Reason 1001

I love my husband. Tonight he sat and watched the movie The Sound of Music with me. He said he's seen bits and pieces of it over the years, but never seen the whole thing all the way through. I love this movie and never get tired of seeing it, so we watched it together. He must have enjoyed it a little, because even as I sit here typing this, he's watching the end of it by himself. Gotta love a man who'll watch a movie like The Sound of Music and not make gagging noises through the whole thing!

First Christmas

Here are a few pictures of our first Christmas with Lucy.




And baby makes 3!

Lucy wearing the new hat from Aunt Lori. She looks pretty cute!

Settling in

Well, we've been home with Lucy now for almost one week. Overall it's going well. The nights are tough because I've been spoiled and 8-9 hours of sleep was normal for me. Now, I'm not sure how much sleep I'm getting. I try and sleep a bit during the day when she's napping, but sometimes I feel worse after that.

Today was my first day home alone with her. Dan took the week off, but had to go in today and do the bulletin. He's the only one who know's how to run the program that it's designed in. He's taking next week off too. Most of you know that Dan runs a decal business from home and December is our busiest month. After not working for 5 days because of staying in the hospital with me, he's trying to play catch up. Just to give you an idea, he had over 800 emails to reply to and he has over 500 orders to get out. Soooo, he needs time to work at home to get caught up. I told him we'll have to try and plan the next child during one of our slower months!

We've been blessed with great friends who have been bringing us meals in the evening. It's so nice to not have to think about cooking right now. We have friends bringing us meals through next week. I will have to do some major grocery shopping after that.

Here's a picture of Lucy that I took today. Take note of the onesie she's wearing. I could not resist buying it when I saw it.

SHE'S HERE!!!!!!

Many of you have heard by now that I had our baby this week. Lucy is doing great and I am slowing recovering. If you want to see pictures you can go to our website and open an account to view all the pictures from the hospital. Go to niebrugge.com/lucy and you'll find what you need to do.

I'll post more when I have the energy.

Ramblings

Dan and I slept in till almost 10:00 this morning. Dan's been getting up really early to do decal work before actually going to his job at church and so he deserved a day to sleep late. I also figured that we need to enjoy this time as much as possible because in a few shorts days, we will not have the luxury to lay in bed for as long as we please.

I got started on my holiday baking today. I made cut-out sugar cookies. It didn't take long, and I'll save the decorating part till I actually need to take them somewhere. Till then they are in the freezer. I also started my chocolate dipped pretzel rods. I made the white chocolate ones today and I'll have to do the regualr chocolate ones later.

Dan put together the pack-n-play. It didn't take long, but it's nice that it's ready to go. It's bigger than I remembered it being. I don't really like where it's sitting in the living room right now, but until the tree is taken down this is the only spot for it.

Dan also started working on installing an outlet in the baby's room. We needed a plug behind the dresser for the lamp and cd player. It's turned into a much harder job than we expected. There's a light switch above it and Dan was going to tie the wiring into that. Well, we have an old house and some of the wiring has been updated, some hasn't. He can't tie into the switch, he'll have to run a whole new line. So this "quick and easy" job is going to take longer than we thought. Oh well.

I'm kinda wanting to go to the Olive Garden for dinner. We have left over soup from last night, but pasta sounds so good right now. I don't really feel like getting out though. But, this could be our last chance for a nice quiet dinner out by ourselves-just the two of us-no baby to worry about. I don't know what we'll do yet, we still have some time to decide. Their open till 10 or 11pm right?

Those are the highlights from today. Sorry it's not very exciting. Hopefully I'll have an exciting email to send out here in the next week.

Place your bets

Anyone want to place a bet on what day you think I will deliver??? No money, this is just for fun!

Come out, come out wherever you are...

I'm officially full term today! I had my 37 week appt today and everything still looks good. I got another ultrasound. The doctor said she wasn't worried but wanted to check the baby again. So we got to see her. Well, saw a little of her. She's been head down for months now and she's so low that the tech can never get a good look at her face. She's measuring 6 lb 11oz already. If I go beyond my due date, she's probably going to be a little fat thing. So I am really hoping I go on or before Dec. 10. I really don't want to be pushing out a 10 pound baby!

My doctor doesn't do internals either, so I really have no way of knowing if I've started dialating.

We have the nursery all done. I am still on the look out for an antique mirror to go over the changing table, but it might take me awhile to find exactly what I'm looking for. So that part of the wall will be empty for awhile. I took a few pictures so you all can see what our baby girl's room looks like.

The crib we bought new but the other furniture I found at antique stores or flea markets and painted it white.

I love the way this shelf turned out. It was the molding that came from the bathroom window we replaced. I painted it and antiqued it and Dan made the letters for me. The hooks came out of our house, I think they were in another closet at some point. The vintage dress came from my Grandma Eva's house. They think it might have been my dad's when he was a baby. I don't know, looks a bit girlie to me.

The set of frames also turned out really well. Right now they are pictures of my mom and the middle one's my dad's cousin. I eventually will replace these with a picture of our baby and her handprints and foot prints. I really like the way the pics look in there now, so if I don't get around to changing it, then that's ok too.

Just about ready

I think we're just about ready for this baby. I've had all my showers and gotten lots of great stuff. I went to Babies-r-us Wednesday to pick up some of the things we still needed and we're going back tonight to get a couple of the big items we didn't get. I have been busy putting everything away and getting it all washed up.

The only thing we don't have yet is the video camera. Dan's been wanting to get one and he realized last night that we shouldn't wait too much longer cause I could technically go anytime.

I really need to start Christmas shopping. I think this year all the nieces are just going to get cash or a gift card. That'll make things easier on me!

34 weeks

I had my 34 week appointment today. I had the usual weigh in, urnine sample, and hear the heartbeat routine. I was surprised though that the doctor ordered another ultrasound. My belly growth is way behind and since I haven't really increased in size much, she wanted to check and make sure the baby is still growing on schedule. I was glad Dan came with me today because he missed the last ultrasound I had done. Anyway, everything still looks good. I just hide the baby well I guess. In fact the technician said the baby's even measuring a day ahead. She's already up to 5 pounds and I still have 6 weeks to go! This little girl may end up being a 9 or 10 pounder. Who knows, though. I am hoping that their guess is a little off and she's not quite that big upon arrival.
It's hard to believe though that in 2 weeks I'll be full term and we'll just be waiting for her arrival. I'm so glad that everything is ready to go and we can enjoy the last few weeks without having to get any last minute projects done.

I just found out today that our neighbors are moving. Unfortunatly, it's not the hoodlums who live on the South side of us and like to throw hot-tub parties. No, Brian and Betsy are moving. They have been very good neighbors and I will be sad to see them leave. It has me a bit worried because you never know who's going to be living next door to you. I am hoping whoever it is will be as nice and courtieous as the Yeagers.

Dear Neighbors,

Thank you so much for inviting Dan and I to your hot-tub party last night. I'm sure you sent out a formal invitation, but since we didn't receive one, I'm assuming it just got lost in the mail. Normally, at 2:15 am, we are sound asleep in our beds, but how exciting it was to be ripped from our slumber by the shrieking of half naked girls and yelling from you and your roommate. We loved listening to your loud and annoying chatter that I'm sure was alcohol induced. We especially liked that you continued your party until 4:30 am, ensuring that we stayed up with you while you enjoyed your good time. We hope you liked the gift we sent over. We called in a special delivery from the Police, just for you. We'll be more than happy to call them again, should the need arise.

Sincerely,

You're sleep deprived neighbors

I think I can, I think I can

Last week I wrote about my pregnancy blahs. I was seriously wondering how in the heck I was going to make it 2 more months. Well. thanks to Dr. Penwell I am feeling sooooo much better that the end of this process actually seems bareable. I have been seeing Dr. Penwell (chiropractor) for over 2 weeks now and I feel like a new woman. I get adjusted 3 times a week and I'll probably have to continue with at least that for the rest of the pregnancy. That's okay by me, as long as I continue to feel better, I'll go as much as necessary. I am just so thankful to be able to walk normally again and go up and down stairs fairly comfortably.

Now, if we can just get Dan's foot out of that cast....

Welcome to the Neighborhood...Now Leave

I've always joked around that I am a nosy neighbor. Actually, I think that I am just aware of what's going on around me. I pay attention to things, kinda like the neighborhood watch program.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I noticed that our neighbor on the south (the bachelor guy) was moving out. I saw a truck in the drive and some men were loading furniture. This guy was living in a house his parents owned and he was hardly ever home so it made sense to Dan and I that he was finally moving. Then the next day I heard some commotion and looked out to see several ladies carrying in cleaning products and a vacuum cleaner. I figured they were going to get the house all clean before they put in on the market.

Dan and I were looking forward to a "For Sale" sign going up cause we wanted to go see the house. Not that we're wanting to move, we are just curious to see the whole house.

A few days after they ladies came to clean, I happened to look out the front window and saw a U-Haul truck out front. I then started noticing some movement in the house. (They keep the blinds open, so it's hard not to notice things at night) I kept seeing different people come and go and I couldn't figure out who was living there.

I'm still confused as to what is excatly happening over there, but here's what I've figured out so far. There's a white guy who drives the car with the CiCi's Pizza logo on it, there's a black guy and then there's a blonde lady who either lives there or is the girlfriend of one of the guys.

They have 2 small black and white dogs, one of which chased me back in my house last week. He came charging at me and was barking in an aggressive tone. This has me concerned. We saw the dogs loose again yesterday. I don't want to have to be afraid to be in my own yard. I'm tempted to call animal control.

They also like to have very loud conversations in the backyard at 3 am! We woke up last Saturday in the middle of the night to the sound of yelling and loud talking. They were out there for a long time and it really started to get annoying. The next morning, I found a pair of shorts in our driveway. I threw them back over the fence. I guess they got in the hot-tub after all!

Anyway, if this is going to be the norm, then I'm ready for these people to move out. Who'd have thought that I'd miss David.

AND THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

I am 31 weeks today and I am sooooo ready to get this baby out! I have read that all the misery that comes with the 3rd trimester is getting you ready for labor. Instead of fearing what is going to happen, you are so uncomfortable and miserable with pregnancy that you don't care as much about the pain of labor anymore. You just want the baby out.

I'll have to say that I was doing pretty good up till last week. I think part of what's making it worse is that Dan is on crutches and he's unable to help me do the little things around the house that are becoming harder and harder for me to do.

I went to a chiropractor last week and will continue to go as much as necessary until I deliver. It made me feel better to know that there was someone who really believed me about how much pain my hip has been causing me. I told my OB about it and she did finally schedule me for some physical therapy, but the first few times I mentioned it she just told me "pain is normal". Well, DUH! I realize that I'm going to be uncomfortable, but when you are no longer able to move, I think that's a problem!

What I want to know is, why don't pregnant women really tell you how they're feeling? It's a question people ask almost every time they see you. I know I asked my pregnant friends many times how they were feeling and the answer was always the same. Fine. It wasn't till I got pregnant and started asking them questions about pregnancy that I learned they didn't really feel that great. Maybe it's seen as complaining, or they just don't want to go into details, but I wish I'd known some of these things ahead of time. Now, I realize there are women who have wonderful pregnancies, but I think they're the exception.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm excited to be having a baby and I can't wait to meet her, but the process of getting her here... not the best. I'm going to definetly need a couple years to forget before I want to do this again.

Okay, vent over. Time to move on.

Update on Dan

Dan went to the doctor yesterday and they ended up putting a full hard cast on his foot. It goes up to a few inches below his knee. He goes back in 3 weeks and they'll take the cast off, xray the bone and then decide if he needs a new cast, or a boot that will allow him to walk on it. The doctor told him it could take 6-8 weeks to heal. I'm due in 10 weeks. Let's hope I don't go too early or they'll be wheeling us both into the hospital when the time comes!

Updates

Today I'm 30 weeks pregnant so I thought I'd share a new picture. The comment I get all the time is "Well, you're not very big". I may not look big, but I'm certainly feeling every bit of weight I've gained.

I thought you might also like to know that Dan did break his foot this weekend. He's going into the doctor's this afternoon to see what they'll want to do. I'm hoping for a walking cast or an aircast so when the pain has lessened he'll be able to put some weight on it.

Getting old???

If you look very closely at this picture, you'll see that it's actually a picture of Dan and me.....Well, it might as well be. Let me explain.

This past week, pregnancy has really started to affect my hips. My right hip in particular. Earlier in the week, I could barely walk because the pain was so bad. It's gotten better over the last few days, but I'm still in constant pain when I put any weight on my right leg. So, I have been hobbling around the house and I definetly have a waddle to my walk.

Why would Dan need a scooter? Well, this weekend he had a special event for the martial arts class he is taking. It's called Warrior Weekend. They camped out from 6pm Friday till noon on Saturday. During the campout they also did drills and learned new moves. Dan gave me a call on his way home this afternoon and told me he had an injury, but that it wasn't serious. When he gets home I notice he's limping up the sidewalk and that his foot is wrapped. During a move where he was getting flipped, he landed wrong on his foot and it might be broken. Luckily, there is a doctor that's also taking the class and he took Dan to the hospital and got an xray, but we won't get the results till tomorrow. So we are hoping that it's just a bad sprain, but this evening, he can't put any weight on his foot at all and it's pretty swollen.

So, Dan and I make quite the pair these days. I usually rely on him to help me get around, and now I'm having to help him.

To see us walk around the house, you'd think we were 80 years old!

Tastes like Fall

For those of you that are unfortunate enough to NOT live in the Decatur area, here's what you are missing.

Caramel apples from Dell's Popcorn Shop. They are the absolute best caramel apples you'll ever taste in your life. Every Fall they sell these delicious treats and I can't let this season pass without having one, or two, or...four. That's how many I bought today. Dell's is a quaint little shop in Downtown Decatur that has been around for years. Dell's sells candies, popcorn and caramel apples. They keep a running total of the number of apples they sell each day and when I was in at 4:00 this afternoon the count was a little over 2000. It's just a shame that these treats can't be bought year around. Maybe that's a good thing for my waistline!

Oh, and I would have taken a picture of their caramel corn, which, by the way is also the best you'll ever find, but I ate the whole bag.... oops!

Moving Up

Just thought I'd post a few pictures of a sight you don't get to see too often.

If you look closely you'll see that this house has been lifted off its foundation and is getting ready to be moved.

This is where my brother Kraig and his family lives. They are going to build a new house, but instead of just bulldozing in this one, they are moving it to the back of the property. They'll hook everything back up and continue to live in this house while the new one is being built. Then the "plan" is that sometime down the road, they'll turn this old house into a second garage/storage space. They'll tear out the old basement and foundation and pour a new one in this same area. The new house will give them much needed space for their family of 4.

Sadly, I didn't get pictures of them actually moving the house to its new location. The guys working told us two times that they wouldn't move it till tomorrow. So I went home and about 30 minutes after I get home, mom calls me to tell me that they are going to move it today. So I missed it!

Home Sweet Home

Dan and I have been out of town for 3 out of the last 4 weekends. I'm all about roadtrips and traveling, but this was a bit excessive for me. I am so glad to be home and not have any upcoming trips to pack for. It's not so much the being gone that bothers me, I just hate having to pack everything up, live out of a suitcase for a few days, then get home and have to put everything away. Not to mention, that I never sleep as well when I'm not in my own bed.

So where did we go? Well, this weekend we "killed 3 birds with one stone" so to speak. First, we went to Indiana. Dan's brother and family live in Columbus, which is about 45 minutes south of Indianapolis. Jeff and April are hosting Christmas this year, but since we're going to be a little busy the first part of December, we will not be going. So, we had promised Jeff and April that we'd come over some weekend to stay and see the new house they built. That's bird #1. Another reason we picked this weekend is that Dan wanted to attend the annual Sign Show that's held in Indianapolis. He enjoys going because he gets to see all the lastest in sign equipment and get lots of new ideas for products to sell. The show was on Friday, so went to Indiana the night before so Dan would only have to drive 45 minutes to the show. There's bird #2.
Dan had also been talking about going to Cinncinati to visit the Creation Museum. It only made sense to do that this weekend as well, since we were only going to be 90 minutes from Ohio. So on Saturday we drove to Ohio, visited the museum and then drove home. There's bird #3.

The Creation Museum was very interesting and if you're ever close to it, it's worth the trip. This is a state of the art muesum that proves that God created the Earth and how so much of the "science" surrounding evolution is false. I think we'll definitely go back when our kids are older and able to understand what they're seeing.

Anyway, I am so glad to be home. My next overnight trip will be at the hospital.