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. : )

Ice Storm

We had an ice storm move through our area the past couple of days. Thankfully, the roads were just fine and everything went on normally, but I was still amazed by the thin coating of ice on absolutely everything!

It is really quite beautiful and looks as though someone painstakingly coated each branch with a delicate covering of ice, making sure not to miss a single twig. I saw a row of trees in the moonlight tonight and it looked as though they had been draped with thousands and thousands of twinkle lights, perfectly placed for some grand event. It was breathtaking! These are a few pictures I found to give you idea... : )

Under the weather...

My sweet baby girl is sick again. She's really gotten a lot of illnesses the past couple of months. I'm going to blame it on nursery : ) , but I'm sure we pick up our fair share of germs just going to Walmart for groceries every week. Aubrey was acting sick and not eating/drinking starting Thursday night and then the diarrhea started Friday night.

Saturday was spent on the couch with a bowl she could "cough" in ( as she calls it) where she proceeded to throw up about 5 times. Mind you of course the first time was at 6 am and all over her sheets. Turns out we really need to buy that second set of sheets for her new bed!

Well, we have been running the washer and dryer about 24/7 to keep up with all the dirty clothes, bedding, and couch cushions, but she has now been throw-up free for 24 hrs ( cross you fingers) so that's good. Problem is we're back to constant diarrhea.

Poor thing, but leave it to a kid to not cry too much about it. She just tells me her tummy hurts and after she throws up she asks for ice cream, cereal, you know...the usual! : ) She tells me, "I not coughing anymore Mommy!" and flashes me a sweet smile,....and then asks for candy. That girl... So that's what we've been doing this weekend, but on the bright side, my house smells wonderfully of febreeze and fresh laundry! : )

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! : )

New Year Tips

Here are a few organizational tips I found in one of my magazines this past month. The new year always seems to spark the desire for more order in my house, so here are a few things I hope will get me started!

Unclutter With Color:
To make organizing less painful, place colorful dot stickers on thins you're not sure you're ready to part with. If you wear the shirt, use the breadmaker, or play the board game sometime in the next 6 months, peel off the sticker. After 6 months, anything that's still dotted goes to goodwill!

Assign a Color Scheme:

For those of you with young children, banish cries of "It's not mine!" by color-coding your kids gear all through the house. Stick to a signature shad for each child's toothbrush, bath towel, and backpack, so you can tell at a glance what belongs to who. Use colored bins as a handy drop spot that get emptied each night before bed.

Maximize Your Minutes:

Got a few seconds to spare? Don't just stand there- declutter! Keep a list of super-quick organizing tasks, then tackle one when you're, say, waiting for the water to boil. Use the time to chuck expired food from the fridge. Minutes here and there can add up to a tidier house.

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? : )