This post will start a series of posts from our trip back to Wisconsin.  This is how it all started…

Which one of these is an actual terrorist?

You guessed it, the one on the left is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.  I can see how the nice lady at the airport may have been confused.  With the addition of a small mustache there is a striking resemblance.

AAAAAAAAAAAA! Wait, its my pregnant redheaded wife with a fake mustache.

I know my beautiful wife would like to thank me for leading her down the small hallway to the left of the normal security line (I thought it was a short cut nobody knew about- turns out it was the full body scan line- you know, the machine that acts like an X-ray and takes an image of your NAKED body?!)   Needless to say I was relieved of my position as airport tour guide. I would like to point out that the man behind us in line assured us that the radiation from the full body scanner would have little to no affect on our baby… Andrea was not amused.  When she refused the “harmless” dose of radiation, she unknowingly elected for the full body search, leaving no stone unturned.  Lets just say LaWonda was very thorough.

I have so many things I want to share about our trip back to my hometown in Wisconsin, it might take a few posts to write about everything that happened!  It was an amazingly, fantastic trip and I wouldn’t have changed one single thing.  I definitely left with a heavy heart- leaving some of the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for is never fun.  One thing that became glaringly obvious in the last few days, is that these great friends that I speak of  would be better described as family than friends.

I don’t have too much time right now, but here is a little overview of what is soon to come 🙂

• Did you know they performed full body searches on pregnant ladies?? Um, they most definitely do.
• Meeting our Godson for the first time (Love at first sight <3)
• The House That Built Me
• The most wonderful surprise… ever…
• 32 week Maternity photos with Jessica Gutzman (beyond talented)… AND… we just might reveal Baby Boy’s name
• Lynzee and Jason’s gorgeous wedding
•  Food, Food, and more FOOD… Even Ian couldn’t keep up with me and baby 🙂

and lots more!

Today was by far the most exciting and emotional day of this pregnancy for me in all 32 weeks.  We got to see our precious little boy’s facial features for the first time.  Seeing his little eyes, his lips, his daddy’s nose- just makes me feel like I know him even more.  It was such a magical moment- I think even more so than when we found out that he was a boy.  (And, yes, the ultrasound technician confirmed once again that he is very definitely a boy. :))  I just cannot wait to see his gorgeous face in real life.

I'm a BOY!

Big yawn 🙂 It's exhausting being a fetus. 😉

How does his entire fist fit into that little mouth??

I think he's going to be a thumb (or should I say fist) sucker ❤

As of Saturday, September 10, 2011, our baby boy has three uncles, not just two!! Welcome to the family, Jonathan! 🙂

Ian’s little sister, Jennifer, married the love of her life this weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.  We enjoyed spending the long weekend celebrating and spending time with our families.  We stayed with Ian’s whole family, as well as my parents, in the FUNKIEST beach house (more like MANSION) I have ever seen- Casa Margarita!  So much fun.

My mom and I went shopping for a dress that would cover my baby bump for the wedding on Monday (FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING).  I found the perfect, purple satin dress that zipped up nice and easy and I couldn’t WAIT to wear it Saturday.  As I put the dress on Saturday afternoon, I quickly realized we had passed the “nice and easy zip” stage, and moved right into the “OH MY GOD, I HOPE THIS DAMN THING WILL ZIP” stage.  Fortunately, with a lot of tugging, squeezing, and praying- Mom got me zipped up.  I can’t believe he grew so much, so fast– five days?!!  As the evening progressed- I heard a lot of comments like- “JEEZ- Every time I look at you, you look bigger!!”  I guess Baby had a growth spurt??  Or–it may have had something to do with the fact that within the first ten minutes of the pre-reception, I was on a first name basis with the waiter passing the Hors d’oeuvres.  We made a deal that I would be his first and last stop each way out of the kitchen.  🙂

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We also got to play with a one month old little boy at the wedding.  The last time we hung out with his mommy and daddy was at Jenn’s wedding shower, and he was still in his momma’s belly.  It blew my mind that our son would be that age in ONLY THREE MONTHS!! Wow.

Ian’s wonderful aunts already spoiled Baby rotten and he isn’t even born yet! 🙂 We had a wonderful surprise waiting on our bed after the rehearsal dinner- A gorgeous diaper bag stuffed FULL of the best baby goodies ever!  Diapers, wipes, burp clothes, onesies, toys, outfits, EVEN BABY SUNGLASSES!!  Thank you so much, Roxanne, Patti, Nancy, and Wanda!!  Then the next day, Ian’s cousin, Gina, gave us three more baby outfits that she got for him.  SOO DARN CUTE.  I cannot wait to put them on him.  I will soon be posting lots of pictures of Baby in all his new clothes.  🙂 Y’all are the best.  THANK YOU.  This is one lucky baby to have all these wonderful people in his life who already love him so much.

All in all– fantastic weekend with fabulous people.  And we couldn’t be happier for Aunt Jenn and Uncle Jon.

Contractions have stopped (THANK GOD!) and my energy level is back to normal- as in pre-pregnancy normal!!  Someone must be looking out for us!  Our baby boy is kicking stronger than ever, and his newest trick is to stretch his foot out of my belly as far as he can- so far that I can actually SEE the form of his chubby little foot.  I’ve been feeling great and am praying this good luck continues- we are way too busy for any complications for the next few weeks. 😉

Tomorrow we are leaving for Charleston, South Carolina- Ian’s sister is getting married!!  We couldn’t be happier for her and her soon-to-be husband.  It is kind of weird that in just a couple of days, Baby will have a brand new uncle! 🙂  We are so excited to spend time and celebrate with our families, enjoy the beach, and maybe even get a little King Street shopping in for finishing touches on Little Man’s nursery. 🙂

The following week (one week from today, actually) we are going back to my hometown- JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN-for one of my best friend’s weddings!  Although I’m not too anxious to get on the plane at 32 weeks pregnant, I CANNOT WAIT to see my old friends.  The most insane thing of all-Ian and I have been together for 6 years and hasn’t even met the beautiful bride before!  Geesh! Actually, this will only be the second time Ian has ever gone back “home” with me.  We have all kinds of fun stuff planned–just to name a few– we get to meet our GODSON, LJ, for the FIRST TIME EVER and we are getting maternity photos taken by one of the most talented photographers- Jessica Gutzman!  Not to mention, getting to see some of our very best friends and some of the most important people in our lives!

The week after we get back, we will be celebrating our FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!! 🙂 If Baby is still feeling up to it, we are going back down to Jekyll Island, where we tied the knot last September 25th, to spend one of our last weekends together without kids. 🙂

I’ll post more baby bump photos soon- as quite a few people have pointed out to me  at work (thanks a lot ;))- I am getting noticeably bigger each day.  🙂

XoXo,

Dre and Dizz

Our September wedding under the majestic live Oaks-perfect memories.

It is GEORGIA GAMEDAY, err’ybody!  I have been daydreaming about dressing my children up in full-blown Georgia Bulldawg gear on game day since attending my first UGA football game my freshman year of college (8 years ago!).  I can’t believe in just 2 short months, this is actually going to be a reality.  I’m already having so much fun collecting all kinds of Baby Dawg outfits for my future Bulldog. 🙂

They really make football jersey onesies?! 🙂

I'm not even sure if we are going to give baby pacifiers, but these are too cute to resist!

The Bulldogs are playing at the Dome in the ATL tonight- wear red and don’t forget to cheer them on. 🙂 Goooo DAWGS!

BABY UPDATE:

Our doctor’s appointment couldn’t have gone better today- all of my contractions have stopped, PHEW!! We got all of our test results back and everything is just as it should be.  The second Downs Syndrome test came back negative, as well as the Glucose Intolerance Test (thank goodness, no special diets!).  I apparently have better (higher) iron levels than most people so that means I should have lots of energy (um, should being the key word, because I have never in my life been so lazy), and I have gained two more pounds (for a total of 8 now!!).   My uterus is measuring 1 centimeter small; it should be about 30 centimeters, and it is 29, however, she said 2 or 3 centimeters above or below the “norm” is perfectly natural- nothing to be concerned with.  I have my next doctor’s visit (the 32 week appointment) in 12 days- and she told me I could be looking forward to more blood tests (oh, goodie 😉 ).  She also told me it was time to find a pediatrician!

I am so thankful all of the crazy contractions have stopped, and even more thankful that we have made it to 30 weeks!

Baby Mielke is now the size of a Cabbage!

He now weighs in at 3 lbs and is about 15 3/4 in long!

FOSTER CHILDREN UPDATE:

We just got off the phone with our girls- they sound great.  They had just finished shopping for new beds for all of them, and the oldest was stoked because she gets her own room.  🙂

I also talked to our oldest foster son for about an hour and a half today.  He’s 12 and moved home with his mom in February.  We miss him and his brother and sister so much and think about them every single day, so it is always such a relief to hear they are doing well.  He is actually working on an independent study type of home-schooling this year instead of going to school, and if you knew him, you would know that this is truly the most beneficial opportunity that he has ever been given.  I’m so glad his mom enrolled him into this program.

All in all, it has been a FANTASTIC Friday… Have a great Labor Day Weekend everyone- and don’t forget to cheer on the DAWGS Saturday! 🙂 COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK! 🙂

29 week bump from the front 🙂

29 weeks from the side 🙂

So, I read that the 3rd trimester isn’t the most comfortable, best time of pregnancy.  This is an understatement, at least for me, throughout the last week.  As I wrote about on Monday, I had about 60 incredibly painful contractions and spent the majority of the afternoon in the hospital.  A short time after I arrived, a nurse came into the room and asked me how I was feeling as she took my blood pressure and attached the monitors.  I calmly explained to her how I had been feeling severe, tight pains in my stomach.  She seemed to find this rather unremarkable and told me to wait a moment for the midwife on duty.  Ian and I waited patiently, feeling reassured by the sound of our baby’s heartbeat.  About 20 minutes later, we heard the midwife outside of our door.  We could hear her ask the nurse how I was doing.  The nurse informed her in a loud, clear voice that I was DEFINITELY having contractions, and as I soon found out, this meant that she would be performing perhaps the most….umm…invasive and insensitive and inconsiderate and crude test I have ever heard of, let alone been subjected to.  Those sneaky women entered the room and continued speaking to each other as if they hadn’t decided what to do yet, when the test very obviously began.  After the women left, Ian and I decided that this would be the last time we would be walking into this situation unprepared, and I would be giving him a very specific, pre-determined hand signal in the future when it was time for him to intervene and end any future test, especially the sneaky ones, in anyway necessary.  Well, enough about Monday.

Tuesday was a little better, but I still had 11 contractions.  Wednesday was pretty good- just some tightness, but not the “doubled-over, crumpled into a little ball on the floor bawling and screaming” kind of thing like the previous two days.  I was thinking (more like hoping and praying) that I wouldn’t experience anything like that again until Baby was finished cooking and ready to come out.  No such luck.  Today was horrible.  I had the worst contraction yet- seriously, sawing my leg off might have been easier.   I went into work, but left about an hour later, knowing full well that I belonged in bed, drinking as much water as I could put down.  I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow at 9:10 am- I am hoping that we get a few more answers.   (Don’t worry, Mum, Andrea is okay now.) 😉 We will keep everyone posted after our appointment.  Tomorrow is a big day though- 30 weeks pregnant.  Mom says “30 weeks is a viable baby.” 🙂 So, even if he decided he wanted to come early, it is a lot less scary after tomorrow.

Goodnight everybody.

xo,

Andrea and Ian

Even though the DFACS case worker told us that she would be moving our foster daughters to a new foster home on Friday, plans changed.  She called at 3:30 today and told me that they would need to be packed and she will pick them up to move by 5:30.  The Department of Child and Family Services asks that when foster children move from one location to the next, their belongings be placed in no more than two large, black trash bags.  After having built a relationship with these girls, it feels strange simply dropping their belongings into a large plastic sack that is typically only used to discard garbage.  In the past, we have scraped together old suitcases and back packs to send with the children into the unpredictable future.  Unfortunately, after having five children come and go, we simply ran out of suitcases.  We can only hope that the lessons and memories they have acquired in our home will someday guide them in the right direction.  That is perhaps the hardest part of fostering– the children are just gone one day, and you may not ever know if you have truly made a difference.

In nine months, we have had to say goodbye to now eight foster children.  It never gets easier, although each situation is different.  Our girls were supposed to be moving to another foster home- more strangers- in a different county.  Fortunately, the case worker was able to find the girls’ biological aunt and uncle who were willing to take them into their home.  The girls were so excited about the idea of living with family, it really made the “Goodbyes” a little less traumatizing.  Their Aunt and Uncle only live about 20 miles away and said that they would love for us to remain a part of the girls’ lives, so we will be able to keep in close contact with them (which made the whole situation less traumatizing for me).

Last night, with the therapist, we did our best to answer all of the girls’ questions. Little Lovebug took it the hardest, stating that she is not going to move, she was going to live with me forever.  I thought today would be even more difficult for her, however, she willingly got in the car with her sisters and is probably already in love with her new family- kissing their hands and foreheads, telling them they are “so cute.” 🙂 That’s our Little Lovebug.  Today, “Middle” was the most affected.  When the caseworker got to our home, she started to cry, and walked down the street.  😦 It was absolutely heartbreaking.

I made the girls a Life Book- a scrapbook of sorts that documents their life while they lived with us.  In it, I included a bunch of self-addressed, stamped envelopes so they can write to us at any time.  I also wrote the girls a letter (found below) that they were not allowed to read until they got to their new home.   This gave Nicole comfort, and I promised that I would call and check on them tomorrow.

goodbye letter to foster children

Thank you to everyone who offered us such great advice and provided us with so much support on our journey with these three girls.  We love y’all.

Andrea and Ian