We call her Blue Steel.

We knew the time would come when we needed a family car. My truck just wasn't car seat friendly with the bench front seat and fold out seats in the back. And let's not mention the 2 Camaros Gene has parked in the garage. With those bucket seats, I was not warming up to the idea of driving them. We also knew having a baby was a big expense, so buying another vehicle and having another payment wasn't the least bit appealing, but something had to be done before September. So, we got an offer from GM that we couldn't refuse and found something that was within our price range and had everything in a car we were looking for. I'm very pleased!! It's a 2009 Pontiac Vibe GT. Has a sun roof, partial leather and a stick which made it even more affordable and has plenty of room for a car seat and stroller. We're ready for ya baby girl!!!

6 Months!

Wow, 6 months have sure flown by! I can't believe that we're over half way there! I'm feeling much more pregnant these past few days between my sciatic nerve really bothering me, lower back pain causing me to waddle (lol!), swelling of the feet, numbness of the fingers and toes, and having to deal with restless leg syndrome at night. Plus, I'm really starting to show. And with all of these things slowing me down, I feel much more mentally stable than I've been in my whole life. I laugh & smile much more than I ever did and I don't feel anxious or down about life. Those of you that have known me well know that I have struggled with anxiety and depression for most of my life which was one of my major concerns for being pregnant. Not wanting to be on medication while being pregnant I was afraid that I would transfer those feeling to my baby, but so far I'm really doing quite well with it all. I know once the baby comes I'll have to deal with postpartum so hopefully they can figure out what's in the pregnancy hormone that makes me feel so good and give me a pill for it! ; ) Otherwise, I know I have a really great support group to get me through it.

I also have to say that Gene's been wonderful throughout my pregnancy. He's extremely patient, loving and kind and every day he never ceases to amaze me at how much he loves me. I get so emotional thinking about him holding his little baby girl for the first time and know that he's going to be an amazing father. I look forward to meeting our baby girl and I'm thankful for the wonderful little family we've created.

We're home

Words that will forever remind me of England:

Accents, quid, Jelly Babies, Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye, wooden box, "cup of tea", toilets/to let, pavement, banana, The Underground, chip & pin, Cambridge, London Bridge, Humped Zebra Crossing, 18418001, pence, churches, Winston Churchill, hamburger, cathedrals, King's Cross, punting, Church of England, round abouts, Picasso, Long Melford, motorbikes, Mind the Gap, knife & fork, Tower Bridge, chips/crisps, Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace, The Loo, Henry VIII, bangers & mash, walking, cobblestone, pounds, Tower of London, castles, Clare, Lavenham, The Bell, Stonehenge, Windsor, Bath, changing of the guard, Shandy, "eat in or take away", The Tube, Number 11 bus, Bury St. Edmunds, Ipswich


I can't even begin to describe my experience in England. I just keep saying the same words over and over. . . 'AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, and BREATHTAKING'. It was the best vacation I've ever taken by far. And believe it or not 2 weeks was simply not enough time!!

We stayed with Gene's Mum's sister, Auntie Gwen and her husband Den in Haverhill, a village just east of London. Took the bus, train and tube where ever we could go. Spent a few days in London seeing all the sights, went to Cambridge a couple of days, traveled to the nearby villages admiring the landscape and took a tour bus to Stonehenge, Windsor Castle (where the Queen lives) and the Roman Baths. Just simply amazing! I had to narrow down the number of pictures I took on the trip (only 550!!) to post on the blog. Enjoy!

King's College Founded by Henry VI in 1441

Front view of the college

Inside view - I couldn't resist! From the architectural aspect this was pretty incredible!!

The London Eye

Big Ben

Tower of London

Stonehenge

Tower Bridge

And the family

When we have another chance, I'm definitely going back. And maybe to live. . . . . . .

; )

Cheerio, ol' chap/ol' girl!!

Today is the BIG day!! Right now we're in the process of doing laundry to have plenty of clean clothes for our trip and I'm also doing some house work so that when we come back I won't have to do anything but rest. I think the cats know we're leaving b/c they're begging for attention, but they'll have plenty of company since my brother and step-mom are taking care of the house while we're gone. Thank you sooooooooo much Bradley and Lori!!!

I just can't wait to get to England!! This is going to be a great trip meeting Gene's aunts, uncles and cousins, and Mum will get to see her family after being away for 11 years. 11 years!! WOW! What a trip this will be for all of us!! AND. . . . my SWEET, SWEET and ADORABLE husband bought me a super nice camera for our trip. I spent hours playing with it last night and I simply can't wait to use it!!! Hope all is well for everyone and we'll be in touch with plenty of stories and pictures when we come back.

See ya!!!

We're having a girl!

So, if you haven't guessed it by now, we are having a GIRL! We had our ultrasound on Wednesday and the technician said it with certainty. Of course, there's always that chance, but she was pretty confident. AND we have the pictures to prove it. ; )

She was in a pretty good spot and made it very easy for the tech to tell. Of course, when it came to getting her profile, she got all camera shy and covered her face the entire time. It was adorable.

And as Gene and I sat there watching the tech show us all the little parts: hands, feet, legs, face and heart (with the 4 chambers) I got a sense of pride watching my little girl on the screen who only weighs 13 ounces. I had tears streaming down my face thinking about this little baby that my husband and I created. By the next morning, reality set in and it scared me to death. I started to panic about being a mother. I hope I don't disappoint her. I hope I can teach her everything she needs to know to live a life of her own. I hope we get along and that she knows I love her and hope that she loves me back. I already had her graduating from college and walking down the aisle and then it freaked me out. Gene reminded me that she's not even born yet and that brings me back to earth. I've been told that this is normal to feel this way for first time mothers and that I'm being too hard on myself. Would I still feel this way if we were having a boy? Probably not as much. I was raised by my Dad for most of my life and the oldest of 3 brothers. I kind of have an edge where that's concerned so I know what to expect. I just remember what it was like growing up and girls in junior high and high school can be so mean. I know how hard it was for me and I guess I already felt nervous for her. Thank God for Gene because he will be the logical one in the family and remind me that I'm getting ahead of myself. One step at a time. . . one day at a time. I just pray for a happy healthy little girl and let God take care of everything else along the way.

Pretty in Pink

I bet you can't guess what we're having!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!

We're half way there!

Just a quick post for tonight. I meant to post this picture last week, but I've been busy studying for my biology final and our friends Dan & Christine have been in town since Friday visiting from Colorado. Dan worked with Gene at West Coast Furniture in California. He was also in our wedding and he married a sweet gal with the patience of a Saint. Gotta love that Christine!! So we've been busy going to Derby, showing them the sites (what little we have here in Southern Indiana) and catching up on our lives. Needless to say this posting is a little late.


So, this is me at the half way mark - 5 months pregnant, which brings me to the most exciting part of this posting - we're finding out the sex of the baby tomorrow!!!!! Bright & early at 7:30 in the morning, as long as the little bean cooperates, we'll know whether we're having a BOY or a GIRL! I'll keep you all posted!!!!!!!!