15 Week Update!

Your Pregnancy: Week 15The initial shock has probably started to wear off by now and you're getting comfortable with this whole pregnancy thing. Soooo, now what? Thumb twiddling? Finger tapping? Welcome to the waiting game. Lucky for you, there's always something you can be doing/planning/obsessing over while you're pregnant. But why not wait on that and just enjoy the peace and quiet?Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...What You're Thinking:
com.mtvi.ads.AdManager.placeAd({size:'300x250'});
"Why does this feel like it's going so fast and yet so slow all at the same time?" Your BodyYour energy may have returned but that doesn't mean you should be hitting the clubs until 4:00 AM every night. With a baby growing inside you, sleep is one thing that you can't go without. Try these tricks to ensure you beat up the sheets.If your growing belly is getting in the way of a good night's sleep, surround yourself with pillows to make for an extra-comfy nest effect. Sometimes room temperature can affect sleep, so make sure that your air conditioner is cranked up if you're feeling too hot.Some sleeping positions are more comfortable than others for pregnant woman, like the "I'm just going to pass out on the La-Z-Boy" position. And get comfy sleeping on your left side while you're preggers: It's what the docs recommend to keep the blood flowing full steam ahead between you and the tadpole. Your BabyAlthough many women don't start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), your baby has been having his own party in the amniotic sac he calls home. If you feel a little flutter in your belly this week, don't discount it as gas or hunger. It could be your babe banging around. Here's more to look forward to:Baby's head is now resting on his well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor. He's beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give you that "Mom, you're crazy" look when he's a teenager.) The hair on the head also begins to grow and, with some creative styling, you'll be able to turn those locks into a Maddox Jolie-Pitt faux-hawk some day. Although baby's eyes are sealed shut, he's now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. As your baby practices sucking and swallowing actions, he may actually hiccup. You'll know he's had one too many shots of amniotic fluid by the steady thump-thump you feel. Over the next month, baby will grow faster than ever, so make sure you load up on enough nutritious food and fluids to support his growth. Your baby now measures nearly 4 inches, about the size of a Kit Kat "finger" (regular-size, not the Big one you get at the movies), and weighs almost 2 ounces. Your LifeAlong with being pregnant comes a little sign on your forehead that reads "sucker." At least that's the way the marketing world sees it. Walk into a mega–baby emporium and you'll be bombarded with 8,000 things you must buy for your baby right now. Don't fall for the propaganda! Your baby needs only a limited number of basics to make it through the first year. Start by hitting up your friends, coworkers and family members for tips on what they used until they wore it out and what sat in the closet until yard-sale time. If you're lucky, they may offer to let you borrow (or even cheaply buy) their old stuff. If your heart's not set on brand-spanking-new, save some cash by checking the classified ads and Craigslist for stellar baby buys. You'd be surprised how quickly and cheaply people are willing to get rid of their baby gear. Before you head to the stores, enlist the help of a trusted mommy friend to help keep you organized (and a little more immune to buying overload). All the shopping you do doesn't have to be about the baby. Next time you're out browsing, make it about you (or at least about somebody besides the Mini). Buy yourself flowers, a new lipstick, a throw pillow, a macramé hanging plant holder, whatever. As long as it doesn't have any yellow duckies on it, it's fair game.

Lets Catch Up!

Wow what a month this has been. I can't believe Christmas is already over! :( I love this time of year! Well here it is the day after Christmas and I am stuck and work with nothing to do, as I predicted!

Let's go way back shall we?

End of October:
We are having a baby but shhh it's a secret!!!

November:
Busy keeping our secret and going to the doctor.
We started working a lot of hours for the restaurant and bar in town.
Keeping very busy!

End of November:
Mom turns 50!!!
Dad comes home for Thanksgiving!
We start spreading the news to close family and friends!

Beginning of December:
Working working working...
Dad heads back to Iraq
Send out Christmas cards with our happy news! If you didn't get one let me know...my Mother in Law's never came either!

Middle of December:
I turned 25!!! Ahhh! OH MY!
My Grandma Morse passed away the 12-18-08 :( I miss you Grandma!
Dad came home for the funeral.
Grandma's Wake and Funeral were this week.
We Celebrated Christmas!

That's a brief summery of or last few months!!!

I would like to update you all on my health! We are doing great! I'm all full o Back pain, headaches, and muscle pain! Hooray! It's not as terrible as it sounds! I am one of the lucky few who didn't get morning sickness! Yes I was nauseous and yes very tired...still haven't gotten over that yet! Baby is growing fast! Right now I am 14 1/2 weeks and baby is 3 1/2 inches long! Baby has fingerprints this week too! We will be finding out the sex of the baby but that wont happen for at least a month! Mike wants a boy! I don't care! Let's just hope it's a baby not a puppy...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Whoa Baby!

Another year older (almost) another year wiser…(yeah right!)
Well Monday is my Birthday! I am going to be 25. Wow 25. I will be a quarter of a century old. Not so excited bout this one. I always thought it would never bother me that I got older. Then this year hit. Bam! I have been out of high school and on my own for almost 8 years! 8 years! Anyway I think everyone gets to this age and looks back to see what they have accomplished or not accomplished. I have become very independent. I also fell in love, got married, and we are now expecting our first child! I am so excited I can hardly stand it! So I am not dwelling on the things that I didn’t accomplish, in fact I’m not even going to mention them. I like who I’ve become and I am developing into a better person every day.
On to better things. I’m having a baby! Yay! I’m so excited to talk about it because I have been keeping it inside for 2 months! I can’t wait to find out what we are going to have. A handsome boy or a beautiful girl, either will be just fine for me. Mike would really like a boy but I know he will be great with a little girl too. He is such a softie! If we have a girl that means we get to have at least one more, so we can try for a boy! Ha ha!
I had an ultrasound on 12-5 and Mom, Dad, and Mike all got to come with me. It was really neat we got to see where the baby was. For Mike it made it a lot more real because he could see there was a baby in there and not just hear me complain about it! I have been really healthy no morning sickness. This week I have had a lot of muscle pain in my abdomen. I guess I’m stretching! It’s really uncomfortable but I do think I felt the baby move the other day. Move right on to my bladder! It was hard for my to get used to getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom all the time but I’m getting better at it.
I will write again soon to let you know how we are doing!

FISH FACE!

Create your own FACEinHOLE

FACEinHOLE

Create your own FACEinHOLE

FACEinHOLE

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Just the 2 of us

Create your own FACEinHOLE

That's Me!

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Weekend full of fun...and boogers!

This is my friend Sarah! Her parents own the Center Inn!

Dance Machine! Carly Enjoying the Party

Corina and a Cow!

Cops and Robbers!Jewel

Jewel and Steve Poltz

What a fun weekend!

It all pretty much started Thursday with Grumptoberfest! Grumptoberfest was a brat eating, polka dancing, sugar high, good ol' time!

It was kinda like a fall celebration! It was beautiful weather! It was also really loud and really packed full of kids in costumes! We spent a lot of our time outside!

Friday I started coming down with a cold but I never let it get me down! So we proceeded to have our Halloween Party! Ok it was a Halloween get together. I guess even when we give people a months notice they still can't make time to come to our parties. :( Thanks go those who did come! Cassy, Adam, Mandy, Chris, Holly, and Jacob. We had so much fun with you! Can't wait to do it again!

Saturday. I woke up feeling like death warmed over. Not good because a lady I work with had given me some free tickets to the Jewel concert that night! I was so excited! Mike and I tried to rest up in the morning. We went to the concert and had a great time. There were some really annoying kids who's parents didn't know how to teach them that it is rude to kick other peoples chairs! We got over it until they came and sat by us in some empty chairs. The one was elbowing me and kneeing me so much I couldn't understand it! Finally it ended!

Sunday - The Day of the Dead

Well at my house at least! Mike and I couldn't function. I wore me out to take a shower! I did get some much needed couch time and catch up on TV movies time so I was at least entertained!

Also the Season Finale of Army Wives was on...lets just say O M G!

Party like it's 1999!!

Me as a Cow and Myndi as an 80's rocker!!

Jim and Bev (Sunrise Catering and Center Inn Owners)

Did you know Flava Flav was really a white guy with make up on??

Dancing fools!

We are pretty cute!

Mike's shirt says's Bats! Bats! Bats!

Saturday Night Readlyn had a Halloween Dance!

Mike and I worked for Bev and Jim.

I took money at the door and Mike bar tended!

Well we pretty much had to entertain ourselves from 6:30 until 10 because not many people were leaving the top bar to come down to the dance floor so I took over and danced enough for everyone! There were a lot of really creative costumes! We had a really good time!

We stayed until closing time and finally got home and went to bed. I couldn't sleep I was still amped up! So Sunday morning we slept in til about 11, I was up by 10. Sunday we stayed home! It was Readlyn Trick or Treat! So I was prepared for about 75 kids because last year everyone ran out of candy! Too bad for us it snowed! We got about 1/4 inch before everything was said and done, it was snowing so bad you couldn't see across the street!

Corina is a big sister!

I am and "Auntie" again! I am so Proud!

Already smiling for "Auntie" Carrie
Adam is one proud papa!

Cassy just loves her little girls!

Carly Ann Gray

10-22-08

7 Pounds .49 Oz

20 Inches Long

Time to Play Catch up!

Patrick, Mike, Bobby

Brothers

Patrick, Pam, Mike, Bobby

Siblings

Patrick, Mike, Pam, Jeni, Bobby

Almost the whole family!

All gussied up!

Taylor's Falls, WI

We do love each other!




Peek-a-boo!!

Our Future Home!!


Maria and Patrick

Me and Grandma Harder!

We sure surprised her!

Hannah greeted me with the best hug when we got to Sara's!
Best smile!

Trick-Or-Treat!

Hayley is making giraffe noises!


Caged Animals!

I am pleased to introduce to you ;

Miss Luella Jean Thomas

My newest cousin!

This face, My cousin Jenny used to just make me laugh with all the silly faces she would make! This reminds me of her so much! Luella looks like her mommy!

Mike thinks she was pooping here...I think I agree!

Mommy (Jenny) and Luella

Well we've had a very eventful 2 weeks.

10-10 we were informed that our nephew Andrew passed away unexpectedly.

So we started making arrangements so we could head up North for the funeral.

That weekend Mike and I worked at a wedding and spent the rest of the time packing and doing laundry and getting all affairs in order with the house, cat, and dogs.

Our friend Sarah came and checked on the cat and the house everyday while we were gone.

My poor mother got stuck with both of my girls! I think she had fun!

Thanks Mom!

We headed for Hinkley, MN after work on Wednesday. We got there about midnight and we were starving. So we met Mike's mom who showed us to our room at the hotel and we headed down to the Casino to get something to eat. I love their wild rice soup! Yum! We played a little bit then went to bed. Thanks to Mike's cousin Reany we got to stay in a Suite! It was awesome! It had a 2 person whirlpool tub and a separate shower. Had a bedroom and a kitchenette! It was great!

Thursday was the funeral.

That was a very hard day. Though I didn't really know Andrew, that was a very hard funeral for me to go to. He was just too young. It was a really neat funeral though. It was a celebration and worship service! The pastor reminded us that God prepares a place for us. He better put Mikey in my room! :)

Well we had a nice quiet evening at the Casino if that's even possible.

Friday Mike and I went on an adventure. We went over to Taylor's Falls, WI to see the leaves and the river. It was beautiful! We hiked up the hills and got some great pictures!

When we got back to the hotel we went swimming and met up with, Bobby, Kelly, Patrick, Maria, Raymond, Gina, Pam, and Jeni for dinner at the buffet! It was a late but really good supper! We had fun sitting around listening to all the growing up stories!

Saturday we had to check out of the hotel and move in with Patrick!

Well in the afternoon Mike and I went to Ikea and the Mall of America. We got just a few things but had a good time shopping! Then we went Patrick's and had some pizza and hung out. It was nice to just be for a little bit.

Sunday I got up nice and early and had coffee and eggs. We went out to lunch with Patrick, Maria, Bobby, Kelly, and us. Great brunch!

After that we headed over to Grandma Harder's and surprised her during dessert! Her jaw dropped when I asked if she planned on sharing any with me! :) We had a really nice visit.

Then we headed over to see Sara and the girls! Tim was working so Hi Tim! We had fun playing with the girls and reading stories and putting on Halloween costumes! We couldn't stay too long over there but we did have a fun but short visit!

After that we went over to Jenny and Chris's house to meet Luella!

She is beautiful and such a good baby! I got to hold her forever! I also got to see my Aunt Terri and Uncle Steve whom I rarely get to see!

Well we did have a long weekend.

Yesterday my poor mom's car battery died and mike tried to fix it but discovered another problem in the process, my poor little Grandma Morse is in the hospital again, and we are still worn out!

Wish me luck this week! TGIW!