Prenatal Visit #1

Today was my first official prenatal visit. It was a little bit later (I'm 12 w 5d) but we've been so busy lately the time flew by. The visit went well...I love the fact that I'm familiar with my OB; last time it took me some time to warm up to him, this time was great. The nurse was asking about Noah, and even the Dr. wanted to know how he was doing and said, "say hi to your son for me". :)

He said that the heartbeat sounded great, very strong. I will go in later today for an ultrasound just to make sure our dates are all accurate (trust me, I know the dates are accurate!! :))

I'm starting to feel a little more comfy in maternity pants....wow, already?!?! It's so nice that maternity clothes these days don't scream "MATERNITY PANTS!" The styles are so trendy...it makes for a smooth transition from regular clothes to maternity. (i'm laughing at myself b/c although I say that maternity clothes are trendy, I'm lounging around in baggy cotton capris...sooooo trendy!)

I have gained 3 lbs. It's great that my pregnancy has been uneventful (only mild nausea and of course fatigue) but I must admit, I sometimes get jealous of my friends who loose weight their first trimester....shame on me....i know!!! But, 3 lbs isn't terrible. Our scale and the dr.'s actually gave the same reading...a first.

I'm going to have to take my first belly shot soon....keep your eye out.

Today I heard....

....my baby's heartbeat for the first time. :) I could listen to that sound all day. Being in an area so close to Loma Linda, we are surrounded by physicians and med students. Today I was visiting with a friend (her hubby is in his 2 year of residency at LL) and we were talking all about pregnancy. I mentioned that I had not had my appt. yet, and that I was anxious to hear the baby's heartbeat. Long story short...one of her hubby's friends gave them his OB doppler...it took a bit of time, but sure enough....baby's heartbeat!! She let me borrow the doppler, so of course I listened to it a few more times during Noah's nap. I can't wait for Hylke to hear it tonight!!

Oom Jap and Tante Nell

Hylke's Uncle (Oom) and Aunt (Tante) were visiting from the Netherlands this past month. It was the first time that Noah and I met them. We had such a nice time visiting with them and getting to know them (although it felt like we have known each other for years!). This past weekend we had a Hylkema "Family Day"...all of the siblings and cousins at Oma and Opa's house for a big dinner and hangout. We decided that the next time we visit with Oom Jap and Tante Nell it will be in the Netherlands!

Pictures (lots of them!)

First, a BIG "Thank You" to Bethany for taking the time to take these pics, and edit them. She had to sort through over 500 pics from our time together!! These are just a few. :)


Bethany and I took the boys to the park in their matching overalls so we could get some fun pictures. Unfortunately, it was at the end of a very long day and both boys were worn out. Here are some fun pics that we did get:Look, there's a dog!!!

Both the boys love dogs, so they had fun watching the big dog bark. You might notice the "Beware of the Dog" sign. :)We had so much fun biking the coast in Monterey. They boys had fun in the bike trailer (once they found their own space. :)) By the time we were finished, Noah was conked out.

Both of the boys had fun playing in the park with their daddies after the bike ride:

Our attempt at a family picture was met with some opposition from the smallest member of our family, here's what we got:
We are so grateful for good friends!!
On our second day, Terry and Hylke rode their first of two mountain bike trails. Bethany and I walked with the boys along part of the trail. It was absolutely beautiful!!Noah and mommy giving kisses:

Noah's running toward some bikers he sees in the distance:

Hey! I know those guys!!
Will loves playing/sitting in strollers...Noah loves pushing them!
I just love this picture:
Bathtime:

Playtime:

Oops!

In the process of updating the picture and layout, I accidentally deleted a couple things! I'm still pregnant...and Noah is still growing! My deleted stuff will be back soon! :)

Home!

We got home at about 8:30 last night from our week long trip up north. We had such a wonderful time!! It was such a refreshing, relaxing and just plain FUN time. Since Bethany is the true photographer, I let her take most of the pics (although I did get some). I'm waiting for my CD of pics to arrive before I post all the fun ones. I decided to take a couple posts to share some of my favorite things. One of my favorite things about this trip was the weather! Being from so. cal, I'm used to the hot, hot, hot summers...and being pregnant, I'm tired of the hot, hot, hot summers!! The cool air of Santa Cruz was a wonderful escape for me. In the mornings the fog would hang around and we'd even have to wear a sweater or cuddle with a blanket....aahhhhhhhhhh!! I also loved the scenery. We took some bike rides and walks along the water....just gorgeous!

Double digits and vacation

Tomorrow (sunday) I enter double digits. 10 weeks! YAY! Only a couple more weeks of first trimester. I'm feeling really good and have had lots of energy the past couple of days. I've also had the freedom to take a nap whenever I need...wonderful!!

We are having so much fun on our vacation. We love spending time with Terry and Bethany (and of couse, Will too) Noah and Will have SO MUCH fun together...this age is great! Yesterday we went bike riding along the coast in Monterey and pulled the boys behind us in a trailer. We all had so much fun. We've spent lots of time laughing, eating, and making memories. I'll post pics when we get home.

I know, I know....(UPDATED W/ PICS!)

It's been too long since I posted! I must admit, when Noah's down for his naps (my usual post time) I'm either snoozing along with him, or trying to get something else done that I just didn't have the energy to do before. :) Well, he's napping now, and I realized it was time to post. We've been busy, busy, busy lately. We've been gone every week in July! Not always for the whole week, last week we were only gone one night (but 3 days!) but other weeks it's been for several nights. We actually leave early Wednesday for a week long trip up north...yay!!

I can't believe how big Noah is. It seems like he's doing something new everyday! He's definitely a boy...loves to climb, run, play, get dirty, and is very daring. He's recently started using a fork to feed himself (such a big boy :)) and has pretty much decided that baby food is for, well, babies. I still try and sneak some in, but he much prefers food that he can feed himself.

His vocabulary is ever growing, too. He attempts new words frequently, but many times I'm the only one who understands what he is saying. He has recently started calling his little girl friend, Sienna, "Nena". He also says, banana, apple, night-night, and of course the others that he has been saying for awhile.

His top two teeth FINALLY broke through last week. :) Many of his younger friends were waiting for him to catch up. :)

He still loves the water (especially splashing in the water at bath time). We have to try and keep him sitting down as much as possible. He'd walk, slip and slide the whole time if he could!

While we were up in the mountains last week, he tried his very first ice cream sandwich. He absolutely loved it (surprise, surprise!) And when he was all done:
He needed something to wash it down with:

Thanks, mom! That was delicious:

Noah loved riding on daddy's shoulders...the world looks so different up there:

My little baby looked like such a big boy with his hoody and jeans on!

We visited Hylke's family on Saturday. His aunt and uncle are visiting from the Netherlands. We had a wonderful visit and look forward to seeing them again in a couple weeks. Noah loves his new cousin, Olivia. He just had to give her some kisses:

Isn't she such a doll:

I'm feeling well. Nothing too interesting to report. I'm really blessed that my pregnancies are fairly easy. Besides the fatigue and occasional nausea, I'm doing great. (and who doesn't experience atleast a bit of both? :))

Well, I'm off to pack for our trip!