27 Candles...

Thursday and Friday Brad and I celebrated our 27th birthdays! (I can't decide whether to put an exclamation point behind that statement or not:) We had a great few days of celebrating. Thursday night we went out with Brad's family to Phil's in Saugatuck for supper and Friday night we had a BBQ with our friends hosted by the Heukers. It was great being with our friends. All that baby talk is making me want to have the baby ASAP but I am trying my darnedest to enjoy this time Brad and I have left together alone (in peace and quiet:). Saturday night we went to my mom and dad's for pizza with the whole Rotman gang. I love those nights because we all get a chance to catch up on life and although it is usually loud and chaotic, we love being around our nieces and nephews - they are all so full of life! Well, we have been blessed with 27 great years of life, but I am confident that this coming year for us will be the most profound and wonderful for us yet!

Summer Showers

My first baby shower was given to me by my Aunts on August 14. It was so much fun because all of my mom's side of the family and dad's side and Brad's Mom, sisters, and Grandma were there. There was a ton of ladies, all of whom I love dearly, which made for a really fun and special night!

                                                                Me enjoying the shower

                                          Mom, me, Aunt Shari, Aunt Jane, and Aunt Jane

                                                               The whole family crew

My second shower was held on August 28 by the lovely gals that I work with at Raymond James. Kathy, below, is a really close friend of mine that I work with, and she did an amazing job setting it all up for me. There was yummy food, fun games, and a great atmosphere since it was held in our new office on 8th street. I will greatly miss seeing all of them during my maternity leave even though I can't wait to be home with my little girl!

                                                                       Kathy and I

                        Kathy, Dawn, Tina, Tiffany, April, me, Kristen, Kari, April, Ilse (and Anna)
My friends, Mere and Lindsey threw me an awesome friends shower on Saturday. It was so much fun! I loved it because it included some of my absolute dearest and oldest friends (and family) and friends that I have grown to love over just the past few years. I felt so blessed that they came together to make me feel so loved. My college bud, Shawna, came from 2 hours away just to come to the shower and we got to spend the day together - it meant so much to have her there. I have wonderful friends and it was a wonderful day!

                                                                     Shawna and I                          
                          Daysha (Kolter), Lindsey, Jill, Jamie, Shawna, Mere, Julie, Lisa, and Angie

A look back at summer

Okay - with the internet down we didn't blog much at all. So, this is my (brad's) attempt to throw a bunch of pictures out there showing a little bit of what happened this summer. Check back often as I'm sure Jill will disapprove of some photos once she sees this and will have some additions to make :)

(these pictures are not in any certain order)

The whole Rotman family up at Cadillac
Sarah, Jill, and Angie

Yep...she's still pregnant

This summer was also full of swollen feet for Jill (aka Cankles)

Jill and the Lakeshore Group finally made it to their new digs on 8th street

                    "Man-O-lympics" - big D took the plunge and won:)  Jim, Darrell, Curt, and Brad

Reed playing ball

Mom and Dad Koning

Betsy and Jake showing off their golf skills at Big Star golf course

Curt bailing Brad out at a wedding after he lost his voice...doesn't Curt look comfortable?

                                                                4th of July at Big Star
                                                                     Kylee and Brad
                                                                  Dad and Mom Koning

                                                                 Mom and Dad Rotman

                                         Grandpa and Jill - winners at the bean bags tournament

Some hang time w/ Kennedy

                                                 The burial of Uncle Brad at Holland Beach

                                                                    Kolter just chillin'

There were a lot of babies born this spring/summer...

Alden James Lucas

Layla Belle Geurink

Kolter Rotman

Jonathan Alan Heuker

We're back and ready to go!

Finally our internet is up and running! This weekend I am going to post a recap of what we did this summer since it has been forever since we had a real blog, but for now I am just going to cut to the chase of what is new with us. Life is good and basically to sum it up, we are just waiting on our little girl to arrive. I had a Dr. visit on Tuesday and he said that I am dilated to 1 cm and 50% effaced! Not that I am counting on it by any means, but he thinks I will be early. This brings Brad and I somewhat mixed feelings. We are a little anxious b/c that means life as we know it is almost over, but totally pumped b/c we are dying to meet our little honey. On a side note, I am getting increasingly uncomfortable and having some pain and lets just say I have had permanent kankles that don't quit:) In addition to that, I am getting like no sleep at night and would therefore be really excited if we had her a bit early. But no matter what - even if I end up going on the 29th or later, we will be pleased as punch to be new parents. I feel like we are constantly preparing and I am annoyingly nesting...a lot. This has been such an exciting, scary, and awesome journey and we can't wait to get to that final destination! Stay tuned for more updates and pics!

The Blossoming Baby Bump

Well - I did it - I have survived the 1st and 2nd trimester and am now beginning my third. I cannot believe that I am 27 weeks already! Besides the kankles that keep creeping up on me - I can't really complain. I feel like my belly cannot stretch any more but I am afraid it has only begun. She is sitting super low so that is a bathroom challenge, but with her growing, I feel her constantly and it is the coolest feeling ever. It is hard to fathom that I have a little one inside of me and she likes to remind me she's there all day. It is strange because although September seems a long ways off, 13 weeks doesn't seem like that long to go. I am so anxious to have her - I know that I shouldn't wish the time away - it will be bittersweet to let go of my alone time with Brad - but I just cannot wait to see her face!

Nursery News

                                            

                               

                         



We finally did it! We got our nursery painted! Our theme is brown and pink (with a touch of polka dots). Our spare room basically has not been used at all - just mostly as an extra closet - so it is so cool to think that within a couple of months, our little baby love will be using it! Here are a couple of pics - Brad did a great job painting and putting the crib together!  I don't have the bedding on the crib yet and our changing table was damaged when we got it sent to us so we should be getting a new one on Tuesday. The picture doesn't show the colors very nicely but we really like how it turned out.

Layla Belle Geurink

A beautiful baby girl was born to our dear friends, Joe and Mere Geurink. Her name is Layla Belle, and she was born 9 weeks prematurely on June 4. She is the sweetest thing with such dainty and delicate features. She was a tiny little peanut weighing in at 3bls 12oz and 16 inches long. Mere was put on strict bed rest a few weeks ago and our prayer was that she would hold off til the end of her pregnancy to have the baby, but God had different plans for her. Although there were many concerns for having her come early, God has blessed her richly and she is doing so well. Layla is staying at the NICU at Spectrum and breathing on her own and able to take some feedings all on her own- she is a little trooper! At times she has a feeding tube because she gets tuckered out easily. She is currently being treated for the precursor for jaundice but otherwise she is doing so good. We have been able to spend time with her a couple of times already at the hospital and each time I see her the first thing that comes to mind is that she is a miracle baby! We feel so strongly that she is another sign of God's goodness in this world. Although our hearts hurt for our friends to have to go through this, it has been awesome to see them as such loving and caring parents. Please keep them all in your prayers as we all hope and pray that Layla will be able to come home soon strong and healthy!