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!