Lil Hoff Update Week 27

Hello! Welcome to week 27, are you ready to strap in and hang on for another exciting week of what is going on with Lil Hoff and his momma?

Here is what is going on with Lil Hoff

1. Lil Hoff is approximately 15 inches long

2. Lil Hoff is currently weighing in about 2 pounds. 

3. Lil Hoff currently has more taste buds now than what he will have when he is he born. Which also means that Lil Hoff can taste a difference in the amniotic fluid based on what I eat.

What is going on with me.....

1. This week was a great week! Besides the usual being tired and and restlessness at night, it was much, MUCH cooler. The good Lord shined down on this abnormally large pregnant woman!

2. Farmboy got to feel Lil Hoff move for the first time. He was amazed by how much he could feel him. Lil Hoff is very active once I lay down in bed (and also through the day) and Farmboy has tried and tried to catch him moving but he laid his hand on my stomach just at the right time as Lil Hoff was moving or kicking or something and he could definitely feel him. Then Lil Hoff stopped for a moment and Farmboy started poking me and saying "Lil Hoff, its your daddy, where are you?" (Farmboy will deny he did this, but he really did) 

3.  Along with the cooler weather came some much needed rain as well. And since Farmboy

occasionally gets a day off when it rains we went to the city and started looking for the nursery. The day started off wonderfully but I'm not sure if Lil Hoff didn't like what I had for lunch or what but he let me know it when we pulled into our first stop and I lost it in the parking lot. I then refused to go into the store that we had pulled into because I was afraid that they might have be inside watching me. Farmboy, although will not get queasy at anything on the farm, felt sick the rest of the day since he saw me get sick. I was a trooper though and the rest of the day I felt weak but other than that felt fine. 

4. The nursery theme is "Antique Toys" and I am in love with it. The problem is I figured I would be able to hit some antique stores and decorate with antique trucks, blocks, and what not, but when you price some of these toys you are looking at $50 to $100! Yikes!! Farmboy and I did find a few things at a local antique mall. So I am starting to get the nursery decorated. 

5. I am noticing how people look at you in public. I love the encouraging smiles I get from woman who I believe are remembering what it is like to be pregnant and also the sympathy ones from mothers who are being overtaken by their children, but with those I chose to look the other way. I love the way I feel like somehow I am more empowered (like I really need that, ha) knowing that I am carrying another human being in me. I love how people are naturally more kind around you with manners. 

6. We celebrated August birthdays this week with my family.....

My sister-in-law made Isaac's cupcake cake. They were red velvet cupcakes that she decorated to look like baseballs. Isaac believes he IS the next great baseball player.

This is my nephew Isaac, who told everyone he just wanted cash for his birthday. Then every card he opened up he went "WOW!" and in the end said "This is more cash then I ever expected!" He was a very happy boy all the way to the store where he bought himself a new Nintendo DS and some games. 

My birthday boy made the remark to my mom that if you share a month with a kid you just get overlooked. So my mother bought him his very own cake that even has his name on it. Some kids never grow up. 

 This was part of his gift. My mom thought he could read it with Lil Hoff one day.

One of the really fun things I did this week is go with the women of my family to see this movie. It was fabulous! Amazing! Wonderful! Tear-jerker! The list goes on and on. All of us had read the book and was counting down the days until it came to the movie theater. But it didn't come to our theater in town so we drove about 45 minutes to the nearest one and shared many laughs and a few tears. It is amazing to see stories like this come to life about such a different time in our culture. We all talked afterwards about who we might have been, like Miss Hilly, Miss Celia, or like Skeeter. I love movies that make you think after you watch them and imagine yourself in them.  By far, this is the best movie I have seen in a long time. I can not wait for it to come out on video so I can buy it and watch it again!

Week 28 is right around the corner and with every passing week is getting us closer to D-Day!

Continue Reading...

Lil Hoff Update Week 26

Oh boy! This was a big week for Lil Hoff and I we are in week 26 and we had a doctor's appointment this week. 

What is going on with Lil Hoff.....

1. Lil Hoff is a 2-pounder and is 9+ inches long. 

2. Lil Hoff's eyes are beginning to open. I can't wait to see what color they are. I have blue while Farmboy has hazel. But it is still too early to tell. 

3. Lil Hoff might start to react more strongly to bright lights or when he hears a loud noise. 

4. The most movement I have felt from Lil Hoff has been in the lower part of my belly. While waiting at the doctors office yesterday I felt my first movement up high and it felt like kicks, just three short movements just to let me know he was there. 

5. We have no names picked out, it is so hard to decide on a name that will be with your child the rest of his life. We have narrowed it down to a few, but we are wanting to keep it a secret until Lil Hoff makes his big debut. 

6. Lil Hoff's nursery is going to be done in Antique Toys, such as rocking horses, wooden blocks, teddy bears, red wagons, and the list could go on forever.....

What is going on with me......

1. Going on week number four of 100+ degree weather. I'm sure you all know how I feel about that!. 

2. Lil Hoff must spend part of his time on my bladder, cause I feel like I have to go sooooo bad, and then nothing but a trickle comes out and no relief!

3. I did have my monthly checkup this week and took my mom and sister with me. My mom wanted to meet my doctor and take a tour of the hospital since she is not that familiar with it. Which ended up being a relief to me as well, because I became more familiar with it and learned some things I wouldn't have other wise. 

4. Some things to take away from the doctor's appointment. 

A. I have lost a pound. So overall, I believe I have gained a pound so far in this pregnancy. 

B. My glucose test came back normal. So that is a relief.

C. The doctor after bringing out a tape measure told me that I have a abnormally large belly for this point in my pregnancy. While I don't believe he was worried about it, he did say he wants to see my back in three weeks this time instead of 4 and he will be doing a ultra sound next time or the time after that to "see what is going on in there" Can't wait! 

D. We did hear Lil Hoff's heartbeat and both my mom and sister teared up.

And to quote my mother when we got back into the vehicle "So I guess that really IS all baby" as she is looking at my belly.My ultimate cheerleader

5. The tour of the hospital was very nice. They have 10 birthing rooms and they are prep, deliver, and recovery all in the same room. The room they took us into was sooo spacious and even had a walk in closet. It was room number 429 and they are holding it for me. :) Each room does have a chair that pulls out to accommodate my "significant other" as the nurse said, I was quick to say that my HUSBAND was 6'1" and might need a longer chair.  They showed us where the O.R. was in case I might have to have a c-section which it is right down the hallway on the same level. The nurse that walked us around was so friendly and easy to talk to and even joked around with us. She even pointed out where to park to get to maternity area the fastest and easiest. She said that they were all about the "moms" and would be the mean people to the family and friends trying to come see us. So if the mom is napping or doesn't feel like having company they will not let people through the door. Let that be fair warning to everyone :)

6. Farmboy has cooked or helped me cook every meal this week! I sat down with Farmboy and had a "family meeting" on everything that had to be done, cause we are now 3 months and counting away from meeting Lil Hoff and we have so much yet to do. Very exciting times in the Hoffman Household!!

Continue Reading...

Lil Hoff Update Week 25

And we are steam rolling into week 25. For all concerned these pictures are taken by Farmboy and I have usually one shot to get it right and for the most part it usually works out, but if sometime in the future you see a fluffy white dog or I am looking cross-eyed or maybe not smiling that is why.

What is happening with Lil Hoff......

1. Lil Hoff is reaching 9 inches in length. 

2. Lil Hoff is developing capillaries, (not caterpillars like I thought is said the first time I read it) which are forming under the skin and filling with blood. By week's end, air sacs lined with capillaries will also develop in his lungs, getting them ready for that first breath of fresh air. 

3. Lil Hoff's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week.

4. Lil Hoff's vocal cords are functioning now, leading to the occasional hiccups. 

What is going on with me.....

1. A lot of the same stuff...peeing in the middle of the night, being tired, being hot (since we are now going in our 3rd week of 100+ temps) 

2. Lil Hoff and I went and had our glucose test done. They took the blood from my upper arm on my right side and I have a nicely sized bruise on it now. Which is getting a lot of comments from people, all from an insured asking who is beating me up and that they will hunt him down for me, to what did I get my arm pinched in, to what did I run into. 

Farmboy, myself and Lil Hoff went the the 1st Annual Yoder Family Reunion last weekend and had so much fun. We haven't seen some of the cousins in years as many of them are all spread out over America, ranging from California to Florida. It is always nice to slow down and spend a weekend getting caught up with everyone.

These are some of the Crazy Yoder Cousins!

Grandpa Yoder wanted some maintenance done on his house which included washing the front windows and trimming up some trees. 

Chara took the reigns and started washing windows.

As Farmboy told me, "I can't go a day without driving a tractor, it's unnatural". So he took over the job of driving the tractor with the grapple which picks up the limbs that are cut down.

Here is Grandpa Yoder giving instructions to the boy cousins on what he wants done.

Then Jordan went to work cutting down limbs.

But it wasn't all work, we had lots of fun too. Kayla and Melvin are entertaining themselves with a game of Corn Hole. 

While Jessica was the professional pusher of the next generation of "Little Girls"

There was also lots of good food and desserts! These three guys are representing the colors of the shirts that we had made for the weekend. The Yoders were MIZZOU colors with yellow and black. The Hoffmans were John Deere with green and yellow. The Masts were Colts with blue and white.

And these two very sweet ladies opened their house up to Farmboy and I to stay all weekend. They were very welcoming and it felt like we were right at home. Here is to a weekend of laughs and stuffed bellies! Can't wait for the next one.

While we were at the reunion, my mom kept Roscoe for us. I do have to admit I was pretty nervous when they drove away with him. But mom assured me that they have had a wonderful weekend and that he was just a pretty good little dog. She could get used to a dog that comes trained like him. There was two accidents in the house, but mom even laughed at those. Roscoe was as glad to be home as we were.

Continue Reading...

Lil Hoff Update Week 24

It's Week 24 and I am surviving!! Just kidding, I have been very blessed with a relatively easy pregnancy. I have not hit labor yet, but so far I believe I will be pregnant again sometime in the future.





What is going on with me.....

1. I have hit the point that I now am getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. (I HATE that!)

2. I still don't feel like I have that much energy. I get up and even after my shower I feel like I could crawl back in to bed for hours.

3. Lil Hoff is constantly moving. Especially at night when I turn on my side to go to sleep.

4. We are going on week number 2 with 100 degree temperatures.

5. I am having some shortness of breaths while walking.Which is not helpful when ones own mother believes the farther you can walk to your destination the better off you are.

What is going on with Lil Hoff....

1. Lil Hoff is measuring the length of a standard sheet of paper, which for reference is 8 1/2 inches long.

2. Lil Hoff's weekly weight gain is about 6 ounces now. Much of the weight being put on is from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle.

3. Lil Hoff's face is almost fully formed, with eyelashes and eyebrows and a good sprinkling of hair on the head. I know most of the is the "norm" but I have my doubts about the whole sprinkling of hair on the head. I was as bald as I could be as a child, so let's hope that he does have a sprinkling of hair on his head.

4. Like I said before Lil Hoff is moving quite often now. Farmboy is always trying to catch him moving but at this point has not yet.

5. Grandparents and Aunts are going crazy over him already. We have received several gifts already, so I thought I would share a couple with you.

This is from Aunt Sara....they are Lil Hoff's first pair of Big Smiths. I'm sure they will come in useful while riding in the gator with Farmboy!

And then what kind of Farmkid would Lil Hoff be if he didn't have a pair of Carharts, so Aunt Kayla bought Lil Hoff some. I can't wait to see him running around in these!

Then Grandma Hoffman had to go to John Deere to get some parts, but couldn't pass up the clothing section or the opportunity to buy Lil Hoff his very first John Deere outfit. Too cute!

Grandma Light then couldn't let one side of the family's preference be honored without the other so we now have duelling tractor shirts....John Deere vs. Farmall...good grief!

And then Aunt Sara went to South Dakota on vacation and saw a little Bamm-Bamm shirt and couldn't pass it up for Lil Hoff. Do you think she is saying something?? 

Then Aunt Chara has been in Oregon for some schooling and working on a clinical and brought back Lil Hoff's very first book. The pictures inside are amazing! I can't wait to look at it with him. 

So Lil Hoff is already being very spoiled by both sides of the family, and something tells me this is just the beginning :)

Continue Reading...

Lil Hoff Update Week 23

As Farmboy keeps reminding me everyday, "You look pregnant" and with everyday I feel more and more pregnant. And can I add that the heat in the Midwest is NOT what the doctor ordered for pregnant people. Yes I am complaining and yes I know that I am only 6 months along but I do not understand why woman give birth in the summer time. There has GOT to be better timing than that. So here we go....

Week 23 and growing.....

What is happening with Lil Hoff.

1. Lil Hoff is a boy! 

2. Lil Hoff is a little over 8 inches long.

3. Lil Hoff's skin is sagging because the skin is growing at a faster rate than fat is, but starting this month Lil Hoff will pack it on. 

4. Lil Hoff is also developing  blood veins and arteries. 

What is happening with me...

As stated above the weather here has been shall we say, a little bit unbearable. With heat advisories every day and the temperature looming around 100 degrees everyday it just makes it miserable to be outside. I didn't realize how miserable until over the weekend when I experienced what I self-medicated as dehydration. Put a pinch of busyness, a scoop of not enough water and bake at 100 degrees and you have 3 days of feeling horrible. It started on Friday morning the day we were suppose to celebrate my parents 40th anniversary and I woke up a little after midnight not feeling good. Hoping it was just supper not sitting well with Lil Hoff, I waited and waited for the sick feeling to go away, but it did not. For the next 20 hours every half hour to hour I was getting sick. I felt horrible for missing my parents party. Farmboy was a trooper and went in my place only to be surprised to find out my dad was sick as well and they had left the party (which was being held at their house), also my brother and my niece were sick as well. By Saturday I was feeling better, but very weak. Then on Sunday I felt like a totally different person but was very tired from the restless nights I had. After a very long nap, I felt like I could actually eat solid food! 

Although the weekend was a bust, something very exciting happened! Sunday morning as I was laying in bed, fighting to go back to sleep I felt something in my stomach so I put my hand down there just in time to feel Lil Hoff push against it! So even when I felt my worse, God gave me a miracle to hold on to. That might have been why I felt so good on Sunday. 

This week was also the fair in town. While sitting in the heat was not what I consider a good time. My family was there with the Garden Tractor Pullers and I needed to go to show my support. So Farmboy and I went and sat in the stands where there was no breeze and the sun was shining down and the heat over took me and not wanting to have a repeat of the weekend before, I told Farmboy I better head to the Home EC building which is air conditioning and cool down. But before I overheated I did snap these pictures. 

This is Cooper, he got third in his class and got a trophy. Even with grease on his face. When I asked him if he knew he had grease on his face he assured me did and had no plans of wiping it off. That is what makes a tractor puller.

Here are the two brothers killing time while their sister is pulling. There is a lot of down time in pulling. Issac got second in the same class that Cooper got third.

And here is sister, hooking up to the sled. I'm not sure if the tractor was to blame or Morgan's excitement of after she pulled she got to go with friends to the midway with no parental supervision or the thrill of having new boots to wear for the first time. Whatever the reason, she did not place this night. But as always was wearing a smile.

This scene was too cute to pass up on a picture. Here is Uncle Shawn the mechanic driving Cooper back to the truck and trailer. If you look real closely you can see the matching shirts. I as well have a shirt for being the team's official photographer, but I was a different size last year when the shirts were made as oppose to this year so I have yet to wear my shirt. Hopefully it will make an appearance next year with a matching shirt for Lil Hoff. **hint...hint..Grandma and Grandpa***

I did attend the fair one more night and handled that night much better. The joy of eating Fair Food is too great to sit at home in the air conditioning. We all have to make sacrifices, do we not?

Continue Reading...

Lil Hoff Update Week 22

Hello Everyone!! Little Hoff here to say that I have a very big announcement, I let my mom and dad know this week that they are going to be blessed with a bouncing baby boy!!!!!! They went to the doctor and he checked me over real good and I am growing great. I weigh about 1 pound and 3 oz and am as healthy as I can be, so healthy that I might even come a little early like November 5th. But enough from me, I will let mom tell the rest. Here is a picture of her. 

 What is happening with Lil Hoff

1. He weighs about 1 pound and 3 ounces.

 2. The doctor said that he is breech in my stomach, he said that is nothing to worry about at this point. 

3. The doctor showed us both hands and both feet. 

4. The doctor said he saw all 4 chambers of his heart, which is wonderful! 

5. He is possibly the length of about 8 inches. 

6. He can perceive light and dark, even with fused eyelids. 

7. He is listening to mine and Farmboys voices and even my heartbeat. 

8. And he is tasting everything I am. So I better be careful about what I am sending down there. 

What is happening with me

1. The HEAT is killing me. I am soo thankful that I am only 22 weeks along in my pregnancy at this point in the summer time, but with it getting hotter outside Lil Hoff and I are staying in as much as we can. 

2. We celebrated Pops (Farmboy's grandpa) 80th birthday with a BBQ and firework display. 

3. Got to share the exciting news with all our friends and family that we were have a boy! As a fellow scrapper said to me the day of the appointment: "Farmboy is just too much of a man to produce a little girl, so your going to have a boy" and she was right. 

4. Got to celebrate a first birthday with some very special girls :) 

  There was a waterslide, which was fun for all ages. 

And a jump house for those who did not want to risk their lives on the water slide. 

And cake.......

And Party Hats!

It's not really a party until the farm boys wear princess hats! Until next week. Here is to staying cool and for Lil Hoff to keep growing.

Continue Reading...

Lil Hoff Update Week 21

Hello From Week Number 21!!!

 

Well trying to take a picture every Sunday is not as easy to remember as one would think. So this picture was actually taken Tuesday morning when Farmboy stopped by to say Hi and I grabbed my camera and said "Take my picture" but here it is. My "official" week 21 picture. 

What is happening with Lil Hoff

1. It is about 7 inches in length (about a large banana) and almost 11 oz in weight.

2. It is practicing swallowing and digesting while taking in  amniotic fluid which is tasting different now depending on what I am eating. So if I want Lil Hoff to like broccoli, now is the time to be eating it :)

3. It's arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage through the body is turning to bone which means the baby is making is making it's own moves.

**** Exciting News****

Hopefully this will be the last post where I have to say "it" because we do find out on the 6th what we are having!!!!!! Neither Farmboy nor I have expressed what we would like to have. It truly will be a blessing whether it will be a Lil Hoff or a Lil Hoff-ette. What we want is a healthy baby. We do have our fingers crossed that we will be finding out the sex and that it will only still be only one baby.

What's going on with me

1. I have heartburn at least once a day. Not for long but it does linger.

2. I do have more energy! Yea!!!

3. I have not felt Lil Hoff. Boo!!!

4. I had my first back pains this week. Boo!!

5. I have an appetite! Yea!!!

6. Constant Burping. Boo!!

7. Realized that I really do have a baby growing in me and that very soon Farmboy and I will be walking around with a baby. FULL TIME. eek!!

8. Even with added energy I am dragging myself out of bed every morning. I just want to lay there 10 more minutes, please?? Can I do that?? 

9. I have had some comments from certain family member *ahem, cough, cough* mother that I am looking rather large already and I am just now starting to show. Then I had my second belly touch this week by a very sweet lady at church while she very nicely said "There aren't twins in there, is there?"  So I am a little worried about what I might be looking like in about 4 months.

10. I HAVE to have a glass of milk a day now and it can not be cold enough for me. While on a trip I had some from IHOP and it was the best milk I have ever tasted. I now compare every glass of milk to that certain one.

Here are the flowers that Farmboy sent to me at work for our anniversary. 

They were a complete surprise and it felt so refreshing to have flowers on my desk and they smelt wonderful! Brightened up my little area. 

Farmboy and I celebrated out 6th anniversary with a little get away in St.Louis and had just some relaxing time to talk about everything and hit that realization while looking at other couples with children, that very soon that will be us and has it really sunk in yet? 

The trip started off with a little shopping spree at Motherhood where Farmboy spent close to 45 minutes picking out clothes and telling me how cute I looked with my belly. That is what I am choosing to think he meant when his exact words were "You look pregnant". He WAS very patient and very loving while we was there. We then went the movies and then went back to the hotel room where both of us needed a nap and then got ready to go to a Cardinal's game. While at the Motherhood store I picked up a Cardinal shirt for me to wear to the game. 

The shirt said "Mom's Future Cardinal Fan" and had a arrow pointed down the Lil Hoff. I personally think I rocked this shirt. After a minor detour (of getting on the wrong train and having to ride it to the end only to get back on the right train and travel back the way we came) we ended up at the stadium. I had to go through a purse check before I could enter the game and the lady looked through my purse then looked up at me and said "This is a very nice purse!" I just smile very big and said "Thank you" ha. The game was horrible!! Neither team scored for the first 5 innings and then in the 8th innings Cardinals kept sending relief pitchers in and we left at the point. There was no reason to sit there and watch the pitcher walk batter after batter. The weather was wonderful for the game though. It did cloud up but never rained. 

The next day we went to another mall and I got to shop at my absolute, most favorite, scrapbook store. And  Farmboy got to go to Sears. We then got two pieces of cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, Farmboy got a Peanut Butter Cup and I got a Red Velvet and it was to die for! So glad I have my appetite back. I would have missed out on so much good food. After arriving back at work on Monday I got a call from a woman that I used to work for that now works at the bank where Farmboy and I bank at and she said that she believe that I might have some fraudulent charges on my debit card and she said you weren't shopping at Motherhood's up in St. Louis were you? I laughed and said well yes I was and she then remembered that she thought she heard that I was pregnant. We both laughed and got caught up on the happenings in both our lives.

This week has been a very long week, but a holiday weekend is ahead of us which means I dont' work Monday and I get to sleep in 2 out of the 3 days this weekend. Win, Win for me. One chore that I had on my list this weekend is to get my clothes organized from when I have cleaned out my closet and take those in to a consignment store and hopefully earn some money either to get some more maternity clothes or start a wardrobe for Lil Hoff. While separating the Summer from the Winter I did come across a couple of shirts that I do believe I can wear now. So that excited me. 

And this is what is left to take in........

Where these boxes are is in the corner of my scrapbook room and that is where we are going to put the bed from the soon to be nursery so that when we have a guest they can still have their own room. So I am officially starting to get the nursery ready. Old has got to go to let new come in! 

I hope everyone has a very happy and safe 4th of  July and next time I post will be with that big, exciting, news!!!

Continue Reading...