Lunch with Uncle Walker!

On our way home from Pennsylvania on Sunday, we stopped in Virginia to meet Walker, whose parents live there. It was great to see him!!

We stopped at Panera and attempted to take a few pictures in the parking lot, keep in mind there was a tornado passing through! (Not really, it was just VERY windy!!)

18 Week Baby Bump!

Well here you go...the 18 week belly shot! Week 19 starts today, which is so hard to believe. That means that I am about half way there!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!

The day after Christmas Heather and I went our annual shopping trip! I was trying to think how many years we have done this and it has to be about 10!! WOW! Well we went to Kohl's and I happened to find a cute little Christmas outfit for the peanut to wear next wear. Hopefully it will fit him or her! :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We had a great trip home to PA for the holiday. It was busy, but a wonderful holiday. We kept saying, this is the last Christmas without the little peanut! Very hard to believe, but so exciting at the same time.

This little peanut is already spoiled having a stocking at my dad's house and getting Christmas presents from their Grandpa, Mum-Mum, and GG! I tell you what, the closet is already starting to making Mommy proud! :) haha!

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!

Christmas Eve at Grandpa's!

Christmas Eve dinner with the Kearns' at Outback!

There's the Heartbeat!!

Today was a the doctor's appointment and it turns out it was not the ultrasound day! We were totally bummed! I SWEAR the lady told me last time that this appointment would be it, but it's okay...it's not like we are waiting to find out if it's a boy or girl! :)

We did have a minor heart attack today though! As I was laying on the table and the doctor was trying to find the heartbeat, he found nothing!! I was soooo nervous...he kept moving the little "microphone" all over my belly and NOTHING! Of course I am crying and Keith comes over to hold my hand and the doctor assures me that everything is fine, he was going to try another machine. Finally with a little goop and a new machine, he successfully found that fantastic heartbeat as I had tears streaming down my face. I think it was very obvious how concerned I was because the doctor kept saying, "everything is perfect!"

So now this means Monday, January 19th is the REAL ultrasound!! We're so excited! While we were disappointed to not have it today, atleast we got to hear that thump, thump that is just music to this Mommy's ears! :)

Boy or Girl??

Well with news of so many boys (Ellen, Kristi pregnant with TWIN boys, Stephanie Davis, and friends from college and high school having boys) Keith and I are wondering if this just might be a little girl!

We have been pretty convinced all along that it is a boy. I know I have just had that "feeling." However, as Keith said the other day..."the law of probability means we're having a girl." Haha! Who knows and we don't mind either way, of course, just a healthy, happy baby! (However, apparently SEVERAL of you who have voted think it's a girl too...so who knows!!!)

Tomorrow is the doctor's appointment where we COULD find out what we are having and as tempting as it is, especially to help me with the nursery, we do want to be surprised!! Ellen said there was nothing as wonderful as hearing them tell you that "he's a boy!" or I can imagine "she's a girl!"

Updates tomorrow on the doctor's appointment and also on the updated belly! Today marks 18 weeks!!! We are CRUISING right along :)

CONGRATS TO ELLE AND BJ!!

WELCOME CONNOR FRANCIS JOHNSON!!!

On Wednesday, December 17th at 2:37pm Elle gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy!!! Even though I was convinced he would be born on my birthday, I will forgive him as his pictures have already melted my heart! :)

I am so excited for Elle and BJ because they are going to be such WONDERFUL parents, but little Connor man is also a VERY lucky guy to have such great parents!

Poor BJ...I kept texting him once I found out they were going to induce Ellen, to get an update and it's not like he was busy at all helping his wife through the birthing process! It was so great to hear news though from Elle and hear that everyone was doing great!! :)

Now a trip to the CO state is in the works to go and meet this little, precious angel! CONGRATS ELLE AND BJ....we love you!! :)

Thanksgiving Travels!

Well not only did this past Thanksgiving holiday mark the longest that Keith and I have been in the car, I can GUARANTEE that the baby will NEVER have to be in the car that much again!! :)

We left for our "voyage" on Tuesday night after work, around 6:00. Keith was a trooper and drove the whole way home while I did a lot of sleeping, stopped for food, and of course bathroom breaks!

Wednesday morning was busy, but so fun! I was able to visit Heather's preschool classroom, the same day as their Thanksgiving feast. They sure are cuties at 4, and well behaved!...a lot different than some of my 8 year olds at school. (Awesome job Heath!!) Then it was off to do a little, and I mean little, shopping, before meeting Grandpa, Keith, Jamie, and her aide for lunch!

We had a great time and it was great to see Grandpa...well Great Grandpa! After lunch Jamie and I were off to get our nails done and after 2 hours of waiting it was time to go home. We had dinner with Mom and John and went to bed to rest up for the Thanksgiving Day festivities.

Thursday morning was spent finalizing wrapping all of the favors that I volunteered myself to do for the Caple Family 80th Thanksgiving while, of course, watching the Macy's parade! We were off to Maryland, not a bad car ride, just an hour and a half. Thanksgiving was wonderful, it was great to see Gran and Gramps, and of course eat all the delicious food!! However, we couldn't stay too long because then it was off to Delaware to visit the Kearns side of the family! It was great to see everyone at Uncle Gus and Aunt Linda's, including their 100" TV...I didn't even know they made them that big!!!

Friday morning we were up and off to Best Buy...thanks to Jake for waiting in line for us at some un-godly hour in the morning. Our first Christmas present to each other, a TV for our bedroom...not 100"! After picking that up we were off to Rochester, NY! That was not a fast six hours, but it was fun to ride through the snow! We arrived in time for Pontillo's pizza, of course Keith's request, and to play with the kiddos! We got to meet baby Olivia and she is PRECIOUS!! Kristin looks great, which three weeks after having a baby, gives me a lot to live up to!

Adorable Alex and Lyndsey!

Keith, (a natural Daddy, with Olivia) Heinz, and Kristin at the party!

Precious baby Olivia!

Saturday was errand running day with Kristin and Olivia! Uncle Keith was home with Alex and Lyndsey...the funniest part of the whole day was when we got home from our errands and I was changing Lyndsey's diaper...it was on backwards...haha...good try Uncle Keith!! I think he is just going to have to have LOTS of practice with our little one when he or she arrives. :) Saturday night was the surprise party for Keith's dad. It was so fun and so great to be there! He was surprised to see us and it was just great to see their family and friends!

Sunday morning, 7:30 am, we hit the road for NC! Fingers were crossed we would be home by 7:00ish...well, how wrong we were! 14 1/2 hours later we FINALLY arrived back in NC!! What a LONG car ride! I mean, we're talking, breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the car. I think I am "fast food-ed out" for a LONG time!

It was a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for! We are so lucky that we got to see all of our family in such a short amount of time. :) If only we lived a little closer...

Baby Bump!

Well with week 15 in full swing, the belly is starting to poke out a little more each day! I feel like at night it just grows and grows and then shrinks back up for the morning. :) This picture was taken a week ago, but not a whole lot has changed since it was taken. Don't worry though, I'm sure it won't be too much longer before it is very OBVIOUS that there is a little peanut growing in there!

PERFECT Heartbeat!!

Well I went to the doctor today for my "12 week check-up" and all I have been able to think about all week was hearing that little heartbeat! As the doctor put the goop on my belly and very quickly found the "thumping" I felt SOOO relieved!! What an amazing sound that is to hear YOUR little baby's heart beating inside of you!!! Of course I was tearing up again, as I think I will each and everytime I get to hear it! The doctor was funny (keep in mind it was the same monotone doctor that so nicely told me I was pregnant!) and said that it was a very easy heartbeat to find and a strong one at that! That was music to my ears :) I think I have had a non-stop smile on my face since leaving the doctor's office today!

I go back on December 22 for the "anatomy ultrasound!" Perfect timing to have pictures to take home of the little peanut for Christmas! (and of course post on the blog!)

See Ya First Trimester!

It is hard to believe, but tomorrow begins the first day of my second trimester!! I am SOOOO happy that we can share the news of our little peanut with everyone now!! Everyday I just would say we are only "2 weeks and 1 day away." My Gran is so funny, she sent me an email today saying not to even try calling her tomorrow because she will be on the phone all day spreading the news!! :) Thank you Gran for waiting five weeks to share...I know it has been hard!!

Well being 12 weeks prego means that the little munchkin is now opening and closing their hands, toes will start curling, and the mouth will make sucking movements!! PRECIOUS! The little one is a whole TWO inches long and is weighing in at a half of an ounce!

We are just so blessed to be experiencing this...I can not wait to meet this little baby! Six months, I have a feeling, will go by very quickly! Happy 3 Month Birthday (in Mommy's tummy) Little One!! :)

I've Popped!

Well the past couple days I have certainly noticed that my belly is popping a little bit. We'll go ahead and say that I am starting to show, and not just that I can NOT stop eating and gaining weight!! It was so funny...I went out to dinner with Vater, Shae, and Klein the other night and literally ate a plate full of meatloaf BEFORE we went out to dinner. When I told them a) that I was pregnant and b) that I ate meatloaf, they were laughing pretty hard.

Anyway, my clothes are everyday becoming less and less comfortable to wear. My shirts are fine, but my pants, uggghh!!! I even wore a skirt to work last week thinking that might be a little more comfy, but it wasn't!!

Today also marks the 11 week mark!! We have known now for about four weeks that this little munchkin is on the way! The big news this week is that the baby is about 1 1/2 inches long and the size of a fig. (Not that I know how big a fig is!) Little tooth buds are forming and it's little hands are starting to open and close. WOW!!!

Now I'm off to the grocery store and to run a couple errands. I am going to eat something real quick though because last week when I went to the grocery store a little hungry, I walked out with $200 worth of groceries!!!!! How did that happen!??!?!?! Happy Sunday!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

It is hard to believe that Keith and I have already been married for two years! We had planned a trip to Chicago a long time ago and were so excited to go. Uncle Walker lives there, so the plan was to visit him and also enjoy a trip to the windy city!

I must preface with the fact that Keith and I weren't going to exchange gifts since we were going on a trip. I had just mentioned very casually a few weeks ago that the traditional gift for year two is cotton. On Thursday night, the day before we left, Keith came home from class saying he had a gift for me. I said, "Keith!! We said we weren't going to do anything!!" I felt awful because I didn't have anything for him. He said, well I had to get you something cotton. He then gives me a Mimi-Maternity bag with my first maternity outfit wrapped up inside of it. It was so sweet!!

So we left for Chicago on Friday morning and arrived by mid afternoon! Walker picked us up at the airport, but had no idea about our little surprise we were going to tell him. While waiting 12 hours in JFK...not really, just felt like it...Keith and I were talking about how to tell Walker. We decided Keith should leave his "Daddy" book on the coffee table for him to just happen to see. Well the book was in the back seat of his car with me and Keith's suitcase. When we got to his apartment, Walker opened the door of the backseat to get out the suitcase and saw the book...he was in shock! He was like, "Steph, are you pregnant?!?!?" Even telling him yes several times, he still had a hard time believing it!

We went out to dinner, went shopping on the Magnificent Mile, took a carriage ride around Chicago, and of course, had Sunday dinner! It was a great trip and Chicago is a great city!!

10 Weeks!

Our little peanut is now double digits, in weeks that is! The baby is now over an inch long and weighs a whopping ounce!! The fingers and toes are developed and there are even little fingernails!! The little one even has some peach fuzz on the top of it's head now too!!

I think we are still getting used to the idea that we are going to be parents in a few short months! It is hard to believe when I'm not showing, and when we haven't told a lot of people, but I know it's coming by the way I'm feeling!! :) I am NOT complaining, I love every second of not feeling good...well kinda...but the past week or so has been a little rough. I just feel nauseous in the morning and a little at night too. I am now taking a Flintstones vitamin as well as folic acid as my vitamins. The pre-natals were not agreeing with me! However, this all means that the peanut is getting all settled in mommy's tummy and is cooking until his or her May 31st due date!

We just love this little peanut so much already! We keep telling Bailey what a great big brother he is going to be and he just looks at us like we're crazy. What is so funny though is that he has been sniffing my stomach a lot lately and laying his head right on my tummy. It's like he knows something is growing in there!!

The best part of now being 10 weeks along, is that it means only two more weeks to go until we can shout from the roof tops that we are having a baby!! It is killing us, more me I think!! I know Great Granny (G.G.), Mum-Mum, and Aunt Jamie can hardly stand it anymore...they are ready to BUST! (As are mommy and daddy!)

The Little Peanut

Well here is the grand reveal of the little peanut at 7 weeks and 4 days! One would think I know how to scan, but I do not. I did the next best thing...took a picture of our baby's picture :) I must say this is the cutest little thing I've ever seen!!

Very Sleepy!!

Well I have to say that I have been very lucky this first 8 weeks of pregnancy and have felt pretty good...a little nauseous, but really pretty good. As long as I eat every two hours, I am feeling alright. However, I am SOOO tired all the time!! I have NO energy at the end of the day to do much of anything but lay on the sofa, watch tv, and doze in and out until it is time to go up to bed! Thankfully, Keith has been wonderful with this and has come home to see my lying in a ball on the sofa, only to make us dinner! What a great help that is :) I just can't stop feeling blessed and just so thankful for this miracle growing inside me! I swear my tummy is huge, but it's just bloat and my usual appetite problems! As I finish writing about how tired I am, I am going to go plop on the sofa until Keith gets home and then head to bed for the evening! We have one more appointment tomorrow with the OB nurse to talk about who knows what and get all kinds of good stuff! :)

The Name Game

It didn't take long at all for Keith and I to start talking about names for our little munchkin! We are not going to find out the sex of the baby until he/she decides they are ready to see the world :) Keith has been so cute about printing off all of these name lists from the internet with name choices for us. Finding names that go with Kepplinger is not the easiest task... :) Out of about 115 names that we looked through last night, as I was half asleep, we liked 8! That was just for boys too!! When it came time to look at girl's names I was pretty much sound asleep! It's hard to pick this name that your baby will have forever, but it's also very exciting!!! :)

ETA...May 31, 2009

On Thursday, October 16th we were off to Carolina Ultrasound to check out how far along this peanut is! I was nervous, but so excited at the same time. After waiting forever to be seen by this doctor he gooped me up and tried to get a look...we could see the baby, but not very clearly! So, internal ultrasound it was...just what I was dreading! However, it was AMAZING!! We got to see the little peanut, all 1/2 inch of him or her! We could SEE the heart beating and even got to hear it! It was one of the best experiences!!! I, of course, was crying!! Keith said, "are you crying," and my comment back was, "you are just unemotional..." (very Steph like...I know!) The doctor very quickly said, "he's also not the pregnant one!" It was funny and very true! We got a couple pictures printed out of of the little one as well and I have to say it is just the cutest little kidney bean sized baby I have ever seen! :) After measuring overies, yolk sacs, and the baby, turns out I was 7 weeks and 4 days along!!!! Giving us our due date of May 31, 2009!!!!!

We're Having a Baby!!

Well...it's true! Keith and I are having a baby!!!! On Saturday, October 11th I happened to take a pregnancy test not thinking anything of it...left it in the bathroom, did laundry, cleaned up a little, and then decided to check it out. LOW AND BEHOLD, two lines!!! I ran downstairs to tell Keith, who was outside cleaning the deck before it got stained, and we were in SHOCK!!! So excited!! Keith had to go to Lowe's to get more stain for the deck and very kindly stopped to pick up another brand of pregnancy test just to be sure! SURE ENOUGH, it said PREGNANT!!! We were so excited, in disbelief, and thrilled all at the same time!! :) :)

It's Official...

Despite the two, make that THREE pregnancy tests that were taken, a trip to the doctor's office was necessary to confirm. On Monday, October 13th Keith and I went to the doctor to get the official word. After taking a similar test in the doctor's office, we had to wait forever for the doctor to come in to tell us their results. Keith passed the time by checking out all the fun stuff in the doctor's office... :) Finally a very unemotional doctor walked in saying, "so I hear you've had a couple positive tests..." keep in mind this is the most monotone voice ever!! I said, "yes, what did YOU find out?!?!" Turns out it was the same thing!! After feeling my uterus she couldn't get an accurate estimate of how far along I was, she predicted 6-8 weeks, but we weren't positive...appointment number 2 at Carolina Ultrasound was next :) Keep in mind, still can't believe this!!! However, that confirmation made it OK to call our families and fill them in on the GREAT news!!!! :)

Obviously I had to stop by Border's on my way home to pick up a couple books! Thank you to Aunt Ellen for guiding me in the right direction in the "baby" section! Of course I had to pick one up for the Daddy-to-be as well...it's pretty cute when I catch him laying in bed reading it!