meet....the bowling ball:)

"Mom, seriously, I'm not a bowling ball. I'm healthy and happy, but I'm no bowling ball."

"I know, son, but you kind of feel like one some days. Look at yourself! I think bowling ball is an appropriate name for you."

"Mom, you're silly! Um so I feel like people are looking at me. What should I do?"

"Quick, baby boy, strike a cool pose! They are looking at you, but that's because you're super cute, even if you do make mommy look like she's carrying a bowling ball around in her tummy."

"So, mom, I'm 27 and a half weeks old now, right? I heard you and dad talking about it the other day. By the way, I like the sound of your voices."

"That's right, you're just going to grow bigger and bigger from here."

"So, what will you call me next?"

"Hmmm, probably basketball and then watermelon:-)"

"Aw, mom..."

Hat Day, 2009

Yes, last week, we had hat day in membership. Here are some fun pics from our event.


Membership girls hanging out, showing off their hats...hehe, while baby LaRock takes center stage!

Mine, yes was a jester hat, hehe. Peter, (who owns said hat) was proud to see it on display.

Abigail on her super, secret assignment in the jungles...of Membership. She was the winner of the best all around hat!

Darcy, looking cute as ever!

Jonathan, being a great sport!

Abby, the Indiana Jones sidekick, looking suave and ready to take on the day.

Rhonda enjoying her day with a fun, classic look:-)

Christina looking cute, too!

Kate working away, sportin' an adorable hat.

Cora the Clown, winner of our most creative hat!

Stephanie the Wizzard, winner of our most funny hat!

And James, who stopped by for some food, brought his own hat, so as not to feel out of place.

mmm, mmm, good

This recipe seemed kind of simplistic when I first saw it, but after I made it I realized that it's really good! It's a good one for me because I'm trying to pack away good protein for the baby.


Beef Stew with Mushrooms and White Beans
1 1/4 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 3/4-inch cubes
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 medium carrots cut into 1/4 in slices
2 small onions, each cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
8 oz of cremini or button mushrooms quartered
1/4 cup dry white wine
16 oz can small white beans, (great northern, navy or cannellini, rinsed, drained)
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained.

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the beef cubes in two batches, 1 to 2 minutes each, or until the outside is no longer pink. (I did a bit longer b/c I wanted to be sure it was done through.) Remove from skillet and season with salt and pepper.

In the same skillet, heat 1 1/2 tsp olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add carrots, stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add the onions and stir-fry 5-8 minutes more, until crisp-tender. Stir in mushrooms and wine. Continue stir-frying 5 minutes. Stir in beans and tomatoes. Continue cooking 3 minutes more.

Return the cooked beef to the skillet. Cook 2 minutes more until just heated through.
Serves 4.

Quick Update

Yikes, it's been a bit since I've updated this blog. I do want to put up more pics of "the belly" and of the paint job in the baby's room. Hopefully that'll be soon... We're almost to trimester 3, crazy!
But for now, here are some quick takes on the happenings in our life...

--It's cold here...but I'm sure my family in Illinois has it much worse.
--We saw Peggy, (our midwife) on Friday, and baby LaRock is doing swell.
--Baby LaRock is kicking like crazy now, and it feels strange and amazing all at the same time. Joseph came over the other day and I got baby to kick his hand...haha, made him yelp! It does feel strange.
--We started our Bradley birthing class last night. Good times were had by all 5 couples. It was nice to be around other moms with baby bellies!
--Peter is a sweetheart.
--Work is work--I start training the new conference coordinator on Friday.
--Peter is applying for new jobs--pray for that venture if you think of it.
--We had a lot of company over the holidays! Mom, dad and several of the kids came for Thanksgiving, and then Janessa and her husband Justin came for the New Year. It was good to see them all.
--We had fun with the LaRock's over the holidays as well. We had a great poker game between Peter, Mom and Dad LaRock and myself on New Year's eve.
--I'm amazed at how much "stuff" one needs for a new baby!
--I've decided that the many potty runs that a pregnant woman makes at night must be God's way of gently preparing her for the nights when baby doesn't feel like sleeping...
--Peter rubs my tummy every night with this massage oil, and boy does it feel good!

Haha, so much of these are about the baby, but what can I say? He's only altering my life completely:-)

Have a great day!

~Julie

Big Boy?

In the last 3 weeks or so, our baby has been making his presence known. (Yes, we are having a boy! And no I couldn't be patient and wait to find out.) I really didn't have much of a tummy for quite awhile with the really bad morning sickness I experienced, and then all of the sudden, here is my child:

Well meaning people stop, stare and say, "HOW far along are you?" "Man, that's going to be a big baby". And I'll be honest, sometimes I worry. Am I going to have a huge baby? My mother in law's first was over 10 pounds, and my mom had one over 11 pounds, so large babies have come from both sides. But, in both cases, they had great births, and have told me that those births were some of their easiest. This is good news since we're planning a home birth with a midwife. I think what's been so different about this guy is that for so long, I was pretty small, and then boom, my belly popped out.
An "expert" I read comforted me a little: Shorter women, (me) and those who have short torsos, (very much me) tend to show pregnancy more because there's less vertical room for their baby to fill.
So, there you have it. Poor kid has nowhere else to go. Basketball belly here I come!

It's also very strange to be growing a belly that I can't control, hehe. I have been pretty physically fit most of my life thus far, and getting the "yikes, that baby must be getting huge" looks gets to me sometimes.

A few days ago I was walking in the workout room, and a co-worker stopped in and let me know that no amount of working out would get rid of my tummy!:-) How true!:-) I have found though that working out helps my legs and back tremendously. My legs get stiff from sitting at work all day--a workout makes them feel much better.

If you saw my diet, (very nutritious if you disregard the occasional pizza craving I have) and saw the fact that I workout just about every day for at least 30 minutes, 1 hour a day if I do pilates for preggo mommas, then you'd know that I'm doing everything I can to grow a healthy kid. If he's huge, then so be it;) It won't be because I downed twinkies and ding dongs all day, hehe!

All this talk of my large belly makes me especially thankful for compliments. I wanted to hug two ladies the other day... One told me that I looked just great, and the other said that I'm small for 5 months along!! hehe, made my day:)

When we had our ultra sound, (very exciting by the way) the lady told us that the baby is actually a very average size at this point, just that there's a lot of water around him, which is just fine and dandy.

Anyhow, I guess what I'm realizing is that all women carry babies differently, they will all be different sizes and that's just peachy. A growing belly is just kind of a conversation piece and people somehow feel very comfortable commenting on it. The important thing is that at the end of all of this, Lord willing, we'll have a brand new son, wow.

When we saw him on the ultrasound it was truly amazing. We caught him yawning hugely and he moved around almost constantly. His little legs kicked all of the time and his hands moved constantly, too. The nurse said that he was a good boy and posed for all of the shots, hehe. We could see his little heart beating...so awesome. Just in the last few days I've felt him kicking me off and on. A few nights ago Peter was able to feel a little kick, *giggle*

All things considered I do feel very well. My back does bug me here and there and my stiff legs annoy me. I also find it funny to feel hungry most of the time, but have so little space in which to put food. I've found that grazing works best for me.

So, there you have the pregnancy update.

In other news...

We help Jeremy and Jessica move this Saturday. That'll be a big change for our little Winchester neighborhood. We're glad though that God is providing a new opportunity for them down there. They will be missed though.

Have a great day! And if you happen to be pregnant and reading this, you look lovely! And what's more, you're carrying a tiny life that God has allowed there. What a blessing!

Julie

Harpers Ferry:)

Part of my family came out for Thanksgiving and one of the days they were here we visited Harper's Ferry, WV. Here are some snapshots for your enjoyment.


Ha! Caught the photographer on camera rather than off!

My little siblings showing off their prairie strength.

Judy gently letting us know that trash out here smells as bad as trash in Illinois.

Ha! Caught her again!

"I whistle a happy tune".

Mom, looking cute perched on a rock ledge.

Once again showing off that good 'ol Illinois strength.

Now, just relaxin'.

Judy.

Mom and dad out for a stroll on the town.

Wowsers, that's three times I caught her:)

Little bro's Jed and Jeff loving the day in the sunshine.

It was a great visit. After they left our house seemed so quiet! But, it was a joy to have them out and we look forward to seeing them soon.

In other news, the baby is really starting let its presence be known. I'll have to put up some pics. The change in just a few weeks in pretty amazing.

My amazing man...

When we first moved into our house, we thought, "wouldn't it be nice to put a dishwasher in the hole there by the backdoor?"

Well, hooray, the project is done. My brothers helped us with the electricity and water stuff, (thanks guys!) and Peter just finished boxing it all in over the weekend.

In other exciting news, Peter has a new love. Well, that's what I've been calling it. We got his Christmas gift early because hunting season is here and he wanted to get some deer. He tried it out yesterday with is dad, and good times were had by all.

Showing off all three of his guns, hehe. What a man:) Love you baby!