Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy New Year!

Chase's Grandma and Grandpa W (pictured here) came to visit for a couple days and got to babysit while Brian and I got out of the house to see "The Pursuit of Happyness." GREAT flick. It was really nice to get out, just the 2 of us.

Sidenote: "Pursuit" is the word that eliminated me from the spelling bee in 5th grade and ever since then I am never sure how to spell it. Persuit? No, it must be Pursuit. ANYWAY....

Yesterday our friends Todd & Toni stopped in from St. Louis. I think we figured out we hadn't seen them since our trip to Vegas together in 2004 so it was really nice to spend a little time with them again.

Just a few days before that Chase's Grandma & Grandpa K were here and Grandma was nice enough to stay up with Chase until 3am their last night here. It was nice to get a little sleep again, just the 2 of us! :)

We'd like to wish everyone a very happy and safe New Year. I'm sure we'll be up at the stroke of midnight trying to get Chase to sleep (seems to be our nightly ritual these days)! ;)

P.S. More Chase photos (of week 2) are posted on our photo page!

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Chase's First Christmas

Well, Chase's first Christmas proved very profitable for him. At only one week old he was definitely the most popular gift recipient. Already spoiled rotten! ;)

Friday, December 22, 2006

Chase Photos Posted!

Chase photos now posted in our Photo Album!

Chase had his first doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looks great! It's hard to believe he'll be a week old tomorrow.

Sorry, not much more to report right now only because I have a screamer to attend to at the moment. I'll write more when I can!

Happy Holidays!!

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Welcome to the World, Baby Boy!

Brian and I are proud to announce the arrival of our little bean! I went into labor at Brian's office Christmas party Friday night and Chase was born 12 hours later.

STATS!
First/Middle Name: Chase Alexander
Birth Date: Saturday, December 16, 2006
Birth Time: 8:06am
Weight: 7 lbs 7 oz
Length: 20"

Click here for more information about our little bundle of joy!

Friday, December 15, 2006

Brian is Licensed!

More good Brian news (it's his year!): Yesterday my hubby received notice that he passed his exam to become a licensed counselor. It's just a matter of time before the paperwork goes through and it's official!

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Pregnancy Update (38 wks)

Had another doctor's appointment this morning. I'm 1 cm dialated and about 70% effaced, so things are moving in the right direction! My belly measured 39 cm and the baby's heartbeat was 146. By feeling my belly the doctor thought the little bean was about 7 - 7.5 lbs. I think he has dropped in the last day or so, which is a nice relief from the pain I was having in my ribs!

Monday, December 11, 2006

2 More Weeks!

As of yesterday we are 2 weeks away from our due date!

We spent the weekend getting things wrapped up. We pretty much finished off our registry with the necessities and I spent yesterday cleaning house and getting the last of the Christmas gifts wrapped, cards signed and thank-you notes done. It's going to feel GREAT having all those things go out in the mail this week. I think we're just about ready for the little bean's arrival (can you believe it?)!

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Pregnancy Update (37 wks)

Had another doctor's appointment this morning. I haven't had any contractions so they didn't check me (for dilation, effacement, etc.), but they will next time. My belly measured 39 cm, baby's heartbeat was 139. Blood pressure looked fantastic, so that's an improvement from my last appointment. Swelling has gone down some, too. He's still head down and in a great position. By feeling my belly the doctor guessed he was pushing 7 lbs and was long. We shall see!

Monday, December 4, 2006

3 More Weeks!

Here's a photo of me in the little bean's nursery, taken yesterday (when I was exactly 37 weeks pregnant).

My friend Heather, who was due exactly 2 weeks before me (December 10th), called me Friday morning to tell me she had her baby. That's when reality hit that we are not far behind!! Since we had a bad snowstorm that day here in Chicago and neither I nor my boss wanted me to have my baby in a snowbank, I stayed home and did Christmas cards and thank-you notes. Then this weekend we worked on getting my hospital bags together. Thanks to Heather for the kick in the pants to get some things done!

Brian is ABD!

Congratulations to my hubby, who is no longer considered a doctoral student. He is now officially "ABD," meaning "All But Dissertation." He defended his specialty comps (the last step in his course work) today and passed. Woo hoo! This means he can start looking for teaching positions and start working on his dissertation. What a milestone after 5 years of hard work. There is light at the end of the tunnel.... He's almost done! He is shooting for a May 2008 graduation, but that is a short time frame compared to how long it takes most people to write a dissertation, so that is a very aggressive goal. Hopefully his time home with the little bean will make it easier to get it done that quickly (we're hoping the little guy is a good napper)!

To learn more about Brian's program and what he has gone through (and what's to come), click here. Information about the comps he just passed is under "Examinations."

Next semester he will be teaching a class at Argosy (2 weekends), 2 at Concordia (1 night/week... 2 back-to-back sessions) and one at NIU (1 night/week)... all Master's level courses. He is very excited and this will be great experience for him, too.

Everyone be sure to congratulate Brian on his phenomenal accomplishments. He doesn't check the comments on this site much (if at all!), but you can email him at bdub77@comcast.net!
I'm just so proud....

Pregnancy Update (37 wks)

Click here for nursery photos!

We were very generously showered last Thursday (11/30). My office threw me a surprise shower over lunch, and Brian's office threw us a shower that same day (which his dad drove up from St. Louis for)!

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Pregnancy Update (36 wks)

Had another appointment yesterday. Everything still looks pretty good. Belly measured 38 cm, baby's heartbeat was 140. I'm having some swelling (especially in my feet!) and my blood pressure is a little high, but nothing to be too concerned about at this point. We have a baby shower tonight at Brian's office, so that will be fun!

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Happy Birthday, Mr. Mom!

Happy 29th Birthday to Brian! It is now official: Brian will be staying home after the little bean is born. He is leaving his job at the DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau to take care of our little guy and work on his dissertation. He won't be completely out of the work force, though, as he has been asked to teach a couple evening/weekend classes at some area colleges next semester. But it will at least give him more time to work on that dissertation and get done with his doctorate... and will save us from having to send the little bean to a full-time day care for a year or so! I'll just have to work hard on not becoming TOO jealous when I have to go back to work after my maternity leave! ;)

Monday, November 27, 2006

The Countdown Begins!

Well, we are now officially less than 1 month away from our due date.

Brian's parents were in town for Thanksgiving and we had a great dinner, prepared by Brian (I made dessert!), and then shopped til we dropped (almost literally!) Thursday night (the outlet mall had a midnight sale!), all day Friday (in Oak Brook) and all day Saturday (downtown Chicago). Needless to say I can barely move now, but it was worth it!

Elmer and Sheila helped us put our Christmas tree up this weekend and we spent yesterday decorating it and putting up most of our decorations, so we are all decked out for the holidays and excited for them to come! Not much longer! Is everyone ready?!?

Pregnancy Update (36 wks)

Had another appointment on Friday. Everything looks good. Belly measured 37 cm, baby's heartbeat was 132. He's head down and things are progressing!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We are having Turkey Day at our house with Brian's parents (it's a little too close to our due date for comfort to go out of town)! Brian is in charge of the feast and is very excited to host the holiday. I'm in charge of dessert.... Gobble, gobble!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Pregnancy Update (34 wks)

Had another doctor's appointment today. Belly measured 35 cm, the Little Bean's heartbeat was around 140. Everything looks good!

Monday, November 6, 2006

Pregnancy Update (33 wks)

We had our last ultrasound on Friday and it was incredible! The little bean was super active so we got to see him moving all over the place. He was busy sucking on his fingers (at one point he had his whole hand in his mouth!) and grabbing his toes. The tech put his face in 3D for us which was amazing. We think he has Brian's nose and my lips. He was so cute! He weighed in at 4 1/2 lbs, which is in the 41st percentile, so that's really good. If I go full term he should be about 8 lbs. His heartbeat when we first checked in with him was 170 because he was so active. By the time the tech was done it was down to 140. Everything looks fantastic, so we are thrilled. We also got a third confirmation that it's definitely a boy, so we finally took the tags off all those adorable little boy outfits we have! I'll post ultrasound pics soon!

We also had our childbirth class on Saturday, which was really good. We are feeling much more prepared and it's starting to hit home that it's actually going to happen... we're going to have a baby (Omigoodness)!!

(For all ultrasound photos, click here.)

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

October Summary

We started out the month with baby showers! We then found out Brian was named Doctoral Student of the Year in his program at NIU! What a smarty pants! Then the Cardinals won the World Series and we ended the month with a record number of trick-or-treaters (nine)!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Pregnancy Update (30 wks)

Working on the little bean's room this weekend... doing some painting, putting up a wallpaper border, etc. I'll post pics when we're done!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Pregnancy Update (30 wks)

Had our 30wk appointment today. Everything looks great (the doctor said "picture perfect pregnancy," so we can't ask for much more than that)! The little bean's heartbeat was 140, my belly measured 31 cm.

Monday, October 9, 2006

Pregnancy Update (29 wks)

I was generously baby showered twice this weekend and had a lot of fun. The first shower was hosted by my dear friends Katie and Janet (Click here for photos!), the second was hosted by Mom (photos coming soon)!

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Pregnancy Update (28 wks)

Had our 28 week appointment today and the glucose test I took on Friday came back normal. All is well! My belly measured at 29 cm and the Little Bean's heartbeat was 145.

Monday, October 2, 2006

Pregnancy Update (28 wks)

And so the third trimester begins! We can hardly believe it! Went to my glucose screening appointment Friday (standard test for Gestational Diabetes) and had to drink nasty sugar juice, sit around for an hour, and then endure yet another needle while they drew my blood yet again (thank goodness for Brian, my hero, who sat in the waiting room for an hour just to hold my hand for 1 minute)! We should know the results at our next appointment.

Brian's dad was here this weekend and got to see the nursery as it stands at this point (not complete, but close)! The little bean also did some "belly dancing" for him, which was fun for him to see!

Saturday, September 30, 2006

September Summary

We had to start out the month with another funeral, unfortunately. We said goodbye to Francis (Tootsie) Kuback, Brian's great-aunt. We later took our annual trip to Edwards Apple Orchard, which is always fun! A great way to lift our spirits. Brian was asked to teach a Master's level counseling class next semester, which is a HUGE accomplishment! He was also asked to present at a conference in Kansas City in October!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Pregnancy Update (25 wks)

This weekend we got the crib mattress, bedding, mobile and the cutest little pair of Mizzou socks you've ever seen in your life! We are so excited to make up the little bean's bed this week!

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Pregnancy Update (24 wks)

Still working on the baby's room but it's coming along! We now have all the furniture we need in there (crib, changing table, shelving/storage unit, toy/storage chest, rocking chair).

We're also working hard on creating more storage space around the house. Cleaning out the storage/laundry side of our basement this weekend produced a big pile for Goodwill and three trash bags full of JUNK for the garbage man!

Friday, September 1, 2006

Pregnancy Update (23 wks)

Wow, is it really September already? Had our 24-week appointment today and everything looks good. Heartbeat was at about 159. They measured my belly for the first time and it was about 23 cm.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

August Summary

Big event of the month: the premiere of Soapbox Theatre Company's first production, "Movin' Right Along" (the first annual Soapbox Comedy Revue)! It was a hit (for reviews and photos, go to www.soapboxtheatre.com and click on "Past Productions)! The goal: to break even. The outcome: profit!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Pregnancy Update (23 wks)

We cleared out most of the furniture, etc. from the spare bedroom and put the baby furniture together last night! It's starting to look like a nursery in there... so exciting!! The cats had fun playing in the packaging and exploring their new surroundings, but they have no idea what's about to hit 'em!

My parents were also here this weekend and they brought us a baby cradle my great-grandpa apparently made. Little Bean also got some adorable outfits from his Grandma K! I love little baby clothes... they are addictive!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Pregnancy Update (22 wks)

Here's a photo of me at 22 weeks (on the far right - pictured here with castmates of "Movin' Right Along").

We went on hospital tours last weekend to decide which hospital we wanted to deliver in. I think we picked Delnor. It was a little jolt of reality that this is really going to happen! We saw some newborn babies and they were so adorable. Only a few more months til it's our turn!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Pregnancy Update (21 wks)


We had our level 2 ultrasound yesterday. While I didn't make all the details of the reason for our 2nd ultrasound very public on this site to begin with, I thought I'd give an update. One of the reasons we had to have a 2nd ultrasound is because they thought they saw something in the right atrium of the baby's heart which wasn't quite right. Brian and I were concerned because, as many of you probably already know, Brian was born with a hole in his heart that they discovered his senior year of high school which had to be repaired via open heart surgery. So we were nervous going into the appointment, but we are happy to report today that our baby's heart (along with the rest of him) is completely normal and healthy. Yay! And we also got confirmation that it is DEFINITELY a boy.

(For all ultrasound photos, click here.)

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Pregnancy Update (20 wks)

We spent the whole afternoon registering. It took us FOREVER because neither of us knew what the heck we were doing! But we finally got it done (for the most part) and we are now registered at Target (registry #011000840001009) and Babies R Us (registry #60964577). When we got home we actually SAW the baby kick for the first time! It was so cool!

Thursday, August 3, 2006

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

Pregnancy Update (19 wks)

We had our ultrasound this morning and it looks like we're having a boy! We are having a 2nd ultrasound done by a specialist in the next couple weeks because our son is apparently a gymnast and managed to put himself in a position (feet over his head) that made it difficult for the technician to get a good look at everything they needed to see. We'll let you know if we find out anything different at that ultrasound, but the technician said she was 95% sure it's a boy!

A couple fun things we saw: #1, the baby looked like he was scratching his back (and for those of you who know Brian well, this is PROOF he is definitely his father's son!). #2, we got an ultrasound photo of him sticking his tongue out at us (already a little brat... proof he is definitely his mother's son, too)!

They also changed our due date back to Christmas Eve based on the baby's size (I knew it all along)!

Stats: He weighed about 11oz and his hearbeat was 159 beats per minute.

(For all ultrasound photos, click here.)

Monday, July 31, 2006

July Summary

I started off the month with a productive scrapbooking weekend with my mom, followed the next weekend by a much-needed weekend getaway where Brian and I caught up on movies, played mini golf, and overall just CHILLED OUT. It was fabulous. But when we returned we were faced with another family death, Brian's grandma W (pictured here, when she visited for Easter 2005). She passed away July 24th. In the midst of everything I was working hard on my theatre company's first show, facing many obstacles along the way!

Thursday, July 6, 2006

Pregnancy Update (15 wks)

Had our 16-week appointment and got to hear the baby's heartbeat again (162 - normal). Everything looks good! We'll find out the sex of the Little Bean at our next appointment! We can't wait!

Friday, June 30, 2006

June Summary

The big news this month: We're having a baby! But we were also saddened this month with the passing of Brian's Grandma K. While it was a sad occasion, it did bring family together again. On a lighter note, Brian was offered and accepted a job teaching his first college-level class in the fall at NIU. It's a junior/senior Bachelor's level Counseling class, which will be a hefty addition to his resume (for kicks, click here, type our last name in the instructor box at the bottom right-hand corner, then click "Find Course")!

Monday, June 19, 2006

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!

I'm 13 weeks pregnant and we're going public this week! I'm now in my second trimester and it feels GREAT to finally be able to share our excitement with our family and friends!

Here's what's been going on up to this point:

05/01/06 (6 wks) - I called in sick for the first time since I started working at Wausau 2 1/2 years ago. I took a pregnancy test that afternoon and could hardly believe my eyes.... That actually WORKS?!? I called Brian at work and he could hardly believe it, either. Even though we had been trying it just didn't seem real. Our own calculated due date: Christmas Eve.

05/08/06 (7 wks) - First doctor's appointment. Pretty uneventful appointment until they said they were going to take my blood and I turned white. Brian came with me and held my hand. His poor hand had fingernail marks in it when I finally let go (I told him he better get used to it)!

05/10/06 (7 wks) - Got all the lab test results back from my first appointment and everything looks good!

05/12/06 (7 wks) - First (early) ultrasound (see photo above)! We were foggy on my timeline so wanted to make sure I wasn't more pregnant that we thought. Turns out we were right on... 8 weeks, give or take a couple days. It looks like a tiny little bean at this point. We also heard the heartbeat (162 - normal) which was SO cool! It made it much more real for both of us. I got sick afterwards (not an unusual occurrence these days, as I am struggling with "morning, noon and night sickness")!

05/14/06 (8 wks) - Happy Mother's Day to Me!

05/15/06 (8 wks) - Baby is nicknamed the "Little Bean!"

06/08/06 (11 wks) - 2nd doctor's appointment. More blood tests (and more fingernail marks in Brian's hand)! We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat again (174 - normal).... It's just so fast and cute! Also got the doctor's official due date based on our early ultrasound: December 22nd.

06/10/06 (11wks) - Happy Birthday to Little Bean's Mommy (and Grandmommy)! Brian and I strolled through Babies R Us to price furniture and see what we were in for, and while we were there a store employee approached Brian and asked if he wanted to participate in Daddy Olympics. To my surprise he said, "why not?" He was entered in a race to chug a baby bottle full of water. Well all that beer chugging in college must have done my hubby some good because he was the champion! He won a bib that says, "My Dad Rulz!" I'm so proud....

06/11/06 (12 wks) - My show ("All in the Timing" at Steel Beam Theatre) is now over. I can't believe I got through it without throwing up on anyone.

06/18/06 (13 wks) - Happy Father's Day to Brian!

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

May Summary

My show, ALL IN THE TIMING, opened (more info on my Theatre Page) and was met with great reviews (the attached photo is of me as a monkey, trying to type Hamlet... with my toes)! We took a weekend trip at The Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva (Wisconsin). The 2-night trip was a perk of mine for the meeting planning I do at work. We enjoyed 2 free nights, a dinner & reception, breakfast cruise, bonfire & entertainment, and and afternoon at the spa! Afterwards we swung by Elkhorn, WI to visit Brian's Grandma K again (as well as Brian's aunt/uncle/cousin). My Grandma M passed away and I flew out west for a couple days to attend the memorial service. She passed away peacefully after years of illness, so that was a small comfort.

Sunday, April 30, 2006

April Summary

Our website took on a new appearance this month, with an added Travel page and my Theatre Page. We started off the month with our friends Mike & Stacey's wedding, which was beautiful. Then we found out Brian not only passed his general comps, he passed with flying colors (being the ONLY student who passed, and passing with honors)! I was cast in the play ALL IN THE TIMING and started rehearsals (more info is on my Theatre Page). We also got to visit Grandma K in Elkhorn, WI, and spend some time with Brian's aunt, uncle and cousin as well. Looking forward to another visit very soon. Bomerang (pictured here) ended up in the hospital for a few days but $1,200 later (ouch...) is cured. Phew! We both spent the last weekend of the month in the city and saw SPAMALOT, which we both really enjoyed. I also saw WAITING FOR GODOT, QUILTERS and a Jason Robert Brown concert this month. Yes, we were busy!

Friday, March 31, 2006

March Summary

'Twas March Madness month! Brian very much enjoyed his basketball tournament (as always). We had some visitors this month: my mom (to scrapbook), my good friend Katie (for some seriously overdue girlz fun!), and then my parents brought my niece, Courtney (pictured here, beating me at cards) for a couple days of fun in Chicago for her spring break! Brian not only passed his first round of comp tests (a huge accomplishment in itself), one of his professors wants to use part of it in a publication! I am beyond proud of my brainiac hubby, who is well on his way to becoming an official doctorial candidate. One more round of comp tests to go! I am still working hard on Soapbox with Nicole and we are making great progress!

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

February Summary

This month both sets of parents came to visit. We saw mine briefly while they were here... they spent a lot of time in Chicago at a boat show. We went shopping (of course!) with Brian's parents while they were in town, discovering the Wicker Park/Bucktown area of Chicago and of course hitting the outlet mall, too! Nicole and I made Soapbox Theatre Company public and the news was very well received. Lots of interest, which is fantastic! Working on plans for our first show, which will tentatively open in August. Brian worked (and continues to work) hard on his general comprehensive exam, which is due March 3rd.

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

January Summary

We managed to have 3 fondue parties this month! We were first introduced to it at Jason & Lindsay York's house, and were instantly hooked! We tried to have our own with Bart & Nicole Warren the next weekend, but our cheese pot exploded! Thank goodness we were "class-less" enough to eat it right off the table! We tried it out again with Jill (Brian's co-worker) and her boyfriend, Jonah. Stainless steel pots are MUCH safer! Nicole and I met with possible directors for Soapbox's first production to get it off the ground!

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