Happy 26th Anniversary Mom and Dad

Even though my mom just got out of the hospital in Springfield I hope her day gets nothing but better from this point on. Hopefully dad can pamper her ever step of today. Wishing you both a wonderful day together today and always! Love you!

Happy Anniversary!!!

St. Agony Strikes Again!!!

At this very moment my mother is in emergency surgery on her bowel. Over the weekend she was struck w/ an overwhelming stomach pain. It hurt for her to even breath. So dad took her to St. Anthony Hospital in Effingham where they ran up some blood work and gave her some zantac and nausea medication. Which seem to work at the moment, then they decided to run some x-rays of her abdomen.

In the x-rays, they of course found nothing. No problems in her stomach at all!! They didn't even feel on her stomach to find her sensitive points - NOTHING! Then they sent her home.

At home she seemed to be better but still having a little abdominal discomfort. They gave her quite a bit of pain medication before she left the hospital so she thought she was doing good. However, as the time seemed to pass and the meds wore off the discomfort started creeping back. She was able to eat but not much and for her not much is bad anymore. The pain still continued....

Finally on Monday she called her specialist in Springfield who immediately ask her if they ran this test or that test and her response was always no. All they did were x-rays. Her specialist was furious and wanted to see her right away. So Tuesday afternoon she and dad headed up to Springfield where she was taken in for testing and they quickly found out what her problem has been all along. A twisted bowel!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, St. Anthony Memorial Hospital ER completely MISDIAGNOSED my mother!!!!! So now we found out that her bowel was 180 degrees twisted and if she wouldn't have questioned Effy ER part of her bowel could have died and needed to be removed. Which would have been even more devastating!

The good thing of all this is my mom is now fixed. I just got a call from dad and her surgery went great and since they did it orthoscopically she may even be able to come home late this afternoon. Somedays I feel if it wasn't for bad luck our family wouldn't have any luck at all. Hopefully now this will all be behind us and mom's going to be her spunky, bubbly self again.

No thanks to ST. AGONY HOSPITAL

Bed Rest Scare

Today was just supposed to be another routine visit. At this point I'm seeing the doctor every two weeks till week 34. We are currently at wk 32 and I thought so far so good. Doctor had other thoughts on his mind.

We had our regular visit; hi - how are ya - how's everything going - let's listen to her heartbeat. As soon as I mentioned that my contractions seem to happen sporadically but sometime so hard their quite painful and asked if the baby can bruise you from the inside out he quickly listened to her heartbeat and ordered a sonogram. They always seem to rush you in and out of every appt since there are so many others after you I really didn't have time to ask if everything was ok or if I should be concerned.

So after waiting over an hour for the sono they called me back. Denise did my sono today and it wasn't like normal. Ya know, lets get some pix of the baby and check out her size. First, it was questions in regard to how I've been feeling and if I knew why doctor ordered the sono today. Well of course my red flag when up and my heartbeat became more rapid. I was nervous and alone. Matt was working and couldn't break free last minute and my mom had to run her kindergarten route. I was alone and very uncertain on the news I was about to get.

They did all the measurements on Blueberry and the placenta. They did the measurements of blood flow and amniotic fluid. They checked her heart rate, which was 139 bpm. Denise said this was fine and she was probably sleeping which is why it was a little lower today. Everything seemed to be normal, then I relaxed a bit but I still had my guard up. So after fighting w/ Blueberry to give us a good facial shot, which we had no luck at, she gave me the news that they had to check me vaginally to see if my cervix was shortening up any, which is a result in having strong, consistent contractions like I have been lately. I asked her what it meant if it had, Denise informed me that doc would typically put me on bed rest for a few weeks. Panic struck at that moment!!! I wouldn't be a very good bed rest candidate at all!!

Denise was very prompt about the results of her measurements and everything was normal. What a relief! I am now to limit myself and what I do. I'm not on bed rest but I need to act like I'm pregnant and not like I'm running a marathon anymore. Be aware of my body. Pamper myself, and the most difficult part of all for me; Ask for help! UGH!!!

I immediately called my hubby and told him the good news that Blueberry was healthy and NO bed rest for me and he immediately laid the law down on my do's and don'ts. I love getting lectured at my age.

So anyway, that's my story of the Bed Rest Scare. Hopefully that will be the last time those words are ever spoken again throughout our pregnancy.

Hiccups are a wonderful thing.

I've been waiting and waiting for little Blueberry to have hiccups and finally last weekend she did. They were very distinguishable too. I was very worried that she may not even have them since it was getting so late in the pregnancy and they usually start up with then around 6 months, noticeably. They say that hiccups help develope their lungs. Caleb had them all the time and was for the most part and still is a very healthy child. I was afraid if she didn't have them that she could have some complications with her lungs. Even though my doctor insisted she would be fine. I'm just a worry wart, but now at least I know her lungs are working good. I can also tell that she is still head down from where the hiccups are most felt.

Well we've made it to week 32 and are feeling good. So we only have between 5-7 wks left. So hard to believe she is almost here to meet us. The excitement is filling in the family.

I want my sunshine back

Do you ever just have a time where you've lost your sunshine. Like life just isn't the same. Somewhere in the last week I've lost my sunshine and frankly I'm starting to worry that I'm not doing something right to get it back. I try to stay strong, enthusiastic, and reassuring but nothing seems to be working. Finally today I called in a couple of reinforcements to help my sunshine find its way back to me. I hope time is all that is required to mend my sunshine, he shows his smiling sweet face at me again soon.

I miss my LITTLE SUNSHINE and I want you back.

I'm Up & Many thing on my mind

• Here it is 6 am and I can't fall back to sleep and I don't have to work today. I woke up at 5:54 am in the same spot as I was when I fell asleep at 10 pm. Surprisingly, I didn't have a lower backache or neck ache from not moving a muscle all night.
  
  I was shocked, after waking up completely, noticing how dark it was outside. I'm used to getting up this early don't recall having to turn on lights to see what I'm doing. I guess fall is just around the corner.
  
  Today Matt and Caleb are heading out to deer camp to hunt some squirrel. I loved Caleb's reaction to Matt when he told them their Saturday agenda. His eyes lit up and the smile went from ear to ear. Yes, a KODAK moment, but this silly mom left her camera in the car and had no shoes on to go get it. So this will have to be a memory I hold only to myself.
  
  Caleb is serving in mass this evening and I think he will have an audience of family to support him once again. His Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Jim are coming for the first time plus my mom and dad and maybe his Tante' and Matt's family minus a couple. He is so lucky and at 10 probably doesn't know how much he is loved by so many people.
  
  After mass Matt's family will be heading over to our house to start celebrating his mom and dad's 38th wedding anniversary. We look forward to having everyone and sharing in the memories of years flown by.
  
  Well I better get of the computer and start some cleaning, laundry, organizing, ect. since I will have no time later on.
  
  

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weeekend!!!

Finally.....

Well after a long talk and yes, even a few arguments, Matt and I finally decided to take the Lamaze classes at our local hospital. A lot of thought went into this decision, and we finally got to an understanding with each other that above all it would be a close "bonding" time, if you will, only revolving around us and Blueberry. No remodeling, no painting, no decorating the baby's room, no deciding on her name, no figuring out who her God Parents are going to be, just us. Just us preparing for our little girl. Maybe learning a few tips on how to make sure Caleb never feels left out of anything.

I wanted to make sure that Matt knew what he is walking into. I want him to know that I will turn from Dr. Jeckle to Mr. Hyde in a matter of 3.2 seconds. I want him to know signs that I may need his help or encouragement without me telling him what to do. The last thing I want that day is unorganized chaos or panic or even passing out. For the hours I'm in labor the world will revolve around me and what I need to ease the pain.

So hopefully with our decision we will lead to a chaos free in the delivery room in November. Now with everything mostly in place, Matt and I can just sit back relax, cheer on Caleb in his soccer season, and make a few final decision on Blueberry's behalf.

I really am looking for to the next two months of our pregnancy. We've made it to 31 weeks today, hopefully we at least make it to 37 weeks. That would make Blueberry's birthday October 16th. She is due November 8th. I wonder how close to her due date she'll make her grand entrance? Regardless, we'll be ready!

Who would have thought...

Why is it when a woman goes on a diet one of the first things she looses are her boobs and when women get pregnant one of the first things to get bigger are there boobs?!

Well I must have been under great denial in this pregnancy about my boobs. I was a 34B when I got pregnant since I lost all that weight two summers ago. After battling with fall out recently my mom suggested I try a bigger size. I thought, "No way, I haven't got big enough to fit in a C". So mom and I did the bra thing and I was SHOCKED to find that I was smashing my boobs into a 34B for the last 5 months and come to find out I'm in a 34D. Talk about flabergasted! I've never been in a D in my life. They don't look like a D but according to the bras I have now, it's true.

I asked my husband if he had any idea what size bra I was wearing and right off the top he said "D" with a huge smile on face. I couldn't believe he knew. I must have been in such denial it's not funny. Thankfully I'm much more comfortable and the twins seems happier too :-)

LONG Night, Nervous Times

Yesterday was an exceptionally bad day. I don't know why but I felt like crap all day. Yes, this was baby related and it scared me a little. Even though I would never let Matt know that.

All day yesterday I was having what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions. I mean ALL DAY!!! I really never started worrying about the until about 3 pm. It was just a normal thing to happen to every prego lady. Unfortunately, from 3 pm on there seemed to be something different with each one. They were more sharp, painful, and it felt like Blueberry was sitting right on my my pelvic bone.

I never timed them, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because I didn't want to be an over-reacting mother and call my doc and bother him on a weekend for nothing or it could have been that I didn't want to accept the "possibility" of preterm labor. I don't know, either way I was in partial denial.

When I got home I started doing some laundry and after a couple of trips up and down the stairs I got strict orders from my wonderful, supportive, but definitely over protective hubby, to go and lay down for a while and get off my feet. Of course, even after my arguing with him I was banished to my room for a while.

After about an hour of laying down (still contracting) I got up to try to walk it off. I thought maybe I was just being too lazy and some exercises/movement would do some good. Wrong....I made it as far as the kitchen and doubled over with another sharp contraction. Luckily Caleb was there for moral support and tried to massage my back...he's so sweet to me. After that moment Matt told me I needed to start monitoring my contractions.

What I found out was that my contractions were coming every 5 minutes and lasting a minute each. I was told that if contractions went on for and hour straight then labor was starting. Now I was getting a lot more nervous. We are only at 30 wks and have at least 7 - 10 wks to go. She is way to little to come now. Fortunately, this only went on for 45 min and then just completely stopped so no phone call to the doc or trip to the ER was needed. Matt couldn't believe how hard my stomach was getting. He's really not going to know what to think when we go in to have her.

Needless to say I think I'm going to listen to my body a little more now. I hope with all the contractions I had yesterday they didn't hurt little Blueberry. She seemed to stay very active all day so I'm going to pray she is still fine. She's even moving around a little this morning. I think I'll stay down the rest of the weekend besides going to church. I have a lot to pray for.

Is it just my hormones?

You know I'm very weight conscious and in all reality I'm very hard on myself prego or not. Today I had a moment where I was talking w/ my boss out in our shop about a customers concern when I hear from the side "Man your getting fat!" from an employee we just hired two weeks ago.

I think he knew by the look on my face I was less than thrilled by his comment. You know, I am pretty open minded, and yes I work in a shop full of guys and yes were all pretty close and joke around a lot. However, coming from a guy I barely know this comment made smoke roll out of my ears.

I don't know if I'm overreacting a simple comment or maybe my hormones are just taking over, but this comment has put my mood down and I'm a little bummed out.

Damn New Guy!!!

Funny Moment

Matt, Caleb, and I went shopping at the Baby Depot this weekend. It was a fun family experience w/ lots of laughs.

Caleb really enjoys shopping for new items for Blueberry so when you get he and his father started, their like kids in a candy store. It's so cute! Yesterday was no different. Caleb did the scanning as Matt and I discussed necessities, he thought he was hot stuff too. There really wasn't a whole lot more for us to register for, just the minors at this point.

After all registration was finished, we did a little shopping. My favorite part! We ended up getting everything for the decor of her room. Such as: Sugar Plum pillows for her crib, the basket for her lotions and accessories, the Sugar Plum Butterflies for the wall, the Sugar Plum night light, Sugar Plum valances, and of course her Sugar Plum hamper. We also got her letters for her name to be spelled out on her wall. So the name will not be changed from this point on.

After shopping the necessities we HAD to do a little clothes shopping too. So we found a diaper bag and a few darling outfits. When we are ready to leave we found her headbands that I've not been able to find anywhere. So as we're standing there picking out the cutest ones Caleb turns to look at me and with all sincerity ask me,

Caleb: "What if Blueberry comes out BLACK?".

Me: Caleb, there is no possible way she could.

Caleb: But mom how do you know for sure.

Me: I just do, Why are you even asking?

Caleb: Mom look over there

So I turn to see and there was a white mommy with an adorable Black baby in her cart.

Caleb: See mom it can happen.

Me: Yes Caleb, it can happen, but it's not going to happen to us. I'll let your dad explain it to you later when we leave.

So upon leaving the Baby Depot Matt explained to him how there was no possibility of us bringing home a black baby girl :-)

I think this was the highlight of my day. A memory of innocence with Caleb that was purely from the heart and unintentionally bias. Children are a miracle from God and anyone that can't see that or appreciate it have serious mental issues.

Crib and Changing Table

Last night my wonderful husband got home after having a not so good day and headed straight for Blueberry's room. He scoped it out as to where he was thinking the furniture would fit best and then headed to the attic to bring down her crib and changing table.

He had to put the crib together, of course, but with his great construction know how he had it all put together in 20 minutes or so. Thanks babe!! Now with the crib up and the changing table in place, I can start cleaning it all up today after work. Then we can start decorating her room!

Tomorrow we are heading to Baby Depot to shop for some decorations to help complete her room. I have a list of things to get but we'll have to see what we actually come home with.

I'm also hoping to get over to Old Navy and Baby Gap and Gap. I would like to look at more pretty girl clothes and also pamper my Little Man with a couple of new outfits before heading back to school Monday. His new school shoes, Nike Shox, came in the mail on Wednesday and he is just dying to be able to wear them all the time. He told me "Mom these are the coolest shoes you've ever gotten me!" It's so sweet and innocent yet sincere. He's my boy who will always melt my heart and know how to make me feel like a good mom.

Blueberry updates

Yesterday was a very busy day for us. As you know the first thing to be done was the carpet laying in the baby's room. After they were finished I could tell it was going to look very good with the decor in the room. Once Matt vacuumed it last night and got all the shreds of carpet up knew it would be perfect for her room. It's so soft and bouncy to walk on, she is going to love it as much as we do. Now all that's left is the setting up and decorating. My kind of work! I can't wait till this weekend gets here. Here is a shot of the room till Saturday.

Blueberry's Room

We also had our Pix for Kicks ultrasound yesterday at 5pm. We got in for the appointment right away and Tori was our sonographer. My mom and Caleb were able to join us for this event and enjoyed every minute of it. I don't think my mom was able to whip the smile off her face the entire appointment. It tickled her to see my stomach twitch and bulge every time Blueberry moved :-)

Blueberry was still playing hard to get. We were only able to get two really good shots of her face the rest showed her hands and legs in the way. It was a relief to find out that she is no longer Breech. Joyce mentioned last Thursday, August 13th, that she was butt first and not to worry about it baby's usually turn on their own by 35-36 wks. Well, I'm pretty sure she turn the Tuesday evening, August 18th, (just 5 days later) I was very uncomfortable all night.

No matter what we are grateful to know that she is progressing well and looking healthy as a horse. She is definitely kicking and punching a whole lot harder now. Here are a couple of our best shots. Enjoy!!!!

Blueberry at 28 wks 4 days

Finally, and most importantly, we've finally chosen her name. This will not be known to anyone besides Matt, Caleb, and I until the day she is born. We feel this is one thing we can keep to ourselves to help make us feel a little closer when speaking to and about her in our home.

It's all coming together and I'm feeling really good about everything. I feel after yesterday everything will be on the downhill stretch for us :-)

Carpet is going in the baby's room today...yay!!!!

Today is the day I've been waiting for since I knew we were prego. This morning at 7am Jason was at our house ready to lay the carpet in Blueberry's room. I've never been more excited to see someone show up at our house that early in the morning!

Now that the carpet is being done this means that come this weekend Matt, Caleb, and I will be busy bringing down our crib and changing table and setting up where I want everthing to go. Maybe I'll even be able to talk a shopping trip to Baby Depot too. There are still a few little odds and ends to pick up for her room there yet.

By my calculations we should have a whole month to just relax and prepare ourselves for little miss Blueberry's arrival. This should be plenty of time to visit the hospital, try to talk Matt into taking a labor and delivery class (wish me luck on that, he doesn't think he needs any help), signing up for Baptismal classes, and most importantly ~ PICKING OUT HER NAME!!!!!!!

Matt did spend all evening last night on Baby Center looking at every name possibility there was. I do think we have it narrowed down to three possibilities now though. So I do feel a lot less stressed about this now. However, no one will know what we've chosen until the day of her arrival. That is the one thing Matt, Caleb, and I are keeping to ourselves. So until that wonderful day we will all refer to her as "Blueberry".

A little better today.

Today seems to have started off a little better for me. I didn't feel as groggy this morning as the last few. Hopefully the bigger dosage of meds are helping. When I'm up moving around getting done what needs to be done, it seems I'm like a buzzing bee, but once I sit down I feel a little more drained. Maybe once this new dosage is settle to my system things will be much better. It sucks to have to work when you feel this blah. It's hard to be nice to customers or even have the patience to to deal with co-workers.

I pray by Wednesday I am 100% up to par again. It isn't the best feeling in the world to be grumpy all day when all you feel is overly tired no matter how much sleep you get.

Levels down again :-(

I should have know something wasn't quite right. All weekend I've just been very tired and yesterday it was up to complete exhaustion. I just chalked it up to being prego and not resting enough, my fault.

I got a phone call this afternoon from my dr. office with need to know news. My thyroid hasn't been working right since I got prego so they put me on a new med and told me that more than likely I would be on it for the rest of my life, YAY! Now my thyroid level isn't up to standard levels again and there going to up my dosage, YAY!! The only good thing out of this conversation was that hopefully I'll now have my energy lever boosted back to normal again. I'm too busy to be down on my energy. Not to mention, I'm very grumpy when I'm tired.

The nurse also told me that my iron level is still at a 10.4 and they want it at least at a 12. My iron level is always low and can be another cause of my exhaustion but really 10.4 is pretty normal for me. As long as the baby is getting what she needs I'm ok with a 10.4. I'm going to try to eat more salad, eggs, and raisins from this point on. I want to see if I can get a little higher for these last couple of months. Who knows since all these foods are "good for you" foods maybe I'll lose a couple of pounds.

Well, off to higher levels. I hope these meds work.

Caleb's Home!!!!

Yay, my Caleb's home!!!! He finally made it around 9pm last night. I missed him sooo much! I only had maybe 3 phone calls from him the entire time he was gone, and one was just to tell me he was on his way home because I gave him STRICT orders to let me know when they started out since no one else bothered to keep me in the loop all week. I had to leave the responsibility up to my 10 year old. Sad isn't it. That's a whole nother story that will put me in a bad mood so I won't tredge that water.

By Saturday I was having major Caleb withdrawals!!! Fortunately, I was at my B-I-L & S-I-L's all afternoon and evening for our nephews b-day part. I was a good time w/ lots, lots, lots, of yummy food and good conversation. So it kept my mind free from wondering off to Caleb again, and again.

Sunday was a long day. I didn't have any energy to do hardly anything. I took a 2 hour nap and was absolutely dead to the world. We were having my Grandma Millie, Dad, and Aunt Judy over for dinner and thankfully I was feeling a little better to cook. By the end of the night after everyone had left I was doing my best when my little sunshine walked in the door and said "MOMMY!!!" and gave me a Huge Hug!

It was hard to even get up and come to work today knowing that he's back. I just want to spend all my time with him this week! So from 5:30 on tonight, he's mine!

28th Week...Beginning of 3rd Trimester

Well, today marks a big day for us. We are welcoming the beginning of our third trimester. It's exciting and scary all in the same. I'm excited that she will be here in about 84 days or so. However, scared that even through all my planning something might have been missed or something will go wrong during labor. I'm sure these are all normal feelings but for me they can be a little overwhelming at times.

Yesterday we went in for our 28 week checkup and sonogram. Anytime they schedule a sono I get butterflies because it's just another opportunity to see our little Blueberry again. To ease our minds (ok, just my mind, cause I'm the worry wart) that everything is ok and she has 10 fingers and 10 toes and everything else is normal too. My M-I-L, Susan, even joined us for her 1st ever experience with a sonogram. It was a great memory to have. She just kept smiling right along side of her son the whole time. A true KODAK moment!

Unfortunately little miss Blueberry wasn't very cooperative with us. Right now Joyce (our favorite sonographer ever) told us she is breech but that it was ok for now and not to concern ourselves with it just yet. She will more than likely turn herself by the 36-37 wk. Blueberry kept playing little games and putting her hands in front of her face and blocking Joyce from getting a good picture of her. Joyce insured us that Blueberry still has plenty of room the move around but evidently she didn't want to be photographed. Joyce did tell us that she weighs about 2.7 lbs. and 14.5 in. Not bad I said. I still think she is going to be a big baby but Joyce said she didn't think so. We'll see.

The shot below is the best picture of her we were able to get. Remember it's not the best, but I still love it!


We were even able to see her sucking on her fingers. It was so precious. Even though it was so cute on the sono I really hope when she comes out she isn't a finger sucker, to me that is a hard habit to break. At least with a pacifier, you can cut the nipple off when the time comes and tell them it "broke". You can't do anything when they suck on their fingers. I'm not going to worry about it until that moment arises.

I will start going in for checkups every two weeks now and at 36 wks I'll start going every week. It's going by so fast! I feel like I just found out we were pregnant. She'll be here in no time :-)

Happy 4th Birthday Calvin!!!!

Happy 4th Birthday

to our sweet nephew

Calvin!!!

We can't wait to help you celebrate your big day this saturday!

We hope you get everything you've been wanting.

Your Uncle Matt said he wanted to be in charge of your gift this time. Who knows what he's got up his sleeve.

Enjoy your day little man!

I'm sad....

Even though we just got back from vacation with the Ordner's now Caleb felt it necessary to get back on the road with my mom, and grandmother and head up to Chicago.

He's going to be spending most of his time with his Tante', of course. I'm sure she has some fun things set up for them to do this weekend. Even if she didn't, I know they would have fun the pool at her apt complex.

My grandmother (aka: Bubba) decided to head off on this little adventure too. Not only are they going to be visiting with my sis but also my Uncle Al. Bub hasn't been up there for about a year or so and I think is really going to enjoy herself while she is there. Even though she HATES long drives, I think the well deserved family time will help her forget about that.

I gave Caleb strict orders when he left, to call me when he missed me. No matter how often it was, I wouldn't mind. Well he's been gone since noon and I haven't heard a word out of him yet. I actually had to call them to make sure they got on the road ok.

I know my week is going to be so long without him here with me. His smiles, his snuggles, his hugs are all things I need to make it through my days. I hope he has a great time but I also home this week flies by!!

New room complete!!!

Finally after over a month and a half our basement room is complete! How exciting!!! Everything is set up and ready to go.

There were many hours of hard labor put into this investment and with some help from family and friends this mission is accomplished.

The room is perfect. It's just a little different having to go downstairs to use the computer now. That will just take a little getting used to. However, it sure is peaceful. The perfect thing for an office. I'm sure Caleb will be using the heck out of it in a few more years for research paper, reports, ect.

Now we are off to do some carpet shopping for the baby's room. Then decorations and all necessities for "Blueberry". This is when it's going to get exciting for me.

So in the end we would like to send a HUGE thank you out to the following helpers: Tom, Tommy, Chris, Nate, & Jason. If it wasn't for all of your help, Matt would still be burning his candle at both ends for quite a while longer.

Honey, I've said it before but I'll say it again. You are unbelievably talented in the construction world. You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge. Your a hard worker and always put family first. Thank you for all you do for us.

Vacation came and went

Branson Trip 2009

On Wednesday, August 4th, Caleb and I headed of to start our Family Vacation to Branson, MO.

First stop was to pickup Tom, Sue, and Alicia from home. Then the 5 hour road trip began. But before we even made it to Tom and Sue's we were blessed with a nice rock chip in our windshield. Now we have one on each side to match. Thankfully our trip got better from this point though.

When we made it to Tom & Sue's I was stunned by all the stuff they had packed. I thought Caleb and I over packed until I pulled in there driveway and was stunned even more when I walked into their kitchen. Of course we weren't able to pack everything into our van and had to call for reinforcements. Luckily we were the first to leave and the others following could help us out. Thanks everyone!

Once we got to Branson it was a relief. Being almost seven months pregnant with only one stop in between really played a number on my lower back. Caleb was a trooper and took a nap and watched a few movies and never once asked the famous words "Are we there yet?" He's a good little traveler.

The Resort was very nice. They had a couple of pools, one which was indoor in case of bad weather. Plus a nice recreational room which entailed pool tables, ping pong, checkers and chess tables, a big screen t.v. with nice comfy furniture to lounge in while everyone else was playing, and finally a game room equipped with air hockey and many others. Caleb was very happy with all of this!

Matt & Tommy weren't able to join us until LATE Thursday evening because of work and heavy traffic. So on Friday we headed up to the main attractions and found a go-cart track that everyone would enjoy. I think Matt was the biggest kid of them all. Everyone had a great time there. Matt, Caleb, and Alicia all had nerve enough to try the Skycoaster. This was Caleb's first trip on something like this and Alicia wanted to tackle a fear of heights. Mission accomplished! They were raised 100 feet on their chest then dropped a whopping 70 foot free fall until the straps swung them up like a swing. All we heard were scream but all we saw were smiles and thumbs up gestures. Although Caleb seemed to be hanging on to his dad for dear life at first :-)

Afterward we went back for a few more go-cart rides and took a walk over to the Titantic Museum. It was full of lots of information and artifacts that were all very interesting but just wasn't what we all were expecting.

Then on Saturday we headed for the lake to do a little boating. Tom rented a pontoon boat for four hours of fun in the sun. I was a good time but I never got in the water so when the four hours were up I was definitely ready for dry land and A/C. Matt and Caleb and the rest of the family had a ball.

When evening fell we all got ready and headed off to the Landing te eat dinner. Everyone chose a Mexican restaurant but Caleb and I were ready for steak and potato's. Oh, well it was good and we had some leftovers because their plates were huge. After dinner there was no time for shopping and we headed back to the condo to get a good nights rest before checking out then next morning by 10am.

A great big Thank You goes out to my in-laws, Tom and Sue, for putting together this wonderful trip. We really appreciated the time with family. Hopefully we can look forward to them for years to come.

UGH....15lbs

Let's face it, the scale is most woman's enemy. So far in my pregnancy I really haven't been too upset about the weight issue. I'm definetly small than I was when carrying our son Caleb, which is a huge accomplishment for me. I have noticed that with Blueberry, my hips immediatly popped out which in turn help my butt to get wider. Matt tells me I'm silly, but lets face is ladies, we know!!!

Well this morning I was curious as to where I was at with my prego weight and stepped on the scale. UGH...talk about starting off your day on the wrong note. I've hit my 15 lb mark. I feel like I shouldn't be that heavy yet. I really don't eat to far out of line. If I do Blueberry helps to make me regret it.

What is normal weight gain for 6 1/2 months? I wish there was a chart you could follow to see if your weight was right on or if you needed to worry about. You know a monthly progression chart like they have for the developement of your baby. I know not everyone is the same but there has to be some kind of average doesn't there? Blueberry is only around 2 lbs right now so I know the rest of it's not in my boobs.....lol

Just being a worry wart as usual. I'll just have to ask next week.

Busy Weekend

This weekend went by too quickly. We were here, there, and everywhere. I wish the weekend could consist of 3 days instead of 2.

The weekend started out with me being at work at 7am til noon. That wasn't entirely terrible. I'm a morning person for the most part so getting up early isn't such a bad thing. Towards the ladder part working I started feeling not bad but definitely not good. So I was just moving a little slower than usual, but still ready to conquer tasks ahead.

After work, I headed off to the grocery store to p/u the necessities for the Branson trip this week. I am so looking forward to that! The store seems crazy now that they're remodeling and everything has been moved around. What should have taken me 15 min tops took me 30. Not a big deal it will get better soon. They have it looking very nice, much more modern looking.

Then I headed off to my Bub's house where I was picking up a pot of her homemade potato soup. Mind you I'm still feeling a little blah but it was still manageable. My Bub is the best cook ever. Something about her food just makes your mouth water(except liver, still can't hack that stuff). Love Grandma's house!!

On my way home all I could smell was that soup and of course the first thing I did after unloading groceries was eat a huge bowl of it. Talk about comfort food!! I had to call Bub and thank her for making such a scrumcious pot of soup and contributing to my absolute need for a nap! So all in all Saturday for me was shot for me, all I did the rest of the day was lay around. No cleaning for me.

Thankfully Sunday was a much better day. I woke up at 6:30 ate some oatmeal, toast and a banana then started the my day. I cleaned our entire house (except the baby's room, it's still a making in progress). What a workout! We're talking dusting, spot treating the living room carpet, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, cleaning the bathroom, oh and doing all the laundry. After all that I had to treat myself to an ice cream cone (strawberry swirl) at Homewood grill. What a reward to myself. Then I headed off to my Bub's again and dropped of all the bowls and dishes we had acquired throughout the past weeks. After visiting w/ her for a while I headed home and finally after dinner decided I had just enough energy to go on my 2 mile walk.

After all is said and done I had a productive weekend and crashed hard Sunday night when I went to bed. This is why I wish weekends could be longer.

Almost complete

Last night Matt finished painting the spare bedroom/office downstairs and now all that's left is laying the carpet and putting in the drop ceiling. I can't wait till this room is completely finished so we can finally get started on decorating Blueberry's room.

I keep telling Matt that I just feel like I can't help with anything because he's been dealing with construction (which he is amazing at) and I know absolutely nothing about it. The baby's room is right up my alley plus I'm going to love finalizing everything because that means she'll be here right around the corner.

I've made a list of all the things that Matt and I still need to get to decorate her room. Things like; The Sugar Plum trash can, table lamp, hamper, curtains, wall letters - to spell out her name, the receiving blanket, and a few butterfly throw pillows to decorate her bed. I can't wait to have everything in order. I guess they always say, "You save the best for last". Blueberry is definitely worth the wait as hard as it may be.

I haven't had a chance to upload the newest pictures of the new room yet. I'll be sure to show off a couple when I do. I love showing off my studly husbands talents ;-)

Tender Lullabies

Last night I had to make a quick trip to Walmart that should have taken literally 5 minutes. Well, wouldn't you know that the school supply list is out and Caleb was with me so we had to shop for the stuff before it was all picked over.

So then once that was completed then I had to take a trip to the baby isle just to look around, again. It's so fun, especially when Caleb's with me :-) So while we were just "browsing" we found a cute lullaby CD from Fisher Price for just $10, so we had to buy it. Yes I did listen to every track and it was so sweet. Now I just need to burn it to my ipod and let baby Blueberry relax to the instrumental sounds of her 1st CD.

Now I'll just have to find some headphones that will fit my belly. The ones I had won't stretch enough. Watch out, Wide load comin through ;-)

Our trip to Chicago

Well, we're back in action at home. All is back to normal again.

Over the weekend Caleb and I took our trip to Chicago to visit my sister, Jennifer. It's always fun for us to take a few days off and get some well deserved QT with her. She is a fantastic hostess and always has her little nephew's best interest at heart.

First, we went to a Gretchen Wilson concert on Friday night. Now I'm not an over-the-top fan of hers but she is a great entertainer that keeps her audience going. It was Caleb's first concert and even enjoyed it except for the fact that it kept on until well past 10:30 and believe it or not, he was exhausted and wouldn't leave my side. He actually fell asleep on the drive home, I know amazing right?!

Then on Saturday Jen took us shopping at a huge outlet mall. We tried to find Caleb a new pair of shoes without any success. Can you believe the NIKE outlet had no, none, zippo, shoes in his size!!!! Crazy right!?! He was so disappointed, he wanted a new pair of shocks, there's always Champaign :-) Then we stopped in Carter's, boy what a mistake. We all had a blast in there, even Caleb. Next time you see him and he acts like he's not ready for this baby or to even be a BIG brother he's fibbing. He had as much if not more fun in there shopping for Blueberry than I would have ever imagined. He kept saying to me, "We gotta get that!", "Ewe mom what about this", and so on the whole time we were there. I couldn't have been happier!

Later that evening my sis had gotten tickets to the Medieval Times show. Caleb was so excited. This was all about the knights, kings & queens, jousting, stunt horses, and of course eating your meal with no utensils!!! The meal was fantastic and huge! They served each person a bowl of soup, piece of garlic bread, HALF of a baked chicken, a big piece of BBQ rib, a half of a seasoned baked potato, and for desert a homemade apple turnover.....mmmmmmm! Needless to say we all a to go box to take home. This place was full of action for everyone, definitely more kiddie orientated though.

We rooted for the "Green Knight", and he was one tough mamajamma too. Until the end came and we found out that he kidnapped the prince and held him ransom. Of course he was slayed by a good knight and the Prince was saved to live happily ever after with his princess and the king could rest again.

Here is a couple of pix to share. Aren't our crowns AWESOME!!

Only 6.5 hrs to go

On a lighter note today, at 3 pm today I will officially start my 4 day vacation. The best part about it is, it will be just Caleb and I!!!!!! Tonight we will be packing up to start our fun.

First thing tomorrow we have to head to the dr's office where I'll take my glucose test, fun, fun. He just loves going there with me....lol. Then after I get my sugar rush for the year we're headed to get something for breakfast, wherever Caleb wants to go, of course. Then we're darting off to the Amtrak station where we officially begin our vacation together.

We'll be taking the train to Chicago to visit Tante' and Aunt Elizabeth. I know Tante' has an eventful trip scheduled for her nephew that entails concerts and an evening of a knights dual. Capturing the knights of the medieval times fighting to the death for there kingdom or maiden. All revolving around children's interest and of course rate E for everyone. Following the play they will have a medieval meal where you eat w/ your fingers and use little to no manners. Doesn't this just scream adolescents ;-) Hopefully we will have enough time to get downtown to see Aunt Elizabeth and soon to be Uncle Bill. They are really busy moving right now so we hope to a least meet them for a meal somewhere.

Sounds like we're going to have a jam packed, fun-filled, sunshiny weekend. To be honest w/ you, I need it. I always look forward to spending time w/ Caleb and just the thought of this weekend plasters a cement smile on my face.

Let the countdown begin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heavy Heart

Today is a very sad day and my heart lay heavy in my chest. No matter how prepared you try to make yourself for bad news, it doesn't make it any easier.

My heart goes out to the family,
for all the pain I know they're in.

Tears speak volumes,
as every minute shall pass.

Only time will heal,

with memories always there.

Thinking always and forever,
for our angel now in his care.

My Deepest Condolences,

Wendy

WHY!?!?

Last night was a rough night for our family. Bad news late in the evening nearly broke my heart. There are some instances that you so badly want to pinch yourself and wake up from a nightmare that ends up to stay reality.

I have a wonderful friend, who is ALWAYS there for everyone else, that was told disturbing news yesterday. We all were hoping and praying for a better outcome but unfortunetly it led to a bitter reality check. You never know the reason of why things happen, but I'm so tired of them always happening to people I know that have a heart of gold.

So my ongoing question to bad news is:

WHY!?!?

Special Someone

I want to take a minute and let someone know I'm praying for them. Things may seem rough right now but stay positive (as hard as this may be) and know that you have many people praying for the best.

You are a rock for others all the time, even in your hardest moments. So now let us return the favor. You need to sit back and relax, put your feet up, and take care of you and you alone. Let us handle the rest.

We love you and will do anything you need us to do, if you let us, SO LET US! It's your turn now.

(((((HUGS)))))

Sugar Plum

Sugar Plum is the official name of the decor we'll be using in Princess Blueberry's room.

Matt and I went to Terre Haute on Tuesday evening and finally did a little baby shopping together. Let me tell you, it was a blast!!! Matt is like a little kid in a candy store. He's so excited with picking and choosing with everything. Too Cute.

We chose Sugar Plum because it had more of the purplie color in it than a pink. With the wall color being Coffee Rose it matches very well. I can't wait till we get the basement guest room finished so we can start on Blueberry's room again.

It was so nice to just get away and relax with Matt for a little while. He's been working non-stop in the basement adding on a new room. He works all day then comes home and is working all night. It doesn't help that he is an absolute perfectionist :-) I'm so grateful for him.

He's been working hard on building the new Guest/Computer room in the basement. I must say he is doing a great job. He continues to surprise me with his abilities as the years fly by. I knew he was the concrete king but I had no idea he knew how to build an entire room from scratch! It's looking great! Thanks for all your hard work honey, your the best!!!

Hopefully soon I will have some good pictures of both rooms so you can see all the remodeling that has been done to welcome our Little Princess Blueberry in a few months.

Coming along

We've been working non-stop on the babies room this last week. It's so exciting and even more real. How is that possible?!?! Just when I think, OK this makes it real. Then the next thing happens and I think, NO, this make real. Crazy!!!

This past weekend Matt and I chose the color for her room. Which is called Coffee Rose. Kind of a purplie pinkie color. More purple than pink, depends how the sun shines in. Anyway, IT'S GIRLIE!!! Something I'm so not used to being used too.

We also cleaned out closets to make sure she has her very own just like Caleb. On the down side of that was I had to clean out both of Caleb's closets to make room for what Matt and I needed to store. So Caleb now has just one closet full of both summer and winter clothing. Yes, he was a little bummed because his closet was so packed full now. What he doesn't know is that I had to clean out his closets (Get rid of everything I haven't seen him wear in the last 6-8 months). Hopefully I won't have to ever tell him because it is now all at Catholic Charities.

Matt also thought it would be great to build a spare room / computer room downstairs. Even though the way he situated everything looks great and would pass comfortably as a spare room, he is not happy with that. Don't get me wrong, when he is finished it will be perfect, but I just hate seeing him run himself into the ground so badly. This is his busy time of year; working later, side jobs, weekly yard / garden work. His weekends are already few and far between. Plus now he has a deadline to get all the banging done on this new room by November.

Now that we have Princess Blueberry's room painted I can start on the decoration ideas. To me, that's the fun part! So let the fun begin. I have planned a trip up North to visit my sister and I'm sure she can show me a few great shops. I can't wait!!!

So all in all my weekends are filled with fun and memories and Matt's are unfortunately filled with work, work, work.

Thank you Honey, for all your hard work! You are my rock that holds this family together!!!!

May he finally rest

For years now I have felt very uncertain about accusations that have been made upon Michael Jackson. I never quite understood the plastic surgery he had. Which in his eyes, better his appearance I'm sure. However, in my eyes I saw year by year the mutilation to his once idled self and a horribly beaten down, broken spirit. Another claim on M.J. was the awful charges that were brought out from children that he cared for.

I'll never know if he actually did what the children accused him of. Did it really happen or was it a ploy for parents to use their children to make it rich quick. We'll never know. I'll never understand all the trauma that he had done to his face. However, I do know one thing, he was truly a great performer and a humanitarian back in the day. He didn't earn the "King of Pop" for no reason.

No matter what my thoughts were about M.J. in the recent years, back in the 80's & early 90's he showed his fans a lot of sincerity and compassion. He was and will always be a pop legend from our era. May he finally be at peace from all judgements and accusations and dwell in the happiness of all his accomplishments in life.

R.I.P.

Michael Joseph Jackson

1958 - 2009

Finally a Win

Our son, Caleb is on the same baseball team as last year, called THUNDER. Last year they all really seemed to click from the start and had a fairly good season. Very enjoyable to watch the kids work together and grow as a team.

This year it seems like the boys are struggling to pull it together. I'm not sure what happened but it is very noticeable. They have the same coaches, who are very good with teaching the boys and trying to keep up their confidence but again, something is not clicking with the team.

From the beginning of this years season I've referred to them as the 'Bad News Bears'. However, last night we played and finally won our first game of the season. Talk about exciting for both, the boys and their parents and family. Caleb played short-stop and his norm - third base and did it with absolute confidence. He was also focused enough to hit 2 triples in a row. Talk about a boy on cloud nine - THAT WAS CALEB!

Long story short, the boys are finally getting it together with just a handful of games left, but there getting it together. I couldn't be more proud of all the boys and yes of course, I give my little big man two thumbs up for growing in confidence and helping his team to their first win of the season.

Thunder - 11
Opposing Team - 3

Way to go THUNDER!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

I know its been 2 weeks since the big news hit our family with a bang but I'm finally getting around to announcing it to the world.

Our Little Baby Blueberry is a GIRL!!!

Now our family will be complete. We've got our healthy, happy, and vibrant little big man Caleb. Now we'll finally get the beautiful baby girl that Caleb can protect throughout the years, being the awesome Big Brother he is going to be. She couldn't be more lucky than to have Caleb as her Big Brother.

I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. As a young girl my dream was to marry my Prince Charming (Matt) and live in our new home where we could add to our happiness with 2 children. Of course I wanted our boy first to be the protector and then a little girl to dress up and show off. My own Prince and Princess. Every little girls dream, and now I feel that we're are just weeks away from completing my childhood wish.

Nervous & Excited

We've made it to our 20th week. Exciting isn't it?!?!

Today is the big for Matt , Caleb, and myself. Today is the day, with a little cooperation from within, we find out if Blueberry is a boy or a girl. We can't wait to know because we have to start on the nursery ASAP!! We have to pick out the "official" name. We also have to prepare Caleb for this wonderful bundle of joy, especially if it's a girl. So much to do and only 20 weeks to go, give or take a little.

Now for the nervous end of it. Not only are we finding out the sex of the baby but they will also find out if the baby is still healthy and vibrant. One thing I do know, is this baby moves quite a bit. So hopefully all is still good. I'm always paranoid, I don't think that will stop till the baby is here. Who am I joking, I'm still that way with Caleb.

So wish us luck on adventure this afternoon. I'll be holding by breath.....figuratively speaking.

Appt is at 2:40

Random Thoughts

I sitting here at work thinking of several Random Thoughts that I'd like to share.

• Today I woke up and I felt great!! When I say great I mean I felt refreshed, energized, happy, sort of what I assume a bear would feel like out of a its deep winter hibernation slumber minus its starvation factor ;-)
• The sun is finally shining bright and rumor has it that we will be feeling its rays of warmth all day! It has been so rainy and miserable here lately I think our farmers should start planting rice instead of corn & beans.
• Caleb is such a wonderful person. I just love his personality and enthusiasm. I wish I could bottle a little bit of his energy up and keep just for me. I know he will soon be going his separate ways with his friends instead of yours truly and that stings only a little now. But I now no matter what he will always be my little buddy.
• Our Verizon (Can you hear me now? Good!) Dept always makes popcorn every morning. Now let me tell you I love that buttery, savory, mouth watering smell. However, today that smell is seriously making me nauseous!
• Blueberry is being a gymnastic this morning. I'm talking flip flops, summer salts, cartwheels, back bins, ect. This baby goes hard and kicks/moves up a storm for two days then rest with minimal movement for a day or two then starts up the routine all over again. Needless to say, I'M LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!
• Caleb has a ball game this evening at the Church Diamond and all I can hope for is a challenging game. Our poor Thunder just can't seem to get it together this year. It's unfortunate because the boys on the team are good they just can't pull it together. It's so hard to watch them struggle. All the "helpful" advice we give Caleb just seems to frustrate him even more. What do we do. To give you an idea of how the team is working together all I need to say is watch the movie 'Bad News Bears' nothing seems to work to their advantage. Hopefully we can win a few games this season to help boost their self esteems. Good Luck Thunder!
• Friday is the BIG day! Matt, Caleb, and I will hopefully be able to find out the sex of Blueberry. Talk about excited - well Matt and I anyway ;-) Caleb is praying for a boy. He's even chose a perfect name for a boy. Everyone who I talk to says we're having a girl. We'll just have to wait and see and share the exciting news with family on Friday.
• This weekend is Father's Day weekend. Still not sure what the heck is going on for my F-I-L's Bday/Dad Day. This is all info that I need so I can plan my own Daddy-O's Day. I'm a planner and an organizer and let me tell you, THIS IS KILLING ME!!!!

Now I spoke about everything on my mind at this moment. I told you they were random thoughts nothing special. Just trying to clear my head and for now I think it may have worked. Till later, Have a great day!

So much on my mind....

Where do I begin? So many things I need to get off my chest. Dealing w/ many different feelings. Feelings such as; sadness, anger, uncertainty, and yes even a little excitement.

This past weekend was a very drama filled weekend for our family. Things that couldn't have been controlled and things that absolutely should have been controlled.

I may never understand how God chooses his next angels. It lately seems to me that he takes so many that bring good to our lives. I know its not for me to understand and everyone has a certain purpose here on earth but why the unborn? As you know we're expecting and w/ that leaves many uncertain thoughts rolling around in your head. Am I doing all I can to ensure the good health of our unborn child? As a mother you constantly worry. You pray for the next kick or hiccup. You don't breath at your sono until you see your baby's heart is still beating!! That's just a good mom, I sure others can relate. Now since the recent loss in our family over the weekend I have more uncertainty in my heart than ever. I'm so afraid that something I can't prevent is going to happen. I can't get it out of my head. I wake up w/ it, I go to bed w/ it. I'm so careful to walk the straight and narrow. I call the Dr. w/ any questions. I've even recommended to my husband that we buy a fetal heart monitor to keep a closer eye on our baby for the next four months. Yes, I'm that paranoid. We've just worked so hard to have this wonderful addition to our family,I couldn't imagine my mental state of mind if anything happened.

I'm also concerned for someone very close to my heart. This person has been forced to handle a situation that is unfortunate for anyone to deal with anytime. The only thing I can do is stand by there side and help pull them through the rough waters that lay ahead.

The excitement that I'm looking forward to is knowing that by this Friday, with the baby's cooperation, we will learn the sex of our Blueberry! This is going to be a wonderful Fathers Day gift for Matt. We are planning on having the immediate family over afterwards to share the good news. Matt and I can't wait. Of course, Caleb is still hoping and praying for a baby brother. However, everyone that I see looks at me and says "I think your having a girl". I've even looked at the Chinese Calender and their results say we're having a girl. Whatever we are blessed with will be heartwarming all we pray for is its good health.

Now that my mind is a little more at ease I'll sound off. In a way I want this week to just fly by but I don't want to wish away the best moments of being pregnant. I pray that both the individuals get through the trying times with their heads held high and know that there are a lot of thoughts and prayers headed their way.

~ Family is the most important thing in life ~

Other things may change us,

but we start and end with FAMILY

~ UNKNOWN ~

It Finally Happened

Everything in our pregnancy has pretty well been going by the book. I haven't anything to complain about. I haven't gained hardly any weight at all yet and that really makes me happy. I'm eating pretty healthy, I give into cravings for some sweets or fast food every once and a while. but for the most part I'm doing a good job.

Last night the most wonderful thing happen. Matt finally felt the baby kick!!! It was a very exciting moment for the both of us. Matt's exact words were "That was WILD"!!!! He has always told me that watching me get bigger and getting to feel the baby would make it "real" for him. Now it's "REAL".

Next week Friday will be our 20th week. The time has seemed to just fly by. I was hoping to just sit back and enjoy every part of being pregnant however sometimes I forget I'm even pregnant since I'm on the go constantly. Then when I have a few minutes to enjoy getting a belly, or have a craving, or even feel the baby kick or move around it's late and I'm tired and fall asleep. I think after we find out what we're having we'll (I'll) be able to relate and talk with it more. Be a little more personable.

The baby has been moving around for about 3wks now that I could feel. It's been kicking/punching for about a week and a half. That's what makes this so great, they don't hurt yet. Sitting hear at work and feeling the beautiful life growing inside of me. Something we've worked so hard to have, just saying "Hello, I'm here now". This makes me melt. I know it sounds weird but I find myself constantly staring at my stomach when I'm up walking around. I can't help it, it's just so incredible. I want to meet our Blueberry. I can't wait till we can put a name w/ it too, other than Blueberry.

I know all is going to be well now

This whole baby thing has been quite a whirl wind for Caleb. Frankly, it broke my heart to see how concerned he was about being a BIG brother. I thought he would love the idea straight out the gate. Well, I now know, this was 100% wishful thinking on my part. Caleb has had nothing but my full attention for the last 10 years and after I thought about it our news probably scared the daylight out of him. I felt horrible about myself after the fact. I should have never thought he would share my excitement right away.

After his initial reaction we were sure to devote 110% of our time to Caleb. Make sure he knew this baby would never take his place in my heart. He's my first born, that will always be so special to me. We updated him on everyone of our OB appointments and kept him informed of every new sono pic. I felt like I was doing everything possible to make him comfortable in our new adjustments.

Finally, this morning while getting ready for work Caleb came in our room and offered to make our bed for me. I graciously accepted his offer. After he made our bed he came over to where I was standing and patted my belly (which I might add is definitely starting to protrude) and said with a smile, "Is that my baby in there?" At that point my heart was melted. I felt he finally accepted and looks forward to the baby. HE'S READY TO BE THAT BIG BROTHER!!!!

I couldn't be a happier person right now. My son accepts the upcoming happiness to our family. I have a wonderful husband who won't let me lift a finger, he's truly my Superman. My family is constantly checking in on me to make sure things are going well. My friends are spoiling me with smiles and excitement on a daily basis. What more could a pregnant girl want.

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all mother's a very Happy Mother's Day 2009. From one mother to another we know how much our children have blessed our lives.

I'm so grateful to have my sweet Caleb. He is the highlight to my life. He brings me smiles, he helped me find a love I didn't know 10 years ago that I was even capable of having. We, of course, have our every now and then mother-son trials but in the end he's tugging right at my heart strings. I guess what I'm trying to say is Caleb is my little sunshine. My constant ray of hope. No matter how bad a day I've had all I need is one word, smile, or glance from him and I'm relaxed again. I can't imagine a day in my life without him. I Love You Caleb!!

We also have a work in progress to be grateful, thankful, and anxious for. Otherwise known as: "Blueberry"

As you all know we are expecting another miracle for our family in November. We are so delighted to have another chance at parenthood. Even more excited to watch Caleb's excitement grow w/ us. As "Blueberry" gets bigger the wonder if its a boy or girl is fun to discuss of an evening. We can hardly wait to me "Blueberry". We don't care what the sex of the baby is just pray for a safe delivery and a healthy "Blueberry".

Being a mother is the most exciting thing in my life. Children are little miracles of God and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity of being a mother!

Happy Mother's Day!

We've made it!

Today is a day to celebrate! Matt and I have made it to our 2nd trimester. I know this may not seem big to most but for us it's a huge milestone. We have tried so hard and so long for this beautiful time and now I feel like we can sit back and enjoy the rest of this time.

Caleb is really coming around and showing signs of how good of a big brother he is going to be. He is showing concern for everything I do to make sure I'm not overdoing anything. He has told us that he wants to be at the sono when they inform us of the sex of the baby. He still thinks the only thing we should bring home is a boy though. I don't think that's ever going to change. The good thing is, if we are informed we're having a girl then we have around 20 weeks to get him ready for her :-) He'll do just fine either way. He's my wonderful little man!

Thank You

I want to say Thank You to everyone for all your sweet comments and especially those who have taken the time to send us cards.

We really appreciate all the kind words and support. We have been wanting this little edition for our family for quite some time now. It's wonderful to know we have great friends and family that will be with us every step of the way!

I plan on updating everyone often. So often you'll probably get tired of my proud momma moments. So I'll just say sorry now to everyone for being annoying.

Everything is going great!! Tomorrow we will hit our 13 week point w/ just 1 more week before gliding into our 2nd Trimester. Can you believe how fast time flies? I want this to last forever, we tried too long and too hard for it to be over so quickly.

I luckily haven't gained ANY weight yet. Caleb even looked at me this morning after I got dressed for work and said "Mom, you don't even look fat yet." I had to laugh so hard because all who know Caleb he is the sweetest however the most crucially honest little man you'll ever meet. If I were to ask him if I looked fat in something, he would tell me with no uncertainty in his voice, YES!! if that were the case. I so respect that of him. On the flip side he lets me know when I'm "One Hot Momma" too. He is just my little companion.

I am fearing that in the 2nd Trimester I will gain a ton of weight. Matt was a big baby 8-9lbs. Caleb was only 7lbs 12oz and he was very hard to push out. I was only 6-7lbs. I'm petrified that this baby will be at least 8 1/2 lbs and I'm going to struggle carrying and pushing out.

Now that you know our weights, what do you think our baby will weigh at delivery? I am interested to know what everyones thoughts are on this. I think it would give my family some good conversations and possibly some good laughs.

Let me know what your thinking :-) Don't scare me too much!

Well, The time has come.....

OK, the time has come. Thankfully to my wonderful S-I-L Christina who helped me with the final "technical" details tonight. Your the best C!!!

This announcement has been a work in progress for the last few years and I'm very excited to let it out!

To all our family and friends I want to share with you our proud family moment..........in another six months you'll get to meet him or her yourself but for now we have photos!

Please meet our newest addition: "Blueberry"




Matt and I are expecting our 2nd child to our family. We couldn't be more proud!!! We've work so very hard to accomplish this, it's truly our 2nd miracle in life......1st and foremost will always be our son Caleb.

Caleb took this news a little harder than we'd hoped but now that quite a few weeks have gone by and we've kept him informed about everything going on he seems to really be coming around to being the BIG BROTHER :-) It was a lot for my little 10 year old to take in after having mom and dad to himself for so long. All his emotions were expected, he's only human. He'll always be my little man!

Anyway, thanks for your patience while I worked out all my computer faults to get these pictures scan to our computer. Thanks again to Christina for keeping me from pulling my hair out, I was so ready to tell the world but didn't have everything ready to make this announcement complete.

Our due date is tentatively November the 8th. Yes, this will also be our 6th year wedding anniversary. What a wonderful gift!!!

Just a little ending note. No matter how bad you think things are getting for you, or you just don't feel strong enough to carry all the burdens and difficulties in life; Remember God will never give you more than he knows you can handle. I'm a firm believer in this. Always count in the Lord to help you through everything.

In ending I would love to share with everyone my most favorite poem of the Lord called:

Footprints in the Sand

:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints in the sand,

is when I carried you."

Author: Mary Stevens 1984

I know many days seem like we're on our own. I know this last year took a HUGE toll on me but as long as I had the Lord in my heart, he always carried me through my troubles and pain. You just have to let him in and give him a chance.

God Bless!!!!!

Technical Difficulties

I know I said I would share new info w/ you all this weekend but unfortunately I continue to have Technical Difficulties. Hopefully I can get everything put together so I can attach all my new info to the next blog I do. I'm so very eager to share my long awaited info.

Please be patient with me. I may have to contact my favorite S-I-L Christina to pick her brain a bit.

Till next time, I hope you have a wonderful week!!

Stay Tuned for my LONG awaited Blog.......

Today I'm excited to announce that there will be a HUGE announcement posted sometime this weekend. I'm not quite prepared for it just yet. I've been working on this project non-stop for 3 months now and let me tell you, I'll be glad to relax a little bit!

My blogging has been very lax lately, I know. I just haven't had the time to discuss all my happenings while working on this project. Hopefully now things will slow down a little and I can enjoy all my families upcoming events this year.

Toodles for now. I will be back again soon. Hope your having a beautiful weekend!!

Need to Gripe!

OK, I know I haven't been on here much lately but I think I'm going through a bloggers blah or something. I haven't been in any mood to blog about my simple happenings in life. To be honest with you, I've been very moody lately and extremely opinionated. I usually try to keep my opinions to myself but today I lost it w/ one of my guys here at work.

I'm really big on appearances and when in the public eye on a daily basis I feel you should take pride in how you represent who your working for. Now from my past blogs I'm sure everyone understands how much I appreciate my job. I wish everyone at my job treated our bosses with a little more appreciation. I think starting with your appearance is crutial.

I walk into work this morning, not having the best of Mondays to begin with, sit down at my desk and in walks one of my tire techs and he stands right in front of me. What is the 1st thing I see, A BIG FAT HICKIE on his neck. This is just uncalled for and very unprofessional and it's not the 1st time with him. Pardon me for saying, but I feel it's soooo white trashy! Can't people get enough love makin in bed without leaving the details. To be honest, thats an inmage I care not think about every time I see him either, yuck! I of course had a comment explode from my mouth immediately:

Me:

Did you forget to feed your girlfriend this weekend?

Co-Worker:

Ha Ha, ya I guess so.

Me:

Don't you thing a T-bone would have been more nutritious?

CW:

(He snickers quietly at me with this very intelligent answer)

Ya probly.

Then he walks away laughing, like what he has on his neck is a trophy to the fact he has a girlfriend. I just wanted to knock him out!!!

I'm not really sure why this has upset me so much but hopefully after finishing this blog, taking a few deep breaths, and checking out what everyone else has been up to, I'll feel better.

My Little Man

You know there are just some days your children really brighten your day with their thoughtfulness for others. Something that we, as adults, may take for granted on a daily basis, unintentionally.

Well this weekend, Matt went with my dad to help remove a washer and dryer out of my grandma's house so the Menards people could install her new ones today. So this left Caleb and I at home and it makes me very happy that he wanted to stay home with me so I thought why not take him to McDonald's to eat lunch and just hang out. He still has that $5 G.C. his Grandma Susan and Grandpa Tom got him for Valentine's Day. I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to get out of the house and hang out a bit.

I suggest my thoughts on the afternoon and to my serious surprise....

Caleb says:
No thanks mom, I rather stay here at home and eat something.
Me:
Really?!? Why not?
Caleb:
Ya know mom, Mrs. Pruemer at school told me something I think is very important.
Me:
Oh ya Caleb, What might that be?
Caleb:
She said that if you have a day off you shouldn't go out and make someone else wait on you.
Me:
You really feel this way Caleb?
Caleb:
Ya mom, I just want to stay home and eat here. Then I want to play some basketball with you.
Me:
OK Caleb, how's a bologna sandwich sound with some chips.
Caleb:
Sounds good mom.

Now I can't say that he will feel this way the next time I ask him if he wants McDonald's however I will remember this past Sunday always in my heart. Knowing that my son is very thoughtful and compassionate towards others I know Matt and I haven't failed as parents. Plus I know he's learning something at school.....LOL!

I'm a lucky mom!

Just checking in....

I haven't been posting or even visiting my favorite blogs too much lately.

Just wanted to check in w/ anyone who may stop by and be wondering where I've been.

For whatever reason, I'm just not in a blogging mood. I have so much going on w/ me lately but I don't feel it should be discussed so openly on my blog.

Everything is going good in my life, but I feel emotionally and physically drained. I can't explain it. I don't know why. What I do know is, I'm always tired and no matter how much sleep I can get, I'm still exhausted! It's unexplainable.

Hopefully soon I'll be able to get control of life again and get back to my happy bloggy self. Wish me luck.

God Bless You and your families in this Lenten Season.

Keep the Lord in your heart, you can always count on him.

Happy Birthday C!!!

A Happy Birthday wish to my S-I-L, CHRISTINA!

I wish you nothing but the very best today and always. I hope your day was filled with much happiness and cheer with a whole lot of well deserved pampering from the men in your life!

Happy Birthday!

At the Rosebud TONIGHT....

Travis Tritt!!

My husband and I are going to this concert with our dear friends, Mark and Janet. We've been looking forward to doing this since the tickets went on sale.

To be honest, I was a big fan of his back in the day. You know, when I was in grade/high school. However, more recently he hasn't really popped up with album that I recall. I could be all wrong so don't quote me on this though, I listen to all different kinds of music I don't really keep track of any one particular artist (except Celine Dion of course).

Anyhow, I'm really excited about getting out of the house and hanging with some friends for dinner and some fun.

It's Groundhog's Day

Well it's Groundhog's Day once again. And yes, the little booger saw his shadow. What a little vermin!!!

I absolutely can't stand cold weather. I'm ready for fun in the sun and grilling out with friends and family. I was just looking at my calendar this morning and counting the days till our Florida trip with my family this summer. Let me tell you it seems like its forever away. Now to find out we will tentatively have 6 more blustery weeks of winter, yaaaaaaaaaaa! I can't wait!

I hope you can hence my sarcasm!

Happy 1st Anniversary!

Awwww! Their so in love!! Happy 1 year Anniversary Chris and Christina!

Congratulations on your 1st year of marriage. You both mean the world to us and we wish nothing but the best in your lives together.

We hope you enjoy your cake ;-)