Etc..

Well, there's so much to write about, I just couldn't choose a title. This post will just be catching you up on the last couple weeks, I guess!

So, we made our trip to WI and had a great time! Colin travelled well on the airplane rides, though the 4 hours we had to spend at O'hare on the way to WI were....challenging. On top of our 2 hour layover, which we were prepared for, our flight got delayed 2 hours. We finally boarded our final flight to WI at about 10pm central time, though we were still on eastern time...and Colin was AWAKE!! It was tough, but we made it through and got to Grandma and Grandpa Mancl's ok.

Our stay in WI was exactly what we needed...full of family, friends, fresh air, good food and relaxation. Colin met some of his extended family this trip and got to play with mommy's old friend's little boys...and he behaved and had a blast! This was the only trip to WI we'll be making this year, so we tried to soak it up. Normally, we would like to come for Christmas time but I'll be too pregnant to travel by then, so this was it! The next time we go, we'll be a family of 4.

We arrived back to Baltimore late Monday night (8/3) and had safe travels all the way around, so it was a success. Of course, we left the 60 and 70 degree weather and came home to 90s and humidity...we didn't miss having no AC requirement in WI. We are now settled back home and back into our real world routine, but are still enjoying the last bit of our squeaky cheese.

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, we had a couple big events. 1) Jake and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary! We celebrated while we were away, but did reflect on the challenges of marriage and parenting and are grateful for the love we have for each other. 2) I had my regular OB appt. I am 16 weeks along now and everything still looks good. I have gained a total of 2 pounds, so we're delighted that I've started to go in the right direction. The baby's heart rate is in the 140s. We will be finding out the gender of the baby on Sept 1, but don't ask the name because we won't tell you! We do have names picked out either way, but will keep them to ourselves until he or she is born:) For anyone who believes in old wive's tales, all signs are leading toward it being a girl (terrible morning sickness, worse skin/appearance, my age and month of conception...). However, I dreamt 2 nights ago that it's a boy, so we'll see!

On a proud note, Jake has officially registered to go back to school and will be starting his Fall semester at Community College of Baltimore County Aug. 31. If anything good comes out of our government this year it'll be the post 9/11 GI Bill. Jake is a proud veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and we couldn't be more proud of his ambitions to finish school. YAY!!!!!!!