I left my heart in Colorado

The hardest thing about leaving Colorado is leaving the mountains. They get into your soul, and when they are gone, there sits a huge hole.
Oh how I would love to be here right now....

Oh here....

I started to write this post earlier today, when I was feeling particularly melancholy. I had just had lunch with my hubby and said goodbye (more on that later). It was super gloomy, cold and pouring rain. Couple that with hormones that have me on a crazy emotional roller coaster ride, and you have the perfect recipe for one depressing blog! So I decided to spare you the gory details of my current woes and how darn homesick I am for the mountains and closeness of friends and family. Instead I will focus on more positive, happy thoughts!

It's 9:15pm (past my normal bedtime) and I have just finished my homework for class tomorrow and feeling quite good about finishing it before the actual due date. I have left the melancholy behind (for the next few minutes anyway, haha) In my current euphoria, I felt like a little light blogging before bedtime.

First, I have promised an update on the Little Bean. The appointment went well yesterday. She said I was measuring "big" (I have no idea what that means)but I am doing well on the weight gain front. Still under 10lbs total. I am not sure why I am so obsessed about the whole weight gain thing, but I guess being pregnant didn't change my constant weight worries.
Anyway, we were thrilled to hear the heartbeat again. She found it quickly this time and it was nice and loud. After the appointment we went up to the labor and delivery ward and made an appointment for the grand tour next month. But the big day is Tuesday, when we have the ultrasound. We have not yet fully decided to find out the sex, but I think we are going to leave it up to the Bean to decide for us. He/she will either show or not show. Either way, watch the blog next week for that news.


Gabe left today for a five-day backpacking trip with his college buddy to the Smokey Mountains. This leaves me with a few days to myself. All week I have been wondering what I will do with my alone time. At the very least, this will be a great time to catch up on my schoolwork, organize and clean. I am so behind on it all. I am particularly stressed out about a 15 page research paper that is due in 6 weeks and I have put zero time into it. Sounds like a trip to the library for me on Saturday. Plus, I think I am going to attempt to make iced Halloween sugar cookies and see how I do. I may even spend some long over-due time at my out-of-tune piano trying to learn a new song. Or maybe I will rent a bunch of Chick-Flicks and the 4-legged crew and I can have a nice movie night together. Wow, I could be pretty busy if I wanted to! Usually I love the alone time, but I have a feeling by Friday night I am going to be twiddling my thumbs and wishing I had some company.

These darn hormones!!!!

The phone is ringing!! Could it be????

I will let you know how the cookies turn out!

Family, Flies, and Sawdust

Wow, what a week!

Gabe came down with a nasty bout of the stomach flu last Monday. I have never seen him so sick, let alone in bed for an entire day! It was moving through the Schnelle family like wildfire. His dad was very ill from it the week before and ended up having to spend 5 days in the hospital due to dehydration. Luckily, there was no permanent damage and he is doing much better. Unfortunately, the illness was passed around the family and Gabe was no exception. We were a little worried that I would get it too, especially since my Mom and stepdad, John, were coming in on Tuesday, but by the grace of God (and some obsessive anti-germ action), I was able to avert it and avoid impending doom.

We had a great visit with Mom and John. John is quite the work-a-holic and he and Gabe immediately started remodeling the basement. I cannot believe the amazing progress they made!! Here is a pictoral review:

Before:

New toys!!

Building walls is a snap!

Had to stop around day 2 to fix a fly problem. Forget the flies!! What the heck is that monstrous spider doing there!?!?!? I hope they killed it or we are moving!

Had to replace all the molding around the door where it rotted and made a nice nesting ground for flies. YUK! Back to work. Time to knock out some concrete!

Placing pipe for the shower

Who let the dogs out!? ooops.
Of course, we had to take time out for some KC BBQ!

mmmmm...I think John deserves some chocolate

Shower surround is in! Next step, drywall...

Wiring. Looks a bit scary to me...

End of week one. Now its all up to Gabe to finish. I wonder how long it will take? We guess about a year. And....the blog wouldn't be complete without an 4 legged appearance. John actually captured Brody engaging in his favorite sport. Chasing the stringy thing. Look how high he is! Spread eagle!! LOL!
We are forever indebted to John for all his help getting us started on this mammoth project. While the guys worked, Mom and I went power shopping. She spoiled me with a new maternity wardrobe. Thanks ma!

And finally, we got a crib! Again, thanks to Mom and John. Boy, we should have them out more often! This makes the arrival of the little bean more real.

Speaking of the little Bean, next dr. appt is on Monday, so stay tuned for a baby update!

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!