Christmas Surprise

(If you can't quite read the note above, click on it and you will be directed to a larger version.)

And what exactly did Little Owens get me? A gift certificate to a local spa!!

Brant and I said that we weren't getting each other anything for Christmas since we just bought a new camera. Well, looks like he found a loophole in our agreement! I feel pretty bad since I really did not get him a single thing. Although, I did do two loads of laundry tonight and he seemed pretty pleased (and very surprised) with that!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

PS: I almost cried when I opened this gift, because it really was a very sweet thing for Brant to do and I had no idea it was coming. But tears?! These hormones are already getting to me!!

Little Drummer Boy (or Girl)

Today I had my second doctor's appointment. I told Brant he didn't have to come because I thought it would just be a basic appointment where they check my blood pressure and see if I have any questions. Well, I was wrong. I actually got to hear the heartbeat today! Incredible! The little guy or girl's heart was beating wildly and it was awesome to hear. I haven't felt sick lately and I actually lost a few pounds, so I was beginning to wonder if I really was pregnant. Hearing the rapid little heartbeat put that fear to rest. So, Brant missed out on hearing the heartbeat but he's not going to miss out next time. On January 19th, I'll have an ultrasound to make sure everything looks good. And we'll also be able to call "it" a he or a she after that date!! Stay tuned...

PS: Thanks to Erin for the adorable ornament!

Must Haves?

I get the question about cravings quite a bit these days, so I thought I would post an answer for everyone. So far, I haven't had any odd cravings. Sure, I've craved things, but who doesn't need Chili's Molten Chocolate Cake every now and then. And most of us know that sometimes an ice cold Coke is all you need to make the day a little better. The thing is, I've craved those two things and others off and on for much longer than I've been pregnant. So I just don't think they count.

Now, I did eat seven dill pickles one evening. That probably counts as a craving. After the fifth spear, I checked the nutrition facts and it turns out that pickles have a lot of sodium. 14% of your daily value per spear. Next time I'm craving pickles, I think I'll try to savor the one spear and stop.

That's about it. Pretty boring, I know. When I start yearning for that chocolate cake along with those pickles, I'll be sure to let you know.

The GPs

I can't let this blog go too long before talking about the grandparents. They recently got the nursery off to a great start by buying us a crib and a changing table. Brant and I are both so thankful that we have parents who want to be involved and help us out with this baby. Financial help is always great, but it's the emotional support that we're really counting on.

For my parents, it's their first grandchild so they are extremely excited. My dad is a magnet when it comes to kids and I've seen how his face lights up when babies are around. He's going to be that somewhat quirky, really random grandpa that the grandkids absolutely adore. He is the most generous person I know, so the grandkids might be a bit spoiled, but isn't that what being a grandparent is all about? My mom loves kids, too. I know that she will do anything for this baby once it gets here and she will, of course, be part of that whole spoiling thing! And since I know next to nothing about babies, I imagine I'll be calling her every other hour or so with questions. Even if she gets annoyed, she'll never show it. She did a pretty great job raising my brother and me, so I'm thinking her advice is going to be more than just advice, something like wisdom.

For Brant's parents, it's their second grandchild so they are, well, extremely excited again. We've seen firsthand how they are with Mary Elizabeth and we look forward to adding another grandkid to the mix. Then, they don't have to share! Randy will teach little Owens how to make faces and noises that he/she won't make for anyone else. And Lana said she would come over and change all the diapers for me! (Just kidding!!!). Lana will make sure this child has everything it needs from day to day, and walking past the baby clothes department is now going to be twice as hard for her.

We are blessed. I know our parents will play a huge role in the life of this child. And while it's not likely that Brant and I would ever run out of love, even if we did, we know there is plenty of back-up out there for this little child. Love you grandparents!

Props to the Husband

I'm sitting here recovering from my recent bout with strep. Brant is at his company Christmas party, and before you think he's a jerk for leaving me alone, just know that I encouraged him to go. I'm feeling a little better, just not good enough to join him. I've been sick since Thursday and he's done nothing but take care of me. He took me to the doctor, went to pick up my prescription, encouraged me to stay in bed all day and he constantly asked "Is there anything I can do for you?"

So, you wonder, is this going to be a post all about how great my husband is? Well yes, yes it is. So if you have no interest in reading about him, stop here. The thing is, he deserves the recognition. Almost every day the last four and a half years, I've thought he was a great husband. But the last three months have changed that perception. He's not just a great husband, but a great man and on his way to becoming a great father.

Case in point: I have all but forgotten what our washer and dryer look like. Brant has always done some laundry, but I usually take care of most of it. Since I became pregnant and got a new job (read: became physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted every day) Brant stepped up in the household chores department. I may have cleaned the kitchen once or twice, but I don't recall doing a single load of laundry. I didn't ask him to do this stuff. He just started doing it. And I stopped. And he hasn't complained once. I plan on repaying his hard work by birthing his child. Then it's Even Steven, right?

A Fab New Baby Blog

Let me start out this blog by saying that it's fabulous. I think we can all agree that the header is awesome. I can say that without hesitation because I had nothing to do with making it that cool. I was smart enough to ask my good friend Jenny to help me design the blog. And by help, I mean design it all by herself because she's much better at it than most people. She's a little obsessed with me eventually being humongous, so that's where the header idea came from. Thanks for the design, Jenny!

I'm sure some of you follow a baby blog or two, so I hope you will have fun keeping up with our adventure. The baby is due June 23rd and even as I type that, I find it still hard to believe. We are really excited and can't wait for our little summer baby to arrive. Until then, stay tuned. I'll update as often as possible. My goal is for a weekly update, but we'll see how that goes. I'm going to try to get Brant to make a few posts, so you should definitely be looking forward to those!!