Baby Shower #1

So, I have this fabulous group of girls that I went to high school with and now they are all over the place and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. We all went to different colleges and now most of us live in different cities or states as well. Thank God for technology and cell phones because we have all been able to keep our relationships going in spite of these circumstances.

We are also lucky that the last 2 Christmas's we have had the opportunity to all get together and catch up. This year we were blessed to be celebrating two of us bringing little girls into this world in 2010!

Carly was nice enough to host a joint baby shower for Em and I and our little girls. Here are a few pictures to share in how generous and great my friends are. We don't get to see each other very often but they are so special to me and will be to our little girl as well (I will make sure she knows how special these ladies are!) and of course how good they were to her on this night.

Ooooh be prepared to be jealous, we got some good stuff!!

my oh so cute stroller from my mom

After I pulled everything out of the bags so I could show Matt all the goodies, sooo cute!

THANKS LADIES, baby girl and I had a blast with you all and I can't wait for you to meet our little girl and to see where 2010 takes all of us :)

Last Christmas Just The Two of Us

I love the holidays and always have but for some reason this year seemed to fly by faster than any before. One moment I was enjoying my Wed. before Christmas Eve off work and the next thing I know we are getting home from Lowell on the 26th and I'm exhausted. Where did the days go?? I know they were jam packed with love, loooots of food, and good presents! I found myself more exhausted on this Sunday after Christmas than any other but this could have something to do with the little person I am carrying and the fact that my early bedtime is slowly but surely making a reappearance. Goodbye staying up past 10 p.m. not happening with this lady anymore.

A couple fun things that came out of our Christmas festivities.

1. During the annual Heinekamp family viewing of It's a Wonderful Life, our baby girl affectionately gained the nickname ZuZu so she has been referred to as baby zuzu for the rest of the week by the whole Heinekamp family. I kind of think it's cute, it won't be her real name but until we come up with one, it's cute! If you haven't seen the movie you won't understand but she is the youngest daughter and has the famous phrase "every time a bell rings and angel gets its wings"

2. WE GOT HER BEDDING!(ok so only part of it) Mom wanted to make sure I liked it in person and boy do I ever. Cute Cute and more Cute all packaged in this little bag, look at that smile, that is a happy mom to be!

Here are a few pictures to share our Christmas weekend!

Christmas Morning at my parents with my brother and sister and the pups


After opening the amazingness that is her bedding!

our cozy little living room on the Sunday after Christmas, perfect napping environment!

Me and my man on Christmas Eve at Grandma's house :) love him to pieces!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I want to take this time before all of our lives become so crazy full of family, friends, food, presents and celebrating the gift that is Jesus, to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

I can't believe that this time next year we will have a little girl awaiting her first Christmas, new traditions to be made and fun to be had but for now I will enjoy our last Christmas just the two of us.

Merry Christmas
Love,
The Heinekamps

20 Weeks, Half Way point!!

So I have loved reading all the ladies surveys who have done these throughout their pregnancies. I like to compare and sigh at the fun little milestones I have yet to accomplish and give a little YES in triumph to the few nasty symptoms that I have yet to experience. So here is my first pregnancy survey at my 20 week mark!

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: up 5-8 lbs. depends on the scale

Maternity clothes? : definitely needing them more and more

Stretch marks? nothing new (yes, yuck, i already had a few)
Sleep: I can't sleep through the night, wake up at about 2 or 3 to pee and then move around from side to side, I know that's only going to get worse too as she starts move around more and I blow up like a whale

Best moment this week: seeing all of my friends on Saturday night for the first time since my belly started showing.

Movement: starting to feel those flutters and pops, she's in there!

Labor Signs: No way

Belly Button in or out? still in but getting shallow

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: Christmas with family and the joint baby shower for me and Em and our little girls :)

Weekly Wisdom: Don't try and clean the house as hard as you used to, your body hates you afterward, let the hubby help!

Milestones: Hitting half way today and of course seeing her move around at her ultrasound a week and a half ago. It was so fun to see her look human, last time she looked like a gummy bear.

Here are some ultrasound pictures as well :) ENJOY!!

Baby Girl on the way!!

IT'S A GIRL

So we went in for the BIG ultrasound last Thursday and got to see our little girl kicking, waving, trying to suck her thumb and of course rocking and rolling for us! Of course they say it's only 90% that this is a girl because something could always be small and hiding. Well I trust my ultrasound tech, she actually goes to my old church and knows my whole family, she knows she's in danger if she is wrong :)

It all finally seems so real, I've been feeling little movements (pops and flutters) for the past 2 weeks but now I know it's a little girl in there and I can stop referring to her as just baby or "it" she is a real person and looks so tiny and human like now, unlike the last time I saw her when she looked like I swallowed a gummy bear.

It's so crazy how one small piece of news and seeing this little person actually moving and living and breathing inside you can make you absolutely love them already! I can honestly say I already love our little daughter and cannot wait to meet her!

Pictures to come soon, they gave us a CD that I need to load but for now here is a sneak peak of what I have planned for our little girls nursery :) Enjoy!

This yummy bedding from Land of Nod!

This convertible crib in white!
Oh so excited, we will start making purchases and putting her room together after the holidays and we'll be updating you as it comes along.

This little girl is going to be so much fun!

Making Room For Baby (aka mommy is nesting already)

So recently I went through a phase where I wanted to change everything about our house. I quickly looked at our bank account and realized that new furniture, the new carpet, new bedroom set etc. was not going to fit into our planning for baby budget. So... I made due with making some more room in the living room (for all the toys and stuff that babies accumulate) and a little paint to fix up the one room that was never painted when we moved in.

It's not a major transformation but it was enough to satisfy my home remodeling craving (for now) hahaha the nursery is coming!!

First, we got rid of our tv stand that was covering up a perfectly beautiful window in our living room that we never opened because if Layla saw anything out that window she ran to it so fast not looking where her cute little paws were going and would step on the power cord therefore turning everything off. Now, the tv is on the wall and we opened up that whole corner! I see a baby swinging there in the near future :) Note: we are not completely done yet because I have two sconces that will soon be gracing the wall on either side of the tv to take away from the bla factor. Updated pics to come when that happens.



Next, the office, the only room that was still white in our house and it showed nasty marks from keeping 3 foster pups in that room and well it was just plain boring. So a gallon of paint and rehanging the pictures of the pups makes it feel brand new! I love a fix that costs under $30 :)



This is all for now but wait until the nursery comes, I CAN'T WAIT :) stay tuned!!

Oh yeah and did I mention before that we get to find out what this little one is in almost 24 hours!! Soooo excited :)

Finally, belly pics

Hello everyone and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope that everyone had a blessed day with all of their friends and family. Matt and I were able to go up to Lowell for Thanksgiving to spend the day with his mom's side of the family. Lots of people and lots of yummy food! Did I mention the lovely nap I took after I stuffed myself and baby into a food coma :)

My parents also celebrated their 26th Wedding Anniversary on Thanksgiving this year and we were lucky to celebrate with them the evening before with a classy dinner of pizza hut! Do I know how to host or what?

Ok, now for the real reason you tuned into this post because obviously the title promises belly pics and belly pics you will get. I decided I am 17 weeks along this week and it is time to suck it up and just do this for everyone's enjoyment (maybe even my own one day as I show our little one how I progressed through this whole journey!)

Quick update: Matt and I went to the Doctor the week before thanksgiving for my 16 week appointment. All my blood work from the last visit came back fine and the heart beat was a strong 160 again. It's always nerve racking during that 15 secs or so when they are trying to find the heart beat but then it's such a relief when you hear that amazing sound. Proof that their is still a little life counting on me to provide a healthy, loving environment for it to grow and develop. We will also be finding out the sex this coming Thursday Dec. 3rd so be sure to check back for ultrasound pics and the BIG NEWS!

17 weeks and 2 days along

Good Friends, Lots of Food!

I am so lucky to have the people that I have in my life! Matt and I spent the weekend 2 weekends ago with all of my boys from high school and their lovely wives or girlfriends. It was so fun to be with them and especially in Greg and Sarah's oh so cute home! They always make me laugh and cringe sometimes at the old stories we tell but there is never a dull moment.

There were 25 people at this years Thanksgiving and I hope that we can continue this tradition and only grow as our families grow (26 next year with our little one on the way, who's next??) Did I mention that everyone pitched in and I have never seen so much food in my life? It was oh so yummy and I don't think anyone went home hungry.

Thanks to Greg and Sarah for having all of us over in your beautiful home! Can't wait for 2010!

1st pair of maternity jeans, in love :)

Ok, so I must admit that when shopping for maternity clothes I became a tad bit frightened at all of the elastic all of the huge belly bands attached to the top of every pair of jeans i came across. Am i really going to blow up to the size that I actually fit my belly in those things, I know the answer is yes but geeez a tad bit to take in for the first time mommy.

I finally sucked it up and decided I needed to buy a pair of cute maternity straight leg jeans because my poor boots were staring at me from the top of my closet just waiting to be pulled out for the fall. They are so cute and I really didn't want to give them up. So I went on a mission. Old Navy rocked my socks off and delivered my first fab maternity find!

These are comfy (I still have no butt even though every other part of me is starting to grow outward except for the butt!!) so I have to pull them up but it doesn't bother me because i have to do it with my regular jeans as well. I decided I actually like the elastic band, no sucking in to make them button or zip! pull up and you are done! So awesome, why was i ever scared of this amazing creation? Oh did I mention they aren't a gizillion dollars like every other pair I saw online. Mommy likey!

Cute huh?

Words of Inspiration on This Friday Morning

This song is playing at my computer as I type and it seems so fitting for the end of a week. Maybe you had a great week and were very productive and accomplished or maybe you had a tough week and are going through something that you feel nobody understands.

Sidewalk Prophets say it best: "These are the words I would say"

Be strong in the LORD and never give up hope,
You're going to do great things
I already know
God's got his hand on you so don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget but don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say!

I hope these words of encouragment make a nice ending to your week as you go into the weekend and refresh yourself for the next week. God is Good :) This little peanut growing inside of me is proof of his presence and the miracles he makes happen every day for those who believe!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

P.S. Go Boilers (Matt and I are heading up to Michigan later on today with Todd and Lori for the game)

Baby's 1st Picture

So it took me a while to get this picture up on our computer obviously because it was taken at 8 weeks. (it doesn't even look like a baby) but I promise it's little heart was beating a quick 162 when this ultrasound was done.

My how things have changed since 8 weeks. I am now half way through my 14th week and my first week of my 2nd trimester. I can't believe I am already 1/3 of the way through!

Things I am excited for:
- To find out the sex of our little peanut (can't wait to buy clothes and decorate!)
- To feel the baby move for the first time
- To feel pregnant and not just like I ate too much at lunch and now i have to sit with my pants undone
- To have my husband feel the baby move, he doesn't have the opportunity to feel this baby grow like I do everyday
- To get over my fear of child birth (yeah right)
- To love this baby so much it knows nothing bad in this world and only knows how much it's parents love him or her

* Belly pics to come when you can tell it's a baby bump and doesn't look like i have a beer gut :)

Purdue Beats Ohio State (a little late)

So I am a little late getting this post up because I have been lazy about emptying my pictures off my camera and I couldn't make this post without pictures to prove that this happened!


So remember my small rant about our 1-5 Purdue Boilermakers and how bad this year was on a Purdue fan well that all changed on Saturday October 17th as my dad the optimist is already texting my brother "do you feel a miracle" at 12:04 p.m. Well that is exactly what took place a Miracle! (Robbie and Grandpa I think you had something to do with this)

Pryor had a less then stellar performance (not impressed) and our boys looked awesome! GO PURDUE way to beat Ohio State :) Top 10 really???



Ok, so we beat Illinois this past weekend and Matt and I are headed up to Ann Arbor in 2 weeks so lets keep this "streak" alive, prove everyone wrong (including myself) that we can end this season on the up side; 500 please!!

BABY HEINEKAMP!!!

So we finally came public with this wonderful news, we are expecting baby #1 on May 3,2010. I found out on a Monday evening and quickly flicked all the lights on in the house and woke up Matt who was napping on the couch with the dogs. I cried, I jumped up and down, and then we sat for a good hour trying to let it all sink in. (I don't even think it's really quite sank in yet)

We are so excited to be bringing a sweet little life into this world and one that is completely a mix of me and Matt :) Tune into the blog to hear all the funny moments, the emotional moments, all the cravings and freaking out over becoming a MOM on here as we let it unfold for all of our friends and family.

* Side note, ladies who have had bad morning sickness I am truly sorry, I have been so lucky and I was only sick for about 3 days right at my 8 week mark. So women who haven't had babies yet it is possible not to be sick for 3 full months!

6 months to get used to the idea of actually birthing this baby, that's gonna be a tough one!

Stay tuned,

Allison and BABY

The life of an event planner

So it is 2 days until my next big event at work which means my stomach has been in knots since Sunday night in hopes that I haven't forgotten anything, are all of my volunteers going to show up, is anyone really going to come, or in hopes that it's not going to rain. Well thank you weather man we are going to have scattered showers all day! :( I guess that is what I get for having a beautiful golf outing already this year and a beautiful walk last year. Well we are determined to make this event a success even if people get a little wet. It's for a good cause right?

So Walk With Me is in it's 2nd year and we are having it at Butler University once again this year and it will be taking place on Thursday evening. From 4:30 to 6:30 there will be fun games and activities for the whole famliy! Radio Disney will be there playing some tunes and of course giving away free stuff, we'll have a costume contest, face painter, and food. The walk begins at 6:30 and circles around part of Butler's beautiful campus!

Check out details at www.walkwithme.org/indianapolis

Home Improvements

So I know it has been a while since I last posted and we've had a few things going on here since then.

First of all, lets just get this out of the way. Purdue you are breaking my heart. We are 1-4, holy cow that hurts to say out loud. I guess I can always use the excuse that IU has used for the last 5 years in football and basketball, "this is a transition year". Hope I really hope you aren't "hopeless" hahaha no pun intended (ok maybe a little).

Second, everyone who has ever owned a home knows that when it rains it pours and it's been pouring in the Heinekamp home for about a month now. First, the dishwasher went out... so we bought a new dishwasher (one i loooove) yes you know you are old when you swoon over appliances. Matt along with a little helping hand from my dad succesfully installed the new one in one evening.

Fast forward to a couple weeks later, it's a lazy Sunday around the house for me and the pups which means I clean in between sitting my butt on the couch watching reruns of 90210 and One Tree Hill on Soap Net. Well I went to go pull out my cleaning stuff when what do I notice standing water at the bottom of our cabinet under the sink. (rains it pours, literally). So Matt begins to research installing a sink, after it is labeled easy and the dishwasher was labeled moderate he thinks he has it in the bag. Well 3 days later and about 10 trips to the Lowes it is in and BEAUTIFUL :)

My husband rocks, and with a little patience we didn't have to pay anyone to come out and fix either. :)

So that is the happenings in the world of the Heinekamps since we last posted. Looking forward to a great October, I LOVE FALL :)

It is almost my favorite day of the year!!

So much to be excited about today!!

1. It is FRIDAY!!

2. It is Friday of a loooong weekend and thanks to my little trip last weekend for work a 4 day weekend for me :) Tuesday off!!

3. I had lunch with my cousin today after a very long absence from seeing eachother, I got pooped on 3 times by a bird (the same bird I am pretty sure, it never showed it's face, COWARD) But it provided some much needed laughs after a long week.

3. Last but not least it is the night before COLLEGE FOOTBALL!! For those of you who have known me for a long time you know I am like a little kid on Christmas Eve awaiting a huge pile of presents under the Christmas tree the next morning. There is nothing like waking up packing up a cooler, jammin to some THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE!! (miss doing this with my bro and sis though) and then traveling up to Purdue for some football and tailgating. AHHHH can't wait. Hopefully we don't bake too much in stands from the heat and hopefully the boys don't fall flat on their face out there like a middle school football team but both are very likely at this point. Keep fingers crossed that neither of these scenarios happens and we bring home a W!

BOILER UP!!!!

Pictures as Promised

Our newest member of the family!! Meet Bentley :) This is Bentley with hair, he is shaved now for summer, but isn't he handsome?!?!
Matt and I after the amazing Wicked show at the Murat!! Great Anniversary gift!!

NEW BLOGGER!!

So this is all brand spankin new to me but I am tired of reading everyones blog and not having one of my own. So I'm giving it a shot!

First things first, lets catch up on the life and times of the Heinekamps :)

We have now been married over a year, we had our 1 year anniversary on June 20, 2009! My amazing husband bought us Wicked Tickets and not just any tickets but Row E center stage! HECK YES MY HUSBAND ROCKS!! Not to mention the beautiful flowers he brought home.

We also added to the family and adopted the newest member in April, a 4 year old Golden Retriever who we have named Bentley. He is now our angel sent here to free us from the craziness that was the Layla Puppy, he is now her outlet for all her energy and they run and play and can beat up on eachother all they want! We love our dogs and couldn't imagine life without their cute furry faces :)

That is all for now and check back because there will be pictures to come!

*I am going to love this blogging stuff, make sure to follow us!!!