Our Baby is a ......!

So with all the excitement of Christmas, I just found time to blog/announce the sex of our third child.  On Friday we had our ultrasound appointment, and got some great pictures of our little one.  Today marks 20 weeks pregnant and half way til we get to meet our baby.  Right now the baby weighs 11 ounces and is about the length of a banana.  I am feeling more and more movement everyday!  We decided to keep the sex of our baby to ourselves until Christmas Eve to share with the rest of our family when they came over.  Bill helped Rylie cut in to the gender cake to reveal a blue or pink center. Our family was devided pretty evenly on who thought the baby was a girl and who thought it was a boy!

                                               Profile of our baby

We are happy to announce

                                                              It's A

                                                               BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are very excited about the new addition we are expecting to our family!

Pregnancy Update: 19 weeks and Counting

Today marks I am 19 weeks pregnant, I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going, and that I'm almost half way there to meeting our third child.  I definitely look pregnant now, and I look and feel bigger than I was at this point last time when I was pregnant with Liam.  I hear it's normal to get bigger faster the more babies you have, it doesn't make me feel better about my expanding waistline though.  I asked Bill last night, if he wanted to get me a Christmas present that he could carry the baby for the next 4 months, he just looked at me and smiled.

Rylie asks me everyday if I have a baby in my belly and when is the doctor going to get "her" out.  She is in total denial that she could be having a brother. I asked her if she would be okay if she had another brother and she replied, "Yes, a brother would be okay, but then could you give me a sister?"  I told her mommy wouldn't be having any other babies and she might just have two brothers.  I feel bad and if I could guarantee her a sister, I would have one more(Bill will probably roll his eyes at this), but since we don't get to pick a boy or a girl, we are stopping at three children no matter the sex.  All that matters is a healthy baby, and I'm sure Rylie will love and accept her brother or sister.

I do have a few pregnancy cravings.  My favorite breakfast is cinnamon/raisin bagels with honey nut cream cheese and butter with chocolate milk to drink.(explains my expanding waistline right!)  I love milk when I am pregnant, it has been that way with all of my pregnancies, and I can't get enough of it.  I crave Mexican food, we are having a Mexican food themed Christmas Eve dinner!  I also crave a big cheeseburger every now and then.

I am pretty much over my morning sickness.  Brushing my teeth does make me gag and sometimes vomit.  I know it's weird and I've tried different toothpastes, but I still gag.  Some patients come into work smelling like cat, makes me sick, as well as smelling smoke and raw meat.  I am happy that most of my nausea is gone.

We find out the sex of our baby on Friday, and we are very excited to finally know if we are having a boy or girl.  Hopefully the little stinker cooperates so we can see between the legs!!  We have been told by three different ultrasound techs what the baby mostly likely is (shh, don't tell my mom, she will hold her Christmas cookies hostage for not telling her), but we are keeping it to ourselves until Christmas Eve when all of our family comes over.  I still don't believe the sex that the ultrasound techs have told me. I just had in my mind what the baby was when I found out I was pregnant and I am unsure of what they see the baby is.  We will find out for sure who is right on Friday!

So that's the scoop on what has been going on with the baby, the pregnancy is going pretty good so far.  I will post some baby bump pictures soon.  Once we share with our family what the baby is, I will try to blog our ultrasound and some pictures of our growing baby.

Getting All Caught Up & Ready for Christmas

I've been a bad blogger, mainly because we've been so busy.  Sure I've made sure to catch up on my friend's blogs during the kid's nap time, but my blog has been neglected. So you'll have to read my previous posts, back-dated, to get all caught up on what the family I love so much as been up too!

We are getting all ready for Christmas, actually I'm much more ahead of the game than I was last year.  I do apologize to those just now getting their Christmas cards.  I had to finish a thirty page paper for one of my classes to wrap up the semester, and when I tried to get to the post office during the flooding rain on Tuesday, well the drive thru lane was flooded and I wasn't going to risk my children's lives trying to make it through a flooded street to mail Christmas cards. I hope they are worth the wait, and if I had to be slacking on the whole Christmas front, then mailing our Christmas cards late is my slacking moment.

As far as Christmas shopping, I'm pretty much done. I have a few things left to get, but my plan is to wrap up all shopping and having to go out to any store, including a gas station by the 23rd.  This pregnant mama is not going to be fighting through any crowds or traffic trying to get last minute Christmas items or anything that makes me have to deal with people other than my family.

The kid's are very excited for Christmas! Okay Rylie is the only one really excited, but Liam does love the decorations and lights.  I get excited for Christmas too, not because of gifts, but because I get to see Christmas through their eyes and make Christmas special for them, like my mom always did for me.  I love hearing, "Mom our tree is beautiful," "Our gingerbread house is so cool," and "Daddy you did a good job hanging up the lights." See for Rylie and Liam(when he gets older), it's not about presents, it's about the traditions and memories of Christmas that we are making together as a family.

This week we will be wrapping up last minute Christmas details, doing Christmas projects with the kids, and getting ready for our 2nd annual Christmas Eve dinner at our house.  Last year was the first year we stayed home on Christmas Eve and had people over. We kept it small, only having my friends and parents over, but this year it grew to my parent's, my in-laws, Bill's brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews for dinner.

Christmas Eve dinner will be very special because we will be revealing to our family if our third child is a boy or a girl. Yep on Friday the 23rd, we finally will see on ultrasound if I am carrying a boy or a girl.  Then, we will keep it a secret until Saturday night at our Christmas Eve dinner.

I hope everyone has a great week as the countdown to Christmas is here, and nobody goes insane trying to get last minute Christmas stuff done!!!

Raining Christmas Project

Today, it has been pouring rain all day long!  Most people in Yuma welcome rain since we NEVER get it, but I hate it, especially with two small kids.  When I went to get them from preschool today, it was still pouring, so I had to make a plan to get them to the car and keep them as dry as possible.  I decided to run with Rylie to the car first, however I needed to hurry to get her coat on and make it out before Liam saw me.  Well the plan failed because it took a little while to find Rylie's coat and Liam saw me only taking Rylie.  Poor guy had a meltdown, thinking mama was leaving him at preschool and only taking Rylie home.  Luckily his teacher held him until I could run back in and grab him.  He practically dove into my arms!  I kept telling him I wasn't leaving him, but until he was in my arms, he wasn't so sure.

I decided since it had rained all day and the kids hadn't got to play outside, that I wanted to do a fun project with them.  I decided we were going to make a gingerbread house.  Rylie was excited and Liam could care less, except for the candy.  So Rylie and I spent a couple hours making our gingerbread house, and I think Rylie ate just as much frosting and candy as went on the house!  It was a fun project and Rylie says, "Our gingerbread house is so cool mom!"
                                           Our finished project and Rylie

It's Starting to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Well with a busy Thanksgiving weekend, we didn't have a chance to get our Christmas tree or decorations up.  We decided to put up our tree tonight.  The kids were all excited as Bill brought in the box of decorations.  As we decorated the tree, we had the movie "Christmas Vacation" playing.  Rylie was a big help putting on the decorations, and Liam tried taking them off as quickly as they were put on.  Once the tree was all finished, the kids loved the lights and shinning decorations.
                                                     Our finished tree

                                                     The tree all lit up

Bill will be putting the lights up on the house later this week, and he was less than thrilled with the new decorations I brought home to add to the front yard!  I am very excited for all the Christmas surprises and projects I have planned for the kids!

Home from the hospital and Rylie's diagnosis

Well Rylie got discharged from the hospital today around 12:00.  She is very happy to be home, but is still tired and is recovering. 

Last night when we were admitted to the Pediatric floor, the on-call Pediatrician met us in Rylie's room.  After examining her, he said it looked like on top of the cold virus/dehydration she had that she also had an ear infection and a urinary infection.  He wanted to keep the fluids going and add IV antibiotics.  Poor boo still wasn't eating or drinking. Bill came up to the hospital to spend some time with Ry before going home to take care of Liam.  It is hard when you have two kids, because you both want to stay with your sick child, and at the same time know one of you has to be home with the other child.

We did have a rough night, with little sleep.  Rylie's fever wouldn't go down and the nurse was in frequently to monitor her fever, give medicine and make sure her fluids were going.  Poor Rylie got scared every time the nurse came in. She was afraid to be poked or to have to take more medicine.  She did manage to hold down some chocolate milk that I snuck into her(she was supposed to have only clear liquids).

This morning, Rylie was feeling much better, she had three times the urine output during the night as she had done all day yesterday.  Her fever stayed down, she was smiling again, and had managed to eat a little food.

I am happy to be home with her, and I will be keeping her home tomorrow to give her another day of rest.  We have to follow up with her pediatrician on Monday to check more lab results.

The Germs Strike Again...

Well Liam is feeling a lot better, unfortunately our Rylie is not.  I took both kids to the doctor yesterday, Liam for a check-up and Rylie because she had been running a fever all weekend.  Again, I was told Rylie just had a cold virus that would get better over time.  Last night Rylie couldn't keep down Motrin or Tylenol, and we had a hard time keeping her fever down.

                               Rylie in the ER just after IV fluids were started
This morning she wasn't doing well at all. She was very lethargic, refused to eat or drink, and I couldn't keep her fever down.  I realized she hadn't been urinating normally and had tried to go to the bathroom but couldn't.  As her fever reached almost 104, and not being able to get her to hold down medicine, I decided it would be best to take her to the ER.

Her urine wasn't too abnormal and her strep screen on her throat was negative.  She had only gone to the bathroom when we first got to the ER and hadn't since.  Her fever remained high and she still refused to drink or eat.  The doctor asked if I wanted an IV started to hydrate her.  Of coarse I hate seeing my babies stuck with needles, but after talking it over with the doctor, we decided it was best to make sure she was hydrated, and they would draw blood at the same time to check for anything else abnormal.

Her labs came back that her potassium was low, and other values showed she was dehydrated. The ER doctor thinks it's best if she stays the night in the hospital to make sure she gets hydrated and her fever stays down. My poor boo boo, I feel so bad for her, but glad I didn't take any chances.  I will update on how she is doing tomorrow.  I'm praying the fluids will make her feel better and her fever will stay down.

Family Picture Mishap

Every year we take family pictures for our annual Christmas card.  I had planned on a friend taking our pictures this year, except due to a tragic event in her family, we went to JC Penney instead.  Part of the mishap was my fault and part was theirs.

Last night when we got home from my cousin's wedding, my sister-in-law told us Rylie wasn't feeling good and we found her to have a fever.  So I had one child just getting over his illness and another child becoming ill.  I had the day off and really wanted to get our pictures done.  Rylie was excited to wear her pretty dress and still wanted to go to pictures even though she wasn't feeling well.  My husband said we could have rescheduled and that it wasn't going to be a great picture experience(I should have listened).

Anyways, we managed to get the kid's ready and make it on time for our appointment.  Imagine my frustration when we arrived to find out they were running about an hour behind.  So after having to wait an hour past our appointment time, we finally got out pictures taken.  Unfortunately Rylie was about to fall asleep and Liam was over sitting still in the picture studio that was holding him hostage for the past hour.  Then after our pictures, we had to wait almost another hour to view our pictures and order due to some lady arguing over pricing and coupons.  Our poor kids looked like they were in prison, but I did manage to find a few pictures I like and order our Christmas cards. So I apologize in advance for our normally happy, smiling children looking like they had just taken their mug shot.
                                     Here's a couple of the pictures we took

I did learn my lesson on attempting family pictures when the kids don't feel their best, and I will from now on schedule our pictures with a private photographer that sets time aside just for us and won't be running behind.

Congrats Deidre and Stevie

Tonight we went to my cousin Deidre's wedding.  My cousin married her long time love Stevie in a beautiful church ceremony with the reception at her parent's house.  My mom and I helped Deidre and Stevie plan the wedding, and I am happy that it all turned out perfect for them.  I wish them a lifetime of love and happiness!

                                            Deidre(the Bride) and I

                                        My baby bump at 13 weeks

                                          Danielle placing her sister's veil

                                                      My cousin Sarah

                                                  Me and my Mama

                                                     My Parents

                    My Hubby and I( I think he was talking when this was taken)

Germs Invade the Fitzgerald House

Our poor Liam caught whatever virus is going around.  He was sent home from preschool on Tuesday for a fever, and he hasn't been able to shake it since.  He went to the doctor yesterday, and registered a fever of 102.8.  I was assured it was just a virus and that it would run its course.  This morning he scared us at 5:00 when after being up all night uncomfortable with fever, I found him to have a fever of 105.1!!  After medicine and sleeping with him upright, he finally broke his fever around 8:00.  I feel so bad for him, the worst part of being a mom is seeing your baby sick.  We our crossing our fingers that the worst is over and he will start to feel better soon!                 

                                       Waiting with Liam at the doctor yesterday

Heavy Heart

Usually my posts are lighthearted and happy, except it's been a rough couple of weeks for Bill and I losing friends, and a rough year for making that total of friends lost of 3.  It weighs heavy on my heart that these three are gone, these young friends with families and friends that loved them are no longer here.  It's even harder for me and Bill to imagine because these three friends were our age.
In June, Bill lost his best friend of seventeen years Eric.  They met Bill's first day of college class and were best friends ever since.  Eric aka "Hays" was in our wedding and stayed with us when he came down for the wedding.  Even though I only met Eric once, from all the stories Bill had told me and how easy he fit right in with our family when he came down, I felt like I had known him much longer.  He was a part of the Fitzgerald family and even became friends with my parents as soon as he met them.  In the moment I had to tell my husband his best friend had passed away, I knew our lives would be forever changed.  I kept hoping it was all a mistake, that he wasn't really gone, I would have given anything in the world to make my husband's pain go away and bring his best friend back.  We couldn't grasp the fact that he was really gone, with no answers at that time as to why.  We now have an idea why he passed away, but even that aspect is hard for us, because it's something that could have been detected and controlled with medical intervention.  I will always be grateful that he brought so much happiness and friendship into my husband's life and will always help Bill keep Eric's memory alive.
                                                              Eric and Bill

A couple of weeks ago we received word that a young women that worked with Bill in radiology and that I went to high school with had passed away from ovarian cancer.  She was diagnosed when I was just about to deliver Liam a little over a year ago.  I never thought this illness would take her life.  She was so young and beautiful, she was a going to go to ultrasound school when she got diagnosed.  I had just seen her the week before she died, and while I knew her illness had progressed, I never thought she would die.  I sometimes wonder why young people die, and people who abuse their bodies and have poor health can survive.  I don't mean to sound mean, but it's frustrating that with all the medical technologies we have that people are still dying from cancer.
Yesterday I had got word from one of my best friends that her fiance had passed away in his sleep.  He was only a few years older than Bill.  He had children and a family that loved him so much.  We don't know exactly why he died and out of respect for my best friend, I won't tell speculation of what happened.  My heart is breaking for her, this person that she was going to spend the rest of her life with is no longer here, gone in a second, leaving everyone with questions why?  I am going to spend time with her today, and while I don't think I am the best in these situations, I have learned that often people just want an ear to listen.  So that's what I'll do; I'll give an ear to listen to her heartache, the memories, and her fears. I'll give as many hugs as she needs and tears with her, because that's what friends do.

Me and Brit

With all the losses we've had this year, my husband has said he is ready for a new year and what is in store, hopefully without loss for our family.  I am still going to make every memory, smile, and laugh count for the rest of this year, and take next year when it comes.  With the loss of our friends, it definitely makes me realize how precious time is.  I am living by the song words, "If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I loved her."  It doesn't matter what you have, how much you work or things you can accomplish.  It matters how you make the most of the time you have, the memories you make with the ones you love, and accomplishing the task of making sure the ones you love know how much you love them everyday.

Taking Care of that Smile

My friend had a post on her blog about some things she doesn't tell her pediatrician http://www.conscienceparenting.com/2011/12/07/why-i-dont-tell-my-kids-doctor-the-whole-truth/, and I kind of laughed because I hadn't told our pediatrician the Rylie hadn't gone to the dentist yet, and before our appointments I would stick Liam's pacifier in my purse in hopes to avoid a lecture.  It wasn't like we hadn't talked about Rylie going to the dentist before, my husband would say, "They are her baby teeth, they will fall out anyways, what's the point of the dentist at her age, and I don't want to expose her to x-ray for teeth she is going to lose."  I can hear that horrible comments now on how we were neglecting our daughter's teeth and oral health.  That isn't true, in fact we did brush her teeth and watch them for any issues.  It was just our choice for her not to go before now.

Well today, I took Rylie to her first dentist appointment.  I had imagined her screaming at the top of her lungs like a wild animal trying to escape.  I would have not been surprised if she didn't make it through the appointment due to the screaming and tears.

However, I didn't give her enough credit.  She did great through the x-rays, the tech assured me that the dose of radiation was the lowest possible, and that it was no different from us walking around outside.  I couldn't be in there with her because of being pregnant, but I could hear everything from the hall.  She did great following directions.

She sat in the dentist chair like a perfect little lady and got the highest behavior score.  I guess some kids have to get their teeth cleaned in a sound proof room because of their less than happy behavior.  She squirmed a little during the cleaning(even I do that), but she did great!  Unfortunately she has a cross under bite(from the pacifier, go figure), this means her top teeth go over her bottom teeth on on side and under on the other.  To fix it, she has to get a quad helix appliance to fix her jaw before she loses her baby teeth so it doesn't mess up her permanent teeth.

                      She wanted me to stop taking pictures so she could play!

I was very proud of my girl and she already has her six month cleaning appointment, so yes the dentist is now part of Rylie's appointment routine of check-ups. At least I don't have to withhold the truth about the dentist from her pediatrician anymore!

Where we are at 12 weeks and 1 day....

Disclaimer: I will be sharing many personal aspects of pregnancy, if you don't wanna know, then don't read!!

Time is flying by and it's hard to believe I am beginning my second trimester already.  I had a doctor's appointment today, and got some good news and not so good news.  The good news is I was able to see our baby on ultrasound and he or she is growing right on schedule, definitely not a "little bean" anymore.  The bad news is while I was sick a couple of weeks ago, I had to see a doctor that wasn't "my" doctor.  He had done an ultrasound to check the heartbeat and told me the baby's size was a week behind my original due date of May 7th.  I already knew this and we were monitoring the baby's size.  He asked why "my" doctor hadn't changed my due date and I just said we were waiting to see the baby's growth.  So unfortunately he took it upon himself to change my due date on my chart until May 15th(I curse him).  The change is disappointing because living in Arizona, it starts getting HOT in April, and I did not want to be Shamu with swelling feet, having to deal with living in the Arizona oven aka weather.

Today when "my" doctor did the ultrasound, he said the baby's size was great and only about 4 or 5 days behind my 7th due date.  He said the baby isn't small, and it wasn't measuring with my last period date and original due date, because I most likely ovulated late in my cycle.  Also, he didn't want to change my due date officially on my chart because if I was ready to have the baby by the 7th, he could help make it happen.  He said I was now "locked in" to the 15th because the other doctor had changed it on my chart(still cursing that doctor).  Anyways, he said with this being my third pregnancy, the chances of making it to forty weeks were slim and if my body was "ready" by my original due date, then I would have the baby then.  So we just have to wait and see when our little one wants to make their appearance.

I am getting some energy back and having less morning sickness.  I haven't really started to pack on the pounds, but having some baby weight left over from Liam, I figure my body is just recycling it!!  I was happy to see our baby has grown, and I look forward to finding out if we are having a boy or girl!

Happy Halloween

We celebrated  Halloween by going over to my brother and sister-in-law's house and taking the kids trick-or-treating.  Rylie was a trooper and walked the whole time.  Liam was along for the ride, and he wasn't sure of the whole strangers putting candy into his bucket idea.  Here are some of our Halloween pictures!

                                             Halloween cupcakes!

                                                         Rylie

                                                         Liam

Our Family is Growing by Two Feet

9 weeks, 3 days

Well guess what? Yep our family is once again growing, Rylie and Liam are going to have a little brother or sister.  When we were in Chicago over Labor Day weekend, actually we were in Elkhart staying there for Notre Dame, we(me doing the carrying) found out we were going to have another baby.  We were surprised and excited.  We had talked about having another baby, we just weren't sure on the time frame.
As of right now, our due date is May 7th, 2012 except according to two ultrasounds, the baby's growth is a week later, which could put me to deliver around Mother's Day. That would be one awesome present!  My doctor is going to wait until we have our 18 week ultrasound to change our due date though.  I will be disappointed of the later due date due to the Arizona summer that will be approaching, although APS will love us and as my husband has said with my previous pregnancies, "It's like living with a polar bear."

Our first ultrasound 7 weeks, 4 days~9-23-11

Rylie says she wants a sister.  She says,"I just only want one brother."  We should be finding out around Thanksgiving or soon after if it's a boy or girl that is making me toss my breakfast and numerous other meals throughout the day. So besides looking forward to no more vomiting and getting my energy back, we will be watching our new addition grow and my waist line expand.

Finally Home After a Long Day of Travel

Yesterday marked the end of our Mommy and Daddy only vacation.  We had a great trip and it was fun getting to see our family and friends!  It has been a long day of travel for us and an emotional day of travel for me.

We got to the airport around 8:00 this morning for our plane that was supposed to leave at 11:00.  "Supposed to" being the key word.  While we were eating breakfast, my mom called to say Rylie was saying she had a headache and stomach ache.  I immediately started to worry, wishing I could snap my fingers and be home.  My mom called back a second time to let us know she was keeping the kids home from preschool as Rylie wasn't feeling up to going.

We made it to our gate to wait for our plane.  About the time we were supposed to board the plane, an announcement was made that there would be a 2 hour delay for departure.  I was disappointed, especially knowing Rylie was sick, I just wanted to be home with my kids.  After talking to my mom about the delay, I made it to the gift shop for more reading material and snacks.  Bill took a nap, as I watched the clock taking forever to tick away two hours.

So as we were getting ready to board for a second time, Bill made a stop by the men's room and I gathered our carry-on bags. Then an announcement was made that our flight was cancelled, and to be booked on another flight, I needed to approach the ticket counter.  It took all I had for me to not start crying, really after being in the airport for 5 hours, we still weren't on our way home.  I stood in line at the ticket counter with about two lines of ten people in each line standing in front of me.  As I saw each person getting booked on another flight, I was afraid by the time it was my turn that there would be no more flights out of Chicago.  As Bill came back from the bathroom, he saw me in line with all of our bags and asked what was happening.  In an attempt not to burst into tears, the lady behind me spoke up that our flight was cancelled.  He immediately understood how my frustration had turned into emotion.

A man for the airline had given me a card with a number on it to call to book another flight.  I gave it to Bill and let him know that the line wasn't that long and if he could call while I remained in line.  He came back letting me know that the earliest flight was at 5:15 the next morning, but the attendant could only see a specific airline and not all the flights.  I became more emotional and told him we were getting home tonight no matter what.  We stayed in line, and as we were almost at the counter, an older gentlemen was arguing over getting a free flight for the inconvenience and wanting his luggage.  This caused the other line to move faster and allowed more people to get booked on flights before us.  I was thinking to myself, "Old man, you are standing in the way of this mama getting home to her babies, one of them being sick."  I felt like the mom on the movie "Home Alone" thinking of all the possible ways we could get home.

Bill was great at keeping me calm and being understanding.  I probably would have had a meltdown on the poor lady at the ticket counter and had some choice words for that old man if it wasn't for him.  We finally got booked on another flight, unfortunately we would have to wait another 2 hours to board and we would be flying through Minneapolis with another layover there.

We finally made it into Phoenix around 7:30 tonight, we were "supposed to" get home around 12:30 this afternoon.  We finally have our babies, Rylie is still not feeling well, but we are happy to be home!!!  I don't think I will be flying for a while!

Vacation Day 4: Family Time in Chicago

After getting back to Chicago late last night from the Notre Dame game, we made it to Peggy and JD's(Bill's cousins)house.  We caught up and visited before going to bed.  We were exhausted from a long game day.  After getting to sleep in(my favorite part of the trip), we all got ready for a family afternoon at another cousin's house Theresa.
                                             The Fitzgerald and Cousins Family

It was great to get to see everyone, many of the family we hadn't got to see since our wedding and we were able to visit with some that weren't able to make it out for the wedding.  We had a great time catching up with everyone, telling stories and hanging out.  Seeing Theresa's kids running around did make me miss ours.

 We did share our little news that we found out on Friday with Peggy and JD, since I'm sure they were wondering why I wasn't participating in some parts of the party.  I also shared with my friend Kim, and she replied with, "I knew it!"  We will share with the rest of our family and friends in a few weeks.

We wrapped up our family day with a late night trip thru White Castle.  Bill loves White Castle and since we don't have White Castle, we had to stop.  After picking up some grub, we headed back to Peggy and JD's with Katie(another cousin) and her boyfriend for more hanging out and visiting.

We are still up and visiting with everyone! Tomorrow we will head back to Kim and Steve's for our last day and night in Chicago.  I can't believe how fast our trip has gone, I can't wait to see our babies on Tuesday, and we have had a great time between Notre Dame and seeing our friends and family.  If it weren't for Bill, I don't think I would have gotten the nerve to leave the kids and come, but I'm thankful he talked me into it!

Let's Go Irish!!! It's Game Day!

It has been quite a day for Notre Dame fans.  We woke up this morning all pumped up ready to tailgate and have fun at the game.  We got dressed in our Notre Dame best and headed for the stadium.  My friend Katy's dad had a place to tailgate at the stadium and invited us to hang out until game time. 

We made it to the stadium around 10:00, and I hadn't seen so many drunk football fans at that time of the morning before.  We walked around for a while looking at all the tailgating set-ups around us.  People did some crazy things to their vehicles displaying their Notre Dame pride.

We had a great day of tailgating, food, drinks and fun.  Bill's cousins Steve and Kristin also game down for the game, and we were all able to tailgate and watch the game together.

Notre Dame had a first rough half and just as the players were heading to the locker room, we got evacuated from the stadium for a severe thunderstorm warning.  Sure enough, it started to down pour rain, thunder and lightening.  We were ushered to the hockey rink and then the basketball court.  After a couple of hours, the game was started again, unfortunately Notre Dame didn't get much better.

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, we were evacuated again for a short time.  The game ended with a loss for Notre Dame, a record making two stadium evacuations, and a game day lasting six hours past its normal time.  We made the best of the rain and the loss, now we are heading to Chicago to see more cousins and Bill's family.

South Bend, Indiana and Notre Dame

We are on our second day of our Mommy and Daddy only vacation.  We left Chicago this morning and came to South Bend, Indiana to see Bill's dream, Notre Dame stadium.  While drive through Chicago, we were able to see some of the city.  Here are a few pictures from our drive:

We toured the campus, the stadium, saw "Touchdown Jesus", the golden dome, and many other monuments at the school.  Bill was like a kid in a candy store, it was awesome getting to see him get to do one of his dreams as a dedicated Notre Dame fan.

                                                         Touchdown Jesus

After touring the campus, we did some shopping at the campus bookstore.  We got some laughs at some of the craziness going on around the dorms.  We toured the stadium, and I'm surprised Bill didn't try bring some of the grass home.

We had a great day touring the campus, and after, we made a stop at the famous "Corby's Pub."  We drove back to Elkhart where are hotel is and went out to dinner.  Once we got back to our hotel, we found out some exciting news, we will share with everyone in a few weeks.

Tomorrow we have tailgating and the Notre Dame game!!! Go Irish!!!!