Headed out

We're very sorry it has been such a long time since we've updated. Jeff kept saying that he wanted to write an update, but he never did :) So, I thought I'd clue you all in on what's up.

I had my second prenatal appointment. Everything looks great... all the tests came back with good results and we got more sonogram pictures taken (above). The baby actually looks like more of a baby now. Jeff calls it an "alien". I wont go to the same OB-GYN again and will be switching to someone in Billings, MT. Not sure who it will be yet, but I didn't really like my Dr here too much so I'm glad to get to go to someone else.

I also had a shower/goodbye party yesterday at work. It was really sweet of everyone to do that for me. Paula, one of my trainers, made the baby a beautiful quilt! I also got baby exercise DVD's, a gift card, and a Montana piggy bank that Debby said I have to make everyone put positive thought in at all of my showers. Debby is pregnant too and is great to have as a friend!

On Tuesday we are headed out to Malta. The house is almost packed up and Jeff's dad is coming up to help us move on Sunday night. So, here we go. I have no idea what is in store for us, but it'll be an adventure, that's for sure.

My parents were up for a few weeks and we had a great time with them. We pretty much ate our way through Missoula. We also went for a beautiful hike at Blodgett Canyon! I'll post pictures soon.

Next post will be from the Bison Ranch!

Time here is short

Well, I feel like our time here now is just wrapping things up so we can actually move. We've been cleaning our apartment a lot as our landlord is selling our house. It's kind of getting annoying because we have all this stuff like pictures being taken and open houses, but at least it keeps our place spotless.

I've been working like crazy trying to get a new team up and running and get things in order before the new person gets here. We've got four interviews this week for people to do my position. I'd be really excited if I got at least two weeks to show them how things work and what I've been doing.

Jeff is finishing up this semester. He has two more weeks of classes, finals, and then we move. He's been out of town a lot lately for field trips. He'll be going to the Boone and Crockett Ranch again this weekend, but when he comes back on Sunday, my parents will be in town!! Yay!

My mom and dad are coming up for 9 days or so to visit. I'll actually get to see my mom on mother's day and celebrate my birthday with my parents. I'm sure we'll be going to HuHot (Mongolian Grill) while they are here (my mom LOVES HuHot). I think we may also take them out to the Boone and Crockett Ranch for a few days to hike and see some wildlife.

I've just got to get my rear in gear and start packing!

The first prenatal appointment

Well, Jeff and I went to our first prenatal appointment today. We got the works... the pap, more cultures, exam, ultrasound, blood tests. I was nervous going into it, but I really liked the Dr that I randomly got hooked up with. Her staff was very nice, her office was pleasant and warm, and she understood that I didn't want to wait until I was 12 weeks along to see a doctor.

She said everything is going perfectly so far. The baby is in the right spot, the right size, and I am 8 weeks along. My official due date is November 26th...Thanksgiving! Jeff says that the only thing missing from Thanksgiving is Birthday Cake, so now Thanksgiving is perfect! He already posted the sonogram pictures on facebook before I even thought about it. He's a proud daddy, even if he does call our baby a smurf.

I don't mean to only write about baby stuff. There's a lot of stuff going on other than a baby, but it's pretty much all I think about. I really like Easter. It's my favorite holiday. Jeff proposed to me 4 years ago on Easter. We're going over to Brian and Andrea's house for Easter dinner(our pastor and his wife and kids). I'm bringing potato casserole. So, right now, I'm going to go shop for dinner tonight and Easter food.

Love you all!

Strawberries

Well, I am perpetually hungry! Luckily, I found four pounds of deliciously sweet strawberries at Albertson's grocery store for about 5 dollars!!!

I was initially really sad about Jeff leaving for this week, but now I get to eat all of these strawberries myself! I also got some watermelon because I found out it will help prevent you from retaining so much water and I really think it works.

Jeff is in Malta putting up some fencing on the ranch that he will be working on. He'll be there until Tuesday when he drives to the Boone and Crockett Ranch. I will meet him there on Wednesday and I'll get to see the area a little bit.

This is what his trip looks like. Missoula is A. Malta is B. The Boone and Crockett Ranch is C. He has a lot of driving to do in the next few days :)

More details

Well, I thought I would post to answer some of the many questions that people have been asking lately!

1. When are you due? I'm assuming November. I haven't been to the Dr. yet so I'm kinda just guessing.
2. When did you find out? Last Monday
3. How is this going to affect the move to Malta? Well, we're still moving to Malta... to the ranch outside of Malta. Originally Jeff was to move in May and I was to move in June, but I may go with him in May instead. We're not sure yet.
4. Is there a hospital in Malta? Nope. I looked up OB-GYN's in Malta and couldn't find one either. I'm probably going to find a Doctor in Billings (3.5 hours south of the Ranch). I have a good friend who is getting married and moving to Billings this summer, so she will be there and has even graciously offered Jeff and I a place to stay as I get close to my due date. It's so nice to have generous friends!
5. Are you still going to get a puppy? Well, Jeff is really kind of sad about not getting a puppy as he had his heart set on it. I told him we could look at the possibility once we get to the ranch and see what's going on. I figure if we get the puppy and have 7 months or so to get him/her acclimated to us and trained, it would be ok. So, "maybe" is the answer to this question.
6.Are you sick? Not really. I'm super tired and I sleep a lot, but I haven't had any nausea yet.

I desperately wish we were in St. Louis or Kirksville so I could share this experience and get wisdom from all of the great mothers I know and love, but we'll have to settle for a phone conversation for now.

This weekend, Jeff and I did nothing! It was great! I took naps and we watched movies and I went to Target! I also got to talk to Lindsay in South Africa for a few hours and it was great! Gotta love Skype!

Jeff's spring break is coming up so I will get to go out to the Boone and Crockett Ranch with him for a few days, which I'm, excited about. Also, our church is having an egg drop for the city of Missoula. you can see more info about it here: www.missoulaeggdrop.com

Love you all!

New addition

Well, we've changed out mind about the puppy for now. Mostly because we now know that we are expecting a baby this year! Wow and SURPRISE!

This was not in our plans and Jeff and I are doing our fair share of freaking out...but mostly we are just excited. As I look back on the past few months, it seems as thought things have just been leading up top this. Last week, I was walking down the hall at work and one of our (slightly crazy) older ladies held the door for me. I said "thank you" and she said "you're welcome...both of you). Now, it was clearly only me walking through the door so I just chalked it up to her craziness. Ha....turns out she was right!

I haven't been to the Dr yet, but I have an appointment in a few weeks. Jeff and I were going to wait to tell people until I went, but we're not very good secret keepers. We just decided that we want to share the news right now! I am estimating that I am about 5 weeks along...I think. I'll let you know a more exact due date after I see the Dr. I haven't been really sick, just feel SUPER tired and a little bit PMS-ish. And by Super-tired, I mean I feel like I got hit with a tranquilizer gun to put it in the words of a friend of mine. Luckily my job is flexible and I can do some work at home and take naps in the middle of the day :)

We will keep you all posted on all the details as they come. We're not sure what this means for the moving situation, but we're figure it out. God will provide.

Love you all!

Well, I was hoping that we would find a dog to adopt this weekend, so I could post pictures of him when I updated. Sadly, we did not find a dog that would be the right fit for us yet. We'd really like to have one when we move out to Malta, so I can take him with me to run and to have him around while Jeff is out in the field. Jeff also would really like to train the dog well for hunting.

So, we've been looking for a lab mix of some sort. We've been to shelters here in Missoula, Butte, and Helena. We're also checking rescue agencies and craigslist and stuff. We have certain stipulations from out landlord and certain things we are looking for. It doesn't help that Missoula is ridiculously remote and to go to another shelter requires hours of driving. We've decided to just keep looking and wait for the right dog. We may not even get one until after we move... who knows?

Also, I have downgraded from a full marathon to a half marathon. I don't have the emotional space in my head right now to commit to training and running my frist marathon. It's going to have to wait. I'm much less stressed now that I made that decision.

Jeff suprised me this past week with Missoula Symphony tickets. Yesterday we went and saw Verdi's Requiem. It was really enjoyable and quite a production. 75 piece orchestra, 100 voice choir and 4 soloists from all over the country. If you've never listened to it, you should. It's a very engaging and dramatic piece. IJeff even liked it and thought it was entertaining. Since Verdi was primarily an opera writer, it kind of feels more like a dramatic opera than an oratorio. Also, before the performance, the conductor gave a short presentation on the piece and talked about the background and where the piece sits in Verdi's life. It was great! It made me miss making REAL music. Singing opera arias and art songs was hard work, but I was always so proud of myself when I did well. Hopefully one day I'll get to take voice lessons again!