Picking up Baby Equipment

We went to Babies "R" Us today to pick up Maya's crib! As soon as we get the carpet installed in our house, we'll be setting that up and starting to get her room put together! We also made an appointment to pick up her dressers. Yah! So, after the middle of March, her room is going to start taking shape! I can't wait to get started! The only piece of furniture we need now is a glider and ottoman. We can look for that after we arrange everything else. It's all so exciting!

We also picked up her car seat and stroller, which were gifts from our baby shower in Streator. We're so excited to have those things... now we can officially bring Maya home from the hospital! She has a car seat!!

Feeling Maya on the Move!

A whole host of new people got to feel Maya move for the first time during my trip to Iowa. My mom was the most eager to feel her moving around, and it took several tries for that to happen. Every time I would tell my mom she was moving, she would put her hand on my belly, and Maya would stop. EVERY TIME! After several attempts, she finally did get to feel her wiggle around, and I thought she was going to cry. This experience has been very special to her, and I love that she wants to be a part of it. It's so nice to be able to call her up and tell her what's going on with me and Maya. She keeps track of my doctor's appointments, and I'm always eager to tell her all the details of the visits. So, I was VERY happy that she got to feel the little body kicking around inside my belly this week!

Dee also got to feel her move one morning after I woke up. Maya was quite restless, and Dee was getting my brothers, Colton and Chance (a.k.a. Coopy), ready for school. I stayed in Coopy's room while I was there, so when Maya started moving that morning, Dee got to feel her bouncing around. She thought is was pretty cool, I think. Colton and Coopy both got to feel her move on different occasions. I'm not sure what they thought. They both looked a little shocked and happy at the same time. Colton didn't keep his hand on my belly for very long, but then a couple of days later, came up to me, put his hand on my belly, and asked if she was moving. At that time, she wasn't. Bummer. Coopy, on the other hand, felt her move, started to pull his hand away, then put it back on there for a little while longer. I think he was fascinated by it. It was so nice to be able to share those movements with some of my family.

Those movements, by the way, are getting stronger and stronger! One evening, while I was visiting my dad, Chris, and my brother, Alex, in Springfield, IL, we were all sitting in the living room talking and laughing. At one point, we were all laughing very hard, and all of a sudden - WHAM - she kicked me hard, right at the bottom of my right ribs! It was so hard and startling, that my leg flew up in the air, like someone was checking my knee reflexes. It was hilarious! After that, I couldn't stop laughing.... it was too funny! She's getting so much bigger now that when she gets really active, my belly moves and distorts in a way that reminds me of a cat trapped in a pillowcase, trying to make an escape! It's just getting so different. I love to watch her move and imagine her tiny feet in there just kicking about. It's very thrilling.

When I returned home to Michigan, Will couldn't believe how much my belly had grown. Seriously, in two weeks, it grew a ton. He can't stop saying, "Your belly is HUGE!". I keep telling him that it's going to get much bigger! The first time he saw my belly move after I returned, he jumped back and exclaimed, "Oh my God!". He was clearly very shocked and surprised about the magnitude of waves rolling across my belly. The look on his face was priceless. I think he's simply in awe of all the changes taking place with and within my body. I wouldn't want to go through this wonderful experience with anyone else. Will's going to make a terrific Daddy.

Our 1st Baby Shower!

We had our first baby shower! My mom, aunt Diane, and cousin Krista planned it in Streator, IL with my mom's side of the family. It was a ton of fun! I got to see my cousins (Krista and Scott and their boys, Tara, Beth Anne, Jayne and Brian and their kids, and DeeDee), aunt Diane, uncle Larry, and grandma Babe that I haven't seen in a really long time. We had a delicious cake that aunt Diane's friend made. It was white cake with white frosting (my favorite). The room was decorated with pink and green table clothes, pink balloons, one balloon that read, "It's a Girl!" and another that read, "Welcome Baby", and one of the balloons was tied to her very first pink piggy bank!

We played some really fun games. One was a nursery rhyme game that Jayne won. I think she got 13 out of 15 nursery rhymes right! I got four right... I guess I should have studied. Then we played a game where we passed a gift bag around the circle, following the directions "right" and "left" from a fictional story about a couple trying to get to the hospital to have a baby. It was a lot of fun, and Beth Anne won that game. While I opened presents, we played one last game where everyone got a clothes pin. If someone heard somebody say the word "baby", they could take their clothes pin. The winner was the person with the most clothes pins at the end of the game. It didn't take long for everyone to figure out that my cousin Krista was out for blood. She almost knocked our poor grandma off her chair before she even had the whole word "baby" out of her mouth! She's a little scrapper! In the end, it was between Krista and Dee (my step mom). Eventually, Dee slipped up and Krista mauled her for her clothes pins, declaring herself the winner! It was a riot!

Opening presents was a ton of fun, too. I loved getting gifts for our baby. We got some stuff that will come in very handy such as a stroller, car seat, and monitors, and we got some stuff that was just downright cute, like a baby Elmo bathrobe! I mean, really, a baby in a bathrobe! I can't wait to use it! She's going to be so cute in that with the matching baby Elmo slippers! One sentimental gift we received is a quilt that Dee embroidered a prayer, angels, and flowers onto. I didn't even know that she did embroidery, so I was shocked when I saw it. It is very beautiful. Overall, the shower was a ton of fun. It's so much fun to have a party to celebrate a baby that isn't even here yet! It's great to see everyone so excited to meet Maya. She has such a loving family waiting for her, and she doesn't even know it.

A Wrestling Upset

My brother, Coley, had his district wrestling tournament today. This was an important meet for him because those who finish in the top two in each weight class advance to the state tournament in Des Moines next week. Unfortunately, Coley lost his first match, which was the one he really needed to win. Eventhough he knew his odds of going to state were slim after the first loss, he found the strength, both mentally and physically, to win his second match. However, the kid that he needed to win the championship, so he could have a chance to wrestle back to second place, didn't win. Coley was officially done. It was a bitter-sweet day for me because I finally got to see him wrestle for the first time this year, but his dream to finish his career at the state tournament was not realized. It was a hard pill for him to swallow, and it killed me to watch him go through it. I just hurt for him, and there wasn't anything anyone could say or do to make the moment better or easier for him. It was a difficult day for everyone, and there were a lot of tears shed for Coley. His wrestling career started when he was just itty-bitty, and he's come a long way since then. No matter how this day or his entire wrestling career ended, I am very proud of my brother. I personally think he is a terrific wrestler.

Visiting Family in Iowa

Will and I came to Iowa to visit family while he had a small stretch of days off. Everyone here is very happy to see us, and everyone seems very excited about my growing belly. We got to celebrate our last Valentine's Day as just a couple yesterday. We went out to eat at Diamond Dave's, a mexican food restaurant in Muscatine. After dinner, we got ice cream at Culver's, and it was delicious! I had a concrete made with hot fudge and bananas. It was like a hot fudge sundae with bananas in every bite! Yummy! Our evening was very special because Diamond Dave's is the same place we went to on our very first date, almost eight years ago! Back then, I don't think either one of us thought that in eight years we would be back at the same place, married, and with our first child on the way. It's incredible that we've been together for eight years. I'm so thankful for that first date!!

Sadly, Will had to go back to Michigan today. He has to work tomorrow, so I won't be able to see him for about a week and a half. I think that's the longest we've ever been apart! I'm glad I'll have the opportunity to spend time with my family, but I'm going to miss him terribly! I wish he could have stayed here with me.

Dinner with Friends

Tonight I met up with three of my good friends, Miriam, Diane, and Jill, for dinner at a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. It was very good food, and the company was fantastic! It's so great to get together with girlfriends to catch up and chat. We sat and visited for hours. Jill is another one of my pregnant girlfriends, due just two months after me. She is looking very cute right now. In fact, I would venture to say that she looks more pregnant than me! She has a very cute round belly on her very thin frame. She looks like someone who would model in a pregnancy magazine! It's so fun to see my pregnant friends growing and glowing right along side of me. It's a very exciting time in all of our lives! It has been so great to have girlfriends to go through this experience with. I wouldn't change it for anything!

Husband Sprinkled with Crazy Dream Dust...

Now, apparently, the dreams are spreading across our mattress! I didn't know that the pregnant husbands were just as susceptible to crazy dreams as their pregnant counterparts. Will had a dream last night that I had Maya, but instead of coming out a newborn, she was a toddler! Not only was she a toddler, but she was also Asian! Now, since neither one of us has any Asian descent, I'm not sure about this one! I also asked him how well I enjoyed giving birth to a toddler, and he said he wasn't sure. I think that's just as well. I'm not sure I really wanted to know the answer to that question! I'll keep you updated with Will's dreams, too, as long as he permits.

Today, I had a really great time with Melissa, one of my many pregnant girlfriends. We went out for lunch, got pedicures, went for dessert (a delicious hot fudge sundae with birthday cake flavored ice cream and whipped cream), then we checked out this baby/toddler consignment shop, where I bought a few cute items for dirt cheap prices. The pedicure was heavenly, and it's nice to have pretty piggies again! That particular salon also has a special cushion for prenatal massages that allows a woman to lay on her pregnant belly, without smushing the baby! It looked really nice. Maybe for Valentine's Day or my birthday.... Will, are you reading this? Haha... I love you!