Our Sweet Little Bell Pepper

According to babycenter.com, at 18 weeks, our little baby is 5 1/2 inches long, weighs 7 ounces and is about the size of a bell pepper!  I can hardly believe we're at 18 weeks already!!

And here is the latest belly shot you've been requesting!  This shirt is one that I bought at the beginning of the summer, before I was pregnant, and I bought it because it wasn't tight :)  I thought it would be a nice one to wear when I'm around students who wear clothes that are too tight!!  How funny to see it stretching and becoming exactly what I didn't want it to be-too tight!  After Travis took this one, I looked at it and told him "No, not that one, I look huge!"  But then he laughed and said, "Steph, you look pregnant and this is what everyone else sees."  I guess he was right, but I still get shocked when I see myself in the mirror or in pictures!  Also, now you can see my new hair-cut, sort of.  We took this picture after we took an hour and a half nap, so it's a little goofy looking, but you get the idea :)  

At 18 weeks, I can say that I am feeling really good.  I seem to be sleeping well these days and I wake up feeling rested.  My energy level is the closest to normal as it's ever been and I haven't felt nauseous for quite awhile now.  I'm very, very glad about that!  I've been cooking like crazy again and unfortunately eating like crazy too...the baby will be doubling in size in the next 3 weeks and I can't seem to get enough food in me!  I also can't seem to get enough chocolate these days either.  The timing of Halloween and all the candy so readily available to me is not a good combination!!  But oh well, a pregnant girl has to do what she has to do!!  

It is incredibly cold here, but no snow for the last few days!  We did however, the unthinkable.  We put up our Christmas tree.  I know.  It's hardly concievable in early November.  But, we did it.  And you know what?  We love it!  I looked at our schedules for the next few weeks and we do not have a free weekend until mid-Decmber!  If we didn't do it now, it wasn't going to get done.  So, I took down all my fall decorations and packed them up and we put the tree up.  It's not decorated, we're not that crazy yet!  But, when we are ready, it will be easy.  We bought a fake tree this year, I just couldn't deal with all the needles while I was pregnant!  When you live in a condo on the 2nd floor, it's a pain trying to haul a live tree inside and then a dead/dry one outside when it's over!  Lesson learned last year.  So, anyway, we found a BEAUTIFUL tree that we love and we bought it this weeked and put it up.  It makes us so happy!  We are definitely Christmas people.  There is nothing like the glow of a tree and a cup of hot chocolate.  And maybe some Christmas music to go with it and a fuzzy blanket.  Oh, holidays here I come!!  

We had a very restful, yet productive weekend.  As I mentioned before, this was probably our last one for awhile, but it was a good one.  I feel good about all that we got accomplished.  I love weekends like that, don't you?

Things That Make You Go, Hmm...

Happy Friday!  If you live in Minnesota, you just woke up to what we did...SNOW!!  I can't believe it.  I heard rumors of it happening this weekend, but somewhere in my heart of hearts, I wasn't ready to handle it.  Now I have no choice.  I know, I know, it's November 6th and in Minnesota it's a miracle that we haven't had a snowstorm already, but on Monday it was 76 outside!!  That's right, almost 80 degrees in November.  It was GORGEOUS.  But, I will say, it's also gorgeous in a different way now.  The first snow is always a little bit magical and this one is no exception.  It's a wet snow, meaning it won't last very long, but right now everything has a perfectly white layer of fluff on it.  Travis took Ryley out to play in it this morning, and of course he LOVED it!  He always runs around like a maniac in the snow.  We get a big kick out of it :)  

I thought I would give you my list of "things" I'm pondering today.... 

1.  Last night we went to see David Crowder in concert and he did not disappoint.  He was at our church, so we knew we had to buy tickets, it was just too convenient not to!  Plus, they offered the staff discounted tickets, so how could we not do it?  As always, he was great.  I love Crowder for many reasons, none more so that the power of his lyrics.  They are so simple, but incredibly profound.  I love that.  Plus, he is non-stop energy and before you know it, a whole concert has gone by!  We were on our feet the whole time (well, I took a break) and singing every word of every song.  He has the unique ability to lead you right into worship without even knowing it.  It was worth every penny.  AND, we might have a little David Crowder fan on our hands because the baby was moving again during the concert!  I can imagine that we woke he/she up with the sheer volume of noise being produced :)  Regardless, I loved it.  If you have the opportunity to see David Crowder in concert, I HIGHLY recommend it.  You will not be disappointed.  

2.  Ok, post election, who is thrilled to be done with the political ads??  I AM!!  It's amazing how quickly the transition happens from candidate to President-elect.  I do think that is good for our country though, it helps us accept reality and move on.  I thought Beth Moore had an excellent word of wisdom yesterday regarding the outcome.  I am not surprised at how it all "went down" but I can say that I have had a real peace about it.  It's not what I wanted, but I am very confident that the Lord is Sovereign and He is on his throne.  I was encouraged in Ezra this week, reading about how the Lord used King Cyrus to do mighty things for Him and His people.  Cyrus was not a believer, but the Lord ordained his days to be a real service to Israel.  The verse that I love and have prayed through is this:

"In the first year of Cyrus the King of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus the King of Persia..."

Ezra 1:1

I'm reminded that no matter what, the Lord's plans will be fulfilled.  He is constantly at work, using whomever He chooses, to accomplish HIS will, not ours.  I have thought of this verse for America, re-wording it something like this:

"In order to fulfill the word of the Lord, not the will of the Republicans and Democrats, the Lord moved the heart of President Obama..."

I am convicted to pray for our new President, to ask the Lord to soften His heart and give Him wisdom.  Anything is possible when our hope is in the Lord and not in man.  I'm sure President Obama will disappoint people on both sides, he's only human.  But I hope that we won't disappoint him and stop laboring in prayer for our leaders and our country.  There is much room for the hope of Jesus in these difficult days.  Watching the news does nothing but confirm our need for Him.  It is possible to live without fear when we put our trust in the right place.  Money, power, and fame are fleeting.  God, His word, and the souls of men are the only things that are eternal.  I hope you can find peace from the Prince of Peace today...and no, contrary to Oprah's belief, his name is not Obama :)  

So there you have it, my political soapbox :)  

3.  The big news of today is that in exactly 2 weeks from today, we will hopefully know if we are bringing home a little boy or a little girl!!  My ultrasound appointment is scheduled for the 21st and yes, we will be finding out and sharing our news!!  I can't wait.  It's seemed so far off until now.  Somehow I have to find a way to sleep between now and then.  We are very ready to discover who God is creating in me!  So, what do you think?? Boy or Girl??  Thank you for your feedback on cribs, I think I know which one I liked the best out of those 4.  I can't wait to start planning the nursery, but this little bit of information has to come first!  I will try to take some pictures this weekend of my growing stomach and my new haircut.  I couldn't take it anymore and I chopped it off.  It's much, much better :)  

So, those are the highlights of my morning.  I don't know if I should tell you this or not, but we currently have Christmas music playing and I'm trying to talk Travis into buying our Christmas tree today!  Yikes!  I said it.  I blame the snow, it's pushed me over the edge!!  We're going artificial this year (for our tree) and I want to get one before the styles I like are gone.   I'm not sure if he's going to go for it, but we'll see!  I have the Christmas bug early and I'm not apologizing for it.  I LOVE Christmas!  But I also love Thanksgiving and that's even closer.  Really these next two months are my favorite time of year.  For all my "southern friends" I know you can't imagine this in your 70 degree weather, but if you were me and looking out your window at snow, you'd be feeling this way too! 

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!  Thanks for sharing our joy about the baby moving, you are all making this pregnancy so much fun for us!!

A Night to Remember

Mark it down.  Election Night.  November 4th, 2008.  17 weeks and 2 days. Tuesday.

Yes, it looks like Obama is probably going to win and become our next President...

But more importantly, I JUST FELT THE BABY MOVE!!  

YAY!!!  I have been waiting for this moment and now I know I won't forget it.  I was just sitting here, minding my own business and watching the election coverage, when suddenly it happened.  I felt him/her fluttering around in there!  Granted, I think I've felt this before, but for the first time I KNOW that was definitely the baby and I am LOVING it!!  And begging the Lord for more!  

What a night, historical and memorable for many reasons...none more important than Baby Armstrong  saying hello to his/her mommy.  What a blessing and perhaps the election miracle I prayed for??  I just expected it to involve McCain, not the baby, but I'll take it!!  

Thank you Lord and keep it coming!!

Election Day is Here...VOTE!!

Ok, this is not the single reason I'm voting, but it is a great perk!  After Trav and I vote this afternoon, we'll be swinging by a local Starbucks for some coffee and then we're off to Ben and Jerry's for a free ice-cream cone!  You've got to love that!!  

What an important day today is for our country, I hope you all get out and exercise your right to vote for whomever you choose.  I've been dwelling on something our Pastor shared with us on Sunday that was such a blessing for me to hear... "Do not forget that our God is Sovereign over all, even when and where He is not welcome."  So many Christ followers have hit the panic button over this election, but we've got to remember that our God still reigns, no matter who is President or who is in "power."  He still holds the ultimate victory in His hands and He has ordained these days.  His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts....

Do your part and vote, and then get your free Starbucks to reward yourself!

Crib Notes

On Friday, Travis and I made the epic trek to the "motherland" of baby stores, Babies R Us. I have been asking Travis to go with me for weeks and we finally had an afternoon to do it. I'm not sure what I was expecting this first trip to be, (magical I suppose) but I left feeling very,very tired. And overwhelmed at how many decisions we need to make! Fortunately for me, I have years of nannying and baby experience behind me, so I know what brands and what products I like. I've used most of them by now! I can't imagine walking in there with no baby "knowledge" at all! I would have passed out in the doorway. Anyway, we were just there to browse and to get an idea of what things we absolutely need and what things we want. However we did have one major thing to do and that was to look at cribs.

I believe I mentioned this before, but Travis' uncle is a very gifted and talented contractor who is also a skilled carpenter. He has been making cribs for family and friends for the last few years and he has been patiently waiting to make one for us. Isn't that sweet? I love that this will be an heirloom for us. Anyway, He made my day when he announced that I could design it anyway I wanted and he would make it! How fun right? So, now I am lost in a world of choices, styles, and colors. I want to pick something that will be good for boys or girls and something that I will still like in the future! He and I have worked together on stuff before, so I know that this will be fun, but I am desperately seeking some inspiration right now. I took pictures of our top four cribs from Babies R Us, but of course there are many other stores to visit too! Let me know what you think...I will take some pictures of the rest of the furniture in that room so that you'll know what we're working with. I just haven't done that yet...stay tuned, but for now, I want to hear which one you like below!





I really like the simplicity of this one. I like the curves on the posts and the sleigh look. Ignore the colors of all these cribs. Most likely I will go with white, but I'm not sure about that yet either.

I love a four-poster crib! Not sold on the stars, but what do you think of this style? I think you could do this easily for a girl, but what about for a boy? Too feminine? I also like the wide slats on this one.

Ok, this one is one of my favorites. I like the details in the molding and the feet. Click on it to see it better. I also like the architectural look of it. It's a very "strong looking" crib I think.

Again, another sleigh style, but I love the shelf on the bottom. Could be a nice storage option with some cute matching baskets under there?? Isn't it funny that I took pictures of all the black cribs? I didn't like any of the oak or white ones! Except the four poster. So what do you think?? Which one do you like of these 4??

Halloween Madness For All

Although we don't have a child to enjoy Halloween with yet, we did manage to have lots of fun last week anyway! We enjoyed ourselves and talked about how different Halloween will be next year! I can't wait to dress up this little baby!! There are so many fun costumes out there...

Happy Halloween from our Red Lobster! This is Ryley's 5th Halloween and he loves it so much when I pull out a costume to torture him every year!! Ok, actually I think this look says it all. He hates it. But, because he's an obedient and submissive dog, he allows me to have my fun anyway! Last year he was a black widow spider, the year before a dinosaur, then a construction worker (one of my personal favorites) and finally a pumpkin. Poor Ryley! He does make a handsome, although hairy, Lobster doesn't he??

We hung out with my cousin Brian and Rhonda and their girls on Friday night. Rhonda and I sat by the fire handing out candy, while Trav and Brian dressed up to walk around with Grace. We think they look particularly lovely in their wigs! I bet some people were nervous to let 2 little girls walk with them!

Travis, Brian, their "colonial" neighbor, Grace the detective and her friend the wizard! I went as the uncomfortable pregnant girl, but no pictures were required for that!

So I took Barrett to Mall of America last week for their Toddler Tuesday program. We go to that sometimes because it's fun for Barrett and I get a great work-out walking around the mall...a win/win. Anyway, they had a costume contest for Halloween and guess who made the top 10 out of 200+ kids?? Yep, Barrett won some pretty cool prizes! Here he is being told that he won!
Of course I think we scored major points because he was Diego and the theme park in the mall is owned by Nickalodeon! He was the only Diego in sight and was getting major attention from the park execs who were there to watch! So funny.

The real treat was when Dora and Diego showed up however. Barrett asked me if "they be sooo nice to me??" before he was brave enough to meet them. I assured him that Dora and Diego were indeed "soooo nice" and they would be thrilled to meet him! He talked about this picture for the next couple of days. He couldn't wait to tell his brothers when we got home!!

I love this picture! Diego, meet Diego. Barrett had a look of terror and joy on his face! Don't you love the wig??

The cutest Diego in the park, in his brother's hand-me-down costume! Good thing he loved it! I was exhausted after this was all over! Once he won his "division" we had to wait for the finals. My "nanny stock" just went way up.

Random in Every Sense of the Word

1.  Why am I so tired, when we gained an hour of sleep last night and we spent most of the day on Saturday, doing NOTHING??  I've slept 9 hours on each of the last two nights...that should be enough, right?  

2.  How could it possibly be November 2nd already?  Where did October go?

3.  I'm feeling frustrated with my own lack of blogging.  I feel like a blogging failure.  And I'm irritated that my Halloween pictures are still not up.   Because once again, our internet isn't allowing me to post pictures without a HUGE ordeal first.  I'm simply sick of trying.  Maybe tomorrow I'll go to Caribou and win the battle with free wi-fi.  Maybe.  No promises.  

4.  Is it just me, or are you not SICK AND TIRED of the million campaign ads on TV??  Who can't wait until Tuesday when it all stops??  And if I get one more ad in the mail...

5.  I am excited for Christmas music.  I really think I might pull some out tomorrow.  I know, it's a controversial move, but I just might do it anyway.  I'm in the Christmas mood.  I get stressed thinking about all the gifts that must be purchased, but I am excited to be ushering in my two favorite holidays in just a matter of weeks.

6.  Why is our pile of laundry never-ending these days?  Just when I think I'm caught up, it's overflowing again...

7.  I hate dealing with bills on a Monday morning at the beginning of the month.  I'm trying not to think about it already, isn't there something fun I can do tomorrow instead?

8.  I am so far behind on my scrapbooks, I'm starting to think crazy thoughts...like should I even keep doing them??  What is wrong with me?  I think I'm overwhelmed and hormonal.  I love scrapbooking, but I've never, ever been this far behind and I think I'm freaking out at the work involved to catch up.  It feels like one more thing on my list of "a thousand things to do before the baby is born."

9.  How long is this vacation with gas prices going to last??  I've not been this excited to "fill up" in a long time.  Why do I feel like it's too good to be true???

10.  And finally, why does pregnancy have to trigger so many weird things?  Heartburn and back-aches are one thing, but seriously, ACNE??  Just when I thought I might have outgrown those years, all these hormones are wreaking havoc on my face.  Kind of ruins the "glow" I was hoping for!  Oh the price one must pay to be a mother...