The "Tolle House"

We closed on our new house September 30th!!!  We were searching for probably close to 8-9 months and almost gave up.  The foreclosures were completely wrecked and would need a ton of money to fix up.  The short sales either weren't really "short" or would take 10 years to ever hear back from the bank.  For all others, people were either so upside-down or haven't "realized" the market conditions that they weren't willing to negotiate their price.  Luckily, Ryan found the one (and I don't mean me...lol) and suggested it to our realtor.  I didn't even want to go see it because I really thought the sellers, like so many others, were not willing to come off their price.  Ironically, we were leaving another property and our realtor said "Now, let's go see the house your going to buy"!!!  How funny is that?  We pulled into the neighborhood and immediately loved the feeling of a warm and cozy family neighborhood.  Lots of trees lined the drive, passing some peaceful ponds and a long winding sidewalk with tons of people out taking a walk or jog.  As we pulled up to the house we were excited to see it, but I had to keep a realistic focus and calm down.  As we walked in the door I was AMAZED how clean and maintained the home was kept.  So many homes we previously visited were so dirty I was almost gagging as we walked through, but not this one!  We loved it so much that the same evening we put in our offer and immediately (like minutes) they sent us a counter offer, which was promising because everyone else would just decline.  After a few logistics we were set to close in a little over 30 days.  After lots of paperwork and signatures, we finally have our new home in a great neighborhood with top-notch schools for Baby Tolle.  We haven't moved yet, since we decided to take our time making changes prior to moving in.  Nothing too dramatic, just replacing carpet in bedrooms, paint throughout & a few other items.  Not having to rush & move has really helped with the other baby items we need to accomplish (day care interviews, hospital registering, etc).

As of yesterday, I am 18 weeks along!!!!  Almost half way until we get to meet our new family addition.  The past 2-3 weeks I haven't been sick at all and last week I really started to get my appetite back.  I still struggle with what to eat for a meal, but I have my "between-meal" snacks down to a science.  After breakfast, I have my morning snack of dry Life cereal.  After lunch I usually have either raw veggies or fresh fruit.  I haven't really wanted anything sweet besides fruit, but even then I can only have a small amount.  Late afternoon before I go home, I have cheddar cheese squares with wheat crackers (Toll House...lol) to hold me over until dinner.  I've even been feeling well enough that I started taking yoga classes!  Although awkward feeling at times, she says it is extremely helpful in preparing your body.
Our 16 week appointment was pretty non-eventful, but they did take more blood.  Goodness gracious, I can't believe how much blood these people need!  At least this is the last time they will take blood until my 28 week appointment.  WoooHooo!  Just before we left, we met with the doctor and got to hear the baby's heartbeat!!  This is my favorite part because it makes it so real!  Since the baby is a little bigger, the heartbeat is a slower than last time and was around 150 bpm.  As you can imagine, immediately Ryan asked for her to make a guess on the sex based on the heartbeat.....but the doctor said 150 bpm is very average and really could go either way.  If you haven't heard the great debate of 2010, I would like it to be a surprise and Ryan is dying to know whether it is a boy or girl.  So the debate can only continue a little longer before we will have to come to a concensus.  So stay tuned :o)

Lastly, I've started to gain a little weight!  I've gained about 3-4 pounds, but don't have much to show for it.  I decided to take my first "baby bump" picture, but it really isn't much to show at 4 1/2 months.  Ryan thought this was probably a good time to start doing them each month, so look for more going forward.  The small amount of weight I've gained is mostly due to the increase in the baby (although only about the size of a sweet potato).  Exactly one week ago, September 27th, I felt the baby without a doubt.  I actually have felt the same thing about 3 times previously, but I didn't know what it was!!  It felt like a light thump or like a popcorn pop, but turns out it was the baby!  That morning I was sitting on the couch drinking my hot tea and enjoying the news and it suddenly started moving all over the place for like 15 minutes straight.  I could even press my hand on my tummy and to confirm it!  Ever since then, Baby Tolle has been on the move anytime I'm sitting still.  I keep trying to get Ryan to feel it, but I can never seem to time it right.  He gets so frustrated, but I'm sure it won't be long until he will get to feel it too!