Happy Easter, Bean!

Dear Baby Bean-

Happy Easter!  Did you know today is a holiday?  It is actually one of my favorite holidays and this one did not disappoint!  We are so fortunate to have such wonderful families and this Easter weekend was packed with lots of stuff to do.

Yesterday evening was really fun- Daddy, Tenley, Grandma Carol, and I (and you!) went to see the Easter Bunny.  We can't wait until you are outside of my tummy next year and can sit on his lap.  Maybe you will do a little better with that than your sister did.  She was not thrilled with the Easter Bunny, so Mommy had to hold her and the Easter Bunny had to sneak into the picture.  See?

After the Easter Bunny ordeal, Tenley rode the carousel at the mall (another fun thing you will get to do soon!) and we went to Portillo's for dinner. It was a very fun night and we were all tired out when we got home.

This morning started out nice and early- I got up around 7 so that I could get ready for church before Tenley woke up.  When I went out to the kitchen, I saw that the Easter Bunny had visited us and left us all of these wonderful surprises- even YOU had an Easter basket!

Tenley finally woke up around 8 and I made her get totally ready for church and eat breakfast before looking through her Easter baskets.  When she was finally able to look, she found lots of candy, some new outfits, and some new toys.  Your Easter basket had a brand new book and some fun new outfits for when you are born this summer.  I think Grandma Cindy might have helped the Easter Bunny shop...they did a great job! What made looking through baskets even better was that we were able to FaceTime with Grandma Cindy at the same time- she is in Arizona on vacation this week but wanted to see Tenley open her basket.  We also got to talk to Grandpa Rand when we got up, and it was nice to hear from both of them since we couldn't see them today.

After opening Easter baskets it was time to go to church. We went to St. Paul's at 9:30 because our church was starting too late to attend.  It was so nice to go to church and talk about the meaning of Easter.  Once the service was done, we headed to Teibel's for lunch with the Terry family. It was so special to spend time with everyone and we had a great time.  After lunch, we had an Easter egg hunt in the yard outside the restaurant which was pretty much the highlight of Tenley's life.  Next year you will be able to hunt Easter eggs, too!  Here are some pictures from our Easter celebration:

Tenley, Grandpa Jeff, and Casey before lunch

Grandpa Jeff hanging out with Tenley before lunch came

Hunting Easter eggs

"I wonder what's in this one?"

Tenley and Aunt Julie picking up jelly beans

All of the cousins

Silly Daddy

What a fun day!

You are now 29 weeks, 1 day along and we are getting to the homestretch of your time in my tummy.  Although I didn't get a traditional belly picture of us today, we did take a family Easter picture and my Easter dress definitely showed you off!  We can't wait to have your sweet little face in our Easter picture next year.  We love you so much, Bean, and are very thankful on this Easter that you are with us and continuing to grow nice and strong.  We have a busy week coming up so I'm not sure when I will get a chance to write again, but I will definitely be talking to you soon.  I love you so much- Happy Easter!

28 Week Midwife Appointment

Dear Baby Bean-

Hi there little guy!  I'm sorry I've been so off lately- your Daddy has been gone over the past two weekends which means that we didn't get belly pictures and I was just too busy with taking care of your sister to sit down and write anything. :(  Hopefully this week we will be back on track and I can get you another picture.  I am definitely growing which (hopefully) means you are too!

We had a really nice weekend even though Daddy was away.  We got to eat dinner at Potbelly and run errands with Becky and Finn on Friday night, then Saturday was cousin Laney's Confirmation.  It was so nice to see all of the family there and spend some time with everyone at lunch after.  We were pretty wiped out when we got home and your sister took a very long nap.  Daddy came home the next morning and we spent the day watching basketball, eating pizza, and taking it easy.  We are looking forward to this coming weekend because it is Easter and it also starts Daddy's Spring Break- hooray!

Yesterday we had our 28 week checkup with Bernie.  I got to hear your little heartbeat again which is going strong at 153.  You were moving all over all day, so I'm proud of you for keeping still enough for her to find your heartbeat.  Bernie seemed pretty happy with Dr. Losure's report from your last ultrasound and she thankfully said that we should be able to stick with her for the rest of this pregnancy.  We talked a little bit about how I was feeling, and then she surprised Mommy by saying that we would now start seeing her every two weeks.  Holy cow!  This pregnancy is going so fast- I know that in retrospect it seems like a long time since October when we found out about you, but time really has been flying by.  If it's anything like your sister's pregnancy, the last 8 weeks or so will drag.  We are just so excited to meet you!

This week is full of appointments and preparation.  We are having Tenley's friend birthday party here next Tuesday and I have been preparing decorations and shopping for baking supplies.  I also need to tape off the guest room so that Daddy can paint it to start the transformation into Tenley's "big girl" room.  Tomorrow we have another ultrasound with Dr. Losure (I can't wait to see you!) and Friday I have to go back to the hospital and do a 3 hour glucose test which I am dreading.  It's all for you though, Bean, so I'll do whatever I need to do to make sure my body is treating you well.  Saturday I have a feeling I will be spending the day baking and Sunday we will go to Easter service and to brunch with the Terry family.  Lots to look forward to, but I am especially looking forward to Dr. Losure's appointment tomorrow to see how you are doing and to see what our next steps are.

OK, Bean, it's time for Tenley and I to start our day with breakfast and more party prep.  I love you so much and it is so fun feeling your movements grow stronger and stronger.  This morning you did a full roll in my belly and it was the strangest but most awesome feeling!  Keep on growing in there and I will see you tomorrow :)

It's Been a Long Time...

Dear Baby Bean-

I'm so sorry I haven't written in so long!  This past week and a half has been soooo busy and by the time it's time to settle down for the night, I am exhausted and just need to go to sleep.  That doesn't mean I haven't been thinking of you, though- you are on my mind every second and your kicks are getting stronger and stronger.  You are 27 weeks 6 days today and tomorrow we enter week 28- the first week of the "critical period" that Dr. Losure has been talking about.  I have no doubt that you are growing just fine because your kicks are so strong.  Luckily we have appointments with both Dr. Losure and Bernie this coming week, so we will be able to check you out and see what is going on.  I can't wait to see you again and we only have one trimester left before we get to meet you!

This past weekend we went to Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand's house while Daddy was in Peoria for the Illinois High School Basketball finals.  It was so nice nice to see them again and to relax at their house.  We were able to see Great Grandma and Great Grandpa a lot over the weekend and even Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard- they came home from Florida early!  That was the biggest treat of all!  It had been WAY too long since we had last been home (Christmas!) and I hope we don't have to go that long again, even after you are born.  Everyone is so anxious to meet you, Bean, and I have a feeling this summer is going to be full of back and forth trips so that we can spend time with both the Terry and Walter families. :)

The weather was nasty on Monday when we were supposed to come home, so we stayed an extra day at Grandma and Grandpa's.  When we came home Tuesday, we had a great treat because we went to Beggar's with Daddy for dinner to eat pizza and watch the organist.  Your sister was incredibly excited about this and we had a great time.  Wednesday was a pretty long day- Tenley and I had to go to the hospital so that I could do my glucose test to make sure my sugar levels are OK for you.  That took a LONG time, but when we were done we got to meet Betty for lunch at Station 21.  It was so nice to catch up with her and, once we were done, we got to go home.  Daddy had class late that night, so we only saw him for a little bit before bedtime.

Yesterday was a good day.  Tenley and I had to go out to Orland Park to pick up Laney's Confirmation gift (she is getting confirmed on Saturday) so we made a whole morning out of it.  When we got to the mall, Tenley played in the kid's play area for a bit before we ordered Laney's gift.  After that, we rode the carousel and went to Baby Gap where I picked up some jeans for Tenley and a few outfits for you. Those are the first things I have bought for you and it was so exciting!  Between the outfits you received at the Sprinkle and what I bought you yesterday, you are going to be a well dressed little dude!  After Baby Gap we went to The Disney Store for story time and then went for one more spin on the carousel.  By then it was time to pick up Laney's gift and go get some lunch. I asked Tenley what she wanted and she said "milk and chicken nuggets" so we decided to go to McDonald's.  Your sister really likes it there!  The rest of the day was spent at home starting preparations for your sister's 2nd birthday parties.  She is going to have three this year; one with her friends, one with the Walter family, and one with the Terry family.  I am going to start making decorations today for all three- something I love to do!

I hope that catches you up a little on what we've been up to.  Daddy is gone again this weekend with his friends in Lexington, so it is just the three of us.  We are going to take it easy today and try to get over these nasty colds we have, but tonight we will have to run some errands.  Tomorrow is Laney's confirmation and Sunday we will try to go to church and maybe to Miner Dunn for lunch.  We'll see how it goes.  For now, keep on giving me those good swift kicks- it's so reassuring to feel you moving around in there!  I love you Bean- time is flying by!

A Sprinkle for our Bean

Dear Baby Bean-

As I mentioned in my last post, this weekend was a busy one! It was so much fun and the best part was that we had a party that was all about celebrating you!  I'm getting ahead of myself, though.  Let me start at the beginning.

Friday was a busy day getting ready for Grandma Cindy to arrive.  We got a BIG surprise while we were eating breakfast- Grandpa Rand stopped by for a visit!  He was on his was back from an open house in Centralia, IL and had a few minutes to stop and see us.  He was only here for a little bit but we love when he has those extra minutes to pay us a visit.  After he left, we finished cleaning the house, ate lunch, took a nap, and took showers.  Grandma Cindy got here around 5:30 and then we all went to Beggars for Pizza.  We haven't been to "Pipes and Pizza" for AGES and it was so fun to go back.  Grandma Cindy had never been there before and she thought it was a lot of fun.  Once we were stuffed full of pizza, we ran to Target quick and then went home to go to bed.

Saturday was a big day!  The morning was nice and relaxing- we got up, ate breakfast, and played with your sister.  It was soon time to get all dressed up to go to your Baby Sprinkle.  A Sprinkle is like a baby shower but on a smaller scale for a second baby.  I really had no idea what it was until we had one, but it was so, so awesome.  Betty and Becky created an afternoon full of fun and LOTS of very yummy desserts.  Rachel, Beth, and Betty's mom Jane helped out with food as well.  There were so many good family and friends there to help celebrate your impending arrival.  You got lots of gifts (which I will go over in detail later), but here are some pictures from the big event.

Look at all these beautiful desserts!  It was so nice of everyone to put so much thought into this wonderful afternoon :)

Cubs onesies from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Walter

An absolutely adorable outfit from Grandma Carol and Grandpa Jeff- this may be the first outfit you ever wear!

After the Sprinkle we loaded up the car and headed home.  We had plans to go downtown to The Rainforest Cafe for dinner, but when we got there it was a 2 hour wait and we didn't have the patience to hold out for that long.  We ended up at Leona's and had a fabulous dinner with Daddy, Grandma Cindy, Grandma Carol, and Tenley.  We had fettucini alfredo and it was SO GOOD- I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!  Once dinner was finished, we headed home and played a bit with Tenley before it was finally time for bed.  What a GREAT day!

Today we got up and were planning on going to church, but "springing ahead" apparently did a number on our sleep schedule.  We couldn't get around in time, so we just decided to get ready and go to Miner Dunn for lunch.  Grandma Carol met us there and we had another fun lunch with the same company as the night before.  Once lunch was over, Grandma Carol took Daddy home and Tenley, Grandma Cindy, you, and I headed over to St. John for Violet's first birthday party.  There were lots of people there and your sister (and I!) had so much fun.  It was fun to see all of our friends and especially fun to celebrate such a big milestone with Violet and Rachel since they live so far away.  Here are some pictures from the day:

We really enjoyed Violet's birthday cake!

I can't wait until I can snuggle you like this :)

Look at your sister- she is such a diva!  She didn't want to walk because her boots were wet and there were puddles everywhere. Maybe you can teach her how to toughen up!

Once we got home from the party, Tenley was asleep and ended up taking a three hour nap!  Grandma Cindy had to head home and we were so sad to say goodbye to her.  We love when she visits and the weekend went way too fast.  The good thing is that we are going to visit her and Grandpa Rand later on this week, so we will see her soon.  Once Tenley woke up, we ate a quick dinner and then Mommy went through all of your wonderful gifts.  Here they all are- we can't wait until you are here to use them!

You are going to be one well-dressed little guy.  Thanks to Rachel and Violet for all of these new clothes!

Audrey and Jess made sure that you are ready to sleep and play- a sleeper, matchbox cars, and books to keep you busy

As if throwing this awesome party wasn't enough, Betty, Becky, Finn, and Clark spoiled you with more books and a much needed gift card to Babies R Us :)

Jane and Courtney Hoyle put a little for you and a little for me into their gift.  A sleeper, bib, and teether for you and a bath bomb and cute little ceramic cupcake (to commemorate your Sprinkle!) for me!

Cute sleepers and diapers (the kind we love!) from Becky Miller

Beth and Reagan have you covered with cute outfits and a new toy- LOVE that blue whale outfit!

Tenley asked me to take a break in the action to take a picture of her

Grandma Carol spoils you so much already- look at all of this great stuff!  There's that cute little seersucker outfit that I LOVE...she says that Daddy has to wear his blue seersucker suit when you wear this outfit.  I totally agree!

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Walter are making sure that you know what team to root for- Go Cubs, go!

Look at all of this great stuff from Amber and Amethyst!  They are so thoughtful- Very Hungry Caterpillar themed gifts for your room, Superman and Cubs outfits because they know Daddy loves both, and a super cool bottle holder.  The blanket is homemade and gorgeous- we are so happy to have them in our lives and that they could celebrate with us today!

Grandma Cindy is making sure that your nursery is ready to go!  A Very Hungry Caterpillar wastebasket, light plate, and valances will help to decorate your room nicely. Mommy is in love with the crab sleeper and the Dallas Cowboys sleepers and shoes are just the cutest things ever.

Cammie was the one who suggested a Very Hungry Caterpillar theme in your nursery, and she and Auntie Carrie helped to make sure that we have what we need to make it happen!  This rug is SO CUTE and will go right by your dresser and you will get to lay your little head on that adorable crib sheet.  You even have some new clothes including an awesome little fire truck sleeper :)

Auntie Julie found some really great stuff for you.  She got you and Tenley coordinating outfits which Mommy can't wait to get your pictures taken in.  The book will probably be an important decoration in your room (until you want to read it, of course) and even found a Cabbage Patch Kid named Luke with a Cowboys t-shirt on- everything is just perfect!

Casey got you a sports-themed gift and I can't wait to put you in all of this cute stuff!

You are going to be all set to swim this summer- or lounge by the lake at least- in your new swim gear from Laney

Clara got you this awesome outfit for when you are a bit bigger and your very own sock monkey bath supplies

This gift is from Casey, Laney, and Clara (they really like to spoil you!)

Your sister even got in on the gift action- the coloring books are from Auntie Carrie and the rest is from Auntie Julie.  You guys are SO LUCKY to have these special aunts in your life!

So that was our fantastic weekend, Bean.  I sincerely want to thank Betty and Becky for putting together such a thoughtful, wonderful afternoon to celebrate you.  Mommy has been really stressed and anxious lately thinking about you and hoping that things are OK and this Sprinkle was such a positive way to remember that I need to be excited and not worry so much.  You are kicking away in my belly now and I am so thankful for that.  You are also 26 weeks now and here are some pictures to prove it. I love you, Bean, and this weekend just made me all the more excited to meet you (and put your cute little buns in all of these new clothes!) Keep on growing strong in there- I will talk to you soon!

Doctor Appointments and LOTS of Snow

Dear Baby Bean-

Hello there precious boy!  I have a few minutes to write before your sister goes to bed so I thought I would fill you in on your doctor appointments from this week.  There was some mixed news but the bottom line is that you are growing just the way you should and we hope to be meeting you in less than 15 weeks!

Mommy was a little nervous Monday because I knew we had our appointment with Bernie Tuesday evening and the forecast was calling for A LOT of snow.  So much snow, in fact, that Daddy's school cancelled for Tuesday on Monday night.  That NEVER happens!  When we woke up Tuesday morning there was not one single flake of snow, but we were happy that Daddy was off anyway.  He made cinnamon rolls for us for breakfast and then Tenley and I made a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies to try and use up some of our baking ingredients left over from Christmas.  When the last pan came out of the oven around 9:00, the snow started.  And boy did it snow!  I was so worried that we wouldn't get to go to our midwife appointment, but Bernie's office called around noon and asked if we could come early.  Daddy said we could, so we loaded ourselves into the car and made the long trip to Crown Point.

When we saw Bernie, she said that everything looked good.  She measured my belly and said that we are measuring right on time.  We got to hear your little heartbeat again and it was a little faster than usual- 153 beats per minute.  She just chuckled and said, "It's a girl today!" and Daddy groaned...he's so looking forward to having a little boy!  Bernie then started looking over our information from our last ultrasound with Dr. Losure and said that she is still concerned about how your umbilical cord is attached and, depending on what Dr. Losure had to say the next day, she may want to transfer our care to another physician.  That made Mommy worry a lot, but the next day helped to make me feel better.

Wednesday morning we got up and Grandma Carol came to our house to go with us to your ultrasound.  Yvonne, our regular ultrasound tech, showed us all of your little parts and said that you are definitely still a boy and that you weigh 1 lb 13 oz right now which is in the 49th percentile.  When she was done looking at you, she went and got Dr. Losure.  Dr. Losure was very reassuring and said that although your cord is still an issue, he's going to monitor you closely to make sure that you are growing nice and strong.  He said that so far everything is "perfect" and that he will see us again in 3 weeks instead of four.  That means we will see Bernie again on March 26th and Dr. Losure again on March 28th.  I am looking forward to seeing you again already but am very happy that our appointments this week were reassuring.  Here is your latest picture- you're getting a bit bigger!

Today your sister and I were very busy.  Grandma Cindy is coming into town tomorrow for your fun sprinkle on Saturday, so we wanted to make sure that the house is nice and clean for her.  We got up, ate breakfast, and then headed straight to the grocery store to stock up on food.  We made a quick run to Target to get a birthday card for Violet and then came home and gave the dogs a good bath. They hated it but they smell so much better!  Once the dogs were bathed, we started cleaning the bedrooms.  We took a quick break for lunch and then decided it was time for a nap.  Once Tenley woke up, I finished cleaning all of the floors in the bedroom and hallway and then thought it would be fun to take  a break and play in the snow.  I've been promising Tenley that we would build a snowman but our last few snows haven't given us the right kind of snow.  Today's snow was perfect though and we built a pretty good one.  We can't wait until you are here to help us next year!  Here is a picture of Tenley and our snowman creation:

We had an extra snowball because it was supposed to be the middle of the snowman but it was a little too big for Mommy to lift.  I probably shouldn't have lifted what I did, but the finished product was so worth it.  Tenley loved the snow and next year we will try to get her proper snow attire.  For now, the outfit that Auntie Carrie gave her layered over her other clothes works really well!

OK, Bean- it's time for Tenley and I to get to bed.  I will write to you again after our busy weekend.  It is going to be so much fun and we can't wait for Grandma Cindy to get here and for all the fun activities we have planned.  I hope you are doing well in there- you sure are kicking me enough!  I love feeling every movement, though, and hope you keep it up.  Sleep tight and Mommy loves you!

25 Weeks- Time is Flying!

Dear Baby Bean-

Happy 25 Weeks, Bean!  I can't believe that we only have 15 weeks to go before we meet you.  It was a very slow week (activity-wise), except for Daddy's basketball game on Wednesday, but the weekend has picked up and we've been keeping busy.  According to the "experts," you should be around 13 inches long and about the size of a rutabaga.  Mommy's not sure what a rutabaga is, but maybe it will give you a good vocabulary word to look up when you read this.  I love you no matter what size you are and these 15 weeks better go just as fast as the last 25 so we can finally see you!

I know I wrote to you a little bit on Wednesday about Daddy's big win, and that was so exciting!  Thursday we were able to have Clara in the morning before school, and after we played with her we went over to our friend Natalie's for a play date.  Natalie is so nice and she has three kids (Brynn age 5, Jake age 2, and Summer 5 months) who are absolutely adorable.  Your sister had a fun time playing with them and their fun toys and Mommy had a great time catching up with Natalie.  Daddy was home for the evening on Thursday for the first time in two weeks, so we had a nice evening together as a family.

Friday was another big basketball day- the Regional Championship!  We had Clara again in the morning and after she went to school, Tenley and I cleaned out the kitchen and my closet.  After that we just relaxed and got ready for the big game.  Grandma Carol came over around 6:30 and off we went to Thornwood High School.  Daddy's team played very hard but the other team was just really good- the final score was 54-47 and Daddy's team lost.  Daddy had such a great season and we are SO VERY PROUD of everything that he accomplished with his team.  Now he has to get ready for his awards night and collect uniforms, and then he will have a little time off from basketball.

Saturday we had a relaxing day and then a very fun night.  Daddy needed to go out to the Michigan City outlet mall to get some new work clothes and your sister needed some new clothes to get her through the rest of the cold weather.  All of her warm pants and shirts are too short for her!  After we did some shopping, we went out to dinner and then stopped at Grandma Carol and Grandpa Jeff's house for a visit.  It was such a fun family evening and I hope that you enjoyed the chicken wings that I ate more than I did...they were kind of gross.  :(

Today is going to be another day around the house.  Daddy has to go over and help Grandma Carol and Grandpa Jeff with some things but he has the whole day off of school tomorrow!  This week is going to be super busy, Bean.  Tomorrow we should do some cleaning, Tuesday we are going to run some errands with Becky and Finn and we have our next midwife appointment with Bernie, Wednesday we get to see you in another ultrasound (hooray!), Thursday we are hoping to go to Bellaboo's with Rachel and Violet, Friday night Grandma Cindy will come, Saturday is our sprinkle thrown by our wonderful friends, and Sunday is Violet's first birthday party and a special basketball game that Daddy is playing in...Phew!  I hope Mommy is still standing by the end of the week.  The most exciting part is that we get to see you again and Mommy is every anxious for that. Betty is such a good friend and she is going to come with us so that she can keep an eye on Tenley and help Mommy hear what the doctor has to say.  I am very excited for her to see you too!  Please just keep growing and kicking, Bean- your kicks are the best feeling ever and I can feel them all the time, mostly all day long! We love you...15 weeks and counting!

Here are some belly pictures from this week- we're getting bigger!