We had an exciting Labor Day weekend… the Bears are 3rd in State!!! Everyone is VERY excited as it has been since 1952 since the Bears have made it to the final rounds in the State tournament. Friday was their first game of the weekend, which they won! Miley and I made the trek to Gaylord and Arlington when I got home from work which didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. Normally she is a pretty good traveler but that day she decided she wasn’t feeling the road trip. We started off really well, I had her tray, which fit perfectly over her car seat, she had color books, books to read and was also watching a movie on my portable DVD player.

Well, this all was fun until about Stanton! Then she threw a fit all the way to Northfield!! I was planning on stopping to get dinner in Northfield and she wanted to go to Mickey’s, as she calls it, so that was exciting but then threw a fit when I poured her milk into a sippy cup versus letting her drink out of the bottle, sorry hunny but I’m not letting a toddler drink chocolate milk in a car without some sort of non-spill lid! Thankfully, there was a train that we had to wait for and that was VERY exciting to see. She kept saying CHOO CHOO and doing the arm motion and talking about it as it passed, then she was happy to eat her dinner and she ate very well. But, once dinner was over the movie decided to skip and ended about 30 minutes early and I couldn’t get it going again- so then it was on and off tantrums until we got to Gaylord to the hotel.

I will say that that is a long drive in a car without someone else to help entertain her and I guess I can’t expect her to just sit there and not make a peep for that long of a car ride. We got to the hotel and checked in and she was very excited to be in a hotel. We got all changed into warmer clothes and then headed for the ball field. Grandma and Grandpa Pagel wanted to take her for a little bit at the game, so Mommy got a break to chill out and cool down and enjoy some of the game. After the big win we went back to the hotel and popped pop corn and watch a movie on TV and she was one happy, excited girl. She slept GREAT all night and had fun going down to the Continental breakfast and just hanging out with Mommy and Daddy all day. We went over to the Bar and Grille next door and had lunch and she had fun playing Buck Hunter with Daddy and then back to the hotel for a solid 2.5 hour nap!



Saturday night Miley went home with Grandma and Grandpa Pagel so I could go out with Taylor and some of the other team so we could enjoy some time together and I guess Miley talked their ear off the entire drive home! We all thought she would fall asleep for sure, but she just wanted to chit-chat and talk about the big beautiful moon that was out.


Sunday was their last game that placed them 3rd so it was then time to go home. I told Taylor they could have their celebratory party at our house and me and Miley would go to my parents house, even though they weren’t home, and would just sleep there. We had a fun little slumber party and I made pancakes in the morning and then we went home and got Taylor and went out to Uncle Theron’s to pick up Joey and see the chickens and pigs. Miley LOVED the chickens and we fed the pigs apples, well, I did, she wasn’t too keen on giving up the apples that we collected from the apple tree. After some yummy tacos at Grandma and Grandpa Pagel’s we then headed to Cabela’s to get Taylor a new bow for the up and coming hunting season.

It was a great weekend and it seemed like it went on forever, which is a good thing. We did a lot in three days and I declared that every weekend should be a three day weekend! Humm… could I swing only working 32 hours…

I go on Wednesday for my 16 week check up. My mom and Miley will be coming to that appointment so Nana can hear the heartbeat. I’ll update with stats after the appointment.

The Mindi Theory

Here is Mindi’s Theory for what gender this baby is:

With Miley- I craved sugary cereals, pasta, chicken, grilled cheese, sweets, candies, chocolate: In my book those are considered girly foods- I mean, how often do you see a guy devouring the above mentioned food? At least in my family these foods were what the girls craved and wanted. And Miley was obviously a GIRL.

With Baby #2- I crave PROTEIN! I would kill for a big juicy steak or prime rib right now, ahem.. Hint.. Taylor… and every morning the only thing that settles well with my stomach is a hot breakfast ham and cheese sandwich. I like hearty meals, even though I can’t eat much of it at one sitting, but anything MAN related- SIGN ME UP! Give me a big juicy burger, a Brat a Hot Dog and especially the weirdest thing a glass of milk- since I’m lactose intolerant (but I have a small glass anyway, it’s always good to clean out)— but any of those things- Man, sign me up! I have found I cannot have any more sweets, first off, right now the thought makes me gag, but it just doesn’t settle well at all. A cookie I’ll take any day but the thought of eating a chocolate bar or cake or something rich- NO THANK YOU. A Rice Krispy bar or some Twizzlers is about all I can handle. So- in my mind these are all foods that Taylor would eat- the BOY foods… so- in my mind- if I had to guess- I would say BOY.

Good theory- huh!

And my question for the day:
We get our annual flu shot when they do the Free shot clinic at St. Pius, since Miley had her first flu shot last year, the two part one, can she now just get her flu shot at the Free shot clinic or is a toddlers dose smaller than an adult dose, meaning I better take her to her Doctor’s office to get one?

14 Weeks and the 3-Day

This weekend was the 3-Day and me and Miley went with my Dad all weekend camping and to cheer on the DuBar Dolls. Miley did as good as you would expect a 1 1/2 year old to do. Saturday she was a little crabby but by Sunday she had it all figured out. Not to mention she is also getting her 2 year molars in full force, which didn't help the situation. Last Wednesday only one molar was 1/4 of the way in and as of last night, not quiet a full week later that molar is 1/2 way in the other bottom molar is 1/4 of the way in and I can see a white bud on the top. She had a busy mouth this weekend, and painful. She was on Motrin the whole weekend and she certainly needed it. Ouch!

Here are some photos of Miley during the weekend. She sure got excited to see Nana walking down the sidewalk at all the cheering stations- she would run down towards her and jump into her arms.





I am 14 weeks now- nothing really new to report, the appetite has slowed down, some things still make me gag and changing a poopy diaper is the hardest thing for me right now, I literally have to tie something around my mouth and nose to not gag when I am changing it. If anyone else is around when she poops- it's their duty!

For fun- a comparison 14 weeks with Baby #2

And actually 15 weeks with Miley

13 Weeks and the Heart Beat!

Yesterday we got to hear the babies heartbeat! It was very exciting. As we waited for Dr. Saul to come in we were explaining to Miley that the baby was going to talk to her and she would lift up my shirt and put her ear to my belly and listen. She is very aware that there is a baby in Mommy’s tummy. We talk about it daily and she always has to lift up my shirt and hug it or kiss it and sometimes she goes, SHH Quiet, so I ask her if the baby is sleeping and she says Yeah. It is very cute.

So, when Dr. Saul came in I laid down on the table and Miley sat in Taylor’s lap and was very interested in what he was doing to Mommy and was very quiet and enjoyed it. When he got done she lifted up her shirt as if she wanted us to listen to her belly but as soon as we paid attention to it she quickly pulled her shirt down. Funny girl. I thought Taylor and I were just going to pick her up from Grandma’s after our appointment but he was adamant that she come along and I am glad that he made that decision, it is much more fun sharing all of this as a family and I think it helps her understand more of what is going on. I am thinking it might be fun to have her come along to the ultrasound too so she can see the baby, I think she would get a kick out of it.

Well- the big news, the babies heart rate was 155, I pulled out my info card from my pregnancy with Miley and that was exactly what Miley’s heart rate was the first time we heard her. It will be interesting to see if it changes as Miley’s then went down to 147 and then 145 and stayed there the rest of the pregnancy. Again, it was a VERY quick appointment, been here done that kind of thing. Only gained 2 pounds in 4 weeks- WOO HOO! Totally thrilled about that. I only gained 27 with Miley and hope I am on track this time around as well. We go back now in 3 weeks to do some more blood work and then after that 4 weeks to do an ultrasound! I can’t wait. It always makes it more real.

This weekend is the 3-Day so we are heading out camping tonight, Thursday, and myself, Miley and my Dad will be cheering on the DuBar Dolls all weekend. My Dad and I are curious to see how things go with Miley this year, the first year I was pregnant with her so we were dealing with my morning sickness and keeping food in my stomach at all times, last year Miley was with but she wasn’t walking so we could at least keep her in one spot, now this year she is running all over the place so it will be interesting to see how exhausted we are come the end of the weekend. We do a lot of sitting and waiting at cheering stations for the Dolls to walk by, so we have a bag full of toys, a basket full of snacks and some places have a park so hopefully all of that will keep her occupied. Then Tuesday my parents, Taylor, myself and Miley are all heading to Underwater World, it should be exciting. :)

Here is Miley making the baby talk on the phone last night.

12 Weeks

12 weeks- well, I should report has been better then week 11. I haven’t ‘gotten sick’ since Tuesday! Yeah! And my patience is SLOWLY but surely coming back. It was so good to see Miley and Taylor when I got up from the cabin, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. But I do have to say I didn’t really miss them while I was gone, the longest I have been away from Miley since she was born is 18 hours… yes- not even a full 24 hours have I been away from her! So it was VERY needed.
The Girls Up North


Me and Jackie- only 1 week apart. We are in our 'fat looking stage' So don't judge! HAHA


So- on the baby front- I swear I can feel the baby move, but they do say that you can feel it earlier the second time around as you know what it feels like. And what I felt, there is no way that was a gas bubble- one, it was too close to the surface as compared to a gas bubble and a gas bubble moves- this was in the same central area and over and over again. It was when I was laying down in bed at night, when Miley would really start to move so that is why I am convinced it was the baby. My lower back is still an issue, I went to the Chiro on Monday but it was so swollen she was having a hard time adjusting it. I think the trauma of my fall and my hips also spreading to make room for baby are working against each other and it’s just not helping. It doesn’t hurt all day but it gets sore by the end of the day, but nothing the heating pad can’t help relax for the time being.

I am looking forward to sleeping in and taking naps with Miley this weekend, I’m still pretty tired and come Friday- I’m totally checked out! Thankfully my next two weeks are short! Leaving early two days next week for the Dr. and hopefully to close on our house to refinance, and then the 3-day is this weekend so we leave town on Thursday night and aren’t coming back until Monday and then Tuesday my parents are taking us to Underwater World!! I am so excited to bring Miley and it is something my parents have always wanted to do. It should be a fun day. This Saturday I am thinking of bringing Miley to the Zoo as Taylor has Masters school and I don’t want to sit at home all day and do nothing. She gets a little stir crazy.

Miley news—the little dare devil she is- we went to the pool on Wednesday night and she so badly wanted to go down the water slide, luckily they had a life jacket that fit her and she happily put it on and went down the water slide, I was at the bottom to assist in the catch. When she got down I asked her if she had fun, she said Yep, and I asked if she wanted to do it again and I got a ‘Nope’ haha. Funny girl. But then she walked right over to the diving board- I let her be adventurous but I wasn’t going to attempt to catch her when she is jumping from above my head. Maybe that will be something her and daddy experience.  She is getting really good at putting words together, two-word phrases are a normal thing now and we are working on some three word ones. She’s going to be a chatter box! Her FAVORITE thing right now – at least to me- is HUG Momma- HUG! It is SOOOO cute! She then gives me a big hug and then a kiss, I Love it! And she is bumping up her own bedtime! She likes to make those big decisions herself. Last night at 7:50, we were downstairs, and she comes over to me and says Momma and points upstairs and I asked her if she wanted to go upstairs and get ready for bed and she answered Yes, nigh nigh. So she marched upstairs went to her room to get in her PJ’s and then sat in my bed for her chill time and watched Rocket as I got ready for bed, and she was out cold by 8:30. Normally she’s been up until 9 or 10. I love that she knows how to make decisions and can tell me what she wants now, it’s like we have a totally different relationship all of a sudden, more understanding. 

More from the Daddy Cam

Taylor pulled out the pool on this hot August day so Miley could swim and go down her water slide and play in the backyard. Here she is in her new 3T!! bathing suit! She has a long torso and the 2T suits cut her off at the chest. This suit reminds me of my white and multi-colored polka-dot suit I had when I was little. Looks like she is watering the plants in this picture.

Miley and her Guitar!!

Miley LOVES rockin' out on her Guitar!

11 Weeks

11 weeks brought on a cold and a twisted back. No fun at all! Saturday I had to sit on a heating pad the entire day and could barely walk as my lower back hurt so much. It was a really rough day with pregnancy melt down after pregnancy melt down, I was able to get into a chiropractor on Monday, a different one as mine was on vacation, and he said my lower back was completely twisted. He fixed it but I need to go again as carrying Miley when she is kicking and screaming because it was time to go home while walking in grass in heals seemed to knock it right back out of position! URGH! Darn loose joints- sometimes pregnancy can just be no fun at all! On top of all of that I got a cold, and I never get sick, I maybe get 1 bad cold a year and it seems like this year my body is just worn out, the flu twice, bad sinus infection which caused a crohn's flare and now another cold. I think I need to go away to a warm beach for a month and just sit and sleep and relax and get my immune system back to where it use to be.

I am going away for the weekend with just the girls and I think I really need it! Just some time to myself, time to relax and time to sleep. I'm hoping after a weekend of fun I'll come back a New mommy, hopefully feeling better and completely refreshed and ready to get back into my Mommy role. I'm sure Mom's hate to admit it but I need to get it out- have you ever felt like you are almost getting to the point where you just don't want to care if your child is throwing a fit for no reason and just want to go away and let someone else deal with it because if you have to you might just completely freak out? Well- that is the point I am beginning to reach right now and this weekend away couldn't come at a better time. I feel like I am just crabby with everything. I get upset with Taylor for no reason, I get upset with Miley when she gets crabby, I get upset with myself for not having the self control to stay calm and deal with things like I normally do. It's just a rough time right now and I am ready to be start feeling good and having energy again. Throwing up is now just in the mornings when I wake up, although during the day I sometimes feel nauseous. Eating crackers and things before I get out of bed doesn't help because my mouth is dry which trying to eat makes me sick, and trying to drink something before I eat something makes me sick as well. For me, it's just easier to get it out of my system and then I feel better.

I'm just ready for fall, I'll be feeling better, it's my most favorite time of year, and Taylor will be back to school so we all will be back on a schedule. I hate to wish away the summer, but it is flying by and I am not looking forward to 90 degrees and humid this weekend, thankfully we will be on the lake, might have to take a swim to cool down or go for a boat ride. AAHHH That sounds amazing right now!

11 Weeks

Just because it is fun to compare- this is 12 weeks with Miley


On the Miley front- she is now majorly into Little Einstein's. She calls it Rocky-- which stands for Rocket as that is the Rocket ship that the Little Einstein's ride on as they travel the world. She has a Little Einstein's coloring book and loves to look at the pictures as she watches the show. She goes up to the TV and points and says ROCKY, ROCKY!! It's really rather cute. It's a really fun show, they ask you to help get Rocket started by patting on your lap, then on your tummy, and then raise your arms and shake your body- she loves doing this. We only have 3 episodes recorded right now and she has watched all 3 probably 20 times each! One episode is about a baby Goose and the Little Einstein's teach it to fly fast and Miley starts flapping her arms and flying with him. And her language is advancing every day, she says something new all the time and is really starting to get good at repeating a word that you ask her to repeat. And she really wants to start talking in sentences. The other night she was eating a piece of summer sausage- she just calls it MEAT! And I asked her to say Meat is Good- and she said Meat and then just made the sound of 'is good' like she really was trying to say it. She does this often, starts rambling and a couple words come out clear as day and then she just makes sounds to fill in her sentence. It's quite funny to listen to. And she is starting to become interested in the potty again, however, she doesn't want to sit on her little potty, she wants to use the big potty, which I have a double seated toilet seat, the first seat has a small hole for kids and the second seat is a regular one, it's the neatest toilet seat ever! Last night she wanted to sit on there and then all of a sudden Mommy had to go really bad but she wouldn't let me sit down to go, I tried setting her on her potty and she jumped up and said NO and then pottied on the floor. Which, wasn't her fault, but after sitting with her for 5 minutes trying to make her go, sometimes a pregnant bladder can't hold it either. We will keep trying as she continues to be interested in it. And Taylor is really good at working with her to go too, it's funny to listen to him in there trying to talk her into it and telling her to push!

Well- here's to hoping for a better week next week!

Daddy Cam

Miley and Joey playing in the backyard this morning.

Doctor Appointments

Yesterday's doctor appointments went really well, and Miley was very happy and good through both of them. First was the appointment for the baby, it was just the initial appointment going over all the details and a little exam. She checked to see if my uterus felt enlarged at all and she said right now it feels normal but it was towards the back so she said we will see what things are looking like in 4 weeks at my next appointment, and at that appointment we will be able to hear the heart. It's funny going through this a second time, they are brief with the stuff they go over and treat you like you are an old pro at it, which I am, but it's just funny to me. Now, I am just waiting to get all my results back from all the blood they took and then we wait another 4 weeks. And a little side note/question, if my uterus is towards the back then why the heck do I look like I am 4-5 months pregnant when I am only 2, I know you pop sooner the second time around, but man- this was really soon!

Miley's appointment also went well. She is 29.2 pounds (95%) 2 ft 8.5 in tall (75%) and she has lots of brains as her head measurment was 98%, I believe they said 49.5cm!! She did REALLY well with Dr. Heilman this time, she actually smiled when he listened to her heart and looked in her ears, although she wasn't a fan of him looking down her throat, but who is, those little wooden stick things make me gag just looking at them. She got 2 shots but the best news is that now she is all done with shots, besides flu shots, until she goes to kindergarden!! WOO HOO!!!

After the appointments we went to Taco John's and Nana was in Red Wing so she met up with us and Miley got very excited to see her there. It was a fun little treat for being so good at the doctors.

Picking Veggies

Just some fun shots of Miley's PONY TAIL!!! I love that I can do her hair now... now, it's just getting her to not mess with it once it's all done, she LOVES to play with hair so she always is grabbing for her hair, especially when she is tired.







Sunday we went out to my Grandpa's and picked some yummy veggies! Miley liked looking at LaVonne's pretty flower gardens, running around, and watching us pick veggies. Summer is so fun!

8 Weeks

I just hit week 8 on Tuesday and as promised- here is a belly shot... don't I look much further along than I really am?!?

8 Weeks with baby #2...


Comparison- 8 weeks with Miley...



We finally got our AC fixed which is amazing! It's so nice to see a new system outside instead of our OLD one. We all slept wonderfully last night- I soo didn't want to get up when the alarm went off! Miley was still sound asleep in her bed when I left and Taylor called at 8:30am and had said they had just woke up... I'm totally jealous! Gotta love some cool, non-humid air in the house! Yeah!

Week 7

So- the saying of Every pregnancy is different is totally true! I feel totally different with this one, could partly be because I'm experienced so I do things differently, and because my body has been through it before and knows what to do. I still haven't gotten sick with this baby- yet- but I also basically eat something every hour! And peanut butter is not far from me as I know that soothes my stomach. However, I feel like I look like I am 17 weeks pregnant already! (but have only gained 2 pounds) Again, I need to get a belly shot... I feel bad for not even taking one yet with this baby, they do say you never can keep up with all you did with the first... And my chest doesn't hurt AT ALL still! I certainly don't miss that feeling!

So- needless to say that since I look further along then I actually am- I am heading to the mall this weekend. Unfortunately, when I was pregnant with Miley I was able to dress casually so I didn't have to buy too much as I could get away with my t-shirts and comfy pants a lot of the time, well, now I have to dress up for work so I have nothing to wear! None of my pants fit me anymore, ALREADY! I can get them on but I cannot button them AT ALL- so I am off to get another tummy tube that is black so it matches my dress pants and a few tops to get me through this 'fat' part of pregnancy. I say it like that because we all know that at the beginning you look like you've put on the pounds versus having this cute round baby tummy.

Jackie and I are heading out together, she is due the week before me, it is SO fun to have a friend to go through every single week together. I NEVER imagined that one of my good friends would be due THIS close to me, I always dreamed of it but never thought it would happen and ours was a total accident-- so it must have been meant to be! And Kelsey is due 6 weeks ahead of me so it is fun talking baby talk to the both of them.

Our AC went out this week but I hope that it is getting fixed today- thankfully I'm not 8 months pregnant, but still even 7 weeks along and I don't like the heat. Miley and I are having a sleep over at Nana and Bumpa's tonight and possibly Saturday as it is the annual Bears golf tournament this weekend- so we like to stay far away as possible from those crazy Bears!

4th of July

We had a busy but fun 4th of July this year, I think it will continue to get better each year as Miley grows; it just keeps getting more exciting seeing her experience things. We started our festivites on Friday evening at the fair where she was slightly shy towards the rides until Landon showed up. She got so excited to see him that I asked them both if they wanted to go on a ride and they each grabbed one of my hands and we headed towards the rides.
This is Miley on the Merry-go-round, I think she got bored with it...

On the Dora ride with Landon, she looked nervous when it started but soon settled into her seat and enjoyed it.


Driving the Semi-Trucks with Landon.


Ok- against my wishes at first, Miley insisted on riding the Tilt-a-whirl. She saw Landon go on it and she got upset that she wasn't included and kept pointing at the ride and pulling us towards it. Taylor and my Dad said to just let her go and they would take her along with Landon. I couldn't believe I was actually letting this happen. She was all SMILES during her ride! In fact, when the ride ended she wouldn't let Taylor lift the bar up and she cried and cried and cried when they took her off, she was SO upset that I said- FINE- we will go again, this time I went with my Dad, Landon and Jenae. With a full car we really got spinning and I think that last time was good for her, she got upset when we got off but nearly as upset as the first time. Bumpa had to walk away from with ride with her to get her interested in something else.



Then it was on to the Pony rides! Miley didn't want to go on them at first, especially the white one, she wanted to ride a black one, so they switched pony's and as soon as they got going she eventually settled in, and by the end she was hanging on all by herself and riding like a pro. She got upset when it was time to get off this ride too. But was soon distracted by the Sheep in the sheep barn.

Then onto Saturday morning we headed to the park to have breakfast with Ken and Pam. Miley was a good girl and enjoyed Grandpa's hashbrowns.

We were also dog sitting over the 4th and we brought Lexi with us to the park and Miley loved walking her.


I didn't get any pictures at the parade but we came back down to the park for a picnic and the parade. Miley sat on my lap for most of it snuggled under a blanket. Dylan, Nana and Bumpa walked by and gave her some tootsie rolls and she LOVED them, after a little big of sugar she livened up a bit and got more into the parade, she liked the tractors and horses the most. Then it was back to Nana and Bumpa's camper to take a nap, we enjoyed a nice two hour nap before we headed up to Brendon and Shelly's for dinner, then back home to get ready for fireworks. We met up with Ken, Pam, Jenae and Landon for fireworks at the fairgrounds. Miley enjoyed the fireworks she kept reaching up to grab at them. But she only lasted through half of the show as she then snuggled into my arms and fell asleep and didn't wake up until morning, even when I took her jeans, coat and shoes off at home. She was a tired girl!



It was a great 4th and when I think about next year I get even more exhausted- a 2 1/2 year old and an infant... It's going to be an even crazier one!

End of week 6

Well- here I am coming to the end of week 6 and most of all the symptoms have set in. Extreme tiredness, wishy/washy stomach, crazy vivid dreams, up 3-4 times to go to the bathroom at night, cravings, it all came back. Although, knock on wood, I haven’t gotten sick like I was with Miley, so far. We laid low this long weekend- we really didn’t do much on Friday at all, laid around the house, laid in bed and finally decided to take showers around 3:00 as we were going to the fair at 5:30 and had a few errands to run. My pregnant tummy certainly enjoyed the fair food, I indulged on a couple corn dogs and baskets of cheese curds over the whole weekend, they totally hit the spot. Saturday was a very busy day and I was planning on dropping Miley off with my parents to nap and heading up to watch the game but I was so exhausted from hauling all of our picnic stuff up to my car after the parade that I had nothing left of me so I enjoyed a nice two hour nap with her.

Pam informed me that she had another dream that we had twins! I am anxious to go to my appointment on the 20th just to see if they think my uterus feels enlarged or not. A part of me thinks it would be fun to have twins, and the other part thinks of how exhausting that would be. I’ll be happy with whatever is in my tummy, and if it is more than one we know that we were one of the lucky ones that were blessed by God and he knew we could handle them. I just don’t know how Miley will do with that one, that would be quite an adjustment- more than one baby in the house! So- we will just have to wait and see. The 20th will be here before we know it, and I don’t really want to wish away the summer.

Taylor and I were sort of talking about names this weekend and we are ‘pretty sure’ of what we would name a boy, I say ‘pretty sure’ because we were ‘pretty sure’ with Miley’s name being Lily and I totally changed my mind two weeks before she was due. And I asked Taylor what he thought about for a girl’s name and he said we aren’t even going to discuss it because he just knows that this is a boy. 

Well- Here’s to week 7……..
4th of July post to come soon... Just have to find time to do it. :) A busy toddler keeps my hands full!