Annika's First Day at Church

Christmas

We were gone Friday through Wednesday for several family Christmases and here is one of our reality checks... you need a LOT more stuff for a baby! We felt like we were taking half of the house with us. Thankfully, we finally left home and managed to remember everyone's presents, the baby, and all of her stuff!

The hospital gave us this stocking with her name on it, and Annika put up with us stuffing her inside to model it! Santa Baby Annika was very excited about all of her gifts...
Christmas Day-almost two weeks old!

Food, Glorious Food!

Ahhhh... food freedom. My first meal right after she was born was pancakes, sausage, ORANGE JUICE, and a chocolate shake. And the next day...

TACO BELL NACHOS! Oh, it had been so long. They were fabulous (as you can see by my expression!) Thanks Prevos for the special delivery service. :)

I'm LOVIN' it! (Yes, I've had my McDonald's fix too!) Yum!

Renee's Cookbooks

I got a call from Renee today... the cookbooks took longer to come from the printer than expected, so I will be getting them this weekend when I am in Roanoke. I will bring them to church when I can and put them in the coatroom with everyone's names and totals on them... my apologies to anyone who needed them for Christmas gifts for this weekend!

We will be back home 12/26- you are welcome to give me a call to arrange a pickup if that will help. Sorry again and merry Christmas!

One week old!

Yesterday was her due date... she's already one week old. The whole experience has just been surreal so far, and it's all flown by- pregnancy (okay, except at the end when the swelling in my foot was so bad), labor and delivery, and one week of life already! The blessings are too many to count.


"For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother's womb."

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..."

So here are some pictures of what we think is God's greatest, most wonderful knitting project yet. :)

With Grandma Cheryl

Annika Joy with her Great-Grandpa Art and Great-Grandma Joy

Mom and Dad's Christmas card- taken Sunday

With her Packers blanket... clearly very excited that Brett Favre broke another record during Sunday's game.
Hanging out with (honorary) Aunt G on Monday night

What a Blessing; our Annika Joy!

This is daddy letting everyone know that Annika Joy Feucht was born into this world a 4:44 p.m. on Wed. December 12, 2oo7. She was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 19 inches long. Brooke was amazing and she is doing very well. We are so excited to finally have this beautiful gift from God! She really is an angel. Thank you to everyone for your prayers.

P.S. Congratulations to Mindy Anliker as she guessed the name (mispelled, but still good enough).

Yum

I just made scotcharoos and hope it won't be too long until I can eat them! Mmmmm....

What do YOU think?

We are getting so close, and I am getting very excited to meet her and learn her name!

Sooooo... what do you think baby A's name is? Post your guess!

Andy said there had to be a prize, so he is offering to bake his famous $100 apple pie for the person who guesses her first name correctly!

A few rules:
-one guess per person
-guess has to be posted as a comment
-can't guess something someone has already guessed
-this game and corresponding offer expires at time of baby's birth

Good luck to you!

The Name Game

Okay, so apparently everyone doesn't know the story about our baby name!

Here's the way our little Feucht family is doing things:

We had a list of girl names we both liked, and they all started with "A". SO we had that part out of the way- one letter down, the rest of the name to go! And then out of the list of names that we liked, I started saying them and using them one at a time. So we would pick one and say "this is it." Well, after using it for a few weeks, calling her by name, doing the yell test, etc., I would question it and start to change my mind about it. I would then discard that name, and move on, doing the same thing with each name.

Well, Andy correctly pointed out that if I continued with this pattern, our baby will pretty much not ever have a name... so he proposed a new plan. He picked the name from the original list of names we liked, and he's the only one that knows! I love it (though the grandmas don't!), because her name will be a surprise for all of us!

And of course, if I absolutely hate the name he has selected, I also have ultimate veto power after going through all that work. So that's the plan- stay tuned for the result!

Still here... again

Sorry- no baby news yet! Here is a belly update picture. I know I am very fortunate- still comfortable, except for the ridiculous cankles, and sleeping great. I have a full week of work ahead of me, and not sure if my energy will keep up through it all, but I'm going to give it a shot!

Soon to be family of 3...

Last year we had three stockings, but one of them was Gretchen's... this year the third is Baby A's! How exciting.

Making My List... and Eating it Twice

While some people are making up their wish lists for Christmas, I have been mentally writing my food list. Oh, sweet freedom! I can't WAIT to be able to eat whatever I want (assuming the diabetes is gone after she is born). I could very well double in size after this baby arrives!

Some things I seriously took for granted before this diet and look forward to enjoying soon:

*Nachos, of course! (top choice would be Taco Bell Nacho supreme)
*Juice
*Most anything at church lunch...yum, baked goods! :)
*More than 1 cup of milk at a time
*Chocolate (any kind)
*The whole banana (not just a half)
*Candy
*Pizza
*Most desserts!
*McDonald's cheeseburger (hold the pickles) and half of Andy's fries
*The orange jello salad I missed out on at Thanksgiving
*Lucky Charms
*a huge breakfast (pancakes, omelet, sausage, huge glass of juice-oh YUM!)

I really could go on and on but I will spare you all my unfulfilled cravings and leave you with the abridged list. Meanwhile, I am dying for some more food (especially after listing all of that deliciousness above) but still have an hour until I can eat more, after my next test.

I know, I know; this too shall pass! And very soon!

Hooray, Renee!

It's ready-I just got my note in the mail. Renee's Recipe collection Volume 3 is at the publisher and will be ready in time for Christmas! I am going to place an order... let me know if you would like a copy (of #3 or 1 or 2) as well. The price for Volume 3 is $9.50 each. Just $1 shipping and handling too!

Let me know within the next week and a half if you are interested!

Still here!

It's funny- I didn't realize that anytime I wasn't somewhere I was expected to be or running a little bit late, or not home to answer the phone, that everyone would think we were having the baby. But I'm here- we're just not often actually home!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Patience

So back in August, I wrote up a proposal for a part time position in my department. In October, it was presented to the director. Today, I asked for a status report (I felt I had been very patient, waiting so long!). My answer?

We don't know officially.

"Sooooo... what does that mean? Will I know before I go on leave?"

Unofficially, it sounds like my supervisor and manager are going to make it happen whether it is "approved" or not... which I didn't know you could do. So our prayers were answered!

But officially, I will know before I am due back full time in August (due to other decisions and announcements intertwined with our staffing). Bureaucracy!

Go Andy!

He passed the 20 pound mark today! I am so proud of him! As baby and I pack on the pounds, daddy is shedding them!

He has 12.5 pounds to go until his baby's arrival goal weight...

Miscellaneous

It's been awhile...life has been a little hectic! So some updates:

We had some great baby showers- our church shower last Tuesday, and a Princeville shower on Saturday. We were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity, and now a little overwhelmed by all the "stuff" now overtaking our home!

Andy is still doing great on his diet, at 19 1/2 pounds down... but not quite able to cross the big 20 marker yet. I pray that he can be strong through the gluttonous holidays and see results!

Christmas shopping is progressing, and it is still a possibility that we could be done with it by Thanksgiving (as was our goal), so we can have a week or two with quality time together where we are not scurrying to get stuff done, or to get to our various activities.

The baby room is painted and all the furniture is in there and assembled... when it is a little more put together, I will post pictures of that room and the guest room! Andy spent almost 12 hours in slightly more than a 24-hour period working on that baby room to finish it up... painting stripes, changing out the ceiling fan, some electrical stuff, and assembling all of the furniture, and not to mention cleanup. What a dedicated daddy! It took me off guard the first time I went up to her room and saw a crib in there... quite a change!

I've been reflective in the last few days... about the pregnancy, mostly... looking back through the struggles, I am still able to praise God for this part of our adventure because:
*my nauseousness lasted only a short while
*though my ankle/ankles (or "cankles") have swelled the whole time, it is no longer flip flop season, so most of the time, no one else has to know!
*Andy is willing to lift and move things for me when the shooting pains in my back don't allow!
*the normally emotional me has been less emotional the whole pregnancy (except for the ice cream incident... but maybe that's another post!)
*I slid by without insulin for the gestational diabetes!
*the gestational diabetes was caught in plenty of time, so I (hopefully) won't deliver a ginormous baby!
*I've been blessed with a wonderful helpmate in this journey
*Most importantly, our baby girl continues to be healthy!

I'll stop talking now. :)

No Insulin- YAY!

Dr. Nord took another look at my numbers, and said that if they stay consistent (some are too high, but most are okay), I won't have to do insulin! Hallelujah! I am so thankful. Thanks again for the prayers!

Finally... congratulations!

Congrats to Brock and Jen, who got engaged this past weekend! Here's a picture her dad got of the big moment!

Surprise!

On Halloween, I had a surprise shower at work! They completely blew me away- I didn't see it coming! This is me posing with my low-sugar cake (it was so delicious- can you tell how excited I am about it in the picture?!). Many thanks for the efforts that went into the shower- especially Missy!

Vacation

Thought I'd share a good shot of the belly! This was on vacation, right before we saw Stomp.

Another Month Flying By

Here is a little bit of September's activities (I know I'm slow at this updating stuff!)...Dad and Grandma's birthday party... 50 and 72 years old! Don't they look great?!

Date night with Kristine! Out for pizza, and then out for ice cream (this was BEFORE my diet!)

I can't believe how fast September flew by, and now October is almost over too... recently I happened to scroll to the bottom of my blog and saw how many days we have left until our due date... yikes! She'll be here before we know it.

Tuesday's Appointment

Dr. Nord was able to look at my blood sugar test results that I've been monitoring for the past two weeks or so. Most of the numbers are good, but some are still higher than he would like them to be. Since I am following the recommended diet almost perfectly, I am not sure what else I can adjust- something to discuss with my dietician. If my numbers don't decrease to the desired levels by my next appointment, we're going to have to look at doing insulin. So that was the bad news...

The good news though is that her growth seems to be slowing a bit so the diet appears to be helping in that area!

It's a Good Day!

I had my appointments today: with the nurse to learn how to use the blood checker (there is probably a better word for this tool, but I am not sure yet what it is!), and the dietician to do some revisions on my diet.

Praise the Lord... I survived and even walked out with a smile on my face!

The pricks in my finger are not bad at all (while the one for that first glucose screen in the doctor's office using- what is that, a blade?- left me with a sore finger for a week!). So I will check my blood when I wake up, and then 2 hours after every meal. I will keep a log to share with the doctor and the dietician. This will help me also, to see if the meals that I eat "pass the test." If my levels are too high, then I know I messed up and I need to modify something for next time.

And the BEST news was the diet... wow, how great! More customized to me, a pregnant woman... rather than the generic 2000 calorie a day diet I was on. Not that it's a free-for-all now, by any means, but I have more options, more information, and a little more flexibility than before, so that is definitely encouraging! I am able to go on vacation with less worries!

Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers!

Today

Another update... today is the day that my proposal to be part time gets presented to the director by my supervisor and manager! I am so curious to find out what happens...but praise the Lord it is all in His hands and I don't have to worry...

Health Update

Okay, I will share my update...

Yesterday was my 3-hour glucose tolerance test. I failed one of the four tests, which it sounds like is normally something they let slide, but in combination with other information, they want to monitor me more closely. At this time, they are considering me "diabetic in pregnancy but controlled with diet." So for a week I will be poking my finger in the morning and after every meal to get a reading, so I can provide the doctor with more information.

I think that's all the information I have now... On a happier note, Andy is staying strong at 12 pounds down- hopefully he can keep it up! We'll see what temptations his weekend holds!...

Diet Status

So now I am halfway through my 10 days...Thursday is the glucose tolerance test (the 3-hour long one). It is pretty discouraging to know that whether I pass or fail, I pretty much have to follow the diet regardless. This is the time I'm supposed to be able to eat whatever I want!

Anyway, I have managed to maintain sanity in large part due to my fabulous husband... whose almost immediate response to my tears regarding being assigned this diet was "I'll do it with you." And after I protested, he said, "I've been praying for motivation to be healthier, and well... I'm sorry if this is the way it had to happen." So he has been a lifesaver so far... praising my healthy meals, eating SALAD regularly (if you know him well, your jaw is dropping about now!) getting me out on walks, and encouraging me through it all. Praise God for my helpmate!

So far, after about 4 days of following this diet and exercising regularly, Andy has lost almost 12 pounds! Take that, Biggest Loser contestants!

So everyone, as you enjoy your desserts and candy tonight, make sure you are REALLY savoring it for me!

Diets-yuck

Well, I failed my glucose screening. I even fasted beforehand, but got the bad news anyway. So I get to be on a diet.

I am definitely wavering between "this is great, I'm forced to eat healthy!" and "but it's not fair... I don't have time to think this much about food."

But I'll survive.... I think!

I'm on a roll...

Okay, I have more to say!

I just wanted to bring everyone up to date on my after-baby work situation, because prayers are still appreciated... I will work full time up to her birth, and then be off for 3 months. I will go back part time (2-3 days a week instead of my usual 4) using family leave, so I won't technically be due back full time until around August.

I put in a proposal for me to go part time (still working at the crack of dawn!) permanently. My supervisor and manager are great with this, so it will be presented to our director at the beginning of October. We're not sure how much farther up the chain this has to go, so I have no idea when I will know more!

If I could please ask for prayers here...Please pray for my patience in this- I am doing fine now, but I would love to have an answer before she is born. And if this avenue isn't God's will, please pray that I can realize that and obey and learn to be content with whatever the correct route is...

Thanks all!

Next Topic

Less than 3 months until we meet our baby! Andy is SO excited and anxious to meet her (often asking, "can we have her NOW?"), but as of now, I can be patient. Having lunch with my grandma the other day, she told me Dad arrived two and a half months early. AUGH! Crazy. I'm not ready yet!

For now, I am just enjoying the miracle inside me, loving as our little dancing queen rolls and kicks and dances around. I am loving the times that her daddy talks to her (one of the last things he told her is that she is going to LOVE football... and of course the Packers!)...

So often when I feel her kicking around, I ponder how ANYONE can go through this experience (mommies and daddies, but also doctors, nurses...) and not shake their heads with wonder and fall down on their knees with thankfulness at the fact that we have a CREATOR that makes this all possible, who allows us to be part of this miraculous process of bringing life into the world. And He loves us so much...

But I think you all know that already. :)

I blinked and a month went by...

Just as I feared... I am not good at this blogging thing! I had made a commitment to myself that if I did blog, that I would go no more than a week or two in between... and I'm almost to a month now. Time has been flying by! Plus I'm a procrastinator sometimes, let's be honest.

When I am at home, I will add some pictures and update everyone on what we've been up to. Or so I say. :)

That Love-Hate Relationship

It's probably safe to say that most, if not all, women don't love their bodies every day. It's almost impossible, with the ridiculous images that we are bombarded with in our world.


This is a much more real issue when I think about raising a daughter (this is yet another aspect that makes boys seem so much simpler!)...and it's not just when she hits her teenage years.

Staying up late one night when Andy was gone on business, I happened to catch some of the Tyra show. While I am not necessarily endorsing her, Tyra did a great job of tackling the tough topic. Here is a recap from the website of some of the show I saw:


Barbie and Bratz dolls should be the only thing on her mind. Her imagination should be running wild with thoughts of ponies and unicorns, instead, her thoughts are filled with images of slim women, and her heart is filled with the desire to be just like them. She’s in elementary school, she’s under the age of 10, and she thinks she’s overweight. With 40 percent of all 9 and 10 year olds on a diet, Tyra took a first-hand look at this disturbing statistic when she sat down with a group of young girls to discuss their negative body image and shocking fear of getting fat.

How frightening... prepubescent girls with eating disorders. What next? (Never mind- I don't want to know!)


I'm just curious how some of you mothers of young girls instill a healthy body image and healthy eating and exercise habits in your daughters. Do you ban Barbie for her ridiculously unrealistic depiction of a woman's body? Do you avoid the word "diet"? Make family exercise a regular activity? Get them involved in healthy food preparation? Or just sit back and pray?

Daddies and Daughters

Such a beautiful thing, daddies and their daughters... I love how big manly men can get all soft when it comes to their daughters.


In the past few weeks, Andy has been able to feel and see his daughter kicking and dancing around... and I wish I could capture that look on his face so I can look at it again years down the road. He is so in awe of the miracle of her, so in love with her... and it is just magical.

Uncle Brock

Flashback to a few months ago...

My brother Brock had been asking us "so you pregnant yet?" for the last 6+ years, so we were very excited to share the news with him. He was very anxious to be an uncle! We made him a shirt that said "say uncle" and arranged a time to meet him...

This picture is his reaction when the news sank in!

Night of Worship and (hopefully) Good Music

This is Andy again. I just wanted to let all who read our blog know that Psalm 150 (my band) is playing at South Point Park in El Paso on Friday, Aug. 17th from 7 - 10 p.m. The show is free, but donations can be made to the Gateway Woods Apostolic Christian Children's Home in Leo, IN. We hope all can attend.

Praise the Lord!

Grandma seems to be doing well! I had the opportunity to go out and visit for the day yesterday, and when Andy got home from his business trip he came out too! So we got to see the Snares from Virginia, and Aunt Judie from Colorado, and as we were leaving, the Baurers from Chicago were coming in! So nice to see the family, and so nice to see with my own eyes that Grandma was almost back to normal. She doesn't know how to "take it easy," as she should be, but that's Grandma!


Thank you once again for your prayers!

A little comedy

Check out her song...

http://www.anitarenfroe.com/video_clips_main.htm

This should take you right to it. Enjoy!

Update

The first exploratory surgery didn't reveal anything that would be causing Grandma such pain (according to the surgeon), so they may do another today. They did remove a polyp. She is currently not feeling as much pain, and Grandpa arrived out there this morning. Hopefully we'll know more soon...

Heading to Illinois as of Sunday afternoon...

Thanks again for your prayers~

All I Can Do...

I just found out Grandma Joy (Baurer) is in the hospital. They think it may be appendicitis or something, but they are not sure. She is currently out east with the family.

It feels like there's nothing you can do when she is so far away... but there is something I (and now you) can do. So I'm asking for your prayers for her! Please pray for health and a safe return to Illinois, so she can spend some (much anticipated) time with the whole family together as planned.

Thank you!

Think....

Think pink?!

I was not even close to thinking pink- I was SO confident it was a boy. But Dr. Nord is 95% positive it is a girl... the evidence looked pretty clear. I was blown away! I am still reeling from the shock! And I have to adjust to saying "she" instead of "he..." Oops!

It's a...............!!!!!

Hello all,
The more masculine half of the adventure (Andy) is posting today. The Lord has decided to speed along the graying process of my hair. Yes, we are having a baby girl! All looks healthy too and we are both soooo thankful for that. As we looked at the sonogram I was speechless at God's amazing design. To see this beautiful little human inside my wife was awe inspiring. In truth, I may be a little more excited than Brooke.

The Packers need more female fans anyway. Sorry, to the 66% of you who voted for a boy. Everyone have a great day!

Splurge vs. Steal

I used to subscribe to a magazine that had a great feature called "Splurge vs. Steal" for beauty products. An example: "Face Creams...Splurge: Creme de la Mer- 1 ounce, $110. Steal: [something from your local Target/Walmart/you name it], $8."


While ladies who use this product do look amazing (I've read J Lo uses this all over her body), I can't quite justify the splurge! And as I get older, I've been trying to find other ways that I can survive on the "steal" rather than the "splurge."


This topic comes up because I have used Victoria's Secret or Bath and Body Works lotions and creams for years and years- the scents are great. BUT I typically spend $5-9 for about 8 ounces, and I am realizing that I am really not that moisturized afterwards anyway! So I tried something new- a cocoa butter and shea butter lotion from Target. The ginormous bottle cost me a whole $3.44! And after applying it, I feel moisturized and smell a little like chocolate- delish! How satisfying to get the desired result for the desired price!


SO- I thought it would be helpful and interesting if you all could share your beauty secret splurges and steals... what item can't you live without, no matter what the price? And even better, what beauty items have you found that are fabulous for a fabulously low price?

Nacho Baby

At home, we (well, mostly Andy) refer to our baby as Nacho! We cannot for the life of us remember why. My friend Katie lovingly referred to her baby as Dorito until he was born, but I don't think it had anything to do with following her chip theme! I do love me some nachos (mild- hold the jalepenos and not too spicy please) ... especially Nachos Supreme from Taco Bell. And I adore Nacho/Taco Bar Day Thursdays at work (I'll spare you hearing my Nacho/Taco Bar Day song!)

It could just be because I often say how good they sound, and we made some comment that the baby must be a fan of nachos too.

Who knows- but "Burrito" and "Chimichanga" are still available names if you would like to give Nacho a friend!

(No one ever called us normal...)

My God is so big!

"My God is so BIG, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do!" I am struck by this song as we sing it in Sunday School or at LINC (for any that don't know, LINC is for children in downtown Bloomington, and we gather for Sunday School with them after church)...

First, I'm struck by how simple and true those words are. The mountains and rivers are his handiwork- it was nothing for Him to create them- so of course there is nothing He can't do! I realize that I don't rejoice in that fact or even remember it as much as I should.

Then, I'm struck by the differences between the LINC kids and the Sunday School kids: one group learns about Jesus at home regularly, while the other group may not hear the Lord's name in any context but in vain... But there are similarities too: we don't know what the future holds for any of them. This often almost brings me to tears as we sing at LINC, as these preschool-aged children that I adore (most of the time...) sing this song with such gusto. While some of these kids will be faced with such adversity and challenges most of us can't imagine, I am reminded of the truth in this song. Our God IS so big. And there is NOTHING He can't do. There IS hope for them, just as there is for all of us.

I was talking recently about who I used to be before I was a Christian. I was "ENRG 247" and outgoing and crazy. (Okay, some of that is still there!) But I lived completely for myself, and though I thought I was happy, it was nothing compared to the true joy found in Christ. The "me" from back then would barely recognize me now... actually, the me from back then didn't want to ever be a parent. Now I can barely contain my excitement for this blessing- How far He has brought me!

My point: Thank you, Lord, for specializing in lost causes... however hopeless we may appear. And readers- do you believe there's nothing God cannot do? Do we live like we believe it?

AND I'll add that if you ever get a chance to come to LINC, please do!

Love you all!

Starting out on a journey...

By now most of you know we are expecting a baby, due December 18th. Because we have family and friends scattered all over, we decided to start a blog to keep everyone updated on where we are at in our journey to parenthood!


We have our next appointment Monday, July 30th. We are hoping the baby cooperates, and we will get to find out whether he or she is a boy or a girl! Stay posted for that news... but in the meantime, take the poll to submit what you think the outcome will be!