Pocket Full of Change.

This is going to end up being a very random entry b/c I have no real focus, but felt the need to post something. It just seems like such a waste when, as Michael will atest too, I have a million little thoughts zinging through my head.

Now that I'm going to be a mother, I think it's only natural that you start having hopes & dreams for your child. But in random wonderings of what our little guy will look like & what his traits will be, Mike & I have come to the conclusion that there are some definite hopes that we have, so let me enlighten you on one. For starters...I am hoping that baby has my rhythm & coordination. Have you ever seen Michael shake it out on the dance floor or in random outbursts of seizure-like movements when say 'The Outfield' Your Love comes on the radio? If not, I'll try to someday capture some video footage to share. I, for one, do find it to be great entertainment (don't get me wrong Mike when you read this) & I have full appreciation for his zest of movement! But seriously, it would be a relief to know that our guy could coordinate his way through his first middle school dance & not scare the ladies. And upon discussing this w/ Michael, he responded w/ ...'and he's going to have my dashing good looks'. Fair enough.

I stole the title of this entry from song lyrics by a friend, singer/songwriter Damon Dotson. Thought it fitting w/ all the change that's happening in my life right now. As you may or may not have known, Mike & I are seeking jobs & residency in Sioux Falls, SD as soon as possible. This is where his parents & sisters (& fam) have all moved since Holstein & the location remains only a couple hours from my family there. More recently, I have decided to move back to Holstein for the time being. Here, I'll be able to job search & prepare for baby. I am hoping, for the sake of sanity =) that we're able to land jobs & a place to live w/ in a couple of months. I hate to place deadlines, but this is one that I'm going to be pretty persistent w/. Spectacular plans, I know, given the current job market, but we feel this will be a great place to start w/ baby. Because you never know what the future may bring & I'm crossing my fingers for a smooth transition.

And maybe to finally mention why I added the photo I did at the beginning...I really don't know...I said this was going to be a random entry =) I can tell you that during this photo Mike was napping, obviously, & I was messing w/ the settings on my camera.

Green Thumbs Up.

Let it be known that I do not have what you would call a 'green thumb'. Don't get me wrong...love love love flowers and plants (that could be a hint for someone)...just have no talent at keeping them alive. And before you ask the obvious questions of 'well do you water them, do you give them sunshine, do you feed them & give them occasional love?'...the answers to all of the those are yes! I took biology class, I know what needs to be done, at minimum. So, in my pursuit to find some new hobbies, I've been having some 'proud mama' moments. As the Iowa weather finally freed itself from winter back in March/April, I found myself at the local flowering store. We needed to spruce up our back deck & so I gathered some colorful elements & brought them home. And I started small...this wasn't one of those 'go big or go home' moments. Trying hard to fight my initial doubt that these would even last a week, I potted those babies & gave them some H20 love. To my surprise, I've successfully maintained life in my flowers. Some of you are probably thinking this is so lame & pathetic...but it feels like a major accomplishment for me! With new life coming into my life all over the place this year...I can't help but feel like a proud mama. I haven't been too happy with the recent humidity that is causing the pretty little petals to crinkle up though. So, if anyone has tips, bring 'em on...I'm obviously a virgin...at gardening =)

Hey Daddy-O.

So I'm a little late w/ my Father's Day posting but here goes...

I'm pretty sure that Michael is thoroughly enjoying his new title of a Father...a very expectant Father that is! And we couldn't have gotten the news of "it's a boy" on a more convenient weekend...Father's Day. Mike is pretty jacked up about his little boy that's on the way. (And he's watching his sisters closely, getting pointers, and asking them tons of questions.) Our little guy will have Kye & Wyatt (both will be close to a year when he's born) & a little miss Ava (2 yrs) to play with! We keep talking about how much fun it's going to be when our boys get a little older & start running around...oh the trouble they'll get into!!! =) But I don't doubt that Ava will be bossing those little guys around haha!

Last weekend we visited my family in Holstein. We had a nice dinner Friday & some quality bonding time amongst mother's irresistable margaritas...that I had to watch everyone else enjoy =) I'm so grateful to spend time w/ my father... he's had an amazing recovery from his stroke last December! We also made a trip up to Sioux Falls to visit Mike's fam. We were anticipating a day at the Wild Water West waterpark up there, but a rainy Father's Day prohibited those plans. It was a bit disappointing b/c I was looking forward to a couple of relaxing hours floating on a tube on the lazy river, but a little relieved I dodged the 'having to put on a swimsuit' bullet! After a majority of the day filled with rain, it finally cleared up & we got to spend a little time outdoors.

Michael & Jolin playing Bags.

Kye bouncing around outside.

Us at 19 weeks.

Ok...let me explain this one... I'm not one to post belly pics, but Liz, Mike's sister, insisted on taking this! =) Haha!

Frank & Beans.

Dear World.
Please take the next 5 months to prepare yourselves for a minature Michael to arrive!
Sincerely Leyna.

Ahhhhhh! That's right....we are expecting a boy!

Mike & I patiently awaited as the sonographer scanned & scanned my belly...checking out the head, heart, spine, etc. It's really such an exciting experience that would make anyone take a step back & realize how precious life is. And so we're watching this little thing move around & our sonographer keeps making girl references but hasn't made an official call...Mike just couldn't take it any longer & the anticipation was rising... "ok what are we having" he bursted out..."oh it's a boy!" she replied. If there was more room in that little space Mike would've done a backflip!!! How exciting. A healthy little man was great news for us...although Mike sweating out the next 5 months anticipating a little girl would've been quite amusing =)

After we finished the sonogram, Mike was on the phone w/ his sister Liz to share the news... "I saw cock & balls" he exclaimed to her...in the waiting room...not exactly the most kid-friendly phrase...c'mon man let's clean it up haha! Anyway, so that's the story of our exciting news...we're both very happy & can't wait for our little boy to arrive!

Let me try to explain the image: On the right side of the image, you're looking up at his little bottom, both legs extend out towards the left, crossing at the ankles. And as labeled by the arrow is the physical proof aka the frank & beans as Michael would put it.

Can't stop the bump rush!

So, I finally have an official baby bump going on here... it's official b/c now I really can't find a comfortable way to sleep! Not that much sleeping was going on anyway. Just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow is our ultrasound appointment & I can't wait to update all of you on what we'll be expecting. I'm so excited!!! We've lockdowned a boy & girl name this past weekend & I'm happy to say I give both of them two very enthusiastic thumbs up! And in case any of you were wondering about the name battle that I blogged about earlier... I'll just say, if we are expecting a boy, I can't wait to tell him that his father wanted to name him Ulrich! Giant sigh of relief when Mike threw out a completely acceptable name last weekend...no offense to the Ulrich's out there...just not for me =) Stay tuned over the weekend for our news!

Funny Business!!!

I have to give credit to Michael for being the comedy relief in this journey! Most of you reading this blog are familiar with the goofy mind of Mike Schweitzberger...and those of you that aren't familiar will probably get a good taste of it from now on =) I have to thank him for his attempts @ keeping me sane...& I do stress attempts sometimes...he's not always successful as he WILL contest to. Among the humor trips we've taken thus far...one in particular does stand out. I want to bring you all back to a moment in time I mentioned briefly in my first entry...I referred to it as "The April Visit".

Michael & I were pretty certain that this trip to the ole OB/GYN was sure to bring an acoustic explosion of a heartbeat...but...we were mistaken (we had to wait until next visit)...in fact, this turned out to be the "thorough exam" day! Surprise! And guess who got a front row ticket to the show... haha =) Some of you may think this a bit strange that Mike opted to stick around for my assessment, but those of you that know him... shouldn't be thinking twice!

So...as I'm settling back, feet in stirrups, I examined my audience...my doctor, my nurse, some random nurse that was in training & Mike. I try to relax & at this point...I can't even make eye contact w/ Mike or I'm going to lose it! Doc turns on his light & places it in position to begin his exam....& from the peanut gallery we all hear "Smile...you're on candid camera!", followed by laughter from everyone in the tiny little room that seemed to be collapsing on me due to embarrassment! Holding back my own laughter (& thoughts 'what an idiot'), I replied "oh that's Mike for ya...always a comedian!" It did however lighten the mood & the rest of the visit...joke was on him though...b/c as I mentioned before I think he may be scarred for life from witnessing his first woman's exam - haha! There's never a limit on how much preparation for November either of us can have!

PS...I'm wanting to put up more photos b/c I'm finding the blog a bit blah...but I will wait for future entries...as I don't believe this quite an appropriate subject for photos!

Sex, drugs & baby stuff.

If you blog it, they will come! Thanks for checking out our new site everyone! I've come to the conclusion, given all the exclusions during pregnancy (as I sip a decaf coffee - what's the point!?!), that blogging will now be my new drug =)

In about 3 weeks, June 19th we have our ultrasound that will hopefully reveal the sex of our little bundle...& yes, WE want to know! We have a bit of a name battle going on & I either need to relish in the face of victory or learn to love Michael's choice =) But...we're unsure if we're going to reveal it to the masses...sorry...we kind of want to keep everyone in suspense...who knows...I'll probably crack after about 3 1/2 hours & bust it out, so I wouldn't be too concerned! Haha. Either way...Hawkeye gear is unisex!!! We've already begun the in-state battle of who our child will be a fan of... Hawkeyes or Cyclones. A child divided I suppose.

A baby in November!!!

...So begins the blog of Baby Schweitzberger due November 18th-ish! We'll see how this goes since I'm new to this blogging thing...I'm sure Mike will add his charisma to this thing every now & again too =) Allright, let's blog...

Michael & I are excited to announce our news of what I've decided to deem Michael + Leyna = Michaeleyna...although that is not on the list of potential names for our little boy or girl it does have a ring huh =) I am currently at 16 weeks & have been nauseous for 10 and counting! Ugh. Are you kidding me with the nauseousness!? And I know that "typically" women grow out of that "morning sickness" stage by the 2nd trimester...well... I'm not typical it turns out. Although I have to admit I do have some days of relief... whereas I'm not feeling it from the time I wake until the time I go to bed...which is hilariously by like 8:30 pM some nights! Let's see...I've hit the lethargically tired stage & I am unsure if I'm ever going to be able to eat or speak of raw nuts again. Just the action of typing about them about sent me to the bathroom =) I'm sure all of you already moms are rolling your eyes...but I hope you do recall the craziness of experiencing all this madness for the first time...bear with me as my first blogs will probably be me rambling on and on about this...I will try to keep them as least violent as possible...haha!

Let's share some doctor visit stuff next... I've been to the doctor for my initial and second checks already. Michael has willingly accompanied me to these as well...the "April visit" (we'll just call it that) probably scarred him for life already...yikes. He's a wonderful support =) Our May visit we heard a healthy heartbeat...what a crazy experience that was! I know it happened so fast & I'm pretty sure I just laid there with my eyes & mouth wide open staring @ Mike. Haha! Later that month we had an ultrasound...everything normal & the first time seeing your baby's beating heart just going to town is an experience hard to describe! Although Michael was hounding the tech for the sex...it was too early to tell. We'll be looking forward to that visit June 19th!