Family Date Night(s)

Friday night, the three of us went to Mayfair for some quick shopping and then to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant we've never tried. At one point during dinner, Jon looked up at me and said, "Your bad attitude is really making it hard for me to enjoy our time together." OUCH. But he was right. I was a 'pregnant grouch', as he named me. I had no right to be cranky, but here were just a few reasons why I was...

1. We waited 25 minutes to be seated.
2. It was already after 7:30pm before we even sat down.
3. Our waitress was slow.
4. The chili conqueso I so desired was AWFUL.
5. My meal wasn't that great.
6. Kennedy barely touched her dinner.

So, yes, I had reasons to be cranky, but no reason was good enough to make my husband's night so undesirable. I was a monster and I felt terrible.

I decided to redeem myself Saturday night. Worship practice and a ladies brunch at church occupied my late morning/early afternoon. After Kennedy's nap, I wanted to take her somewhere FUN! She quickly fell asleep, knowing she'd be waking up to a good time after. We wanted to keep it a surprise, so as we drove to Jump Zone, I could see her wheels turning. At one point she said, "Mommy, I LIKE surprises!!" Well of course you do, they're always in your favor! - that was Jon's response to her - I laughed. We had a great time at Jump Zone, which is a lot like Monkey Joe's, full of inflatables the kids can jump in and slide down. Next time, we'll meet some of her friends there. It makes for a better time when you're running around with kids you know and not just complete strangers.

After Jump Zone, we stopped at Panera for dinner (another favorite of Kennedy's). We enjoyed a nice dinner together and lots of good conversation!

Kohl's was our next stop. We needed shirts to wear for the Super Bowl! :)

Last stop before home - DQ. (Yes, I had a bad eating day.) Kennedy ordered a chocolate ice cream sandwich, I got a small Oreo Blizzard, and Jon, the Peanut Buster Parfait. We came home and relaxed/devoured our treats. Then it was bed time.

Overall, I had a wonderful time with my family this weekend. Kennedy is growing so fast and with the new baby on the way, I want to soak up every minute with her!! I wish my attitude would've been better on Friday, but I hopefully redeemed myself on Saturday! I love my family.

12 weeks!!

Baby is a whopping 2.13in in length and weighs in at .49 ounces! The liver has developed and is now being put to use. Ears and eyes have moved to their correct positions and the pancreas has begun producing insulin! (I'm still in awe of all that happens so early on!) God is GOOD!!

Well, I wrote my title with TWO exclamation points because I'm 12 weeks and I'm hoping that this pesky 'morning sickness' will soon fade! I've gained a couple of pounds so far, but will soon be dropping them. I'm back on Weight Watchers and have already lost 2lbs this week so far! My tummy is starting to round, but still looks flabby. I got my first, "Oh, you're finally starting to LOOK pregnant!" comment this week. Not sure if it's too soon or not, but again, I'm am no twig and this is our second child. ;) My goal isn't to get 'skinny', my goal is to stay healthy and gain minimal weight (8-10lbs). Now I just need to get my butt back in the gym 3-4 days a week. Even if it's just walking fast. It's good stuff for baby!

I'm not as concerned with what's going to happen after baby is born. I have a renewed peace and I know I'll make it through! I have a HUGE support system who will help my through the tough 'newborn' times. All is well! :)

I love my life.

I am so BLESSED.

I have a pretty amazing bunch of people who surround me in my life. A great family and the most WONDERFUL friends. It's hard to imagine life before being a wife and mom. I look at Kennedy and my heart just melts into a million pieces. My husband treats me with the utmost respect and always thinks of me. I'll admit that I sometimes don't always do the same for him, but with a little guidance (Proverbs 31) I try not to lose sight of what God expects of me. And my friends... I have TRUE friends who don't care about my flaws and who love and respect me no matter what. I'm so thankful for their love, encouragement and support!! I don't know where I'd be without my sisters in Christ!

I guess when something bad happens to you, sometimes you just have to remind yourself how blessed you are and who really matters.

10 weeks

I'm 10 weeks today -- quarter of the way done!! Woo hoo! I hate that I'm gaining weight. But as soon as my 'morning sickness' ends and I feel like I don't have to eat every hour, I will be able to get back on track. I miss going to the Y 4-5 times a week. Right now, I'm lucky if I make it there once a week.

I'm anxious. In 30 weeks, we're going to have another person in our house to care for. That freaks me out! Right now life is so easy. Kennedy is independent and does so much on her own. In 30 weeks, I'm going to have to start over... but this time, I'll have another child to care for. Instead of putting all my focus on baby, I'm going to have to split my time. I don't even know how I'm going to love this baby as much as I love Kennedy. When he/she is born, I will already have had FOUR years and THREE months with Kennedy. I've enjoyed my time with her so much!!

The first month after baby is born is going to be challenging. My boobs are going to ache, I'll be sleep-deprived and changing diapers again - yuck - and the only advice I get from people is, "You'll figure it out." And as far as loving another child, "You just will." It's hard for me to picture right now, but I'm sure I will fall into the new routine and do just fine. This time around, I need to rely on my family and friends more. I didn't want to inconvenience anyone after Kennedy's birth, but I know it's going to be a bit more challenging for me this time. I'm going to need help with chores and meals are going to be very much appreciated! I had a hard time breastfeeding with Kennedy and I know I didn't take advantage of the people who could help me most. So this time, I'm going to wise up, and accept the help I'll need immediately! :)

Baby Schultz :)

On Wednesday, my mom, Kennedy and I went to my first ultrasound. I thought I might be further along than I was, based on my cycle and symptoms, but turns out, I'm right where I should be. 7wks, 4 days. Here is a picture of "our little grain of rice" (that's the size of baby right now). I was so excited to see the little heartbeat!! It's crazy how much you can love someone you haven't even met yet :)

We're PREGNANT!!!!

I woke up on December 13th and realized, "I'm a week late. I better take a test just to put my mind at ease." I did some dishes for the two minute waiting time and walked back into the bathroom to check the test. Every time I take one, I keep it turned over until I'm ready to look. I flipped it very nonchalantly and to my surprise, it was a PLUS SIGN! I immediately started crying and thanking God!! I couldn't believe it! I have taken more tests than I can count. Whenever I'm even a few days late, I've thought I could be pregnant and would pee on a stick. Always negative. So this was a HUGE surprise! This all happened before 6am, so I waited for Jon to wake up to tell him. He was shocked too, but excited! We've been trying for the last year, even more so the last six months. I started to think maybe we were only to have one child, or maybe the Lord was leading us to adopt. I never gave up hope though. Praise God for His faithfulness!!! :)

As soon as I found out, I decided I wanted to surprise my family for Christmas. It was so hard to wait the 11/12 days but I knew I could do it. They were shocked, especially my mom and sister, Sarah. Just the night before, they were saying how maybe something is wrong with us and we should go to the doctor to check it out. I had to play it off ... "Yeah, maybe we should go." lol - SUCKERS! ;) It was so fun leading them on to believe I wasn't pregnant. Deceitful, I know, but I didn't want to give up the surprise early!! My mom's reaction on Christmas Eve was PRICELESS. She was beyond excited! I wrapped the pregnancy test and made her open it. The best part? ...she thought it was a THERMOMETER at first!!! ha! My mom text me that night and told me I gave her the best Christmas present ever :) I love her. Then Christmas day, we told Jon's family with Val opening the test. They were also very happy for us! I got everyone's reactions on video, including Kennedy's, and will be posting them very soon.

We had the most magical Christmas! We are so very blessed with the best family anyone could ask for. We hosted for my side on Christmas Eve and had a amazing time. My mom, dad, sisters, Aunt Mary, Uncle Danny and Ashley were all in attendance. We busted out our new table with the butterfly leaf and enjoyed great conversation and much laughter. I love them all so much. Christmas Day was at Chris and Rebecca's house. Another great time of good food and fellowship. I love them all :)

There's just one thing missing this Christmas... Grandma :( It was tough, her not being here, but I just kept focusing on all that we've been blessed with and the fact that I know I'll see her again. She would be so excited to know we're expecting... I wish I could share that with her. I love you, Grandma!!!!!!!!!!

New Family Traditions

This is the first year we started the Advent calendar with Kennedy. Every morning is a new inexpensive prize to retrieve from the door. We put a few different chapsticks in, a couple of small ornaments, a few chocolates, sillybands, stickers, erasers and I even filled a couple of days full of balls for her reward jar. She looks forward to it every single morning. First, she turns on our Christmas tree... then heads right for her 'daily door'. We have so much fun together!

We also made our very first gingerbread house this year! Jon did the brunt of the work, while Kennedy and I added all the candies. They were so cute together, going back and forth suggesting different candies for certain areas of the house. They did an awesome job together! Starting new family traditions are so much fun! :)