Let's See What Life's Gonna Hold

29 weeks

2012-02-10T14:46:00.002-06:00

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

How your life's changing:

Your baby's very active now. < TRUTH! This lil dude is moving around constantly. Although the kicks and punches get to be a bit much sometimes, it's kind of comforting knowing he's in there safe and sound. Will be a weird feeling to go back to "normal" after he's born. >Your healthcare provider may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks and will give you specific instructions on how to do this. Let your provider know if you ever notice that your baby is becoming less active. You may need a nonstress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby's condition.
Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion. Sluggish digestion can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation.

Your growing uterus may also be contributing to hemorrhoids. These swollen blood vessels in your rectal area are common during pregnancy. Fortunately, they usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth.
If they're itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath or applying cold compresses medicated with witch hazel to the affected area. Avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your provider before using any over-the-counter remedies during pregnancy, and let your provider know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.< Nice! Luckily I have not experienced this. >

Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy. This happens when lying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. You might notice that you feel lightheaded if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid "the spins," lie on your side rather than your back, and move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

Third Tri's a charm!

2012-02-03T10:20:00.001-06:00

I'm in the third trimester now! What the heck? How did that go by so fast?

How your baby's growing:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester. < Greeeeeeat, just what I need >

At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test.

Seven oh-seven two

2012-02-01T00:26:00.000-06:00

We celebrated my mom and dad's bdays over the weekend by doing a family dinner at Texas Roadhouse followed by cake and ice cream at our house afterwards. (Mom turned 70 on Jan 13th, and Dad turned 72 on Jan 21st). Karen and Jerry joined us too! I know I've said this before, but they really are the best neighbors anyone could ask for. Love those guys!

Singing Happy Birthday and blowin out the candles

Bellz reading a story to everyone. She is getting really good at reading. So cool how fast they learn! :)

Hi, my name is Big Jer, and I heart Biscuit stories.

Ha, Cars looks like he's in jail!

Deliverance

2012-01-27T19:42:00.000-06:00

At one of my first OB appointments, my doctor informed us that she delivers at Missori Baptist, St. John's (Mercy Hospital), and DePaul Hospital, and we'd need to choose which one we would deliver at. Over the past few months, we scheduled tours of the Labor and Delivery Center for each of these hospitals. Last night was our final tour. They were kind of fun! Still haven't decided which one it'll be, but we've narrowed it down to either St. John's or Depaul. I like the overall hospital at St. John's better, but the birthing suites are way nicer at DePaul, and that is where we will be most of the time so maybe it makes sense to go with that one. Hoping to figure it out in the next couple days so I can let my doc know which one it will be at my 28 week appt on Tuesday.

The last 6 weeks...

2012-01-23T05:04:00.001-06:00

Here's a cool video showing what's been going on with the babe for the past 6 weeks. Just click on the below link. And please excuse the nekkit chick at the beginning. :)

21 to 27 weeks

27 weeks

2012-01-23T04:47:00.000-06:00

How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

How your life's changing:
The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.

Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief. Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

26 weeks

2012-01-23T04:36:00.000-06:00

How your baby's growing:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Jax n the Baby Bjorn

2012-01-17T21:47:00.001-06:00

I recently hit a milestone at Express Scripts. January 2nd was my 10 year anniversary with the company. In lieu of a bonus, they give you Express Scripts reward points that you can use towards anything you wish in the online store they have set up. I ended up getting some really nice stuff for the baby with all my points. So excited! Thank you George Paz for the shwag!

One of the prizes I picked out was a Baby Bjorn baby carrier. Of course I had to try the thing out when it arrived in the mail, and umm...since I don't have a baby yet, I had to use Jax as my test subject. :D

He loves it!!! Can't you tell by the look on his face?

Whoopsies! He's slipping...we need a lil more practice before we put the baby in this thing.

He totally tried to escape once his feet hit the ground.

Later that night when I went to put the carrier away, Jax took off running when he saw me coming with that thing in my hand. Maybe he didn't like it after all. haha! LOVE that dog.

Got belly?

2012-01-16T21:19:00.000-06:00

Here are a few of pics of my baby bump - all taken at 25 weeks.

25 weeks

2012-01-14T18:31:00.001-06:00

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

And we have a registry, folks!

2012-01-12T09:43:00.000-06:00

We didn't do much of anything last weekend - Lenny had gone home early from work Friday because he wasn't feeling well, and I was still trying to rest up cuz I have been trying to kick the cold I've had for the last couple weeks also. Soooo, we figured this would be a good weekend to go register for baby stuff. We now officially have a registry at both Babies R Us and at Target. Yay! I expected it to be overwhelming (how do you know what's going to be best between 5 diff brands of bottles/nipples???), but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be thanks to a lot of recommendations and tips from friends. We really enjoyed picking everything out. It's amazing how many products they have out there that make taking care of a baby so much easier than it used to be. Thank you to all my friends who sent us suggestions on what worked best for them. Much appreciated!

Think my fave thing we registered for was the pack n play. This thing is pimped out!!! We are planning on having baby U sleep in our room with us in the PnP for the first couple months, and this is going to work perfectly for that since he'll be right next to me. I'm getting more and more excited as each day passes. Can't wait to meet my lil man. :)

Attack of the canks

2012-01-06T13:48:00.000-06:00

So usually when I mention "canks," I'm talking about canker sores. I've had my fair share of canks thru the years, and I can't say they are fun to deal with. I haven't had one in a while though, knock on wood. Now I'm having the pleasure of experiencing a new kind of cank - the CANKLE!!! SO not fun.We have been working a ton of OT lately and I didn't get home from work til almost 8pm last night. Check out how swollen my feet were from being chained to my desk all day. Can we say disgusting??? I about barfed when I took my shoe off and saw this puffy thang staring back at me. Euhhh.

24 weeks

2012-01-04T21:49:00.000-06:00

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

As far as I'm concerned, I've had a bit of a cold for the past week or so. Can't remember ever being this stuffed up for this long. Ugh! I swear I've gone through like a million Kleenexs in the past 2 weeks. I feel fine, which is good, but just stuffy as all get out. Over and it.

Pumped up kicks

2011-12-29T13:00:00.000-06:00

Baby boy has been kicking up a STORM the past couple days!! Sheesh. I've been feeling punches and jabs all over the place lately. I keep trying to get Lenny to feel it, but every time I put his hand on my belly, the baby stops moving. Lil stinker! He's doing that on purpose, i just know it! If i knew which end was up and which was down, I would spank his lil bottom!!! ;P

P.S. How come when anybody else kicks you, you get mad and want to punch their face in, but when your baby kicks you, it's the coolest feeling in the whole wide world?

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T22:31:00.000-06:00

I'm a couple days late posting this, but I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Here is a little recap of our weekend:

On Christmas Eve, we met Keith and my parents at church for the candlelight service, then they came over for dinner and a rousing game of Pictionary by the fireplace. So fun! It was me and Soney against the boys, and unfortunately they kicked our butts. Oh well...we'll get em next time!

Christmas afternoon, we all met out at Dean and Stacey's for Christmas dinner and presents. Paul and Linda joined us as well. It was so nice to celebrate with both families together!

Monday we were both off work and I wasn't feeling all that great, so I slept pretty much all afternoon while Lenny went to go get Bella. Didn't do a whole lot that night other than dinner and a couple games before bath and bedtime.

Tues we woke up and opened the presents we had gotten each other, then the 3 of us (well, 3.5 I guess) headed over to Paul and Linda's to have our traditional Christmas breakfast with them and watch Bellz open her gifts.

It's always nice to be able to spend the time with our families around this time of year. It's funny that the older you get, the less important the gifts are. I enjoy all our time together more than anything. All in all, another great Christmas is in the books!

Gretch: "Oh, the plate looks so cute! Who decorated that, Carson?" Stace: "I DID." hahah. Love ya Stace! :)

Poor Keith has a case of kidney stones and hasn't been feeling well, so he didn't have much to eat that day :(

Family pic - Attempt #1

Family pic - Attempt #2 (Nice Len!!!)

Family pic - Attempt #3. We finally have a winner!

And one with Paul and Linda, too.

22 weeks

2011-12-22T10:52:00.001-06:00

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

21 weeks

2011-12-14T11:38:00.000-06:00

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well. (Guess we don't have to worry about this one)

Frogs n snails and puppy dogs' tails...

2011-12-10T08:47:00.000-06:00

Well, we had our 20 week ultrasound on Thursday, and it looks like baby U is a BOY!!! Although we would have been thrilled with a lil girl, we were both secretly hoping for a boy on this one, so it worked out perfectly. If all goes as planned, a lil girl will follow a few years down the road. Guess we'll see what God has in store for us. ;)

Everything looked great at the ultrasound. The lil guy was moving all over the place, to the point where the ultrasound tech had to say, "You little stinker! Sit STILL for a minute so I can get your picture!" several times. Ha! She said his brain, heart, and all other major organs looked just as they should at this point in his development.

The doc did say my placenta is sitting kind of close to my cervix right now, but it's nothing to be alarmed about. Apparently it's fine if the placenta is near the cervix, but when it is covering the cervix (a condition known as Placenta Previa), it blocks the baby from getting to the birth canal. In this case there's a higher chance that you may have to have a C section. She said as my uterus grows, the placenta will likely grow with it, so it will be moving further and further away from the cervix as I get bigger and bigger. I guess that's good news.

Have a definite baby bump now. Seems to have really gotten bigger this week!

Here are a couple pics of the lil guy:

Profile of the head and belly

Here he is sitting and you are looking at his bottom and legs from underneath. Definitely a boy. LOL!

I'm gonna have a birl?!?!

2011-12-04T10:17:00.006-06:00

I am beginning week 20 of my pregnancy today, which means we have "the big" ultrasound this week to find out the baby's gender! Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to cast our votes and make some guesses as to what the baby's sex is going to be. I just spent all morning taking several different gender prediction quizzes, and the results cracked me up. Half of them say I'm having a boy and half of them say I'm having a girl. Ha! Well I would sure hope it's one of those! Lol.

Check this out. Here are the results of one of the quizzes I just took:

Will your baby be a Girl or a Boy?

Q1 - Are you carrying the weight out front or around the hips and bottom?

I went with around the hips and bottom for this one, cuz my belly isn't sticking out too much yet. Plus, unfortunately, I've always had mongo hips. *sigh*

Q2 - Is the hair on your legs growing more quickly or the same as before you got pregnant?

Same as before.

Q3 - Are you carrying your baby high or low?

I'll go with low on this one.

Q4 - Do you sleep in your bed with your pillow to the north or south?

What the #%!^??? What does that have to do with anything? I'm no Magellan, but I think my pillow is more north than south. Gay.

Q5 - Are your feet colder than before pregnancy or the same as before?

Samezies.

Q6 - Do you refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread or do you prefer the heel?

Another dumb question. But umm, I always throw that part of the loaf of bread away. So wasteful, I know.

Q7 - Is the dad-to-be gaining weight right along with you or has his weight remained the same?

Lenny has maintained his girlish figure so far.

Q8 - Is your mother's hair grey or another color (natural or dyed)?

Soney's pretty grey. As am I if I haven't hit up the salon in a while. *another sigh*

Q9 - Did you have morning sickness early in your pregnancy?

Nope, not a smidge of morning sickness for this chick. Woo hoo!!!

Q10 - Are you looking particularly good or not so good during your pregnancy?

Ugh, I dunno! I have my days I guess. Some days I feel like a cross between a water buffalo and an elephant, but others I like my cute lil bump. I'll stick with looking good on this one :)

Q11 - During pregnancy, has your chest development been quite dramatic or not too dramatic?

Eh, sad to report it hasn't been too dramatic thus far. The girls have gotten a lil bigger, but nothing major. Still waiting for that pregnancy perk.

Q12 - What was your age at the time of conception?

Big bad 33.

Q13 - Conception took place in the month of ______?

July. TMI??? Deal widdit.

Q14 - Hang a necklace over your belly. Does the chain move in cirles or from side to side?

Tried this and the chain moved from side to side. Oh, and I used my lucky 4 leaf clover necklace for this test, btw. Duh.

Q15 - Is your urine a bright neon yellow color or a dull yellow?

I'd say more of a neon yellow for this one. I attribute that to those wonderful prenatal vitamins.

Q16 - What do you crave more - sweets or salty/sour food?

Definitely sweets on this one. I could eat a cupcake/cookies/candy every day if you let me. And before pregnancy I was always craving the salty snacks. Weird.

Q17 - Has your nose spread during pregnancy or stayed the same?

My hips may be spreading, but my nose has stayed the same. So THERE.

Q18 - Do you crave more meats and cheese or fruit?

Fruit. Definitely.

Q19 - What is your baby's heart rate? Above 140 beats per minute or less than 140?

At my doctor's appointments, the heart rate has always been 150+.

Q20 - How do you feel about OJ? Do you not like it or have to have it every day?

Ooh this is a tricky one. I DO like OJ, but I wouldn't say I've been craving it?!? Guess I'd gave to say have it every day on this one.

Q21 - Are you having headaches?

Yep. I've been having them almost every day for the last couple weeks.

Q22 - Does your abdomen look more like a watermelon or a basketball?

Watermelon. MMMM...watermelon sounds really good right now.

Q23 - If someone asks you to show them your hands, you show them palm up or palm down?

Palm up. Strange question.

Q24 - Last question! Do you pck up a mug by the handle or the body of the mug?

Another weird one! I always pick it up by the handle. Doesn't everyone? Otherwise you'd get burnt.

And the results are in........drumroll please........

Congratulations!

You have a 55% chance of having a girl!

And you have a 44% chance of having a boy.

My mother's intuition tells me I'm having a boy, but I don't have a great track record when it comes to guessing the sex of friends' babies, so I guess we'll see... What do you think? Boy or girl???

19 week update - just for J to the 9er

2011-11-29T08:59:00.000-06:00

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. < Ooh, this baby is in LUCK! I mean, have you heard this chick sing???>

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

You want a bredo with that bodlwadr?

2011-11-28T19:30:00.000-06:00

Bella was practicing writing words this weekend and wrote the words "BREDO, JREK, BODLWATER, and BOBLGUM." Translation? Burrito, drink, bottled water, and bubble gum. Hahahah! Luv me sum fonix! She should get a kick out of this post when she's a little older. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:26:00.000-06:00

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

Saw this quote on FB and I really liked it. It's a good reminder that there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for, no matter how bad things may seem at times. This year, I'm thankful for this little miracle growing inside my belly. So happy that God has given me a chance to experience motherhood; I can't wait to meet this lil baby in Spring and see what he or she is like! Also thankful for such a hardworking and loving husband. I couldn't imagine living life with anyone other than my Lenster. Love you baby!!! XOXO

Here we go loopty loo

2011-11-23T17:09:00.001-06:00

Exciting stuff going on the past few days....I felt the baby move for the first time!!! Yay! It's such a weird feeling. You know how when you ride a roller coaster or drive over a hill real quick and your stomach does a little flip flop? Well that's what it feels like. I kept thinking it was gas at first but when it started happening every couple minutes consistently, I knew it was the babe. So fun! Have I mentioned I heart being pregnant? Lovzies!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-11-20T20:00:00.000-06:00

I took down all my Halloween decor (a lil late, i know) and cleaned the entire house yesterday. Although I am usually not a big believer in putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, this year I broke my own rule. I just figured since the house was clean and I had nothing else to do today, I may as well use the free time to put one of our trees up. Yes I said tree(s). Plural. Last year, we began a new tradition - we put our fake tree upstairs in the living room and then we went and cut down a real tree and put that one downstairs in our family room. I decorated the one upstairs with white lights and all our pretty ornaments and then I let Lenny and Bella decorate the one downstairs with colored lights and all our 'fun' ornaments. It worked out well! Everyone got a chance to participate and I was okay with the ornaments on the tree downstairs being all at Bella level. lol

Couple pics of the Gretchie tree

17 weeks

2011-11-14T21:18:00.001-06:00

Your pregnancy: 17 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

How your life's changing:

Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby. You'll also want to be sure to buckle up when you're in a car — keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly, drawn snugly across your hips, and also use the shoulder harness, which should fit snugly between your breasts.

You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.

16 weeks

2011-11-07T11:21:00.000-06:00

Your pregnancy: 16 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

15 Weeks and feelin like a champ

2011-11-04T20:53:00.001-05:00

Well here I am, 15 weeks prego, and still feelin like a million bucks. Whoo hoo! Guess I'm lucking out with this pregnancy. Of course it's pretty early still. Ask me again in another 15 weeks and I may have a few more complaints then :)

I'm going to start posting weekly updates on the baby's progress so that I have a personal journal of what's goin on with this little bundle of joy in me belly. This information is from http://www.babycenter.com/. It's a really cool website! Check it out if you get a min. That is, if you care about that kind of stuff. lol.

Week 15 - How your baby's growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:40:00.000-05:00

My headless horseman pumpkin on the left and Lenny's evil pumpkin on the right.

PCP 2011

2011-10-30T11:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the annual Pumpkin Carving Party at J&J's. What fun! I be lovin errthing Autumn, so this is one of my fave activities of the whole year! Those Orfs always put on a great party!

Most memorable moment this year goes to Dean, who was a cheapo and bought a $2 pumpkin on the side of the road on his way to the party, only to find out it was rotten as all get out when he cut into it. Seriously, that thing was N-A-S-T-Y. The inside was about 1/2 liquified mush. And it had a LOVELY smell, too. Blech. Maybe next year he'll splurge and pay the extra $3 to get a non-rotted pumpkin!

Hard at work

Sam checkin out the inside of the pumpkin

Soney made a lil pumpkin (actually it was a squash) that had pink and blue flowers coming out of it with a sign that said "Miracle Grow." You know, for the baby. ;) Always the creative one!

I'll light up our punkins tonight and post those pics later.

Bella's reaction to the big news, Part 2

2011-10-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

Bella's reaction to the big news, Part 1

2011-10-21T11:37:00.001-05:00

Bun in the oven

2011-10-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

So the time has finally come to share our good news...we are expecting! I am 13 weeks pregnant right now, due April 23rd, 2012. Lenny and I are both thrilled that our family is growing. We have known for a while, and it has been really hard to keep it a secret. We just wanted to make sure everything was okay and we were out of the first trimester before we told most people. Didn't want to jump the gun, you know? I had an ultrasound earlier this week and everything looked good, so we decided it was time to share the news with everyone! Yay for no longer having to make excuses for why I'm not drinking at happy hour! ;) Now everybody will know why!

So far, the pregnancy has been easy peasy lemon squeezy. I have had no morning sickness whatsoever (knock on wood), and other than being really tired the first month or two, I feel like a million bucks! Hopefully my good luck continues throughout the pregnancy.

Here are a couple pics from the 13w ultrasound.

Umm, I could very well be carrying an alien inside of me. Is that not freaky? lol

Much better. This one actually looks human.

Cool how you can see the spine in this one!

Best part about picking apples...

2011-10-10T18:47:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is an apple pie. Made from scratch by yours truly. And it took forEVER! But so worth it :)

Apple Pickin

2011-10-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

We spent the day yesterday at Eckert's in IL picking apples. Fun place! This may be a yearly tradition from now on, we really enoyed it.

Can't tell who is smiling bigger here, Bellz or the horse...

More pics from Bella's birfday

2011-10-01T08:03:00.000-05:00

Bella turns 5

2011-09-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

We had a birthday party for Bella at Laurel Park over the weekend and could not have asked for a better day. There is gazebo with two picnic tables right up on the playground where we set up shop, and it worked out perfectly! The kids were so dang cute playing together - think they are finally getting to the age where they are interested in each other and like to do stuff together as opposed to playing on their own, but right next to each other. ha. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate B's special day with us. Only one missing was her uncle Keify. :(

Here are some pics!

Drew checking out the escape balloon that floated up to the top of the gazebo

Kindall, you hold it like this, and then...

Swing it like this!

Coach Bailey checkin out the girls' stance

Sam Bones!

A4TA

2011-09-05T19:36:00.001-05:00

Several months ago, a buddy of Lenny's from high school contacted him to see if we wanted to be involved in a charity bags tournament benefitting several local Autism charities. Without hesitation, Lenny signed us up. The Aiming for the Answer tournament was held yesterday in Kirkwood Park, and this thing was way bigger than we could have ever imagined. It is by far the largest bags tournament in the Midwest - they had over 240 teams sign up this year! Our job was to set up all our courts and run the consolation tournament. We had a total of 52 teams for the consolation tourney, and although we had a few lessons learned for next year, everything went well. Our boards also doubled as the practice courts and warm up area. We were so happy to be a part of it - not only for the exposure, but to help the charities as well. This is definitely something we'd like to be involved in next year, and I would LOVE to see our MS charity tournament grow into something like this! It was amazing. Here are a few pics from the tourney.

Custom boards and scoretowers Lenny donated for the silent auction

Todd and Lenny warming up

Go Baggy McBaggerson!!!

Yeah yeah!!! We big time now baby!

Yeah, check this out. Look how many peeps are in this pic. This was only the South quadrant. They also had North, East, and West. Same amount of courts in each quadrant. It.was.HUGE.

Best Buds

2011-08-29T09:17:00.000-05:00

We watched Kendall this weekend while J and J were on a lil getaway down to FL. So much fun! I can't believe how good of a helper Bella is when it comes to having a smaller kid around. She helped get Kendall do her "homework," helped her get dressed, helped her brush her teeth, and even attempted a diaper change. This could come in handy some day. Hmmm.....

Anyway, Friday K and I just ran a bunch of errands. She came with me (as did my mom) to go pick Bella up that evening, and Bellz was really excited to see both of them. That was a nice surprise for her :). Saturday we went to Wapelhorst pool, got ice cream with Paul and Linda, and then had a movie night. We walked up to Laurel Park yesterday and fed the fish and turtles, then the girls played on the playground for a while. Here are a few pics from the weekend. Hope you had some wonderful alone time J and J!!!

Most fun I have ever had. EVER.

2011-08-17T15:02:00.000-05:00

PrankDial - Hear Your Prank Call! - Evil Operator

Do as I say, not as I do

2011-08-15T18:54:00.000-05:00

Ha, just found this pic of my dad from a few months ago when we were out at Klondike Park. Such the good example for Bellz. lol

An apple a day

2011-08-10T09:14:00.000-05:00

I did 4 miles on my own this morning with just a teensy tiny bit of walking. Not too bad!

I learned an important lesson though - no apples before running. When I woke up I was starving, so I scarfed down an apple before my run. Not sure if it was because I didn't wait long enough for the food to digest or if it was just a bad choice for a pre-run snack, but the apple did not fair well on me belly. It felt like I had a huge meal sloshing around in there as I was running! Not fun. Maybe I'll opt for a granola bar next time and see if that makes a difference.

No homeless peeps to report today. yay.

On track so far!

2011-08-08T16:31:00.001-05:00

It's week two of my 1/2 marathon training program and I'm proud to report I'm still on track. :) Actually slightly ahead of schedule believe it or not! Although my schedule only called for 10.5, I ran a total of 19 miles last week. WOOT WOOT!

I am definitely noticing that running with a partner is 100x easier than running on your own. My fancy Garmin running watch has a "Virtual Running Partner" feature, but I have yet to try that out. Maybe I will give 'er a go next time I do a solo run and see if it helps.

Saw a homeless person sleeping on a park bench this morning as I was running. That kinda freaked me out seeing as though I was alone and had to run pretty close to him. I took a different route home. As the Lenster said, "Don't be skeered, a homeless person probably wouldn't have the energy to keep up with you if they wanted to get you anyway!!!" Thanks Len. So reassuring!!!

Off my rocker

2011-08-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

I have officially lost it. I registered for a 1/2 marathon earlier this week. Quite the lofty goal for someone who has little more than a handful of 5K's under her belt. Am I insane for even attempting this? Probably. But I'm in a good spot to do it. I'm young(ish), I'm healthy and injury-free, I can basically go for a run whenever I want without having to worry about getting someone watch my kid, and I have quite a few friends that have signed up for the 1/2 too which means I will have lots of running buddies. See? So I really have no excuses. It's now or never baby.

I started my 12-week training program this past Sunday, and although I was struggling quite a bit this morning due to a lack of sleep, I'm doing really well with the runs so far. Below is my training schedule. Seems do-able, right?

Here goes nothin!!! ;)

Kendall's first sleepover

2011-07-31T17:13:00.000-05:00

We had the pleasure of having Kendall spend the night with us last Friday. I had originally planned to watch K at her house that night but we had Bellz too so Lenny suggested just keeping K overnight here with us and Jason and Janine were down with that. The girls had so much fun together! It is so cute to hear them giggling about who knows what :) Here are a few pics I took while K was here. She is really getting such a personality now and she's a total sweetheart. Love that yiddle girl!

Gotta have yer fancy shoes for the tea party

Look at my pretty jewelry

Bath time!

Movie night (minus the usual bucket o popcorn, cuz we had just eaten ice cream from Oberweiss)

I heart summa!

2011-07-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

Bellz and I had a lunch/play date last time she was here. We went to Main St for lunch where she had the most amazing grilled PB&J sammy from Garden Cafe A la Fleur. Whaddya know? Riverside Sweets was on the way back to the car so we stopped for ice cream (duh). After lunch we headed to the playground at Blanchette park, which is awesome by the way, and played for a while til we were nice n sweaty. Final stop was Blanchette pool. Awesome afternoon!

You ready, waterdog?

2011-07-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

Marko.....Twaino!!!

2011-07-12T21:48:00.004-05:00

Went boating and camping with the 'rents and the kiddos over the 4th of July. This was our first time ever taking Bellz (and Jax for that matter!) camping, and I'd have to say it was a success. Well, apart from the racoons getting into our cooler and eating our hot dog buns, lunch meat, and Nutella pupcakes that is. We still had plenty o food though, have no fear!

Most of our time was spent torcheedoing, cruising around the lake, and just swimming and playing in the coves. Bellz and Carty had a blast! Think their favorite thing was taking turns driving the boat under Grumpa's supervision. So fun! We are going up again in a couple weeks to get one last boating weekend in before Bellz starts kindergarten in August. Whaaaaa! She is getting too big :(

Ha ha ha, love Jax in his lil life vest!

Captain Bellz at your service

Both worn out from spending all day in the sun

Hahahah, love.

Yeah my 69 year old mom's still got it! Whut whut???

Our camp guard dog. He didn't do such a good job seeing as tho he didn't even wake up when the coons were in the campsite. (rolling eyes) At least he's cute. :)

Carson's 10th birthday

2011-07-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

We went out to Dean and Stacey's this afternoon for a fish fry to celebrate Carson's 10th birthday. Sheesh. Can't believe he is already that old! It's crazy. nyway, the best part of this was that Keith came home for a surprise visit for C's bday. Yay! Happy birthday to the best nephew ever! Seriously. Love this kid :)

Ain't no party like a Cochran party

2011-07-09T16:01:00.000-05:00

Went to Donnie and Jen's annual 4th of July party on the 3rd, and it rained all day. AGAIN. Didn't stop the kids from putting on their suits and running around in the yard though. They had a blast! (as did the adults)
Maybe next year we'll actually have decent weather and get to play some yard games and watch the O'Fallon fireworks like we intend to every year?! Oh well, rain or shine, we always have fun hangin out with our peeps!

Bellz fixing Kendy's hair. Aww.

I don't think Kendall likes holding babies. Not one bit.

Love how Sam is smiling at Kendall here :)

Linda's 60th bday

2011-07-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

On July 2nd, we had a little party for Linda's 60th. She knew we were doing something, but didn't know exactly what, and I think she really enjoyed her special day with her family and close friends. Here are a few pics!

The quilt cake Katie ordered

Can't have just one cake - that's absurd!

Pinata!!!

Who says 60 yr olds don't know how to party?

2011-07-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

Lots to blog about!

2011-07-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

Due to the fact that we have been inundated with bags events the past couple weeks and I've been working a lot of OT, I haven't had the time to update the good ol' blog in a while. I'm on PTO all this week so hopefully I can get caught up on all the posts before I go back to work. First up is our Tea Party date with Janine and Kendall! This was on June 25th - we went to Sister's Tea House in Fenton and had a yummy lunch complete with cucumber finger sandwiches and PB&J for the girls. Too cute!

Dancing after lunch :)

Bellz playing dress up

And my fave pic of the day thanks to Kendall....

RIP Rapunzel

2011-06-20T08:13:00.000-05:00

Got some sad news about our adopt-a-kitty yesterday. From what we gathered, she was down the street the other day, and our neighbor Jane's dog got out and attacked Rapunzel and ended up killing her. :( Amos (the dog) is really aggressive, and this is not the first time he has gone after another animal. Apparently Animal Control was called and they were going to come pick Amos up to take him to the pound, but Jane got word of this and ended up taking him to get put down before they came and got him because she knew what was going to happen. Sad story all around.

Amos was really mean and always scared the crap out of us when we were cutting the grass because he would come charging up to the fence and be barking his head off. Can't say I'm too upset about his outcome, but we were really starting to grow fond of Rapunzel. She was such a sweet kitty! Very curious and always getting into stuff. We'll miss her. Hopefully for her sake, it all happened fast and she wasn't in much pain. I know she's probably up kitty heaven chasing butterflies and goldfish now. Oh, and catching moles, one of the talents Lenny will miss the most! Rest in peace sweet Rapunzel.
XOXO

Oh boyyyyy

2011-06-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

My husband be straight trippin with this outfit on.

Let's go Cards!

2011-06-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

We went to the Cards game with Jason, Janine, and Kendall on Memorial day. All day long, Bella was talking about wanting to see Fredbird and how she wasn't going to be shy and instead was going to go up and give him a big hug. Boy was she ever disappointed - he only made an appearance once that whole day, and it was while she was in the bathroom of all times. UNHHH! The nerve! Oh well. This just means we'll have to go to another game later this summer. Both girls did great and were well behaved the whole time.

Waiting to meet J and J before the game. It was pretty hot so Bellz was chillin in the shade.

Check out K's cute Memorial Day threads.

Awww

Adopt-A-Cat

2011-06-02T22:57:00.000-05:00

So our neighbors got a cat about a month ago, and somehow over the course of the past couple weeks, we've half adopted it. Bella keeps luring it in the house, and it always goes straight up to her room and jumps up into her bed to curl up and go to sleep. It's so dang cute! The cat is really sweet but she is a bit skiddish and doesn't like to be picked up, so whenever she comes in, we just kinda let her have the run of the house. We figure she's not doing any harm so we may as well just let her stay. The neighbors practically told us we could have her but I'm not sure we want to do that at this point. We'll see. For now we're fine with being part time cat owners. :)

Dollar store cheerleader

2011-05-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

What IS this outfit???

Don't ever let your kid pick out an outfit from the dollar store. Just sayin.

PS, check out the shoes. Oy vey!

MOD Walk

2011-05-01T13:56:00.000-05:00

Saturday we went down to Forest Park for the 2011 March of Dimes Walk. Believe it or not, both Bella and Kendall walked the entire 3 miles. They were rock stars! They did a great job of taking turns walking Jax, too. So cute.

"Mere, Jax! Slow it down Jax."

Buddies

Is this not the cutest thing you have EVER seen? I swear we all thought this pup was a stuffed animal. He was soooo cute!

Tornado hits close to home

2011-04-26T14:54:00.000-05:00

Good Friday wasn't such a Good Friday for some this year...St Louis got hit by a tornado Friday night that caused quite a bit of damage in Bridgeton and Ferguson. There were a lot of homes and businesses that were destroyed in the area, but thankfully nobody was seriously injured, which is nothing short of a miracle. Lambert Airport was hit pretty bad and was shut down for a couple days while they made the necessary repairs to the building. Here is a short video showing how bad it was at the airport and a few pics my friend Danielle took of her old subdivision in Bridgeton. So glad everyone was okay!

How nobody got hurt when this is what the aftermath looks like, is beyond me! Thank God.

It's hard to see it, but there's a "For Sale" sign in front of this overturned SUV. At least they have a sense of humor!

Zachary's Playground

2011-04-17T16:56:00.001-05:00

We had a picnic lunch (albeit a very windy one!) last week out at Zachary's playground, then spent the afternoon out there playin with Bellz. Doesn't she look ever so cute in yellow? That is her color, man.

They are trying to kill me dead

2011-04-13T07:46:00.000-05:00

It's that time again...5th week of boot camp and they made us run Willott Rd this morning. We have to run up and down the hill (more like MOUNTAIN) 5 times, then we do a bunch of core work at the bottom of the hill and then repeat the whole thing. If you've done the camp before, you run the hill 6 or 7 times instead of 5. Oh and did I mention I ran 3.5 miles last night, too? Legs...feel....like....jello. This should be an interesting day. I might need someone to carry me to my car after work today. Not sure if I'll be able to walk.

Lunch on Main

2011-04-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

Had lunch with two of my fave girlies today at the Winery of the Little Hills. So nice to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather!

"Don't worry guys, I got my booster seat."

So pretty

Ice cream's always better when it goes up your nose.

What a little ham! Love her :)

Bwuah ha ha ha!

2011-04-03T18:28:00.000-05:00

I flippin LOVE this video. I may have even posted it before, but guess what? You're gettin it again :) If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

Hotshots debut tomorrow!

2011-03-29T20:53:00.000-05:00

We are happy to announce that we will be running a weekly bags tournament on Wednesday nights at Hotshots in Ballwin (off of Manchester). You can register on our website to guarantee a spot, or just show up and take a chance getting in. First come, first serve.

FREE to play and (2) $25 Hotshots gift cards to the winners.

Drink and food specials for all players.

Show up around 8pm and we'll start flinging the bags around 9pm... See ya there!!!!

It's not easy being green

2011-03-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

I was making dinner the other day while Lenny and Bellz went for a short bike ride. Apparently during their ride, Bellz was eating a piece of candy and asked if she could throw the wrapper on the ground with all the other trash she saw. Lenny said, "No, that's littering. You have to throw stuff away in the garbage can, not on the ground." Then she of course asked why all the other trash was laying around, so they had a little talk about how people shouldn't litter and they just get lazy and throw stuff out the window sometimes. She ended the conversation by saying the next time we went for a walk, she wanted to bring a trash bag and pick up all the trash she saw. Quite the little environmentalist, eh?

Umm, she wasn't lyin about pickin up the trash. She wouldn't let it go. So....the South side of Horstmeier Rd in St Peters has now been adopted by Bella Shea Ulanoski. Shouldn't she get like a good samaritan award for this or something?

Savin the world...one piece of trash at a time.

Flying Nun Run

2011-03-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

Realized the other day how much I've been slacking on the the good ol' blog. I guess I never feel like I have anything too important to say, so I haven't been writing anything. I decided I really need to make more of an effort there. So now you will be subjected to lot of boring posts. Lucky you!!! :)

On Saturday, I did the Flying Nun Run at Tower Grove Park with Janine, Val, Angela, and Cheri. It's pretty cool running with people you know as opposed to running all by your lonesome like I'm used to. Wish I could convince Lenny to go running with me, but so far, I haven't had any luck with that. This was J9's first 5K and she did great! I'm so proud of her, she finished in under 34 min which is awesome for her first time! Way to go, J9!!! After the race, J9, Ang, and I went to Rooster for some breakfast and post-race bloody marys. Good times, good times! Think we are all going to sign up for another 5K in May. Wish us luck!

J9, Val, and Ang gearing up for the race.

Val likes to sport her bib on the back of her jacket so it doesn't get in her way when she's running.

Rooster's House Bloody Mary with bleu cheese-stuffed olives. Delish!

The Princess and the Frog(s)

2011-02-22T08:01:00.000-06:00

Lately we've been working with Bella on her nighttime potty training. She still wears pull ups at night and the last couple times she's been here, we've been trying our luck with letting her wear panties to bed. First 3 nights she wet the bed of course, but we still praised her because she was doing such a good job of getting up and going to the potty afterwards. Apparently, when she's at her mom's, she sleeps right through all this. Anyway, this time when she was here, we told her that if she woke up dry she would get a whole dollar and she could go to the dollar store and pick out annnnything her little heart desired. Worked like a charm! The very next night, she was dry. Maybe it was just a fluke. But whatever, she was SOOOO excited to pick out her "prize" last night. And oh, what a prize it was. See for yourself!

Packers baby!

2011-02-10T22:02:00.000-06:00

This post is a lil late, but better late than never, right? We went over to Jim and Val's last week for the superbowl, and I just wanted to post a few pics of the pupcakes that Bellzers and I did for the lil superbowl party we had over at their house. The Packers won btw. WOOT WOOT!

15 minutes (rather, 2 minutes) of fame

2011-01-31T19:08:00.001-06:00

Got an awesome chance to go on Fox 2 with Tim Ezell this morning to plug the MS Charity Tournament we're hosting down at St Louis Sports Center at the end of Feb. Check out Lenny's tv debut!

There is a big storm a'brewin

2011-01-30T16:44:00.000-06:00

Just got back from the most intense grocery run I think we've ever been on. The meteorologists are forecasting another big ice and snow storm that we are supposed to be getting starting tomorrow morning, and I think everyone and their mom was at the grocery store stocking up. Holy smokes! It was insane. The lines were way worse than Christmas! We attempted to go to Sam's first, but as soon as we saw the mile-long checkout lines, we turned around and headed right back out. Crazy. Seems like we've had a ton of snow this year - way more than the average. I don't mind though, I think it's rather pretty. I am, however, so very ready for spring. Want to get outside and start running again so I'll be able to keep up with Janine when she does her first 5K in March! :D

Here are a couple pics from one of the several big snowfalls we've had so far this year:

Lemke Family Cruise 2011

2011-01-23T20:32:00.001-06:00

We just got back from our family cruise on Thursday. We had an absolutely wonderful time together! I am soooo glad my parents are still in good health and were to take our fam on this awesome trip. We had so much fun!

Here are some of my fave memories from the trip:

My dad getting held back by security because he tried to bring a jacknife on board the ship.
"Oh my Gouud! She is sho shy!" - our head waiter Nilesh talking about Bella
The farewell show with comedian Rick Novell. Dude was hilarious!
"This is the worst cruise I've ever been on!" - Carson, while pouting b/c he didn't want to leave the Adventure Ocean kid's club before getting a chance to play silent dodgeball. Bwuah ha ha!
The Stingray and snorkeling excursion we all did together. The water in Grand Cayman was stunning, and even MORE beautiful in Cozumel. Something everyone should experience for sure.
Bellz being so excited to go back to the room each night after dinner to see where her Curious George doll was going to be. (our stateroom attendant would move CG each time he cleaned the room)
The hula hoop girl in the ice dancing show was amazing.
"Gretch, why aren't the wings flapping up and down?" - Bella, while looking out the airplane window
Keith getting a touch of the salmonellies on the flight back home
Looking at the wake from the stern of the ship - nothin but big, blue ocean behind us. That was cool.
Most of all, I loved doing dinner with all 10 of us each night. It's not often that we are ALL together at the same time, and definitely not for 5 nights in a row, so that was a real treat. I love my fam! Every stinkin one of them :)

Our ship - The Navigator of the Seas

View from the stern -one of my favorite spots on the ship

Curious George on a swan towel

Look at that water!!!

Thanks to these fine folks for the memories. Love you both!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T09:52:00.001-06:00

Had a great Christmas this year! We went over to Paul and Linda's on the 23rd and had a slumber party complete with matching jammies for all the girls. lol ;) Woke up the next morning and had our Christmas with them, then enjoyed a nice breakfast around noon. ha. Met my parents, Keith, and Amber at church Christmas Eve and then when we got home, had a movie night and watched Toy Story 3. Not gonna lie, I got a little teary. I love the TS movies! We woke up to a beautiful white Christmas and enjoyed our morning with just the 3 of us. Bella played with all her new toys while I cooked some food, and then we headed over to my parents' later in the afternoon to celebrate with them. Paul, Linda, and Joyce were all able to join us and we were SOOOO glad they could all share the day with us! I heart all of them! Hope everyone had as wonderful of a holiday as we did. Merry Christmas!

Do you lllllove it????

Not quite awake just yet.

Bellz in her Christmas dress and new headband

I had the package turned the wrong way in this pic and you can't really see it, but Carty got me a hair highlighting kit for Xmas. Bwuah ha ha! Have I mentioned I LOVE this kid?!?! How flippin cute is that?

P.S. This whole blog post was typed using my new laptop! Fave Christmas gift this yr. Thanks Leo!!! :)

New family tradition?!

2010-12-05T20:24:00.000-06:00

Awesome day today! Lenny, Bellz, and I went out to Pea Ridge this morning to cut down our own Christmas tree. Although it was a tad chilly, it was so much fun! Think this will be a new family tradition for us. We decided we would buy an ornament from there every year, too. We found the perfect one for this year that was a bride and a groom :) When we got home, we decorated the tree and then we put together a gingerbread house with Bellz after dinner. Here are some pics from the day.

We actually have two trees up this year. I have my pretty tree up in the living room and then we put our family tree downstairs in our family room. We get the best of both worlds!

StLouisBags 4 life

2010-11-30T16:22:00.000-06:00

Not too much to report lately, so you get a StLouisBags update. :) We had another tourney this past weekend at Overland Community Center and it was our 2nd largest turnout so far. We had a total of 21 teams that played. Woot woot! Thank you to everyone who participated.

Tomorrow we start promoting our league nights at 6th and Lucas in downtown St. Louis. Every Wednesday in December, we will host a free round robin style tournament beginning at 6pm with a prize for the winning team each week. We hope to spark some interest from the patrons there so that they will join the bags league that officially starts up the first week in January. Come on out tomorrow and play! What have you got to lose?

Old skool recreation

2010-11-10T08:50:00.000-06:00

We took Bellzers roller skating last weekend when she was here. She talks about skating quite a bit, so we figured she must do it with her mom a lot, and that proved to be true because she was actually pretty good at it! It was fun for me to visit my old stomping grounds - Great Skate - because we used to frequent that place all the time back when I was a young whippersnapper. I tried to get Lenny to couple skate with me but he wasn't havin it. I even offered to be the backwards skater. Whatevs.

Sorry these pics aren't that great. Need a new camera.

They had these cool little walker type things that help kids learn how to skate, so of course when Bella saw all the other kids with theirs, she wanted one too, even though she was doing fine without it.

October fun

2010-10-26T19:11:00.000-05:00

Fire pit at mom and dads!

Thies Pumpkin Farm 10/23/10

I was going to use this pumpkin at our day after bridal session with Nikki, but I didn't get it carved in time :(

RIverboating

2010-10-12T19:35:00.000-05:00

We took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went boating on the river with the 'rents on Sunday afternoon. As we always do in the fall, we headed up to Pere Marquette and ate lunch at the lodge, then took a hike up the trail to the scenic overlook - only, we didn't make it quite to the top of the hill to see the overlook. Still a pretty good hike though. Awesome day!

Yes, she really did drive the boat.

She thought driving the boat was a piece of cake, so we let her try her hand at driving the car, too. She actually did an awesome job of maneuvering around the other cars in the parking lot. Crazy!

All the madness is....over?!?! :(

2010-10-04T19:58:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe the wedding has come and gone. It's so weird how you are rushing around trying to get all these last minute things done and having appointments left and right, and then it's all over in the blink of an eye! Although part of me misses all the hustle and bustle of everything, I'm digging the whole being able to come home after work and just relax thing. I had forgotten what that was like!

Lenny and I have lived together for almost 2 years now, and several people have asked me if it feels any different now that we are married. The answer is yes, it does feel different. Totally. It's official now. I am his and he is mine. And I LOVE it. I find myself just staring at him and I get this stupid grin on my face and he's like "What?" and all I can say is "Dude, you are my HUSBAND." Guess you could say I am still on cloud nine :) Lovin life right now! I thank God every day for leading me to this wonderful man.

Me and the hubbs on our honeymoon in Punta Cana

The Final Countdown - 2

2010-09-15T10:05:00.002-05:00

Chuckin up the dueces

The Final Countdown - 3

2010-09-14T19:34:00.000-05:00

The Final Countdown - 4

2010-09-13T18:54:00.000-05:00

Zen garden on my desk at work. I had to re-rake it several times today to relieve some stress... lol

The Final Countdown - 5

2010-09-12T12:46:00.000-05:00

The Final Countdown - 6

2010-09-11T20:36:00.000-05:00

The Final Countdown - 7

2010-09-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

We stopped at the Bux on the way to apply for our marriage license this morning. How they got "Wayne" out of "Lenny" is still a mystery to us. Was good for a laugh tho :)

The Final Countdown - 8

2010-09-09T17:55:00.000-05:00

The Final Countdown - 9

2010-09-08T07:17:00.000-05:00

This is the bag and one of the several nighties I got from Jen and her mom at my bachelorette party!

It's the final countdown - 10

2010-09-07T20:30:00.001-05:00

I am going to attempt to post a pic every day from now til the wedding counting down the days we have left to go til we get hitched. Got this idea from a friend on FB and I thought it was really cool! You may have to search for it, but the number will be in there somewhere. This one is not hard. Here we go:

BFF's

2010-08-24T22:55:00.001-05:00

Over the summer, Bella started hanging out more and more with our next door neighbor, Kyra. She's a year older than Bellz and they get along great - they are forever playing out in the front yard together or drawing with chalk on the driveway, or else they are up in Bella's room playing dolls or "doing their makeup" at Bella's Little Tykes vanity. Lenny and I enjoy seeing Bella interacting with another kid her age since we don't get to see that too often, so we encourage the interaction whenever we can.

Since Saturday was Bella's last day here for the next few weeks, it was dubbed "Ulanoski Family Day" and we were supposed to spend the entire day just with her. However, as soon as she woke up, she was outside playing with Kyra. They started out the day with a picnic of french toast and eggs on the front porch. After breakfast, I went upstairs with Bellz to get her cleaned up and changed into her swimsuit, as we planned on spending the afternoon at the pool with her. While I was upstairs with Bella, Lenny invited Kyra to come along to the pool with us. The girls had an absolute blast together! Cutest thing was that they had matching swimsuits :)

These two are inseperable I tell ya. See for yourself....

Bridal mania!

2010-08-01T09:09:00.001-05:00

Wow, a lot of stuff has gone on since the last time I posted! (which was forever ago, I know). Last weekend, we took a road trip to Wisconsin. A lot of my relatives won't be able to make it down for the wedding in September but they still wanted to celebrate with us, so they threw Lenny and I a little get together up there. Lois and John had rented out the town hall and everyone brought food, so we had a big pot luck. YUMBOS! We had a good turnout! It was great seeing some of my cousins who I hadn't seen in like 5 or 6 years. We played lots of yard games outside (bags, ladder golf, bocce ball, hula hoop) and Bella even had a big group of people (all adults, mind you) doing the hokey pokey, ring around the rosey, and duck duck goose for a while outside too. Good times :)

This week was really busy in terms of appointments and wedding stuff - Tuesday Linda and I met with the caterer to go over some stuff, then I had a hair appointment after that. Wednesday, my mom and I went to Weinhardt and reserved all the chairs, linen, china, and silverware we will need for the wedding. Thursday Bella and I had a date with Amy (who has been in town for a couple weeks), Nikki, and Aidan. We went to Dave and Busters and the kids had a great time! I think their fave game was the one where you try to make the coins fall off the ledge. Aidan seemed to be a pro at that for some reason. Maybe he will grow up to be a professional gambler or something?! ha. Friday, Lenny, Bellz, and I had a dinner date with Paul and Linda. To round out the week, I had my bridal shower yesterday at Linda's house! It was hosted by Lenny's sister Katie, and I was blown away by how awesome of a job she did with everything. It was A-MAZ-ING, right down to the sand volleyball court cake she had ordered! So cool! I got the motherload of gifts at the shower, and I'm feeling extremely thankful and blessed today thinking about all the people who showed up to celebrate with me. I don't think they realize it, but it meant the world to me to have every single one of them there. *sigh*

6 more weeks to go!!! I am loving life right now! :)

Wisconsin get together pics:

Carson showing off some card tricks

Sally must have said something really interesting...

The Lenster and I posing with Bridal Barbie

Poodle in the clouds - isn't that crazy?

Ya do the hokey pokey and ya turn yourself around...

There are no words to describe this one

Bridal shower at Linda's house:

Check out the motherload of gifts!

Thank you to the hostess(es)! Love you guys.

Bags concept is a winner

2010-07-11T21:03:00.001-05:00

Well, our first bags tourney is now behind us and I'm happy to report it was quite a success, despite the crazy situation we had to work through. Unbeknownst to us, Wildcards had an expired liquor license and had already been warned by the police that they were not allowed to serve alcohol until they got the liquor license up to date. Obviously Wildcards did not inform of us this situation, otherwise we never would have hosted the tournament there!We were pretty ticked when the cops showed up and shut the bar down. They did let us finish the tournament, we just couldn't serve any more drinks. Had this of happened earlier in the day, it would have been a major disaster but in all reality we actually lucked out because a lot of people were already out of the tourney anyway and were just hanging out by that point. Everyone still had a really good time. We got a lot of good feedback and learned a lot from this first tourney, so we only hope to make the next one better!

Thanks to everybody that came out!

Girls day at the zoo!

2010-07-04T10:35:00.001-05:00

I was off work Friday, and Janine and I took the girls to the zoo. Surprisingly, they were both good all day long! I thought they might get cranky from walking around in the heat, but they both seemed to really enjoy the day. We got some great pics of those two! Bellz is SUCH a good helper, she was trying to feed Kendall and push her stroller around all day. Aww :)

Yes, we are still alive

2010-06-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

Well ello friends! I know, I know. It's been a while...

For those of you who have been asking, the wedding plans are going well. Less than 3 months to go and then I'm gonna be a Ulanoski. :) Our invitations came in the other day and I love them - I think they look way better in person than they did online. Score! They don't know it yet, but I'm going to recruit my mom, Linda, and Janine to help me assemble those in the near future. Oh the joys of being a MOB, MOG, or MOH - you get to help out with all the fun stuff! Hee hee. We are also in the process of booking our dj (FINALLY), and Linda and I met with our caterer yesterday to start tackling the menu for the reception. This morning, we are going to the post office to apply for our passports. We are going up to Wisconsin the 3rd week of July for a makeshift reception all my rellies want to throw us, and I've got a shower planned at the end of July so I'm looking forward to both of those as well. It's all coming together now!

Keith and Amber were here this past week to housesit for my parents while they were in Austria/Switzerland/Germany. I have to pick my mom and dad up from the airport later this afternoon and I can't wait to hear all about their trip and see all their pics! Anyway, K and A brought their new puppy Kami with them and she is just a riot! A bit rambunctious, but she's a puppy so that's to be expected. We told them they should start taking bike rides and making her run along side them to burn off some of that energy. Lol

Janine and Kendall came over to see Kami, and as soon as J9 opened her door to get out, Kami jumped right in and plopped down on the floorboard. I'm thinking she likes car rides.

Bella was helpin Kendall get her shoes on when it was time to leave. Cute!

Come out and join us!

2010-06-16T21:33:00.001-05:00

Lenny, AKA Bob Vila

2010-06-06T19:25:00.000-05:00

If you hadn't already heard, Lenny has come up with a new business venture...he wants to start a bags league in St. Louis. As in, bean bags. Some people call it cornhole. You throw bean bags at this board and try to get the bag in the hole. It's a really hard concept. lol. Anywho, we are kicking off the league by hosting a bags tourney at Wildcards next month, (more details on the tourney coming soon!) and the first order of business is to build these boards. Now all y'all know Lenny isn't all that handy when it comes to tools, so when he came home with a table saw, a circular saw, a router (?) and some sanding thing, I thought for sure he would be missing a limb by the end of the weekend. I'm happy to report all limbs and digits are currently in tact! He's already got quite a few pieces of wood cut and one whole set put together, and I have to say it looks a lot better than I expected, especially since he has never used any of these tools before. Way to go Bob, er...I mean Len!

The makeshift workshop

Memorial Day BBQ

2010-05-31T05:55:00.003-05:00

Memorial Day weekend wouldn't be Memorial Day weekend without a little fun in the sun and and some BBQ. We did both Sunday afternoon out at Jason and Janine's house. Erika, Matt, and Molly were also in town from KC so it was nice to be able to visit with them as well. I think all the girls had a good time playing together. What a good way to kickoff the summer!

Love the look on Molly's face here. She was making that face for like 10 min straight. SO CUTE! :)

Yeah, I'm cool with my shades on!

"Oh look at me, I'm all that b/c I can bounce a ball on a bat!"

Sunday's 5K Results

2010-05-25T06:57:00.000-05:00

I subjected myself to another 5K this weekend - this one benefitting the St Louis Zoo. Considering we have run maybe ONCE since the last 5K, and this course was much hillier than the last one, I think we all did a great job. Once again, my goal was to run the entire thing, and I actually did it this time! There were several times where I wanted to take a break and walk for a minute to catch my breath, but I kept pushing myself and before you know it, I saw the finish line up ahead and then was able to sprint towards it. My official time for this one was 29:27, with an average pace of 9:22 per mile. Yay! Can't wait for the next one! In the words of Janine, I may be becoming a bit of a "fitness fanatic." Lol

Back from Florida

2010-05-22T09:14:00.000-05:00

Well here I am, back in dumb ol' Missouri...or should I say Misery? Lol. I usually love the STL, but after being at the beach in FL and enjoying the beautiful weather down there, it is sooooo hard to come back to the sight of the Muddy Mississippi and the thought of going back to work. Such is life I guess. *sigh*

We did have a great trip though. I love my aunties...and my cousins too. :) Here are a few pics:

5K - check!

2010-05-08T21:41:00.001-05:00

When boot camp ended a few weeks ago, Valerie, Cheri, and I wanted to continue some kind of workout routine so that we wouldn't lose everything we had worked towards. We decided to sign up for a 5K and have been meeting in the mornings to train over the past couple of weeks. Val and Cheri had both done 5Ks several times before, but this was a first for me. Today was the big day, and my goal was to run the entire thing (3.1 miles) without having to walk. I came very close to doing it, but I must admit I did end up walking a couple of times. We all finished in under 32 minutes, so I was happy with that. We plan on doing a few more 5Ks over the summer, and our goal for the next one is to finish in under 30. Anyone wanna join us? :)

More E-pics

2010-05-08T21:15:00.001-05:00

Seriously folks...isn't Nikki amazing?

I'd like to check you for ticks

2010-05-04T06:58:00.002-05:00

After rescheduling about 50 times since October, we finally had our engagement session with Nikki last night. We had a lot of fun at the shoot, minus the 3 ticks Lenny found crawling on his jeans. Eeeeuh - just thinking about that gives me the heebie jeebies. If you know me at all, you know ticks are one of my biggest nemeses. Ugh. Any animal that tries to suck blood out of you is just vile (this includes leeches too). I would rather face a million spiders than a handful of ticks. Anyway, we did a lot of pics in the grass and in fields, so it was kind of to be expected. I did okay during the shoot, but had a mild coronary when I got home and found a tick burrowed into my back. Luckily it must not have been there very long, cuz Lenny got it out with no trouble. Oh what people do for some good pics, eh? :)

One of the funniest parts of the shoot was when we were in the vineyards at Chandler Hill Winery, and Nikki had instructed Lenny and I to kiss while she was standing on a chair, shooting from above. All of a sudden she screamed, "AHHHHHH!" I thought she was yelling b/c our make out session was so hot, so I got into it a lil more. When we finally opened our eyes, we realized she was yelling b/c the chair she was standing on had sunken down into the ground and she was about to fall over. lol

Here is a sneak peek from our shoot - more to come soon on Nikki's blog. Make sure to check it out! Nicole Welch Photography

Thanks for a great shoot N! You are amazing :)