Baby Mlakar Progress Update

Hi all! Hope you've recovered from all the peanut brittle and Christmas cookies :) We are back from Ames and had a great time - pictures and info to come soon. We had an ultrasound today to measure the baby's growth (since I barely passed the gestational diabetes test and babies of moms with GD can be quite big). All looks good and her size is healthy, but she's measuring at 33 weeks 4 days (and I'm at 32 weeks 3 days) - so about a week ahead of "schedule" (really? how many babies are actually born on their "scheduled" due date?!) The doctor didn't change my due date or anything, but perhaps we'll have a little Valentine - just like her Great Grandpa Mlakar :)

Everything else checked out great. She's 4 lbs. 14 oz. right now, which means she's bigger than the Bichon puppy that my brother Ryan and sister-in-law Carly got Jack for Christmas!! The ultrasound tech also measured her femur bones and mentioned they are pretty long and inquired if long legs run in our families.  Hmm... clearly not a trait from 5'4" me! Just wanted to update you on today's appointment. Enjoy this holiday week!

31.5 Weeks Along

Hi! I'm typing this from home sweet home in Ames - I love being home for the holidays. We came back here a day earlier than scheduled to avoid the winter weather headed to most of the midwest. We look forward to a great Christmas with family! This will mark my last road trip for the rest of the pregnancy, as my doctor says no more travel for the last 2 months. I'm still feeling pretty good, but am hit by frequent middle-of-the-night charley-horses and it's also a little uncomfortable to roll over in bed and bend down to pick things up. All in all though, I'm feeling well! The baby now weighs 3.75 pounds and is complete with fingernails, toenails, and hair (or maybe peach fuzz :) I read today that the baby will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of her birthweight in the next 7 weeks - amazing! Here's an updated photo taken at 31.5 weeks. Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas!!

Let the Nesting Begin

 You know how most countdowns start like 10... 9... 8.... well, we're officially in that final countdown until baby arrives. She is due in 8.5 weeks and it has hit home that we have our work cut out in terms of preparing for her arrival. But as many of my friends have gently reminded me, "The baby won't know if her nursery is painted or what her room looks like, so don't fret." So true and I appreciate the reality check as it can all be a bit overwhelming. Since our house has been on the market since July, we've were somewhat holding off on putting together the nursery in the event that we wouldn't actually be living here in February, but at this point, we're planning to be here as buyers are being very selective in today's market.

Here's where the nesting part begins: In an effort to maximize the space we do have in our humble abode, Michael took advantage of the day on Saturday and installed a new closet arrangement for the nursery. He did an awesome job and completed the project in just a couple hours. I'm so thankful for his hard work while I wrapped Christmas gifts. We forgot to take a "before" photo, but basically a single bar for hanging clothes topped with a small shelf sums up the previous closet. Here's a photo of the finished product. You'll also see that the baby has enough clothes for a small village thanks to the generosity of our family, friends, and co-workers.

On the heels of the nursery closet project, Michael (aka Tim the Toolman) was not quite ready to hang up the ol' tape measure just yet. Armed with the fresh know-how of installing the closet system as well as another excuse to use the power drill, he tackled the master bedroom closet on Sunday. Since it's about 3 times as big as the nursery closet, it was quite an ambitious goal for a lazy Sunday afternoon, but he finished it and it's fantastic! Here are a few before, during, and final product photos.

Before - one bar + one shelf

In progress - getting everything out of the closet

 Our bedroom is consumed with closet stuff

The handy man hard at work!

Tape measure hooked on the pocket like a pro ;)

Finished and starting to put clothes back in their new home

The finished product and the man behind it all!!

Showered with Love

Hello! Last weekend, December 5-6, the four of us (Malone included) headed to Ames for a weekend with my family and a shower that my lovely aunts hosted at my Aunt Cindy's home in West Des Moines. It was a wonderful weekend! Unfortunately, my brother Ryan had been fighting a nasty bug and didn't think it would be in anyone's best interest to make the trip, so he, Carly, and Jack weren't there. We missed them for sure, but thankfully have Christmas to look forward to where we'll get to spend time with them!

The shower was a great opportunity to enjoy the company of the ladies in my family as well as some wonderful, longtime family friends. To say we felt showered with love and support would be an understatement - we think a more appropriate term would be soaked :) Here are some photos from the afternoon at Cindy's:

The delicious spread and fun (Christmas-y) table decor.

The cake was definitely a hit with everyone - not only was it adorable, but it was sooooo good!! Think melt-in-your-mouth almond flavored white cake with heavenly frosting. (I've never been more thankful to have passed the gestational diabetes test last week :)

Here's me with my awesome aunts who hosted the shower. (L to R) Cindy, Sandra, Mary Jo, and Ronda. Thanks again to all of you!!

My mom labeled this picture "Mother and Daughter" - my version is "Grandma, Mother, and Daughter" :)

Baby girl's Great Grandma Ridnour - no worries, her arm will be all mended by the time the baby arrives for lots of holding and cuddling.

The Bumbo chair for teaching the baby how to sit up - thanks, Cheryl!

With my mom and Hayley (Mitchell's "lady friend" as he calls her).

Michael and I are completely humbled by the generosity shown at our two showers (soakings!) Please know that your support and love mean much more than the gifts, but the gifts will help us provide for our baby girl and shower her with love and support as you've done for us. Thank you one and all!

Although Ryan, Carly, and Jack couldn't be in Ames in person, we were able to chat with them online on Saturday night. Mitchell was quite the character and pulled out all the stops to get a rise out of Jack. Oh boy, Jack was cracking up so hard at some points, he had us all laughing with him! Here's a peek at what technology enables us to do these days (we also did this with Michael's sister Jennifer who was studying abroad in Australia from July - December this year):

On Sunday, before we left, we had a great brunch. Too many cooks in the kitchen? You be the judge :)

Okay, so Michael isn't in a single photo in this post (or many of the posts for that matter!) He doesn't mind a bit, but I feel bad that he hasn't been showcased much, so stay tuned! With the big nursery project on the horizon (we're talking, painting the room, installing closet organizers, assembling the crib and changing table, and adding all the decorative touches), I'm sure he'll be highlighted in future posts as Tim the Tool Man Taylor gets down to business!

"How Have you Been Feeling?"

Hi all! I think I'm due to post some tummy shots to track the progress. Here are a few:

This is at 28 weeks (Nov. 24)

If you look close, you can see Malone (or his glowing eyes at least) getting in on the pic - surprise, surprise!

This is at 30 weeks (Dec. 8)

And if you ever wondered if we were "that family," yes, we have a stocking for Malone :-)

People often ask me how I've been feeling and I count myself one of the lucky ones to have had an enjoyable journey so far. I have felt really great throughout the entire pregnancy and it's been a thrill to experience all the progress and growth. Here are a few of the things I've experienced (good and not so good) recently that stand out:

* The baby has been getting hiccups nearly everyday for the last few weeks - sometimes several times a day. It feels like a steady, consistent tapping that lasts about a few minutes. Michael and I feel kind of sorry for her, but we've been reassured that babies aren't bothered by them.

* We also think her feet are on my left hand side - she likes to kick a lot on that side. My girlfriend Tiffany and Michael's sister Jennifer were both collegiate soccer players - maybe our little one will follow in their footsteps! Michael and I have a lot of fun chatting about all we think she could achieve :-)

* At 28 weeks, I failed the glucose test which screens for gestational diabetes. This means that I had to go in last week for a 3-hour blood test to find out for sure whether I had GD or not. Thankfully, I passed 3 out of the 4 tests, so I'm in the clear but it was still a little worrisome.

* I tend to get lots of smiles from strangers out in public. They're usually sweet smiles as if to say either, "Aww, congratulations!" or "Aww, poor thing has no idea what she's getting into!' Ha, ha! I like to believe it's the former :)

* Ever met a horse named Charley? I have. He visits one or both calf muscles a few times a week in the middle of the night. Ouch!!! I've noticed he doesn't visit as much when I wear flat soled shoes as opposed to heels, so I've had to invest in some cute flats. Don't worry, I don't mind shopping.

* Getting in and out of the car is rather tough, as is getting in and out of bed. I also need to hold on to something to put my shoes and socks on. There have been several occasions when I literally "miss" getting my feet in my socks. Doh - strike one!

* Many people hold doors open for me and ask to carry things for me. My co-workers have been really gracious in helping me out with various work tasks including setting up for events and trade shows.

* I gotta admit: it sure is nice to not have to "suck it in" in photographs. After doing that move for 20 years, I still find myself doing it even with the beach ball belly!

* There have been times during both my commute to work and my commute home that I think I just might fall asleep at the wheel! This was really prevalent during the first trimester and is now starting to become a regular occurrence again.

* The baby becomes especially active at night time when I'm winding down and resting in bed. I've heard that babies are nocturnal, so it's not too surprising. But Michael wonders if she'll be a night owl like him!

That's it for now - thanks for reading! (I just realized how long this post is - if you read this far, kudos to you!)

So Much To Be Thankful For

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got your fill of turkey, potatoes, green bean casserole,  stuffing (my personal fave), and of course pumpkin pie! Michael and I enjoyed our very first Thanksgiving with just the two (make that three) of us since we're normally with one side of our families. We had a great day and were full of gratitude for all the blessings in our lives.

On Friday morning, we hit the road to visit Michael's brother Jason and his wife Cassie in Lake Carroll, IL. Michael's mom Debbie was also there visiting - it was so nice to see everyone!! Malone and Sunny (Jason and Cassie's pup) had a ball romping around and wearing each other out. Here's a photo of the dogs waiting for treats and then falling asleep gazing into each other's eyes and holding paws :)

On Saturday morning, we went to a local tree farm to help Cassie and Jason pick out their Christmas tree. It was a gorgeous fall day and fun to see all the different tree options. Here are a few photos from the quest (which, by the way, was a successful one!):

Saturday afternoon, Cassie and Jason hosted a baby shower for us, which was so gracious of them!! Cassie is an awesome hostess and she had every detail covered. The theme of the shower was "So much to be thankful for" with a fall/Thanksgiving focus. We had real turkey sandwiches, stuffed mushrooms, sweet potato biscuits, a mashed potato martini bar (so creative - see the pic below!) and some delicious cookies and pie for dessert. Here are some photos of the fun - special thanks to Cassie and Jason for a wonderful shower in honor of Baby Mlakar!

Place setting pumpkins

Mashed potato martinis!! (My kind of cocktail :)

The whole crew (minus Jason, who took the pic)

"Guess what's for Thanksgiving dinner" baby food tasting game. The plums weren't so bad, but I can't say the same for the green beans!

Michael getting acquainted with diapers :)

 Baby Mlakar will love her adorable pink Ugg boots from Uncle Jason and Aunt Cassie! All set for a Minne-snow-tahh winter!

Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt

Thanks for a wonderful weekend of family, friends, and fun! We're humbled and grateful for the generosity of everyone who was at the shower and who sent gifts from afar. Thank you!!

Then and Now: August 17 and November 17, 2009

Hi all!! I thought it would be fun to share a couple "then and now" pictures to show just how far this baby girl has come over the last 3 months. I'm wearing the same tank in both photos and trust me when I say, thank goodness it has some stretchy spandex in it :) The first picture is at 14 weeks on August 17 and the other photos are from nearly 27 weeks on November 17.

Whaddya think of Michael's fancy camera angles? He was feeling extra creative apparently! Our little girl has been quite an acrobat in there lately - I'm feeling her kick and wiggle around everyday, usually during my commute to work and at bedtime. It's fun for Michael to put his hands on my belly and get bumped by her too! She is about 14 inches long now and weighs about 2 pounds, so I hope she's enjoying the space while she has it! She'll be putting on the pounds exponentially for the next 11 weeks or so - something I've been able to relate to for the last 6 months! It's amazing to see and feel the countless changes my body is going through to prepare for her arrival. This week, my hips and pelvic bones have started to ache as they expand and widen - it's amazing and bizarre at the same time!

Sunday in Stillwater

Last Sunday, we made the drive (on the East side of the Cities about 40 minutes from our house) to Stillwater, MN, to celebrate our anniversary. We got engaged there at Water Street Inn bed and breakfast on February 26, 2005. We've talked about how it would be cool if the baby arrived a week late and made her debut on the 26th (actually, I say that now, but I'm sure I'll be more than ready when the 19th rolls around!) Anyway, it was a really nice day, so it turned out to be a great opportunity to take advantage of some warmer weather and enjoy some shopping along main street (they have all kinds of cute little shops - Michael especially likes all the antique stores, ha ha!!)

Here are two photos taken during our engagement weekend. The first is of the Stillwater Lift Bridge over the St. Croix River separating Minnesota and Wisconsin. The second is post-proposal (seriously, does the extremely white skin leave any doubt that it was February in Minnesota?!?)

Here are some photos from our Stillwater trip last weekend. There was also a land/water vehicle on display along the river (I'm sure there's a name for this thing-a-ma-jig but I don't know what it is!). It looked like a car inside and out, but had two propellers and a standard boat light on the hood. It was cool to see! We topped the day off with a delicious malt from Leo's Malt Shop,  a popular stop in Stillwater. Any day that ends with a giant malt is a great day in my book :)

Celebrating 11-05-2005!

It was 4 years ago today that Michael and I officially became Team Mlakar. What a wonderful day! Happy anniversary to my husband and best friend. Here's to many more happy, fun, and love-filled years on the road ahead! Check out these photos and take a walk down memory lane with us...

Here's a picture (of a picture) from our most memorable day: 11.05.05...

In 2006, we celebrated our one-year anniversary with a trip to Cancun...

Here's a picture taken around our anniversary date in 2007...

And here's a photo taken at our friends, Beth and Doug's wedding on 11.08.08...

We look forward to celebrating 4 years of marriage this weekend with a night out and a visit to Stillwater, MN, which is where we got engaged - I hope to post some photos next week. It's a thrill to think about next year's anniversary photo ... it will have three of us!

Happy Halloween!!!

No need to buy pumpkins this year, I'm carrying one around with me every day - Halloween or not :) Whenever I think of referring to babies or kids as "punkins," I always think of my Grandma Rehm - she always calls us that :) Wishing you and the "punkins" in your life a weekend of sweet and spooky fun!