Little Baby Z :)

I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but shortly after my last post, I started traveling for work and then we found out we were pregnant! :) So I thought I'd take the time now, since we've recently shared the news with everyone, to update you on our life and the pregnancy. 

So the fall travel season started out normal and I was busy visiting high schools and college fairs. It was the week of October 22nd and I was up in Minnesota for some college fairs. As the week went on, I started feeling sick but really didn't think much of it - I thought I had just picked something up from the road or one of the many high schools I had visited. I wasn't feeling any better and when I went into work on Friday for our Open House I think I made it until about 8:30am before I had to give up and go home because I was so sick. I spent the rest of the day sleeping. That night, it was actually Austin that suggested I take a pregnancy test because it's rare that I get sick for that long. I told him I would take one but I wasn't going to look at the results - he would have to do that. Because in all honesty, we had been trying for a while and I was getting tired of being disappointed by the negative test results. He agreed, so I took the test and left it in the bathroom for him to look at and went back to bed. Three minutes later, Austin came out of the bathroom and said, you might want to look at this. It was positive! :) Even though we had been trying, it was still a bit of a shock to see! But Austin and I were both so excited! 

We both agreed we weren't going to tell anyone right away until after seeing the doctor and such. But the next day, we were suppose to go to Des Moines to help Matt and Amber move into a new apartment. Looking back, I probably should have just sent Austin and stayed home because really I was of no help. When we got there, we told the family I had picked something up on the road and wasn't feeling good. Austin's mom asked (somewhat jokingly) "Are you pregnant?" I laughed it off and said no, that would be much more fun being sick if I was! However, I would soon learn that those words held no truth for me... 

The first thing we did after finding out was to find a new doctor. The doctor we had been seeing was only a family doctor and didn't do deliveries. When I called to ask for a recommendation, the doctor's office really wasn't a lot of help. So I just searched the internet, found an OB-GYN doctor and made an appointment. Well luck was on our side because we absolutely love our doctor. She recently had a baby herself so knows exactly what I'm going through, she explains everything clearly to us, answers all of our questions and is just generally really nice. :) We had our first doctor appointment early November, when I was about 7 weeks along. I really wasn't expecting much from the appointment, mostly just to confirm I was pregnant. So it was a pleasant surprise when we were told we'd get to have an ultrasound! It's true, the little bean didn't look like much, but we could see the flickering of the heart. That made it all very real - to both of us!

7 weeks

After that appointment, we decided we would tell our immediate families at Thanksgiving our wonderful news. We first had Thanksgiving with Austin's family the week before Thanksgiving. For both sets of parents, we bought frames that on one side had a poem about a Little Grandbaby and on the other side we could put an ultrasound picture. We had Austin's mom open up the present and when she realized what it was, there were tears in her eyes. :) The excitement was there in everyone that we were expecting! It was also fun because Amber and Matt were expecting a little one (who would come a week later!!) and so we were happy that our babies would be so close in age and have someone to play with growing up. 
Next it was time to tell my family. We went up to Minnesota the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and by the time we got there, it was fairly late. But everyone was still up and enjoying some drinks and appetizers so we joined in! My dad offered me a glass of wine and so to not give anything away, I accepted but didn't drink any. We actually had another present for my parents that night. In October, they celebrated 30 years of marriage! So Meg, Dan and I put together a photo book of pictures throughout the thirty years and in the back we had messages from family and friends. This was the first time we were all together so we had them open the book first. I think they were pretty amazed by it and impressed at all the work it took. Especially when they got to the messages in the back. My mom made a comment that we'd never be able to top a present like this again! (Little did she know...) After they looked through the book I said that Austin and I had another present for their anniversary and my sister joked about how we were showing them up. My dad was the one to open our present and once he opened it, he looked down at it, looked at us, looked down at the picture again and then up at us and said, "You're going to make me a Grandpa?" And when we said he, he (literally) jumped out of his chair and my mom started crying. I'd say it was a pretty good response. :) Again, everyone was very excited. 

So both sets of parents are very excited to be grandparents, or grandparents again. And in some cases, I would even say they are more excited than Austin and I! As my mom put it, "I think we're more excited for this baby than we were our own because this time we're not scared to death!" :) Point well made, Mom. 

Again, we decided that we wanted to wait until Christmas before telling extended family and that was pretty hard for both sets of parents. :) It was also hard for us! Especially at Thanksgiving with my dad's whole side of the family asking us when we were going to have kids, telling us we need to hurry up and making sure we had an announcement to tell everyone by the time Christmas came around. :) But we managed to make it through without anyone spilling the beans. 

At the beginning of December, we had our second doctor's appointment and again had another ultrasound. This time the baby looked a little bit more like a baby and was even moving around for us. It was pretty cute though - and the doctor agreed - because the little one had it's feet up in the air and ankles crossed. It was definitely just hanging out. :) This time we were also able to hear the heartbeat and that was a magical sound. Again, just reaffirming that this is really happening! 

11 weeks - with ankles crossed in the air :)

11 weeks - just hanging out 

Even though we had seen the baby a couple times and were able to share our excitement with family, this pregnancy was not going easy on me. From six weeks and on, I had horrible morning sickness. And it was not just in the morning, it was an all day battle. I was having a really hard time keeping most foods down and even on some really bad days, even drinking water was difficult. On top of this, I was still struggling to finish all of my high school visits. I was also constantly exhausted. Luckily, my job is pretty flexible and with comp time that I had from traveling, I was able to take days off when I needed it without using up all my sick days. Finally, when Austin was just as sick of me being sick as I probably was, he urged me to call the doctor and see what they could do. I had already tried some over the counter medicine but it wasn't helping. So I got a prescription to help with the nausea and was finally able to eat some food. It didn't make the morning sickness go away completely, but I was able to eat a little bit more. The every day morning sickness though lasted until about week 13 before it finally eased up and by that time I had lost about 20lbs. Luckily though, I was feeling much better as we headed into the holidays at home and was finally able to really eat some "real food" and all my Christmas favorites! :) Although I can tell my stomach has definitely shrunk because I can't eat very much before I get really full but at least I'm able to eat and have an appetite again! And at our most recent doctor's appointment, I was told it was okay to hit the desserts to start putting some of that weight back on. Not something you hear very often from a doctor! :) 

Over the Christmas break, we were able to see most of our extended families (on both sides) and some friends and share our wonderful news with all of them. It was a lot of fun telling everyone each time we did and then answering questions and sharing stories. One of my favorite stories though is probably when we told my Grandparents on my mom's side. We skyped with them on Christmas morning and my dad actually recorded the video of us telling them. I'll share that video with you all when I can. :) 

Our last doctor's appointment was on December 31st and this was just a quick one to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was a strong heartbeat in the 140's but the doctor was laughing because the little nut kept moving around! It looks like the baby already had Daddy's crazy energy! :) It really was the perfect way to end the year. 

And now we're into 2013. Our due date is June 23rd and crazy enough, both Grandpa's also have birthdays in June! So I'd say it's a pretty good month! I'd also say that God's timing is pretty awesome because Austin will be done with school when the baby comes and will be able to be home with me and the baby all summer! Not only will I appreciate all the extra help, I'm sure, but it will be a great family bonding time! Our next appointment is January 22nd and we'll have our anatomy scan then to check and make sure everything is growing the way it should. We have also decided to wait and not find out the sex of the baby until he or she makes an appearance in June. :) 

So life has been great. Things have been busy. And big changes are about to come. Austin and I are making sure we enjoy our lazy weekends of doing nothing and sleeping in as much as possible now before the little one arrives! :) But otherwise, it's life as normal. Austin is entering his busy time of year as he prepares students for solo/group ensemble contest and then large group contest after that. And soon I'll start traveling again with high school visits and college fairs. I'm sure the next six months are going to go by a lot faster than we hope! But I'll try to keep things updated on this blog on how everything is going with our growing family. Thank you all for your support and excitement for our little blessing. We are definitely looking forward to this next chapter in our lives! 

December already?

I've decided it was time for another update blog post. I mean, I know how much you all love these! ;-)

November came and was quickly gone again. Sometimes I can't believe it's already December! But November was still a fairly busy time for us. I was busy finishing up my high school visits and AJ was busy preparing for his all-school talent show. I spent some time up in Minnesota for a friend's baby shower and it was so good to see my high school friends. We always have a great time whenever we can get together! But you can tell we're all getting older as our gatherings now include babies! :)
The all-school talent show went great for AJ and I think he was really pleased with all the acts and how well all of his students did. And then we even had some visitors! Amber and Ariel came over and the three of us (we left AJ at home...) went to go see Breaking Dawn. We've seen the last two Twilight movies together so it's become a fun tradition for us!

And then it was already Thanksgiving! We spent the weekend up in Minnesota with my family. It was great to not only have some time with just our immediate family, but to also spend Thanksgiving day with our extended family as well. And again, you can tell we're all growing up as we now have little ones to entertain us throughout the day. :) AJ especially had fun playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie with them! We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and enjoying our time off from work. We did do some Black Friday shopping - but not until later in the morning! And seeing some other friends while we were home as well. Overall, it was a great weekend! And plenty to be thankful for!

And now it's December! We welcomed December with a bit of snow on the first but nothing that really stuck. And then that first Saturday we had quite a bit of snow! It was one of those really beautiful snowfalls with the big fluffy flakes. Unfortunately, we were in Omaha for the day as I was at work and we had some shopping to do. Luckily though, we didn't run into too many problems on the drive home. Now however, all of snow has melted! And I must admit, I don't like it. I'm a big fan of having a white Christmas! Must be the whole growing up in Minnesota thing... :) But I need to have snow on Christmas. And from what my parents tell me, they don't have any snow back at home either! So here's hoping that we do get another snowfall that sticks - here, in Tipton and in Minnesota! Give me snow! :)

On Dec. 2nd, AJ had his Middle School Winter Concert. The fun part about that is that he had family that came over to surprise him! I knew ahead of time and it was fun to see his surprised face at the concert! His Mom, Grandma, Aunt Lisa and Amber all came for the concert. It was fun to have AJ walk around the corner and see them standing there! We are so blessed to have such amazing family that supports us so much! The concert itself was also amazing! Especially for a middle school concert, the sound was very good. The students were engaged and focused on what they were doing! AJ definitely knows what he's doing. I think his family were very impressed with the quality of concert it was as well, for being a middle school concert.

This past weekend we had some guests come and hang out with us! My friend Amanda and her baby Thor drove down for the weekend! The visit had been a long time coming and we were so happy it finally happened! We had a fun-filled weekend of playing with Thor and getting in some quality clans-people time! :) On Saturday we spent most of the day in Omaha at one of the malls. Amanda wanted to take Thor to see Santa! And the pictures she got were priceless! Definitely worth the 45 minutes we spent waiting in line! We all got some shopping done and ended the day at the Cheesecake Factory - which made my husband very happy! :) On Sunday we all just relaxed and didn't really do much of anything! Although we did give Thor a bath and taught him how to splash... haha They drove back home yesterday (Monday) and it was sad to see them go! We had a lot of fun! And we got a pretty good idea of what it's like to have a baby around 24/7! :) Not quite sure if we're ready for that yet... haha

Our string of visitors didn't stop there however! Yesterday we also welcomed my parents into town! They came down to see AJ's concert last night! It was wonderful of them to drive down and always great to see them! Plus, it was the first time my mom had seen our new apartment! After the concert we all went out for dinner and definitely had a good time! No offense to my sister and brother, but it was nice to spend some quality time with just AJ and my parents. I'm not sure we've really ever gotten the chance to do that. And it was really great. Again, we are truly blessed to have such supportive families! :) And today, before they headed back home to Minnesota, they drove into Omaha to see where I work and walk around UNO's campus! It's always fun to show off the place where I work and tell them about campus! :) I was even treated with a Jones Bros Cupcake before they left! Lucky me! And AJ... we of course bought one for him too!

So, as I mentioned, last night was AJ's High School Winter Concert - and his last concert for the year. The concert was incredible! It's been amazing to see how far the choir has progressed in just one short year! AJ has tripled his choir size and you could definitely tell the difference in the concert last night. Their sound was so good and the level of singing has definitely improved. AJ just has a way with students and knows how to get them to focus on what they're doing and to really put on a great show. The level of one of the songs they did was so impressive - it was a very difficult song - an All-State song, especially for such a young choir like AJ's but they did outstanding! Like I said, they've come a long way in just one year and it'll be exciting to see how Contest will go this spring and what will happen next year! It was a great concert!

I was thinking last night during the concert about when AJ first got offered the job at Riverside. I remember thinking that after he accepted the job, even though I somehow knew it was the right decision, I couldn't imagine leaving Northeast Iowa... I couldn't imagine living in Council Bluffs, in a place that was so foreign and far away from our family and friends. It was hard for me to picture what our life would be like here. But last night, as I watched AJ conduct the choir and watch how the kids responded to him, I can't imagine us being anywhere else right now.
Yes we're far away from our family. But this is where we're suppose to be. I know that without a doubt. This job at Riverside has been the perfect job for AJ. It's allowed him to really build up a program. It's allowed him to start making a name for himself. It's helped him to really develop his teaching skills and styles and to develop the program. We're in a community that has welcomed us with open arms and one that simply adores AJ. I love tagging behind AJ after a concert to listen to all the amazing compliments he receives from parents and members of the community. I love hearing AJ come home and tell me the nice things that the principal said to him that day after observing his class. I love reading emails that AJ gets from mentors or parents that talk about how they've never seen a skill and energy level like his from a second year teacher. I love being able to be so proud of my husband.

Not only has this place been great for AJ and his career, it's also been perfect for mine. I remember having to leave Kruger, a place where I've become comfortable and try to figure out what I was going to do over here. I remember applying for job and job, just trying to find anything. And then I was lucky enough to interview at UNO for the Admissions Counselor position. Getting in to admissions work in higher education is something I've always wanted to do since I graduated. I worked as a student in Wartburg's Admissions Office and loved it! But it can be hard to get into the field without having experience! So I have been so grateful for the opportunity I've been given here at UNO. And I believe that this job has helped me realize that I want to continue my career in higher education. Trying to figure out what I've wanted to do with my life has been a struggle of mine since college. And while I still don't know entirely what I want to do in life, I know I would like to stay within education - specifically higher education. And that's a good feeling.

I know I say this a lot, but God really does know what He's doing. It's just always amazing when you think back over the past year or two and you can see how everything has fallen into place exactly like it's suppose to. Looking back and and then looking at the present, seeing everything is how it's suppose to be, it makes going through those rough patches easier. It's helpful to know that those rough patches are sometimes necessary to make you stronger or to help get you to the place you are now.
Everything just takes time. Time and patience. And that's something that not a lot of us have. God's timeline is much different than ours but His is the one that counts. And it's always good when you can finally see that.

So, I strayed a bit and didn't just keep this an update blog but hopefully that's okay. :) And anyhow... right now I think AJ and I are both looking forward to Christmas break! One thing I love about my job is that we get the week off in between Christmas and New Year's! And since AJ also has a break, this means that we get some extended time with our families!! Which we love!! :) So next week we'll be heading to Tipton for a Zaruba Christmas and then the following week we're driving up to Minnesota for a late Reedstrom Christmas. It should be a great, fun and relaxing time! Now if it would just hurry up and get here! :)

I'm thankful for...

So I know I'm a couple of days late on this post, but really Thanksgiving isn't the only day you can remember all that you're thankful for! So that's what this is post is for! Creating a list of all that I am thankful for and so grateful to be blessed by God! I have so much to be thankful for. So much that I'm not sure I'll even be able to write it all down! :)

I am thankful that Austin and I have a place to call our own. We have a roof over our head. We have a place we can come home to every night and relax. And if I'm being honest here, I'm thankful for my jet whirlpool tub! ;-) We have a kitchen and plenty of food to eat. I am thankful that we always have food and never go hungry. I'm thankful for a husband that will cook for me so I don't go hungry!
I'm thankful that we live in a small town and a great community that has welcomed us with open arms. I'm thankful we have found a church that has always welcomed us in and is eager to help us become more involved in the church and community.

I'm thankful for mine and Austin's good health. I'm thankful we don't have thousands or even hundreds of dollars in medical bills. I'm thankful we're both able to do what we love. I'm thankful we have jobs that we not only love, but pay the bills - especially in a hard economy. I'm thankful that we can pay our bills - even if we don't want to! I'm thankful for co-workers that have made us each feel like we belong.

I'm thankful for my friends. Friends who have made my life better. I'm thankful for old friends and the fact we can still get together, if only a couple times a year, and still be able to pick up like it was only yesterday. I'm thankful for friends with whom I can enjoy an evening of conversation and a bottle of wine. I'm thankful for friends that will always let me stop by their house to see them, even when they know I'm really only there to see my little clans-baby. ;-) I'm thankful for all my friends and for all that they've done for me, for the impact they've made, for the jokes and stories they've share, for the memories they've created.

I'm thankful for my family. My crazy, goofy, lovable family. I'm thankful that they always put up with my nonsense. I'm thankful for all the fun times that we share together. I'm thankful they always welcome Austin and I back home whenever we want. I'm thankful for their support - whether it be financial, physical or emotional. I'm thankful for the way they've raised me throughout the years. I'm thankful for their company. I'm even thankful for their bad jokes. ;-) I'm thankful that no matter what, my family is always there. I'm thankful that we've grown closer as we've grown older. And don't think I'm not also talking about my wonderful in-laws! I'm thankful for having married into such an amazing family and one that has accepted me as their own.

I'm thankful - so thankful - for my incredible husband, Austin. I'm thankful that I have found my soulmate. He is truly my other half. I'm thankful for our two years of marriage. I'm thankful for every day we have to spend together. I'm even thankful for our time apart as it really does make us appreciate our time together even more. I'm thankful I can be my complete goofy self with him and he can do the same. I'm thankful for those lazy Saturdays we spend together. I'm thankful for our crazy road trips. I'm thankful for our fun date nights. I'm thankful for all our good times and all our bad times. I'm thankful we've been able to grow together and learn to love each other even more. I'm thankful that he appreciates me for all that I am and I'm thankful I can do the same to him. I'm thankful for his nerdy, goofy personality. I'm thankful for his passion of music and teaching. I'm thankful for his cooking skills. I'm thankful that he loves me for me. I'm thankful for his desire to always look out and take care of me. I'm thankful to be married to my best friend.

I'm thankful for so much. God has blessed me beyond belief. And I am so grateful.