2 Months Old

Macyn is now 2 months old (or 9 weeks)! Hard to believe how fast time has gone by. As you can see, she is starting to smile more! We had our 2 month checkup and shots on Monday. All I can say is, no parent should be required to hold down their baby so they can administer shots. I don't understand why they made me do that when they have capable nurses to hold them down....anyways, she weighs 10lbs 6 oz, so a whole pound more than last month. I think the nurse doesn't know how to measure her length because when she was born, she was 22" and her 2 week checkup was 21.5" and now at 2 months its 22.5" ....whatever, we will just go with that! Had to have her bilirubin levels checked again. 2 weeks ago we checked it and it went up which isn't good since its supposed to go down. My doctor talked to a Gastro Neurologist and he didn't seem concerened, but just for peace of mind, and my doctor's recommendations, we checked it again on Monday. It did go down about 2 points but still elevated. She said its called Breastmilk Jaundice, which is jaundice that happens in breastfed babies, causing it to remain elevated for a longer period of time. She has only had about 20-30 patients have this kind of jaundice before, so we are just one of the (un)lucky ones. On the good side, there are no long term effects of having it be elevated at the levels they are at now.Other things that have been going on....Macyn is starting to hold her head better as you can see! She also laughs more and really likes her Minnesota Vikings mobile. That always makes her laugh! She also likes to smile at her Daddy all the time, which makes me kinda jealous :) oh well! Everyone says she looks like her daddy, I would have to agree. But I think she has my face shape! Only time will tell....

Photography Refresher

While in college, I took a digital photography class which consisted of editing your own photos, manually exposing them, and taking 100 pictures per week. I hadn't really taken any pictures nor edited them since I started my full time job about 3.5 years ago. Maternity leave is the perfect time for myself to refresh my memory and see if I can still pull off some good shots, and be able to retouch them. We bought a new digital camera before Macyn was born, a Canon SX200IS. So, I decided to try and take some pictures of her (and make them look good instead of just "snap shots") So I set up the scene: our Christmas tree, presents, and a poinsettia. I was planning on different outfits for her - a diaper with a bow on her head, a diaper with a Santa hat, her Christmas dress, and her Baby's First Christmas onesie. Needless to say, we only got to do the diaper and Christmas dress shots. However, I think I got some good ones! My Photoshop CS4 trial expired so I didn't get a chance to retouch any of these, except the on that says "Christmas 2009" I don't think they turned out too shabby for having myself manually expose every single one of them (the auto feature just wasn't doing the trick). I think the key is making sure you have enough light...but anyways, here are some pictures! Hopefully I can make time in the future to take her 3 month, 6 month, etc. pictures too....but here are some of the pictures. You can find the rest on my facebook!

'Twas the Night Before Baptism....

and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even,...oh wait, Macyn sure was! We had bapstism this past Sunday, and on the baptism eve, Macyn decided to not go to bed until 1:00 in the morning...and then decided to be up at 5:00. What a night/morning! But anyways, we did indeed have baptism and it went really well....she slept the whole service (wonder why) and most of the day, so she was pretty easy to take care of. We had lunch and cake at our house afterwords with some relatives so it was nice to see all of them and overall had a great time with no big fiascos! We also became members of First Reformed on Sunday, so we had that, and then shortly after Macyn was baptised. My father in law did the baptism, and the words he spoke could have gotten me teary-eyed. (My mom and aunt both cried) He took Macyn into his arms and talked to her saying "I love you" and some other well wishes. We chose a verse for Macyn and my FIL memorized it and told it to Macyn:

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:1b-3a)

My DH and I really liked that verse, it shows God's plan for her (...called her by name, you are mine) and explained that he will always be with her no matter what, and tells her that he is the Lord.

After the service we were welcomed to the congregation by mobs of people, which was really nice. My mom is from town here, so she knew alot of people in the church and had to explain how she was related, same with Josh's parents. All I know is there is going to be ALOT of Dutch Bingo going on!

.......but anyways, it was a great day, and here are some more pictures from Baptism.

Laundry......Loads of Fun!

....Macyn sure thinks so!

One Month Old

That's right! Macyn is 1 month old today! Its amazing how fast it goes, but yet while being pregnant every 4 weeks seemed like F-O-R-E-V-E-R! But our little ones grow up so fast, so here are some updates. She officially weighs 9lbs 2 oz fully clothed which puts her into the 50th percentile for her weight. Not sure of what her length is, but its in the 85th percentile. She has been starting to fill out some clothes, especially the length! We have some sleepers she is too long for, but are baggy everywhere else. So its kind of hard to find a happy medium between length and weight :)

She also likes to lay on her mat and watch her toys, and be in her swing. She likes to make baby noises when she is happy and starting to smile a little bit more. She has also been sleeping better at night (knock on wood). A few nights the past week she has been sleeping for 5-6 hours at a time. She usually goes to bed around 10:30, gets up around 4:30 and sleeps again until 7:30....this isn't the case, however, when she is on a growth spurt. She is up like clockwork every 3 hours when that happens!

On the medical side, she still is a little Jaundiced but her bilirubin level continues to go down. However, she has an elevated liver enzyme that unexpectedly jumped a little higher this past week which means her liver isn't functioning quite 100% yet. Hopefully when I bring her to the lab to do yet more bloodwork next week it will be back to normal. If not, we have to get another doctor involved. Our doctor thinks she is low risk which makes us feel a little better.

So thats pretty much our life in a nutshell. Can't wait to see what month 2 brings....but they just grow up so fast! I'm trying to enjoy our nightime feedings and cuddle sessions as much as possible.

Bathtime Fun!

Macyn got the Dr's OK to take a tub bath, so last night she got her first one. She was a little fussy before the bath, but once we put her into her tub she loved it! No crying, even when we put water on her head to wash her hair! She seemed to like the bath alot, even splashing the water with her arms (even if it was an accident)! We finished off the bath by wrapping her up in her hooded ducky towel.

Family Photos

We took our first family photos the other night and we think they turned out great! We dressed Macyn in her Christmas dress and then with just a santa hat. Once we pick out the ones we like, they will be incorporated into a Christmas card which will be sent out shortly after Thanksgiving. Macyn did a good job during the photos - never cried once! Here are some of our favorites. If you would like to see all of our proofs, just ask me for the website and password. Enjoy!

Deep in Thought, or Deep in Sleep?

2 Weeks Old

Macyn is officially 2 weeks old already! She has made some progress in the weight department. She was all the way down to 6 lbs 8 oz in the hospital, (birth weight - 7lbs 5 oz) but gained 2 oz in the hospital, was 6 lbs 14 oz at the appointment last week, and is oficially 7 lbs 6 oz today! She is back up to her birth weight which is great....it puts her into the 50th percentile for weight and her length (22") is in the 75th percentile... She is still jaundiced as we are continuing to monitor that and get it checked weekly. We had to feed her every 2 hours for a while to try and get her bilirubin levels better.

She also smiles here and there - but I never have the camera out to catch one! She also likes to lift her head and roll onto her side. She makes little noises when shes content and its so cute! She is sleeping well during the night (knock on wood)...usually goes to bed around 10-11ish, up at 3:30, 6-7, and then sleeps until about 9. Not too bad. She usually only nurses for about 15 mins during the night. She also has her crabby days and cluster feedings. She thinks shes starving and likes to eat sometimes ever hour. She has peed through a few clothes, and pooped through some yesterday. I knew that time would come but I didnt know so soon!

As for me, I am doing better. The incision is still sore but the surgeon and Dr. says it "looks good" ..........not sure how a big cut with random staple holes around it looks good, but I will take their word for it. I have been off pain meds for 2 days now - I can't drive when I am on them...so that means when I'm on my own, I don't have a driver. So I am sucking up to the pain!

I have actually lost quite a bit of weight already. According to my scale at home I have lost about 28 lbs. I only gained 30 so you do the math! But my body is definitely not the same proportions it used to be! I am sure it will take some time to get back to normal. I blame the weight loss on forgetting to eat, and my stomach shrinking. I also had to be on a clear liquid diet for 3 days in hospital, and then a toast and cracker diet for the next day..I am also recovering from surgery so not sure if that is a factor either...I get very tired quickly doing simple tasks. I just can't wait to be pain-free again and feel 100%! But nonetheless, we love our little girl, and she is totally worth it!

Have a little "Faith"

Little did we know, that I would never get to the final 10-day countdown. Macyn Faith was born at 38 weeks and 3 days. Technically, I should still be pregnant for another week or so. Crazy to think about, but we feel so blessed to have her with us! So how did everything go down? Let's start with that....

This is the last picture I have of being pregnant - 38 weeks exactly. Little did I know our little bundle of joy would be here 3 days later.

It all started with a normal appointment on Tuesday, October 13 at 11:00 AM. They did the usual stuff, and my BP had gone up. The doctor had decided to check me and I was already 3 cm and 100% effaced. Since the BP had stayed high, they decided to sent to to the hospital for a non-stress-test. During the NST, they put this thing on your tummy to listen to the baby's heartbeat, and another to measure contractions. Once you feel the baby move, you click a button and they look to make sure the baby's heartrate goes up when she moves. In the meantime, they came in to check my BP every 1/2 hour for about 3 hours. The baby looked great, and it appeared my BP was starting to go back down....until the last few times it was checked, it started to spike. I had visited with my Dr. during this time, and she discussed options such as bedrest and deliver in a week, but she was confident that being dialated that far, it would be best for my health and the baby's to just go ahead and deliver me.

So.....they decided to admit me at around 4:00 PM. I was a little overwhelmed with everything happening so fast - I wasn't even able to finish packing or install the carseat! So they starting me on an IV drip of Magnesium Sulfate for 3 hours before they would start Pitocin at around 8:00 PM. Once they started the Pit, I didn't really start having contractions at all. I was up alot of the night, just listening to our little girl's heartbeat (it is continually monitored) and they would continue to check my BP every 1/2 hour, along with checking my reflexes and temp. I also had to have a catheter since I wasnt allowed to get out of bed...at all until she was born.


So the next morning, they decided to get my contractions going by breaking my water at 10:30. This definitely started my contractions, and continued to get stronger throughout the day. I am not sure what time they started getting closer and closer together, but I knew I had to be atleast a 6-7 to get an epidural. They decided to check me because the contractions starting coming long and hard. I was only to a 5. But they decided to give me the epi anyways since I was bed-ridden, they thought that was part of the reason I wasn't getting dialated since I was never relaxed, couldnt walk around, use a birth ball, etc.

So here I am with the anesthesiologist giving me the epidural. By this time the contractions are extremely long and hard, close together. The contractions were strong at the point that the nurses and dr. thought she could possibly be delivered within the next 1/2 hour. So when I actually got the epi, my right side never got numb. Left side - good. Right side - not so much. They pumped more numbing agent into my epi to try and get my right side going - the drip was equvalent to 10x an epidural. Well my right side was numb, but I never got numb right where it counts. Still felt every contraction, never had complete relief.

After that, they decided to check me again, and never progressed any further. Macyn's head was lodged in my pelvis, face up, and they were pretty sure she would never make it through. They Dr. then decided it would be best to go ahead and give me a c-section. As they were prepping me, I threw up and got sick - I think it was just from all the emotions. So DH had to go an put on his scrubs (I told me he looked like my Mc Dreamy and the surgical team thought that was funny).....and then they started the c-section. Since I wasn't completely numb, the procedure felt like an extremely hard contraction which I had to breath through while laying on the table. A little while later, at 6:00 on Wednesday, Macyn was here, and I got to see her for the first time.We decided on the name Macyn Faith. She never had a middle name until I recieved my epi that didnt work, and we knew that Faith in itself would get up through this. There were so many prayers from Josh, myself, and whoever else was praying for us, and I think thats what kept us strong through this whole ordeal.

Just knowing us giving birth to healthy baby girl - 7lbs 5oz 22 inches long made it all worth it. She is a blessing and we love her alot. She has jaundice but thankfully yesterday the levels went back down to a somewhat better level. She still eats to eat alot to get over that. She also lost alot of weight in the hospital and as of this morning she was up to 6lbs 14oz so that is good too. Everything is looking up for us, and I am enjoying mommyhood as much as possible....now tomorrow I have to get 17 staples out of my 10 inch incision...lets hope that goes well and relieves some of the pain!

The Final Countdown!

Well, its been a while since I last posted, and I am to the point in my pregnancy where if I go into labor there isn't any stopping me! An exciting time with lots of anxiety. I have calmed myself down a little bit by just trying to take it easy. Mostly everything is put together and away, and I have begun to freeze meals. I am ready for this baby. ....except my bag isnt packed yet and the car seats aren't installed. We only have 1 baby class left, so I am finally starting to feel "ready."

But as I am ready for the baby to come, I like to reflect on those little milestones of pregnancy. Such as the first time we heard the heartbeat at 11 weeks. The first time we saw our baby in an ultrasound at 15 weeks and second time at 22. The first time I felt the baby move at around 18 weeks. Other milestones? Becoming extremely uncomfortable. Hard to sleep, bathroom breaks, heartburn, achiness, backaches, etc.

But during these last few weeks, I am trying to enjoy the baby movements, even though they sometimes hurt! I mean really, I have gone for about 20 weeks feeling the baby move everyday. In a few short weeks that will be gone when I can finally hold our little one. So as ready as I am, and tired of all the aches and pains, I am enjoying these last few weeks and feeling the baby move. Its going to be strange not having baby movements after feeling them for about 5 months straight! ...but I am more excited than ever to finally meet this little one! Hi baby! See you soon!

Too Hot to Handle

So today I was really hungry for some chicken nachos. I made some chicken fajita meat with peppers and onions, put that on top of some tortilla chips with cheese on top, and chopped some jalepenos and the baked everything to get it nice a hot and scrumptious! They were very good and definitely hit the spot. Until a few hours later my hands started tingling/burning. I know sometimes when you're preggo, your hands can tingle anyways, so I attributed it to that. My hands have been starting to throb and tingle, so I just figured it was worse today. So as I used google to figure out a "cure" and guess what I found instead? Burning hands from chopping jalepenos! That is definitely what happened. I guess the juices get on your hands and boy do they BURN! I also had some burning sensations in my nose because I itched it.

So in hindsight, I guess you are supposed to wear gloves. It would defnitely be worth it because this burning sensation is TOO HOT TO HANDLE! and hopefully it goes away SOON!

Garage Sales Days 2,3,4

On Garage sale day 2, I found a few more crib sheets for 50 cents a piece, some hats, clothes, sleepers, onesies, and a few sleep sacks. They were all pretty cheap. I even found a brand new 2 pack of fleece sleepers! I bought a couple of books that I should really start to read up on. I had a list of about 15 garage sales I wanted to go to that day, but I was 1) extremely hot and 2) exhausted........ so I went to about 8.

On garage sale day 3, it was kinda rainy, and I guess that means some places should be closed! URG! I did find one sale that had good priced items - every item was $1!! I found some jeans, sleepers, sweaters, etc. Pretty good find on that one. DH went with me for a while, but we never found anymore. After going to all these sales, a person really gets tired of digging through everything.

Day 4 was a total flop. First off, I had about 8 I wanted to go to, and half of them weren't even open. And the ones that were open, the prices were too high. I refuse to pay more than $2 for a sleeper and some were going for between $3-$4.. so I came back home and did laundry and worked on the nursery a little bit. I decided that the nursery would look best with another painting, so I painted the purple hippo. I also painted letters to put on the shelf above the changing table, and DH and I got them all hung. It feels good to have things almost in place. I need to still pick up a few more baby things, and wash all the items I found at the garage sales.
Last weekend DH and myself put up some wood blinds and the curtains we received at the baby shower a few weeks ago. It really finished off the nursery.
And since we are talking about our LO, in honor of the Vikings winning their first game today, here is my bump in DH's Vikings jersey! Only 6 more weeks! We can do it!!!

Garage Sales - Day 1

City wide rummages started today......and I have my list planned out according to what time garage sales close, and the most fuel efficient route. I am mostly looking for clothes, but I surprisingly found some things that I haven't bought yet....... the best things I found today? A boppy pillow for $3 and Playtex Vent-Air bottles - 4-6 oz bottles and 5-10 oz bottles for a grand total of $5.75. I also bought an extra crib sheet for 25 cents, a 2-pack of hats for 25 cents, and a baby sweater for $2. I hope I can find some clothes tomorrow and possibly some more crib sheets, and anything else I can find thats "too cute" to pass up.

How could I forget? Our 2 older neighbor ladies were having garage sales at their condos. Josh found a brand new tape measure for $2 and I got a loaf of home-made banana bread for $1. Can't pass up baked goods! We also went to a different garage sale not on the map, and the first thing the older lady said was "You go to our church!" Totally random, because I sure didn't recognize them! But none the less, atleast we know another couple from our church now, even if they are in their 70's.

Home Improvements

Yesterday was a fun-filled day of working around the house (with my mom and dad's help) and doing minor updates on things that have needed to be done for quite a while. The first update? Buddy's haircut. He gets his hair cut every 10 weeks, and he was starting to look like quite the shaggy dog. He looks completely different all shaved down, but it grows on you, and he doesnt pant as much! I included a "blooper" shot of Buddy too, silly dog! He was a very upset yesterday, and pretty much whined and barked for the 1st half of the day.....can you say attention whore?! I think it was because no one sat down on the couch for him to chew on his bone. True story.

Outside Improvements

On the left we have the front screen door knob. You see, it was broken off last winter. My sister came over and the door was frozen shut, so naturally she tried to pull the door open and brooke off the door handle. It was pretty funny, but not so attractive for our house. We finally got a new one put on, and now the door locks too!
On the right we have a massive nail. Our gutters are falling off our house. Everytime it rained, they were so clogged that even the lightest rain shower would overflow our gutters. We have already re-attached the ones on the back of the house, and yesterday when DH was mowing, this nail fell out of the gutters right past his head. Yup. Definitely time to be re-attached.

Inside Improvements

On the left we finally put up our new track lighting in the basement, which we bought from IKEA all the way back in May. We put up 2 sets and it looks alot better. We need to angle the lights in the right direction, but other than that, it really finishes off our basement.
On the top right, we have our ever-wonderful toilet handle flusher thingy. Ever since we have bought our house, this toilet handle has always acted funny. Sometimes flushing on the first try, and sometimes on the second or third. In the 2 years we have been here, it has progressively gotten worse. Just the other day it took me 18 tries to get the toilet to flush! We figured out the inside mechanism slips which causes the toilet not to flush. My dad rigged it up so that a wire attaches to the flusher thing, thus flushing the FIRST TRY every time! It's amazing! I didn't know what we were missing!

On the bottom right, this is our only screened-in window in our bedroom's window crank. The windows in our house need to be replaced someday, so they aren't the greatest things in the world, but this window always gets stuck. Especially when its humid and warm out, its almost impossible to shut because it warps so much. So to get the window shut, we have to crank it hard! Well apparantly DH cranked it a little too hard a couple weeks ago and SNAP! It broke off. So we are excited to have a new crank that actually works!

Nursery Improvements

On the left, we have our changing table cover. We also bought the changing table pad at IKEA, but it never quite fit into the changing table. Since changing table covers are hard to find anyways, I went and bought some $3/yard fabric and my mom made a custom one. It is white with dots and I think it turned out great and matches the nursery! Its a little big, but I figured once I wash it, it will shrink a little bit (its flannel).
In the center, we have the trim where the ceiling and walls meet. There wasn't any trim before, so we thought it would look nice to finish it off. My dad wasn't too thrilled about putting it up, but even he agreed it looked better.
On the right we have the shelf that DH bought at a garage sale about 1.5 years ago. He bought 2 of them and we painted one green that has been in our bedroom for about a year. I just painted this longer 2nd one for the nursery. I think it will work great to either display the paintings, or to put blocks that spell out the baby's name.

Thats about all the improvements we did so far, and it feels great to cross a few things off my list. We still have a few more things to do, but it will be done eventually...we only have 9 more weeks!

Baby "bumps"

So it has finally happened....no, not my baby bump, but actually a baby bump. DH and I were getting groceries at Fareway this past weekend, and lo and behold. I bumped my belly. The grocery cart was apparantly too close, and totally smoked my belly into the cart...which pushed it back a few feet. I couldn't stop laughing and neither could my hubby..poor bun!

I also had another baby bump while on vacation...my sister accidentally ran into it. Pretty good times. Another bump in the road is trying to put on running shoes and tie them....its also difficult to shave your legs. Pretty much anything that requires bending over, including putting on my pants every morning, is getting more difficult day after day.

Another bump in the road....BABY NAMES! No, our bun in the oven doesn't have a name yet. We better start kicking it into gear, because our baby will be here in no time! DH and I have a combined baby name list started, and sorted them out in numerical order to our top names and bottom names. Good idea right? Well it would be if we could agree. My top names are his bottom names and vice versa. It is hard to find just the right name. We want something unique, but not so weird, but not so common.....which makes it even harder. Things to consider? The baby's initials, to make sure they don't spell something funny or bad. Also, the business card test. Can you picture the name on a business card, or be a lawyer in court and still be taken seriously? So after being stumped with our baby name list, we went to look at some cradle roles for some ideas, and we have come to a conclusion...

No matter what name we choose, it won't be as unique as some of the names we found. How about StormieSkie? Whatt? Barnabas? ......atleast that gives us a little hope, that no matter what we pick, we know it will be better than some of those!

...speaking of bumps...thought I would share my 30-week picture....I think I have "popped!"

John 9:1-3

One thing I have noticed, ever since we found out I was pregnant, is no matter how far along I am, I would always have some kinds of worries. First, once I made it to past the 1st trimester and heard the heartbeat I was excited and grateful. But the worries don't stop there. In the 2nd trimester I was always wondering if our baby is okay since the baby's kicks weren't consistent. I would look forward to every appointment to just hear the quick little heartbeat. All screenings came back negative, and our baby is growing the way it should.

Now today, I am officially 3 months away from our due date and in the 3rd trimester. Right now our baby has an 85% chance of survival if it were to be born today. You would think I wouldn't worry? Wrong. I find that as the baby gets closer the more anxious I get, and excited I feel. I will be starting my 2 week appointments now, so I get to hear the little one's heartbeat more often!

I think it is only the motherly instinct to worry, considering I hear/read horror stories of children who didn't make it or a baby that quit developing, etc. I don't always feel the consistent kicks which makes me worry. This past week I failed a screening and have to take a new test on Thursday. My blood pressure went up a little so we have to keep an eye on that. It has been a little bit of a rough week. I try not to worry, and I don't worry 24/7 ...But honestly, I find alot of peace knowing that God has a plan, and its in his hands. Josh and I both pray for our child every night.

...so where does John 9 come in?

The past couple of weeks at church, our preacher had begun talking about John 9, and the blind man who was healed. (If you want to hear the sermons go to First Reformed Church Sioux Center . The sermons are called "I was blind but now I see" and "Look before you label")

The first 3 verses of that chapter have really made sense in my life right now. It states:

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

It makes me realize that God has a purpose for me, our child, and whatever happens. Why should I worry when I know its up to God? It is reasurring that, if anything were to go wrong, it wasn't because I sinned, or deserved it. ...God is just working in our life and our baby's life.

So really, I ask myself, why worry? God has a plan for us. God has a plan for our child. It is in his hands, and I 100% believe that.

....and a little kick just now lets me know everything is okay :)

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Four Years Old

That's right...as of July 1 I am the big 2-4...which is actually pretty old considering its almost 25 which is almost 30 which is half way to 60....time sure does fly! I recieved some gifts for my birthday. I got the typical $20 from my grandparents, a maternity shirt and hooded towel from my mom & dad, some flower's from Josh's parents, and an UGLY DOLL from Brooke. What exactly is an Ugly Doll? Well, its pretty much explanitory...and ugly doll that is so ugly its cute...you be the judge. They are pretty entertaining with unique names like Big Toe, Wedge-head, Ice Bat, etc. Brooke got me Ox. Hes pretty cute for being an Ugly Doll!...and I love him, and im sure bun will too!

Twenty-Four Weeks
Yup...24 weeks preggo. I found my week 12 picture and took my week 24 one on Monday...and needless to say, I think my abdomen has gotten just a smidge bigger! All I know is I liked my hair 100 times more than I do now, and my face was a little thinner :) ...and pardon me for looking like a mess!Twenty-Four Trips to the Bathroom
Just kidding...but it sure feels like that! Usually atleast 3 times per night, if not more!

48 divided by 2 = 24
We decided to paint the nursery this weekend since I had 4 days off and it needed to be done....so my dad, older sister, Josh, and myself went at painting the nursery...with 48 "dots" It actually went by pretty quickly and it was fun to hang out with my sister as I don't see her that often. We still need to finish putting up molding and the artwork (which my sister and I painted)...but its a great start and nice to have that scratched off the list of things "to-do" ....my dad thought he would be clever and write "Bun's Room" in the process...so here are the pictures!

24 hours until the weekend
...thank goodness!

Lost: My Mind

If anyone finds it, let me know. Either that or I will have to wait until after October, and who knows when it will come back. It all started a while ago, while at work. I would casually jot down some grocery store items, only to get to the grocery after work and frantically look for my list in all my pockets, purse, and checking the car.....only to find it the next morning on my desk.

This has happened more than once....my mind seems to be getting more lost as time progresses.

On Tuesday I decided to go put some gas in the car, since it was getting pretty low. I got myself organized before I went so I wouldn't have to search for my debit card at the pay at the pump. So before I took off for lunch, I got my card out and keys ready to go so I can quick pull up to get gas and go back to lunch. So I get to pump #1 at Caseys, and lo and behold, the debit card is nowhere to be found. I had to resort to the "pay inside" feature and write a check. Once again, only to go back up to my desk and find it laying right there.

Wednesday was a pretty good day....besides the fact I was searching the house high and low for our umbrella. I quit looking after searching high and low in a number of places. I gave up and left without it. I got home and found it back. Only to find it where? On my dresser in my bedroom where I had grabbed the pants I wore to my sister's game. I just tell myself "It must have been underneath something, right?!"

So today was a great day! I didnt forget anything...until I got home from work. My DH decided he was going to grill brats for supper - YUM! So we made a cute little family trip to the grocery store to pick up some items. We were almost ready to check out and I then decided "Hey, I should get some dip for my chips" so I quick run and go grab 3 different kinds because I just couldn't decide which ones to get - and they were on sale! So we get home and pull into the garage and it dawns on me - we didn't get brat buns for our brats! So I decided I hate eating brats on bread, so I head down to the store to pick some up. I quick run in, get the buns, and come home. Only to realize I got hogie buns instead of brat buns....SERIOUSLY?! I mean it wasn't the end of the world, but it was just one of those moments. I quickly forgot about the bun fiasco, and thought, "Hey, I will try out those dips with my chips." So I grab the dips and look for my chips.....oh wait, I didn't buy chips. I bought cheeseballs!!! I still don't understand what or what I wasn't thinking. I didn't even buy chips..but cheeseballs! As you can tell I am still in disbelief. What kind of craving ends in forgetting the other 1/2 of your craving? Mine does! We were lucky enough to have some leftover tortilla chips in the cupboard that I could try my dips out. So at least I got to try those.

Sigh. What a forgetful week...and its not even over yet! I will spare you the story when I was in Walmart and was carrying around paint rollers and was convinced I had laid them down and walked away...only for my DH to point out they were still in my hand. ...I guess I didn't spare you that story since I just just told you.... *big sigh*

So mind, if you are reading this, please come back!

Half Way There!

As most of you may know, we are currently expecting our first child with an approximate due date of October 25, 2009. Today we are officially 20 weeks aka - half way done! We are excited about the new baby. We had an ultrasound at 15 weeks to make sure our dates were correct, and we get another (and final) one in about 2 weeks. I will be 21w4d with that one. In this picture, baby is waving to Mom & Dad!

I am finally starting to show. I have worn a few maternity shirts and pants even though I can still fit into some pre-pregnancy clothes. I have noticed I have developed a rather large appetite and seem to be hungry most of the time. Other milestones? I started feeling baby around 16-17 weeks, and the pair of pants that fit me last weekend no longer fit this weekend. I have also decided that this baby is going to be either a kick-boxer or a can can dancer, or something to that extent....

We have started to get prepared for baby by garage-sale-ing and picking things up here and there. We got the big items at garage sales for a steal! Crib, changing table, and swing for $65 total. The changing table does need some work, but you cant go wrong for only $10. We did end up buying a dresser from Ikea and crib bedding new. We also got some onesizes and a couple of sleepers. We hope to hit up some more garage sales this fall.

We also need to start making a "to-do" list and a "to-buy" list before baby comes. My co-worker provided me with a great starting list that her sister used. It has been helpful many times already! What's on our to-do list? Mostly just cleaning, getting organized, and painting the nursery. Any ideas would help!