3 {ish} months to go!!!

"Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years, mutates, some parts are sharpened, others dropped, and there is often debate about what really happened. But even with these different sides of the same story, there is still agreement that this is the family story. And in the absence of other narratives, it becomes the flagpole that the family hangs its identity from"

 

We are beginning to write our story as we approach the birth of our little girl! We are just under three months until February 5th {her due date}, now while I know it's just a day that she could potentially arrive on I am SOOOO looking forward to that day!

The Lilja family has had an EXTREMELY busy fall, with lots of weekend vacations and fun adventures.  Our first fall adventure is one that happens every year (for the last 3 years) but usually happens in the summer.  We headed up north to International Falls to do some fishing with our guide friend Chris Granrud. Chad has known him a few years and designed his website, so every year we go and spend a few days at his home and enjoy some fishing and quite time away from the city!

We took another trip up in that direction a few weeks later and headed to Ely MN with two other couples.  This trip is also a bit of a tradition and never ceases to be a good time! The boys did lots of hunting for grouse, and there was even a long group hike that we all got to take.  Our good friends Adam and Val are the brains behind this traditional trip and have come to be two of our best friends! They have a daughter Kennadie, who just celebrated her first birthday, a puppy Miika who has grown up hunting with Hunter, and they are expecting their second baby just next spring just a few months after Baby Lilja is due.  Chad, Adam and the dogs do lots of hunting all fall and I'm pretty sure Adam is the reason Chad hasn't freaked out about having a baby girl!!! It has been so fun having friends that have been through all of this to give us advise and guidance as we get ready for this adventure.  We are also so lucky to have friends that share our same faith and beliefs, and know our little girl is going to be just as lucky to have them as godparents. Adam and Val were baptized with me a few years ago and go to River Valley with us, I so look forward to having our kids grow up together at RVC and share in so many memories and experiences! Here are some pics from our trip to Ely.

Val and I

Adam, Val and Kennadie

Adam, Chad, Miika and Hunter

 Another family we have been SUUUPERRRR (inside joke..) fortunate to get to spend some awesome time with this fall are the Klumpers.  Chad and Lucas work together and Menasha and he and his wife Sarah have a daughter Susie who is an absolute blast to be around! Chad and I played softball with Lucas, Sarah and Sarah's sister Wendy this summer and fall and have had a great time getting to know all of them.  I experienced a first this fall of picking apples at an apple orchard (I know, I live in MN and have never picked apples... city girl I guess).  We had a great time picking apples (and climbing tress for Chad and Lucas) and even made some delicious pies!! We also got the pleasure of going to South Dakota with them just a few weeks ago! Chad had never been pheasant hunting in SD, and Sarah's dad owns a ranch with lots of land so we decided to make a weekend of it! I got to spend time with Sarah, Wendy and Susie while the boys shot lots of birds.  Hunter and Chad were in heaven being able to hunt so much!! It was a fantastic trip with lots of fun memories for our whole family! Sarah has been so awesome in giving me lots of tips for getting ready for baby girl and we know they are going to be a huge help when she finally arrives!!

Switching gears back to baby girl, my amazing aunts Cheryl and Katie threw me an amazing shower this past weekend.  I was surrounded by family and friends, and baby girl and I got absolutely spoiled!!

 

 

Baby girl got tons of amazing gifts, and my mom came over afterwards and help me sort through everything and put things together (can you tell I'm excited?!?!). Her nursery is under construction, so as of right now everything is in the basement/man cave which means it's become my favorite place to be! Baby girl is moving and kicking all the time (even as we speak) its such a fun feeling that I know I probably am going to miss, but can't wait to hold my little girl in my arms! Here are some updated stats and bump pics! 

 Weekly/Monthly/Whenever I get around to it UPDATE!

How far along? 28 weeks (tomorrow)

Total weight gain: 15ish

Maternity clothes? Still wearing some non-maternity tops, but pants (besides cozzies) are all maternity

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Sleep is decent... flipping from night shift to normal people hrs is getting harder

Best moment of the week: Baby shower/Girls weekend

Miss anything? Missing my New Age wine...

Movement: Lots of kicks, somersaults and flips!!

Food cravings: Chocolate...

 Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!!! (besides riding in the car for long periods..) I officially stopped puking at 20 weeks 2 days, and haven't looked back since

Symptoms: Just the standard sweet tooth and having to pee ALL THE TIME

Belly button in or out? In-ish... its fading fast I think

Wedding rings on or off? On, but off when I sleep

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!!

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving and winter weather, bring on the snow!!

Here are the latest bump Pics!

 Hunter, Chad, Baby Girl and I hope you have a fabulous week!!!!

Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years, mutates, some parts are sharpened, others dropped, and there is often debate about what really happened. But even with these different sides of the same story, there is still agreement that this is the family story. And in the absence of other narratives, it becomes the flagpole that the family hangs its identity from.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/f/family_quotes.html#06f5sk5M9RXrc1Pr.

Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years, mutates, some parts are sharpened, others dropped, and there is often debate about what really happened. But even with these different sides of the same story, there is still agreement that this is the family story. And in the absence of other narratives, it becomes the flagpole that the family hangs its identity from.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/f/family_quotes.html#06f5sk5M9RXrc1Pr.99

Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years, mutates, some parts are sharpened, others dropped, and there is often debate about what really happened. But even with these different sides of the same story, there is still agreement that this is the family story. And in the absence of other narratives, it becomes the flagpole that the family hangs its identity from.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/f/family_quotes.html#06f5sk5M9RXrc1Pr.99

Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years, mutates, some parts are sharpened, others dropped, and there is often debate about what really happened. But even with these different sides of the same story, there is still agreement that this is the family story. And in the absence of other narratives, it becomes the flagpole that the family hangs its identity from.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/f/family_quotes.html#06f5sk5M9RXrc1Pr.99

20 Weeks {Halfway Mark}

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." {Philippians 4:4-7}

Rejoice~ That is exactly what I have been doing the last 20 weeks or so!! Rejoicing that the Lord has decided to make me a mother and entrust me with a child.  I have been so thankful the last few months and have really seen first hand what pure joy looks and feels like.  Telling our parents they are going to be grandparents, telling our friends our great news, celebrating and feeling the love I have for my husband each time I feel my baby girl move, it has been an amazing 20 weeks!

Me and Benny

Benny and Erin

Lets recap the last 4 weeks since that is the last time I updated.. Well the biggest news I guess is that baby Lilja is a GIRL!!! We found out last week at my 19 week ultrasound that our sweet child was a girl and that everything looked perfect.  She is healthy and growing exactly how she's supposed to.  It was a great day, I started out the day by sleeping in and then met my friend Erin for lunch with her baby boy Benjamin.  Erin and I met in nursing school and became great friends, we got married just weeks apart and our babies will be less than a year apart.  It was great to catch up with Erin and chat about babies and being Mommies, she gave me lots of advise and tips on cloth diapering (yes we are going to try to cloth diaper baby girl!!!), which things are necessities and which things I can totally live without.  After lunch and snuggles, I headed back home to pick up Chad before the ultrasound.  He had just interviewed for a free-lance website design (Which he got!!!!) and then we headed to Minneapolis for the appointment. 

Chad and I after we found out Baby was a GIRL!

I had gotten lots of tips from other moms to drink orange juice before my ultrasound so baby was active... well let me tell you, after eating a full lunch and having a diet coke, there wasn't a ton of room and I was feeling pretty nauseous. (Yes, the morning sickness was not gone at 19 week like everyone promised...) We were pretty early, and waiting seemed to take FOREVER!!! Our first ultrasound was done at the clinic close to us in Burnsville, so I had yet to have a scan at my normal OB and boy was it great! There was a huge TV on the wall for you to look at so you didn't have to wrench your neck to look at the tech's little screen.  The ultrasound tech was fabulous and explained everything she was looking at!!! She said that nurses, especially ones that work on my floor tend to be very nervous and paranoid at the 20 week scan so I was a breath of fresh air.  (Confession: I have not had ANY feelings of doubt or any bad feelings this entire pregnancy! I have put all of my trust in the Lord that he will protect my baby girl and whatever happens, happens).  So after a while she asked us if we wanted to know the gender and of course we said yes... She then starting typing on a picture of baby that she was a GIRL! I was SHOCKED to say the least!! The first 16 weeks of this pregnancy I was pretty convinced baby was a girl, but the 3 weeks leading up the the scan I had a huge swing in my prediction and thought babes was a boy.  Chad had kept his guess a secret all along but then confessed that he was confident the entire time baby was going to be a girl (likely story!).  So after the initial shock set in, we enjoyed looking at our little girl for a few more min, and then went to meet with my OB.  We were so excited and ready to get out of there that I'm pretty sure I rushed my OB right along so we could leave (only after hearing baby girls heartbeat again!!!).*Please note our color choices that day, not a plan.... Pink and Blue!

Baby Girl!!!

The first person who we told was our friend Andy, he had been texting Chad the whole time and finally Chad gave in and told him.  After out appointment I was determined to surprise my best friend Bri at work to tell her in person.  I snuck into her clinic, she gave me a big hug and I told her that I think we needed to get some more hair bows and flowers! Her reaction was PRICELESS and did not disappoint... she started screaming and jumping up and down in the lobby!! I knew she would be ecstatic and have a great reaction because her reaction hen I told her I was pregnant was probably one of my favorite reactions we got while sharing our news! After a few more hugs, Chad and I were on our way back home! I spent the entire car ride on the phone with my family, first my Mom and Dad, and then my Sister and Brother, followed by my cousin Jen and Chad's cousin Cindy! Then a slew of texts went out to close friends who we knew could keep quiet with our news until we went public that evening! We had dinner with Chad's family planned for that evening so they had to wait in suspense, don't worry I assured Grandma Nanci that baby was HEALTHY so she wasn't dying waiting to hear :)

This does not show their enthusiasm...

Chad and I had contemplated how we were going to break the news for quite some time and finally decided on telling them via cupcakes stuffed with pink frosting.  Chad and his brother Josh decided that it would be funny to make their mom wait until after dinner before she got to find out.  Let me tell you... Dinner was painful for both me and Nanci!!! I could barely say two words to her, and definitely couldn't look at her because I knew she was going to freak out when she would out baby was a girl... and that she did! Once she figured out that the cupcakes the waitress brought to the table held this information she was on a mission.  We made her pass one out to everyone before she cut it in half, I swear it was like a karate chop followed by a scream and then high pitched yelling and then happy tears.  BEST. REACTION. EVER. HANDS. DOWN. I knew her reaction would be the best because she was the last person to expect we were having a girl... (Both of my parents and Mike predicted GIRL, Nanci, Hannah, Ben, Josh and Danielle all thought BOY).
After we talked forever about baby girl and opened some presents (Nanci and Danielle you are amazing!!) it was time to head home (and update our chalkboard, take a quick pic, upload to facebook for the world to see) and then go to bed.  Who can sleep?!?! I laid in bed for a very long time thinking about our little girl and was in pure JOY.

The next day I did a little shopping (shocker! summer clothes were on sale at Target...) Saturday I had a few hours off of work and spent the day with my cuzzy and goddaughter! Ashlyn had a blast with GG and even said hi to baby!

Chad spent last weekend up north Hunting in Ely with our good friend Adam and the dogs.  It was a much needed break for him, and I'm guessing there was a fair amount of drinking and talking about raising little girls (Adam has a little girl who is almost 1).  So glad he was able to get away and spend some time Hunting in this beautiful fall weather.  

As I write this its about 6am on Saturday morning (I have been awake since 2:30ish... that's what a week of working nights will do to you!!!) baby Girl is going crazy and must also be WIDE awake (PS did I mention I can feel her now!!! The kicks have even started, hoping Chad will feel her soon!!).  We are headed to a Gopher Football game this afternoon which I am soooo excited about!! Chad and I went to so many games while I was in college at the U, and it's always so fun to go back and cheer on my favorite team! We have a fun evening with friends after that, and then Chad and I are headed up north tomorrow for a few days.  We are going to be doing some fishing on Rainy lake in International Falls (yes, practically Canada...) like we do every year.  Can't wait to get away and enjoy some quiet days together. 

That's pretty much the life update for the Lilja's! Ill give you a baby bump update if you keep reading!

 Weekly/Monthly/Whenever I get around to it UPDATE!

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain: 8 lbs total

Maternity clothes? Yup! Finally made the plunge and am SOOOO happy I did! Feeling so much more confident and comfortable.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Sleep is great (except after a week of working night shift!)

Best moment of the week: Finding out baby is a GIRL!!!!!

Miss anything? Beer and hard cider.... and maybe some Wine...

Movement: Yes! Started at 18 weeks with flutters and popcorn feeling... Now wev'e got full fledged kicks.

Food cravings: Anything sweet... Ive been bringing lots of sweet treats to work this past week

 Anything making you queasy or sick: I can't say it with complete confidence... But I think the puking may be OVER?!?!?!? I went 4 days in a row without puking at work... besides some occasional nausea everything is staying down! (Time to grow and put on some weight baby!)

Gender prediction: Thinking its a Girl but expecting a Boy!

Symptoms: Nothing unusual this month minus the random emotionalness and sweet tooth

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, with occasional bouts of random crying!!

Looking forward to: A weekend away with my hubby, fall weather and fall clothes!!!

Here are the latest bump Pics!