We Have a Thumb Sucker!!

So, when we first went in to see if Kane was a boy or girl 2 weeks ago, he gave us what I considered one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my 26 years...a nice big yawn. Well, today we wasn't tired, but he found his thumb right before our eyes! At first, he just opened his mouth with his hand in front of it, then kind of bobbed his hand around, then closed his mouth, then opened again and BAM! He found his thumb!! Well, he didn't stop there. Then he found the rest of his fingers on that hand and started sucking them too, a couple at a time, until they were all in there!! I was in tears because it was just so adorable. The ultrasound tech said it was one of the best thumb-sucking pics she's got in a long time!

We both love this little man so much already. :)

Kane Charles Bibler

As much fun as it's been to call this little guy "Barney", it was really starting to catch on a little too much with friends, some family, and even both Austin and I's places of work. Needless to say, we needed to name this kid so he's not branded with Barney his whole life!!!

We both absolutely love the name Kane Charles Bibler. In fact, as I am writing this, Austin is sitting in his video game chair repeating the name saying "I really like that...". :)

A couple interesting things about our little man's name:

1. The Irish meaning of Kane is "Tribute", which of course would be to this little one's late grandfather (Austin's dad) Charles Alva Bibler.
2. Austin got his way with an Irish name...:)
3. Charles (the middle name) was a given, and we are honored to have our son share a name with his grandpa. Charlie was such an incredible man (I could go on for days here...), and while Kane will never actually meet him here on Earth, he will certainly know who his Grandpa Charlie is, the values he taught us that we will in turn teach Kane, and the importance of Charlie in our lives yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.

The results are IN!!!

Barney is a BOY!!!! We are SO EXCITED to be having a son!!! Another Bibler boy...God help us all!! And yes, the picture with the arrow is pointing directly to Barney's "boy parts". :) Now we just need to come up with a REAL name for our baby boy!!

P.S. Good call on the 16 of you that voted boy!!

G-V-S-U-Let's Go Blue!!!

These words are chanted each and every fall by us, and now we have even more of a reason to chant them...Brogan committed to Grand Valley State University today!!! He is officially attending one of the best, and playing football for one of (if not THE) best Division II schools this country has to offer. Not only did we get to watch both of my brothers play (yes, Austin and I have been together that long!), but now we get to watch a third brother play!!

Austin and I are so incredibly proud of all of Brogan's hard work, and cannot WAIT to see him on the GVSU football field this fall!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two Days Left!!!

Wednesday is the big, no HUGE day for Austin, Barney and I!!! We will find out what Barney really is (though most of you seem to think boy!), and make sure he/she is happy and healthy in there. :)
To be exact, from this very minute, we have to wait 49 hours and 10 minutes. I'll have to find something to do for those 49 hours and 10 minutes to keep me busy so I stop thinking about this!!

74 Days!!

OK...due to the current sub-zero temperatures and the most pale, pasty skin I've had since middle school (not pretty), I am looking forward to this years trip to Gulf Shores more than ever!! The thing I most look forward to is putting my feet in warm sand...not sure why, I'm just dying to feel sand! I might just roll around in it when we get off the plane...

And I can't wait for Barney's first time there, even if he/she can't actually see it this year. He/she will definitely taste lots of fresh, seasoned shrimp from Tacky Jack's, feel the warm sun, dance at the Florabama, shop with us as we indulge in way too many baby clothes at the Tanger Outlet Mall, and smile right along with his/her mommy and daddy for 10 days straight. :)

P.S. Lauren and Tracy, I know you're both getting giddy reading this!!

He'll Always be My "Original" Baby...

Well, Hoonis will be 9 years old this coming May, and we have owned him since he was 5 and a half weeks old. Needless to say, we're both extremely attached to him (even though Austin won't always admit to that, like when Hooney has bad gas). For those who know me well, you know that I love all of my animals, but Hoonis is my baby. He has overcome so much during his 8 years, including chronic seizures, corneal ulcers, pancreatitis, 4 leg operations (including hip replacement) after a bad accident, skin cancer, etc, and we've been there through it all. Long story short...we have gone through a LOT with him, and I truly am his mom (regardless of how silly that sounds). He would prefer to sit right at my side over anything else in the world, including eating "tootsie rolls" out of the litter box and taking a "bye-bye". That's a huge compliment to me. :)

We found out tonight that Hooney is in the beginning stages of heart failure. He has developed a heart murmur, and the X-Rays showed his heart is most definitely enlarged. Hoonis has overcome SO MUCH that I hope and pray he can overcome this too, but I'm afraid he may be too old and has already gone through too much. He will be starting meds and will be monitored for the remainder of his life. I know he can't live forever, but Hoonis' death will be one of the most devastating days of my life (and Austin's too). So, if you are one who believes that animals are kids/members of the family, maybe you can squeak Hoonis in your T's and P's. :)

Baby Bibler Poll!

Cast your vote!!! Austin and I find out next Wednesday (January 21st) whether Barney is an actual Barney or a Barnita!!
*Poll is on the right side of the screen.....>
**And once again, no, we are not really naming our child Barney/Barnita. :)

Another Laker in the Works?!?!?!?

Brogan was approached today by Grand Valley's recruiter!! He is going to work out with them on Saturday, so he can show them his star quality!! He has also been approcahed by Ferris and Saginaw Valley, but GVSU is where Brogan REALLY wants to go (and so do the rest of us!)!!! Keep your fingers crossed for him! :)

Christmas Day 2008

Another Christmas done already? Wow...time sure flies when you're having fun and working full time and married and having a baby!! I hear it only speeds up once the little ones come, too. Anyway, we were all spoiled rotten this morning at Mom and Dad Hosford's house, as you can see from the pre-gift-opening shot above (which wasn't even all of it!). This is Austin and I's last year as "Austin and I", so we're going to relax the rest of the day and enjoy the quiet. :)

Thank you Mom and Dad for another incredible Christmas!! And the Barney Wipes were my favorite gift ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Barney has been very spoiled already between last night and this morning. Also, take a look at Lauren's belly!! Holy Moly! I have some serious catching up to do!!!!

Christmas Eve 2008

Oh, what a night!! We got to spend another wonderfully memorable Christmas Eve at Grandma Klingerman's house last night. It's always so nice to see family, and always guarenteed for a good laugh or two when you put us all in one room! Austin played Santa again, which he does so well, even though he tells every single kid that they'll get whatever they ask for.....laptops, cell phones, anything! Thanks for another great Christmas Eve to all! :)

Happy Holidays!

I saw this on another blog and had to give it a try! I can't stop laughing...:) Click on the link below for a chuckle.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/jpFeMHWBxHebQVlpcLV3

Barney's Blossoming Bump

Yup...Barney's still growing!! Austin and I actually got to see him/her on Monday night via ultrasound, and he/she was waving it's arms and legs all over and bouncing around! By far the coolest thing we've ever seen...so far. And no, Chester is not one of those "crotch smelling" dogs, as it looks in the pic. He actually jumps up on me and "bumps" the baby bump (he's not a "kisser", but he "bumps" us on the mouth as his way of kissing). It's so cute! Hoonis literally looks the other way when I point to my belly, and LuLu tries to jump all over it, so at this point, I think Chester is the only animal in this house that's excited for a baby!

Two more trimesters to go!! We love you Barney Bibler!!

Look at This Mug...

This is Lucy TenBrink. She was Hooney's sister/littermate (can't you tell-they look so much alike). Anyway, she was euthanized this morning due to several complications of cancer-the number one killer of boxers. For any of you who know any of the TenBrink's (Mike, Linda, Mike Jr., Carrie, Kristi, Graham, etc.), please let them know that you're thinking about them, as this was extremely hard on all of them. They are nuts about dogs, particularly Boxers, just like I am. They still have Matilda, aka Tilly, who is Hooney's real mom (but don't tell Hooney that...he thinks I am his real mom).

R.I.P. poor Lucy.

117 Days....

...until we get to put our feet in the sand again!! That's right, I'm already counting down, but I have been counting down since 225+ days, so it doesn't seem that far away now! This year, Austin, Barney (who will still be in my belly, but he/she counts too!) and I will be flying down (thanks to Dr. Pete's pre-approval, of course!) to sunny Gulf Shores, Alabama on April 1st....so we get an entire 10 days! WOOT! Right now, as I sit here and am freezing and looking out at SNOW, I seriously cannot wait...:)

State Champs!!!!

Well, the Rams pulled off another State Championship yesterday at Ford Field!!! Brogan finished his Ram football career on the best possible note, and we are so proud of him for all his hard work and accomplishments (including Second Team All-State, All-Conference, and making the Grand Rapids Press Dream Team, just to name a few). The Rams and their coaches should all be very proud and satisfied with a tremendous season. GO RAMS!!

Now.....bring on basketball season!!

Barney Bibler Update!!

Today Austin and I went to our first actual appointment with my wonderful OB/GYN, Dr. Pete (I know there are several of us Dr. Pete fans out there!). He gladly answered all of my 27 questions, and after reviewing my three previous ultrasounds, he bumped my due date back from June 16 to June 20. No big deal to us! Also, for an "early Thanksgiving present" to us (and this is why I love Dr. Pete!), he surprised us with the heart tone doppler. :) We heard Barney's little heart just beatin' away! It was so cool!

So there it is...a new due date, two beating hearts in one body, and two very happy parents-to-be. :)

We love you Barney Bibler!

Rams off to the Semi-Finals!!!

Today Rockford beat Heartland 24-8 in a good but COLD football game!! Brogan (#2) played great, as always. :) And Brogan's best friend Jordan (who is #21 and very much like another little brother to Austin and I) scored ALL THREE TOUCHDOWNS!!!!!

Next week the Rams (and us Ram fans) are headed to a 10:30a.m. game at Michigan State University for the semi-finals!! After that win, it's off to Ford Field, baby! GO RAMS!

Barney's Baby Bump

Yup...it popped this week. At just under 10 weeks, I have definitely developed a belly! Barney is definitely growing like a weed in there! Can't wait to see how big it'll be in 10 more weeks....or maybe I can wait...:)

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma!!

Tonight we celebrated Grandma Snellink's 80th birthday!! Of course, birthday celebrations in this family now consist of horrible singing, great food, and ultimately...bad gas. :)

Happy birthday, Grandma! We love you!!