Week 16

Okay,

So I am little behind on blogging! I am officially in week 16! We had a doctor's appointment this week, and the baby is doing well. The heartbeat was between 140-150. David and I are getting very anxious to find out the gender. Only one more month!

Week 13! 2nd Week of School

Yesterday was Eli and my second week of school. Eli is officially off of the pacifer! Yay Elias!! At school, Eli learned the color blue and had a lot of fun playing with the other kids and toys. He also placed a Scholastic Book order- and is very excited to get his new books!

At Cornerstone University, I developed my Proffessional Learning Team in my class and am excited about getting to know my teammates. I am part of a team of 6 for group projects/presentations. Public Speaking here I come! :)

David has been busy with work and trying to work on the trailer and house. He also has been a big help with Eli since I've gone back to school. Thanks David!

Lastly- Baby Neale: we are officially in week 13. Yay! I am actually starting to feel better as well, which is very exciting. Here is what baby Neale is up to this week: baby is forming teeth and vocal cords. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. Baby is about the size of a peach.

Week 12- Finally

Well we made it to week 12 which is always good news. My first doctors appointment went very well on Friday. The doctor did an ultrasound and we were able to see the baby and the heartbeat which was very comforting. I did gain more weight than I had expected....so no more comfort food french fries! I am still waiting to start feeling less sick now that I am in the 2nd trimester. Hopefully soon! Here is what baby Neale is up to this week: "As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed. "

First Day of School

Monday was the first day of "school" for Eli at the Forest Grove Learning Center! It was also my first day of school at Cornerstone University. Eli had a blast, and wasn't even ready to go home when David went to pick Eli up.

Eli came home with a progress report, and everything went well. The theme for the week is green and yellow. I tried to get a first day of school picture- but it was a little early for Eli and he was more interested in the Clifford the dog banner above my head!

Week 11

Today is the beginning of week 11. We are officially further along than the last pregnancy when we miscarried. This Friday we finally have our first doctor's appointment. I am very anxious. I need reassurance everything is going well.

The baby is about the size of a lime this week. Here is what baby Neale is doing this week. "Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future." -courtesty of BabyBump.com

It's Official 10 Weeks!

Well- the news is out. David and I are expecting. We really wanted to wait until after we heard the baby's heart beat before we started telling everyone- however my body didn't get that memo! We are definitely excited and are anxious to know everything is going well. Our first doctor's appointment is Sept. 11.

I feel like this pregnancy is going well, and it has been completed different than the last. Unlike the past, it took about 5 months before we got pregnant this time around. I have been queezie all day long- rather than just at night. I am soooo tired, which I contribute to chasing a two year old and growing a baby! So here we go again- one day at a time, one prayer at time.

Fun at the FAIR!

We bought season passes to the Hudsonville Fair at the Church Youth Auction this year. We tried to make the most of them, and went to the fair almost everyday! We watched tractor/truck pulls for the first time, saw the off-road derby, and enjoyed a few fair games! We met up with Lee and Cadence at the off-road derby on Tuesday.

Eli's first horseback ride!

Eli went for his first horseback ride with Grandpa DeVree. Eli loved it! Grandpa said Eli talked the whole time. Eli has learned the word- Yeeha! :)

Summer Haircuts

Well it was time for David and Eli to get a haircut. Because it is SOOO hot right now, a buzz cut sounded like a good idea! David cut Eli's hair, and Dave cut David's. There was a ton on hair on the ground when they haircuts were complete! Eli looks so much older! When Eli saw himself in the mirror with his shorter style, he just started laughing!

Our Second Home

We are on vacation this week in Ludington- Laman's Landing. David and I have a travel trailer on a seasonal lot in the campground. So far everything has been going well. Elias isn't used to having boundaries of where he can and cannot play... that we are still working on. David has already caught two baby turtles. We have been to the state park twice, swam in the pool, and walked, jogged, strolled, and pulled the wagon around Laman's Landing about 100 times. Elias LOVES to take trips around the park by wagon, stroller, or bike cart.

Happy 24th Birthday David!!

David turned 24 on February 23. The day prior we celebrated his birthday and Sarah's birthday with my family. Here's a few pictures!

Ludington 2009

We went up to Ludington for the night with David's Family. The roads were horrible, so it took a long time to get there. Once we were there, we had a blast. There was a water slide and Eli loved it! At night I played the dime game and won a triple pot! It was nice to get away and enjoy the mini vacation. In June we are planning to go to Ludington for a week and stay with David's parents at their trailer. I can't wait!!

Hello Sunshine!

This weekend our 3-4 FOOT snow drifts turned into puddles! It was so nice to see the sun shine so bright and the big blue sky. Elias and I decided to spend part of our Sunday afternoon absorbing the rays. We gathered sticks in the yard, and just sloshed through the puddles. It was challenging to get Eli to come back into the house! He was having so much fun in the fresh Michigan air.

Elias was determined to cross the field. If you look carefully there is construction machinery across the field. Needless to say, after a few attempts and a wet booty, Eli changed his mind about going to play on the big trucks!

Eli and his shopping cart. He loves it pushing it all over the yard.

Happy Birthday Chris and Missy!

Sunday we celebrated Chris and Missy's birthday. We had awesome food, and a great time. Elias was entertained the whole night by Cadence and Sarah. It was really nice.

Great Lakes Crossings

Saturday we spent the day at Great Lakes Crossings. We had a lot of fun shopping. I was surprised to see Hudsonville representing in the food court. We were able to watch the presentation at Big Bass Pro Shop of feeding the fish in the aquarium. I can't wait to go back!

Updates of Elias

The only thing happening in the Neale household is Elias. He is getting into EVERYTHING! His new game is to find electronics that are plugged in, so he can pull the cord out of the outlet and plug it back in himself! Yikes! We have had to block all of our outlets!

Elias also is beginning to do everything for himself. This includes feeding himself. This usually isn't a problem until he wants to eat foods like yogurt.

Lastly, even though Elias is almost a year and a half he is yet to sleep through the night in his own bed. Well...the tough love technique started last night. For those of you who are not familiar with this, when Eli wakes up we have to let him cry for 10 minutes. We can then go comfort him without picking him up, and then leave the room. If he cries again we have to let him cry for 15 minutes before going into his room. This continues by adding 5 extra minutes each time he cries... not fun for either of us! So wish us luck as we try to break the family bed habit!