Exciting News at Bowl of Cherrys

I am so excited to be able to share with you all our exciting news!! We are expecting baby number three!! The newest member of the Bowl of Cherrys gang is due on February 17th. We found out in the beginning of June, very early. It has been a long few months of secret keeping, but we have now been able to tell our families and close friends.

We drove to see my family in the beginning of the month and this is how we told them. As they all came out to see us, these stickers were on the van. They got the message right away and were very excited.
I have been feeling okay. Just really tired with a side of nausea. I can start to feel the restorative powers of the second trimester, however. It feels good to be back to doing more than what is necessary as a stay at home mom.
We told the girls and it was clear that they didn't really get it. Then, Peachy said to me one day, "Why do you keep talking about babies?" I told her, "There really is a baby in my tummy." She asked how I knew and I told her the doctor had told me. "How did you remember?" she wanted to know. I told her it is kind of important. And ever since she has just seemed to accept it.
I was also able to take both girls to my last prenatal appointment where they were both able to hear the heartbeat. Cream likes to say that the baby is "Mines!" She loves babies. She will often point them out while we are out and about and talks about them when she hears them cry. "Baby cryin', momma?"
So in just 6 months we will, God willing, be a family of 5. And we will get to know the newest member of this crazy bunch.

Preggatinis Book

While searching for mocktail recipes, I stumbled across the book "Preggatinis; Mixology for the Mom-to-Be". And wouldn't you know it, my library just happened to have a copy. I was so excited!! With two cocktail events on the calendar for the week, I will definitely be trying some of these recipes out.
This book includes mocktail recipes for each trimester along with cocktail recipes for after the big day and for the father-to-be. The pictures are great and with the wide variety of recipes, there is sure to be one that hits the spot.
I will be sure to let you know how the recipes turn out.

36 Weeks with Number Two

Here I am in all of my 36 week glory! We are entering the final countdown here. It is good to see the finish line right now. I find that I am more than ready to just bring on this next stage of our lives. While overall I am still feeling good, the extra weight and size are dragging me down a bit. I am at the point where getting comfortable can be quite difficult. Some nights sleep is descent and then some nights it is really hard to come by. Also, I really want to meet this little one. I love that we don't know if it is a boy or a girl, but I don't want to wait much longer. For the most part we are as ready to go as can be, so that is good. I even have two different announcements ready to go from the computer. Now it is just a matter of biding our time.
I had the last of my bi-monthly doctor appointments yesterday. Now we go to every week. Everything still looked good. The heart rate was at 135 bpm, I was measuring right on and best of all, the baby is head down!! Can I get a woot, woot???
Peachy didn't want to be left out, so here is her 2 year 11 week picture.

Camping . . . with a Two Year Old . . . While 7 Months Pregnant

Our site. If you look closely through the trees you can see the lake behind us.

Does the title scare you? It shouldn't. I so have to admit that there were certain things that I was nervous about when thinking about heading out to camp this time around. One being Peachy and the other being my comfort. However, a camping we went and I am really glad that we did it. 

On our way out of town I realized I had forgotten to pack Peachy's toys for playing outside.

We loaded up the van Saturday morning and headed to a state park pretty much all the way across the state. (And when  I say loaded, I am not kidding! I think we took half the house with us. I would never be able to be a back pack camper.) We arrived at the park to be greeted by lots of huge fly/bee creatures pining against our car. I made Mr. Wonderful go in and register. Turns out that they weren't anything to worry about, but they sure did provide a scary welcome.

We stopped at Target and I raided the Dollar Spot. I got the bucket and a three pack of shovels and rakes that kept her entertained for hours.

We made it to our site and started setting up the camp. This time that included a screen tent in addition to our regular tent. We had been told that the bugs were really bad this year and that was no lie. Thankfully they were much worse on the trails than at the site, but the screen tent made a nice addition anyway. Speaking of bugs, poor Peachy came away with over 15 mosquito bites. She got pretty good at swatting them away by the end. The ticks were also out in full force. One decided to try to suck the blood on my stomach and another somehow made it home with us and through the washer and dryer. Yikes!

I also picked up this plastic golf set at Target.

Peachy never does really well sleeping when we go camping and this year proved much the same. Naps were very hard to come by although much needed with late bedtimes and early risings. I am so thankful that she goes down so well at home and doesn't normally wake up at 5 am. I, however, slept much better than I had anticipated. We used a foam mattress cover over the air mattress and I think that really helped to make both Mr. cherry and I a lot more comfortable.

Who knew that it could also be guitars, an ax, and violins???

While the forecast looked great when we headed out, we ended up with lots of rain and gloomy days. We used the rain as an excuse to hunker down in our tent and just relax as a family. One rainy afternoon we actually all were able to take naps. Of course Tuesday, the day we were packing up and driving home, ended up being a beautiful day. At least it made for easy take down and airing out when we got home.
So despite a two year old with a touchy sleep schedule, being 7 months pregnant, lots of bugs, and rainy weather, I give camping a big thumbs up!

Having fun hanging out in the tent.

Oh, and we inadvertently ended up feeding a raccoon one night. He somehow got into the screen tent and into one of our food bags twice. We heard the bag the first time and just assumed it had fallen over. When we heard it again, we knew something was out there. I went out to retrieve the bags and secure them in our van. (Where they should have been the entire time.) After taking stock in the morning, we found a partial bag of hot dog buns missing in addition to some chocolate cookies. Mr. Cherry found the remains of the hot dog bun bag in the woods a short distance from our site. You would think that as experienced campers we would know better!

Rest time in the tent.

32 Weeks with Number Two

I must be starting to look more and more pregnant. People are always asking me when I am due. Now I can tell them that I have two months left. (Although, I am the first to admit that I still look small for how far along I am.) This pregnancy has been treating me well. I am still quite comfortable with no major complaints. It is getting a little harder to get up and down, but I am 7 months pregnant. We even went camping this weekend and it went really well. this morning I am off to my 32 week appointment. It is always good to hear that woosh, woosh coming through the doppler.

16 Weeks with Number Two

For a while this pregnancy was so different from my pregnancy with Peachy. I really didn't miss a beat while pregnant with Peachy. This time around though was a little more challenging. The month of January was rough around here. I spent lots of time on the couch being miserable while Mr. Cherry and Peachy listened to me sigh. I got the basics done around the house and that was about it. Thankfully February was much better and now that I am in the second trimester I am really feeling good. I even have completed a few sewing projects and made a menu
It is so true that the second pregnancy goes so much more quickly than the first. We already have our ultrasound scheduled, people! (As with Peachy we are going to wait to be surprised with this little one's gender.) In addition to time going more quickly, so does the growth process. While I wouldn't say that my bump is all that much bigger this time, it didn't take long for my hips and bottom to spread out. I haven't been able to wear my pre-pregnancy pants without modifications for quite some time and now am almost completely in maternity bottoms.
We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with another miracle. We are all too aware that many out there are not able to achieve this dream and our hearts and prayers go out to all those struggling. We pray that the Lord continues to bless this babe that he or she  may continue to develop fully and normally.

Sorry. I don't know why this is so fuzzy. That is what you get when you use the self-timer.

PS Mr Cherry's sister came up with the winning in-utero name for this little one. She suggested Little Cream to go with Peachy. So we will have Peachy and Cream.

Top Ten List

source

The Top Ten Ways You Know You are Nearing the End of Your Pregnancy:

1) You are training your replacement for work.

2) Your library books are due on your due date.

3) The milk in the fridge expires after your due date.

4) There is a Pack and Play set up in your closet.

5) You feel like you should just wear a shirt with your due date printed on it to save people the trouble of asking.

6) That urine sample that you have to give at the doctor is proving more and more difficult to deliver.

7) You're down to one pair of jeans and one pair of dress pants that you can tolerate wearing for more than a few hours.

8) Any plans you make are prefaced with the phrase, "As long as I am not in the hospital."

9) 8 p.m. sounds like a perfectly reasonable bed time. (Even on the weekends.)

10) Before going to bed every night you check to make sure the path to the bathroom is clear.

9 Months!

I am entering the home stretch now. According to one of the pregnancy emails I receive, next week I will considered full term. While I am anxiously looking forward to the baby's arrival, I am not to the point where I feel I need to be done now. Lets hope that continues. I have 8 more solo days in the classroom, after which my replacement will arrive and we will team teach the last week in April. We have been getting so many neat things for the baby. I will have to post some of them on here soon.

I have been feeling pretty good. My back starts to hurt by mid afternoon, but it isn't too bad. Some nights I sleep pretty well and others I feel as if I am awake more than I am asleep. Now that it is finally getting nice out I have been able to go for a few walks. Boy can I tell that I am pregnant then.

Now when the baby moves it isn't just random flutters. You can definitely feel different bony parts being moved inside. An elbow here, a butt there, and a few kicks for good measure.

8 Months Down; 2 to Go

Doesn't that title just seem a little weird? Aren't women only supposed to be pregnant for 9 months? Shouldn't it be, "8 Months Down; 1 to Go"? Ah, the joys of pregnancy math. Just trust me, I have 32 weeks in and average full term is considered 40, so that would make 8 weeks left or two months.

On to more exciting topics. . . My belly is literally shaking right now as I sit here typing this. The little baby inside of me definitely is a mover and shaker. Apparently it is even moving at night when I am not aware of it. One morning this week M told me that he felt the baby going crazy at 4 a.m. (I guess M and my offspring is a night owl, in spite of the fact that neither of us are!)

My belly is also starting to feel, well, big. There are times when I feel it is definitely not my body anymore. Along with the added size comes added aches and pains. Up until this point I really didn't feel all that pregnant. Now, however, my back is starting to hurt as well as my hips. Sleeping is not always all that comfortable of a proposition anymore. And although I can still bend over, it is not always with ease and grace.

Enough negativity! M and I were able to go to Lamaze class two weekends ago and boy did that make all of this seem real. I have a baby inside me and it is going to be making his or her appearance relatively soon. It was amazing to see the little bambinos in the nursery. They sure are tiny when they first come out.

We have been making progress on the downstairs as well. We are even hoping to paint the baby's room this weekend. I will make sure to post some pictures as everything starts coming together.

The Bigger I Get . . .

the more useful I find this belly to be.

Being that two complete strangers have commented on me pregnant lately while I am wearing my maternity winter coat, I would say that I am growing and showing more and more everyday.

I have found that I can use by belly as a crumb catcher, a tray, a shelf, a table, and an excuse for being tired or just plain taking it easy. Ahh, this is the good life!

7 Months

Today marks week 28 of my pregnancy! It continues to progress smoothly and quickly. (Both tremendous blessings that I pray continue to the end.) I am definitely getting bigger. Many people comment that they now know I am pregnant. (Like I was trying to pull a hoax off or something. :o) With the bigger girth, I find that it is getting harder to do certain things. It is also harder to get comfortable and stay comfortable (especially at night.)

As I don't have any other pregnancies to compare this with, I can just go by what I think, but I think this is one active little baby. It is one of the most incredible feelings to have this life moving around independently inside of you. The times that it moves enough to make my skin move is a bit surreal.

I have bought a few more adorable baby outfits. I think that it is a good thing that we don't know the sex, it provides a natural curb to my spending. There are only so many gender natural things out there.

The baby fabric stash is getting bigger as well. I think that is a sign that I better get sewing! I will be sure to post some of the finished results when they become, well, finished.

The Halfway Point

Today marks the midpoint of my pregnancy! I am still doing really well. It is true what they say about the 2nd trimester being the easy one. We will get to see our little one in January via ultrasound. We are hoping to keep the gender a surprise, we will see if he/she cooperates. According to what I read, I should be able to feel his/hers movements at any time. So far I haven't felt anything except for a bit of indigestion. :o) Maybe he/she takes after her parents and is being stubborn.

4 Months!

I have been pregnant for four months as of yesterday. It is crazy how slowly and yet how quickly the time has been going. Part of me just wants to fast-forward to May and part of me wants to enjoy every minute before then. I guess that awaiting the birth of your first child is a bit of an emotional roller coaster. There are the daily concerns with how the baby is doing. There are the thoughts of what it will be like to be a parent. And there are the more practical thoughts of what stuff we are going to be needing and when we should start collecting it. The best part of all these thoughts is that I can daily leave it in the Lord's hands. His hands are much more capable of such things and it is not something that I can control anyway.

Our baby currently is the size of an opened hand, 5 inches long. Most of our baby's body parts and systems are in place. Now it is just a matter of maturing and growing. Our baby can even hear noises in the world around him/her. (That means it will come out knowing what the sound of its mother yelling because he/she gets to hear it daily at preschool.) :o/

We have started to collect a few baby things. (A crib mattress, some used onsies, some darling gifts from a wonderful friend.) They are all sitting in the room that will be the nursery. It is crazy to walk in there and see baby things. It never fails to put a smile on my face.

I have made the jump into maternity clothes. (Although the trapeze style shirts that are in style now work well with the early belly, too. Thank you Kohls.) Maternity pants sure are a lot more comfortable than trying to squeeze into my pre-pregnancy ones. Besides, once you have those knit top maternity pants on and covered with a shirt, no one even knows that they are there. :o)

I go to see the doctor again a week from today. I am praying that it is another quick and reassuring visit. For now, I am going to enjoy all of the Thanksgiving food that I can. (And try not to let the weigh-in at the doctor's office get in my way.)

Pizza! Pizza!

So, ever since I found out I was pregnant, I can't get enough pizza. Pizza is the one thing that has always sounded good to me. It is too bad that it doesn't count for all of my nutritional needs or I would give in to my craving a little more often. (Um, like, everyday.)

We have had Little Cesar's, Papa John's, regular old frozen pizza, homemade pizza, Papa Murphy's, and right now I am cooking up a Digiorno Pizza. I am wondering if I will ever get sick of pizza. (Maybe M is wondering that too.)

How We Told Our Families

With a great secret like a new grandchild/niece/nephew to spill, I wanted to come up with a fun way to do it. M is more of a straight forward kind of guy and wasn't sure if he wanted to do anything too elaborate. We settled on the scrapbook approach.

I have been dabbling in scrap booking for a few years now and was onto my second album. Only M had seen this one so far. I created the following page to slip in the back of the book. (Now, I am not on the year 2008 yet in my scrap booking, so this page is jumping ahead a bit, but it all worked out.)



Jenny was the first to get the news when she was here visiting. I had put the scrapbook in the living room under a pile of other books and was planning on showing it to her once her kids were in bed. She spotted it before I could show her and I let her page through until she was almost at the end. I told her there was a surprise there. She figured it out right away and even had tears in her eyes as she told me congratulations.
At M's parents, I let his mom finish getting lunch in the oven and then asked if she wanted to see my latest scrapbook. When she got to the end she figured it out pretty quickly and M told his dad why she was so excited about a scrapbook. Unfortunately in all the baby talk that followed M's mom never got around to making the apple crisp for dessert. We'll see if M's dad ever forgives this baby for that. ;o)
When we got to my family's it was almost time for supper, so we all ate and then we were headed to church together. My sister and M's sister were both there, but my sister had to leave early as her choir was singing. Everyone was in one room when I went to get the book. When I came back, everyone was gone. I waited as patiently as I could and finally my mom and M's sister came back. I told them they should look at it together. When they got to the end, mom was still looking at the page before the baby page. M's sister figured it out, looked up and said, "Really?" At that, my mom figured it out, too. I think it took a while for the news to sink in with my mom.
When my dad was looking a few minutes later, he had been looking at the previous page and then his face changed as he figured it out. (I don't know how much any of them got out of the church service that night.)
We showed the book to my sister after the service. I think that she was the most shocked. She even picked me up off the ground when she hugged me. She has been bugging us about making her an aunt for a long time now.
It was so much fun to share our news with everyone and see how happy they were for us. I am glad that we got to do it with so many people in person.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage . . .

Then comes a baby in a baby carriage.

I couldn't be happier to announce that M and I are expecting our first child!! I am currently 13 weeks pregnant with a due date of May 11. So far everything has been going very well. I have only had a bit of nausea and no puking. (That is a relief as I HATE to throw up.) I have been a bit on the tired side. (Afternoon naps have been a good friend to me.)

Here is an ultrasound picture from my first doctor's visit. We were 8 weeks at this point, so not much to see.




I had my second doctor's appointment yesterday and everything checked out well. I got to hear the heartbeat again. (That is music to an expecting mother's ears.)

Here I am today. I haven't switched to maternity clothes yet, but have started buying a few pieces here and there. Everyone says stay in your normal clothes as long as possible, so I am. (They make this neat thing called a Bella Band. Let me tell you, it is helpful for when you can't button your pants anymore.)



We told our families this weekend on our trip. I will fill you in on how we did that later.