She's here...2 months later!

Sorry for the late post on this, but Annie Arlene Christensen joined our family on Thursday June 7th at 5:17 AM. She weighed 8 lbs 13 oz, and measured 20.5 inches long. It was a long labor that ended in a C-section. She has been such a blessing to us!

Here is a picture of our precious Annie in the hospital. She was so alert from the second they ripped her out of me. Wide eyes looking all around the operating room.

Since June 7th, Annie has grown immensely. She is now 13 lbs 12 oz, and 24.5 inches long. She is wearing 3-6 month clothes. I'm glad she is getting the nutrients she needs to grow, but sad because she is growing so fast. Annie is now smiling, and her smile is contagious. Many of her behaviors bring laughter and smiles into our lives.  

Here is Miss Annie at 1 month

Here is Miss Annie at 2 months

 

Sad day :(

It is with great sadness that I write this post. This past Sunday, April 1st, we had to put our cat Marble down. She was a great addition to our home these past two years. Here is a brief of Marble's life with us....

In February 2010, Marble came to live with us. She belonged to my brother, but he could no longer care for her. So we opened our hearts and our home to her. Toby and Marble never seemed to get along, and it wasn't until the past few months that I actually saw them sit near each other. Toby would always hit her, Marble would always hiss and growl at him. Deep down, I knew they loved each other.

On Saturday March 31st, Willie and I came home from my baby shower in Neenah to find Marble crying and disoriented in the basement. She could only walk in circles, and would not look at us. We figured it was her kitty vertigo acting up so we gave her some medicine, and locked her in the bathroom for the evening with the essentials. The next morning, Marble had not eaten or drank anything. We knew that was not like her. She also did not react when we tried touching her left eye. And she dragged her left front paw as she walked.

We took her to the emergency vet in Madison on Sunday April 1st. The doctor gave us many options of what we could do for her, but nothing would give us definite answers unless we took her to the University to get a CAT scan (hehehe) or an MRI. We did not have the finances to do this. Everything was uncertain but for one thing: this was not the Marble we knew, and she was not happy. We made the tough decision to put her to sleep. As she drifted off, we pet her and cried. She was such a great companion.

I miss her every day. It's funny how you never think about the little things in life, but I no longer have a companion to join me when I go to bed (I go to sleep much earlier than Willie). I also no longer have a friend to take a nap on my lap, or to sit on my lap as we watch TV.

I have created, with the help of my mom, a memorial garden for Marble. I am also planning to create a scrapbook of Marble, with notes about all of the quirky habits she had. Outwardly, I am doing much better. On the inside I am still heartbroken. The grieving process will be a while, as she was my first baby girl.

The Final 12!

We are officially in the home stretch until Baby Girl joins our family! We are both so excited, but so much to get ready. We've started childbirth class at the hospital in Baraboo. I can't wait to see Willie's reaction when we watch the birthing video! I think he is in for a real surprise.

Everyone is doing well here! We hope to keep all posted as things get closer.

It's a.......

We found in early January that Baby C is going to be a girl! Now I am having way too much fun finding cute clothes that she can wear as she grows. Anything that has cats on it is my preference, and Willie probably prefers not a lot of pink. In fact, I'm sure he is going to buy her camouflage. Oh well, she will be loved no matter what she wears.

Things have been progressing nicely. I had a cold with plugged ears for about 3 weeks. I finally went in to the doctor, and was put on antibiotics. Amazing what antibiotics do for you. I can hear again!

I am enjoying this wonderful "winter" weather we are having this year. I don't have to worry about driving hazardous roads, or worry about falling on ice.

Our beautiful baby

Today I had an ultrasound after some concerns that I had last week. After my appointment with my doctor, he wanted me to have one to be sure, even though he thought all was well. Here is a shot of our beautiful baby! Willie was unable to attend because he had to work, but my mom came along. I think she enjoyed seeing all of the different shots they took. It's still hard to believe that there is a human growing inside me.

We are busy getting ready for the holidays. We are heading down to Madison Saturday and Sunday to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family. In January we will head to Willie's side.

We have also been busy getting things ready for the baby. We have the room painted, thanks to Tom and Jamie (or should I say to Jamie), and our furniture is put together. I would love to post pictures, but my computer has recently taken a crap and will not stay on longer than 1 minute.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas! The Christensens are looking forward to an eventful 2012!

Baby C is on its way!

We are so happy to announce that we are expecting our first (human) little bundle of joy! While we love our cats dearly, it is time that we stop treating them like children and dressing them up for the holidays. So now I can play dress up with the little one!

I found out I was pregnant the morning of my birthday. For some reason, I just had to take a pregnancy test. When two lines showed up, I almost wet myself. I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I called Willie at work and told him that "I might be pregnant." His response : "How do you know?" I went to the doctor that day to confirm it, and YES, it was true! There is a little one roaming in there.

Approximate due date: May 28th, 2012. Perfect timing as a teacher.

I'm trying really hard to relax as these weeks are really crucial to development. I think Willie is trying very hard to understand everything, but there is so much to know that he is overwhelmed.

As far as the kitties, they don't know what hit them. I believe Toby is stressed because he has a Urinary Tract Infection. Poor guy :( Marble is Marble, fat as can be.

I must head to bed now. The exhaustion has set in full force!

Hooray!

I asked Willie about creating a blog to update our family about what is going on in our life, but he said no. Too bad! I created one anyways. Not a whole lot is happening in Baraboo at this time, but the beginning of the year started out rocky. However, things are back on track. School is almost out for me! This will be my last year in Baraboo. Next year I am making a transition and moving to the Reedsburg School District. I am pretty excited about this move, but a little nervous for the winter commute. Reedsburg is about 20 minutes west of Baraboo. We are hoping to stay in Baraboo since that is where most of my friends live. But a move to Reedsburg wouldn't be bad either.

Willie is still working in receiving/yard at Menards. He has kept pretty busy this year, especially as of late. This time of year is Menards' busy season. He has a good boss who lets him take off for special occasions, such as our trip we took to Vegas!

We went to Vegas from April 20-April 24. We went with my parents. I don't know about Willie, but it was the vacation that I needed to rekindle my flame to make it through the year. We went to see O, one of the Cirque du Soleil shows at the Bellagio. We also took a day trip down Historic Route 66 and to a small town called Oatmen where apparent donkeys roam the street. However, we got there and it was crawling with idiotic motorcyclists who had no respect for the donkeys. Someone should have called PETA. Here are a few pictures from our trip to Vegas.