for me. Lately I have been eating about a pound of watermelon a day. Watermelon is not in season, making it an expensive craving but like people are telling me, it is better than craving hot fudge sundaes all day. I crave those too but give in to my watermelon craving more often.

Some sweet ladies at P.'s job heard of my watermelon obsession and sent a Christmas gift home to me. Check out the picture. So funny. What a perfect gift that put such a big smile on my face. I am going to go cut it up right now and dive in to my third serving of watermelon for today.

24 Weeks!

24 weeks today! And feeling good. Feeling fat but feeling good. My email updates say he has gained at least a quarter of a pound since last week and is the length of an ear of corn. His body is filling out proportionally and putting on more baby fat each day. My uterus is the size of a soccer ball. Wow, that explains a lot. His taste buds are developing and I guess so are mine. I can almost eat my normal pre-pregnancy diet but still have an issue with chicken. It doesn't look or sound good so I don't have a lot of it.

Our weekend was low key but fun. Friday we did some Christmas shopping. Saturday was ITT's Christmas Party at the Hilton and it was a great time. They had dinner, dancing, carolers, a magician, gifts, Santa and karaoke. P. and I got all dressed up and I enjoyed my new lease on life after finally feeling better. We ate a lot, danced all night, caught up with friends and watched some very funny and entertaining karaoke. We took advantage of our last Christmas party without kids and stayed out until almost 11:30pm. Late for us, not for normal people, but we were proud to be two of the last 20 people or so at the party. How often do you get to do stuff like that? We had an all around great time. These pictures are all from the party.....

One more week until Christmas. I am sad December has gone so fast but am looking forward to celebrating Christmas with family and friends. 6 more days and K. comes home. She will be here for a week. It has been 5 months since we have seen her and over 2 weeks since we have spoken with her. I can't help but be a little nervous about having her home again. But it should be fun and busy but different than the life we have gotten used to lately. We will share our wonderful news with K. and hopefully she will share in our excitement.

We hope you all enjoy your holiday. Take advantage of this beautiful time of year and make sure to stop and smell the cookies. Spend extra time with family, give thanks for all your blessings and be nice to people. Try to keep in mind the real reason for the season. Baby Jesus was born on Christmas Day to save us all and give us these blessed lives we have today. Merry Christmas to all our loved ones near and far.

Raising Boys

So I have been reading this book on raising boys and find it quite interesting. Actually it gives me anxiety but it's better to deal with it now than be unprepared. It basically says boys are a handful and we just need to learn to love them for who they are. I can do that right? According to the book it is important for boys to find mentors amongst family and friends. Besides having a great dad as a mentor I plan on surrounding my boy with strong male role models that can help us raise him to be the best man he can be. Another interesting thing the book mentions is that boys go through a period of growth in their ear canals that causes a temporary loss of hearing. A good warning to not always assume they are not listening, they actually might not be able to hear you.

There is a funny section in the "Testosterone" chapter titled Brains Go Out the Window. There is a period of time where hormones take over making your boy dopey and disorganized. You have to act as his brains until he can get control over the changes. Testosterone is what scares me most about having a boy. But the book makes a good point. Just as a good husband understands his partner's PMS, a good parent of a boy understands his testosterone.

And last but not least, a boy's brain develops slower than a girl's so it is your job to help it grow as much as you can. This will obviously call for more patience on my part. I think in general boys call for more patience than girls but with understanding and preparation I can rock this boy thing.

Today I had this neat realization that this baby is a complete union of P. and I. I was looking at our ultrasound pictures again and realized this little boy is a mixture of our physical features, our talents and abilities, and our hearts. How special is that? We made him out of love and he is half P. and half me. I wonder how it will feel someday to look at our son and see ourselves. I will be so proud.

6 lbs!

I have gained 6 lbs since my last appointment 4 weeks ago! Proof my appetite is back with a vengence. Guess it is time to cut back on the donuts and ice-cream. Darn. I knew it was too good to be true! But I am ok with that, I had a feeling I was eating too many treats and truly want to eat a better and healthier diet for our little man's sake. I can maybe chalk a few of those lbs up to the normal holiday weight gain most people experience so overall I am right on track....right? :)

My appointment went well today. Everything is going great! Like I said, I am gaining weight now, my urine test came out normal, the baby's heartbeat was at 146 (normal and healthy), and my ultrasound report came back perfect. My placenta is in the right place and my cervix is the right length. Looks like I got an A+ on my progress report.

23 Weeks!

Is my tummy smaller? It looks smaller. It has been 2 weeks since my last picture and it doesn't look any different. No one can tell I am pregnant let alone 5 1/2 months pregnant. This lady at church called me "tiny". No one has ever used the word tiny to describe me. It is kind of nice. I guess it is better than people calling me huge. But it would be nice to get a little recognition for all the work this pregnancy has been. I feel huge, but I don't look it. I really shouldn't be complaining.

Nothing new on the pregnancy end. I am enjoying my new appetite a lot. I was supposed to have my monthly doctors appointment today but my doc was called away on an emergency c-section so it is rescheduled for tomorrow morning. I have some questions to run by him and am looking forward to hearing the heartbeat but other than that the appointment shouldn't be anything too exciting.

Baby Boy Stuff

My wonderful cousin K. and her sweet mom sent P. and I some celebratory baby boy stuff this week! I got the box during the afternoon and waited for P. to get home from work to open it. We were so excited to get our adorable baby boy outfits, one perfect for P., one perfect for me and one that is so sweet and snuggly I wish I could put it on. I took pics of just the little pictures on them because I thought they were so precious. See if you can tell which one P. liked best and which one touched my heart. Can't wait to put our little guy in them and remember our family that is sharing in the excitement right along with us, no matter how far away they are. Thank you K. & C. and K. & D.!

Let it Snow!

Here are a couple pics of our recent snow accumulation. So funny seeing our summer swing hanging from the tree out in the cold. I love how our backyard looks in the winter with the trees and barn next door. It looks pretty but boy has it been cold, with no signs of letting up. The high temperature for the 7 day forecast is 35 degrees. I picked up 3 movies from the library today to keep us busy while laying low this weekend. TGIF!

P.'s First Craving Assignment

P. passed his first craving test with flying colors. Last night I saw ice-cream on t.v. and I had to have some. Not just any ice-cream though, Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, Ben & Jerry's Half Baked and Peppermint Stick. About half way through Ugly Betty last night I said, I need ice-cream. P. said ok, what kind? I sent him with my list of the above flavors and added bread and eggs and he headed out in the cold to get me my craving. It's not so much that it was a pregnancy craving because ice-cream has always been my favorite dessert, favorite food for that matter. But we didn't have any, and I needed some and I needed some specific flavors. Meijer didn't have Half Baked but he successfully substituted Miniature Dove Bars and I ended up eating all three treats last night. They were so yummy and I was so happy. I am trying to contain myself and wait a little bit longer before having some this morning considering it is only 10:30am. So, all in all my wonderful husband came through, not that I had any doubt. I am pretty sure he enjoyed the ice-cream too.

22 weeks and some....

18 weeks left to go! Piece of cake! Things have really improved for me over the last couple of weeks. I still have contractions and unfortunately some spotting over the past few days but life seems so much better now that the nausea has let up. The nausea was the worst. Pretty soon I am going to wish I could get a little bit of it back the way my appetite is returning. My 22nd week email update states "Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. You may start to notice stretch marks on your skin as your abdomen expands to accommodate your growing baby. No stretch marks for me yet but the belly is still quite small. Other changes mentioned include:
• Thicker, more lustrous hair. (Haven't noticed this much except that my hair is getting longer because I haven't cut it since April.)
• Increased body hair. (Embarrassing but yes.)
• Fast-growing fingernails. (Yes.)
• Skin changes. (No.)
• Skin discolorations. (Not that I know of.)
• Larger feet. (Not yet.)
They mentioned some other changes but I decided not to list them to keep a little bit of my pride. Being pregnant is not pretty. They always give advice for the week and this week's activity is: Take off your rings. NOOOOOO! I can't bear to part with it.

It is freezing here. I think the high is supposed to be 25 degrees today. It hasn't warmed up enough to melt any ice from the storm Sat night/Sunday so things are pretty slippery. Winter has arrived! For all of you in warmer places, I envy you. But I wouldn't give up my white Christmas for anything.

21 Weeks 2 Days!

This is week 21 of my pregnancy! We have known about our little boy now for over a week and I have no regrets about finding out he is a boy. Everything is different now. I think in all boy. Boy things, boy colors, boy talk, boy life. I grabbed a few books at the library yesterday. 2 baby names books and one called Raising Boys. I figured I needed to get ready for all the testosterone and energy headed my way. I have never really understood boys. Why they think and act certain ways has always been confusing and frustrating. I need to learn about how God made them and how to raise them. It's funny, because I always knew he was a boy. When P. and I look back at the conception we think girl but in my heart I always felt boy. I wished for a boy for my husband. When we saw him on the ultrasound at 11 1/2 weeks he looked like a boy. I always called him "he" and if you look at everything we bought prior to knowing it leans towards boy.

My weekly email update said he weighs almost a pound now. He is as long as a carrot and his eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed. They say you can most certainly feel him move now and that is for sure. He is a mover and a shaker and I love it. Well, most of the time. I am eating a lot now, gaining weight and the nausea has eased up quite a bit. I still have a hard time with certain smells and never truly feel like eating but never have a problem getting it down. The contractions are just a way of life now. I have them almost every day, sometimes all day or all night. Some are painful and some don't hurt at all. But they keep coming and I usually lay down, drink some water and wait them out. They feel like a hard rock expanding in my lower abdomen and last anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute. I will address them again with my doctor Dec 10th but right now they don't worry me too much. The spotting only happens now if I do too much so I avoid that as much as possible and it has been almost 3 weeks now since I have spotted. I still have headaches a couple times a week but am usually able to treat them right away with some doctor prescribed medicines and rest. My legs are starting to hurt though. Not sure if it is from the extra weight, bad posture, sleeping on my sides or varicose veins but they are achy and annoying. I don't sleep that well because I can't get comfortable. And my tummy isn't even that big yet....just wait huh? But overall things are improving and going well. I am encouraged. I am encouraged to find the perfect baby boy name for our son, encouraged to work on the nursery, encouraged to learn how to raise my son wisely, encouraged to get the house ready for our new addition and encouraged to have a wonderful Christmas holiday. So far so good.

A few other updates.....

*At the ultrasound they moved my due date from April 9 to April 6.
*Abby's eye is all healed up and she is happy and healthy. Except she doesn't like the recent bitter cold weather.

*I am almost done Christmas shopping. Besides a few local friends and P. I am ready to ship out my gifts before the holiday rush.

*We are shopping for carpet. The carpet in our dining room, bedroom and hallway is original carpet when the house was built and it is so old, stained and faded. I am shocked at how expensive carpet is and am not sure we are going to be able to make the upgrade anytime soon.

*And.....we decorated our huge, fat, tall Christmas tree Monday night. We listened to my Neil Diamond Christmas CD and managed our way about our very wide tree carefully with lights, beads and ornaments. Abby was all interested in what we were doing. Serra was a little nervous about all the excitement but in the end posed for a cute picture with our finished tree. Enjoy.

2 Years And Counting!

P. and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary yesterday. Can you believe it has been 2 years already? I have lived in MI for 2 years now. Some days it seems like 2 years has flown by and some days it feels like I have been married to P. forever. And to top it off I am pregnant with our first child! What an eventful 2 years.

I have to admit the first year of our marriage was really hard. It was hard to leave my job and friends in CO and move to a place where I didn't know anyone and couldn't find a good job like the one I had at the Navigators. And the weather was miserable. The day I moved here two years ago it started to snow and snowed for 21 days straight. It was followed by 16 straight days of no sun. I questioned, "What have I done?" on a daily basis. Then on top of the new marriage and new place I had a new step-daughter and ex-wife. Let's just say.....things were not easy. But we have come a long way since then. My marriage is strong, full of love and joy, and gets better every day. My relationship with P. is trusting and honoring. He is my best friend and we are an amazing team. We have a beautiful home, great dogs, new friends and always have enough food on the table and love in our home. I made the best decision of my life 2 years ago when I married P. on that perfect day in Laguna Beach, CA.

We celebrated our anniversary last night with chocolate dessert at the Melting Pot. It was so good. I am sure our little man is going to be a dessert lover with the amount of sugar I provide him.

Oh, and we got a new car this weekend. We needed a bigger, 4-door car for the baby. It just happened that after we got our tree Sat. we saw a 98 Honda Accord for sale on the road. We stopped, drove it, thought it was perfect for us and bought it. It is a weight off our shoulders to have a car that will work for our growing family now. We will put the Accord Coupe up for sale sometime this month. I would love to drive it as long as possible before I have to move to my slower, more mommy-like car but we have to do what we have to do. But I am happy with my new Honda, it is still me, just a little slower. But that's what kids do to your cars....

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving this year up at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, MI. It was a nice time with P.'s parents, brother, niece and nephew eating the turkey buffet and playing some games. We celebrated again today with our own Thanksgiving feast at home. It was wonderful. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cornbread muffins and cranberry sauce. I was pretty proud of my first Thanksgiving Dinner and feel better about having a family to cook for someday.

Yesterday we decorated the house and put up lights. It looks so beautiful and festive. I love my decorations. It's almost like each one has its own story and special meaning to me. I would love to get more but that would call for a bigger house.

Check out our Christmas tree! We cut our own today on some land up north. It was only $18 and is big, beautiful and smells really good and fresh! It looked a lot smaller out in the woods and does a good job of filling up our front window and more. I will put up a picture after we get it all decorated and stuff.

I love the holidays. Don't you?

It's A Boy!

I look like a huge whale all spread out on that bed. But a happy whale. Besides my wedding, the ultrasound today was the happiest hour of my life. We saw our little boy, his hands, his legs, his heart.....everything. For the first time I am at a loss for words. I can't even begin to describe the joy I felt today.

This is a picture of P. and I right after the ultrasound was finished in the hospital. P. held my hand through the whole thing.

Here is our little boy from the right side. It is a profile view of his head on the far left, neck, body and arm at the bottom. You can kind of see his leg wrapped up next to him on the far, far right and the little dot above his chest is apparently the umbilical cord floating around up there. I love this picture because it looks like he has chubby cheeks like me.



Here are his feet. You can see the bottom of his left foot on the left and a side view of his right foot on the right. The right foot is turned down and you can see his two leg bones, the fibia and the tibia then his heel and the side of his right foot. He was moving all over the place the whole time so I am so glad we got such a sweet picture of his little feet and toesies. Guess I am turning into a real mom using words like toesies.....



I call this one this alien picture. You will see his very alien like face on the right with his big eyes, nose and mouth. He is looking right at us. You can see his body to the left of his head with the dark spot being his heart. Amazing huh?



And here is the picture that made P. and I both cry. It's hard to figure out unless you know what you are looking for so I will try to help. On the left you will see three objects. The top object is a butt cheek, the bottom object is a butt cheek and in between you will see his little pee pee. P. says not to call it little. But there it is, plain as day, between his cute little butt cheeks....our little boy. Our nurse said, definitely, it is a boy. We got our boy.

Here is another profile picture of our kiddo. His head is on the right with body on the left. I liked this one because its almost like I can see his cheek bones, nose and lips. They are so sweet looking. And above his little face is another object, it isn't the umbilical cord this time, it is his elbow. His arm was up there moving around when she took this picture.

Again he is looking right at us. His head/face is on the right with just his chest on the left. This is a funny picture. It makes me laugh. He looks pretty goofy, almost like a little old Asian man, squinting and laughing. But you can definitely see his eyes, nose, lips/mouth and heart in this one. As I write he is kicking me in my right hip, saying time to pee and go to bed mama.




And last but not least, my favorite picture....our little boy's face. Up close and smiling at us. All you can see is his head, his face. On his face you can see his eyes, his nose and his open mouth that looks like a smile, or like he is talking to us, saying hi. It's almost like I can see his personality, even in the womb.
So, there he is. Our baby boy. In 20 weeks he will be born to us and we will be a family. I am very blessed. God is good. He answers prayers. He takes care of us and loves us even when we don't deserve it. He gives us gifts, like our children, to make life meaningful and fulfilled. The struggles only make us stronger. What a day. What a beautiful life I have. And the best is yet to come.

Feels Like Christmas Eve and Christmas is Tomorrow....

It is the night before our ultrasound and I am going through a whole mess of feelings and emotions. First, I am really excited. Second I am nervous, anxious, happy, eager, distracted and restless. I have kept myself busy today to help pass the time. My friend R. came over for a few hours which helped a lot. My nesting instinct has set in and all of a sudden I feel an urgent need to get my house in order before the baby comes. I worked on the nursery today. I went through my closet and cleared out everything that doesn't fit anymore. Amazing how I have lost weight but nothing fits anymore. I am still about 8 lbs lighter than when I got pregnant but pants are not big enough and shirts are not long enough. Supposedly there is a chance K. might be in town this weekend so I spent some time on her room. It would be great if we could see her and finally get to share the news with her in person.

So, tomorrow is the big day. Feels like I have been waiting for this day all my life. I pray the baby is healthy and everything is OK. I hope and pray we find out if it is a girl or a boy. I don't know what I would do if we didn't have the opportunity to find out. I am just so excited. P. took the day off tomorrow to take me to my appointment and spend the day with me. He is such a great husband. I will update my blog tomorrow with hopefully some good news and a picture of our little boy or girl.

Last Night

Last night P. and I were watching the movie Blood Diamond when I felt a few big kicks from our little one. I put P.'s hand on my belly and he felt his first kick from our very active baby. I was so excited to finally share the movement with him!

Let it Snow!

Last night P. and I kicked off our holiday season with a bang. Not only did we get our first snow, but a local radio station started playing continuous Christmas favorites while on our way to the Gerald R. Ford Museum for their annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration. It was a perfect night. By about dinner time it had started to flurry and I went outside to catch a few snowflakes. Who would have thought a Southern CA girl would have been so excited about the first snowfall of the winter? The tree lighting thing was fun with about 20 trees decorated differently by local groups. And we got to check out the Ford Museum for free. We had cookies and apple cider then headed home happy to have found a new Christmas tradition. I know it is a little early for Christmas but there is something extremely exciting about the upcoming holiday for me. I can't wait to get our tree, decorate the house, shop for family and friends and bake cookies. I look forward to pulling out my favorite Neil Diamond Christmas CD, spending long hours wrapping gifts and watching A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life. Here are a couple pictures from last night. Happy Holidays to All.

19 weeks!

Today I am 19 weeks along! Can you believe it? Almost halfway done! And I am still alive! Baby is still alive! I know that sounds funny but as a first time mom you are almost surprised when each week passes and you are another week closer to being a mom and having a baby. 7 weeks ago I wasn't sure how I was going to make it much longer with the morning sickness and other symptoms and here I am. Still making it. Sometimes barely but I am making it. And this morning at my 19 week doctors appointment I heard the heartbeat. It beat at 150 beats/minute and sounded strong and perfect. I gained 2 1/2 lbs. A little less than I hoped for but it is a start. We are headed in the right direction. Last week helped by being at home with my parents. They made me eat, fixed me healthy meals and I didn't have to lift a finger. I was so well taken care of and well fed. My parents nurtured me as I nurtured my baby with food, lots of water and rest.

They measured my uterus for the first time today. It was 20cm and they said it was about average. I ran my complications by the doctor and they said the ultrasound next week will answer all our questions. I am curious why I feel so much pressure so low in my belly. I wonder what is causing my contractions and spotting. Next week at the ultrasound they will look at my placenta, measure my cervix and uterus and check to see if everything is OK. I am anxious to see how things look, how things are progressing and finally get some answers. I will either be relieved and reassured or we will have some new obstacles to face.

I feel pretty good. Morning sickness is still lingering but I think it is letting up a little bit. I was prescribed Pherergan about two weeks ago and took it for about a week. It makes me tired so it is hard to function while on it. I can't tell if it ever helped but I am back to dealing with the nausea on my own. The headaches have been miserable. But today I was told that its just another symptom of pregnancy and like everything else will eventually go away. The contractions have lessened with hydration but I still don't think dehydration was the problem. I drink a lot, a ton, of water and pee all day every day. And night. But who knows. Like with everything else, as long as the baby is still flip flopping around in there its OK.

Its good to be home. Don't get me wrong, I love CA. I mean besides the traffic and smog what is there not to love. The weather was sunny and warm, all my family and friends are there, there is plenty to do and see and they have some of my favorite restaurants. If I had more time and felt better I would have spent more time at the beach or tried to get to Disneyland, two of my favorite places in the world. But its good to be home, in my house, with my dogs, next to my husband in my slow paced, quiet life in MI.

Drano Test

While home in CA my best friend K. and I took the Drano Test. If you mix your urine with Drano crystals it is supposed to tell you if you are having a girl or boy. If the mixture turns brown it is a boy, stays yellow it is a girl. Mine turned brown. We took it a second time later that week and the results were inconclusive. The mixture didn't have the same reaction but within 5 minutes or so I had a brown line along the bottom and K.'s didn't. After researching the Drano test online I don't have much faith in it but it was still fun to do. We will just have to be patient and wait another week and a day to find out for sure.

California

Last week I spent the whole week at home in CA with my family. P. was away hunting and my wonderful parents offered to fly me home to spend the week with them. I am so glad they did. My trip was so nice. I got to see my family, my friends and spent one perfect afternoon in Laguna Beach with my dad. I rested, ate well and felt so well taken care of. Baby in my growing belly got to meet his/her grandparents and despite the usual morning sickness, headaches and contractions we did pretty well. It was hard to be away from P. and the girls for so long but being at home made the separation easier. Here are some pictures of my trip home. Thanks so much mom and dad!

I'm Back!

It's been two whole weeks since I have blogged. Boy do I have a lot to catch up on. I will briefly go back to a few highlights and move on. We will start with Halloween. This year P. had to work on Halloween night so I went over to a friends house and trick or treated as a hippie. It was a good time, got me out of the house and made me so excited to have my own kids soon and share these great fun holidays with.

Week 17!

According to the books, within the last week our little buckaroo has added yet another half inch to his overall height, making him nearly half a foot long! The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker. He can move his joints, and his skeleton, until now, rubbery cartilage, is starting to harden into bone. It’s amazing all the changes our little one goes through in one week!

I have been feeling a lot of movement lately but when I put my hand on my belly I can’t feel it from the outside yet. Which means P. can’t feel it yet and that is a bummer. My dreams have been crazy. This past weekend I dreamt that Tom Selleck was my doctor and he gave me an “ultrasound”. He opened up my belly, took the baby out, said it was a boy then put it back in. Last night I dreamed I was nursing a fish. I was so in love with my fish.

No good news on the morning sickness, migraines or gallons of saliva. Same old. But I am starting to look at it all like a way of life. I am more interested in my ballooning belly than anything right now. It has really made an appearance this past week and I love seeing and feeling the change. I have made a conscious effort to eat more lately. I can finally eat fruit again. It used to make me vomit. I still can’t eat vegetables, they make me nauseous just thinking about them. But they always have. I really want to eat vegetables because I know they are good for me and the baby but I deal with enough nausea that I can’t even think about making it worse.

P. has been busy with work and hunting. Abby seems to be feeling better, we will know more at her next appointment tomorrow. I still put drops in three times a day. Serra is as sweet and silly as ever. Nothing is ever wrong with that dog. I spend a lot of time resting. My uterus feels really, really low and since I have the time to rest I do. It can't hurt right? There won't be much rest 5 months from now, so I have heard...... :)