F-A-R-M again... and the new ride!

For those of you who don't believe me when I tell you that Harley knows the word farm...I'm attaching a short video of when I told him we were going there today. Hopefully it works since I've never uploaded a video on here before! (Okay, so I checked it out after I posted this and it didn't work. I'll have to pick the brains of some of my fellow bloggers to figure it out in the future!)


Before we left for the farm, I had to move some stuff around in the van. That's right. I said van. I'm a convert. My co-worker/friend's husband recently got a job at Burnsville Dodge. Knowing that Dodge still makes a mini van and that this was a salesman we could trust (hey, I know where he lives!), we decided to check it out. Rob and I have been considering buying a van since before we even knew we were expecting. We were leaning towards one of the more "popular" brands, but when we looked at the prices and what we would get for the money, we decided on the Grand Caravan. With financing being a steal and getting a good price for my trade-in car, we couldn't pass it up! We went and looked at it on Thursday and brought it home on Friday. Believe me, it took a while to get used to driving it and I'm still extremely cautious, but so far I love it! My entire family is taking a trip to the Dells in January, and we've already been assigned to have Ava in the van since it has built in DVD players. Yup...players. Two! With headphones! What's not to love! I guess it has good horsepower too. Me? I'm all about the fun stuff. Just give me a back-up camera, DVD player and a phone that connects to the van, and I'm a happy camper.



The new ride!


Going out to the farm also gave me some time to spend with my sister, Jo and my two nieces Ava and Jayde. Who am I kidding? She just wanted some help with cutting back her perennials. (Just Kidding, Jo!) I got in some "holding" time with Ava and a nice little snuggle with a napping Jayde. There's nothing better than a baby falling asleep on your chest and being prefectly content. Content enough to even let the nuk fall out of her mouth and the light snoring to start. She's such a sweetie!


Jayde Marie























Ava Gabrielle



















Harley was hyper as ever during his trip to the farm. He tortured some cats, ran after Ava, pooped twice in the first 5 minutes of being out of the van and rolled around in some cat poop. Let's just say he needed a bath desperately before we left. Thanks, Jo, for helping me give him a bath! On the way home, he crashed in the back and inhaled his food when we got home. He's currently passed out on his bed. It'll be a good night!

By the way, there's no pics of Harley cause he's just too fast to get a good pic of him at the f-a-r-m.

I Feel It!

For the past few weeks now, I've been dealing with continued "morning sickness" as well as the arrival of that nasty stomach bug. There's been alot of stuff going on in my abdomen!

So much stuff, that I still wonder if what I think I'm feeling is really "it".

"It" being the baby kicking/punching/moving!

Yup, I am finally almost sure that I am feeling the newest little Polingo moving around in there.

It's not everyday or even every other day. It's only when I'm really paying attention or if it's a significant movement. The little taps don't get my attention. It's usually the big bumps that I feel. Rob tries to feel it too, but I explain to him that if I can barely feel it from the inside, it's going to be a while before he can feel it on the outside.

We have our ultrasound in 2 weeks to make sure all has developed normally. We are both praying for a wonderful result and can't wait to see how much Baby P has changed in the last 13 weeks.

More good news is that I am feeling much better. I finally realized that maybe my nausea wasn't just nausea, but also a touch of the heartburn. I started taking Zantac a couple days ago and so far so good!

That about covers the latest goings-on in our world. Hope all is well in your world too!

Until next time...

It's going around.

Nope, nothing fun is going around.

The "flu", a nasty stomach bug, or whatever you may want to call itis.

It started with my sister. She got it last Wednesday night. Being the good sister, I went over to her house on Friday to help with the girls while they went to my brother-in-law's grandfather's funeral. She was still in bed when I got there, stayed in bed until the very last minute, but started to feel better by the time she got home later that afternoon.

I had just gotten my flu shot. I've been throwing up (not to sugar-coat it) for the last 11 weeks. Throwing up is nothing new to me. I felt (almost) invincible.

Until Sunday...

Our church was hosting a fundraiser for a family whose home was destroyed by a fire. Not only was the man of the family a high school classmate of mine, but his wife has been a close friend of mine since pre-school. They met at my 16th birthday party and married 5 years later. They have 3 little, adorable kiddos. Me? Help out? No problem.

I woke up not feeling well and chalked it up to "morning sickness". Halfway through the benefit, I really started not feeling well and excused myself. The rest of the afternoon was not "normal" for me. Then later that night the one thing that could differentiate morning sickness from a stomach bug occured. I'll leave it at that and spare you the gory details.

I've now been "sick" for 3 days and am starting to feel more normal. Then today, I get a call from Rob saying he's coming home from work early with a body aches, fever and nausea. He's upstairs sleeping right now. And I'm downstairs trying to inhale as much fresh, non-infected air as possible.

With any luck, in our family, it will end with us. We've quarantined ourselves.

But beware...

It's going around!

The Results Are In!

I went to bed last night full of nervousness about what I had eaten during the day and would it effect my test today.

I was careful not to eat anything this morning.

I checked into the clinic at 8:40am and went back to the lab to drink my breakfast...a lovely orange soda type beverage that reminded me of my Grandma Harms (orange pop was a favorite of hers).

The lab tech told me I had to sit in the waiting room for 1 hour. No walking around as it might effect the results of the test.

So with book in hand, I patiently waited...

At 9:40, she came back to get me...

Drew my blood...

And 1 minute later, I had the results.

I passed!!!!!

No Gestational Diabetes at this time. I will be rechecked at 25 weeks just to make sure. But for right now, I am a happy camper and all really is well!

Thanks everyone for your well wishes!

Happy 62nd...

Anniversary!

My Grandma and Grandpa Pieper are celebrating their 62nd Wedding Anniversary today!

Well...not actually celebrating today. They celebrated this past Sunday at my Mom and Dad's house in what has become somewhat of a tradition. For the past few anniversaries, my mom and dad host my grandparents and all of their children (all 11 of them) for a special anniversary lunch.

This celebration once again reminded me of my parents love and generosity. My Grandma suffered a stroke May of 2009 and lost all control and movement on her left side. She is mostly wheechair bound now, but can pivot with help to sit in chairs or in the bathroom as needed. My parents house is not exactly handicap friendly. There are stairs going from the garage into the house and the bathroom door frames are too narrow for a wheelchair to fit through. My dad built ramps to cover the stairs going into the house and took the door off the bathroom, making it easier for my Grandma to do the things she needs to do. My mom then made a "door" out of a curtain so Grandma would have privacy when she needed it. She also planned out the whole meal and cleaned and decorated the garage.

BTW, my parent's garage is not a typical garage. You could eat off the floor in there! There is also painting all over the garage walls showing the evolution of life on the farm. It's pretty cool!

It's also a chance for my grandparents to spend time with all of their children, play cards, tell stories and simply enjoy each other's company. With 10 living siblings, it's very difficult to get everyone in the same room at the same time. My uncle Ron died after a car accident in 1996, but is still very much present in these celebrations. The only one missing on Sunday was my aunt Kathy who couldn't make the drive up from Omaha. Otherwise...Ray, Mike, Mary, Trese, Tony, Julie, Jean, Frank and Carol were all present and accounted for. Yes, I know all of their names (and birth order) by heart!

My sisters and I were the servers for the day os everyone could relax as much as possible. It also gave us an excuse to get together and see all of our babies...Ava and Jayde, Brooklyn and Wyatt. Gotta love babies!

I'll end with a picture of my sisters and I with our Grandparents from my wedding. This was taken only 6 months before my Grandmas'a stroke and a picture I will treasure always.

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!

Week 17!

When I tell people that March 1st (the official due date) seems so far away, anyone who has been pregnant before tells me that it goes by so fast.

I'm starting to realize how true this is!

It seems like I was just writing about our "Lucky Number 13" and now here we are at week 17 already!

I had an appointment today with a nurse practitioner and everything is great! The heartbeat today was in the 140's. It's lower than last time which concerned Rob, but the normal heartbeat range is from 110-160, so I'm happy! She could also hear the baby moving away from the dopplar which was kinda cool. I'm still not feeling any movement though. Soon!

I did find out one thing today though that I'm not real thrilled about. Every pregnant woman has to take a glucose tolerance test...usually around 24-28 weeks. Since I am a "larger woman", I have to not only take the test, but take it twice! The first time will be tomorrow and the second time at the routine 24-28 weeks. All-in-all it is a good thing. If I have gestational diabetes, I want it caught early to help prevent any issues with the baby. However, cutting back on carbs (which I love!) is going to be tough. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but just in case I met Rob for lunch at Olive Garden and did some extra carb eating. It may be my last "carb meal" for a while! Wish me Luck!

When I got home today, I decided to take Harley for a walk. I wasn't feeling the greatest (yup, the nausea and vomiting are still present!) and thought a little fresh air would be great to help curb the nausea. I was right...the fresh air was great and helped with the nausea...until Harley decided he had to do #2. Not good. Being the responsible pet owner, I picked up his...we'll just call it "production." Good thing the fresh air was readily available.

And...breathe. Just breathe...

The Big Man's Birthday!

He was the first man in my life.

He's big. He's black. He loves me unconditionally.

He's Harley!

Harley's First Day Home



He was born on September 8, 2004 in South Dakota. My coming to be his owner was an interesting thing. I wanted a puppy, but I didn't want one that would shed. My co-worker, Danica had a standard poodle and was planning on getting another one. Good temperment, non-shedding, and a true life-long companion. She helped to tilt the scale of my hesitancy into "I need and want this puppy." I told no one. No one except a few friends, Danica, who is the mom to Harley's older brother, Paul and litter-sister, Debra. It even took me a while to tell my sisters.

Danica and Debra, Jen and Harley



I grew up in a "no animal in the house" family. It was fine by us. We had our fair share of animals outside...cows, cats, even a dog. But none of them belonged in the house.

Telling my parents was fun. I took him to their house and knocked on the door while I was holding him. My mom wondered what was wrong cause I never knock. She then looked down at this little 7-pound ball of black fur in my arms and knew. She told me I better tell my dad. He was the "enforcer" of the no-animals rule. He handled it surprisingly well. Harley is still not "allowed" in their house, but they don't mind that he's in mine when they come to visit.

He used to fit under the end table in the living room.


He was easily potty-trained. He barks...at other dogs, kids, people and does it loudly. He's loves walks, car rides, treats, and trips to the f-a-r-m. He's my protecter (so he thinks).

He thinks he's a lap dog.



He loves my niece, Ava. He'll be good with kids.

I can't wait for my first baby to meet my first "real" baby. Well...maybe I can wait 23 more weeks.

Happy 6th Birthday, Harley!