A Honor Roll

Second quarter of school is now over and we got Ashly's report card yesterday. She made the A Honor Roll again this quarter! We are very proud of her hard work. Keep up the great work Ashly! She tends to go to Chadd to help her with her homework, even though I'm the one that got straight A's all through school, seems like Chadd's got me beat! I keep reminding them that I could probably do it....but I have struggled some with the 7th grade math! Eek...kinda makes you feel stupid. Kinda like that show "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" Nope, not me! But if you need a lab test run...I can do that!

Baby's Room

Most of the baby's stuff is ready to go. I just have to put everything away and organize! We are still waiting on the crib bedding and accessories to arrive. I can't wait to put the finishing touches on the room. Things are ready to go...just need baby!

Out with the old, In with the new

Chadd had to say goodbye to his beloved blue couch this weekend. I gave him time to mourn the couch and we took this picture so he can always remember it! He bought the couch as one of his first big purchases right out of college and took it to Florida with him for a couple years, then it came back with him to Minnesota. And then...his wife wanted a new couch! Well, things are changing around here. We got a new green couch upstairs and the other pictures are of the family room downstairs with the new couch and loveseat, and the kitchenette area with the new appliances. The basement is not completely done (where's the TV one might ask?!), but it's getting there and it is ready enough for baby's arrival, which is the main concern!

So while I was out and about all weekend having baby shower fun, Chadd was getting rid of old furniture, getting the new furniture, and getting the baby's room ready!

More baby shower fun

On Saturday we had a baby shower hosted by Chadd's family at his sister, Val's, new house in Minnetonka (was fun to see the new house!). The shower was so nice. Good food, decorations, lots of fun games and I got lots of great gifts for the baby. I was really bad at taking pictures this weekend...so, mom, can you send me a copy of your picutures? Thanks! And thanks to everyone that put effort into the shower, it was so nice. However...my first gift I opened was the dreaded snake (see picture). It's a Helland tradition (Chadd's mom's side of the family) to pass this scary looking statue around as a gift to a life changing event (wedding, baby, etc.) We got it for our wedding too! The eyes freak me out a little bit! And Sharon (Chadd's mom) said she will find someone to help me pass it along to soon!

On Sunday we had baby shower put on by my friend's Laura and Marcia. It was so fun to see everyone there! More great food and fun games. Thanks for hosting and thanks for all the gifts. I have so many wonderful friends. I promised I would come visit and bring the baby up to the Acute Care Lab at the U, so hold me to that! Again...no pictures :(

I was so happy my mom and dad and sister, Jennie, came for the weekend to go to the showers. Thanks! And it was so fun seeing you.

Baby Shower at Chadd's work

Oh what fun! A room full of people and Buffalo Wild Wings...what more could you ask for? We had a great turn out and the shower was really nice. And we really got lots of nice gifts, including baby monitors and bassinett. They made Chadd eat a couple of the "Blazin" hot wings, but he didn't seem to mind! One of Chadd's coworkers created the "Man's Diaper Changing Kit" Just use your imagination. There were step by step instructions on how to handle different types of "diaper" situations.



Here's what to do if there is an extreme blowout:



Step 1: Place biohazard bag in garbage can near changing station. Put on clothing protection apron, anti odor control, anti crying ear plugs and anti bacteria hand protectors.

Step 2: Carefully remove baby's outer clothing and dispose in the biohazard bag.

Step 3: Secure baby to changing area with the anti rolling tap (aka duct tape!)

Step 4: Remove baby's diaper and dispose in the biohazard bag.

Step 5: Clean baby with wet wipes and dispose in the biohazard bag.

Step 6: Baby may need to be bathed. Remember baby's like warm water, not hot water!

Step 7: Remove anti bacteria hand protectors prior to moving and dressing the baby. Dispose of antibacteria hand protectors in the biohazard bag.

Step 8: Diaper and redress the baby.

Step 9: Check calender to see when garbage will be picked up. If it is more than one week before the pickup, place biohazard bag in the freezer to kill the smell.

Step 10: Clean hands with hand sanitizer and shop towels.

Step 11: Spray room with Febreze air effect to eliminate the effects of the smell.



Easy enough, huh? I think Chadd can handle that! However, these were the instructions for when wife is on her way home or less than 5 minutes away:



Step 1: Place anti crying ear plugs into each ear. Make sure to remove the ear plugs when the wife pulls in the driveway.

Step 2: Meet the wife in the driveway to help carry in groceries or whatever she went shopping for. When she walks in the house she will notice the baby being fussy and change the baby!



Here's what to do if driving in the car and there is no place to pull over to change the baby's diaper:



Step 1: Place anti crying ear plugs in each ear. If you have enough to share with everyone in the car.

Step 2: Use anti rolling tape to tape one emergency anti smell device to your shirt (aka car air freshener). It is suggested to place emergency anti smell device as close as possible to your nose for best results.

Step 3: In extreme cases, you can use a clothes pin to hold your nose shut.

Funny stuff guys!

Ashly's New Room

Well, there you have it...the new room! Chadd and Ashly went to IKEA on Saturday and got a bedframe, dresser and desk. Then spent all day Sunday putting the stuff together. The only problem we ended up having was the carpet Ashly picked for her bedroom is a little too long, so the door and closet doors don't shut real easily. We are going to shave them down a bit and hopefully it'll work. Overall, that's not too bad if that is the only thing that went wrong. Chadd has a cold and wasn't feeling too well, but he was a trooper getting everything done this weekend. I worked both Saturday and Sunday morning so I was no good for anything else all weekend. No time to waste...next weekend we are getting the baby's room done.

Ashly went to the orthodontist this morning. She got her retainer removed from the roof of her mouth. Food always got stuck in that so it'll be really nice to no longer deal with that. She still has to wear her headgear for 12 hours every night. She's almost half way done! Just a little over a year to go on the braces. She should have a beautiful smile well before she starts high school, and well before she would ever dare kiss a boy :)

It's nice that it has warmed up outside. I have to admit though, if you ever wanted it to be below zero and "hibernating" weather, it's when you are 8 months pregnant and don't feel like doing anything anyways!

No School!

School was cancelled for Ashly yesterday and today due to it being colder than 2o below. Yikes! No school on Monday either, due to Martin Luther King Day. Wow...a five day weekend for them. It's almost like Christmas vacation all over again. It is nice to stay inside when it is this cold out though. Ashly has been relaxing and reading the second book in the Twilight series.

The carpet is being installed downstairs as I type this. So glad this is getting done before the baby was born...it is loud! This weekend Ashly and Chadd will be busy moving Ashly downstairs. Very exciting! We kept telling Ashly this is the last week you are sleeping in your old room. She is very ready to move down and have some of her own space.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is looking good. Baby is head down (good boy!) and ready to go. 4 weeks or less to go!

Baby Shower in Fargo

Three of my high school friends, Jill, Jodi and Jayla, hosted a wonderful baby shower for me in Fargo. It was so fun to see everyone. Thanks so much Jill for opening up your home to this. You were awesome hostesses! The top picture is my family (Mom, Bobbi, Jordyn, Ashly, Jennie, Libby, and Brittany), the middle picture is my highschool friends (Jill, Jodi, Jenny, Jayla and Tonya) and the bottom picture is old coworkers (Melissa, Sue and Ember). Oh, and I'm the big green blob in all the pictures! It was so nice of each and every one of you to come to the shower, especially a few of the gals I haven't see in many years! I had so much fun catching up, and there was good food, games and so many nice gifts. I also want to thank my wonderful husband for driving me to Fargo. I was too nervous to travel myself, luckily we had good roads. And the baby was not born in North Dakota! No more traveling for me for awhile! I am so excited to use all the stuff we got for gifts...blankets and sleepers and socks and mittens and toys and so much more!



After the shower we went back to my sister, Bobbi's, apartment and some went swimming. Then we went out to eat and to bed! What a great weekend!

Baby is about 6 pounds

I had a doctor's appointment today. The doctor estimated (just an educated guess) that the baby is about 6 pounds. Wow! Some babies are six pounds when they are delivered. That will make him about an 8 1/2 pound baby if he's not born early. Ashly was 7 pounds 6 ounces when she was born, so sounds like he might be just a little bigger than his sister! Things are good otherwise. I made doctors appointments for every week now. 5 weeks to go (or so!)

Happy New Year 2009!

Happy New Year to everyone! I think we all agree that 2009 will be a great year! We will have a teenager and a newborn! Between the two, we will definately keep busy! The three of us celebrated New Years quietly at home. We had some sparkling juice, Domino's pizza and played some Jenga. Let's see...Chadd fell asleep at 8pm...Kathy fell asleep at 9:30pm....and Ashly stayed up until midnight! New Year's Day Ashly went on a ski trip with Chadd's family. She just returned this afternoon. They went to Indianhead Mtn. in Michigan. Ashly loves to ski...she got a few tips from cousin Christian who is a ski instructor and before too long she was off on the black diamond ski runs. And the most important part...she came back with no broken limbs! Ashly said they had a New Years party, played bingo, and sat in the hot tub there. She was definately excited she got to go along this year. Thanks to Chadd's family for having her.

Chadd and I stayed back. We had some fun and did some work. We celebrated New Year's Day with some friends. Chadd played horseshoes and I sat by the bonfire, it was a beautiful day to be outside (for January!). Chadd and I did some shopping for the basement also. We got shelves for the closets downstairs, ceiling fans, a refrigerator, freezer, couch and loveseat. We also got a new couch for the upstairs and a basinet for the baby. Fun stuff!