July Adventures

July is already half way over, and we have had a few opportunities to experience some new adventures as a family. Last Sunday was our first time going to church together, which also gave us an opportunity to snap a quick family photo.

While at church, we were excited to officially introduce Kale to his future girlfriend--Becca. She is the daughter of our worship pastor and his wife. What a nice photo of the four below.

Then there was a nice afternoon on the 3-season porch back home on the acreage. Kale managed to enjoy a quick nap in his car seat with a nice splash of sunshine sneaking in.

Summer is moving along quickly. Within the next seven days we will get to meet lots of more family and friends as we have two baby showers. The first is with D's family this weekend, and the second will be later in the week back in Minnesota with J's family. That will be our first adventure on a long car ride. Should be fun, J & D in the front, Kale in the middle, and good ole Cedar in the back!

Kale Taking It All In...

Summer weather has been perfect, and all the new things Kale is getting to take in have been fun. He has gotten to try out his new swing...

Hang out during the days (and nights) with mom...

Meet Grandma and Grandpa D from Minnesota...

Enjoy a quick bath at home, which includes a cuddle in the blanket...

And even get to meet lots of new friends...

We recently had our 1 week photographs taken as well. If you would like to check out a sneak peak of them, visit this web site and scroll down until you see our growing family:

http://atplayphoto.com/blog/

Kale Comes Home

We were able to take Kale home for the first time on Monday. Here are some more firsts and cute pictures we just had to share...

First "boy" outfit to go home in (note the cute puppy on it):

First time in the infant car seat (while holding tight to Grandma's blanket):

And the first time Kale and Cedar met (Kale now has a clean face...):

Kale's First Full Day

Below are several photos of Kale's first full day. It was truly a day of firsts: outfit, meeting of Grandma Billings, bath time (great mo-hawk), staring at mommy, and hanging out with daddy.

Kale Max Dahlager

Kale Max Dahlager was born at 12:05 am on Saturday, June 26th, 2010. He is a strong and healthy baby boy, weighing in at 8 lbs 14 oz, and is 22 inches long. He has dark curly hair, long fingers and cute toes. Deedra did an amazing job and is doing fabulous. We thank the Lord for such a wonderful blessing to our family!

Ladies with Overdue Babies

Ladies with overdue babies. I know you are out there and that helps me to cope! I am now 8 days overdue going on 20, it feels. Rather than sit around and wait for labor to begin, here are some suggestions for passing the time. Spend time in the baby's room whether it's organizing or just enjoying quiet time.
Enjoy time in the Word. A favorite verse of mine lately has been Psalm 142:3.

Take a favorite pup for a walk. Mine, of course, is Cedar.

Listen to a relaxation CD. We got this one as a gift and the current song is titled "Letting Go." How fitting...

Organize a shelf that REALLY needs help. This was one of ours. I'm not going to tell my hubby and let him find it for himself. He'll be so happy :)

Father's Day: 41 Weeks

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there...especially ours: Bruce and Howard. We love you! Justin is not yet "officially" a dad as we still have not had our baby. The day is young though. Oh wouldn't that be wonderful?!

Still Waiting

We're at 40.5 weeks now. Still waiting on baby. Guess it's "payback" for me as I was late for my mom too...in the heat of July. Our friends Dan and Jess, also due on June 13, gave birth to their baby girl last night. Rebekah Joy is the newest addition to their family. We'll have to be sure to get a photo of our little ones together...when ours decides to make an appearance!
We'll keep you posted!

Due Date - 40 Weeks

Well folks, today is the due date, but no sign of baby yet. Just waiting patiently. Hopefully we'll have news very soon. It's also D's sister's birthday-happy birthday, Dana! (Maybe the little one didn't want to share...).

39 Weeks!

Made it another week...

38 Weeks

I've entered the 38th week. I'm thankful for this past Memorial Weekend to accomplish some last things before baby comes. Justin has been wonderful getting so much accomplished around the house. The car seat is in the vehicle, both vehicles are washed, he tackled cleaning all the windows in the house today, garden is weeded, flower beds seeded and weeded, dog content...and all the while he instructed me to rest, put my feet up and take a nap! I did get some reading done (reading up on baby), helped with windows, and worked on thank you notes for a church baby shower from a week ago. It's been a great, relaxing, beautiful weekend.

Thank you to all of you who have served our country, enabling us to enjoy the freedom we have today. God bless you and your families.

37 Weeks

How quickly the days and weeks march on. We are now in week 37 of this adventure! My bag is packed and I would be perfectly fine going early...yes, I've reached the "uncomfy" stage...Justin has been an amazing husband taking care of things around the house, picking up extra Cedar play time in my place, and allowing me to rest. This weekend he put blinds up in the baby room. What a guy!

We're excited and anxious (well, maybe that's just me) and taking it one day at a time. As we sang in church this morning, "It is well, it is well with my soul."

Justin Graduates!

Justin graduated last Friday morning with his Executive MBA! We are both thrilled that the two year program is now through and he doesn't have homework anymore. It was a great celebration weekend with his parents and my parents in attendance for the graduation ceremony followed by a party at our home on Saturday.The happy graduate with diploma in hand.
The EMBA class. Justin's immediate group that he worked with during the duration of the program. Deedra (at nearly 36 weeks) with Justin.

33 Weeks

Pregnancy updates: Hip is now pain free! Done with physical therapy but continuing to do exercises on my own at home. Heartburn is much more of an issue now. I'd never had it before but can better empathize with Justin who has it frequently. We should own stock in Rolaids. Doctor says I'm still measuring "right on." Up at least twice a night and when I wake, my knees and lower legs ache making it hard to fall back to sleep. We've completed "Infant/Child CPR" and "Baby Basics" classes. Lamaze is this coming weekend. Pray that these two weak stomachs make it through the videos!

Signs of Spring

It's beginning to look a lot like spring around our acreage! Justin has put a few things in the garden. Cedar takes interest as the potatoes are going in...

Cedar has Visitors

One night after eating dinner, Justin peeked out and saw Cedar just as he is in the picture below. There were two geese in the field and he was right at the grass line keeping his eye on them. He never did approach them, but rather kept his distance and seemed awe struck by the big birds. It was a cute site to watch.

Baby Shower

Last weekend four of my friends hosted a baby shower for me. It was a wonderful day of friends, food and many great gifts!The hosts are pictured below.
Although I regret getting more pictures of those that attended, one special group was my four close college friends who traveled from Davenport. We were joking that we have many pictures of the 5 of us together, in varying orders! One very special gift of the day was a quilt my mom made for baby. After the shower, we took some pictures together at home. Here she is in baby's room with the quilt. And Cedar joined us for a photo opp outside!

30 Weeks on Easter

On Easter Sunday, I was 30 weeks. The reality of a baby is more and more real now! The pain I mentioned in a previous pregnancy post is getting much better now that I'm in physical therapy, and I've been enjoying a water aerobics class for a few weeks now. I widen the age gap quite a bit in class, but I enjoy those folks! Justin is even getting prepared. He recently was on a trip to Brazil and took along an expectant father book that was loaned to him. We've also taken our first baby class at the hospital and have a few more to go.

Okay everyone. Any guesses as to a boy or girl? As a reminder, we don't know ourselves but I'm curious what you are thinking! Comment away!

Sweet 16

A few weekends ago, Justin and I made the trip to St. Louis for the NCAA Mens Basketball Sweet 16. The UNI Panthers had made it and we were thrilled to be able to follow them and cheer them on after having done so all season. What an amazing season! Way to go, Panthers! We stayed at the hotel where the team was and prior to the game was a pep rally. There was purple everywhere! Even the workers at the hotel were wearing Panther hats and shirts and UNI flags and signs adorned the walls.
The Panther men before tip off vs. Michigan St. Friends Ben, Lyle and Heather also made the trip. We were fortunate to have seats in the "handicap" section allowing extra leg room for 28 week pregnant, D. We had a great time! Hail our Panthers!