21 Weeks

Well last week we reached the halfway point in pregnancy. I can't believe how quickly things are flying by. It seems like every week there is something new to think about and learn about how our baby is developing. I'm amazed at how God grows these tiny little people. I am really excited about Christmas this year and can't help but think ahead to having Christmas with a baby next year. But then I get overwhelmed with all that has to be done to prepare for a baby to arrive in our house so I decide to just enjoy the stage I'm in now:)

Time for the FAQ section...

1. Have you decided on a name?

We feel very emotionally attached to the name Grace . The middle name that we are strongly leaning towards is Elizabeth but I'm not sure that we've made a final decision on that yet. I feel pretty confident we'll sitck with Grace as we've been calling my stomach that for at least a week now. So feel free to call my belly Grace. We love the meaning of the word grace - unmerited favor and love of God.

2. Have you had any new or weird pregnancy symptoms?

Not really. I still get sick some mornings and feel ok the rest of the time. I'm just convinced I will get sick in the mornings off and on throughout the whole pregnancy. O well. I've also had a little bit of heartburn which is annoying but nothing compared to how I felt before.

3. Have you registered yet?

I'm feeling at a loss regarding this topic. We are planning on registering because we know that it is helpful for people who want to buy us gifts. And we really really appreciate that people want to do that for us. But I just don't know where to start. I checked out a book from the library called Baby Bargains and have talked with a couple people who have recently gone through the process but it is confusing. Most of the time I think stuff is uneccessary but that's because I don't have a baby right now and it would be silly to have a high chair for Matt or me. I have to wrap my brain around what I need for a baby. If you have any suggestions as to what NOT to register for let me know. I just don't want excess junk around my house.

Stack The Memory

Welcome to my world.

Cost of Living

If you're interested in moving or you just are curious how much you'd need to make in your current profession in another town to maintain your current standard of living check out this website...

http://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator

It's kind of fun to see the differences in cost of living in different cities around the country.

Thank You IDOT

After the gloomy day with not so favorable driving conditions yesterday I was thrilled to drive to school on clear roads this morning. I just want to say thank you to the Illinois Department of Transportation for working hard to clean my roads. What a great use of tax dollars.

My favorite website during the winter is IDOT - Winter Road Conditions. It is a great source concerning the state of county roads and interstates.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a shot of both of our bellies after eating for 2 days straight. I'm not sure who looks more pregnant:) We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

In baby news, now that we know we're having a girl I've been thinking a little bit more about the baby's room. I was pretty sure that we're going with neutral stuff anyway but my nesting instinct is starting to kick in and I started looking this week. Anyway, I found this great set that I like at Target (pictured below) and have been thinking about for a couple days.


This is the office/den that will become the baby's room. Hmmm...this might take a little work because all the stuff in the room need to find a new home in our 2 bedroom house. We are going to keep the couch in there but I will be doing a lot of cleaning and purging of stuff over Christmas break.

Bring on the Pink!

We are having a GIRL!!!! This morning we had our sonogram appointment to check up on things with the baby and hopefully find out what we are having. Well our baby showed off her private parts well. We are thrilled that the baby is looking healthy and cute in utero and excited to start planning for a girl. The funniest part of the whole thing is she was very very active during the appointment and we even had to get a second sonographer in the room to look at her heart because she wasn't cooperating. They kept telling us we have an onery baby. Ha ha, I guess it serves us right. But it does convince me even more the movements I've been feeling in my tummy were the baby for the last couple of weeks. Here is a picture of the girl parts...

Now it's time to start thinking of a name. We'll keep you posted and once we decide what the name is we'll share it. It would mean a lot for us to have friends and family praying for our baby girl by name.

Top 5 reasons to have a girl....

1. Maybe just maybe our little girl won't be forced know all the names of every Wisconsin sports star before she turns 5.

2. Girls smell better than boys.

3. Bows, dresses, ribbons, frills, etc...

4. Girls are super cute.

5. Pigtails.

Pennyrile Exclusive Interview with Matt

A lot of recent activity on Pennyrile has been devoted to catching up with Anne and her anecdotes and pregnancy happenings. Well, many readers have asked for information on the whereabouts and events related to the life of Matt. So we now have an exclusive interview that took place recently with Matt. Here is the full transcript of the interview:

PENNYRILE: Matt, how are you doing? We haven't heard much about you in the blog world.
Matt: Oh, I am actually doing great. I've been having a great fall season, really enjoying apple cider, the leaves changing, and my wife getting fatter.
PENNYRILE: Yeah, about your wife...any thoughts about how the blog seems to revolve around her?
Matt: I'm glad you asked. There's some speculation going around the World Wide Web that I have resentment for my wife or feel some hostility towards her. That's not true. That is absolutely not true and I want these rumors to stop now. I expect more from your journalistic abilities than to allow this nonsense to be spread about.
PENNYRILE: OK, let's move on from that subject. What has been going on at your job?
Matt: Well, I've been writing some code. Then I compile the code. Then I run the code to test that it works. Then the code gets released. That's about it. Also, I have been considering bringing slippers to wear at work.
PENNYRILE: We've heard that you have recently acquired a new pair of slippers. Can you give us any details?
Matt: First of all, let me say that I love slippers. I mean, I LOVE them. I wear them all the time and I recently wore a hole in my old pair. So on a trip to Kentucky, Anne and I were at an Outlet Mall in Indiana and I saw a pair of amazing slippers at the Bass Outlet store. So I bought them and I am falling in love with my new pair.
PENNYRILE: Any comments on the sports world?
Matt: Yes, I have lots of them. First of all, the Packers absolutely destroyed the Bears last week. Make sure you write this down....the Packers KILLED the Bears. It was awesome. Also, college football is stupid because they decide their championship game by computers and human votes rather than using a playoff system. Finally, the NBA is better than college basketball. Done.
PENNYRILE: Christmas is coming up...any thing you're asking Santa Claus for?
Matt: For the record, I do not believe in Santa Claus. But I do have an Amazon wish list that contains various books, DVDs, CDs, and even a computer game. Only one more question please, I have to go back to checking on my Fantasy Football team.
PENNYRILE: Sure, of course, Matt. And again, we thank you for your time. OK, any clues you can give us on possible baby names?
Matt: Yeah, I can give you the scoop. For a boy, we're leaning towards Frodo and for a girl, we're thinking of Anne Jr.