Brixen's Nursery... Thus Far!

Since the week in-between Christmas and New Years is never really busy with the business, I decided to take some time and work in Brixen's Nursery.  The room was pretty much clean so I did all the organizing and went shopping!  There are still some things that we need but that will come over the next couple of weeks.  Enjoy!

Brixen's Nursery...  Thus Far!

Awww...  His adorable crib!  Right now, the plan is to have him sleep in his Pack N Play in our room just until we get the hang of things and somewhat on a schedule.  Our room is just across from his nursery so maybe by 6 to 8-weeks.  We will just have to wait and see!

The BRIXEN letters will be hung over his crib.  That is Daddy's job!  The blue bouncer next to the crib has some toys in it.  I plan to get a toy box to put those in and not sure where we will keep the blue bouncer.  Maybe in Daddy's office of the living room.  I am sure we will have baby stuff all over soon!

This is the matching dresser to the crib.  I love it!  Has enough space and I got everything organized inside.  The drawers are filled with onesies, receiving blankets, and pants!  The smaller drawer has tons of socks and hats.  There is another door that opens where I am keeping wash clothes and bath time stuff.

The plan is to move the dresser over a bit to the left.  We are going to hang the Diaper Holder from the wall.  We still need to get the Changing Pad and matching Changing Cover.  That will go on top of the dresser to the left.  And, there is a matching lamp shade that will go on the lamp.  Above the dresser, we are going to put a mirror.  I heard Babies love mirrors.  We will be able to hold Brixen and he can see himself!

Brixen sure has a lot of blankets...  That is a huge pile!  In-between the high chair (Chris' when he was a baby) and the LION, we are going to put a toy box.  For now, this will store the blankets and the toys that were in the blue bouncer in the first photo.  YOU CAN SEE YODA TOO!  There is a 3-piece Wall Hanging that matches the crib bedding that will go on the wall above the toy box.  

I sure do LOVE my Glider and Ottoman!  It is so comfortable.  I can't wait to rock Brixen.  Today, I went to Target and bought that book basket and the 3-drawer storage unit.  Chris got me that CD player for Christmas and a bunch of relaxing CDs.  Mozart, Hawaii, etc.  It is nice to take some time in his nursery and relax to this type of music.  Brixen is going to love it too.  The 3-drawer storage unit will be used for burp clothes, pacifier stuff, and some nursing items for me.  That beautiful blanket hanging on the Glider is made by my Grandma!  

Brixen's well-organized closet!  This one took some time.  But I have all of his clothes washed and organized by size.  I got a couple of blue storage bins just to put misc. stuff.  Those brown canvas bins are very handy too.  Shoes are going in one, bigger size onesies in another, and extra bedding.  They are nice sized and great for storage.  I have all the diapers organized above as you can see and on the other side is a ton of wipes!  Loving the closet! 

Of course, we had to add a LION to the wall.  This is above the door and will protect Brixen when he makes his arrival!  It is the cutest LION!  We got it at our Baby Shower in PA.  Perfect touch to Brixen's Nursery!

Well...  That is it for now!  We have one more Baby Shower here in Chicago and looking forward to spending some time with close friends.  We are having it here at our place on January 8, 2011.  After that shower, we have plenty of gift cards and coupons to spend at Babies R Us.  I am sure we will take a "Date Day" and go purchase everything else we need.  SO FUN!  

Doctor's Appointment: 12.29.10

WOW!  I just realized this...  But today was our last appointment for 2010.  The first time we saw our OBGYN was June 30, 2010 and now this year will be over in less than 3-days.  I can't believe it!  Well...  We had a pretty busy afternoon with two appointments in two different locations.  One with the Endocrinologist and the other with the OBGYN.

Our Endocrinologist, Dr. Benjamin, was impressed with my discipline to stay on a healthy diet and keep my blood sugar levels below what he is wanting me to be at for the rest of my pregnancy.  As long as my blood sugar levels continue to stay how they are, I will not have to go on insulin.  Usually, if someone has to go on insulin, it takes place before Week #35, which would be about 2-weeks more for me.  He really doubts that I will have to go on insulin, which is a good thing.  A healthy diet really changes a lot.  Plus, I am trying to walk as much as possible during the day, which also helps my blood sugar levels.  We see Dr. Benjamin again on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 1:20 PM.  If things go well between now and than (he monitors my food logs once a week on Thursdays), I will not have to see him again in this pregnancy.  

Our next appointment was with the OBGYN.  Unfortunately, Dr. Swenson, our regular OBGYN was out-of-the-office so we had to see one of her partners, Dr. Ortega.  We have seen 3 out of the 7 OBGYN Doctors in this office.  This is a good thing because we never know who will be on-call at the hospital once Brixen decides to make his GRAND ENTRANCE!  Dr. Ortega was very nice and the appointment went great!  Below are some details...

Weight Gain to Date:  About 24-Pounds

Measurement:  33-Inches (Right On Schedule for Our Due Date)

Blood Pressure:  110/66 (Shoot!  I forget the exact numbers but I do know that my blood pressure was great!)

BRIXEN'S HEART BEAT:  144

All-in-all we had two great appointments.  Both doctors were very impressed with my pregnancy thus far.  We go back to Dr. Swenson on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:00 PM.  After that, I believe we will be going to see her every week.  WOW...  So close and very exciting!

I am feeling great but starting to get tired earlier in the evening.  I have the most energy in the mornings and that is when I try to get the majority of my work, errands, etc. completed.  That way I can be around the house to relax the rest of the day.  Since we were out most of the afternoon, I am feeling sleepy now.

Merry Christmas - Week #32

Merry Christmas - Week #32

Brixen Baby Bump Photo

Would you look at that Baby Bump???  Just look at it!  IT IS GETTING HUGE!  As of Friday (Christmas Eve), we are 32-weeks, which is month #8.  Woohoo!  Not too much longer now...

I am still feeling great and getting tired earlier in the evening.  I did take naps over this weekend probably because I ate so much and it was Christmas!  I have noticed lately that it is harder to get things done and takes me a lot longer.  I went out this week to run errands and it took me 3-hours.  I try not to drive too far because it makes me nervous and I am afraid I will slip on the ice.  Probably won't be getting out much in January and if I do, Chris will just take me.  I feel better when he is around!

Chris and I always celebrate our Christmas on Christmas Eve morning.  Now, that Brixen is on his way we will start our own family traditions next year.  We have plenty of time to figure all that out!  :)  We are like kids though...  So excited for our Christmas morning.  We couldn't sleep on our Christmas Eve so we laid in bed and played games on our phones.  It was fun!

We like to take our time opening up presents.  We both had a lot and we also like to do stocking stuffers.  It probably took us a couple of hours to open gifts and it was so much fun!  The fireplace was going and the Christmas music playing...  Just us and our Baby Bump!  

I got Chris some new sneakers and NFL Football Cards from Blowout Cards.  A bunch of Star Wars items...  You might have seen the picture on his FB.  Winter boots too!  It is hard to think of everything I got him but he loved everything!  I think I did a great job!

I got some great things too!  My favorite was this HUGE LIFE-LIKE LION!  We are going to put it in Brixen's Nursery.  Chris also got a comic made for me, which has photos that look identically from our engagement in Hawaii almost 2-years ago until now.  The last picture is of us and my Baby Bump.  He posted the picture/comic on FB if you haven't seen it.  I LOVE IT!  I got some slippers and a robe for the hospital.  And, a birthing ball!  Also, I got a smaller CD player for Brixen's Nursery and some soothing CDs for all of us to relax.  I can't wait to get his nursery together and have relaxation time in there.  

We drove to MI after our Christmas and spent the weekend with my Mom.  My Sister was sick so unfortunately, we weren't able to see her!  It was sad but I think they are going to come here for NYE, which will be nice.  It was hard to say good-bye to my Mom because the next time we see her, we will be in the hospital having Brixen!  WOW!  She is considering taking a day off in January and visiting.  That will be nice.  I want her to see Brixen's Nursery before it gets crazy around here.

We had a wonderful Christmas...  Can't believe next year we will have a 10-month old.  Can't wait to start our own family traditions.  We both get very excited for the holidays so we are always going to make it extra special.  Santa will be bringing for an extra special little one next year!  

ONLY ABOUT 8-WEEKS LEFT...  Stay Tuned!

Week #31

Week #31

Brixen Baby Bump Photo

WOW!  I look much bigger than I did last week!  According to my belly measurement, it only grew about a half an inch.  Strange!  Brixen is definitely growing inside of my tummy!

We had a good week!  An OBGYN Appointment on Wednesday, which I blogged about below.  It went well and Chris was able to get Brixen's Heart Beat on video so we could all hear it.  I just love hearing his heart beat.  Puts a smile on our faces.

As we are coming to the close of 2010, there are a few things left to get done for the business but overall the last couple weeks of the year are not that busy.  Just planning for 2011 and finalizing anything left from 2010.  It has been a great year!  But we both are looking forward to 2011 not only because our son will be born but because we have a lot in-store for our business.  Had a couple of great meetings this week for opportunities in 2011.  Just waiting to finalize everything and I am sure I will blog about our business plans sometime around the New Year!

Last night, we went to one of our favorite places, Dengeo's.  They have great ribs and I like the gyro sandwich and Greek salad.  Yummy!  We have been going there the past couple of Friday's.  It has a nice atmosphere and it is pretty close to home.  After ward, we went to Blockbuster and got a couple of movies...  Prancer and Legendary.  We watched Prancer last night!  It has been many, many years since I have seen that movie.  I thought it would be nice to watch a Christmas movie plus it was my turn to pick!  Chris and I always enjoy the same kind of movies but we like to take turns picking.  We will probably watch Legendary sometime day!

I definitely have noticed over the past couple of days, it is starting to get harder to do things.  It takes me a bit longer to get out of bed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which I am going about 3 to 4-times.  I get uncomfortable sitting in certain positions.  And, when we went to the movie theater yesterday to see The Fighter (great movie!), Brixen is starting to kick in a lot of different areas, mainly my ribs!  :)  

All-in-all it was another great week...  Looking forward to Christmas next weekend.  Chris and I always have our Christmas here in Chicago Christmas Eve morning.  We head to MI sometime that day and go to Church with my Mom that evening.  Christmas Day is always relaxing, which we are excited about.  Not sure when we will come home.  Since Christmas falls on a Saturday this year, we may come home on Sunday.  Just playing everything by ear!  

This is such a special time of year...  Be sure to cherish the moments with family and friends.  Take a minute to just look around you and realize that it is a beautiful time of year.  You should all be thankful!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

OBGYN Appointment: 12.15.10

Today, we had another OBGYN Appointment.  It went great!  We were able to see our primary OBGYN, Dr. Swenson.  She was out last month for surgery so it was nice to be able to see her again and discuss what to expect in these final weeks.  

We now will be going every 2-weeks for the next month than it will be every week until Brixen is born.  Our next appointment is Wednesday, December 29, 2010 with one of Dr. Swenson's partners since she will be out-of-the-office.  It is always good to see more than one OBGYN because you never know who will be at the hospital when Brixen is born.  We will be able to see Dr. Swenson again on Wednesday, January 12, 2011.  WOW!  2011 already!!!

Below are some details of today's appointment.  Also...  Chris was able to record on his new G2 phone Brixen's Heart Beat!  VERY COOL!  He loves showing off his little heart beat and we LOVE hearing it!  Can't wait to meet you Baby Brixen, only about 9 or so more weeks!  WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Weight Gain to Date:  19-Pounds

Brixen's Heart Beat:  150

Blood Pressure:  Normal (Can't Remember #'s)

Measurement:  30-Inches from Bottom to Top (I think that is what Dr. Swenson said...  I just remember her saying that Brixen is measuring right on schedule and that was all that mattered to us!)

You might wonder why Dr. Swenson is talking about my sugar levels.  No need to worry!  I have to monitor the levels 4-times per day and thus far, everything has been normal.  Both doctors, her and Dr. Benjamin, are keeping a good eye on me and Baby Brixen.  

We do know that Dr. Swenson doesn't want me going too far past our due date of February 18, 2011.  So...  If it comes down to it, she or another doctor may have to induce me.  But as the weeks keep getting closer and closer, we will know more.  Please pray for us as we really want to have Brixen come naturally without being induced.  But I know it isn't what I want...  God has a plan and it will be the best one for Baby Brixen and myself.  :)

Week #30

Week #30

Brixen Baby Bump Photo

WOW!  I am getting HUGE!  I swear it happens over night because I don't remember feeling this big last week!  I measure my belly every week and I am still the same measurement I have been for the past couple of weeks.  Not sure how that is possible!  :)

Approximately 10-weeks left to go!  SO EXCITING!!!  Next week, we will be on single digit weeks!  Time is going by so fast but Chris and I are enjoying every minute of this special time in our lives.  You have too...  It's not like I will be pregnant forever.  You have to cherish every moment and make the most of it. 

We had another great week!  Getting lots of things done for the end of the year for our business.  Starting to plan for 2011.  It will be another big year for us personally and professionally...  We are very excited about our future!  

We both are almost done with our Christmas shopping.  Just a few things left to get and we will be all set.  Trying to get this done this week so that we aren't out and about the week of Christmas.  We always enjoy this time of the year.  And...  It is suppose to snow this weekend!  Rain today, turning to snow tonight and snow all day tomorrow.  Going to get very cold here.  About 0 degrees or even below for the low temperature.

All-in-all we had another productive week!  I am feeling great!  Still sleeping good at night.  Sometimes I seem to wake-up a bit sore in my legs.  But thankfully, I am sleeping at least 8-hours and feeling well-rested when I wake up in the morning.  I still have plenty of energy throughout the day, which is a good thing because I still have a lot of things I want to get done by the end of the year for our business and stuff for Brixen.  Come January, I probably won't be doing too much!  But by the time 9 PM or so rolls around, I am ready for bed!  

No big plans this weekend!  Today, we are going to relax.  This afternoon, we are going to go to our friends open house.  They just completed a rehab and it is near us.  Tomorrow, we will go to Church and watch football!  GO BEARS!  Big game for them...  They play New England and we are NOT big fans of New England! 

Baby Shower - Michigan

Baby Shower - Michigan

Last weekend, Chris and I, were in Michigan for our Baby Shower.  We headed there on Friday in the afternoon to avoid traffic.  We got there pretty quickly and was glad we decided to leave early because Chicago was starting to get snow!

Friday night, we ordered Pizza Hut and put up my Mom's Christmas Tree.  Chris and I also got DQ since there isn't one close by us.  Yummy!  Putting up my Mom's Christmas Tree is always fun!  It takes us awhile though because it seems like every year we forget how to put the lights on, etc.

Saturday, Chris and I, both woke up really early, about 4:00 AM our time.  We must have fell asleep early.  He went back to bed but I ended up staying up all day!  I didn't feel too tired either.  We just relaxed most of the morning until we had to get ready for our Baby Shower.

When Chris and I arrived at the Baby Shower...  It was decorated for BOY!  I loved everything.  It was perfect!  I loved the sign out front that said It's a Boy!  It was nice to be able to spend some time with close family and friends that afternoon.  Chris got a lot of great photos, which most of you have probably seen on FB.  The video he was able to finish today!  Our Flip Camera is the best for getting those special moments on video.  If you don't have one, you should really get one!

We got some amazing gifts for Baby Brixen.  Since, I could go on and on and on about each gift we received because everything we got was something we needed or wanted.  I am just going to write about a couple of the gifts.

MOM/SISTER:  Diaper Bag...  I had picked this Diaper Bag out on Babies R Us website because they didn't have it in the stores.  I wasn't sure because I couldn't see it in person BUT when I opened it, I loved it!  It isn't a huge Diaper Bag, so for us, I think it will be a perfect size!  THANKS MOM AND SISTER!

When I was little, I asked my Mom to take me to the store to purchase a sweatshirt.  I even had her pick out the color.  LOL!  She knew that I was making her a sweatshirt but I told her it was for a friend.  Anyway, my Mom got the idea to wrap the sweatshirt for me as a Baby Shower gift.  It was the perfect idea and it was the only present that made me CRY!  I made this for my Mom many, many, many years ago and now, I am about to become a Mommy.  WOW!  The sweatshirt says, "Best Mom."  I know I had the Best Mom and I hope that I can be the greatest Mom just like her!  I LOVE YOU MOM!

GRANDMA (BRIXEN'S GG):  My Grandma, who will become a Great Grandma when Brixen is born made us a bunch of clothes!  She has such an amazing talent.  When I was growing up, she would make all my formal dresses for dances and even the Miss Stevensville Pageant.  The clothes are perfect for Brixen.  The best part is that GG made them for him.  We got a couple of blankets, jumpers with a couple of shirts.  One has footballs on it and the other fire trucks.  There was so much she made.  Unfortunately, Grandma couldn't be at our Baby Shower because her and Grandpa live in FL for the Winter.  So, I called her after ward and asked how long it took her to make all this stuff.  She said that she started in the Summer making boy and girl outfits because we didn't know it was BRIXEN until late September.  THANKS GRANDMA!

Chris and I both wanted to say a SPECIAL THANKS to Ashlee Krukowski (Sister), Bonnie Hillegas (Mom), and Lisa Krukowski (Ashlee's Mother-in-Law).  They put on the Baby Shower for us and Lisa was kind enough to have it at her house, which was so nice and cozy for Christmas!  THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!  We greatly appreciate all you have done for us.  Thank you everyone who came out to our Baby Shower!

 

Week #29

Week #29

Baby Brixen Bump Photo

Now, that we have our Christmas Tree up, my Weekly Photos will be taken by here!  Same spot just with a Christmas Tree.  Wow...  Look at that belly!  Baby Brixen sure is growing and I am feeling it!

This week went by very fast!  It seems like we were just having Thanksgiving.  Chris' family was in-town on Monday so we didn't do much work that day.  So, Tuesday was pretty busy with catch up stuff and we had a meeting.  I was starting to feel like I was getting sick too!

On Wednesday, I didn't do ANYTHING!  I was feeling really bad...  My whole body ached, my throat hurt, and my nose was stuffy.  Chris took great care of me.  I just drank a lot of fluids and took a couple of Tylenol to help with my achy body.  It worked because I woke up on Thursday feeling much better.  I still have a bit of a cold and tired out from the weekend, but so glad I don't feel like I did on Wednesday.

We headed to MI on Friday for our Baby Shower, which was Saturday!  Chris took a lot of photos, which I am now uploading on FB.  Once he creates the video, I will write a blog update.  We had a blast!  But kept hearing about the Winter Storm Warning and decided to drive back last night.  It was probably a smart idea because Mom said they were getting a lot of snow.  It is sunny right now in Chicago!

Next time we see my family in MI will be for Christmas.  After that, we will not see them until Brixen is born.  We won't be back to MI until Spring time.  That seems so far away but time flies by and we will be excited to take Baby Brixen to MI for the first time!

Thanksgiving Weekend!!!

This time of year is always fun for Chris and I.  We LOVE the holiday season.  It really is a special time of year.  Usually, for Thanksgiving we always spend it in Chicago with just us two.  And, for Christmas we go to my Mom's house in Michigan.  

On Wednesday, I always bake...  I make my Mom's Cheese Bread and a new recipe that I started last year, Pumpkin Roll.  It took me all day just to bake those two items.  The Cheese Bread is so good but does take a long time to make.  Below is a video from Thanksgiving Eve!  Enjoy!

Our house sure smelled very delicious!  I had the fireplace going, the Christmas Music on, and candles going.  So nice!  But I was wiped-out by the end of the night.  That was a long day being on my feet!

I can't believe as I am writing this it has been a week since Thanksgiving.  On Thanksgiving, we woke up and Chris started Tom the Turkey.  Everything else I made the day of Thanksgiving.  We cooked most of the morning and watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Once we started to eat, the football games came on and that is about all we watched the rest of the weekend!  Enjoy our Thanksgiving Day video below!  

We have a tradition to put up the Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving and that's what we did!  We always watch Christmas Movies while putting up the tree.  I had a hot chocolate too!  We LOVE putting up our Christmas Tree together.  We got this tree the first Christmas we were together and every year it gets more and more exciting.  We also write notes on this sheet of paper each year so when we put it up the next year, we can see what we were doing, etc.  Very cool!

On Saturday, we did some shopping!  There were some great deals.  We ordered Brixen a Pack N Play from Babies R Us online.  We got some other great deals too on diapers and wipes.  We ordered the Glider and Ottoman for the Nursery.  And...  The car seat we wanted was 20% off online with free shipping.  We couldn't pass up that deal!  It was a fun, fun day!  We even had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and watched some college football!  

Sunday, we went to Church and waiting for Chris' cousin, Jesse, Kay, and their three girls to arrive.  We had Lou Malnati's that night...  Yummy!  Monday, we spent the day with them and they left early Tuesday morning.  Overall, we had a GREAT, RELAXING weekend!  

I am VERY thankful for my Husband/Best Friend/Soul Mate/Business Partner, our families and friends, our health, our growing businesses, and most importantly, for Baby Brixen who is still growing inside my tummy!  WE LOVE YOU BRIXEN!  Can't wait to meet you very soon!