We are at 8 weeks and doing great! I went shopping with my mom for maternity clothes yesterday! I am not to the point yet where I can wear them, but we were excited to get a few things so when the tme comes I have some options. I wore the bump to see what the clothes are going to look like in a few months which seemed so surreal. I put the bump on upside down...who knew it had a right side up! I was most excited that Old Navy has maternity wife beaters!!!! Anyone who knows me knows that I wear one every day, when I am working out and one to bed at night! They are the perfect clothing item...they can be dressy, comfy, sporty or PJs!!
I feel like my stomach is getting bigger, but my mom says I am probably just bloated! I am noticing that I also am getting a little more emotional than normal and Joel says maybe a little moody at times! He already is wondering when I will go "back to normal"...it might be a long 7 months! I have noticed lately that certain smells make me feel nauseous...McDonald's breakfast and hotdogs do not smell good to me at all...yuck!
I am excited that Fall is here and the weather is starting to cool off. I feel much more comfortable in sweaters than in tight short sleeved shirts! We are so excited to see what the following weeks will bring us. We have a nurse consultation coming up and are hoping they will schedule the heartbeat appointment soon! We are anxious to hear it and then tell the world we are having a baby!
September 30, 2010
"Labor" Day...
We thought it was fitting to tell our families about our upcoming bundle of joy over Labor Day weekend! We had Joel's family over on Sunday night for a BBQ. After the main meal I went inside to get dessert and came out with a shirt that said "What's Kickin'?" with little baby feet on it. Amanda immediately started to freak out! Everyone thought that Amanda was super excited about the dessert I was bringing out! I had to point out my shirt and announce that we were having a baby! Everyone was super excited for us!
We headed up to the cottage on Monday to help take everything out of the water AND to share our news! I had the shirt on under my sweatshirt, but there really wasn't a time to take it off. Joel and I were exchanging looks trying to figure out what we were going to do and when I looked up Kelly was looking suspiciously at us so I just announced it right then and there! Everyone was screaming and hugging us! Lucas and Tyson were scared with all the commotion and hiding in the other room looking at us funny! Kelly just kept jumping up and down saying "I am going to be an aunt! Josh...you are going to be an uncle!" It was so funny! The rest of the day we discussed all things baby and I got all of my questions answered!
It is so awesome to be able to share this with our families now. We are terrible secret keepers!
We headed up to the cottage on Monday to help take everything out of the water AND to share our news! I had the shirt on under my sweatshirt, but there really wasn't a time to take it off. Joel and I were exchanging looks trying to figure out what we were going to do and when I looked up Kelly was looking suspiciously at us so I just announced it right then and there! Everyone was screaming and hugging us! Lucas and Tyson were scared with all the commotion and hiding in the other room looking at us funny! Kelly just kept jumping up and down saying "I am going to be an aunt! Josh...you are going to be an uncle!" It was so funny! The rest of the day we discussed all things baby and I got all of my questions answered!
It is so awesome to be able to share this with our families now. We are terrible secret keepers!
Summer Co-Ed Softball...
We decided to try something new this summer and joined the Engedi Co-Ed Softball team. Our team was a random combination of men, women, young, older, experienced and less talented folks. We had a few practices at the beginning of the season and we all worked well together and it appeared as if we would actually be competitive. As we went through the season we proved to be a great team and had a lot of fun!
We made it to the tournaments, but lost the game right before the championship game! So...I think that made us be in 3rd place! Not bad!
We made it to the tournaments, but lost the game right before the championship game! So...I think that made us be in 3rd place! Not bad!
Garden Boxes...
I had been dropping "subtle" hints to Joel that I wanted a garden! I felt torn about it though because I knew it would take up some of the space in his beautiful yard that he worked so hard on. He finally caved, though, and built me some raised boxes so I could try my hand at a few plants. They ended up looking awesome and were the perfect size for my 1st garden!
I planted a variety of strawberry plants in 1 box and then vegetables in the other...corn, tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red pepper, zuchinni and jalapeno pepper. Last summer I planted some raspberry bushes in part of our landscaping so those were ready to produce this year as well! As the summer progressed it was so amazing to see the plants starting to grow and produce actual food! Every day I would race home from work to check to see what happened in the garden!
1. Raspberry bushes are awesome and produce a ton of berries! Unfortunately Japanese Beetle like to munch on their leaves. After some research, though, I learned you can drown them in a bucket of soapy water. Problem solved!
2. We have rabbits! I barely ever see them but they are there and they like the leaves on my red peppers, green peppers and jalapeno peppers. They killed all of my pepper plants! Next year I will need to put a fence around it and use my new secret weapon...human hair! Our neighbor, Frank the Barber, is my hair supplier and it seems to work.
3. Birds like strawberries! Who knew? The fence is useless against them! Next year I will have to put a net over the top or put shiny spinning items in the box to scare them away. Joel thinks all of this is so crazy! I think it is fun! We didn't get many strawberries this year but we are hoping next year we will be reaping a great harvest!
4. My zuchinni plant was in hybernation for the whole summer...then just when I had given up on it it started to produce mass quantities of zuchinni! So exciting!
5. Tomatoe plants get really big and produce a ton of tomatoes. We (along with Joel's mom) really enjoyed the grape tomatoes. We probably had 250 of them off of 1 plant!
6. Pickling Cucumbers are for making pickles! I know that seems obvious, but for some reason it didn't click with me when I was buying them. I tried eating them but they were so seedy and didn't really cut it.
All in all I loved gardening and am excited to use what I learned this year to make next year's garden even better!
I planted a variety of strawberry plants in 1 box and then vegetables in the other...corn, tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red pepper, zuchinni and jalapeno pepper. Last summer I planted some raspberry bushes in part of our landscaping so those were ready to produce this year as well! As the summer progressed it was so amazing to see the plants starting to grow and produce actual food! Every day I would race home from work to check to see what happened in the garden!
1. Raspberry bushes are awesome and produce a ton of berries! Unfortunately Japanese Beetle like to munch on their leaves. After some research, though, I learned you can drown them in a bucket of soapy water. Problem solved!
2. We have rabbits! I barely ever see them but they are there and they like the leaves on my red peppers, green peppers and jalapeno peppers. They killed all of my pepper plants! Next year I will need to put a fence around it and use my new secret weapon...human hair! Our neighbor, Frank the Barber, is my hair supplier and it seems to work.
3. Birds like strawberries! Who knew? The fence is useless against them! Next year I will have to put a net over the top or put shiny spinning items in the box to scare them away. Joel thinks all of this is so crazy! I think it is fun! We didn't get many strawberries this year but we are hoping next year we will be reaping a great harvest!
4. My zuchinni plant was in hybernation for the whole summer...then just when I had given up on it it started to produce mass quantities of zuchinni! So exciting!
5. Tomatoe plants get really big and produce a ton of tomatoes. We (along with Joel's mom) really enjoyed the grape tomatoes. We probably had 250 of them off of 1 plant!
6. Pickling Cucumbers are for making pickles! I know that seems obvious, but for some reason it didn't click with me when I was buying them. I tried eating them but they were so seedy and didn't really cut it.
All in all I loved gardening and am excited to use what I learned this year to make next year's garden even better!
September 29, 2010
Spilled the beans...
We had a BBQ with Gritters and Kuipers and sat out on the porch all night eating great food, sharing stories about life and marriage, laughing, talking about babies (Jodie is due in March and Lori is due in January) and watching the boys toasting with the Brandy that was left at the Gritter's rental. Joel and I had discussed on the way there that we would not announce that we were pregnant...we hadn't even told our families yet! After hours of talking about babies, birth and pregnancy issues Joel and I exchanged a look and that was it! Joel threw his hands down on the table quite dramatically which scared everyone! Then he announced that we were having a baby too! Everyone jumped out of their seats with arms in the air and much screaming and laughing followed! It was hilarious and a moment I won't soon forget! I even think a few people peed their pants! It was such a great night already and sharing our exciting news with such great friends made it even better! I am looking forward to going through this journey with Jodie and Lori and having our kids grow up together!
6 weeks...1/2 of a pea
It has been 1 week since we have known we are pregnant and we still have not told anyone...it is so hard! We have seen both sides of our family and several friends so far but are trying to wait until closer to 8-10 weeks if we can wait!
So far I am feeling pretty well. A little nauseated at times but definitely nothing too terrible. I have had some "lazy days" as well where I just feel like laying down and sleeping. It has been challenging for Joel to not have as energetic of a playmate anymore. He convinced me to go for a bike ride (25 miles) with him on Sunday (he used Qdoba to persuade me to go), but it ended up being a much slower ride than usual. I think 12 miles will now be my biking maximum for a while!
What I enjoy eating most...popsicles and fresh fruit
What I don't want to eat...cheese! Of all things...my favorite food!
How I can tell that I am pregnant...peeing in the middle of the night. I have never had that before.
How my body is changing...a little bit of a bulge in my stomach and lots of zits! My stomach is probably only noticeable to me, but it makes me paranoid that people will notice before I even say I am pregnant!
Favorite book...What to Expect When You Are Expecting
Joel is so funny...he is loving doing research on what I should be feeling and what is happening with the baby. He is also enjoying picking out potential baby names. Our lists have a few names in common...this might be easier than we thought!
So far I am feeling pretty well. A little nauseated at times but definitely nothing too terrible. I have had some "lazy days" as well where I just feel like laying down and sleeping. It has been challenging for Joel to not have as energetic of a playmate anymore. He convinced me to go for a bike ride (25 miles) with him on Sunday (he used Qdoba to persuade me to go), but it ended up being a much slower ride than usual. I think 12 miles will now be my biking maximum for a while!
What I enjoy eating most...popsicles and fresh fruit
What I don't want to eat...cheese! Of all things...my favorite food!
How I can tell that I am pregnant...peeing in the middle of the night. I have never had that before.
How my body is changing...a little bit of a bulge in my stomach and lots of zits! My stomach is probably only noticeable to me, but it makes me paranoid that people will notice before I even say I am pregnant!
Favorite book...What to Expect When You Are Expecting
Joel is so funny...he is loving doing research on what I should be feeling and what is happening with the baby. He is also enjoying picking out potential baby names. Our lists have a few names in common...this might be easier than we thought!
Is it true? Can it be? A grain of rice?
Well, Joel and I decided that we are ready to expand our family and I don't mean with a pet! We want to have a baby! After 1 month of trying we think it happened! On Friday, August 13 we went out and bought Pregnancy tests...who knew there were so many options! We were trying to be secretive about it because this is Zeeland and Joel knows everyone! After picking out the perfect test we go to check out. Our friendly and helpful cashier (teenage boy) informs us that the couple in front of us just bought a pregnancy test and theirs had a coupon on the package for $1 off! Is he supposed to tell us about what other customers are buying?!?! Well, I couldn't pass up a deal so we swapped ours out for the one with the coupon!
Once home we carefully read the instructions and followed them to a "T". 3 minutes passed and low and behold there was a very faint pink line. Is that it?!?! Does that mean we are pregnant? Neither one of us was really convinced, but secretly hoping it was true.
Days passed and we still weren't sure so we decided to take another one to be sure. The results?!?! No line! Not even a faint one! We were crushed! These tests can toy with your emotions!
Luckily I had a doctor's appointment (Pre-pregnancy Consultation) already scheduled for Thursday, August 19th so we could get some questions answered! At the appointment I shared our Pregnancy Test experience and she said she could just run a test for me while I was there. I had already gone to the bathroom before I left, but I was able to squeeze a little out. 5 minutes later she returned to let me know that the test was positive! We are pregnant!!!!! I was super excited and couldn't wait to tell Joel!
So, our Pre-pregnancy appointment became a Pregnancy Consultation! We got the Pregnancy Bible, "What to Expect When You are Expecting", and she answered all of the questions I had. My due date is April 18, 2011 and I am already 5 weeks along! We learned that the baby is the size of a grain of rice at this point! So amazing!
I met Joel so we could ride into Grand Rapids together and told him the amazing news! I think he was in shock and did not expect me to say that at all! I know he was excited though because I saw a tear in his eye! It was fun to have the ride to chat over names, new budgets, what i would feel like, etc.
We have already had our 1st pregnancy prophecy! Aimee Rice's son, Owen, announced at dinner the night before our doctor's appointment to Aimee and Luke that Stacey was having a baby girl! Aimee asked him what Stacey he was talking about and he said Stacey that Aimee went to school with! Aimee text me to ask if I had something to share and I said "no" but I wanted to say "YES! Owen is a prophet!". I can't wait to tell her that Owen was right. So...does that mean we are having a girl? I am thinking maybe...Owen knew we were pregnant before we even did! We will have to wait and see!
Once home we carefully read the instructions and followed them to a "T". 3 minutes passed and low and behold there was a very faint pink line. Is that it?!?! Does that mean we are pregnant? Neither one of us was really convinced, but secretly hoping it was true.
 | ||||||
| What do you think? |
Days passed and we still weren't sure so we decided to take another one to be sure. The results?!?! No line! Not even a faint one! We were crushed! These tests can toy with your emotions!
Luckily I had a doctor's appointment (Pre-pregnancy Consultation) already scheduled for Thursday, August 19th so we could get some questions answered! At the appointment I shared our Pregnancy Test experience and she said she could just run a test for me while I was there. I had already gone to the bathroom before I left, but I was able to squeeze a little out. 5 minutes later she returned to let me know that the test was positive! We are pregnant!!!!! I was super excited and couldn't wait to tell Joel!
 |
| Much more obvious! |
I met Joel so we could ride into Grand Rapids together and told him the amazing news! I think he was in shock and did not expect me to say that at all! I know he was excited though because I saw a tear in his eye! It was fun to have the ride to chat over names, new budgets, what i would feel like, etc.
We have already had our 1st pregnancy prophecy! Aimee Rice's son, Owen, announced at dinner the night before our doctor's appointment to Aimee and Luke that Stacey was having a baby girl! Aimee asked him what Stacey he was talking about and he said Stacey that Aimee went to school with! Aimee text me to ask if I had something to share and I said "no" but I wanted to say "YES! Owen is a prophet!". I can't wait to tell her that Owen was right. So...does that mean we are having a girl? I am thinking maybe...Owen knew we were pregnant before we even did! We will have to wait and see!
Pure Michigan...North Manitou Island
Sometimes you just need to get away and connect with each other and God's creation. I don't think there is a better place to do that than at North Manitou Island. After work on Friday we threw our camping stuff in the back of the car, made last minute stops for supplies (and some Qdoba...no vacation is complete without a stop to the Q first!) and were off to Cadillac!
We spent the night at a "nice" place...employees smoking at the front door, woman singing karaoke by herself in an empty bar, Ramen Noodles in our bed and a shower that barely trickled water! We woke up to rain showers, but were hopeful that they would end before we got to the boat. We arrived on time at the docks, quickly packed our backpacks and were off to the island! We got to ride on the top of the boat and see the great views of the island, and meet an interesting girl who was doing a fruit and nut week long solo camp experience.
Upon arriving at the island we were given instructions by the rangers and were off to find our perfect spot. We had an idea of where we were headed due to some guidance from the rangers, but we were swayed by hikers we passed along the way and pressed on to the "perfect" spot.
After hiking for 5 miles we were starving and stopped for a quick lunch...bagels with peanut butter and bananas (note: bananas are not a good backpacking food!). During lunch conversation it was discovered that I forgot to pack the pasta dinner! We had an "intense fellowship moment", but then realized it wasn't worth discussing because it wasn't going to bring us pasta. So we rationed our snacks throughout the trip and made it work!
After 3 more miles and an exhausted feeling setting in we headed to Johnson's Place and found an awesome spot nestled in the woods with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. The chipmunks are some sneaky little critters so we had to keep all of our food and bathroom supplies high up in the trees so they wouldn't get to it.
North Manitou Island does not permit fires so that didn't leave many options for night time activities. So we set up our sheet on the beach and spent the night reading, watching the sun set and entertaining ourselves with the self-timer on the camera!
We spent Sunday afternoon exploring the island, enjoying the beach and swimming in crisp Lake Michigan. People used to live on the island back in the late 1800's, but found that the land was too sandy for farming so were forced to leave. We found an old barn which allowed us to imagine what life on the island was like for the families. It seemed a bit like "Little House on the Prairie". There were a ton of snakes on the island so exploring was a little scary for me!
It was crucial that we were on the boat on Monday morning otherwise we would be stranded on the island until Wednesday...we definitely did not have enough food to be there that long! So, we sacrificed our primo spot and headed a little closer to the docks. It was only a 5 mile hike to where we wanted to camp, but after a couple of miles it was apparent we had pushed ourselves too far the day before. We pushed through the pain and mosquitoes and made it to the east side of the island where we camped under a few trees close to the beach.
It was a beautiful night with a great dinner, marshmallows and hot chocolate. When we headed to bed, though, the swarms of mosquitoes threatened to ruin our evening! We quickly got ready for bed, jumped in the tent, killed whatever mosquitoes managed to get in and fell asleep to the buzzing of mosquitoes outside of the tent. We apparently put our tent on top of a mosquito nest!
We woke up on Monday morning to rain! It is never much fun packing up wet stuff, but knowing we had dry stuff waiting in our car made it a little better. We hiked along the beach to the docks where we were 2 hours early! We weren't sure if our phone was picking up Minnesota time or Michigan time...we are never early for anything so it was a nice change! Who was there when we got there?!? The fruit and nut solo girl. She had already ate all of her food, she didn't bring bug spray, a bathing suit or anything to do so she was calling it quits!
The boat ride back was eventful...huge waves, motion sickness and a hungry stomach! I was sure grateful to make it back to land! We found a diner and ate some good lunch, which was much needed. The rest of the ride home was full of stops to get all of the food we had craved for the past few days...ice cream, candy, pop and popcorn!
We spent the night at a "nice" place...employees smoking at the front door, woman singing karaoke by herself in an empty bar, Ramen Noodles in our bed and a shower that barely trickled water! We woke up to rain showers, but were hopeful that they would end before we got to the boat. We arrived on time at the docks, quickly packed our backpacks and were off to the island! We got to ride on the top of the boat and see the great views of the island, and meet an interesting girl who was doing a fruit and nut week long solo camp experience.
Upon arriving at the island we were given instructions by the rangers and were off to find our perfect spot. We had an idea of where we were headed due to some guidance from the rangers, but we were swayed by hikers we passed along the way and pressed on to the "perfect" spot.
After hiking for 5 miles we were starving and stopped for a quick lunch...bagels with peanut butter and bananas (note: bananas are not a good backpacking food!). During lunch conversation it was discovered that I forgot to pack the pasta dinner! We had an "intense fellowship moment", but then realized it wasn't worth discussing because it wasn't going to bring us pasta. So we rationed our snacks throughout the trip and made it work!
After 3 more miles and an exhausted feeling setting in we headed to Johnson's Place and found an awesome spot nestled in the woods with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. The chipmunks are some sneaky little critters so we had to keep all of our food and bathroom supplies high up in the trees so they wouldn't get to it.
North Manitou Island does not permit fires so that didn't leave many options for night time activities. So we set up our sheet on the beach and spent the night reading, watching the sun set and entertaining ourselves with the self-timer on the camera!
We spent Sunday afternoon exploring the island, enjoying the beach and swimming in crisp Lake Michigan. People used to live on the island back in the late 1800's, but found that the land was too sandy for farming so were forced to leave. We found an old barn which allowed us to imagine what life on the island was like for the families. It seemed a bit like "Little House on the Prairie". There were a ton of snakes on the island so exploring was a little scary for me!
It was crucial that we were on the boat on Monday morning otherwise we would be stranded on the island until Wednesday...we definitely did not have enough food to be there that long! So, we sacrificed our primo spot and headed a little closer to the docks. It was only a 5 mile hike to where we wanted to camp, but after a couple of miles it was apparent we had pushed ourselves too far the day before. We pushed through the pain and mosquitoes and made it to the east side of the island where we camped under a few trees close to the beach.
It was a beautiful night with a great dinner, marshmallows and hot chocolate. When we headed to bed, though, the swarms of mosquitoes threatened to ruin our evening! We quickly got ready for bed, jumped in the tent, killed whatever mosquitoes managed to get in and fell asleep to the buzzing of mosquitoes outside of the tent. We apparently put our tent on top of a mosquito nest!
We woke up on Monday morning to rain! It is never much fun packing up wet stuff, but knowing we had dry stuff waiting in our car made it a little better. We hiked along the beach to the docks where we were 2 hours early! We weren't sure if our phone was picking up Minnesota time or Michigan time...we are never early for anything so it was a nice change! Who was there when we got there?!? The fruit and nut solo girl. She had already ate all of her food, she didn't bring bug spray, a bathing suit or anything to do so she was calling it quits!
The boat ride back was eventful...huge waves, motion sickness and a hungry stomach! I was sure grateful to make it back to land! We found a diner and ate some good lunch, which was much needed. The rest of the ride home was full of stops to get all of the food we had craved for the past few days...ice cream, candy, pop and popcorn!
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