October 20, 2008

Closet space for sale…going once, going twice!

Right now Jer and I would probably start bargaining chores for a month to gain a little extra space in our closet. One month of both morning and night animal duty for 12 inches of hanging space in the closet? SOLD! Honestly it’s not quite that bad. But after piling all of our clothes onto our living room floor to begin organizing them, it became apparent we could clothe a small country with everything we own.

It all started when we came to the realization that Jer was about to lose his closet. He was quickly demoted to the smaller spare room closet when we moved in together b/c me being a girl I had WAY more stuff! At any rate…what little space he did have was going to be given up to the nursery…and we had no idea what we were going to do! Through a series of discussions and a trip to Rothman furniture, we decided to bite the bullet and condense into one shared closet and one dresser. We hoped that this would un-clutter our room. The prospect was a bit scary! But of course, we ended up (in true Jess and Jer fashion) repainting, refinishing and revamping our entire bedroom. We’ve heard too many times that the bedroom is your sanctuary and ours was no longer that. We took the opportunity to make ours just what we’ve always wanted…minus the attached bath of my dreams (although Jer offered to knock down a wall!) New paint, new bedding and a new TV are just what we needed to transform our space into a beautiful light and open room we can enjoy! Our last and final task is attacking the combining of closet and dresser space. That began last night. And though our living room looks much like a yard sale at the moment, progress is being made with as much speed as my 4 and half month pregnant self and my over-worked husband can handle!

Once were finished up we'll post some pics of our before and after progress!

Appointment Number 2:

October 3, 2008:

On this day we had our second appointment. Like our first visit, this visit was great! We were both excited again to hear what Dr. Talsky would tell us about our progress. We were now 15 weeks and 2 days. He thought I was about the 16 weeks in size. The baby’s heartbeat was a sure and steady 160. It was still amazing…and it was easier to find this time around too. I’m almost big enough to measure. The most exciting part of this visit besides hearing that we were doing great was that it was time to schedule our ultrasound! On October 29 we go for our first picture of the baby! We cannot wait!

October 15, 2008

To find out, or not to find out...

That is the question everyone wants to know!!

Jer is 50/50. I’m 80/20. His Dad wants us to find out. My Mom doesn’t. When we mention the possibility of not finding out, it’s all gasps and shrieks from people about “How can you not know?”

So here’s what we’ve decided. We want to make a choice that is us. We’ve done a lot of talking. Our nursery theme is neutral. We have a girl’s name and we’re working on a boy’s name. There isn’t a good decorating reason why we have to know. And on top of it all, I love surprises. How many big surprises are there really in life? SO…for the chance to do something fun and keep a mystery going for ourselves, we’ve decided not to find out until the day he or she decides to arrive. Hopefully everyone will have fun with it. But at this point…we’ve decide that we’re keeping it a secret for us! We want a happy healthy baby. Boy or Girl it’s all the same! So…to find out or not to find out? We’ll see what we see around March 25th!

October 13, 2008

Our First Appointment

September 2, 2008:

The day after Labor Day, Jer and I had our first doctor’s appointment for the baby. It seemed like a million years since took the first test…and then the second…and called the doctor to schedule an appointment. We were both a little surprised when they said, “We don’t see you till you are 10 to 12 weeks.” So September 2 put me at 11 weeks. We schedule the day off and waited and waited and waited!

Finally our appointment day was here. I had no idea what to expect even though I’d read some information on what we would find out. It was exciting and scary all at the same time! It was the first time we got to meet Dr. Talsky and he was great! I was relieved. And from the pictures of him holding all the babies he’s delivered on his office wall, I feel like we are in good hands! When we left we had confirmed that I was nearly 11 weeks. The appointment took us about an hour and a half. Dr. Talsky sent me home with a prescription for prenatal vitamins and more information than we could possibly digest. I had forms to fill out for labor and delivery already! It was a fact filled morning for us both. By far, the coolest part of the day was hearing that little whirring heartbeat. Between a range of 140 and 180, our baby’s heartbeat was 160. There is a wives tale that talks about the heart rate being fast for girls and slow for boys. Interesting!

When we left the doctor’s office we were so elated we didn’t know what to do. We called Steff, my mom, his Dad and Stacey, ok we called everybody! Just to let them know how it went! We were so excited we decided to go to Target and browse the baby stuff. For us, it was all really happening. We were having a baby! What a crazy new step in our lives!!

October 8, 2008

Life is so amazing!

In my short 25 (almost 26) years of living, I have never been less than amazed at all of the blessings that seem to be put at my feet. One of the biggest blessings has been my husband. It’s funny b/c we’ve been together for nearly a decade. Wow…that’s kind of scary to type and actually read out loud! I have this warm-fuzzy memory of times together when we were first dating. He’d pick me up in his Geo Tracker with 12inch subs in the back and off we’d go. I’ll never forget the roof of that car actually flexing in the wind while we were driving down 370 one day…I literally thought the whole roof was going to cave in on us. We shared our first kiss in my parents’ front yard. Learned to drive cars together, graduated high school together, started college together. We’ve been there for first jobs, first life let downs and so many other things.

When he proposed to me, we were just barely in our 20’s. Some people thought we were crazy. Some people thought it was just what would always happen. Jeremy and Jessie would get married! I’ll never forget how intent he was at making the night perfect for me. What he didn’t realize was that the imperfections of it all are what made the night so special…and so classically Jer. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Something about a man crying in your lap because he was so afraid you’d be disappointed with the way the night went has to melt your heart a little bit! I knew my heart was safe in his hands and that he would take care of me no matter what. After the engagement we went about making plans for a future together. He and I always have seen eye to eye on one major thing. We knew our lives were meant to be together. Whatever that meant.

So we set about fulfilling some goals that we thought would be good for our future! We bought our first house, got our first big kid jobs, supported each other through school, and planned our wedding day! Oh our wedding was one crazy, amazing day. It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. He looked amazing in his tux. I felt like a princess. The weather couldn’t have been any better. We were surrounded by close friends and family all day long and after the ceremony we danced out tails off at our reception. I could not have asked for better memories! I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again. Ha! I say that now...nearly 3 years later!

In the 3 years since then we’ve managed to make our humble little house into a beautiful home. We’ve taken some amazing vacations to places I’ll never forget. We hope to travel more and experience all the fabulous things God has in store for us. We’re proud of the life we’ve built and the adventures we’ve taken on!

And that is why I’m most excited about our newest adventure! On March 25th the newest little Linley should be making his OR her grand entrance into our lives! We’re so excited about it we could bust! We had our first appointment on September 2nd. I was nearly 11 weeks along and we heard the heartbeat! We’re still on the fence about finding out what we’re having. I don’t want to know and Jer does. We’re making plans for our nursery and all the big changes a baby means for us. And we could not be happier!! Keep an eye out for updates on our blog. I plan to keep everyone posted on our progress!