Another Letter To My Unborn Child

Dear Baby,


Hey there! I’m your “quiet” parent but don’t get used to it.  Once I get to know you a bit better, you will wonder if I will ever shut up. So, I understand your Mom and I will be seeing you in about 90 days. I hope that excites you as much as it excites us.

I wonder often what you will look like (hopefully your Mom) but more often wonder what you will be thinking once you enter this world? I’m sure it has to be a shock to your system when you enter the room we are all sitting, staring at you….will you cry?  Will you scream?  Or will you come out and bump fists with me?  Either way, don’t be worried about crying, screaming or being confused. We plan on guiding you thru life - you will be just fine.

Your arrival has put your Mom and I in a frenzy to get things done. We are in the process of cleaning out your closet. I made sure there were no “monsters” in there. We know you will be receiving a lot of gifts, clothes and toys - you need a place to put them.  We also joined a church this weekend, our faith is very important to us and we will explain more at another time….but they had some yummy chocolate chip bars there - I’m sure you will love them.

I could go on forever about our plans to be great parents and all the fun we intend on having with you upon your arrival but please just be patient. Stay in there until you are good and healthy - we would rather wait until you are ready.  Just know we are here and are expecting to be ready when you are!


Love,
Dad

PS - If you aren't busy tomorrow, I may need some help shoveling as we are expecting a blizzard.

A Letter To My Unborn Child

Dear Baby Ames,


So you and I have spent 26 weeks "together" as of today. It's crazy that we haven't met face to face yet I feel such a close connection to you. I look forward to our first encounter, it should be in about three months! Although I'm nervous of being a great mother, I'm hopeful that you will be patient with me as I'm learning the ropes. This will be our little journey we have together and quite the adventure it will be!


I want you to know that I am super thrilled to have you join our family. I am pleased that you will have an amazing father who is patient, kind and generous. I know you will look up to him while growing up as he will be a great role model to you. If I were you, seek advice from him, he is wiser beyond his years. And keep your ears open, he has some funny things to say along the way.


I hope you see me as a loving, nurturing and strong mother that is always there for you. I want you to know that no matter what mistakes you make in life, I will always love you. I anxiously await the day I  peek into your bedroom and and see your legs kicking in the air bc you are excited to see my face. Please know I'll be kicking inside with joy every second I spend with you.


You'll be relieved to know that you have a very protective "big brother" named Shakespeare. I know he'll make sure nothing harms you and will have one of his eyes and ears on you. He's a little ball of energy, I think the two of you will get along famously (I'm basing this off the kicks, turns and summersaults that I'm constantly feeling from you).


Things I look forward to throughout your childhood are family dinners where we discuss our days, getting a good night's kiss from you, school plays and recitals, masterpieces to hang on our fridge, bed time stories, taking you to Cubs games and hearing you call me mom.


I cannot thank you enough for all you've given to me already and I've yet to meet you. I can only imagine what gifts I'll get come May 2nd. Please get plenty of rest until then as I plan on sharing lots of hugs and kisses and an infinite amount of giggles together.


Love Always, 
Mom


PS: Your dad and I would like to apologize for the the loud screams, claps and hollers yesterday. We had a big game on the line - Bears vs Packers - the winning team was awarded a trip to the Superbowl. I am confident you'll understand one day! ;)

At The 25th Week While Sleepiness Starts to Speak

We've reached 25 Weeks as of today and Baby Ames is the size of an eggplant. He/she is starting to grow hair and lose "the lean look" by accumulating baby fat. If the baby is anything like his/her clumsy mother, it's best to have as much baby fat as possible as padding. 


I'm still feeling great but definitely starting to feel more tired than usual. It doesn't take much for me to be sleepy and lethargic. I guess that's what naps and earlier bedtimes are for, right? Might as well enjoy the sleep now bc I'm certain come May, I won't really remember what sleep felt like!


This past weekend Kurt and I spent time in Iowa. He had a boys' weekend and got to visit with friends! I think he had a great time catching up with his pals! I spent some quality time with my parents. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend! We had a board game marathon and enjoyed piles of freshly baked cookies made by my dad. Life is good!


This weekend we are planning on purchasing the crib, dresser, rocker and other pieces for the nursery! Baby Ames' room gets painted next Tuesday and then we'll be putting the room together! I'm very anxious for next week. I cannot wait to get things put together as I'm already noticing my energy levels decreasing rapidly. We better do it now before I turn into Rip Van Winkle.


Another highlight of this month is Kurt and I are becoming members of the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in our neighborhood. We are looking forward to becoming a more established part of our community. Our orientation is January 30th! Should be a great way to end the month.


Overall, everything seems to be moving in the direction as we have planned! I did the math today - Just 105 days until Baby Ames joins us in the world. We cannot wait to meet this little mover and shaker!!


Hope you all get to do a little moving and shaking and we look forward to more correspondence next week!


Love,
Tonya + Kurt

Might As Well Face It I'm Addicted to Pancakes

There is nothing more satisfying than a stack of pancakes fresh off the griddle with melted butter and warm gooey syrup to start my day. I cannot get flapjacks out of my mind - I'm officially addicted. I've shaken the craving here and there but really why fight it, right? Isn't life too short? 


We're at 24 Weeks and Baby Ames is the length of an ear of corn. How fitting as Kurt and I are both from Iowa? We've grown up with corn fields and all things corn! The baby now weighs a little over a pound and is starting to fill out. While he/she is filing out, he/she is moving around quite a bit. Kurt felt the baby kick last week and this weekend he saw my stomach moving from this baby's strong limbs. I am excited for the day to see an actual foot slide across me soon! 


Aside from my pancake addiction, I cannot get enough bubble baths this winter. I love coming home from a cold commute and sliding into a tub full of bubbles and a great book! I have to say, ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've really begun to master appreciating the little things in life. 


This weekend our dear little ear of corn will accompany us to Iowa. Kurt has a boys weekend planned in Des Moines and I plan on spending some time with my parents. It should be a very relaxing weekend. I think it's safe to say both Kurt and I look forward to a few days away from work as we've both been so busy!


They say time quickly passes by the busier you stay. It's amazing that we're 6 months pregnant! I'll be hitting my third trimester in just a few short weeks!! Wow!!


Hope you all have a fantastically yummy week filled with all the goodies you crave. I know I'll be enjoying my love for pancakes here in the next couple days as we've been apart since Saturday. 


Lots of Love,
Tonya + Kurt

Weeee! We're at Week 23!

So we've hit the 23rd week and still feeling great! We've rang in the new year and are now embarking upon the year that our little nugget will be joining us in this world. I know I say this a lot and Kurt has mentioned it but we do not take any of this time for granted. We truly are witnessing a miracle and feel so blessed that we have a baby on the way.


According to the baby websites our baby is the size of a papaya. A couple things in the posting made me chuckle, the first is that this week the baby is growing nipples. I don't know why that made me laugh out loud but it did. I guess I'm just picturing these little nipples growing or something? I'm assuming they will be the cutest nipples on the planet soon enough. 


The second part was that the baby can now feel my movements. So they recommend dancing! I'm stoked bc I love to dance and sing to Kurt, now I have even more of a reason to put on the Broadway show of my life while he's relaxing after work! 


So this month we start "Project Nursery." I'm super anxious to get things in order for the baby's arrival. I've purchased most of the accessories and the wall art. Just waiting on my husband to take me baby furniture shopping! First things first, we need to clear out all the furniture in the guest bedroom. I'm thinking we'll have to bribe one of our friends over for beer and pizza to help with the clear out.


Life really couldn't be better. I've already taken a relaxing bath, read part of a great book, now I'm sitting next to my puppy thinking about the cupcake and tea I'm about enjoy. Wow, I feel so lucky to have this life! 


We hope your week is filled with the little things that make you happy too! 
As Kurt would say, "Peace, love and chicken grease."


Love you all,
Tonya + Kurt