These days..

These days life has been busy, which means it is also going incredibly fast! At 24 weeks, I cannot believe that we are nearing the third and final trimester. This is some of what we've been up to lately...

In April, we got this beautiful crib delivered to us. My sisters, Jenny and Rachel, bought this incredible gift for baby blue and Mike and I could not love it (or them) more!

We both got home late this night, but decided to put the crib together anyways. I may or may not have fallen asleep have way through, but Mike persevered. I only woke up a few times to some slamming and yelling....

The end result! We now have the mattress, but because baby blue did not reveal its gender we won't have bedding until he or she arrives. Yes, I am waiting to buy it until then.

As my belly grows, so does my love for pillows. As you can see I have taken them all, and Mike has had to grab one from the spare room. I'm pretty sure I took that one too. Mike bought me a body pillow, and that has been the perfect sleep aid. He is always looking out for us! Plus I think he wanted his pillow back.

My family came to visit the last weekend of April and we had so much fun shopping, talking baby, and hanging out. The boys left the house to rent a movie, and when they came back they found us sorting baby clothes. My dad, having had 3 girls, seemed to breeze by us, but I think Mike was a bit more concerned. Thanks to my sister Jenny and her adorable daughter Emily I have a small warehouse of girl clothes ready to go. Don't worry, if we have a boy we found 3 items that were gender neutral for the little guy.

I love this picture (20 weeks). You can see here my belly is attacking Rachel. My spacial awareness with it is not very good. I'll no doubt be bumping into things and people often in the months to come.

Here I am today at 24 weeks.

Our favorite family time is at night. This is when everything for Mike and I calms down, and when baby blue starts kicking. Mike has loved feeling the baby kick, and is trying to do that in this picture. He calls the baby little Ninja, and it seems to be a good fit.

Happy Mother's Day!

My very first Mother's Day card from my baby, and it makes me laugh every time I look at it! Thank you Mike and baby blue for a perfect day!

First Pictures of Baby!

As you know, baby blue did not reveal its gender to us, but he or she did give us some good first pictures. I know what it's like to see someone elses ultrasound pictures. You nod your head and smile as the parents-to-be gush over the often unclear and alien appearances captured on the film before you. And while you are wondering if the picture you are looking at is maybe the arm or the leg, or how much this feels like an intense game of pictionary, they ask you, "Isn't he so cute?!" Interesting, yes. But cute? Not until now. It all changes when the baby before you is your baby. You cannot help but fill in the gaps of what he or she will look like and wonder what its personality will be. You cannot be anything but amazed at the fact that God entrusted you with one of His children, and it's moving and growing inside of you. Seeing the baby move on the ultrasound, waving its hand and moving its arm, made everything I have been feeling so real that the gender seemed irrelevant to the fact that, WOW, there is a living being inside of me!

So feel free to play pictionary in the comfort of your home as you enjoy our baby's first pictures! I'll save you the gushing (or maybe I'm too late) and let you decide for yourself just how cute our baby is...

Count them...five little toes!

Profile...Mike is already claiming the baby looks like him!

Little ribs, spine, baby's arm above, open mouth, little nose!

Reason 1 why we couldn't find out the gender...baby folded in half. Look at that long leg! The foot is literally above baby's head.

Reason 2 we couldn't find out baby's gender...squeezed in half! Again, look at that leg!

It's a....!

(Watch First)

(Watch Second)

So the answer to our long awaited question? It's a... STINKER! This baby owns us already, and we love it! Welcome to parenthood Mike and Amanda:)

Oh Canada!

This April we traveled to Canada with my mom and dad. We got to visit the places my mom lived when she came over from Italy, and baby blue got the chance to visit another county! This baby is becoming quite a little traveler, though I don't anticipate any more international trips before the baby is born. We also got some baby clothes and a rocking chair from my sister, that my parents had brought up. This ended up not being the brightest idea, as we were stopped at the border by a very curious Canadian guard who wondered why we met up in Canada, exchanged a rocking chair, and were now headed home...Apparently, he perceived us less of a threat and more of an amusement and let us on our way.

Jackson Park, Windsor at 17.5 weeks.

Boy or Girl?

In less than 2 weeks we'll have our ultrasound appointment scheduled and we'll be able to find out if the baby is a boy or girl. Are we going to find out the gender? That is one of the number one questions you get asked when you are expecting so be ready. Mike wants to find out, and I really don't care so that probably means you'll get to find out soon! Which makes about half of you happy. We'll try not to tell the other half who wanted to be surprised...

Here for a little inspiration are our baby pictures. I'm enjoying the best tan of my life and Mike is looking angelic (or pasty?). We both have hair, which I think is a plus and arms up means a happy baby! It's hard to believe some combination of us will soon have its own newborn picture. Spicy Italian or Peaceably Dutch, we will love this baby!

Before we find out, I thought I'd take stock of the myths and dreams out there. Here are the results:

The Chinese Lunar Calender http://www.holodeck.com/pregnancy/chinese-cal.html shows we are destined for a girl.

Our dream tally stands at Boy- 3, Girl- 2.

Baby's heart beat says its a girl.

The ring test swayed for a boy.

And lastly, your blog votes have been no help! We remain at 50/50!

Make your predictions while you can! Stay tuned...

16.5 Weeks

Happy Easter!

Here I am at 16.5 weeks...the belly is popping and people are rubbing me like I'm a genie in a bottle!

And here are the Michgian Preggo's (Myself, Kelly (due August), Janelle (due June), and Michelle (due April 18th!)...

Not pictured is Angie who was due March 31st and we are just awaiting the phone call to hear she had the baby!