Bring on the heat!

What a beautiful day it is today! We celebrated my Grandma Wagner's 80th birthday today and it was fun to be able to spend most of it outside in the sunshine!

Oh, and speaking of sunshine, Matt and I are headed to Phoenix, Arizona tomorrow for a little rest and relaxation! I have been craving the sun and heat (and my poor pale skin is in desparate need of a tan!) and I am SOOO excited to be heading towards some! It was 85 down there this week and I pray that it's that way for the next 3 days! This was one of those spur of the moment things that we just decided yesterday (which makes it all the more fun!) that only people in the travel industry can do. Unless you're stinkin' rich, most people don't just decide to hop on an airplane for a quick jaunt to find the sun! Definitely one of the best perks of my job...and actually the only one that comes to mind at the moment Ü

With a baby on the way, these spur of the moment trips are going to be few and far between, if not all but a memory in the near future. In fact, this may be the last of them. So, with my 30th birthday looming just 2 weeks away, we decided to go for it! Why not take one last little vacation? Sure we should probably save the money, but will there be another time when we can lay by a pool and bask in the sun, with no interruptions and no responsibilities? Maybe not.

I'm off to pack our little suitcase, full of sunscreen and flip-flops! ...and crackers, and nuts, and granola bars, and water, and vitamins, and doctor's phone numbers...

P.S. This is where we're going Ü

And the winner was...

HAMBURGER CASSEROLE! Or tater-tot casserole to some of you! Of all the things that I could have made Matt on his "big day" I went with one of his favorites, and probably one of the easiest dinners ever, good ol' hamburger casserole! The funny part?! You wouldn't believe how happy Matt was when he heard what was waiting for him! What a great husband...he even gets excited about hamburger casserole Ü

Matt's first day

Today was Matt's first day of work at his new job! For those of you that don't know, Matt is no longer working at Baydo's Chevrolet in McKenna, he is now a salesman at South Tacoma Honda. He's really been looking forward to a change to something a bit more structured...and busy! Baydo's is a great place, wonderful people...but being in McKenna it can get kinda slow sometimes, and these last few months have been exceptionally hard for Matt. He doesn't like going to work and not working. He doesn't like going to work and not making money...can't blame him! He needs to be busy and he needs structure, and it sounds like South Tacoma Honda will be just what he's looking for. I can't wait til he gets home to hear all about it!

When I was growing up, anytime we had a big day or a special occassion, like the first/last day of school for example, my mom always made sure we had something special for dinner. For us as kids, that usually meant that we had homemade hamburgers with french fries, and chocolate milkshakes! Talk about a treat! Well, I'm sure you see where I'm going with this right?! Since today was a big day for Matt, we have to have something special for dinner! Somehow I just don't see hamburgers and milkshakes having the same effect on him though! I've been trying to come up with something for most of the day, and it's just not coming to me. (This may have something to do with the fact that a lot of things still don't sound all that great to me!) So I'm off to scour the cupboards, and probably the grocery store, to see what kind of delicious treat Matt will have waiting for him after his big day! Happy Tuesday Ü

Baby, baby!

After a full week of ogling over my new niece Holly, I am officially beside myself with excitement at the idea of having my own little bundle of joy in less than 6 months! I can't believe how fast the time has already been flying by...15 weeks of pregnancy doesn't sound like a long time, but when you consider that 20 weeks is halfway, we're really cruisin'! Before I know it I'll be able to wear all the maternity clothes that I've accumulated, which strangely enough, I'm really looking forward to! It's funny to think that in a few months time, these clothes that look like they shouldn't be in my closet are going to fit perfectly! Well, at least I hope they fit perfectly...I guess you never know where you're gonna grow until you grow! Just the last few days I've been feeling like I look a little bit pregnant now. Maybe it's just my imagination (or more likely my anticipation), but I think there may be a little baby bump emerging Ü

"Showing" is the moment that Matt and I have both been waiting for. To not only show the one's who love us and care about us our progress, but the pride that we will take in showing the world what we have made. I hope that this will be the time where Matt can feel more involved. It will bring something tangible, something to say "My wife is pregnant!" without having to say it. Up until this point I feel like it's been all about me. How I'm feeling, how I'm dealing, what I can and cannot eat. I'm the only one that knows all the strange new things that are happening because our baby is growing. The little things that remind me everyday that I am pregnant. Matt hasn't had the joy of experiencing any of this. He is merely there for me, and experiencing pregnancy through me like a husband can only do. I'm so excited for him to see the changes, and then to feel the tiny movements just like I will. We will be able to guess together if it's an elbow or a knee, or a head or a rump!

So far, we have made it past several pregnancy milestones. We transitioned from an embryo to a fetus! We heard our baby's heartbeat, and met for the first time via ultrasound! We have successfully made it into our second trimester! Our next much anticipated milestone?? Having our baby growing inside of me and being able to see it together Ü

Holly Lucille Dorhauer
April 14th, 2007 4:19pm
8lbs 2ozs, 20 1/2 inches long

So sweet...and so beautiful Ü

"Happy 2nd Trimester to me!"

Today marks the day of our first day of our second trimester! Yeah! We're really making progress now! Here are a few things special about being 14 weeks pregnant Ü

*morning sickness should start to ease...Hallelujah!
*baby is now about 3 1/2 inches long...about the size of a lemon!
*this week baby's arms will be in proportion with his/her body
*there is an ultra-fine hair starting to cover and protect the skin
*facial muscles are getting a workout with squints, frowns, and grimaces
*baby can now grasp and may be able to suck their thumb. Cute Ü

Lots of exciting changes! I hope I'm not boring you with my new weekly updates...but this is all so fascinating to me! It's hard to comprehend that something so small can be so intricate, and so amazing!

In other baby news, Cheri and Jay are at the hospital as we speak! It should be any minute now that Abbie and Peter welcome a new baby brother or sister! I'll keep you posted Ü

Almost...but not quite!

Well, I guess you could say I'm new. As much as I read and try to learn about pregnancy there are just some things that you don't know...this one though, I should have! I was under the impression (and honestly, I'm not quite sure where I got this from!) that after 12 weeks you are in your 2nd trimester. Well, I was mistaken. Apparently your 2nd trimester doesn't officially begin until your 13th week is complete. And today, we are 13 weeks! So although we aren't quite into our 2nd trimester yet, as previously thought, it doesn't make being 13 weeks pregnant any less special Ü Here are a few things that I have learned about being 13 weeks pregnant...

*our baby is now about the size of a jumbo shrimp (or 3 inches long!) and weighs about an ounce
*tiny fingerprints are already in place
*teeth are already formed underneath the gums
*both kidneys and urinary tract are fully functional and (s)he is starting to excrete amniotic fluid (s)he's been swallowing
*in the next week most of our baby's critical development will be complete

As you can see, baby and I have been very busy the last 13 weeks! And it's no wonder I've been so sick the last month or so...there's a lot of hard work going on in there!

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter! God Bless You Ü

Baby Jacob

Here's Jacob with his adoring big brother Nate. So precious Ü

The back to work blues...

Tomorrow I have to go back to work. Bummer. It's been really nice these last few weeks being home...especially when I've been sick. The last thing you want to be doing is running for the bathroom in the middle of something important at work! Anyway, I was summoned for jury duty last week, but as luck would have it I never got called. Then when I would have gone back to work, I had to stay home and rest...doctor's orders. But, my little mini-vacation has now come to an end and tomorrow it's back to work. I have to say that I'm a little bit nervous about it. During my work week, I have just enough time to sleep, get ready for work, go to work, and come home and pretty much go straight to bed again...and that's no joke. Even though I've been feeling better these last few days, it still takes me awhile to get going in the morning. If I can take my time, it really does wonders for the way that I feel throughout the day. When I'm working, I don't have that luxury. And I think I may have jumped the gun a bit, thinking I was feeling so great...there have definitely been more episodes of losing the breakfast/lunch/dinner/all of the above!

But as long as that little baby keeps growing, it will all be worth it! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...right now it seems a long way off, but before we know it, it'll be over...and that's just the beginning Ü

12 weeks and feeling great!

Well, it really must be true what they say...you really do start to feel better at about 12 weeks! I woke up Saturday morning feeling especially awful, and by the end of the day I felt the most "normal" that I had felt in several weeks! I even had dinner waiting for Matt when he got home from work! He was pretty shocked! He had this confused look on his face when he walked in like "what are you doing?" I'm telling you, this is the first time in over a month that I could even think about making dinner, let alone really do it!

After dinner, we went to Jessica's 30th birthday party and had a great time! We got to catch up with a lot of people that we just don't get to see enough of...it was really good to get to spend some time with them Ü It was kinda funny though cuz I just kept thinking about how I didn't feel like crap! So I drank my virgin mojitos and hung with the big girls 'til midnight! Midnight! I can't remember the last time we stayed up til midnight!

Then yesterday, we got up and went to church (Matt tried to get out of it cuz it was Palm Sunday and I made the mistake of telling him that it was probably going to be a little longer than usual...but when he saw me getting ready, I guess guilt won out, and he went too!) We had chili and corn bread for dinner at Cheri and Jay's and then we all went to Dairy Queen...Yum!! I think we may have overdone it a bit though, cuz we both had belly aches when we got home :(

Today Matt's going to ride his 4-wheeler for awhile, then we're gonna BBQ some hamburgers. I know this probably doesn't sound like much...but I can't tell you how exciting it is that we are again doing normal everyday activities that for the last few months we've really missed doing! I might even get really wild and take the dogs for a walk! We'll see Ü