Bean Update

All is well on the baby front. I just completed my 16th week. Dr. appt went very well. I was dreading that scale, but was pleasantly shocked to see I only gained three pounds. 5 total. My little weekly update from baby.com tells me I should have gained 5lbs by now so I am right on target. Although I look and feel like I have gained 20! I have officially "popped out" too, so I have a visable baby bump now. Doc says I am measuring right where I should be too.

Little Lima Bean is now the size of an avocado. Holy cow! We had a hard time finding the heartbeat which freaked me out a little, but she said that was totally normal and ended up finding it. Still sounds normal and running abut 150 beats per minute, but is normal too.

Ultrasound is in five weeks. Gabe and I haven't decided whether or not to find out what it is. I guess we have 5 weeks to decide. We are leaning toward not finding out, but part of me really would like to know what it is. Mostly for planning purposes. But, there are so few surprises left in life, and it would be so neat for Gabe to go out and tell friends and family in the waiting room what it is. So we will see.

What do you guys think??? Let's take a poll!

So that is the baby update. I got what I wanted. I got to hear the heartbeat again so now its time to start shopping!!!! Yea!!

Now we wait for the kicking to start.....oh boy.

It's Love

Yep, it is love....
Never thought I would see it, but it is there nonetheless.
Linus Loves Cookie

It is unbelievably cute to watch. Most of the time the camera isn't handy to capture these little love fests, but we got lucky a couple of times.

I was able to catch this one day as I walked past the front window. Linus must be close to Cookie at all times.

This one Gabe was lucky enough to get the other night. Linus lovin' on Cookie is a daily ritual now. Still can't figure out how Cookie feels about it, but she seems to like it.


This week's guest, Cindy, came to visit for a long weekend. We had a great time hanging out and shopping for the little Bean. While she was here, she discovered that Brody has a new favorite sleeping spot. Inside the fall wreath that has been sitting on the piano bench waiting to be hung. Just too much cuteness!!

Stay tuned for a Bean update.....Dr. appt is tomorrow.

Fall

This is my favorite time of year. The weather is cool and crisp, giving way to the feeling that Fall is here and the holidays are just around the corner! As I write this the football game is on in the other room and giving me warm fuzzies all over. Makes me want a big bowl of chili!

This time of year is gorgeous in Missouri. The humidity dies down making the weather wonderfully comfortable and we are able to open the windows for the first time since Spring. The trees begin to turn color and you find yourself wanting to spend all your time outdoors. Thus, this is our busy time of year for visitors. Usually we have visitors every weekend through September and October. This year looks to be no exception and we have officially declared the Schnelle "Bed and Breakfast" open for business.

Last weekend kicked it off with my Dad and stepmom, Linda. They were able to stay a few days. Dad enjoyed the relaxation time in the country and Linda helped me catch up with some much needed house-cleaning. Not feeling well over the last few months has crippled my normal manic cleaning habits and Linda was a real work-horse to get the house back into tip-top shape. And, it was the perfect time to bring out the fall decor.

Ah, I love fall!! And a clean house. Drug out the new fall stuff I got on clearance last year. I am so ready for some turkey and pumpkin pie!!!

Linda and I took a break from cleaning to get a good day of power shopping in. After two years of searching for the right fit, we finally found a mirror to fill the empty space above the mantle.

The B&B is booking up fast. My friend Cindy comes in this weekend, Gabe's parents arrive the 1st weekend of October, immediately followed by my mother and stepdad, John for a week. Mom and John have finally moved back to the states after 10 years in Saudi Arabia. We are so happy to have them back for good.

Lima Bean Update: our little bean continues to grow very fast. I think my belly has grown at least another inch around just in the last few days. Clothes I fit into last week are suddenly tight. The weekly pregnancy email I get says Lima Bean is now the size of a lemon and can wiggle its toes and fingers and blink its eyelids! So amazing!

Breaking News!

Ok, so the blogs have been a little bleak and boring of late. As I mentioned before, we have been quite distracted. Some of you know why and have been sworn to secrecy. In fact, we must express our gratitude keeping it hush, hush for so long! For those of you who don't know yet, the green light has finally been given!


So without further adieu.....we are happy to announce that we are expecting a little Schnelle!

I can hear the collective sigh of relief and the murmurs of "Finally"! Yes, it is what you have all been waiting for (and so have we).


Affectionately referred to as our little Lima Bean (because of the resemblance in the ultrasound image), the estimated date of arrival is around March 12, 2009. I am currently at almost 14 weeks along. Lima Bean isn't an accurate description anymore, but the name kinda stuck.


After the miscarriage last year, we were careful not to get too excited this time around. Even now, I am still cautiously optimistic and a bit nervous about making the formal announcement. However, we have been pretty free in conversation the last couple weeks and we thought we shouldn't hold out on you any longer.


A common question we get is how I have been feeling. I was pretty sickly for the first 12 weeks and was incredibly tired with no energy, but nothing too major. I read that either you are so sick you can't keep anything down, or you have to eat every couple of hours so that you don't get sick. I was the latter, of course. I have the ever growing tummy to prove it. Before you all ask- no, I am not ready to post pics of the belly yet. Might scare off quite a few readers if I do it now. Not sure if I will ever be comfortable with it, but I will try to get at least one or two up before the end.


Now that I am in the 2nd trimester, I am feeling much better though I still have bouts of fatigue. No crazy cravings yet, but I do have frightening moments of record time food inhalation. Having said that, I have noticed desires for fried pickles and shrimp coming up more often. hmmmmm.


Gabe has been a fantastic Dad-To-Be. He dotes on me when I feel poopy and is very patient with my hormonal mood swings. So far, I think those have been minimal, but I am not sure Gabe would agree! hehe.


I pledge to update the blog more often now that I have some energy back and have things to blog about. I anticipate this blog may become a pregnancy diary of sorts but I promise to still have updates on our 4-legged kids and latest shenanigans.