Guessing Game

32 weeks!!! As we are now approx. 8 weeks away from Baby Time, it seems to be a good time to start collecting your guesses on the gender/size/date of birth/hair-bald/whatever you want to guess. Unfortunately for me, my mothering/women's intuition has not seemed to kicked in, so I have no inclination one way or the other...boy, girl....your guess is as good as mine, so I may as well see what you all think. Chad thought he knew for a while, but now seems as unsure as I am. Anyway, please leave your guess under the comments and be sure to sign your name. Secret blog stalkers (you know you're out there :) are welcome to guess as well. Feel free to document (along with your guess) any supporting data for why you are guessing what you are guessing (i.e., heartbeat, family history, the way I'm carrying, whatever floats your boat). The winner will receive the gratification of being the winner (lame I know), unless I can think of an interesting prize by the time the baby comes. Really, this is all to amuse me and help pass the 8 grueling weeks to the finish line. Happy guessing!

As a refresher - Baby's heartbeat has been in the 150's until my last couple of visits and dropped into the 140's. Baby is pretty active, especially in the evening. I haven't had too much heartburn - only on occasion. What else? I had horrible morning sickness the first 14 weeks, and after that it's been smooth sailing. No food cravings, or really any other major changes other than I am carrying around a basketball in front. Good luck!

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?