life full

Just when we think things might slow down after the holidays, we reconnect with friends and we're off again! We assumed we'd have this weekend at home to do some organization and redecorating, but then we were invited to different fun events and we couldn't resist.

First was the Badger/Boilermaker basketball game in Madison on Saturday. Great game - Badgers beat the undefeated Purdue Boilermakers. Fun was had by all.

Second was a playoff party at Kris's house - great food, exciting game, painful loss. Before our trip to church on Sunday (and the ensuing football game) - we took this pic (17 weeks).

But before we could do all of that, we needed to squeeze in just a bit of organization. Every closet in the house was being used - and being used to it's maximum capacity. Not anymore! Squirt now has a closet and Joel and I have combined forces and made space for each other. Here's Joel collecting up things to go to Goodwill!

And a little treat I bought for Squirt...

happenings

The last week has brought us many blessings!

1 - Christmas with the Lullo's. We took off on Wednesday night (the 30th) and arrived to a fire in the fireplace and warm bed to sleep in. Thursday we shared our gifts and were blessed with many in return (including a few for Squirt). We celebrated NYE in style with a huge steak and a lot of laughs around a few fun games. Friday we relaxed, saw my Grandma, ATE, and watched football (it was fantastic). Saturday we caught up with some of my old friends from college, and their sweet children, and Saturday night we saw my cousins. Sunday a.m. we packed up and headed out. We always LOVE our time in Chicago and feel so relaxed that we don't want to head back to reality.

2 - Monday night we were laying on the couch, while my sweet husband rubbed my back. I had been feeling a lot of little flutters during the day, but when I layed on my belly, they were more distinct. So I had Joel put his hand on the spot I had been feeling it. And low and behold - Squirt gave Joel a little tickle. It was the sweetest moment!

3 - 16 week appointment. Squirt is stubborn (as if we should expect anything different), but eventually we got to hear our little one's heartbeat (doc says it's about 145). People are starting to make some guesses as to what the sex of Baby Hintz could be. Mom L says girl, Joel says girl, Dad L says boy, doc says boy - me, no idea. Just glad to know our Squirt is still growing and changing (as is everyone else).

Hope you had a wonderful and peaceful New Year's celebration.

Christmas with the Hintz's

This year, I began a new step in my life. I have managed to make it 29 years of Christmas with my family. Last year, Joel and I ran around to make it to all of our Christmas celebrations. This year, all of Joel's siblings were in town for a short while and we wanted to be sure to have plenty of time with them. So, year 30 was spent in Appleton, WI with the Hintz family. And they like to celebrate!

Christmas Eve was spent going to church with the entire extended family and then to my father in law's house for appetizers and gift exchanges. I was able to experience this with them last year, and it is amazing how the children are growing and how they multiply :) Next Christmas there will be at least two more!

The Hintz love their traditions. One of them is that many years ago, Grandma Hintz made her first mink bowtie - and ever since, the men wear them to church every Christmas Eve. The church expects it, and love that even the smallest Hintz wears one!

Though the roads were slick, Joel and I drove home to celebrate our one and only Christmas as a couple. We slept in a little and then had the joy of hot cocoa and donuts while we opened our gifts. Joel was generous and thoughtful in his gift giving - by far the most wonderful was the Pandora bracelet he bought me to celebrate the birth of our first child. What a beautiful moment!

We then drove back to Mike's house (in our comfy clothes) to celebrate with the siblings and spend all day talking and playing games. It was a relaxing and joyful time. Wonderful to have everyone in the same room. We ended the night at Cynthia's house to enjoy the gift Elissa gave her (Harry Potter Blu-ray)!

Baby Hintz is one lucky little kid. They will be surrounded by love and support - by different perspectives, different personalities, and people who are overjoyed by the arrival of this small life. Joel and I feel blessed. So blessed.

changes and growth

The Hintz's bit the bullet and finally replaced my beloved Malibu - but luckily we're replacing it with something very similar - an Impala! We picked it up yesterday.

And then there is this. I'm not sure if I'm excited or embarassed. This outfit has no support, so the truth is showing. Not sure if it's the 4.4 pounds I've put on (to be exact) or the baby - but let's hope it's baby! :) Much cuter in the pic than in real life.

pregnancy funnies

1 - I had no idea that pregnancy caused acne like I'm a 12 year old boy.

2 - My skin itches like crazy!

3 - I have had my fair share of "pregnancy brain". Example from this morning: Trying to quickly clean up the kitchen before I scoot out the door for work. Grab the credit card bill and a recipe. Put credit card bill in the cabinet with the recipes and the recipe on the stairs with the bills. Then stood in the front hallway knowing that wasn't right, but not sure why. I then looked in the garbage thinking I had thrown the bill away, to FINALLY realize that I had just swapped places. Geez! I heard somewhere the brain never fully recovers.

4 - I have a new step to my morning ritual - my beloved neti-pot. It's a gross thought, but it's a wonderful device that insures that I don't have excruciating sinus headaches all day.

5 - The hormone crazies have remained relatively intact (in my humble opinion), except yesterday morning. Joel finished the chili, which he had no reason not to do. But in my head, I had planned to serve that for dinner last night. I didn't go on a rampage, I didn't "make him pay", but I did have to lay in bed and remind myself that it wasn't really that big of a deal. At all. No really. Just make something else. Instead, Joel got a frozen pizza and tater tots. My little brain couldn't think up anything better. Don't worry, he get's chicken taco soup tonight!

But on the other hand, most of the other stories I have heard women tell, I have been blessed enough NOT to experience. I sleep through most of the night (may need to get up once to pee). I don't have to go to the bathroom all the time. I do enjoy my food, but haven't experienced a lot of cravings (my drug of choice is cheeseburgers and I've only given in a few times). I miss wine, but it's not torture.

14 weeks on Friday! Christmas 10 days away! Chicago in 16!

2nd appointment

All is well! Baby Hintz was enjoying itself so much that we couldn't actually hear the heartbeat with the doppler, so they brought in an old sonogram machine (free, hurray!) and we got to SEE the heartbeat and the amazing gymnastics our little one was doing. Arms and legs were all over the place and doing all kinds of flips.

12 weeks down!

PS- Estimated due date: June 18th!

blog announcement

How to make the announcement - well, first tell parents, they are the most excited. Then siblings, also quite excited. Close friends, who you don't want to hear from someone else. Extended family, who surprise you in how excited they are. Then the cyber-world announcement.

The blog seems the right place to start, since people I really care about check here. Then facebook - though that seems so akward.

But the truth is, we're having a baby. And we're excited. Okay, ecstatic and overwhelmed are probably better words. In almost 7 months, two will become three. The house will go from welcome and warming (and very adult), to chaotic and childlike (but hopefully still welcoming).

So, then, the story. Most of your have heard this - some have not. It was no secret that Joel and I had planned on waiting a year to start trying for a family, and with our trip to Italy at the one year mark, no one would have been surprised had we conceived in Italy. As one year crept closer and closer, I would say we got, um, lazy.

My period was due to arrive several days before our trip to Italy - when it hadn't arrived by the night before we left, neither one of us was surprised. The last several months had been inconsistent. So I dutifully had packed every pad and tampon in my suitcase with many at easy access (for the plane).

The night before we left, we decided it would be better to know for sure we weren't pregnant than wonder the whole time we were gone. We had a pregnancy test in the house, so I told Joel I'd wake up in the morning and take it and then we could go on our merry way. With the trip looming, I didn't sleep well and woke up early the next morning. Seeing as I had to go to the bathroom immediately when I woke up, I decided I better pee on the stick at the same time. So I did. I set it down gingerly and walked back into the bedroom.

It was early and dark, but I knew I couldn't look at the test alone. So I sat down on the bed and tapped Joel. "Honey, I peed on the stick". He sat straight up. "You peed in the bed?!"

See, Joel sleeps pretty hard and sometimes has a hard time hearing. This would have been one of those times. I almost fell off the bed in laughter while I clarified my words to him. So we sat for a few minutes, waiting.

Assuming it was going to be negative (truly), we walked into the bathroom together, Joel first. He glanced at it, but had no idea what he was looking at. I looked over at the test and immediately burst into tears. I pulled the directions out of the garbage to be sure I knew what I was looking at. Yep, positive. How quickly life changes.

We stood in the bathroom laughing and crying for awhile before we realized we had an airplane in Chicago to catch. I dutifully unpacked all my previously packed "girl stuff". We bought another test on the way to the airport, just in case. I called the nurse (who we happened to both know) and then did our best not to tell my dad, who took us to the airport.

The other test was unnecessary. I took it in Rome one day, just to check. Before I could even put the test down - 2 lines. No doubt lady, you are pregnant.

4 weeks later we got to see our little lima bean, heartbeat and all. What a joy! Our lima bean is now the size of a lime and happily growing and changing every day. Tomorrow we get to go back and hear the heartbeat again. It will be a relief to me as I've spent the last 3 weeks worrying that something, unknowingly, is wrong. I'll try to remember to update with the results tomorrow!