Baby January Rimkus

Our Celebratory Cake

Last week Jon and I went in for baby's "big" ultrasound.  This "20 week" ultrasound looks at all of baby's organs and asseses his/ her development.  The tech looks at baby's brain, heart, kidneys - basically everything! 

Baby passed with flying colors!  He/ she looks perfect.  Weighing in at 11 oz. and roughly 11 inches (if you're into produce, roughly the length of a banana), he/ she enjoyed the Five Fruit Frenzy I had a Jamba Juice before the scan and was boucing around all over the place.  The ultrasound tech was getting frustrated with all the movement because it was difficult for her to get the measurements she needed - but that just meant we got to see more of baby!  The heartbeat is regular and strong (and has been staying above 150 throughout the pregnancy so far).  Baby was doing a good job of opening and closing his/ her fist and rubbing his/ her face.  His/ her legs were also at work (check out those long legs below) and I was feeling all that kicking too!  Baby January also got the hiccups, which was cute to watch, but made me feel bad at the same time (was it that smoothie?). 

In case you couldn't tell, we turned our heads and closed our eyes when she got to the abdomen, so baby will remain he/ she until birth day (although I'm really starting to like Baby January instead of he/ she).  The only person in the world that knows the gender for sure is the ultrasound tech - since we chose not to know the gender, they don't write it on any of the paper work, so even my doctor doesn't know.

Everything is going well so far and I'm feeling great! 

Libby's 1st Birthday!

Today little Lady Liberty turns 1!!! 

Libby has brought such joy and laughter (as well as some frustration and tears) to our lives.  When Jon and I brought her home, she was eight weeks old and weighed a mere 8 lbs.  She slept most of the day and slid around our hardwood floors on her little paws.  We couldn't walk her without someone asking if she was the dog featured in the Cottonelle commercial. 

Libby went to puppy school where she was the largest dog by far.  None of her school mates were bigger than the palm of my hand.  For her graduation, Jon and I taught her to sit pretty.  Meanwhile Coco, the tiny tea cup poodle, learned to hop around in circles on his two hind legs and jump through a hula hoop for his grand finale.  I should mention Coco's master was about 12 years old.  Good effort Libs (good effort Lori and Jonny)!  We are proud of you!  In the end, she earned her diploma and still knows all the good puppy behaviors (whether or not she chooses to listen to them is her choice, but she does know what to do). 

As Libby grew bigger and bigger, she started to become quite the explorer, or more so an inspector.  She picks up everything with her mouth to figure out what it is - food, sticks, rocks and, yes, even glass once, and swallowed what we're quite sure was a firecracker.  I'm not sure if it is a good thing to call the vet's office and identify my pet as "Libby" and they say, "Oh!  Hello Mrs. Rimkus."  Libby makes a fast getaway, but slowly, she ran out of her favorite hiding places, like behind the tree in our yard (where I'm postive she thought I couldn't see her), in the coffee table or under the bed.  She had finally figured out how to get exactly in the middle of the bed where I couldn't reach her without the help of a back scratcher or BBQ tongs when she got to big to get out.  Libby loves the water - any water - including baths, lakes, rivers, rain, hoses and mud puddles.  Even though Auntie Ellen kept us prepared for summer with a life preserver of her very own, she turned out to be quite a natural.  Now if we can only get her to jump off the pier like the doggies in those agility competitions.  Maybe next year. 

Today Libby is 68 lbs. and just as cute as ever.  Sometimes she drives us crazy, but her cute little face keeps her out of a lot of trouble.  Everyday at 5:30, she jumps up on the living room chair to look out the window and waits to see Jon walking down the block coming home from work (even it if takes until after 7 to see him).  She's graduated from sleeping in her crate to sleeping just about where ever she wants, but she spends a lot of time during the night looking at us to make sure that we're okay.  She's a great retriever and, actually, quite a good goalie.  We love Libs with all our hearts and are so glad she came into our lives!

And look at her now!

She didn't like her birthday bow!!!

Libby and her Little Birthday Cake