I THINK I am feeling B_____!

I am too nervous to really say "it", worried that I might jinx how I feel....but, you can fill in the blanks! I had a really good week this week! Only about 1 night of not feeling well, but that might be attributed to the popcorn and Swedish Fish I ate (whoops)! Still not very hungry, but having to eat isn't painful to think about anymore! Hooray! 

I am hungry for the following:

 I didn't know this "tale" until this week, but wives tales say :Lemony tasting cravings = BOY!

Here are some 15 week snapshots. I went to the doctor's this week and I am still not up to pre-pregnancy weight, but they don't seem very concerned. I decided that my calories are now going to the baby, rather than my thighs (praise the LORD!)... My jeans fit so lovely in the legs now! Maybe all of that bonding with the toilet was worth it...ha..not even close!

Falalala la la la (a little early)

I am not quite sure what put me in the mood to Christmas decorate oh, so early this year? Whatever it was, I kind of liked it. Sure, our neighbors still have jack-o-lanterns with saggy faces on their doorsteps, but someone has to be the first to decorate, right? Just last week I was walking by a house on the street above us, and someone had their tree up...I definitely made a "I can't believe that.." type of comment. hehe! Oh well, the thought of a Friday night, a pizza and decorating our tree is what got Luke and I through the week!

In the South, EVERYONE has more than one tree. Some people put a Christmas tree in every room of their downstairs. I totally wanted to bring that tradition to the North this year, but funds may have gotten away from me. I kind of got carried away with buying new stockings, a tree skirt and foofy things for the tree. Maybe next year we will have a "kids" themed tree (BUT, there will be NO colored lights on it-YUCK!). Luke asked me what kind of look I was going for with our tree this year, and I told him I wanted it to look like it belonged in Macy's. You know? Those overly filled, stuff coming from every direction, trees..LOVE THEM! In person, it does have stuff coming from every direction..I swear. My best trick this year was using that twirly, gold, sparkly, branch "stuff", and just shoving it into the tree. It was fun!

Here are just a few snapshots, per my Mom's request. Maybe she needs a little motivation to get started. Of course, not until after she puts "Tom the Turkey" on the table this year. Just a side note, but anything that can have a name (i.e: turkey's, fish...ALMOST children [she wanted to name ME Tommi]), ends up being "Tom". She is obsessed with my dad.  :)

For some reason I feel that pictures never do Christmas decorations justice. Maybe because the glitter and lights don't sparkle through a picture. The tree never looks as decorated as it really is, which makes the pictures kinda of blah-se blah! Oh well, I will still share with you.

 

L putting on the star...

TA-DA! Told ya, kind of boring!

 I already put Luke's present under the tree... ;)

 

The nativity...and L says "Keeping the Christ in Christmas"..ha!

 Can't wait to turn the fireplace on! So cozy!

The aftermath of Christmas decorating is the worst. I should have taken pictures of the mess, but would be too embarrassed to post them. Luke even volunteered to sweep, and when I looked at him like "WHAT? YOU want to sweep", he replied "it is going to be so fun to see the piles". So, from now I will wait weeks before sweeping in hopes that he might volunteer and find it "fun".

 I had the same look on my face when he volunteered..

1 of 16 "fun" piles..

PAYBACK!

Today, we had our first trimester screening, which is actually done in the beginning of the second trimester. The doctor's just check for chromosome abnormalities, including Down Syndrome. They do some genetic screening, a blood test, and to our surprise an ultrasound. I was pumped when I heard that getting poked with a needle was going to pay off! Luke had an OCS board meeting today, which is where he is on a panel, with other officers, who interview soldiers wanting to go to OCS (Officer Candidate School). There was no way he could "get out" of it, so he wasn't going to be able to come to the appointment. However, the appointment lasted much longer than anticipated, and Luke was able to make it to the ultrasound. I'm so happy he was there to see the baby, it just made our day!
It was amazing to see an ACTUAL looking baby moving around (last time, it looked like a blob).  
Well, I was always warned that I would be paid back one day for my, lets just say, ridiculous behaviors as a child. Well, the first 'behavior' appeared on the screen today...the baby was sucking his/her THUMB. Oh dear! It was the most precious sight you have ever seen. I cannot believe a 14 week old baby can find it's mouth and begin the AWFUL (cute) habit of sucking his/her thumb. We were laughing so hard that the ultrasound monitor was bopping all around. Luke and I couldn't believe that it's legs were kicking and it's arm was moving back and forth. We even saw it's mouth open and close. SO COOL! Technology can really bring some amazing moments to life! 

Everything looked perfect!

I guess I am going to have to draw up a list of "techniques" my parents tried with me to quit the ol' thumb suckin': Hot sauce, Vaseline, gloves...yeah, it goes on. ..none of which worked. I always told my mom "I came out with it in (within minutes), and I'm going out with it in". haha. Yeah, right! Well, I guess the habit lives on. My dad, me, and now lil' Wayne.

He (I keep calling it a him)/SHE was busy, so here are the best pictures the tech could get:

 Luke has decided that the baby "totally" has his nose. I'll go with that, he has a nice nose!

 Waving "hello"..

 I'm kind of cute for being only 14 weeks old..

Tiki thinking "What in the hell is that"...

******************

Also, a happy Veteran's Day to all of our American soldiers. 

I know I am proud of mine! XOXO

Hello, Second Trimester

So..I woke up this morning just KNOWING I was going to feel like a gem. In my mind, the sun was going to be shining, my face was going to be glowing and I was going to eat like a champ.... I have been counting down the days. 

Well, day one of the second trimester..not so much. Same old, same old. I just keep telling myself that it is only temporary. I can't wait to update the blog and say that I feel wonderful...just keep staying tuned! :)

 

Baby Belly at week 13

Let's just get real, my round face seems to be growing WITH my belly. 

NOT GOOD!

Weekend Project

A few weeks ago when we were home, we rummaged through my parents garage and found a BEAUTIFUL, old front door. It use to be on my grandparents house in Ithaca, and was then passed down to my parents, and used as our front door in Sayre. NOW, Luke and I have it, and we turned it into a headboard for our spare bedroom. My mom had found an article in a magazine about turning doors into headboards, and she ripped it out and saved it for me...knowing I just LOVE crafty remodels. The doors in the magazine were more modern doors, which are much lighter, so they could just simply be hung up on picture hangers. This door weighs a gazillion and a half pounds. Which is where my handy hubby came into play. Luke stained the door black to go with our spare bedroom decor, and then added legs and a backing. Knowing we wanted to move the spare bedroom, or, the "Grandparents Suite" to the basement, we knew we would need some bulkier furniture to fill up our humungo basement. This was the perfect solution.

 Before..the throw everything you don't want room

Luke working hard!

                                The finished product...

Today, we (aka-Luke) moved the furniture downstairs and got right to work. It was a very easy transition that we are SO pleased with. I actually stood in the doorway when we were done and told Luke that I was jealous. He replied, "Jealous of your own house?" I explained that I was jealous of the space and coziness of the room and that I wanted to move down there. Now, how are we going to get rid of people when they come to stay with us? ;) A crying baby sure isn't going to do the trick, because 3 floors down, you won't hear a peep. All in all, the basement was a nice extra in our house. When we purchased the house, even our Realtor didn't know the basement was finished. 

We went to take a peek at the garage, and WA-LA! A lovely long hallway, which led to a 250 square foot surprise.

We never really intended to do anything with it, as we didn't want to buy MORE furniture just to fill up space. More furniture means more stress when it comes to moving time. The spare bedroom will now become the baby's room. Hmph, everything always seems to work out :)

"Lil' Wayne"

So, I thought I should clarify how the baby has gotten his/her REAL nickname. At times we do refer to "it" as Ralphie, or Little Dubs (W for Wheeler), but until May whenever, he/she will be Lil Wayne, or Waynette.

About a year ago Luke and I made a fascinating realization that our dad's had something strangely in common. When I say strangely, I really mean that. Apparently, back in the day mother's named their children after their OBGYN. Yes, after their gynecologist. 

This may have been the thing to do back then, however, Luke and I are not even considering this "fad" from the 50's (Don't worry!). 

Well, OUR grandma's OBGYN's name was Wayne Allen. My dad is Thomas Allen, and Luke's dad is Gary Wayne. We thought this was quite the coincidence and nicknamed the baby Wayne Allen. haha. In short, we call him/her "Lil' Wayne". My mom decided that if it is a girl, we should name her Sue Ann; after Patricia Sue and Deborah Ann. That would def. be playing it fairly. Although we are not really going to name the baby Wayne Allen, Wayne Allen Wheeler has a nice ring to it..hehe.

Every name that we have come up with, Luke has to make sure that it makes a good football player name. So, he takes the name and inserts it into the following... [Imagine the typical football announcers voice].."And now...number 12 [baby's name] Wheeler", and to follow is some cheesy football synthesizer. Sadly, some of the boy names I have chosen he announces them as being on the cheerleading squad, rather than the football team :( That means they are automatically out of the picture.

Lil' Wayne is actually a rapper, and let's all take a moment and say a quick prayer that the baby DOES NOT end up like the real  Lil' Wayne. See picture.

BOO!

We had a fun Halloween weekend with the Wheeler's, the Tracy's and the Campbell's. We packed 8 people and 1 baby into our house, and somehow all fit comfortably. We tailgated from 1pm-8pm and then went to the game....talk about a long day, but very fun! As usual, we had WAY too much food. Luke thought we could freeze all of the extra's and use them for all of next years tailgate..hehe. Here are some pictures of our Spooktactular weekend!

Happy Valley

PSU vs. Michigan State

 ROAR! 
Trick or treat!

 

 I have to be honest, I was eying up his bagel...

 Luke in all of his glory! 

This is his shout out "thank you" to you, Mom & Dad, for his new grill!

The Doctor enjoying a cold one!

Enjoying a beautiful day! 

I didn't move from that chair all day.

Uncle Luke and Dominick in their camouflage

Chicken Soup for the Soul..or Sick

Luke and I have both been fighting the inevitable fall cold/sinus infection. Oh, how we all dread it's wrath! It is like a chain effect..and it all starts in Kindergarten. Kindergarten, me 1 week later, Luke 1 week later and then somehow my dad seems to "catch" the germs 2 hours away from here. It is always schools fault! :) Anyways, I had the day off today and thought that I would try to doctor my poor, sick hubby up. I whipped out the "Soup Nazi's" (aka-Patty Guinane's) chicken noodle soup recipe. I thought I would share it with you, you will never have a better homemade chicken noodle soup!

Ingredients:
2tbspn olive oil

chopped small onion

chopped carrots (thickness to your liking)

chopped celery (thickness to your liking)

Cut up chicken (honestly, I just use a rotisserie chicken, as it is already flavored)

Spinach

Diced Potatoes (3 large)

Salt

Pepper

Noodles; I used rings

2 cans of Chicken Broth

1 can of water

Parsley

Directions:

1. In large soup pot add olive oil, onions, chicken , carrots and celery. Add salt and pepper. Fry on medium heat until tender.

2. Once tender, add spinach, parsley, potatoes, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low and cover with lid. Simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Cook noodles separately.

4. Add noodles and..wa la!

Luke is already feeling better! ;)

I am convinced that my mom could open a soup kitchen, she would be in all of her glory! XOXO for her fabulous recipe's!

The cat's were sidetracked during "our" cooking session this afternoon. The stray cat outback took up much of their afternoon attention spans...back and forth from the window to the door. I missed the cutest picture EVER by about 3 seconds; they were "standing" side by side with their hands on the window sill, looking out the window. It would have been a total Kodak moment.

Oh Baby, Baby...The Debut

 Here I am! 

Look at my lips, eye and nose! 

(7 weeks)

 Hmm..holding  a balloon? 

(7 weeks)

 Baby Belly at 9 weeks

Bailee is not ready to be a "big" brother!

Baby Wheels is the size of a large plum this week!

(10 weeks)

We are so excited for our special delivery in May! We are going to try our best to get belly snapshots here and there, just to remember each exciting milestone. 

However, things have not been so exciting this first trimester. If you consider hovering over the toilet every other night exciting, well then..come to our house for a good time!

Definitely haven't felt that "cute", pregnancy glow feeling that most people claim to have.. My "morning" sickness has been mostly at night, which is strange that breakfast has been my favorite meal. We consider this "night sickness". Poor Luke gets a home cooked meal, and I wouldn't even go that far, once a week. He is going to waste away! Cereal, bagels, toast and popsicles have been my BFF throughout the last 12 weeks.

  I decided to nickname the baby "Ralphie", as that is what "we" have been doing for the last 3 months. Hopefully things will start to look up soon! This past week, I have had a couple of good days..thank goodness! Still pretty tired, but only working until 1pm works out well for my nap schedule! I haven't gained any weight yet, I actually lost 3lbs, but the doctors say it is "normal" for the "sickly ones". 

We were able to hear the baby's heart beat at our 10 weeks appointment. It was beating at a fast 170BPM. Some say you can tell the sex from the heartbeat, but I kind of think that is an old wives tale. IF it were true, watch out, Luke..you might have TWO women in your life!
I am absolutely convinced this baby is a boy! My percentage is 99.7%  boy, and .3% unconvinced, girl. I haven't decided why I think this? Maybe because my family went boy then girl, so I think that is the way it is supposed to be? Maybe it is because when I lived in N.C someone did the southern thread and pencil test and it predicted boy, girl, boy? I don't know. On the flip side, I have had TWO dreams that the baby was a GIRL! My dreams would agree with everyone except my mom and myself. We are the only two who see blue in the future! How do others know, anyways? People seem convinced that they know if it is a boy or a girl, and I wonder how they get that feeling. I have had that feeling about others before, and I have had a pretty good track record with my guesses, but often ponder how I came to those conclusions? I think people analyze whether a boy or girl will fit best into your lifestyle? God bless, Luke if it is a mini Molly! :) We will all just have to wait until May to be surprised!