26 weeks

  The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. - Baby Center.com
   Our peanut seems to be WILD in the tummy now! Zack and I are very entertained in the evening just watching my belly move around. Zack called to see about our nursery furniture and was told we will have it by August 12th, so we are very excited by that. FINALLY!!! Happy birthday to soon to be daddy Zack! We had a bbq last Saturday on Zacks birthday with family and friends. We had great whether and it was tons of fun! Love that husband of mine! Now we are on the countdown to our last vacation before baby comes.  We are going to Indiana to Indiana Beach. " There is more then corn in Indiana!". I have been going there every summer since I was 5 years old. After my family taking a few years off my parents decided to rent a cabin again. It is GREAT fun! Can't wait.

25 Weeks

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.  -Babycenter.com

As you can tell from the pictures my belly is definitely growing now. I took my glucose testing and have not heard anything back from the doctors office, so we are pretty sure all is well. No gestational diabetes here. Zack was able to come with to our 24 week doctors visit which is always fun for me. That means someone else that gets to sit and wait wait wait and wait with me at the doctors office. No, I really do love my doctors office and our doctor. We heard our peanut's heartbeat and all is well. Once again Mommy and baby checked out just fine. The past two times I have gone to the doctors office interestingly enough my belly has measured a week later ( or showing a week earlier then my expected due date). My scheduled Due date is still November 1st , but I thought that was interesting. Do you think I will stay true to my due date or.........could there be a........Halloween baby, haha? Peanut is STILL active then ever. Aunt Annie was talking to her the other day and then put her ear to my belly and got kicked in the ear! LOL. I think she is already excited to meet her auntie. Still no nursery furniture yet. July 23rd will mark 8 weeks and it is due to come in between 8 and 12 weeks. I just want it already! Patience is key and I really have to say Zack and I have really been tested on all kinds of patience lately. Maybe the big man upstairs is just getting us ready for our peanut, because I am pretty darn sure parenting involves A LOT of patience. LOL.

Now for our Poppy update. Zack went up to visit him with his mother and Aunt. Poppy looks a million times better and is doing his best to recover in Madison, WI hospital. He still has 12 more days of antibiotics to kill off the infection that he had and then the next step we think will be for him to get started in a rehab facility. He is ready to get home and " get a bottle of beer at Woodeyes"! It is nice to see our Good Ol' Poppy's personality has not gone anywhere! We love you Poppy and we are all still praying hard for fast recovery and peace.

" Come on down and get your Brand New Car! "

I have had my Toyota Echo since I was sixteen (Britney is 10 yrs old) and Zack and I decided it was definitely time to get a new car that is good for our family that is growing. Good ol' Brit has been with me through high school, post high school, young adulthood, and adulthood. She has been with through good times and bad , parties and running from parties, make-ups and break-ups, and different moves. It was a little sad  watch my first car be driven away from me. Definitely the end of an era. Or I should say a close to one chapter in my life and the beginning of another. Like I said I was feeling a little down UNTIL I got in my new ride ( yes, you got it , another Toyota) and was acting like a giddy teenager again! Zack and I both really liked the Toyota Venza. It  is considered a crossover, it has great room for family, and still gets really good gas mileage for road trips,etc.

We are really excited to have our new family car just in time for our peanut!

Here is to another Toyota ( knock on wood). May it get us another 10 years!

24 Weeks!

  Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. -Babycenter.com
    Yes our baby is the size of her mommy and daddy's favorite vegetable! weird?! Zack and I were really excited because we got our recliner glider in for the nursery. We have it set up and I have already found myself spending time in our peanuts room rocking in the recliner. On Thursday I have my 24 week doctor visit. Unfortunately I get to take the glucose test to make sure i am not developing gestational diabetes. I have heard that the sugar drink I have to drink is the WORST ever and I have heard that is not bad at all , so we will see how it turns out. With me going to all these doctors appointments we decided it was time for Zack to get a check-up also. Zack has not been for a check-up since he was in his teens, so it was definitely time! All is healthy and well with daddy! Tsunami , you owe us a steak dinner, LOL, j/k! It is weird to think that I am already drawing close to the end of my second trimester. I am now starting to have some sleeping issues a bit, but with me that is not really new. My food of choice ( or I should say our peanuts food of choice) is cereal, cereal,and more cereal. Doesn't really matter what kind just as long as it is over a nice bowl of very cold milk! Zack laughs because I will make a full meal for  us and while he is eating I will just grab a bowl of cereal. It is what truly satisfies me!I have been blessed with a really nice and easy pregnancy so far. Almost makes me want to knock on some wood some where just so I don't jinx myself!

Boating on the River!

Zack's Uncle Ted aka Teddy got a boat this summer. Deb and Ted live right on the Fox river and have been waiting and saving for a boat for a while . so we were so excited when they got to get one! While I went to Jenni's baby shower Zack played on the boat with Ted and Nate "The Men". When " The Women Folk" Deb , Diane, Abby, and I got done with the shower we took a ride on the boat also! Fun fun fun!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, NEW Fish!

  My Cousin-in-law Jenni's baby shower was this past Sunday! Jenni is due September 30th , and she is having a little baby boy by the name of Blake Thomas. AWESOME NAME! Jenni is looking barely pregnant and beautiful as usual. Jenni's mom Denise and older sister Holly ( who is due with her second baby girl any day now) put together the shower for her. The theme was Dr. Suess and it was SO cute! Jenni and I have already talked about having many play dates together considering our little ones will only be a month or so apart depending. Here are some pics of the shower...........

                        My mother-in-law Diane and I

Jenni and her Dr.Suess Cake

Close up of a really cute cake!

Really awesome centerpieces to go along with the theme! Funky plant and then Denise got different Dr. Suess stuffed animal characters. On the tables also were a bowl of red Swedish fish AND bowl of gold fish crackers! Great job ladies!

Holly, Denise, Riley, and Jenni

"The Girls" Me, Riley, Jenni, Holly, and Abby

Jenni and I

23 Weeks / and a little Fourth of July fun!

 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. - Babycenter.com
  Zack and I painted our nursery this past week, and Zack's Uncle Ted (who is a professional painter) helped us finish it up and then painted our ceilings in the entire condo! Thanks Teddy, you are AWESOME! We finally ordered our glider and now its just a waiting game for ALL furniture to come in. Everything should arrive within a couple weeks or so, so we are really excited. I am at 23 weeks and now officially am feeling pregnant. I know you say its about time so I really can't complain. I am now feeling our peanut A LOT, my belly in noticeably pregnant, and starting to feel a little tired now. I have to say I think our peanut is gonna be a mover and a shaker because I feel like she is always on the go in my belly. A really fun development is just what the Babycenter.com said . For the past 2 weeks or so Zack and I have been able to be SEEING our peanut move in my belly. And everyday you can tell it is just getting more and more pronounced the stronger she gets!
  Over the past weekend we went mini golfing, bbq'ed it up, and celebrated Fourth of July.  On The Fourth of July we started the day out at the South Elgin parade, then hung out at my mother-in law's house for awesome appetizers, etc.with Zack's family, visited with my family at my parents house for dinner, and ended the night at our friends house for drinks and fireworks.
Here are a few pics from a fun filled weekend!
 

Mini-golfing with friends! (Left to Right) D.C., Kim, Kristin, and Keith

Kristin beat us all, but a few of us DID manage to get " Hole in Ones" (including me)!

After we went for ice cream at Colonial where the boys lived life up and got "Kitchen Sinks". It was a lot of fun!

Fourth of July pic with my hunny!

Diane (Zack's momma), Me, and Zack at the South Elgin Parade

Three Preggers at a Parade.LOL

Left to Right: I am due Nov.1st, Jenny is due Sept.30th, and Holly is due Aug.5th

Bing Bang Boom and Christmas time will be full of new babies and kiddos!

The girls at our friends bbq we went to later that evening!

Kristin and Amy sitting on the ground and Carin in the chair.

I had mentioned to Zack there was a little list of activities I would like to do this summer before baby comes. Mini-golfing was on that list, so my awesome husband planned it out for us. This past weekend was busy and fun-filled and I loved every second of it.

Our Poppy update: Last update was that Poppy is doing leaps and bounds better. He has been taken off the ventilator and is doing just fine. He has been out of his bed standing and sitting up. He is not sedated anymore so he is alert of what is going on, and even talking a little bit here and there. The prayers of calm and healing I feel are really doing the trick so thank you to all our friends and family that our praying and thinking of us! Lets keep it going so we can get  our beloved Poppy out of the hospital and in rehab. We love you Poppy!