My Birthday, CELEBRATE!

For those of you who are out of the loop… the most fantastic day of the year was this past Wednesday. That is correct, if you did not observe it, it was my birthday on Wednesday. I cannot think of a better day to celebrate life than on a birthday. My husband did Birthday Month for the last three years but this time we did Birthday Week to wean me off of my obsession so that our child can be the focus of birthday celebrations from now on. I get it, it needed to happen. It was a great birthday week though. We started out with fish fry on Friday night, fishing

This baby loves to fish.

Artist photo of our true emotions
over not catching anything.

I was happy to be out though.
Just dreaming over there.

and apple picking on Saturday,

I felt like an apple tree there.
My lil apple to be here soon!

Such a gorgeous day!

It was pick your own which was a stellar
choice.

Buy one, get one.  Hello 20# of apples.

This is the spot we went and that
is the cider I needed. 

(long with a trip to Oktoberfest at the local brewery. Some passionate, German folk were seen. :))

and football watching on Sunday (with meatball sandwiches, yes there was bacon in them. For YUM!).

 It was a grand weekend. On my birthday we went out for breakfast and then dinner too.

Terrbile shot of me but who cares when
you order a large chocolate milk
and a breakfast sandwich.

Outdoor seating that we partook in. We
were the only ones so it was very private.
"Back When Cafe"

My belly is squashed in this pic. Doesn't
it look funny?

I am one spoiled wife but it is my last hooray before baby so maybe it is okay. Maybe.

Rhubarb custard bars. By my request.
YUMMY!

I got some good presents, yo. 

Week 32

• In light of fall, by chance. Gibby’s season is here! Babes is a squash this week whichi means 16.5 inches long and 3.5 pounds heavy. My belly is heavy these days so I am thinking there is a chunky monkey in there. 
• Just chunking up in there really, that is fine with me. 
• If we are lucky, baby is now head down already and waiting for the time to come into the world. 

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• I have been having those Braxton Hicks like once a day and I can no longer swing out of bed… it is a process and a struggle really. 
• I run out of breath quite fast if I am not focusing on my pace when walking even a short distance. 
• I have balloon feet by the end of the day and as of my birthday Caleb has a daily job… rubbing my legs and making sure I have pillows under my feet while lying on the couch. This can be translated as: He has been chosen to be my personal assistant and in any way. 

Off to MSP this weekend for my first BABY SHOWER! I am literally giddy to see my peeps in Minnesota. I can’t wait to share with you the memories and pics next week.

Art, Donuts, & Football

We chose to stay home this weekend to rest our bones and, well, to be home for a weekend. There was an art fair going on here in Wausau that was quite large and it was fun getting Christmas gifts and to try and win an item or two at the silent auction.

Painter just painting behind his tent.
Presh.

We have made a tradition to get donuts every Saturday so we walked to the donut shoppe and decided before we got there that we would split a donut. Well it turns out I am pregnant so I got two and Caleb got one. I was ashamed only after eating both and then I got over it quite quickly after that. We did go to a co-workers home to watch the Iowa vs Iowa State game. We are not HUGE fans but it is fun for a big10 team to lose against anyone so that the Badgers can still look great. On Sunday it was, well, a day of football as any Sunday is in this household if September is here. We all know who won the game of the week but my husband lost so we just keep it as a statement and not a paragraph. We did both win our fantasy games against a couple other brothers so that was worth it. I am not sure what brother Tim was thinking by not changing his team but I didn’t mention anything to him as I didn’t mind the free points. Nathan did however pick up a Packer player (Jones) after the game so I think he may be scheming a trade offer in the coming weeks to this sole Packer fan. I am catching on, Nathan, carry on.

Week 31

• A pineapple little one… over 3 pounds and over 16 inches. I measured 32 weeks today at my appointment so I am think we have a big one or momma is getting chunky. The first option is my guess. ☺
• All five senses are willing and able but smell will not be used until air hits it’s face. Nothing to smell in the amniotic fluids, I hear. 
• Lil Gibby has irises and can see and react to light. I will be testing this tomorrow for sure! 
• Major brain and nerve development have occurred this week. I am fine with this and test both these by pushing on it’s feet and waiting for Gibby to shove back. 

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I don’t really have anything to report this week that hasn’t already been claimed in weeks prior. I still don’t sleep that well, I am slow to wake and early to bed. I still don’t move around that great but I am trooper and I just need Caleb’s hand to keep up and then I am able to keep up. This little baby loves to move around and remind ma that there is a growing one in her way to live a life.

We are home this weekend again but will be busy as we are on a birthday weekend itinerary. Yes, peeps, we celebrate my birthday for a full week. Embrace the love (and presents) my husband is willing to give me.

Chicago: Memory Lane, Wedding Aisle, and Wis Dells Scenic Path

We’re baaaaaaaack! From Chicago this weekend, that is. We were off to celebrate a weeding of one of Caleb’s confidants in grad school, Micah. It was a blast being at the wedding and seeing three boys laugh about how life is now in the professional world. I did not understand half or any of the verbiage they were using but it seemed very higher ed. One of the friends came from Missouri with his wife so we shared a hotel together and hung out the whole night. It was great to see them and to catch up.

The wedding was gorgeous. I loved the feel of it, almost like a Martha Stewart spread for the tables and the floral. They had the whole night at the wedding which was great for all and there was no dance. Instead, they played the movie “Father of the Bride” in the gym. We did not stay for this portion but sure thought it was a great idea for them especially.

The night prior to the wedding, Caleb and I came down to the condo in the Dells and hung out eating frozen pizza and watching a movie. In case you were wondering, “Aloha” is literally one of the worst movies to watch. It is pitiful. Caleb and I started out the morning leaving early enough to get into Chicago to eat our traditional breakfast at “Baker & Nosh” on Wilson where we went every Saturday living in Chicago. It was so nostalgic and I was so happy to be back. We got the last of the treccia (pastry) by literally 5 minutes and that is what we were looking forward to the most. Thank you very much! Please see link below to see how to make it and also the owner of this fine establishment.

http://wgntv.com/2015/08/04/lunchbreak-treccia-from-baker-nosh/

We also played cribbage, another tradition, but the master, Caleb, schooled me. After breakfast it was time for a walk down memory lane to Andersonville to see what was new or changed and then Caleb got his hair cut at a local barber. He waited it out two months to get his haircut and man did he need a beard trim. Don’t get too excited, he only cut two inches. That is a lot to cut off, I know, but for that face hang-piece it is minimal. He looks oh so good! Before we went to the wedding, we stopped by "Oven Grinders" downtown Chicago and ate THE BEST PIZZA by far for me. It was like a casserole and was just so delicious. Peeps need to visit this place ASAP.

Adding to the scatterbrain of this post, we woke in the morning after the wedding to free hotel breakfast and a journey to our church in Chicago. This weekend was a lot of driving but each destination was worth it. At church, they are doing my favorite series where they take a song and its lyrics and hone it back to Jesus in some way. This sermon was about a song written by the songwriter in “Once” and it was acapella. It would be great if I could think of the song, but I cannot. You are welcome. Pastor Kevin came to the service with his wife and all I could do throughout the sermon was thank Jesus for saving his life in the scooter accident and pray to Jesus for continued healing. For those that do not know, Kevin Bruutsema was involved in a hit and run while he was riding his scooter. He is not mobile from the neck down and isn’t to the level past a 4th grader for social interaction. HOWEVER, he was fully at church this weekend and remember stories that Pastor Chad was telling through out the sermon. It was incredible to compare the before, during, and after accident progression. After the service, we chatted with people from our former small group and headed off the Nathan and Kelly’s for the NFL fantasy draft.

Oh man, did we miss our nephew Miles like a ton. Walking in the door and him acknowledging us like we have never left Chicago was great thinking back. He misses Caleb so much and even told the group on Sunday that Caleb is his “best friend sometimes”… precious for a 7 year old to affirm Caleb. I stunk doing the draft but all others in the room did great. For some reason, I cannot do picking players that are not on Green Bay and taking players that “should” do well this season. I will get better and I will beat my siblings this year. I hope.
After the draft, Caleb and I went back to the Dells and hung out for the night before waking the next morning to go for a walk to High Rock on the river and just lounged around. A very relaxing weekend.

Woof, this post was way too informatory and long. Please remind me not to get this excited about a weekend again.

Week 30

As long as a cucumber… 16 inches and 3 pounds. Holy cow… that is crazy business and doesn’t seem like a cucumber measurement at all. It sounds huge though. I think I am in for a wake-up call when this Gibster is born in 10 weeks ( I hope not sooner!)
A wrinkly brain and smooth skin are the progressions of my child this week, both good things to focus on lil one!
Lastly… Gibby has enough strength to hold my finger. Oh for cute, am I right. I want to hold your hand, lil one. Stay safe in there.
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I try really hard to protect my belly but sometimes when you trespass on DNR property and have to squeeze through a fence… you bruise your belly and have to make your first call to First Nurse. All is well with the baby but mom sure felt the pain of being quite larger than last time going through that fence.
I don’t sleep through the night any more and am okay with it. I am getting used to being tired throughout the day and having no energy when I get home. I am secretly loving this stage of having a reason to lounge but I know I should buck up and keeping these muscles strong.
I am working on getting my feet up so this swelling that has begun stays put where it is but some of my shoes are not quite fitting. Oh well, it is apart of the mom-to-be gig.

Wausau weekend is ahead, Caleb couldn’t be happier to have a home weekend. No driving for him!

Northwoods Camp and Extra Look at Baby

Hey yo! We went on a trip to the cabin this past weekend. It was so fun. We love it up there. There isn’t much to do and that is just the way I like it. We started out the weekend stopping at the only restaurant in town, Northcountry Inn. The fish is just so good. I mean, it is so good. I got blue gill and Caleb got walleye. He got a heaping portion of fish and I got a heaping pile of fries so we packed up the extras to cook over the fire the next day.

We got to the cabin around 7:30p and set-up camp. We proceeded to start a fire and ate s’mores for days that night.

I did not sleep very well that night as I am pregnant and those beds are three generations old so they have no support any longer. Caleb on the other hand slept fine and we slept in until 9a. It felt good to have no agenda for the day so we made the famous camping breakfast of potatoes, bacon, and eggs in the Paul Bunyan skillet. What a tradition that Caleb really enjoys.

We then packed up and went to get our fishing license and bait for an afternoon of fishing on Lily Lake. Caleb was a hero for getting the boat on the car all alone and pampering his primary princess the entire weekend.

Peeps, we went at high noon practically, dumb us, so the fish did not bite and we got a tad over heated. Lesson learned. After fishing, we came back and had hot dogs on the fire and Caleb mowed the land. As he was mowing, I gathered wood for burning in the pit. I was very proud of myself and gathered a heaping pile. How did I get it all back to the cabin you ask? Well I put a tarp on the ground like a blanket and gathered all the wood on top and drug it back. Okay, I did not drag it the entire way due to the weight but my studly husbo helped in the end. I was way proud of myself and Caleb thought I overdid my task for sure. Caleb and I made burgers on the skillet for dinner and we enjoyed the fire throughout the night. I made a KILLER fire to start off the night. Something about the campfire that I really enjoy. I am very opinionated when it comes to fire making, I came to that realization this weekend.

We woke in the morning to me sleeping great and Caleb got a neck cramp in the night so woke up very early to pain. Poor guy. Clean-up day is never fun so we just packed up and gathered in the morning, ate breakfast and lunch on the fire. Played a quick game of cribbage (a tradition) and headed home. I drove my baby home because of his lack of sleep and pain which the journey felt like it took forever.

In other news, we had a third ultrasound for Gibby. It turns out if your placenta grows over your cervix, baby baby can’t come into this world with out a c-section. Who knew? The good news is that this issue arose during my 20-week ultra sound so this ultra sound was to let us know that it has moved and I am back on the “normal” pregnancy spectrum. Jesus is very nice to this girl. This kid is just the cutest. It was smushed up against my belly so we were not able to get 3D images. It is okay though because we saw Gibby open it’s eyes, hiccup, and he/she was just longing with it’s arm above it’s head having a leisure day in the womb. Just the cutest to have it inside my belly moving CONSTANTLY!

Week 29

• An acorn squash is present under my shirt this week measuring 16 inches long and a lil over 3 pounds.
• Supposedly I am running out of room in there for the lil cutie so jabs and kicks are my future and present days. I do not mind feeling this kid on a constant basis though. 
• Hiccups should be felt starting this week which I am very much looking forward to. I feel like it would be great to feel those!

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• My headaches are all but gone. Isn’t that just the best? I am now taking 350mg of Tylenol when I feel a headache coming on and it has worked like a charm and dissipate within a couple hours. Heavenly. 
• No new stretch marks to claim quite yet. This whole hydrating your skin thing is new to me but is working out great.
• I get those belly pains every so often and they scare me so much. I feel like something is the matter with my kiddo so I get quite emotional (ask Caleb, ha ha.) and freak out a bit. Oh the life of a hormonal wife, my husband. 

Long weekend is in store, yippee!