2 weeks new!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas! Ours was great! Family came to us so it was nice to have X-Mas at our house. Tim's Dad made tons of Seafood on Christmas Eve which was excellant! Then christmas day the food continued, which didn't help with my baby weight! But was worth it!

I can't believe Donovan is already two weeks old! We had our pediatrician appointment and he has gained 1 lbs in 8 days which is double what the doctor expected! He has also grew 2 inches as well! He has been eating like a little monster so that didn't surprise me. We are getting to know Donovan a little more and more each day and he is quite a special little boy. He has a great temperment, and seems very content majority of the day. He is becoming more aware everyday and checking out his surroundings more and more. He is starting to make more eye contact and even gives those slight little smiles, which are probably gas, but they are so cute that I am going to just pretend he is smiling at me! Everyday seems to get a little easier and more natural for us! Tim is a GREAT dad, who seems like he has been a dad forever, it comes very easily for Tim, I am not surprised at all!

My mom leaves tomorrow, and I can't even begin to Thank her for everything she has done! Making dinner, running errands, helping with Payton and most importantly holding Donovan so that I can take a nap! I will miss her very much, she has made my transition to becoming a mom easy, but I learn from the best!

Donovan Scott Marco

Hello!! Well,we are officiallly new parents! We couldn't be happier to introduce Donovan Scott Marco, he was born December 14th, 2008 5:07 pm. He was 7 lbs 11 oz and 19 3/4 inches long, and perfect! We are so blessed to have this early christmas present in our lives!

I went into labor Sunday morning, 5:50 ,my water broke and I told Tim "I think this is it!" He wasn't quite awake yet, so I needed to repeat myself! What a surprise!!!! I called the doctor and he told me to come in, we arrived at the doctor's office at 6:30 and got checked in. We waited about 2.5 hours for the Doctor to arrive, Tim thinks this should be his new profession, since he wouldn't have to be on time for anything! I was having contractions about 5 minutes apart, nothing too painful, but they were defintely there. We walked the halls, and tried to get things moving, which they did, when the doctor arrived, he check me and I was at 3 cm. He said "let's have this baby!" He predicted by early MOnday morning, Sunday late night, we would have ourselves a new baby boy!

Well within 3 hours, I dialated 4 cm, and was in extreme amount of pain, very quickly. Epidural couldn't come fast enough, when it did finally come, and started working, it was a god send! I don't know what I would have done without it. I felt like I needed to send the epidural a Thank you card, I was soooooo THANKFUL! I "labored" for a few more hours, not feeling a thing and just relaxed. Then Started pushing, and again didn't feel a thing! IT was great! It was a lot easier then I ever thought it would be. 5:07, Little Man Marco arrived into our lives! Very blue and stunned, he wasn't crying, just staring at us like "what the hell just happened!" The nurse quickly took him away and they started to do their thing, he started crying a little, but was not breathing like he should. The nurses were great and made me feel comfortable, and that everything was ok, in which they told me later he was a little tooo purple for their liking!

Tim watched everything which shocked me, he didn't pass out, or not look, he was totally involved and was great throughout the whole thing!

The nurses took him down to the nursery to get him on some oxygen and slow his breathing down a little. I was a little confused, but knew that he would be taken care of. After getting feeling back in my legs, and showering, we went down to the nursery to meet the little guy! He was precious! He had a oxygen tube in his nose but was awake and ready to meet us. He spent the night in the nursey Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night. Which was hard, because we didn't get a chance to bond, like I dreamed of, but he needed to be monitored. His breathing was too fast. The next day he was put on antibiotics, because he white bllod cell count was high, they thought he may have an infection. It ended up being probably because he was stressing himself out breathing to fast, which then was finally called something TTN, transient tachypnea of the newborn. It wouldd go away within 24-48 hours and I guess a lot of newborns get it.

We finally got to go home Wednesday afternoon. Payton met Donovan and is doing great! I little confused, and very interested, but is getting used to him.

First night at home, was overwhelming, but each night has gotten easier. We are getting to know eachother a little more every day! We love our little guy so much, and are so lucky to have him in our lives! It is crazy how much your life can change in one day, what an amazing experience!

I will try to post every week, but I am realizing, things are different now, and I am a feeding machine! My mom being here has been great, and would not be able to do this without her. Thank you mom!!!

38 Weeks

No Baby yet! Patently waiting! Every little crampy feeling, braxton hix, I am paying attention! We had a few things happen this week, last weekend I woke up on Saturday and noticed I was breathing a little easier. Looking down my belly looked a little different. I asked Tim if it looked like the baby had dropped and he was like "oh my god yeah!" Throughout the day, walking, and doing normal activities were starting to get a little painful. Standing up is a chore.

We got the rest of the stuff we needed from Babies'r us this weekend, and from Tim's family the Chicago clan, who got us our stroller, play gym, and exersaucer! Thank you very much to all of them!

We got our christmas tree on Saturday and after, 1 fallen tree, 2 trips to home depot, and one to another hardware store we finally got a tree stand that worked on our 9 foot christmas tree that Tim insisted we have. We can't even put an Angel on top. We wonder everyday if that tree is going to stumble over. It is a pretty tree and looks great in our living room.

At my appointment this week, the doctor examined me and I am measuring 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced, which she said is really good. Anyday now, we are ready!

37 weeks!

I cannot believe I have only 3 weeks until my due date!

I have posted a few photos; of me, the adorable cupcakes from my shower, and I felt like I hadn't had a picture of my "big boy" in there yet, so here is our other baby Payton! He won't get much blog time after the baby is born so I thought I would give him a shining moment!

Thanksgiving last week, made it difficult for me to post my weekly blog, and so much has happened since then. First of all we left for Thanksgiving in Madison on Wednesday night, Tim's whole family was there, so it was great to see everyone! Especially the little nieces, I can't believe how much they have grown and how their personalities are so different! They were definately fun to play with and watch! Thanksgiving was great, I don't think I have ever eaten as much as I did that night and I don't think Tim has either. There was a close call, where he actually thought he was going to throw up from eating too much! He just does everything to the max! We are so Thankful for our families, health and this little guy in there cookin away! I can't believe next year at this time we will have almost a 12 month old!

Friday morning, I was awoken by our big man payton! 5:30 Payton had two seizures. We stopped them with the diazapam. We just can't seem to get those darn things under control. He recovered fine and left a little early from Tim's parents so he could go home and rest.

Then We picked up my mom from the airport on Friday night.

Saturday was my shower! It was great to see people I hadn't seen in awhile. I have such great sister-in-laws and mother-in-law to throw me such a great party! It was a tailgate theme, which is very fitting since Tim has been obsessed with College football this fall. We had Michigan cupcakes and everything! Very cute. The idea of the Tailgate was my father-in-law Al! Good job Al! I got a lot a great stuff and felt more prepared with all the baby gadgets that you REALLY don't need but feel like you would be lost without. Thank you to everyone who came!

Monday afternoon, I was walking down the driveway to get the mail after we had gotten about 5 inches of snow, and I slipped and fell landed on my tailbone, then hit my head! I laid there for about 2 minutes, it was hard getting up and I was in shock that my big body had hit the ground that hard! Came inside laid down and tried to figure out what happend. My ass hurt so bad and the headache was throbbing! Called my doctor. She suggested I go into the ER. I was not to thrilled about this, but I needed to listen to her. Got checked out at the ER, nothing broken just bruised! They then sent me to the Columbia Center, where I am going to give birth. They told me they were going to monitor myself and the baby for the next four hours. I was there with my mom for a few hours, then Tim came. I was ready to go home and eat! I was having contractions, but couldn't really feel them. They were about 6 minutes apart and lasting about 1 minute. The baby was moving around good in there and his heartbeat was good. My doctor came in and said she wanted to keep me over night. Now I was not happy! I understood that they wanted to monitor the baby, but that was the last place I wanted to sleep. Sleeping, was not really what I did. I listened to the baby's heartbeat most of the night, (which was reassuring) and tried to get comfortable! I was glad when it was morning. My doctor came in again, said the Baby looked perfect and my contractions slowed down. So I was leaving the hospital with out a baby, which I was a little dissappointed about, but he's not done in there, and I would rather him let us know when he is ready!

So that was monday! My mom left the next day! I was a little crabby with her and Tim towards the end there so I apologize. I need to get better at handling things that are out of my control! So thanks for putting up with me both of you!

Other then that recovering fine, other then being a little sore, feeling good! I had an appointment today and doctor checked me again, I am almost 2 cm dialated and 60% effaced! So he is making his way down, which I can feel in my hips!

I will keep you all posted on if Baby Marco decides to make an early arrival! Otherwise, I will post next week!

35 weeks and getting uncomfortable!

It has been two weeks, so thank you fellow blog followers for your patience!

OK, I know, I have had the easiest pregnancy so far and that it is about time, I start feeling the effects! Well I have! So if you don't want to hear me complain you can stop reading now! :)

I am achy, sore, my pelvis feels like I have been kicked in it multiple times esepcially when i stand up, I feel like I couldn't get any bigger, my skin is stretching to it max! Our wonderful baby boy is resting in my ribs, and sometimes he will give me a little kick to remind me that he could make it worse. There aren't those slight little kicks anymore, they is full on belly movement. It is getting difficult to sit at a desk all day, so walking around is a must. Laying down is probably the most comfortable position, but that is unrealistic!!

Ok, I am done complaining for awhile now! Tim tried to compare these side effects to things he has experienced and that he really knows what I am going through! That is sweet and all, but he has no idea.

We meet Cameron Biller last weekend and he is adorable. It is weird to see your friends as Parents, when you have seen them do so many stupid things, i.e. Joe and his one armed push-ups wasted! Melissa and Joe are great parents and it seems to come so naturally to them! He is a sweet boy that is for sure!

So we have got about 5 more weeks to go, and I know it is going to fly by! Michigan plays Ohio State this weekend, then College football is done, so if baby Marco can hold off this weekend, I think we will have Tim at 100% attention if I go into labor! :)

I start going to the doctor every week now, and at my last appointment she said I was measuring a little bigger then normal, I was like "no kidding, look at me!" I am not sure that means anything but that I am a big girl right now! They check next week Tuesday to see if I am dialated at all!

33 weeks!!

33 weeks pregnant already! I can't believe it is almost here. Starting getting things in order this week, made an appointment with a pediatrician to meet her in December so we are all set. Scheduled to get our carpets cleaned as well as a got a housekeeper lined up to do some deep cleaning of our entire house. Thanks to my mom! That would not be in the budget otherwise! It is getting harder for me to clean. It took me 4 hours last weekend, and I was out of breath the entire time! Usually it takes me about 2 hours. So I am thankful, I have people coming to take care of the major stuff in the next few weeks! Then we just wait!!

At our appointment this week, I asked my doctor how long she would let me go before she induced me. She said they don't go any longer then two weeks! Right now, I can't imagine being pregnant for an extra two weeks. If I am everyone stay out of my way, because I will be in quite a mood. I remember just a few weeks ago, thinking, being pregant isn't bad, I am not even ready to have a baby yet! Well, everyday that feeling goes away a little more. I get ready more and more everyday! Which is a very good thing I guess. I start weekly appointments in two weeks, then we get to check to see if I am dialated at all.

We are going to Madison this weekend to meet Cameron Biller, and I can't wait for that! Melissa was 10 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy, so I am excited to hear all the details.

This has been an exciting two weeks for the Marco/Lytle Family. Two weeks ago my brother Brandon and his girlfriend got engaged! We are very excited for them, they make a great couple and seem very happy together! Then last week Thursday Tim's sister Krissy got engaged to her boyfriend John Mackey! Love is in the air! Brandon and Andrea will probably get married October 2009, and Krissy and Mackey, June, 2010. What an exciting next few years! Congrats to all of you!

32 weeks and the Baby's room is done!

Tim finished the Baby's room this last weekend and I LOVE IT! He did a great job, I have created a list of more things he can fix and do around the house because of it! We got picked up our chair on Monday and it is the most comfertable thing in the world, it is like sitting on a cloud! I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time in it! I go into the room every couple of hours, just picturing a little baby in there! It makes it so real, now that this little guy we haven't met yet has a room of his own.

Payton is confused why we are in there so much, there is nothing for him to play with or sit on so he barks at us when we are in there. I don't know what he is going to do when the world (Tim and I) don't revolve around his every need and want!

Looking forward to my second baby shower which is the end of November! That will be here before I know it then 4 weeks left!

Starting to feel a little umcomfertable at times, and finding it hard to find a good sleeping position and resting position. It is harder to move my body around, which is frustrating. He is still moving around a lot up in my rib area. My whole belly moves when he does now, he is quite active! I had to physically remove a body part of his from my ribs the other day, I just couldn't handle it, then he went right back to where he was. Already has the attitude "Your not the boss of me!"

31 weeks and counting down!

9 More weeks to go! I can't believe it! Belly is continuously expanding!

We finished our child birth class this week and we learned basic concepts like how to bathe a newborn, swaddle a newborn, and basic diaper changing. It was informative and very helpful for Tim. We asked a lot of questions! So I think we are as ready as we are going to be!

Last weekend Tim put together the crib and my brother put together the changing table! So the furniture is ready, I am patiently waiting for the room to get finished. It is about 1/4 done and it looks great! Hopefully the end of the weekend, I will have an adorable baby boys room!

We are so excited to meet this little guy and can't wait to see what he looks like, what his personality is like, and watch him grow up! We can't wait! Now if we could only agree on a name for our baby!

29 weeks!

So I am a little early in posting my blog, but I guess I missed it! I was on vacation in the Bahama's for my friends wedding with all my girlfriends! It was a lot of fun, very humid and warm, but a lot of fun.

Baby Marco was especially active this weekend, I am not sure why if it was because we were out of routine or what, but he was moving around like crazy. All the girls got a chance to feel him move around. He is starting to keep me up a little now because he is so active at night. The plane rides were fine, I have extremly bad heartburn on the way home last night which made it difficult to sit there for 3 hours, all the crap airport food did not help the situation.

Being in a tropical place and not being able to enjoy a tropical drink or 10 was hard, but I have enjoyed being pregnant so I tried to think of what the outcome is going to be which made it a little easier. And feeling great in the morning was pretty nice as well!

It was a beautiful wedding! 71 people from the states traveled to the Bahama's for Darcy and Joel's Wedding. It was crazy how many people came. Darcy and Joel's family are all wonderful people and made us all feel like family.

Congrats to Joe and Melissa Biller! Tim and I would personally like to welcome, Cameron Edwin Biller to the world! We can't wait to see pictures and meet the little guy!

I have appointments every two weeks now, so we are counting down, 11 more weeks to go. The crib comes this week and so does the changing table. The room is not done yet, but Tim has until the end of October before I start panicking! I will be sure to post photos when it is finished!

28 weeks!!!

28 weeks today! Time is really flying now! Belly is growing in what seem like feet these days. It is really getting in the way, making it more and more diffcult to manuever my body.

We had what Tim and I call a flash into the future last night. We were woken up this morning at 3:00 in the morning to Payton having a seizure, which was followed by another 10 minutes later, then followed by a 3rd two minutes later. We gave him diazapam as directed by the doctor, which took a few minutes to kick in and thank god he was in the car on the way to the vet when it had reached it's full effect or I don't think Tim would have been able to get him in the car. We were at the vet until 5:30 in the morning trying to figure out the next plan for our current baby! We ended up taking him home which saved us probably $300 and tried to get some sleep. Until.. I went upstairs and realized our entire bedroom smelled like urine (which is a side effect of the seizures) So it wasn't quite time to sleep. It was quite an eventful night and all 3.5 of us are exhausted! Payton is fine and back to normal other then a little weak in the hind legs but no seizures since this morning!

Our flash into the future that I was referring to is being woke in the middle of a beautiful sleep, all cuddled up under the covers sleeping soundly in mid dream. Those nights will probably be few and far between come about 12 weeks or so! We are going to try to enjoy them for the next few months, until our little bundle of joy is waking us up at night because he is hungry, wet, or just really wants to make some noise!

Being up at 3:00 in the morning, and when I finally laid down about 6:00, that little man marco, was movin and groovin the entire morning, I think he knew we were a little off routine!

FYI, next week, Tim and I are headed to our last vacation destination before the baby comes and we are looking forward to it, so there will not be a post next week. We are going to the Bahamas for my friend from College's wedding! Relaxation is about all we are going to be doing with all of my best girlfriends in the world! Congrats Darcy! We love you and Joel and can't wait to share your special day with you.

See you at 30 weeks!

27 weeks

Went to my appointment monday to see if I could get off of bedrest, and it went very well. Doctor checked me out asked me questions and she gave me the ok to slowly get back to my normal schedule. I haven't necessarily gone back slowly, but I am trying to stop lifting heavy things, and acting pregnant. I had gained 3 lbs in one week, so doing nothing definately had affected me and my belly!

On Tuesday we had our first birthing class. It was very informative, we talked about labor and the three phases as well as the birth process. Quite a crazy sequence of events! Amazing how the baby and your body just know what do to. Then we watched a natural birth and by natural I mean natural. We saw everything! Let me tell you, it was scary. I can't believe woman have given birth for thousands of years and survive to talk about it! I am going to try to not think about that video for the next few weeks. But has made my decision more clear that there will be an epidural! Tim on the other hand I don't think watched it at all. I believe his head was down the whole time, avoiding the entire scene. There probably is a reason why the women are the ones giving birth.

We got a tour of the birthing center, and we were so impressed with how nice it was, it is pretty much brand new. All the suites are on one level so it will be easy for all of our guests to find us. The bathroom is huge and nicer then the one at our house. Tim's favorite part was not the skinny pull out chair, but it was the room service. We can order food any time of day and they bring it right to us. I will have the baby and stay all in the same room. It is a pretty nice set-up.

Feeling good, belly seems to be getting bigger by the day. It is getting a little more difficult to tie my shoes and bend over. I can't believe in 13 weeks, we are going to have a baby boy! I am feeling a little unprepared at the moment, not having anything baby ready, but I guess there is time for that. I am pressuring Tim to finish the baby's room, but with Michigan football on Saturday and Bears on Sunday, My time is limited!

Until next time~

Almost 26 Weeks!

Sorry for the delay, I missed my 25 week entry all together but I do have an excuse! It has been quite an eventful week.

My mom came last Wednesday, then we had an ultrasound on Thursday to try to see the 4 heart chambers which we couldn't see at the last ultrasound. Well our little boy wasn't cooperating so we didn't get any good shots, but his little thingy didn't fall off so that is a good thing! So I had another ultrasound scheduled for next month. The doctor isn't too concerned, but wants to make sure everything is developing how it should be. Also, I gained 7 lbs in one month! Tim was shocked!!

Friday night Tim's parents came and had dinner with us and my mom, Tim cooked and was great of course, it was a fun night! Saturday night Brandon (my brother) and his girlfriend Andrea came because we were supposed to go to my cousin's wedding that night. Friday night and saturday morning I had some spotting and abdominal tightness. I wasn't overly concerned mostly because I probably didn't want to worry and he is moving around like crazy (which is always reassuring), but my mom being a mom insisted that I call the doctor. I called and after the nurse paging her three times finally called me back. She suggested I not go and to just take it easy for the night and relax. So we all stayed back and hung out at the house. It was difficult to not do ANYTHING since I felt fine, but as Tim and my mom reminded me that it isn't just about me anymore!

Monday my mom and I were supposed to leave for Madison before heading up north to my grandma's. I called the doctor monday morning as she requested. I talked to the nurse and she said she will call back if the doctor wanted me to come in. I thought I was good to go, no issues since saturday just a few times during the night some abdominal tightness. We got in the car to head to Madison and the Doctor called, she wanted to see me that day. Change of plans again! Tim and I went in for an ultrasound everything looked good we even got a really good 3d picture of him and right as we were about to talk more about this trip I was going on the doctor was called into delivery! So there I was left in the room with no answers again! (we did get a great picture of the 4 heart chambers too, so that was good!)She said she would call me.

I am thinking ok, everything looked good we should be out of here in the next hour. Well she called back and said that even though everything looked ok, with the combination of symptoms she thought it would be best if I was put on light bed rest. Moving 1-2 hours a day, and taking it easy for the next week until I come in for an ultrasound next monday.

I Didn't realize how hard this was going to be for me, no running errands, no walking Payton, no cooking, no cleaning, really I need to do pretty much nothing. To most people that doesn't sound to bad, but I didn't realize how much I move throughout the day. It was really hard, having my mom here during the day asking me what I was doing up and Tim at night telling me to lay down! I think I am going to need a vacation after this bedrest! I guess it is better to be on one week of bedrest in 14 more weeks! I will stop complaining and just relax!

Then Last night my dad called my mom and their dog Harley has had some issues over the past few weeks and had gotten really sick during the day. If he doesn't get better they may have to put him down. I of all people understand that a pet is part of a family and my mom needed to be home with her dog and decide what they are going to do to get him better. I will miss the vaccuming, cleaning, grocery shopping, and the dinner making she did all week! It was so nice to have her here, she was and will be a great help after this little one decides to make his apperance! My mom left this morning at 3:30 to get on an early flight back home! I wish she didn't have to leave so soon, but completly understand! Thanks mom for all your help!

So today, I was on my own not to move, it was hard but I think I did a pretty good job. Only 4 more days! Then hopefully I will get the ok to go back to normal. Tim has been a great help today, I think he will have good nights of sleep this week, he has been non stop. It is amazing how much of the responsibilities as a couple you share, and one person doing everything is pretty difficult! So thank you Tim for not complaining and pulling through this week as well! We make a pretty good team!

I will post next week to update you all on my next ultrasound, pray that it turns out fine and that these next few weeks will go as smoothly as my last 25!

24 weeks

Not much new this week, just truckin along! Baby boy is moving around in there quite a bit, usually when I am resting right before bed and early in the morning. Everytime I feel him move, I smile. What an amazing feeling and reminder that you have got a miracle growing inside you! We can't wait to meet him!

We recieved a package from my mom today, which was full of little baby blue cloths! How fun! I started hanging some stuff up and are in need of some more hangers, it is so cute to have little cloths in a closet hanging up! I have started shopping a little as well! More items to bargain shop for! I have found some pretty good deals, and our little boy is going to be VERY well dressed!

Other then that been feeling good, belly continues to expand! It is amazing how much your skin can stretch. (Note: I do not always wear black, it just seems every picture of my belly growth I am wearing black; I will work on adding some color to my wardrobe)

Only complaint this week is major heartburn! Just can't seem to get rid of it! I had never had it before I was pregnant so I wasn't sure what was going on, but now I get it from pretty much everything I eat. I will be sure to bring it up at my next appointment for some remedies!

My First Baby Shower!

Most importantly I need to mention how blessed I am to have the friends I have. They are very important in my life and truly made me feel very special this past weekend. Moving to Milwaukee, I have been brought further away from my girlfriends! They made a long trip from Minnesota (4 of them) and Chicago (1 of them) to Milwaukee this last weekend to visit me and baby marco and throw us a baby shower!

Our weekends together usually include nothing but hanging out and talking, eating and catching up on the past few months of our lifes! There were many stories to tell, and we felt every emotion that eachother feel in each story we tell! By the end of the weekend, my stomach hurt from laughing so hard! I was exhausted on Sunday! :)

For the shower we had lunch at a tea room downtown. It was a little awkward for us, usually we are not sipping tea, but rather enjoying cocktails, but we made it work and it was a lot of fun.

The girls each gave me a onesie and added their own personal touch by personalizing the onesie, one for example said "My mom is obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance!" Such a cute idea. They also all gave me their favorite childrens book, when they were a kid! So we have a little libarary started. They bought my baby bedding for the baby's room, which I love! Not to mention the adorable little cloths that were much needed! Finally, they painted the baby's room for me (well, for Tim) and he greatly appreciated it!

They went above and beyond! I just wanted them here and that would have been enough, but they made the weekend perfect! I cherish our friendship and look forward to many more showers and events to share with you all! I love you all! THANK YOU!

Attached are some pictures of the room and bedding and at the shower! Decorations were done my Rach's sister Jess, and they were adorable, she has a blog which shows her business Polka Dots and Pirates, that she recently started! She is very talented! Take a look!

http://www.polkadots-pirates.blogspot.com/

Its a boy

We found out that we are having a boy so we have a lot to look forward to. Setting aside the eternal arguement of what to name the baby lets take a ride into the future and figure out what this kid has coming to him. By analyzing Gina and my personalities and behaviors over the past 28 years we can get a real good sneak peak into what to expect.

One thing we can be sure of is our son is going to be a serious athlete. Using my world dominating football, baseball, street hockey, pickle ball, volleyball, raquetball and basketball skills combined with Gina's ferocious soccer and basketball skills this kid should be running circles around the other kids by age 3. This is no surprise when you combine such athletic pedigrees.

Second, our son will love doing homework and no get bogged down with the social aspect of school. Gina and I were the type of stundent that was obsessed with completing our homework on time and at 100%. If a teacher didn't supply the homework we would often make up assignments to keep ourselves occupied. It was a sick habit but we were always academic overacheivers specificly in high school.

Finally, it is safe to expect our son to shy away from the social activities often associated with high school students. Extra curicular activites like partying and sneaking out are something that are not common in Gina and my history. Our son will probably be home studying the thesaurus and preparing his essay for his law school application.

I felt him kick last night and it was something else. I still can't really comprehend that our son...a mini me (hopefully only the good qualities) will be part of our family in 4 months. I love you Gina, you do good work!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

21 weeks along, and we had our ultrasound today! Everything looked great, we saw his fully developed spine, his HUGE head, kidneys, his little bladder, femur bone, arms, legs, and his pee pee!!!!! We are so excited and blessed that everything is going as planned and is growing at a good speed. He already weighs 1 lbs! In return, I have gained weight as well!! 5 lbs, very exciting and the belly is getting a little firmer each week. The placenta is in front of the baby, which is why I can barely feel movements, so hopefully that moves out of the way so I can feel my baby boy moving!

In the ultrasound, he was sucking his thumb, we could see his tongue moving! We got a few good ones of what looked like he was blowing kisses, he kept moving his hand from his mouth then away. He is already a sweet boy! What an amazing experience this has been so far, it is truly a miracle!

Tim is sooooooo excited, and can't wait until their first golf game together and the many Wolverine football games they are going to watch! I have already thought about what song we are going to dance to at his wedding! (Ok, maybe I am a little ahead of myself!) Lets just get through these 9 months huh!?!!

Half Way There!

I can't believe it, I am already half done with my pregnancy! I wish this pregnancy on everyone, it has been so easy! Other then the normal tired at the beginning, I have barely felt pregnant. The reminder is that growing belly, which is finally growing! Next week Thursday is the big day, and we are so excited to find out if that little one inside me is a boy or girl! Then the planning starts!

I am pretty sure I felt the baby move this week, for the past two nights, same time, about 9:00 pm, laying in bed, it is like she/he is doing summersults in there. Quick movements. Tim wanted to feel it, but unfortunately, I can barely feel it inside that I don't think he can feel it on the outside yet. Soon enough though! Every week, I just get more excited, I can't believe 20 more weeks and there will be a little baby here! We are so blessed!

19 weeks!

So this week was a little uneventful, I feel like I am getting bigger but by the looks of all these pictures I seem to look the same every week. huh? Anyway last weekend we had our nieces Jaelynn, who is 14 months and Alex who is 17 months, it was so fun!!! They are at the cutest age right now, there was some crying mostly because of our oversized dog who thought their toys were his toys. Which will be a whole new feat after the baby is born. They definately kept things interesting, we had a diaper party (Tim really wanted to join in but I convinced him to keep his pants on), we went to the park, and just watched them play. You really start to think what did we do before they were around! Alex and Jaelynn are complete opposites, Jaelynn the younger one looks after Alex and treats her like a little baby, already the mothering type! It was a lot of fun and we were sad to see them go. Watching Tim with the girls was so cute too, he is going to make a great dad! Almost one year ago, we got married, so much has happened in one year and we are very blessed. Happy Anniversary Tim!

As far as my pregnancy feeling good, gaining weight slowly, but it is happening, so that is good, my only complant, and I won't go into much detail one word, constipation. I will stop there, but it sucks! 2 weeks until we find out the sex, I am dying to know, baby better cooperate that day! Next week half way there!!!!

18 Weeks!

As of tomorrow, I will be 18 weeks along! Almost halfway there, crazy!!! This picture is from last weekend, because it is rare (since I work from home) that I am put together and actually have something other then PJ's on, so pictures tend to be few and far between. My belly seems to have grown more this week, so next week picture will even more significant!

Not much else has changed other then the fact that I now have invested in a scale so rather then obsessing monthly about how much weight I have or have not gained I can obsess daily. My appetite has actually increased significantly this last week, which is encouraging! I know who would have thought, that a girl would want to gain weight, well when it is not just me I am worried about anymore it does matter. I want to make sure that little baby in there is getting enough nutrients and everything else he or she needs to be a healthy happy baby. Already trying to make sure my baby has the best of everything!

We have visiting a few in home daycare people over the past two weeks and I think have made a decision, this really great, organized woman ( I actually think she may be more organized then me) so between Tim, Me and the new babysitter, I think our baby is going to be in good hands, when we are not there.

3 more weeks until we find out what we are having! I took a gender test which asks questions based on old wives tales about wether or not it will be a boy or girl and my results were 60% girl!

Now I am beginning to think it maybe a girl, not based solely on this test, but my total boy feeling is dimishing a little bit!

The "Basenji" baby, fact...or fiction....

Okay, so I am very over due on my updates so I am hoping to get many of my updates posted over the next couple of weeks. Mostly because once we find out the sex, I envision a multitude of new chapters to write about. Anyways, without further ado....

A wise man (my father) once told me the best dog to get was a Baseji because they are not physically capapble of barking. Unfortunately, we own the converse of the Basenji but that is another blog altogether. As I talk to many friends, associates, and any one with insight into child rearing I get mixed reaction as to the crying fator of a baby. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a baby that will never speak, just a baby that is absent of crying during the first few years.

Hopefully the Basenji "factor" will follow though the different stages of growth. After the baby gets old enough to talk and cry, a kid that doesn't whine. After that, a teenager that doesn't talk back. The Basenji child will help me extend my life expectancy and greatly improve my golf game by maximizing sleep and minimizing stress.

Plus, I have Gina who cries, whines and talks back so I think I am due a break for the next few decades. I know....my life is so tough. Its just that no one told me the results of marrying way out of your league. I picked a good time to over acheive!!

16 weeks!

Sorry this one has taken so long, I couldn't get my computer to copy the picture from my camera! We are good to go now though. So I had my 16 week appointment on Thursday. All is good the heartbeat was at 150 bpm, which is down from last month when it was at 170 bpm, it is totall normal though I hurried home to do my google research as as the fetus gets bigger the heartbeat drops a little. The nurse noticed that I have a little belly, which made me smile so we get into the room and she takes my blood pressure and then tells me to hop on the scale. I couldn't wait to see how much my little bumped weighed! To my surprise she says "you lost two pounds!" I was like "WHAT!" I was so excited about my little belly, and then I lost two pounds!
Tim soon comes in and I tell him the news! He jumps on the scale (which he does everytime) the nurse is gone by the way, and says "well we know where the two pounds went". So at least my husband is gaining the baby weight! The dcotor isn't concerned, I just need to start gaining by 20 weeks. That little one in there must be just eating up everything I put in my body!
So after my appointment I made a stop at McDonald's and got a double cheeseburger meal, I thought I deserved that!
These weeks are going so fast, and I am getting very excited. Next month we find out what we are having already! I have a feeling that it is a boy, but sometimes I called it a she. All my dreams are about boy babies and my mom thinks it is a boy! I just can't wait! We just really want it to be healthy and happy!

14 weeks!

Good Morning OR Afternoon depending on what time you look at the blog!!!

I am 14 weeks well actually I will be 15 weeks tomorrow. There will be no picture this week. I haven't changed much and my "bump" is actually just a muffin top over my pants, and it is not that cute yet! Don't get me wrong that little thing inside of me is all kinds of cute! Just not my body!!! Next week, I will be sure to post a picture!
Been feeling good, still tired, and energy wears out quickly! I had an excursion to the maternity department this week and it was not good! First of all the bra I had on was way too small, which is never good and I don't quite fit in anything maternity (although when I put on my cloths I feel like I should) So because in most of the cloths I put on in my closet don't quite look as flattering as they did maybe two months ago, I just went a bought one size up. I can't keep doing that so hopefully soon I "pop" and get just by some staple maternity items!
We are going camping this weekend for our annual camping trip in Baraboo. It should be fun, I am not sure I am going to last as long as I have in previous years, but we will see!
Hope you all enjoy my husband's posts as well. For the record, I do think he is witty and funny, just not at 2:30 in the morning when he is being NO help! And I am surprised on how much he remembered of that night, because I could have swore he was ASLEEP on the couch while I was tending to our dog!

Dad's Corner - Chapter 1 - Preview into the Future

About a week ago, to be exact, our mutant dog awoke at approximately 2:30am with issues. He was crying and licking the floor and taking in air at a rapid rate. This has happened in the past and usually it plays out like this: we give him gas-ex, he throws up then he farts and burps himself to sleep. Now, in this case, we decided to take him down to the family room so he could throw up on the laminate floors. I know what you're all thinking, this is my first test to get up in the middle of the night....I wasn't.

Gina gave the dog (Payton) his gas-ex and we were on our way. As exhausted as I was, I managed to make it down to the family room. Gina asked me if we should call the vet, I said "why" and she thought I was yelling at her. At that point I realized I was going to be best served as moral support on the couch. After Gina's phone call to the vet she made Payton some bland diet to help his stomach and I had my hand over my eyes mentally wishing Payton to feel better. Finally, at 3:45am, after petting the gas out of Payton from my spot on the couch we took him upstairs to bed.

When we got to bed Gina asked if he needed to go to the bathroom. After the night we had I said "no". Apparently she wasn't asking me, she was implying that I take him myself. Opps...missed the hint and closed my eyes. She was quickly back to bed (apparently he did have to go, how was I to know) and asked 'is this how you are going to be when we have kids?'. Before I answer, it is important to note this is not the first or last time I will hear this. Anyways, my answer is as follows: "Don't underestimate the power of moral support" then I fell asleep.

What we learned tonight is that I am not good at getting up in the middle of the night but I am witty all hours of the day. Unfortunately, witty doesn't impress Gina so I might set my alarm tonight for 3am to make a milk shake. I bet I'd wake up for that!!

Dad's Corner - Introduction

Good day all! I'm Tim Marco, the proud father of Baby Marco and husband of Gina. As an introduction to Dad's Corner, I will be posting editorial and opinion columns on key subjects during the pregnancy. Specifically, my trials, tribulations, and how the pregnancy has affected me.

Look, we all know it is all about Gina and the Baby. This is simply a means to bring the spotlight back to me (and Payton)...joking! Seriously though, I have no idea what I am doing and people have laughed at, and with, me my entire life. So I thought I could share some of my experiences with the people that surround me.

I will update Dad's Corner on an as needed basis. It may be daily, it may be weekly so make sure to check back often. If you miss any, you can review the archived posts.

Enjoy!!

13 weeks Pregnant!

Hey All!

So I am attempting this blog for all of you I don't see on a regular basis to watch me grow throughout my pregnancy. The pictures will hopefully be updated as I get bigger, or more importantly remember to take pictures for the blog. For those of you who don't know, I AM PREGNANT! We are due December 26th, and we found out in 6 weeks what we are having. We have had one ultrasound and heard the heartbeat! Both amazing experiences, which have truly made this experience more real. Feeling good at 13 weeks, have had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. Not much of an appetite at the beginning but that is slowly coming back. More energy, which is good as well! I feel like my belly is expanding and my wadrobe is definately feeling it!

We are very excited to meet baby Marco!!!!