Merry Christmas!

I'm pretty sure the next 10 days or so are going to be crazy busy, I thought I would post now while I still had the time. We will be heading home sometime in the next few days (depending on this crazy weather situation), and I will remain there until after Jess & Nick's wedding next week. Craig will come back to Lincoln for a few days to work next week. I'm so looking forward to the time at home with family and friends, but I know by the time we are all back in Lincoln and everything is over I will be one exhausted pregnant lady.

While we're away we will hit a big milestone (to me) in the pregnancy. We will hit the 6 month mark. Seriously! Is it just me, or has time flown by?!? Baby M has been kicking more and more these days. So far it doesn't hurt or anything. It actually makes me feel better because at least to me it means Baby M is doing just fine in there. Craig is still trying to feel it, I think he has but he just doesn't know it yet. He needs a little more patience!

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all make it where you're going safe and sound! Also, Happy New Year as we are booked until mid-January! We have so much to be thankful for in 2009, and so far 2010 is shaping up to be the best year yet! We have so much to look forward to. I can't wait!

Love,

the Mencke's

Happy Birthday Mom!

I forgot to add to my other post...Happy Birthday Mom! (No, I didn't forget about it, I've talked to her twice today.) I just wanted to give her another shout-out via the Internet! I hope it's a great one, Mom!

23 Weeks!

Technically, we hit 23 weeks tomorrow, but I decided I'd post tonight. We had our monthly check-up today. Everything is still looking good! Baby's heartbeat was in the 140 range and I'm measuring right on target at 23. Next appointment, I have the dreaded glucose screening to check for gestational diabetes. I have a bottle of glucola chilling in my fridge for the next month. Let's hope I pass...I've heard horror stories about the 3 hour version! For all of you that don't see me regularly, I thought you might like a visual of the baby bump. It seems to get getting bigger and bigger every day!



You may notice the green walls behind me...yes, this is the nursery in progress! The painting is done! I really love the color. Here's a few more pictures:







As you can see, we have our crib. We have yet to put it together. It may not be assembled until after the holidays/wedding. That's all right, we have plenty of time! Speaking of the holidays and wedding, can you believe that Christmas is next week already and the wedding in 2. Yikes! It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks around here. I'm looking forward to it, it should be lots of fun!

Oh, and just for fun! Here's a picture of Izzy and I . She loves to be in the middle of things. She also is very interested in the new green room! I seriously think she knows something "BIG" is going on. I'm so excited to see her and her new sibling interact. It should be quite entertaining!



Well, now that you've all "seen" me, we can start taking bets on the gender of the little one. Any guesses? Leave us a comment if you feel up to the challenge!

BLIZZARD!!!

Well, ready or not, winter is here! We are all but snowed in, and personally I'm kinda enjoying it. It sounds like tomorrow may be even worse as 40mph winds are supposed to kick in soon! Yikes! I'm really not looking forward to getting out and about into it. Because of this wonderful snow storm we are having, Craig decided to breakdown and get a snow blower. After 4 stops, his latest "homeowner toy" was his. I really think he had fun dealing with the snow tonight. He even asked if I thought he'd have to do it again tonight. I thought that was pretty funny! Honestly, he probably will!

Izzy isn't enjoying the snow much. We had to clear a path from the deck to the backyard, so she could have an easier time with bathroom breaks! Craig tried to get her to play a little in the snow tonight...poor thing, the snow comes up to her belly, so she had serious trouble running! She looks like a deer leaping and bounding through the snow. It works better than running right now. She was shivering when they came in! I'm thinking it's time for a puppy parka!

Me and baby are trying to stay in and warm as much as we can. The little munchkin has been kicking me a lot these past few days. I'm hoping Craig will get to feel it soon! I spent the afternoon at home cleaning the house, doing laundry, and baking my birthday cake! I'm looking forward to enjoying a piece later.

Craig is putting the final coat on the nursery walls as I type, so pictures to come soon! Apple 5 looks great...very green! I think we can officially call it a success after so many color failures. It's getting more and more real around here every day!

One Week Later

We are sitting here tonight thinking..."wow, we were already home for Thanksgiving a week ago tonight!" Now, we're exhausted and back home in the middle of another work week. Last weekend was long, fast, and exhausting. We had a great time catching up with family we hardly ever see, and enjoying lots and lots of good food! Izzy had a great time playing with the kids and running all over the farm. She is finally starting to act like herself again...she was one absolutely worn out pup!

This week we are focusing on the next big things approaching in the coming weeks! We headed home early Sunday so we could get the Christmas lights up before the Chiefs game. They are up and shining bright. I hope we're not annoying our neighbors...these new LED lights are pretty serious! I do think it looks good! Craig had to climb clear up on the roof to hang some of them. I was also able to get the Christmas tree up and decorated on Sunday. I think it looks good...now it just needs a few packages under it!

Tonight, we selected and purchased paint for the nursery. Apple 5 Laura Ashley Home by Valspar from Lowes to be exact. This is the 3rd option of green we have looked at. Craig plans to paint the room this weekend while I am home in Tekamah throwing Jessica's Bachelorette Party. I'm excited to see how it all turns out! Isn't it nice of him to offer to do this "chore" while I'm out of town at a party?!? Obviously, I will post pictures of the progress next week...unless the color turns out totally awful!

Well, that's all for now folks! Oh...exciting this week I am feeling the little one kick me more and more often. At least once a day for the last week! It's pretty exciting. I hope Craig will be able to feel it soon!