The 1st Christmas

It is hard to believe to me that a year ago my family was just getting used to the idea of my pregnancy. I was busy planning how to tell people, worrying about what they would think, and making sure most people heard it from me instead of someone else. This year Christmas was a totally different holiday for me and one that I know I will never forget.

The week started with my holiday show at school. It was again an hectic and stressful event for me, but I know that the families of the students enjoyed the show. The students also had a lot of fun performing for everyone despite how hot it was for them. I was proud of the work they had put into the show and happy that it all went well.

Ostyn turned 4 months old on the 21st and I can't hardly believe it. I was putting up clothes tonight and realized that a bunch really didn't fit him anymore. :( I now have an entire drawer of clothes that don't fit my little baby anymore!! I am shocked! He is turning into quite the cutie and flirt these days. I am really enjoying this stage of smiles and babbling that he does. There are a lot of cute 4 month pics to choose from that we took, but here is one of my favorites.

Christmas celebrations for us started on the 23rd at the Ketcham house. The Gellert family all gathered to exchange some gifts, play some games and munch on some snacks. Ostyn slept for the beginning of the celebration and then had a good time visiting with his family. Blaine and I enjoyed the exchange of gifts in which I got a Glee game, and a mega phone like Sue Sylvester!! :-) I was really excited. We played a trivia game as well that was a lot of fun. Here is the family pic from the night!

The next day (Christmas Eve) we headed to Gary and Lauras in the morning for brunch and gifts. We had a yummy brunch and a good time exchanging gifts. I got a coffee maker that I have been really, really enjoying the past 2 days. It is so nice to be able to have fresh coffee and I love the smell of the kitchen!! :) Ostyn enjoyed bouncing and playing in the exersaucer while we opened gifts. He got a cute hat that he liked wearing too. We got some cute photos of Logan, Levi, and Ostyn.

Christmas Eve we went to church at Dover with the family. I sang in the choir again this year and had a good time doing so. After church we headed out to my aunts house for the Hountz Christmas. We had a blast there of course too. The exchange there gets a little crazy, but this year I got a full bottle wine glass and a bottle of wine to go with it! Perfect for me! Amy took some pictures of my grandparents with Ostyn, but I don't have a copy yet. I will post it when I do. It was great to have pictures of them together.

Christmas morning we started the day here at our house. Ostyn woke up really happy and seemed to enjoy sitting in his little chair and with Blaine to open his gifts. He got some really cute toys and a couple of DVDs to watch. Ostyn got his daddy a game to play and he got his mommy an iRobot Roomba!! I was sooo excited! I absolutely despise the sweeping the floor so this was perfect for me. As an added bonus, Ostyn really enjoys seeing it move.

Our next stop was my moms house. We had muffins and mimosas for breakfast and then opened gifts.
It was a great time of course. Amy got Ostyn a ball pit the looks like a turtle. He isn't quite ready for it yet, but I know that he will love it when he is ready. He was worn out from all the excitement and fell asleep when Amy was holding him. He was actually sitting up all leaned forward and was out. Silly boy.

Our final stop on Christmas day was in Brookville at my grandma Ratz's house. We started the day with a yummy meal and then went on to gifts yet again. I must say that Ostyn definitely has things to play with and wear now! He is sent for the next month or so at least! It is so nice to see how loved he is! We played games, hung out, and snacked of course for the rest of the night. I am always sad to see the day end. It is so much fun to spend time with all of our family!!

If you haven't been counting along with us we totalled 6 Christmas celebrations in 3 days. While it was all very very fun and we can't wait till next year all three of us felt the same way by the end of it all. My last picture says it all. :)

I hope you all had a blessed and fun filled Christmas! I know we did!

The beginning of the giggles....

I haven't been here in awhile and I am sorry to disappoint you all! Life has been crazy still here at our house...I know it seems like we will never settle down!! I have spent time not feeling well the past 2 weeks and finally went to the doctor and get some medicine to hopefully kick the cold.  I can't believe how cold it has been the past few weeks! My morning duty outside has been quite miserable.

Ostyn is doing great these days! I can't believe he is almost 4 months old!! He is growing like a weed and we are going to have to shop sometime soon for some new clothes for the growing weed. He is now able to play in his jumper seat and loves it. He can't spin himself around yet, but still likes to bat at things and play. He is almost ableto sit in his bumbo seat too! I can't believe how quickly he is growing! The video below is showing him sitting and playing with Blaine this week. He is almost starting to giggle and laugh! :) It is all really fun to watch.  I hope you are all doing well!! Take care!

Soooo Thankful

I am sitting here in my living room this morning enjoying the quiet before the craziness of the day gets started. I know that this day will be so much fun and I can't wait for Ostyn to get to see his family and meet some new family too! He is sleeping peacefully still with Blaine for the moment, but I will be getting him up in an hour or so to start getting him ready to go. I have sooo many things to be thankful for! I was thinking about that this morning and the list is so long that it would have to be its own post. The list is topped with my beautiful, sweet baby boy and my fantastic, supportive husband. I am so fortunate to have such a great little family!

I hope you all take some time today, tomorrow, or sometime this weekend when you are with your family and look around at all you have! Be thankful for the people in your lives and love them dearly.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Where does the time go....

I can't believe that it is already the middle of November. My little man will be 3 months old in one week which is crazy to me! I always heard people say how quickly life goes, but wow are they right! It is unbelievable that Ostyn is getting so big already! He is smiling at people all the time and is talking a lot too. We are treated to smiles, the beginning of laughs, and lots of coos each day. He is so cute these days and I am always happy to see him and his smiles. There is nothing that perks me up more at the end of the day than a smile from my little guy!


Blaine is doing awesome with Ostyn every day. They are becoming quite good buddies and I think they are both enjoying it a lot. They spend time each day reading, playing, having tummy time, and playing the piano and hanging out. Ostyn is getting pretty strong these days. His legs are strong and he is often using them to push him self around when we are holding him. Tummy time is still a struggle every day. He definitely isn't enjoying it and sometimes spends it crying hysterically and just laying there not even moving. That isn't really the point....hmmmm how to change that...

Ostyn enjoyed his first trip to a craft show last weekend. :-) He enjoyed most of it while sleeping in the carrier. Aunt Amy was happy carrying him around and then when he woke up we turned him around so he could see all the great things at the show! He was very friendly and happy to look at all the people who stopped to look at him.

Last night Blaine and I went to dinner with some good friends. They have a one year old and we love seeing them! We headed to Red Lobster for dinner and hoped that things would go well with both boys. They both were quite patient with everything and did a fairly good job. I did have to escape with Ostyn in the middle of dinner, but he just wanted to be up and moving in the middle of his dinner so I took him for a walk around the restaurant. Once we headed back he was quite alright. After dinner we headed back to our friends' house and we hung out with the 3 of them. Their little guy is soo cute and so much fun! I can't wait until Ostyn is big enough to play with him! He seemed excited to see Ostyn, but bummed when he didn't really do much. Ostyn was great when we got back to there house. He even took a catnap!

It is hard to believe that it will be Thanksgiving in less than 2 weeks! Christmas will be here before we know it too! Time sure is flying by! I hope you are all doing great! Here is a picture of my cutie. :-) Just in case you need a smile.

Okay well maybe 2....in case one wasn't enough. Ostyn is 10 weeks old in these photos . Check out the cutest skeleton on the block!! :)

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween everyone!! Hope you have a "spooky" day! :)

Still Growing Strong!

Ostyn went to the doctor this week for his 2 month checkup and it is amazing to me how much this kid grows! He is now 12lbs and 23 inches long. He is in the 60th percentile for his age which is nice to know since he seems so big to me! I am amazed each day at how much he is changing and growing! He will very soon not fit into his clothes again!  He was a trooper at the doctor even though he had to have 2 shots and drink a vaccination. They seem to be affecting him now though as he has been a bit grouchy and his tummy seems to be upsetting him. We are working through it though and he seems to be on the upside of it all now hopefully. Ostyn is now able to interact with people much more too. He smiles quite a bit and talks lots. He seems to enjoy talking to lights and the picture above the changing table in the living room. They seem to be his favorites right now.  He is also getting a lot of hair. It's all pretty blond right now, but we'll see if it stays that way. I'm not really sure it will.

Ostyn seems to be having a really good time hanging out with Blaine all day now since I went back to work last Monday. I was very nervous about going back, but it has not been as bad as I thought it might be. The students and teachers were all really glad to see me which helped a lot since I was worried about the transition from my sub to me. I know that they are trying to be good even though they aren't really succeeding. We will work through it all though. They have to get used to me and I know that it is tough for some.

I hate to cut this short, but the little guy is sleeping and I have a lot of work to do for school this week.Here are some recent pictures. I can't seem to catch the full smile yet, but hopefully soon.  I hope you are all doing well!! Take care! We love you all!!

Ostyn likes his bathtime! He thinks he has a funny Mommy and Daddy!

Here is Ostyn sporting a hat that his Daddy wore when he was little!!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Amy!! Ostyn has the best aunt ever!!

Finally a break in the noise!!

So at this time last week we were in the midst of trying to get Ostyn to feel better and hopefully be way less cranky. He was way cranky last week after we went to church on Sunday. It made me think that we weren't supposed to be there or something! All through church he slept and was fantastic and then after it was all down hill from there. He was cranky, gassy, screaming and just an overall grouch. We changed formulas, tried gas drops and all sorts of things. Nothing seemed to be working and we still had a big grouch. An adorable grouch, but a grouch nonetheless. Finally on last Thursday I was tired of the crying, sad for my little guy, and worried about him as well, so I broke down and called the doctor. She was also concerned that it might be something else and decided that we should come in for a quick check. After the appointment I felt much better and was glad to hear some solutions. As it turns out our little guy has some acid reflux going on and perhaps a bit of colic. We were able to get some medicine to help the reflux and he is doing much better. Yay!! The colic thing seems like a bit of karma to me though. I know she doesn't know it, but I was very colicky when I was a kid, but I think that it is all coming around for me to enjoy in the end. Ostyn is doing much better this week though he is realizing that the medicine doesn't taste good and sticks his tounge out each time we give it to him.

Ostyn is becoming quite the chunk these days. At the doctor he was already 11 lbs! I can't believe that he is getting so big! I will be heading back to work next week and I am going to miss the little monster. Blaine will be home with him still so I know he is in good hands. I am excited to go back, but I know it will be yet another big adjustment in our lives.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy for the week! Ostyn is becoming quite the cutie!

Here is Ostyn during a nap this afternoon. He kept moving his arms and dragging the blanket on his face and every time I tried to fix it he started to wake up which equals yelling and lots of screaming. So I left it and he continued to sleep like this for over an hour! Silly kiddo!

Here is the closest I have come to catching him smiling! It is becoming a more regular event these days, but has yet to be caught on camera completely.

Have a good week everyone! We love you!!

Fall is here!

So it is officially fall and I'm really glad it is here. I don't know if I can stand many more hot hot days! I like the cool weather too because we can take Ostyn on a walk without worrying if it is too hot for him, and it's still warm enough that we aren't going to make him cold either. We have enjoyed some time outside and taken a couple of walks!

Ostyn is now 5 weeks old!! It's crazy I know! We went to the doctor last week Thursday for his one month checkup. He was really good until after they gave him his shot and then it was time to go screaming out the door. As of Thursday he was 9lbs 13oz! He is getting to be a chunker! :)  He was 21.5 inches long and his head has grown over an inch and a half in the past month. We are seeing lots of changes in him each day as he is noticing more and more about his world. He loves to look at lights and out the windows at our house and other places too. He is fascinated by it all!! He also has begun to follow us around when we are moving around him. He is also now really responding to Blaine and I when we are talking in a room away from him. If someone else has him and he is hearing us his head is whipping around to find us!! It is really neat to see him knowing the two of us and our voices and looking to see where we are. He has started to smile, but I haven't been able to get it in a picture or video yet. I will keep trying and when I do it will be on here. He is quite active lately too! He loves to moves his legs all around and get his arms going too!! It is amazing to me how much he has changed in just a week or so. I am enjoying seeing all of his developments. All in all he is doing great! I wish he spent more time happy and less time upset, but maybe that will come with time. I think he has my temper for sure though. It seems that when he is upset he is really upset and goes from 0 to 60 in no time at all.  He really doesn't fuss, he just screams. It's great!  (My eyes are rolling in sarcasm incase you didn't get that.)

I will be going back to work in a few weeks and while I am excited about going back, I am still a bit sad about what I will be missing with my little man.  I know he will be in good hands though with Blaine still at home with him. Here are some photos for you to enjoy!! I haven't been sharing many and it seems that I should be sharing more. I just don't want to be one of those people that smothers people with pictures. I will try to get one up more often even if I don't have time to update the blog. I hope you are all doing well!! We love you!!

 Ostyn's first time in his high chair!! :)

Pap and Ostyn hanging out.

3 weeks!! Wow!

I can't believe that it has already been over 3 weeks since Ostyn was born. When I think about how our lives have changed it boggles my mind.  I can't believe the difference.  There are days that I miss our lives before him, but I can't imagine not having him with us either.

Ostyn has been changing and growing in the past 3 weeks. I honestly can't tell the difference much, but his clothes are fitting snugger and people that don't see him everyday are always commenting on how much he has grown. According to the scale that we have here he is around 9lbs. Which would be a gain of about 2 pounds in 3 weeks. That sounds like a lot to me, but who knows if the scale is correct.  We are starting to figure him out now and most of the time if he is crying he wants to be held or he wants to eat. Most of the time its food. This kid eats a TON!! I feel like we are always feeding him!! He's still eating every 2-3 hours and is up to at least 3.5 ounces each time. He is a noisy eater too!! At the moment he is sleeping in his bouncy seat and seems to be content. That is a nice change for the evening since he has been quite the screamer tonight!

Blaine is playing his last softball game for the season tonight. I talked to him a little bit ago and he said they were in the championship game. I'm sure he was excited about that!! He is great with Ostyn and its fun to have him around all day. I can't imagine doing it all on my own everyday! My hat goes off to all the moms that do!! I am spoiled!

I am healing great and not really having any issues at all. I was sick on Friday all day running a fever which meant that I couldn't be around Ostyn much, but it turned out to be nothing.  I go back to the doctor in about 4 more weeks. Ostyn has his 1 month check up next Thursday. I can't wait to find out how much he has grown!!

Hope you are all having a great week! Take care!

P.S. Thanks again to my aunt Pam for taking pics of Ostyn. The above is just one of many cute cute pictures!

He's here!!

Well he is finally here and I can't quite believe it most days.  Our little munchkin arrived on Saturday, August 21st at 1:19pm.  He had a bit of a dramatic entrance into the world and I will definitely not soon forget it.  After a bit of a scare though he turned out to be perfect at 7lbs. 3oz and 20 inches long.  We stayed in the hospital until Monday afternoon and were both released to come home.  It was a much welcome trip since I do not like hospitals at all and we were anxious to get home and get things settled with him as soon as possible.  Little did I know at the time there really will be no routine for us for awhile I guess since babies are so unpredictable!  He is a good sleeper most days and is really only upset if you are changing his diaper or taking too long to feed him.  All in all I'd say he's quite the good little guy!  I am doing well and having no trouble recovering from the c-section.  My doctors were all thrilled with how quickly I was up and about moving around.  I know how it goes in hospitals though the longer you take to move around and eat the longer you have to stay. 

Ostyn went to see the pediatrician for the first time on Wednesday and they were also thrilled with how he is doing. He is almost back to birth weight already which is great!  He has no health issues and seems to be perfect in every way. It was great to get that relief and know that he is doing so well and seems to be thriving here with us.  We are still adjusting to him of course, but getting into the swing of things. Blaine has been absolutely great through it all and I can't imagine doing this without him! How people are single parents is beyond me. I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't here to help out and be so supportive. Not to mention he is adorable with the baby!

I thought I'd share some pictures with all of you. I think that most of you will have seen them since they are all on facebook, but if not enjoy!

Here he is the day he is born with Blaine!

He loves his Grandma and Aunt Amy!!

We gave him his first bath today and all in all he did great. Not too much crying at all!! He was so cute wrapped in his towel after!

He seems so small in his car seat right now, but seems to like being in the car. He always falls asleep right away.  This may come in handy later! :)  Of course he is ready to cheer on the Reds! Pay no attention to the scowling face in the pictures either. Believe it or not he looks like that most of the time. It's quite funny at times.

We will try to keep you updated as to his milestones and hopefully post lots of pictures too.  I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the beautiful weather!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but is it getting closer?

Well here is the weekly update for my pregnancy....

1. Am I still pregnant??     Yes I am. I keep thinking at some point in time I won't be but alas that never happens.

2. How are you feeling??   Unfortunately I am feeling good. I would like to be able to tell people that I am feeling contractions consistently or that I dont feel good, but that is not the truth.  I really don't feel bad physically. Mentally I am feeling very impatient and grouchy that I am still pregnant. I'm also bored....people are going back to school and are busy with their lives and I'm just sitting around doing nothing but waiting. Grrr.

3. How long will they let you go??   Well this is the most interesting update for the week.  I found out a couple of weeks ago that my doctors will induce any time after 39 weeks. My week 39 was last Friday so that means that I can choose to be induced. The earliest I could have chosen was the 17th. Blaine and I decided to pass on that. I would like to at least TRY to make it happen on its own. We did however elect to induce on Tuesday if I haven't gone by then. I don't think the doctors would have let me go on any further after that anyways so I might as well. I am really nervous about being induced, but I have talked with several people that had good experiences with the process.  Guess we'll see if this munchkin wants to volunteer to come out sooner or if he just gets kicked out then. Who knows....

I have a doctor's appointment again on Friday so we'll see what happens then and what the doctor says then. Until then Blaine and I have been taking big walks and I've been trying everything I can think of to get him to come soon.  He doesn't seem to cooperate though. Little stinker! Hope you are all doing well!! I'll try to keep everyone posted if something happens!

You're how far along??

That seems to be the theme of the questions that I get these days.  People seem to think that if I have less that 2 weeks till my due date that I should be giant, or at least bigger than I am.  I guess that is a compliment as to how good I look?? Yea right! I feel giant and like I stick out to the ends of the world. I'm sure that it's not as bad as it seems to me or those comments wouldn't be said?? Who knows....I don't think I care really, I am just ready to be back to my normal self and not be pregnant.

All that being said I am feeling pretty well these days. I'm tired more easily, and I don't seem to get much sleep, but that's just the way it goes at this point. I have been spending time doing anything and everything I can to stay busy and not be sitting around bored. I have been up and out as much as I can too in hopes of this little guy coming early.  No signs of that happening yet, but I'm still hopeful.  Tomorrow is the start of our pool on when he will be here. No surprise that I am the earliest on the calendar choosing tomorrow. I know its early, but I am hoping he might decide to make an appearance. The doctor last weekd didn't have much to say about progress made for me either which was disappointing. She seemed to think that I could go at any time and that MY body is ready to go I'm just waiting on the little one to make up his mind that he is ready. I am looking for tips on how to motivate him....have any??

We are officially ready to go completely and ready for the baby to arrive. We have nothing left to do before he gets here. Bottles are ready, clothes are clean, nursery is done, bags packed, camera ready, phone list ready....everything that we can think of is done!! I can't believe how quickly this summer has gone. It seems like just yesterday I was packing up my classroom and now I'm writing lesson plans for my sub!!  I bought milk today that is dated after my due date!! Crazy! Mom is starting school next week and Norwood starts the following week.  I think that the weirdest part of all of this so far is that I'm not going back to school. I'm not working on my classroom. I'm not writing my own plans. I'm not getting ready for meetings.  It is very strange. This is the first time I'm not gearing up for back to school with the rest of the world since I started kindergarten! Weird!

Blaine is still home with me while waiting on more orders from the Army.  It has been nice having him around and we have had a lot of fun hanging out and getting things ready for the baby.  Now all we are waiting for is the baby!! Do you see a theme of this whole post?? I'm getting impatient!!

I will try to keep you all posted when things are happening! Hope you are all doing well! Love you! 

Finally some pictures!

Hello everyone!!  So I have finally gotten my camera to load pictures back onto my computer after the crashing of my computer. So without further delay here are some pics of the nursery and things for the baby!!

This is the glider and ottoman that we got for the landing upstairs to use with the baby. It is sooo comfy and we both love it!

This is one corner of the nursery! We have 2 paint colors on the wall. One is linen and the other is baby olive. The linen walls have circle and ring wall decals in chocolate, buttercream and olive. We had a lot of fun putting them up and we love love the outcome too!

This is a picture of the baby olive walls. The curtain isn't finished yet, but if matches the receiving blankets!

Here is a picture of the wall decals and little dresser for our little one!

This is the shelf and bench unit that we have for books, toys, and other items!  I think it turned out great and I can't wait to fill up the shelves with books!!

Finally here is a picture of me. I have been feeling giant lately and haven't taken any pictures of myself growing but I have lately heard that I need to be taking some. So here is one....hope you enjoy!

I had a doctors appointment this past Friday and now will be going every week. On Friday we went and found out that I have started dialating and things are looking great! I know that doesn't mean I will be early,  or late or anything, but it is nice to know that things are on the right track! It sounds like the baby is doing well and we should have nothing to worry about at all! We toured the hospital on Saturday morning too this week! I know where I need to go now and how to tell people where to go. Those things definitely make me feel better about things, but I am still feeling anxious and nervous about not being able to control when and where things happen.  I really like the new wing labor and delivery rooms at Good Sam  and will hopefully be able to deliver there. 

We haven't been up to much lately other than working on getting things in the house taken care of before the baby arrives. We are finally finished with the organization of the basement and everything is on the shelves where it needs to be and we have an empty closet fo use for baby and kid things!! The pantry is organized with extra space made for the baby and I don't think we have any more projects to complete. (Except packing a bag for me and baby....)

I will keep you posted as to the events coming up! Hope you all have a fabulous week! We love you!!

And now we are waiting for baby....

Well we officially have pretty much everything that we need for the baby.  We have gathered the items we didn't get at the shower that we still needed and everything is mostly set-up.  We have spent the past couple of weekends working in the nursery and I think we pretty much have everything squared away there as well. I am still working on getting some wall art and other small decorative items.  I think that it all looks amazing and I can't wait for the baby to join us here in the room!! I would be posting pictures to go with this post however at the moment I don't have software on my computer that I can use to get them off my camera.  My computer crashed last week with a virus and we had to wipe it completely in order to get it back together. So now I am still in the process of getting things back on here to use.  I will post the pictures as soon as I can.

It is hard to believe that we are down to 4 weeks until my due date! It seems like yesterday that we were still telling people the good news! I am excited for the baby to arrive, but I am completely anxious and nervous as well. Blaine thinks that the baby will be arriving on the 13th of August because he likes the 13th and its Friday the 13th.  I don't reallly know what I think about when the baby will arrive. I just hope that it is near the due date and that we are all healthy and happy after. 

Blaine's orders from Atterbury are officially over for now. He finished up last Wednesday and is hanging out here with me for the next few weeks or so. He is thinking that he will be getting orders again for this job, but we just don't know when that will be happening. In a way the timing is great since we can finish up things for the baby and we can also spend some quality time just us before the baby too. 

I hope everyone is having a good summer and that you are able to stay cool in all this heat! I will try to keep you posted over the next few weeks as to the news of the baby coming. I will also try to find the software for my computer and post the pictures of the nursery. Have a good night! We love you!

Time to celebrate!

I want to take time today to wish all of you a very HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!! I hope you all have had a weekend planned with family, friends, fun, food, and festivities! I know I do. Don't forget to take some time today to think about the men and women that are spending their holiday away from their families in the military. Without them we wouldn't have a great country to celebrate!! Be safe today and have fun!! Love you all!

Happy 4th!!

A beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple!

 I wanted to take a moment to share some pictures from Amber Oehlman and Dan Morris' wedding this weekend. The wedding was beautiful and I feel blessed to have been a part of the day. I wish them lal the best!! Enjoy the pictures!

The beautiful bride!

The Oehlman kids!

Amber and one of the flower girls

Me!

Yes they smashed the cake. :)

The first dance

A busy life

Life around our house has gotten pretty busy recently. I thought that after school let out things would settle down for us and the usual summer boredom would set in for me. That has not been the case though as things are still crazy around here. We have been blessed to spend a lot of time with family lately and busy is great when it comes to spending time with them.


Amber and Dan's wedding is happening this weekend and I am really excited for her. This past Saturday was her bachelorette party. We had a really great time and got to use the fire pit at my house for the first time! :) It was a great night out, not too hot or cold and the fire was perfect for the setting. We spent some fun time together and I loved getting the chance to catch up with Amber and her sister Laura. I am looking forward to spending time with the girls this week. We are getting our nails done on Thursday and then we will get to spend the morning on our own Saturday getting our hair done too. I can't wait to see Amber in her dress either! She is going to be absolutely beautiful!

Blaine and I continue to work on preparing for the baby to arrive. Last week we chose paint colors and colors for the wall decals that we are going to be putting on the walls. We decided on paint colors called Linen and Baby Olive. They are khaki colored and then a light green. I've been thinking about the nursery and what I want it to look like a lot lately. There are so many choices and I don't know what to think about many of them. The decals for the wall will be circular and rings. They are going to be chocolate, buttercream, and olive. I know that these will look great in the room with the paint color, but it is still a tough choice. I think I just want to make sure that everything is perfect and looks awesome for the baby. I am trying to let go of the controlling parts of my personality and just go with the flow on things and know that most things won't matter to the baby in the beginning, but it is still hard to do. I want the best for this little munchkin and I am trying to do everything that will make them have the best life. I feel like an idiot most of the time though and like I am walking blindly into this, even though I know I'm not. I did manage to find a pediatric group that I feel will work well for us. At least I hope they do. I am still looking for suggestions as to where the baby should spend the first few weeks when sleeping. I keep hearing start them in the crib immediately from some people and some feel strongly about a place in Blaine and I's room in the beginning. I'm torn and don't know what I want to do about it. I also have no cradle or small pack-n-play for our room so that is also going to be a factor.  Ahhh the choices that have to be made for kids! I am looking for any and all suggestions and advice on this!! Help!!

The time for Blaine and I to only be a couple is coming to a close and for me it is a bittersweet thing. I am really excited about the future we are building and the family we are going to have. I am also a bit sad for the things we are leaving behind and the moments that we made snap decisions on what to do and places to go. I know great things are to come and there is nothing to be sad about, but it is a scary time for me as well.

I hope you are all doing fantastic and having a good summer!  I wish you a great rests of your week! Love you all!

One last trip

Blaine and I just got back from the last trip that we will take before we become a family. It is strange to think about this being the last time, but there are no other trips planned so it must be. We headed to Myrtle Beach, SC for a long weekend this past weekend. It was a long ride down, but after we finally made it we had a good time.  We even got to try out the new pump thingy that goes with the Vue since we managed to get a nail in our tire when we got there.  Its always nice to have things like that occur when you are on vacation.....haha. We had a great couple of days hanging out in South Carolina. Unfortunately it was too hot for us to hang out on the beach at all. We spent some tiem shopping, saw a movie, and ate at some good restaurants. We did get to go for a walk on the beach on Monday night because it cooled off and wasn't too humid. The beach was beautiful as usual and I love being there. I find it peaceful and calming. Our trip back on Tuesday was smooth sailing and we made really good time.

The baby is moving around a lot these days and it is getting a bit painful. I will be 30 weeks on Friday and we are going to the doctor to hear the heart again. I am in my third trimester now which means doctor visits every 2 weeks. Time is flying by and before I know it this little bundle will be here! It is crazy! I had my glucose screen at my last visit and got the results that I passed it! I was very relieved at that.  My blood screen at that visit also gave results that were all normal and a ok!  My biggest tasks right now are the nursery, working on finding a pediatrician, and trying to rest up for the baby.

I have decided to use my summer to catch up on reading that I have been wanting to do. I find myself on my porch reading several times a week.  It is nice to just read books that I want to for fun! I haven't had a chance to do that in awhile. I hope you are all doing well out there in the world!

One More Day!!!

That's it! That's all I have left of the school year! Yay!! I know that some of you reading this will have more than that, so I'm sorry for bragging, but I'm so glad! I am done for the year and so are the students. Now all that is left to do is pack up my room and bring home the things that are mine and get ready for this baby!! My summer will be spent relaxing, reading, and getting myself ready for the baby!

It's hard to believe that I have just over 12 weeks left until the baby is due. I am getting more excited each week as it passes! I am officially into the third trimester! Crazy!

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend and as always my family will be having the freeze off. Blaine and I were trying to think up ice cream ideas and so far we are coming up empty. I am looking for something yummy and different. Any ideas from anyone out there? We will also be celebrating the Indy 500 as always with the peanut cars I hope. I can't wait to see everyone and get the chance to hang out with the fam and relax. My summer will be starting with the perfect weekend hopefully!

I will also be thinking of a friend this weekend however. She lost her father last night and I am very sad for her. It was a welcome thing in some ways, but I can't imagine what she and her family are going through. I have been doing the best I can to keep things going the way she would want them to go at school and I'm hoping that she won't be too disappointed. At the end of the day, I think she'd be ok with things, but I still worry that I will be letting her down. 

I hope you are all doing well and that you have a fantastic weekend! Please remember the reason for the holiday as well when you are celebrating and think about those that we have lost and the families that have lost them. I am soo grateful to have Blaine here and I think about the families in the 38th that aren't that lucky. Makes me appreciate everything that has happened this year for Blaine and I and the things that are hopefully still coming.

To all the mom's out there....

Just stopping by to wish all the mother's out there a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!   The world and I appreciate all that you do, and have done! I think I am truly beginning to grasp all that it takes to be a mom and my munchkin isn't even here yet!!


Happy Mother's Day!!!

Moving and Grooving

I'm back! And the baby is getting quite the workout as I write this. The further along I get the more I notice that there is a lot going on down there.  This little "monster" as Amy used to call it is beating from the inside and busting my routine. I can't believe how often I feel the movements. Blaine got to feel the baby for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was pretty cool. I still find it odd that there is a human being inside me! Crazy!

I have been feeling alright for the past few weeks. The eyes have cleared up, the cold is gone, allergies aren't too bad. But then again I have been to the chiropractor 3 times in the past week. Turns out I had locked up some joints in my lower back and had to get them straightened out multiple times before they are finally feeling better.  It was nerve wracking to go get my back worked on while pregnant, but I feel much better today. 

Blaine and I got a start on the baby's room last weekend. So far we have everything cleaned out and some furniture put up in the room. Time to move on to the decorating!! I still can't figure out how to do that, but I'm trying to find some good ideas. Anyone? We are also on the hunt for a pediatrician though I'm not sure how that is supposed to work either. Anyone know someone good? bad? suggestions? This one seems like one of the biggest dilemas so far.

I have started the countdown for the end of school!! I am down to 17 days! I can't wait! I am ready to sleep in, relax, and put my feet up. We'll see how that works for the beginning of the summer.

Blaine says nothing new is going on for him to share.....I can't really think of much either. Hope you are all doing well! Take care and enjoy the sunshine!

Past the halfway point....

It is official! I am over halfway through this pregnancy! This is the beginning of week 21 and I can't believe that 15 weeks have blown by already! In some ways it has gone very fast, and sometimes I feel like time is dragging.

Last week we had our 20 week ultrasound appointment. I was really nervous and excited at the same time for the appointment. In then end everything went great though. The baby is developing as it should and everything looks normal so far. It was really neat to see the feet and hands. 10 fingers and 10 toes as it should be! We even got a thumbs down during the ultrasound!! Amy went along with us too and was completely floored seeing it all. I am still amazed when I think about a little person that is actually living inside of me!! I am now able to feel the baby moving and it is odd to feel that too. I don't think the munchkin is moving enough for Blaine to feel it yet, but I know that it will be soon. 

The basement is officially finished and I am ready to get everything set down there. We had carpet laid last Monday, and it is beautiful! Blaine has started doing his workouts down there and the only thing left to take care of are the closet doors. The next project here at the house is the nursery. I am not sure what we are going to do for it as far as paint or decorating it, but I do know that we need to get started and the first place to start is the closet and cleaning some of the stuff out of the room.

Blaine is doing well and is gearing up for some more training coming soon. He will be working with a group from California and is getting everything ready for them before they get here. Between work, doctors appointments, trying to rest and see family and friends we are really busy. I'm glad that there are only 35 days of school left. I am quite tired by the end of the day rolls around and I predict that will only get worse.

I was hoping to get some pictures of the ultarsound up here, but I can't seem to get them to scan in. Hopefully I will figure some way soon! Hope you are all doing great!

Spring Ahead

I am fairly certain that the idea of springing forward is a crazy thing. I have spent my week exahusted and feeling like I need to catch up on sleep. I even got almost 10 hours of sleep on Monday night and I was still tired on Tuesday! I do like the spring like temps that are on their way to us though... :) !

Blaine and I are scheduled to hear the baby's heartbeat again tomorrow! I am pretty excited and I think he is too. It will be the first time that he will hear it live in person! :) Then in 2 weeks we will be going to see the baby again! Yay for ultrasounds!

We are working on getting things ready for the baby here at the house by talking about furniture, registering and just getting things ready in general. If you are reading this and have suggestions on items that we should or should not get let me know! We are open to any and all suggestions!

Last night was the employee party at Perfects. It is always quite a bittersweet time down there. It is awesome to see everyone, but at the same time saying goodbye to some that I only see then is tough. I was fortunate enough to win an Ipod Shuffle last night at the party! That was a nice surprise and will be great to have after having my taken. I put the loading of songs on Blaine's to-do list for tomorrow. He will be quite busy with that and working out and Logan will be coming over too! 

Hope you all are doing well! Take care!

Time is passing quickly...

It is hard to believe that the last time I updated was almost 4 weeks ago! I had no idea really. I would like to say that time flies when you are having fun, but life has just been crazy here in the world of the Gellerts.


The basement is almost completey finished now. We are simply waiting to have carpet installed over my spring break and then it will be all finished! I'm excited to have it done and then maybe be able to hang out down there!


School has been keeping me busy. We have had parent teacher conferences 1 night last week and tonight which means hanging at school until 7:30. It is really nice to meet some of the parents though. I have learned a lot about some of my students and I think it will be a really helpful thing.


I am almost 17 weeks along now in my pregnancy. It is crazy to think that I am approaching the halfway point! The baby is now likely to hear me and fingerprints will be fully formed by the end of the week. The baby is also moving around a lot now and I sometimes catch myself wondering what it is thinking and doing inside me. It is an oddly surreal thing to think about. In the world of baby preparation not much is going on this week. I know that we need to start thinking about registering and getting things squared away, so that is on my mind. We are also going to start working on the nursery soon when the basement is finished. We have had some very funny discussion the past couple of weeks on names. Though we don't know what we are having, it is still fun to talk about. The baby is about 5 inches long and up to 5 oz. this week! According to my website that makes it about the size of an onion? I guess it must be a huge onion? Seems like an odd thing to me. Who knows....


Till next time! Take care everyone and enjoy the warm weather!

I'm thinking of relocating....hmmmm...

So let me start this off by saying that I hate snow. I hate looking at it, driving in it, students in it, all of it. I mean sure it was pretty the first time around. But sitting here now during round 3 it is getting a bit ridiculous. It is foiling my plans and that is making me grouchy and bored. I am grateful to get to relax I guess since it is easier to be at home and pregnant and get to nap, but I am really not liking that I am stuck in my house! I was even supposed to have a doctors appointment this morning that I cancelled and the nurse said she thought that was a good idea since I shouldn't be out in the snow at all anyways. Boy if she only knew where I was in the snow last week and the slippery conditions everywhere I go. We had today off of school anyways, but I am seriously thinking that tomorrow will be a no go again for school. That uses our last calamity day which is fine with me, but if we get more we will be making them up. Grrrrr it is frustrating this snow. Last week Blaine and I ventured into the back yard after he finished shoveling the driveway and found drifts that were up to my knees then and we have at least 6 inches more again!! Ahhhh!

In other news the baby is approximately the size of a peach this week. It is so odd to me to still think about something that big growing inside me! I am 13 weeks now and I am anxiously awaiting that time when I will get my energy back. So far I am whipped everyday when I get home and spend my afternoons yawning in the middle of teaching. It is getting really old. Baby Gellert is developing its vocal chords and teeth this week. Even more bizarre is the reality that the baby can now hear me and everything around me. Weird.

Blaine is home today and will maybe be home tomorrow since the snow in Columbus is supposed to be closer to 12 inches. I guess if that is the case he can drive me to school in the morning if I have to go.

I hope you are all staying nice and warm and that you are all doing well! Be careful in this snow!

It's a lime!!

The baby this week is supposedly the size of a lime. At 11 weeks it is amazing what the baby has and is developing. For example, the baby is developing fingers, toes, hair follicles, and tooth beds! Its crazy to imagine all that going on inside my body!! Weird!

In other news, I quit grad school last week. I was not feeling great and my doctor made it quite clear that I had to slow down and get rid of something in my life. I was not too happy with my classes this semester, so I guess it was easy to decide what to eliminate, however those of you who know me well know that it is not easy for me to quit something or stop doing something without completing it. This was no different. I still feel like quite the quitter and loser for withdrawling from the classes, but I know that it was needed and it will be worth it in the end. It was nice to be able to simply come home last night and not have to be in class until 9:30 so I guess it is working. I am feeling better this week and I know that school had a lot to do with it.

Blaine is doing well. He is still working at Atterbury and has been busy at home for the past few weeks as well. He has been busy helping Dad, and others finish the basement. So far the drywall is done, closet doors are on and the ceiling is quickly finishing!! It looks absolutely amazing! I will be sure to post pictures when it is done!

Have a great week everyone! Oh and a very big HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to AMBER O.!!! Yay!!! Take care everyone!

Introducing......Baby Gellert!

By this point in time I think that almost all of you know that I am pregnant. If you don't.....well you do now! This is the picture from the first ultrasound earlier this week. I was right after 9 weeks when this was done. The baby is upside down in the picture, but you can see where the doctor labeled that. Everything looks great so far she said! Nothing to be worried about!

I have been feeling much better the last 2 weeks than I did in the beginning. I'm actually hungry sometimes now! It's an odd thing to go from not wanting to eat, to eating often. I spend a lot of time sleeping or wishing I was sleeping, but I am just doing the best I can!

Hope you are all doing great! I will try to keep you updated on the goings on of the next several months!

Hi from me!

Well it has been awhile since I posted, but I have a good reason I promise. Life has become quite hectic around our house and it seems like all I can do most days to make it. School has been crazy and I think that it is the perfect time for the IMEA conference. I am super excited about it and excited about getting away from home for a bit.

Grad school has started up again. This semester I have classes on campus and I thought that was going to be something I would dread. I was pleasantly surprised though because both of my professors seem to be really awesome. One is really laid back too which I love. I think that my classes will be fun this semester as well.

I think that's all for the moment. Blaine is busy working and helping Dad to finish the basement. It is coming together amazingly and I can't believe that it is this far already! Way to go Dad and Blaine!

Hope you are all doing well! Take care and check back soon for a new update!

2010...a year of change

2010 is here already and I can't believe it! 2009 was a good year for Blaine and I and I hope that this new year will be the same for us again.

We ushered in 2010 quite calmly and with some good friends. I spent most of the night working at Perfects and made it home to pick up Blaine and head to a party down the street from our house. We made it a little bit before midnight. Sherry, Derek, Amber, and Dan and lots of other people were there hanging out. We hung out, rang in the new year, and spent some time with good company. I had to work again at Perfects today and spent the day answering phones and helping with some office work.

I sit here tonight in my living room typing while watching the UC game on tv. Gary, Laura and Trey are over watching with us for the night too!

I know that this year will be bringing with it a lot of changes for Blaine and I. I'm anxious to see what is going to be coming and how other things are going to be turning out.

I hope that you and your families are all doing well. I wish you a happy and healthy new year with nothing but the best to come!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! WE LOVE YOU ALL!