Week 29

Week 29 Picture

Jeff and I have been slacking on taking the weekly pictures, so we apologize for that. My belly is sticking out a bit more and still is growing. Who knows how big I'll get when it gets really close to the due date...hopefully not HUGE. :) I'm super excited for heading up to Duluth this weekend. Jeff and I are driving to the cities tomorrow after he gets off of work and staying the night with Liz and Bryan. Malena is flying there too, and we're picking her up Sat. morning after she hangs out with her friend, Becky. We'll make sure to stop more than the 1 stop that we usually take, so no worries on the long drive. I can't wait for my 1st baby shower on Sunday!! It'll be fun to see all of the family and friends from back home in MN. (MANY THANKS to the girls who are putting it together!) Jeff and I haven't been to Duluth since last Christmas, so it's definitely time to be home with mom and dad. There's no place like home. :)

Having dinner with Kacie, Finley (now 4 weeks old), and Laurie

Julie is ready for a grandchild of her own!

This is me then...

I saw this on a few of my friends’ blogs and enjoyed reading their info. Thought I should join the crowd in filling it out too!

20 years ago I...
1. was 7 years old
2. took the school bus to Pike Lake Elementary School
3. would play “school” with my sister with our big chalkboard

10 years ago I...
1. was about to start my senior year of high school
2. worked at Wilsons-The Leather Experts in the mall
3. had to think about where I wanted to go to college

5 years ago I...
1. graduated from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth
2. moved to Memphis to teach 8th grade Communication Arts and coach volleyball
3. met my husband-to-be through a good friend

3 years ago I...
1. lost Papa 1 week before my wedding (lost Nona later on Easter Sunday)
2. got married in my hometown and went to Mexico for our honeymoon
3. moved to Kansas City after Jeff got a job transfer--had only 1 weekend to find a place to live

1 year ago I...
1. got back from taking an awesome 2 week vacation in Ireland, Austria, and Norway
2. enjoyed standing by Carrie’s side as she got married to the love of her life
3. had just started my 2nd yr. teaching 8th grade C. A. at Raymore-Peculiar Middle School

So far this year I...
1. was diagnosed with PCOS, which freaked me out a bit
2. got pregnant even though I thought it was going to take longer!!!
3. have been enjoying getting ready for our baby boy to come!

Yesterday I...
1. spent time running errands with Kacie, Summer, and their sweet little ones
2. got a hair cut at Summer's house
3. went to Petco with Jeff to get Tippy some dog food and treats

Today I...
1. went for a early morning walk with Tippy for 1 hr. 10 minutes before it got too hot
2. got my fingerprints taken in order to sub in the Lee’s Summit School District
3. ran a couple errands at the bank and Target

Tomorrow I...
1. will go for a walk in the morning and maybe go to the pool afterwards
2. will get my oil changed in my car
3. will start making a list for what I need to pack for our DULUTH trip this weekend--so excited to be back home for a long weekend and to have my 1st baby shower!

In the next year I...
1. will have a baby boy in our lives!!!
2. will enjoy all the company that will come to see our little one
3. will work off the weight that I’ve gained from the pregnancy, and then some!

Hope all is well with everyone! I know more people are looking at my blog, so feel free to leave me comments. I'd love to see who's checking in and would love to hear from you! :)

Third Trimester Already!

Regular ultrasound picture of our little boy's feet!

As of this week, I'm 28 weeks pregnant and already in my 3rd trimester. That's pretty crazy! As you can see, Jeff and I had our 4D ultrasound which was pretty sweet. We actually had to go in to get it done twice because our little boy was "stubborn" and wouldn't show his face the 1st time. He had his feet next to his face, so we got great shots of his feet. He even kept hitting himself with his knee. (Doesn't that remind you of the "stop hitting yourself" game that many of us used to play with our parents as kids?!) haha.

4D picture of his crossed ankles

So we went in the 2nd time and had good profile shots of his face as you see below. We couldn't get a full view of the whole front of his face, but what can you do? It was funny, because he was holding onto the umbilical cord with his hand right by his face the whole time. The nurse even said, "Look, he already has a toy to play with!" :)

Picture of face and arm/hand right next to him--looks like he's even smiling a bit as he smooshes his nose!

At least we could see part of the other eyelid!

There's one of his little ears!

As far as I know, that was the last ultrasound that I'll be having. I'm now going to the dr. every 2 weeks for check-ups. We pray that it'll be a smooth ride from now until when he shows up!

Congrats to Mommy Kacie & Mommy Kat!!!

The following news is what I was going to write about last week but didn't get to it. 2 of my girlfriends had their babies while I was in Chicago...one in Kansas City and one in the MN!! Kacie and her husband, Dan, had Finley Cooper the morning of Friday, August 3rd (due date was Aug. 10th). I got a call from Jeff (after he tried calling 5 times when my phone was on "silent") about an hour after Finley arrived. For those of you who know my emotions, tears of joy were strolling down my cheeks while we were waiting for the tour bus in downtown Chicago. The tears were also coming out because I couldn't be there with Kacie to share in the amazing moment. Below are some pictures of their beautiful baby boy. He and my little one will be the best of buds!

Finley Cooper and Auntie Janell--4 Days old

Uncle Jeff's 1st time holding a newborn baby! (What great practice for him!)

Little Finley and his beautiful Mommy

12 Days Old---Hangin' out with his Daddy!

On the morning of Sunday, August 5th, Kat and her husband, Adam, had a beautiful baby girl named Anastasia Marian (due date was Aug. 20th). I sure wish I could be there to see her! (To see pictures, check out Carrie & Liz's blogs.) Carrie, Liz, and I got a call from our friend, Erin, to tell us the fun news while we were on a train heading to the airport. Once we actually got to talk to Kat on the phone, more tears strolled down my cheeks. You know me! Now, this is hitting me harder, that I'm NEXT!!! Even though November 13th seems far away, time is sure going by fast!

CONGRATS to the proud parents!!!

Leaving Comments...

By the way, I believe I have fixed the ability for all of you lovely friends and family to leave comments on my blog even if you don't have an account. Some people told me they tried to leave a comment but couldn't since they don't have a blog. Hopefully it's no longer a problem. I'd love to hear from all of you, so leave me a message! :)

More writing will come to you tomorrow or this weekend, since I have more news to share! It's late and time for bed now.

Busy last few weeks!

Week 24--the excited parents-to-be

I'm finally updating my blog! A lot has been going on in the last few weeks. The family came to visit as you see in the picture below. It was fun spending time together at our house, the museum, a coffee brewhouse, restaurants, etc. Obi & Tippy were best buds once again! They wore each other out from so much doggy play time! :) Then last weekend I headed out to Chicago for Amber's wedding. Carrie, Liz, and I got there on Thursday to spend time in the city. We saw the broadway show, "Wicked", which was awesome! On Friday, after going out for a yummy breakfast with Liz's sweet parents (who also were in town for the play), we took a double-decker bus tour (2 hrs.) around the city. Even though it was super hot sitting up top in the sun, it was still a good time with a funny tour guide. Amber's wedding was in Joliet on Sat., so we took the Amtrak train to get there Fri. night. Amber sure was beautiful on her wedding day! (CONGRATS, Amber & Mike!!!) Like always, it was a fun time to get together with the college girlfriends! Not everyone could make it, but we were sure thinking of them! Thanks for a fun weekend, girls! Can't wait to see you again hopefully soon!!

Jesse, Malena, Mom, Dad, Me, and Jeff standing on our deck

Reunion of girlfriends--Carrie, Erin, Liz, Jess, Kelly, Me, and Sarah after Amber's Wedding

Carrie, Liz, Amber, and I are dancing the night away!
Week 25 "hot mama" pose at Amber's reception (haha) :)