Friday, December 28, 2007

36 weeks

We are down to the last month!

Not much news here. Joshua continues to grow. We had an appt. on Wednesday and at first he didn't appear to be head down, so they did an ultra sound and he is head down but it is to the side. Our ob said that it should just take some contractions for him to drop. So no worries and it was a nice little bonus to get to have an extra ultra sound. He looks all smooshed in there :)

I am doing pretty well. I've actually had a hard headache week but we're doing fine.

Ryan, Joshua and I have had a wonderful christmas. Joshua got some very cute stuff, Ryan got some fun new toys, and I got some new cookbooks (my favorite) and some GC's and money to tuck away after Joshua is born to get some new things. Thanks everyone for such a great christmas!

I'm hoping to get that burst of nesting energy to finish up all the little details of Joshua's room, and have everything organized :)

I hope you are all doing well.

love,
missy

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Baby stuff

So we are mostly ready!

Joshua's quilt is done, his closet is full of clothes, we got our cute bouncy seat from our friend Nicole for Christmas. I will plan on posting more pictures of his nursery and our prepared house after Christmas when all the little details are put into place - so you can see the finished project.

His little closet. We also have 2 basket bins full of onesies, containers of socks, shoes/booties, hats, etc. I think he has enough to wear :) so cute.


Joshua is so much a part of our family in every way. I found this little stocking at Hallmark and couldn't resist.

Thanks Nicole for our bouncy seat!


His finished quilt. I made curtains to match as well.

Christmas party

At the Intervarsity Christmas party this year the theme was ugly Christmas sweaters. Below is who I would consider the winner! He didn't have one, well for that matter, no guys had one on, except for this handmade beauty I put together at the last minute.

This is our good friend Becky, leader of Intervarsity, the campus ministry we are a part of. Her sweater was pointed out to have typical MI snowmen. (if you look closely there are splotches of dirty snow in each snowman) -- unfortunately, we didn't stick around long enough to see who the winner was, but I would say Ryan would have been a contender:)


More fun shower pictures...

Joshua's shower with Ryan's Dad and Dawn! So many cute little details. I have regular camera film that needs to be developed from this one, so that won't come for a bit. :)

My girl's group threw us a shower too! We have definitely been showered with love, friends and family! All of the showers and gifts everyone sent have given us everything we need and more. Thanks!


Just some of the great friends who came - it was fun to have so many people there that we have gotten to know and love in the last year!


Fun shower pictures

Ryan's mom's shower for us! It was wonderful to have so many people I love and don't get to see as often there.

My dear friend Laura and I.


Thanks!


Decorations at the Dickson shower! A beautiful fall theme.


Thanks for the wonderful showers! I definitely felt spoiled and loved to know how excited everyone is to meet our little boy :)

Merry Christmas


34 weeks! Thanks Aimee for the cute sweater!


Friday, December 21, 2007

35 weeks!

Merry Christmas

I hope you are all doing well, have your shopping done, and are enjoying time with family and friends. We are enjoying not traveling for the first time in many years. I'm very thankful to not be traveling right now as Joshua is growing and making me somewhat uncomfortable. It is hard to believe that soon we will be meeting our little boy.

We have now started our weekly appts and I am happy to report that at our doctor's appt. this week Joshua was head down! We were able to feel where his head is - it was one of those "real" moments again as his head is now a normal newborn size :)

Joshua's room is now almost completed. There are a few finishing touches (mostly hanging things up and organizing a bit more) but it has turned out great. All his clothes are hanging up in his closet freshly washed and ready to go. This week I set up his little area downstairs as well - that too just needs to be bit more organized. We are feeling pretty ready - or at least as ready as you can ever be :) There are plenty of projects around the house to keep me busy after Christmas until he comes so we will just wait and see what God's perfect timing is for our little boy to come.

I have a bunch of fun pictures to post - nursery, christmas picture, my belly, showers, etc. I'm planning on working on those soon.

Love to all of you!
missy

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

33 weeks and 4 days!

Today Ryan gives his final exam and then after grading his classes will be finished for this semester. He will then be focusing on research and preparing for his next semester classes. We are both hoping that these few weeks will be a time for him to get ahead :)

This past weekend my family came to stay with us for the weekend for the Dickson Family Christmas celebration. There were 14 of us, with 9 adults and 5 kids in the house it was a busy but fun weekend. We had a christmas tree decorating contest, fondue night, and celebrated my dad's birthday as well as a big christmas day celebration with presents and a big meal. They left on Sunday and thankfully did not get stuck in any bad weather.

The next few weeks for us is filled with doctor's appts, christmas visitors, and the last touch ups in Joshua's room. Probably some christmas baking in there and a bit of shopping left to do.

Also, we are enjoying getting all the fun christmas cards and pictures. This year you will be getting a card from us as well but we are going to do a birth announcement/new years update letter when Joshua comes :)

Joshua is continuing to grow as am I. My doctor said last week that I am right on track and am doing well. So that was encouraging to hear. We have one more appt. next week and then we start going weekly and begin the joy of physical exams each time. I'm still not excited to go through labor but am getting more and more excited to hold my little boy. I actually can't think too much about holding Joshua or I get all weepy -- hmmm... a little hormonal perhaps?

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the holidays!

Friday, November 30, 2007

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

A Happy Thanksgiving

We are home from Seattle and MI and really enjoyed our trips. Next time we venture anywhere there will be three of us! I imagine it will be much different :)

Seattle was great. We were able to visit the ocean shore, Mt. Rainier, had fun downtown shopping and sightseeing, and enjoyed some great restaurants. We were able to see Michael, Ryan's brother who is stationed in the army near Seattle. Ryan really enjoyed Mt. Rainier, but being in my third trimester and clumsy even when I'm not pregnant, I decided not to venture onto the snowy trails and instead enjoyed the view with some hot cocoa and a book. The ocean shore was beautiful. It was supposed to rain but we took the risk and it was a beautiful day! Ryan's conference went well. He had very long days so it did not always feel very vacation-like during those days, but we had a good time regardless. It will be a learning experience the first time we take our little boy :)

In MI we were able to see most of our family and friends, ate a lot of yummy food and were spoiled with gifts for Joshua and myself at a baby shower.

Joshua is good. He is growing and moving. It is on my list to get some updated pictures of all of us and his nursery posted.

This week should be a relatively slow week to catch up on laundry, cleaning, etc. I'm hoping to work on organizing Joshua's stuff and doing some massive laundry of ours and his! I'm also definitely in the Christmas mood because my entire family is coming for Christmas next weekend. So I am hoping to get the tree up this week and get decorating. We also have our last baby shower this Saturday with our friends here. So fun!

It's always good to get away for awhile but then it is also so great to come home again.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! and enjoy all the fun christmas stuff coming up! More hot cocoa, scarves and mittens, christmas trees, twinkling lights, christmas music, and christmas baking!

And then after all the festivities... our best gift will be on his way!!!

love,
missy

Thursday, November 8, 2007

We had another doctor's appt. this week. Joshua is doing well, he was quite active in there and I'm measuring well. We are so thankful for his little self. I decided to stop weighing myself and just be ok with what our little boy needs so that was a bit nerve wracking, but all our doctor said was that my weight gain was good.

Our friends had their little boy Matthias a few days ago and it was the first time when I really thought about holding Joshua in my arms instead of just carrying him in my body. Another friend of ours had a friend only a few weeks further along than us and she had to have an emergency c-section a few days ago. (thankfully mommy and baby are doing well, but he was only 3lbs) So we are praying that Joshua would stay put for awhile! Anytime after the holidays would be great :)

We leave for Seattle tomorrow, so today is packing, last bit of laundry and cleaning.

Not much news since last time. Same stuff. Being pregnant, loving our little boy, Ryan working hard. I did try a few new recipes which both of them turned out quite yummy. So for my cooking and baking friends....

Baked potato wedges
http://www.recipezaar.com/49200
*I added way more cheese and made a dip of sour cream, chives and bacon bits - yum!

Brown sugar bundt cake - very moist with a sugary crispy outside
http://www.recipezaar.com/42976
- I added a caramel glaze made of brown sugar, powdered sugar, and whipping cream (not necessary but yummy)

Hope you all are doing well!

love,
missy

Monday, November 5, 2007

28 weeks 3 days!

We are now officially in the third trimester! Joshua will be coming shortly after the holiday season. He's been pretty funny lately and amazing to me how much his little movements change in just a short week. He's definitely not a flutter of any kind anymore and is now making his presence clearly known as he's poking around in there. It's been fun because Ryan is now able to feel him a lot easier - all he has to do is lay his hand on my tummy when Joshua is awake.

I have been doing well. My headaches have been very manageable this past week. No really bad days which is wonderful!

Ryan's grant for this summer was approved! So that is a great answer to prayer as it not only provides extra funds to do his research but it also guides him in his research.

He is now working on his presentation for the conference, a publication and working towards writing a grant from NSF (National Science Foundation) which is a big deal. He's a busy guy, working hard but doing great, and for the most part enjoying his work.

We leave for Seattle Friday until the following Friday for Ryan's conference and a last get-away as just the two of us. The conference starts on Monday and goes until Thursday. We arrive Friday and have plans to go to Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens or possibly the coast depending on how we are feeling and how much we want to drive. We are staying one night in a lodge type place by Mt. Rainier as our special night. Sun - Fri we are staying in a hotel in downtown Seattle. Ryan will be going to the conference during the day and I am hoping to get a majority of our christmas shopping done, work on Joshua's baby book, and relax. In the evenings we are planning to check out more of Seattle - that's my job this week is to find fun places to visit in the evening with Ryan. We are also planning on seeing Michael, Ryan's brother, who is stationed near Seattle. It will be a wonderful trip and we are so thankful for this perk of Ryan being a professor :)

I need to download some pictures soon. We have some great ones of the baby showers, and now need to take some pictures of our basement - some before and after ones - the intervarsity students came Friday and painted it! It is an amazing improvement as you will see. It now feels like part of our home and not just a storage room. So great!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. We are enjoying hot cocoa, football, wrapping up in blankets, and not raking the leaves - yet :)

love,
missy

Monday, October 29, 2007

Feeling Loved and Spoiled!!!

This past weekend we went home to MI and enjoyed being spoiled by 2 baby showers! We came home with a car full of stuff that is now piled in the guest room. I'm feeling very motivated now to work on Joshua's room so I can organize and enjoy all his new things.

Thanks to so many of you who were able to come! And especially to Ryan's mom and my mom and sisters who spent so much time and love on every little perfect detail. It was a great weekend!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Congratulations Nicole!


I need to brag a bit about our friend Nicole! She has been working so hard in her PhD program, moved to a new city by herself, and has had a rough few months! She just found out that she got an A on her mid-term in her hardest class!

We are so proud of you soon to be Dr. Ferguson!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

100 days left until we meet our little boy!

My doctor's appt. went well. We had more blood work done, all standard stuff. A glucose test for gestational diabetes. I am measuring well, gaining weight and Joshua is growing and active. It's hard to believe that soon we'll be in the third trimester.

I hope all is well with you!

love,
missy

Thursday, October 11, 2007

There is not much going on right now... Ryan and I have both been sick this week. He is already feeling much better thankfully. I take longer to mend. Friends of ours made us beef stew and brought it over for dinner yesterday so that was really great.

I have not made much progress on the house or nursery this week, but am hoping to feel better soon. Joshua is doing well. Yesterday I woke up and said good morning to him, like usual, but this time he moved right away. My little mommy heart wants to believe it was not coincidental :) He is continuing to move a lot and is growing. We have a doctor's appt. next week.

I hope you all are doing well and enjoying this fall weather! I love it.

love,
missy

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

pictures

So here are some pictures... this is the nursery, we still have the chair rail and trim to put up and the closet to paint. The big box is our crib which I am so excited to put up!



Here is a finished quilt square and a closer shot so you can actually see the patterns.



Joshua's coming home outfit! So cute. It was super fun to pick out!



Joshua's super bowl out fit and the cute little feet of it.



pictures

The first two pictures are from the day of Joshua's ultra sound. Right outside the office before and me walking into the office.



Ryan and I comparing bellies. He thought it was hilarious.


One of Joshua's new little boy outfits - it says little man on campus - so cute!


A recent picture of me right outside our home. 23 weeks and 3 days!

Random things...

I am 23 weeks and 4 days pregnant! It's amazing to think that time has gone by so fast. Everyone said that it would, but I've been shocked to see how quickly. I think it's because there are so many fun new things to read about, learn and do to get ready for Joshua Ryan's arrival. It's been a very fun season of life and I must admit I'm looking forward to the baby showers coming up. I have always loved celebrations of any kind and to celebrate Joshua, our most favorite gift, is going to some of my favorites.

I keep saying I will post pictures and I promise I will soon. I keep waiting to post something until I have the pictures to go with it, but for some reason downloading the pictures doesn't seem to happen as easily.

Joshua is moving all over the place and seems quite active alot. We have just gotten to the stage in which he has now grown enough and is strong enough to give quite a punch and kick. He's also gotten big enough to hit two sides of my tummy at once.

We bought him his coming home outfit. A little pair of jeans and a striped onesy. So cute! Ryan is commemorating Joshua's arrival near the super bowl with a cute football sleeper with footballs on the bottom of the feet.

I'm getting bigger and will post a picture of myself as well. There is no doubt now to anyone that I am pregnant. I feel like in the last few weeks I've popped out quite a bit more. Ryan disagrees and thinks that it's been a gradual process. He's probably right, but I definitely feel more pregnant now and I know how much weight I've gained. Normal for how far along I am, but more weight than I've ever gained before!

I'll ask Ryan to write a post soon so you can catch up with him.

Overall, we are just so in love with our little boy and excited to meet him, but SO thankful to have some more time to prepare for him to come.

Oh...for all my sewing friends out there... I have made curtains for Joshua's room and am almost finished piecing together his quilt. It's turning out really cute. The curtains are a blue gingham (a bit darker blue) with a navy blue binding and border along the bottom. The quilt has both navy and gingham matching squares but also has a white plaid and white chenille square. In between the rows of 3 blocks of 4 there is a blue stripe that matches Joshua's walls and a navy blue border around the entire thing. I'm really happy with how it is turning out. I'm hoping to get it done this week :)

Quick health update: I had some blood work done because I've been feeling really tired and we found that my iron count is low so I am waiting to hear from my doctor about what iron supplements to take. My head has been pretty good. No really bad head days for awhile, but still a level of pain all the time. No major pregnancy issues, a little soreness and backache by the end of the day, but I'm just being careful to not lift stuff and that seems to help. All normal stuff. So we are thankful and just being even more careful to protect little Joshua and myself from sickness. We are so grateful that so far there have been no complications. It's been a continual prayer that my "temperamental" body will not affect our little boy.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

love,
missy

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Hi everyone,

I had my next doctor's appt. today. Joshua and I are doing well. The doctor did say that last week at my ultrasound I was measuring at 21 weeks 3 days. So I am measuring just a bit further along than I am but not enough to change the due date. My fundal height was 22. Joshua's heart beat was 140.

We had a very fun weekend registering for baby stuff and we bought a crib and a changing table. Yesterday I bought some fabric for Joshua's quilt and curtains. We are hoping to work on his room this weekend - mostly painting and trim. Once we do that we can clean up in there and get working on organizing and decorating -so fun!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Joshua's Ultrasound Pics





Joshua Ryan Krauss

It's a boy!

Ryan will be posting some pictures from our ultra sound soon, so you will be able to see his cute little face. The ultra sound was an amazing experience. I was all weepy. It was so incredible to see Joshua's little heart beat, his hands move, his little mouth chewing on something, his little feet kicking and tapping. All so amazing. We are overjoyed and so beyond thankful for this precious gift of a son. He was healthy and 15 oz. We are both a bit in shock over how real it feels to know that our Little Krauss has a name and to be able to see him.

So amazing...

Monday, September 10, 2007

Only 2 days!

We are past the half-way point! Little Krauss is quite active. Moving around all the time. Last week Ryan was able to feel LK for the first time. Exciting stuff! Two days and we find out if LK is a boy or a girl. Be sure to check back on Wednesday. We'll be a bit busy but I'll make sure and write.

I'm doing well. My brother got married this past weekend so we were in MI for that wonderful craziness. They are happily married and on their honeymoon. Everything turned out beautifully. I'll post some pictures soon. I overdid it a little bit, but now am home surrounded by my purring kitties and resting so I can happily decorate LK's room soon.

love to each of you!
Missy

Thursday, August 30, 2007

19 weeks tomorrow!

Now it is less than two weeks until we find out if LK is a boy or a girl. I know some people wait until their child is born, but we are just too excited. I'm usually all for delayed gratification, but not for this. I'm really hoping LK will not be shy!

This will probably be the last post for a few days. Ryan is going backpacking this weekend. Enjoying his last 3 day weekend for awhile and I will be staying with our friends in OH and then going on to MI for preparations for my brothers wedding. Ryan will be coming up that Friday but it will be later on and he might have to miss the rehearsal dinner so I decided to go up early.

We really don't have any news or stories to tell. We are doing well. LK is moving alot. Soon we'll all be able to see a picture of our little one.

Enjoy the weekend!

Friday, August 24, 2007

18 weeks today!

It is hard to believe that we are almost half-way there!

There is actually quite a bit going on in our lives right now... here's the shortened version :)

  • This week I felt LK move for the first time!!!
  • We had a doctor's appt and heard LK's heartbeat again AND scheduled our ultra sound - Sept. 12 at 9:30!
  • Ryan started class this week and we are already getting into the school routine again. He seems to feel confident about this semester and feels like the first week went very well.
  • My sister Jessica is coming this weekend to help me paint the kitchen.
  • Next week Ryan is going backpacking with his friend Don and I am going to be going to MI for a week to help prepare for my brother's wedding.
  • My head continues to be the same, but I've had some days of relief and enjoy each of them.
  • God totally blessed us this week by providing an unexpected gift to decorate the nursery AND Ryan's boss changed his schedule for the spring semester and it will be much easier than was originally planned.
Here is some info on LK this week... (all the sources are a bit different and some say that LK could be alot longer by now)

Your baby's between five and 5 ½ inches long (crown to rump) and weighs a little more than five ounces. Although she's enveloped by the familiar sound of your beating heart and rushing blood, she's conscious of noises from the outside world, too. They filter through the bones forming in her ear and to her developing brain. Her sense of sight is evolving as well; the retinas are more sensitive to light, and if you bask under a hot sun, she'll perceive a red glow. Other skills she's showing off: yawning, swallowing, sucking, hiccuping, and making faces.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks...

Ryan working hard in LK's room. He has most of the bead board up now and we are waiting to paint and put up the trim.




This picture was taken earlier this week, 17 weeks 4 days. I look the most pregnant from this angle, my profile doesn't look very pregnant yet.


I hope you are all doing well. I'd love to hear how you are doing. Take care...

Saturday, August 4, 2007

16 weeks!

I am 16 weeks pregnant today!

According to the books LK is 4.3-4.6 inches and is a little bigger than a soft ball. He or she seems to be doing well and we have our next OB appt. next Wednesday. This week many women begin to feel the baby for the first time! I have had so many rumblings and noises down there that I probably won't have any idea for awhile which is which :)

Other than that there is not much news with LK :)

Unfortunately, my head has been pretty bad lately. We had some really good days there for awhile, but then it started to get worse again (more of the normal pattern of good mornings and then increased pain in the afternoons and evenings), but since this past Wednesday I have had severe pain that has kept me on the couch or in bed. Once again the hardest part is just not getting upset and being thankful for the good days. I have to continually remind myself not to be anxious about bad days in the future when LK is here. So, I've been reading and enjoying some new cookbooks, watching Everybody loves Raymond, and watching movies in the dark with a steady stream of cold paks on my head. I would appreciate your prayers, for God to heal my head, but especially for God to protect LK. Even now it hurts my heart to think that LK would suffer from any of this now or later in life if it is passed on. We are just trusting God that He knows and will provide.

But let's end on a happy note... Ryan and I are doing well. We have really enjoyed this summer of a more relaxed pace of life, but also have lots of fun things coming this fall like my brother's wedding, baby showers, a trip to Seattle, and soon finding out if LK is a boy or girl. Also, I do intend to post some more pictures, so you can see me pregnant. I'll plan to do that soon, but would prefer not to have them taken with my cold pak :)

love,
missy

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

14 weeks and 5 days!

Hi everyone,

It is so wonderful and yet crazy to believe we are in the second trimester! This is the time when your "thickening waist" thickens some more and I am starting to show. Last week others began to make comments that I am starting to look pregnant. Yesterday I packed away some of my clothes to make room for the maternity clothes people are giving me to borrow :)

Little Krauss seems to be well! I have a ton more energy now with the end of the first trimester and my increased thyroid levels. Ryan has been enjoying home cooked meals and a clean house for the first time in awhile. He has been busy working on his research and will soon begin prepping for his fall semester.

In 2 weeks we have our next OB appointment and will hopefully be scheduling our ultra sound! We'll see whose predictions have been right :)

This weekend we are hoping to work on the nursery so if we get the chance I'll post some pictures. Nothing new and exciting here but we are thankful to have it that way! Have a great rest of the week!

Friday, July 20, 2007

13 weeks!

YOUR BABY THIS WEEK
...Week 13

This week your baby is approaching 3 inches (7 cm) in length and weighs between .015 and .02 kg (0.5 to 0.75 ounces). Your baby has nearly doubled in sized in the last two weeks and is now about the size of a sweet, ripe peach!

We are approaching the end of the first trimester! It's incredible to think we are almost 1/3 of the way. Above is part of one of the many weekly newsletters that update me on LK's progress. I think Fridays have become my new favorite day!

Some other good news for us is that my energy level is ramping back up! I've been taking the higher thyroid dosage for a week now and I can definitely tell a big difference.

Below are some fun pictures from our recent trip home to MI...

Gifts from our friends the Bowmans! Who we will miss again
as they go back to China! It was so great to see them :)

Elijah Bowman

Ryan practicing again with little Rachel Grace Bowman.

Our niece Alison - "How big is Aunt Missy now?"

Our niece Hope at her birthday party!



Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Our Most Anticipated Blog of All Time

A picture and audio of little Krauss


Hear the heartbeat of little Krauss:
(O.K. the picture isn't actually of our baby, but that is a baby at 12 weeks - which is where we will be Friday.)

11 Weeks 5 days!

Today we went to our OB appt. with our new doctor and we were both impressed. He is very laid back, but listened to our concerns. We discussed my medical history and we both felt like we made the right decision in choosing him. We got to listen to the heart beat! Ryan is going to work on posting the recording of LK"s heart beat tonight so you call all hear it! AND so we can hear it anytime we want to :)

We also got a call back from my endocrinologist and he is upping my thyroid medication because it dropped quite low. That could be some of the reason for the worsening of my headaches in the past few weeks and for how tired I've been (it has seemed lately that I've been more tired than less when I should be starting to get my energy back) We just figured I was just pregnant and it was normal. So that is all very good news that we can significantly increase my thyroid levels and hopefully begin to feel better soon.

It was so awesome to hear LK moving around in my body and to hear LK's heart beat. So incredible to think that this is for real and we are going to have a baby. Some days it feels real and then some days it's a bit hard to believe. Today is definitely one of the "real" days!

Love to all of you!
Missy, Ryan and LK

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

10 weeks 4 days!

Hi everyone,

Things here continue to go well. Each time we see someone, there are fun new gifts for the baby which is so much fun to know how loved Little Krauss is already. We feel so blessed to know how everyone is supporting us and encouraging us.

Next week Wednesday, July 11, we get to hear LK's heart beat! We will also be meeting our new doctor. After some prayer, and discussions with other people we decided to switch doctors. Nothing went really wrong with the place I was going, but the reputation and personal experiences from some of the girl's in my group were enough to want us to rethink our choice. I went to the woman's center in October because it was close to home and in our highest insurance coverage. We both feel really good about the change. My new doctor is known to be very compassionate and personal. We feel that with my medical history that is important.

So far things continue to go well. I have a touch of the flu right now, nothing major. Overall, our pregnancy is going very well. Some achy, pulling type pains as LK grows but nothing that is more than a little uncomfortable. I seem to have been very fortunate to not have had to experience much morning sickness. I can tell I'm pregnant because my clothes are a bit tighter but most people probably couldn't tell at this point.

As far as headache stuff goes, there has been no change. I'm trying to make sure to rest as much as I need to.

Ryan finishes his summer class next week! He'll have some time off from class prep, but will be busy working on research stuff.

I've been reading some parenting books but was wondering if any of you had any suggestions?

I hope you are all doing well. We'll try to post some pictures soon :)

Love,
missy

Monday, July 2, 2007

10 weeks!

We are a little more than 10 weeks pregnant. Can you believe it? We are 25% of the way done. Crazy.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

My First Father's Day

So, what is Ryan up to in all of this? Besides buying a weight set at a garage sale in case we have a girl, I am working and doing my normal stuff. My mom wanted to be the first one to get me a Father's Day tie, so she picked out a really nice one and gave it to me this year. It is fun to get presents before all the responsibilities of fatherhood actually arrive. Missy got me this really cool willow person called "New Dad" that almost made me cry. You can see the resemblance and why it is so special to me. I set it next to my computer so I can think about the baby during the day.

If you are curious about the baby I am holding, check this out: Rachel Grace




Monday, June 11, 2007

An update...

New baby clothes from Nana and Pawpaw!

Hi everyone,

I am 7 weeks 3 days pregnant! Our expected due date is January 26! We are doing well and thankfully I have been spared so far from any severe morning sickness. We had our first appt. last week and we are all doing well. We have our next appt. July 19 when we will hear the baby's heart beat and have a more in depth exam with my doctor. It's an amazing time for us as I am beginning to feel pregnant and the reality of having a baby is starting to sink in.

Ryan is doing well. He is, as always, taking great care of us. He is starting to get a little busier as his research, teaching and other responsibilities are piling up a bit more, but overall He is doing well. He got great student evaluations from last semester some even saying he was the best teacher in the dept. It was so great to see all his hard work affirmed and rewarded.

We are both now involved in co-leading bible studies with our Sunday school class during the week and really enjoying that. We feel so thankful for the good friends he has already given us here. More and more we are seeing where we fit.

My headaches have remained the same so no magical pregnancy cure, BUT we did go get some new fabric to start a baby quilt and a baby book to have fun "baby" things to enjoy even on bad days.

I have been busy with lots of house projects and hosting stuff for friends and family. It's just so great to have a home that we can have people come stay with us. We still have a fair bit to do but the house is becoming to look more and more like us and not as much like the previous owners :)

I hope you are all doing well!

love,
Missy, Ryan and Little Krauss

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Beginning a new season

Hi everyone,

I decided to start this blog so that people could stay updated with how things are going in this new season of life...

Last Thursday I woke up and was a day late and decided to take a test. I was going to wait until that Friday morning but was too anxious so I got up and took the test. Ryan had not slept well and was still sleeping. I decided that if I was pregnant I would surprise him. I took the test (the kind with the 2 pink lines) and the results showed a very faint second pink line. Not knowing what that meant for sure I decided to wake up Ryan and ask him. After both of us sat there staring at the pee stick for awhile we decided I needed to take another test. We prayed that if I was pregnant the next test would show us quickly.

I got dressed and went to the store and decided to buy one of those digital tests that says the word pregnant or not pregnant. By the time I had come back from the store Ryan had already taken a picture of the old test and was ready to document the taking of the new test.

When the word pregnant showed up right away we were both so excited!!! We were shocked because I had been having bad headache days and they usually come before my period. This was also the last month before we would have had to stop trying for awhile because of thyroid stuff. So amazing!

We called Grandmas and Grandpas, siblings, etc. Ryan took me to lunch to celebrate and then we went to buy a cute little pooh bear outfit that we have always loved to buy for other people. I never took it out of the package before, but this time I did. It's a wonderful feeling. It's now in a growing pile of cute things to organize in Little Krauss' room.

My first OB appt. is on June 6. We are definitely going to find out when we can if it is a boy or girl. We are quite motivated now to work on our house and have a work day planned on Saturday :) We have a daily pregnancy calendar on the fridge, a basket of bibs, and are talking about nursery ideas!!! We are excited!

As far as other things go... Ryan is teaching this summer, just one class. We love our church. My headaches have not changed except that I have more energy from no meds. We are so thankful for our lives here. It has been an amazing start. Of course not all days are great, but all days we have felt blessed to be here.

Love,
Missy, Ryan and Little Krauss