Harn Homestead...

Today started off with a bunch of rain, but ended up a beautiful day. Such a pretty day that we had a picnic! Every year (sometimes a few times a year for various events) our church has a picnic at the Harn Homestead. We are lucky enough to live just 2 blocks away. If you never have been, you should check it out. It is absolutely beautiful! The kids had so much fun playing various games while the adults listened to music from our St. Paul's Band and talked.

I got a lot of good pics but wish I would of taken more of the grounds. The barn is my favorite!

But, I didn't get any pictures of the barn. I did however link some pics I have from my birthday post in 2009 that was at the Harn. There are some decent pics there if you want to take a look.

Chris and his friend David Sapper.
Lillie playing in the dirt with the little girl she was christened with when they were babies.





Lillie walked around with a chicken leg and a stick. Cute, huh?

12 weeks...

Today I am 12 weeks pregnant! Depending on who's calendar you use (they all say something different) tomorrow I start my second trimester!

Heres what's new...

I am finally feeling better.

The thought, smell, or sight of some foods still make me sick, but for the most part I have my appetite back.

Last Friday I went for my second doctor's appointment.

I heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time! Heart rate was 164-165.

I have gained 1 pound! It doesn't seem like much considering how much my belly has grown!

Fatigue is getting better. I can make it through the day without a nap.

I am a little crankier than usual. Sorry boys.

I have an appointment with a Perinatologist (high risk doc) on Wednesday. He will do a level 2 ultrasound to check for any issues we need to be aware of.

My regular obgyn said it is possible that we might be able to tell the sex of the baby during the ultrasound next week.

Here's what is going on with the baby...

Your pregnancy: 12 weeks

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Birthday...

Yesterday was my birthday. I have learned (after a few years of disappointing birthdays) that if you plan your own day you won't be disappointed. So here's what I did for my birthday.

Lillie and I went out for breakfast.

Dropped Tucker off to be groomed. That was the one big gift I wanted more than anything. That dog STUNK!

Went to buy my favorite cake, but no luck. Tried to come up with a Plan B but nothing comes close to Raspberries and Creme's Ribbon Cake.

Came home and Lillie and I took a long nap.

Picked up boys from Braum's (after school hangout) and went to pick up Tucker.

Went to store to buy cleaning supplies so my house won't smell like dog anymore. Nothing says "Birthday" like cleaning supplies!

Chris' mom and her boyfriend came by early evening to give me my gifts. I had asked her for maternity clothes for my birthday. She out did herself. I have so many clothes! And all (except for 3) fit perfectly and I loved them all! She did a better job shopping than I could of. How is that possible?

I took a photo of all of my new clothes except for the 3 that didn't fit and one sweater I forgot to hang up. That's a lot of clothes!

After the fashion show we went out to eat at my favorite bday spot, Iron Starr. I think I have gone there every year for my birthday since they opened. Food was great and I came home with my free bday cake.
I am eating it right now with my coffee.

All and all it was a pretty good bday. Now looking forward to a huge weekend. My hood is hosting Septemberfest and we are having a garage sale. Check it out!

Dancing Queen

Lillie was a late bloomer when it comes to dancing. We would play music and try to encourage her to dance when she first started walking. As with everything, Lillie has to do it on her terms. About 8 months ago she started dancing. We had our chili cookoff and she started to shake it to the music playing outside. As the months went by the more she got in to it. It didn't matter where she was if music was playing she was shaking it. Of course we had the incident last week with the dance off. I don't think I posted it on my blog, but Lillie got in the middle of a dance competition.

This pic is of Lillie in the middle of the competition. I don't think the dancers were very happy about her arrival but the audience was!

I was laughing so hard all of my pics are out of focus. I literally had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard.
Here she is doing the "point". This is one of her signature dance moves.
You can see the boys backed off to let her do her thing.

She climbed on stage, pushed the boys out of the way and started dancing. Needless to say she (unofficially) won. The girl loves to be the center of attention. It was no surprise that she got in the middle of the dance floor at a wedding last night. We couldn't get her out of there. When it was time for couple slow dancing we had to got out there and dance with her. That girl is a dancing machine. Now she is asking for dancing school. So if anyone knows of a place let me know.

Here she is at Ty's wedding.
She tried dancing with someone, but she prefers to dances solo.

This girl has to dance!

10 weeks...

My belly at 10 weeks. No one can really tell I am pregnant, but I can. Nothing fits. Maternity clothes are way too big and regular clothes are way too small.

This is one of my favorite outfits. Sweat shorts and a T-Shrit. Woo-Hoo.

Here's what hides beneath!

Further along, but nothing new.
Still nauseated. Still tired. Next appointment is September 10th. Next ultrasound is September 15th.
My belly looks about the same. Instead of looking bloated I am actually looking pregnant. I can actually tell and feel my uterus getting larger. That may sound weird but it is true. It starts protruding out in a point shape in the lower abdomen. Basically instead of just having a round bloated belly I am getting a baby bump. I guess that is exciting.
I will admit it is hard to get excited about this pregnancy. Chris and I are so over the moon with Lillie and we can imagine anything better (not that it is a competition). We aren't excited about decorating a room or buying stuff since we have most things. Been there done that. I think it will be a little more exciting when we find out if it is a girl or a boy. If it is a girl we can make room in Lillie's room for the crib. If it is a boy we will need to figure out a plan b. We will need everything! We don't have anything that is gender neutral and I don't know anyone with little boy hand-me-downs. Don't get me wrong. We are very thankful to be going through this experience again. Babies are a gift from God.. and Yada Yada Yada...
I think once I get further along the more excited we will both be. I know I will definitely be excited when I stop feeling like crap all the time!

Maternity clothes...

I started showing sooner than in my past pregnancies. I guess that is how it goes... I think I switched to maternity clothes around 12 weeks with Lillie. My belly has been bloating up pretty big in the evenings, but now it is all day, everyday. I have been sticking to wearing jogging shorts but I have learned there are some places that is just not appropriate. We had an engagement party to go to Friday night and I struggled to find something to wear. Everything just makes me look like I have gained a lot of weight. I want to look pregnant. Today I decided to bring down the maternity clothes. Ahhhh.... It feels so good to wear things that don't feel so tight. Of course right now they are too big, but I am not complaining!
Here's a picture of me after the party on Friday. My baby may be the size of a grape but my belly is the size of a pumpkin!

lake house...

Lillie cried because she had to go back to the house. She wanted to play in the water.

We made the boys go explore the lake.

Tucker loves being a country dog!

Last weekend we went to the lake house and got a little work done. Chris painted, the kids played, and I ate. It was the first weekend we actually spent the night at the lake house. Very exciting!

Here's a few pics of the trip.