Good News

We have a home!

Our offer on a 4 bedroom ranch in Sioux City was accepted last week. It is in a nice neighborhood, close to the hospitals, down the street from the daycare we will be using, and on the north side of town. The best part about the house is it has a flat backyard that is fenced in with big trees to provide shade this summer and plenty of leaves for jumping in next fall.

It is double the living space than what we have been living in which is very exciting for us all. Marie will have much more room to run, both kids will have their own room, Andy will have an office/study space, and Charlie & I have a beautiful sun room to enjoy. I have a feeling the two of us will be taking our Sunday naps in that room. We are already picking out paint colors and looking at little things we can do to update its look a bit.

I am not looking forward to leaving our current Des Moines neighborhood, house, jobs, and daycare, but it is much more comforting now that I know we have a place to go. It is a big step for our little family and I know we will enjoy the adventure ahead.

We asked Marie if she thought she needed a bigger house and she said, "No, I like my small house." But, she also told me that she likes meeting new friends and sometimes "things change." I guess she has been picking up on a few of the conversations Andy & I have been having lately.

Our Make Believe Girl

Marie has always been...how should I put this...dramatic. Andy believes this is a part of me carried out through her but I believe it is all him :)

Marie having a tea party with her pals.

Along with this "drama" comes amazing independence, imagination, and some acting lately as well. We live with all of the Disney princesses...Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, and Snow White to name a few.

One of Marie's favorite things to do is wander around the house singing their songs, acting out scenes from the movies, and even repeating exact lines with staging involved.

For example, she pretends the wall is the tree where Belle peeks around the corner to watch the Beast with the birds, she pretends the the washcloth in the bathtub is the rag used to clean the Beast's wounds after he saves Belle's life from the wolves....yeah, it gets that detailed. I have to admit I love it about her. It shows that she actually uses her imagination instead of letting a video game or talking doll do the work for her.

The video below was shot right before bedtime as she was singing as Ariel...the chair is the rock in the ocean where Ariel is watching Eric on shore I believe.

Guess What?

It's a BOY!!!

We had the ultrasound on Monday, February 27th.

Andy & I stared in awe at this little one that we did not have in our plans...what a wonderful surprise he is.
He moves all the time! I am always surprised at how strong he is at this stage with the little kicks and punches that are being thrown around in my belly.
All the stats look healthy, positive, and BIG. He is already 1.5 lbs when his expected weight should be around 12-13 oz......yeah. The doctor counseled me right away that we are to expect a big baby again and an ultrasound at 36 weeks to check on the size of the baby to keep me and the baby safe in delivery.
Marie was not with us at the ultrasound so we quickly picked her up at daycare to share the news. She was happy and seemed to really understand. When I said, "it's a boy" she said, "wow it is???" It was a great moment.

Now comes the naming....we have many ideas but nothing that we are set on.

We are so very thankful for this healthy little boy!

21 weeks

Here we are at 21 weeks!

The baby is kicking, punching, and doing somersaults all day long. I don't remember Marie being this active at this stage in the pregnancy. I am feeling great except for some swelling in my hands and the dreaded carpel tunnel. That last symptom hit me early in this pregnancy with sleepless nights. But, thanks to some beautiful wrist braces, I am sleeping well again and the wrist/arm pain isn't waking me up at night.


We find out this afternoon at our ultrasound if it is a boy or girl! We are so excited to see that the baby is healthy and strong...and to find out the gender of course. Marie will not be attending the ultrasound but she knows it is happening today. She told us for so long that it was a boy but this morning she said girl.

We took a quick trip to Sioux City/Sheldon this weekend to look at a few more houses. We are going to place an offer on a house this week and see what happens. It is a nice ranch style in a settled neighborhood with a great backyard. It needs some updating but nothing we can't handle.

A lot of exciting things happening for our family!

oh so many things

1. Marie has been sick all week - 1 visit to urgent care, 2 visits to ER, a chest X-Ray, and a med reaction to discover pneumonia.

2. We had our first showings of the house.

3. One of the interested buyers made an offer.

4. We accepted the offer!

5. Closing will occur on April 17.

6. Inspection done next week.

7. We are looking for housing for April and May...probably a furnished extended stay apartment/hotel in Des Moines. Charlie may not be able to join us so he is hoping "Hotel Grammy & Papa" has vacancy...

8. The baby is moving so much that Andy was able to feel it for the first time on 2/14/12.

Times like this make us feel very overwhelmed but we are so thankful that things are moving in the right direction for our move.

Charlie is 7!

Happy Birthday Charlie!

You are 7 years old and looking every minute of it...you have had a tough year with a knee surgery, recovery, and not enough hunting which has resulted in a few extra pounds. (I am sure the increase in snacks and rawhide has nothing to do with it)

However, you have become more special with age...even Marie thinks so.

You 2 are spending more and more time together.

You both stare at me when I get my camera out and pretend to be interested in taking ANOTHER picture.

You lay on the couch and watch movies.

You let her lay her head on you when she needs a rest.

You sleep while she reads you a story.

You lie still so Marie can give you kisses.
We have an ADVENTUROUS year ahead of us so get some rest Charzo Barzo.

We love you so much!

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!