The Solemates Snag Highpoints 28, 29 and 30!!!

As I alluded to in previous posts, Jacob and I took a trip to the Midwest, namely Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, to get some highpoints. We have to get the easy ones while I’m a pregnant chick so we seized the opportunity to fly to Minneapolis and drive around a few states. We flew out on Thursday, April 26 and arrived fairly late in the evening. After renting our peacock blue PT cruiser, we headed towards the highest point in Wisconsin. Jacob drove us a couple of hours until we found a hotel and called it a night.

Friday morning we drove a little longer and made it to Timms Hill, the highest point in Wisconsin. After trekking the 300 or so yards to the fire tower, we snapped our signature pose and headed back to the car. We then drove to the highest point in Michigan which was a little tricky to get to. We didn’t have exact directions and forgot the coordinates to plug in our GPS. We drove for a while on a road that seemed to be taking us there, only to get as far as we could in the PT cruiser. We needed 4WD and certainly didn’t want to risk getting stuck. Fortunately we passed a truck and they gave us better directions. We turned around (costing us about an hour) and found the correct way to the HP. We made it to Mt. Arvon, the highest point in Michigan close to dusk. After about a 1/3 mile hike, we took our picture and headed back to the car. We had just enough sunlight left for Jacob to get some nice pictures of the bay in L’anse. The bay was still frozen even though it was 60+ degrees. Pickings were slim for dinner so we dined at Subway and got a hotel and went to bed.

Saturday morning we hit the road and headed towards Grand Marais, Minnesota. It was a gorgeous drive. The entire drive the road was hugging Lake Superior. We passed many parks and a few lighthouses and other roadside look outs. We made it to the parking lot for our hike to the top of Eagle Mountain sometime early afternoon. We hiked 7 miles roundtrip and it felt great. The weather was amazing and Critter enjoyed the walk, I think. You gotta get ‘em started young! After our 3 hour hike we drove back to town and found a hotel. We showered and then went to dinner at one of the local restaurants.

Sunday we droved back to Minneapolis so we could fly back home. Fortunately we were not too rushed so we were able to stop at a few places for some pictures. Overall, we drove about 18 hours in 3 days but we snagged 3 highpoints and loved every minute we got to be together. Our next highpoint adventures will be in October when we take Critterbug to the highest point in Delaware and New Jersey and to visit our friends Tonya and Jason. We can’t wait to do these things with him/her.

Timm's Hill, Highest Point in Wisconsin 1951'

Mt. Arvon, Highest Point in Michigan 1979'

The slushy bay in L'anse, MI

Reflections on the Bay

Sunset on the bay

Eagle Mountain, Highest Point in Minnesota 2301'

Pond along the trail to Eagle Mountian. We were in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Another Pond in BWCA.

Grand Marais, Minnesota

Lake Superior's Coast

Hiccup Hiccup

Yesterday Critterbug had the hiccups and it made me laugh. I'm pretty sure that's what it was and I was in a meeting and it tickled.

Today I had a doctor's appointment and it went really well. I never did post about this but last week I had to go in and have another glucose test done because I failed the first one. I was a little anxious this week waiting for the results and praying that I wouldn't have gestational diabetes. I got the results today and they were negative. Yippee...that means Critter and I can still enjoy sweets every so often :). Thank you Jesus for protecting us! Critter's heartbeat was 150 bpm and I gained a pound and my blood pressure was 118/70. Just for those who are keeping up. Based on the websites I read, Critter is about 2.5 lbs and 16" long at this point. Only about 5 lbs and 5" left to grow for an average size baby. Wow...it's going so fast!!

Jacob and I had a great time on our trip to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. I will post about that when I have some pictures to go with. He is so swamped with his big test that is this weekend so please pray for him.

My brother and his friend are coming tomorrow and I am looking forward to that.

Flashback: Easter

I didn't get these pictures posted around Easter because we had a little camera snafu and I had to wait until they were edited. We had the camera set on tungsten which compensates for too much indoor lighting. Since we were outdoors and no indoor lighting was involved they turned out blue. You know what a blue pregnant girl looks like?? (Think Willy Wonka when Violet turns Violet). Anyway, Jacob did a little photoshop action and they look A LOT better. Enjoy!!

Cute Family. Next year there will be 3 little dressed up monsters in the picture!!

A Very Pregnant Easter.

What a Cutie!!!!

Yesterday was my 6 month check up and because my doctor was still in surgery they let me have an ultrasound to check the heart rate. So…I got a free ultrasound and got to see my sweet baby’s little face. I have to keep looking at it every two seconds because it makes me smile. Wanna hear the crazy thing?? I had so hoped and wanted an ultrasound but I knew there was no reason to get one…so I prayed that maybe I could have one and God answered my prayer. You may think that is silly but it just shows me that God hears our big prayers and our little prayers. Critterbug’s heartbeat was 143 this time and I gained 7 pounds. Gulp. Oh well…apparently he went through a big growth spurt and is more than 2 lbs himself. I won’t have the diabetes test results for another couple of days but thanks for the prayers for that.

Jacob and I leave tonight for highpoints 28, 29 and 30!!! We are going to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. More on that when we return!!

My Big Fat Pregnant Belly

I know you are anxiously awaiting this “belly blog” so here are some shots from 2 weeks ago of my 6 month tummy. Things are going great, except I think I am growing an inch a day. Ha. I’ll be waddling before you know it.



Wow...I can't believe I am posting this picture...but as long as I don't have stretch marks, I better show it off. Ha.

Family Visit and Birthday Fun

Sorry I didn’t update last week. Some weeks are just busier than others!

Two weekends ago, Daddy and Martha came for a visit and we had a great time. Unfortunately the weather was kind of crummy but we had a great time anyway. They arrived Friday afternoon about the time I got home from work. We quickly went for some grub at Soulfish Café and then came back to indulge in my yummy Strossner’s birthday cake (even though my b-day was still a few days away). You can’t bring a pregnant girl a chocolate birthday cake and make her stare at if for 4 days. Critter must have liked it because he wiggled and squiggled (as he does A LOT these days) while we played Mexican Train. Martha even got to see my stomach move on one kick.

Saturday we woke up and had pancakes and then went to see the Peabody Ducks do their morning parade. That’s just the silliest thing. After that we went to my work for a bit to finish up the invitations for the big wedding that is coming up. Then we hit Rendezvous for some yummy barbeque. After eating too much, we gave Martha a tour of Memphis and headed back to the house. I think we were all pooped. We then played some more Mexican Train and ate some more cake.

Sunday we went to church and then after church they had to say good-bye. That sure was sad. After they left, Carie and Chris came over and we played Settlers of Catan and finished off the birthday cake and played spades and watched The Amazing Race. It was a fun afternoon.
Then…my big 25th birthday was on Tuesday, April 17th. Thanks for all of the great gifts and cards everybody!! I got some moolah to go towards our “Critter Cam” and a pair of Danskos and a craft table and a maternity shirt. Jacob took me to dinner for sushi because I was having a sushi craving. Mmmm…sushi is yummy.

Critter also turned 6 months on the Saturday Dad and Martha were here. Sorry I don’t have the picture yet. I left it at home. I'll try to do multiple updates to get caught up.

Me with my Strossner's Birthday Cake!! It was deeelicious. Also notice that I have made the switch to contacts!! Going on 3 weeks now. And...here is a glimpse of our kitchen that is oh so close to being finished.

Daddy working hard at LRK on his invitations. I found out where I get some of my anal tendancies and perfectionism from. Thanks Dad!!

Daddy outside of Rendezvous. It really is in an alley. You gotta pass like 3 smelly dumpsters to get to it.

Waving Goodbye. Notice my new Dansko shoes from Sally (even though my pants are tucked in them. Ha!)

Pregnant as a Peacock

Isn't that the saying??

Anyway, I've had this "interesting" peacock shirt since I worked at the GAP in high school and always joked around about how I wanted to wear it when I got pregnant so that I could watch the peacock grow. So I wore it this week. This girl at work just thought it was too cute and had to take some pictures (yes, I felt awkward posing at work for a picture). I'm not a big fan of having my picture taken by myself these days because there is just no "normal" way for a pregnant girl to pose.

And those who think this shirt is hideous...don't worry, I only spent about $3 on it.

Things I am excited about today...

Daddy and Martha are on their way to visit for the weekend...yippee

Critter will be 6 months "old" tomorrow...yippee

My birthday is on Tuesday...yippee

Trivia

Q. What do Critter and a pound of sugar have in common??

Give up??

A. They both weigh the same!!! (and are probably the same sweetness)

That's right, according the charts, Critter reached the 1lb mark last week. At about 8" long from crown to rump our little buddy is growing big. His size should double this month!! Although, we certainly would not want this and pray for continued safety...Critter could, with LOTS of medical attention, survive outside of the womb.

Thanks for all of the prayers as he continues to grow into a big, healthy baby!

Critter Kicks Jacob

This past Friday night Jacob got to feel Critter for the first time. It was really exciting for both of us. We had just gotten in bed and Critterbug thought it was time to wake up (something tells me things aren't going to change when he enters the world). He was very active and I told Jacob he could probably feel it. So he put his hand on my tummy and Critterbug kicked Jacob several times in a row. Then we both watched my stomach move. It was funny and we were like little kids giggling about it.

Unfortunatly for Critter, now Jacob wants to feel it more often so he keeps trying to wake him up. I told him that wasn't very nice and that if he wakes Critter up when he's sleeping once he comes he will cry and not be very happy.

The Good Shepherd

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” John 10:14

My accountability girls and I are currently doing a study by Jennifer Kennedy Dean called The Life Changing Power in the Name. It goes through the book of John and breaks down all of the “I AM” statements that Christ makes. “I am the Bread of Life,” “I am the Light of the World,” “I am the Good Shepherd,” “I am the Gate,” “I am the Vine,” etc. Last week’s lessons were geared towards Christ being the Good Shepherd and it touched me a lot, especially since it is Easter season.

I’ve never really thought about the meaning of Christ being the Good Shepherd until now (other than the visual image of Jesus with a lamb around his neck) and it really is such a beautiful description of our relationship with Him. A good shepherd protects His sheep from thieves and wolves. He keeps them from going astray. He searches for them when they are lost. His sheep feel at peace in His presence. And you know what else? Sometimes the shepherd lays down His life so that His sheep don’t have to die. Isn’t that just a comforting realization??? That Christ is my Shepherd and I am always protected. He laid down his life for me so that I might be saved from the ultimate thief.

On another note, I am reading a book for leisure called Unveiled by Francine Rivers. It is about Tamar. Francine Rivers, who is one of my favorite authors, has a series of short novellas about the 5 unlikely women who changed eternity (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary). They are historical fiction in that she uses the facts from the Bible as her basis but then fills in with other information as she feels appropriate and accurate to the day. One quote I really liked related completely to what I was learning about the Good Shepherd in my other study. Isn’t that amazing how God can teach us the same thing through many different means? Basically, Judah is talking about his evil son, Er, and how he doesn’t want Er to inherit his sheep and land. Here is how Judah describes Er as a shepherd…

“Judah wished he hadn’t returned to his house so quickly. Far better had he returned to his flocks and seen to the animals that Er too often neglected in his absence. His eldest had handed the full responsibility over to Onan after three short days! Er was a fool and useless as a shepherd. He had no love for the sheep that would one day belong to him. The boy stood by while wolves ripped open the belly of a defenseless ewe, then ran the predators off to become one himself. Er took pleasure in delivering the deathblow to a prized ram. Then he roasted and ate the meat!”

Aren’t you glad that God leaves us with a Shepherd that loves us so much and never leaves a substitute to take his place?

Some other thoughts that relate to Easter…You know, obviously, that this is my first Easter as a mother and though I don’t really know much about my child other than that he/she lives in my womb and kicks around and relies completely on me…I love him/her with my whole heart already. I can’t imagine giving this baby up for the world. And I can’t imagine how God felt giving up his only son so that selfish, sinners could live. And His son was perfect. I can assure you that mine will not be perfect (although probably close to it). I just really appreciate God’s sacrifice to me this year more than other years in the past.

I hope you enjoy your Holiday weekend and remember what a BIG deal this holiday really is.

Happy Easter…He has Risen!

Habitat for Humanity

This past Saturday Jacob and I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity alongside some of the people I work with. It was a nice cool morning with afternoon showers that ended our day early. Most of us spent our time painting trim but Jacob and Stewart helped by hanging siding. It sure was loads of fun. This house is for a family of 5. They will no doubt be changed by this experience in their lives.

Painting Trim.
Helen.
Yea, I look constipated...not sure what this face is all about.
My boss, Paige.
Group Photo. (L-R) Jacob, Stewart, Stewart's Wife Laurie and their daughter Kelsey, Becky, Helen, John's fiance Katie, Me, John, Paige's Wife Kelly and Paige.

5 Month Check-Up Recap

Sorry I haven't posted much in the last week but honestly, not much is going on! That's a good thing. Jacob and I have been enjoying having our weekends home to get some stuff done around the house (although I'm sure he'd leave in a heartbeat for the woods). We have enjoyed lots of friend time with dinners and game nights. Certainly good times on our part, but not much for the blogging community to read about.

This week I had my 5 month check up and everything went great. I was so nervous about having gained too much weight but when I got there (according to their scale) I had lost a pound!! I was a little confused and I'm still not sure which is right. According to my scale, I had gained another 5 lbs so I weighed myself at my friend's house and it was the same as the doctor's scale. So...two votes for the lower weight and one for the higher. We'll see next month I guess. Just so baby is growing big and healthy...then momma doesn't need to.

Critterbug's (that's his/her new name because it is cuter) heartbeat was 145 bpm this month and he was wiggling and squirming so the doctor had to chase him all over my tummy to get the heartbeat. Everything is good though. It was a quick appointment. Next month I get all of my tests done for gestational diabetes. I have to drink this "yummy" drink and then have some blood drawn. Pray that I won't have g.d. Although, I don't have any reason to think I should, it's just routine testing.

Thanks for continued prayers for me and Jacob and our baby!!

Oh...and what's up with the abundance of pollen this year??? I've had enough!!

Wow I look Fat!

Here is my 5 month photo for your enjoyment/entertainment. Every time I put one of these I think I look huge and then I look back at the previous pictures and think..."man I was a lot smaller." Ha! Thank goodness I don't wear tanktops like this in public...maternity clothes are way more flattering. I have to keep reminding myself that I am pregnant and it is ok for my belly to be getting big. I hope I'm not self conscious the whole time! I've gained about 8 lbs so far which is actually really good, considering the website says most women have gained around 14 by week 19 (I'll be 21 tomorrow). Even if I gain twice as much over the next half, I should be able to stay under 30. We'll see :) As long as Critter is healthy and happy.

Speaking of cute Critter...he's quite the wiggle worm these days. I smile throughout the day when he is practicing his gymnastics and soccer. Last night I even saw my stomach move when he kicked me!!! Jacob was too impatient to sit and watch but he'll see and feel it very soon I am sure.

I can't believe we are over half way there. It has gone SOOO fast. I can't wait to squeeze my little friend. Oh how I love him/her already.

Yes, I know I am behind on my Bloggeroo...

Sorry to keep you so uninformed over the last several weeks. I’ve been busy at work so I haven’t had much time to blog. I’ll try to make some quick recaps to avoid you having to read a whole bunch.

February 22-25: Went to Dallas for a retreat with work. We had a great time touring projects that we designed, hanging out with our Dallas office and doing various team building games that included bowling, laser tag, arcade games, scavenger hunts and eating a WHOLE lot. My team won overall and we each got $30 gift cards to best buy. It was a really fun trip. I am blessed to enjoy the people I work with so much.

March 2-4: Jacob met his dad and Chad and some of his dad’s buddies for backpacking in the Smokies while I stayed home. It was a fun weekend but I spent too much money and missed Jacob. I bought some clothes that weekend and some birthday presents for my best buddy's birthday. I tried on a million outfits and only settled on 1 pair of pants and 2 shirts. I’m running low though.

March 8-11: Sally and Clarence and Lauren and Chad came up for the weekend. We had a great weekend playing our new favorite game “Settlers of Catan” and going to Putt-Putt and eating a lot and just hanging out. It was the most beautiful weekend that Memphis had this year so far and we enjoyed being outside together. Thanks Sally for my cute maternity clothes!!

March 12: Happy Birthday to my best friend in the whole universe!!! Sorry it was not much fun. Jacob had to spend his birthday studying for 2 big exams. He’s gotten 1 back and got a 97!!!

March 16-18: We had a fun weekend of hanging out with friends.

March 17: Happy Birthday Tonya!!!

March 18: Happy Birthday Chris!!!

Now I’m all caught up. That was easy. On to some exciting news…Critter and I hit our 5 month mark on Saturday. Yippeee! Picture to come soon when Jacob gets it uploaded. We are over ½ way there and growing daily! I can feel him kicking and doing gymnastics daily and it is so fun. Tonight Jacob and I are going on a tour of the hospital that we will be delivering at. What fun. That’s all for now.

Critter Kicks

This week I felt Critter for sure!! There have been several days in the past where I thought, "hmmm...maybe that's it??" But this week I know I felt it. Like a piece of popcorn going off in my tummy. It was exciting and I felt like Critter was saying, "Hey Mommy...I'm in here...don't forget about me!" Like I could forget my newest heartthrob. Anyway, just thought I'd share the excitement. We are 19 weeks tomorrow. Almost half way there!

My Uterus is a Cantaloupe???

Apparently according to my doc's website, my uterus is the size of a cantaloupe by 18 weeks of pregnancy. That's pretty crazy. It doesn't look like there is enough room in there...must be a baby cantaloupe. And supposedly the average person has gained 10-13 lbs by this time so I don't feel so bad about my 5 lbs anymore (although that was 2 weeks ago so it might be more now). Critter might be small.

Critter is So Cute.

Today was our 4 month check up and boy was it a good one. We got to have an ultrasound of Critter and what a CUTIE. We successfully kept it a secret so we are still going to be surprised on the day he/she is born. All of Critter’s “parts” look good…arms, legs, head, spine, feet, ears, etc. I just smiled the whole time thinking about how much I love this little baby already.

I’ve attached my 4 month belly shot taken a week and a half ago (some photographer’s turn around time is slow – hehe). I've gained 5 lbs (gulp) so I need to be a little more careful this month. Although I think I gained 3 of those lbs this past week in Dallas...we ate way too much.

Critter’s little back. See the ribs and spine and shoulder and ear?? He wouldn’t turn around so we could get a good profile picture, even with lots of jabbing and wiggling. He looks a little squished in there but I guess he’s happy. Here are some 4 month stats from my doctor’s webpage:
-Baby weighs about 3 ounces and is 5 1/2 to 6 inches long (although they told me Critter was 8 oz today which is normal).
-Baby can blink and swallow.
-Baby can move eyes.
-Ears have moved from neck to head.
-Baby has his preliminary toenails.
-Baby empties bladder every 40-45 minutes.
-Limb movements are becoming more coordinated.
-Baby's legs are longer than arms.


And here’s a picture of Siler just so he doesn’t get left out. His world of attention is about to change….

Valentine’s Dud, Destin and the Highest Point in Florida

Well, as you all know, Valentine’s Day was last week. I had a horrible week at work working well into the wee hours many nights. I certainly did not enjoy it. Come Valentine’s Day I was still working and was not able to get home until 11 (and that was early compared to the other nights). I had told Jacob I would be home in time to do something but that didn’t happen. So I officially earned the award for “Worst Wife on V-day.” Jacob did his job though and brought me flowers to work for our lunch date to visit a daycare. We didn’t even have time to eat together because I had to get back. I sure am glad last week is over!!

Thankfully, since I worked so hard early in the week, I was able to leave at noon on Friday for our romantic get away to Destin. Jacob had this planned for our weekend so that we could get the highest point in Florida and enjoy a nice weekend away. It was wonderful. We went for one of those time share deals so we got two nights stay in a hotel and $100 in food gift certificates. They scheduled us for our 90 minute presentation on Saturday morning but after a really late arrival we moved it to the afternoon. So after we got going and ate a nice breakfast at the Embassy Suites, we took a walk on the beach. It was gorgeous but the wind was pretty chilly. We made our way to the presentation and sat through their rambling and kindly told them we weren’t interested, collected our gift certificates and room vouchers and headed away thinking, “man…what a deal.” After that all ended we went shopping at the outlet stores. I bought my first little presents for Critter. They had tons of children’s stores (Little Me, Children’s Place, Carters, etc.) I could have bought so many cute things. Jacob picked out a Christmas outfit for Critter that was only $3. It has a little reindeer on it and it’s just adorable. I went into the Motherhood Maternity store but just wasn’t into buying any of the frumpy, maternity clothes yet. Give me a couple more weeks and I will have no choice! That evening Jacob and I gorged ourselves at this nice restaurant because we had $75 (of our $100) that we had to spend that weekend at that restaurant. We were adding soup and salad and shrimp cocktail and dessert. The dessert was the best. We were close to being gluttons and our bill came to $77 so we only had to pay $2 plus her tip. We then went back to the hotel and hung out.

Ball of Fire.
These boys were crazy. It was nowhere near warm enough to be in that water.
Destin Strip
Happy Seagulls. The water is so gorgeous at the gulf. Totally different color than our east coast beaches.

Sunday we slept in and eventually hit the road around 11. We snagged the highest point in Florida a whopping 345ft (the lowest of all highs).

The Solemates Reach #27 (only 23 more)!!

Views from the Highpoint.

The Highest Point in Florida. 345'

After that we continued our drive home and stopped in Montgomery, AL where we were able to spend a few hours with Tim and Becky. Tim and Becky are very special to me. He was my youth minister from 6th grade all the way to 12th grade and then they moved. Tim is also the one who married me and Jacob. We eventually had to leave them and continue home but it was a very nice weekend and I enjoyed it greatly. Thank you Jacob for my mini-vacation :).

Little Luke (he's 2), Becky and Me

Tim, Luke, Becky, Me and Jacob

Bittersweet Day

Today is a bittersweet day. It's hard to believe but today is the day that our first little one was due had it not ended in miscarriage. I am so thankful though for God's grace and mercy and the joy that I have a perfectly healthy baby growing inside of me. God knows what is best for me and I know that the next few months of preparation for mommyhood are exactly perfect for me. Thank you God for your love!!!

On a side note...I will blog about valentine's day (or lack there of thanks to me), our trip to Destin and my 4 month belly later. Wow...already 4 months along. Crazy.

Grizzlies vs. Jars of Clay

Friday night Jacob and I went to a Memphis Grizzlies NBA game with our friends Hunter and Emily and Stewart and Laurie. After the game was a free concert by Jars of Clay. Can you believe these guys are still around? In fact, their latest cd "The Good Monsters" is one of my favs right now. The game was fun (fortunately the Grizzlies actually one a game) but my favorite part was definitely the concert. I would have been much happier with an hour of basketball and 3 hours of concert...but you know how that is. Or better yet...it would have been great had Jars of Clay taken on the Grizzlies. I bet Jars would have won for sure. Anyway, it was fun. I can't remember the last concert I went to prior to this. I think Critter was dancing in my tummy :) Only it's still too early to feel.

Critter will have 2 Grandmas!!!

Well, my blog is nothing but good news these days. I am so excited to announce that my daddy and Martha are getting married! That means Critter will have 2 full sets of grandparents and daddy will have a wife and Brad and I will have a step-mother and Jacob will have a mother-in-law.

I have prayed and prayed for the past 10 years that if it were God’s will for daddy to remarry then God would send a sweet, caring woman his way…and He did just that! I can tell that he is truly happy and that makes me happy. They have not yet set a date but they will be married sometime before Critter arrives so not tooooo long away!

Yippeeeeeee.

I’m attaching pictures of the bling bling that he got her. Way to go dad…and a cute picture of them from skiing in Whistler.

Sally's Sinus Surgery

(Say That 10x Fast)

Sally had sinus surgery today to help get rid of some of the yukky, terrible, no good headaches that she gets. Pray that she has a quick and healthy recovery.

Here is the funny card that I sent her. Poem credit goes to my Shakespeare.