Thursday, January 29, 2009

ready or not??!!

Hope we are ready for this "boy" thing! :) Ha!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

23 weeks

100 things...

Because it's cold and I've got nothing else going on...

Do you think you’ve really lived so far? This is a list of 100 activities–some I have experienced (purple), some I have not (regular).

  1. Started your own blog
  2. Slept under the stars
  3. Played in a band
  4. Visited Hawaii
  5. Watched a meteor shower
  6. Bathed in a river
  7. Been to the Taj Mahal
  8. Walked on a glacier in Alaska
  9. Caught and held a snake
  10. Spoke in front of a big crowd
  11. Bungee jumped
  12. Had a whirlwind love affair that broke your heart
  13. Found an arrowhead or fossil
  14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
  15. Rescued an animal
  16. Ate sweet breads, glands or tripe (not sure what these even are….)
  17. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
  18. Grown your own vegetables
  19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
  20. Slept on an overnight train
  21. Had a pillow fight
  22. Hiked to base camp on Mt. Everest
  23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
  24. Built a snow fort
  25. Watched an animal being born
  26. Gone skinny dipping
  27. Learned a foreign language
  28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
  29. Seen a total eclipse
  30. Stayed up for more than 24 hours
  31. Trained a dog to do cool tricks
  32. Been on a cruise
  33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
  34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
  35. Seen an Amish community
  36. Can drive a stick shift car
  37. Won over $1000 in a raffle or lottery
  38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
  39. Gone rock climbing
  40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
  41. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
  42. Been serenaded
  43. Visited Africa
  44. Walked on a beach by moonlight
  45. Broken a bone
  46. Started your own business
  47. Quit a job because you were totally unhappy
  48. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
  49. Been to the Eiffel Tower
  50. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
  51. Kissed in the rain passionately
  52. Played in the mud
  53. Gone to a drive-in
  54. Been in a movie
  55. Visited the Great Wall of China
  56. Joined a prayer group
  57. Taken a martial arts class
  58. Visited Russia
  59. Served at a soup kitchen
  60. Gone whale watching
  61. Received flowers for no reason
  62. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
  63. Gone sky diving
  64. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
  65. Bounced a check
  66. Flown in a helicopter
  67. Saved a favorite childhood toy
  68. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
  69. Eaten caviar
  70. Pieced a quilt
  71. Stood in Times Square
  72. Toured the Everglades
  73. Been fired from a job
  74. Seen the changing of the guards in London
  75. Broken something extremely expensive
  76. Been on a speeding motorcycle
  77. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
  78. Published a book (does making one in my class count?)
  79. Visited the Vatican
  80. Got a tattoo
  81. Been to a coffee shop in Amsterdam
  82. Seen the aurora borealis in person
  83. Read the entire Bible
  84. Visited the White House
  85. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
  86. Had chickenpox
  87. Saved someone’s life
  88. Sat on a jury
  89. Met someone famous
  90. Joined a book club
  91. Lost a loved one
  92. Toured the UN
  93. Hiked to Machu Picchu
  94. Swam in the Indian Ocean
  95. Conversed with someone when neither of you spoke each others language
  96. Dirty danced
  97. Been stung by a bee
  98. Acted in a play
  99. Had more than 5 surgeries
  100. Threw a surprise party for someone
49 out of 100....wow! I need to travel with my hubby more! :)

Monday, January 26, 2009

23 weeks

Your pregnancy: 23 weeks


How your baby's growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.


How your life's changing:



You may notice that your ankles and feet start to swell a bit in the coming weeks or months, especially at the end of the day or during the heat of summer. Sluggish circulation in your legs — coupled with changes in your blood chemistry that may cause some water retention — may result in swelling, also known as edema. Your body will get rid of the extra fluid after you have your baby, which is why you'll pee frequently and sweat a lot for a few days after delivery. In the meantime, lie on your left side or put your feet up when you can, stretch out your legs when you sit, and avoid sitting — or standing — in one place for long periods. Also, try to exercise regularly to increase circulation, and wear support stockings (put them on first thing in the morning) and roomy, comfortable shoes. You may be tempted to skimp on liquids to combat swelling, but you need to drink plenty of water because staying hydrated actually helps prevent fluid retention. While a certain amount of edema in your lower extremities is normal during pregnancy, excessive swelling may be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Be sure to call your midwife or doctor if you have severe or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, swelling in your face, or puffiness around your eyes.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Very inspirational...

Click here and see a great, inspirational video! Happy Sunday!

We did it...

Thank you so much for all of your comments on what items were the best choice or worse choice for you and your little one! We really appreciated it! Saturday we headed over to Babies r Us to go register and we are so thankful to Ryan and Heather for coming to meet us and help...we were completely overwhelmed and it was SO nice to have a little bit of help! We managed to register for most of it on Saturday and then today we headed over to Target to register. I'm glad all of that is over...it's stressful! ;) We ordered the crib and baby furniture today so as soon as we paint the room and put up the furniture I'll have to take some pictures. I can't believe our little boy will be here soon...it's all coming together!

go.go.go....

That's what I've felt this weekend was like. Constantly on the go! Friday after school Mike and I got ready and headed with some of his co workers for the St. Jude Trivia Night here in Columbia. We had a blast...learned a lot (felt a little dumb at some points) and didn't come in last! :) I love trivia so this was a great night with some great friends. I am hoping we can go to the next one in March. Saturday I headed back to my master's classes that started and man...I forgot how much I don't like sitting for 6 hours. We have our assignments for this semester and I'm hoping that this semester isn't too terrible hard. Immediately after I got home from class, Mike and I headed to St. Louis to go register at Babies-r-us. We were completely overwhelmed and were so thankful that Ryan and Heather were able to join us to get us started! But, I'm so glad we are registered! Our little boy will be here before you know it! We got home around 11 last night, went to church this morning and then went to register at Target this morning. We also ordered the crib and bedroom furniture which should arrive in 1-2 weeks. This afternoon on the agenda is to just rest! I'm so exhausted from all of our activities this weekend....I hope your weekend was relaxing!!!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Registering

We are going to register this weekend for our little boy! Woohoo! I want to hear from you though.... What is or was the best thing that you had/have for your little one???!!!! There is a ton of stuff out there, so we are a little overwhelmed and I know we don't need it all, but I want to know what was your #1 item! Please share!!!!

22 week belly pic


Still can't believe I am already 5 and a half months! Wow!!!!

History...

What a great day! I was so glad to have my students with me today watching history. They were all very intrigued and loved seeing the past presidents too! I am so proud to be an American...

Monday, January 19, 2009

22 weeks

Your pregnancy: 22 weeks


How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Thank you!

Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Iowa weekend

We headed up to Iowa this weekend to celebrate Grandma Laughlin's 91st birthday. Dan was able to drive over from Indy and we had a great time hanging out with family...even though it was FREEZING! We played some games, watched Gma Laughlin open her presents and had cake. We were also able to see Gma and Gpa Harmon before we left too, which was good. Hope you are having a great weekend!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

What a great feeling!

Sometimes it still seems a little unreal that I'm going to have a baby soon! I love it! God is SO good! I feel our little boy move around so much these days and it is the best feeling in the world...

21 week belly pic

Monday, January 12, 2009

21 weeks

Your pregnancy: 21 weeks


How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Names...names...and names!

Ugh! Picking your child's name is HARD! Mike and I have had a few that we like, but after a period of time realize that we don't like it as much as we thought. I'd like to hear how some of you picked your child's name. Is is a family name? One you just liked? Or a name that came to you after the baby was born? For now...Mike and I are back to the baby name books! :)

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Still in awe...

I still can't believe that we are going to have a baby boy! It's been 4 days since we found out and I'm still on cloud 9. I thought all along it was a girl! Boy...was I wrong! I will try to post our 20 week picture soon.

Wii Night

We had our work Christmas party last night and had some great food and conversation. Afterward a couple of friends/co-workers and I went to go play Wii. We had a great time playing Rockband and bowling and tennis. It was such a great night!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

20 week belly pic

Boy oh boy!!!

Here is our little guy! We are so estatic!!!! He is weighing in at 14 oz! Love it! :)

It's a....

We are SO excited and thrilled!!!!


21 of you were right!!!! Nice job!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Go vote please!

Wednesday we are heading to the doctor to check my kidney stones/back pain and we are going to find out if we are having a little boy or girl! Hopefully he or she will cooperate and not keep his/her legs closed and the umbilical cord will not be in the way! Please click here to go vote on what you think it will be!

Boy/Girl?!

PollPub.com VoteBoy or Girl?!
Boy
Girl



View Results

Poll powered by PollPub.com Free Polls


Wednesday we go to the doctor to find out if we are having a boy or a girl! Hopefully he or she will cooperate! Vote on what you think it will be!

* After you click boy or girl, put the cursor at the end of the vote in the white box and hit enter!

Also, feel free to leave a comment on who you are or where you are voting from! This is exciting!

20 weeks

Your pregnancy: 20 weeks




How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Sunday, January 4, 2009

20 weeks

I can't believe tomorrow is already 20 weeks! Time is just flying by.....

back to the grind...

I am definitely not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I am just not ready. I loved having a 2 week break, visiting friends and family. Today just seems so sad...taking the Christmas tree down, all the gifts are put away, laundry is finally caught up and with all the decorations put away, the place just seems so empty...Tomorrow I'm going to have a class full of kiddos who are so tired and who won't feel like doing anything, so we'll swing back into the routine slowly! I'm sure I'll be just as tired as they are! ;)

Friday, January 2, 2009

What a great start to the new year!

The Morrison's had their annual New Year's Day dinner and thankfully Mike had the day off, so we were both able to go this year. We had a great time with the Swinigans and Malones and a house full of kiddos (5). Heather and I were talking that next year if the same group came there would be 8 kiddos, since Heather S., Erin, and I are all pregnant! Hopefully the Robertsons (Dave was on call and they couldn't come) and their 3 sons will be able to come next year! That would make a total of 11 kids and 10 adults! Craziness! We had a great meal and played some fun games that we are going to get! Partini and Samuri are two games that you need to play! :) Hope your new year is off to a great start!

'08 Highlights

Highlights of 2008...

Here are my last year highlights from 2007!

  • What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Got pregnant, went on a blog vacation with some blogger buddies, painted 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, and a kitchen. I also went to the new Busch Stadium for a Cards game!

  • Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My New Years resolutions were to exercise more and I can say that I did not do that! :) My 2009 resolution is to hang out with family more and get caught up on my scrapbooks. I'm way behind!

  • Did anyone close to you give birth?
Of course! Martine and Pete had Alexa Rose. Mandi and Matt had Mia, 3 of my cousins; Tommy and his girlfriend had Brailyn, Michelle and Chris had Hayden, and Jennifer and her boyfriend had Julia. Nicole and Ryan had Porter, Katie and Don had Nolan, Rachel and Jeff had Ben, Kyle and Melanie had Marek, Mandy and Dustin had Thomas, Jesse and Sam had Henry, Jamie and Cat had Peyton, Andy and Leigh had Miles, Amie had Solomon and I'm sure I'm missing a few too! Whew...

  • Did anyone close to you die?
No...thankfully.

  • What countries did you visit?
None this year........

  • What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A healthy year! :) So far...not off to a great start!

  • What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Monday, September 15th; the day we found out we were pregnant! Wednesday, October 1st; the day we saw our little baby for the first time and heard the heartbeat! August 31st; Mike's Surprise Bday Party

  • What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Biggest achievement is finally getting pregnant!

  • Did you suffer illness or injury?
Of course! :) Blood Clot Check # 1 Strained Tendon in my finger Spondylolisthesis diagnosis for back Blood Clot Check # 2

  • What was the best thing you bought?

Mike actually surprised me, but we both had decided that we needed a new car...so the best thing we bought would be our Ford Escape!
  • Who's behavior merited celebration?
Michael Phelps...8 gold medals! wow!

  • Whose behavior made you appalled or depressed?
I can't really think of anyone...but possible the government

  • Where did most of your money go?
Into our savings account! We paid off all of our credit cards! woohoo!

  • What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Having those 2 pink lines on our pregnancy test and seeing/hearing the heartbeat and baby!

  • What song will always remind you of 2008?
It's a Beautiful Day....the song we played for our video montage when we annouced we were expecting!

  • Compared to this time last year, are you:
  • a) happier or sadder? happier
  • b) thinner or fatter? a little fatter because there is a baby growing!
  • c) richer or poorer? definitely richer...maybe not money wise, but definitely rich with love, friends, and family.

  • What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I would have visited family more and organized the basement.

  • What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I had done less procrastinating...

  • How did you spend Christmas?
We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family...we do this every year and it is such a great tradition. Chrismas morning this year was with my parents and siblings and we had the Laughlin Christmas on the 26th and 27th. It was a great Christmas! :)

  • Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yep...I fell more in love with my wonderful husband and our baby!

  • What was your favorite TV program?
Lost, American Idol, and Biggest Loser

  • Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't like the word hate....annoyed with others...probably.

  • What was the best book you read?
Yes...I was in on the Twilight craze!

  • What was your greatest musical discovery?
Heather letting me know about Pandora on our Blog World Trip to Chicago! Love it!

  • What did you want and get?
Pregnant...finally after 5 years!

  • What did you want and not get?
Nothing....I have a great home, family, friends, and a wonderful spouse and puppy!

  • What was your favorite film of this year?
Favorite film was Marley and Me by far....also like Sex and the City and Juno. :)

  • What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 on my birthday this year and Mike threw me 2 surprise parties! Birthday surprise # 1 Birthday surprise # 2

  • What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Nothing....even through all the struggles with injuries and infertility, God had a plan for us all along!

  • How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Comfort, yet put together! :) Usually Target or Old Navy but definitely dressed up the outfits with jewelry!

  • What kept you sane?
Knowing that God had a plan for us and my hubby! :)

  • Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

  • What political issue stirred you the most?
The election coverage was powerful this year! Being able to see history in the making was a great feeling.

  • Who did you miss?
I miss my friends who don't live in Columbia...

  • Who was the best new person you met?
All the bloggers from our blog world real world trip! Nicole, LeeAnn, Kim, and Leslie.

  • Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Good things come to those who wait! :)

  • Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away What you don't have you don't need it now What you don't know you can feel it somehow What you don't have you don't need it now Don't need it now Was a beautiful day"

New '09 Photo Blog

here it is....click here!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Diagnosis

Turns out it is kidney stones....ugh! We went to the hospital this morning, had to do a urine sample, blood work and they checked my uterus and cervix. Everything looks great baby wise. I only had one contraction while I was there so the back pain and cramping is the kidney stone. After getting the ultrasound, the tech was going to let us know if it is a girl or a boy, but the umbilical cord was between the legs so she didn't know for sure, so we still are waiting! I have some medicine to help with the pain and hopefully it will pass soon! Happy New Year! :)