I know what you all have been waiting for

lots and lots of text! and no pictures! Don't worry, I'm only kidding. Things are going well. Tyler has settled into a nice routine and is letting mommy and daddy get some sleep. He enjoys going on a walk every afternoon and he really hates getting his diaper changed. I have a lot of pics to share and hopefully my dial-up connection will allow me to share them.

An up close look at the hospital














With dad all ready to go home














In his crib sleeping


















With Aunt Holly and her boyfriend














With Aunt Marisa and Cousin Owen. Owen was very excited to meet his Cousin Tyler!















With mom


















With Dan's mom


















He loves his swing!


















He did not enjoy his first bath at home
































Drying off


















Dressed and ready to go!

















Getting ready for his first stroller ride



















Off we go!

Last Monday at work!

Not that I'm excited or anything. In the previous post I mentioned we were getting another ultrasound done last week. I thought we'd get to see a lot of him but it was so hard to tell what we were looking at. Apparently, though, he is quite chunky! We got a nice profile of his stomach (which closely resembles mine right now) and the tech pointed out a white lining on his stomach...his fat. She told us it was twice as thick as the average. I guess whatever I'm eating (which is pretty much any food lying around) he is really enjoying! We also got to see a little of his face and his cheeks are nice and chubby! They guessed his weight, at that point, to be just over 7lbs. Doesn't sound too bad until you remember I still have three weeks to go. Being the one who is carrying him around I think their estimate is right on or slightly under. =) I have another appointment today so we'll see if anything is going on!

This past Saturday we had our annual mother-in-laws side of the family get together. It's always a fun time. One of Dan's cousins has a very nice house on a lake. The day involves really good food and fun times in the water and out on the boat. I skipped water skiing this year. We also do any showers for the year so Dan and I and his cousin and his wife both had baby showers. We got some really nice stuff! Baby Thorpe should be very happy with his loot. I did go out for a boat ride and I told Dan's cousin that if the boat ride managed to induce labor we'd name the baby after him. So far nothing has happened. =)

We have a weekly meeting at work every Monday morning and at this mornings meeting I got presented with a big basket of baby gifts from the department. I was really surprised. We got some good stuff! It was really nice of them to do that. I mentioned in the last post that I was afraid I wouldn't have anything to do at work but they've definitely been keeping me busy. Actually, I have a lot of projects scheduled and everyone wants me to finish as much as I can before I leave. It should be a fast week at work.

No pics today. I'm hoping the next pics will be of the baby. =)

36 weeks

Had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looks good. I'm going to have an ultrasound next week because the doctor thinks he may be getting big. It will be interesting to see how he looks now. I bet quite a bit different than he did at 20 weeks!

People ask me if I'm getting excited. I can't say I'm feeling any excitement. More like anxiousness and lack of patience. I'm ready for him to arrive. I'm uncomfortable most of the time and frankly, I'm tired of being pregnant. It will be nice to finally meet this baby that keeps doing gymnastics inside of me.

Dan and I have our all day birthing class on Saturday. Hopefully I won't get overwhelmed by it.

I have 11.5 days of work left. Not that I'm counting. I'm already feeling the affect of it as projects start dropping off my schedule. I realize it's hard to schedule work for me but I'd rather not be bored for two weeks.

One of Dan's guy friends from college got married a couple weeks ago. Dan was an usher and he did a fabulous job. After the ceremony we got to go onto Iowa State's football field and take pictures (the bride has connections). It was pretty cool to be on the field.

Speaking of football, I saw that Purdue will be playing Ball State at Purdue this year. Should be a good game! (sarcasm) I also noticed Purdue is playing Hawaii at Hawaii over Thanksgiving. I'm thinking I should be there to support the Boilers!

Now, some pics.

Here we are at the wedding (Kelly, recognize the dress??)
















The "gang" (I'm the big pink blob on the left)

















The wedding party on the field (Dan is kneeling on the left next to the kid)

















The guys (it's a little dark, Dan is third from left)

25 business days left

Not that I'm counting but I have 25 business days left until my last day of work. I handed in my resignation last Monday and have been sharing the news today with my co-workers. I'm relieved to finally get it out in the open. Most people don't get it right away and think I'm talking about maternity leave but then I say no, I'm not coming back EVER.

Baby Thorpe continues to move around a lot and bother me. I'm pretty much ready for him to make an appearance. I still have 7 weeks but at this point I feel like I've been pregnant forever. I don't even remember what it was like to not bump my belly into things or to not constantly spill food or drink on my shirt.

About a week ago was my shower. My mom was able to fly out for it and we had a good time. Since I'm not that big on cake the hostess made pies and they were fabulous. My apple has never tasted like that before.

Back during the week of July 4th Dan and I volunteered for the first ever National Special Olympics which were held in Ames. We were scorekeepers for bowling one afternoon. It was a lot of fun and I was amazed at the talent the athletes had. There was a lot of cheering and high fives going on. Over all it was a great experience and I'm hoping it won't be the last time I volunteer for Special Olympics.

And now...some pics!

Evelyn

A year ago I remember seeing a story on the news about a 5 year old girl who had disappeared in a small town. She had been asleep in her apartment and when her mom came home from working the nightshift she couldn't find her daughter. As the search continued for days I know my hopes were not high in finding her. You hear this story too frequently in the media and rarely do they turn out well. About three days into the search is when I found out she was the niece of one of my friends. It's amazing how your perspective changes when you become loosely "linked" with something like that. All of a sudden she became a person rather than a news story.

Six days after her disappearance her body was found in a nearby river.

This past year has been an emotional rollercoaster for my friend. She has had to fight for a safer home for Evelyn's two younger brothers, she's had to watch her brother get arrested for something not related to the case but who keeps getting linked with Evelyn's murder, and she has had to deal with lies quoted in the paper by Evelyn's mother (and her family) about the case.

Maybe the most frustrating part as been the lack of arrests. It's hard to believe that justice will be served when it feels like the case has been on pause for a year with no hope of moving forward. Hope was restored yesterday when an arrest was finally made. Not for the murder of Evelyn but for lying to investigators. There have also been hints that others have lied as well and they will be punished too. It's one step closer to solving the case and helping my friend and her family find some peace within the chaos.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Evelyn but this past year I have heard a lot about her as my friend has shared memories and photos. Every picture I see of her she has the biggest smile on her face. She obviously loved life and loved those around her. You can go crazy with the whys and what ifs. My friend shared the other day that she's moved on from mourning the loss of her niece to instead celebrating the life her niece had for those five years and cherishing the times that she got to spend with Evelyn.

My friend passed along some photos for her friends to share on their blogs:

Donations to Evelyn's memorial fund can be sent to the following:

Evelyn Miller Memorial Fund
First Security Bank & Trust
809 Clark St., PO Box 577
Charles City, IA 50616

30 weeks and counting

I know, you're all in shock because it's only been 10 days since my last post! Don't get used to it. As I type the baby is being very aggresive in whatever he is doing on my left side. Sometimes it's fun, other times it's distracting and makes me grab my stomach. It's getting much easier to feel where he is. If I push he'll most likely push back. I wonder if I'm annoying him?

If any of you have checked out our registry on Babys R Us' website (which I'm sure you all have with much excitement) you'll notice that it says any item you could buy online is not currently available. Unfortunately, this is what happens when Babys R Us and Amazon decide to separate and go their own ways. I've been told that everything will be functional on July 3rd. Those items are available in the store though.

We have been busy getting the nursery together, the guestroom together, and pretty much the rest of the house together. There's nothing like nesting to give you energy to do things around the house!

This weekend we are heading up to Minneapolis for a Twins vs. Cubs baseball game. We're meeting a big group of friends. Should be a fun time. I personally am looking forward to stadium food. There's nothing like watching baseball live and eating a hotdog (especially when it's a dome and you're not sweating for hours).

Here are some pics! The nursery is obviously not finished but it's getting there. And check out the massive amount of clothes! Thanks to Evan, Brandon, and Owen for that!

Picture time!

Blogger was weird to me and just now published something I wrote last week so you'll want to check that out after these pictures. It's really fascinating stuff.

Dan, me, my dad, and my bellybutton waiting to get on the train for our scenic railroad trip through the valleys of Iowa.



The train went over an incredibly high and narrow bridge. They blew steam towards the creek to create a rainbow.



a side view of the belly



Lisle hanging out in the grass.



I put the stroller together on Sunday and Mr. Tubs was my helper

Its been awhile

Dan, baby, and I are doing well. Today I go into the doctor for the gestational diabetes test. After this appointment I start going to the doctor every two weeks! I am now in my third trimester. It seems like it's coming up so quickly. It's garage sale season so I have been stocking up on some baby clothes. Right now I am in the process of organizing all of them. The nursery looks more like a storage room. At least the walls have been painted!

Last weekend my dad and stepmom came for a visit and we had a really nice time with them. We took them on the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad train trip which was really fun. I do have some pictures from the train but I haven't downloaded them. I will post some soon.

Dan and I also managed to register at Target and Babies R Us. I'm not sure where we're going to put all that stuff. Maybe we'll have to build a second floor.

Baby Thorpe has been very active punching and kicking. He especially likes to bother me during work. I don't think he likes it when I lean up against my desk and squish him.

One of my friends who is due 5 weeks before me is getting an above ground pool. We plan to float a lot over the summer. Take some pressure off our joints. I'm so glad I won't have to go to a public pool in a maternity swimsuit!

Dan has been working outside recently. He's got quite the farmers tan going on right now. I can't believe how easily he tans. Maybe baby Thorpe will get that from him instead of my pale, burns easily skin.

This weekend we actually have nothing planned which is amazing. We will have to take advantage of it because after this weekend we don't have an available weekend until July 29th!

Boy oh boy

I guess our biggest news now is that we're expecting a baby boy. He showed us quite a few times that he is, in fact, a boy. The ultrasound was amazing. We were able to see so much. We saw his heart beating, his bladder, and his stomach. He really likes waving his arms around. I've been able to feel him much easier lately and over the weekend Dan was finally able to feel him as well! Here are a few of the ultrasound photos:







































































If any of you have ever wondered what the women's restroom looks like where I work here is a picture of that:




















This past weekend Dan and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary by going to a Bed and Breakfast in Montezuma, Iowa (population went up to 10 while we were there). Here is the house (the actual B&B is in their furnished basement so we never saw the top half):




















Our room and view:




















Since it rained the whole weekend we spent our time playing pool, taking naps, and watching tv. Our goal for our anniversary trips is to do nothing and that's exactly what we did!

Entering week 19

Here is an updated picture of me and the little one. Just a reminder...my birthday is in 7 days.