Happy Halloween

The one and only.... "Super Stan!" Alright, I don't have a baby yet to dress up, so I will dress up my dog. I made this little costume for Stanley tonight. He's going to "Doggie Daycare" tomorrow, so he will sport his costume there. They will love it! Thought you all might enjoy it too!

Attack of the Sinuses!

As you know, I have the distinct pleasure of spending my day with 18 "darlings" who run around my classroom and share everything they have with me. Whether it be great ideas, stories about their new puppy, or a sticky cookie from their lunch that was "saved" just for me, they share it all. I treasure most of the things they share with me, except for their tiny snotty noses and germy little fingers.

Needless to say, my family doctor was not surprised to see me in his office on Saturday morning. As he looked up my nose to see what type of terrorists I was harboring, he so affectionately said, "You know, I have to give you credit, you certainly get some doozies!" I laughed and said, "Thanks! If there is ever a contest for that sort of thing, let me know. I'd be sure to take top prize!"As I drove home with prescription in hand I said a silent prayer that this baby does NOT inherit my Grand Canyon sized sinus cavity.

But then my thoughts drifted to all the things I hope this baby DOES inherit, like my sense of creativity and Owen's amazing mathematical and logical ability. I hope baby gets Grandpa Spaite's love of football and healthy competitive spirit. From Grandpa Steince I hope baby has the ability to "figure things out" and be able to fix anything. We'll be blessed if he or she has the sense of humor from Grandma Spaite, who's eyes light up with laughter so easily. And from Grandma Steince, definitely the intuitive nature to judge and be right about other people's character.

If all these things come together then we will have one amazing little person who will light this world on fire with their personality. Let's hope they aren't sneezing and wiping their nose like their mama when they are doing it!

Yet Another Road Trip

Ohio State's Marching Band was there too!

As you can tell by now, this baby and I travel extremely well together. I take him or her and off we go. This past weekend it was to Michigan State for the OSU game. The four of us that road trip together decided to knock off another Big Ten school. Ohio State doesn't have Michigan State on the schedule for a couple of years, so the time was NOW! We were able to get four seats together and that sealed the deal.


I give Michigan State huge props for their tailgating and pregame partying. It was amazing - the most like Columbus we've seen at any of the schools we've gone to. I hope you enjoy the picture! Unless another impromptu road trip pops up, I think we'll be settled at home for a while. But hey, San Antonio, New York City, Wisconsin, and Michigan all within the last 2 months... not bad for a mama to be!


They always say you'll end up like your parents... well that is panning out to be true. This kid has a lifetime of car trips ahead of it! One would swear I was born in a car- between Conneaut Lake, Grandma's, and Florida, my sister and I logged some serious quality time in more than one car, station wagon, and mini van. This baby has Steince blood in it, and that means more long car rides to come!

I felt.... A FOOT!

This kicker beats on me pretty consistently throughout the day, but is even more active at night. I was laying on my side on the couch the other night and the little Bambino was "knocking" on my side. I instinctively put my hand there and was met with a little foot - or elbow, fist, heel.... It was definitely like nothing I have felt before! Amazing - to say the least.

Baby Spaite has been trying out this trick all week and has even kicked for Owen. We were watching it thump in baby class last night. You can definitely see my basketball belly moving with each jab and kick. By the way, I spoke way too soon with "baby class isn't so bad." We were subjected to the icky birthing videos last night. But, we made it through! We also toured the birthing suite. Medina General has a great set up. I'll be in the same room through the entire process. The rooms are spacious and very nice. There is a heated alcove for the baby and plenty of room for Dad. Last night made it all real! I certainly can't wait to see and count the toes on the little feet that entertain me all day!

All is Well

And the Buckeyes WIN!!!

Little Mama needed a nap!

Ah, Baby class.... hard to believe, but this Thursday will be our last class. We will be touring the birthing center. Overall, class has not been too bad. No icky videos to watch and no crazy partner activities. We pretty much sit and listen to a nurse tell us the straight up facts about having a baby. I am feeling pretty confident that I can indeed handle it.

I posted some pictures from Wisconsin. We had an absolute blast! It was our favorite road trip out of all of them. Owen surprised me with tickets, so we got to actually go to the game. I did just fine drinking water while tailgating too. Though, there were a few people in the tailgating lot who were trying to entice me to drink a beer. (Yes, I had the willpower to decline those delicious looking cans!)

Owen picked the remaining jalapenos from our garden before we left for Wisconsin. He stuffed & grilled them up on our tailgate grill. I feasted on two delicious ones, though they certainly packed quite the spicy punch. I sat down shortly after I had eaten the jalapenos and Baby Spaite gave me one heck of a kick or punch. It was just one, but by far the hardest one I have had to date! I'm not sure the Bambino likes spicy things as much as Dad!

For now, we'll just call the baby "Bambino." We've gotten lots of fabulous suggestions for names - Billy Ray, Twila, just to name a few... Truthfully we have names picked out - sorry to disappoint you, but we are keeping them to ourselves. We will give one hint... if it is a girl, she will have a middle name from my side of the family, and if this kicker is a boy, he will have a middle name from Owen's side of the family. So keep your guesses coming - we enjoy your thoughts!

KABOOM... Again

I am officially a "weeble." (Remember those toys that rock and fall over?) I fell again at work on Monday. This time I wiped out on the carpeted section of the hallway. I have some lovely rug burn not only on my knees, but on my toes as well. That takes some talent to get rug burn on your toes! Good thing little bambino is well protected in this basketball stomach of mine. Last time I fell at work it was a face plant on the tile floor and that left me with black and blue knees for a few weeks. I had to go to the office to get an icepack.... boy did I feel like the 7 year olds that I teach.
Other than my new adjustment to gravity, all is well. I'm feeling GREAT and loving the fact that Baby Spaite is moving around more often and with a little more "umph..." these days. Owen and I start birthing classes tomorrow night. I have no idea what we are in for, but friends who have been through "classes" before give me a smile and a laugh that signifies they know all about the graphic videos that you are subjected to. I'll let you know if we decide to go back! :)