Drumroll Please....

Today was the big reveal....


We



are




having





a




girl!!!



Okay, that probably wasn't much of a surprise because now a days with texting and facebook, probably everyone knows, but of course I have to document it here!!! 

Most of all, I was relieved to find out that our baby appears to be healthy as of now.  Of course no guarantees, but for now everything looked a-okay.  It was quite a long ultrasound.  They measured and looked at everything....head, kidneys, legs, stomach, mouth, nose, etc. etc!  About halfway through the ultrasound she revealed it looked like a girl!  No guarantees, and she reminded us it's not 100%, but she checked back a couple times and it still appeared to be girl! 

I'd just had this fearful feeling throughout the whole pregnancy and was a bit nervous for today's ultrasound.  Just praying for a healthy baby and that the news would be good.  Only at one point did I get a tad nervous.  Baby girl did not want to cooperate and show us her face, and the radiologist kept trying and trying to get a view of her nose and mouth.  They can already determine if a cleft palate has formed, and I thought maybe that's what she was checking for so I asked.  She said she just might not be able to get a good view today, and of course that left me a little bummed and worried, but her persistence paid off and she finally got a good view and baby girl indeed has a little nose with two nostrils and a mouth with two lips! 

Our friends and family seemed pretty mixed as to their opinions on their prediction of pink or blue.  I was pretty clueless and Mat was thinking boy.  I've felt so different this pregnancy and with being sick, not having near the cravings, and feeling like I'm carrying a bit different, I kind of wondered girl, but there are so many women who say they felt very different for two pregnancies and had the same gender, so I really didn't put much value in it.  Of course everyone expects that I wanted a girl, and don't get me wrong, deep down I really was hoping it would be a little girl, but I also knew having two little boys growing up as playmates could be pretty special too!  I feel like I "know" boys now and have all the clothes, etc. that it seemed a bit more comfortable than a girl.  But I was really hoping I'd have the chance to experience having a daughter as well, and knowing this very well could be our last pregnancy, I'm so excited to know I'll have that opportunity now.  I know it's cliche, but above all, and especially after all we've been through to conceive, MJ's health scare, our losses, etc. my biggest prayer is just for a healthy baby and safe delivery!!  I must admit though, within a couple hours of finding out the gender I was already shopping!!!  There are way more cute girl clothes than boy clothes out there I tell ya!  I'm going to have to be put on a budget.  Ha! 

If you're like me, sometimes ultrasound pics are so hard to decipher, but I have to share some from today, of our sweet and tiny baby girl!!!

Profile shot

This is her head with her two little arms blocking our view.  To the left is just the placenta.  So she was already snuggled up against that and then kept putting her arms in front of her face.  Stubborn little thing!

Kinda hard to tell what this one is at first, but it's one my faves!  She's yawning!  Again, on the left is just the placenta and then she finally put her hands down for a second and opened her mouth big and wide to yawn.  She did it twice.  Apparently we were disturbing her sleep!



Another good profile shot!  Can you see the spine too? 



This one is really hard to show.  I'm not talented enough to draw a little line to the spot, but this is when we finally saw her nose and mouth.  The angle is looking down on her.  Her head is wedged in there looking towards us and you can see the spine going down.  You can finally see her mouth and nose! 

A magnified close up.  Right in the middle are her two nostrils and two lips with her mouth a bit open. 

And she's done!  One last shot of her blocking her face with her arms.  No paparazzi, please! 

As always, thanks SO much to everyone for their prayers and well wishes for this day.  We are so grateful!

It wouldn't be complete without sharing this special day with our MJ.  He was such a good patient little guy throughout the long appointment.  He kept pointing at the screen saying "baby" and he would hold my hand and pat me.  It was so sweet!  When she played the heartbeat (157 bpm by the way), and we said "What's that?" he responded with a very excited "Choo-choo!!!"  It was so funny and had us all laughing!  Hey, it does kind of sound like a train!  He might be a tad disappointed when a baby girl pops out and not a choo-choo train.  ;)  Daddy already told him, he's condemned to a lifetime of dance recitals.  We shall see!  ;)  I grew up with a big brother, almost the exact same age difference as my two kiddos will be, and I loved it!  We were far enough in age that we had our own interests and friends, but close enough that we had things in common and are very close as adults.  I can only hope for the same for my little family! 

Showering Mindy!

Although this is not really MJ or baby related in any way, I still had to post just a bit about it because it really is still FAMILY related because Mindy is one of those friends who is practically family!  Mindy is my oldest friend.  Not oldest in age, but oldest in time span.  :)  She has recently found the man of her dreams, fallen in love, and is getting married this coming October.  Shortly after her engagement, my mom and I began to discuss throwing a wedding shower for her.  It was one of the reasons we went to St. Louis as soon as Mat wrapped up summer courses.  I'd been looking forward to this day for quite some time, and I know my mom had too.

 One thing that makes our friendship so special and unique is that not only are we best friends, but our moms are best friends as well.  My mom and Jackie (Mindy's mom) met when they both attended church together.  Jackie played the organ, my mom played the piano, and they had babies very close in age.  Mindy and I are just one month apart and our older siblings are pretty close in age, too.  They love to tell the story that they would get together and practice and bring Mindy and I and put us in our little swings as babies. 

Luckily their friendship spread to us, and we spent countless hours together playing at each other's house as children.  I can remember so many days spent at Mindy's playing Barbies, spending the night, or playing in her backyard and her at my house playing house or school.  Mindy and I have always stayed in touch but have definitely been closer at different phases in our life than others.  We found our own niche in high school, attended different colleges, lived in different states, and even countries for quite some time, but always managed to stay in touch regarding the important things in each other's lives.  Right around the time MJ was born, Mindy moved back to the United States.  It certainly wasn't in her plan and it was quite devastating at the time for her, but things truly did work out just as they were meant to be.  She has met her match in life, and is happier than I have seen her in quite some time!  Selfishly, I'm also happy that it means her and I have really reconnected and are able to spend more time together.  Hosting her shower really was a dream come true for my mom and I! 

Best wishes Mindy!  xoxo

Where to Begin?

Wow, there is so much to catch up on!  We spent the last 3 1/2 weeks traveling to St. Louis, Florida, and then back to St. Louis.  Lots of pictures and updates to come throughout the next couple weeks as I upload some pics and document some of our favorite moments.  For the time being a quick update:

• Feeling incredibly blessed with our lifestyle and how things have fallen into place overall.  How many people have this amount of time off together to be able to take advantage of traveling and visiting family and friends?  We definitely realize how lucky we are and have enjoyed it to the fullest!
• We were able to see so many of our family members while in St. Louis, spend some time with Jeff while in Florida, and visit with many wonderful friends while in both St. Louis and Florida as well...some friends that hadn't been seen in years! 
• MJ started out really having trouble sleeping while traveling.  It's always a challenge and something we were rather nervous about.  The first few days in STL were so rough, that we actually briefly discussed cancelling our FL trip.  Luckily though, he caught on and became a good sleeper at night.  We finally realized that he just wasn't going to nap on vacation and resorted to driving him around in the car for an hour each afternoon (so ironic because he usually won't sleep in the car) so that he could get a a nap.  It's amazing what a difference this made and how successful it made the rest of the trip! 
• A few nights after we left home in Dubuque, we received a horrible rain storm...15 inches of rain overnight.  CRAZY!  That's unheard of amounts, more similar to hurricane or tropical storm weather.  We were not too excited about returning home to see our damage...sinkhole on side yard, water leakage in attic/master bedroom, and some drowned plants.  It could have been worse though, but kind of a bummer and unexpected expense. 
• We reached the 20 week mark of pregnancy!!  Hard to believe we are more than halfway through already.  I began feeling the baby move right as week 17 began.  They were very faint flutters but I recognized the sensation right away. Finally a kick strong enough for Mat to feel right at week 20.  Still dealing with heartburn and nausea, but it's more bearable for sure!  Sooo excited to go for our 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday morning.  Pink or blue??? 

Just a couple favorite pics until next time...

Super Sleeper!

Bye-bye to MJ's crib!  Well, it's still his old crib, but it just transforms into a toddler bed.  We'd been debating a bit if we should try this transition or not, but MJ is such an amazing sleeper when he's in his crib that we really hated to even mess with it a bit.  I was kind of under the philosophy that if they're not trying to climb out, and if they're sleeping well, leave well enough alone.  BUT MJ has never been a good Pack n' Play sleeper really.  He just doesn't seem too fond of them and we knew we had about 3 weeks of traveling coming up and thought that if we could possibly get him used to more of a "big boy" bed, traveling might be a bit easier sleep wise.  We figured we'd give it a shot and if it didn't work yet, no huge loss. 

This pic was taken right before bedtime on MJ's first night in his big boy bed.  He was super excited as daddy was transitioning his bed.  I even bought him a Cars blanket hoping it might be something new and exciting to look forward to and motivate with him.  Funny thing is though that prior to this he wanted NOTHING in his crib except his little Cuddle Bear.  If you even thought about putting a blanket or stuffed animal in, he would immediately cry and throw it out.  Somehow changing to a big boy bed though suddenly changed his mind and he wanted Elmo and his baseball blanket along with the new Cars blanket and Cuddle Bear.  Too funny! 

Night time went pretty well.  He was a good sleeper without either of us having to stay in the room or take him back to bed over and over.  The only negative was that he began waking earlier.  I think he probably use to wake up early but then just lay in his bed perfectly quiet and doze off and on.  Once he could get up though, I think he got out of bed the moment he woke and then went and opened his door and cried for us.  He went from sleeping (or being in his crib at least) until 8 or 9 AM to waking up and crying for us at his door at 6:30 or 7:00!  Yes, I know it's not all that early compared to most toddlers probably, but it was a shock for my spoiled internal alarm clock.  Nap time was a different story and pretty much stunk for a few days.  On Day 2 he took a great nap, but otherwise on all other days he got of bed over and over and over and over.  Before we could even be down the steps he'd be at his door crying his little head off.  He even figured out how to knock the baby gate down.  We tried sitting in his room until he fell asleep, but it didn't work.  After a few days of no nap and waking in the morning super early, he was a crabby fussy mess and we were tired and less patient!

 Just when we were discussing throwing in the towel and just trying it again another time, a magic switch went off.  Maybe it was just that consistency and determination paid off, or perhaps MJ realized he didn't need to be scared.  Who knows!  Whatever it was, we were so grateful for!  MJ suddenly began napping better and only needed 1 reminder at most usually to get back into bed.  Night times continued to go smoothly but rather than waking and crying for us at the door, he started sleeping a tad bit later (7:30ish) and then just opening his door and calling for us or playing in his room for a bit.  Much better than screaming crying! I hate to jinx it, but I think it's almost safe to say we have successfully transitioned.  Minus a few really rough days of naptime, overall I would say it went quite well! 

We just hit the road to begin our 3.5 week travels.  GiGi and PopPop purchased a crib that transitions to a toddler bed and so far we're on night two and he's sleeping wonderfully and even napped in it today, too which is much better than our last couple visits when he was in the Pack n Play.  I hope he keeps it up so he can be a happy little guy and enjoy this trip.  Then we'll be off to FL where he'll have a twin bed, so hopefully that will go okay as well.  Fingers crossed!! 

Hear the Beat!

I had my 16 week check up today, although I'm not technically 16 weeks until tomorrow, and heard the sweetest little sound once again.  Baby Keyes little heart was beating away at 150 bpm today.  I even was able to record it on a little recorder that we'll have put into a Build-a-Bear.  We made one of these with MJ, and I just loved listening to it throughout my pregnancy and now MJ has it in his room. 

The appointment was pretty quick and painless.  Everything seemed to be a-okay and at our next appointment is when they'll do the detailed 20 week ultrasound where they check for any abnormalities, and we can also find out the gender if we choose.  I'm pretty sure we're going to find out...not so sure if we're going to share it or keep it to ourselves.  Still some thinking to do on that one.  ;)  The doctor didn't seem all too concerned about my chest pain/vomiting attacks.  He suggested adding a liquid antacid to my already daily Prilosec.  The problem is that I really have no warning whatsoever when it strikes, so I'm not so sure that it's going to help, but we'll see.  I am just PRAYING that it doesn't continue throughout the whole pregnancy! 

Just when I was feeling so excited and glowing from my appointment, I received a phone call at home that totally caught me off guard.  When I answered the phone, the woman identified herself as a DHS worker.  I was honestly clueless what it was about until she began to further explain.  She was calling to offer us a foster placement!!!  Apparently they hadn't gotten the memo that we were on "hold" due to the pregnancy.  We received our official license in the mail a couple weeks ago and were already being asked to take a placement.  I stopped her before she gave any of the details and she wished us well.  Then the waterworks hit!  I can not believe how emotional I got.  I hadn't even taken the time to stop and consider how that phone call would feel.  I had spent quite a long time daydreaming of what that phone call would feel like...the day when we'd suddenly have a second, or second and third child, that could possibly be a forever child.  Words don't really seem to explain what a strange feeling it was to say "no" and then wonder what I just said no to.  Don't get me wrong, I am of course extremely happy to be pregnant and wouldn't change this for the world, but it's just an emotional thing...and I'm sure the hormones don't help!  Lots of friends have asked us what happened with the whole foster situation.  We had decided that it was something we were still interested in but just didn't feel like it was something we wanted to do right now any longer, but we'd like to consider it again in a year or two.  After going through all the process of becoming licensed...from home studies, to the wonderful letters so many friends and family wrote for us, to all the classes, -it's a lot of time and dedication to just walk away from.  If we simply are put on "hold" we would have 1-2 years and then could apply for them to let us back in without having to retake any classes or we can stay active by providing respite care.  We have decided to go ahead and do respite care.  We only have to do it 2-3 times a year to stay active and that way if/when we're ready to foster, we'll be all set and up to date.  Hopefully we're up for this, and we think we are, but I'm sure it will have it's tough moments.  We'll obviously take a break for awhile when our baby is born in December, but we're hoping we can help some families out before and after then.

My prayers are for our wonderful little miracle to continue growing and thriving with wonderful healthy results next month, and also for God to guide us and use our hearts to serve children in need through respite. 

A Day in the Life of MJ

A couple little videos to show MJ at work, and especially for Uncle Jeff and Mindy who requested more video!  :) 

I feel like MJ is going through one of those phases where he's changing daily.  He's saying new things each day and putting more and more words together to attempt to form complete thoughts.  He likes to identify everything by color-especially his cars of course, and his food too.  He only says a few colors by name, but he can identify them all correctly now when asked to do so.  He likes to match things that correspond like a red car with a red bead and a red bracelet.  It's cute to watch him at work and just see his mind thinking it all through.  He's also grasping the concept of all his basic shapes although he doesn't say any of those yet.  When we ask him to identify them with his puzzle though he's able to do it. 

He's also begun identifying some of his letters.  He knows T, B, Z, and O.  It's not something we practice all that much, so I'm surprised he's picked them up already but he has foam letters we play with in the bathtub as well as a Leap Frog Fridge Phonics, and I guess between the two of those, it's paid off a bit.  I must admit, I think he learns a lot from watching Dora too.  It's his favorite show by far, and he usually gets to watch it once a day.  Sometimes when I really pay attention, I'm amazed at all the little skills that are thrown in there. 

He likes to count a little bit too although he only says the numbers "one" and "two" he likes to point to things one at a time while you count them aloud.  It's pretty funny though because when he has a group of things like cars or blocks, he says "2 cars, etc."  If it's more than one, he calls it two no matter how many it really is.  I also find it interesting that he holds up a 1 (index finger) on each hand to represent 2 rather than 2 fingers on the same hand. 

He cracks himself up and also shows his frustration when he's unhappy.  He still does pretty well on the go and enjoys trying new things, but is definitely not easy to take shopping any longer.  He does NOT want to be in a cart, unless maybe we're lucky enough to snag the car shopping cart, and much prefers to walk on his own.  Luckily he still loves to ride in his stroller and also loves going for walks where he can just walk alongside one of us. 

I just love seeing him learn new things on a daily basis.  I think sometimes because he doesn't express things verbally, I underestimate just how much he knows and comprehends.  Sometimes I'll notice that I say something to Mat and then MJ makes a little comment back that's completely on topic.  It just shows that little ears are always listening, really! 

Another new developement is the transition from his crib to his toddler bed but that's a whole other post!  :)

A Favorite Place

One last thing we did while GiGi was in town (actually it was Mat's ploy to try to convince her to stay one more day) was visit the Madison Children's Museum.  This is definitely one of our faves.  It's just the right size and has so many wonderful things for MJ to explore.  It's so well planned out and developed; I can't say enough good things about it!  If it were closer, it would be somewhere we had a season pass to so we could go much more often. 

 This is probably MJ's favorite, because it involves cars of course!  The day we visited he had this table almost all to himself.  Little spots in the middle where they can pop through and reach all the roads, trains, cars, they can imagine!  I told Mat we need this at home but he just laughed at me.  :)

 The awesome rooftop deck is one thing we missed out on last time we visited because it was still winter time.  It was beautiful.  Lots of pretty flowers, even greens you could pick and munch on, chickens, birds, rain barrels, sandbox, hula hoops, etc.  So neat!

 A quick snuggle with mommy on the rooftop deck.

 A little hula hoop action with GiGi.  I was nice to GiGi and didn't post any of her attempting to hula hoop.  Quite fun!

 MJ checking out the little baby chicks. 

One of his other favories, the water area!  He gets himself soaked, despite the clever little aprons, but it's so worth it!  This time I was prepared with a change of clothes.  He is so serious as he fills all the little container and then dumps them out over and over. 

And then he got a little silly.  Love this picture (courtesy of Gigi)...pure joy and excitement.  I think shortly after this is when he started throwing water on me and then we decided it was time to go.  :)