New House...Together At Long Last

Thanks for all the wonderful well wishes, text messages and emails. We had a lovely send off party on September 12th and set off on our journey on the 14th. We stopped one night in Indianapolis to break up the road trip and spend some time with S’s cousins. It was so nice to meet the twins (now 7 months old—I can’t believe it), see the girls and visit with Cousin Andy and Amy.

The next day we drove to Atlanta and camped out in our new house. Thursday M’s parents arrived as did the painters, washing machine installer, and Comcast technician. Friday our truck came with our household belongings. It took them about 6 hours to unload (without taking any breaks!!)—very hard workers. We were quite impressed.

The next two days we worked hard unpacking all the boxes, breaking them down and bundling up all the paper. By Sunday afternoon we managed to set up the entire main level including the kitchen, dining room and curio cabinet, and the family room. M and his dad hung our large African drumming painting over the sofa which makes the room feel so much like home.

M and S even managed to sneak away for a few hours to have dinner and celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary on Saturday night. What a present…new house, new baby, new city.

We had to say goodbye to our amazing helpers, Hugo and Renee, Sunday evening. Then M set off for California on Monday the 20th (his birthday). So for a little while longer it is just the girls hanging out in the new house, finishing setting up the bedrooms and organizing the clothes in the closets upstairs.

Deciding to take a break and take advantage of the cooler morning air, C and S took a walk to check out the aquatic center and library on Tuesday. They even got a library card, checked out some books and managed to make it to story time for toddlers.

Everyone seems so nice in our new neighborhood. We’ve already met four families in our cul-de-sac, got some of their contact information and helpful tips for living and getting around in this area.

Here are a few photos for you to browse through. We ended up getting a new car for C so she would have something fun to play with at the new house. She loved it so much we couldn't tear her away.

A Glimpse of The Baby

Today we had our Level II ultrasound. At this appointment they check out the baby to make sure everything is developing as it should. They spend time measuring things like the arms, legs, head, and stomach. They check for proper blood flow from mom to baby and within the baby's system as well. They look at the brain, the heart, and the spine amongst other things. They can also tell, at this half way point in the pregnancy, what the gender is. It was very clear to all of us looking at the screen that we are having a baby boy. The doctor said, "Well there you have it. You can bet the bank on this one."

He also said that the baby looks really good. That he has a "beautiful brain" and "excellent heart." Phew. That's a relief.

Now we just need to keep up a healthy pregnancy and pick out a name. Any suggestions? I already got one from my dad... "Richard John." Any others?

Here is a profile shot of the little guy.

And here he is giving the peace sign--already showing a bit of personality.

Still Smiling

I'm quite tired from a late night and an early morning, but I'm still smiling from ear to ear. Since this is my blog I can say anything I want and I want to say that I have the best husband ever!Last night we went out to a french bistro for dinner in Old Town, Chicago for my birthday. Oh my goodness, the food was divine. We shared a beet salad, had authentic French onion soup, and M had the rack of Lamb while I went for the almond encrusted tilapia. We couldn't have been more pleased with our selections.

After dinner we strolled around the Old Town neighborhood before heading over to Navy Pier for some fun. M never really saw any of the sights on the pier so we decided to take it all in. Before we could do anything else, he had to take me on the 100-story high Ferris Wheel. I am not usually one to get nervous about heights, but holy cow, that was scary--especially on the way up. Whenever the car shook even the slightest bit, I totally freaked out. Then I started laughing at how ridiculous I was being because we were completely safe in our little compartment...but it was high. Here are some of the sights we took in on that ride:

After the death-defying Ferris Wheel experience we explored the rest of the pier. It was so nice to simply spend time with my hubby one-on-one without any distractions. We don't get to see him much these days, so it charged up my batteries and I feel like I can keep running down the home stretch. Three more weeks and a few short days before we get to be together as a family in our new state and in our new home. Only a few million details from now until then, but that's another story never to be placed on the blog; I wouldn't want to lose all ten of my readers due to complete boredom. Consider yourself lucky not to know all the insane details of our lives right now.