Crib Craziness

Hey friends,
I need some opinions from y'all (especially parents) or non-firstborns about crib selection.
We went crib shopping this weekend, but we can't decide if we want/need a convertible bed that eventually becomes a full size bed or if we should save $200 and just get a regular crib.
Who's to say that our kid will be in a room that can hold a full size bed and other stuff? I always had a twin. THEN, what if the next kid or two has a smaller room that can only hold a twin, but the first born has this fancy bedroom suite b/c Ryan & I had money now that we won't later?!?!
BUT, since my parents have offered to buy the crib and are open to buying the convertible, should we take advantage of that offer and then our kid will definitely have a nice bed? We can use the other money in the budget to get a dresser & rocker. I mean, should we not get a nice bedroom suite for this kid because we MIGHT not have money to do it for the others? Convertible cribs are all the rage. Should we go with the flow?
Who knew the crib purchase could impact our entire future family's dynamics and sense of worth? :D

We are liking the white furniture with the bedding by Cocolo called "Tropical Punch", BUT nothing is set in stone.

Movement

This past week I started to feel some "tapping" down below during work. It is truly a bizarre experience and awfully distracting during work. :) Although it's a bit disconcerting, I am growing used to feeling our daughter moving around inside of me and feel a little concerned when I can't feel her for a little while. SO many new experiences.

It's a GIRL! :)

Ryan & I got to see our little one yesterday during our 18 week ultrasound. The technician felt very confident in telling us that it's a little girl (who is measuring well in every important aspect). It was neat to see how they check and measure her heart, head, facial structure, neck, hands/feet, spine, chest, etc. They can check for many birth defects just through this ultrasound and we were happy to hear that everything looks good.She is about 8 oz now and between 5-5.5 inches! Ryan & I had a fun night out on the town celebrating our news and dreaming about this big news! We're planning on sharing the name only AFTER she joins us in December BUT you're welcome to give us your best and favorite options. No-we don't want to use "Candy". Thank you for the many folks who have ALREADY thought of that. DO BETTER! ;)

Most recent additions to the name pool include: Sweet, Indian, and Field. Oh-and an early contender Bjorn. :) SO CLEVER YOU ALL!

Our very own!

SO I have been a bit preoccupied with this new adventure of pregnancy and have neglected my blog. :)
Ryan & I found out April 11th that we were pregnant, catching us both by suprise, but we are 100% excited for this blessing to arrive on Dec. 11(ish). Ryan is a very proud father-to-be and is quick to help me and is very sympathetic to my moods and symptoms.
The morning sickness is pretty bad (like daily) and so they finally gave me some FANTASTIC drug that keeps me from puking all the time. Happy for that. We find out tomorrow (hopefully) if it's a boy or a girl. I think it'll feel a lot more "real" when I can start thinking of baby names and planning a nursery. Ryan said that as soon as he knew we were pregnant, he knew it was a girl. To contrast him, I'm saying BOY! :)
The last ultrasound was at 12 weeks and our baby was doing flips and sucking it's thumb. It's the craziest thing for me to realize there is a little person living inside of me.
No weird cravings (everyone asks). I'm just happy to eat and keep it down!
I made the move into maternity clothes a few weeks back and life is much more comfy. I may never return to pants with zippers! ;)
Think that'll do it for now. I'll write tomorrow with the update and maybe some pictures!

Easter

We had fun at Easter visiting with friends and family!
I had fun decorating Easter eggs, making a bunny cake and hanging out with my neice, Sophie, who was visiting from Colorado!

Ryan LOVES the babies!

Ms. Ashlyn Riddle is almost 1 year old (note the same hair cut is shared by the pair)

Ms. Hailey Bockstruck is just 3 months old! (She's a Cubs fan and not sure what to think of this guy's Cardinals shirt) :0

Birthday Fun

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate my birthday with me! I had a blast learning to duck pin bowl and sharing a great meal with friends. Kudos to Ryan for baking his first two-tiered birthday cake (the 34 candles were a bit much however)! I am blessed!

Feb-March

Hey friends,

This is us on our 1 year anniversary trip (2/18) to Brown County, IN. We were at Butler winery for a bit right after a big snow/ice storm. All the trees and vines were covered in a thick wrapping of ice that caused the sunlight to reflect off of them like my gorgeous diamond ring. It was amazing and I don't think I can do it justice with words. Even though the calendar says we've been husband and wife a year now, it still doesn't feel like it since we've only been able to LIVE together since late last May. I'm so blessed to have been chosen by such an intelligent, loving and joyful man to be my partner in life! I'm thankful too for the love our our family and friends (old and new)!

We began our new couples study last month and have enjoyed a chance to focus on God and our marriage together. The studies "require" us to have dates where we discuss the lesson and make plans on how to apply what we learned. I think we've all agreed that those times have really been a great encouragement!

I'm forever looking for new ways for Ryan & I to "bond" over shared loves. To that end, we went to a cat show that came to Indy a few weeks back. It was on the smaller side, but still there were plenty of cats to entertain us. We fell in love with the ultra-playful short haired cats called Devon Rex. Our three cats keep us busy enough that we won't look into adding another feline any time soon, but it was fun to see the different creatures! Our three spoiled kitties got a new piece of cat furniture which they LOVE! It's about 6 feet tall and has surfaces to scratch, but most importantly to sleep on. Oscar cracks me up on the top of it as he chases his tail in circles. :0 He's an odd one!

My co-worker Janie brought in a Rally's take-out bag designed as a costume for any cats wanting to be a "Rap Cat". Emmy immediately wanted to sport the jersey and gold chain, so after cutting MUCH larger openings for her plus-sized body...she mugged for me in her rap attire! GOOD KITTY!

That's all I got for now...thanks for reading. I'll share more with y'all later!