How could a mother not recognize a face like that!

I just hope Dakota’s not jealous as I don’t believe she’s been featured in a CBW newsletter yet!

Sleep has also been tough.  I feel bad for Mike as I have been tossing and turning constantly over the last few nights.  I’m wondering if the maternity pillows that I’ve seen advertised work.  I might have to invest in one and see how it goes.

Baby Minton’s brain is growing rapidly. By this stage, all of the major areas have been differentiated. The cortical layers, which govern specific brain functions, are beginning to form. The fetus may exhibit signs of a primitive body language in utero. Within the next few weeks, he/she’ll be able to hear voices outside the womb and respond positively to music or loving words. I guess that means it’s time for Mike and I to start fine-tune our singing and storytelling skills!

In case you’re wondering, I haven’t felt any movement yet. Some start to feel movement as early as 16 or 17 weeks, but it’s not unusual for the movement to become noticeable in weeks 20-22. As soon as I notice something, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.

Here’s a picture of Guinness sitting like a good puppy on the deck.  He’s a firm believer that if he sits still long enough, he’ll get a cookie.  It’s hard to believe that he’s not even a year old yet!  We are thankful everyday that we adopted him as he makes us smile, even if he does have the worst dog farts I’ve ever smelled.

Dakota is looking as cute as ever.  She loves to eat snow and ICE!  Yes, she eats ice.  She doesn’t enjoy being outside as much as Guinness does, but we think that’s because she’s a slender dog who doesn’t have as much “padding” on her, so she gets cold easily.

Dakota is my baby and has been sitting on my lap at night while I watch the Olympics.  I wonder how she’s going to react once Baby Minton gets here???

Glenn is Patti’s father and Mike’s Grandfather.  He currently lives in Wichita, KS with his wife Phyllis.

I’ve have yet to meet Glenn, but I told Mike that I think he looks like the actor Robert Duvall.

His/her legs are much more developed, his head is more erectthan it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his/her head. Baby Minton’s ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of the scalp has begun, though his/her locks aren’t recognizable yet. He/she’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, the heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as Baby Minton continues to develop.

I have my 16 week appointment tomorrow with the OB.  Excited to hear the heartbeat again as well as making sure that everything is on track.  At this point we’re only a month away from learning if we’re having a BOY or a GIRL.

This morning I asked Mike to take a picture of my baby bump so that those of you back in Michigan could see what I looked like as I start my 16th week.

If you didn’t know I was pregnant, you probably would just say that I’ve just packed on a few pounds.  With 25 weeks to go…I think I might be adding a few more pounds between now and then.

Tour:  Las Vegas Season 4 – (which ran in Las Vegas from January 26th – February 23rd 1971)
Show Date:  February 14 1971 
Venue:  International Hotel 
Location:  Las Vegas NV 
Showtimes:  8:15 (Dinner) and Midnight (12.00am) 
Crowd:  2200 at each show

In addition to seeing Elvis, they also caught a Sammy Davis Jr show as he was a regular at the Sands Hotel where they were staying.  It may sound like a cliche Vegas wedding, but even Mike and I contemplated getting married there.  My Mom wanted us to get married at Graceland, but in the end we opted for Key West as we felt that it was “our” spot.

On Sunday, my parents celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary.  It is rare that you find two people who can spend almost four decades together and still enjoy being together.  I’m not sure what the secret to their successfully marriage is, but I hope that Mike and I follow in their footsteps.

To help celebrate their anniversary, here are some of my favorite snapshot of my parents:

A picture from Thanksgiving 2006 while we were in the Upper Peninsula visiting with family.

Out on Bill and Peg’s sailboat in March 2006.

A picture from our wedding on March 16, 2007 at Smather’s Beach in Key West.  

A picture taken in Rocky Mountain National Park during Mom and Dad’s first visit to stay with us in CO.

 Taken on St Patrick’s Day 2008 – we bar hopped in Marathon with my parents.

In Sept 2008 we spent a weekend in Vail, CO with my parents.

Their story can’t be told in pictures alone, but when I grow up…I hope that I can be just like my parents.  Love you guys!

So we have decided to make some improvements to their Dog Run.  Due to the fact that we have a walk out basement, the side yard is on a hill.   As you can see, the dogs running up and down along the house has caused the rocks to be pushed downward toward the gate.

The dogs also like to dig when their out there.  Often when we get home their noses are covered with dirt.  Here’s one of the holes they’ve been digging.  I’m not sure if they’re trying to get to China or just bored…

It’s still cold here in CO to dig, but we’ve purchased the initial supplies for the project.

Mike has a vision and from what I understand we’re going to tier the Dog Run with the wood so that it holds the rocks in place and also gives the dogs different areas to play in.  At the very top we’re going to add some stepping stones so they can lay in the sun and watch what’s going on in the neighborhood.

We hope to start making the changes in the next few weeks, but with three inches of snow expected tomorrow…it probably won’t be this weekend or next!