Holidays

Thank you everyone for helping make our holiday season so memorable. We have had a great week off and are now, in the aftermath of Christmas, relaxing a couple more days before (one of us) returning to work.

Baby update: We had our 30 week appointment on 12/24. I was measuring right where we need to be but the baby was being an escape artist and not letting the midwife figure out his position. We ended up having a quick ultrasound to determine location. He was breech as of Thursday, but he is a mover so I am not entirely sure he still is. She also told me that my placenta is great so I don't need to be eating as much as the previous trimesters...which is weird because I am often STARVING. My glucose screening came back extremely low (mine was 65 and I think the level to be concerned about is somewhere in the 130-140 and up range). So, that being said I am now trying to eat small amounts all day long to keep my levels up, while limiting my sugar. Well, I guess today is day one of this because how could I not gorge on Christmas with my Mom's mud pie :)

Update

We had another appointment last Friday and things were right on track. I am now 28 weeks pregnant (wahoo third trimester) and measuring 28 cm, which is right were we should be. I had a blood draw, which really hurt, (some people should not be given needles)and I find out tomorrow if I have gestational diabetes or anemia. My midwife told me that I need to start having fun stop and worrying so much because I am evidently "perfect" but it is hard to believe that for some reason.

He is moving like crazy, sometimes waking me up at night but not too bad. I am trying to say movement or wiggling in the presence of children instead of kick because Lucas said kicking isn't nice.

The biggest thing in our lives coming up is going to be working on the nursery this winter break. We already have the changing table put together but still have the crib, to paint the shelves and to start making sense of all the things we have piling up in the room. I took before pictures but will post them along with the progress pics to give the real effect.

Beyond baby preparations and my growing belly, we are just enjoying getting ready for Christmas and looking forward to having some time off together.

Checking in

Not a whole lot to report but I haven't written for a month and thought we would let you all know that everything with the baby is moving along fine. I had an appointment a week ago and everything sounded and measured great. I have been having a lot of rib pain which is being attributed to my short torso but I am learning to cope. Falling asleep is hard but once I do, I wake up and the pain is gone until mid afternoon, making me a very motivated morning person. I have started looking into registries, furniture, clothes, etc and have received A TON of hand me downs from Margey, clients, friends and my bosses. It is very overwhelming to look into Daniel Owen's room but we are going to start attacking the room come Christmas time.

Work with Steve is going well. He has a new student that is bringing some challenges but, as usual, Steve is working his magic and the parents are happy. He also has been recording a lot again and we are awaiting his new CD shortly. He hasn't thought about the artwork yet so "shortly" isn't a defined time, but it is in the works.

Everything else is going okay. We are looking forward to a low key Thanksgiving to start the holiday season. Steve and I are already talking about getting a tree and putting up lights which is very uncharacteristic of us...maybe Steve is doing a bit of nesting as well.

Don't worry

Evidently I didn't emphasize that the bright spot isn't a huge deal. I admit, hearing anything is wrong with the little guy wasn't my favorite part of the appointment, but it is a really common occurrence and doesn't mean that his life will be challenged beyond what is to be expected. Steve and I are doing really well and adjusting to calling him a he. It is pretty surreal to start thinking of the baby as a little person. Hearing the gender has created a bond that I wasn't expecting to occur until later in pregnancy/birth. I am feeling the need to jump into planning mode and figure out the house and what we want need to get to prepare. This is a fun but anxeity provoking time.

It's a boy!

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and got an interesting view (Margey said it reminded her of someone sitting on a copy machine) veryifying our baby is a boy. Don't look at the pics below if you are modest:)

The baby is right on track with it's development and still expected to arrive in early March. Ten fingers, ten toes. Everything is fine, but there is a "bright spot" on his heart, which basically means that there is extra tissue or something like that. The Doctor said it was nothing to worry about, and no need to come in and monitor it. He said it is present in lots of typical babies and sometimes even goes away. There is nothing wrong with the heart itself. However, it is an indicator of Downs Syndrome, which brought our risk from 1 in 4000 to 1 in 2000. The Doctor said not to worry and he was even on the fence about mentioning it but since there is a "risk" he wanted us to know. I am doing my best not to worry, and Steve doesn't seem worried at all so that is good. At least one of us can stay calm.

Anyway, good news, not so good news (big deal or not) and the start of a lot of anxiety over the next few months.

School and Appointments

We had another appointment today to check in and do some blood tests. The babies heartbeat is still strong and everything seems to be progressing as it should, which is great news. I have been having a hard time the last 2 weeks since I no longer feel sick or even all that tired but can't feel the baby moving yet. I am really looking forward to the first kick we can feel and our 20 week ultra sound, which is on Wed 10/14. No belly shots yet for the blog. I am waiting until I look pregnant and not just like I eat too much ice cream, but I am getting there.

Steve has had a rocky start to his school year. Transitioning into the new school, new kids and new challenges has been a constant source of anxiety and stress, but, the good news is that yesterday was a success so I think he is starting to work out the kinks. Regardless, I am betting he is pretty happy it is Friday and he can have a couple days off to watch football and relax. Go Packers!

Appointment number 2

One more week gone and one more appointment. We had some of the genetic counseling and screening done on Friday. The ultrasound was fun since we got to see a better view of the kiddo(however, they didn't turn out so well on the disc they gave us). So far so good. We find out results in a week or so about the cystic fibrosis and other screening tests they do but we aren't too concerned.

Here are a few pics, but as I said, they aren't as clear as I would have liked. However, I am excited to debut baby Schroeder.

Seeing Baby Schroeder!

We had our first prenatal appointment this morning and it was a huge success/relief. Everything is progressing right on schedule. Baby S has a strong heartbeat and we got to see Baby S on the ultrasound machine they had in the clinic. It was far from a great picture but we got to see the heart beating away, see the legs and Baby S waved at us. The rest of the appointment was an onslaught of information about tests, screenings and what I should be eating. It seems like everything is going well and I am doing things correctly. Our due date as of now is March 7, 2010 but, who knows what day Baby S will actually meet the world.

Thanks for all the support and well wishes. We are so happy with how everything is progressing.

Our Vacation

We are home now, and I am FINALLY not tired anymore. Driving (or in my case riding since Steve did the majority of it) is exhausting.
The drive out there was long and boring, only one stop over that was only for the purpose of sleeping.

We spent the first few days with the Juedes family, playing Star Wars and watching Jake at his karate lessons.


Then we went to summmerfest (both of us forgot our cameras) where we got to see one of our favorite musicians. It was crazy busy! But, not as elbow to elbow as I was expecting.

The baseball game with Ben and Olivia was definitely a highlight of the trip. The kids are great, they are so much fun. It makes it really hard to leave.



Off to the cottage at Lake Alpine. We did a lot of canoeing with the kids and were able to meet up with a large group (18 of us) of Steve's family at their favorite restaurant.



We also got a chance to do some random hikes here and there throughout our time in WI.




On the way home, we stopped in Yellowstone. It was a good day, excluding the swarm of mosquitoes attacking me and the sunburn. Steve managed to leave the park with only a few bug bites. I was a mess however.




Steve bought Lucas a matching Brewers shirt. They are adorable!

Leaving for WI

I wanted to post our itinerary in case anyone wanted to know what our vacation plan.

We leave Sat 6/20 after I get off work and drive through the night and through Sunday 6/21 (Steve's birthday) to Rapid City, SD.
Monday 6/22 we drive straight to Grafton WI, hoping to arrive sometime Monday night or Tuesday morning. Then...we sleep.

Thursday 6/25 we go to Summerfest in Milwaukee
Friday 6/26 we go see the Brewers play
Saturday through Sunday 6/28 we will be in Wautoma at the cottage with Ben, Olivia and Steve's sister and parents.
Back to Grafton.
We leave on Tuesday morning to take a longer drive (3 nights in hotels this time) back home, stopping in Yellowstone for a bit. We plan to be back on Friday 7/3. It is going to be a long and busy trip but it is going to be so much fun. We will have Internet access throughout so be looking for pictures.

MPH Hooding Ceremony

I AM DONE!!! It is amazing how different I feel and it has only been a few hours. I have energy, I am happy, I am feeling social, and I have vast amounts of free time.





It was a nice ceremony, super quick as it was done in less than an hour. And now it is all about the job search, which I will hopefully be working on while in WI.

Last week

Last week of school for me, graduate on Friday, Wahoo! I will be a "Master of Public Health," whatever that means. Then comes the wonderful job search which will be taking place in the middle of a recession. There is going to be a lot of positive self talk necessary!

Last week of school for Steve, no more driving to Estacada, not so wahoo but Lake Oswego has positives too. This next week is going to be rough for him but he will have 2 months to recover before he needs to start thinking about school again. Steve took his class to Oaks Park this year for their field trip and had a great time.

Lucas turned three years old today and had a pirate party at Mt Tabor park. It was a great time. Hot dogs, pinatas and bubbles. Can't ask for more than that when you are three.

Almost done with yet another school year

Well, the word is official now....Steve is going to be a Waluga Middle School teacher in Lake Oswego starting next school year. Now,the packing, sorting and storing takes place. Only to wait until September for the unpacking, organizing and setting up. We all know how much Steve "likes" change but he is handling things well. Laughing at himself a lot.

On a good note, he did finish off his last track and field day with his Estacada kids in a glorious fashion. His relay team came in first!



As for me, two more weeks until my graduation! Tons of final projects but once they are done...I am done. I will post pictures of my graduation later for all of you who wanted to be there but couldn't.

I have plans to go to the beach with some of my friends from school for a few days for a well deserved break, come home to work for 4 days and then off to WI for a long and well deserved vacation. We are so excited to see the kids and all of Steve's family.

Sorry Grandma

At my Grandma's request, I have been asked to update our blog. Sorry! Grad school takes a lot of time.

Okay, my oral comprehensive exam is over and I am so glad to have that experience behind me. I guess I did well, the professors on my panel have stopped me in the hall even a week after and told me that I did well so that must mean something. Then, I got picked up by Jason and Lucas and we had a celebratory ice cream at the VQ, which was lovely.

The following Thursday, Steve's parents came into town for the weekend. We didn't do much because my birthday party took up the day we usually would have driven to the coast or gone somewhere. Steve did convince his Dad to try the grasshopper too though :)

My party was fun. The theme this year was definitely yard work. I received gift cards to various gardening and home stores as well as a whiskey barrel and tomato plants. Unfortunately, I don't have a scanner or a digital version of the pictures but Amy, Charlie and Bryan had some fun with photo shop and the barrel. I am very excited for the chance to get to work in my yard again, but, the end of the term takes a lot of computer time.

We are waiting for an answer for what will happen to Steve's placement next year due to the budget and reorganizing classrooms. He will have a job (thank goodness he has seniority) but we are waiting for the classroom assignments to come out. Should be by the end of this week, but we thought that last week as well.

4 more weeks until I have an MPH, Steve has summer break, and our lives will calm down a bit.

Getting closer

Well, I am now one week away from my oral comprehensive exam...which has been looming over me for the past 2 terms. Naturally, I am nervous but I have been studying my heart out so I think I will do okay. I am getting closer and closer to June 12th. I cannot wait! But, sadly the next month and a half are going to be rough.

Not a lot has happened since our trip. We went to the Gerlt parent's house for Easter. We went to church service at Mt Carmel and said good bye to Pastor Ron (the Pastor who married us). It was pretty amazing how sad it was.





Steve has finally finished his cd but has yet to make enough copies for distribution. Soon.

We have also discovered a new favorite place, Sushi Mazi at 21st and Division. It is by far the best sushi we have ever had and are kind of obsessed lately. Steve even tried the grasshopper....I was happy to be the one taking pictures.

Our Spring Break

We had a lot of fun driving down the 101 this past week. Our first stop was in Corvallis to see my Grandma. Then off to Bandon for some sand and ocean time.





Then, drove down to Gold Beach, where we mostly just hung out at the hotel...some needed recoup time. However, Steve was VERY excited about ordering lobster for dinner.




Next stop, Ferndale, CA (a Victorian tourist town). We stopped in Ferndale as a jumping off point for a day trip to the Redwoods. Lots of picture but they do not do justice to the amazing things we saw. We went on a few hikes, one to Fern Canyon that had us walking (and driving) through streams.







Sadly, we are home now. Steve had today off but for me...back to the grind. I had two cavities filled and so I am stuck at home with a sour mouth...no fun.

School is going well. Mostly, I am just excited to be almost done! I start my new internship officially on Tuesday. I am excited to get back into the work, instead of shuffling around paperwork for the second time. We will see how it goes. I am hoping this will lead into a position with the county, or at least a good reference in the environmental health field.

Long Time

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Things have been pretty hectic around here lately.

I finally got my computer back, 3 weeks later. I have been scrambling to get my school work done. At the same time, I have been trying to transfer my internship to Multnomah County Health Department. I am now working with the environmental health division conducting a needs assessment and gathering information about current knowledge about health concerns and practices in nail salons. I know it sounds weird but it is going to be a great experience.

Steve is in the process of decorating his classroom for rain forest week. He was making an elephant in our bedroom last Sunday (odd, I know) to go with his collection of paper mache rain forest animals. We now have a toucan, and leopard. We used to have a snake as well but Steve thought it was funny to hide it in the azaleas in front of our house to scare me and it rained.

We are also planning a trip to the Red Woods over spring break. Hopefully we will have lots of pictures to post in a few weeks.

Computer Crisis

Hello all. I have a request. My computer crashed on me this week. I guess my hard drive was "defective" and they couldn't save any of my files. Sadly, I lost a lot of my pictures. I still have our wedding disc but I lost a lot of pictures of the kids and family events, etc. If people could email me some of their pictures, I would really appreciate it. I lost a great one of Steve and Olivia at the park which I am not sure I emailed to anyone.

Beyond that, I am just playing catch up on all of the school work I lost. Steve is graciously letting me use his computer until mine gets back to me (about a week!). He is having a tough and long next couple of weeks with his IEP's and other random work stuff. We are, however, cooking again and we are both enjoying that a lot. Now, if we could just find a day or two to CLEAN THE HOUSE!!!

Super busy!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. We have been super busy with the house, school, work, IEP's, interning, and watching the second season of Tudors on DVD.

The house is starting to come together. We now have an orange kitchen (still needs a lot of touch up and baseboards painted but really close!). In fact, Monday night I made chili and cornbread and it was SO nice to cook. It has been so long. We have been washing dishes like crazy to clean up all the dust...can't wait to see our water bill this month.





Lucas has just started his new "school." My boss recruited Lucas to be a typical peer in a social group with 3 boys on the spectrum. The clients are all high functioning and LOVE Lucas. Lucas really seems to like it as well but seems more interested in all the new toys at this point than all the kids. He wears his backpack to school everyday and brings home art he made at "school" for Daddy.

This weekend, the house work is all on Steve because I have completely let school slip this term and I have a huge paper due in a week that I have barely started. Hopefully, I can stay focused. I have discovered how hard it is for me to work in a dirty house. I keep getting distracted with tasks. So, I think I am coffee chop bound.

Crazy MLK Day

Yesterday was a crazy up and down day. My day started with a session with a client I never work with at home anymore (since I take him to school) and I realized how much I miss that relationship with him. Then I got to go to OMSI with another client which was super fun but ended in tears because he didn't want to leave.


Then I went to the zoo as a farewell session to a client I have worked with for a few years. It was very fun but pretty sad trip for me. He isn't the first client I have said good bye to but I feel like this is the first good bye of many as I transition into my new field. This is going to be a tough transition! But, I did get to see the new baby elephant.



Steve and I ended our day going to see the Bucks stay within a point range that they could pull ahead but never did. They ended up letting over 50 rebounds go to the Blazers! Kind of embarrassing.



One thing about the game that totally surprised me was the National Anthem. I realized that I haven't been proud of my country for quite some time and I was moved to tears. I am so excited that I am able to intern from home today and watch the inaugaration. I am anxious to see what we as a country can accomplish in the next four years.