23 weeks

I am now 23 weeks along & he is definitely growing! Of all the changes my body is going through none has amazed me more than the fact that my belly button is getting wider & I can see that there is an end to it! I still feel great & am enjoying the little movements coming from inside my belly!

Charlie's Home!

Well, Charlie was found yesterday afternoon & returned safely to Petropolis! The couple who found him will be rewarded tonight at Charlie's homecoming party. One thing is for sure, nothing can match the free publicity surrounding Charlie's disappearance. Here's another clip. The story even made it on Channel 9 in Denver!

Charlie the missing Tortoise

My brother, Brad, works for a pet place in St. Louis, Petropolis. They have an African Tortoise that has it's own sanctuary in the store and roams free most of the time. Earlier this week, he walked out and kept going. They have organized search parties around Chesterfield & there is now a reward for poor lost Charlie. My brother and the owner, Dr. Shifano, have been on numerous newstations around St. Louis. Here is an article with a clip from one newstation.

Hopefully Charlie is found soon...

It's a.......

BOY!!!!

Everything is right on schedule for a due date of Jan. 9th. There was one slight abnormality with the ultrasound, though. The kidneys are a bit swollen. They say this is very common among growing babies, especially boys. If the baby's urine is not released properly it can create swelling. They say it will most likely go away as the baby grows, but it will require another ultrasound at 28 wks.
Now to decide on a name, colors, etc.

My growing belly

Well, I'm nearly 20 weeks along now & beginning to show! One more week until we find out if it's a boy or girl! We're getting very anxious!

Weekend in the Mountains

Ben & I spent the weekend in the Colorado wilderness. We hiked at Mueller State Park while enjoying the serenity & spectacular views. We also camped in Pike National Forest, enjoying a relaxing evening around the campfire. It was absolutely wonderful to not have an agenda. We read, played cards & talked about our baby. Overall, we enjoyed the freedom to take off into the mountains, just us. We also dreamed about the times we will spend in the future camping with our family.

Family Reunion

We hosted Ben's annual family reunion this year! We had a great time showing everyone around Colorado Springs. We had a private tour of the Glen Eyrie castle, spent an evening at the Flying W Ranch, strolled through Garden of the Gods, visited the wonderful sites at the Royal Gorge & much more!