Holiday Inn Waterpark...

To celebrate February birthdays, the Nagelkirk clan headed to the Holiday Inn Waterpark for a weekend of fun in the water and relaxing with each other.  The boys loved playing in the water and the slide was a family favorite...I think the older "boys" liked it best!  It was definitely a nice break from the winter weather.

Big Brother Snow Storm...

This winter has been pretty mild, but we finally got our big snow that Joel had been waiting for!  Warnings of blizzard-like weather were all over the news for days preparing people for what was to come.  Joel's favorite newscaster, Peter Chan, referred to it as "Big Brother" which we thought was pretty funny! 

ICCF announced that no matter how bad the snow was we would not be canceling work...boo!  We have been trying to save as much of my vacation time as possible for the end of my pregnancy so I stayed in GR at Alison's house so I would be able to easily make it to work in the morning.  I woke in the morning to tons of snow...I think we got 17 inches in 24 hours!  I have never seen snow so thick on the roads.  At 7:30am I only passed 5 vehicles...4 snowplows and 1 car that was stuck.  Most roads were not even plowed and the ones that were only had 1 lane plowed....very interesting!  Only a few people even made it into work, but on a positive note I got a lot done!  I was able to return home on Wednesday night and relax with Joel who had a snow day and then realized later on in the night that he would get another one the following day as well...a much needed break for him.  Joel doesn't just relax on his days off though...he cleaned the house, snowplowed the driveway, cleaned up the baby's room and did the dishes! 

Reed's Lake Hockey Tournament...

Alison played in a Hockey Tournament at Reed's Lake this weekend so we all bundled up to go out and watch.  It was so nice to be outside and enjoy the fresh air...I think it was the 1st time I have been outside (besides just to get to my car) in close to 4 months!  It is a little challenging to do outside activities when you don't have a coat that zips up over your belly! 

There were 4 little rinks made on the lake and spectators were able to stand out on the ice to watch!  Alison and her sister did a great job...Joseph distracted us a little bit, but we still managed to see some of the game!  He is just so cute!  Joel and Joseph are best buddies so I don't really get much attention from Joseph!

28 weeks...Eggplant

28 weeks already and still feeling great! 

This past month we really started to kick in the preparation for the baby...

Jodie and Wally helped me conquer registering!!  It was so helpful and fun to have them along to point me in the right direction and steer me away from the crazy things that I really don't need.  Those baby stores can be a little overwhelming!

Another Craig List buy this month...a brand new Boppy still in the package with a cute soft pink cover on it!  The cover is removable if it is a boy so no fret!  I also got my clothe diapers!  They are so cute!  I ordered all different colors...some pink just in case!  Joel thinks they are cute too, but wonders how cute they will look after the 1st blow out!

We heard reading books to the baby was a good idea because they can recognize our voices and it can stimulate their brain.  I love children's books and have a large collection of them already so it has been nice to be able to put them to good use!  So far it's favorites (measured by kicking) are "Daddy Cuddles" and "The Hungry Caterpillar"!

This month I had my 1st semi-scary incident.  After getting a glass of water from the kitchen at work, I tripped coming up the steps and was not able to catch myself so I landed right on my belly!  I was a little nervous at 1st, but the baby continued to be active and my mom said that was a good sign that everything was fine.  Joel was a little freaked out too so I am now being much more careful...always using the railings.

Matt and Lori had their baby boy...Owen James on Tuesday, January 18!!!  He is so precious and we are so excited for them!  Visiting them at the hospital was an eye opener...this will be us in a little over 2 months!  We both felt a little emotional thinking about the birth of our baby...it will be a very special day!

24 weeks...Papaya!

The time is truly flying by!  The baby is moving all the time now and Joel is able to feel it and see my stomach moving.  Due to the shyness of the baby during the 1st ultra sound we were able to get a 2nd one at our 24 week appointment.  The baby looked so much bigger and we were able to see things much more clearly.  It has the roundest little (or should I say not so little) belly.  The ultra sound tech said that since it was so large it was making the baby measure farther along than 24 weeks.  At our 1st ultra sound we were measuring 5 days ahead of schedule and at this ultra sound we were measuring 8 days ahead of schedule.  Not enough to change the due date officially but we should maybe be prepared!

Actually was taken in week 26..we are busy!

Still a higher heart rate...a girl?!?!

Christmas was good to the baby...bad to mommy!  I doubled my weight gain this past month!  The all day buffet at my parents' house I'm sure didn't help!  8 lbs in 1 month...making my total be 16lbs!  My nurse said it was a good thing...I will trust her! 

Over Christmas break the terrible happened...I got sick!  I tried taking the medicine that I am authorized to take but after 5 days it hadn't brought any relief!  After 2 nights of literally no sleep (I watched a lot of tv!) I headed to the doctor where they prescribed me cough medicine with codeine and an antibiotic.  They tested me for a variety of things, but couldn't figure out what was wrong!  I just had a perpetual tickle in my throat that made me cough so hard that I would almost throw up and on several occasions pee my pants!  Peeing your pants is already something likely to happen just because you are pregnant, but adding a forceful cough to it only makes it happen that much more frequently!  I told Joel this is what he has to look forward to if we are blessed with old age together!  It was kind of annoying but provided many good laughs!

I haven't really bought a whole lot for the baby yet because I wanted to see what I get at my shower and we don't know the gender so that rules out most clothes as well.  My mom, on the other hand, has provided us with a good start on some of the essentials for the baby and took me shopping at Once Upon a Child to pick up a few outfits for either sex so I can be semi-prepared for the 1st week.  I love the little outfits so much!  Joel laughs at me because I like to look at them and lay them on my belly, but I know that he secretly can't wait for there to be a baby in them!  I also scored some great Craiglist items too this month!  From 1 family I got a jogging stroller, baby Bjorn (front carrier), a hiking backpack child carrier, several Baby Einstein DVDs, some clothes and some toys for the low price of $100! These aren't essentials for a baby but fun stuff that we will enjoy having!

Christmas is the time...

The holidays are here and gone!  It is something you anticipate and plan for weeks in advance and then it just flies past you and you are sad that it is done!  This Christmas was a wonderful time spent with family, relaxing with Joel and preparing for the arrival of our baby!

Christmas Eve was spent with Joel's family.  We had a relaxing evening eating mom's famous Christmas Stromboli, opening gifts and assembling all of the boy's new toys...toy assembly has become so complicated!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then headed to the Lambert side on Christmas day.  Mom way out did herself with the food...I don't think I will have to eat again until the New Year! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad read us the Christmas Story while the boys placed the figurines in their right place when they entered the story.

 

I see a theme when the nephews are around Joel...there is always a jam pile and horse rides!

Lots of fun gifts to open...Thomas the Train and dinosaurs were the big hits!