I'm so excited!

I love Fridays!

Besides the fact that today is Friday - it is also the day before a bunch of my girlfriends / and moms / and Matt are coming to town. Yeah! It is going to be a fun weekend:) Colie and Rachel are having a baby shower for us this weekend. I just can't wait to see everybody and hang out with them all.

(And to Float. Joelle Mott and her Boyfriend are getting a hotel - POOL PARTY!!! I can't wait to feel weight less for a night!)

Haha - for all of you suckers that are paid Salary - did you think about the fact that you are really working for free today?? Yep...it's true!

Enjoy your Leap Day!

Safe travels to Ann & Gary who will be heading out to Colorado Springs today to spend a week with Amy! Enjoy ~ as I am sure you will all have a wonderful week!

35 week update

http://www.whattoexpect.com/

'With five more weeks to grow, your baby is accumulating fat at a rapid pace, she has pretty much reached the in utero limit in height by now. Which means your developing baby's once skinny arms and legs are now quite plump…and irresistibly, squeezably soft.'

We are still plugging away - getting everything set. We have the stroller / car seat ready now. I even put a doll in the seat so we could practice strapping her in...haha - I am a huge DORK - I know! haha!

We finished our birthing class last night. I am really glad that we took the class. I think we both feel more prepared as to what to kind of expect.

Every day gets more exciting and a little bit closer.

I can't wait to meet her!!!

Joelle Mott is Hot!!

Happy Birthday Joey!

Happy Birthday to Joelle Mott - who is Hot!!!

I have to admit, I always thought that Joey's B-day was on 2/27...it wasn't until last night on the phone that I found out that it was on the 26th. I hope that when we were roommates I celebrated with her on the right day and not a day late.

This is a picture from a camping trip this past summer. Joelle is the Blondie in the middle. We are all bundled up because it had been a full weekend of rain.

That was the theme last summer. Almost every camping trip we took was in the rain. Let's hope we have better luck this summer.

Anyway - Happy Birthday Mott! I can't wait to see you this weekend:)

Happy Birthday Heiney!

Happy Birthday Kris Heiney!
(second girl from the left)

Here are a couple of shots from her 30th Birthday party downtown last night. The party was a lot of fun and it is always nice to see the good ol' kickball team (minus a few who could not attend.) I am just impressed with myself that we went out at nine and lasted until bar close! I didn't think baby and I had it is us at this point. I wasn't able to spend a lot of time on the dance floor as normal, but I did wiggle some from my chair and Mickey took over on the floor for me.
It looks like he missed the smile memo for the picture though...oops!

Happy Birthday Dan & Kate!

Happy Birthday Daniel!!!!

26 already??? It seems like it was just yesterday we were picking on each other at mom & dads - oh wait...that was yesterday! I hope you had a wonderful day. Mickey and I enjoyed going to the Fish Fry with you:) ps: I tried to post a message to him yesterday on 2/22, but it wasn't working

Happy Birthday Kate!!!

I can't believe how old you are too!!! (ha-ha) but I am not going to make any jokes about it - because I know I will be there soon enough:) We hope you guys are enjoying the warm weather and sunshine in Arizona! We miss you and we will have to celebrate when you come home. ps: Kate's B-day is today:)

34 weeks...only 6 to go!

I had my Dr.’s appointment this morning for 34 weeks.
It was very well, both baby and I are growing a lot! Haha…good for her:) Ugh for me:( I am definitely feeling our growth and I feel huge. This weekend I even compared myself to the biggest pig at the state fair. I was lying on my side with my arms & legs out front – I needed to roll over for some reason, but I seriously debated with myself if it was even worth it. That is sad. But I am just telling myself that I am not alone and I know it is all very worth it.

Every day that goes by we get more excited. I just can not wait until the day we get to meet our little peanut! She is always reminding me that she is there – poking and jabbing at me all day and all night! I am happy to know that she is so active. I just wonder what she looks like, what her personality will be like, how the labor will go and try to imagine how in 6 weeks our lives will be changed forever. It is so awesome and almost overwhelming to think about.

We have many things to finish up on our TO-DO-B4-BE-BE list
(Good spring cleaning, taxes, setting up insurance & short tem disability stuff, organizing cabinets & cupboard for her things, packing our bags, making and freezing meals and picking up some baby essentials like diapers and wipes). I was hoping to have everything done and ready by March 2nd. That would give us a month to feel ready – maybe go to some movies, more dinners, see people and relax. Being that it is February 20th already…I think I may need to extend my TO-DO-B4-BE-BE deadlines.

Have a happy Hump Day everyone!

Family Baby Shower

Thank you mom & Kate for hosting a wonderful baby shower for us on Saturday!

It was a lot of fun – we had many laughs and great food. It was great to see so many Waldschmidts, Friedges and a few Wiltschecks too.
Thanks again to everyone for coming and the wonderful gifts! You are all very generous and thoughtful.
We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family!

* Natalie (and friends) - you should really start your own blog too!!! I would LOVE to read what you are up to on a regular basis.

* Amy – you were missed…but thank you soooo much for the wonderful books! I know we will get much use out of them.

Dad's BIG party!!!

My mom not only threw us a shower this weekend, but a 60th Birthday Party for my dad.

She did a great job managing and getting ready for everything. This was a lot of fun.
I do believe that dad is one of a kind and many people know that…so many that about 130 of his closest friends stopped by to wish him a happy birthday! The garage was full and so was the house, the food was great and many enjoyed a beverage or 2. It was a GREAT Par-tay!

Friday

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!!!

I can't believe you are THAT OLD already!

Yikes!!!

Enjoy the party:)

Couples shower hosted by Mark & Jess

Here are some pics from the couples shower that Mark and Jess hosted last weekend.
Thanks again for everything. We have such kind and generous friends!

One Hit!

The prayers must be working…we had one hit for child care last night. We found a provider with an Infant opening and is only 5 blocks from our house. I had a phone interview with her last night and it went well. Next Thursday we are going to her place to have a face to face. This is the same provider that was referred to us by my cousin. I think that is a good sign.

Keep ‘em coming!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Thanks Mark and Jess

We want to thank Mark & Jess for throwing us an awesome shower last Saturday night. It was great! The food was awesome and it was wonderful to see all of our New Ulm / Stout Buddies and their spouses! For some of you – it has been WAY to long and we need to get together again soon.
(Pictures from that shower will be posted soonJ)

Last night at Baby Class we were able to take a tour of the hospital (United - St. Paul). It was nice to see where we will be when we meet our daughter for the first time.

We also talked about more birthing scenarios and Hope - I think we have more questions for you. We have even started a list!


Here is the baby update for week 33:

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side.
Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut. The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)

If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).

And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections

Happy Birthday Ann

Happy Birthday Ann!

We hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Proud Auntie

Here are the girls -

Zoe will be 4 in August

& Ellie will be 1 on April 11th.

Child Care Search

Finding child care is not an easy task….

This is something that we have been struggling with. I’ve made many calls to many in-home childcare providers and have yet to find any infant openings.

Last night Mickey was so awesome and made about 15 more calls for us. He wasn’t laughed at by the providers, but they all said that South St. Paul is in some sort of a baby boom and almost all providers receive about 2 calls a day asking about infant care. Something must be in the water here!

He was able to find several very helpful providers that talked to him for a while about the search and offered to help him search or give honest feedback if we do find someone in the area. One of the leads that he was given was the same referral that I was given by my 2nd cousin Leah last weekend in the Target parking lot. We are still waiting to hear back from her.

So please say a prayer for us that we find someone soon and we are able to trust that person / place with our precious little peanut. More than anything I want to feel very comfortable with the person. It is hard to swallow the fact that the market is for the providers around us and not the new parents searching for the perfect Day Care Mom.

It's finished!

Here is the baby's room:) It was a lot of work, but it is done and we love it. Thanks again to Colie for helping us paint. Also - I do have a bed skirt for the crib, but it is just not on in these pictures...oops.

Last Saturday

Last Saturday Mickey and I were able to spend some time with the girls (Zoe & Ellie). We have such a great time whenever they stay with us. Here is a shot of them with Mickey. The three of them are all in their footsie pj's. I knew he would wear them some time! haha! Have a great weekend!

Typical day at work...

Today is Maroon & Gold Friday. The Marketing & Communications group hosted a very fun Maroon & Gold Mardi Gras Party.

So - here I am with my friend Goldy (Gophie). He asked me to say hi and give a BIG hug to my niece Zoe when I had a chance. He Loves you Zoe!!!

Have a great Friday everyone!

Happy B-day Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day and look forward to celebrating with you this weekend:) Love you!

U of M Stadium

http://www.startribune.com/video/15375881.html

Check out this site...very cool:)

This is what we watch being built out our windows here at work every day.

Happy Birthday Rachel

Happy Birthday Rachel!
Have a wonderful day.

PS. I plan on posting pictures tonight of our finished baby’s room and my adorable nieces (they stayed with us this past weekend)…so stay tuned!

Cool Web-site

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/

My co-worker sent this to me. I thought it would be helpful for anyone who wasn't sure who to vote for (even though the caucus is over.) But it should help if you’re not sure how a candidate feels about an issue. Thought you might enjoy.

PS - Gooooo Obama! :)

Wiltscheck's In Action

Last night Mickey & I were pretty productive. He is on a mission to get the baby’s room completely finished (I also want that too. We are so close. All I need to do now is hem the curtains) and I am on a mission to feel comfortable that we have good child care set in place.

Before we started our projects last night we decided to go to Quizno’s and grab some dinner. I totally forgot how much I enjoy that place. It is great for me since I am not supposed to eat cold deli meat while I am pregnant (one of the rules again) but they toast everything. So I can have anything on the menu! Oh – last night I found out that they even heat their cookies if you ask them to!!!! Get the chocolate chunk! It is sooooooo good and is all melty and yummy and is just like it came straight out of the oven! M-M-Mmmm...toasty...

Mickey went to Ikea and got the rug for the baby’s room and I headed home to make calls to child care providers. He did great! He went right in that massive store and got what he needed and came right out. It is a good thing that I wasn’t the shopper last night. I get so distracted in stores and want to look at everything. So thanks for doing that Mickey!

I, on the other hand, did not do as well…I made about 25 calls. I ended up leaving 18 messages and the other 7 did not have infant openings. I think this task is going to be much more frustrating than I imagined. Luckily for me, my good friend Lori has been helping out. She recently got out of the Child Care Resource & Referral business. She still knows a lot and has been a great support person here. Thanks again Lori!

Also – I want to thanks Colie for helping Mickey and I with painting the baby’s room. It looks so great! I can’t wait to share the pictures with you and I will do that as soon as I get the curtains up. I want you to see the full effectJ

One last thing:
Donella and Dustin - have a great trip! Enjoy the sunshine and the warm weather. We are all very envious! Enjoy:)

TGIF!