Happy 4 Months Bubs!

Well Bubs is now, I think, 4 months :) He still goes by Bubs, bubsie, bubby bear, bubs-a-roonie, Andrew, Bubby, and Faith likes to call him "Baby Johnson". His cousins just love seeing him and they are pretty much sitting on him when they see him. Thankfully, Faith patrols the whole situation and makes sure no one at least sits on him :)

Hey - I found my feet!



He is quite the lovable guy with even more lovable cheeks! He is a very happy baby I would say.



He is really into putting everything in his mouth and now the drooling has started - yuck! Thankfully, he is doing pretty well on his developmental milestones: grasping toys, following things with his eyes, responding to sounds and voices....the only thing he is NOT enjoying is tummy time :( We try and try, but there are always tears. Mom is getting creative with tummy time though and we do it even when being held like an airplane on moms shins with Bubs in the air

He has found his feet and loves to hold them on the changing table. He did role over from his tummy to his back, but lately he has been on a strike from that. We are trying to help him remember how to do it again ;) Just today he actually started to role from his back to his tummy - cool!



Working with dad this past Tuesday - Dad was Mr. Mom that day while daycare was unavailable.

 Speaking of changing tables... that is where we spend a lot of time. Obviously, we have a big boy and lots of poops, but we have a lot of our play time on the table also. He loves to 'kick, kick, kick!" and flail his arms. We had to move the wipes container off the pad because he kept kicking it over the edge. On the changing table is where we get the most laughs, talking, playtime with overhead toys, practice sitting up, reading our memory verses, containing his flying urine (!), and wrestling to put on whatever remaining clothes he has that still fit him! He is generally wearing 6 month clothing, and if used...9 month clothing! He has a long, long torso and short chubby legs and 'cankles'. We do a lot of singing here too! He has moved past "Baa baa blacksheep" to bigger and better songs. His favorite toys are his giraffe, his puppy satin blanket thing, his rattle soft blocks, and the lights on the playmat.  His eyes stick like glue to the television if it happens to be on so we try to not have that on much! He doesn't like taking a bath yet, but he does love being wrapped in his yellow, Ducky towel.

Auntie Fidder's birthday!

Mom went back to work part-time (Tues, Thurs, Fri) the beginning of April, and I would say Bubsie is adjusting just fine. He has settled into a routine for the most part and is sleeping great. In general, his last feeding is 10:15pm and he wakes up again at 6:30-7am to start our day. We feed, dress him, and daddy drives him to daycare. One day a week I get to stay home until 10am and then I drive him. He gets extra special grammie and grandpa time on Tuesday evenings until dad gets home. Of course, things are a little hectic/intense when juggling a job, baby, house, husband, etc...and boy does Caleb get heavy! J/K....bad joke.



My first day at Daycare at Mrs. Bice's house - not sure about this :)

 All in all, I am slowly learning to do this mom thing. It is wonderful and sweet and exhausting and tiring. I can see already how God uses parenting to weed out selfishness, self-reliance, impatience, etc. What I am appreciating most about God through this process is His never-ending well of strength and peace amidst all the "newness" of everything. There are many, many verses in scripture that I can hold onto that help me remember His promises! He IS faithful indeed, and all I truly need is in Him...and daily chocolate :)



Happy Easter!

"Hmmm, which toy should I try to reach today?"

A rare moment sitting still while we read

sleeping on the boppy

6 weeks!

Bubs is really 7 weeks old today, but let's just pretend we are back at 6 weeks for the pictures' sake :)

Bubs has really come alive and alert these last few weeks. Personally I woke up too around 4 weeks old! He has been smiling for awhile and now he is smiling at his toys or his favorite songs. He smiles at dad now and he has not cried while taking a bath a few times in a row (maybe his clumsy parents are getting better at that one!). We had our longest stretch of time between feedings last night - YES! He fed at 10:15pm and woke up at 5:55am - YES!

6 Week Stats:

- 13lbs, 10 oz

- 23.5 inches

- Nicknames: Bubs, Chubs, Bubs-a-roonie, Angel, baby bear, bubbie, little man

- good pooper, already had a nice blowout up the back this week

- favorite food: milk

- working on going to sleep without rocking and patting and coddling for 45 minutes :)

- likes the songs: Ba Ba Blacksheep, Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle, Rejoice in the Lord Always (he is working on the echo part), Head Shoulders Knees & Toes (including the actions!)pretty much anything mom sings :)

- very social and alert with others, until he is tired

- clothing size: easily 3 months, his long torso is pushing him into the 3-6 month clothing

- cutest body part: eyes, big belly, big cheeks

- not as cute part: his baby acne :(

- longest road trip: 1.25 hours to the farm

- favorite place to sleep: in someone's arms, otherwise falls asleep in the carseat as long as the seat is moving in some way, can sleep okay in the crib too!

Well, we have to get him up to feed so that's all, enjoy a few pictures!

40 Weeks!

I am still here today, big and round, at 40 weeks. As far as I can tell that's okay because Baby J is healthy and I am measuring just normal. I am still working at the clinic; they open up the schedule sort of "day-by-day" when I text my manageer at 6am. It hasn't been too bad and it's a great distraction. I really feel pretty good, but obviously I don't like to move around THAT much. We have made it through 4 Christmas events, 3 pre-Christmas birthdays, New Year's, took down the Christmas decorations (albeit earlier than I would have preferred), Caleb's birthday yesterday, and the flawed carpet in the basement was even picked up today to be re-ordered!

God has been really kind to us to grant us a wonderful Christmas season and a great time together as a couple. We have even got to get a little more done on the basement here and there. I think I just prefer to be busy and distract myself while we wait for God's timing. It is a little bit weird living in limbo, as most of you already know, and waiting for this inevitable event to occur/or at least begin. Here are a few pictures to entertain you. We have yet to take one today of Week #40, but maybe I won't even be able to get it done because you know what ;)

38 weeks

38.5 weeks - Christmas Eve- Eve at Birchwood Cafe for breakfast

39 weeks

38 Weeks

Well I have made it to 38 weeks, and despite my sisters predictions I am just mentally planning on making it the whole 40 weeks at least :)

Caleb and I have had a whirl-wind of activty this month, well actually starting with Thanksgiving. We drove to see his brother Forrest's family (Julie, Bri, and Gavin) and we had a great time. The 7.5 hour drive wasn't too bad and I didn't get uncomfortable until the end of the ride home - sweet!

Making Lefse the first night there

On the hunt for sister-in-law's 10 foot tree - it was windy!

The Johnsons working on getting Julie's 10 foot tree ready for the house- they like to work together and see how they are all laughing :)

Caleb and I have tried to take advantage of our time together as "just the 2 of us" and so we went and saw The Christmas Carol at the Guthrie, and also went to see Handel's Messiah at Orchestra Hall. Unfortunately, we didn't predict how long periods of sitting around weeks 36-37 would be so uncomfortable for prego mama here :( Did I forget to mention that sitting makes your feet swell and so if you slip your heels off you might not be able to get them on again very well? The image of stuffed sausage comes to mind. Caleb was great and even let me walk bear foot through the skyway system on the way out - that or he was going to have to go get the car and walk in the cold by himself. Also in December we had 2 work parties, 3 birthdays, and we are just finishing putting a bathroom in the basement as well as adding vents, cold-air returns, installing a chest freezer, getting new carpet, and not to mention the endless list of Christmas preparation!

Dave Aust was our carpenter, Clyde Veldheizen was our plumber, dad was the electrician (thankfully dad's take payment in food and baked goods!), and Galen and Sara (Caleb's parents) were the carpet and hunting closet removers as well as empty-outers of the basement!!!

It's hard to see but Caleb had Pete A and Nick Z help remove the massive wall of stuff that was separating the 2 halves of the basement - and they lifted out the old furniture - YESSSSS!

Calan H taught Caleb how to dry wall...he made Caleb do almost the whole outside part by himself!

Caleb put the shower in himself!

Warren Westvig helped do the inside dry wall work and taping. He is SOOOOO much faster than Caleb and I (it took us like 30 minutes just to hang ONE piece of the ceiling). Caleb said, "Man, it pays to bring in the professionals!" Thanks Warren!

I have had a few showers, which were lovely, starting in December - I was so excited to get the "diaper cake" from my cousin Jenna, Auntie Di, and future cousin-to-be, Renee!

I think we are finally ready for this baby to come. We even have 1 of 2 car seat bases installed and ready to be inspected Monday Dec 26th at 10:30am in Hopkins - let me tell you that place is FREE and they don't check just Hopkins residents like 99% of the other safety inspection sites.

I get A LOT of comments about my belly and lots of looks when I am waddling through a parking lot. I wish there was a sign of my car saying "9 months pregnant - let me park close!!!!!!" I am definitely slowing down, and having trouble just moving around. My right hand has had significant carpal tunnel for about 2-3 weeks and I have been feeling tingling and numbness with everything I touch. Did I mention that this drives me CRAZY! Swelling otherwise has not been too bad. Sleep? Well, let's not talk about sleep in the 9th month. My hair is definitely thick and Caleb is dreading the great hair loss that will take over the house - sorry honey! I have experienced Braxton-Hicks for about 2 months now I think - but man can they get TIGHT.

Work has been okay, but challenging to keep up with the intense schedule on my feet. My patients LOVE talking about my belly and it is hard to keep them on track. Honestly, though, after 24-26 patients in a day I get a little bit tired of talking about my pregnancy. I also had a student PA with me for 5 weeks in Nov-Dec and that was probably not the smartest thing, but oh well!

Thankfully God gave me the forsight to save my vacation for the end of December and now I have about 10 days off with all the holidays in between. This is great because I cannot keep up with what I would like to do and so I need more time. I would say the hardest part about the end of the pregnancy is just not feeling like myself. I can't work out the same, I can't get done what I would like to get done, I don't have the same energy, I don't have the same emotions (ha!)...you get the point. We are anticipating the arrival of this little guy with joy and excitement, but also with a nervous sense of this ticking time-bomb inside of me! It's weird to not know when he is coming, and which day will be "the one". We are trying to live in the moment, enjoy our Christmas this year, and do the most important things first in the day or weekend. Although I will say EVERYTHING feels important right now from cleaning, to organizing, to cookie baking, to spending quality time with my sweetheart.

So, that's all for now :)

We covet your prayers for sleep, peace, and courage for a healthy and strong delivery!

Merry Christmas!

The 7th month - 28 weeks

27.5 weeks!

Well I have hit the 3rd trimester, ALMOST! We celebrate a new week every Thursday. Usually the pictures are at the very end of the night and in my opinion I always look very tired. Turns out when I take a morning picture, such as this, I look tired then too - shocking :)

I had a great 2nd trimester. Lots of energy, lots of working out, not a lot of swelling/edema. I slept fairly well being the light sleeper that I am. I have really enjoyed going to the gym 3-4 days a week since power walking leaves me incredibly sore. In fact, I decided to retry doing an extended walk to get outside and the next day I was convinced by midwife was going to put me on bedrest. She laughed and reassured me I had just sort of sprained or tweaked by pubic bone cartilage and to take it easy for a few days. To my husband's relief, I started to finally drink more water and pee a lot more at work! As for cravings there has not been anything particularily weird. I crave the naughty foods I always did, but just stronger....we try to resist but being married to a foodie is hard sometimes. I have really enjoyed pancakes a lot more than usual and mint flavored ice cream also.

We have been working A LOT on the baby room (previously was a pretty full office) and re-arranging lot of things/closests/bookshelves to make way for Baby J! My great sister, Katie, and I tackled registering in about 4-5 hours. About hour 5, in the bottle section at Target, I found myself shutting down and so we ended the even shortly thereafter. All in all she was VERY helpful, the best sister a girl could as for!

We are also in the middle of putting a bathroom in the basement and hopefully will have new carpet down there by December. We only have 1 bathroom and since its on the main floor and Caleb's clothes will be moving to the upstairds storage area once the baby is born, we thought a bathroom downstairs for him to get ready in would be nice....and a good selling point in a few years. Caleb has had his work cut out for him since he had to tear out closets, hutches, carpet, etc. down there. We thought about re-doing the lovely knotty-pine walls and ceilings, but decided "not now".

We have started birthing classes at Fairview Riverside, which we love. Caleb loves them too :) It is a great time of learning and time to focus on the baby amidst the busyness of life. We go every thursday at 6:30pm and eat Subway beforehand. Sometimes i get overwhelmed at the thought of this baby getting any bigger inside of me, let alone the thought that he is going to have to come out!

If you have been dying to know, we are having a BOY. Below is a picture of me about to go in for the US at 19 weeks. It was early!

It was pretty exciting. I will admit the thought of decorating and dressing a little boy took me awhile to get in to, but now we are just going with it and I think I have things mostly sorted out.

I "popped" out right at the middle to end of August and have not looked back since. I get a lot of comments from my patients, from my family, and people I even see week to week who say, "you look bigger than last week!" And, I would agree. I feel like this little guy is just sticking out and growing quite rapidly, but that is what he is supposed to do I think :)

In the last week I have noticed a little more fatigue and tiredness, a little more swelling in the fingers (but then again it was 80 this week/end), and a little more tossing and turning. The last weeks have brought out the "pregnancy brain", mostly at work, so my patients and I laugh about that too. I am going to try to work right unto labor ensues or my body gives out :) I do tend to push myself quite a bit, and still am doing the Elliptical, but I am trying to listen to my body to rest a bit more. Although I do enjoy my job, and it makes the time pass quickly, I am ready to take some time off. I will take the whole 12 weeks off, Lord willing, and then go back as a PA 3 days a week. We are deciding between 2 home daycares and would appreciate your prayers in just deciding which one, both have ups & downs.

Lastly, Baby J is growing just great, measuring fine, and VERY ACTIVE. He likes to poke and roll and expand and wiggle around. I really enjoy this about him because it is something you can feel, and lately, SEE! It just makes me laugh to see a bump come out of my stomach or feel him flutter across my belly. Caleb really enjoys this part too. Thankfully, Caleb has been able to feel him say "hi daddy" many, many times. We have just started thinking about names, but sorry, we aren't going to share what they are. Who knows, we might change our minds, but for now its the one secret left about the whole thing.

Caleb has been F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!! I didn't really know what to expect in regards to how he would process the whole pregnancy thing, but he has been incredibly supportive, helpful, understanding, and just plain fun to be with. Although I definitely cry more at things, I also laugh a lot more too and I like that. All in all it has been a wonderful experience with ups and downs along the way. We are so thankful to God that He is knitting this little peanut together all on His own. As I pray outloud for Baby J during my commute each morning I am reminded of how out of control we are in the growth of this little person's life. It is a good and early intro lesson about how this is God's child and we are here to love, nurture, and protect this little one for Jesus. May Jesus save him at an early age and may Baby J know without a doubt the incredible love of Jesus!

Some Positive News :)

Caleb and I are having a baby in early, early January!

The timing is very ironic for me because I have always claimed I would NOT have a December/January baby due to the forgotten birthday issues that arise. Oops!

We are excited, scared, busy with house projects, and surviving the longest run of busy schedules at work we have both ever had! I am generally feeling better at this point (+/-14 weeks), and am THANKFUL for that! I do miss the Feta and the wine, but all is well :)

We don't have any pictures yet as we just replaced our camera, and there's not much to show yet. So....here we go onto our next adventure in life: pregnancy, parenthood, infinity, and beyond!

I love my husband!

I love Caleb because he got up early on his "day off" (he is actually going in today to get ready for a work trip), and he shoveled AGAIN for me. He also scaped off the car AGAIN for me. He and a neighbor also shoveled me out and down the alley way so I could get to work. I called him once I got to work to give him another heart-felt "Thank You!", and I could hear the satisfaction in his voice when he said, "You're welcome baby." I love a man that shovels!