My Wonderful Week Off

Last week was my much needed vacation from work. Ella and I took the high-speed ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon, MI, where my parents picked us up. The ride was smooth and Ella enjoyed running around the boat...for 2.5 hours. I think we sat for maybe 15 minutes total. During our 5 day stay in Northville, I was able to see some friends and family who I hadn't seen in a long time. It was so nice to be "home." Ella really enjoyed swimming, riding her bike, and walking with "Puppa." "Gigi" made wonderful breakfasts and allowed me some much needed relaxation. Ella and I boarded the ferry for our ride home and had a whole new experience. It was really windy and wavy, which made it slightly dangerous to walk around the boat. So after 1 or 2 tantrums, Ella had to sit on my lap for 2.5 hours. We read books, played with stickers, and ate LOTS of snacks, or "nacks" as Ella calls them. Joe was waiting for us in Milwaukee, and we were both excited to see him.

When we got home, I had a big surprise waiting for me. While I was gone, Joe had painted the entire family room, which included 1970s panneling and a dark brick fireplace. I was a bit confused however, since we had planned on completing that task while Ella was up at her other grandma and grandpa's house the next day. Well, little did I know, Joe had been planning a special weekend get-a-way for quite some time. There were many "parts" to the surprise. I was told to pack for 4 days. The next day we left for Stevens Point, where Joe's parents live, since Ella would not be joining us the whole trip. We stayed overnight and left for Green Bay the next morning. We stopped over at Joe's sister and brother-in-law's house for the night. We enjoyed seeing a movie at the theater...a rare treat these days. We saw "Step Brothers" and it was hilarious...if you like that kind of humor! The next morning, after a nice breakfast, we headed to Door County, specifically Sturgeon Bay, where Joe had made reservations at a beautiful resort. We walked around the small downtown area for a little while, until Joe told me I had to be somewhere at 2:00. He had scheduled a pre-natal massage for me at a spa! What a wonderful husband! It was, of course, amazing, and I didn't want the massage to end. We enjoyed a nice dinner at a restaurant over-looking the bay and then took a dip in the pool later on that night. We headed back to Stevens Point the next day to pick up Ella (who I was really beginning to miss!) On the way, we stopped in Appleton to have lunch with Paul and April, which is always a treat. Since they moved from Milwaukee, we don't see them as often, so any chance we get, we take it. It was the perfect long weekend, all planned by my sneaky husband.

As far as baby news goes, I am experiencing heart-burn, brought on by...anything! I am also starting to get sciatic pain. I'm still sleeping okay (despite getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.) I'm definately feeling pregnant now, especially being on my feet all day at work. I'm trying to take it easy, as much as I can, leaving the heavy lifting of patients to my PT partner (sorry Jessica!) This little guy must be practicing karate or tae-bo, because he moves NON-STOP! He's starting to drag either his elbows or heels and it feels crazy. Time is still moving fast and October is rapidly approaching. My 29 week appointment is on Monday. Less than 90 days to go...and I haven't even started to paint his room. Maybe tomorrow...

The following pictures are from Door County, April and I at 27 & 28 weeks, and my 1 completed baby room project. I'm not going to post our Northville visit pictures since my dad posted them on Snapfish, and they were all taken with his camera.