KICK baby, KICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.......I keep saying that........

...So, I know he or she is actually in there. I am trying to be patient, but besides the big belly I seem to have, I don't really feel pregnant! We hit 17 weeks yesterday! woo hoo! but I just wish it was time for my appointment or the baby would kick or something, because I need some convincing "its" in there! :) My appointment is still a week away. And we will be scheduling my ultrasound at that appointment for around 20 weeks. Can't wait! :)

Much more progress is being made on the new home front! Brian (our awesome friend and painter) is doing a great job getting things painted! We should be completely done with the upstairs by tonight hopefully! :) (except the baby's room, of course) Then painting on the downstairs can begin. Eric has the drywall up where he had torn out the walls. We just need to get the stairs done and the guy to come do the drywall in the stairwell. Then carpet.

It's going well, but it's a slow process, as I am learning. I am doing my best to be patient. Its just hard because I am the type of person that wants to do things myself in order to get them done and get them done right. And there's really not much I can do over there besides paint. And since Brian is doing most of that now, all I can do is wait. The guys are doing a great job though. We are going to have a GREAT place to live. :) Thanks for doing all the hardwork honey, I love you! (you too Brian)

We have Madison with us all week this week. :) She really is a good kid. She lets me sleep in on the days I work, and wants to help me when I clean. What kid does that!? She will be spending the day with my Aunt Mary Kay tomorrow while I sleep. Thank God I have family around here to help us out with watching her. Of course, none of them mind at all....they all love spending time with her. :)

......LOVE this.........

have you seen this: http://www.potterybarn.com/products/exeter-pendant/?pkey=cpendants

OMG.....I totally love them. I want them. I wonder if Eric could make one for me? or if it would be easier to just buy it. it would be so darn awesome in my new kitchen.... (well, not the kitchen now, but the dream kitchen I hope to get to someday!) hmmmmmmmmmmm......

if only I could afford ALL the things from Pottery Barn that I LOVE............

....well, still frustrated...

So, I took down my last post. Not because every single bit of it wasn't true....but because I don't need drama in my life....I have enough and I don't want anymore of it. I took it down because apparently, it was offensive to some. I will restate that I love Madison very much, and I do treat her very well.....Being a step parent is the single most difficult thing I have ever done, but I think I am a good step mom. I do my BEST at it. But I also cannot wait to become a real mom to my own child. I don't think there is anything wrong with being excited about that. Have a good day.

SuMMer has ARRived!

Sorry, I was slow in posting this week. And sorry no new pics. Truth is, I am being lazy. And, I've been too busy to sit down at this computer for the length of time it takes to add pictures!!!

Things are moving along, and summer has finally gotten here! I mean, really gotten here! Its been in the high 80s, and HOT. But, its better than cold. :) Small progress has been made at the house....Eric is ready to do drywall, and I got the carpet ordered. Madison's walls are finished being painted and I am going to finish the bathroom, hopefully, today! So, that's all good. Eric is thinking we might be able to move in about two weeks. Here's hoping! :)

They finished planting Saturday. Yay!!! I think that means I have to start cooking again. Boo. :( I need to....it would be much healthier for the baby.

Speaking of baby, I am now 16 weeks! Crazy how far I have made it, how fast it is going, and how little time is left before the ultrasound. I cannot wait for this! I am so anxious to find out what we are having. People keep asking me what I think it might be, and I honestly have NO idea!! I did have a dream the other night it was a boy...but I am not sure that means anything?? We will see. The ultrasound should be happening when I am about 20 weeks. I plan on calling the Dr. office tomorrow to see when that can be scheduled. :) Other good news is a girl at work offered to GIVE us her crib from her kids. I was planning on just using the one we have out in the barn that I bought at a garage sale when Madison was small...but, this option is much better! She brought me a picture of it last night and its very nice and cute! So excited! Now, I just really want some kind of cute armoire to paint or something. Maybe I can find that on craigslist? or a used furniture store? hmmmm....

What else can I tell ya? we took the dogs swimming for the first time on Saturday evening. It was hilarious! Lexi jumped right in head first when she saw the pond. So cute ;) Then, Eric gave them all baths.....fun stuff.

That's all for now, folks.

Our Little HiDinG HeaRtBeAt

14 WEEKS!!!!

...and today was our appointment............finally. Monday's appt. got canceled, and then they called to cancel today's appt. because the Dr. was sick.......but, thankfully they said I could see the nurse practitioner again instead. (I STILL haven't met my doctor!!!) So, we go in, and I am excited to FINALLY get to hear the heartbeat......and she couldn't find it!!....anywhere.

She then stepped out of the room to see if she could get an ultrasound scheduled.....and I started to cry, of course......I had just had this feeling we wouldn't get to hear it for some reason......She was able to get us in for an ultrasound, and the next 90 minutes

seemed to be an eternity...

When we finally went back (and I had to pee so bad I thought I would die because you have to have a full bladder!), she took some images and said she could see the heart beating. She had me go to the bathroom (thank GOD!) and then finished the study. We got to see the whole body...arms, legs, face, head, abdomen, feet...it was really surreal and such a relief. Heartbeat was 149. She said it was too early to see boy/girl parts...so, we have to wait until probably 20 weeks for another ultrasound to find out.

It felt so weird to be looking at that screen seeing he/she move all around and know that was going on inside me. I still just can't believe there's a baby in there! I am not sure why, but its such a strange feeling to me to be pregnant. I guess I never thought it would really happen. I am excited and nervous....but, everybody says thats normal.....so, I will just go with it! :)

On the house front, more progress is being made. I got lights for the entryway, stairway, and living room.....big step!!!! It takes me a loooooooooooong time to make decisions, so to have that done is big! And I have been itching to do SOMETHING at the house myself, so I painted Madison's room yesterday. Its not completely finished...but, it felt good to accomplish a little bit. :)

I will post some pics this week sometime of all this exciting stuff! :)

Can't wait for Eric's family to be in town and for his cuz's wedding. (I bought a maternity dress to wear.... LOL )

My HusBanD thE PlaNTer...................

Not much has changed since last week.....Eric has been able to be in the fields planting since the end of the week, and they haven't stopped!!! But, actually, this is really good news because... planting early now=an early harvest!!!! Which=he should be done in the fall before the baby gets here!!! That is REALLY good news! That way it won't be a stress being off work, and he will actually be able to take a week off or so to get adjusted at home. :) :) So, plant away boys!!! They should finish this week if it doesn't rain....however, there's a chance of rain tonight.

On the baby front, I am now 13 weeks!!!! Moving into my second trimester!!!! Crazy, I know! My email today said the baby is the size of a peach (or 2.9 inches)! I cannot honestly believe I have something the size of a peach inside me. I am kind of anxious to go to our doctor's appointment next week because its been so long since I was there! We will get to hear the heartbeat, and then I should feel better about it.... It still just seems impossible that I am pregnant right now! But, then I have the very frequent bathroom stops, exhaustion, hunger/nausea to remind me! lolAt the house, Eric just needs to finish up a little more work himself, but since he's been in the fields, he hasn't been able to go over there to work......then we are paying a guy to come drywall the staircase because its such a hard job. Then, paint everywhere and carpet in the living room, then we should be ready!.....so, I am thinking a couple more weeks........... :)

It would be great to be in by the time Eric's parents get here for his cousin Abby's wedding on the 22nd...but, I don't know if thats gonna happen! We will see! :)

Making our HOUSE a HOME

SOLD!!!

Well, I've hit 12 weeks!!! They are saying our little one is the size of a plum now....or about 2 and 1/2 inches. We have our next apt. in two weeks and should get to hear the heartbeat then! Can't wait for that!! and then sometime in June we should be able to find out the sex of the baby! yee haw! :) :) :) I have been feeling pretty good most of the time, except at work all night. Its horrible, and I get so tired. But, thats part of working nights I guess. I get to work three in a row this week, starting tonight. So, wish me luck!

I thought I would put up some pics of the demolition that is happening at the new place!!! Eric has been working hard the past few days, as well as our good friend Brian England. Its SO nice to have a good friend who is willing to help out during times like this. Otherwise, Eric would be doing a lot of it himself.

Its absolutely amazing to see how much tearing out the walls around the staircase has changed the look of the house!

Here is before:

During demo (they found a door behind the walls at the bottom of the stairs!! We plan to make this our "entryway" into the house!):

After:
Its so awesome how much it has opened up the space from the kitchen into the living room! We are trying to decide what to do with the stairs now...Carpet or just refinish the hardwood?? Then we will have to have a handrail/banister done for it. Its gonna be so pretty! :)

This is the "blue room", or what I thought I was making Madison's room, but now it might be the baby's room.....they had put in a closet there in the corner that looked really cheaply done...So, of course, Eric decided to tear it out and redo it. As you can see the floors are painted white...

Here is what was behind the walls: An amazing brick chimney! I love exposed brick so much!! So, Eric is going to put another closet in that corner and then leave the brick exposed! So awesome! And the floors in both this room and the other room are going to be left painted white I will post more "reno" pics in later posts....I have stuff to do today!

It was so pretty out yesterday, so I decided to take a few more pics outside so everyone who looks at the blog could get a better idea of how awesome it is out there:

Of course, this is the front again. LOVE :)

The side yard:

The big horse barn:

The HUGE shop (you don't know until you see the inside!):

This used to be the "washhouse" but we think it will be a great playhouse for the kids! :

The back pasture (it goes back past those big trees):