6 Weeks to Go (or more or less)!!!

Week 34

Where has the time gone? I really wonder at this point when our little guy will want to show up. Will he be early? On time? Late? As long as it's not too early, since Jeff's big PE (Professional Engineer) exam is on Oct. 26th. He's a bit stressed, but I'll know he'll do fine.

On Tues., I had my last 2 wk. appointment. Now I'll be going in once a week, which means the time is near! The appt. went well. Baby boy's head is still down and most likely will stay that way. Let's pray! The books say that he's probably almost 5 pounds by this week, and the dr. said the same. We had our hospital tour Tues. night, and the private rooms are really nice! Heck, they have 2 flat screen tvs (a bigger one in front of the bed and a smaller one in front of the fold out love seat couch) that you can order free movies & games, a jacuzzi tub, wireless internet, little desk area, glider chair, curtain if needed by the bed, etc. There are a total of 11 rooms at this newer hospital, so hopefully they won't be full by the time I go into labor! (Yes, that can happen but hopefully not with us! They would have to send me to another hospital that my dr. goes to.) All the registration paperwork was filled out also. Tonight from 7-9:15 pm we had the breastfeeding class, which went well. It was pretty good, especially since we both learned info. that we didn't know before. (And yes, there were several other dads-to-be there with their wives.) Jeff was glad he went. What a good guy! :)

This weekend is going to be a busy one! On Sat. from 9-4:30, we have our childbirth prep. class (lunch/snacks included). Then we'll have to head home to relax a bit and allow Jeff time to study...yes, on a Sat. night. On Sunday, I have my 2nd baby shower which is being held at "Grandma" Julie's house. It'll be lots of fun!! I'll try to have someone take good pictures for me to show all of you!

There you have it...I finally updated my page! Sorry I've been slacking for those of you who have reminded me. :)~ I'll have lots to write about after this weekend! Hope all is well with all of you, and write me a little message if you have the time!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to My 2 Dads!

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!

HAPPY 55th BIRTHDAY to my father-in-law, Rick!

(Yes, they share the same birthday!)

Don't worry, you guys don't even look that old! :)

Love you both!

Belly is Moving! Is that a butt?

Week 31

Hmmm...How much bigger will I get?

Do I really only have 9 weeks left until my due date? CRAZY! Who knows, he may show up earlier or later. Who wants to vote? :) So the past few weeks, I've definitely been feeling the baby move a lot more! Not only do I feel his random kicks and hiccups, but the coolest part is when I can actually feel a hard body part. Right now, as I sit at my desk, I can feel a body part at the middle top of my belly. I wonder what it is! Is it a butt, head, shoulder, knee? At times I can even see my belly move as he moves. It's pretty darn sweet! I wonder if I'll ever see a foot print sticking out. For those mothers out there, did you ever see that? I even have noticed the Braxton Hicks Contractions, which make my belly tighten up like crazy. My son (wow, I haven't said that a lot...has a nice ring to it) likes to keep me up at night too. I think he's trying to prepare me for what is to come.

Seeing friends with their babies and mothers giving their little ones hugs & kisses make me get even more excited to have our little guy here with us! People are continuously asking us what name we've picked out and the answer is...we're still working on it. It's a pretty hard decision if you ask me! I had lots of girl names in my head before we found out we were having a boy. Then I had to change the direction of my thoughts. Don't worry, we'll have one before he comes. I'll let y'all know once we decide!

Tippy is hanging out with Finley (who is 5 weeks old in the picture). We can't believe he'll be 6 weeks old tomorrow! Jeff & I love the "practice" as we babysit him!

What a cute pair! The question is...will Tippy get jealous when our boy shows up? So far, she's great with Finley!

Week 30

1st Baby Shower in my hometown at 30 Weeks!

Over Labor Day weekend, Jeff and I traveled up north to Duluth for a few days. I wish we could've stayed longer! Visits always go by way too fast, especially when there's so much we'd like to do and so many people to see. My girls organized my 1st baby shower which was so much fun!! MANY THANKS to my lovely ladies!!! You did a fabulous job! We got some really sweet baby clothes, blankets, toys, etc. Our little boy is going to be so darn cute! :) I only got a few pictures taken at the shower, so for those of you that were there please send me what you were able to take. Thanks! (The above pictures are of my girlfriends that were able to make it. We didn't get a chance to take a group picture of everyone else before they left.) It was also fun having 3 little ones with their mommies--Bobbie brought Sierra (10 months), Erin had Daylan (almost 5 months), and Kat had her new little girl, Anastasia (only 4 weeks old). One of the cutest moments was when Sierra keep hugging and "petting" Daylan. So sweet!

While in Duluth, we wanted to do a little "sight-seeing" since Jeff still hasn't seen all the fun attractions. Off we went to take a stroll on the beach at Park Point. It was a bit chilly, but not too bad. There were even people swimming in the super cold Lake Superior! Those are die-hard Duluthians. haha. We also wanted to go to the Rose Garden to see the beautiful flowers and take a nice long walk on the lakewalk. It was nice taking a break from the heat in KC to enjoying a cool breeze in the 70s.

The Spence family walking on the beach at Park Point

I love my husband!

Beautiful Rose Garden in Duluth on the Lakewalk

Standing in front of the well-known Aerial Lift Bridge

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) :)

6 out of 12 girls are pregnant!

Last Friday, 12 of our friends got together to play a dice game called Bunco. (No, it's not just for older ladies. haha.) We play once a month and have a great girl time, which is always needed! It's pretty crazy, because 6 of us are pregnant as you see in the above picture. We are in order of due dates. From left to right, Kacie was at 38 weeks, me at 23, Ali at 22, Andrea at 21, Summer at 16, and Alison at 13 weeks. Kacie is almost there!!!

After a beautiful wedding this past Sat. (CONGRATS, Mary!), we did look at cribs but couldn't make a final decision. I want to still look around at other places for deals. It's all expensive, of course. What gets us is that some of the dressers that match the cribs are poor quality. We want pieces of furniture that will actually last a long time. So the search is ongoing. We still have plenty of time. :)

Today marks the beginning of my 24th week. It sure is going by fast! I have yet to take a picture this week. I'll take some pictures when my family gets in town. Malena, Jesse, and their big dog, Obi, are coming in late tomorrow night. (Tippy will sure be excited to see Obi! They were best pals when we went to Denver over Memorial Day weekend.) Mom and dad arrive Thurs. afternoon. It'll be a nice weekend of company visiting Kansas City!

23 Weeks

Yesterday I started week 23. My belly is definitely growing now! I am feeling my little guy kicking more often now when I'm sitting down and relaxing, even can see my belly move a little every once in a while when he kicks! Poor Jeff...when he wants to feel it, nothing happens. It's always random. :) I sure can tell a difference from today's picture compared to week 21's picture. We decided to take the picture outside this time in front of our garden that's still growing and our house in the background. We plan on looking around again this weekend for a crib and matching dresser, so that'll be fun. Hopefully we'll find something that we like and not too pricy.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

Mom, it's your birthday, so celebrate! Know that we wish we could be with you! Looking forward to seeing you, dad, Malena, & Jesse next week!! I LOVE YOU!

This past weekend I was in southern MN celebrating Amber's bridal shower. It was definitely a fun weekend seeing Amber, Mike, her family, and all the girls that could make it! There were 5 babies there, so we all got our baby fix! 3 of us were pregnant, all at different stages (Tiffany, Kat, and I are in the picture), so that was fun sharing our pregnancy moments with each other. We all chatted about Amber's wedding in 3 weeks, college memories, marriages, children, and just good ol' girl talk. (Sorry we didn't take the picture before you left, Jess!)

After all the girls left, I had a great time being an "adopted daughter" in Amber's family. Her dad is a HUGE fan of karaoke, so we went out to a couple bars over the weekend and sang with him. :) Thanks for everything and letting me stay with you, Becker family!

22 Weeks

Here I am at 22 weeks, which was taken on Sunday right before going to my friend Kacie's baby shower. Jeff wanted to take the picture at the same spot. :) (Jeff also took the cute picture that you see on the right side of the page of my sweet little girl, Tippy.) My parents were in town last weekend, and we had a really nice visit. They spent a little under 2 weeks in Memphis and stopped by to KC on their way there and back. Mom brought 2 bags full of baby clothes already! (Thanks, Mom!) For all of us that know my mom, she's the queen of clearance racks! She definitely found some good deals and cute clothes! On Sat., I went out to Babies R US with my mom and mother-in-law to add/change things on our baby registry and then headed out for lunch. It was a fun day out with the moms! Julie also bought the cutest little outfit for her 1st grandchild while we were shopping. On Sun. while mom and I were at Kacie's shower, Jeff and dad painted the baby room a pretty blue color. It'll look great with our new crib bedding set, which we just got in the mail this week. Now we need to figure out which crib we want! Don't worry, I'll definitely take pictures of the baby room once it's all done. So far, it's just getting started!

In a little over a week, I've been starting to feel the little boy inside of me! At first, I couldn't tell if it was actually him or not. Now I know it is! On Sun., we were all sitting down around the kitchen table talking when I told Jeff that I was feeling something twice in the same spot. He put his hand there, and a minute later felt it!! We were both pretty excited! People are still asking us if we've made a decision on a name, and I know whoever is reading this right now is wondering too...so to answer your question, we still haven't decided. We have plenty of time until this "little dude", as Jeff likes to call him, comes out into the world! :)

Well, I should end this post now. I have to finish packing for my trip this weekend! I'm heading out to southern MN for my friend Amber's bridal shower. I'm so excited to see my girls!!! I leave this afternoon and come back on Monday. You'll have to wait until I come back for my next update. Until then, adios!

Pregnant at 21 Weeks!

So here I am...just took this picture today. I technically start week 21 on Tuesday. I'm definitely starting to show a bit now! Pretty crazy. :) Jeff and I tried to start registering at Babies R Us today, and all I can say is WOW--that's pretty overwhelming! We both felt pretty "dumb" in several areas of what to buy, but that's ok. I know we're not the only 1st time parents that get overwhelmed when it comes to what to buy for our 1st child. We're going to do more research & add/delete items online, get more ideas of necessities from other mommy "experts", and we'll go back another day to finish it up. We're going to register at Target someday too, so that'll be fun.

We also bought our 1st baby outfit together today. It's so cute! Jeff actually saw it first and just had to show me. We both decided that it would be a really cute outfit for our little boy to wear coming home from the hospital. So sweet to think about!

Well, it's 10:55 pm and past my bedtime. Gotta get up for summer school in the morning! But get this...I only have 4 more days of summer school, and then I'm DONE teaching (who knows for how long)! :)

Good night everyone. I'll try to write more this week!