28 weeks!

Yesterday marked the entrance into the 3rd trimester and we're in the home stretch! The baby has been growing a lot lately and moves constantly. We're getting anxious to meet our little peanut!

Eigsti gang

The Eigsti clan bid fond farewell to a well-loved couch, "good ol' green". Mom and Dad Eigsti had the couch for numerous years and the time had come to say goodbye. We all had one last cozy sit on the couch while Dad gave us a scenic driving tour of the Eigsti estate in the old red truck.

Kayla loved riding in Grandpa's truck!
Thanksgiving/"Christmas" day family time
Micah and Ethan wore matching sweaters - too cute! If we have a boy, you can bet father and son will be matching next Christmas! :)
We did our gift exchange at Thanksgiving this year, since we won't be together at Christmas. Check out the cute hat Cherise got for Ethan!

We miss you all already!

The Many Faces of Chad

Our nephew Andrew, 3 1/2, is very into taking pictures lately. Chad kept him entertained for a long time one afternoon by letting Andrew take pictures of his silly faces. Andrew giggled and giggled and after every picture said, "Make more funny faces!". These pictures make me giggle, too. I love this guy! He's going to be such a great dad!

Baby Showers!

While we were home, we were blessed with two baby showers! My sister Tanya had one at her house with our families and a few friends. Our home church, Maranatha, also very thoughtfully had a shower for us! We were so grateful and had fun at both! We also got some great parenting tips from both showers - from dads and moms! :)

shower at Tanya's houseme and my mom
me and Tanya
My friend Dana is also pregnant (due April 28), so here we are showing off our baby bumps!

Maranatha baby shower

Mischievious Boys

While we were at the wedding, this little ornery boy named Andrew discovered that we had a suitcase full of wrapped Christmas presents...and proceeded to open all of them! His parents soon realized he was being too quiet and found him in the guest room where Chad and I were staying sitting amidst wrapping paper and fun presents! He immediately knew he was guilty and was sent to timeout. After timeout, we went to his playroom and pretended to call Chad and I to apologize. Tanya got a video of it. "I so sorry Uncle Chad and Aunt Sondra. I didn't know. It was an accident." Ha ha! How can you be mad at that!?!The aftermath
Part Two:
Tanya and Keith re-wrapped all of the presents for us, and a few days later, we decided to let Andrew and Jonathan open their presents early since we won't get to see them at Christmas. Andrew did not forget the Curious George book he opened the first time around and couldn't wait to open it again! :)
That Jonathan is so stinkin' cute! Andrew and I had a heart to heart about this baby inside my tummy. He was very concerned that it was too dark in there and that the baby couldn't see. He also really wanted to see the baby and lifted my shirt only to be disappointed by a belly and no baby! He asked what the baby's name was, so I asked him what we should name Baby. He said, "oh, the Peanut in the Fuzz." He remembered that's what he called it back in July when he saw our 7 week ultrasound picture! This kid amazes me! A few days later, completely unprompted, he came up to me and hugged my tummy and said, "Oh I love your precious baby!". He then tried to look in my mouth to see if he could see the baby from there. Ha!

Bekah & Ben's wedding

Chad and I were in Kansas the last week of November for a myriad of fun events! Baby showers, Thanksgiving with both of our families, a little bit of Christmas, and our friend Bekah's wedding! She had a beautiful fall-themed wedding and we are so happy for them!

24 weeks and growing!

Last Saturday marked 24 weeks! The baby is kicking and growing these days. Here's a little glimpse of the growth:

It's hard to tell from the picture, but I promise there is a plump, round, baby belly! I feel big already, but I'm sure in February, this will seem like nothing! I'll definitely need the Turkey pants for this Thanksgiving though...

Gymnastic Extravaganza

So, is anyone else out there as obsessed with USA gymnastics during the Olympics like I am? Every 4 years I am glued to the TV, holding my breath while my favorite competitors are performing and hoping they don't fall off that crazy balance beam. I know, I'm a dork. But the 2008 Olympics was no different, and it came at a really good time for me because I was stuck on the couch with horrible morning sickness, so at least it gave me an interesting way to pass the time. :) I was totally into Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin this go around. 4 years ago, it was Paul Hamm and his twin brother Morgan, and before that, it was Shannon Miller, Kerri Strug, and Dominique Dawes.

So why is this important? Well, these gymnastic superstars (minus Strug and Dawes) were in Cleveland last week performing and Chad and I were able to go watch! (Thank you Dana for the tickets!!!) It was pretty amazing to see live performances from the Olympic champions I have been so enthralled with over the years! And it was just as impressive in person! Needless to say, it was the highlight of my week.

Nastia Liukin

Shawn Johnson
Videos below are of the Hamm brothers, Shawn Johnson, and Nastia Liukin.

Random Every Day Fun Stuff

So I have this client who I've been seeing for a while now. He is argueably one of the cutest kids ever. We'll call him "Little J". He just turned 5 and he's working on your basic articulation/speech sounds. He's smart and quick-witted and a total crack up. I really enjoy him because he's a breath of fresh air in the middle of a caseload of more difficult children. He keeps me on my toes. Every now and again he comes in for speech therapy and doesn't feel like participating. Here are my top 5 favorite excuses he's given me for why he can't practice his words:
1. I can't say my words today...my back is sweaty.
2. I can't say my words today...they made my throat hurt.
3. I can't hear you...I swallowed my listening ears.
4. I can't say my words today...they just make my head hurt and maybe I should lay down.
And my most recent favorite:
5. I can't say my /r/ words...they will make your baby excited and he will kick you. Is he crying right now?

Chicago Marathon

Last weekend, Chad and I met his sisters, Shanna and Cherise, and Shanna's husband Micah in Chicago. Shanna was there to run the Chicago marathon and we were her cheer squad! In case you didn't know how long a marathon actually is...try to wrap your mind around running 26.2 miles!!! Shanna did it and we are all so proud of her!

On Saturday we went to the expo where Shanna received her running number and packet. (Pictured above are Shanna and Micah.) The race was on Sunday.

Sibling shot!
Enjoying Lake Michigan
Shanna and Micah post-race. Doesn't she look great for just running 26.2 miles?!?
Chad and Micah both ran with Shanna at different parts of the race to encourage her to keep going. Both of them planned on doing about 3 miles each with her, but Chad ended up running 6 miles and Micah ran 8!
After the race, we were walking back to the hotel and stopped to enjoy the Chicago Bean. Above is Cherise and me.

Me showing off my 20 week-old "little bean" in front of the Bean! :)

19 week ultrasound

Today we had our 19 week ultrasound. Last night, in anticipation, I had a dream that the ultrasound revealed that our baby was actually a pink little pig...literally. As ridiculous as that sounds, the dream seemed so real, and I woke up in a panic. Crazy pregnancy dreams!!! Fortunately, today the ultrasound revealed that our baby is in fact, of the human variety. What a relief! Ha! :) Everything looked fine from what the technician said. The baby was squirming everywhere and the tech said she was chasing it! :) Baby's heartrate was 158 today, and we were able to resist the urge to learn the gender, so it will definitely be a surprise for all! She said the baby weighs about 9 oz, and today the due date she got was Feb. 26, which is only 2 days off from the Feb. 28 due date they got from my 6 1/2 week ultrasound. We could see Baby's mouth opening and closing - already a talker! :) And we counted 5 toes on each foot and 2 waving hands! It really was amazing to see this little life inside of me! Looks perfect, don't you think?
Mouth open - talking baby!!!

Look Mom, 5 toes!

Clam Bake

Our friends, Mike and Jen, have graciously invited us to a number of their family events, the most recent being Jen's families' annual clam bake. We Kansans had never heard of such a thing, but were excited to try it out! It was a major feast- steak, chicken, crab legs, clams, etc. Chad and I tasted our first clams, and I learned how to crack crab legs to get the meat out. So it was both educational and delicious! We had a fun time - thanks Mike and Jen for inviting us!Cookin' crab legs
Mike and Jen's dad, "Mr. P"...our fearless cooks
What a feast!
He don't take no "crab" from anybody. ha ha ha ha

Mike and Jen's daughter, Addison - the real star of the show! :) What a cutie!