23 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm already 23 weeks!  The time is really just flying by!  We are so excited to meet Baby Girl.  She is definitely moving around a lot which I am feeling and Lee was able to barely feel too.  Also, on Friday, I saw her move for the first time.  She is really having a blast in there!  I think she's dancing!! 

Lee got the camera out last night and took some 23 week shots, so here they are!

I hope the next few months are as wonderful as the last 5 have been!!!  I just want to meet her!!!

Blizzard of 2009!

Well, this was the storm of the decade!!  I don't think I've ever seen so much snow....well, that I can remember anyway!  We managed to get out Friday night to buy Andrew's Christmas present, so we got that out of the way.  Good thing too!  I don't think it would've been smart to drive to 7 Corners at any point this weekend.  Crazy drivers!!!  Lee got a few pictures of the craziness outside.  I stayed warm and baked some cookies and wrapped some presents!

Here are the measurements Lee took throughout the day......

7:45 Saturday morning

10:30 Saturday morning

12:15 Saturday afternoon

3:30 Saturday afternoon

The final tally was 22", but we didn't get it on camera!!

Farley LOVED playing in the snow on the deck....we even threw a treat out there to see what he would do.  Well, he dug for it and found it.  He's a dog, what else would he have done????

All in all, the weekend was filled with a lot of resting (for me anyway).  Lee shoveled us out on Saturday morning and went to the store because we wanted to make homemade roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch!  So, off he went!  Visability was horrible and the roads were treacherous, but the store is only 1/4 mile from the house, and it was no match for the Element!  Best car for the snow.  It really is great!!

Yesterday, he spent most of the day shoveling us out - again - and then headed over to mom and dad's to shovel them out as well. 

Before the shoveling commenced, we watched "Gran Torino".  If you haven't watched it....DO SO NOW!  What a fantastic movie.  I am so happy we watched it because it was an amazing story.

Anyway, I hope everyone stayed warm and cozy this weekend!!!

Baby Movement....

A few weeks ago, I felt Baby Girl move for the first time.  I didn't feel her again until Sunday.  And now, I feel her ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!  It is such a wonderful feeling that is so hard to describe to anybody who hasn't experienced it for themselves!!  She is so active and I can't wait for Lee and Andrew to be able to feel her as well!! 

Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Party

Lee and I wanted to host a dinner party after Thanksgiving so that we would have the opportunity to spend time with my family around that time.  We've never had a dinner party that didn't include the grill and being outside, so it was a little scary to put a meal together for 9 people!  About a month ago, Lee and Andrew went to Home Depot and purchased some wood so Lee could make our 4 person table into a 10-12 person table.  I certainly wasn't sure how this would get accomplished, but he's always been good with building things, so I didn't question it!  I just said, "go for it"!  So, he did!  And it looks fantastic.  It looks like we got rid of our old school kitchen table and replaced it with a nice dining room table!  We were able to fit everyone around it comfortably.  Next project - more chairs!!  Unfortunately, we only have 4 chairs, so we had to borrow some from mom and dad.  Here is what the table looked like before eating.

I wish we would have taken pictures of the delicious food!  For appetizers, we made bruschetta and garlic stuffed mushroom caps along with some standard cheese and crackers.  Wine and, of course, water, were flowing and everyone was having a fantastic time!  This was Adam's first visit to our home and we welcomed him with open arms!  I'm not so sure he was so thrilled though......

Ok, I guess he had fun....Lee just caught him in a hungry or tired moment!

Dinner was great.  We enjoyed a wonderful homemade lasagna and a great seafood pasta.  These were accompanied by a salad and some bread!  I know I enjoyed it and hope everyone else did too!

As a Greeley family tradition - at least for the past 5-7 years or so - Mom gives the 3 of us Thanksgiving gifts.  These gifts are items we can use during Christmas, so they usually consist of Christmas ornaments, candels, tea towels, etc.  This year was no different!  Andrew made the mantle!  Mom and Dad - G-Maw and Pops - gave Andrew his own Christmas stocking for their mantle.  In it, he found some ornaments and a wonderful pair of Christmas PJ pants which he has worn every night - and all day during the weekends - since!  Lee and I received a wonderful smelling candle that I just can't get enough of and some great ornaments and a little tea light lamp. 

Not only did we get spoiled with Christmas items, we also received our first "gender specific" clothes for Baby Girl.  Grandpa bought Baby Girl the cutest onesie......

Aunt Maureen and Uncle Andy gave Baby Girl the CUTEST outfit.....

Aunt Anne gave Baby Girl two cute PJs.  A Bunny pair and a "my auntie loves me" one!

Anne also gave Baby Girl her first book - Green Eggs & Ham - one my favorites too!!!

Grandma made Baby Girl her first blanket and 2 very adorable burp cloths!

We had the best time visiting with everyone and hope to have people over soon for more entertaining!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This year marked the first year since I was about 4 years old that I wasn't with my family at Wintergreen for Thanksgiving.  It was also the first time in almost 10 years that Lee was with his family for Thanksgiving!  So, it was definitely time to share this holiday with the Diehr/Watson/Pfleckl clan!  Dennis and Helen were so gracious to host Thanksgiving this year at their home in Bristow, VA.

Lee and I were in charge of bringing sweet potatoes, a "Thanksgiving Casserole" and an apple pie.  So, we our idea for a "Thanksgiving Casserole" was Cheese with Macaroni!  It is only called that because, well, there is SO much cheese going on in that dish!  It was Lee's first attempt at making some form of traditional sweet potatoes and boy were they yummy!  I wish we had taken pictures of the two dishes because they looked amazing too!  Everybody brought some sort of side dish to go with the turkey that Dennis and Helen prepared and the ham that Lee's folks brought.  Dennis and Helen also prepared some delicious mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy!  This might have been the first time in the history of my Thanksgivings that I did NOT go back for seconds.  This baby girl has me feeling SO hungry, but by the time I start eating, I'm full so quickly!  Although, I'm always starving about an hour later! 

Not being with my family was different, but being with Lee's was so wonderful!!  We had such a great time!!  Lee had fun walking around with his camera and snapping shots of all the family there!  Here are just a few!

Jaci, Ruth, and Sarah

Dennis and Cole Bug

Sarah

Connor

Alec

More of Cole Bug!

Our Thanksgiving was great!!  Hope yours was too!

20 Week Sonogram!

On Tuesday, November 24th, Lee and I went for my 20 week sonogram.  I didn't sleep the two nights prior because my mind was racing.  I was trying to be positive, but for some reason, I just kept thinking something was wrong.  I don't know why I do that to myself because everything is PERFECT!!!!  Our appointment was early in the morning, which was a good thing!  If I had to go to work and sit around all day thinking about it, it would've been a crazy day!  I didn't realize this appointment would last so long either.  It was almost an hour!  But, it was an hour of watching our little angel move around and wave at us!  In the beginning of the pregnancy, we discussed not finding out the sex of the baby and trying to wait 'til the end for the big "It's A _______", however, we decided to find out at this appointment.  The technician was a lot of fun and really made the process easy for us.  She didn't do a lot of talking throughout because she was busy taking measurements and writing in codes for the Radiologist to review.  It took about 5 minutes for me to relax because it wasn't until then that I could see the heartbeat!  I breathed a sigh of relief and was able to enjoy the rest of the process.  She took some pictures throughout the process that we could take home on a CD which I have here:

I think some of these 3-D photos are a little strange, but hey, that's our baby in there!!!  Once the technician was almost through the measurements and all the important "make sure everything checks out" stuff, she asked if we wanted to know the sex.  So, she looked around and made a very educated "guess" that the baby is, in fact, a GIRL!!!  After she left, the Radiologist came in after reviewing the measurements and did his own checking around.  His "guess" matched the technicians, so I would say....we're having a GIRL!!!  We are definitely thrilled.  Although, I know I would be thrilled either way!

We started making some phone calls to tell my side of the family, but we knew we would see Lee's whole family 2 days later on Thanksgiving, so we waited to tell them all then.  It was a lot of fun seeing and hearing everyone's reactions because I really think they would've been the same either way!!  Although, everyone guessed it was a girl, so I think they were all mostly just excited they were right!!  :)

We can't wait for Baby Girl to join our family in April!!!