He's Here!

After months of waiting for the arrival of our baby - he's here! Making his due date about a month early... we were all a little suprised!

Asher John
7 lbs 18 inches
December 14th @ 8:50am

Proud daddy minutes after Asher was delivered

Our first family picture - aren't I becoming?!?

Damon and I are feeling beyond blessed to have Asher in our lives. Who ever thought that something this small could bring such joy! Huge thank you to everyone who has supported us through this adventure! :) Many, many, many more pictures to come! :)

It's a Team Thing

Stinks.
There is no other word for the icky bug that Damon and I got this week. Damon got sick on Wednesday and I followed on Thursday. With Baby Tuttle to worry about - we ended up in the ER again. I say 'again' because we were just there Thanksgiving weekend for a nasty cold I was dealing with. I'm pretty sure the Tuttle household is on first name basis with the ER staff!

First of all it was decided that I was dehydrated - imagine that since I couldn't even keep water in my system. They instantly put an I.V. in figuring that I could use the fluids. Then they decided that we should monitor the baby so we were sent to the OB. Upon monitoring baby and continuing the I.V. fluids ... we discovered that mama bear was having contractions - so thats what those pains were! :)

I was given meds to stop contractions and nausea but still wasn't well enought to go home - so they kept me over night. I feel for those who have to stay in the hospital over night... man that wasn't a pleasant experience! The nurses were nice; however, I ended up with the 'Oh, honey' nurse throughout the evening. You know the one that is super nice but may not be the best at medical 'technique'... During the middle of the night my I.V. had to be redone but because I was dehydrated finding veins wasn't as easy as it was for the ER nurse. Over 1 hour and 18 pokes later, this mama bear was ready to come home and be done! Finally my 'Oh, Honey' nurse got the I.V. in my elbow and then braced my arm with a board so I couldn't bend or move. Lovely. Not only does the I.V. machine make noises all night and the baby monitor catch every move - now I can't move my arm. I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep more than an hour at a time because of alarms sounding and the discomfort in my throbbing - poked hands.

Damon was a total trooper through the whole thing. Even though he too was not feeling top notch he refused to leave my side through out the whole event. He went home and packed an over night bag when they said I wasn't going to be able to go home and slept in the room with me on the roll in cot. I continue to say that 'I'm taking one for the Team' but last night I realize that 'We're taking one for the Team'. The one thing that really has become evident to me is how awesome it is to have a hubby that hasn't left my side through out everything. The last 9 months has been a real roller coaster and I realized last night that I haven't been the only one riding and I couldn't do this without Damon by my side.

So flu bug aside ... Damon and I were able to 'test run' the OB and get a feel for what staying over night is going to contain. We're both resting much better at home tonight knowing that Baby Tuttle is healthy.

Oh, the Side Effects...

There are so many things that run through my head now-a-days - especially with the fast approaching arrival of our baby. I thought that maybe I would beat the odds and be able to wear my shoes and 'regular' clothes the whole pregnancy - ha! Here are my thoughts regarding 'it is what it is' in the life of this ever growing mama!

• Most recently my feet have swollen to such extremes that I can't wear shoes! Yep, I thought I would dodge that bullet but I have not. I have resorted to wearing crocs... which has brought on such interesting twist to my outfits (because we know how I love to look my best - ha!:). Crocs have holes in them - not always a good thing in the winter months and my crocs are bright yellow! Trying to 'blend in' when going to the grocery store doesn't happen - which leads me to the next thought...
• I have never been a traffic stopper but I am now! I was walking out of Target (okay, waddling) and I noticed a few different drivers unable to take their eyes off me! I'm pretty sure they are thinking they have never seen bright yellow crocs and a camo jacket coming out of Target - now if I would have been at Walmart, no one would have probably thought twice! :)
• My hands are also swelling... yep, pregnancy carpal tunnel - nice. In the mornings I can't really move my hands and throughout the day my fingers go num. It's grand; however, there is hope that after I am done with this pregnancy - my fingers will be back to normal. I really do feel for those who suffer from carpal tunnel and can't do anything about it.
• Now ladies... what is up with the maternity pants? Do I need to say more? I was able to go until 8 months before putting on maternity clothes and then the week of 8 pounds/5 centimeters happened! I told Damon I was getting fatter by the minute - he didn't believe me until we went to the Doctor and she confirmed! Hey, I'm growing a healthy size baby here - it's to be expected!
• Stretch Marks - yep, another one of those 'facts of pregnancies' that I was hoping to bypass... nope. I can't see them but I know they are there! Sure enough, when I look in the mirror - they smile back at me! :)

So I guess that there are many changes that continue to happen on a daily basis but I'm finally coming to the realization that it's all good. I'm not afraid to admit that I have not always been completely okay with getting larger. I still have moments when I struggle with all these changes but I know that the reward is going to be amazing! I have a beautiful baby growing in my tummy and there are bound to be side effects! :)

The Law Report

Yep, these are fresh from the
Herald Review... word for word.

Ooops: A loud noise complaint at 10:49 p.m. from Old Central School turned out to be the Christmas music CD skipping.

I think it's done: The Grand Rapids Fire Department responded to a report of a fire on Fifth Avenue Northeast at 7:54 p.m. to find an over-cooked pizza.

It's Broken...

Yep, I thought that my computer or more specific our iTunes was broken. It would play a song for a while and than skip to another song and another and another. Finally I ventured from the kitchen into the living room to find... we just have a cat who was cleaning themselves. Duh.

It's an Elephant...

As promised.... we have a belly shot! The top picture is 6.5 months and the bottom is leaning more towards 8 months. We had an ultra sound on Tuesday and they are guessing that baby elephant is weighing in over 5 pounds! It is good to know that he is healthy and living up to his name at this point... I should of started calling him peanut! :) It's pretty cool how much baby is also moving around - on lookers can see baby doing karate chops and enjoy his hiccups!

October...

We celebrated Halloween with Adam and Maureen. It was a fun evening filled with 13 trick or treaters, games, fire and hot dogs!

Taylor and Gage stopped by to see us - aren't they adorable? :)Iowna Traila stopped by... not sure who is more pregnant?

We got a wood stove - lovin' the savings and warmth! October also marks the end of our work season. As of October 31st we have been laid off and enjoying the warmer weather! There are plenty of projects we have been putting off so... we've been busy, busy, busy! We are hoping to have things in place prior to baby
elephant joining the family... I guess time will tell! :)

Happy Halloween!

Goodies I made tonight to celebrate Halloween - Spider cookies...

And Kitty Litter Cake... Nummy! :) Happy Halloween Everyone! :)

Game Day Treats...

A Team Tuttle Update...

Damon is growing his hair...

I'm growing my belly...

We are all doing well.... baby elephant is growing like crazy and kicking more every day! It's very exciting to see movement in the belly as well as being able to share that with Damon. He felt baby kick for the first time about 2 weeks ago - he thought that was pretty cool. Last weekend, Tonja and Anthony were able to see/feel baby kick for the first time as well -
it was neat when I could feel baby but even better now that I can share it with those I love. :)

Baby Bump Update...

I think baby elephant has definitely grown in the last month!

Labor Day Weekend

This Labor Day Weekend we went camping with Adam, Maureen, Rog, Deb and Grandma - it was a wonderful relaxing weekend. Here is the weekend in review! :) Meet Chief LW (aka Adam) and Maureen! Grandma Tuttle and Rog relaxing around the campfire... Tuttle fishing... within the first 2 mins. of getting started - we had a few tangles... Like father, like son! We really didn't catch a darn thing nor did we even have a bite; however, we had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful weather and sunsets!

Three things could have happen in this picture.... a) Damon could have went head first into the lake attempting to get his line out of the motor b) Damon could lose his pocket and still go head first into the lake or c) Damon and his dad could both go for a swim....

Yep, we got Grandma to join us on a beautiful boat ride on Sunday afternoon -
I think she really enjoyed herself! And lastly, we ate and ate and ate some more... we certainly did not go hungry!

We had so much fun we are planning on another trip in October - our last trip of the season during the fall season... we can't wait and are hoping to maybe catch s
ome fish this next time around! :)

Raccoon, Ned or Kit Kat?

Don't they look innocent? They are two peas in a pod - Kitty loves Ned, even likes to sleep in his kennel when he's locked up (she sneaks in through a hole)... such a silly kitty!

5 Month Ultra Sound...

What an amazing experience! To finally see Baby Elephant in full form was awesome! It is hard to believe that something the size of a pea (our last viewing of baby) is growing so fast. At first, Damon was having a hard time following what the technician was talking about... really just seeing 'blobs'; however, the minute she explained that 'any fast movement' was the baby - we saw a hand come up (I'm sure it waved :)) and go back down. We did get some fun pictures of baby to take home - labeled accordingly for Auntie Tonja. :)

Baby Elephant sucking its thumb...

This view shows the backbone and the black dot
in the second circle is its heart.

As for the gender... the technician wasn't 100% positive but after seeing the picture (which I apologize - I didn't scan in) Damon and I are pretty sure the world should watch out because a mini-Damon is in the making!
Yes, Team Tuttle is having a baby boy! :)
We are extremely excited and cannot wait to meet mini-D in January!

Rhino-ing Adventure...

We're lost... imagine. Always complaining that Matt gets us lost;
however, no one ever stops following... Hmmm?? The gang for the day...
Tommy gets stuck - yep, really stuck!

The Main Event...

Well, as promised on facebook - here is the baby bump. For those of you who don't know... Damon and I are expecting in January. We are over 1/2 way there and are very excited! I've had a belly for quite a few weeks now (since 2 1/2 months) but thought we should probably start documenting baby elephant. :) Talk about a shocker to see the belly from the side - it just doesn't look THAT big from the top! :) I know, I know... this is just the
beginning of this amazing adventure! :)

The Spa Cake

Last week a co-worker was having a spa party at her house. She had found a really cute cake idea but didn't have the time to get it together... I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't get the whole thing complete before I was tired and done - so, this is what she got. A bath tub with bubbles, towel, rug and a tiled flooring. It was fun but hope that next time I can finish the whole project! :)

Recent Wedding Pictures...

Locks Of Love...

I've been growing my hair for about a year and it was FINALLY time... So, I called up my brother - yeppers, who needs to leave the house (as you can see all the dirty dishes piled up in the background) when you can call your big brother for help? Some may think I'm slightly nuts; however, I'm not too obsessed with my hair and the only difference between a good
and bad hair cut is about two weeks - no biggie!
My favorite comment on the evening: Erik *snip* "Well, there is no turning back now..."

17-19 inches later...

I donated the hair to Locks of Love and am excited to think that it went to a great cause.

Damon's Projects

For those of you who don't know Damon... there are ALWAYS projects to be done. These projects can range from make a snowplow/mower/bucket for the Rhino, tearing out and remodling the bathroom or in this case... 'just moving the garden shed'... I wanted to posted some pictures of his lastest project he started and finished all in a days work.

We have been talking about moving the garden shed because it is a stupid location - right in the middle of the yard. The one problem was this really large stump - which D informed me that we would rent a stump grinder to get rid of... he changed his mind. :)

He had to recruit some help... Erik got a quick lesson on driving the ASV, which we can all see he is feeling confident about, and the removing started...

However, that didn't work... so we resorted to other means of getting the stump out... Yep, he's wearing rubber boots with his shorts - I have friends who get pictures of their kids like this... anyone else with a husband with this much style?We ended up with a broken basement window... not sure if it was from the little chunks that came off the stump OR if it was from D's mowing job done earlier that day?? And who can resist posting this picture?? Who would have thought I would get one of Mark and Erik doing the SAME thing just days apart?? LOVE IT! He did get the shed moved and it looks great but decided the stump was a little too big to take care of on his own - so he cut off the top and covered it back up! This is just one of the thousands of reasons why I love Damon... such a handy person and innovative!