Christmas 2010

We spent Christmas in Tribune with Adam's family this year. It was a fun time and Thad got lots of presents! The first night we got there Thad and Tatum helped Grandma Kathy make fruit salad! They had fun cutting up the banana's and putting the grapes in the bowl. A few of the pieces had bites taken out of them but they had fun helping.

Adam will probably be mad that I put this picture up but when you have a girl cousin who LOVES to dress up and act like she is a Princess then Thad has to do that too. He copied everything Tatum did and wanted to dress up with his Princess crown and too-too. He looked cute and we called him Thadalina while he was dressed like that.

Two of Adam's sisters were home for Christmas. Here is Beth, Tatum and Jude

And the angry bird family- Jill, Brett, Zekke, Titus and Maddix. They all got angry birds shirts from Christmas and wore them. If you don't know what angry birds is- it's a game on the ipod or most of the phones have them and its very addictive! Try it out!

And of course our family. Thad wasn't too interested in looking at the camera so this is the best shot we got.

After everyone went to Christmas Eve mass we opened all our presents. The kids spread out in the living room and each had their own piles. Thad had a Toy Story Christmas this year. He got Woody from Grandma and Papa.

He also got Buzz Lightyear that makes cool sounds, Toy Story and Toy Story 2, games, a Mr. potato head, a boy barbie (from Aunt Beth- I think she was more interested in seeing Adam's face!), dinosaurs, clothes, and a pizza planet toy from Toy Story. He got a few other little things and was spoiled for Christmas.

On Christmas morning Thad woke up and was a little grumpy. He takes a little while to warm up in the morning and wasn't ready for more presents! Santa had visited Grandma's house and left him a Toy Story car he can drive. After a few minutes he was ready to get in and drive away! We took it upstairs to Wayne and Kathy's room and he was able to drive up there. He ran into a few things but did a good job. He liked shifting it from forward to reverse!

On Christmas Day we went to Kathy's sister's house in Winona. Aunt Dianne and Uncle Steve live on a farm and have horses and donkey's! Thad and Tatum LOVED riding them. Thad wanted to pull Tatum while she rode Ace. Cousin Fred helped Thad and Tatum alot!

Here is Fred, Thad, Tatum and Scott. Scott is Dianne's son and let the kids ride the horses for a long time.

After Ace they wanted to ride Chewy the donkey! They call him Chewy because he likes to chew! I guess he tries to eat anything in site. He snuck up on Thad's shoe lace and tried taking a little taste but someone caught him just in time! We had a fun time on the farm and Thad had a fun time with Uncle Steve! They wrestled and wrestled!

I had to include this cute picture of baby Jude! He is so darn sweet. He loves to cuddle and is so cute!

The last day we tried getting a picture of the grandkids who were there and this is what we have. Thad, Titus, Jude, Tatum, Zekke and Maddix! I only snapped one picture because we had a couple who weren't too happy getting their picture taken. It makes for a great picture and a way to end a great weekend!

Thanks Wayne and Kathy for always putting up with us. We always have a fun time and the kids always get spoiled. We missed you Jason, Vic, Cole, Jacob, Gracie, Jena, Matt and Josh!

Visiting Santa

We went to see Santa this year and Thad did pretty good. Driving to see Santa he didn't want anything to do with him. He said he didn't want to see Santa this year. Once we got there and Mommy started talking to Santa Thad warmed up a little. We took a family picture first, then Thad was brave and took one by himself. When Santa asked Thad what he wanted for Christmas he said "A baby!" Santa kind of looked at me and we told him we were having a baby in 6 months!

Wait until Thad see's what Santa got him for Christmas this year! He will have so much fun with it!

Emma's Rock

About 6 months ago we purchased a rock at the Cheyenne Mt. Zoo. They are doing fundraisers for their Rocky Mt. area. It is a rock wall with hundreds of rocks with people's names on them. We did a rock that says "In Memory of Emma Younger." Even though she never went to the zoo we know she would love it just as much as Thad! Her rock is in the Yampa Headwaters section so if you ever make it to the Cheyenne Mt. Zoo you'll have to check it out. The rock wall is just below the moose or also beside the pony rides.

When we told Thad it was Emma's rock, he said "Ah, Emma's name!"

It was very cold today but we had to go see Emma's rock. It was put up a few weeks ago so we wanted to see it. We packed Thad with a blanket in his wagon. It was a short trip but well worth it! Of course Thad got to see a few animals along the way and took a ride on the carousel!

Proud brother!

Praise God! 12 Week Checkup

We had a checkup at Maternal Fetal Medicine today. This appointment was very important because it was an initial screening where they did a Nuchal Translucency sonogram. This is where they measure the fluid on the back of the baby's neck. They want to see a thickness of fluid less than 2.5 mm. We had the same Dr. who delivered Thad and it was comforting to see her again. The entire staff makes you feel so welcome and comforted even though they are doing all kinds of testing. This baby's thickness was .97 mm!!!!! Yep that is less than 1 mm! The Dr.'s were very optimistic and reassuring that this was a very good measurement. This is a good sign that there could be no heart defect. We are not completely out of the woods but this is a good start! Just to compare numbers- Thad's measurement at this same time when I was 12 weeks was 2.2 mm so it was up there by the 2.5 measurement where they didn't want it to be. Baby's heartbeat was 156 today- a strong heartbeat. The Dr.'s said it is very unlikely to have babies with the same heart defect. Emma's was the most severe, Thad's was in the middle and this baby hopefully will be NOTHING!!!!

We will have another sonogram on January 14th were they will also be able to look more closely at the heart. About 2 weeks after that when I am 20 weeks we will have a fetal echo with our Cardiologist Dr. Brames. At that time they should have a pretty good feeling if this baby will be born with/without a heart defect. It was so nice to go to an appointment and get some good news. We aren't letting ourselves get completely comfortable but it's definitely a good start and something to be thankful for. I dream of the day we can take this little one home straight from the hospital without any surgeries or oxygen tubes!

Prayers have been answered and we have an awesome God! I also have to give praises to St. Jude Thaddeus. I have said his prayer every morning since we found out we were pregnant. He is the Saint for hopeless cases- not that having a baby is hopeless but we prayed for a healthy heart and not having the same situation with this baby. I also believe Emma had a little say in this as well and she knows who to talk to in Heaven!

Here are a few pictures of our little guy! Baby was very active today on the screen- arching his back and kicking his feet! They did a 3D ultrasound and the baby has both hands up by this eyes. It was neat to see the baby in this view.

It is so amazing how human life forms. Our baby already has fingerprints at this stage and is such a true blessing. We are so thankful for your prayers and kind words. We have an amazing family and friends who support us. My coworkers had a little celebration for me today with yummy cupcakes and pretty yellow roses. We are blessed to have you all in our lives! We will definitely keep you posted on our journey.

Link for KKTV 11 News

Here is the link to view the 30 second clip of Thad's picture on the news! He loves watching his picture on TV. Click here to view the clip.