Hello!!!

We've got a lot of friends and family out there with various types of websites and we figure it's about time we join the crowd since our lives will become a little more interesting soon. This first post is just going to be a bit of a summary of where we're at now and the ones coming down the road should be a little more interesting (or at least we can hope).

Mark's back in school and doing really well with it. He's in his first term at ITT Tech majoring in web development. It's a two year program so he's still got a ways to go, but at least there's an end in sight. He's doing really well staying on top of his homework, and even has moments where he seems to enjoy it. He's still working at Harland Clarke taking check orders. He recently participated in a group competition at work and his little group didn't just win, they won by A LOT. Mark's also been learning a lot of handy-man skills working on my parents' house, which is the never-ending project. Those skills will be enjoyed at home too.

I'm still plugging along in the pregnancy world. I'm 30 weeks along now (7 months for those who don't like weeks, due Oct. 2nd) and still feeling good. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes a couple weeks ago (it's in the genes somewhere), but it's really not a big inconvenience. I just have to count my carbs, eat lots of proteins, and test my blood sugar levels a few times a day. So don't worry, I still get in my cookies and ice cream without being a bad girl. My job is still going well. I've already been training my maternity temp replacement for the last month and a half. While I like my job, I'm looking forward to maternity leave more and more. I've put grad school on the back-burner for now and I have no idea if or when I might get back to it, but it's for a worthy cause.

The baby is really good. We had a second ultrasound and got the chance to get a clear answer to what we're having. It's definitely a girl! It's really nice to be able to tell people with confidence now and to know how to refer to her. We've already mentioned to most everyone that we'll probably be naming her Janie Amelia Thomas after her grandma Janice. She's quite the wiggle-worm and I'm starting to wonder if she's ever going to sleep once she arrives. Fortunately, most of her movements are still comfortable for now and we still find it so entertaining to feel her.

Well, that covers the highlights. We'll see what else we can get up here in the next few weeks - maybe some vacation pictures and fun stuff like that. You all take care in the mean time!