We're expecting a baby!

By this time I think most people in our lives know that we are expecting a baby in late May! We are excited to move into the next chapter of our lives and have had fun sharing our news! Our families are overjoyed to welcome the first grandchild on both sides.

We started to suspect that we were pregnant one weekend in mid-September that happened to be the weekend Kelly was visiting from Tahoe. Since we had a house guest and basically hosted a Century HS reunion all weekend, we decided not to take the test or talk too much about it until after Kelly left. Monday came, Kelly, left, and the test was positive. Thankfully, I have been feeling well throughout the first part of this pregnancy, and pray that continues.

We drove home to Wisconsin Rapids on Friday, November 7th to share the news with my family. That morning was the first snow fall in Mpls and the new snow lifted the anxiety I had about starting to share our news. My mom shrieked with excitement and kept saying "we're ready!" My brother and sister-in-law are also very excited for us and were surprised since they had seen us the previous weekend and had no idea. My dad promptly named the baby "Cletus the fetus" that weekend and it has stuck ever since.

Luckily, we were able to share the news with all of our immediately family in person. On Friday, November 21st, Jason's parents came to Mpls to embark on our family cruise. We shared the news that evening with "grandma" and "grandpa" gifts. Jason's mom jumped up & down cheering and everyone cried. We saw Jason's sister and brother-in-law two days later in Fort Lauderdale and announced through my "due in May" t-shirt.

Since then we've had fun sharing the news with friends, co-workers, and extended family. Most people are not surprised. Luckily, we have many friends and co-workers with kids, so the advice and some maternity clothes to lend are free-flowing right now.

Stay tuned here for more updates on the progress of our little Cletus. I'm sure we have many surprises ahead.

Caribbean Cruise

We have just returned from 7+ days in the Caribbean aboard the Crown Princess with Jason's family and it was a fantastic break! Six of us departed from Fort Lauderdale and visited the Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Grand Turk along the way. This was our first experience on a cruise ship, but we learned a lot from the pros, Jason's parents. Our favorite parts were the experience of being on a huge ship, waking up in a new place every day, exceptional food & service, and a chance to spend extended time together and with Jason's family. It was also an important time to celebrate the news of our pregnancy and Jim's near-end to cancer treatments together. Photos posted on picasaweb - see link to the left.