Our baby update

Well, I am now in my 25th week of pregnancy. It is really kind of crazy to think about. We found out about the pregnancy at 4 weeks and I just knew that 12 weeks would never ever come and here I am almost at 6 months! I can really appreciate that working full-time and doing school full-time has kept me so busy and pre-occupied that I have hardly had time to think and be anxious for our baby!

About two weeks ago I had this freak out moment and Derek was just so good. All along I had just planned to think about baby things after school was over and hadn't really thought much about anything really. But then it hit me... oh goodness, we don't have ANYTHING ready and not only that, we haven't even thought about it yet!!! Sure we had the hospital picked out, but it's a big place... where on earth am I supposed to go??? Our nursery is full of boxes that I have yet to unpack! What if we have the baby early??? We don't have anything! And what about a budget!? How much do they cost? How do I plan for that? And the list goes on... I can really appreciate God's design about having a man and wife plan for the baby together, because it is way to much to do it on your own. Those who have, they are really amazing people! And really, it wasn't so much that I didn't have everything planned out yet, it was that we hadn't even thought about planning! Derek listened to all my worries and was reassuring. All is good, though we still have a lot to get ready for!

We are still waiting to find out what the doctor thinks is best in terms of delivery after having broke my pelvis in a car wreck. No matter what the doctor recommends, I really don't care as long as it is best for my baby. I am just so annoyed that my two places of previous medical care cannot communicate with my current doctor to get it figured out. I mean, I supplied all of the information at my 8 week doctor's appointment and have asked about it every time and I really don't think it should take so long. At the last doc appointment, I asked again-- not trying to make a big deal out of anything, but just wanting somebody to pay attention-- and thankfully my doctor showed the same concern to making sure they have the records for my next visit. I sure hope so!!!

Derek's been so good to take off work for every one of my appoitments. He holds my hand when I have to give blood and asks the doctor questions too. I really appreciate that. And while I'm bragging on my husband, I'll go on to say that he has done such a wonderful job of keeping house during my busy schedule! And since I've been drinking Wal-Mart of chocolate milk, sometimes when we're out, he'll just go get my some even when I didn't ask him too. And last night he gave me a back rub because my back was really hurting. He's great! :)

Oh, and Derek finally got to feel the baby move on Saturday and it happened while we were watching The Dark Knight, no less. He was pretty excited! Derek took me on a date the other night and we walked around Baby's R Us (yes, we are that boring!) and there are so many gadgets and things! I told Derek he could pick the nursery stuff and I he picked out a cute one that I like! Very manly, but baby-ish and cute. And I think we have a name pretty much picked out, but we are going to wait just a little bit before we start telling people. I will tell you that it isn't Freddy, but that's all I can say.

Summer Time

I have had a really good summer.

We spent the 4th of July up at my parent's house in Kearney and Derek's parents, Brad & Mary, came too. It was really nice to get to spend it with both of our families together. We played in the pool, played the Wii, ate burgers, and did fireworks. It was good. I miss not seeing Dad at work every day! I try to call and catch up with him periodically though.

We've seen a handful of movies lately too, which is something we just love to do together. We went to see Get Smart with Derek's folks when it first came out. It was so funny!! I really like Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway did a good job. We also went to see Hancock too and we both really enjoyed that movie too. I am a big Will Smith fan, even when he a bad superhero! And its a great example of how believing in a person can make a difference. And of course, we went and saw Batman today. You know its a big movie when the 1:00 and 3:00 matinée shows are even sold out. It was good movie. Seriously, the Joker is one of the creepiest Villains ever! He was so creepy. And Batman's gadgets were as cool as ever.

Last weekend, we went up to watch the Free Friday Night Flick at Crown Center with friends. I like just being outside and watching a movie, though the camp chair is only so comfortable. We watched the Monte Python and the Holy Grail. Interesting movie. I met with my book club friends this week and that was so enjoyable! Things have been so busy with one having a baby and then me starting school and I'm really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I've been in a reading rut and I hate it. I am really looking forward to the last book of the Twilight series that comes out on August 2nd. I am anxious to see how it all works out! And I am very anxious for the first book to come out in theaters in November. Which also reminds me that I am excited to see the new Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants that comes out soon. We have friends coming up to visit on Friday so we are going to head out to the Royals game for Fireworks friday and buck night! In a few weeks, we are headed out to a T-bones game too.

Derek's been working on his motorcycle with his dad each weekend and driving it around more and more often. It's nice that it gets such good gas mileage. Once he beings to drive it to work, I'll probably end up driving his car a bit more since it gets about 10 miles more per gallon.

A friend of ours got us to watch Veronica Mars and we both got really into it! And let me tell you that it is so hard to focus on school work when you would rather be making your way through the seasons! I didn't really expect to like it much, but I think it's pretty good. Derek just thinks Kristen Bell is cute, and she is. One of Meg Cabot's (author of Princess Diaries and other chick lit) books, Queen of Babble, is being made into a movie and she is Lizzie, so I am pretty excited to see that too.

So even with work and school, I have had a great chance to enjoy the summer and have some fun! I know my posts are long, but I hardly ever post, so I have so much to say! Hopefully next time I won't wait so long.

Freddy's a Boy!!

This blog will be all about our little baby boy!! Derek (and I) couldn't be more proud!

I had been anticipating June 11th for nearly an entire month!! We went to the doctor last Wednesday and we did get to listen to the heartbeat again, which is just so just "Wow!"amazing! We were very disappointed to hear that the ultrasound tech had gone home for the day. :( Fortunately we were able to go back on Thursday during our lunch breaks to get a peek at our little baby.

Now, I have done so many amazing wonderful things in my life--I've traveled, I've swam in the ocean, climbed a mountain and I have just experienced so many really cool things. But absolutely nothing can compare with getting to see my baby on that screen last week-- his little fists moving around, his spine so developed, and to actually see his heart just pumping away. I really could have stayed there and watched our baby forever if they would have let me. After moving the wand thingy all around so that we could see all around out little guy, she held it still for a moment and we got to watch him move his arms and wiggle around-- a moment I'll never forget.

These two pictures are just basic profiles of baby Creason.

This is a picture of baby Creason looking in our direction

And this is a view of baby Creason's awesome spine!

And this is his little fist!

And his little boy parts

I wish the still pictures turned out as clear as when we were just watching the baby. His little body was so much more defined and we could see so much more detail that what is captured in the still shots. I won't complain. It is amazing that we can even see the baby inside of me!

I was so glad that Derek was there with me! He has been to every doctor's appointment and it's great to have such a supportive husband! I have been trying to keep him as involved and informed as possible about what I'm going through, but I think it was just really special for him to get to see the baby! He's been much more excited since and is more affectionate to my belly. When the sonogram tech announced that we were having a little boy, Derek's face just lit up! He's so proud. I hope our little boy looks like Derek did as a kid-- he was a cutie!

My parents have been in Nicaragua on a mission trip, so I haven't been able to talk with them about their grandson, but I was able to email them the sonogram pics before they headed out into the jungle. I emailed them with "Your grandson" in the subject line and when they replied the subject had been changed to "Your grandon, Freddy" so I guess the name still sticks, well for Dad anyway. Rest assured, we will not be naming out child Fred/Fredrick/Freddy or anything of the sorts.

My tummy first starting to make an appearance around 16 weeks, depending on the shirt I was wearing. Now at 20 weeks, it's sticking out even more and I have separated my clothes into "can't wear anymore" and "can still fit for a little long" piles. I did unpack the maternity clothes I have come across and am now implementing them into my wardrobe a little at a time.

16 weeks

20 weeks

I started feeling the baby move at around 18 weeks, just a little bit. It took me a bit by suprise, "what was that?!" but I was so excited that I called Derek, Mom, and just about anyone who would listen to tell them! I can feel the baby moving quite often these days, not kicking or anything, just movement around in my tummy, especially in the evenings. It really is a pretty special feeling.

I guess I'll end it here. I know not everyone is as interested in my pregnancy and our baby as I probably imagine them, but here it all is for those who enjoy it! :)

If only I had a dollar....

for every time I thought, "I should really update my blog" this past month, I'd be rich.

Moving went well. We had so much help it really only took a couple hours. Thanks everyone for your help! Our new place is fabulous! Everything that we need and use often is unpacked. We still have picture frames, decorations, etc that are still in boxes, but those things require a certain mood to set up and I just haven't had that mood yet.

The new job is going good too. I'm still in training so work is still really pretty boring. Seriously, I spent all day watching horribly tacky videos about the requirements of accepting checks, privacy laws and the Patriot Act, the paperwork required for large cash transactions, and how to prepare for and respond to a bank robbery. I suppose it could be worse. I like the people I work with, which makes going to work not so bad. The number one hazard of my job--stupid paper cuts. They are brutal!

School is demanding, but I enjoy it. My Mon/Wed class is a class on Career counseling, which I find really interesting. The class is a lot of discussion and activities (interest and personality tests, skills assessments) and that makes class go by so fast. It's fun to do the activities that we would give future clients to help them determine a career because we get to learn a lot of stuff about ourselves during the process. My professor is actually a co-worker of Linda's from JCCC. My Tue/Thurs class only meets on Tuesday evenings, but requires online posting and lots of reading for the Thursday session. The class is on child development and again I find my class really interesting, even though it is a lot of work. I have a 2 page summary due just about every Tuesday and Thursday as well as a nice big long paper in the middle of the semester. All of the days that I am in the classroom, I do enjoy being there and I enjoy learning what I'm learning. Despite the work involved, I really like being in school (minus the fortune that it costs to actually be there)!

Went to Buck Night at the Royals. It was an enjoyable night of yummy $1 hotdogs, an exciting game, and really cool fireworks.

Visited Trenton last weekend for a friends wedding. It was so beautiful and the bride, of course, was just gorgeous. We stopped in to say hi to grandmas while we were up.

Derek and his Dad are going up today to pick up his motorcycle. Things have just been so busy since March, we haven't really had time to get around to bringing it home! While they do the bike stuff, I'll stop in and visit with Jessica (Tobin and Jonas) for awhile. Which leads me to:

Just a reminder for everyone to think about someone they know who is serving our country and then just say a little "thank you" or do something nice for him/her or their families!! We had a man from church come home from after being away for a year from his family of 3 children and our friend Jessica just sent her husband off for training only couple weeks after they had their second son and there are so many out there sacrificing so much as well! Sometimes we think appreciative thoughts, but we don't actually say thanks or we assume that others are doing it and we don't need to. So go say "Thanks! We appreciate you" to someone (or lots of people) this week!

New house, New job, New school

The next two weeks of my life consist of moving, starting a new job, and starting grad school. Add the baby that I am having in November and can you imagine what my score would be on a stress test?? I am going to be 45 by the time this year is over.

New House

Derek and I are moving to Raymore, MO (south Kansas City) next weekend. It was an answered prayer finding a place that is spacious enough for us to gain an office and add a nursery at an affordable price that will not require me to go back to work after our baby is born. We are renting from a couple at church who have several properties on the street so we already know a few of our neighbors.

Our new place is a townhouse, all one level, with 3 bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, dining room, and living room. Moving from our one bedroom apartment this place feels like a mansion. Aside from the blue carpet, it really is the perfect place for us. The location is great-- we are at the very end of the dead-end street and we are the last unit, so we don't have much traffic our way. Sometimes it is hard because I want to keep up with the Jones's who have nice big houses, but I know this is perfect for us and we are very excited. We also ordered new a new Sofa and Loveseat (or mini couch in Derek's terms) and I am very excited to have them delivered next weekend. Hopefully we'll get some pictures up soon.

We chose to move south of the city in our attempt to cut down on all the driving that we do. Derek drives about 25 minutes to work, I drive about 20 minutes north to work, plus church is an additional 30 miles from home (making it a 50 mile drive from my work to church) and I will be attending school in the south too. This decision was made when gas was $3.00/gallon, so we are very happy to be cutting down as prices keep getting higher. And its hard trying to stay active in the church when it requires so much driving! We have a handful of friends in the Northland but a majority of our friends are further south so we are looking forward to being able to hang out more with friends.

My Dad feels like he will never ever get to see his grandbaby, but I kindly remind him that we will live only about 45 minutes away and that he took us kids 12-15 hours away from our grandparents.

New Job

Since we are moving south and I currently work so far north, I had to tell Dad that I couldn't work for Trickel Construction once we moved. He has hired Kristie in October and she is now ready to take over my job when I leave in the next couple weeks. Looking for a new job was majorly stressful especially knowing that I would be quitting in November, but still needing a job that could cater to my evening classes. Through much indecision and a few interviews, I ended up taking a job at North American Savings Bank in Grandview as a teller. I think I will do alright and that I can enjoy the job. My hours are 8-5 Monday through Friday and then 8-2 every other Saturday. On the weeks that I work Saturdays, I'll get one weekday off. I start on Monday, June 2nd.

New School

I also begin school on Monday, June 2nd. I will be taking 7 graduate hours in only 2 months. Things will be very busy. My classes are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 6-8:30pm and include one weekend in July. Technically I have class on Thursday evening as well, but I will log in online to contribute to discussion and to turn in class assignments. I can't help but be overwhelmed with my new schedule, but I keep reminding myself that this will only be for a couple months and when I'm done with the summer I will have 10 of the 60 hours I need to complete my Master's. At least its a start! Right now I am waiting for my FAFSA to make it to the school's financial aid office so I can get the ball rolling on getting the student loan money in and so I can buy my books. Man, are they expensive or what?!

And I guess I should mention I am actually enrolled at Avila University out of Kansas City and not MidAmerica Nazarene as I had previously been planning on. The Master's programs are similar, but the class schedules are different. MidAmerica's program is a cohort 2 year program where you and your cohort (class) move through the program together and all graduate at the same time. Their program begins each summer in June and the problem with this schedule is that after I have the baby, if I don't go back to class right away (the next week) and finish the class, then I would be behind and unable to move forward in the program until the following November. The scheduling at Avila is like that of a typical college schedule, where a handful of classes are offered I can enroll in classes (as many or as few) each semester and make sure that I meet the requirements of my program. After I take classes this summer, I will not be taking classes in the fall semester. If in the spring I feel up to taking a class or two, then I can enroll at that time. And I suppose I should also mention that I am going back to school to get my Master's in Counseling and I will also taking a few electives to achieve a certificate in Child and Adolescent Therapy.