So Many Baby Showers!

On Sunday after Carrie & Liz left, we had a baby shower for Andrea (above in middle). Hope you had fun, Andrea!! :) She's due 2 weeks after me, so her little girl is coming soon too! Kacie (on left) can't wait for other babies to be around to hang out with Finley!

Julie & Dana are happy and excited to be Grandmothers!

Do I Really Only Have 1 1/2 Weeks Left?!

This was taken this past Friday at 37.5 Weeks

Drumroll please...........I only have 1.5 weeks left until my due date!!! Last weekend was another eventful weekend full of girl time! 2 of my close friends from MN, Carrie & Liz, drove down to KC on Thursday night while Jeff was out of town getting ready for his Professional Engineer Exam. It was nice to not be alone, just in case anything would happen. (No baby yet!) On Friday, as I was wondering how Jeff's 8 hr. exam was going during the day, the girls and I had fun eating a yummy breakfast, relaxing by just hanging out and chatting, baby shopping at Target using gift cards, and having fun at Bunko with the KC girls that night. (If you're wondering, Jeff thought the test was of course very difficult but that it was a little better than he thought it would be. He won't get the results until around February, which is quite the long wait! Let's hope for the best! THANK GOODNESS he's done spending every night studying!) On Sat., while Jeff had to spend most of the day at a work meeting (poor guy), the girls and I had another fun day shopping for the little guy at Babies-R-Us spending more gift cards, organizing the baby room, and doing baby laundry. After Jeff got home and before we went out for dinner, Carrie & Liz decided to do a pregnancy photo shoot! Our friend, Kim, is an excellent photographer (as you can see on her blog if you click "Beejo" on the right side of my page), so the girls wanted to give it a shot like Kim did while she was pregnant! It was lots of fun; we enjoyed having the giggles as they tried to "pose" me and have me change outfits--Carrie was the photographer and Liz was her lovely assistant. They definitely made me feel like a beautiful pregnant woman! :) Thanks, girls!

Here's my 1st belly shot that has been posted on this blog!

Next pose: Hands of Mommy & Daddy on the baby belly

Carrie & Liz were being creative in being photographers!

THANKS FOR THE FUN WEEKEND, GIRLS!!!

Eventful Weekend

Finley is getting so big!

On Friday night, a bunch of us had a surprise party for Derek's 30th birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Derek! We were all enjoying taking turns holding Finley and giving Kacie & Dan a break. :)

Baby Shower with Co-Workers

Yesterday my co-workers threw me a fun baby shower at a yummy local mexican restaurant...THANKS JAN & MARY for all of your creative planning! And many thanks to all of you who were able to make it. Our little guy will look so adorable in all his new outfits & will love his baby goodies!

36 Weeks--Oh Boy!

Oh My Goodness...I only have 4 WEEKS LEFT until my due date!!! However, it could be sooner than that or later. As long as he doesn't show up before Jeff's PE Exam, which is on the 26th in less than 2 weeks! Poor guy...he's a bit stressed with all of his studying and so much to do at work. Keep him in your prayers!

I have my last shower this Saturday with my co-workers, so that'll be fun! I sure miss teaching with them. At least I've been subbing almost every day at my school in the last couple of months. My last day subbing is next Monday, and then I'm cutting it off. I have lots that I want to get done at home and errands to run before the baby shows up! I know I won't regret my decision of taking the year off of teaching once the baby shows up. He'll definitely keep me busy! :)

Kansas City Baby Shower

Julie made me a collage!

I had my 2nd baby shower on October 7th at my mother-in-law's house. It was lots of fun with family and friends! (THANK YOU!!!) The ladies who put it on did a fabulous job! In the above picture, you can see that Julie made me a sweet collage of when Jeff and I were babies and 1 picture of our wedding day. I wonder who our little guy will look like the most!

Father & Mother-to-Be at 35 Weeks

Many thanks to all who could be there and join the fun!

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) :)