25Weeks!

We are excited to announce that this week, we have "almost" sold our town home! After showing it several times and after many phone calls and emails we have a buyer who has said they would like to put down the deposit!  

It feels great to be moving one step closer to residency and having our baby! 

In baby news:

Our little guy now opens and closes his eyes. He can also open and close his hands to make a fist. His primary teeth are forming in his gums. He also weighs 1.5lbs!!! I'm feeling him kick so much! I love his little kicks!

I feel like my belly looks smaller than last week. Maybe it's just my shirt?

All Bundled Into One

The past few weeks have been busy that's for sure. 

On March 11th, Dan found out he matched into a Radiation Oncology Residency. After attending the temple the Saturday prior, we both felt peace in our hearts and knew the Lord would take care of us. We both knew in our hearts that Dan would match, we just didn't know where.

 After confirmation was made that Dan would indeed become the doctor he had longed for, it was all we could do to make it through the next 5 days until we could finally find out where exactly we would begin the next chapter in our lives. 

Thursday night, I slept like a baby, while Dan said he could only manage to sleep for about 2 hours.

Poor guy.

 His mind just wouldn't slow down.

 Thoughts of that type of anxiety take me back to the sleepless nights just before and after my NCLEX.

When Match Day finally arrived, I was a ball of nerves. I could hardly get myself ready on time. I was so consumed in my own thoughts. 

Once the ceremony finally began, my heart skipped a beat and I think our sweet baby did a cartwheel! 

I couldn't believe how every student was shuffled on stage to read their fate in front of everyone. I knew that was how it worked, but I didn't realize how intense the atmosphere would be.

Dan's name was called 3rd or 4th to last. By that time, we were just ready to know where we were going.

As Dan and I walked up to the stage, everything started going really fast. 

Once Dan's introduction was completed, he opened his letter and I about fainted as I read is bold letters:

MAYO

I grabbed Dan's arm to steady myself. I think that started Dan because once he read Mayo, he stopped reading and started to choke up. 

Dan's hard work had paid off! Mayo Clinic was where we wanted to go! 

It turns out that Dan will be starting his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL! 

We could not be happier for such a blessing.

Unfortunately, Dan does start his residency just days before our little baby is due. Since my insurance only works at TNMC in Omaha or Belleveue, I will have to have our little boy here. 

As of now, we're hoping our beautiful baby will come when I am about 38 weeks pregnant. If not, we may induce, so Dan wont miss our baby's delivery. 

At first we were very anxious about the timing of everything, but we know the Lord has plan for our family and He will provide a way!

Here I am at 24 weeks pregnant :)

23 Weeks

This week I went to a friends baby shower and started getting really excited for our little guy to come and meet us. Dan keeps telling me to be patient, but I'm so curious about what he'll be like. I haven't had any dreams of him yet. 

In other news, I am a little concerned by belly button might explode, but according to my manager at work, never has such a thing occurred. We shall see. I'm really competitive!

Cooking for 22 Weeks Now!

Our baby has been in the oven for 22 weeks now!

He keeps getting bigger & bigger and I love it! I'm a little afraid my belly button might burst :) I definitely don't have an "innie" anymore.

This week Dan started his plastic surgery rotation, which has changed up the pace of our lives a bit. Dan is back to working full 8-12 hours a day. 

Oh, NICU, how I miss you already and it's only been 4 days.

Some of the surgeries that Dan has been apart of actually freak me out a little, but I just remind myself that it's not my body going under the knife. Dan has been good to remind me everyday that my body is perfect and I don't need any work done (we'll see after this little guy is finished baking :)

Yesterday, we had to buy a new tire for our Chevy. Dan got a flat tire in the side wall that couldn't be fixed. Such is life!

This week we've been working on the baby's nursery. 

Dan sanded and stained an old shelve that I had painted purple years ago. Now the shelve matches the baby's crib & changing table!

We have also been looking at gliders to match our little man's furniture. 

Little by little, I think the nursery is "getting there."

After much googling, I haven't found a bedding set that I'm absolutely in love with.

I'm still looking!

 As for now, our baby is a growing machine!

 

 This week he:

-Has sweat glands

-Has fingernails that are fully formed 

-Has been working on brain growth, especially in the germinal matrix (the center of the brain that makes brain cells)

-Weighs 1 whole pound!

21 and Loving Life Again!

Our baby boy is more than half baked! 

Dan got to feel him kick a few times this week!

He tends to kick more at night than any other time of the day!

Now that I've kicked my head cold to the curb, I've developed spring fever! 

On Wednesday, Dan and I ran 5 miles. It felt great to stretch my legs in the 50 degree weather! 

But the next day, it snowed and we were reminded that it is not yet spring. : (

Yesterday, my baby fever got hotter when Dan and I took dinner over to our neighbor who recently had her second baby boy! He melted my heart! I could have held him all day long!

Dan and I celebrated Valentine's Day twice!

Wednesday evening, we went to Brik's for Creighton's Residency Intern plug. We enjoyed appetizers and catching up with our friends! It was fun to dress up! 

Thursday I had to work. DRAG! 

But Dan surprised me with a delicious home made Italian dinner, sparkling juice & chocolate covered strawberries! What a lucky girl (and baby boy, who really enjoyed every bite!).

Somehow I managed to chip my tooth while eating..... lettuce???? : (

As a result, I'm bound for the dentist this week.

This week our baby:

-Weighs 13 ounces!

-Can now digest water from the amniotic fluid!

-Is growing, growing, growing! 

 

20 Weeks!

This weekend was a tough one. 

I ended up having to work the weekend and got sick from one of my sweet patients.

--The joys of being a nurse--

Otherwise, Dan and I have been busy, busy, busy with work.

Dan loves the NICU, but when a delivery lands late in the day, he ends up having a LONG day, too. Sometimes his day can last 4 hours or it can last 12. It just depends on mother nature. 

I have had Dan on special assignment while working in the NICU. It's been his job to find out what causes these NICU mommas to go into labor early.  

Dan has been glad to report that many of the mothers have STDs, are in their later 30s, or have a lot of health problems themselves. Rarely, is it something wrong with the baby! 

Relief!

Last night, I was laying on my right side on the couch and I felt our little boy roll over to my right side!! It was the best feeling I have ever felt. I got really emotional and started to cry! Dan just held me and tried his hardest to feel the baby. He was pretty sure he could palpate his heart beat! 

This little memory pretty much sums up this past week: 

Emotional! 

In fact, we were looking at boy clothes, while the pharmacy was filling my prescriptions, and out of the blue I started to cry when I picked up a newborn baby boy outfit. 

Never in a million years would I have ever thought I would cry just looking at a tiny piece of clothing. Just thinking about holding my precious baby boy in such a short while pulled at the strings of my heart. 

Dan wrapped me in his arms and kissed my forehead and I lost it. 

Alligator tears started flowing just thinking about how blessed we are. 

Here's to trying to be less emotional this next week!

This week our baby is:

-Developing his senses: taste, smell, hearing, seeing, & touch

-Able to hear & recognize my voice

-Likes to stretch his legs

-The size of a Barbie doll and weighs 9-10 ounces

-Covered with vernix (a thick creamlike material covering his skin)

Airplanes, Dragons, Cars, Tractors, Dinosaurs, Monkeys!!

Right after our baby's ultrasound, Dan called his mom and told her our exciting news! I couldn't call my folk since they live in Germany, so we ran around town trying to find the perfect prop to help announce our baby's gender!

While shopping I noticed I had missed a few calls from Maggie! Right when I started to call her back with the news, she called me and her exact words were, "You don't even have to tell me if it's a boy or girl, just tell me pink or blue."

I responded with:

We're going BLUE!

I can't wait to start planning for this little guy to join our family!

 Thanks Justine for the awesome photo shoot!!