Friday, March 26, 2010

Daddy's Girl

Dear Stevie,

I just had to see how writing that out feels! We're 90-99% sure your name is going to be Stevie Joy, after my dad (your grandpa).

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how excited your dad is about you. I know you hear it a lot from me (since I'm the one writing this blog/journal), but dad is just as anxious for you to get here. You are going to have so much fun with him! When I found out you are a girl, one of the first things I thought about was how great it is going to be to watch you and your dad together. If you're anything like I was, you'll probably be a total "daddy's girl." I would love that--just promise me you'll give your mama at least a little bit of attention every now and then too! :)

Dad sent this email at work today:

I know I don't get excited about clothes and that stuff, but I do think a lot about bike rides with Stevie, finding a steel framed baby junker bike to build back into health for her to ride, oatmeal recipes that she might like, gardening, camping, building snow forts together and a bunch of other things. I think a lot about that blue Kelty carrier that your dad bought and I'm excited to go around to places with our girl strapped to me. You got me way off topic right now. I gotta focus so I can get everything done that needs to get done. I'll be home some time between 4 and 5.

He's already a great "dad" to Foxy and Jackie, and I know he'll be just as great of a daddy to you!

That's right, he dances with the dogs :)

And even takes them on bike rides!

I'll talk to you soon. Love you lots!

Mom

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Big Day

Dear Baby,

First, and most importantly, today we found out that every little part of you is perfectly formed and healthy.

We also found out you're a little girl!!

You're just full of surprises, aren't you? :)

I haven't stopped smiling since the moment the Ultrasound Tech said, "it's definitely a girl!" I am going to have a daughter. Wow. You were moving around like crazy, even more than the last time we saw you. You were so squirmy it was hard for the Tech to get all your measurements taken. It appears you're a bit of an ADD little girl, just like your mama. You just did not want to sit still!

There you are on the screen!

And there you are in my tummy! :)

Tonight we went out to dinner with both sets of your grandparents and your Auntie Katie and Uncle Brandon to tell them the news. Everyone was so excited! Both my parents and Dad's parents came prepared with both girl presents and boy presents. I guess all the blue will be going back to the store!



Grandma Ziemke (my mom) with her "Grandma and Me" frame from the Cooks

Look at all your new stuff--you're already spoiled rotten! :)

Your grandmas, aunt, and uncle with the "baby girl" photo frames we gave them to announce the big news

I love that I am going to be (or already am really!) the mom of a beautiful little girl. Will you be more of a stubborn little tomboy like me? More of a girly girl? Somewhere in between? All I know is we're going to love you more than you can imagine, however you turn out to be!

I still think you have my nose :)

You were kicking your legs like crazy!


We love you so much Baby!

Mom

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Last Day

Dear Baby,
Today is the last day before I know whether I have a son or a daughter. Today is your last day as an "it," for tomorrow, at around 1:45pm, you will become either a "he" or a "she." Today is your last day without a name. Enjoy your last day of anonymity and get ready to spread those legs for us tomorrow! :)

We can't wait to see you!

Love,
Mom

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Quick Update

Hi Baby!
I went shopping with my best friend from middle/high school, Jersa (you can call her Auntie Jersa or Auntie J!) last night and was able to resist buying most of the adorable baby stuff I saw, except for the cutest little bear onesie from a store called Grand Crazy (a store for grandparents). Here it is, the first official article of clothing I've bought for you:

Can totally be cute on a boy or a girl, right?

In other news, my stomach is growing at an almost alarming rate this week. Today your dad came home from work, took one look at my belly and said, "whoa, you're getting huge!" I swear it's already gotten noticeably bigger since the pictures I just put up on Sunday. I also swear it's not just fat--I've actually been eating pretty darn healthy for you! :)

Can you imagine what I'm gonna look like in August??

On Monday one of my coworkers brought me two gigantic bins full of maternity clothes. We're talking at least 20 pairs of pants/shorts, like 10 dresses, more shirts than I can count, and even a couple maternity swim suits! I'm totally set on maternity now. So awesome!

Alright, well dad just got his iPhone in the mail and so we're off to find him a completely indestructible case for it. We love you lots!

Love,
Mom

Sunday, March 14, 2010

18 Weeks!

Happy 18 weeks, Baby!

This weekend was a busy one. Friday night was Auntie Katie's birthday party up in St. Michael, then I drove to Chicago with my friends Lisa and Marissa Saturday morning for our good friend Irene's bachelorette party. We didn't get to sleep until about 3am this morning, and had to get up to drive home at 6am. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired (and crabby!), but I still wanted to get some 18 week belly shots for you:


Weeks pregnant: 18

Weight: I'd guess I'm up at least another pound (maybe two!)

How I'm feeling: I'm still feeling great! I feel like I'm gaining more and more of my old energy back each week, which is awesome. This week, my belly really popped too. For the first time, a few people I don't know very well from the office asked me if I was pregnant (a very bold and risky move!), so it must be pretty obvious at this point. It's getting harder and harder to wear any of my old clothes, but I'm trying my hardest to avoid buying lots of maternity stuff because a) it's expensive and b) it's ugly (most of it anyway). I can't wait until it's a little warmer and I can live in summer dresses and flip flops. When I got back to the cities this afternoon it was 58 degrees and sunny--it feels like Spring is just around the corner. What a great feeling!

Can you see yourself in my shadow?

A walk to Chipotle and Jamba Juice, the perfect end to a wonderful weekend:



Talk to you soon, Baby! We love you so much.

Mom

PS. T-minus 11 days left until G-Day (gender day)!!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Our Little Bear Cub

Dear Baby,
I've heard a lot of nicknames parents-to-be have come up with for their unborn babies: bean, peanut, jelly bean, monkey, tater tot. You, sweet baby, are our little bear cub.

Me and dad have affectionately called each other "bear" since college. Dad was going to be gone for a couple weeks one summer, and I was sad he wouldn't be around to say his usual "goodnight babe" before bed every night. So he went to the mall and made me a Build-a-Bear stuffed animal that looked like him, complete with sagging jeans and boxer briefs, a backwards baseball cap, and a basketball. He even added a voice recording of himself, so every time I squeezed the bear I would hear him say "goodnight babe." I called the stuffed animal my Andy Bear, and eventually dad became my "real Andy Bear." Before long, he was just "Bear," and so was I.

Since then, we have always had a thing for bears:




I love picking up little bear things for you. The first book we bought for you is called "Bear Hug," and today I found this adorable hand-made bear hat online (http://www.etsy.com/shop/HuggaBeans) and couldn't resist buying it for you:


Your nursery is going to be bear-themed too! We're trying to decide between two collections. This one, from Amazon:


And this one, from Babies R Us:

For anyone else reading this, which one do you like better (they're about the same price)? I am getting so excited for you to get here! You are going to be the cutest little bear cub ever.

I love you,
Mom

PS. Okay, I think you need to have these bear paw slippers too: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=42355880

Sunday, March 7, 2010

17 Weeks

Hi Baby,
Happy 17 weeks! In the last week you've grown from the size of an avocado (yum) to the size of a turnip (not so yum). I've been growing a lot too!



Weeks pregnant: 17

Weight: I'd guess I'm up another pound or so

How I'm feeling: This week was really great. It's amazing how much better and energized I feel when the sun is shining and it's warm enough outside to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air. We took the dogs on a walk everyday this week--I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, me or them! Now that my appetite is back in full force, I've been able to start eating healthier again (you know, less Cheezitz and Speghettios and more fruits and veggies). It feels so good to have "real" food back in my life again, like this amazing cheese, crackers, and apples plate we had the other night (don't worry, it's sparkling apple juice in those wine glasses!):


Or my epic breakfast this morning (eggs, venison breakfast sausage, cottage cheese, and fruit):


I am getting really excited to start feeling you kick and move around inside me. The doctor said since I have what they call an "anterior placenta" (basically meaning the placenta is located on top of you, right under my belly button, rather than behind you, and adds extra cushioning between the two of us), I probably won't feel anything until a couple weeks after most women do. Good thing I've got my home doppler to listen to your heartbeat if I ever need reassurance that you're still alive and growing in me! :)

Dad and the girls having fun on our wet walk this afternoon


My view :)

Well, both of the girls and dad are all passed out on the bed next to me. I think I might join them! Love you lots!

Mom

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Love

Dear Baby,
I can't believe it's already March! Today the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and although 35 degrees may sound cold to the rest of the world, it was warm enough for me to leave the house without my big winter jacket this morning. It would be the perfect day for a nice, long walk with you and the dogs. It's weird to think that one year from now, I'll have a 7 month old baby boy or girl to go on walks with--crazy!

Switching gears a bit here. Your dad had a hard day at work yesterday. He works at an alternative high school for what we call "at-risk" teenagers, basically kids who have either failed out or have been kicked out of traditional high school. One of his favorite students, who he's gotten to know really well during the last two years, came into his office and basically had a melt-down. I won't get into too much detail, but this student has lived a really tough life-- he's never met his father and has an emotionally abusive, alcoholic mother. As a result, he really struggles with drugs and alcohol himself, and is in real danger of not getting enough credits to graduate before he "ages out" of the public school system at 21. Dad tried to encourage him and talk to him about what was going on, but this student said something that I can't stop thinking about: "It's easy for you to give out advice, you've had everything handed to you in life. You were dealt a fair hand in life and I wasn't."

In a way, he's right. I think sometimes I take for granted how lucky and blessed your dad and I were to be born into the families, the lives, that we were. I have never once doubted whether or not my mom and dad loved me, and I know your dad feels the same way. I used to get so annoyed that my mom always wanted to know where I was, had to meet my friends' parents before sleepovers, forced me to wear a dorky helmet when I rode my bike around the neighborhood, and insisted on going to every single parent-teacher conference at school, but it was all those little, "annoying" things that made me so deeply aware that I was loved. Someone cared about me. Simple things, that to most of the people don't seem like any big deal, can mean the difference between a kid "making" or "not making it" in life. It breaks my heart that there are so many kids, like Dad's student, who have never felt loved or cared for by their own mom and dad. If he had been born into my family, would he have ended up at an alternative school, crying in dad's office? Probably not.

There's so many things I want to teach you, but above everything else, I just want you to know without a doubt that you are loved. I love you now, and I can only imagine how much I'm going to love you once I meet you. Your dad loves you. Your grandparents love you. Your aunts and uncles, second cousins, great grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and even our friends love you. I tell you this so someday when you're mad at me for making you call me and check-in when you're out on your first date, or nag you about wearing your seat belt, or God-forbid even force you to wear a helmet when all your friends' parents let them ride bikes without one, you know it will be because I love you.

I might not go as far as making you wear a swimsuit with a built-in inner tube, like Grandma made me wear


I think this may have been the only time I was allowed on a bike without a helmet

I love you so much Baby!

Mom
 
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