Tickled PINK!

Hi all! Barbie dolls it is! In case you can't tell by the "decor change" on the blog, IT'S A GIRL!! We found out that Baby Mlakar will be sportin' pigtails and headbands around 11 a.m. this morning - what a thrill!! We couldn't be more excited and most importantly, she's healthy, strong, and on track to arrive around February 19. We saw all four chambers of her tiny heart and many other important parts. At one point, her arm was floating in the air as if to say, "Hello, out there!" After 20 minutes of poking and prodding, she got a little camera shy and turned her face toward my spine, so we couldn't get any pictures of her face, but we did confirm with the ultrasound tech that she has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth :-) Michael and I were both completely fascinated by seeing the images and seeing the heartbeat. What an incredible miracle - we feel so blessed. Here are some pictures from today's ultrasound - enjoy the lil lady...

THUMBS UP!!

Already looking like she's talking on the phone (or giving us the finger?!) - is this going to be a problem?!?!

Waving to you with her foot!! Such creativity already :)

Still being bashful and hiding her face!

Baseball Bats or Barbie Dolls?

We found out on Friday that my ultrasound for 9/30 had to be rescheduled because the their tech wasn't in that day - big bummer! The good news is that although they wanted to reschedule it to 10/7, I tried to be extra friendly and ask if there was anyway to reschedule it for early this week before we leave for Kentucky for 5 days for Tiffany's wedding -- and they are able to get us in TOMORROW, 9/28! So, tomorrow we will hopefully have some news to share about whether baby Mlakar will be playing with baseball bats or Barbie dolls (if my dad has his way, a boy OR girl will be playing with baseball bats which is just fine too!! :) Stay tuned!

My brother Mitchell knows how much I love the Black Eyed Peas and my own personal anthem is their "Humps" song which refers to "my lovely lady lumps, check it out..." Such a creative fella, he had the t-shirt below made for me. So, I encourage you to uh, check it out!! Thanks for the gift, Mitch!! Very thoughtful of you :)

If you can't tell by the picture above, Malone is basically my shadow these days. He follows me everywhere. If I get up to go in the kitchen, he will get off his bed or out of his crate to follow me. If Michael gets up, Malone doesn't move an inch. It's really cute and I can't help but think he may be on to the baby, but I guess I don't know for sure. I might just be the crazy pregnant lady who thinks the dog is as smart as a human being! Today he was especially interested in sniffing my tummy as the pic below shows. Here are some recent belly pictures - taken at 19 weeks (today, 9/27). Enjoy!

Maternity Pants, You Are Amazing

Hi all! I've been trying to wear my regular pants (jeans and work pants) for as long as I can - I pair them with a "bella band" which is a 6-inch stretchy band that goes around my waist to hold the pants up even if I can't button or even zip (ahem!) them. Well, I had a "come to Jesus" moment last week and realized that I just can't shimmy this belly into my regular pants for much longer because they're not comfortable at all. So... I bought my first pair of maternity pants for work. Hallelujah pretty much sums up this purchase!!! Let's just say I had no idea what I'd been missing. These pants are like wearing sweatpants to work. So everyday is a casual day from now on (in my mind anyway :) I'll post some belly pictures soon, I just had to share this recent revelation. Have a great weekend!

Two Friends, Two Baby Bellies

While in Ames for the Iowa/ISU game weekend, I also got to attend a baby shower for my longtime friend, Julie. We've been friends since we were 11 years old, danced together for many years throughout middle and high school (we actually did our senior duet dance together too), and also both joined Gamma Phi Beta sorority at ISU in college. We have a lot of great memories, so it's fun to be able to go through pregnancy together too. Julie's little girl is due on October 30 - so exciting and it was fun to celebrate Julie and the baby last weekend!! Here are some photos of two friends and two baby bellies :)

Jill, another friend of ours from Gamma Phi had her baby girl Adeline in June, so there was all kinds of baby girl mojo flying around the shower - not sure what that means for me, but we'll know in just 10 days!! Here's a picture of all 3 of us...

A Hawkeye or Cyclone? Perhaps a HawClone.

Yikes! I don't know much about blogging yet, but I'm pretty sure I just committed one of its cardinal sins... I've gone over 2 weeks since my last update. Whoops! I'll try to be better going forward.

Needless to say, we've been busy lately. Last weekend, we made the trip to Ames for the intrastate rivalry football game between Iowa and ISU. Michael and I always joke that the person whose team wins will have the upper hand in the relationship for the next year  - thankfully, it's just for fun or else I'd probably be walking the dog this winter in 3 feet of snow with a big belly clearing my path!

In the spirit of our house divided, my parents gave us our first Iowa and ISU gear for the baby back in August. As much as they cringed to buy the Iowa item (and I know they did :), at least they were strategic about it. Here are pictures of the two items. You'll notice the Iowa article's job is to collect all the spills and stains at the dinner table in order to keep the precious Iowa State article nice and clean -- so smart, Mom and Dad!! (Additionally, the bib is worn only temporarily, while the onesie is worn with pride all day long :) Thanks for the gifts for our little ... um, HawClone?!

We had a great weekend in Ames with family and friends - my parents, Mitchell and Hayley, my Aunt Cindy and Uncle RJ, and some of Michael's buddies from college. Unfortunately, our beloved Cyclones struggled against the Hawks and the game got a little ugly by the end, but we still had a good time. Here are a few pictures of the fun...

On our drive home, Malone was a little toasty before the car cooled down with the AC reaching him in the back. Check out this drama dog!! (He's a good little passenger once he gets comfortable :)

Blue or pink? We'll know September 30!

Hello and happy Labor Day weekend to all! Nothing beats 3-day weekends which means not only a long weekend, but a short week. (You can't tell I live for the weekends, can you??)

A couple days ago, I had my 16-week appointment and everything is still going well. The baby's heartbeat was strong and average at 155 bpm and the doctor found it right away. It's still a fascinating thing to hear as there are times when I forget that there's a little somebody just growing away in there!! At this appointment, we also set the date for the BIG 20-week ultrasound where we'll find out if it's a bambino or bambina - the date for that is Wednesday, September 30. So be sure to cast your vote before then on our poll to the right. Now let's just hope the little one isn't bashful and shows us the goods during the ultrasound!!

Here are a couple recent tummy photos - the top one was taken at 16 weeks and the bottom one was taken at 14 weeks.

We don't have much going on this weekend - just relaxing, enjoying the nice weather, and taking in some college football. Here's a picture of Michael plotting out our to-do list for the weekend (which includes "watch the Hawkeye's win" (which they did, just barely) and "browse nursery furniture" - can you tell whose idea is whose?! Malone was feeling a little left out that he hasn't had a photo on the blog yet, so here's him sitting pretty for the camera :)

Baby Says Hello to Oprah!

*Okay, not really Oprah, but baby did greet the Windy City over the weekend!

With precious cargo in tow, I boarded a plane to Chicago on Friday for my friend Tiffany's bachelorette party weekend. As I was walking to baggage claim at Midway (I admit, I have yet to learn how to travel without checking a bag), I crossed paths with my friend Heidi and her husband Andy - perfect timing as we planned to take the El to the city together. That was the start of a great weekend! Here's the quick rundown of what was on tap (water sums it up for moi!)

• Friday evening: delicious Mexican dinner with Mitchell, Hayley, my parents, and some other friends. Thanks, Mitch for making the plans! 
• Friday night: Out on the town in Chicago toasting Tiffany's final weeks before becoming Mrs. Barnes. (I have to say, I was quite proud of myself for staying out with the girls until 1 a.m., since my average bedtime for the last 3 months has been 8:30 p.m.)
• Saturday: All of us girls took a group dance class... it was a Coyote Ugly dance class (you know, the movie where girls pour drinks while dancing on the bar in short shorts... totally fitting for a pregnant lady, doncha think?) So that marked baby's first dance class and it was really fun! There were a couple other girls expecting in the group, so we did our own prego-lady performance on the safety and security of the floor instead of the bar :)
• Saturday night: Dinner and a shower for Tiffany and then out to a martini bar. We had a blast celebrating a great friend!! The Coyote Ugly dance moves must've taken it out of me, because I had to head back to the hotel at 10 p.m. (again, actually kinda proud of myself since it was a whole 1.5 hours later than 8:30). Special thanks to my lovely Heidi for coming back early with me. That's a true friend: leaving a fun martini bar with live music in exchange for pj's and the 10:00 news while in the heart of Chicago. Thanks, Heids!
• Sunday morning: Wished Tiffany a smooth recovery from the night's fun and the very best with the home stretch (her big day is October 3rd in Louisville), so we'll all be together again soon. Heidi and I were able to grab breakfast with Andy, Heidi's sister Julie, and Mitch before heading back to the airport. 

It was a great trip with great friends!! Tiff, Heidi, and I have been close friends since 7th grade and despite being separated by hundreds of miles (Tiff is in Louisville and Heidi in Atlanta), our bond is stronger than ever! I've included some pictures from the weekend's festivities. Enjoy!