New Dishwasher

In response to my "Hormonemania" post about my frustration with doing dishes, we are getting a dishwasher this week! Yay!

"he has a big head!"

I am over the hill and on the end stretch! I am currently 30 weeks and can't believe that in only 8-10 weeks (crossing fingers!) Baby Boy Potratz will be here!! There is still lots of prep work to do to get ready for his arrival, but thankfully we will have more time over the next couple months to get ready. I have had 2 ultrasounds so far and just love getting to see my growing boy. I had to have a 2nd one because they couldn't get a good shot of his head last time. At the 2nd ultrasound they STILL couldn't get a good shot of his entire head because 1) the baby is transverse and looking up at me, and 2) because his head is HUGE! The doctor said that he has a very big head. Andrew feels bad because he knows that it comes from his side of the family, but I don't care. I'm still confident that I can try to deliver naturally! So, since they couldn't get a good shot of his head the 2nd time, I get to have ANOTHER ultrasound next week.

My current due date is on Halloween, but according to the ultrasounds he is due to come on Oct. 22nd. My hope is that at the next ultrasound he will have advanced just a few more days so they can move my due date. If not, then I am going to be prepared for an early delivery-my mom went weeks early with all of us! He is just about 3 lbs. (a small little guy-or should I say a big guy for my little tummy) and in the 57th percentile for his weight. They think he will be a small baby, just with a big head!

My first shower is this weekend and I am so excited! I can't wait to start collecting all of the baby items and putting together the baby room. I am currently trying to figure out my job situation. I applied for a couple jobs and had to turn one of them down because it was only part time. There is a chance they will have full time positions opening up soon so I plan to keep my eye out for those. Otherwise, I am planning to wait and job hunt until after the baby comes. That way I won't feel guilty about taking time off from work to interview or anxious about getting hired when I am so close to my due date. The big issue right now is trying to find "possible" child care for the baby in case I do get hired at a job while I'm on maternity leave. If I stay at the day care where I am at then I can bring the baby with me and have discounted day care, but I'm not really interested in staying there plus it is about a 40 minute commute. I will just keep praying that God will provide!

Zara Boo Potratz

If I haven't introduced you yet, this is our dog Zara Boo Potratz. She is a Shih Tzu/Terrier mix and she has been our "baby" since May 2008. I figured I would take the time to write about our dog since she is a special part of our lives and will soon be receiving less attention than normal when our real baby comes.

Andrew and I decided to begin our search for a dog in the spring of 2008. We thought a dog would be a good addition to our little family and we've heard many people say that a dog is good practice for a baby (in some ways!) so we started searching online. I found a really cute black Shih Tzu/Terrier mix from a shelter in Sparta Wisconsin and immediately filled out an application. They interviewed us, check our references and within a week we got a call saying we had been selected to adopt one of their dogs, however, it wasn't the one we wanted. The dog I had seen was one of several that were born on St. Patrick's Day in 2008 and they offered us her sister instead. They sent us a picture and we fell in love! Zara was so adorable! So we made the trip to Sparta, Wisconsin the following weekend and came home with our new little one.

An interesting story about when we picked up Zara: While we were in the foster home ready to take Zara with us, one of the ladies picked her up and then accidentally dropped her! Zara was limping around and so they had to rush her to the Vet to make sure her leg was ok. Thankfully the X-rays came back fine and we were able to take her home (and they paid for the x-rays!). I was so angry that they dropped our little pup but glad that she was fine and able to come to her new home.

Zara was a pretty easy puppy. In the first month she only had a few small accidents in the house and in her crate. However, we were lucky in that we didn't have to deal with most of the training because after the first month of having her our house flooded and we had to send Zara out to our friend's farm to live for the summer. She was able to learn how to be a good dog from her friend Sandy while Andrew and I were cleaning up a flooded house and figuring out where we could live with a new puppy! We are so thankful that she was a good pup and learned a lot out of the farm so that when we moved into our friend's basement that she adjusted well and didn't have any accidents while we were there! We still struggle here and there with getting her to stop whining and jumping on people, but otherwise she is a very good dog.

Some things Zara enjoys:
-Walks (when she gets to lead)
-Chasing bunnies and squirrels in the back yard
-Whining (all the time!)
-Staring out the front door
-Getting treats when she does something good
-Cuddling on the floor with you
-Destroying her toys
-Squeezing into any small space possible (note the picture of her underneath the blue chair, she LOVES sleeping under that chair!)

Nicknames for Zara Boo:
Booze
Boozer
Boozer Loser
Boozey
Foo Foo
Boo

Here are some pictures we've taken over the years: