Ultrasound/NST

Last Wednesday we had our last ultrasound. Everything looked great and I am measuring exactly to my due date of April 25th. She is already head down and weighs around 5lbs 12oz. I am hoping Dana, our friend and ultrasound tech, is a little off or else I might be having a gigantic baby. Please pray for me! Dana also stated that she has big feet and a full head of hair. We are getting really excited to meet this baby girl and can't wait to see what she looks like. We didn't get any good photos because she wasn't cooperating, her face was to my back the entire time.

The Non-Stress Tests are still going good. Last week the darn machine kept eating the paper, so instead of laying for 20 minutes, I ended up being in there for an entire hour! The baby usually has multiple accelerated heart rates within that time, but last week we could barely get 2 on the paper. I know her heart rate accelerated more than 2x, but because of that stupid machine the doctor didn't seem too thrilled with the results. So, hopefully this week she does a lot better and that darn machine doesn't eat the results.

I also had 2 baby showers this past weekend, so I will post about those later. They were both a really good time, but man am I tired! Stay tuned to read about all the fun:)

What a Weekend!!

This weekend was a good one for me, but not so good for Gary. It all started with me coming home on Friday to hear that our sump pump was running non-stop. It has been doing that for a few days and we usually just unplug it and plug it back in and it works just fine. However, this time was different. I unplugged the darn thing and then went to plug it back in and nothing! I tried this 2 or 3 times to make sure there was still power and each time no pump. GREAT!!! I called Gary and explained to him what was happening, needless to say he was a little ticked off. (Our basement had just flooded about a week and half ago for about the 4th time, hence why he was a little upset.) So I sat next to the pump for about an hour with the wet/dry vac waiting for water to overflow and for Gary to return home to fix it. When he got home he checked the pump and the darn thing had fried. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! We just bought that pump a year ago and already it was junk. We were not happy. So, Gary had to run to Lowe's to get a new pump and I continued to sit next to the pump making sure the basement wouldn't flood. Finally at 9pm the pump was fixed and working great. What a great start to the weekend!!

Saturday morning Gary had to work and I had to run into work for a couple hours. We left Kodie at home to sleep in. Kodie called me close to 11am to tell me that the basement had flooded....WHAT THE HELL!! He said that he was getting ready to eat breakfast and didn't hear the pump and went down stairs and found the damage. Luckily my dad was on his way over and was able to get he pump going again until Gary got home. I'm not really sure why the pump stopped working and I really didn't want to ask since Gary spent the entire day sucking up water and I went to a baby shower. By the end of the day, the basement was water free, thanks to my hardworking hubby and son!

Sunday started out as a good day, but by mid afternoon, not so good for Gary once again. It all started with Kodie and I raking leaves and enjoying the weather. I had decided to take a break from raking because I knew I was going to pay for it later if I didn't. I went inside to do some laundry when I heard someone yelling in the back yard. I looked in the back and saw Gary stomping up to the house with his face as red as can be. I just got out of his way and let him do his thing, whatever that was. I then saw him and Kodie with 2x4's walking out to the lawnmower..yes you guessed it, Gary got the lawnmower stuck. Let me tell you, he didn't just get it stuck in the yard, he pretty much buried the darn thing. He had to tow the mower out using his trusty Pathfinder! (I hope you are all laughing as hard as I was when I found this out.) The poor guy just couldn't catch a break this weekend. The weekend ended with a good steak dinner that I made on the grill (this was my first) and then decided that everyone could use a little Maggie Moo's. Ice cream always makes everyone feel a little better, even after a weekend like this:)

Baby Update: This Wednesday we have an ultrasound to check fetal growth and to see which way she is laying. The midwife and myself think she is transverse, so I will be interested to see. Can't wait and will update everyone later this week.

Night Away

Last Saturday Jamie and I took a small break from everything and went to a bed & breakfast for the night. Kodie stayed with my brother.

First we went to Houlihan's for dinner. It was the first time we had been there and let me tell ya, it was good. Great food, great service and reasonably priced. It is on the west end of the Lansing Mall. I would recommend you try it. http://www.houlihans.com/

The place were we stayed was called the Wild Goose Inn. http://www.wildgooseinn.com/
It sits off Grand River in East Lansing. It was a very nice, very quaint place. We had an incredibly relaxing evening. If you click on the link below you can take a virtual tour of the room we stayed in.
http://ext.dynamiteinc.com/wildgooseinn/greatlakes.html

Even our breakfast in the morning was delicious. Jamie had the french toast and I had an omelet.

Jamie in the tub. Too many bubbles!

Also, Kodie had his last hockey game of the season. We lost to the Lansing Capitals at home. Just a couple weeks off and then it's time for spring hockey.

Big Bear Tournament

Kodie's hockey team was in a Big Bear Hockey Tournament two weekends ago. The tournament was played in Jackson, Chelsea and Ann Arbor. We only managed to win one game in the preliminary round (first 3 games) and we came back from a 1-4 deficit with 5 minutes left to win 5-4 in the last dying seconds. We beat the same team in the consolation game 4-3 on Sunday. The game was played at Munn Ice Arena which is wear the Michigan Wolverine's play. Here are all the game scores: Beat Yellowjackets 4-3 (2/22), Lost to KZoo 3-2 (2/21), Lost to Grosse Ile 7-4 (2/21), Beat Yellowjackets 5-4 (2/20).

Sunday after the game Kodie, Logan and I went to BD's for lunch. My brother drove up & met us and we went to Troy to a sports shop called The Goalie's Den. Ty Conklin, the goalie for the Red Wings was signing autographs. I took a really cool picture of him with the two boys, but unfortunately it got screwed up somehow when I tryed to put it on the computer. http://www.thegoaliesden.com/currentevents.htm

Kodie playing at home on Saturday.

Kodie taking the puck away at Munn.

That Saturday night Kodie's friend Logan stayed with us. We met My Mom, Jamie, Dana & Kaiden at the Outback for dinner.

Logan & Kodie

Kaiden looking inelegant

Catching Up

I know it's been awhile since we have updated anything, but it's been really busy lately. It seems like we always have something going on and somewhere to be. I'll try to update you to the best of my ability. I have learned that my memory isn't as good as it use to be, I'm blaming the pregnancy:)

Kodie has had districts and his Little Caesar's playoffs. His team didn't do too well at either and are done for the season. However this weekend, we did enter a Big Bear Tournament here in town. Gary will have to give you scores and more of an update. I can't remember what the scores were to each game or who we even played. I guess I should start writing this stuff down.

We have also started setting up the nursery. Gary surprised me a couple weeks ago with the crib and dresser. That weekend I cleaned all her bedding and clothes that we have received so far and started to put things together. The room is almost done. There are just a few more things that we want to hang on the walls. Here is a picture of the crib. I also attached a photo of a lamp that we bought at Target to put on her dresser. The photo is for my mom, she was trying so hard to find something and wasn't coming up with anything. Mom, I hope you like the lamp.


On Valentine's Day, the three of us spent the day together. Gary and Kodie got me a dozen red roses and then Kodie also got me 2 yellow roses. They were beautiful. We went to Olive Garden for dinner and then went to see "Taken" at the movies. It was a nice low key day!

This past week, I had my 30 week appointment. Everything is going really good and the baby is measuring right on time. Starting the first week of March I will have to start going to the doctors once a week for non-stress tests. The reason for the tests is just to make sure that there isn't any stress on the baby since my ANA is still in the 640's. For those of you that don't know what an ANA is, it is a blood tests that can tell you if you have an auto-immune disease. An example of an auto-immune disease is Lupus. The doctors think this is why I was in the hospital for over a week last June and just want to be extra cautious. I have had many tests to rule out a lot of diseases and they say it could take years before they can pin point which one it is. Since I haven't had any problems since last year, the doctors don't seem to think it's something to worry about. To give you a comparison, a normal person's ANA should be less than 100. Anyway, everything is going good so far with the pregnancy. I can't believe that she is due to arrive in 2 months. Here is an updated photo of my belly. (I didn't realize I was wearing the same outfit as my 26 week photo, but then again I rotate the same 5 outfits for work:)) This past Friday, Gary, myself, and our friends Sarah and Kyle went to see the Bob and Tom Comedy tour at the Wharton Center. It was a great time. They had 5 comedians and to be honest I wouldn't be able to tell you who they were. (I'm telling you, I can't remember anything!) I laughed so hard that my stomach muscles were cramping and I thought I was going to pee my pants a couple of times. I have decided that comedy shows probably aren't the best thing to do when you're almost 8 months pregnant.

I think that just about wraps it up. I'll do my best to keep this thing updated better. Until next time, take care!

Best Son Ever!!!

Lately, everyone keeps asking me if Kodie is getting excited about becoming a big brother. I always tell them that he is, but I guess I didn't realize just how excited he was until last week. On Thursday and Friday of last week he didn't have any school because of the frigid weather. He was extremely bored Friday and was thinking of things he could do. Not to change the subject but let me start by saying that the nursery is no where close to being ready. (This will all make sense in a minute) We haven't done anything to it because we are waiting on the crib and dresser to arrive. In the meantime, we have just been throwing stuff in the room either on boxes or in boxes. Last year we received a glider chair from Gary's mom and brother for Christmas and never got around to putting it together. So when we found out we were pregnant, we knew we wanted to put it in the nursery. The chair along with some other items for the baby have just been thrown in room waiting for us to tackle this big job. I hope you can imagine how bad this room looked. When I got home from work on Friday, Kodie wanted to show me a surprise in the nursery. When I walked into the room, I just about lost it. (Those darn emotions) This is what I found...

Kodie had decided to organize the nursery!! He put together the glider and sat it in a corner of the room. The baby received a Raggedy Ann doll and stuffed animal for Christmas, so he took those items out of the box and sat them in the glider. He also put the bassinet that we received from Gary's mom in another corner. He went on to fold all of her clothes and put them under the bassinet and hang the clothes that were on hangers on the side of the bassinet. I could go on and on about what he did, but I think that you can get the hint that he arranged the entire nursery for us. He had everything put away and organized and all of the boxes had disappeared.

So, to answer the question about Kodie getting excited about being a big brother, I think that would be a big YES! Gary and I are so lucky to already have such a wonderful son and we can't wait to add a little girl to our family. I know that this little girl is going to steal Kodie's heart and he will forever be totally protective of her. She will never have to worry about a thing because she will always know that her big brother will do anything for her. We all can't wait to meet this little baby girl that will melt all of our hearts!!

26 1/2 Weeks

All I can say is, "HOLY COW!" I went to the doctors yesterday and you wouldn't believe how much weight I gained in 4 short weeks. I gained so much that when the nurse took me into the room she asked me what I read on the scale. I told her what I read and she said that she read the same thing but it wasn't like me to gain that much weight. She went on to ask me if I was wearing different clothes and I said, "no", she then asked if my shoes were off and I said, "yes." She couldn't believe that the number could be sooo high so she took me back out and weighed me one more time just to make sure. Yup, the scale said the same thing...10 pound weight gain!!!! I told her that I just ate lunch and maybe that is why the scale was reading so much, she then said, "what did you eat...2 pounds of pasta?" I guess that was my clue that I couldn't have gained that much weight just from lunch. Then the doctor came in and said, "Well you gained some weight, lately!" What could I say but, "It seems that way." I asked him if I could continue to walk on my treadmill since my ankles have been swelling lately and he said that he didn't want me to stop. He stated that if I stopped he was afraid that I would gain even more weight and he didn't want that. So finally after 10 minutes of discussing my gigantic weight gain with the nurse and doctor, I was finally able to hear the baby's heart beat. Her heart was beating in the 140's and I was measuring right at 26 weeks. So needless to say, this was not one of my favorite appointments. I guess I am gonna have to start watching what I am eating and how much. I'm sure not going to starve myself, but I think that I could do without all those cookies that I have been eating lately:)

Here is my 26 1/2 week photo. You can definitely tell that I am getting bigger...I'm sure those 10 pounds helped!! How frustrating.

One last update.

One final update from last weekend. Jamie & I went to visit my youngest brother Ryan Saturday the 10th. He is doing very well. He is in good health and good spirits. As usual, we had a wonderful time joking and laughing.

Still catching up

On Saturday, January 3rd we met Kelly, Klint & Macy at Cascerelli's in Homer for some pizza after I got out of work. Kodie and Macy got to exchanged gifts. We had a nice time although the pizza was not that great.




The following Sunday, January 11th was my Mom's birthday ( 32) ha ha. We went to dinner at Red Lobster with Mom, Jamie, Dana and Kaiden. We had a good time. Kaiden kept us entertained making funny faces while sucking on lemons.

Cleveland

The weekend after Christmas, Kodie had a hockey tournament in Cleveland OH. Actually, it wasn't even a tournament. One of the teams in our division is from Cleveland. In return for us going there to play our 1 required league game, they set us up with 3 more games with 3 different teams. In all we played 4 games. We lost both games we played on Saturday but were able to play a little better Sunday as we tied both games. Kodie and I went by ourselves and had a really good time.

The first game we played was our division game. Their rink is actually 2 rinks side by side with a glass dividing wall running down the center. The glass slides together in the middle and the side walls lift in the air to combine the 2 sheets of ice into 1 for speed skating.

After the game the other team took us all out to this really neat bar called Geppetto's for pizza. They really went out of their way to accommodate us.

The entire team stayed at a Holiday Inn Express about 5 miles outside of Cleveland. Saturday night we all order pizza and the kids and coaches exchanged gifts. The kids even got to swim for a little bit. Here is Kodie & Joe Boldt in the sauna.

The first game on Sunday was probably Kodie's best game of the 4. The rink was really neat. They took an old school and turned part of it into a fitness club. One of the old gymnasiums was converted into the ice rink. On the other side of the hallway there is another rink which looks new. They do professional figure skating there.

In between games on Sunday Kodie & I drove around a little. We went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We went inside and looked around but didn't go into the actual museum because there wasn't enough time. All in all it was a good weekend.

It's Been Awhile!

Well, it's been forever since we have updated the blog. The holidays are always so busy that it is hard enough to get everything done on time, as most of you know. I will try to remember everything that we have done over the last month to get you back up to date. Here it goes...

On Thursday, the 18th we did Christmas with the BeViers. It was a nice evening. I made sloppy joes for dinner and Melissa brought some yummy gingerbread cookies for desert. Kodie got just what he wanted which was the Call of Duty 4 X-box game. Gary and I recieved a family picture that Melissa took of us in the fall with a frame, but minus the frame. We haven't found a frame that we like yet, so the frame is coming as soon as we can find one. But I have a feeling, it is going to look awesome when it is complete. As soon and everyone was done opening presents, Tyler and him went straight down stairs and started playing the game. We practically had to tear them away from the game when it was time for Tyler to leave.

Kodie and Tyler both got autographed
pictures of Dallas Drake.

Kodie had a hockey game on Saturday the 20th against the Michigan jaguars from Troy. After the game we went to his grandma and grandpa Wortman's for Christmas #2. We ate pizza, watched the Red Wings, and opened presents. As always, Kodie made out like a bandit. One of the gifts he received was Uno Flash. It is a timed game and completely different than the original Uno. Kodie, Leann, and myself played 3 games in less than 30 minutes. Leann won every single game and Kodie came in dead last for every game. It was a lot of fun. We all got a bunch of really nice things and the baby even got some really cute clothes.

On the 23rd, I had my 22 week appointment. Everything went great. The babies heart beat was strong and in the 150's and I am measuring right at 22 weeks. I thought that my belly might be a little small compared to other people that I have seen, but the doc assured me that I have nothing to worry about. That was nice to hear since I am still trying to reach my goal of no maternity clothes until the beginning of the year. So far so good:)

That night my sister Ashley, took Gary, Kodie, Tyler, my dad, and myself to the Pistons game for Christmas. If you can remember, that was the night of the horrible weather. We ended up being an hour late to the game. Once we got there we were able to watch the 2nd half of the game and then back on the road we went. The ride home was the worse. Gary was a trooper and we made it home safe around 2 am. So, that night we spent 6 hours in the car to watch the pistons play for an hour and a half. Despite the riding in the car, we all had a blast. It was my dad's and Tyler's first Pistons game. Thanks Ashley for the great Christmas present!!!

On Christmas Eve we went to my dad's. My stepsisters, Jamie and Stacey, both made it home this year. Jamie lives in Boston and Stacey lives in Texas, so we barely are all together at the same time, so it was nice to have them home. Jamie just got engaged to her boyfriend Scott earlier in the week, we are really happy for them both. Scott fits into the family just perfectly. He fits in so well that his gift to Kodie was a piggy bank of a bare butt that every time you put change in it's butt crack it farts. It was the most hilarious thing to listen to....thanks Scott and Jamie:) MaryAnn made a yummy dinner and as always had more than enough deserts to choose from. My dad was quite the entertainer that evening in his Santa boxers, Santa hat, and Christmas tie that lights up and plays music. I'm telling you that there is never a dull moment when you get all of us together. It was really nice night and wish it could have lasted forever.

Finally, a digital camera!

Stacey, Jamie, Jamie & Ashley

Santa Ed!

Jamie's new ornament

Later that evening my mom, sister, and I went to a Christmas Eve service at WestWinds. It has always been a tradition of ours to go to church on Christmas eve and the last few years we haven't been able to do that, so it was really nice that this year we made it a point to go. The service was nice and so spending time with my mom and sister. After that we all opened our new Christmas P J's. It's our yearly tradition.

Christmas day was very nice. The day started with the three of us and my mom opening presents. It was a morning full of surprises. Kodie received his Red Wings Datsyuk jersey that he has been wanting forever and Gary received his Winter Classic Red Wings Lidstrom jersey. Gary and Kodie surprised me by getting me the crib for the baby. (more on the crib in a later post, lets just say DRAMA) I was so excited and surprised that all I could do was cry. Those darn emotions, I just can't control them. Later that morning, my sister came over and we did Christmas with her and my mom. We all got a lot of nice things and the baby even did pretty good for not even being here yet. You can tell she is going to be spoiled my many people when she arrives. My mom and I (more my mom than me) made Christmas dinner for Gary's family. We made a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn bread casserole, and rolls. Gary's brother made green bean casserole and also brought ham and sweet potatoes and his mom brought her famous apple pie. Needless to say, we had more than enough food to eat. After dinner we opened presents with them and received some more nice things. Let's just say, Santa was very generous this year to everyone.

Sidney's Christmas Bone

The day after Christmas, my mom, sister, and I went to Lopez's Taco House and met my Aunt Sue and Elisa for lunch. Lopez's is located in Albion and they have the best tacos ever. We have all been going there for years and it still tastes the same. It was nice to catch up with them and visit. I really miss seeing them and hanging out. When I was little we always did everything together, just the five of us girls. Lunch brought back a bunch of good memories and good laughs:)

On Saturday, I finally broke down and went maternity shopping with my mom. Needless to say, I think my mom enjoyed the experience more than I did. I tried on a million different clothes and spent a small fortune. Although, I have to say that I still haven't worn any of the clothes because I am holding out as long as I can. I think the the day is coming sooner than later because I am running out of tops to wear to work. I can still fit into a lot of my pants because I keep pulling them out of my chest. In the chest are clothes that I kept from when I was chunky during and after college. I knew I kept all those clothes for a reason. All in all, it was nice to spend time with my mom.

On New Year's Eve we did another Christmas with Gary's Uncle John. Gary brought home Sir Pizza for dinner and we opened presents and enjoyed his company. Kodie had his friend Joe Boldt over for the evening. It was a really low key evening, considering I was sick with a darn cold from hell. I am still trying to fight the darn thing, but it was so bad that I ended up not going to work all week. Kodie and Joe stayed up to see the clock hit midnight, which actually surprised Gary and I as much as they were surprised that they did it. Kodie's new year resolution is to not drink any pop for the entire year. If he accomplishes his goal he asked us if Gary and I would pay him $100 bucks, we kindly agreed to take him up on his offer. So far, he has done a good job. Good luck Kodie and your resolution!!

The Winter Classic Game was on New Year's Day. Gary's brother, Jamie, Dana, and Kaiden all came over to watch the game. It was a great game!! The Red Wings put the smack down on the Blackhawks. The only thing that would have made the day even better was if Gary could have gotten to watch it live at Wrigley Field. We tried and tried to get tickets, but the price was ridiculous and they didn't release many to the public. Another bummer was that he couldn't even wear his new jersey because the lettering on the back was a screwed up, so we have to return it. But hey, at least the Wings won!!

All in all the holidays were fun, but I can also say that I am happy that they are over. I hope I didn't forget anything and you were able to stay awake to read my entire novel. I hope everyone had a nice holiday and that everyone's new year is filled with lots of love and happiness.