Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas is finally here! We were in for one crazy adventure this year. With baby #2 due in less than 3 weeks, we were not traveling to MI this year for x-mas. So the MI family decided to come here. Jim's parents, their dog Addie, his older sister Abby, hubby Aaron, two girls (Izzy - 2, Charlotte - 1), and dog Zoe, and youngest sister Catherine all arrived on Wednesday to stay through Monday. CRAZY! 7 adults, 3 kids under 3, 3 dogs, and a partridge in a pair tree.

Before the fun could begin, I had my 36 week check up, the first of which my doctor would check for any progress to labor. Besides being uncomfortable, the contractions have been pretty minor although much more noticeable than the Braxton Hicks I had with Josh. The official verdict, I am 2 cm dialated, 50% effaced, and at -2 Station. For those unfamiliar with this terminology, here is your quick lesson. Need to be at 10 cm, 100% effaced, and 0 or positive number to deliver a baby. So I am definitely showing signs that the baby is on its way, but I very well could stay at this level for another few weeks or go in 4 hours! Really not any clear indication of how close we are to babies arrival. Baby's heartbeat was 140bpm and he/she was kicking and rolling like crazy during the appointment. Doctor just laughed and kept putting her hands on my belly to feel he/she move. It is fun to see the doctor excited to see the baby move like that, seeing as how she sees pregnant people all the time. She is a good doctor... now I just hope I make it to next week so she can have a chance to deliver this baby. With Christmas this week, she is off until Monday.

Now back to the Christmas festivities. We are making new traditions this year since it is at our house that are a good combination of both our households. The kids are getting along very well and so are the dogs. It is definitely crowded, but we are managing. We went to mass on Christmas Eve and thankfully Jim's coworker Eric told him to get there early because as soon as church is full, they start mass, regardless of what time it is. Mass is scheduled for 5pm, but the last few years they started at 4:30pm! Sure enough, that is exactly what happened this year. The adult ladies of the family got there at 3:30pm and the dads came with the kids at 4pm. Our church also frowns upon saving spots, and they post it everywhere like the doors on the way in, on huge flipcharts all around the altar... so it is just guilt running through you until your entire party arrives! Thankfully we were all present before all the chairs/pews were taken! After mass we had dinner (candied yams for Rausch's) and enjoyed some frosty trees and snowmen for dessert (Walsh tradition) with Reddi whip (Kirkwood tradition). We ended the night with putting out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, the kids were so EXCITED!

Finally, at the end of the night I realized it had been a while since I posted true belly shots. So here you have it. Look at that gargantuan belly! ha ha! It is crazy how much it moves depending on how the baby wants to lie, my whole belly will be off to one side or the other at times. I don't know how much bigger I could get, glad it is only one in there! haha!

So much to do - so little time...

The list to prepare for baby seems to be about a months worth of work... every night I feel like I have to do at least something in order to feel a little bit more prepared. But I keep reminding myself to prioritize... things like the carseat and bassinet need to be ready... but all the decorations in the baby's room... that can wait. I just want it all done, and now! ha ha! Poor Jim, he has been such a good sport and really really been patient with me!

This weekend we took advantage of our good friends Kim and Jerome and their daughter Emma. They had asked us about a month ago to watch their daughter Emma (Josh's FAVORITE girlfriend) on Friday night. And we in return asked if they could watch Josh on Saturday night if we went to our friends wedding. They agreed. Our kids get along SO well and we honestly feel like having them over to play is easier most times!

So Friday night Emma came over around 4pm and it was immediately play time! We played and played and played. After dinner we went to "Streets of Bethlehem", a local church's replica of the city where Jesus was born. It is very popular in this area and grows each year with attendees according to my coworker. This is our first time there. We got in line and there were people every where. The lady said it was going to be a 45 minute wait. Jim and I saw the line moving and decided let's try it and if it is too long, we can always bail. We had told both Emma and Josh all about how we were going to see the animals... Josh had translated that to going to see Jesus at the Circus. Nice. Long story short, we waited for 1 hour and 45 minutes with 2 - 2 year olds. They were such good sports! By the time we got there it was definitely cool to see, but the kids were so tired and we were through the city in 10 minutes. Not necessarily worth the 1 hour and 45 minute wait... but cool to see anyway.

The first thing we saw when we got there was a huge camel... Both Josh and Emma wanted nothing to do with it... they clawed there way into Jim and my shoulder and wouldn't look at it. They did enjoy the sheep/goats, the dancers, and looking at all the stuff people were making/selling like toys and food. On the way home, all they talked about was the camel, and how they got to pet the camel. (liars!) Ah well, at least they remembered something!

Saturday we played and then Emma went home for her nap. After Josh woke up from his nap we dropped him off at Emma's house so we could head to Katie Flemmen's wedding in Madison. He was so excited to go over there. The wedding was a good time, it was nice to see my college friends and of course Katie. My friend Jenelle is expecting too, about 9 weeks behind me. It is hilarious how tiny she is compared to me. I am so ready to pop! And my stomach feels that way forsure. We only lasted about 3.5 hours at the wedding before everything hurt and it was time to head home. We hit up Perkins on the way home for some late night dinner. It was funny to hear the high school kids conversation at the table next to us, drinking coffee and talking about all the drama they have. The other table next to us was definitely college age kids, drunk... WE ARE SO OLD!

So overall, a good kid swapping weekend. I am so glad that we have good friends like Kim and Jerome and that our little ones are such good friends. Kim is expecting number 2 in May, so our second kids will be close in age too, hopefully they will be good friends too! The one random pic of Josh wearing a striped shirt, purple tie, thomas hat, and sandals with socks... As we have been cleaning/reorganizing closets Josh has found these items and insisted on wearing them for the remainder of the day. I think he looks like an engineer in the making... :) hopefully he will learn to get some sort of fashion from his aunts/uncles... and be social butterfly like his parents!

35 weeks

Friday night we went to the Childrens Museum for a Kid's Christmas Party - Thanks Jim's work! We got to see Santa and play play play. Josh had a really good time and it is amazing to see the changes in activity each time we go back there. He is so independant these days!

The rest of the weekend I spent finishing my final "take home" exam. Which is always frustrating because they take so long when they are a take home. I would much rather take an in class exam because it is a set amount of time. But it is done!!

Life is just so hectic right now with the holidays and getting ready for a baby, but at least school is finally over for the semester. Such a huge weight off my shoulders! Now it is time to really get Josh and the baby's room together. Wow, we are going to have a little baby in our house in less than 5 weeks! THAT IS CRAZY!! At this point in my pregnancy with Josh all of these things were done, amazing how less prepared you are for # 2... I wonder why??

I had my 35 week appointment this week. Everything checked out just fine once again. My blood pressure is still nice a low, 108/62 which is good to see. This is the point when it started going up with my pregnancy with Josh. I recently read an article about blood pressure and pregnancy and read that women who don't gain weight in the first half of their pregnancy typically develop high blood pressure at the end. That was pretty much my case with Josh. I don't think I have anything to worry about with this one in that regard, I was gaining weight right away! ha ha!

Baby's heart rate was 147 today and he/she is as active as ever! My doctor said that the head is definitely down and is responsible for that tingling sensation that makes me rush to the bathroom at random times in the day. I really don't remember that with Josh but I am sure it happened. Doc also gave me some recommendations on helping with all the digestive issues I am having... AWESOME! I am eating tums like they are candy from the moment I wake up until I go to bed. It does help, but not for long. It is all part of the fun I know, there just isnt' room for my digestive tract at this point because baby is taking all the room! And for the record, Prune juice is the most DISGUSTING beverage on earth. YUCK!

Work update, I have officially received my very own "little orange cart" at work. My coworker made signs with huge pictures of ridiculously cute babies that say "Baby mobile". I can guarantee none of the guys are going to steel this cart with those signs on it. I basically only use it to get from the front offices and my office in the middle of the plant. And I try to sit on equipment, a stool, or bucket whenever I am out on the production lines. My back is really the only issue at this point and the contractions. They definitely come on stronger after walking/standing.

The countdown to # 2's arrival has begun... So excited/anxious to know whether we will have a little girl or boy... My hunch is a boy... But many many people are convinced it is a girl. We will know very soon! :)

Our First Snowstorm -- 12"

We got hit really hard with this snowstorm. It was AWESOME!!! It started on Tuesday night and just didn't stop. We had swimming class that night and then went to Walmart to pick up some necessities since we were likely going to have issues with getting around the next day. We got home to find out that my brothers high school hockey game was actually showing in WI. It was awesome. We watched the final 3rd period of his game against Benilde St. Margaret from our family room. It was a very intense period. They were down 1-2 when we tuned in, had a 5 minute major penalty called on them, and as a result had to play for a good amount of time down a man. Finally they tied the game when they returned to full strength. My brother got a break away 1:1 with the goalie when a defender took a swing at him just as he got to the net and took him out... Automatic penalty shot. With 1:12 seconds left... The shot was caught by the goalies glove... dang! A sudden death overtime and no goals. The ended with a tie. It was fun to watch and of course we watched the follow-up interviews. We didn't go to bed until 11:30pm!

The next morning we woke up at 6 and I checked the school closing list... Daycare was delayed... and then at 7am, cancelled all day. SNOW DAY! I went to work for the AM and Jim stayed home to play with Josh. I got home at noon and after nap, we were able to go play too. Very nice way to spend a snowy day!

This final picture is specifically for my brother Joe... I hope you enjoy! I am obviously not fitting into even the basic maternity close anymore and because I only have a few weeks to go... I am cheap and don't want to buy anymore clothes. When I dug through my friends maternity stuff to find some sweats to fit under the snow gear so I would be warm... I found this and laughed so hard when I put it on... How hot am I! ha ha! Jim laughed too so we decided, why not take a pic. My brother just can't stand to see the belly... so that is why it is for him!