Nursery Progress

Dear Baby Bug~

It sure has been a busy week! I thought I would get a chance to write to you after our doctor's appointment on Tuesday but I decided to hold off until I could post pictures of the progress on your room. We saw Dr. Hamburg on Tuesday and he says that everything looks good. Daddy was able to go to the doctor with us for the first time and I was very happy that he was able to meet Dr. Hamburg. Dr. Hamburg let us hear your heartbeat again and it is a strong 145 beats/minute which he says is perfect. This week has been a lot of fun because your kicks and movements are getting stronger so I feel you a lot. Daddy even felt you move for the first time! You roll around in there as much as you want, Bug- it lets me know that you are doing OK.

Mommy and Daddy have been doing a lot of work on your room and I want to post some pictures for you to see. It's hard to believe that just a week ago, your room had no paint and only a dresser in it! It is really coming together and it is the perfect little haven for our little ladybug. There is still a lot of things we want to do with the room, but here is the basic idea. We can't wait until you are here to enjoy it!



Here is Daddy working hard at building your crib. It didn't take him long at all and he wanted to build the crib before painting.



Here is the view from the door of your room. We LOVE the window and the curtains. I searched for a long time for these curtains and finally found them last week. We think we may need to shorten them a little, but you have lots of little friends to watch over you while you sleep!



Here is your completed crib where you will spend many nights getting your beauty sleep. You can't see if very well, but there is a very cute light switch plate that matches your bedding and curtains.



Another view of the window treatment. I had to post another picture because I love it so much!



You already have quite the wardrobe started, Bug. You have so many wonderful people who love you and want to make sure you are the best dressed little lady in town!

Happy New Year, Bug! 24 Weeks and Counting...

Dear Baby Bug-

Happy New Year! It is officially 2011 and officially the year in which you will be born. We are so happy to see the beginning of this year and now have 3 months and 23 days until your due date. I can't believe that you will be here in a few short months. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little ladybug and look forward to spending next New Year's with you!

This New Year's Eve was a little different than years past. Daddy and I usually go out with friends or get dressed up for a big New Year's party but this year we decided to stay longer at Grandma and Grandpa's and spend the New Year with family. Last night we went to Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard's for dinner and to ring in the new year. We had a great time playing games with Grandma Cindy, Grandpa Rand, Uncle Brandon, Daddy, Great Grandpa, Great Grandma, Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard. Uncle Bernard was a bit under the weather, but he is feeling much better today. We watched the big ball drop in Times Square and then headed home for a nice, long night's sleep. It was wonderful. :)

Today we got up and were very lazy for much of the day. Today was our last day to spend with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Brandon so we made the most of it by being together. We went to Elmira's for fish this evening and after we were done, it was time for you, me, Daddy, Rudy, and Zoey to hit the road. It was a wonderful two weeks of Christmas vacation and a FANTASTIC week at Grandma and Grandpa's spending time with family. I am very sad to be back home and getting ready to go back to work. The next big break doesn't come until Spring Break in March and by then, we will be weeks away from greeting you! For the time being, we are happy to have reached 24 weeks and continue to keep an eye on my growing belly:




According to our pregnancy tracker, you should be about 13 inches long and weigh about 1 1/4 pounds. I can feel you moving around like crazy and am still waiting for your kicks to be consistent enough for Daddy to feel them. I can feel them on the outside every once in awhile, but by the time I get Daddy's hand there you stop. Could you cooperate for us, please? :) No matter what you do, we love you and I am happy every time I feel one of your little kicks. Our next doctor's appointment is just a couple of days away so until then, Happy New Year and we love you!

December 29, 2010...Happy Birthday to Grandma Cindy!

Dear Baby Bug:

Another day, another birthday! Grandma Cindy's birthday was today and we had a great time celebrating with her. We were all able to sleep in and once we were up, we got around and headed up to Great Grandma and Grandpa Walter's for lunch with the Walter family. We had haystacks, just like the day we told everyone about you. They were SO GOOD and we had a great turnout for Grandma's and Kabrea's birthday lunch. The people in attendance were Grandma Cindy, Uncle Brandon, you, Me, Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, Aunt Lou, Uncle Bernard, Molly, Mattia, Kabrea, Kylee, Jadison, Jess, Uncle Joe, Aunt Lori, Eric, Hannah, Kimberly, Kristen, and Andrew. Hannah and Andrew are the girlfriend of Eric and the boyfriend of Kristen. We had met Hannah before but we met Andrew for the first time today. He drove all the way from Arkansas to surprise Kristen and we were so happy to meet him! We had a lot of fun today playing games and talking. I think Grandma Cindy had a pretty special birthday.

Once Grandpa Rand was done with work, we headed out for Grandma's birthday dinner. We went to Iannarelli's for pizza and it was delicious! After we got home, we had the cake Uncle Brandon and I baked for Grandma's birthday. It was pretty good if we do say so ourselves! All in all, it was a great day and I was so happy to be able to celebrate with Grandma. :)



A beauty shot of the cake we baked- yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Uncle Brandon did most of it, but I mixed it up and added the sprinkles at the end. We managed to bake this cake without Grandma ever knowing- we can be pretty sneaky when it comes to surprises!



Happy Birthday Grandma Cindy! We love you so much!

December 26, 2010...Happy Birthday to Uncle Brandon!

Dear Baby Bug-

Today was a very special day- it is Uncle Brandon's birthday! That's right, Uncle Brandon has a birthday the day after Christmas so we actually get to celebrate with him every year. The day started off like any other Sunday. We went to church and then went to McDonald's with Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Walter and Uncle Terry. Daddy couldn't be here for the day because he had tickets to see the Chicago Bears. After McDonald's we went home, changed clothes, and then headed to Fort Wayne to meet up with Glenn, Sharon, Sarah, Aaron, Kelly, Chase and Taden for dinner at Lonestar. It was so much fun to see everyone and especially to see Chase and Taden. They are SO CUTE and Taden will be about a year older than you once you arrive. Everyone seemed to have a great Christmas and we spent a couple of hours talking and laughing with them before heading back to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Once we got back, Uncle Brandon opened his birthday gifts and we had pieces of his birthday pie. Grandma Cindy has started making Uncle Brandon a black raspberry pie for his birthday every year instead of a cake. Grandma Cindy is an excellent pie maker and we love it when she makes black raspberry! Once we were done with the pie, we watched some TV and went to bed. I think Uncle Brandon had a happy birthday and next year you will be here to tell him Happy Birthday in person!

December 25, 2010...Merry Christmas Bug!! 23 Weeks Today :)

Dear Baby Bug:

Today was Christmas and it was such a fun day! Instead of writing a bunch about it, I am going to post pictures and write about each one instead- I think it will sum things up better than I can write them. We are so excited to have you here next year, Bug. You got so much fun stuff this year without even being born yet, I can only imagine what will happen at your first Christmas next year! Here's how the day went...



Mommy and Santa Rudy on Christmas Day. Rudy wears this Santa suit every year and goes CRAZY when it's time to open presents and stockings. He loves to try and steal peoples' candy, but we are usually too quick for him!



Here is Zoey with all of her gifts. She is a little more relaxed when it comes to Christmas morning. She livened up a little bit later and really enjoyed playing with her new toys!




Grandma Cindy with all of her Christmas gifts! She got a jacket and Pandora bracelet, a custom made Amish jewelry box, and lots of other fun stuff.



Grandpa Rand and Uncle Brandon laughing at Rudy after we opened presents



Mommy and Daddy on Christmas morning- next year you'll be in this picture with us!





Here are some gifts for you from Mommy and Daddy. Mommy picked out the book, but Daddy is responsible for everything else. He sure did some good shopping for you!



Uncle Brandon is already spoiling you- look at all the cute stuff he got you!



Ugg boots for both Mommy and Bug! Daddy got Mommy the big pair and Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand got you the little pair. We are going to be quite the pair next winter. :)



Lots of cute stuff from Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand. They got you a ladybug onesie, ladybug hair brushes, and lots of other neat things. I can't wait to dress you up in all of your new clothes!



Look at this, Bug! Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand got you all of your bedding! Once Daddy gets your room painted and your crib put together, we can see how everything will fit in your bed. I am so excited for your nursery to come together and having your bedding is a big step in the right direction.



A beautiful sweater for "Bernadette Louise" from Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard. They have given you that name as a combination of their names and Mommy gets a kick out of them calling you that. We were able to spend a lot of time with the whole Walter family on Christmas Day at Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard's.



Here we are at 23 weeks, Bug! Can you believe that you've been in there for that long? You still have a ways to go, but we can't wait until you get here!

A Very Terry Christmas

Dear Baby Bug-

Tonight was so much fun! We went to Grandpa Jeff and Grandma Carol's house for the Terry family Christmas and it was such a good time. We arrived around 4:00 and had a big dinner of Italian beef sandwiches, pirogues, sausage, ham, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, corn, salad, and much, much more. Once dinner was over, we opened gifts and boy did we get some great stuff! Mommy got a beautiful scarf and earrings from Aunt Katie and Tim, some snuggly new maternity clothes from Grandma and Grandpa, and a stuffed Yorkie dog from Marcia. Boy, Bug, for not even being out of the womb yet you sure did get a LOT of stuff this Christmas! You received a whole new wardrobe in one night! Here are some pictures from the evening including all of the ADORABLE stuff for you!


All of your cute new clothes!


Clara with the Yorkie Marcia gave Mommy


Aunt Katie trying on the apron Laney made for her


Grandpa Jeff taking pictures of the unwrapping


Mommy modeling her new scarf from Tim and Katie

Christmas Break!

Dear Baby Bug-

This week has been awesome- I haven't had to go to school and Mommy has been able to get lots done around the house and for Christmas. Monday was spent cleaning and running errands with Becky. Later that night, we had dinner with Becky, Betty, and Beth to spend some time together and catch up. We decided not to get each other gifts this year, and it was so much better to spend time together than exchange items. We had a fun time but had to cut our dinner a bit short because it started snowing pretty hard and we had to get home. We made it home to Daddy safe and sound and it was a very productive day!

Tuesday was a day all to myself. I didn't leave the house all day and spent most of it cleaning and getting ready for Christmas. The first thing I did was tape off your room so that Daddy can paint it whenever he wants. After that, I went through all of the fun presents that people have given you and put them all in your new dresser so that when Daddy paints they won't get all messy. Later on, I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom and wrapped the rest of the Christmas gifts. The tree is now full with presents underneath and I can hardly wait to give everyone their gifts. You even have gifts under the tree, Bug- Daddy has some surprises for you and I am very curious to see what they are! Once Daddy came home, I was exhausted and went to bed early. Even though I'm on break I still have to go to sleep early because I am just too tired to stay up late!



Today was another fun day. I was finally able to sleep in a little and took my time having breakfast. The puppies and I snuggled for a while until I had to get ready to run more errands. Rudy had an appointment to get his hair cut, so I took him over to PetSmart for his appointment. After I dropped Rudy off, I went to Edwardo's to meet two of my former Pantherettes, Kathryn and Aimee, for lunch. It was so much fun seeing them and catching up on their lives. It's nice being able to talk to them like friends now instead of like students when I had them a few years ago. They are both doing great and I hope to see them more often! :) Once lunch was over, I had to have an eye doctor appointment and then went to pick up Rudy. He looked so tiny with his hair cut and he was really happy to see me! Once I had Rudy, I still had to run a few errands but I didn't want to leave Rudy in the car. So, I brought a big shoulder bag along and put Rudy inside to run into a few stores. I sure hope people didn't wonder why my purse was moving around! Rudy was such a good boy and I made sure to give him a couple of treats when we were back in the car. You will learn soon enough that Rudy will do whatever you say for a treat!



Daddy came home not long after we got home and we snuggled with Rudy and Zoey and watched TV for a while. It's funny to know that when we go to sleep at night there are 5 heartbeats in our bed. That's one crowded queen-size mattress! You won't be able to sleep in bed with us after you're born, but we sure enjoy everyone being in one place right now! Daddy is at Grandpa Jeff's right now, but when he comes home we are going to watch It's a Wonderful Life. I've never seen it before and Daddy says that I HAVE to watch it. I'll let you know what I think.

I probably won't be able to write again for a while, Bug. Tomorrow we have the day at home but then have a super fun Christmas party at Grandma Carol and Grandpa Jeff's tomorrow night. Friday we will try to get up early, load the car, and drive to Grandpa Rand and Grandma Cindy's for Christmas where we will be for a whole week! Daddy is going to meet us there after practice on Friday and we are going to have dinner at Grandma's and then go to church. Christmas morning will be spent at Grandma and Grandpa's and then we will get ready and go to Great Aunt Lou's for the rest of the day. Sunday is Uncle Brandon's birthday, so we will be going to Fort Wayne to meet Sharon, Glenn, Sarah, Aaron, Kelly, Chase, and Taden for a late lunch. It will be so much fun! Uncle Brandon flew into Detroit today and hopefully Grandma and Grandpa have picked him up by now. We can't wait to see him and spend all week with him while he is home. It's going to be a great vacation, Bug, and it's only just begun!

I can't wait until next Christmas when you are here with us. By this time next year you will be about 8 months old and it will be so much fun to dress you in Christmas dresses and buy you cute new things. I'm sure you will have no shortage of things to play with, but getting you stuff for Christmas will be fun nonetheless. For now, we are content with waiting for you to come and will enjoy the anticipation of spending next Christmas with our little ladybug!