Better late than never, right?

Hey everyone... sorry its been WAY too long since I've been on here. Needless to say things are starting to get busy around here and I keep meaning to write an update but forget. So here is a LONG update for anyone interested :)

Baby news: So, I am now 37 weeks pregnant... getting down to the wire. All my appointments have gone well and the baby seems to be perfectly healthy. I have only had 2 ultrasounds (at just a few weeks and again at 20 weeks) but we hear the heartbeat at each visit. We recently got the baby's crib and dresser that we had ordered and Eric and I got it put together. I am still finishing up little things in the room but for the most part its all done. I'll take some photos once its decorated better. I have been starting to have contractions and a lot of pelvic pressure but nothing is steady and so it might still be a little while before he makes his appearance. I have a feeling he might come early but who knows :) When I do go into labor Eric will be updating this blog regularly so please keep your eye out here for updates!! We may get to email or call also but just in case we have to rush to the hospital keep checking here also. My next doc appt is Wednesday and they will see if I'm dilated at all so I will post after that.

Oh and we are naming him Matthew... no middle name for sure yet though.

Michael news: Michael is doing well... just has been extra clingy and whiny the last several weeks. I'm not sure he understands the whole idea of us having a new baby yet but maybe he can sense something is changing. He is quite the mama's boy lately and its starting to wear on me. I hope its not too much of a rude awakening when Matthew is here and I have to share my attention. He starts a Mothers Day Out at a church near by on Sept 15th. Its every Wednesday from 9-3 so it will be a MUCH needed break for both of us I think. He is on the waiting list for the German Kindergarten in our village and might be able to start that in the spring. It is 5 days a week from 9-2 (I think) but you can drop them off anytime between those hours and pick them up whenever also. Its also good because you don't have to do all 5 days... so we might start out with 3 and then work our way up. I'm hoping over the next couple months he will become a little more independent. He recently got a "big boy bed" (full size) and is doing great with it. He gets out occasionally but so far we have been lucky that he hasn't gotten into too much trouble in his room :) Usually he cries a little and just waits for us to come get him in the mornings. He eats well and sleeps pretty good. Still gets up occasionally at 4 in the morning... just to give me a taste of what having a newborn was like haha. He speaks pretty well, but a lot of the time its not the most clear. He knows quite a lot of words but they don't always come out so other people can understand him. so we are working hard on that right now. I try to always get him to say what he wants and to say please and thank you.

Eric news: Not much new with Eric! Luckily he should be sticking around until December or maybe January so will be able to be home for the first few months. That of course could change at anytime but I'm hoping he will be here! Eric's mom Sandi will be here to visit for Matthews birth so we are VERY excited about that. She is coming out on my due date (Sept 24th) and will be here around a week. He gets 10 days off when the baby is born and plans to take possibly another week off after that.

Laura news: I've been getting a few new photo clients through word of mouth and staying pretty busy with that! I've enjoyed getting back into photography on a steady basis and I think its good for me to get away from the house to do it. I mainly schedule people for nights and evenings so Eric is home with Michael. I think I have photographed more families in the past month than I did the whole past year. My last shoot is Monday night (in case the baby comes early) and I plan to pick back up in a couple months... just in time to do family Christmas photos.

Random news: We are planning to go to Baden-Baden next week (if all goes well the next few days) for just one night. Its only about an hour away and they have really nice Roman Bath houses there so it will be a nice relaxing time. My friend Tricia is watching Michael for a couple days for us so we are thankful for that :)

In November, Erics family is all getting together in FL for a family reunion over Thanksgiving week. We are really excited to be going down there for that since its been awhile that his whole family has been together. We are still figuring out when exactly we are going but we can only spend about 2 weeks in the states because of Erics work. We plan on spending at least a week in FL, then driving up to see Erics uncles and family in GA for a couple days, then onto NC for several days to see my side of the family. Not sure exactly how long we can spend in each place and since we are travelling with a newborn and 2 year old it will be a little bit of a challenge :) We should have the details worked out in the next week or two (hopefully) and will let everyone know.


OK, well I think thats all! The next week or 2 I will try my best to keep this updated regularly on how I feel and how the baby is progressing. Hope all is well with everyone!!