Signed up for Summer School!

Collin & I are all signed up for childbirth classes!

We've got a lot to learn from relaxation technique to infant CPR and everything inbetween. Collin's even registered for "Daddy boot camp" class! I think it's great that they offer and strongly recommend that for 1st time Dads. I guess they figure that once Mom goes through labor, that's boot camp enough!

The countdown to the gender sonogram is on... Only 11 more days!!

A REAL KICK!!! :) :) :)

Baby "nudged" me pretty substantially just a little while ago and has been following up with little softer wiggles and kicks! It's been moving a TON the past few days. Right now it's dancing around in such a way that it makes me realize that I probably have a kiddo with it's DADDY'S energy level!!

It was CRAZY feeling that for the first time. I was just working along and then BLAP! It was so significant that I kind of jumped and said, "Whoa!" out loud!! Good thing my co-workers wear headphones. My hands went straight from the keyboard and mouse to belly! I still can't get a good feeling of movement from the outside, but it is just like crazy from the inside.

I'm already picking up on sleep patterns a little. It's not moving big enough to wake me at night, but it usually sleeps through the morning until about mid-morning. From 9:30-10:30 it's pretty active and then it goes back to sleep until a little after noon. It wakes up after I've eaten lunch and goes NUTS from the food... especially if I have any sugar... then back to sleep. Mid-afternoon it wakes back up for play time! Today's play time must be EXTRA fun in there because it's STILL having a ball....

I told Collin that if it's anything like him it's in there carefully calcuating exactly which organs are the "bounciest" and what angle is the best to bounce off the sides of the walls to acheive the most velocity. If it's anything like ME, it's stomping it's foot saying, "Hey lady... only a turkey sandwich today?! Where's the good stuff??? I know Granmommy gave you a chocolate Easter bunny... when can we expect to see that coming down the tube?!"

I guess maybe it's just giving me a little TGIF dance....... but either way, it sure is amazing! :)

A few new pictures!

This is a random mix covering a span of about 4 weeks... A few are from a wedding we went to, one is of our "family" standing infront of the table set for a baby shower I hosted for my friend, Andrea, the night before the shower, and then some are just "watch me grow" pictures.

Just for fun! :)

"Welcome to Homeownership!"

That's a phrase we've been hearing a lot lately...

I'll cut to the chase, since most of you probably won't read through this but will just look at the pictures, and I can't blame you! :) The good news is the house is still standing! The bad news is... we've got issues.

Kitchen issues: A faulty dishwasher can cause a lot of problems. Ours leaked over a period of time causing the wood floor to need to be replaced, but once we ripped up the flooring we noticed significant damage to the cabinetry as well. SURPRISE Kitchen remodel! What a joy.....

Tree issue: TIMBER!! Our tree is giving out limb by limb. At about 11:30pm the night before Good Friday, a good portion of the tree in front decided to come crashing down. We didn't notice until morning and Collin spent his day off work outside with a chainsaw. Thankfully, he completed the job without any major injuries and he had the help of a very kind neighbor!

All of this was bound to happen anyway, so I guess we're glad it's happening now! It gives all our friends and family ample time to get their "Welcome to homeownership" quotes in before they're having to say, "Welcome to parenthood!"

16th Week Doctor's Appointment

Collin & I just got back from the doctor and everything looks good! I've just completed my 16th week and things seem to be rolling along like normal.

They drew some blood to test for chromosomal abnormalities and spina bifida. Please be in prayer with us that these results come back normal. But the FUN part was that we got to hear the baby's heartbeat again!! It's incredible to hear that sound... It was very strong at first and then the baby must have moved. We spent the next few minutes chasing it around my tummy trying to get a clear sound again. We heard it only a few more times, but I think the baby was trying to play "hide and seek" with us or something. (Sneaky little kid!! We may have a SWIMMER on our hands!) The heart is beating about 145-150 beats per minute and sounds amazing!

We go back on FRIDAY, MAY 12th to find out if we're having a BOY or a GIRL!! You can be SURE we will be posting that announcement as soon as we get access to the computer after the sonogram!

I'm feeling well & finding myself getting hungry a little more often. (I like to tell Collin that the baby is yanking on the umbilical cord saying, "More food!") Every now and then I feel a little bit of fluttering/movement from the baby, but nothing tremendously significant quite yet. The doctor said that I will start feeling "thumps" in about a month.

We'll be spending the Easter weekend with The Ellisons (and the Bossens) so I'll be posting new pictures of all of that when we get back!

Happy Easter to everyone!!

Who will "Peanut" look like?

Just for fun... Here are baby pictures of Me and of Collin to help predict what the next generation of "us" might be like. (Just a guess... but I think chubby cheeks are probably a given.) By the way... that's a very pretty daisy swing you're in, Collin! :)

Starting to Show! :)

I know I'm still just a "Mom in training" at this point, but I've already learned a LOT! Lesson 1: A MAN created high heels... but a very smart pregnant woman created MATERNITY PANTS! These things are SO comfortable, I don't know why women everywhere (pregnant or not) don't live in them! Who wouldn't want an elastic waistband if given the option?! I'm loving my new wardrobe... now I just need a bigger belly to hold up these Mommy-pants! But I'm working on that everyday, and my 7 1/2 month pregnant friend, Andrea, would advise me not to wish for a big belly too soon because it IS coming and I'll wish that I could occasionally take it off like coming out of a fat suit or something.

But for now, it's fun to document the belly in it's small stages. This first picture documenting the "baby bump" was taken at 12 weeks on St. Patrick's Day.

I'll keep posting pictures so everyone can watch me grow!... but hopefully not TOO much! :)

The Fellowship Class Stork

Collin & I had a hard time keeping the news quiet after seeing the baby's heartbeat. We are blessed to be a part of such an incredible group of young marrieds in our connection class at church, and it was too much for us to stand to keep this a secret from them for long! The class has a traditional way of announcing pregnancies with a visit from the Stork! And since the Stork is actually the Director in disguise... Dad IS the Stork in our case!

The class was really surprised (with the exception of a few... okay maybe five... that I had already spilled the beans to) and were VERY excited for us. They prayed a special prayer of blessings over our growing baby and gave us many hugs!

We're having a BABY!!

On January 21st, a pink line on a very important "test" changed our lives forever. It wasn't until February 6th that we had our suspicions confirmed through sonogram, and got to see the littlest heart beating on the screen... at just 6 weeks... telling us for SURE that our first child is on it's way!

The next few weeks seemed to drag as the fatigue and morning sickness set in. To add obstacles to the fun of sudden nausea at work, my desk happens to be one of the farthest in the office from the Women's restroom, and it requires a key to get in. My co-workers got used to my sudden sprints to the restroom and seemed to have fun telling me that I looked "green." But fortunately that only lasted for about 4 or 5 weeks, and now that I'm in the 2nd trimester things are really looking up!

I am at 14 weeks and 5 days... and counting! We have just about 5 weeks to wait until our next sonogram where (if Peanut cooperates) we will be able to find out the gender of our little one! We have no names picked out yet, and will probably wait to see what's coming before playing the "name game," but we feel so blessed and excited to be starting this journey.

We'll keep you posted!