Baby Sunderman 2020

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Week 35 - Anniversary in Alpena

This week, we went on a little retreat, an adventure into Northern Michigan (not to be confused with the UP!). Alpena is a beautiful oasis on the tip of the mitten's index finger, right on the shores of Lake Huron. We stopped on the way up to make our way through Raptor's Mini Golf Retreat. We are both DREADFUL at mini golf xD We made sure to enjoy some of the best local food the area has to offer. We tucked in at one of our favorite brands, enjoying the air conditioning and refreshing pool We adventured through the local scenery, from island trails to sandy shores The little excursion was incredibly relaxing and rejuvenating - much needed and well appreciated!

Week 34 - Home is where Family is

This week, we eagerly prepared for a celebration. With great excitement, we welcomed our parents and sibling to our home to celebrate: * Independence Day * Kiersten's MBA Graduation * 1 Year Wedding Anniversary * The completed decoration of our home! In the final days leading up to this special occasion, we put the finishing touches on our home, becoming experts at measuring and hanging wall art - something our house has been desperately missing for way too long! Believe it or not, we signed the mortgage on this little place in November of 2018. So, the walls have been in desperate need of some personality. In much thanks to the generosity of our family and friends, we were able to fill it with several meaningful items, as well as a few selections of our own. It brought us great pride to show off our finished space to our immediate family. We have taken the time during quarantine to truly knock items off our project list and make this little house our own.

Week 33 - Showered in Gifts

When we made the difficult decision to forego a baby shower, we knew we would be fully embracing the costs associated with preparing our home for a new addition. We created registries, because we were encouraged to do so, but we assumed folks would hold off on gift giving until they could celebrate with us, in person. So, it has been a welcome surprise that so many of our family and friends have generously sent us items from our registries. Each time a new package arrives, Ben becomes giddy as a school boy and rushes to open it and assemble it as quickly as possible. This week was truly fulfilling as we finally saw our nursery vision coming together. Check out the vision vs reality! We had an appointment with one of our midwives this week and made sure to share some of the anxieties we processed, last week. We went in unashamedly honest and were relieved to receive a warm and compassionate response. In addition to validating our concerns and reas...

Week 32 - Worries and Wonders

The discernment for baby names continues. We would really like to take inspiration from the saints in naming our children. How cool would it be to read a story about a superhero and think "hey, that's my name?" How much cooler to know that the superhero was a real life person that did amazing things as a child of God? We hope that these amazing role models will inspire our children, through a variety of ways. In the meantime, we are actively searching through saint stories and feast days, hunting for just the right ones. We are cutting it pretty close to the end! It is a much more difficult challenge than we anticipated - who knew we had so many opinions? This week, the reality of our timeline is becoming increasingly apparent. We are just 6-10 weeks away from meeting our little one. This is extremely exciting but also very scary. In the midst of a pandemic, we don't have the option of attending a child-birth class or touring the hospital where we will labor and ...

Week 31 - What is sleep?

This week, we spent several days in Germantown, helping out Aunt Kelsey and Uncle Charles with their house. They are just a few short weeks away from an appraisal and desperately trying to get some projects done. SO much painting to do! We helped with as much as we could...slept and helped some more! They have a beautiful home that a lot of amazing people have poured a lot of love into. The true colors are really starting to shine, and we cannot wait to see the final result. Kiersten is currently balancing 2nd and 3rd shifts at work. So, her sleep schedule is pretty peculiar. She's known to be awake at strange hours and take several naps throughout the day. We are approaching the "uncomfortable" stage of pregnancy, where its just simply difficult to navigate life. Ben keeps her laughing every day and is helpful wherever possible - its especially important when she drops something on the floor! If only we could agree on what a proper back scratch is like xD

Week 30 - Look! Isn't it cute?!

From the mind of Mom: "Some days, it feels as though this body is on rental from someone else. When I look in the mirror, I rarely recognize the face looking back at me. When I change my clothes, I wonder whose legs I'm touching, whose toes I'm struggling to reach. I've grown exhausted in a capacity I didn't realize was possible. I feel like a zombie - its as though this rental is running low on oil but all the mechanic shops are closed. On Friday, I woke up, feeling refreshed, wondering how much I must have overslept - I was NOT prepared to see 2:59pm staring at me from my phonescreen. I actually shouted out loud and Ben came in from the other room to check on me. HOW could I have slept for so long? And HOW on earth am I going to manage this body when our little one needs me 24/7 and only wants to sleep for 1-4 hours at a time?" Baby is growing like a baby! We are now as big as a Zucchini. At this point, movement is pretty constant throughout the day,...