Baptism

Sam's baptism!

Sammy's parents and Godparents

Dave and his pregger wife.

Baxter laying with Papa after a long trip home.

Baxter, that is not very lady-like...

The long awaited trip to Michigan is over. While I'm sad, it was also nice to get home after a week of being away. It was GREAT to meet Sam, he is so cute and such a good baby. We got to spend a lot of time with my parents and grandparents which was very nice too. I'm hoping to get over to lower MI more often than every other year. It is just too long! Maybe we can go back next summer since we won't be there for Christmas. I want this little one to know his/her Michigan family too! We had a hard time getting home on Friday. We actually ended up staying overnight in a small town about an hour east of Chicago because of the ice storm. The roads and traffic were terrible. But...it was just more quality time for Dave, Ethan and I. We watched movies and ordered pizza. We eventually made it home on Saturday morning safely. So that's what counts. Baxter ran around the house as fast as he could when we got home. I think he was excited to be back on his own turf.

Being with Sam made me very anxious for our little bundle to get here. As the due date gets closer, I'm getting more and more anxious. Some days I'm more relaxed about it than others. I'm just so excited to find out how labor is going to go and if we are having a Lucas or a Lyla! I've heard that not knowing the sex of the baby helps you get through labor because you want to find out what you are having. If I had to guess, I would say we are having a boy. But, I know lots of moms who thought they were having one gender when it turned out to be the opposite. So a mother's intuition is not always right! I'll be thrilled with either, as long as the baby is healthy. I've been feeling pretty good, just more and more uncomfortable. It's sort of hard for me to feel physically restricted because I like doing things for myself. But, at 30 weeks, it's getting hard to even get off of the couch to let Baxter out! I can't believe I still have 10 weeks to go and the baby will at least double in weight. It seems like a lot! But, I will manage of course. I can't do things as easily as I used to, like put on my socks. I have to put them on like a man by putting my ankle up on my knee and slide them on. Putting my pants on is a challenge sometimes too...and kneeling at church is hard. The little things we take for granted! I don't think I'm one of those women who loves being pregnant, but I don't dislike it either. I'm sure I will miss feeling this baby kick me every day reminding me that work isn't as important as it seems sometimes. :-)

We are going to a New Year's Eve party tomorrow night, it should be a good time. I'm not sure if I will even make it until midnight, but I'll try. Dave made these white chocolate covered Ritz cracker things with peanut butter for the party. My cousin Andy made them over Christmas and Dave loved them. So he wanted to give them a try. They turned out pretty good...I think. I haven't tried them yet.

OK, back to making dinner. Happy New Year!!