28 Weeks

I am officially in my 3rd trimester now. It's crazy how the time is flying by! I just had my 28 week appointment yesterday. It was the long one where I had to drink the glucola and test for diabetes. The drink actually wasn't that bad, just rather sweet by the end of it. They took my blood and should have the results in the next few days. I sure hope I pass cause I don't want to have to go back for another appointment which is more blood tests and a few hours longer. The Dr. said my measurements and weight are still right on so Baby Spins is growing how she should be which is nice to hear. She sure has grown a lot in the last few weeks. I feel so much bigger now than I was at 24 weeks. I really notice how much bigger I am when I am laying down and try to sit up or when I am standing up and go to bend over, it's just not quite the same as it was before. I am still feeling really good and I am enjoying this stage of watching my belly grow and feeling her move around all the time. Since 24 weeks she sure has been active! Brad and I love to watch and feel her move around. About a week ago she started responding to Brad when he would push on her. She actually pushed (or kicked) back which we both thought was really cool. She's only done that a few times but it was a really neat feeling for me to feel Brad and her pushing at each other.

We are starting to work on the nursery a little more too. We've got the crib and the changing table up there now. We really love the furniture. It is espresso colored and it looks great with the light pink walls. Here's some pictures of Brad working on the crib.

We also took my 28 week pics yesterday. As you can see I am no longer wearing the same shirt that I had on in the past pictures. For one, it is way to small on me now, and two, it is 85 degrees out so it is time for the tank tops.

Where I'll be parked most of the summer!

Oh, and one more thing that took place over the last few weeks. We have decided on a name for our little girl! We have been calling her by name to get used to it and see what we think...and we both think it sounds pretty darn good. But you'll all have to wait til she's born cause we aren't telling anyone (sorry, not even you mom).

Welcome Baby Beau!

Our friends Abby and Ryan had their baby boy, Beau William Smith, on May 15th at 4:07 p.m. His due date was the 14th but they induced Abby the morning of the 15th cause they knew he was going to be a big boy...and they were right. Beau weighed in at 9 lbs. 12 oz.'s and is 21 inches long! Abby's a champ! Both Abby and Beau are doing good. Brad and I spent a few hours at the hospital last night visiting with them. I was so excited to see Beau. He's a cutie! He's got the cheeks that you just want to kiss or squeeze or something. Here's a few pictures.

Here's Brad (can't tell cause I cut him off) holding Beau, who is wide awake and looking around.

The proud daddy and his son. I love this picture...I told Abby I would put it on here so she could have it too.

Ryan, Abby, and Beau
Congratulations guys, we are so happy for you!

My Parents in Indy!

My parents flew in on Thursday and stayed through Tuesday. It was so wonderful to have them down here!!! It was their first time down here without any kids with them. It was great for the four of us to be able to spend some time together. Although 99% of the time it was working. My dad and Brad worked on building a screened in porch for us for 4 days straight, from the morning til dark. They worked so hard and got so much done! The weather was great for them - 70's all weekend. My mom also worked really hard. She painted our dining room for us and our nursery! Both rooms look so nice. My mom and I also found time to get lots of shopping in...surprise, surprise. We are great shopping partners and we found a lot of good deals. Brad and I really appreciate all of their help and we had a great time with them. It was hard for me to see them leave. I wish they could've stayed another week and relaxed with us on our new screened in porch! Brad and I love it and will spend many, many hours out there. Here's some pictures of them working hard.

Here they are on their last night, still working hard, using every last minute of daylight to finish up what they could.

And then here they are with a look of accomplishment after they were finished. Good job guys!

My mom, smiling big, after painting 2 coats of pink in the nursery.

And she did a great job in the dining room too!

Looks like we hired a professional!

Unfortunately, my parents didn't get to stick around and enjoy the finished porch. We sure do love it! It looks so nice from across the pond. So many people in our neighborhood have come up to us and made comments on how nice it is. And they couldn't believe how fast the guys built it!

They never got to see it with the furniture in it, so here's some pictures for everyone to see.

Here's a beautiful sunset picture we took from our porch. We're looking forward to watching many more pretty sunsets from our porch!

24 Weeks

Sorry I am posting this so late. Our computer crashed and it took awhile for us to get a new one up and running. It sure was hard to go 2 weeks without a computer! A few people have called me and were wondering why I haven't posted the 24 week pictures. So here they are and sorry about the delay.



As you can see, I have grown a lot in the last 4 weeks, and so has Baby Spins. According to the updates I get from baby center, she is almost 12 inches long now. The Dr. took my measurements at our 24 week appointment and said the measurements looks right on. She is so much more active now too. I feel her moving around at all times of the day (and the night). I love it!

Connor Robert Nelson

Our friends Kelly and JJ had their baby boy on April 9th. Connor was 3 days early and weighed in at 6 lbs. and 5 ozs. and was 20 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well. We stopped in at the hospital (the same hospital we will deliver at) last night to see Connor and the proud parents. He is so tiny! When I held him I couldn't believe how light he was. When we first got there he was wide awake but then he fell asleep in my arms. So I didn't get any pictures of him awake but I did take a few while he was sleeping.

JJ, Kelly, and Connor

Easter Weekend

Even though the temperatures were way below normal for this time of year, it did not stop us from having a great Easter weekend with family. Brad's parents made it in late Thursday night. Brad and I worked Friday, and then my Mom, Grandma Sally, and Bailey got down here Friday after work (after driving 11 hours and going through a huge blizzard in the UP). It was my Grandma's first time down here and she was so excited to see us and our house. We are so glad that they were able to make it down here for the weekend. Friday night we all just visited with each other and oohed and ahhed over all the cute baby stuff my mom brought with her (she's already spoiling this baby...surpise, surprise). Saturday us girls went shopping all day while the boys stayed home and watched golf. We went to Babies R Us and we ordered our crib and dresser/changing table. My parents bought us our crib which was extremely nice of them and a huge help for us. My mom also bought a little crib and changing table for their house in Marqutte. We went to a few other stores and I found some good deals on maternity clothes which I desperately needed. Shopping with the girls was a lot of fun and very successful! Saturday night we made lasagna and had a big Italian dinner with everyone. Brad's parents left really early Sunday morning so we said bye to them Saturday night. Sunday morning the Easter bunny came and left baskets for Brad, Bailey, and I. Just what I need, a basket full of chocolate! I have 12 of the Reese's egg peanut butter cups to eat...their my favorite! We also had a big ham for brunch after church. Let's just say I didn't go hungry this weekend.

Monday afternoon we had a Dr.'s appointment scheduled and my mom got to come with us. She got to see Baby Spins moving all around. Everything looked good, she had a strong heartbeat again, 150 bpm. They only took a few pictures this time but our ultrasound tech was really nice and gave my mom and Brad and I a set of pictures. I've included two of our favorites below. Tuesday morning my family left and made the long hike back to the U.P. At least this time they drove home with the sun shining instead of the snow blowing everywhere. It sure was great having them down here!

Our Little Gymnast: She is in the pike position. You can see her little feet and her hands reaching for her toes.

Say cheese! Doesn't it kind of look like she is smiling for the camera?

20 Weeks

We're halfway there! I can't believe how quick the first 20 weeks went by. For some reason I have a feeling the second 20 weeks might seem to go by a little slower. There is not a whole lot of changes going on right now (with me anyways, there's always a lot going on with the baby). Our baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel (according to Babycenter.com). I am feeling good and it is great knowing that we are having a daughter! The little flutters I have been feeling are still pretty sporadic but I imagine those will pick up here any day now. My belly hasn't grown a whole lot since week 16 but I can definitely tell that this past week it has started to "pop" more than before. I took my 20 week pics in the same shirt as the 16 week pics so we could see the change.

Here I am standing on our new deck that Brad is building. Brad also just planted the crab apple tree to the left of me last night. Soon it will be full of pink flowers.

Close up of my belly

I had to take a picture with the bear that my mom sent me the day after we found out we were having a girl. She's so excited!

Weekend with Kreider's

This past weekend Jason, Jaclynn, and Maddy came to stay with us. It was so nice to see them again and especially see how much Maddy has grown in the past 2 months. In the last 2 months she has learned how to crawl, walk, make a lot more noises, and eat anything you put in front of her. She is so cute and so much fun! Saturday Brad and Jason worked on our deck all day while us girls went shopping. It was fun to be able to baby shop and know what section to look at. Baby girls clothes are so darn cute! I found a few things at Baby Gap on clearance and I am sure I will continue to frequent that clearance section...I love good deals (my mom taught me well). We also looked around and got ideas for a nursery. Brad and I haven't decided yet but there sure is a lot out there to choose from. We went to Babies R' Us and Jac was so much help. She filled me in on what they liked and didn't like and really helped me with ideas for when Brad and I register. When you go into Babies R' Us it is kind of overwhelming with how much stuff there is so it was nice to have someone to show me around. Sunday we got to enjoy some time outside, it was so beautiful...it was in the mid 70's! The four of us played rodeo golf in our front yard while Maddy was sleeping. It felt like it was summer, it was great!

It's A Girl!

We had our Dr.'s appointment and ultrasound yesterday and everything went wonderful. The doctor said the baby looks great and seems to be a healthy little baby, which is the best news a parent could ever ask for. And yes we were able to tell the gender...Baby Spins is a GIRL! We are having a daughter! Brad was right all along!
It was such an amazing experience to watch our little girl on the ultrasound video! We could see so much more this time. The ultrasound tech was great and she really took her time and pointed out everything to us and explained everything she was looking for. We could see her little feet and hands, her face, her mouth open and close, her organs, her spine, and her arms and legs were moving all around. She started off with her head on my left side and then by the end her head ended up way over on my right side. We were lucky we were able to get some good pictures to tell she was a girl because she was moving so much. Then after she took the pictures she closed her legs (which is the way they'll stay according to Brad). They took a lot of measurements and she measured right on for an August 14th due date. She was 19 weeks and 2 days yesterday, and her head measured at 19 weeks 3 days, her waist was 19 weeks 1 day, and her legs were 19 weeks 6 days. So as of right now she has long legs like her daddy (definitely not mine). She had a strong heartbeat again, 162 beats/min, a little faster than last time but they said it was good. They gave us a CD with a bunch of pictures and video from the ultrasound. Here are some pictures of our little girl.

Her face and body

Side profile of head and body

I'm a girl!

Everything sure is feeling real now. It is so nice to no longer have to refer to our baby as "it", now we have to get use to saying "her" and "she". We are really glad that we found out the gender, we think it will help us bond with her. Brad is already calling her daddy's little girl. I think it's cute. Now we have to seriously think about girl names. We've had our boys name picked for a few years, but we have never settled on a girls name. We do have a front runner for now and we'll see if it stays that way. But you will have to wait til she's born for that...there's got to be some surprise.

Big Day Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the big day where we find out if our baby is our son or our daughter (as long as he/she is cooperating with us). We are both extremely excited! It's hard to believe that this day is here already. I have a feeling it is going to be very hard for us to fall asleep tonight and to concentrate at work all day tomorrow. Our doctors appointment isn't til 3:30, I don't know why we made it for the afternoon and not the morning. As soon as it's over, we will start making the phone calls and spreading the news about Baby Spins!