Monday, October 29, 2007

Baby Girl

What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Girls are made of sugar 'n spice,
Everything sweet, & everything nice,
Girls are ruffles, bonnets, and bows,
Dimpled smiles and dancing toes,
They're tears and giggles, dolls and curls,
That's how it is with little girls.
Here are the ultrasound photos from Thursday. I am not sure why they even let us see her in 3D, because she is kinda scary looking!
What a face! Her eye sockets look huge! She gave us a thumbs up and we could see her yawning - I agree little one, it was early!
Our stubborn one, decided to open her little legs for about 3 seconds at the very end of the ultrasound. I was quite worried that we weren't going to find out! Nancy told us that the 3 little white lines indicates labia vs. penis!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Half Way There & It's A.....


Wow! We are at 20 weeks today, even though the baby is measuring at 19 weeks, 3 days. Approximate weight is 11oz! This baby is extremely stubborn, which doesn't surprise us very much (at least we are both to blame)! Nancy, the ultrasound tech was just about ready to give up on determining the sex when she saw 3 little white lines which indicate that it's a
GIRL!!
We are soooooooooo excited to be adding a little girl to our family. Rob can't wait to have Daddy's Little Girl!
Our appointment was on Cascade Rd. and I didn't stop crying (tears of joy) until we got home! I am just waiting for Isaac to finish his lunch so that we can go run some errands. We might just have to stop by a store or two to buy something pink! Isaac has been singing the "It's a girl, we're having a girl" song since we left the Dr's office! He is so happy to be having a baby sister. He would have been really disappointed if it wasn't a girl! My brother Jon doesn't know what he is going to do when he takes both of them to Chuck E Cheese's, because he doesn't think that he can take a girl into the boys bathroom. I told him that he was going to have to get a girlfriend. A lot can happen in 3 years, trust me!
Now we have to settle on a name. I should probably delete the poll, because I think we are leaning towards Abigail Elaine!!
It can change at any time, so we won't be getting anything embroidered at this point!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Happy Birthday Jon & Joe

Jon & Joe turned 20 on October 19th. It's hard to believe that they aren't teenagers anymore! This was the first year that the boys haven't celebrated their birthdays together. It didn't hit me until we sang "Happy Birthday" and only had to say "dear Jon" instead of listening to everyone say "Jon and Joe", or "Joe & Jon"! I tried to call Joe on his birthday, but his fiance was in town, so that automatically makes me chopped liver! At least I was able to say "Happy Birthday to his voicemail :o)
It seems like just yesterday I could hold them in my arms and dress them up like girls... it's amazing how fast they grew up. We have had our ups and downs like all siblings do, but at the end of the day, no matter how mad they make me, I am very proud to call them my little monsters!!

We spent the evening at Chuck E Cheese's (which we probably wouldn't have been able to do if Joe was here!)
Lots of boys having lots of fun
The boys playing games like they were in the casino...

Monday, October 22, 2007

Pumpkin Carving

Here are some pics from years past - we love Halloween around here! As soon as we carve our 3 pumpkins this year, I will be sure to post them! Isaac thinks that he is going to be a Clone Trooper, but I have a feeling that he is going to be a Power Ranger because he has the costume and accessories already!!!
Last year we went as Bonnie & Clyde after they were murdered (notice bullet holes). There would have been a picture of me, but we got so drunk so quick that we completely forgot. The guy behind Rob was a chick magnet - so funny.
Pretty scary! It's just one more reason why we decided to home school! Actually, he was just saying "cheese" - I promise!
Halloween 2005 we went as Cinderella (although everyone thought I was Snow White - what the...?!) and Black Metal!
Isaac's first experience with Pumpkin Guts - his face tells it all!
Trick-or-Treating at the Fire Dept. where we stayed nice and warm
Isaac's first Halloween - mom and I made his costume together - so much fun!
Ahh, our pumpkin that was carved only using Pampered Chef tools. Rob and I made a wonderful team that year - he made all of the major cuts and I did the detail work. It's a pumpkin that we have to live up to!


Thursday, October 18, 2007

Left to his own devices...

I leave Rob alone on the computer while I enjoy a peaceful hour of Grey's Anatomy and this is what happens!! It's quite becoming, don't you think?!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Klackles in the Rain

We were troopers this weekend! It was drizzling a bit on Sunday morning when we woke, but we were so excited to go to Klackles with everyone, we packed our rain gear and off we went! Actually, Rob packed the rain gear - he is awesome at remembering the things that I never think about! We arrived at Steve & Ann's house around 11am and about 15-17 of us took off for apple/pumpkin picking fun :o)


My hairy husband! I can't believe how long his beard is - and it isn't going anywhere until March! Of course, Halloween costumes this year are inspired by "the beard"!


The gang- Liz & Patrick, Steve, Ann & Liam (in stroller), Mark & Sharon behind and Rob & Isaac leading the pack. Not pictured, but were there to splash in the puddles were: Cathy & Keagan, Shannon & friend, Kathryn, JT & Layla! Always good for a goofy face
Over 3 feet tall already - yikes!
Muscle Man


From left to right: Keagan (3), Liam (2), Isaac (3)Rob, Patrick, Liz, and Steve competing in the Klacklopolis 500
Rob and Isaac taking a go at it - they won!!!!
Hi Mom!!

We didn't purchase these particular pumpkins, but it was the only opportunity for a photo!We were all soaking wet, but nobody complained - we were having too much fun to notice!! We all stopped by the big red barn to enjoy some much needed hot cider/chocolate and doughnuts!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Update

We went to Rob's dr. appointment this morning and everything seems to be moving in a positive direction! He is regaining control of the muscles in the right side of his face - his smile is still crooked, but he can wink at me again! Dr. Meleca says that recurrence chances are virtually non-existent - yay! He also said that Bell's Palsy can be caused by a fan blowing directly on your face - time to move that fan out of the bedroom! Rob will go back in 6 weeks to get re-checked to make sure he is back to 100% functionality. If not, they will x-ray his face to get a clear picture of the nerve that causes the paralysis. Thanks for all of the positive comments, it means a lot to us :o)

Monday, October 8, 2007

Beautiful Fall Weekend

First things first, and update on Rob:

He is doing very well. Luckily there is no pain associated with the 'paralyzation'. I made him an appointment with the ENT Dr. that put the tubes in Isaac's ears 2 years ago. According to the ER dr., he will be having nerve stimulation done at this appointment. We were just glad to know of a dr. in the area so that we wouldn't have to drive all the way to Ludington! Rob came home on Saturday and met us Downtown Rockford - we were soooo excited to see him. He was more excited to sleep in his own bed - it had been 10 nights!!!

We got a special surprise on Saturday night - Army Uncle Joe came home for the weekend! He actually stuck around and visited with us (vs. going out with friends)... I am taking him back to the airport in Detroit for his flight out at 10:30am on Tuesday. I am not a morning person, but I will make a sacrifice for a couple of hours of visiting time with Joe, plus it's a nice excuse to stop at Frenz for coffee!

Enjoy the pictures and I will update on Rob as we know more!!
Getting ready to climb the rockwall at Powers
The Scarecrow that Isaac and Nana put together Isaac at the top of the wall under the bridge that he climbed on his own
Being goofy
Isaac & Joe playing Better Batter Baseball!!

Baseball in October

Friday, October 5, 2007

Bell's Palsy

When I talked to Rob last night (who is still working in Manistee), he mentioned that after he had bitten into an apple and felt a 'pop' in his jaw. Since then, his face has been feeling quite numb. I told him my famous phrase, "well, if it gets worse go to the urgent care... we have insurance, don't be afraid to use it."
I get a call this morning from him as he was on his way back to work from the ER. They diagnosed him with Bell's Palsy. Automatically I 'freaked out', partly due to the fact that I lived next door to a girl who had Cerebral Palsy and it's just natural for me to associate the two because of the "Palsy" word. Luckily they are completely unrelated. The cause Bell's Palsy is unclear, although some experts have linked it to the herpes virus, which causes the common cold sore. A few weeks ago Rob complained about a couple of cold sores that just wouldn't go away...
According to WebMD, "Many health problems can cause weakness or paralysis of the face. If a specific reason cannot be found for the weakness, the condition is called Bell's palsy." It sounds like most people recover on their on after a couple of weeks, even without medications. The doctors at the ER gave him an anti-viral and a steroid to relieve the symptoms, although they haven't been proven to be effective treatments. He is scheduled to go to an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist in 2 weeks to have "nerve stimulation" done. Hopefully between the quick diagnosis, medications, and the ENT appointment, there won't be any permanent damage to his nerves. IF it gets worse, there is a possibility of him needing surgery, but we aren't going to go there at this point!!!
It's amazing what we take for granted in life... we can get so caught up in the stresses of everyday life; working, paying the bills, marriage, kids, etc. As much as we try to let ourselves appreciate each other, our friends and family, and our health, many of these other stresses get in the way of our happiness. This is a wonderful reminder to put those things aside and take a moment to forget about all of the things that society says we need to be happy and think about what truly brings us peace and happiness!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Goodbye September!










Wowzers! September flew by so quickly - I cannot believe that October has arrived!

We ended September with quite a bang! We spent the Friday night (Rob also had a concert in Kzoo that night) and Saturday afternoon celebrating Sherry's birthday and really enjoyed Hanover's Fall Festival! Then it was off to Whitehall to Jason and Tanya's wedding on Saturday night. Luckily my grandparents live minutes away so we spent the night there...
On Sunday we were finally able to visit with Joe Lighthart at his new home. I got to cuddle with his nephew Joshy (and yes, I left the camera in the car so you will have to go here to see his adorable little face)!! And if that weren't enough, Rob had to drive back to Whitehall that night so that he could spend the week in Manistee. We miss him like crazy, and probably won't see him until late Saturday or possibly Sunday - yuck!
We are looking forward to all that October has in store for us - costumes, pumpkins, doctor's appointments, oh my!!

17 weeks


Yay!! Rob was able to feel the baby move this weekend - it was almost like the baby knew that he was going to be gone for the week and kicked just a little bit harder!

I got the "go ahead" from Rob to order our gdiapers starter kit this week! I cannot wait - I am unbelievably excited!!!!!!!!!!!! We plan on using the gdiapers with cloth inserts instead of the flushable inserts that they were intended for. It just doesn't seem as cost effective?! It's too funny because I am leery to spend the $$ on the covers, $30 just seems like a lot for some reason. If I really stop and think about it, I could easily spend $30 on disposables in just one month. Multiply that by the number months a typical baby spends in diapers and it makes you not want to have kids at all ;o) Luckily, gdiapers has a wonderful group on yahoo! where people are willing to send their covers for $6/cover. I at least want 2 brand new ones... call me selfish?! I am still debating on whether or not to purchase other brands as back up... diapering dilemmas, who knew!!

Just 3 weeks until we find out whether our Mexican jumping bean is a nino or nina! Then I can finally start buying things, like our MAM bottles that Babies R Us stopped carrying! As soon as I have diapers and bottles (although I plan on nursing), I will be able to rest easy and feel prepared!

Watch out world, here I come!

This is so my life

This is so my life