Four Month Check Up

Natalie's 4-month check up went very well. She's 14 pounds, 5.5 oz, and 24.5 inches long. For those keeping score, that's almost 4 inches longer and 6 pounds, 5 oz from birth. It seems like so much more when you look at her though. I guess everything is relative. The doctor was very impressed with her progress and said as far as height/weight/etc, she's a perfect "middle of the road kid" and following her growth curve to a T!

We have so much fun with her. She's such a little chatterbox (guess where she gets THAT from) and loves to play! When we go to stores now (Target, WalMart, whereever) we get out the baby carrier and strap her to me. She loves the movement and seeing where she's going. Much more interesting that the carseat I suppose...which is great because the carseat with her in it gets to be heavy and awkward after awhile!

We took our first trip to Eckert's and Freeburg last weekend. So much fun! We had a fun visit with Grammie L. and Aunt Lisa. I'm hoping we can get back to Eckert's before the end of apple season. Next year we look forward to having Natalie pick her first apple!!

We've also started a little bit of cereal. Dr. T said she seemed ready for it, so what could it hurt to try? She doesn't eat a ton of it - maybe a tablespoon or two of cereal & momma milk at a time - but it's so funny to watch her face!

Here are some photos for you! You can also view some videos of Natalie at www.youtube.com/lpeuster.

Just a Post

A quick update on Natalie...



She's awesome.



She's a big talker. She's a little shy to start, but once she gets going, she is VERY vocal. She's also starting to giggle. She usually will give us just a squeal or just a "heeeeeee"...but occasionally we're treated with a "hehehe." She rolls over both ways now and she's even SCOOTING! I swear if she figures out how to move her arms right, she'll take off into a crawl. It's so amazing to watch.


Lately, I've been looking at the calendar and remembering where we were a year ago. About this time last year, I was nauseous. So very nauseous. We had told very few people we were expecting and anxiously awaited our first visit with Dr. K to see our little Squirt, which was on September 18. Never in a million years would I have believed I could love someone as much as I love Natalie or that I could love Brad any more. What a difference a year makes.

Have I lost all my readers??

Since being back at work, I find I have very little time for blogging anymore, which is sad. I love bragging on Natalie, and this is such a great outlet for it....but work has been busy and when I'm at home, I'd rather be spending time with Natalie than writing about spending time with her! What a puzzle!!!!

New tricks: Rolling over, chillin in the Bumbo, more talking. She just kills me. Unfortunately, she's exhibiting some stranger anxiety these days...it would seem that unless you are Mommy, Daddy, or Grandma Mary, she needs to warm up to you. If there are several people around, she's glued to us.

We had her baptized last week. She did pretty well - - just a little sleepy. She looked beautiful in the family christening gown. It was such a weird feeling dressing her in something that her grandfather wore. I was glad I was able to do it.

Well, let's get to the fun part - the pictures! I have a video too, but I haven't attempted any uploads from our new video camera yet!

Notice the outfit (thanks again Cayce!)..

With her great-granparents...

With her grandparents...

Working and Road Trip

Two weeks ago I returned to work. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do. The first day wasn't so bad - I was able to visit with some coworkers, catch up on stuff, and I left a little early to go with Brad and Natalie to her 2-month doctor visit.

The second day was harder. Natalie had a reaction to her rotavirus vax that caused her to throw up a couple of times. It was so so hard to leave for work knowing her poor tummy was a little upset. But then, Thursday, it was difficult to leave because she was awake and in an outstanding mood! Can't win!

We've taken her to the sitter's once as a trial run and she did really well. It seems like everyone will get along famously.....so so so important!!

She's so smiley. She's cooing and such, holding her head up very well, bursting into grins all over the place, and grasping at toys. It's so much fun to watch her grow and change every day. My heart overflows everytime she smiles at me.

One thing Iwas a little worried about my milk supply once I went back to work. Fortunately, that has not been an issue at all. I'm pumping more than she's eating, which is a good thing. She continues to nurse well when I'm around and takes a bottle from anyone when I'm not.

In other news, we took our first trip to Palmyra today. I was a little worried about the drive as Natalie tends to scream anytime she's awake and in the car. Of the two-hour drive up, she slept the first 45 minutes, then woke up....we stopped about 40 miles from Palmyra, had a snack, then went the rest of the way....and 40 minutes is VERY long when you have a screaming baby in the car. Once we arrived at Grandma and Grandpas, she did great! She met two of her three cousins, who absolutely doted on her, her uncle, two great aunts, a great uncle, one of Daddy's cousins, and one of Grandma's friends. Whew!! What a day. It's no wonder she slept the entire way home!!!

Thank You Dave Ramsey!

Over the last few years, Brad and I have been following the steps of Dave's Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. This started about two years ago when we took a hard look at the debt hole we had dug for ourselves. While not as deep as some others, we weren't comfortable with where we were. Thanks to my cousin, an avid fan of Mr. R, we started following Dave's babysteps.

Fast forward two and a half years later, and Brad and I are debt free (except for the house) and we had a fully funded emergency fund of about 4.5-5 months of living expenses. Just in time for the arrival of our daughter...and Murphy (for more about Murphy, click here).

Somehow, we managed to make it through my maternity leave without having to tap into the 911 fund for basic living expenses. Awesome. But then....

On the 9th day of the 2009 St. Louis Heat Wave, our air conditioner decided to stop working. Our house went from general comfort to a sauna in about two hours. Natalie and I packed our bags and quickly fled to Grandma Mary's house for refuge. Brad, bless his heart, stayed behind to take care of business.

(This also marked Natalie's first overnight away from home. She's done wonderfuly sleeping in a different place. I have to say for myself, for packing us both in about 15 minutes, I didn't do too badly from the preparation angle and the stress angle. Big wave in celebration of me!)
So, long story short, we're getting a new AC and heater. We knew when we bought the house we'd have to make this purchase eventually, but we had no idea when. Yes, in a perfect world, we would have had the funds set aside already, but having a baby kind of got in the way of that! :o) But, we had the funds available to us in our 911 fund to pay for the new system without any financing. I know it sounds crazy, but there's really something empowering about being able to do that.

Our next step will be to figure out how quickly we can put our 911 fund back together. It'll probably take some time, but we always do better with a plan - - - and we're both awesome planners.

Thanks Dave, and Thanks Joseph.

Happy Father's Day!

So, I need to add a few more pictures to this, but I thought I would get a few out there.

Natalie's 7th week was a busy one! Monday I had my 6-week post-pardum check up with Dr. K. She said everything is back to normal (or as normal as it will ever be). We chatted a little about Baby Blues, and she insisted that everything I've thought/experience/felt over the last 6 weeks is totally normal and she didn't see a reason for any medication. Hooray! I don't have to see her again until October for my annual visit. Oh the joy.

After that, the three of us stopped by my office to show the baby off. Of course, everyone fell in love with her...how can you not? She slept the whole time. It was also my first experience with feeding her in a parking garage...of course she wasn't hungry at the doc's office in the nice private room with AC...but she was positively "STARVING" 5 minutes later when we arrived at the office park. Go figure :o)

Tuesday was Natalie's 6-week appointment with Dr. T. She's momma's big girl weighing 10 lbs, 14.5 oz - almost three pounds more than her birthweight - and measuring 22.25 inches. Those figures put her in the 70-75th percentile, which is awesome. Her head is 14.5 inches around, which puts her in the 40th percentile. She received her second shot ever, but the first one I had to see. Fortunately, she was sleeping when it was administered. It definitely startled her, but once the nurse got a band-aid on the site and I picked her up, she was back to sleeping. Yea!

Yesterday, of course, was Father's Day. What a different feeling to celebrate Father's Day as a parent. I made Brad blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and we had our parents over for lunch. While the meal was not extravegant (chicken wings, salad, and pizza) but the company was great.

My mother's favorite part of the day (and it was fun for me too, I'll admit) was playing dress-up with Natalie with my baby clothes. We found outfits that I wore on my first Father's Day, Christmas, etc, as well as a couple outfits that still had the original tags! Brad really enjoyed the day, and the Cards swept the Royals. Can't do much better than that!

In other news, Friday night, Natalie slept through the night for the first time. Wow - six hours of straight sleep is really awesome. She's definitely sleeping more at night, which is great for everyone.

Six Weeks Old

Natalie just celebrated six weeks of life. It's amazing how quickly things change with her. We've had so much fun watching her grow and watching her new tricks (as if she were a cocker spaniel?).

Smiles are the most exciting of the development....real smiles too. She's got the most beautiful smile I have ever seen in my entire life.

We're also spending more time on the tummy. She can hold her own pretty well. I'm amazed at how strong her upper body and neck are! She moves her legs like she wants to crawl or scoot - - but I remind her she's still too little to be growing up so fast! She's also hinting that she's trying to turn from her tummy to her back. As soon as the upper body and lower body start working together, we'll have a flapjack on our hands!!!

Other cool things - she's letting us swaddle her now. In the beginning, she wanted her arms flying free and there was little we could do to stop it. Now, we're able to coax her arms down, and she immediately calms herself. The arms don't always stay put, but Brad and I are starting to figure out when she needs the swaddle and when the swaddle is just out of the question.

Same goes for the pacifier. In the beginning, she wanted NOTHING to do with any pacifier - but she was content to use our fingers for the same purpose. Now, she uses the hospital soothie for sucking, but she's not interested enough to hold it in on her own. The hospital soothie is the ONLY one she will take. We're trying not to make it a habit - more of a last resort - but I'm glad only because it will strengthen her sucking muscles.

The bottle is new as well. Last week we started replacing a nursing session with a bottle of expressed milk. Brad has been administering these feedings exclusively (well..>Grandma Mary got one feeding). I was worried she would fight it or have confusion issues, but she proved me wrong! She took right to it and has been going back and forth without any issues whatsoever! She'll even take a bottle from Brad if I'm in the room. I haven't tried giving her a bottle myself, but there's not been a reason to do so.

Nursing is going extremely well. I'm so proud of how she has done with it. I can go back to work knowing that my supply is strong and my daughter is a fantastic eater (like her momma).

We had our first night out as a couple leaving Natalie with Grandma Mary Saturday night. We went out for a meal then to watch Colonel Angus play. I was proud of myself - I only called once on our way home to see if Grandma wanted a snack, and I didn't fret too much about how Natalie was handling the absense of her parents (apparently she didn't care - she slept most of the time!).

I've decided to try and see if I can get some baby weight off. I've been "sorta" doing the Weight Watchers thing for the last two weeks...but I haven't been incredibly faithful to it. This week I'm making a valid attempt, so we'll see how that goes. But the deal I have made with myself is to stick with it unless I see a significant decrease in my milk supply. I spoke with Dr. K about it, and she said as long as I'm not significantly slashing calories and working out 3-5 hours a day every day (as if I had the time to do that!) I shouldn't see a difference in my supply. I'm hoping that's the case. I'm on Day 2 right now, and so far so good!

I will try to be better about updating this blog for the few who read it - I would have thought once Brad's school was done for the summer I would have more time to get online, but that hasn't really proved to be the case.

There just aren't enough words to express how hard Brad and I have fallen in love with this little girl. I'm so excited to share her with the world!!!

Four Weeks Already

I can't believe our little baby girl is already four weeks old!! It feels like we've had her forever - it's hard to remember life before her.

She's just amazing. That's the only word that can describe her...aside from Awesome, Extraordinary, Incredible....I could go on. She's a great sleeper, a great eater, and generally mild mannered. I'm not saying she doesn't have moments where she's fussy and inconsolable (sometimes the 5 S's just don't work...), but for the most part she's a very content baby!

She loves her room - we go in there to rock when she's upset. Her musical aquarium is also one of her favorite things. She's starting to focus on faces and things. I feel like she can recognize Brad and me by our voices and now our faces.

The amount of love we have for her cannot be measured. There are so many special little moments we treasure with her - - I wish we could stop time to savor each moment yet speed up time so we can see what she will become.

Natalie Lucille's Birth Story

Natalie Lucille is here! Brad and I are so proud to announce her birth.

Here's how she made her entrance into this world (warning, labor talk full speed ahead):

We had scheduled an induction for Sunday at 4pm if the baby didn't make her grand entrance into the world. As has been previously stated, Sunday was my birthday. So, Brad and I planned to make Saturday a "special" day for the two of us.

We went out for Chinese food and walked around the mall a bit. While walking, I had a few contrax, but nothing too exciting. We went home and puttered around the house. We had a late dinner. As we were finishing, I felt a small bit of what felt like a little pee escape...like Could it be my water?

So, we got in the car and drove to the hospital. What's the worst that could happen? They send us home? This was 8:30.We got to the hospital and checked in at 9:15. We were triaged and finally around 10:30 the staff confirmed my water was broken, but I was still only 4cm, so I was told to prepare for a long night. If only they knew....

We were taken to a labor room and I decided to jump through the shower. That felt awesome. We also planned to take a walk after the nurse did some basic fetal monitoring. Of course, the baby opted to not cooperate with said monitoring, so our 20-minute monitor turned into 30, into 40-minutes.

Then, out of no where, I started contracting....hard. They were starting within 90 seconds of each other and lasting about a minute. I had no drugs or IV at this point, and was in so so so much pain. Brad was awesome, coaching me through each contraction. I was kind of proud of myself as well for not screaming bloody murder. Around 1, I asked for the epi. And it came. James, the Epi man, and I became BFFs quickly! After that, I felt nothing - I thought the contractions had actually stopped. Nope. They were still going, but I was blissfully unaware! We tried to sleep, but I couldn't stop listening to the beautiful sound of the nurse came in to check me and give me a catheter. I was at 8cm by this point. She said she'd be back in an hour to check me again. Again, I tried to sleep, but sleep never came.

At 3:30, I started to feel pressure and contractions again. Oh no...the epi is wearing off. NURSE!!! The nurse came in, checked me and said "You're not feeling contractions...you're feeling the baby's head. I'm going to call your doctor. You get ready to have a baby."

I started pushing at 3:55 am. My doctor showed up almost right as I started pushing.

At 4:16 am, Natalie Lucille was placed on my belly, crying and being the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. She was 8 lbs on the nose and 20.75 in long. She has a full head of blond hair and clear blue eyes.

She nurses like a champ and knows who her mommy and daddy are. She's very mild mannered and laid back. We could not be more blessed. We brought her home today and can't believe the ride ahead.

The Waiting Game.

Nine days left until our due date. While we took off out of the gate with some serious gusto, progress has slowed down. I saw Dr. K yesterday, and she told me really the only thing that can get labor going at this point are real contractions. She couldn't offer anything more than that. When I see her next Wednesday, we're going to set a date for an induction if Squirt hasn't shown up by then. In the meantime, we sit and wait. I'm trying to walk a little more (still taking the stairs to our second-floor office). But I guess there's not a whole lot I can do.

I had no idea this part would be so hard. The emotions are pretty overwhelming. The constant question of "when." The fear of what will happen when it's time. What will the feeling be like when they hand me this baby? All of these things are so incredibly unknown to me right now. So...there's some anxiety. And eagerness to see and hold our little bundle. It seems so long ago that I saw this little line on a test that told me we are going to be parents. The eagerness is starting to morph into impatience. And of course, the incredible excitement. It's a lot to handle, and my heart is having a hard time finding room to house all of this. But, it's finding a way I suppose.

So, come on out Little Squirt! So many people are excited to meet you!!!!

38 weeks

T-minus two weeks (or so)

We visited with Dr. K yesterday - no progress to report. Things have remained the same as last week. But, she told me that's good because she's going to be out of town this weekend, so she would rather the baby not come until Monday or later! After she told me that, I quickly concurred. She could not offer any more indiciation of an arrival time-frame, so we're basically playing a waiting game right now. Fortunately, the baby is measuring perfectly and has a strong, healthy heartbeat, and my blood pressure is good. So we're still looking forward to a healthy delivery! The only question, of course, is the infamous "when."

In the meantime, my WONDERFUL mother came up on Sunday and did some major cleaning for us. We think we have everything we need (and much much more). All the baby's room is now missing is a baby!

So now we sit. And wait. And see. And pray. Pray for a healthy baby to come soon. It's incredible to me that we have waited SO long to get here...yet the next two weeks seem like an eternity!

37 weeks

We're having a baby this month...Holy Cow!

As of 4/10, Squirt will be full term.

That's just mind blowing to me. How lucky we were to have this journey. I can't help but reflect over the last eight months or so. I've experienced so many things I never thought possible (what's this say about things to come?). We were incredibly lucky to get pregnant right away and have no complications. The only 'scary' thing was my progesterone levels were a little low at the beginning - something easily fixed with a supplement from my OB. Through these months, I have never been happier nor have I been more scared in my entire life. I'm still scared, even as this little person squirms around in my belly (seriously...right now as I write this).

One thing that has made me a little sad of late is that this experience is almost over. Soon, we'll have to share our baby with the world. Not that I'm not excited to show off our baby, I am! But, I am going to miss sharing every minute of every day with this little person whose face I have only seen on an ultrasound. I love the surprise I still get when I feel movement. I have loved this very special experience....even if every minute wasn't sunshine and rainbows.

Squirt is definitely on the way. While I have no approximation of WHEN this little person will make his/her appearance, I have it on authority that the baby will most likely be born before the due date. Things are looking good, so hopefully we'll be able to avoid induction and c-sections (although if that's what it takes to get the baby here safely, I'll not question it).

So please, continued prayers that the last few days and weeks go smoothly. God has blessed us thousands of times already, and we just pray for His continued blessings.

On a different note - thank you to those of you who planned and/or attended baby showers. We are so lucky to have you all in our lives, and your support and generocity has meant the world to us.

36 weeks

Squirt's Room

Check out the pictures of Squirt's room and the fun stuff inside!!!!

The Home Stretch?

Five weeks.

Five weeks left until this baby is due to be born.

Oh. My. God.

How did we get here? I can't believe this amazing journey is almost over (but what a fantasic destination!).

Things are going relatively smoothly. The room is about finished, and we're starting to stock it with the wonderful goodies we're slowly acquiring. It's starting to look like a baby is coming to live in our house!

I feel pretty good aside from being tired. All. The. Time. And the need to make sure the house is and remains clean clean clean. The doctor seems pleased with how things have progressed. Starting at my next appointment, she'll start evaluating "things" to see if and how my body is getting ready to deliver this little one.

The baby is doing great too - about 18 inches and 5 pounds. The baby will gain about a half pound a week between now and birth. The kicks have now morphed into rolling and tumbling. The doctor seemed to think at my last appointment that the baby is head down. Hopefully Squirt is cooperating and staying there.

One of my favorite things right now are the hiccups. Well...Squirt's hiccups, not mine. It's the coolest feeling, and I get to feel them two times a day or so. I love love love it and will definitely miss it.

The other fun thing is watching other people get excited. I was on the phone with my mom the other night and as we were saying our good byes, she stopped and said, "I'm so excited it's so close!!" It's so fun. It's also fun to watch our house turn into a house that will have a baby in it! We've so far had two lovely showers, and we have two more to go.

Five weeks left - or so.....

35 Weeks!

Do you not LOVE this shirt?

Less than Two Months!!!

We passed the two month mark! This baby is officially due in less than 2 months! I can't believe it!

We started our childbirth classes - we're one of 8 couples in the class, and we're all due around the same time. I think the information has been pretty useful so far, especially for Brad. I think learning what his role will be in the whole L&D process has been good. Last night we toured the floor where all the magic will happen (please note: I am a first time mom, so of course I still think L&D is "magic."). The rooms are nice, and we really like that the nursery isn't too far from any of the rooms. I don't know what my plans are for sending the baby to the nursery yet...but it's nice to know that if we decide to do that, the baby isn't too far away.

The baby's room is coming along nicely. Grandma Sharon is going to sew a valance for the window, and besides that, all we really need to do is decorate the room. I've washed the baby's clothes, blankets, and towels and found homes for them. I have a few other "nesting" things I want/need to do before baby's arrival, but the list is getting shorter, which is a good thing!

A bit about the baby....16 inches and about 3.5 pounds! The movements are definitely more pronounced and more VISIBLE! I've only woken up once because of the baby's movements...and it doesn't bother me (see above comment referring to first time mom and magic).

31 weeks

Three-Quarters Baked

30 weeks! We made it this far! We're in the home stretch now! Exciting times!

The baby furniture is completely assembled. Final resting places have not yet been established, but at least everything is together now.

Now the fun can begin! March and the first part of April are going to be busy - but that will only make the time fly faster. We're looking forward to visiting with family and hanging out with friends.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my crowd from college. We are getting together in March to celebrate this little one (of course, I think my friends are more celebrating that it's not them...but who knows!) . We haven't all been in the same room since the most recent wedding, which was I believe three and a half years ago! I'm looking forward to seeing my friends who now hail from Chicago, Indiana, Minnesota, and of course, Kansas City (and the two of us who still live here!!).

Of course, I'm looking forward to the shower my family is throwing, as well as the one my friends are throwing (lots of get-togethers!). There's a twinge of awkwardness only because I feel weird about people giving us "stuff" for the baby...but I am so appreciative of the sentiments!

I have decided to ground myself after Easter. The baby can technically come anytime after that and be considered full-term. So my radius will be reduced to at most, South County. After that, we decided not to put anything definitive on the calendar until at least the beginning to middle of June. We just don't know what it will be like adjusting to life with a newborn!! It's exciting to think about though!

A bit about little Squirt: Squirt should be measuring between 15 and 16 inches and weighing in at 3 pounds (think a head of cabbage or so). Eyesight continues to develop , and the quarters continue to shrink as Squirt grows. So the "baby condo" is turning more into a "baby closet."

Personality-wise, we think we have a little stinker on our hands. Occasionally, I'll get a sharp and unexpected jab in the side. I end up laughing. Lots of rocking and rolling going on in there. It makes me wonder what the little bean is thinking or doing. Some days are quieter, and we're most active in the evenings. At our last doctor's visit, Squirt's heartbeat was in the 140s and everything is measuring right on schedule!!

30 weeks

-

Our Baby Is a BullDog!!!

Or one in the making....

One of my coworkers picked this up for me yesterday when she was in Kirksville. She also brought us ronzas.

Ah, the 'ville....

Around the world in 80 days...

80 days left until the big due date! The past couple of weeks have been action-packed!

Things that have happened:

• We found a sitter, and we adore her!
• Brad & my mom painted the baby's room! Last night we put the shelves back in the closet. Sounds trivial, but what a pain.
• We ordered the furniture (which has now arrived - we just have to pick it up)!
• Shower dates have been set!
• I've started actively planning for my maternity leave from work.

I still have quite a list of things that need to be done, but I feel like we're really starting to make progress now. Sometimes I still can't believe that in about three months, we're going to have a little baby. It's so much fun to think about what that's going to be like....but freakishly scary at the same time. Being the planner I am, I keep trying to prescribe how things are going to be, but in reality, I know it's going to be more "go with the flow" at first anyway. And that's not terribly bad. Right now, I'm looking forward to just hanging out at home and getting to know this little one, without any obligation of having to be anywhere or do anything. I made the comment to Brad the other night that I don't know how I'll manage to ever get anything done because I'll be so mezmerized by this tiny little person.

It's so fun to feel this little Squirt squirm around. Sometimes I swear the movements are so strong that anyone can see them. I was in a meeting yesterday, and I was a little worried that everyone would be gawking at my very mobile baby bump. It's really just insane to feel something both from the outside and the inside AND to have a visual aid.

We're now seeing the doctor every two weeks, as opposed to every four weeks. Nothing is really changing during these appointments (I don't think...), we're just going more often. Then in April, we'll see Dr. K every week to see how close we are to meeting Squirt.

Speaking of Squirt - Squirt is now about 2.5 pounds and 15 inches long. There are eyelashes, and Squirt's eyes open and blink (not like there's a lot to see in there).

28 weeks

The second trimester nears its end...

Holy cow...according to my countdown, there are 95 days left until my due date! That's insane!

My paranoid mind drove me to call the doctor last week - I just didn't feel like the baby was moving as much or as strongly as before. Thankfully, I was able to run in before work on Wednesday for a quick heartbeat check.

Or so I thought...

I was surprised with an ultrasound! I was able to see the baby's heart beat, full bladder, and stretching. Also, I was able to see the baby's face...which is slightly alien in nature, but I know it's really perfect.

Speaking of Alien, occasionally the baby will kick and prod me hard enough that we can see the bumps from the outside. It was a little weird at first, but now it makes me laugh. I think it freaks Brad out a little bit.

So we're closing in on Trimester two. Trimester three starts soon. I can't believe it. I also can't believe some of the things people say.

Some examples:

1) Wow, you have really put on weight.

2) You get bigger every time I see you.

3) You're going to get SO much bigger! Just wait!

4) Exactly HOW much have you gained?

Also, I've heard more horror stories from complete strangers than I ever wanted to. The best was recently at a local restaurant, the hostess told me all about how her baby was born without an abdominal wall and had three surgeries almost right away.

Why is this encouraging people??????

And, just for the record, I'm adorable. See??

_____

On a separate note, my friend Kate recently "tagged" me to post the fourth picture from the fourth folder where my pictures are stored. Sadly, it's not that exciting...it's a photo of our neighbor "supervising" the day we ripped out the shrubs in front of our house. (I'm supposed to "tag" four more people...but I really don't even know who reads this besides Cayce and Jenn P. So....you two get to do the same thing because...well....I said!)

2009 is Here!

It seems like since the clock struck midnight at the beginning of the new year, things have not stopped moving. I spent a week in Arizona with the Institute for Organization Managmenet, which proved to be as much fun (and of course, as beneficial) as I had anticipated. The only downside was the lack of rest - this was NO vacation.

Work has also proved to be especially busy for both of us as we settle into 2009. Frequently, we both come home and the answer to the "how was your day" question is always, "I was so busy, but I didn't get anything done!!"

A few status updates:

The baby's room is ALMOST cleaned out. This has been an interesting project - boxes and boxes of books have been packed (a few are waiting in the wings) and moved to the basement. My personal goal is to have this done by the end of the week. From there, painting will ensue! I really like the color we've picked out - it's called Spring Morn (a beautiful light green). There's also furniture that needs to be ordered, but we're holding off on that for a couple more weeks.

The basement office is coming along nicely. Brad has become quite the master of dry wall mud, and informed me today that he sanded the walls down! There is still quite a bit of work to do, but he's making progress. Unfortunately, I'm very little help here.

We registered! What an experience that was. We started three registries: Target, WalMart, and Babies R Us. I am looking at them as more of a checklist of things I need to make sure we have before this little one shows up. It's incredible, though, some of the things "they" tell mothers they "need" or else. Yes, we probably signed up for a few of those goofy things, but I'm sure there was a valid reason!!!

It's so hard to believe we have about 14 weeks left of this little adventure....102 days until my due date. Squirt has very active days and lazy days. Brad's been able to feel movement a little more since I've been back from Arizona, which has been a really neat experience for both of us.

At my last doctor's appointment, Dr. K was listening for the heartbeat with the doppler. Squirt was having an "active" day, and I could feel and HEAR a little kick on the doppler. We both shared a little giggle on that.

Squirt is weighing in around a pound and a half and measuring about a foot long (head to toe). The baby has hair (presumably) and is starting to put on a little baby fat.