Half Way!

I am officially half way through the pregnancy. November still seems like a long time away, but it definitely seems closer than it did in February! I think we now have all of the furniture we'll need, and we have set up our baby registry at Babies R Us and Target (though we may need to do some editing). I did ask my Facebook friends their suggestions of what we should register for. I think we registered for just about everything that was suggested, and I'm still open if you think of something we should get. I have said it before, but it's nice having a lot of friends with kids to get advice from them.

We haven't started setting up the baby's room because we have a lot of rearranging to do first, but we'll get there. Matt is working on cleaning out the closet in the office so we can move stuff from the baby's closet in there. The baby's closet is pretty much empty now. I will also have to clean out the dresser drawers.

We really are no closer to naming the baby. I'm not too worried about it, though. We do know he has to have a name before we leave the hospital, but I don't think it would be the worst thing in the world if we haven't named him before we head to the hospital.

I have been feeling him moving around for a couple of weeks now. I'm still not always sure if it is him I am feeling, but there are other times when there is no doubt! I can't wait for Matt to be able to feel him moving, though I worry about the baby getting too strong!

I keep telling everyone what I great pregnancy I have been having. Still no cravings, but no sickness or food aversions either. I know Matt is excited about going out to get sushi when the baby comes. I still want my Diet Coke after the delivery, but I don't crave it like I used to.

Eikeland's Visit

If you read Lisa's blog, you would know that she and the kids came over for a few days. They got here around lunch time Tuesday afternoon. After lunch we put on sunscreen and headed to the beach for a few hours. We had so much fun we didn't realize how long we had been there. It was great that there was a huge tidal pool for Kayleigh (and others) to play in. I took her to the ocean and she did great and kept wanting go to out farther until she got hit in the face with a wave. She took it pretty well, but wanted to go back to the tidal pool. Lisa and I took turns watching Brian. I'm glad Lisa had an umbrella for us to sit under. I don't think Brian enjoyed the beach as much as Kayleigh did, though. Matt was getting dinner started when we got home. He always makes good wings! Both the kids and adults were pooped at the end of the night. I know Matt and I didn't even hear Brian up at night!

I had previously talked to my friend, Virginia, about hanging out with her at her community pool. She is so sweet and didn't mind me inviting us all over. The pool was very nice and both Brian and Kayleigh made new friends. Kayleigh showed off some of what she learned during her swimming lessons and Brian hung out in the zero entry entrance and splashed around. I wish we had thought to take the camera to the beach and the pool, but we didn't. We left and came back for lunch and naps. I think Lisa and I could have taken a nap as well, but we ended up playing games instead. Matt called to say that he was on his way home about the time we were getting ready to head out and go shopping. When it was time to leave, I told Kayleigh the next time she came to visit we would ride the train in the mall. She kept saying "there was a train in the mall. That's silly because the train tracks are outside!" I had dinner put together, so when we were getting ready to come home Matt put it in the oven for us.

Matt put together the travel system the night before and allowed Kayleigh to test it out with the stuffed panda bear we have. After Kayleigh was done pushing the panda around we were playing in the front yard. She would run to Matt and he would pick her up and swing her around.

Later, Kayleigh decided she wanted to take pictures of me and Lisa. Lisa had to keep telling Kayleigh to make sure she could see us in the camera. When it was getting close to bed time, Lisa said she could take 5 more pictures. Then she got to 3 more and said after each one she took "three more because I'm 3!" Here are just a few of them. Some aren't too good, but we had fun!

Travel System

Matt's dad came over for a visit this weekend. We had a nice, but short, visit. We were finally able to take Jim to Clark's Fish Camp Saturday. We tried to go a couple of years ago, but the restaurant and parking lot were flooded. We even found out later that there was an alligator in the bathroom!

We went to church Sunday morning and then to Village Inn for breakfast. Jim left after breakfast and we headed back to church for the Great Expectations luncheon. The Great Expectations ministry is for parents-to-be and they will partner us with a prayer partner. They will also provide meals after the baby is born. After the lunch we went on a tour of the nursery so we know where to take him later.

While Jim was here he offered to buy the travel system for the baby. I had already picked on out that I really like, so we went to Babies R Us to buy it. We went in Jim's car and the box was huge, so he and Matt had to go back later with Matt's truck to bring it home. We are very thankful for this generous gift. I also promise that we won't make you buy something for the baby when you come visit! We love having guests!

The travel system:


The carrier:


The carrier in the stroller:

Crib

Yesterday I went to Babies R Us to buy the crib for the baby. I had a 20% off coupon that expired yesterday, so I went ahead and bought it. The surprise for me was that they had one in stock. I thought we were going to have to wait for it to come in. They let me put it on delayed pick up because there is no way it would fit in my car, so we'll probably go this weekend with Matt's truck. It won't get put together right away. We know that the guest bedroom is going to become the baby's room, so there is a lot of furniture rearranging that is going to have to go on before then. If you are free one weekend and want to come help move furniture, let us know and we'll put you to work! :) We are waiting to buy the mattress. We're just taking it one 20% off coupon at a time! A huge thank you from us and the baby to Matt's mom for offering to buy the crib for us!



We went with the lighter color to match the dresser and night stand that we already have and are passing down to the baby. It is the same one that Lisa and I used growing up that our parents got from my mom's parents. I hope the baby likes heirlooms!! We know that the woods won't be an exact match, but we're okay with that.

It's a coincidence that the bedding they have displayed with the crib is the one I really like. We haven't talked about accessories yet, but don't be surprised if we end up registering for it!

I promise we aren't withholding the baby's name, we just haven't made a decision yet. I am very serious when I say that it could be November before we pick a name. Or it could be July. Who knows?? :)

Baby Clothes

Matt and I went to Kohl's last night because I want to get a few more pairs of maternity shorts. Lisa gave me all of her maternity clothes, which is awesome!, but she mostly had capris, not shorts. Naturally the maternity section is right next to the baby section, so I told Matt to look around there while I was trying on shorts. He found some really cute things, and they were on sale, so we went ahead and bought them. We thought we would go see if they had any baby bedding and passed the picture frame and album area, so we also go a cute picture frame and brag book, because what mom doesn't need a brag book? We also found something cute for Caroline, Nick and Robyn's #2.

It's a BOY!!!

We had our doctor's appointment today to find out the gender of our baby. For some reason I had a feeling that the baby was a boy, but I had no reason to think that way. Matt thought that the baby was a girl, and I'm sure he didn't have a reason for thinking that either. Last night I had a dream that we were having a girl, but that could have been because we just decided on a girl's name this weekend. We haven't settled on a boy's name, though we have thought of many, but they usually don't stick. As soon as we have a name, we'll let you know, but don't be surprised if it isn't until November!! Matt said this morning that he changed his mind and thought the baby was a boy. It was a little last minute for a change, but I'll give it to him since it was before we got to the doctor's office. :)

We got in and out of the doctor's office pretty quickly this morning. The ultrasound tech said that we have a very good looking baby. We were able to see a lot more of the bones this time around. She also said that the baby had hiccups, but he's too small for me to feel them. I do think I have felt the baby move a couple of times, but I'm not sure. I know I saw the boy parts before the tech pointed them out to us, but since I'm not always sure of what I am looking at I didn't say anything, so I wasn't surprised when she said that we're having a boy. I always wanted to have a boy first, but I would have been just as thrilled to have a girl!! If you read my brother and sister-in-law's blog you will see that before their appointment to find out what they are having I said that they are having a girl (they are) and we are having a boy (we are). I am not a gender picking expert, but I am better than Lisa is!

We also met with one of the doctors. They rotate who I see each visit because it is just whoever is on call that day who delivers the baby. It was very quick, and I go back in 4 weeks for another visit.

Here are 4 pictures from the ultrasound:

A Weekend to Remember

Matt and I went to the Weekend to Remember conference this weekend in St. Augustine. I have been wanting to go for a few years and Matt finally agreed to go this year. We signed up back in January and got a 2 for 1 deal, so that made it even better! There were 6 other couples that we knew there. A few stayed at the hotel where the conference was, the rest of us drove home at night.

The purpose of the weekend is to learn how to:

* Receive your mate as a gift
* Clarify your role as a husband or wife
* Resolve conflict in the relationship
* Maintain a vital sexual connection
* Express forgiveness to one another
* Increase your commitment, creating an even deeper level of intimacy

Friday night was 2 sessions, the first session talked about why marriages fail. Then we talked about different communication styles. One thing that I took away from Friday night is that your spouse is not the enemy. Saturday was a long day for a couple of reasons. First, I had to wake up to the sound of an alarm clock. Yes, I do hear Matt's alarm go off in the morning, but I don't have to get up. I had to get up Saturday. Second, we had 5 sessions to sit through. They are all really good, so the time went by quickly, but I have a hard time sitting still for that long! One session was about how to handle conflicts. Of course, the session that we were all looking forward to was Marriage After Dark. I'm not going to get into that one, but I think you can figure it out! :) This morning was fun because we were broken up into men and women so the men and women could learn about their roles in marriage and as a parent. We ended with 2 short sessions about what makes marriages thrive and how to leave a legacy.

It wasn't all about sitting and learning, though. Saturday we had an extended time for lunch, so we went out to lunch with 2 other couples to catch up with them. Saturday ended early so each couple could go on a date. If you know any thing about us, you know that we go out to dinner far to often, but Matt made a reservation at Blackstone Grille. Neither of us had been there before, but I enjoyed what I had, and it was nice to dress up to go out to eat. There were also times set aside for small assignments to do with your spouse, which I liked because it gave us a chance to talk about what we learned.

I would highly recommend going if you had a chance! I know it was easier for us to go because we don't have kids and kids aren't allowed at the conference (and they don't provide child care), but if you can go, go for it.

Here is the website if you want to check it out:
www.weekendtoremember.org


And if anyone forgot, tomorrow is the day we find out the gender of our baby! :)

Sodding and New Flower Bed

We have needed to fill in patches of sod for a couple of years when we had chinch bugs eating away at our front lawn. Last summer I pulled a bunch of weeds where grass should be hoping that the grass would fill in. It didn't. After this year's cold winter we really had to fix the front yard. Last week Matt started digging up the grass and weeds. We rented a tiller, but that seemed to be more work than it was worth. Matt's mom came up last weekend and helped get the rest up, evened out and fertilizer down. The sod was delivered yesterday and we called our friend Evan to help lay it last night. It was done in about an hour and a half, and it wasn't super hot at 7 when they got started. In the end, we have about a half a pallet of sod left. Evan took some home last night and another friend, Kevin, may come some time today to take more. I'm sure we could use the sod in our back yard, but you try to convince Matt to do that!!

Sod pictures:

Matt and his mom also decided to make a flower bed around the mailbox. She even bought us 2 hibiscus plants. We put down landscape fabric to help minimize weeds. We have extra fabric for the front flower bed, but we'll get to that later. They also put a border around the tree out front, which I think looks great!

Flower pictures:

How to Do the Heimlich Maneuver on a Child‏

Hopefully you'll never need this information, but it's always good to review! And nothing beats a good Red Cross class.

Instructions
1. Call 911 or ask someone else to call 911.

2. Squat behind child as she/he stands in front of you.

3. Place one hand on top of the pelvis line, in the middle of the abdomen. Put your other hand on top of the first. Pull upward, forcefully, toward the child's nose, in a series of five quick thrusts. If that doesn't work:

4. Place the child face down across your lap. Put one fist below the point where the ribs meet the breastbone.

5. Give a solid whack to the back, between the lower shoulder blades, with your other hand.

6. If the child begins to lose consciousness, lower her slowly to the floor. Be sure an emergency squad has been called.

7. Straddle child's thighs or sit at her side. Sit at her feet if she is very young.

8. Put the heel of one hand at the belly button and thrust upward toward the nose five times. These motions are called abdominal thrusts.

9. Open the child's mouth and look inside to see if you have dislodged the foreign body. If you see a foreign body, sweep it out with a hooked finger. Tilt your child's head to the side, in case of vomiting.

10. Attempt to open the airway by tilting her head and lifting her chin. Look and listen for signs of breathing.

11. Give child a breath by pinching her nose with your fingers and putting your lips over her mouth to form a tight seal. Exhale forcefully into her mouth. Watch to see if her chest rises with your breath. If not, your child's airway is still blocked.

12. Continue with abdominal thrusts.

Tips & Warnings
* One study has shown that 85 percent of serious choking incidents in young children involve peanuts. Because of their size, peanuts often lodge in the tracheae of children under age 6.

* Sweeping foreign objects from the mouth should be done with one hooked finger, which helps ensure you will not lodge the object in the throat.

* If you are alone with a choking child and must dial 911, take the child with you to the telephone or bring the telephone to the child, so that you can perform the Heimlich maneuver as you are calling the emergency squad.