Preggo Update: 30 weeks and counting...

Hokey Smokes- we are in week 30...that means only 10 more weeks until we are at the long awaited 40! At times I feel like I've been pregnant forever and at other times I want time to hurry up so we can meet our little BO. I am doing my best to enjoy this pre-baby time. I have gotten into the typical nesting phase lately. I love to organize so it's actually been pretty fun! The pregnancy book I read each week says to take lots of baths and naps so I figure I better heed that advice, and often :-) This Christmas break I've been hard at work on my next grad class. I'm trying to work ahead so that when BO comes I have a few weeks to take off from class.
Zach has been working on remodelling our garage into a working man cave so he can do house projects year round. He has been making awesome progress. (I'll post pictures when he's all finished.)
Below is the latest progress on Baby O's growth starting with the earliest pics.
Here I was at 14 weeks (I think that's right, I should have written it down).

17 weeks...

22 weeks... (Baby O definitely had a growth spurt!)

26 weeks...

28 weeks...

30 weeks...

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a wonderful, joyful Christmas celebrating the gift of our Savior!
We haven't gotten any snow over here so it didn't feel very Christmasy but it was still a very nice day. We had a pretty typical Sunday over here. Zach preached in the morning and the children's choir I lead sang in the service (which was so sweet). There's nothing like watching little 6 year olds belt out songs for Jesus. :-)
We spent the afternoon at a friends house. We enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner followed by playing Apples to Apples. We came home and were able to chat with some of our family and hear about their days which was fun. After night church we came home and opened our gifts (we each got the other a variety of our favorite candy). It was fun opening our candy gifts by the glow of the tree and enjoying a quiet evening together. We both were commenting on how this will be our last Christmas just the two of us...it's exciting to imagine that next year there will be three stockings hung on our mantel with care.
Sorry I don't have any pictures but I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. We love and miss you!

Pregger Update: 26 weeks...

It's hard to believe that we are at week 26 already. Time is just flying by and Baby O is getting bigger and bigger! Baby O is about 2 pounds right now and is roughly 14 inches long. I am noticing myself grunting a bit more when I try to get up off a chair or when I'm putting on socks. I'm feeling a lot of kicks and jabs lately which is so much fun. BO especially gets active after I eat. Zach and I will often just stare at my belly for a while after a meal to try and catch BO displaying his/her soccer skills for us.
Below is Baby O's progression so far.
Here I was at 14 weeks (I think that's right, I should have written it down).

17 weeks...

22 weeks... (Baby O definitely had a growth spurt!)

26 weeks...

Wowzers!

Cute Story: This week I was subbing in a first grade classroom. I noticed a little girl staring at my belly for quite a while. I could tell her wheels were spinning as she was trying to figure out why it is so big. Finally, she tapped me on the leg, looked up at me and said timidly, "Mrs. O, I think you're eating too much." I then explained that there is a baby in my belly. She seemed relieved and spent the rest of the day trying to put her ear on my belly and telling me she could hear the baby giggling. :-)

Give Thanks!

We have so many reasons to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy each day. I love Thanksgiving and spending time with family and friends and investing in the relationships we are so thankful for! We were able to be in GR for the Holiday and enjoyed a wonderful weekend visiting those we love. We spent Wednesday evening with Mom O and that side of the fam. On Thursday, after a wonderful service at Westend, we headed to Mom and Dad Mallekoote's house for a feast- look at that beauty of a bird (way to go Mom!)

Here we are about to partake in the wonderful feast. (We missed you Dave K and Hutts!)

After a delicious meal and some rest we all went for a walk to a playground to play with the kids.


Zach and Rachel swinging together.

We ended the evening by playing a marathon two game stretch of Go to the Head of the Class (my favorite!) with Mom and Dad- what a hoot!
The next day we spent with Dad, Tracy and family. We hung out, gave each other foot rubs, and did a little shopping. Zach and Hannah spent some quality brother sister time together shopping at Meijers.

For dinner we all went out for pizza. (Side Note: Anyone living in Grand Rapids looking for excellent pizza, I highly recommend Salvatores on Bridge Street.)

The weekend flew by and before we knew it we were on our way home. Thank you for a wonderful weekend. We are so thankful to have wonderful family and friends to spend this special Holiday with!

Mini Veins

In the last 5 months I've had to give a lot of blood for tests and such. I actually enjoy giving blood so I really don't mind. But today was a bit more challenging. The nurse had a terribly hard time getting the needle into my veins. We went through three different needles and tried five different spots before having success. She told me I have the smallest veins she's ever seen and that I was the hardest "vein patient" she ever had. After several tries and lots of prodding and poking, we were able to get my veins to cooperate and get enough blood for the tests. Here I am after the vein trauma. :-)

Preggo Update...22 weeks and growing!

Well, we are past the half-way mark...it's completely exciting and completely scary at the same time. Several of you have been asking to see some recent pics of my Baby O Bump so here it is!
Here I was at 14 weeks (I think that's right, I should have written it down).

17 weeks...


22 weeks... (Baby O definitely had a growth spurt!)

Wedding Whirlwind Weekend

I headed to GR for my cousin's wedding. I arrived a day early because I needed to register for Baby O at Babies R Us. Mom and I were looking for a parking spot and she found one right in the front. I thought she was parking in a handicapped spot so I said, "Mom we can't park here..." but then I read what the sign said. One of the perks of pregnancy! :-)

After spending all afternoon in baby mode while registering, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner together. We met up with my friend, Laura and her son Carter at Olive Garden. (We are the ladies in red!)

On Saturday I went to my cousin's wedding. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures...whoops! But is was great to see and catch up with cousins, uncles, and aunts that I don't get to see very often.
Sunday was a typical family day. All of the sisters and kids came over for the afternoon. It was very busy in that house; and a lot of fun. Certainly never a dull moment with the 8 grandkids running around. Here is a picture of Blake and me.

Sarah brought me several diapers to take home for Baby O. :-)

Jayne dressed up her boys in their Halloween costumes...they looked adorable. Blake is giving his brother, Bryson, a big hug.

Below is a picture of what dinner time is like (there are two more nephews in high chairs that didn't fit into the picture).

Monday I spent the day watching my sister Anne's kids with my mom. I walked Pieter and Sarah to two parks for some play time. Then we hung out at grandma's house together. Matthew and Rachel had fun playing on the swing-set.

Rachel loved the swings!

Pieter and Sarah had to show me their new toy...

In the evening we got to take the older two Trick or Treating around the neighborhood. It was so fun to watch them enjoy the festivities. Here is our rooster and princess with Grandpa before leaving.


What a fun, busy weekend that was. It flew by! It is always a treat spending time with family and friends.

The Lion King!

Mom and Aunt Linda came to Jarvis for a visit. The three of us headed to Buffalo, NY to see the Broadway production of The Lion King! It was AWESOME! Wow, what a great show. Here we are as we eagerly anticipate the start of the show.

We spent the next morning shopping around in Buffalo on an endless hunt for new shoes (which we never found) and then drove back to Jarvis. Zach joined us for dinner in Port Dover.


We spent out time relaxing, chatting and catching up. Before they left I had to take them to my new favorite breakfast restaurant, Coras. I just love going out for breakfast!

Sisters...

The visit ended much too quickly. We packed a lot of laughs and fun memories into a few days (especially at the border). Thanks so much for coming to visit! We had a great time and look forward to the next one!

A Westra Afternoon...

Anne, Dave, Pieter, Sarah, Matthew and Rachel came for a visit! It was wonderful to show them our home and spend an afternoon together. I realized before they arrived that we don't have any toys for the kids to play with, so I blew up some balloons...which were a hit!

Sarah and Pieter found our new bassinet for Baby O so they wanted to act like a baby too...until Dave told them that babies don't get to eat their chocolate egg for dessert.


We went for a long walk together around town. Anne had the twins in a stroller so the guys got to carry the big kids.

We ended up at a park and stopped to play. The kids had a hoot. Matthew loved the red tube.

Dave and Zach had a good talk while Anne and I played with the kids.

Matthew and Rachel much preferred climbing up the slide than sliding down.

Dave and Sarah found a teeter-totter- what fun!

Pieter wanted to spend his last few minutes playing by the big tires.

We came home and played until dinner time. Here I am reading Pieter and Sarah a story.

After some quick burgers it was already time for them to go. Thank you so much for coming and making the time to see us! We enjoyed our time with you so much...it warmed our hearts to spend time with the kids and have good heart to heart talks. Love you guys!

Mom and Leesh!

Mom O and Alicia came out for a quick weekend visit. It was great having them around and catching up. We spent Saturday shopping in Hamilton. We came home and made dinner together. Here, Leesh and I are hard at work peeling potatoes.


The weather was beautiful! We enjoyed sitting outside and talking in the evening. Zach and Leesh are decked out in their Tigers shirts. We watched the Michigan game and Tigers' game after dinner.

Mom, Leesh, and Zach before they had to load up and head out on Sunday.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Thanks so much for coming out guys. It was great to spend time together and we loved having you!