As promised....

Well... we're proud to say we made it from scratch. There's lots that can be improved upon next year : ) But hey, we gotta start somewhere, right?!

Coming soon...

Stay tuned for a splendid photographic display of our first attempt at the new Dixson Family Christmas tradition.... Gingerbread House = from scratch!

My expectations are rather low since I have seen many a house in pieces... however, I have done my research and I know this process is a long one, so tomorrow I will be baking and assembling the house parts and Saturday we shall decorate. Should be an entertaining event : )

Playtime

(This one's for you Chelsie)

Hello!
Just a couple videos of our playtime and one dinnertime to share. Rhea is getting better and better at balance. She stands alone for a few seconds and will take 3 or 4 steps (mostly just falling with style). We are giving her more table foods, usually a little of whatever we are having for dinner. Thus far she really likes beans and potatoes and pasta : ) I am really looking forward to Christmas this year! It's going to be SO fun!!

Drumroll y'all

And here it is..... some of her first steps! [Can't see real good, because of the camera angle, sorry]




And she gets SO excited to play 'catch', rolling the ball back and forth.... and she thinks it's fun to tease us by offering something (sippy cup, toy) and then holding on to it. She will also imitate the 'Thank You' noises sometimes... sounds like Deh Doo

New videos!

Here is Rhea crawling. This is the best I could get. She does crawl long distances or around the couch or wherever, but of course she wasn't up for that what I was trying to get it on video : )  ***Do not worry, she recovered in about 2 seconds after I stood her back up by her chair***



She is just beginning to start table food and here is her first encounter with mashed potatoes....





Rhea gets a big kick out of feeding her snacks to Mommy right now. And she likes to play with shoes. Mommy's shoes, not Rhea's shoes. She LOVES the Jenny Jump Up too, It's hung in the middle of the living  room (much thanks to Daddy) so there is lots of room to jump around. [I hope to get a video of that posted sometime soon as well]

center pivot

Here we go... as I mentioned in my last post Rhea is starting the crawl/walk stuff. She just really started crawling this week. It isn't very fluid yet and she hasn't tried to venture long distances (like following me into another room) but she can get at a toy that is across the room if she wants. Once crawling is mastered I know walking will be right on it's heels (hehe).
She pulls herself up well and really enjoys walking along the furniture or anything else sturdy enough to hold her.

Lil' Crunchies

Since our darling daughter is not much of a snuggler (not at all basically) I generally don't think of her as too  much of a baby baby but I'm not necessarily ready to see her as a toddler yet either.... well watching her feed herself makes my mommy heart go pitter patter.... and she's most likely within a month of crawling/walking so I guess I have to get used to her new developments = ) She's a real treat tho!

As promised...

I was able to get a video of her "skuttle-bug" (almost crawling). Most of the time when I am purposefully trying to video her doing something she doesn't want to do it at that moment, go figure. So I generally have the camera handy most all the time to try and catch it if she's doing something amazing. The video is kinda short because I got a phone call but trust that she makes her little way around the room very well right now; she's a very determined young one!



(please ignore the cluttered couch)

Makin' a joyful noise!

Rhea's working harder and harder to try and figure the crawling thing out. I will try to get a video of that sometime soon. We are SO blessed and thankful to have these wonderfully warm days!! I LOVE fall and can't help but just soak up the moments! There is a very large playground about a half mile from our house and we've been taking Rhea down there to swing; she could swing for hours! Daddy, of course, has to make the swing seem a lot more like a rollercoaster and Mommy is more mellow; but she likes it all the same. She's an outside baby for sure!! I have no idea what we are going to do once the heart of winter hits.... pry just bundle up and take a brisk walk down the driveway to get the mail for some fresh air = )

PICTURES!!

Hello all, Miss Rhea's 6 mo. pictures are here!! Katina did a GREAT job with the pictures! We are kinda bummed Rhea didn't smile much but she was cutting her top 2 teeth then, can't blame her. (she has 2 more on top now)

Rhea's 6 mo. Photos

Other updates:
- Rhea has 6 total teeth now
- She like strings/rope (mommy's hair, shoestrings)
- Walks with her toys
- Starting to push up onto hands/knees to crawl

New tricks all the time...

Well since I last posted Rhea has continually advanced. She's growin WAY too fast! She loves to walk (holding your fingers of course) and that's about all she wants to do. She still likes to jump in the jumper some but has decided she really doesn't like being confined like that for too long. She has the walker totally mastered; forward, backward, sideways, in a circle... the girl does it all. Likes to corner me while I am working on stuff and often runs over my toes. She is making some progress towards crawling, tries to push up onto her knees some but mostly just scoots backwards. Favorite toys right now are dish towels, small dishes, and anything she's never seen before (gave her a rubber glove while I was doing dishes this am and she studied it for quite a while). She loves to read books and she still REALLY LOVES to be OUTSIDE!!! I have no idea what I am going to do when the snow starts.... she and I will pry get lots of cabin fever this winter.

In other news, we are bringing all of our stuff back to the house this week.... it's a chore. We are having a BIG garage sale in 2 weeks since we went all summer without most of our stuff and we've decided there is a lot of it we don't need. It will be so refreshing when it's all done.

Yesterday and today the high is 90* so she got to swim... not sure how many of these warm days will be left.

August. It's August already?!

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last posted! Eeek.

I generally post most all pictures to facebook on a regular basis (even tho I said I wasn't going to do that)... she is just too cute not to share!! So hopefully everyone can see those.

Our sweet baby cousin Mia has been coming over a few days each week and its so fun to watch them start to interact with each other. Both girls are so fun and so good. Now that Rhea sits up well enough to ride in the front of the grocery cart I have more confidence in taking them places with me. This week we went to Walmart, Oakview Mall and HyVee.

Joe is working a day shift right now and we LOVE having him home at night and we get to have dinner together as a family. Rhea loves to be in the kitchen with me while I'm working on supper. I usually have her in the walker; she'll scoot backwards to the wall and I pull her back into the middle and she scoots back to the wall. She's kind of grown out of the 'crunchy toy' phase, she still  likes them but we've moved on. Current favorites are a big squishy ball we got from cousin Elizabeth and water bottles.

Oh, and saving the best for last.... she's taking her first assisted steps already! Joe continually prays for her to walk.... apparently the Big Guy loves him very much; not only was Rhea born on his birthday but now she is starting to walk WAY early. (This will mean a whole new level for the momma)

Yay for jumpin!

Rhea's got the jumper all figured out now and it adds a whole new level of fun for her. 

But we've also seen the beginning of her 'frustrated' side. She knows what her pacifier is and that it goes in her mouth but she's working on how to actually get it in there, tricky stuff ya know. She loves to watch me eat and drink and generally reaches for whatever I have [there's a video on facebook]

Overall, everything is great. It's hot so we've gone out to the sandbar a few times this week. She is such a water baby!

Rhea likes to... water ski?!?!

Hi all!

Every new day amazes me how much life is progressing! If I don't just stop and soak in the moments they will fly right by. Rhea is getting so big (not in a bad way, just growing). I peek in at her as she sleeps and I wonder where the teeny baby went ; ) She loves to sit up all by herself and rolls rather gracefully to her tummy when she does tip over. When she stands with us it is evident she is getting stronger all the time, just needs some more work on balance. While standing she has started stepping her right foot (looks like she's at a ho-down). So there is certainly progress towards walking, but she doesn't show too many signs of starting to crawl yet. We're still working on rolling both ways. She still loves the outdoors and especially swimming! We've gone out on the lake a number of times this last week and she is such a little joy to play with in her floaty. She does recognize voices now and turn to follow us. She laughs when we make kissy noises at her. She loves it when Daddy tosses her in the air. She jabbers quite a bit (except when we want her to, of course). She has gotten really good at eating, we do mostly rice cereal right now but I know she'll be into more veggies and fruit soon. I think that's all for her, it's been a while since I've actually typed an update. There are a lot of pictures up on facebook! [I often think I shouldn't put so many up there, but then I just can't help it and I figure others who aren't near really like to see her grow]

Joe is transitioning this week to a day 7/7 shift at Werner!! He'll still be doing the same job, just a different shift. We are super excited!! As for me (Em) I have 2 babies I watch part-time, generally 2 or 3 days a week and am looking to maybe take in another... just praying about the right connection to be able to bless someone [rather than stick an ad up on Craigslist]. 

She's so strong!

She's just growin growin growin!! Cousin Jeffrey was in town with Aunt Bev for a quick visit and we really enjoyed their company!

Cereal Shmorgishborg Surprise

What a little delight she is! The video is kinda long but oh so sweet. We are having so much fun trying to learn how to eat = ) This is pretty good for only her third try, but apparently I wasn't a very good MC... Rhea took over.

Life's just crazy sometimes!

Hi all!! I'm so sorry for not updating this blog more over the last month! Things have been a whirlwind here! Every day is different and we are embracing flexibility. As most of you already know, we live near the Missouri river and there is currently a risk of flooding from all the water coming down out of the Montana area. So... being proactive, we have moved 80% of our stuff out of our house so that it doesn't get ruined if we do get water. Thus, continuing to live in a house with basically no stuff is an interesting situation. We are pretty content about the whole thing knowing that God's got it all under control. Most of Rhea's stuff (swing, jumper, etc.) has been moved over to Al & Linda's and she and I spend most of the days over there with them. Depending on who you talk to, you can get a number of varying stories as to whether this is as bad as the water will get or if there is worse stuff to come. So we really have no idea what to do and it will make for an interesting summer either way. 

I can't hardly believe we are nearing the 4th of July already! Rhea is growing so much!! I cut the tags off and am in the process of washing up all her 6mo clothes for her. She has so many super cute things! She got her first 2 (bottom) teeth the first weekend of June and 2 days ago has mastered rolling from back to front (but it seems she has forgotten how to roll from front to back again). She smiles and laughs with us and is just so much fun! I have a bunch more pictures to share and a couple cute videos but in the midst of all the packing of our stuff... I've lost track of the USB cord for the camera : (  So who knows when I will find one or figure out a workable solution for sharing pictures.

**I will try to get better at updating here once a week**

May 1st C

Boater Babe!

Rhea got her first boat ride(s) this last week!! We've gone out in the evening close to her last feeding and bedtime so it's been kinda iffy for her. She likes to sit by herself like a big girl for the trip down the canal. [I turn her away from the wind once we get out on the lake] Yes, we do have a teeny life jacket for her, graciously borrowed from the neighbors. Daddy seems to think she'll ride the jet ski this summer too but mom is the kill-joy and says no way. She does like the water during bath time though, she is starting to figure out how to splash... so cute. Grammy Kay gave us a blow up ducky tub that may double for a swimming pool once she can sit up on her own. It's going to be such a fun summer!!

In her jacket from Aunt MaryJane

And they say the time flies...

Rhea is 3 months old today!! It's just mind-boggling how awesome our God is... the wonder of creation... and how new life develops... wowzers! Rhea 'talks' quite a bit more now... I think she prefers vowels sounds at the moment. She still likes to move a lot but also spends time concentrating on stuff. She really likes to reach out and grab her various toys hanging down from places. She currently favors her left hand ; ) She likes to suck on her hands. Hasn't specifically found her thumb yet, just likes to put them in her mouth. Yum. She really loves being outside, we walk around in the yard together a lot in the evening (calms her down if she is fussy). We got a buggy for her last week so she can go for bike rides with us. She likes it, falls asleep just like the car. We are all loving the warmer weather!! Hopefully the Lord will allow us to connect with lots of family throughout the summer. Love to you all!!

Who needs toys for entertainment?!

Thank you Hannah = )

One active baby!!

Rhea has been doing so well! I cannot believe how much she is growing, we've moved into the 3-6mo clothes. She has a lot of cute summer stuff so I am anxious for it to get warmer out!!

Joe is loving the sunshine (when we have it) and has already mowed the yard once. This time of year we are really grateful for where we live and love being outside to enjoy everything!

I am keeping busy keeping up with the house and watching baby Mia a couple days a week. I am praying over watching one or two more little ones thru the summer; praying that God will bring the right kids/families if this is what He would have me do.

And I'm trying to stay active... Sat the 30th we were a little over-active = )....

We started our morning walking the Lifegate 5K here in Omaha with Loribeth and Alie then in the afternoon we found a buggy on craigslist (not sure the official name) so we went and got it so that Rhea can come with us on bike rides.....

Ready for our race

Rhea's race face (slept the entire time)

 

 

 

Taking her new buggy out for a spin

Bike riding is tough work ; )

Testing out a chair...

So Rhea likes to sit (with help) on someone's lap or up against my chest so she can look around. Her head is still a little floppy but I decided it was time to try the bumbo seat out.... here's what she thought....

Our day to day life...

I realize it's been more than a week since I have updated... eek! Sorry.

We are settling down into our new daily life with baby Rhea... which is a fancy way of saying there isn't much exciting going on around here. We have watched baby Mia 2 days this week so that adds another element of fun to the day = ) So far the girls have been fine. Usually their eat/play/nap routines are off just enough that they aren't both hungry or sleepy at the same time. This allows me some one on one time with each of them during the day.

I was looking at our pictures and noticed I haven't caught very many of Rhea's smiles... I'll have to work on that. She has started sleeping 8.5 hrs at night, but it isn't consistent just yet, every 3rd night or so it's only 6 hrs until she wakes up. There are WAY too many variables to  try and pinpoint what makes the difference. I just take it as a good lesson in flexibility and her little way of keeping me on my toes.

Joe has been off this week so we have enjoyed as much of the sunshine that God's given us as we possibly can. Yesterday was rainy tho so we declared it a pajama day for the Dixson's... today is basically the same. But the weather man says more sun tomorrow!

Next weekend Rhea and I will be heading to St. Louis (chauffeured by Uncle Matt) to spend the weekend with Grandpa Bill and Grandma Sue. On Saturday we will drive over to Memphis TN for my cousin Brian's wedding. This will be Rhea's first long road trip, first weekend away from home, first night in a hotel, first wedding attendance, etc. We're praying for gorgeous weather, hopefully it will be a great time! We've been counting down the days!

Tummy Time!

Baby Mia = )

2 Months old!!!

Oh my heavens I can hardly believe my baby girl is 2 months already! She is growing so fast! She is such a blessing and it's so fun to watch her develop, I wouldn't trade it for anything!! She does make a variety of noises now ("talking") and she smiles fairly often. Our days are pretty routine and she does well when we go out. Overall she really is a delightful baby!! With the recent warm days we have had I am learning that she really likes being outside; she likes to ride in the stroller or just tour around the patio and yard. Below is a collection of pictures from the month. [They scroll kinda fast but if you click on the slideshow you can go thru them one by one] Also, I've included a video from the Christy Creme. Joe and I really enjoy going there and usually visit every other Monday as our treat before he goes back to work for the week.

We love you all so very much!!! Thanks for checkin' in!

Rub a dub dub....

Baby Rhea's in the tub!!! 
Her very first times in the tub she wasn't such a fan, but now.... not a peep out of her, she loves it! I LOVE the smell of clean baby, she gets a bath about every other day.

Apart from bath time, things are going very well! Last Saturday Joe, Rhea and I went to Norfolk to visit the Great Grandparents and Steve, Julie and Tricia. Rhea did great; she slept in the car, liked being held and enjoyed laying on the floor stretching out for everyone to see. Of course Great Grandpa Gary hasn't lost his touch and she took a nice nap on his snuggly belly = )  This past Friday Grandma Sue came back for a quick visit, YAY! We road tripped to Osceola, Ia for cousins Brian and Chelsie's wedding shower. Rhea did very well in the car and with all the new people! That's about it for exciting happenings around here.....

Much love to all of our blog followers = )

Baby Rhea's 6 weeks old!

So for Rhea's 6 week birthday Daddy thought we needed to celebrate in style!! So we took her out to the Christy Creme = ) Yum! For those who don't know, the Christy Creme is a delightful delicacy found only in the great city of Council Bluffs, they have 10 different flavors of sherbet ice cream that rotate. Yesterday's flavor was blackberry. It's a very special treat, we love the Christy Creme! I'm sure Rhea will love it too, no doubt ice cream runs in our blood = )

A visit from Uncle Matt

As of today, Rhea is 5 weeks and 2 days old. I'm pretty sure she's hitting a growth spurt because she is eating about every 2 hours and sleeping a lot. She is doing very well, bedtime is usually around 8 and she sleeps until 3 am. She eats and then we wake up at 7 am for the day. So as long as mommy doesn't stay up too late, I am able to get a decent amount of sleep at night. Joe is off this week and I am super excited about that!! He's a great helper and it's great to get to spend time together as a family = )  Not to mention the wonderful warm weather we are having. I've taken Rhea for a walk once this week, otherwise it's been too windy for her.

Here's a short clip from Matt's visit, enjoy!!

Lots to share this time...

         Ok, Rhea is one month old already! Oh my goodness, it went so fast! I know, everyone says it does so I shouldn't be surprised. This last week we got out of the house quite a bit more and were able to run several errands and went to Grammy Kay's for an 'End of February' party. Grandma Sue has still been here with us this week, she will be heading back to St. Louis this coming Friday. Both Mommy and Rhea have been spoiled by her very well over the last month. It will be hard to see her go, but thankfully my cousin Brian chose to get married in April so we will maybe see Grandma at the shower the end of March or for sure in April for the wedding (Rhea already has a pretty purple dress).
        Following will be her 'Week 4' slidewshow, 'month old birthday' video and 'new toys' video. Going forward I will most likely only add slideshows monthly, but will continue to upload video periodically as we take them = )  Much love to you all!

Stretchin' in the morning

Hi everyone,
I just can't help but take pictures and video of this sweet little baby girl!! She is growing SO fast. This outfit she is wearing is a 3mo outfit and she stretches out the legs... gonna be a tall girly! Maybe some volleyball in her future?

The prettiest baby in the world!!!

Here are Rhea's baby photos... taken when she was 12 days old by our good friend Katina, she did a great job!! I know they scroll real fast on here, can't adjust that = (   This is most of them and I do have them all also in B&W. Email me and let me know if/what you'd like printed...   [If you click on the slideshow you can view them larger and at your own pace]

Feelin' tech-savvy...

I am really enjoying figuring out all the stuff we can do with a blog = ) I hope all you friends/family enjoy it too!!
Here's a video from yesterday

3 weeks old!

Rhea will be 3 weeks old tomorrow! Goodness it's going fast! It was kind of a topsy turvy week this last week. Grandma Sue went home on Tuesday and Joe went back to work also on Tuesday... so it was just Mommy and Rhea for a few days. Grandma Sue came back on Friday. Rhea is starting to figure out that nighttime is nighttime and starting to get her on a schedule during the day. So far so good, Mommy is getting a little more sleep lately and feeling lots better. We didn't have very many visitors this week or do much exciting other than eat, poop and nap.. so there aren't near as many pictures! But I'll post what we have...

Morning playtime

Hello family and friends!
   Rhea is doing very well = ) I took this video this morning and thought I'd share it. She really likes to look around. Her hiccups and sneezes are so cute!!

More pictures to come at the end of the week = )

Growin' so fast!

My goodness, our baby is 2 weeks old already! The last 2 weeks have been wonderful! Having Grandma Sue here to help out has been such a great blessing. Rhea is a very good baby! She eats well and sleeps well, we are SO blessed. Most often the plan for the day is to sit around and look at Rhea = ) A bath is on today's agenda, otherwise we're just takin' it easy.

Friday our friend Katina came out to take Rhea's baby pictures. We've only seen one of the final results, but they are SO cute! Katina does a great job, and of course Rhea is a super cute baby!! Can't wait to be able to show of more of them = )

We went to church yesterday morning and then to Grammy Kay's for lunch and some play/scrapbooking time. Grandpa Bill got here yesterday late afternoon. Rhea was rather sleepy but this morning she's showing those bright eyes.

Some more photos from the week:



Thank you for your continued prayers and support, we praise God for all the loving friends and family we have in our lives!

Baby Pics

One week old already!!

Oh goodness, everyone was right, the time sure flies!!

Overall, Rhea is doing very well. She eats fairly well, sleeps good, great reflexes and strong little muscles. She is just a wonderful little baby!! Joe has worked this 2nd half of the week so I know he is anxious to get to be home with us on his next off week. Grandma Sue has been such a great help and blessing. Uncle Matt came to stay with us this weekend and he's really enjoyed holding and loving baby Rhea. Grandpa Bill will be coming as soon as he can, which is next Sunday evening after he finishes another quarter of classes. I know he also is anxious to be here. Grammy Kay and Auntie Sarah have come out to visit often and we love having them here.

Rhea's only adventure outside the house thus far was her Dr appt on Friday. It went very well. She slept the whole way there, didn't even make it out of the neighborhood awake. But this doesn't surprise me at all since she even slept in the womb in the car. So... the vibrating seat is also a hit. But she does sleep in her crib at night just fine which is a total blessing! The forecast for the week is supposed to be absolutely AMAZING so we will definitely get out our Cadillac (Jeep stroller) and cruise around the neighborhood some!!

Today is Sunday, we did not venture out for church simply because we are still getting a morning routine figured out and since Joe is working/sleeping I'd prefer to go for the first time as a family = )  However, this morning Rhea and I jammed to some Hillsong United LIVE while we nursed. She really seemed to like it. Yay for worship!! No major plan for today, we're just chillin' and takin' it easy... a good day of rest for all.

Ok, I've spent a good majority of the afternoon trying to figure out how to put a slideshow up on here. No success = (  So... please be patient, I have one ready, just have to figure out how to get it in here.

Welcome Rhea Renee

Hello Everyone!!!
   Little miss Rhea Renee came at 9:30am on Monday the 7th. She was 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 20.5 in. long. Labor and delivery went very smooth. The entire experience was incredible. We had a great nursing staff at the hospital and many supportive family and friends came to visit.
   If you are friends with either Joe or I on facebook, we have a video posted of us naming her. I am working on composing a slideshow of her first week to post on here soon = )

    Thank you for all the continued love, prayers and support!

Waiting....

Baby girl is still cozy and warm inside the womb. We really aren't doing much of anything too exciting lately. We went to Kay's Thursday night for supper and then hung out with some friends last night. The carseat is in the car and all the bags are packed and ready to go. So we watch movies, read books, and play cards with Al and Linda as we wait.........

Is it time yet?!

Mommy: "Ok, little girl... we're at 39 weeks, are you ready yet?"
Baby: "No way, I'm staying where it's warm and cozy!"
Mommy: "You are your father's daughter....." Hehe...

Went to the Dr again today, still no changes from last week. She's not in a hurry, but that's ok. Cousins Travis and Tiffany had baby Charlie (girl) right after Christmas; Cynthia had baby Kylie (girl) this last week and Jon and Lissa (due the same day as us) had Elisa (girl) 2 days ago. So... baby Dixson (girl) will be the Grand Finale with baby Lapuzza (girl) as the encore shortly after. Can you believe it?!?! 5 baby girls all within 3 months of eachother! [Musta been something in the water...] It's going to be so fun watching them all grow up!!!

Not working this week has been a blessing. I've been able to get some good cleaning and organizing done. I did go visit the kiddos Thursday am; I was greeted with many hugs and had a fun time playing for a couple hours.

Now for some photos from the week...

Craving a milkshake, but lacking the proper ingredients... so we improvise!!

That's right, ice cream sandwiches and milk = )

Vroom!!!

Yum = )

Nesting: Cleaned out the fridge.... one jar of PB in the bottom expired in 2007... that's mildly embarrassing, I'll admit

Finished my homemade wall art for behind baby's crib, just need to hang them now.

Well, here's to another week! Stay tuned to your phones and facebook; we'll let you know if baby decides to make her debut this week!

Also, Happy Birthday to Mom (30th) and Aunt Karen (31st)

Getting closer....

38 Weeks, feeling big as a house

 We're getting closer, only 2 more weeks or less. She'll be here in a jiffy. Not too much exciting to update from last week. Baby is still growing and doing great. We go to the Dr. again this coming Friday. Last Friday was my last day at work, a good thing but a sad day. I am really going to miss the little kiddos, they are SO fun. I was very blessed to have been given that job, I wish I had found it sooner. So... being home until baby arrives, I'll be nesting and resting. It will be good.

Joe putting together the rocker chair we got for her

Ready for baby?

Lately, the question of the day has been "Could we bring her home today?". And yes, of course, we could bring her home any day but what we mean is.... "Are we ready to bring her home today?". Generally, the answer is "Not quite". We're getting close but there a just a couple of items to get still and always more nesting to do...

Baby still moves around a lot, she's been head down for several weeks now and her behind tends to favor my right side. Pre-Thanksgiving when she was still free floating she favored the left side. I absolutely LOVE feeling her move! (Yes, even the sharp kicks to the ribs that take my breath away) The Dr. says my stats are good and baby's heartbeat is perfect = ) Overall I feel great. I don't think I waddle yet, but I can't watch myself walk from behind....

I took a few photos of baby's area to show our progress in getting ready for her...

37 Weeks (Didn't realize my shirt was stretched so much)

Still no room for Daddy and Mommy to rock baby = (

Changing table is mostly ready, need some more wall decor and clearing of a little clutter.

Clothes are ready! Washed and folded into her drawer. We have, however, already had one sock casualty = (

For those inquiring minds.... these are the nails in the wall for her letters. Please keep your guesses to yourself as I refuse to confirm right/wrong answers ; )

Crib is mostly ready, empty other than the beginnings of the 'hospital bag'... and the area is missing decor... but I'm working on it = )

Alright, It's Saturday night and I've just finished a rather generous helping of Moose Tracks ice cream... going to chill and watch a movie.... SO excited to get to sleep in tomorrow, pedicure in the afternoon and a chili cook-off in the evening = )

Christmas

So you know those people who make a living by blogging? I am nowhere near one of them. Sorry for the lengthy gap between updates!! I left off with Thanksgiving...

The last month or so has been spent trying to get everything lined up for baby's arrival. I keep asking myself "Could we bring her home today?" And I can now say "yes". Granted, not quite everything is set up and/or assembled yet. We are down to weekly doctor appointments so we know the time is drawing near. (The appts are generally Thurs or Fri for those who might lift us in prayer)

Our Christmas time was great. We were able to see most all the family on both sides and God granted decent weather for traveling. We spent Christmas Eve at Kay's house, and went to Norfolk from there. Christmas morning we celebrated at Matt's (Bill and Sue's) with the traditional tree-shaped monkey bread... yum! Then we headed into town to Grandpa and Grandma Svoboda's for a lasagna feast, great time with family and fun gift exchange. Back to the Bluffs on Sat night to attend church Sunday morning and head to SW Iowa from there. We got to enjoy seeing everyone from my dad's side of the family gather at Dave and Bev's.

Overall it was a lot of traveling but well worth the time spent with family!

Family photo at Dave and Bev's

Joe snuggling underneath a new afghan from Sue

 

 

 

Emily with her new purple teapot!!

No photos available from the Svoboda Christmas yet....