The Buchingers

21 Day Organizing Challenge

2011-04-30T15:35:00.000-04:00

I know I just got done doing a challenge but I have been wanting to do this challenge for a while now...more than 2 months! Now that I feel like I have my feet back on solid ground and I am doing well and I am pretty much adjusted to having 2 kids I am so sick and tired of CLUTTER!!!! So to fight it I am going to do this challenge. Anyone else interested? Here is the list of things I will be tackling:

1. Junk Drawer
2. Computer Desk
3. Tupperware Cabinet
4. Linen Closet
5. Under Kitchen Sink
6. Dresser Drawers
7. Pantry
8. Coat Closet
9. Toy Organization
10. Laundry Room
11. Freezer
12. Spice Cabinet
13. Medicine Cabinet
14. Under Bathroom Sink(s)
15. Medicine/Vitamin Storage
16. Fridge
17. Mail
18. Keepsakes
19. Master Closet
20. Photos
21. You Pick

This is a list I got from one of the blogs I follow: a bowl full of Lemons

What I am planning on doing is taking before and after pictures and then doing a post on each. I also might do a few more things like organize my book case and a few other things while I on my way to getting organized. I am so excited!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Nataleigh 21 months

2011-04-28T14:37:00.000-04:00

I was way to busy to do a 20 month update on Nataleigh so this is a combined post :D

Stats: Nataleigh weighs around 25 lbs and is about half my height...

Diapers: Nataleigh wears size 4 in disposable diapers. We stopped using cloth diapers a few months ago..but we are planning on potty training her within the next few months.

Clothes: Nataleigh is growing out of her 18 month clothes and is mostly wearing 24 months...she has some 18 month things that still fit though. She wears a size 6 in shoes. I can hardly keep up with her growing feet...I feel like I am constantly getting the next size for her to wear!

Teeth: Nataleigh has a mouth full! I believe she has 6 teeth on the top and 6 on the bottom. She has 2 more coming in on the top and 2 more coming in on the bottom. They are almost done breaking through the gums so I will be so pleased once that is done!

Food: Nataleigh loves to eat what we eat. She definitely knows what she wants and will often tell me in the morning meemaw..which is banana to her. She will also say cereal another one of her favorites for breakfast. She loves her PB&J with milk except for she calls it nilk...I'm working on that one. She doesn't like her food to be cut up because she is a big girl now and won't eat it if you do (haha found that one out the hard way!) She loves juice also but I won't give her any until she drinks her morning milk. She loves to drink from her sippy cups still & from straws. With a straw I can get her to drink more water that way. She also is starting to learn how to drink from a cup...she hasn't quite learned how to do it without getting drenched yet!

Sleep: This has been a battle since the time change! She has been going to bed between 9 and 1030! AHHH!!! Before the change I would consistently lay her down at 830 and she would be fine. Now I have to read her several book, give her milk, brush her teeth and rock her before she is ready to go down. I am working on getting the time moved up more. She does however sleep until at least 8 and I usually have to wake her up so she doesn't sleep the morning away. Nataleigh still takes a daily nap and I lay her down by 1 and she is up between 3 and 4. It's nice!

Motor Skills: Nataleigh has been using the Your Baby Can Read program since August 2010 and is doing really well. She can read close to 40 words now and can probably say probably more than 150 words. She is picking up on what people say and will often repeat simple phrases back....the one she loves the most is: "I'll be back!" She also likes to say, "Oh gosh" and "I'm gonna get you". She is also learning to do puzzles and is getting better by the day. She likes to color with crayons which we just started practicing with. When she eats she likes to use her utensils but is still mastering this skill. She knows all of her colors and loves to say them whenever she sees one. She is learning to count also...she doesn't like to say the number 1 but will count from 2 to 10 with some help with 9 sometimes. She is also learning her ABC's and is doing a really good job with trying to sing them. If you ask her to sing you a song she will either start to sing her ABC's or she will hum to the tune of the lullaby I sing to her every night...so cute! She also knows most of her body parts and whenever she is around people she will say eyes or nose or belly button which is her favorite!

Likes: Her newest favorite thing is her little brother Adam...she just loves his to pieces! She always wants to give him a hug &/or kiss. At nap time she loves to hold her baby in one arm and the seahorse in the other. She loves to watch her Meet the Colors video and the other series of videos from the Your Baby Can Read collection. She loves loves loves books. She also likes to help me vacuum but doesn't know how to push the vacuum yet....she gets pretty excited around it though :D Nataleigh also still sucks her thumb which we are going to break her of this habit. She also loves to play peek-a-boo, she loves to play with Daddy and be chased by him or anyone. She is funny too! When you ask her to smile she will cock her head to the side and give this cheesy smile...I love it! The last thing she likes that I can think of but is not new is she just loves to put her feet on the table or at the end of the highchair...not sure why but she has been doing this for so long and I am trying to break her of the habit...not easy to do!

Dislikes: She still HATES when I leave her in the nursery at church on Sundays, during Bible Study on Tuesdays and Mom2Mom on Thursdays. She doesn't like when I turn off her video after she has watched it once..she could probably watch it all day long but I want her to play with other things and learn other stuff. She doesn't like when I tell her no she can't have any more juice. She isn't a fan of having her picture taken in groups either....

I'll add pictures tonight!

Postpartum Survey-1 month

2011-04-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

Thought this might be a fun post to do...I'm pretty proud of myself so far!

How far along were you when you had your baby? 39 weeks and 5 days.

How long was labor? About 16 hours...but contractions slowed way down for a good chunk of it (maybe 6 hours) Hard labor: 1hr and 45 mins...after they broke my water that sped things up a ton and then an hour after that it was so painful I could hardly stand it!

Total weight gain: 44lbs.

Total weight loss since: 32 lbs. 12 more to go! I need to stop snacking on junk food and start walking now that it is getting nicer outside :D

Back into your own clothes yet? For the most part except most of my pants do not fit yet.

Did you get stretch marks? Yes but I already had then when I was pregnant with Nataleigh so it doesn't really matter to me.

Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? Vaginally all-natural baby!

Best moment this week: Getting more organized...weirdo I know!

What I miss about being pregnant: Feeling him moving inside me.

How big is baby: He was 7 lbs. 1 oz. at birth and a little over 9 lbs. now.

Baby's temperament? He is a content baby...but if he is too full after eating then he is a little more fussy.

What I am looking forward to: Adam sleeping through the night :D Fitting into all of my clothes, losing all the baby weight and more...I want to get down to the weight I was when I got married...I feel like I was in the best shape and health! I am looking forward to taking lots of pictures of my kiddos :D

I'll add some pictures later today.

Well that is all for now....till next time!

One month already!!!

2011-04-10T11:03:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe my baby boy is a month old already! It seems like I just had him yesterday!

Weight: this one is hard to believe but I weighed him last night and he weighs a whopping 11lbs 6oz!
Height: not sure on this one since I could hardly believe how much he weighs!

Eats: exclusively breastfeeding. I am doing a schedule with Adam like I did with Nataleigh and he is doing well with it. He usually eats every 2-3 hours. He nurses for 15 mins on one side and 10 mins on the other...but I have to be careful because he overeats and then spits up a lot! He also gets really bad hiccups when he eats too much. He also will take a bottle of breastmilk which is awesome for me because when Nate has the night off he takes care of Adam so I can get in more sleep then I pump in the morning so I replenish the milk supply in the freezer. When Adam was in the hospital, I had to pump and feed him by bottle so it was easier on him and he wouldn't get tuckered out as fast. He would eat anywhere from 2 to 3 ounces already! Adam is a really good nurser. When he is hungry he wants it now and doesn't dilly dally like Nataleigh did...but I also think she wasn't as good because of how early she was.

Sleep: pretty good. He is really sleepy during the day early morning till early afternoon. He sleeps pretty good at night as well. He takes naps all day long which I think helps him sleep longer at night. He sleeps in a bassinet by my side. On occasion he sleeps next to me in bed or on my chest.

Milestones: Adam likes to smile periodically since he was born...and it is not because he has gas :D He has a little dimple on the right side..very cute! He is also pretty strong and is really good about holding his head up. Nate will play airplane with him and he will straighten out like a board..it is so cute!

Loves: his sister..I've noticed lately whenever he hears her voice he looks for her. Momma...he loves to be held and loves to sleep on me. He still likes to be swaddled from time to time. Playing airplane with daddy. He likes his baths already...huge blessing there. He only cries if he gets a chill but last night he did really well for his bath! He doesn't mind tummy time but I wouldn't say he loves it yet...I will say he tolerates and likes it though.

Dislikes:HICCUPS! He gets so mad when he gets them. He is not a fan of falling asleep...depending on how tired he is sometimes he fights it and other times he gives in.

Clothes: Adam wears 0-3months in everything. I've noticed he is pretty long and some of the sleepers are a little tight lengthwise. He might have the same problem Graydon has!

Diapers: Adam wears size 1 and we will start using cloth diapers soon :D

Illnesses: Unfortunately, Adam has been sick already. He got RSV when he was only 10 days old and had to spend a week in the hospital. He had low oxygen levels in his blood when he would sleep and it would get too low so he had to be on oxygen for a few days. Every time they tried to ween him off of it his levels would dip back down but finally they got him weened and we were able to go home :D

We don't have many comments on him because we haven't taken him out really since he was born. We took a trip to the mall and to the grocery store but he was covered up and that was before he got sick. Near the end of the month is when the doctors told us we could start taking him out to public places. So next month I'm sure we will start getting more comments on him.

Here are a few pictures of him throughout the month.

Daddy & his boy after we got home from the hospital

Adam & Meemaw

Mommy, Meemaw & Adam

Grandpa & Adam

Mommy & Daddy with our baby

Sleeping..he is so cute here!

We caught him sucking his thumb here..19 days old here

Smiling at 6 days old

In the hospital on oxygen...16 days old

Back at home..with his teddy bear from Meemaw & Grandpa

Strong boy doing tummy time

Love this picture of him!

So awake here..he was 3 1/2 weeks old here.

Not sure why this one won't upload how I took it...but you get it..he's smiling again

Nataleigh loves her baby brother! She always wants to hug and kiss him!

Beautiful blue eyes!

Smiling away!

Nataleigh laid down next to him and said, "night night!"

sucking on his hand

sitting in momma's glider-1 month

Look at how big I am Mom!

Love this one!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Introducing.....Adam David

2011-04-08T16:50:00.002-04:00

I'm really behind on posting Adam's birth story but a lot has been going on and the kiddos only take so many naps so I can only do so much during that time! Anyways here it is:

On Wednesday March 9th, I went to my OB appt and found out my appt was suppose to be the next day but I asked them if there was any way they could squeeze me in and see me so I wouldn't have to come back the next day since I had a babysitter watching Nataleigh. They said sure it just might take a while...so I was preparing to sit for an hour at least because when I usually have my appts I have to wait it seems like 15mins every time but that is all I had to sit and wait this time so I was thrilled. According to the doctors, I was 38 weeks and 5 days and according to me, I was 39 weeks 4 days. So the midwife checked my cervix and I was dilated to 4 but she could stretch me to a 5 so she said if it was alright with you I am going to stretch you a little and get things going. I agreed and it was a little uncomfortable but she was right, it did get things started.

Now I had a trend going on, for the last 2 times I got checked I would end up in the hospital that night with contractions and then I would be sent home...well not this time. She told me that she was technically not suppose to even let me go home but she did and then told me that if I started having contraction that were 7-10 mins apart to go straight to L&D. Well, I went home after the appt and did some cleaning and about an hour after she checked me I started having contractions....except for they were 5 mins apart! I was like uh oh...I called Nate because he was getting his hair cut and I told him what was happening and he told me to see if my mom could watch Nataleigh so I did just that. I got on the phone with my mom and asked if she would be willing to call into work because I was for sure I was going to have the baby that night or the next morning. She said she could watch her for me and got to our apartment around 4:20ish. By now my contractions were 4 mins apart. I texted Nate and said they were getting stronger and were closer… we need to get going to the hospital. I finished packing my bags and then we were off.

We got to the hospital and I could barely walk. I was having contractions that lasted about 1-1.5 mins and they were about 3.5 mins apart. We parked in the back where Nate usually parks and I walked in but I could only get so far because they were so painful, luckily there was a wheelchair right there and Nate got it for me and we were on our way FAST to L&D. Once we got to the elevator, my emotions started to kick in and take over and I started crying because I was nervous and the contractions were coming so quickly and they hurt really badly. They got us into a room and then they checked me. My contractions were now 2 mins apart. I had to breathe through them and Nate was really supportive and told me I was doing a wonderful job and he would let me squeeze his hand. When they checked me I was 5/6ish cm dilated and I told them I had an OB appt earlier and they checked me then. I also told them all the info they needed to know and the nurse was shocked they let me go home. She was not too happy about that.

They monitored me for a good hour and decided to admit me because my contractions were consistently 2 mins apart...they called me their problem child because it came on so quickly that once I got to the room they got the table that had all the instruments and stuff to deliver the baby ready. The nurse who took over was Barb and she was wonderful unfortunately she was leaving in 30 mins so Becky took over for her. Becky was an awesome nurse. She had 7 kids and was pregnant with her 8th and had delivered them all naturally. Nate & I were thinking that this was a gift from God because he gave us just the right nurse to help me do it naturally. After my experience with Nataleigh I did not want anything to force me to go sooner than what my body wanted. She was extremely understanding and very helpful.

We called Nate's parents and brothers/sisters to let them all know what was going on. I asked Becky if it would be possible to get into the jacuzzi to help me relax and breath through the contractions. She said I would be able to be in it for 1 hour and after 30 mins she would have to check the heart beat to make sure that everything was fine. She did that and it was fine. Another 30 mins past and then it was time to get out. Well this is the not so fun part of the story...no I didn't go into labor as soon as I got out of the tub but the opposite...my contractions stopped or at least slowed down and they were now about every 15 mins

Becky suggested I get on the birthing ball and move my hips around to see if that would start things up again. I was on that for an hour and still no change. When she checked me I was dilated to about a 6 and I was at a -2 station. The doctor said he could break my water but because the baby was still too high up it was not a good idea because if the umbilical cord got between his head and my pelvis then it could cut off the oxygen to the baby and I would have to have an emergency c-section. We decided to wait to break my water. I got back into bed and switched positions a few times about every 45 mins but nothing seemed to help kick start my contractions. She checked me again a few hours later and nothing had changed so she suggested I go for a walk and come back in an hour. So I walked around for a good 40 mins and walked up and down from the 4th floor to the main floor and back up twice. Still my contractions were about 10-15 mins apart.

I was feeling discouraged and tired at this point because it was near 1:30 am and nothing was happening. We got back to the room and Becky checked me again...no change so she talked to the dr and he suggested that I take a nap since nothing was happening and maybe after I woke up things would have progressed a little bit. I finally fell asleep around 3am only to be woken up by the girl across the hall screaming in pain because she was having her baby...it was now 445. The dr came in to our room around 5am to check me and see where we were...well FINALLY there was a small change...He said I was at 4/5cm dilated but I was at a -1 station and it was safe enough to break my water at this point. Nate & I talked it over and agreed to let him break my water. After that the contractions started coming....HALLELUJAH!!! They were every 7 mins apart and were pretty painful. I had to breathe through them again but at least I was making progress and it looked like we were going to have the baby today!

The contractions really started to pick up and were getting really painful. I talked to Nate and told him I wasn't sure if I could do it naturally (this was around 6am) Shift change was getting ready to happen so we told Becky that I wanted to get an interthecal...which is like a one-time injection in the back instead of a constant drip like an epidural....so she told us that Barb would get that around and they would get it started after they got out of report if that was fine with me. We agreed and they did what they had to do but my contractions were now about 3-5 mins apart and I was so very uncomfortable. Barb got there and said to us, "I told you not to wait for me to have that baby!" I was glad to have Barb back. She knew last night going into this that I wanted to do it naturally and then today she talked to me about the interthecal and started to get things around for it.

Well around 645 I was like I need it...I need it...I need to go to the bathroom...so Nate & Barb helped me to the bathroom and I had a few hard contractions but Barb was EXCELLENT and helped me breath through them. I laid my head on her and she rubbed my back and brushed my hair out of my face. She helped me to focus and breathe through them. She said we need to get off the toilet so I can check you...we don't want to have the baby in the toilet now...I agreed and said that would be disgusting so they helped me back into bed and I was dilated to 8cm and was 80-90% effaced..I don't remember what station I was at but she told me that I needed to lie on my left side so that the baby would be in a better position for me so that when I was ready to push it would be better for both of us.

My contractions were so painful I could hardly stand it. I would start to hyperventilate but then Barb would tell me in a calm voice you can do this...it only painful for 15-20 seconds and you can do this…take control, focus and breath through it...slow your breathing down. I said, "I want the interthecal I want it I need it!!!" She said, “Okay, okay, I will go get the Anesthesiologist and we will get it started for you.” Only I wouldn't let her leave my room. I would start to have a bad contraction and I would call out to her....Barb....BARB...and she would be right back by my side, holding my hand and helping me breathe through them. Now Nate was still here holding my hand but he didn't know how to comfort me or what to say to help me stay calm so he just let Barb take over and be my rock. I still squeezed the dickens out of his hand though: D

Barb told me to lay on my back so she could check me when I was ready and I flipped over and I was now at 9.5cm dilated and I told her I need to push...she said okay go ahead...so I did....I was screaming OUCH...and pushing at the same time....She told Nate to push the call button and she said the operator...Call Dr. Pastoriza...we have a baby on the way. I kept pushing because I wanted him out like yesterday! Barb told Nate with a little more excitement in her voice push the call light...she said, "Is Dr. Pastoriza coming????" The lady answered back, "He is walking down the hall now." Just then he walked into the room and was casual and said, "Hey how is everyone doing?" Barb just looked and him and said, "You don't have time to talk you need to get dressed now!" He gowned up and told me to push but not scream....use that energy to push harder so I did....and pop...out Adam came. I pushed for a total of 5 mins I think and he was out. I tore in the front a little but not bad. Barb was excellent and helped me through the hardest part of labor. When I was on my side breathing through the contractions she knew I could do it without the interthecal and so was kind of stalling. She knew I was close so if she just held off long enough it would almost be done. I was so thankful that she was our nurse. I was so proud of myself for doing it naturally and I know Nate was proud of me too!

Adam David Buchinger was born at 7:43am on 3/10/11. He weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 20 3/4" long. He had a nice shaped head probably because he wasn't in my birth canal long enough to get a misshaped head! Here are some pictures of our little guy!

Before I had Adam

Nate & I right after the birth

Dr. Pastoriza and Adam

Nate measuring his foot

Daddy kissing his little boy

7lbs 1oz 20 3/4" long

Our newest bundle of joy!

Nate loves his son so much already!

Introducing....Adam David Buchinger

I love them so much!

The best L&D nurse EVER, Barb!

Meemaw & Adam

Nana & Adam

Momma & Adam

My precious baby boy!

So Sweet!

Sleepy head!

Love this one!

Nana, Papa & Adam

Going home :D

Going home after one day :D YAY!!!

Well that is all for now...till next time!!!

Day 29 of Blog Challenge

2011-04-07T14:34:00.000-04:00

Day 29-3 Wishes

1. I would lose all the baby weight from both pregnancies plus a little extra so I can get down to the weight I was when I got married.

2. We can pay off our debt in less than a year.

3. We find our dream home someday!

I have many more wishes but I know at least the first two are achievable...I think it is good to have wishes that are achievable :D

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 28 of Blog Challenge

2011-04-07T14:31:00.000-04:00

Day 28-Something that stresses you out

I HATE having a dirty house...I can't relax when I know I have a sink full of dishes, the hamper is full of clothes that need to be washed, you can wipe away dust from the tv screen or you can see the toothpaste on the mirror that has managed to cling to when it flies out of your mouth!!!! It drives me crazy!!! I started a cleaning chart before I had Adam because I knew I would need something to help me stay on track when it comes to cleaning. Here it is a list of things I do each day since Blogger won't let me upload my schedule.

Mondays:

Clean Bathrooms

Clean Microwave

Clutter

Wipe Cabinets

Clean Inside Cabinets

Tuesdays:

Dust House

Wash Windows

Clean Under sinks

Laundry

Clean Out Car

Wednesdays:

Vacuum House

Clean Fridge

Clutter

Clean Diaper Pail

File Paperwork

Thursdays:

Menu/Shop

Wash Light Switches

Clean Pantry

Wash Shower Curtain

Clean Linen closet

Fridays:

Wash Floors

Wash Door Knobs

Clutter

Clean Garbage Can

Saturdays:

Sheets/Towels

Sanitize Stuff

Glass Surfaces

Laundry

Sundays:

Sweep Floors

Clean Mirrors

Clean Desk

Organize Recipes

This helps me to keep up on the cleaning so my house doesn't look like a mess. Hope it helps you if you struggle with keeping your place clean....also keep reading because I am going to do a "21 Days to Getting Organized" challenge. I would love it if people would join me in doing this challenge. Since Adam came along...the clutter has really started to bother me..so I figured I would do this challenge to help me!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 27 of Blog Challenge

2011-04-07T13:45:00.000-04:00

Day 27-Pets

Since Nate & I got married we have been living in apartments so we are not allowed to have pets. At my mom's house I did have a couple of cats, Chewbacca (long haired white cat, very shy until he warms up to you) and Baby (long haired grey Persian that I got for Christmas 11 years ago) I loved my cats but unfortunately they both died before this post. Chewbacca died in the fall....he had some sort of throat cancer, my parents had to put him down because he was suffering and they couldn't watch him suffer anymore. Baby died on my mom's birthday this year in January. She suffered from Leukemia and my parents tried so many things to help her but one night she took a turn for the worst and my mom stayed up with her the whole night until she passed away. My family are pet lovers...especially when it comes to cats. They haven't got another pet yet because they are still trying to get over the loss of the two cats. I hope that someday when Nate & I have a house we will have pets...they can be expensive but the love they bring to a family and the memories they create are wonderful and I want my children to experience that!

That is all for now...till next time!

Day 26 of Blog Challenge

2011-04-07T13:38:00.000-04:00

Day 26-Picture of your family

I don't have an update picture but here are a few!

Nate's family

My family

Nate, Nataleigh & I

Nate & I with our newborn son, Adam

My parents with Nataleigh

Nate's parents with Adam

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 25 of Blog Challenge

2011-04-07T13:25:00.000-04:00

Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Haha this is an easy one...I don't own one so I can't participate.

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 24 of Blog Challenge

2011-04-07T13:24:00.000-04:00

Day 24-Something you've learned

Hmm...this is again a very interesting topic! I've learned so many things in my 27 years of life.

1. Love is a wonderful thing. My husband and kids are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! The time I get to spend with them everyday makes me a better wife & mom...They make me the person I am today!

2. Being an x-ray tech is pretty cool (well most of the time) we get to see some pretty interesting things and I love the career I have chosen.

3. God is so incredible that there is really no word to describe how great he is! I don't know how he sent his only son to die on the cross so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life....being a mom that would be impossible to do but he sacrificed him so we(his children) could spend eternity with him!

I could go on and on about the things I've learned but these are just a few. I need to catch up with my blog so I am going to stop here.

That's all for now....till next time!

Day 23 of Blog Challenge

2011-04-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

Day 23-Favorite vacation

Honeymooning in Caseville, MI. It was very romantic and we had a lovely time. The cabin there is very rustic and there was a lot to do. They had an original Putt-Putt but when we went back there this last July it changed to a different type of mini golf. We also went on the carpet slide they have which is pretty fun. During our honeymoon, the town of Caseville was celebrating their annual "cheeseburger festival". All the restaurant and stores had different things going on and it was a lot of fun. Anyone who is married understands that the honeymoon is an awesome vacation because you are starting your lives as a married couple on this vacation. That is why it is my favorite vacation! Here are a few pictures of the vacay!

Walking in Caseville during the cheeseburger festival

Getting ready to go home to Indiana to start unpacking and start our lives!

The first sunset we saw at the cabin

One of my favorite pictures of Nate...I love everything about it!

Well that is all for now....till next time!

Day 22 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

Day 22-Favorite city

Hmm...this is a different topic to think about. I really like Ann Arbor and Lansing. They have a lot more to do than Jackson..however if we are talking about my favorite city in the world that is a tough one. I have traveled to few different countries and I must say I love the cities in the Philippines the best. Tuguegaro City which is the north part of the main island and is where I have some wonderful friends that I hope to see again some day. We stay in contact via Facebook and it is nice to catch up with them from time to time! The reason why I love it there so much is the temperature, the breath taking views and the wonderful memories. It is quite the place!

Another city is for sure Mishawaka. This is where Nate & I moved to right after we got married. It is a big town with so much to do and of course lots of different options on where to eat :D One of our favorite places to eat out at was at a place called Five Guys..it's a burger shop that is AWESOME!!! Not only did we move to Mishawaka after we got married but it was Nataleigh's first home. This makes Mishawaka more important than any other city!

Well that is all for now....till next time!

Day 21 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-19T13:37:00.001-04:00

Day 21-Picture of yourself

At Mom2Mom group...this was the diaper shower they threw for me

Nataleigh and I the night before I gave birth to Adam

A couple hours after I had Adam

I love this picture with my little boy!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 20 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T11:03:00.000-04:00

Day 20-Nicknames

From family: Em, Emmy, Emma is most common, momma, mommy, mom

From Nate: he has so many! Most common is babe...I know he has called Megan and Dorothy it on several occasions and this makes me laugh haha!

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 19 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

Day 19-Something you miss

I know I haven't had Adam for that long but I do miss feeling his kicks inside my belly :D He was quite an active baby. I just love having him here though...he is a bundle of joy and such a good baby! God has blessed my family!

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 18 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T10:58:00.000-04:00

Day 18-Something you regret

I could go on and on about all the things I regret but I am not going to. I have learned many thing from the time I rebelled against my mom and other hard lessons from ignorant decisions I have made in my short time on this earth. God has given us all a free will to choose what we want...sometimes we make the right decision and this makes him happy but I think a lot of the time we make the wrong decision and God doesn't like our choice but he loves us regardless....because of this love we should confess to him and others if we have made a bad decision.

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 17 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T10:44:00.000-04:00

Day 17-Something you're looking forward to

Well this one I feel is a little hard to decide but I guess I am looking forward to the Belcher Reunion I am organizing that is going to be Memorial Day weekend.

Nataleigh's birthday is coming up and I want to start getting prepared for that.

We would like to move into a bigger place but not sure if we will end up doing that.

Having everyone in the family meet little Adam.

Being able to go out again once RSV season has calmed down so our little guy doesn't get sick.

SPRING!!!!! & SUMMER!!!!!!

I think that is all I am looking forward to.

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 16 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

Day 16-Dream house

This one is a toughy...I love houses so I will describe it...maybe I can find a picture later.

I would like it to have a bedroom for each child (not sure how many that is going to be), a master suite with walk-in closets with great built-in organizers, and a bathroom to connect that is spacious (needs to have a shower and a jacuzzi tub!) I would love a nice entry way with a closet for coats for all seasons or a mud room that could hold all the coats for the various seasons. A nice laundry room that is super organized with baskets for each person in the house to put away their clothes and bins to help sort laundry. I would prefer it to have 2 more bathrooms so that we could entertain more. A den would be nice to hold all of our books and computer desk. I would like a dining room that could be a separate room or it could be an open floor plan that opens up to the living room and kitchen. The kitchen needs to be big because the women in the family like to cook and we all need our space...anyone remember Thanksgiving 2008? haha! It was cramped in our kitchen. It would be nice to have a large living room with a fireplace and multiple areas to lounge around and entertain family/friends. I would also like a finished basement so that we could host larger family get togethers as well. In the basement it could have another bathroom and bedroom for guests (their own living quarters basically) A garage is necessary for Nate...I think of his needs too :D A nice size backyard for the kids to play in and run around and have a great time. I really enjoyed having a large yard to play in growing up. I think that is my all on my list. Not sure how many square feet this "Dream House" would have to be but I am guessing around 3000 square feet.

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 15 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T10:29:00.001-04:00

Day 15-Bible verse

The verse I kept saying over and over in my head when I was giving birth...

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This helped me stay focused and push through the pain. God gave me the right husband to help me through, the perfect nurse to help me calm down and focus and a great doctor to deliver Adam. All praise to Him!

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 14 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T10:25:00.000-04:00

Day 14-A picture you love

Had a hard time deciding but these are the ones I love!

My sweet family

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 13 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

So I haven't been blogging lately but for a great reason. I had my son, Adam a week ago today...so I guess I am going to play catch up...

Day 13-Goals

These are in no particular order...just things I was thinking of this morning.

1. To be debt free in 2 years (my time frame)

2. Be the best mom and wife I can be with God's guidance and help

3. Nurse Adam for at least one year

4. Possible go back to work 3 days a month...we'll see after a few more weeks

5. Get Adam sleeping through the night by 10 weeks...hoping sooner..he is doing great so far!

6. Do daily devotions on my own, with my kids and with Nate

7. Teach my kids about the Lord so they will want a personal relationship with Him....very important.

8. Figure out if we are going to home school the kids or do private schooling...big decision to make.

9. Take time out daily to spend quality time with Nate.

10. Live on a budget, within or below our means so we can give more

11. Buy a house with cash...no mortgage :D...we'll see how that one turns out!

12. Buy cars with cash only never take out a loan again!

13. Be content with my situation...whatever it may be

14. Lose weight and maintain a healthy weight (the weight I was at for our wedding)

15. Provide healthy meals for my family to enjoy & thrive from

Well that is all I could think of this morning.

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 12 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-09T16:16:00.001-05:00

Day 12-What you believe

I believe in God and that his only Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for our sins. If you confess your sins then he will forgive you of your sins. Ask Jesus into your heart and his spirit will come in and be with you all the days of your life.

I made this important decision when I was a freshmen in high school. I was at Camp Barakel and the speaker was Tom Harmon. He came around to each group and talked to us and he said something so profound to me I will never ever forget it. He said, "God will never divorce himself from us." That's all and it brought me to tears and I know God had been working on my heart and I was scared to confess my sins and believe in him and ask him to come into my heart but after hearing that I had my friend Michelle go with me to the back stairwell and she prayed with me.

I had some good years and some bad years where I rebelled against my parents...but God's voice was still in me and he drew me back to himself. I apologized to my parents and started to go to church again. One of the ladies from the church I was attending took me under her wing and disciplined me...I didn't have that at the last church I was in...I didn't know you were to read your Bible and there were other things

Day 11 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-08T09:05:00.000-05:00

Day 11-Favorite TV shows

Absolute favorite TV show is The Amazing Race....love to see all the sights and challenges...plus it's a great family show.

I also really enjoy watching The Office, Celebrity Apprentice, Let's Make A Deal, The Price Is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, American Idol and Dateline or 20/20 specials. Man I didn't realize how much TV I watch...granted I don't watch them all everyday....not having a 19 month old...however Nataleigh loves Wheel of Fortune...she loves to guess the letters..its is super cute!

Well that's all for now...till next time!

39 Week Survey

2011-03-07T10:59:00.001-05:00

How far along? 39 weeks and 2 days! Only 5 more days till my due date and 11 days till the doctors due date...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 38 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is between 19-21 inches long and weighs between 7 to 8 lbs. I'm actually curious to know how big he actually is.
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! Can't wait to get back to wearing normal clothes again!
Sleep:Not the best lately....I toss and turn all night long...and Nate can barely sleep in the same room because I am snoring so bad!
Best moment this week: Celebrating my husbands birthday on Saturday
Movement: yes...they are definitely slowing down now. I can make out body parts when he moves though..kinds crazy Nate even felt it the other night and thought it was pretty cool!
Food cravings: Anything.
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: Well this is a touchy subject right now. It seems everytime I go to my OBGYN and they check me I go into false labor...so it happened last week again on Wednesday and Nate had to be replaced at work and I had to find someone to watch Nataleigh as we went to the hospital...not so easy at 10ish at night on a week night! I am now dilated to 3.5 to 4cm and I am 60% effaced as we left the hospital on Thursday am around 230.
Belly Button in or out? Starting to pop out
Stretchmarks? A few new ones..oh well!
How are you feeling?Okay. I'm trying to be content but I don't think I am doing a very good job at it!
What I am looking forward to: making the call to everyone that it is really happening....that will be so exciting!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite, getting good sleep, being able to put on my shoes/socks all by myself without being out of breath, wearing normal clothes!
Weekly Wisdom: Be patient
Milestones: Making it another week! Getting closer and closer to the due date...never thought I would make it this far

Pictures to come.

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 10 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-07T08:32:00.001-05:00

Day 10-Something you're afraid of

Well this is a pretty easy one....I'm afraid of the dark for the most part especially when I am alone. If I have other people around me I'm fine but my mind starts to deceive me and I freak myself out...it's silly I know! However when I do go to sleep I have to have my room pitch black...any kind of light keeps me up for a while. I don't get it but that's how it is.

I'm also afraid of spiders and snakes..they creep me out!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 9 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-06T22:55:00.000-05:00

Day 9-Pictures of your friends

I'm "lucky" to have Nate as my best friend!

Carrie Luna(2nd from left) and Sarah Davison (bride) are some of my closest girlfriends

Of course my sister-in-laws are in my inner circle and know more than most do about me...I really enjoy their company, friendship, advice and we always have a great time together!

Some of my girlfriends at a sleepover from 2007

Bethany one of my good girlfriends

Holly and her husband a couple that I love to be around!

Nicole-best friend from high school that I am still in contact with...wish we could hang out more often!

Dawn....one of the sweetest most godly ladies I know! Our babies are 3 days apart :D

Kate a wonderful girl

Desi...I just love her..our babies are also 3 days apart

Of course my in-laws are important to me and friends I can count on!

My mom and stepdad are very dependable and help me out soooo much! I love them!

Last but not least my brother Nick...a great guy who loves to have fun!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 8 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-05T10:25:00.000-05:00

Day 8-A place you've traveled to

I have so many places I could choose from but I think I will talk about my mission trips to the Philippines. I have never felt more close to the Lord in all my life as I felt when I was there doing mission work! Our main purpose was to share the gospel.

We fly from Detroit to Japan and then to Manila, Philippines. It takes about 20ish hours to get there...my best friend is usually dramamine or some other sleeping medicine to help the time past quicker.

Here is a note I wrote from the Philippines: this was from March 2008
Hello everyone! I miss you all very much! Some of you don't know why I am in the Philippines so here is an update....for three weeks I will be in the Philippines doing medical mission work with my church...that is the area that I will be involved with....we also hold tent revivals, marriage conference, school ministries, pastor conferences, jail ministries, and many other ministries but those are just to name a few....

We have held two medical clinics so far one in Manila at Pastor Israel Flores' church and we saw 200 people praise the Lord! Then the other clinic was in Tuguegarao City at Pastor Richard Bitun's church which we saw 419 people and there were 160 decisons made for the Lord...it was absolutely amazing!

I am about halfway done with the trip...the next couple of days we will be holding the tent revivals in Bacolod and we will have medical clinics before the tent revival for the next three days....please pray for strength for the group we will be very busy and a lot of us have been sick. Pray for many souls to come to know the Lord and that the tent revivals would be very successful!

I have to get going but I wanted to let everyone that we are safe and we are in La Carlota City on the island of Negros and we are staying at the Mission Home. I probably won't be able to update this again so pray for our flight home on March 19! We hopefully will be getting in the morning so it should be nice! I miss everyone very much especially Nate! I love you sweetheart!

Talk to everyone soon!

Love, Emileigh

The first time I ever went there was an amazing once in a life time experience. When we first got there and were driving to the Mission Home in La Carlota City, I could not believe the living conditions! I was truly shocked...I had seen pictures but it is a whole different realization when you see it first hand! It was so devastating it made me cry. I just could not help to think how good we have it in the US. We have so much stuff that we just waste our money on...it was a great eye-opener to help me remember what is important in the world...not materialistic stuff but sharing the gospel....I hope that I will keep that in the forefront of my mind...it is hard once I got back because it was culture shock. But now that it has been a few years I feel like I have slipped back into a more materialistic mind set. It is disappointing but I know I am doing what God has for me right now...and that is to be the best mom and wife I can be. I need to provide for my family...food & clothing and I need to be frugal and make sure I am spending the money he has entrusted to us wisely...thank the Lord for the homemade cleaners, great sales on clothes and coupons! I feel this is the way I am frugal.

I will write more later....today we are celebrating my husbands birthday so I need to get stuff around...but I have so much more I would love to share about the missions trips I've been on!

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 7 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-04T14:00:00.001-05:00

Day 7-Favorite movies

Here are some of my favorite films in no particular order...and I know there are more but this is what I came up with!

Remember the Titans.

The Notebook

Fried Green Tomatoes

The Princess Bride.

Braveheart

Ferris Beuhler's Day out

Speed

Mrs. Doubtfire

The Lord of The Rings Series

Avatar

Pirates of the Carribean Series

Shrek

Ice Age

Up!

Wall-E

The Incredibles

A Walk to Remember

The Bourne Series

Elf

Fireproof

The Land Before Time series

The Last Samurai

Miss Congeniality

The Pursuit of Happyness

Well that is all for now....till next time!

Day 6 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

Nataleigh has such a sweet spirit and amazes me everyday with the new things she learns each and everyday! I love her so much and I hope when baby boy gets here she does well with him....I'm sure there will be an adjustment period but I am hoping she will continue to be my little helper. Momma loves you!

That's all for now...till next time!

Day 5 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hey all! Well no baby yet so the blogging continues!

Day 5-Your siblings

This is an interesting topic also! I have 1 brother Nick and 2 half brothers Patrick and Derrick.

Nick: My big brother...the one who tortured me when we were growing up :D He is a great guy and I am happy he is my brother. He is 18 months older than me and is single. He loves to have a good time doing whatever. One of my favorite memories of him is when we were little. He would be across the room and would walk real slow up to me with his hands in tickle mode and just tickle me till I almost peed my pants...I think I did on a couple occasions because he wouldn't stop...haha! Till this day if he does this...I start laughing while he is across the room! I can't stop.

Patrick: Well I don't have much to say about him because I have never met him. I would like to meet him someday but I think for now I will just wait. I'm curious about him though. I found out about him when I was I think 10 or 11. I was at my aunts house for a week and she asked me how Patrick was doing...I said,"Who is Patrick?" She knew right then she did an OOPS! then called my mom and then she sat me down and explained to me that he was my brother. I was very confused because I knew nothing about him. Well from what I have gathered is that my dad had an affair and Patrick was the result. I know that his mom got married and the man that married her adopted him. My dad gave up all rights to him but he is still a blood relative and I know that the Belcher gene is a very dominant gene so I am curious also to know what he looks like.

Derrick: My little brother. I'm 12 years older than him. He lives with his mom in Owosso and I don't see him all that often. We connect every once in a while on Facebook and over the phone but it is a little more difficult to see him. He is currently in 8th grade. He is very tall and slender. I don't really know his personality all that much but I know that he considers me his favorite sister :D He would always come up to me and give me a big hug and tell me he loves me! He is a good kid. He is also much taller than me (he gets that from his mom)

Here is a family picture from our wedding

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 4 of Blog Challenge

2011-03-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

Well today's blog challenge post is going to be interesting!

Day 4-Your parents

I love my parents very much. I don't have 2 but 3. I have a mom & stepdad and dad. I include my stepdad as my parent because he embodies everything a parent is....even though we aren't blood related.

My parents got a divorce when I was in second grade and it was pretty hard for me. After that things really changed in my "world". I got to see my dad every other weekend and at holidays it would rotate every year. It was okay. When I was in fifth grade I hadn't talked or seen my dad in a while and out of the blue I finally reconnect with him only to find out he got remarried and I now have a stepsister and two stepbrothers...that was really difficult! I wasn't even there to meet them or give my opinion of these people who I now call family! Well they were married for 10 to 12 years..I can't remember but I did get something really good out of it...I have a half brother Derrick whom I wish I was closer to but I am grateful that he is here today.

My mom and I are very close...we are a lot a like but our taste in fashion varies quite a bit. My mom is very creative...she makes the most beautiful scrapbooks and I always look forward to seeing what she has done. We like to work out together when I am able to...once this baby is here...goodbye baby fat...hello old jeans! She encourages me to be the best mom and wife I can be. I am super thankful for this...oh...and she loves our little Natte as she likes to call her. Nataleigh loves her Nana. My mom is a nurse and is a very good one! While we don't have a lot in common in faith she always listens to what I have to say and is respectful of the place our family chooses to worship...for this I am super thankful! I know God gave me the mom he wanted me to have and I wouldn't want anyone else!

My stepdad has been family for a while even though he and my mom have only been married for a little over 3 years. He remembers my birthday and always remembers to call me or attempt to see me that day....extremely important to me...my dad usually forgets...so Dave makes up for that and it always brings tears to my eyes...I am thankful God placed him in my life. He is also an AWESOME cook! He is very interested in hunting and whatever his kill is he always prepares it so well and it always tastes so yummy! We get along very well. We have a lot in common...we both love sports and would often hang out on a Saturday afternoon and watch Michigan play football and have a lot of fun!

Well that is just a little tidbit of info about my parents. There are so many things I love about them and it would be an extremely long post...but these are some of the things I love about them!

That is all for now...till next time!

Day 3 of Blog Challenge

2011-02-28T09:11:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is doing great today!

Day 3: First love

I met my "First Love" on eHarmony. It was a whirlwind! I would say for me it was love at first sight. I saw his profile and thought he is really cute...then I read about him and the things he was passionate about (family & his relationship with the Lord) and thought WOW...I could see myself marrying this guy....little did I know that I would talk to him for a month on the internet, date him for a couple months, be engaged for 5 1/2 months and now I am married to my wonderful husband Nate! He is everything I wanted in a guy...don't get me wrong...he's not perfect but I also love his inperfections....well most of the time! Here are a few pictures of us from the night I felt I fell in love, a picture from our wedding and one from St. Patrick's Day last year.

Valentine's Day 2008

Our Wedding Day 8-8-08

St. Patrick's Day 2010

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 2 of blog challenge

2011-02-27T22:39:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone...hope everyone had a wonderful day!

Day 2: Meaning behind blog name

The Buchingers is obviously our last name. Nate is my husband, I'm pregnant still :D and our daughter is Nataleigh. Nothing too clever here but I like it simple! So that is the meaning.

Hope you guys have a great night.

That's all for now...till next time!

38 Week Survey

2011-02-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

How far along? 38 weeks only 2 more weeks or less...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 34 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is around 20 inches long and weighs around 7 lbs. I'm actually curious to know how big he actually is.
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! Can't wait to get back to wearing normal clothes again!
Sleep:Not the best lately. Waiting on baby!
Best moment this week:Having a shower with my Mom2Mom group
Movement: yes...they are definitely slowing down now. I sometimes have to stop and do movement counts to make sure he is still moving....kinda scary at times!
Food cravings: Anything.
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs:yes, Yes, YES!!!! 2 days ago I was in the hospital with contractions for 11 hours. I am dilated to 1cm and am 50% effaced. That was at 3am when they last checked me. My contractions have stopped since I got home but I lost my mucus plug yesterday and today I have been having contractions on and off...mainly in my back.
Belly Button in or out? Starting to pop out
Stretchmarks? Just stretching out some of the ones I already have!
How are you feeling?Okay. Ready to be done with being pregnant!
What I am looking forward to: making the call to everyone that it is really happening....that will be so exciting!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite, getting good sleep, being able to put on my shoes/socks all by myself without being out of breath, wearing normal clothes!
Weekly Wisdom: It's okay to clean but make sure I take breaks...don't clean too hard to make him come either...but at this point he would be fine!
Milestones: Making it another week!

Pictures to come.

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Day 1 of the blog challenge

2011-02-26T14:52:00.000-05:00

Well I am going to try and do this challenge so here we go!

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

Hello everyone...my name is Emileigh...which most of you already know if you read this blog! I am 27 years old and I am married to my wonderful husband Nate. We have a beautiful daughter named Nataleigh whom I adore and I am currently 38 weeks pregnant today! We are having a boy this time and are looking forward to his arrival..hopefully soon!

This was taken when I was 36 weeks pregnant..I'm bigger now...maybe I will post another picture later.

Our most recent family picture!

Now for the fun facts :D

1. I have married for 2 1/2 years....I love being married!
2. I am a stay-at-home mom and I am so happy that I am. God has given my husband a great job that allows me to do so!
3. I am an on-call x-ray tech. I have been registered for 5 years now! I love my job when I do work because it gives me a chance to get away from the everyday stuff and use my training...plus I think it is a lot of fun :D....I'm wierd though :D
4. I drive a Mazda MPV (multi-purpose van...it's a minivan but when we put insurance on it they told us it was a station wagon.....it made me laugh)
5. My family lives in a 2 bedroom apartment which we like for the most part...it is in a good part of town and really close to several things like Meijer and my family!
6. I have 1 brother and 2 half-brothers...I'm the only girl..woo hoo!
7. I am heading up the committee for planning a 15 year family reunion we are having in Frankenmuth, MI this Memorial Day.
8. I love photography, art, making jewelry, making cards, being crafty, being frugal (I make my own cleaning supplies) I love to bake and make new things!
9. I just finished reading a book with my moms group called Growing Grateful Kids and it is a wonderful book. It was published in 2010 and the author is Susie Larson.
10. I love to use coupons but need to take a class to learn how to save even more money when I use them and learn the tricks of the trade!
11. When I was in 5th grade I almost broke my neck when I slipped on a slide in the middle of winter! I had 2 subluxed vertebrae which means that they were pushing in on my spinal cord. I had to wear a neck brace for 12 weeks and couldn't go any physical activities.
12. I love surprises and sharing surprises with everyone.....we always make any big thing happening in our lives a surprise with family...when we announce a pregnancy or a name..it's always a surprise...sometimes I think my family likes it but not all the time....and they always try to guess what the surprise is....its so much fun!
13. I love long hair but since I have had Nataleigh I keep it shorter because it is way easier for me to manage.
14. I met my husband through eHarmony.com...it really does work...you just have to be honest and know what you want.
15. I saved the best fact for last! I became a Christian when I was a freshmen in high school (1999). I was at Camp Barakel and there was a speaker by the name of Steve Harmon who came to talk to each small group that was there and he said something so profound it spoke right to my heart. "God will never divorce himself from you." For those of you that don't know I come from a broken home so this meant the world to me and I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to come into my heart. Best decision I ever made!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Starting a 30-day blog challenge!

2011-02-26T14:21:00.000-05:00

Thank you Megan for the challenge! I look forward to sharing more about myself with my family and friends that may not know these interesting things about me :D

Here is a breakdown of the topics the challenge will consist of:

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite TV shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture

This should be interesting! Look forward to doing this with Megan and perhaps other followers if you are up to the challenge...leave me a comment and let me know if you are up to the challenge so I can follow along!

That is all for now..till next time!

37 Week Survey

2011-02-19T09:25:00.000-05:00

How far along? 37 weeks only 3 more weeks or less...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 33 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is around 20 inches long and weighs around 6.5 lbs. I'm actually curious to know how big he actually is. I had Nataleigh at 36 weeks 5 days and she weighed 5lbs 13oz...so we will see how big our little guy is in a little bit!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! Can't wait to get back to wearing normal clothes again!
Sleep:Not the best lately. I have a hard time falling back asleep once I wake up and my naps haven't been helping me much!
Best moment this week:I got the car seat base in and cleaned up the car seat material...now it looks brand new! YAY!!! I also got a portable swing from a girl at my mom's group. I also got my haircut a few days ago...I love it!
Movement: yes...they are definitely slowing down now. I sometimes have to stop and do movement counts to make sure he is still moving....kinda scary at times!
Food cravings: Anything. My friend Melissa brought over some homemade turtle cheesecake and it is hitting the spot!
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: more braxton hicks contractions....all though last night I had a really bad pain in my lower abdomen and back...it felt like a menstrual cramp and had me worried it didn't go away for a while so I took some tylenol and that kicked in 45 mins later...I thought we were going to have him early this morning!
Belly Button in or out? In barely..it's almost flat!
Stretchmarks? Just stretching out some of the ones I already have!
How are you feeling?Okay. I am getting a lot of stuff done...my to do list is getting smaller by the day and I am keeping up on cleaning the house...woo hoo!
What I am looking forward to: making the call to everyone that it is really happening....that will be so exciting!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite, getting good sleep, being able to put on my shoes/socks all by myself without being out of breath, wearing normal clothes!
Weekly Wisdom: It's okay to clean but make sure I take breaks...don't clean too hard to make him come either...but at this point he would be fine!
Milestones: Making it to 37 weeks!!! I didn't think that would happen....now it's a waiting game to see when he will come!

Pictures to come!

Well that is all for now...till next time...which we could have a separate post on our little guy!

Nataleigh 19 months

2011-02-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

Well my little girl is getting so big! She has so much personality...I just love it! Here are some updates on her.

Stats: Nataleigh weighs 24 lbs and is about half my height...but when we went to her 18 month checkup I was distracted and didn't see how tall she was...I will figure this out soon!

Diapers: Well we were doing both but yesterday she complained a lot and it seems she doesn't like how the cloth diapers make her feel anymore so Nate & I talked it over and she is going to be in disposable permanently until we potty train her. She likes to sit on her potty but doesn't go on it but I fee like we are making progress. She also tells us when she goes poop...I love it!

Clothes: Nataleigh wears 18 month stuff and is in a size 5 shoe...I can't believe how fast her feet grow...it's crazy!

Teeth: Nataleigh has a mouth full! I believe she has 6 teeth on the top and 6 on the bottom. More to come too!

Food: Nataleigh loves to eat what we eat. We used to cut up her food into small pieces but now that she understands the concept of chewing we don't break the food up as much now...she prefers to bite it off little by little. She still isn't a very picky eater which we are super thankful for! She loves to eat bananas and yogurt...she will go to the fridge around snack time and open and point and say, "Gurt! Gurt!" It is just so stinkin' cute! She loves to drink milk...we switched from organic 2% to just regular 2%. She also loves her juice. I cut it in half so she doesn't get as much sugar.

Sleep: Nataleigh still sleeps in her crib but we are hoping to transition into her big girl bed soon. She has already taken a tumble over the side so I need to find some bed rails for it. She sleeps through the night most nights unless she is teething or isn't feeling very well or if we have been traveling and her schedule is off it takes her a night or two to get back to normal but it's not back. She usually goes down between 815-845 and will wake up around 700-800. On average she usually gets 10-11 hours of sleep a night. She also takes a daily nap. I usually lay her down around 1230 and she will wake up around 330. This is super helpful right now especially while I am pregnant because that means I can get a good long nap in too!

Motor Skills: Nataleigh has been using the Your Baby Can Read program since August 2010 and is doing really well. She can read 10-12 words and can probably say near 50 words. She is picking up on what people say and will often repeat simple phrases back....the one she loves the most is: "I'll be back!" She has been saying this more a month or so now. She also was around when we were watching a movie and it said, "this sucks," and she repeated it so now we have to really be careful what she hears. She is also learning to do puzzles and is getting better by the day. She likes to color with crayons which we just started practicing with. When she eats she likes to use her utensils but is still mastering this skill.

Likes: At nap time she loves to hold her baby in one arm and the seahorse in the other. She loves to watch her Meet the Colors video and the other series of videos from the Your Baby Can Read collection. She loves loves loves books. She also likes to help me vacuum but doesn't know how to push the vacuum yet....she gets pretty excited around it though :D Her favorite body part is her belly button or eyes...she is always playing with them. Nataleigh also still sucks her thumb which we are going to break her of this habit after the baby comes...she still needs that security we feel and it helps soothe her when she is upset and tired. She also loves to play peek-a-boo, she loves to play with Daddy and be chased by him or anyone.

Dislikes: She HATES when I leave her in the nursery at church on Sundays, during Bible Study on Tuesdays and Mom2Mom on Thursdays. She is forming separation anxiety and there isn't a whole lot I can do about it and I know she is fine after a few moments but when I leave she usually will throw herself on the floor and throw a huge fit....we are working on this one! She doesn't like when I turn off her video after she has watched it once..she could probably watch it all day long but I want her to play with other things and learn other stuff.

Here are some pictures I recently took of her but I am planning on taking more!

This last one is my favorite!

Well that is all for now! Till next time!

36 Week Survey

2011-02-12T09:23:00.001-05:00

How far along? 36 weeks only 4 more weeks or less...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 32 lbs. I didn't gain any weight this week..woo hoo!
How big is baby? The baby is around 20 inches long and weighs around 6 lbs. My little guys is getting big!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! A girl from my Mom's group gave me some pajama pants and they are super comfy!
Sleep:I've been sleeping okay. I've been getting more sleep but when I sleep longer than 6 hours I toss and turn the rest of the time so then sleep is okay.
Best moment this week: getting a bunch of stuff crossed off my list before the little guy comes. My mom and I went to Once Upon A Child and Babies R' Us and we did a lot of shopping, I got a lot of great deals and now I feel more ready for when he does come.
Movement: yes...but they are more moving around than feeling kicks and punches.
Food cravings: Anything. I still love juice but I need to watch the calories since I know I could pack on the pounds these last few weeks. I do admit I am doing much better than when I was pregnant with Nataleigh!
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: nothing this week....that's okay though :D
Belly Button in or out? In barely..it's almost flat!
Stretchmarks? No new ones that I see but the ones I have where Nataleigh stretched me out are getting a little longer I think. Oh well :D
How are you feeling?pretty good. I am getting a lot of stuff done.
What I am looking forward to: making the call to everyone that it is really happening....that will be so exciting!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: Drink water, eat a lot of protein, rest, take it easy and put your feet up!
Milestones: I sound like a broken record but making it another week...hoping that I will make it till at least 1 more week to 37 weeks this time.

Here are some pictures of what the kids room looks like right now...I did some work on it last night :D

My view- 36 weeks

side view

The bassinet is all ready for him!

Put up the other two prints- Willow deer prints

What part of the room looks like.

I redid Nataleigh's bow holder since she has so many of them now :D

Night light in the bathroom with new outlet covers.

Night stand by the glider.

Some of his clothes.

Baby Boy & Nataleigh's shoes

Well that's all for now....till next time!

35 Week Survey

2011-02-07T09:02:00.001-05:00

How far along? 35 weeks 2 days only 5 more weeks or less...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 32 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is around 20 inches long and weighs around 5.5 lbs. My little guys is getting big! I also just read that his testicles are descending this week...woo hoo! His weight is close to what Nataleigh weighed when she was born at 36.5 weeks! AHHH!!!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! I'm actually growing out of some of my pants now...my belly is much different this time around than when I was pregnant with Nataleigh.
Sleep:I've been sleeping okay. The last couple of days I have had a pain on my left side from the front along the side and in the back and when I sleep on my left side I will wake up and it will be hurting so I'm looking forward to being done being pregnant!
Best moment this week: getting to go down to Ohio to spend some time with Jesse, Marideth and Sam. It was a lot of fun!
Movement: yes...his movements are getting much more painful. I feel him all over but still a lot in my right ribs.
Food cravings: Mainly juice...especially grape juice...I can't get enough of it...but boy does it have a lot of calories! As far as food...Everything. well mostly everything. I have to be careful because this is the time when the weight can get out of control...yikes!
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: well I was in the hospital on Monday. I had contractions all day long but when we got to the hospital they stopped and I got to go home. They did a fetal fiber nectin test and it came back negative which means that I will most likely not go into labor for another 2 weeks...so that was a great moment. Also they checked my cervix and it is very thick and I'm not dilated at all. They even said the baby is high up so I wouldn't go into labor anytime soon. We'll see about that :DBelly Button in or out? In barely..it's almost flat!
Stretchmarks? No new ones that I see but the ones I have where Nataleigh stretched me out are getting a little longer I think. Oh well :D
How are you feeling?pretty good. I just have to drink plenty of fluids, eat my protein and not overexert myself.
What I am looking forward to: making the call to everyone that it is really happening....that will be so excited!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: Drink water, eat a lot of protein, rest, take it easy and put your feet up!
Milestones: Making it another week...hoping that I will make it till at least 37 weeks this time which is only less than 2 weeks away I can hardly believe it!

That's all for now...till next time!

Another small comparison

2011-01-31T12:23:00.003-05:00

I was trying to see how big I've gotten over the last three weeks and thought people might want to see a side by side comparison.

31 weeks 34 weeks

Now that I can see the pictures next to each other has my little guy grown or what? Plus I thought I was dropping but now that I look at the pictures I'm not so sure about that....we'll see. I go back to my OB on Wednesday for my next appt.

Well that is all for now. Till next time!

Jesse & Marideth's Wedding Photo Book

2011-01-30T23:57:00.003-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

This is a photo book I made for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. I had a code for a free book and decided to use it on them since I was all caught up with my family. Their pictures are gorgeous and it was a great wedding to be apart of!

34 Week Survey

2011-01-30T23:48:00.000-05:00

How far along? 34 weeks 1 day only 6 more weeks or less...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 28 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is around 20 inches long and weighs around 5 lbs. My little guys is getting big! I also just read that his testicles are descending this week...woo hoo!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! I'm actually growing out of some of my pants now...my belly is much different this time around than when I was pregnant with Nataleigh.
Sleep:I've been sleeping okay. I wake up a bunch to readjust and go to the bathroom. I still love my naps! Even with a couple hour nap I feel ready for bed around 9pm!
Best moment this week: Knowing that our little guy is doing good and I wasn't going into labor on Friday!
Movement: yes...his movements are getting much more painful. I feel him all over but still a lot in my right ribs.
Food cravings: Mainly juice...especially grape juice...I can't get enough of it...but boy does it have a lot of calories! As far as food...Everything. well mostly everything. I have to be careful because this is the time when the weight can get out of control...yikes!
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions for a couple weeks now so my body is practicing...yay....
Belly Button in or out? In barely....it might be an outie by the time he comes.
Stretchmarks? No new ones that I see but boy oh boy do I feel super stretched out.
How are you feeling? I have been having dizzy spells over this last week and went to see my OB on Friday. I found out I am really dehydrated so I need to drink at least 1 gatorade/powerade a day to replenish the electrolytes the baby has sucked out of me and that I need to eat 100g of protein a day! So I have been working on that one which is really tough!
What I am looking forward to: Getting everything done,packed and ready for the little guy before he gets here!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: One more day of work so enjoy it and have fun....but don't over exert yourself. Drink LOTS OF WATER and EAT LOTS OF PROTEIN. Anyone have some good recipes or know of snacks that are packed full of protein...I need help in this area. Also put your feet up...the swelling is getting worse now...It just started within the last week to week and a half! ugg!
Milestones: Making it another week...hoping that I will make it till at least 37 weeks this time..that will be an accomplishment itself!

Sorry there are so many pictures...I couldn't decide which ones to add so I added them all... I took the pictures myself and will probably do so till he comes!

Well that is all for now! Till next time!

33 Week Survey

2011-01-22T08:09:00.001-05:00

How far along? 33 weeks only 7 more weeks or less...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 27.4 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is between 17-19 inches long and weighs around 4.5 lbs. My little guys is getting big!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! I'm actually growing out of some of my pants now...my belly is much different this time around than when I was pregnant with Nataleigh.
Sleep:I've been sleeping okay. I wake up a bunch to readjust and go to the bathroom. I still love my naps! Even with a couple hour nap I feel ready for bed around 9pm!
Best moment this week:I have two this week. Doing a demonstration for my Mom2Mom group making homemade cleaning supplies and spending some time with a couple Nate went to high school with last night. It was a lot of fun. We don't have many friends down this way.
Movement: yes...his movements are getting much more painful. I feel him all over but still a lot in my right ribs.
Food cravings: Mainly juice...especially grape juice...I can't get enough of it...but boy does it have a lot of calories! As far as food...Everything. well mostly everything. I have to be careful because this is the time when the weight can get out of control...yikes!
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions for a couple weeks now so my body is practicing...yay....
Belly Button in or out? In barely....it might be an outie by the time he comes.
Stretchmarks? No new ones that I see but boy oh boy do I feel super stretched out.
How are you feeling? I feel good. I am just getting a little antsy wanting him to come within the next 4 weeks. I still feel like I have so much to do!
What I am looking forward to: Getting everything done,packed and ready for the little guy before he gets here!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: Don't overexert yourself this week. I am working quite a bit this week which my body is not use to so if I need help ask for it and don't be afraid to ask...there is no shame in asking for others help! TAKE MY VITAMINS!!! I've been doing much better with this one..but it's still very important. Eat in moderation...I need to better in this department.
Milestones: Making it another week...hoping that I will make it till at least 37 weeks this time..that will be an accomplishment itself!

I will have Nate take a picture of the growing baby bump later and then post it!

Free Pampers Gifts to Grow codes

2011-01-19T13:26:00.000-05:00

Hi there all you moms who are looking for a great deal...I have one for you. I have several codes that can help you earn more points with PAMPERS Gift To Grow program. If you have not signed up yet with them you should. You can earn some great rewards...my personal favorites are anything from Shutterfly. It takes a little while but when you have multiple children or run a daycare things can add up pretty fast :D

Here are some codes that will help earn you some points:
NEWWIPESPACKAGE - 10 points

PUNTOSPARAMI123 - 10 points

GIFTSTOGROW4MOM – 50 points
GTGTENMONTHCODE – 10 points
CAREFORNEWBORNS – 10 points

10PTSFREECODE4U – 10 points
PAMPERS4MOMSOND – 10 points
GIFTS2GROWBONUS – 20 points
GTGGETREADYSOON – 10 points
GTGFIVEMONTHS10 – 10 points
JOINNOW4REWARDS – 50 points
WELCOME2PAMPERS – 50 pointts
GETSTARTEDNOW10 – 10 points
WELCOME2GTG2010 – 10 points
WELCOME2VILLAGE – 10 points
2BEGINEARNING50 – 50 points
GTGCOUPONPOINTS – 10 points

You can copy the code and then paste it. Just thought I would help you all out a little bit :D

You can always look on the internet for free codes also. Sometimes Facebook will have a promo code for the month or if there is a holiday coming up they sometimes will run special codes.

Well that is all for now. Till next time

32 Week OB appt

2011-01-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. This morning I had an OB appt to see how our little boy is doing. My weight is good. His heart rate is in the 130's a little lower than what he usually is at which is in the 140's but nothing to be worried about. The OB has that my due date is March 18th which would make me 31 weeks and 4 days...so when she measured me he is measuring 32 weeks and 4 days which is closer to my due date of March 12th. I am hoping and praying he comes within the next 5 or 6 weeks. It is getting closer and closer and I am feeling a lot of pressure to get things straightened up in our apartment but it is hard when my little Nataleigh keeps me so busy. On Friday I am going to pick up our bassinet from my brothers house and then get it set up. Looking forward to that :D Nothing else to report on right now, just wanted to update everyone on his progress.

Sprinkle

2011-01-18T22:47:00.000-05:00

My wonderful family threw me a "Sprinkle" on January 8th to help me get some things I need for Baby Boy's arrival. The main thing I asked for were clothes....we only had 3 outfits and that is definitely not enough. My SIL's, MIL and mom all helped make it possible...thank you all for making it such an awesome day for me! I loved everything about it. The cake was delicious, the games were fun and all the clothes were fabulous! I cannot wait for our little boy to get here. Here are some pictures from that wonderful day!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Thanks again to everyone who helped make the "Sprinkle" possible...it was a great turnout and we received a lot of great stuff...thanks again!

That's all for now...till next time!

32 Week Survey

2011-01-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

How far along? 32 weeks and 1 day...getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 23.8 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is 19 inches long and weighs almost 4 lbs according to my doctor 2 weeks ago he weighs around 4 lbs....woo hoo!!!! My little guys is getting big!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!!
Sleep:I've been sleeping a little better but not great but I will take it when I can get it! I still love my naps!
Best moment this week:spending some much needed quality time with my husband <3 <3
Movement: yes...he is such a little wiggle worm but slowing down a little bit since he is getting bigger. Main areas I feel him in is my ribs the right side more than the left.
Food cravings:Everything. well mostly everything. I have to be careful because this is the time when the weight can get out of control...yikes! I think I did pretty good this week from what the scale says :D
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions for a couple weeks now so my body is practicing...yay....
Belly Button in or out? In barely....it might be an outie by the time he comes.
Stretchmarks? No new ones that I see but boy oh boy do I feel super stretched out.
How are you feeling? I feel good. I ate some yummy Mexican earlier so hopefully I won't be hurting by the time I go to sleep...heartburn stay away!!!
What I am looking forward to: I am suppose to have my 2 week checkup tomorrow but I need to reschedule so maybe later in the day it will be, I am also going to make cupcakes with my mom and do some more homemade recipes this time it is going to be the dryer sheets so I am looking forward to see how they turn out. Tuesday: Bible study in the am, nap time, GG's birthday celebration and visiting with my Uncle from Florida. Thursday: Mom2Mom I'm demonstrating on how to make your own cleaning products...I've been looking forward to this for several months now! Also getting the nursery prepared for the little guy..getting things organized.
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: REMEMBER TO TAKE MY VITAMINS!!! I've been doing much better with this one..but it's still very important. Eat in moderation....I think I have been doing better with this one too...but again it's a great reminder!
Milestones: Making it another week...hoping that I will make it till at least 37 weeks this time..that will be an accomplishment itself!

I will add a picture later...didn't have a chance to take any pictures yesterday at the wedding...totally bummed out about that. Was nice to see some of my old friends though :D

Comparison pictures

2011-01-10T16:09:00.001-05:00

I was working on my Facebook album and thought I should do this on my blog also so here are some comparison pregnancy pictures....my my how my little guy has grown!

9 weeks

10 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

15 weeks

18 weeks

22 weeks

IT'S A BOY!!!

24 weeks

25 weeks

29 weeks

31 weeks

Kind of cool to see how big he has been getting...hope you enjoyed the comparison!

That's all for now! Till next time!

31 Week Survey

2011-01-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

How far along? 31 weeks getting closer and closer...woo hoo!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 23 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is 18 inches long and weighs more than 3 lbs according to my doctor last week he weighs around 4 lbs....woo hoo!!!! My little guys is getting big!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!!
Sleep:well it is a hit or miss thing right now. The last 2 days I have slept really well but then the days before I had really bad insomnia where I could only sleep for 2 or 3 hours! NOT GOOD!!! Hopefully I will be sleeping better until his arrival so I can be refreshed and ready to go to keep up with my growing family and all the activities we are involved in.
Best moment this week:Going to my Sprinkle thrown by my SILs & MIL! It was so nice...I'll do a post on it later!
Movement: yes...he is such a little wiggle worm but slowing down a little bit since he is getting bigger. Main areas I feel him in is my ribs the right side more than the left.
Food cravings:Everything. well mostly everything. I have to be careful because this is the time when the weight can get out of control...yikes!
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions for a week now so my body is practicing...yay....
Belly Button in or out? In..but getting bigger and more shallow each an everyday!
Stretchmarks? No new ones. woo hoo!
How are you feeling? I feel pretty great today! Like I said earlier I have had 2 amazing nights of sleep in a row so that is super helpful.
What I am looking forward to: Bible study tomorrow in Galatians, Mom2Mom on Thursday we are staring our new study in the book Beautiful in God's Eyes looking forward to that also getting paid on Thursday is a nice thing. My friends Ethan and Rachel are getting married on Saturday and we are going to attend the wedding as a family! Haven't done that in a while so it should be a great time! Also getting the nursery prepared for the little guy..getting things organized.
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: REMEMBER TO TAKE MY VITAMINS!!! I've been doing much better with this one..but it's still very important. Eat in moderation....I think I have been doing better with this one too...but again it's a great reminder!
Milestones: Making it another week...hoping that I will make it till at least 37 weeks this time..that will be an accomplishment itself!

My baby bump at 31 weeks pregnant! He's getting big!!!

Front view...Thanks Megan for taking the picture! They look great!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

Christmas 2010 Festivites

2011-01-05T23:04:00.000-05:00

This year was extremely busy for the Buchinger household at Christmas time! We celebrated 5 times and we have one more to celebrate with my dad. Here are some pictures of the festivities. Hope you enjoy them!

The first couple of pictures are of my wonderful family and I hanging out at my parents house.

Nataleigh wearing mommy's boots! She looks too cute!

Nataleigh visited Santa but I don't have the picture scanned yet...I will soon! Here are a few pics from her at the mall.

This is the face she made when she was sitting on Santa's lap.

She loves playing in front of mirrors!

Nataleigh with Daddy :D

Sitting on the hippo

Riding down the nose.

Here are a few pictures of Nate, Nataleigh & I helping my parents put up their Christmas tree. This was the first time Nataleigh was able to help...she really enjoyed herself and was a big help!

Nate & Dave putting the tree in the living room

Nataleigh & Nana vacuuming up the needles

Nataleigh loves to vacuum!

Momma & her baby girl!

Daddy unraveling the lights

Daddy & Nana putting the lights on the tree.

Papa playing with Nataleigh

Daddy & Nataleigh putting ornaments on the tree

Nataleigh holding onto an ornament

Momma & Nataleigh decorating the tree

Family picture in front of the Christmas tree all decorated

Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve. We celebrated with the Bishop Family and helped celebrate Grandpa Bishop's 80th birthday. The party started out at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth and then we went back to celebrate as a family for the annual Christmas Gift Exchange...boy was that a fun afternoon/night!

Nataleigh and Grandma getting a candy cane from Santa

Pat, Megan & Amelia

Auntie Em & Amelia

Grandpa & Grandma Bishop with their children

Jesse is getting ready to attack me! AHHHH!!!

Family picture in front of the Christmas tree

Jesse, Sam & Nataleigh in front of the Christmas tree.

Uncle Bob playing with Nataleigh

Nick & Lindsey

Pat & Megan

Aunt Kerry & Amelia

Joe & Nataleigh hugging, Stephanie & Elizabeth

The next set of pictures are from the Buchinger Christmas at Nate's parents house. We celebrated after we got back from the Bishop Christmas. It was a lot of fun except we were missing Anne, Chris & Graydon! :( We still enjoyed ourselves opening up presents and spending time with family. Nataleigh was not interested in opening presents since it was so close to her bedtime. She was quite cranky so we put her to bed and continued on opening our presents.

A picture of some of the presents

A different angle

Amelia in the giant stocking

My sweet husband & I

Pat & Amelia

Sleepy Amelia & Megan

The bib we got for them that matches their diaper bag

A cute outfit for Amelia

Little blue dress for baby girl

Dragon software for Nate from his parents...it's going to be very helpful this winter once he starts school next week.

The mug we made for Grandpa.

Here are some pictures from Christmas morning with my family. The only tradition my family has is having breakfast as a family on Christmas morning. The menu: waffles & honey ham with OJ....mmmm...I want some right now!

Nataleigh eating her first waffle

Nick opening his present

Nataleigh started to understand the concept of opening up presents and decided she was going to open up every one's.

The mug we made for Papa

Nana holding the picture frame of her and Nataleigh that says Nana & me

Papa & Nataleigh playing with the worm that lights up.

My mom's Christmas present...it seems every year he puts something on one of the mounts and yells at my mom saying,"MARY...what did you do to my deer/elk/caribou?" If you look close you will see there are a pair of diamond earrings.

She's trying to figure out what he is talking about....then she spots them

She how pretty!

Nataleigh & 1 of the 4 baby dolls she got for Christmas.

The diamond earrings Nate got for me for Christmas

Slippers I got for Nate

Playing with Nataleigh's beauty set

The next set of pictures are from Christmas afternoon celebrating with my grandparents.

GG (Great Grandma) opening the gift basket from Nate & I

By this celebration Nataleigh knew exactly what to do and started opening presents without being told what to do...it was so cute!

GG & Great Grandpa

GG with the Clinque Gift set from Nick & my parents

Nick also got GG a type of Kindle but not a Kindle.

A nice side view of me at 29 weeks, serving punch bowl cake

GG & Nataleigh

Finally, this last set of pictures are from Sunday evening celebrating with Dave's dad and in laws

Ashley with her son Ashton...he is a big boy...he is 13 months old and is bigger than Nataleigh! He wears size 24 months! Nataleigh is still in 18 months....He is going to be one big boy!

Duane with his presents from my parents

Mom & Dave with Logan, Luke, Landon and Lincoln (their niece & nephews)

The Raczkowski Family

Woooooo!!!! That was a lot of celebrating but soooo much fun! We still need to visit my dad and celebrate with him but not quite sure when that will take place. Thank you for looking at all the fun we had with our families this Christmas...we hope your Christmas was as blessed as ours!

That's all for now...till next time!

OB appt update

2011-01-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

Hi all! Yesterday I had an OB appt and it went well. Over the weekend I got a cold and I have a sinus infection so my OB gave me a script for a Z-pack...woo hoo...goodbye sinus infection! I am still feeling under the weather but hopefully I will be feeling 100% by Saturday.

So back to the appointment! The nurse did the usual stuff, weight, BP ask if I have anything unusual going on...blah blah blah....then the doctor comes in and he measures me and I am measuring at 31 weeks yay! Then he tells me the little guy weighs around 4 lbs....I was like WHAT???? (in my head) Then I got to thinking about it later in the day how can he tell if he weighs that much? I guess we'll find out soon enough. The doctor also told me that he is head down and doing well. I could tell he is head down because I feel him in my ribs all the time!

After the appt I had my weekly Bible study at church which was good. I came home and I carried Nataleigh like I usually do up to our apartment and then I started having contractions. I brushed it off and then another one came...I was like what is going on? Then I had 3 more and the last one was a strong one that stopped me in my tracks....so that was 5 contractions each one lasting about 10 seconds in a span of 10 minutes! So I decided to rest up for a while and drink some water...they went away but I was thinking what is going on...it's too soon for him to make his entrance into the world! Kinda scary but I thought in my head they will go away and sure enough they did. That was reassuring. I feel like I am going to have him early but this is too early!

Nate & I talked about things and I am scheduled to work quite a bit (5 days over a span of 10 days) and we think I am going to be done working after that. The first shift lead tech who does the scheduling called and asked if I can work one more day but I am already getting a big enough bump and by the time Feb 6th comes along I don't want to be pushing heavy carts around so we decided I will be done working then. We are not sure if that will be for good because I like to get out of the house every once in a while and be productive so that is my way of getting away to be with grownups sometimes....I would like to continue to be on-call after I have the baby but I don't want to go back to work right away...maybe 3 or 4 months after I have him and only work maybe 3 or 4 times a month like I have been. If you could be praying for us for direction making this decision I would greatly appreciate it! I like having my on-call job but having 2 kids is something I will need to get adjusted to and my most important priority in this life is to be the best mom possible. So I guess I would need to have a change in heart about working occasionally.

Well that is all for now. Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year! Till next time!

30 Week Survey

2011-01-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

How far along? 30 weeks Where has the time gone??? AHHHH!!!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 20.4 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is 16 inches long and weighs around 3 lbs....woo hoo!!!! My little guys is getting big!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!!
Sleep: I usually get a daily nap when Nataleigh lays down for her afternoon nap...can last up to 3 hours...woo hoo..sometimes over the last 2 weeks I didn't get in my nap due to traveling and Christmas but when I did that was the time I slept best for the day. Some nights I sleep okay other nights I don't. I feel as if I have insomnia at times because I will be up till 130 and can't fall asleep....it's frustrating but I guess it's something I just have to deal with. Although last night I did sleep really good...thank God!
Best moment this week: Celebrating Christmas and Christ's birth, spending time with family.
Movement: yes...he is such a little wiggle worm!
Food cravings: anything and everything! The last couple of weeks I've been doing really good about my appetite and I didn't gain a ton of weight over Christmas but something happened a few days ago and I feel like I am constantly hungry. I try and eat small portions more frequently but man this little guy is making me want to eat everything in the house! I just hope I don't gain 28 more pounds before I have him...then it would be like I was pregnant all over again with Nataleigh....I gained 48 lbs with her and I am trying really hard to do better with him! My goal is to stay under 200! Please Lord let me make this goal!
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: None that I know of
Belly Button in or out? In..but getting bigger and more shallow each an everyday!
Stretchmarks? No new ones. woo hoo!
How are you feeling? getting more exhausted as time is getting closer to D-Day...my little Nataleigh is full of energy and keeps me on my feet chasing after her all day long except for when she is taking her nap....ahhh I love nap time! Other than that things are going well in our household. With the new year here, Nate will be starting his Online Classes which is going to be interesting.
What I am looking forward to: 1) my mom's birthday in a few days. 2) My "Sprinkle" for baby boy next Saturday 3) 3rd Trimester Baby!!!!!!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: REMEMBER TO TAKE MY VITAMINS!!! I've been doing much better with this one..but it's still very important. Eat in moderation....I think I have been doing better with this one too...but again it's a great reminder!
Milestones: Making it another week...hoping that I will make it till at least 37 weeks this time..that will be an accomplishment itself!

Here is a picture of our family from Christmas. Hope everyone had a wonderful day!

I was 29 weeks pregnant on Christmas

Well that is all for now...till next time!

My top 6 for 2010!

2011-01-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

Where to begin? 2010 has been quite an eventful year for my family! We went through some ups and some downs but I am pleased to say that there were many more ups than downs. Here is my top 6 moments of 2010!

6. Nataleigh turned 1

Momma & her newborn baby 7-16-09

Nataleigh Grace

The "1" butterfly birthday cake my mom & I made.

Nataleigh holding up "1" finger for how old she is!

5. Jesse & Marideth got married

Anne, Megan & I before the wedding...all of us are pregnant here!

Family Picture

Mr & Mrs Jesse Buchinger

The Newlyweds

Love this guy so much! He looked so handsome!

Daddy & Nataleigh dancing :D

Sisters with our guys jackets

4. Nate Graduating from nursing college, passing his NCLEX exam to become a Registered Nurse and getting a job on the Step-down Unit in Michigan.

Nate & I after the ceremony

Nate receiving his nursing pin

Family Picture

Nate's Family

My Family

Nate after receiving his nursing pin

Getting his diploma...so proud of him here!

YAY!!!! He's finished!

The new graduate!

Nate holding the sign stating he Passed his NCLEX and is a Registered Nurse

3. Anne giving birth to handsome little Graydon Robert!

The new parents...so happy for them!

Little Graydon 3 days old

Love this picture of them!

My first time meeting Graydon...at the end of the day at Bigby Coffee

Chris, Graydon & Anne in November (1 month old)

2. Megan giving birth to precious Amelia Rose!

This picture is priceless! Love you guys!

Pat, Megan & baby girl Amelia!

Auntie Em getting to hold Amelia for the first time only 1 day old! Love it!

1. We found out we are expecting baby #2...it's a boy!

We told everyone we were "Waiting for Baby" at Nataleigh's 1st birthday party. 6 weeks pregnant

Momma & Nataleigh 13 weeks pregnant

22 weeks pregnant

We found out it's a BOY!!!

Christmas 2010 at Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, MI 29 weeks pregnant

Serving punch bowl cake at Christmas...a different angle on the pregnancy. 29 weeks

That was my year and I pray that yours was a great one too! Happy 2011 to you all and I pray God continues to bless all of you in the new year!

That's all for now...till next time!

28 Week Survey....welcome to 3rd Trimester!!!!!!

2010-12-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

How far along? 28 weeks Can't believe I'm in my last trimester already! Doesn't seem possible but glad it is here!
Total weight gain/loss: so far this pregnancy I'm up 18.2 lbs.
How big is baby? The baby is 16 inches long and weighs 2.5lbs....woo hoo!!!! My little guys is getting big!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!!
Sleep: I usually get a daily nap when Nataleigh lays down for her afternoon nap...can last up to 3 hours...woo hoo...but I this last week has been crazy so I just got back to taking naps...thank goodness for that because I am not sleeping hardly at all at night. I have a hard time falling asleep and then once I fall asleep I wake up usually every hour to readjust or just for the sake to check out the time...bad habit. I need my sleep because I have noticed I'm grouchy when I don't get enough sleep...and I am also surprised that I only go to the bathroom once during the night so that's not the problem.
Best moment this week: not sure....probably feeling the little guy moving around.
Movement: yes...he is such a little wiggle worm!
Food cravings: anything and everything! I have quite the appetite and I feel hungry all the time...as I am writing this Nate is eating a sub and I want some of it soooo bad! GRRR!!! j/k
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs: Well I figured out why I was having so much vaginal/abdominal pressure. I was in the OB unit 1 1/2 weeks ago because I thought my water was leaking....that's what happened with Nataleigh so I thought it could be happening now so soon...well it turns out I had a yeast infection causing the pressure and my water is fine...Baby Boy Buchinger is doing great and is moving around a ton! Thank God for watching over me!
Belly Button in or out? In..but getting bigger and more shallow.
Stretchmarks? No new ones.
How are you feeling? getting more exhausted as time is getting closer to D-Day...my little Nataleigh is full of energy and keeps me on my feet chasing after her all day long except for when she is taking her nap....ahhh I love nap time! Other than that things are going well in our household. Nate was sick the last couple of days but is feeling better but now Nataleigh might have caught whatever he had so I am keeping my eye on her.
What I am looking forward to: 1) putting up our Christmas Tree....ya I know we're slackers....actually we can't find our tree at the moment...we got out some of our Christmas decor and found out we didn't have our tree at our apartment so we are trying to hunt it down. 2) Christmas is a week away!!!! I did great this year but I just hope the last minute gifts I ordered online will come in time to be wrapped and given at the family Christmas. 3) 3rd Trimester Baby!!!!!!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: REMEMBER TO TAKE MY VITAMINS!!! I've been doing much better with this one..but it's still very important. Eat in moderation....I think I have been doing better with this one too...but again it's a great reminder!
Milestones: Reached Viability! YAY!!!! In my 3rd Trimester....it's here already!
Nate & I talked the other day and he thinks I'll have our little guy in February....yikes...that's only 2 months away! We'll see...I think I am going to go early again but only God knows when I will actually have him!

Well I am still without a camera but here is a fun picture of me holding my niece Amelia, nephew Graydon and a friend's baby Kadence. Hope you enjoy it!

That's all for now...Till next time!

Family Album 2009-2010

2010-12-12T22:50:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Scott & Sarah Davison Wedding / Ben White Photography

2010-12-03T22:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures that Ben White from http://www.benwhitephotography.com/ took....he did a fantastic job and I am so thrilled that my sister from another mister as we refer to each other is now a happily married woman! Love you so much Sarah!

It was a great wedding and I was so honored to be apart of their special day!

If anyone is interested in having Ben for a photographer I can tell you he does a great job and makes everyone feel very comfortable. He is extremely talented- His pictures speak for themselves! Check out his website and get in contact with this awesome Photographer!

Bloggers get Free $25 Gift Certificate from Shutterly!

2010-12-03T22:09:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! I found this AWESOME deal and thought I would share it with you. These are the details and it is really easy. I am waiting on my response from Shutterfly but when I hear from them I will comment on this post and let you all know how it works out! You should try it too....everyone loves free stuff! My previous post is the example of what it will most likely look like on your blog!

1. Login to Shutterfly
2. Click on “My Shutterfly” in the top menu
3. Click on “View all projects” under “My Projects”
4. Select a photo card project by clicking on the circle above the project title that you want to share (don’t click on the project itself, this promotion appears to only be tied to photo card projects)
5. Click on “Share Project” in the righthand menu
6. Type in “Title” and “Description” for your project (does not get included if you just embed the widget code)
7. Go to the “Next” step
8. Now you’ll see all the details of this promo, including the email address to send your blog post link to in order to get your $25 gift certificate.
9. Pick your embed method: Blogger or Widget Code (I got the widget code to use on my WordPress blog)
10. Don’t forget to email Shutterfly after you post your project!

This offer ends on January 31 and your $25 gift certificate will expire on February 15. Thanks goes again to Shanna for this freebie!

Christmas card 09

2010-12-03T22:01:00.001-05:00

Trees Please Red Holiday Card

Christmas cards and holiday thank you cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

26 Week Survey

2010-12-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

How far along? 26 weeks
Total weight gain/loss:+5 lbs over 2 weeks...eek! It's okay though. I'm still doing really well this time around!
How big is baby? The baby is 9 plus inches long and weighs 2lbs....woo hoo!!!!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! I had a special blessing this week...my friend Paula gave me 7 diaper boxes full of Maternity clothes...different seasons and sizes...most of them fit and I am so excited that I have a new wardrobe...THANKS PAULA!!!
Sleep: I get a daily nap when Nataleigh lays down for her afternoon nap...can last up to 3 hours...woo hoo...at night is a different story...Nate told me today that my SNORING is getting worse...I could be due to the fact that I have a very sore throat right now and can hardly swallow...so I will be going to the doctors on Monday to make sure I don't have an infection...would not be very good for our little man on board!
Best moment this week: Spending some time with a girlfriend, my mom, Nataleigh and of course my wonderful husband. I actually work a couple days too!
Movement: yes...he is such a little wiggle worm!
Food cravings: I feel good about not gaining a ton of weight at Thanksgiving..woo hoo! I am craving all kinds of things..pickles are one of my favorites though :D
Gender:Beautiful Baby BOY!!!
Labor Signs:I've a few contractions this week but nothing time able. I've been having some lower abdominal pain and a lot of vaginal pressure.
Belly Button in or out? In..but getting bigger and more shallow.
Stretchmarks? No new ones.
How are you feeling? pretty good. I'm happy and excited about this pregnancy. I have okay energy levels when I get a nap and when I sleep well at night.
What I am looking forward to: I am looking forward to nothing as exciting as the last couple of weeks. I am looking forward to spending some more time with Nate this week..he has 4 days off in a row and I have some plans for us...1) Get Christmas Decor up....woo hoo! 2) Switch our room to Nataleigh's room....too many reasons to explain why we are doing this! That should definitely keep me busy.
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep.
Weekly Wisdom: REMEMBER TO TAKE MY VITAMINS!!! I've been doing much better with this one..but it's still very important. Eat in moderation....I think I have been doing better with this one too...but again it's a great reminder!
Milestones: Reached Viability! YAY!!!!

I need to get my camera out and take a few photos. I'll post them later.

That's all for now...till next time!

Awesome giveaway....please read!

2010-11-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

My friend, Lee Ann over at Froggy Leggs has an etsy shop and is going to give away a diaper and wipes pouch she made...you get to choose your fabics from an wide variety of fabrics. I have to admit I want one really bad! She is so crafty and talented! Check out her Etsy shop if you have a chance..she sells all sorts of baby stuff :) Here are a few pictures of the pouch. The last three pics are of the fabrics you can choose from if you win! Good Luck everyone!

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

2010-11-20T17:05:00.000-05:00

So I have been really bad about keeping up with my blog lately...I can explain though. We canceled our internet at the beginning of the month so I haven't been able to blog....but my smart husband found a way for us to get connected...wi-fi is wonderful!

This post is to explain how I told my husband's side of the family the exciting news about the gender...I'll explain the details now!

On Wednesday November 3, we traveled to my in-laws place and spent a few days there. We were having a get together that weekend to celebrate the October/November Birthdays. Since everyone in the family would be there Nate & I thought it would be a great opportunity to tell everyone what we were having in person. With Nataleigh we told people over the phone and couldn't see their reaction so it was important to us this time around to do so in person.

We bought a bag of Double-Stuffed Oreos and I scraped out the filling of 2 Oreos...added the coloring to make either pink or blue and then restuffed the halves so that it made one special Oreo. Then I dipped them in chocolate to hide the special filling so that it would be a surprise...I know I'm weird but I love to do surprises...its in my blood!

On Friday night, once everyone got to my in-laws place we had a chance to sit and catch up and I couldn't take the anticipation anymore!!! I said, "We're not doing ANYTHING until we do what I want to do.....Share the sex of Baby Buchinger!" Okay it may have been a little divaish but hey...I've been keeping this inside for several weeks and I couldn't take it anymore....I just blurted it out!

I passed out the cookies to everyone....there were 11 people there and only 1 special Oreo....I told them to hold onto the cookie and when I say okay...bite into the cookies and whoever has the special Oreo tell us the color you see....So one by one the platter was getting empty and I forgot which one was the one...and my husband ended up getting a cookie since my nephew didn't finish his dinner. I was worried he may have grabbed it since I wasn't paying attention. I said, "Okay everyone take a bite!" My SIL, Anne, said,"oh I have a pink one!" Are you having a girl??? I shook my head yes and everyone was delighted! My SIL, Megan started to cry...she was so excited for us and the anticipation got to her too!

My MIL Dorothy and Megan got us little boy gifts because they were sure we were having a boy so they gave the gifts to Anne who has a newborn boy herself! I thought it was pretty hysterical!

I got out the ultrasound pictures and gave them to Dorothy who said,"I know what they're going to do...the last picture is going to say IT'S A BOY!!" So one by one they went through the pics...they ohhhed and they ahhhed and then they got to the last one and sure enough the picture said "IT'S A BOY!" She said, "I knew it!!!" So then they gave us the presents back.

I asked them how they "KNEW" it was a boy...they said, "Nathan kept telling us from the ultrasound they for sure knew the sex of the baby....so we knew it was a boy..." I felt a little bummed but it was great fun!

Next time if we get pregnant again....we are not finding out until the baby is born! Then it will be a surprise for all!

Here is a pic from that night!

24 Week Survey

2010-11-20T16:32:00.000-05:00

How far along? 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +6 lbs over the last 4 weeks...not bad I guess...
How big is baby? The baby is 8 1/2 inches long and weighs 1.5lbs....woo hoo!!!!
Maternity clothes? YES!!!! Need more too!
Sleep: so it has been getting worse and worse....yuck...thank God for naps!
Best moment this week: My friend Sarah got married yesterday, both Nataleigh & I were in the wedding.
Movement: yes...the baby is such a little wiggle worm!
Food cravings: Love salt still! The sweets are getting tastier now...yeah I have a huge appetite now...darn it!
Gender:Please read my next post...
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In..but getting bigger and more shallow.
Stretchmarks? No new ones.
How are you feeling? pretty good. I'm happy and excited about this pregnancy. I have okay energy levels when I get a nap and when I sleep well at night.
What I am looking forward to: I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and all the festivities this week brings... 1) OB appt on Tues can't wait to hear the little one's HB 2) Making pies on Tuesday afternoon with a bunch of ladies I love! 3) Thanksgiving on Thurs with Nate's side of the family 4) BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!! 5) Thanksgiving with my side of the family on Saturday What a week ahead of me!
What I miss: sleeping on my back, not having a huge appetite and getting good sleep. I seem to be waking up ever hour on the hour after 3 hrs of sleep...uggg!
Weekly Wisdom: REMEMBER TO TAKE MY VITAMINS!!! This one has been a hard one for me this pregnancy...not sure why.
Milestones: Found out the sex of Baby Buchinger a couple weeks ago and already next week is viability...I have many things to be Thankful for!

Here are a few pics from yesterday...enjoy!

Nataleigh & I

My Mother-in-law Dorothy, Nataleigh & I

We went and visited my husband at work after the wedding.

Well that's all for now....till next time!

20 Week Survey

2010-10-30T20:31:00.000-04:00

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +2 lbs so I'm up a total of 4 lbs since finding out we're expecting! Still hoping for the slow and steady weight gain.
How big is baby? The size of a little melon (cantaloupe) and weighs about 10 oz and is 6 1/2 inches long!
Maternity clothes? almost all now!
Sleep: has been so so this week. Nataleigh has had a rough week but hopefully it will be better this next week!
Best moment this week: Finding out the sex of Baby Buchinger!
Movement: Feeling the little one move more and more....loving the feeling of it too! I notice the all the time now and that the baby likes to kick my left rib area!
Food cravings: Love salt still! I am starting to get an appetite! I had some pickles the other night and boy oh boy were they good! I ate half the jar..I couldn't resist....
Gender: Find out on Wednesday but will share with everyone next week I PROMISE!!!!!! Can't wait to let the cat out of the bag finally!
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? No new ones.
How are you feeling? pretty good. I'm happy and excited about this pregnancy. I have okay energy levels when I get a nap and when I sleep well at night.
What I am looking forward to: Telling my in-laws the sex of Baby Buchinger. I am doing it a surprise way because I want to do it in person for one and the other reason is I don't like to just announce it...I want to get it on camera too!
What I miss: Not a whole lot.... Life is pretty good.
Weekly Wisdom: Live intentionally for God everyday. I still struggle with this one from time to time but He must be my priority in life!
Milestones: I probably sound like a broken record but finding out the sex of our newest addition.

I will have a picture later on...sorry for now new belly updates!

19 Week Survey

2010-10-30T20:17:00.001-04:00

How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +1 lb again so I'm up a total of 2 lbs since finding out we're expecting! Hopefully slow and steady will be the course this time not speed boat pace!
How big is baby? The size of a mango, I guess the baby had a growth spurt and now is 6 inches long and weighs a half a pound! Yay for progress!
Maternity clothes? Some...
Sleep: getting worse now uh oh.
Best moment this week: Seeing my SIL Anne and her new baby boy Graydon!
Movement: Feeling the little one move more and more....loving the feeling of it too! I notice the movement a lot more at night when I am settling down to go to sleep....it puts a huge smile on my face : D
Food cravings: Love salt still! I am starting to get an appetite! A big one at that...we had coney dogs the other night that hit the spot...mmmmm..I want one now!
Gender: no clue...but we find out what we are having on October 27th....only a few more weeks away!
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? No new ones.
How are you feeling? I'm starting to feel a little better.....FINALLY!!!! Hallelujah! Thank you LORD!!!
What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex of Baby Buchinger and a bunch of my friends are pregnant and are finding out that same week....I think there are 3 or 4 of my friends that find out....so exciting!
What I miss: Not a whole lot...I have a bunch of energy...I've been decluttering our apartment...YAY!! I have been sleeping really well the last few nights. Life is pretty good.
Weekly Wisdom: Live intentionally for God everyday that an fast from things to grow closer to God each week. It doesn't have to be a fast from food..it can be from the computer, reading a good book, scrapbooking or doing a hobby that consumes a lot of your time...or just about anything!
Milestones: None that I can think of yet....I know we are a few weeks away from finding out the sex of Baby Buchinger so that will be exciting. I am looking forward to also viability week which is just 6 weeks away! It's coming up so fast!

18 Week Survey

2010-10-09T14:08:00.002-04:00

How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +1 lb...uh oh...here comes the weight gain...it could be a bad one too!
How big is baby? 5 1/2" long and weighing more than 5 ounces
Maternity clothes? Some...
Sleep: getting better.
Best moment this week: Seeing my SIL Anne and her new baby boy Graydon!
Movement: Feeling the little one move more and more....loving the feeling of it too! I notice the movement a lot more at night when I am settling down to go to sleep....it puts a huge smile on my face : D
Food cravings: Love salt still! I am starting to get an appetite! A big one at that...we had coney dogs the other night that hit the spot...mmmmm..I want one now!
Gender: no clue...but we find out what we are having on October 27th....only a few more weeks away!
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? No new ones.
How are you feeling? I'm starting to feel a little better.....FINALLY!!!! Hallelujah! Thank you LORD!!!
What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex of Baby Buchinger and a bunch of my friends are pregnant and are finding out that same week....I think there are 3 or 4 of my friends that find out....so exciting!
What I miss: Not a whole lot...I have a bunch of energy...I've been decluttering our apartment...YAY!! I have been sleeping really well the last few nights. Life is pretty good.
Weekly Wisdom: Live intentionally for God everyday that an fast from things to grow closer to God each week. It doesn't have to be a fast from food..it can be from the computer, reading a good book, scrapbooking or doing a hobby that consumes a lot of your time...or just about anything!
Milestones: None that I can think of yet....I know we are a few weeks away from finding out the sex of Baby Buchinger so that will be exciting. I am looking forward to also viability week which is just 6 weeks away! It's coming up so fast!

Here is an update on the bump...my mom took the picture!

Well that is all for now. Till next time!

17 Week Survey

2010-10-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

How far along? 17 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: down for a total of -3lbs...
How big is baby? The baby is about the size of my palm and weighs 5 ounces
Maternity clothes? Some...
Sleep: So so....same stuff going on.
Best moment this week: Mom-2-Mom was great....hoping Baby Boy Ostrander comes soon!
Movement: Feeling the little one move more and more....loving the feeling of it too!
Food cravings: Love salt still!
Gender: no clue
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? No new ones.
How are you feeling? Still feeling pretty nauseous, I puked a ton yesterday as Nate & I drove around town...it was so bad that the McDonalds bag broke and I peed my pants! It was awful!
What I am looking forward to: hearing the news that my SIL Anne will have her baby boy and I'm really excited about taking pictures of the birth too!
What I miss: Not feeling good and having enough energy to keep up with Nataleigh. I am going through a lot of different emotions lately and I wish I was more stable if them. My poor husband has to put up with me!
Weekly Wisdom: Live intentionally for God everyday.
Milestones: None that I can think of yet....I know we are a few weeks away from finding out the sex of Baby Buchinger so that will be exciting. I am looking forward to also viability week which is just 7 weeks away! It's coming up so fast!

Well that is all for now. Till next time!

Megan & Pat's Maternity Pics

2010-09-28T18:38:00.001-04:00

A couple weekends ago, I took some pics of my SIL and her husband before they had their baby....Just thought I would share a few of them with you all. Hope you enjoy them. I know I had a wonderful time doing it and they were great subjects to focus on. Love you guys!

Can't wait to hear how you all liked or disliked my first Maternity Photography Session!

My personal favorite is of the one with Megan laying on her back in the sand and it is a close up of her...I think she could definitely be in a Magazine in this one!

I'm not a professional photographer either I just love taking pictures and wanted to do something nice for my SIL and her husband before their baby was born.

Looking forward to taking more pictures as the opportunity rises.

Well that is all for now...till next time!

16 Week Survey

2010-09-28T16:10:00.001-04:00

165 Days to go!!!

How far along? 16 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: still down 1 lb.
How big is baby? About 5 inches long and more than 3 1/2 ounces-the size of your open hand.
Maternity clothes? Some...found my maternity clothes this last weekend so I will be putting them to use real soon!
Sleep: So so....I have a hard time falling asleep especially when Nate isn't home! We watched a stupid movie several months ago that still makes me scared when I go to sleep alone...I know it's not real and I pray but I am still effected by this movie....it makes me so mad!
Best moment this week: Finding my maternity clothes. Pretty happy about that.
Movement: Feeling the little one move more and more....loving the feeling of it too!
Food cravings: original potato chips, I had some bold chex mix the other night and now I want to go out and by some more! Love salt still!
Gender: no clue
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? No new ones...but I have many from Nataleigh.
How are you feeling? Still feeling pretty nauseous, I am on meds to help with that and it helps from time to time, still puking though! BLAH!!
What I am looking forward to: hearing the news that my SIL Anne will have her baby boy and I'm really excited about taking pictures of the birth too!
What I miss: Not feeling good and having enough energy to keep up with Nataleigh.
Weekly Wisdom: Well I've had enough time to test out the eating every two hours and now I'm at the point if I don't eat right at the 2 hr mark I get extremely nauseated to the point where I have to hold back the puke...so disgusting!
Milestones: None that I can think of yet....I know we are a few weeks away from finding out the sex of Baby Buchinger so that will be exciting. I am looking forward to also viability week which is just over 8 weeks away! It's coming up so fast!

I don't have any new pics yet of the bump but I feel like I popped out a little bit over the weekend. We'll see! I'll get Nate to take a couple soon.

That's all for now...till next time!

15 Weeks Survey

2010-09-21T19:50:00.007-04:00

I Know this is a little late but better late than never!

How far along? 15 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: still down 1 lb.
How big is baby? about the size of an orange..woo hoo how sweet!
Maternity clothes? Some...because I've lost weight my pants fit again. Plus I never fully lost all my weight from being pregnant with Nataleigh so my clothes fit pretty good still.
Sleep: Pretty good. Nataleigh has switched back over to sleeping later around 7-7:30 so I am sleeping really good!
Best moment this week: I am pretty sure I felt the baby roll or flip last night while I was laying in bed. That is tied with Megan having baby girl!
Movement: I believe so. Sunday I felt 2 kicks and last night I felt a flip/roll.
Food cravings: original potato chips...love salt right now!
Gender: no clue
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? No new ones...but I have many from Nataleigh...thank you my dear little girl!
How are you feeling? Still feeling pretty nauseous, I am on meds to help with that and it helps from time to time, still puking though! BLAH!!
What I am looking forward to: Seeing my new niece tomorrow!
What I miss: Not feeling good and having enough energy to keep up with Nataleigh.
Weekly Wisdom: Stay hydrated and eat every 2 hours...small meals are the key...we'll see.
Milestones: Well I'm in the second trimester now so that is a huge plus. The baby is growing and I'm getting more energy...I have a 1 year old to keep up with.so I need all the energy I can get! Looking forward to when my SIL Anne has her baby boy. I am also looking forward to feeling more normal and not feeling like I am going to puke at any given moment or nauseated all day long!

Here is a family picture taken last weekend. Can't really tell I'm that pregnant yet!

Well that is all for now...till next time!

YAY for being Pregnant!

2010-09-08T14:37:00.001-04:00

It's been a long time and I know most of you who follow this blog are family and you already know our exciting news but for those who aren't WE'RE PREGNANT!!! Baby number 2 will arrive sometime in March. According to my calculations the due date is the 12th but according to the doctors ultrasound it's the 18th. I think I know a little more than they do when it comes to when I had a cycle so I'm sticking to my due date!

Here's a fun little survey that my SIL's fill out each week and I thought I would continue the trend.

How far along? 13 weeks...almost done with the 1st trimester...thank you LORD!!
Total weight gain/loss: down 1 lb. I've been sick this time and have had to go to the ER for dehydration...not fun...I have a huge bruise on my left forearm from the IV site. I was down 4 lbs but they pumped me full of 2 bags of fluid.
How big is baby? about the size of peach
Maternity clothes? Some...because I've lost weight my pants fit again. Plus I never fully lost all my weight from being pregnant with Nataleigh so my clothes fit pretty good still.
Sleep: Pretty good. Just wish I could sleep a little longer in the morning instead of getting up with Nataleigh....I have to retrain her to sleep to 7am...I don't do well at 5:30 am.
Best moment this week: almost done with 1st trimester and got to hear the baby's heart beat today....it's music to mommy's ears!
Movement: None yet...a few more weeks till I'll feel anything.
Food cravings: this might be weird but McDonald's Sausage, Egg McMuffin...YUMMY!! besides that nothing...food doesn't sound that good in general....thank you nausea!
Gender: just a guess....girl.
Labor Signs: NOPE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? No new ones...but I have many from Nataleigh...thank you my dear little girl!
How are you feeling? Pretty much like I could puke at any given moment everyday for the last 6 weeks. HOPEFULLY....it will get better. The midwife gave me some tips...I'm going to switch things up a little and I'm praying I will start feeling better.
What I am looking forward to: Going up to Caseville next weekend, meeting my new niece and nephew...both of my SIL's are pregnant.
What I miss: Not feeling good and having enough energy to keep up with Nataleigh.
Weekly Wisdom: Stay hydrated and eat every 2 hours...small meals are the key...we'll see.
Milestones:On Saturday I start my 2nd trimester that means I'm a third of the way through this pregnancy...how did that happen? Glad I'm entering it though because that means some exciting things are coming up....finding out the sex, getting more energy, feeling the baby kick, and much much more...looking forward to all of the exciting things soon to come!

I'll add some pictures later of my "bump" if you can call it that.

Holding Nataleigh

That's all for now. Till next time!

Life

2010-07-11T11:43:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since I have blogged! Life has definitely thrown us a few major life changes.

Where to start? Well Nate had been interviewing with Allegiance Hospital and finally got hired in on the Step-down unit!!! HOORAY for a job! We found out on the 21st of May and then we got all our ducks in a row and moved back to Michigan 4 days later. It only took us 2 days to move! One to pack up our apartment in Indiana and the other to unpack in Michigan. Thanks to my mom, step dad and brother we got moved out in only 4 hours! We moved in it was only Nate, my step dad and myself moving us in and that only took us 2 1/2 hours! We were moving machines! I was able to put the apartment together in a few days for the most part and then over the next few weeks I have been straightening things up and decorating little by little on my days off to make it more homey!

I also was in the interview process for a few different positions in the Imaging Department where I used to work before I moved to Indiana. On June 11th I was hired and now I work part-time with Allegiance Health as well. I have been training these last couple of weeks so I have been working a lot of hours. I am so looking forward to working the 48 hours I hired in at! I have hardly had time to do anything it feels like these days. I am however thankful I have a job and my baby is being taken care of by my awesome family (mom and step dad, MIL, husband and friends) Everyone has been so wonderful at helping us out during this transition stage.

Little miss Nataleigh is getting so big. She will be one on this Friday and we are having a party for her on Saturday evening. Can't wait for it! I will share pictures from her party later. Nataleigh is cruising so much and can stand for a long time but hasn't taken any steps on her own yet....I know in due time when she really wants to it will click and she will be off before I know it! I have truly cherished the time I am able to spend with her each and everyday! She makes my world a better place! She also has 5 teeth now. Three on top and two on the bottom...with more coming in :D She weighs 21.5lbs and I'm not sure how tall she is. She is mastering at picking up food with her fingers and she hasn't quite got the hang of using utensils yet. Her favorite food seems to be avocado! It's surprising but as soon as I put it on her tray she swoops it up and it's gone! She can say mama, dada, nana, all done, kitty and she loves to point. She doesn't always say what you want her to say but hopefully soon it will start to click. She loves to giggle and play with everything...including typing on the keyboard. She just loves to sleep on her belly and her butt sticking up in the air...it's cute! Nataleigh also has a baby Doll named Stella (thanks to my MIL who got it for her right after she was born) that she just LOVES to hug, hold and rock! You tell her to hug Stella and she does. She even gives her kisses.

We just found out yesterday that my husband passed his NCLEX that he took on Thursday..what a relief to have that behind us now. He was so sure he failed but he always reacts that way after he takes a test then when he gets the results he usually passes with flying colors! Thank you God!!! I had faith that he did well and I am so happy for him to be a RN! Job security baby!!!!

Well I think that is all for now. I feel I have caught everyone up on our new life changes. Hope everyone is well!

I'll leave you all with a few pictures of the last few months.

Chris & Anne at Chris's graduation from Spring Arbor University

This picture is from my brother-in-law Chris's graduation dinner. He graduated with his BA in social services.

Nataleigh just loves her kitty

Moving

Nataleigh playing in her box

More packing!

The Men

Uncle Nick & Nataleigh

Nataleigh's first time in the her pool at my MIL's house. She loved it!

Giving Grandma kisses

Memorial Day weekend we were in Frankenmuth watching the Hot Air Balloon Show.

Momma & Nataleigh...sleepy girl before our bike ride Memorial Day weekend.

Nate & I riding the tandem bike.

Family pic at the Memorial ceremony

With Grandpa & Grandma

The family in front of the Veteran's Monument Randy & Megan sold.

Nataleigh & cousin Samuel right before Grandma Cumings Tea Party

Marideth, Megan, Dorothy, Nataleigh & I at the Tea Party.

Nataleigh & I...love this picture of us!

All the ladies!

Samuel & Nataleigh playing on Grandma :D

Family Picture in Frankenmuth

Well that's all for now.....hope all is well with everyone....till next time!

7 Things Sunday

2010-05-16T16:32:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I am so excited that I am writing this on Sunday around 4 and not later :D

1. Congrats to my brother-in-law Chris for Graduation with his BSW yesterday from Spring Arbor University....we are extremely proud of you!

2. Nataleigh is now 10 months old today! She is getting sooo big!!! She cut another tooth within the last week! She looks so cute with her 2 teeth on the bottom! I will be taking her pictures this week and will do a post with them and her 9 month pictures!

3. We find out tomorrow if my husband gets a job he interviewed for last week. If he doesn't get the job he has another interview with the same hospital on Tuesday afternoon at 215. Please keep us in your prayers :D

4. This is so sad for me but we finally gave in and started Nataleigh on formula. She does really well with it. She just is not that interested in nursing anymore and want her to get the nutrients she needs. Does anyone have any similar experiences with this?

5. I am torn about what position I should apply for at the hospital where Nate might get the job. I will wait to apply for them until I know he is hired. I don't want to work full-time because I have Nataleigh and don't want to be away from her that much but at the same time it is very appealing because I want to help my husband pay off the debt as fast as we can. Nate and I have discussed it and we are hoping that if he gets the job that I would be able to go back to my old job being on-call and choosing the shifts I want to work...we think it would work out better for our family instead of having a set schedule...we still need to pray about it more.

6. I am looking forward to this summer. There are a lot of things going on with Nate's family (weddings, showers and babies oh my!) We are going on a few vacations (Ohio for Jesse's wedding and Wisconsin for Ben's wedding) we mine as well have some fun while we are there :D

7. I am going to planning Nataleigh's 1st birthday and want to come up with some ideas...does anyone have any suggestions on themes for a 1st year birthday party for a girl??? I would love any help! Can't believe she is going to be 1 in 2 more months!

Well got to go...Nataleigh is hungry.

Till next time!

7 Things Sunday

2010-05-09T23:40:00.000-04:00

With only 40 minutes left on Sunday, here are my 7 things!

1. Today is my FIRST Mother's Day!!!! It was a good day overall and I felt very loved and appreciated by my husband and of course by Nataleigh!

2. My Mother's Day gift was a can opener (electric!!! woot woot!) I kept complaining to Nate that my new can opener that we just got a month or two ago doesn't work right and he took a hint! Thanks Nate for listening to me! (p.s. Men actually DO listen to their wives!!!)

3. Here are the cards I sent to my sister-in-laws that are expecting.

Sent this card to Megan.

Sent this card to Anne.

4. We went to Olive Garden for Dinner ***MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT!!!*** We had the soup, salad and bread sticks. (my favorite meal is the chicken parm though :D)

5. Nataleigh's second tooth poked through today....hopefully she will start sleeping better at night.

6. Here is a picture of when Nataleigh was born:

Here is a picture of us from today:

7. Here is my family picture from today when we were out at Olive Garden.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and mothers-to-be out there!

Till next time!