...in a nutshell!

Hmmm... to describe the last few weeks/months without giving too much or too little information...

Let's start with the most exciting news - Gabe and I are expecting a little one! I've been to my first baby doctor appointment but no blood work or ultrasound yet so no exact due date. Looks like it'll be mid to late August. Hopefully I'll find out more in my appointments in the upcoming week. I figured starting this blog would be a great way to keep everyone updated about Little One, as well as the rest of our zoo. Some days I'm still in denial... but my friend has triplets and her husband said after 3 years she's in denial some days too, so I guess that's normal! Little One likes to remind me he/she's still here AND real by making me sick and also giving me a very keen nose. Guess people weren't kidding when they talk about "mommy nose!"

A growth update, taken from books and websites: If Little One is in fact 6 weeks old (making me 8 weeks along), it's (what do you call it when you don't know the gender?!) about 1/2 to 3/4 inches long, weighing about a gram, about the size of a pinto bean. Eyefolds are forming on the face and nerve cells in the retina are beginning to develop. The tip of the nose is present and ears are forming. In the heart, the aortic and pulmonary valves are present and distinct. The heartbeat is about 150 beats a minute. The body's trunk area is getting longer and straightening out. Elbows are present, and the arms and legs extend forward. Digital rays, which will form fingers and toes, are present. The intestines have made the journey from the umbilical cord to inside the abdomen now. The tongue is forming and cartilage, the precursor to bone, is also developing this week. The little muscles are now able to contract. The baby’s home is cushioned with amniotic fluid that increases by a couple tablespoons a week.... Wow! What an amazing and awesome miracle!

As for the rest of the zoo... Burty is 5 weeks post-op and doing great! His doctor appears to have done an excellent job and Burty is getting better every day! We went to an appointment yesterday and he weighs 35.5 pounds. AWESOME!! Green bean diet must really work, nice (and affordable) idea from the vet. Duncan is as curly as ever and growls as much as always, but he's doing great. Gents is getting old and having a rough time, but we are trying to keep him as comfortable (and warm) as possible. The girls are as ornery as ever and are always teaching each other new ways to get in trouble. Abbi's gotchya day is coming up - hard to believe she has been with me a year.

Gabe is doing well and has been at his new job for about a month now. He still has a forever long commute, IDK how he does it! He's very excited and a little anxious about having a little one around! We went to a new restaurant last night and they actually throw the rolls at you! I thought they were kidding, but sure enough a roll came flying and I missed it the first time. Haha. As for me - same ol' same ol'. Super busy at work and trying to find a way to deal with all of that while managing doctors appointments and growing Little One inside me, but it is so worth it!

Will try to post some pictures soon of everyone, but for now, that's my life, in a nutshell! :-)