Baby Boy Roehrig

As promised here are a few ultrasound pictures of our little boy. I hope you enjoy!

This is a picture of the face and he has his hand up by the his head.












Here is another profile of his face and his stomach arching upwards.

Girl or Boy? Boy or Girl?

Tom and I were very torn about finding out the sex of this baby. We debated and went both ways about it. Today during the ultrasound the technician was able to have a clear view and, what the heck, we decided to know:

Mid January we will be adding a little BOY to our family!

Tomorrow I will have Tom scan in a few ultrasound pictures and post them soon. The good thing is that we do not have any neutral clothing, everything is pink and purple so I get to do a lot of shopping in the next few months! I really want to go buy some boy things as soon as possible!! We are very excited and open to any suggestions on names because we have only been thinking of girls names these past few months.

Grandpa, Uncle, and a Basement

Let me start off first by telling you about the new obsession in Noelle's life. Helicopters! Ever since we went to the boat races in St. Clair and she was able to learn about the crazy new flying machines she has been hooked! We had to print off pictures of Helicopters and at least twice a day she requests that we color them. Every time she steps foot outside she immediately directs her attention to the sky, searching anxiously to glimpse a view of one. Luckily, we do see a few outside. This is her first real obsession with something and Tom and I get a real kick out of it when she says "Helicoper" ten times while looking completely serious and staring intently into our faces. I'm sure it's the first of many things that will catch her eye and make a daily appearance in our lives, but for now we are constantly talking about Helicopters!

This past week my Dad and brother came down for the week. Grandpa had a class in Ann Arbor and it was very convenient to spend time with us. Noelle took and instant liking to Uncle Alex and wouldn't leave him alone the entire time. I became a distant figure and Alex was the only one allowed to take her for a walk, or push the shopping cart. She even wanted "Uncle" to change her diaper, but for some odd reason Alex refused to do that! Whenever Alex tried to play a video game Noelle would sit right between her arms and try very hard to get his attention. Uncle Alex also brought her some G.I Joe

helicopters that I'm sure added to her love of him. A shower was the worst because the beloved Uncle would disappear for awhile as Noelle pounded on the door and cried until he came out! There is no privacy when she attaches herself to you.

Another reason my Dad decided to stay at our house was to give Tom help with the basement. The three men were able to frame in the entire thing only working a few hours every night and it looks wonderful! We are so excited to get the thing finished and add 700 sq. ft. of living space. We are so grateful to my Dad, because it would never get done with just Tom doing it himself. Also, Dad will come back down to help with the electrical and drywall. It is wonderful beyond words to have so much help!

I have now reached the 18 week mark in this pregnancy. I have an ultrasound tomorrow which possibly could yield the sex of this baby. Tom and I are still unsure if we want to find out so only tomorrow will tell and if we do decided to find out I will be sure and post the ultrasound pictures and surprising news on this blog!

Lots Going On

We have been pretty busy since I last posted. Busy in a really good way!

Last Tuesday we had some visitors come over and spend time with us. My friend Karen and her three kids came over to play. Noelle really enjoyed having Norah and Kitty over. Kitty (only four months younger than Noelle) and Noelle didn't really "play" together, they basically watched each other and did their own thing. Karen has a beautiful baby boy, Michael, who is only a month old. Noelle was very interested in the baby and loved to point at him and say "baby" a lot. She loves babies and I'm really hoping that bodes well when our second one comes along.

Zeus also had a fun Tuesday. He went in to get his "manhood" taken away. He is six months and we have no need to breed him, so the poor guy had to have it done. I am not overly attached person to animals and I really surprised myself when I dropped Zeus off in the morning and my eyes teared up! The pregnancy hormones are really taking over!

Wednesday Noelle and left early in the morning for Alpena. My good friend Stacy was having her baby shower on Thursday. The drive went surprisingly well. Noelle is a good little traveler and with only one quick stop the drive was a good one. I forgot how long the drive is by yourself. Noelle isn't the best conversationalist, although her vocabulary is expanding rapidly, she still doesn't cut it. We arrived at Stacy's house around 1pm. I was planning on visiting some family in Presque Isle so we got back into the car at 2:30pm. We had dinner at my Aunt's house. Noelle and her second cousin's Raegan, 3, and Owinn, 6 months, enjoyed the hot tub (which was actually pretty cool at the time) while dinner was being prepared. Being an extreme water lover, Noelle did not want to get out of the hot tub for anything. She also was able to go into Grand Lake for the first time. She loved walking in the shallow water and throwing rocks into the water. The splash that was produced when a rock was thrown was very exciting and a laugh came every time. It was really wonderful to see my Aunt Diane and Uncle Phil and my cousin and his family. We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving weekend, and it was long overdue. I was also able to visit with a family that I babysat for all during high school. The two girls were in my wedding and hold a special place in my heart and I really enjoyed seeing them.

Stacy had her baby shower on Thursday evening. It was a beautiful shower and I was amazed at the amount of little girl clothes she received. I guess it really does pay off to know the sex of the baby beforehand! There was around 30 people there and all in all it was a wonderful shower. Noelle enjoyed herself too, meeting a few other children her age and playing.

Friday we left around eleven in the morning after a good night's sleep. The next time I see Stacy she will have added another beautiful baby girl to her family! Again, the drive back was uneventful and long. Noelle was a little brown eyed angel and did very well.

Sunday we decided to go to St. Clair to watch the offshore boat races on the St. Clair River. They are a really big deal and my Grandparents have a condo on the river. The view is incredible and tons of people come to watch. Aunt CeeCee was there and took Noelle into the river to swim. She loved watching the very loud boats go by and tried to be louder than them. She also learned what a helicopter is and although it sounds more like "helly-opper". I was a little scared that she would be afraid of the boats because they are so loud and you can't talk while they go by, but she loved them! We didn't get to see the really big and fast boats race because Noelle decided that she was going to lay down on the floor, at that point we thought it best to make the 2 hour drive back while she was ready for a nap.

So as you can read, we have been kind of busy the last couple of weeks. August seems to have a lot going on too, from helping my parents move, to my dad staying with us for a week, and a family wedding. I will update with pictures as soon as I can! I hope everyone enjoys!

Few More Weeks Down...Lots To Go

I have not written since right after Independence Day. We haven't been too busy, mainly just passing the days with lots of family time. We have started the unfamiliar task of disciplining a toddler. Noelle has taken to Time Out and when threatened she will put herself in the corner! I guess that is a good sign that she understands what it is. Every time she does it I just want to pick her up and give her tons of hugs and kisses because of the extreme sweetness she exhibits.

I am now fourteen weeks along in my pregnancy. Basically that means my first trimester is over and the nausea and fatigue should start to subside. While at my last doctor's appointment we pretty much decided that this baby will be delivered by cesarean section. A few factors helped make the decision, the biggest one being the doctor said it was the best decision in my case! I'm a little nervous about the recovery, but I know that I can handle it with the help of family and friends.

Aunt Charlotte came to stay with us from Wednesday until Friday of last week. She was on break from her school. Of course, instead of a fun relaxing visit she had to get an eye infection and we had to take her to the doctor and get that taken care of! She did end up watching Noelle so Tom and I could see a movie. We saw Transformers and loved it.

Last Saturday, Tom's Dad came to visit for the day. Noelle was way more cranky than she normally is and I'm not even sure why. It was nice for her to be in her own environment and I think that helped combat her crabbiness. We grilled for lunch and have yummy Mancino's Grinders for dinner. It was really a great visit and Noelle loved reading books Grandpa and having him around for the day!

On Monday, this week Noelle and I visited my Grandparents in St. Clair. We haven't seen them since they left for Florida in the early fall. We stayed for a few hours and Noelle loved watching the boats go by on the river.

Zeus decided this week that he wanted to have an ear infection! I took him to the vet on Tuesday and we found out that he weighs 78 pounds! I also booked him some obedience classes that start in mid August. He listens fairly well, until he is distracted then you can yell at the top of your lungs and his ears seem to stop working! Next Tuesday he gets his "manhood" taken away and that will be an interesting time for him.

Well that has been the last few weeks for us. Next week I venture up to Alpena for a few days and will return will lots of pictures from my good friend's baby shower! Wish me luck on the long drive, alone, with Noelle.

Fourth of July and Fun Times At The Zoo!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Independence Day! We didn't do too much for the Holiday. Being so far way from family makes it very difficult. Noelle is too young to go to the fireworks as she goes to bed around 7:30pm! We did go to our local Adrian Mall and walk around to get some exercise and for a change of scenery. After the sun set we could hear fireworks in the distance and decided to step outside. Fortunately, we could see very clearly just over the trees the Adrian fireworks. I think the best way to enjoy fireworks is at your own house with the one you love! It was a very fitting ending to a wonderful Fourth of July! Last year at this time we were on our Alaskan Cruise and it was something we will always remember, this year was not as exciting, but what can compare to Alaska? Here are two pictures one from a year ago, in Alaska, and the other one is this year, with the same hat on!

Today, we went to the Toledo Zoo! Tom took today and tomorrow off of work and the Zoo just seemed like such a fun trip with a toddler in tow! After we woke up we got ready quickly and headed out. Luckily, it's only about a 40 minute drive for us and we arrived just after they opened. We stayed for about two and a half hours, visiting almost everything. Noelle really enjoyed all the animals and making the appropriate noises to go along with most of them! There were times when the animal crackers I brought to snack on were of more interest than some other things, but who can turn down the great taste of animal crackers?! They have a children's zoo with goats that Noelle did enjoy brushing and petting. After a few hours we were getting very sticky and dark clouds were rolling in. We decided to head towards the entrance and as we got there light showers started to cool us. We had to stop at the gift shop and get a few souvenirs. Noelle chose a giraffe and tiger stuffed animals, which were clutched tightly in her arms the rest of time!

Pictures

Some weekend pictures to enjoy...

Noelle's first orange push pop!

Chasing Bubbles!