That Amazing Sound

10 weeks

Hearing the heartbeat for the first time is one of my favorite parts of being pregnant. We got to hear #2's heartbeat this morning and it was 168 bpm. It took quite a long time to find it, I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous - but I knew it'd be there. I definitely am showing a pudge and I can't believe it. I wasn't showing this much with Jack until I was about 15 weeks. Oh well, what are you going to do?

Apparently the MG hospital isn't going to be open until December 30th - so we will probably just register and deliver at the North Memorial in Robbinsdale which is totally fine with me! We'll sign up for a tour or something later in the fall just so we have an idea of what it's like in there, not like it will be that much different than Methodist, but it will calm my crazy nerves.

I have finally started feeling back to normal, no more morning sickness - praise the Lord! Jack's going to get a cousin in a few weeks here. Eric and Teri are due the middle of June. They don't know if it's a boy or girl, we can't wait to find out!

It's About That Time...

So this is my excuse for being such a bad blogger lately - I'm pregnant. That's right, Jack is going to be a big brother. Not only will Jack share his birthday month with his brother or sister, but the estimated due date is 12/24/2009, Jack's birthday and Christmas Eve. God sure does have a sense of humor.

This pregnancy has already proved to be so different than my first. I have been so sick. Granted I have not thrown up yet, but this all day nausea is really taking a toll on me. I feel so worthless. In the past 3 weeks I have maybe made two good dinners, because the thought of any sort of meat right now, makes me sick. I take that back, I've been craving a Costco hot dog for the past two weeks. ha ha ha. In Chicago at a maternity store, I came across preggo pops - they are just little candies that are supposed to help with morning, I mean all day, sickness. They are a miracle!!! I am out now, so I need to pick up some more. Isn't that weird? Anyways, so I've spent the majority of the mornings laying on the floor resting my eyes while Jack plays with his toys (he's been so independent these past few weeks, which has been a huge blessing) until 10:30 AM. Then I take a nap when Jack naps. Usually at 12:30 and he's been sleeping for at least 2 hours. I sleep better in those 2 hours during the day than I do at night.

Here are some questions we've been getting asked a lot:
Will you find out the sex?
No way!! It was the best surprise ever finding out Jack was a boy right after he popped out! Not to mention, the anticipation of wondering what the sex is, is what got me through my last few weeks of waddling and those awful contractions.

Do you want a boy or girl?
Lame answer - we want a healthy baby. But it's the truth, it really is. But that aside - we'd love to have at least one of each. That's not to say that if we have another boy we will for sure try for a girl - who knows. It also would be nice to have a boy and have all of the clothes, etc. to re-use. But shopping for girls is just so much more fun! There are pros and cons to each sex, which is again why we're not finding out the sex.

Oh and here is another curve ball. The new Maple Grove North Memorial Hospital is set to open up the end of December. Ha. So we most likely will not know if we are delivering at the Robbinsdale or Maple Grove location until October or November. I'm hoping I can be the first person to deliver at Maple Grove and maybe get free diapers for a year or something. ha ha. I got a new doctor and the office is actually located at the new hospital, I've been really impressed so far. Right now I'm about 9 weeks along and so far no complications. For those of you who don't remember, I had a lot of spotting with Jack. I'm so glad I haven't had any of that. The only good thing about that was I got to have a ton of early ultrasounds. And I haven't gotten one yet. My next appointment is next week, I might get one then if we can't hear the heartbeat or if they think it's too early. I'm ready for the sickness to stop - but I really think I'm going to enjoy this pregnancy so much more than Jack's (even though I had the smoothest pregnancy ever with him). But because I know what to expect and I won't be freaking out about every little thing. Some days (when Jack is really naughty) I wonder if I'll really be able to handle TWO, but I know we'll be just fine. So forgive me if I continue to slack on the blogs, I really will try to be better! Happy Memorial Day Weekend - we are really looking forward to a nice long relaxing weekend!

Way Behind

I have been SO bad about updating this blog! I have a few good excuses though. I will get to those in a second. First off - I have to talk about my Chicago getaway weekend last weekend. We had a blast! I went with my girlfriend, Kelly, my mom, and her friend LeAnn. We flew in Friday early morning. Our hotel was in a great location - we were able to walk to Michigan Avenue. We even got to see the show Legally Blonde on Friday night. It was really cute, just like the movie. It had been so long since I've been to a show. I really wish I'd go to more. Then Saturday we spent the entire day shopping. Despite our 3 hour delay at the airport on Sunday, it was a really really great weekend. I came home and to my surprise - Tom had painted our entire living room and kitchen! We just picked out the colors last weekend and we were thinking it would be a June or July project! He knew I'd be of no help, so he just gotter done. The colors look great. Our living room used to have 3 accent walls painted an orange color (it didn't look as bad as it sounds) and now it is a dark dark beige. Our kitchen was a yellow and now it is a dark red, just like our Omaha kitchen. I LOVE IT!

And now onto other business...actually I think I will just post it in a new blog, otherwise this entry will be way too long.

May 20, 2006 - 3 years!

Three years ago Tom and I got married. It really was one of the happiest days of my life. The ceremony was emotional and beautiful and the reception was a blast! I'm really grateful for our first year or so of being just us. Looking back at our time in Omaha, we remember having barely any responsibility and I think that is part of the reason we miss Omaha every once in a while. Don't get me wrong, Jack is one of the best things that has happened to us - but having a child changes your life forever and you don't get those carefree days back.

I really do love Tom more than anything. We've definitely gone through some ups and downs, but that's life I suppose. We're in this ride together!

100 Things About Me

1. I have lived in three different states - MN, KY, and NE
2. I attended three colleges - St. Bens for 2 years, St. Cloud for 1 day, and UNO for 1 year
3. I still graduated in 4 years
4. With honors
5. When I know what I want, there is really no changing my mind
6. I am overboard Type A
7. You can never be too organized or too prepared, or too early for that matter
8. No seriously, I'm never late
9. Well if I am, I wasn't driving and it wasn't my fault
10. I am a TV and People magazine junkie
11. Gymnastics is my favorite sport to watch in the Olympics
12. I taught myself how to do a back handspring in my friends basement
13. I'm Catholic
14. I haven't always appreciated my religion in the past, but that has definitely changed
15. My husband graduated from the Air Force Academy
16. He played hockey there
17. Our first official date took place on 2/14/2000 at the Macaroni Grill
18. No we have not been together ever since then
19. We got married May 20, 2006
20. We went to St. Thomas for our honeymoon and it was the most relaxing week of my life
21. We owned 800 thread count sheets, a lovely wedding gift, and they just ripped
22. We are trying to get up the guts to spend the money on a new set, I promise it's worth it, but I don't know if it's going to happen
23. I'm a stay at home mom
24. It's the hardest job I've ever had, but the most rewarding
25. I also work part time from home on my computer and can do this at any hour of the day (usually when Jack is napping or sleeping). I love that I can put Jack first with this job, and it's so flexible - it's honestly the perfect job for me.
26. Additionally, I work at our church as the Tuesday night receptionist
27. I like that I have one night out of the house with some peace and quiet (most of the time) at church
28. I love living in a state where there are four distinct seasons
29. Fall is my favorite
30. I was in choir all throughout high school
31. I made the MN All State Women's Choir in 2001-2002
32. I was Sandy in Grease my senior year with a bunch of my friends
33. I miss singing and performing
34. We got our first baby (our black lab) November of 2006
35. Our second baby, OK first child, arrived on Christmas Eve 2007 - Jack Thomas Starkey
36. We didn't know it was a boy!
37. It was the best surprise I've ever gotten
38. We will never find out the sex of any of our other children
39. Jack weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long
40. I was having massive contractions at my Grandma's house in front of many family members
41. I felt every single contraction with Jack, the epidural did not work
42. Despite the pain of labor and the last few weeks of pregnancy, I can't wait to have more kids!
43. I have the best friends in the world
44. Some of them are still from high school, five of us are still super super close and we are spread out across the country and soon to be across the WORLD - yikes!
45. Some of them are from college (all three of the ones I attended)
46. And some of them are from work
47. When I worked after college, I worked in Human Resources
48. I was a Corporate Employment Coordinator for the recruiting team at Oriental Trading Company
49. It was a great first job, but recruiting just wasn't my thing
50. I did however love HR
51. I love Will Ferrell movies
52. LOST is the best show created - don't try to argue with me. I wasn't all that impressed with this past season though
53. I love American Idol, but I've only voted one season and it was for Carrie Underwood - she is my favorite
54. I used to love Oprah, but I'm starting to get annoyed with her
55. I like Ellen way more
56. I would kill to go to either one of their shows!
57. Ever since this past season of the Bachelor - I will never watch that show again. EVER
58. I'm rooting for either Melissa or Shawn to win Dancing With the Stars
59. I got excited when Britney Spears announced her comeback
60. I just signed me and Jack up for ECFE classes this fall - I can't wait!
61. Jack is only 17 months and I'm already thinking about what to do for preschool
62. What is wrong with me?
63. Oh that must be my type A personality
64. Tom keeps me grounded on these types of situations, ha ha
65. I always tell Tom I wonder how he gets through the days some days because of how much he lacks thinking about the details.
66. He wonders how I get through the day constantly thinking about the details
67. We balance one another out
68. We are a perfect team
69. Some days our dog Bailey refuses to eat her breakfast
70. This then causes her to vomit throughout the day
71. Our dog has an eating disorder
72. On these days she is more work than Jack
73. All four of my grandparents are still alive and are in great shape
74. Surprisingly, I was back into my normal jeans one week after Jack was born
75. I hope this happens when I have other kids
76. When I was in elementary school, kids called me small-fri
77. When I got a perm - they called me crimp and curl small fri (remember that doll that you could crimp the hair)
78. I've never had braces
79. I do wear contacts and glasses
80. I hate all rodents, ALL
81. I'm not a huge cat fan either, sorry
82. I'm definitely a puppy lover though
83. My drink of choice is a vodka tonic, my favorite red wine is pinot noir and white wine is Riesling
84. I dislike hamburgers 99% of the time
85. My cravings when I was pregnant were salt and vinegar chips and cherry coke
86. I am an awful painter - like wall painter - well and art painting I suppose
87. I have no patience and not a creative bone in my body
88. At 16 months, my son is over half as tall as me
89. That is sad
90. Whenever I'm in a scary situation or nervous or just don't know what to do - I say the Our Father
91. I gave up facebook for Lent
92. It did not cure my addition
93. My husband can't sit still
94. It feels so good to be back home in MN close to our families
95. I love having a cabin we can go to in the summers
96. I've seen all the Friends episodes at least 4 times
97. I've never been to Las Vegas
98. I've been married for almost 3 years and have a 17 month old
99. I'm only 25
100. I'm one lucky girl!!!

First Real Photo Shoot

While Tom and I were in New York, my mom decided to take Jack to get his pictures taken. Apparently it was quite the traumatic experience. ha ha, that doesn't surprise me at all. They turned out super cute though!

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