This past weekend, I turned 35. I treated myself with a day off from work on Friday and asked Cody to do the same so we could spend the day together and attend an ultra sound appointment. 

This was Cody’s first ultra sound. The babe had legs and arms in front of the face, so no clear shot, but more importantly, the good news is that everything looks great. This appointment marked our last “specialist appointment” to monitor my pregnancy. To date, the concerned measurements have remained consistent and everything has gone well. We will continue to be careful, but going forward it’s on my body and God to keep this baby safe and in place for the next 17 (or so) weeks. I have faith that everything will continue to be wonderful. Pregnancy has been such a blessing and even fun. I only experienced “morning sickness” (more like “all day, and even more so in the evening sickness”) for about a month and once it subsided, I was eager for the belly to come in or to feel the movements to have confirmation that I was indeed carrying a life. Well, the belly is definitely coming in now and I feel those movements frequently, both of which, I love.

Following our doctor appointment we stopped in to see my dear friend and photographer, Rachel. (You can check out her work here, and if your in the Madison or Sun Prairie area, she’s your gal: http://www.rachelmanzke.com/) We’ve been capturing weekly belly images, but on days when I am in Madison, I let the professional capture them for me. These on this post mark our 22nd week.

My birthday: Spent the day with my eldest niece. We traveled to LaCrosse, watched a few college wrestling matches to support the University of Dubuque Wrestling team which my brother coaches, enjoyed massages, a quick trip to the food cooperative, late lunch with my brother and back home to spend a quiet evening with my loving husband. Cody wrote me the nicest note as my gift and worked on the living room project that day—a perfect present. 

Two years or so ago I read a quote: “Don’t begrudge getting older, it’s a privilege denied to many.” This resonated with me and rather than cringe at my age–or the gray hairs coming in–I am grateful for the gift of 35 amazing years. And grateful that my husband, younger by four years and 4 months, is a fan of this “ol lady!” :-))

Home update: Cody is making great progress on the new living room. Many of the walls are in place and soon we can start on the flooring and ceiling. I had hoped this would be done for Christmas, but all good things take time, and hopefully we will be close to finished around the New Year. Thereafter, we can start creating the new office space, new spare bedroom, and then of course, the nursery! Just a few shifts and updates this winter and spring for the home!