Merry Christmas!

Remember when you were young and it seemed to take forever for Christmas to arrive? Every year I am more amazed at how fast Christmas seems to come and go. This year, Bob and I were exceptionally excited for Christmas and to celebrate with our little Anna's. We had a great Holiday. Anna loved her gifts, and while Bob and I know she would have been happy with just ribbons and wrapping paper, we were happy to spoil her on Christmas morning. Our Christmas celebration consisted of mass on Christmas Eve, lots of family time, eating wonderful holiday food, giving and receiving gifts, and one awesome Packer win on Sunday! One of my favorite gifts was one Anna gave Bob and I Christmas morning when we were opening Santa gifts at our house. We had jokingly set a goal for Anna to roll over from her back to her belly by Christmas. The past few weeks she has been so close I just knew she would do it soon and low and behold, Christmas morning she did! Needles to say, Bob and I were just thrilled! Only now, we really need to watch her close!

Bob and I both have this week off of work so we decided to take advantage of some of our free time and booked a night up in Door County Monday night. We had an absolute blast! Bob and I have stayed at the Homestead Suites in Door County quite a few times and were so excited to share it with Anna - it is such a great place to stay - the location is awesome, the rooms have giant whirlpool tubs, they have a great pool area, free breakfast in the morning and the rates are not bad, especially during the week. We took Anna swimming for the first time, went out to dinner at the Bayside Tavern, had a nice lazy morning, did some shopping, and had amazing pizza (homemade Italian sausage, goat cheese, and wild mushroom blend) for lunch at the Wild Tomato before heading back to Green Bay.

Later this week we are looking forward to celebrating our first New Year's with Anna. It is hard to believe how much as changed in 2010 - we had many highs and lows and are very thankful for all the blessings in our life and look forward to what 2011 will bring us!

Anna on Christmas Morning!



Opening gifts from Santa on Christmas Morning!



Anna with Uncle Brad and Aunt Ann!



Anna all ready to go swimmng for the first time!



Enjoying some time in the pool with daddy!

Anna's Christmas Photo Shoot

Last weekend, our good friend Kelly came over to take some Christmas pictures of Anna. Kelly took pictures for us when we were pregnant with Anna and we really appreciated her time and talent, so when she said she would be able to take some Christmas pictures for us, we were thrilled! We had such a great time taking the pictures, especially when at one point, as I was trying to pose Anna, I am pretty sure she said "no." The pictures turned out great and we are thrilled with the results. Of course, while I love the posed pictures of Anna in her cute Christmas outfit, including her red and white tutu, Kelly continued to snap away when we were done and just chatting and the candid ones turned out even better - great eye Kelly! My favorite are the ones the capture Anna's awe and amazement with the Christmas balls from the tree - she can't seem to get enough of the red shiny balls and her reflection in them, it is just too cute!

The tree is trimmed, the presents are wrapped, the Christmas cards are sent, and the cookies are baked (and eaten - thanks mostly to Bob, but I forgive him!) The Seidel's are 100% ready for Christmas, it cannot come soon enough! Bob and I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Christmas morning as a family with Anna, Belle, and Oscar. We hope everyone has a wonderful and joyous holiday - stay tuned for more Christmas photos!

Baby It's Cold Out There....

So the blizzard of 2010 hit and it could not have come at a better time! Over the weekend we got close to a foot of snow, which ended up clearing out all the activities we had planned. While we were bummed we were unable to travel to Madison to celebrate Christmas with some of Bob's family, it was nice that we finally had a weekend where we were able to bunker down at home and enjoy each others company as a family. It was the perfect excuse to spend the day in our comfy clothes, watch movies and just enjoy being a family - I even made Christmas cookies! Anna got in on the cooking to - above are a few pictures of her helping mommy cook sweet and sour spare ribs in the crock pot and frosting cookies with daddy. We tried two new crock pot recipes this weekend and highly recommend both - super easy and super tasty!

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

4 lbs spare ribs
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup pineapple or guava juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TB brown sugar
2 TB cider vinegar
2 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TB cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place ribs in foil lined shallow roasting pan. Bake 30 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes. Remove from oven, slive meat into 2-rib portions. Place ribs in 5-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except cornstarch.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Uncover and skim fat from liquid.

Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup liquid from slow cooker, stir until smooth. Pour mixture back in slow cooker, mix well. Cover and cook on HIGH 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Parmesan Potato Wedges

2 LB red potatoes, cut into 1/2 in wedges
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 TB butter cut into 1/8-inch pieces
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Layer potatoes, onion, butter, oregano, salt and pepper in slow cooker. Cook on HIGH 4 hours. Transfer potatoes to serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Pretty Pretty Lights Everywhere

Every year, WPS sponsors the Festival of Lights at the Botanical Gardens in Green Bay. Also, every year they pick one night where the gardens are open only to WPS employees. Given Anna's recent love and fascination for sparkly pretty lights, we decided to bundle up and headed to the Botanical Gardens tonight. It was a great event and we think Anna really enjoyed it - especially the lit up caterpillar tunnel you could walk through. We loved watching her eyes get bigger and bigger and take it all in!

On the Christmas front, we finally picked out a Christmas tree, put it up and decorated it this past weekend. It has been quite an adventure. Bob and I both love real trees and this year decided to chop one down ourselves. We picked one out from Bob's parents neighbor's (that's a mouthful!) land. When we got there, both Bob and I realized the trees weren't really our "style" but we didnt want to hurt his feelings so we did our best to pick one out we liked. By the time we got it home, we realized we were in over our heads - considering this one only cost $5.00 - we got a lot of tree for our money - it is HUGE! We decided to make the best of it and are proud of our tacky tree! While it is a little awkward, it certainly has character and we know it is a tree will never forget! Every time I look at it I can't help but laugh, and it smells amazing! We think Anna likes it as much as we do:)

Anna Rae - Four Month Update

A little about you…..
> Your official nickname is now Anna Bananas - surely you will hate that some day!
> At four months you weigh 13 lbs and 2.5 oz
> You wear 6 month clothing (you are so long!) and size 2 diapers
> Eating - Eats about 20-25 ounces of Target Up and Up brand formula each day + one serving rice cereal at night
> Sleeping – still likes to be swaddled when you sleep whether you are down for the night or taking a morning or afternoon nap. Not the best napper, an hour in the AM and an hour in the PM if that. Can and most often does sleep through the night, wakes up around 7:00 am most morning. We start the going to bed process usually around 8:00 PM - Can be tough to get you to stay down (darn acid reflux!), but once you are down you sleep like a champ. Wakes up in the morning a very happy camper….and in all different sorts of positions…upside down, sideways, how do you do it little girl?

A FEW OF YOUR FAVORITES….
-Loves to jump in your jumperoo from Papa Paul and Grandpa S – figured out how to bounce and loves to do it!
-Enthralled with the TV, especially watching football – all those colors and motion, oh my!
-Loves to play with the simplest things – a recent favorite – banging on a can of formula with a wooden spoon and singing jingle bells – bring on the holidays! Ho Ho Ho!
-Loves music, lights, and motion – especially when mom and dad dance around you!
- Puppies Belle and Oscar have really taken a liking to you – especially Belle, she has started to “cuddle” next to you when you are on the floor – so precious. Oscar watches and protects from afar (the top of the brown chair, his favorite look out spot!)

AND NOT SO FAVORITE….
-HATES your bath!!! We try so hard to make it a fun experience – doesn’t matter of the water is a little cooler or a little warmer…we do not like! Hope one day soon you will!

We love that each day you do something new - you are always keeping mom and dad on our toes!

Anna Rae - Three Month Update

> At your 3 month well check you weighed 10 lbs 12 oz and were 23 inches long – Clearly that height comes from daddy!
> Eating – you are eating anywhere from 4 – 6 ounces of Target Up and Up brand formula each feeding and you are GOOD burper. That too must come from your daddy!
> Sleeping – you are good sleeper at night – not so much during the day. You love to be swaddled and rocked to sleep (mommy’s favorite thing to do!) You go down really easy at night and are starting to sleep through the night. If you do wake up it is typically around 3:00 AM and go right back down until 6 or 7.

A FEW OF YOUR FAVORITES
> You love to flash that adorable little grin at just about anyone who talks to you in a high pitchy voice – and it amazes us what we will do to get a giggle out of you!
> Love to lay on your back and kick, especially on your play mat
> Love to go out and about – seem to get a little stir crazy when we stay home during the day (just like mommy!) – shopping seems to do the trick and you have an amazing wardrobe as a result! – Mommy just knows you will be a great shopper one day!

A FEW OF YOUR NOT SO FAVORITES...
> Your carrier, you simply just do not like to be in it. We hate when we have to strap you up so tight!
> Napping – I think you are just like your mother – you just don’t want to miss a thing, no matter how tired you get

You have stolen our hearts little girl – We love you to pieces!!!!

Happy Holidays

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday for Bob and I – it officially marks the start of the holiday season and is accompanied with family, good food, football, and shopping. We were especially excited this year to celebrate our first Thanksgiving with our little Annas. Above is a picture of her all dressed up for her first Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with the Seidel family - our Thanksgiving meal was excellent and we were very blessed to be surrounded by family. While Anna didn’t get any turkey, she was lucky enough to start eating rice cereal last week. We are pretty sure more ends up on her face, her bib, the high chair, her hair, and her hands then her mouth; but we are told she really is doing well with it and it is always an adventure to feed her some – one of my favorite nightly activities these days. We were both fortunate to take some time off of work last week and enjoyed being home with Anna, got some Christmas shopping done, and started to decorate the house for Christmas. We pretty much have everything done with the exception of picking out a Christmas tree which we look forward to doing this weekend. We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish you a healthy and happy start to the holiday season!

Anna Banana's Big Trip Out East!

This past weekend Bob and I took Anna out east to visit Uncle Mike and Auntie Michele. We were soooo excited (and maybe just a little nervous!) to travel with her. Turns out, Anna LOVES to travel - and what a trouper she was! We drove down to Milwaukee and flew from MKE to BOS Thursday night. Michele and Mike picked us up from the airport and we drove 45 north to their home. Anna slept for most of the trip. On Friday we hung out and had a lazy morning and did some grocery shopping. Bob and I made Stromboli for dinner, which Michele and Mike loved. Yum, one of our favorites! Traveling must have really wore out Anna - she slept for 12 hours Friday night - way to go Annas! On Saturday we took a trip to the Natick mall - so fun. Michele and I were able to get in some good shopping at Nordstroms and did our annual Christmas gift exchange - (aka lets go shopping and buy each other something together - so fun!) Saturday night before heading back we went to PF Changs for dinner - delicious! Anna did really well - she loved the mall! All the people, sights, sounds and commotion were just enough to keep her entertained. I absolutely love to watch those big blue eyes take in the world, it really is precious! Sunday we got up and drove to the lake to go to George's for breakfast. Michele and Mike often make the trip on Sundays to Georges, even when they aren't staying on the boat. Some people might think they are crazy, but I must admit, the grilled strawberry cream cheese filled muffin was well worth the trip! When we got back to Mike and Michele's we made a quick trip to the grocery store and stocked up to make some appetizers - (we made taco dip, chicken wings, and bacon tomato cups) put on some jammies and watched football all day - so fun! Unfortunately our flight left super early the next morning (6:00 AM out of BOS) so we went to bed pretty early - we had to be up at 3:30 AM to get to the airport on time - YUCH! Anna traveled home just as well as she did on the way there - had a minor meltdown in Sheboygan, but after a quick stop for breakfast we were on our way to Green Bay. All in all it was an awesome weekend - so great to hang out with Buster, Mike and Michele, and really do nothing at all but enjoy each others company. Also big thank you to mom and dad for taking our puppies for the weekend - We are so thankful and blessed to have the love and support of such wonderful family! Enjoy a few pictures from our weekend!

Happy Halloween!

Anna's First Weekend Away

This past weekend, the Seidel family traveled to Milwaukee for the weekend to celebrate my cousin Jessica's wedding. It was a big weekend for us...not only was it Anna's first weekend away from home, but also an opportunity for Anna to see Auntie Michele and to meet Uncle Mike for the first time. We were also excited to spend the weekend with Elizabeth and her boyfriend, Brett. Friday Bob had to work and I spent the morning making final packing arrangements and getting us ready for a weekend away. While it seemed like we had packed up Anna's entire nursery, I am proud to say there was only one outfit she didn't wear that we had packed, so I think I did pretty good. We drove down to Milwaukee in the afternoon. Prior to checking into our hotel, we took a detour and walked around Marquette University to show Anna were mommy went to school. It was a great visit - the weather was beautiful and the trees were gorgeous. Anna slept through most of our visit, but I was thrilled to be back and take in all the memories of being there.

Friday night was a great night - we ordered pizza and ate at the hotel with mom, dad, Liz and Brett. Michele and Mike got in around 9 and then we met up with family and had a few drinks and caught up. The wedding was on Saturday and was beautiful. Jessica looked gorgeous in her dress and the ceremony was great. Big congrats Jessica and Ben! Anna was an angel all weekend - turns out she is quite the social bug these days. After everything was said and done, she even slept through the night both nights. We weren't sure if she would sleep in the pack and play the hotel supplied for us, so we tried just putting her in the stroller, which she did great in.

We came home on Sunday and picked up the puppies at Paul and Lois's and got ready for the Packer Game. Michele and Mike had gotten tickets for the game, and Bob and I had decided we didn't want to go to the game, but didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to tailgate. Despite the rain and clouds, we went down to Lambeau to join in on the tailgating festivities - it was a great way to end the weekend! We were thrilled to catch up with Aunt Stacy and Uncle Scott as well. All in all, it was a great weekend and one I cant wait to tell Anna all about when she is older! We are looking forward to Anna's first Halloween this weekend - Anna is all set with her costume - pictures to come soon!

12 Weeks Later....

So, it is has been quite awhile, 12 weeks in fact, since my last post. Apparently, I am not good at blogging with a newborn in the house! Big apologies for the lack of updates. Anna is doing great - she had her 2 month check up (at 10 weeks) last week and weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs 12oz and 23 inches long. (Clearly, she gets her height from her daddy!) I cannot believe Anna will be 12 weeks already this week, where does the time go? The past few weeks have been alot of fun. She has become quite the social butterfly (shocking, I know!) - she loves to coo and tell us stories. It is so fun to see her face light up when we play with her little toes and hands. She also started rolling over from her belly to her back, we find it just amazing to see how well she can support herself when we stand her up and how well she can hold her head up when she is on her belly. Another exciting development is she has started to semi sleep through the night. Before I went back to work, she was getting up once or twice a night. Starting last week, she has been sleeping until 4 or 5 every morning - we are so excited to say we are officially getting 6-7 hours of sleep straight - it's wonderful!

I went back to work almost 4 weeks ago. It was by far one of the hardest things I have had to do. I absolutely love being home with Anna and couldn't imagine leaving her every day. I am happy to say now, while I miss her terribly, I have adjusted well to being back part time. It is certainly hard to be away, but it makes the time we spend with her that much more special. It also helps that I have pictures of Miss Banana plastered all over my walls and computer so I can see that smiling face anytime I want:) My mom watches her while I am at work, which also makes it easier - I can call for updates:)

We are really looking forward to this weekend - it will be our first weekend away from home with our little lady. We are going to Milwaukee for my cousin's wedding and are looking forward to spending the weekend with family, including Michele and Mike, who are flying in for the weekend. Time for Anna to get her dancing shoes on:)

Anna Rae Arrives!!!!

Bob and I are happy and excited to annouce the arrival of Anna Rae. Anna arrive Thursday, July 29th at 8:44 AM. She was 7 lbs and 19.5 inches long. We were admitted to the hospital Wednesday night to be induced. My water broke naturally Thursday morning around 5:30 - they started the pitocin at 6:00 and after 2 very intense hours of labor Anna Rae decided it was time to join the world. She surprised everyone, including our nurses and doctor, as we thought it could be a long day before she arrived. We were fortunate our Doctor was able to be there for her delivery as she had a scheduled c-section for 9:00 AM. We are so excited to have her and absolutely love her to pieces. Bob and I and the puppies are adjusting well to life with a newborn. It is by far the hardest and yet most rewarding time of our lives. We have fallen into a schedule of feedings, diaper changes, cuddling, and rocking. The puppies are doing great with her - they are very curious and love to sniff:) The cutest moments are when Anna stirs in her sleep and they hear it over the monitor and run to the nursery to check on her.

39 Weeks

I cannot believe I am 39 weeks along in my pregnancy now and Baby Seidel could arrive at any time. Bob and I have spent the past few weeks making last minute preparations for our baby’s arrival and are hoping he or she arrives soon! My emotions range from anxious, nervous, excited, and scared all in a day’s span. We spent this past weekend running errands, some last minute house cleaning, and just trying to relax and enjoy our time together with the puppies, knowing that our family of four will soon be a family of five! Saturday was a great day – we ran a few errands in the morning and then came home to relax. Being pregnant and it being such a hot summer has only intensified my desire for a pool. While Bob and I both agree we want to have pool some day, we know we won’t be in our current house forever and we want to wait for our next home to put one in. When we got home, I noticed our neighbors down the street were sitting in one of those blow up pools, having a few cocktails and having a great time. I never really noticed how big those blow up pools were! Bob caught one look at me watching them and I think he knew what was in his future. I ran to Wal-Mart to pick one up. 30 minutes later Bob and I were soaking in our very own swimming pool – I couldn’t wipe smile off my face – it was a great afternoon! After our “swim” we decided to get cleaned up and go out for what could be our last “date night” for a little while. We drove down to Appleton and had a great dinner at The Melting Pot, our favorite of ours.

Two weeks ago, our friend Kelly was gracious enough to come over and spent a few hours taking maternity pictures of Bob and I in our nursery. We had a great time and really appreciate Kelly taking the time to not only take the pictures, but also edit them, print them, and provide us a disc of them to have. The pictures turned out great – exactly what we were looking for and we were really excited to be able to do them in the nursery. Included in this post are a few of our favorites!

Other than that, it is just a waiting game from here on out…At my weekly appointment last week I was 1 cm dilated, 90% effaced and baby’s head was at a station of -1….Dr. P was very excited about our progress and was optimistic we would see more progress this week. I go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon and my fingers are crossed we will get some good news.

One Month To Go!!!!

It is hard to believe we only have one month to go before we get to meet our little bambino! The past few weeks have kept Bob and I very busy! Two weeks ago we had our last baby shower, thrown by Bob's parents. It was a great day! Minus a little wind, we had beautiful weather and enjoyed the company of family at Bob's parents house at a backyard cook out. It was great to spend time with the family and celebrate the arrival of Baby Seidel. We are so thankful for all the effort Paul and Lois put into the shower and for all the help from Bob's siblings - we really appreciate the effort from everyone to make the day such a success!

The week following the shower I took off of work as a required furlough week. I plan on taking 8 weeks off when our peanut arrives and decided it might be nice to take one more week before the baby comes to prepare the house and to enjoy a little free time. It worked out well - with the help of my mom we organized and finished the nursery, washed the baby's clothes, washed baby bottles, and did some cleaning around the house I have been meaning to get to. Bob and I also installed the car seat and packed our hospital bag and diaper bag and loaded the car with everything we want to bring to the hospital, so when the time comes, we are ready to go. The reality of everything really hit me this past weekend when Bob and I were in the nursery playing with the video camera. We wanted to make sure it was charged and ready to bring to the hospital. Bob took some video of us and the puppies and it really dawned on me how much our lives are about to change. I tear up just thinking about how lucky we are to have one another and how fortunate we have been to have experienced such a healthy pregnancy and I just can't wait to meet our little one. We can only hope the puppies are just as excited as we are:)

I had my last biweekly appointment today. From here on out I will see my doctor on a weekly basis. We had a great appointment - Baby's heart rate is still strong and my blood pressure is very good. As I had suspected, the baby has started to drop. Hard to believe we have just 4 weeks to go!!!!

7 Weeks to Go!

Hard to believe that 33 weeks have passed since Bob and I began our pregnancy adventure and there are just 7 weeks to go! (8 at the most as my doctor has promised me she won’t let me go more than one week past our due date:)) Bob and I are amazed each day as we feel (and see!) our little one kick, punch, and somersault in my tummy! I must admit, some of this little one’s maneuvers are quite impressive! A few weekends back we took a trip up to Door County for our “Baby Boom” aka – our last little getaway as a twosome. I have read about couples taking a getaway sometime throughout their pregnancy as a chance to spend some quality time with their partner and relax and enjoy some free time before the baby comes and things change quite dramatically. Bob and I have been so busy in the last year or so; we haven’t gotten away together since last summer, so this trip was a no brainer. We booked three nights up in Door County for Memorial Day weekend. We had a wonderful trip – the weather was hot and sunny the whole time we were up there, allowing plenty of time for swimming, shopping, and sunsets. We hit up some of our favorite spots (Pirates Cove, Wilson’s for a burger and ice cream, and Fred and Fuzzy’s in Sister Bay) and tried a few new ones (Al Johnson’s, and White Gull Inn in Fish Creek). We came home well relaxed and it had quite a few laughs enjoying each other’s company.

Last weekend, my good friend Kelly threw us a baby shower with some of our friends we routinely get together with for game nights (amongst other things) – we had a great time and enjoyed their company and appreciate everyone coming to help us celebrate the not to distant arrival of Baby Seidel. Thanks Kelly – we really appreciate your efforts!

I had a check up earlier this week and I am happy to report things are progressing quite well. Baby’s heartbeat is strong and I am measuring right on track. We attended a breastfeeding 101 class last night, which we found to be well worth our time and look forward to starting our childbirth education class in a few weeks. We also have another shower, this time with Bob’s side of the family, later this month and I am taking a week of furlough from work after that, which will allow me time to make final preparations on the baby’s nursery and get the house ready for his or her big arrival!

29 Weeks

I am 29 weeks along now and have started going to the OB every two weeks. We had an appointment this week on Wednesday and tried for the second time to get a 3D/4D ultrasound picture. We were really looking forward to seeing our little pea pod, as the doctor said at this point the baby’s features have all developed and it is not just a matter of the baby growing for the next two months or so. At our last ultrasound the baby was face down and sleeping on my belly so we couldn’t get a good look at the little guy. Our fingers were crossed that baby had shifted positions. The good news was it had and is no longer breached, but now face down. There was also plenty of amniotic fluid to provide for a good 3D picture. Unfortunately, our little one is just as determined to be a surprise to us as we want him or her to be for us because baby hands and feet were hiding his or her little face. In the pictures you can see a hand and foot covering the face on the first and on the second baby did move his foot, and you can make out a little chin, lips, and part of a nose – that is the best we could get!

They said we could try again if we would like but we do not plan on it – if baby wants to be a surprise, we are totally ok with that and just happy baby is healthy! Once he moved his foot away from his face we were able to see his or her lips just smacking away and he even stuck his tongue out a time or two which was really cute.

Baby Shower

This past weekend we had our first baby shower – it was so much fun! We chose to have a “couples” shower at Titletown Brewery on Saturday afternoon. I was so excited to be able to include Bob in this very special day, as together we are embarking on a new chapter in our lives. We were very overwhelmed and touched by all of the family and friends that came out to support us, celebrate the pending arrival and Baby Seidel and enjoy some good food and drink:) A special thank you to my sisters Michele and Elizabeth and my mom for planning this special day. You girls did a great job and it all came together beautifully! Also to Peg Houston for putting the flower arrangements and centerpieces for the tables together, they were so cute! Also to my Aunt Jeanie for taking some wonderful pictures to help us remember the day by – it seemed to go so fast! We kicked off the weekend Friday afternoon making and decorating cupcakes for the shower – we had a blast. It was so great to spend time with my mom and sisters and bond over frosting and sugar:) Here are some pictures from the shower…

We have a stubborn little one on our hands!

This past week we had our second ultrasound and we were so looking forward to seeing our little bambino one more time before meeting him or her this summer. This ultrasound was the 3D/4D picture and my doctor likes to do it when her patients come in for their glucose testing, as the testing takes about an hour and the ultrasound is a good way to fill up that time. When I got to the doctors office, I had to drink the sugary drink and then went in for the ultrasound. Our little guy was resting peacefully on my tummy, just sleeping away face down…we were sure that the sugary drink would be enough to stimulate the little one, but as it turns out, we were wrong. His or her little feet were kicking away and he seemed to be scooting along in my belly, but after 45 minutes of prodding at him or her, it was clear the baby showed no signs of flipping over anytime soon. We were pretty disappointed, but have rescheduled to do another ultrasound at my next appointment in two weeks and are hoping our little guy is more cooperative. So no new pictures to share, but we will hopefully have some in a few weeks – stay tuned!

One difference from our last ultrasound to this one, is our ultrasound tech was able to identify the sex of the baby. She indicated she is 100% she knows what it is, which leads me to be even more convinced we are having a little boy, although she is the only one who knows for sure. Bob and I decided from the very beginning we didn’t want to know the sex of the child, and I have been very content with that decision. I have to say however, now that there is another person who knows what we are having, I really want to know! What makes my curiosity even worse is the fact that she is our neighbor and lives down the street from us! But after some serious discussion last night we decided to stick to our plan and wait until delivery to find out what we are having.

Bob and I are very much looking forward to our first baby shower this weekend! We are excited to celebrate with some of our close family and friends the approaching arrival of Baby Seidel, which, as each day passes, we are reminded that our little bambino will be here before you know it!

Spring is Here!

This past weekend I was reminded how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family and husband. With Michele and Mike living so far away, our times together as one big family are few and far in between. Mike had come to Green Bay for work on Thursday and coincidentally, his brother who works for Disney was going to be in town on Saturday for a show at the Resch Center. So Michele decided to fly to Green Bay for the weekend. She is planning on coming home next month for my baby shower, so this trip was really just an added bonus. Her flight was suppose to come in on Friday at 7:30 in Milwaukee, but the plane had mechanical problems in Boston and she didn't come into Milwaukee until 9:30 or so. Mike picked her up and they got to Green Bay around 11:30 that night. I am proud to say I managed to stay awake waiting for them! (OK, maybe I snoozed just a little on my parents couch!) Saturday, Michele and Mike came over to see the baby's nursery, went to lunch, met up with Andrew, Mike's brother, and then met the family up at Eve's to celebrate dad's birthday - Happy Birthday Dad! As usual, Eve's did not disappoint and we had a wonderful dinner with great food, our favorite waitress Mary Ann, and wonderful company! We were excited to have both Grandma Willis and Grandma Von join us for the meal!

Given that the weather was nicer than forcasted, we decided on Sunday we really needed to take advantage so we put on some sweatshirts, made a fire in the fire pit, and sat out in the sun and grilled brats and burgers. It was such a fun afternoon. After a long Wisconsin winter, nothing beats sitting outside for the first time taking in the sun:) It was ALMOST like we were at Miller Park for Opening Day!

There is a baby in my belly!

This week Bob and I had our second ultrasound. We were very excited for the occasion and decided to ask both my mom and Bob’s mom to come along with, so they too could catch a glimpse of their future grandchild. We decided going into the appointment we were not going to find out, which is a good thing, because the ultrasound tech herself was not able to tell what the sex of the baby is, looks like we have a feisty one on our hands! We were her last appointment of the day and the first couple to not want to know. Up until us, she had boys all day long, which only peaked my curiosity more, but we managed to stay strong. She was able to render a guess in our file, with question marks all around it and assured us if we changed our mind we could come in for another peak and she would try again. Baby looks good, very active and weighs approx 13 oz, and is in the 35th percentile. The ultrasound tech did do a 3 D scan, which was so exciting to see. Being able to make out the features of baby’s eyes, nose, and mouth brings a whole new sense of reality that there really is a baby in my belly! For the first time, I think I finally believe this is really going to happen. Bob is still adamant it is a girl and Lois is determined it is a boy. From the beginning of the pregnancy, I have always said we were going to have a boy, but now after seeing the sonogram, I don’t know what to think. Either or, we both agree all we want is our baby to be strong and healthy!

Did you feel that?!?!?

Such very exciting new - this weekend Bob was able to feel the baby kick!!! I have been feeling flutters every so often, especially right before I go to sleep at night, but for the first time this weekend, I was able to feel Baby Seidel kick when I put my hand on my tummy. I was laying in bed Saturday morning, watching the Food Network Channel, which is my normal Saturday morning routine, when all of a sudden I realized that those little bumps I could feel with my hand on my stomach was the baby moving! I called Bob in a frantic into the bedroom, because I didn't want him to miss it. Sure enough, Bob could feel it too! I loved seeing his reaction to it, because I know it definitely makes the whole thing feel that much more real.

We had a great weekend celebrating some birthdays. Friday night we were up at Titletown for Joanne's 30th surprise b-day party and Saturday we went up to Door County to the clubhouse where mom and dad have purchased some land and went swimming with my parents, Liz, and Grandma. We came home and had a Willis family Chinese pig out and cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday Mom and Jo!!!! Bob and I spent Sunday cleaning the house and shopping for the nursery. We found some picture frames, a lamp, some wall decals, and very cute blue bird beanbag chair that match the bedding we picked out very well at Target, so it was a successful shopping trip.

My prenatal yoga class at the Y ended two weeks ago and so my girlfriend Kelly and I decided to try the prenatal swim class this session and I absolutely love it! I have always loved swimming and being in the pool and this class is a great way to get some exercise and enjoy the water. The girls and the instructor are great, I highly recommend the class to anyone who is expecting!

On Tuesday I will officially be 20 weeks along. It is hard to believe we are already halfway through! We have our ultrasound in two weeks and cannot wait catch a glimpse of Baby Seidel!!!

4 Month Update

Above are some pics, the first is of our first glimpse of our little peanut - this was from my first ultrasound at 8 weeks and the second is Bob putting together our crib ...

We had our 3rd OB appointment today and I am happy to report all is going well. My appointment was scheduled for 3:30 and around 11 I received a call from the Doctor's office asking if we could come in for 12:30 because my Doc had to do an emergency surgery this afternoon. Since Bob couldn't get off of work and home in time, my mom was able to go with me. Needless to say, she jumped at the chance to hear her future grandchild's heartbeat, which was beating at a strong 152 - which was music to our ears. I am measuring right at 17 weeks and am happy to report I haven't gained any weight yet! I have no doubt that will catch up with me very soon as I am starting to notice my pants are getting a little tight - might be time to start shopping for some maternity clothes...which I have to admit, I am a little excited to do! We are looking forward to our next OB appt - we will have our second ultrasound and will be able to find out the sex of the baby if we want.....do we or don't we?!?!? As of now, we don't think we want to, but are very tempted!!! We have also officially settled on names for both a boy or girl. We have had a boy name picked out for quite a while, but have struggled to agree on a girl name. We decided to give ourselves a week to come up with our top 5 girl names each and see if we could pick one from there...turns out it wasn't as hard as we thought it would be and over dinner quickly settled on one we both loved.

We officially have a painted nursery and I am very excited with how it turned out. After testing the colors on the wall I decided I didn't care for the brown stripes I was thinking of going with. I hadn't taken into consideration the difference in brown to the woodwork and closet doors and did not like the way it would look, so we decided to do just a simple light green color. The paint color is Pistachio Ice Cream and it is a very calming and soothing pastel green.

Employment is Key!

Good news to share - I have a job! I was fortunate enough to get a job with WPS, this time on the regulated side of the business. I am very thankful for the opportunity to stay with a company I truly admire as well as to know Bob and I do not have to worry about employment in 2010. There is no doubt the decline in the economy over the past two years has affected everyone in some capacity and Bob and I have both felt a hit with our jobs. The good news is Bob is busier than a bee at work. In fact, as I write this, it is Saturday morning and he as work right now. We are very thankful to be so fortunate to have good jobs that will allow us to provide for our family.

I am looking forward to our weekend. The past two have been very busy and a little stressful and this weekend is looking to be nice and relaxing. Last night Bob and I grabbed a quick bite to eat (Ok I confess, we litterally drove through the Taco Bell drive thru - I didnt get done with work until 6:30 or so and I was STARVING). Long gone are our late night dinners at Angelinas (at least for the time being!) and then we ran some errands. We looked at Younkers for baby and maternity clothes and stopped at Barnes and Noble to pick up some books. I have combed What to Expect When You Are Expecting over and over since finding out the news and was looking for some more reading material. I found a book that focused more on birth and the first 48 hours after birth and am looking forward to diving in, as well as a baby book that I can use to document all of our exciting baby experiences we have had and look forward to having! This afternoon our friend Erika and her little one, Evan are coming over for a visit. I am looking forward to catch up, we haven't seen each other since we found out we were expecting and I cannont wait to see Evan, he is such a cutie. And this will be a good test for the puppies, hopefully they are on their best behavior!

Last weekend we went to Home Depot to look at paint colors and finally settled on a light green and brown. I want to paint the room a calming light green color and brown stripes on the bottom half of all 4 walls in the nursery to match the crib. Bob isn't wild about the idea (And I quite honestly, don't blame him, it sounds like a lot of work, but I am determined!) Our friend Kelly was gracious enough to volunteer to help, which we really appreciate! We are planning on painting the nursery the last weekend in Feburary. Once we have the nursery painted we can set up the crib and focus on all of the fun baby details!!!

How Many is Too Many?

The answer to that question my friend, is four! Starting last Wednesday Bob and I have taken on the pleasure of dog-sitting for both of my parents dogs, Brewski and Lucy, in addition to our two dogs. It is a favor I am happy to do in return for all the times they have taken our dogs for us, but four is quite alot! I am pretty positive the younger two, Oscar and Brewski don't even notice that mom and dad are gone - they are having so much fun playing with each other, they truly are best buds. The older two, Lucy and Belle keep looking at me with these big brown eyes as if to say, "when will it end and we can go back to our normal life of puppy rest?" Bob has dubbed me the Puppy Queen, as all four insist on cuddling with mom at night. No lie, I have fallen asleep with one on my pillow, one on my left, one on my right on one laying straight down my back. We have manged so far and are happy to note we are more than half way through our adventure. With only few minor mishaps - A quick trip to the groomers for Lucy and Belle has only lost her dinner a few times to Brewski, we are starting to get into a good routine with the pups and I am certain we will be totally comfortable with them just in time for my parents return on Saturday.

Sunday we had the pleasure of celebrating Liz's 21st birthday with her! Michele and I have jokingly always said we hope to be "bare foot and pregnant" when she turns 21 and somehow I managed to make that dream come true, although I think I would have enjoyed myself more if I wasn't aching for my bed, sweats, and a good movie by 9:00 PM. Michele and Mike are on a cruise with my parents, and while Liz and I would have prefered Michele to be there to help us celebrate, we made the best of it and had a good time! We went out dinner at Nakoshima's, hit up Hinterland for a few drinks and finished the night off at Top Hat. I hope you enjoyed yourself Liz - Happy Birthday!!!

Not too much to update on the baby front. Bob's parents came over on Sunday to help move the treadmill and some other furniture out of baby's room to the basement. Thanks Paul and Lois!!! We purchased a crib and picked out the baby's bedding at Pottery Barn Kids a few weeks ago, so I am hoping to pick some paint colors and start painting the room soon. I cannot wait to see it all come together!