I can't wait any longer....

I had a Dr. appt about two weeks ago and we found out the sex of the baby. If you came to our house for the 4th or if we have talked to you or seen you then you probably already know what it is. My cousin warned me that she was told the sex early and she had them confirm again later and it was different. I took that very seriously but it has been impossible to keep our mouths shut! Anyway, it looks like we are having a little princess! I notice I am still referring to "her" as "it" b/c I don't want to relate too much to a girl just in case it is a hotdog instead of a hamburger in there.



Our "official" appointment for determining the sex is on July 31st at almost 20 weeks when it will be much more clear and the sonographer promised me much better pictures. In the pic above you can see she has her hand behind her head and her face is looking at us. I had another appt today and was hoping he would confirm again but we didn't get any pictures. He was just taking measurements. This one was from a different angle, if you catch my drift, and the baby was head down so I saw her head, spine, and a really good shot of her hand which she had up behind her head. That seems to be one of her favorite positions. It isn't suprising, Chris and I both like to sleep that way. Her heartbeat was in the 150's. It was in the 130's two weeks ago when we went.

Chris wanted a boy so bad he could hardly stand it. He was a little disapointed at first and he pouted about it for a few days, but then he was the one who always wanted to look in the baby books at all of the GIRL names. I asked him the other night and he said he is excited it is a girl now. It just took a little time for her to get him wrapped around her little finger. ;)

I have been feeling a lot of movement lately. You can't feel it from the outside but I feel it all the time inside. I felt it the first time in week 13 when Chris' brother was here which seems to be really early. Now it is a far more regular occurance. I have been feeling really good lately with the exception of a little weepiness from time to time and restless legs every now and then which make me want to crawl out of my skin. It is getting harder and harder to bend at the waste. I am definately showing! This is one of my favorite maternity shirts and Chris tells me how nice I look every time I wear it. Thank you Vicki!



We are talking about names and are pretty decided on the first name. We can't decide on the middle name though. I got the crib and am thinking I will work on getting the middle room cleaned out and put the crib together. Not much else is going on in baby world.

We are enjoying the last few weeks that we will have Kortnee here. The Summer has just flown by. She is having two of her friends over to spend the night tomorrow night. That should be fun! I am sure I will have some pics to share!

4th of July

We had a bunch my family and our friends over for the 4th of July this year. I want to say we ended up with about 25 people. It seems like everyone had a great time.

We had 3 grills going at one point I believe. We had tons of food and lots of meat. It was all fabulous and suprisingly, there weren't a lot of leftovers! People came back for seconds and thirds.

A lot of people got in the pool, some in their underwear. My dad brought over some sort of liquor a.k.a. paint thinner, that he brought back from China. He was serving shots of it to people and the look on their faces after they took it said plenty. I guess it is a good thing I couldn't partake b/c I probably would have tried it and two of my cousins told me how it haunted them for the rest of the day. I wonder how those guys that took more than one shot were feeling yesterday. ;) I eventually hid the bottle b/c wives were trying to pon their husband's off on other people and I was afraid they would all end up staying at my house. :)

Anyway, after a good swim with lots of races and then my mom's wonderful dessert, everyone seemed worn out and a lot of people left. The rest of us hung out and played with Bianca and chatted until about 9:30.

All in all, it was a long day and I think a good time was had by all. We enjoyed ourselves and look forward to next year. Thanks to everyone who came over and added to the fun!

Here are some pics from the day. It was hard to get single pics b/c there were so many people so there are a lot of group shots.

Some of the first to arrive.

Edward brought over some dancing game that Kortnee seemed to be playing everytime I walked through. I hope she shared.

Kortnee and Nicki

Awol and Steph

Edward blowing kisses to Elaine in China. Hopefully she will be here for next year!

Todd and Bianca


A group of people about to race

A group of people watching races

Awol and Boney


Here is a link to the whole album. There are too many pics to post.
Click Here for Album

Brotherly Love

A few weeks ago Chris' brother Jeff came through town on his journey to New Mexico. We missed seeing Tracy and Justin but hopefully next time they will get to join him. It was a long drive and they flew. I can't say that I don't blame them!

We had a nice visit and he was able to stay for a few days which was an added bonus. The guys played some XBox game the majority if the time and I think beat it before Jeff had to leave. We ate out a few times and grilled at home played some darts and few other things. We really just had a nice laid back weekend together.

Here are a few pics from one night that he was here. Can you believe how much they look alike? Ahhh, the brotherly love....notice the wet willy pic. ;)

Busy, Busy, Busy

I find that every summer when Kortnee comes I seem to stay really busy all the time. I don't know why that is....maybe it is really just that it is summer time and there is a lot more going on.

Chris and I are going to another Dr. appt tomorrow morning which we are both very excited about. We invited Kortnee to come, more than once, but she has decided that she would rather go to camp. They are swimming and playing water games. I can't say that I don't blame her. If I were 12 I would pick that over a Dr's appt anyday! And I am not going to MAKE her go with us.

Chris' brother came through town a few weeks ago and we had such a nice visit with him. We missed seeing his wife and son but hopefully they will be with him next time. I have some pics to post but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

We have a house full of people coming over for the 4th, mostly family, and friends that are like family. It should be a lot of fun!

Oh, here is a pic of me last week. I feel huge. I have only gained about 5 pounds but I feel like I have gained 10!


I will update again after our appt tomorrow. Chris and I took the day off and have some things to do to get ready for company but I should actually have a little free time too!

Summer Nights

One of our favorite things to do on summer nights is take a dip in the pool. It is especially fun when friends join us. Last night Megan and Riley came over and the kids went for a swim. I don't know how they can stand to stay in for so long but they do. Usually after about 30 minutes...sometimes and hour if we are playing a game, and I am ready to get out. I was actually planning on getting in and trying out my new maternity suit which Kortnee helped me pick out and is actually really cute, but Cat and I got to talking and I never got around to changing. I did take the opportunity tonight to take some pics and got some cute ones! I can't believe how fast they are all growing up...it is scary really!

Here are a few of my favorites:

I can't believe my eyes!

So I am in my office today minding my own business. I hear something loud that sort of sounded like someone had fallen down the stairs. I checked and didn't see anything so I went back to work. A little later my coworker comes in and asks me if I saw the tree next door. She wouldn't even tell me what happened, just said, you have to go look and be sure to walk all the way down the driveway to get the full effect.

OH MY GOSH! This is a huge tree! It looks like someone leaned on it and it just fell over. They have been working on the street and I actually came in from that direction this morning and didn't notice it nor did anyone else so I think it just happened. We had some storms this morning with some high winds but all of that had long passed by the time I heard the thud. My coworker left shortly before that and came back and that is when she noticed it so we think it just happened. I can't imagine what these people will think when they get home. There is a huge pipe in the roots too...hope all the plumbing is OK. I am amazed by how small the whole and roots really are for such a big tree. It is a good thing they aren't working on the street today b/c of the rain b/c someone could have been killed. It is a good thing too it fell how it did b/c it could have caused some really serious damage to that house as well as my boss' house that they just finished remodeling this week!







Isn't that just crazy?!?!

12 Weeks Dr. Appt

Chris and I went for my 12 week appt today. Again, it was amazing! Today we got another sonogram. I just can't believe the huge difference from 8 to 12 weeks. The first one wasn't as close up but I don't think the baby's features had really developed anyway. Today we got a great pic of the profile. Our baby looks a lot less like a lima bean or an alien and a lot more like a real human baby.



We could see our little sprout moving around on the sono. I saw it's arms move a couple times. We did look between it's legs but it is a little early to tell what the sex will be. In the picture, which I have been looking at all day by the way, you can see it's spine, nose and some of the facial features if you look close enough. I am absolutley amazed by this technology! They said we are using 12/23 as my due date but I know when we conceived and I am sticking with 12/21! That could change later though anyway and I measure differently every time.

We got to hear the heartbeat which was in the 160's. It sounded like a helicoptor taking off. They said that all babys have a pretty fast heart beat at this stage and that she could see the wheels turning in my head about the old wives tale but that this wasn't a good one to base it off of. We are both hoping they will be able to tell the sex at our next visit on 7/3 instead of having to wait until 20 weeks. I will be almost 16 weeks by then so there is a chance if we are lucky and the baby cooperates.

It is really starting to settle in that this is real and not something we are dreaming about still. I got past the worrisome 12 week mark and everything checked out really well at the appt today and I am really starting to breath a sigh of relief. Kortnee seems to be more and more receptive of this change. She is a typical 12 year old so I am pleased with her response thus far. Just feeling her out still to make sure she doesn't have any worries or concerns about this life changing event. I know she will be excited to be a big sister and will be the best big sister ever!

I am also starting to get a baby bump. I have been buying a few maternity clothes here and there and looking for good deals on them. Dresses seem to be my favorite this year since skirts just aren't as comfy anymore.

Ped Egg

I got a Ped Egg today. I have been pretty embarassed about my feet since I started wearing sandals months ago. This thing is amazing! If you have been thinking about getting one or thinking you need to do something with your feet, give it a try! I have a tendency to get pretty rough heels and they are significantly smoother now. Just thought I would throw that out there for anyone thinking of getting one!

Swimming with BB...

BB came over a few weeks ago and again this week. Todd and Mara brought me all of Mara's maternity clothes to borrow. I am finally getting to the point that things really aren't fitting anymore so I went through them all this weekend. Mara is much smaller than me so a lot of them didn't fit, but about 1/3 of them will do me many months of good! Thanks Mara!

Anyway, while BB was here a few weeks ago, we dipped her feet and legs in the pool. She seemed to enjoy it.





Then they had to strip her down b/c she managed to get drenched and she ran around in her diaper with every ball she could find throwing them for the dogs. They LOVED it!




So Todd brought her over again for a real swim. She got a booboo on her eye from a mean little boy at the gym daycare. It was hard to tell what she thought of the huge bathub today.





Chris and I both love it when BB comes over and we get to play with her. She is so sweet and a lot of fun.

Another kind of baby....

My mom swore that as soon as she committed to getting new kittens that I would instantly get pregnant. Thanks mom, that was just what we needed. :) My dad went to pick them up today. My mom and Chris sat in the kitchen and talked while Daddy and I played with them. They are so cute and sweet. They are brothers from the same litter and so similar but so very different. The little brown one with the gimpy eye is just a little love bug. You can walk in the room and he starts buzzing so loud that it sounds like a motorcycle revving it's engine. He just seems really tired today...probably from the big day of going to a new home. The black one was very sleepy and didn't really acknowledge anyone at first. I went back in the bathroom to play with them again and the black one actually came to me and toofed me. I joyfully told daddy about his boy that already likes to toof. We got a toy and he got rather spunky. We got him to flat top and he also caught one of the high value toys and growled at it like the dogs do when they fetch a toy they like and shake and kill it. They are so cute when they are babies. I will try to get some pictures of them tomorrow.