Its been awhile....

So for all of you that have been reading the blog for sometime have probably stopped reading it because we never update it with new things. Well this time we have a good excuse. By the way this is Nolan writing this time, I haven't wrote on here yet so I decided it was time to let everyone know from my side what is going on. So the excuse is that when you are having a baby come soon you really try to get things finished before the little guy or girl gets here. In our house we had a bright pink room that was there when we moved in. Now it has been transformed into the new nursery. I will post pics later on when I have some time to do that. This room was also the room that we had stored everything that was moved into the house that we did not need at the time. It was filled to the brim with stuff. When we actually got to sorting things out I found out that most of the stuff that was taking up the room in there were books! My wife loves to read so they were all of her books that had been packed into boxes. After much sorting and placing books in their right places the room was finally ready to be worked on.
I would like to say that I was able to do all the painting myself but I am even happier to say that I am glad that we have the friends that we do. The first night of trying to cover up that horrible pink...and I say horrible because it was everywhere....walls, trim, closet door! AHHHH!!! was done by me, Jen, Nikki, and my wife with a respirator on. There was one gallon of primer down and you could still see the pink like crazy. Round two of priming was done by me, Nikki, and Kristy came by to help. Kristy, Nikki, and I did the painting of the walls and then I finished the rest of the painting up myself. Big thanks to Nikki though for coming over to do the red on the bottom part! Now I am glad to say that last night the last of the pink finally disappeared! I finished up the trim and now it is all gone! EVERYONE CHEERS!!!! Yeah!
Other than that with the room, our house is a disaster, I finally put up a new mailbox and numbers on our house. I feel that is it officially ours now! Manda is 35 weeks pregnant and is about ready to burst...the baby is getting bored and wants out....no room! It will be here sooner than we know.
Well if Manda does not post on here then I will try as well. For now here you go and I will try to put some pics up.

Jack of All Trades

My husband is awesome! I just wanted to show you some pictures of what Nolan was up to the last couple days. I do have to add this his wonderful mother did help paint the bottom color behind the toilet and his dad gave us the great idea to put the sink where it now is; previously it was on the other side of the room which prevented easy flow to the laundry. His parents also bought us mini blinds for all the rooms which look great and make it feel that much homier. (Thanks, Sue & Al! We love you!) So Nolan painted, installed the piping for the toilet and sink and set up a second bathroom for us! He can go into the detail of all the work he did but that's the gist. I feel so blessed to have a 'jack-of-all-trades' man. So far I don't think I've found anything that he can't do. That is a great quality to have and it saves us a lot of money since we don't have to hire outside help and time since we don't have to rely on others. We have a lot of work to do on the house before Baby comes. It has been frustrating to me because I'm limited in what I'm able to do such as paint or lift heavy objects. Nolan has been understanding and patient. Meanwhile, I've tried to be less controlling and accepting that his way of doing things are just as good (or often times, better) than how I would want them done. It's probably the Lord's way of humbling me and saying, "See, Amanda, you can't control everything." A hard lesson to learn but I'm sure I'll be the better for it.

In other news, I'm reading a compelling book by Tony Campolo called Red Letter Christians. The book is about Christians and politics. He has challenged me to think for myself and want to be involved in political decisions. It's not an easy book to read because it does make you want to take action, which is not always easy. However, I appreciate his objective opinions and that he challenged Christians to follow Christ's examples and commands. So there is my book recommendation of the month. I've also ordered Shane Claiborne's Jesus for President so I'll give you my opinion of that after I've read it; whether you want to hear it or not--ha!

Tomorrow I go to the doctor for a lab test to check for gestational diabetes. I get to drink some substance that looks like Orange Crush but I have my doubts that it tastes the same. I also finally have a list of questions for my doctor. This doesn't seem like it would be exciting but up until now I feel I have taken a passive role in this pregnancy and just let things happen as they will. Now that Baby's arrival is fast approaching, reality is setting in and I'm anxious to talk with the doctor about what lays ahead. If you could keep me and Baby in your prayers as we visit the doctor tomorrow we would appreciate it. I'll let you know how the test goes when we receive the results. So far the pregnancy has been blessed and easy-peasy so I'm praying the results will continue to show good, safe progress.
I leave you with hopes that you all are safe, happy, healthy, and rejoicing in another day!
Much love!

At the urging of my sister-in-law, I shall update our blog. I knew I wouldn't be good at this. Anyway, Nolan and I are great! Today I had another check up. My belly is measuring 25 inches and I'm starting to feel Baby move! The first time was actually great timing on Baby's part. I was just getting ready for Nolan to take my 5 month picture and right up by my chest I felt like my stomach did a flip. It was too high for my stomach so I assumed it was Baby! I really haven't felt too many kicks or heavy movements so I'm enjoying this time before it starts to get painful. I was able to hear Baby's heartbeat a lot today. The first time wasn't that great because it was faint and Baby was moving around too much. Today I was able to hear a strong heartbeat for a longer amount of time. It is my favorite moment at doctor visits when she is moving the tool around my belly to find the heartbeat and then, we find it and I hear Baby! I cannot wait to hold this little guy (or girl) but I know the time will come sooner than I imagine.
In other news, Nolan and I will be heading to Florida this Friday. My friends are throwing me a birthday party and then we'll be heading south after that. We'll be staying with Derek & Ashley for a week. We always have a great time together so I look forward to that. Ashley got us tickets to Aquatica, Anheuser-Busch's new water park so I have major plans that include an inner-tube and the lazy river! Nolan will have to experience all the slides and water rides and let me know what I missed.
We're slowly but surely getting the house put together. My parents and sister visited this weekend so they were finally able to see the house. They took me out for my birthday on Saturday and then Bethany stayed until this morning. I always enjoy time with my family and this weekend was postponed several times so it was great that we finally were able to host them. Hopefully we can host Nolan's family in the near future too (hint hint, Kittermans).
I will leave you with some pregnancy pics and my hopes that you are all well! Much love!
*these pictures are of me at 5 months (about 21 weeks). As of Wednesday I will be 24 weeks!

Halfway There!

Hello all! Yesterday I went to the doctor for another checkup. As of today I am 18 weeks and 1 day along! That's halfway! Everything is going great. I was able to hear the heartbeat briefly yesterday. Baby seems to be pretty active and wouldn't sit still long enough to get a better reading. Dr. Green-Morrow says everything sounds good though. I also had my blood taken in order to check for signs of Down Syndrome, spina bifidia, or any other chromosomal disease. I'm starting to feel pretty pregnant. I definitely want to eat all the time and last night I realized my belly button is getting smaller. That was certainly an interesting discovery.
We are getting more and more settled into our home. I'm anxious to get the one room cleaned out so we can make room for Baby. Life is good for these Kittermans and I hope you all are well! Much love!

Surprise!

I hope to never forget the rush of emotions. Relief, excitement and shock ran through me the moment I looked at the screen. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A living being, moving around and for the first time I said, “This is it. I really am pregnant.” I just haven’t felt pregnant and with the recent disappointments my family has faced, I was a nervous wreck to visit the doctor. Then they stuck goo on my abdomen and put the tool to it and I saw our baby! It was a feeling like no other and I just felt a bond instantly. I know that sounds cheesy but just wait until it’s yours. Our baby is so cute! (ha! Actually it looks a little like an alien right now). We were able to see Baby moving around and waving to us. It was so weird to feel attached and in love so quickly. I know some pretty awesome babies but I know they don’t compare to my own! So…SURPRISE everybody! Nolan and I are expecting our first child! He or she is set to meet you June 25^th. I’m 15 weeks along and feeling great. I hope they’re all like this! Nolan is excited and it was great to share the sonogram moment with him. He’s going to be such a wonderful dad.

In addition to baby news, I'll give an update on the house. We are officially moved into the house and out of the apartment for a whole week now. My boss and her friend helped us move the big items last Saturday and then Nolan's family (Mom, Ian, Bekah, and Riley) helped move the smaller things as well as cleaning on Sunday. They were such a blessing! I've tried to play the pregnancy card as much as possible when heavy items need moved! Actually it's been hard to take a backseat because I like to help. Nolan took this last week off to finish things at the house that need to be done in regards to our loan qualifications. He's a lot of help from our friends, Les and Cubby. They've been so great to get into our crawlspace and fill the outer walls with insulation as well as helping Nolan with other projects. Nolan is frustrated that he keeps finding problems with the house but I try to remind that's just the 'joys' of owning a house. I will add pictures when I get a chance to take some and the house is a little more cleaned up (if that ever happens). I have to say that my all time favorite part of my house is my new washer and dryer! I no longer have to haul my clothes to a laundro-mat! I'm definitely spoiled but loving every minute of it!

** I promise to add the sonogram picture but I have to unpack my scanner first. Sorry!

Miss Paige

We have a new niece! Nolan's sister, Tameran and her husband, Frank welcomed a new baby girl into the world on December 17th. Her name is Paige Elizabeth. Nol and I finally met her last night at the Kitterman Christmas and I must say, I am smitten. She is adorable and perfect! Congratulations Tam & Frank!
Nolan and I sign our closing papers tomorrow! We will officially have a home! Tomorrow night will mostly be spent cleaning so we can move things in over the weekend. I hear the best move to have is from an apartment to a house but we'll see how much I actually enjoy it!
I will update more pictures of the move and the house when we are a bit more settled. For now, just enjoy a couple more pictures of our adorable niece! Love to you all!

Finally!

I knew it. I knew that when I became a blogger I would not update it enough! Sorry for that and thank you for encouraging me to go on. With that being said, I do have news! Nolan and I are now homeowners! As of yesterday we found out that the bank accepted our contract on a foreclosed home. We meet with the mortgage company tomorrow to finish the final paperwork and then we wait to move in! It is a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home! It has a great privacy-fenced back yard, spacious two-car garage, and plenty of space for our family and friends! I will update with pictures once we've moved in and settle a little bit. It's a little nerve-wracking and I feel so grown up but we are both very excited! You all need to come over and see it (and feel free to pick up some boxes to help us move! ha!)