Mother's Day

What a joy it was to celebrate my first official Mother's Day. Ok, I am not technically a mother yet, but close enough. The baby has definitely made it's presence known, in fact, it has the hiccups right now :). I had my 36 week appointment last week and the baby is measuring a smidgen small, I am 50 percent effaced and I am just barely starting to dilate. Progress if you ask me! 

We had a nice Mother's Day, we took Helen to church with us, then went to visit Julie's grave. What a beautiful morning to be in each other's company. After this we went to my parents house for brunch with my family, which was really nice, followed by a trip to Landscape Garden Center. I then planted my pots, which is a sure sign of summer, although it has felt very summer like for the last 6 weeks or so around here. 

Dave gave me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a weekend getaway to a cabin in Wisconsin in October. What a nice surprise. We are hoping to have a beautiful fall drive (and a baby who enjoys road trips). 

I hope you all had a nice Mother's Day as well.

(On a side note, we are officially bat free, two nights in a row...yay!)

Avera Race for the Cure

Avera hosts an annual Race agains Breast Cancer each year on Mother's Day weekend. Maggie and I have done our best to coordinate some sort of group to participate. Its generally hit or miss, but we usually end up with a handful of friends and family. The overall Race attendance this year was a record for the event, topping out at over 6,500 people.  

Dave ran the 10K and Jeff ran the 5K (yay Dave and Jeff!), and the rest of us walked a 1.5 mile family fun walk. I was a little hesitant to commit, not knowing how I would feel, considering it would also be the maker of 36 weeks. I was thankful for Dave's gentle push to commit because it was a beautiful day and its such a fun event. Our group consisted of my mom, Sonia, Maggie, Lauren, Isaac, Anna and myself, we had a great time and great conversation. Below are some pictures of the event. 

Dave and I after the Race

Go Walkers! Sonia, Anna, Isaac, me, Mary Ellen and Lauren

Jeff and Dave post run

Me, Dave and Lauren (two weeks before her wedding)

Batified

What a weekend we had, not only did we have a lot going on, we also had some unexpected visitors...

Dave and I have known that a few bats have resided in our attic for some time, but they have never been much of an issue, they have been more of a "we will tackle that problem soon" project rather than something more urgent. Of course this plan changed when I found out I was pregnant. We didn't want bat roommates with a baby. So, needless to say, we started working on the problem. We hired a local company to come and take care of them and to our knowledge, they finished their work on Wednesday of last week. Great! Bat free, not that it really made much of a difference, but we were thankful for the peace of mind. 

Life is good...until Dave goes to work on Friday night and I settle in for bed. Im all situated and ready to finish my last 15 pages of "The Hunger Games" trilogy when I hear what I assume is a moth (we have had a lot of those around lately). I grumble to myself and make a note to have Dave take care of it when he gets home from work the following morning, then lay back. Moments later, something catches my eye. Not just something, something flying above my bed. I panic...call Dave to inform him a flipping bat is flying around my room. He talks me out of my frenzy and encourages me to go to the basement and close the door behind me, he cannot come home. Fine with me, I can take care of myself, Im happy to sleep on the couch in the basement all by myself with a new little roommate in the bedroom (sense the sarcasm). Im settled in my temporary bed for the night chatting on the phone with my mom, getting plenty of empathy about how scary and freaky the situation was when it happens again. That damn bat has followed me downstairs! The next few words into the phone to my mom were four lettered and foul, followed by, "Im coming home! Ill be there in 10 minutes, I cant stay here." I get up, compose myself (while dodging the the diving bat) and call Dave again, This time, much less composed than the first time. I tell him the bat followed me and Im freaking out. Just then, the bat swooped too close, got (almost) under my blanket and I screamed bloody murder and ran up the stairs, tripped and hung up on Dave. He was the least of my concerns. I needed to get dressed, get Kenzie, and get home ASAP. I found myself locked in my bathroom hyperventilating in my pajamas wondering what to do next. On a side note, keep in mind that I am 36 weeks pregnant. Im sure this would have been quite the sight to see.  

I then hear Dave, panting and hollering my name. He is running home from the hospital convinced of the absolute worse. I yell to him from the bathroom window that I don't know what to do and Im scared. He comes in, with a pocket full of pagers and phones (he is on call). He spends the next 15 minutes trapping the bat and releasing it. I bring him back to work and head to my parents house with Kenzie in tow. I open the cabinet for a water glass and find the one photo'd above and cant resist the irony, I fill it up and head to my old bedroom. Sigh of relief...its over. Or is it?

Fast forward 18 hours... I return home from a pool party and spend a few minutes doing dishes before heading to a BBQ, Dave is on call again. Everything is hunky dory, until I realize I wake a sleeping bat by running the water in the kitchen sink. Apparently the one wild bat who chased me down the stairs was a second bat. Are you kidding me!? He must have crawled down the drain for his day down time; cool, wet, and dark, just like a cave. He came crawling out at the stream of water. I immediately flipped the fruit bowl over and trapped him in. I then got the heck out, with no plans to return until Dave is home to help me handle the situation.

Dave returns from work on Sunday and we spend several hours in the yard. He has been avoiding the kitchen sink for some time, knowing I expect him to take care if it and also knows the easiest way is probably the most gruesome way. I give him credit, he mans up, turns on the water and turns on the garbage disposal. Eeeew, Im still grossed out at thought of it. We then fill up the sink with hot bleach water and wash away our problems, literally.

The bat guys returned today and did another inspection and found a spot in the chimney that had not yet been sealed off. So, we are about two hours from dusk, and I cant tell you how anxious I am to be back home, so hopeful that the unexpected guests have found somewhere new to settle. 

The Black Hills Babymoon

Dave and I spent last week in the Black Hills. We were hoping to have time for a big "last trip" before the baby was born, but because of schedules and timing (and our OB saying, "you absolutely cannot go to Europe this late in the game"), the biggest we were able to manage was a trip across the state. It turned out to be the perfect trip.

We spent a lot of time reading, relaxing, cooking, eating, and spoiling Kenzie. We stayed at the Schock cabin which is way off the beaten path. So far off that cell phones and internet didnt even work, and although that seemed a bit daunting at first, it actually turned into quite the blessing.

We planned a daily walk and a daily excursion, most of the walks were near the cabin which is surrounded by a couple of creeks. Kenzie went nuts, swimming and exploring. You would never know she had her 9th birthday last Sunday. However, I think she is still recovering, but not complaining. We went to Sylvan Lake; a favorite for both of us, Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon, and drove up the backside of Terry Peak Mountain, which has amazing views, and a great feel.

We are very thankful to have been able to get one last trip in.

Dave and Kenzie playing fetch.

Dave mastering the grill at the cabin.

Sylvan Lake

A walk on the Michelson Trail.

Mt Rushmore

I am 35 + weeks now and am feeling pretty good, I do have some occasional contractions, but nothing consistent. I go in to the doctor on Thursday for my 36 week appointment, and Im curious to hear if I have started to make any progress. Im trying not to get my hopes up, but its darn near impossible...

34 Weeks and a Stroller Project

I will officially be 34 weeks on Saturday, but had my appointment today. My regular Doctor is out of town, so I saw a Nurse Practitioner. Everything checked out as expected. My stomach is measuring at 33 weeks and the heart rate was 134 today. She was able to tell right away where the baby's butt was, and I can, too. It feels like a softball is lodged to the right of my belly button, I can occasionally schooch it out of the way (sometimes it can be quite painful), but it always seems to find its way back. Must be cozy in there, right between my lung and liver ;).

Dave and I assembled the stroller. By Dave and I, I mean Dave and Kenzie. Getting on the floor can be a challenge, so I left it up to them to complete the project. Im not sure if Dave could have completed it without Kenz, she was right in the middle of his workspace, chewing on her raw hide. She is so funny, I can't wait to see how she adjusts to the baby. Here are a few pictures, the final one is a bit blurry and Kenz looks possessed, so Ill be changing it when I have something more to work with.

Dave, all geared up for the project. 

Midproject, with Kenzie nearby.

All we need is the baby, great job, Dave! 

Dave, Kenzie and I are heading to the Black Hills on Sunday for the week. It is our last week away before the baby comes. We are looking forward to a lot of down time, as well as quality time together. Im sure Ill have lots of pics to share upon our return. 

The Nursery

The nursery is (almost) complete! There are a few small items I can think of that we still need, but for the most part, I would call it done. Its amazing how one room literally took us four months to complete. I am really happy with the outcome, and am anxious to give the room an owner.

Below are a few before and afters...

And a couple of bonus photos of the finished product, just for fun...

More to come, we assembled the stroller last night and I snapped a few shots of the process. Hard to believe we are doing the finishing touches already.

32 Weeks

Wow, time is flying. 

The above picture was actually taken last Sunday (Easter). I had gone with my family to Mike and Jamie Willard's house near Colton for lunch and an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids. There were tons of kids, delicious food, and lots of good company. Dave had a prior commitment so was unable to join me, but he will be there next year (helping with the baby :)).

I am officially 32 weeks tomorrow and really cant complain too much. I'd say the biggest challenges (besides my huge stomach) are sleeping at night and the need for a nap during the day. If I can sneak a 30 minute nap in, I am in good shape. I went to the doctor yesterday and everything is looking great. The baby's heart rate is 129 and its growing like crazy. Our doctor did a quick ultrasound to make sure the baby's head was still down, and to give us a little peak. Fortunately, the baby is still in the correct position, so we are just on cruise control for the next two months. 

Dave is on vacation this next week, so I took the week off as well. We are hoping to get lots of chores done around the house and put final touches on things in anticipation of the baby's arrival. I'm really excited to see how things go, and more excited to find out if there is a little girl or boy in there. Im still thinking boy (especially after hearing the slow heart beat yesterday), but Im ready for anything. 

Until next time...