Perfect 10

We are in the double digits, folks! Soon we will have a 1 year old! Yikes!

Likes:
Chewing on drawstrings and buttons
Eating real food
Peeking over furniture
Following me around the house
Dancing
The sound of the salad spinner (she gets into giggling fits over it)
Raspberries on her belly
Opening and closing things
Riding in shopping carts
Going to the store
 
Dislikes:
Mommy leaving the room
Taking something away that she thinks shouldn't be taken away
The word "No"
Being in her car seat too long
Not being picked up and held when she feels she should

Eats:
About 30 oz a day
For a little while all she just wanted to eat Cheerios. She had gotten over that and will eat just about anything we put in front of her: cheese, breakfast sausage, scrambled egg, pork roast, ground beef... If we eat it and she can eat it, she will eat it.
 
Doctor's Report:  
She had a cold for a while and I took her in to get her ears checked. She is now 20 lbs!

Emilia's Milestones:
Clapping (She now uses this to get our attention like when she wants more food)

Standing without support for longer periods of time
First Cold
First taste of a lemon
First Christmas
First New Year

Parents' Milestones:  

Not much to report...sleeplessness, exhaustion, the usual

Hair Watch:
It is growing, still unsure if it will be curly or not

Eye Watch:
Brown near the pupil, but blue on the outside

Teeth Watch:

She has eight teeth! Four on the bottom and four on the top. She is showing signs that she is working on more.

For her pictures I was going for a tea party feel, because she turned 10 months on Downton Abbey premiere night. 

Um...that zero is the wrong way.

Lalalala

What is this?

Cheese!!

God's Blessings,

Joshua, Stefani, and Emilia

It's been one week since you looked at me...

and three days....

Name: Emilia Esther Ketelsen

Nickname: Emi

Birthday: March 4, 2014 (Same as her Daddy's)

Time: 6:26 pm

Weight: 8lbs 2.8oz

Length: 19 inches

How did she vacate: C-section. She wasn't going to drop and I wasn't dilated. It also appears my pelvis isn't meant for giving birth. 

Where did you get her name: As everyone knows we struggled with her name. We turned to the website Baby Name Wizard and used the Voyager tool. That gave us over 300 names. We then narrowed it down to about 15 names. None of them were Emilia. Further research showed that Joshua's great grandfather's name was Emil. He was the first Ketelsen born in America. 

Her middle name is my grandma (my mom's mom), Grammy's, middle name. It is also one of my favorite women of the Bible. 

Her initials being EEK is not lost on us. We thought that was also appropriate due to her other nickname, Trexie. 

How are you feeling: C-sections are a not fun, but is any form of childbirth fun? The most difficult part is feeling less than helpful. The house is a wreck. Baby stuff has already taken over. There isn't much I can do about it. Except, pawn the tasks off to Joshua and my visiting parents and godmother. 

Fun things about recovering from child birth: 

Emotional wreck

Sleeping with one ear open
Cold Flashes (I get so cold that I shiver)

Incision Pain (While it has lessened it hurts when I cough, sneeze, and get up out of chairs and beds)

It is difficult to see, but Emilia has a little onesie with Team Ketelsen on it. Thanks to Becky S., who owns Onaway Custom Embroidery. I had the jerseys made for us a few years ago. To get the story on the jerseys click here.

God's Blessings,

Joshua, Stefani, and Emilia

Reformation Day/Halloween/All Saints' Day

As a life long Lutheran, I always remember Reformation Day. I went to Lutheran day school for goodness sakes. We spent the entire month of October learning about Luther. It wasn't until I was older, I finally thought about what the Reformation means for non-Lutherans. If Luther hadn't stood up for what he truly believed and stuck to his beliefs we would be living in a different world. So thanks, Martin, for stepping outside of your comfort zone. Need a laugh? Go here and have Luther insult you!

Martin nailing the 95 Theses. Who knew this Luther bust would bring so much entertainment?!

Now, on to the more well known "holiday" of Halloween. I know many folks have a love/hate relationship with this day. I prefer to focus on the innocent fun part of the day. Like dressing up as something clever, silly, and/or creative and Trick or Treating while using manners. This year I decided to get into the spirit and "dress up" while handing out candy. Friends of ours kindly bought me my first set of Mickey ears in the likeness of Perry the Platypus. (I know, seems odd that I do not have ears.) This sparked me to buy a Perry colored sweatshirt and making a Perry tail. 

So simple and fun. 

The weather was very wet. We didn't have many kids come by, but I did see many of my Holy Cross kids. They were very creative this year. One was Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty complete with tea glass. 

For All Saints' Day, I started the 30 Days of Thankfulness on Facebook. (With many others. I am so happy this is a "thing".) My day one was being thankful for my Grandpa Marrah. He was called to Heaven this past June. My grandpa was a remarkable person. One of the more recent stories I like to tell about him is the fact that the heating and air conditioning guy that serviced my grandparents' system came to the visitation. Why? Because he and my grandpa would sit together talking and praying. Remarkable, right? After his death I put my thoughts about Grandpa in a top ten list. Here it is....

10 ways you know you are Tom Marrah's grandchild
1. By the time you were 10 years old you had more video footage of your life than the Kardashians. Even that time you ran into a tree.
2. In those videos there is equal time give to nature. Birds, flowers, trees...
3. You rode in a limo well before your prom.
4. You played the make grandpa say "huh" game in the van. This was done by saying his name just loud enough so he knew that you said something, but he didn't know what. Therefore saying, "Huh".
5. You have an appreciation for lakes, fishing, and fishing accessories and the stores that sell them. Bass Pro anyone?
6. When you meet one of grandpa's friends you could be sure they knew your life story.
7. You know what is like to have a someone pray for you...most likely done at 4:30 in the morning.
8. You are fairly convinced that you are his favorite grand kid.
9. You had the straightest eye glasses in town.
10. You know what unconditional love is.


 Here's hoping you can find 30 things to be thankful for this November. Even if it is just getting out of bed in the morning. 

God's Blessings,
Joshua, Stefani, and Baby K


 

Papaya

Week 22

Symptoms/Fun things about being pregnant: 
Excessive saliva
Restless Legs
Sore Gums 
Acid Reflux

Food cravings:
Chili Cheese Fritos
Pizza (this one seems to stand the test of time)
Qdoba nachos (nearest Qdoba is 45 minutes away)

Foods that do not agree with me:
All Beef Hot Dogs

Miss Anything:
The usual...

Have you started to show yet: 
Pre-pregnancy pants and shirts do not fit anymore

Gender:
Girl!

Movement:
I am quite confident I feel her moving. Feels like someone is doing somersaults in my stomach.

Sleep:  
As Josh says, "Any time you are awake it is nap time." In other words, I am always tired or sleeping. 


Wedding rings on or off:
On

Labor Signs:
Nope

Looking forward to:
Painting her room or should I say finally deciding on a stinkin' paint color
Nesting...stuff needs to get done around here and I have zero desire to do any of it.

Name:
We are narrowing down a list. Although, we aren't naming this princess until we see her.


Other Baby Related News:
 
If you aren't friends with me on Facebook, then you may have missed the book my Best Friend, Carolyn, bought for our little T-Rex.  

 Adorable, right? I look forward to reading this to our T-Rex.

My plan from the beginning of this pregnancy was to find what we could used at a good price or take any hand me downs. I am going for the Duggar motto: "Buy used. Save the difference." When a friend posted on Facebook she was selling her crib, I jumped at the offer. I already took a Pack and Play off my Best Friend's hands. My mother in law has found many treasures at the thrift stores, including a bassinet. Moral of the story...if you are getting rid of any baby stuff and want it to go to a good home, let me know. The more I get used the more money that can go to other things. Like, cloth diapers and cute bows.

God's Blessings, 
Joshua, Stefani, and Baby K

Pomegranate

Week 21

Symptoms/Fun things about being pregnant: 
Excessive saliva
Restless Legs
Sore Gums 
Acid Reflux

Food cravings: 
Mary Kay's Mac N Cheese (Mary Kay is a friend from church who makes this delicious mac n cheese. Which she then made for us when I mentioned that I was craving it.)
Chili Cheese Fritos
Pizza

Foods that do not agree with me: (New category)
All Beef Hot Dogs

Miss Anything:
Cold Lunch Meat
White Fish
"Good" Drugs for allergies, like doubling anti histamines and taking Naproxen

Have you started to show yet: 
Some days I see it, some days I don't. It has to do with the fact that I have always "carried my weight" in my midsection. It is difficult to embrace my growing stomach. 

Gender:
Girl!

Movement:
I think she is, but I doubt my ability to feel it.

Maternity clothes:
Have I mentioned my love of maternity clothes?

Sleep: 
Lots of it!

Wedding rings on or off:
On

Labor Signs:
Nope

Looking forward to:
Painting her room

Name:
We are narrowing down a list. Although, we aren't naming this princess until we see her.

Banana

Gender reveal week! Woo Hoo! We are excited to announce that we can put a he or she to our little T-Rex! My hair even got into the spirit.

What's that color, you ask? It is PINK! Baby Ketelsen is a GIRL! We will be having our own Disney Princess. (Don't mind the terrible selfie. The husband was occupied with lunch and football: Browns vs. Lions. Go Browns!!)

In addition to the gender, the ultrasound showed a healthy, active little Baby K.

Week 20

Symptoms/Fun things about being pregnant: 
Excessive saliva
Restless Legs
Sore Gums (my dentist appointment this week was interesting)

Food cravings: 
Pizza

Miss Anything:
Cold Lunch Meat
White Fish
"Good" Drugs for allergies, like doubling anti histamines and taking Naproxen

Have you started to show yet: 
Joshua says I have a bump and I finally agree. A lady from church also confirmed "the bump"

Gender prediction: 
Last week: "I have a feeling we are having a girl, but we find out officially next week." 
I was correct! Girl it is! 

Movement:
Hard to tell. She was moving quite a bit at our ultrasound. Waving her arms and legs around and rubbing her eye. It was precious.

Maternity clothes:
Where have they been all my life?!

Sleep: 
It is getting better as the weather gets colder. My temperature is more regulated with the cooler weather.

Wedding rings on or off:
On

Labor Signs:
Nope

Looking forward to:
Feeling distinct movement.
Getting her room together. 

We appreciate all the prayers and support we have received. 

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani 

Mango

Well, I totally stink at blogging every week. Between morning, noon, and night sickness, the busyness of life, traveling, and just plain laziness I haven't just sat down and written a darn thing.  So, here is this week....

Week 19

Symptoms/Fun things about being pregnant: 
Excessive saliva
Random emotions (crying at things on TV)
Restless Legs

Food cravings: 
Chili Cheese Fritos
Pineapple Shake

Miss Anything:
Beer
Cold Lunch Meat
Subway Tuna on Flatbread (I can have tuna salad, but I have to make it myself)

Have you started to show yet: 
Joshua says I have a bump. I have noticed that I can't suck in my stomach anymore.

Gender prediction: 
I have a feeling we are having a girl, but we find out officially next week. 

Movement:
I think I feel something from time to time. Hard to tell.

Maternity clothes:
I was all about them from the git-go. I am blessed to have friend who lent me all of her Maternity clothes. 

Sleep: 
It takes me a while to get comfortable at bedtime. Sometimes I have to take a hot shower in the dark to relax.

Wedding rings on or off:
On

Labor Signs:
Nope

Looking forward to:
Finding out the gender and getting the room together

Second Doctor's Visit

My doctor, being the fabulous one that she is, scheduled another ultrasound for me 2 weeks later instead of the usual 4 weeks. She did this solely to put our minds at ease. During those two weeks it was discovered I would need to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I scheduled it the same day as the ultrasound. It was a LONG day, but amazing. They were able to get my ultrasound in during my test instead of after when it was originally scheduled. It was then that we discovered we have a T-Rex. We saw our little one wave their arm buds like a T-Rex. The nickname has stuck. We find it better than "it" since we obvious do not know the gender yet. The heartbeat was strong at 168. Also, I do not have gestational diabetes! I will need to do another 1 hour test at 28 weeks. 

Next step was telling...well everyone. 

God's Blessings,

Joshua, Stefani, and T-Rex

First Doctor's Visit

We had our first appointment July 18th and determined I was about 7 weeks along with a due date of March 2nd. (I seriously I had no clue due to "cycle issues" I was having.) The heartbeat was strong at 160 and everything looked great. It was pretty much love at first sight during that ultrasound.

Even with the great news, I was still hesitant, because our first child was called to Heaven at 7 and half weeks. After our first appointment, much of my fear and anxiety was slowly being replaced with excitement. It also helped having such great family and close friend support. 

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani 

Surprise! You are pregnant!

The positive pregnancy test completely blindsided us. We had gone to St. Louis for vacation which turned into attending my Grandpa Marrah's funeral. While we were there we planned a lovely "double date" with my best friend, Carolyn, and her husband at Hendel's. The restaurant's special of the evening was half priced bottles of wine. Since, I wasn't entirely sure if I was pregnant, I thought I should take a test before I consumed some wine. Well, lo and behold it was positive. No wine for me!

We kept the news pretty close to the vest considering what happened with our last pregnancy.  I'll be honest, I didn't let myself get too excited until I had seen a doctor and saw a healthy baby. 

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani

1+1=3

Crazy math, I know. Turns out 1 Joshua plus 1 Stefani can equal 1 baby. 

If you haven't figured it out, we are expecting a baby Team Ketelsen Member at the end of February.

We want to thank everyone who has kept us in their prayers. We selfishly ask that you continue those prayers. 

At the insistance of my best friend, Carolyn, I shall be doing weekly updates as well as a post about how we found out and summaries of the first 2 doctor's visits. I will probably post more baby related things here and not on Facebook. So, check back weekly to see what is going on. 

We really can't thank people enough for their prayers, encouraging words, shoulders to cry on, and general awesomeness. 

God is Good!

Joshua and Stefani 

Team Ketelsen Official Jerseys

 The front of our official jersey.

The back of our official jersey

The song and inspiration for getting jerseys made....

Must of Done Something Right

by Relient K

We should get jerseys cause we make a good team
But yours would look better than mine, cause you're outta my league

And I know that it's so cliche to tell you that everyday
I spend with you is the new best day of my life
Everyone watching us just turns away with disgust
It's Jealously, they can see that we've got it going on

And I'm racking my brain for a new improved way
To let you know your more to me than what I know how to say
You're OK with the way this is going to be
This is going to be the best thing we've ever seen

If anyone can make me a better person you could
All I gotta say is I must've done something good
I came along one day and you rearranged my life
All I gotta say is I must've done something right
I must've done something right

Maybe I'm just lucky cause it's hard to believe
Believe that somebody like you'd end up with someone like me
And I know that it's so cliche to talk about you this way
But I'll push all my inhibitions aside
It's so very obvious to everyone watching us
That we have got something real good going on

And I'm racking my brain for a new improved way
To let you know your more to me than what I know how to say
You're OK with the way this is going to be
This is going to be the best thing we've ever seen

If anyone can make me a better person you could
All I gotta say is I must've done something good
I came along one day and you rearranged my life
All I gotta say is I must've done something right
I must've done something right 

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani.....Team Ketelsen