Baby Shower

35 weeks

Aubrey enjoying the aftermath : ) I'm pretty sure for Christmas she's getting just a big package of tissue paper. She had a great time throwing it all around!

Here is a post I started a couple of weeks ago, but never finished, so I decided to cross off my list tonight. :

I recently went on the hospital tour at Centerpoint Hospital in Independence. I was late (of course) but was able to be there for 3/4 of it. Pretty much standard fare it seemed, I just wanted to get a good look at their facilities before the big day. The labor/delivery rooms were really nice, but I wasn't as impressed with the postpartum rooms. They were small and definitely felt a lot more sterile. Unfortunately, that is where you spend most of your hospital stay, but hey, I'm there to have a baby not a vacation, so whatever they have will be fine. : )

Guess what? I came home to a sleeping child!!! Yes, you read that right. My lovely daughter who as many of you know, no longer naps, is NAPPING! She went to bed late last night and we got her up early for church this morning and have been running non-stop all day. Now, if we could only make this a habit I would be in heaven! For now, I'll just take the few blissful moments I'm alloted.

We had a busy day yesterday as well. We spent the morning crash-cleaning the house ( uh, I mean lightly putting the finishing touches on my mostly pristine house) to get ready for baby boy's baby shower in the afternoon. My SIL Crystal and my mom threw it for us. It was a lot of fun and they put a lot of work into it. Thanks again guys! : ) We were spoiled and got a few things we were in real need of.

Steve took Aubrey to Home Depot with Papa while we had the shower. She had a great time and loved playing with the balloons and helping herself to a cupcake when she returned. She's pretty sure it was a party just for her...who else? We had a great time. : )

35 plus 5

So today marks the day in pregnancy that I had my dear sweet Aubrey. What a surprise and wonderful blessing she was and is! I kept thinking how funny it would be if our little man decided to arrive on the same day, but I sure hope he doesn't. I'm still way to disorganized and unprepared for him to make his entrance just yet.

I just need a bit more time, but not too long... I'm feeling more and more ready physically, but not so much in other respects. Can you be ready and still not ready at the same time?

It will be interesting to see when he makes his grand entrance. I kind of see myself going all the way, but I definitely wouldn't mind getting a few weeks knocked off for good behavior! : )

Little Boy Blue

Well we took on the task of painting the office this weekend with "cool sky" for baby boy. It turned out really nice actually, I'm really glad we did it, because it made the room feel a lot larger and more open.

Steve and I had a great time working together, laughing at my 8 month belly trying to fit into my painting clothes, and just enjoying each other's company. The job went by quickly and we've decided after painting our whole house upon moving in last year, we definitely have gotten better at this whole painting business. We used a primer-paint in one paint this time and it actually worked really well and saved us a coat, so that was nice. Thankfully we've gotten better at estimating how much paint we need too... ( anyone need 10 gallons of roasted almond?)

Aubrey and Daddy prepping the room. I put up the blue tape during the day and Aubrey came in and said, " It's bootiful mommy! It's my favorite!"

Being silly...

Me and my girl
She was soooo happy to help. We had a little roller and she was pleased as punch to roll a bit of paint on "all by herself". The trick was getting her to stop...

This picture is posted to show you I'm not vain! Me in all my early morning, pre-shower, paint clothes wearin', pregnancy glory : ) My sweet little Aubrey rolling her roller while I worked the "mommy" roller.

We don't believe in silly child labor laws in this house...

Reaching "high like the sky" as she said.

Proud of a job well done : )

34 Weeks Pregnant

So believe it or not I took a pic this week and got it up in a timely manner! Shocking, isn't it?Yay for me... anyway. We are entering the "red zone" now it feels like. 6 weeks 'til D-day and it's sure coming fast.

We spent the weekend painting our office for our little man. It turned out really good and I'm excited to start putting together the nursery. Ok, maybe excited isn't exactly the word I'm looking for....I'm anxious to have everything in order, but definitely not thrilled about trying to find a place for all the millions of "misc" items that have found a home in our office for the past year and half.

I'm getting TONS of braxton-hicks and let me tell you...they are not painless like all the books say they are. I don't remember having this many with Aubrey, but they say that are more frequent, intense, and noticeable with subsequent pregnancies. Either way, not my favorite. Heartburn had also returned, but hopefully that means the little guy ( according to old wive's tales at least) is growing some curly locks in time for his grand entrance into the world. : )

I was looking at March's calendar and all I have to say is I better end up having him in April ( if I can pencil him in : ), or I'm going to have to hire an assistant to get all the things done!! ( FYI, in one of my many lovely daydreams I pretend I can hire a lovely assistant that runs my errands, does returns, grocery shops, occasionally occupies Aubrey so I can nap, and cooks gourmet meals nightly!) Sigh...if only : )

No, I really do love keeping busy and I love being a momma, but I guess if someone out there is really dying to be my assistant, I definitely be up for giving it a go! : )

Pregnant Pause

23 WEEKS

24 WEEKS

25 WEEKS

29 WEEKS

31 WEEKS

It seems my resolution to take weekly baby bump pictures this time around and blog about how I'm feeling has gone they way of so many of my grand ambitions. I did go back in my photos and actually found some I have taken, so I'll just post them in succession. This pregnancy has felt like it's on fast forward anyway : )

I'm 33 1/2 weeks now and about 6 weeks from D-Day. I'm definitely starting to feel the pressure. I only have 2 injections after tomorrow! Woo-hoo. I guess from there it's considered fair game, although I could use the extra time.

As I'm sure every other woman who's ever been pregnant can sympathize with...I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHEN HE'S COMING! I'm an admitted plan-a-holic and having trouble coming to grips with the whole mystery of it all : ) Even though Aubrey came just 2 short weeks from where I am now, I'm not sure if I should prepare just in case, or not let myself even think about it because heaven knows I'll probably go to 42 weeks or something crazy like that!

I've definitely got a serious case of "nesting" though and feel the need to have my house in order. Everything seems so disorganized and out of place at the moment. I do feel better though this week. We finalized our baby budget and got a lot of the "essentials" out of the way so I could breathe easier ( well not that easy...I still have little feet kicking my ribcage : )

We were able to score a gorgeous solid-wood mahogany dresser for his room. We have been looking FOREVER for something that would even remotely match Aubrey's cherry crib ( which apparently is not the cherry color in style at the moment), and that was not astronomically priced. We found this at an outlet store and got it for less than 1/2 the price of the same exact model selling at Babies R' Us. It even cost less than the pressed wood laminate one we were looking at at Walmart/Target. It's pretty much the nicest piece of furniture we own at the moment...sad, but true, and I love it!

We also are painting our office ( which is being converted to the "boys room" for baby brother and future baby brothers to share ). Steve and I went back and forth on doing it, but the paint was bought tonight and so we are committed...or should be, I can't decide which one. : )

I'll be excited to start putting together the nursery and get a little of this nesting business out of my system. It's been all I can think about!

My SIL and mom are throwing me a baby shower in a couple of weeks so that should be fun! We definitely need a few blue things around here...I don't think Steve will go for reusing Aubrey's pink and purple wardrobe for our little man.

Sorry the latest picture is from 31 weeks and I'm almost 34...I'll get on that! But given my track record, you might not want to hold your breath. I most definitely have exploded this past week. I swear you can see my growth daily! I'm really getting big now and no longer "cute pregnant" and starting to feel a lot more uncomfortable. Nights are especially uncomfortable, but running after an active 2 yr old has been interesting too. Aubrey and I have had bad colds for a couple of weeks now but are finally on the mend. Steve has a runny nose today though so we might be in for another round...

As for the baby...my ever expanding belly must mean he's really growing in there. I definitely have kept up with a phenomenal appetite that he seems to be benefiting from. I get lots of big movements now, mainly poking out elbows, knees, and a few other unidentifiable little bumps and lumps.

Aubrey has noticed my ever decreasing lap space, although it has not stopped her from still wanting to squeeze on there as well as she can. Aubrey talks a lot about "baby brother" now and about she want to help make him happy, change his diaper, and play with him. We'll see how that actually all goes when a bring a crying baby home that doesn't go away after a few hours : ).

Speaking of Aubrey... do you think it's too late to try to potty train her??! aack! I feel like things are so busy right now with church, baby prep, being pregnant, and sickness we just haven't found a good time. Also, she has been plagued by terrible diarrhea for over a month and we're still waiting on some test results to come back to give us more info. I definitely don't want to start her until that is over...but for all those more experienced mothers out there...am I way too late? I could do it after the baby too...hard I know, but hard now too. I'm just so torn about it and my time seems to be getting shorter and shorter.

Wow...okay if you made it through this whole post you get a cookie! mmm...cookies....um , anyway hope this satisfies with a few pics and an update and I'll work on another post soon. : )

Hungry as a...

So I am hungry all the time now...I mean ALL of the time. Turns out progesterone is actually an appetite stimulant. Hello...I'm pregnant! Isn't that an enough of an "appetite stimulant"?! I'm also very susceptible to food commercials. I pretty much crave whatever I see...good thing I can't actually convince Steve to go get any of it for me or we might be in trouble.

What's amazing is that with all of this eating...I'm still on the low side of my weight gain! Where does it all go? We'll find out when a have a 12 lb baby I guess! : ) For now, I'm just being a lot more careful going around corners. I'm definitely at the stage now where I'm doing the "belly bump" on a few countertops and low-lying 2 year olds : )

Baby Names

So here come's the fun (?) part of being pregnant and knowing what you're having. Choosing a name! And not just any name, the PERFECT name that you love, your husband loves, your 2 yr old can pronounce, and that will be cute when he's little, strong when he's older, and goes so well with your last name because he won't ever get the marriage name change so it better go really well...kind of name. That's a lot of pressure people!

So what do I do? I grab a couple of trusty "name my baby for me" baby name books at my local library and do what I do to make all my tough decisions. Randomly open to a page and point to my answer. Although I have to say it's not working out so well for me this time. No offense to all you Barinubus' and Jebediah's out there but I just don't think those will work.

But I do have to say looking though all these names has been quite entertaining. It's interesting to see what Steve's picks are and what mine are, and how they are sometimes completely off the wall different from each other. I always thought Steve would go for the more traditional names, but I think he would name our son Blade, or something the like if I let him...scary, I know. I on the other hand, like some "different" one's myself. For instance if I was living a little more hippie I totally would go for a name like River.

Anyway, we've had lots of laughs over "does anyone really name their kid this?" names, and finding out a little more about the meaning of our own names. In one of the books, "The New Baby Name Survey: What impression will you baby's name make?" is says the name Steven ( with a "v" of course, the "ph" s are a whole other matter...

gives the impression of:

Image: Steven proves that social skills are the difference between having nerdy characteristics and being a full-blown nerd. Steven is seen as a charming, easygoing guy with a good heart. People imagine he's smart, studious, and into books and computers, but he's too well liked to get the "nerd" label.

Oh my little Steven...doesn't this just suit him to a tee? We both read it and couldn't believe how well it described my little charming mechanical engineer.

Apparently my name impression is that I'm a bit of a snob...but I'm too stuck up to write about that here. Anyway, if you're looking for a couple of good laughs...head on down your nearest baby name book aisle. It's sure to give you a quite a few! : )

Our "Babymoon"

Steve and I have been talking about spending a weekend away together before the little man comes in a couple of months. Aubrey is old enough now to stay with Grandma and Grandpa and we don't have a newborn yet that needs our attention....so what does that mean? Babymoon!

No, we're not jetting off to the Bahamas ( although anyone willing to contribute to such a trip is more than welcome), we're actually just spending the weekend in Downtown Kansas City, but I am still so excited!

Grandma and Papa Kent are watching Aubrey and we will go down Friday night to our romantic hotel on the Plaza ( a fun outdoor shopping/restaurant destination downtown that is styled after Spanish architecture complete with full European fountains). The Plaza has one of the biggest light displays around during the holidays and the lights stay lit through this weekend : )

We are staying at the newly - remodeled The Raphael Hotel in a suite overlooking the Country Club Plaza.

We're going to use our Christmas gift card to PF Changs (Thanks Jason and Crystal) to enjoy some delicious lettuce wraps and toddler-free dining, and then maybe pop over to the Melting Pot for their famous chocolate fondue for dessert.

Then we plan on sleeping in and spending Saturday however we want! There are art museums, eclectic shops, delicious restaurants, and plenty of other undiscovered sites for us to explore. I'm sure the time will go by so quickly, but just the thought of a whole day spent together just doing what we please on a whim sounds heavenly! We have been so busy lately with church callings, parenting, work, and regular old life that we are so excited to have this little marriage battery recharge this weekend.

So if you need us, you'll know where to find us....but try not to look too hard, ok? : )

22 weeks with Baby Boy

Hey everyone! Just posting some more pics of my baby bump, although it doesn't seem to have grown that much since the last installment, well not at least when comparing the pics, I know I am definitely noticing a change. : ) I think I'm finally putting on the pounds (no thanks to Thanksgiving) and I'm sure the scale will read quite differently at my next appt. For now it stands at 1 lb weight gain, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to blow that out of the water : ) My appetite has definitely come back!

Anyway, feeling great and enjoying feeling those little nudges and jabs becoming much more pronounced. Steve has now officially felt our little man and that's always exciting. I got another p17 injection today and got to hear a good strong heartbeat so all seems well.

Prego Update

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Well, as usual, I've been meaning to post this pics for a little bit, but better late than never. We go in for our 20-week ultrasound tomorrow and we're very excited to get a sneak peek at this little one, and hopefully a hint on whether or not we should be trading in the new big girl bed we found Aubrey for bunk beds! : )

Steve's still pretty sure it's a girl, although my parents and sister think it's a boy. I've got no clue whatsoever! I keep going back and forth, although my odds aren't that bad, I do have a 50/50 chance of being right! : )

Steve has to go into work this morning at 2:00 AM though to run some tests between the night and 3rd shifts, so I'll probably have to be prodding him awake during the ultrasound at 3:30. We have our OB appt. right after that, and then the plan is to go out for a celebratory dinner. More like I just love any excuse to eat at a yummy restaurant. The problem will be deciding where to go. I've been "for sure" about where to go about 3-4 times already, and I'm still changing my mind! ( PS...If it sounds like I'm thinking a lot about this, I am! We don't get to go out to eat very often so I want to make it count! : )

19 weeks

Aubrey kept wanting a turn having her picture taken too. You can see her in the bottom of some of the pics. She was getting a little jealous and wanted to say "cheese" too! This isn't her real "cheese" smile though, this is us asking her to show us her teeth. It produces a much nicer smile : )

She looks like such a big girl in these pics! I think it's the way I'm holding her.

At this angle I don't look like I have a belly at all!

Oh yeah, here it is. 20 weeks!

I swear though that in the few days since this picture was taken I have really popped out, at least it feels that way. Steve even noticed when he came home yesterday. Guess that little baby is having a growth spurt, which is good because I have yet to have any weight gain from my first visit and we're halfway done, but I don't think that will be the case tomorrow! : ) And if not, I'm pretty sure Thanksgiving will take care of that...

Speaking of cravings, I've had an interesting diet as of late. With Aubrey I was really into Fish fillets at McD's ( gross...I know), and cookie dough blizzards from Dairy Queen. With this one I have eaten enough pink grapefruit to rival you Floridians, and been going through quite a few cartons of cottage cheese. You just never know! : )

Well, it has been a good week so far. Aubrey has been great and I've actually been able to get a lot done around the house. I have another 17p shot tomorrow morning ( ugh ), but other than that it looks like a promising day! By the way, thanks for the advice on the injections.

The progesterone shots weren't nearly as bad as I was worried about. I have an awesome home care nurse who is VERY good. She's been doing this a long time and was very gentle. It does take a long time for the oil to be pushed in and that's uncomfortable but not unbearable. Most of the pain comes about 10-20 min. AFTER the shot, which is wierd. It mainly felt like someone had punched me a lot in my hip and then down my leg, just for good measure :) A heat pad for a couple of days helped nicely though and by day 3 I didn't notice the soreness much at all.

I do get a little bonus though: they listen to to the baby's heartbeat with a doppler every time I get my shot so that's a nice little treat! Something to look forward to at least.

I'm also excited for Thanksgiving on Thursday and this year I'm making my specialties: deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce (in the can of course! How else?) We'll be going over to my Mom and Dad's and my brother Jason and his wife will be coming too. We're using the 12 lb. turkey Steve got from work last year. ( Yes, it's been in my freezer all year...no, I do not often attempt cooking 12lb. turkey's for routine dinners!) I'm hungry already!

Steve will be off the day after and I'll be doing some visiting teaching, and then we plan on setting up our Christmas tree and other decorations. I always look forward to doing that. We bought a new pre-lit tree last year at the end of the season so I'm excited to put it up. The only problem is, it's going to take quite a bit more ornaments than our former "charlie brown style" apartment tree...but I know somebody who cuts out a pretty mean snowflake if we get desperate (Steve).

Steve working hard putting up our lights last weekend. It was a beautiful fall day and was forecast to be much nicer than Black Friday so I had him go ahead and get to it. : ) Aubrey loved seeing him up there and it was all I could do to keep her off the ladder too! She actually let me put on her coat and we played outside while daddy strung the lights.

Let's not and say we did, ok?

So, it's waaayyy too late for me to be up but I've been thinking about my first progesterone injection on Thursday. I have to say I'm very nervous and I've really got to stop reading stuff about the shots on the internet or I'm pretty sure the home care nurse isn't going to make it past the doorstep.

For those of you who don't know, because Miss Aubrey decided to grace us with her presence at 35 weeks last time ( with a thwarted escape attempt at 25 weeks), I am now the unwilling recipient of a large injection of progesterone hormones ( to prevent preterm labor) on a weekly basis until I'm term. Fun stuff.

The worst part is that they sent the medicine and needles to my house! Like I really need to be staring those in the face while I try to psych myself up to do this. I'm not typically this big of a wimp, but over the years I have become progressively more "sensitive" you might say, to needles.

It seems that all the research says that it is a safe drug and has proven to be effective, but I'm still not wholly convinced that I'm in need of it. I have so little history to base it on though and I know they're just trying to be safe. So here comes 18 weeks of shots and hopefully a good outcome.

The problem is that it is one of those situations where if I have a healthy birth they'll say it was because of the progesterone ( whether or not it truly was), thus condemning me to progesterone usage in all my future pregnancies. Of course if I don't take it, and I do have pre term labor again, they'll attribute that to me not taking the progesterone. It's kind of a blind thing, but I guess we're just doing it. I'm still on the fence but they start tomorrow so... here we go!

16 weeks

I went in today for my 16 week OB appointment. All went well. I was glad to be able to hear the heartbeat again. She found it right away ( last time it took 2 different people and a lot of time) and we even heard some movement.

Speaking of movement, I actually felt this little one move on Sunday! I was sitting still during Ward Council ( probably the most I sit still all day ). It is definitely earlier than I felt with Aubrey, but I guess I knew what I was feeling this time around, and let's face it, my stomach muscles may be a "bit" more relaxed : ) . It sure feels good to have that little bit of reassurance though that there really is something in there. I always feel like this is such a hard stage because I am a natural worrier and I don't have the reassurance of a growing belly or of movement yet. But, it looks like I'm moving into that stage so I'm excited.

My belly has definitely decided to pop the last couple of days. As Steve said yesterday, "Where did that come from?" It really has blossomed out of nowhere it seems. I was starting to wonder when I was going to show because I'd heard it was earlier with the second. I went to church with a noticeable baby bump though, and I was definitely getting some looks. I'm just waiting for the news to spread : )

I'm not sure how to tell my YW. Maybe I'll just slip it into our opening exercise announcements, although I think my belly will make it's own announcement for me soon enough : )

P.S. Please ignore my haggard look in the picture, it was late but I wanted to post one. I haven't documented much of this pregnancy so I thought I better get started, and I also wait until the end of the day when Aubrey is in bed, so the "rose" has rubbed off a little by that time! : )

October MIA

So, you may have been asking yourself, "Did Kristen fall off the edge of the earth?" Not quite, but I have definitely been down and out. The month of October? I don't know what has happened to it, there's been no enjoying the fall leaves, no pumpkin patch trips. The last day I remember not being sick is Aubrey's birthday! ( October 3rd!!)

Morning sickness all the sudden decided to triple it's efforts in my 13th week ( knowing full well that I am supposed to be ending all that business by that time). I could literally not get off the couch because of the extreme nausea. I didn't leave the house for 6 days. Steve has been traveling a lot for work and was in Vegas for the the first half of the week so that didn't help. I was so sick I had to have my dad come over to help with Aubrey most days and Steve even had to come home from work later in the week to help out.

My OB called in medication for me to try but it just gave me all the side effects without the help, so she pulled out the big guns and gave me Zofran (anti-nausea medicine they give to chemo patients). She said if that didn't help the next step was hospitalization to get some fluids into me and to monitor my weight loss more closely. Thankfully, the Zofran did the trick and I felt human for about 2 days before I got sick again.

Yes, the consensus is that I have H1N1. Fun stuff, and I passed it on to Aubrey and Steve. Once again I've been down and out and after about 6 days of trying to convince myself it was just a chest cold, I decided to call my doctor and they put me on Tamiflu. Steve's still in the contagious stage so he's stayed home the last few days, although he hasn't felt that terrible yet. The first day he was just home to help with Aubrey and I, and then he started having symptoms himself. He went to the urgent care today and is on Tamiflu as well.

Poor little Aubrey spiked a temperature of 104.2 ( it was still going up but she wouldn't let me keep it in there any longer), and we were going to take her in but it was after hours and our pediatricians urgent care said they were booked solid. It took them 4 hours to even call us back to talk to us about bringing her in. Luckily, she made it through and after a rough 24 hours her fever broke and she has been soooo much better. It was completely an answer to prayer. It is so much harder to have your little be so sick. I hate seeing her like that. So, she just has a cough now and has been more irritable, but otherwise is her busy two-year old self.

Anyway, that's where we've been and where we are! I basically have been house bound for the month of October and this being sick thing is really getting old. Hopefully, just by the fact that I'm able to sit up long enough to write this post, I am on the up and up. ; ) Church callings, work, and toddlers don't stop for sickness, that's for sure! So, I'm left with a wreck of a house, a piled up to-do list, and a hefty dose of prescriptions, but hopefully we're coming to the end of it all : ) So, how has your October been?

It is Labor Day after all...