MI Weekend with Family

It had been almost 2-months since we had been to Michigan to visit with my family.  We decided awhile ago that this would be a good weekend because my Aunt Sue, Aunt Sandy, and Cousin Amy were flying into South Bend to visit my Great Aunt Fran.  It was perfect because we were able to see everyone!

Chris and I left for MI on Saturday morning...  It was a nice, quiet drive.  Sometimes it is nicer to leave on a Saturday morning because there is no traffic and it seems like it is harder for me to sit for longer times.  We got there and my Mom and Sister were so excited to see us and my growing belly!  We went straight to lunch...

All of us girls met at Schu's in downtown St Joe for lunch.  It was so good to see everyone.  I think the whole restaurant probably knew that we hadn't seen each other in awhile.  LOL!  We were loud and gave lots of hugs.  Lunch went by quick.  But we took photos and had a blast!

From Left Top:  Ashlee (Sister), Me, My Mom, Aunt Sandy, Aunt Sue, Great Aunt Fran, Cousin Amy, and Denise (Great Aunt Fran's Daughter). 

This is my Dad's side of the family...  It is really nice that my Mom still stays in-contact with everyone.  It was such a wonderful time.  I wish it was longer but Chris and I were only in-town for less than 24-hours and we had a lot to do!

After lunch, my Mom, Sister, and I went to TJ Maxx and Target shopping.  We found some cute stuff for Brixen.  I was surprised how much stuff my Mom and Sister had already bought for him.  We ended up bringing home 3 bags full of new clothes!  I love them!

Later that night, we all (Mom, Bruce, Ashlee, Kyle, and Kyle's Parents - Tony and Lisa) went to the Mark III for dinner.  For some reason, I wanted their bean burrito and it sure was delicious!  Yummy!  Craving satisfied!  Perfect day with my wonderful family!

We didn't do much after dinner because we were all tired from the busy day.  We just sat around and talked.  Ashlee showed us all the clothes she had bought for Brixen.  Everything is so cute.  I have looked at them so many times since we have gotten home!  Thanks Aunt Ashlee and Uncle Kyle and GRAMJO!!!

Chris and I decided to go shopping in MI City before we headed back home and that was a great idea!  Chris needed a lot for Winter and we found so many great deals.  He found a pair of jeans, two zip-up shirts, 2 nice sweaters, 3 long sleeve shirts, new sneakers, and a Winter coat!  So glad we finally found some stuff for him.  I even found a beautiful long, Winter white puff coat with matching gloves.  I can't wait to wear them!

It was such a wonderful weekend!  I am looking forward to the next time we see my family...  5-weeks, the first weekend in December for my Baby Shower in Michigan!  We are planning to put up my Mom's Christmas tree that weekend as well.  It will be another great time, like usual.  

Not this weekend but the weekend after, we are heading to PA to visit Chris' family for our PA Baby Shower!  That will also be another fun weekend.  We just love being around family, especially now that the holidays are approaching.  Can't believe 2010 is almost over!

Have a great week!  We start our first Pre-Natal Class tonight.  Preparing for Childbirth at the hospital.  It is a 4-week class with a tour of the hospital at the last class.  We are very excited about it and I am hoping to blog about each class.  So, be sure to check back tomorrow!  :)

Week #24

Week #24 - Baby Bump Photo

Wow!  I just can't believe how fast these weeks go!  It seems like I was just posting about Week #23.  And, now, we have approximately 16-weeks to go until we meet our Baby Boy!

I felt pretty good this week and had a lot of energy.  Got a lot done, especially with work and even around the house.  I decided a couple of days ago that I wanted to re-organize our entire closet in our bedroom.  It is organized now really well!  I just had that itch to start cleaning and organizing.  Everyone says "nesting."

I was able to get all of Brixen's bedding washed and started cleaning out the nursery.  We should have the furniture no later than Thanksgiving.  I called about it yesterday and it will be shipped from the FL store to Schaumburg sometime next week.  Typically, that takes about 2-weeks or less than they will deliver it to our house.  And, even put it together!  

All-in-all it was a pretty productive week!  I am happy!  Now, I am ready for the weekend of relaxation, fun, and food!  We are heading to MI tomorrow morning to see my family.  It has been almost 2-months since we have been there to visit.  I miss them!

My Aunt Sue, Aunt Sandy, and Cousin Amy flew into South Bend from FL to visit my Great Aunt Fran.  So, us girls will be having lunch together in St. Joe tomorrow when we get to town.  It will be a nice visit and I plan to take photos.  Of course, blog about it!

My Mom, Sister, and I will do a little shopping after lunch until we have dinner  with Chris, my Brother-in-Law, and his parents Saturday night.  I have been craving the Mark III in St. Joe for awhile now.  So, that is our plans for dinner and I can't wait to eat a burrito!

We will come home Sunday to relax, watch football, and prepare for another productive week!  It is always nice to relax on Sundays.  Probably head back sometime after breakfast.  My Mom is making us eggs and bacon!

I hope all of you have a great weekend!  Check back early next week for some photos of the weekend!  Family is so important to me and I am thankful to be able to spend time with them this weekend.  I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful Husband and family!

Week #23

Week #23 - Baby Bump Photo

Approximately 17-weeks left to go until we get to meet our Baby Brixen.  That is less the time than we have already waited!  Very exciting!  I know it will go by so fast so we are cherishing these moments now.

This week, Brixen definitely is moving around more.  I thought I would feel hard kicks but it is not like that this early on from what I have noticed.  I feel a lot of "bubbles."  When they are consistent, I think it is hiccups and other times I think maybe he is doing gymnastics in my tummy!  It is a great feeling and makes me smile every time!

Yesterday, we went to see RED.  It was a pretty good movie.  We enjoyed ourselves and our buttered movie popcorn!  Yum!  Usually, on Friday nights we go out to dinner for Date Night but I was just so tired.  My arm was sore from my flu shot and I just was not really feeling myself.  We went to the store instead and got a few things.  For dinner, I had a bowl of Lucky Charms and a couple slices of Jack's Pizza.  That did not really sound good to me but after Chris made it, it smelled delicious!  Couldn't help myself!

Today, I woke-up and Chris had a surprise for me...  He pulled out his couch in his office, turned on his computer monitor with Scooby Doo and made us breakfast.  We had french toast with bananas and bacon.  It was delicious.  It was very relaxing and we watched about 4-hours of Scooby Doo.  I don't think I could ever get sick of that cartoon!  Very fun...

Tonight, UFC is on and we haven't watched a Pay Per View in a long time.  I think we have a couple of friends coming up and we will either go out to Buffalo Wild Wings or rent it here.  I enjoy watching UFC so it should be a fun night.  

Tomorrow, the Bears play the Redskins at HOME!  Our friend is a huge Redskins fan so he is having a get together at his house.  Chris and him are having a Chili cook-off.  I am going to make score sheets.  LOL!  Dave, our friend, is also going to make stromboli and we ordered UTZ chips from the East Coast.  Should be a fun time and I hope the Bears BEAT the Redskins.

That is about all for this weekend...  Next weekend, we are going to MI because my Aunt Sue, Aunt Sandy, and Cousin Amy are coming into town from FL.  Looking forward to seeing my family.  It has been 7-weeks, which is a long time for us.

Off to make some yummy Hazelnut Coffee with Hazelnut Cream.  It is a windy, gloomy, Saturday afternoon and I plan on being lazy until tonight!  Have a great weekend everyone!  :)

Doctor's Appointment: 10.21.10

Today, we had another 4-week doctor appointment.  We were in and out of the appointment pretty quickly.  She was behind about 15-minutes, which is not too bad.  We had an early appointment at 8:45 AM.  Usually, we go in the afternoon so we can have lunch at Olive Garden.  But our original appointment was set for yesterday and she had to reschedule because of surgery.  There are two different locations and we went to the one that is a bit further from us.

I am right on-track for my weight and my blood pressure was great!  I think when it is all said and done, I will gain about 25-pounds.  That is average.  So, I am happy with that.  :)  Hoping to lose it with breastfeeding and looking forward to getting back to my normal work-outs.  It was hard to stick with a work-out schedule during my First Trimester because I got so tired and had no energy.  Now, I just walk when I can.

Brixen's heartbeat was 166, which is a bit higher than what it has been previously.  Past appointments it has been between 150 and 160.  But the doctor said everything sounded great and looked great on our ultrasound!  We were happy to hear that from our doctor!

Also, I got a flu shot!  I have never got one before but our doctor suggested it since I am pregnant.  I want to protect myself and most importantly, Baby Brixen.  So, I went for it.  Shots today do not seem as bad as they use to be when I was younger.  I was scared at first but it was SO EASY!  I wish they would have given me a sticker for being so good!  LOL!  :)

Next month, our doctor will be out of the office due to surgery so we are planning to see her partner at the location closest to us.  The one near the Olive Garden!  Our appointment is set for Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 10:15 AM.  Sometimes this changes due to surgeries, on-call, etc.  So, we will see if that appointment sticks.

At this next appointment, I have to get glucose testing.  So, they asked for me to get there earlier than my appointment so that I can drink something they call "soda."  I think that is what she said.  Any of my Mommy friends out there remember what that drink was like?  I hope it is not too nasty.  Anyway, I have to drink that and get blood drawn an hour later.  So, after the appointment, we should be able to get that done.  I am hoping this appointment goes a little longer because I would LOVE to have Olive Garden for lunch.  

Overall, it was a great appointment!  I am feeling good, sleeping well, and getting excited about putting together Brixen's nursery.  I will blog again tomorrow about 23-weeks and may even post some photos of the letters I finished for Brixen's nursery.  

Buy Buy Baby Furniture Adventure

Last Thursday, Chris and I, decided to drive to the suburbs to pick-out our nursery furniture at Buy Buy Baby.  Unfortunately, there is not a store in the city.  Schaumburg was our closest option but without traffic it is not that bad of a drive.

Our Buy Buy Baby Furniture Adventure was SO FUN!  The store is amazing with a lot of helpful people.  If there had been more stores around the country and one in the city, we probably would have registered at Buy Buy Baby.  I am sure we will be back there in the very near future.

Guess what?  We got a video of our Buy Buy Baby Furniture Adventure.  We just love getting videos.  We have a flip camera!  If you do not have one, I highly suggest getting one.  It is the BEST!  Enjoy our video!





We decided on our furniture.  My Aunt Sue and Uncle Stephen were able to get us 20% off.  Thanks, Aunt Sue and Uncle Stephen!  The furniture specialist there said it takes 16 to 18-weeks for the furniture to be delivered.  I sure hope it does not take that long!  I want to put Brixen's nursery together NOW!  Our friends did order their furniture from there and they said it did not take nearly that long.  So, I am praying to get it within a couple of months.  It would be nice to have it all put together before Christmas!  

On my last blog, I posted a photo of the crib bedding we registered for at Beyond Bedding.  I am so excited about it.  Below is a photo of the furniture we decided on at Buy Buy Baby.  We are planning to get the crib as well as the combo unit, which will also serve as a changing table.  Our nursery is a nice size, so I am also planning to get a rocker/glider, which I found at Babies R Us.  It will be perfect to nurse as well as relax with Baby Brixen.  See below!

Brixen's Nursery Furniture

Crib and Combo Unit in Expresso

Swivel Glider and Ottoman for Nursery

Chocolate Brown

I finished Brixen's letters for his room this past weekend too.  I will blog about that later.  We have another OBGYN appointment on Thursday at 8:45 AM.  Just another monthly check-up.  Soon we will be starting to go twice a week.  I think that starts in the Third Trimester.

Week #22

Week #22 - Baby Bump Photo

While I am enjoying pregnancy very much, I am excited to meet our baby boy.  These next 18-weeks are going to go by very quickly so we are just planning to cherish this time we have now.  And, I definitely think we have been doing that with all our photos and videos!  :)

On Wednesday, we picked out our baby furniture at Buy Buy Baby.  Of course, we got a video but I am just waiting for Chris to finalize it.  Once he does, I will post it and write more about our baby furniture adventure.  We are very thankful to my Aunt Sue and Uncle Stephen who were able to get us 20% off.  THANKS!!!

Today, we went to see The Social Network.  Chris and I enjoyed it very much.  It was pretty interesting.  After the movie, we went to Babies R Us to add a couple more items to our baby registry.  It is always fun to go to baby stores so I definitely enjoyed it!  :)  Now, I think we are all set when it comes to our registry.  

We also registered at Beyond Bedding for Brixen's crib bedding.  There is a nice 9-piece set that I just fell in love with plus a few extras to go with the set.  It is perfect for our chocolate brown and light blue theme.  See below!

Basically, we have the whole room planned out.  I just hope the furniture does not take as long as they told us.  But over the next few weeks, I plan to get a things here and there.  By the time the furniture gets here, I should have everything and will be able to put the nursery together in no time.  I love organizing!

We did purchase a crib mattress today at Target.  A firm one that got great reviews and was for a great price!  Also, I went to Michael's today and bought wood letters BRIXEN to paint brown.  It is my craft project!  I bought light blue ribbon so that I can attach it to each letter and hang them on the wall above Brixen's crib.  I got this idea from our friends who had a baby in March and I just loved it.  I will have to put several coats of paint on each letter so it will take some time.  Glad I am getting a head start on it.

No big plans for the weekend.  It is suppose to be sunny and around 70 tomorrow.  I would like to head to the mall and pick up a few maternity shirts.  I still have not bought any and definitely need some.  The cold weather will be here soon.  I am looking for a few long sleeve shirts, sweaters, and maybe a dress for my baby shower!  I do love shopping...

Sunday, we will go to Church and of course, watch football!  The Bears play the Seahawks at home.  Sundays are so much fun in the Fall.  We both can't wait to have Brixen here for football season next year.  

Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Picking in Wisconsin

This past Saturday, Chris and I drove to Wisconsin to this place called Apple Holler.  It is a cute place for families to go...  Lots of activities!  You can pick pumpkins, apples, eat at the restaurant, drink fresh apple cider, listen to music, and there are tons of kids activities.

We went there a couple of years ago and it was a blast.  Last year we had our Wedding so we didn't make it but we are planning to make this a tradition for our growing family every year!  Next year, we will be able to take Brixen in his stroller.  Can't wait!

We definitely enjoyed ourselves very much but it was HOT for October.  I was actually sweating.  It said 85 degrees!  We ate at the restaurant and had a yummy buffet.  And, picked two pumpkins...  One for us to carve this weekend and one for Baby Brixen.  I hope you enjoy the video Chris made!  :)

For all of you who do not know the story behind 222, well I will try to make it short.  Since Chris and I met almost 4-years ago we started seeing 222 all the time, especially during the times when we really needed it.  For us, we feel like we are on the right path when we see 222.  

We have documented a lot of our sightings.  Some of them have been really strange, like this past weekend.  On the way to Wisconsin, I noticed a guy on his Harley Davidson.  The weather has been extremely warm here so we both thought he would be going to the Harley Davidson store.  I knew it was getting closer.  So, I decided to look...  Normally, I would not care about a Harley Davidson store.  When we drove past it on the highway, I saw JUST SAY 222!!!  I yelled it to Chris!  On the way back to Chicago, we stopped at the store and took a video and photos.

Well...  You all know that Brixen is due on February 18, 2011 and most people think that he will make his grand entrance on 02.22.2011.  Now, that would be a story!  Only time will tell...

Have a great week!