A Little Prince

We waited a week and a half after our anatomy scan to announce to our little baby's gender!

We traveled home for my dear friends wedding and the evening before, we hid blue balloons in a box and waited till all of our family was gathered. We released them to show everyone that we are eagerly awaiting a son!

Everyone was hoping for a boy so we are so happy with the news that we have a little prince to welcome in February.

Is Baby Gere a He or a She?

It is strange to think how quickly this pregnancy has flown by. We are already at 19 weeks!

We scheduled our anatomy ultrasound for early this wednesday and besides getting to see our darling peanut move around on screen in 3D we are excited for a particular part of them!

We finally get to see if we are welcoming a son or a daughter in february!

So far it seems the majority of our friends think this little one will dazzle in pink while our family opts to guess for a hunter in green.

Personally we have no preference but either way we will be so excited!

7 Months Later

We moved into our first home 7 months ago! Hard to believe it has been that long! Anyway, I took a few updated photos now that it is up to my cleanliness and neatness standards. Enjoy!

Our office

Guest Bathroom

Guest Bedroom

Kitchen

Hallway

FUTURE NURSERY!!!

Dining Room

Living Room

Living Room 2

Laundry Room

Master Closet

Master Bath

Master Bedroom

and yes that is a machete in the corner ;)

And Then There Were Three...

We have some exciting news!

2 and a half months of playing secret keeper (Not the best) we are finally able to officially announce that we are expecting our family to grow by two feet in February 2014!

Thats right, a baby is on the way!!!

Today marks 14 weeks along and the first day of the second trimester (according to my midwife).  Our official due date is February 16th, 2014 so we are referring to them as our little Valentine.

Our immediate family has been aware of our impending arrival since the week I found out that I was pregnant at a mere 4 weeks gestation! That is actually only 2 weeks since conception so this little munchkin was hardly a dream at that point.

A little white stick has never terrified more than at that moment when instead of the usual one pink line, I had 2 VERY distinct lines staring back at me. I had always been excited for children and dreaming of having them someday, but I felt incredibly young and unprepared at that moment. To make it worse, I was actually back at my parents house for my sisters graduation and my husband was out of town for work. Leaving me feeling like a teenager just finding out she was knocked up, not the adult woman I was who has been happily married for over a year with our own home. I was more than capable of being a mommy but I was not prepared for the rush of emotions. My best friend since middle school was there and I called her upstairs as calmly as I could. She was surprised but happy. I was shaking. Justin was the end all to my fear when I called him moments later. I had always told him that when I found out I was pregnant I wouldn't tell him right away so I could do something sweet and surprise him. That went out the window entirely.

Instead he got a phone call of me freaking out and starting to cry because I felt so terrified of this huge life altering change. He was more than happy at the news and told me to relax because God plans everything for a reason and He obviously thought we were more than able to have a child now if he would bless us with such a precious gift. I got over it pretty quickly at that point.

So here we are 2 1/2 months later. We surprised both our sets of families with the news by disguising it as early father's day gifts. Two sets of World's Greatest Grandpa mugs stuffed with baby booties and little hats wrapped up. Ironically it was each of our sister's who understood what those gifts meant before either of our parents did. I wish I had captured it on video because there were lots of tears, hugs and excited cries of "Really? Your really pregnant?" Our parents are beyond excited to be grandparents and keeping it secret for 10 extra weeks has been torture on them. So here is our blessing to shout if from the rooftops that the next generation is on their way!

I feel especially bless to know that once this little one is born, I will have 5 generations living at once on my mom's side. How often does that happen?!

We have now had 2 appointments with some incredibly skilled and caring midwives who will helping me to deliver at the Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d'Alene. Justin wanted a hospital birth and I wanted a birth with a midwife at a birthing center. So for our first we have reached the compromise that He gets the hospital part and I get a midwife. We are happy with our choice and the ladies who have seen me know fully my desire on the type of birth experience and choices my husband and I have made. I am fully confident that we are in skilled hands.

I've included a few pictures and a video of our little monkey moving around. We won't find out the gender for 7 more weeks but for now we are relishing in the surprises of it all.

5 Weeks 

8 Weeks

10 Weeks

12 Weeks

Greener Grass

We offically have a back yard!

It took 7 months from our move in date but we have sod laid on what used to be a small version of the utah desert surrounded by white vinyl.

I learned some things about sod. It is incredibly high mainenance. It goes through a series of death and resurrection. It enjoys drowning in water.

I work monday through thursday now as a dental assistant for a small office in the area and the sod was convienently laid on my first day of work, as well as the day I dropped my husband off for 2 weeks in Elko. Meaning, that I was unable to water the grass for the 8 hours a day I was at work.

If you are familiar with sod, you know this to be quite a predicament. I have done my best to uphold all the rules. I bought an expensive little sprinkler tractor that makes its rounds around the house, saturating every inch of that expensive dirt while I am away.

Unfortunately, this hasn't been all peaches and cream since our dear mini john deere likes to fall over periodically and skyrocket a stream of water into our neighbors yard. Luckily, she is a darling older lady who loves me, our dogs and our little urban farm in the making.

Our other neighbors, I can not say feel the same.

Recently, on my lunch break, I was forced to chase around our white leghorn chicken in his backyard because it had decided it literally wanted to fly the coop. Granted these are the neighbors who do not seem to embody the sort of thing any person who lives in the suburbs should get over. Like the fact that people have pets, people have kids who make noise and people are generally are much more relaxed then they are. We are getting the feeling they like us less and less with each passing day.

ooops :)

Speaking of poultry. It seems mine might want to murder me and take over the house. Aside from being general nuisances, they enjoy attempting to break through the glass door, relieving themselves repeatedly on my newly poured patio, and waking me up on my days off by appearing in my bedroom!

A 45 minute chase out of the house ensued and a decision to build them a fenced portion of the yard for themselves was made. And now Justin wants to get a covey of quail to stick in a rabbit hutch!

It seems we might be making a whole new version of Funny Farm in North Idaho. And Chevy Chase ain't got nothing on me as the witty, unlucky main character.