Birthday Fun

Yesterday i celebrated my 29th birthday...yes, i cannot believe i am already almost 30! I had such an amazing day celebrating with family and surprises! First, Adam wasn't sure if he was going to have to work or not in the evening, so he had TWO birthday dinners planned for me. The first was on Sunday night. He went out grocery shopping and made a whole fondue dinner for me. Cheese course with bread and veggies, and then a meat/scallop course with more veggies and a beef/wine broth. It was so nice. He moved the kitchen table into the living room so that we could watch Bounty Hunter (movie with Jennifer Aniston) while we ate. Monday, he didn't have to work either, so he went grocery shopping again while i was at work and bought chicken and corn on the cob and grilled for me. I felt very pampered. Earlier in the week last week he also said that i could go and get a mani/pedi for part of my birthday gift as well. I can't even tell you how NICE it is to get a mani/pedi pregnant. Anyone who is willing to rub a pregnant ladies feet should get a nice hug!

When i left work on Monday, my boss called me about 10 minutes into my drive home, and asked if i wanted to come back to the office and pick up his car to borrow for my birthday. I quickly turned around!

It was SO fun to drive a convertible around for a few days! In case there are any car buffs reading, it is a 2004 Thunderbird.

Yesterday i slept in until about 9:00, and then got up and lounged with Asa and watched some "toons" with him. We left our house in separate cars because the Thunderbird is only a 2 seater, at about 11:00 where i picked up my mom so she could drive in the car. We drove to Joe Sensors and had lunch with my mom, Adams mom, and our family. I had a yummy buffalo chicken salad.

We left lunch and headed over to the Clinic for my 28 week appointment with Dr Locher. It was a full house with the mommies along, and the dr asked if we were having a party or something. He went out and got the ultrasound machine and continued to do about a 20 minute ultrasound pointing everything out to the mommies. Neither my mom or Adam's mom have been able to see an ultrasound so it was SO neat. We even video taped it! The baby was DEFINITELY active and we watched it's little legs kicking about in my tummy. He pointed out the stomach and bladder and showed how because of the dark color that the baby was digesting fluid and such wonderfully which is a great sign of a healthy baby. He also stopped on the stomach for quite a while and we were able to see the baby taking practice breaths. It was such a miracle and so beautiful to see! A few times he would get close to the butt area and would quickly pull away so we couldn't find out the sex. The babies head was also very low in my pelvis which is good news for not having another breech baby. This means there is about a 75% chance that the baby will stay this way and i will be able to have a vaginal birth. We will continue to evaluate as we get closer to the baby's birthday to see where the head is. If it isn't so low and progressing in dilation we may want to have a cesarean, or if the baby is like a 9 pounder also. Haha!
After the appointment we went home to rest for a few hours and Adam had to do a little bit of work. We thought that he was going to have to go to work but later found out that he didn't have any appointments. Adam gave me by birthday cards, one from him and one from Asa (so sweet) and then my gifts. He gave me a pregnancy yoga DVD, which i think i am going to try out tonight. He also gave my Asa ring.

It is my right hand white gold ring with Asa's birthstone. He is planning on getting me each babies birthstone ring and stacking them as they come. If baby #2 comes in October as expected, the birthstone is opal, which they don't have in the stackables, however the alternate for October is Pink Tourmaline which would look really pretty with the Peridot.

After gifts we quick made plans for dinner and it ended up working out so great. My parents, Chuck, Adam, Asa and I all went out to Benihana's for dinner. I had a free birthday coupon for a free meal also. We weren't able to make reservations until about 8:00 so it was a really late night for Asa. I picked up Chuck from his house in "the car" and met everyone else there.

They even sang me happy birthday. Asa was very into the whole experience!!

After dinner i drove my dad quick around the parking lot in the car so he could experience it too.

It was such a GREAT day, and to top it all off, all week they were saying it was going to be rainy, and it was SUCH a sunny day!

Besides the ultrasound, the Dr's appointment went great! He had me do a urine test which came back normal because i have had a LOT of pulling in my pelvic area. We assume it is just pulling from the cesarean scar, being it hasn't been a year yet since it was formed. So far to this point i have gained 15 lbs. which by this point last pregnancy i had gained 30! I gained 8 this last month, which has been my highest gain month, but still have not broke double digits yet. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Happy 4th and 25 week picture.

As i mentioned in my last blog, last Thursday i was officially 25 weeks pregnant. I only posted a picture of me at 20 weeks. So...here is me at 25 weeks. (picture taken today).

I feel like with this pregnancy i am all baby bump. A friend from church this morning said that it looked like i just had a ball in my stomach. Definitely different than last time.

I have to admit this isn't the best picture of me. I was feeling tired and a bit under the weather today and i definitely think i look it. Asa has also come down with a cold as well. His nose was really runny today. 2 baths for him, just to make him feel good, as he LOVES his tub time :) Yesterday we went to Adam's boss' house on Medicine Lake. It was a really good time, except for how HOT it was. Adam was able to wake board and i sat in the A/C indoors with Asa and the rest of the mommies with their kids. There was LOTS of kids there which made it a lot of fun. There was even a little 2 1/2 week old baby....awe!

Also, our friends Brian and Cassie had their baby this morning at 2:00 am. Towards the middle of June, Brian was talking to Adam on the phone and i had Adam tell Brian that i think Cassie should hold off and have her baby on the 4th (her due date was June 30th). Sure enough her water broke on the 3rd around 10:00 am and the little baby girl was born on the 4th. Now she will be able to have a party and fireworks every year for her birthday. I think of all of the holidays that would be the best to be born on. Especially since it is a holiday with no presents involved except her birthday presents. We are hoping to be able to go to the hospital tomorrow to visit.

Adam is outside right now with the neighbors lighting off fireworks. I am sitting on the couch watching them from the window....i don't like mesquites, nor do i feel 100%. I think they look just as pretty from inside :)

Into the Groove

I feel like this week we are really getting back INTO THE GROOVE. I have attached some fun pics from the last few weeks. Asa is really ALMOST walking. We stand him up and rest his back against the couch, and sit a few feet away from him. This morning he took three steps, stopped and continued standing for a few seconds, and then took three more steps to us. It is amazing how quickly he understands the concept once he trusts himself. He is also not afraid of anything. He will climb onto the couch, and sit, and then look over the edge sometimes falling off onto the floor. He is going to be our little dare devil, out on the skateboard with dad before you know it. I suspect plenty of injuries in his future!

This picture is of Asa wearing a sweater that my mom knitted for him.

Here is me at 20 weeks with Asa, and the pic below it is me at 20 weeks today. And YES i am wearing the same nightgown :). As a reminder i am now 25 weeks, so this is a few weeks ago. I still can't believe at 27 weeks starts the 3rd trimester!!! I was actually in Walgreen's today and two woman asked me when i was having the baby, and i told them October, and both said that they assumed i was due much later then that. i must be hiding the baby pretty well i guess?

The next is a picture of Adam reading to Asa...sweet huh?

This picture is just a sweet one of Asa playing in our fountain in the back yard on the deck. On Adam's birthday he actually pulled the fountain over on top of him self...it scared me to death!

This picture is after Adam's dad's funeral of Adam's family.

Here is just our family.

This is one of the days we were at Adam's moms house last week. Almost every night we were there the whole family took a walk to the park right up the street from their house. It was Asa's first experience in rocks. He LOVED them. Although i think a lot of them ended up in his mouth.

We don't really have any extravagant 4th plans this weekend. Saturday, Adam's boss is having people over at his house on Lake Minnetonka for a BBQ and boating. I think Adam is going to bring his wake board and attempt to be 20 again. Sunday or Monday we are going to go to my mom and dads to swim in the pool. Besides that we don't have anything going on. Hopefully we will get some rest. I think i have had a touch of a cold the last week or so, so i need to get some sleep and relax.

Charles Eugene Heeren

Last Friday Adam's dad Chuck passed away. He was diagnosed with ALS 6 years ago, and the disease finally brought him to the Lord. His funeral was yesterday and it was a beautiful service and lunch with lots of friends and family. We have spent every day since Friday over at the Heeren home with the rest of Adam's family. It has been nice to spend so much time with them and reminisce about Chuck. On Fathers Day, the Heeren family was able to come over to my parents house and swim for the day as well. It was so fun to have all the brothers over, and Andrea, and the nieces over to all swim in the pool. They all loved it and we were even able to get a crazy game of water volleyball going. I think it was also nice for Andrea to get out of the house, as her life for the past 4 years has been devoted to taking care of Chuck at their house. I was able to help the family by scanning all of Andrea's albums with every picture of Chuck. Adam and i put together 12 photo boards for the funeral, and i made a 15 minute video slide show of pictures and memories of Chuck.

Today is Adam's birthday! Bittersweet huh? 27 years old...I got up really early and snuck into the kitchen to make him blueberry french toast, then woke him up and brought him in for a gourmet breakfast! We are going to take Asa to the community center outdoor pool today and swim, and then tonight we are going to go to Benihana with his entire family to celebrate for dinner. Glad it is a sunny day for his birthday.

Appts and New Blog

These are cell pictures so not the best quality.
Asa helping me do laundry, by taking it all out of the basket.

Practicing walking by hanging onto the couch.

Happy boy in the morning.

We had a doctor appointment yesterday and i had to take the glucose test. I am not sure why everyone dreads this test...unless you do not have a sweet tooth, because i love the drink! My glucose and hemoglobin checked out a A-OK, which means i don't have to go back to do the 3 hour glucose test. Babies heartbeat was 152, and when the doctor was using the Doppler to hear the heartbeat, the little baby was MOVING LIKE CRAZY. Dr blamed it on the drink. I didn't know that the drink had 50 grams of sugar in it! I gained a whopping 4 lbs...haha. So far only 6 lbs gained. By this time last pregnancy i think i had gained 26! What a change. I keep waiting to go into an appointment, step on the scale, and have them tell me i gained 10+ lbs that month. Last pregnancy i had a 10 lb, 11 lb, and 10 lb month consecutively! All the signs made my Doc believe this one will be a girl...who knows though. I have had itchy feet, acid reflux, a twitchy eye, and little weight gain. All different then my last pregnancy, including feeling nauseous the first 10 weeks or so.

All is well around the house. I have to post good quality pictures soon, i know! Here are some changes around the casa:

My tummy is growing, and i feel baby kick all of the time!

Asa can stand on his own for about 20 - 30 seconds.

Asa took two steps a few weeks ago when we were practicing walking between Adam and I

Asa got his first top tooth on the 10th. He now has two bottom and one top.

The dogs are doing wonderful, although they can't escape the wrath of Asa grabbing hair!

Our deck is almost done. It is all finished, except we don't have steps. With the rain it has been a bit difficult to complete.

My work schedule is now Mon, Wed, Thurs. It is nice to get out of the house and work a regular schedule!

Besides that, all is good around our house. We love the summertime, and having people over to grill and play some lawn games.

White Castle Candles

Anyone know of anyone who has one of the white castle candles? They sold out SO fast from the stores, and are not getting anymore until Christmas! If you know of anyone who has one, and want's to sell it, LET ME KNOW :)

FYI, it's not for me, it would be given as a gift :)

Pool Time!

Being that it has been SO hot out the last few days, we bought Asa a pool and he LOVES it! He would sit in there all day if we let him. This was taken from my cell, so the quality isn't so great.