20 weeks - It's a boy!!!

This has been a big week. Last Wednesday we went for my detailed ultrasound....it was so cool! The baby is moving around a lot and really developing quickly. We got a good report from the doctor. All of the important parts are intact - the lip and palate look very good, we could even see the baby swallow at one point, there are four chambers to the heart and they are all working appropriately, and there are 10 fingers and 10 toes. She said that our baby "is very photogenic"! She probably says that to everyone. During the ultrasound we told them that we wanted to wait to find out the sex. We asked her to write it down and put it in an envelope so that we could open it at a special dinner. Well, she did one step better. She took a picture of the baby's private parts with an arrow pointing at it (thank God or we would have never figured it out) and labeled it with the sex.

We went to dinner on Friday night and were both so excited we almost opened the envelope in the car on the way there. Once we arrived at dinner, I was so hungry I was about to pass out, so we got some bread and proceeded with the big event. Todd suggested that I open the envelope.....I wasn't sure what to think, but I thought the ultrasound tech has almost slipped and that it may be a boy. So............I opened the envelope and 'It's a boy'!! Todd said that he could tell immediately by my face. He was so excited (and relieved:))!! He got his wish!

Not only were we excited but the girl at the table next to us noticed our ultrasound picture and said congrats! She and her husband were visiting San Francisco from Chicago and have three kids at home. Then the table on the other side chimed in, they have a 6 week old baby at home and this was their first dinner out since the baby. So, that made it even more fun.

Before we ate dinner Todd called his mom, who was waiting up on the east coast for the announcement and I was texting a bunch of others:) It was a great night and the food was good too! (Todd is going to scan the picture of the evidence of the baby boy tomorrow - so I will attach it at a later date for you all to see)

Saturday and Sunday we, with the Murph in tow, headed off to the new house. We were armed with cleaning products, water, and snacks. We also brought over some of the breakables to avoid having to pack them really well for the movers. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun! Saturday was so hot that I actually got to begin yard work by going around watering all of the plants. I am sure that was just a taste of what is to come. Murphy loves the new yard and had a great time exploring. He was even introduced to a wild turkey in our backyard on Sunday....he did not know what to do! It did not deter him from continued exploration. We are so excited for the big move this weekend....it is still hard to believe that we are homeowners. How exciting!!!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have begun feeling more kicking and baby movement. On Saturday morning I got couple of kicks and then had Todd try to feel. The baby gave a strong kick and Todd could feel it!! It was so cool....but I think it freaked him out a little bit! While he was excited and happy, I not sure he knew what to do! It was pretty cute:) Today, I was feeling kicks throughout the day at work. It is so cool to feel the baby moving around in there! What an amazing feeling. I am so glad that Todd got to feel it too!

We made it home.....

So, after a great week of traveling we are officially back to reality. We are closing on our new house on Thursday and are really excited! We are also going for an ultrasound tomorrow and are even more excited!!! We will get to find out the sex of the baby (if it cooperates). Todd heard about this idea from a friend and the plan is to have the doctor write the sex on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope. Then we will go out for a special dinner and open the envelope. It is a slow form of torture to have to wait, but it should be really fun!! (My husband has great ideas:)) Todd is banking on a boy.

Now, for a recap of our week of travel. We arrived in Philadelphia early on the 13th and awaited the arrival of other family members. My friend Alexis stopped over with her daughter, Sam and we got to hang out for a little while. It is amazing how big Sam is getting! Can't wait to see all her new skills when they visit SF in October! Soon after, we were off to Bethlehem, PA, the home of LeHigh University, for Brian and Erica's wedding. What a weekend. It was so much fun!! And exhausting....I realized, again, that I do not have as much energy as I did before being pregnant. I guess that is normal:) My body is working overtime. On that note, I think I felt the baby move on the Sunday after the wedding. I was sitting on the couch and felt was seemed like a little flick from the inside. I haven't felt much since then but the baby is getting bigger and stronger, so I am hoping to feel more soon!

There are some really fun memories from the weekend. It also brought back many memories from our wedding that we just over three years ago! I have to say, I feel so blessed to have married into such a great family.

Back to the wedding weekend....Todd made a slide show pictorial of Brian and Erica that was played at the rehearsal dinner. He worked really hard on this and it was great to see how excited he was to share this with everyone, especially Brian and Erica. Friends and family really seemed to enjoy it, there were laughs at the appropriate time, a few tears, etc....Erica's face was priceless when the first picture came up.


The wedding was August 15th...a nice, hot day! The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was so much fun! The band was awesome! Everyone danced all night (especially Todd - more on that later). Brian and Erica were so happy and make an perfect couple. Congratulations guys! Hope you have a great time in Hawaii!!

The Schneider Fam!

My dress fit:)

As Todd says, "my brother only gets married once"! We all had a lot of fun, but Todd was having fun for two. He got out and danced....ALL NIGHT! He was jumping up and down and attempting to recreate Mark's (Kristi's boyfriend) version of the 'shower'. This is one of my favorite pics of the fun....


I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I had been drinking all weekend or that I was run over by a train. I couldn't even carry my bag to the car (thanks Uncle Scott for your assistance)....We made it back to Malvern on Sunday afternoon with just enough time to watch Bri and Erica open some gifts and head home to prepare for their honeymoon. Todd and I spent a couple more days at the Schneider's recovering from the wedding and hanging out with the fam. We also made a trip to the city to meet up with friends! It was so great to see everyone. I feel so lucky to have such great friends!! Love you guys!!!


After our time in Philly, we flew into Chicago to visit my family in Rockford. It was so great to see everyone...Tony couldn't make it, but his fiance Amy was able to make the trip from Tennessee. It was great to see her and spend some quality time. We got to talk about their wedding next year and she joined my sister, mom, and I to begin the baby registry. Who knew that you needed so many things for such a little baby.

We also were able to celebrate my Aunt Nean and Uncle Mike's birthday, my mom and dad planned a little get together of family and friends so that we could see everyone in one place, we made a trip into Chicago and had a delicious lunch and walked around Navy Pier and then had a nice dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Rockford - Lino's. Another highlight of the weekend was getting to spend some time with my sister's boyfriend, Matt. I had only met him one time over Thanksgiving last year, so it was nice to get to hang out and hear what is going on with him.

Amy, Todd, and I at Navy Pier

The Marx's at Lino's

Thanks everyone for making our trip so much fun!!! Love you all!

As I mentioned earlier, we have a busy week ahead of us with the house closing, packing, and all of the joys that go along with moving. But most importantly we have some big baby news coming up! I will be sure to keep you all posted on the new developments!

heading out of town

So, we are headed out of town tonight on the red eye to Philadelphia and the to visit my family in Illinois. Todd's brother, Brian, is getting married this weekend. We are very excited for their big day and to have Erica as an official part of the family.

It has been an experience preparing for the wedding. Todd and I are both in the bridal party.....so yes, you guessed it! I have to fit my growing belly into a bridesmaids dress. Thank God Erica picked a figure flattering dress for all shapes. Since ordering the dress, when I did not know I was going to be pregnant, I have grown 5 inches in my belly among adding untold inches in the chest and hips! Who knew that their body could change so much in this amount of time. It was a reality check! I am also grateful for a good seamstress. The Chinese woman that did all the alterations (who was very cute) told me ' wow! you getting big'! I had to order some extra fabric and the woman did a great job making the additional inches appear as though they are supposed to be there....

I will post pictures from the wedding and you can all check out the bridesmaids dress masterpiece! And see the beautiful bride and groom! Stay tuned....