Finally...

Even though we have enjoyed our beautiful winter weather this year, it was nice to finally get some good snow that we could play in! Marie took full advantage of this snowfall playing outside multiple times in one day, building at least 4 snowmen, and making more than enough snow angels not only in our yard but also in our neighbor's.


Charlie was also thrilled with the snow but spent about 1/4 of the time outside that Marie did...apparently she can handle the cold better than the old guy who quickly came in to cuddle with his blanket after his fun in the snow.

Andy & I are headed to Sioux City this weekend to visit daycares, look around at homes with a realtor, and visit with the residency program again. It will be a busy but worthwhile trip...and it's always nice for the 2 of us to get away and have some quality time together.

Marie & Char get to hang out with Grammy & Papa in Des Moines...I am sure they will be just as busy!

Go Bulldogs!

On Friday night we headed to the Drake Women's Basketball game. Last year we went to a game and Marie had so much fun we thought we should do it again... the $1 admission, $1 hot dogs, $1 popcorn, and $1 soda had nothing to do with it....yeah right :)

Marie cheered, ate some cheap and delicious food, and of course she had to meet the different mascots over and over again...it became a little stalker-ish. Drake has the typical mascot bulldog running around giving high-5s to kids and they also have a real bulldog who travels around the stadium and gets treats for letting little kids pet him. Marie loved both. While we were getting something from the concession stand we saw the big mascot. We went back to Andy and she said, "Daddy! I saw the the the the the Grinch!"

On Saturday morning, the unthinkable happened....Minnie Mouse fell into the toilet. Marie was crushed. So, this lead to every stuffed animal in Marie's room needing a bath. Marie did a good job scrubbing them clean and then decided she needed to join in as well.
Unfortunately Marie and I ended the weekend with us getting sick. I have a sinus infection and Marie had a virus plus ear infection. So, tomorrow will be our 3rd day home. We were very lucky to have Andy home with us for 2 days to help us get better. Hopefully we can all get back to normal on Thursday!

Sledding & Swimming

We FINALLY have some snow in Des Moines so we took advantage of it this weekend with some playtime in the snow. It wasn't a lot of snow, so Andy piled it up around Marie's slide and she enjoyed sliding on down into the pile. Marie really loves the outdoors so we were happy to endulge...especially since Andy had the afternoon off and could enjoy it with her.


Unfortunately along with this cold snap comes cabin fever. So, we decided to take advantage of a local indoor pool. Marie was thrilled to put on her suit and splash in the water. We all jumped into the mildly cold water and played basketball and worked on our swimming techniques as well...she is getting pretty good at kicking those feet but still not so sure about putting her head under the water.
I also got to spend some time at home with Marie on Friday due to her cold/cough. We got to play, watch movies, and of course talk...this girl likes to talk. Here were a few of her funny things this weekend:

"Marie, I am going to take a shower now."
"Ok mom...don't forget to take off your socks and underwear ok?"
***
"I love you so much Marie...you are the best girl in the world."
"Oh I love you too mom, you are the mom in the best world."
***
"Mom, do you think the baby will like Charlie?"
"yes I think so."
"Do you think Charlie will like the baby?"
(This conversation continued through about every person in our family...overall we agreed that the baby will like everyone and everyone will like the baby.)
***
"Mommy and Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"I need help hanging my picture on the wall because I put it up there because I want it up there but it fall down because it didn't stay up there."
"Ok, do you want help?"
"Yeah because I want help."
(Marie is really into the whole "because" thing right now.)
***
"Mommy!!!"
"What?"
"Where did your baby go???"
(I was lying on the couch so my stomach looked much more flat than usual)
***

Beauty and the Beast

Marie got to experience her first move at a theater this weekend. We took her to the 3D Beauty and the Beast on Friday night. I was a little nervous about how she would handle it but she did great! She kept saying how excited she was and how much fun she had. She loved the "really big tv" and of course the popcorn.

Of course when we got home she needed to put on her own Belle dress which she got for Christmas from Aunt Katie.

Also this weekend, Charlie and Marie spent a lot of their time hanging out together on the couch watching movies. Charlie loves to lay on people's laps but he has rarely done this with Marie unless forced into it by Marie. Sunday night, Marie climbed up onto the couch and he quickly scooted over and laid his head on her lap...too cute for words.
Marie was so happy he wanted to sit with her.

15 weeks and growing

I am officially 15 weeks along and this baby is growing, growing, growing...well, at least I think so because my belly is growing, growing, growing! (Marie reminds me nearly every day that I am getting bigger...thanks Rie)

At my most recent appointment, the heart rate was 156. The baby has always been a mover and difficult to track down to get that number...makes my heart jump every time I lay there and the doctor keeps moving around my belly trying to find the heartbeat. However, when it finally sits still, the heartbeat is strong and loud.

I am feeling so much better now. I occasionally have a random nausea/vomiting episode but nothing like I used to be. My appetite is back and I now look forward to eating meals instead of being afraid of them. Just like with Marie, I am craving lemon and sour things. We go through about 5 lemons a week. I always wanted tuna when I was pregnant with Marie but that doesn't sound good at all to me this pregnancy...very interesting how each one is so different.
I haven't felt the baby move yet...but I have had a few moments of "maybe" movements. I am so excited to finally feel this baby kick away.

Marie is going to be such a good big sister. She loves to kiss, talk, and sing to the baby whenever she can. She frequently asks to see the baby and tells it that she misses it...adorable.

This is a video of her singing into her microphone...this girl loves to sing. Maybe that is why the baby is so jumpy - Marie is always making music for it to dance to.

More recently Marie has been saying the baby is a girl.
We will find out February 27th!

Happy Birthday Hudson!

We were able to sneak away to Omaha for a day last weekend to celebrate Hudson's 1st birthday with Eddie & Jess. It was a full house with a lot of kids for Marie to play with. It was a gorgeous January day so Marie and Hudson's cousins taught Marie how to play football. Marie was very good at running around but not quite as into the whole game as they were.
Hudson did a great job opening his presents and eating his cake...he was even into sharing it with Andy.
Marie had a hard time keeping her hands off the presents and was always ready to help Hudson if he had difficulty ripping the paper.
Marie always thinks of any child younger than her as a baby. She wanted to hold Hudson soooo badly. So, finally I asked her to sit on the floor and I put him on her legs...she looked at me and said, "Oohh I think my legs a getting too tired." Finally I think she realizes that Hudson is growing up :)

It was a great day and we were so happy to be able to share Hudson's big day!

A Busy Start to 2012

With the new year came a full schedule. We started by getting in touch with a realtor as we entered the unknown and scary world of trying to sell our house. We are pretty confident that we will be moving to Sioux City for Andy's residency years.

Although this was a hard decision for us, we agreed it would be a positive move for several reasons: closer to family, opportunity for me to work part-time, and rural med training for Andy. This was not an easy choice for us as we have absolutely LOVED our time in Des Moines. It was such a great experience for us to be completely on our own as we started medical school, my first real job, and our first baby.

We love our neighborhood, our daycare, our friends here, and our home. Yes it is a little small for us and we have spent a lot of time fixing it up, but it is ours and it was our first house together as a family.

So, we have had the inspection done, staging photos have been taken, and our house is the most clutter-free I have ever seen it. Renting a storage space has been very helpful and we have already packed a lot of things away. Poor Charlie has been nervous ever since he saw the first box come out...this will be his 4th move. We are hoping to sell but we don't want it to happen too quickly because we will be in Des Moines until June 1 for sure.

It will be an interesting 5 months ahead with showings, packing, and trips to Sioux City to find a new place for us to live, new daycare, new doctor ( I will be delivering the baby in Sioux City), and a new job.

Wish us luck on this journey!