Dinner & Playdate w/ Gracie!

We enjoyed a nice dinner with Brad's cousin, Todd, Jaime and Gracie for Brad's 37th birthday!

It was so much fun after dinner watching Max and Gracie playing together. Gracie is 7wks older than Max, so they were 2 peas in a pod! We only wish they lived closer...FL is way too far away for regular playdates! Max even lasted until 8pm to get some extra play time in and then CRASHED when I finally put him to bed.

All in all...it was a very fun-filled packed day!

Practicing w/ a spoon...

Leave it to papa to give Max a spoon and a whole thing of chocolate pudding!! :)

Good news...he did surprisingly well with the spoon (I guess pudding is a good incentive!)...Bad news...WOW, what a mess! He had a blast though...as you can see! He did great with the spoon until he realized how gooey and sloppy it was digging it from the cup and eating it off his hands. That was much more fun than that ole' spoon!

And these are just a few of the 20 some pictures we took (surprise, surprise...huh?!)

Busy Bodies Class

We were glad to feel much better and make it to our Busy Bodies class this week!

This was the 1st time Max and I separated and it went pretty well. Naturally I stalked him through the window countless times during the hour w/ the mommies, but I was happy to see him looking around and taking things in. He only cried towards the end and someone picked him up and he immediately stopped. The teacher said he stopped crying right away, but he was so cute and cuddly she didn't want to put him down. Guess she knows how I feel! :)

We'll see how next week goes when he starts to realize what's coming up...all in all I think it went well. Hopefully as each week goes by he'll get a little more comfortable and enjoy playing with the other toddlers more.

A fun day at MOA!

Gracie and Max checking things out

Gracie and Max at LegoLand

We had a great afternoon with Max's 2nd cousin, Gracie, Jaime, Todd, Lindsay, Aunt Kay, and Michelle (and baby Gabriella) at the Mall of America! Max and I were going to try to be there by 11:15, but he had other plans and I finally woke him up from his nap at 11:30!

Anyways, we got there just in time for lunch at the food court and then we went down and had some ice cream and walked around a bit before heading down to the LegoLand where Gracie and Maxwell got their lego's on!

Poor tykes wore themselves out and missed naps...Max was beyond tired when we got home. Unfortunately I had to run a few errands before heading home, so he was sooo ready for bed and ended up going down at 5:15pm...which is even early for him!

Papa left for UT EARLY this morning...and will be home just after midnight on his birthday! Thankfully this is a quick trip...so we'll stay busy and he'll be home before we know it. :)

Field / Haugen Wedding

Papa B & Mama J @ the Wedding

The beautiful bouquet

Me & Sweet little Gracie

Last night we went to Lindsay & Brett's wedding...it was so much fun and Lindsay was such a beautiful bride!! They looked so happy...we are just so thrilled for them. There is nothing like a wedding to remind you of the complete joy and delight that your spouse can bring to your life! It was an especially fun night because it was a family wedding and we were able to spend the evening with family members from out of town!

Here is a link to more pictures of the wedding/evening: http://picasaweb.google.com/WerthyPictures/LindsayBrettSWedding92207

In other news...my parents watched Maxwell for us last night and we were able to tell the proud Grandpa that his newest grandson is going to be named after him...our little boy's name will be....

Miles John ! (John after my father)

Of course, Grandma Bonnie wanted to know why she's getting left out. We decided Miles Bernadette wouldn't quite work though. :)

Papa had to leave EARLY this morning for Mankato for a Food handling course and won't be back until tomorrow, so before he slipped out this morning he gave me a kiss on my cheek and then pulled down the covers and kissed my belly and whispered, "Be a good boy!"....made my heart just melt!! I think we get more excited for this little dude to join the family by the minute!!

It will be another busy week for us...Brad leaves for St. George (UT) for 2 days on Tuesday and gets home just in time for his birthday on Thursday. The boys and I have a catering gig for IJ today. Max and I have our Busy Bodies class on Thursday and we hope to spend as much time with Gracie and Jaime while they are in town. Then next Saturday we are celebrating Brad's birthday Hibachi style at a local restaurant w/ some close friends and hopefully Todd, Jaimie (and Gracie) and the newlyweds (Lindsay & Brett)!!

Have a wonderful week all!!!

Perhaps I should invest in bathroom urinals??!

20week 6days Ultrasound Profile (baby's chin is tucked)

Baby's leg

Sweet little hand

Foot

I completely broke down and today we found out the sex of our newest little miracle. I can't believe I did it. Earlier this week I was still stuck on waiting for the delivery...but Brad really wanted to know and my impatient side won out. I just kept thinking...waiting would be so thrilling, but....I could KNOW this week!!! I also felt like I haven't been able to bond with this baby with so much unknown and the planning part of me has been struggling as well.

Without further wait...

We are SOOOOOO thrilled and excited to announce....

That we are expecting.....

A very healthy Baby.....

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bust out the blue again! Julie, our ultrasound tech, said our baby looked absolutely perfect and healthy and we are just brimming with pride and excitement! It was a really fun ultrasound and our little guy was behaving like a champ...although we may have been boring him as he kept yawning. :) He likes to have his hands by his face....just like Max did...and still does. And at one point during the ultrasound he reached down and grabbed his toes...it was amazing to see all those little fingers and toes in one shot!

We are so excited that Maxwell will get to grow up with a best friend, being so close in age...he'll have someone to beat up on and fight over trucks and cars with...it's going to be great!

We have our name picked out...but have one important person to tell before we share it with others. Our little guy will be named after him. :)

Anyways...I get to keep my princess label and my tiara! ;)

Love, a very excited and proud mama!

Can't beat waking up like this!

Max and I got a lot accomplished this weekend and are ready for the boys to make their returns! Mike gets home from his Grandparents tonight and Brad returns tomorrow afternoon.

Poor little Max is fighting a little bit of a cold. He doesn't seem to be congested, but he's been very clingy the past 2 days and his nose started running last night. I wanted to get him outside and maybe take him to the park today...but it seems to be worse when we are outdoors. I hope he doesn't have allergies. The weather has been very crazy lately. 2 weeks ago it was in the high 80's/90's and last week it was in the 60's. This week we'll be in the mid 70's... crazy MN falls!

A trade off...

The official 20 week belly pic!

Half way into the 2nd trimester, and the trade off from the complete nausea and utter exhaustion from the 1st trimester...is more energy (meaning a clean house and cooked meals again!) but EMOTIONAL MOOD SWINGS! Oh nooo!

I'm so thankful that I'm not one of the cursed women that have to deal w/ this each monthly cycle...because I'm driving myself nuts with the tears that come out of no where! Seriously...it's crazy! I don't think Brad knows what he'll be coming home to. Poor guy. I'd warn him...but I want to make sure he comes home! 10 days is waaaaaay too long and we are all defnitely ready for him to be back home! There was a chance that he'd have to travel the following week after he got home...but thankfully he declined that trip.

Meanwhile...this morning I've been burning all of Maxwell's pictures on to DVD's. This is something I should have done long ago as we've learned the lessons that computers are not always reliable and when your hard drive dies...so does the information in it. A very scary thought considering I average about 350-500+ pictures each month. :)

Today we've got some errands to run after Max wakes from his nap...and this weekend I have a few projects I need to conclude...including finish hemming Mike's jeans (had to exchange my new sewing machine due to faulty stitching). It's getting cold and fall is definitely upon us.

And lastly...here is a picture of our little monkey enjoying being a BOY and playing in the left over goo from his dinner last night. He had a grand time and thought it would be fun to give himself a goo bath...and spread the slop all over his arms (notice the dinner "glisten" on his arms!). My first instinct was to stop him and clean him immediately...but he was just having way too much fun...so I ran for the camera insted. :)

A baby belly

Last night our little baby blast was showing off and showing me how strong s/he is getting. It's amazing to look down and see your belly "on the move"! :) It's surreal to me that in just over 4 months we'll be bringing a new miracle home and into this beautiful family of ours. A week from today is our "big" ultrasound...I can't wait to see this little sweetheart again!

Our trip out to Babies R Us this week was fun. I got Max's halloween costume...you'll NEVER guess what he's going to be??! (eeeh eeeh ooooh ooooh) I tried it on him last night before I got his jammies on....and let's just say that he wasn't really feeling the costume and had a melt down the minute I put the hoodie head on him. I have pictures...but I'll wait to show them until after his costume debut...if that ever happens at this point!

I also found and purchased our double stroller. Our FIRST purchase for the new baby! We got the Graco Quattro Tour Duo (wow, what a mouthfull!). I think it will work well for most of our needs...but we'll see. It's compatible with our infant carrier/carseat which is what I was most concerned with, but the backseat folds completely down...so that will be nice too. Max tried out the front seat and seemed to like it. The only thing I wasn't excited about was how incredibly heavy this thing is! It's like 39 pounds, so getting it in and out of our MDX might be fun...but the reviews seem to be pretty good on it and most people say it's worth it. I was able to get it on sale due to a coupon and then got an additional 10% off because I opened a BRUS card.

Anyways, it's getting more and more exciting to look forward to using it!!

Our 1st day of "Busy Bodies"!

What a little stinker he was yesterday! I think he knew we were getting ready to go and spend some money on him at Babies R Us! I told him he's breaking the bank and we won't have any money left over for the new baby! LOL

Max checking things out in the gym at "Busy Bodies"

How fun to take this class w/ my cousin, Connor!

Today was our 1st day of our "Busy Bodies" Class! It was fun to watch Max interacting with the other kids. I must say it was a little overwhelming as we had a FULL class with 15 mommies and 15 toddlers! We really like the teachers and Max did great (despite missing his am nap!)!

He was so cute...he'd go and check things out and then turn around and look for me and make sure I was still there. Sometimes I'd move back just to watch him play and after awhile he'd stop and look from grown up to grown up and wait until he saw my face. And then sometimes he'd stop playing to run over and get a hug...and then he'd go back and play again. It was fun to have Connor and Barb in our class...and we all went to lunch afterwards. I think Thursdays will become one of our favorite days of the week!

Next week we'll start separating...eeks.

We got home around noon and I put Max down right away for a nap and he fell asleep pretty quickly...we'll see how long it lasts. Hopefully he'll sleep for a good 3 hours to try to make up for missing his morning nap.

A lunch dance...

A good nights sleep and I'm a happy boy!

What a little charmer!

Playing Chase with Mama!

Testing out my new camera timer & an impromptu Belly Shot (19wks 3dys)

While this date brings many people remembrance of grief, sadness, and loss...it is also a day of bravery, unity, and courage. My thoughts are with all victims and the families of victims on this date and especially the brave men and women who gave their lives trying to help and save those affected by the tragedies that unfolded on this date 6 years ago.

I think unique symbolic days like this can tend to make us more emotional than usual. Well, that and being 19 1/2 weeks pregnant...I guess! :)

Anyways, I was having lunch with Max and I think we were both starving because we were unusually happy to be eating. We were talking and enjoying our meal...the tv was on in the background and a song came on that had a fun beat...so I started moving around in my seat and nodding my head to the music and sure enough...Maxwell smiled really big and joined right along. His little body moving from side to side and his head nodding up and down with me. I started to laugh and he thought it was funny too...so together we laughed, bopped our head to the music, and enjoyed our lunch.

I couldn't help but get teary and tell him how much he brings to our lives and how much I love him. What a fabulous child and how lucky am I to spend my days with him?!

Life is GOOD!

Happy Monday!

Max'in and relaxing with my sippy cup

Outside playing with Mike while Mama was cooking dinner

Mama gave me a haircut tonight and now I'm just showing off!

A moment of Jenny!

Jenny - 2 yrs old
Maxwell - 14 1/2 months

Ok, not that often do people comment on "how much Max looks like" me. I hear, "OMG, he looks JUST LIKE Brad" often though...so when I am able to capture moments of pure Jenny in Maxwell...I HAVE to savor it! :)

Reflection of Loss...

A good friend of mine is going through her 3rd miscarriage and went in for a D&C this morning. I can't help but to have a heavy heart as I think about what she and her family are enduring as they grieve and try to come to grips with yet another loss.

I remember feeling so lost, angry, alone, frustrated, and so incredibly sad after all of our losses...but it seemed like each loss came with more grief and my need for solitude. I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want for anyone to feel sorry for us. I didn't want to feel so empty AGAIN...and yet it was happening again.

But, I am convinced that as unfortunate as it is...with loss comes great strength. And maybe not today or maybe not next week...but soon...that strength will turn into the ability to look beyond grief and sadness and to keep going. And because of the strengh that we gained through our losses and through our grief... we were able to give Michael the little brother he had been asking for...And this little miracle package growing and kicking as I type.

So, my thoughts are with you, dear E.... and may the strength that brings you through today...become the strength that allows you to see past your grief and to hopefully soon become a miracle growing and kicking in you. You are loved...may peace find you soon! xo

I hope this video gives you a little something...encouragement...knowledge that you aren't alone...and most of all...HOPE!

Bye-Bye Papa...

Well, we dropped Brad off at the airport this morning. He'll be in Miami until the 17th!! UGH!

Brad leaned into the backseat to give Max some kisses and tell him to be good and bye bye and Max got all sad and stuck out his lower lip and got teary. It was soooo sad. I got teary too! Poor Brad felt horrible! Luckily kids are resiliant and Max was fine by the time we turned the corner.

We'll be pretty busy until Brad returns. I'm taking over helping to manage the store and paying store bills, etc. since Brad doesn't have the time now that he is traveling so much and working full time for corporate. Thankfully our manager is excellent and really takes on a lot for us! Hopefully she'll be with us for a long long time! (we love you, Amanda!)

Max has his 1st dental appointment today...and this kid snuck out 2 molars and his eye teeth last month and this month already popped out one of his lower teeth, so now he has 13 teeth! He'd been drooling like a sive, but wasn't fussy...and he doesn't really like me poking around in his mouth (won't this dentist appt be fun!), so I was shocked to see all that white in his mouth recently when Brad had him hanging upside down and Max was laughing so I could see inside.

Mike started school on Tuesday and was really excited to get back to school...not so excited when he started getting homework though. He wasn't all that thrilled with his teachers the 1st day, but things are looking up and he doesn't think they'll be so bad after all. He's hoping to go to the Lakeville South football game tonight.

And...Max starts his "Busy Bodies" class (through Lakeville Community Ed) this coming Thursday. It's a weekly class through the beginning of November and we are taking it with cousin, Connor. I'm excited to see how he does surrounded with kids his age (12-24mo) and they seperate from the parents for an hour each class as well. We'll see how that goes. I have a feeling that it will be harder for mama than for Max! ;)

Lastly...I can't end a post without a picture or two or three (you get the point) of my little monkey!

Max and Ta-Ji playdate!

Here are a few photo's from a playdate we had with Megs and Ta-Ji on Tuesday. They saddly returned to NJ yesterday...waaaaah!! Meg's family and I are in co-hertz to get them to move back to MN! :)

Some QT w/ Megs & Ta-ji!

My best friend, Meghan, and her little 8 month old, Ta-ji, came to MN for a visit and it was so great to see them both! Max and I went out to NJ to see them after T.J. was born, but it was really neat to see the 2 boys together now that they are both a little older.

Here is Max making friends with Bea's (Meg's mom) dog, Shatzi. He wasn't too sure what to think w/ this dog so friendly and jumping on him at first...but he warmed up to him.

And...I had to shoot a few pictures of Max in Bea's garden!

WERTH the wait....

Thanksgiving is still over 2 months away...and I find myself being so Thankful for the blessings in my life. I can't imagine my world being any different or being happier. Well, I guess winning that $300m Powerball lottery would have been nice, but... :)

The man that I've chosen to spend my life with is absolutely wonderful and brings me so much joy. And as I had suspected...he couldn't be a better father to our kids. I love watching him wrestle and play with Maxwell...just as much as I love to see him talking shop with Michael. He's amazing...and was so WERTH the wait!

And my boys...wow. I get comments so often on how wonderful they are, and although I know this already...it is a nice reminder of how blessed I am. Michael and I have always had a very special relationship and I'd like to think that we continue to. And Maxwell...well, he just lights up the room. More and more he is just a little character that gives us much more than we deserve. The joy I have as a mother to watch these 2 amazing children grow and to interact...is hard to even put into words. And they...were so WERTH the wait!

And now to be 18wks pregnant and to know that we are almost 1/2 way into meeting our new little miracle...my heart soars to think of how incredibly blessed we are to be given this chance to experience a healthy pregnancy one last time...and to look forward to delivering this wonderful child into our lives and family...Soooooo WERTH the wait!

Many times I say that our struggles w/ loss and IVF did not teach me to be patient....but I do know that good things are WERTH the wait! :)