Second Trimester

My second trimester is officially over.  I know the second trimester is supposed to be when you feel the best, and I will admit it's the easiest of the three, but that still doesn't mean it's easy!  Through the middle of the 2nd trimester, I felt pretty good though, relatively speaking.  My first trimester headaches and nausea trickled a little into the second trimester, but the difference was amazing.  I had one or two random, intense migraines, but at least they had an end, unlike the first trimester!  My worst symptom is heartburn.  EVERYTHING gives me heartburn-even water.  I have already gone through about 5 bottles of TUMS-ugh!  My most concerning symptom is Braxton Hicks contractions.  I have noticed them a lot.  My doctor says this is more common with each pregnancy, but with my history, there have been a few days that they were worrisome to me.  And now here at the end of the second trimester, I'm starting to feel huge.  Even with all of that said, I know that most of the weeks were the easiest I will experience during pregnancy!

Now onto the happier things:  I couldn't resist buying this adorable elf shirt at a Christmas open house before we knew the baby's gender.  I figured it would work either way.  I hung it where the baby's stocking will go next year.  My mom also got one for Madelyn and Alisa's baby.  The three baby cousins will all be 6-12 months next Christmas-how fun!!!

Also, the very fun part of the second trimester is really feeling the baby move and kick!  I love that feeling and the reassurance that the baby is doing well!

Another very exciting part of this trimester was finding out the baby's gender!  I feel so much more connected knowing that we're having a girl, and I have had fun getting her clothes, room, and name ready, although all of those are still a work in progress!  And I might have a slight addiction to Carter's clothes and baby girl hairbows.  

Now we're praying that baby girl will give us at least 9 weeks of a third trimester, which would get us to the last week of March, which would be 37 weeks.  But April would be even better!!!  

Madelyn Faith Rancuret

My niece, Madelyn Faith Racuret, was born Sunday, January 19th at 8:42 a.m.  She was 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 21 1/2" long.  She is a very cute baby and has lots of hair!  Our whole family got to go see her that afternoon.  Emily's hospital room was packed out with visitors!  I am so anxious to see her again!  If it wasn't 6 hours round trip, I would have been there again already!  We can't wait for our baby girl to join her in "at least" 9 weeks!  

Snow Day!!

This has been a record breaking year for snow and cold temperatures.  While the kids are not in public school yet, this has still meant many cancellations for our family--from preschool to Sunday morning church to doctor's appointments, many of our plans have been changed last minute!  Today, since our plans were canceled yet again, I let the kids make our "to-do" list.  Here is what we were up to:

 We made hot chocolate

 We made Beef Vegetable Soup for dinner

 We built a castle tent with our new Christmas gift from Uncle Paul and Aunt Alisa

 Hannah and I painted our fingernails

 We played Memory

 We ate Nilla wafers and icing

 We made individual pizzas

 We did a floor puzzle

 We painted a tea set that Hannah got for Christmas from the Garcia family

And we watched Mary Poppins, read lots of books, and colored new coloring books.  This pregnant mama needed a nap by the end of the day, but it was nice to take a break from my to-do list!!!

Grandpa Miller

My Grandpa Miller passed away a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to record a few favorite memories with him:  

• He always had a smile and a hug for our whole family each Sunday at church
• He was very proud of all of us
• Before I left for college, he brought me a beautiful, engraved study Bible
• When I was in junior high, he took me and one of my best friends to The Covered Bridge Festival
• He took me back to school shopping once and got me the coolest tennis shoes I ever had
• We used to watch Mary Poppins at his house on a laser disc player
• He was a cop in Catlin when I was little, and he would sit running radar right by our house, in front of the HS and we'd go over and talk to him
• He immediately loved Josh and loved to talk Cubs with him.  He gradually passed on lots of his Cubs memorabilia to him and my brother Phil.
• He always had advice, like when he told our friend Mike to stand closer to the razor next time he preached and he told my husband, who is about 2% body fat, that he was getting a belly.  He was actually notorious for pointing out people's weight issues, but when he called out Josh, we knew we were all doomed!  It just made us laugh though because old people say what they want.... 
• He got up to read his Bible every day at 4 a.m. 
• One time when Josh and I were desperate for a 4th grade Sunday School teacher (and we had called every single person in the church we could think of), he volunteered to teach for a few months.  I think he was the most serious SS teacher our grade school program has ever seen, but it makes me smile that he was willing when no one else was.
• He always brought my mom, sisters, and I our own box of chocolates on Valentine's Day.
• He wasn't able to get everyone Christmas gifts every year (we have a BIG family!), but in 2002 (I believe), he worked extra hard to get each person something extra special.  He got me a set of 10 C.S. Lewis books that I will always keep!

His obituary:

James Gordon Miller, 83, of Danville, passed away at 7:50 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, at Presence United Samaritans Medical Center.

Jim was born Dec. 29, 1930, in Danville, the son of Orin and Mildred (Lewis) Miller. He married Clara David in February 1950, with whom he had five children before divorcing. He married Janet Reeves in July 1976 and later divorced.

Survivors include four daughters, Janice Cole of Millersville, Tenn., Cheryl (Steve) Stanis of Oakwood, Cathy Miller of Nashville, Tenn., and Judy (Lindsey) Gero of Antioch, Tenn.; one son, James Miller Jr. of Danville; two step-daughters, Teresa (Ed) Sudlow of Catlin, and Mary (Mike) Bromley of Catlin; one step-son, Art (Linda) Reeves of Danville; 15 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and one brother, Robert (Marie) Miller of Arizona.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents and one granddaughter, Kimberly Haton.

Jim was a member of the Catlin Church of Christ. He attended the United  States Military Academy at West Point and graduated from Eastern Illinois University. He was a Printer at R & S and at the Commercial-News. He went on to be a school teacher, a Vermilion County Sheriff’s Deputy, and a part-time Catlin Police Officer, before finishing his career as a printer at Parkland College in Champaign, retiring at the age of 75.

Jim loved to spend time with his kids and step kids and all the grandkids and great grandkids.

A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, A Life Celebration Home, in Danville, with Chuck Davis and Darren Johnson officiating. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8. Please join Jim’s family in sharing photos, video and memories of him through his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.