My Bud Manny

After I visited my dad, I traveled a little farther north to see my mom's side of the family. For some reason I didn't get a picture with my step-dad Ted, but I was able to celebrate with him as well. Love you too! On Sunday evening, my mom's youngest sister and her son, Manny came to grandma and grandpa's house. Jeanne and her husband adopted Manny last June and he has brought so much happiness into their life and ours. We just love him to pieces!

We took him to the pool at the Lifetime Health Club in Savage. He loved it! At Ruby Tuesdays for dinner.

A few cute things: After we told Manny that I have a baby growing in my belly Jeanne asked him how he felt about that. He responded, "It's crazy!" with his arms stretched out wide on either side of his body. When he saw me Monday morning the first thing he said to me was, "How is your belly feeling?" I thought that was the sweetest thing ever and almost bawled. Later on, he was trying really hard to figure out how that baby got in my belly and asked on the way to the pool if I "eat, then swallow, then baby in belly." He also wondered if it will crack open when it's born. How funny!!! I love how an almost 4 year old mind works. He was really curious about this baby.

Father's Day

Since I was done with summer school, I decided I would travel to Minnesota to see my dad and step-dad for Father's Day. This doesn't happen every year so I was excited it worked out. :)

My dad, my brother Jimmy, and I went on a walk around Lake Harriett in Minneapolis, and ended our excursion with a cold treat at the Malt Shop. I forgot how much I miss little things like this! It was so wonderful to celebrate Father's Day with my dad IN PERSON!!! Love you!

Dinner in Iowa

On my way up to MN, I stopped in West Des Moines to spend the night. My mother-in-law, Linda and sister-in-laws: Erin, Marcia, Michelle, and I went out to dinner. Little Allison was definitely the focus of our attention...how could she not be!?!?!Erin and Allison...how precious!

She's such a peanut!

New OB Appointment

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been out of town since last Friday and have been having too much fun with my family to get on the computer! We had our first pregnancy appointment last Friday and everything looks great! My main doctor is part of a group so I'll meet a different doctor/nurse practitioner each visit. This time we met with Amanda and really enjoyed her. She ended up moving my due date to January 24th instead of the 29th. Not really sure why but that's okay with me because then we'll be able to meet little Bean sooner. :) My next appointment is July 24th, and we'll be able to hear the heartbeat. I can't wait! Pictures to come from my adventures in Minnesota!

Another Belly Shot

Here's a look at my belly at 7 1/2 weeks. Notice any difference?

Sonogram Picture of Bean!

Here is a sonogram picture of little Bean. It's sort of hard to see but there is an arrow pointing to Bean and the word "Baby" is written underneath the arrow. Isn't he/she precious??? It was so amazing to see this tiny spot on the screen and watch it's heart beat...so crazy!

Comments

I know a few of you tried to post a comment and couldn't get it to work because you didn't have a Google Account. Last night, I changed the comment settings so "Anyone" can comment. :) So, if you have a comment you'd like to share...you should be able to post it.

Good News

Last weekend I had a few episodes of cramping and light spotting. It wasn't anything major but it still alarmed me and was enough that I thought my doctor should know. I couldn't get a hold of them until Monday so I called then and they asked me to come in so they could get a Beta count (pregnancy hormone) and get my blood type. I went in that afternoon to have my blood drawn and found out the next morning that my count was strong and high! I was so relieved. However, they still wanted me to come in to conduct a sonogram to make sure I wasn't bleeding anywhere other than my cervix. So, Steve and I went to the doctor's Tuesday afternoon and got to see Baby Bean! All you mother's reading this know the feeling but it was so unbelievable to see that tiny spot on the screen and know it's growing inside me. It was such a miracle to see and think how much it has developed in the last few weeks. I definitely teared up when the technician pointed him/her out on the screen. Seeing our tiny little person made everything so much more concrete and real. Even though we couldn't hear it, we saw its heart pumpin' away. It looked like a rapid flutter. The heart beat was 111, and the technician said that was a good number for how old the baby is. The technician looked for unusual bleeding and said everything looks great! We were so relieved to hear the fabulous news. It really put my mind at rest. (Many of you know how I can be such a worrier...believe me...I'm trying to be better!) Afterwards, we were given three pictures to take with us. So precious! I've had a heck of a time trying to scan them in. Our scanner at home is not functioning anymore. I was able to scan them at school today but since they're in a Word document, I can't seem to upload them into the blog. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm running out of patience and ideas! Soooo, hopefully I'll get a picture posted somehow...soon. Keep checking!

Preggo Symptoms

So far, my pregnancy symptoms have been typical and tolerable. The last week or so, I've experienced short spurts of nausea throughout the day but nothing too serious. If I lay down for a while or eat bland foods, the feeling subsides. I've also noticed that I'm more tired in the evenings. Yesterday I came home and fell asleep on our couch for two hours (this never happens). I don't know if that was due to pregnancy hormones OR the car fiasco on Tuesday. :) I feel like I'm already showing a little but my friends say they don't see it yet. However, my clothes have validated my suspicion because many of my capris and jeans are borderline too tight to wear! What the heck?!?! I didn't expect to expand this much this soon. I'm also a little shocked because I've been making a conscious effort to eat healthier. I know all the physical changes are worth it so Baby Bean can be healthy. I already love you little Bean and will gladly sacrifice my figure for you. :)

Summer School

Summer school officially began on Wednesday with a work day. Today was the first day with students. I was dreading dragging myself to school early this morning but as the day progressed, things got better. The time passed quickly. I have 22 students in my homeroom class but 6 were absent today and that is fine by me!!! In the afternoon I teach three elective classes and all are the same: Get Movin'. Basically the kids exercise and get their hearts pumpin' and bodies movin' around. It's fairly simple to teach, not too boring, and the kids love it. After tomorrow (Friday) I'll only have 8 days left to teach and then a coworker will take over for the remaining 9 days. Job sharing is the best invention for summer school!

Car Trouble!!!

On our way back to KC, after meeting little Allison, my car completely broke down 30 minutes south of Des Moines. Steve was driving and all the service lights came on, the car was shaking, and he eventually lost control of the steering. Thankfully, we were close to an exit ramp so we didn't have to pull over on the highway shoulder. Scary! Even though we were close to the city, we had to wait a whopping TWO hours to be towed! Words cannot describe how irritated I was. When the tow truck arrived, we were driven another 30 minutes Northwest to a Chevy dealership in Waukee. Once there, we had to decide if it was worth it to drop a good chunk of change into my car or sell it to my dad (who is a car-whiz) and purchase a newer, more reliable car. We decided to go with the second choice and are hoping to have a lightly used Toyota Sienna by the end of June. Steve's dad has kindly offered to find a good deal for us at a Toyota auction in Massachusetts, while he's there for work. If everything goes well, we'll officially be minivan owners! Hello soccer-mom! When it was all said and done, we left Des Moines FIVE hours after we had originally left that morning. Even though there was a LOT of waiting around and quick decision making going on, everything worked out and we made it home safely. This will definitely be a story to remember, and hopefully one we'll laugh about someday.

Baby Allison

On Monday, Steve and I traveled to Des Moines to meet our newest niece on the Sheriff side of the family. Allison Kaye was welcomed to the world around 5:15, and is healthy and definitely adorable! We are so thrilled for Brian, Marcia, and their three little girls.

Brian, Marcia, Amber, Anna, and little Allison

Steve and Allison. He looks good holding a newborn doesn't he? :)

Parents to be at the end of January! Marcia and her sweet baby girl. :)