Moving right along! I'm actually 29 weeks pregnant as of yesterday - only about 2 1/2 months to go. I'm starting to get really excited and feeling like we should get a move on getting the baby's room ready. Not going to be feeling like painting, moving furniture, etc. for too much longer I'm sure. DJ is in the fields now - they got a late start since they had 4 cuttings of hay this year. Hopefully they'll be done by Thanksgiving!

Woo hoo! We're having a baby girl! We were so excited and shocked! With five boys in DJ's family and five boys in mine, we really didn't think the odds of having a girl were very good. We were so thrilled to find out that we are having a little girl and that she is healthy and growing normally. Such a blessing that I don't take for granted anymore! I can't wait to meet her, name her, introduce her to Jackson... I watched Kortney Kardashian introduce her daughter to her son Mason last night and I bawled! Such a great moment. I hope Jackson falls in love fast like I know DJ and I will. I'll be 28 weeks on Wednesday which means I only have 12 weeks to go. This pregnancy has gone so fast! Now just about a million things to do before she arrives. She! Hah! I still can't get used to saying that!

At almost 25 weeks, I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going. We are getting so excited to meet our little boy or girl and to introduce him or her to Jackson. I am so thankful that the baby has been healthy and that things are progressing as they should be so far. We went in for an ultrasound at 20 weeks and went ahead and tried to find out the sex of the baby. But...the baby had different plans. They couldn't tell us if it was a boy or girl. :) We have one more ultrasound the second week of September so we'll see if he or she cooperates! :) This weekend we head out to visit my parents and Joe in Fort Lauderdale. Let's hope Hurrican Isaac gets the heck out of there before we arrive! I need some beach time and Jackson is DYING to swim in the pool with his Daddy. :) Til next time! xoxo, Heather

Gymanstics

Jackson has had some trouble with coordination, strength, etc. This, I believe, is caused by low muscle tone and his pronated ankles. He walked at 15 months (not terribly late) but seemed to be falling way too often. In the beginning, we thought the falling was due to ear infections (inner ear infection=poor balance) but then the falling was happening more and more. Then, we had 3 elbow dislocations within one year. Talk about horrible - watching your little baby boy experience so much pain from a dislocation is Aw. Ful. Then he fell and hit his mouth and one of his front teeth became permanently bruised and gray. I was like, "that's it, I NEED answers. Something isn't right..." I can't tell you the number of nights I laid awake worrying about what was wrong with Jack. I just wanted an answer - a label ... something! But then, we started learning more, and I panicked. I didn't want people to think he had a disability. Be careful what you wish for I guess. Truth is, there's nothing really "wrong" with him, he just needed some better muscle tone and his ankles lean in a bit (probably the major cause of his clumsiness). He's my little rubber band - flexible as all get out. The orthopedic specialist told us "this is just the way he's made. A hundred years from now we might be able to give you some genetic answers for this, but for right now, it's just how he's built." Phew! Now we know that he just needed a little strength training, ankle support, physical therapy, and TLC. Today he wears orthotics in his shoes every day. He completed his physical therapy in June and now we're on to gymanstics class once a week for improved strength, balance, and coordination. Here are a few pictures of his class at Miss Barb's (Fun N Fitness) where he loves to go on the "jumpoline" every Tuesday. I can see a big improvement! He can now run across the yard or room without falling. Woo hoo! His pediatrician asked me at his 2 year check up how he was coming along. I said great, and I feel better now that we've tried everything we could to help him. I don't want him to suffer from arthritis or some other problems when he's older and I would love to see him play sports if that is what he wants. We'll keep going with his orthotics and gymnastics, etc. I'm just glad my baby is okay.

Fun Summer

We have had such a fun summer so far! Despite the heat, we've had such a great time. We've had our cousins from Indy visit, a few trips to the lake, time spent with our fun and awesome friends, visits from family members, my baptism, Jack's 3rd birthday,...the list just keeps growing! I am so happy to have had this summer with my friends and family. Here's a few photos... On Tuesday, we had our 20 week ultrasound. Baby boy or girl is growing and healthy! Woo hoo! I have such a huge sense of relief now after seeing how much he/she has grown, that he/she has kidneys, a brain, etc. That might sound crazy, but I'm no longer naive about the miracle of having a healthy baby. I'm so blessed!

Last weekend we had an 81st birthday party for DJ's grandpa, Jim. It was a fun celebration of his life and all that he's accomplished. It was great to get together and see some cousins, neighbors, etc. that we haven't seen in a while. DJ fixed up his 4020 this past winter and brought it out to the party for the occasion so we could take a family photo in front of it. Here's a couple good ones..

My parents, brothers, nephews, sisters-in-law, aunt and uncles visited the weekend of my baptism. It was like a mini reunion! So fun! Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Here's a few pics from that weekend...

Here are a few pics from our summer thus far. DJ got me beautiful pink roses for our 8th anniversary, I am 16 weeks pregnant, our friends Jen/Riehl/and Piper visiting from Denver, and a shot of Jackson from last weekend when were were at the Indiana Dunes. It's been a fun-filled summer so far - can't wait for what's next! Peace! Heather

Jackson and I went to the park a few weeks ago and I took some pictures of him walking along the river. They turned out really cute! I am so excited to have his 3-year photos taken professionaly next Saturday by Hannah Wright, the same girl who took his awesome 2-year pics. Still haven't decided if we'll be taking some family shots - eh - why not!?! Loving my hubby today - made me breakfast in bed. What a sweetie pie. I sure miss him this time of year (planting season). I am proably the only person I know who loves it when it rains! Rain = I get to see him! Lots of changes going on in the Mangold family. David is leaving for Afghanistan in June. Andrew is off to boot camp this summer. Josh is taking a new position in a different part of Afghanistan at the end of the summer. All these military men make me proud, but scared too. Praying that God keeps them safe! Busy but fun weekend this weekend! Wedding, bachelorette party, etc... It's gonna be fun!

Hobo's

Last night we made hobo's on the grill. Nom nom nom. These are super easy and great for summertime (okay it's not summertime yet, but Mother Nature had me fooled last week!) Here's the recipe:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 large baking potatoes, chopped into chunks
baby carrots (optional)

Create 4 9"x9" square of tinfoil and lay out on your counter. Roll handful size balls of ground beef and place one on each square of tinfoil. In a large bowl, mix onion, soup, potatoes and baby carrots. Pour 1/4 of mixture of each ball of ground beef. Salt and Pepper to taste. Fold up tinfoil squares so food is completely covered up. Place foil packets on grill for 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Garden

I'm thinking about starting a garden. I've wanted to for several years but it seems like the idea always come to me after it's too late each summer. So I should start simple. But what to plant? I'm thinking maybe tomatoes, spinach, and peppers? Those are my favorites so I know they'll get eaten. And if I'm really ambitious...salsa!! Now if I can fet DJ to help me build a container for a raised bed! :)

Madison Road

I wanted to share something really sweet with all of you. My friend Ann recently went live with her website for her company "Madison Road". Ann makes adorable, unique, hand-sewn clothing for your girls. This stuff is seriuosly adorable. The company name, Madison Road, has special meaning to me as Ann and her family live in the house I grew up in ... you guessed it ... on Madison Road. Ann is an amazing chick! She is beautiful, fun, cool, a great mom, so creative. I could go on and on. Please check out the website for her new company and support her!

Happy Shopping!

Children's Museum

This past weekend we took a short family trip to Indianapolis. On Saturday, we visited the Indianapolis Children's Museum. It was quite the place! LOTS of people and cool exhibits for the kids. Jackson had a great time and fell asleep before we even left the parking garage on our way out.

Yee ha!

She's here!

DJ's cousin Justin and Heidi had a baby girl on Wednesday - Presley Madison. We went to visit them in the hospital yesterday. She's so adorable! I feel like we've been waiting so long for her to get here! Welcome to the family Presley!

No more cast

Yesterday we went to have Jackson's cast removed. Hooray! He was a little unsure about the saw when the medical assistant pulled it out, but he ended up laughing the whole time he cut through the cast because it tickled. Such a trooper. Yay for normal bath time and being able to feed himself!

Jackson'isms

The other day I went back to a July 2009 post and read a post I wrote about a typical day in the life with newborn baby Jackson. It made me get all misty! I was so glad that I could go back and read those little Jackson'isms so I thought I'd do it again to help make some lasting memories now that he's 2 1/2 years old (31 months to be exact). So here goes ...

A few of my favorite things that Jackson says:
- That's mines! (Yes, "mines" is plural.)
- Mama, whatcha doooooin?
- I wake up! (This is our bright, cheery, ethusiastic greeting every morning around 7 a.m.)
- IIIIII do it. (Likes to do everything himself like a big boy these days.)
- Take a baf. (Take a bath.) :)
- Daddy workeeeeng.
- I jumped in da POO! (Translation: I jumped in the pool! He tells people this a lot as we just visited Nee Nee and Papa in Florida.)
- Baby hit me. (Jackson likes to tell on Katie, a little girl from the babysitter's, when she hits him. Sometimes I think the story might be reversed.) :)
- "Jackson what road to you live on?" - Me. "HickoREEEEE" - Jackson.
- "When is your birthday?" - Me, "June Elebbnen." - Jack.
- "How old are you?" - Me. "Two....two and a half." - Jack (Pauses EVERY time.)

We went South for the Winter (or at least January)

Swimming in the Pool with Uncle Josh and Uncle David!

Fun in the pool!






Jackson dislocated his elbow while we were in Florida. We had to go see an orthopedic specialist and this John Deere Green cast was the result. :(