Learning As We Go

January Update

2012-01-31T14:20:00.003-05:00

January has been slow month for us, compared to December. We have gotten to spend some relaxing weekends at home just the 3 of us, which is nice. Maggie is loving her legs now more than ever before. The catch is she only wants to walk with people . . . not with the walker or along furniture. Which is cute but can also get a little annoying sometimes. And she can be kind of stubborn when she doesn't get what she wants, so we hear about it until Mark or I gets up and walks with her. We walk lots of laps around our house.

Maggie will be 9 months the end of the week. Time is just flying by. It's just a big blur to me some days. I tell myself we are doing the best we can to catch all the things we need to but are we. We read to her, play with her, make sure she takes naps, feed her, take her to the doctor, put her in a car seat etc. I can't stress out about it or I will drive myself crazy. (for those of you that know me well, I already do :)). Being a mom is so much harder than they tell you. And so much more rewarding.

I'm really struggling with how to balance being a mom and wife and employee and daughter and just Rachel . . . it's a lot. I'm so glad I have great girlfriends that support me and can tell me I'm not crazy because I feel a certain way. Sometime you just need other women to help understand you. Moms and husbands are great but they aren't in the same situation as you at the same time.

Mark and I are going on a mini-vacation a few weeks. Mark's friend from high school is getting married on Jekyll Island, GA, so we are flying down to attend the wedding and then are spending a few extra days in Florida. I'm excited and nervous. Maggie is staying with both sets of Grandparents. They are splitting the time. We've never been away from Maggie for more than 36 hrs. Mommy might be going through a little withdrawal.

Christmas & 2012

2012-01-02T21:36:00.004-05:00

Christmas is done. 2012 is here. Wow. It's hard to believe it's 2012. Maggie will be 8 months in a few days and a year in a few months. She has officially found her legs. All she wants to do is stand. Brian and Erin gave her a walker for Christmas and she really like it. She also has an activity table she loves to stand by. It makes her so happy.
Christmas was lovely. Mark's parents were from Traverse the weekend before Christmas for the Clover & Katerberg parties so we celebrated with them in the 18th. That left the Bronsink party and Geoff's birthday for Christmas weekend. Christmas Eve we spend a few hours at Mom & Dad's with Brian & Erin and Erin's mom. Her dad wasn't home until Christmas day. On Christmas day we celebrated Geoff's 40th Birthday! And then on the 26th we had the Bronsink party at Geoff & Jill's. Mag's loved the wrapping paper and boxes. She also really likes her mailbox she got from Great-Grandma Katerberg and the tiny doll she got from Uncle Geoff & Aunt Jill. Of course, she plays with everything, but those are her two current favorites. She was completely spoiled rotten by everyone.
2012. I'm not one for resolutions but I feel like it might be a year to make some changes. I need to get back on track. 2011 through me for a loop. I LOVE my baby girl like nothing else but wow has she alter my life. I need to get back to physical activity and eating right. It's amazing how hard it is to find an extra 30 minutes for myself in the day. But I will. It will happen.
May God bless each and everyone of you in the year to come!!

The loves of my life!

7 months old

2011-12-10T22:28:00.002-05:00

I didn't realize it had been so long since I had updated the blog. Going back to work has been a lot more than I realized it would be. I am enjoying it. And I love being part of the adult world again but keeping us all above water is a big job. Mark is AMAZING. I knew that before I went back to work of course, but he has proved it over and over again since then. Helping with Maggie, cooking dinner, picking up the house . . . I don't know what I would do with out him. It probably doesn't help that it's Christmas time too. That adds a whole nother dimension to the story. Presents and parties and baking and all that. I just want it to simple. But it never is.

Miss Maggie is growing like a weed. She is 7 months as of last week. I really can't believe it. It seems like yesterday I found I was pregnant and all the crazy sickness. Mark and I have laughed a few times this fall at how much difference a year can make. Last year I spent the fall on the couch with a needle in my arm. This fall has been much more fun. She is off the charts for her height and weight. Not surprising for either side of the family. At her 6 month appt she is 23 lbs and 29 inches tall. She is rolling and sitting up and moving backward . . . but not forward. She LOVES to stand up. And will stand by anything you let her. For as long as she can. She's trying her hardest to do it one handed too. But then she falls over . . . silly girl :) I don't think she's going to crawl for long but will probably move to walking sooner. But we'll see. The picture above is in her Christmas dress from Grandpa and Grandma Bronsink. And yes, I am well aware she looks like me!

Going back to work

2011-10-23T18:17:00.003-04:00

So I am going back to work tomorrow. I am having a mix of emotions that are somewhat unexpected. I am ready. I thought I was ready. It's only part-time . . . or it will be. About 20
hrs a week. I have to work full-time for the first few weeks for training. Full-time is a little overwhelming. I have not worked full-time since I got married. Wow, I think I might be tired this week. Plus I have to get Maggie up and out the door with me. That is a lot of work. Anyone who isn't a mom can't understand that. She is going to my mom and dad which is a relief. She loves
Grandma and Grandpa. The most important part is I know she will be safe. I have a hard time thinking about dropping her off with people I don't know where I don't know how she will be treated or what the standards will be. My only concern with Grandma and Grandpa will be that she will be spoiled, because she will be. But I guess that is what grandparents are for. I think my
emotions are coming from the concern that Maggie is going to forget me. That she will look at me when I get back to mom and dad’s and not want to go home with me. Crazy huh. I know it is but I still have it in the back of my mind. Once I’m back to part time it will be ok, it’s just the full time thing that is really getting to me. I give any mom who can do it credit. So why am I going back to work? Largely for my mental health. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom but I need some adult interaction. I thinking waiting until in my 30’s to get married and have my first child has made staying home all day, everyday with a baby difficult for me. I’m used to getting out of the house and talking to people – adult people and accomplishing thing. I KNOW raising my daughter is a huge accomplishment but it’s also a huge adjustment to make. We are getting there. Slowly. In the meantime to help with mommy’s sanity and also to help with christian education down the road, I am going back to work. Oh and maybe so I can get a mini-van :)

Photos

2011-10-10T19:33:00.002-04:00

Yummy. . . . Sweet Potatoes

All the Bronsink grand kids at John Ball Zoo

Geoff, Emily and Maggie at Breakfast

Hiking with Daddy at Ludington

I don't really know what to name this?

2011-10-10T18:31:00.003-04:00

I don't really know what to call this post as it is an update from the last month or so and contains a lot of different info. I haven't been overly busy, I just haven't felt like blogging. Maggie is getting to a fun age to play with and since she doesn't nap during the day very much I don't have much down time to blog.

The end of August brought Mark's birthday and we typically spend a few day camping at Ludington State Park with the Katerberg Clan. This year was not any different. Although camping with a almost 4 month old is definitely different. I was very leery of the whole experience and didn't really want to go, but I was told over and over again it would ok. Which is was, but Maggie ended up sleeping in the 5th wheel with Grandma and Grandpa Clover which was great for Mom and Dad but maybe not great for them. Putting a baby to sleep in a campground at 8 pm is not a easy task. Too much noise. She did enjoy the rest of camping, the trees and sand and bugs. She wanted to inspect them all.

August also brought us news that Maggie would be getting a new cousin. Mark's brother and his wife are expecting in March. They have speedy, crazy, bundle of joy who is almost 3 already. So the Clover family is expanding. Which is exciting.

In September we took Maggie to the Zoo for the first time. Grandma and Grandpa Bronsink wanted to take all the grand kids so off we went with Geoffrey, Alyssa and Emily. Of course Maggie loved this as well. Partially because it was outside but also because of all the attention. She is an attention hog. I understand this is fairly normally for a child her age. She gets very upset when she is not the center of attention.

The end of the month brought Artprize. I was very excited about this because last year I was flat on my back sick with a little bean in my belly. This year that bean has a name and it's Maggie and she got to go to Artprize with us. We went on a Friday afternoon to try and beat some of the crowds. We had so much fun watching the crazy people and what they call art. Mom and went down again last week because the weather was to nice to resist. 80 degree's in October. Who can beat that,

Here is the latest Maggie stats. This was at her 4 month appt in the beginning of September.

Weight: 19.8 lbs

Height: 27.75 inches

She is off the charts for height and weight. She is starting to roll over and can sit up briefly. We are just starting to feed baby food. Her favorite so far is banana.

Our 1st Family Vacation

2011-08-21T22:12:00.003-04:00

We went to Alpena, MI. What's in Alpena you may ask? Or as my husband said "there is nothing in Alpena" My nephew, Geoffrey, is a part of an organization call the Civil Air Patrol. He went to a week Encampment which ends with a parade and graduation. CAP has a long history with the military and the Air Force in particular. Geoffrey's week consisted of getting up at 5:30 am to run 2 miles, lots of marching, learning how to make his bed and lot of other crazy things. But he loved it. I am so proud of him. He is becoming such handsome and confident young man.

While in Alpena we explored the area, a few lighthouses on Lake Huron, a fun winery, took Maggie swimming for the first time and just tried to relax for a few days. We had a good time, with the exception of a 3 month old who doesn't want to sleep in the car. Kind of like her mother :)

Dad, Mom, Mark & Maggie

Airman Bronsink & Maggie after graduation

Mark & Maggie ready to explore

3 months tomorrow

2011-08-04T21:28:00.002-04:00

I will have a 3 month old tomorrow. Not sure how that is possible. She is growing and changing so much. She is drooling a lot which I'm guessing means she has started the teething processes. Oh fun for us :) Last night at bath time Mark and I weighed and measured her. Of course we might not be 100 % accurate but here they are:

Weight: 16 lbs

Height: 25 inches.

This is a picture from her baptism a few weeks ago. She did really well.

2 month update

2011-07-12T14:18:00.002-04:00

Maggie had her 2 month appt yesterday. Our little girl is very much on track with both of her parents at the same age, which is interesting since I am am so much shorter than Mark. At 2 months, I was 14 lbs and Mark was 13 lbs 9 oz and 24.75 inches. Here are her stats (from the doctor's office).

Height: 23.75 inches (99%)

Weight: 14 lb 8 oz (89%)

Mark & I don't think the weight is accurate. We weighted her again at home with just her diaper on and she weighted 14 lbs which seems a little more correct to us. She doesn't feel like 14.8 lbs. Either way she's a healthy growing girl.

She is a happy baby. She is smiling a ton and is cooing and almost laughing at us. She loves attention and to interact with people. She also LOVES to move. Her little arms and legs never stop. I'm a little worried when she start to crawl I might have a problem stopping her.

We took our first trip this weekend up to Traverse City. Maggie did really well. She slept most of the ride up and adjusted really well to Grandpa and Grandma Clover's house even sleeping in a strange place seemed OK.

I was hoping we would get to explore TC a little more with her, but unfortunately, Thursday night I fell/slid down Mark's parent's stairs and hurt my foot/toe. I kept hoping it would feel better but it didn't. Finally Saturday we went to urgent care and found out I had a toe fracture. Which is why I was in so much pain :( Sadly there isn't much we can do, it just takes a long time to heal.

Maggie didn't do as well on the trip home but we made it home and that is all that matters.

And for comparison . . .

2011-07-01T12:23:00.001-04:00

this is what she looked like on day 5. Just a little bit of a change.

My Favorite

2011-06-30T13:10:00.004-04:00

So I lied yesterday . . . this is my current favorite picture of Maggie. I love that she has her daddy's dimples. And that she smiled at me. And she's wearing the bonnet Grandma Bronsink bought for her. Yes, I wrote bonnet. My mom has a thing about this baby having her head covered :) Oh and her feet covered! Love you Mom.

Almost 8 weeks

2011-06-29T13:41:00.004-04:00

This is my current favorite picture of Maggie. She is growing so much and is starting to smile and laugh. She loves to just sprawl out on the floor or on the bed where ever she can. Not that she doesn't ever like to be held up she would much prefer to be on her own! She LOVES her bouncy seat, LOVES to eat and sleeps really well (at night). She DOES NOT sleep during the day. If I can get a 2 hr nap out of her all day that is a huge accomplishment. Otherwise it's a little 5 minute cat naps her and there. But she is a happy baby. You'd think an 8 week old would need more sleep, but not this girl. She definitely takes after her daddy in that regard :)

1 month update

2011-06-16T16:50:00.004-04:00

I'm a little late with the 1 month update since Miss Maggie is 6 weeks today :(

So here is the stats:

Weight: 11 lbs 3 oz
Length: 22 3/4 in

She is right on track with the Bronsink grandchildren and can't really compare her to Amanuel as their situations are so different.

1 month update

2011-06-16T16:50:00.001-04:00

Summer is here

2011-06-08T13:07:00.003-04:00

Summer has arrived in Michigan. Of course, this is the week we are finally feeling up to doing things and Maggie is finally feeling some better. Lugging the car seat around in 90 degree weather is not fun :( After our stay in the hospital Maggie seems to have developed some reflux. Not a surprising considering that all 3 of my brother's kids had it. My nephew had an extreme case. My dad and brother have stomach issues and I have had an ulcer and been diagnosed with IBS. A trip to the doctor last week had us switching formula, adding some cereal and trying out zantac. Between that and finishing up the antibiotic, my little girl seems to be feeling much better. She even slept 8 hrs one night this week. And she's been napping during day or at least a little bit. She likes to be awake during the day it seems. I had someone tell me it's because she is nosey. I think that might be right. She always wants to know what is going on and who is where. She also appears to have the Bronsink appetite. She screams when we take her bottle away to burp her. Apparently, her cousin Alyssa was like this as well. So she is growing well. Her 1 month appointment is today so we'll see how big she is. The stats from her 2 wk appt are not correct. When I was at the doctor last week she as 10 lbs 2 oz. So we think the nurse read the scale wrong. I think she's 11 lbs. Daddy doesn't think she's that big. Below is a picture from this morning. Thank goodness for air conditioning but we are still dressing cool.

Home

2011-05-25T10:16:00.005-04:00

We are home!! Thank you to the good Lord for getting us thru the last few days. I don't think there is anything worst than your child crying and not being able to fix it.

Diagnosis: She has a UTI (urinary tract infection) and a swollen kidney. How a 2 week old gets a UTI? This we don't know. So she is on 10 days of antibiotics. If she gets another one they will do more testing. We are hoping it is a one time deal.

We love the DeVos Children's Hospital ! They took awesome care of us.

A trip to the hospital

2011-05-22T21:08:00.003-04:00

Miss Maggie is having the her 2nd stay in the hospital of her short life. Long story short, she was running a temp and didn't sleep much in 12 hrs, prompting a trip to ER. Because of her age they want to observe her for 48 hrs until all the test results come back.

Please pray for her and mom & dad too.

Maggie Update

2011-05-19T22:19:00.002-04:00

Just thought I would post a few pictures. I can't believe how much Miss Maggie is growing and changing already. We had her 2 week appt today and she is doing great. Here is her stats.

Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz (yes, you read that right)
Length: 21 3/4 inches

I was worried she wasn't gaining weight. What a laugh. I forgot she has Bronsink blood running thru her veins too.

She is doing great. Sleeping at least 4-5 hrs at night. Loves her car seat and not her bed. Makes a ton of crazy noises especially grunting. She makes her dad and I laugh.

Aunt Robyn is finally healthy :) and gets to hold Maggie.

First bath after her cord fell off.

Announcing . . .

2011-05-07T18:57:00.004-04:00

the birth of our beautiful daughter Margaret Kathryn Clover. She was born on Thursday morning at 12:56 am weighting in at 8 lbs 8 oz and 22 1/4 inches long.

Giving birth to her was one of the hardest things I have ever done and yet also the easiest. If that makes any sense. I loved feeling her move in the womb and didn't think I could love her more, but what I felt then was a smidgen of what I feel now. She has changed my world. And her daddy's to, I think.

My water broke on Tuesday night at about 8:50 pm. I wasn't feeling any major labor pains, but the doctor wanted to give me a change to start "true" labor on my own. About 3 am it was decided that I needed to be induced. My one comment on that is Pitocin is an EVIL drug. I started having contractions almost immediately. I did make some progress after that, but not enough by far. By noon, I was exhausted and asked for an epidural. The 1st of 2. Yes, I said it 2! The first did not affect a large section of my back. The second was much better and more effective. I actually got a little sleep after that, however I still wasn't making much progress. At 11:30 pm the doctor came in and said that I was starting to run a temp. which is a huge risk to baby and she didn't think my body had it in me to actually push she out. She thought a c-section would be best for both of us. By this time I was beyond tired and even thought I was set against a c-section, we both knew it would be best. So they prepped me for surgery and gave Mark some scrubs and off we went. The worst part of me was probably the fact that I started vomiting again in the operation room. Soon after that Miss Maggie was born. She came our grunting and swinging her arms. She did require a little extra oxygen for the a few minutes, which the doctors attributed to the stressful day she had.

Our little family is doing well. Mark and I are exhausted but that is to be expected. Mark didn't sleep from 6 am Tuesday morning till about 4 am Thursday morning except a few little cat naps. I was up from 9 am Tuesday morning till about 5 am Thursday morning. Not fun :) But she is well worth it. We get to go home tomorrow (Sunday). I am slightly overwhelmed by the thought of having baby at home but also very excited.

I will post more later, but here is a few cute pictures.

Nursery picture - Finally!

2011-05-01T20:29:00.003-04:00

I am finally getting around to posting nursery picture. We are so happy with the way it turned out and so ready for our little girl to get here so she can use it. We are so thankful for all the friends and family that helped us fill it with all the things we needed!! 38 weeks and counting :)

Mark and I will celebrate our 2nd anniversary tomorrow as well. I can't really believe it's been 2 years or that we've been together for a total of 6 yrs. Wow, how time does fly.

Waiting for a Baby Girl!

2011-04-17T14:03:00.003-04:00

I have to admit I "borrowed" the title from a friend's blog. She is expecting a little boy in the next few weeks just as we are waiting for a little girl.

I can't believe I am 36 weeks today. Basically she could come anytime now, but it could also be another 5+ weeks. They will induce at 41 wks + 3 days. I'm really hoping she comes before that :) I'm starting to have some contractions but they are very sporadic so that doesn't really mean anything. I'm just so excited to see what she looks like and how big she is. I'm not huge, which is good, but that makes me wonder how big she'll be.

I had my 1st baby shower yesterday. That was fun. And it was great to see some friends I don't get to see very often. It's sad that only time we see each other is weddings and babies. Lots of good food and fun conversation and some awesome gifts. Unfortunately I only took 3 pictures, so I hope someone else took so I can use.

The nursery is done. I just have to move the furniture back into place. Then I will take pictures.

This is my 36 wk picture taken this morning after church.

A few weekends ago, Mark and I went to a B&B for the weekend in South Haven. It was a icky weekend, but Saturday night the clouds broke and we had a beautiful sunset.

Just a boring update

2011-03-21T15:13:00.004-04:00

We are working diligently to get the house in order before Baby C. arrives. Besides trying to organize all area's of the house, we are also working on the nursery. We decided to go with a pretty neutral nursery for a few reasons:

1) I am not a lover of pink. Some is fine and in fact can be really cute, but a room the color of pepto bismol was more than I could handle.

2) We are hoping at some point to have another child and I don't want to have redecorate the nursery if we are blessed with a boy.

3) I love the color green and yellow in a nursery and the nursery set my SIL found for us fit with those colors :)

My AMAZING mother was here today to finish up the painting for me. So hopefully in the the next week or 2 we'll have some fun pictures to post.

Not much else going on here. 32 weeks. Baby is approximately 19 inches long and 4 lbs. And she has started to drop. The great thing about that is, I can breath again. Because she was sitting so high for such a long time, any deep breath I took was hard. As of my OB appt last week, her head is down and in position to deliver so now we are waiting. She is still kicking a lot. The doctor said that would slow down as she got bigger, but she seems to love kicking. Mark and I are thinking we might have a soccer player on our hands. (Mark played soccer growing up and nothing could make him happier.) I'm exhausted but again I hear that's normal. Sleeping seems to be the last thing my body wants to do.

Just thought I'd a cute picture of my favorite 2 year old. He loves to play on my exercise ball so a few weeks ago at a family dinner, Aunt Robyn started bouncing him and this was the result. A happy drooly boy!

Another Birthday

2011-02-28T21:01:00.004-05:00

Birthday's are always a time for reflection. Last night in my sleeplessness I was trying to remember where I was 10 years ago. To the best of my reflection it must have been about 10 years ago that I met Robyn for the first time. Who knew that she would some day introduce to the love of my life and the father of my child. 10 years ago I was just at the beginning of my career. About a year out of college. And while HR has been a blessing and a curse, I am glad for the experiences I have had.

Pregnancy update:

I was 29 wks yesterday. As of my doctor's appt last week, all is well. Other than the doctor wants me to get more exercise. I would say she doesn't understand what it's like to have a huge belly, but since she just delivered her 4th child, I'm sure she does. Mark and I just purchased a elliptical so that just helps motivate me to use it. Nursery is starting to come along. I have most of the idea's formulated, now we just have to paint and reorganize things. Once things are done, I'll post some pictures.

For those who aren't on facebook, I'll post my latest "belly" picture. I have definitely popped :) This was at 26 wks.

HELP!!

2011-02-15T17:59:00.002-05:00

I need a blog name change . . . however I am non-creative (is that a word?). Anyone out there have a great suggestion!

Being an Aunt

2011-02-09T12:30:00.004-05:00

I've probably written this before or at least said it. I love being an aunt. It is one of the joys of my life. It's been an interesting and amazing experience watching the older 2 (11 and 13) grow up and watching the younger 2 (2 and 4) experience things for the first time. I honestly don't know which I enjoy more. Last week was definitely a week dedicated to being an aunt. On Monday, Mom and I took Alyssa to the Diana exhibit at the GRAM (Grand Rapids Art Museum). It was part of her b-day gift from Mom & Dad. It was really cool to see all the artifacts. My favorite was definitely her wedding dress.

On Saturday, I took Alyssa to for her 1st pedicure and manicure. This was her b-day gift from Mark and I. She spent the night on Friday night and we hung out all day. Geoffrey was have a sledding party with 6 boys, so that was part of the motivation to get her out of the house. She and Mark watched a lot of Myth busters and played WII. She is growing into such a mature young women and I love spending time with her.

Then on Sunday we got to watch Amanuel for a little while. Unfortunately I forgot we had a commitment at church at night so it wasn't for as long as I would have liked, but he is such a sweet little boy anytime is special. I love him more each time I see him. We are very blessed to have him in our life.

Waiting for her manicure

A snack at Arnie's with Grandma after going to the GRAM.

Baby Update

2011-01-29T11:17:00.002-05:00

Where to start . . . things are going really well with Baby Clover. I am 25 wks today and as of my doctor's appt on Wednesday I am back at my pre-pregnancy weight. Which is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Like many Americans I am heavier than I should be and losing almost 25 lbs was great. At the same time, doing so when I am pregnant isn't ideal. I am hoping to be able to keep additional weight gain to a minimum, but I guess we'll see. I'm getting into this hungry all the time phase. And well I'm trying to eat healthy, sometimes an apple just doesn't cut it :)

Baby seems to be going great. She is kicking and moving a lot now. The other night she was kicking me with her heal and would not stop. Of course, this was then I was trying to get to sleep :(. She seems to be very active at that time of the day. It's really amazing to experience, the miracle of life happen inside me.

We are slowly prepping for baby. It's a little overwhelming to think of all the things you need to purchase or register for. Mark and I went to Buy Buy Baby a week or so ago and I was completely overwhelmed. I am going to have to recruit a seasoned momma to help me I guess.

Not much else going on in our lives. We are hanging out in TC for the weekend. Mark has a dentist and eye appt. Yes, my husband still goes to the doctor in his hometown. Eventually I wall convince him to change, for the time being I just enjoy giving him a hard time about it.

Our new floor

2011-01-24T22:08:00.002-05:00

I should start this post with a big THANK YOU to my in-laws. They are about the most handy people I know. They definitely rank up there with my Grandpa Bronsink. Mark and I have been wanting to up date our main floor laundry room/bathroom for awhile. There was a weird yellow stain under the the washing machine that I hated and couldn't remove. Plus it would look much classier and raise the value of the house. So last weekend Mark's parents came down and taught my husband and soon to be BIL how to tile. I also have to say a big THANK YOU to my mom for painting the room before they came to start. I have heard mixed reviews on if you can paint when your pregnant, so we decided to play it safe. Since we couldn't take the washer and dryer out before she painted it was kind of pain. The one thing I did not know about tiling - it has to cure for 2 days before you can seal it and then dry 2 more days. I didn't get my washer and dryer back until Thursday night. So in total I went 10 days with no washer and dryer. That was not a fun pile of laundry to do. But it's done and looks AMAZING. I wish the pictures were better, but you get the idea. I love it.

20 wk Ultrasound

2010-12-29T21:03:00.002-05:00

We had our ultrasound this afternoon. We did not find out the gender. We do have it in an envelope our safe. In case my patience doesn't last. Just 2 pics. They are fun to look at. Baby is great. Weights 14 oz and has all necessary organs, fingers & toes etc. The funniest part was we could see the baby's mouth moving. Like it was talking to us!

Profile view - baby's hand is by it's mouth
Baby's face - straight on.

Christmas & a Baby

2010-12-29T11:42:00.007-05:00

Just a short update. December has been a busy month so there hasn't been much time (or energy) to update. The last 2 weeks especially have been filled with lots of family time. My SIL got engaged last Tuesday so that has added a whole additional layer to the fun. They are planning a June or July wedding. It is exciting to be part of planning another wedding. Especially since it isn't my own!

We are getting really excited about the baby. I was 20 weeks on Sunday and will have our 3rd ultrasound this afternoon. They should be able to tell us the sex, if we want to know. Mark is completely unconcerned about the sex. He has no preference to if we find out the sex or not. (If you know my husband, this fits perfectly with his personality. He is the most laid back person I know). He just wants a healthy baby. Of course, for me it isn't that easy. I have always said I don't want to know the sex, but now that it's a option, it's very tempting. I'm starting to get a little baby bump. I am still about 12 lbs down from my pre-pregnancy weight. Christmas has helped a lot with the weight gain! Total I had lost 23 lbs. I have been eating normally for 3-4 weeks now. I got my PICC removed 2 weeks ago. That was probably about the best Christmas present I could have received.

I'll attach a few Christmas pictures. Mark & I are so blessed by our families. They are simply amazing!

My 2 favorite girls.

Amanuel with his new bike.

The amazing baby blanket my mom made for us.

I should write a book.

2010-12-01T12:33:00.004-05:00

I should write a book about all the crazy things that can happen in pregnancy that no one tells you about. Today's trauma. My picc will not flush. Basically that means I have a clot in my line somewhere. So they either have to pull the picc or try to use some drug to get the clog out. I guess the drug isn't "recommended" during pregnancy, but can be used. I would LOVE to have them just pull it. But the minute they do I will probably get sick again. I'm waiting for a call from the OBGYN on what they want to do. They had to conference with the Home Health Care people to figure out the best route. UGG!!

I have been feeling wonderful. I think I finally got my 2nd trimester energy. It just happened all the sudden. Last week Tuesday, I just felt like myself. It's amazing how much you can miss the energy to do simple things. Mom and I went the the mall yesterday for awhile and I while I was tired last night, I actually lasted more than 5 minutes. And got some Christmas shopping done. I can't believe it's December already.

If all stays the same, we will be crusin' at this time next week. With the snow that arrived today, I am ready to be warm. Another reason it would be great to have the picc just pulled. I could actually go swimming :) I guess we'll see.

I really am pregnant.

2010-11-23T16:50:00.005-05:00

Mark and I have been trying to do the picture progression of this pregnancy. We took my 15 wk picture yesterday and I look less pregnant than I did at 12 wks. I guess considering I have lost almost 20lbs that makes some sense. However, I would like to see a little baby bump. Everyone says it will come :) And maybe I just shouldn't be so excited. I still fit in all my clothes. The only think that is a little tight is the jeans.

We are suppose to go to on a cruise in 2 weeks. Obviously I'm not sure that is the best idea. We talked to the doctor about it last week and she was ok with the it as long as I was feeling up to it. Mark is convinced we are going. We have paid for it and can't get a refund, so if we don't go, we lose the money. It's such a dilemma. I loved our honeymoon cruise. And the thought of laying in the sun for 6 days sounds amazing, however, I'm a little worried about the waves and getting sea sick on top of morning sickness. So I don't know :( I just want to have someone tell me what to do.

On another good note, the doctor seems to think, if things keep going the way they are, I should be able to go back to work in December. I'm hoping so. The walls in the house are starting to move in on me. I miss my co-worked and having a reason to get out of bed. And feeling like I contribute.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. This year (like all years) I have so much to be thankful for. An amazing husband and a new little I can't wait to meet in May!!

He is . . . He was . . . He always will be

2010-11-12T19:01:00.003-05:00

Father, let the world just fade away

Let me feel your presence in this place

Lord, I've never been so weary

How I need to know you're near me

Father, let the world just fade away

Till I'm on my knees

Till my heart can sing

He is

He was

He always will be

Even when it feels like there is no one holding me

Be still, my soul

He is . . .

*the beginning lyrics to Mark Schultz "He Is"

This song had got me thru some rough days in the last 6 wks. To say I am weary might be an understatement. This last week made me start to question what I was thinking about when we decided to have a baby. Of course, you never know that your going to end up this sick, but after 6 days of keeping no food or liquid down, I was spent. I'll be honest, there were moments when I questioned God "why". But then I come back to this. God is here. Always. He will bless us even through trials.

On a much happier note. I have keep some food down the last 2 days. Hallelujah! I know to some that may seem so insignificant, but a body can only take so much.

I will be 14 weeks on Sunday. Baby Clover is about the size of a peach right now and his/her vocal cords are starting to take form. I hope he/she has the Katerberg vocal cords, they all have beautiful voices.

First Baby Pictures

2010-10-31T14:46:00.003-04:00

Mark and I had our 2nd ultrasound on Friday. I was really nervous, but as Mark said, that is just my personality. Baby Clover is measuring exactly right. It was amazing to see his/her little legs kicking and moving around. Our first ultrasound was at 7 wks because of the previous miscarriage. At that point it really didn't look like a baby, but we could hear the heartbeat. So this was great. I don't have a scanner, so I took pictures of the prints to share. Not the best, but you can see why we are excited.

Baby face and body

Side view - crown to tush

BoReD oUt Of My MiNd

2010-10-20T16:40:00.003-04:00

To say I am bored might be an understatement.

I am completely off work for the time being and although I agree medically that is probably the best idea, I really wish I could go to work. However, by the time I do 2 IV bags each day there isn't a whole lot more time in the day. It takes about 4-4.5 hrs to do 1 bag. The doctor says once I can start keeping down more liquid I can go down to just one bag. The 2nd bag I do everyday contains my prenatal vitamins, so I'm guessing I won't be giving that one up any time soon.

I seem to be keeping down a little more food these days . . . the weekend was pretty miserable. Thursday night we spent at the hospital because my PICC has gotten infected and that started the whole vomiting thing all over. Yesterday was the first day I really seemed to be able to keep food down again. Which I am praising God for. Mom made chicken and rice casserole for dinner and I can't wait for Mark to get home to have some. Of course, I really want a burrito, but I have a feeling that might be off the plate for a long time. Like until May.

My official due date is May 15. I don't think I included that the last time. I am convinced it's a girl, because it's all the crazy hormones that are making me so sick. But I guess we'll wait to see.

Some fun baby facts, BC is approx. 1.5 inches long and the size of a prune. I'm not sure how something that small can cause so many problems :) Oh well.

Update!

2010-10-16T19:18:00.002-04:00

As some of you already know (from Facebook or conversations with us) Mark and I are expecting a little baby Clover in May. We are so excited!

We had an ultrasound the end of September at 7 weeks. Everything looked good.

About 3 days after the ultrasound I got extremely sick. I thought is was just the flu or I ate something wrong. I had been feeling really good up to that point. After 2 days of keeping nothing down, I called the doctor. They diagnosed me with something called Hyperemesis. That is basically really bad morning sickness all day.

I am starting to keep some food and liquid down but it is a very small amount. I have been on IV liquids at home since that first week and that seems to help and well as Zofran. I also had to have a PICC placed due to the fact that I have no veins in my arms or hands, so getting the liquids in is definitely a chore. A PICC is a peripherally inserted central catheter that is placed in the arm. It can stay in for an extended period of time without having to be moved. Or so we've been told.

Hyperemesis generally lasts between 12-16 weeks. It affects about 1 in 200 women. I am currently 10 weeks so we are hoping in a few weeks things start to improve.

August 2010

2010-09-15T17:17:00.003-04:00

I have been a little bit delinquent again. The month of August was super busy for Mark and I. We took in a Tiger's game in the D, spent a day at Michigan Adventure, and of course, camping at Ludington. We took a couple extra days off this year. So Wednesday night after work we packed up the camping and headed out. Thursday was beautiful. Friday & Saturday the opposite. It was windy and cold. Mark and I went down the beach house to see the waves and they were using snowplows to move the sand. It was crazy. Sunday was beautiful again. Matt and Kat drove up on Sunday morning, so the whole family was there. It was great to just hangout with everyone. A. was in his glory. Sand and grass and dirt. It was so much fun.

The group on a hike around Long Lake

A. hanging out in Robyn & V's tent

The end of a beautiful sunset

The crazy wind and waves on Friday afternoon

A late night

2010-08-22T01:09:00.003-04:00

It is 1:10 am and I can't sleep. It's a pretty normal occasion of late so I figured why not take advantage of it. I might as well get some things done and by that I mean, updating the blog and watching the West Wing.

I saw a bumper sticker today that made me think . . . "Remember who you were meant to be." Huh. I don't know if I have ever known who I was meant to be. Something to think about, that's for sure.

4th of July

2010-08-10T12:57:00.000-04:00

4th of July was the 1 year celebration of this little guy coming to America. We are so happy to have him. He is amazing and funny and busy all at once. Mark and I are happy his parents decided to move back to Michigan so we can get to know him better.

A little wine tasting on the Peninsula

Cherry time!

The Pictures of Summer

2010-08-10T12:40:00.002-04:00

Since I have been so delayed in blogging I thought I just update with pictures. The end of June we went camping with Mom & Dad, Geoff & Jill and the kids.

Mark and Geoffrey at war in the kayaks.

Newest Purchase!

2010-08-09T21:50:00.002-04:00

This is the newest purchase at the Clover household.

For those of you who have never been to our house, we had a lovely entertainment center that my husband bought at a garage sale for $10.00 in his first year of college. I was in rough shape but it did the job. Mark has been keeping his eye open on craigslist for a "new" book case/entertainment center.

This is it. I love that I have room for all my pictures and knick knacks. I love Willow Tree. Mark has given me a few over the years and now I have a place to show them off.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2010-06-29T21:08:00.003-04:00

I have a deep love for this women. She has been an important part of my life. She is celebrating her 87th birthday today and I can only hope she has many more. She's holding my cousin's little girl Morley.

Family Time

2010-05-23T20:31:00.007-04:00

I don't want to know what it's like to not have a big, crazy family. I've been part of one for 33 years and got to join one about a year ago. They are such a blessing.

Last night the family got together for a cook-out at Mom and Dad's. Just because. Summer has arrived in Michigan (maybe) so we had to take advantage of it. Brian grilled hamburgers, Mom made her amazing potato salad, we had some yummy beer (Honey Moon) and smore's to end the night. The best part thought is playing. Emily has finally gotten over her fear of Mark so that made the evening even more fun.

My favorite girls. Alyssa -10 yrs & Emily Jane 3yrs

Jill trying to ride the ripestick.

Classic Emily look.

Classic Alyssa

Mackinac Island

2010-05-23T19:35:00.010-04:00

Mark and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on May 2. We had a wedding and a baby shower that weekend so it wasn't possible to go away overnight or really do anything too fun. Not that weddings and baby shower's aren't fun. In March, Mark had come across a deal in the GR Press for a discount at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Since it is normally out of our price range, we figured we had to snatch it up. We drove to Traverse City on Monday night and stayed with Mark's parents and then drove the rest of the way on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday was a icky day. Cold and Windy. The ride across the lake was pretty bumpy but kind of an adventure. We explored the island and then made our way to the hotel. Mackinaw is kind a different land. Because there are only a few motorized vehicles it's very quiet and peaceful. The hotel was great. A step back in time. We had a great room with a view of the water. I was really afraid we would have a view of a brick wall. Dinner is a very formal affair at the hotel. After 6 pm, men and women need to be dressed up . . . jacket and tie for men and dress or pants suit for women. Mark and I don't dress up much so it was kind of fun. For those than don't know, Mark is a meat and potato kind of guy. So dinner was a little crazy for him . . .for example, one option was Fresh Ahi Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad. Not exactly his cup of tea. I had some amazing Whitefish for dinner. Yummy.

Wednesday was beautiful . Sunny and warmer. Mark let me sleep in awhile and then we explored the island a little more. We went to the hotel stables. We happen to be there in time to see the owners personal carriage hooked up. The horses we beautiful. I guess they only get used about an hour a day and are treated very well. What a life. Then it was time to head home. A short trip but very relaxing. Exactly was was called for after the last few months.

A few more pictures:

Main Street on Mackinac Island

Another view of the hotel

Hanging out of the porch

Sneak Peak

2010-05-11T22:11:00.006-04:00

Life goes on

2010-05-06T12:23:00.004-04:00

The last few days have been really rough . . . I'm not sure if it's because Mother's Day is coming up and it makes me think about our baby or if I'm just having the ups and downs that come with recovery. Today is 5 week since I had surgery. We celebrated our 1 year anniversary on Sunday. I never would have guessed a year ago where we would be today. Or how much stronger we would be. Things can tear you apart or make you stronger . . . this experience had brought Mark and I to another level.

We are going to Mackinaw Island next week to celebrate our anniversary. We are staying at the Grand Hotel. I've always wanted to stay there, but because it's pretty expensive we never have. They was a deal earlier in the Spring for half off, so we figured we better take advantage of it.

Pandora

2010-04-11T22:06:00.002-04:00

For the longest time I have wanted a Pandora bracelet. Mark is not crazy about them. He thinks they look too busy and cluttered. This weekend my husband surprised me with a bracelet and my first charm. I was so excited.

Isaiah 41:10

2010-04-08T20:03:00.002-04:00

A wonderful lady suggested I meditate on this verse for today:

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Sometimes I get so distracted by what is going on in my life, that I forget to remember that God is there. He will lift me up when I need it. It reminds me of the "Footprints In The Sand" poem. Sometimes when God seems furthest away is when he is the closest. It's when he is actually carrying me. Wow. It's amazing when things like that hit me. And why does it take something so major to make me realize it.

We are healing . . . . slowly. This is probably the hardest think I have ever gone thru, but I know I will come out the other side a stronger person. Thank you for all your prayers.

Mark and I are headed to TC this weekend. I haven't really left the house much this week, so that will probably good.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A rough week or two.

2010-04-03T18:21:00.003-04:00

I haven't updated in awhile because honestly I've been just too exhausted.

As I posted last time, about a month ago Mark's family made the decision to put Grandpa Katerberg into Hospice. Just over 2 weeks later he passed away. And even though you know it's coming, nothing prepares you for the finality. He was a special man who I was just getting to know. The week preceding his funeral was beautiful. Late April weather in mid March. I actually wore sandals to the funeral home. However, the morning of the funeral we woke up to snow. A harsh reminder of how hard the day would be. The funeral was a celebration of a man who would help anyone and passed the trait on to his family. And it was evident by the amount of people that attended that he had touched many.

After all the high emotions of that week I had hoped things would settle down. But it was not to be. Last week after feeling pretty lousy for a few weeks, I ended up at the doctor (again!). We figured I was pregnant but had only told a few people because I was pretty early on. We came to find out that I had a miscarriage. I know this is a taboo subject for some, but for me it was helpful to know how many people had been in the same situation. That 20-30% of women have at least 1 miscarriage and go on to have healthy children. That there is HOPE. Mark and I are so thankful for God's hand in our lives and his support thru this whole situation. We believe God has a different plan for our lives right now and are excited to see what it is. I did have minor surgery on Thursday, but am physically well on my way to recovery.

Finally, Mark's brother & sister-in-law moved to Michigan this week. YEAH! Matt accepted a position in Grand Rapids and they made the trek up from Florida this week. We are excited to get to see more of them and to get to know our nephew better.

Tomorrow is Easter. I am ready to go to church and celebrate the amazing gift God has give to us. After the last month, just sitting in God's presence sounds good to me.

Just some pictures.

2010-03-14T20:48:00.004-04:00

I'm really bad a attaching pictures to post, here is a few from the last few weeks.

Butterflies @FMG

Our room at PrairieSide Suites

My favorite part ~ jacuzzi tub

33

2010-03-14T20:09:00.003-04:00

What to say . . . . I am really sick of this "diet" and don't know how many more varieties of meat and potato's I can come up with. I have had to "cheat" a few times. I know that isn't good, but it was either that or go crazy. But on the good side . . . pretty much headache free. That has been amazing. I honestly don't remember the last time I've had a large group of headache free days. But I also am hoping I don't have to go the rest of my life with dairy, tomato's and bread. That would be very frustrating.

Two weeks ago I celebrated my 33rd birthday. Ugg. Not really ready to be 1/2 way to 35. Where does the time go? I'm honestly not sure. It has totally gotten away from me. The weekend of my birthday Mark & I stayed at PrairieSide Suites in Grandville. It is an amazing Bed and Breakfast. We stayed in the Spanish Hacienda. It was a very relaxing night and great start to my birthday weekend. On Monday, Mark & I both had the day off from work. We slept in, ran some errands during the day, went to Rio Grande for supper and then went to the Butterflies @ Night at FMG. It was a very relaxing day.

The sad part of the weekend was that Grandpa Katerberg was put into Hospice. That is always a hard decision. His health has not been the best for awhile so it wasn't a surprise. However, it has brought up a lot of feeling from when my Grandpa Bronsink was in Hospice. I still miss him a lot. So many things have happen in my life that I wish he could have been a part of. He was an amazing grandfather.

Mark's grandpa is a pretty amazing guy too. When Mark & I started dating about 5 years ago . . . he was still working on the farm. He was part owner of Katerberg VerHage Landscaping for many years. He has been a great example to the whole family for a long time. Even thought I've only been a part of the family for short time, I can see that. And I have to give a shout out to people that work at Hospice facilities. They are awesome.

Week 2 update

2010-02-21T20:39:00.011-05:00

Blogging everyday is just too much for me. Plus I don't think anyone wants to hear that many details about my CRAZY diet. This week has had lots of ups and downs. I do think the headaches are somewhat decreased, but my stomach is in more dis stress that it's ever been. But from everything I read, that is normal and it will get better :)

I am extremely sick of taking pills. I'm sure no one enjoys pills but this is extreme. I feel like I should be 80 years old when everything your body goes wrong and you need a pill for everything. (If you know my Grandma Bronsink, you understand that statement). I take approx. 9 pills in the morning and 6 at night, plus 3 right before bed. They are to help supplement all the things I am not eating. Ugg, that is currently the worst part of this "diet."

Yesterday, Mark and I took a trip out to Holland. I wanted to check out all the snow and ice and the State Park and since I was a little warmer than normal, we thought this would be a great day. We did a little shopping downtown, had lunch at 8th Street Grill (always a favorite) and the checked out the park. Here's a few fun pictures:

Day 6-10

2010-02-13T19:58:00.003-05:00

So obviously blogging everyday isn't working out well for me. And honestly, there isn't always a lot to say. I feel like 90% of what I used it eat is out of the picture. I have to be much more creative than I used to be . . . and honestly I am not that creative. I have to give a shout out to my husband . . he has been a rock thru this last week. I've had a few bad moments, where I want to chuck it all. I didn't realize how dependent I was/am on carbs and dairy. I'm sure I am much more health today than I was a week ago. Our pantry now has 1 shelf of food in it versus 3+ of food last week at this time. Below is a picture of the items going in a box for storage . . . or to a good home. We are hoping in 3 + months I will be able to introduce some of these items back into my diet.

Day 4 & 5

2010-02-10T12:50:00.002-05:00

Day 4 (2/8/10) ~ eating on the run no longer exists for me. Monday I had to work all day and had a Crossroads meeting at night. No time for a sit down dinner. In my old life, I would grab some crackers and cheese or yogurt. Not anymore. Carrots, lots of carrots is what I find myself eating. I hope I don't turn orange.

Day 5 (2/9/10) ~ Woke up to lots of snow and a needed to get to work on time . . . that eliminated the time to make eggs. That has become my breakfast staple. Rice Chex and Crispx are ok, but not the same as Frosted Mini Wheat's. :) On the way home from work I stopped at Harvest Health Foods to buy tahini. I am going to try and make my own hummus. Tahini is a necessary ingredient. That is one of my goals for Wednesday . . . homemade hummus and black bean soup. I'll let you know how it goes.

Day 3

2010-02-07T22:03:00.001-05:00

Sunday (2/7/10) ~ Today was a good day. Had an awesome lunch in Traverse City before heading home. Almost didn't miss the chocolate cake everyone else got to have for my father-in-law's birthday. I did say almost . . . it looked really good. Mark and I spent about 2 hours in Meijer when we got home. I normally don't shop on Sunday, but with a crazy week ahead, I needed some things to eat. The one thing I am really struggling with is salad dressing. I can't have vinegar and that seems to be in most dressings. I'll have to do some more research. I am also looking a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern market somewhere in GR, if anyone knows of one. I want to make my own hummus . . . and I need tahini which Meijer does not sell, so if anyone know of one, please give me a shout. Thanks :)

Off to bed . . . early work meeting tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great Monday .

Day 1 & 2

2010-02-06T18:45:00.003-05:00

Thursday (2/4/10) was a life changing day for me. As some of you know, I haven't felt good in a long time . . . headaches, fatigue, stomach issues . . . etc. A few people had recommended to me to get tested for food sensitivities. After much debating, we decided to bite the bullet and get it done. I truly didn't believe I had any issues and it was just a waste of money. So on January 7, I headed to the Born Clinic for an evaluation and blood test. After a month of waiting, I got the results and much to my chagrin I have some food "issues". I have to refrain from eating the following items: gluten, wheat, barley, rye, oats, all dairy products, yeast (brewers & bakers), tomatoes, garlic, coconut and turkey. A little overwhelming to say the least. There goes my carbs :(. So as a coping mechanism, I have decided to blog about it. Hoping that will keep me sane.

Day 1 (2/5/10) ~ Yesterday wasn't too bad. I spent 10 minutes looking at my pantry in the morning with no luck. Good thing Mark bought 5 bags of apples when they were on sale. And I love apples. That was breakfast. I spend lunch at Meijer, trying to figure out what I could eat. Peanut Butter will become a staple of my diet, of this I am sure. Dinner found me digging in the pantry again. The one soup I found I could eat was pea soup. Again, good thing I like it.

Day 2 (2/6/10) ~ Started out great. My mother-in-law is amazing. She found corn tortillas for me. It may not be bread, but it sure is close. And sorbet. Since I can't have dairy, ice cream is out. Downfall of the day was the mini breakdown at Meijer. . . or I'll clarify int he Meijer parking lot in the car. After spending time at Meijer and trying to research what I could eat, I just broke down. There are so many things I eat on a weekly basis that I can't have. It's very overwhelming.

Hockey . . . Love it.

2010-02-06T10:04:00.005-05:00

I guess I can credit it to growing up in a house out numbered by men. I watched enough sports growing up to last me a lifetime. And the only I still really enjoy is hockey. Baseball is OK, but not my favorite.

Last weekend, Mark and I got the opportunity to go to Joe Louis and check out the Red Wings. The State of Michigan had discount tickets, so we couldn't resist.

For those who follow the Wings, you are aware they haven't been playing well. Lots of injuries and issues. Kind of Painful to watch at times. So my one hope for the night was that they would win.

And my wish came true. They beat Nashville 4-2. Not the best game I've ever watched, but over all an enjoyable night.

Stevie Y's number.

The Joe!

Self portrait. Never good.

Orchids

2010-01-27T21:07:00.004-05:00

This weekend was The Orchid Show at Meijer Gardens. It's an annual event, although this is the first year we have gone. Mark, Robyn, Grandma K. and I enjoyed it. It's been a week of welcoming back winter in Michigan, so I thought this might bring some smiles. I don't know about anyone else, but I am ready for SPRING! Quick question . . . does anyone know is Orchids and Iris's are in the same "family"? There was a few orchids that looked a lot like the Iris's my mom had when I was growing up.

Some of My Favorite People

2010-01-27T20:11:00.002-05:00

This weekend was the January Birthday Celebration. Alyssa turned 10 on the 11th. Geoffrey turned 12 on the 24th. And my mom's birthday is the 25th. In order to keep the peace, I will keep her age quiet. My sister-in-law made an awesome Tiger's themed cake. My grandma was also there, which is always a treat. I feel amazing blessed to still have her in my life.

$242.59

2010-01-20T20:20:00.004-05:00

As many of you probably know, I have struggled with headache's for a long time. Like years. I feel like are constantly on the look out for what might work better or maybe get rid of them forever. I have been to so many different doctors, I don't think I even remember them all. So this week I went to the doctor and he suggested a new drug. Relatively new. I was pretty excited by the idea. I get to Target pharmacy, to find it it's too new to be covered by our insurance. The cost . . . as you may have guessed was $242.59 for 9 pills. Needless to say I still have a headache.

I know drug companies spend a lot of time and money on research to make new drugs. And I understand that they have the right have a patent (I don't know what you call it for drugs) for a while to cover their costs. But it doesn't help me get rid of my headache.

I just had to vent for a minute.

Fredrick Meijer Gardens

2009-12-24T21:31:00.005-05:00

We went to Fredrick Meijer Garden today. I have been wanting to see the Christmas trees for a while and today we both had the day off. Robyn and Verald came along as well. It was fun to hang out the them.

Ukraine Tree

Beautiful orchids

Polish Tree

Netherlands Tree

Brazil Tree

Being an Aunt

2009-12-17T17:51:00.002-05:00

Being an aunt is one of the joys of my life. I can remember exactly where I was when I found out each of my nephew's and niece's came in to this world. Or at least when they would be part of our family. Spending time with them is an adventure. Always funny, Always challenging, something tiring, and usually a learning experience. Geoffrey and Alyssa have taught me over the years as I'm sure Emily and Amanuel will do in the future. Just the thought of each of them can bring a smile to my face. There isn't too many things in this life that can do that.

I made a "pact" with myself when I started working part-time that I would spend more time with them. So in October, I took Alyssa for day. If you know anything about Alyssa, you know that day included shopping. As well as lunch at Red Lobster and lots of time just being girls.

Today, I took Geoffrey for the day. Actually, he came over night last night. We watched Elf. My favorite Christmas movie. Today, we went to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. I don't honestly remember if I've ever been there, which is sad considering he was the President of the United States as well as a pretty amazing man. I wish would could have spent a little more time there, it is a lot to digest. Geoffrey is kind of a history buff, much like his father and grandfather. This was right up his alley.

The special exhibit right now is 100 years of photography from the National Archive. Wow! The older I get, the more things hit me. Looking at an actual picture of the soldiers preparing to fight on Omaha Beach . . . of children of the Great Depression . . . made me think about all this country had been thru. And all we continue to go thru. It made me very happy to be living in the year 2009.

Enough contemplation for now.

Catching Up

2009-11-18T15:00:00.006-05:00

Time to catch up. Not that much has really been going on, but I just haven't had much to say.

Work is good. I have been working some extra hours to staffing shortages (the nice way of saying someone got fired). I forgot what working full time felt like. Back to normal this week - Thankfully.

Two weekends ago the Bronsink women minus Emily went to Frankenmuth and Bronner's. Jill and Alyssa had never been and it was so much fun to watch Alyssa's face as she explored. I even started to get the Christmas spirit. Just a little bit . . . I am not ready for Christmas music yet, but I'm getting there. We didn't take Emily for obvious reasons. Jill didn't want to have to pay for half the store being broken.

Alyssa standing by a Christmas float at Bronner's.

Hanging out by the Cheese Haus. Alyssa took every opportunity to get her picture taken. Gotta love being 9 years old.

I've been dealing with some killer headaches again. Not sure what that is all about. I started going to the chiropractor a few weeks ago and I'm wondering if moving things around has kicked them back in. Not that they were ever really gone, but at least they weren't as bad for awhile.

Baby talk is all around lately . . . and it's making me crave a baby. We've had 3 babies in the last 2 weeks at church. A good friend just found out she's pregnant and a co-worker just announced she's expecting. Ahh. Am I ready for that?

What else . . . found a new author I'm loving. The series is Crime of Fashion Mystery. I will say they aren't "christian" novels, but I am really enjoying them. The main character is fashion reporter in Washington DC. And she gets into every sort of snafu possible. Very entertaining. Currently reading . . . . Grave Apparel. #4 in the series.

Some Pictures

2009-10-24T21:54:00.003-04:00

Uncle Pete's Cows!

Farmland - Corn, Corn and more Corn.

Standing on a rock in Blue Mound State Park

Minnesota's Prarie Playground

2009-10-18T22:19:00.004-04:00

The title is the catch phrase all over Luverne . . and I thought is was kind of fun.

We are on our last night in Minnesota. It has been 3 busy, eventful and fun days.

Mark has seen more corn fields than he thought was possible. I have had the chance to catch up with a whole bunch of family members. We've enjoyed some very good meals . . . including taverns tonight. If you don't know what those are, you can ask my Aunt Betty. We hiked around the Blue Mound State Park, did some shopping at Pamida and over all enjoyed the weekend.

Brenda and Steve's wedding was beautiful. Simple and elegant.

I am sad to leave. I love getting to see all my aunts and uncles and cousins again. I often wonder what those relationships would look like if I hadn't grown up 800 miles away. I remember as I child having a conversation with my mom on a trip to MN and her saying "Don't ever move this far away." The older I get the more I understand why.

I should probably go to sleep. 4 am will come very early and as my people know. I don't do well with the AM.

Minnesota

2009-10-15T16:28:00.002-04:00

I'm waiting . . . trying to be patient . . . For what you may ask? My husband to arrive so we can get one the road . . . to Minnesota.

I'm trying to remember the last time I did the drive to Minnesota. I honestly can't remember. I guess that just shows you how much times have change. As child, it was a yearly trek. 12-14 hrs in a car, smashed between my 2 brothers . . . fighting about all kinds of things . . . those were the days. It's amazing to me, how something I hated as a child, now brings back such good memories.

This will be the first real road trip Mark and I have taken together. We driven to Chicago and to Traverse, but 12+ hours is a little different. Hopefully we're both still alive when we get there. We are taking my mom along as well. She's a seasoned pro at the trip and dealing with me when I'm crabby so it will probably be fine :)

Fall & Cold Weather

2009-10-14T07:39:00.002-04:00

I'm just going to say it . . . I'm not ready for it. As I sit here this morning it's 36 degree's outside. And the weatherman just said, maybe we'll get to 40 degree's by noon. What happen to fall? I think we just skipped it. And that is sad. Fall is my favorite. The colors and smells. Pumpkin muffins, Apple pie, burning leaves. Gold, red, orange, yellow. What is not to love?

Current thoughts . . .

2009-10-04T21:02:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy weekend after a busy week. And while would probably have enjoyed more sleep, it was great.

Yesterday, we celebrated Grandpa Katerberg's 90th birthday! 90 years. WOW! That is just amazing to me. I'm not sure I want to live that long. I guess it depends. If I can still be healthy, mentally and physically, then yes. Otherwise I'm not so sure. Getting old kind of scares me.

Tonight we had our first Octane meeting. For those who don't know, Octane is Corinth's version of small group for teenagers. This is the first year I have worked with this age group so I was a little scared. Thank goodness I'm working with a very experienced leader. The group we have is phenomenal. I can't think of a better word. That asked great questions and actually care about what we are talking about. I'm really excited about the year!

2 weeks from today we'll be in Minnesota. I have a cousin getting married and I can't wait to go. I haven't been there since college. A lot of my childhood memories have Minnesota in them. We went at least once a year until I was in high school. I'm excited to show Mark around and show him real farm country. He's never been there or met a lot of my extended family. I'm sad that my Gandpa and Grandma Hoogland aren't alive to meet him. What I'm not looking forward too is 800 miles in car. Not sure how my parents did that ever year with 3 small children. Crazy!

The Garden

2009-09-20T21:04:00.006-04:00

Our garden isn't doing so well. Our zucchini and tomato plants seem to have caught a disease. It's funny at the beginning of the summer our beans seemed to have issues. And now the total opposite seems to have occurred. We ate our first beans last week. I pulled a radish out today that looks pretty good. We do have a few zucchini growing but not as many as we should. The leaves have a strange white layer on them. But the worse part of all . . . no tomato's. They are growing, just not turning red. I guess maybe I'll have to figure out a way to eat them green. Does anyone have a recipe for fried green tomato's? I will attach a few pictures, just because I took them. I haven't taken pictures of much else this summer. Which is actually good, I need to catch up on my scrapbooking first.

My sad "green" tomato's.

Family Pictures

2009-09-15T22:07:00.003-04:00

I guess it's been an busy month. I just realized I hadn't updated in a while. I am going to partially blame it on the fact that my laptop is in the shop. Mark "broke" it a few weeks ago and since it's under warranty, Toshiba will fix it for free. Yeah! But I hate the desk top. Hate may actually be an understatement. But for the time being, it's all I have.

Work is AWESOME! I love it. It has been so long since I have felt that way about a job.

Last week we had family pictures taken. They turned out great. See below!

The nice version. Everyone is smiling. Even Emily (a little). She has a little issue with group pictures.

The funny version. The photographer said to make the grossest face you could while Dad & Mom kissed. Geoffrey's face is by far the best.

Zucchini

2009-08-22T14:24:00.004-04:00

Many of you may find this boring and think we are totally nerdy . . . but Mark and I are geeked.
The beans aren't looking for great, but it's better than they were. The big plant in the back is the zucchini. I finally got Mark to admit they we didn't need quite so many.

The first zucchini starting to form!

Where Does The Time Go

2009-08-14T10:16:00.004-04:00

I'm always amazed on where the time goes. The summer is almost gone. Wow! Mark and I have been married for over 3 months. Wow! It makes me think about how much I've missed. In our busy, rushing around, what's next life, why can't I just sit and enjoy. I started a new job this week and it made me realize that how much I didn't do or enjoy while I was off. I was going to spend time with my nephew and nieces . . . reconnect with old friends . . . spend more time with my Heavenly Father . . . and maybe my earthly one too. And I don't feel like I did any of that. I guess since the job is part-time, I can still work on it.

I am tired . . . I forgot how much work can take out of you. But at the end of week one I am loving it.

Last weekend was very busy so I will admit I was tired to start the week. Our cousin Jeff married a beautiful girl named Erin on Friday night. And as a result we have Uncle James, Aunt Mary, Brian, Julie and the amazing Kaylee staying at our house. I was really nervous about having that many people in our house but it turned out great. Which is good, because I'm sure it won't be the last time. The wedding was very simple and elegant. And I'm exited to have another cousin in Erin. She's a sweet girl. The best part of the weekend was meeting this guy:

Our nephew Amanuel. Or A. Or AC. He is about the cutest thing I have seen. And a happy baby too. The first grand baby on the Clover side. Get ready for from spoiling :)

Meal Planning

2009-07-31T20:31:00.004-04:00

My goal for the week was to work on meal planning. I was kind of inspired by a a girl from church's blog. I've never really had the time to do it before so I figure now is the time to start a new habit . . . plus it makes getting groceries a whole lot easier. I really like this website for recipes. Lots of variety. The best is you can input the ingredients you have it will give tell you different recipe options. Love it. The 2 favorites of the week were Unbelievably Awesome Barbecue Chicken Pizza & Ham and Pineapple Kabobs. Mark really liked both which for me is a great accomplishment.

The kabobs with white rice and fresh green beans for one of my favorite stores.

I am looking for a little advice. Mark had a slight issue with the skewers lighting on fire. Any ideas on how to stop that from happening?

Garden Pictures

2009-07-30T17:04:00.002-04:00

Just because I am proud . . . it's actually growing.

The perfect weekend.

2009-07-26T22:54:00.004-04:00

Do you have have a just amazing weekend? The right mix between busy and slow. Hanging out with fun people and eating good food. That is the weekend Mark and I had.

Our friends Erik & Suzanne came in from Chicago came in on Friday night and are staying at the house. Our first official house guest! We had people here during the wedding, but I'm not counting that since I wasn't really living here.

Friday night we saw this movie at the $3.99 theatre. Love it. Such a cheap date. We have the popcorn bucket which we can refill for free and we got a free frozen pop which Mark's movie card. So $7.98 for a movie, popcorn and pop. And the movie was AWESOME. Many of you know I come from a family of history buffs so all the different historical figures are fun and I also love the Smithsonian so it's kind of 2 ties the 2 worlds together. A must see. Put we'll probably buy it so if you want to borrow it, let me know :)

Saturday was . . . wait for it . . . Byron Days. Saturday morning is the pancake breakfast and parade. Mark and I went with my parent and the hooligans. So much candy, so little time. It was really cold but we still had an great time. It took Emily about 3/4 of the parade to warm up to the idea of getting candy, but once she did it was get out of the way. At night is the fireworks. For many years Byron didn't do them so it's fun to have them back. There is lots going on in between the 2 as well. Food, Crafts, Games and Byron Idol.

Today was a relaxing day. Mark and I had Little Blessings at church. Always entertaining.
Then we had lunch with the Sanchez's and Robyn. The rest of the day consisted of MASH(in Spanish with English subtitles), catching up with Robyn after her road trip, napping, and of course good food. I think it's the kind of day God intented. Relaxing, away from all the daily stress with time to focus on Him and our family and friends.

Garage Sale - Day 2

2009-07-26T22:51:00.002-04:00

Day 2 of the garage sale was not nearly as exciting. Mark and I thought that Friday would be the busy day . . . boy were we wrong. We sold about $150.00 on Friday. There is still a lot of stuff left. Maybe another garage sale is in our future. Now comes the clean up . . . all the items are still on the tables in the garage currently. Tomorrow.

Garage Sale - Day 1

2009-07-23T17:29:00.004-04:00

Garage Sales. Wow. I didn't really how much work they are. And how much stuff we had. (I had another word there, but thought better of it). We have a decent size garage and it was chucked full. The morning started out very overcast with a light drizzle so I was kind of scared we would get rained out. But the day ended up beautiful. And we had a great turn out. The participants were Mark and I, my sister-in-law's Robyn & Jill and my Mom. One day total $300.00. I feel pretty good about that.

The New Dresser

2009-07-22T10:15:00.003-04:00

My new dresser. Oh. I guess I should say "our" new dresser. I LOVE IT. I have never been in love with a piece of furniture but I am with this one. And maybe that is because it was a search to find it.

When Mark was living in Traverse City, he delivered furniture for this company. One of the perks was occasionally people wanted to get rid of furniture and it didn't cost him anything. We ended up with a beautiful king size Cherry bed. Great! The issue being, we didn't have any furniture to match it. So the search was on. We looked at pretty much every furniture store in Grand Rapids to no avail. Who knew Cherry was so hard to match? Every time we found something we liked, it didn't match. Ugg. My sister-in-law Robyn suggested we try out this store in Cedar Springs called "Bear in the Woods". The minute we walked in I was in love. It's an Amish furniture store so not only is everything beautiful, the quality is amazing. We ended up finding 2 pieces that matched the bed exactly. Like they were built together. And bought them immediately. Ahh. Love.

Sorry for the flash, but I was having an issue getting a good picture. And yes, that is me kneeling on the bed to get it.

New Blog!!

2009-07-20T20:59:00.000-04:00

I decided to switch it up. I have been getting a little annoyed with Vox and it's in ability it do the things I want. So I have converted to Blogger. I'm already happy with the things I can do!! Sometimes it's the little things that make me happy :)