Reflections

This last year has been filled with many blessings and changes. As I look back, I can't help but thank God for everything He does for us. Our year started off the same as any other...except for the fact that we were now in Germany! How wonderful is it that we get this opportunity to expierence a whole different culture? On top of all of this, Blake got selected to go to Spain for work this past spring. He brought back many wonderful memories and pictures of that trip! We found out, that after 5 years of nothing, we were pregnant! How wonderful it is that we finally get to have the child we wanted! In July we got to go to Rome for our anniversary. This was the best anniversary ever! Our families are really wonderful. I got to fly back to the states twice to visit. Our families have blessed us with so many gifts fot the baby. They are so wonderful! Thanksgiving was spent with our dear friends, Kimberly and Jason. They have made living here in Germany not as lonely as it could have possibly been. Our Christmas was quiet...just the way we like it. We celebrated it as our last Christmas alone, as next year, Cara will be joining us. Now, as we sit here on New Years Eve, I look back at the year and just give thanks. So many wonderful things have happened this past year. Things I havn't mentioned, things I have mentioned...just so many things. I hope all of you had a year full of memories to be thankful for as well! Goodbye 2007.

Happy New Year!!

A house guest and a Wonderful Hubby!!

We are watching our friends' cat while they are away. His name is Jordan. He's about 8 or 9 years old...so he's getting up there. He's never had to live with another animal before, much less one as active as Gratch. Let me tell you! I thought we were going to have to put Jordan back in his own house and just check on him everyday....he couldn't stand Gratch! All Gratch wanted to do was play, but Jordan just didn't know what to think about him. After two days of this...they've finally worked it all out. Jordan and Gratch play all night. And when I say all night, I sooooo totally mean ALL night! They will take turns chasing each other, stalking each other...just running up and down the stairs. I think Gratch is absolutly loving the second animal in the house. They both sleep all day now becuase they are so worn out! I am so glad they are getting along so great!

Before our friends left, we did our Christmas with them. Look at the dishes Kimberly got me!! I love them. I always see them at the Bx, but I talk myself out of getting them all the time. I am so pleased with them. I have so many uses for them!!

Blake and I have this thing where we will buy each other gifts and then give them to each other right away...without waiting for the holiday. We have only done this with a couple of gifts this year. We actually have presents under the tree, waiting to be opened until Christmas (this is actually a first). Look at some of the things Blake got me. He is so wonderful!! The santa bears are just perfect. I have one for every year but last year. I just figured I'd have a four year break from being in Germany...nope! He totally found this pair for me! They have the year on thier foot and everything. Then....he got me Lego Star Wars, the complete saga! We have been playing this for the last two days straight! It is so much fun. He is such a wonderful husband.

We have been getting more and more ready for Cara to make her appearance. Blake has been so good to me! He really pampers me. I sometimes just can't get over it! I have been having to sleep on the couch lately becuase our bed makes me ache from head to toe. He has been coming down and sleeping with me on the couch! It is big enough for the both of us, but I know he isn't getting the greatest sleep. He still likes to come and be near me. I love that! He put the best ice scraper in my car. I don't even drive everyday, but he wanted to make sure that the one I had actually worked. So he suffers with the cheapy one that really does no good. Last week, I made baked potatoes for dinner and we only had enough sour cream for one person. I was totally willing to give it to him, but he let me have it. I know this seems cheesy to some of you (probably all of you), but I just can't help it. I think I'll blame it on hormones for the moment!I just wanted everyone to know how wonderful my hubby really is!

Just on an off note...this is a picture from my front window. It's so pretty outside....I just wish it would snow. All we have so far is ice. Ice is pretty, but it just isn't snow...I'm still waiting for that!

Our Christmas Party

Blake's work had thier holiday party last night. It was such a fun evening! Kimberly and I put in a lot of work helping out and everything turned out just fabulous at the end. There were some awesome door prizes to be won...sadly I didn't win anything, however, Kim did! She won the ipod! How great is that? There was a grand prize at the end of the night that everyone wanted. A 42 inch flat screen plasma hidef tv. Yes...we were hoping that maybe we would win this (as was everyone in the room!). The chaplain ended up winning it, which I think is great. He donated it to the airmen in the dorms. I think he was going to put it in their main dayroom or something. I thought that was great. The food turned out to be amazing. You always wonder at bigger functions, but it was great. We had a nice table of people and everyone got along. I won the center piece! That was cool for me. The spouse organization was in charge of getting the center pieces for the tables, and at the last minute, we were 5 short, so I put together the last five. I thought they turned out fabulous, and I got to bring one home! I was so very happy. There were a couple of games that we played. One of them, the highest ranking person at the table had to stand up, and we got to decorate them as a christmas tree. Hee hee...can you guess who our highest ranking person was? That's right, it was Blake!!! He was a good sport, though and totally participated without even a single grimace. We didn't win, although we didn't have very good decorations to work with. I thought we did excellent with what we had. We ended up getting home around 11, which isn't too late. It was such a nice night. Everyone seemed to have a really good time.

As per request....here is an updated side shot from me....We are currently 32 1/2 weeks and really really waiting for February! I feel as if it will never come....but I know it will. My mother will be here in a month, and once she gets here, Cara can come at any point. Woo hoo!!!! I certainly seemed to have gained a lot of weight in the last month. I just keep getting bigger and bigger. I guess this means a healthy baby, right????? (this is what I tell myself...) :)

Gratch and Christmas....

Why oh why does my cat love to bug me???? His newest ploy in life is to eat the christmas tree. The tree is fake...why does my cat crave plastic? This is a question I don't think I will ever know the answer too. All I know, is that he started this "destroying of christmas decorations" at a very early age. We did not have an actual big christmas tree when we lived in Texas, but we did still have the Santa on a bike. Take a look at this lovely picture of Gratch and Santa. I believe he thinks Santa is his arch-nemesis (next to me, of course). This was taken two years ago! He has never changed!!!

(he is not happy with me for telling him to stop....he is stalking me)

_

(5 minutes after I turned the lights off and was typing this blog...)

Needless to say, my life is never dull. This little crazy animal provides daily entertainment for me. He is, as we speak, batting at the snowmans hat from the window sill! I tell ya...he may be difficult at times, but he is NEVER boring!!

Our Puzzle

So, this is our completed 1000 piece puzzle. It's still drying from the glue, but I wanted to take a picture of it anyway! It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I thought the hardest part would be the top half with the houses....boy was I wrong! The bottom half which is all smeared reflections of the top half was the most difficult! We got it finished, though, and I am quite pleased!

On another note....I think I've found the perfect "coming home from the hospital" outfit for Cara. Hopefully she won't be premie or anything...this should fit :). I thought it was adorable! Blake didn't really have too much to say on it other than he thought I had already picked out at least three outfits! (He may be right on this....however...this is the choice for the moment!).

3rd of December

So, it's the 3rd of the month...picture day! Boy have I changed in the last month. I think I've finally "popped" and I look like I've gained the 30 pounds that I've gained! We are down to only 10 weeks left (if we're lucky). Blake seems to think this little girl will come early, my mother and sister think she will come late...I am just thankful to have my mother come and stay with me. She will be here no matter when Cara decides to make an appearance...unless Cara decides to come at Christmas time....We say woo-hoo on tax break, however...totally NOT ready!!! We will only be 34 weeks at that point. I am in no way ready yet! I will be by the end of January though.

Blake and I finished a 1000 piece puzzle yesterday. Let me tell you! I thought we had done a thousand piece one before. We had NOT. We have only previously done 500 piece puzzles. This was significantly larger! It's done now and once I have it glued and dried, I will take a picture for all to see.

Happy birthday to a fabulous brother-in-law! Craig, you are awesome. I hope you have a great birthday! We love you!!

It's Christmas Season!!!

Christmas season is finally here! Blake brought everything up from the basement and I was able to decorate. Ideally, I like to decorate the day after Thanksgiving...Blake had different idea's this year. He hasn't really been home for too many holiday's these past five and a half years, so he hasn't had a lot of input in how we do things. He likes to wait until the first week in December, so imagine my surprise when a few days ago, he brought everything up while I was out. It was fabulous!! He went out the day before yesterday and bought me candy canes to put on the tree as well. He really is rather wonderful. I'm gearing up to do my first ever christmas candy and cookie baking. I am super excited about this. I hope everything turns out!

We had our 30 week baby appointment this week. Everything is looking right as rain. Baby Cara is measuring perfectly and has a strong heartbeat. We are still having a problem free pregnancy and I am so thankful for this! I do, however, feel as if I've been transported back into the first trimester...I've actually had "morning sickness" now. The hormones seem to have come back full blast too, but I'm still determined to be happy. Or at least have a happy thought or two! I can't believe we have two months left. It will be so nice to meet this little one. We can't wait! Well, I guess that's it for us for the moment. I hope you are all enjoying this fabulous start of the Christmas season!

Hummel

We (Kimberly and I) went back to the stores today. The Hummel guy was there signing Hummel statues. We both entered the drawing they were having, and wouldn't you know it, I won!! I never win anything!!! I was so happy. I also got a free gift with my purchase I made. So I ended up with three Hummel things for less than the price of one. I bought the lamp, which was around 50% off, got the little plate for free with the purchase and won the little boy! It was a great day!!!

Black Friday...

So, I did something today I thought I'd never do. I got up and went shopping on the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday. As most of you know, I am NOT a huge shopper. I like to avoid going anywhere near stores the day after Thanksgiving. This year, however, I went with my friend Kim. We had a few things we wanted to get and one of our friends wanted the laptop they were selling at a fabulously cheap $350. Our friend got to the store at 2 am. We thought she was a little bit crazy....we showed up around 2:45 am (we didn't want her to just sit there waiting by herself....). We pretty much thought we'd be the only people there for quite some time...boy were we wrong. We were the second ones in line, and by 3 am, there were at least fifteen people there. By 4:30 am there were between 30 and 50 people there, and by 7 am, the line was wrapped around the side of the building. It was insane!!! The doors opened at 8 am. The first 100 people got gift cards and once you were at the register checking out, for every $100 you spent, you got $20 off your purchase. Not too shabby. Our friend got her laptop and Kimberly and I got what we needed. We were shopping for our work holiday party (giveaway prizes and whatnot). We ended up getting done with everything at around 11 am. The checkout lines were massivly long. They took forever to get through. All in all, this was a once in a lifetime thing for me. It was not a horrible day, but it was long! I will go back to my usual avoidance of any stores from now on. The day after Thanksgiving will be reserved for decorating for Christmas from now on. I hope all of you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!!!

Third Trimester

We have hit the beginning of the end. We have 13 weeks left (approximately) until this little one gets here. I remember when we were only 13 weeks into it! It didn't seem like very long, and yet we were so very pleased to be getting out of the first trimester. I think this second trimester has been the best both physically and emotionally. Things are defenitly starting to happen now, though. The stretch marks have made thier appearance...I think they are trying to recruit friends too!! I try to tell them it's okay...friends of thiers aren't welcome, but I don't think they are listening to me. Oh well....Cara is getting bigger along with my belly. I still don't look as pregnant as I feel like I do, but I'm sure that will change here pretty quick. Blake commented the other day that I waddle...I don't know how accurate this is. Sometimes it's hard to get up off the couch, and then when I do, it takes a few steps to get comfy...maybe I do waddle! Well, I guess this is life. I am still loving the fact that we get a kid at the end of all this. The stretch marks, the itchy belly, the sleepless nights, the incurable indegestion...everything is so totally worth it. It's hitting home more and more that she will be here soon. Life really is a miracle!

A work in progress...

This is Cara's first cabbage patch doll (thanks Vanessa!!!!!). She looks just like mine!! I think it's so wonderful that her doll looks like my doll. I spent the day so far putting all the baby clothes away. This took some time, but they are all organized by size and neatly put away. I'm sure this will probably not stay this way, once Cara is actually born, but one can always hope! I also put together a bassinet. My friend lent one to me, which was really nice of her. It did not come with directions, so it took me awhile to complete, but I finally did. Yea!! It's starting to look like we are having a baby around here!

26 weeks and going!

We have only one week left in the second trimester. How crazy!! I don't even believe how fast this is going. I am finally showing, although some clothes show is better than others. I should probably start wearing some of those shirts for my third of the month picture. I have gained 20 pounds....this is a little devastating, but I know it's for a good cause. Oh, we have an update to Cara's name. The spelling is different that I thought originally. It will be Carolyn. Since she will be named after Blake's Grandma, I figured I should spell it the way she does. I just found out she spells it with a Y. I'm happy with this. It's perfect! I washed 4 loads of baby clothes in Dreft yesterday! We got so many cute things! I am still in awe at over how great everyone is! Our next appointment is on the 28th, and after that, we start going every two weeks. I can't believe we are getting down to the end. It's just wonderful. I am getting more and more excited to meet this little person and see what she looks like and what her personality is going to be like. She is moving more and more. People can most defenitly feel her on the outside now. The cat can even feel her when he is draped across my belly. Gratch has been most interested in all the new baby things in the house. I think his favorite is the little thingy's that go over the hands so the baby doesn't scratch herself. I have found some of these in various places in the house! He is still in love with the crib, but that's okay. I will have a solution to that before Cara actually gets here. Well, I think that's it for this months update! I hope everyone is having a wonderful month so far!

My California Trip

I just got back from an impromptu trip to northern California. What a fun, but busy, week! My sister-in-law threw a babyshower for me and we got so many things for Cara. She now has a wardrobe larger than Blake's and mine together! Once I get things organized, I'll take some pictures of everything. Cara also got her first cabbage patch doll. I love it! Vanessa picked out a doll that looks almost exactly like mine! This was just amazingly great.

We went to a place called Apple Hill where we picked out pumpkins to carve. This was a beautiful place. As you can see from the pictures, Cara is making herself more and more known! She is finally poking out and I am finally looking pregnant. I love it!! Well, more to come later!

Monday, Monday

We have had a busy couple of weeks! I'm not really sure why it's been so busy, but the time has just flown!! Summer has officially left, Fall is in full bloom and Winter is on it's way. We finally had to turn the heat on in the house two days ago! We have oil that heats our house through radiators, so there isn't central heat or anything. We get to choose when to turn it on and off (which is nice). It's been getting just too cold at night lately to live with no heat anymore! The bathroom was the worst! Having to get up and pee and 3 in the morning was getting to be jsut too cold...the toilet seat was too cold...Blake did not feel my pain as much on that point...boys! We had our 23 week appointment this past Friday and Cara is measuring perfectly. She is still not sticking out much, but I have gained 15 pounds now, the weight should show soon. Her heartbeat was still amazing! Life is just so wonderful! I am noticing her awake times now. I can also feel a difference from her moving and her kicking. It's very strange. She loves to sit on my bladder, this is not so much fun. I can't believe that by next month, I'll be in my third trimester! Time sure does pass swiftly! I have the crib all set up now..except the mattress. We still need to buy one. I love how it turned out!

I had to take a picture of Gratch sporting his new collar. He doesn't love it yet, but he's getting used to it. It's a little heavier than his normal one, and to begin with, it threw him off balance. He fell through the railing and down the stairs one day. He kind of knocked himself out a little....for being such a smart little kitty, he's a little dull at times! Thankfully, he didnt hurt anything when he fell.

Blake is doing much better. It has now been a month since he got his wisdom teeth out and he's allowed to eat popcorn again. Yea for popcorn! His jaw still bugs him sometimes, but that's because they had to dislocate it when they operated. He is overall, doing much much better! All in all, for some reason, it's been busy, but these last few days (weeks) have been nice. :)

Happy Birthday Valerie!

Happy Birthday Valerie!!!

I can't belive you are 9 already!

I love you

What an Animal!!

I decided today to put the stuffed animals into the crib....for now. I need to get one of those net things to hang from the ceiling. Well, since I put the dolls in there, it made a nice solid bottom for the crib (we don't have the mattress yet). I went, took a shower, got dressed, did my hair... just fooled around for awhile and I got to thinking. I wonder where Gratch is...where could he be? I hadn't seen him for awhile. I thought, could he be in the baby room? He does love to just sit under the crib. Well, this is where I found him. I couldn't believe it! I almost didn't even distinguish him from the rest of the stuffed animals! I quick snapped a picture then gently took him out. He was very dissapointed. He thought I had made a bed just for him. He was wrong!

On another baby note...Cara got her first baby blanket! My Grandma Raboin made it for her and we love it! It actually matches the room perfectly. I can't wait to cuddle her up in it (Cara, not Grandma)!

21 1/2 weeks

So, it's the third of the month again. Here we are, starting our 6th month of pregnancy. Life is going pretty great. I'm still not really showing, but I'm just not worried about it. Life is just so great, there's no need to worry about the little things like that. We have started buying more and more for Cara...we got some of her bedding for the crib. This was something I struggled with a little bit. I just don't think babies know what they are sleeping in, and if it does, indeed, match perfectly. Well, I found a beding set for super cheap that put my mind at ease. It's a cute bear set. Not too girly, and it matches the carpet. I didn't spend too much on it, so the made me feel better about the whole thing! Cara is currently kicking me right where my waistband of my jeans hit. She doesn't really like being squished. Yesterday, I could feel her actually kicking my bladder...this was fun...:) Well, now I'm off to make baked potatoes for supper! Yum, yum!

Baby mode is here!!

So, I've completely gone into baby mode. I can't believe how quickly you can actually bond to the little person growing inside you! We have been protecting our feelings and emotions for the last 5 months, thinking "what happens if it turns out badly?". We have been so careful not to let ourselves go completly baby crazy. After our ultrasound last week, I have finally moved past the aprehensive stage. I am now 100% excited about little Cara coming into the world. Blake, I think, is still somewhat protective on his feelings, but he is getting more and more into it. We have not really bought anything baby so far, but we found the perfect crib for a very decent price, and then today, Blake went and bought me the prefect stroller! Our friends, Kim and Jason, bought the matching carseat for our baby gift! They are rather wonderful friends. Kimberly is doing my baby shower and has some wonderful plans! It has just been such a wonderful week. I bought a baby heart listener thing at a garage sale for $2. All I needed to get was a battery for it. It totally works! I take my 3rd of the month picture tomorrow, I'm pretty excited about that. I am still not showing compared to other peole starting their 6th month of pregnancy, however, I do have a teeny baby bump.

On another note, I have a couple of recipes I am trying out this week. One is a spicy alfredo pasta dish, which looks delicious! I think peppers are veggies (hee hee), so I've been looking for pasta dishes that have peppers in them. Blake, with his missing wisdom teeth, can eat pasta a little more easily than other things for now. I can't wait to try it! I'm also trying out baked apples this week. I eat cinnamon and apple oatmeal every morning, and every morning I think of how wonderful the apple chunks are, that are in the oatmeal. I decided to try the baked apples. I'm hoping they will turn out great!

All in all, this has just been a great week. I'm thinking the hormones have finally subsided, and that's a fabulous thing. I can feel the baby everyday now, I've even felt her on the outside a couple of times. This week is just so great, and I just wanted to share with all of you how happy we are!

The New Crib

I have such wonderful inlaws. Blake's mom has already gone out and bought us some cute girly stuff, and she has such wonderful taste in clothes! I'm excited to see what she bought. Blake's dad and stepmom have offered to buy us the baby room furniture! Wow! Thankfully (for them!) we don't need too much. Just the one piece. It's a crib/changin table combo. I've been looking for this online, however, nobody will send such a large item overseas. This was very dissapointing. We went into the furniture store on base yesterday, and to my GREAT surprise, there was my crib! The store on base never has anything in the way of cribs. We were just going to grab a catalog and see what they do for special ordering and what not. I could not believe how blessed we were at finding exactly what we were looking for, and for a hundred dollars cheaper! I went and picked it up today, and spent the afternoon putting it together. My thumb hurts now from the allen wrench, but oh how satisfying it is to do it! I am so thankful we found the crib, that Blake was okay buying it right then, for my inlaws who are so generous, for the energy to put the crib together today..just for everything!!

On a sad note...

Marcia's, Blake's stepmom, dad died this past Thursday. He had been suffering from Parkensons for the last few years, and a couple of weeks ago, he deteriorated quite rapidly. He was such a kind and loving man. Blake and I are sad to see him go, but know he is with God now. His suffering is over. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marcia and her family.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Larry Jon Trosen

So, I didn't get Dad a present this year...come to think of it, I don't know if I ever do actually give him a gift. He just isn't a gift type person. I believe he likes them when he does receive them, but it's not a necessity. He loves to visit with people instead...and eat! He is such a wonderful man, though. Growing up, I would have labled him quite strict( which I see now as a good thing)...and a lover of playing games. We grew up playing Spades, Hearts, 10 9 8 (Up and Down the River), the dice game, cribbage and so many others. Bubble Bobble and Ttetris on the computer. It was always a challenge to try to get "Puker's" name off the high score list! I don't know that we ever did! He was always just too good! I don't know if he knows how wonderful we kids think he is, but I am hoping he will get a small hint! He is always there to take care of us when we are in need. It doesn't matter if it's a financial matter or an emotional matter. You wouldn't think it just to talk to him, but he has a very caring listening ear! His advice is always sound and he always has some for every occasion you need it on. I look back on us growing up, and when I as small, I would think he was "so unfair" and "didn't let us do anything!". How grateful I am for who he is and was, and how he raised us. Had he just allowed us to do whatever we wanted, we would not have turned out the way we did! He may have seemed strict, but we turned out pretty well (if I do say so myself!!). I find myself thinking very similarly to how he must have thought when we were growing up. I am more alike him than I ever thought! With our new little one on the way, I am more grateful for Dad than I ever have been! We are all strong in mind and spirit, we know how to handle ourselves and we were always taken care of, and in turn, know how to take care of our own families. He has provided such a wonderful base to our family. He truly is the patriarc that everyone wishes they had! Thank you Dad, for being wonderful!! We love you!

Carolyn Sue

We have decided on our name. We had already pretty much decided on the name for the baby, but now that we know she's a girl, that makes it a lot easier!! We love the name Cara, but I am wierd and need to have a full name. So, we decided to name her Carolyn after Blake's grandma. We will be calling her Cara from birth, but her full name will be Carolyn. Her middle name is Sue. This was going to be how it was, no matter what the first name ended up being. My middle name is Sue and I am named after my mother, whose middle name is Sue. I thougth it only right if I pass the name on to my little girl. It is still so amazing that I am having a little girl! I just can't get over it! I am so happy.
We have been looking at cribs, mainly online, and we have not had too much success. We are going and looking on base tomorrow. They have virtually NO selection, but we are going to see if we can order one. I am sooo hoping we can. It can take a couple of months for things to get in when you order them on base, so I am happy we are doing it tomorrow! I went and visited a friend yesterday, and she gave me about 10 of the Playtex drop-in little bottles! I was so pleased. She bought new ones, and these were worn, and you can't really see the cute things on them anymore, but they work, right? That's all that matters! I am so excited that our house is starting to show signs of Cara arriving! It's so great!

The Littlest Henry

This is our little girl! Isn't she precious?? Look at her nose. I think it has to be the cutest nose in the entire world! What an amazing thing to see this little person moving around, looking just like a newborn (a little smaller, of course). The ultrasound we absolutly perfect! We got to see her head, arms, legs, tummy, hands and feet. It was great! Her little heart was just a beating!! The doc said they couldn't find anything wrong and everything looked great. What a blessing! I am so glad! Color me shocked at the fact that "he" was actually a "she"! I was so sure the baby was a boy. Blake knew the whole time. He has been saying girl from the beginning. I guess this just adds to his "rightness" factor! I was worried I was going to have to practice this patience I've been talking about...the ultrasound tech couldn't see if the baby was a boy or a girl to begin with. Luckily, baby moved at some point during the ultrasound, and the tech was able to see!! I was so very glad to find out! Speaking of Blake, we had to take him to the dentist after the appointment because one of his stiches came out and there was about an inch of stich just hanging in his mouth. He had to work last night too, then take me to the clinic which turned out to be about 45 minutes away!! Once we got to the town in was in, it took another 15 minutes just to find the right building! He had't taken any pain meds becuase he wanted to drive (I am SOOO very thankful for that!!). He defentily cheered up after seeing the baby. Then we got him squared away and he is feeling much better now. I am so happy to have a good report on the baby...and that she is a girl!! We really wanted a girl! Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Tomorrow...

So, tomorrow is almost here. All I have to do is go to bed and wake up in the morning. No more waiting!!! I am so hoping and praying that this little baby cooperates and shows us the goods! I sooo want to find out if the baby is a girl or a boy. I know that what really matters is that little baby is healthy...and we are so praying for that the most. But second most, we really want to find out! It seems like forever since I had the appointment made...then again, it doesn't seem like 5 months have passed. It's very strange how time passes so quickly for some things and yet, so incredibly SLOWLY for others! I am defenitly NOT tired at all at this point (it is 10:45 pm). Blake leaves for work in a few minutes and then I am off to bed to try to sleep. I have my ipod which I can listen to The Chronicles of Narnia on. This helps me go to sleep. Patience is such a difficult thing to learn. It is not something I have an abundance of! My mother reminded me today that if, for some reason, baby is not cooperative, I will need to be patient until we give birth. I will not be surprised if this happens. I know this an area I need growth in. I still think this little one is a boy. I will be 100% shocked if I find out otherwise. I just can't believe that tomorrow is almost here!!!!! I will be posting something tomorrow whether we get to find out or not! So, until then...this is the (learning to be) patient mum-to-be, signing off.

Jess and Craig

Happy Anniversary to my dear sister Jess and her hubby Craig! 11 wonderful years down...many more to go! Congratulations you guys. We love you!!

Just a little moment...

Gratch has been so cuddly since I got back from Luxemburg. I think he really missed me. This is him, cuddled up just as close as he can get to my leg! I think he thinks I'm going to leave again! I have to say, I'm rather enjoying this side of him...I'm sure it won't last long!

A Discussion with Baby

Baby and I have had our first discussion. Yes, the baby really can't communicate with me, but he/she has fully functioning ears now. We talked about how much he/she should weigh at birth. We seem to have a trend with Krista and Missy. Bigger babies are in! I told the baby I would be so very happy if it were between 8 and 9 pounds. I'm not sure how much baby actually understood and comprehended...but I'm hoping we have an understanding! :)

Luxemburg

Chateau le Vianden (Luxemburg)

a beautiful gondola ride a beautiful church in Trier

The birth place of Karl Marx

Erica and Me What a wonderful week I just had! Blake's cousin, Erica, was here for a tdy and since her hubby didn't come along with her, I got to go to Luxemburg with her. Luxemburg is a beautiful, but tiny little country to the east of Germany. They speak German, French and English there, along with thier own language called "Luxemburgish". It's a mix of German and French. We got to do a little bit of sightseeing in Trier as well. Trier is in Germany, just inside the border. We were hoping to get to Belgium while we were there, but just ran out of time. It was such a fun time. It was nice to get "recharged" and eat some different types of food. The hotel was a 5 star and was just wonderful. It was a little expensive to eat and shop in Lux, but it was so beautiful!! I had a great time, but like always, it was nice to get home. Both Blake and the cat missed me. The cat was a little irritated that I had left, but now he hasn't left my side. He must have forgiven me.

Baby Update:

We are at week 19 now, which means we are just one week shy of 5 months. This seems pretty far along to me. We get our ultrasound done in a little over a week! I am still super psyched! I feel the baby almost everyday now. It still hasn't hit home, but it's starting to sink in a little bit. I'm still not showing, but I've decided that that's okay. I must be taking after my wonderful sister, and there just isn't anything wrong with that. I will show eventually, but I don't need to stress about it. I will gain weight and not just look fat, I just have to be patient!

This is just a really big daddy longleg I found in my house. I wish you could really see how huge it really was!