Welcome Baby Zoey!

Congrats Joel & Rachael!
Zoey Lenore Rydbeck
11/26/10
8lbs and 10oz
8:03 a.m.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Worst kept secret in Hollywood

You know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again!". After 4+ years of infertility, guess who is finally knocked up? I know exactly what you are thinking:

"Oh no, your perky sport boobs!"
"Gross, TMI!"
"I really admire your patience and positive attitude in the face of adversity and disappointment"
"How in the HELL???"

I peed on these

I am no math wiz, but I think our odds of actually conceiving with our pathetic history were calculated at less than 1% so you can imagine our SHOCK when the pregnancy test (which expired two years ago) was positive!!! Now, you may have already the heard the news if you are friends with my mother on Facebook, have run into her at Midtown Foods, have recently seen me toting my puke bucket and Ritz crackers around, or are a PT patient of Steve's. Otherwise, SURPRISE!!!

Truth is, we didn't do it alone (well yes, we did IT alone). Prior to starting another adoption next spring, we figured would try some alternative therapies before plunking down the hefty adoption fees (so worth it, but still very expensive). We had heard that some couples with unexplained infertility benefit from acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Because we love egg rolls and because my health insurance covered acupuncture, I made appointments for both Jake & I. Operation Balls of Glory was born! We never actually thought it would work, in fact I was 75% done with our new adoption website. Less than two months of needles and funky ball-shaped herb pills later, it worked!!!

Chinese herbs

I am officially 13 weeks (due end of May) and feel like total crap most of the time, very nauseated and exhausted everyday, but grateful for the experience. We saw the baby on an ultrasound at 7 weeks and heard the heartbeat at 11 weeks... so far, so good! We are grateful for our infertility journey because it brought us Norelle, who we could not live without!! It taught us how much we longed to be parents which helps us appreciate every single day. It is also a reminder that life is not fair and good people face hardships of every kind. All wonderful lessons, you know, like once they are over.

132 lbs and climbing

In true SoS fashion, I would be remiss if I did not mention all of the celebs who are also due around the same time: P!nk, Mariah Carey, Real Housewife of Atlanta Kim Zolciak, Anna Duggar, Rachael Zoe, and local non-celeb pals Jana, Angie Mc, and Sabrina S-T. Keep us all in your prayers!

early surprise!

Remember when I said I would blog all week and then have a big surprise for you on Thursday? The flaw with that plan was that a) I have nothing else to say all week and b) I am very impatient. Soooo, you will get your surprise on Wednesday! Whatever could it be? No one has any idea!! No one at all!! Please feel free to make ridiculous guesses and whoever's guess is furthest from the truth will win a prize in the form of me talking about your best qualities on my blog. The SURPRISE post could appear at anytime after 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday morning and whoever is the first to post a comment wins a prize in the form me talking about your best qualities on my blog. Are you excited? Super duper excited? Me too!

Bonus day - random thoughts

Daycare was closed today due to illness so Nori & I had a bonus day at home to get craftastic. Can you guess what we are making?

My friend is having a baby girl this week so I am loaning her all of Nori's infant clothes and as I folded each outfit I had flashback to memories and photos of my girl wearing those clothes. It was crazy how onsies can bring back such vivid memories!

I think I'll start my list of what I am thankful for and keep adding to it daily:

goldfish crackers
high school musical and senior vocal recitals
safe driving
family & friends
yellow labs
books
Bounce dryer sheets
fuzzy socks
Kashi Triple Berry Crisp
good jobs
coffee filters and markers
sales at Whole Foods
organized rooms and closets
jokes
Memory, the game
Tinkerbell movies

My brother is a bride!

The proposal

I knew he had a ring and I even suggested he propose at her senior recital but he said "no way". Big sister is right again! After the intermission he never came back to his seat so I knew something was up, but when the stage door opened at the end of the recital, I really knew it! Casey proposed to Jaimie tonight in front of her entire family, random UW students, Professor Park, and my mom & I. It was really awesome, I just still can't believe she said no. It's Facebook official, they are getting hitched! Gratitude, Casey found a wife!

the parents

Jaimie and her priest

ice road truckers

Back again? I missed you, too.

What a weekend! It started with chocolate cake and warm cookies at Anderson's for life group where we got to hear our friend Micah's cool life story. On Friday Nori got her flu shot/mist then we had bagels with Liam & Angie and took a nap before burgers at the Blue Door Pub with Jake's cousins, Zach & Tacy and Cole & Traci. On Saturday we squeezed in a Target run before Gramsie arrived, Jake cleaned the entire house all himself, we had Davanni's with babysitter/SIL du jour Ellen before heading off the see cousin Abby as the lead in West Side Story (she was charming and witty and gaaaaay). Today we furniture shopped for a bed & dresser for Nori's room and tonight is Casey's gf Jaimie's senior vocal recital in River Falls. Is that enough?

I got my turkey! We are hosting this year and my mom, who is taking the lead cooking role and never goes overboard, insisted we get a 25lb turkey so there are a weeks worth of leftovers for every single dinner guest. In honor of Thanksgiving, I will be posting a new blog everyday this week with the theme of gratitude, live blogging from the kitchen all day Thursday, and ending the day with a big surprise. Remember last time when I blogged all week? And how I said there would be a surprise, but then I forget to come up with one? This time I will try not to forget, okay? Are you excited?

If this post bored you to drink, try reading my favorite blog right now Enjoying The Small Things by Kelle Hampton for inspiration...