Ultrasound

We had our ultrasound done yesterday. Unfortunately he was not cooperating and we didn't get any good pictures of his face :(. We did get to see that he is 100% a boy though. Kev was with me and it was his first time to see Lincoln. Not that he actually could make out anything on the ultrasound!!! :) Poor Kev. Good try honey!! :)
The reason we had an ultrasound was that he was breech and a little on the large size. One of the two was right. He is NOT breech!!! YEAH!! Praise God!! He IS on the large size. The first thing the tech measured was his head. While I was looking at the screen I was thinking, " I really hope that is not his head!"
It was his head and it is measuring at 40 weeks already!! (For those who don't know, you should be measuring around the weeks you are in your pregnancy.) I was 35 weeks and 5 days when the ultrasound was done. That means his head is about 4 weeks bigger then other babies at this stage. :) The next thing the tech measured was his body and legs. They were measuring at 38 weeks! Remember that I still have 3 weeks left. Many growth spurts happend during this time :) So, we are going to assume he will be a good sized baby. Not that I should be surprised with the genes on both sides of our families! We are still planning on the induction day of the 15th of May no matter how big or small he is :) My doctor said he will probably be around the 9-10lb mark. But ultrasounds this late in the game can be off quite a bit, so maybe I'll have a 7 pounder??? Wishful thinking right? It was so great to see him one last time before he makes his appearance. I can't believe that 3 weeks tomorrow he will be here! It will be the longest and shortest 3 weeks of my life. Everything I still want to get done will make it short (and the time I want to spend as a family of 4) but the physical pain and discomfort will DEFINITELY make it long!! :) Here's to having a healthy baby!!! :) I praise God that everything looked great and that He has given me the ability to have all His precious children!!

I forgot!!!

I forgot to mention that this coming Weds. we get to have an ultrasound! Little Lincoln is measuring 2 weeks ahead and the doctor thinks he is breach. After today I would have to agree with her. He had the hiccups and it was up at my ribs! So for anyone who reads this blog.......PRAY PRAY PRAY that this little guy turns on his own!!! I would really not like to have him turned manually!!

Cleaning Crew

Today was a GREAT day for me!! My mom and sister-in-law, Erin, drove down to our house and cleaned it from top to bottom! It is such a blessing to have family around that is willing to help. It's not that my house is in horrible shape. It's just getting harder for me to bend down, get on my hands and knees and clean. They did things I have been procrastinating on since we have moved into our house. Like.....my fridge, cleaning baby bottles and pacifiers, going through the girls' 3 toy boxes and getting rid of 3 sacks of toys (to Goodwill :), and then just the nitty gritty daily chores, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, and scrubbing bathrooms. We had such a great time cleaning together and it went SOOO fast! Thanks again mom and Erin for helping me! Now I can bring Lincoln home to a spotless house!!!! :)
I have to sadly admit that I had a meltdown last week. :( I have been nesting like CRAZY lately. I have washed ALL his clothes, blankets, sheets, burp cloths, and everything else I could find. There had to have been at least 6 loads of laundry for him! The last load was full of my car seat cover, bouncer cover, play gym mat, bath tub hammock, and 2 swing covers. When I went downstairs to get them out of our dryer, something smelled like it was burning. I opened up the dryer and started pulling everything out. The swing covers had plastic on them and must have melted!!!!!! Everything was destroyed except for one swing cover. I LOST it. I balled for an hour after that. :) Darn hormones! I was so upset because I knew that we didn't have money set aside for any of the destroyed items. I called Kevin crying and of course he felt bad for me and told me to start looking around for some good deals. The LORD is so good to us! I was able to find my exact car seat cover, brand new, for cheap off of ebay. The lady closed the bidding 3 days early so I could have it!! :) Then on craigslist there was a brand new bouncer, still in box, for 17$. Kevin's wonderful cousin, Morgan, picked it up for us (it was in Mn.). Thanks Morgan!!! Then the Lord blessed us one more time with another craigslist find of a play gym that has barely been used and an owner who is holding it until Kev's brother can pick it up for us (it's in Des Moines). So all that crying and worrying for nothing. When will I learn that God will provide for us even with the small details!!!! So many times I forget to trust in the ONE who always takes care of us and is faithful to provide for us. It is so amazing to me that after all these times of failure HE is still faithful to us, loves us, and takes care of us! Our God is so amazing that it is hard for my small mind to comprehend! Thank you Lord for all our blessings and forgive me for forgetting that You are trustworthy and always faithful to provide for us!

Sick Babies... :(

I absolutely HATE when one of my kids are sick. The worst part about it is that they can't tell me what is wrong. It all started Friday night. We were sitting in the Subway parking lot and I looked back at Peyton. She was pale as a ghost and looking like she was going to throw up. Luckily that never happened but it was downhill from there. She didn't eat her supper Friday night, which is SO unlike her! That child would NEVER pass up food if it is offered to her unless there was something wrong. Friday night was a night full of crying, Tylenol, and more crying. My poor baby was sick. I thought it could be another ear infection so on Saturday morning (after she still wouldn't eat) Kev took her to urgent care in Cedar Rapids while Reag's and I went grocery shopping in Cedar Rapids.
The doctor checked her ears and said they looked fine but her belly was a little harder then normal. So the doctor gave us a prescription for an antibiotic, in case it was the beginning of an infection, and sent us on our way. All day Saturday Peyton didn't want to eat or drink anything :(
What was weird was that she kept on keeping all her saliva in her mouth and wouldn't swallow. That is when we figured out that it must be her throat that hurts. Of course, the doctor didn't check that. What doctor doesn't check the throat???? I was so furious when Kev told me that we spent 100$ to go to urgent care and the doctor didn't check the one thing that is a common thing to check!!!! Thank God that we were able to get some medication anyway.
I had to leave Kev with the girls last night so I could go nursery at church. Poor Kev had a VERY tough night with Peyton. She cried and cried and cried!! He finally got the girls to go to sleep and I was finally home. Then came last night :) (It's been a ROUGH weekend)
At 3:30am I hear Reagan talking. She is talking to her sippy cup, her dolls, her teddy bear, dog, everything that was in her bed with her. This went on for about a half an hour. Then comes the yelling "Mommy, Mommy"!! I went up there and she tells me that she needs more water. I gave her more and told her to go to sleep. She was up until 5:30am talking and yelling for me. It was a VERY long 2 nights and I am so EXHAUSTED today! I feel like this is a permanent part of my life and I will never sleep again. That's my pity party post for the day :) I hope all of you are having a better weekend then us and pray that Peyton will feel better and Reag's won't get sick.

Too Big to Move!

Hi all, just a quick blog to say hello and to let you know how we are doing. First, the girls and I have been very busy lately. I have started a Mom's group here in BP and have been having playdates and activities weekly. We have met many nice mama's and the girls are having a blast playing with all the kids!! We also took an adventure to the Des Moines Zoo for the day last week. We were able to meet up with my sister-in-law and cousin and their kids. The kids had so much fun seeing all the animals and just running around. The zoo was SOOOOO empty that we had the run of the place! :) Reagan has talked non stop about the lions and tigers she saw! Peyton was a little nervous about everything at first but then got into all the animals and fish. It was a LONG day for me, walking a lot and chasing after a 1 and 2 year old that never seem to get tired. :) I guess that is how it's going to be and I better get used to it!
We went to church on Sunday, which is always good. Reag's loves going and playing with the kids and learning about Jesus. Peyton didn't get to go because she REALLY needed a nap. My mom was gracious enough to stay with her and let us go to church! Thanks mom! She also made a great lunch after church. As she was cleaning the dishes Reagan walked up to her and said, " Nama......great job!" As she was saying it she gave my mom a thumbs up!! It was SOOOO funny!! I love this age!
Today we headed to Waterloo to have a playdate/unpacking date with one of my girlfriends. The kids had a great time playing and I love hanging out with those girls! I really miss my friends in Waterloo and I wish I could hangout more!
Well, that is the short version (because I'm SOOOO tired) of our weekend and week thus far. Hopefully the rest of the week will go that fast. I have a doctors appointment on Thursday so stay tuned to see how baby Lincoln is doing! Have a great week everyone!!!

What a week!

This week has been a busy one! Monday and Tuesday were BEAUTIFUL and the girls and I spent most of our days outside. We drew with chalk, played with bubbles, rode bikes, went for a walk, went to the park, and just explored our huge backyard!! It was so fun seeing them wear themselves out in God's nature! We have been couped up too long! Now I have Spring fever and the weather NEEDS to stay warm!! I have plans to purchase a few outdoors toys for the girls that I know they will love! I can't wait to buy them and watch their eyes burst out of their heads! :) Yesterday was not as nice out so we spent most the day inside :( The UPS man dropped off a surprise for me yesterday! It was a tall green package addressed to me. The interesting part is that I NEVER ordered anything........weird. I looked at Kevin and asked if he knew anything about. He, of course, told me he knew nothing....LIAR. When I opened up the package there was 24....YES 24 GORGEOUS roses of all colors!!! The card read, You are the best mother and wife to us.... Love Kevin. This is something he doesn't usually do, so it is very special when I get flowers or gifts. It meant so much to me. Sometimes I feel like I'm under appreciated. Don't get me wrong, they do appreciate me, but in the shuffle and craziness of life sometimes we both forget to appreciate each other. That was a GREAT surprise. Then, unfortunately, Kev came down with a HORRIBLE migraine and has been out of commission for the last couple days.
:( He is now feeling better and is hopefully on the mend. Today I had an OB appt. It went really well. He is VERY active and actually kept kicking the Doppler (machine that hears heartbeat) off my stomach when the nurse was trying to listen. Is he gonna be a little stinker?? :) I also go to schedule my last 6 appointments up until I get induced! It is so weird being this close again. It feels great to know that there is a end in sight now! I go every 2 weeks for one more month and then it's every week till the end!!! YEAH!! Well, that was my very busy week and this weekend is going to be just as fun with friends and family coming to visit!! Hope your weekend is a great one!

Thankful

It is amazing how much I miss my husband when he is gone. He is only gone for an overnight but when he is gone I really realize what he does. Right now, being 8 months pregnant, everything is getting harder. Diaper changes, cooking, laundry, and stairs take all my energy and my breath away. Kev is so great because he will just jump in, no questions asked, and help out. Don't get me wrong, he will give me a hard time sometimes, but he still does what I ask. The Lord has totally blessed me with a VERY loving husband who is SOOOOOO wonderful with his daughters. It amazes me to watch him with the girls. For a man who never had any sisters and manliness was a HUGE part of his life, he is very sensitive and loving to his daughters and to me. He will dress up, put make up on (if necessary), play with dolls, teddy bears, and "sing songs" to put Reagan to sleep. He is as "hands on" as any mom I know and is good at it. I am so proud of the husband and father he is and will be. God had a perfect match for me and that match is Kevin! I thank God for him daily (even though I sometimes don't tell him how awesome he is) and love him so much! I can't wait to bring Lincoln into this family so Kev can have "his son"!! Our family will be complete. We will have our girls and our boy! Praise the Lord!!!

What a weekend!!!

Hi all! I am here to report that I'm EXHAUSTED and motherhood is tiring!! Anyways it all started with last Thursday. I had a ob appointment (I'm going every 2 weeks now!!!) and Kevin couldn't watch the girls. One of my dearest friends, Angela, said she would watch the girls for me. Unfortunately, the girls were out of sorts and cried and cried for her! (SORRY Honey!!) When I got back from the appointment they were a mess :( Needless to say they are mommies girls and we will have to have Kev watch them next time :) That was the start to a not so good weekend! On a happier note.....I have my induction scheduled for May 15th! One week before my due date!!!!! That means that we have about 10 weeks before Lincoln is here in person!!!
So, on to Friday. I wake up with a throbbing mouth. It's my impacted wisdom teeth again. Every pregnancy my hormones try to push this tooth out. The problem is that there is NO ROOM!! The worst part is that the dentist would rather not take them out during pregnancy because there is a risk of infection. But when you have been pregnant for 3 years there is no time to get it fixed :( SO, Friday I suffer through it taking Tylenol every 4 hours. Friday night I got 4 hours of sleep because I was in so much pain. On Saturday I went to a dentist I found in Cedar Rapids for an appointment. It turns out that the impacted tooth had an infection...YEAH!! He prescribed me amoxicilin and Tylenol with codine. Neither really helped but I continue to take them. Sunday I was feeling better but the pain was still there. Then comes Sunday night.
Peyton starts crying around 11pm (which is NOT like her). She then proceeds to cry every 2 hours throughout the night. At 4am she was SCREAMING. Every time we would try to lay her down she would freak out. My first thought is that she has an ear infection. Kevin thought it was gas :) I ended up having to sleep upright for the rest of the night with heavy Peyton laying on me and Lincoln. Lincoln got back at me by sitting on a nerve that shot pains through my back but because Peyton was FINALLY sleeping I didn't want to move. SOOOOOO I was in pain and not sleeping until she moved at 7am. I did end up taking her to the doctor, even though Kev didn't think it was necessary, and she did have a BAD ear infection and a yeast infection. Poor BABY! A mother's intuition is most likely right :) That was my weekend......and I haven't felt this tired in a really long time! I hope yours were better!

Morning Off

This morning I had the day off!!! My friend Jessi, who is also pregnant, had a shower in Iowa City. So I left our house around 8:30am and didn't get home until 2pm!! Of course I had to stop at the Coralville Mall on the way home :) It was a great morning and a great break from my mommy job!
There is not much that is going on that is new here. I wish I had a lot of great stuff to write about but I just don't and that's the reason why I don't post very often. The girls are doing great and growing and growing. They have such opposite personalities. Right now Kev and I are going through some trying times with Peyton. She had become a very disobedient and vocal little girl. Reagan was so sensitive at Peyton's age that all I had to do was look at her angrily and she would breakdown. Peyton is NOT like that! She will test and push and push and test and still do what I'm telling her not too! She must be like her daddy.........
Reagan, on the other hand, is into telling me "I don't think so" or "I don't want to"or my favorite "in a minute". Where does she hear these things?? Sometimes it's hard not to laugh at some of the things she says. Just the other day I told her I had to go to the bathroom and her response was "oh boy". :) These ages are so challenging in knowing how to discipline, but yet so rewarding when they tell you "thank you" when you didn't tell them too or they come running and just hug you.
It will be so interesting to see what kind of personality Lincoln has and what he will add to our very entertaining mix. I am so excited for the day we will be bringing him home. I am already SOOO uncomfortable and I have 2 1/2 months left. Once again this pregnancy is so different then the other two. I was never this uncomfortable with the girls. Something on my body is always hurting, aching, or just too big! May cannot come soon enough!
I have to be honest........I don't enjoy being pregnant. I LOVE the outcome but the whole process is not very enjoyable to me. It will be so nice to not be pregnant again :) I am so grateful though that the Lord has blessed us with these children. It is not easy and I have totally lost my body (I don't even remember what it used to look like) but it is all temporary and God has a reason for it! Thank you Lord!!!

I LOVE the rain!

I officially have Spring "fever"! This nice weather we are having is getting me in the mood for sweatshirts not winter coats. Today it is raining out.......I LOVE IT!!! Peyton is down for a nap and Reagan and I are cuddling on the couch watching "Elmo's Street" (her words) and she is giving hugs to the baby (my belly). She is such a little lover and a little mommy. :) She will definitely be a great helper when LINCOLN DAVID shows up. Yep.....that is the name we have picked and I absolutely love it. That is part of the other reason I have Spring fever.... I can't wait to meet this little boy who kicks me constantly and makes me so uncomfortable :)
Kev and I finally got down to business and we rearranged our house to make room for Lincoln. We moved his office from the front room in the house to the basement. Then we moved our bedroom to the front room and finally made our old room Lincoln's room. Yesterday we set up the crib for him, brought the dresser in from the garage, and moved the rocking chair from Peyton's room to his room. Peyton never used the rocking chair.....she hated being rocked as a baby. She wanted to be left alone in her crib with her own space. :) I love that about her. All I have to do is just put her in her crib and she is good to go, no crying or anything.
I forgot to mention the reasoning behind all this rearranging. Well, Reagan is definitely not ready for a roommate. Every time we are at my parents she sleeps in the bedroom with one of us. At around 2:30am or so she wakes up and realizes that someone is in there with her. She then starts to talk to you, poke you in the face, or lay on you......pretty much whatever she can do to wake you up. Oh, and she still sporadically cries throughout the night. So having Peyton in there would be a DISASTER!!! The other reason is that Peyton is a light sleeper so Reagan's crying has been known to wake her up in their own, separate rooms. Can you imagine them sharing a room? Not only would I not get any sleep with the new baby, but I would be getting up double the amount dealing with them. So drastic measures had to be taken :)
The other exciting news is that my cousin Chelsey called and told me she wanted to throw me a baby shower. I was so excited because #1 You usually don't get a shower for the 3rd baby and #2 I want so many things for this little guy that I couldn't possibly afford it :) It was a total answer to prayer and I am truly grateful for her!
Well, that is my news for now. I'm off to bake some chocolate chip cookies on this rainy day. Doesn't that sound perfect??? :)

Man, am I tired!!

I don't know what is going on with me but I'm always soooo tired. I'm not even in my 3rd trimester yet! This is "supposed" to be the time where I have tons of energy and should be loving life..............not happening that way right now :) I feel like a lazy mom because I'm so tired that I can barely get on the floor with my kids. (I want to lay my head down and nap right there!) Anyways, I hope this is going to last for a couple of days and then I'll get all the energy I've been hearing about :)
I am officially 24 weeks along now. This little guy is moving all the time and giving me some really strong kicks. Reagan was sitting on my shoulders with her legs on my belly the other day and this little guy was kicking so hard that her foot was going up and down! It was so much fun to watch. I'm really enjoying my last few months with my girls alone. It will be chaos again for awhile when the new baby comes.
I feel like this blog is not making sense and just running together. I'm just too tired to make sense I guess. :) Hopefully next time I'll do a better job. Stay tuned for the announcement of this little guys name :)

It's been a long time.....

Wow...I haven't posted forever!!! Well things have settled down now that it's January. We have had A LOT of snow so far and FREEZING temps. Not a good combination to go and do things. The girls and I have spent most of the winter indoors so far. We are definitely going stir crazy and can't wait for Spring!!
Today has been a great day so far. This morning two of my closest friends drove from Waterloo to Belle Plaine to come play with us! It was such a blessing having them here and taking the time to drive here! Thanks girls!! The kids played great together and then we had pizza, which was delicious for all!!!
I did get a phone call from Kevin a little while ago telling me he was in a car accident with an older lady. He hurt his back and then given a ticket because he was in a no parking zone, which apparently you couldn't see because of all the snow!!! The little old lady wasn't given any tickets at all! Sometimes things just aren't fair! Anyways, that is the only bad news we have had in a while so I can't complain too much!
I am now 23 weeks pregnant and I feel HUGE!! I look like a 8 month pregnant woman. Not cool. Everything is going good so far with this pregnancy. He moves like crazy and already is kicking me hard! I'm a little stressed because we don't have the funds right now to buy the little guy anything, so I am entrusting God to provide (I know He will do it!! ). I cannot believe it's 4 months away!! The time flies when you already have 2 little ones!! :)
I hope you all are having a great January so far and hopefully I'll post more often!!!

Christmas is OVER!!!

Wow!! What a busy week. Where should I start?? Last Tuesday was the start of a very exciting week. I had my 20 week appt. (even though I was 18 weeks). It was the BIG gender ultrasound. I invited my cousin Chelsey to come along because Kev had to work and watch the girls. When we showed up I started drinking orange juice just to get the baby moving so we could see "the parts" :) We had to wait for 45 mins after my scheduled time because they were backed up. I guess everyone wanted a doctors appt. before the holidays.
I really believed in my heart that it was a boy but in my head I felt it was a girl. This pregnancy was SOOOOOO different from the girls' that I knew it had to be a boy........but Kev was always saying he could only produce girls :) So....the time came when the ultrasound tech checked out the privates. I told her I wanted to find a boy part (I was more descriptive) and she said that she would do her best. Sure enough she did a great job and the boy part was in full view. There is NO DOUBT that its a boy. He definitely wanted to show off "the goods"! Chels and I cheered and gave high fives because we were so excited! Then, for the next 1/2 hour, I was in shock calling all our family to let them know. The Lord knew the desire of my heart and blessed us with our boy!! Now we feel we can OFFICIALLY close this chapter of our lives and just enjoy our children. We have two girls and a boy now! I still can't believe it! The Lord is SOOOOO good!! Now to find boy stuff!! :)
That started the exciting week of Christmas presents and travel. Weds we spent in Waterloo at my parents and then that night at Grandma Tink's. I haven't been there for a while so it was nice to see my family I haven't seen for a while. Christmas morning was spent in the van driving up to Lake Mills. Once we got there the cousins got together and had a fun filled day of just running around and being kids! The girls got so many presents between the two families that we had to clear out a couple bins of toys just to make room for the new stuff!! They had such a great time with family.
Friday the girls went home with my parents and Kev and I were kid less for the weekend!!! It is our 4th anniversary on the 31st and I got tickets to the Vikings game for us! We went to a couple of movies and ate ALOT!!! It was so enjoyable just being together ALONE! The game was GREAT and Kev was super happy that we spent our anniversary in his "world". We drove home and I stayed the night at my parents (Peyton was already sleeping when we got there). The girls and I finally drove home Monday morning and spent most of the day unpacking and washing clothes.
It was a great week with family, but I'm so very happy to be back home! Thanks to all my family that helped us out this last week. We really appreciate everything you do!! Love you all!

Sleep

I am having the most frustrating time with Reagan. She hates to sleep!!! The worst part is that she is waking up 2 or 3 times during the night crying. She doesn't seem scared or anything, just mad because she is uncomfortable or her blanket fell off or just because. Peyton is the total opposite of Reagan in that department. She is absolutely the best sleeper ever!!! You never have to worry about her. She needs to be to bed by 6-7pm and will sleep till 7:30am. She can not handle being off her schedule at all!!! She is a mess if she doesn't get her required amount of sleep!
Anyways......will I ever sleep again? I really thought by the time Reagan was 2 she would have no problem sleeping........I was VERY wrong. I know I have at least 5 more months till the baby comes but I'm kinda in panic mode. Peyton is suppose to move into Reagan's room but that can't happen until Reagan can sleep through the night. I know God has a plan but that room is the only option we have when you have a 3 bedroom house!!! I'm just venting because I'm exhausted and I can't see an end in sight! Especially when there is a new baby coming into the mix. That is a guaranteed no sleep zone until he/she is 4 months or so. So my question is.....will I ever get a full, uninterrupted night of sleep again??? I know in my head I will, but my body is telling me no :)
On a happier note, I have been feeling the baby A LOT today. It has decided to kick me very hard multiple times today!! It is nice to know that everything is going good in there. I REALLY enjoy feeling the baby move! It is 6 days until the ultrasound! Then I can blog a him or her! I'm so excited!! Well I hope you have a Merry Christmas!!! I will be MIA for the next couple of weeks because of all the Christmas' we are going to!! Hopefully the weather holds up! Talk to you all later!

Oh Christmas

This month has already been a busy one. Every weekend we have something going on which forces us to travel. That's what happens when you live in a small town :) This weekend we have Kev's business party in Des Moines on Friday night. We then will drive to Waterloo that night so we can be back for a breakfast party at a friends house by 10am on Sat. Saturday night I have nursery at church (don't I get enough kid time during the day :) Then Sunday will just be a day at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Then starts another week. Followed by 2 family Christmas'. Then "real" Christmas comes and then our anniversary weekend in Minn. All the sudden it will be January!!! But before the "real" Christmas I will be having an ultrasound to find out what this little bean is. 13 days and counting!! I'm so EXCITED!! Everyone needs to think blue!!
I love Christmas music!! I have it playing almost constantly in my house. 1st, because I like it. 2nd, because the girls LOVE to dance to it!! Peyton is becoming one of the best dancers. She can dance sitting or standing! A very talented child! Reagan is a hip shaker....I have NO IDEA where she got that!
We are definitely enjoying the holiday season! We hope all of you are too and I'm sure we will see many of you soon!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well, it is now Sunday, already, of the Thanksgiving weekend. It has gone so fast and ALWAYS goes so fast. On Thursday we headed to the Amana Colonies, Ox Yoke Inn. The food was GREAT and it was so nice to see my family. Unfortunately with such a huge group (23 people) I didn't get to talk to many of my relatives :( The other bad thing about a restaurant is trying to keep the girls under control. The Lord was so good to us.........the girls were PERFECT. No crying or outbursts the 2 hours we were there. And it was during their nap time!!! Thank God!
On Friday Kevin's dad came to visit us (his mom was sick ). The girls love spending time with their grandparents no matter how long they stay. Reagan had a lot of fun with him and I've never seen Peyton sit on someones lap that long!!! He stayed until Saturday afternoon and we all had a good time.
On Saturday I was able to go into Waterloo and go to a movie with some of my girlfriends. It was so great to be childless for a afternoon! I even got to go grocery shopping by myself! When I got home we had Peyton open her presents for her 1st birthday. She had so much fun with the bags and tissue paper!! I liked the gifts!!!! She didn't seem to care but that would be her age. I can't believe 1 year ago I was having her!! The time flew by!! We are going to finish her birthday with a cake today!! I'll get lots of pictures of the birthday cake face. Don't worry!!
I loved waking up to snow on the ground!! Especially since we didn't have to go anywhere today!! We have our beautiful Christmas lights up on our porch and we will finish this wonderful day with putting up our Christmas tree tonight. What a GREAT day!!
This week is kinda an exciting one for me. Monday Peyton will get her 1 year shots....not exciting. Wednesday, though, I have my second OB appointment which I'm very excited about. I haven't had one since I was 9 weeks so this 16 week appointment will be fun. I'll actually get to hear the heartbeat with the doppler!!! This will also be the appointment where we will schedule the gender ultrasound!! There finally will be a date set to see what this little pumpkin is!!! I can't wait!! I hope all your Thanksgiving were great too!!!

Showers

This might sound a little ridiculous but I love showers!! It is so hard to find time to shower now-a-days. There usually is a child up about 6:30 am......I'm NOT getting up before that!!:) And all day long they need supervision, especially Miss Peyton. That child does not listen and is so stubborn. (Please, I already know where she got it) By the time 8:30-9pm comes around I need to pick up the toys, do the dishes, and try to get caught up on the laundry. Finally my "chores" are done and all I want to do is lay in bed.
I was just thinking back to those times where I would get up every morning and think I "needed" to shower. Will those days EVER come back?? I hope so. I really don't want to be known as the "stinky" mom. :)
Wow, that was a rant. Anyways, I actually got a shower this morning! Peyton went down for a early nap and I put Reag's in here high chair with a movie and playdoh. It's so nice to feel clean (and shaven). Kev will really like that my leg hair isn't as long as his anymore. (I know, too much info.)
Just wanted to share my random comments and remember to enjoy your showers!!!

Another week....

Both of the girls are taking naps....YES!!! They are so sweet but I enjoy my alone time too. I am so excited for the holidays!! There is something about this time of year that makes my heart happy. I can't wait for the girls to get a little older so we can start our own traditions. Right now all we can focus on is not letting them destroy the tree :)
We are going to the Amana Colonies this Thursday for Thanksgiving with my side of the family. I think we have 23 people so it was decided to go to the Ox Yolks Restaurant to handle that many people. It will be so much fun. Both the girls eat regular food so no baby food needs to be brought!!! YEAH!!! This weekend we plan on putting up our Christmas decorations (just our tree) and also celebrating Peyton's 1st birthday. We are not planning a party or anything... she won't know what's going on anyways :) I cannot believe she is already going to be 1. The first year is definitely hard but it has flown by. I love watching both the girls grow and become their own person. God has truly blessed Kev and I.
It is very easy for me to get caught up in the chaos and work that it takes to raise these girls. It really is hard for me to just relax and enjoy the time I have with them. I need to remember that they are not mine but God's. He is loaning them to me for a while. The Lord is so good to give them to us.
This 3rd one is also a HUGE blessing that I haven't enjoyed yet. I'm in my 15th week of pregnancy now and am feeling good. Many times I forget that I am pregnant because the baby isn't moving that much yet. Soon he/she will keep reminding me they are in there. I have my next appt. on December 3rd and can't wait. I didn't get to hear the heartbeat at my 9 week appt. so it will be so nice to hear it with the doppler. At that appt. I should schedule my ultrasound for the end of December, beginning of January. That will be an exciting appt. This is my last pregnancy and at times I'm sad it will be ending for good. These exciting moments will forever be gone but I know will be replaced with other exciting moments. There is so many more memories that will be coming our way. It may not be baby memories but it will be peeing on the potty, tying our shoes for the first time, first day of school, first crush and so many more. I'm so excited to go through all these moments with Kev and my kids.
Remember during these holidays to really enjoy your family and remember the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus was born which is better then any present or cookie there is!!!!

What a weekend!

This weekend was such a blessing for Kev and myself. We actually were able to go out with some friends to dinner, the UNI volleyball game, and then dessert. I can't tell you the last time we were able to go out, without the girls, with a FUN group of couples! It was such a BLAST! My mom was gracious enough to watch the girls and put them to bed. We just LOVE her!! The girls love spending time with their grandparents and don't really want to leave when it's time to go home :)
The girls are growing, growing, growing!! Yesterday Reagan counted to 10 all by herself!!! It was so awesome to see because it's not something we've worked on. I'll count when we are going up the steps and just for fun but we've never "practiced it". It was amazing to see how smart she is!! And Miss Peyton is just a walking around like crazy. She has great balance now and is getting pretty fast. I see running in her future VERY SOON!! Their personalities are so different but so entertaining and fun to see come out! I've decided that I Love these ages! The first year is officially not my favorite but when they get to 1 I really start to enjoy it!!
I just have to try to enjoy it one more time for this 3rd baby. Can you believe I'm almost to 14 weeks?? While I was going through the first trimester I thought this time would never come but now that I'm here it seems to have flown by. I am feeling this baby every once in a while, which is really fun!! It just helps to assure me that everything is going well in there :)
The holidays are right around the corner and will make this second trimester fly by. I should be getting an ultrasound at the end of December so that will be here before I know it! Kev is not sure if he wants to know, but I definately do!! I think it would be kinda fun to keep it a secret from him. The problem is that everyone is going to want to know.......how are they all going to keep a secret??? Maybe I'll have to be the only one to know!! I'm going to the ultrasound by myself.....again (he only came for Reag's) so if he doesn't want to know, there will be less temptation! We will have to see how that plays out!! I bet it would be hard for him not to know and me to know. I'll keep you updated on what is decided!! I hope you all have a great week!!

What a Day!!

Some days are easier then others. Yesterday was a VERY HARD day. I have never felt the way I did yesterday. I was so tired that I could barely move. It was the weirdest most annoying feeling ever. Bless Kevin's heart, he cleaned the house for me. I stayed in bed from 6 to when I went to bed. I literally COULD NOT move. I'm so glad today is better. Reagan and I were able to go outside this morning and play. It's so nice to be able to go outside with just her. Peyton was taking her nap and Reagan and I really got to spend some good, quality time together.

I was really hoping that because this is my 12th week of pregnancy my morning sickness would "magically" disappear. I was SO very wrong about that assumption. I'm still having waves of nausea daily. When is it going to end???? Not soon enough :)

The girls and I are headed to Waterloo for the weekend. Kevin is busy with work stuff (a very hard Saturday at the Iowa/Penn State game). It's a hard life for him isn't it?? SO the girls and I will be hanging out with Grandma Renee. The girls love hanging out with their grandparents. Somebody fun and new! That will be our weekend......Hope you have a good one too!!!