Christmas Catch Up and Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!

It's been awhile since I've posted. Adam and I left our house on December 20th and went up to NJ for Christmas. We stopped in Washington DC on the way up--we spent the day walking around the National Mall area and then spent the night--and we got to NJ on Sunday afternoon. We had a very nice Christmas with my family and we even spent the 26th exploring the historic part of Philly with my parents.

We headed home on Sunday morning (the 28th) and spent 11+ grueling hours in the car...yuck! We hit a ton of traffic, mostly in the Baltimore and DC areas. No surprise there.

Now here it is, the last day of the year. I can't believe it! It really is true that time goes by faster the older you get. It's kind of scary!

Sometimes I feels like it will take FOREVER for June to get here so we can meet our little June Bug, and other times I surprised by how quickly my pregnancy is going; I can't believe I'm almost done with my fourth month! (By the way, my next appointment is Jan. 7th.)

So, with this new year that's upon us, I think we could all use this reminder. Slow down.

We get so caught up in things that don't matter that we forget to appreciate the things that do, don't we? I know I do.

Now, I won't make any New Year's Resolution, mostly because I think they are pointless, but when life gets hectic and I'm wishing for the day, week, or month to be over with I'll try to remind myself to slow down. I hope you'll do the same.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Am I a bad mommy (to be) already?

My friend, Beth, brought to my attention that I haven't posted anything about my pre-natal appointments! Yes, I have been procrastinating (which is something I do quite well) because I haven't scanned the ultrasound in to my computer yet, but here it goes.

We went to our first appointment in November. At the time I was 8 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I surprised that the very first thing that they did was an ultrasound! Of all the times in my life that I imagined going to my first appointment as a pregnant woman, I always pictured that I would go in, pee in a cup, get blood work and wait for the "official" results before the appointment went any further. Nope. Not how it went. I'm not complaining--I loved getting to the best part of the appointment right away! Adam and I loved seeing our little June Bug on the screen. Although at the time it looked like a bean. :)

June Bug- 8 wks 1 day Gestation

(picture coming)

We just went to our second appointment on Wednesday, December 10th. (12 weeks gestation) Adam came with me again because we wanted to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time together. The appointment was very short, especially compared to how long I was there the first time, but we did get to hear the heart beat--160. According to the old wives tale, the higher heart rate (I read the heart rate is usually between 120-160) indicates it's a girl, which is funny because my family is convinced it IS a girl. I guess we'll see in February when we have our next ultra sound!

Take a look at the pole on the right side of the page--before you leave tell us what you think we're having! (Yes, we know it's a baby...)

The List

My Cousin, Sue, posted this on her blog. I enjoyed looking for the ones that she has done, so I thought I'd post it too.

The things that I have done are in BOLD.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (Don't want to!)
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (does the one I adopted/sponser in India count?)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (Germany)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia (Adam and I want to--hopefully some day!)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (SOON!!!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant


40/100 (41/100 in June!)...not too shabby for a 28 year old, I guess. There are a few things on here that I would NEVER want to do, such as ride and elephant, go bungee jumping, etc., so I will never get to 100--but I've also been to some amazing places that didn't make the list, so I'm OK with that. :)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Well, I've been gone for a while, but give me a break... I'm pregnant, tired, it's the holiday season and I'm a teacher. Need I say more? :)

Speaking of tired, I could really tell that my exhaustion has gotten the best of me this past week. Every year I am SO EXCITED to get our Christmas tree--we pick it out, string the lights and decorate it all in the same day. This year was MUCH different. We got the tree on Monday and put it in the stand. After that I became a piece of the furniture for the rest of the evening. Tuesday night is Bible study so no tree time. The rest of the week Adam had a church commitment so: Wednesday I managed to put the lights on the tree. I could do no more. Thursday I donned the tree with 10-15 ornaments; after that I was disinterested. Friday night? Same. We FINALLY finished decorating the tree together on Saturday morning. Whew. It looks pretty good but I threw out my wire garland last year and I never went out to buy more this year. I seems like a waste of time at this point! (We'll be in NJ from 12/20-12/27 or 28...an entire week of not seeing the tree anyway)

Here is the before and after shot of the tree. I'll have to take a picture of it decorated in the daylight, too.

Just got the tree in the stand!

Finally complete 5 days later!

Have an excellent week! Oh, and we have our 3 month appointment on Wednesday. Pray that all is well with our June Bug! :)