Thankful.

• For God's provision in my life. Food. Home. Warmth. Love.
• For the hope and peace that Jesus brings.
  
• For family, near and far.
  
• For my parents and the strength they demonstrate.
• For amazing and supportive in-laws.
  
• For the quality time I had with my brother this year.
  
• For the tearless feast he is now enjoying in Heaven.
• For my husband's endless hugs.
• For a healthy pregnancy.
• For the joy this baby girl has already brought to our lives.
• For the support of friends.
• For many ways to stay in touch across the miles.
• For a wonderful church that's beginning to feel like home.
• For the troops that sacrifice to keep us safe.
• For a hot coffee on a cold winter day.
• For blessings great and small.

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all.
Thank you for being a part of my life.

State of the Pregnancy Address

We are 19 (nineteen. N-I-N-E-T-E-E-N.) days away from the anticipated birth of our first child.

And I haven't peed myself (yet), so I'd say month eight is going fairly well.

The hospital bag is packed and the nursery is finished- that's the easy, external stuff. Baby has been a great motivator to get Christmas shopping and decorating out of the way early, and I'm happy to report I can check the shopping (and wrapping) off my list! (Don't expect efficiency like this every year.)

My weekly checkups at the doctor assure us that everything is fine with baby...measurements, activity, position and heart rate are all normal. Also normal are the increasingly intense back pains, restless nights, and grunting noises that emanate from me when I stand...or move. At our last office visit, our nurse exclaimed that her head is "right there!"...locked and loaded for the big moment. Now, it's just a waiting game.

Baby has fallen in to a predictable pattern of activity. Like clockwork, she starts jabbing at my ribs around 10 p.m. More subtle activity occurs during the daytime. She also has a little water fetish...and will do cartwheels in my belly after I consume liquids. Her feet poke out regularly on my left side, opposite the huge bulge on my right side that causes a very lopsided tummy.

Mommy has been taking it easy, working sporadically for repeat classrooms. The flexibility in my work schedule has been a GODSEND the last 9 months. Meanwhile, Daddy has been stepping it up both at work and home, pulling some extra "on-call" weeks and putting dishes away on the bottom shelves :) I don't know how anyone does pregnancy, let alone motherhood, on their own! My husband is the best...though he is more than worried my opinion of him will change during labor. I have assured him he is in no physical danger- unless I hear him chewing.

The countdown to December 14th is on! 

(Photo credit:  Torsten Mangner)

Rock-a-Bye Baby.

It's getting close...we're three weeks away from our due date and now considered full term! This info is a little easier to swallow now that the nursery is nearly finished. Only one task is left, and due to secrecy issues surrounding her name, we can't finish it until closer to her arrival. I believe I posted "before" pictures a while ago...so, without further ado, here are the "afters"!

Our furniture is a dark espresso color, and the nursery colors include various creams, neutrals, celery green and dusty blue.


The rocking bunny pictured above will be baby's first Christmas present from mommy and daddy.

The shelf above the rocker features baby pictures of Chris and me, with a special spot in the middle for baby Stavenger.


And, of course, Uncle Dizzle will be with us every day!

Move Over, Boys.

How it happened, I don't know.
Chris' colleagues started a Fantasy Football league.
One of the docs couldn't make the "draft", so I drafted his team for him.
He neglected to ever sign in and play.
So...I inherited a team with a 0-3 losing streak.
I started reading up on players, watching games, consulting experts.
Now Stavgirl is in FIRST PLACE.
That's right...I've taken down every guy in our league on a 7-week win streak.
And I love it.
You'd better believe I'm utilizing the "smackboard" to rub it in.

This Sunday, Chris will fight for his pride as the Stavengers go head-to-head in battle. Frankly, he has more at stake as he'll have to answer to his friends at work should he lose...but I wouldn't mind having a little extra cash at the end of this thing. It'll be a nice income for a stay-at-home mommy :)

Am I the only female football fan out there?

Autumn has Come and Gone...

...but the pictures remain! All the leaves are now on the ground and the frost on the rooftops tell that winter is just around the corner. A little late, here are some reminders of how pretty Duluth is in the fall.

Chris went to Phoenix for a conference in October, so my dear friend Karen came to keep me company for a week (and some bonus days).





In my humble opinion, this is the best time to visit Duluth. It comes like clockwork near the end of September and stays through the first weeks in October...so plan your Minnesota 2010 vacations now- I'm sure rooms at Chateau Stavenger will fill up fast! We'll show you a good time!

Making a List, Checking it Twice.

Nope...not for Santa.
Not even for Christmas.

We're making a list of items we'll need to bring to the hospital with us when "the moment" arrives. Our classes at the hospital and some literature have given us a good start, but I'm always impressed with the advice that I glean from my blog-o-rrific experienced moms. Therefore, I'm opening up the floor. What did YOU bring to the hospital? OR, what do you WISH you had brought to the hospital with you?

First item on my list:

Yep- sometimes that smell gets me through the day.

Halloween Hero

Ever since Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed his U.S. Airways plane IN the Hudson river saving all passengers on board, Chris has had a bit of a man-crush on the pilot. And for the better part of the year, he's been looking forward to sporting a "Sully" costume. I thought I'd be able to enjoy one more halloween without worrying about crafting a costume, but it turns out that husbands need help too...

I may be biased, but I think it turned out pretty cute. :)


Decked out in pilot duds, minus the facial hair.

His whole demeanor changed by adding the mustache...