Updated belly picture

It's been a while since we've posted a picture of the baby in my belly so here's one from this week. We're right at the 6-month mark - hard to believe it's time for the third trimester already!

I've been feeling pretty fantastic lately. Jason has even felt the baby move/kick a couple times, which was pretty special.


We're both so excited to go home for Christmas and see our families, especially since we haven't seen most of them since we got pregnant.

My co-workers rock

Today at work I was blessed with a surprise baby shower. Here is a picture of two of my favorite gifts: a plush giraffe that plays music and a baby blanket crocheted by my co-worker (who apparently stayed up all night to finish it in time for the shower today!).

Adorable.

I am humbled by my co-workers' generosity. It was unexpected and such a sweet surprise. I am so grateful to everyone who already has or is planning to bless us with gifts for our baby. Even though there is a lot of uncertainty in our lives right now, one thing I have never doubted is the support and love of our friends and family.

Jason and I are in the midst of making some big decisions right now, so stay tuned for an update regarding our living situation and where our baby will be born!

Nursery art

Most of you know already that Jason and I aren't going to find out the gender of our child ahead of time. About 98% of the time I am confident with this decision. The remaining 2% of uncertainty occurs mostly when I'm at the store and I walk by a super cute girl- or boy-themed outfit or nursery decoration and for a split second, I wish I knew what we were having. But that moment fades fast. I know a lot of people wouldn't dream of waiting to find out their baby's gender, and I totally respect that. To me, there's just so much joy and anticipation in saving that surprise for the day when we actually get to meet him or her.

So in addition to brainstorming names for both genders, I have been thinking a lot about how to decorate a gender-neutral nursery. I could just save most of the decorating for after the baby is born, but something tells me that decorating a nursery is going to be one of the last things I'll want to do after bringing home home a newborn baby.

A while back I was browsing the Internet for ideas and I stumbled upon this artist's website. That led me to her online store where I found some very charming prints and collages on wood. And I realized that I could probably re-create some of her artwork pretty easily and inexpensively.

So with a couple free hours, some craft paper, art boards, and Mod Podge, here's what I came up with:

 
I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm planning to make a few more featuring other animals and then I'll group them together on one of the nursery walls. I've had a lot of fun getting in touch with my crafty side and it's really neat to think that I'll be decorating my baby's room with items I created myself.

Baby feet

Just wanted to share pictures of our baby's perfect little feet:


If that's not cute, I don't know what is.

20 Weeks

We (me, Jason, and baby) have successfully made it through the first 20 weeks of our pregnancy! I feel like now that we've made it halfway, I've gone from worrying about whether the baby would make it this far to starting to think and worry about the actual birth. Thankfully, I still have a lot of time to prepare for that day.

Here's a belly picture for your viewing pleasure. I'm feeling a lot of movement from the baby these days!

We are so grateful for all the prayers and support and would ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts. With Jason trying to finish up school and find a job, there is a lot of uncertainty about our future right now - at this point, we have no idea where we will be living or what our source of income will be when our baby is born. It's definitely causing some anxiety and stress in our lives, so your prayers are much appreciated.

Just wanted to quick post that we had another doctor's appointment today and everything looks great. We've gotten to hear the baby's heartbeat at each of our three appointments so far and wow, is that a magical sound! We're looking forward to the next appointment when we'll do a sonogram and see the baby again.

Things I'm loving right now:

• a nausea-free second trimester
• the ability to get through a day without having to take two naps
  
• maternity jeans (God bless stretchy waistbands!)
• the fact that there is a PERSON growing inside of me
• Food. Any kind. I eat it all.
  

Thanks for all your prayers and support! We really appreciate it!

P.S. As you can see, I've added a widget on the right side of our blog to track our pregnancy. I liked this one because it shows the baby's actual stage of development. Ya'll let me know if it's too creepy, though - right now it kinda looks like I'm growing a little alien ;) Clicking on the numbers below the fetus tells you various things - how far along we are, how many days/weeks left in the pregnancy, etc.

Some news!

Dear family and friends,

We are thrilled to announce to you all that there's a little Schmucker in the works!

These pictures are from our first sonogram at 8 weeks. We are now at 12 weeks and we will get to meet our baby in late March.

We are beyond excited and so humbled that we have been blessed with this precious gift of life.

We are so thankful to have you all in our lives and we can't wait for our child to meet each and every one of you!

We appreciate all your love and support during this awesome, scary, exciting time of our lives. I'm sure we will lean very heavily on our loved ones in the months to come as we prepare for parenthood!

Love, Jason and Mel

The update to end all updates

Our absence on the blog these last few months really speaks to the craziness of our lives lately. I did manage to survive the spring semester (my third in a row of working 40 hours a week while taking 3 graduate classes) with my sanity intact, but just barely. Wanting my last semester of grad school to be a happier, healthier one, I decided to only work part-time at the library starting in June.

Best. Decision. Ever. Our apartment is a lot cleaner, I'm cooking dinner every night, I have more time to exercise/read/be lazy, and the best part is that I feel like I'm able to be a better wife. Now when Jason comes home I'm looking for ways to serve him and spend time with him instead of griping about how I'm so busy and stressed and/or nagging him to wash the dishes. Things are definitely a lot happier around here (as evidenced by the photo above) :)

As far as what we've been up to these past few months, here are monthly summaries:

March
We hosted Jason's parents for a lovely weekend. We attempted to visit a local ice cream factory but were unable to get tickets because apparently it's a hot Spring Break destination. We consoled Doug (Jason's dad - AKA the Ice Cream Fiend) with multiple trips to Spoons instead. (Photo: celebrating Patty's birthday)

Also in March, Jason passed the Prelims for his degree, which to my knowledge basically meant that he had to present his dissertation proposal to his dissertation committee so they could confirm that he's on the right track.

April
Homework, homework, homework. Yep, that was about it. Took a much needed break to spend Easter by the pool with some dear friends.

May
I wrote about a million papers (only slightly exaggerating), finished another semester, and started off my month-long break from school with a trip to Kansas City to visit our sisters and future brother-in-law. Had the best BBQ I've ever eaten in a gas station (or anywhere else). We really enjoyed spending time with Josh as he will be officially joining the Histand clan this September (photo: the sisters on the lawn at the art museum).

Also in May, Jason and I made history by taking our first vacation together (just the two of us) since our honeymoon four years ago (we know, how pathetic. But hey, we're busy and poor). We decided to celebrate our anniversary a little early by spending a weekend in San Antonio where we visited a Japanese Tea Garden and a Mexican market, went hiking and out to eat, and.....(this is the best part).....went to SEA WORLD!!! Awesome, awesome weekend. So fun watching my husband act like an ecstatic little boy during the Shamu show.

June
That brings us up to our current month, in which our marriage turned 4 and Jason will turn (tomorrow!) 28. We are once again playing on a coed softball team for which Jason is our star pitcher and I stand in the outfield and try not to let the ball hit my face.

Jason has some exciting stuff going on at school (he's building his own wind tunnel!) but I should really let him tell you more about that.

I'm so thankful that I can really enjoy this summer as the relaxing, laid-back season it's supposed to be. Hopefully that means you'll be hearing from us more often on this blog, but I'm not making any promises....

Today's activities

Exercising the dog, not the Jason.



Making Jason some Valentines yummies

Texas Blizzard 2011!

So all this winter weather sweeping the country has finally decided to make a stop in College Station. Yesterday afternoon, Texas A&M cancelled all classes and closed campus for this morning until 11:30 because of the forecast of snow. We did get some snow last night. By this morning, it was still less than an inch! However, before the snow started we got some freezing rain, laying down a nice layer of ice underneath everything. So the roads truly were bad this morning.

Mel was scheduled to work at the Bryan library today, so we got up early so she could have time to make the drive. I cleaned off the car for her and went for a little test-drive to see how bad the roads were. Not many people were out and about - the roads were pretty empty all morning. Juno had fun running around in the snow this morning. I threw the tennis ball for her in the empty street! Our neighbor came out of her apartment to go to work at the hospital, but she didn't have an ice scraper(!) so I let her use ours and helped her clear off her car.

Anyway, Mel made it safely to work. I stayed at home for the morning and then received word that campus was closed for the rest of the day. At that point, the roads were still bad because they have no way to clear them except wait for it to melt! Well, around 11am, the sun came out. The snow on the roads didn't last long after that!

So, since we live in Texas, we'll be like everyone else and marvel at the little snow we got, sharing pictures and stuff even though it doesn't even come close to measuring up to the 10" our sisters got in Kansas City!

No cars! So clearly, I had to stand in the middle of the road.

Christmas break up north helps Juno love the snow!

Farewell to a dear dog

Today another beloved Histand family pet was put to rest. Just wanted to share with ya'll my favorite picture of him - doesn't it look like he's smiling?




















Goodbye, Jaxon - we'll miss you, buddy.