More of the bump

20 weeks



21 weeks





22 weeks



23 weeks





24 weeks



25 weeks



26 weeks

Wrapping up Second Trimester

Here's the latest...

I failed my 1-hour glucose test -- one point too high -- and had to take the 3-hour glucose tolerance test this week. I'm waiting on the results...

I've been feeling great! Not gaining too much weight, blood pressure is staying low, measurements look good. It is getting harder to sleep through the night... still trying to find a comfortable position. I absolutely love feeling the baby kick and move around. Although, some of the kicks are becoming harder and are occasionally directed at my ribs or bladder.

I am overwhelmed with all that needs to be done before Baby gets here... picking out names, having a birthing plan, setting up the nursery, going to childbirth education classes, finding a pediatrician, picking a day for Baptism... the list just goes on and on and on.

Matt has been busy at church lately. He's planning and leading (vocally) the contemporary service while the guy who usually does that has taken some time off. Confirmation interviews are wrapping up and another new member class is scheduled for this weekend.  And Lent has begun! Lent is Matt's favorite season of the church year, but it also means a very full preaching schedule is coming his way. Somewhere in the area of 5 sermons in about 2 weeks. I can't imagine how exhausting it would be if he were a sole pastor instead of one of three...

Here are a few pictures from the weekend I went down to Red Bud for my baby shower. Thanks again Mom, Lani, Shana, and Lora for throwing me such a great shower. Great food, awesome decorations, and a fun time to visit with family and friends.  (I just wish I hadn't got sick right before I came home... )

 

And after the shower, Matt and I used some of our gift cards to make our first big Baby purchase--the crib! Now we need to work on decorating it--the room is so bare with just the crib.

 

Almost half-way there!

I had another ultrasound today! :)

So I figured I'd post a few "bump" pictures and the newest ones of Baby B to bring you up to speed.

14 weeks



15 Weeks

16 Weeks



17 Weeks

18 Weeks

19 Weeks



19 Weeks

 Everything looked good on the ultrasound. Baby B was very active! We got to see the arms and legs, fingers/fists, head, brain, heart, and blood flow in the cord. Baby's heart was a strong 146 beats per minute and there is no indication (so far) that Baby will have the same heart defect Matt had when he was born. The only minor concern is that my placenta is still low, but the technician said that is normal and will probably move higher as my uterus grows.

19 Weeks

Check out the spine and femur bone!
Baby weighed in at 8 ounces today. We could have found out today if Baby B is a boy or girl, but we want to be surprised. :)

Holiday Recap

I know, I know.. It's been over a month since I made a post. But the holiday season was a little busy for us here.

Here's a quick recap:

Matt preached at two of the services on Christmas Eve, so we stayed in Macomb for Christmas. But lucky for me--Shana and Kyle came to visit his parents who live only an hour away from us! They all came to hear Matt preach on Christmas Eve, and we spent the 26th over at their house for some sister/"family" time.

We enjoyed another drop-in visit from our friends, Nick and Becky, who were in MI visiting his family for Christmas. It was great to see you both again!

New Year's Eve came and went with little excitement. We kept it low-key this year: rented Toy Story 3 and had a pizza-and-movie night in. Somehow I managed to stay awake till midnight and count down to the new year.

I attempted my first pot of white chicken chili and we hosted a Rose Bowl party as we cheered on the WI Badgers. A disappointing game, but a great time with college/seminary friends.

We enjoyed our first Piston's game with some friends from church. They were even nice enough to give us a win that night--against the Celtics!

And our holidays were not complete until the middle of January. We drove down to Red Bud to have a belated Tindall Family Christmas celebration. It was so good to be home! But the trip was long and our time there was too short. We made the most of it though--family football game (minus Mom, Haven, and the 2 preggo sisters), gift opening, big meal, time with Grandma and Grandpa Nagel, and a visit with our other 2 god-children. No wonder I came back sick and exhausted!

Baby Baye

We found out at the end of October

Megan told her family while she was home visiting (there's no keeping secrets from sisters!)

We told Matt's family over Thanksgiving weekend.

And now that the ultrasound has confirmed a due date and that everything looks good, we'll tell you too.

Baby at 12 weeks

Baby Baye is expected to arrive around June 21, 2011.

13 Weeks

O Give Thanks

For family that traveled many miles to celebrate Thanksgiving  in Michigan this year...

For a fun football game as it started to flurry..

For celebrating Christmas a little early...

Matt and I hosted Thanksgiving for his family this year. I was nervous about making all the food--especially the turkey. But everything turned out great, and everyone helped out and made the cooking and clean-up much more bearable.

The swing of things

We are finally starting to feel a little more settled. The unpacking has been done for quite a while, but now we are getting more familiar and comfortable with the area. The faces at church are starting to get associated with names. And I'm finally in a good routine with work and tutoring.

We received tickets to the Renaissance Festival from some members at church, so we took a Saturday afternoon to check it out. I think it's safe to say we won't be returning next year... Maybe we just picked a bad time to go--it was rainy and getting cold, but wow, the crowds a festival like that attract really are something else! Here's a picture from the joust we watched and a street sign we passed on our way there.

 

 The Michigan District Pastor's Conference was in Traverse City--and both of us went. In the middle of September, the autumn leaves in northern Michigan are absolutely stunning! 















 I was surprised at how many people I actually knew from the Michigan District! It was good to see some familiar faces! It was also fun to spend some time in wine country... although Mission Peninsula isn't quite the same as Napa Valley.

We attended a PALS event for new pastors in our area. It is kind of like a support group... But it is very comforting to know that we aren't in this alone.

We are also starting up a young couples' Bible study small group. Our network of friends is growing!

I also had a Teachers' Conference for the South East part of the District. The conference wasn't all that impressive, but a few cool things happened... Pastor Jeremy Schultz led opening worship--He's the brother of Matt's field work pastor when we were at the seminary. And one of the main presenters showed video clips of teachers at Unity, East St. Louis and Good Shepherd, Collinsville. I felt like I was back in the Southern Illinois District!

I was able to get away for another trip home! I had this flight booked before I got my teaching job, so I didn't intentionally plan on having a sub for a whole week...



But I was able to be home to help Lani make the kids' Halloween costumes, celebrate Evan's 4th birthday, celebrate the Malones wedding, and spend some much needed time with friends and family. It is amazing how fast that week went by!



We made "ugly doll" costumes.



Poor girl wasn't feeling well.. bad milk?

Happy Birthday Evan!



Congratulations Christy!





And because there is no rest for the weary, as soon as I got back to Michigan, I not only had a massive pile of papers to grade, but grades were due--report cards were coming out! I put in a couple late-nighters but pulled it off just in time. And I even survived parent teacher conferences.

Now I'm looking forward to the end of November. All the Bayes (and Kruegers) are coming to Michigan for Thanksgiving! I am so excited to see all of you again. I just have to figure out the logistics of sleeping arrangements and do a little meal planning (and some major cleaning!) and I'll be ready for you! Safe travels!