tales from a far-land

As of my weekly OBGYN appointment this morning, this baby is showing no signs of leaving the womb any time soon.  Apparently, he is enjoying his current living situation even though there is not much more space for him to occupy.  I am starting to feel like my ribs are going to explode.  Plus, my hips are pretty sore and my waddling is really starting to look more like a duck than a human being.  Anyway, here are the stats as of this week's visit ... no real changes from last week.  Only weight gain and there is no more room to grow.  Ughhh ... Projected Due Date: August 9th Total Weight Gained: 23 pounds Baby's Heartbeat: 148 Fundal Height Measurement: 38cm Typically, it should match your current week of pregnancy. Effacement Percentage: 50% (Same as last week) This is how thin your cervix is. Dilatation: 1-2 centimeters (It was the same last week) How far your cervix has opened. 10 centimeters being the widest. ***Next update will be next Thursday, unless thi

Here I am -- due date, 4 weeks and counting.  I have reached beyond the pivotal week 36 in my pregnancy.  This begins my weekly prenatal visits.  As of today, my OB/GYN said this little one could come any day now.  However, there was no real change in the baby's statistics from last week, so I am skeptical that our little baby boy will be making an appearance in the upcoming week.  In the last couple of days, I am starting to feel what I think are Braxton-Hicks contractions, but who knows, especially since nothing changed from last week.  I guess, we are just in "wait and see" mode.  This pregnancy has been definitely different than with Madilyn.  He feels much bigger and slightly more uncomfortable than she did.  Plus, he is a *mover*.  He is constantly changing his position and kicking his little legs.  My heartburn hasn't been too terrible, but I have been surprised at my lack of appetite.  I blame the weather.  It is just too dang hot to eat, but there is always

Our family has been keeping exceptionally busy this summer.  Besides moving into a new house.  We have had a couple of summer visitors -- Josh's parents and Miss Kathleen.  Why they visited us in the middle of the summer, we'll never know, but we enjoyed spending time with them.  Madilyn also participated in swim lessons at the city pool for the first time.  She didn't really enjoy the lessons at the public pool even though she loves swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Oh well, we'll try again next summer.  And we escaped the mid-summer heat by traveling up north to Munds Park to spend the 4th of July at my parents' cabin.  What a perfect way to spend the long weekend!  Here are some photos from our summer adventures: Sandy giving Madi a haircut at the cabin Grandpa & Madi sharing pita chips  Lynsey & I at Riordan Mansion in Flagstaff  Aunt Lynsey & Madi  Mommy & Madi on the 4th of July  The Raetz and Farrell-Landers Families on the 4th o

As we wait to introduce our little baby boy to this world, what better way to capture this moment in time, by having maternity photos taken.  Especially in the middle of July!  That is why we were so excited to find a photographer with a unique, journalist style.  We didn't just want traditional maternity photos.  We wanted something creative and different.  Enter Vanessa Gibbs of Bliss Boutique Photography.   She has done an amazing job of capturing our family at this moment in our lives.  Madilyn was in a *special* toddler mood this particular morning, which I feel Vanessa captured especially well.  Below is a link to a sneak peak of our photo shoot.  We cannot wait to see the rest of them.  We will be sure to share those as well.  Click here to see the "sneak peak" -- http://www.blissboutiquephotography.com/?p=8324

We are happy to announce we are the proud owners of an amazing new home.  With the pending arrival of our second child, we began to search for a new home about nine months ago.  Yes, nine *long* months ago.  As a couple, we quickly realized that we did not always have the same vision for our future home.  That is until we found this one.  From the first walk through, we both knew this house would be perfect for us.  It provides enough square footage for our growing family so we will not have to *ever* move again.  It was turnkey ready which was especially important to me knowing that we would be soon busy with two kds under the age of two, but it still provided the man of the house with several "honey-do projects" to work on for many years.  It is located in an excelling school district.  Plus, one of its best features, it sits at the bottom of one of Phoenix's mountain preserves.  We are so lucky and have such an amazing view.  Along with this superb view, we are also lu