12 weeks: Baby bump? Not so much.

I haven't gained much weight..in fact, I've lost some. However, there have been many, many, many requests for "baby bump" pictures. But, Lil Monty (although theBump.com tells me is the size of a plum today) is choosing not to take up much space yet.

But, in response to the overwhelming requests, here are some pre-bump pictures.

9 weeks

I'm tryin!

10 weeks

12 weeks. Ryan didn't tell me my sweater was all messed up....but rest assured there is still nothing to see!

Sometimes I think I'm getting a bump but then I remember I just ate dinner and I'm just stuffed :).

By the way, the word "bump" is weird to describe this kind of thing.  Sounds like some sort of tumor or mass that's not supposed to be there. Under no other circumstance would someone requesting to see pictures of my "growing bump" be appropriate. But it's the popular buzz word so I'll use it.

My next appointment is next Friday (a week from today). So far so good at the doctor. I'm actually seeing a midwife at a mixed practice. Not sure why I decided to go that route but since it's a mixed practice, I can switch to a doctor at any time if my pregnancy becomes high risk or if I just feel like it. Also, it's not a midwife like "give birth under water while everyone sings campfire songs" kind of midwife. She's very normal, well trained, has real certification and education, and can do everything a doctor can do except surgery. I'll be delivering in a hospital just like I would with a doctor and I'll have all the medical equipment and expertise I need surrounding me if I need it. If I don't need it, great! Lower hospital bill :)

Ok bye for now!

And then there were three...

It's official! There is a Lil Monty on the way!

September 22, 2011 I went to the doctor to confirm our suspicions and the ultrasound said it all. There was barely anything visible but a little heartbeat that was glub-glubbing along to prove that I was in fact harboring life. If you squint and distort your face the right way, you can see the little peanut there. It's about 0.5 cm here.

6 weeks

October 13, 2011 I went back to the doctor for a checkup and they did bloodwork and another ultrasound - this time, Lil Monty was bigger (about 2.5cm) but the midwife had a hard time finding the little booger in there so the ultrasound picture still is pretty skewed. I've used my skills in Paint to try to clarify what's going on here.

9 weeks

9 weeks with Paint help

Ok more to come in a bit...

Pumpkin Carving and YURTing

On Thursday night, we had a few friends over and carved pumpkins. We made chili and cider and carved to our little hearts' content. Below are pictures of our efforts.

From left to right, Batman by Ryan, Happy Halloween by me, Michael Jordan by Steve, wolverine by Brock, haunted house by Carolyn. :)

Closeup of the Montgomery art. My pumpkin rotted within 2 days. :(

On Saturday, we went up to Granby (about 1.5-2 hours northwest) to go YURTing. Now, for those of you who are like most of us, we didn't really know what YURTing was. Basically, it's camping in a little round hut with bunks and electricity. You might be thinking, "What sissy camps in a hut with electricity?". Well, these sissies do. I believe it got down to 15º or so that night....

The YURT (which stands for year-round universal recreational tent) is not heated but it is more protected from the cold by shielding wind and our friends brought space heaters. The dogs were still pretty cold in the YURT but the humans were very comfortable. It was fun and the dogs were good, enjoying playing in the snow and tackling each other. Everyone seemed to sleep well but me - I was involuntarily on dog patrol - keeping Grover from licking people in the face while they slept and from playing with Mya at all hours of the night. :)

Here is our happy group outside the YURT:

First Snow of the Season!

On Tuesday night and all day Wednesday it snowed! On Sunday it was 81 and sunny, Monday 60 and sunny, Tuesday 50 and sunny until it started to cloud over about 3:00pm and then Wednesday was 30 and snowy. It will be 60 and sunny by the weekend.

Crazy Colorado weather. Grover is having the time of his life though. I wish I had a video, but there will be many more snows to come to catch him in action..

He is self-entertained in the snow. He starts off slow but then sticks his whole face under the snow to smell the ground. Then, he starts trotting around and whenever snow flies up and hits him he gets super excited and starts running and sliding into deeper areas of the snow which just gets him more and more riled up. Keep in mind, there are no other creatures or humans out there with him to get him excited. It all comes from within himself which is highly entertaining to watch.

Here are some pictures from the backyard:

A little Halloween fun...

There is a specific age demographic that will appreciate the following post.

I was sitting at my computer wondering what the single greatest contribution to Halloween entertainment there has ever been. Then it hit me. It is this:

So come on everybodayah. Rock your bodayah.

Yes...this is what I do with my time. Don't judge me.

So much happened the past few weeks.......

Ok so let's just take this one thing at a time.................

Sometime before Becky arrives: the Passat is leaking oil so we call the mechanic. He discovers that my driver's side CV axle is totally busted and tells me I can't drive it or I'll die. A few days later he comes and replaces the CV boot and all is well but the oil is still leaking.
Thursday - Becky arrives. Fun is had by all.
Friday - Ryan, Becky, and me have lunch with some of Becky's CO co-workers. We drive around Denver to tour it and when we get home we realize that my car is leaking oil at a faster rate than before...
Saturday - We go to Red Rocks and tour the Great Divide Brewery with Becky then take it easy Saturday night.
Sunday - We meet our Uncle Ed and Cousin Ed in Vail.
Monday - Mechanic comes back after we leave him a panicked voicemail about the Passat leaking oil. He discovers that it is a broken seal on the rear main gasket. He says: get rid of this car now. This is a $2000-$3000 fix.

Tuesday - Drop Becky off at the airport and immediately go car shopping. Shop all day from 9am to 7 or 8pm and finally come home with the Passat traded in for a 2000 Subaru Forester. It looks something like this:

Mine is a bit more beat up on the outside - someone really loved taking it into the mountains I suppose....but the inside is great and the more I drive it the more I like it!

Wednesday: I drive for a few minutes to run errands in my new ride and the Check Engine Light comes on. My immediate reaction is probably some sort of expletive and we make an appointment at the dealer to look at it. Even though it's not under warranty, they were really nice and replaced the knock sensor that was causing the check engine light to come on. Very fortunate.

Thursday: Ryan leaves for a wedding in Connecticut. I leave for Front Range Christian School to sub!

Friday: I sub again!

Saturday: I'm still trying to catch my life up after this week. So exhausting and very little free time.

Another thing that has been taking up my time is my new blog! I love it! It's Mile High Savings. If you are my friend, you will get your coupons from my site :) Anytime you print from my site or go to your printable coupons site FROM my site, I get incentives!

I have Coupons.com, Coupon Network, RedPlum, SavingStar, and Cellfire so far.

If you are my friend AND my sister's friend, then you will evenly divide your printing between our sites. Her site is Broke Diet - On a Diet and On A Budget.

Dog Speak

 Becky took this picture of Grover to say hi to Taylor:

This was Taylor's response: