Happy New Year!

Here we are, already a week into January! Where does the time go? We had a quiet New Year here...Jay and I managed to stay awake to see the ball drop on TV. Did I mention it was at 11pm though? We watched it drop on the East Coast and then went to sleep. That counts for something though, right?

After having some time off of work, I went back this week. I miss the free time, but it's nice to get back into a routine again. Jay goes back to school next week (well, it's mostly clinicals, not much classroom time), and Mara will start going to daycare five days a week instead of four days, which she's been doing since she started.

Since it's a new year, and a year of many changes for us, I'm trying to focus on some goals and getting myself organized. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed and nervous thinking about bringing another baby into our family -- I'm hoping by getting some areas of our lives a little better organized, things will run a little smoother! We'll see how that all works out. It sounds great in theory though!

In baby news...I'm already 32 weeks pregnant! The baby is very active now. I have absolutely no clue or gut feeling as to whether the baby is a girl or a boy. I'm excited to find out! I just can't believe how quickly March is approaching!!

Happy New Year...hope the year will be a great one!

Christmas Photos

Mara, checking out the tree and all the presents and stockings...


a lovely shot of a 'happy' child in front of the tree



checking out things in her stocking


a new baby and stroller (she doesn't care about the baby, but loves the stroller!)


we pretty much had to force her to open gifts, she wasn't too interested!


our family photo in our Christmas jammies!

Super Blog Slacker

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I'm really feeling the 'burn' lately of having a crazy active toddler, being almost 31 weeks pregnant, and just being a little overwhelmed all around. It seems like even normal everyday things are big projects, and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse in the coming weeks...

I will try to get Christmas photos posted soon!

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it's Christmas Day already! Where did December go?

Thankfully the weather hasn't been nearly as bad as they were saying, so we were able to go to my Grandma's house yesterday for Christmas Eve. We go every year, so I didn't want to miss it. We did leave earlier than usual, but were able to make it to church in Pine Island before heading home. This morning Mara got up...and didn't really care about her presents. Oh well. It was a little bit of a bummer for me, but not a huge deal. She did love her kitchen and baby stroller, but otherwise wasn't too interested in opening anything (those two things weren't wrapped). And all morning she just keep saying "nigh nigh" so I think she was still tired out from a long day yesterday! We made a nice brunch and now she's passed out in bed!

I have a few final things to do before heading to my parents house later this afternoon, so I better get to it! Hopefully the weather will hold out for the rest of the day.

Lots and lots of photos will be coming soon, stay tuned!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc etc to all of you!

28 Weeks!

Where is the time going? I'm already 28 (almost 29 now!) weeks into this pregnancy. Tomorrow I go in for my glucose test and my first appointment with my new doctor (sadly, my regular OB is having a baby and will be on maternity leave until after my baby is born).

I am feeling large and in charge, and having a lot more aches and pains, but overall I feel pretty decent, and actually have a bit of energy right now. I'm sure that will go away soon! I actually think maybe this is the best I've ever felt while pregnant. I'm furiously knocking on wood as I type this of course!!

It's a little overwhelming to think that in about 2 and a half months we will have TWO children. I'm nervous about how Mara will adjust, and if I'll ever get any sleep! It's all becoming a little more real, as I feel the baby moving so much more now, and think about how close March is!

Hopefully things will continue to go smoothly for the rest of the pregnancy!

Santa!

I had pretty low expectations when we took Mara to see Santa at the mall on Friday. Of course, I HOPED she would sit on his lap and maybe even crack a smile, but she is hit or miss with strangers and shyness, so I wasn't counting on it. Realistically, I figured I would get a photo of Santa holding a blur --- Mara as she tried to get away. So, I was pleasantly surprised (thrilled!) when Mara sat on his lap with no problem, and even smiled a few times! Santa was taking a short break when we got there, and there was no one in line, so Mara got to look around a little bit before he got back. Then we sat her down on his lap, she checked him out a bit, and seemed fine. I snapped a few pictures myself, and the 'professional' took a few also. I was pretty happy with the results!

I thought the professional one turned out great! Afterwards Santa asked how old she was. When Jay told him she was 19 months he said he was very impressed with how well she did and that maybe we should buy some lottery tickets that day!

It's Beginning to Look...and FEEL like Christmas!

We've been a little spoiled here lately with unseasonably warm weather...but not anymore! It was downright COLD out today, and we've had some snow the last couple days. Nothing major, but enough to make it look a little like Christmas!

I wouldn't mind it being a bit warmer, but the snow does help me feel a little more festive! Today we took Mara to see Santa (pictures coming soon!) and tomorrow we're thinking about driving to LaCrosse to see the big light display there. It's supposed to be a little warmer at least! Sunday we'll put up our tree and a few other decorations. It will be interesting to see how Mara reacts to all of it. She barely paid any attention to my parents tree earlier this week when we went to their house to help my mom frost sugar cookies!

I have a bit more holiday shopping to do, and I need to get my Christmas cards in the mail (I need to at least get started on those this weekend). Otherwise, still plugging away on Jay's stocking! I can't believe it's only three weeks until Christmas!