The Last Few Weeks...

These last few weeks have flown by! We have been trying to make the most of our last few weeks before the baby comes! Last weekend we took another trip into the city but instead of taking the train this time, we decided to drive. It is much faster! We went to dinner and visited the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) at night which was really cool. The city is beautiful at night and once again Troy was able to play around with the camera and get some great pictures. We included some below.

We also went to Kellogg's CIM Ball on Navy Pier a few weeks ago which was a semi formal ball for the students. The ballroom was gorgeous. I was probably not as dressed up as the rest of the ladies that night but I did manage to wear my 3 1/2" gold heels! I only made it until around 11:30 but not too bad at 34 weeks! They had a photo booth with colored pictures which was really fun. I tried to dance but dancing to club music while pregnant is definitely more challenging than you might think! All in all it was a fun night though!

Troy's school is still keeping him super busy but he's still loving it. He is almost at mid-terms which is crazy to think that the quarter is half way done! He is starting to go to company events that correlate with getting summer internships already. He's also playing flag football weekly and he joined the Tennis Club. I'm keeping myself pretty busy. I found an outlet mall that might become my new favorite destination! I also got the chance to go visit Amy up in Milwaukee on Tuesday this week. I drove up and we went shopping, went to dinner, volunteered at her church and just had some good sister bonding time! Her new place is super cute and she was kind enough to sleep on the couch and give the pregnant lady and all my pillows the queen bed all to myself!! I owe her!! :-) It's so nice having her this close after 8 years of living 5 or more hours away from each other!

Baby update: We finally met my doctor last week and really like him. He is really down to earth and you can tell he's been doing this for a long time and knows what he is talking about. He determined that our baby isn't going to be a big baby - which made me very excited!! I went back today for my 36 week appointment and he's estimating that our little guy is about 5 1/2 pounds right now. He still hasn't dropped fully yet so I think we still have a few more weeks. He continues to be extremely active. So much so that we decided to video tape it so when we tell him someday we can actually show him what he was like. I'd post the video but since we used his name a few times, we have to wait until he's here so we don't ruin the name surprise! :-) Last weekend we packed our bags for the hospital so we are ready when he is and can't wait!!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks...

103rd floor of the Willis Tower

Troy standing in the glass overhang where you can look straight down Troy looking straight down 103 floors...I couldn't do it!
Looking at the John Hancock Tower and the rest of downtown
Looking out North over the Lake Michigan and Indiana
CIM Ball
CIM Ball - Big Ice Sculpture

Photo Booth at CIM Ball

Weekend of Painting

My Mom, Dad and sister were able to come down for the day on Saturday to help us paint the baby's room. They were a great help! Troy and my Dad were able to get most of the baby's room taped and painted which was a huge help to Troy since I'm not a lot of help these days! :-) All in all, it turned out great! Now we just need to hang everything on the walls! My mom and sister were even kind enough to paint my toes for me (since that is pretty difficult for me too now). We were also able to enjoy the beautiful weather and of course, eat at Giordano's for pizza!

I went to the dr. last week and looks like all is well. Not much to report but it feels more real now that I am actually meeting the dr.'s that will deliver our child. Now I just need to remember to pre-register at the hospital and interview some pediatricians... The to-do list to get ready is never ending! The baby is still really active. Last night he literally moved around for 3 hours, took an 1 1/2 hour break and then was right back at it for another hour! He finally settled down around 11:45pm so his Momma could get some sleep!

Troy started a new round of classes today that he will have now until Christmas break. He really enjoyed them so far. I'm sure they will be a lot of work but he really loves learning...so this is the right place for him! I joined the Kellogg Kids Committee to keep me busy so now I will be helping plan events and activities for this group during the upcoming year. I'm so thankful this school has a place for the moms and kids!

Life is good...enjoy the pictures!

Eating Pizza...again...

The painting process...

The final product...

Our New Life in Evanston

We have been here 3 weeks now...and it's flown by! The first few days Troy and I spent some time together getting our new home all set, relaxing and we also took a trip into the city on the train. Although we are only 10 miles from downtown Chicago, it takes an hour to get there by train! We took an architecture boat ride tour on the river through the city while we were there and got to use our new camera to take pictures. Troy has been practicing with the camera so that when the baby comes he will be a pro! My sister also visited us during the first few weeks to keep me company while Troy was busy with school activities. It was really fun showing her Evanston and eating at our favorite pizza place.

Tomorrow I have my first doctor appointment since we've been here (32 weeks!). So far, the baby has stayed really active. My tummy is really moving and is visible for anyone watching. There are many times when Troy finds me laughing by myself because the baby is doing something amusing (like punching anything I rest on my belly). He has also really developed the hiccups lately. Usually about once a day I'll feel the rhythmic thumping for a few minutes. It's so crazy how real it all is now! We will be painting the baby room this weekend and after that is done, we will be 100% ready for the little guy to make his way into the world! We are so extremely excited to meet him!!

Below are some pictures we've taken over the last 3 weeks...

Baby booties...

Giordano's Pizza...yum!

Troy and me in Chicago

Friend Shower!

This past weekend my sister Amy along with my friends Darby and Andrea threw me a baby shower! It was super fun. We had my friends along with some of my mom's friends come. There was food, games, gifts and my Godmother Jody even gave a devotion and prayed for the baby! I loved it and was so thankful I got to see everyone one last time before we move this week. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life that love Troy and me and the little guy they have yet to meet!

Pooh Shower!

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law Sara threw me a baby shower with Troy's side of the family. It had a Pooh theme since she knew that I liked Pooh and it was so great! She was super creative with decorating and even made a tree to look like Pooh's house - super cute! Everything from the naming of the food to the gifts to the games centered around the theme. Very impressive! It was so fun and I really enjoyed spending time with the family before we move!

Evanston Move

Well, we made the move down to Evanston this past weekend! Both parents brought trailers and we spent all of Friday unloading and unpacking. Saturday there was more unpacking and decorating...we were all wiped out by the time we were done!
The grandparents all helped put together the baby's crib and decorated it. We were able to get a start on the baby's room although there is still a lot of work to be done on it! I put some pictures below. I will continue working on it once we are down there for good in September.

Overall, the place looks great though and feels like home...it's so nice to see our stuff again because it's been packed away since the beginning of April! Troy and I stayed until Sunday afternoon and made the drive back. Only 2 weeks and 2 days until we make the final move - kind of crazy how time flies!

Our living room

Our kitchenThe front entry hallThe denOur bedroomThe baby's crib!

The baby's room - unfinished...

The front of Kellogg's building where Troy will attend all his classes

Evanston, here we come!

Well...this week we will head down to Evanston, IL to move all of our stuff into our condo! Both sets of parents are kind enough to haul trailers behind their SUVs and then unload them and help us move it all in. I'm not much help...can't lift anything more than 20 pounds so I'm super thankful they are willing to help out! We will be down there through Sunday and then come back up so Troy can finish out a few more weeks of work before we head down on August 26th.

I have officially started the "nesting" process of being pregnant. The baby's clothes are all washed and organized so needless to say I can't wait to put the nursery together. Baby Willy is still really active - the doctor says that's usually indication of how the baby will be once he's born too. This past week I had to go in for the gestational diabetes 3 hour test. I failed the first one two weeks ago and barely passed this 3 hour test, but I'm so happy I did! I've also started having very slight Braxton Hicks contractions this week too. Apparently, anytime after 20 weeks they can start. They don't hurt at all but it's definitely a different feeling than anything I've felt before. The baby loves Troy's voice and seems to respond each time Troy talks to him, which has been really fun - he loves his Daddy already! :-)

After our move this weekend, I hope to update the blog with pictures of the condo and make sure to check back around 28 weeks...we have another ultrasound, so more pictures of the baby!