Belly Shots

For some reason, I've not been taking any belly shots!
I finally got a few up on FB and thought I should share them here.
We had a good doctor's appointment yesterday. He is head down and ready to go though I don't think he's dropped yet.
And I am so proud to say that I've only gained 18 pounds in 9 months. I pray that in the last 4 weeks I don't put on much more.




We attended our first hockey game of the season last Wed. the 20th of Oct. The Carolina Hurricanes were in town, so we got to use Bob and Judy's amazing tickets and got to see Dadski while he was here. : ) The last photo below is of us with Chuck and John Forslund (TV for Carolina).

Nesting

We have been getting ready for baby Kaiton's arrival! Martha, Molly and a few other people have graciously handed down clothes and gear for the little guy. Here is what the "nursery" area is looking like:



Yesterday we went to a cute 2nd hand baby store to see what they had and we walked away with 5 onsies and some new washcloths. Here is one of our $0.99 purchases:



Here we are trying to get his kicks on screen...



Here is Nel singing to him with a couple good kicks...

Autumn Summer

It's been hot here in Los Angeles the past couple weeks.
Monday September 27th marked the hottest day on record here at 113 in downtown Los Angeles.
I was driving home from work and my temperature gauge read 116. By the time I got my camera out, it dropped to 115.

My amazing mother-in-law Mary sent me another batch of maternity clothes!! Along with some much needed trail mix and chocolate covered almonds! How did I get so lucky!?

We had some thunder storms and rain last night, so on my way home the cloud cover was beautiful and included this double rainbow!

We are preparing for the baby's arrival in many ways, but my favorite is just enjoying my quiet time, my sleep and my alone time with my husband while we still have it. Our boy has been kicking lots, moving a ton and getting hiccups! In addition we are anticipating the arrival of hockey season and the baseball post season.

TTFN

Happy Anniversary

Happy 2nd Anniversary to us!
I am so proud to have Nel as my partner in this life. The adventures we have had over the years and the love we've show for each other in our commitment to each other has been admirable and humbling.
We are so happy to have each other and I know we are both proud that we made the commitment to marry each other 2 years ago today. It's been a fun ride and we look forward to the years to come!

A Boy!?

We had our final ultra sound yesterday and it paid off!
We learned we're having a boy, which came as a shock to both of us!
The baby is completely healthy and the perfect size for 6 months.

I love this profile picture:



I circled his parts which the doctor took as the main indicator of this being a boy!

Hide 'n Seek

With the hopes of learning the sex of our baby, we had an ultra sound done on July 14th.
We did learn that the baby is the perfect size for it's growth and that mamma is very healthy!
However, the baby was in such an awkward position that the doctor could not get any solid idea as to what the sex was.
So, he said "come back in a month, we'll see what we learn then."

So now, Wednesday August 11th we've got our appointment to learn more about the baby's health and hopefully learn if this is a boy or a girl!? If we don't find out, then I know this kid has a great sense of humor like his/her family and then we'll get to find out on their birthday.

As of today, we are 6 months along.
Baby Steps to Thanksgiving.

Love, Jen & Nel

July Road Trip

What a great summer we've had!
Friday July 23rd we took a much needed vacation up to Seattle via our 15 year old Volvo!
The baby moved a lot on the trip and it was fun to see so many family and friends and spend quality time with each other before the baby arrives.

Here are some pics of the trip.

Bird House

In the video where we told my parents we were pregnant, I gave my mom a little birdhouse.
I decorated it with the words "Oma's Haus" which means Grandma's House in German.
My Oma (my moms mom) passed away in December and I thought it would be perfect to anoint my mom as the new Oma in our family.

Here is what I gave her...

Almost half way

This weekend June 27th will mark the 18th week of pregnancy!

*This week, the baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, or about the length of a large tomato.
*Your baby's skeleton continues to harden during the 18th week of your pregnancy. The leg bones and inner ear bones are the first to ossify (harden).
*Your baby now can hear! He/She might hear your heart beat or your tummy gurgle.
*He/She might hear loud sounds outside the womb.

Nelson has been playing music on the stereo so the baby can hear it. His choice of music? Jazz!
20 more days and we get to see the baby on the ultra sound again. At this appointment on July 14th, we will get to learn the sex of the baby! I think for us knowing the sex will create an even stronger bond between us and the little monkey.

Adelee & Gordie are well aware that aunt Jenny has a baby growing in her belly. Martha brought the kids over to surprise me with some gifts for the baby that they picked out on their own! Additionally I've got a bag of gifts to open each week of the pregnancy...I'm blown away at the amount of love that this little monkey is creating from the womb. What a special time.

Besides pregnancy - Nelson continues to work hard on landing work in the NHL or writing. He's doing a great job and I'm so happy and proud of him. My work has also been fun and rewarding...
We have a summer trip planned that we're looking forward to in July. We will take a drive from Los Angeles to Seattle, spend about 5 days in Seattle and then take a new path back to CA through the middle of Oregon to see Bend, OR and Crater Lake National Park!

Sending out lots of love! Happy Summer!

Love, Jenny

Telling The Parents

Here's a cute clip of us telling my parents they are going to now be grandparents for the first time. : ) May 5th, 2010 11pm

We're expanding the team!!

WE DID IT!!!!!! These were the only words that came to mind when I learned on March 20, 2010 that I was pregnant. The baby is healthy, Mommy is healthy and Daddy is healthy and we are so excited! We call the little one "Jussi" aka "The Juice" after a Finnish hockey player (or the Swedish opera singer).
This is our temporary nick-name before we learn the sex...real name TBD.

Here are some photos to enjoy!

Jussi at 9.5 weeks



Jussi at 12 weeks

Happy Spring

Spring is here!
The flowers planted around my building at work are just perfect. There are poppies, dahlias, kale, pansies and many others I don't know the names of! All I know is that I LOVE looking at them and being outside.
The weather has been incredible here over the past few weeks. It's no longer 65 degrees, we are averaging 80-85!
It feels like summer is upon us already, however a cold front is coming in so summer will be on hold for a bit.

Easter is already upon us and we've had a good start to the year.
My work has been good and a lot of fun. I feel blessed that I'm excited to go to work each day and that I have a very short commute. I also cut coffee out of my daily routine. It was so hard at first, but I knew I'd feel better after it was out of my system...I sleep better and have so much natural energy!
Nelly is writing so much and has so many projects upon him which I know will begin to open doors.
He's also been so helpful to Martha as her new nanny, so she can work at the hospital. I know the kids just LOVE having their BoBo there to hang out with them. And for me, it's so beautiful to watch him take care of them.

Nel and I have started to walk each day after work now that the days are longer. It's so beautiful at the park when the sun is setting, watching all the people play and run.

My parents are coming down for a visit on my birthday. So I'm looking forward to seeing them and spending some time together. My mom called this weekend to let me know that our golden retriever Milo had to be put down on Friday.
What a great dog!! I loved playing games with him and watching him splash in any puddle he could find. I will carry those memories with me always.







Until next time.
Many Blessings!

Jen & Nel

It's 2010!!

The year 2010? Sounds so futuristic!!

The holidays were so fun. We spent time in Seattle with my family, a few days up in Leavenworth, WA where we honeymooned, then spent new years back in Seattle. It was a good time and so nice to be with family and a chance to be up in the mountains of Washington.
On the 29th of December at the age of 94, my Oma passed away. It was great for my mom to have us home when this happened, it helped having a complete support system!
I'm so happy that my grandma is in a better place now. She'd been suffering from some dimensia in the past year plus a stroke. But even so, she exited this world listening to her favorite soundtrack "The Sound Of Music" holding both my grandpa's hand and my aunt Margaret's hand.
On the 10th of January we held the most celebrated memorial for her! We had over 300 people attend, my aunts & uncles all spoke & my dad and I sang.
My uncle Mac put on the most incredible slide show of my grandmothers life, showcasing her love of family, the outdoor adventures, gardening and traveling. This particular remembrance reminded me so much of myself, seeing how much I'm like her and my mom. So the best gift from it all was a better sense of self and reminding me of who I am and what I love in this life!

Here's a photo of my grandma from 1939 having cought a very large salmon.


I took this the day of her memorial - Mt. Ranier was out! My grandpa and grandma climbed this mountain with their kids in the 1960's.


3 generations of strong women. This was Christmas 2007.


Here are some more photos from our great trip:





My Dad had a great tree again this year, not one bad ornament on it!






Our drive through the mountains was a throw back to our college days living in cold wintery climates!!


This house is exactly what we would love our dream house to look like!!




My dear friend Alison and her baby Kaiton.


Now that it's 2010, it's a new year. That being said, there are many intentions we have set forth and look forward to creating. We'll keep you updated along the way.
For now, Happy New Year!

Love, The Kaitons