The sign is in!

* Please excuse the poor picture quality...camera phone doesn't like the morning sun! *

The official For Sale sign came yesterday! It's really surreal driving up to the house and seeing it. But exciting too!! The first day our temporary "New Listing" sign was up I got teary eyed as I drove around the block. When I pulled into the garage all of the neighborhood kids followed me! They were standing outside the car and when I got out they said, "You can't move!" and "We don't want you to go!" I, of course, started crying! There have also been various neighbors saying, "We're going to take your sign!"

We live in such a great neighborhood. It's hard enough to leave and they're sure not making it any easier! :-)

Baby News and Relocation News!

Ok, it’s been awhile! Life has been pretty crazy around our house!

I’ve been slacking in my baby updates for the last two weeks, so here goes! I am now 24 weeks along…6 months! It’s hard to believe, isn’t it!? Squirt is now 1.25 pounds and just about a foot long! It’s just incredible…I keep thinking about when he was just the size of a grape! The time has really passed quickly, but I guess we’ve been keeping busy. His taste buds are developing and I wonder if he tastes what I eat or if he just gets the nutrients from what I eat. Anyone know? I think it’s pretty cool that he will get used to all the loud noises he hears in utero so when he is here with us they won’t phase him! The top of my uterus is now about an inch above my belly button, making it about the size of a SOCCER BALL! HOLY MOLY!!!!! :-)

Squirt has been moving around so much since he is growing bigger and Josh is able to feel him easily now. I don’t know what is normal as far as how much babies move, but it feels like he is VERY active! Last weekend when we were with my parents he was kicking so hard I said, “It feels like he’s going to fall out!” Now, I know that’s not possible, but that’s how it feels! Some times he even kicks so hard out of the blue that I jump! And then I laugh and laugh, so it’s welcomed! :-)

I’ve had a little bit of trouble with swelling, but it seems to be under control if I watch my sodium intake and keep drinking lots of water. It was a little scary when it got really bad on Saturday last weekend, but I realized, after I called the doctor in fear of preclampsia, that I ate some potato chips on Friday! The nurse reassured me that they aren’t worried about toxemia or preclampsia so I try to remember that if the swelling differs from day to day.

Speaking of the doctor, I had an appointment on April 11th and that went great. My blood pressure is back to where it was before, so she is going to keep me on the dose of my BP meds that the other doc put me on. She reassured me that the dose I’m on is still REALLY low and it’s nothing to be concerned about at this point. Whew. She asked me about the move and at that point we still didn’t know what was going on. So I talked her into bumping up my next ultrasound appointment just in case we move! :-) She actually wants them to be four weeks apart now instead of six since I’m “high risk” now for two reasons instead of just one, so it all worked out. My next ultrasound is Tuesday, April 25…next week already! Josh will be coming along, as usual! They’ll be checking to be sure Squirt is growing like he is supposed to be…and I’m also going to have them “make sure” he’s still a boy! (Not that I wish it was a girl, just so the shower invites are the right color! Hahaha!) Then I’ll see Dr. B on Wednesday for my last check-up with her and to get things ready to be transferred to a new OB/GYN in Wausau!

Our house officially went on the market on April 5th and we had a showing that same night! After that we had a couple more showings and even had an offer on Friday! The couple ended up backing out, which worked out ok since it was only on the market for three days. We have lots of time yet!

As far as the job side of things, Josh has accepted an incredible offer from Company #2 in Wausau! He is SO excited and so are the management and owners there! He'll be starting his new job on May 10th, so our last day of work at our current jobs will be May 5th! The owner of Company #2 arranged for a $5,000 sing on bonus, $500 for moving expenses and our insurance will start the first day he is employed there instead of after 60 days, so no one will have to pay for COBRA insurance. After 60 days they are going to give him a review and if he is performing (which he will be!) they will give him a raise to get him up to what he is making now!

As for work for me, I have a couple options right now and am also going to look into doing some temp work until the baby comes. We’re both hoping that after Josh’s 60 days he will be making enough so that I can stay home when the baby is born. That is our main goal and one of the only things now that is still up in the air!

The move is bittersweet as we have been here for four years now, have a beautiful home and have made some close friends that we'll have to leave behind. We both truly enjoy our jobs here so that will be hard as well. HOWEVER, we both know in our hearts that our lives and Squirt's life will be much better being closer to our families and friends. And I know we're both looking forward to having "normal" weekends with less driving! :-)

We love you all and thank you for supporting us in our decision to move to Minnesota and our decision to come back to Wisconsin!!!

New Stuff for Squirt!

I had to share a few goodies we picked up for Squirt! The diaper bag is from the doctors office and is filled with a bunch of samples and fun stuff! I picked up the lamp at Target, which was on clearance, TVM! :-) The green matches perfectly to the baby's bedding. And the little Chicky...I shouldn't go into details but I will! Josh had a Chicky when he was little (which he still has) and wanted to make sure his little boy had one too so we've been keeping our eyes open for one. I found this little guy at Target as well and HAD to get him!

I HAVE AN UPDATE!

Josh had a message from Company #2 yesterday when he got home and the guy said they are "definitely interested and want to continue this." SWEET, HUH?! He mentioned meeting next Friday, which is weird cuz it’s Good Friday, but on the other hand, Josh can take the time off and no one will question why! Josh is calling him back today to set up a meeting time.

AND…I just talked to Josh...he had his review with his boss this morning and it went good. No one at Josh's work knows about us moving except Fred, Josh's 2nd man that meets at our house in the morning. Josh wanted to tell him before he saw the for sale sign in the yard! BUT...a couple people at his work have been saying stuff like, "So since you're having a baby when are you moving back to WI?" and stuff like that. We weren't sure if his boss would say anything about it today, but he didn't. AND...Josh got a $3 raise! I can't believe this! Maybe he has an idea about the move and that's why he gave Josh such a big raise...to get him to stay! Urgh...who knows! All I know is the money isn't going to keep us here! :-)

It Happened!

JOSH FELT OUR LITTLE GUY MOVE LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!

It was so exciting…his eyes got BIG and he had a HUGE smile on his face!!

The baby seemed to be moving a lot in one place when I was laying in bed. So I told Josh and he put his hand on my belly. I felt Squirt kick and watched his face light up! It was so cool! He said, “I felt it! It was just little, but I felt it! I thought it would be harder!” :-)

I’m 22 Weeks Today!

This week our little guy is looking like a miniature newborn…no more alien! He is 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound! Even his eyes are developed and the first little tooth buds are appearing under his gums!

Not a whole lot of new stuff to report today, which is ok too I guess! My belly button has been pretty sore…it’s stretching sideways! (I guess pretty soon it will be flat and then start sticking out!) And speaking of stretching, I’m starting to get some new stretch marks on the sides of my belly button. I knew in the back of my mind I’d get them because I had some before the pregnancy, but it was really weird when they actually showed up! I’ve been feeling a lot of movement from the little guy, but still not able to feel him from the outside of my belly. I’m starting to retain water on a daily basis now, it’s not just sporadic anymore. So I have to make sure I get up and walk around a lot, keep my feet up at my desk and DRINK, DRINK, DRINK! Water that is! :-) Otherwise, I’m settling in to the “easy” part of pregnancy…I’m getting used to all the weird things my body is doing, so all that’s left is to enjoy it until I get big and uncomfortable! :-)

Josh and his co-worker Fred picked up a glider/ottoman from one of his other co-workers’ house today. They said they didn’t need it any more and wanted it to go to a good home! We’re so lucky…those aren’t cheap!

…ok, so maybe I had more to report than I thought!

Furniture knobs

My grandma and grandpa from my dad's side are making all of the nursery furniture for our little guy. (Except the crib, which my mom and dad are so graciously getting for us!) After a short visit with them a couple weeks ago of brainstorming and flipping through JC Penny catalogs for ideas, we found the perfect set to model ours after! Before we left we got to talking about what type of knobs to use and I decided to try to find some animal knobs to match the bedding!

An unsuccessful trip to Target, Menard's and Home Depot, I decided to do some checking on eBay. I hit the jackpot with that one!! I found a woman that hand paints knobs and even customizes them to match whatever you want! So I got in touch with her via email and sent her some pictures of our bedding. I received my knobs in the mail today and couldn't be happier! This woman was so fast and is so TALENTED! Here is the sample sheet she sent me...they are exactly like this! And perfectly match the animals on our bedding!

Catch-Up Post!

Hi everyone! I’m a little bit behind schedule, but here I am! Last week was an insane whirlwind but now that I’m caught up I can write and get everyone up-to-date.

3-24…Went to PJ’s for Brooke’s birthday party. We had a really good time, we even stayed until 1:30! I couldn’t believe how fast the time went cuz I thought I’d be ready for bed at 10:00! :-) It was good seeing Brooke and Brad and all of our friends and some of our family. On our way back to my mom and dad’s house we came upon a car accident by the road my parents live on. Apparently the guy was drunk and drove down my parents road (which comes to a T intersection), across the highway, down the ditch and up onto the railroad tracks! When we got there his car was stuck on the tracks! So I called 911 and Josh made sure he was ok since he is certified in First Aid. The Sherriff’s department got there pretty quick to take care of things. Pretty exciting way to end the night I guess! Didn’t get to bed until prolly 3:00am!

3-25…Got up around 11:00…very rare for us! We took a ride past one of the houses we wanted to look at. It’s a great location but the yard is quite small. Then we headed up to Josh’s home town to visit with his family for a while. That was fun...we hung out there and ate dinner with his mom, Jim and Dan before we went to see Zach and Kim and new baby Kadince! She is just adorable and we had a great time visiting with them!

Today we got some great news! After three weeks of waiting for word on job offers or interviews for Josh we finally heard something! Josh checked his email and he got a job offer from Company #1, the place he already interviewed with! They sent him a benefits package (which looks good) and want him to come in to talk salary! Then he had an email from Company #2 saying they want to interview him! I think he will like that place better than Company #1 because they are more surveying oriented...I hope it all goes well!

3-26…Visited with Josh’s grandma and grandpa and then headed back home.

3-29…I’m 21 weeks! The baby is supposed to weigh ¾ of a pound and is about 10.5 inches long. But we all know our little guy is ahead of that…I just don’t know how much! His eyelids and eyebrows are fully developed too! I’m definitely feeling him moving around. A LOT! :-) BabyCenter said the little guy is oblivious to my schedule. That’s a little surprising because I’ve still been sleeping good, minus my one trip to the bathroom, and he seems to settle down right before I go to bed! I’m starting to see his patterns and have an idea of when he is active and when he’s not. I’ve been, for the most part, feeling great! It’s so nice to just be enjoying the pregnancy and not being miserable!

My doctor appointment today went well...Squirt’s heartbeat is 158. Just right! My blood pressure was 132/90 so they added an extra dose of my meds and I'll see Dr. Brown in two weeks to check it again. I honestly chalked it up to seeing a new doctor and being nervous, but I’ll still check it at the pharmacy and keep an eye on it between now and April 11th when I see Dr. B. I asked Dr. F. about the numbing in my hands. He said a lot of pregnant women get carpal tunnel during pregnancy because of water retention. It’s also irritated by sleeping with your wrists bent, which explains why it’s only bad first thing in the morning. So for the most part, all is well! :-)

3-31…We left work early today cuz Josh has an interview with Company #2 at 3:30! (WAHOO!) He will be meeting with the President of Company #1 on Saturday morning to talk about a salary! FINALLY...after over three weeks we get some answers! :-) He isn't going to take the job at Company #1 until he hears from Company #2 because we both think Company #2 will be a better fit for him since they are more surveying oriented!

Today…Josh's two interviews went great this weekend! The one at Company #2 looks pretty promising. He is really excited about that place because they are very up-to-date and surveying oriented. They gave him a tour and introduced him to a few people, so that's a good thing too! :-) The interview with Company #1 went good as well...we thought they were going to offer him a job, but it was actually a second interview with the president of the company. He likes that company too, but is really hoping Company #2 will offer him a job. Company #2 is calling him back this week and Company #1 will get in touch with him in the next couple weeks when they have a better feel for how much work they will have this summer.

I'm pretty sure Josh is FINALLY ready to put the house on the market...I can't tell you how relieving that is because we just don't know how long it will take to sell. He mentioned last night about putting the final touches on the house so the realtor can come take pictures, so this is a good thing!

Speaking of houses, we looked at about 6 houses in the Rib Mountain area with a realtor on Saturday. Mom and dad came along too…it was a fun afternoon! Didn't find anything we couldn't live without, but definitely got some ideas! And…we had Papillion’s for dinner…YUMMY! I love those Wisconsin pizza fries! :-)