A little bit of this...A little bit of that!

The J's - a.k.a - The Parents were in town this past weekend and boy did we accomplish a lot. The weekend started off with my daddy-o doing lots of fun projects around our place...most important....putting his touch on the baby room:) Thanks to daddy-o we have a beautiful new pendant that dims, new blinds, our furniture has been protected with scotch guard, and a new curtain rod. I must also note I am leaving out the long list of everything else that got fixed around our condo:)

After doing some work around the condo we headed downtown to The Taste of Chicago for some relaxing fun in the sun, lots of people watching, a picnic in the park, and STEVIE WONDER in concert at Grant Park!!! We all had on our dancing shoes as we sang along with Stevie:) The perfect day!!!

I was one spoiled lady this weekend - I must say I am one lucky girl to be surrounded by such loving parents and a loving husband. Their support throughout this journey means the world to me! It's moments like these that you have to take the time to sit back and appreciate and absorb:)

Do you know what today is?????

TO US....4 YEARS :):):)

WOW - how time flies when you are having fun!! Looking back on the past 4 years, Michael and I set out to travel and just have some good ole' fun. We definitely accomplished both! Tonight we will continue our yearly tradition by watching our wedding video and reciting our wedding vows to one another. Michael and I wanted to wait 4 to 5 years before having children. For us it was very important to enjoy being married and to see some of the places we had always dreamt of seeing. As you can see we are right on schedule - haha:) And No there was not a spreadsheet involved in this plan - it just happened to all work out!!! Next year we look forward to having Baby Austin by our side as we continue the same traditions.

In other News...It's a BOY!!!

I am happy to report that our dear friends Donna and Marvin are having a BOY:):) Donna and I are about 2 weeks apart...it's been so fun to compare stories and to go through this experience together!!! Congrats to Donna and Marvin:):):)

What's in a dream? During pregnancy, a lot!

I have been having the weirdest dreams imaginable....so weird that when I told Michael about one of them he responded, "Um yeah, you probably should not tell anyone else about that!" I was so curious about my dreams that I did a little searching online. What is so ironic and funny about all of this is how true it all is - pregnancy really does affect your dreams! I found a link to: 2nd trimester dreams... Here is what it had to say: During the second trimester, a pregnant woman's dreams contain animals that are more baby-like, such as pups, chicks, and kittens. Depending upon her attitude toward the pregnancy, her mate, and her situation, the animal may be either threatening or lovable. The presence of friendly animals — rare and charming creatures in dreams — is generally thought to represent a good relationship between the dreamer and his or her instincts. In the dreams of many pregnant women, animals are frequently cuddly and cute. You may find that the animals in your dreams develop from sea creature to land mammal, repeating the journey of primeval ancestors; at other times you may find you dream of your unborn child directly. Your feeling about the animal or baby reveals something about your attitude at the time of the dream. I had the most peculiar dream about a dog the other night...per Michael's request I will not be sharing...so you'll have to take our word for it!!! After reading the above let's just say I am feeling much better about myself - I was a little worried and beginning to think I was losing my mind ;)

Taaaa Daaaa....

Well like I said - there was some excitement surrounding the baby furniture arriving yesterday. Michael had it all planned out:) Before I knew it the crib was finished. I got to play Michael's assistant/photographer...perfect plan! Now I must embarrass Michael even more - story time - it goes a little something like this: "I was laying in bed when Michael called me into the baby room...he stopped me at the door (door was cracked open)....he had turned out the lights and turned on the mobile. I was so confused so I asked "Michael what are we doing?" As we were looking into a dark room listening to the sounds of the mobile he says to me "We are checking on the baby to see if he/she is sleeping." Now everyone let's say it together....awwwwwwwwwwww!!! Just how precious is that?!?!? I didn't know rather to cry or laugh so I decided to do both!!!

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Crib, dresser, chair - OH MY!!!

This just in....all of our baby room furniture was just delivered! Oh the JOY. I am also happy to report that Mr. Michael is just as excited as I. The plan was to assemble the crib on Friday....I just got a call from him saying that he "thinks" he can do it tonight. How funny - that's his way of showing his excitement - I love it!!! Stay tuned!!!!

WOW Equilibrium Issues....

Okay...so it's official...the belly is officially getting in the way! Picture this - I was in CVS squatting down in one of the aisles with my butt resting on my heels. Got the visual? Now picture this....I begin to rock back and forth! No big thing - I have great balance I'll just stabilize myself by putting my hand on the ground....Um yeah - no - not so much...this wobbling resulted in me landing on my butt with both legs in the air - yep it was great - got the visual? Now is an appropriate time to mention that I was wearing a dress...yep even better!! I let out a little giggle and immediately looked both ways to see who got a glimpse....lucky for me....and them no one was there to witness! My equilibrium is off and my stomach muscles are shot!!! Michael of course wishes he could have seen it...so I gave him a little giggle with a reenactment.

Introducing...Baby Austin!

A big yawn..



Side profile...Awwwww....














Hello Baby Austin....we can't wait to meet you!!!
So close to getting his/her thumb in his/her mouth:)












During this experience, Michael and I were definitely in an unfamiliar territory!! I've said it before - but it's SO true....Words truly can not begin to explain the feeling of seeing your baby...it is the most unbelievable and incredible experience in the world...and to think this is only a small percentage of what's to come in the future. We are so EXCITED to meet our little Baby Austin. We are half way there and will think about meeting our little baby EVERYDAY!!!

20 weeks: Half way there!

20 week - what's going on: "Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's about 10 inches from head to heel —the length of a banana. He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper." The above is an example of the weekly emails we receive. I just love how they always refer to the baby as "he". Those of you that have been pregnant know all to well what the most commonly asked questions is: What are you having? Our answer of course is "We are waiting to find out." The inevitable then happens - EVERYONE begins to speculate what they think it is. 9 out of 10 people believe it is a boy. I have also had complete strangers approach me to say it is a boy. It's so fun to hear all the opinions...and age ole' wise tails:) I have also received some VERY strange suggestions on ways to test the sex of the baby. For example: Pour Drano on a paper plate then pee on it. If it separates it's a boy - if it does not separate it's a girl. I don't think I will be giving that one a try - haha! Tomorrow is our 20-week ultrasound appointment. Wish us luck - this is the appointment where they will ask us if we want to know the sex of the baby. Our fingers are crossed that we will not succumb to pressure:)