26 Weeks

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy seems to be flying be and how fortunate I am to not have had alot of the normal woes most women complain about. So far this second trimester has been a breeze! My doctor keeps telling me this won't last forever, but for now I'm truly enjoying the moment! I just can't believe I only have 1 week left in this trimester!!!

This week it really hit me just how quickly our lil' one will be here. This past summer two families from Ev's work both announced their pregnancies within about a month of each other. I had no idea at the time I would be joining the RNT winter baby club! One of these women recently had their baby this past week and the other has already announced the date of her scheduled C-section!!! Which means our lil ones arrival is just around the corner!!!! See the ticker above and you will see what I mean. I am trying not to panic but I can feel myself getting the urge to nest more and more as the days tick by! Ev himself as even started to make some headway in the "Projects to be Done Before Baby Arrives" Department. This weekend he painted 3/4 of the downstairs living room all by himself. We didn't plan on tackling this job until after the holidays, but I am thankful the job is almost done. I tried to help, but my efforts were not wanted. After hearing me say "oops" 3 times in less than 5 minutes and hurrying to clean up spilled paint before it dried, I was kicked off the job. Even after I was fired and Ev was showing me his handywork, I still managed to goof up......I blame the hormones!

It also seems my belly grows more and more everyday!!! And our lil one is getting stronger to. Just the other night I was telling Ev about how force full her kicks and jabs seem to be lately. No sooner were the words out of my mouth when we both watched my belly rise and fall with a big flip! I love feeling her move around in my belly.

18 Weeks

21 Weeks

26 Weeks

Meeting our Baby

Three weeks ago today we got to meet our baby via ultrasound for the very first time! Ev and I were giddy with excitement the night prior to our appointment. It was hard to relax enough to sleep, but I knew I had to get a few zzzzz's in before our 8:45am appointment.

That morning, while getting ready for the appointment, Ev followed me around like a waterboy making sure I drank all of the required 32oz of water an hour prior to the test. By the way it is no fun being 20 weeks pregnant with an enormously full bladder and then on top of that told you can't pee!!! The drive to the doctors office was interesting as well! We had recently purchased Ev's new truck the day before, so of course the "new" car was our vehicle of choice for the day. Also, our lil one decided that my full bladder was their new bouncy house. I was happy to feel our lil one move around, but the added pressure was much less amusing.

Once in the ultrasound room we anxiously awaited to meet our lil boy or girl. Unfortunately, our baby was being such a flutterbug we weren't sure we were even going to find out! Even the ultrasound tech was having trouble just getting our peanut to stay in one spot long enough to capture an image for measurements! Finally after what seemed like forever our lil one settled down. The tech confirmed that we wanted to know and told us we were having...... a baby girl!!! I looked over at Ev with tears in my eyes to see him grinning from ear to ear back at me!

For the rest of the day we couldn't stop smiling. We are both over the moon to be having this baby and thrilled to have a lil girl soon. We now know that all the results from the ultrasound came back perfect and we are still on schedule for a March 10th due date!

Second Trimester

Today I am 16 weeks and 5 days pregnant!!!! Only 163 days to go till our due date!!! Right now the baby is about the size of an avocado (4 1/2 inches long and weighs roughly 3 1/2 ounces) Grow, baby grow!!!

What I'm feeling: My energy level has definitely picked up a bit. Although with my work/sleep schedule some days are better than others. My only complaint so far is that when I do sleep it's hard to get comfortable. I know this will only get worse as time goes on unfortunately :( Poor Ev has to deal with my tossing and turning more than usual....sorry sweetie!

What I'm craving: The cravings the last few weeks have died down. A few weeks ago it seemed like I had a new food craving every day. Now it comes and goes. But as of lately I have wanted; PB&J sandwiches, Watermelon Sour Patch Kids, Twix candy bars, and chocolate milk. Apparently the baby has a bit of a sweet tooth this week!

In other news we have another doctors appointment next week to hear the heartbeat again!!! And we plan on scheduling our first ultrasound in the next 2-3 weeks. Also I'm looking forward to feeling the baby move soon. I know they say some women can feel the baby move as early as 16 weeks, but from my research I've found that most feel that first "flutter" between 18-20 weeks for first time mommas!!!

13 Weeks

Today I am officially 13 weeks pregnant and we are finally in the last week of our first trimester!!! This week the baby is the size of a peach, weighs about .81 ounces and is about 2.9 inches long.

Things I'm craving: lemonade, Crazy Cowboy chimichangas and Evan's lasagna!

What I'm feeling: TIRED!!!! Although I have noticed a slight uptick in my energy level the last few days, I am tired of being tired! Ev would tell you that he has noticed a change in my mood swings, the lucky guy. One minute we will be laughing together and the next he will be looking at me bewildered wondering where all the tears are coming from!

We have another doctors appointment this week. During this appointment we have hoping to hear the heart beat again. And we are anxiously waiting to find out the sex of the baby in the next 5-7 weeks. I have been eager to get the upstairs office squared away. We are hoping to get this project tackled during the long Labor Day weekend. All we have to do is paint and really organize this space effectively! I know once we get that room done we are one more step away from working on the nursery. So that is a huge motivator to get it done!

We haven't been very good at keeping up with our growing bump photos. We are going to try to get better at this, I promise. Below are the only bump pictures we have so far. Enjoy!

7 weeks

11 weeks


13 weeks

Disney 2011

Well our Disney Getaway did not start off exactly as planned. We ran into a few travel snags the first night. And by snags I mean, waiting until 11:20pm to actually get our shuttle (which was the full 30 minutes of the 5-30 minute wait they told us) and being the last people to be dropped off. We actually didn't get to our hotel until midnight!!! After we checked in we were sent on an expedition to find our room. It took 15 minutes of wandering past signs with room number ranges that didn't have ours in the range! Finally, we stumbled upon it (must have been some Disney Magic) and were relieved. Well, relieved until we opened the door and turned on the light. Let's just say I was very disappointed. Ev immediately called the front desk. Unfortunately because of our late check in and the high occupancy of the hotel, we weren't technically in the correct type of room and the hotel couldn't correct the problem until Sunday night. We decided to make the best of it, I mean after all we were in Disney and as Ev kept pointing out we only had to sleep there!

The next morning, we had a much better outlook. After getting some sleep and a good breakfast we were ready to start our adventure. As soon as we made it to the Magic Kingdom, all the worries and stresses of traveling faded away. I was instantly mesmorized by the magic of Disney! Ev was so attentive to me, asking every few minutes if I was feeling okay in the Florida heat and if I needed anything! I took full advantage of this and we got all sorts of great things. We had Mickey Mouse shaped cake-pops that had marshmallow ears, rice crispy treats shaped like Mickey, and I even asked a lady where she got the most delicious looking fruit tart...so I had that for my breakfast dessert! Ev's favorite part was his turkey leg, which he claimed was the only reason he came to Disney. It was almost the size of his forearm! Suprisingly, it was delicious and we were able to share it for lunch.

The Magic Kingdom was by far our favorite park. We loved simply walking around and taking in the sights! It still amazes me how intricately detailed every little shop and attraction is. Even though Ev had been there when it he was younger, he was too young to remember. He was really getting to see and experience Disney for the first time and I was happy to get to share that with him.

We ended our day with a quick trip to Hollywood Studios and were able to see their night time show of Fantasmic. It's a live production of a Mickey Adventure where you see many of the Disney Characters and and there are cool special effects, fire and fireworks, lasers, and stunts. It even had parts of the Sorcerers Apprentice, which is Ev's favorite.

Day 2 started off a little less quickly, which was fine by us. Epcot was our first stop. It was fun to walk around the different nations. Ev even found a draft German beer cart in Germany and was happy to walk around with it! We also stopped at a fancy Italian cafe and had an amazing lunch (don't worry Bob, Ev said your meatballs were much better)! When we finished the tour at Epcot we decided to escape the heat and head back to the hotel for a quick nap. After getting fully rested we headed back out to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy our last night at the parks and to see the castle at night. The fireworks display on the castle was amazing. I was sad when it was finally time to say goodbye to the Disney castle. Ev was quick to remind me that the next time we visit Disney we would have our little boy or girl with us!!!! That idea put a smile on both our faces.

Our final day in Disney just so happened to be my birthday. We slept in and Ev surprised me with a Disney charm for my pandora bracelet, which I absolutely love!!! We spent the day walking around and shopping at the all the shops at Downtown Disney. I bought a dress and Ev spent a bunch of his time at the Harley Store. After an amazing dinner at Fulton's Crab House we ended with dessert at Ghiradelli's Chocolate Shop (for the second time that day)! As we walked around, we decided we were not ready to call it a day. We saw that Disney Quest was having half-off prices for the rest of the night, so we decided to check it out. This place is a giant intreactive arcade. We white-water rafted through the age of the dinosaurs, fought enemy pirate ships with our canons, and even participated in a virutal reality comic-book, because Ev wanted to play with the lasers.

Overall, we both had an amazing vacation. Although it was action packed we are glad we went. We just wish we could have had a vacation after our vacation!!! I can't wait to go back to Disney with our little one and build new memories with my family!

the First Ultrasound

7/18/ 2011


We got to see our baby today! It was an amazing experience that I can not put into words. Let me start by saying that I was a nervous wreck this morning. I had no real reason to feel anxious. This was a new experience of us and had no idea what to expect. I just replaying that old Friends episode in my head, the one where Rachael and Ross go for their first ultrasound and Rachael cries the whole time because she can's see it!



As we arrived at the doctor's office and got situated in the ultrasound sound room, I asked the tech what did they hope to see today. She was hopefull that depending how things were going we would definately take some baby measurements and maybe even hear a heartbeat!!! When the test got under way, I was shocked at how clear and easily we were able to see everything. There on the screen was our baby! We could even see the tiny heart beating away! I was overwhelmed with emotion! I expected myself to cry a little, but I was laughing! I couldn't believe how blessed we were with our own little miracle.



The ultrasound went on amazingly. Everything was measuring right on track. We were put at 6weeks and 2days exactly (which is right where we thought we were) with a due date set for March 10th 2o12!!! The heartrate was measured at 116 beats per minute. Ev says the baby looks like a lil jalapeno and is going to be a runner like his daddy!!!



We can not wait to meet our lil sweet pea and are very excited for everything 2012 has in store for our family!!! We can't wait to meet you Baby Stuart, Love Mom & Dad

Big News

Well hopefully you all know my now that Ev and I found out we are PREGNANT!!!! If not and you are discovering this information for the first time then SURPRISE!!!!! Well let me start from the beginning, since we tried to keep this pregnancy under the radar, this post is a little delayed.



Much to our doctors dismay Ev and I had decided to take the summer off from all the baby drama. We were overwhelmed with the doctors visits, shots, and the ups/downs of trying. We were ready to enjoy the summer and focus on each other. Our motto was "If God wants it to happen, it will happen". Much to our surprise and excitement "it" happened sooner vs. later. It sounds funny to say that after 2 and 1/2 years of trying we had an "oops" baby. But that is exactly what happened!





We first found out that we were expecting on 7/11/2011. After being a few days, I mean almost 2 weeks late I caved and took a home pregnancy test. I was not looking forward to home testing for these tests have always mocked me with their bold NOT PREGNANT lines. So I was a little apprehensive this time around. After buying the test, I still had to come home and build up the courage of taking it! I couldn't believe it when I did. There before the time was up was a very big bold double line! I checked the directions on the box twice before I believed it!!! WE WERE PREGNANT!!!!!! Then realizing Ev was going to be home in less than hour, I quickly schemed what I thought was a clever and impromptu way of giving him the good news..... I found an old t-shirt and added a quick sharpie message on it and put it on Saige. When Ev got home Saige was impatiently waiting for him, he first asked me what Saige was wearing and I told him to read it! As the message "I'm going to be a big sister" sunk in, we were both standing there with huge grins on our faces. We held each other for a long time, soaking in a moment that neither of us thought we would share.

Disney and Counting

To me Disney is an amazing place! My mom has instilled a love for this magical land in me from a very young age and 26 years later I still got it! So when Ev proposed we try to get a way for a few days this summer of course I brought up Disney as a possible destination. He suggested Vegas, Cancun, or a Cruise. Disney was not on his radar as a pratical adult vacation.


So as I began to plan possible vacation venues it became clear that none of our ideas were budget friendly. So we decided to scratch the whole "going away" idea and revisited some Michigan favorites (Traverse City/Mackinaw/South Haven). I had a hard time getting into planning my Michigan summer adventure, mainly because I still had visions of Ev and I relaxing with drinks in hand and palm trees swaying in the breeze at the pool.



After a few days of internet searches for the best deal, I told Ev our proposed budget for our Traverse City vacation. I could tell 1.) he was suprised at the cost and 2.) he wasn't thrilled about it either. Frustrated that neither of us could get on board with our first real vacation together since our honeymoon, I was ready to scrap the whole thing!!! Then on a whim I decided to log onto my favorite travel site and search Disney vacation. I was shocked at how affordable it was. I told Ev in a "hey did you know" kinda way what I had found. Next thing I knew he took the computer from me and clicked Buy Tickets!!!! I was shocked and thrilled that my husband committed so quickly and made the decision for us.

In 30 days from now I will be boarding a plane with my amazing husband for a 5 day vacation in Florida. I can't wait!!!!! I am sooo excited to go to Disney with Ev, I'm just hoping he finds it as interesting as I do. Okay that may be a stretch. So I will settle for not bored to tears. (I think I sold him with the 11 nations food walk in Epcot!) Stay tuned for more Disney pics/stories when we get back!!!!

Hurt and Hope

This blog post has been a long time coming. I have been rewriting this post over and over in my head trying to get my thoughts and emotions to come across just right. Each time the message is the same but the words are different. Mainly the reason I have been struggling with writing this is post, is because when I finally commit the words down they become real and raw.



Over 2 years ago my husband and I made the decision most couples make...... a decision to start a family. Through that decision came alot of tears, a lot of pain, and a lot of heartache. Our journey to say the least has not been easy. Instead of joy we have felt loss, anger and hurt.

After countless doctors visits, the grief of a miscarriage, 2 surgeries and months of fertility treatment later we were told that our hopes of becoming pregnant may soon be over. Heartbroken and angry I blamed God. I didn't understand why I was being denied a baby. Why when pregnancy seemd to come so easily to others, I was being told NO? Why was God making me feel so strongly about having a family and then making the process so painful? I have struggled with these thoughts and many others. It seemed like each time we were offered a chance of hope, it was stripped away.

I have prayed to God for answers. I have cried to him, bargained, yelled and simply asked to be shown the path he has intended for me. As I prayed and finally allowed myself to become at peace with my fertility struggle it seemed like God was showing himself to me. Unfortunately, being the stubbon person I am, I pushed his will away. But of course he kept correcting my course and slowly through his persistence I began to see. I strongly feel that God is leading my down the path of adoption! Evan and I have talked about this idea for some time now. I am still not sure what the future for us will hold. I am trying to stay open to HIS plan. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV

Home and Happy

We did it!!! We have officially lived in one place for an entire year together. This is a big accomplishment for us considering this is the first time we have been able to say this in our marriage. Our housing stats are not to be desired. In the 3 1/2 years we have been married we have owned 2 houses, lived in 2 apartments, and for a brief stint in time even lived with my parents!

Although we still have a lot of projects on our "To Do List" we plan on taking our time while trying to finish them. We are in no rush to leave. I will admit sometimes I wonder what kind of adventures we would have had if we were to move cross country. Especially during these cold, gray months I find myself thinking about it more. I will never say we will never move again, but for now we are at home and happy