1 week

How can 38 weeks pass by so quickly, yet seem to take forever at the same time? Hopefully (we better) have a new little Janzen by this time next week! I think it is about to hit me. I am way emotional about it. I don't know if it's stress, just being scared (surgery wise), or the fact we are adding another little one into the house. If I think about it too much, I will cry. That is one thing I will not miss about being pregnant! I see a Hallmark commercial or a Folgers commercial and I have tears streaking down my face. It's not right. I have my final doctor appointment tomorrow. It's our pre-op appointment so it's about an hour long and we go over everything for next Monday. I hope I don't break down in the doctors office. I am sure I have gained like 30lbs in one week. I am not even kidding. The kid has dropped so I have an appetite now. Took 38 weeks but now I'm starving all the time. Thanksgiving didn't help either. I loathe the holidays for it's awesome foods and sweets. 

We are trying to get Jake ready. He knows he has a brother coming and is very excited about it. We are just trying to explain that it's happening next week. It's all hypothetical until that little one is here and crying that he will realize it! He keeps saying how he wants to help with baths, diapers and feeding. We will see how he feels after his brother arrives. We are trying to plan something fun to do as a family this weekend for Jake. I might want to get on that!

The name. We have had quite a few people ask about the name. Sorry, but it's under lock and key. Ok, so a few family members and good friends know but that is it. A little about the name though. We love the nickname or short name we are going to call him. It is the only reason he has a full name. I would just keep it the 3 letters but Michael wants the 6 full letters. I will say it's a common name currently. We got a little different with the spelling and he is our child so I don't really care if anyone else has the name. It works! Jake of course loves it. He's been calling him by his name since we figured out. Hence why family members know. I had to run it by my BFF's when I first fell on it so they of course know. This time next week, we hope to have it out there!

I still have to pack. That is the worst task ever for the hospital. You never know what you will all need. We also have to pack up Jake for a few day stay at my parents house. I will wait till the last possible moment for both. I had to order a few new pairs of pants and tanks and I pray they will be here on time. I am keeping my fingers crossed they get here by Saturday. Otherwise, I might be in trouble. Oh well, I'll make it work! I feel like I have a ton to do but I really don't. Other then packing up myself, Jake and Michael, I don't have much going on. I have a scarf I have to finish, or at least try to finish by Wednesday but maybe if I don't get it done I can finish it and bring it to the hospital for when she comes to visit. I worked on it for 2 hours today. It is taking forever. I went with a much thinner yarn due to they are odd colors that are hard to find. Luckily I am off work right?

So here is to the next 7 days. May they take a while, yet go quickly! =)

Thanksgiving 2010

It was a very different Thanksgiving for us. Just being home for the whole weekend was....amazing. Being able to be together as a family and just relax, it was priceless! 

Thursday we got up pretty early, still sleeping in compared to a normal day. I started cooking and baking pretty quickly. I didn't have much to do but I wanted to get it done and ready. We had lunch at my sisters house at noon and it was of course, amazing. Thanksgiving dinner has to be the most amazing meal of the year. We need to do it more often then once! After dinner the boys all went to Bass Pro Shop and spent a few hours running off steam. Michael called his family down in Arkansas and for the first time in...well, forever, they were trapped. Turns out rain and ice hit them hard and Grandma couldn't even get to their house for Thanksgiving. When Michael talked to her she had made a hamburger on her Foreman for lunch. Poor Gigi. We spent the afternoon going through adds and nibbling on left overs and pies. It was a very relaxing afternoon with family. I enjoyed every second of it!

Friday, well, that is what I call a waste of a day. We did nothing. Literally nothing. AND IT WAS AWESOME!!! I am not lying on this. We stayed in sweats all day, cleaned up a bit, and just spent the day as a family. It was heavenly! A very much needed day of nothing. I would like this to be every Friday. 

Saturday we actually had to look "alive". We ran a few errands and did our normal Saturday routine. For the afternoon Connor and Charlotte came over. Jake had a blast. Other then the baby powder fight, it was a good time. Even though Charlotte is almost 1, it was nice having a baby around. After Chris came and got the kiddos we cleaned up and Jake had a fantastic time in the bath! The rest of the evening consisted of dinner, playing with Jake and after he retired to bed, Michael and I watched a sappy Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel. Don't repeat this, but Michael loves the Hallmark Channel at Christmas time. He loves the movies. It makes me laugh. Mainly they all have happy endings and make you feel all warm inside. So we canoodled up by the tree and watched a movie. It was perfection!

Today was a normal day. Trying to get back into our normal routine. It feels weird actually being Sunday. Mainly because the last 4 days have felt like Sunday. Michael and Jake both took long naps and are now running around like kids! Football has been watched, cookies have been baked, and now the final week is upon us. This is the last week of us being a family of 3. That is extremely scary and exciting to think about! We are just taking it one day at a time.

Here are some recent photos that have been snapped around here.

Found Jake with the stockings!

The boys at Thanksgiving

Caleb

The boys!

My little boy

Kinnick though Jake's fish was really food, then he slept on it

Zoey and Michael

 This kid and his static electricity. His hair looks like this 90% of the day!

Michael and Charlotte, so adorable!

I love her!

I have been a gigantic fan of this lady for a few weeks now. It started November 1st and every commercial has been absolutely fantastic! Her workouts and game plans....they are just fantastic. This card one takes the cake! I saw this commercial on Black Friday and about peed my pants! I couldn't stop laughing! Mainly because I could see myself and a few of my friends doing this! I will miss her after Christmas and I hope she returns next year!

Holiday Flicks

With late night feedings and a lovely incision that is limiting my mobility, I have found myself watching movies like a mad person. I am excited because I am getting my fix in of holiday movies. I have quite a few that I love and have to watch around the Christmas season. Usually I have to keep watching them into January but due to maternity leave, I have watched almost all!

Movies I have to watch at Christmas time:

While You Were Sleeping

Elf

A Christmas Story

Love Actually

Funny Farm 

Home Alone and Home Alone 2

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The Polar Express

Babes in Toyland (ft Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore. Keep laughing, it's okay.)

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Die Hard and Die Hard 2 (What? They take place on Christmas Eve!)

Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Ft Jim Carrey)

It was bound to happen....

It's that time of the year again! When you get on KCCI.com and there are weather alerts. You click on that one link that says "Road Conditions" and get into a little funk. Get ready Iowans! It's just the beginning!

Something new

This year is marks a new peg. It's the first time in 7 years we are not traveling south to Arkansas for Thanksgiving. With my due date a week and a half away, we thought it best to not travel down. I really do not need an Arkansas birth thank you! Michael still makes fun of me and says it answers a few questions that I was born in Missouri. Har Har. I will miss the warmth. It is usually 20+ degrees warmer down there. Take today. They high down in Bella Vista is 71 degrees. Yes it may be rainy but that is a whole lot better then the current 27 degrees it is out now. Our high for Thanksgiving is 21. Are you kidding me?! I expect that on Christmas Day, not Thanksgiving. The high down there is at least 42! The first year we aren't going down and they are actually suppose to receive a rain/ice mix on Friday. The whole town will shut down if it happens! With us not going down it frees us up for the whole Thanksgiving, 4 day weekend. Well, not 4 day for me but for Michael. I'm on a 64 day vacation! 

Wednesday. Normally at this time we are packing up the car and driving down south. The whole day of Wednesday was spent driving down. Today Micheal is working which he never has done before the day before. I get to spend the day baking and relaxing. I do have a doctors appointment but that isn't till 4. A day that use to be pretty stressful turned into a day of relaxation. I welcome it!

Thursday. Usually the men (Chuck, Dave, Michael and Andy) would spend the morning cleaning up Grandma's yard while the women cooked and took care of the young ones. We usually ate around 1 and then crashed. Tomorrow, different story. Michael gets to relax on a day off! He is a tad bit excited about it! I have to cook 1 thing for lunch and it's crock pots job! We are heading over to my sisters at noon to eat our selves out of our pants and I am so looking forward to it. Being pregnant over Thanksgiving has it's perks! Although, I am getting to that point where I am running out of room so I don't eat as much. I will just have to snack throughout the day. The rest of the afternoon will be spent with football and my family. We haven't had a Thanksgiving together, well, ever since Michael and I got together. I think we need to start alternating. Especially since we have children now. 

Friday. Black Friday. No one in Michael's family is very gung-ho on Black Friday shopping. Now, I do have all my Christmas presents bought, wrapped and under the tree but I still love going early in the morning! My dad and did it a few times when we I lived at home and loved it! The people alone are insane and I love it! I don't even need to buy anything but if we come home with a new TV or something along those lines, oh well. I have quite a few things saved in "checkout boxes" at a few places online. Let's hope they don't crash! Most of the items are hoodies and comfy pants for the hospital. Also, GAP is needing pajama outfits for 14-19 year old woman for a organization in Des Moines. I need to pick some of those out. I believe Old Navy is having crazy deals on PJ's! 

We then will just have a normal weekend!! We are already 95% done decorating and all done with wrapping gifts! I have a few homemade ones to finish up and the weekend will hopefully be perfect for it! I also have an idea or two for some last minute gifts. I also have to think of a few gifts for our white elephant Christmas party in December with friends. Looking forward to that evening!! Odd to think we will have another baby at that time!

I will miss the time in Arkansas with Michael's family. I know Jake will miss time with his cousins. I will miss the warmer weather and the hours of playing football. I am embrace the change in scenery for this Thanksgiving and I am thankful for so many things! We are truly blessed!

Thank you!

I may get flack from this due to a few family members being fans but I would like to thank Richard Seymour for finally doing what millions have wanted to do for a while. Punch Ben Roethlisberger in the face. First off his last name is a pain in the butt to spell. Rothlessburger. That is how it should be spelled. It makes him sound like a horrible piece of steak that no one will eat. Second, the guy is a douche. I am sorry but he is. His past actions and attitude has really turned me off to anything he has ever done. I would gladly take the $25,000 fine for letting him have it. That man makes my skin crawl. 

I also have an idea. This whole helmet to helmet situation. I witnessed a few fines that were given as a result from some games this weekend and started thinking about this situation. They started fining players for unnecessary helmet to helmet contact. I think it has prevented some but not all cases. There are some hot heads on the football field. My proposal is this: Whoever you hit helmet to helmet, you pay them the $35,000 instead of the NFL. I am sure players will knock that off immediately. Losing your money to the NFL isn't as depressing and losing it to another player. Just an idea.

Again, thank you Richard Seymour! I owe you one! =)