We're Still Alive!

Believe it or not, we’re still alive and kickin’. My lack of blog posts in the last year (it’s already been a year?!) might suggest otherwise. Because of the reason I started the blog to begin with (to chronicle Baby Lauer #2’s life inside my womb which ended almost as quickly as it began), keeping up with this blog was a very emotional and upsetting thing. So I just stopped.

 One of my dear friends, Kristin (and probably the only person who reads the blog - big shout out to my favorite follower!!!) has a wonderful blog that spurred me to start my own last year. However, her blog is so interesting and chronicles her life with her husband, her sweet little daughter, Elle, and her two funny, adorable cats. My life seemed pale in comparison, so I didn’t think I really had anything blog worthy to write about.

 With that being said, a LOT has changed over the past year and a few days ago I realized that while my life is a slightly lighter shade of tan than Kristin’s (it only makes sense, she’s a Floridian and I’m a Chicagoan... sigh), it still has some color! So, here I am to reinstate the sad, lonely, and much neglected Life of the Lauer’s blog.

::I can hear the roar of applause::

Look for tantalizing stories about our 3 moves, our new (and permanent!!) home, our newest four-legged addition, new jobs, more losses, creative stuff that I keep dipping my hands into, some of our more recent adventures and much, much more! I plan to share pictures of our new house with the small renovations so far, a million photos of the dogs (I mean, they are my fur babies), some yummy recipes I’ve tried lately, various events I’m helping out with, pictures of my scrapbooking (I’m so proud of it, it should be a child), not to mention some of my most recent invitation pieces, and other fun tidbits about my Mr. Lauer, my sweet pups, Charles Winston and Chester Bennington Lauer and me, Mrs. Lauer  :)

 We’re back in business, people!

 xoxo

Steve's Surprise

So my last post was all about how I found out, and this one is about how I surprised Steve with the big news.

First of all, I have to give myself some major credit for not calling him at work and blurting it out over the phone as soon as I was thinking straight. I kept myself busy reading all about what was going on with the baby developmentally and looking into doctors that I was able to keep my mouth shut--barely. Steve sent several text messages to me throughout the day just to say hello and that he loves me, etc, to which I replied making sure the word "baby" got slipped into the text each and every time.

The day flew by and before I knew it, it was 3 o'clock and Steve would be home in a few hours! Because of the way we both found out about our previous pregnancy (a story for another day), I wanted to make sure that this would be a special, beautiful memory that we could proudly tell friends and family. So, I got to work thinking. I came up with a million ideas, but I knew I couldn't do them all! So I settled on the following.

But first, some background information: Steve & I met in high school and after school almost everyday, he had baseball practice. Because he went to the private school in my town, I was able to drive over and leave special treats in his car when he was at practice. I'd leave candy bars, notes I wrote throughout the day, pictures, etc. Just little things to let him know that I was thinking of him. Over our 6 year history together, I found ways as often as I could to show him that I loved him and was thinking of him always. I would do scavenger hunts to find birthday presents, surprise birthday parties, 365 Hershey kisses complete with reasons on each why I love him, etc.
The night before I found out, I made a delicious, candle-lit dinner and we talked about how much we loved each other, how happy we are together, and all the sweet things we used to do for one another. It was a romantic evening, perfect for a prelude to the surprise I got the next morning!

How I Surprised Steve: Because the setting was so perfect from the night before, I settled on a scavenger hunt. Once Steve got home from work, he was greeted with a note on our door that read: "Scavenger Hunt! Remember our conversation last night about the sweet things I used to do for you? Here's something sweet for a new memory."
He was excited (as he always is for my little surprises) and didn't even take off his shoes before he was ready to start the hunt! So, I handed him the first clue which read:
"Something's wrong with the oven--there's a smell coming from there. Will you check inside for me?"
He immediately walked to the oven and opened the door. Inside he found a cinnamon bun.

(This was his first clue, but he had no idea!) He happily grabbed the bun and exclaimed, "Thanks, babe! I'm starving!" And with that, he sat down at the table and started eating the bun! (AH!) I was so anxious for him to keep searching that I almost burst while he ate! Finally, he finished and read the clue that came with the bun, which read "What's our new favorite game?" He smiled and walked to the place we keep our games and pulled out the Scrabble Box. He opened the lid and smiled when he read it:

"That's so sweet, babe!" He kissed me and while that was his second - and what I thought was  very obvious - clue, he still had no idea whatsoever. The next clue read "Check where we spend our nights dreaming of what the future holds." So, he walked to the bed and found this underneath a pillow.

The note read, "Before you open your present, kiss your wife anywhere she requests." He happily turned to me and kissed my lips. I pointed to my neck, and after he obliged, I pointed to my stomach and my heart started pounding. He lifted up my shirt and a huge smile spread across his lips.

He got the last clue pretty quickly! He stood up and hugged me tighter than he ever has before and started laughing because I wrote "hello, daddy" across my stomach. "So I assume that's the positive test?" he pointed to the 'present.' I nodded, with tears in my eyes.

I don't think the surprise could have gone any better! It all happened quickly, but it was such a beautiful and memorable event that I know Steve & I will cherish for the rest of our lives. We spent the rest of the evening talking excitedly about the possibilities that lie ahead, and our fears of a miscarriage or stillbirth happening again. But, we decided the best thing to do is to be positive and let God and nature take care of the rest.

Baby Lauer: we already love you so much! Even though you're a tiny speck right now, our hearts have grown by leaps and bounds in the week that we've known about you. You have given us more hope and excitement than you can possibly imagine - you are such a beautiful blessing. I promise to take care of myself so that you have a great place to live and grow in for the next 8 months. Just promise you'll stay healthy and take your time - mommy and daddy will be anxiously awaiting your arrival in 2011.