I got a call from a friend of mine in Florida.  I was surprised to hear from her, especially in the middle of the day.  She called to ask me if I remembered how to tell if a certain brand of pregnancy test showed the results.  I sent these to her quite a while ago and I had no clue anymore. I felt badly at first, but then she described what she was looking at, two lines. One a strong pink and the other there, but not as strong.  Now in the world I live in, if you’re trying to get pregnant, lines are good.  I told her to go out and by two digital tests that show “pregnant” instead of lines. 

I was excited, but trying not to get too excited.  You see, this is a friend who has been through the ringer.  She and her wonderful husband have been trying to get pregnant for FOUR years.  In that time I have had two babies.  They have been to so many specialists, accupuncturists and whoever else has a degree in helping you get pregnant.  They have also had their hearts broken a few times in the adoption arena.  To say that these two want to be parents is the understatement of the century. 

Well the digital tests both showed PREGNANT.  Now it’s time to get more excited!  She called her doctor and went in to have blood drawn because we all know this is the be-all-end-all when you need to find out if you’re pregnant or not.  To say that the 24 hours we all waited to find out the results was a long time is again an understatement.  That said, if you heard lots of screaming, jumping up and down and general shreeks of happiness around 3pm yesterday it was a big group of friends celebrating an even bigger miracle.  There are eight of us along the East Coast and one in the middle of the country, but I think we made enough noise that the entire country heard us scream with excitement.

So go through your day today and maybe you too will get a call that will remind you that God does answer prayers with miracles.

Now I’m supposed to hang out here at home and rest and wait for things to progress.  I’m currently 2+cm dilated and 80% effaced.  Big deal really.  Squirt hasn’t moved down into position yet so it may be a while till we get to the maternity floor of the hospital.

The doctor I saw yesterday is my fave and the one who delivered Rylee.  She’s a lot of fun and I really hope she gets to deliver Squirt too.  She’s going to be at the hospital today and next week on Friday and then Sunday.  So if I want her to do the honor then I need to get things moving quickly or else settle in to wait another week.

I’m pretty sure you can guess when I’d like to see her again.

We kicked of New Year’s Day with Penn State losing the Rose Bowl to USC.  Bill and I had been lamenting the fact that due to me being 33 weeks pregnant we were not able to travel to Pasadena this year for the game.  But we know that PSU will be back there someday and we plan to be there to cheer them on, live,  next time.

On Friday January 2nd my friend Kristina, who lives in Minneapolis, gave birth to her and Jason’s first child, a girl named Lillian Kaye.  Kristina was a week behind me in her pregnancy and we were all hoping Lillian would be able to wait at least another two weeks before making her big debut.  However, this little girl is a force to be reckoned with and came incredibly early.  She was born at a very small 3 pounds 13 ounces and she has been in NICU.  From what I’ve been told she will need to remain there for about another four weeks. She has been improving and today was taken off oxygen and is breathing what Kristina deemed “room air” with minimal assistance.  Go get ‘em Lillian!

We are so happy for Kristina and Jason and we will keep their little family, and especially Lillian in our prayers.

In yet another surprise, tonight the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings to move on to the next round of the NFL playoffs.  We are looking forward to yet another weekend of football for one of our teams. E-A-G-L-E-S…..EAGLES!!!

Whew, that’s a lot in just four days.  I can only imagine what else lies in store for us this year.  We are very much looking forward to the arrival of Squirt and we think that Rylee is starting to somewhat understand things.  She still loves to lift my shirt and rub my belly.  Some days, like today, she likes to give the baby hugs & kisses too.  I hope this continues when Squirt is no longer in my belly!

I’d like to wish you all a Very Happy 2009.  I hope this is a year full of excitement & fun for you and your families.  Check in here to find out what the year brings for the Mas.

That’s right, we are expecting again!

Squirt’s estimated due date is February 19th, 2009.

Well babe, it’s been another busy month for our family. In one short month we decided to start looking for a single family home again (we had stopped looking for a few months), found a place, put our house on the market and sold it. Actually it took less than one month for all of this to happen, more like three weeks. Whew! What a whirlwind of month it’s been!

In this month you achieved a major milestone—-you are now walking as your major mode of getting around. In less than a month you seem to have mastered walking in your bare feet. It’s fun to watch you toddle around the house. Daddy also decided it was time to teach you to go up the steps. Wow, could you be more proud of yourself? You are quite the pro at it. We’re still working on having you come back down. You’re almost getting the hang of it.

Your vocabulary is getting bigger, but only on your terms. Every now and then you will sign and say “All done” at the end of a meal. You have Momma and Dadda mastered and use them quite a bit. You are now signing “Please” after signing and saying “More”. Now and then a “Thank You” will slip out, but is more of a rare word for you.

We’ve noticed that you’re becoming a bit bored with some of your toys so we’re on the lookout for some that are more enteraining and educational for you. We got you a neat puzzle that has animals on it. When you put the puzzle piece on the board you hear the sound the animal makes. We think it’s pretty cool but you seem to just love dumping all the pieces and seeing how many you can hold in one hand.

At daycare they have just started to transition you into the toddler room. You are now spending about an hour or so a day in the room with the 1-2 year olds. You’ve done fairly well too. Your favorite part is that you get to go outside. You love being outside so this is a new bit of fun for you. It’s definitely an adjustment, but you are going to love it in there. You even brought home your first coloring project. Miss Tricia helped you with it and hangs on the fridge. We’re looking forward to getting much more artwork for the fridge soon.

You like to spend a lot of time riding around the house on the neat little vehicle that Yeh-Yeh and Ni-Ni got you for your birthday. You ride around and seem very intent most of the time. Then you hit a wall and get frustrated. You still to work on learning how to steer it.

You went to your first wedding this month too. Our friends Dawn & Mark were married and PaPa did their ceremony. It was a very nice evening and you had a lot of fun. Congrats to Dawn & Mark. You also welcomed 5, yes 5 new friends to the world this month. We are so excited for all of our friends and family who are enjoying their newborns. It’s been fun getting the announcements and photos!

We have started packing up the house for our move in August. You have been such a big help by constantly moving the same empty box all over the first floor. You think it’s hilarious to pick it up and drop it. Given this, you will not be asked to help pack the dishes. You are still in love with paper. Any kind of paper will do for you. You love to take it out of the office trash can and walk around with it some days. Other days you like to sit and crumple it or rip it. It’s nice to know we have so many toys for your entertainment taking up all kinds of space in the house.

The next month will be an interesting one as more of the house is packed up. You will probably wonder why we took down all the neat artwork and replaced it with boring brown boxes. I am waiting to take down the artwork in your room until the end though. You love pointing to Pooh and Tigger every day when you get up. When we walk out of your room, every time, you wave to them.

It’s been a fun month. I can only imagine what fun is in store ahead.

Love, Momma